3 friends (Finch, Lance, and Neil) are jazzed for the new video game- Relics of Chaos. But when Finch drops that he just started dating this new girl he met, Gwen, and wants to get her interested in the game, the others are afraid of what that means for their video game group. We embark on the journey of friendship, love, and heartbreak through a group of friends playing their favorite video game over a number of years. "Life's a Game: Relics of Chaos" shows the humor and battles these characters go through both in real life and in-game. New friends and characters are found along the way, as the 'guild' battles along in real life and online. However, sometimes who we portray online, is not who we are in real life. Will they defeat their inner villains or will they be stuck in the loading screen?

Cast Size: 14 minimum (7M, 7F), but may add additional ensemble of any gender.

If smaller casts, some named characters play various enemies/NPCs before their characters are introduced. If bigger casts, the enemies/NPCs can be divided up amongst the ensemble.

Note: Character ages are general suggestions for the characters, but are not required ages for the actors.

MAIN CAST OF CHARACTERS:

• FINCH. Male. The calm and mostly-happy-go-lucky guy in the group. He falls in love with Gwen and has high hopes for their relationship. Hardworking, early 20s at the start of the show. He plays the tank in the group, so he reads up on all the fights. Knowledgeable in video games, especially ROC. Loyal to his friends. Tries to see the good in everyone, even when they’re on shaky ground. He tries to be the rock in the group, when those around him are falling apart. Is the youngest of his friends, though is more mature. 

• LANCE. Male. Snarky intellectual when he does talk, serious most of the time. 25-30 at the start of the show. A bit like the older brother of the group. Has trust issues. Has the top of the line tech and an obsession with anime and a bit OCD with collecting pets/items in game. Writes gaming guides for online forums in his freetime. Can have a bit of a white-knight complex. Works in IT/computers.

• NEIL. Male. The constant-flirt of the group, who jumps from bad relationship to bad relationship. Also has a little bit of a drinking problem when dealing with the aftermath. Mid 20s at the start of the show. Poorer than the others, his computer setup is bare-bones. Works at a senior home, but as what- no one ever quite knows. Falls in and out of love quickly. Has to come to terms with his sexuality later in the play.

• GWEN. Female. Finch’s significant other, early 20s at the start of the show. An overall happy person, who is intensely competitive. She adores diet cherry soda and quickly becomes hooked on playing ROC. An artist/animator by trade, but also a skilled volleyball player. She is madly in love with Finch, and is a loyal friend to Dana. She is thoughtful, creative, and scrapbooks on the side. She plays the rogue in the group, often a silent player at first because she is unsure of her gaming abilities. 

• DANA. Female. Goth girl roommate to Gwen while at her internship program, 20-something. Adores anime (specifically Yuni-terra), her cat, and neon accents to her otherwise gothic black & white vibes. Often seen drinking coffee. Works in IT/computers as well. A bit hard and rough on the outside, but once you get to know her, you realize she just doesn’t take anyone’s crap, after dealing with her large family.  

• TAYLOR. Male. An ER nurse in his 20-30s. Long hair, and some form of facial hair. A bit awkward and quiet, but overall a good person. He loves to cook. Has somewhat of a crush on Neil. Often seen in his scrubs, because “they’re comfortable.” 

MAIN GAME CHARACTERS: 

• KRIGER. Male. FINCH.’s character in ROC- a warrior. The tank of the group with anger/rage issues. Extreme opposite from the player who plays him- who is usually calm.

• POLARIS. Male. LANCE.’s character in ROC- a paladin, is a healer, but also does hammer damage. Even though not really a knight per-say, does give off ‘white knight’ vibes.

• MASULSA. Female. NEIL.’s character in ROC- an attractive female fire mage with cat ears. A bit flirty like her player. She is a damage dealer in the group. 

• SHADOWBLADE. Female. GWEN.’s character in ROC- a ‘sneak’- assassin ninja/rogue type. Very light on her feet and can tip-toe past enemies with ease. A bit mysterious.

• ARTEMIS. Female. DANA.’s character in ROC- a hunter with a keen eye for her target and adores her pets. Rough around the other characters, but sweetheart to her pets.

• EMERALDLIGHT. Female. TAYLOR.’s character in ROC- a healing druid. She is all about nature. Very calm.

