Fights in Tight Spaces: K-9 Division

K-9 Division is the second DLC for the hit tactical deckbuilder Fights in Tight Spaces. The focus for this project was adding greater mechanical depth and fresh gameplay experiences, supported by remixing story content for a modified campaign run. Budget and scope for new content was extremely limited, so working within creative constraints proved a welcome challenge.

The Brief

Fights in Tight Spaces is a distinctly British action movie-inspired franchise with an established fanbase, who appreciate its irreverent sense of humour.

Writing Sample #1 – Final Mission Briefing Cutscene

Stage Index	Character	Condition	Dialogue
0	character 1		You’ve made enough noise to draw out their leader.
1	character 0		So what’s the job? Rapelling a dam? Infiltrating a bunker?
2	character 1		He was actually in the backroom of the bar with the bikers all along.
3	character 0		Oh.
4	character 1		But now he’s had time to prepare. He’ll be well armed and well guarded, holed up in the “i Completi” compound in the high-rise across from the biker bar.
5	character 0	hasAssistant=1	Do we have any advantage here?
6	assistant	hasAssistant=1	Roof!
7	character 1	hasAssistant=1	Agent K has a point, better go in through the ceiling. Last thing they’d expect.
8	character 0	hasAssistant=0	Nothing I can’t handle.
9	character 1	hasAssistant=0	Glad to hear it. Finish this once and for all.

