Bound by Pages
I'm developing a tactical exploration game where the world unfolds as you turn the pages of a book. You can journey alone or with friends, learning powerful abilities and uncovering unique gear along the way.
The world tells its story through its environments and the challenges you face—inviting you to explore themes from multiple perspectives. It's not always clear what's right or wrong... or if there's even one truth to begin with.
The game has been in development for quite some time, but there's still much to do. I want to start sharing my progress in the hope of pushing the project further.
📦 Here are the core components I have planned so far:
🔄 Travel System Travel is done by turning pages or consulting other records for information and loot.
🧭 Exploration System Locations are described immersively, divided by directions to create a spatial impression of the area.
🗺️ Mapping Players map their journey to enable fast travel and to track one-time or shifting elements in each location.
🎲 Event System Each visit to a location can trigger a different random piece of the world’s history—offering new challenges, rewards, or story fragments.
🔍 Discovery System Players spend resources to search and roll on a discovery table. This creates variety in findings, with some rare items adding excitement and making revisiting worthwhile. Even failed searches have the benefit of revealing what can possibly be found.
⚔️ Flexible Challenge System Players face challenges ranging from hostile creatures and steep mountain climbs to overwhelming fears.
🎯 Tactical Gameplay Each turn, the player chooses an ability, then resolves a random challenge card. The system focuses more on pattern recognition than overwhelming complexity, while still involving positioning, range, multiple resistance typs, and situational depding Bonuses and in gerneral amy diverse Effects.
🧰 Gear System Characters choose attributes (Strength, Dexterity, Agility, Magic), which determine what gear they can use.🥻 Garb boosts resistances. 🛠️ Tools improve abilities and dtermine range and Targets. Tools fall into the categories: Fighting, Traversing, Crafting, Laboring, Analyzing, and Feeling.
🌟 Classes = Callings, representing thematic themnes and gameplay role focus while still allwoing most roles to be filled from each:
- Fire – Warrior-like
- Water – Healer-like
- Wind – Scout-like
- Earth – Guardian-like
All callings can use all gear but are limited to a specific set of abilities, allowing combinations like Wind Shielder, Water Mage, or Earth Bowman when only looking at fighting. Secondary (weaker) callings are planned as well.
📶 Progression Player characters can improve their attributes through experience and gain new gear and abilities from specific challenges or locations.
📏 Scale The game is currently planned for a maximum of 3 characters and 3 challenges per situation.
♟️ Pawns When playing with fewer than 3 players, you can bring non-player characters with you. Their behavior during challenges is random, but you can still choose their targets, movement, and other basic actions to guide them.
