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Old 06-24-2019, 12:29 PM   #4201
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Rhine-12

The world of Rhine-12 is a hell parallel or rapidly going that way. As in most Rhine parallels the experiments of J.B.Rhine lead to Psi Powers being proven. In this parallel, once the break though to learning PSI powers was made, it was ridiculously easy to teach PSI powers to others. Thus once one driven Researcher in the 1990's made the breakthrough to full telepathy it was child's play to teach telepathy and most other Psi powers to anyone in their teens or older.

Once a certain number of people were regularly using psi powers suddenly using Psi powers became much easier and teaching psi became easier too. Once a critical mass was reached, people started becoming psions spontaneously. And then the horror began.

Well it started before that. When strong psions are asleep, the conscious mind is asleep, as in all normal humans. But the telepathic functions are easier for the subconscious to use than the conscious mind. Thus people's unconscious minds reached out and made contact with other minds.

Now the unconscious self is rarely a lovely and restrained personality, in fact we generally repress many unpleasant traits and urges, but these dream selves knew nothing of restraint. Dream rape and other forms of violence became commonplace. Where Freddy Kruger was one ghost, Rhine-12 has billions of Freddy's crawling out of everybody's subconscious each night.

Civilization has collapsed in waves of violence and catatonia. The few sane survivors attempt to shield their minds from the dreams of the mad.

This Q4 world terrifies and attracts both Homeline and the Cabal. Clearly there are profound secrets to be learned here, but the cost is the question.
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Last edited by Astromancer; 06-24-2019 at 05:36 PM.
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Old 06-25-2019, 08:18 AM   #4202
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Originally Posted by Astromancer View Post
Well it started before that.
Well yeah.
Day 1: Discovery that telepaths can broadcast to other people in ways the drive them mad.
Day 2: Every nation on the planet starts a program to weaponize telepathic broadcasting to destroy enemy leaders, armies and/or citizens.

This doesn't wait until telepathy is easy and universal.
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Old 06-25-2019, 11:08 AM   #4203
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Well yeah.
Day 1: Discovery that telepaths can broadcast to other people in ways the drive them mad.
Day 2: Every nation on the planet starts a program to weaponize telepathic broadcasting to destroy enemy leaders, armies and/or citizens.

This doesn't wait until telepathy is easy and universal.
It took them time to realize what was going on and it also started slow. Also, remember, the unconscious mind can access telepathic powers more easily than the conscious mind in this world. By the time the idea you suggest would seem workable, the genie would be long out of the bottle.
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Old 06-25-2019, 02:51 PM   #4204
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Rhine-12

Now the unconscious self is rarely a lovely and restrained personality, in fact we generally repress many unpleasant traits and urges, but these dream selves knew nothing of restraint.
Monsters from the Id
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Old 06-25-2019, 04:55 PM   #4205
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Monsters from the Id
We've enjoyed similar films. ;-)
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Old 06-26-2019, 08:32 AM   #4206
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We've enjoyed similar films. ;-)
This reminds me, a bit, of C. S. Friedman's Coldfire Trilogy.

In that setting, the stuff of magic (called the Fae) reacted to human thought -- especially strong emotions. It formed beings that fed on human emotional states, which (if they grew strong enough) wound up worshipped as at least somewhat predatory gods.

While this setting would differ from that in significant ways, Friedman's books could serve as a source of ideas.

Besides, they're really good. :)
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Old 06-27-2019, 12:18 PM   #4207
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Try this one...

Veneto-3

The Veneto tag involves changes in Venetian history, or changes radiating out from Venice.

Paper was introduced to Europe around 1100AD and we know there were paper mills in Italy by 1276. However, in this world, a European slave, who had been taught paper making and was very good at it, was bought by an Italian Merchant and taken to Venice in 1070 AD. The slave was the merchant's brother captured by pirates years ago. So the merchant listened to his brother when he told of his new skills. By 1100 paper making was an established skill in Venice.

Thus, just as the Renaissance of the 12th century was about to begin, books and writing materials got cheaper. A few years later, a cloth printer suggested printing primers and other cheap books in the same way. Printing little chapbooks became a thing. As printing simple books and standard documents became more common throughout Europe, people began to work on improving printing. Before 1200 several different people seem to have invented movable type as well as the rest of the elements of Gutenberg's system. As in Homeline's history, the supply of books explodes.

The 1300's are still brutal, but Europe is clearly Tech Level four in 1380. Navigation is expanding, roads are improving, Europe is visibly changed. The Islamic world is seeing that the Europeans are different, the plagues and famines seem to have changed them. When Bayzid I attacked Thessalonki they were meet by skilled gunners using Arquebuses in tight formations. Bayzid died that day sending cold shivers through the Dar-al-Islam.

The local year on this Q6 world is 1402. Europe is rapidly advancing technologically aided both by an early development of the printing press and the Venetians being careful to harvest Greek texts from Constantinople before they Sacked it. The Islamic world, because of the sudden halt of Ottoman expansion and the steady revival of Byzantium, is aware that Europe is making basic changes. Unlike in Homeline History, Islam's scholars and political elites understand the threat to themselves. With no successful Ottoman state the local Arab governments have to adapt their own strategies for dealing with the Europeans.

