This is a idea for a JRPG. The only thing I have fully planned are several organizations and the ending. The battle system and Cel Shaded graphics are heavily based on those of the Tales Series (I really hope that I will become wealthy enough to become an Promoted Fanboy and make this into an offical Tales game)In the world of Tero, people rely on aether for their everyday lives. The world is split between the MagitekClock PunkAnorev Kingdom and the Steam PunkRutledge Republic. Day after day, the threat of war between these two powers grows...Meanwhile in a small town somewhere in the Anorev Kingdom, a mercenary named Cielo Kersey is passing through the town (after intervening in a situation involving a noble) when she notices a young woman named Diana Zangan being hasseled by some corrupt knights who accuse her of being the Classy Cat Burglar "Rogue Ruby". Cielo steps in and a fight ensues and Diana reveals her Action Girl skills by also joining in. They defeat the knights, Diana thanks him, and she leaves, but Cielo suspects something and follows her. He discovers that Diana is "Rogue Ruby" and they are attacked by a group of hitmen. They defeat the hitmen and Cielo interrogates the leader. Things escalate from there into a epic tale of justice, adventure, and war.The first part of the story will look like a typical “La Résistance fights to overthrow The Empire” Cliché Storm plot, but will get muchmore interesting as the game/story goes on.With all the Loads and Loads of Characters and tropes, I might make this into an manga/anime/tv series instead...
Black Comedy Burst: Overall, I'm aiming for a T-rated anime vibe, but dark humor occasionally pops up here and there. Most of the bursts are provided by Cielo. For example:
Diana: (Looking theough some newspapers) Hey guys. this article mentions something called the "Hobo Brigade". Does anyone know more about them?
Adrian: During the Galay War the Chancellor at the time tried to kill two birds with one stone by gathering all the homeless people in Neo-Rutledge and drafting them into their own brigade.
Blood Knight: Many of the characters, especially Cielo. In fact, a major theme is that most (if not all) humans secretly desire conflict and violence.
Blown Across the Room: The effect of the "Give Em Both Barrels" and "Magnum Aim" abilities on enemies. This also makes a useful counter to a Suicide Attack.
Bomb Throwing Anarchists: C.R.U.S.H.'s political ideology is a cross between this and Dirty Communists. InfernalEchelon is this in that he only wants to provoke a war between the two superpowers and cause chaos and destruction along the way.
Minor detail, but there was also the "Liberty Party" political party which was a peaceful subversion of this until they broke up and the bomb-throwing radicals joined C.R.U.S.H.
Bread and Circuses: The previous Anorev royal family used to have a benevolent version in which free government-funded circuses traveled the Anorev Kingdom and were run by the Gypsy people. When King Iago took over, he suspended these circuses and starting hunting down the gypsies at the request and backing of the Toiracsi Church. The only thing left of this policy is the battle arena in the Capital City in which the admittence is free and free loaves of bread are thrown out. Xion Enterprises also did this during Senator and Chancellor elections to support a candidate they backed.
Crapsaccharine World: While the Cel Shaded graphics will give tha game an anime look, it is a violent and rather dark world with Mega Corps, revolutionary terrorists, and a Corrupt Church-influenced Empire. Of special note is the company town at the Xion Mines. While the architecture and landscaping are beautiful, the rules are oppresively strict.
Deadly Decadent Court: The Noble Council of the Anorev Kingdom are so corrupt that the only reason they haven't taken the throne is because the King frequently plays the noble families against each other. They get hit by Laser-Guided Karma when they flee to Namikawa after the party overthrows the Evil Overlord. They are defeated, captured, given a fair trial for treason, corruption, and other crimes and almost all of them are sentenced to death or long prison terms. Interestingly, the board of directors for Xion Enterprises is alot like this trope.
Dirty Communists: C.R.U.S.H.'s political ideology is a cross between this and Bomb Throwing Anarchists. They frequently mention "social harmony" and "liberation of the common man" and list religion, business, and governments among their targets. The Collective Party is a subversion for they are a moderate Socialist-style political party and denounce the actions of C.R.U.S.H. (which is partially made up of radical Collective Party members who view the rest of the political party as "too soft").
