We have talked about it for years here on the website and that’s it, the wait is over: Skald: Against the Black Priory should come out in two days, may 30. On the occasion, we have had the chance to speak with Anders, main developer of the game, and get more details on this « labour of love ». The translated French version of the interview is available here.
RPGJV: Greetings, and thanks for accepting to give us some of your time! Could you introduce yourself?
AL: Hi there! My name is Anders Lauridsen and I’m a Norwegian game developer working on “Skald: Against the Black Priory”.
RPGJV: How did you get the idea for the game?
AL: I’ve always loved tabletop RPGs and I played a lot for many years (I was the GM of course). Then as I got older my gaming group fell apart a bit due to “life” and I was left without a creative outlet. Well, there’s no better creative outlet than making games so I decided to give it a go!
This way I can be a GM for hundreds of thousands instead of for 4.
RPGJV: What were your influences during the development of the game?
AL: The game is visually inspired by classic games like Ultima, Wasteland and the Gold Box series. But in terms of how it plays I would say it’s closer to a modern cRPG. It was always important for me to provide an experience that felt retro in a good way whilst still being accessible to a modern audience.
RPGJV: How much time did the development take and how did it go?
AL: I started as a part-time hobby project 5 years ago. Then the project grew a bit and started to get attention. It ended with me signing with the publisher Raw Fury 2.5 years ago and that was a game-changer. It allowed me to quit my day-job and become a full time developer working on Skald!
RPGJV: What should be the future of the game? Do you have any plans?
AL: I’ve spent a lot of time making tools that allow me to keep making games like Skald WITHOUT using 5 years each time. I’ve started thinking a lot about next projects. I’m sure there will be a “Skald 2” – I’m just not sure if that is the next game up. It would be fun to do an RPG with a different setting. We’ll see.
RPGJV: How many people worked on the game? What tools did you use?
AL: I’m the only person in the company. I do all the programming, design and 98% of the writing and then I’ve hired subcontractors to do most of the art and all of the sound and music.
I use a combination of Unity, a self-made engine and self-made tools.
RPGJV: How did the development process go with all the people implied?
AL: For me it’s been great. It’s been a lot easier to manage the company with me as the only employee (less responsibility). Also, Raw Fury has helped me a lot.
RPGJV: How is it to make a game and its dialogs in English when you are not a native speaker yourself?
AL: Honestly, that’s never been a problem.
RPGJV: What are the features and specificities of Skald: Against the Black Priory? Its length? Its replay value? How would you describe the game?
AL: The game is a narrative-heavy, grim-dark, Lovecraftian fantasy cRPG with retro aesthetics and modern gameplay.
It’s turn-based and you control a party of characters.
It’s AT LEAST 15 hours long though most players spend closer to 30 on a first run. I would say it’s quite replayable as well.
By far, I think the strongest feature of the game is the mood and narrative.
RPGJV: What is the story of the game? How did you develop its lore?
AL: The game is of course inspired by my old tabletop RPG campaign.
RPGJV: How did you create its universe? What influences did you use?
AL: The game takes a lot of inspiration from cosmic horror from authors like H.P. Lovecraft and Robert Chambers. The brand of fantasy is also what we call “grimdark”. This is typically exemplified by authors like George R.R. Martin and Joe Abercrombie. I think the game also has some touches of “True Detective – Season 1”. ONLY SEASON 1!
RPGJV: Do you have a favourite character in the game?
AL: I love a “sad dad” so Roland without a question.
RPGJV: Do you have a specific moment of the game you prefer above all others?
AL: Yes but I REALLY don’t want to spoil it.
RPGJV: How was the community during the development process? Have you had any feedback you considered and/or used?
AL: Community has been super involved and a HUGE resource. We’ve gotten invaluable feedback from them and I love them. THANK YOU!
RPGJV: Do you have a particular regret regarding the game? Did you have to unwillingly take something away from it despite the desire to keep it/implement it? Why?
AL: Yes there are always things being cut in game development. It usually comes down to resources (time and money) and in some cases technical issues. A large part of the issue for this game is also that the tools used to make it have been developing alongside the game. Today they are super-powerful but when we made the first parts of the game they were pretty weak. That means that there are parts of the game I would love to be able to go back and remake. But this is mostly pointless. The game is great already and in any case, it will never be “perfect”.
My great comfort is that I have a good starting point for making the next game.
RPGJV: Do you have a particular anecdote, a funny story to tell us, something you’d like to share?
AL: Swen Vincke of Larian Studios has played the game. This keeps me sane and motivated.
RPGJV: Do you plan on localizing Skald: Against the Black Priory in French for our players?
AL: We will be looking into localization post-launch and French is of course high on our list.
RPGJV: Do you have a final word for our readers? Something about future projects?
AL: Buy Skald on May 30th. It’s a true labor of love and I hope and believe you’ll enjoy it if you like RPGs or dark fantasy stories. Thank you for having me!
Thank you for your time and your answers!
The French version of this interview is available here. Skald: Against the Black Priory will be released may 30 and I’m sure we will talk about the game again!
