World-Spheres - a Community Campaign Setting (Discussion Thread)

[Elemental_Elf]

This thread was sparked by a conversation concerning World Building in the Chat. It occurred to me that many of us here never finish a Campaign setting, or at least never detail it to the extent they wish, which leaves only a shell of a setting you're never truly proud of. I always thought the concept of Spelljammer and Planescape were very intriguing in that they allowed adventurers to travel to different worlds far outside the norm. What I never really liked was the fact that these settings utilized normal D&D IP which typically led to things like Faerunians going to Krynn, which never seemed as cool to me as creating an entire universe where this type of travel is occurring.

With that in mind, I would like to open up a discussion and see if the community is interested in this topic and, more importantly, willing to aid in its creations. This is just a concept that will make for a massive campaign setting but not force each individual designer to tax themselves to any degree, nor will the project rely too heavily on one or two people (which is a recipe for failure for projects like these).

Not much is set in stone, other than traveling to other 'worlds' that are much smaller than earth (so creators aren't too burdened). There is no set flavor yet, so this could be anything from a High Fantasy to Sci-Fantasy to 'semi-realistic' sci-fi to ultra futuristic sci-fi.

Let's see where the discussion takes us! :)

[khyron1144]

This sounds cool, and maybe I want in but this would be something like a fourth world-building project for me and I do have a life both off the internet and on other parts of the internet.  This means I may not have a lot of time to put into it, but count me in for a tentative yes.


I like Spelljammer too.  I never really got into Planescape.  I do own the Planes of Conflict splatbox and really liked the expanded Slaad Lords from Dragon, but I never bought the main setting box, and I never really liked the Sigil idea that much.

[Ghostman]

Interesting. I might contribute to such a project on the side, even while I'm working on my Savage Age, especially if it's going to be some flavour of fantasy or a fantasy-[insert another genre] hybrid. We'd definitely need to figure out the framework - how travel between settings happens, how to limit possibly too drastic effects that such travel may cause - right in the beginning. Allowing free traffic between a "low fantasy" world and a world stuffed full of insanely powerful demigods and reality-devouring cosmic horrors would result in either a very fast and profound makeover of the former, or a serious flaw in internal consistency.

[Ninja D!]

I'm interested, especially if this is to be a system-neutral project.

[Eladris]

Sounds cool.  Of course, I'm biased.  

[Superfluous Crow]

I might be interested as well. I'm better at finishing off small ideas than entire setttings anyway, a tendency that has left my setting rather incomplete. Might get my creative juices flowing or something. Not sure how much time i can devote to this since i really only write stuff when i get a good idea and is in the mood for it, but might as well try to add something. Should be fun :)

EDIT: Making it hard sci-fi might limit the creative flow a bit, so i vote fantasy or sci-fi/fantasy or some variation thereof.

[SilvercatMoonpaw]

Count me in as well.  I'm not so good with the actual places, but I've got a whole list of races people can use.

First thing I'd suggest before we start is to get down exactly what travel methods we want.  This is even more important than genre because you could always include the option for another genre to exist somewhere on the periphery of the setting, but the travel method influences who can travel and how people approach the wider uni/multiverse.

My vote is for portals or plane-shifting that can occur naturally but be controlled because you don't need to be all that advanced to use this method and so tech levels can be mixed across the setting.

We may also need to consider whether the physical/magical laws of this setting apply equally in all places, or if some have different types.

[Ninja D!]

If we're getting down to discussing that stuff already, here is my idea:

A very long time ago, there existed a civilization / race / guild / whatever that learned of other worlds. They were so advanced that, in time, they eventually were able to travel to these other worlds. They traveled using ships, gates, and maybe even other means. These people are now gone and have been for so long that no one remembers why. They left things behind but very little of it now works. Some new races on these worlds have learned how to use bits of this leftover technology, probably most commonly the gate.

I feel this makes the setting a little sci-fantasy overall but leaves it open for each individual world to be very different. Maybe none of this strange (seemingly magical) technology was left on some worlds. Maybe enough was left on others that the races there are very advanced. Maybe there are worlds where a lot was left behind but because of something to do with the planet, all of it malfunctions in the same way?

Or even better, we go with something like this but there is no absolute TRUTH. Every world would probably make up different explanations for this stuff but no one could know for sure. Just a thought.

