#goncharov game jam

[twinegardening]

Creating Goncharov by albie [IFDB]

Creating Goncharov is a surreal game where you play as a filmmaker creating a pitch for a Goncharov (1973) remake with the help of Al, an indecisive peer. Premise Everyone knows Goncharov. Martin Scorsese's 1973 film is a cult classic, a true masterpiece of cinema. To celebrate its upcoming 50th anniversary, you, an office drone working at a major media corporation, have to create a pitch for a 2023 remake. It's an amazing opportunity that could launch your career. There's just one problem. You haven't seen Goncharov. Unable to turn down your corporate overlords, you and an indecisive colleague throw together a story based solely on information you can quickly find or invent. How will you reimagine the greatest mafia movie ever made and what will you do to turn your ideas into reality?

[manonamora-if]

Gonna play (and review) some French games today :P

[vforvalensa]

Yea But Have You Seen...?

Or

So You Think You Can Goncharov?

The fictional film generating game.

A game for 2+ players

In a manner where responses can be shuffled and randomly drawn from, each player writes as many names of actors, directors, niche micro genres, and events that could occur in a film.

Players take turns drawing from each category and using the results to describe a non-existent film.

During each turn all other players must ask a question about the film.

Play continues until all responses are drawn or all players concede that they won't be able to come up with a better film.

Once play ends choose the groups favorite film, vote if necessary. After the game ends all the players must post on social media about the winning film as if it was a real movie they have just watched.

If you play this and do post about your personal Goncharov be sure to tag me @vforvalensa when you do

(OK to archive)

200 Word RPGs 2024

Each November, some people try to write a novel. Others would prefer to do as little writing as possible. For those who wish to challenge their ability to not write, we offer this alternative: producing a complete, playable roleplaying game in two hundred words or fewer.

This is the submission thread for the 2024 event, running from November 1st, 2024 through November 30th, 2024. Submission guidelines can be found in this blog's pinned post, here.

[itsoverfeeling]

why did i not know about the goncharov game jam

[manonamora-if-reviews]

GONCHAROV - THE MAFIA HIGHSCHOOL DATING SIMULATOR by Monday

============= Links

Play the game See other reviews of the game See other games by Monday or follow @mondaysandwich

============= Synopsis

A very, very short highschool dating simulator snippet based on the Tumblr meme Goncharov (1973).

============= Other Info

G - TMHDS is a Twine (SugarCube) piece, submitted to the Goncharov Game Jam.

Status: Completed Genre: Dating-Sim, Unreality, Mafia, Goncharov

CW: Drug and alcohol use, References to gang violence and organised crime, Unreality, Mild internalised homophobia

============= Playthrough

First Played: Dec-2022 Last Played: 31-Aug-2023 Playtime: around 15min Rating: 3 /5 Thoughts: Parody on parody, in an alternate universe

============= Review

I think this line summarises the game best: Your name is Goncharov. You are fifteen years old, and today is your first day of mafia school. G-TMHDS is a very short datim-sim game, dabbling with the Goncharov "lore". Dipped in humour and sarcasm, the game gives the player a short introduction of the main players of the "movie" and their relationship to one another... if this was a Highschool AU.

Spoilers ahead (not so many, but this is a template). It is recommended to play the game first. The review is based on my understanding/reading of the story.

Due to its short length, the game feels more of an introduction to a larger dating-sim, rather than a fully rounded story. You wake up, get ready for school, meet up with a friend (Joe), and try to talk to your crush (Katya) and be jealous of her friend (Sofia), before the game ends with a hint of a dark attraction (Andrej). There are a few choices throughout the story, each giving some humourous variation (try ditching school).

From the start, it is clear the game is not to be taken seriously. It will treat your not-so-smart question with disdain, and your doubt with deprecation - an attitude many would have towards teenagers or very naive individuals. The narrator is not afraid to call you out for stupid decisions (or as-stupid thoughts about doing something). "Teresa Maria, Goncharov, don’t be such a square." had me wheezing.

Honestly, I still haven't decided whether this was meant as a parody of the meme or of the highschool dating-sim genre. It makes fun of both mafia tropes and of those dating-sim (as much as it can with the limited passages), juggling between the two without missing a beat. While reading through it, it reminded me of that KFC dating sim game from a few years back - I Love You, Colonel Sanders! - it is of the same tone: frivolous, humourous, and plain stupid (the hahaha this is so dumb kind). It just hits all the right notes.

