(Now starring questions that actually get repeatedly asked instead of my just making stuff up!)
FAQ Hidden Here!
600,000+ words for the first chapter?!?
I know, I know… that’s not going to be sustainable unless we’re aiming for the first 6 million word release in history. I’ll be streamlining things more from this point onwards.
Is this a standalone or the first book of a series?
It’s a series. The first book One Knight Stand will keep going until we finally complete that Lesser Circle of Seven (or die trying) but the apocalypse won’t be over yet.
What is with all these wikipedia links in the game?
So I was going to have tooltips that popped up and explained things such as ‘greaves’ and whatnot like Twine games do… but oops, Choicescript doesn’t have that capability. The closest I could do is include a link to a website that explained it.
I decided that wikipedia had the best chance of still being available years from now and have handy explanations to most things I was referencing (so I wouldn’t have to chase after broken links when sites go down forevermore).
And then I just started running amok and linking to anything that the player might not know offhand. If you already understand the reference or have no further interest in it, please feel free to just ignore them.
How can I see the code for the game?
You can view the game code on my site the same way you do on Dashingdon just add /scenes to the end of the URL.
The sound effects aren’t working in the game?
Are you playing on iOS (iPhone etc) or macOS? If not, please report this as a bug. Otherwise, if you’re playing on an Apple platform unfortunately there’s a known bug with OGG sound files not working (even though they’re supposedly supported by all browsers by now).
Unfortunately, despite an extensions search, I haven’t found a solution for this.
If by the time One Knight Stand is completed, Apple still isn’t properly supporting OGG, then I might have to convert all the hundreds of sound files over to MP3 for the iOS version of the game. ( ⚆﹏⚆ ) The conversion will double the size of the sound files however and with hundreds of sound files that’s definitely less than optimal there.
Do I need to know anything about King Arthur, Camelot, or random arthurian lore to play this game?
No, you don’t need to know anything about it.
You can spend the whole game going “Who is Arthur? What’s a Camels-a-lot? What am I even doing here?” as a legit strategy. (You can even play that way if you actually do know stuff about arthuriana.)
If you choose to be an in-game lore expert, it just means your MC is as likely to give an explanation as one of the other characters. However, anything important that the player needs to know will come up in the game itself.
You can also ask the other characters for info dumps on Camelot… and boy, will some of them give you (completely skippable) lore dumps all right.
Hey, this stuff that Merlin’s saying about Camelot doesn’t jive with what I know!
Maybe that’s the difference between what canonically happened in One Knight Stand’s backstory. Or maybe Merlin is just gaslighting you.
What’s going on with Merlin’s pronouns?
If Merlin’s pronouns don’t fit with the gender that you’ve chosen for them within the MC’s speech or internal narrative, then that’s a coding error (please report it).
If another character (say a little girl who’s convinced that Merlin is Elsa) is using different pronouns for Merlin than what’s expected, then that’s simply how that other character is currently perceiving Merlin.
But what pronouns does Merlin prefer?
Merlin doesn’t care what human pronouns you use for them. Out-of-universe I’ll be using they/them for simplicity’s sake (same reason I’ll be using ‘incubus’ instead of typing incubus/succubus the entire time).
What’s up with all of Merlin’s kaomoji in their text messages and e-mails?
They’re a fifth-century mage who’s been sealed away for 1500 years… they’re trying.
m(✿￣ｰ￣)m plz understand
Why are there so many Merlin questions in this FAQ?
I don’t know, it just ended up that way. Probably because they show up in Chapter 1 and have a rather… complex… situation that needs warnings attached to it.
(✿≖ᴗ≖ )ゞ “Naturally, I’m simply the most intriguing member of this party.”
Are all RO’s available to all MC’s?
Your MC won’t be blocked from a romance due to gender or sexuality. At most you’ll get a passing mention if you’re not the gender that the RO usually dates.
There are certain other mitigating factors, however… for example not all RO’s are going to be kosher with the Serial Killer MC (especially if said MC won’t knock off with all the killings).
Also there is one modern day RO that is incompatible with a certain Camelot MC background.
Is there a lock-in point for romances?
No, there will be several points where you can initiate and break-off relationships with the various RO’s (and know that the RO’s can take take those on and off-ramps just the same as the MC).
You can also romance another character after breaking up with your current RO… but that’s going to get tougher and tougher the more you do that.
Can we start a romance in Book 1?
