Quote:
Originally Posted by DocRailgun
How is Centrum any less arrogant than Homeline?
Infinity itself may have been founded on a lovely dream and there may well be a lot of idealistic Infinity agents, but we know that the nations of Homeline use the Secret to supply weapons and agents for Outtime nations they prefer - the Russians and the Israelis especially. We know that there are lots of groups with access to the technology that go exploit worlds for their own desires or just to steal resources from. How is (for instance) Russia trying to manipulate a worldline to make an Imperial Russia or USSR any different than Centrum trying to nudge a world to its preferred view of society?
Centrum's not really the enemy. The enemies of Homeline and Centrum both are Shokaku-Mon, Reich-5 and the Cabal. What's worse to Infinity's idealism - a centralized bureaucracy where everyone's has purpose and a modicum of freedom (if less than on Homeline) or a cyberpunk corporate dystopia? Homeliners might not want to live in a Centrum society but they sure don't want to be selling their votes for kibble and paper clothes like in Dark Consipiracy.
Centrum is "the enemy" because that's how the setting is intended to run, but it doesn't take much thought to realize that doesn't really make a lot of sense.
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It seems to make the same sort of sense as the First and Second World being enemies: sure, they'll join forces to defeat the Axis, but then proceed to hold the whole world hostage over their enmity.
Incidentally, when I look at Infinite Worlds, what I
want to see, either as a metaplot thing or a campaign premise, is some third majorly parachronic faction emerging, one that would unite the other worlds around its goal of stopping the former two worlds from covertly meddling in the affairs of others, going from world to world disclosing the secret and forging mutual defence treaties.
Sort of like the plot of Babylon 5, where in the end B5's commander stares down the Vorlons and Shadows and sends them off, ending their attempts to infringe on the sovereignty and independence of development of 'lesser' civilisations.