GRANDMASTER (2020-2022)
*Node: we are a mosaic of the lessons we choose to internalize.
The Node is the main idea of the story. Everything connects to it.
Character Nodes are the relationships characters have with the overall Node. It’s the main idea guiding their arcs.
*Derived from Scott Snyder's Comic Writing Class on Voice. I definitely recommend subscribing. Last I checked, it's $7 a month.
Overview
Kung Fu meets chess in Grandmaster, a tale of redemption, development, the teacher-student relationship, and the imperative nature of change. Taking place on a fantasy Earth ravaged by a history of wars, Grandmaster delivers a compelling story of interconnected characters, all leading to the battle for the title of Grandmaster.
On this alternative Earth, humans have been warring for all of history. There are two types of humans: Non-bearers and the Marked. The Marked have mystical tattoos called Markers, which denote the type of energy a Marked can use. Each Energy Type grants a certain number of abilities. For eons, the Marked waged war on one another for supremacy, with no individual gaining considerable ground. Unfortunately, the Non-bearers were the main victims of a war largely - but not entirely - waged by the Marked. One group of Marked, the Attuned, came together and created a paradise for themselves, an unprecedented decision. After years of peace and prosperity, the Attuned created the Grandmaster Rules of Engagement (GROE) in an attempt to quell the warring Marked and save Non-bearer lives. Under the GROE, the Marked must follow the Ritual of Amobus: if a Marked defeats another one, the loser is mystically branded with the Marker of the winner. The Double-Marked is weakened tremendously, and they become subservient Knights. With these rules, the Attuned felt they had successfully achieved a path to eventual peace; they believed that after a few centuries, there would be one winner, a sole person with one Marker.
The Attuned, with the ability to mimic the powers of all other Energy Types, were able to control the warring enough to spread their decree: follow our rules of engagement, or die. Millenia passed, and with the GROE arose countless Clans consisting of Non-bearers and Multi-Marked. Marked individuals, known as Grand-Generals, led these massive Clans with the sole purpose of achieving the title of Grandmaster, and thus, earning immortality and ownership of the known world.
At the core of Grandmaster is the theme of education. Education is an essential component of healthy development throughout all stages of life. What we are taught, when we are taught, and the people who teach us about our cultures and our histories lay the foundations for who we will become. Through adequate education, we may thrive. The relationships in this story showcase the multifaceted nature of education, and by extension, knowledge. Each character is somehow teacher and student, and the lessons given and learned speak volumes about the significance of passing knowledge and culture.
Characters
Create your own characters. Have fun adding them into the world. Where do you think they’d fit? Would they be at the final battle?
Kane is an overthinker in a world that values brutal efficiency. Action is the only choice for survival. Yet, he prospers. Kane takes almost every aspect of his life as seriously as he does battle. He is stern, unforgiving, and quiet. He is a brilliant tactician, who often feigns defeat and uses his opponents’ eagerness against them. He treats his Pawns with respect, but makes it clear he is their superior. He has a very healthy relationship with his Knights. He bends the rules as much as possible, because victory is what means the most to him. He welcomes challenge and scoffs at the predictability of his opponents. He wants the title of Grandmaster so that he can rule the world peacefully with Nuttah. When he is with Nuttah, he is childlike, opening up to her in ways he doesn’t with any other character. He’s supposed to be a stick in the mud. Do you get that impression? What elements would you add to his character to make him more distinguishable within the story?
Character Node: Lessons not learned in blood are often forgotten.
Inflexible mindset due to rigid moral structure he uses to justify revenge. What is his morality? He has to be reactive because he isn’t responding to the environment around him. Shadow is always teaching him about the future because of Kane’s potential. But the past holds him back. The world doesn’t work the way Kane thinks it does. Effective by force not power.
