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Old 11-23-2019, 03:57 PM   #4461
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Default Re: New Reality Seeds

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The game of Go spread westward starting in the mid second century. Its remarkable simplicity made it an easier game to manufacture, and the already rich established culture of the game in the east spread with it.

There, the game found lasting purchase. Although Chaturanga, among other games, arose as a form of wargame, Go remained supreme. Roman streets were compared to the lines of a go board, tacticians studied the game's brilliant control of positioning.

It seems that this last element had widespread consequences. A subtle difference in tactics grew over the centuries, as western commanders saw the control of ground to be more important than the exact positioning of certain experts. Knights still existed, but rather than being heavy cavalry warriors, they were more like low-level commanders, less heavily armored. Individual soldiers were, in contrast, raised up in importance, and were critical to hold positions.

Battles tended away from pitched fights in open fields, and instead involved far more skirmishing.

This ultimately changed the entire history of Europe.
A really interesting changepoint PTTG. Switching the dominant metaphore or battle and struggle would create thousands of subtle changes
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Old 11-26-2019, 11:44 AM   #4462
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Default Re: New Reality Seeds

Try this one...

Elizabethan England had a fairly large scientific Community in London. Read The Jewel House, it covers the facts very well. But James VI and I saw little distinction between science and witchcraft, so it isn't until after the English Civil Wars science returns to full favor in England. But suppose James actually had a reasonable, for the period, understanding the the difference between science and witchcraft. Picture the scientific revolution coming about a generation or so early. On Dee-3, a Q7 world, this is exactly what happened.

James, on a visit to Elizabeth, was introduced to John Dee, Elizabeth needed to keep them both out of her hair. After initial leeriness, they warmed to each other and became fast friends. Dee became James' court Philosopher.

The local year is 1700, unlike Homeline in this year, the transition to Tech Level five is complete in England. Science is a prestige study in all British universities (in our own world neither Oxford nor Cambridge saw science as respectable until almost the 1860's, and certainly the sciences weren't high prestige until after WWII).

Centrum dislikes this world. Sure an English speaking empire is highly likely to dominate it, but progress is far too fast. Meanwhile the Cabal notes that this high science world doesn't bother with stigmatizing the occult. This world is a potential source of occultists with a strong science background, something the Cabal needs in its recruits. Thus, the fight is on.

Note: This is a low manna world were PSI works, a rarity on Q7.
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Old 11-26-2019, 11:49 AM   #4463
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Try this one...

Elizabethan England had a fairly large scientific Community in London. Read The Jewel House, it covers the facts very well. But James VI and I saw little distinction between science and witchcraft, so it isn't until after the English Civil Wars science returns to full favor in England. But suppose James actually had a reasonable, for the period, understanding the the difference between science and witchcraft. Picture the scientific revolution coming about a generation or so early. On Dee-3, a Q7 world, this is exactly what happened.

James, on a visit to Elizabeth, was introduced to John Dee, Elizabeth needed to keep them both out of her hair. After initial leeriness, they warmed to each other and became fast friends. Dee became James' court Philosopher.

The local year is 1700, unlike Homeline in this year, the transition to Tech Level five is complete in England. Science is a prestige study in all British universities (in our own world neither Oxford nor Cambridge saw science as respectable until almost the 1860's, and certainly the sciences weren't high prestige until after WWII).

Centrum dislikes this world. Sure an English speaking empire is highly likely to dominate it, but progress is far too fast. Meanwhile the Cabal notes that this high science world doesn't bother with stigmatizing the occult. This world is a potential source of occultists with a strong science background, something the Cabal needs in its recruits. Thus, the fight is on.

Note: This is a low manna world were PSI works, a rarity on Q7.
It strikes me that this would be a place where magic is OK, but only for men. Also just as Infinity's major goals are profit and secrecy the Cabal's major goals are magical power and secrecy...because if everyone's super, nobody is.
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Old 11-26-2019, 12:10 PM   #4464
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It strikes me that this would be a place where magic is OK, but only for men. Also just as Infinity's major goals are profit and secrecy the Cabal's major goals are magical power and secrecy...because if everyone's super, nobody is.
Magic might be okay, for those of proper station (as it pretty much was in
Elizabethan England, only those of low social standing or otherwise marginal faced witchcraft charges) but does that mean you know how to cast spells?
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Old 11-27-2019, 12:43 PM   #4465
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Default Re: New Reality Seeds

Try this one...

