Thought/Process: Runaway Hit
Can an explosive topic in the real world serve as a catalyst for a compelling game?
9/24/2008 6:36 PM | 6 Comments | Page 2 of 4
So what would the game's other features be? In the case of a game like
Runaway, historical anecdotes can actually fuel gameplay ideas. Here are a few examples of how that might look:
Runaway's protagonist could have arrived in a shipment just like the one detailed in this advertisement from 1769.
According to color, temperament and illicit family ties (where members of the plantation household produced offspring with the slaves they owned), workers would have different skill sets and responsibilities that could be taken advantage of.
- High-yellow house slave: can read and write, trusted on the plantation, can sometimes pass as white, not as much stamina, not much of a fighter
- Field slave: can't read or write -- though you can learn at great risk -- great stamina, pretty good fighter, pretty good stealth
- Skilled laborer: can read a little, trusted a little, okay stamina, access to weapons
Context-based trust mechanic
The player would have to talk to non-player characters to progress, but would also be rolling the dice on his or her continued safety any time he/she did so. It's not just the random Caucasian encounter you'd need to be wary of, either. As history shows, white Americans were crucial in helping fugitive servants find their way to freedom, so such characters would be in the game, too. Conversely, other slaves, Native Americans on reservations through which you pass, or even freedmen could rat our lead character out, too, depending on how he acts in their presence.
Upgradeable skills with a level of risk/reward built in
- Reading
risks: higher profile, increased suspicion and aggression towards hero; rewards: awareness of surroundings, navigation during daytime
- Mechanical skills
risks: physical injury while repairing items, higher profile, increased suspicion and aggression; reward: ability to earn money, barter for travel, increased ability to navigate
The origins of
Runaway's context-based trust
mechanic can be seen here. Massachusetts was a free state, but police officers could kidnap and detain anyone they thought was on the
run.
You'd only be able to travel at night by following the North Star, until your reading ability reaches a certain level or until you built or acquired a compass. Even with those measures, daytime travel is still the game's riskiest proposition. You'd have to implement stealth during the daytime, staying indoors or within the boundaries of a safe haven. Our protagonist would only be able to fight at night, making use of a capoiera fighting style. You'd have to mask your scent, crossing water where possible or using strong-smelling roots or herbs to stymie dogs used for tracking. A penalty for poor play could be that you are sold deeper south the more times you're captured. Maybe you start in Virginia, but get caught running away a few times and you're sold to South Carolina; get caught a few more times, and you're sold to Mississippi, etc.
Primary goal:
- Rescue your family: Our protagonist would have to liberate one by one family members who are scattered across the game world, and make it to Canada. The timing and manner of your initial escape could be important, too. Do you wait on the plantation to improve your reading skills, and possibly get caught planning an escape? Do you increase your odds by recruiting other slaves to run with you, and risk having them betray you? Do you hide in the swamp, where it's harder for the pursuers to find you, but more likely that you would be attacked by an alligator? Do you give yourself a bigger head start by killing the master and the overseer, though the punishment will be much harsher if you're caught? Do you flee straight north, or do you go searching for family members who've been sold away? Do you try to buy your family members back, either by amassing money or befriending a benefactor? Runaway could incorporate educational landmarks like stops along the Underground Railroad, or the St. Augustine Church in New Orleans: An important American symbol, this church was the first place where slaves, free blacks and whites worshipped side by side.
