Devlog 1 - The Nameless

Hi everyone!

I want to write a short series about how I created the final version of THE NAMELESS. I think it will be interesting both for me (to track my progress) and for anyone who reads it.

This first devlog is about how I chose the poem that inspired the game.

While looking through the jam section, I came across the “Poetry Inspired TTRPG Jam”. The title hit me immediately: a game inspired by poetry!  I immediately thought of two authors I studied in high school: Eugenio Montale and Giuseppe Ungaretti.

In particular, I remembered three poems:

• Soldati
• San Martino del Carso
• Ho sceso, dandoti il braccio, almeno un milione di scale

I read them one by one, trying to understand which one could inspire me.

SOLDATI
Very short. It shows the fragility of life, like a leaf falling from a tree. My first thought was a game where each player plays a “Soldier” in a dangerous situation. The Soldier knows they won't return home (the chances are very low). 

Ideas:

• Token system: in each scene players draw tokens (positive and negative) from a bag to resolve a conflict/challenge/trial. 
• A rotating Game Master: each Soldier belongs to a different platoon, so the role of GM would change from scene to scene.
• A “sheet” with a drawing of a “tree”: each player is represented by a leaf. Each failure brings them closer to elimination from the tree.

Ok…I think it’s a good idea but I got stuck. I’ll finish it one day.

HO SCESO, DANDOTI IL BRACCIO, ALMENO UN MILIONE DI SCALE
I immediately thought of a game where the player remembers a lost loved one.

Ideas:

• The player draws a staircase with a finite number of steps. 
• They assign a word to each step that describes a moment.
• They describe each moment in a diary.

The idea fascinated me (and still does), but I tried a couple of solutions that didn't work. So  for now, I've decided not to continue with it.

SAN MARTINO DEL CARSO
I initially thought of a solo journalist game.
Expressions like “shreds of wall” and “but in my heart no cross is missing”  made me think of a game about remembering.
You’re a soldier (which I later changed)  who comes home after the war and observes what remains.
Every place, every person, every road helps them remember.  
The original goal was to rebuild the city through memories and by drawing it on paper (which I'll talk about in a future devlog), but then I thought that it would be better to assign a player to the Place/City. 
So I changed the game into a multiplayer one: The Place and The Veteran (which I later renamed).
I decided to make it for two players because I believe that playing together helps develop a stronger emotional connection.
This poem gave me a lot of ideas.
In the next devlogs I'll show you some additions and changes I made during development. 

I try to keep these devlogs practical and focused on my design choices. 
I hope you enjoyed this short devlog and that it gave you some insights.
Feel free to share any feedback or suggestions on how I can improve my creative process.

Thank you all for reading!