Rift Wars Episode V: Noxus Strikes Back
A New Dawn...A New Hope...you see where I'm getting this.
Truthfully though, I wanted to comment on the future of these cinematics: the you-know-they-better-make-it live action movie. In particular, I just wanted to
Side note: we need a new boards section to reach the story development/cinematic development teams.
give my two cents about what a true League of Legends story should look like. That is to say, none of this is putting negatives on A New Dawn; especially since that's literally not possible - what an amazing piece of art.
The missing element in LoL story art is the Summoner, and in my opinion the Summoners are equally as important as the Champions. I could quantify the major aspects of LoL story lines thusly:
Champions of Legend There exist on Runeterra entities of extreme power, intelligence, and cunning, as evidenced by their war prowess, mastery of magic, exemplary assassinations, and flawless covert operations. Each champion has become a Legend in their own right and their own time, their names known far an wide long before entering the League. Their personalities may be flawed in any number of ways, but deep in each heart, every champion knows the victorious glory of Legend. Each Champion sought the League for their own reasons, however a number are politically motivated by their home nation.
Summoners These beings possess immense magical ability, a capacity to execute elaborate war strategies, and above all an innate and unshakable sense of self control. Summoners are greatly powerful in their own right, some perhaps on a Legendary scale, however their personalities lack the single-mindedness, selfishness, arrogance, or self-confidence necessary to pursue Championship. A great many Summoners are sponsored by Runeterran political parties and fight solely for their allied nation.
Politicians This category is non-uniform and consists of stakeholders and interested parties from all lands and nations of Runeterra. It was for these politically motivated individuals that the League was founded: to elevate the global society of Runeterra beyond international warfare. The politicians call upon the League when differences must be settled and choose Champions who will fight for their Summoners on the Rift. Politicians also lobby to acquire Summoners and push prospective ally Champions into the League.
The League of Legends The League of Legends consists of Champions, Prospective Champions, Grand Summoners, Summoners, and Prospective Summoners. We're light on details when it comes to who founded the League and who maintains it. There is a Summoner's School through which Prospective Summoners are trained in magic and specialized spells used in battles on the Rift. The school is meant to level the playing ground both strategically and politically so that each party who calls on the League is represented fairly. When a party initiates a battle on Summoner's Rift, stakes are waged and to the victor goes the spoils.
The Summoner's Rift A great rift in Runeterra exposed an immense source of magic. Summoners use the great magic present in the Rift to grant eternal life to the Champions who fight there, and this boon extends within the grounds of the League complex to counteract unfortunate mishaps. Thus, the greatest Champions Runeterra has ever known fight time and time again at their fullest capacity, keeping the citizens of Runeterra safe from unnecessary wars. A great number of strategic elements exist on the rift which allow for exciting battles and solidify them as a legitimate gauge of strength.
Grand Summoners/Prospective Summoners Grand Summoners are the most powerful and most experienced and spend a good amount of time training and teaching Prospective Summoners. Being a Summoner is no easy task and the same can be said for becoming one. There is always a need for new Summoners and always a shortage of capable applicants.
Prospective Champions A vast majority of Champions who enter the League need no introduction and no verification. Legendary is legendary. However, Prospective Champions are those individuals who seek with all their might the power and eternal life of a true Champion. They learn and train as they can and serve a symbiotic purpose by helping Prospective Summoners practice on the Rift. Some Prospective Champions are sponsored by political parties and have a much greater chance to enter the League.
The Average Yordle Runeterrans As Runeterra is a massive planet, there are plenty of magical and non-magical entities who are neither war seeking nor powerful. These are the citizens of nations, tribes, and traveling groups. The League provides occasional services outside the League complex by sending Prospective Summoners/Champions and more rarely, Champions or Summoners to their aide.
Within these components there lie 3 story arcs. The underlying motivational arc is driven by the Politicians. The sympathetic arc is driven by a small group of Prospective and true Summoners. The main hook is driven by the incredible powers of the Champions.
So far we've seen a lot of awesome stuff with Champions, and this is understandable. Champions are, as we know, the main reason anyone plays League in the first place. But a true LoL story will need to focus on the interactions between Summoners and Champions as they a driven by the motives of Politicians.
Allow me to put a lid on my overbearing nature and wrap it up with this: One thing that A New Dawn implied was a fear of death and a hesitance to use abilities when in fact, on Summoner's rift there is only a fear of strategic failure. If Summoners are added to the equation, you can get away with rapid fire, explosive, and lethal action scenes because assuming its < 25 mins in, death timers aren't really all that long. Summoners struggling to control their Champion either through dialogue or force, Champions draining their Summoner's reserves, or Summoners giving their champion that little extra will add an unexpected depth that is sure to get people fist pumping, whooping, and cheering for the win.
We got an amazing glimpse of how our characters live with A New Dawn. A glimpse of how we help them live will be sure to blow us away one more time.
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