The following is a treatment for a match-3/location decoration comedy game.

Premise: A ride in Polly’s classic roadster has ended in disaster as Polly and her new friend Molly have crashed through the front door of a mansion. Soon they realize the mansion has an occupant, a rather rich one.

Scene 1

Molly – Wowzers! Didn't think a car could fly that far. You learn something new every day.

 Polly – The car! Airborne! The mansion door! So many pieces. You could have killed us!

Molly – But we're fine! I totally missed that deer! And get a load of that chandelier. That's real crystal.

Polly – And it's where the engine should be, which by the way shouldn’t be in the parlor.

Mindy – Oh, is that you, Calvin? The house has become taken with a sudden draft.

Polly – Psst, Molly, if we don't say anything—

 Molly – Hi, I'm Molly. And this is my friend, Polly. You have a breathtaking home, ma'am.

Polly – I died in the crash and this is my eternal punishment. No other explanation.

Mindy – Oh, thank you, dearie. Although I don't remember having a garage here. Or the chandelier being so close to the ground.

Molly – Oh, we can fix that up. I mean, how hard can it be? It'll be no trouble, Ms…

Mindy – Goldsberry. Ms. Mindy Goldsberry. Do come in, dearies. Mind the mess. There's just been a car accident.

Molly – Whoa! Mindy Goldsberry, the rich and fabulous Broadway legend?

Mindy – Oh, it's so refreshing to be remembered, especially by the young. Care for some tea?

 Polly – We're so sorry. In fact, let me call the police and save your numerous, expensive lawyers the trouble.

Scene 2

The police have arrived, and Molly and Polly must think fast. Their new friend, the faded Broadway star Mindy Goldsberry, has an offer.

(SFX: knocking on door)

 Officer Campbell – Hello? This is the police, responding to a call about a car accident.

Polly – It's 9 a.m. I've crashed into a mansion and I'm an accessory to grand theft auto!

Molly – Is this the wrong time to mention that my license is expired?

Polly – No! Not at all! Just save some crimes for our trial. It'll make it that much more exciting!

Mindy – Hmm. Judging by your couture and copious sweat you don't strike me as career felons.

Polly – Absolutely. Yes. Complete non-criminals until about 20 minutes ago.

Molly – Especially if you completely forget about the stolen car!

(SFX: knocking on door)

Mindy – This reminds me of when I starred in Great Expectations on Broadway.

Mindy – In it, a boy aids a criminal and the criminal returns to aid the boy.

Mindy – I'll make it simple. It's been ages since I've had company, and Miss Molly has given me an exquisite idea.

Mindy – For one week, both of you do whatever I ask of you. Or I inform the police about your vehicular rascality.

Polly – Deal! We'll cook. We'll clean. Fix up your mansion. Anything.

Mindy  -  Lovely. Welcome to my home, dearies. Now, do answer the door.
 

Scene 3

The next morning. Molly and Polly begin their work/community service helping Mindy fix up her mansion. First task: make her a fine breakfast.

Molly – Oh, the kitchen of a Broadway star. How spacious. How luxurious!

Polly –  More like nauseous. There's more mold than counterspace. And Mindy wants us to make her a fine breakfast?

Molly – I've already found food and I've seen every cooking reality show. How hard can it be?

Polly – Uh, it's hard when your only available ingredient is canned cat food. Somewhat Seafood flavor.

Molly -  I don't think Iron Chef ever covered cat food, but when in doubt… omelets!

Polly – Blergh. I could count the nanoseconds it would take for the diner to be shut down if I…

Polly – That's it. The diner!

Molly - Ooooh. Does someone at your diner know how to make cat food omelets, too?

Polly – What? No! Raul, the chef. He can put together enough food and supplies to get us through the week.

Molly – Oh, I can whip up a side for the cat food omelets. Now, pancakes or hash browns?

Polly – Let me handle the food.

 

 

Posted
AuthorJohn Ryan

Note: This excerpt is from the playable VR experience Wonderfall: Tale of Two Realms, now at the Pacific Science Center. This section opens the game, introduces the main characters and the first threat, and acts as a tutorial on how to use magic in the experience.

WONDERFALL – CHAPTER ONE, SCENE ONE

 

EXT. VILLAGE OUTSKIRTS – DUSK

 This is the fabled golden time, when the setting sun gives everything a warm, amber hue. The village ahead – Tammerdun – is a quaint, idyllic place calling to mind a small European-style town from a fairytale. Crickets chirp, the wind blows lightly, a gentle evening in the making. A series of gas lamps light the way from the forest edge, where the player, is to the town itself, almost inviting the player to come closer.

Posted
AuthorJohn Ryan

Recently, I took part in a four-hour game pitch project where people were given an exercise draft up the following for an imaginary fantasy game: character sketch, worldbuilding, dialogue, and pair of item descriptions.

—-

Character Sketch

Cassi is a 20-year-old outlander, a resourceful woman who lives beyond the rules of the strict city-state of Grandhaven. Born inside its walls, she barely survived a plague that claimed the lives of her parents.

Posted
AuthorJohn Ryan

Team Shooter Character Profile

This is a character sample for a team-based shooter project I was involved in where the action was set in a near-future England.

Character Name:

“Rose “

Gameplay Role: Support. Her primary ability is rallying her teammates, giving them short boosts of health and speed or small ammo drops.

Character Profile

35, female, British. Stern countenance, wiry but toned, steely eyes that bore through you.

Posted
AuthorJohn Ryan

The following came from a game writing challenge to establish a setting, characters, and threat in 400 words or fewer with this prompt: You are writing a scene for a fantasy RPG were the player is leading a recon party into enemy territory. Along the way, they find their way to a small charming hamlet where something terrible has happened.

