The Boy Who Changed The Future

I'm writing a pregame set before our main adventure in RuneScape. The premise of a pregame is to provide a tutorial whilst giving our adventure a starting point - the less obvious the tutorial, the better. Quests preluded at such an early point in our adventure are usually hard to surpass in terms of depth, even if they are by no means the most complex or rewarding.

The Boy Who Changed The Future (working title).
All adventurers start somewhere.

Difficulty: Pregame.
Requirements: None.

Embracing an arm as if hurt, Callum stumbles through a dense crowd pushing to pass him, masked capers throwing confetti leering in his direction as they swim against the tide. Attempts to leave the path will have Callum shunned by crowd members, and standing still too long will have him pushed forward.

The street's barely illuminated, a thick mist of rain obscuring the field of vision. The perpendicular street ahead a parade of colour, floats and stilted figures walking overhead the crowd. 

After a short distance, it becomes obvious the crowd is funnelling up ahead around a silhouette. As you near, it becomes obvious the robed figure is staring at you - its face hidden within a sunken hood. Continuing, else pushed by the crowd, Callum slugs onward.

Like wisps of smoke caught in a flurry of wind, the crowd and buildings dissipate into nothing. The figure too. Black jets swirling into the grey misty rain.

The scene blinks and Callum finds himself back in the market place crumpled in the road. The hustle of merchants and traders completely ignorant and uncaring.

"Klutz!" cried Ozan, scrambling to help Callum up. Callum was shaken, gripping his arm as if hurt. "Come on, it's hardly a bruise..." Ozan jokes, pulling Callum up.

Another lay hunched only paces away, dressed in brilliant robes of various shades of red. 

Callum reached out to help him up when, "there they are!" shouted a haggle of guards, who were now running through the market.

"Quick!" cried Ozan, grabbing Callum and pulling him into an alleyway. "Think you can climb up there?" he asks, indicating to rooftop.

cool... what is it about?

A combination of Rune Mysteries and the Blood Pact, thus far.

Wait, is Dragith Nurn going to be in it? I've kind of made a quest, which is already on the RSOF, that stars him and I'm going to post it here soon.

No, I should have probably read the current story of the Blood Pact... I may have to not include the Blood Pact.

Also, I don't know if the pre-game should be in Lumbtown or Varrock City, I think a city atmosphere would be more appropriate... but I know our adventure begins in Lumbridge Castle. Or, is that not actually an important part of the story? After the pregame there's a transission to the present, wherein the actual start of our adventure can be in a different place to the pregame. Unless Lumbtown is more densely populated... but I've always imagined it being a smallish settlement, and definitely no castle walls.

Added some.

I vote for Lumbcastle, I too like the idea of having a smallish settlement.

Oh know I read through the quest so far... say, what is the goal, I have to see where've going on this ;D

Zectiox wrote:I vote for Lumbcastle, I too like the idea of having a smallish settlement.

Well Lumbcastle wasn't one of the options, and I didn't want a small settlement that's why I was asking. I either put the pregame in a city, or make Lumbtown larger. Although, it is a town...

okey I just tried to make a point, which I dont know anymore...

so you mean you want a larger lumbridge.. okey

Lumbridge is the place to be, Varrock is the place where things happens... Falador is something between and sometimes quite odd in difference with Varrock and Lumbridge. idk ;D


EDIT: DO we need to KNOW the name of the city in the pregame? That is the question

probably not since we are supposed to be new players when we complete this updated version of The Blood Pact

I think you're missing the point.

The setting of the pregame needs to be a town with a very hustle-and-bustle feel, clustered housing with tight streets and a market, etc. It doesn't matter if we know it by name in the pregame, but it'll be somewhere that has to exist in the later game and thus the name will come up.

My two choices are Varrock City (or the neighbouring town of Avon) or Lumbtown, in Lumbridge.

Lumbtown doesn't have the feel I'm going for and so I would have to change either Lumbtown's quaint village feel or change the atmosphere of the pregame. You may be wondering why Lumbtown's even on the list given that it doesn't work... and that's what I'm asking about. Lumbridge is where our adventure in RuneScape currently beings - but is this important? Or can I change this. I guess I just wanted to keep a little sentimentality.

Of course, there is another solution. The tutorial used to be separate from Lumbridge - we used to learn the game on an island and then be teleported to Lumbridge Castle. so maybe my pregame could be in Varrock City, but our adventure actually begin in Lumbridge? But then I'd need a reason why we move.

So, to reiterate, is Lumbridge even important?

well the pregame could really be happening in varrock City. As it is a city with tight streets and a market in the middle.

