iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Failbetter Games | Wishlist Mandrake on Steam! @failbettergames.com · 11h

If these details tickle your brain, you might find the position intriguing!

We're interested in the ways interactivity can produce literary effects, akin to how a writer of conventional fiction might use devices like foreshadowing, metaphor, or just careful choice of syntax or diction. One example we're known for is choices that tempt the player to go against their own character's interests for the sake of humour, emotional catharsis, or plain curiosity.

For this role, we don’t require you to have done previous work with quality-based narrative, but you will need to be comfortable translating your story ideas into this framework. We anticipate that this will usually require you to have experience with some form of interactive writing that goes beyond branching narrative.

Failbetter Games | Wishlist Mandrake on Steam! @failbettergames.com · 11h

Because Fallen London is primarily a narrative game and more oriented towards prose than dialogue, we find it benefits from conventional writing skills, of the kind that would be helpful for writing a novel or short story.

Our writing is also denser in choice and consequence than is usual in video games. We use an approach we call quality-based narrative. Qualities, in our parlance, might represent any of the following (and other things besides):

A character’s capabilities which we can test when the player attempts challenges – for example, how persuasive they are, or their skill with Shapeling Arts.
Complications and menaces. These might track how scandalised polite society is by a character’s behaviour, or mounting peril on an underground ocean.
Currencies and resources. These might be physical, like souls in bottles, or abstract, like terrible secrets.
Aspects of world state that reflect the progress of their current activities, like a complex theft or archaeological expedition.

2928

Failbetter Games | Wishlist Mandrake on Steam! @failbettergames.com · 11h

We're hiring! We're looking for a Writer and Narrative Designer to join the Fallen London team at a senior or mid level. This position is permanent, remote, and full time, which for us means 35 hours a week. #GamesJobs

Night. The House of Chimes - a tower which you might immediately think of as Big Ben - is adrift in the River Thames. It still seems to be keeping time. In the background, a large, alien building looms over the city of London.

331443945

Failbetter Games | Wishlist Mandrake on Steam! @failbettergames.com · 24/09/2026

"Oh, let me look at you, my poor darling. Yes, it's just as I thought! You have the Lily-Tongue Sweats. Fascinating. Beautiful!" Investigate a burgeoning aesthetic movement that treats illness as art in the Exceptional Story for October, The Unwellness Salon by @rossignol.bsky.social.

A slender white woman in an acid green off-the-shoulder dress and jewels looks over at you across a party. Her dress is adorned with sickly green bubbles and her silk glove seems to be covered with a green slime.

1537

Failbetter Games | Wishlist Mandrake on Steam! @failbettergames.com · 16/09/2026

You'll be able to enjoy a brand new, behind the scenes Mandrake art video as part of #UnmistakableFestival! Many thanks to @unmistakablefest.com for having us. Check out the other games that'll be on show, it's a feast for the eyes!

A lovely celestial backdrop with eyes that are like planets surrounds the verdant green key art for Mandrake. Text reads: We Are Unmistakable.

03413

Failbetter Games | Wishlist Mandrake on Steam! @failbettergames.com · 03/09/2026

The Fruits of the Zee festival comes to Fallen London, and with it a new, ratty zailing vignette! Read all about it on the blog: www.failbettergames.com/news/the-fru...

A coterie of rats in a green-black darkness, broken only by a single candle. The leader (?) holds the candle aloft, seaweed dripping from his arm.

14712

Failbetter Games | Wishlist Mandrake on Steam! @failbettergames.com · 27/08/2026

The Linguist turns the plaque toward the audience; its lines glisten red. Has the room grown darker? You feel the terrifying thrill of plunging into one of London's darkest alleys alone. Someone screams. September's Exceptional Story is The Poetry of God, by @cyborgurl.bsky.social.

A woman with a jaunty red beret, tiny pince nez glasses, and an air about her that she might just do whatever she wants. She's wearing a grey suit with a pussybow blouse and grey gloves, and she's using a wheelchair with a high leather back.

