In case you missed these posts on the Bahnsen Knights News channel, we'll post them here too for you to enjoy.
Are you familiar with the "Marvel Method", a process in which Stan Lee would define a synopsis, receive pencilled artwork from the artist and add words over it?
Stan Lee by Fer. Really cool piece, right?
Pixel Pulps writing is somehow similar to the Marvel Method: from a story outline I write, Fer puts together a storyboard in pencil and then I write over it. The iterative aspect is there. But there are at least two fundamental differences in our own process, two things that although they are not interrelated by definition, they do so by our own work logic: Stretching and Wildcards.
In the Marvel Method, Stan Lee cannot stretch ad infinitum the text of a panel. Space is finite. But we? We can! We can keep a single image on screen and render as much text as we want. This process, which I call Stretching, allows us several things from a narrative point of view: to manage the reading pace, to build expectations, etc... But, more importantly, Stretching allows us to let players see Fer's work on screen for longer!
Since the first Pixel Pulps, Stretching has been a resource that I sought to exploit to do justice to the art direction of our games. Now, to keep each scene interesting, text in a stretched scene has to generate something, it can't just be filler.
And this is where Wildcards come into play. In the writing of the outline, I usually add details in order to create a certain atmosphere or define some aspect of a character. The details, in themselves, are not important yet, they are usually superficial, and they add sense to the narrative by simple accumulation.
Once I receive Fer's storyboard, that's when things get interesting. The detail appears as an unavoidable presence, and many times I wonder why I chose what I chose, or why Fer chose what he chose. Wildcards is letting go of the steering wheel for a while and then pick it up and straighten the car.
Let's take as an example chapter VI of Bahnsen Knights, a scene where Vincent spits on the floor after talking to Boulder, the character players embody. In the outline I wrote:
"Vincent and Boulder are standing each against a car hood, waiting on the side of the road. They are waiting for the truck to come. Vincent kicks a rock or spits. You try not to look at him."
"Kicks a rock or spits." Fer chose the action of spitting, and the way it was represented on screen looked great. How could I then stretch the scene to give prominence to a detail that could have been something else?
Building on this, I wrote the following scene, where Vincent tells Boulder about the healing powers of saliva and his relationship with his stepdad.
Stretching and Wildcards. The first is a resource of the dimension of pragmatism: to show Fer's art as long as possible on screen. The second, a challenge, a puzzle, a gamble, something to keep interesting all stages of production of our Pixel Pulps.
Bahnsen Knights will release on 14th December. Don't forget to wishlist the game!