New Reality Seeds

[Astromancer]

Try this one...

Neither Chamberlain nor Halifax could stand Churchill. And in Homeline history, Churchill replacing these two was a close-run thing, Of course, Halifax becoming PM wouldn't have given Hitler the victory. But it would have been a disaster for the allies. Churchill, although he had many faults understood the relative power of the UK and the US and was ready to deal with the problem of dealing with a more powerful ally. Halifax could never have made the adjustment.

Now in this Q6 world, Halifax has become PM. Hitler and Halifax make a peace deal (which it is already known that Hitler intended to break later on) and Hitler got a free hand to attack Russia. The USA built a railroad to Nome Alaska and another from Anadyr to the Russian railheads. The combined Russo-American forces marched West to Berlin.

Now, Russia occupies mainland Europe, America and Canada see Britain as collaborationist. The Lion faces the Bear, alone and without allies,

Basically, a scarier cold war with the Red Army waiting in Calis and the Americans, Canadians, Australians, and others neutral towards the whole mess. Meanwhile, Gandhi is speaking to Stalin in friendly tones.

Centrum is trying to get the USA and other English speaking nations to aid Britain. Homeline is only interested in preventing Centrum from taking over. Although they don't want to do Stalin any favors.

[fchase8]

Originally Posted by Astromancer

Try this one...

Neither Chamberlain nor Halifax could stand Churchill. And in Homeline history, Churchill replacing these two was a close-run thing, Of course, Halifax becoming PM wouldn't have given Hitler the victory. But it would have been a disaster for the allies. Churchill, although he had many faults understood the relative power of the UK and the US and was ready to deal with the problem of dealing with a more powerful ally. Halifax could never have made the adjustment.

Now in this Q6 world, Halifax has become PM. Hitler and Halifax make a peace deal (which it is already known that Hitler intended to break later on) and Hitler got a free hand to attack Russia. The USA built a railroad to Nome Alaska and another from Anadyr to the Russian railheads. The combined Russo-American forces marched West to Moscow.

Now, Russia occupies mainland Europe, America and Canada see Britain as collaborationist. The Lion faces the Bear, alone and without allies,

Basically, a scarier cold war with the Red Army waiting in Calis and the Americans, Canadians, Australians, and others neutral towards the whole mess. Meanwhile, Gandhi is speaking to Stalin in friendly tones.

Centrum is trying to get the USA and other English speaking nations to aid Britain. Homeline is only interested in preventing Centrum from taking over. Although they don't want to do Stalin any favors.

'Halifax becomes Prime Minister after Chamberlain' is the divergence point for Reich-2.

[Astromancer]

Originally Posted by fchase8

'Halifax becomes Prime Minister after Chamberlain' is the divergence point for Reich-2.

Yes, but I shifted his problems from Hitler to Stalin.

[David Johnston2]

Here's a question. Would a setting where the free states seceded from the United States in the first half of the 19th century be classed as a Dixie timeline?

[jason taylor]

Originally Posted by Astromancer

Try this one...

Neither Chamberlain nor Halifax could stand Churchill. And in Homeline history, Churchill replacing these two was a close-run thing, Of course, Halifax becoming PM wouldn't have given Hitler the victory. But it would have been a disaster for the allies. Churchill, although he had many faults understood the relative power of the UK and the US and was ready to deal with the problem of dealing with a more powerful ally. Halifax could never have made the adjustment.

Now in this Q6 world, Halifax has become PM. Hitler and Halifax make a peace deal (which it is already known that Hitler intended to break later on) and Hitler got a free hand to attack Russia. The USA built a railroad to Nome Alaska and another from Anadyr to the Russian railheads. The combined Russo-American forces marched West to Berlin.

Now, Russia occupies mainland Europe, America and Canada see Britain as collaborationist. The Lion faces the Bear, alone and without allies,

Basically, a scarier cold war with the Red Army waiting in Calis and the Americans, Canadians, Australians, and others neutral towards the whole mess. Meanwhile, Gandhi is speaking to Stalin in friendly tones.