Romances will proceed at a different pace depending on who your MC is romancing (and also on your MC themselves). For example Adrian will be friendzoning you through most of Book 1 for… reasons. Meanwhile, potential sex scene with Merlin in Chapter 3 if you’re feeling particularly horny.
Do I need to romance someone to take part in their personal subplot?
No, you just need to be “close” to someone, either platonically, romantically, or otherwise to take part in their subplot. You’ll also need to actually be physically present (which will not always be possible for everyone at the same time).
Is there any poly?
In the series, yes, but not in the first book One Knight Stand, as forming the triad will require developing a certain level of trust and loyalty between all three members. And right now everyone is too busy side-eying each other in suspicion at this point.
Thus, since the poly options won’t appear until Book 2, saying who is involved would be a *spoiler*since it indicates who’ll actually still be available for romance later in the series.
In general, there are three triads that will be available… one is male/male/MC, one is female/female/MC, and one is male/female/MC. Note that there is some overlap in the characters potentially involved in various triads since only a couple of the ROs are interested in this sort of thing.
What about options for flings and friends with benefits–
*points to Merlin*
So… Merlin the incubus as an RO. Can they be romanced monogamously? Can they be romanced asexually?
You can indeed romance Merlin and have them be emotionally monogamous to you as the partner they will always return to while everyone else is a (literal) snack.
But they can’t be physically monogamous with the MC. They need to eat and being Merlin’s sole food source would literally kill the MC in two weeks or less.
In fact, romanced Merlin is even more likely to seek out other food sources just to make certain that the MC is safe with them and that they won’t get too hungry and accidentally eat your soul.
Merlin’s nature as an incubus means their sexuality is highly integral to them, and while they will reflect back what their partner wants/needs from them, they are not naturally romantic. Basically if you’re not having sex with them, then a high affinity MC is defaulting back to platonic friends.
These are things that are definitely going to be brought up in-game if you try to initiate a long-term romance with Merlin.
Will any other RO have problems with an asexual romance?
Nope, sex can be entirely avoided with all the other RO’s, just choose the snuggle options instead of the sex options.
How explicit are we talking here regarding sex scenes?
You’ll have the choice between fade to black and something rather more explicit but not full-blown porn. If anything rated higher than that gets included as a DLC option (not part of the base game) will depend upon how much (if any) interest there is in that sort of thing.
Can the ROs make the first move on the MC?
Yes, they can, depending entirely upon their own individual personalities. Some ROs can be very aggressive in going after what they like and some might need a divine intervention to initiate romance if the MC doesn’t make the first move. Just politely or not tell the ones that you’re not interested in to knock it off.
Can I romance the saboteur?
You can certainly think you are! (Note: This is not recommended for your MC’s longevity)
Can I romance the 404 Error?
You can certainly try. (You actually have a better chance here than with the actual saboteur.)
Can I romance the dude in the elevator, that random paramedic, one of the voices in my head, or some stranger walking down the street?
So there’s only one traitor, right?
There may actually potentially be more than one depending on the MC’s actions. But there’s always that one particular saboteur present despite whatever else the MC may do.
Will the gender of my past Camelot reincarnation be the same as the one I’ve chosen in game?
No, there’s no connection between your MC’s current and past gender (or really their current and past anything since they’re basically an entirely different person now).
There are four different backgrounds available for the Camelot reincarnation, 2 male and 2 female, so if you end up with a past incarnation you don’t like at the end of the game, you can replay for one more suitable to your tastes.
How is the MC’s past Camelot Incarnation determined?
Mostly through your choices during the Camelot flashback sequences. Mostly.
Who are the potential past incarnations of the MC?
That’s for you to find out! (No really, this is one of the major subplots of the game).
What is with all these grayed-out options?
Options will be grayed out if they conflict with a previous choice the player made if you haven’t fulfilled the prerequisites for unlocking them.
An example would be the “I’m lying about my amnesia” option not being selectable if you didn’t chose to have amnesia in the first place.
If nearly all the options have been grayed out, then usually that’s triggered by your fear or vice kicking in or because your MC is literally possessed (Congratulations!). You may want to work on that.
I’m here for the story and not for the trauma… what background choices are least likely to spectacularly blow up in my face later?
In that case, I’d suggest the Lab Technician job, the Imposter secret, Abandoned or Abused as your childhood, Lust as your vice if you’re not planning to pursue a long-term relationship with a RO (Sloth if you are), either Heights, Snakes, Spiders, or Closed Spaces as your phobia, avoiding Luck as your talent & avoiding the Internet as your addiction, and finally having Adrian as your close friend.
