The Campaign Builder's Guild

[ic=Prof. Alexander Forrester]My esteemed colleagues,

We are not alone.

Separated by vibrational frequencies, mystical barriers, metaphysical impossibilities, or the sheer will of the divine, there exists outside our limited perception of reality countless worlds filled with wonders, wisdom, and whimsy well beyond belief. Twirling and twisting in a seemingly random pattern, these planes of existence are known to connect only rarely, and those anomalous incursions between worlds are more often by happenstance than design. These worlds are filled with forces beyond our reckoning-- gods walk some freely, defying our perceived laws of physics and reality; on others, scholars not so different than us use their intellect and canny to manipulate the very fabric of reality to their whim, bending its supple flesh with the care of a lover.

The wonder I feel for having this knowledge is dwarfed by the impending doom that threatens to consume us all.

These worlds...
Only a few...
We can't hope...
H-horseman ride through the glass sky! The oceans, turned to blood, reek of the damned! Our very flesh bound to the shadows! But it's not too late, we can still--

The above transcript contains the heavily-denied "Claim of the Multiverse" speech, delivered to a small gathering of students in 1907, as transcribed by an anonymous student. These were the last intelligible words uttered by Professor Forrester before his tragic death three years later. [/ic]


What is The Multiverse?
In its simplest terms, the Multiverse is a meta-setting that will attempt to act as both a starting point for several projects from the delusional mind of yours truly as well as a bridge between previously existing settings. The actual Multiverse concept assumes a very limited interaction between the three "primary" settings-- that is, Red Valor, Stars Above, and Silver City-- while most of the other settings possess varying degrees of connectivity.

There are a myriad of rule systems, cosmologies, and genres associated with the Multiverse project, and some of the settings are not intended to be used for gaming at all (but rather as both a mental exercise and a setting for fiction). While it is unlikely that every setting mentioned will be fleshed out into considerable detail, I plan to have a rotating yet flexible schedule to work on each sub-project (including previously existing projects, such as RV: 1301). The primary advantage of this project, from my perspective, is the ability to "play" with new worlds, explore new concepts, and prevent a stagnation of ideas. However, the Multiverse also allows me to contain my ideas into a general framework and connect them back into a wide-spanning and overarching (if subtle) theme.

(I also don't feel like clogging up the boards with a myriad of threads for each setting, especially when some are no larger than a city.)

Setting: The Red Valor Campaign Setting
Genre: Traditional/high fantasy
Scope: Continent
Magic: Standard D&D
Inspiration: A myriad of fantasy settings
Technology: Medieval
Connectivity: Limited
Rules system: Dungeons & Dragons v.3.5
Brief description: In the year 1301 RA, a variety of historical and social factors have forged a world where the cunning can carve a kingdom while the wise watch warily.

Setting: The Stars Above
Genre: Science fiction/fantasy
Scope: Galactic
Magic: Medium to high.
Inspiration: Star Trek, Dungeons & Dragons
Technology: Futuristic/high tech
Connectivity: Low. The magic of this plane has insulated its denizens.
Rules system: Modified d20 Modern.
Brief description: The galaxy has never seemed so large. As the Interplanetary Alliance begins to explore beyond Known Space, enemies both within and without seek to quell its curiosity. Struggling to find their place in the emerging galactic stage, will the citizens of the Alliance become peacemakers, power brokers, or conquerers?


Setting: Silver City
Genre: Superheroic (4 color)
Scope: Primarily citywide
Magic: High, although one of many similar forces
Inspiration: DC Comics and Marvel Comics, specifically the Silver Age
Technology: Ranging from modern to supertech
Connectivity: Low. The world of Silver City is connected to its own extensive cosmology and has only tenuous ties to the Multiverse.
Rules system: Mutants & Masterminds, 2nd Edition
Brief description: A world heavily inspired by the light-hearted superheroics of the 50's, 60's, and early 70's, the people of Silver City are an extraordinary lot, whether garbed in spandex or not. Battles between good and evil are the norm in the City as its heroes attempt to polish away its tarnish.

Setting: City of Slumber
Genre: Noir/pulp
Scope: Citywide
Magic: Low. Although many "monsters" inhabit Slumber, there is little magic to combat them.
Inspiration: The Golden Age of comics, serial detective fiction, the Shadow
Technology: That of 1936 America
Connectivity: High. Slumber possesses numerous portals to other worlds.
Rules system: Currently none, but likely to be d20 Modern/Past
Brief description: The Great Depression didn't happen by accident. It is a cleverly construed scheme conjured by a cabal of demons and their supporters, and they have the world in their crosshairs. Demonlogists, government agents, paranormal investigators, and private detectives have all zeroed in on a source of demonic activity-- a great evil feeds on the despair and hatred fomented by the nightmares of Slumber.