OTHER CHARACTERS: 

These Characters are played by some of the characters above and/or Ensemble characters

GIRL 1, GIRL 2, PEOPLE WAITING IN LINE, RED BANDIT, BLUE BANDIT,  GAME NARRATOR, QUEST GIVER/DUNGEON QUEST GIVER/ BATTLEMASTER, PLAGUE DOCTOR,2 MINIONS,SILVER SPELLCASTER, FATHER TYRON, KING OF LYNEX,QUEEN OF LYNEX,ORC, ORC KING, ZOMBIE PRINCESS BONETTA, GHOST OF LORD WARWHISPER, NOOB PLAYER, HYPNO-WIZARD, GOLEM, AVAL THE DESTROYER, RUONOS

• Aggro: refers to hostile attention from enemies or characters. 

• Alt: Alternative character or secondary character. 

• Anti-Poison: an item that heals or negates a poison.

• Auto-Run: when you set your character to run on their own in a certain direction.

• Chat Function: how players communicate with each other by default if they do not have a microphone, by typing conversations “in the chat” room of the game. 

• Damage Over Time or “DOT”: A spell or move that damages over time. Think of a sickness that progressively makes you more sick the longer you have it.

• Debuff: Something that gives negative effects to a character or makes it so a character can’t do certain things until it is healed or removed.

• DPS: Damage Per Second, also can refer to characters who are Damage dealers..DPS characters sole purpose is to hit or throw damage on the bad guys.

• Drop-rate: the probability of getting a specific item from loot or other source. 

• Dungeon: A specific location in the game where a small group of characters get together to fight certain bad guys. Often loot/treasure is given for completing the dungeon. 

• Emotes: sound clips, body/hand movements, and facial expressions that characters can do.

• Guild: A group/members-only type of online club created within the game. Those in a ‘guild’ together often get benefits/perks for being in a guild together. 

• Healer: A character in the game that heals the wounds that were inflicted on the other characters.

• Kick/ Interrupt/Stun/Sap: A specific move characters do that knocks out or stops an enemy.

• Loot: rewards or treasure given after completing a quest or a battle/fight.

• Lowbie: low level character/player.

• Main: Main characters. The primary character a player chooses to play.

• Mana: the energy needed to perform tasks like fighting or performing a spell.

• MMO: Massively Multiplayer Online (game)

• Noob: Either a new player, or someone who doesn’t know what they are doing. 

• NPC: Non-Player Character, fully computer generated. There is no real-person controlling them.

• Pixel: a minute area of illumination on a display screen, one of many from which an image is composed.

• Quest: Instructions for something to do in-game that gives rewards and loot. 

• Raid: Players group together to enter a specific section of the game and do more difficult battles. 

• Rando: random player

• RPG: Role-playing Game. 

• RP Server: Similar to a normal server, however it is specifically designated a place for players to role-play their characters in the game and in-chat.

• Server: Players connect into an online internet server within the game. These online servers are housed elsewhere, and by the game company. 

• Tank: Often a strong character who takes the brunt of the damage from enemies.. 

• Trait: A special ability only available for a certain type of character

• Trolls: People who lie online about who they are in real life, say annoying things or make fun of people in the game, or in the chat. Could also be a term used to describe an ugly person.

• Voice Chat: how players communicate by using a microphone and speaker or headphones with microphones

Act 1

• Scene 1 (Prologue): Exterior of video game store; August 2005—the release of ROC

• Scene 2: Neil, Finch, and Lance’s rooms and in-game platform; March 2006

• Scene 3: Neil, Finch, and Lance’s rooms and in-game platform; a few weeks later

• Scene 4: Neil, Finch, and Lance’s rooms and in-game platform; the next day

• Scene 5: Neil, Finch, Lance, and Gwen/Dana’s rooms and in-game platform; early November 2006

• Scene 6: Neil, Finch, Lance, and Gwen/Dana’s rooms and in-game platform; mid-October 2007

• Scene 7: Neil, Finch, Lance, Gwen/Dana, and Taylor’s rooms and in-game platform; the next day

• Scene 8: Neil, Finch, Lance, Gwen/Dana, and Taylor’s rooms and in-game platform; December 2007

Act 2

• Scene 1: Neil, Finch, Lance, Gwen/Dana, and Taylor’s rooms and in-game platform; December 2007—right where Act 1 ended

• Scene 2: Finch & Gwen’s apartment; 2 years later— New Year’s Eve, December 2009 

• Scene 3: Finch & Gwen’s apartment, Lance’s room, and in-game platform; the next day

• Scene 4: Finch & Gwen’s apartment, Lance’s room, Taylor’s room, and in-game platform; the next day

• Scene 5: Finch & Gwen's apartment; Dana, Lance, Neil, and Taylor’s rooms; and in-game platform; the next day

• Scene 6 (Epilogue): Finch & Gwen’s apartment, Dana and Lance’s room, Neil and Taylor’s room, and in-game platform; 10 years later, August 2020—15 years since the release of ROC

Teens or adults, due to some language and adult topics