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Juno Treisse can't really claim to have had a rough life. Discovering her passion and talent for writing early on, she made a decent name for herself writing mystery novels and short stories. Together with her friend and co-author, Vincent Creek, she managed to eke out an acceptable, if not exactly bountiful, living.

Yet, in the back of her mind, a strange presence dwells. It pulses and writhes, laying a thin, but encompassing, blanket of static noise on top of Juno's thoughts. Often she will catch herself just as her blood rises to a boiling point for no discernible reason. As the pain and noise grew in intensity, she began having hallucinations. She sees a murky swamp nearly flooded in a thick black mud, and monsters roaming the precious little land sticking out.

Yet, while far from benign, Juno feels no immediate threat from these creatures. In fact, she feels drawn to them, as if invited to join them in mutual suffering. There's a part of her seems to resonate with these monsters. A part of her she wants to bury deep within herself and forget ever existed.


Three Cheers for the Strawman is a ~30 minute RPG which aims to be brought from initial concept to completed product in about a week. The main inspiration behind this was the idea of struggling with thoughts and feelings you can't control, despite your internal logic indicating otherwise.

No RTP needed. Just download and play!

Latest Blog

Burning the Strawman

Having the story change based on player behavior is incredibly important to me. One might say it's the most important aspect of my design philosophy. Three Cheers for the Strawman went against that philosophy by starring a character who refused to accept the truth and sought asylum in a fabricated reality of punishment, despite what desperate measures her new acquaintance may have taken.

Every person is different in how they think, feel, and act. There are plenty of people who would have looked at Juno's situation and wrote her off as a lost cause, and that's perfectly understandable. However, what if, in all the acquaintances Juno meets in that nightmarish world, there was someone who wasn't willing to give up on her? What if there was someone who wanted to keep her from suffering as much as possible, either by planning out battle actions or running away when things looked grim? What if there was someone who kept her away from the End for as long as possible? What if there was someone who was willing to stay behind for her, when by all rights, should have abandoned her?

What if there was someone willing to force Juno back on her feet one last time?

Three Cheers for the Strawman has been updated.
  • Completed
  • Red_Nova
  • RPG Maker VX Ace
  • RPG
  • 02/08/2016 03:22 AM
  • 05/07/2020 05:40 PM
  • 02/11/2016
  • 67305
  • 22
  • 503

Posts

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unity
You're magical to me.
12540
Subbed! :D
NeverSilent
Got any Dexreth amulets?
6280
I can't yet tell whether I agree with the idea behind this game, but I'm curious to give it a try. Take my subscription.

P.S.: Is there a chance this might need testing? Y'know, I know a guy...
Marrend
Guardian of the Description Thread
21781
OH, HI, NEW RED_NOVA GAM!

*subbed*
Frogge
I wanna marry ALL the boys!! And Donna is a meanc
18536
Sub-
wait that's already been said
GOD DAMMIT
Red_Nova
Sir Redd of Novus: He who made Prayer of the Faithless that one time, and that was pretty dang rad! :D
9192
author=unity
Subbed! :D

Not even 10 minutes after the page was accepted that you're here commenting! Thanks unity! It's always great to have your support!

author=NeverSilent
I can't yet tell whether I agree with the idea behind this game, but I'm curious to give it a try. Take my subscription.

P.S.: Is there a chance this might need testing? Y'know, I know a guy...

Thanks, NS. While I appreciate the offer to test, this project isn't the kind that requires it. This is a bit different from my other projects in that it isn't exactly a "game" in the traditional sense. You'll see what I mean when I manage to get this thing done.

author=Marrend
OH, HI, NEW RED_NOVA GAM!

*subbed*

Haha, yeah this kinda came out of nowhere, didn't it? As odd as this may sound, I'm just as surprised as you.

author=Frogge
Sub-
wait that's already been said
GOD DAMMIT

There's only one Frogge on RMN that can say that Frogge has subbed to something.
Ratty524
The 524 is for 524 Stone Crabs
12986
So... Um... I just played this, and I liked it? I could relate to and understand Juno. I thought the narrative was solid, and the gameplay mechanics were well done, though I kind of feel like the "execution" skill should have its cost reduced or cost nothing at all, because there were many instances of forced stalling in the battle system that I felt was a waste of time.

