The creators of Fallen London are handing you the tools to build your own stories, and perhaps even make some cash.
Fair warning: What I’m about to tell you may ruin your workday. Failbetter Games – the folks behind The Escapist‘s own 2009 Best Browser-Based Game, Echo Bazaar – has just launched a platform on which anyone and everyone can create their very own text-based tales. It’s called StoryNexus, and if you’ve got a creative bone in your body, it might just help you create a masterpiece.
Like Echo Bazaar (now renamed Fallen London), Cabinet Noir, and the upcoming The Silver Tree, the text-based adventures you can build within StoryNexus can be as straightforward or complex as your heart desires. The gameplay amounts to little more than making choices from a menu, leveling skills, collecting items, and making more choices. But as Fallen London has proven, the simple mechanics can lead you through a rich and exciting world filled with seedy characters and difficult decisions.
Of course, when it comes to creating your very own adventure, the creative onus falls on you. But StoryNexus makes fleshing out your tale an easy affair, with a healthy collection of images and icons to give the experience a professional shine. You can edit your story on the fly, and even add your own personal images if you’re artistically inclined.
What’s more, if you put in the time to make your adventure a truly engrossing experience, you could even make a few bucks through the sale of in-game virtual currency. 60% of the revenue brought in by each game goes directly to its creator. You can also gain recognition for your hard work through World of the Season, an event in which judges – including our very own Susan Arendt – scour the community for the best user-made experiences.
