The Making of the Isle of Wight Follies: How the Mythical Adventure Game Was Built by One Person

Creating the Isle of Wight Follies Mythical Adventure Game

The Isle of Wight Follies is more than a quirky day out; it's a living, evolving, real-world experience combining myth, local business, and family fun. And the twist? Every creature, every clue, every interaction came from the vision (and caffeine-fuelled sleeplessness) of just one person. Here's the story behind the story.

Behind the Follies: One Person, One Island, Many Myths

It began with a short story. A dragon, a small island, and the hint of magic curled between the lines, it was written as a short creative exercise, but from that single spark came a blaze, 44 creatures, mythologies tangled in local geography, and a whimsical book that dared to ask: What if adventure was just a walk away?

That story became a paperback. Then a deluxe, full-colour tome. Then a website - I knew what turnimg this into game was my ultimate goal, but I couldn't quite reach clarity in how all the moving parts synchronised, so the follies was tucked away, and for a time (about a year), it slept, dormant, like a dragon, waiting to soar.

Twelve months later, the dragon stirred.

Suddenly, it all clicked. I could mentally see a web of connections in my mind, how all the required components could work together: the game wasn’t just in the story; the island was the game. Businesses could be waypoints. Local legends could be clues. A mock newspaper and satirical news broadcast added mischief to myth. The Kindle version was released (and promptly mispriced, resulting in 6p in royalties! True riches of a legend promised). But still, people were buying it and reading it.

The world was built, not perfectly, but was certainly taking shape. And this world could evolve. Every review, every submission to Island News, every post and share added threads to the mythic fabric.

As for Island News, that wee beaut was originally a distraction from blog writing, but it became an integral part of the follies experience. The humour turned out to be a strength, a satirical treasure map wrapped in local culture.

Then came the Isle of Wight Follies business model.

Directories are boring. They take so much yet deliver so little. Personal experience of directories is that they do not a lot, yeah, there's a bit of seo, but actual customers? That's astonishingly rare. Anyway, I then designed a brand new way to help local businesses, hyper local proactive marketing through storytelling - sounds suss at first glance, but read on...

What if island businesses became active participants in a huge island-wide game, not simply a mention or a listing, but a vital destination?

That thought, like so many others, led to action. I made them part of the narrative, places you had to visit. A directory, sure that's present too (for the comfort blanket SEO stuff), but also as a quest step. A role in the story. A chance to turn any customer-facing business into a feature.

Where would you and your kids like to eat: The cafe that does a nice milkshake, or a cafe that makes the famous Quester Quencher, where the cafe owner talks to dragons, and has evidence to give you as proof?

From that thought came the evidence system (yet more work), these are collectables, little bags of evidence tucked away in local shops, cafes, pubs, bike hire and even gift stores and more. But that posed another problem: how do we make it simple for the business? How do we attract questers to the business while ensuring they don't traipse through and then run out, causing mayhem? The answer: The Follies Seal QR system does the heavy lifting. Positioned on your shopfront, away from the main door, questers scan it, get the info, including your sighting reports, enter the shop, buy something, and if you're an evidence stop, you then provide that to the quester. The Quester loves it, and they leave a glowing review of your business. The quester then explores another of the 44 island-wide locations.

Next came the challenge of reaching more businesses This is where things become a challenge, the Follies does not have the funds to take on staff, unless £9.50 will do as an annual pay? That led to creating an ethical affiliate model that offers more: ownership and a proper opportunity in a grassroots tourism business. It's both moral and flexible. A side gig for some, a life-changer for others, more about that here.

And then came all the rest: updating pages, reformatting for mobile, fixing bugs (yes, they happen, if you spot any, let me know), improving flows, optimising everything. Finally, people are starting to notice. The Facebook page rose from 0 to 100+ followers in two weeks. The book is selling. The game passes are moving. Businesses are curious. Tourists are beginning to play.

I get back to the island at the end of June, at which point I've about 6 months' work to do in about 6 days... I feel like the engineer on Star Trek saying, she cannee take no more capt'n and then Kirk saying, give me more!!!! Then they get more and there's a happy ending....... :) My motivation is Kirk and everything else is the engineer ;-)

The next phase? While businesses are getting aboard, I'll start developing virtual guided tours, location-based audio and video stories which unfold at key points, so Questers scan a code, listen/watch, and move on. That elevates the accessibility of the project, all while adding more layers of fun. This is a major task, but entirely doable. There is always more! I'm likely going to employ some augmented reality; the current problem is I have no idea how to execute that just yet, so give me a minute..

The Part That Baffles Everyone

This? All of it? The book, the deluxe edition, the website, the game, the evidence bag system, the audio clips, the affiliate programme, the press releases, the QR code infrastructure, the trinkets, the Facebook ad campaigns, the virtual tours, the shop outreach, the business pages, the mythological lore, the sound bites, the backend updates, the designs, the emails, the scripts, the voices, the images, the product mock-ups, the local satire newspaper aka Island News, and even the logo, about the only thing i didnt make was my dinner, as I'd forget to eat!

Yes, really. Created by One bloke. One laptop. A lot of tea. And yes, (brace yourself) some help from AI.

AI, by the way, isn’t some shady secret. It’s a tool, like using a car instead of walking or using an oven instead of rubbing two sticks together, or a food processor, a lawnmower, a printer, a laptop, a kettle or any modern contraption. Some people recoil in horror at AI assistance, but without it, the world I imagined would require a team of several people who would take my ideas and create something completely unrelated, likely another directory. For me, AI has democratised the creative process; it's helped to realise my vision, where the Isle of Wight benefits. Where businesses gain footfall. Where people can earn more. Where stories draw people together. Where imagination walks alongside reality. It's all very wholesome!

So yes, one person, one laptop, and some digital magic to make the Isle of Wight a place of myth, meaning, and merry mayhem once more.

Long may the Follies live.

Want to Be Part of the Adventure?

If you’d like to be part of this adventure, then get in touch. As the hydra once said: three heads are better than one... but two’s a good compromise.