Potential article?
Posted: 19 May 2014, 17:00
I considered submitting the following as an article but a) I wasn’t entirely satisfied with it and b) I then thought that perhaps others could come up with ideas and the ‘Powers that Be’ can publish an article using all the best ones. Or it can just stay here on the forum!
Knightmare – The Only Way is Onwards
As has been stated elsewhere, the last eighteen months has been a fantastic time to be a Knightmare fan. However, it would be a shame if the fandom lost momentum now. It would be all too easy to see the recent convention as the highest peak scaled; something we never thought would happen and are now simply grateful for the brilliant memories and experiences it provided. Although 2014 is still to give us David Rowe’s ‘Art of Knightmare’ book and even more Knightmare Live, one of the Q&A sessions at the convention got me daydreaming about what the longer-term future holds for the Knightmare ‘brand’. I therefore present here a fantasy timeline charting certain key products and events which exist only in the future of my imagination. Although this is just a bit of fun (and most of you will probably have much better ideas) it would be nice to start a debate about where Knightmare could/should go next…
December 2014
The Knightmare ‘Corridor of Blades’ game is released on the app store. Players tilt their devices or swipe their screens to make the on screen dungeoneer side-step left and right to avoid the blades. There’s a choice between ‘lifeforce’ or ‘instant death’ modes. Yes, it’s a simple a variant on the ‘running’ format many games are using but authentic sound effects (including an original ‘ooh nasty’ from Hugo whenever a player dies) give it a real Knightmare ‘feel’ and make it a steady seller. Updates expand the variety of on-rushing threats to include goblins, stormgeists, giant spiders etc. The game becomes popular with those not even familiar with the original show.
January 2015
Fresh from more festival success, Knightmare Live starts a three-month run at the Hammersmith Lyric theatre in London. It is promoted as a fantasy comedy show and no longer primarily relies on TV nostalgia to put bums on seats. Continued popularity means it later moves to the West End with a regular spot in the intimate Arts theatre, just off Leicester Square.
March 2015
The original eight series are made available to rent or buy on itunes.
October 2015
Knightmare comes in at number 42 on Channel Four’s 100 greatest theme tunes (far too low!).
May 2016
The second successfully crowd-funded Knightmare convention takes place with even more of the original cast and crew attending. Rather excitingly, a new online format of the show is premiered.
July 2016
The Knightmare YouTube channel is launched. Each weekly episode shows a single quest’s progress through a single level of the dungeon. Furthermore, each level is based on four clue room objects and two characters suggested on a weekly basis by fans via social media. A team of writers (including some members of the KM Online community!) then construct the level, choosing which of the objects will be required, whether the chosen characters will help or hinder etc. Viewers can watch quests in real time as it is filmed on Saturday mornings or catch-up with edited quests whenever they like. At first the show is fairly low budget (it looks a bit like the Geek Week episode) with only two actors playing all the characters but as popularity and advertising revenues increase…
[note: the dungeoneer is, initially at least, a non-team member based in a blue room and visible via a live stream to teams of three who then play online, guiding this passive ‘actor’ through the dungeon].
November 2016
A number of KM apps are launched on the increasingly popular Google Glass, including:
The Goblin Pursuit fitness app. Users input their time and distance objectives and then get pursued by goblins sounding their horns. Glancing backwards enables runners to actually see the blasted things giving chase! Runners are of course caught if they don’t hit their targets (cue obligatory ‘ooh nasty’). Alternatively, choose to be a goblin and hunt down a fleeing dungeoneer!
The Eyeshield Navigator – uses Google Street View to present users with an Eyeshield style video to guide them to a chosen destination – locating a Wagamama’s has never been so much fun!
September 2017
The KM Kinect game is released on XboxOne. Gamers can either use the hardware’s voice recognition technology to guide a CPU dungeoneer around or use the Kinect motion sensor as a controller (walking on the spot, stamping their feet to the left or right for side-steps etc.). Xbox Live enables teams of four to hook up just like the original show, with one player having a restricted view of the action and controlling the dungeoneer via Kinect based on instructions from teammates. The game includes the voices of several original cast members, specially filmed spyglass sequences etc. New rooms/puzzles are released periodically ensuring adventurers never get bored. Arcade mode gives players the chance to race against other teams, tackle floor puzzles in isolation etc.
January 2025
Wearable technology is now the norm. All glasses and sunglasses are internet enabled by default (and early adopters are already wearing ‘connected contacts’). People sit on high speed trains from Birmingham to London whilst guiding dungeoneers based in South Korea. University students sit in boring lectures secretly watching KM episodes.
