
Honestly, at the risk of offending genre fans, it came from my doubt of the genre’s conventions. Tell me about your inspirations for this game. It’s still the text that drives the game.īattlemage is a kind of classic squire story with some interesting twists and worldbuilding. I’ve moved on from Twine to Unity, but all the fancy UI additions are essentially for flavor. In fact, I’m working on another IFComp entry this year that I would describe as a cyberpunk text Metroidvania. The fact that interactive fiction gives me access to such powerful mechanics made me love doing it. I had created what was essentially a point-and-click cyberpunk mystery with only the use of text and some imaginative coding. In fact, that first game, Black Sheep, was written largely on my smartphone (I had computer troubles while traveling) and it still managed to win some prize money. I quickly realized that interactive fiction is the same as any other game style, but the assets are all prose instead of drawings, 3D models, or particles. I did it at the suggestion of a fellow writer at another game I was working on, but I was immediately drawn in by the paradoxical simplicity yet potential complexity of the form. My first published game was for the Interactive Fiction Competition in 2019. What drew you to this form of storytelling? This isn’t your first time writing interactive fiction.
#Battlemage magic by mail for free#
You can play the first three chapters for free today. Battlemage: Magic by Mail releases this Thursday, Aug 12th. Romance a fellow squire, a humble stableboy, a prince, or a princess.Will you defend your kingdom with forbidden magic, or backstab the crown? Win tournaments, kiss a prince or princess, or just seize power for yourself! Battlemage: Magic by Mail is a 168,000-word interactive novel by Nic Barkdull I sat down with Nic to talk about his first Choice of Games title and the tropes of this genre.Compete with other students to gain the notice of the legendary El Cano.Defend your kingdom from mysterious invaders led by a powerful battlemage.Navigate the royal court and use intrigue and betrayal to gain power.Compete in tournament events like combat, archery, and jousting.Manipulate minds with illusion magic, master the elements, channel the forces of life with healing magic, or harness death with necromancy.Play as male, female, or nonbinary gay, straight, bi, asexual, or poly.At first, Corruption warps your physical appearance, but it soon takes over, putting the magic in control. Or if you really want to get on Kelton's good side, prove yourself on the battlefield, defeating the mysterious invaders that threaten your kingdom's borders.īut beware, if you're not careful, you'll suffer from Arcane Corruption. With the powers you can unlock, maybe you can win a tournament or two, or get in good with the royal family-you can even try your hand at the game of court politics. Yesterday you were just a squire, but today you're an aspiring battlemage! But Sir Kelton says that squires aren't allowed to practice magic, so you'll need to act like you actually want to be a knight, at least for now. Now, your first battlemage assignment is finally here! At last, you can master the magical arts of elementalism, illusion, healing, and necromancy.
#Battlemage magic by mail full#
"Learn from home! Full battlemage qualification by mail!" it said. You're lucky you saw that ad at the market. It's entirely text-based, without graphics or sound effects, and fueled by the vast, unstoppable power of your imagination.

Will you defend your kingdom with forbidden magic, or backstab the crown? Win tournaments, kiss a prince or princess, or just seize power for yourself!īattlemage: Magic by Mail is a 168,000-word interactive novel by Nic Barkdull.