Description: Kane is 5’10”, with a powerful ectomorphic build. He has brown skin, a military buzz, dark brown hair, gray eyes, and a solemn face. He wears a tactical vest, black combat boots and pants, reinforced shin and knee pads, reinforced elbow pads, and tactical gloves with reinforced knuckles. 16 years old. How would you draw this? This description isn't written in stone.
Driven by his rigid perception of justice, which is inevitably his downfall
Marker Type: Way-Seer
Krav Maga, Keysi, and kickboxing (in order of preference and/or mastery)
Choreography: his movements are very economical. He’s all about defeating opponents as brutally and quickly as possible. He does this because he wants to assert his dominance in ways people won’t question. He is methodical, surgical, and he utilizes the pansador guard when pressed. Offensively, he uses devastating elbows, joint locks and attacks, and quick bursts of upper body attacks. When he can, he turns blocks into devastating attacks. He excels in well timed strikes and body manipulation. He is weak to fast and prolonged attacks, and his lower body defense is only slightly above average. When he is pressed for too long, he reverts to using his combat knife. However, if he begins to use it, he is either angry or losing. He is good at readjusting and changing his battle plans, but only if he can create distance to reassess. Typically, the longer a fight goes on, the better it is for him because he has more “data.” Quick and powerful pressure will likely defeat him. He never loses to the same person twice.
Nuttah is laconic and regal. She is the secret Co-General with Kane. Her tactical mind rivals his. She is perceptive and contemplative, yet explosive and energetic when necessary. She is extremely friendly with her Pawns, and has built a sisterhood with her Knights. Nuttah is stern, but forgiving, compassionate, loyal, with a tinge of arrogance. Her arrogance is well earned; she is an excellent leader and fighter who often placing others before herself. She prioritizes lives over victory, because to her, as long as she has a loyal base then she can always make a comeback. Nuttah is comically impatient. She wants to rule the world in a state of peace to protect her people. “Make everyone my people, and the ones I love will be safe.” Kane and Nuttah have done something unprecedented by peacefully joining their Clans and ruling them together.
Character Node: Striving to be ideal isn’t the goal; approximation over perfection, and the rest will fall in place. What’re your thoughts on this character node?
Description: Nuttah is 5’8”, has dark tan skin, dark brown eyes, long black hair in a braid, sharp features, and almost always has a slight smirk on her face. She is built like an MMA fighter. She has a scar on her upper lip. She wears traditional Native American pants with reinforced knee pads, a traditional Native American vest with armor, and forearm armor on her right arm. She is left handed. Achilles + Wonder Woman persona when dealing with her Knights. 16 years old.
Backstory: Nuttah comes from a nomadic group of Babel (influenced the Plains Cree people) that is attempting to live similarly to the Attuned. To accomplish this they needed land. They settled a small area 100 years ago. They didn’t realize they settled on land claimed by an expanding Grand-General. This resulted in a small war between Nuttah’s people and the Grand-General. The Grand-General was never able to send many resources for the skirmish due to the Grandmaster tournament. Nuttah’s people successfully repelled the Grand-General after a generation of on-and-off warring. Although they still wanted to usher in peace inspired by the ancient Attuned, a generation of war turned her people into expansionists. They pushed more into the Grand-General’s territory. The original Grand-General was Knighted, so the territory switched hands, only renewing war between those making a claim for the land. As the Grand-Generals that claimed the land cycled through, Nuttah’s people continued to expand. With each shift in Grand-General there was a change in the amount of warfare her group endured. Nuttah was born into an expanding empire with a philosophy of universal peace. Her proficiency in combat and offensive minded approach are reflections of her culture. She came to realize that her people’s expansion is the battle; the real war is for the title of Grandmaster. If they want peace, it has to be holistic. She began to collect Non-bearers in the disputed territory, promising them peace if they joined her. These Non-bearers were the first to join her Clan. She made her way to the Grand-General of the disputed territory and challenged him to a Ming-Jue for his Clan. She won. That begins her journey as a Grand-General. Nuttah’s naivety led her to believe that by killing the Grand-General and essentially owning the territory her people were expanding into, her folks would stop warring. But they had come to know only war. She told them to take as much territory within her boundaries as they needed. Yet, they still began to expand into the territory of other Clans. Now, she’s on a mission to bring peace so that her people can remember who they are. Her people are influenced by Native culture. Someone more familiar with the Plains Cree people, help me build out Nuttah's tribe with the information provided here. Her people represent how quickly an environment can make us forget who we are. They’re the reverse of the Attuned; they went from pacifists to warriors. What contradictory elements of their culture should influence Nuttah’s character? What do you think pacifists turned warriors looks like, systemically and individually?