I think this game might work even better in a VN form...

[the-rosebush-mag]

An Interview with Autumn Chen

by Drew Cook

The Rosebush editor Drew Cook (@golmac) had an online conversation with critically acclaimed author Autumn Chen (@cyberpunklesbian). Her interactive fiction games include The Archivist and the Revolution and A Paradox Between Worlds. Autumn is also very active as an organizer and supporter of IF development jams, including the Goncharov Game Jam, which was the subject of a talk at Narrascope 2023. Autumn maintains her own version of the IF storylet platform Dendry, and she assisted Emily Short in releasing a complete port of Bee, a game that audiences had long despaired of playing in full.

Read the full article on The Rosebush.

The Rosebush | Submissions | Mastodon

[iinryer]

#oh fantastic we still have a few weeks left to goncharov hotshots (via @eagleinasunbeam)

YOU FUCKING GET MEEEEEE

casting sofia boutella and emma d’arcy as teddy and chuck hotshots in my mind. btw

[if-confessions]

Genuine question for the “customisation vs set character” anon: if a majority of the MC traits are set, how will the player interact with the story? Will it be more like a single ending visual novel where most choices are flavor text or will the player choices have an impact on the ending?

By other forms of interactivity.

There are thousands of IF games out there where the MC is fixed in their looks, personality, identity, AND where the player has meaningful choices to push the story along. The early Twine scene included a lot of personal stories about identity, where obviously the MC was pre-set (ex: Porpentine's work).

Here are five non-VN games I can think of, right now on the top of my head:

Sweetpea by Sophia de Augustina

Most of Autumn Chen's games

Also with Emily Short's games (this is very prevalent in parsers)

The Bell Park's Series by BP Hennessy

SPACE FROG! by npckc (you play a frog)

(also plugging in Goncharov Escapes!, P-Rix - Space Trucker, The Rye in the Dark City, La Petite Mort, Entre-d’œufs coquilles, Collision,...)

EDIT: @interact-if also has a rec list for pre-set MC... also most games at the IFComp or the ECTOCOMP (or really most IF comp/jams)

Well... I lied. this is more than 5...

Interactivity comes in many different forms, and does not stop at the MC creation. You can have choices (flavour or impactful), puzzles to solve, quests to complete, managing your resources, combat system, etc...

Just because you don't customise the MC does not mean your game can't be interactive.

I mean... look at parsers! I don't think I've seen any where you could customise your character (aside from your name, if you even have a name...) but it is plenty interactive!

There are stories where MC customisation does not make sense, or where the customisation even works against the story.

EDIT: this is a good read about player agency.

[twinegardening]

Vespertine by Sophia de Augustine [IFDB]

A fangame for the greatest mafia movie that never existed, Goncharov (1973). Or- a closer look at Andrey and Goncharov's tumultuous, doomed romance and the little black book he's never seen without.

[elfwreck]

@controlledchaos1342-blog - I have it!

And I feel compelled to mention there was a Goncharov Game Jam at itch.io and it had 32 entries.

we did it tumblr

[manonamora-if]

New Pinned post. Old Navigation Post.

Hi, I'm Manon. And I create Interactive Fiction for fun. Sometimes in French, sometimes in English, and in both when I can. Currently a dozen playable games in various state and free templates and guides.

I post weekly dev logs about my project progress. I also write reviews of IF games (@manonamora-if-reviews).

I also made a whole resource list for Twine (guide, macro, templates).

Ask me stuff about stuff :P

If I'm not here, I'm not here.

Website: on neocities (not up-to-date)

itch.io: manonamora

Discord: I'm on a bunch of different IF-related servers, if you see a manonamora with this icon, it's probably me. 🤫

Sometimes I'm active IntFiction forum or the @neointeractives Discord.

My IF games are playable on itch.io, listed on the IFDB (for reviews), with some backed up in the IFArchive. I sometimes post code on GitHub.

Other Tumblrs: @crimsonroseandwhitelily (sideblog IF), @neointeractives, @neo-twiny-jam, @seedcomp-if

Since 2021, I've released a dozen of projects or WIPs, most of those being Interactive Fiction pieces. While the majority have been made with Twine (SugarCube), I've been testing other formats and programs.

