Transdimensional Turtles and time travel coils

[thorr-kan]

Is the "coil" description of time travel in Transdimensional Turtles something from the comics that got incorporated into the RPG? Or is it original to the RPG?

I think it's an elegant solution to time travel, and I like the eras described.

[Rali]

It's original to the game.

[thorr-kan]

It's original to the game.

And therein would lie a Rifter article...

Thanks.

[BookWyrm]

Rifter #56 I think.

[thorr-kan]

Rifter #56 I think.

You mean time travel in general; I meant the TT time coils specifically.

Unless Rifter 56 uses that concept. That's one of them I don't have.

[glitterboy2098]

It's original to the game.

which is why i like to argue that it should be used to make a timetravel supplement for HU2. you'd need a replacement mechanic for the "time travel effects your BIO-E" part but the core elements of the twists and coils, with their conservation of elapsed time, would make for a really good and balanced way to handle timetravelling super heroes.
and it wouldn't be hard to populate such a sourcebook with timecops (as an alternative to lord simultanious), various villain organizations using time travel for nefarious ends, and so on.

Rifter #56 I think.

You mean time travel in general; I meant the TT time coils specifically.

Unless Rifter 56 uses that concept. That's one of them I don't have.

it doesn't. it purports to address the many worlds version of time travel (all travel crates new timelines) but also stole badguys from Dr. Who in the form of beings which paradoxically attack anyone who tries to change time. honestly it was a very poorly thought out article.

[Soldier of Od]

I would be interested to see a new list summarising the time/events that a time traveller would experience if they were to time travel from the present day (2024). The previous summary was written with the "prime" year as 1988 - now that 36 years have past since then, what different time periods will we be visiting as we travel backwards in 125 years jumps (e.g., the difference in the world between travelling back to 1899 instead of 1863, 1774 instead of 1738, etc.). I tried to do it back 2018, when we were a nice round 30 years from the original timeline, but gave up. Anyone else want to give it ago?

[glitterboy2098]

for most of them i doubt it would change much, we've not even left the 125ish year window between "twist null" and "twist 1" (2113)
so you'd mostly just need to decide if you want to add 36ish years to all the twists to account for the flow of time, or redefine the size of the twists to keep the destination dates in the past the same. (the future twists you can easily just change the dates to without derailing the descriptions)

personally for a HU2 version, i wouldn't give a date for "twist prime/current day", and just set up the twists be era rather than dates. so Twist A remains the victorian age, but the specific date of 1863 wouldn't appear. leave things more flexible for GM's. it wouldn't be hard to fluff things as the unique traits of the HU2 universe that allow mad science and superheroes meaning that the flow of time is quirky, and the twists not regularly spaced in time.
plus i'd probably all add the micro-twists concept mentioned as potential advanced rules in TDTMNT to twist-prime, in order to add the 'comic book ages' as options (using the framework from rifter 5. so pulp age, golden age, silver age, etc).

[Soldier of Od]

Yeah, the general "era" might not have changed much, but I was thinking of more specific events and people. The book includes an adventure that features the American civil war, which would be much harder to visit if we travelled from 2024 to 1899 and then had to "push the stream" to reach the desired year. And next year, if we went back two twists, we could witness the American revolution, which previously we wouldn't have. Go back another twist to medieval England, and Shakespeare is now dead, whereas before we might have run into him. Back one more, and we can now meet the infamous Henry VIII as king, etc.
Yeah, I agree, if the Trans-dimensional TMNT time travel rules were ever updated and added to Heroes Unlimited (unlikely), it might be better to leave it open so that the book doesn't immediately become outdated!

[NeerMohan]

That's a great question! The "coil" time travel concept in Transdimensional Turtles is actually original to the RPG.

The comics primarily focused on the Turtles' adventures in their own time, with occasional forays into alternate dimensions. The RPG introduced the coils as a way to explore different eras and realities, offering a more dynamic storytelling experience.

I agree, the coils are an elegant solution! It provides a clear framework for time travel while leaving room for exploration within those defined eras.

[glitterboy2098]

That's a great question! The "coil" time travel concept in Transdimensional Turtles is actually original to the RPG.

The comics primarily focused on the Turtles' adventures in their own time, with occasional forays into alternate dimensions. The RPG introduced the coils as a way to explore different eras and realities, offering a more dynamic storytelling experience.

I agree, the coils are an elegant solution! It provides a clear framework for time travel while leaving room for exploration within those defined eras.

and at least of the comics i've been able too read, when they did get involved with time travel stuff via renet and lord simultanious, few of the times they arrived in corresponded with the periods from the sourcebook. and the ones that did were some of the most broad ones