Does This Remind You of Anything?: After Venia Debs is exposed as the leader and founder of C.R.U.S.H., the Preparation Party urges the Rutledge Republic to start arresting members of the Collective Party (which he founded and used to lead) out of suspision of collaberation between C.R.U.S.H. and the Collective Party. Hmmmm...
For the really dense: Preparation Party=Republican Party, Collective Party=Socialists/Communists, C.R.U.S.H.=anarchist terrorists, and the above mentioned event is both Red Scares.
Dysfunction Junction: It is revealed that the Badass Crew Omega Berets were this, consisting of a Cold Sniper, a Stepford Smiler, a Colonel Kilgore, and other messed-up people. Cielo even describes them as "a collection of the Republic's most elite sociopaths. I had never felt so at home."
Earn Your Happy Ending: Playing the game on the unlockable New Game Plus difficulty will result in a happy ending in which Cielo lives and hooks up with Diana.
The Empire: The Anorev Kingdom which eventually starts calling itself the Anorev Empire. Eventually turns back into The Kingdom.
Evil Chancellor: Completely averted in that the Chancellor and Vice Chancellor are merely the titles for the leader and vice leader of the Rutledge Republic and even then the Chancellor is a weak-willed Head in the Sand Management and the Vice Chancellor is a Boisterous BruiserReasonable Authority Figure. Subverted in the case of the Archpatriarch of the Toiracsi Church who advises the king of the Anorev Kingdom, but is loyal to him. Double Subverted in that the king is evil and is plotting with the Archpatriarch to conquer the Rutledge Republic. A subtle version of this is Adrian who mentions he used to be a shrink and three of his patients were the Chairman of a Mega Corp, the Archpatriarch of the Corrupt Church, and the leader of C.R.U.S.H.
Zachary: Acquire the blueprints for the "Ancient Machines" and use them to help Arcturus conquer the world and rule it under the Church's influence.
Akito Ogawa: Manipulate Lezareno Xion and Zachary into helping her acquire the ancient machines, usurp control of the Anorev Kingdom from Arcturus, conquer the world, and rule it with strict Legalism.
LezarenoXion: Cause a world war in which the Rutledge Republic will win (with the backing of Xion Enterprises) and then create a monopoly of the world economy under his Mega Corp.
DonatelloDiCosta: Playing Both Sides in the Xion Enterprises/Federation of Workers labor dispute and use the party to keep an eye on his Capos.
Adrian Pazar: Pull off a massive Genghis Gambit/Zero Approval Gambit in order to unite the world against himself creating a state of "peace through endless war."
False Flag Operation: C.R.U.S.H. has this as one of their tactics. Xion Enterprises also plotted to have the DiCosta Syndicate sabotage a Rutledge Republic battleship so it will explode in Anorev Kingdom waters with the Vice Chancellor, Teodor, aboard. This would get rid of Teodor (a Reasonable Authority Figure who is a threat to them) and provide propaganda for their media division.
It is mentioned that there is a "Rules of War" treaty that among other things specifically banned the "Drum SMG" (based on the Thompson M1928) for having too much firepower (Cielo, being a Military Maverick caried one anyway during the Galay War anyway.)
The Federation: The Rutledge Republic. In fact the Rutledge Republic acts more like a confederation than a true republic (the Rutledge Republic consists of a union/alliance of several independent city-states overseen by a Senate which is made up of representatives from each city-state). Eventually becomes The Republic.
The Fellowship Has Ended: At the end of the game the party goes it separate ways as Diana is the ruler of the Anorev Kingdom, Rafael is the Commandant of the Anorev Knights, Hospitaller is the Archpatriarch of the Toiracsi Church, Teodor is the Chancellor of the Rutledge Republic, Wade is the new head of the Collective Party and is running for Chancellor, and Adrian is now a part of the World Tree. As for Cielo...
Normal Ending: Cielo is still dead, but Her Heart Will Go On as Diana marries Rafael and they have a daughter (named Madeline after the deceased Rebel Leader) together and Cielo is remembered as a legendary hero and saviour. The party goes to Kratos and visits the World Tree and discover a surviving albino Super Soldier clone who looks like Cielo and is the same age as Madeline after the boy saves Madeline. Diana names the boy Cielo Jr. and he immediately hits it off with Madeline.
