The State of the Runeterran Universe: Riot's Narrative Missing the Mark
I've been gone from this board for too long. I had originally planned to give a detailed explanation trying to explain why the retcon of the IoW had a potential to turn out to be a good thing.
...Yeaaaah.......
....there is a much more pressing matter, I've realized. So instead I would like to point out something that I consider a flaw, one that has been occurring for too long.
**Attack of the Story-Driven Narratives**
"Story" is the Narrative Team's catchphrase of the year, I'd reckon. Is that a bad thing? No! Of course not!
But its a problem regardless. In a post naught two weeks old, the community complained about the quality of Ekko's comic but the lack of interaction between champions. As the progression progressed as the Narrative Team had this to say:
Potentially, but Ekko's VO confirms more about his positioning in Zaun and friends and allies more than a scant line of dialogue.
Ironically, that is exactly what a VO is. Scant lines of dialogue. Yet this is not the issue.
What is an issue is that the odds of hearing these VOs are unlikely at best: The majority of the playerbase will not buy Ekko fresh out the oven, and worse, attention paid to another champion's VO in-game is unlikely unless it approaches the realm of being obnoxious (Super Galaxy Rumble), or a taunt-off.
Consequently, as the Narrative team has optioned to press champion interactions into the game, the lore has actually become diluted and too uncommon for players to catch onto.
So, does this fall in line with the idea that lore "doesn't sell"? Yes. Because of an inherent issue that Riot has forgotten...
Where in the World is Runeterra's Map?
I am a fan of Riot's lore. As a result, I have read the Journal of Justice and followed through with reading Judgements and learning the dynamics of Runeterrra: Its politics, its rivalries, its nations.
Because of this, I can listen to Ekko's VO and enjoy the "meta" that he adds to the lore. His relationship with Vi and Jinx I can identify. His disdain towards Pilties I can understand.
Sadly, the majority of the player-base cannot grab the same joy out of listening to a character's VO, as I have pointed out before. This I consider is a factor that has pushed Riot to pursue Story-driven Narratives to at least introduce champions in fresh and engaging ways.
And such is the problem: the Player-base is too uniformed to understand the hidden references that exist within Champion VOs.
The solution? Is there one?
Consider the phrase, "A picture is worth a thousand words." When I initially approached League, I did not immerse myself in the lore outright. How did I understand the lore?
I looked at the map of Valoran. That simple.
The proximity of Piltover and Zaun tells a story. The Shadow Isles off in the distance, as well as Bilgewater. Location and thematic detail of the map brought you up to speed in the simplest and most fool-proof method possible to decode and understand the meanings hidden within the lore.
Today, when Ekko snarks at Caitlyn VO, players scratch their heads. Why do Caitlyn and Ekko snark at one another.... Why doesn't Ekko unleash some sarcasm and wit onto Ashe, Leblanc, Fizz or Malphite? The structure of Runeterra is unknown to them, and these small little details are simply too difficult to grasp the big picture, unable to recognize that Piltover and Zaun are close and share a history, not just some simple "Pilties and Zaunnies" college rivalry that "just is".
However, a glance at a map and all would be made clear: Zaun and Piltover are neighbors, and neighbors who both strive to prove their technological supremacy to the world... often find themselves at odds. Obviously. A clear, simple link. Canon, easy to digest, no room for confusion. Ekko's VO now makes sense, and enjoyable, now tempting people with the thought of how Caitlyn or Jayce would respond to Ekko's snark.
The JoJ is less of a direct method of explaining the setting, and is more of a narrative itself. But even the journal does a decent job at clearly providing canon for a player to learn from and use to understand in-game banter.
In the end: Riot has lost itself in preparing good stories that it has failed to provide the setting, the framework, the simplicity that invites people to explore the lore.... Narrative... Story. Whatever you call it.
You can draw a city in the background where Ekko can dash through, racing to save an unlucky soul, but in-game you cannot have him share a discussion with Vi or any other character outside of Zaun unless you explain the geopolitical environment, which has become an archaic piece of knowledge only hard-core lore fans know. The Narrative team assumes that the majority of its playerbase know the lore up until now, and takes the old lore for granted. A foolish choice... Especially when they retconned the majority of the lore!
TL;DR Map needed to simplify the setting of Runeterra so that all players can understand why champions interact with one another in different ways, through a clean medium that is enticing and enjoyable. Hopefully a creation of a Runeterran Map would act as a step towards more large-scale storylines that change settings all across from Runeterra than just simple snapshots that are seen in Champion teasers.