Stalin dies suddenly (he was in poor health anyway and never lived a healthy lifestyle) just before Hitler invades Poland. General Zhukov catapults to the role of leader, mainly because everybody wanted someone else to blame. Unlike Stalin, Zhukov always assumed that Hitler would stab the USSR before the USSR stabbed Germany. So he planned for Hitler's surprise attack.

When the fatal day came in June Zhukov struck hard. Barbarossa was thrown back violently. Poland is now the Eastern front in late October 1941.

Centrum wants to keep Japan out of the War. That way the USA never flexs it's muscles, there is no Marshall Plan and the original and progressive form of the Bretton Woods System (which strengthened democracy) will never come into existence. All of which Centrum feels will favor the British Empire and sideline the USA.

Homeline wants to thwart Centrum's plans and get Japan into the war. Meanwhile, Midwinter Aton is aiding the Nazis. They've introduced Jets into the Luftwaffe. The Cabal has decided to aid anyone trying to bring Germany down.

This is a Q6 Low Manna world.
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Old 11-27-2019, 05:25 PM   #4466
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Default Re: New Reality Seeds

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Centrum wants to keep Japan out of the War. That way the USA never flexs it's muscles, there is no Marshall Plan and the original and progressive form of the Bretton Woods System (which strengthened democracy) will never come into existence. All of which Centrum feels will favor the British Empire and sideline the USA.
They're very badly mistaken. US re-armament started in the 1930s, and was accelerated by British and French purchases of arms. So the USA is already arming up and expanding its armed forces.

If Lend-Lease has been enacted, the US will eventually be dragged into WWII by the Germans sinking USN ships, even if Hitler doesn't declare war on them.

If Lend-Lease is not in operation, Britain goes bust sometime in late 1941. Any harmful effects of the Marshall Plan and Bretton Woods are irrelevant; they won't happen because the UK and its empire have already collapsed.
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Old 11-27-2019, 07:25 PM   #4467
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Default Re: New Reality Seeds

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Centrum wants to keep Japan out of the War. That way the USA never flexs it's muscles, there is no Marshall Plan and the original and progressive form of the Bretton Woods System (which strengthened democracy) will never come into existence. All of which Centrum feels will favor the British Empire and sideline the USA.

Homeline wants to thwart Centrum's plans and get Japan into the war. Meanwhile, Midwinter Aton is aiding the Nazis. They've introduced Jets into the Luftwaffe. The Cabal has decided to aid anyone trying to bring Germany down.

This is a Q6 Low Manna world.
Keeping Japan out of the war requires ensuring its oil supplies aren't cut because of their war in China. Stealing an idea from the Zipang anime, Centrum should discover oil in Manchuria or North China so they can sneer at the oil embargoes. Or maybe engineering peace in China somehow.

Or somehow insuring that the US would stand aside and watch while Japan conquers the Dutch East Indies. So promoting isolationism in the US, or more focus on Europe, to the point where Japan decides not to attack the US.
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Old 11-27-2019, 07:30 PM   #4468
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They're very badly mistaken. US re-armament started in the 1930s, and was accelerated by British and French purchases of arms. So the USA is already arming up and expanding its armed forces.

If Lend-Lease has been enacted, the US will eventually be dragged into WWII by the Germans sinking USN ships, even if Hitler doesn't declare war on them.

If Lend-Lease is not in operation, Britain goes bust sometime in late 1941. Any harmful effects of the Marshall Plan and Bretton Woods are irrelevant; they won't happen because the UK and its empire have already collapsed.
Centrum isn't that good at Homeline history in cannon. So many of their plans must involve bad history.
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Old 11-27-2019, 07:31 PM   #4469
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Keeping Japan out of the war requires ensuring its oil supplies aren't cut because of their war in China. Stealing an idea from the Zipang anime, Centrum should discover oil in Manchuria or North China so they can sneer at the oil embargoes. Or maybe engineering peace in China somehow.

Or somehow insuring that the US would stand aside and watch while Japan conquers the Dutch East Indies. So promoting isolationism in the US, or more focus on Europe, to the point where Japan decides not to attack the US.
Good schemes Cptbutton.
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Old 11-27-2019, 07:39 PM   #4470
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Centrum isn't that good at Homeline history in cannon. So many of their plans must involve bad history.
I wonder if Centrum underestimates US industrial potential because of course democracies can't be economically efficient, as the Great Depression shows.
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