Accessible Games

Monster Kart Monday #6: Fairyland

By: Jacob Wood, August 19, 2013 News

As Monster Kart Mayhem continues development, I continue to research and develop new ideas for race course locations and new racers. We already have monsters, merfolk, and mythic creatures, but there is so much more potential.

Next up for development is Fairyland. Similar to Camp Myth in some ways, Fairyland will contain several new varieties of fey creatures from many different cultural backgrounds. These aren’t completely fleshed out yet, but here are a few of the ideas I have for new creatures in the fairy realms:

Dryad
Satyr
Brownie
Sylph
Sprite
Gnome
Boggart
Hobgoblin
Spriggan
Nixie
Pixie
Nymph
Dwarf
Elf

 

There are obviously a lot of different creatures to choose from, and I am actively researching all of the various world and cultural differences between the ideas we have based on them. Our modern views of these creatures aren’t necessarily the same as the way people viewed them centuries ago, and my goal is to take them back to their roots in common folklore and legend.

Did you know, for example, that a hobgoblin wasn’t always a terrible creature? In fact, hobgoblins used to be similar to brownies and house elves; they were little people who performed duties and chores around the house in exchange for gifts left by the family. Hobgoblins were mischievous and often liked to play pranks, but they weren’t malcontents.

In addition to these fairy creatures, I need a race course for them to inhabit. There are many different fairy realms, and I’d like to explore many of them in the game. Racers may speed through the Seelie and Unseelie Courts, the Sidhe, waterfalls (a common place to find nymhs, sylphs, and other water spirits), caves, burrows, forests, and other places associated strongly with the earth.

It can be difficult to pin down the origins of stories which have changed so much over the years, so naturally even the creatures in Monster Kart Mayhem will have some differences from what someone else might expect to be the “true” or “original” version of any given tale. Despite the challenges, I think it will ultimately turn out to be a great new setting for the game.

Next week I hope to hae more specifics on MKM Fairyland. Stay tuned for!

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