What happened to Choice of the Petal Throne?

Not sure if anyone remembers it, but the beginning was fun. Story was pretty cool and unique.

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Yeah I would like to play that one.

I’ve noticed a trend here, the games that use a familiar genre and setting like 1920’s gangsters and zombie horror tend to get completed faster. I think the multiple epic fantasy games are probably progressing at a slower rate because the authors not only have to tell the story, but also create a new setting from scratch that the readers know nothing about.

I’m not saying originality is a bad thing, it’s just difficult to create a new world for your players when you have limited space for description and no pictures to accompany the text.

I think the official games on the site found a way to strike a balance by adding some fantasy elements to settings that are still recognizable as early 19th century England or Spanish/Italian Courts during the Renaissance Era.

Well, I think everyone is pretty familiar with samurai but I’m part of the slow camp.

@Vermander I’m afraid I’d have to join ScarletGeisha in the slow camp (of late, at least). You do have a point to a certain extent, but it’s probably a little more complex than just the setting of the game.

I can’t speak for anyone else but in the past I’ve actually found it much easier to work within a setting stemming entirely from my own imagination, rather than a “familiar genre” like 1920s gangsters, as I could just go with the creative flow rather than have to adhere to preconceived notions set by such as history, movies or popular culture. The freedom to just “do your own thing” can actually be quite liberating, in fact, and in my case at least has usually had the opposite effect to the one you’re suggesting.

For hosted games at least, I genuinely believe that the main obstacle where many fall (whether temporarily or permanently) is simply Real Life. Circumstances change, interest in a project peaks and troughs, situations arise over which the author has little or no control (or perhaps, provides a handy excuse), and “writer’s block” can pack a terrific punch, leaving you all but out for the count. Any or all of these are far more likely, IMO, to impact completion of a game than is its chosen setting.

I believe that Danielle has stopped working on the Petal Throne.

@Vendetta I don’t doubt that creating your own setting is liberating to an author, but I think it’s probably more difficult to properly describe that setting to an audience in this particular medium. You probably have to devote a lot more time to introducing the audience to the world you created and explaining how things work.

For example, I don’t know a lot about the setting of ScarletGeisha’s game, but I at least have a general idea of what a Samurai is and what people dressed like in feudal Japan (even if my images of that time are based on popular culture rather than historical fact) and anything I don’t get I can easily look up. Her game still takes place in a fictional world, but it’s one that feels familiar. If she had decided to call her characters “Magic Zoozoo Bunny Warriors who practice the seventeen schools of magic flower dancing” I’m going to need a lot more background information before I have any clue who these people are, what they look like, and what they do.

If a world is at least somewhat familiar I can make choices based on how I think that world operates. If everything is completely alien it’s much harder to feel immersed in the story.

@Vermander My next game will be about Rabbit Warriors who practice Magic Flower Dances :smiley:

@Vermander: The glacial pace of Ruler of the Red Empire is not due to having to make up a setting, in fact I love thinking about my setting and anyway much of it existed before I started writing the game.
The problem is simply that I cannot write for long periods without the inspiration going, so I often working on it on the train or bus to work.

OH man, Geisha your next game has to based on Usagi Yojimbo! :stuck_out_tongue:

We’re actually in talks with the Tekumel Foundation again. Work may start up again soon.

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That’s good

Hi all,

I have begun re-working on the game after life events caused a haiatus. I am really flattered that there is interest, and hope to have a draft done this summer.

Danielle

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Welcome back @Daniellesque Good luck for getting your draft finished. I’m sure people will be waiting avidly for it.

Yaaaaaay! Welcome back.

I look forward to trying it out.

Yay as well! I’m in for the same thin’ as @Ramidel.

Welcome @Daniellesque !

Thanks everyone! The support really helps motivate me to get work done, and I appreciate it.

I went and played Petal Throne and enjoyed what I played. I’m looking forward to seeing more of it. I hope you can manage to get it finished.

a great game happy to know still active