Fictional Political Party: Being a republic the Rutledge Republic has 5 major political parties ("major" meaning they have seats in the Republican Senate), each with a color and a animal symbol:
Big Bad - Lezareno Xion. Founder, owner, and chairman of the Mega Corp.
The Dragon - Frick Pullman. The Director of the Industry Division. He doesn't do any fighting, but he is the right hand man to Lezareno and oversees general operations.
The Brute - Allan Baldwin. The founder and commander of the Blackwater Detective Agency.
The Dark Chick - Anna Rupert. The Director of the Media Division. She is vain, superficial, and a Manipulative Bitch.
Sixth Ranger Traitor: Henry Wayne. The Director of the Social Division. he is The Good Chancellor and eventually leaves Xion Enterprises when they try to stage a coup against the Republic.
The Force/ Green Rocks / Minovsky Physics: Aether, the seventh element. It exsists as small particles in the air that some people can sense and channel through their bodies to cast spells. Aether can also be collected and used to enhance the abilities of objects such as coal (which explains the Steam Punk tech) or medicine.
Fun with Acronyms: One of the major villain organizations is named the Commoner's Revolutionary Union for Social Harmony. The republic's intelligence agency is named the Preparation Agency fo Tactical Response, Intelligence, and Other Tactics.
If you really want to know: Duke is plotting with Jade Faction against Arcturus, but Arcturus already knew this and used Duke’s treachery to further Zachary’sXanatos Gambit to destroy Jade Faction. InfernalEchelon is working with Zachary, Lezareno Xion, and Venia Debs, but has his own agenda and is manipulating them and pretty much EVRYONE else. Lezareno Xion works with Infernal Echelon and takes advantage of the actions of C.R.U.S.H., the Federation of Workers, the DiCosta Syndicate, the Rutledge Republic government, and even his own Directors in order to further his own profit-oriented ends, all while never leaving his penthouse office/home. Akito is a member of the Big Bad Duumvirate with Arcturus and Zachary and has business deals with Lezareno Xion, but is manipulating all three for her own ends. Donatello DiCosta is manipulating the party in order to keep an eye on his Capos and is working with the Federation of Workers and Xion Enterprises, but is actually being manipulated by the latter and Infernal Echelon and is quickly Out Gambitted (let's not even get started on what his Capos were up to). Ultimately Adrian turns out to have the Last Plan Standing as he turns out to be Infernal Echelon’s boss and has been manipulating the party towards his own ends and already manipulated Zachary, Lezareno Xion, and Venia Debs long before the events of the story via implanting an idea for a world war in all three of their heads. As Wade lampshades:
"So he was manipulating him, but him already knew so him used he against her, but she was plotting against both of them so he, she, they, it... My brain!!!"
"Get Out of Jail Free" Card: When Teodor becomes Chancellor, he pardons all the Collective Party members unjustly imprisoned in the event mentioned in Does This Remind You of Anything? above. Also over the course of the game the party is wanted in the Anorev Kingdom from crimes ranging from assault to treason. When Diana becomes the Princess of the Anorev Kingdom, she pardons herself and the party.
Ghost Town: The "city-state" of Burleson in the Rutledge Republic. It was a small town that had a heavy Xion Enterprises presence. When the town went on strike, Xion Enterprises shut down its businesses there and moved. This caused Burleson to become a Dying Town, then a Wretched Hive, and then a Ghost Town when it was razed in the Galay War. It is revealed to be the headquarters of C.R.U.S.H. who's leader encouraged, organized, and led the strike and blames himself for the town's ruin.
Great Offscreen War: The Galay War was a major two-year war on the continent of Galay between the Rutledge Republic and the Quracistan Dominion and it is mentioned several times and even has an occasional flashback. Even more offscreen are the Rutledge-Gevanni War (fought between the Rutledge Republic and the oligarchy republic city-state of Gevanni) and the Rodina War (a war of conquest fought by the Anorev Kingdom against Namikawa).
