“Who would win in a fight?” has long been the epitome of stupid internet debates. Over 10 years ago, a user by the name of MyWorldIsSquare on GameFAQs decided to turn this idea into a game. He gathered a group of players to hire teams of video game characters and challenge their opponents to hypothetical battles, with the winners being declared by the consensus of the viewers. In between fights, players could hire new fighters and use their abilities to power up their team, cripple their opponent, or gain economic advantage.
With four iterations and a couple of side projects of Mercenaries having been run on GameFAQs over the past decade, the dedicated playerbase has become small and cyclical. Despite this, Mercenaries has one of the most fascinating and entertaining things I have ever been a part of, and I want to share the experience with a whole new group of people. I’ve gotten the OK from @bob to host it here.
"Wait, is this just Death Battle?"
It’s the same concept, yes, but team based and with a game structured around it. Expect to see things like Link, Leon Kennedy, and Alucard vs. Sonic, Bowser, and Mega Man.
Also Mercenaries predates Death Battle by like 5 years.
"This sounds stupid"
Yes, but it’s the best kind of stupid. Such as The-Fury-from-Metal-Gear-Solid-3-setting-Sonic-2’s-Oil-Ocean-Zone-on-fire stupid.
"OK, you’ve piqued my interest. How exactly does this game work?"
The game is divided into weeks (with each in-game week taking place across a real-life week), that have four phases: Peacetime, where you hire new characters, Wartime, where you choose your opponent for the week, Fights, where players and spectators argue which team would win, and Results, where income is gained, experience allocated, and various other small things.
"So how many weeks will there be?"
A lot. The final number is still to be determined, but a tentative estimate is 30, in addition to elimination weeks, off weeks, and the end game tournament.
"That’s a very long time"
Yes, Mercenaries is a very long game. Previous iterations have taken over a year to complete. I can not stress enough that this game requires A LOT of dedication, patience, and endurance. Players should probably expect to spend at least a few hours a week in order to do well.
"How many players will there be?"
Honestly depends on the amount of interest. Games have been run with as few as 8 players to as many as 24. I am also looking for other people to help admin the game, whether that means putting up threads, helping with characters, keeping track of player data, and weighing in on ruling decisions.
"When will this start?"
Again, depends on the amount of interest. I have a few veterans helping me put together the rules and character builds, but the more players we get, the more total characters we’ll need to have ready.
Mercenaries has been some of the most fun I’ve ever had, and getting to see a group of brand new players experience will be magical, just like the first game all the way back in 2006. Let me know if you have any questions!
