Question about Infinity, Centrum, the Cabal...

[Tallor]

My reasearch-fu is failing me at the moment and I'd like to know--how would you describe the parachronic-capable factions? What are their strengths and weaknesses? Good things and bad things, that sort of thing.

[Flyndaran]

Centrum has some technological advantage but lacks the numbers, variety, and experience with other cultures and languages the other two have.
Cabal has everything inhuman and magical, but MASSIVE loads of infighting and cross purposes.
Centrum rarely cares about the secret, while Infinity will kill to protect it, and Cabalists will do far worse to protect the secret of magic and secondarilly evidence of it like world jumping.

[Tallor]

I remember reading that a "Light Centrum" would be a sort of socialist paradise, focusing on equality and perfecting a society that's strong enough to reach other worlds.

Or maybe I'm paraphrasing. I remember it was an interesting alternative got GMs who like an off-white v off-white morality play.

[ericthered]

It wasn't so much socialist as it was non-democratic meritocracy.

I generally run centrum light. Or at least run centrum agents as real people.

I get the feeling that everyone runs a slightly different infinite worlds. I know my version deviates from cannon in a couple of places.

[David Johnston2]

Originally Posted by ericthered

It wasn't so much socialist as it was non-democratic meritocracy.
s.

With a command economy.

[ericthered]

Originally Posted by David Johnston2

With a command economy.

I must have missed that part. Where is it?

[Tallor]

Originally Posted by ericthered

...
I generally run centrum light. Or at least run centrum agents as real people.
...

Except Centrums legendary Unattached Agents, who have the power and cold precision of a Synth Courser.

[robkelk]

Originally Posted by Tallor

Except Centrums legendary Unattached Agents, who have the power and cold precision of a Synth Courser.

That sounds like something out of Lensman, right down to the name "Unattached".

[cptbutton]

Originally Posted by Tallor

I remember reading that a "Light Centrum" would be a sort of socialist paradise, focusing on equality and perfecting a society that's strong enough to reach other worlds.

Or maybe I'm paraphrasing. I remember it was an interesting alternative got GMs who like an off-white v off-white morality play.

In GURPS Alternate Earths 2 there is a sidebar on page 110 "Centrum Dark, Centrum Light" discussing how to make it darker or lighter. It refers to another sidebar "The Federation" in error, because that sidebar was cut from the final version.

I asked about it on sjgames.gurps back in 2004, and Craig Neumeier kindly posted it. I've got a printout of the post, but nothing electronic. Basically a Centrum that relaxed after getting rid of Secundus.

Too lazy to look for any Centrum Light stuff in 4E right now.

Edit: I'd always assumed the "Technocracy" was a better term for Centrum.

Much later edit: Found it and typed it in downthread.

[cptbutton]

Originally Posted by cptbutton

In GURPS Alternate Earths 2 there is a sidebar on page 110 "Centrum Dark, Centrum Light" discussing how to make it darker or lighter. It refers to another sidebar "The Federation" in error, because that sidebar was cut from the final version.

I asked about it on sjgames.gurps back in 2004, and Craig Neumeier kindly posted it. I've got a printout of the post, but nothing electronic. Basically a Centrum that relaxed after getting rid of Secundus.

Too lazy to look for any Centrum Light stuff in 4E right now.

Edit: I'd always assumed the "Technocracy" was a better term for Centrum.

Finally got around to digging it out and typing it up:

Originally Posted by Craig Neumeier, LHN

The Federation

What does the future hold for Centrum? Assuming that the struggle with Secundus is resolved satisfactorily, it seems likely to become an autocratic empire chiefly distinguished for its reach, dominating and oppressing perhaps a few hundred worlds before its inevitable fall.

Better options are available, if Centrum can relax its paranoia and start to accept partners instead of only subjects. It could evolve into a coalition of advanced worlds, pooling their technology and resources, planting colonies, and sending scholars and diplomats to more primitive worlds. The Interworld Service could become a multi-world institution handling defense and exploration, while leaving ordinary transport to other groups. The setting might even come to resemble a certain well-known United Federation of Planets, spread across hundreds of parallel Earths instead of the Alpha Quadrant of the galaxy.