New Reality Seeds

[PTTG]

HG Wells makes a chance encounter with a somewhat eccentric scholar in Animist religions and Egyptology in the mid 1890s. As a result, The Island of Dr. Moreau ends on a lighter note, which (possibly along with other changes) results in a bit of a craze in the west. A subculture of "Moreau-ites" (sometimes derided as "Moreau-ons") take on animal characteristics with costume and spiritualism.

This group took on a bit of inertia, eventually rising in prominence so that now, (in 1999,) some 20-30% of society is or has been a Moreau-ite.

Infinity is pretty much whelmed by this -- it's a bit odd, but when you've seen the Earth where everyone turns inside-out at night, the one where lots of people are furries doesn't even register. It's a reasonable enough place to pop over to if you're trying to get some cover for a weird-looking ally, though.

[PTTG]

Double-post.

Well, hey, since I have this:

Evert: The half of the Earth facing away from the sun has a standing mana field that turns living human beings into gruesome undead monsters overnight. The transition is considered an unpleasant but necessary part of life, and on the plus side it allows injuries to heal very quickly.

The mindless, shambling forms are essentially inside-out human beings, and simply seeing one normally triggers a fright check. They are about as aggressive as the average territorial predator, but won't chase people out of their homes, and they don't fight each other.

[Astromancer]

I'm reading a history of the immediate post-WWII period focused on the question of why, with the massive incentive of two monster wars behind them, the world's leaders couldn't forge a stable peace. Right now the idea this book gives me is simple. Have Truman announce to the Senate, "Chiang Kai-shek has lost China." Explaining his regime is too corrupt and hated to stand. However, Mao's communists are at odds with Stalin. Stalin wants Chinna for a subordinate, if the USA offers China's communists an alliance, Stalin would be blocked in the East. Basically, this is what Nixon did. The right didn't want it done period. However, if we allow Truman a shot to pull off what Nixon did, the early Cold War is radically changed in the USA's favor. The Korean war probably doesn't happen, or China makes sure the West wins, for generous considerations of course.

Try a local year of 1956 for this Q6 parallel. The Suez Crisis and the Hungarian Revolution coming so soon after the Kim regime is chased out of Korea has Khrushchev deeply worried and frightened for the future of the revolution. Both Khrushchev and Andropov understand how weak their position is. In this world, they've paid more attention to the worldviews of Western Marxist and Western populations in general. They know crushing the revolt would split the Left worldwide, at the same time they fear appearing weak. Meanwhile, in the USA Truman is finishing his third term (he's the only president that the 22nd Amendment doesn't apply to) with a strong progressive Democrat elected to follow him. Truman doesn't want to leave his successor a vast intractable mess. Meanwhile, the GOP senators are calling for decisive action, in hopes of either humiliating Truman or the new President, or both.

Centrum wants this world to have a WWIII now, before they have too many A-bombs. Their agents are doing anything they can to stir up a crisis on the Sino-Soviet borderlands and to make events in both Eastern Europe and the Middle East look worse to everybody. For reasons unknown to Homeline both the Cabal and several groups of Swagmen are helping them. Icops will need to both prevent the war and find out why the Cabal and the Swagmen want Centrum to succede in this world?

[Apollonian]

Originally Posted by Astromancer

Centrum wants this world to have a WWIII now, before they have too many A-bombs. Their agents are doing anything they can to stir up a crisis on the Sino-Soviet borderlands and to make events in both Eastern Europe and the Middle East look worse to everybody. For reasons unknown to Homeline both the Cabal and several groups of Swagmen are helping them. Icops will need to both prevent the war and find out why the Cabal and the Swagmen want Centrum to succede in this world?

For extra fun, give the investigators a good reason to want to start WW3 - maybe this is actually a Taft parallel and if a war doesn't shake things up soon, The Stars Will Be Right.

[TGLS]

Starting WW3 isn't terribly difficult. Just slip a suitcase nuke into NYC. Of course, Centrum might figure that would lead to WW3.

