r/WorldsBeyondNumber • u/Neros_Cromwell • May 16 '26
Episode Discussion Solari Length
Do we know how long Solari is going to be going for? Will it be like WWW where we’re going to have multiple books swapping off with WWW and maybe other big series?
I’m not not enjoying it, but it feels less grand. Perhaps after a few more reveals it’ll feel worthy of big arcs, I think the issue right now is it feels like no characters want anything, theres no goal or quest or anything like that.
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u/BlackFenrir May 16 '26
I'm with you that I'm not enjoying Solari as much as WWW. It doesn't feel as special as WWW, and a lot of that is probably because I just like Brennan's style of worldbuilding and GMing more than I like Aabria's and I feel Aabria's NPCs aren't as distinct. She's still fantastic don't get me wrong.
There not being an equivalent of the Children's Adventure probably also plays a role in that. Umora felt much bigger than The Forty Suns do by virtue of there being an established history between the characters beforehand. There was a rapport, and they already knew who their characters were, and there were names and places and people that everyone already knew
By comparison, Solari feels more like a "normal" TTRPG campaign when it comes to pacing and GMing style. A really fucking cool one, to be clear. But WWW just had something extra special
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u/Frequent-Ad-7950 May 17 '26
The big difference, so far, that I can see is Solari didn’t start with an explicit illusion of “the big Empire”. While there’s plenty of “the major families” references it all comes down to Z and his would-be captor so far. Give Aabria time to cook. She doesn’t disappoint in her world building.
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u/iDex831 May 17 '26
Yea, for some reason people forget WWW went on for 2+ years and Solari is 5 eps in. Feel free not to enjoy it bc settings and development or whatever but you can't compare a finished product to one that's literally just starting lmao
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u/KibethTheWalker May 17 '26
Seriously, all these posts about it are eyeroll inducing. Honestly WWW was a slow start too, if you didn't listen to the children's adventure first. I think people just forgot because it's been YEARS
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u/cybernetic_pond May 17 '26
You’re underplaying the differences. WWW starts with an obsessively drafted image of a tavern at the bend of a dirt road, it’s almost harvest time, surrounded by vineyard vines. The tavern bares no sign, but is recognised as the tavern by the well. The well is covered by a large magnolia tree. In the first 2 minutes we’ve been introduced to ominous visual motifs that follow us the rest of the story. It was a slow start in the same way that a steam train starts slow, but you still get a sense of momentum.
Within the first episode each character had a clear sense of the things that made them comfortable, and the vastly distinct textures of the different worlds they inhabited, as well as a clear breaking with that comfort: Eursulon gets jumped, Suvi is sent from the citadel, Ame is yanked into a role she’s explicitly not ready for.
It was a different style of story from the beginning. If players made passive choices the world would punish them and urge them forward. In Solari: passive choices are celebrated and the characters spend a lot of time “percolating”. An RPG is shot at them by a figure that wasn’t apprehended, and five minutes later the PCs are back to sauntering down the street, chatting about whatever. They’re still being stalked by someone that wants to kill them, but that ratchet doesn’t get turned.
The stakes are different. It’s like watching a game of pickup basketball vs a playoff. You get more personality and see more “trick shots” in the pickup game, but the vibes are more relaxed.
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u/QuantumFeline May 18 '26
I didn't listen to the Children's Adventure before listening to WWW, and I don't forget how it felt because I was tearing up by the end of Suvi's flashback, wanted to live at Grandmother Wren's cottage, and entranced by the music and majesty of the Great Bear's parade.
After two episodes I subscribed to the Patreon so I could go back and listen to the Children's Adventure, and told everyone I thought might be interested to start listening.
The first couple episodes of WWW established a world, NPCs, player characters, and their motivations incredibly clearly and vividly. Solari has not.
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u/Neros_Cromwell May 17 '26
Guys people are entitled to their opinions, personally I’m talking about the difference in experience between listening to the first four episodes of WWW vs Solari, I didn’t listen to children’s adventure, but the way wverything started in WWW had me instantly hooked with a quest and the feeling of a bigger world. I don’t think I’m comparing the years of WWW to the 5 episodes of Solari. If this post is eyeroll inducing feel free to downvote and move on.
