How to handle multiversal game ideas.

[BobTheNinja]

I've always enjoyed crossover fiction, and I love to imagine scenarios involving travel or even mergers between universes. The whole concept of it is just really cool and fun to me.

The problem is that I can never seem to actually make those kinds of ideas usable for stories or games. Once I try to delve into the details to actually define a given setting or plot, the effort just seems to fall apart, or I can just never make up my mind about what to write. It's sad too, because I've seen what people can do when they put their minds to seriously engineering a multiversal story/setting, and I want to be able to do that too. But it feels like I can never seem to make it work.

Clearly something about my headspace and/or habits isn't working, so what can I do?

 

[Vashon]

Dont try so hard, just hamfist minor details away and go for it.

 

[Malbutorius]

Pick a set of rules for how the multiverse works and stick with it. Characters that come from settings with explained multiverse rules different from what you said come from another multiverse entirely. That fixes some problems.

Also, make sure everyone has a consistent power level if you don't have a bunch of veteran players. That's important.

 

[TheOtherSandman]

Don't.
Multiverse fics/games always become a fucking mess.

 

[Elmithian]

I've always enjoyed crossover fiction, and I love to imagine scenarios involving travel or even mergers between universes. The whole concept of it is just really cool and fun to me.

The problem is that I can never seem to actually make those kinds of ideas usable for stories or games. Once I try to delve into the details to actually define a given setting or plot, the effort just seems to fall apart, or I can just never make up my mind about what to write. It's sad too, because I've seen what people can do when they put their minds to seriously engineering a multiversal story/setting, and I want to be able to do that too. But it feels like I can never seem to make it work.

Clearly something about my headspace and/or habits isn't working, so what can I do?

Click to shrink...

Keep in mind in what manner you are merging the settings together, if your aim is to make those worlds all on the forefront, then don't. It is a bad idea. Rather, try to build the merged up settings logically up (based on these world's internal laws) and consider how things would behave and react in this new "Frankenstein's" setting. I feel that always helps.

My personal opinion is also that you should (usually) try to avoid to use the main characters from those universes as your foil(/protagonist). That approach is a bit overused and unless they didn't have much personality to begin with, it can become quite messy and break their character horribly.

Make those merged up worlds your own. Combine various aspects of one into another until you are satisfied that you have got plenty of elements from all the worlds. Don't try to cram everything together. It won't work and will just result in things being inconsistent with one another. Plus if you do the merging right you will give your creation a refreshing/unique feel, even if it is using various bits and pieces from the original settings.

Don't.
Multiverse fics/games always become a fucking mess.

Click to shrink...

I would argue that if one does it correctly they can be very interesting. Honestly I have only done 3 crossover quests myself but I haven't really encountered any issues so far. In fact I would say that my Magical manly man quest is pretty decent (at least world building wise). But then again, I rarely use any of the main cast from any of these settings so that might be helping me avoid creating a mess.

 

[sunandshadow]

For merger of universes, it's easiest just to treat it as an AU which contains elements and/or characters inspired by the two or more canon series. If you want to orient readers, you can write a fake encyclopedia article or some paragraphs of a history text book and stick them in before/between fiction segments whenever they are helpful. For traveling between universes, its best to limit the number of travelers to 1 or 2. And you may want to remove or reset whatever powers they have from their original universe. For indecisiveness, make a forum thread and ask what others prefer. Or try writing a vague outline for each of two of three possibilities, you may discover that some are unworkable or boring when you try to develop them deeper than the concept level.

(Me, I love remixing worldbuilding from various inspirations, but I suck at then actually plotting out a story to take place in the world I've dreamed up. )