Regarding Time Travel: Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 02:25, 28 June 2023

In the Blazing Umbra universe, time travel serves as a regular plot element, making it crucial to establish a standard method for handling the mechanics of time travel.

Time Travel

Time travel is achieved through various methods, which are discussed elsewhere. However, it opens the door to issues of altering timelines, not just the mechanics of how a change occurs. It is also important to touch upon the concepts of fate and time.

Fate

In relation to time travel, fate operates as an unseen force that is poorly understood but remains flexible. For the purposes of gameplay and storytelling, if a series of events is returned to their proper sequence and circumstances, fate will adjust the major events to align with their intended course. However, secondary and tertiary individuals involved, specific dates and times of contributing events, and other details can shift and alter around central events. These aspects are more malleable.

Changes

When a change is made in the timeline, the alterations do not occur immediately but rather ripple forward like waves on a pond. These ripples propagate through both space and time simultaneously, spreading out from the location of the change.

It is advisable for the antagonist's alterations to be subtle. Game-changing events, such as the Nazis winning World War II or a Russian attack during the missile crisis, are too extensive and complex for most storylines. It is more effective to introduce smaller, more nuanced changes. By grouping individual alterations under a larger arc that spans several stories, a cohesive narrative is easier to maintain.

Protection

For the sake of the plot, the heroes need protection to prevent changes from taking effect, allowing them the freedom to act on the alterations. However, there should also be a sense of urgency to fix things, providing a driving force for quick action. This urgency creates drama and intensity within the story, allowing the heroes to be unprepared and unaware of all the details.

To shield against changes in the timeline, a protective barrier causes its own ripple effect, moving in opposition to the ripples of the changes. Depending on the quality of the protection, the ripple of change moves around the shielded object, delaying the changes within the protected area. For example, if a ship is protected, a bubble proportional to the strength and quality of the shield forms around it, and the alterations in the timeline continue to resist the shield. The more incongruous the changes are compared to the normal timeline, the harder they are to protect against.

Devil in the Details

It is important not to excessively focus on certain details. This includes the more malleable aspects. Once a timeline is fixed, the smaller alterations (referred to as flexible bits) are allowed to flow and settle without being shielded against.

Those involved in fixing the timeline may optionally be allowed to remember a mix of both the original and altered timelines. This provides opportunities for plot development, where the characters must address significant problems but also navigate the complexities caused by the altered details that changed the course of their loved ones' lives.

The precise workings of the technology should be sparingly discussed, with the central theme of the storyline taking precedence.

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-In the Solas Tempus universe time travel is a regular plot element, this makes it important to have some kind of standard method for dealing with the mechanics of time travel.
+In the [[Blazing Umbra]] universe, time travel serves as a regular plot element, making it crucial to establish a standard method for handling the mechanics of time travel.
 == Time Travel ==
-Time travel is performed through various methods, discussed elsewhere.  It is, however the doorway to issues of altering timeliness and not only how a change in the timeline happens.  Important to also have at least a word or two about fate and time.
+Time travel is achieved through various methods, which are discussed elsewhere. However, it opens the door to issues of altering timelines, not just the mechanics of how a change occurs. It is also important to touch upon the concepts of fate and time.
 === Fate ===
-As it pertains to time travel, fate governs as an unseen force that needs to be poorly understood, but is also flexible.  For the purposes of game play and story plot, if you return a series of events to about the proper sequence and circumstance of events fate will adjust the major events to fit in the way they are supposed to.  Secondary and tertiary people involved, exact dates and times of contributing events, and other specifics can alter and shift around central events - these are flexible bits.
+In relation to time travel, fate operates as an unseen force that is poorly understood but remains flexible. For the purposes of gameplay and storytelling, if a series of events is returned to their proper sequence and circumstances, fate will adjust the major events to align with their intended course. However, secondary and tertiary individuals involved, specific dates and times of contributing events, and other details can shift and alter around central events. These aspects are more malleable.
 === Changes ===
-When something in the timeline changes the alterations do not happen immediately but occur like a wave on a pond, traveling forward through the timeline.  Ripples move both through three dimentions outward from the location of the change and through time simultaneously.
+When a change is made in the timeline, the alterations do not occur immediately but rather ripple forward like waves on a pond. These ripples propagate through both space and time simultaneously, spreading out from the location of the change.
-The kinds of alterations that the antagonist makes should also be subtle, game-changing events like the Nazis win WWII or Russia attacks during the missile crisis are too big, too vast for most storylines, too many moving parts and too many variables.  It makes for an easier story to make the changes subtle and smaller, then individual changes can be grouped in a large arch over several stories.
+It is advisable for the antagonist's alterations to be subtle. Game-changing events, such as the Nazis winning World War II or a Russian attack during the missile crisis, are too extensive and complex for most storylines. It is more effective to introduce smaller, more nuanced changes. By grouping individual alterations under a larger arc that spans several stories, a cohesive narrative is easier to maintain.
 ==== Protection ====
-For plot purposes the heroes need protection from changes becoming free to act on the changes.  Of course, there should be some urgency to fixing things, something to force quick action.  Quick action supplies drama and intensity to the story, gives the heroes a chance to not know everything and be unprepared.
+For the sake of the plot, the heroes need protection to prevent changes from taking effect, allowing them the freedom to act on the alterations. However, there should also be a sense of urgency to fix things, providing a driving force for quick action. This urgency creates drama and intensity within the story, allowing the heroes to be unprepared and unaware of all the details.
-For this reason shielding from changes in the timeline causes its own ripple effect moving against the ripple of the changes.  Depending on the quality of the protection, the ripples of change move around the shielded object delaying changes around the protection.  Example...  A ship is protected, as the changes ripple around the shield a bubble around the ship starts proportional to the strength and quality of the shield that moves inward.  The alterations in the timeline don't stop fighting against the shield.
+To shield against changes in the timeline, a protective barrier causes its own ripple effect, moving in opposition to the ripples of the changes. Depending on the quality of the protection, the ripple of change moves around the shielded object, delaying the changes within the protected area. For example, if a ship is protected, a bubble proportional to the strength and quality of the shield forms around it, and the alterations in the timeline continue to resist the shield. The more incongruous the changes are compared to the normal timeline, the harder they are to protect against.
-The more incongruous the changes from the normal timeline, the harder the the changes are to protect against.
 == Devil in the Details ==
-It is important not to focus on certain details.  This includes flexible bits, of course if something is altered once it cannot be put back perfectly.  Logistically once the timeline is fixed, the smaller alterations (AKA the flexible bits) are allowed to flow and set, they are not shielded against.
+It is important not to excessively focus on certain details. This includes the more malleable aspects. Once a timeline is fixed, the smaller alterations (referred to as flexible bits) are allowed to flow and settle without being shielded against.
-Those involved in the fixing of the timeline also can optionally be allowed to remember some mix of both timeliness or just one.  This allows some plot for fixing some big problem but then having to fix a flexible detail that changed the course of a loved ones life.
+Those involved in fixing the timeline may optionally be allowed to remember a mix of both the original and altered timelines. This provides opportunities for plot development, where the characters must address significant problems but also navigate the complexities caused by the altered details that changed the course of their loved ones' lives.
-The exact how of the technology should be seldom discussed, the central theme should be the story line.
+The precise workings of the technology should be sparingly discussed, with the central theme of the storyline taking precedence.
 [[Category:OOC]]