“Now, here is something that is buried deep in the rules,” Oscar said. “A couple of things, actually.”
“The first is that I will have an official place on the team, even though I will never put on a suit, and never go in the game. I will have a recognised position called ‘oracle’. I will be able to be in group chat, take and distribute videos, and even manage a bunch of the team management stuff… all from here. You open a chest and there are some treasures… I can distribute them from here. Bang, bang, and you are able to get going. Skills, attributes, monsters, environments, I can be looking stuff up from here.”
“That’s radical!” Seth said.
“Radical and transformative. The other thing that we can do is automatic stat distribution. Attributes, skills, weapons, the whole shebang. We can set up a bunch of rules and there will be no worried.”
“So we won’t have to sit there and stare into space as we disgtribute stuff.”
“Exactly. Now, I wanted to use this private meeting to make something very, very clear. We are in this to make money. I hope you have fun playing, but that is not our goal. We are here to make a lot of money. Some money from stuff in the game, sure. But video views… that’s where the bucks are. Interviews, screen shots, and continuous live. We are going to sell it all.”
“But that means that you obey me at all times. I’m the director, I’m selling the video. Builds, teaming, everything, you follow me, you got it?”
Everyone nodded their head, seeming bemused.
“Ok, now, we’ll sign the contract in a few minutes.”
“Ok, so, still off camera, I wish to have private conversations with each of you before we sign. These are private conversations. Nothing about them should leak. Nothing. This won’t work if there are lots of rumours and the like. Not because we don’t want rumours, but because I want to control them. So, first conversation, with our female player. If the rest of you would go into the waiting room. Help yourself to the drinks and donuts. Seriously, they are there to be eaten.”
The others filed out and Sue steeled herself. This man was putting on a show, and she was the female lead. A gamer show… and she knew what roles females played in that.
Sure enough as soon as the door closed Oscar said, “First subject, your costume. It will lead into everything. Come over here.”
Sue followed him into the control room and steeled herself for the chain link bikini that she knew was coming. Yes, they didn’t use her face and body but she still always felt like…
A large screen lit up and she stared. That was NOT what she had expected. A loose… gown? It went down to just above her toes… and this was her! Her face and, she supposed, modelled after her body. A long, loose, gown, a plunging neckline but nothing too dramatic.
“No armour?” she asked, hideously relieved.
“No. That’s going to be one of our big, big, big deals. This is ALL you can wear. No armour, no jewelry, no weapons. We are going for an elite build, and that is part of the cost.”
“What build?”
“Well, we can’t guarantee it but… look at the feet.”
“Barefoot?” she asked, wonderingly. “Some kind of… of nature build?”
“Exactly. They haven’t given out the information, but I have read between some of the lines. We will shoot for your first class to be a plain, boring, generic healer. And we will schedule your builds to shoot for an elite healer/buffer.”
“Oh, my.”
“As I said we can’t know which way they will let you go. I am going to put in your automatic build absolutely across the board. Every attribute. And especially charisma.”
“Charisma?”
“Absolutely. Best attribute to sell video. And your skill picks will be automatic as well. New healing skill, improve healing skill, new buff, improve buff. Automatic pick.”
“Why automatic?”
“Because it will let it take place during a battle. If you have to think about it, you will have to do so after the battle. And… and I got a few hints. I got some hints that picking the ‘first’ pick will lead to slightly better class choices down the line.”
“Oh!”
“I’ve assigned your automatic choices for your attributes as well. Now, I have a question. We are all alone here, and I will never tell anyone your answer but… which boy do you like?”
“What?!” she said, feeling her face turn red.
“Remember, we are selling a product here. One of the big questions on everyone’s mind will be romance. Mostly the girls, but a lot of the boys as well. Which guy, which of your teamates, do you find attractive?”
“I… I don’t understand,” she said, desperate to turn the conversation. “If… if you are trying for, umm, that kind of thing, why didn’t you put me in a bikini?”
She couldn’t believe that she was asking this, but anything was better than…
Oscar laughed. “My dear, that is precisely why I am not putting you in a bikini. Naked Amazon Warrior Queens are a dime a dozen in this industry. The dress I am putting you in will attract the gaze of every single male, and the jealousy… in a good way… of all of the females. You will stand out! You will be the pure, virgin, maid that all the boys want to ravish. Now, answer my question. Which boy do you like?”
“I don’t like any of them in particular.”
“Don’t give me that. If I thought it was true I would pick one myself. But I don’t want to make things awkward… well, no, that’s not true. I want them to be awkward, it is good story. But I want you to be comfortable… as comfortable as you can be… with the way I take the story line. I’m going to set the audience up, with camera angles and the like, that you like one of the boys. And that one of the others is jealous, and the third has issues of, like, not feeling good enough for you. That kind of thing. I will read all the forums and play it by ear.”
“But you will give it away in an interview if we aren’t careful. So I need to know which one you like now, so I can set things up. Even if you change later. Good story line there too. Now, which one?”
She was sure she was red from head to toe. “I don’t want to tell you.”
“Of course you don’t. But you will have to. It is in the contract. And I won’t tell anyone. I particularly won’t tell him!!”
“Then why do you want… why do you need to know?”
“I told you, camera angles. Go watch some romance film and you’ll see how they do it with Camera angles. Now, which one?”
She gulped. “Frank…” she whispered.
“Good choice!” he said. “That will work well. Now, go sit over there.”
She went and sat down on the couch, and tried to get her feelings under control. “Get in here,” Oscar said to the others, “I have something else I need to tell you.”
The boys all came in, giving her very funny looks. Curses, she was probably still red.
“Ok, now, Sue girl and I have worked out her build, and so it is time for me, still off camera, to tell you one of the things that I discovered in the rules. One of the things that will help you get to the front of the pack.”
“For most games, there is some way of distributing experience levels or points or whatever amongst the party. This new add-on to Seven Realms gives us some power that will give us… give you… all the boost you need.”
“When you fight, it keeps a running score of who does what. Who hits, who gets the kill, who casts a debuff, that kind of thing. But in this add-on, it also gives a general score at the end. Usually about half of the total experience. And it lets you decide, when you form the party, how that gets distributed. And you are going to give it all to Sue.”
“What?!” Seth said. “How is that fair?”
“It has nothing to do with ‘fair’,” Oscar said. “Cast that word out of your mind completely. We are here to make money, not to be fair.”
“But, still, why?”
“Because the weakness of every team is their healer. A powerful healer, and buffer, and that is the build we are shooting for, can take a mediocre team and make it shine. But in many games the healer gets the slowest build…”
“Because they aren’t causing damage,” George said.
“Hey!” Frank said, pointing, “Is that her armour?”
“It isn’t really armour,” Oscar said, turning around, “And yes.”
“That is an awesome outfit,” Frank said. “Powerful!”
“Yes, and I’m hoping it is really going to help with her build. Now, the rest of you out, I’ve got to talk to Frank.”
The others filed out, Sue giving a look over her shoulder at Oscar. A worried look. But he got up and closed the door.
Party System: Current Blurb:
A famous gaming producer offers four teenagers fame, fortune, and skill training through an elite gaming team. It seems like the opportunity of a lifetime. Seth gets the beautiful girl. Frank becomes the leader. George develops strength and discipline. Sue gets to hang around with boys, including one she secretly loves.
But as they train with real weapons, compete in tournaments, and execute increasingly dangerous in-game missions, the line between gameplay and operational reality blurs.
In a world where a legitimate game conceals criminal enterprises, and adolescent ambition meets organized crime, four teenagers must confront the reality of their situation: they aren’t just playing a game.
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Von