Shadow training: she is being taught how to stand her ground. Her defensive abilities are lacking, and Shadow teaches her the importance of controlling opponents in ways other than overwhelming them. She is impatient, and defense teaches her how to appreciate a slow and steady pace.
Teaching theme: same as Kane’s, except she actually internalizes and learns from Shadow’s teaching when it comes to having a more flexible mind. She also learns to be patient, move through the world by starting from within and working her way out. She learns to achieve her goals first by lying solid foundations instead of bulldozing towards an idealistic future. She learns how to realistically move towards the ideal by starting small. For her, the lesson is in scale. She’s chasing peace instead of building it.
She and Kane learn to grow close. They know they’ll inevitably have to disband their Clans and fight for the title of Grandmaster. They hope they can share it, but they know the reality. How would this affect their relationship? Think about the relationships of the Pawns and Knights as well. This fact alone is ripe for drama within a story.
Marker Type: Mark of the Babel
Okichitaw, Krav Maga, Keysi
Choreography: she uses this Native martial arts with deadly proficiency. The aggressiveness of her style is indicative of impatience. She prefers the fair fight of unarmed combat, but when she deduces a threat to be high enough, she uses a short dagger and a tomahawk-like weapon. She is hard to hit, bouncing and rolling around her opponents until she can strike something vital. Her form of combat is best for one-on-one fights, and much like Kane, she is analytical and surgical in her approach. She likes to fight vertically; this means she begins her attack at an opponent’s upper or lower body and works from there. She is always the aggressor, moving in to attack from the start, and keeping her opponent off-balance with her vertical fighting style that usually culminates in a takedown. Once she secures the takedown, most fights are pretty much over. When she is pressed, she uses Keysi to create space, Krav Maga to deal massive damage, and then reverts back to Okichitaw for the finisher. She can be defeated when she is put on the defensive for too long, since her style is mostly offensive. She either overwhelms her opponents, or they fend her off. She is weak to defensive opponents, because they can cause her to essentially gas herself. She is extremely fast, and is the only person to have defeated Kane multiple times. Her being left handed also grants her an advantage over most.
Yang Fa is the main antagonist. He kills Grand-Generals he defeats instead of Knighting them, which is against the rules. He’s a control freak. Yang Fa is the oldest Grand-General in the world, and as such, is one of the most feared. He does not follow the rules, and he controls the largest Clan. Yang Fa hates the game because he feels that as the best fighter, the title of Grandmaster should be gifted to him. He hates just about everything because of this, and treats everyone with disrespect and a dismissive attitude. Yang Fa is bitter, cranky (can be funny), intimidating, and violent. He just wants to rule what he feels is his. He is a controlling and charismatic man, a true megalomaniac. His intentions run deep. Before becoming a Grand-General, he was a philosopher. He wandered Clan territories observing the conditions of Non-bearers vs. the Marked. He concluded that the Attuned had created a hierarchy that left Non-bearers in a state of perpetual subservience. There was no other space for them to serve other than Pawns. The Grandmaster Rules of Engagement needed to go, and Yang Fa theorized the only way for that to happen is if the Attuned were no more. See his backstory for more details.
Character Node: freedom and power aren’t synonymous, but they do exist in relationship with one another.
