Terafyn is a story-driven and card-based RPG game inspired by some of the narrative and gameplay elements from my favorite games of the 80’s and 90’s - board games like Hero’s Quest, PC games like the Quest for Glory and Baldur’s Gate series, and some of the classic console games like Dragon Warrior and Final Fantasy.
The story centers around a mystical land, Terafyn, that was once ruled by two rival sibling gods, Aros and Ona. The fighting siblings nearly destroy Terafyn in their war against each other. The two are ultimately sealed away and peace returns to Terafyn. Over time, the gods fade in memory…but in the present period strange events stir fear that something evil is about to reemerge. The player starts out in the small fishing village of Brittlemire and all is not what it seems as the player unravels their true purpose.
In addition to the main story, there are many side quests, adventures and locations to explore to gather gold, loot and lore. The gameplay has traditional RPG elements with unique experiences including a battle system that combines card play with something original for this type of game: the classic spinner. The spinners feature is meant to heighten some of the fun and tension in the typical battle experience.
How did Terafyn come together?
Well, some years ago circa 2013 I started to formulate an idea for a game that brought together the elements of my favorite games, while also attempting to keep gameplay experience simple yet engaging. For me, probably like some others in this space, it started out as one of those passion pursuits on the side, outside of corporate life, that gradually became something more as I started to design the game and ultimately the world of Terafyn.
That being said, I am not an engineer by trade so my initial focus was on sketching the world, preliminary design, and developing the story. As the world started to come together, I was able to work with a global team of artists to help me create the landscapes, creatures, cards and other visual aspects of the game as well as pull together a rich soundtrack.
As I have learned…focusing on the artwork and music first was a bit backwards in process but nonetheless, the world coming together thematically inspired me to continue onward. As I moved further along and was ready for a prototype, I was lucky to have found the boutique game designer and developer Grizzly Machine to partner with to build the prototype and now our first episode of Terafyn!
More to come!