Why Syndicate's setting is bad, and why this is good
When I first heard that the next Assassins' Creed game would be set in Victorian England, I was highly disappointed. To my mind, it's a terrible setting for an AC game, there were no great power struggles, no great revolutions. Power in Britain was firmly in the hands of the Parliament, the Industrial Revolution had already passed and society had adapted, the British Empire was the undisputed superpower in the world and would remain so for nearly 50 years. The only attractions of the period are a couple of famous instances, Darwinian theory and the Whitechapel murders (my guess now, Jack the Ripper will be a Templar attack dog and you'll kill him).
So why was this period chosen for an AC game? Well, the fame of Jack the Ripper, the fact Victoria is one of the few British monarchs that many people outside the UK will know of. But overall, I'd say it's a boring, pointless period to put the game in. And this is good.
For those of you I've now lost, let me clarify. AC Unity was set in one of the most fascinating power struggles in European history, where an ancient monarchy was overthrown, the church was challenged and "dangerous" ideals like equality first got a real airing. This was followed by the onset of reality, terror and tyranny overturning the ideals of the revolution and a return to a monarchy (albeit a new one given a certain lack of candidates from the old family). And Arno did next to nothing of note in this great event. Instead we had a (admittedly good) murder mystery and conspiracy story. Arno was not motivated to free the people, by equality or any other Assassin ideal, he was motivated by the desire to redeem himself in the eyes of his former guardian's daughter. To me, this was a colossal waste.
Why this happened I don't know, I think (based on nothing but playing Unity) the team had become more interested in the modern day story/meta game components than the historical part of the story. While I can respect that, and it does have some level of interest for me, I'd much rather take part in the great events in history. This is why I'm pleased that Syndicate is set in a pointless part of history, I can enjoy an interesting story (if of no consequence to the universe) without the nagging feeling that taking part in the events around me would be a better story.
A British Assassins' Creed Game: Where I would set one
British history (and to clarify a point that will become important shortly, I'm referring to Britain as a geographical term rather than a political one) is littered with periods of flux, revolution and changing of balances of power. One in particular stands out to me as a perfect setting for an AC game, and I'll lay out my thoughts on why and what form the game could take here.
The period in question is the English Civil Wars on 1639-1660, where fighting took place not just in England, but also in Scotland and Ireland, giving the wars their other name, the Wars of the Three Kingdoms.
During the course of the wars, the English monarchy was deposed and for the only time in history an English monarch was condemned to death and executed by the British people in a (dubiously) legal process. The state religion was challenged, nearly demolished and a new, radical sect seized control. Britain went from a monarchy, to a Commonwealth to a Protectorate, allies became foes and finally a counter-revolution restored, on the surface at least, the status quo from before the wars.
As I see it, the game would start around the time of the Bishop's War, with Assassin's (including our protagonist as a rookie) supporting the Scottish army as they advanced against the English army arrayed against them. Naturally the Templars will be controlling and backing the established monarchy. Attacking the English camp to assassinate a key Templar and perhaps sabotage powder reserves or similar would provide a clean and easy tutorial mission.
Next, we'd proceed to the increasingly riotous and rebellious Long Parliament, with our character helping to delay the arrest of the 5 Members of Parliament by Charles I soldiers. spreading anti-monarchical pamphlets and otherwise contributing to the rise of the rebellion. When the rebellion breaks out, the Assassins would be tasked with eliminating Royalist officers (the casualty rates among senior officers in the conflict was horrific), sabotaging siege trains and other military related activities, aiming to assist the rebellion in the difficult early stages of the war.
A point on gameplay, I envisage the game returning to a more similar format to the earlier games, with multiple major cities to visit, rather than concentrating in just one place. As the fortunes of war change, the guards in major settlements and strategically located garrisons and camps will change between Royalists and Parliamentarians, with garrisons launching patrols of the hinterlands between the cities (giving players a reason to deal with them rather than just the 100% completion). In settled areas, the Clubmen faction, locals who had banded together to defend their locality from marauders, could form a permanent 'police' to keep the player from stealing and killing at will, while enemy garrison troops would be far more hostile (suspicious on sight etc) while friendly troops would be tolerant of most minor offenses and could assist the player against enemy troops.
