Map the Multiverse

In Patternbound, my Godbound conversion for the Amber setting, I created a system to describe Shadows and navigate through them (it's also featured in my Unisystem Amber. I even wrote up some genre settings in it and prepared a spreadsheet.

I realized it might be a fun project if everybody wrote up their campaign worlds, favorite settings (from games, novels, TV shows), etc. and posted them using this system-agnostic rules. Kinda like we were mapping the multiverse.

It started as a thread, but as it grew, I thought a wiki would be an interesting resource. So join the effort and map all the realçities you know. And don't worry trying to insert references to Amber -- they are not necessary.

Have fun!

The Basics

Creation is divided into four axes of existence, with Amber and the Courts of Chaos at opposing extremes: the poles. The axes are: Magic, Tech, Time, and Weird. Each has 10 degrees of variation (40 in total, 42 if you count Amber and the Courts of Chaos) and the cross-reference of these steps creates a coordinate system for the multiverse.

Each combination of the four coordinates references an area of creation that groups together all Shadows that share those traits. So two Shadows that both have Low Magic, an Industrial tech level, a time rate 10 times faster than Amber, and no “weirdness” will be found at coordinates 3430. It’s what Amberites call the “law of congruency of correspondences”.

This doesn’t mean they are exactly alike (they can be if they are reflections, slightly different versions of the same universe). One might be a Victorian Shadow where occultists ply their trade through the Royal Institute of Thaumatology, while the other is a Wild West reality where magic is virtually unknown.

Differentiating between two Shadows at the same coordinates can be done by name, Tags and a two- or three-line description. For example, the two Shadows above could be described as:

• Albiona: Victorian, Institutionalized Magic, British Earth; a Shadow where the 19th-century British empire rules over a significant part of Earth with the help of the magi from the Royal Institute of Thaumatology.

• Conehill: Wild West, Pleasure, Blue Humans; Conehill is the greatest city in the world of Azure and there you can find all sorts of delightful past-times, from the chemical to the sensual, but also a quick death.

Trip Duration

Each step in an axis represents one day of regular shadow walking, four hours of hellriding, or nine days of traveling the Royal Way. So, going from a Shadow at 3541 to another at 3563 would take 4 days, 16 hours or about five weeks, respectively; the difference between the two Shadows being four steps: two in the Time axis and two in the Weird axis.

Between Shadows at 0000 and Amber, or 9999 and the Courts of Chaos, there’s only 1 step, not four. Yggdrasil, the intelligent tree that sits midway between Amber and the Courts of Chaos is just a few hours from 4444 or 5555 Shadows.

Moving between Shadows within the same set of coordinates should be substantially faster than regular shadow movement. And travel between reflections should be even quicker. Going from Albiona to Conehill, from the example above, should take hours of shadow walking, no more. Shifting from Albiona with a closed bakery to another version where said business is still open should take a minute, at most.

Interpreting Shadow

Of course, this system depends heavily on interpretation. Two people can have different ideas on how to stat a given reality. For example, the Shadow that houses the Star Trek setting is clearly No Magic, Space Opera, x2 time rate, and has psionics (Weird 4). But it also has a plethora of near omnipotent entities, like Q. Someone might think it belongs in Weird 5, 6 or even 7.

If you are the only GM, that’s not an issue, but if the master seat is rotatory, it can create problems. Try to discuss and reach a compromise. For example, all those ultrapowerful beings in Star Trek seem to be highly evolved species that transcended their physical form, not insanity-inducing cosmic monstrosities. So, in a way, they are the result of the Thematic Powers Weird level.

Someone might argue that, in this case, maybe Tech should be bumped up to Singularity, but it’s always better to stat a Shadow based on the traits of its most prominent area of interaction. Star Trek is not a setting where people are running around ascending into higher dimensions or rebuilding star systems. These things exist (a Shadow is a whole universe, after all), but are not the norm in Star Trek. Thus, the appropriate Tech level is Space Opera.

