Alternate Crosstime Organizations

PTTG · 05-21-2018, 12:22 AM

The US Library of Congress Parallel Texts Project.
Homeline

A small team of somewhat eccentric librarians assigned to locate "notable" free and open-source media where doing so doesn't put the Secret at risk. The staff consists of those too competent to discard but too problematic to field in combat missions, or else those with exceptional connections but no real qualifications for crosstime travel.

Your missions consist of visiting nominally safe worldlines and collecting free texts, although the rules are scrupulous. Most notably, no manipulation is allowed; the librarians can effectively only accept a freely given offer; even if they have the opportunity to scan a text, the rights must be legally transferred* (after all, this is going in THE Library of Congress). Historical echoes have heightened restrictions, down to insisting that librarians take a number of actions to reduce their "Butterfly Footprints." And of course, none of you have a license to kill.

Essentially, they're Homeliners who aren't especially powerful, bound to end up way over their heads sooner or later. Even played straight, it's an entirely social heist.

*There are two soft exceptions to this that come up fairly often. First, the bylaws state that where copyright law is vague, a copy of digital scan of a text may be obtained provided written permission and signature of an appropriate officiant. This means that magical texts can be photographed and entered so long as the wizard that wrote them signs off on it, and he can be paid to do so. The second is that in historical echoes, any text that's already in the archives of the Library of Congress maybe scanned -- but not taken -- freely. This is intended to allow, for instance, a digital scan of the Declaration of Independence taken while the ink is still wet. Of course, historical echoes have other challenges.

05-21-2018, 12:22 AM	#11
PTTG Join Date: Feb 2011	Re: Alternate Crosstime Organizations The US Library of Congress Parallel Texts Project. Homeline A small team of somewhat eccentric librarians assigned to locate "notable" free and open-source media where doing so doesn't put the Secret at risk. The staff consists of those too competent to discard but too problematic to field in combat missions, or else those with exceptional connections but no real qualifications for crosstime travel. Your missions consist of visiting nominally safe worldlines and collecting free texts, although the rules are scrupulous. Most notably, no manipulation is allowed; the librarians can effectively only accept a freely given offer; even if they have the opportunity to scan a text, the rights must be legally transferred* (after all, this is going in THE Library of Congress). Historical echoes have heightened restrictions, down to insisting that librarians take a number of actions to reduce their "Butterfly Footprints." And of course, none of you have a license to kill. Essentially, they're Homeliners who aren't especially powerful, bound to end up way over their heads sooner or later. Even played straight, it's an entirely social heist. *There are two soft exceptions to this that come up fairly often. First, the bylaws state that where copyright law is vague, a copy of digital scan of a text may be obtained provided written permission and signature of an appropriate officiant. This means that magical texts can be photographed and entered so long as the wizard that wrote them signs off on it, and he can be paid to do so. The second is that in historical echoes, any text that's already in the archives of the Library of Congress maybe scanned -- but not taken -- freely. This is intended to allow, for instance, a digital scan of the Declaration of Independence taken while the ink is still wet. Of course, historical echoes have other challenges.