New Reality Seeds - Page 518

johndallman · 11-01-2020, 06:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Astromancer

Homeline thinks the Cabal has done something to key leaders to divert energy into space exploration.

Homeline has missed an important detail. Was nuclear fission discovered on schedule at the turn of the year between 1938 and 1939?

Astromancer · 11-01-2020, 07:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by johndallman

Homeline has missed an important detail. Was nuclear fission discovered on schedule at the turn of the year between 1938 and 1939?

Yes. And read "Churchill's Bomb" for the state of British A-bomb research. I'll post a link tomorrow if I get a chance. Britain was by far the most advanced in A-bomb research in this period.

johndallman · 11-02-2020, 01:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Astromancer

Britain was by far the most advanced in A-bomb research in this period.

Indeed. This parallel would seem to be heading for an ICBM-based nuclear war quite soon. I'm surprised Homeline and Centrum haven't noticed.

TGLS · 11-02-2020, 06:08 AM

Uranium City
Quantum 3, 1939

In the early 1920s, breakthroughs in rocketry and a more flexible Admiralty led to a radically altered naval strategy by the British. Massive amounts of funds were redirected to a secret project in Northern Saskatchewan. Following the Sudeten Crisis, when German troops moved to occupy the rest of Czechoslovakia, Chamberlain issued an uncharacteristically firm "Back down or face prompt and utter destruction."

It was no surprise Hitler didn't back down. It was a much, much greater surprise that Germany was demolished in a barrage of nuclear missiles. It is April 1939; Britain and France are mobilizing to occupy a shattered reich; Japan, Russia, and America are scrambling to make up lost time in their own nuclear missile programs; and no one is sure if Britain can do it again.

Astromancer · 11-04-2020, 04:06 PM

Try this one...

When exploring the shores of the Lake called "Michigan" on many parallels including Homeline, the Coureur des Bois made a stunning discovery on the Western shore, the kingdom of Prince Madoc of Wales. The Coureur des Bois brought Jesuit Missionaries to serve as diplomats.

The Jesuits soon learned that the Welsh/Native American kingdom had drifted away from strictly orthodox Catholic teaching, which was something the sophisticated Jesuit Fathers expected. The "Welsh," as the Jesuits called them, quickly picked-up the technologies they saw and transmitted the same to Native American allies and trading partners.

Jump ahead to 1789, the new American Republic is expanding west. The Welsh Kingdom is Tech Level five but isolated and poor. They don't trust the English nor the Americans. The Jesuits, who run the local Church (in spite of their suppression eleswhere) sternly disapprove of the American republic. As they see it, Christians have kings. The Native Americans in this parallel have gunsmiths of their own, but they lack supplies of first-rate gunmetal. The Native Americans also make excellent gunpowder but in small amounts. Still, westward expansion is going to be harder for both the USA and Canada.

Astromancer · 11-05-2020, 04:24 PM

Try this one...

When it was first set up in 1882 the Society for Psychical Research was focused on the study of ghosts and mediums. But soon, because of the lack of evidence for the existence of ghosts and the obvious phenomena of the seances, the SPR turned to studying the mediums themselves. In most worlds, little or nothing comes of this, however, on this Q4 low manna world, substantial evidence of psychic phenomena has been found.

By 1912 a few hundred people worldwide have demonstrated reliable ESP and telepathy, and smaller numbers, a few dozens, have demonstrated TK, pyrokinesis, cryokinesis, clairsensory abilities, and precognition. Young people, especially prepubescent children, seem to learn these abilities most easily. Right now the functional psychics are overwhelmingly upper-class or upper-middle-class White people. Which reflects who might belong or be associated with the SPR. Period snobbery and racism seems to also limit who gets studied or taught.

Homeline wants to study this world because it's a good chance to get in on the start of psionic powers and skills. At the same time, psi skills are growing quickly, and most psis display multiple powers. Homeline is wondering if they're watching the development of a society of Psi Lords and brutalized Helots. Meanwhile, the Cabal is certain that's exactly happening. Some lodges want to get the Cabal's hooks into this world early. Others are getting ready to teach radicals, racial minorities, the poor, and non-Westerners, psi skills.

Basically, as the world drifts toward WWI it also drifts toward a Psi-powered class war.

Astromancer · 11-06-2020, 04:32 PM

Try this one...