Note that a reality’s subrealms are not different Shadows. The D&D world of Oerth (from Greyhawk) is a Shadow that includes the Prime Material Plane and all the other dimensions, like elemental planes, the Happy Hunting Grounds, the Abyss etc. It’s up to the GM if shadow walking or shadow shifting allows a character to move between these subrealms.

The Axes

This section explains what each step in the axes means. Most are straightforward, with only Weird being more open to interpretation. Still, readjusting the steps in the axes if you want a different distribution shouldn’t be problematic.

The notation for the axes isn’t difficult to remember: Magic, Tech, Time and Weird, or MTTW (kinda like Matthew). Magic and Tech are the two most common parameters to describe worlds in RPGs, so they come first. This way, you know the second T has to stand for Time.

Magic Axis

This represents the abundance of magic in a Shadow. The more widespread the magical energy in a reality, the more probable it’s that its manipulation is known and employed. This correlation, though common, isn’t necessarily true. Two Shadows, one with an open war between mystical factions and another where magic is secret and practiced by covert groups, can both have a Normal Magic level. On the other hand, there can exist a No Magic Shadow in which the inhabitants believe magic and its effects are real, and so perform spells and rituals (ineffectually).

Magic tends to be Shadow-specific: traditions from one reality don’t work in another, unless it’s a reflection or a very similar Shadow. For example, Harry Potter magic doesn’t work in Middle- Earth, and Arda’s magic has no power in Shadowrun’s Sixth World. There can be versions of these Shadows that allow extraplanar traditions to work normally, but these will have a higher Weird than the original.

Magical energy is, usually, inexhaustible, but in some Shadows it is a finite resource. Casting spells, enchanting artifacts and any other uses will deplete magic. Such realities will have a higher Weird rating too.

Mechanical effects of the magic level in a Shadow are left to the GM, but can be plundered from her favorite RPG systems. The ones listed below, like special traits for magic-users and recharging rates, are just examples and may be absent, higher or lower, as desired.

• No: this Shadow lacks magical energy. Magic items don’t work (a +2 sword is just a sword) and creatures made of mystical energy or dependent on magic to survive die.

• Trace: there’s a minuscule amount of magic and accessing it may require a special trait. It takes years, maybe decades, to harness enough energy for even a minor effect. Magic item abilities may not work or do so almost imperceptibly, and recharging may be impossible or take a very long time (x1,000). Creatures made of mystical energy or dependent on magic to survive will wither and, eventually, die. Some may be able to survive in a very weakened and painful state.

• Very Low: magical energy is extremely low, but usable. Accessing it may require a special trait. Casting spells and enchanting are strenuous activities that take time. Magic items function at a very reduced efficiency and recharging takes a long time (x100). Creatures made of mystical energy or dependent on magic to survive can live, but are weakened.

• Low: magic level is not optimum, but allows regular practice, so that sorcery becomes a “profession”. Wielding magical energy may still require a special trait. Casting spells and enchanting are difficult activities that take time. Magic items function at reduced efficiency and recharging may take longer (x10). Creatures made of mystical energy or dependent on magic to survive live, but are not at full power.

• Normal: the “regular” level of most magical Shadows. Magic is abundant enough that sorcery is another common activity in society, though its practice may require some special trait. Casting spells and enchanting function at the appropriate level of difficulty and exertion of the tradition. Magic items, as well as recharging, operate normally. Creatures made of mystical energy or dependent on magic to survive exist without any problem.

• High: magical energy is so abundant that most everyone can perform it, even if they lack any special trait. Casting spells and enchanting are easier. Magic items may perform better and recharging is faster (x10). Creatures made of mystical energy or dependent on magic to survive may be strengthened and/or feel inebriated.