Centrum is trying to get the USA and other English speaking nations to aid Britain. Homeline is only interested in preventing Centrum from taking over. Although they don't want to do Stalin any favors.

The main front of the Cold War is in the Mediterranean. All of SOE's gorgeous romantic female assassins are over in Yugoslavia working to turn it into an ulcer for Russia.

[malloyd]

Originally Posted by David Johnston2

Here's a question. Would a setting where the free states seceded from the United States in the first half of the 19th century be classed as a Dixie timeline?

Probably, it's not like timeline naming is a tightly defined, or even very logical process.

Note that this does imply some sort of other weirdness in the background though. The reason the secession ran the way it did and not the reverse is that the states where slavery wasn't a major part of the economy (and hence where anti-slavery activism was generally popular and often successful) had the majority of the population and economy/tax base since pretty shortly after the formation of the US. The reason the fight is over admitting equal numbers of slave and free states is because the lack of a large enough majority of free states is the only thing preventing legislation (the Senate filibuster is actually a surviving artifact of this) or outright constitutional change limiting slavery. If the free states want to push abolition early they aren't likely to frame it as secession from the US, but as kicking the slaves states out. It's the admission of Minnesota (1858) and Oregon (1859) as free states without balancing slave states making it clear this check is about to evaporate anyway that determined the timing of the Civil War. At that point one more free state (and it looked like Kansas was going to come in free, which it did in 1861) would've meant free states would have the votes for cloture in the Senate even with the filibuster rules.

[Astromancer]

Try this one...

According to the entry on Khaki in The Secret Lives of Color credit for the first modern military use of Khaki and the idea of camouflage uniforms is given to Sir Harry Lumsden. However, even though the next entry calls attention both to George Washington's time fighting Native Americans on the frontier and his introduction of Buff and Blue as the American military colors, the book ignores Washington's proposal to have the American Amy dress in Linsey-woolsey and use Native American ambush tactics against the Brits. Sadly, the Continental Congress did the same in Homeline history.

However, in this Q5 low manna parallel, the Continental Congress agreed. Probably because they had a little cash for once. This really didn't do much except lower American casualties and captures and raise British casualties and captures by a much wider margin, but it made an impression on the Brits.

In the Peninsular War Wellington copied the idea and got the Spanish guerrillas to do the same. Driving the French out of Spain far faster. Napoleon, having better artists to work with soon introduced full camouflage. With the shock of the Spanish loss, Napoleon wastes no time in putting Russia in its place.

As Napoleon invaded Russia in 1810 instead of 1812 with its freakishly cold weather, and he also took more time to see what problems he might face that he hadn't before. The campaign was far less flashy but Napoleon won.

It's now 1815, the war in America is going badly, Britania still rules the seas but Napoleon is the unquestioned Lord of Europe. The Emperor has made an alliance with the Czar to conquer first the Turk and then the Sophy. Everyone in the foreign Office knows that means "and then the Mughal too."

Perhaps that's why they've accepted help from some group calling itself the Cabal.


Basically, Napoleonics meets the Arabian Nights. Read Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrel and assume that low key path and book magic is known if unfashionable among the Europeans. Allow the Truks, Arabs, and Persians somewhat better magic and deals with Djinni and Peris to make the fight more nearly even. Homeline France wants a Napoleonic victory at all costs and Russia likes the idea of a Franco-Russian hegemony. The rest of Homeline doesn't want either side to become Cabal pawns.

[YankeeGamer]

Originally Posted by David Johnston2

Here's a question. Would a setting where the free states seceded from the United States in the first half of the 19th century be classed as a Dixie timeline?

Another oddball alternative: The Free States THROW THEM OUT--well some of them. War ensues when the states that were thrown out refused to pay for Federal property, and reneged on debts owed.

