When we tell stories, we need a good conduit, and that conduit is very likely to be a character.
Throughout the week I have been focusing my ideation process of coming up with the very best, central person that can take the stage and be a vehicle for the player to engage with the world. I came to a conclusion that I need to have a character without a name. A person that can be filled by whatever the player wants to achive. Characters personality, choices and opinions should reflect player’s personality, choices and opinions.
On the other hand, I need a character that is not self sufficient. To make sure the gameplay is engaging and makes the player feel the weight of their decisions I have to make them vulnerable in some areas. I feel like the best solution for my gameplay requirements is going to be the use of the trope Five Man Band.
What is the Five Man Band? It is a trope of making the hero character split into more than one, where everybody fills some other requirement of the story. Normally, in the Five Man Band we have: the Hero – the leader, decision maker, the Lancer – a foil for the Hero, the Heart – the emotional centre of the group, the Big Guy – strongest person, the protector, and the Smart Guy – the smartest, wisest person in the group. This trope is used very widely in RPGs and modern media. In my game I will use this generalistaion of character roles in a group but still make the main character – the Hero, the most prominent character. I want to focus on the relationships the Hero will develop with every other member of the group and see how they can influence the relationships bewteen other members too.
The Hero: it is going to be the player character, an ex-scientist who worked on the rocket project and was dumped alongside their family because their “saved” seats on the rocket were taken last minute for some rich person’s family. I want them to be thrust into a position of power and responsibility where poeple flock to them beliving in some sort of salvation – the player would have to strive to make it happen for all of those who trust them, but mainly for their family, who helps them and guides them in this harsh situation.
The Lancer: this will the the child character. To not follow in most media footsteps (where the child is a literal child) I will make the child character an older teenager. I want it to question the player on their every step while being dependant on their choices to some degree. It is a greek chorus, a peer review group of one, harsh reviewer.
The Heart: in my game this role will be filled by the grandma character. She is the only one who remembers the good ol’ time, that were actually not that good. She will be the tether to the world that was, giving some snippets of knowladge of the old ways.
The Big Guy: an uncle who is devoted to making the world a safer place for those who he loves. I want to turn a trope/archetype of a doomsday prepper – that can be portrayed rather unfair in some media, into a wholesome, useful person who actually has a deep, emotional, inner life.
The Smart Guy: person who is still going through despite the fact that the world has treated them poorly. I want this character to represent the overcoming of loss in harsh times and being a quiet but decisive and a mentor – or a person who everyone listens to.
It might be the influence of the media that I am currently consuming but I have thought of making the character a parent. It add some sort of personal stakes for the game. While an adult, single person would not neccesairly handle the weight of the responsibility and dread of the end times, a parent has no choice. It is their role to make the world safer for their children. The love and affection that parents have towards their children can be a strong conduit for action. Children can be a cause to fight for. And they might be such cause for my gameplay and the player experince.
I have decided to add the whole family, to make the inner core of the game to be a family-run survivor camp that will use some heartwarming banter but also difficult and emotional decisions. I think it will be easier to make sure the player cares about the characters, if the characters already care for each other.
That means I need to find some media that portrays such dynamics – from the top of my head it would be Netflix’s Lost in Space but also I can try to use Addam’s Family movies and Spy Kids? We shall see.