Writing Sample #2 – Events

ID	Description	Options	Ratio Text	Reward	Results	Condition
Yacht	Your target is on a private yacht in a well-guarded marina. Agent K is a reluctant swimmer.	Find some armbands and hope for the best.	<br>(66% gain dog Card, 33% lose [0] health)	Any dog card from pool	Entering the water with some trepidation, Agent K soon conquers his fear, paddling smoothly to the yacht and boarding undetected.	hasDog=1
				-5 health	The commotion of your impromptu swimming lesson draws the attention of nearby goons, and you barely escape with your lives.
		Leave Agent K on the pier.	<br>(50% gain £[0], 50% lose dog Card)	gain £50	You find the yacht deserted. Returning to the pier, you see Agent K with your target, subdued after attempting to slip away unnoticed.
				lose random dog card	Mission complete, you return to find a pile of bodies next to Agent K. He is safe, but not unscathed.
		Bribe your way onboard.	<br>(lose £25, gain [0] health)	gain 8 health	You skip the swim and stuff a fistful of cash into the hands of the mercanaries at the gangplank.
DogFight	Some snarling dogs stand between you and the entrance to a hideout. Agent K is restless.	Let him off the lead.	<br>(66% gain upgraded dog Card, 33% lose dog Card)		With ruthless efficiency, Agent K takes out the strays and returns to your side. The path is clear.	hasDog=1
				lose random health	Agent K makes short work of the pack, but doesn’t come away unscathed.
		Walk away.	<br>(gain [0] health)	Gain 8 health	Those teeth looked sharp.
Walk	While taking Agent K for a walk, you sense you’re being tailed.	Try and lose them.	<br>(66% gain enhancement, 33% lose £[0])	lose £50	You remember your training and melt into a crowd flawlessly.	hasDog=1
					Acting evasively only alerts your follower that their cover is blown. You lose whatever leads you might have gained by being subtler.
		Unleash Agent K.	<br>(66% gain dog Card, 33% gain long-term injury)		The moment Agent K sets off, the shadowy figure panics and flees the scene.
					As you unclip Agent K’s lead and he sets off in pursuit, you realise your follower was not alone. Now you are heavily outnumbered and unprepared, and just about scrape through the ensuing assault.
		Confront them.	<br>(start fight)	alleyway, thugs	You wheel round and raise your fists. Your follower grins as his companions emerge from the shadows. [Start fight (Alleyway)]
Train	You lose your target in a train station crowd. On the platform, Agent K points at one train, but your gut tells you they’ve boarded the other. Both are departing.	Follow Agent K’s nose.	<br>(50% gain dog Card, 50% lose £[0])	gain dog card	Agent K leads you to your target as he tries to stowaway on a freight car full of fish.	hasDog=1
				lose £25	You find yourself on the dining car of a tourist train. Agent K excitedly eyes the buffet as your target waves from the other side of the tracks.
		Trust your gut.	<br>(50% gain £[0], 50% lose [1] health)	gain £75	In a busy crowd, you were right to trust your instincts, apprehending your target and completing the mission.
				lose 5 health	Your hesitation is costly. Your arm is caught in the closing doors and twists awkwardly. The guy is on the other train anyway.
Opera	Underworld kingpins are holding a meeting at tonight’s opera. You are tasked with creating a diversion.	Send Agent K onstage.	<br>(66% gain dog Card, 33% lose £[0])	add dog card	Agent K trots past the bewildered cast and crew, interrupting the singers and causing a significant kerfuffle. With their targets distracted, your fellow agents sweep in and execute the mission perfectly.	hasDog=1
				lose £30	One of the bosses recognises the Section 11 harness and alerts the others. They cancel the meeting and exit switfly, blowing the whole operation.
		Cut the power to the venue.	<br>(50% gain enhancement, 50% lose £[0])	gain enhancement	A crude but effective strategy. In the panic and darkness, your fellow agents have no trouble going unnoticed as they execute the mission.
				lose £30	As you flip the breaker switch, the venue erupts into chaos so extraordinary that performing any kind of espionage is impossible. Your fellow agents barely escape unscathed themselves.
		Pull the fire alarm.	<br>(50% gain £[0], 50% lose [1] health)	gain £75	The theatre files out in an orderly fashion with a good amount of hubbub, creating the perfect opening. The mission goes off without a hitch.
				lose 6 health	There is an immediate stampede to the main door, creating a human barrier between your fellow agents and their targets. In the chaos, you sustain some scrapes and bruises.
Discovery	Agent K digs up the intel you were promised. As you stash it and turn to leave, he keeps pawing at the ground.	Keep digging.	<br>(50% gain enhancement, 50% lose [0] health)		Your contact left a cache of equipment for you along with the intel.	hasDog=1
				lose 6 health	The buried intel was booby trapped! A blast knocks you back. You’re both alive, but carrying some new blemishes.
		Walk away.	<br>(gain £[0])	gain £25	You got what you came for, you’re not paid to be curious.
NewGadgets	Checking in with HQ, you are offered a selection of new tools for use in the field.	Choose new K-9 training.	<br>(gain upgraded dog Card)	gain + dog card	Gain upgraded dog card	hasDog=1
		Choose new K-9 equipment.	<br>(gain dog enhancement)	gain dog enhancement	Gain dog enhancement
		Choose new conditioning methods.	<br>(increase max health)	+8 max health	Increase Max Health
DinnerParty	You are spying on an arms dealer at a dinner party. Your back was turned for a moment, and Agent K has eaten all the canapes.	Take responsibility.	<br>(33% increase max health, 66% lose £[0])	+8 max health	Your host belts out a haughty laugh and admires your appetite. A spontaneous eating contest ensues and you stumble home stuffed with fine foods.	hasDog=1
				lose £50	The congregation of refined underworld kingpins surrounding you is unimpressed. And hungry. You offer to pay the cost to smooth things over.
		Blame Agent K.	<br>(50% gain dog Card, 50% lose dog Card)	gain dog card	Apparently you find yourself amongst dog lovers, as the assembled crowd delight in the oppurtunity to give fuss and further treats to Agent K.
				lose dog card	You point a finger of admonition and Agent K has to spend the rest of the evening outside.
		The jig is up!	<br>(start fight)	Kitchen, gangsters	Start Fight: Kitchen
MistakenIdentity	While on a protection job, a shadowy stranger slips a phone into your pocket that rings shortly after.	Answer and play along.	<br>(50% earn £[0], 50% gain long-term injury)	gain £100	You successfully fool the voice on the other end of the phone, collecting payment for both protecting and assassinating your client while keeping them very much alive. [Gain £100]
				gain injury	You answer the call in an unconvincing accent, and minutes later have to dodge sniper fire. [Gain long term injury]
		Ignore the call.	<br>(66% gain £[0], 33% lose £[1])	gain £40	You let the phone call ring out in your pocket, and complete your mission. [Gain £40]
				lose £40	The missed contact alerts the assassins to a problem with their plan. They change tack at the last minute and successfully eliminate your client.
Alarm	An alarm jolts you awake. You’re late for a meeting, but you’re also tired.	Go to work.	<br>(50% gain Card, 50% gain enhancement)		Your diligence is rewarded. At the meeting, you are offered some new equipment and training.
		Stay in bed and rest.	<br>(Gain [0] health)	gain 12 health	The Chief won’t be happy, but your body thanks you.