[UA] The Plot Thickens

[Ian Young]

Greg writes...

> What I'd like to see is this: when you buy a UA supplement, 
> you get a good deal of meat that can be used in any fashion 
> whatsoever, but also some story continuity - a chance to find 
> out what happens to Renata and Eugene (once I figure that out
> myself), or to follow Cage through a couple days' work. I'd 
> like to bring all these threads together eventually, and it's 
> certainly POSSIBLE that there will be big, drastic changes in 
> the setting. But I'd never want to see them become 
> 'necessary.' ("Sorry, it's the apocalypse, all future 
> supplements will be based on the assumption that you completed 
> the apocalypse series of adventures.") 

Story continuity in the flavor text would actually be quite fun --
flavor text is something the reader can easily take or leave as he
pleases, as it usually doesn't dictate the rules or setting themselves.

As far as official, published adventures go, there is also the
pleasingly convenient fiat of multi-level campaigns -- stree-level,
global-level and cosmic-level.  An "official" UA street-level campaign
may dictate some aspect of the UnAverse, but it will be nicely limited
in scope.  An official campaign that followed the exploits of, say, Cage
would be at the stree-level, occasionally the global-level, and probably
not get in the way of a GM who isn't slavishly loyal to the official UA
storyline.  The Renata/Eugene storyline is verging more on the
global-level, and an official campaign based on this story will dictate
even more information, but will still not put the fix on the whole UA
world.

It's the idea of a hum-dinger, shoot-'em-up, cosmic-level,
time-to-release-a-new-edition storyline that lets GMs and players know
well in advance that their personal campaigns are destined to run afoul
of the official storyline.  Please, give players lots of cosmic-level
hints about what's going on in the grand scheme of things, give 'em
fodder for wild excitement and adventure, but make sure there are plenty
of loopholes to help mavericks maintain the continuity of their own
campaigns.  In the immortal words of Cole Porter, "Don't fence me in."

Gone again,
Ian