Orestis F
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balthuk.bsky.social
Orestis F
@balthuk.bsky.social
62 followers 350 following 100 posts
Game designer in the making 🤓 Based in Greece. https://balthuk.itch.io/
balthuk.itch.io
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balthuk.bsky.social
Orestis F @balthuk.bsky.social · Nov 27
Thrilled to have completed my first game jam submission, for #Arcjam2024!

You can play the game at: balthuk.itch.io/awaken-proto...

Many thanks to my wonderful collaborators as well as the @arcweave.com team for organising the jam and supporting us.
Awaken Protocol by balthuk, niTo
You need to wake up
balthuk.itch.io
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balthuk.bsky.social
Orestis F @balthuk.bsky.social · 14h
$2 kindle books, exclusively streaming music, tv and movies also have drastically changed how we interact with those media. In general, it appears economically we went towards quantity first, and then, the abundance of options led to a race to the bottom and a centralisation of power, culturally etc
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balthuk.bsky.social
Orestis F @balthuk.bsky.social · 14h
W-w-whaaat? Indie games keep on surprising me.
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balthuk.bsky.social
Orestis F @balthuk.bsky.social · 20h
Oh and that got me interested in two very different things, the graphic novel Maus en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maus and Over the Garden Wall, one for the mice, and the other for the tone.
Maus - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org
balthuk.bsky.social
Orestis F @balthuk.bsky.social · 20h
On my next one, I'll write out some notes for myself to follow, even when mid-session:
- Open ended Qs.
- Listen to the players and let them steer the session.
- Keep an eye for opportunities for a break.

and I'll definitely open the session with open ended Qs, and RP opportunities to set the tone.
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balthuk.bsky.social
Orestis F @balthuk.bsky.social · 20h
Staying on narrative vs focusing on mechanics more:
I did not want to force my way into how she experienced the game, so I gave minor explanations for mechanics, and leaned towards less is more, instead of frontloading her with info I felt she wasn't too interested in.
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balthuk.bsky.social
Orestis F @balthuk.bsky.social · 20h
What I had not thought about was the extra load on both me and the player due to her playing alone and me playing 3 hirelings. She had to be 'on' for the entire thing, since this was essentially a 1on1 conversation.

Additionally, I kept on forgetting to follow my own strategies like open ended Qs.
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balthuk.bsky.social
Orestis F @balthuk.bsky.social · 20h
I also deliberately asked her for character names, etc. to see where she would steer the game towards, so her input would be apparent asap.
And so, we want on this adventure which featured hirelings called 'Ernest' , 'Mister Logical' and 'Miss Scared-y' (roughly translated from Greek) 🐭
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balthuk.bsky.social
Orestis F @balthuk.bsky.social · 20h
I created 3 hirelings, and leveled up the player to level 2 so she could withstand a hit or two (or so I thought).

It was a fun, intense experience. I saw her instantly take advantage of open ended questions when it came up to the character's background, personality, etc.
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balthuk.bsky.social
Orestis F @balthuk.bsky.social · 20h
GMed #Mausritter for the very first time, with a party of 1 (!) player, who had never played a TTRPG before.
losing-games.itch.io/mausritter is PYWY (!)
Honey in the Rafters losing-games.itch.io/mausritter-h... - the great adventure we played is $3.
Mausritter by Losing Games
Sword-and-whiskers roleplaying
losing-games.itch.io
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balthuk.bsky.social
Orestis F @balthuk.bsky.social · 7d
Some #MÖRKTOBER soundtrack for all you sickos (complimentary)
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balthuk.bsky.social
Orestis F @balthuk.bsky.social · 7d
Oh damn, that's a wikipedia page to use as inspiration (and education). en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artific...
I also like the sacrificing your stats idea, it's risky and thrilling in a way I would usually expect in videogames.
Artificial cranial deformation - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org
balthuk.bsky.social
Orestis F @balthuk.bsky.social · 7d
That's a damn cool idea.
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Reposted by Orestis F
d6learning.bsky.social
D6 Learning @d6learning.bsky.social · 11d
🇬🇷 Ο διαγωνισμός Speed Game Design παίρνει παράταση!

Στείλε την πρότασή σου για ένα πρωτότυπο TTRPG concept στο [email protected] μέχρι τα μεσάνυχτα της Παρασκευής 17/10!

