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Old 04-02-2019, 07:00 AM   #129
sgtcallistan
 
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Chatham, Kent, England
Default Re: GURPS Community Campaign & Adventure Repository

Expansion on an earlier mention, as we're still playing and expanding this world:

Our main fantasy world is 'Halfallaan' which is a world with some differences from our own, such as a moon with two small moons, slightly less landmass than Earth (in three main continents and many island chains), yet has something the 'sun runs on' people call 'the arch' or 'the iron ring' depending upon local belief.

Essentially, the idea is that earth-history-like cultures exist, (Celto-Viking, Russian-horse barbarian, Chinese, 'Arabian', etc.) but always have a twist.

Many cultures have a familiar group of gods, virtues or principles who can be recognised by travellers as being similar to their own, but with relative importances, etc. varying according to location.

The new monotheistic religion worships the sun and is centred on a state modelled on the later Roman empire, as if it had grown up around great Zimbabwe in Africa rather than Constantinople.

There has been an earlier race or culture that seems to have retreated somewhere, localities of power that appear to breed strange creatures, and ancient towers, fortresses and deserted cities to be shunned or explored by the brave.

Oddest of all (to this player), there exists a cult / legend / way of living that seems to have it's centre in the belief that the world itself is alive, controlling fate and destiny, that is variously worshipped, followed or persecuted differently around the world.

While we began in a Celtic Myth-style game, the availability of ocean-going long-ships means that we have explored and discovered that their are places and peoples with higher technology, while the 'Mad Northerners' who we represent seems to have the best handle on knowledge of 'the truth of the world' that many scholars seek.

It's been a blast, really suits our group who try hard to place their way of thinking in alignment with their character's knowledge and world-view, as well as playing being guardedly surprised by things such as a ship with a dragon inside that boils water to turn paddlewheels, this dragon being served by an 'engineer', a word we recognise as one from a tale where our ancestors became 'the Gods' when 'The Wolf' (the aforementioned principle that represent the life of the world) used his 'engine' on them.

Phew.

So far we have had four or five campaigns running in semi-parallel, with rare cross-overs, but the intent is that knowledge of the future (gained from investigations into the fate and destiny of individuals) will guide us all into a confrontation with the Three Dark Gods in their Tower at the Top of the World at some future time.

That the whole place seems also to be a colony world in the far future, perhaps being controlled by a race bank or some-such that imprints individuals with talents or functions before they are born is icing on the cake, from my position.

Hope this inspires!
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