Continuing the PSI and the Occult/New Agey theme, picture a parallel in Q6 were LSD trips cause people to develop PSI powers. If a person takes one LSD trip, a not uncommon thing in the sixties in some circles, they've got a 10% chance of developing a Psi Perk, 95% of which will be in either the ESP, Telepathy, or Probability Control, power groups. The overwhelming majority of the rest tend to be in the Healing, PK, or Ergokinesis, Powers.

Every additional use of LSD adds 15% to the chance of developing a Psi Perk. This is cumulative. Individuals who have developed a Psi Perk have a steady 60% chance of developing a new Psi Perk. With a cumulative 10% chance of the additional Psi Perk being in another power group. It takes time and focus to develop Psi Powers beyond the Perk level. LSD can inhibit this.

Basically, the PCs are either Flower Children or Hippie or other 60s Counterculture type who believe they have "Expanded their Consciousness." Or Law Enforcement or Intelligence/Spy types trying to shut this all down and prevent a drug-fueled apocalypse.

Do have goofy fun with all the Sixties stereotypes both for the Groovey Psions and the Squares chasing them.

Note: All sorts of people, many of them very nasty and power-mad, want control of these Psions and their powers.

David Johnston2 · 11-06-2020, 06:08 PM

The Roswell parallels are tentatively classed as "myth" parallels although something different may be going on there. Still, each of them is a world in which something more significant than a spy balloon was being covered up there in Roswell New Mexico.

Roswell-1: Roswell was the site of an honest to furshlugginer flying saucer crash complete with the discovery of three small humanoid crewmembers. The current year is 1995 and the world is in the middle of a massive freak-out over the secret finally having been confirmed. Infinity operatives have managed to get a look at the wrecked saucer and the alien remains and have confirmed that the aliens are goblins and the saucer, while possessing some sophisticated electronics was held aloft and propelled by enchantments. Obviously local scientists are having no luck at all figuring it out.

In this world the United States has a much more substantial space presence including a large space station and many more space probes, probably because it regards keeping a look out on space as a much more important priority.

Roswell-2: Roswell was the site of a anomalous meteorite strike that measurably decelerated before hitting. There is a underground lab underneath the Groom Lake test facility where the "meteorite" remains under study. It appears to be a hollow geode that cracked open on impact with it's interior lined with mildly radioactive, luminescent blue crystals. The current year is 1962, and a superhero has made his debut who at a guess would be 15 to 18 years old.

Roswell-3: Roswell was the site where the United States Airforce was studying a German wonder weapon that wasn't ready for deployment before the end of the war. One of their prototype electromagnetic levitation vessels crashed in 1947. The year is now 1960 and the U2 incident never happened happened because the United States is using flying saucers for spyplanes.

Roswell-4: in 1947 a prototype of the F-117 Nighthawk flew through a temporary rift from an 1981 echo. The pilot lost control of the notoriously unstable stealth fighter and ejected, with the crash leaving some very interesting debris. The local year is 1950, with a covert nation-wide manhunt on for the "alien" in full swing.

And most recently Infinity just lost one of its own conveyors into a 1947 echo. One guess where it emerged.

Apollonian · 11-06-2020, 07:15 PM

Here's one from a dream I had last night.

Brimstone (Q2)

Synopsis: At the cusp of the millennium, Earth is a peripheral power in an interdimensional cold war between Heaven and Hell.

In the early-80s, the world was invaded by Hell. The invasion was successfully repelled, at considerable cost; turns out high-speed lead and Cold War nukes are effective at defeating hellfire and slavering monsters, though some of the mind control magic the demons wielded was a real bear to deal with.

After the fighting was mostly over and the gates sealed (quite a few of them, all over earth), an angel and a devil appeared in front of the United Nations and made a joint apology. It seems that the invading demons had been from the interdimensional equivalent of North Korea, and the civilized world was offering Earth an aid package and a welcome to the community of nations. Several things quickly became apparent:

Heaven(s) and Hell(s) were quite a large number of extradimensional planes, none of which tracked to those of human mythology (but there were plenty of similarities.
There was an ongoing conflict between two factions, which the press promptly labelled Heaven (technically, the Seven Heavens) and Hell (or the Nine Hells); there are several non-aligned planes, but the real power is drawn to these two poles.
Earth, despite a very slight technological advantage, is at a severe material and magical advantage, and must play all sides against each other to survive as more than a puppet of one state.
Heaven and Hell just aren't that different from each other. Hellfire and cleansing fire are remarkably similar... As one sage said, "If you looked [at them] really closely, and had been specially trained, you could tell the difference."

