Once the most basic elements of the concept are in place (it’s going to be cooperative, it’s going to be a card game, it’s going to have big stompy robots), the next most important task is to establish the core theme(s). Every design element: the game mechanics, story, art, lore, everything should tie into the theme. The theme serves every element of storytelling and design, and every element serves the theme.
In my opinion, this most basic tenet of the craft of art & design (most typically in movies, tv, novels, manga, etc.) is quickly becoming a lost discipline; and if you watched or read anything lately that felt flat, shallow, or kind of pointless – just empty spectacle, this is a very likely reason why. You might readily ask yourself, “what was it all about?”, or “what was this for?” or the more media literate amongst you might ask directly “what is the author trying to say?” or “what is the theme?”. Too often, these questions don’t end up having any answers – the work exists just to exist (often, just to sell volumes and make money), the spectacle is empty, a shot or a scene is framed a certain way to “look cool”, or a confrontation exists between entities just to be “be dramatic”. Without theme to tie it all together, and lend meaning, all this effort is ultimately fruitless.
So what, then, are the themes of Metal Justice?
The struggle between those who have power and use it to accumulate more power and deny it to others at all costs (realpolitik), and those who do not seek power but desire it to be wielded in the service of all (idealism): our villains (the Solar Federation), are a nominal democracy that is in reality a brutal fascist autocracy that oppresses individuals, denies rights to marginalized groups, uses military force as well as propaganda and media controls to suppress dissent, and has a fundamentally anti-humanist set of core principles. You’ll notice that the Federation employs a lot of AI (automechs & drones), devaluing individual human effort and contribution, while venerating corrupt/evil figures (our first major adversary, Cain) in the service of its political aims. A fitting villain, given the state of the world at the time of writing.
The reconciliation of individualism and collectivism: our heroes, and the players who play them, are very much individuals, acting independently on their own auspices and according to what they think is right and best; yet the players (and therefore the heroes) must communicate and work together to execute effective strategies and advance their common interest. These heroes only tie to each other is their common belief in essentially pro-human (and therefore, necessarily, anti-Federation) policy, and a willingness to stand up and fight for themselves and for others of like mind. Their organization is loosely structured (even the player turn is a free-for-all with players all chaotically acting at once), but fundamentally aligned on principle – they protect the weak and the downtrodden, they strike back at the Federation, they respect the lives and the rights and freedoms of all people. Their motto is their creed and an unequivocable statement of what they are all willing to fight and die for.
Liberty, equality, and justice for all.
Metal Justice
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