Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 havard Mar 23, 2004 9:04:22	Someone pointed out that the AD&D version of Mystara moved Old Alphatia from "somewhere distant in the galaxy" or "another plane/dimension" as was suggested in various OD&D sources. At first I was sceptical about this, since any changes made through the AD&D conversion really gave me bad vibes due to the generally bad job they did on those products, but the more I'm thinking about this, the more I am beginning to like it. One theory, as suggested here is that Old Alphatia=Damocles. Mystaras solar system is ofcourse pretty much identical to our own, except for our Asteroid Belt being replaced by Damocles, a world which is destined to explode in the future. Another idea, might be to have Old Alphatia as Mystaras Jupiter. Old Alphatia was afterall destroyed when the Followers of Air tried to fill their solar system with air. What if instead of succeeding, they created an air gas giant with lots of floating continents around. The general description from IM1 may still be kept. And it will allow easier access for spaceborn/SpellJammer type campaigns. Ideas? Thoughts? Havard
#2 Hugin Mar 23, 2004 15:36:42	I could see how they may have thought to have ended up in a different plane/dimension if they had to travel through one or more to arrive on Mystara, not realizing that they returned to the same solar system. Hmmm...
#3 zombiegleemax Mar 23, 2004 16:24:52	Originally posted by havard Someone pointed out that the AD&D version of Mystara moved Old Alphatia from "somewhere distant in the galaxy" or "another plane/dimension" as was suggested in various OD&D sources. Well, Old Alphatia is pretty much certainly in another plane or dimension according to the OD&D sources. DotE defines it as another dimension, while in module M1 what remains of Old Alphatia is actually detailed, with the players travelling there.
#4 havard Mar 25, 2004 10:34:47	Edgewaters: Well, Old Alphatia is pretty much certainly in another plane or dimension according to the OD&D sources. DotE defines it as another dimension, while in module M1 what remains of Old Alphatia is actually detailed, with the players travelling there. I looked through M1 last night (not the best module I've seen) and it describes Old Alphatia as both "another part of the galaxy" _and_ another plane. IIRC WotI more clearly defines it as another plane of existance. Regardless of what sources say, having OA in Mystaras solar system adds much more potential to the setting. There is nothing in M1 contradicting this. Unless I misread the map, the air bubble of OA is actually no more than 2500 miles. I'd make it at least planet size though for it to make sense at all. The rest of the info from the module may be used as it is.... Also, this fits with my theory that OA was originally populated by mages from Blackmoor centures before.... Havard
#5 eric_anondson Mar 25, 2004 15:10:00	There was an old post by Bruce Heard about potential future timelines in Mystara that has been preserved somewhere in the Vaults that opens up some further cool ideas that might mesh with this well. Apparently, due to some Alphatian experiment, the entire Mystaran solar system filled up with breathable air. HERE is his original idea. HERE is a follow-up post expanding the idea. HERE is a post on the consequences to navigation for this proposal. Now, imagine that Old Alphatia is out there. Certainly, Alphatian flying ships could get to Old Alphatia easier now. Indeed, with their empire sunk beneath the waves, I could imagine certain more vengeful survivors sending off expeditions for the old home world to find lost powerful magics. Me, I loved this idea of Bruce's because I have these visions of flying around the solar system, Flash Gordon-like. Regards, Eric Anondson
#6 havard Mar 26, 2004 8:28:50	Thanks for the links Eric. I remember reading about this some time ago, but never read the original ideas, just references to them. Having the entire solar system filled with air doesn't sound like a bad idea. OTOH, I don't like the idea of all of these dramatic changes happening at the same time. Id rather prefer if this was something that happened ages ago, say when the Alphatians cast the original spell. Ofcourse, there are alot of physics type problems with this scenario, but hey, who needs physics in a world of magic, right? Flash Gordon, now thats a thought. Whatabout using your average fly spell to get to MMars? Now my mage can be superman too! Havard