New Reality Seeds

[David Johnston2]

Originally Posted by YankeeGamer

Earlier than the discovery of isotopes, a mage might be thinking, "Can this be refined any further," and apply a purification spell/develop a purification ritual. Do it with the right stuff, and he'll get a couple of separate piles that are ALMOST identical. For example, refine pure carbon, and get a big pile and a small pile. Study shows that one is slightly denser than the other, but they're both carbon. Isotope studies are off to an early start...

Generally speaking I wouldn't let a mage do that unless he'd come up with a definition of "carbon" that was extremely precise so he could exclude "the carbon that isn't really carbon". And in order to develop that definition he'd have to have to have a pretty sophisticated understanding of mundane chemistry.

[AlexanderHowl]

Which was why I was suggesting mid-TL6 for isotopes. I would not even allow a mage to purify elements like oxygen and nitrogen until mid-TL5, when they are discovered.

[Flyndaran]

Oxygen may makes sense as the essence of vital air. That it's volatile would probably feed into an ancient's misunderstanding of chemistry.

[YankeeGamer]

One thing Centrum OR Homeline can do easily enough. Many times, a birth, lack of a birth, or the gender of the child can set things changing fast. Swap out the fetus of one of Henry VIII's wives with a male, either totally unrelated, or artificilly made after collecting genetic samples. Make sure that a particular baby is born with good genetics--or bad. Lots of long term options here that start with a better or worse baby. To make it even better, the intervention is essentially unnoticed, and the birth might just hint that the timeline is a parallel, not an echo.

[YankeeGamer]

I was thinking more about mini-Lucifer; it could become almost a rocketpunk setting. The mail rockets of Heinlein's tales could make it into the timeline in the 1940's.

Call the timeline Skyreach-1, or something similar...names wanted. I'm looking for a name that suggests a significantly premature reach for the skies in comparison to other technologies, where that reach is a major noticeable characteristic of the world.

I have a bunch of other mini timelines I've created...not really with a gaming focus, but with an alternate history focus. I'll be cleaning them up (they're old) and posting, if the interest is there.

[David Johnston2]

Originally Posted by YankeeGamer

One thing Centrum OR Homeline can do easily enough. Many times, a birth, lack of a birth, or the gender of the child can set things changing fast. Swap out the fetus of one of Henry VIII's wives with a male, either totally unrelated, or artificilly made after collecting genetic samples. Make sure that a particular baby is born with good genetics--or bad. Lots of long term options here that start with a better or worse baby. To make it even better, the intervention is essentially unnoticed, and the birth might just hint that the timeline is a parallel, not an echo.

The essential element of any plan is is a clear idea of what you'll be accomplishing with it.

[AlexanderHowl]

Originally Posted by YankeeGamer

One thing Centrum OR Homeline can do easily enough. Many times, a birth, lack of a birth, or the gender of the child can set things changing fast. Swap out the fetus of one of Henry VIII's wives with a male, either totally unrelated, or artificilly made after collecting genetic samples. Make sure that a particular baby is born with good genetics--or bad. Lots of long term options here that start with a better or worse baby. To make it even better, the intervention is essentially unnoticed, and the birth might just hint that the timeline is a parallel, not an echo.

Heck, you could inoculate or vaccinate a royal child against the threat that killed them in OTL. I would actually suggest giving Arthur Tudor antibiotics to prevent him from dying of tuberculosis, preventing the ascension of Henry VIII in the first place. With King Arthur I, you would have changed history.

[YankeeGamer]

Originally Posted by David Johnston2

The essential element of any plan is is a clear idea of what you'll be accomplishing with it.

Exactly! I was tossing out a method of changing things, once you know what you want to do.

[AlexanderHowl]

Tudor-3

Within Tudor-3, Arthur Tudor does not die of tuberculosis at the age of fifteen and becomes King Arthur I at the age of 23. Unlike his younger brother, he has no particular issues with reproduction, and his wife bears him six healthy children (three sons and three daughters) before he turns 27. Athletic and scholarly, King Arthur I exemplified the virtues of kingship that made his subjects compare him favorably with his namesake.

Now, 1529, King Arthur I has ruled England for 20 years. He has skillfully used subterfuge and trade to gain the dependency of Ireland and Scotland, though he admires and respects the people of each country. He has sponsored expeditions to North America and has made exclusive trade treaties with many of the tribes on the East Coast. He has also expanded trade with Spain and England benefits greatly from the gold and silver that Spain pays for English products.

[malloyd]

Originally Posted by AlexanderHowl

Heck, you could inoculate or vaccinate a royal child against the threat that killed them in OTL. I would actually suggest giving Arthur Tudor antibiotics to prevent him from dying of tuberculosis, preventing the ascension of Henry VIII in the first place. With King Arthur I, you would have changed history.

Eventually. This sort of thing works much better in an actual time travel game (where the effects are observable by moving uptime a bit) than it does in Infinite Worlds, where you still have to wait for the kid to grow up and assume the throne. If your saved prince falls off his horse sometime between when you save him and his father dies, which might well be years later, how much really changes?

Edit: As an aside, Henry VIII didn't actually *have* any problems with reproduction. He had something like a dozen children. It just happened that relatively few of them were legitimate sons who survived childhood.