Games of the Monarch's Eye

Duel your greatest rival to win back your honor—or spark a revolution! It's a tournament of steel, strategy, sabotage, or forbidden magic, in a fantasy world inspired by the Silk Road.

"Games of the Monarch’s Eye" is an interactive "silk and sorcery" fantasy novel by Saffron Kuo. It’s entirely text-based, [wordcount] words and hundreds of choices, without graphics or sound effects, and fueled by the vast, unstoppable power of your imagination.

After a decade in disgrace, you have returned to your home city of Varze to compete for the title of Monarch’s Eye. In this grand tournament, the bravest Varzians compete in games of Intellect, Heart, and Might. The winner becomes the Monarch’s most trusted guard and advisor, gaining wealth, fame, and honor—everything that you have lost. The only catch? The current Eye—and therefore your main competition—is Casiola, once your childhood friend and now your bitterest rival.

While you were gone, the city has grown volatile. Powerful factions vie for dominance and the guilds’ professional differences now spill over into political rivalries. On one side, there's the idealist Artisans, rumored to practice ancient forbidden magic in their crafts. On the other, the ambitious and pragmatic Merchants, constantly chasing fame and profit. Caught between them is the Monarch, striving for a peaceful revitalization for Varze—if only it can happen before the city tears itself apart with an all-out revolution. And the Games might make the perfect opportunity for the factions to make their first moves.

As you prepare for the Games, you must also navigate this factional strife. How will you forge your path to victory? Will you hone your blades, charm the public with your silver tongue, try to get ahead of your opponents with your careful observation of their strengths and weaknesses, or just cheat your way to the top? Will you dive into politics, currying favor with one faction or the other; or will you try to float aloof above them? Do you dare to seek wisdom in the stars, or from forgotten ancient tomes? Whatever path you take, your old rival is right on your heels—and if you’re not careful, you’ll fall behind and lose your honor once more.

• Play as male, female, or nonbinary; gay, straight, bi, pan, or aromantic.
• Push Varze’s culture towards commerce or craft, peace or war, tradition or modernity.
• Compete in high-stakes tournaments to test your wits, strength, and eloquence!
• Regain your lost honor through a performance of stellar integrity—or deceive, and sabotage every single one of your opponents! And what will you do if you find yourself fighting in the ring against your true love?
• Uncover lost tomes of once-forbidden magic, and reveal the secrets of the stars!
• Romance your brooding childhood friend-turned-rival, a passionate glassworker Artisan, a shy and principled archivist, a charming and showy Merchant—or even the formidable Monarch herself.
• Negotiate peace between the warring factions and return the city to stability, or destroy them both—or fan the flames of revolution and let Varze burn!

Will you fight for redemption? Glory? Or to remake the world?