Quote:
Originally Posted by Astromancer
In each case I assumed some one who wanted to change history closer to what they desired. The Babbage timeline is easier. It's closer to what could have happened. The Holland timeline isn't so far off. The Dutch did nearly achieve an industrial revolution based on wind power.
Most Jumper altered timeline would involve romantics trying to rewrite history The WAY it Should have been!!! That means lots of nutburgers going to major battles and the like and trying to change things for their version of the better.
I agree that Babbage and Holland would be rare cases. You'd be more likely to get nuts with guns trying to kill major historical figures. But both of my jumper altered worlds assume that I'm trying to create something with gaming potential. Babbage-7 is a 19th century Europe about to get hit with something imcomprehensible to them. Holland-5 is just swasher goodness with clockpunk and steampunk add ins.
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Gaming potential in both is great. Babbage is your proto-typical steampunk, while Holland is pretty innovative. Swashbuckling clockpunk is something I'd adventure in.
I'm just questioning "why" does our Jumper want to change history in those specific ways. Shooting Hitler, or saving Lincoln or Kennedy are easy enough to understand, at least from an American viewpoint :) But Holland? The Jumper couldn't find a Holland dominant timeline he likes so he builds his own?
Do you see your Jumper as a highly motivated Dutchman that really would like to see a specific Holland timeline? I think that introducing a few innovations at exactly the right points in history is doable, but would be expensive to research and implement, especially for just one guy. And there is no guarantee he gets what he wants. Easy enough for those innovations to be stolen/sold to the English/French/Turks and THEY get the power. Unlikely, but possible.
I can see the Jumper as conducting an experiment in altering timelines. Either for himself or a sponsoring group of some sort. Either out of scientific curiosity, which makes it an ethical problem of experimenting on humans, or out of entertainment, which makes it a reality show with a very limited audience.