What is OmniPark?
OmniPark is a fictional theme park, created by the equally fictional Dalton Teague. It is (would be) in Odessa, Texas, which is a real place, or at least as real as a college town can be.
Walt Disney divided Disneyland into 8 lands: Main Street, USA, Fantasyland, Tomorrowland, Adventureland, New Orleans Square, Adventureland, Critter Country, and eventually Toon Town. Walt Disney World is divided into 4 worlds: EPCOT, Animal Kingdom, Magic Kingdom, and Hollywood Studios, and 2 water parks, Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon.
OmniPark is divided into seven realms:
- The Realm of the Cell
- The Realm of the Deep
- The Realm of the Stars
- The Realm of Man
- The Realm of the Particle
- The Realm of Time
House Blackwood is a small press which is publishing an anthology of stories set at OmniPark. They have developed an amazingly thorough Wiki of OmniPark, its history, and its entertainments.
When I first heard of the anthology, I assumed OmniPark had either been a real theme park (now closed), or had been the setting of some TV show or movie I hadn’t seen. I couldn’t believe such a thorough Wiki would be developed for a completely fictional theme park. But as afreelance wordsmith who is hardcore Disney fan and a former SeaWorld employee, I was intrigued about the anthology. I wrote a story set in the Realm of the Deep and submitted it to them. The editor liked it and bought it. The editor has announced a Kickstarter to finance the publication of Tales from OmniPark.
If you enjoy RPGs, OmniPark would be an excellent setting for a role-playing game. I confess I was concerned at first that the theme would be too obscure for an anthology to attract readers, but if enough people invest in the Kickstarter, they might be interested enough in OmniPark to buy the book. If it does well, House Blackwood might publish a sequel or an authorized RPG, or even make a movie.
