Game Background Idea (Thoughts?)

**Dunavila Masunati** · Independent Joined: 30 Dec 2007 Posts: 201

Well I've been thinking of making a type of steampunk-ish game for a while now but mixing it with Asian martial arts and a bit of Science Fiction. If anyone's ever watched the anime series Samurai 7, that's the world I'm going for. Or if you've seen Akira Kurosawa's Seven Samurai (The 1954 movie) If not, no worries. I've been working on a basic history/plot thing and what came to me was a journal entry being read to give a little backstory and some plot. It's still a bit raw and I wouldn't mind hearing opinions and thoughts on it. I have a horrible time with grammar (if you couldn't already tell XD) so any mistakes you see, I would love if you'd point them out. Does this draw your attention, or is it boring? Does this make you want to RP or at least read up a bit more on it? Little bit of info. Names are not cemented in concrete and the Cipher code is like the Bushido code, which of course the "Warriors" are much like Samurai.

From the journal of Yoshimoto, legendary Warrior thought deceased in the Great War. This is his last dated entry.

5.26.1844

It began in 1822, the rise of technology had superseded expectations and we forged a path through the steam era into a world of electricity, air propulsion, fuel from the oils of the earth even the ability to catch a human soul and put it into a metal man. We even learned to harness the power of the sun and contract it into beam of light that could burn a hole through the thickest of walls. In the old days Eurzia had two Emperors, twin brothers whom resided in our two largest cities, Perru and Simii. Emperor Akushitsu welcomed the changes we were making while Emperor Kanshisha remained steady on tradition. They quarreled amongst themselves, anger and reasoning clouding their minds.

Perru rose up against Simii and the Emperors called forth their armies. We were men of honor, bred for war. Raised from childhood on we followed the Cipher code. We were Warriors and we would lay our lives down for our Emperor. Thousands upon thousands marched forward, a mix of men and machinery bled together as one until the two opposing forces collided in the desert. The sounds and lights of our war awakened the night sky. We fought throughout the night and as dawn broke over the horizon the horror of the battle came into full focus. Men and machinery lay in ruins below us, staining the desert floor, a mix of red and black mingled and only through death was there peace. We battled for three days but on the eve of the fourth night, the last sound of fighting drifted to an end. Emperor Kanshisha’s body was found, murdered by the hands of his brother. The machines had won and Eurzia fell under the control of Emperor Akushitsu. What few Warrior that survived were given the choice to fall under the reign of Emperor Akushitsu or face death. Many commited an honorable death, some laid down their swords and a handful merely vanished.

It has been nearly thirteen years since the Great War. Emperor Akushitsu has taken residence in his airship, a floating palace as big as a city. From there the Emperor extended his hand farther into Eurzia to squeeze even the tiniest remote village. Today the word Warrior has become a common name, but sadly has lost it’s true meaning. Anyone with a sword can call himself a Warrior. Machinery has also advanced pushing into the cities where it has become normal to see people with mechanical body parts and enhancements to simple working droids.

Hierarchy has remained the same; merchants live like lords and often rule as one. Through the merchants the Emperor attained the very finest food and clothing. In return the merchants were allowed to do as they pleased. The Emperor also used bandits as a means for supplies, what the merchants couldn’t supply, the bandits stole. The people suffered and little villages died off, overrun by bandits they could not afford the demands made by them. The people were killed and the villages burned to the ground. The bandits were well paid by the Emperor and given free reign to as they wished without interference.