I've also created templates and coding guides for SugarCube, as well as prompts. Both templates and prompts are free to use under the CC-BY license.

All projects and relevant links are listed under the cut.

In alphabetical order...

-> Crimson Rose & White Lily [In Progress] A multi-chapter interactive court intrigue story, set in a fantasy world inspired by the Victorian era and 18th century French Court, in which you navigate a world you have no recollection of. Tumblr | Game Post | Play CRWL | Rate CRWL | Tag

-> DOL-OS [Remastered] A sci-fi puzzle interactive game, in which you investigate inside an old computer machine. Game Post | Play DOL-OS | Rreview DOL-OS | Tag

-> Exquisite Cadaver [Released/Re-writes] A surrealist interactive word game based on the 'cadavre exquis' game. Game Post | Play EC | Rreview EC | Tag

-> Goncharov Escapes! [Remastered] A short quick-timed-event interactive game based on the Goncharov meme. Game Post | Play GE! | Review GE! | Tag

-> La Petite Mort [Remastered] A short puzzle interactive game, where you help Suzette, a 8-year-old get ready to meet her grandmother Game Post | Play LPM | Review LPM | Tag

-> Meeting the Parents [Remastered] An interactive story about going through the hoops of meeting your partner's parents for the first time. Game Post | Play MtP | Rate MtP | Tag

-> P-Rix - Space Trucker [In Progress] A Sci-Fi slice-of-life interactive game, where you play as P-Rix, a space trucker, delivering a strange parcel to a Mr. E. Game Post | Play P-ST | Review P-ST | Tag

-> SPS Iron Hammer [Released] A short sci-fi/mystery interactive story, set aboard the SPS Iron Hammer, where nothing is as it seems. Will you continue your content life or delve into the conspiracy? Tumblr | Game Post | Play SPS IH | RATE SPS IH | Tag

-> The Rye in the Dark City [In Progress] A noir-detective interactive story with the twist. A strange case lands on Detective Rye's desk. Will you take it and save the dame? Game Post | Play TRDC | Review TRCD | Tag

-> The Roads Not Taken [Released] A short parser-like game about choices. Play a being about to go through The Ritual, where you will have to make a choice, shaping the rest of your life. Will you take the correct one? Game Post | Play TNRT | Review TNRT | Tag

-> The Thick Table Tavern [Released] A chill bartender simulator set in a fantasy setting. Mix drinks, talk to trope-y patrons, get coins and fulfil your dreams! Game Post (temporary) | Play TTTT | RATE TTTT | Tag

-> The Trials and Tribulations of Edward Harcourt [In Progress] It all started with a letter... A Lovecraftian Interactive novel with a strange mystery and a plea for help from a former acquaintance. Game Post | Play TTATEH | RATE TTATEH | Tag

Other Smaller Projects:

À la Campagne [English, Hypertext]

Clarence Street, 14 [English + French, Hypertext]

Collision [English + French, Hypertext]

Entre-d’œufs coquilles [French, temp English, Parser-Choice Hybrid]

In the Blink of an Eye [English + French, Hypertext]

Intersigne [English + French, Hypertext]

Le Diner [English, Hypertext]

Le Jeu de la Dévotion [French, Hypertext]

I also published free assets and guide...

-> 100% Good Twine Sugarcube Templates I design UI for fun and release them as template when I feel like it. Currently Available: Simple Book (Landscape), One Page (Portrait), Space/Tech (Portrait), VN-lite RPG (Portrait) Also available: Ready-to-Use Tweego Folder, Setting Template. GET YOUR TEMPLATE | RATE TEMPLATE | Tag (x)

-> The ChoiceScript to SugarCube Guide Created for ChoiceScript creators wanting to make the transition to SugarCube (Twine), the Guide contains all code equivalence between the documentation, and potential useful add-ons. GET YOUR GUIDE | RATE GUIDE

-> 100% Good Twine SugarCube Guide Created as an alternative to the the SugarCube (Twine) documentation. The guide is organised by code proficiency. GET YOUR GUIDE | RATE GUIDE

-> Promps

Chonky Chicken (French + English)

Mission: Anti-Romance (English)

SeedComp! Meta Prompts (English)

The last book you'll ever write (English)

The last seed at the end of time (English)

The templates are prompts are under the CC-BY license (free use with crediting).

