Earth-196169
1st March 2,018 CE
Scope
The motivation behind building Earth-196169
When the playtest for the Marvel Multiverse RPG came out, we played through the sample adventure and then decided to try a custom campaign. For that, I created a rough draft of a timeline for Earth-196169 for our personal-alternate universe and I was tempted to include the elements I liked from other comics and media, but decided to leave it out. That choice really ate away at me, and I decided to build the whole thing out and try my hand at trying to make my game mastering and storytelling a money-making gig at the same time. It has become a much larger project than I realized, but it has been really rewarding so far.
The goal of the project
The goal is to create a very open sandbox reality where I can run interconnected campaigns and players can draw from the ideas they most love inside the comic book or superhero genre. The idea is to start with the integration of the most commonly loved, and my most favorite superhero canons:
- Marvel Earth-616 and Earth-199999
- DC New Earth and Animated Universe
- Image Spawn and Angela Comics
- City of Heroes
- Champions Online
A complete look at what's been referenced and included is shown on the world homepage.
What I would like to do is run 5 congruent campaigns that are complete on their own but players who interact with the whole of the world will get more out of it. Additional clues that will benefit players in another campaign will come up in an unrelated campaign that will provide more insight and immersion. The campaigns will be centered around each of the prototypical superhero origins, but that wouldn't necessarily limit the origins or character concepts available to the players:
- Magic - A cosmic-level campaign dealing with different realities and forces of the beyond.
- Mutant - A national-level, social-justice-themed campaign.
- Natural - A street-level/friendly neighborhood campaign.
- Science - An interstellar/intergalactic campaign, taking players across the universe.
- Technology - An international espionage-political thriller campaign.
If a player can't make their specified game that month, then they can do a guest spot in another campaign's session as a guest appearance. And perhaps bringing with them knowledge for that game that the players hadn't gleaned before or discovering something that affects their usual game that those players didn't pick up yet.
On a personal level, working through integrating these stories into a cohesive universe that includes my favorite characters and stories has been a great escape from the hardships I face daily. Being a caretaker for my mom with severe dementia, being unable to hold down a steady job while I do that, and the stress of all this and the uncertainties of the world. It's nice to delve into a fantasy where there's always a mythic hero on standby to step in and make things right again. Or, at the very least, to stop the bad guys before they can do any more harm. And a world with clearer lines between good and bad, just and unjust, right and wrong then here on Earth-1218.
Earth-196169's Unique Selling point
The first selling point will be the congruent and interconnected campaigns that will allow people to interact across storylines knowingly or unknowingly. Even, perhaps, in major story points that change the shape of the whole universe. Think Thanos' snap or the arrival of The Mighty.
The second selling point will be a deep immersive setting that involves real-world history, and a deep dive into comic book mythology. It can be a place for players to experience power fantasies as comic book heroes, and a place where people can confront the difficult things in life in a safe place. With full consent, of course.
Theme
Genre
Action/Adventure in the Superhero meta.
Reader Experience
Just like Marvel, the world can feel many ways - from dark and foreboding, to comedic and mirthful. Overall, players should always have a sense of hope and perseverance. There should also be a healthy dose of cheese. A fine cheese, though - like a brie or a gouda. Just like Marvel.
Reader Tone
The overall tone will generally be bright because the heroes will inevitably save the day, even when the night gets darkest and things seem bleakest. There will be contrasts of incredible darkness and shimmering brightness just like in the comic books.
Recurring Themes
Truth, justice, and morality will be a major theme because they are constants in the superhero genre.
Good overcoming evil will be another.
Law and order.
Rescuing the love interest in distress (boy or girl).
Comraderie.
Teamwork.
The power of friendship.
And, yes Dom, family.
Character Agency
Each campaign will have a story arch; a beginning, a middle, and an end. Players will determine how their characters will get from the beginning to the end, however. Their choices will determine the arch of the story and will change the trajectory of reality moving forward. With interconnected and congruent campaigns, choices a player or players make in 1 campaign can change things in the other campaigns.