Is your fantasy world hollow?

[dead]

I also use the Hollow World setting, along with Mystara. Yes, it is officially part of Mystara/Known World. It's where the Immortals place the remnants of dying civilizations as a way of preserving them. There is a powerful Spell of Preservation in effect in the Hollow World, that ensures that no group there ever disappears entirely.

It's not all based on Ancient Egypt. That's only part of it (the Empire of Nithia). There are many other groups there, as well. The Milenians (based on Ancient Greece), Azcans (Aztecs), and a whole bunch more.

The sun of the Hollow World is actually a permanent gate to the Plane of Fire. There is no night, which has led the populace to be very frightened of darkness.

It's a great setting for "Lost World" style games, and I'd recommend it if that's what you're looking for. It could take quite a bit of work to convert it to 3.X, however.

Thanks for the info!

Yeah, it's funny, the whole hollow world thing seems to ring of your "Lost Worlds" type of theme. Even Gary's version has the dinosaurs and the rest of it.

I remember there was an old film based on a Jules Vernes novel (?) called "Journey to the Center of the Earth", or something like that. Can someone tell me whether the Earth was hollow in these stories, or where they exploring a lot of tunnels and caverns?

 

[francisca]

Despite the fact that I am running a B/X game set in Mystara, and own the Hollow World Boxed set, I have no plans on using it, and am ignoring the the Hollow World altogether.

 

[Wombat]

Current one? Well, it has caves and the like (not to the Underdark level), but it is solid; I would not absolutely guarantee a molten core, but it may well have -- physics gets a bit hinky in most fantasy games.

I have run Hollow World scenarios in the past, however. Matter of fitting it to a particular campaign.

 

[Krieg]

Does this mean the surface of your world is golden brown, sugar-coated pastry? Mmmmm, pastry.

Well great Cthulhu likes to nibble on it...but other than that I couldn't say.

Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'Lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn!

Ia Ia Ia!!

 

[Varianor Abroad]

Thanks for the info!

Yeah, it's funny, the whole hollow world thing seems to ring of your "Lost Worlds" type of theme. Even Gary's version has the dinosaurs and the rest of it.

I remember there was an old film based on a Jules Vernes novel (?) called "Journey to the Center of the Earth", or something like that. Can someone tell me whether the Earth was hollow in these stories, or where they exploring a lot of tunnels and caverns?

It's partly Arthur Conan Doyle's fault. He coined the "Lost World" genre with a novel brilliantly titled "The Lost World." It takes a group of Victorian adventurers to a plateau in South American where dinosaurs still existed. Part of his Professor Challenger series. A decent read.

[mild spoilers on Verne novels & movies]




The Verne novel is the other half of this coin. In it, they never do make it to the Center of the Earth. They find themselves in a series of caverns and eventually emerge on the coast off of Italy through a volcano.

There was a cartoon series called Journey to the Center of the Earth in the 70s. Had some cool ideas and some silly ones, like the giant bees that were going to cook the adventurers into their honey.

I recall at least two movies. One was a Ray Harryhausen one. I only have foggy memories of that. The other came out in the 80s I think, with Peter Cushing as one of the stars. They did find themselves in a cavern with dinosaurs, etc, but I don't remember if there was a sun or not.

These different legends possibly also came together with other stories of hidden lands and cavern dwellings. There's part of an old DC comic book that mentions Eden as at the South Pole and being sunk into the ice. In the old Lands of Mystery supplement for Hero Games there was a lengthy bit about a hollow earth that I adapted for a Justice Inc game.

But to answer the question, no, I hadn't thought about it for my current game taking place on a round world. (Leaving aside the one taking place on a universe of roads.)

 

[Andrew D. Gable]

I remember there was an old film based on a Jules Vernes novel (?) called "Journey to the Center of the Earth", or something like that. Can someone tell me whether the Earth was hollow in these stories, or where they exploring a lot of tunnels and caverns?

If I recall right, it wasn't truly a hollow earth but all the dinosaurs lived in a very large cavern.

Of course, we all know that UFOs come from the center of the earth via holes in Antarctica, and are piloted by Space Nazis (tm)...

 

[jgbrowning]

solid w/ the good ol' molten core for my campaign world, though I have contemplated creating a campaign on the inside of a dyson sphere

A dyson sphere would be very cool. Always wanted to do that as well.

joe b.

 

[dead]

A dyson sphere would be very cool. Always wanted to do that as well.

joe b.

What's a dyson sphere?

 

[The Goblin King]

Nope, my Fantasy world is flat. My Pulp world on the other hand, is hollow.

 

[maddman75]

No hollow world. No underdark. Not all that many dungeons even. I am bored to tears with underground adventures.

And a dyson sphere is a contruct that completely encircles a star, allowing the inside surface full access to the star's energy.