[hartshorn-and-isinglass]

This track is definitely my kinda jam. A complete reimagining of "Oblivion Soave" from L'incoronazione di Poppea that works beautifully. Love the undercurrent of tension and menace, which is appropriate for the scene in this Game of Thrones-ass opera where Poppea's ex-lover in disguise is about to attempt to murder her. This belongs on your Goncharov-themed playlist.

[manonamora-if-reviews]

Goncharov by ExcavatingLizard

============= Links

Play the game See other reviews of the game Follow @excavatinglizard

============= Synopsis

Goncharov's story ended on a bridge, and one way or another, Sofia and Katya were there first. A (very) short VN game considering the relationship between two women tangled up in the greatest mafia movie of all time.

============= Other Info

Goncharov is a RenP'y game, submitted to the Goncharov Game Jam.

Status: Completed Genre: Unreality, Romance, Dark

CW: Blood, death, gun

============= Playthrough

First Played: Dec-2022 Last Played: 1-Sept-2023 Playtime: around 30min (2 endings) Rating: 8/10 Thoughts: The Iconic Bridge Scene

============= Review

Goncharov is a fairly short highly-stylised VN, whose story is based on the iconic bridge scene of the movie, a climax between Katya and Sofia, as truth is revealed, but betrayals can still happen... There are four endings to this game.

Spoilers ahead. It is recommended to play the game first. The review is based on my understanding/reading of the story.

The game was insanely gorgeous. Fully in black and white save for some crimson accent, the visuals portray Sofia and Katya at a stand-still on the bridge, the former wearing a dress and pointing a gun at the latter, wearing a pantsuit. Behind them, the coast of Naples, with a setting sun, with red lines encircling it slowly clockwise. A slight wind brushes through their hair and the hanging dress. The theme helps set the dramatic scene. The subtle animations even gives it that extra oomph.

While the game is titled Goncharov, it refers only in passing to the main character of the movie/meme, focusing instead on those two women*. While it is mentioned Goncharov is coming to take Katya down, he does not show his face, relegated to a line to further Katya's point. The story is about those two women, the betrayal of one of them, and the fatalistic end of their story. *Katya is married to Goncharov, taking on this name as well.

There are three choices in this story, pertaining to Sofia's past actions (killing), Katya's attire, and Katya's beliefs. Each offer one to two screens of variation after the choice. While at least one of these choices will affect the end, I have only found two. I have been wondering if the circling background may be some sort of timer affecting the ending?

I found the topic of Katya's attire quite interesting. It seemed as if she had realised who she really was, and what her place in the world might be, leaving behind the ultra-feminine glamorous outfit as was expected of her being a mafioso's wife for a more masculine relaxed and easier to move around outfit. Shedding herself to the core. A sort of emancipation - which would have fit with the period the "movie" was set to have been released (70s).

Though this might not be the ending I have in my heart for both women, I found the ending where time ran out on Katya the most striking. The fade-to-... white was particularly well done.

[stickyhunter]

Goncharov: Goncharova

Goncharov: Goncharova is a short journaling game following you —a screenwriter, given Martin Scorsese's personal blessing to create a sequel to Goncharov. This sequel will follow Goncahrov's wife, Katya Goncharova, framing the events of the first movie through the lens of her own experiences.

What kind of script will you write?

Goncharov: Goncharova is a pay what you want game, and you can find it here!

[Twitter] [Mastodon] [DMsGuild] [Itch.io] [Mailing List]

[zorlok-if]

Sharing the the dark theme's mobile UI and what I consider to be one of the cooler features of my Goncharov game jam entry (now called Creating Goncharov).

Early on the game asks you to sign into your work computer. If you input a certain name, well... the game adjusts accordingly.

IDs/transcriptions in alt text and below pictures.

