So in the ancient glyph pictured above you'll notice there are 4 entities, 3 are pawn like, and one of those is white.
This third (white) faction will not be actively present in the game in the traditional sense, and yet will have a HUGE potential impact on gameplay.
I figured out the "history" of the chessmen last night. I don't know how to state the gameplay concept without spoiling a bit of the mystery, but lets just say that:
A long time ago, a goddess created three avatars, each to represent a special aspect of her power and be a warden of it. Each avatar was given a special scepter, to help dispense this power and create the world. Over time Red and Black avatars grew jealous and powerful and their creations reflected that. They eventually sapped the power of their scepters in the making of their creations. White chose to remain a pious, simple, holy being and did not take part in a growing feud between Red and Black. Nor did it use the power of it's scepter.
Red and Black armed themselves and their minions and warred against each other. White attempted to broker peace and was killed in the process. Red blamed Black for White's death and Black blamed Red. Both sides withdrew and vowed to continue to fight each other. The goddess took White's body and vanished. White's scepter remained where White fell, the ground opened up beneath it, and it now resides in a secret chamber in the center of the realm between the two factions.
OK, here is the EXCITING part about how this impacts gameplay. To unlock the hidden chamber where White's scepter lays, the player must visit each of the ancient glyphs that depicts this story. Gameplay wise there would be a checklist for the player and once each glyph is accessed and all boxes are checked, the player will have the "Key to Enlightenment" in his inventory. If the key is taken to the center of the gameworld where the center of the Pachisi board is located, he can unlock the Chamber of the White Scepter.
Once in possession of the White Scepter the player will be able to do something RADICALLY different than in any other game. The player will be able to use the scepter to turn ANY faction (red or black) into a white pawn. Once a chess piece is turned into a white pawn it will not attack or defend itself. It will either meditate or wander around happily on it's own.
At this point the player will have a choice that will impact the ultimate outcome of the game:
1. The player may choose to retain his/her original faction allegiance, and change all of the opposing faction into white pawns.
2. The player may choose world peace and turn EVERYONE into a white pawn.
3. The player may turn traitor and turn only his own faction into white pawns.
Keep in mind that this power does not make the player invincible. The player could still be killed, at which point the scepter would return to its Chamber and have to be unlocked all over again.
So this would be an alternative endgame to the traditional and still very possible other ways to win the game, which would be:
1. Kill all the opposing faction.
2. Capture and hold the Chamber of the White Scepter (without opening it) for X minutes
3. Infiltrate and capture the opposing faction's Scepter - stored within the opposing faction's main keep.
Whatcha think? How's that for a Lore Reward? I think the difficulty of accessing every single glyph point and the continued vulnerability of the player wouldn't make it too overpowered, but that's something that we'd have to watch if we implemented it.
Oh, and I don't think we'd ever overtly "tell" the player this option was possible. Maybe hint that a powerful artifact could be theirs if they research the history of the Realm, but leave it at that.
Have any preference on which one you'd like to see?