I also imagine their being dynamic attacks by Templar forces aiming to recapture garrisons and settlements, even when the player isn't present, just so that the oppressive concerns of civil war are brought home, never knowing if a safe area is still so.
In the next act, the player would have risen in the Assassin Brotherhood after successful actions against the Royalist armies. Their new task would be to concentrate of breaking the Templar hold on the country, as it looks like the rebellion might fail. Going after Templars, their allies and assets would be the first task, after which the hunt for any Precursor artifacts they're using. The relentless pressure on the Templars and the loss of Pieces of Eden would critically weaken the Royalists, allowing the Rebellions fortunes to improve. The Assassin could also be sent to protect the negotiations for the alliance between the Parliament and the Scots, a critical turning point in the war.
At this point, we throw in the curve ball to the plot. The rebellion's leadership at this point fell heavily under Puritan influence, a formerly small, reclusive sect with extreme beliefs and an intolerance for outsiders. When they become a dominant faction in the rebellion, they turn on the Assassins, revealing that they're a Templar dominated faction. The game changes, as all guards are intensely hostile to the Assassins, hideouts come under assault from Parliamentarian troops led by Templar kill squads. Dozens, if not hundreds of Assassins, including key leaders, are killed and the Brotherhood is nearly annihilated. The player escapes with a handful of companions.
The next act would consist of trying to rebuild the Brotherhood in a brutally hostile environment. Establishing safe houses, supply networks and spy rings will be key, followed by recruitment and training of Assassins. At this point the player will become a senior Assassin, by the simple method of having lived. Eventually, the Templars will abandon the Royalist faction as the rebellion becomes unstoppable. For want of better allies, the Assassin's will assist the Royalists, taking part in the escape of Charles I's children and his prison escape attempts prior to his execution. Ultimately though, the new, Templar dominated government will be installed and the Commonwealth will ensue. The Assassins consider abandoning Britain, and many do, leaving the player as the leader of all remaining Assassins in the Three Kingdoms.
Under the player's guidance, the Assassins will attempt to undermine the Commonwealth, eventually triggering the Templars to abolish the Parliament, making Cromwell the Lord Protector, a functional monarch with military backing. This plays into Assassin hands, as the people begin to resent the loss of freedom and imposition of religious values and the abuses of the regime. Eventually, the resentment of the Protectorate, combined with the death of Cromwell (perhaps by Precursor poison or similar that makes it look like a natural death), leads to the return of the monarchy. Unfortunately for the Templars, Charles II holds them responsible for the death of his father, and with a little help for the Assassins, he launches a purge of the Templars, allowing the Assassins to gain ground in the British Isles.
At the coronation of Charles II, the ending of the game, our character, now a Mentor of the Brotherhood, and a young Assassin will be watching from the roof of the Palace of Westminster as, once again, power was invested in one man. When challenged by the young Assassin about his failure to change anything, our character points out to him that, although on the surface, nothing had changed, below there were new rules. The people had learned they could challenge the authority of the old orders, power now rested firmly with the Parliament, as they allowed a King to exist, and that this knowledge and fact would be impossible to undo, even by the most devious Templar machinations, planting a seed that the Brotherhood can nurture into a permanent victory over the Templar desire to control. In my mind, this monologue takes place over a montage of momentous events through history where powers were challenged (American and French Revolutions, Fall of the Berlin Wall etc) as suits the speech.
Aside from the story aspects, the English Civil Wars also suit AC gameplay. Firearms were limited and slow to reload, making reliance on bladed weapons critical in scraps on the scale AC games play at, but allowing for some dramatic battlefield action when needed for the story. High attrition rates among officers allow for assassination missions without the need to make up deaths, the key role of printing presses, powder mills and local fortified strongholds give natural side quests, with obvious gameplay benefits (Clubmen will be hostile if the enemy control local printing presses, and neutral if it falls to the Assassins, powder mills supply local Assassin forces making them more able to defend themselves and allowing the player to re-arm for free, removing enemy garrisons reduces or eliminates enemy patrols).
So that's my little idea for an Assassin's Creed game where the player becomes part of history, just needing one of the "modern world" stories around it. Sadly, with the English Civil Wars being relatively unknown, I suspect it'll never go from my head to reality. But then again, stranger things have happened.
