From Page to Play: How VIDOVDAN 6897 Became an Interactive Experience
The journey of adapting Vladan Mrdjenovački's epic Serbian fantasy into a story-driven game — and why the book had to come first.
A Story Worth Playing
When we first read Vladan Mrdjenovački's VIDOVDAN 6897, we knew it wasn't just a book. It was a universe — one that demanded to be experienced, not just read.
Set in a far-future where ancient Serbian mythology collides with interstellar empire, the story follows warriors, prophets, and political strategists across a conflict that spans centuries. The battles aren't just physical — they're philosophical. Every alliance has a cost. Every victory plants the seed of a future betrayal.
This is the kind of story that makes you put the book down and think. And then pick it up again because you need to know what happens next.
Why the Book Came First
We could have gone straight to the game. The temptation was there — VIDOVDAN 6897 has everything a game needs: factions, battles, branching loyalties, and a world rich enough to explore for hundreds of hours.
But we chose to publish the book first, on Apple Books, because we believe the best adaptations start with respect for the source material.
Readers need to experience Mrdjenovački's prose first — the way he builds tension through dialogue, the way political maneuvering feels as dangerous as combat, the way each chapter shifts your allegiance. The book establishes the world. The game lets you live in it.
What the Game Will Be
We're building an interactive narrative experience — not a traditional RPG, not a visual novel, but something in between.
Your choices shape the story. Not in a "choose your own adventure" way where you pick door A or door B. In a way where your decisions ripple through the political landscape. Support one faction and another remembers. Show mercy and it either saves you or destroys you three chapters later.
The engine we're building understands consequence at a systemic level. It's not scripted branches — it's a narrative simulation where the story adapts to who you've become through your choices.
Built in the Workshop
QuarkTales is an El Taller project. That means we build in public, share our process, and treat every project as both a product and a learning experience.
VIDOVDAN 6897 is our first story. The book is live on Apple Books. The game is in active development. And this blog is where we'll share the journey — design decisions, technical challenges, narrative philosophy, and the occasional behind-the-scenes look at how a small team adapts a 400-page Serbian epic into an interactive experience.
Welcome to QuarkTales. We find stories worth playing.
Read VIDOVDAN 6897 by Vladan Mrdjenovački on Apple Books — and follow us for updates on the game.