For something you claim to be out of your element, I think you didn't do a bad job pulling it off! So don't discount yourself! :)

Also...
What script did you use to access my name stored on my pc? Please tell me in case I want to use it for something! :D
Red_Nova
Sir Redd of Novus: He who made Prayer of the Faithless that one time, and that was pretty dang rad! :D
9192
Thanks Ratty. The skill costs were constantly fluctuating the entire development process, only settling on those values about a few hours before calling it complete. Yeah, in hindsight, I think I should have lowered Execution a bit, too.

As for your question:

It's not really a script per se, just a script call:

name = ENV
$game_actors.name = name unless name.nil?

This'll change the name of actor x into the username on the current PC.
NeverSilent
Got any Dexreth amulets?
6280
So, that was certainly something. To be honest, the concept of the story was quite close to what I expected and moved somewhere between exploring and cultivating depression, so I wasn't too happy with it - but then again, that was probably the point. But I'll definitely say that you came up with some really powerful methods of storytelling, and I'd say that from a technical viewpoint you created an excellent example of effective minimalism here.
In short, I don't think I really like this game - but it's certainly a well-made project.

P.S.: I did find a couple of little errors. They're not particularly significant, but if you want, I'll send you a note detailing them.
Red_Nova
Sir Redd of Novus: He who made Prayer of the Faithless that one time, and that was pretty dang rad! :D
9192
Thanks for playing, NS! It's absolutely totally fine if you didn't like it, but I'm glad to see you got something from it.

And sure, I'll take a look at that list of errors you found. If there something I can fix, I'll happily fix them.
unity
You're magical to me.
12540
Finished the game. It is indeed very well made for being done in such a short time.

I'll be honest: I found the parallels between our game-making relationship a bit close for fiction, and then when my name was dropped into the mix, it was quite the gut punch. Nice to know it was just pulling the player's name.

I feel very defeated and low right now, so the game did its job. Dunno what to do from here. I'm feeling sad and confused so I may need to lay down until I feel more normal.
Marrend
Guardian of the Description Thread
21781
Personally speaking, I couldn't bring myself to finish this game. I got as far as the first save-point, and did a number of battles after that, but I (Or should I say Juno?) just kept dying. The after-death quips are what got to me, and I think that's part of the point.
This looks really intriguing. I downloaded it last night and I'll probably play it over this next week sometime.

I'll be back with some thoughts later I'm sure!
Played it, finished it. I... kinda want to punch Juno in the mouth but also understand how she feels. Still want to punch her though. XD

Some have said they came out of it feeling low and kinda depressed but honestly, I don't feel that way. I will congratulate you on making an interesting game, though, and telling a story very well. I was very curious about the story itself and wanted to play in order to learn more about it. Miiiiight be the sticky-beak in me... just a tad. XD

You did a great job with it, Red. And I'll second unity in that it did remind me a little of your and her relationship a tad, except the part where you have your own style and ability and can make great games outside of teaming up. You both do great works and are both well-loved and appreciated peeps on the site, so... ;p
Red_Nova
Sir Redd of Novus: He who made Prayer of the Faithless that one time, and that was pretty dang rad! :D
9192
Aw, thanks Liberty! And yeah, I totally understand the desire to punch her. I wanted to smack her the entire development time.
Red_Nova
Sir Redd of Novus: He who made Prayer of the Faithless that one time, and that was pretty dang rad! :D
9192
H-hidden Gem? I, uh... woah.

Thanks!
Ratty524
The 524 is for 524 Stone Crabs
12986
author=Red_Nova
H-hidden Gem? I, uh... woah.

Thanks!

I don't know if you realize this, but you've actually made a good game. :)
Red_Nova
Sir Redd of Novus: He who made Prayer of the Faithless that one time, and that was pretty dang rad! :D
9192
Haha, thanks!
Hello everyone.

I am here for the first time in this forum because of my friend Iddalai. I have now notified him of this forum post, so he can come here and check it out.

