Neonjade

Nobody likes a good story better than the hard working crew of The Wandering Men Studios. This group of authors, gamers and designers began their collaborative efforts with novel writing. Skein of Shadows, published by Dark Quest Games, was published in 2007.


A novel or two and many adventures later, Brannon “Ashy” Hollingsworth, Nathan Ellsworth and Brannon “Hall” Hall sat down with me to discuss their soon to be published card-based role playing game (RPG), Untold. The following is a condensed version of the resulting four-way discussion.

Where did the idea of Untold come from?

Untold came from all the things The Wandering Men disliked about other gaming systems:

Ashy, Nathan and Hall and a group of their friends had been playing a Dungeons and Dragons (D&D) based adventure that turned into a rules and mechanics nightmare after a few years of leveling. Around levels 12 and 13, their group’s collaborative story had ground to a halt, not because they were tired of telling it, but because they were tired of stopping to figure out if this or that were “possible”.

They developed Untold for maximum possibilities and minimum story delay. Untold mechanics are based on interchangeable cards so that, if you don’t like your options, you can trade them out on the spot. If you can tell the story about why something about your character changes, that’s basically all the justification you need to make it happen. The game does require die rolls, but there are few modifiers, no calculators, and only one die! (d20)

The Wandering Men also decided they didn’t like having to buy new books all the time. When they developed Untold, they did so with the intention that the core set would never be updated. That’s right, while they may release new character or setting card packs in the future, the core rules will remain the same. If you never buy another pack, you’ll be able to play Untold with a new group, using the same core package, twenty years later.

How long has Untold been in development?

Almost two years:

The full concept took a year of working, breaking down and working again in search of the most elegant solution possible. The entire game design was stripped four different times to arrive at as simple and flexible a system as possible, while providing a firm foundation for playability.

Once the system came together, it took another eight months of art creation, card design and database development to get to the point where they felt confident that they were looking at the version they wanted to present to the world. The Wandering Men have another few months of art and packaging details to complete and they’ll be ready for launch.

Will this launch be the first time view of Untold?

Yes and No, version three was viewed at Imagicon last year:

The beta production cards from version three received positive feedback from initial play testing groups, and the descriptions and sample artwork posted to their websites were getting some great reviews, so The Wandering Men took Untold on the road. After Imagicon, an individual bought enough cards to put Untold into black ink for the first time ever and followed the purchase with an invitation to another gaming convention.

Kwakcon, in Kokomo, Indiana, is small enough to be held in a private residence. However, the core gamers of this event have been attending for 30 years to demo their games (many are established game developers) and try out new systems. Talk about play test heaven…

What was the result?

A “minor” adjustment – read redo:

The feedback was both heaven and hell for attendees Ashy and Nathan. Everyone had rave reviews… along with a “minor” critique. They were told to lose the last vestiges of RPG tropes from their D&D background. If they could do that, they were told, they would have a winner.

It was a long ride back home to Alabama following that marathon of gaming and focus groups. Hall was unable to attend Kwakcon, so Ashy and Nathan called him throughout the night, discussing the feedback they had gotten and brainstorming solutions with sleep deprived brains. Nathan’s first brainchild was to reduce all mechanics to be based on just three stats called “body”, “mind” and “soul.” Nate is the “numbers man” of the group, but it took many attempts at breaking his logic to convince Hall and Ashy that this seemingly simple solution was robust enough to really shine.

Alternating naps, the conversation slowed to bursts as they swapped drivers or Hall called in with a challenge or suggestion, but by the time Ashy and Nathan were home, they had agreed on direction. A three stat system, with only one “magnitude” modifier that is based on the action card being used, became the defining factor of Untold.

The three stat system does not turn Untold into simple game, just one that puts story above mechanics. Endless combinations may be created from GM determined “starting points” to determine a character’s starting abilities. Once you are on your way, you can swap many of those abilities on demand, with the only requirement to stay within your authorized Untold Points (UP). The rest may be changed when you can tell the justifying story.

When can I play Untold?

Spring 2010:

The Wandering Men will be looking for demo groups soon. Volunteers who have regular role playing groups of at least six members that would like to lead initial Untold gaming sessions should apply for the position on the Untold website forums. Leaders will be rewarded with great swag, including pre-release samples and adventure sheets and future card release discounts.

Where can I meet The Wandering Men?

• Gaming Conventions:
  • Mobicon – Held in Mobile, Alabama, 14 – 16 May, 2010.
  • Imagicon – Held in Birmingham, Alabama, 21 – 23 May, 2010
  • Other cons will be published to the Untold the Game website, soon!
• Twitter: @thewanderingmen

The Wandering Men are also in the process of setting up shop in new studio space in Hartselle, Alabama. Visit their studio website for more information.

Notice: Pictures and Untold art are published here by permission of The Wandering Men Studio, Hartselle, AL 35640 USA, Copyright ©2009 by Wandering Men Studio.

Want to know more? Ask and ye shall receive, but you have to ask! Please leave a comment, and let me know what you think of the article, the game, the art, whatever :)