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This article is about the Cosmic game itself. For details about the overarching plot, see Cosmic Game. For the other game, see The Game.

The Truth The Whole Truth 2
Universes & Unrealities (also known as The Cosmic Game) is a game spanning time and space played by Celestial beings, apparently similar to Dungeons & Dragons, but the 1vs1 avatar battle looks to be played as a PvP online game. It is sometimes simply called The Game.

It was central to the Cosmic Game plot-line that dominated the comic for years, until its end in Heaven's Not Enough, Part 3.

General Information[]

Universes & Unrealities focuses on players getting followers to worship them and an avatar to act on their behalf. To gain followers players can offer deals, project dreams or perform limited miracles, but are restricted by the mana they have to do it, which accumulates in the players' temple headquarters; spawn location of the temple can give bonuses like a bigger mana pool. The followers fill up players' mana as their main function.

Between followers, the player can choose an avatar which will have a share of his power, exceeding that used on miracles. Avatars have classes and they grow in different manners according to it. Some classes grow quicker but sometimes it can be disruptive to the mortals.

The session of Universes & Unrealities played in Housepets! is mean to be a duel between the players, who had chosen Earth of Dimension Prime as their battle map. The winner will lead their gaming group and the loser will be locked in a mortal body for a full lifetime.

Rules[]

Although not all the rules are stated in the story, some of the basics are known such as:

  • The only allowed parties are Cats and Dogs.
    • Since Pete could take Keene as minion and used Zach as prophet, maybe other species can be part of the game but not be directly involved.
  • The game must not prevent mortals from passing into eternity unmolested.
  • The Free Will and Free Agency Rule: Mortals must agree with the Celestials requests, they cannot be forced to do something.
    • Being goaded, blackmailed, misled, or otherwise tricked into compliance still constitutes agreement, even if the mortal is unwilling.
    • The Policy of Intrinsic Benevolence (see below) surpass this rule.
  • Policy of Intrinsic Benevolence: The Celestials can perform actions for a mortal's own good with or without consent.
    • Sometimes if it is for the best of the mortal, mortal choices can be overridden.
  • Players can not use their magic to directly influence enemy characters or third party characters.

Major Players[]

KitsuneSmall
Great Kitsune

Great Kitsune serves as the Game Master, and as such, tends to take an indirect role in the game itself; he mediates rule disputes between Pete and the Spirit Dragon, and doesn't appear to think very highly of them due to their constant squabbling. However, he admits to having a fondness for mortals, and has a personal policy of "intrinsic benevolence", so that the actions of the game will not bring them any harm. He also clues King in to the fact that he can earn rewards for himself by willingly participating in the game.


PeteSmall
Pete the Gryphon
Pete is the central character in the game, and most of the plot revolves around his actions. He was sealed away in an ancient temple for an indeterminate period of time before being released by Zach. He first appears to Grape in a dream (it is from this dream that the name "Pete" is taken; his real name is unknown), and it is later revealed that he initially chose her to be his avatar in the earthly realm, but this action was blocked by the Spirit Dragon for reasons that have not yet been revealed. Upon his release, he sought out Joel and turned him into King, presumably for the purpose of using him as an avatar instead, but this was done against King's will, in violation of the game's rules; consequently, Pete was banned from the mortal world until he is able to acquire a "full avatar". He has taken a special interest in Joel, and was last seen being taken into custody in Heaven after attempting to steal Joel's fate from there. Pete's precise motives and ultimate goals remain unclear, but Griffin has stated that he is motivated by more than simple malice.

He Played with a strategy of 'early sacrifices, later rewards' but was countered by Spirit Dragon. Pete began the game by spawning his temple in the middle of the desert for a big mana pool. He was locked inside the temple by Dragon's curse of the Mysterious Temple, restricting his abilities to just project dreams. This caused Pete to have a delayed start due to the difficulty of gaining followers. Desperate, Pete made promises about equality between Humankind and Animal-kind successfully getting a mortal human to relocate his temple in a better location, a forest close to a city. Here Pete begin to finally gain followers, and his temple was finally open by Zach but he could not be used as an avatar. Being some millennia behind Dragon, Pete decided he would use an avatar with a powerful class. While still trapped in the temple, his target was Grape at first as the Dream Sunderer. Peanut was another option but he was incapable to take any of them thanks to Dragons own followers. Pete switched to a Dark Paladin class which gets bonuses for mortal age and youth; to get both, Pete turned the human Joel Robinson into a dog: King. Although King was not yet his avatar, Pete kept working with King. Dragon interfered one last time with Pete's plans, which resulted in King's situation being determined to be against the rules by Kitsune, forbidding Pete to enter the game's arena and meddling with King. Pete didn't give up so easily and attempted to force King's cooperation by stealing his fate in heaven, but was caught. Finally, after King became accustomed to being a dog, Pete tried to turn him into his avatar by stating that he will forfeit within a year, a fact that will turn King back to human. When the year was nearly over, King called to Pete in order to call his bluff. When Bailey learns about The Game, she chooses to take King's place and became Pete's avatar, a White Avenger, an avatar more powerful than the one King would had been.



SpiritDragonSmall
Spirit Dragon
Not so much of Dragon's strategy is shown, but it appears that she wanted to force Pete to give up by sabotaging every plan of his. What Dragon did in the past millennium is not clear, although she did have an avatar named Satau in 5000 BC. In recent times she gained followers by granting them powers, Tarot being her current avatar, Sovereign Spiritist class, and Sabrina serving as relief. Dragon likes the things her way and when that isn't the case it appears she may whine and be generally upset.


Trivia[]

  • Even though Universes & Unrealities being called The Game at times it must not be confused with The Game (a mistake Peanut made in Callback Theater).
  • For this play was used the 467 Billionth Edition of Universes & Unrealities.
  • It is possible this play had Babylon as a previous setting, although no stated, there are some hints:
    • In And She Said It Had No Practical Value, in the first arc of Pete (Grape's dream), it is said the "tomb" (temple entrance) has Akkadian writing that Peanut read. Babylon was an Akkadian City.
    • The battle map shown in The Truth, The Whole Truth has "BABYLON" printed and "GARDENS" added with red marker.
    • In On Purpose Keene stated that his 'father', picked an old legend from Mesopotamia alluding the deal he made with Pete. Babylon was city of Mesopotamia.
    • Satau, who was Spirit Dragon's 2nd avatar is from ancient Egypt in 5000 BC.
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