History of the Multiverse, Part 1

[HoneyBadger]

I think you'd be surprised at how much depth a few committed (read: crazy) fans could come up with, were they unleashed. After all, a large part of the time Tolkien spent was in establishing all those "steriotypical" concepts, and he mostly just had the support of the other Inklings, whereas we have several hundred people on this forum, with atleast 100 regulars.

I don't have any steriotype against writers, not at all, but I wasn't daring to hope that anyone would be making Dominions: The Movie More thematic music would also, ofcourse, be appreciated, as would poetry, especially if both had pseudohistorical significance.

I'm not sure we need languages, as most of the cultures here are based atleast in part on real world cultures, with languages of their own. I'd be happy to create a few languages, though-atleast alphabets and small vocabularies, as well as calendars. I have some amount of experience there.

Johan seems to like good stories-he expressed so towards DrPraetorius's hoburg story-so maybe we can entice him in that way.

[Endoperez]

HoneyBadger said:
I think you'd be surprised at how much depth a few committed (read: crazy) fans could come up with, were they unleashed.

I've seen some of that in various contexts. It could happen, but only if it was organized - and what you suggested wasn't organized. You hoped everyone would act together to create a better world, and that never works out.

I don't think a movie could happen, any more than a novel. But while you're thinking of a short story, I'm thinking of an animation of few minutes. Something like a really crappy game trailer or cutscene.

[HoneyBadger]

I was hoping, but yes, I agree with you. It does need organization, which is why I started with a set of rules, just to lay out an outline of what I felt would be appropriate.

I'm not quite to the point of short stories, I had in mind just a basic timeline, and then adding to that until it reached a saturation point of information, at which time
it could lead to/inspire the writing of short stories, as a reference.

I think your idea of a cutscene sounds great. You might also consider, if it appeals to you, creating a slideshow/screensaver animation for Dominions. I've always thought that was a good solution to the dullness of having to wait for turns to complete, and a good enough example might inspire the devs to include it in some form or another-it's something I'd like to do myself, but I don't have a scanner, and I can't do good enough artwork with paint programs and a mouse.

[HoneyBadger]

I was referring to the other Johan, Johan.

But...I do agree with you, in part. I like things to be ambiguous, vague, surreal even. BUT...NOT pitch black.

There's a whole lot of material that can be added, and background information suppliments the imagination.

To use Tolkien for example-tons of background on every aspect of Middle Earth, and yet, it still inspired hundreds of thousands of people to imagine, and a respectable percentage of those to create their own universes in that same model.

You can't convince me that happened because their imaginations were being stunted by Tolkien's encyclopedic background.

And with Dominions, you can offer atleast 50 or 60 different perspectives, one for each nation, on the objective history. Probably a lot more than that, and each one relatively valid.

[johan osterman]

HoneyBadger said:
...
Johan seems to like good stories-he expressed so towards DrPraetorius's hoburg story-so maybe we can entice him in that way.

I hope that is not me you are reffering to, but JK. Truth be told I am somewhat sceptical of fan created material, beyond mods and similar. There is something about writing stories about other peoples stories that I find inherently unattractive. It is also a prejudice of mine that fancreated fiction often tends towards the prurient, I was trying to snarkily convey that with my previous post.

Personally I think it is a strength that not everything is explicit in dominions, that the history is vague and perhaps not even completely consistent provides room for imagination and fancy. The hinted is more evocative than the obvious. the unsaid is more intriuging than the explained and the half glimpsed more alluring than the starkly visible.

[Endoperez]

I completely agree with Johan in that the mystery is more alluring than clearly detailed. That's why I'd like to see details about a Pangaea/Abysia war, but not the war in which Abysia corrupted the Grove of Gaia, weakening its magic and thus driving Pangaea towards the New Era. We know that there's been many wars between Pangaea and Abysia, and writing about that is safe. Coming up with something that isn't supported by the game itself, or that details something that should remain a mystery, should be avoided.

I tried to say the same thing with my above "widening the world, not creating depth" post.

[HoneyBadger]

I'm sorry, but I fail to see what great mystery you're trying to conceal.

I'm taking about an atleast somewhat consistent history for, and modern relationships between, the nations of Dominion, so that some decisions made in-game can have a basis in good role-playing.

I'm not trying to hunt down Bigfoot so I can stuff him and put him in my den. Some cultural touchstones would be nice, but details like that, in my experience, add to characterizations, they don't take away from them.

Funny sounding names alone don't a good setting make.

[Endoperez]

We don't have to know who broke the seal, how he broke it and how that destroyed the Oracles. We know that the Seal was broken, and that the Oracles have died. That's the mystery. Until we get a national summon, hero or something for EA Agartha, we won't know, and until that point, we shouldn't add anything of our own. I'll use my mods as an example. I've created several heroes, like the Obsidian Medium of Agartha. An ancient statue that was infused in Earth magic, became aware and slowly learned to think, and then slowly found its way towards Agarthans whose presence it felt, only to appear too late and find the remnants of the Agarthans living with humans... It's outside the bigger picture. It isn't mentioned anywhere. It doesn't change anything. The Seal is still broken, Agarthans are still doomed, the Medium can't change that. I've also made an Agent of the Oracles - a Golem Crafter with Earth/Death/Fire and Holy due to being personally trained by the Oracles. Again, a small story that doesn't affect the big picture.

I'm not interested in precise history, or stories about Spornsjarl, or Angelique d'Armant or Carmont the Cardinal, not unless the IW team got their word in and the writer was really good.

[HoneyBadger]

Why shouldn't we know who broke the seal? Knowledge of such a person or being leads, itself, to other questions, which in turn give the imagination more toys.

A better question to leave unanswered is the exact nature of what was *behind* the seals-3 gods, maybe. Maybe not.

It becomes speculation about the nature of the setting, not just a misplaced record. It's not the person who broke the seal that's necessarily of interest, unless the person or his reasons are of interest.

Not being able to know what, how, and why is a lot more fun than not being able to know who, where, or when.

[Endoperez]

We shouldn't know "who", because that changes from game to game. "It was God of Agartha, the Ancient Olm" isn't a good answer if you have a Dragon.