Not saying that you can’t make other choices during the game that’ll set you on the path to Hard Mode, but these background choices have the mildest potential repercussions.
I want the full spectacular clusterf*ck experience here! What background should I choose?
The Wrath (Vice), Accident (Childhood), and Serial Killer (Secret) combo is always f̴u̸n̷. The “Lying about my amnesia” secret is also it’s own brand of mindtrip as well.
Also, some other customizations include a Security Guard career, Fear Itself as your phobia (death & blood are also ‘good’ options and ‘darkness’ is pretty prevalent as a fear in chapter 1), Luck as your talent, the Internet as your addiction, and of course Adrian as your stalker because obviously we don’t need any good relationships to fall back on when playing Among Us.
What is going on with the “lying about your amnesia” option?
What indeed.
If you don’t like meta fourth wall breaks or otherwise heavily self insert, you might not want to choose that as your secret.
Update: Also, there will be no further out-of-universe hints, spoilers, confirmations, or anything such about the Lying about your amnesia secret.
My MC’s skin is pretty dark, is that demonic-bruise thing actually going to be seeable?
Since the bruise being perceivable is an important plot point, then no matter how dark your MC’s skin is, that bruise is darker still even if has to become the abiding abyss of a black hole to do so. (I even described it as a black hole in some routes to cover my posterior.)
My MC is intrigued by this agenda of demonic conquest & people-eating and would like to subscribe to their newsletter. Can I join the other side?
Well… there’s certainly some Dead Ends where you can do that!
Screw all these people and this forced quest! My MC wants to leave the group and this plot behind.
You can certainly do that. You’ll die (since your MC is currently on the top of several different ‘Kill on sight’ lists), but you can do it.
At some point the MC will be strong enough that they can split from the group and frolic off into their own nonstandard ending adventures in the apocalyptic world while everyone else deals with the whole apocalypse plot thing. But you’re nowhere near that point yet.
So the MC can die prematurely here, huh.
Yep, this game is horror-adjacent and you’re being given a hundred save slots for a reason. I’ll be inputting checkpoints as well once we come to that part. Hopefully Choice of Games will start allowing normal save points in the near future.
Also, please note that all the Dead Ends include clues towards the truth of what’s going on here that may otherwise not be knowable, so they’re not complete wastes of time. Also, they all give Achievements.
What is a Cloudcuckoolander etc?
Please see this post for all your cloudcuckoolander needs.
What is going on with the Changeling MC?
Please see this post for all your changeling needs.
OMG, what the hell is this monstrosity that is Merlin’s Guide to Arthurian Lore ?
We’re playing Among Us/Werewolf/Mafia/etc here. You aren’t getting any word-of-god lore directly from me. That’d be too easy.
All info about the One Knight Stand world will be filtered through the natural biases (and lies) of the characters involved in the game. Hence, Merlin’s Guide to Arthurian Lore.
Feel free to read or ignore, as you like. (Also feel free to text Merlin back and tell them exactly what you think of that doorstop.)
So Why ‘Among Us’ in the description?
Obviously, it can’t be officially marketed like that, but I thought that would be the most popularly recognized description for this type of situation.
I also considered using the OG Mafia or Werewolf instead, but I thought that might’ve confused people into thinking that there are actual gangsters and werewolves present in the game.
About those werewolves…
No comment.
Are there any guides available?
Here’s a link to various guides & info posts available on this thread.
- Escaping the Monster Under the Bed
- Getting Excalibur Shards
- Gaining/Avoiding Corruption
- Gaining/Avoiding Fear
- Gaining/Losing Purity
- Gaining Magic Points | Ver. 2
- Gaining Charisma Points
- Mini Guide to Gaining Will Points
- Full Guide to Gaining Will Points
- Gaining Cloudcuckoolander Points
- Getting Possessed Late… for reasons
- Saving & Getting Pippa Killed | Version 2
- Saving Zain
- Potential Past Incarnations
- Potential Camelot Incarnations (Google Spreadsheet)
- Camelot Family Trees
- Quick Guide to Sparring with Lancelot
- Guide to Blob-Killing Achievement
- Percy Soulmate at First Sight Guide
My save slots keep getting stuck in the Status Menu! (or any of the submenus associated with it such as Messages/Inventory/etc)
Unfortunately, that’s a common problem with Dashingdon games or any games that use the smPlugin.js save system (like One Knight Stand). You can’t save the game directly after checking the stats menu (or any of the submenus associated with the stats menu such as Messages, Inventory, Phone). If you do, that save will be permanently stuck in the stats menu for good.
