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Hey, so since I've seen a couple of people with these sorts of general threads for their game writing and the like, I figured I'd shamelessly copy them and have my own so I can talk about how things are going on Amazing Spider-Man: Civil War and other such things, plus throw ideas for other projects I may or may not do. I'll admit that most of my ideas stem from fan fiction since I'm quite comfortable with writing more on fandoms I know well (especially Marvel and Doctor Who, my two big loves).

So to business!

Amazing Spider-Man: Civil War: Currently working on Episode 1. I was hoping to start things proper off yesterday but of course I have just elected to get a severe cold and headache which I am only just about recovered from, so I wasn't exactly in the right mind set. Plus as I expected would happen I've had some ideas about wanting to do things differently with the conclusion, regarding some villains and stuff around Peter's supporting cast, plus the question of whether I can actually have the chance of Iron Man killing Captain America or vice versa in the game. Consequences and all that.

So anyway, I am trying to finalise the general flow before I start on Episode 1, since there are things right off the bat which can affect proceedings for the conclusion and knowing how that connects. Hopefully that shouldn't take too long.

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Outside that I have a couple of ideas for other game books, some of which are...

Secret Wars: Tales of Battleworld (Marvel) - This one is kind of inspired by Telltale's Walking Dead when they did a single episode called 400 Days with five different characters on different times in the Zombie uprising and how their single stories connect up. And I thought about doing something like that but totally self contained - unlike my episodic Spider-Man game - would be fun and different enough. For those who don't know Secret Wars - the 2015 version anyway - resolves around the Marvel Multiverse collapsing and being destroyed by a terrible event called Incursions. Without going too much into the back story famed villain Doctor Doom is able to steal the powers of the race responsible called the Beyonders and as a god himself recreates the Marvel Universe in his image with the help of Doctor Strange, crafting a single planet made up of the remains of other universes... Battleworld.

My game would basically be a prequel to the main story and see Sheriff Strange investigating a series of seemingly connected incidents across Battleworld, from realities ruled by raging Hulks and zombified super villains to retro domains stuck in the Wild West or Elizabethan England. 5-6 alternate versions of famed characters, say 3 male and 3 female, which you play in any order and all tying together somehow. Bit of a sketchy idea but it has some scope I think.

Madame Vastra (Doctor Who) - As I said Doctor Who is my other fav fandom and one of the modern characters I like most is Madame Vastra, the Lizard Woman of Paternoster Row. Formerly part of the Silurians, a race of Lizard People who ruled the planet before the primitive apes, Vastra awoke from several million years of hibernation and is now living in Victorian London with her housemaid (and wife) Jenny Flint and her loyal and highly aggressive butler, the short yet stocky Sontaran Strax. A long time friend of the Time Lord the Doctor since he saved her, Vastra is an accomplished sword woman, excellent mind - the inspiration for Sherlock Holmes in fact - and protector of Londontown circa 1892.

So in short a cool character to do a game around, especially since her past is still relatively unknown, she has some deadly skills, and it's a nice time period for stories. I was imagining her conducting a difficult case and playing it in a similar way to Spider-Man - a select number of episodes (I have imagined five) - where you make tricky choices, deal with organizations like the amoral and anti-alien group Torchwood, and also I had thought it would interesting shifting between this present and Vastra's past, from millions of years back before the incident which made the Silurians hibernate, her first encounter with the Doctor, and more. Again this one needs a fair bit more planning, but it could be something I work on when Civil War is finished?

The Janitor of Time - Finally kind of a daft but original idea I had, inspired by the first CYOA ever written, the Cave of Time. I have this concept of someone tasked with keeping the Cave of Time neat and tidy, yet finding they have to tackle stuff definitely not in their job description like wandering knights and dinosaurs or all manner of intruders. This is likely something basic I might try and zip up in one go, assuming I can map it out ok?

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Anyhoo, that's what I have thus far. Civil War is definitely likely to be my focus at the moment whilst I plan, write it out and learn all those pesky advanced variables and the like.

Yay, Marvel fanfiction! However, Janitor of Time sounds cool.

Thanks! I loved the CYOA series as a kid and I did think that something which doesn't take itself seriously surrounding the Cave of Time and all the hijinks it causes would be fun to write. Just have to think of some logical characters to appear. I know I want a Caveman and a Knight since both were in the original book...

Hi Derek,

I'm generally not too into fanfic but these look pretty interesting, good luck with them!

Haven't been sure what to make of you tbh, you just popped up a few days ago and suddenly you're being advertised as someone for everyone to go to for writing advice. LOL, I've been feeling like I missed something here, but either way, if you really do manage to pull the fanfic section out of the ghetto it's currently in that would be much appreciated.

Thanks! And I don't especially know why that is, just glad to have the help from Seto and company, but I'll have to actually write the things so we'll see how that transpires, lol! And I would like to make that section more popular if I can.

I curious whether anyone has heard about the card game Smash Up!, which is a fav of mine. I have given some thoughts about doing a game inspired by it, simply because something with Aliens, Robots, Ninjas, Pirates, Tricksters, Dinosaurs, Wizards and Zombies all trying to destroy each other (nevermind all the insane other guys in the expansions) in something barefly sensical would be amusing. :)

https://www.alderac.com/smashup

Also work on planning Episode 1 of Civil War proceeds well! I am trying to mentally think of them as Telltale episodes and how to structure them. Episode 6 the final episode is likely to be where all your choices come home to roost, and I also have to decide who you can save or get killed or something.

I've heard of it, played even. Good concept, but wasn't interesting enough to keep me playing.

It's something I occasionally pull out for some fun, but it can take a lot of time for one game, especially when you have to remind yourself of the rules and what cards can and can't do each time. The different factions are fun, mind. Enough scope for a game, assuming I want a change from Civil War.

Cool.