Setting: The Land of Zola
Genre: Fantasy
Scope: Continental
Magic: High/Standard D&D
Inspiration: Ancient Greece, historic Catholicism, Eberron
Technology: Low/Bronze Age
Connectivity: Moderate
Rules system: Dungeons & Dragons v.3.5
Brief description: The wizard-priests of Zola have discovered a terrible truth. Upon examining a series of ancient myths and prophecies laid down by the Elder Prophet Zola-Dualive, the progenitor of their faith, it has become apparent that the gods they have been worshiping are in fact ruthless, tyrannical, and utterly inhuman and evil beings. The source of their arcane power was in fact gifted by a Promethean rogue deity who sacrificed himself to keep his dark brethren from consuming the world. Now, the clergy is divided along ideological lines, unaware that servants of the Gods work in secret to unbind their otherworldly patrons...

Setting: Avalon Rising
Genre: Philosophic/Alternate history
Scope: Functionally islandwide
Magic: N/A
Inspiration: Huxley's Brave New World
Technology: Near-future
Connectivity: Moderate. Avalonians dabble in dimensional tech.
Rules system: None initially, but possibly d20 Modern.
Brief description: Avalon represents, as the motto of the island goes, "An Infinitely Indefinite Intermission in Intellectual Inhibition." An international thinktank comprised of the world's most brilliant scientists, philosophers, mathematicians, writers, poets, inventors, and countless other intellectual circles. Avalon operates in a small artificial island in the south-central Pacific even as the world around it falls into decline; chaos, poverty, and barbarism have arisen in the absence of moral and educational guidance. Will the citizens of Avalon realize the disasters outside their island home or be destroyed by their own arrogance?

Setting: Chronal Tears
Genre: Science Fiction (time travel)
Scope: World
Magic: None
Inspiration: Star Trek, several time travel tales
Technology: Varying, but mostly futuristic
Connectivity: High. The Chronal Tears often break dimensional barriers.
Rules system: None currently. d20 Future?
Brief description: Science is a wonderful thing! By harnessing microscopic black holes and channeling dark energy, the scientists of the future have broken the previously impossible Time Code. Now, all citizens of the World Union can travel through the timestream as easy as a walk to the technomarket. And, after the Paradox Commission and Predestination Council confirm you can't aversely affect the interdimensional timestream, you're free to explore countless eras and worlds!

Warning: Any attempt to alter the Primary Timeline using property of ChronalTear Technologies, Incorporated will result in exile to anti-time. Assuming reality does not collapse because of your meddling.


Setting: Xepharia
Genre: Mythological
Scope: World/planar
Magic: Medium to high
Inspiration: Greek and Norse myth, The Divine Comedy
Technology: Varying
Connectivity: High (Xepharia is the Realm of the Dead for all connected worlds)
Rules system: None currently
Brief description: Peering beyond the pale, the realm of Xepharia lies in quite desolation. Ranging from the somber and bleak to the glorious and bountiful and even the hellish, Xepharia is the resting place for most souls in the Multiverse. The various kingdoms claimed by cosmic beings live in subservience to Xepharus, Lord of the Dead, and a coalition of planar powers is looking to change that.

Setting: Spectres of Solomon
Genre: Fantasy
Scope: Partial continent
Magic: High
Inspiration: Jewish Mysticism
Technology: Medieval
Connectivity: High
Rules system: Dungeons & Dragons, Ghostwalk
Brief description: They defied an empire. They followed their Lord. They found a Promised Land. And throughout it all, the gnomish people of the Ril Sea have persevered through reverence, hard work, and a dash of magic. Finally finding a homeland rich in both natural resource and magical potency, the Forgotten Folk were happy. Until recently. Holy men have identified demons crossing over from the afterlife, and in an attempt to banish them, accidentally closed the gateways between the mortal world and the Great Beyond. Now, the spirits of the dead roam the world alongside their mortal kin as demons greedily gather soul power. A few spirits from the past have even wandered back into the realm of the living and are appalled by what they see as the moral decay of their heirs. Will the spirits of the dead attempt to usurp control of the gnomish kingdom from the living? And who will open the gates to Heaven, banish the beasts, and return the dead to their rightful place?