[Wensleydale]

If we're getting down to discussing that stuff already, here is my idea:

A very long time ago, there existed a civilization / race / guild / whatever that learned of other worlds. They were so advanced that, in time, they eventually were able to travel to these other worlds. They traveled using ships, gates, and maybe even other means. These people are now gone and have been for so long that no one remembers why. They left things behind but very little of it now works. Some new races on these worlds have learned how to use bits of this leftover technology, probably most commonly the gate.

I feel this makes the setting a little sci-fantasy overall but leaves it open for each individual world to be very different. Maybe none of this strange (seemingly magical) technology was left on some worlds. Maybe enough was left on others that the races there are very advanced. Maybe there are worlds where a lot was left behind but because of something to do with the planet, all of it malfunctions in the same way?

Or even better, we go with something like this but there is no absolute TRUTH. Every world would probably make up different explanations for this stuff but no one could know for sure. Just a thought.

I'm liking this. Especially since it's not necessarily the truth.

I'm in, and I'll try and commit myself to this.

[SilvercatMoonpaw]

That's a good angle.  Establishes the Ancient Ones for people who want to have Old Stuff to find.

[Ghostman]

I'll chime in with my own suggestions.

Looking at H.P. Lovecraft's dreamworld (found in the stories Celephais and The Dream Quest of Unknown Kadath), one can find some interesting methods of travel. For those who haven't read the stories: dreamworld is another dimension that exists along the 'real' world, which can be entered when asleep. Because the dreamworld functions by different laws than the real world, many crazy things are possible there. Such as...

It was dark when the galley passed betwixt the Basalt Pillars of the West and the sound of the ultimate cataract swelled portentous from ahead. And the spray of that cataract rose to obscure the stars, and the deck grew damp, and the vessel reeled in the surging current of the brink. Then with a queer whistle and plunge the leap was taken, and Carter felt the terrors of nightmare as earth fell away and the great boat shot silent and comet-like into planetary space.

Not only can ships sail the sky, they can even go through space! Not to mention that leaving the planet is as simple as sailing off the great waterfall on the edge of the sea.

Now, I'm not suggesting that we copy these ideas straight, but use them as a source of inspiration. Perhaps there are places (transition zones) on the seas that lead into an astral plane (or similar) that connects all the worlds? These could be anything from massive whirlpools, to perpetually mist-shrouded regions, to ghostly twilight areas where time stands still. What ever form they take, a normal ship should be able to pass through without problem. The astral plane would allow them to continue sailing (not necessarily on water) across a phantastic, unearthly space, and proceed to a another transition zone leading to a different world.


Another source of inspiration could be found in the Hyperion/Endymion series by Dan Simmons. Those books feature a river called Tethys, which runs across several different planets - consisting of sections of rivers on those planets that connect to each other via massive teleportation arches. Something like this would be more easy to work into Ninja D's suggestion.

[Superfluous Crow]

Probably the best way to go. The only problem i see with planes is that instead of a variety of interconnected worlds we just get a number of solitary worlds that a game can change between. There is no "space" to interconnect the worlds and make them part of a single universe. As somebody mentioned i also think we should go with various forms of transportation. Some might have ships that can leap between worlds while other use ancient rituals to open rifts in the universe (or whatever we decide on).

EDIT: If we wanted to go along with a "single universe" concept we could have a belt of asteroid-sized microworlds and rocks in a large belt around a star (or some such). This would limit the distances you have to travel between worlds while still retaining the feeling of a multitude of worlds in a single universe. With a reasonably broad belt you could even account for climate variances and stuff. But just an idea.

[Llum]

These are all pretty good ideas. I think the best would be a kinda conglomerate thing, people can travel between planets however they can manage it (spaceship, space boat, wormhole, Gate, Planar Portal, tapping their heels together and chanting) where some of these things could be left by Ancient ones (abandoned Portals, Ships, teleport circle etc..) and some people invented their own method. This would leave it open to whatever people wanted.

[SilvercatMoonpaw]

I'll go along with whatever.  My specialty is weird creatures, not travel.

[Ghostman]

I think we'll end up undermining suspension of disbelief if we let the level of technology or magic* to vary too much between the worlds. After all, they are in contact with each other. Unless every civilization adheres to some kind of Start Trek Prime Directive, there would logically be trade of tech or magic, and/or conquest & enslavement of the weaker civs.


* In case of magic we could justify thigs somewhat by making it world-specific ie. you can't use your magic after leaving your homeworld. But that kind of explanation strikes me as poor/lazy design.