I made my submission but Good Game never got back to me. Nevertheless, I thought I might give my ideas a home here. Indeed, looking back these characters seem compelling enough and it would be shame not to put them to use (of course anyone can have an idea - but putting said into action is another thing entirely).
So here we go: My submisison for the Good Game game Office Wars:
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Wagglemax
History:
Wagglemax is a company that ahs been around
for twenty years. It’s origins came from a young business executive called
James Morgan who wanted to make a mark in the business world in the manufacture
of technical gadgets. It was James who founded the company and whom has been
with the company ever since.
Times have been difficult recently in
Wagglemax: at first they had a string of successes with products of ingenuity
and they became one of the most successful technological gadget companies on
the market – even to the point of making their rivals nervous. However, company
got too sure of itself and made a number of ventures that promised so much but
failed to deliver. This set off a string of failures that in retrospect looked
good on paper but left a lot of untapped potential. Wagglemax’s status slipped
drastically – even to the point where it lost vital ground against new and
upcoming companies.
Currently, Wagglemax is in a rather
alarming position: It needs a something big to get back up and running or face
the horror of being closed down. However, as with many times before, the wrong
people have the larger say whilst the right people are being ignored.
CEO
Name: James Morgan
First
Impressions: A large man who radiates a tyrannical
presence. James is often found sitting at his desk, laughing manically with mad
eyes and a demented grin. He is always thinking up new schemes to forward
Wagglemax but none of them really succeed.
Background: Merciless, cruel and apathetic: as a CEO James is all this and
more. In a cutthroat business of running and maintaining a company, he has
built Wagglemax from the ground up – but only through muscling his way to the
top through low cunning, ruthless strength and absolute terror. But his journey
to the top has irrevocably altered his way of thinking. He has the smarts and
the intelligence to make the company go even further but it’s at odds with him
leaving such potential unrecognised and paranoia (not to mention the perception
that all of his employees are worthless maggots).
Having been with Wagglemax from the very
beginning, James was once a young and enthusiastic business man who wanted to
make a mark of his own. However once he got Wagglemax up and running, it
quickly became clear how corporations work.
To his horror, James received first hand
experience on the ruthless nature that corporations work: by eliminating the
competition through whatever means necessary. Thus he slowly had his idealism
sucked out of him, leaving him as he currently is: a jaded tyrant.
CEO
Personal Assistant
Name: Charles Lloyd
First
Impressions: A snivelling little worm and general
arse-kisser, Charles is determined to stay in his boss’ good books. Meek in
demeanour he is however keen to find any moment when the other employees slip
up for he can use it do his (no matter how over-dramatised) advantage.
Background: The personal assistant of James, Charles knows the importance of
his position and doesn’t let anyone forget it. Such is his devotion to his
employer that Charles will use any blackmail, threats and other underhanded
methods to make sure the employees of Wagglemax stay in line. He is not afraid
to assert his authority nor is he afraid to get his hands dirty.
However, he is only acting under James’
guidance. Without him, Charles would be next to useless. Thus, it is Charles’ admiration
for his employer that has kept him going for all this time. It has also brought
him into conflict with Glenn on several occasions.
Coming from a lowly background out in the
countryside, Charles left his home for the city in search of work. However it
wasn’t easy: he was unemployed for a long time trying out for many jobs. The
lack of success took its toll however, leaving him frequently depressed and beaten
down by defeat. But he refused to give up and was eventually rewarded with his
current position at Wagglemax. Delighted that things are finally going his way,
Charles has every intention to hang onto this new role with an iron grip and
refuses to give up anything for anyone (expect James, the man who gave him the
job)
Cleaner
Name: Simon Welsh
First
Impressions: A weary but still likable old chap,
Simon appears to the only sane person in Wagglemax. He gets on well with
everyone, can blend in easily and drifts in and out of each chaotic situation
in an unflappable manner.
Background: At first glance, Simon is a simple cleaner but such first
impressions conceal his true intentions: he is actually an agent for James.
Because of his unassuming manner and ability to go anywhere without being
suspected, James has an additional task for Simon: to scout around the office
of Wagglemax and to report any dissension in the ranks. Simon may get along
well with everyone and may appear to be the most liked person in Wagglemax, but
in reality he cares little of loyalty save for watching out for his own skin.
Simon’s background is something of an
enigma. After acquiring a decent education, Simon spent many years working in
corporations such as Wagglemax. In fact, he made excellent progress over the
years – even to the point of becoming a key employee of one rival company to
Wagglemax. Needless to say, falling from a higher-up to a cleaner is a
spectacular one indeed, so he has joined Wagglemax with the intention of
getting back at James. Strangely enough, James is aware of this.
