1 Prologue: Greatest Tabletop
The busy life of resident of any Urban district was always a tedious one. The work of the average office worker was long and boring, the mornings and nights were short, as day was always lengthened by tasks. The weekends were always a good time for people to socialise and enjoy some recreational activities. Recreation usually consisted of some video games and television, with some sport for more energetic people.
During the mid 2010s, there was a surge of new ideas that spread from the west to the east, culminating in the 'Tabletop Revolution'. This new age brought about the introduction of western tabletops which were initially viewed as suspicious or uninteresting, but quickly turned into a fast spreading craze. The western tabletops were quickly co-opted by Asian companies, introducing JTTs (Japanese tabletops), CTTs (Chinese tabletops), and KTTs (Korean tabletops). Using the traditional dice system, the market of Asian tabletops converted previously popular games into their own tabletops, setting the markets on fire as people ran to every vendor looking for their favourite titles. The craze eventually turned into a normal part of Asian culture, becoming a well accepted replacement for traditional recreation.
Groups of likeminded individuals would gather at a table and play their own tabletops, optimising their characters, telling their stories, and having a great time. Tabletops also brought some high impact sessions where luck played a valuable factor. Soon tabletops were shifted to a modern and proactive approach, LATTs, or live action tabletops. This new genre of tabletops surged through Asia quicker than its predecessor, overtaking stores at every corner. This new type of tabletop introduced the live-hit system, which got rid of armor and attack rolls, replacing them with a basic combat system between players and the game master. This system was praised for its physical appeal, garnering support from some athletes, and also helped people stay fit to some degree.
LATTs became the official norm by the end of 2019, letting virtually any person join a session if they could swing a foam sword and write their stats on paper. With the introduction of social apps for tabletops, players and GMs were now able to find people to play with through quick search tabs. This tool was a saving grace to the communities that didn't have any public areas for play.
Eventually, LATTs became the official game of Asia, accepted by all.
***
2019, December 25th, Tokyo city:
The streets were as lit up as always, night was always as bright as day. The shops were still open and things could still be done even at midnight, the local tabletop shops were always busy with people trying out new figurines and LATT gear. It was like a dream for Tabletop player of old, putting your fantasies into reality has never been so easy. All you had to do was go to your local shop, and they would fix you up with some entry level gear and manuals. Dice were usually cheap, but a real collector could spend thousands of Asiaos on a single set.
A solitary man walked through the busy sidewalks as he looked through his phone for a group. His last group had encountered problems after a member was having an affair with another's wife. Since then, the party split feeling rather bitter. The man continued to walk through the streets with his dark brown long coat, slowly browsing.
The art of browsing for a group was a rather new idea, only introduced recently. The man was still getting used to the foreign UI, swiping slowly to avoid missing a single opportunity. Finding a good group was as rare as winning the lottery, usually a player would stay with a group for just a few sessions before leaving out of boredom. Finding a good group was to find a group that you could play multiple campaigns with, a group that you could consider friends.
"Hmmm...this looks interesting."
The man tapped his thumb on a looking for players post, quickly browsing through the description.
***
LATT FINDER
Game: Grand World (licensed)
Time: Saturdays and Sundays, 18:00-24:00
Players: 6
Place: Sparkling Metropolitan Hotel (contact me for room number)
Accommodation: Stay overnight
Frequency: weekly
Genre: Fantasy, Anime
Preference: experienced tabletop players, don't be rude
Duration of campaign: 1 year
***
The man blinked as he saw the details, realising that this was just the post he was looking for. The campaign duration was the real hook, instantly drawing him to the post. The genre and frequency were also appealing, making sure to fill his weekends with joy and entertainment. All that was left was to contact the GM.
The man typed in the contact details and went straight to 'call'.
"Hello?" The receiver asked.
"Hello, I am interested in that LFP post you created, wondering if there was still a spot?" The man asked.
"Ah, Yes! You just managed to get the last spot, we already have 5 out of six players, I would be happy to have you, sir!"
"Ok, well could I get the details, I will be there on Saturday."
"Sure, XXXXXXXX."
"Well if that's all, I will see you at the first session!"
"Alright, I will see you soon."
The call ended after that.
"OHHHHHHH YEEEAAAAAHHH!"
On the next Saturday, the man arrived at the hotel at around 5:30pm, quickly making his way to the reception and showing them his invite. Before he knew it, he was heading up the elevator to the 23rd floor; the penthouse. He exited the elevator and found his way to the door of the room; Room 1911, or the room that he will spend every day of his weekend in.
KNOCK KNOCK
The door opened, revealing an pale Asian man in a black tuxedo. The man wore a single monocle and slicked back black hair, he could not have been over 25 years old.
"You're him? By the way how old are you?" The man asked.
"23."
"Nice, you will fit right in." The man fully opened the door and revealed the scene behind him; a grand suite with a luxury coffee table in the middle, surrounded by plenty of unused space. This space had some foam coating the walls and floor, almost as if it was baby-proofed.
"Oh! Forgot to introduce myself. I am Winston Wataru, the GM of this campaign." He said as he extended his hand to the man's hand.
They briefly shook hands.
"Well, I am Kelvin Kuro. Nice to meet you Mr Wataru."
"Don't be so formal, Kelvin! Call me Winston! Now come in, it is time to create our characters."
