What RPG Settings would work for GURPS Infinite Worlds?

[Jürgen Hubert]

I recently had a thought: There have been many, many RPG settings published over the years, and many of these would be suitable for inclusion of GURPS Infinite Worlds - but not all.

My own criteria for which settings would fit are as following:

- It should be either recognizably some form of Earth (not more exotic than the world of Warhammer Fantasy) or be a shiftrealm with access to interdimensional travel that isn't incompatible with GURPS Infinite Worlds (Planescape would probably be inappropriate, for instance)
- The "local year" should not be later than 2027 - the "default year" of Homeline.

EDIT: We should probably focus on original RPG settings - thus, no RPG settings derived from fiction (such as Middle Earth, the Dresdenverse, and so forth.)

What published RPG settings - by any publisher - would fit these criteria? And how would you describe it in Infinite Worlds terms? (TL, mana level, Quantum level, Homeline designation, Outworld penetration etc.?)

I have started on a online sheet for listing the settings - feel free to add your own.

The first two settings that sprang to my mind there those of Cyberpunk 2020 and Castle Falkenstein (which, while there was a GURPS conversion, was never "officially" part of Infinite Worlds, though it has interworld travel.) But there are sure to be more...

[johndallman]

Originally Posted by Jürgen Hubert

- The "local year" should not be later than 2027 - the "default year" of Homeline.

And if the world is sufficiently different that the calendar could have arguably been based off a different start date, you don't need to worry about that. For my Infinite Cabal campaign, I had to define the date as the astronomical date, as shown by the positions of planets, proper motions of stars, and so on.

This is as seen from Homeline and the other worlds that are at the "latest possible date", of which I have three: Centrum, Shikaku-Mon, and a world that diverged when psionics were discovered and developed in ancient Egypt, and is now a world-wide group-mind.

[Agemegos]

Would you consider White Wolf's "World of Darkness" to be an example of what you're asking for?

[Jürgen Hubert]

Originally Posted by Agemegos

Would you consider White Wolf's "World of Darkness" to be an example of what you're asking for?

Certainly - both of them.

[warellis]

Would either WoD just be some sort of Cabal worldline?

[Agemegos]

What about the setting of the James Bond 007 RPG? In a way it's supposed to be the real world, but considered in detail it has some features that the real world hasn't (the British secret service is called "MI6" and is part if the Ministry of Information, there is an international criminal organisation called "T.A.R.O.T.") and there have been historical events corresponding to the Bond films that were made before 1982.

I think the setting of Spirit of the Century qualifies.

[Anders]

Camelot. Ars Magica. Dark Sun?

[Jürgen Hubert]

Originally Posted by Agemegos

What about the setting of the James Bond 007 RPG? In a way it's supposed to be the real world, but considered in detail it has some features that the real world hasn't (the British secret service is called "MI6" and is part if the Ministry of Information, there is an international criminal organisation called "T.A.R.O.T.") and there have been historical events corresponding to the Bond films that were made before 1982.

It's probably best to treat this as one of the literature I based parallels, I think.

[Onuryn]

A few write-ups:

The Manhattan parallels - these parallels' precise divergence point is unclear, but they all seem to follow most of Homeline's history... Until, at some point, something happened that gave what can only be called "super-powers" to a portion of the population. They are all categorized Z1, due to the danger of telepaths, seers and super-intelligent humans discovering the Secret.

Manhattan-1 - in 1998, an experimental spaceship explosion unlocked something in the brain of a number of people that gave them what this parallel's scientists call "quantum-based powers". Now in 2014 many these "Novas" live in unabashed fame and celebrity. (Aberrant)

Manhattan-2 - it's not clear why, but something recently happened that started granting many people special powers. The Cabal has a presence in this timeline and they seem to be able to visit their Realms - an occult organization called The Pact may be one of their lodges - so magic could be involved. (Paragons)

Manhattan-3 - in 1968 a single woman acquired what could only be described as godlike-level powers. Her powers proved to be contagious but limited, however, and these empowered people soon started having dramatic historical effects. Current present circa 2010. (Progenitor)

Manhattans-4/5/6 - during World War II a large number of combatants started exhibiting strange powers. It seems that in this world well-fed people under high stress could focus their willpower and become super-powered. Called "talents", initially had very specific limitations, until these limitations started getting surpassed by the new generations. These worlds seem to be echoes of each other in different eras: 1945, 1986 and 2010. (Godlike / Wild Talents 1st edition / Wild Talents 2nd Edition)

The Fnord! Parallels - all these timelines seemed to be regular low-divergence parallels at first... And then, further investigation started uncovering signs of "something" or "somethings" moving in secret in the background, manipulating events and history, and we quickly reclassified and closed them to the general public.