1389

Failbetter Games | Wishlist Mandrake on Steam! @failbettergames.com · 27/08/2026

Look for us at gamescom! You won't see rhubarb finer than this.

The Mandrake desk at gamescom. Key art of a figure in a hooded cape carrying rhubarb and a sickle is behind the playing area/monitor. The rhubarb is luxurious and green. It continues onto the desktop and down the front of the table like a beautiful farmer's market display.

210913

Failbetter Games | Wishlist Mandrake on Steam! @failbettergames.com · 21/08/2026

Here, where the rain falls like a sigh, where the raging maelstrom all around is quieted. Here – on fresh, sodden earth, on an island in the dreams of a dead god – you are gathered. The Finale of Firmament will arrive on Tuesday 1st September 2026.

A dirigible with twin, flaming engines courses through the air into the centre of a giant, spiralling spine, where a ball of fire twists and burns.

36718

Failbetter Games | Wishlist Mandrake on Steam! @failbettergames.com · 21/08/2026

Today in Fallen London! A Midnight Whale has been spotted near the Gant Pole, and all of the superstitions of the Unterzee demand that it is aided on its way.

A victorian-style newspaper proclaims Cetaceous Wonder Seeks Solace, Mournful Singing Heard for Miles. A whale covered in bioluminescence swims alongside it.

29515

Failbetter Games | Wishlist Mandrake on Steam! @failbettergames.com · 18/08/2026

The Candlefinder Society return in Fallen London! The Urchin Detective has found herself a pet: The Unkempt Collie! The perfect companion for the diminutive sleuth. Provided, of course, that you can clear his name of the charges levelled against him by one of the city's haughtiest cats.

An unassuming pub on a darkened street, whose shingle is a candle shaped like a question mark. One window is large and bright, and by its light we see the silhouettes of the Candlefinder Society. One of them is clearly a tiger. Text reads: The Candlefinder Society, The Case of the Stolen Sceptre.

3447

Failbetter Games | Wishlist Mandrake on Steam! @failbettergames.com · 10/08/2026

After the Mandrakes fell, their heirs scattered far and wide, their ancestry forgotten. Generations later, you were born and raised in a distant land. But which one?

A screenshot of Mandrake's character creation. The menu across the top reads: Appearance. Birthplace. Youth. Visitation. Summary. We're on the Birthplace screen. It reads: Once, your family was a high-born house from a far-off land. But that was long ago. Their fortunes fell. A survivor fled. A hundred years went by. You grew up in the place they escaped to. The choice selected is The Leeward Isles: A rainswept archipelago. Hand-me-down boats fish the choppy waters, their mast-witches listening to the voices on the winds. The other choices are The Sophean Heartlands and The High Eld. The choice we've made gives us Magician +1.

190

Failbetter Games | Wishlist Mandrake on Steam! @failbettergames.com · 10/08/2026

First, you'll make a number of simple choices about your character's presentation: body type, skin and hair colour, facial hair, gender, and the colour of your starter clothes. None of these choices are dependent on others -- all of them can be mixed and matched.

An array of character selection options against a soothing shade of green. They are: Body type - type A, Gender - female, Hair Style - Hair Style A, Facial Hair - No facial hair, Hair colour - White, Skin colour - Skin colour A, Clothing - Clothing A

1110

Failbetter Games | Wishlist Mandrake on Steam! @failbettergames.com · 10/08/2026

The Choices Matter Festival by @telltalegames.bsky.social is happening right now! For our contribution, we're talking about character creation. Foundational choices say a lot about your character, and our approach in Mandrake is quite different to our previous games.

18526

Failbetter Games | Wishlist Mandrake on Steam! @failbettergames.com · 07/08/2026

Mandrake is highlighted in the Wholesome Games Celebration alongside a veritable bonanza of upcoming games, and some truly delightful discounts. Take a look: store.steampowered.com/sale/wholeso...

A cute pastel image of a busy landscape with an adventuring mouse holds the Mandrake key art in the centre. Text reads Wholesome Games Celebration, August 6-13.

