So i was thinking about campaign crossovers. Have you guys ever tried it? What are some of the crazier crossovers you've seen? Do you think that some settings mesh well with others or are their just some settings that were never meant to meet?
This is just meant to stir up discussion. I may do a crossover of my own, but i am pretty busy (which is why i haven't been on here).
hmm, Cadaverous Earth-Clockwork Jungle...
Asura (http://www.thecbg.org/wiki/index.php/Asura) and Opus (http://www.thecbg.org/wiki/index.php/Opus), though outwardly quite different, hove some strong, underlying similarities that would make for a pretty awesome setting if ever "crossed-over."
It could just be my bias, considering my rather known fondness for combining ideas wherever possible, but I think Asura would fit well with many different settings. There is a rather well-developed "meta-setting" in Asura with the various Asuras and their relationships and such that is rather independent of the physical locations of the setting, and, as such, seems quite exportable. It would no doubt fit in better some places than others but I think Asura + anything that holds "awesomeness" as a virtue would be a pretty good match.
I do agree with Weave, though. Asura and Opus have certain particular traits in common, such as high magic, fae meddling, human industriousness vs supernatural chaos, yak people, and such things that make them fit particularly well.
A crossover I was curious about quite some time ago was Eclipse + Exalted. his could just be because of the strong Solar/Lunar symbolism present in both, but really think this could work, and quite well at that. The powers of the Solar Exalted might have to be scaled back a little to fit with the Sun Pact, but they're not exactly incompatible, and the Moon-Touched also fit in pretty well as Lunars. Throw in some oppressed second-class citizens with more "earthly" ties (Terrestrials, of course!) and the thing just comes together nicely.
I don't think my opinion about crossovers is any different than my opinion about any element in a campaign setting - if it works, it works. Believable and interesting things don't cease to become believable and interesting because they were drawn from a different setting. The problem is mainly making things stay believable when settings often have fundamental differences in things like theme, cosmology, the nature of magic, deities, and so on.
Personally, I've never done a crossover. When I choose a setting to run a campaign in, it's because I want to play in that setting, and I don't really see the need to branch into other ones when there's plenty of things left to do and discover in the world we're still on. I don't deny that a well-done crossover could work and potentially be a lot of fun, I've just never felt motivated to attempt one myself.
Quotehmm, Cadaverous Earth-Clockwork Jungle...
Actually, the Clockwork Jungle is just the Cadaverous Earth 100,000 years in the future, after the Fecundity has consumed everything and transformed the world into one massive omnipresent forest. Wasn't it obvious?