Match of the Millennium

The video begins with a dark screen that slowly fills with electric blue lines as a subtle dramatic musical swell rises. Finally, the lines connect and swivel to reveal a stylized new version of the NFG logo, before the number 2.0 draws itself on the screen to the right of it, and the NFG theme starts to play. "Welcome back, ladies, gentlemen, and all of our other friends!" "Yep! Sooner than you could have asked, hoped, or expected, the New Fighting Generation is coming back!" "And it's going to be bigger and better than ever, because this time it's..." More words flicker into view beneath the logo, resulting in: //NFG 2.0:\\ -==WORLD TOUR==- TOM and LOU: "NFG WORLD TOUR!" Two figures appear on either side of the screen as the camera zooms out to show the NFG studio. TOM: "I'm Tom Bradley, and this is Lou Harris, back with you again to introduce the next season of the New Fighting Generation!" LOU: "That's right! And when we say World Tour, we mean World Tour!" TOM: "We'll be travelling more than ever before, starting with an event that really puts the 'journey' in Warrior's Journey!" (Continued in next post!)

"Greece." The video starts with this line, and a view of a map of the country seen from above, presented in a fantasy-like, old-timey papyrus way. The names of cities appear in the Greek alphabet: Athens, Delphi, Mykonos, and other perhaps less well-known names. "One of the cradles of European civilization. A land of story and legend, where some of the mightiest heroes in world mythology dared life-threatening adventure and took part in epic battles for the sake of glory, love, and power." The narration, done by a smooth and deep-voiced man, continues over images of Grecian landscapes: sun-baked islands overlooking the Mediterranean sea, crumbling structures from antiquity on rolling green hills, and so forth. The image crossfades to a tall and athletic-looking man in his middle age, skin an olive-tan and short-cut black hair streaked with white, smiling a huge, concert promoter smile. "Welcome. I am Alexandros Sotiris, European coordinator for Professional Fighting Worldwide, and I welcome you to the jewel of the Aegean Sea, my motherland." Behind him, to one side are some ruins, recognizable to those in the know as the Acropolis in Athens; to the other side, the city of Athens itself is a sprawling tide of white buildings stretching down to the Mediterranean in the far distance. "We are proud to be the jumping-off point, and setting, for the first event in the 2.0 version of the New Fighting Generation, one which pays homage to, and draws inspiration from, one of the greatest heroic epics of our time: Homer's 'The Odyssey'!" As he continues to speak, the scene cuts again to a more modern map of Greece, Turkey, and the surrounding area. "Onboard our state-of-the-art cruise liner, the Mermaid, our participants will retrace Odysseus's steps across the Mediterranean Sea, and their bouts will draw on the deep mythology of both the Odyssey, and of Greece and its cultural neighbors." A line starts on the map not in Greece, but in northwestern Turkey, before drawing an expansive curlicue across the Mediterranean and ending, at last, on the island of Ithaca. The shot returns to Alexandros, who is no longer on the Acropolis, but instead at an Athenian sea port; behind him is the massive white hull of the Mermaid, with the name clearly marked on the side. "Soon we shall set sail for the Turkish port of Canakkale, where our participants will board, and our voyage will begin. Please join us as these fledgling warriors strive to become like the heroes of old and create their own legends. Perhaps the next Alexander the Great, Hercules, Paris, or Penthesilea will find their start right here on our humble stage!" Cue heroic music, logistical info about streaming options or tickets for the cruise follow. (Continued in next post!)

TOM: "Amazing." LOU: "Agreed." TOM: "Our competitors have already been gathering to board The Mermaid, and as you've already seen, tickets are still available! Our competitors will also be joined on board by special guests from the fighting community and our past affiliates, as well as select charity beneficiaries." LOU: "Shout out to our friends at the Dead Squirrel, who will be enjoying a nice vacation while the bar in Metro is being renovated." TOM: "On their way to the Odyssey, the competitors will be enjoying the Mermaid's luxury accommodations, multinational cuisine, casino, movie theater, live entertainment, olympic-sized pool, sun deck, fitness facilities..." LOU: "...and, most importantly, karaoke bar! I'm psyched that we got tickets, Tom!" TOM: "And for those who can't join us in person, streams from the Mermaid will be available 24/7 on our exclusive channel, and, as always, all fights will be broadcast live." LOU: "And while you're waiting to set sail with us, we've got interviews lined up to 'tide' you over, where you'll find out about the fighters' hopes and dreams and what they plan to do if they win the one-hundred-thousand-dollar prize!" TOM: "So whether it's in person or in spirit, get ready to join us on the NFG World Tour, starting with our Mediterranean Odyssey!" (Additional information in next post!)

Greetings, doodz! The Mermaid is now available as a new set of stages! (Thanks, Rafferty!) These stages are all available for NFG-related RP. Participants are expected to be living on board for the duration of the event. As hinted at previously, The Mermaid is also open to other characters who might have a reason to be present, whether faction representatives, martial educators, charity beneficiaries, wealthy fighting fans, or just lucky. For NFG fighters, all expenses aside from the use of the casino are being paid for by Professional Fighting Worldwide. 'stage/list Mermaid' will show all of these. While the Mermaid is meant to serve as an IC hub, for each part of the season, it will be considered to be in a different geographical region. At any given time, unless otherwise specified during an event, players can assume that they can visit any locale in that region for RP purposes. Participants can also disembark, take flights, and return to the ship at the next available port call if they need to be in a scene across the world for whatever reason. Also, stage bounties are returning, and stages in the Mermaid's current geographical operating region are worth .25 AP (up to twice per player). Currently, this means that Mediterranean stages are eligible. Our first +signup event of season 2, ODYSSEY, is now open! This will be a series of exhibition matches that are each eligible for NFG Points. As per usual, these points will be earned based on results and participation: 3 NFGP for winning, 2 NFGP for drawing, and 1 NFGP for a loss. NFG Points will be used for the seeding of our end-of-season tournaments. Therefore, all +signup events are optional; as long as you participate, you'll have a place in the final tournament, but participation can mean higher seeding and, of course, AP! We're hoping to see everyone out for this first event, as it should hopefully be a good way to introduce your new (or returning) characters. Signups will be open until end-of-day Sunday February 11th, and matches will be revealed on Wednesday February 14th. We will also be introducing a mentoring scheme in which new and returning fighters will be paired off during the upcoming season, including events for mentor/apprentice pairs, so now is a good time to get to know each other and think about who you might want to partner with!