Progress on Orboboros, the Brick Kingdom is going well, I've nearly finished the rules section and will soon fill out the adventure parts.
This has got me thinking about the kind of backdrop I want to offer. My original idea was that; no matter what background you roll, you're related to the heroes of old. You've got knight, wizard, or princess blood in you, and through the course of the game, you'll become what you're meant to be; amazing.
However, some dialogue on the Mario Movie changed my mind. A YouTube personality was upset that Mario wasn't a born hero. That he was a goofy character. According to him, our favorite plumber should have proved immediately fit for the job of saving the mushroom kingdom, hands down.
He believed that the Mario Movie was breaking from grand tradition.
I disagree.
Mario's an everyman hero, meant to be like you and me. He's a plumber, not a knight. He goofs up like any of us. Even so, he perseveres, and through hard work, quick thinking, and, yes, even relying on others, he saves the day.
There are olde stories like this: Jack the Giant Killer, Five Against the World, Aladin. Heck Dorthy Gale and Alice from Wonderland also fit into this nook.
Not everyone needs to be Arthur, Gilgamesh, or Heracles.
Mario is as much a hero as Link.
In that regard, here's the deets on the background on the picture above:
You grew up in the Slither Toss Circus, a group of lively performers who entertain with acts of acrobatics, animal taming, stage magic, and music. The Order watches your kind carefully but allows them free passage, for even those stuffy pants know the value of a drop of joy now and then. Your talents have been focused on music, which you excel at. Your charm and song have filled many souls with wonder and sorrow. People trust you, and you have many friends. Little does the Order know that one of the beasts in your circus can lead one to the last Green Temple.
The other backgrounds are a simple hunter and sage. Not a drop of nobility in them. However, their determination, choices, and special talents are exactly what the Goddesses need to save Orbobros.
Not only save it but change it for the better.
Note: I commissioned the picture above from the incomparable Kompy, Check her stuff out. You won't regret it.
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