I don't see Stalin reacting this limply, though their posture goes defensive. Korea is unlikely; a defensive war means the Soviets have an excuse to get directly involved, while the offensive war doesn't. Perhaps even no Manchuria to Mao... Suez would still be bit of a boon to the Soviets, as it either disrupts relations between American and France, Britain and Israel or America looks like it supports imperialism.

[Astromancer]

Originally Posted by TGLS

Starting WW3 isn't terribly difficult. Just slip a suitcase nuke into NYC. Of course, Centrum might figure that would lead to WW3.

I don't see Stalin reacting this limply, though their posture goes defensive.

Stalin is already dead in 1956, Khrushchev and Andropov are running the USSR.

Korea is unlikely; a defensive war means the Soviets have an excuse to get directly involved, while the offensive war doesn't. Perhaps even no Manchuria to Mao... Suez would still be bit of a boon to the Soviets, as it either disrupts relations between American and France, Britain and Israel or America looks like it supports imperialism.

Now Stalin wanted to make the Korean War into World War III. His dead canceled the plan. Stalin's subordinates thought the USSR would get beaten in a World War. Stalin had the typical fantasy that the West lacked "Spirit/Will" and could be easily beaten.

This world assumes that, with the Chinese Communists allied with the West, the Korean War fizzles out early with Kim and his crew fleeing to Vladivostok .

The suitcase bomb would be a poor choice, Homeline would learn too much. Why not put your bombs on tramp freighters? Place a bomb in every US port. America would be furious and out for blood. As port cities tend to be progressive the politics of the USA would be slammed to the hard right. The USSR would get a big lead and cause loads of misery and destruction. The eventual victory of the West would lead to a brutal and regressive period lasting decades. The world would be an easy mark for Centrum.

[TGLS]

Originally Posted by Astromancer

Stalin is already dead in 1956, Khrushchev and Andropov are running the USSR.

Yeah, but certainly he's going to react to Mao changing sides. If the alliance with Truman happens before the civil war ends, the Soviets would probably start backing the Nationalists. If it's before the Korean war, I find it difficult to believe he would start the war; starting a war when you could easily be flanked like that is just daft.

Originally Posted by Astromancer

Now Stalin wanted to make the Korean War into World War III.

Assuming that everything happens mostly on schedule, I'd say he failed to escalate.

Originally Posted by Astromancer

The suitcase bomb would be a poor choice, Homeline would learn too much. Why not put your bombs on tramp freighters? Place a bomb in every US port. America would be furious and out for blood. As port cities tend to be progressive the politics of the USA would be slammed to the hard right. The USSR would get a big lead and cause loads of misery and destruction. The eventual victory of the West would lead to a brutal and regressive period lasting decades. The world would be an easy mark for Centrum.

There's nothing subtle about a nuclear attack, regardless of the type. It just comes down to whether Centrum would do it or not.

One other thought, would the Nationalists still get Taiwan, or would the Americans ferry the Communists over?

[Astromancer]

Originally Posted by TGLS

Yeah, but certainly he's going to react to Mao changing sides. If the alliance with Truman happens before the civil war ends, the Soviets would probably start backing the Nationalists. If it's before the Korean war, I find it difficult to believe he would start the war; starting a war when you could easily be flanked like that is just daft.

Stalin was always afraid that China could challenge Russia for the leadership of the world communist movement or start an anticolonial movement in competition with Russia. Sure Stalin would object to splitting the world communist movement, but it was already split. Creating an open split would have deeply frustrated and pained Stalin.

Assuming that everything happens mostly on schedule, I'd say he failed to escalate.

True.

There's nothing subtle about a nuclear attack, regardless of the type. It just comes down to whether Centrum would do it or not.

Centrum fears a final war scenario. An atomic war in 1956 (if it is basically like our 1956) would be a vast horror, but it wouldn't be the end of the world. Centrum might see a world that went through that horror as being easier to mold and control. A 1956-1960 world war would cancel the cultural movements and transformations of the 1960's, or at the very least move them back decades. Centrum would love that. Democracy would take a huge hit. The economic chaos would slow technological development for decades and the anti-technology culture in so much of European society would be greatly strengthened. All plus for Centrum.

