Query: IW Designation of "Lands Out Of Time" Setting

[Mysterious Dark Lord v3.2]

Why is the World of Banded Night classified as "Burroughs-6"? I know it superficially resembles the setting of a ERB novel, but the numeral "6" implies five other Burroughs worlds.

I've read most of ERB's work, and his major stories (the Tarzan stories, the Pellucidar stories, and the interplanetary romances) all take place in the same world with frequent cross-references. And the "one-off" novels all tell stories that could happen in any world since they have little impact on the world at large. So that would be "Burroughs-1".

So what are Burroughs 2 through 5?

[Xenarthral]

The books don't all take place at the same time (e.g John Carter is not
simultaneously newly arrived on Mars (1866) and declared Warlord of
Barsoom (1886/87).
(Timeline, can't vouch for its acuracy.)
There's plenty of space for Burroughs worlds set a different times
along the timeline. Not to mention the ones that diverge from Burroughs,
are based on non-Burroughs versions (movies, comics etc.) or are not
strictly speaking Burroughs myth parallels.

[Phil Masters]

Originally Posted by Xenarthral

There's plenty of space for Burroughs worlds set a different times along the timeline. Not to mention the ones that diverge from Burroughs, are based on non-Burroughs versions (movies, comics etc.) or are not strictly speaking Burroughs myth parallels.

Yes - Infinity are evidently more poetic than precise in their choice of timeline tags. "Burroughs" could get used for, say, any timeline in which Africa is infested with macho Caucasian heroes and bizarre chronoclastic irruptions.

(Mind you, I'd use "Quatermain-" for those timelines. But that's mostly so I could also set up timelines where 1950s Britain keeps getting subjected to low-key alien invasions, and give them the "Quatermass-" prefix.)

[Fred Brackin]

Originally Posted by Phil Masters

Yes - Infinity are evidently more poetic than precise in their choice of timeline tags. "Burroughs" could get used for, say, any timeline in which Africa is infested with macho Caucasian heroes and bizarre chronoclastic irruptions.

(Mind you, I'd use "Quatermain-" for those timelines.

No, no. The Burroughs and Quatermain timelines are easily distinguishable by percentage of clothing and weapons preferences.

Burroughs timelines could also refer to places with inhabitable Marses peopled with humans who fought with swords. Dying Mars from Gurps Mars would probably be labeled as a Burroughs timeline.

[David Johnston2]

Originally Posted by Mysterious Dark Lord v3.2

Why is the World of Banded Night classified as "Burroughs-6"? I know it superficially resembles the setting of a ERB novel, but the numeral "6" implies five other Burroughs worlds.

I've read most of ERB's work, and his major stories (the Tarzan stories, the Pellucidar stories, and the interplanetary romances) all take place in the same world with frequent cross-references. And the "one-off" novels all tell stories that could happen in any world since they have little impact on the world at large. So that would be "Burroughs-1".

So what are Burroughs 2 through 5?

No Burroughs-1 would be whichever parallel they first thought reminded them of ERB. A closer parallel to the stories might very well have a higher number because it was discovered later. For that matter, a world exactly corresponding to Burroughs fictional universe in every particular might not have such a designation at all, because it's a world where Earth society is as yet unaware of Pellucidar and the inhabitants of Mars so instead Homeworld thinks it's an echo parallel, not having noticed that John Carter is fighting in the American Civil War.

[Xenarthral]

Originally Posted by David Johnston2

not having noticed that John Carter is fighting in the American Civil War.

On the other hand, they managed to pinpoint the death of John W. Campbell
as the divergence point of Campbell despite it being somewhere between
sixty and seventy years ago, him being a moderately successful pulp
writer in a genre almost completely ignored on the parallell and, as far as I
can tell, him dying before even having marginal influence on those he
affected on Homeline, meaning they would be unlikely to mention him and his
tragic death even as a footnote when talking about their careers.

Or in other words, don't underestimate Infinity's ability to have a
[suitable subject] buff with Serendipity present when necessary.

[Flyndaran]

Originally Posted by Xenarthral

..

Or in other words, don't underestimate Infinity's ability to have a
[suitable subject] buff with Serendipity present when necessary.

Maybe literally.. They have an outtime researcher with enormous levels of serendipity but no combat abilities to speak of. He just happens to stumble upon clues to the divergence points of close parallels.
Why not? It pays well.

[tratclif]

This is one bad habit that writers for Infinite Worlds have too often, writing about [timeline]-6 without considering what 1-5 might be like.

I have some ideas that are in my "unwritten Pyramids articles" file, so I'll hold on to details. But "Burroughs" worlds could be more metaphoric, like timelines with unusual things about Mars or Africa.

[Xenarthral]

Originally Posted by Flyndaran

Maybe literally.. They have an outtime researcher with enormous levels of serendipity but no combat abilities to speak of. He just happens to stumble upon clues to the divergence points of close parallels.
Why not? It pays well.

Not just one - you need several, often with unusual and seemingly useless
areas of interest. The kind of person that will not only discover these things
but know enough too be able to tell that There Is A Divergence Here.
Like finding the latest weekly issue of Misty in the shops in 1986, later
issues of the pulp Strange Suicides, a photo of Joseph Moritz - the Elephant
Man or a reference to WWF women's champion Rainbow Mika.

[David Johnston2]

Originally Posted by tratclif

This is one bad habit that writers for Infinite Worlds have too often, writing about [timeline]-6 without considering what 1-5 might be like.

I think it's a good habit. Worlds should probably not be named in the order that they appear in products.