Turkanian Age and Champions

[Core-fire]

Okay I do not own Turkanian Age (think I will purchase it soon), but I have heard that it fits into the Champions verse in some kind of way ala Takofanes. If it does how exactly does it fit in? Alternate dimension, past, different planet past?

 

Thanks in advance.

[bigbywolfe]

Re: Turkanian Age and Champions

 

Takofanes was the big bad of the Turkanian Age. Technically there is a timeline that connects most of the genre settings including Pulp, Supers, Pre-history Fantasy, Science Fiction, and Futuristic Galactic Level Supers, but there is no need to use it, or even acknowledge it. Many people run Champions without directly referncing the fantasy "Ages" just like many people run Star Hero without acknowledging supers have existed.

[Hugh Neilson]

Re: Turkanian Age and Champions

 

I believe the Turkanian age is an alternate history plotline wherein Gobbler, the Giant Turkey is transported to the distant past (due to a triggered teleport when Penelope Pane is rescued from his beak), where he pecks the major baddie of the mainstream Turakian Age (who ultimately becomes Takofanes in the unaltered timeline) immediately prior to his receiving his vast powers.

 

The timeline is restored when modern heroes successfully get Turkofanes, the Unending Thanksgiving Leftover, to use his mystic VPP to Transport them to the past where he KO's Gobbler before the Triggered Teleport can take effect.

 

[sOURCE: unpublished manuscript for Secret Infinite Crisis War III]

[assault]

Re: Turkanian Age and Champions

 

I gather the Turakian Age might be related to the Champions universe in some way too.

 

It's like the Turkanian Age, but with fewer turkeys.

[Lord Liaden]

Re: Turkanian Age and Champions

 

The Turakian Age (named after Kal-Turak the Ravager of Men, as Takofanes was known before his undead reanimation) is a High-Fantasy world very much in the mold of the Dungeons and Dragons game and its official settings, with many of the usual suspects (elves, dwarves, orcs, rangers, druids, etc.) It's set between 73,000 and 65,000 BCE as part of the unified Hero Universe timeline, as bigbywolfe mentioned. It ends in the overthrow of Takofanes, which unleashed a magical cataclysm destroying civilization and reshaping the face of the Earth. A few such events occur in the timeline before the planet takes its modern recognizable geography.

 

As a setting sourcebook The Turakian Age is virtually self-contained. You need no material from any other setting to understand it. Nor does it have much bearing on the present-day Champions world. It provides more details of Takofanes' background and history, but nothing that would significantly change how the character would be run in a game today. A few other contemporary villains have origins tied to Turakian Age artifacts (the Crowns of Krim and Lightning Man), but TA adds little or no information beyond what their modern write-ups provide.

 

IMHO The Turakian Age is an excellent setting book for this type of fantasy campaign, richly detailed and very internally consistent; but if your primary interest in buying it is to add to your understanding of the official Champions world, you can safely skip it.

[Core-fire]

Re: Turkanian Age and Champions

 

Thanks LL I have been trying figure out what fantasy world I should buy in order to do some Fantasy Hero. I have seen TA, The Last Dominion, Echoes of Heaven, and a few others. So thanks for the recommendations on this one and how it fits in. I guess my first question was mainly scholarly. If anyone has any opionions on any of the other fantasy settings please let me know.

[Shadowsoul]

Re: Turkanian Age and Champions

 

The other main Fantasy Hero settings are Valdorian Age and Atlantean Age.

 

Valdorian Age is a typical sword and sorcery setting. Magic is difficult, often involves the use of demons and is usually practiced by unsavoury types. The cities are rife with corruption and the countryside is filled with mighty yet morally ambiguous barbarians. The gods take little interest in the world, unless they are the evil sort.

 

Atlantean Age is the opposite, a super-high fantasy setting. Atlantean characters would count as superheroes if imported into the modern day. The main continent of Atlantis has a Classical Greek flavour and is filled with demi-gods and spontaneously appearing monsters. Magical technology is ingrained in Atlantean civilisation and the creation of artefacts is routine. To top it all off Atlanteans are just better than other people, ignoring cultural or 'everyman' skills it costs 15 points just to be an Atlantean.

 

I've played in Last Dominion. My impression of it was of a dark and gritty setting that owed more to dark ages Europe than traditional fantasy. It seemed to be well researched with plenty of detail like historical names for equipment and weapons. The history of the Dominion is a dark epic in itself and complicated enough to keep even me interested. Worth a look.

[Lord Liaden]

Re: Turkanian Age and Champions

 

To Shadowsoul's fine summary above, I would also add Tuala Morn, a strongly Celtic-flavored low-magic setting very evocative of the myths of the British Isles, notably Ireland. It features a highly detailed collection of kingdoms under the rule of a High King (until recently), distinct magic systems, "feats" allowing warriors to match the accomplisments of legendary warriors, and a fair-sized bestiary of faerie creatures and races.

[Escafarc]

Re: Turkanian Age and Champions

 

I gather the Turakian Age might be related to the Champions universe in some way too.

 

It's like the Turkanian Age, but with fewer turkeys.

 

And has more hair than the Tarkanian Age:D

[Nolgroth]

Re: Turkanian Age and Champions

 

I think my favorite published setting for HERO was done by D3 games. It is called Kamarathin, Kingdom of Tursh. Great setting with some interesting magical flavor. Last Dominion was also excellent. Of all the settings, Turakian Age was my least favorite. I think that is more of a "me" problem than anything wrong with the setting. I just could not divorce the sense of rigid destiny enough to enjoy just playing in the setting. That is/was my major problem with all of the HERO settings. Of course they all make for great idea/data mining resources.

[mayapuppies]

Re: Turkanian Age and Champions

 

I think my favorite published setting for HERO was done by D3 games. It is called Kamarathin' date=' Kingdom of Tursh. Great setting with some interesting magical flavor. Last Dominion was also excellent. Of all the settings, Turakian Age was my least favorite. I think that is more of a "me" problem than anything wrong with the setting. I just could not divorce the sense of rigid destiny enough to enjoy just playing in the setting. That is/was my major problem with all of the HERO settings. Of course they all make for great idea/data mining resources.[/quote']

Kamarathin is also on sale for half off at DriveThruRPG if you're on the fence about it.

[Sir Ofeelya]

Re: Turkanian Age and Champions

 

I believe the Turkanian age is an alternate history plotline wherein Gobbler, the Giant Turkey is transported to the distant past (due to a triggered teleport when Penelope Pane is rescued from his beak), where he pecks the major baddie of the mainstream Turakian Age (who ultimately becomes Takofanes in the unaltered timeline) immediately prior to his receiving his vast powers.

 

The timeline is restored when modern heroes successfully get Turkofanes, the Unending Thanksgiving Leftover, to use his mystic VPP to Transport them to the past where he KO's Gobbler before the Triggered Teleport can take effect.

 

[sOURCE: unpublished manuscript for Secret Infinite Crisis War III]

 

Yeah - he really gave him a basting.