FADE IN:

EXT.  ENTERING PELCHALICE -  DAY

 Four soldiers, PLAYER, and GRANWALD ride into a rustic village denoted by a sign: PELCHALICE. GRANWALD sneers, summons a throatful of spit.

GRANWALD
(spits)
Pelchalice. Flea's ass of the world. Shoulda took the Green Pass.

Posted
AuthorJohn Ryan

Sample Scenes

 

Scene: Training Patrol 3 - A law enforcement veteran (QUATTA) is taking a rookie (HILLOW) out on his first real patrol. Both are patrolling a city that’s recovering from a chemical attack by a recurring villain. As they patrol, they encounter civilians trying to get their lives back on track.

EXT:  LION'S ARCH STREETS -  DAY 

LION’S ARCH RESIDENT
(frustrated, touch of privileged arrogance)
Excuse me. I have my documentation. I’ve been verified in the
town's census, but you Lionguard won't take me back to my home.

LIONGUARD QUATTA
(Grumbling, annoyed)
Ugh. Citizens. Why don't you handle this, kid?

Posted
AuthorJohn Ryan

I made this Twine game for a job I applied to recently. The Powers At Be enjoyed it, but ultimately went with another candidate. I drafted this up in eight days, racing to hand it off before a deadline. I thought I would share it with you. Enjoy.

Halloween Night

 

Posted
AuthorJohn Ryan

Tassi

Role: Scientist, scholar
Species: Asura
Gender: Female
Age: Adult
Social Status: Medium

The asura are a diminutive, highly intelligent race that considers themselves superior to other races in Tyria. They love building things, thinking up improvements to the things they built, and dream of one day conquering the world through their genius and their inventions. They love using big words to emphasize their intellects and will toss in an insult to make sure the "dumber races" know who the smartest person in the room is. 

Posted
AuthorJohn Ryan

Yavvi

The true leader of the Sleep-o-Scholar krewe. Sober, smart scientist. She's been betrayed by a close friend and colleague. She's guarded, choosing a cloistered life in a science lab now.

YAVVI
(alerted to danger)
Disruption here!

YAVVI
(calling for help)
Over here! Help!

YAVVI
(dying gasp)
No…

YAVVI
(entering combat)
You've tampered with the wrong scientist.

Posted
AuthorJohn Ryan

Cinematic Samples

Below are a pair of gaming cinematics I've written: the first one as part of a writing exercise, the second one was a revision I worked on for Guild Wars 2. 

 

FADE IN

NIGHT – PERFECT PLANET RELIEF CAMP OUTSKIRTS

Next to a burning kerosene lantern, KARA sits on a small patch of dirt, looking up at the night sky with a solemn look. As she clutches the artifact she took from the last holy site, she’s lost in her thoughts until she hears the squealing of a little girl.

Posted
AuthorJohn Ryan

 

As part of the Escape from Lion's Arch/Battle for Lion's Arch release (marking the end of the first Living World season for Guild Wars 2), I was approached to write a series of in-game news reports documenting the fierce battle players would take part in during the release. These reports, which covered the bravery of a group of soldiers volunteering for a hopeless mission, were serialized and released over Guild Wars 2-branded social media.  

I hope you enjoy all five dispatches from the front. 
http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Lionguard_Security_Force

Posted
AuthorJohn Ryan

Originally published on Oct. 17, 2013
(https://www.guildwars2.com/en/news/the-family-business/)

By the third night, the mob around Castle Thorn had grown so thick that their bonfires reached the river, making a constellation of pyres that stretched as far as King Oswald Thorn could see.

“I swore my sandwich trees would’ve been the answer to this famine,” Oswald grumbled. “They are complaining about the famine, right?”

Posted
AuthorJohn Ryan

Originally published on Sept. 4, 2013.
(https://www.guildwars2.com/en/news/short-story-shadowbox/)

The energy beams over the door solidified, separating Moto from his lab once and for all. He stood in the streets of Rata Sum in the driving rain. The container holding his meager belongings sagged from the downpour. All he had left after two years of collaboration was reduced to his box of possessions. He felt himself shrink and fade in the rain, as if he would slide into a storm drain and vanish forever.

Posted
AuthorJohn Ryan

These next few scenes were part of a release that brought back the Super Adventure Box content ArenaNet introduced April Fool’s Day 2013. I was taken to create a story around the SAB, which didn’t have a story outside its tribute to 8-bit gaming. I wrote a backstory the SAB, its creator, and its creator’s former development team. You can see how these scenes came together in these links (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cp-K-HcMTzshttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vtNJWF9nHKI).

Posted
AuthorJohn Ryan

The following text is narration I wrote for the PvP team to introduce players to the Guild Wars 2 PvP maps. Each map had a distinct feel and these scripts were written to brief the players not just on location, but on map mechanics.

Posted
AuthorJohn Ryan

I wrote these ambient scenes to illustrate how the charr (a war-like feline race in Guild Wars 2) handle matters like childhood and education. Charr children ("cubs") are dropped into boot camp months after they are born. From there, they are trained to serve their legion. Here, a group of cubs are being taught (to a limited degree of success) about animal handling from a grizzled veteran. You can see how these scenes came together here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mPjwHqc2ZII

Posted
AuthorJohn Ryan

This first set of scenes takes place in the starting area for the Guild Wars 2 norn race. What I wanted to do was show off the norn family dynamic, specifically what would be daily life for a family of rough-and-tumble spirit-worshipping adventurers. A fan captured the scenes and interactions, providing a better idea of how all of this came together in a live game environment. (http://youtu.be/6CyqGJHTjes?t=2m8s)

Posted
AuthorJohn Ryan