Steph Gingrich and Mikey North play a tabletop mini-game heavily resembling Dungeons & Dragons in Life is Strange: Before the Storm. The concept and rough script draft was written by Level Designer Christopher Means.[1]
In Episode 1, Chloe Price has the option to approach them and join their game at the Blackwell campus. If Mikey is hospitalized in Episode 3, Chloe can join another game in the hospital.
Locations[]
The game is set in the fictional kingdom of Avernon which, according to Steph, is "a once peaceful land, now laid to waste by the bloodthirsty raiders of the Black Well." If Chloe chooses to join the game, Steph will give her the option to visit the Training Grounds, Prison Camp, and Warlord's Tent.
Training Ground[]
Elamon and Chloe's character can visit the training ground. Upon arriving, they are seen by a "heavyset orc, who immediately shouts and points." A dozen trainers are on the training field, and they all ready their weapons and charge at the two heroes. Mikey, as Elamon, casts Ergel's Acid Blast, which kills their enemies by melting the flesh off their bones. However, the orc sergeant remains unharmed and attacks Chloe's character with a warhammer. She must choose how to fight back.
Knee Slam
Chloe says that her character knees him "right in the orc-balls." She succeeds, and Steph says, "The orc clutches his groin, never to father children again." Chloe must choose another option.
Fatal Cleave
Chloe's character swings her greataxe and the orc "splits open like a hotdog bun."
Pommel Strike
Chloe says that her character strikes the orc's pommel. Mikey laughs, and Steph explains that a pommel is the end of the sword handle, but she can't do that move, since she isn't using a sword. Since she delayed too long, the orc swings at her head and barely misses. Chloe must choose another option.
Chloe is ecstatic, declaring that she is awesome at the game, and Steph agrees that it's going well. Chloe asks Steph about the loot, but she responds that it is unlikely there is any loot left now that the Training Ground is flooded with acid.
Forgive Mikey
Chloe encourages Elamon, stating that he shouldn't worry and they all make mistakes. Elamon responds that Chloe's character "is most wise and forgiving."
Blame Mikey
Chloe's character raises her axe angrily and declares that Elamon will pay for ruining the loot. Elamon apologizes, and gives his potion to Chloe's character; in actuality, Mikey hands Chloe a piece of candy.
Chloe must now journey to either the Prison Camp or Warlord's Tent, or leave the game.
Prison Camp[]
Steph describes the Prison Camp as "a field of iron cages, each imprisoning a human villager." The only one guarding them is a "small, elderly dragonkin." Noticing the heroes, the dragonkin runs away in fright and locks himself in one of the empty cages. The heroes must get the keys from him so they can free the prisoners. Chloe's character calls to him, insulting him and telling him to leave the cage. The dragonkin jumps up and down and shakes his ring of keys then insults Chloe's character in a strange language she can't understand. Chloe asks Mikey if Elamon has any useful spells, but he replies that they would blow up the cage and everything in it.
Pick the lock
Chloe's character spends a long time attempting to pick the lock but is ultimately unsuccessful. The dragonkin then "makes an obscene gesture at what [Chloe] can only assume are his genitals." Chloe is annoyed, but Mikey is amused. Chloe must choose a different option.
Intimidate with backtalk succeeded
The dragonkin is stunned and attempts to call for help when Chloe's character interrupts him by shoving her axe in front of the cage, pinning his head in the bars without hurting him. Chloe's character then says she will "carve the skin from his bones and turn it into a little leatherskin handbag and shove his skinless body into it and carry it with her wherever she goes." This way, the next time [Chloe] runs into someone else who refuses her demands [Chloe] can "pull his body out and show them what happens." Chloe's character then gets a 10+ to Charisma, and after rolling successfully, "a small pool of urine collects under the elderly dragonkin as, hands trembling, it hand you the keys. Then it dies in fear." Elamon frees the prisoners, and they run away from [Chloe] in fear.
Intimidate with backtalk failed
The dragonkin swallows the key and laughs. Chloe's character shoves her axe through the cage and straight into his stomach. She twists the axe and pulls it out, jamming her hands into his open stomach and grabbing the key. In the final moments before his death, she holds it up to his face and laughs. Steph tells Chloe that, normally, she would've failed the challenge, but that it was "so horrifically amazing" that she won. Elamon frees the prisoners and they run away from [Chloe] in fear.
Tempt with bread
Chloe's character tries to tempt the dragonkin out of the cage with the bread in her inventory, but the dragonkin is disgusted by the offer and sticks out his tongue at Chloe, who becomes frustrated. She must choose a different option.
Warlord's Tent[]
The two heroes enter the tent, where Duurgaron sits on his throne. He laughs at them, stating that their lands and people already belong to him, that their actions mean nothing and that they and their kingdom are weak. Elamon attempts to cast a fire spell, but it is revealed that Duurgaron is wearing a Bracer of Fire Immunity. Mikey is disappointed, as all of his spells are fire-based. Chloe must make a move.
Brutal Punch
Chloe states that she wants to "punch that stupid man cow right in the dick." Steph hesitantly asks about her request, and Chloe repeats it with more emphasis. If Chloe used Knee Slam on the orc earlier, Mikey will remark that Chloe "punch[es] a lot of dicks." Chloe's character will miss, and stumble, giving Duurgaron an opportunity to gore her with his horn, doing eight damage. Chloe must choose another attack.
Annihilation Strike
Chloe chooses to use Annihilation Strike, because it sounds "boss as fuck." She rolls a one, so Chloe's character trips on a rock and falls, her axe swinging wildly to the side. Steph tells Mikey to roll a reflex save, but he rolls a three. Chloe's character's accidentally hits Elamon with her axe, cutting off both of his feet.
