[note]I'm putting aside the Oververse structure until the wikifarm goes lives, since I think I can do what I want better at that point.[/note]Okay, The Aetherial Void, a joint project with my girlfriend, is somewhat on hold until her life settles down enough to allow her to work. This does, however, leave me with a big, setting sized hole to fill, and I intend on doing so.
Now, I'm one of those people who has trouble focusing on one project at a time, so I'm going to spread it out over a few separate projects to give myself room to maneuver. Right now, this is going to be the discussion thread for all of them '" I'll link to them as I give them individual threads. However, I'd like to know what you guys are more interested in as a setting: I'm happy working on any of them, so I figured I'd go with what people would have the most fun reading. I don't have titles for most of them yet, so I'm just going to give them descriptive names.
Renaissance Supers: This is a world where the Americas are a 'lost world,' inhabited by prehistoric and mythological creatures. The natives are atavisms or men who live among them. And, among the various men of the globe, people are being born with extraordinary abilities. In Europe, they are said to have the blood of the Devil himself running in their veins. In Africa, they are viewed as Gods. In Asia, they are viewed as Kami or Avatars or Oni or other spirits. In the Americas, they are just another oddity in a land rife with them. Regardless of what they are, they have powers beyond what mortals should be able to do, and are beginning to change the world.
Adventurers could be Europeans seeking to tame the Americas or natives seeking to repel them, agents involved in the political intrigue of Europe, explorers venturing into the heart of Africa or traveling to the far Orient, men and women newly endowed with godlike power coming to terms with being in a land that reviles them as evil or praises them as gods, agents of the Catholic church spreading the truth to the heathens or political dissidents seeking to overthrow the monarchies and dynasties that rule much of the 'civilized' world.
Epic: This is a science-fantasy world that is truly epic in scope. Set on a world both strange and familiar to typical fantasy, Epic goes beyond mere 'high' fantasy. Fantasy elements have replaced technological ones and, in some areas, surpassed them. 'Small' floating fortresses patrol the borders of sprawling empires, skyships transport men and women across vast distances, gateways open the exploration of new continents and planes of existence. In this world, each empire has troops '" some which wield 'mundane' weapons (though this weaponry would be devastating in a true fantasy world), others '" as relatively numerous as samurai and knights were '" which have weapons and armor that put them far above the common troops, and finally, Godlings '" warriors that have no need for weaponry, with powers that make them like gods unto mortals. Of course, dangers still exist, on a level to challenge the heroes of this world. Wars are waged between empires. Dragon ruled fiefdoms seek to expand their powers. Ancient entities awaken, seeking to reclaim the world. A land of magic, technology, and power, Epic is the golden age most fantasy worlds once had.
Adventurers could be Godling servants of the empire tasked to hunt down rogue mystics, draconic threats, the awakening powers, or the Godlings of rival empires. They could be sky pirates, living a life on the high gales, either as robin hoods or as mercenaries. They could be servants of an awakened entity, seeking to spread that beings influence and granted with the power to do so (for not all these entities are Lovecraftian, or even malicious). They could be savages that exist outside the empires, seeking to survive against the civilized people who would assimilate them and the extra-humanoid entities that seek to use them as pawns in their great games. They could be rebels against the draconic fiefs, seeking to liberate the beings under their control. Or they could be planar explorers, delving into new realms uncharted by any humanoid.
Space Opera: This is not a world. This is not a solar system, or a star system. This is not a galaxy. Opera spans seven galaxies, and is populated by thousands of intelligent races. It has many of the tropes of the genre '" secretive orders that wield near mystical power, an oppressive empire that spans a large portion of known space, rebels that seek to liberate the people of the empire '" but it removes the black and white. The secretive orders often have darker agendas. The oppressive empire, while reducing freedom, has brought prosperity and health to its citizens. (and, unlike most empires in the genre, only covers two galaxies '" the remaining five are governed by their own, alien empires) The rebels, out of desperation, use tactics that are cruel and horrific, in the name of the greater good. Meanwhile, cosmic entities of unimaginable power roam the void between galaxies with inscrutable goals, and a relatively small galaxy that long ago burnt its stars to red and blue super giants, brown dwarfs, or black holes exists outside the seven 'living' galaxies, and is the source of nightmares that seek to turn the rest of the universe into the stellar graveyard their home is.
Adventurers could be part of a secret order and serve it's goals, be it furthering the empire, overthrowing it, protecting their sector of the universe, or apposing the ends of the cosmic and nightmare forces. They could be part of the rebels, working to overthrow the empire in the name of the freedom '" or servants of that empire that seek to maintain a perceived golden age. They could be the servants of cosmic powers. They could seek to invade the dead galaxy and learn the secrets that it holds, or they could be the agents of a non-imperial alien government, working to further their own influence and weaken their foes.
Weird Wars Tales and stories from Wars that Weren't.
