Right Warped Settings

[LostSoul]

Hey All;

I've been slowly working on a campaign setting that's not like anything I've done before. Basically, it's right screwed up. Nothing makes sense. It's based on the idea that the landscape is a representation of the Id - it does what it wants, when it wants.

Does anybody have any examples of campaign settings like this? Settings where we can't draw upon our understanding of "how things work" at certain points.

 

[Evil Construct]

I'm presently working on a setting that is very similar to the theme you've presented here, but I using more of a 'Limbo-eque' aspect; where thought brings (or rather forces) a type of order onto a mass chaotic essence.

Before I post some of my ideas that I think may be of some help for you (as well as some interesting sites that I used in order to establish a basis for this setting), I'd like to hear a little more about your setting...?

 

[Yair]

I beleive the Seeming (the Birthright equivalent of the Ethereal... sort of) works pretty much in this way. The place is sometimes described as having a malevolent intelligence. The 2e book about it had some rules on how things work in the Seeming, which differs from how things work in the "real world".
Another concept is the realm of dreams presented in Occult Lore (complete with things such as the power to "modify reality", "Id Manifestation" template, the "Superego Magnifestation", and so on). Basically the book presents d20 rules for "lucid dreaming" - changing the dream, whether consciously or subconsciously.
I personally thought of combining the two to create a conscious plane where thougts matter more than "reality", constantly changing through the thoughts of itself and its denziens.

I hope that helps.

 

[hong]

Read a few William S. Burroughs novels.

 

[Aeric]

If you can find a copy of it, check out White Wolf's Dreams and Nightmares. It is a sourcebook for the Dreaming, which is the faerie realm for Changeling: The Dreaming. While the landscape of the Dreaming is shaped by the will and desire of the people who visit (or live) there, rather than by the will and desire of the Dreaming itself, it is definitely a realm of chaos where natural laws are often thrown out the window.

For a non-roleplaying source of ideas, Michael Moorcock (Elric, Hawkmoon, the Eternal Champion) often had his characters visit chaotic worlds such as you described.

 

[John Q. Mayhem]

Check out the Manual of the Planes. I don't have it, but I think the Far Realms might be close to what you're looking for. Or just look at the planes stuff in the SRD. Go to Realms of Evil Games website, and download the 2nd issue of the Stygian E-zine; I think it has something like what you're looking for.

 

[Particle_Man]

There was an old non-d20 gameworld called Murphy's World that worked along these lines, although it was populated enough that group consensus had provided a little more stability than you are suggesting.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

I have been where you're going. It will be tough, but if you can keep control, it will be one of the best campaigns you'll ever run.

Read House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski. The house in question is bigger on the inside than on the outside, and sometimes the way out is longer than the way in, even when you backtrack.

Read Michael Moorcock's Eternal Champion books, especially the ones where the main characters go directly into realms of Chaos (Elric or Von Bek books) or the collection Sailing To Utopia, which collects the novels The Ice Schooner, The Black Corridor, The Distant Suns, and Flux.

There was even a Marvel Comics character, Proteus, who warped reality in the X-Men books of the late 80's or early 90's.

All of these contain examples of how a protean reality reacts to creatures within it.

Check out both Ravenloft and The Primal Order for mechanics on how to do it. The Primal Order is an OOOOOOLD, pre-M:TG product from WOTC. You may be able to find it on E-bay or in a used book store.

Take a LONG look at M.C. Escher's art.

You may want to include PrCls that can directly manipulate reality, either in gross ways (creating an oasis when he's thirsty, a castle when he wants to rest) or in fine ways (making swords or weapons appear from nothing).

Just one word of warning- don't make it TOO random. Make some rules that let you yank things around when you want/need, but allow the world to be stable enough to make the players feel like they're not getting hosed at every turn.

 

[Wombat]

Read some Italo Calvino

Play a gnawa cd, followed by Delerium, followed by The Chickasaw Mudpuppies, followed by The Rutles

Then purchase Over the Edge

Mix liberally with a some David Lynch films

et voila!

Hmmm, sounds like my collection as it is...

 

[shilsen]

Take any existing campaign setting and run it with Synnibar. Voila!