Guns Are Worthless: Played with. One of their main advantages is infinite reloads and the ability to very temporaily "stun" non-blockers (and the shotgun's ability to knock people down). For gameplay purposes though, guns cause a low amount of damage, need to be reloaded (not to mention you need to stand still while reloading), can be blocked, and could jam (unless the gun is a Sawed Off Shotgun or a revolver).
Hate Plague: The "Chaotic Fury" spell gives enemies a boost in attack power, but also causes them to ignore the party and attack each other. When the spell wears off, remaining enemies will go into a brief Villainous BSOD as they realize what they did. The Toiracsi Church banned the use of this spell because too many criminals were claiming that they were under the influence of the spell, but Cielo mentions that this is one of his favorite spells.
Hollywood Tactics: I'm trying to avert this, but if I do have to resort to this in order to continue the plot it will be lampshaded by Adrian who will point out the flaws in the tactic.
The Horde: Adrian creates the "Eternal Horde" as an army of Super Soldiers to plunge the world into a state of "peace through endless war"
Just Like Robin Hood: Diana does this as Classy Cat Burglar, "Rogue Ruby", robbing the Anorev nobility and giving most of the wealth to the peasants (she keeps a small bit for herself). Jade Faction also does this occasionally. C.R.U.S.H. likes to believe that they're this, but they're more "rob and bomb the businessmen and give the money to ourselves".
Law Enforcement, Inc.: The Blackwater Detective Agency, the de facto private military of Xion Enterprises. The "Reconstruction Bureau" is also operated by the Mega Corp
The Mafia: The DiCosta Syndicate that runs Gevanni. Given a sympathetic twist when it is revealed that they used to be La Résistance, but after overthrowing the corrupt ruler they couldn't blend back into society and thus became a criminal organization. They are later revealed to be The Syndicate as they have a presense in NewFete and Saladin as well and the Golden Lotus Tong is one of their branches.
Mega Corp: Xion Enterprises is a Type 1, a conglomerate that is the main producer of Steam Punk technology that holds much influence in the Rutledge Republic and has its own armed security force. There's also the smaller Ogawa Zaibatsu of Namikawa.
Minovsky Physics: Aether has clearely defined limits and rules and is even studied like a science.
More Dakka: The "Barrage" ability that is only avilable to firearms users will make any firearm fire five times it's normal ammo count in a automatic stream. However, the gun must be full, only one target can be hit at a time, it increases the chances of a jam after its use, and it is mentioned in a skit that it has a lot of recoil.
During the battle between the Anorev Empire and the Rutledge Republic the Empire's vast numbers are balanced out by the Republic's firearms. Arcturus planned on this and had a Human Resources-fueled Superweapon Surprise in store.
No Man of Woman Born: A prophecy states that a virgin with"Sacred Blood"will need to be sacrificed to revive Ashvastha. When Diana is revealed to be both a princess and a virgin, she is about to sacrifice herself when the rest of the party stops her in time. When it is pointed out that someone needs to be sacrificed, Cielo does it instead. He meets the qualifications due to the fact that he is a virgin and he received a blood transfusion from Diana after Taking the Bullet for her in an earlier arc.
Obstructive Bureaucrat: The Rutledge Republic is seemingly staffed with these. Of special note is the "Reconstruction Bureau" which is supposed to be a Rutledge Republic agency dedicated to reconstructing Quracistan, but it's really just occupation forces under the control of Xion Enterpises and its head is a Capo in the DiCosta Syndicate.
Olive Garden: Gevanni, a city built on an archpelgo in the middle of a major river that is run by The Mafia.
One-Hit Kill: The "Grapple Kills" that can only be performed on stunned human enemies. Trying ot perform these on a boss will result in a unblockable "Grapple Counter".
Orcus on His Throne: When the party goes to the Rutledge Republic, the Anorev Kingdom conveniently doesn't cause any trouble until they get back. Justified because reading the optional newspapers will reveal that C.R.U.S.H. has embarked on a terrorist bombing campaign throughout the Anorev Kingdom and the Kingdom has its hands full dealing with it.
Peace Conference: The party;s main goal is to set one up so they can prevent the war between the Anorev Kingdom and the Rutledge Republic it is also part of the antagonist'sEvil Plan / Genghis Gambit to attack the Peace Conference and get the world to unite against himself.
