So you find a portal to a game-verse - where do you go and what do you bring?

[Umbran]

Game settings are incredibly violent places.

I do not possess any of the skills or fantastic powers found in game systems. Therefore, going into the game world would be phenomenally stupid. If I try to use my normal Earth knowledge to gain power, it will either fail because the rules are different, or some local with the fantastic abilities is going to take everything I build by force. I don't see much point to the exercise.

Now, if that portal opens on some normal world elsewhere in our own universe, the question's quite different.

 

[Silverblade The Ench]

I'm under no illusions about my chances of survival in any setting. I'll just open a portal to Athas and shove my annoying neighbour through.

lol!!!
tie a note to his neck, give him a hand axe and a chain mail shirt, note says: "I have more, just give me gems in return!"

 

[Ry]

I'm going to the Mouse Guard universe, with a pack full of water, some biscuits, very fine-point pencils, and some post-it notes. I have to write really small so those little guys can read it.

The first series of post-its read:
"I am a benevolent god."

"I deeply respect the ideals of the Mouse Guard."

"Even gods need to eat."

"I will try to sleep PAST the scent-wall, and cross it only when absolutely necessary."

"Please help me find food, and I will help you."

"Watch out for your population control. Too many mice = no food, ya dig?"

"Let's help each other."

 

[coyote6]

I'd take the Freedom City universe, or a similar superhero universe (the Marvel and DC 'verses are a little too messy at the moment -- I don't want to run afoul of Norman Osborn!). I'd be taking a combination of photos of poverty and environmental degradation in the world, and as much cash as I can fit. The goal would be to convince one or more of the resident geniuses to give or sell me some superhero tech -- flying cars, battery & generator tech (i.e., whatever powers all those flying cars and suits of armor and so forth -- working cold fusion? Yes, please; can I have two? And the plans?), grav-control tech, life support tech, and anything else they'd be willing to give or sell.

Then I'd get help in getting back -- it's a superhero world, so anything is possible. Once I was back, flying car for me, cheap pollution-free energy for everyone, working electric cars to go with the cheap energy, and a cheap space program. I don't particularly want to live there, I just want to bring some of the miracle-tech home. Woot!

 

[kitsune9]

Game settings are incredibly violent places.

I agree. It would be my luck to pick some setting that on a whole, it's not violent and end up in some place where there is some kind of war, plague, or other aspect. Kind of like a freaky Twilight Zone episode. You get your wish, but there's always a price that you don't want to pay.

 

[drothgery]

I think I'm on board with going to some out of the way (or at least well-defended) but high-tech point in a sci-fi universe and lying low. Star Trek between TOS and TNG, Star Wars a few centuries before the Empire, GURPS Vorkosigan means I could hang out on Beta Colony ...

 

[Aloïsius]

I can bring as many people as I want? Any setting but Star Trek, I'm bringing the US Marine Corps, a few survivalists with experience in improvising weaponry, a team of cartographers, a large farm's worth of agricultural managers/laborers, and enough people to crew a modest fleet of ships.

I don't care if it's Athas; I'm running the place inside a year.

What could fireweapon do against, let's say, a wraith or a shadow ? In a magic world, if you wan't to take power, you need magic. We don't have magic on earth so don't even think about a coup.

Plus, remember that, according to the rules, your marines won't have any weapons, except those you can transport.

 

[UngainlyTitan]

Ya know I think I question the sanity of anyone who would go to a game universe without some really compleing reason. They tend to be interesting in the Chinese curse sense. Even Star Trek is prone to random annihilation of planets on occasion.

If I really had to go, then i would pack some good outdoor clothing, camp cooking gear, the SAS survival guide, gold coins and edged weapons. Unless one is going to an Earth analog there is no guarantee that any of our 'verse tech will work in the other reality.

Star Trek would be tempting though.

 

[Dragonhelm]

I would go to the Dragonlance setting with my collectors' copies of Chronicles and Legends, head to the Inn of the Last Home, have Caramon and Tika sign my books, and order Otik's Spiced Potatoes. Mmmm...mmmm....

 

[drothgery]

What could fireweapon do against, let's say, a wraith or a shadow ? In a magic world, if you wan't to take power, you need magic. We don't have magic on earth so don't even think about a coup.

Depends on the rules of the gameworld you're going to. In D&D 4e, anything can hit an insubstantial opponent, it just does half damage (no biggee when your weapons have much longer range than all spells and weapons the natives have, plus a truly spectacular rate of fire). I'm not very familiar with non-D&D fantasy RPGs, but it's rare (especially in more modern mechanics) for monsters to be completely unhittable, and constraining modern firearms to longbow range and rates of fire (especially when longbow range in-game is far short of actual longbow range) seems absurd.

Plus, remember that, according to the rules, your marines won't have any weapons, except those you can transport.

Now that's the problem. If you could fully equip your troops (bringing military vehicles, supplies, and heavy weapons), then global conquest of most fantasy worlds would not be a problem. Since you can't, you're really looking at a native uprising scenario; you can't bring more people than you can reasonably expect to feed, so what you really want to bring across are experts to modernize your tech base and reference materials (archive-grade DVDs, a few laptops that can play them back, and some means of charging the batteries probably works). You also need to pick where you're going carefully; the idea here is for you to end up on the top of the heap (or at least for someone you like to be on top, with you as an important advisor), not someone who offs you after you've taught him how to make modern firearms and indoor plumbing.