Building a Hogwarts-Inspired Text RPG with Amazon Q CLI

#AmazonQCLI #AWSBuilders #GameDev #Python #RPG

Like many developers, I keep a backlog of passion projects I never seem to finish. One of them has always been a text-based RPG set in a magical universe — a fantasy world built entirely in the terminal.

I had storylines, mechanics, spell ideas — but no momentum.

That changed with the “Build Games with Amazon Q CLI” campaign.

It wasn’t just a chance to revisit the idea. It added a deadline, community accountability — and a promise of an Amazon Q T-shirt if I finished.

🔧 The Campaign That Kickstarted It All

Running from May 20 to June 20, 2025, the Amazon Q CLI Game Challenge pushed devs across Asia Pacific, Japan, and Greater China to build a game using Amazon Q CLI — an AI tool from AWS — and share their journey.

Steps:

Build with Amazon Q CLI
Write a blog/video
Share with #AmazonQCLI
Redeem swag

The barrier to entry was low. That was the spark I needed.

🧙 Introducing: Hogwarts RPG – A Magical Text Adventure

A Python-based, command-line RPG where you’re a first-year student at Hogwarts. You get sorted, learn spells, duel peers — all through text and logic-driven design.

Core Gameplay Features

🎓 Sorting Hat quiz
📖 Spell learning & progression
⚔️ Turn-based duels
🏰 Castle exploration with events
💾 JSON save/load system
🧠 House-based stat buffs

It’s still early, still CLI-only, but the structure exists — thanks to Q CLI.

🤖 How Amazon Q CLI Helped

I’d never touched Q CLI before. Install was smooth. Setup in Python took under 30 minutes.

The real magic: the AI chat interface. I prompted:

"Create a character system for four Hogwarts houses with different stats."
"Build a spell system with mana cost and status effects."
"Implement JSON-based save/load."

Q CLI delivered contextual, modular code — and explained its decisions. Debugging and integration were fast.

🏗️ Project Architecture

Module	Purpose
`main.py`	Game loop and menu navigation
`player.py`	Character traits and house bonuses
`spell.py`	Spells and combat mechanics
`npcs.py`	Dueling opponents
`utils.py`	Random event generator
`save.json`	Player data store

Each file is standalone, modular, and ready for iteration.

🚧 Known Issues

Dueling system bugs in edge cases
No narrative or questline
No inventory/potion system
Spells need balancing
CLI-only for now

But that’s fine. The goal was momentum, not perfection.

📈 What’s Next?

Short-Term:

Refine combat and effects
Add story logic (JSON-based)
Introduce potion crafting

Long-Term:

GUI (maybe pygame, Tkinter)
Cloud saves (S3 or DynamoDB)
Multiplayer (REST API or sockets)

🎁 Final Thoughts & Swag

If you’re in APAC, Japan, or China, and have an old idea sitting around — pick it up. The campaign gave me the accountability and toolset to bring something to life.

Amazon Q CLI didn’t do the work for me. It did it with me.

Check out the repo: GitHub – Walapalam/hogwarts-rpg-cli
Fork it, watch it, or try the build.

#AmazonQCLI | #Python | #TextGame | #RPGDev | #AWSBuilder

Let’s make building magical again.