Description


The old clock on the wall turned to 3:33am. Punctual as ever, the noises started once more.

Every night of the last week had been the same. As soon as the time came, strange sounds could be heard somewhere in the depths of the cellar below your house. Every night you would gather your courage and burst through the cellar's entrance armed with whatever you could find only to discover nothing amiss or any signs of disarray in the insides of the chamber.

Tonight things were different. This time, the noises could be heard even closer and louder than ever. In a surge of exhausted agression you took the rifle by your nightstand and rushed to the basement entrance, kicking the door down while roaring madly hoping to frighten whatever had decided to nest inside.

As your eyes adjusted to the darkness in the pitch black room and darted around trying to look for any proof that your senses were still those of a sane person, you find nothing. The fine layer of dust on every surface told of the state of neglect the objects had been in before your intrusion.

But then, you heard the sound of flipping pages and a soft 'thud', you spun around with your weapon at the ready, and then you saw it, all of your hairs standing on end; A book, completely out of place given it's clean appearance, placed neatly in the middle of a small table at the back. The sound you heard had been that of the book opening. There were no footsteps on the dust below the table however, and there were no marks or fingerprints anywhere near the book.

Despite your instincts screaming and begging you to turn back, you could not help but to approach the book. You begin reading the words on the page, and you feel an unseen force pulling you inside! Before you can do anything, you get sucked inside the book!


This year's halloween event is to make a game using an entry from H.P. Lovecraft's "Commonplace Book"!

"This book consists of ideas, images, & quotations hastily jotted down for possible future use in weird fiction. Very few are actually developed plots—for the most part they are merely suggestions or random impressions designed to set the memory or imagination working. Their sources are various—dreams, things read, casual incidents, idle conceptions, & so on."H. P. Lovecraft

Basically, it's Lovecraft's notepad of ideas, most of which he never got to use in one of his horror books. Each participant will receive a random entry from the book, and you have to make a game inspired by it, either literally or metaphorically. Given that it's a halloween event making a horror game is encouraged but not an obligation. You can very well use the prompt to make a dark love story perhaps? Or a comedy horror kind of thing, it's up to you.

Example: Entry #23 reads:

"#23 - The man who would not sleep--dares not sleep--takes drugs to keep himself awake. Finally falls asleep--& something happens."

If you get this, then maybe you can make a game about insomnia and the person going insane to the point where the dream world and the real world have fused together, or maybe the story is about how a person is already in their desired world that they found while sleeping, and if they "fall asleep" in the dream, the dream residents will die a horrible fate, so the protagonist needs to find methods to keep themselves "awake" in the dream world.

I have personally taken out entries in the book that are too vague, cryptic or hard to understand, so that most of the prompts people get will be easy to think something for, but if for any reason you feel yours is too hard, you can reroll your theme, but only once.

◄ How To Participate ►

- Join the event.
- When event starts you'll receive a random entry via PM.
- You have a month to make a game based or inspired by your entry.

DATE EVENT STARTS: October 1st, 2021 00:01am (GMT)
DATE EVENT ENDS: October 31st, 2021 00:01am (GMT)
(Don't forget to change your timezone in your RMN settings so the site reflects your time correctly! Go to 'Edit Profile' under your name in the top bar, then click on 'Settings' under 'Profile Sections'!)


• This is a Single Player event.
• Any engine allowed as long as the game can be played in a Windows computer!
• Minimum of 10 minutes of gameplay to qualify for a Cool Badge.
• Make a gamepage! Upload your game there, then in the event page click on the 'Submit' button in the top right corner and choose that gamepage download.
• Using RTP is allowed, but game must be able to run without it installed (Guide for 2k3 click here).
• A single re-roll is allowed per participant in case you're unhappy with your entry.


You can earn one of these badges!

• "Do Not Stare Into The Abyss"
10Ms Badge - Participated in event.

• "Witness Of The Veil"
15Ms Badge - Posted something during the midpoint checkup.

• "The Abyss Stares Back"
50Ms Badge - Finished a game for the event.

• "From Beyond The Stars"
70Ms Badge - Finished a game for the event without asking/using a reroll.

Details

  • 10/01/2021 12:00 AM
  • 11/01/2021 01:00 AM

Achievements

Registration

You must be logged in to sign up for Commonplace Book.

Posts

Marrend
Guardian of the Description Thread
21781
One of the McBacon Jams, I forget which one, had a "mid-point check-in". For that, the host prompted people to post with a screencap of their game, or some indication of progress, and doing so was worth a small achievement.

As for the execution of the check-in, I imagine Mirak will do something similar for this event. The MS associated with the "Witness Of The Veil" achievement feels about the same as the "check in" achievement of the aforementioned McBacon Jam.

