An Absinthian Ballad (Mini-Update 29.07.18)

Hosted Games Works In Progress
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Updated Demo!

Old Demo

Alexandra is the daughter of no expectations. She expects to be a spinster for the rest of her life, her parents have long since given up on making a match for her at the age of eighteen. They hope her younger sister will be less of a disappointment.

To marry and be free, that is all she wishes for.

Hello!

This is a game I’ve been tossing around in my head and on paper for the better part of two years. It was originally a story I wanted to write, but the traditional novel is a poor medium to convey it, while this interactive style works much better.

To be quite honest, this game is little more than a dating sim without pictures. So the rough idea is that Alexandra (MC has several different names to choose from, but this is the name I came up with first) needs to get married. Luckily for her, she has suitors of varying degrees of eagerness.

Suitors

  • Oskar von Vogel, 20 | A sulky and rebellious child whose moodiness carried over to adulthood. His parents tried to rectify it by sending him to military school when he was fourteen, and surprisingly, he thrived there, and ended up joining the military for real when he turned eighteen. He has a strong sense of justice and morality, but is disheartened by the real world.

  • Edmund von Brandt, 32 | A self-declared libertine who takes life in his stride. He became a duke when he was a child following his father’s murder. He was originally a very solemn and hardworking child, but something changed ten years ago for him to become a hedonistic skirt-chaser. He cares very little for the court and its schemes, preferring to spend his time collecting art and drinking.

  • Valentin Sonnen, 24 | An ambitious and steadfast inquisitor general who resents the nobility. He came from the slums as the son of a prostitute, and joined the military at age sixteen. He quickly rose through the ranks, taking advantage of the string of mysterious disappearances in the military, and utilizing his talents for logistics. He is a believer in the end justify the means.

  • Lothar von Metzger, 27 | A charming and gentlemanly arcanist whose origins are shrouded in mystery. He gained his title after his predecessor’s mysterious death, and is known for his humility. However, it is rumoured he takes care of the royal family’s dirty business, but it is still not enough to tarnish his reputation. He takes a great interest in anything he finds beautiful.

  • Einar, ??? | A mysterious man who does not appear to be mortal.

This is a romance game, with a lot of horror to it. Be warned :upside_down_face:

Thank you for taking the time for reading and/or playing! Your time is much appreciated ^^

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I really liked the game! I hope it goes well and you continue it :smile:

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So will the RO’s consist of only men?

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I would also like to ask that. :raised_hand:

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I find the premises intriguing. However does there have to be male romance? Can you add 1 or 2 female romance?

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This was a different one. I quite like it so far! :relaxed:

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And a related question of great import: Will it be possible to marry one suitor and romance another? (Which, in a setting like this, would create a more realistic opening for a gay romance than allowing a gay marriage.)

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Love it!!! If you need help with research of time period I would glad to help. If want to really good world building @Cataphrak current game is a fantasy setting but its inspired by real world history and geopolitical ambitions and reality is. For example a protagonist home kingdoms Fusion between Regency England and Spain along with a mix of some other cultures such as Turkish Arabic a little bit of Chinese and Scottish Highlanders. This is just the home Kingdom.

Honestly I love this flow it’s well written the flows fantastic and has a great first start! So far don’t change a damn thing keep it gender lock and about this Victorian romance I’m digging it immensely so far!!! Honestly keep the name says they are and if you’re playing messed up boots with him keep it as it is it’s great! If you ever do do a male protagonist it will have to be a different game because perspective in your will be very different and different expectations and goals.

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@locria It’s really good so far. I didn’t notice any spelling or grammar errors during my playthroughs, but maybe someone will notice something I missed. In my opinion it flows very well. I was wondering, well, you said that each name determines the stats a little. Why not, when the player is choosing a name, give a quick description of the name (which you already have in the game), but also allow the player to go back and choose a different name in case they don’t like the stats that particular name has. Basically give a bit of a review of what the name is before finalizing the decision. Anyways, I really do like the story so far and look forward to the next update.

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This was a really good start. I’m seriously excited to read more :slight_smile:

There were a lot of characters, but it didn’t seem to stunt the writing when introducing them or naming them. It’ll be interesting to learn more about how the world works and moving about it as the character we are with the confines placed on them!

Good luck with it! :slight_smile:

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Like the names that were given. Looking forward to the stats!

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Do the eye color affects the status? I love all the effects of the eye colors in the comments and same for the name.

