OTT & Transmedia : Transmedia IP: Zon tabletop Game, Comic Book & Sci Fi Series by Alex Bright

Convention in Philadelphia

I like the comic book cover, Alex Bright. What's Zon about?

Twenty years after their mysterious abduction, 130,000 humans return to Earth aboard an imposing

fleet of spacecraft. Now called the Tutatori, they bring advanced technology and a dire warning: the

Dvora, a savage and relentless alien race, are coming to conquer Earth.

Led by the charismatic Archduke Nathan Kilmer, the Tutatori arrive under the banner of the powerful Ylatchee Imperium, offering humanity survival through assimilation into their interstellar empire or annihilation if they refuse.

But Earth is fractured: nations, corporations, and factions clash over sovereignty, greed, and ideology. While some see opportunity in alliance, others resist surrendering independence to foreign rule.

As tensions mount, humanity is forced into a precarious balancing act between cooperation and

defiance, with the survival of the planet and the fate of the galaxy hanging in the balance

That's a unique concept, Alex Bright! Sounds exciting! I suggest checking out the other posts here in the OTT & Transmedia Lounge.

Hey Alex Bright, love the ambition behind Zon. The setup with the Tutatori and the fractured Earth feels ripe for layered storytelling across formats. Since you’ve already launched the tabletop game, I’d suggest leaning into character expansion and serialized arcs through the TV series.

Who’s your core audience? Age? Sci-fi fans? Strategy gamers? Political thriller buffs? Knowing that helps shape tone, pacing, and platform.

Which format builds traction fastest? The TV series could be your engine — it’s where emotional arcs, faction dynamics, and world lore can really breathe. That momentum can loop back into the game and comic.

Consider a Pokémon-style rollout: They built a universe by flooding it with characters and evolving across formats. Interestingly, Pokémon launched its trading card game and video games before the TV series, after they had already created a large roster of creatures. That character-first strategy gave them flexibility to expand across media while keeping the audience invested. You could do the same: develop more Tutatori, Dvora, and Earth factions with distinct philosophies, aesthetics, and gameplay mechanics. That way, your tabletop game becomes a gateway into the larger universe, and the TV series can deepen emotional arcs and faction intrigue.

Start with Season 2 worldbuilding: I often build out the second or third season first — it helps clarify long-term stakes and gives the board game deeper replay value. You’ll know what mechanics and character arcs need to be seeded early.

Platform fit matters: Is this best told on streaming, webisodes, or animated shorts? Each has different audience behaviors and budget implications.

Would love to hear more about your character roster and how you’re balancing political intrigue with sci-fi spectacle.

Hi Dwayne,

Thanks so much for the feedback and comments, I truly appreciate your thoughtful insights and the time you took to dive into the concept.

I’m glad the premise resonated with you. At its core, ZON is a hard science-fiction IP developed as an 8–10 episode, 45–60 minute prestige series. From the beginning, it’s been designed as a transmedia universe, expanding beyond the screen through two companion comic book series and a tabletop strategy game, Zon: Cosmic Warfare. Together, these mediums form a cohesive ecosystem where players, readers, and viewers can explore different layers and perspectives within the same universe.

We’ve already produced a proof of concept that captures the tone, scale, and emotional gravity of the series. The next step is raising funds to produce the full pilot, which will serve as the foundation for pitching ZON to networks, streamers, and creative partners.

At its heart, ZON merges political thriller tension with grounded, hard science fiction, blending the moral complexity of House of Cards with the realism of The Expanse. It’s set in a near-future Earth fractured by nationalism, corporate dominance, and environmental decay. Mega-corporations control energy and defense, international alliances have crumbled, and inequality runs rampant. Humanity teeters between collapse and control just as a fleet of alien ships arrives, carrying human abductees who now call themselves the Tutatori. They bring knowledge, technology along with a dire warning.

We’ve already outlined Seasons 2 through 4 to ensure narrative depth and long-term worldbuilding. Season 2 begins a year after the arrival, as humanity rebuilds under Tutatori influence. During a historic graduation ceremony, a terrorist attack ignites a new era of chaos. Developing nations rise with alien technology, superpowers fracture, and religious extremism spreads. As the search for the Dvora intensifies, the season closes with a shocking revelation the enemy is far closer to Earth than anyone imagines.

Meanwhile, our tabletop game, Zon: Cosmic Warfare, immerses players as the founding members of the Ylatchee Imperium, at the dawn of their centuries-long conflict with the Dvora. This strategic, competitive experience brings the Imperium’s struggle for survival and dominance to life — allowing players to command alien races across a vast political and military landscape, explore the Zon cosmos, upgrade fleets, forge alliances, and balance diplomacy, conquest, and survival. This interactive experience deepens the lore of the ZON universe, connecting players directly to the events and factions that shape the series.

Key game features include:

Designed for 2–4 players, with an average playtime of 35 minutes per player

Combines deck-building, tactical resource management, and asymmetric faction play

Introduces dice-based resource counters and low-luck mechanics for fairness and replayability

Compact, streamlined, and expansion-ready for extended play sessions

The game not only expands the lore but also serves as an interactive gateway into the ZON universe — where fans can experience the philosophies, aesthetics, and conflicts of each faction firsthand.

Your comparison to Pokémon’s character-first expansion model was spot-on. We’re following a similar philosophy: developing the universe through its core factions — the Tutatori, Dvora, and Earth coalitions — each defined by unique ideologies, technologies, and motivations. This layered rollout allows every medium — from comics to gameplay to live-action storytelling — to reinforce and amplify the larger narrative.

I’d love the opportunity to walk you through our worldbuilding deck, character roster, and transmedia development plan in more detail. Would you be available later this week for a short call or Zoom session? I think you’ll get a great sense of how each format builds momentum toward a larger, interconnected audience experience.

Thanks again for the thoughtful feedback, Dwayne, I’m looking forward to continuing the conversation.

I’d love to learn more about this Alex Bright. The layered rollout and transmedia structure sound incredibly well thought out, and I’m especially intrigued by how the tabletop game deepens the lore. I’ll send over a message. Looking forward to connecting.