The Eye Of The Tiger: (Game based in the world of boxing)

Started by Urbanzorro, May 06, 2011, 03:19:28 PM

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Urbanzorro

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IC


Boxing is a complicated sport with a simple premise. "Beat you're opponent either on a point basis through tactical skill, or by hitting them so hard, or so many times, that they can't continue....But this simple premise hides a much more complicated world. A world of passion, blood, sweat, and tears. A world beset by the evils of money, drugs, fame, fortune, greed, and scheming.  A world in which, as many of boxers have proven, simply winning a fight doesn't always guarantee success.

OOC

This is the world I intend to make this game in. And if this interests you I invite you to read a bit more and see if you want to take part.

The game itself will be free form with one or 2 small exceptions(You can skip to that part of the description if you think it is something that may make or break the game for you) and will focus on attempting to portray the lives/stories/destinies of between 2 and 5 (depending on interest) professional boxers as they attempt to climb the ranks of their division and obtain a true legacy in their sport. As well as the lives of those who have an impact on them such as trainers, girlfriends, family, promoters, ect.

Now then, with the basic summary out of the way I'll get down to explaining what I'm looking for when it comes to how many/what kind of characters. In order to establish at least some sort of control on this game and to insure that most if not all of the characters could plausibly interact with one another I'm going to have to ask everyone to choose from one of the following (VERY) broad categories of characters.



The Fighters
"The tempt for greatness is the biggest drug in the world."—Mike Tyson

These are the men who enter the ring and fight  one another for money, fame, and glory. They can be young, they can be old. They can be where they are because of childhood dreams, or merely a lack of options....But in the end they are the ones the people pay to see and they are the ones on who's backs the sport rests.

As far as boxers go I'm looking for a few specific 'types.' Now it should be noted that this in no way has anything to do with the mechanics of the game. It's merely they 'types' of fighters that will help me to craft an overall storyline and insure that this game runs well. With that being said the 'types' are as follows. I'm looking for at least 2 and no more than 5 of these characters.

  • The Rising Prospect
    "It's different when you become a professional, because you also have to become a businessman, and that takes something away from it." —Sugar Ray Leonard

    He's new to the business but not to the sport. Ever since his amateur carrier started to get serious the smart commentators have been saying he's the one to watch out for. The one who's gonna take it all when he finally breaks through into the big leagues. Now that he's here can he prove to be what everyone expects him to? Or will he simply become another 'could have been'?

    I'm looking for at least 1 rising prospect

  • The Fading Star
    "A champion is someone who gets up when he can’t." -Jack Dempsey,

    He was great once...really great, they all loved him and they all called out his name. But that was before he started to lose. Now, even though his die hard fans claim its just a slump, many believe his carrier is reaching its end. Where the commentators and writers used to describe him with words such as 'amazing,' and 'magnificent.' They now use phrases like 'punched out' and 'out of steam.' Can he prove them wrong? Can he turn things around and regain his former glory?

    I'm looking for no more than 1 fading star

  • The Journeyman
    "The fight is won or lost far away from witnesses - behind the lines, in the gym, and out there on the road, long before I dance under those lights." -Muhammad Ali

    The stereotypical 'what if' man.
    "What if he'd come into the sport a few years later or earlier?"
    "What if he had a better promoter?"
    "What if he could just get that one life changing chance?"
    The writers and commentators know he has the skill, they've seen him beat enough men. They know he has the drive, he's still in a sport that hasn't given him his shot. What they don't know is why he isn't yet a star....

    I've got no limits on journeymen other than the max number of total fighters

  • The Underdog
    "To be a champ you have to believe in yourself when no one else will."- Sugar Ray Robinson

    "Bum," "Chump," "Has been."  He's had to hear himself called all these things and more. This is a man who was on the cusp of the path to greatness only to fall. And now, with no other choice, he has to start again. Can he rebuild his shattered reputation? or will he always be just another stepping stone for other fighters to cross?

    I've got no limits on underdogs other than the max number of total fighters.

The Trainers
"The hero and the coward both feel the same thing, but the hero uses his fear, projects it onto his opponent, while the coward runs. It's the same thing, fear, but it's what you do with it that matters."—Cus D'Amato"

Possessing the skill to win is only half the battle. Even though when he enters the ring a boxer has only himself to depend on. He's had his trainer for every day leading up to the fight. A good trainer can take an average fighter, and mold him into something better, something stronger, something faster, something great. And a bad trainer can take greatness and make it into nothingness. These are the men and women responsible for taking the rock of a fighters raw talent and shaping it into a  weapon.

I gave trainers their own category because they are just as important to the sport, and this game, as the boxers. Ideally I'd want 1 trainer per boxer. But if that can't happen I'll probably NPC any empty trainer slots. Also it should be noted that while all boxers should be males trainers can be either male or female.


The Entourage
"Boxing is the toughest and loneliest sport in the world." -Frank Bruno
The friends, the family, the lovers, the promoters, the hangers on. Everyone wants a piece of what a boxer has, everyone wants to be around them either for their own gain or simply out of genuine care for the fighter.

  • The Lover
    "When you're in a relationship, you're always surrounded by a ring of circumstances... joined together by a wedding ring, or in a boxing ring." - Bob Seger

    The wife, the girlfriend, the in between. Everyone has a love interest sooner or later. But in the world of boxing, love can change things. It can give a man something to fight for. Or it can be the distraction that takes his mind off the game and loses him his edge. 

    I'm not going to put any real limits on the number of characters who can fill in these slots. Though I'm hoping for at least 1.

