What's your Star Wars MULTIverse?

[Whill]

In the thread What's your Star Wars Universe?, we discussed Greedo, the M-word, and what parts of the film saga, EU, WEG and your own invention are a part of your personal SWU. We've also even had at least one thread where we discussed time travel adventures in this game.

In this thread, I am specifically referring to your multiverse. Say you run the same adventure multiple times (presumable for different players). There is no way the same adventure could happen twice in the same campaign universe.

Do PCs from one campaign ever get played in a subsequent campaign? In cases like that, do you maintain continuity from campaign to campaign, as if they exist in the same universe? For example, the same exact NPC that was killed in a previous campaign doesn't reappear in a subsequent campaign set within the same continuity?

Or do your adventures take place in a distinct campaign universe (with a unified continuity) even if the subsequent campaigns has no relation to the previous ones?

Or do you have only one campaign universe, and everything you have ever ran takes place within the same continuity? (So you presumably haven't run the same exact adventure more than once.)

Or do you have no regard for story continuity at all, and just have a never ending series of unrelated adventures? Or do you have distinct universes for some adventures and also sometimes run non-continuity adventures, like one-offs or something, that have no regard for continuity?

Do any of you 'share' a universe with another GM? (Meaning a GM passed the torch to another GM to run for the group in the same universe as the previous GM's adventures, or even multiple GMs taking turns running adventures sent within the same continuity?)

For those GMs that do acknowledge having multiple universes (out of necessity for continuity if nothing else), how many have you had? Anything you want to tell us about them, like what makes them distinct from each other?

And although it is likely very rare in this game, it is related to this thread so I'll ask anyway: Have you ran any adventures in which characters (or anything else) transition between universes?



EDIT: My Star Wars Multiverse
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[Bobmalooga]

For myself, I bought the original game while still in high school and while some of the characters from those games have drifted into the current landscape as NPCS, the original game wasn't run long enough for me to have anything other than vague recollections of characters. The next time I ran Star Wars it was about '95 and again, my recollection of the game is so spotty that the only thing I really remember is that I used a character from the original game (making reference to the previous game...) for the short time that this second game was around.

Now they say that the third time is the charm and it seemed to work. From the point where this game started, even to the most recent campaign, there is a network of npcs and characters that pop up and drift through to make the acquaintance of the newest pcs. Not everyone gets used or reused, but there are some that show up from time to time and while the game universe has existed (since '97, roughly) it has spanned from the time leading up to ANH through ROTJ and up to one hundred and twenty years beyond that.

This most recent campaign will be the third that I have ran in the classic era...
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[garhkal]

[Zarm R'keeg]

Typically, my multi-verse is pretty contained- specifically, each gaming group is a fresh universe with their own different take on the adventures and different ongoing elements running through them. Since I feel as if I've gotten a little better at realistic roleplaying with each group, the current group is always the 'canon' version of events. I'm not averse to having characters from other groups cameo- but with a clear understanding that this is the 'alternate' version of them, rather than the same character who somehow had the same adventures of the current group.

That said, usually, each group has a parallel universe in which they are bounty hunters (utilizing the No Disintegrations module)... and typically, we will set up an event in the characters' past that accounts for why they chose a different path here- sort of a sliding doors (or 'Turn Left,' for the Doctor Who crowd) concept tied to their backstories. These adventures are for when a member of the group can't make it, so that the remaining players can still tackle a new adventure.

In my previous gaming group, we had the maximum number of multiverses... a regular universe, a bounty hunter alternate, a mercenaries alternate (which only played half a game, and was for even less available players than the bounty hunter), and a jokey alternate game session (an intermission during Starfall) where each of the players took on the role of a stormtrooper aboard the same Star Destroyer... with their entire squad abruptly and quickly massacred by their own regular characters (as NPCs). That last one was more of a 15 min long gag, though.
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Hard core OT, all the way!

