sci-fi elements in Wilderlands of High Adventure?

Where judges gather to discuss plots, devices and the games they play.
Post Reply
Geoffrey

sci-fi elements in Wilderlands of High Adventure?

Post by Geoffrey »

James, in the Wilderlands of High Adventure, are the Elder Races and the Markrabs star-faring aliens? Or have they been changed to wizards, demons, and such?

I seem to remember that you said somewhere that you've either toned-down or eliminated the sci-fi elements from your Wilderlands, but I can't find the reference now.

I guess I'm asking how much room there is in the Wilderlands of High Adventure for sci-fi elements.

jamesmishler
Ulthal
Posts: 726
Joined: Tue May 30, 2006 7:00 am

Post by jamesmishler »

The elements are still there, but they are more Erich von Dniken than Gene Roddenberry. The War of the Pious and Philosophers still involved technology versus magic. It's all still there, but the emphasis is more on science-fantasy than science-fiction-meets-fantasy, if you know what I mean. The lines are far more blurred...

As for what any judge does, of course, that's up to her.

As for the history of it, the WoHA history has elements of Bob's in it, especially as to where the Markabs came from (they are known as "Markabs" in WoHA just as were known in the original materials... I dunno where "Markrabs" came from in the Necro books). They originate in the depths of time and space far beyond the world of the Wilderlands, and the demon races of the Wilderlands are descended from their slaves. There is definitely a Lovecraftian nature to the Markabs, with a Tolkienesque spin.

Numerous non-human races of the Wilderlands are descended from the members of the Alliance that fought them millennia ago...

The cosmology I used was very close to how they described it in the Necro books... I've never liked the Cosmic Wheel of D&D. However, there are unique planes for some gods.

Gaea is still there, with much the same function, though she is not the only "true god," she is the "planetary god" of the Wilderlands, the "Earth Mother" and as such is revered by druids and clerics alike... she also has good and evil sides, and law and chaos sides.

The gods of old Earth pantheons are, in fact, the gods of those ancient pantheons... and the humans, mermen, and halflings of the Wilderlands are descended from colonists brought here by those gods millennia ago.

The original, native races of the Wilderlands include the dragons, giants, trolls, ogres, fey, elves, dwarves, gnomes, orcs, and kobolds. Similarly, their gods are "native" to this world.

Races descended from the Alliance include serpent men, lizard men, slimes, doppelgangers, orblings, graylings, locathah, and so forth... distinctly non-human races.
_________________
James Mishler

Main Man, Adventure Games Publishing
[email protected]
http://adventuregamespublishing.blogspot.com/
http://jamesmishler.blogspot.com

Post Reply