Girl Genius Update

[warellis]

I kind of wonder how well Girl Genius's worldline could fit in Infinite Worlds. The setting was neat from what I saw when reading the webcomic a long time ago.

[corwyn]

Originally Posted by Taneli

I hope that the book ends up at my FLGS...

The only way I'll be able to afford it. Either that, or I'll have to print it myself.

[Inky]

If Girl Genius's world were in Infinite Worlds, it's not certain how the Sparks would interact with that. It's one of those cases where one worldline has different laws of nature from another, and how that works out is up for grabs.

Scenario 1: Sparks retain their powers even when transplanted to other worldlines, which could cause eager and possibly unwise efforts to recruit one.

Scenario 2: The Spark and similar the-laws-of-nature-really-are-"cinematic"-here phenomena are specific to the parallel, and Sparks, ninjas, etc. transplanted to other worldlines gradually lose their powers and become the equivalent in those worldlines, i.e. "ordinary" brilliant scientists or martial artists of the kind those worldlines' laws of nature allow. But, conversely, outworld visitors who are a bit Spark-ish by their parallel's standards gradually start to fall into line with Europa-logic. When your team discovers that, the race is on to get out of there before their scientist loses it altogether.

[Mysterious Dark Lord v3.2]

Actually, considering how dynamic the Spark is and the tendency of it's possessors (victims? Hosts?) to alter reality, it's likely that a Spark might over time change the laws of any given reality to accomodate it's presence.

A realistic reality affected (infested?) by a Spark from Elsewhere might start with a localized area that would grow over time. It would probaby take a generation or so to change a "mundane" reality to a "cinematic" one.

Of course a four-color comics universe wouldn't even flinch. How many comics characters who are obvious Sparks can you think of off the top of your head?

[Phantasm]

Originally Posted by Mysterious Dark Lord v3.2

Of course a four-color comics universe wouldn't even flinch. How many comics characters who are obvious Sparks can you think of off the top of your head?

Reed Richards, Hank Pym, Victor von Doom, Tony Stark, Bruce Banner, '60s and mid '00s Peter Parker, Michael Morbius, Samuel Sterns, Martin Stein, Rip Hunter, Gizmo of the Fearsome Five ... oh, you were being rhetorical, right? :)

[Inky]

Ooh, that's another good one. You could say that that's what happens even in Europa, since it's suggested that there are, in fact, "normal" laws of nature of some sort, used by lesser, non-Sparky engineers and scientists, while Sparks are able to leave all those people standing because they do things that defy what everyone else thought were the laws of nature.

I may or may not have said this before but Girl Genius looks as if the Orks from Warhammer 40k got split up into different pieces. The Jaegermonsters are most of it, and the Sparks are the ability to go "this machine will work because I really, really want it to".

[ProfessorDetective]

Yeah, the Spark is very Mage the Ascension in that way, being reality through sheer force of will.

Huh, did the World of Darkness ever get an IW designation, official or otherwise? Did Castle Falkenstine (GG's closest thematic sibling)?

[Fred Brackin]

Originally Posted by ProfessorDetective

Y

Huh, did the World of Darkness ever get an IW designation, official or otherwise? Did Castle Falkenstine (GG's closest thematic sibling)?

I would take it as a general principle that worlds corresponding to licensed material never get official designations. A list updated to current copyright status might name the Hyborian Age Myth parallel but that's about it.

[johndallman]

Originally Posted by Fred Brackin

A list updated to current copyright status might name the Hyborian Age Myth parallel but that's about it.

Mentioning authors seems to be OK:

Originally Posted by Infinite Worlds, p. 151

There are myth parallels closely resembling the works of Robert E. Howard, Robert McLees, Terry Pratchett, and Andre Norton, for example.

Which raises the question of "which Robert McLees"? I'm guessing the one closely involved with the Halo video games, but I could be wrong.

[Fred Brackin]

Originally Posted by johndallman

Which raises the question of "which Robert McLees"? I'm guessing the one closely involved with the Halo video games, but I could be wrong.

The link doesn't mention it but "Bungie" would go with Gurps Myth. This would put it on the same level as the backdoor mentions of Gurps Conan, Gurps Discworld and Gurps Witch World.