[image 1: A screenshot from Creating Goncharov of a passage designed to look like a computer sign-in screen. The name that's been entered is "Martin Scorsese". /end ID]

[image 2: A screenshot from Creating Goncharov of a passage designed to look like an email. The email is titled "New Assignment" and is being sent from "Boss" to "Martin Scorsese". The body of the email reads: "Good morning, Mr. Scorsese. I have a very exciting opportunity for you. Later today I'll be pitching a new film—specifically a Goncharov remake—to a group of investors and, of course, I've chosen you to put that pitch together. My meeting is at 11:00 so hopefully you've arrived at work early. If, for whatever reason, you don't think you're the right fit for this project, let me know asap. I can easily find someone else for the job, but we don't have any time to waste. We are all very excited to present you with this opportunity and look forward to seeing what you'll do with this project! Let me know your response as soon as you finish" /end ID]

[image 3: A screenshot from Creating Goncharov of a narrative passage. The passage reads "You stare at the computer screen for a long while. "Of course I've chosen you." Why of course? You are a prolific director and any project attached to your name is certain to wow investors, but there's one big problem. You haven't seen Goncharov. You haven't even heard of Goncharov before. Whatever, it doesn't matter. Your Martin Scorsese, you can make a masterpiece out of anything. You'll figure something out. Even if you don't have a good idea for the plot, you can always call up Rob and Al, see if you can get them onboard. No investor would turn down a film with Scorsese, De Niro, and Pacino attached to it. You reply to your boss." /end ID]

[image 4: A screenshot from Creating Goncharov of a passage designed to look like an email. The email is titled "RE: New Assignment" and is being sent from "Martin Scorsese" to "Boss". The body of the email reads: "Good morning to you as well. I'd like to thank you for thinking of me for this project. I can certainly fit it into my busy schedule. You mentioned that you had more details, I urge you to send those along so we can get this ball rolling as soon as possible. This movie won't make itself. Yours, Martin Scorsese" /end ID]

[image 5: A screenshot from Creating Goncharov of a passage designed to look like an email. The email is titled "RE: New Assignment" and is being sent from "Boss" to "Martin Scorsese". "Al B" has been CC'd. The body of the email reads: "Fantastic! And thank you for responding so promptly. The details are as follows: You need to craft a pitch for a 2023 adaptation of your 1973 classic, Goncharov. We aren't asking you to stray too far from the original. Goncharov is already a masterpiece and our audiences already adore it. This is meant to be a celebration more than anything in honor of the upcoming 50th anniversary. We are very excited to see what you will do given the opportunity to remake Goncharov with access to modern technology, new perspectives you've gained over the years, and (if this pitch goes well) a much bigger budget than you would have had at the start of your career." /end ID]

[image 6: The continuation of the last email described. The email continues: "Deepest apologies for only reaching out to you now, but I'll remind you that unfortunately we only have until 11:00. If possible, I'd also like to go over your ideas and thoughts before I present them to the potential investors, so the earlier you can get this pitch to me, the better. Anyways, go work your magic. Not that it'll be difficult; as Roger Ebert said, "Goncharov is the greatest mafia movie ever made." Whatever you do, I'm sure it will be fantastic." /end ID]

[image 7: A screenshot from Creating Goncharov of a narrative passage. The passage reads "Wait. That can't be right. You read the email again. No, you read that correctly. They definitely said that Goncharov was your movie. Is that... possible? Could you really have forgotten about one of your own films. I mean it was 1973, apparently. You aren't as young as you once were and maybe it's been so long that you've somehow... forgot? No, that can't be it. If you made a film that Roger Ebert called "the"—what was it? You check the email again. "The greatest mafia movie ever made," you would definitely remember that. Right? ...Right?" /end ID]

[image 8: A cycling choice from the game Creating Goncharov. It reads "Yeah, you know your own body of work. They must be mistaken somehow or there has to be some kind of miscommunication. You did not make Goncharov. You're 99.99% sure." /end ID]

[image 9: A cycling choice from the game Creating Goncharov. It reads "Maybe... maybe not. They're probably mistaken or there's some kind of miscommunication, but you're 80% sure that you did not make Goncharov." /end ID]

[image 10: A cycling choice from the game Creating Goncharov. It reads "No. You have no idea. That was fifty years ago, it's entirely possible that you made Goncharov and have no memory of it." /end ID]

[twinegardening]

GONCHAROV - THE MAFIA HIGHSCHOOL DATING SIMULATOR by Monday [IFDB]

Created for Autumn Chen's Goncharov Game Jam! A very, very short highschool dating simulator snippet based on the Tumblr meme Goncharov (1973).