*Edit: The check-in achievement I was thinking about was associated with McBacon Jam 3.
Mirak
Stand back. Artist at work. I paint with enthusiasm if not with talent.
9300
It is as Marrend says! The witness of the veil achiev/badge is an extra badge that you can get if you come to this event page during the checkpoint and do a show and tell of your project's progress, including screenshots and such, just a fun way for everyone to see what everyone else is doing so far.

This checkpoint will happen in the middle of this month for a period of 3 days; from October 14th to the 16th. I will post a reminder when the time comes, so don't sweat it for now.
I need that background theme for the event it looks so cool it's exactly my aesthetic ;(
Punkitt
notorious rpgmaker 2k3 shill
3341
I'm a bit busy so I won't be able to join, but i DID want to say this is some FANTASTIC web design
Puddor
if squallbutts was a misao category i'd win every damn year
5702
I've got some ideas for my prompt, I just want a few more tiles to work with before I get started which is what I've been doing. pretty sure I'll be able to participate in the check-in though :)
My prompt is only a setting, so I'm still trying to think of a plot and characters that will make good use of it.
I started composing a couple of themes, so I should at least have something to show for the check-in...
Mirak
Stand back. Artist at work. I paint with enthusiasm if not with talent.
9300
author=Kris
I need that background theme for the event it looks so cool it's exactly my aesthetic ;(
author=Punkitt
I'm a bit busy so I won't be able to join, but i DID want to say this is some FANTASTIC web design


Thanks guys!

Prompts for the latest members who joined have been sent! Please notify me if you haven't got yours!
RavenBlueindigo
Please pretend it's a capital 'I' ;^;
172
I love Lovecraftian things, so I'd like to join! I doubt I'll finish since it is kind of a late start, but . . .
RavenBlueindigo
Please pretend it's a capital 'I' ;^;
172
I got my entry! But, I am wondering, how does the reroll work? Like, if I get a reroll, do I have to use it, can I mix both? I can work with what I got, but I'm curious what it would be if I got a reroll and I kinda want one just to see what it is and if it is even better. Otherwise, I'll just go with what I got, lol.
Mirak
Stand back. Artist at work. I paint with enthusiasm if not with talent.
9300
author=RavenBlueindigo
I got my entry! But, I am wondering, how does the reroll work? Like, if I get a reroll, do I have to use it, can I mix both? I can work with what I got, but I'm curious what it would be if I got a reroll and I kinda want one just to see what it is and if it is even better. Otherwise, I'll just go with what I got, lol.
To qualify you need to use one of them (completely, not just "a part of one"), but if you still want to put elements of the other one in, that's your prerogative.
I signed up to do a game what do I do now?
Mirak
Stand back. Artist at work. I paint with enthusiasm if not with talent.
9300
author=Hazelsoft
I signed up to do a game what do I do now?
I'll send you your prompt shortly!
KrimsonKatt
Gamedev by sunlight, magical girl by moonlight
3326
Yo RamZeez/Fenix Ram joined the RPG Maker community? Awesome! Love your videos man!
author=Hazelsoft
I signed up to do a game what do I do now?


*double take*

Wha-Your post confused me because it turns out we have the exact same avatar and I started wondering why I didn't remember making that post. XD
author=KrimsonKatt
Yo RamZeez/Fenix Ram joined the RPG Maker community? Awesome! Love your videos man!


I mean I do make videos, but you're probably thinking of somebody else, I haven't uploaded in a long time.
RavenBlueindigo
Please pretend it's a capital 'I' ;^;
172
Alright, then I think I'd like a reroll and I'll make a decision with which to go with.
Mirak
Stand back. Artist at work. I paint with enthusiasm if not with talent.
9300


It's The Midpoint Checkup everybody!!

Time to show a bit of what you've been doing! It can be screenshots of your game, resources you've made for it (like songs, sprites, title screens, maps, etc), a video if you want!

You have three days, between October 14th and October 16th (pay attention to timezones!) to do this and everyone who does will get an EXTRA BADGE!

Fflo
Be careful ! I'm French
3650

Checkpoint: title screen done!

Another Visual Novel! At first, I wanted to work on some Pokémon game where the player wakes up on the beach and is rescued by a particular Gothitelle.


Now, I'm working on a VN! The beginning is funny as it's a parody of Harry Potter. The school in the VN is named Murkwarts! It is located in a deep cave in the Samoa Islands.

But the story turns dark very quickly, as a professor is found dead and was magically mutilated: mushrooms are coming out from her nose, roots from her ears, her hair is floating, and a third leg has appeared on her back!

The hero can either run away from the school with 2 other pupils or either solve the murder alone. Horror or investigation game, the choice is yours.
Marrend
Guardian of the Description Thread
21781
I'm gonna give you meeples on offer...




...you can't refuse.

*Edit: Image updated. You may have to hard refresh?