Hey everyone….so here’s the deal.  I’m a backer of this kickstarter project called the OUYA (http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/ouya/ouya-a-new-kind-of-video-game-console).  I am going to be using this new console to create my own video game and I would greatly appreciate any help that any of you would like to give.  We’ll get into that here shortly.

The Game:  It’s going to be an RPG.  A throwback to the classic days.  I’m drawing from all the great RPGs I’ve played and trying to create a mashup of the best parts and mechanics of those games.  As of right now, it’s going to be a 16-bit game (a la SNES style, but that can change when I get my hands on the console and look at the dev kit).  It’s still a toss up between a tactical rpg and a straight up turn based rpg.  There’s still a lot of planning and a ton of time to do everything (there’s not a time constraint or anything like that).  My goal is for this sucker to be epic.  Huge.  Massive.  I’m talking 40+ hours of gameplay.  A real game.  Not some hastily thrown together indie game that only last 2 hours.  I want substance.  Deep character relationships and personalities.  Everything people want in an awesome role playing game.

What We’ve Got So Far:  I have a guy who will do the art and a composer for music.  Obviously I will take the lead on coding this sucker (although I could GREATLY use some help with this if anybody is willing and able) and will also be the head writer.  However, I could really use some help in not only the overall story arc, but with conversations and character development.  What this means is that ultimately the decisions about the story fall to me, but I am completely open to any and all suggestions.  I have a somewhat general idea of where I want the story to go, but if you have an idea then go ahead and pitch it to me.  If it sounds cool or whatever then we can work it in.  Also, I want sidequests.  Easter eggs, hidden stuff, cool shit like that.

Compensation:  Ok…listen…I can’t guarantee that anybody (myself included) will get any form of monetary reward from this endeavor.  If everybody involved does an amazing job and this sucker takes off in the OUYA marketplace then yes, I will kick back money to everyone who helped.  OUYA does take 30% for themselves.  That ok.  That leaves 70% for us.  I don’t know how much each person gets.  I’ll figure that out later.  All I can promise is that if you choose to help, your name will appear in the credits at the very least.  You will be recognized for your hard work.

The Characters:  There’s 6 of them.  I and my artist felt that was the perfect amount.  Each of them will be in combat and be useful.  I’m tired of characters in games that are just bad and you never use them because you can only have so many people and other characters just have better utility (I’m looking at you Selphie from Final Fantasy 8….).  As of right now there are no names for the characters.  I’ll talk about that after this.

Squire – Main guy.  He will grow into knighthood and then something beyond that later in the story.  Driven by honor, duty, the need to help and defend people.  Slightly naive, but good hearted.

Thief – Main girl.  The love interest to the squire.  Not really sure about anything other than that.  But that’s why I want your help!! 

Sniper/archer – male.  Cocky womanizer.  Knows he is the best and isn’t afraid to remind people about it.

Tank – male, paladin-escue.  Will dual wield shields.  It’s a crazy concept I know, but It has it’s uses.  Trust me.  got some cool ideas.  Will have damage mitigation, some form of light/medium heals, can taunt enemies.  Maybe some group defensive buffs.

White/black mage – Half man, half woman, two different personalities.  One will be slightly psychotic (black mage), the other tranquil (white).  I don’t know which half is male and which is female in terms of personality.  This will be discussed. The character’s personality can change on a whim.  One second it’s the white, the next it’s the black.  Intended to be the comic relief.  I want this character to be throwing fireballs for no reason.  like “OMFG I HEARD A NOISE!!!  *FIREBALL*”  and it was just a squirrel.  Stuff like that.

Tai Chi fighter – female.  A monk like class that focuses on fighting with fists, but some kind of knuckle weapon.  Calm and collected.  The voice of reason for the group.  Prefers to have a plan and uses logic to overcome obstacles.

How I Want the Writing Process to Work:  I would like to have a different person writing for each individual character listed above.  This will allow each one to have a genuine personality.  Assuming enough of you want to help out, I would like to play out the scenes that take place in a thread where everyone has (almost) complete control over the actions of their character.  This will mostly be for dialogue purposes, but feel free to perform actions as well.  I don’t want to anybody to feel rushed or pressured, but if you do decide to help then I would appreciate it if you try to respond to the threads as quickly as you can so we can get on to other scenes.

So ya….that’s about it for now.  You people are some of the best writers I know and you all clearly appreciate a good fantasy story so I figured some of you might be interested.  If you have any questions, concerns, suggestions, anything…then don’t hesitate to message me or reply to the post or email me at timjmason1987@gmail.com.  Or just add me on facebook https://www.facebook.com/AmanAmongPenguins

Edit:  I’m SUPER hesitant to bring this up, but here it is.  I’m in this thing for $699.  I have no qualms paying that much myself for the Developer Special package.  HOWEVER, it would be awesome if people could pitch in so that we could get the next package up, the Elite Developer Special.  This would get us access to OUYA’s special hotline if/when I need help, and some other stuff.  It’s not necessary to get that $1337 package, but if we could it would make this thing quite a bit easier.  If you want to pitch in then let me know and we’ll work something out probably through paypal.

Edit2:  Be sure to send me a friend request and leave a message on the post saying you’re interested so that I can invite you to the Disgruntled Management Studios group where we will discuss everything.  Once you’re in the group, be sure to regularly check http://gameofthronesrp.com/groups/disgruntled-management-studios/ as i will keep it updated as much as possible.