The Fantasy Tavern Simulator!
To be released Q2 2015
75% developed
Fortune’s Tavern was an idea that sprang from my studying Latin and Medieval Studies at university. One of the first things you begin to realise about History is that the best stories are not about the mighty kings and glorious generals, but the ones about the struggling farmers, solitary monks, or humble tavern owners. It is these stories of everyday people that truly capture the imagination and bring History to life. I decided that if this worked for History, then it could work for videogames, and thus, Fortune’s Tavern was conceived!
At the heart of every fantasy adventure is the humble tavern. A place for heroes to rest, to listen to rumours, to meet other adventurers, and to seek employment. Yet the life of the modest tavern owner goes all but unnoticed. This game changes that. In Fortune’s Tavern the player takes on the role of Mathias Gambridge, the new owner of a squalid inn, run down through long years of neglect. It’s up to them to restore Fortune’s Tavern to its former glory, while seeking out its mysteries and the legend behind Xavier Fortune, the tavern’s founder. The core game consists of all the things you would expect from a business simulator: such as renovating rooms and setting rents, customising the tavern’s menu, constructing bonus buildings, supplying services, funding and undertaking questing exhibitions, and hiring staff.
Beyond the simulator however lies a rich fantasy world in which the player becomes immersed, and one of the key details behind this is NPC interaction. There are over 200 fully interactive NPCs that can visit Fortune’s Tavern, depending on what alignment the player chooses, and each one has a unique background and story, and will chat about rumours (depending on the player’s speech skill). Many of them can be hired to work in the tavern, fight in the pits, or to accompany the player on quests for magical items, new recipes, or to kill bosses and earn the tavern renown.
The game runs in real time, with each day lasting 24 minutes (although a day can be ended by going to sleep), and at any time random events can occur: some that need dealing with straight away, such as a bandit raid, or others that are less urgent, such as rat infestations. The event system really makes the game come alive, especially as many of the events deal with interactions between NPCs, who can fall in love and marry, or develop grudge matches which will need to be dealt with in the fighting pit lest they start a brawl and trash the tavern!
Another important aspect of the game is the combat which has fast ARPG style mechanics, and offers exciting visuals and terrifying spells. Unfortunately for Mathias Gambridge, he was born without the heroic advantages that some of his patrons possess, and so he needs to rely on their help to go questing and to defend his tavern… at least, at the beginning of the game! As time goes on, and the tavern grows, Mathias will become imbued with bonuses that will help him on the battlefield, yet his success is tied directly to the success of the tavern, so it needs to be kept in shape if he wants to maintain his edge; offering a unique way to level the character. Combat extends out of questing too with the player able to organise fight nights in the battle pit, and with raids on the tavern from bandits and the zombie hordes.
Can Mathias build up a successful tavern? Or like his predecessors will he be driven into madness, poverty, and an early grave?
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You can se more details of the game over on our Kickstarter Page or on our Website. It would be great to have some feedback!
