The Campaign Builder's Guild

I think an easier point of reference would be to first describe what each persons 'world-sphere' (or what ever we call them) looks like. Are they large asteroid like planetoids, set adrift in a massive field of similar planetoids, aimlessly rotating around a massive sun, migrating through clouds that would not be out of place on Bespin?  Or are they more like actual D&D Planes, barely connected through the astral sea relying on portals more than ships?

I like Nomadic's idea of an ancient race that first explored the 'galaxy.' It would give many spheres some ancient ruins and allow some Spheres to be more advanced than others (i.e. copying the tech and fully utilizing it). Its also cool because it may not be entirely true. Whose to say it was a race of people that built the ruins, the portals and the ships, perhaps it was an almighty God or a pantheon of Gods who laid them out for mortals to find and use...

EDIT: I think magic can vary (to make for diversity) but the scale would be small. Though I have to say, it would be interesting to develop worlds where magic hasn't been fully harnessed . Imagine the Native's first reaction to seein ga Wizard? That makes for fun campaigns right there :) But on the whole, I think it would be best to have a sliding scale of how common magic is from Sphere to Sphere.

I concur that we shouldn't make magic world-specific. Not only is it poor design as Ghostman said, it also serves to separate our worlds which is as far i can understand the opposite of what we want to do. I vote towards fantasy-ish tech levels with high-tech magical/technological artifacts of the Old Ones since that ensures the primitive planets/worlds that we might want to include aren't instantly overrun by laser gun toting corsairs and actually provide some kind of threat.
If we go with a space-like environment what about using metal-like rusted starship-like constructs of a bygone age powered by some kind of arcane substance (no, not rocket fuel). I immediately call to mind images of warhammers warpstone, but really any substance could serve. We could also link the ships to telepaths or something such so they are the only ones able to pilot them. Or have humans permanently fused to them...
now I'm just throwing ideas out there, so i'll stop for a while and see where this goes...

Quote from: Elemental_ElfI think an easier point of reference would be to first describe what each persons 'world-sphere' (or what ever we call them) looks like. Are they large asteroid like planetoids, set adrift in a massive field of similar planetoids, aimlessly rotating around a massive sun, migrating through clouds that would not be out of place on Bespin?  Or are they more like actual D&D Planes, barely connected through the astral sea relying on portals more than ships?

^ A decision has to made on this, as it will affect what kind of transportation forms are feasible to begin with.

I'd lean on more diversity in the worlds themselves. If we don't require all the worlds to be in the same solar system (or other kind of "local space") then people will have greater freedom in defining their world. If we go all the way (treat worlds as separate but connected planes of existence) then wildly different kinds of worlds become possible. You could have one world that is nothing but liquid, without surface or bottom to it, another world that rests on platforms built over enormous pillars rising up from an unfathomable abyss, a third world that looks like the insides of a clockwork machine, etc.

Anyway, how are decisions made here? Do we vote on a poll or something?

I like the idea of each world being more connected than separate planes. Ship travel should be just as plausible as portal travel (if a bit slower). So I'm in favor of the 'Solar System'(i.e. hundreds of small groupings of World-Spheres) or the 'Massive Solar System' (where all world sphere rotate around the same sun).

Quote from: GhostmanAfter all, they are in contact with each other.

I think this is the key here: we don't have to have all the worlds connected to each and every other one.  I know that may make some people leery because it breaks up the setting, but it keeps the setting from being all the same.  Plus it can be reasonable: settings of similar level can be connected to one another, and "primitive" settings are good places for more advanced people to have "crash land" adventures in.

If that doesn't sell I think there really should be a way to let different parts of the setting have different tech/magic levels while still functioning equally.  My favorite method is to not make them different: instead of this magic/physics divide you just have physics, but physics can be bent in such a way that it looks like magic to the uninformed.  Note that this isn't the same as "technology indistinguishable from magic" because that relies on the laws of physics not bending.

If that still doesn't sell then my vote is as follow:
Futuristic technology level but also with high magic, integrating the two.  I find that more technologically (and often socially) advanced settings offer a greater variety of elements to use.

Alright, lets say we have a big solar system or what not. Lets look at it in two dimensions, we have an X and Y axis. Lets say X is technology and Y is magic.

Each world can be placed wherever in the solar system, but its level of Magic/Tech would depend on where it is along these axises. Now this doesn't solve the transporting tech/magic to a different area (maybe they last for a little bit but then slowly die).

This would also let different Tech/Magic level worlds co-exist pretty well with them going as uplifting all other worlds to a higher level.

Travel can be done by Ship (spaceship, space boat, space dragon, space plane or what ever) or by Portals (Stargates, Wormholes, teleport grids, leylines or what ever)

I might have missed something but I believe this covers our immediate problems, feel free to raise all objections with this idea.

Quote from: Elemental_ElfShip travel should be just as plausible as portal travel (if a bit slower).

In that case I see two feasible paths:
(Edit: assuming that we're going for low tech rather than high tech)

1. Abandon realistic notions of distance, vacuum, etc. Crazy things like in my Lovecraft quotes are possible, perhaps people can even jump (literally!) from one planet to another if they jump in the right place in the right way (Dream Quest of Unknown Kadath actually has intelligent talking cats leaping from the Moon to the Earth)

2. Keep the 'physics' more conventional, but organize the worlds in an unconventional system (ie not a solar system). They should be floating/orbiting close to each other, the space between should have breathable athmosphere, etc.

