I was very excited about this idea when it came to me. Imagine an RPG where the standard skill tree model is augmented by the notion of generational advance. You play several generations of a family, and skills are passed from generation to generation, choices made by the parent influence the life of the child, and the technology and types of skills available change with advances in world time.

Alas, a friend pointed me to Phantasy Star III which I have not played, that uses the generational model, so it would seem I have not invented a unique and beautiful snowflake this time around. But the idea is powerful, and I think it can be used in a way that would be unique among the current crop of American RPGs, and that’s no small feat.

The narrative is inspired in equal parts by the loose trilogy of Sergio Leone films A Fistful of Dynamite, Once Upon a Time in the West and Once Upon a Time in America, and Neal Stephenson’s Baroque Cycle.

[Note to Neal Stephenson: Do another trilogy following the Shaftoes and Waterhouses during the American Westward expansion, please! The world can probably handle that much awesomeness. Probably.]

And so begins The Blood Creek Chronicles.

The Blood Creek Chronicles is an RPG-as-Generational Saga set in America, covering the adventures of a single family from 1840-1945.

The critical events of the game are the Civil War, the Westward Expansion and World Wars I and II.

The meta-goals for each generation are to survive long enough to marry, reproduce and pass your skills down to your children.

The story has many paths; who you marry, whether you have a son or daughter and how the pervious generation dies (the torch-passing phase) all effect the storyline. Marrying the rich merchant’s daughter (or son) may gain you wealth, but alienate your children. Marrying your forbidden lover may cause a tragic end, which causes your child to be driven for revenge. Become a war hero, the story turns one way, become a traitor and it turns another.

It is a game where all the pivotal points require the player to make a moral choice, and then live with the results for the next generation, and these occur during the critical events that shaped our national mythology.

The first generation’s story lines and tragically, with an event that tarnishes the family name (rightly or wrongly). The rest of the generations struggle to clear or redeem the family name.

Each generation has a skill tree they develop during their life. Once a child is born, the player picks a subset of skills to pass on to the child, giving them a head start in life.

If all goes well, the main player character leads a long life and passes a maximum of skills on to the child during the torch-passing phase.

The main player from the current generation can be killed without passing on skills (a setback), or without reproducing (game over), although the story could drive an exception, where the main character dies, and a brother has to step in to carry the family forward (Sheriff Bullock in HBO’s Deadwood). If killed before passing on knowledge, the child receives a “Driven” bonus that allows them to learn skills more quickly.

In addition to passed on skills, there are new skill trees opened up (and closed) by the passing of time; bow to rifle, rifle to Machine Gun. Horseback riding to driving or flying.

A generational tale of love, betrayal, revenge, of heroes and villains. Cliché? In the best tradition. An RPG set in a pivotal hundred years of America history…yes. Sign me up for some of that.

The vision for this game is for an emotional depth that comes from making hard choices and living with them.  It is an RPG set in a romanticized but otherwise realistic American setting. It tells a powerful set of stories that doesn’t rely mages and fairies to make it resonate. I would love this as an M-rated game.

-game over-

Thanks for reading another action-packed installment of Design a Day. For background on the Design A Day challenge, take a peek here and here.