Narrative based story games are one of my favourite genres and while I don't get to play as many as I would like (Stuffed Fables was the last one I managed to play through), I love it when another one comes along!
So when I came across Storyburg by Kyle Walters, a game based on a number of well known and incredibly loved characters everyone will have heard off (though I'll be honest, Nemo was a new one to me - maybe that didn't make it to the UK?), I was incredibly excited to give it a play and complete a shoot for it.
A Story is Nothing Without It's Characters
Narrative based games live or die by the quality of the story, and the story hinges on having characters that are fun to play and feel part of the wider tale. Storyburg is no different, so I really wanted to focus the shoot on pulling out the uniqueness and joy of the characters you could play.
The game also comes with some very charming meeples for each character that I really wanted to include that as well.
Everyone knows the story of Alice and the Queen of Hearts, so I really wanted to give the impression of her surrounded by card soldiers, with an element of chaos behind her reminiscent of the wonderful Disney adaptation in 1951.
Peter, on the other hand, with his loyal friend Tinkerbell and the ever present Captain Hook is a simpler shot, giving a strong impression of the ship in the clouds, the flying meeple and Hook forever in the background, hoping to strike.
With Dorothy, this couldn't be complete without her faithful friends, Cowardly Lion, Scarecrow and the Tin Woodman showing her party in full but with Dorothy leading from the front. With Dorothy's quest to reach the Emerald City, I really wanted a shiny, emerald-esque background, bringing memories of the building of green glass, emeralds, and other jewels.
Nemo was a bit tricker, given my lack of familiarity with the character. But it was easy enough to find some comic strips to read through and get a much better idea of the character. One thing that really stuck me was the slightly terrifying old man of the moon so I leant into the idea of Nemo floating above the clouds, the present moon behind him, slightly bearing down on him. And the sleepy meeple, popping out from the clouds, gives a slight air of comfort to the foreground, contrasting with the moon behind him.
Focusing on the Game
However, at the end of the day, Storyburg is a game and any photoshoot needs to ensure it highlights what the game is, it's key elements and what it looks like on the table.
I really wanted to highlight the story book, and with Meeple Alice having such an inquisitive look, she become the focal point of those images, pointing the player to something of note, be that information, imagery or the story itself.
Behind the Scenes
Creating character focused images can be a challenging process, depending on the final look you're going for. Plenty of Blutack, the odd chop stick and teddy bear stuffing can really go a long way!
I'd also really like to commend Storyburg on the quality of it's built in storage system in the box - I love it when games do this!
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