Somehow we are traveling to lumbridge and asking the explorer jack or what his name is.. as he is currently in the lumbriddge castle.. We ask him if he knows anything of this mysterious thing that happend in Varrock city

Or having some other thing that leads you to lumbridge... maybe it is a DREAM the pregame... and that you wakes up in lumbridge (how do you end up in lumbridge in the first place?) Is there a Inn in Lumbtown? that you can "rest" in after starting the quest or game... hmm this gonna be confusing...

okey pregame... the things are happening... bla bla bla and bla bla bla... the mist or something is sweaping around you and it is completly dark/white before your eyes, then you wakes up in Lumbtowns inn. and are really confused how the heck you ended up here?

[YOU]: where am I?
[Inn keeper]: at [Inn name] in Lumbtown
[YOU]: How did I end up here? last I know I walked in the streets of Varrock!
[Inn keeper]: Some citizens of Lumbtown found you laying in the woods outside lumbridge castle and was you was moved here since.
[YOU]: Since? How long as I been sleeping?
[Inn keeper]: several days sir!
[YOU]: serious? thats impossible
[Inn keeper]: take it easy now, you need some rest.

MAYBE? ;P always a start? ;P

Umm, not really what I was going for. The pregame is a quest set in our characters childhood, maybe a decade before the events of the present. Even if the pregame was set in Varrock City, why the game begins in Lumbtown could be down to any number of reasons... Perhaps our latest adventure has taken us there? Or we moved. Or our mother kicked us out. Or we were just there.

Maybe, after we've finished the pregame, we start the game with a quest already active - a quest we started off-screen, so to speak, that were in the middle of. It could start in Lumbtown's Inn, no need for any confusion, we start our adventure at the dawn of a new day... "I hope you're well rested, Eoghan's been round twice hoping you've been up!"

But that's not relevant to the pregame. During the pregame we'd be limited to the area of the pregame (no free roam at this point).


You know what, I've decided. The pregame will take place in Varrock City, afterwards our adventure stars in Lumbtown. I'd rather Varrock wasn't a newb location anyway (ie the map should be segmented into difficulties... A level 1 wouldn't survive the trip to Camelot, even going to Falador might be painful. I'd rather Varrock was a little less weak in terms of wildlife to kill - so starting in Lumbridge means there's at least a distinction from new player and low level ).

No a lvl 1 wouldn't survive to camelot no... So yes Varrock is a good place to start. Maybe our family was settled down in Varrock, we were born in Varrock city, in our childhood we saw this happening - not knowing what it was until later in the future. When we were in age we moved around Gielinor and somehow we settle down in Lumbtown, maybe working there or simple training there for time being.

I can imagine the cutscene really somehow. Its a bit as Fable xD or maybe not.

Varrock City is the popular city in Runescape (on both P2P and F2P) therefor it would be simple as that as our family are living there, somewhere. One day in our childhood we're during this mist we're standing in the streets or on the market square. then we're seeing this "it becomes obvious the robed figure is staring at you - its face hidden within a sunken hood"

After this we're moving forward in our lifetime to the age when we are leaving our home in Varrock City. Just a tiny cutscen. We taking farewell from our parents and are beginning our journey in Gielinor. Behind some houses in street behind us the camera could focus on a mysterious man, in a robe and hood watching us leave Varrock City.

history is shown the player were we are training and exploring. With pictures of our player fighting monsters, mining, fishing, anything that we can do in runescape. We could build us a house (there isnt a POH portal in Lumbtown?). Or we could simple used to rest in the Inn... and one morning we're waken up in lumbtown inn. And it starts with that someone is seeking us ;D

just a suggestion.. trying to giving my 2 cents ;D or this is maybe more than that sometimes.

No, no, the pregame isn't a series of cutscenes showing us growing up. It's a quest set in our childhood!

The dark scene in the rain is a flash forward/a dream sequence that our childhood self experienced - it's preluding future events - it's not something that has yet happened. And it doesnt happen between the events of the pregame and the present so players have something to look forward to.

Why we're in Varrock and why we start the game in Lumbridge are things the player doesn't really need to know. Ariane was raised in Varrock, Eoghan is the prince/son of a noble at any rate, our friends are all in Varrock so players can assume we're local.

oh sry ;D I was floating away on other thoughts ;D

its sounds great, really, now I get it (: . yeah you're right with the "... the player doesn't really need to know.."

keep going, I just keep being active trying to give some sort of support, somehow

I must stop procrastinating!

I don't know who to make the antagonist. I don't remember Reese's character very well to know if he's appropriate.

Unless they die, it's inevitable that the nemesis of the pregame will become a recurring enemy... it's just a-given.