Storium is a platform for online storytelling, and it looks very interesting indeed.
It’s open to asynchronous/play-by-post games, and really the Kickstarter page does a fantastic job of explaining things itself – and other people are writing about it too, such as Helen Barker. There are two good videos on that page, one of them under “The Game” heading.
If that’s not enough for you, look at the worlds which have been unlocked during the Kickstarter. I was hard-pressed to limit my selection of examples to five!
Shoshana Kessock: THE RISING – Being dead can’t hold you down in this urban fantasy game about life after the afterlife. The gates of the underworld are open and it’s time to make a run for your second chance. Find a body, find a purpose, and find your way home.
Ursula Vernon: WEIRD FRUIT – A village of brave rodents face down carnivorous vegetables, explore ruined jungle temples and confront other dangers in this playful world.
Andrea Phillips: THE DARING ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN LUCY SMOKEHEART – A swashbuckling adventure for the young at heart, with daring pirates, carnivorous mermaids, socialist lizard-people, and ruthless anachronism!
Saladin Ahmed: A THOUSAND NIGHTS AND A NIGHT – The rich cultural history of the Arabian Nights blended with the great pulp traditions of Fairbanks and Harryhausen. Sail the seas, explore teeming cities, and cross ghoul-haunted deserts.
Richard Dansky: SQUATCHTOWN – Walk the mean streets of a city where Bigfoot’s not a legend and private eyes might be nine feet tall. Take a walk on the real wild side where big heat meets big feet, and human and sasquatch worlds collide.
So that’s a taster. The other big cool element of this is how transparent the entire platform is designed to be: people who buy subscriptions ($25 annually post-Kickstarter, $20 currently) will be able to create their own worlds. And, if they want, attach prices to them – and the majority of profits go back to the creators.
That’s just glorious. We recommend checking it out.
– Kev.
