Vote up a Fantasy Setting

[combatmedic]

RACES

• Humans only 1
• Humans and humanoid races only 2 votes (one with 'fantastic beasts' mentioned, but no word on how smart they can be)
• No humans, one or more other races exist 0 votes
• Humans, humanoids, and non-humanoid races exist, may include spirits or talking beasts 6
• Spirits and Humans only 2
• Something else (please specify)
1 for humans. humanoids, spirits/talking beats/etc. but no orcs, dwarves, elves, or other 'Tolkienesque' races


There is a clear winner here: Option 4 with humans, humanoids, spirits, talking beasts, and so on.
It doesn't change the result, but I'm going to vote with the 'Something Else' voter. I'd prefer not have have 'bog-standard' elves, orcs, and dwarves running about.

[combatmedic]

CONNECTIONS WITH OTHER WORLDS:

• World hopping is possible but rare 7
• Isolated 4
• Gates are common 2

I’m going to vote for Gates are common, although it won’t change the outcome.
The winner is ‘World Hopping is possible but rare.’

[combatmedic]

GODS-

• Mysterious and distant 6
• Multiple competing pantheons 2
• Two opposed gods 1
• Single pantheon 1
• Other 3 (two involving spirits, one that seems to favor behind the scenes gods)

I’m going to vote for One True God, with spirits, ancestors, saints, demons, 'small gods', etc.

But Mysterious and Distant is the clear victor. The nice thing about that is that it allows everybody to design his own mythologies, religions, etc. The stories do not need to agree.

[vicky_molokh]

Originally Posted by combatmedic

It doesn't change the result, but I'm going to vote with the 'Something Else' voter. I'd prefer not have have 'bog-standard' elves, orcs, and dwarves running about.

I have a suspicion that not many people thought of bog-standard races. No fun writing up another variation of 51% Grey Elf, the Tundra Orc and the Sandstone Mountain Dwarf.

[vicky_molokh]

Originally Posted by combatmedic

I’m going to vote for Gates are common, although it won’t change the outcome.
The winner is ‘World Hopping is possible but rare.’

Just to clarify, I'm thinking of gates existing, but leading to a specific subset of worlds (e.g. the semi-elemental planes, but make up something more original), with a 1:1 mapped topography.

[combatmedic]

Originally Posted by vicky_molokh

I have a suspicion that not many people thought of bog-standard races. No fun writing up another variation of 51% Grey Elf, the Tundra Orc and the Sandstone Mountain Dwarf.

Agreed.

Races will be the next big thing.

[combatmedic]

Originally Posted by vicky_molokh

Just to clarify, I'm thinking of gates existing, but leading to a specific subset of worlds (e.g. the semi-elemental planes, but make up something more original), with a 1:1 mapped topography.

That's pretty much what I wanted, only the gates would be more common.

I think the victory for 'possible but rare' should work for most guys. If people really want isolated, they should simply leave gates and world hoppers out of their submissions.

[Ji ji]

The idea of "matchlock only" should be intended as follows: firearms exist and have a big role in warfare and hunting; they have much less role as personal artillery (no pistols) and are not universally adopted. To me, it's a good compromise between firearms and no-firearms options, leaving a main role to muscle-powered weapons while allowing arquebuses, hunter rifles, big muskets and field artillery. Something similar, only with regard to firearms, to Japanese Edo period.

World hopping possible but rare is a good option that allows many mysterious, far dimensions without going for the inflactioned supermarket of dimension often referred as "multiverse" (I don't like at all a cosmology build on Empedokles' four elements).

[combatmedic]

Originally Posted by Ji ji

The idea of "matchlock only" should be intended as follows: firearms exist and have a big role in warfare and hunting; they have much less role as personal artillery (no pistols) and are not universally adopted. To me, it's a good compromise between firearms and no-firearms options, leaving a main role to muscle-powered weapons while allowing arquebuses, hunter rifles, big muskets and field artillery. Something similar, only with regard to firearms, to Japanese Edo period.

World hopping possible but rare is a good option that allows many mysterious, far dimensions without going for the inflactioned supermarket of dimension often referred as "multiverse" (I don't like at all a cosmology build on Empedokles' four elements).

Your votes on these two things were pretty much winning votes.

If you wish to use matchlocks, go ahead. Just don't assume that everyone in the setting will use them.

When we do 'realms' submissions later in the project, you can do more with guns.

[combatmedic]

It looks as if the standard GUPRS Magic system will win, probably with a limitation of Ritual Use Only. Supernatural advantages like Oracle and Blessed fit. But we may need to discuss this further. Votes were very much divided.

Second round Magic System Poll

I'm assuming that supernatural Advantages like Oracle, Blessed, etc. are okay.There wasn't a strong trend towards Powers, but there was significant support for innate magic and special, non ritual/non spell abilities. Advantages work fine, I think.

I have distilled the list of magic systems to the following options:

1)standard GURPS Magic system, with rituals as well as spells

2)standard system but only ritual casting only

3)Path/Book magic with Magery (not everyone has access to Thaumaturgy, which could be a problem, but various ritual systems based on path/book were suggested by contributors)


Please choose just one.


If anyone has questions/comments/concerns about this second poll, let me know.




We will need a winner to move forward on some aspects of setting and possibly racial design.