Sunday 21 October 2012

Write a game and play it. In a month. National Game Design Month

The NaGa DeMon is a particularly cruel beast. For eleven months of the year it lies in wait. Just as autumnal depression takes hold, it springs up like a particularly springy bastard and screams in your face:

Write a game, play it and let us know. You've got a month. Go!

November?

It's the month of inexplicable outpouring of creativity. Shocked by the cold winds from the north, it's time to dust off that idea that's been freeloading in the back of your consciousness and make a game out of it. I am not sure why November is the month of the foolish expelling of thick creation juice - but it is. So get used to it.

Competition?

It's the hardest competition there is because you play against you. You might drown in kudos on completion but at the very least you were there. You took part. You were part of something.

How do I do it?

The rules are quite simple:
  • Create it in November
  • Finish the game in November
  • Play the game in November
  • Talk about your experience
As far as 'game' goes, it means all sorts of things: RPG, boardgame, computer game, choose-your-own-adventure, card game, etc.

Why does this sub heading have a question mark?

Everything is being organised through the Facebook group by the extraordinary Nathan Russell. It's a name you might recognise: he wrote the unfinished but excellent Verge. He also dug deep into the very darkest parts of his psyche to give us the life shattering Droog Family Songbook (Winner of the 2011 24 Hour RPG compo). So, a stout fellow of considerable regard.

What am I going to do?
What are YOU going to do?

I've got a shed load of projects on at the moment but that's never stopped me before. I've wanted to write a computer game for ages - Elite in 2D. I also have 4 half-cocked RPG ideas hanging about (and a rewrite of Cloudship Atlantis).

How about you? Use November as an excuse and everyone else as support. Go on, I dare you. I double dare you.

10 comments:

Nathan Russell said...

Elite in 2D! Do it! And make it Mac compatible... :)

Rob Lang said...

I honestly have no idea whether I'd manage 10% of it. Well, I could definitely do 10%. But 11%? No idea.

Ben O. said...

I am so doing this.

Nils said...

I'll give you a "Maybe". I probably won't have the time for NaNoWriMo (btw your link is missing the http:// bit) and I really want to work on my SF stuff anyway...

sycarion said...

I'm in. The rules may not be innovating, but I hope the setting is enjoyable.
http://www.sycarion.com/focus-for-naga-demon-2012/

Adam Dickstein said...

I am currently writing a game I hope to publish so most of November will be dedicated to that.

But why should that stop me? Heheheh. I'm Barking Alien dammit! I write games in my sleep! I also occasionally wake up with pencils and dice lodged in uncomfortable places so...yeah...maybe I should think about discontinuing that particular habit.

I'm in.

Rob Lang said...

Excellent! The community have spoken. Get stuck in.

My other problem with doing a computer game is that I doubt any of the readers of this blog would be too interested in it! I am all about free RPGs, after all.

Miguel de Luis said...

I think I will pass, I have ideas about creating a game, but not in one month and above all, and most certainly I'm emphatically not returning to that dreaded facebook thing

Dave said...

Funny. I was already planning on using NaNoWriMo this year to pull together my rules and ideas for a new RPG system I'm working on. So I guess I'm in by default.

Unknown said...

How are we supposed to write a novel and a game in the same month?!