Fnord!-1 - local time circa 2014. This world seemed a regular one with weird physical laws - it's really difficult to enter, demanding very precise coordinates, and easy to slip out of once you're there - until patrolmen confirmed sightings of vampires, werewolves, ghosts and weirder stuff. Also, it also seems to be a crossworld to a dimensional orrerry called "umbra" by the locals. We would have closed it off completely, but the Cabal seems to have a presence here - although we are not clear if something called "The Council of Nine" is a competitor or one of their offshots. Class Z1. (old World of Darkness)

Fnord!-2 - at 2014, this world seems similar to Fnord!-1 at first glance - vampires, werewolves, the full package - except that it is easier to reach, none of the occult organizations seem to match, local mages seem to be a lot more insular than in Fnord!-1, and Cabalists seem to be very afraid of this timeline, due to something they call "the God-machine". It's as if something threw Fnord!-1 into a blender. Class Z2. (new World of Darkness)

Fnord!-3 - a post-apocalyptic version of Fnords!-1 and 2. Don't visit, too dangerous. Class Z1. (Monte Cook's World of Darkness)

Fnord!-4 - the occult players here refer to something called "the Invisible Clergy" that seem to manipulate events at will. Experimental measurements agree - there are clear signs of past reality quakes that reset this timeline. Worse, it seems that it is close to resetting again. And some cabalists have said they don't like to go here because it's "too weird" for them. Class Z1. (Unknown Armies)

Fnord!-5 - now in 2014, the weirdness here seems to derive from something called "Seepage" that seems to function similar to mana. Also, we have confirmed the presence of multiple extraterrestrial aliens. Class Z1. (Conspiracy X)

Fnord!-6 - also in 2014, this world seemed normal at first... Until psychics we brought here started going crazy, talking about "old gods" and "the stars being right". Some patrolmen tried to investigate their claims - they either went insane, or disappeared. Seriously, it scared the crap out of everyone. Don't go there, under any circumstances. Class Z1. (Delta Green)

Fnord!-7 - now in the 1920s, it seems like a regular timeline - but further investigation confirmed it's actually an earlier echo of Manhattan-1, and that there are strange things happening even this early. Class R3. (Adventure!)

Fnord!-8 - very similar to Fnord!-5, but their rationale for all the strangeness is called "Dark Matter". We have successfully inserted a Homeline agent into a knowledgeable organization called Hoffman Institute. Class Z2. (Dark*Matter)

High-weirdness parallels

Krypton-Merlin - at local present circa 2010, this is a high-inertia modern-era parallel that seems to be following most of Homeline's major historical events - except for the presence of super-powered humans ("mutants") throughout history, and a weird form of magic involving summoning spirits called "angels" and "demons". Class Z2 due to presence of telepaths. (Grim War)

Victoria Divinus - now in 1875, this is a very weird victorian parallel, in which "strange" individuals publicly exhibit super-powers that make them distinct from common men, and Queen Victoria seems to be turning into a goddess herself. Time may also be fluid: some patrolmen have described entering this timeline in earlier dates, and even later in one case. Class R2 due to confirmed telepaths and time-related uncertainties. (Kerberos Club)

Mythica - this seems a regular 2010 modern-era parallel, but we have confirmed the presence of "Gods" and "Titans" waging secret wars in mythic dimensions connected to this world. The Cabal seems very afraid of this timeline - a captured cabalist said that "the strands of fate are too thick", whatever it means. Class Z1 - if the Cabal are afraid, we should be careful too. (Scion)

Tempest-1 - this world has suffered some key collapses in the past few decades - economic, ecological and electronic - and now cybernetically-enhanced people patterned after "super-heroes" are trying to make a difference where government and corporations have failed. What's worrisome is that the local present is 2027, so this may be one of the worlds capable of reaching other quanta. Class Z3. (eCollapse)

[Jürgen Hubert]

Very nice, Onuryn! Thanks!