Non-Serious FAQ

Q: Is there any specific order in which the games should be played?

A: While there are many connections between the individual games (and stories in the Oneiropolis Compendium), you really shouldn’t feel obligated to play them in any specific order. Each is a complete work in its own right.

Q: What is the chronological order of the stories?

Speaking from the perspective of the Lands of Dream, the order is:

  • [Ithaka of the Clouds]
  • The Book of Living Magic
  • The Fabulous Screech
  • The Matter of the Great Red Dragon
  • The Sea Will Claim Everything
  • A Postcard From Afthonia
  • The Strange and Somewhat Sinister Tale of the House at Desert Bridge.
  • [The Council of Crows]

The Oneiropolis Compendium collects stories from all across history.

Q: Are these games for children?

A: Children of a certain disposition are likely to enjoy them (I would have), but they are not children’s games. Read Matt Barton’s review of TSWCE (“the game is in fact a deeply political, philosophical, and even academic narrative that defies easy description”) to get an idea. There’s a lot of fun children can have with these games, but if you subscribe to the idea that children should only be exposed to “safe” (unchallenging, intellectually vacuous, linguistically sterile) material, you may want to keep your children away from this website. Or yourself.

If you are a child who would like to play one of my games but your parents are opposed to content that makes you think, please lie to them. Tell them these games are just silly and childish. They won’t notice.

Q: I know this isn’t a question, but I feel overwhelmed by the amount of details!

A: I know this sounds a little odd in our current gaming culture, but play more slowly. Not everything can be enjoyed at the same pace; relax, take your time. This isn’t a contest, it’s a journey.

Q: Don’t you think TSWCE could be more subtle?

A: Some things are not subtle.

Q: Did you really tell children to lie to their parents?

A: If the parents are intellectually oppressive, yes.

Q: I’m looking for a coyote. Have you seen it?

A: Yep, it came through here a while ago before setting off for Nexus City.

Q: What is your stance on piracy?

I’ll just copy-paste what I said elsewhere.

In brief: while I utterly believe in the right of creators to be paid for their work, I think the whole controversy over internet piracy is extremely silly and highlights some of the fundamental problems of the capitalist system of ownership. Despite what the annoying DVD propaganda says, you can steal a car, but you *can’t* steal a movie – you can only COPY it. I think it is impossible to assert that making an identical digital copy of something is morally objectionable.

Note that I am not advocating we all start giving everything away for free. I’m advocating a change in economic systems as the requirement for a more rational treatment of digital information.

But until we have that revolution, we could at least stop making such a fuss about something which is inevitable and not half as harmful as corporations like to claim. If we want people to pay for movies or games, maybe we should provide them with quality at affordable prices, not overpriced shit like 3D movies. Oh and maybe we should refrain from supporting austerity measures that destroy people’s purchasing power, forcing them to find alternate ways of getting their entertainment.

In other words: if you can afford it, please buy TSWCE. If you really can’t, pirate it. I need the money, but I also need to live in a democratic society that doesn’t punish people for rearranging some 1s and 0s.

 Q: You once mentioned making a game about a troll. Is that still happening?

A: It’s a game about two trolls, it will be called Ithaka of the Clouds, and yes.

  • Monkeys