Working title of our game is The Executioner.
But before we stopped on that one simple word that’s pretty sufficient and describes what (or who) the game is about, we’ve gone through some other longer alternatives. We still might make use of them for different chapters of the game.
What do you think? Is the the one that intrigues you more than others? What do you think of when you look at them?
The Executioner: Time of Troubles
Where it comes from:
The state capital where the game takes place is in turmoil. The enemy’s armies are near the borders, townsfolk growl under their tax burden and shrivel at the thought of another epidemin of a horrible illness. They say the King is cursed, his heir dodges assassination attempts. Basically is’s what the Chinese called “interesting times” wishing them upon their enemies. The balance is undone, society’s foundations are crumbling, the wheel of Fortunes spins and the future is dark and shaky.
Why we decided against it:
All the event are just a backdrop for the protagonist’s personal drama. Out game is about a human being, whose mind and behaviour are irrevocably changed by the necessity to torture and execute people at the Crown’s behest.
The Executioner: A Black Glove
Where it comes from:
During the Dark Ages in some cities people used to put a black glove on a window frame at the Executioner’s house, indicating the need of his services. This romantic image paints the executioners not as some envoys of Death but more as public servants.
Why we decided against it:
In the game the relationship between the Executioner and the crowd is quite different, and the hero’s employers — the Crown and the judges — are not just faceless power figures but characters pivotal to the plot, with their own scenes, capable of their own actions. They give their orders personally and directly. Still, that glove ritual is cool. We might use it somehow.
The Executioner: Deadman’s Eyes
Where it comes from:
Among the myths surrounding the executioner’s job there’s a belief that a head still sees for some time after being separated from the body. Does magic such as this really exist? Or is that just superstition of the thick and the insane? This is one of the key questions in our game and a head that’s dead but still able to see is one of the most vivid symbols of this uncertainty. Is it superstition or an actual physical possibility? Modern science has no answer.
Why we decided against it:
In the prologue there’s a scene involving an executed man’s head. It’s pretty dramatic and imbued with hidden meaning but it only hints at the story that spirals around the Executioner. We might use this title for a prologue in the final version of the game.
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