DestinyQuest Raiders - a new game experience
First off a massive thank you to the community for making The Wrath of Ragnarok (Book 5 of DestinyQuest) an astonishing success. We unlocked loads of goodies, and I can't wait to deliver this eagerly awaited book to fans in early August. I feel it is my best work so far, so I am excited to hear what players think of it. That aside... there is more special news.
If you have been following my social media, you may already be curious about a new addition/announcement. I have decided to launch a brand new DestinyQuest series, set in the same world as my other gamebooks, but will offer a fun and different experience.
I feel gamebooks stagnate. Back in 2010 I came up with a new and innovative game system that now drives my DestinyQuest series - partly because I wanted to capture that online action roleplaying experience, but also - I realised gamebooks had not evolved since the 80's Fighting Fantasy series.
In many ways that is still relevant today. I feel there is a glut of amateur gamebooks now flooding the self-publishing circuit and Kickstarter - and that is wonderful to see. It's great that this genre is still alive and kicking and finding an audience. But for me, it's always about pushing the boundaries and being innovative. I would never publish or introduce anything new to you if I didn't feel it was offering an experience you can't get anywhere else.
So... enter DestinyQuest Raiders. This is not a replacement for my existing books. I want to offer a tailored lighter experience. My main DestinyQuest books are probably more akin to a full on RPG campaign. Which I think they deliver wonderfully and people love that, because they get immersed in their character and their development, as well as the story. However, they are a time commitment and they do require a fair amount of dice-rolling and micro-management. Not something you would easily play on the move…
DestinyQuest Raiders is a new series completely designed around fun, quick accessibility. You can play this while on the train, in the car – hell, you may even try playing this while bungee jumping off a bridge (please, I so need to see that!). The concept is:
- The same amazing and deep storytelling you have come to expect from the series
- A completely diceless combat system, that still requires thought and strategy as you combine the abilities of your heroes to overcome the hordes of monsters set against you
- Fun achievements you can earn as you progress your team, so that you can replay the book multiple times to tick all your boxes and gain new loot and bonuses
Yes, for this series I have created a unique combat system. You only need a pencil and an eraser, and nothing more. Each combat is an exciting puzzle, where you pit your wits against the strength and unique abilities of your enemies, whilst trying to reserve as much health as possible.
The books will be shorter, more ‘Fighting Fantasy’ in nature, but each one will tell a fun story in which heroes come together to overcome a great evil – and grab awesome loot along the way.
The series is also accessible enough that anyone could play it with the minimum of fuss and set up time. Perfect if you have that weird desire to bungee jump off a bridge whilst playing a gamebook. I have you covered. (I feel this is an untapped market.)
Anyway, these are early days. There is still much to do – but I wanted to share this exciting news with you, because I feel DestinyQuest is growing from strength to strength and that is thanks to the community. So, I want to offer as much awesomeness to you guys as I can as a thank you.
In the mean time… take care and happy adventuring!
MJW