The world of The Rookie: Knuckleford and the Dented Bell

Warm, scrappy and slapstick. Fighters show off, stumble and get knocked out with their legs in the air, and nobody really dies.

Knuckleford

Knuckleford is a muddy river-crossing town where six roads meet and every quarrel ends in a duel. Its rooftops and bell tower, famously dented, sit behind the training yard. The town has arenas for every rung of the ladder, from a backyard behind the woodshed to a quarry cut into terraces; see arenas.

The Dented Bell

The rundown fighting school of the Dented Bell trains whoever walks in. Its red-and-gold bell banners hang on the plank palisade of the yard, and the bell is the badge of the school and of the game. Lately, the people walking in come from other ages and other lands.

The Driftwell

In the middle of the yard stands the Driftwell, an old well that coughs up lost objects from other ages after every storm. That is why the weapon rack holds flint clubs next to muskets, anchors and a garden gnome. Nobody knows how it works. Everyone agrees it is rude. It also explains the six fighter types: a prize-ring boxer, a sumo wrestler, a knight in plate, a karateka, a capoeirista and a ninja, all washed up by the well.

Tone

The world is deliberately light: no gore. Blood is replaced by stars, dust and small red bleed drops, and defeat means being "out cold". Every fighter tapes their hands before a bout (the yard tape), which is also why any fighter can hold any weapon.

Seasons

Seasons bring themed events to the yard, such as the autumn storms of the Driftwell Storm, the paper lanterns of the Lantern Fair and the frost of the Winter Bell. They change the cosmetics and rewards on offer; see cosmetics.

Inspiration, with respect

The game is inspired by the mechanics and tone of classic browser auto-fighters. Every name, creature, weapon design and text here is original.