The kingdom is at war, and you are a mid-ranking officer in the king's army.
After being handpicked to head your own unit, one suitable to handle only the most important, secretive missions no one can know about, you set about to recruit your soldiers.
Are you up to the task?
Are they?
I aim for this game to be one where the reader must face difficult decisions, where there is no “right” or “wrong” but there are consequences.
This is the area where I feel Aporia most distinguishes itself-- the readers will be given a great deal of control over which characters they’ll surround themselves with.
First, the protagonist.
The game will begin with a series of questions that define the main character in whichever way the reader pleases; beyond being able to choose his or her name and gender, they will be able to characterize the kind of childhood that their protagonist had, as well as how they’ve managed to distinguish him or herself in their military service. In addition, they’ll have no portrait.
In this way, the main character is completely individualized. Their motivations and personalities will be completely up to the discretion of the reader, as well as their appearances.
Secondly, the “soldiers”.
They aren’t provided for you. The protagonist will only find them through exploration of the world, putting him or herself into situations where they will encounter people suitable to the task.
At this time, there are 10 available to choose from; however, there are only 4 positions to be filled.
How the reader chooses to make their unit is up to them, but it will come down to more factors than simply the characters they desire to be a part of that unit.
Here are the variables at play:
- Some of the characters are more picky about who they’ll work alongside. At this time, there’s only two that will refuse to work with someone-- one will give you the option to choose who stays, and the other will not.
- Similarly, some characters will work together better than others. Like one would expect, this can generate better results in missions. The types of relationship two characters can have together is as follows: “Work well together”, “Get along adequately”, and “Don’t get along, but will work together”.
- Don’t forget you’re fighting a war! It’s important to be strategically minded and consider your military strengths. Each character will fall into one category-- attack-oriented, defense-oriented, or stealth-oriented. The numbers available to be recruited from each are 3, 3, and 4, respectively.
- For each military category, there is one character that is the undisputable best at what they do. While they do provide an advantage in that way, each one will come with certain trade-offs for their participation. It’s up to you to decide if they’re worth it.
- Most often, you simply can’t have two characters together in a party. It’s not that they’ll refuse to work together, but because the reader will be presented with an option and will only have the opportunity to recruit one of them.
- There’s two recruits that will be encountered individually.
Now, romance!
I can’t say too much about this, mostly because the romance is so individualized per character and I haven’t actually revealed any of them yet. But I can make a few general statements!
I can’t say too much about this, mostly because the romance is so individualized per character and I haven’t actually revealed any of them yet. But I can make a few general statements!
- Of the 10 recruitable characters, 9 of them will be romanceable.
- You’ll only be able to romance one character per game-- If I’m able, however, I’d like to throw in one or two poly endings. It’s not planned at this time, though.
- I’d like to include friendship routes as well, making it possible for more intimate relationships. These would be completely platonic, and would stack on top of the romance route. Depending on how the development of the game goes, I may or may not be able to include them.
(Just a general outline)
WAR INTENSITY: Mild to Moderate
This will be almost entirely character-focused, including the protagonist’s recruiting and most of the essential bonding with the characters.
WAR INTENSITY: Moderate to Dangerous
Now that you have all of your people recruited, it’s time to get to work! You’ll utilize your unit to complete the missions given to you by the Commander and the King.
This is also when you’ll go through the meat of the romance (and friendship) routes.
WAR INTENSITY: ?
There’s nothing left for you to do but wait and let the chips fall where they may.
How the endings will be considered:
- Did you win the war or not?
- Whether you win or lose, if you’ve completed a romance route it will have an ending that accompanies the main one. Of course, its nature will vary accordingly.
- If you completed a friendship route (or multiple friendship routes) their endings should stack on top of the romance and main endings, but only if you win the war. If you lose, you won’t receive a friendship ending, even if you complete the route. (Assuming they’re implemented, of course.)
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Hello! I very much appreciate you taking the time to read this!I apologize for the lack of character and background art at the moment (I realize it does make this thread less eye-catching) as well as for the wall of text (that one I have no excuse for, I just have a lot to say, orz). Right now, attention is focused primarily on worldbuilding.
In order to chronicle my progress, I’ve created a tumblr as well:
Development Blog
I hope that you’ll join me on this ride. :)
I love the strategy element. Best of luck!