Frayed Knights - More Frayed Knightses

The latest Frayed Knights update from late last week brings interesting news. Apparently the game has ended up some five or so times bigger than originally planned, so it will be split into three, cheaper, separate games. Here's the intro and head over for the full explanation:

Well, it’s been a learning experience, alright. I’ve learned I suck as a project manager. So here are some things that happened to greatly expand the scope of this “little” indie project:
One: I over-estimated how much time it would take for a player to complete the pilot, and under-estimated the amount of time that could be spent in the rest of the game (at least, so it seems right now).
Two: I panicked a little bit when I found out that I had under-estimated the length of the pilot, based on the feedback I received. This made me concerned that the game was too short. Short is not bad, but too short is not cool. So I deliberately added some more to the game than I’d originally intended.
Three: Feature and content creep happened. As it often does.

More information.

And the sad part is that I've moved to make the three acts Even Bigger Still, for even more overkill, since they have to stand alone.

To give you an idea of how much has changed, here's the score on Act One:

Original Plan:
Towns: 1
Outdoor Adventuring Territories: 2
Major Dungeons: 3 (~ Pokmor Xang Temple sized)
Minor Dungeons: 5

Current State:
Towns: 1
Outdoor Adventuring Territories: 5 (albeit a little smaller)
Major Dungeons: 8
Minor Dungeons: 5+

The Temple of Pokmor Xang isn't quite the runt of the litter on these major dungeons in terms of size, but it's a little below average. The Tower of Almost Certain Death is around 2x that size in terms of size and encounters.

Quests, conversations, searches, and some extra optional content have kicked things out a bit, too. We're still guessing on how much time it will take for a full play-through or speed-run, but things are coming together. Which is part of why we took a look at this thing and said, "Woah. This is kinda bigger than we thought."

I enjoyed the pilot. I am really looking forward to this one. Hurry up! My favorite part was the banter in the party.

Sounds good to me. I hate how every RPG is about saving the world. Better to save the town/region, then save the country in the sequel and lastly save the universe.
I know some here prefer 'open world' RPGs, but not me. You can have exploration spots here and there but don't let that come in the way of the story or gameplay. I actually feel lost when the game opens up too much

Why not have a game that does the reverse where in the first game you have to try and destroy the town, then in the second destroy the country, and finally cause a second "Big Bang" and destroy the universe.

Not doing the destroy the universe thing. But the storyline for the Frayed Knights does have them kind of bungling and arguing and lucking out their way to victory where other adventuring groups would (and have) failed. And stumbling into a larger plot. But the first act their goal is really pretty small - to try and get into the Adventurer's Guild. The story gets a bit bigger and of greater potential world-wide (or at least kingdom-wide) impact in later acts, but it's … complicated.

Seriously - I do like those smaller goals, too. Sometimes saving an entire world is —- too big. I thought just focusing on recovering an ancient city in Pool of Radiance, or just monkeying with vampire politics in Bloodlines, somehow felt more real and tangible to me.

But uh… the Frayed Knights do not destroy the universe at this time.

Unless they do it by accident, of course!!

Originally Posted by RampantCoyote
where other adventuring groups would (and have) failed.

Hm, this is interesting and unexpected to me - considering the last talk they had in the pilot to some people in the tavern (one especially) …

Sometimes saving an entire world is —- too big.

I agree. Plus, this has been done almost too many times.

Hm, this is interesting and unexpected to me - considering the last talk they had in the pilot to some people in the tavern (one especially) …

Good!

It's a tricky line to walk, because as a player, I don't want to play characters that are incompetent. And the Frayed Knights aren't. Even at the beginning of the game, they are certified butt kickers. Their problem is more of their misfit personalities. That and some bad luck and a couple of amusing mistakes. As a player, that's a lot more interesting to me.

But that combination, which has generally been a liability to them, can sometimes work in their favor. And ultimately, this will be one of those times…