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The French Connection

Profile by Jay Watamaniuk

It is to my eternal shame that I admit I do not speak French as well as I should. I did, however, want to speak to one of the top rated module makers in the Neverwinter Nights community today, French-speaking Fabien Cerutti, and not impose my lack of language skills on him. Fabien has been kind enough to answer some e-mail question for me in the past in English, but for a longer interview I wanted him to feel comfortable in expressing himself in his native tongue and leave the translating up to the experts. With the help of BioWare localization producer Jenny McKearney, we present Fabien's thoughts on module creation today in both French and English:

Do you have a website of your own that fans can check out?

Well, yes... I have a sort of website dedicated to the "Bastard of Kosigan" in which you can find solutions and important information about my modules, as well as the 5th episode of my series called "Words and Blades," which is still at beta test stage. On the Home Page you can also hear me singing an old song that has been modified to suit my "hero's" story.

This is the website: http://fabien.cerutti.free.fr/

You have several of the top fan-rated community modules listed at NWVault. What is it about your modules that gets so much praise from fans?

It's always difficult to answer this type of question. I think what they like most is the dialogues. They are rich and detailed, and above all, reflect the personality of the different characters. I want the NPCs to live, or at least to have character. As far as I'm concerned, the adventure must become personal: the hero must have friends, enemies, problems, love affairs, sorrows, and moments of grief. I try to make the dialogues as realistic as possible, including role playing options that can change the outcome of the story completely. In the end, each player manages to obtain his own Bastard of Kosigan, which is quite different from the other Bastards of Kosigan.

Many players also like the historical side of my stories: the medieval background with kings, dukes, counts, barons, and knights; noblewomen and ladies mixing with priests and bishops of the Catholic church; monks from different orders; hunters of the Inquisition; and, last but not least, the population who is kept quiet but whose role is crucial in the game.

It is also a brutal world, following the example of the European Middle Ages: a tough world made of skin and blood, glory, sermons, and treachery. Sex is also part of it, as sex is part of life, but then again this depends on how each person plays his character. It is possible to play all the scenarios without having to refer to the subject at all.

The game is not lacking in fantasy either: magic has reigned in the world long before it was fought against by the Church. Although weakened, it still exists: the ancient woods and deep caves still possess the souls of ancient populations. The King of France himself calls on the services of some magic creatures, and ancient objects still have great powers....

I am also a D&D player and game master for over 20 years now (which doesn't make me feel any younger!). As a player, I want my character to develop. Therefore, there a lot of battles (I like them to be difficult) and many possibilities to gain experience (particularly according to the information the player has managed to obtain during his conversations).

I also think the story itself really interests the players. I try as much as possible to vary the game situations (role playing, action, strategy, tactical, cunning, seduction, etc.) and organize it all around two main frameworks: a concrete one (the character has deep motivations related to political power in his native village) and a more mystical one linked to his mother's mysterious origins.

In short, there are doors, there are monsters, and there are treasures... but there are no "doors-monsters-treasures." In the Bastard stories, great adventures are back! (At least, that is my ambition!)

Can you tell us about the state of Neverwinter Nights in the French gaming community?

NWN is generally considered to be a good game (it is still doing quite well 3 years after its release), but many people don't think it's as good as Baldur's Gate (as far as the solo adventures are concerned, in any case). I don't necessarily agree with this. Personally, I only have one criticism to make: in the first adventure there are too many barrels and chests in the streets, and they are often locked and trapped. This makes the curious player lose a lot of time... up to the point it can spoil the adventure! This may seem like just a detail, but I know quite a lot of people who have stopped playing because of this. (I personally only place treasures in places where it makes sense to have them.)

Have you had any interest in translating your modules into English? If so, where can a fan get them?

I am now trying to coordinate the work of various people who are attempting to translate my scenarios. "The Bastard of Kosigan" is nearly fully translated (after 18 months of work), but there is still a lot to be done to improve it. I am personally incapable of doing this (the work does not only consist of checking if the sentences are written in good English or not, they also have to be modified to make the conversations interesting).

What I mean and what worries me is that the module's charms may be lost in the translation process.

From a more general standpoint, certain things could pose a problem for an English speaking audience:

• First of all, the parts related to sex. But this does not worry me too much since one can easily "avoid" these during the conversations.
• Then there's the historical background: the game evolves around the French and the Europeans, and some American players may not relate to these or it could bore them. Then again, the concepts of heritage, ambition, honor, loyalty, and treason are, I think, universal, and my modules are essentially based on these concepts.

I feel quite confident as far as the rest is concerned. Whether in English or in Chinese, these stories should be able to attract their own audience! :)

What other module makers and content makers do you admire?

Adam Miller, because he knows how to tell a story, because his characters have personality, and because he finds ways to vary the situations in a game. Lisa, because I just love her skimpy knickers... sorry, I meant clothes. Akkeï, who always manages to create original things, and dozens of module, tileset, portrait, and placeable designers. There is really quite a lot of creativity in the NWN community, which is great.

Do you have some advice for fellow module makers?

Yes, I could give quite a lot of advice to beginners. I think I am the appropriate person for this since I had never written a script before I started working on NWN. Unfortunately, this would take a long time (there are so many things to be said...). I may do this at a later stage.

The only advice I can give is the following: avoid old fashioned stories about prophecies and too many secondary quests that are useless. Everything should (in my opinion) be more or less linked to the main framework (for example: a magician's cave plagued with monsters should not be "cleared" without a reason. There should be some strange object or mysterious book inside that provides information or hints about an important element of the story. And why not include the possibility to make the magician speak to obtain more information?

What are you currently working on?

Right now I am answering some questions for an interview.... No, seriously, I am working on finishing the 5th episode of the "Bastard" saga, which is at beta test stage and which should be finished in about a week or two.

I am also managing the translations of "Exile in the East" (which has just started, since only 15% of the dialogues have been written in the languages of Shakespeare and Rambo) and "The Bastard of Kosigan" (all the dialogues have been translated but there still is quite a lot of work to be done).

Since I have a bit of time at hand, I have prepared an original scenario of the "Bastard" for a comic strip (nothing is final yet, but the project is ready to be sent to production companies who, I hope, will be able to find a talented and efficient cartoonist).

I must also correct my copies, prepare my classes, and take care of my family. This is quite a tough profession I must say... :)

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