Backstory: After his conclusion, Yang Fa got to work. As a gifted fighter, entering the Grandmaster world tournament was easy. He defeated a small time Grand-General, shocking the Clan. He continued to think about the Grandmaster tournament and the role of the Attuned as he participated in the tournament for a couple of years. He was (and is) elite, so he never Knighted defeated Grand-Generals, he just gave them the choice to either run or join him. The ease of the tournament, the meaninglessness of constantly fighting, and his beliefs about freedom and power eventually turned Yang Fa bitter. It became clear to him that he was meant to rule; he was already the Grandmaster. As an act of further rebellion, he killed the next Grand-General instead of offering them a choice. The Rules of Engagement, outside of a Ming-Jue, demanded assimilation via the Ritual of Amobus. But Yang Fa would not share his power. He believed no one should have to rely on anyone’s power other than their own. If people were to join his Clan, it’d be by choice. He would take no Knights or Pawns. Only those of freewill could join him. His philosophy was highly attractive. He declared the Attuned as the enemy of all people. His Clan grew exponentially over the years. Non-bearers and disgraced Multi-Marked would flock to his Clan for the chance at having a purpose. When he engaged other Clans, he’d offer Grand-Generals two choices after he defeated them: work under me in my cabal or die. Former Grand-Generals joined him, and he called his growing band of Marked warriors the Cabal. As his Cabal grew, so did his disillusionment with the Attuned. He moved from an advocate of freewill to a genocidal rhetorician. Hate became his fuel, and his growing hate served him well as a tool for manipulating his ever expanding Cabal. In his late 30s, Yang Fa came across the 8-year-old Shadow who had been abandoned by the Attuned. That was the final piece to his puzzle. When he learned of Shadow’s incredible untapped power, he took Shadow under his wing and weaponized his pain from abandonment. With a massive army consisting of Non-bearers, Multi-Marked, and Marked, Yang Fa led his Cabal and a deadly trained Shadow on a siege of the Attuned. They successfully wiped them out. Yang Fa attempted to kill Shadow, but their battle wiped out most of the Cabal and ended with Shadow barely escaping. The Pyrrhic victory left Yang Fa in need of rebuilding his Cabal. He hopes to find Shadow to finish his mission...
Son of a Grand-General and a concubine. As the son of a Grand-General, he was trained rigorously. Becomes a Grand-General in his 20s, becoming fully radicalized in his late 30s
Darius almost kills Yang Fa, which humbles him enough to realize he needs to be a student of change again. He doesn’t question his mission, but he certainly begins to question his place in the world. This is where he is at the beginning of the story.
His Clan is deeply Multi-Marked, making it more powerful than other Clans
Description: Yang Fa is 5’8”, a shredded build, black and white hair, a sharp white beard with a black streak, and red eyes. He is mixed Black and Asian, with a wrinkled forehead. He is in his 60s. He is often seen with a red and black hakama, with a silk robe over his bare chest. When he fights, he takes off the silk robe. His body is riddled with scars from years of battle. Mad Dog from The Raid: Redemption and Mike Tyson are two examples of his movement style, ferocity, and aura.
He’s a rebel, using hate to rally his followers. He doesn’t take Knights because he believes everyone should have their power, just under his thumb (which is where his massive ego comes from).
Marker Type: Psion
Silat, Wing Chun Anyone want to create a fighting style that fits Yang Fa based on these two styles? Feel free to incorporate whatever.
Choreography: he’s elite, the best fighter in the show(?).
