@Ailius
Spoiler
Essentially you're end result, to me, is similar to what Apple gave me. You just focused on the private military part of it to blow up :p. But I'm not married to my original notes, just that I want my evil corporation and some cause and effect on the smaller gatherings of people who cannot afford the luxury. Both of y'all said go a different route, in your own ways. Whether it's military or mercenaries though is neither here nor there for me. Private protection is nothing new in fantasy settings in whatever form it comes in.
My inspiration with the gas company, is ComStar from the BattleTech universe. Except they control interstellar communications, and, have their own military presence.
That said I edited my plot down to it's first 2/3rds....ish? I'll put it in spoilers so it does not make the thread drag out on scrolling.
:rolleyes: Wouldn't want people on mobile breaking their thumbs! Excuse my poor writing, I'm merely trying to get the idea across. John and Dave are placeholders, I have name's for those characters, and "some" backstory. But some of the other characters I do not have names for. They are character to push the story's needs.
This is pretty much a first draft of my thoughts from while back. You will see how I would like to tie in the gas company. It's a "look at this hand" while my other hand is busy. I do have a full ending for it too. But it's irrelevant to me until I grind out issues with my original thoughts.
Some Characters
Characters of Interest
The Messenger: This is the player’s character. This character has no name, the player will create their own. The Messenger is sent back in time to fix their current present.
John: A playable character that joins The Messengers party first. But leaves before the player meets Dave.
Dave: A playable character that joins The Messengers party second. But then eventually are brought together with John. John and Dave reunite, not having seen each other since the war.
The General: Major NPC.
The Emperor: Major NPC.
The Gas Corporation: A secondary antagonist, the side story to the main story of the Messenger. The Gas Corporation is used to galvanize the relationship between the player, John, and Dave.
Evil Force & The Meta: This is not a fully fleshed out thought. The Evil Force is the primary antagonist that causes some of the monsters to happen in the world. “The Last War” is the war against the Evil Force, the war that John and Dave were apart of, and played their own pivotal moments in.
Plot, if that's even what this is
The Messenger was sent back in time to change the past. The Messenger's present is savaged with conflict after the loss of a long war to an evil military power. But the teleportation to the past came at a cost for The Messenger, it’s a one way trip. The Messenger may never return to their timeline, and will be left to grow old and die in the past.
The teleportation process malfunctions though, and The Messenger gets amnesia. The Messenger cannot remember their purpose and wakes up in an inn, not recalling how he/she got there. This is where the story begins.
The Messenger will run into 2 alternate main characters, John, the aloof military veteran, and Dave, a soldier until the day he dies. These two characters served in the military together, but different units, ranks, and titles. Through battle they became good friends. The Messenger meets them both individually, then all 3 are brought together after a short time. The Messenger goes on a series of adventures to combat The Gas Corporation who have a stranglehold on the planet's natural gas supply.
The General, that John and Dave served under in The Last War. He is a close friend to the Emperor. The two had long been friends since they were children. The Emperor was of royal blood, and The General was of non noble blood, but worked his way through the military's ranks. The General was a master strategist. John and Dave both viewed The General as a father figure. Dave still serves as the General’s right hand. The General is popular among the people, he is a war hero.
An Evil Force from the Meta invades The Generals dream one night. The General is shown an outcome in the future, an outcome where The Emperor, turns mad and has their military begin to slaughter the civilians in the streets. The dream is being manipulated by the evil force, twisting it darker. The dream becomes recurring for the General each night. The General is slowly driven mad, and begins to fall prey to the visions in the dream. He begins having doubts of The Emperor. The General begins plotting a coup against The Emperor, and The General makes a choice that would drive a wedge through the middle of the Empire, as the military and civilians would be forced to take sides. The General executes the coup.
This will cause a divide between John and Dave. John disagrees with The General’s actions, and Dave feels the need to be the loyal soldier to The General. The player will ultimately have to pick a side.
During the adventures against The Gas Corporation, The Messenger slowly regains their memory, and their purpose. But keeps it secret, nobody knows The Messenger is from the future.
The General going mad, is happening in the background while the player party deals with The Gas Corporation. When the adventure is done, the coup begins.
My Additional Thoughts
Aside from issues with that section of the plot I posted, something I'm also having trouble with is a female protagonist. Everything in that plot is pretty much male, one way or the other. And that's boring and not balanced. But my creativity pretty much stalls after I have pulled inspiration from some of my favorite games and alternate universes.
I feel like this is the same road block I have hit for any project I have created, I never have the story that guides my project. I have become pretty handy with MV and learned a lot of it's basics at this point. But MV does not help me write. My goal with my current project is as simple as Dragon Quest, but I still lack the story that's driving the player from location to location. And stops me from making the next map, next event, because in reality, I have no real setting, no world, no story.
No sugar and no Kool-aid!
Please continue picking at things. It's got to get refined somehow!
Again thanks in advance. As always.
Edit: Forgot,
@Ailius I think after reading your question, make what you want to make. Thoughts have been getting recycled for a long time and will continue to be. I think you're overthinking that part. A player still needs to feel some sort of importance. Especially if it's a fantasy setting with orcs and goblins sort of stuff. The Messiah thing let's the payer disconnect from reality and get more into the fantasy setting of the game. I just would not try to focus on avoiding a stereotype so much. But end of the day just make what's fun for you!
The Gas Corporation has monopolized natural gas, and supplies power to the entire planet with it’s massive gas power generators. There are three major Governments, and The Gas Corporation is considered a neutral entity on the planet. But their is a corrupt executive running the gas business. High prices are charged to smaller towns in an attempt to force the populace into the larger cities to become part of a bigger tax collection scheme.