nedhugar: In the days of early development for Gambit, the art department had a one-day jam to come

nedhugar:In the days of early development for Gambit, the art department had a one-day jam to come up with ideas for factions and themes. I was picturing everything tied together with MtG style Planeswalkers, and wanted just an insanely diverse line-up of different factions. I wanted to really think about instantly clear hierarchies and giving the factions real motivation. Some of this stuff is REALLY rough, and some of it isn’t that original. I was just trying to pump out as many themes and ideas as possible in a short amount of time. None of this stuff really ended up in the game except the Imps from the Unsettled. Unsettled- The first team I drew, I pictured the Unsettled as a land-rich but cash-poor aristocratic family bent on reviving their glory days. Their imp servants use blue magic to revive their more notable ancestors. I imagined they’d just have endless crypts dating back a millennium of deceased despots, tyrants, dukes, layabouts, etc.Veggiemancers- I think there are obvious similarities between the way RTS games and gardening games can be about stockpiling resources and saving up for big payoffs. I think the gardening witches are crucial to contextualizing everything. Storybook witches are often just women who prioritize their own power (and comfort!) over the demands of society. So, the vegetable monsters are all teetering a line between cute and uncomfortably weird- they’re not “for you,” they’re for the witches. Right? (Also shout out to Black Magic brand fertilizer, holla!) Party Barge-  To integrate some sci-fi fantasy to the mix, the Party Barge. I love the idea of a fun troll team that shoots deadly confetti canons and boosts teammates with thumping jams and jello shots.Some people just want to play a game, have fun, and not take their in-game-selves too seriously and I like when games give you a way to express this. (Very Star Wars of course, but also the longest party ever held from Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy. Thor Ragnarok wasn’t out at the time but damn that’s also the vibe.)Softball Furies - At this point in the jam (probably like 2 pm) I was starting to run out of ideas, so Baseball Furies + Mad Max + Hunger Games?  The idea of team mascots as genetically engineered mutants is pretty fun, like Geshi from Clone High (This was drawn in a pre-Gritty world.) It seems boring to me to make every in-game faction just be an “army,” or a group of people united to fight a battle. How else are people united, and how else can they share common goals? Destructagons- I hate how little personality spell cards get? Its always like, a drawing of a fireball or a spell book or something. I was thinking maybe all neutral spells could be a singular faction - some bizarre, alien time travelers who show up, unleash devastating hell, and peace out. Maybe they’re inadvertently destroying their own ancestors.The tribal mask theme was a last second addition - I just wanted them to feel like there are actual people behind the exterior appearance and not just be little geometric horrors. At the same time, their expressions are fixed- they are completely indifferent to everyone around them. The Seraphs- This was the last concept pitch for a Gambit army I did on that initial art jam day- I wanted to squeeze one more concept in. (The text has a paraphrased / botched Angels in America quote.)They are little happy heralds of the apocalypse. They joyously announce the coming of much bigger and more eldritch horrors that will rapturously destroy all in their paths. Play Gambit https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.bigfishgames.gambitgoog and PLEASE spread the word. -- source link

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