• Very High: magic is so prevalent, anyone can use it. At this level, technological development may be impaired, since most everyone relies on magical solutions. Casting spells and enchanting are very easy. Magic items operate at higher levels of ability and recharging is incredibly fast (x100). Creatures made of mystical energy or dependent on magic to survive have their powers enhanced and may be in an almost permanent high.

• Ubiquitous: magic is everywhere. If magical energy were water, this Shadow would be the abyssal depths of the ocean. Not only everyone can use magic, but most fauna and flora may also be magically active. Casting spells and enchanting are almost effortless and can have flashier results, be they successful or not. Magic items operate at far higher levels of ability and recharging is almost instantaneous (x1,000). Creatures made of mystical energy or dependent on magic to survive become extremely powerful and may feel overconfident or even megalomaniacal.

• Wild: like a Ubiquitous Shadow on steroids. The roaring maelstrom of magical energy makes magic easy, simple and unpredictable. Casting spells may be as easy as speaking and can have far-reaching consequences; using a common object in an emotionally significant manner may create powerful artifacts. Creatures made of mystical energy or dependent on magic to survive become godlike and may change completely in psychological terms. Some may not survive, unable to handle the powerful energies present.

• Omni: this Shadow not only has Wild magic, but is also permissible to all magical traditions in the multiverse. Any sorcerer or witch from any Shadow can perform magic here. Some Shadows at this level are nothing more than vast reservoirs of magical energy that can be tapped from other realities.

Tech Axis

This refers to the technological advancement found in a Shadow. Low tech, up to Medieval level, tends to be multiversal: a plough pulled by oxen, a bow and a miller’s wheel will function in any Shadow. There’s a reason Amberites use swords and horses, instead of disintegrators and flying cars.

As tech level rises, incompatibilities based on physical laws appear, getting more prevalent with each step. For example, gunpowder doesn’t burn in certain Shadows, but FTL systems are almost completely Shadow-specific. Usually, things start getting complicated at the Near Future level.

Like in the Magic axis, Shadows that are permissive to non-native technologies have a higher Weird rating – unless the GM considers that the technology still works, but differently and in accordance to the new Shadow’s laws. For example, in a Traveller Shadow, Star Trek’s warp drive may not operate by creating a warp bubble and propelling the ship through normal space, but behave as a jump drive. This may warrant a one-level bump in the Weird axis.

• Stone Age: pre-agriculture, hunter-gatherers, flint weapons;

• Bronze Age: agriculture, cities, metal tools and weapons; Babylonia, Ancient Egypt;

• Medieval: iron-working; Roman Empire, Middle Ages;

• Renaissance: gunpowder, printing press; Earth’s 15th-19th centuries;

• Industrial: steam power, railroads, telegraphs, ironclads, cartridge weapons; Victorian Era, Wild West;

• Early Modern: airplanes, assault rifles, atomic bombs, radars, radios; Roaring ‘20s, World War II;

• Modern: computers, electronics, biotechnology, television, jet planes, spacecrafts; late 20th to early 21st centuries;

• Near Future: advanced genetic engineering, bionics, supercomputers/AIs; Cyberpunk, Solar System exploration/colonization;

• Space Opera: androids/bioroids, beam weapons, FTL travel, teleportation, transhumanism, uplifting; Interstellar civilization;

• Singularity: ascension, cosmic engineering, Dyson spheres/ringworlds; Ancient/highly evolved civilizations.

Time Axis

This axis concerns the rate of time flow in relation to Amber. In Shadows at level 0, time passes at the same speed as in Amber. In those realities at higher Time ratings, time flow can be faster (fast time) or slower (slow time).

The multiplier for each degree shows the difference in rate. At a Time 2 Shadow, time flows five times faster or slower than in Amber. In the first case, five days go by for every Amber day. If it’s a slow-time Shadow, then it’s the opposite: every Shadow day corresponds to five Amber days.

Fast-time Shadows tend to be more common or, at least, more interesting to Amberites, so the default assumption for Shadows of Time greater than 1 is that they are fast time. If that’s not the case, then a Slow Time Tag should be included in its description.

