Dungeons, Dragons, Talent Scouts: Epic Manager
A party management game
I'm a very fortunate person, in that I enjoy foot-to-ball and can therefore immerse myself in Football Manager every year. It's an intricate simulation, tracking thousands of characters and their actions within a believable world. But that complex world of emergent narratives is only simulated when football is happening. How annoying it must be to read about that depth of simulation if you don't enjoy a spot of ball-bothering, net-bulging sports management.
Epic Manager may be a solution of sorts. Currently on Kickstarter, it doesn't look like it'll be as complex as Football Manager, but it's a management game, with scouts, rosters and a 'living world', and it's about parties of adventurers doffing up goblins.
Just as there are games that can be described as Minecraftbutinspace or other variations thereof, I wish there were a sudden influx of 'Football Manager but...' games. Not Football Manager Butt, you understand, although there's surely a niche audience for a Visual Novel dating sim featuring attempts to woo Sam Allardyce using nothing more than wit, charm, a six pack of Tennent's Super Lager and an oversized Scotch Egg.
Epic Manager is a step toward Football Manager but D&D. That's a good thing and the campaign page is rich with information about classes, systems and quests. I particularly like this, about the living world:
The kingdom of Astraeus is a living world that waits for no one. Being at the right place at the right time will sometimes be the only way to open up a side-quest or find out about a legendary adventurer.
Time flows as you commit actions and some events will happen wether you prepared for them or not. Conflicts unfold, assassinations take place and Gods know what else... Just make sure you’re ready because in Epic Manager you’ll react to the world as much as it will react to you!
The team are a fresh-faced trio based in Montreal and they're seeking CAD$30,000. While the pitch might be for a game that leans toward management and strategy far more than simulation, it's an intriguing proposition.