Blog

1st March 2023

Creatures And Chronicles: A Passion Project That's Taking Shape

I asked ChatGPT to take the role of a game reporter and interview me about the current state of the game. This is the result.

When it comes to game development, the conventional wisdom is that it takes a team of experienced professionals working full-time to create a game that's engaging, balanced, and bug-free. But what if you're a solo developer, working from home, with no budget to speak of? Can you still create something that's worth playing?

Meet Peter Munkholm, the developer behind Creatures & Chronicles, a turn-based RPG set in a fantasy world of magic and monsters. For the past few weeks, Peter has been hard at work creating a game that's accessible, fun, and full of surprises. And while the road ahead may be long, Peter is making remarkable progress in turning their vision into a reality.

One of the challenges of developing a game on your own is figuring out how to create content that's varied and interesting without overextending yourself. Creatures & Chronicles tackles this challenge by offering a range of options for players to customize their experience. For example, players can create their own custom party of heroes, selecting from a roster of generic characters. While custom character creation isn't yet implemented, it's on the roadmap for future development.

Another key feature of the game is the adventure system, which lets players link together encounters into long chains, forming complete modules. This approach gives players a sense of progression and a feeling of accomplishment as they move from one encounter to the next. And with the recent update, the forest, desert, and plains graphics have had a huge overhaul, making the game look like an illustrated version of a real-life tabletop game.

Spellcasting is another area where Creatures & Chronicles shines. While spellcasters like wizards and clerics can only choose from a small list of spells for now, the list will be expanded over time. Custom parties also gather experience points and will eventually be able to level up, which adds an additional layer of progression and customization.

The game is also making progress on the items front, with the addition of armor, weapons, and equipment vendors. This will pave the way for more complex encounters and adventures that require players to upgrade their gear and choose the right equipment for the job.

Of course, no game is complete without a solid foundation, and Creatures & Chronicles is making strides in this area as well. The combat system is turn-based and tactical, allowing for plenty of experimentation and customization. While the fighter classes are currently underpowered compared to the paladin, cleric, thief, and wizard classes, the addition of proficiencies for weapons and specializations is currently in development, which should help balance out the classes.

Despite the challenges of developing a game on their own, Peter is making impressive progress. In addition to crossing 100 followers on Twitter, the new Kickstarter campaign already has four backers. And while it's challenging to both develop and market the game at the same time, Peter is committed to making Creatures & Chronicles a success.

So, what's next for Creatures & Chronicles? Peter has plenty of plans, including adding more spells, introducing custom character creation, implementing treasure gathering in adventures, and expanding the game's combat system. But for now, the focus is on creating a solid foundation that will allow the game to grow and evolve over time.

In terms of development, the focus has shifted towards adding more content to the game. The team is currently working on adding more encounters, adventures, and locations to explore, as well as expanding the roster of monsters and enemies that players will face. The goal is to make the game feel rich and full of content, with a sense of discovery and exploration that will keep players engaged for hours on end.

One exciting new feature that's currently in the works is the ability to create custom characters. This will allow players to build their own heroes from scratch, choosing their race, class, skills, and abilities. This will provide a new level of customization and personalization that will help players to connect with their characters on a deeper level.

It's clear that Creatures & Chronicles is a passion project, driven by nostalgia and a love for the RPG genre. And while the road ahead may be long, there's no doubt that Peter's vision for the game is taking shape. If you're a fan of turn-based RPGs, then Creatures & Chronicles is definitely worth keeping an eye on.

But even with all the challenges, I remain committed to making Creatures & Chronicles the best it can be. The progress made in just a few weeks is proof that anything is possible with dedication and hard work. And while there is still much to be done, I am excited for the future of the game.

As development continues, I will keep fans and backers updated on the progress of Creatures & Chronicles. I am grateful for their support and believe that together, we can create something truly special for the RPG community.

Who knows? With a bit of luck and a lot of hard work, and support from the game backers it might just become something truly remarkable.



Sincerely,
Peter

20th February 2023

Kickstarter Campaign

I refuse to give up!

I wanted to take a moment to thank all of you who supported our indieGoGo campaign for our new game project. Unfortunately, despite our best efforts, we fell short of our funding goal. We only had four backers, and while we're grateful for their support, it wasn't enough to bring our project to full life.

But I am not giving up. I believe in the game and the concept, and I'm passionate about making it a reality. That's why I'm excited to announce that we're launching a new Kickstarter campaign, which will run for 60 days.

I am confident that the larger platform, popularity, and reach of Kickstarter will give us a better chance of success. During the last two months I have put a lot of work into this game, and I believe it has the potential to be something truly special. With your help, we can make it happen.

So please, consider supporting us on Kickstarter. Every pledge counts, no matter how big or small. We have a variety of rewards available, including exclusive erly access to the development version of the game, t-shirts, content and behind-the-scenes access to backer-only discord server. And if you can't pledge right now, you can still help us by spreading the word and sharing our campaign on social media.

The funding for the first 12 months will help pay a team of developers to work on the game. Once the game is in a state of development when it is ready to release, people can buy content and pay for subscriptions, which will provide ongoing revenue for the game. This will help ensure that the game can continue to be developed and maintained in the future.

We appreciate your support and believe that, together, we can make our game a reality.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Creatures & Chronicles on Kickstarter

Sincerely,
Peter

15th February 2023

IndieGoGo Funding Ending

Dear RPG community,

As many of you know, I launched the IndieGoGo campaign in mid-December 2022 to raise funds for this browser-based, turn-based retroclone fantasy RPG. Unfortunately, the campaign is ending tomorrow and I've only received support from four backers. While I'm disappointed that the campaign didn't reach its goal, I'm incredibly grateful for the support that I did receive.

I want to take a moment to thank those who did back the campaign, and those who shared the project on social media. Your support means the world to me, and we wouldn't be where we are today without you.


I launched this campaign with the goal of raising funds to improve the game, and to support my autistic son while working from home. This is a passion project driven by nostalgia and love for the genre, and I am trying to fulfil a personal goal of having my own profitable company. While I'm disappointed that the campaign didn't reach its goal, I'm committed to continuing the development of the game.

I know that there are many challenges facing independent game developers, and I'm grateful for the opportunity to create something for the RPG community. I'm still working hard to bring this game to life, and I hope that you'll continue to support me on the journey.

You can still make it and become a backer of the game for some hours by visiting the IndieGoGo campaign


Thank you again for your support, and I look forward to sharing more updates on the game's development in the future.

Sincerely,
Peter