Rumin's mission is to erase the Marked. Rumin rivals the Marked with her expertise in cybernetics. She’s augmented her body in various ways to counteract different Markers and increase her physical attributes. Think Genos from One Punch Man. She’s completely dedicated to her craft, fueled by her knowledge of science, history, and her desire for revenge (for her “failed” descendants). She’s attempting to reclaim the future for Non-bearers. She buys into the original reasoning for the Grandmaster ROE, considering their only mistake to be making this a game. She’s tired of folks dying for the dreams of others. Her mission is to bring an end to the game as a woman of science to demonstrate the power of humans. She is a historian that believes the Grandmaster tournament was never meant for her and her people (Non-bearers). She comes from a family of Non-bearers, and a lineage of a few failed Grand-Generals. The Attuned make a mockery of power by placing it in the hands of people obsessed with domination. She doesn’t know what true power is, but she knows what it isn’t. How would a scientist like Rumin define power? What type of intelligence do you think she has? Is she a mad scientist, a mastermind, a strategist, a detective type?
Character Node: ?
I think of Rumin in juxtaposition to Shadow, but that doesn’t have to be the case. What would you write as her Character Node?
She has deep scientific knowledge about how the Marked use their abilities, but she can’t explain the Markers themselves. She’s also unaware of the different Energy Types and how they influence abilities. She’s a transhumanist.
She spends her time killing Marked folks or recruiting Multi-Marked folks and Non-bearers to her cause.
She and her loyalists act as domestic terrorists in different Clan territories.
Eventually, she learns more about Markers and Energy Types through her interactions with Shadow or Amobus. Or should she discover more about these concepts on her own?
Wrestling, brawling, gadgetry, and guerrilla tactics
Choreography?
Shadow is in his 30s or 40s. He's a wanderer with a powerful Marker over his eye. He’s been traveling the world alone for 20 years. Shadow is driven to teach in the ways he needed when he was young. He sees himself as simply a vessel, a sponge that absorbs but has no value beyond what he can give. This leads him to mindlessly put himself in harm’s way for the benefit of others. He has robbed himself of humanity. This is tied to his unresolved feelings of being alone for most of his life. Folks know him and what he did. The main responses are fear and disgust. He’s traveling and looking for a purpose, contrasting the purposeful mission of Rumin. Concise, knowledgeable, and defeated, he is a man of few words that has relegated himself to the sidelines.
Character Node: A child not embraced by the village will feel its warmth in its flames; home may not teach us what we want but it will show us what we need, so learn in accordance with truth.
Backstory: Shadow was born with a different name, but his family only referred to him as “their shadow” because of the darkness he brought. Shortly after birth, the priests of the Attuned prophesied Shadow’s role in the destruction of the Attuned. The priests demanded the child stay with them for the first five years. They wanted to keep track of him. He was 3-years-old the first time he slipped into Void Form. Void Form is the highly destructive ability unique to the Attuned that occurs in an individual every few thousand years. The priests were ill prepared to handle Void Form; they scoured their texts for methods of controlling the Void Form, but the records were incomplete. For five years and through tragedy, the priests tried to train Shadow how to use Voice Form. They failed. Then, they turned on him. He was banished from the Attuned at 8-years-old because of his lack of control over the Void Form. He was found by Yang Fa. Yang Fa trained him as a fighter and a Psion for four years. Yang Fa taught Shadow how to control Void Form by locking it away in Cerebrium. Full of hate and rage for the people that abandoned him, Shadow waged a genocidal war against his own people alongside Yang Fa and his Cabal. The war lasted four years. Shadow was merciless, sparing no one. Yang Fa and the remaining Cabal attempted to kill Shadow. He unleashed Void Form to barely escape. Since then, he's been wandering the world. Peopleless. Purposeless.
Both eyes are never seen unless we see them lighting up in complete darkness. One eye is brought out when he needs to fight at full power, the other always hidden.
He has to see your Marker to copy it. The copy only lasts for a set period of time. To hold Markers for longer he has to strain his body to produce enough energy. The more he uses the Marker, the more of that energy he has to produce, so Markers run out at different rates.
Marker Type: The Attuned
Teaching: based on lessons learned, and teaching for the betterment of the future
In a healthier way than Yang Fa, Shadow sees the Marked and Non-bearers to be brothers and sisters, further contrasting Rumin
What he learns from Kane: the past doesn’t determine your future, the present does. He regains his sense of humanity from teaching Kane. Direct contrast to Rumin
He understands the mystic arts well, but he rarely uses this knowledge because the mystic arts are still uncontrollable. The Ritual of Amobus made me realize the world of Grandmaster is perfect for a magic system outside just the Energy Types. In what ways would you flesh this out?
