SPΩRE as Setting ...
SPΩRE--the Shared Parallel Origin Roleplaying Experience--is a set of interrelated adventure gaming settings that share the same world, an alternate version of our own reality. Each setting represents an alternate timeline, with a unique event that does not occur in the other worlds--emphasizing different, shared elements of that speculative reality. Furthermore (at least for the moment), each setting also uses a different ruleset--in all cases, a "classic" gaming system from my youth (in the '90s).GaiaSPORE is a sci-fi setting adopting several anime and mecha tropes; it is heavily inspired by Robotech (specifically Southern Cross and Mospeada), Firefly, Voltron, Star Blazers / Yamato, Battletech, Star Trek, and Stargate.
- Ruleset: Mechwarrior 2nd Edition
- Inciting Incident: Caliban Incident
- Palladium Analogs: After the Bomb, Chaos Earth, Robotech
- d20 Modern Analogs: Star Drive, Mecha Crusade
- Other Analogs: Battletech/Mechwarrior
- Literary Inspiration -
- Crichton, Michael. The Andromeda Strain.
- _____. Sphere.
- _____ & Daniel H. Wilson. The Andromeda Evolution
- Hogan, James P. Inherit the Stars.
- _____. Gentle Giants of Ganymede.
- _____. Giants' Star.
- Ruleset: Revised-Era Palladium
- Inciting Incident: Wormwood Superbolide Event
- Palladium Analogs: Heroes Unlimited, Ninjas & Superspies, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Other Strangeness
- d20 Modern Analogs: Agents of Psi, Genetech, Pulp Heroes
- Other Analogs: DC Extended Universe, Marvel Cinematic Universe
- Literary Inspiration -
- Crichton, Michael. Congo.
- _____. Jurassic Park.
- _____. The Lost World.
- Ruleset: 1st/2nd Ed Changeling the Dreaming
- Inciting Incident: [Visitations of Israfil & Rafaela]
- Palladium Analogs: Beyond the Supernatural, Dead Reign, Nightbane (aka. Nightspawn).
- d20 Modern Analogs: Dark Matter, Shadow Chasers (and its "prequel" Shadow Stalkers)
- Other Analogs: World of Darkness, Chronicles of Darkness
- Literary Inspiration -
- Carroll, Lewis. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.
- _____. Through the Looking Glass, and What Alice Found There.
- Eliot, T.S. Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats.
- Webber, Andrew Lloyd. Cats.
- Lovecraft, H.P. Stories of the Cthulhu Mythos.
Shared Elements
Several elements are shared by these settings--though each appears according to each settings particular "rules."- Other Life Forms
- Daemons
- Elder Horrors
- Martians, aka. Kanadhi
- Parahumans
- Alternate Historic Events
- Dominion of the Elder Horrors
- Daemonic Rebellion
- Daemonomachy
- Martian Exodus
- Century War (though the reason and timing are different in each setting)
- Organizations of Interest
- S./P.I.Re.
- Planar Reality
- "TriCosm" (all three worlds exist simultaneously)
- Psychical Reality / Astral Planes / Otherworld
Unique Elements
There are still unique elements to each setting as well:- GaiaSPΩRE
- Caliban Incident
- NOTE: Space exploration and colonization are stunted in the other settings, with humanity barely reaching Mars after the Century War
- Rise of Mega-Federations
- Martian Research Institute
- I.O.C.A.S.T.A.
- Polaris Legion
- LegacySPΩRE
- Wormwood Superbolide Event
- Firebird Institute & Ember Village
- Empires' End (Collapse of Russia, China, & the United States)
- Church of Human Perserverance
- Parahuman Homeland Initiative / Parahuman Liberation Army
- NOTE: The PHI & PLA will not exist in other settings; equivalents will not arise until after the Century War.
- OtherSPΩRE
- [Visitations of Israfil Trismegistus & Mother Rafaela]
- NOTE: These visitations are not in themselves the Inciting Incident of the setting, but a direct reaction to it. Some undecided event occurs to weaken the veil between the mortal world and otherworlds.
- Watchful Order of Hermetic Masters
- Kenworthy Sisterhood
- Barrow Falls College
In a way, the Martian Research Institute, the Firebird Institute, and Barrow Falls College are a shared, thematic element. Each is an academic establishment tied to the inciting incident of its world. In the case of the latter two, the institution also serves as a "home base" for inexperienced heroes (the default in GaiaSPORE is the Polaris Legion). However, characters involved with one institution will not necessarily have their counterparts in the other worlds involved with those realities' equivalent organizations.
Similarly, the rise of Mega-Federations in GaiaSPORE and Empires' End in LegacySPORE are a shared thematic element in that each inciting incident affects the expected satus quo differently. The inciting incident of OtherSPORE is subtle enough to not affect expected government structures of government--though the major players in government may not exactly align with real-world history.
While the Barrow of Rhtaret does exist in Hillchester, N.H. in all SPORE settings, the town has not developed beyond a one-school village without the intervention of Israfil and Rafaela.
SPΩRE as Ruleset ...
Ultimately, it is my goal to produce a single ruleset that will accommodate all settings of the SPORE omniverse: the Superhuman and Paranormal Omniversal Roleplaying Engine. Revised-era Palladium is the likely contender to serve as a base system for this ruleset--though Mechwarrior 2E, Old/Classic World of Darkness, and even d20 Modern will all likely affect the final rules. Until then, each setting will be played with the rules that best match its overall theme, as noted above.No ruleset is immune to homebrew modification.
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