Fallout 4: Hearts of Darkness
Project Overview
Project Description:
Hearts of Darkness is a character and story focused mod for Fallout 4. Fallout 4 is a videogame set in a post-apocalyptic North America, specifically Boston. There is no centralized government, thus people band together as settlers, mercenaries, or raiders in the hopes of surviving the often unforgiving wasteland.
Though in the case of Hearts of Darkness, it is more about revenge than survival. The player will join with a group of raiders, that Andre likes to call Knights of the Commonwealth, as they seek revenge on a mercenary group known as the Gunners. And while the Knights of the Commonwealth are not as bad as most raiders, they certainly aren't knights in shining armor either.
In the process of helping the raiders destroy the Gunners, the player will learn how and why they came to be raiders as well as the struggles several of them went though in the process. And in the case of Kat, her continued struggle with what she has done, does, and needs to do.
It is with the assistance of the player and their friends that Kat will either find redemption or instead turn to revenge.
Casting Details:
The mod itself is about 90% done at this point. All required dialog for it to be released is written. Though for some roles, a few ambient lines are not yet finished. Additionally a few of the roles may require some additional post content dialog, but that would be at most 40 extra lines and it will be indicated in the role.
It's my intention to release this mod in early to mid April 2021. Thus, ideally casting will be done and work started by the end of February.
The mod itself will be free and it will make no profit. Thus, most of these roles are unpaid. However, for the largest roles I will offer some payment since the roles are much larger and more complex. But, still basically volunteer work.
There are 12 initial roles that need to be cast with the largest having just under 750 lines and the smallest having 10 lines. However, depending on the rate that these roles are filled, I may add some additional roles here for ambient characters.
For most of the roles, the VA will be provided an expanded background on the character, remarks about key relationships, any unique traits, and the motives of the character. Many dialog lines will have specific instructions, but it is my hope that the VA will get into the character and help to give them life and uniqueness. Context will be provided with descriptions and the ability to optionally see the surrounding lines. Additionally, I'll be available to communicate during the project though email and discord.
While I don't have a particular accent I must have, North American ones would be the best. For instance, a light Boston accent or other northern region could work well, but don't let that deter you if you can't pull one off. The focus is more on can you bring out the character and their specifics. For instance, Andre is confident but also naive, Kat is kind and retrospective, and Mina is serious but also teasing.
Given that this story centers around a bunch of raiders, several of characters have darker pasts, participate or talk about slavery, allude to abuse, use profanity, or are just plain out evil. I do not think anything is more explicate than what's already in the game, but I wanted to give a heads up. For those I'm thinking about casting to a role, we'll discuss the role in more detail and see if it's the right fit. There won't be any surprises.
Audition instructions:
Feel free to audition for as many roles as you like, however unless there is difficulty in filling a role, I'm hoping to cast a different person per role.
Feel free to do multiple takes of the lines to show your creativity and interpretations of the role and lines. Also, for the game, you'll need to be able to save lines as a mono, 16bits, 44.1khz file, but for the audition, you can upload a .mp3 if you want.
For each of the roles, I've provided 3 lines that I believe help demonstrate the range and tones of the character. So, between the 3 lines, please do your best to make the lines sound like they're coming from the same consistent person. By that I mean, don't use each line to try a different interpretation of what the character might be. Settle on the one character interpretation you think makes most sense with the provided information and then make that line happy, sad, angry, or whatever it's asking for.
Message me if you have further questions.
I look forward to hearing people's auditions. Thanks and Good luck.
Update:
Thanks to everyone who has auditioned for these roles. It was great seeing such interest and talent. All roles are filled.
Also thank you to whoever gave the project the gold medal, that was very kind of you.
Thanks again and best of luck to everyone.
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Katrina is a thoughtful and friendly young woman who is often retrospective. When speaking, she has a habit of clarifying potential ambiguities on her own and without prompting. Katrina is nostalgic for the old world before the bombs, but also realistic and driven to succeed. She was training to be a doctor to help her settlement and others in the wasteland, but that life was torn from her when raiders attacked and killed everyone except her. She was captured and after months of being a slave, she eventually became a raider herself. When she does get out, she seeks redemption, but is quickly reminded that she can't so easily escape her past.
She has around 750 lines. Additionally, it's possible she might have some additional post main story dialog.
(Thoughtful. - After a rude interruption by Mina, Kat defends her to the player. She doesn't want the player to think negatively of Mina.)