One other thought, would the Nationalists still get Taiwan, or would the Americans ferry the Communists over?

Without American support, I assume the Nationist disintegrate. Chiang made his government way to accommodating to every petty warlord and local political boss. Without constant American aid, the Nationalists would have disintegrated. The Taiwanese are lucky that Chiang's snares eventually pulled his clique down and they formed a functioning democracy.

[Astromancer]

Try this idea, Stalin lives a few years longer, he gets his shot to do what it is known he wanted to do, launch WWIII. Basically, Stalin escalates the Korean War. Although the early parts of this war looked fatal for the West, as the war dragged on, Russia economy fell apart. As few nukes hit the USA, the American economy ground on.

The USSR simply collapsed in 1957. Although American troops were clearing out warlords for a decade.

The local year is 1970. In spite of years of aid, Russia is still a basket case. Europe is finally enjoying the postwar prosperity it had in Homeline's late 1950's and early 1960's. The USA is busy with a Civil Rights movement and the Unions, which were temporarily suppressed during the war, are also back with a vengeance and tightly allied with the Civil Rights movement.

The main action that interests Homeline in this Q6 world is in the Colonial Empires. WWIII pretty much but decolonization on hold. The chaotic aftermath of the war also discouraged colonies seeking independence. Now, Algeria is in revolt. As is Vietnam, and half of Africa.

The USA in this world is very much New Deal in its politics and proudly anticolonialist. Meanwhile, Europe, just getting back to prosperity after three devastating wars in forty-three years, looks at losing their colonies as a final humiliation. Centrum feels it can gain influence in this Europe. Also, the simple fact that this Europe has excellent linguistic scholars who passionately believe in empire as an ideal, give Centrum a resource they need.

Meanwhile, the anticolonialist rebels have lots of people who Centrum could recruit as well. They just need to present themselves in the right light. Homeline is becoming aware of this and is trying to block Centrum.

Meanwhile, the Cabal has been active in this Europe since the end of WWIII. The Occult scene in Europe was stronger and more passionate because of the emotional pain caused by the third war and the collapse of communism and its millennial promise of revolution. This allows both a higher quality of recruit and easier hiding in a crowd.

Another influence is at work in the world which Homeline and Centrum are both trying to trace. Someone is introducing advanced technology into this world. The extra world war and the economic chaos caused by it have slowed down technological development. Someone is clearly trying to speed technology up. TL eight solar panels and integrated circuits are being produced in the USA. Certain German firms are using TL8 chemical processes. Japan and the USA have displayed industrial robotics and quality control systems that are mature TL8 if not advanced.

Who is doing this and why?

[Astromancer]

Try this idea, remove Al-Ghazali from history. Simply have him die young or otherwise fail to be an influential author. Al-Ghazali's utter hatred of secular thought has marred Arabic culture for centuries.

In this world, Islam doesn't get to the industrial revolution first, they lacked key resources in the right areas, much like China. However, when the changes come, there is less resistance to them. The Printing Press is adopted in 1500. When solar energy devices are shown in Paris in the late 1700's (as they were in our history) the Arabs would have pounced on the technology and worked to develop it. Instead of a huge gap between the West and Islam, it would be more of a continuum.

Think of a 19th century were the Ottoman Empire was still a serious threat to Europe. I could see a big war in Europe just after 1815 because the Ottomans see an exhausted Europe as an easy target. Just picture the refugees in America. This could spin so many ways.

The Corsairs don't seem to have been ignorant of the Americas, but it seemed to be beyond their imaginations to think of going across the Atlantic. A 17th century with Morrocan pirates in the mix would be very different. Picture a Corsair republic on the Spanish main. You could blend the themes of the Reconquista with slave revolts.

The 20th-century wars become vastly more complex if the Arab lands are at least as developed as Bulgaria or Spain. Having new fascist powers on the southern side of the Mediterranian makes for a much darker WWII.