At Sixes and Sevens (WIP) - updated 2/16/19

Hey, y’all! I’ve been working on the demo for this game for a few months and I’ve finally reached a point where I believe I can share it with others. Right now the demo covers the full prologue. I have plans to update it in increments until at least the first chapter is included so that players have the chance to meet all of the main characters. Past that… I’m not sure yet! We’ll see how this goes.

Now, to get to the heart of the matter…

Summary

In the aftermath of a power grab of godly proportions, a young man receives a vision of trouble yet to come. His vision highlights six people, including himself, that will stand against this future darkness. Five of those six people are well-defined in his vision, their roles clear. And then there is the sixth person. The player, known as the Titan. They are the wild card that could make or break his plans. As he gathers the people from his vision and more details of just what “trouble” he has foreseen come to light, the Titan must decide on what side of the line they fall while also surviving tests set forth by the gods themselves in order to prepare them all for the battles to come.

Characters

The MC: You! For as long as you can remember, the gods have spoken to you. After the actions of the last titan, Marepose, you strongly suspect that the gods’ involvement in your life has mostly been an attempt to steer you towards a different path.

Clementine (they/them): Your friend and protector from childhood. Clem, as you’ve always called them, is the kindly, broad-shouldered, reliable sort whose cheeks old ladies want to pinch and from whose arms young children like to swing.

Casimir (he/him): Marepose’s son in name and tool in practice. As soon as his Cian-given powers of seeing into time manifested, he was just another pawn in their game. Now that they’re gone and he has grown, all he wants is to right their wrongs and perhaps, if possible, find out what it means to matter for who he is and not what he can do.

Mels (they/them): Mels is a relatively recent transplant from Cheyca to Glaisal, but it’s more than their starry-eyed wonder at this new world that puts a spring in their step. It’s almost as though they carry a piece of the sun in their soul, they shine so brightly. Mels is unfailingly cheerful and kind, making them particularly resilient after a fashion.

Penelope (she/her): Cas is the closest thing to family Penelope has after they both survived Marepose’s descent to madness and grandiose ambition. She is prickly and closed off, but her loyalty once earned is stronger than steel.

Sybille (she/her): Though she was born and raised in Efreyland, Sybille has been just about everywhere in the twin continents. She makes her living on the road, selling charms and trinkets at markets in all the most colorful and lively cities. Accompanied by her raven, Bijou, Sybille is never happier than when she’s on the move.

Links

The demo can be found here!: https://dashingdon.com/play/mintea/at-sixes-and-sevens/mygame/
The art I use basically everywhere for the game was done by Jeju, who can be found here: https://twitter.com/3cloveredmochi OR http://threecloveredmochi.tumblr.com/
And my tumblr for the game can be found here: https://at-sixes-and-sevens-game.tumblr.com/

Changelog

1/27/2019: demo released
2/16/2019: prologue receives minor updates (details here)

Feel free to drop by the tumblr and say hi! Otherwise, I think that’s all. I’m so excited to have a demo to share with everyone and I’m looking forward to any feedback or general commentary you may have :blush:

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5D949E5C-FDF7-4A07-9D7B-EC651AB206A7 I AM. SO EXCITED TO PLAT THROUGH THIS A DOZEN TIMES HOLY SHIT

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Its that good?

Congrats on posting the demo!

Well only you can make that determination for yourself but in my opinion this is a fantastic WiP (made by an incredible author and person). The world-building is top notch, starting with a pantheon of unique and nuanced deities, with whom the mc has many interesting and varied reactions. I personally look forward to seeing how long-term your overall approach to the gods, and specifically if you align yourself with one over the others, plays out. While we don’t get to meet the entire cast, Clem is a wonderful companion and anyone who doesn’t want them I am obligated to steal them from them.

Keep up the great work!

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tis is really really good…

its interesting…like hell…

homewhever for me , there are 2 things that stand out like a sore thumb…but in a good way!

1- your childhood friend clem ? OMG…thank you for giving us (So far) a childhood friend thats not a mouse that shake at your precense…or a boyfriend in the making with goo goo eyes…or the joker with the grin plastered on their face…lol . What I mean , is clem is…like their own person…sure they are protective but without being patronizing…without the…over my shoulder suffocating like… So…It just a feel and what my gut tell me…they are their own person they have their own path…and that make them great .

