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Old 09-09-2017, 08:06 PM   #2791
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Briefly. The problem with making Scotland more important is much the same one with any timeline where you want to turn somebody marginal into a serious power. Henry doesn't recognize Scotland as an equal power largely because it isn't one. England has 8 to 10 times the population, and the economic imbalance is probably larger than that. The English can afford to lose this battle, or this entire army, and simply raise another one and come back next year. The Scots by and large can't. If Henry and James actually do manage to "duel to the death" Scotland ceases to exist. Their "victory" condition isn't defeat the English, it's make it too expensive to be worth the effort of conquest.
It isn't about Scotland dominating England. Even when the King of Scotland got the crown of England, it was Scotland that was absorbed. It's about an interesting alternate military game. Scotland under James IV is at an advantage when fighting Henry VIII because he's both smarter and shrewder than the English king. It's brains versus power.
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Old 09-09-2017, 09:07 PM   #2792
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Sadly, I've been reading more crazy conspiracy stuff than interesting history stuff lately. So here's something about a really old conspiracy!

Back when Catholic immigration to the USA was at its peak in both volume and resentment, there was this idea going around that the Pope was trying to infiltrate the US and form a new Vatican...in Cincinnati. A quick Google search failed to indicate any potential reason for Cincinnati, of all places, to be chosen as the conspiratorial New Vatican, which just made it sillier. And because I like taking silly things seriously, beating them up until I've forced them to make a little sense first, I came up with the following seed.

In our timeline, George Calvert, First Baron Baltimore, sought to found a refuge for English Catholics. He tried first in what is now Avalon, but since he made the mistake of settling it in Canada, he found it rather chilly for his tastes. So he instead tried settling farther south in a city he named after his title: Baron-quilla. No, seriously, he founded Maryland,* or at least got much of the paperwork in place before dying. After said death, his elder son, Cecil, became Proprietor of Maryland as well as Proprietary Governor of Maryland, Newfoundland, and Avalon, and the snazzy title "Baron Baltimore". Cecil's little brother, Leonard, was appointed governor, essentially doing the things that Cecil was too busy being 1,200 miles away to do.
Imagine that something in Leonard changed to let him maneuver to take direct control of Maryland. Maybe he argues, bribes, and blackmails for the powers and privileges of Proprietary Governor to be formally given (rather than merely delegated) to the governor; maybe he convinces someone to split up the Baron Baltimore proprietary governorships, gavelkind-style; maybe he stuffs an inn full of manure and lets it explode. One way or another, we have a new leader of Maryland, and we can use whatever made him into a wannabe Tywin Lannister as an excuse to have him behave in ways that would probably be out of character for the historical Leonard.
In our timeline, Maryland was the first of the thirteen colonies to pass a law vaguely resembling modern protection of religion. It just protected Christianity—and even then, only Trinitarian Christianity—but hey, baby steps. Luckily for me, it seems to be attributed to the Proprietary Governor's decisions rather than the local governor's execution or a big local movement. This might be a basic misinterpretation, or Great-Man-Theory at work, but it still gives me enough wiggle-room to say that alt-Leonard might not do the same. Instead, he tries to turn Maryland into a safe haven for Catholics wishing to flee the conflicts in Europe and move to a new world, full of fellow Catholics. (These would presumably be mainly British, with some Germans and perhaps Scandinavians following suit.)
Whether or not this succeeds doesn't matter, so long as it brings more Catholics to Maryland and any anti-Protestant measures are struck down by the King or forcibly removed by angry Protestants thoroughly enough to allow Maryland to integrate some with surrounding colonies as they expand. The integration wouldn't be perfect, of course. Being more actively Catholic would not endear Maryland to its neighbors; chances are that it wouldn't be as integrated with Virginia and Pennsylvania as they are to North Carolina and New York, making Maryland the definite border between northern and southern US. Also, Annapolis (founded by Puritans fleeing to Maryland) probably wouldn't exist, or at least would exist elsewhere (possibly northern Carolina). This would probably lead to some small-scale changes with side effects that are hard to predict, but I'll try.
By the mid-18th century, Maryland would hopefully be sufficiently-integrated with surrounding colonies for Catholics to bleed out and Protestants to bleed in. This would probably lead to greater Catholic acceptance in the new USA, though still not total, especially once the mismanagement of the American colonies and the subsequent Revolution made much of the nation suspicious of accepting overseas rule, secular or sacred. The situation would change in the early 19th century, when the Archbishop of Cincinnati (presumably not Edward or John) had a falling-out with the Pope. In our timeline, Leo XII was very ill and thought likely to die shortly after being elected, but he recovered well enough to rule for five and a half years. In this timeline, he dies within months of being crowned. (Perhaps throw in some handwave about disease patterns changing from the Catholics moving to Maryland and some Protestants being dissuaded from doing so because of Leonard.) The more modernizing Pope Pius VIII (favored successor of Pius VII and OTL successor of Leo XII) came to power in 1824, cheesing off whoever this timeline's Archbishop of Cincinnati is. This ultimately leads to the secession of many American Catholic bishops from the Roman Catholic Church. The new Colombian Catholic Church (CCC) is supported by Catholics who think of themselves as Americans first and Catholics second or worse (especially those who think of themselves as "Christian" before "Catholic" as well). Some Roman Catholic churches remain, of course, and most of the US is Protestant. This would cause all sorts of religious tensions within the United States, and potentially between the US and other nations (particularly Roman Catholic ones).
An optimist might suggest that the CCC would find some kind of solidarity with near-Catholic Protestants out of disliking the Pope, but from my understanding of Catholic history, most people who disliked the Pope but liked the idea of a Pope just elected their own Pope (blackjack and hookers optional), so this is unlikely, save perhaps the occasional splinter group deciding that central leadership isn't so bad.

