Introduction
Is Sona-Nyl just another campaign world? Another ongoing campaign or gaming environment to play and get used to? No...it is meant to be much more than that. Sona-Nyl is an "excuse"...or a "device"...that will allow a role-playing group to draw from years of retired characters and abandoned campaign ideas, and "bring back to life" memories from those early days of game-playing. Sona-Nyl is also designed to take the heavy burden of running games away from just one unlucky Dungeon Master. A DM could also use Sona-Nyl within his/her existing campaign as the primary means by which characters can move between worlds.
What is Sona-Nyl?
Sona-Nyl is a special place...an island that exists on an ocean between worlds...or perhaps on many worlds at once. Sailing from Sona-Nyl's port-city of Nexus, helped along by one of the four winds, ocean currents, and careful navigation, a group of heroes can travel to a variety of worlds, or stated in game terms, a variety of campaigns. A guild of sorts...The Archibald Leach Explorer Guild...exists on Sona-Nyl. In game terms, the Guild justifies and explains how a variety of characters with backgrounds and origins in a wide range of different worlds, could all come together for a single adventure or a series of adventures. All of this comes together to create an amazing flexibility for both players and DMs.
A Typical Sona-Nyl Game Night:
Based on certain requirements set by the DM for a given game night, players choose which on of their characters they wish to play. They can play old characters that they have adapted to the game system being played (most likely D&D 3rd Edition), or they can create new and interesting characters that fit the DM's requirements. Because of the Explorer's Guild, it is not necessary to explain all the particulars of how a group of players meet...they simply know each other from the Guild. DMs also benefit from this flexibility, in that a DM can choose to run a one-shot game...and not get bogged down with an ongoing campaign. A DM could also set up a series of adventures, or even get together with other DMs to construct an epic series of adventures where the DMs take turns building on the same story line.
If a DM decides to use Sona-Nyl as part of his/her ongoing campaign...the DM should decide how to best fit it into their campaign.
What Game System Should Sona-Nyl Be Used With?
Sona-Nyl will work for any fantasy-oriented gaming system, though the group that I play in will be using D&D 3rd Edition and Alternity. In truth it does not matter what game you use.