Note
For more on the game itself, ask Xmark12 for permission to join the Discord server.
Some of the aspects of this verse page was directly taken from the canon verse page on Vs Battle Wiki. Credit where credit is due.
Summary
Sword Art Online: Tabletop is a collection of Tabletop Games set in the Sword Art Online universe. Each game takes place in its own separate continuity. Some stay as close to canon as possible, while others diverge in drastic ways. However, they are all still tied, whether loosely or not, to the canon light novels, the Progressive light novels, Integral Factor, and many other sources; following the same general setting: the floating castle of Aincrad.
The year is 2022, and Japanese gamers have lined up on launch day for Sword Art Online, a hotly-anticipated MMORPG that lets players connect to an immersive virtual reality world with special helmets called Nerve Gear. But soon, Sword Art Online's players discover that not only are they unable to log out, the only way they can return to their physical bodies is by defeating the 100-floor castle's final boss, and death in the game means death in the real world.
In an alternate universe of Sword Art Online that only loosely follows setting of Aincrad, you yourself play Sword Art Online to complete the death game. No matter where you're from, whether it be in a different country, different time period, or completely different world, you're dragged into the game, and you must fight to get out.... or die trying.
Changes and Keeps From Canon
There are a handful of things that are different and a handful of things that are the same in this version of Sword Art Online.
First and foremost the biggest change is that anyone can practically be thrown into the game, whether they be from different countries, time periods, or universes. However everyone is still bound by the rules of SAO and its mechanics. The explanation for this would be that the Cardinal System (the AI engine essentially running and managing the game) is taking bits and pieces from fiction, nonfiction, and the past, and inserting them as life-like beings, or giving features to certain Players, such as new or completely different memories of someone else in the past. In roleplay terms however, this allows complete freedom and unique situations that would otherwise be impossible in canon.
- Note that it's still completely possible and fine to roleplay as either your future self, or an alternate timeline self where you were born later so that you'd be the same age as you are currently to play Sword Art Online. That, and/or you either speak Japanese, somehow got a Nerve Gear and a copy of SAO, or are in Japan yourself currently playing it (Luckily another change in the roleplay is that there's an auto translate system in play, so that even if you can't understand Japanese, you can still understand what they're saying and speak back to them like normal). Either way, you decide whether you want to be realistic about this, or completely go bonkers with it.
Second would also involve the Cardinal System, as it can completely take anything and everything and insert it into the game. Unlike in canon, the Cardinal System does not care about copyright, and would just take anything that exists on the internet and paste it into the game in some way, shape, or form.
Third, this version of Sword Art Online allows the players to use a variety of ranged weapons, such as bows and crossbows.
Since the list will probably get too long, here are the rest in quick, summarized versions:
- The overall name for Skills is called Magical Skill (Even though there's no magic/very limited magic in SAO).
- Aggro from most to least important are: Who hit the enemy last, the player's level, the player's Health. Players also have the ability to pull aggro via their Charisma stat or Skills.
- Floors 1-10 are 10 km in distance. Floors 11-20 are 9 km in distance. Floors 21-30 are 9 km in distance. Floors 31-40 are 8 km in distance. Floors 41-50 are 8 km in distance. Floors 51-60 are 7 km in distance. Floors 61-70 are 6 km in distance. Floors 71-80 are 5 km in distance. Floors 81-90 are 4 km in distance. Floors 91-100 are 3 km in distance.
- Parties are still 6 Players max, but Raid Parties can be as big as they want, however they're usually up to 48 people.
- Switch is now essentially a short distance "switch" teleport between other players.
- Players' avatars at 0 Health will still stick around for a short period of time before exploding into shards.
- Anyone can obtain the Unique Skills, such as Dual Wielding.
- There's no limit to what weapon you can wield, or what type of weapon you can pick up. This means that you can dual wield giant greatswords and shields, as well as craft weapons such as guns or cannons. Any kind of weapon can be theoretically made and used in this game.
- You can't harm a player 10 levels above and below you.
