The folks at Calliope and Lone Shark Games have announced that I’m working on a pair of games with them based upon my Monster Academy novels. There are actually three of them, which I delivered to backers a few years ago, but so far I’ve only released Monster Academy: I Will Not Eat People to the public. This was part of my 12 for ’12 project I launched back in 2012, in which I set out to write a dozen short novels in a year.
I may still be recovering from that.
My pal Mike Selinker was one of the backers of that project, and he read and loved the books. When Calliope wanted new games from us for their Titans Series Kickstarter, they suggested we work on an RPG-style card game suitable for the whole family. Mike pointed out that Monster Academy would make the perfect setting for it, and off we went!
As Ray Wehrs of Calliope said in one of their Kickstarter updates:
“Mike Selinker and Matt Forbeck are joining forces, like a Game Design Voltron, to bring you not ONE, but TWO games in Matt’s Monster Academy universe. We call this PROJECT APPLE. Mike has a truly unique storytelling concept that introduces light RPG elements, while Matt brings the source knowledge and a heck of an ability to craft amazing narratives in the game. We are looking to have one title that is the core game, much like a traditional Calliope release, playable in under an hour, over and over, but different each time. We will then have a second title in this series—probably standalone but able to be combined with the core box—that introduces deeper linked scenarios for the characters.”
Calliope and Lone Shark are two of my favorite gaming companies, stacked full of not only great games but many longtime friends. I can’t tell you how excited I am about this, and I hope to share more about it with you soon.
