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Astromancer · 10-13-2017, 01:42 PM

Try this idea, one of Himler's henchmen at the Ahnenerbe (a man who dies in WWI in most timelines) studied germ warfare. He believed he could create a plague that would only kill Untermenschen. His race theory was garbage, as usual for Nazis, but his knack for breeding germs was brutally good. The plague collapsed the Reich in 1943.

Most of Europe, Asia, and Africa, were devastated by the Black Fever. Warm areas, particularly high population areas of old settlement, like Japan, China, India, or the Near East, were hardest hit. Only Australia and New Zealand escaped visitations of the plague. The USA maintained functional quarantines, but still it had some nasty outbreaks, mainly in warmer rural areas with less developed sanitation and healthcare. By 1980 the plagues were beaten by vaccines and improved antibiotics.

Culturally this world (local year 1989) is very different than most worlds with a similar history. With no A-bomb (Homeline thinks the USA knows how to build a bomb, but had no reason to complete one) and the biggest scientific story being the defeat of the Black Fever, science is seen as wonderful, noble and liberating. Anti-science viewpoints are limited to a right-wing fringe, as before WWII in our world. The recent successes of the aerospace planes in achieving low orbit and the launching of satellites are seen as the first step to the moon and from there to mars and beyond.

TV doesn't move from curio to mainstream household appliance until the late 1970's. Although this world enters TL7 at the beginning of WWII, as in most worlds, the plagues suppress the spread of technology into daily life by suppressing the economy. So most of the world experiences the coming of TV and personal computing at about the same time. The 1980's are a boom period over most of the planet.

The sexual revolution, and the civil rights movement happened during the plague years. Each was placed in a different light because of both the state of emergency caused by the plagues and the fact that government was the source of survival and protection during the plagues. Resistance to both the sexual revolution and the civil rights movement were muted because of the plagues, and in the USA, those areas that most resisted both movements were the ones most weakened by the plague.

As Stalin died during the plague, and the Western third of the USSR got as big a hit from the plague as Germany, communism did a fade out in the late 1940's. Mao seems to have died in the plague and China was in chaos anyway. Land reforms designed by Wolf Ladejinsky were used in much of the third world (a term that never came into vogue in this world) causing a worldwide movement toward democracy in the 1980's. Thus this world lacks communism and third-world-y Anti-western movements in the academy. Most developed nations are social-democratic, this includes the USA. The phrase "I'm from the government, I'm here to help." is seen as good news and a sign of hope.

However, all is not well. Right-wing movements, long out of power and unable to see a way back to power are bitter. Especially in Europe were the plague smashed the pre-war cultures and forty-five years of American influence create an illusion of American rule/hegemony. Their are rumors of people searching for the secrets of Hitler's plague.

Homeline doesn't want anyone finding the secret. The Cabal wants the secret because they believe the plague may have had an occult element. Centrum wants the plague because it wants to rework post WWII worlds according to its whims. Reich-5 wants the plague because this time they think they can make it work correctly. Which really explains just why Homeline wants this plague's secrets to stay lost.

Any good?

10-13-2017, 01:42 PM	#2807
Astromancer Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: West Virginia	Re: New Reality Seeds Try this idea, one of Himler's henchmen at the Ahnenerbe (a man who dies in WWI in most timelines) studied germ warfare. He believed he could create a plague that would only kill Untermenschen. His race theory was garbage, as usual for Nazis, but his knack for breeding germs was brutally good. The plague collapsed the Reich in 1943. Most of Europe, Asia, and Africa, were devastated by the Black Fever. Warm areas, particularly high population areas of old settlement, like Japan, China, India, or the Near East, were hardest hit. Only Australia and New Zealand escaped visitations of the plague. The USA maintained functional quarantines, but still it had some nasty outbreaks, mainly in warmer rural areas with less developed sanitation and healthcare. By 1980 the plagues were beaten by vaccines and improved antibiotics. Culturally this world (local year 1989) is very different than most worlds with a similar history. With no A-bomb (Homeline thinks the USA knows how to build a bomb, but had no reason to complete one) and the biggest scientific story being the defeat of the Black Fever, science is seen as wonderful, noble and liberating. Anti-science viewpoints are limited to a right-wing fringe, as before WWII in our world. The recent successes of the aerospace planes in achieving low orbit and the launching of satellites are seen as the first step to the moon and from there to mars and beyond. TV doesn't move from curio to mainstream household appliance until the late 1970's. Although this world enters TL7 at the beginning of WWII, as in most worlds, the plagues suppress the spread of technology into daily life by suppressing the economy. So most of the world experiences the coming of TV and personal computing at about the same time. The 1980's are a boom period over most of the planet. The sexual revolution, and the civil rights movement happened during the plague years. Each was placed in a different light because of both the state of emergency caused by the plagues and the fact that government was the source of survival and protection during the plagues. Resistance to both the sexual revolution and the civil rights movement were muted because of the plagues, and in the USA, those areas that most resisted both movements were the ones most weakened by the plague. As Stalin died during the plague, and the Western third of the USSR got as big a hit from the plague as Germany, communism did a fade out in the late 1940's. Mao seems to have died in the plague and China was in chaos anyway. Land reforms designed by Wolf Ladejinsky were used in much of the third world (a term that never came into vogue in this world) causing a worldwide movement toward democracy in the 1980's. Thus this world lacks communism and third-world-y Anti-western movements in the academy. Most developed nations are social-democratic, this includes the USA. The phrase "I'm from the government, I'm here to help." is seen as good news and a sign of hope. However, all is not well. Right-wing movements, long out of power and unable to see a way back to power are bitter. Especially in Europe were the plague smashed the pre-war cultures and forty-five years of American influence create an illusion of American rule/hegemony. Their are rumors of people searching for the secrets of Hitler's plague. Homeline doesn't want anyone finding the secret. The Cabal wants the secret because they believe the plague may have had an occult element. Centrum wants the plague because it wants to rework post WWII worlds according to its whims. Reich-5 wants the plague because this time they think they can make it work correctly. Which really explains just why Homeline wants this plague's secrets to stay lost. Any good? __________________ Per Ardua Per Astra! Ancora Imparo Last edited by Astromancer; 10-14-2017 at 05:07 PM.