- There's actually a new bar for swimming called a "Swimming Bar", which dictates how much air you have while swimming underwater, unlike in canon where it just depletes your Health the longer you're in water.
- Original Sword Skills and simply original Skills in general are able to be made.
- There are tons of new Skills (as well as re-imagined Skills from canon and from other sources such as the games), and Passives are in the Tabletop RPG unlike in canon.
- The Tabletop RPG attempts to explore the themes SAO tried to express more often.
- The lore is expanded upon much more in the Tabletop RPG, but it still attempts to stay true to the original lore as much as possible.
- Players, enemies, NPCs, etc are much stronger in this version of SAO than in canon.
- Other than those above, the rest attempts to stay true to the original Sword Art Online as much as possible, lifting things directly from the light novels and other canon sources (with some other inspirations sprinkled in).
Blog Posts for the verse
User blog:DMUA/SAO Tabletop feat logu
User blog:DMUA/SAO Tabletop Explaination Blog
User blog:DMUA/SAO Tabletop: List of Status Effects
The year is 2022 and gamers have lined up on launch day for Sword Art Online (SAO), a hotly-anticipated MMORPG that lets players connect to an immersive virtual reality world with special helmets called NerveGear. But soon, Sword Art Online's 10,000 players discover that not only are they unable to log out, the only way they can return to their physical bodies is by beating the 100th floor final boss, and death in the game means death in the real world.
This story of Sword Art Online follows the exploits of various players who participated in the real life sessions of Sword Art Online: The Tabletop RPG, using nearly the exact same game engine as the Discord version, but still having very different feats.
Changes and Keeps From Canon
Most of the changes and keeps are the exact same as they are in the Discord version. The only differences are that the game is back to 10,000 players in Japan rather than millions of players all over the world, Magical Skill is called System Skill in this version, and Switch works just like in-canon.
Blog Posts for the verse
User blog:DMUA/IRL SAO Tabletop Featlog
The year is 2022 and gamers have lined up on launch day for Sword Art Online (SAO), a hotly-anticipated MMORPG that lets players connect to an immersive virtual reality world with special helmets called NerveGear. But soon, Sword Art Online's 10,000 players discover that not only are they unable to log out, the only way they can return to their physical bodies is by beating the 100th floor final boss, and death in the game means death in the real world.
This story of Sword Art Online follows canon the closest, taking even the most obscure game mechanics and adapting it to a tabletop setting. You yourself or your character in the world still play Sword Art Online to complete the death game. You are still human, abiding by the canon verse's rules as much as possible... yet you can still forge your own life— a new one in this world.
Changes and Keeps From Canon
Because this version of Sword Art Online Tabletop keeps to canon wherever possible, only filling in the gaps that are unknown, such as specific settlements and monsters on certain floors, there are no notable changes to be said from canon.Supporters and Opponents of the Series
Supporters:
DMUA (Mark is a good DM, who knows how to really use SAO's potential and juice it's theme and story to the max. Also I maintain profiles, so that's cool.)
Neutral:
Opponents:
Characters
Note: These characters will be constantly updated to their current versions in the RP, and will be separated into 5 keys for each set of 20 floors, so that in total, the characters only have 5 separate keys, something that shows as much information as possible without being overwhelming.
Clearers (High-level Players):
Asuna
Heathcliff
Lind
Kibaou
Agil
Jack
Shinpi
Serenity (Guild):
Zeke
Erold
Claire
Letrox
Koumari
The Party (Guild):
Keita
Sachi
Tetsuo
Sasamaru
Ducker
Laxus
Sage
Yuna
Nautilus
Mid-level Players:
Philia
Nezha
Rain
Bryan
MartieTart
Low-level Players:
Tanks_without_guns_are_just_really_thick_cars
DarkLordChinChin
PatrickStar
Scurra
Player Killers:
Kuros
Morte
Joe
PoH
NPCs/Mobs:
Illfang the Kobold Lord
Kagachi the Samurai Lord
The Strict Hermit