12/24/23: Laidlaw

New Demo Video

Recently I've been working on porting more of the aesthetic components (tilesets) from the Vaughan RPG into Goethe, portioning maps into manageable chunks, and workshopping some narrative ideas.

Old Friends, New Faces

The most obvious addition this go around (and my favorite) is the addition of the character Francesco "Laidlaw" Ferraro.

He is a paranormal investigator - in the sense that he is an investigator who behaves in ways that are cryptic and paranormal. He claims to be here on behalf of some nondescript alphabet agency, but this claim cannot be independently verified.

He makes a number of wild and esoteric claims about the nature of reality, a quirk he attributes to his years of work as a high ranking intelligence officer. In contrast to his incomprehensible, spiritually convoluted and abstract worldview is a cold, earthy, pragmatism.

A living question mark, a mystery unto himself, all that we know can be trusted is his ability to wring information out of the city - you, the city sheriff, are on occasion implored to make nice with this looming, steel colossus.

The Gutters Will Run With Blood

Gutter Street is a big place.

Or, maybe it's more accurate to say that it's got a lot of character, just crammed inside such a small space.

Situated precariously at the base of a dam meant for municipal waste, Gutter Street stands as a scathing indictment of city planning.

It seems constructed almost haphazardly, boasting a characteristic antipathy endemic to Gondolas.

Was this a simple civic oversight? A malfunction of city infrastructure?

Or was Gutter Street built this way on purpose?

Let's dial that one back - I'm sure we'll get to the bottom of this mystery, one way or the other.

Either way, the Nightclub previously experienced as part of the City Map now has its own map file, because load times were becoming unbearable.

As for the narrative, we'll touch on there soon.

Ciao til next time,
JC