Jane Austen: The Massive Online RPG Game

Yes, an Austen-themed video game. "In the virtual world of Jane Austen, it is not about kill or be killed, but invite and be invited with gossip our weapon of choice."

By
Kevin Tang
by Kevin Tang

BuzzFeed Staff

news.cnet.com

"Try to win the sympathy of Lizzie Bennet by telling lies about your rival," urges Ever, Jane's Kickstarter page. As you can probably guess, this Jane Austen-themed video game is not about smashing monsters with magic and swords, but about demolishing your enemies with gossip and bolstering your reputation by dancing with the elite.

What we know about the game:

1.

This dude thinks your bodice is rubbish and your sister is a slattern who eats boiled cabbages.

2.

It's set either in Regency England or your worst middle school nightmare. You can spread lies about your enemies, but they can also do detective work to trace the rumors back to you and destroy your reputation.

3.

Think of it as interactive online Austen fan-fiction rather than a linear retelling of "Sense and Sensibility." You can choose your character's traits — if you want to be like Marianne Dashwood, for example, you can prize happiness over duty. But duty-bound characters like Mr. Knightly will find you offensive.

4.

Send dinner invitations to the social elite with caution: if they reject your invitation, your reputation suffers. If they accept grudgingly, you best not step on their shoes in the ballroom dance. If they accept happily, you can DESTROY YOUR ENEMIES.

5.

Mini-games include: dancing, piano, fishing, sewing, card games, and weeping under the willows as your beloved accepts some baseborn rapscallion's hand in marriage.

6.

You can download and play an early version of the game and help the developers expand this MMORPG Austen universe by funding their Kickstarter.