Metaplot
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The metaplot is the overarching storyline that binds together events in the official continuity of a published role-playing game campaign setting. Major official story events that change the world, or simply move important non-player characters from one place to another, are part of the metaplot for a game.[1] For example, White Wolf Game Studio's World of Darkness was brought to an end by major events in the metaplot as part of the Time of Judgment.[2] Because of events like this, many gaming groups choose to ignore the metaplot for a game entirely.
Metaplot information is usually included within gaming products such as rule books and modules as they are released. Major events in the metaplot are often used to explain changes in the rules in between versions of the games, as was the case in White Wolf's World of Darkness[2] and in Wizard of the Coast's Forgotten Realms and Dragonlance.
Settings with metaplot
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The following settings and role-playing games contain well known metaplots:
- BattleTech – Expanded in various novels and sourcebooks, mostly by Michael A. Stackpole
- Dark Sun[3]
- Dragonlance[4]
- Earthdawn
- Forgotten Realms[4][3][5] – The Time of Troubles,[6] The Spellplague
- Legend of the Five Rings[5]
- Ravenloft - The Grand Conjunction and The Grim Harvest
- Rifts – War on Tolkeen, a 6 book metaplot
- Shadowrun[1][7]
- The Dark Eye
- Torg's "infiniverse"
- Traveller – Assassination of the emperor and the division of the empire
- World of Darkness – the Time of Judgment[1][2]
- Warhammer Age of Sigmar - The End Times
- Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay - The Storm of Chaos
References
- ^ a b c White, William J.; Arjonata, Jonne; Hitchens, Michael; Peterson, John; Torner, Evan; Walton, Jonathan (2018). "Tabletop role-playing games". In Zagal, José P.; Deterding, Sebastian (eds.). Role-Playing Game Studies: Transmedia Foundations. Routledge. pp. 63–86. ISBN 9781138638907.
- ^ a b c Hillenbrand, Tom; Lischka, Konrad (2016). Drachenväter - Die Geschichte des Rollenspiels und die Geburt der virtuellen Welt [Dragon fathers - the history of the role-playing game and the birth of the virtual world] (in German). epubli. ISBN 9783741855580.
- ^ a b Di Filippo, Laurent (2017). "Les mondes d'Advanced Dungeons and Dragons au spectre du transmédia: l'exemple de Dark Sun". In Collard, Anne-Sophie; Collignon, Stéphane (eds.). Le transmédia, ses contours et ses enjeux. Presses universitaires de Namur. pp. 54–55. ISBN 978-2-39029-102-2. Retrieved August 27, 2022.
- ^ a b Callaghan, Paul; Manhire, Bill, eds. (2006). Are Angels OK?: The Parallel Universes of New Zealand writers and scientists. Victoria University Press. p. 270. ISBN 978-0-86473-514-0.
- ^ a b Snow, Cason (2008). "Dragons in the stacks: an introduction to role‐playing games and their value to libraries". Collection Building. 27 (2): 63–70. doi:10.1108/01604950810870218.
- ^ Bergman, Gregory; Lambert, Josh (2011). Geektionary. Simon & Shuster. ISBN 1-4405-1114-4.
- ^ White, William J. (2020). Tabletop RPG Design in Theory and Practice at the Forge, 2001–2012 - Designs and Discussions. Palgrave Macmillan. p. 231. doi:10.1007/978-3-030-52819-5. ISBN 978-3-030-52818-8.
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