Do you have what it takes to win the Nocked Trailer Challenge? Read on to learn more...

About the trailers - full disclosure: We have not returned to the era of FMV (full-motion video, a short-lived trend in the 90s while 3D graphics caught up to designers' aspirations). There are no people in the game, but because a trailer with actual gameplay footage would be about as exciting as, well, watching someone read, people - friends, loved ones, random passerby - are a cheap substitute for fancy computer graphics!

The trailers are designed to show 3 things. A sense of the possibiity inherent in Nocked's gameplay (and, one might argue, interactive fiction in general), a splash of actual art from the game, and the fun and irreverence of Robin Hood stories. Oh, and we needed to advertise the game. That's very important. Otherwise, the actors are friends, the costumes come from the closet, the music is me (whistling greensleeves), and whole of it was filmed and edited on an iPad.

They are also all highly formulaic - the opening: "Another Day in Sherwood Forest, where every path leads to adventure", a black and white intro, 3 fun shots (they almost tell a story), splash image that advertises the game, and a coda shot with the website and tag line (Join the Adventure, Who's your Robin, or something along those lines).

Sound simple? It is! So much so, that I challenge you to make your own Nocked trailer in our new Nocked Trailer Challenge! Follow the above guidelines, keep it to around 30 seconds, and upload it to Facebook and Google+ (and let me know it's there).  You can submit as many trailers as you like. The winner (announced when the game comes out), will be the one with the highest combined total of Facebook "Likes" and Google "+1's". In addition to Internet fame, you'll win a free copy of the game for yourself and everyone involved in the production.

The Adventures of Maid Marian and the Sheriff Continue

Read the entire adventure to this point, starting on the post of July 26th. 

I stand, rooted to the ground, paralyzed with fear.  Burning Robin dances on the scaffold; hoarse screams of "Marian, Marian!" tear themselves from his throat, closed over in death these many hours.

A scarlet-fletched arrow thuds into Robin's chest, and another, a hair's breath from the first, and the corpse falls still. There's another voice - "Marian!", from the shadows of the gatehouse. "Over here!"

I raise my blade, shaken from my slumber.

1. My blade demands blood. I charge into the castle.
2. I fall back to the gatehouse.

Marian's decision at this juncture has been made. To continue her adventures, check out the latest dev blog and vote on her current actions. Read the entire adventure starting July 26th.

This is the Nocked! True Tales of Robin Hood development blog. Every week I’ll discuss some aspect of the game’s development, show off some art, and give you the opportunity to create an entirely new Robin Hood story. Be sure to check out the butler's take on the Sheriff of Nottingham, occasionally updated @ManOfNottingham, and mention us in your tweets with #whosyourrobin.