(As might be expected, fundamentalists everywhere had a meltdown that is still in progress. It's somewhat assuaged by the fact that no one has gotten a straight answer as to what happens to the soul, or even if one exists - and so people can still come up with their own answers.)

It's now the cusp of the millennium. McDonalds and Starbucks have stores in Dis and Valhalla, demons cut deals with narcotraficantes in Central America, and every world leader of note has a demon and an angel at his shoulder - or at least on speed dial. Schools of magic have sprung up around the world, with various teachers trying to cope with Earth's low mana (one of the world's saving graces in this conflict).

And Infinity took one look at it and slapped a no-go label on the dimension immediately. The first scouts discovered it about three years ago. Further research has calmed some fears, but the whole thing is still quite risky. The heavens, hells, and other assorted planes are either some kind of strange skerry (Infinity's preferred explanation) or are a continuum of dimensions that are somehow orthogonal to Infinity's own. What is for sure is that it's impossible to use conveyors or projectors to get to one of the other planes.

Centrum is wholly unaware of Brimstone. Reich-5's Chronobahn doesn't seem to cross it. The Cabal... well, the Cabal might be aware of it, but Infinity hasn't seen any evidence of their meddling.

From a game perspective, Brimstone exists to give a supernatural twist to the old Earth-as-galactic-newcomer situation. Instead of aliens and starships, it's demons (or angels), hellgates and summoning circles. But the same tropes apply: humans making their way in a very large universe, trying to turn unfamiliarity and human uniqueness to their advantage. In an Infinity game, it can serve as either the center of the campaign (the eggheads back home have a lot of questions) or as a quick exotic tour destination - navigating a cosmic cold war in the equivalent of a Third-World capital while hunting down an errant swagman.

YankeeGamer · 11-06-2020, 10:19 PM

I had one oddball thought: For whatever reason, the nuclear forces are slightly different. The U-235 to U-238 ratio is such that enough that getting a large amount of nearly pure uranium can produce a self-sustaining fission reaction. The result is that nuclear power will be discovered--and discovered to be lethal--much earlier. The bombs, however, still need a Manhattan Project level of work; it's separating the isotopes, or making plutonium, that's difficult.

This will drive Infinity's scientists nuts, and the world is OFF LIMITS--how much nasty waste can be obtained for a dirty bomb?

11-02-2020, 06:08 AM	#5174
TGLS Join Date: Jan 2014	Re: New Reality Seeds Uranium City Quantum 3, 1939 In the early 1920s, breakthroughs in rocketry and a more flexible Admiralty led to a radically altered naval strategy by the British. Massive amounts of funds were redirected to a secret project in Northern Saskatchewan. Following the Sudeten Crisis, when German troops moved to occupy the rest of Czechoslovakia, Chamberlain issued an uncharacteristically firm "Back down or face prompt and utter destruction." It was no surprise Hitler didn't back down. It was a much, much greater surprise that Germany was demolished in a barrage of nuclear missiles. It is April 1939; Britain and France are mobilizing to occupy a shattered reich; Japan, Russia, and America are scrambling to make up lost time in their own nuclear missile programs; and no one is sure if Britain can do it again.

11-04-2020, 04:06 PM	#5175
Astromancer Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: West Virginia	Re: New Reality Seeds Try this one... When exploring the shores of the Lake called "Michigan" on many parallels including Homeline, the Coureur des Bois made a stunning discovery on the Western shore, the kingdom of Prince Madoc of Wales. The Coureur des Bois brought Jesuit Missionaries to serve as diplomats. The Jesuits soon learned that the Welsh/Native American kingdom had drifted away from strictly orthodox Catholic teaching, which was something the sophisticated Jesuit Fathers expected. The "Welsh," as the Jesuits called them, quickly picked-up the technologies they saw and transmitted the same to Native American allies and trading partners. Jump ahead to 1789, the new American Republic is expanding west. The Welsh Kingdom is Tech Level five but isolated and poor. They don't trust the English nor the Americans. The Jesuits, who run the local Church (in spite of their suppression eleswhere) sternly disapprove of the American republic. As they see it, Christians have kings. The Native Americans in this parallel have gunsmiths of their own, but they lack supplies of first-rate gunmetal. The Native Americans also make excellent gunpowder but in small amounts. Still, westward expansion is going to be harder for both the USA and Canada. __________________ Per Ardua Per Astra! Ancora Imparo

