Game News Pathfinder: Kingmaker Kickstarter Update #15: Jubilost Video + Exclusive Details from Chris Avellone

[Infinitron]

Tags: Chris Avellone; Owlcat Games; Pathfinder: Kingmaker

Today's Pathfinder: Kingmaker Kickstarter update introduces another one of the game's companions. Unlike previous companion updates, this one includes a short gameplay video. The companion in question is Jubilost Narthropple, a haughty gnome who is a character from the original Kingmaker module that Owlcat intend to turn into a full-fledged companion. According to the recent Kingmaker AMA, Chris Avellone will probably be writing him. Notice that the video is a direct continuation of one of the IGN videos from earlier this month.

​

What the recent AMA didn't reveal is who exactly is writing the other companions. Chris Avellone is credited as sole "narrative designer" on Kingmaker's official website, but it's clear at this point that he's not doing everything. As part of his ongoing mega-interview with Chris, our resident Avellone specialist Fairfax reached out to him in order to finally clarify this matter. Here's a snippet from Chris' response:

So my role is narrative designer. Paizo authors, Owlcat, and I all worked on the story, but I didn’t write the story from scratch. I am not the lead narrative designer. Alexander Mishulin is the Project Director/Creative Director, and he’s… well, “fan” is probably the wrong word I’d use for how he feels about Pathfinder, it seems like he’s been playing it forever, and he knows the systems and world in and out. I like his take on how to take Infinity Engine tropes and add new twists to them.

I work with three other Owlcat writers (soon to be four, as I understand it), although the lead narrative designer I work is modest about his role and doesn’t consider himself a writer (I disagree). He coordinates the Owlcat writers and is my main point of contact for writing with the Owlcat team.

(I asked if I could share their names and his, still waiting for permission.)

Owlcat had most of the companions and an initial draft of the story (the 2nd version of one) done before I came on board, and together we made a 3rd version. Once we agreed on that, we’ve been going back through every chapter of the Adventure Path and iterating on it, seeing where it makes sense to add more content, companion hooks, foreshadowing (or “aftermath” of previous events that aren’t dealt with in the Kingmaker Adventure Path).

So right now, my work has been: Revising the story, revising each chapter of the Adventure Path, general feedback, writing the aesthetic/reactive style guides for the game (on-going as new elements appear), and also specc’ing out the technical requirements for dialogue on the design side (for alignment choices, reactivity, etc).

I have also revised a number of written scripts for the game’s vertical slice, and am coordinating with editors in the States to naturalize the English as well. I haven’t altered the structure of the sequences, merely rewritten nodes. While I haven’t done much with the companions yet, that’s actually because I’ve been spending more time on the antagonists in the game and how they interact from chapter to chapter.

I also help out on the Kickstarter when I can. I do not wear cool shirts.
​

So the game has three additional writers including a lead narrative designer, who aren't mentioned anywhere. That's good to know! Why the secrecy, Owlcat?

 

[Fairfax]

Here's the rest of his answers about the game:

You have your own approach to companion design in RPGs. Did you check their design docs to see if they fit your design philosophy before jumping on board, or did you want to work on it even if they had a different approach?

I didn’t review design docs before jumping on board, I knew the Owlcat guys already from previous conversations, and I really wanted to work on Pathfinder.

When I did come on board, they gave me access to all the design docs, and I gave them my feedback (including some name changes) and I reviewed the existing companion arcs. I haven’t had a chance to write one of my own (maybe after the KS when things calm down). The only differences in their design philosophy vs. mine is a few things:

- Sometimes they want to express what the player is feeling in prose vs. letting the player interpret it. It can go either way (I prefer the latter, but if the former is well-written, I’m fine with it).
- This is pretty specific: The companion Jubilost, while this is true to his character, is sometimes too much of a huge dick for you to want him to travel in the party vs. killing him. I’ve advocated my “hey, let the player have the last word” with Jubilost, so we’ll see. It’s sometimes hard to balance, though, because it’s fun writing assholes.
- I don’t like NPCs touching me in dialogues without my permission. Hands off.

Do you already know which companions you want to work on?

