So Coyote came to me with a suggestion that I really like, because it adds meat to the bones of the original OtherSpace theme and prevents us from potentially throwing away a lot of groundwork that players and staffers have put into worlds in other universes.
It would also mean that, with just a little work, almost every player character should be able to transition into the new OtherSpace theme.
Short version: The worlds and races of the Ancient Expanse (as an example) become “independent” options in the vast expanse of the Orion Arm. They’d no longer be separated by a rift. This could extend to player-owned worlds, empires, and universes too.
In some ways, this obviates the need for the Ancient Expanse – and I said I’d leave the AE alone in all this. But I don’t think the most active AE players right now really have much attachment to the core worlds I put out there, and those who own their own worlds/empires would only be included in the Orion Arm voluntarily. They can opt out or in as they see fit!
Overall, I see this as a big win for players who want an easy way to keep their characters moving forward as part of the OtherSpace narrative without having to make an entirely new character.
It’s not so great for Riftwalkers. Unfortunately, they don’t exist in the Orion Arm because we don’t have rifts for them to walk through.
Any questions? Want your world (from the Ancient Expanse or even a player-owned universe) included in the Orion Arm? Let me know.