Way Down in the Locust Grove [NaNo18][Horror][Urban Fantasy]

[jaybee]

Way Down in the Locust Grove

Deep in the woods, high up in the Appalachians, six friends gather to participate in a horror role-playing game. As the summer heat swelters the players vanish into their roles. As night approaches and pollen stirs, the forest calls out to its children.

----

Way Down in the Locust Grove is a branching visual novel about six college kids playing the horror RPG Deimos in the woods. Instead of rolling dice to succeed, players pull from a Genjaku tower (a game quite similar to another famous wooden block pulling tower game). If the tower falls, the player's character dies. Who will survive the night?

-Branching paths. Each player has a different Genjaku skill level.
-Sacrifice characters to save others. Everyone will not survive.
-Do not break character. The strength of storytelling is in the participant's conviction.

Characters

Zeke
The "everyman" with an honest face. The kind of person everyone turns to as the final arbiter. Dwells on the past to unhealthy levels. A fan of monster movies, he builds practical effects.


Duane
The genius son of the wealthiest family in town, Duane is torn between his status and ethnicity as a black Native Indian. Intelligent and introspective but prone to fits of anxiety. Lost his arm in an accident, he produces and finances student films.


Beatrix
Japanese-American girl, she lives with her father who runs an international grocery. First to fight and fiercely loyal, Beatrix pushes herself and others to excel but is her own worse critic. She lost her eye in an accident but doesn't think she needs two to be better than you.


Cassandra
Unassuming, inatentive, and flighty, Cassandra is often underestimated. But with an eidetic memory she takes note of every minor detail making her a natural born investigator. Often frustrates people with her uncouth behavior.


Alimaea
A child star since she was two, Alimaea is on break to live the life of a normal college student. She always sees the best in people making her gullible to a fault but few people are as patient and compassionate. She works with Duane on community outreach programs in between avoiding the press.

picture coming soon
Terry
Loud, boisterous, and athletic, Terry would be the stereotypical jock if he wasn't so damn nice. Excels at everything without trying. Terry can't stand to be alone, a quirk that frustrates some who want to ditch him but he's just so damn nice!

--Work to be Done--

Most of the art is in the bag. There's only six characters with very few locations and CG. From here on out the focus is on writing and testing. This is my first Renpy game so I'm keeping it straightforward.

Note: The RPG is based on the very good [url=https://dreadthegame.wordpress.com/abou ... -the-game/]Dread[/u]. I recommend you check it out. I changed the name of the block tower game because I don't want to advertise a multi-million dollar company for them.

[Zelan]

Your art style is unique, I haven't seen anything similar on these forums, I don't think. I like it a lot.

I'm crossing my fingers that the horror isn't all that terrifying, because this is an awesome concept but I don't do great with horror. Are there going to be frightening images and sounds in the game or is it mostly just going to be the writing?

[jaybee]

Your art style is unique, I haven't seen anything similar on these forums, I don't think. I like it a lot.

I'm crossing my fingers that the horror isn't all that terrifying, because this is an awesome concept but I don't do great with horror. Are there going to be frightening images and sounds in the game or is it mostly just going to be the writing?

Thank you for the compliment. I don't like jump scares or speaker blowing sounds. I'm going for more dark comedy like the Danganronpa series. Things are kept lighthearted but there's always a sensation of dread.

My goal with the narrative is the juxtaposition between role playing and real life. The characters are playing a game but they really get into their roles even outside the game. There is no danger but it's very real for them and you the player have to decide how real it is to you.

[Zelan]

Your art style is unique, I haven't seen anything similar on these forums, I don't think. I like it a lot.

I'm crossing my fingers that the horror isn't all that terrifying, because this is an awesome concept but I don't do great with horror. Are there going to be frightening images and sounds in the game or is it mostly just going to be the writing?

Thank you for the compliment. I don't like jump scares or speaker blowing sounds. I'm going for more dark comedy like the Danganronpa series. Things are kept lighthearted but there's always a sensation of dread.

My goal with the narrative is the juxtaposition between role playing and real life. The characters are playing a game but they really get into their roles even outside the game. There is no danger but it's very real for them and you the player have to decide how real it is to you.

Ooooh, okay, that sounds awesome. The more subtle horror based on the writing and atmosphere is pretty much the only horror I enjoy, so I'll definitely be playing this one when it's finished.