I’d like to work on Amiri, Jubilost, and three of the undisclosed characters at least.

I assume the Pathfinder: Kingmaker team looked at similar games in the genre, especially other Kickstarter CRPGs. Pillars of Eternity in particular might be the most similar of the bunch. Did the team at Owlcat ask about your experience working on it? I know you can't talk about your time working on it, but when you look at PoE as a game, what are the main takeaways that you would pass on to the P:KM team, or any other team making a similar game? Speaking of which, have you finished PoE since it came out?

Experience on PoE: No, although I think they paid attention to inXile and PoE’s Kickstarter format, and we made some changes (try and answer things definitely, don’t give a half-answer or leave people hanging or in Fargo’s case, pay close attention to how he’s marketing the game and building reveals, as Brian’s really good about that).

PoE = I played a lot of the build, but I didn’t feel like playing the game (maybe b/c I knew where it was going from text exports, so there wasn’t any surprises), and I also knew where the White March plot was going before I left. Also, as bad as I am at RPG combat normally, PoE combat was even more of a learning curve even when testing the areas, but that’s more my fault than anything else.

How does P:KM compare in that regard so far?

I found the combat to be more manageable, but you can judge for yourself since I’m not a very good player compared to most.

You recently told a story about your original Van Buren PnP campaign, where the party killed the main antagonist as soon as they met him, much earlier than you were expecting. As I understand, the Kingmaker AP is a big sandbox, which means similar things can happen there. What are you and the team doing to make sure the story and the characters are interesting, but at the same time preserve the AP's sandbox nature?

While certain key events happen, there are other aspects to the adventure that are more flexible, especially the movement of certain antagonists, companions, and NPCs that I think keep the fluidity of the plot. I don’t want to say too much until we’ve confirmed the design, but there’s some significant changes that can occur early on in the game that are just one example of keeping things fluid.

Also, depending on how you rule and what decisions you make in your Kingdom, that creates a lot of changes (and even new ways of solving quests) in the adventure.

In the reddit AMA, you described the kingdom management mechanics as "pretty Game of Thrones". Does that mean we can expect systemic storytelling similar to (or inspired by) Crusader Kings II and the Mount & Blade series? And are you working on that aspect of the game as well?

I was referring to the narrative side, since for me, GoT is largely narratively back-and-forth for some of its nastiest politics. And while I’ve assisted with writing some parts of it, Owlcat designed and laid out the interactions.

On the narrative side, you’ve got a whole bunch of rival nations interested in your efforts, and each of them have their own way of trying to manipulate the situation. This is challenged further by your advisors and people in your own court, who have their own conscious and unconscious agendas on how the affairs of state should play out – they may be offering advice they think is best, for example, but I found myself always analyzing their backstory, their personal failings in the past (and present), and then counterbalancing their advice and judgments against the personality to see if I should trust them at their word. So, yeah, I was getting some GoT vibes and having a lot of fun.

How much freedom did Paizo give the team to change and expand the original Kingmaker story and characters?

So far they haven’t had anything objectionable to anything we’ve proposed than I know of. I’d like to think it’s a similar situation to Knights of the Old Republic II, where because we were immersed in the franchise and the Adventure Path story, suggestions for changes and alterations “made sense” in the context of the adventure. Also, Owlcat knows the Adventure Path very well (and have played it several times), and I think that goes a long way in discussions with Paizo.

You've had several projects announced since you went freelancer, but this seems to be one of the few cases where you're already talking about working on a franchise in the long term. Is that something you discussed with them?

It’s our hope to keep making Pathfinder RPGs, yes. I think a Pathfinder CRPG is long overdue, and I’m surprised one hasn’t happened until now, but if I can make it happen, I will.

 

[Luckmann]

[...] Why the secrecy, Owlcat?

Because it looks better to have a stamp saying CHRIS AVELLONE on everything, these days, obviously.

"... Fargo’s case, pay close attention to how he’s marketing the game and building reveals, as Brian’s really good about that)."

Just not as good at actually providing, I guess.

 

[Infinitron]

Of course. It's kind of lame though because it seems like the other writers did a decent enough job on the vertical slice. Give them the credit they deserve!

