Basch, the original main character?

I was going to bring this up in the Vaan thread but thought it would be better to make a new thread about it to keep things uncluttered.

I was reading through the Wikipedia page recently and noticed this in the character section:

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Basch was initially meant to be the main character of the story, but the focus was eventually shifted to Vaan and Penelo when the two characters were created later in development.^[39] The development team explained that their previous game, Vagrant Story, which featured a "strong man in his prime" as the protagonist had been unsuccessful and unpopular; the change regarding Final Fantasy XII from a "big and tough" protagonist to a more effeminate one was thus decided after targeting demographics were considered.

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Now, this information actually seems to be sourced at the bottom. However, the page it links to is in French and while it seems pretty legitimate (the quote is from what seems to be an actual interview with the creators, however a quick search of the page doesn't turn up the word Basch at all. EDIT: It is there, they just spelled it "Bash". Thank you, Babelfish.) I was wondering if this information has surfaced on a more credible (ie more English) source.

Any ideas? Also, presuming this is true, discuss how much better/worse this game would have been with Basch in the lead role.

Yeah,this really makes sense.
I thought that the story would have been "stronger" if it had focused almost exclusively to Basch and Asche...and to a much lesser extend to Balthier and Fran.There was too much story in those two,the Judges and Vayne but unfortunately they lacked character development because the developers tried to put to much characters and almost none of them were secondary.
As they say "Less is more."
I always thought that the characters of Vaan and Penelo were kinda "forced" into the game...

I would have loved seeing Basch with a much better developed personality,one that would resemble a human being and not the sterile character that we finally got.I understand his strict military background but even so he was very 2-dimensional.For example i would have liked to see some glimpse of humour in him.

Yep Basch was originally the main character. But because of marketing, Matsuno was forced to make Vaan the main character instead.

I haven't finished the game yet, so I'm not sure how much more character development Basch is going to get, but at this point he could develop into a character who would've worked well as a main character. As it is, we get a largely ensemble cast, and the only thing that makes Vaan the "main" character is that he is the first one you control and he's your in town avatar. And, given how much I hate Basch's outfit, I suppose I'm quite glad that he isn't the one in Vaan's place.

Considering the story, Ashe would have been the closest thing to a main character no matter which one you ran around town as.

hmmm...would have been very different...but I like it how it was n.n

With the story told from Vaan's point of view it felt like there wasn't really a main character, which was kinda neat n.n

Would have been nice if the six of them took turns narrating :p

I haven't played through the entire game yet (am finished with Giruvegan, so I'm close), but I feel like almost everyone in the party have an interesting background. Yet since they are so many, you only get a glimpse from each and everyone one of them. It would have been better if they had delved deeper into the background of a few of them, and left the others with a simpler one (much like they did in FF-X).

wow, basch huh.. wouldnt feel right.. even balthier says he's the leading man..

If Basch was the main character there wouldn't be any excuse for Vaan or Penelo. Every single character was a main character in there own right excluding the aforementioned orphan duo.

Characteristically speaking, Vaan is just a nonentity, used for the sole purpose of sticking his oar in other character's businesses. And Penelo...there is no excuse for Penelo.

Wow now that's news!!!
This really shocked me...Basch a main character..it could work but then aggain i got used to vaan. I think choosing vaan as the main character was a good decision. If they chose basch it would have been the same old stuff again...

I had read the Wikipedia page on this a while ago, but I didn't know it was actually true :p. I can't stand Vaan for some reason (at least up until Pharos), so it would've been nice if he hadn't had such a big role. Maybe just as a lonely poor NPC street urchin :p

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Originally Posted by Karellen

Also, presuming this is true, discuss how much better/worse this game would have been with Basch in the lead role.

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I think it could've been better. (SPOILER)Ashe, Basch & Noah, Vossler, the Solidors, and the Judges could've all been focused on more and their pasts and personalities could've been more fleshed out. They could've also talked about Landis, Nabudis, Archadia, Dalmasca, etc. more, both in their present situation as well as in the past.

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Originally Posted by jeo2388

even balthier says he's the leading man..

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From what I remember though, that definitely didn't make him the "leading man"...even Vaan was more of a lead male than him, in terms of how much of the game focused on him and his perspective. That "leading man" line was just a product of Balthier's personality imo.

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Originally Posted by Past passado

If they chose basch it would have been the same old stuff again...

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Really? :confused: I don't think VI-X had a similar male protagonist with Basch's sort of backstory.

well if Basch were the main character it could have been v.interesting. I for one totally loved him in the end with his Ashe-angsting, there could have been a bit more on that side of things.
but then Vaan and Penelo could have had another role i spose.

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Originally Posted by Skyblade

I haven't finished the game yet, so I'm not sure how much more character development Basch is going to get, but at this point he could develop into a character who would've worked well as a main character. As it is, we get a largely ensemble cast, and the only thing that makes Vaan the "main" character is that he is the first one you control and he's your in town avatar. And, given how much I hate Basch's outfit, I suppose I'm quite glad that he isn't the one in Vaan's place.

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I'd agree with the label of a 'largely ensemble cast.' I think Basch is much more in the traditional mould of a main character, the sort of brash, soldier loyal to the good fight (Cecil, anyone?). However, I think Vaan added a more light-hearted touch to it than Basch would've done. As I've said before though, I only really considered Vaan the main character because he's the one that you start the game with and wander around towns with.

Actually, I've only seen that on Wikipedia. I read an interview with the character designer where he said the original main character was an unnamed character who would have been big and bulky, almost monster or ogre-like. Even more the opposite of Vaan than Basch is. I think he said he would have been from a snowy area or something. I'll try to find the interview.

If Basch was the main character, im sure they could've done that well. Basch is actually largely the recreation of the character "Ashe" from OgreBattle: March of the Black Queen, Matsuno's first cult classic.

edit: Roundtable Interview

He describes him/her/it as a "snow-monster" on the bottom of page 2.

man am i glad we got the ones we did, i would have hated being someone big and bulky. Vaan has the fashion sence of Aladdin but atleast hes kinda cute. (i'd rather have had Basch tho.)

Mayb it would have been better, as much as I think people disliking Vagrant Tale leading them to choosing a effinate character was a pretty bad call.. Vaan perspective put an empathisis on how many people's lives were lost because Basch decided that signing the treaty was equal to treatchery and slayed the King. I consider that a good thing. On the other hand, if Reks and Vaan were cut out of the game I think we would be more properly introduced to the live Lord Rasler, we may even gotten the chance to control him in the prologue instead of Reks.

Basch did not slay the king. it was his twin brother. basch was way too loyal to do such. ;)

There is a reason that it is down that way in his character discription. That is a spoiler.