Well, I was thinking long and hard about this(Don't laugh), and I concluded that having gladiatorial games in the world that I am creating will be rather stupid.
Yes, you heard it right, stupid. Having gladiatorial games in a world where a C-rank warrior is more than three times stronger than a D-rank warrior will make things awkward and irrational. I am creating a complete world with complete rules and logic, but a gladiator arena will make things more than a bit irrational. Even if there are match-fixings where match-ups can only happen between two people with only a single minor rank between them, this will still be awkward.
So, unless our protagonist turned himself into a lab-rat or he got his hands on a cheat or heavenly opportunity, he will die very fast in the logical sense, and I don't want to force everything on plot armor and luck.
Also, as kidBuu699 added, being a slave will give him a lot of conveniences since a smart owner won't ever risk a star gladiator dying, so the owner will invest resources and training in him to keep him alive. This will reduce a large part of the dark setting that the protagonist should experience.
That is why I am now offering an alternative. I will take the strength system and world setting, and make the protagonist a not-so-talented tribesman in an orc village(He is still ostracized for being half-orc), where he can get his hands on plenty of balanced enemies to fight, find natural treasures to eat, get concoctions that improve his aptitude, etc. These benefits can help him in the short run, but they are far from being a real cheat.
Later on, perhaps I can still add him getting captured by some slavers and sold into a gladiatorial school, where he will use the benefits he got from his younger days to survive in the arena.
Anyways, go ahead and choose:
- Full gladiator - He gets sold young into a fighting pit where he struggles for survival and gets experimented on by evil cultists/ mages, making his body possess abnormal qualities that let him stay alive. Downside: Little early world-building and a diminishing cheat + 10-meter thick ballistic class plot armor.
- Full tribal - Instead of coping himself up in some lame-ass arena, let him explore the rich world of Aessonia and grow! Plunge into the world of Aessonia as you experience more world-building, oppression from the Lamarian(Roman) empire, and becoming a legendary adventurer through thick and thin. (And leaving a thick trail of his seed along the way.) Downside: Slightly generic.
- Hybrid - Let him grow in a tribe at first, let him experience the harshness of the wild and grow his aptitude, perhaps fall in love, and then, when he reaches the age of 16, BOOM! He gets captured and brought into a gladiatorial school, needing to fight matches with the odds against him. (Like fixing someone on the same rank but him having no weapons, or having someone a small rank above him, fighting monsters barehanded, etc.) Downside: Mog will still need some sort of heavenly opportunity that gives him some unique quality that allows his survival, or he will need a thick plot armor, the 1-m bulletproof class. Not as bad as the gladiator origin, but still bad.
I am okay with any of these three, as they are all original and unique.
Mog will have a hard time meeting Consentia outside of being a gladiator. I still think tribal is the better choice as it'll let us see the world. Maybe he can be a Ln adventurer with a contract with Fidelis?
I don't know but whatever you enjoy writing
If you do some gladiator matches Mog could lose one (not all historical matches were to the death).
its the dose that makes the poison, hybrid more esily has transitions and payoffs.
I think tribe would be fun, could add tribal fighting matches instead of gladiator ones. I think it would be interesting if you have a simular plot where consentia gets captured by Mog or his tribe or something. I liked her character. But maybe not since you want to make it dark.
With tribal you could have tribal wars. If you decide to have him back into slavery it would make sense if he was captured in a tribal war and sold as a slave.
A tribal conquest route would be interesting since the usually rely on some cheat and is hardly ever done right.
First thing first do what you think you would enjoy writing. There would be nothing worse than for you to pick one of these paths and then decide you don't want to do it.
Anyway you pick I would suggest doing the gladiator/arena thing first if you do a hybrid. The reason for that is that in that situation you are going to find yourself with little plot options.
So in that case lets say you want to the mc to go do a certain mission or meet a certain woman. If the mc is in a gladiator arena as a slave what are your options? Everything is going to have to be in the arena while he is enslaved so it gives you less freedom to go in the direction you want to. Until he escapes he is bound by that identity.
Personally I vote for hybrid but flip it. Grow up in the city, captured gladiator/enslaved, and then free to the tribal setting. Perhaps he would finally find a home. Perhaps he would be an outcast there as well. And then he explores the world.
Don't want to keep beating a dead horse but I just think you wouldn't have to many plot options if you do the arena/enslavement too late in the story.
Once again, do what you think you will enjoy and that can be expanded upon.
Best of luck.
Bonus: If you want gladiator games I think the focus should be on man vs monster. Repeatedly finding same ranked humans like you said would be a hassle and probably a bigger problem organizing than anything. However, capturing a C rank monster in a forest and then having it battle a C rank gladiator in the arena would be more possible especially with the capital being close to the forest.
I still think the level system would make such matches less interesting though and probably make the matches less enjoyable to the masses.
@KidBuu699 Not necessarily. Note that most of the audience of an arena match just wanted to see blood and carnage. This happens best when two equally matched opponents are fighting each other. I do agree that monster vs human would be better as 1) the availability of monsters like you mentioned and 2) monsters are more likely to fight in a frenzy than a human so more blood and carnage and more entertainment for the masses.
Now I also agree on the hybrid but I feel you don't have to constrain yourself if half - bloods are so vile and slavery so rampant just let him constantly change between the tribal setting and arena as you wish. He can start off in a tribe make him have connections develop them enough so that when the tribe sells him it is an emotional loss readers can see. Have enter gladiator school or any other number of jobs slaves can do. When that gets too monotonous stage a coup, goblintide or some major event (or minor) that lets him escape let him travel do some worldbuilding and then get captured again and put back in the arena. It would amaze how often runaways occur and even more how often they get recaptured not because they made a mistake but because they will make a good slave. Just an idea don't need to go through it.
Personally do what you love. I liked what you had before but I do agree was too vanilla and too cheaty for a grimdark story. Also you can make it that the sacrifices to eldritch gods lets you gain a portion of the sacrifices talents. As such incentive to kidnap talented people and sacrifice them. Also a method for Mc's growth and corruption. Ciao.