 

[Barnabas]

MCA left obsidian bc he didn't want to work on a game like pillars now he's working on a game like pillars

 

[Quantomas]

Here's the rest of his answers about the game

Excellent questions and satisfying answers.

But indeed, why is this news released through the backdoor and not out on Kickstarter?

 

[santino27]

Here's the rest of his answers about the game:

When I did come on board, they gave me access to all the design docs, and I gave them my feedback (including some name changes) and I reviewed the existing companion arcs. I haven’t had a chance to write one of my own (maybe after the KS when things calm down). The only differences in their design philosophy vs. mine is a few things:

- Sometimes they want to express what the player is feeling in prose vs. letting the player interpret it. It can go either way (I prefer the latter, but if the former is well-written, I’m fine with it).
- This is pretty specific: The companion Jubilost, while this is true to his character, is sometimes too much of a huge dick for you to want him to travel in the party vs. killing him. I’ve advocated my “hey, let the player have the last word” with Jubilost, so we’ll see. It’s sometimes hard to balance, though, because it’s fun writing assholes.
- I don’t like NPCs touching me in dialogues without my permission. Hands off.

Can't say I'm overjoyed with his role on the game being smaller than assumed. I do agree with him on all three of his points of disagreement with the Owlcat writing team.

 

[Infinitron]

Can't say I'm overjoyed with his role on the game being smaller than assumed.

I'm actually surprised that he's doing five companions and not just two though.

 

[Fry]

MCA left obsidian bc he didn't want to work on a game like pillars

He did? I recall him saying it was an issue of too many management responsibilities and not enough game design.

Managing people is work...

 

[Darkzone]

MCA left obsidian bc he didn't want to work on a game like pillars now he's working on a game like pillars

Wasn't there something about that to many things that he designed for games were thrown out?

 

[Luckmann]

MCA left obsidian bc he didn't want to work on a game like pillars now he's working on a game like pillars

I think he got a severe case of the-grass-is-greener-ism combined with a somewhat over-inflated ego, and now he's stuck doing fairly basic shit for basic people, with basic pandering like a basic bitch.

 

[Quantomas]

MCA left obsidian bc he didn't want to work on a game like pillars now he's working on a game like pillars

I think he got a severe case of the-grass-is-greener-ism combined with a somewhat over-inflated ego, and now he's stuck doing fairly basic shit for basic people, with basic pandering like a basic bitch.

If you work at a place where you don't agree with how things are done, you either leave or continue working for the money.

 

[l3loodAngel]

MCA left obsidian bc he didn't want to work on a game like pillars now he's working on a game like pillars

I think he got a severe case of the-grass-is-greener-ism combined with a somewhat over-inflated ego, and now he's stuck doing fairly basic shit for basic people, with basic pandering like a basic bitch.

How is that worse than working under sawyer? Oh I know:
Complicated obtuse shit by confused basic people, while pandering to simple people and even more simple management. While pretending being big and doing something important.

He is a creative person who dies if not given creative freedom. In other words if the company where he works does not create conditions for his creativity to shine he becomes useless and unhappy.

Funny thing though. The only thigs I would trust sawyer with is employee review and being a producer. How he ended up being responsible for creative stuff is as much puzzling as it is retarded. His meticulous attention to less than relevant details would help uncover useless employees, bottlenecks and where there are progress issues. Besides he would always find something to bitch about so nobody would get a bonus.

 

[imweasel]

MCA left obsidian bc he didn't want to work on a game like pillars now he's working on a game like pillars

He enjoyed writing companions for Pillars. He left to get away from Sawyer and donut boy.

 

[Morality Games]

"Why Avellone left is Obsidian" is Rorsharch test that reveals each person's fundamental attitudes about RPGs, Obsidian, and the video game business in general.

