Metaphysics (Game Mechanics of Reality)

The mechanical rules that govern the capabilities of sentient creatures and the manner in which outcomes are resolved within a given reality have a curious tendency to resemble the mechanics of various game systems; most commonly Roleplaying Games, from tabletop ones such as Dungeons & Dragons and Pathfinder to video games like Cyberpunk 2077 or Dark Souls. While this is almost always unnoticeable from within the reality, it is common for the echoes of that reality found in other timelines to have knowledge of these rules if the connection between worlds was robust enough. This can be jarring for Wayfarers who find themselves in a world where their own has been a successful fictional work, as they may be able to recognize their own capabilities from life manifested in game mechanics... or even documented, should they have been a prominent figure in the setting or otherwise encountered their "player" or "creator."
== The Game of Life ==
Each reality has its own discrete set of "rules," distinct from its physical and natural laws that govern how individual entities operate within it. Most commonly, this is geared towards the lives of sentient creatures. These rules can change dramatically over time and even within given localities within a broader universe or world. For example, the rules that govern the statistics of a Human on Earth might not be the same as the ones that govern them on a space station, though they'd almost certainly be similar.
These sorts of transitions are not entirely unlike what happens when one moves from, say, Earth to Gaea, though the forces involved are dramatically different.
Sentient creatures are generally the most heavily emphasized in these "Metamechanics," usually with a focus either on individuality for all involved, or otherwise for prominent figures sometimes defined as "Heroes," "Champions," or the like in otherworld media. These usually cover a range of basic statistics that are used to determine their performance, skills derived from these, and other abilities beyond that which tend to reflect particular life events, talents, and the like. Most worlds have some capacity by which individuals may grow and develop their abilities as well, whether through spending resources, gaining experience through actions, or simply surviving to a certain point.
Beyond this, these Metamechanics also dictate the manner in which conflicts are resolved... something that is frequently at least partially determined by some form of partial randomization that's impacted by the capabilities of those involved. This means that, in some cases, one's success or failure literally comes down to a roll of the dice, as all the myriad variables that can influence an outcome are boiled down into some kind of gamble.
The reason why the multiverse is structure in this way, why individual realities often have drastically different rule systems (sometimes even when they are otherwise very similar) is itself something of a mystery, as it was not originally intended by Yaldabaoth... and yet happened anyway.
Category:Metaphysics
Category:Game Mechanics