Weird Axis

This measures the chaotic anomalies that differentiate Shadows from similar ones. It means a Shadow is closer to the Courts of Chaos than it should be given its traits. The Weird rating should be based on the most prominent/powerful anomaly. If the Shadow has two discrepancies of equal level, then it can be bumped to the rating above.

Details covered by Tech or Magic don’t justify a Weird rating greater than zero. For example, zombies are not an unusual thing to have in a magical world, so no Weird. In a modern Earth with no magic, though, such as The Walking Dead setting, they are, especially if the technological “explanation” is clearly handwaving. Seers or people with the Sight don’t merit a Weird rating if the origin of their power is magical.

Shadows located between Yggdrasil and the Courts of Chaos (see the Merlin Asks sidebar in the next page) tend to have strange physical laws, even if their Weird rating is zero. Examples include anomalous gravity, chemical oddities, cosmic aberrations and so on. High Weird, though, can be used to represent otherwise "normal" settings that have extraordinary features.

For example, a world of swashbucklers and galleons with Low magic, Renaissance tech, x2 time differential and Weird zero would be much closer to Amber than Chaos. However, this might feel odd if this reality's civilization lives in floating islands located in a gaseous ring of breathable air surrounding a giant, glowing ball of blue liquid. Weird can be used to fine-tune this.

The names of the level are just examples of conditions for that step.

• None: there’s no anomaly in this Shadow. It behaves exactly like expected.

• One Feature: there’s one thing that’s different in this Shadow when compared to other reflections: colors (people, sky, sun, etc.), languages, existence/inexistence of a minor technology or feature.

• Significant Detail: there’s one major anomaly or a few minor ones: species (lizardmen instead of humans), existence/inexistence of a major technology or feature (gunpowder doesn’t ignite, zombies in an otherwise normal world, lightsabers in an Arthurian Shadow).

• Paranormal: this Shadow features a single paranormal ability (precognition, supersense of smell, world jumping, etc.); the existence/inexistence of a technological field, school of magic or features.

• Thematic Powers: there’s a group of thematically linked abilities with a single origin (psionics, supernormals, etc.); the Shadow is permissible to a technology or magical tradition from another reality.

• Superabilities: there are various different abilities, but they all stem from a single origin (virus, genes, exposure to a substance, etc.). “People with powers” realities are usually found in this level.

• Metahumans: this Shadow features several different superpowers from a myriad of origins. It’s the Weird level of most super-hero worlds. Here you can also find Shadows that are permissible to a group of technologies or magical traditions from another reality, or one technological field or magical tradition from several Shadows.

• Cosmic: Shadow-wide or even inter-Shadow conflicts and cataclysms, “relatable” cosmic entities, and almost constant timeline rearrangement are the province of this level. Shadows that are permissible to all technologies or magical traditions of another reality, or a group of technologies or magical traditions from several Shadows belong here as well.

• Mythoic: insanity-inducing, dimensional-bending cosmic monstrosities can be found here.

• Cross-Shadow: these Shadows are so close to the Courts of Chaos that the boundaries between realities are tenuous. You can find worlds that are a patchwork of different Shadows. Cynosure, Sigil, Nexus and such exist at this level. Here you also find Shadows that are permissible to all technologies and/or magical traditions from other realities.

The Map

Patternbound includes a spreadsheet that functions as the map in which these coordinates are plotted. In order to facilitate the inclusion of new worlds by everyone, there is now an online version of the spreadsheet.

Multiverse map

Shadows

This is the list of the Shadows that have been described already. Here they are listed in alphabetical order. In the future, there may be individual pages for each axis or even for each reality.

All write-ups include the author, unless it was made by me, in which case no one is listed.