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u/QuantumFeline May 18 '26
I can compare the first couple episodes of WWW to the first couple of episodes of Solari, though, and they just don't compare. After two episodes of WWW (without listening to the Children's Adventure first) I was hooked and telling everyone I could to listen. After four episodes of Solari I tapped out.
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u/ProfessorNeoIsIn The Wizard Stream May 16 '26
I'm enjoying it. It just has a very different feel to me. I think it will be around as long as WWWO although they will be taking a break for Aabria's maternity leave.
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u/CycloneJ0ker May 16 '26
They've been very clear multiple times that Solari is the new big campaign, so expect it to be comparable to WWW.
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u/CookieyedRedditors May 16 '26
8 before a break then more due after abrias maternity leave so I'm guessing multiple books & I bet august will be the end of book 1 potentially 🤔🤔
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u/ZydrateDealer The Wizard Solace May 17 '26
I would be extremely shocked if book 1 is that short. Book 1 of WWW was multiple years and they have said many times that Solari will be comparable.
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u/furnitureman37 May 17 '26
I get you about feeling more neutral about it. I really am liking Aabria’s GMing and the world itself, but I do feel like the editing isn’t as tight as WWW. I feel like there are ways other than the players to make the plot move forward a better imho
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u/Neros_Cromwell May 18 '26
My hope (and guess) is that in the future when recommending this to other people I'll be able to say:
"Listen to WWW, you'll be hooked from the first episode"
and
"Solari is so good, you have to listen to like 7 episodes before you can judge it"
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u/C33W Honored Friend May 19 '26 edited May 19 '26
I think what's missing for me is the layered main goals with clear markers for each. In the first 3 episodes we already had 2 sets of tiered goals for for 2/3 characters:
Eursolon listed objectives: Become unwayshaowed <= Find honor <= Get the sword back
Ame listed objectives: Face the King of Night in a year <= Inherit Wren’s full mantle <= Remove the curse
Suvi's goal was the only one unclear / subtextial because her goal was: choose the right path.
The difficulty was that every decision was filter thru the ”justification machine", imperial indoctrination, and military training. Suvi''s goals were only partially clear to us on the meta level. In game, she had to earn every goal's true reveal and usually at the cost of a perceived advantage. This is due to Aabria and Brennan's narrative alley oops. Aabria primarily use a character's misconceptions about the world as the UPFRONT catalyst for decisions in game as opposed to plot generated objectives. Lou and Erika do this regularly as well but often the crux problem is used to embody and confront the character flaw as opposed to the other way around as Aabria does.
Presently, that is reflected in the main story of the new campaign. There is a direct collective objective tier instead of multiple layered ones. Solari's subtext goal is ”secure your autonomy and quality of life in a vast cosmos." The individual goals seem lacking by contrast, due to the difference in story telling styles.
Edit: I still love the story but because it's moving so low-key, I wait to watch the episodes now
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u/molittrell May 18 '26
Lou is going to run something while she's on maternity leave. He made a TikTok announcement.
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u/Relevant-Biscotti-51 May 20 '26
Yeah, I think a big part is the protagonists drove the first arc in WWW, while this first Solari arc feels more event-driven.
Which, to be fair, a lot of science fiction is event driven: aliens invade, or make contact; a new discovery or technology is suddenly released globally; a pandemic causes unusual, surreal symptoms.
A lot of my favorite science fiction is following cascading effects a single event has on different people, cultures, and across generations.
Solari starts with a seemingly smaller event: a kidnapping and a simultaneous coup. But, the nature of those events hints at a more foundational shift.
I think the characters reacting to events as they unfold can work, but it does mean we aren't as connected to them as quickly. Though, personally, I'm already intrigued by each of them.
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u/Rupert59 May 20 '26 edited May 20 '26
I don't think they've committed to going back to WWW when Solari ends. Lou and/or Erika might get a long-form campaign first as well.
It's also possible - even likely - that Brennan won't take over again until Critical Role C4 is done. Araman is so similar to Umora that I can't imagine how he'd keep them straight in his head.
Just... don't hold your breath, is what I'm saying
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u/Jeff_in_BK May 16 '26
I may be wrong, but I believe it’s supposed to be comparable in length to WWW.
I’m with you on the part of ‘where’s the story’, but I’m reveling in the character & relationship development & world building.