Visualizing Shadow
This is his first design. It's since been repurposed for Mr. Moon in August Moon: The Shadow Hunter. I like the idea of something covering the Markers on his eyes, but you can see them glowing in certain moments. How would you draw that? Shadow's design is ripe for a revamp.
Darius was Kane’s older brother and trainer. Darius was a well respected Grand-General and a brilliant tactician. He and his brother were orphans, so Darius was essentially Kane's father. Darius was playful, upbeat, slightly cocky, but could become stern and serious at a moment’s notice. He treated his Pawns with the utmost respect, and he was one of two Grand-Generals that never used Knights. He didn’t allow Kane to fight as a Knight, so he made him an advisor. Advisors could watch battles from safety, and Kane always took notes on how his brother would defeat enemies. Darius loved Kane very much. Darius was aware of Kane’s analytical mind, so he trained him in the most practical forms he could. Darius was disappointed in Kane’s inability to master kickboxing, but Kane eventually grew to be an adept fighter. Darius was challenged by Yang Fa to a Ming-Jue, which is a ritualistic one-on-one battle. Ming-Jues are never used for the assimilation of armies, but rather to prove superiority or to resolve quarrels. These duels are always to the death. Darius and Yang Fa fought for hours, but in the end Yang Fa cheated by using his Marker, and killed Darius. Unable to do anything, and at the young age of 12, Kane took control of the Clan, and brought them to new heights. Darius was 6’3”, with a slim athletic build, a shaved head, goatee, black eyes, and a crooked nose from all the hits he’d taken.
Character Node: ?
Marker Type: Psion
Yang Fa approached Darius as an equal, yet still expected him to bend a knee and join his Cabal. Darius turned him down because he knew what type of man Yang Fa was. Offended, Yang Fa challenged Darius. This would make a cool ass mini-series…
Kickboxing, Krav Maga, taekwondo, Keysi
Choreography: he is much more fluid than his brother, with a heavy emphasis on powerful kicks and knees. When he attacks using his upper body, he often utilizes feints and then attacks with his opposing hand. He is much more adept at reading body movement and improvising than Kane, and his kicks are lightning fast. His movements are often flamboyant to cause distraction. Imagine if Liu Kang had trained with the White Lotus and the Special Forces. That’s Darius’ movement style.
Amobus- the ancient Attuned that discovered the mystical secrets of the Markers. He created the Ritual of Amobus, which brands the practitioner’s Marker onto another Marked. He also discovered other ways of using the mystic arts, but it is said that he shared these secrets with no one else. Thus, mysticism is thought to have died with him. He lived long before the genocide of his people, and he was one of the leaders that helped the Attuned successfully police the world.
Zamira- [an excellent knight, Nuttah’s best friend.]
Agar- [Yang Fa’s right-hand man.]
Solomon- [Kane’s best knight. Darius’ estranged childhood friend.]
Indobi- one of Nuttah’s people. He infiltrates Nuttah’s forces with the aims of sabotaging Nuttah. He becomes a close confidante to Rumin while maintaining an incognito status.
Quentin- [one of Kane’s knights. He’s loved by everyone. At first he and ]
Cull- [the deadliest Pawn in Nuttah’s clan]
*Before I thought of this as a video game or TTRPG, I thought of it as an animated series. What medium do you think this story would fit with?
Markers
Indicative of rank and power
Mystical tattoos
They represent the type of energy a person can use
Since the person creates the energy to use the power, the power is completely controlled by them (which is why if they produced something like a flame the person wouldn’t get burned)
Hereditary but can be mystically created at great cost
More Markers = less rank and power
No Markers = no rank or powers
Those with Markers have super physicals How much stronger should they be than Non-bearers? Help me with scaling.