Alussein

Coordinates: 0615 (No, Modern, x2, Superabilities)

Tags: Modern Earth, Alien experiments, People with powers

Description: a 10,000-year-old alien genengineering program led to the appearance of superpowers in humans and now the world has to deal with them, while the aliens have come calling.

Notes: this is the world of my Alussein Superseeds.

Arcem

Coordinates: 6315 (Very High, Renaissance, x1, Superabilities)

Tags: Broken, Demigods, Chaos attack

Description: this Shadow has been sundered by divinely powered conflict. It’s also under attack by Chaos forces using Black Roads, called Night Roads locally.

Notes: this is the setting of the Godbound RPG. There’s so much magical energy in Arcem, its inhabitants were creating artificial gods and transhuman bloodlines a thousand years ago. Also, more than one nation has advanced clockwork mechanisms, hence the Renaissance Tech level. And I chose to treat godbound as paranormals, instead of an aspect of the magic level.

Arkham

Coordinates: 4568 (Normal, Early Modern, x100, Mythoic)

Tags: Cthulhu, Roaring ‘20s, Slow Time

Description: the Shadow where the stories crafted by Lovecraft’s and friends take place, always circa 1920s.

Notes: this is an example of how you can play with the coordinate system to create any universe you want. The Slow Time ensures there will always (for game purposes) be the ‘20s. However, it also means that spending one day there will mean more than three months have gone by on Amber and about a month and a half on Earth.

Earth-616/Metropolis

Coordinates: 4637 (Normal, Modern, x10, Cosmic)

Tags: Marvel/DC, Super-Heroes, Slow Time

Description: the main comic book Marvel or DC Earth, where times seems to run slower than normal.

Note: these Shadows are Slow Time to represent the “compressed timeline” aspect of these comic book universes. The cinematic versions may have lower Weird.

Earth (Amber)

Coordinates: 0610 (No, Modern, x2, None)

Tags: Modern Earth, Corwin/Flora

Description: our world in the “present” and where Corwin spent 400 years. It was also Flora’s personal Shadow for a while.

Note: I chose a No Magic Earth, but I can see up to a Low Magic one, as they use it on GURPS. Note that Earth is considered Flora’s personal Shadow, although Corwin spent a long time here. According to Sign of the Unicorn, one Amber day is 2.5 Earth days. So I chose to use Earth as the basis for the time flow of the Shadows based on genre media, i.e., most of them are Time 1.

Earth (Bar Crawl)

Coordinates: 0610 (No, Modern, x2, None)

Tags: Modern Earth, Beers/Ale/Brewing

Description: it is an Earth mostly like other Earths. It does however have a singular gift that the locals are blissfully underaware of. The beer/brewing (and other fermenting products) is just "that much better" in terms of taste and alcohol content. Many a traveler has made a stop on this Earth just for a pint. Random was known to stop at from time to time, on his way to Corwin/Flora's Earth. He has also imported many a cask of beautiful product to Amber.

Note: just like yeast that changes in the environment, the brewing products brought to other shadows or Amber quickly lose that special quality unless used immediately - if you are lucky.

Write-up: MoonHunter

Earth (Juncture 122)

Coordinates: 3524 (Low, Early Modern, Pulpy x5, Thematic Powers)

Tags: 20s-30s Earth, Pulp, Juncture 122

Description: seems like a normal world of this era. There might be some vigilante and adventuring types running around with low powers.

Note: on some nights, you can see the juncture 122 in space somewhere near Mars. It is a space warp that connects this Earth to Mongo.

Write-up: MoonHunter

Eleventh Billion

Coordinates: 2602 (Very Low, Modern, x1, Significant Detail)

Tags: Environmental Collapse, A Whole New World, Real-World Magick

Description: in the face of humanity quickly filling up the Earth to her carrying capacity, a small coven of occultists, called the Babylon 5, started the Eleventh Billion movement. They hope to spread and replicate the ritual they used to find the realm/planet they call Nibiru. It may or may not be a group delusion, but at least it's hope that we can relieve the pressure on the planet. If they learn of the Shadows and the Tree, they might start to search for ways to increase this Shadow's Magic or Weird coordinates.