"Mississippi, find yourself another country to be part of..."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K7fgB0m_y2I

[Astromancer]

Try this one...

While reading the chapter on Obsidian in The Secret Lives of Color I saw that John Dee owned an Aztec mirror made f obsidian and sacred to Tezcatlipoca the god of warriors, kings, and sorcerers.

In most worlds, as in Homeline history, this is only a curiosity. In this Q4 world, it's a source of profound change. While working with Edward Kelley in Prague, Dee accidentally contacts the Smoking Mirror himself. Tezcatlipoca then attempts to get Dee and Kelley under his control. Between John Dee's integrity and Kelley's slipperiness, Tezcatlipoca fails, much to his shock. But he succeeds in something else. Breaking the wall between the worlds.

The struggle between Dee and the Aztec god is reported to the Catholic Church by an Angel! Who makes it clear that God would not approve of either Dee or Kelley being executed.* Dee is, by the Angel's instruction, sent back to England. The Angel both gives Dee a chest of gems and restores Dee's house, laboratory, and library. (It wasn't the people of Dee's town that caused the destruction, but British nobles robbing Dee's collection of historical documents. Dee made money by proving or disproving property claims. The nobles wanted to own the proof of their claims and eliminate the proof of rival claims. The excess damage was to hide the thefts.) The Angel also lets it be known in England that Heaven restored Dee's property and wants Dee to focus on Natural Magic (the in period name for applying knowledge of the natural world to human needs and problems). The Angel also kisses Queen Elizabeth on the forehead and transforms her back into a woman of Twenty, but with all of her knowledge and experience. Additionally, Elizabeth's health and beauty were greatly enhanced. The Angel also whispered in Elizabeth's ear for several minutes, The Queen has never told anyone what she was told.

Tezcatlipoca was infuriated. Who was this creature to interfere with the Smoking Mirror? But Tezcatlipoca kept looking at Europe and decided to let any slight the English might have done him go and focus on punishing Spain for the destruction of the Aztec Empire and the outlawing of the worship of the Aztec gods. The Smoking Mirror pushed hard at the wall between worlds, cracking it in many places, whispering in many ears, seeking those who like him were in their dark hearts warriors, sorcerers, and kings.

As the Smoking Mirror cracks the walls between the worlds other beings awaken, old gods, fairies, and other things hidden in shadow. This parallel had had Very Low Manna (minus ten to all spell skills, many spells just don't work). Now, most of the world is low manna with areas of normal and high manna scattered around. Magic is returning steadily.

The local year is 1620, both Elizabeth and Dee are still alive and look unchanged. Thanks to Dee and Bacon setting up the Houses of Salomon the Tech Level is almost five. Functionally, England is a late TL4 society with some TL5 tech, the rest of the planet is still mid TL4. Magical conspiracies are everywhere in Europe, as Spain champions crushing them, so they back all of Spain's foes.

Homeline has known about this world for a while but the Cabal hasn't found it yet. So this is seen as a safe place to learn and research magic away from the Cabal's prying eyes. They don't know that Tezcatlipoca has found them.

Basically, Swashers with magic and clockpunk touches. Magic roaring back instead of magic fading away also defines the setting.

*The Angel let the authorities know just how much trouble Edward Kelley was. Then the Angel both changed Kelley's clairvoyant gifts into healing gifts. Then the Angel made these gifts far stronger and more reliable. Then, on instructions from the Angel, Kelley was imprisoned in a charity hospital and made to heal the sick.

[Phil Masters]

Originally Posted by Astromancer

While reading the chapter on Obsidian in The Secret Lives of Color I saw that John Dee owned an Aztec mirror made f obsidian and sacred to Tezcatlipoca the god of warriors, kings, and sorcerers.

It's in the British Museum. I used it in a game years ago.

(The PCs burgled Dee's house while he was in Prague. Any allegations about accidents with naked flames were sheer slander.)