Θα ακολουθήσει ψηφοφορία και οι τέσσερεις καλύτερες προτάσεις θα κερδίσουν επιτραπέζια, RPG και μαθήματα.
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Reposted by Orestis F
nohr.se
Johan Nohr @nohr.se · 18d
#MÖRKTOBER day 5: STAIN

THE STAINED FIELD
"Just to the east of the Múr, where the land grows flat and swollen with damp, there sits a stretch of dry, flaking soil, a scab on the face of the earth."

Writing by @loottheroom.bsky.social
Art by me
MÖRKTOBER day 5: Stain The Stained Field Just to the east of the Múr, where the land grows flat and swollen with damp, there sits a stretch of dry, flaking soil, a scab on the face of the earth. This is the Stained Field, and it is the domain of Isak Skarvlund. His workers stamp the fields in metal boots lined with sharp studs seven inches long. They stab them into the scabbed earth, then siphon the liquid that seeps from the wounds into clay cats strapped to their backs. Occasionally their masks slip and the vapours overwhelm them. Those who fall are subsumed by the earth. Under cover of darkness, the fresh wounds scab over again, ready for another day’s harvest. Scar Wine Fermented for three years in clay jars, it is a powerful intoxicant when diluted and a deadly poison when ingested neat. A bottle of the worst vintage costs 300 silver. The rarest, best years cost much more. The illustration shows a swamplike field with two characters on what appears to be long stilts. They wear backpacks and strange masks covering their entire heads. In their hands are sticks ending in bells and pearls.
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Reposted by Orestis F
subotaii.bsky.social
subotai, microplastics golem @subotaii.bsky.social · Jul 29
Ogre knight and his squire, looking for buried relics in the burnt wastes.
A giant knight figure, covered in red robes and wearing a golden-accented armor, kneeling in the dirt as he points forward ; He directs his much smaller squire, carrying a heavy bag and a giant sword. The background is dire and desertic, save for a few houses on the horizon.
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balthuk.bsky.social
Orestis F @balthuk.bsky.social · 24d
It's remarkably similar in tone and setting. Apocalyptic events, famines, sickness, the indifference of god, etc. Monstrous beings, devils, all the good stuff.
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balthuk.bsky.social
Orestis F @balthuk.bsky.social · 25d
Between two Fires
I decided to start reading this book as a way to keep me in the #mörktober mood and it sure does.
A dark fantasy story where so far, everything is an idea straight from a MÖRKBORG campaign and a muddy, plague riddled world💀
Definitely keeping notes on character and enemy design👀
Between Two Fires
His extraordinary debut, Those Across the River, was ha…
www.goodreads.com
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Reposted by Orestis F
towershade.bsky.social
towershade @towershade.bsky.social · Sep 23
The vicar of Illwind Cemetery
#fantasyart #grimdark #dungeonsynth #osr #ttrpgart
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balthuk.bsky.social
Orestis F @balthuk.bsky.social · 26d
Overall, this a grand, ice cold experience, on an 80% discount at the moment store.steampowered.com/app/1266030/... , and I'm excited to see the next game from this studio,
@saltstonestudios.bsky.social .
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balthuk.bsky.social
Orestis F @balthuk.bsky.social · 26d
The game interestingly turns to look inwards, to its genre and dynamic storytelling during its finale and utilises that in a surprising way.
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Orestis F @balthuk.bsky.social · 26d
Same with its loyalty system and the dialogue choices, most of the time you could easily play along with expectations with no real penalty for being inconsistent as a captain, whereas I might prefer a 'stricter' game that directs you to roleplay a specific character, warts and all.
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balthuk.bsky.social
Orestis F @balthuk.bsky.social · 26d
I did find some story moments clumsy in execution, even though the game hits some highs in terms of characterisation and I was always on board with what it was trying to do.
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balthuk.bsky.social
Orestis F @balthuk.bsky.social · 26d
I am not someone who is interested in going back to find just how reactive the game is, though I do enjoy the knowledge that I am shaping the story, and you do get an easy way to visit earlier points in the game and move it in different directions.
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balthuk.bsky.social
Orestis F @balthuk.bsky.social · 26d
The game is mostly about resource management and decision making, with you having to balance food, fuel for warmth, decorum (a mix of morale and respect towards you), and the crew, with their own moods and afflictions.
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balthuk.bsky.social
Orestis F @balthuk.bsky.social · 26d
Some words on The Pale Beyond.
A survival game, set on a ship on a polar expedition across the seas and ice, in order to find a lost ship.
Save 80% on The Pale Beyond on Steam
You didn’t ask to lead this expedition, but here you are. Stuck in the ice, Captain missing, miles from civilisation. Someone has to take charge. Manage your meagre resources, balance safety and moral...
store.steampowered.com
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