Samples:
Wierd War I:
The powers of Europe have developed new technologies. Machines that walk like men, aircraft powered by burning gases and rapid turbines, armored suits that make warriors into the knights of old. With these devices, they wage war amongst themselves, in a War that is said to be the one to end all Wars.
Retro War II:
The technology imagined in the science fiction of the 1950s and 60s was not fiction, but reality. World War II was fought by men wielded ray guns on jetpacks, with stations in space and ships flying between them putting the war in a whole new realm. Robotic beings serve as compliments for the men and women on the battlefield.
[spoiler=Retro Tech]
Retro-Tech
[ooc]I've tried, time and again, to figure out a logical reason for the highly advanced and odd technology of Retro War II. At this point, I'm just going to fiat that it exists, and try and explain it later '" suggestions for how it came to be would be greatly appreciated.[/ooc]
Jetpacks: Employed by a number of notable adventurers as well as the Rocket Corps, Jetpacks allow a normal human to take to the skies! While expensive beyond the means of most civilians, extremely wealthy men and women can afford them, as can the government. In addition, a number of freelance inventors have made their own, often superior, jetpacks. For civilian use, Renta-Rocket allows those who cannot afford them to rent out a jetpack, either on temporary use or for long term leasing. Such jetpacks are restricted by design in height and speed of flight far more than military jetpacks, but most people are more than happy to rent them just for the thrill of flight.
Space Suits [note]At this point, I've pretty much decided to ignore physics altogether in favor of fun. It's more fun that way, and every other alternate Earth I create is going to have physics as realistic as possible, so I'm just going to say [OMG BAD WORD] it and have fun. That doesn't mean I'm going to trample all over it '" I'm just not going to overly concern myself with it, especially when genre conventions would trump physics. I still do want to find a historical context to how they arose, and I still want internal consistency, though I may have to abandon the former '" but never the latter.[/note]In Retro War, a spacesuit is not a big, bulky costume worn to protect one from the environment. To journey among the stars, all one needs is an airtight helmet and an oxygen supply. Skintight clothing is preferred, since it is insulated against the cold, and generally covers the whole body for spacewalks '" but, on planetary surfaces, it needs not be more than ordinary clothes, even walking along airless worlds such as the moon or asteroids.
Space Stations In Retro War, space stations are either military installations, featuring combat space ships and armed with death rays and disintegrators and tractor beams, or luxury colonies for the rich and famous. Mining colonies in the asteroid belt do exist, but they are not proper stations, more like waypoints '" raw materials are brought there and simply shipped to earth.
Robots Intelligent Robots just have begun to emerge on the scene. Most models are domestic servants, helping keep households clean and making sure the kids get to school on time. They are polite, well spoken, programmed with a British or neutral accent in English-speaking nations, and obey a series of laws that prevent them from ever allowing a human to come to harm. It wasn't until the Nazis revealed the R-54 that people realized the military applications of robotics. Although the idea of arming machines and giving them orders to kill humans is worrisome, they save the lives of human troops by dying in their place, and for now, still serve their home nation.
More to come![/spoiler]
Why not all four?
Oh, I'll definitely be doing all four. I'm just wondering if A) anyone has any initial thoughts/questions on the short blurbs I have so far and B) if anyone has any particular setting they're interested in. :)
I'm interested in the Weird Wars. The one about the 50s' super tech is interesting. (Captain Proton anyone?)
I'm digging Renaissance Supers, what with the Marvel 1602 similarities.
I just pictured a super-battle on a Mayan pyramid, Super Conquistadors versus The God Kings, calling down the wrath of the sun gods in a very literal sense.
I would be totally willing to give you a hand on that.
Quote from: AllWillFall2MeI just pictured a super-battle on a Mayan pyramid, Super Conquistadors versus The God Kings,
"Fool! Your heathen powers are no match for my
smallpox blast!"
Quote from: Holy Carp!"Fool! Your heathen powers are no match for my smallpox blast!"
UHH
(http://img227.imageshack.us/img227/2157/spideysuperstories0219gs1.jpg)
@Taken: I'm working on a segment of Retro Tech right now for Retro War, so that should be up later on.
@AllWillFall2Me: I tend to be the type that likes to work solo, but I desperately could use help with the actual history going on in that timeperiod - save me a ton of time perusing Wikipedia.
@Carp! and LC: You two remind me of why I love the internet so much.
Is that spider man page for real?
EDIT: Apparently, it is (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spidey_Super_Stories) (Search for Meet Mr. Measles)
I was thinking it wasn't part of an actual story, but more part of some sort of PSA or ad or something...
Added retrotech to Retro War II. I think I may create a new genre, combining cyberpunk dystopian society and retro-futuristic technology to create Retropunk - but that's neither here nor there, for now.
Retro-futuristic stuff is a genre that exists, but is underused and prone to feeling like nostalgia for nostalgia's sake. That said, done right it has the potential to rock.
Consider crossing over that with the Rennaisance supers (in other words, assuming the existence of things hidden and/or exotic in the 1940s/1950s and throwing super-powered folks into the mix) for some truly wild things.