 

[Morkar Left]

Here's the rest of his answers about the game:

When I did come on board, they gave me access to all the design docs, and I gave them my feedback (including some name changes) and I reviewed the existing companion arcs. I haven’t had a chance to write one of my own (maybe after the KS when things calm down). The only differences in their design philosophy vs. mine is a few things:

- Sometimes they want to express what the player is feeling in prose vs. letting the player interpret it. It can go either way (I prefer the latter, but if the former is well-written, I’m fine with it).
- This is pretty specific: The companion Jubilost, while this is true to his character, is sometimes too much of a huge dick for you to want him to travel in the party vs. killing him. I’ve advocated my “hey, let the player have the last word” with Jubilost, so we’ll see. It’s sometimes hard to balance, though, because it’s fun writing assholes.
- I don’t like NPCs touching me in dialogues without my permission. Hands off.

Can't say I'm overjoyed with his role on the game being smaller than assumed. I do agree with him on all three of his points of disagreement with the Owlcat writing team.

I assumed he would do a lot less. Actually I'm happy he's responsible for more writing and reviewing of what was already written. I don't think Owlcat will have bad writing, but everything comes down to a proper translation to English.

 

[santino27]

Here's the rest of his answers about the game:

When I did come on board, they gave me access to all the design docs, and I gave them my feedback (including some name changes) and I reviewed the existing companion arcs. I haven’t had a chance to write one of my own (maybe after the KS when things calm down). The only differences in their design philosophy vs. mine is a few things:

- Sometimes they want to express what the player is feeling in prose vs. letting the player interpret it. It can go either way (I prefer the latter, but if the former is well-written, I’m fine with it).
- This is pretty specific: The companion Jubilost, while this is true to his character, is sometimes too much of a huge dick for you to want him to travel in the party vs. killing him. I’ve advocated my “hey, let the player have the last word” with Jubilost, so we’ll see. It’s sometimes hard to balance, though, because it’s fun writing assholes.
- I don’t like NPCs touching me in dialogues without my permission. Hands off.

Can't say I'm overjoyed with his role on the game being smaller than assumed. I do agree with him on all three of his points of disagreement with the Owlcat writing team.

I assumed he would do a lot less. Actually I'm happy he's responsible for more writing and reviewing of what was already written. I don't think Owlcat will have bad writing, but everything comes down to a proper translation to English.

True enough. I had originally read him as being THE narrative designer (a misconception shared by others, I assume, since he spent some of the interview clarifying it), which is why I was hoping he'd have his fingerprints over more than just some companions and a bit of polish.

 

[Zanzoken]

I hope there is an option to kill this little Jubilost bastard upon meeting him. That dialog has me triggered.

 

[Morality Games]

I hope there is an option to kill this little Jubilost bastard upon meeting him. That dialog has me triggered.

Pretty much my first thought and almost posted it.

It's probably not that kind of game, though.

 

[PrettyDeadman]

What medieval tortures are available for lords of realm under the core rules book mechanics? Is there even a torture mechanics rulebook?

 

[cherry blossom]

what's an employee review and why should Sawyer review them

Because if he doesn't, somebody might slip in a little bit of fun somewhere and upset the balance of dullness at Obsidian.

 

[ArchAngel]

what's an employee review and why should Sawyer review them

Because if he doesn't, somebody might slip in a little bit of fun somewhere and upset the balance of dullness at Obsidian.

Yea and someone might accidentally make another Durance NPC that overshadows all the Balanced(tm) NPCs.

 

[Andhaira]

what's an employee review and why should Sawyer review them

Employee reviews are generally a yearly employee report card, that goes into an employees permanent file. It dictates the employees performance overall, not just work related and core competencies but personality, team player-ness, discipline, etc. This directly affects eligibilities for promotions, raises, bonuses, etc and also if the employee will continue working or be laid off.

My performance review for my previous year at my job was a 3/5 for instance, which is above average. My bosses/reviewers comments were "Good performer"

 

[Zanzoken]

Sawyer is top of the food chain so "reviewing reviews" probably means the leads are doing the initial staff reviews and then he has to read over and approve them. Hence why there are so many... it's probably every developer in the company.

 

[Joni Odin von Hassenstein]

I'm still not entirely sure if I want to back.
On paper it all sounds great. But I don't like the comic-ish art-direction (reminds me a bit of D:OS) and the general tone seems to be a bit... "light" to funny, which is something I can't stand in geams.