Rampant Coyote: Your website suggests that the NPCs in the player’s party have dynamic relationships with the player character. When I hear that, the first thing I think of is the Baldur’s Gate series. How does TSoG compare? Are the dynamics more story-based, or based more on your general actions – sort of a continuous scoring of faction or karma?

Craig Stern: There are some similarities with Baldur’s Gate, in that your choices will impact which characters join your party, stay with you, help you, or—in some cases—even hurt you. People will remember certain things you say or do, but I very specifically chose not to include “cosmic scorecard” elements in the game like alignment or karma. It’s always struck me as a clumsy mechanic to tell the player “that was a Good thing you did, and now all Good people in the game will like you more,” or “that was Evil, so now you are more Evil.” That’s not how people actually behave, and it doesn’t fit with the message I’m trying to send with TSoG.​