Slowly people are dying, suffering an agonizing death of starvation all to keep our Emperor Akushitsu well feed and happy. It is a dangerous matter to speak ill of our Emperor and those that have, have been taken and never of again. The people of Eurzia cry out to a savior and yet they are afraid to take to stand. They long for the Warriors to return and what few that follow the Cipher code are far and wide. Our numbers have dwindled and we have seen what happens when one stands apart. There are no Warrior great enough to stand alone. Perhaps together, if one can find the few that hide in plain sight it could be a force strong enough to protect what is cherished the most. Tomorrow, what world will be waiting for our children, what world will we leave behind? One of fear and dread or one with a chance of hope. The future is unknown.
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**Tylana** · Site Admin Joined: 26 Dec 2007 Posts: 790 Location: Space

This appeals to so many different facets of my inner nerd. The sci-fi aspect is quite broad in the journal-like description and it meshes surprisingly well with the rather historic feel of the base storyline. I like the use of "machines" it makes me think more BSG and less Terminator (thankfully) and I can see it working well in conjunction with the notions of "warriors" and disciplinary codes (although they would have dwindled throughout the aftermath).

If I was looking for an original RP and read this initially I would want to know more. I tend to stay away from anything samurai based because in my experience it seems to attract a lot of adolescents with aspirations to wield a sword and be a leet "ninja" so the chances of me coming across this (if not recommended by a fellow RPer) would be quite slim, which is a shame. Last year I did a six month course in Bushido Kickboxing and absolutely loved it, but the thought that such disciplines could be implemented in RP never occurred to me. I have no idea why; since in most RPs there are elements of a "warrior" caste with strict rules and boundaries.

Anyway, I digress. In short, to answer your question, yes I would want to know more. The way the entry progresses leaves the story open to many different types of potential characters. The lost warriors who will gather together (or not, perhaps they have no intention of building up a force and prefer to wander alone - that could be interesting to work with) to help the helpless, the criminals and bandits under the employ of the Emperor, the Emperor himself and his followers (Politicians, staff etc), the prosthetic limbed inhabitants of the land, to an extent the machinery, the downtrodden people and perhaps some sort of building, underground resistance? Yes, yes many different character opportunities. Which is very important obviously.

The only suggestion I would make would be to expand on the rivalry between the brothers. If you plan on continuing with this that is, which I do think you should. They disagreed on one issue on a very basic level, one pro evolution (bettering their society with the use of mechanics and engineering) the other against (wanting things to remain the same, adhering to teachings and ways of life that had served them so well in the past). I like this opposite but think it would probably take a bit more than a fundamental disagreement between two brothers to tear a country apart.

My two cents! Man, can I go on.
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**Dunavila Masunati** · Independent Joined: 30 Dec 2007 Posts: 201

I can't take full credit with that world, I was heavily influenced with the anime series Samurai 7. I'm sure there are other anime/cartoon/movie/etc that have a world like this, but I haven't seen much of it, yet. I didn't want to call the machines by individual names such as a cyborg or android, it just seemed to remind of Robocop. Yes, seriously. Rhe soldiers would have a basic human shape consisting of arms, legs, a trunk and possible head but other then that, nothing human about them.

After rereading this, I see a hell of a lot of mistakes and such but I forgot to mention I wrote this quite a while ago in a notebook and recently came upon it. I typed it out the other day (From when I first posted it here) and then didn't do anything with it till now. I've been wanting a game of this genre but nothing seems to fit my selfish wants.

I'm still thinking of changing the name Warrior to something else but my brain doesn't seem to want to work with me. What I had intended to alleviate the "OMG!SuperNinjaSamuraiAssassianPopPrincess", the only real Warriors left would be those that survived the war, which would give a cut off age of roughly 30ish years. Anyone younger then that could have had some training but would not be classified as a Warrior. Which is why I kinda liked the idea of anyone with a sword could call themselves a Warrior which helped diminished the name and true meaning so when a real one wandered into town, they're not really noticed.

I have been thinking of a resistance group, with or without the aid of Warriors that would add to the appeal of the game. I love your two cents and I definitely want to add into the brothers. I've been toying with the idea of them being pitted against each other since they were little which grew into a rivalry into their elderly years and the way they ran their kingdoms and lands. One would of course be the firstborn and inherit the right but perhaps their father wanted them to fight it out metaphorically to become the best Emperor for Eurzia and the two ended up taking it to the extreme.
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