This game is clearly influenced and based on the original idea set up by my great friend Iddalai in his game "ALONE". Find it here: http://rpgmaker.net/events/2015birthday/?p=28#posts - the zip file is not the latest version and may not run right. Try this one for the actual working game: https://www.dropbox.com/s/1vn3u1amgrjvj6d/RMN%20Birthday%202015%20-%20Iddalai.zip?dl=0

The similarities between Iddalai's entry game in the anniversary event (I call it "ALONE", but that's not the title he gave it) and this one are:

-the fights are also sort of puzzles (you need to use newly acquired items to unlock the solution of the fight).

-the atmosphere of the game is similar. The base idea of psychological interaction with the world is also similar.

-the game progression is set up in the same way, with a fights working as doors to the following areas or protecting treasures.

-in Iddalai's game, leveling up will reduce stats instead of increasing. In Red Nova's game, the crystals seem to increase at first, but then there are a few that surprisingly reduce stats, creating the same surprise effect as in Iddalai's game.

-Iddalai's game was built in a way to frustrate the player into giving up as part of the psychological experience. In Red Nova's game, everytime one loses, there is a message motivating the player to quit.

-similarly to "ALONE", this game uses different game setting and lore-related names for weapons and enemies.

I did some research into Iddalai's game url and found that Red Nova admittedly enjoyed the game very much and commented as such:

"I like how all the actions are replaced by ideas. It's amazing what renaming conventional terms can do to change the overall feel of the game."


"So it's a game about building your reputation and confidence."

"This is how a story is told through gameplay since, assuming this is a gameplay rendition of your personal experience, I could definitely feel Iddalai's frustration at dealing with some bad experiences at trying to integrate into an online community."

"Iddalai's project has actually been at the back of my mind all day since I played it. At the risk of sounding like an apologist/suck up, maybe frustration/annoyance could be the intention with his project? This was, from what I could tell, a retelling of events that led him to RMN. That isn't something that could, or even should, be told with a fun, fluffy, project that's easy to beat. It made you want to give up because he felt that way multiple times when trying to join a community. I felt, at least, some of the frustration that came from trying to go it alone. "

"I still hold on to the idea that it could have been conveyed better, though. Iddalai"

Red Nova also states "The main inspiration behind this was the idea of struggling with thoughts and feelings you can't control, despite your internal logic indicating otherwise" - indeed so and the original idea behind that inspiration is, undoubtedly, Iddalai's entry in that anniversary event.
Curiosuly enough, user "unity" (has can be seen in the forum posts) had trouble with the idea behind iddalai's game the time, but seems quite happy with this one! I know, the original pioneer always has to ready the field for others to walk on!

So, in summary, I think that to create something under someone else's work influence is one of the greatest praises and compliments one can offer to that author. Still, credit is due and I believe Red Nova owes Iddalai credit for influence and ideas. I didn't find a single mention of Iddalai in any of the game's notes or forum. I post this in good will, mind you.
Iddalai is one of the greatest creative minds I have ever met and a straight up guy and friend. My usual internet nickname (Zydin) is even used as a weapon in his game, as were that of other people that were at some point or another important to him (which did me honor).

I came here and created an account just to ask you to please do the right thing. He deserves the credit and certainly does not deserve to see his influence ignored :)

Regards,
Zydin
(the healing power in Iddalai's game)
unity
You're magical to me.
12540
Having played both games, I have to say that your claims are way off base, Zydin. Iddalai did not invent using the medium of a game to express your emotions or how you are feeling. Iddalai did not invent making a game a psychological experience. He did not invent decreasing stats to make an in-story point.

Even IF this was made with Iddalai's game in mind, it is not similar enough to warrant any sort of credit in my opinion.
CashmereCat
Self-proclaimed Puzzle Snob
11638
I too have played iddalai's game and I can affirm that the similarities are skin deep. Iddalai's ALONE is an allegory for navigating forums and the life that gets drained from doing so. Three Cheers is about a writer suffering jealousy. Both are surreal, but in Three Cheers you get stronger from battles, in ALONE you try to avoid them because not all are helpful. Three Cheers has standing encounters, in ALONE they are moving.

Consider that creating a game set inside the abstract world of one's mind, with battles, will be very similar in concept. There are similar sequences which arise in Red Nova's previous games "Soul Sunder" and "Remnants of Isolation", which predate ALONE. ALONE is a great game, but it didn't even cross my mind that Three Cheers was at all influenced by ALONE, and in fact, Red Nova has been creating this type of game for a long time.
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