Wow, where to begin? For those who don't know of my work, it all started way back in the early 1980s with the original writing of a fantasy-adventure screenplay and development of a role-playing game (RPG) for the Commodore 64. I wrote an accompanying novel in the early 1990s, and undertook an incredibly ambitious (if not foolish, perhaps) project from 1995-1997 to build a CD-ROM "MediaNovel" that consisted of not just text, but hundreds of individual graphic, music, audio and video clips to better tell a story via a multimedia computer. It's a long story (yes, pun intended)...
In retrospect, I always felt that the main problem with the MediaNovel was a fundamental lack of interactivity; yes, the clips were cool (well, many of them at least), but it was still a passive, one-way experience. However, building a grandiose, graphics-rich, knock-em-dead RPG is way beyond a single person's capabilities as well (especially when one already has a full-time job and does web development on the side). So, I've spent the last several years trying to combine the heart and soul of linear storytelling with the interactivity of a role-playing game--and trying to do it without requiring my own soul (in terms of time and personal resources) this time as well.
Recently, I completed an initial "episode" of what I'm now calling a "role-playing novel" (or RPN for short). Built using ASP.NET (a professional, database-driven, three-tiered online application for all those technical geeks out there), the RPN is still linear in nature, so I can continue to tell deep, enriching and complete stories. But the gaming element allows the reader/player to make genuine choices along the way, not just building a statistics-laden but meaningless character sheet but a genuine personality through body, mind and spirit. Hence, as the reader/player adventures through the many episodes to come, his choices (made through several dozen short but enjoyable scenarios encountered throughout the episode) permanently defines his hero and his adventuring party's reputation within the fantasy world.
Enough said for this opening blog entry. If you have some time and want to try something new, please create a character via the Role-Playing Novel and see what you think. The initial episode "Coming of Age" should only take 45-60 minutes to complete, and when you're finished, feel free to respond to this blog or drop me an email with your comments and suggestions! SMH