CLINT_
A former pro athlete who got involved with some sketchy people in his rookie year, leading to a lifetime ban from the NFL. Fast forward 12 years to the present: Clint Bowler has managed to clean up his act and is now working as a NCPD Beat Cop (a patrolman), doing what he can to make ends meet. But his new life on the straight and narrow is not quite as rewarding as the one he had previously envisioned for himself. The Clint we meet is accountable and takes full responsibility for his actions, no longer pointing fingers at others as the cause of his past fuckups. Life has humbled him. He tries to do the right thing and be a good father and role model for his teenage son, Malcolm, but his ex-wife is dead set on poisoning their son against him. New City has no shortage of crime, which keeps Clint busy between his limited visits with Malcolm.
MALCOLM_
Clint’s 16 year old son. Malcolm De la Cruz lives with his mother and wealthy stepdad 95% of the time. He’s smart, and has an affinity for robotics and engineering. In fact, he’s a bit of a prodigy in that arena. Malcolm’s biggest passion though, is RAMGØD. His favorite team is the Barracudas, with whom he has developed a bit of an obsession. When we first meet Malcolm, he doesn’t seem too excited to go visit his dad, as it appears more like something he is simply “required” to do. But that all begins to change, when his dad is offered to try out for the Barracudas.
BC318_
Clint’s A.I. Bot partner. As part of the NCPD’s Community Beat Program, every human Beat Cop must have a Bot partner that keeps tabs on everything going on - essentially serving as a way more reliable replacement for the body camera. The BC Bots are purposely designed to have little or no personalities, as their primary function is to add a level of accountability to the police department. When we first meet BC318, he is just like all of the other Bots - very one dimensional and robotic, but he somehow begins to develop a personality (and an admiration for Bruce Lee) after spending time with Malcolm. Clint doesn’t value BC as a police officer, and treats him more as a personal assistant than a partner.
_RAMGØD
The Barracudas_
Malcolm’s favorite RAMGØD team, they are the only team in the league that aren’t sponsored or funded by an actual company. Instead they rely on crowdsourced funding in order to pay for the expensive gear which they need to compete. What we will learn is that The Barracudas secretly moonlight as thieves, processing their stolen money through the crowdsourcing platform as a way of laundering it.
KIRIN_
The (Ring)leader of the Barracudas. He’s got the bravado and eccentric cultish leadership prowess of a Tyler Durden (Fight Club). He’s a man of the people and has become a bit of a preacher. He thoroughly understands the importance of utilizing his platform, and has used it to cultivate a devout following of fans known as “Guppies”. Kirin fully buys into his own “bullshit” and thinks of himself as some sort of savior. He’s a phenomenal athlete who claims to act on instinct, but actually always has a well thought out plan.
ELSA_
Kirin’s right hand and former love interest. She’s tough as nails and sharp as a razor. A very guarded individual with a rough upbringing. Elsa is the backbone of the team, and someone who all the members seem to really trust and admire. She acts like she has a death wish, and seems to value the lives of others over her own. While Elsa has no moral dilemma with stealing or violence, she draws a hard line in the sand when it comes to murder. When Kirin proposes to the team to bring on a cop (Clint) as their league-mandated 6th teammate, the rest of the crew strongly opposes. But Elsa, who generally clashes with Kirin, surprisingly supports the idea...
TRUX_
He is not a player on the team, but is equally as valuable. He is the lead engineer of the group. While many of the teams in RAMGØD rely on their corporate sponsorships to provide the engineers and tech for the Games, The Barracudas rely primarily on Trux for this. He can build and code pretty much anything. But because he is just one man, he can’t do everything by himself.
VEX_
When RAMGØD first started, its mortality rate was simply too high to attract legitimate athletes, even with the enormous payouts. As a way to resolve this issue, the league implemented a rule that required every team to have ONE Bot on the active roster. This allowed teams and human players to offset some of the risks, by utilizing their Bot teammates for the most dangerous competitions. Meet the Barracudas’ Bot teammate: Vex. A flamboyant crossdressing AI, with a penchant for violence and overall badassery. Vex is a repurposed Utility Bot Base Model that Trux has completely rebuilt and customized. Trux has programmed such a unique persona into Vex, that she appears to be sentient even though she is not. Vex is so advanced that she is able to repair and mod herself without assistance. The two of them (Vex and Trux) serve as the team’s primary engineers, and also utilize the help of skilled “guppies” when necessary.
REMMER_
The biggest wildcard of the group. Morally… he has no morals. Extremely self-serving, but a valuable asset to the team, since he is a true competitor who wants to win at any cost. He doesn’t mind being the bad guy - “Someone needs to be, right?” -- He’ll do whatever he can to gain an advantage, evident by the numerous blackmarket Mods he sports.
Remmer is feared by other teams, and even his own team, but make no mistake, they appreciate having him on their side. He’s extremely protective of his crew, and does not take well to newcomers like Clint.
In Dangerous Games, we’ll meet a host of other teams, but they are all ancillary or peripheral to the story. There is one other player from another team, though, that will play a much larger role in the story.
WOOD_
A relative newcomer to the sport, wood burst onto the scene seemingly out of nowhere two seasons ago, and has been the highest performing player in the league, and the reigning MVP. But RAMGØD is a team sport, and Wood hasn’t made it to the finals since entering the league. He’s a man of few words, choosing to let his actions do the talking.
With his contract expiring at the end of the season, and the league expanding to 5 player teams, there is growing speculation that Wood will join the people’s team, and sign with the Barracudas, as their fans also want to see it happen. There is a whole lot more to Wood than meets the eye, as he is a lot more than just a player in the game.
MARKOS_
The ever eccentric Commissioner of the Games, Markos Madsen is as much a showman as he is a businessman. As one of the key pioneers who brought the sport to life, Markos is the main spokesperson for RAMGØD. He has become obsessed with the ratings, and is constantly looking for ways to grow the sport and its influence on the world, forever prioritizing the ends above the means.
DECLAN_HOLLOWAY_
Current President and CEO of SAFEWAY, Declan’s father, Reed Holloway, was the original founder and former President of the company. After 70 years at the helm of the largest health tech conglomerate in the world, Reed finally succumbed to old age and passed away, leaving his empire (and giant shoes) to his only son. In Reed’s Will, he made sure to prevent his son from having unilateral control of the company, splitting up his voting shares amongst the Board, so that they would provide the necessary checks and balances. Declan is constantly out to prove his worth, and looks to take the company in “new directions”, but is constantly fighting against his own Board of Directors in order to do so.