Timemaster As A Multigenre RPG System

For discussion of the TIMEMASTER RPG now owned by Goblinoid Games, originally published by Pacesetter in 1984.

Timemaster As A Multigenre RPG System

Postby sniderman » Sun Dec 11, 2011 2:59 am

When I first started playing Timemaster back in the '80s, I was of course initially drawn to the "historical investigation and correction" angle of the setting. Go back in time, figure out how history got screwed up, and fix the timeline so history progresses as it should. Kind of a Quantum Leap meets Voyagers meets Time Squad way of playing. As my group played through the many published modules, I began to see that Timemaster was more than just that. Since you could go anywhere and "anywhen," I saw that we could use Timemaster to emulate the settings in other popular RPGs:
    Want to play Boot Hill? Travel back to the Old West from 1880-1900...
    Gangbusters? Warp back to Chicago or New York in 1920-1940...
    Bushido would require a trip to feudal Japan...
In fact, pretty much any RPG that takes place simply in another historical time period was child's play to emulate. But what of RPGs that were more fantastic? Well, that's when I discovered that Timemaster generously encompasses the concept of different "parallels" (see TM rules, pages 9 and 94). See, The Continuum is made up of an infinite number of parallels, each with its own timeline and history. We exist on T-0, but because all Parallels overlap and intertwine with each other, what happens on Parallel T-5 or M-14 or even A-227 could very well affect us in T-0. The T Parallels (in my games) are ones in which commonly-understood history has changed in some way, leading to "alternative history" gaming:
    The Soviets successfully invaded the U.S. in Parallel T-142.
    A joint U.S.-Japan space mission placed a permanent base on the moon in 1983 in Parallel T-37.
    Rome never fell in Parallel T-166.
    And the Axis powers won WWII in Parallel T-75.
Those Parallels designated with an "M" rating (moderately different history/physics from T-0) are often the ones based on historical fiction. The Three Musketeers, Sherlock Holmes, and King Arthur never existed in T-0, but they certainly exist in other Parallels, as their history is the stuff of our fiction. (And our reality could very well be THEIR fiction!)
    M-1 is the Arthurian Parallel where the tales of King Arthur, Merlin, and the Round Table are historical fact. And Robin Hood may also be found within these lands.
    M-6 is the Homeric Parallel where the Greek Gods exist and Homer's Odyssey and all of those other myths and legends happened.
    M-82 is the Lovecraftian Parallel where the Old Ones lurk in wait and men are driven insane from reading forbidden tomes.
    M-199 is the Steampunk Parallel where the works of Jules Verne are a matter of historical record.
    M-644 is the Pulp Parallel where two-fisted Men of Mystery try to stop evil villains in a pseudo-1920's setting.
Those Parallels with an "R" rank are radically different from home. It's in these parallels that the laws of nature are twisted and the fantastic is commonplace. Here is a sample of some of those parallels that Time Corps agents may visit:
    R-259 is a magical parallel where powerful wizards war with each other.
    R-555 is a land populated by intelligent talking dinosaurs.
    R-1010 is populated solely by intelligent machines and no "living" creatures exist.
And, of course, other Action Table RPGs such as Chill (1st edition) and Rotworld are completely compatible, so your PCs could potentially run into creatures from The Unknown or flesh-eating zombies!
Looking at the way the Timemaster setting is arranged and presented, you can see how easy it was for me to have my Time Corps PCs visit any genre imaginable. Granted, most adventures took place in T-0 where "history done went wrong," but they also found themselves dungeon delving, spying with James Bond, and trying to stop a steam-driving drill from rupturing the Land at the Center of the Earth. I humbly suggest you can do the same.
Image
User avatar
sniderman
 
Posts: 615
Joined: Thu Dec 16, 2010 2:42 am
Location: Frozen Northern Ohio

Return to TIMEMASTER

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 1 guest