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Old 02-03-2020, 11:51 AM   #21
Astromancer
 
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Default Re: Cross-time Adventure Seeds

Try this one...

The oldest known cemetery in Britain is at Aveline's Hole. However, most of the data was lost. But they've got a practical idea.

In this Q7 world were the Spanish Armada was able to invade England (mainly because Elizabeth had been assassinated in 1587 and there was a civil war going on). The local year is 1923 and the Tech Level is four almost five.

In this world the cave was never discovered so all the data should be undisturbed. However, this is particularly dangerous and unpleasant England. A Spanish speaking aristocracy rules Britain with and iron fist. The nation is brutally Ultramontan and Clericist tring to use repression to hold onto a power position that is beginning to wane. Repression is violent, quick, and brutal. The local inquisition has degenerated into something more closely resembling the Waffen-SS than any historical inquisition on Homeline.

Your mission, fine the cemetery and get the data without getting yourselves tortured to death.
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Old 02-03-2020, 12:03 PM   #22
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Originally Posted by Astromancer View Post
The oldest known cemetery in Britain is at Aveline's Hole. However, most of the data was lost. But they've got a practical idea.
What's wrong with going to a worldline in, say, 200 BCE, long before the rediscovery of the cave, and doing the work there?
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Old 02-03-2020, 12:49 PM   #23
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What's wrong with going to a worldline in, say, 200 BCE, long before the rediscovery of the cave, and doing the work there?
That would also have complications, Celtic Tribal warriors anyone? Basically they want a undiscovered cave on a No Manna world.

Myself, I wanted to gin up extra threat levels. Still, trying to excavate the cave in many timelines could be troublesome. Just dealing with an ordinary 19th century England can have its dangers. Have them blow up suddenly and confuse your PCs.
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Old 02-03-2020, 02:25 PM   #24
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What's wrong with going to a worldline in, say, 200 BCE, long before the rediscovery of the cave, and doing the work there?
The cave doesn't exist on all worldlines... which is odd enough on its own, despite the fact that history seems unaffected by its presence or absence. This might be why the cemetery seems to have an extra interest to Homeline researchers -- is it a recent crosstime phenomenon? Or just a really boring hole in the ground?
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Old 02-03-2020, 02:44 PM   #25
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Default Re: Cross-time Adventure Seeds

Not every time and place has an easily accessed close parallel.
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Old 02-03-2020, 08:12 PM   #26
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Despite the name evoking the famous, Groundhog Day, I think the plot more closely resembles the tv movie, 12:01.
Or the infamous Endless Eight from the Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi.

Bonus points if one character (with Temporal Inertia or some such) remembers all 15,532 iterations.
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Old 02-03-2020, 10:48 PM   #27
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The Melian Dialogues

As the world likes to remind Infinity operatives who think that the technically-minded should call the shots, everything is politics. In a democratic world like Homeline, that means politics depends a lot (not exclusively, but a lot) on public discourse and discussion. And that means that sometimes, for political reasons, a canny young filmmaker from gets a press license to film a documentary on Melos.

Jeannette Caron is sponsored by UNIC to do a series of interviews with Melos natives on the effects of cross-time contact on the timeline. So far, they've released three interviews on the Homeline internet; the plan is for at least a dozen. She and her very small crew (camera, sound tech, gofer) have a bodyguard detail from Alternate Outcomes, Inc. Naturally, they're being very closely monitored by all sorts of people, openly and secretly.

The PCs have a number of possible roles here: they could be Caron's bodyguard detail; they could be local fixers and/or agents looking to get their particular agency a conveyor or at least a leg up in the race to develop one; they could be Interworld or Infinity agents trying to prevent the locals from doing anything while maintaining the delicate state of affairs that's currently keeping the peace on Melos. Or, of course, they could be Ms. Caron and her crew, trying to find and share the truth.

More specific seeds based on this:
  • Caron and/or some of her crew have disappeared. Find and return them. Could be abduction, could be crazy art stuff, could be they were always an enemy asset.
  • Caron wants to interview someone from Centrum on Melos. Preferably several someones. Her UNIC handlers have agreed this is a good idea. Infinity thinks it's terrible, but is tasked with making it happen. Centrum is rather confused by the whole concept.
  • Centrum sees this as another gambit by Infinity and has responded in kind by sending their own team of filmmakers! Which team will make the best documentary? What headaches will it cause your PCs?

If the Cabal has any agents around, they're probably just enjoying the show.
Reminds me of Trouble With Tribbles--who can do some non-combat task wins. This could even revolutionize Centrum's approach to the Infinity conflict.

HMMMMM...could this be an even deeper plot by those that want to reduce Infinity's power?
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Old 02-04-2020, 06:05 AM   #28
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Inspired by a classic movie I just re-re-re-watched (Blake Edwards' The Great Race, a comedy masterpiece. And the late Natalie Wood really rocked the period fashions.)

On the world Britannica-6, aristocrats like to gamble. Now a group of them have decided to have a glorious race - circumnavigate the world!

Start in Paris, go overland through Europe and Asia, up to the Arctic Circle, then after a trip through the Americas back to the Arctic Circle and through Scandanavia, then through Britain. By then the Channel Bridge should be finished and the racers can end up in Paris.

But the aristocrats of this world are selfish, and rather than build decent public roadways, they simply improve their vehicle's suspension. And there are no accurate maps of most of the proposed route. So the proposed starting date is at least three years hence (circa 1890).

So while the aristocrats plan and design their racing phaetons, an expedition will be sent to map out the entire route. And ISWAT has managed to wrangle a couple of spots for agents.

Why is Infinity interested in this historical footnote? Because they have as little information on the world as the natives. Because the proposed routes go rather close to known locations of parachronic roadways and mystical sites in other worlds. (including the future Tunguska Impact Site.)

And because agents of both the Cabal and Reich-5's Raven Division have been identified in the expedition crew. And a Centrum agent is suspected.

So it's time to take a year or two (possibly three) mingling with the locals and trying to identify (and possibly neutralize) enemy agents with no backup. But of course there is no way of knowing what they will run into going through assorted foreign nations and possible war zones into Terra Incognita.

Good luck! Have Fun! And do Infinity proud!

(Sucker.)
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Last edited by Mysterious Dark Lord v3.2; 02-04-2020 at 06:08 AM.
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Old 02-04-2020, 07:52 AM   #29
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Reminds me of Trouble With Tribbles--who can do some non-combat task wins. This could even revolutionize Centrum's approach to the Infinity conflict.

HMMMMM...could this be an even deeper plot by those that want to reduce Infinity's power?
That is a wonderful take on the Star Trek episode I never considered. Once you remove the sci fi, it's a mystery plot without any real combat or military action. Not counting the barroom brawl of course.

I bet you could add it to nearly any setting and most players would take a long time to catch on.

A cold war isn't just assassinations, proxy wars, and violence.
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Old 02-04-2020, 01:21 PM   #30
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Try this one...

A swagman has decided to steal the crown jewels of England just before Parliament sells them. As the world the swagman plans to rob is an echo, such a theft might disturb the echo's history. Meanwhile, agents from both Homeline's Britain and the Cabal are in London trying to buy some or all of the jewels. The Cabalists are realy excited about Elizabeth Tudor's "Unicorn Horn." Everyone used to think it was just a Narwhal's tusk (those regularly wash up in Wales) but now Homeline wants a closer look.
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