Sunless Skies - A Narrative Postmortem

Explore the narrative development process behind the critically acclaimed indie game "Sunless Skies" in this 55-minute GDC 2021 session. Delve into how Failbetter Games' small team created a heavily reactive story with more words than the King James Bible in less than two years of production. Learn about key narrative challenges, the importance of narrative pillars, documentation processes, and the role of consultations in addressing sensitive topics like colonialism and trans/non-binary representation. Gain insights into effective pitching techniques, the director's role, and tips for finding and working with consultants. Discover the benefits of good pitching and understand the structure of successful consultations in game development.

Intro
FAILBETTER GAMES
Key Narrative Challenges
Phase A: Narrative Pillars
Deciding our Narrative Pillars
Conceal your Hand
Mind your Manners
Phase B: Narrative Documentation
Narrative Documentation Process
Look for Recurring Feedback
State Three Things a Key Concept is...
Example: the Peacock Wind
The Brabazon Workworld
Dangers in the Dark
The Blue Kingdom: a Domain of the Dead
Sunless Skies: a Narrative Postmortem
A successful pitch...
Understanding
Distillation
Phase 3: the Director's Role
Wrap-up: Benefits of Good Pitching
Sunless Skies Consultations
Case Study: Colonialism Consultation
Case Study 2: Trans/NB Representation
Aims of a Consultation
When to Look for a Consultant
Tips for Finding a Consultant
Consultants need...
Consultation Structure