New Reality Seeds

[malloyd]

Originally Posted by Astromancer

My goal was to bring Samurai (seriously cool) and Swashbucklers(seriously cool) into conflict. I know that Alaska is far nearer to Japan than Polynesia is. I was going strict rule of cool.

That more or less actually happened in those clashes in the Philippines, and it would be fairly easy to engineer during the Dutch-Spanish-Qing conflicts in Taiwan too if Japan hadn't been in the process of withdrawing from the world that decade. And it's not like you can't eventually stage those conflicts in California. Yes historically it's a more than a century before the Spanish really cared enough to exert much effort in California, but there were expeditions all through the 17th century, and if they'd encountered a substantial Japanese colony, the Viceroy of New Spain presumably would've felt he had to do *something*.

[thorr-kan]

Originally Posted by TGLS

Well, it is what the Manila Galleon took.

Not quite "Great Circle" but even better for this purpose. It doesn't go as far north, and it ends up in Mexico to interact with the entire South American Pacific coast. I think we have a winner.

Thanks!

[Astromancer]

Try this one...

It was well known that Toyotomi Hideyoshi announced his intention to conquer "Korea, China, and Minilla." In this Q6 world, Hideyoshi decided that the Spanish were a threat, so he'd take Manilla first. Although the attempt to conquer Korea went as it did in our world, Japanese control of the Philippines took. By 1620 Japan, still ruled by the Tokugawa Shogunate, ruled the Islands of Southeast Asia East of Java.

At present both the Southern and Northern Dynasties of Vietnam are allied with Japan, as are the Dutch in Java and the pirates of China;s Southern coasts. The Ming Dynasty is beginning to fear conquest. Those Jesusits have interesting ideas, more importantly, the Spanish soldiers that come with them offer interesting weapons technology.

Basically, take the Thirty Wars War reduce the Gothic Horror Elements and replace with Wuxia and maybe a little Clockpunk.

[Astromancer]

Try this one...

In this Q6 world. one of Elenore Roosevelt's friends became friends with members of Robert Goddard's family. This pinballed into Goddard meeting the Roosevelts and explaining to them the benefits of satellites both for communication and weather forecasting. FDR, already foreseeing war in Europe shrewdly sees the importance of both those and other things.

FDR, playing to Goddard's tendency toward secrecy, sets up a confidential military program to achieve orbital flight. In February 1942, the USA orbits the first satellite. By 1943 the US military has a crude but functional set of communication satellites.

Under Truman, the Space Program was seen as a safe way to challenge the Russians. Manned spaceflight was proof of Western superiority, and the need to compete in Space justified the introductions both of Federal spending on schools and national standards for the same. The "Jim Crow South" did object, but attacking the new education standards was seen as the same as being pro-communist. Even Ayn Rand altered her politics to accommodate national educational standards.

By 1960, American schools, except in those areas of exceptional summer heat, has year-long schooling. National curriculum standards, teachers paid for all of the job ( at present American teachers are paid for less than half the job, classroom instruction only) and federal funding for schools replacing local property taxes, thus allowing poor areas equal access to education.

The local year is 1975, the American Moonbase is under construction. The USA has transitioned to tech level eight already. Brezhnev is facing a stronger richer USA. The Soviets have permanently manned space stations, as does the USA and NATO, but they can't afford moonbases. Worse, the internets and mass computing coming on so quickly in America will spur new levels of growth.

Only an attack soon could preserve Mother Russia from losing the Cold War.

Basically, Russia is led by a vindictive creep who can foresee America totally by-passing Russia once and for all. The openness and free communication offered by the internet could only terrify a Stalinist like Brezhnev.

Homeline and Centrum want to prevent a final war. Meanwhile, there's a lot of Cabalist activity on this world, why?

[Prince Charon]

Originally Posted by Astromancer

Basically, Russia is led by a vindictive creep who can foresee America totally by-passing Russia once and for all. The openness and free communication offered by the internet could only terrify a Stalinist like Brezhnev.

Homeline and Centrum want to prevent a final war. Meanwhile, there's a lot of Cabalist activity on this world, why?

Always nice to see a timeline where Homeline and Centrum are willing to broadly cooperate.

[Astromancer]

Originally Posted by Prince Charon

Always nice to see a timeline where Homeline and Centrum are willing to broadly cooperate.

Glad to please.

[Kymage]

Originally Posted by Astromancer

Try this one...

FDR, playing to Goddard's tendency toward secrecy, sets up a confidential military program to achieve orbital flight. In February 1942, the USA orbits the first satellite. By 1943 the US military has a crude but functional set of communication satellites.

One butterfly effect here is in order to orbit satellites, the United States will have to develop rocketry at a quicker rate. You would have the USA with IRBMs in the early 1940s, that would lead to the ability to use those rockets on enemy cities. Basically 1942 with some 1955 military equipment. Also, would they be able to develop nuclear weapons to the point where there could be used in the rockets of the day?

I see many potential butterflies here.

[David Johnston2]

Originally Posted by Astromancer

Basically, Russia is led by a vindictive creep who can foresee America totally by-passing Russia once and for all. The openness and free communication offered by the internet could only terrify a Stalinist like Brezhnev.
?

You and your suicidal dictators who love nothing more than to attack the people who are sure to obliterate them. The truth is, the Western internet is a wonderful thing for any dictatorship that wants to keep up in the technological race and spread propaganda.

[Astromancer]

Originally Posted by Kymage

One butterfly effect here is in order to orbit satellites, the United States will have to develop rocketry at a quicker rate. You would have the USA with IRBMs in the early 1940s, that would lead to the ability to use those rockets on enemy cities. Basically 1942 with some 1955 military equipment. Also, would they be able to develop nuclear weapons to the point where there could be used in the rockets of the day?

I see many potential butterflies here.

I'm glad of that. Goddard making friends with the Roosevelts is a rich change point.

[Astromancer]

Originally Posted by David Johnston2

You and your suicidal dictators who love nothing more than to attack the people who are sure to obliterate them. The truth is, the Western internet is a wonderful thing for any dictatorship that wants to keep up in the technological race and spread propaganda.

Then why did the old Soviet Union react to the internet and Personal Computors with horror and repression? Why foolishness of course, but Brezhnev was a reactionary. All he could see in PCs and the internet was a total loss of control. Remember, phonebooks were top secret in the old Soviet Union, the internet had to look like the apocalypse. So while you have a solid point, Brezhnev would never have seen it.