11-05-2020, 04:24 PM	#5176
Astromancer Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: West Virginia	Re: New Reality Seeds Try this one... When it was first set up in 1882 the Society for Psychical Research was focused on the study of ghosts and mediums. But soon, because of the lack of evidence for the existence of ghosts and the obvious phenomena of the seances, the SPR turned to studying the mediums themselves. In most worlds, little or nothing comes of this, however, on this Q4 low manna world, substantial evidence of psychic phenomena has been found. By 1912 a few hundred people worldwide have demonstrated reliable ESP and telepathy, and smaller numbers, a few dozens, have demonstrated TK, pyrokinesis, cryokinesis, clairsensory abilities, and precognition. Young people, especially prepubescent children, seem to learn these abilities most easily. Right now the functional psychics are overwhelmingly upper-class or upper-middle-class White people. Which reflects who might belong or be associated with the SPR. Period snobbery and racism seems to also limit who gets studied or taught. Homeline wants to study this world because it's a good chance to get in on the start of psionic powers and skills. At the same time, psi skills are growing quickly, and most psis display multiple powers. Homeline is wondering if they're watching the development of a society of Psi Lords and brutalized Helots. Meanwhile, the Cabal is certain that's exactly happening. Some lodges want to get the Cabal's hooks into this world early. Others are getting ready to teach radicals, racial minorities, the poor, and non-Westerners, psi skills. Basically, as the world drifts toward WWI it also drifts toward a Psi-powered class war. __________________ Per Ardua Per Astra! Ancora Imparo

11-06-2020, 04:32 PM	#5177
Astromancer Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: West Virginia	Re: New Reality Seeds Try this one... Continuing the PSI and the Occult/New Agey theme, picture a parallel in Q6 were LSD trips cause people to develop PSI powers. If a person takes one LSD trip, a not uncommon thing in the sixties in some circles, they've got a 10% chance of developing a Psi Perk, 95% of which will be in either the ESP, Telepathy, or Probability Control, power groups. The overwhelming majority of the rest tend to be in the Healing, PK, or Ergokinesis, Powers. Every additional use of LSD adds 15% to the chance of developing a Psi Perk. This is cumulative. Individuals who have developed a Psi Perk have a steady 60% chance of developing a new Psi Perk. With a cumulative 10% chance of the additional Psi Perk being in another power group. It takes time and focus to develop Psi Powers beyond the Perk level. LSD can inhibit this. Basically, the PCs are either Flower Children or Hippie or other 60s Counterculture type who believe they have "Expanded their Consciousness." Or Law Enforcement or Intelligence/Spy types trying to shut this all down and prevent a drug-fueled apocalypse. Do have goofy fun with all the Sixties stereotypes both for the Groovey Psions and the Squares chasing them. Note: All sorts of people, many of them very nasty and power-mad, want control of these Psions and their powers. __________________ Per Ardua Per Astra! Ancora Imparo Last edited by Astromancer; 11-06-2020 at 04:58 PM.

11-06-2020, 06:08 PM	#5178
David Johnston2 Join Date: Dec 2007	Re: New Reality Seeds The Roswell parallels are tentatively classed as "myth" parallels although something different may be going on there. Still, each of them is a world in which something more significant than a spy balloon was being covered up there in Roswell New Mexico. Roswell-1: Roswell was the site of an honest to furshlugginer flying saucer crash complete with the discovery of three small humanoid crewmembers. The current year is 1995 and the world is in the middle of a massive freak-out over the secret finally having been confirmed. Infinity operatives have managed to get a look at the wrecked saucer and the alien remains and have confirmed that the aliens are goblins and the saucer, while possessing some sophisticated electronics was held aloft and propelled by enchantments. Obviously local scientists are having no luck at all figuring it out. In this world the United States has a much more substantial space presence including a large space station and many more space probes, probably because it regards keeping a look out on space as a much more important priority. Roswell-2: Roswell was the site of a anomalous meteorite strike that measurably decelerated before hitting. There is a underground lab underneath the Groom Lake test facility where the "meteorite" remains under study. It appears to be a hollow geode that cracked open on impact with it's interior lined with mildly radioactive, luminescent blue crystals. The current year is 1962, and a superhero has made his debut who at a guess would be 15 to 18 years old. Roswell-3: Roswell was the site where the United States Airforce was studying a German wonder weapon that wasn't ready for deployment before the end of the war. One of their prototype electromagnetic levitation vessels crashed in 1947. The year is now 1960 and the U2 incident never happened happened because the United States is using flying saucers for spyplanes. Roswell-4: in 1947 a prototype of the F-117 Nighthawk flew through a temporary rift from an 1981 echo. The pilot lost control of the notoriously unstable stealth fighter and ejected, with the crash leaving some very interesting debris. The local year is 1950, with a covert nation-wide manhunt on for the "alien" in full swing. And most recently Infinity just lost one of its own conveyors into a 1947 echo. One guess where it emerged.

