Lens 9: The Lens of Unification

-What is my theme? 
My Theme is about what happens to sinners when they pass.

Am I using every means possible to reinforce that theme?  
The monsters, the profiles, hell, the steps of hell, and overall journey reinforce the idea that sinners are punished and haunted by what they did in their past lives. The board’s environment is suppose to be purgatory.

Lens 10: The Lens of Resonance

-What is it about my game that feels powerful and special?
The Fate and Unfortunate Circumstance cards feel the most powerful to me right now. I feel like they will have the most impact on player movement through the board.

-When I describe my game to people, what ideas get them really excited?
The tarot card based ‘Fate’ cards got my roommate excited. A friend of mine was excited about the Riddles.  I would like to say my Professor was excited about killing people and trolling.                                

-If I had no constraints of any kind, what would this game be like?
If I had no restraints at all this game would be 3D. You could put on a little helmet and walk around my board (Which would be an ever changing labyrinth). But since I cannot change that, I think I would want to make as many 3D elements to my game with perfectly sculpted figures. I would want my board to be a maze that changes every time you play or that could change throughout the game. I would want to make it so the payer could not look ahead but could only see the small hallway which his or her character was placed. But limiting a characters view like that is impossible unless my board was in sections that you had to add (possibly determined by dice).

-I have certain instincts about how this game should be. What is driving those instincts? 
I think my love of the paranormal and exploration of environments is the biggest driving instinct for me. I want my game to be adventurous, and a game you would sit down to play for a night instead of a few minutes. Also when I play Monopoly with my family we easily turn into rivals and the game gets heated. I would like to create that sort of tension between my players.

Theme:

·      The theme of the game is the destruction that can be caused when a person is blinded by his or her own sins. All of my characters are too headstrong to realize the bigger picture. Instead of repenting they seek out their revenge and ask the God of Fate, “WHY ME?” Their journey is littered with things to remind them of what they lost when giving into their own sins, yet their stubbornness undoes them.

Motifs:

·      Fate is something no one can escape, but with it, you have the power to make choices.

·      Purgatory- there is a life after death where you will be judged for the sins of your lifetime.

·      Alliances- it’s never to late to offer or accept help.

Symbols:

·      The things that roam purgatory were once like you. They let their sins get the best of them and now linger the boarder between the worlds until they return back to hell for final judgment.

·      Riddles- wisdom, thought, and reflection can bring hope and success though it is not always the easiest path.

·      Death- It is not always a literal death, but can sometime mean a new chapter.

*I at one time was trying to figure out a way to have the players go against their fate and sin by overcoming their negative feelings and challenging the Grim for a second chance at life. I assumed one path would be more difficult (Fighting the Grim) and players would simply choose the easier route since the latter has no game value unless you care about the soul of your fictional character (My grandma would be the only one playing this way).

Similar themes in other Works: My theme about characters being punished for their sins is one that comes up frequently in literature. For example in the play “Ghosts,” by Henrik Ibsen the mother and son are punished for the sins of the father. Resulting in the son’s death.

This theme is also seen in, The Great Gatsby, but as a motif. The green light symbolizes the characters envy, and arguably lust since it marks Daisy’s dock. The Valley of Ashes and use of yellow are symbolic of the results of people’s greed, and decaying of society.

Again as a motif, being punished for your sins can be seen in the game, “Alice Madness Returns,” When she kills the Doctor for his lust and greed.

Possible Concept Statements:                                                                                                 (Excuse the cheesiness)

·      The sins of your past create your present.

·      Judgment

·      Overcoming the labyrinth of fate.

·      In fate there is always a choice to be made.

Possible Color Pallets:

I have specific colors I want to use for my characters:

Lust- Blue or Hot Pink

Envy- Green

Greed- Yellow

Gluttony- Orange

Sloth- Light Blue

Wrath-  Red

Pride- Purple

But these colors can easily be accents on cards.

For my color scheme I was thinking of having something low saturation and most likely cool analogues colors. 

I like these color schemes but I'm not really sure if anyone of them really portrays the mystical and foggy feel I am looking for. 

I was thinking of having my colors be:

Dominants: Blues and Navy

Subordinate: Green/Teal

Accent: Orange

But I like the blues and greens I have in this better than the one above. I will combine the two, and maybe go with a more yellow orange.