Prophecy and Visions

[Umbran]

It's not about the other realities still existing. It's about getting to the good reality and leaving the bad reality. Relativity at its most literal. Where is the observer.

In many-worlds, the observe, you, end up in *both* realities. That "you" avoid the bad reality is an illusion, an artifact that we write stories from a single point of view, and we choose to follow the one who ends up in that one reality. But, since the other timeline still exists, you are in the bad one as well. In many-worlds, "You" are not a single stream, but a tree with many, many branches.

 

[Umbran]

Suffice it to say, I hate the "can't change anything" style of time travel as it's so much BS with my view of reality ...

I am not sure why our view of *reality* should matter on this point, but not so many others. I mean, fireballs, right?

 

[Janx]

I am not sure why our view of *reality* should matter on this point, but not so many others. I mean, fireballs, right?

for purposes of made up rules of "reality" for an RPG, it has to enable fun, doing cool stuff, and meaningful player choices.

 

[Janx]

In many-worlds, the observe, you, end up in *both* realities. That "you" avoid the bad reality is an illusion, an artifact that we write stories from a single point of view, and we choose to follow the one who ends up in that one reality. But, since the other timeline still exists, you are in the bad one as well. In many-worlds, "You" are not a single stream, but a tree with many, many branches.

yes, but the only you that matters is the you that has the camera. AKA the one the story is following or the PC in this case as they can jump realities and we can't actually do that.

Since life sucks and doesn't suck for zillions of versions of you, the only one of interest is the one who's story is being told.

 

[Umbran]

yes, but the only you that matters is the you that has the camera.

Hm. Now I have a story idea. The main character struggles hard to be the one who lives in the nice many-worlds universe... only to have all the ones from the *even worse* universes they created in the process come to wreak their revenge.

Because, if your hero is that selfish, he or she isn't much of a hero, now are they?

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

A tragedy of the metaversal commons...

 

[GMforPowergamers]

Hm. Now I have a story idea. The main character struggles hard to be the one who lives in the nice many-worlds universe... only to have all the ones from the *even worse* universes they created in the process come to wreak their revenge.

Because, if your hero is that selfish, he or she isn't much of a hero, now are they?

There is a weird green lantern (well Ion/White lantern) story where a planet developed a giant portal into the multiverse, and did just that. They made there planet a perfect world because they made sure that every bad thing forced into another part of the multiverse. It was supposed to have an entire weird moral about being happy with what you have, but not great.

I do think that you could run a great story based on the idea.

 

[Janx]

Hm. Now I have a story idea. The main character struggles hard to be the one who lives in the nice many-worlds universe... only to have all the ones from the *even worse* universes they created in the process come to wreak their revenge.

Because, if your hero is that selfish, he or she isn't much of a hero, now are they?

Good idea.

Consider also whether those "worse" universes already existed. For every choice you made to go left, there exists the universe where you went right. Every die roll you won, there's one where you lost.

Figure that in any universe the protagonist gets control of cross-reality travel, there are others. Meaning, it's not just that they are angry or jealous, as they would have existed anyway, but that they too are actively trying to improve their situation by similar means.

Also consider, it's only half of the total alternate's that are trying to do this. It's a boolean point that the guy does or does not have Cross-Reality tech. So that's everybody in the right forks who got their hands on it. Everybody in the left (like us) is stuck where they are as they exist in the forks where CR never, ever happened,happens,will-happen.

So that's only a half-infinity of alternates to worry about.

But then, half of them exist in streams where they never jack with their alternate selves, so now it's a quarter-infinity

 

[GMforPowergamers]

Hm. Now I have a story idea. The main character struggles hard to be the one who lives in the nice many-worlds universe... only to have all the ones from the *even worse* universes they created in the process come to wreak their revenge.

Because, if your hero is that selfish, he or she isn't much of a hero, now are they?

here is a write up of this idea from Green Lantern...

http://www.comicvine.com/exuras/4020-58760/

Exuras, the paradise planet of stolen timelines.

Exuras, the home planet of Exurans like Nias Den Throden, is described as "The greatest place in the universe" by its inhabitants and a violence-free paradise by prying outsiders. Its atmosphere and buildings, as noted by Zalla, are comprised of controllable computerized molecules that are capable of scrubbing free the toxins in the atmosphere and intercepting kinetic impacts, thus preventing any fatal accidents.


"This is not Hell. This is the price."

This kind of perfection, though, comes at a cost. A century before, Exuras was a backwater, and it's technology and development were roughly on par with Earth. Their suffering and strife were on the same level of Earth, as well. That is, until a few clever Exuran minds discovered a way to twist destiny in their favor. They were able to sway any negative acts from ever happening in their world. These negative things still happened, though not technically on their planet. They occurred on an alternate universe of Exuras, an Exuras that closely represents Hell.