A thread - in essence a collaborative fanfic - also known as BRKM, Knightmare: Battle Royale and most often KMBR, written on the Knightmare Roleplay Forum in 2004. Devised by forum creator Kully (a.k.a. Emii), it took inspiration from 2000 Japanese film Battle Royale.

In KMBR, an octet of Surrounds charcters - Hordriss de Confuseur, Tom Troughton, Lord Fear, Ursula, Sylvester Hands, Lady Morgan De Chaos, FrightKnight and Skiprazor - were brought against their wills to an area of the Forest of Dunn cordoned off by forcefields. (All these members had agreed to participate without fully knowing the plotline that awaited their characters.) Once there, a being known as the Old One (later suggested to be an alternate incarnation of Kitano from Battle Royale) addressed them:

'You may have heard of an old decree from the Dungeonmaster before our very own Treguard. Now you see, dungeoneers weren't enough back then for the dungeon. They needed people who knew the area - a surviving race from the realm itself. So now, every century, they take a select number - could be three, could be forty - from this realm and put them into a survival quest.

What is this survival quest? Well. Firstly, there are no rules. Secondly. You have to destroy each other.'

The group members, then, were ordered to fight to the death over an allotted period, at the end of which they would be strangled by the tamper-proof necklaces they were being forced to wear (a reference to the explosive collars of Battle Royale), leaving a sole victor who would be 'gifted with an ability of sorts, to award their thinking and survival ways'. Shortly before battle commenced, Young Grimwold was brought in as an extra participant, and there were two other surprise additions: a highly advanced Automatum and a mysterious unnamed boy. All contestants' magical powers were suppressed and each was given a spell scroll (ranging in name from CHOICE to SLIDE) plus a knapsack containing rations, a map, a 'weapon' (from a sword to a mirror) and a potion bottle (with names from Shove to Leak). The effects of the potions and spells were not obvious until put to use (at which time Kully revealed them), and some were destined to backfire.

While some characters relished the chance to kill, such as Skiprazor and FrightKnight, some such as Ursula and YG tried hard not to be drawn into combat, while others were forced into practices and alliances undreamt of outside the KMBR arena, chiefly Lord Fear - but all characters found themselves touched by violence one way or another. Only when a contestant was killed did he or she learn that KMBR was a non-fatal game, and he/she was returned alive to the world outside the arena. The final survivor's prize was never detailed, nor the exact nature and intent of the higher forces behind KMBR - though Hordriss suspected a resurgence of the Gruagach (see: Can You Beat The Challenge?), who according to Surrounds mythos he had once served.

KMBR ran for 22 pages and over 5 months (though this included a number of 'time freezes', delays and hiatuses). Opinions offered by members were largely positive:

'VIVA LA BR! ... The whole plot has been a captivating read and after being initially sceptical about how it would work then the idea has won me over ... certainly one of, if not the, best threads in the existance of the forum with its simple premise, high drama and tension.' - Ringmasterrob

'For me this has been one of the greatest Roleplaying experiences.' - Lord Fear

'Inspiring stuff ... I enjoyed it. And I'm quite proud of the writing I did in it, I hope I gave everyone involved something to play off.' - Skiprazor

'The KMBR thread has seen an innovative and exciting idea come to fruition with style' - Young Grimwold

'I'm not too comfortable with it just being stuck in there arbitrarily because [Kully] got a good idea from a film, but if there is a wider story behind it that will develop into something beyond the Battle per se then full steam ahead.' - Sylvester Hands

'It was certainly excellent ... and although I was forced to absent for part of it I thouroughly enjoyed it!' - Hordriss

'I know it's a work in progress, and it took ages on my part, but for a first attempt from everybody I think it was a pretty damn good piece of roleplay.' - Kully

Although the possibility of further KMBRs was discussed among Surrounds members and generally received well, there has to date been just the one. And if you want to (re)read it, you can do so here.

[Previous version: 2011-10-20 17:15:54]

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