Setting: Angelfall
Genre: Fantasy, with Science Fiction elements
Scope: World
Magic: Low/Medium
Inspiration: A myriad, but partially DS9
Technology: Varying, futuristic being the highest
Connectivity: Medium
Rules system: Dungeons & Dragons version 3.5
Brief description: Thirteen hundred years ago, the sky was engulfed in the red Godfire, a hail of strange coccoons crashing throughout the towns and villages of the Kingdom of Aelai. Elsewhere, a large metallic mass bore its way deep into the Xorhic Empire, destroying miles of territory and crippling it. The Empire, which had for years been militarily bullying its neighbors, had at last been punished by the Gods! Angels emerged from the cocoons, speaking in their divine tongues, and soon began healing the sick, creating food from nothing, and teaching the Aelaian people about medicine, sanitation, and the cosmos themselves. After adjusting to life in Aelai, they were made rulers, using their might and artifacts to oust the King. Their recent declaration, to punish the people of Xorhic, retrieve the Godstone, and summon more angels, has been met with great fervor by the Aelians.

More coming soon...


[ic=Current Goal]
Finish descriptions.
Deadline: This Friday[/ic]

As always, feel free to leave comments. Anything from "You're crazy for even doing this," to things that pique your interest to "Yeahbuhwhat?" is welcome.

MOST RECENT EDIT: ANGELFALL.

Sweet!  This looks like a fine idea.  I was going to warn you about the dangers of having too many ideas and not focusing on any one, but when you said that most weren't likely to be very fleshed out or suitable for play, I stop worrying.  From there, you had me.  I am particularly intrigued by Silver City, I love superheroes, despite my lack of comics or Marvel/DC knowledge.

As a great ("Terrible, yes, but great.") man once said, "We shall be watching your progress with great interest."

Added three descriptions to the above initial directory.

anti-time? Does that collide with time in a reaction controlled by a dilithium crystal in order to reach warp speed? :)

Seriously though, this looks like fun. I will keep an eye on it.

I think anti-time was used on Star Trek.  Never heard of it elsewhere, though.

This vaguely reminds of Rifts.  Uh, except without the rifts.

An interesting project, however.

Thanks for the comments, guys. As for anti-time, it was a sorta off-the-cuff thing. I'm sure there's some physicist somewhere who theorized about something and called it anti-time though, right?

(For the intents and purposes of Chronal Tears, assume Anti-TIme is merely space existing outside the timestream)

I'd like to hear more about the settings that have high connectivity with the others. As you know, I've been figuring out how the cultures of my world interract with each other, and struggling to decide how they interract with the other worlds.

Crit says:
[ic Nubcake]I thought you weren't going to work on those.
Weren't you going to stick to the main three?[/ic]

Quote from: XeviatI'd like to hear more about the settings that have high connectivity with the others. As you know, I've been figuring out how the cultures of my world interract with each other, and struggling to decide how they interract with the other worlds.

When I get into the meat and potatoes of the actual Multiverse setup itself, I plan on having a unique interaction for each of the settings beyond "they have a portal." The dreams of the people of Slumber, for instance, are perhaps ruled by the brother demons of those trapped in Spectres of Solomon and Angelfall. A C-list hero from Silver City who died serving his people may have been sent to Xepharia, the realm of the dead, and reincarnated on another world in another time as Ivan Pentall, the famed demigod paladin.

I plan on elaborating on how these planar interactions in the future, as I said, so keep your eyes peeled.

(Also: new descriptions added.)

Interesting...this reminds me a lot of some ideas put out when they did the old Stormbringer game but it's obviously a more direct application of the idea rather than doing it just for a particular adventure. I like some of the ideas you present, especially because the worlds in question are so DIFFERENT from one another. It's very inspiring to read. Looking forward to more.

BTW, one of the ones that gave me a thrill to see was the one based on Brave New World. What an innovative idea, I am looking forward to seeing more of it. The bronze age one also fascinated me.

Quote from: TybaltBTW, one of the ones that gave me a thrill to see was the one based on Brave New World.

On a side note, about ten years ago on a shelf in the back of an obscure game store, I once saw an official Brave New World RPG rulebook.

Quote from: Epic Meepo

Quote from: TybaltBTW, one of the ones that gave me a thrill to see was the one based on Brave New World.

Yuck.

Anyway, colour me intrigued ElDo. I've always had a high fascination with how different Cosmos interact and why, and this is certainly a unique spin. I look forward to more.

Hey guys, just dropping by to show my appreciation for the comments and encouragement. I'll finish up the brief descriptions either tonight or sometime tomorrow, and then the fun begins.

(I gotta go prepare for my game tonight though, so it will likely be tomorrow that the descriptions are finished.)