I’ve been a fan of Neverwinter Nights since it came out in 2002. And since then, I’ve toyed around with creating modules. Currently, I’m working on one that connects my books in the series. It’s based on what happens after Kingmaker and before Fury – there’s a three-month gap between the events.

I have to say that it’s been one of the most relaxing things I’ve done recently, and I’m having a lot of fun with the module.

Why a Neverwinter Module for the Witcham Series?

Primarily, I’m using the Aurora Toolset from Neverwinter to create the module. It’s a builder that I have a lot of experience in using and it’s incredibly easy to flesh out an entire world. If I used something else, I would have to learn a whole new piece of software.

That probably wouldn’t be a bad thing, really. If I used something like Unity, Unreal, or even RPG Maker, I could probably sell the games on Steam for a few extra bucks. Plus, they’d be up-to-date with gaming technology – ish.

Mostly, I’m doing this for fun. Perhaps one day, I’ll dive into an actual game for the books. But for now, it’s a great way to relax, unwind, and be creative.

Creating Quests with Easter Eggs

I’m putting in all kinds of Easter Eggs in this module. References to both Kingmaker and Fury are present, including the introduction of a few characters that make their literary debut in Fury. The trick is to place elements in the game that don’t give spoilers in case the player hasn’t read the books yet.

In fact, the way I’m developing some of the dialogues and quests centers around enticing the player to buy Kingmaker. Then, I’m also including certain elements from the game module into the book, Fury.

For instance, one of the main characters in Fury makes a reference to someone who helped him earlier. The character he is referencing is the player from the module.

The overall idea, though, is that the books and games are separate but connected. Each will stand on its own, but the player will get more from the experience by reading and playing the storyline.

I Love Writing Character Dialogue

I’ve been told by several readers, authors, and editors that one of my greatest strengths is dialogue. In fact, that was part of my panel in January at Tattered Cover – creating realistic and non-cringe-worthy conversations in the book. The games I play and develop are heavy in dialogue.

Good dialogue can make a massive impact on the reader, or in this case, the player. Get some good voice acting behind the character and you can pull similar emotions from a game as you can from a book. I know the ending of StarCraft: Heart of the Swarm brings a few tears to my eyes every time.

The Neverwinter module is a bit different, though. Neverwinter doesn’t have animated cutscenes like StarCraft. It’ll be purely text on the screen with not a lot of action behind it. Sure, the characters can move a bit, but nothing like what you’d see nowadays.

In any case, I love writing dialogue – to the point of considering writing more screenplays.

Debating On Voice Acting One of the Roles

I’m not the best voice actor. In reality, the only thing I’ve done that has come close is the Despair episodes on YouTube. It’s an audiobook that I read while adding background sound effects.

As I continue working on the module, I am starting to wonder if I can add more to the game by voice acting a few parts that go along with the dialogue. I have a couple of characters in mind that would be fun to portray.

I would go all out and find actors for all of the main characters, but that would probably cost me a bit of money. And right now, I’m broke folk. Besides, this module is more for fun and relaxation than anything.

Maybe when I can get a few things rolling in the right direction, I can afford to invest in an actual game to sell on platforms. Nonetheless, I think I’m going to give it a try for the main character of the module at least.

Adding to World Anvil

One of the great things about setting up this Neverwinter module is that it’s also helping me flesh out the world around Witcham in World Anvil. Using the landmarks, places, people, and objects in the module, I’m adding more to world-building the world of Denaris, the planet the series is based on.

Depending on how long it takes to create this one module, I might have to make a few smaller ones that are standalone titles from the books.

There are so many possibilities when you’re a fantasy author who has a love of video games. The best part is that your readers don’t have to be gamers, as either medium will work on their own merits.

In other words, your readers don’t have to play the games and your players don’t have to read the books to enjoy the individual stories.

Anyway, the world is continuing to take shape as I add elements from the module into World Anvil. Now, I just need to develop a decent map of the region that I can add to the books. I’m debating on paying for Inkarnate, but there are so many others out there that I want to try.

I guess it comes down to what is the cheapest solution at the moment.

Do You Create Something Fun to Connect a Series?

There are all kinds of ways you can connect books together. Something else I was toying with is live-action scenes on YouTube that happen between the books. Kind of like a short web series that can be used as a marketing device for the novels.

You’re only limited by the imagination. And nowadays, there are so many ways you can accentuate your storylines online with fun additions.

There’s nothing wrong with just being an author and writing the series. But I’m the type of person who thinks of ways to market both while reaching a wider audience through different mediums. Unfortunately, the two biggest problems I have are money and time. You need these to be successful.

Yet, I think it’s worth the investment of both to tell a much larger story than what’s available in the books. For now, I’ll just keep saving my pennies.