Being an Introduction to The Mimir
for the Truly Clueless Reader

The Mimir was Inspired by TSR's Audio CD Mimir,
a part of the A Player's Primer to the Outlands set

TSR's Audio CD Mimir

If you haven't heard it yet, get yourself a copy from the Mimir.Net bookstore! The sound effects are fantastic -- the mimir's multi-layered voice being the most incredible of all. If you really want to hear the chant of the planes, do yourself a favour and buy this great product. The CD mimir is the perfect way to introduce new players to the game, or excite jaded players something really magical. -- Jon

Still in the dark?
Want more information? Read on!...

So what is this "Planescape" Thing, then?

Planescape's a setting for the AD&D role-playing game, though it can be played with any RPG system.

Excuse me, What's AD&D?

You really are clueless, ain't you? Don't worry, that's not a bad thing: Everyone has to start somewhere! AD&D is Advanced Dungeons and Dragons. It's a game where players take on the role of a character living in a fantastic world, where magic and dragons are real.

Oh, Dungeons and Dragons! Ain't that Devil-worship?

Erm...no. Devil worship supposedly involves babies being sacrificed, orgies around effigies of goats, drawing mystic pentagrams and the like. Dungeons and Dragons is a game. Quite a difference there really, berk!

Okay, I get the point. But ain't it a bit Childish?

Quite a hobby, this: Some reckon it's Satanic, others that's it's "Kid's Stuff". Couldn't say that about many things, could you?

Seriously, though, D&D is as childish as its players want it to be. Sure, it's easy enough for kids to learn, and exciting enough for them to enjoy. But there's a lot for the older gamer, too. In fact, most AD&D players aren't kids at all.

How do you Play?

One person is the Dungeon Master (DM), and he or she's the one who tells the story and describes the result of actions which the players' characters take. It's been likened to a board game, but without a board. Anyone can do anything they want, at any time. That might sound like a recipe for disaster, but there are plenty of guidelines and rules which you can use to structure the game, if you like. All it takes is a little practice and the knowledge that if some rule doesn't work, then you don't have to use it.

So how's Planescape different from other AD&D game worlds?

Planescape's one of the game worlds designed to appeal to the more mature gamer. While 'normal' AD&D is set in a mediaeval world where magic and dragons really do exist, Planescape's set in higher (and lower) Planes of Existence.

On the Outer Planes, belief is power, and the infinite planes reflect this. Each plane has its own ethos, ranging from the purest of good to the foulest of evil, with law and chaos in between. On these planes of belief dwell the most wondrous beings, made of the collective hopes and dreams of billions of mortals, but also the most terrible creatures, crystallised from the dark vices and desires of the same mortals.

While a 'normal' D&D game deals with saving princesses and battling terrible dragons, a Planescape game explores belief, philosophy and the nature of good and evil. Well, if you like that sort of thing.

So it's like Philosophy with Dice?

Yeah, sort of. A reader familiar with the main themes and ideas of philosophy will recognise a lot in the beliefs of the Factions (powerful guilds of individuals who share common beliefs about the nature of existence), and the mythologically-minded will notice that the myths of the real world have done a great deal to add richness to the Planescape multiverse.

The Outer Planes aren't only populated by philosophers and beings created by the subconscious thoughts of mortal, though. These places of belief are also the homes to the Powers; the incarnations of the various deities worshipped by mortals as 'gods'.

Some of these powers are drawn from the real world's history (the Greek, Celtic, Chinese, Egyptian, Indian, Babylonian, Japanese, Sumerian and Norse pantheons), and others are entirely fictitious. Planescape also explores the rights and wrongs of belief throughout the ages, presenting the major mythological religions in a form where they can interact and their stories can be told.

The Powers dwell in Realms, places which embody the being's Divinity itself, where petitioners (the souls of dead cutters who worshipped the Power) spend their afterlives. Petitioners aspire to merge with their Power by becoming like Him or Her in every respect. Bashers who don't worship particular gods, but follow their own moral and ethical codes, live on the open Planes themselves.

So, in Planescape, a real blood can visit the very Heavens and Hells themselves, interact with creatures and beings from mythology, and explore the nature of human belief. Oh, and we haven't even mentioned Sigil yet, the heart of the Planes...an impossible city ruled by a silent and deadly being called The Lady of Pain. That's a story for another time.

What's all this got to do with Mimirs? And why are there so many Skulls on this Site?

According to A Player's Primer to the Outlands (a sourcebook for Planescape), a mimir is a magical construct designed to provide information on all aspects of life on the Outer Planes. They appear as metallic skulls that jabber all sorts of information when asked, some useful, some not. This site draws on that magical item and (I hope) provides a comprehensive resource for Planescape DMs and players alike. Since Summer 1996 (when the online Mimir was 'born'), hundreds of generous planewalkers have donated bits of chant, art, and articles, and the Mimir has grown into a vast encyclopaedia of planar lore worthy, I believe, of the name 'mimir'.

Mimir was also, in the real world,a Norse giant reputed to know all. His head was cut off by a jealous rival (Odin, IIRC), and dropped into the Well of Mimir. Hence the disembodied head fixation, presumably ;-)

Why do you keep calling me Clueless?

Sorry, nothing personal. Just a Planescape joke...see, there's a distinctive style of talking called the Cant, based loosely on 17th century English slang, that is used in the planes. 'Clueless' is a term used for someone who doesn't know the dark (way) of things. Again, it's optional, but it just adds a bit of atmosphere.

Sounds like fun. So where can I learn more?

Planescape is published by TSR Inc., a US-based company now owned by the Wizards of the Coast. AD&D and Planescape products can be bought in many bookshops around the world, and specialist role-playing shops also sell TSR's books. In the UK in particular, Virgin Megastores and Waterstones are major AD&D stockists. In France, Planescape is available at Jeux Descartes and L'Oeuf Cube, and in Italy, try I Giochi dei Grandi.

However, a better bet is the online Mimir.Net Bookstore, which not only has all the latest Planescape titles, reviews and recommendations, but also discounts of up to 30%, and delivers anywhere in the world.

There's also a lot of AD&D information on the Internet. Try any of the major search engines with the keywords AD&D, ADND, PLANESCAPE or whatever.

TSR's official website can be found at: http://www.tsr.com/... The official website of Planescape is called http://www.planewalker.com, and is highly recommended if you want to find out more about this fantastic setting.

For another cutter's explanation of AD&D and Planescape, click here: http://www.reocities.com/Area51/Vault/9974/adnd.htm

You might also like to browse the Mimir's Planescape FAQ. It answers some of the most common questions about the Planescape world. It's aimed at cutters who know a bit about the rules of AD&D.

Finally, there's a Mailing List run entirely for bloods who love to talk about Planescape. There are around 350 folk on the list at present, and the discussions range from the technical, to the philosophical, to the downright bizarre. If this sounds like your cup of tea, check out the Mimir's Mailing List Page for the dark on how to join.

Thanks to Gianni Vacca for lending a constructive hand.

What's Where?

Being a brief map of the site, its main features and areas, also displaying which mimir knows which chant.

Consult A Mimir

Throw a mimir in the air, watch it hover and spin, then ask it a question. If it can, it'll spill all the chant it knows on that topic.