High-Level Game Narrative and World Document World Summary

Inkbound is set in a world of whimsy and wonder, where the player drives their own fairytale adventure alongside two close companions. The story takes place on a fantastical crescent moon-shaped island, and starts in Nymaria; an islet sitting in the curve of the island, host to a city of sand and coral. As the players complete stories, more areas will be introduced, each taking on different environments that mimic the aesthetics of the islands core races: Sproutlings, forest-born woodland creatures; Nema, sea-born humanoid jellyfish; Molten Giants, volcano-born giants; and Sirocian Nomads, air-born surfers of the skies.

Core Races

Nema The Nema are the first of three playable races. They are enchanting Jellyfolk with a lust for the stage and an all-consuming thirst for admiration. Their race is proud and extravagant, and they believe their culture is superior to all others. Their aesthetics are taken from both jellyfish and humans, along with sea-creature influenced features, such as gills and webbed ears. Their appearance is decorated, elegant and regal, and their skin mimics the colours of the sea.

When starved of adoration, their colours fade and dull, and their flesh rots and decays. They become desperate and hostile, hiding away in caves to keep from the public eye, and sucking the adoration from other beings in an attempt to survive. These Nema are named Rotten Nema and will make up some of the enemies and non-player characters that players will meet.

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Sproutlings Sproutlings are the second of three playable races. They are small, tree-shaped diplomats, birthed from the ink of war that stained the soil of the island, brought into the world to bring harmony to the land. They are lawful, scholarly beings and empathetic listeners; using their superior intellect to bring balance to the opposing sides. They are dressed in a vegetation that resembles the foliage and plant-life from their birthplace and their heads are decorated in leaves, nuts, fruits and plants. Their bodies are built from the wood and bark of trees, and their skin colour is green with youth and a dark-brown with age.

Sirocian Nomads The Nomads are the third of three playable races. The closest to humans in design, distinguished predominantly by their long, pointed ears. They fled to the skies long ago, away from the poisonous technology that destroyed their homeland. They now go where the wind takes them, never stopping long enough to declare a new home, and progressing their society with wind-tech. They are free-spirited and independent, living their lives moment to moment, fearing commitment and thriving on adventure. They dress in thick, fur clothing to shield their skin from the bitter winds of the skies, and pierce their flesh with trinkets representing past adventures and places.

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Molten Giants The Molten Giants are one of the main races of the island, however they are not playable. They are an ancient, harmonious race of tiny flames, born from the fires of the volcano. Dressed in hulking bodies of molten lava and rock, they stand tall above most other beings, despite their tiny true form. They have a powerful link with the volcano and their emotional state is mirrored by its activity. Because of this they maintain a relaxed and carefree nature.

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Key Locations

Nymaria Nymaria is an islet that sits in the curve of the island, joined to the mainland by only a thin sea-passage when the tide is low. In the heart of Nymaria is a city of sand and coral, where the architecture is as elegant and extravagant as its inhabitants; towering over and looking down upon any tourists who dare wander through their fabulous land.

Sproutling Woodlands The Sproutling Woodlands cover the western area of the island. In the centre of the woodlands sits The Great Elder Tree, circled by a clearing. On the edge of the clearing, large tree trunks are hollowed out to make homes, libraries, inns, and buildings of leisure. Little wooden lamps litter the outside of residential trees and are scattered throughout the main pathways. Circular and misshapen windows are dotted over the main bulk of the trunks. Sprawling roots reach out from their trunks and create patterns and pathways in the ground.

Volcanova A domineering volcano covers the entire north-east area of the island. The buildings and pathways, belonging to the molten giants, are etched into the side of the volcano, and the city centre sits just inside the volcano's mouth. Everything, from the people to their homes, is built from dark, molten rock.

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Story

Island Backstory In the beginning, the island was home to the Molten Giants; an ancient, harmonious race of tiny flames, dressed in the hulking rock of their molten mother. The island and its inhabitants were peaceful, and the volcano dormant. But then, from the sea came the Nema; enchanting Jellyfolk with a lust for the stage and an all-consuming thirst for admiration. Their fateful desire to be famed by all those of water, land and air brought a merciless ballet to the Giants peaceful shores. The ink of war stained the soil of the island and, in-turn, birthed a civilization of small, tree-shaped diplomats to unify the races and harmonize the land. Opening Story: A Rotten Tale When the tale begins, the player party have recently been tainted by the mist and believe themselves to be suffering from an obscure illness. As they flee to the capital of Nymaria in search of a Doctor capable of curing their crippling affliction, they encounter a Doctor who offers no cure, but instead the whereabouts of the elusive healer, Seriah. On discovering the healer, the players find she is rotten and voiceless, and she begs the party to help her recover her voice and song in exchange for her healing powers. From this moment the player must craft their own path, making consequential decisions and meeting colourful characters along the way. It is up to the players to decide what price they are willing to pay to cure themselves, and what kind of character they want to be. As the story comes to a close, the players will once more encounter Seriah and will have to decide whether to make a selfless sacrifice, or trade their morality for the cure. Story Map: https://realtimeboard.com/app/board/o9J_kyeeSac=/ (Refer to Campaign Narrative Document for more information)

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https://realtimeboard.com/app/board/o9J_kyeeSac=/

Themes

Choice and morality are the core themes of our narrative. ‘Choice’ is a theme continuously established throughout the dialogue and core game loop. During the player-driven conversations the player is repeatedly making choices that change the way the story is told and how their character is presented and perceived. This system is then complemented by the non-linear story format. The open and branching story structure allows players to immerse themselves in a unique and whimsical world and story, and provides them with the space to craft their own narrative and adventure. This offers the player a real sense of control, as well as playing into the theme of ‘morality’, as players will often be faced with moral dilemmas through both the dialogue and the way in which they play through the story - subtly, but continuously, asking the question: ‘who are you, and what is you story?’.

Story Progression

Inkbound is set in a world of whimsy and wonder where the players are the creators of their own heroic or villainous tale. While the story will progress through a series of scripted events, how the players react to these events, and the order and way in which they encounter and resolve these events is entirely up to them. There are several ways in which the player can progress their story. The first is the character creation and dialogue. In the character creation stage, the players will select two tags from Origin and Profession, which will determine their characters backstory. These two tags will provide the player with unique dialogue options in conversations; opening up the potential for new paths and experiences.

(Character Creation (placeholder UI))

After the player characters have been created and the story has begun, the players will begin interacting with the story and making choices within the dialogue. This will affect the dynamic trait system, as shown in the image below. All characters start their story with a neutral psyche, and every choice made will

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move them in the direction of a trait. As they grow their character’s psyche through this system, new dialogue options will become available and they will have more success when selecting options that relate to their personality.

(Player Psyche)

The players will experience the narrative through a ‘tabletop adventure’ styled game loop. The dialogue and movement will be presented through classic board game mechanics, such as: dice and cards, while the combat mimics the interactions players make with their phones on a day-to-day basis. The board game mechanics play into the story progression by providing the player with randomised encounters and events to add to the continuously evolving and unique narrative.

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