The NSM RPG

[Zunawe]

*see Dragon Quest IX*

I know. My favorite RPG so far. I don't mean exactly like it, but something similar. Nontraditional.

[K-NiGhT]

I know how to work around it, then.

[K-NiGhT]

NSM RPG Quick Summary Revised

The year is 3000 AD, and humanity has taken its advances with technology too far. Even simple handguns have enough power to destroy a small building with a single shot. The gods have noticed this drastic change in technology and have finally resolved to stop it. With all their godly powers, they destroy all human guns. Amidst the gods' celebration, the seeds of betrayal have been sown. One god, the king in particular, has become the target of much envy and jealousy from the other gods. He is attacked and cast out of heaven. When the other gods believe him to be dead, they band together and reshape the world in their own image, throwing humanity's advances down the drain. Meanwhile, the king of gods wakes up in a small town, having lost all of his powers. He meets a young man named Syris, who tells him that the other seven gods have descended to Earth and created temples so they could watch the humans more closely. Driven by vengeance and the desire to regain his powers, the god king sets off with Syris to kill his betrayers.

[Zunawe]

So, it looks like it could be either mideval, futuristic, or mixed. The weapons could have been completely destroyed sending humans back to the stone ages, or they could have just been scattered, or both. Jussayin. Depends on what everybody else thinks.

I like it. Good backstory, nice explanation for the dungeons, and an almost Koopaling-like boss system. Each boss would have unique properties, but still be connected.

Also, were you thinking of making Syris a guidance character, or a party member?

[K-NiGhT]

More than likely a party character. Also the weapons will have been completely destroyed, and humans would have to make do with swords and bows and the like. Also, there can be a mic of futuristic and midieval. I still like the idea of splitting the world in half.

[MaestroUGC]

The number seven pops up all the time in video games, what kind of significance will you give it?

Also, the ages aren't dictated by weapons, but by the technology used to make them. Just because guns are destroyed doesn't mean we lose the use of electricity or whatever power source they used; unless they destroy the technology behind them (which would mean eliminating the knowledge, more so than the actual tools and devices).

As for the seven gods, why not model them after the seven deadly sins? If you are going a moderately spiritual route anyway, you can have each one be representative of a different sin. The King needs to have a rival who was cast out long ago and is manipulating the gods who were originally far more benevolent (heavenly virtues) in order to get revenge on the King.

If you want to keep the world splitting in have, have to world be the villain's prison, and he escaped. The world shattered into seven parts, with the eight and ninths areas being heaven and hell.

[K-NiGhT]

You and your logic...

But you're right. How would you do it? How would you make a futuristic game without guns?

[MaestroUGC]

Our own modern guns aren't electronic, so you would either need to remove the physics (they are gods, but that's lazy storytelling) of the knowledge (which is highly amoral, but more in line with the story). The best option is to trigger a near apocalypse they destroys the society's main source of power, and they don't have a back-up. No means for nuclear as a quick fix, fossil fuels are gone, solar, wind, geothermal won't work because of shattered earth (rotation has gone to hell), therefor no power.

The Villain was playing the gods for millenia until he got the perfect opportunity to use them to trigger his release.

[K-NiGhT]

You are so smart. omg. You need to be on the story team

[MaestroUGC]

Only if you'll have me, you have to realize that most audiences now are very cynical and will point out any gaps or major leaps in logic that serve only to keep the plot moving (why didn't the hero just step to the side, why did he feel the need to stop the car with his body?).

Before you write a story, you need to establish the universe it takes place in (relevent history, rules, exceptions, etc.) so you don't contradict yourself halfway into the plot.

[K-NiGhT]

I definately think we should have you on the story team. Here's what I'm thinking.

I've come up with the main idea for the story, SFK and Ragster can come up with more intricate plot points, and Maestro can make sure there aren't any contradictions or establish the universe the story takes place in. I can also work on town designs, landmarks, etc.

[Zunawe]

Maestro added to Writers.

That sounds fine to me. As long as nobody has any huge objections to the story.

[SuperFireKirby]

I like it. For a universe, as Maestro was saying, we have 1000 years to fill in. Unless this takes place in the future of an alternate reality in which history from Time's Beginning - 2012 was much different. The reason I say this is because the God's are obviously much more involved with this universe than they had ever been in this one. So if this is the future of our universe, they need to be awoken or created or something of the sort some time in the 1000 years between now and then.

I absolutely love Maestro's idea for the 7 Deadly Sins being the 7 Gods. But what would that make the King god? And why would Gods of sin ever had been allowed to rule by this one. What you could do is make our protagonist an anti-hero, make him Wrath(to fall in line with the revenge plot), and narrow it down to 6 gods he must kill(the 6 other Deadly Sins). That way it's not 7 evil gods who had been ruled by one good god, which doesn't make much sense. It's just seven evil gods who have ruled over humanity since The Awakening(slap this one on the timeline). Or you could make them lesser gods(AKA Angels) who have fallen into darkness and therefore become the 7 evils.

Just some thoughts.

[DryLuigi]

This is a very interesting concept, but we would have to be careful to distinguish it enough from other games with similar themes and give it our unique spin. For example, (although I only have passing knowledge of these games and have never played them) the fallen God out for revenge is similar to Darksiders, and the killing of Gods is reminiscent of God of War.

Granted these are only vague resemblances, and I'm sure with this talented writing team we'll get a pretty clever story. These are my two cents, feel free to disregard them.

[MaestroUGC]

Ok here's a brief history:

Let's base this off of a world like our own, but not ours exactly (this gives us some liberties with some odd chronology, technology, geography, etc.)

1000 BG (Before Game) - Around the Industrial Revolution, electricity becomes for more common, with technology growing more sophisticated. People begin questioning the existence of Gods since they haven't interfered with Human matters since antiquity (old mythology). The reason: last time they did they almost wiped out the human race (something akin to the Black Plague mixed with the Great Flood).

900 BG - 500 BG - This world developed much like our own, technology, wars, societies. We can fill in these blanks later for the sake of lore.

Around 400BG - The creation of a new source of power, the Villain sees this as his chance to plan his escape.

Things progess naturally until they get to the game's start.

The Gods are based around the Seven Heavenly Virtues, they've been guiding Humans since their creation so they don't kill themselves. Each of these Gods will have various powers associated with their Virtue and can be used for both good and evil. The King of Gods, the most powerful of them all, keeps them all in check and is the keeper of both time, space, and knowledge.

The Villain is the original being, the first thing to ever exist. He created everything in the universe, but he was not omnipotent, he needed help to govern his new universe. When he created Man, he saw them as entertainment; he enjoyed watching these different tribes engage in wars, often pitting them against each other himself. The King didn't like this, so he rallied the other Gods and overthrew the Villain. He was imprisoned within the Earth itself, waiting until he could rise again.

He was the source of most of the major natural disasters throughout history, and his dark influence still roams free...

At the game's start, Man is about to destroy himself, again, so the Gods see fit to step in for the first time in thousands of years. The Villain, using his influence over the Seven Virtues, manipulated each of them to trigger his freedom. Freed from his prison, he set out to reclaim his throne, and unleash his unholy vengance on the shattered Earth below.