It took a while, but at last, Nostalgia, the storytelling game about boasting and bragging, is once more in print in this new, reworked edition. We’ve reached out to Martin Ackerfors, one of the two game creators, to talk about the game and its history.
Martin, tell us about how you wrote the epic game Nostalgia, even though it took well over 15 years, and almost got it published by a US game publisher!
Martin: Well, it is a long story and as it often is with long stories, some details are lost in time. But let’s start from the beginning, shall we? Many moons ago, both Olle Linge (the other of the game’s creators – ed.) and I, actually mostly me, but anyway, were a lot more agile in our minds than nowadays. As it was, we were feasting in my … I would say humble abode, but it was more like a palace … when I turned to my friend and said: “Wouldn’t it be grand with an RPG adventure where you play as old, retired heroes telling the story of their past deeds in front of their grand-grand-grandchildren?”
Olle: You need to medicate your dementia, Martin. It wasn’t an adventure, you are confusing it with Haragada, and it certainly wasn’t your idea.
Martin: How … how did you get here?
Olle: Nevermind that, old dimwit, let me tell the real story. The idea came from the frustration of playing other games, such as The Extraordinary Adventures of Baron Münchausen, although they are fun, the rules are almost as backward as your trousers, Martin. No, it was me, Olle Linge, the greatest game creator of all time who invented the concept all of my own. You made the graphic design, yes, but that was a lot later and all the hard work was already done.
Martin: I … I’m pretty sure you are inventing something here, but it isn’t a game, although you are a tool. Can I continue the story?
Olle: Sure, carry on, carry on. I’m sticking around to correct any falsehoods or nonsense.
Martin: …
Olle: …
Martin: Okay … well. Anyway, after discussing the adventure … we decided that it would work better as a game in its own right, like Baron Münchausen or the card game Once Upon a time. This was some time before Kaleidoskop Games existed, and I think my ability to lead and unite, not to say inspire miracles, was the sole reason for the group joining together and bringing forward blockbuster game after blockbuster game.
Olle: No. Just no. Heck, you were still in your diapers when I, the most successful person Linköping has given the world, started playing with the others in Kaleidoskop. You’re not dead yet, but you sure are late … So, although you may have been there for the ‘conception’ of Nostalgia, so to speak, it was my unmatched knowledge of humanity who, like a superhero movie, put together the second, third, fourth, and fifth (that’s Martin) …
Martin: …
Olle: … best game creators to join me in the quest for roleplaying glory and forming Kaleidoskop Games. As you may know, the first Nostalgia we made was first published in ancient times and in such an archaic language that it needed the full spectrum of my language skills to put it in writing.
Martin: … Swedish. You are referring to Swedish as ‘an archaic language’? Your time abroad has clearly dimmed your mind. So much so, that you have forgotten that you sailed the seven seas while I was the one staying at home and actually did anything. It was I who had to use my unmatched tech-savvyness to discover (some would say ‘invent’) print-on-demand publishing before we were able to create a product out of it. And what a success it was! I toured the gaming conventions of our kingdom and my spectacular show did nothing short of bringing marvel wherever I went.
Olle: Well. People love clowns, don’t they?
Martin: What?
Olle: If you got an audience, it was because of you being a clown. Sure, Nostalgia, was a success, but it was my ability to demonstrate and teach the art of storytelling (and bragging) which made the Swedish indie game organisers Indierummet not only play, but love, Nostalgia to the extent that for the following decade and a half, they played it a million times with millions of people. That’s my success.
Martin: Nice … very nice. You’re taking the honour from the hard-working people of Indierummet? It’s true, they have been our most enthusiastic fans, but that’s despite your interference, not because of it. The thing is, with Indierummet playing Nostalgia we knew we’d hit a vein of gold, gold in the form of happiness.
Olle: You can’t buy food with happiness.
Martin: You can’t buy food with ego either. Quiet now! We knew Nostalgia worked as a concept, but I, keen observer as I am, knew that something we’re missing. You could tell a great story getting almost no reward, but if you (as Olle clearly demonstrates) got lucky, you may get a lot of points. That’s not what we wanted! We wanted the best stories to get rewarded the most.
Olle: This is actually a perfect example, Martin. Your silly daydreams shouldn’t be taken seriously, whereas my epic deeds should be not only listened to, but celebrated! As soon as we discovered this … ‘error’ is a strong word … mishap … I set out to rethink and rewrite the rules. For close to a millennium I shielded myself from the world with only one thing on my mind, finding the formula for true Nostalgia. It was …
Martin: … lucky, as I said, that you didn’t choke yourself to death on the smoke from your little ‘laboratory’. While you sat in your room, LARPing the battle of Lützen, I travelled the kingdom, collecting the stories told and scrutinising them in order to set our game straight. It is true, it took some time, but I stand by the likes of Brothers Grimm or Asbjörnsen & Moe, whereas you are like … what’s their names? Yeah, that’s right, no one remembers!
Olle: Tell me Moe, Tell me Moe!
Martin: …
Olle: See what I did there?
Martin: … Yeah … *chuckles* … it was actually funny!
Olle: Thanks! So, at least, our game was as we wanted it. The rules rewarded the right thing, the presentation was fairy tale-like and invited new players in many ways. Now, the only thing was to decide how to publish it! We reached out to some publishers, most congratulated us on what seemed to be …
Martin: ‘Is’.
Olle: … what is a great game, but none had the ability to bring our game to life. When all hope faltered, my knowledge of the world once more came in useful. My letter sailed all the way over the Western Ocean and there, a wise man from a publisher known in every corner of our galaxy thought about publishing Nostalgia over there (and here). Our discussions were fruitful and we were offered a million dollar deal. I, alone, had restored our hope.
Martin: That was until the Orange Emperor entered the scene and wrought havoc with the known world! The wise man forgot about us, and I had to take the matter into my own hands again …
Olle: Wait a second! … No, wait … You’re right. You may have this one. Carry on.
Martin: So, to make a long story short … I translated our game from English (which Olle had mostly written) to Swedish, found illustrations that matched our vision, created the graphic design and published the game in the year of 2026. And it was how it came to pass that we wrote the epic game Nostalgia, even though it took well over 15 years, and almost got it published by a US game publisher!
This interview is, of course, just for fun. It is, in a way, an example of how Nostalgia can be played.