Worlds of the Polyverse (+thread): A Paizo-sponsored meta-verse of worlds created by former TSR/WOTC designers and artists + Appendix N worlds

[Dungeonosophy]

Worlds of the Polyverse: Created by TSR/WOTC Alumni or Listed in Appendix N (NOT owned by Ha$bro)

To be included in this Polyverse, the world must have been created by a person who is credited in a TSR/WOTC-published (or licensed) D&D product prior to January 5th, 2023, when OGL-Gate was revealed. Also included are the Appendix N worlds, or any other fantasy world mentioned in a TSR/WOTC product (but not owned by WOTC/Hasbro). For TSR/WOTC products, the world has to have been D&D branded (such the AD&D-branded Conan and Lankhmar products), not just licensed as a non-D&D RPG (e.g. not Buck Rogers, Indiana Jones, or Star Wars d20 RPG).

I picture the Polyverse as an ever-expanding poster map, schematically depicted as rings; with a ring for each decade, beginning with the 1970s at the core. Each World is a Material Plane (possibly with its own 3E-style Cosmology?), which is depicted on the Polyverse map according to which decade it was first published or mentioned in a D&D product. If this poster were to really come to be, the map would be expanded only as various IP-holders and Literary Estates made a formal agreement with the Polyverse project. (Perhaps stewarded by Paizo?)

First published or mentioned in the 1970s:

• The World of the Cthulhu Mythos (included in the original Deities & Demigods)
• The World of the Elric Multiverse (incl. in the original Deities & Demigods)
• The World of Lankhmar (incl. in the original Deities & Demigods)
• The World of Kalibruhn (Rob Kuntz)
• The Globe of Peril (the implied setting of the Tales of Boinger & Zereth by John Eric Holmes, author of BASIC D&D, an IP now stewarded by his son, Chris Holmes)
• The World of the Wilderlands of High Fantasy (licensed by TSR)
• The World of the Hyborian Age by Robert E. Howard (listed in Appendix N)
• [other Appendix N worlds to be listed]

First published in the 1980s:

• ?

First published in the 1990s:

• The World of Sovereign Stone (Larry Elmore, Margaret Weis)
• [others?]

First published in the 2000s:

• The World of Diablo (licensed D&D version)
• The World of Kalamar (licensed D&D version)
• The World of Warcraft (there was a licensed D&D version)
• The World of Golarion / Lost Omens (Lisa Stevens, Eric Mona, et al.)
• The World of Bastion (Jim Butler)
• The World of Ptolus (Monte Cook)
• [others?]

First published in the 2010s:

• The World of Calidar (Bruce Heard, D&D Brand Manager, chief creator of the World of Mystara)
• The World of Okkorim (Luke Gygax, creator of Melf the Elf)
• [others?]

First published in the 2020s:

• [?]

Imagine if these authors agreed to a groundwork whereby they loosely acknowledged and cross-promoted a shared TSR/WOTC alumni Polyverse?
...like how the Mythos loosely included HPL, REH, CAS, and others.
...possibly with Golarion's Multiverse as the cosmological framework, since that is the most filled out of the "D&D-adjacent" cosmologies. Pathfinder has Open synonyms for all of the D&D planes of existence. This wouldn't mean that PF2 rules was the only RPG system used to portray those worlds though.

I provisionally offer the name: the "Greatest Fantasy Polyverse." The word "polyverse" appeared in the First Edition of a popular roleplaying game.
It would be pretty exciting even if only a few of these worlds loosely banded together to offer a cross-publicized metaverse.

 

[aramis erak]

The (rather naughty - adults only) World of Ironwood - Bill Willingham. Comic books, with an adaptation to gaming for Theatrix by Memento Mori.
Comic 1991, ran 11 issues, reprint in two volume graphic novels (1993 & 1996), Theatrix Setting Book 1995.

 

[Haplo781]

This would be a rights nightmare.

 

[Dungeonosophy]

This would be a rights nightmare.

thanks for your contribution—there are probably more enjoyable threads for you somewhere else on ENWorld.

 

[Umbran]

thanks for your contribution—there are probably more enjoyable threads for you somewhere else on ENWorld.

Note: if you didn't want such commentary, it might have helped to list this as a "(+) thread" - in which it is assumed that folks are on board with the basic concept of discussion, and a moderator may shuffle them out if folks try to argue it is a bad idea, or the like.

Without that, technically, you have no solid position to ask folks to not post in particular ways - we don't support thread ownership in that way.

 

[Dungeonosophy]

Note: if you didn't want such commentary, it might have helped to list this as a "(+) thread" - in which it is assumed that folks are on board with the basic concept of discussion, and a moderator may shuffle them out if folks try to argue it is a bad idea, or the like.

Without that, technically, you have no solid position to ask folks to not post in particular ways - we don't support thread ownership in that way.

Will do. i didn’t know of that format option—thank you

 

[Voadam]

2000s:

The Multiverse of Freeport. Chris Pramas was ex-TSR author of Guide to Hell and Dragon Fist. The first Freeport module being 100% OGC and coming out day 1 Freeport made it out canonically to a number of world settings including stuff like Goodman Games' fantasy one, not to mention showing up in alternate reality Mutants and Masterminds.

Cutting out WotC d20 Wheel of Time, Cthulhu, and Star Wars as not D&D seems off for the concept here. (Although Cthulhu folds back in with AD&D DDG).

Dragon magazine has a ton of fantasy adaptations to D&D. I remember G.R.R. Martin's Game of Thrones and Terry Brooks Shanara getting articles in the 3e era. In the OD&D/AD&D era there was the Heroes of the Earth series of articles.

 

[Blue Orange]

If we're taking suggestions on names, my concern with 'polyverse' is it might make people think it has something to do with polyamory (which I have no objection to, and, in fact [REDACTED] but it might confuse some people even if I'm sure Elminster would be game). Does someone own the more commonly used 'multiverse'? Using 'metaverse' might get you sued by a certain Zuckerberg...

It's a nifty idea!