2- the gods…a tiny bit annoying…arrogant…play stupid games with you…but tiny bit. and that is a mark of great work. Many stories make the gods…like i always imagine the Zeus and Ares gods lol annoying bastard that you either love or hate with no middle road . So for now…they are great too!

so kudos on those and will be looking forward to more ! :+1:

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Something about a closed something or other instead of a something or other appeared after I got the tattoo…

yeah error : ireallywannaknow line 3054: Invalid expression at char 41, expected CLOSE_CURLY, was: CLOSE_PARENTHESIS [)]

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So I haven’t started yet and will hold on until later to actually read it once I have more time.
But I just came to quickly drop by and read the summary. And…I…am…intrigued.
I really like how you wrote the description and the whole idea really appeals to me.
Hope this turns out as a success for you! :smile:

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-I think the choosing the tattoo you want choice is broken. If you initially pick a tattoo, but if u change your mind and pick another you keep the stat increase from the first tattoo along with the second or third etc…
but Damn this is written really well…the characters are fleshed out beautifully… …Im super informed about the world… and even though I barely did anything Im not to upset because of the quality of writing…

Ummmm the only thing i would say would be to keep us on our toes with this story… Lol take that as you will :slightly_smiling_face:

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Excellently written story so far looking forward to reading more.

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Why do I have a feeling that the person MC met when MC slept, was the previous titan? They asked these pretty weird questions, like is the sky really blue where MC is from??? They are either a god or titan… but I’m pretty sure they are the previous titan that the gods want to forget.

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I think it’s well written but it’s 5 pages and about 1,000 words (eyeballing it) before the first choice is presented.

I know that the worldbuilding stuff is exciting, but it’s really easy to skim through it and forget it completely if the player isn’t actively involved in it.

Maybe there’s another way of getting across all of this information that feels more natural to the world? For example, how would the main character have first learned of all of this stuff? That might be a good place to start.

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This has got to be one of the most interesting world-building I’ve seen so far. I actually got so into the story that I forgot I was reading a demo and was very disappointed when it ended! You have a way with words (your writing is very compelling), all the characters we’ve met so far seem intriguing and likable (Clem is a sweetheart and the gods were hilariously chaotic.) I’m looking forward to seeing where this story goes. :smiley:

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Congrats on the demo! I thoroughly enjoyed the thing (and was screaming about Clem being an utter darling all throughout like what a good bean and their big ol hugs)

So far everyone is likeable or at least interesting enough for me to want to know more about the cast — extended godly family included — and what not. I like you’ve included the affinities this early. It’s a good hook especially in terms of replayability recall and investment, at least for an opening demo

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!!! I can’t believe it’s finally out @Pieces! Congrats! Now… to go read it. I’m so excited! :smiley:

EDIT: wow that was amazingly well written and fascinating read. I know you’ve already revived comments on the world building but it is truly fantastic what you’ve done. Characters feel individual and multi dimensional and the large amount of abilities offered is wonderfully fun. This is an amazing start to what I’m anticipating to be a fascinating game.

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Ha! What the heck is with this story it is so FLUFFY!!! also really dense childhood friend/protector. This WIP is SOOO GOODDD.

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Hello! I’ve kinda been following A67 on tumblr, so I was super excited when I heard the demo was released >_< IT WAS AMAZING!!!

I love the way you write your descriptions, and all the characters (including Adelaide and a certain dream person :eyes: ) were definitely intriguing! Even with the Titan’s familiarity with the gods, I still found myself wanting to find out even more about them hehe. Last but not least, NEVER least - Clem. I love them so much, I can’t believe I got to see them in-game, it feels surreal! They’re the sweetheart I imagined them to be and I can’t wait to expose my Titan’s romantic feelings for them lol, embarrassment ahoy!! I’ve gotta go back for more playthroughs to explore all the gods’ domains and, HNG, pick every choice possible to interact with Clem, but just know you’re doing an awesome job and I’m looking forward to more!!! :smile:

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as a general announcement: there deffo, deffo was an error that i fixed (those damn parentheses), and another error where you could just… infinitely increase your stats by going back and picking a different tattoo over and over that i also fixed. according to my friend quicktest, there shouldn’t be any more exceptions, but We Shall See. thank you to those that pointed these out!

