Over the the course of several months, myself and creator Astri Lohne worked on this beautifully drawn narrative trailer for RUNIC, offering a small but compelling look into a bleak and unforgiving world. I had the privilege of providing both the script and the VO.The Story
Runic is a dark dystopian fantasy created by Astri Lohne. Hints of a story could be seen through her many gorgeous paintings and the consistent themes present within them, so we decided to flesh them out, together. With very clear direction, I was able to create a series of bios for her main characters, refine the draft of a map and expand upon it in both size and geographic significance, develop the world's history, create factions, and weave all these elements together to create a cohesive story that balances these components in a way that is both engaging and, more importantly, compelling.Runic takes place during yet another great turn in its world's history, when a horrid disease known as The Curse begins to ravage the dwindling populous once more. It was the catalyst that broke the world during the Golden Age roughly 1,200 years ago, and now threatens to completely obliterate the very few that remain. Though history is more a notion to this world's inhabitants, there are a few with enough curiosity and vengeful spite against their circumstances to break out in an attempt to at least understand why this is happening to them. Their names are Axyl, Kei, and Sonya. Affected by the curse in their own way, a chance encounter between the three of them will jumpstart a journey eastward and beyond that may uncover that which should have stayed hidden. They need only follow the cursed dead, and the direction that each one appears to be reaching towards in their final moments...Character Board
Above, you'll find full bios for Runic's four main characters, complete with notable features, personality traits, backgrounds, and core memories
Concept Script for Cinematic Trailer
Dialogue
In this scenario, you play as Axyl, a battle hardened warrior who has very little patience for most things. In the case of battle, she would much rather charge in and deal with an obstacle quickly rather than negotiate. As a monster hunter, she thinks it pretty sensible to deal a killing blow first before her opponent. Here, after coming across a tanner named Nerok suffering night attacks from an unknown beast and nearly losing his life, Axyl agrees to pick up its trail and put the beast to death.This is a scenario that exists in hundreds of games, and in most cases are prime examples of how a game will be treating its players for the duration of their stay. Some advertise exactly what will happen before the quest-giver has finished their pitch, and others surprise you. I hope to demonstrate the latter, to show how decent writing can make a seemingly simple quest more exciting with limited assets. Several goals must be met by the quest's end in order to preserve both the player's immersion and the richness of the world:1) The bond between character and player must be strengthened to some degree.2) The player must leave the quest with an elevated understanding of the world around them.3) Arguably the most important: The player MUST feel as though their actions have impact. Choice and consequence are the central pillar of open narrative.