If you have any Knightmare ideas please share them with us, either on the forum or via our FB page...
Knightmare – The Only Way is Onwards
As has been stated elsewhere, the last eighteen months has been a fantastic time to be a Knightmare fan. However, it would be a shame if the fandom lost momentum now. It would be all too easy to see the recent convention as the highest peak scaled; something we never thought would happen and are now simply grateful for the brilliant memories and experiences it provided. Although 2014 is still to give us David Rowe’s ‘Art of Knightmare’ book and even more Knightmare Live, one of the Q&A sessions at the convention got me daydreaming about what the longer-term future holds for the Knightmare ‘brand’. I therefore present here a fantasy timeline charting certain key products and events which exist only in the future of my imagination. Although this is just a bit of fun (and most of you will probably have much better ideas) it would be nice to start a debate about where Knightmare could/should go next…
December 2014
The Knightmare ‘Corridor of Blades’ game is released on the app store. Players tilt their devices or swipe their screens to make the on screen dungeoneer side-step left and right to avoid the blades. There’s a choice between ‘lifeforce’ or ‘instant death’ modes. Yes, it’s a simple a variant on the ‘running’ format many games are using but authentic sound effects (including an original ‘ooh nasty’ from Hugo whenever a player dies) give it a real Knightmare ‘feel’ and make it a steady seller. Updates expand the variety of on-rushing threats to include goblins, stormgeists, giant spiders etc. The game becomes popular with those not even familiar with the original show.
January 2015
Fresh from more festival success, Knightmare Live starts a three-month run at the Hammersmith Lyric theatre in London. It is promoted as a fantasy comedy show and no longer primarily relies on TV nostalgia to put bums on seats. Continued popularity means it later moves to the West End with a regular spot in the intimate Arts theatre, just off Leicester Square.
March 2015
The original eight series are made available to rent or buy on itunes.
October 2015
Knightmare comes in at number 42 on Channel Four’s 100 greatest theme tunes (far too low!).
May 2016
The second successfully crowd-funded Knightmare convention takes place with even more of the original cast and crew attending. Rather excitingly, a new online format of the show is premiered.
July 2016
The Knightmare YouTube channel is launched. Each weekly episode shows a single quest’s progress through a single level of the dungeon. Furthermore, each level is based on four clue room objects and two characters suggested on a weekly basis by fans via social media. A team of writers (including some members of the KM Online community!) then construct the level, choosing which of the objects will be required, whether the chosen characters will help or hinder etc. Viewers can watch quests in real time as it is filmed on Saturday mornings or catch-up with edited quests whenever they like. At first the show is fairly low budget (it looks a bit like the Geek Week episode) with only two actors playing all the characters but as popularity and advertising revenues increase…
[note: the dungeoneer is, initially at least, a non-team member based in a blue room and visible via a live stream to teams of three who then play online, guiding this passive ‘actor’ through the dungeon].
November 2016
A number of KM apps are launched on the increasingly popular Google Glass, including:
The Goblin Pursuit fitness app. Users input their time and distance objectives and then get pursued by goblins sounding their horns. Glancing backwards enables runners to actually see the blasted things giving chase! Runners are of course caught if they don’t hit their targets (cue obligatory ‘ooh nasty’). Alternatively, choose to be a goblin and hunt down a fleeing dungeoneer!
The Eyeshield Navigator – uses Google Street View to present users with an Eyeshield style video to guide them to a chosen destination – locating a Wagamama’s has never been so much fun!
September 2017
The KM Kinect game is released on XboxOne. Gamers can either use the hardware’s voice recognition technology to guide a CPU dungeoneer around or use the Kinect motion sensor as a controller (walking on the spot, stamping their feet to the left or right for side-steps etc.). Xbox Live enables teams of four to hook up just like the original show, with one player having a restricted view of the action and controlling the dungeoneer via Kinect based on instructions from teammates. The game includes the voices of several original cast members, specially filmed spyglass sequences etc. New rooms/puzzles are released periodically ensuring adventurers never get bored. Arcade mode gives players the chance to race against other teams, tackle floor puzzles in isolation etc.
January 2025
Wearable technology is now the norm. All glasses and sunglasses are internet enabled by default (and early adopters are already wearing ‘connected contacts’). People sit on high speed trains from Birmingham to London whilst guiding dungeoneers based in South Korea. University students sit in boring lectures secretly watching KM episodes.
If you have any Knightmare ideas please share them with us, either on the forum or via our FB page...