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<blockquote data-quote="(Psi)SeveredHead" data-source="post: 4475474" data-attributes="member: 1165">Metaplots are almost always destructive.An example that almost worked was the External War in the Star*Drive Alternity setting. That was awesomely done, as long as you didn't mind losing [spoiler] Hammer's Star and some other star systems. If you went to a lot of trouble to create NPCs, plot hooks and what not for a system and then the plot destroys it, that's going to create a lot of work for you.[/spoiler]Some examples, such as Dark Sun, Forgotten Realms and Dragonlance are far worse. I don't think the first Dark Sun novel wrecked the setting; IIRC, Tyr was always meant to be free from the start of the setting, and you didn't have to start there. However, by the fifth book previous well-written source books such as the Veiled Alliance were rendered null and void. (VA went into detail about non-Veiled Alliance life in several cities, and much of that was no longer valid after the deaths of so many sorcerer kings.)Maybe if metaplots expanded the setting, things would work out better. For instance, in the External War, the GM learned much more about the aliens, and since much of that was background info, you didn't have to use it (the changes would be invisible to the players, except what you let them know). It even offered information about new star systems. Too bad there were destructive elements as well; it's pretty difficult to run a war without destroying something.If a campaign were started after the External War was released, so the GM knew which areas to focus on, things would work much better, IMO. Unfortunately, that only works because Star*Drive has been canceled, whereas most of the examples are still running.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="(Psi)SeveredHead, post: 4475474, member: 1165"] Metaplots are almost always destructive. An example that almost worked was the External War in the Star*Drive Alternity setting. That was awesomely done, as long as you didn't mind losing [spoiler] Hammer's Star and some other star systems. If you went to a lot of trouble to create NPCs, plot hooks and what not for a system and then the plot destroys it, that's going to create a lot of work for you.[/spoiler] Some examples, such as Dark Sun, Forgotten Realms and Dragonlance are far worse. I don't think the first Dark Sun novel wrecked the setting; IIRC, Tyr was always meant to be free from the start of the setting, and you didn't have to start there. However, by the fifth book previous well-written source books such as the Veiled Alliance were rendered null and void. (VA went into detail about non-Veiled Alliance life in several cities, and much of that was no longer valid after the deaths of so many sorcerer kings.) Maybe if metaplots expanded the setting, things would work out better. For instance, in the External War, the GM learned much more about the aliens, and since much of that was background info, you didn't [b]have[/b] to use it (the changes would be invisible to the players, except what you let them know). It even offered information about new star systems. Too bad there were destructive elements as well; it's pretty difficult to run a war without destroying something. If a campaign were started [b]after[/b] the External War was released, so the GM knew which areas to focus on, things would work much better, IMO. Unfortunately, that only works because Star*Drive has been canceled, whereas most of the examples are still running. [/QUOTE]

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