Frights in Tight Spaces

Frights in Tight Spaces is the third DLC for the hit tactical deckbuilder Fights in Tight Spaces. With a seasonal Halloween theme, the project ran to a tight deadline and focussed on adding new campaign content, enemies, levels and events.

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 – Opening Scene

Stage Index	Character	Dialogue
0	character 1 (Chief)	Agent 11… have a seat.
1	character 0 (Agent)	There are no chairs in this room chief.
2	character 1	Of course. Apologies, I’m a little distracted today.
3	character 1	My predecessors warned me this day would come, but in all honesty I dismissed it as superstition. An old enemy has returned.
4	character 0	I’ve been meaning to raise the issue of prison security with you.
5	character 1	It’s not the gangs…
6	character 1	Actually I don’t know that for sure, remind me to do a lap of the cells later.
7	character 1	I thought them long-buried, but the Occultists have returned. There have been disappearances. They’re planning something.
8	character 0	Planning what exactly?
9	character 1	Shenanigans.
10	character 1	Intelligence suggests our ambassador descends from a line of pagan kings, whose blood may be essential for reviving an ancient evil.
11	character 1	He doesn’t have much time. Get him out of there, or we’re all in big trouble.

Writing Sample #2 – Events

#	ID	Description	Options	Ratio text	Reward Amounts	Results
1	Mummify	You are surrounded by ancient tombs and coffins. As you brush against one in the dark, the lid flings off and tendrils of burial cloth wrap around you, pulling you inside.	Try and wriggle free.	<br>(50% gain Card, 50% lose £[0])	success	In a desperate flurry of limbs, you break free from the wraps as they coil back into the tomb.
					fail	You break free, but in the commotion, one tendril makes off with your watch.
			Accept your fate.	<br>(50% gain £[0], 50% lose Card)	success	After being drawn into the tomb, the wraps lose tension, and you are left to pluck some shiny gems from the vault.
					fail	You allow yourself to be drawn into the tomb and realise as the life is choked from you that this wasn’t so clever. You fight back just in time.
2	Booby Trap	Traversing a hallway with a suspiciously segmented set of floor tiles, you hear a click as your foot sinks into a recess. A huge axe swings at you.	Duck!	<br>(66% gain Card, 33% lose £[0])	success	The axe passes harmlessly overhead.
					fail	You’d just had your hair cut by an expensive barber, and it’s ruined. You’ll have to go again.
			Attempt to roll away.	<br>(50% gain upgraded Card, 50% lose [1] health)	success	You roll to the side with finesse.
					fail	The only thing you manage to roll is your ankle. At least the axe misses you. Barely.
3	Armour	Creeping quietly through an antique room, you could have sworn you just saw a suit of armour move.	Roundhouse kick it.	<br>(66% gain Card, 33% lose £[0])	success	Always a solid strategy, this time the kick sends the cultist hiding in the armour straight to the floor. Threat neutralised.
					fail	Just a regular, non-haunted set of armour. Now damaged, and it was on loan from a museum. You have to foot the bill for repairs.
			Investigate carefully.	<br>(50% gain upgraded Card, 50% gain long-term injury)	success	You approach while keeping your wits about you. It was a distraction! A cultist swings at you from the darkness and you apprehend them cleanly.
					fail	Too slow. The cultist in the armour clatters you round the head and makes a quick escape.
			Ignore it.		nothing.	Probably just the wind.
4	Paintings	There is a room filled with priceless paintings, and it just so happens there’s an art dealer down the street. Some of these would fetch a huge sum, but you might get caught pilfering.	Sell the paintings.	<br>(50% earn £300, 50% lose enhancement)	success	The heist goes off without a hitch.
					fail	The art dealer recognises the paintings and the jig is up.
			Leave the paintings.		neutral	You have bigger fish to fry.
5	Ritual	You come across the site of a hastily abandoned ritual. The smell of incense is thick in the air and the candles are still warm. A tattered and bloodstained book lies open at a faintly glowing page.	Attempt to complete the ritual.	<br>(start fight)	Fight with demons	Your incantations are effective, and a number of Demons spawn in the room. They don’t look pleased.
			Destroy the ritual site.	<br>(50% gain enhancement, 50% lose [1] health)	Upgraded card	You knock over the candles, rub out the chalk circle, ruffle the offerings on the altar and scrunch the book pages. Take that, evildoers.
					HP damage	As soon as you tamper with the carefully arranged scene, invisible spirits assail you.
			Walk away.	<br>(gain [0] health)	Recover health	The secrets of the otherrealm will remain unknown to you.
6	Curtain	Doing a sweep of one of the grand front rooms, you spot a pair of shoes sticking out from underneath a curtain.	Perform a leg sweep.	<br>(50% increase max Combo, 50% lose [0] health)	gain enhancement	A perfect takedown. They should have picked a better hiding spot.
					lose 5 health	You kick two empty shoes out into the centre of the room and crick your back in the process.
			Discharge an entire gun clip at the curtain.	<br>(50% gain Card, 50% lose Card)	gain card	Better safe than sorry. You were right to trust your instincts, as a would-be assassin slumps to the floor.
					lose card	You peel back the bullet-peppered curtain to reveal an empty pair of shoes. Your bullets ricocheted around the now-panicked neighbourhood barely missing a number of locals. You should expect a reprimand.
7	Well	Spotting a strange well in the courtyard, your curiosity makes you winch up the bucket. Inside is a rotting hand. A disembodied rasp calls out to you: “Give it back.”	Throw that hand back down the well.	<br>(gain £[0])	gain £50	The voice rasps “Thanks” and a few golden coins are thrown up from the darkness.
			You like the hand. You’re going to keep the hand.	<br>(gain [1] health)	gain 12 health	You can’t explain it, but the hand seems strangely soothing.
8	Name	You hear your name being called by an unnatural, husky voice from a half-open door to the cellar behind you.	Turn around.	<br>(33% increase max health, 66% lose card)	inc. max health 5	The voice belongs to a Section XI operative, they’ve sent you a new piece of protective gear for use in the field.
					lose card	As you wheel round, what seems like a hundred pale hands grasp at you and try to pull you inside. You barely escape.
			Definitely do not turn around and keep walking.		nothing.	Not today, Satan.