The word “ficton” was coined by science fiction writer Robert Heinlein in the novel Number of the Beast. The word simply means a fictional world. Heinlein gives Oz and Wonderland as examples, but some fictons look just like our own world, such as those that house Moby Dick and The Maltese Falcon. No matter what it looks like, a ficton is governed by natural laws that differ from our own. These laws generally owe more to drama than to physics.

Our Ficton

The Hex ficton, where many of our products are set, is like our own world, only immeasurably weirder. Things we only see in genre fiction in our world are part of the history of this world, and legends are generally true. Unlike the situation in many other fictional settings, the general public knows about monsters, magic, jilted deities, orgone supercomputers, and all the other weird stuff that exists in the world. Most people think of these things like we think of serial killers–they know these things exist, but don’t expect to actually encounter them first-hand. Most people try to ignore the weirdness and lead normal lives.

When we say “the Hex ficton,” we’re usually talking about the modern-day earth-like world inhabited by M-Force and the like, but the Hex ficton isn’t limited to a single world or time period. If you want to run a historical adventure where Dr. Phillip Points uncovers ancient blueprints for a cathedralpult, venture into outer space with Groovin’ Zed & The Roller Kings, or have a dimensional rift to Qerth open up in the Herrick Agency’s basement, go right ahead. In the Hex ficton, Los Zapatos can battle the Frog Men, M-Forcers can tangle with the demons of Haunted Hollywood, and stars from the Universal Rasslin’ League can take a weekend trip to Camp Waka’Naka. It’s up to your gaming group to decide which organizations, characters, and settings you want to explore.