The purpose of this blog is to showcase the pre-production phases of an indie game titled ‘Bards and Bikers’. Bards and Bikers is a 2D fantasy biker gang RPG. Dungeons and Dragons meets Hells Angels meets Stardew Valley. Through out these blog posts there may be references that not all will understand. I have included references here so that all readers will be on the same page.

What is Dungeons and Dragons?

Dungeons & Dragons, also known as D&D, is a fantasy tabletop role-playing game (RPG). According to the Wikipedia article on the subject, this game was designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, and first published in 1974. This publication is said to be the beginning of modern role-playing games, and the role-playing game industry.

D&D is a structured but, ultimately, open-ended game. Unlike a video game, this game is played around a tabletop. Each player controls a single character, also known as a player character (PC). This group of PC’s are often described as a “party” of adventurers. (Wikipedia contributors. “Dungeons & Dragons.” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 24 Feb. 2019. Web. 2 Mar. 2019.) 

The game is controlled and narrated by a Dungeon Master (DM), they control the way the story progresses and all non-player characters (NPC’s) that the PC’s might interact with. Each PC will have their own specialties and abilities that are determined what which Race and Class they pick before the game starts. How well each PC does at each action they take is determined by the roll of the dice. Dungeons and Dragons uses a D20 system, which means that most outcomes are based off of the roll of a twenty sided die (though other items, such as weapons, will use other dice like a d10 or d6).

The main focus of D&D is storytelling. Together, the DM and the PC’s navigate through a fantastical world, fighting magical creatures, collecting treasure, and bluffing their way into fancy parties (just to name a few). 

(Wizards of the Coast, “WhatisD&D?Overview”, Dnd.wizards.com, http://dnd.wizards.com/dungeons-and-dragons/what-is-dd)

Who are the Hells Angels?

The Hells Angels, also known as the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club (HAMC), is a worldwide motorcycle club whose members are usually known for riding Harley-Davidson motorcycles and sporting leather vests with the club’s name emblazoned across it. According the wikipedia page, the Hells Angels is made up of mostly white males and is considered to be an organized crime syndicate by the United States Department of Justice. (Wikipedia contributors. “Hells Angels.” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 25 Feb. 2019. Web. 2 Mar. 2019.)

What is Stardew Valley?

Stardew Valley is an open-ended country-life RPG. You begin the game by inheriting your grandfather’s old farm plot in Stardew Valley. Your goal is to revamp the farm and build up your new life in Stardew Valley. There is no real end goal in Stardew and it’s mostly about the journey.Stardew Valley was created by Eric Barone, under the name of Concerned Ape. Eric Barone designed this game all on his own over the course of four years. Over that time period he taught himself how to program, produce music, and create art, all so that he could create all of the game elements on his own. The game was released on PC on February 26, 2016, and within two months sold 1 million copies. (Concerned Ape, “Stardew Valley Press”, Stardewvalley.net, 22 February, 2016, https://www.stardewvalley.net/press/)

Stay tuned for all sorts of production news and possible name changes.

Thanks for reading,
Tara.