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Great so far! I love a medieval story especially one in a court setting with all its secret plots and intrigue. Throw in some good old family drama and you pretty much got me.

Our father is a sneaky one. I can’t quite figure out if he cares or not it seems he goes back and forward a lot. His relationship with the MC is what I’m most interested in at this point. I hope you’re planning more future interactions.

Looking forward to the next update :slight_smile:

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@locria

Is Alexandra’s father really her father?

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@locria

Out of curiosity, will there be equal amount of opportunity to develop a more defined relationship with each of the family members as there will be to interact with the ROs?

Like, instead of the character thinking about the family privately, giving the player moments in the story to meet these others members and interact with them. Maybe even have a moment where the player while young has a can have a first outward reaction to the father themselves, to feel differently about possibly the individual members rather than all of them collectively as a group.

I don’t feel like that there much of a chance to have the players develop their own solid opinions on the family members to actual love or hate them at the moment the question gets brought up, because we (as the Fourth Child) haven’t really be given a opportunity to interact with any of them (personal opinion, of course).

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Is this genderlocked or no cause I wish it was for both genders

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Thank you everyone for your time and questions! ^^

@tooweiss @Sophia @matt_smith At the moment, I only have male ROs planned. I might add in a couple of female ROs later on. At the moment, I want to focus on the three or four suitors I have planned.

@Ramidel I have been considering this option for a while now too. Marriage does not equal romance, and while my original notes was for this to be a romance with whomever Alexandra marries, this could definitely be a possibility. However, this would only be possible with one suitor, because the other two have personalities that would make this impossible.

@Rogar Thank you so much! I’m very happy you enjoyed it. I know I said Victorian-era, but it leans far more toward a blend of late-Regency, early-Victorian, and the latter years of the Holy Roman Empire. It’s so much fun to mix-and-match these different cultures, societies, and whatnot to create worlds. The eye colours are planned to slightly affect the stats, but not by much. I’m still on the fence about them, and I’m glad you like the comments.

@VioletHikari Oh, thank you; that totally slipped my mind. I’ve already gone back and fixed it on my end, and I will try to update the demo sometime this weekend. I’m glad you enjoyed it ^^

@Seraphinite I feel quite honoured that you like it! I love The Lady’s Choice and The Wayhaven Chronicles. I was a bit worried that the character introductions wouldn’t flow very well, but I’m glad it seems they work.

@Anathema You’ve pretty much described my favourite setting and plot. Father really does care about all his children, and he does love dear Alexandra, but she’s a bit more complicated than his other children.

@lokidemon007 Yep, he really is her father. Mother Annalena was too devout a woman to possibly consider anything else.

@Okami-Nora Definitely there will be more interactions with the family, but most of it will be with Father Burkhard, Benedikt, Gisela, and Stepmother Regina. By the time the story starts, the older sisters are out of the house and married, and the younger brothers are too young to affect anything, so they will be put in the general ‘Family’ relationship bar. Now that you bring it up, I do think it is a bit squished together, so I’ll move that scene to the end of the prologue, and put in some scenes with the main family members. Thanks for your input!

Just a few quick things to note while they’re still fresh in my mind:

  • I hope to update by the end of this month, if school permits it. I have the stats and skills mostly figured out now, so they will be put in, but relationships will not be available yet.
  • The complete prologue will have several scenes with the family, and will finish by the time Alexandra is sixteen. All ROs will be introduced by the end of it. The courtship chapters will take place two years after when she is eighteen.
  • This is gender-locked to female. If MC were a male, the story would be completely different, because there would not be the societal and cultural pressure and expectation to marry. An aristocratic son who does not inherit is expected to work, while an aristocratic daughter only has the option to marry.

Again, thanks for your comments everyone, they are very much appreciated and very encouraging to read!

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@locria

Will we find out why everyone except the oldest brother treats the MC like s**t?

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Interesting game concept. I like the focus on the character relationships and how the MC feels. Genderlocked games are unusual around here, but you have a pretty good reason for yours. It’s a pretty focused concept, but it’s fun so far. Courtly romances etc. are intriguing.

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@locria
I like what you have done so far. I think this story fulfills nice niche. I could not see any stats on the stats page from my IPhone outside eye and hair color.

Can we develop skills like conversation, dancing or horseback riding?? Also can we use a relationship with Oskar to further our social position?

Pauly

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