New Reality Seeds

[malloyd]

Originally Posted by Flyndaran

The "theory" that Clovis people were really Europeans that followed ice fishing to the east coast around 10k years ago is real. But in this alternate, they didn't die out leaving the land to Amerinds.
How would Columbus et.al. react to unknown white savages?

Why would you expect them to react differently to savages based on their skin color? Racial theories in which it makes a difference are at least 2 centuries in the future at this point. They aren't Spaniards, or even Christians, and that's all that matters.

[Flyndaran]

Originally Posted by malloyd

Why would you expect them to react differently to savages based on their skin color? Racial theories in which it makes a difference are at least 2 centuries in the future at this point. They aren't Spaniards, or even Christians, and that's all that matters.

Even Columbus couldn't delude himself into thinking he hit the East Indies when they're white.

If that's too boring for you, how about adding some other wacky stone age theories involving the Americas?

[Prince Charon]

Originally Posted by Anders

In 81 B.C. the dictator Sulla orders the execution of a certain Gaius Julius Caesar.

Hmm. There's an interesting thought. Mind you, it partially depends on whether Caesar manages to escape, and what he decides to do after that, but lets say Caesar does die. Can the Republic be saved? It's not like Caesar was the cause of it, after all, he was just an opportunist trying to get out of his debts. The loopholes he took advantage of could have been used by others, and the rot had already set in.

[Anders]

I should add that ordering the death of Caesar actually happened - what I meant could be better stated as "carries out the execution of Gaius Julius Caesar".

No, I don't think the Republic could be saved. You still have Pompey and Crassus running rampant and breaking all the rules they wanted. Although they might not be able to cooperate as well without Caesar political genius.

A more interesting thought is Gaul. It was essentially subjugated because of Caesar's quest for glory. Although it's probably doomed in the long run, the details matter - someone else would have done it differently and that can have a huge influence in the long run. For instance, what if the various chiefdoms had been annexed more or less peacefully, like a lot of other areas were?

[Astromancer]

Originally Posted by Anders

In 81 B.C. the dictator Sulla orders the execution of a certain Gaius Julius Caesar.

Good one. Julius Caesar had what few other Romans had, and heir that was far smarter and tougher than himself. Get rid of Julius early and Augustus might never get born or come to power. The dictatorships would continue, perhaps destroying Rome early or creating a new more stable government.

[patchwork]

Gotha-C and Gotha-D
We've seen 19 numbered worlds torn apart by the Gotha prion outbreak, and one lettered one (Gotha-Z) that's apparently a variation on the plague for a world with mana. Here's a couple more variant forms, both on Quantum 6:

Gotha-C has a relatively recent outbreak and may in fact have been an echo - onset appears to be 1995 in the UK with a current year of, oh, 2014. But it's a milder form of the disease, or else humans from this world have a limited resistance to it. Take the standard template and remove Cannot Learn and Innumerate and the IQ penalty and sell back half of the +Per. Smart murderzombies with an understanding of germ theory who can deliberately spread their disease and find workarounds for epidemiology...but the key to a treatment or vaccine may lie in these people's immune systems, so Parachronic Labs and Miracle Workers keep sending people...and there's a bigger problem. There's every reason to believe Gotha-C had a van Zandt. Did he develop conveyors and flee across Quantum 6? Are his notes still in a filing cabinet in New Hampshire, waiting for a smart murderzombie to find them? Is he a murderzombie out there somewhere?

Gotha-D, by contrast, makes (relatively) nonviolent zombies. Replace Bloodlust with Lecherousness and Berserk with Gluttony [-5] and Gregarious [-10]. Leave Bad Temper, replace Uncontrollable Appetite with Compulsive Carousing [-15], modify Delusion as necessary. I'm thinking 1970s USA for initial outbreak. Gotha-D carriers may not kill everyone they encounter, but they're still no longer sentient and their tendency to congregate into hungry lecherous swarms lets them overwhelm the food production pretty quick. A different sort of apocalypse, where true rebuilding is extremely difficult but the terror of becoming a 'locust' doesn't necessarily involve violence...

[patchwork]

Originally Posted by Astromancer

Good one. Julius Caesar had what few other Romans had, and heir that was far smarter and tougher than himself. Get rid of Julius early and Augustus might never get born or come to power. The dictatorships would continue, perhaps destroying Rome early or creating a new more stable government.

I'm going with more stable government; Crassus and Pompey still find a useful idiot to form the civil/religious leg of their triumvirate, Crassus still meets his end chasing glory - and without Caesar, Pompey snaps up Publius' widow to unite their fortunes and become dictator in all but name (or perhaps in name). Lepidus and Mark Antony will happily serve him, without Caesar he will live another 10 or 15 years as ruler of Rome, and Mark Antony will crown him. Lepidus will probably have to be disposed of eventually as too republican in sympathy. Pompey's dynasty seems likely to rule at least as long as the Julio-Claudians. The Pompeyans' eyes are firmly fixed East, though; wars with Persia and the Scythians have priority, rebellions in Hispania and disorder in Gallia will be left to lesser lights if they're attended to at all (unless Lepidus and Antony can quell them and build a power base there). Conquest of Britannia may not be on the menu at all.

So you get a Roman Empire which mostly ignores the celts in favor of more dangerous but richer prey. That couldn't possibly bite them in the ass 50 or 100 years down the road...

[Astromancer]

Originally Posted by patchwork

Gotha-C and Gotha-D
We've seen 19 numbered worlds torn apart by the Gotha prion outbreak, and one lettered one (Gotha-Z) that's apparently a variation on the plague for a world with mana. Here's a couple more variant forms, both on Quantum 6:

Gotha-C has a relatively recent outbreak and may in fact have been an echo - onset appears to be 1995 in the UK with a current year of, oh, 2014. But it's a milder form of the disease, or else humans from this world have a limited resistance to it. Take the standard template and remove Cannot Learn and Innumerate and the IQ penalty and sell back half of the +Per. Smart murderzombies with an understanding of germ theory who can deliberately spread their disease and find workarounds for epidemiology...but the key to a treatment or vaccine may lie in these people's immune systems, so Parachronic Labs and Miracle Workers keep sending people...and there's a bigger problem. There's every reason to believe Gotha-C had a van Zandt. Did he develop conveyors and flee across Quantum 6? Are his notes still in a filing cabinet in New Hampshire, waiting for a smart murderzombie to find them? Is he a murderzombie out there somewhere?

Gotha-D, by contrast, makes (relatively) nonviolent zombies. Replace Bloodlust with Lecherousness and Berserk with Gluttony [-5] and Gregarious [-10]. Leave Bad Temper, replace Uncontrollable Appetite with Compulsive Carousing [-15], modify Delusion as necessary. I'm thinking 1970s USA for initial outbreak. Gotha-D carriers may not kill everyone they encounter, but they're still no longer sentient and their tendency to congregate into hungry lecherous swarms lets them overwhelm the food production pretty quick. A different sort of apocalypse, where true rebuilding is extremely difficult but the terror of becoming a 'locust' doesn't necessarily involve violence...

Good varients, I particularly like "D." I can just see an embittered old man screaming at the "Dammed Hippies!"

[Astromancer]

Originally Posted by patchwork

So you get a Roman Empire which mostly ignores the celts in favor of more dangerous but richer prey. That couldn't possibly bite them in the ass 50 or 100 years down the road...

Your plan is cunning!

[Drifter]

Originally Posted by Astromancer

Good varients, I particularly like "D." I can just see an embittered old man screaming at the "Dammed Hippies!"

Nope, sorry, not hippies - they have Disco Fever