Side possibility:
Spoiler:  


I also came up with a rough draft, cut short by double-checking one of my facts and discovering Maryland as a good source of American Catholics.
Spoiler:  


*Though sadly for the fate of my joke, Baltimore was actually founded nearly a century after his death. Worse, it was technically named for his son, who had been dead for half a century when it was founded.
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Old 09-11-2017, 05:50 PM   #2793
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Originally Posted by malloyd View Post
Briefly. The problem with making Scotland more important is much the same one with any timeline where you want to turn somebody marginal into a serious power. Henry doesn't recognize Scotland as an equal power largely because it isn't one. England has 8 to 10 times the population, and the economic imbalance is probably larger than that. . .
You are absolutely correct -- as far as Scotland is on its own.

Remember the Auld Alliance.

Independent Scotland was generally allied with France. Perhaps in the aftermath of a crushing Scottish victory at Flodden (Alternate History) the young & energetic Francis I could take more effective measures to cut back the power of England.

Then, of course, the Hapsburgs would get involved (IIRC Charles of Spain was a nephew of Queen Katherine of Aragon (the latter sobriquet was not just for show in The Six Wives of Henry VIII) and things can get VERY interesting . . .
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Old 09-15-2017, 11:12 AM   #2794
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Try this idea, Henry VIII's younger sister Mary wed King Louis XII. Louis died soon after. But what if his health had been marginally better and he'd have gotten Mary pregnant with a son?

That would leave the King of France a clamant of the Crown of England. Now Mary Queen of Scots Henry VIII great-niece, had no qualms in marrying Lord Darnley her first cousin, and a violent syphilitic drunk. So she'd have no problem marring a close cousin who was King of France. (Especially as the King of France she did marry was mentally handicapped and never when through puberty, Mary sure could pick them.)

So, in our world Elizabeth Tudor never wed because A) she'd lose all her personal money, due to clauses in her Father's will, and be brutally dependent on her husband, B) there was no man she could pick without causing a crisis, and C) she had Protestant options for heirs. In this setting C) is gone.

Elizabeth must marry quickly early in her reign and produce heirs. There will be a crisis.

This would be a game of conspiracy and swashbuckling in a highly glamorous setting.
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Old 09-19-2017, 12:47 AM   #2795
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Centrum would be pushing for Mary marrying the King of France, as it would bring about this world's own version of the Anglo-French Empire.

What if it it's an echo, and Louis XII's extended life was a long-term plot by Centrum? They don't usually try shifts that long-term, but perhaps the idea of an Anglo-French dynastic union was too much to resist.

Make it that Homeline only recently discovered this echo - are even surprised that it is still an echo, still pushable. Centrum has been testing a long-lead shift here both for the Anglo-French union and because Infinity wasn't present - until now.

At this point, Mary's married to Louis XII's son, and Infinity has to stop the full union of nations from happening.
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Old 09-22-2017, 12:01 PM   #2796
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Centrum would be pushing for Mary marrying the King of France, as it would bring about this world's own version of the Anglo-French Empire.
Good point. The marriage of Mary Tudor to Louis XII followed by Mary of Scotland Wedding their son would be the best way to bring that about.

Having a plot like that bring on a desperate Habsburg response, somewhat aided by out timers dropping hints on weapons tech, could make a good swashers game too.
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Old 09-22-2017, 01:49 PM   #2797
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Good point. The marriage of Mary Tudor to Louis XII followed by Mary of Scotland Wedding their son would be the best way to bring that about.

Having a plot like that bring on a desperate Habsburg response, somewhat aided by out timers dropping hints on weapons tech, could make a good swashers game too.
It would also see some nasty internal resistance "How can a king of England grow up in France! Shocking!". Which just makes things more complicated.
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Old 09-22-2017, 04:39 PM   #2798
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It would also see some nasty internal resistance "How can a king of England grow up in France! Shocking!".
Clearly unthinkable. Why it hadn't happened since Mary's grandfather. That would be Edward IV - born in Rouen, spent the last few years of his youth in Calais after the Yorkists were temporarily run out of England in 1459-60.
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Old 09-22-2017, 06:40 PM   #2799
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It would also see some nasty internal resistance "How can a king of England grow up in France! Shocking!". Which just makes things more complicated.
Again a good point. Proto-nationalist feelings were strongest in England and France.
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Old 09-25-2017, 01:02 AM   #2800
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Again a good point. Proto-nationalist feelings were strongest in England and France.
Something Centrum would have a hard time coming to grips with. Centrum already hates nationalism, and certainly wouldn't expect it on a timeline as far back as this one (before The Treaty of Westphalia, which most IRL political theorists state as the beginning of the concept of the 'nation-state').



In the old, 1990s GURPS Time Travel, there was a list of some successful Centrum interventions, and one was Queen Mary of England executing her sister Elizabeth. There was also a reference to a Q7 former echo in the sixteenth century, Arachne, where Centrum deliberately revealed its presence in order to facilitate making the timeline a satrapy of Centrum.

If you put those two together, you would have a timeline kind of like this Queen Mary of Scotland & France one (albeit a different Queen Mary), but with open Centran dominance.
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