planetmars: well, i only know one mars… (bless u for being so recognizable across several platforms). i’m glad you’re excited! and i hope it lived up to your expectations <3
jmar: as syd said, it’s up to you whether you think a67 is “that good”, but i do hope y’all enjoy it at least to some degree. but of course, not every story is everyone’s cup of tea and that’s a-okay! as for your later comment, i’m glad that so far things look good to you! i’ll definitely be doing my best to keep y’all “on your toes”.
Dae-kalina: syd… don’t make me cry >:T at any rate, i have you to thank for all your feedback before i posted the demo. i can think of a few people you’d have to fight with if u wanted to steal clem… but yeah, i do have Plans for how various relationships with the gods will develop, etc and i hope they prove satisfying.
E_RedMark: i’m glad you’re interested! i’m also delighted that you like clem! they sort of ended up filling the childhood friend trope naturally, but they weren’t specifically intended for it. and of course, if i have it my way they won’t ever NOT be their own person. if that ever happens it’s a sign i need to go do some revising. as for the gods… yeah, they are kinda annoying, aren’t they? big ol celestial brats sometimes. i’m glad you like them so far!
DecryptedDev: i’m delighted that your interest is piqued! thank you for your well wishes, too :blush:
avidreader: thank you!
Umbreonpanda: hmmmm, they did ask pretty weird questions, didn’t they? you’ll have to wait and see :wink:
will: ah yes, i see what you mean. i was trying to avoid that but i see that i could stand to go back and see what else i can do. thank you for your input!
MissionControl: wow, that’s high praise! thank you!!
squarelyblue: thank you, blue <3 i’m so glad you like it so far.
rosemary_and_sage: !!! thank you, v! i hope you enjoy it!
ArtemisFowl: clem is Doing their Best… but they can be dense sometimes, yeah :sweat_smile: i’m glad you liked the demo!
LauraSikdar: oh! hello, tumblr friend! thank you so much for playing and enjoying the demo! it’s good to know that the characters are catching peoples’ interest. there’s a lot more story to write, after all. don’t worry about the gods, there will be plenty more to find out… as for good ol clem, i’m delighted they lived up to your hopes. hopefully they will continue to do so, both in other playthroughs of the demo and in future updates.

whew! i think that’s everybody. thank you to everyone who’s played or commented! this was an exciting response to wake up to :smiling_face_with_three_hearts:

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This is fantastic so far! I’m really excited to see where it goes.

As some folks have mentioned, the worldbuilding at the start goes on a little long before the player can make a significant choice. However! Your writing is great, and I stayed engaged throughout the intro, which is rare for me when there are pages of background info. All that is to say, I’m glad you’re going to look into what you can do about it, but I hope it isn’t a big stressor! For me, personally, it wasn’t an issue.

Clem is perfection. “Protective childhood friend” could be obnoxious, but they’re sweet and lovely and if their loyal blood is spilled I will probably cry. You’ve shown us who they are in a really efficient way, and I especially love how you’ve intertwined character moments and flavor text about the MC. (Specifically, mentioning that they were consciously slowing their pace so my short short legs could keep up was amazing. Weaving together MC customization details and Clem’s personality like that is a small touch, but it added so much to my reading experience, and I hope you keep doing things like it :heart:)

So, yeah. I’m going to cut this off before it’s just pages of rambling gushing/praise, but know that I could probably write pages of rambling gushing/praise just from this prologue, and I’m looking forward to reading more :slight_smile:

Last thing: incidentally nonbinary (? genderfluid/queer?) Clem and their moms made me happy.

ETA: I was a bit unsure of which gift corresponded to which stat (specifically between magic/ingenuity/charisma). It might have been helpful if they were arranged in the same order as they are in the stats page, just for this one option (just because it’s the first major stats boost).

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Well it’s good to know that in the interim people hopefully won’t be too turned off by the beginning! Thank you for weighing in on the matter.

I’m glad to hear that Clem appeals to you. I’m very conscious of the fact that some people could find them annoying and I hope that I’ve provided satisfactory options to be annoyed with them in-game, but I’m also pleased that there are people who like them. The childhood friend trope is one of my favorites, but even I sometimes feel as though it’s been done to death. As for the character moments/flavor text, it’s certainly my plan to keep on doing it! I’m aware of things like scope creep, but I’ve never seen the point in allowing players to make customization choices and then never mentioning them.

I’m so glad you’re looking forward to more! Now that I’ve gotten the demo out I’ll probably be working a bit slower (glares at school work), but hopefully I’ll have the next section up in the next few months or so.

Clem would use nb, yes! Tbh, I’m nonbinary and queer myself and there was never going to be a version of this game without trans/nb/LGBT characters. I’ve already gotten a smidgeon of side-eye for just how many trans/nb characters I have, but that’s just… how it worked out. So I’m glad that it appeals to some people, at least!

And finally, yes, I can see how it would be a struggle to figure out the correspondence. Your suggestion is a good one, and I might also add in an option where the player can confirm or change their answer just to be doubly sure they know what they’re choosing. Thank you for bringing this to my attention!

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