She didn't have one you see. Well I mean of course she did, but he died when she was young. I think she was maybe nine?
(Resentful at the end. - Kat is just finishing telling the player about becoming a raider. To Andre, it was a proud moment, but to Kat, it's been one that's haunted her.)
Or maybe he never even thought about it. To him, I was a slave and then I chose to be a raider. That easy. That- painless.
(At end *deep breath* - Katrina is sitting on the floor nearby. She wipes away her tears as the player enters.)
It's- it's too late. He passed maybe thirty- forty minutes ago.
Andre is a confident and friendly young man who is fair but not altruistic. Andre often romanticizes past events and manages to forget or downplay the darker aspects of past events. While, he's lived a relatively privileged life, as the son of a raider boss (John), he romanticizes the idea of survival against the wasteland and enjoys proving that he can overcome anything. The only thing he really feels guilty about is having not been better able to protect Mina from other raiders when they were growing up. Though Mina says she doesn't blame him, Andre doesn't believe her and he's adamant that he will protect and keep Katrina safe, because he cannot fail again. Though, he fails to accept the cause of Katrina's guilt.
He has around 550 lines. It is possible he might have some additional post main story dialog lines.
(Confident. This is what he lives for. - Andre is in the middle of telling the player they have a chance to prove the wasteland is nothing to them. He thinks they're going to enjoy working with them.)
That moment when all odds are against you, but somehow you manage to overcome. Maybe from the help of a friend, your own force of will, or just dumb luck.
(Andre is serious. He knows it's a touchy subject, but it's the reality the player has to accept. - The player is going to see the base sooner than Andre hoped, he just needs to remind them to be smart.)
All right. Before we go in, I'm going to warn you. Yes we have slaves and no you can't do anything about it. All you'll end up doing is getting them and yourself killed.
(Admiration and reassurance - Finally being reunited with Kat after thinking she had died. She chose to not return, but Andre is not seeing this. )
It is you. You're a survivor Kat. The greatest survivor I've ever met. No one can understand that better than I. What you did, you had to do.
Mina is a smart and highly independent young woman. She is more of a tragic character. She experienced some of the worst the wasteland has to offer at a young age, but she hasn't offered it much good in return. She can be mocking, especially when she's upset, and she shows little interest in the feelings of others. That being said, she does look after Andre and Kat and does her best to protect them, though they are often unaware of it themselves.
She has about 500 lines. It's also possible she'll have some additional post main story dialog lines.
Update: A lot of auditions are drawing out the "bad", which isn't what I envisioned for the first line. I'm changing it to "sad" as I think that will convey the tone better. For those who already auditioned, don't worry about this as it was poor direction / word choice on my part and something that's easy to fix.
(Sarcastic - Mina has a raider boss bound. He's pleading pathetically to the player to let him go, but Mina is having fun, this raider deserves to die.) ( "sad" isn't drawn out. Also, she doesn't actually feel sad, it's mock sadness)
Oh! Why didn't you say so? Now I feel so sad. We might kill an innocent man. We're such monsters!
(Defiant - emphasis on "Don't test me." -Mina and the player just saved Andre from bleeding out, however, Andre feels fine and wants to complete the mission. Mina is having none of it. She'll sabotage the mission if she must. )
I will smash these radios right now if we don't all return. Don't test me.
(Annoyed. She's not in the mood for the player being sarcastic. - Mina just finished a rant about her father who she blames for everything. The player's "Feel better now?" comment doesn't go over well. )
You think this is funny? Maybe I should do to you what should have been done to him? Hm?
John is a smart and manipulative older man (50s), driven by revenge for the sake of revenge. He's the boss of a gang of raiders and in full control. However, his control is not blanket fear, but based more on each individual. John is pretty serious and tasked focused. It's rare for him to burst out in anger, but even rarer for him to smile and laugh. This was not always the case though, originally he was a farmer deeply in love with his wife and obsessed with fixing old farm equipment. After the death of his wife, largely due to his own scheming against dangerous people, he slowly began turning his settlement into a raider gang. Partly to survive, but largely to eventually get revenge. He's neglected much in this pursuit, including being a proper father to Andre. He treats Andre more as a peer than a son.
He has around 200 lines.
(He's fair and rewards work, but he's not here to chat or make friends. - The player just met John for the first time. John makes a good first impression.)
I'll need to talk with Andre privately, but before you go, I believe you're still owed some caps for killing those Gunners and Gaff's crew. Here you go.
