Can we design something from scratch?
Yes! In fact this is a question we get asked quite regularly. And the answer is – yes! We have Jo!
As well as designing 6 standard formats of murder mystery game from scratch which other authors now write to – Jo is extremely skilled in games design born out of years of experience.
Which is why – when we get asked “Can we create something that does X, Y or Z?” – the answer is always yes!
If you need a game for a corporate event that brings in the learning points of a conference, or have an idea to create a murder mystery treasure hunt around Paris – we can design it.
There’s quite a lot to consider when writing games from scratch. Which is where Jo’s skill set comes into its own.
The biggest difference between novel writing and script writing and game writing – is that games are just that – GAMES – there needs to be a “win point” and a system of play that’s easily understood by all taking part. It also needs to last a specific length of time. All these factors are something Jo juggles day to day while she’s game designing.
At the moment she’s mid-write on a couple of major projects other firms have out-sourced to her as well as a private wedding event.
Sometimes what you want – fits easily into one of our standard formats – if that’s the case it has the potential for resale and takes the price down on the initial write. The wedding one Jo’s working on at the moment will be a Jonathan Creek style, slightly quirky murder mystery – which fits into our standard acted format – which has taken the cost down for the customer.
Sometimes what you want is an adaptation of a design already on file. Although these will turn out as single use formats – we have a base starting point – so it’s easier to design as we know we can tweak an initial design and create something that delivers slightly differently.
Sometimes it’s something totally fresh. A game format that is so unique it’s never been done before and probably won’t be reused. This needs “thinking time” and uses our skills as games designers to the full.
What sort of things do we do? Well… it varies month to month and year to year. But it’s always constructed to meet the needs of the company who requests it (or private individual). To give you a few examples… At the moment Jo’s working on a game that will have up to 700 participants over 2 days – with a varied delivery method of clues, including digital delivery, and a very real crime scene to investigate. She’s also quoted recently to create another game that will have teams charging around a city solving a crime, and another quote for a company teambuilding that wants to be set in the world of a well-known TV drama with teams pitted against each other vying for a certain throne. Each game has totally different sets of criteria and a very different formula for construction and delivery, but all are loosely “Murder mystery games”.
It’s certainly a varied mix of design, and it’s something our firm is uniquely able to provide. Which is why we’re regularly called upon to work with production companies, team building firms, promotional firms, event management firms and PR companies.
If you need something “odd” then you’ve come to the right place. Just drop us a line and we’ll see what we can do to help create something unique for you.