  • The Promoter
    "Only in America." —Don King

    They sell the fights, they entice the crowds, they provide the spectacle and make the game into the multi-million dollar business it is. Always eager to cash in on the next big thing, and to hide the fact that they will just as eagerly move on from a washed up fighter. Promoters are seen by some as a key part of the sport and by others as little more than a necessary evil.

    I'm not going to put any real limits on the number of characters who can fill in these slots. Though I'm hoping for at least 1.
  • Friends and Family
    "Boxing is the only sport you can get your brain shook, your money took and your name in the undertaker book." - Joe Frazier

    Do they care about him? Or just the money he generates. Is their worry for the well being of a loved one or simply the well being of a meal ticket...only time can tell.

    I'm not going to put any real limits on the number of characters who can fill in these slots



Here's a little character roster to give everyone an idea of how many people I'm looking to have in this game:
Spoiler: Click to Show/Hide
Boxer 1 (Required)
Trainer 1(Required)
Boxer 2 (Required)
Trainer 2 (Required)
Boxer 3 (Optional)
Trainer (Optional)
Boxer 4 (Optional)
Trainer (Optional)
Boxer 5 (Optional)
Trainer (Optional)
Entourage (Required)
Entourage (Required)
Entourage (Required)
Entourage (Optional)
Entourage (Optional)
As you can see I'm looking for a min of 7 people and  a max of 15, Here are the respective character types for each 'class' of character

Boxer

[b]Appearance[/b](Image Required)
[b]Name[/b]
[b]Age[/b]
[b]Character Slot[/b] Are they a Rising star? a Journeyman? Underdog? ect.
[b]Bio[/b](this should reflect what character slot they are filling. For example I should be able to tell the underdog is the underdog just by reading his bio ;D)
[b]Player's Limits[/b] Now I just want to get this out here and now. It will be possible for your characters to lose some matches. So "Losing matches" can't be one of your limits)


Trainer

[b]Appearance[/b](Image Required)
[b]Name[/b]
[b]Age[/b]
[b]Character Slot[/b] Obviously this would be Trainer ;D
[b]Affiliation:[/b] What fighter are they training (must be a player character of course). I'd also suggest talking it over with the fighter's player before hand ;D
[b]Bio[/b]
[b]Player's Limits[/b] Now I just want to get this out here and now. It will be possible for your characters to lose some matches. So "Losing matches" can't be one of your limits)


Entourage
[b]Appearance[/b](Image Required)
[b]Name[/b]
[b]Age[/b]
[b]Character Slot[/b] Are they a Lover? Promoter? Friends/Family?
[b]Affiliation[/b]  What fighter's life are they currently a part of? I'd also suggest talking it over with the fighter's player before hand ;D
[b]Bio[/b](this should reflect what character slot they are filling. For example I should be able to tell that the promoter is a promoter just by reading the Bio)
[b]Player's Limits[/b] Now I just want to get this out here and now. It will be possible for your characters to lose some matches. So "Losing matches" can't be one of your limits)



Alright, with that out of the way all that is left is an explanation of how this game will work(last thing to read I promise).

The majority of this game will be about the boxer/trainer/other people's lives. How they interact. How they scheme, plan, and work for what they want. That having been said there will also be portions of the game which detail each boxer's matches.  So with that in mind I've broken this section down into 3 sections. each detailing a different part of the game and how it will work.

Everyday Life
This will take place in a single thread and it will follow each character's life, their interactions, their love lives, ect. It will be 100 percent freeform and much like any other freeform game based on group interaction.

Training
This will represent the time that the boxer's and trainers spend training for their fights as well as distractions that occur. I'm considering giving each trainer/fighter their own thread. Either way I will watch this(these) thread(s) carefully because they will have a big impact on the next section.

The Fights
This is where things could possibly get a little bit tricky. This section will represent the different boxing matches that each character takes part in. In order to keep a good flow/speed for the game these scenes will only portray important rounds in each fight. I.E. rounds where a fighter is knocked down, knocks the other man down, gains a commanding lead, loses the lead, is knocked out, knocks the other guy out ect.  The vast majority will be with player characters squaring off against npcs that I've prepared. But sometimes player characters will also fight against one another. In order to remain fair I'm going to base who will win each fight (both vs npcs and player characters) on the following criteria(in order of importance)
1. How hard the boxer and trainer work to prepare for the fight
2. The overall plan that the boxer and trainer work on for the fight
3. The style of the boxer compared to the other fighter
4. A wee bit of luck (from time to time)

When the fights are vs npc's determining the outcome will be relativity easy so long as players can stick to "Punches at" statements rather than "hits' statements. For example saying "my fighter throws a hook at the other guy's face" is good where as saying "my fighter hits the other guy's face with a hook" isn't. With that rule in place it will allow me as GM to direct the flow of the fight and ensure it's outcome fits right.

When/if the fights are between 2 npc's I'll simply post information on which rounds are the important ones, what happens in them, and who wins in the end. And I'll then allow players to illustrate it freeform. So long as they can agree to abide by it. I'll also be using the same criteria as with NPC fights to determine a winner.


Well, that's about it. Hopefully you're still interested. If so please feel free to say so/post up a character. I really hope to see this game take off!

I'm a leaf on the wind, watch how I soar.

My Idea Page
Things I Enjoy 
My Apologies.

Le Immortelle

Can I bring a female boxer..or is this gonna be only males?

Urbanzorro

I had actually planned on it being only male boxers, I'm basing it on the real life sport (and yes I do realize there is female boxing and they are quite good, but it isn't as much of a huge money sport as male boxing and thats the portion that I'm trying to capture)
I'm a leaf on the wind, watch how I soar.

My Idea Page
Things I Enjoy 
My Apologies.

Le Immortelle

Aha, fair enough.

Anyways, I hope this game takes off..because it looks very promising. All the best. :)