Note: I wrote two things in this Shadow way long ago on my blog.

Write-up: Tristissima & Nevermore

Emotion’s Echo

Coordinates: 2636 (Very Low, Modern, x10, Metahumans)

Tags: Magical Girl, Paradox of Significance, Existentialist

Description: a team of magical girls are the only supers in this Shadow, vast and empty of anything relatable to humans. As they struggle to deal with -- because fighting is laughably beyond futile -- the great cosmic beings, they discover that their love and their queerness are the only things that matter.

Write-up: Tristissima & Nevermore

Federation/Republic

Coordinates: 0814 (No, Space Opera, x2, Themed Powers)

Tags: Star Trek/Star Wars, Psionics/The Force

Description: the Shadows where you can find Kirk, Spock, Picard and company; and Jedi, Sith, lightsabers, hyperspace, and Old and New Republics, respectively.

Note: there may be a case for Republic to be Weird 5, given the vast array of abilities the Force provides.

High Castle

Coordinates: 0613 (No, Modern, x2, Paranormal)

Tags: Nazi Earth, World Jumpers

Description: a Shadow Earth in the ‘60s where the Axis won the Second World War. Certain people have the ability to jump back and forth to an Earth with a history similar to our own.

Notes: this is the setting of The Man in the High Castle TV series, an adaptation of the eponymous book by Philip K. Dick. Note that the “regular” Earth they jump to is not the Shadow Earth described above, because this one has world jumpers, so it’s also Weird 3.

Homeline

Coordinates: 0613 (No, Modern, x2, Paranormal)

Tags: Modern Earth, Infinity Unlimited, Parachronic Travel

Description: a world almost identical to the Earth Corwin spent time on until 1995, when it made the fairly shocking discovery of the ability to travel to other Shadows on a large scale through purely technological means. Since then it has set up a thriving economic model based on the exploitation of nearby Shadows, and even found itself in a long-term Cold War against a rival Shadow Earth with a similar technology. This form of Shadow travel is extremely limited, and can only access a small subset of Shadows, but is still potentially useful for Amberites. They remain ignorant of both Amber and Chaos.

Note: primary setting for GURPS Infinite Worlds.

Write-up: Anonymous GM

Merbunny

Coordinates: 4306 (Normal, Renaissance, x1, Metahumans)

Tags: Adventurers, Colonialism, Religious

Description: a world of magic and warriors in which the great colonial powers of Aoqina -- the halfling Holbytlan Empire; Orvad, where humans ensure their freedom by selling it off; and angel-descended Natsiyaasim -- have begun to colonize other continents, with all the problems that implies. A wide range of religions find themselves suddenly interacting in creative new ways as cultures meet.

Note: like any good D&D world, this setting is a bit too complex and pastiche for me to easily sum up. I perceive it as very definitely having a specific perspective and a particular flavor, but I have trouble explaining what that is other than "D&D written by me".

Write-up: Tristissima & Nevermore

Middens & Morals

Coordinates: 4212 (Normal, Medieval, x2, Significant Feature)

Tags: Chivalries, Psychological, Slow Time

Description: a fantastic Shadow, where the most capable and powerful heroes are those who manage to navigate both great virtue and intense mental trauma, it questions deep into the tension between a world that wounds and the longing to earn Heaven.

Write-up: Tristissima & Nevermore

Middle-Earth

Coordinates: 5210 (High, Medieval, x2, None)

Tags: Tolkien, Third Age

Description: Arda circa the Lord of the Rings trilogy.

Note: First- and Second-ages Arda may have even higher levels of magic; for these cases, Magic 6 doesn’t seem off.