(Annoyed - this arguing has been going on for a while - Andre and Mina have been arguing, something they often do. The player entering the scene is a welcome distraction.)
Both of you, quiet! Look, your friend has returned and with that some needed sense I hope. Let's be professional here.
(Angry - John is finally face to face with the man he swore revenge against more than a decade ago. He's prepared for this moment. )
And then kidnapping defenseless women and children. You sure thought you won that day didn't you? Didn't you!
Arlen is a former solider for the Brotherhood of Steel and the only raider with real military training. He's intelligent and confident. His confidence largely comes from his sense of discipline and his reliability. However, he was discharged from the Brotherhood of Steel after a series of orders he disobeyed and his refusal to give up chems both in using and producing them. He tries to get along with everyone and he takes great pride in his work and the fact that he used his Brotherhood of Steel knowledge to train John's raiders. They're the strongest raiders in the area because of him, but he isn't one to brag.
He has around 150 lines.
(Arlen is confident and tactical. He's done this before and he trusts in the player's ability - The player and Arlen are overlooking a mutant camp they are about to attack.)
Normally the mutants are the most dangerous when in a confined space. So let's try to pick them off from outside first and see if we can draw a few out.
(Amused - he's never thought highly of the gunners. - a "Pft" sound at the end. - The player just returned after a successfully mission against the Gunners. Arlen was able to listen in to intercepted radio messages.)
And the Gunner captain. She was fuming at their HQ for not sending reinforcements. How does it feel kicking their arrogant asses? They call themselves soldiers.
(Ashamed. This was his mission and he messed it up. - John tells Arlen to say where he last saw Kat. Arlen knows if he does then that means Andre will make them go look. This will be hard for Andre.)
Near the first bridge between Goodneighbor and Diamond City. Raiders. It was an ambush.
Fred is a kind older man (Mid 50s) who's now outside of his prime, but once was an avid adventurer and capable mercenary. He's the only living person from Katrina's past and having had no children of his own, he views her as the daughter he never had. He's good natured and will often tease, but that's partly due to the fact he knows he's likely dying (from a strange affliction) and thus there's no time to be stern or depressed. He can be stubborn and he is not one to run away nor to abandon others. He hates raiders as they were the cause of his wife's death and until recently he thought also the cause of Katrina's death. Though, learning that Katrina was their slave, isn't any better.
He has around 150 lines. It is possible he might have a few additional post main story dialogs lines.
(Friendly teasing, but also a tad hopeful. - Katrina is concerned about Fred's health, but Fred wants to lighten the mood.)
You're such a charmer Katrina. It's a mystery why you haven't found someone special yet. Or is this them?
(Solemn. This story is all too common. - Fred is telling the player about his worst encounter with raiders and why he hates them.)
But, I of course hated them before I even met Katrina. My story isn't unique unfortunately. It's why everyone hates raiders, somebody you love is killed by them.
(Reassuring - he doesn't want her to blame herself. - They were not able to find the cure for Fred. These are some of his final moments, but he's more concerned for Katrina than himself.)
I couldn't be prouder of you Katrina. And your friends. You all did more for me than an old man like I deserved. Let's not spend these last moments in tears.
Slink is one of John's raiders who's starting to get more and more noticed. Not just by John for her successful missions, but also because she has a personal slave, Alan. She knows who to not piss off, but otherwise she does what she wants. She's attracted to the male PC and believes she can win him over with her charm and looks, but she isn't exactly as charming as she thinks she is. She and Blade joined the raiders at the same time and are good friends and occasional lovers.
She has around 40 lines.
(Sinister - Slink is having fun with her friend Blade. A slave is cowering in front of them.)
Excuses and excuses. See what I have to deal with Blade. This is what I get for treating him nice.
(Flirty, though maybe trying too hard - Slink noticed the player since the moment they joined up with the raiders. She's thinking some flattery will get their attention.)
Mmm, hello there. I was just thinking it's been a while since we recruited someone so handsome, and strong.
(Concerned - she's afraid Blade will get himself killed - Slink is warning blade to say away from Mina as Mina is in a foul mood.)
I'm serious Blade, stay away. She is a psycho.
Blade is one of John's raiders who's starting to get noticed more and more by John as a capable member of the gang. Blade is a more typical raider and while ambitious, he generally knows when to not go too far, at least that's what he believes. His loyalty is to who he sees as the strongest and that is John. He's attracted to the female PC and he believes strength can win her over, but he can be more awkward than he realizes. He and Slink joined the raiders at the same time and are good friends and occasional lovers.
