Difference between revisions of "United Federation of Alternate Worlds"

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(Setting Themes)
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* '''There's More than One Way to do It:''' The Federation doesn't bring together one type of tech with one type of magic, it brings together ALL types of tech with ALL types of magic.  Don't like mixing?  That's fine because not everything works everywhere.  What better way to throw wrenches in people works than to have their special skill or ability stop working for them.  On the other hand it can also lead to interesting combinations of systems or all one to find ways to balance them out against eachother so that all members of a mixed band can contribute.  
 
* '''There's More than One Way to do It:''' The Federation doesn't bring together one type of tech with one type of magic, it brings together ALL types of tech with ALL types of magic.  Don't like mixing?  That's fine because not everything works everywhere.  What better way to throw wrenches in people works than to have their special skill or ability stop working for them.  On the other hand it can also lead to interesting combinations of systems or all one to find ways to balance them out against eachother so that all members of a mixed band can contribute.  
  
* '''Local Color:'''  The UFAW isn't like certain ''other'' Federations that really love to standardize.  The UFAW is more organized like the EU with a mandate to not interfere with the local affairs of its constituent planets and nations.  This means that there is still room for creativity and innovation as characters travel between realities, planets, nations and even sub-national entities.  In most cases it is almost exactly like traveling around Europe, but some realms are more exclusive than others, some more strict, some wealthier, some more traditional.
+
* '''Local Color:'''  The UFAW isn't like certain ''other'' Federations that really love to standardize.  The UFAW is more organized like the EU with a mandate to not interfere with the local affairs of its constituent planets and nations.  This means that there is still room for creativity and innovation as characters travel between realities, planets, nations and even sub-national entities.  In most cases it is almost exactly like traveling around Europe, but some realms are more exclusive than others, some more strict, some wealthier, some more traditional, etc.
  
* '''Time Travel without the Paradoxes:'''  Now everyone knows that tnless you happen to be Anne Anne McCaffrey the result of any time travel will be a Nazi victory.  However when dealing with alternate realities you aren't technically time traveling because realities exist that are nearly identical to your own just offset by a few hundred or thousand years in one direction or another.  Want to pop in on the port-war era to pick up a well crafted Battlecruiser for conversion into a starship?  Go right ahead!  Just because a reality is stuck in the past doesn't mean its future has been written yet.  
+
* '''Time Travel without the Paradoxes:'''  Now everyone knows that tnless you happen to be Anne Anne McCaffrey the result of any time travel will be a Nazi victory.  However when dealing with alternate realities you aren't technically time traveling because realities exist that are nearly identical to your own just offset by a few hundred or thousand years in one direction or another.  Want to pop in on the post-war era to pick up a well crafted Battlecruiser for conversion into a starship?  Go right ahead!  Just because a reality is stuck in the past doesn't mean its future has been written yet.  
  
* '''Friends and Hangers On:''' Don't much care for living in a country with even the semblance of rules and regulations?  Your warrior race too proud to ever align themselves with Hewmans?  The UFAW is not the Borg, it does not seek to assimilate every culture it runs into.  If you have a society or civilization that doesn't quite fit in with a majority Homo Sapiens club then there is no need to try to fit the round peg into the square hole. The UFAW has a large number of different types of "affiliate" statuses so if you just want protection from the real Borg and want to drive through the Federation's nice clean portals then arrangements can always be made.  
+
* '''Friends and Hangers On:''' Don't much care for living in a country with even the semblance of rules and regulations?  Your warrior race too proud to ever align themselves with Hewmans?  The UFAW is not the Borg, it does not seek to assimilate every culture it runs into.  If you have a society or civilization that doesn't quite fit in with a majority Homo Sapiens club then there is no need to try to fit the round peg into the square hole. The UFAW has a large number of different types of "affiliate" statuses so if you just want protection from the real Borg and want to drive through the Federation's nice clean portals then arrangements can always be made.
  
 
== A Quick Guide Interdimensional Tech ==
 
== A Quick Guide Interdimensional Tech ==

Revision as of 00:27, 27 November 2013

This is an out of universe description and discussion of the UFAW Setting. For an in universe description see A Visitor's Guide to the Multiverse

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This story is a work in progress.



