simplifying parachronics in Infinite Worlds

[Lurconis]

I'm running an infinite worlds game for a group unfamiliar with the setting, and I've run into a spot of trouble - namely, when I try to explain things like "Quantum Levels" and the difference between conveyors and projectors, their eyes glaze over and they say something to the tune of "This is time we could spend punching Nazis instead of learning about imaginary physics!".

I had a bit of a think about it, and decided it might be just easier to massively simplify the way parachronics works in my game. Here's the explanation I gave them:

"A parachronic projector functions basically like a stargate that doesn't need to connect to a destination stargate. You dial in the co-ordinates for the world you want to travel to, and you step through a portal to the exact geographical point on that world that your projector occupies on your world.

Very few alternates have the physical laws that allow for parachronic travel. As such, projectors do not function on the vast majority of worlds (hence why so few advanced worlds ever develop the technology for travelling between dimensions), but projectors can create portals to these worlds easily enough. As a result of this, travelling from one world to another usually consists of a) waiting for a scheduled portal to be opened, b) stepping through to emerge at a projector on Homeline (or another world that projectors work on), then c)using the projector to open a portal to your destination.

Also, some worlds are "farther away" than other worlds, and cannot be directly traveled to; to get to one you would need to find a world that can travel to both (and that has projectors work on it). For example, it is not possible to reach Centrum from Homeline, and vice versa - so far, encounters between them has only been on worlds that both can travel to."

Now, obviously I've changed the way it works quite a lot - there aren't any conveyors, characters on the vast majority of worlds have to travel through a stopover world where projectors operate, projectors work by making a portal and "Quantum Levels" have been dropped. But I think the changes make it a little easier for a new player to understand, and don't really change the feel of the setting that much.

Are there any potential problems anyone can forsee with doing it this way?

[sn0wball]

I don´t see any problems. You could add that projectors don´t work everywhere at every given moment, to have an answer to the question : "Why can´t we project directly into the Wolfsschanze to catch Reich-3 Hitler with his pants down?"

In the end, your background removes a few potential interesting complications. There won´t be any "Subquantum operation failure has the conveyor stuck in limbo" scenarios with your background.

Even with a more complicated background, the players don´t have to care about it, especially if the characters don´t have the relevant skills. You could have an NPC operator do all the complicated stuff and a NPC chief who makes the relevant decisions. You don´t have to tell them the parachronic details as the GM, but have a NPC bore the PCs with his technobubble.

[Dinadon]

I don't see anything wrong with your changes, but then I also don't see a reason to. I'd tailor the information towards what the player's ask about, and then use the setting's lingo as necessary when NPC's talk or when things need to be described. Eventually their curiosity should be piqued and they'll ask, and then they'll be interested in a fuller explanation.

Some samples (that could probably be used right away, if you don't change the setting):

What's a Conveyor? - It's the vessel you use to travel between worlds. They're graded for the maximum distances they can jump. Don't lose it.
What's a Projector? - A launch pad for conveyor's. Needed for long jumps. Multiple long jumps will require a stopover at the projector. They can only be built on certain worlds.
What's a Quantum? - A coordinate used in jumping to parallel worlds. Short jumps won't change it. Long jumps (which will require a projector) do change it. The larger the change in Quantum, the harder the jump.

[malloyd]

Originally Posted by sn0wball

Even with a more complicated background, the players don´t have to care about it

This is an important general observation. When you've gone to the trouble of preparing a lot of background, or bought a supplement with a lot of it already worked out for you, the temptation to share it all with the players is strong. Resist it anyway.

Don't provide the players with the details until they ask. In this case you start off with "Here's the mission breif, Dr. Smith over there will pilot the conveyer to drop you on the target worldline." If the PCs ask stuff like why can't we be dropped right in the middle of the target rather than some seedy warehouse hundreds of miles away then the details *might* be important, though "Because the conveyer settings are limited, when you get back ask to sign up for the technical course" will probably work.

[RobKamm]

Originally Posted by malloyd

This is an important general observation. When you've gone to the trouble of preparing a lot of background, or bought a supplement with a lot of it already worked out for you, the temptation to share it all with the players is strong. Resist it anyway.

