Four years ago today, I was hosting a small intensive playtest weekend for what would become Home by Dark. I treated it as a small con, hosting multiple sessions each day that my friends signed up for. They had no background on the game beyond “it’s like Goonies, The Iron Giant, and Stranger Things.”
It was a fun weekend and the game quickly shifted over this weekend. The “character creation” was even longer, if you can believe it. All of the potential scenes were created before the first interaction. There was a map making phase that was fun but really bogged down the game. A lot of neat features that may end up in future games.
By the end of the weekend, much had changed but it was still the game I had imagined. One week later, I brought this game — nearly in final form — to PAX Prime, where the players reacted to it positively. Two months later, it was up on Kickstarter!
For many reasons, I consider this weekend the true inception of Protagonist Industries and Home by Dark. I hope to have many more games to show you all in the next four years!
Until then, please be safe!
— Jason
P.S. Any of you play Destiny 2? I’ve been sucked into it by some friends. I’m playing on the Xbox One and have created a clan. I’d love to have you all join! It’s called Part Time Protagonists! :) We can blow up the baddies and talk games! Hit me up!