I've been working on my gameworld's backstory and main plot for some time now. As the gameplay gets reworked, small details about the plot change, but the basic material stays the same. Rather than post a short story, or some prose I've been working on, I've decided to describe some of the basic features here. You can let me know if it sounds worthwhile or not. As far as the game itself, its a fantasy RPG where the player controls a party and fights in random encounters. The Last Magi The game begins with the player controlling a single character and waking up before a strange structure. Its a mansion, neither foreboding nor welcoming, with an air of mystery behind it. Massive hedges block any hope of walking away from the mansion, while the front door is sealed to prevent any exploration inside. The player is forced to step into the garden, a lush and peaceful cross between the classic French style and that of a Japanese monastery. There, they encounter the only animate entity thus far - a tall older man wearing polished armour and a blue robe. The man, currently named Mythus Maitreya, introduces the story to the player. The world has ended, he tells them. It was swallowed whole by darkness and lost. The main character (no name - assigned by the player), was summoned to this mansion, known as the Maison de Mythus, by Maitreya - the ruler of spirits known as Mythi. The mansion exists outside of the world, in a land of thought and myth that will soon be lost as well, when Maitreya's power fades. Maitreya has just enough power to restore a portion of the world and send the hero there, where he/she must prevent its destruction. At this point, the player returns to the "real" world, where they find a small village and some surrounding countryside. A nearby shrine will be the first "dungeon", and through NPCs the player will discover some more of the plot. The main goal of the game is to save the Mythi from destruction - as more of the Mythi are saved, more of the world will be restored allowing the player to continue their quest. The player will discover that the character that they control is known as a Magi Knight, a warrior infused with the energy harnessed from the Mythi. Throughout the game, the player will encounter more Magi Knights and have the opportunity to recruit them to the team. The Mythi represent deities and concepts, and are also typically representative of an area. When the Mythi are restored, a message will be displayed that says, for example, "Pyros, the Patron of Fire, has been restored!" and this might restore a volcano or a smithing town. Through restoring the power of the Mythi, the player will gain access not only to more of the world, but also to more of the environs surrounding the Maison de Mythus. This will be one access point that the player has towards finding hidding rewards and secret sidequests - not to mention one of the two or three minigames I hope to include in the game. Some plot points are purposefully left shadowy at this point. What caused the former destruction of the world? How are Magi Knights created? Why and how was Maitreya and the Maison de Mythus spared inevitable destruction? and Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego? [ignore] I don't want to ruin the whole plot by posting it all here. If you're curious about it, and wouldn't necessarily mind spoilers for a game that isn't even in alpha stage yet though, I could answer them. Some things I still need to work on are polishing up some of the descriptions to the player. Explaining terminology for spiritual beings and magic can be complicated. Essentially, here is the terminology that will appear in the game: Mythus (pl. Mythi) - A spiritual being embodying a concept or idea Maison de Mythus - The alternate plane of existence where the Mythi reside Magi Knight - A warrior infused with the harnessed energy of a Mythus Mythica - A magical physical substance made by harnessing the power of a Mythus I've been researching some mythologies on encyclopedia mythica as well. I'm not sure I'm notally satisfied with the name Maitreya for instance, but I didn't want to use a cliched creator diety nomenclature for the ruler of the Mythi either, perhaps the name will warm up on me. Other suggestions for mythical or inspired/derived names are welcome - Im planning on including approximately 30 Mythi and 300 Magi Knights in the game. The Mythi names should all be based on mythologies, while the Magi Knight names can range from fantasy names to uncommon but conventional names.

well, the concept for the game sounds okey but I fell that the theme is a bit used. the hole world going under concept is well used, but if you can make it more interesting it can be a good game.

a twist can be that will the player is restoring "the world" he/she discovers in the last moment that its is the opposit. he/she is destoying the world in stead, and then the save world progess begins. just a suggestion to get things more interesting.

I dont really get what kind of power the Magi Knigths shall posses, but out from your desciption I guess its some kind of magic. you should do that part a bit orginal, like summoning humans to help you fight or something. I at least hope the hero has some kind of power to restore the world or something.

Basically this world is normally supposed to be inhabited by Magi, or the Magi and Magi knights?
I guess I would agree that the world going under theme is just too over used, but that's not what I'm trying to say here. I really am finding it difficult not to think of FFX when talking about worlds made up in thought though.
I guess I am trying more so to figure out why the player wouldn't know who they were.
I'd say if the knights are awoken by the Magi, then the player should just be the Head Magi's Main mythi knight or last resort in the battle against the darkness.

Why is everthing named with an M? (Magi, Mythica, Mythus (pl. Mythi), Maitreya, Maison de Mythus) I've got some naming resources if you'd like:
http://www.rinkworks.com/namegen/
http://www.behindthename.com/random/
http://www.seventhsanctum.com/index-name.php

Quote: Original post by Minimally
Basically this world is normally supposed to be inhabited by Magi, or the Magi and Magi knights?

The main world is inhabited by Ordinary People and Magi Knights. The Maison de Mythus is inhabited by the Mythi - the spirt beings that embody ideas. If you need a similar comparison, think of the human and esper worlds from Final Fantasy VI.

Quote: I guess I would agree that the world going under theme is just too over used, but that's not what I'm trying to say here. I really am finding it difficult not to think of FFX when talking about worlds made up in thought though.

Why? The FFX world was completely real, with only one person being just "a dream". And the Maison de Mythus isn't so much an imaginary place as it is an actual physical place that exists BECAUSE of the imaginations/beliefs of the people in the real world.

The world going under is exactly what fantasy is all about though, sometimes. I understand its a very common plotline, but its also classic, and it gives motivation. I feel like I've added a twist by making it occur at the beginning of the game, rather than at the end, and by making it happen, rather than just threatening to do so.

Quote: I guess I am trying more so to figure out why the player wouldn't know who they were.
I'd say if the knights are awoken by the Magi, then the player should just be the Head Magi's Main mythi knight or last resort in the battle against the darkness.

Why is everthing named with an M? (Magi, Mythica, Mythus (pl. Mythi), Maitreya, Maison de Mythus) I've got some naming resources if you'd like:
http://www.rinkworks.com/namegen/
http://www.behindthename.com/random/
http://www.seventhsanctum.com/index-name.php

Thanks for the resources! I'll definitely take a look.

I noticed that there were a lot of M names too. Maitreya will probably change, and the term "Magi Knight" might be dropped, but its fitting, since they're essentially magically enhanced warriors.