Donner 91 (Chapter 1)

Storytelling can take on many forms and can be relayed using any type of medium. As long as the plot is engaging. If so inclined, one could tell it through mathematical equations and it would still be fun.

Always on the lookout for new and interesting formats of storytelling, I stumbled upon a medium that is both prevalent and overlooked at the same time. I’m talking of course about log entries. Yes, log entries. My wife also laugh went I first told her, and yes, I do have a wife, believe it or not, but hear me out for a second.

As an avid fan of Star Trek and video games (go figure), log entries of different shapes and sizes are constantly present throughout the experience. Either by the all too familiar phrase „Captain’s log, stardate..” or a small recording device found behind a metallic crate down a long and dark corridor, we are invited to discover a very personal and different perspective; one that helps character development on a deeper level. Put together, they present a narrative apart from the main story, obviously adding to it, giving it a wider meaning, helping to frame the picture that would otherwise be incomplete. Like chocolate sprinkles on ice cream. You can have it without the sprinkles…if you’re some sort of weirdo, that is. But to truly enjoy the magnificence, I suggest you go all in, it’s worth it believe me.

And so, deep into a long night of gaming, entranced with my 35th log entry, it came to me. A whole story, framed and presented using this device, log entries. Without thinking to check if this has been done before, I rushed and created a quick outline. The rest is history.

So please enjoy the harrowing tale of the research vessel  REC 067 Roald Amundsen and its crew, told through this fascinating and new medium (that I totally discovered).