2295

Failbetter Games | Wishlist Mandrake on Steam! @failbettergames.com · 04/08/2026

Drop by the Choices Matter festival on Steam for demos, discounts, treats, behind-the-scenes bits, a quiz... and @itshannahflynn.bsky.social showcasing narrative gameplay and character creation in Mandrake! Everything kicks off on the 10th of August and there'll be more info closer to the time.

A nicely dramatic-looking piece of promo art for the Choices Matter festival, presented by Telltale Games. It shows the Mandrake key art and then the text reads: Official Livestream, Mandrake, Game Spotlight featuring Hannah Flynn (that's me). August 10th-13th.

05513

Failbetter Games | Wishlist Mandrake on Steam! @failbettergames.com · 27/07/2026

There are even a handful of new items to collect, and the the debut of 'Hell is Missing!', the game-bending clue-hunting Estival from 2025.

A dapper devil looks down at you from over his newspaper, which is on fire.

1171

Failbetter Games | Wishlist Mandrake on Steam! @failbettergames.com · 14/07/2026

A company first: we're showing Mandrake at Gamescom, thanks to the support of @indiearenabooth.de!

The key art for Mandrake, surrounded by the frame indicating that we're going to Gamescom

512027

Failbetter Games | Wishlist Mandrake on Steam! @failbettergames.com · 06/07/2026

Return to University today in Fallen London! For a while, it's been technically advantageous to never finish your University storyline. Today we've sorted that out, tidied everything up, and added some new activities besides. www.fallenlondon.com

What's happening in Fallen London

Image of a university student in silhouette. Text reads:
Dispute noise complaints against your laboratory, test your students in the Correspondence, and impress other departments with the notes from your scientific voyages.
Image of a cricket ball hitting a wicket. Text reads:
Not to mention the traditional University activities: Wine-tasting at Summerset
‘Fun’ with the Stoats!
An eternal and ill-understood game of something called ‘cricket’!
Background image of a darkened London skyline.

16711

Failbetter Games | Wishlist Mandrake on Steam! @failbettergames.com · 23/06/2026

Here, have some more opportunities for your Agents in Fallen London! As an enterprising business owner, extortioner and nautical power you can now pursue additional plots at zee, in the Great Game, and in the depths of your honey-den.

A shadowy hand pulls the strings of a small figure in top hat and flared coat. Text reads: AGENTS.

3457

Failbetter Games | Wishlist Mandrake on Steam! @failbettergames.com · 01/06/2026

Ancient Medics and Scholarship: One of our characters, Malory Rosevere, is currently a pigkeeper, but is descended from a long line of doctors who were famous in the region. This was inspired by the Meddygon Myddfai, or Physicians of Myddfai.

A young-looking person with a pale, open face clasps a book in their hands. They're talking about their role in the village, including preparation of the dead.

190

Failbetter Games | Wishlist Mandrake on Steam! @failbettergames.com · 01/06/2026

Chimney-Gods: You might have seen our friendly-faced character Hob Halfling, who lives in the hearth of your recovered family lodge.

A friendly creature with antlers, wings, a tail, an owl face, and ratty little hands and feet. He's wearing a neat little capelet.

180

Failbetter Games | Wishlist Mandrake on Steam! @failbettergames.com · 01/06/2026

In Mandrake, our drowned isle is poor Oleas, which lay just off the coast near Chandley, and was home to the Rose dynasty – the historic rivals to the Mandrakes, our protagonist’s family house. The locals say that on quiet evenings, you can still hear the bells of Oleas ringing under the waves…

Eseld, from Mandrake, describing that she's from the house of Roses, who ruled on Oleas.

1100

Failbetter Games | Wishlist Mandrake on Steam! @failbettergames.com · 01/06/2026

I asked @chrisgardiner.bsky.social for some references to the various kinds of UK folklore we've been reading about for our upcoming game, Mandrake, and here's a long and juicy thread! There are so many worth telling you about!

A serious, slender, slightly grizzled white man in a green hooded jacket, rugged brown leather gloves, red scarf and white jerkin stares down the camera. He's holding an ornately decorated gun, and surrounded by dense greenery. Text reads: Folklore in Mandrake.

