InsaneJournal

So glad you asked! BATTLERS is what we would like to call a dystopian sort-of-post-apocalyptic game with fighting game elements, comics, superpowers, magic, and mythology thrown into the mix. Set in futuristic 2037, it takes place at Camulus Academy, a former collegiate school outfitted and upgraded into a training academy for international students who intend to fight in the Tournament, a globally-televised media extravaganza — yes, the media aspect exists even within the school. Reality television eat your heart out! The winner(s) get a coveted spot in the League of Nations' premier panhuman squad Axiom, along with fame, fortune, glory and other amazing opportunities outside of the League of Nations. Axiom is the only one of its kind, see below.

Battlers was inspired partly by fighting games — Street Fighter, Mortal Kombat and Super Smash Brothers to name a few. You can also count our inspirations among varied things such as: Battle Royale, Hunger Games, Heroes, Tower Prep, reality television shows like Survivor, and of course, comic books.

Ah, now onto the juicy details. Axiom is the League of Nations' taskforce created during the establishment of the new world order. To borrow from real life, they are, in essence, the "Justice League" of 2037 and they exist to keep and subsequently promote international peace. That being said, there is no such thing as a "team of superheroes". Not yet, at least. Any and all groups formed are deemed vigilantes by the government, sought out, and quickly subjugated. Not all members of Axiom exhibit virus-given abilities and winners of the Tournament, be it a cyborg, magician, or martial artist, are offered a legitimate spot in Axiom and trained to be an operative.

Generally speaking, candidates are selected by their individual governments to represent their country. There is no official process and it's up to you to decide how your character's government selected them. Technically speaking, all candidates are given the opportunity to turn the offer down. It's not advised, though; in some countries, those who pass on Camulus meet a mysterious end.

"The Virus" appeared after a pandemic broke out in the Midwestern United States in 2008. It spread across the globe, rapidly turning into a global catastrophe. Vaccines to combat the virus were created but to no avail. It was soon found out that the vaccines began mutating and evolving the virus at an alarming rate, transforming it into a "disease" that sped up the evolutionary process in humanity. "The Virus" heralded a new age as it infected almost all humans, culminating in the spontaneous appearance of superhuman abilities across the planet. As a result, perhaps thanks to confidence in their newfound powers or abilities, crime increased exponentially in the next four years. By early 2012, civil war, unrest and chaos were commonplace. Then the Gods stepped in.

You read that correctly! In the escalating chaos, the gods of yore reawakened and revealed themselves to the world's governments. It was Odin who, fearing Ragnarok would come to pass once more, called for interference in mortal affairs. The unanimous decision became apparent when the Gods helped humans establish the League of Nations and Axiom. The Tournament was created in tandem with the government as a way for people — superpowered or not — to prove their worth to society. As a result of the ancient Gods arriving on Earth and essentially forcing a revolution, supernatural beings who had previously been hidden away and even magic reemerged. It could be said that the Gods' arrival jump-started the dormant realms of the magical, who had long seen their numbers dwindling. There are a number of different pantheons represented in this new world order, all with varying degrees of power. While they generally work together to keep earth in order, you want to believe there is a lot of squabbling back and forth -- squabbling that only escalates as the years go on.

In attempting to structure this game, we were incredibly invested in making it as culturally diverse and as non-white washed as possible. The truth is, English is listed as the world's first language out of sheer convenience (obviously). We recognize that if we were going by numbers, Mandarin would be the language du jour; English is, at least, the second most spoken language in the world.

Accounting for every African country would make for one hell of a cast directory. Because the continent is so divied up thanks in part to most nations seceding from the League, they've currently grouped themselves as the United African Alliance. If there is a country you'd like to see played or represented, we'll be happy to accommodate you by making the country join the UAA! Just ask.

What's up with that is the sad reality of PBs available and Western pop culture. This is something we're constantly aware of and actively striving to avoid. Representing different minorities is crucial to making this game a success. We strongly encourage our player base to move beyond a Euro/American-centric view of the world!

Surprise! There aren't any. All concepts will be approved by the mods at the time of your hold. We want diversity and creativity. Let your imagination get the better of you. We do have one request: no straight-up gods. That doesn't seem fair! Anyone with lineage from a deity must be half-mortal. Them's the rules. In lieu of a list, we've gathered a number of sources you might want to try: check out the Concept Help page.

First off, yes. The Mentors are playable and as of now there are only room for twenty (20), five (5) for each class with an official Head Mentor (4 in total) for each class. Nonetheless, their role within the game is fairly straightforward: they work with those students who have powers similar in some way to their own and help them with the mental and physical preparation of the Tournament. They do not teach academic classes. The qualifications for a Mentor are simple: they have participated in and graduated from the Academy. Retired champions are possible but should be considerably rare and absolutely over 40 -- Champions are either in Axiom or, if retired, have likely moved onto bigger things than the Tournament. Most Mentors would not have won, but done relatively well.

Technically, national representatives can decline their position in the Academy. However, doing so is hugely risky and past candidates have been found dead under suspicious circumstances following a rejected invitation. What this means for you is that some characters might not be as eager to be here as others. A lot of people come dragging their heels.

Four years of being 100% devoted to training would be incredibly intense. Basic college level classes are available so that, over the four years at the Academy, students come out of the tournament with a specialized battler's degree. Generally speaking, students concentrate their courses in their first three years, leaving the fourth to give their undivided to training. In special cases, students take higher-level courses through either private tutors or correspondence courses.

Whatever they want! Some suffer psychological trauma following their time in the tournament; others come out less scathed. Many have incredible opportunities offered to them following their time in the Academy, particularly if they've cultivated a popular image in the media.

More or less. The Tournament has become an international passtime, and while some people tune in only for the four-week yearly battles, most people have developed a deep, strong attachment to the Academy and the students within it. Romance, back-stabbing, drama: all of it is caught on tape, and a smart player knows how to pander to the public. You never know how it will help you down the line.

Simply: they're a closed, secure network that give students a place to chat, vent and be themselves away from the camera. In essence, the journals are the one "safe space." Beyond the journals, you're free to post text messages, e-mails, narratives, scenes and even video blogs in the main community. Please see here for all your formatting requirements.