Basically this is a dynamic political swasher that blends Europe and Asia. This is a low manna world with little practical magic.

There is no sign of Centrum being interested in the parallel. The Cabal is infiltrating. The real concern for Homeline is that certain Swagmen seem to be smuggling in technological improvements. Small things yes, but large enough to seriously warp historical developments.
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Old 06-28-2019, 12:18 PM   #4208
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Try this one...Stalin-2

Stalin worlds are defined by major changes in the live of Josef Stalin. Stalin-2 is somewhat controversial in the list because it diverges with Hitler deciding to play his cards patiently after Munich and give Spain and Italy a chance to rearm. During the waiting period Stalin attacked Poland and Germany on September 1st, 1940.

Hitler's choice to take a breathing spell meant that Italy and Spain could provide some, not much, military aide, and Churchill and FDR were out of the picture. Sure FDR was still in office, but he wasn't running for president. Thomas Dewey was determined to leave Europe to it's fate, after all, if either Hitler or Stalin lost that was a good thing. Britain under Lord Halifax simply chose to stay as neutral as possible.

The war was brutal and blood spattered. Although there wasn't sufficient control or organization for the Holocaust to happen, civilian deaths were vast and comprehensive. The population loss was 50% higher than Homeline's WWII.

The local year is 1950. There is a government that claims to be the German government, but it really doesn't have much say. Russia is a vast shattered realm with many warlords claiming to be either the Czar, the leader of the Communist Party, or more likely both. China, without Russian "aide" did not go communist. The Amer-Japanese war broke Japan and, under Dewey's guidance made America the imperial ruler of East Asia.

Dewey and Halifax made the Anglo-British pact to secure world peace by expanding Imperialism. Gandhi was shot by a British firing squad on August 15th 1947.

This Q7 world is a world were the accusations that America is an Empire are true. President Dewey, in order to keep world peace after the hellish second world war, has joined Britain and France in securing the world's empires at any cost. America and Britain both seek to reduce injustice in their empires, but words and actions don't fully line up.

The Anglo-French Alliance has made the collapsed areas of Europe client states. This includes a Mandate over the old USSR to the Urals. The USA has a mandate over the old USSR from the Urals to the Pacific. The planet is divided into client states, colonies, mandates, and Imperial Powers. A few small nations like Ireland or Sweden don't fit these categories, yet.

Centrum is gaining control in both the USA and Britain. Homeline doesn't have many resources invested in this world. After all, Centrum taking over will definitely reduce racism, and that would improve lives on this bleak hopeless world. Centrum is puzzled about why Homeline doesn't seem much interested in this world. They assume the real answer would be important. Meanwhile they've got other issues.

This world is TL7, but just barely. And Centrum has cut research into areas of science like computers, rocketry, nuclear physics, and genetics, they disapprove of. Still, swagmen are bringing in technical innovations and "funding" scientific research that gives them profitable businesses. These swagmen could ruin the whole parallel for Centrum. How does Homeline deal with these louts?
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Old 06-28-2019, 12:46 PM   #4209
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Default Re: New Reality Seeds

Quote:
Originally Posted by Astromancer View Post
Rhine-12

The world of Rhine-12 is a hell parallel or rapidly going that way. As in most Rhine parallels the experiments of J.B.Rhine lead to Psi Powers being proven. In this parallel, once the break though to learning PSI powers was made, it was ridiculously easy to teach PSI powers to others. Thus once one driven Researcher in the 1990's made the breakthrough to full telepathy it was child's play to teach telepathy and most other Psi powers to anyone in their teens or older.

snip...
Well it started before that. When strong psions are asleep, the conscious mind is asleep, as in all normal humans. But the telepathic functions are easier for the subconscious to use than the conscious mind. Thus people's unconscious minds reached out and made contact with other minds.

Now the unconscious self is rarely a lovely and restrained personality, in fact we generally repress many unpleasant traits and urges, but these dream selves knew nothing of restraint. Dream rape and other forms of violence became commonplace. Where Freddy Kruger was one ghost, Rhine-12 has billions of Freddy's crawling out of everybody's subconscious each night.
snip...
You could turn that on its head by saying that only altruistic urges magnify psychic power. That would eventually lead to just as much destruction through ignorance.
Giving all dictators empathy only for them to get assassinated in coups and/or cause massive political upheaval on a global scale.
Helping endangered species only for them to become invasive eco-disasters.
Etc.
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Old 06-28-2019, 01:36 PM   #4210
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You could turn that on its head by saying that only altruistic urges magnify psychic power. That would eventually lead to just as much destruction through ignorance.
Giving all dictators empathy only for them to get assassinated in coups and/or cause massive political upheaval on a global scale.
Helping endangered species only for them to become invasive eco-disasters.
Etc.
Fun idea. It reminds me of some of the early John Constantine comics were John has to keep heaven out of the way as much as Hell. The angels being to pure to understand humanity.
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