37929

Failbetter Games | Wishlist Mandrake on Steam! @failbettergames.com · 28/05/2026

"Welcome, fair Londoners, to this corner of Spite Where the coffee is hot and the dangers are slight! With the exception of a recent attack by a snuffer, But since the victim had no face, we don't know if he suffered."

A sad poet with drooping eyes. He holds a peacock feather quill and looks miserably artistic.

1397

Failbetter Games | Wishlist Mandrake on Steam! @failbettergames.com · 28/05/2026

We're in a Steam event by @weekendgames.bsky.social which offers a choice of games featuring Witches, Wizards and Warlocks. Rich pickings indeed, and our own Morgan Mandrake fits right in there as a plant wizard, of a kind.

25011

Failbetter Games | Wishlist Mandrake on Steam! @failbettergames.com · 21/05/2026

Less than a fiver to explore a sea more sunless. Surely a bargain with no downsides. store.steampowered.com/app/304650/S...

a lovely underwater scene with barely any threat in it. within the scene, a box describes a different kind of ocean: green-black and lonely, with a single buoy illuminating it. text reads: steam ocean fest, may 18 - 25 10am pacific. sunless sea. lose your mind, eat your crew. -66%, £13.99 becomes £4.75.

27234

Failbetter Games | Wishlist Mandrake on Steam! @failbettergames.com · 18/05/2026

Our team gathers annually somewhere in the UK to work on things together, and see local sights to inspire Mandrake and Fallen London. This year we were so on brand that we arrived in North Wales mere days before most of it shut down so they could film Elden Ring.

A great big grey rock castle turret with crenelations and everything.

09511

Failbetter Games | Wishlist Mandrake on Steam! @failbettergames.com · 07/05/2026

Firmament: Chapter 8 is out now! The hinterlands of Hell are abandoned. The lights of Balmoral are out. Moulin is aflame, the Hurlers are smouldering, ice melting into a new lake that already threatens to flood. Steam rises from the water where the sunlight falls. How long does any of this have?

A dirigible with flaming engines flies through a storm through giant stalactites to one which is seemingly populated. Tiny glowing windows pock its mass. Text reads: Fallen London. Firmament.

1387

Failbetter Games | Wishlist Mandrake on Steam! @failbettergames.com · 30/04/2026

May’s Exceptional Story in Fallen London is The Stalking House by @rossignol.bsky.social! The house has long, abyssal windows like the empty sockets of a skull. Violant, scintillating smoke trails downward – downward! – from its chimney. It is watching you. www.fallenlondon.com

An older woman with white hair in a lab coat coolly regards the device in her hand: is it a billy club? With electricity crackling at the tip? The frame is dark save for its light. She also wears an additional device on a chain around her neck.

1395

Failbetter Games | Wishlist Mandrake on Steam! @failbettergames.com · 15/04/2026

People who've found us more recently might be interested to learn that Sunless Sea, Sunless Skies and Mask of the Rose all came to exist with the help of Kickstarter. Watching the numbers go up when we pressed go on the Sunless Skies KS was one of the wildest moments in the studio's history!

A promotional image for the Backed by Backers festival. The festival is on Steam from the 14th to the 21st of April.

1243

Failbetter Games | Wishlist Mandrake on Steam! @failbettergames.com · 15/04/2026

This recent Sunless Sea review really lays it out. Thank you to everyone who leaves thoughtful reviews like this; it's really touching.

A game with truly immaculate vibes. Never before have I felt so transported so suddenly into a world that is both intensely real and unfathomably alien. Though minimal in complex mechanics and skill based gameplay, it offers up an incredibly deep and fascinating world to explore. Its horror is matched by its mystery and beauty, and beckons you in like a disembodied hand emerging from the darkness.

