Binding of the Eidolons

Binding the Eidolons is a dating-sim-esque game set in a magical JRPG-esque world based on Fire Emblem, Final Fantasy, and Shin Megami games. Players play as either an Eidolon (an immortal being of godlike power) or a human summoner, over the course of 7 scenes that encompass a school year from commencement to graduation and the Titular "Binding" ceremony.

Long Description

Eidolons, Gods bound into bits of stone that can be summoned forth by those of ancient blood. Whosoever wields them may reshape nations through their will alone. However, such power comes at the price of their very life force, which is used as fuel by the eldritch being so that it may be manifest in the world.

By ancient compact on the continent of Andorra, every 50 years, all the summoners and the Eidolons themselves are made manifest within the Basilica of Souls, where nascent summoners, plucked from the very best each nation has to offer, are trained to harness the terrible and magnificent powers of gods. The Basilica has always served as a school of sorts, which is especially fitting this year.

In the past, many of the Summoners and Eidolons used this period to return and rekindle their relationships; however, in the aftermath of a particularly brutal war, none of the previous summoners yet live, and the Eidolons, having been killed, have reformed without their thousands of years of experience and character growth that comes with it. Instead, their memories are like stories played out on distant shores, viewed from afar or recounted to them as an echo. They are like children themselves, a good match for the teens with whom they can bond.

During their time at school, rivalries, romances, tensions, admirations and hatreds all have time to flourish. Each summoner, of noble blood, has a part to play in shaping the world to come. Their fate is to be the fate of nations, and whether or not they convince a god to stand at their side will have ramifications not just for themselves but for all the world. The Eidolons, ancient beyond comprehension with their own feuds and friendships, seek to shape the world through the student body and to find one with whom they align in purpose, philosophy, and intention, or maybe they just want to give power to the person who will set it all aflame.

Binding the Eidolons is a dating-sim-esque game set in a magical JRPG-esque world based on Fire Emblem, Final Fantasy, and Shin Megami games. The player characters are split into three broad categories. First, there are the Eidolons themselves, who will have elements of their history, past experiences and actions hidden from them at the start of the game. Second are the Summoner candidates, each drawn from one of the great Kingdoms, who, for some reason, seek to give up half their life force to one of the Eidolons so that they may wield its power. Lastly, a small number of players will play as the faculty of the School. Each faculty member is here for a reason, having had their lives in some way subsumed by their interaction with the Eidolons.

Gameplay takes place over about 8 Scenes, each lasting 30 minutes to 60 minutes, and in character, over the course of an entire school year from commencement to graduation, with news from back home and events in the time between scenes.

The game is relatively light rules-wise. There are periods of dancing, physicality and short adventure scenes (taking less than a few minutes each) that feature a mechanic most resembling the Newlywed Game or a CYOA novel.