He has around 40 lines.
(Impressed with the player's work and that John gifted him something so valuable.)
John's gonna let me have that Power Armor you and Andre got. Good work.
(Frustrated. It's not his fault. He's no expert on such things - Blade is complaining to Slink about Arlen and he isn't in a good mood. )
It's Arlen. He's saying I didn't install his dumb radio thing correctly. The signal isn't strong enough or something.
(Flirty, trying to be suave, but failing - Blade has had his eye on the player, female, for a while. This is a chance to impress them...)
So, hello there. You know, if you wanted to talk to me you didn't have to come all the way down here where it's so dirty and uh- dirty.
The Scourge is a raider boss who gets his thrill in tormenting his captives. He's cruel, gruff, and enjoys his undisputed power over others. He has little time for his raider minions and rules by fear. However, all his bravado turns to a whimpering mess once he realizes his time might finally be up, something he never considered possible before. He's an example of some of the worst of the raiders, and the player meets him early on.
He has around 30 lines.
(Sinister - the player isn't going to enjoy this "fun" - the player was captured and brought to meet the raider boss, The Scourge. )
Time for some real fun. You better last longer than that girl did.
(Sinister laugh at end and emphasis on "And!" & "Oh!")
So we'll fight, hand to hand, just you and me. And! if you win, I'll let you go. But if I win- hm. Oh! And you'll be naked!
(He's trying for pity. He's the real victim here) - Mina just told him that that the player is likely going to kill him, thus he pleads with them.)
No! Please. I'm sorry. I didn't want to hurt you. My men. They just expect things. It wasn't my choice!
Alan is a young slave (18) that Slink captured on a raid. He's effectively her toy and he can't do anything about it. He's careful to follow orders lest he angers Slink or any of the other raiders. He has no will to fight and when he's not having to entertain Slink, he's busy working on the crops or cleaning. He's important for developing a few of the other characters and also for providing a voice of the slaves for the player to interact with.
He has around 25 lines
(He's accepted his fate, but he does remember better times.)
At least there is nothing shooting at us in here. I do miss the fresh air though.
(Friendly. Working is his distraction. - The player tries to talk to him and he thanks them for helping him.)
Thanks for helping me with my leg. I can work again.
(He's perhaps too quick to say that Slink didn't hurt him. - The player intervened in Alan being harassed by raiders. However, Alan doesn't know if he can trust them.)
No. It was an accident. No one hurt me. Slink didn't hurt me. I just stepped on the stairs wrong.
The guard is bored and spends most of his time people watching. He's a bit sleazy and not above asking for some bribes. He's important for the player in that he helps them find Kat.
He has around 13 lines.
The best voice would have a light Boston / east coast accent. A gruff voice would work as well.
(Impatient, he doesn't really want to answer questions but that's part of his job.)
You need something? Or are you one of them silent staring types?
(Asking for a bribe)
That's a real shame. I'd like to help you with your girl, but my memory... If only I could remember somehow.
(After being paid or convinced to tell, he's helpful. No hard feelings.)
Ah, I think I remember now. Your girl ran straight ahead past the barricade. I'd hurry if I were you.
Male, Mid 40s, Minor character
Wes is the captain of the Gunner mercenary group situated in the Commonwealth. He is cruel and impatient and when John fails to pay for his settlement's protection, Wes makes an example of it and kills John's wife. Putting John onto a path of revenge which ends about a decade later. Wes has long forgotten John and that settlement, but he's still cruel.
Wes has around 10 lines.
As a captain of a major mercenary group in the area, he should have a strong voice, but he also needs to be able to come off as bitter and condescending.
All interactions with Wes are after he has been defeated by John and his raiders. He's wounded and crippled.
Wes has no clue who John or Sarah are. He's forgotten them, but he knows he's going to die. He might as well piss this John person off a bit for fun.
(Amused - John just finished retelling Wes all the evil he did. Wes doesn't care. He has absolutely no respect for raiders. )
Sounds like you were a coward. You couldn't even protect your girl and now you have your raiders do the dirty work for you? Typical.
(Disbelief, this is starting to get old. - John is getting angry that Wes is apparently playing games. Wes just sees a deranged raider.)
Damn it man! I don't even know who the fuck you are. How would I know about some girl?
(At the end, laughing dismissively. - John just finished saying they became raiders because of Wes. Wes is in disbelief. Why would anyone become a raider to get justice? Pathetic. )
You became a raider to get justice?
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