Generals can sap the energy from their Knights, further explaining why they’re more powerful
The Attuned
Psion
Mark of Babel
Way-Seer
Energy Types
What are some other uses and powers you can come up with within this power system? What adjustments might you make to the system?
Energy can be Channeled (projection, shields, constructs), Stored (increase physicals, self destruct, shapeshifting), Tethered (boost others, heal, teleport, track), Manifested (using something from the body like blood to create something in the world)
Techniques are completely unique and based on these methods of using energy
Power Attacks can be used by all
Technique Attacks are unique to individuals
Energy Level- the amount of Energy one has left.
Energy Point- the hub of Energy in an individual.
Void Energy has properties of all Energy Types, granting the Attuned their powers. Also allows for Void Form (unique to Shadow) which turns him completely to Dark Energy
Energy Point: the chest
Dark Energy is Void Energy devoid of boundaries, allowing for direct manipulation of shadows and emotions. Shadow becomes a living black hole, capable of destruction through complete mastery of energy
Channel: black hole shields that devour incoming attacks, Void Energy claws, singularity generation
Store: can only be released
Tether: enhance the evil of those around them, track any Marked based on unique energy, boost the Energy Levels of others, teleport through shadows in a given area, Energy Feeding
Manifest: their blood can create permanent shadow clones of any person or object
Psionic Energy allows for Psions to enhance their minds and unleash their will on the physical plane. In addition, it grants Psions access to the Cerebrium, a psychic plane
Energy Point: the head
They can Channel by bringing their psychic avatars into the corporeal world, anchoring them for offense only or using them to create psychic shields
They only have mastery of their own minds, they can’t influence the minds of others
Channel: psychic avatar or shields, telekinesis on inanimate objects
Store: increase intelligence
Tether: bring other Psions into Cerebrium, locate Psions based on their signatures in Cerebrium, merge Cerebrium Regions
Manifest: intense meditation can allow for the creation of any object in Cerebrium (leaves Psions vulnerable)
Vibrational Energy gives the Babel powers over sound, with their voices being the main conduits. They are highly adept at stealth, and can use vibrations for trickery, offensively, and they can use it for hypnotic suggestions
Energy Point: the throat
Channel: Screech, Deadzone, Whisper
Store: Sonic Boom (extremely deadly), enhanced hearing
Tether: can ride sound waves for super speed (when they do this they sound like thunder), can lock onto particular frequencies
Manifest: What do you think?
Warp Energy grants the Marked the power to manipulate photons.
Energy point: the eyes
Can create mirages and illusions by manipulating photons
Hard light constructs are possible, as well as advanced “switching” teleportation.
Can see probabilities based on the quantum nature of photons
Channel: Mirage, light constructs, eye beams
Store: enhanced eyesight, precognition
Tether: Switching (objects and people), ability to see Energy
Manifest: ?
Setting
World where there are Clans fighting for dominance
The Clans engage in highly strategic battles akin to chess
The Clans are run by Grand-Generals that control the Pawns and Knights. How do you practically envision Grand-Generals controlling their armies?
Opposing Markers are mystically drawn to each other and the Grand-Generals must fight; battles are ritualistic
Pawns can’t kill opposing Grand-Generals because 1) it is seen as dishonorable and 2) that'd be impossible for them due to the discrepancy in power and skill
The losing Grand-General is then assimilated into the winning general’s army as that general’s Knight
the more Markers, the shittier you are
Defeated generals become Knights, which can only operate defensively to protect their general
All Clans are competing for the title of Grandmaster
Grand-Generals represent different martial arts around the world and their philosophies, tactics, and what not
It’s a completely different Earth. Land is different, history different as well
You are judged based on your Grand-General, not particularly the Clan.
Grandmaster Rules of Engagement
The Attuned were thinking primarily about the Marked.
