A Bit About Planescape

Developer: Black Isle
Publisher: Interplay
Planescape official page: http://www.planescape-torment.com

What Is Planescape?

Planescape is a setting in the AD&D 2nd Edition game. The concept is to have a unifying force in the 'multiverse' which combines all the different planes. There are Inner Planes, Outer Planes, Elemental Planes and the Astral, Prime Material and Ethereal Planes. A plane is a universe of sorts. The Prime Material Plane, for example, could be said to contain everything that a typical fantasy character could consider 'normal'. It contains all sorts of different planets and settings - from Krynn of Dragonlance through Oerth of Greyhawk up to worlds that aren't covered by the AD&D books. These worlds can be quite different - magic doesn't have to work the same, the races aren't identical and so on. The worlds of the Prime, however, do tend to contain key characteristics that identify them as part of the plane. Their inhabitants tend to be mortal and ignorant of the existence of other worlds, nevermind the other Planes. The Powers (ie, gods) compete for the worship of the Primes, while some of the demons have only one joy in their existence - tormenting the people of the Prime Material Plane.

Not to mess with her

There's so much text in the game

How Is It Different?

Planescape is a lot about beliefs. There are the obvious beliefs, such as the general trend of your behavior (alignment), and the not-so-obvious effects of belief which shapes reality in Planescape.

Planescape gives players free access to all the Planes through the city of Sigil. Sigil is a huge city that is shaped like a ring. Beings of all sorts reside and visit there. Anything from a typical human to a Power may be encountered. Some only show up to find someone or something then leave. Others decide to make their homes in the city (or one of the outlying towns, which generally border planes closest to their alignment), while others still just stumbled into Sigil and don't know where they are.

Big, aren't they

Character stats screen

How Do I Get There?

Sigil is a city of doors. These doors may lead anywhere but are invisible and inaccessible until opened with a key. This key can be anything - a real key, another object, a thought, the lack of thought - whatever. Of course, doors work both ways. So if a door leads to somewhere on Krynn in the Dragonlance setting, then some poor fool might accidentally set it off and find himself in this overwhelming city. These are the 'Clueless', and it usually takes them quite a while before they realize where they are…