James Barclay

[Wulfgar]

Just read the interview in which you mention an RPG/strategy computer game based on the Raven. Is there any more on this or is it just in the discussion stage at the moment?

[James]

It's just a discussion. I'm doing some work on ideas as are a few others. The game rights have been acquired but, like movie rights, that means very little unless we can find some finance. Fear not, if anything really exciting happens, you'll hear me whooping and hollering from wherever you live.

And I'll post here too, of course...
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'A human with a hand outstretched in friendship carries the fangs of a taipan in his palm.' A TaiGethen saying.

[Selik]

Ooooh, spiffy! You tried down the back of the sofa? It's meant to be really good for finding money!
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"I sit on my arse, not my head." - Baron Gresse.

[James]

I did but all I found were some half chewed rice cakes, pieces of jigsaw and 567,987 bic pens.
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'A human with a hand outstretched in friendship carries the fangs of a taipan in his palm.' A TaiGethen saying.

[Selik]

Ah well, hey-ho. Least you've got plenty of writing supplies.
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"I sit on my arse, not my head." - Baron Gresse.

[James]

But none of them work. Naturally.
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'A human with a hand outstretched in friendship carries the fangs of a taipan in his palm.' A TaiGethen saying.

[Selik]

Hang on, that means you actually had to have gone out and bought all of those pens!
Who buys that number of bic pens, even in desperation? Surely you'd have moved onto the gel pens? Or a fountain pen (despite the messy ink leakages). Oh and i've also discovered ink pens are so much better if your handwriting's crap, like mine Can't even read my own writings half the time.


Going back to the possible games though, Ste (Drizzt) and I were discussing what format would be best for Raven games: RPG, RTS, Hack and Slash or a nice healthy mixture of all of them.
How would you like the games formatted were it up to you, James? And how do other people here envisage a good Raven game.
Also, who else would you want/need included.
The Barons are an obvious one, as are the Blackwings, college leaders etc. Who would other people like to see included.
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"I sit on my arse, not my head." - Baron Gresse.

[Drizzt]

I like a good hack'n'slash game nowadays... a bit of co-operative play can kill a good few hours!

Either that or something akin to the new 'Modern Warfare' game but set in Balaia, that'd be amusing... so long as there's enough hack, slash and slap to keep folks like olde me happy :p
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Pagan Music

[Lizzy]

[Selik]

You might even, dare I say it, successfully kill a Blackwing or two.
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"I sit on my arse, not my head." - Baron Gresse.

[James]

For me, I'd want an intelligent game where your decisions and actions genuinely affect what happens as you move on. Where you don't just replay a battle you lose because defeat means something bad just as victory is good. So I want players to really have to think before they act and plan properly and get totally immersed in the play.

So I want elements of RPG, I want strategy like in Total War games and I want the ability to go into one-to-one combat because The Raven can always alter the course of a fight by doing something amazing.

Eventually, I'd like to see most of the favourite characters make appearances and for as many as possible to be playable. But there are realities to what can actually be done within a set budget and time so while I want everything, I know I will probably have to accept slightly less...
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'A human with a hand outstretched in friendship carries the fangs of a taipan in his palm.' A TaiGethen saying.

[Selik]

Have you played Mount and Blade, James? I know a lot of people didn't like the fact there was no specific narrative, and you make everything up as you go along, but the battles are as you've described. If you win you gain a certain level of reknown, if you lose you have all the other Lords take the piss out of you
But it's an awesome game. I've even taken siege of a castle and claimed it for my own Though I do now have an entire kingdom vying for my head on a plate as a result, but it makes it so much more fun and it's worth waiting for the fun!
(And only £9.99 from Game- Bargain)

And as an added afterthought, you can also loot and burn peoples villages
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"I sit on my arse, not my head." - Baron Gresse.

[Wulfgar]

I say I've just had an idea! As so many people (myself included) wanted to find out what happens to Jonas et al and there are no plans for another book, how about an RPG where you get to play Jonas?

[Selik]

Surely Raven games would be better though, because playing as Jonas, there'd have to be something entirely new created, and not everyone would have read Ravensoul to get to like him.
Raven games, everyone knows the characters, the world etc. Although I suppose for those really interested, there could be some kind of unlockable level or game epilogue?
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"I sit on my arse, not my head." - Baron Gresse.

[Wulfgar]

Ah but the beauty of having something new created is that no-one's disappointed that their favoutrite character or town or whatever doesn't look how they'd pictured