Time is Ticking

CATS refers to concept, aim, tone, subject matter. Initially, I wanted to make this game based around the tone. I wanted it to be dark and gritty and push people out of their comfort zones. As I wrote and drew out my concept, I realized that I shouldn’t punish my game’s future players just because I was frustrated with a few other games I played that didn’t suit my liking. I’m guilty of playing comic relief characters just as much as Wanderhome encourages peaceful playing. So, I pivoted. Instead of centering on a specific tone, I came to the conclusion that I wanted the aim of my game to be discussions with the goal of voting for or against the other players. And then I flipped through my magpie book to fill in the blanks with the specific subject matter, and left the tone for the players to decide.

The subject matter was inspired by the weeks on “Spaces” and “Joy.” This is when I wrote about my house flooding, which is obviously the inspiration behind the game’s backstory! But—like most of what I do and think—I was inspired by my favourite TV shows (see: my obsessions list). The flooding reminded me of an episode of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia where the gang is trapped in a sinking ship, and they’re confessing things to each other. This made me think to include question prompts, so that the game keeps up a natural rhythm, like people who have been friends forever and have nothing new to tell each other, so they google “discussion questions for friends.” The idea to vote for who lives and who dies was inspired by a particularly gruesome episode of Criminal Minds where teenagers were forced to make the same decision. I was also inspired by the week on “Fun,” where I talked about getting into video games recently. One of the games I’ve played is Iron Lung, which takes place in a submarine. I chose these elements because the ideas came to me naturally, given that I spend most of my time thinking about TV and video games anyway. I love consuming media because inspiration is everywhere!!!

The theme of my game is the end of the world, which I supported through visual graphics like a mushroom cloud and the clock around the edge of the page; the mechanic of the ticking clock also contributes to this theme, counting down the hours and minutes until the end of humanity. I thought of the main game mechanic one night when I couldn't sleep. Part of my insomnia was caused by the stress of this game, trying to come up with an idea when everyone else seemed so confident in theirs already. As I checked the clock over and over again, and watched the hours pass by, I thought of a clock as the spinning wheel at the centre of The Game of Life or Twister. I tried out a few different options (twirling a pencil, sticking a pin through the centre) before I came up with the paperclip idea.

I hope my game makes players reconsider the idea of winning when it comes to role playing games. I’ve always thought of games through a gamist lens (winning as the opposite of losing, and those being the only two options), but making this TTRPG made me rethink what I enjoy in a game. I want my players to feel fully immersed in their characters, and I want them to be excited by the mid-point challenges for round 4! Overall, the concept of my game is making gut decisions based on a character you inhabit. How does this character make choices different from your own?

[Cover image courtesy of Unsplash]