Tom martin

Narrative Designer and Writer • Portfolio

ABOUT ME

Welcome to my portfolio!I am a Narrative Designer and Writer hailing from South West Wales, UK. It was at a young age while watching Star Trek with my Dad that I realised I wanted to be a storyteller. I was fascinated by the idea of the Holodeck, as a space into which anyone can go and - for just a little while - become a whole new person, in a whole new place.Since then, I have been driven by a desire to be the Holodeck: to create spaces for people to lose themselves in, and to craft stories they find themselves in too. It is my hope the work you find here will reflect that aim, and maybe also convince you to reach out to see what we can create together!

CARTEL TYCOON

Cartel Tycoon is a narrative driven survival business simulator developed by Moon Moose and published by tinyBuild, set in a fictionalised Latin America during the 80's and 90's, during the height of the narcotics trade that gripped the the continent.Players take on the role of Capo, the Boss, of their own Cartel. They expand and conquer, fight off rival gangs and evade the authorities. They earn people's loyalty and strive to overcome the doomed fate of a power-hungry drug lord across five narrative episodes, a brutal survival campaign, and a sandbox mode.

My Role: Narrative Designer

  • Designed narrative flow, quest lines, and characters for Cartel Tycoon.

  • Comprehensively researched and created world documents for the setting to ensure an authentic and respectful portrayal of contemporary Latin America.

  • Wrote, iterated on, and implemented branching dialogue using visual scripting.

  • Advised on and directed voice performances for the characters.

Praise for Cartel Tycoon:

"[The] game certainly could have lieutenants and mayors and everything be interchangeable and blank stat blocks, instead everyone is given a personality and a memorable set of traits."[...] there’s a sense that the developers tried hard to enhance the sense of these people as… you know, people, not just game pieces to be moved around."- Gamer Escape

"[The] written text brings to life larger-than-life characters and gives gamers purpose in this simulation."- Sportskeeda

"The actual writing in the game is extremely good – descriptive and evocative, with distinctive characters. I was really impressed how well it worked, especially in complement with the art style."- Game On Australia

Here are provided three samples of writing from Cartel Tycoon:

"The Devil You know"In Cartel Tycoon, yours is not the only gang with aspirations. Players will often need to forge alliances with the leaders of other gangs by helping them achieve their own grim aims.The player's choice of tone in these conversations - "Suave", "Professional" or "Intimidating" - affects the relationship between themselves and the Patriarch.Here, Gerardo Batista, Patriarch of El Chamuco Que Conoces (The Devil You Know) enlists your help in delivering divine justice to a former associate.

"Recognition"An extract from Se Cayó El Sistema, the narrative campaign from the San Rafaela DLC.The Capo has their sights set on the highest seat of authority in the country: Presidente! To get there, however, they will need to play nicely with some less than upstanding characters.In this scene, the Capo's eldest friend and mentor has confronted them about an alliance with a gang in the north.

"Barks (Capo Death/New Capo Chosen)"A Capo doesn't retire, a Capo IS retired. In Cartel Tycoon, a Capo can be toppled for many reasons: shot dead in a gang fight, arrested by the authorities, or even stabbed in the back by one of their own lieutenants.And when one falls, another must rise to take their place. The lieutenants in the Cartel will give their thoughts on what happened. A lieutenant might lament the dead Capo, but promote someone they deem unworthy... and they won't mince their words.

OTHER WORKS

This is a collection of some of the work outside of Cartel Tycoon that I am most proud of. I have been conscious to never limit myself by medium or genre, and I have always had a drive to iterate and experiment often by taking the games that I love and seeing how they might work in a different medium.Ursula K. Le Guin (A Wizard of Earthsea) describes the iterative motivation perfectly: "Love doesn't just sit there, like a stone; it has to be made, like bread, remade all the time, made new."When I seek to iterate upon the games I love, it comes from a drive to reiterate that love for them. My stories are often a love letter to the unexplored corners of the worlds I have enjoyed so deeply in my own play.

My Role(s): Narrative Designer, Game Designer, Writer

  • Developed and iterated upon game and narrative systems and individual gameplay features.

  • Creating and developing art, UI, and UX design prototypes from concept to final quality.

  • Managed and mentored junior narrative designers on design best practices and design thinking methodologies.

  • Designed narrative flow, questlines, characters, vertical slice script, technical texts and implemented branching dialogue using visual scripting.

Praise for Other Works:

"A TTRPG nuclear fusion of two beloved games that does a great service to both."- User Feedback on Trials of the Vault Dweller

"Come on. It looks great. And he's got his own little detective hat."- GAMINGbible on A Bone To Pick

"Innovative, trailblazing work [...] a template for future students interested and writing for video games and interactive fiction as it evolves."- Luke Kennard (The Harbour Beyond The Movie) on Flicker

Here are provided three samples of writing from my other works:

"Trials of the Vault Dweller"Fallout: Trials of the Vault Dweller is a tabletop RPG that takes the mechanics of Betrayal at the House on the Hill drops them into the nuclear world of Fallout!Each player takes the role of a wasteland explorer turned Vault Dweller after becoming trapped in creepy, run down Vault of unknown origins.Dwellers will need to acquire I.T.E.M.S. (Interesting Technology and Extra Miscellaneous Stuff), find Companions, and overcome unique story events as they explore a randomly generated game-board.

"A Bone To Pick (Unreleased Title)"Crime is left-pawed form of canine endeavor...A Bone To Pick is a 3D, third-person action adventure title that began development during the COVID-19 lockdown.In the game, you play as the once honored, then honorably discharged K-9 Detective Max Malone who is forced to take up his custom-fitted fedora for one last case when his favourite toy, Roger the Rabbit winds up missing.It's time to solve crimes and eat kibble, and Max is alllll outta kibble...

"Flicker"Flicker: An Interactive Fiction formed the creative component of my dual-discipline dissertation, for which I received Class 1 Honors from the University of Birmingham.The game is conceptually a mediation on the creative process as a neurodivergent writer. Specifically, what it is like to try to conceive of and write a compelling story with ADHD, as I do.Narratively, the player is "Grasshopper", a solivagant trying to follow a set path in a world in flux. As you read, certain words might evoke divergences, and if you can focus on them, you will discover things about your character that were not set before you started walking that path.

And that's the end of my portfolio!It is not the end of my work, however, so if you like what you see but there's something missing, don't hesitate to reach out via Email or find me on Bluesky Social and ask me!I may have what you're looking for!I sincerely look forward to making something special with you!

© Tom Martin. All rights reserved.