Mongo (Juncture 122)

Coordinates: 3829-F (Low, Space Opera, x5, Cross-Shadow [fragment])

Tags: Patchwork world (different environments), Empire, Electropunk (atomic-future looking), Juncture 122

Description: Mongo was a world fragment, an outer echo. It went on to conquer a real world and incorporated fragments of that world (and its people). This process has continued on and on for 18 worlds now (hence why each region is so different and has different peoples).

Note: Mongo is next to juncture 122, a space warp that connects Mongo to an Earth. The current emperor is a Chaos Lord named Ming who has Mongo as his own growing domain. (Logrus Powers, augmented by some mad science, allows him to bring worlds to built up Mongo)

Write-up: MoonHunter

Munster

Coordinates: 3611 (Low, Modern, x2, One Feature)

Tags: Modern Earth, Ritual Magic, Monster Black Ops

Description: the discovery of magic during World War II allowed this Earth's nations to weaponize monsters and use them in clandestine operations.

Notes: this is the world of my Monster-Soldiers Superseeds. Although the monster commandos could be included in the Magic level, I thought the weaponization aspect was unique, especially in a Low mana situation, and merit a bump in the Weird axis.

Newuniverse

Coordinates: 3615 (Low, Modern, x2, Superabilities)

Tags: Recent Event, Super-Heroes, The World Outside Your Window

Description: Depending on the Event in question, this Shadow may end up inexorably increasing its Weird rating, and may naturally migrate towards the same coordinates as the more traditional supers Shadows.

Write-up: empulsive

Noetic Space

Coordinates: 1852 (Trace, Space Opera, x50, Significant Detail)

Tags: Contract Feudalism, Secret Elite, Spiritualist FTL

Description: a secretive Spiritualist religious movement revealed the secret to FTL travel to the conspiracy known as Argus in order to end the War Against the Greys. Now, a form of contract-based feudalism welds together the human race in a vast empire, while starships hook their noetic drives to the Casey Jones Effect and power their Electrical Messiahs with sex.

Note: I discovered Traveller while also binge-reading Kenneth Hite's Suppressed Transmission series of Pyramid articles. This was the result.

Write-up: Tristissima & Nevermore

Other Side

Coordinates: 4616 (Normal, Modern, x2, Metahumans)

Tags: Modern Earth, Dimensional Cold War, Gate to This Side

Description: A four-color super-hero world that due to a failed experiment found itself connected to an alternate reality, This Side.

Note: this is one of the two worlds described in The Other Side Superseeds.

Planetary

Coordinates: 4617 (Normal, Modern, x2, Cosmic)

Tags: Wildstorm, Super-Heroes, Secret History

Description: the world looks normal on the outside, but there's a secret history of wonder. Archeologists of the impossible try to uncover these buried truths.

Note: the setting of the Planetary comic book. Unlike the Marvel and DC universes, there's no "compressed timeline".

Postprana

Coordinates: 1115 (Trace, Bronze Age, x2, Superabilities)

Tags: Earth, Post-apocalyptic, Prana powers

Description: after psionic aliens use the Earth as their battleground by possessing regular humans and employing them as combat vessels, the survivors try to rebuild civilization with the help of the possessed, who retain the ability to manipulate the psychic energy prana.

Note: This is the world of my The Prana Warriors Superseeds. The Trace Magic is a way to maybe explain why certain things seem possible, like psionics.

Re-enchantment

Coordinates: 3767 (Low, Near Future, x100, Cosmic)

Tags: Supers, Conspiracies, Weird Horror

Description: the greatest supers combine several power sources -- cyborg half-angels mutated by exposure to irradiated ghost rock and the like --, while lesser supers live lives overstuffed with conspiracy, horror, and weirdness. Nothing here is tasteful or easy or pure; everything leaves one feeling slightly trippy and dirty. History is based on Earth's, but diverges in the latter half of the 19th century with the development of a Balkanized North America.