Office
Junior
Name: Glenn Wheeler
First
Impressions: Young and vital, Glenn possess the
manner of a wheeler-dealer. Fast talking, charismatic and full of ideas (all of
which are better than James’) he does however tend to wimp out in
confrontational situations.
Background: A young idealist, Glenn is fresh out of University where he was consistently
bright pupil. Dedicated completely to his studies, Glenn had little time for
anything else. Thus, his marks were always impressive but his people skills
kept needing drastic work.
He has just started out in Wagglemax and
obtained the entry position of Office Junior. Coming from a prestigious background,
Glenn is annoyed that he has been regulated to a position not worthy of his
talents and his great ideas (as he believes) are being constantly ignored.
Yet the longer Glenn stays at Wagglemax, it
becomes increasingly clear that James relies on brute force to move the company
forward. Thinking the company would be better off suited to more subtle methods
of progression, Glenn immediately vows to usurp his boss and takes his place.
Thus, Glenn is quite open about his intentions. Even James is aware of this but
it is only Glenn’s usefulness that keeps him on the payroll.
Strangely though, whilst he may have the
wits and charisma that James will probably never have, Glenn is a coward: He
can talk his opponents up easily but he lacks the guts to take action to fulfil
his intentions. Which is a shame because he doesn’t realise that the plans he
comes up with are far more effective than James will ever come up with.
HR
Manager
Name: Samantha Davis
First
Impressions: Smart and all too aware of it, Sam is
the quietest employee in Wagglemax. She is regularly found sitting in front of
her computer, unaware of the mayhem that’s continually happening around her.
She thinks lowly of her employees and doesn’t hesitate in applying the most
venomous of put downs.
Background: Being the HR Manager, Samantha is James’ right-hand man (woman?)
and his most trusted advisor. She holds position no.3 on the office hierarchy and
fulfils the role of a mentor to the new arrivals. And being a HR person, Sam
knows the strengths and weaknesses of each and every employer in Wagglemax and
how they can be pushed to their full potential. She is also a schemer who can
come up with ingenious plans for the company’s progress. However, her status
has also made her a vile opportunist. Sam knows everything about everyone and utilises
this information to her advantage. But no matter how much of a blackmailer she
is, Sam is the most loyal to James. And she is indeed aware that she is
despised by her co-workers – but without her, Wagglemax would have no hope of
success.
Being employed in a ruthless world of
corporate greed for several years now, Sam has gradually come to accept that
she is a woman in a world dominated mostly by men. Thus, she is determined to
prove her worthiness and understands that her brain is her best weapon.
However, this continually marks Sam out as being notoriously frigid. Matters
aren’t helped when she is exceptionally disdainful of the notion of using sex
appeal to climb up the corporate ladder.
Your
Boss
Name: Nikki Hall
First
Impressions: Loud, obnoxious and determined to get
her own way, Nikki has no hesitation in achieving what she sets out to do. Blind
to reason, to the point of tunnel vision, she has no trouble in getting what
she wants out of her employees – even if she has to force them into it kicking,
screaming and protesting all the way.
Background:, Nikki holds the distinction of being James’ chief business
tactician. Amazingly, her loud and brash persona conceals a shrewd mind.
Appearances truly are deceiving as Nikki is actually a mastermind of numerous
successful ventures and cunning business moves. She is able to think up clever
plans quickly and easily – All of which are executed with a cold and brutal
efficiency. But, Nikki does not share the same crushing principals that her
boss holds. She would rather resort to a more intellectual way of solving
problems. Thus, being brash and loud tend to astonish people when her plans
work out – all of which are the type that always work out in ways no one else
anticipated and the type that affects the opponent long before they start to
realise it.
Despite occasionally seeing herself more
intelligent than James, Nikki is still very loyal to her CEO and a capable
overseer of operations in Wagglemax. Should James fall, she will gladly
continue with the business to the very end. And such is her loyalty, Nikki
hates Glenn for his ambitions.
Nikki’s background is tumultuous to say the
least: She came from a rich family who constantly drove her forward, demanding
success and the best out of her. And for a hile wit worked in that Nikki exhibited
strong skills in both sports and business. She could’ve chosen whatever career
she wanted. Strangely enough however, she lacked the drive to go all the way. Most
likely it was the burden constantly put on her parents but whatever the reason,
Nikki lost her way and relished the freedom adulthood presented. For a while
she showed behaviour of an adult thinking they were still in their teens and
her career path floundered. As a result, she fell in with the only company that
would accept her: Wagglemax.
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