I've mentioned Worlds Apart briefly before, but I'd like to speak a bit more about it. My earlier post was about what level of detail should I go into during the creation process of this new RPG I'm working on. After some long thought, I've decided to say "screw it" and take the big risk and invite all my readers into my mind and my creation process of Worlds Apart.
I figure that, after all, if you don't care about what I'm thinking, why the hell are you reading my blog?
One of the things that I've always liked about science fiction is the boundlessness of the scope. It really is everything imaginable - especially when one gets more into the "space opera" realm. Most fantasy games, on the other hand, are fairly limited in scope - if by no other reason than travel time and distance makes the size of the world that can be explored significantly smaller.
Worlds Apart is me wanting to have the scope of "space opera" in a solidly fantasy game. I want a bit of the ole space opera around, but in a game without the space. Worlds Apart has been itching at me for quite some time now, at least a few years, percolating in the back of my mind.
I'm going to use the Traveller system as published by Mongoose Publishing. I've always been a big fan of Traveller and I'm itching to take Mongoose's version apart and Frankenstein it into what I see in my head. So before I begin I'd like to thank Mongoose for making it OGL.
Well, that's the "big" secret. I'm going to try and do a Traveller fantasy game, but not swords & sorcery, not high fantasy, not grim 'n gritty, but a genre that I don't know if it even exists, a Fantasy Opera.
I'll talk more about Worlds Apart in later posts, of course, but I thought I should first introduce the system and the general feeling I'm trying to go after.
Thanks for reading!
Skorn & Hefna (solo rpg)
1 hour ago
6 comments:
I think this is great news, Joesph. Traveller is a great system, and I love using it for fantasy. I have used Traveller to power sword & sorcery games, which it does it very well. S&S characters have histories and experience, and the Traveller system captures this perfectly. I am really looking forward to seeing Worlds Apart!
Glad to hear you're looking forward to it. I plan one having fairly extensive coverage of its creation on the blog, so hopefully by the time it comes out everyone will be rip-roaring-ready.
"Fantasy Opera" color me intrigued. I think I may know what you mean, but not sure. Something like you can captain a ship, lead expeditions, create your own mercenary outfits, etc from the get go like in Traveller?
That would be what I'm going for, yes. :)
I'm interested, too, in seeing what you do. There's been at least one homebrew fantasy Traveller released on the web; http://www.rpgblog2.com/2009/04/using-classic-traveller-for-fantasy.html has pointers to several.
Does Talislanta match some of what you're looking for in Fantasy Opera?
Thanks for the link, Tom. Talislanta has some of what I'm looking for in terms of diversity, but I think it suffers in that all that diversity couldn't, IMO, exist within such a limited space. I'd prefer a larger palette.
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