Quote from: SilvercatMoonpawI think this is the key here: we don't have to have all the worlds connected to each and every other one.  I know that may make some people leery because it breaks up the setting, but it keeps the setting from being all the same.  Plus it can be reasonable: settings of similar level can be connected to one another, and "primitive" settings are good places for more advanced people to have "crash land" adventures in.

I think this could be feasible if the methods of travel to these primitive worlds are limited enough. In other words, going there would have to be difficult, dangerous and/or expensive, so that no one would even think about shipping massive cargoes, large numbers of passangers, or an army.

Quote from: GhostmanI think this could be feasible if the methods of travel to these primitive worlds are limited enough. In other words, going there would have to be difficult, dangerous and/or expensive, so that no one would even think about shipping massive cargoes, large numbers of passangers, or an army.

Or no one knows about them yet.

That kind of defeats the point of being part of the world-sphere, doesn't it? I mean, it's no different from any standalone setting until first contact, soon after which it'll be fundamentally changed.

I think a better way to explain relative isolation would be a local superpower. Like a sleeping god that doesn't want to be disturbed; the local people don't bother it because they aren't so advanced, but any high-tech intruders are in for a very nasty surprise...

Have fun with this. I was thinking about joining but the whole set forms of travel and interaction kinda killed it for me. I joined a project like this where we had to follow certain rules based on stuff like that. The thing died because people weren't free to do what they wanted with their world. If I were to choose I would much rather let each person decide how known their world is to others and how it accesses them (leaving them free to access it how they want).

I agree with Nomadic.  Damn the logic, full speed ahead! :axe:

To mix all this together, what about a number of stars each with a sea of small asteroid-ish world spheres spreading out from the sun in a belt like the Kepler Belt between Mars and Jupiter, only so broad that it it extends from mercury to Jupiter or some such, with smaller globes even farther out. The various systems are connected with portals (maybe some of the small worlds were carved out to act as immense magical portals) and pseudo-technological starships are used for transport between world spheres and through the gates. Each sphere is surrounded by an atmosphere, but it extends somewhat out in space so that as long as you are within the "Sea" you have ample oxygen, akin to being on a very tall mountain, and you can survive the radiation without instantly dying. Although extensive exposure to Solar Waves might have some effects on your physique. Technology has developed to various degrees depending on where you are and who you are in contact with, and exists in all levels. Magic is a secret force; organized practice of magic is limited to a few individuals and seclusive organizations (perhaps with a few exceptions) and those who pursue it delve into secrets that often destroy their minds, and the only magic that is widely available is that which can be accessed through Old One technology which is spread throughout the universe. These artifacts can have all kinds of wondrous effects, and if you need some kind of limited magic on your world-sphere you can link it to Old One technology. Maybe one world was the site of some kind of Old One Electrical Array that would send electricity out into the universe and this has infused the inhabitants with electrical powers or the ability to pick up radio signals. On another world magic staffs that can throw fire might be hoarded by an ancient order of warrior-mages.
I don't think we should attempt to create a world where every possible idea could fit in; that will just make for a setting that is clumsy and seems too artificial. What we should try and make is a setting that everybody wants to add to.

EDIT: after looking at some of the posts that were written while i was writing this, i must say that i still agree with what i said before. Making a world where everything is allowed destroys much of the credibility of a setting, and then we might as well just combine all of our own settings with planar gates and call it a day. What i'm trying to say is that a thing that would be better than making a world with no rules is to make a world where the "rules" allow for whatever people want to happen.  
   

Again I just think that there should only be 3 rules.

1 - Your world can be whatever you want it to be
2 - How your world accesses other worlds is up to you
3 - How well known your world is is up to you

Otherwise people are going to give up because now they are no longer creating their own world, they are creating someone else's world (and thus this whole thing falls into the cebegia trap).

Quote from: NomadicAgain I just think that there should only be 3 rules.

1 - Your world can be whatever you want it to be
2 - How your world accesses other worlds is up to you
3 - How well known your world is is up to you

Otherwise people are going to give up because now they are no longer creating their own world, they are creating someone else's world (and thus this whole thing falls into the cebegia trap).

This actually solves the whole problem in itself. Lets say each world is a Sphere (its an example, you can make your world a cube, lozenge, torus or shaped like a bump on a log) so we don't have to worry about an overarching rule, just let people deal with it themselves. We got caught up in the idea, and it didn't work out so back to basics seems like a good idea.

I think I remember seeing something like this on a forum (wizards) where every poster was the Creator of their own little world/plane/what have you and they could dictate whatever they wished about their own thing.

Quote from: Crippled CrowI don't think we should attempt to create a world where every possible idea could fit in; that will just make for a setting that is clumsy and seems too artificial. What we should try and make is a setting that everybody wants to add to.

Contradiction.

Quote from: Crippled CrowWhat i'm trying to say is that a thing that would be better than making a world with no rules is to make a world where the "rules" allow for whatever people want to happen.

Acceptable.

I say the problem is that the more rules we restrict ourselves to the more we choke off our creativity.