Rule 1 is Assimilation:
Grand-Generals can’t kill other Grand-Generals, they must be Marked
Pawns are branded
Rule 2 is Non-bearer protection:
Non-bearers must be protected by the Grand-Generals controlling their territory
Grand-Generals use this rule to justify the aggressive use of Pawns
Any other Rules of Engagement you can think of? What'd be interesting to see in this world?
Visuals
Fantasy setting
Proposed Game Mechanics
The objective is to have a game that encourages global tournaments, i.e. real life fighter and strategy battles with multiple entryways for different types of players.
*If you see a term sandwiched by “~”, then that name can/should be workshopped.
Single Player
Choose Grand-General to begin the story: Kane, Nuttah, Yang Fa, or Rumin
Each has strengths and weaknesses aligned with character traits and Energy Types
The game’s plot follows each Grand General’s story up to the final battle during which players have to select who to finish the story as
Narrated by Shadow
Y’all think a DLC about his backstory would be cool?
Gameplay Features
~Cards~ are the Marked abilities and any boosts or limitations to them
I’d like for the game to have a Card System that fits well with the power system. What’re your thoughts?
~Card Types~ correlate to certain Energy Types
Is this even necessary?
Gameplay for Single Player
Gameplay matches the nature of the character:
Kane - strategy focused
Nuttah - beat ‘em up
Rumin - RPG fighter
Yang Fa - the perfect mix of fighter and strategy
Generally, the player experiences all 3 levels of gameplay:
3D fighter (Absolver, Sifu) Level 3: Grand-General Battles
Turn-based strategy with some 2D flair (XCOM + Mortal Kombat) Level 2: Knight Battles
How do you envision this working out?
Real-time strategy (Clash of Clans and Conquest comps?) Level 1: Pawn Battles
Remember the Injustice: Gods Among Us app that had transfer to the console games? I wonder if we could incorporate something similar with Level 1..?
Each level of gameplay influences the next, with bottom-up effects
e.g. losing the Pawn Battles causes limitations for the Knight Battles
Trickle-down effects are character-specific
e.g. some character traits and Energy Types give boosts, abilities, or limitations in Levels 1 and 2
Multi-Player
Most of the available fighters are based on Single Player characters; Multi-Marked and Pawns in Single Player are now just Marked.
The upgraded Pawns have the same Energy Types as their Grand-Generals; they have their own boosts, abilities, and limitations based on their unique character traits
Players are incentivized to build their armies based on which abilities match and character chemistry, for which there’s a boost
Online Battles typically occur at all 3 Levels
Players can choose to compete in any Level
Players can simulate Level’s 1 and 2; their online stats determine their level of success
Multi-player modes:
Singular match (described above),
Tournament (players can watch each other’s matches)
Grandmaster Mode (up to 4 players in free-for-all)
Do you think modern servers could handle more than 4 players on a singular map? What game mechanics should we consider to make this feasible?
Pause feature:
Online players have the option to pause games. “Match Pause Request” and pausing player can select up to 15 min (anything past that is a forfeit or penalty). “Match Intermission” allows players to agree to return to a saved match
How feasible is the “Match Intermission” feature? Do you think people would be able to compromise enough to follow through? Should there be a reward system for sportsmanship?
Customizable Clans:
Create Marked characters with unique combos of ~Cards~ and appearances. Customize Grand-General and Knights. Choose and customize template for Pawns. Compete in ~Pools~ comprised of players on a map competing for the title of Grandmaster. Those who lose have 3 options:
~The Pits~ are where Multi-Marked tournaments akin to Absolver fights occur. Think the Gulag meets Tekken. Winner earns their title of Grand-General for one more chance while loser must follow other 2 options
Quit, thereby relegating their created Marked to an NPC Knight of the winner
Should the defeated lose access to their Customized Character? If that character becomes a Knight then you can no longer play as that character. This could really raise the stakes. What’re your thoughts?
Play as a Knight, but how?