The Sport of War

Alright, so! Here's my setting/idea. It's a crapload of time in the future, 3402. Mankind has branched out into the universe and discovered 30-ish planets thusfar that can sustain life. During this process nations somewhat merged with mega-corporations in mentality and economic notions, discarding certain 'Civil Rights and Liberties' in order to progress as a people. Freedom of Speech got adjusted in some areas, discarded in others, separation of church and state got modified, I'll go into the individual empires later, but in essence, it's less a democracy and more a monarchy or feudal system all over again. One group runs the country, and the country lives with it if they know what's good for them.

Of course, the masses are kept under control in various ways. Much like Cold War America, a mix of propaganda, nationalism and distraction are used to keep people supporting their governing forces and ensuring a happy working society. The major distraction has become the Sport of War.

In an attempt to turn war from a disgusting, resource-wasting abomination into an efficient way of performing population control and resource acquisition, the mega-corp mindset came around with giving war a new image. Rather than gun-toting madmen storming your doorstep and blasting your friends and neighbors to pieces, instead, battles have been placed in distant locations, the soldiers replaced with shiny war machines, and the overall numbers reduced. A series of productive board meetings ensured that there were rules set in place to ensure 'good clean fun' and production and release rights were distributed fairly across the various empires. The new image of this conflict was given a trial run as a combination of mechanized football and war games, where teams would seek to disable the opposing team while claiming strategic locations. In order to win the conflict, a team would have to disable 80% or more of the opposing team, claim and hold all strategic points, or disable the enemy deployment zone and prevent redeployment for three days. Victory would reward the successful Empire with ownership of the resources of the region for a fiscal quarter as well as the bragging rights and financial incentives that came along with being top dog.

The Sport of War gathered enough viewer ratings and public support to warrant large scale application and deployment. Now instead of 20 man remote controlled robot football players, the combatants were 30 foot tall mechanized war-machines. Instead of regional resources, it became planetary resources. The battles became the focal point for the new age, the single point that humanity could point to and say "We are not savages!" proudly.

Much like the cowboys and heroic space men of the Civil War Era, Warrior Elites became the object of childhood fascination. Most every boy alive wanted to become a famous Warrior, to stride across planets with legs of steel, flying the banner of their homeland to the applause and worship of their people. These were the new Olympians, men-turned-gods by a society of fanatical worship. They were the professional athletes, movie stars and technical geniuses of this new era, their exploits praised and their prowess exalted. They were the envy and focus of each empire, and the focal point of control. The Commanders were always high-ranked officials within their empire, specifically raised and bred to be the greatest tacticians and commanding minds the age has ever seen. Where the general populace praised the Warriors, the Empirical Councils praised the Commanders. They were a league of their own, both treasured and feared.

This is the glitz and glamour of the setting. Now for the nitty gritty.

Not everyone liked the idea of these ruling empires, this sham of civilization at the cost of independent rights. During the rise into the stars, there were defectors and there were rebels, voices of descent and cries for unfound justice. To keep the facade of fairness and civility when these voices became too loud to silence with propaganda and a black-bag program, they were given the chance to separate from the risen Empires. These separatists were called the Free Worlds Federation, and they were given numerous planets to settle and control of their own, as a sign of charity from the high and mighty powers. After the separation, communication between the Free Worlds Federation and the Empires were subsequently strangled until all memory of the separatists was effectively forgotten by the general public. When the Sport of War was brought to its full power, the battlegrounds became the planets of the Free Worlds Federation, allowing the summary destruction of the technologically inferior 'natives' and the acquisition of untapped resources. After all, wars fought amongst buildings and structures were far more tactically enjoyable than general forests and plains.

The FWF people were thought of as little more than animals by the Empires; lesser creatures that deserved nothing and who were little more than insects to be swatted or brushed aside. Their homes and planets were the trees and fields used to fuel a greater people, an enlightened people, and they were expected to step aside or die. The Elite Warriors were at the forefront of the massacres and battles. While the FWF had -some- weaponry, they were no match for the sophisticated battle machines of the Empires. At best, they were a minor distraction during a full on siege between forces, often dismissed or - worse yet - crushed in advance to ensure a stronger focus on the 'real enemy'. Some Warriors couldn't handle this mentality and were drummed out, forced into silence or eliminated. Those who steeled themselves and embraced their Empire's vision fared best.

The players in this game will be Warriors who - for reasons they will fine tune on their own - have some issue with fighting in these mock wars. Whether they sympathize with the FWF or not is wholly up to them, but that's the easiest reason to be together admittedly.

To sum this game idea up as best I can manage, think Gundam Wing meets The Gladiator.