Class is in Session: The Class Blog #1

Just for clarification, this is “the roles each character is designed to play” blog, since just saying “class blog” makes it sound like this is some sort of social class thing, which it isn’t. But if you want to see that, turn on the news.

As of right now, we have two classes in our Vertical Slice demo: the Awa and the Damé. But, because I’m a lazy fool, we’ll only be discussing one today, going into what makes them special. Then, you’ll get a little history lesson on their name, as we wanted each class to reference different African fighting styles/sports.

First, the Awa: this is our tank (and it’s also Astraia). Characters of this class are meant to take enemy hits and keep attention off the squishy characters. Many of their learnable skills will directly involve buffs to defense and health, and keeping everyone in the party alive. There’s actually a fun double-meaning to the name “Awa.” The first relates to the previously mentioned African fighting style, named “Kokawa.”

This is, in essence, a popular form of wrestling between two combatants where the aim is to knock your opponent out of a ring or onto the ground. “Combatants” makes this sound incredibly violent, though, which it isn’t; it’s actually much more playful, a celebration of heritage and culture. Before the start of every match, time is given to both drumming and dancing, reminding audiences of the purpose of the sport.

Wrestlers travel village to village, accompanied by musicians and entertainers, to compete against their opponents. They are often treated quite well by society, with some even becoming legends of sorts. In many variations of the sport, only grappling is allowed, so Astraia isn’t exactly following the rules very well.

But she DOES try her best to stay upright, so we thought it fit.

Because of the wide-reaching nature of the sport, it has come to be known by a variety of different names depending on the region: Lutte Traditionnelle, Laamb, Evala, and even Kokowa, which tripped me up more in my research than I care to admit. The energy in these matches are pretty wild, and you’ll never quite know when one combatant will get the leg up on the other, so it’s quite the engaging watch!

But the second meaning of the name “Awa” makes a lot more sense if you read the blog from a week ago, which I know you did already. As a reminder, though, it’s also related to the seed of the Wawa tree. Known for its resilience, it’s a perfect name for the class that IS resilience incarnate. But see? Awa? Wawa?

It’s complicated stuff, it’s okay if you don’t get it.

We’re talking about Abella’s class next week, and everyone loves Abella, so stop on by.

— A Duck Named James