Re: Just how big is "known space"?

--- David Shepheard <david_shepheard@???????.com>
wrote:

> So I ask the question: how big *is* known space? Or
> "how many spheres are considered "civilised" by
> spacefarers?

Generally speaking, I sorta view SJ as actually four
different settings.  

1. The SJ RPG line itself.  It began with "known
space" being Krynn/Realm/Grey -spheres, & was expanded
by the adventures to include the Vodoni,
Hero/Faerie/Dark/Great -spheres, Morag/Shadow, &
finally Astronumdi Cluster, which is truly a
stand-alone setting in and of itself.  Total: 22
spheres.

2. Dungeon & Dragon Magazines, which basically was the
"Arcane Inner Flow", consisting of Refuge, Pirtel, and
Darnannon.  The Inner Flow is said to be 12 spheres, &
the outer flow was 100+.  Total: 3, or 112, depending
on which figure you use.  You could include Spider
Moon in here, but like Astronumdi, it is stand-alone &
very different from any other aspect of SJ.

3. The novels, which varied from fairly detailed
spheres to throw-away names.  These include Winter,
Herd, Heart, Nix, Vista, Path, Prime, "Bral", along
with a dozen or more that I'm sure I'm missing. 
Total: probably 20+.

4. Hackjammer, which introduced Hackspace along with
seven other spheres.  Largely, this brought
fan-spheres of Bral, Twilite, & Taur-Utu to "canon"
status.

Trick is, these different settings just don't play
well together.  Many varied themes, styles,and not
much thought given to trivialities of trade and the
like.  Of these settings, I think the RPG line could
be used to create a fairly tight setting consisting of
Vodoni, Greatspace & 'burbs, & Radiant Triangle,
possibly using the odd sphere to expand things a
little (such as bral, refuge, and a few others).  

The novels paint a picture of a much larger setting,
consisting of a good several dozen or more spheres,
some named, many implied but never actually named  

The mags don't offer a really good setting on their
own, but a couple of spheres to steal.  Implies a big,
120+ sphere setting, but does little to explore it. 
The Inner Flow is a good idea for a setting, but
making the whole a big circle can be problematic

Hackjammer's scope was just too small to really create
a whole multi-spheric setting.

Adam

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