QFT

Don't provide the players with the details until they ask. In this case you start off with "Here's the mission breif, Dr. Smith over there will pilot the conveyer to drop you on the target worldline." If the PCs ask stuff like why can't we be dropped right in the middle of the target rather than some seedy warehouse hundreds of miles away then the details *might* be important, though "Because the conveyer settings are limited, when you get back ask to sign up for the technical course" will probably work.

On the flip side, some players will want to play Dr. Smith, and will need to understand more of the "how things work" so that they can plot out solutions to problems (carefully crafted by the GM to give that character the spotlight). Such players should be given the opportunity to learn about that background, but not in front of the other players. Just like the player of the Wizard character needs to spend some out of game time reading Magic, the parachronics expert/pilot's player will need to invest some time learning about how Quantum levels and conveyors work.

[Ed the Coastie]

If your players don't care about understanding things like Quantum levels and how parachronics work, you could always just fall back on a line used by Simon Hawke in the old Timewars series..."Nobody understands rubber physics." The PCs know where they want to go; how they get there is the province of the boffins behind the scenes (and the GM).

[Hai-Etlik]

"Conveyors are vehicles that can move between worlds that are near each other. If you want to move to distant worlds, you need a projector, which is the size of a building and can only be built on Homeline or Centrum. Projectors either catapult conveyors to, or pull them from a distant world and both machines must be working together. Worlds have a number called 'Quantum Level' and those with the same level are nearby, a difference of 1 or 2 is distant, and 3 or more is too distant for even projectors."

That's everything they really need to know, in 4 sentences.

[SuedodeuS]

Here are some potential complications I can see arising from your simplified version...

Communication: Because conveyors already have working parachronics, it's easy to justify being able to communicate back to Homeline without Homeline initiating it. By your version, it would be impossible to initiate communication - you'd be completely reliant on established "check-in" times, which could prove quite inconvenient.
You can get around this by introducing parachronic communicators, which might maintain some sort of link to the projector. Alternatively, say that the physics of many worlds allow data to be transmitted and received, but that objects can't make the journey without one side being parachronic-capable.

Getaways: With a conveyor, you can duck in and slip back to Homeline when you need to - and you can take care to insure nobody sees you doing it! If you are reliant on a distant projector, you have to wait for it to establish a portal - and hope you don't get chased out of the area before it fully opens.
This gets worse if you don't have communicators. The characters have to get back to a predetermined extraction point at a predetermined time and make certain (or simply hope) no locals are in the area to witness the event. Sounds like a good song to dance the Charlie Foxtrot to.

The Secret: By keeping the method of travel in the characters' hands, it's easier to insure nobody notices the transit, thus insuring The Secret is maintained. They can just drive out into the desert, fly into the sunset, or whatever else, then - *POP* - vanish when nobody's looking. If instead the characters need to go to an abandoned warehouse and enter a shimmering portal, they'll be much easier to follow and stay hidden from during extraction (and of course no communicators makes this even worse).
There's also the possibility of a local stumbling into the portal and suddenly finding himself on Homeline, while a conveyor is typically not very easy to stow away in. Considering how dangerous and powerful the natives of some worlds can be, this could be a serious issue. On the bright side, it can also make for an interesting adventure scenario.


There are, doubtless, other complications, but those are the big ones I can think of. If you want to keep your portal idea, just keep these in mind. Alternatively, try out Hai-Etlik's summary and see how well that works for your players.

[Lurconis]

Originally Posted by Hai-Etlik

"Conveyors are vehicles that can move between worlds that are near each other. If you want to move to distant worlds, you need a projector, which is the size of a building and can only be built on Homeline or Centrum. Projectors either catapult conveyors to, or pull them from a distant world and both machines must be working together. Worlds have a number called 'Quantum Level' and those with the same level are nearby, a difference of 1 or 2 is distant, and 3 or more is too distant for even projectors."

That's everything they really need to know, in 4 sentences.

Actually yeah, that's not only a more accurate summary, it's probably simpler than mine anyway. Thanks.

One last question; are there any pre-made IW campaigns? I'll end up writing my own anyway, but I've always found pre-made ones useful for getting a feel for the flow of the setting (and for stealing ideas from).