This entry in my adaption of Time Heroes is going to revolve around collaborative world-building. I stated in earlier posts that the game is set in the very near-future. I have since decided to leave things more open during world creation. I think I'm going to have a basic drill-down system starting farther out and zooming in as the group goes. I'll list the steps next, including explanations. in the next several blog posts.
Era
Given the overall theme of Time Heroes, the first question to ask is not where the game will take place, but when. The era chosen will, of course, have bearing on the game in a few ways.
1. Normalcy - The era the game is set in will have a direct effect on which characters are viewed as out of place and which are viewed as normal. A spec janitor with a laser mop might get some odd looks in prehistoric times, but in the far future, no one would give it a second thought.
2. Overarching Theme - As stated previously, the actual battle for the world is being fought in the very near future. This means that games set in the past or in the future are going to have some different themes. The initial themes I'm planning on using as examples in the game are the following:
Past - Laying the groundwork for the war. In past eras, Morgan la Fey has created similar bubbles (as mentioned in my last post). These are slightly different than the one in the present. These bubbles allow Morgan la Fey to "step on butterflies" in such a way that she can make the present day one more amenable to her wishes. heroes in this era will likely be putting out fires that could affect the course of history (making sure the ice age happens, Lincoln gets assassinated, etc.). Likely in this era, the heroes will be dealing with Merlin himself.
Present - This is the "default" time period of Time Heroes. It is here that the real battles will be fought for the fate of the world. Stopping la Fey cold in the present will return the world to its regular track on the railway of history, lifting the bubbles of both the past and the future.
Future - Think Terminator. The future in the game is one in which Morgan la Fey has succeeded in her ambitions. It is a dark science fiction future where humanity is either enslaved or in hiding. Here in this time bubble, la Fey creates her mutated creatures and robots to send back to fight her war for her in present day. Again, think Terminator. Heroes in this era will likely be more jaded and will be leading a resistance to destroy la Fey's time tunnels to prevent her from sending her hideous assassins into the past. The resistance is led by the cyborg hero, the Merlinator.
3. Tone - As I write this, it seems to me that the tone of Time Heroes is becoming something I wasn't originally meaning it to be, particularly in the future setting. I'm not necessarily feeling the silliness of the setting. Are these things worth splitting into separate modules? I guess it warrants play testing; perhaps I could find a way to keep the future both dark and funny (I just went up and named the future version of Merlin the Merlinator, so who knows what will change between now and the final product?).
I don't know that I'm going to have any specific aspect regarding the era the game is set in as it determines so many other factors of the game already.
In my next post, I'll talk about the next step, which I currently think will revolve around creating the "country" in which the campaign will be set.
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