Playable Epilogue: Beating the game on the unlockable Harder Than Hard difficulty will unlock a playable epilgoue where Diana goes around the world regathering the members of the party after being told in a dream that Cielo is still alive.
Point of No Return: Temporary version. After Jade Faction is destroyed the party can't go back to the Anorev Kingdom until later in the game.
Power of Love: Justified. It is mentioned that aether responds strongly to the combination of strong emotion and hormones that comes from love.
Pretext For War: Xion Enterprises is trying to provide one because of War for Fun and Profit, the Anorev Kingdom wants to go to war so they can Take Over the World, but wants the Toiracsi Church to prepare a heroic sounding excuse first, and C.R.U.S.H. just wants for both superpowers to go to war. It is revealed that the Chairman of Xion Enterprises, the leader of C.R.U.S.H., and the Archpatriarch of the Toiracsi Church had the idea for this war implanted by their mutual shrink, Adrian.
Romani: The gypsy people are in this game in the form of a Fantasy Counterpart Culture. They have a negative reputation as depraved thieving con artists, but they are actually colorful fun-loving tricksters. They used to run the free traveling circuses for the Anorev royal family, but the gypsies are now in hiding because the Toiracsi Church has encouraged and backed persecution of them. Many of them have taken refuge in the Rutledge Republic or joined Jade Faction.
Shifting Sand Land: Quracistan is a large desert that makes up the southern part of the Rultedge Republic. East Quracistan is Qurac while West Quracistan is Spexico.
Shotguns Are Just Better: As noted above in Guns Are Worthless, shotguns tend to inflict more damage than other firearms, can knock people down with a direct unblocked hit, and the Sawed Off Shotgun never jams, but they have short range, the slowest rate of fire, and the longest reloads.
Show Within a Show: The party will occasionally be able to go to a movie theater in the town/city they are currently in and watch a trailer-style movie a la Stuntman: Ignition.
Shur Fine Guns: Averted in that any firearm that isn't a Sawed Off Shotgun or a revolver could jam, but that just means you won't be able to use your firearm until a certain amount of time passes.
Mook: "I only joined C.R.U.S.H. because they have free dental!"
Cielo: "So I guess you won't mind if I do this then." (Knocks some of the mook's teeth out)
On a more serious note, C.R.U.S.H. is able to provide medical benefits to its members because they have a bunch of altruistic doctors working for them. The Blackwater Detective Agency also has medical benefits for its members and their families.
Springtime for Hitler: In one sidequest, the party comes across some producers who are trying to pull a scheme that involves intentionally releasing a flop play so they can profit off it. To ensure that the play is a flop, they choose a Cliché Storm script, cast Rafael as the hero, make Wade the narrator, allow Adrian to make some Viewers Are Geniuses changes to the script, put Cielo in charge of special effects, and cast Diana as the villain just for the hell of it. The play ultimatly turns out a large success since Rafael's Hot Blooded nature makes him into a enjoyable Large Ham, Wade's Genre SavvyBreaking the Fourth Wall makes him an interestingly eccentric narrator, Adrian's revisions turn the Cliché Storm script into a intriguing Deconstructor Fleet, Cielo makes Everything Is Better With Explosions, and Diana turns out to be a great, sexy, and intelligent villain.
Spy Fiction: When Cielo talks about his time as a "glove" (assassin) for P.A.T.R.I.O.T. it sounds like Stale Beer while he makes several deconstructiveTake Thats toward the Martini tropes.
Steampunk: The Rutledge Republic's main technology, courtisy of Xion Enterprises
Strawman News Media: Type I in the case of the Mega Corp-owned media in the Rutledge Republic and Type II in the case of The Government-controlled media in The Anorev Kingdom. Whenever you look at a newspaper for tips on where to go next, the headline and front cover story will often be a biased vilication of the party's actions.
Suicide Attack: Some of the more fanatical/deranged enemies such as the Samurai or C.R.U.S.H. Bomber, respectively, will sometimes try to attack a character with a suicide attack that involves lighting a stick of dynamite in each hand and charging at a character.