As you explore the Unterzee, your perspective of the world and what you witness are told from journal entries on a lower portion of the screen. You'll be told stories from this little page that will provide levity as well as chill you to your core. You'll be told of impossible constructs, aberrations, monstrous creatures and fates far, FAR worse than death. It will also describe beauty that borders on ethereal. Grand crystal structures and seaside cities of light, the quiet of the Neath and vast jungle islands. All these things you see are so strange and alien that they function as a form of currency, to be given to the powers that be of your choosing as insight in exchange for reward. Secrets and horrors and your standardized port reports all come together to both prove your mettle and earn your keep.

The game further rewards knowledge more than skill by making the means of progress incredibly unclear to the lay person. I understand why a lot of people fall off after a few hours, I really do. You're told very little from the start, and you're expected to learn a whole world before you feel truly safe traversing it. But it pays to get out there and see the unknown. You learn about things like combining your stories to create information of real value, establishing reputation with powerful people, what goods sell well at what ports, where to find cheap fuel. While you seek to solve complicated quests that feel way more like riddles most of the time, you pick up bits and pieces of a nigh incomprehensible world and use it to survive another day.

Your zailors might be rippe…

2717

Failbetter Games | Wishlist Mandrake on Steam! @failbettergames.com · 14/04/2026

It starts! @londongamesfest.bsky.social's Steam showcase is up, come and have a browse.

Mandrake's Steam page, showing a banner for London Games Festival.

05713

Failbetter Games | Wishlist Mandrake on Steam! @failbettergames.com · 26/03/2026

'EVERYTHING LOST WILL BE LOVED; EVERYTHING LOVED WILL BE LOST.' The Shuttering Photographer's latest exhibition invites an unusual level of audience participation. Will you give up control over the compass of your heart? The Exceptional Story for April in Fallen London is Avulsion.

A woman with brown hair in a bun, wearing a high-necked dusky pink blouse, in a dark environment. She is holding a lizard that's the size of a large cat. It's glowing, and the edges of its body are dithered into multiple colours.

1453

Failbetter Games | Wishlist Mandrake on Steam! @failbettergames.com · 25/03/2026

How do you turn a vast text game like Fallen London into a TTRPG? We've spent a year working with @magpiegames.bsky.social to do exactly that. In May, backers will get the first look at the full PDF of the game (and you can still back, actually). What have we learned?

a sigil from the game fallen london which means "the vexing improbability which, nevertheless, is the result you got"

110332

Failbetter Games | Wishlist Mandrake on Steam! @failbettergames.com · 12/03/2026

A prominent artist missing, mere days before her new exhibition? Eyewitnesses pin the crime on a Clay Man. The Implacable Detective has her doubts. In the art world, the evidence often requires a little creative interpretation... A new, free case for the Candlefinder Society in Fallen London!

A cosy pub with a silhouetted group of people (and a tiger) at its warm yellow window. The shingle is a candle shaped like a question mark. Text reads: The Candlefinder Society, The Case of the Clay Kidnapper!

1455

Failbetter Games | Wishlist Mandrake on Steam! @failbettergames.com · 02/03/2026

CITY BESET BY DRACONIC DREAMS! The nightmares came all at once: a winged shadow above a veil of smoke. No-one will sleep soundly while your nights are thus plagued. Time to muck in: www.fallenlondon.com

A newspaper front page: CITY BESET BY DRACONIAN DREAMS! Saint George Absent from Parabola. Next to it, a big dragon opens its awful mouth.

2699

Failbetter Games | Wishlist Mandrake on Steam! @failbettergames.com · 26/02/2026

This month's Exceptional Story in Fallen London is called Every Good Boy Deserves Fun. It is by @skelicopter.bsky.social. www.fallenlondon.com

a horrendous ventriloquist's dummy with a bloody eye.

2346

Failbetter Games | Wishlist Mandrake on Steam! @failbettergames.com · 25/02/2026

A wistful #WishlistWednesday. Mandrake is a rural life sim, and our first game to feature actual weather.

419244

Failbetter Games | Wishlist Mandrake on Steam! @failbettergames.com · 13/02/2026

Any creators who want to get their green thumbs on Mandrake first can apply for a creator pass to New Game Plus: festival.games.london/profile/find New Game Plus is the public showcase part of London Games Fest. We'll be on hand in person, so come and say hi!

13810