Wrathful Rush
Chloe asks what Wrathful Rush is, and Steph replies that it's an "angry, angry shoulder slam." Chloe decides to do it, and her character charges at Duurgaron, catching him off-guard; he fails to dodge, so the elf barbarian slams her shoulder into him and does a bit of damage. Chloe must choose another attack.
I am so sorry
Chloe apologizes to Mikey.
This game is awesome
Chloe tells Steph and Mikey that this game is awesome. Meanwhile, Mikey laments the loss of his character's feet.
Jump in front of Elamon
Chloe chooses to jump in front of Elamon, Mikey will thank her. Duurgaron will turn and charge at Callamastia. Chloe will fail to dodge him, resulting in Callamastia being impaled. Mikey will apologize for not being able to help her, and Chloe will be understanding, stating that they're even.
Um... dance?
Chloe chooses to dance to distract Duurgaron, much to the confusion of Steph and Mikey. She rolls a sixteen, so Chloe's character's dance surprisingly mesmerizes Duurgaron, holding his sword in the air for ten seconds. Elamon uses the confusion to crawl away.
Encourage Elamon
Chloe's character says something encouraging to Elamon.
(Read Joyce's book)
If Chloe read Joyce's book, she'll recite a line that she read earlier: "Sometimes...you have to get knocked down lower than you've ever been, to, uh, stand up taller than you...ever were." Mikey points out that Chloe just cut off his character's feet.
(Didn't read Joyce's book)
Chloe tells Mikey to "never, ever...give up." Mikey sarcastically agrees.
Swing for his head
Chloe chooses to swing her character's axe at Duurgaron's head. She rolls an eleven and severs one of his horns, but she doesn't deal enough damage to kill him. Duurgaron laughs and painfully kills Chloe's character. Elamon casts Warden's Hideaway to summon a spectral door and successfully escapes. Mikey says he'll have to come back when he's stronger.
Swing for his arm
Chloe chooses to bring her character's axe down on Duurgaron's arm with the Fire Bracer. She rolls a twenty, so Chloe's character severs Duurgaron's arm completely and the Fire Bracer along with it. Lying on the ground, Elamon casts Gignomi's Firestrike of Flame and conjures a flaming spear which travels from his hand and spears Duurgaron's chest, incinerating him from the inside out. Duurgaron is defeated, but Chloe's character's injuries were too great and she dies. Chloe feels sad until Mikey says, "Better to have died as a hero than live as a coward."
Characters[]
Chloe / Callamastia / Barb[]
Chloe's character is an elf barbarian. She has pale skin, pointy ears, and short white hair. She wears a red top and loincloth and fur bracers held in place by leather straps on her arms and legs. Much like Chloe, the elf barbarian is stubborn, threatening, and powerful; Mikey describes both Chloe and her character as "skinny and kind of weird", but also "really angry". Chloe's character taught King Tiberius everything he knows about fighting, and has saved his life before.
Items:
- Greataxe
- Potion (given to her by Mikey, determinant)
- Bread
Abilities:
- Lockpicking
- Intimidate
- Charisma +10 (determinant)
- Knee Slam
- Fatal Cleave
- Pommel Strike
- Brutal Punch
- Annihilation Strike
- Wrathful Rush
Elamon[]
Items:
- Staff
- Potion (given to Chloe, determinant)
Abilities:
- Communication
- Ergel's Acid Blast
- Xael's Cataclysmic Cone of Fire
- Gignomi's Firestrike of Flame
Orc Sergeant[]
Items:
- Warhammer
Dragonkin Guard[]
The dragonkin guard is an elderly, easily scared antagonist in the game. He is a short, red-skinned, bipedal creature with an arrow-like extrusion on his head. He wears leather armor with studded straps over his upper torso and a pair of brown shorts; he also has leather cuffs on his wrists and ankles. He is the only one who guards the Prison Camp and holds the keys to all the cages. If Chloe successfully backtalks him, he will hand over the keys and then die of fear.
Items:
- Prison keys
Duurgaron the Unscarred[]
Duurgaron the Unscarred is a giant minotaur.
Items:
- Sword
- Bracer of Fire Immunity
King Tiberius[]
He is only mentioned during the game. He learned about fighting from Chloe’s character and owes his life to her. Also, he appointed Elamon as his foremost advisor and sent him to defeat Duurgaron the Unscarred.
Celestial Avenger[]
The celestial avenger is mentioned when Chloe approaches Steph and Mikey, who says that if he knew the celestial avenger was bloodied, he would've given him a potion. Steph replies that it was a skill challenge, so a potion wouldn't have worked.
Community Event[]
On September 7, 2017, a live community playthrough of the tabletop mini-game was held on the official Life is Strange page on Twitter. The followers had the chance to watch little clips and to choose how the story unfolds by voting for the decisions made throughout the campaign.
The following choices were picked:
- Try Me
- Totally an elf barbarian
- Callamastia
- I once made a Man kebab!
- Prison Camp
- Intimidate
- Dragons are pussies
- Could make you shorter
- Taste my axe
- Training Grounds
- Fatal Cleave
- We all make mistakes
- Annihilation Strike
- This game is awesome!
- Jump in front of Elamon
- Swing for his arm
Trivia[]
- Zak Garriss said during a playthrough with Eurogamer that "Warden" from the spell "Warden's hideaway" is an anagram for Andrew North.[2]
- Chloe's possible self sacrifice of her tabletop character to protect Mikey's character in Episode 3 could allude to the ending choice of the original Life is Strange.
- The tabletop game in Episode 3 was added late in development according to voice actress Katy Bentz.[3] The subtitles of the tabletop game are internally called "_NEW_", e.g. "E3_S04_C_CHOICE_S04C_273_NEW_01=".