Super Soldier: The grand plan of the Big Bad is to create an army of these via Designer Babies born from Uterine Replicator to plunge the world into "peace through eternal war". Cielo and Gideon are both prototypes of this.
There's also a Take That to the infamous hunt for the Ymir fruit from Tales Of Symphonia. The party is going through a forest when a child blocking their way needs to get a special fruit to make the medicine needed to heal her sick mother. When the group goes over to the fruit, Wade bemoans that they will need to solve an unnessasarily convoluted puzzle, but Cielo simply shoots the fruit off the branch and cathes it.
There Are No Therapists: Enforced and lampshaded by the fact that "Therapist" is a very rare job in this world.
There Are Three Types Of People: The analogy for this game is sheep (normal people), wolves (evildoers who prey on the "sheep"), and dogs (guardians who protect the "sheep" from the "wolves"). Cielo identifies himself as a "cannibal wolf" (as vicious and brutal as any "wolf" and doesn't get along with "dogs", but won't harm "sheep").
Timeskip: After Diana becomes the new ruler of the Anorev Kingdom and confirms her position be defeating Akito and CharlesGodwin there is a month long time skip to the Peace Conference. During the timeskip, the building where the Peace Conference is to take place in is constructed and the Anorev Kingdom's last mass execution takes place after the corrupt nobles are given a fair trial and many of them are sentenced to death.
Vestigial Empire: The Cajamarca Empire. A great earthquake caused it's capital to rise in the air and during a debate over security versus freedom, whatever was left split in two to form the Anorev Kingdom and the Rutledge Republic. Is also Ancient Grome with a dash of Mayincatec. There is also the Quracistan Dominion which was a powerful federation of the city-states of Quracistan that was conquered and dismantled after it lost the Galay War to the Rutledge Republic.
Viewers Are Geniuses: I'm trying not to make the game too complicated, but it is more intelligent than most Tales of games as one of the countries is a republic complete with its own political parties, revanchism and labor are major themes, and all the members of the Big Bad Ensemble are Chessmasters.
War Arc: The overall plot is the prevent a war between the two superpowers, but the party also involves itself in many regional conflicts that often have something to do with the beforementioned overall plot.
War for Fun and Profit: Xion Enterprises tries to goad the Rutledge Republic into going to war with the Anorev Kingdom for this reason. This is also the goal of C.R.U.S.H. and Infernal Echelon.
World Tree: Ashvastha, named after the sacred Hindu tree. It is also the world's only producer of Aether and it needs a Virgin Sacrifice to sustain it.
Xanatos Gambit: Frequently pops up. For example: King Iago pulls one off with Zachary's help when it is revealed that the Sword of Oblivion was just a plot by them to make Jade Faction waste their resources looking for the pieces of the Lost Superweapon. Even if La Résistance succeeds in gathering all the pieces of the Dismantled MacGuffin, the Lost Superweapon is really a Tracking Device that will allow the Anorev Kingdom to locate Jade Faction's hidden underground headquarters.
InfernalEchleon is pretty good at using these. After every boss battle with him, it is almost always revealed that he was merely delaying the party while his true goal is being achived. One example is when the party hears about Xion Enterprises paying the DiCosta Syndicate to blow up a Rutledge Republic battleship as part of a False Flag Operation. The party foils the plot, but the DiCosta Syndicate is attacked all over Galay by C.R.U.S.H. When the party battles with Infernal Echelon (who is working with the chairman of Xion Enterprises and the leader of C.R.U.S.H.), he reveals that while the party was focused on preventing the Mega Corp's plot, C.R.U.S.H. was free to get into position without any real hinderence and the riots resulting from the fighting between C.R.U.S.H. and the DiCosta Syndicate will weaken the Republic making the Anorev Kingdom more likely to invade. Either way Infernal Echelon increased the chances of a world war.
You Cannot Kill an Idea: The leaders of C.R.U.S.H. and Jade Faction both believe this and mention this line. It is also revealed that Adrian subconciously planted the idea for a world war in Lezareno Xion, Zachary, and Venia Debs long before the events of the story.
Zeppelins from Another World: They even have "skyports" which is basically a skyscrapers that also serves as a mall, an airport for airships, and an apartment building.
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