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Tags: Apocalypse Now; Erebus; J.E. Sawyer; Montgomery Markland
In a week full of Kickstarters both weird and wonderful, this one may be the weirdest yet. Montgomery Markland, on-and-off RPG producer and RPG Codex jokester, has emerged as the director of a new "survival horror RPG" based on the classic Vietnam war film Apocalypse Now. Joining him are Fallout: New Vegas executive producer Lawrence Liberty, writer Rob Auten, and none other than Josh Sawyer in an advisory role. How Avellone-esque of him. The game is on Kickstarter now, with no prior buildup of course, looking to raise $900,000. Here's the pitch video and overview:
Apocalypse Now depicts the horror and spectacle of the Vietnam War through the character of Captain Benjamin Willard, an American tasked with the assassination of Colonel Walter E. Kurtz.
The game is an interactive recreation of Willard’s journey, as seen through a survival horror lens in which players with limited resources face unspeakable terrors.
By choosing how to react to these situations, each player molds a unique version of Willard within the loose confines of the film story. You are Willard and your actions will determine his fate.
Your mission begins in Saigon, where Willard is holed up in a dingy hotel. Audio and visual distortion evoke Willard’s emotions and past experiences. The game provides you subjective access to a character who is already nearly insane.
Unlike a traditional RPG, the emphasis is not choosing dialogue, but rather actions and postures. Combat draws from survival horror to emphasize combat avoidance and stealth. This is not Call of Duty in Vietnam.
You will quickly learn that the gun-blazing solo war machine of other shooters would not have lasted long in the real Vietnam. Instead you will find rewards for proceeding cautiously and managing limited resources with care. Willard is your responsibility; make him an adept soldier and you will command respect in the jungle.
Brutalism and hubris will bring about severe repercussions affecting your relationship with those around you, especially the crew of the PBR Streetgang (aka the Erebus). Your actions can endanger or empower them and will affect how they view you and their willingness to aid you.
There is also a war of resources. Food, water, first aid supplies, anti-malaria medicine, drugs, ammo, weapons, mission information, and gasoline are all vital to your and Willard’s success. While in U.S.-controlled territory, you can find resources through exploration, interactions with allied forces, completing side missions, scavenging from hostiles, and supply drops.
Once the Erebus crosses under the Do Lung Bridge, the reigns of control are sheared away. American influence is replaced by something more primal, all ending in Kurtz.
The world of Apocalypse Now is full of compelling, disturbing, and potentially useful characters. You will recognize many of them from the film, but we’ll be adding new ones in collaboration with our partners at American Zoetrope. Our goal is to immerse you in a tale of drama, magic, and horror.
This isn't a very Codexian sort of game, and the campaign isn't doing too well right now, so I guess everybody else finds it as bizarre an idea as we do. Still, it gets points for audacity, and Monty is a pretty cool guy. If you want join him on the journey up the Nung river, it'll cost you $25, with an estimated release date of October 2020.
In a week full of Kickstarters both weird and wonderful, this one may be the weirdest yet. Montgomery Markland, on-and-off RPG producer and RPG Codex jokester, has emerged as the director of a new "survival horror RPG" based on the classic Vietnam war film Apocalypse Now. Joining him are Fallout: New Vegas executive producer Lawrence Liberty, writer Rob Auten, and none other than Josh Sawyer in an advisory role. How Avellone-esque of him. The game is on Kickstarter now, with no prior buildup of course, looking to raise $900,000. Here's the pitch video and overview:
Apocalypse Now depicts the horror and spectacle of the Vietnam War through the character of Captain Benjamin Willard, an American tasked with the assassination of Colonel Walter E. Kurtz.
The game is an interactive recreation of Willard’s journey, as seen through a survival horror lens in which players with limited resources face unspeakable terrors.
By choosing how to react to these situations, each player molds a unique version of Willard within the loose confines of the film story. You are Willard and your actions will determine his fate.
Your mission begins in Saigon, where Willard is holed up in a dingy hotel. Audio and visual distortion evoke Willard’s emotions and past experiences. The game provides you subjective access to a character who is already nearly insane.
Unlike a traditional RPG, the emphasis is not choosing dialogue, but rather actions and postures. Combat draws from survival horror to emphasize combat avoidance and stealth. This is not Call of Duty in Vietnam.
You will quickly learn that the gun-blazing solo war machine of other shooters would not have lasted long in the real Vietnam. Instead you will find rewards for proceeding cautiously and managing limited resources with care. Willard is your responsibility; make him an adept soldier and you will command respect in the jungle.
Brutalism and hubris will bring about severe repercussions affecting your relationship with those around you, especially the crew of the PBR Streetgang (aka the Erebus). Your actions can endanger or empower them and will affect how they view you and their willingness to aid you.
There is also a war of resources. Food, water, first aid supplies, anti-malaria medicine, drugs, ammo, weapons, mission information, and gasoline are all vital to your and Willard’s success. While in U.S.-controlled territory, you can find resources through exploration, interactions with allied forces, completing side missions, scavenging from hostiles, and supply drops.
Once the Erebus crosses under the Do Lung Bridge, the reigns of control are sheared away. American influence is replaced by something more primal, all ending in Kurtz.
The world of Apocalypse Now is full of compelling, disturbing, and potentially useful characters. You will recognize many of them from the film, but we’ll be adding new ones in collaboration with our partners at American Zoetrope. Our goal is to immerse you in a tale of drama, magic, and horror.
This isn't a very Codexian sort of game, and the campaign isn't doing too well right now, so I guess everybody else finds it as bizarre an idea as we do. Still, it gets points for audacity, and Monty is a pretty cool guy. If you want join him on the journey up the Nung river, it'll cost you $25, with an estimated release date of October 2020.