So you either have to…
- Save the game before checking the stats menu
- After checking the stats menu move the game forward by at least one screen before saving. That means picking an option, hitting the ‘Next’ button or whatever is currently available in that particular game.
I keep getting an error in the game.
Before reporting any errors, please clear your browser’s cache (just the cache, not the cookies, localStorage, or any other browser data) and refresh the page.
Then, if you’re loading an old save slot, check the Status Menu to make certain that your stats haven’t been reset back to default (which can be caused by the data in the save slot corruption). If the Status Menu variables have reset back to their original values, you’ll have to load another Save or restart from the beginning of the game).
If you’re still getting an error message after trying these steps, please feel free to send in a bug report.
When will the Book Club Route be done?
When it’s done. There’s no set date at this point and considering the time investment (3-4 months for 150,000-175,000 words) and how burnt out I currently am with Chapter 1, it won’t be anytime soon.
I will also no longer be responding to any update requests regarding the book club.
What the hell is going on with Gawain in Merlin’s Guide to Arthurian Lore ?
So, while I was plotting out One Knight Stand and deciding which version of Arthurian lore would be taken as the “truth” of the OKS world, I looked at Gawain and his five million wives and lovers (because if you were going to create a female OC back then, high probability she’s shacking up with Gawain) and then I decided, yes, I’m going to make all of them canon.
The yandere. The other yandere. The one who dosed him with aphrodisiacs. That one who died of heartbreak because he couldn’t figure out how to get back to her castle. The cursed baba yaga.
Merlin’s also cursed ex-lover. *insert Merlin screeching in the background about not having done any such thing* The fairy daughter of Morgana… and that other fairy… and this fairy too.
All of them.
Good luck, Gawain.
Polls
I wanted to put some of these underneath Hide Details but I couldn’t get the polls to actually work properly that way.
Sound effects, yay or nay?
- Yay!
- Nay!
- Meh.
- No opinion.
Pacing? (No, there’s no ‘too fast’ option)
- Way too slow.
- A bit too slow.
- Eh… it’s fine.
- Just right.
Is your MC currently possessed?
- ̵Y̸e̸s̴
- No
Did your MC meet a Dead End?
- The Monster Under the Bed
- Refused the Call to Adventure
- Both! (Because I’m obviously collecting them)
- What do you mean, I’m immortal!
Punched the RO’s in the face?
- Punched Merlin
- Punched Adrian
- Punched both of them!
- Wait, I can punch the RO’s?
- Why would I want to punch the RO’s in the face?!
What happened to Pippa?
- MC saved her
- Adrian saved her
- Amnay saved her
- No one saved her. She ded.
What happened to the apartment complex?
- Only MC’s apartment burned down
- MC & their direct neighbors burned
- The entire 13th floor burned
- The entire apartment complex burned down (R.I.P.)
Your Vice
- Wrath
- Greed
- Sloth
- Lust
Your Secret
- Imposter
- Inhuman
- Serial Killer
- Lying about Amnesia
Your Childhood
- Abandoned
- Abuse
- Accident
- Amnesia
Your Addiction
- Drugs
- Alcohol
- Cigarettes
- Internet
Your Fear
- Heights
- Closed spaces
- Spiders
- Snakes
- Storms
- Attention
- Death
- Blood
- Dark
- Fear
Managed to escape from the Monster Under the Bed without help?
- Yes
- No
Current State of Your Bruise?
- Willingly Healed by Merlin
- Forcibly Healed by Merlin
- No one knows about it.
Were You Otherwise Healed by Merlin?
- No, it was never offered.
- No, it was offered but I rejected it.
- Yes, I willingly accepted it.
- That %^&^* forced it on me!
To everyone who’s MC doesn’t automatically come with a gun… even knowing that guns may backfire due their incompatibility with magic, would you still be interested in ‘acquiring’ one?
- Yes, all the guns.
- No, I’m good as I am.
Polls for Chapter 2 Part 1 are Here
Polls for Chapter 1 Part 3 - Fencing Club Route are Here
Polls for Chapter 2 Part 2 - Perfectly Normal Rest Stop are Here