Thresholder, vol 4 options (non-voting)

This is a list of options for volume 4 of Thresholder. Each volume of Thresholder has a different setting, and volume 4 is going to be no different. This is a non-voting list of options, with the vote coming in a week or so. Volume 1 was 28 chapters, Volume 2 was 37 chapters, and I'm hoping that Volume 3 is somewhere between those. With eight chapters done so far, that means that Volume 3 won't conclude for at least another two months, maybe more, but I would like as much lead time as possible for Volume 4 so that 1) I can do work ahead of time 2) I can let the ideas marinate ahead of time 3) I can do any setup in Volume 3 (this is or should be minimal).

Voting might be in two weeks, idk. It'll also probably be weighted by tier, though since we're not doing voting now, I'll do it later. Descriptions are a fraction of total planning for each world, which all have skeletal outlines and descriptions for my own benefit (to make sure each is something that I would actually want to write). Descriptions are minimal in order to preserve surprises. Most of this lead time is for discussion, and in theory, this list might change based on feedback. I will not be answering questions at this time, unless somehow the community gets some idea that's totally out of line with what I'm thinking.

I encourage discussion on Discord, though note that it (and this post) are both open to the public, so no spoilers for stuff from Volume 3. If I mention an established property, it'll have the serial numbers filed off and be used as a jumping off point or a touchstone for the genre. Any details listed here are vibes-based and might not actually show up.

Oh geez, I nearly forgot: why am I doing this? Mostly, I thought it would be fun, and don't have super strong feelings about what Volume 4 looks like on the setting level. I don't normally do this sort of thing, but Thresholder seems uniquely suited for it. Maybe I'm wrong, and I'll find it unfun for some reason, but each of these are ones that I have plans for and think I would enjoy writing.

1. Magical Accessories World (guild of hats, cabal of rings, the duality of earrings)

2. Mad Max World (post apocalypse scavenger clans)

3. Capes* (superheroes and supervillains)

4. Magical Masks (spies and intrigue)

5. Dreamscape (dreams within dreams)

6. Weird West (occult gunslingers, gothic trains, oneric mines)

7. Isekai World (industrialization of summoned heroes)

8. Palimpsest (the constantly rewritten world)

9. Fantasy Solarpunk (STEM wizards using green technology, optimistic utopian solutions)

10. Tournament Arc (set matches against opponents with either secret or public powers)**

*Capes is the only one I'm on the fence about, and that's mostly because I think it's a genre with a lot of weight of expectations on it, way more than anything else. People are very particular about their superheroes, and it's a genre that's been torn apart and rebuilt to the point that it's hard to do something truly "new" with it. I've written unreleased superhero stuff and DMed some Mutants & Masterminds, but ... I don't know, it's the only one I feel some hesitance about, mostly because of audience stuff.

**This has been updated, since people were (wrongly) thinking that I was implying bringing back a bunch of old characters. It's way too early for that, and would represent a substantial shark-jumping.