Monday, December 13, 2010

Inception and D&D Cosmology









scottsz said...

Very cool.

Unknown said...

I agree that the players does not need to understand the metaphysics governing the planes, but it is vital that the GM does. I'm speaking from experience here, from both sides of the screen. Further, the GM also needs to be able to describe the planes in such a way as not to make it seem too abstract.

If it all has that nightmarish, sickening, confusing sense of chaos and randomness (and not in a good way), the players will wish to avoid any connection to the planes in the future.

Also, sign me up for a copy of The City, when it becomes available :-)

Cronickain said...

What if instead of each person being able to shape their own version of the planes the party did it as a whole instead? The mechanic could be something as simple as using an AD&D Int check or making a stat combo from Int and Wis or Int and Str or somesuch and allowing them to attempt to shape the plane?

I agree that this concept would work best in the Astral plane but what if you did some kind of pocket dimension sort of like a Ravenloft but something where the players have control? Say put it in a mutable plane such as the Astral or the Ethereal and allow the party to change the laws. You could even develop a list of what they can change using something like Ars Magica and allow them a chance depending on the degree of success.

Say maybe if they wanted to change the way an ocean flowed they would need to get a complete success. A partial success would maybe allow them to change the direction of a nearby river or turn it upside down or something? Cool thought.

Unknown said...

I've long used this approach for modern/near-modern fantasy games, thanks to influences like Gurps Cabal and Alan Moore's Promethea. It hadn't really occurred to me to try it out with traditional D&D fantasy but I think it would make for a fantastic game.

Trey said...

@scottsz - thanks.

@Harald - I agree, though I the GM must be sure of the portrayal--though I don't know that the GM can't remain agnostic as to what it all means.

@ArmChairGeneral - Good thoughts. They would be a workable implementation, I think.

@Risus - GURPS Cabal was certainly in mind when I was writing this. I didn't actual think of Promethea but I'm sure it was in there somewhere. I thinka actually a lot of elements of modern fantasy/occultish fiction could reasonably be applied to traditional fantasy with good results--or at least interesting ones.

netherwerks said...

Inception has done us all a big favor by offering us a nice reference-point for these ideas and concepts that otherwise were too occulty, too Jungian, too Golden Dawn, too Theosophical, etc. to be used easily, especially in the D&D-end of the fantasy-spectrum.

I'm wrapping-up a few tings that I think you'll get a kick out of regarding planes...

Trey said...

I'm looking forward to it.