The United Federation of Alternate Worlds (UFAW) is a "Topian" science fiction setting designed for narrative stories or role playing scenarios. Topian means that the setting is neither dark and bleak nor cheery and saccharine, but instead strives for a realistic depiction of the future where progress continues yet problems still remain. The defining feature of the UFAW is its mastery of Interdimensional Portal technology and as the name implies the setting spans many thousands of alternate realities with more able to be "discovered" and added to the setting at any time. The rationale behind the setting is to allow a large number of different kinds of micro-settings, characters, races and technologies to mingle together in a controlled manner not typically possible in universe settings without major plot holes of contrivances. The high level goal of the macro-setting is to allow maximum flexibility without allowing things to go "off the rails" and this is achieved by creating an organization with enough plot inertia such that the actions of any single narrative event, even ones that are highly consequential on a tactical level, are unlikely to upend the whole.

Setting Themes

  • Mix and Match: Multiverse settings tend to scream "crossover" and the UFAW embraces this, but not in the Star Trek meets Star Wars style. Normally if one wants to use use large variety of weapons or ships or technology or interact with lots of different cultures that can end up driving the setting with the need for alien races or independent colonies/nations. A cross-reality federation allows one to bring in all sorts of fun and different design elements without seriously affecting whatever micro-setting one had in mind.
  • Drama without Despair: Alien invasions, dystopian mega-cities and Helvetica scenarios all make for great drama, but not only does nuking a home world tend to limit your other options it can unintentionally bum out your reader who might need a little pick-me-up after a stressful day. This is basically how things work in real life. Places like Detroit exist, it may be hard to get out of their orbit, but at the end of the day there's more out there providing hope that things will get better and even within a typical lifetime. In the Federation you can go nuts blowing up Earth or trashing New York resting assured that there are others waiting in the wings if you later get a craving for pizza. There is still plenty of real tragedy, but there is always a light at the end of the tunnel.
  • Isolation: If you want to have a knockdown, drag out fight in a populated city center, but need a good reason why that won't cast a post-9/11 pall across your society the Federation offers a an easy way to achieve this. Increasing levels of technology help to "shrink" society to bring individuals closer together. Jumping between alternate realities helps to expand things again and without having to preface a story with "in a Galaxy far far away." Moreover the Federation has something known as "strategic depth" so it can be attacked or invaded yet not be existentially threatened. At a very tactical level isolation means that you can have characters "run off" to other places to escape their past, but avoid having to make up some new frontier world that "attracts" all the lost souls.
  • There's More than One Way to do It: The Federation doesn't bring together one type of tech with one type of magic, it brings together ALL types of tech with ALL types of magic. Don't like mixing? That's fine because not everything works everywhere. What better way to throw wrenches in people works than to have their special skill or ability stop working for them. On the other hand it can also lead to interesting combinations of systems or all one to find ways to balance them out against eachother so that all members of a mixed band can contribute.
  • Local Color: The UFAW isn't like certain other Federations that really love to standardize. The UFAW is more organized like the EU with a mandate to not interfere with the local affairs of its constituent planets and nations. This means that there is still room for creativity and innovation as characters travel between realities, planets, nations and even sub-national entities. In most cases it is almost exactly like traveling around Europe, but some realms are more exclusive than others, some more strict, some wealthier, some more traditional, etc.
  • Time Travel without the Paradoxes: Now everyone knows that tnless you happen to be Anne Anne McCaffrey the result of any time travel will be a Nazi victory. However when dealing with alternate realities you aren't technically time traveling because realities exist that are nearly identical to your own just offset by a few hundred or thousand years in one direction or another. Want to pop in on the post-war era to pick up a well crafted Battlecruiser for conversion into a starship? Go right ahead! Just because a reality is stuck in the past doesn't mean its future has been written yet.
  • Friends and Hangers On: Don't much care for living in a country with even the semblance of rules and regulations? Your warrior race too proud to ever align themselves with Hewmans? The UFAW is not the Borg, it does not seek to assimilate every culture it runs into. If you have a society or civilization that doesn't quite fit in with a majority Homo Sapiens club then there is no need to try to fit the round peg into the square hole. The UFAW has a large number of different types of "affiliate" statuses so if you just want protection from the real Borg and want to drive through the Federation's nice clean portals then arrangements can always be made.

A Quick Guide Interdimensional Tech

How the UFAW Functions