11-06-2020, 07:15 PM	#5179
Apollonian Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Shoreline, WA (north of Seattle)	Re: New Reality Seeds Here's one from a dream I had last night. Brimstone (Q2) Synopsis: At the cusp of the millennium, Earth is a peripheral power in an interdimensional cold war between Heaven and Hell. In the early-80s, the world was invaded by Hell. The invasion was successfully repelled, at considerable cost; turns out high-speed lead and Cold War nukes are effective at defeating hellfire and slavering monsters, though some of the mind control magic the demons wielded was a real bear to deal with. After the fighting was mostly over and the gates sealed (quite a few of them, all over earth), an angel and a devil appeared in front of the United Nations and made a joint apology. It seems that the invading demons had been from the interdimensional equivalent of North Korea, and the civilized world was offering Earth an aid package and a welcome to the community of nations. Several things quickly became apparent: Heaven(s) and Hell(s) were quite a large number of extradimensional planes, none of which tracked to those of human mythology (but there were plenty of similarities. There was an ongoing conflict between two factions, which the press promptly labelled Heaven (technically, the Seven Heavens) and Hell (or the Nine Hells); there are several non-aligned planes, but the real power is drawn to these two poles. Earth, despite a very slight technological advantage, is at a severe material and magical advantage, and must play all sides against each other to survive as more than a puppet of one state. Heaven and Hell just aren't that different from each other. Hellfire and cleansing fire are remarkably similar... As one sage said, "If you looked [at them] really closely, and had been specially trained, you could tell the difference." (As might be expected, fundamentalists everywhere had a meltdown that is still in progress. It's somewhat assuaged by the fact that no one has gotten a straight answer as to what happens to the soul, or even if one exists - and so people can still come up with their own answers.) It's now the cusp of the millennium. McDonalds and Starbucks have stores in Dis and Valhalla, demons cut deals with narcotraficantes in Central America, and every world leader of note has a demon and an angel at his shoulder - or at least on speed dial. Schools of magic have sprung up around the world, with various teachers trying to cope with Earth's low mana (one of the world's saving graces in this conflict). And Infinity took one look at it and slapped a no-go label on the dimension immediately. The first scouts discovered it about three years ago. Further research has calmed some fears, but the whole thing is still quite risky. The heavens, hells, and other assorted planes are either some kind of strange skerry (Infinity's preferred explanation) or are a continuum of dimensions that are somehow orthogonal to Infinity's own. What is for sure is that it's impossible to use conveyors or projectors to get to one of the other planes. Centrum is wholly unaware of Brimstone. Reich-5's Chronobahn doesn't seem to cross it. The Cabal... well, the Cabal might be aware of it, but Infinity hasn't seen any evidence of their meddling. From a game perspective, Brimstone exists to give a supernatural twist to the old Earth-as-galactic-newcomer situation. Instead of aliens and starships, it's demons (or angels), hellgates and summoning circles. But the same tropes apply: humans making their way in a very large universe, trying to turn unfamiliarity and human uniqueness to their advantage. In an Infinity game, it can serve as either the center of the campaign (the eggheads back home have a lot of questions) or as a quick exotic tour destination - navigating a cosmic cold war in the equivalent of a Third-World capital while hunting down an errant swagman.

11-06-2020, 10:19 PM	#5180
YankeeGamer Join Date: Dec 2017	Fission I had one oddball thought: For whatever reason, the nuclear forces are slightly different. The U-235 to U-238 ratio is such that enough that getting a large amount of nearly pure uranium can produce a self-sustaining fission reaction. The result is that nuclear power will be discovered--and discovered to be lethal--much earlier. The bombs, however, still need a Manhattan Project level of work; it's separating the isotopes, or making plutonium, that's difficult. This will drive Infinity's scientists nuts, and the world is OFF LIMITS--how much nasty waste can be obtained for a dirty bomb?