Time Crystal is World's First Podcast Novel Influenced by Listener Role-play

PRLog (Press Release) - Sep 28, 2009 -
By joining the role-playing forum at http://www.timecrystal.co.uk/forum listeners to the free weekly podcast novel 'Time Crystal' can chose which character they wish to play, interact with other characters and can make weekly decisions about what their character should say and do next. Experienced players who have shown they understand the character's personality best will be able to create polls for the novice to vote in.

After each vote messages will be sent to the author Wyken Seagrave http://www.timecrystal.co.uk/blog/?p=52 who will take them into consideration as he writes the next week’s episode. He says 'I cannot guarantee always to act upon what players say. For example I may not think their ideas are in character, or it may conflict with other plot lines, but I guarantee to use the ideas wherever possible.’

In addition to talking to the author, players will be able to interact with other characters. Later in the story new characters will be introduced, and characters will change in very significant ways. Wyken says 'I expect that playing these roles will engage listener's attention to the fullest possible extent, giving them a depth of experience never possible before. I cannot imagine a TV soap ever achieving this. Only the combination of podcasting and on-line role playing has made this possible, and I expect that this will become a model for other authors to copy.’

Role playing Time Crystal is free. However Wyken needs to eat so players have the option of becoming subscribers for US$10 per year. In addition the players who reach the top level of the game will be expected to make a small contribution.

'I am very excited about this development,' Wyken says. 'I really expect that it will transform the podcast listening experience.'

Time Crystal is supported by a sister podcast, the Art and Science of Time Crystal available free on a schedule to suit the listener at http://www.podiobooks.com/title/art-and-science-of-time-c... and also on iTunes. Here Wyken and players will be able to discuss not only the science underlying the story and how it is written but also the activity within the forum. Players will bea able to make suggestions about future developments of the whole system.

Time Crystal is unique in several ways, apart from the role-play feature. It is the first novel based on the unassessed but feasible risk of a cosmic monopole being captured by a detector in CERN and being converted into a persistent black hole. It is the first novel to have cost the author US$1 million to develop. Now it adds another unique feature: listener role-play.