I've spent the last hour or so reading some of the suggestions...only got to page 10 before I read enough...but I've got an idea that I'm not entirely sure has been done OR suggested, so bear with me.
I give you...the Game.
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The Game
The world had been spiraling down into chaos for years. But in the year 2020, it finally came to a head. World War III; the first thermo-nuclear war ever to occur in the history of man. The surface of the earth, scarred in just a few days...rendered inhospitable to the human race. The survivors, the strong, the fittest decended underground. Closing off access to the surface, they waited. Waited for the sun to shine through the clouds of dust; for the air to cease it's burning as it went down your throat; waited for the radiation of the War to end all wars to disperse.
And so it did...180 years since WWIII ended, in the year 34 of the New Humanitarium Calendar, the surface was deemed habitable for human life. And so the human race ascended. But it was not over...
The surface still had trace amounts of radiation...in the plants that now grew, in the rocks beneath their feet...even the very people themselves carried this radiation. The Radiation...it changed the human race. It made them faster...stronger. But for some, it did so much more. It gave them power. The power to control their own life energy. This power led to conflicts...these Super Humans leading the charge against one another to lay claim to territory.
In the year 52 HC, the fighting stopped...for just a moment. And in that short time of peace, the League was formed. The League organised a sporting event that would outclass even the Olympics...they created The Game. The Super Humans would take part in a yearly tournament...participants would be decided by regional and national competitions. The International Championship would help the fledgling territories alleviate their squabbles...who claimed what piece of land...who had what stretch of ocean.
The Game was simple...participants would be paired up at random. The pairs would then do battle until one of three things happened... 1) One participant yeilded to the other 2) One participant was deemed unable to battle 3) One participant was killed in combat
The Game lost it's true meaning in the years to come...the territories became peaceful...placing bets on the violent struggles that the participants went through. It became a true sport...something you did for fun.
But the dangers were real...for the Players...and the crowds.
For the Game only has one rule...Win...by any means necessary.
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Well? What do you guys think? If the wall of text intimidates you, I apologize...this idea has been sitting in my head for...must be a year now. Thoughts, comments and criticism is much appreciated. Confusion can (and will) be alleviated if I can...so any questions you have, please ask away.