The Campaign Builder's Guild

GRIMDARK GLADIATORS
In the grim darkness of the far future there is only war... STREAMED TO YOU LIVE 24/7!

This is the Grimdark Gladiators game thread. It is used for in-character events: managers talking trash, scheduling, gladiators showing off, and, of course, for the results of actual gladiatorial events.

An introduction to the game and current gladiator rosters are found in the Intro/Rules/Rosters.
Everything else goes in the Discussion Thread.

[ic=A new season begins]
The Grand Games are over. The victors celebrate their triumph, while the defeated limp home-- if they can even move. The smoke over the arena clears, the blood is slowly cleaned up, and all is calm...

For one day.

After all, this is not one of those ancient seasonal sports. There is no "off-season." The unruly population would never stand for that, nor would the eager promoters. The games are a constant, and, to be so, they must be constant. Immediately after the Games, the next round of gladiators begin training, the next batch of tournaments are scheduled, and the bloody sport begins anew, seeking fresh blood, and those willing and able to draw it. Some are slaves, bought and sold from the far reaches of the Imperium, their lives given over to the entertainment of the masses. Others are experiments, created by gigantic corporations or wealthy (and frequently quite mad) individuals and tested in the arena to see how they perform. Some are condemned criminals, offered a chance for a trial by combat and possible redemption-- or, at least, an honorable death. And still others, perhaps the strangest lot of all, are the professionals, those that have made this world their life and their livelihood.. and business is good.
[/ic]

[ooc=Game Introduction]
Grimdark Gladiators is a game in which players take the part of gladiatorial managers in a decadent and corrupt futuristic (and yet, oddly anachronistic) society that resembles a sci-fantasy Greco-Roman civilization. It was inspired by a conversation on IRC how creating characters in many systems is often as much (or maybe more?) fun than playing them. So... why not make this a central theme of the game? Players will create their ideal gladiator of choice (or hire one from a list of pregenerated contenders!), book matches, talk trash, form teams, and, of course, send their team into the arena to battle it out. Winners reap the spoils: fame and cash prizes, while losers... well, there usually isn't too much left of the losers, but between cyberware, biografting, regeneration, and cloning, it's hard to keep a good gladiator down.

My problem with a lot of forum games has been that they require a fairly consistent long-term time commitment; this has made me shy of them for quite some time, so it may strike some people as odd to see me running one. However, what I hope for with Grimdark Gladiators is to create something with a bit less ironclad of a schedule and no dreaded (or much-awaited!) weekly update. Essentially, there will be no firm timetable-- matches occur when players want them and the GM is able to adjudicate, but there is no need for large and comprehensive global updates. At least, that's the idea. I also hope that, given the fact that the matches are very much supposed to be a public spectacle, being able to post match results in the open will result in the game being more enjoyable and accessible to everyone. I do not want large portions of the game's content hidden behind spoiler tags.

While PvP will certainly be a theme, and players are certainly more than welcome to pit their combatants against each other (and the screaming fans will love it!) I will also provide NPC opposition, as well as special events for teams of gladiators to engage in, such as fighting robots, strange beasts, and eldritch abominations. I'm sure the crafty managers will no doubt come up with their own crazy ideas for opponents and events to show off their gladiators and enrich themselves, too. Such creativity is, of course, encouraged!

I'm opting for a fairly detailed approach with the rules, although players shouldn't be too intimidated, as I will handle the actual mechanics; I just want to provide enough crunchy options that character building, which is at the heart of this game, is a fun and satisfying experience. However, I am quite sure that I won't be able to create a balanced game out of nothing. A certain amount of tweaking will almost inevitably be necessary, although I hope it will not be too disruptive to the game or too egregious to anyone's character building choices.

Inspirations include Warhammer 40K (but also Blood Bowl, of course!), Pokemon, League of Legends, Unreal Tournament, Mortal Kombat, The Hunger Games, The Running Man, and so on. Pro wrestling probably figures in here, too, somewhere. Games like Underdeep and City of the Chosen certainly also count as inspirations.
[/ooc]

[ooc]I'll add more titles and such and flesh this stuff out later on.[/ooc]

Current Champions
Baron Khan - Grand Champion of the 112th Grand Games

The Executioner - Slayer of Beasts

Double Trouble  - Team Champions (2)
Kerberos - Team Champions (3)
Four Horsemen - Team Champions (4)

Open Events
Skull Arena (Melee, 2 gladiators) - $2000 Entry Fee, $5000 Prize
In Skull Arena in the historic Qian District of the Imperial Ecumenopolis, two gladiators shall wage war... and only one will emerge.

Imperial Arena (Team Melee, 2 vs. 2) - $5000 Entry Fee, $12000 Prize
The Imperial Arena, in the shadow of the Holy Imperial Palace, is home to a fearsome team competition!

(Reserved for anything else that needs to be on the front page)