Writting in other settings

[Luned]

I came here because I like the cohesive setting. I have other places I go for other genres. It's not that I like one more than the other; they're different beasts for different moods and inspirations.

[Savas Tigh]

I went to the moon.

That is all.

[Amber Eyes]

I've been thinking about this a lot, and while I think it would be cool to see what people would come up with given more setting options I worry about our current activity being divided more than it already is. If it drives activity that would be amazing, but if it simply pulls activity from the regions then I think it will do more harm than good. I don't want to see the fantasy world I've come to enjoy turn into just an option on the site. On the other hand, I'm incredibly biased because this is the only place I've ever written and I probably have no idea how much fun I might have in another setting.

So, I've kind of stayed out of it until I came across this thread. I know we have our Vignettes every month, but I like the idea of allowing us to write something unrelated to our current character. I also see this as a chance to see what kind of reception free setting would have without actually diving in headfirst to something. All too often there is an idea pitched, and its wonderful and everyone gets excited but then when its put into practice no one participates once the newness wears off. I'm thinking boss battles, writers workshop. ect...

I'm kind of getting longwinded here, so....


Basically, I'd like to see us do a test run through some type of temporary feature before anyone takes the time to implement a whole new forum that may or may not take off.

[The International]

Althanas settings seem diverse enough to satisfy most of my cravings. We've got like three places where the medieval atmosphere is present. If I want to go exotic, I've got Fallien and Dheathain, if I want lot's of magic I can use Raiaera, and one only has to stretch the imagination so much to convince a reader that some may even have electricity in Alerar. Aspects of the settings around here are not perimeters or boundaries to me, holding me to a pattern, or discouraging me from going in one direction, but more like stepping stones, encouraging me to go in another with enthusiasm. Very seldom do I have to use another world, but if I do it's either cyberpunk, a space opera, a historical drama, or a comedy using jokes that depend on real life references.

[Gable Rose]

I've always been interested in sci-fi, modern fantasy, and fantasy like Althanas, but my heart is mostly in a steam-punk style world. If I could find a site like althanas, that has the established world to build on with the fun game-like aspect of levels and exp I'd be there. Most other sites are really hard to work with when they have that though, too strict and closed to allow for too much creativity, while other sites allow for any type of character and the stories told are for fun but without any real reward. I don't need to write super-powered characters with other people, and would like to know that at least one person read something I wrote other than those involved and also might have some sort of feedback.

If you could take the althanas system and replicate it with modern fantasy, sci-fi, or steampunk I'd be on that site asap.

[absentwizard]

I have a soft spot for high fantasy magitek settings. I think they're a beautiful fusion.

[Visla Eraclaire]

The idea that Althanas is a rigid setting that doesn't accept non-traditional stuff is utter horseshit and the idea that it "always has been" is even more preposterous.

My first character, winner of JCs, and mentioned several times in Visla and other character's back story is a powered-armor wearing, energy sword weilding, blaster pistol firing, dimension-hopping science fiction monstrosity. His people were from the future of our Earth and had become planeswalkers through advanced technology. Visla has RPed in the city founded by him and was awarded ownership of it as a spoil. My highest rated quest of all time was set in that city.

I even made another Eudaemonian fairly recently (1 or 2 years ago) and was approved without question or complaint. He beat another character in a tournament expressly by playing a fish-out-of-water outsider.

Frankly, Althanas has more characters from "somewhere else" that being a strange unusual minority is basically the default.

Any idea that you have to play with the high fantasy setting and can't insert your own stuff is revisionist history at best. The fact that it's being vocally espoused by a relative newbie like Duffy is no surprise. Max Dirks has guns. Riddle me that, Duffman.

I've always been interested in sci-fi, modern fantasy, and fantasy like Althanas, but my heart is mostly in a steam-punk style world. If I could find a site like althanas, that has the established world to build on with the fun game-like aspect of levels and exp I'd be there. Most other sites are really hard to work with when they have that though, too strict and closed to allow for too much creativity, while other sites allow for any type of character and the stories told are for fun but without any real reward. I don't need to write super-powered characters with other people, and would like to know that at least one person read something I wrote other than those involved and also might have some sort of feedback.

If you could take the althanas system and replicate it with modern fantasy, sci-fi, or steampunk I'd be on that site asap.

Do what I did, just put yourself on an island somewhere in relative isolation and go with it. The city I mentioned, Uiria, is basically a steam-punk/magitech city at this point... of course I haven't written or played significantly in a long time.

[Hysteria]

I always found that the best writers merged creativity and application of ideas. You might want a to use your own race, so you have to think of how you apply that to Althanas.

I have two characters, one a subterranean humanoid and the other a humanoid plant. I made the first from a small village located high in the mountains where they were sheltered from most of Althanas, and built the story of their isolation explaining why no one had heard of his race. The other one I made from the Red Forrest and explained her as a freak plant born of wild magics. I had the idea for both of these characters way before I melded them into the setting. Although I wouldn't list myself among those 'best writers', its an example of what I think works.

If you could take the althanas system and replicate it with modern fantasy, sci-fi, or steampunk I'd be on that site asap.

I quite like the idea of steampunk too, but it is not necessarily separated from Althanas based technology. The basic needs of steampunk would be what? Metal work, steam powered engines and an extremely high precision of... well dials, cogs and stuff? Dwarves for example might be able to make some basic steampunk stuff with little change from the core setting. You then have your character learn from some old dwarf kicked out of his home because of his crazy inventions. (for example)

I went to the moon.

That is all.

I was just starting a solo where Talen goes to the moon! You got a link to yours so I can steal compare ideas?

[The International]

This is slightly disturbing, so I have to ask.

Why do you guys feel like you need to go somewhere else for what's being provided for you in Althanas right now? It's not that I'm against creating your own region. I do that myself, and that's what the Outlands are for. Gable Rose, if your heart is in steampunk (mine is too) then why aren't you using Alerar, which is basically a steampunk nation with airships, experiments, and firearms abound? Absent wizard, I see that you're using Raiaera and taking liberties with it, which is beautiful. You like high fantasy, and that's what that region is for. Visla, to call all of Althanas' regions high fantasy is just as revisionist as what you're accusing Duffy of. You're right. Althanas isn't a rigid setting, and you're also right when you say most characters are from 'somewhere else' but I'd like to know why when Corone and Salvar provide low fantasy, Raiaera provides high fantasy, Alerar provides steampunk, Fallien and Dheathain are whatever the hell they are?

Now don't get me wrong. The tone of the previous paragraph seems defensive, but it's not. I just don't have another way of putting that out there, and I want to know honestly, what discourages people from using what we have. Is there not enough info, is there too much info, should it be stated outright what every region can represent, is someone afraid of taking too much liberties with the world and getting a shitty score like Vigil said (which is feel is an isolated case. Caden Law/Savas Tigh has blown up an island nation, gone to the moon, REPLACED A CANONISED CITY [and hasn't given a flying fuck], and has been rewarded for it), what is it?

[Connor Lacuna]

I don't think that too much info is the problem. I'm pretty sure there's less than 50 pages on the wiki, total, and for some people that do well with that kind of information, it seems lacking. I personally don't mind doing research into a subject when I write about it, but others do. I think that some kind of 'middle ground' might be the best option, like having a (somewhat) rigid and researchable mythos in place, while still allowing people to take liberties within their stories. I like that Althanas doesn't mind when you utterly break the canon, but sometimes I wish it had more of a canon in the first place.