Posted October 23, 2020 by silentferrets
It has been a over a year since I shared my first publicly released game on itch. I have wanted to update it for a long time. Here is the first revision of it. I don't think it is perfect yet but hopefully this version is much more clear and playable. The original was written very quickly in an almost stream of consciousness way of designing. I did not make any fundamental changes to how the game works . I did however, reorder things to reflect when they should happen as opposed to when the idea occurred.
I have left access to the original version both as a legacy to see how it's changed and also so people may use that version still if they prefer.
I believe this to be my most downloaded and positively received game over the past year and a half and I am very grateful for everyone who read it, played it, or encouraged me about it. Hopefully now it's even easier to grow up weird in a society of wizards trying to sort you in to categories that just don't fit. The world certainly makes it hard enough.
Changes:
I clarified some of the interactions between the rules and the tables to hopefully help make clear why they sometimes disagree.
I added more specific directions to write things down to help guide players who might be unsure what to do.
I added more tables throughout the game to help make things more workable and clear when you develop what mana you are drawn to.
I rewrote and streamlined every phase of the game to hopefully make the process easier to follow, both so things happen in an order that makes sense
I expanded the generation of the first wizard that you assist so the type of spell they cast is somewhat out of your hands as a decision and so the actual mana they end up generating is unknown until the actual casting of the spell. This in particular is to try to match the sense of uncertainty that young people experimenting for the first time feel.
I clarified that the first spellcasting and the first assist are done in public under the eye of the society. This increases the stakes of those actions and gives more meaning to the societal response.
Future Ideas:
Expand or clarify the late game options about transitioning to adulthood and making final decisions about your magic, your robes, and your mana type.
I am considering expanding the early childhood portion before the first assist to generate some peers and shared experiences with them which can then be used in the first assist or the first spellcasting sections of the game. This would complicate the game and add to the length so I'm not sure.
More random tables. More theme generators. Spell ideas.
More connections to the sequel game: No Crime But Living
A sequel to this game and No Crime But Living attempting to solve the crisis created in No Crime But Living and helping the individual in this game find lasting peace and happiness
Please let me know if you have any thoughts, requests, or ideas for this game. I'd also love to read your playthroughs if you're willing to share. I've written some I want to share and others I don't think I could ever show another person comfortably.
Thank you again for supporting this game! It means so much to me.