I just recently got my copy of Universalis and have read through the rules. One question that has come up is: How can I use existing settings/characters/creatures in universalis? Do I have to build everything from scratch?

Does anyone have advice on how to use existing rpg settings/characters with Universalis?

Welcom Goose. Great question, and one I hope you pursue and keep us informed on.

this thread was about a slightly different approach -- that being creating the background situation in Uni and then actually playing in the other game system -- but some of the comments on how to handle game elements in the Uni system would be relevant. My post (about 9 in) outlines some issues to consider as far as different approaches to use.

There are several general approaches you can take. Which one is "best" is purely a matter of personal taste and desire.

1) State 1 tenet up front that all elements of the game should be "inspired by" Setting X. This would be the most open of possibilities because it would help produce a game that felt like X but wasn't actually. The tenet would be used as a Fact during Challenges to enforce a particular mood, ambiance, theme, etc but would not produce canonically accurate play.

2) The other extreme, of doing a full conversion in advance. Create all of the locations, character, organizations, creatures, artifacts, etc that you want to include as Components in advance of the game and then use them exactly as you would any other Component during play.

3) Like #1 start with a single tenet, but instead of being "inspired" by X declare the game will be X and that all Components must be appropriate to the canon. Then let play commence as normal and whenever a canonical element is encountered it is built exactly like any Component in Uni, except all of its Traits are constrained by having to be canonically accurate (enforceable by Challenge with the weight of the tenet as Fact). This produces the result of #2 but in play without needing advance prep, but does allow for disagreement (and the resulting Negotiation and Challenge) of what constitues canon among players.


I'd prefer method 3 to method 2 because it preserves two of Uni's great strengths (minimal to no advance prep, and communal world building) but either is valid. There is no reason that method 3 couldn't also have some key Components created during the initial game set-up by the players at the table.

One key thing to note, however, is that Uni is very much about player control over the world and the plot. Being overly concerned with preserving certain canonical sacred cows requires either a) equal committment by all players to that goal, or b) alot of potential Challenges. There is no possibility of preserving meta plot in Uni without serious hard enforcement of tenets, which can run contrary to the purpose of playing the game if enforced too rigidly.


What other insights can folks here add...

I guess one idea I have is to use a "Lingua Franca" rpg system such as Fudge.

Say for instance I want to play Universalis in a Dragon Lance setting. I convert dragonmen and various other characters and critters to Fudge. Those traits in fudge convert nicely to Uni.

A rule tennet could be to use Fudge-like adjectives in the traits that can convert over to other RPG systems.

This rule tennet would allow traits from Uni to go to Fudge. And then later to D20 or whatever else.

Another advantage to this is it would allow setting creation/adventure prepping to be brought out fairly easily into other systems.