[Whill]

[Whill]

[Bobmalooga]

[Zarm R'keeg]

[wildfire]

Each campaign I run starts with a clean slate with regards to other campaigns run, though some elements might be similar as my baseline universe has evolved over the years as more material has become available to me.

I started running SWRPG D6 games back in 1994/5 I think it may have been earlier, so lots of small changes over the years.

[Barrataria]

This kind of question normally makes my head hurt. I haven't had enough continuity in SW games for this to matter, I guess.

I guess I'll say 1 multiverse, in that my games have been in the Alliance era (i.e. post ROTJ) or my Ancient Republic setup. I've envisioned them on the same timeline, and if someone were to come to me and ask for a Clone Wars, Old Republic, or Rebellion/Empire era game, I'd flesh out my timeline more. I generally prefer that than to consider parallel universes where I run the same adventure again; it's usually easy enough to reskin something for a different planet, different bad guy, etc.

Like in my D&D worlds, what happens on the timeline stays on the timeline, and if that happens to affect future games so be it. That's how we RPG anyway. Now, I am concerned with my post-ROTJ Alliance setting because Disney is about to run right over it. Hopefully in a good way.
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[garhkal]

[DougRed4]

A fun topic. Excellent idea, Whill.

[DougRed4]

There's some outstanding sections in some of the books for The One Ring that really provide an excellent analysis on continuity and canon that has helped me as I consider what "canon" is with regard to my games.

The main rules state:

Tolkien's Canon
For many years, fans of the literary works of J.R.R. Tolkien
have debated the existence of a consistent canon that
firmly defines the world and history of Middle-earth, as
described in The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings and later
publications. This has often been cited as one of the major
hurdles to roleplaying games set in Middle-earth, as it is
very likely that the characters� adventures will �interfere�
with the actions of the saga�s known protagonists and
�break� the canon�s consistency.

While a quick and easy answer to such concerns might
well be that �there is no such thing as an established
Tolkien�s canon,� it is interesting to delve into the subject a
little bit more, as there is a lot that a Loremaster may learn
from tackling this apparently insurmountable obstacle.

Subjective Sources
When facing the dilemma of altering facts perceived
as being part of canon, a Loremaster could consider
the information that Tolkien related in his stories not
as ascribed to an infallible, all-knowing narrator, but
to witnesses of the times, individuals who are subject
to errors and personal bias (for example, The Hobbit
relates the content of Bilbo Baggins� memoirs). This
literary device served Tolkien well in his effort to create a
believable �ancient history� which includes the inevitable
inconsistencies that might come from it being composed
by different chroniclers, and there is no reason why a
Loremaster cannot do the same, especially if he needs
to change an �established� date or the details behind a
known �fact� or �historical� figure.
To get an idea of how much the writer�s perspective can
distort perceptions, and possibly facts, one need look
no further than the books: for example, The Lord of the
Rings can find it difficult to reconcile the image they have
of Gimli, the redoubtable axe-wielding warrior of Erebor,
and the Dwarven companions of Bilbo, who, captured by
Trolls, Goblins, Spiders and Wood-elves, more often than
not end up being saved by their Hobbit burglar, Bilbo�

They then go on to explain that the Professor was constantly changing and rewriting his works, suggesting that they are immuatable and ever-changing.

Then in the book "The Darkening of Mirkwood", they write:

Among other things, the Loremaster�s Guide for The One
Ring elaborates why players should not be intimidated
by what some recognise as a �Tolkien canon� (the part
above). They should not feel limited by the Tale of Years
offered in this guide either, and for very similar reasons:
Middle-earth historians can be wrong, rumours are often
mistaken for truth and what is written may not be what
actually came to pass.
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Currently Running: Villains & Vigilantes (a 32-year-old campaign with multiple groups) and D6 Star Wars; mostly on hiatus are Adventures in Middle-earth and Delta Green

[Whill]

[Whill]