Write-up: Tristissima & Nevermore

Solar Frontier

Coordinates: 0711 (No, Near Future, x2, One Feature)

Tags: Colonized Solar System, Slow Time, Exceptionally Efficient Engine

Description: in a universe where FTL is impossible, we've spread out all over the solar system thanks to a miracle engine technology. Humanity is anywhere and everywhere in the system, even some isolated enclaves out in the Oort, and the system is constantly crisscrossed by ships of every type imaginable in a hard sci-fi, follow the laws of physics (just don't look in the engine room!) kind of place.

Note: it's just slow enough to be annoying, and just interesting enough to be enticing to a certain kind of person. And then poof, you've lost a couple weeks at home...

Write-up: empulsive

Status Quo

Coordinates: 4623 (Normal, Modern, x5, Paranormal)

Tags: Magical Conspiracy, Earth, Deep History

Description: an Earth much like our own, this one is deliberately kept that way by a conspiracy of magic practitioners that exists as a society parallel to, but hidden from, the world. They maintain the Status Quo, which keeps humanity safe.

Note: the Status Quo can be a good or a bad thing, in the end. Sometimes both. Who are the good guys and who are the bad guys depends on your point of view. Also, they don't have nearly the monopoly on magic that they think they do, but shhh...

Write-up: empulsive

Stellar Imperium

Coordinates: 1722 (Trace, Space Opera, x5, Significant Detail)

Tags: Hardish Sci-Fi, FTL, Space Feudalism

Description: not that much further advanced technologically than the SOLAR FRONTIER, this Shadow features on significant difference - it has a working faster than light drive. This particular FTL technology lends itself to the creation of a pseudo-feudal civilization across the whole of explored space.

Note: given the speed at which the Shadow is running, and the instability of the civilization's government, who knows how much longer the imperium will last? Also, what's with that tiny trace of magic?

Write-up: empulsive

Stirring Shadows

Coordinates: 4714 (Nornal, Near Future, x2, Thematic Powers)

Tags: Cyberpunk, Magic, Gonzo

Description: magic cycled back around the turn of the century, and dragons jockey with CEOs for power; nightmares from the past stir and awaken; and the forgotten lurk, scuttle and strike in the shadows.

Note: the setting of the Shadowrun RPG.

Write-up: Jeep-Eep

This Side

Coordinates: 0611 (No, Modern, x2, One Feature)

Tags: Modern Earth, Dimensional Cold War, Gate to Other Side

Description: a regular Earth until 1998, when a failed experiment opened a rift to an alternate reality, Other Side, where super-humans exist.

Note: this is one of the two worlds described in The Other Side Superseeds. There might be an argument that a gate to a parallel world would rank as Weird 2, but I feel like it can be fit inside Weird 1.

Walker

Coordinates: 0612 (No, Modern, x2, Significant Detail)

Tags: Earth, Zombies, Harsh

Description: a zombie rising led to the collapse of civilization. Now, survivors try to band together and overcome the worst of humankind's.

Note: the setting of the TV show The Walking Dead.

Worldtree

Coordinates: 7197 (Very High, Bronze Age, x1,000, Cosmic)

Tags: Slow Time, Mythopoetic

Description: worlds upon worlds are nestled in the branches of an enormous, mystical tree in this Shadow, where time runs slow as molasses. High Magi, Awakened Beasts, Elementals, and countless tribes of infinite diversity makes their homes in the leaves, but we dare not speak of what lives in the roots.

Note: Is this the actual Yggdrasil?

Write-up: empulsive

Z Nation

Coordinates: 1613 (Trace, Modern, x2, Paranormal)

Tags: Earth, Zombies, Gonzo

Description: a zombie rising led to the collapse of civilization. Now, survivors try to rebuild the world amid elite conspiracies, evolving zombies and new apocalyptic threats.

Note: the setting of the TV show Z Nation. The Weird covers the different types of zombies and the zombie telepathy/control ability. Originally, Magic was No, but I upgraded it to Trace.