New Reality Seeds

[David Johnston2]

Originally Posted by Astromancer

Try this one, two Q6 parallels are in very close contact. Each world has supers and wizards. These Heroes, villains, or otherwise routinely cross between the two parallels and both world know the other world exists. Each of these worlds, in spite of the paranormal powerhouses that live there, were fairly normal echoes of Homeline until the later 1930s.

On world A magic is more common, Arthur returned during WWII, and Stalin has made a deal with the devil (Stalin is the senior partner). World B is more tech focused. They already have moonbases and have made their first landing on Mars. What worries the Cabal is that these worlds are both looking at the idea that there is a wider range of worlds out there. Another major panchronomic power isn't something they want. But they worry what Homeline or Centrum might find these worlds and try something stupid. The Cabal realizes that fouling up these would cost the local area of the multiverse dear. However, as the Cabal knows that neither Homeline nor trusts them enough to simply stay away from a pair of worlds simply because the Cabal says that it is a threat to them if they interfere. And Cabal is even less willing to explain what they know to prove their word. After all, both Homeline and Centrum could use that data against the Cabal.

The local year in both worlds is 1948. A is at TL7^ and B is at TL7+2^. The effective Tech Level can be higher, but as yet, not consistently so. The magic used in this world is generally Realm Magic. Most active supers are between 250 and 400 points as are the more heroic mages. However, there are elite Supers and Mages far higher than that.

<snort> Centrum and Homeline already usually avoid worlds with lots of magic or supers. More trouble than they're worth.

[PTTG]

Give Barbra Jordan increased HT and just generally better luck all around. She'd survive to complete her mid-90s immigration reform work and would remain a significant force in American politics.

Considering her charisma and cross-party respect, it's easy to imagine her running against George Bush in 2000 and even winning.

[Astromancer]

Try this one...

Superheroes and others with superpowers show up in the 1920s. They weren't all that much more powerful than ordinary people, at first. Mainly higher stats especially DX and HT and over time people noticed that supers had more luck than other people. Later, towards the end of the 20s psions, mainly ESP and Telepathy, begin to show up as well.

By the end of the 1930s not only was the average super stronger, it was beginning to obvious that Supers aged more slowly than normal. A wider variety of powers also increased dramatically. Also, the inventions of those supers were engineers and/or inventors began to raise the Tech Level.

WWII started the same and mainly ran the same course. There was a Amerikabomber Attack tried on New York, but a flying strongman, a glowing green flying man, and a woman who seemed to have an invisible plane knocked the bomber down before any damage was done.

By the late 1950s the Americans, the Brits, the French, and the Russians, all had moonbases. Japan, Canada, Australia, India, Brazil, China, and India, all had their own bases by the 1980s. And supers were vastly more powerful.

The local year is 1995, the Tech Level is just becoming TL9^. The most powerful supers can move mountains or fry cities at a whim. Some supers are truly heroes, others are coarse louts.

This setting offers two campaign options.

A) PCs are superpowered police officers who bust the chops of creeps and bullies who use their superpowers to harm others and shatter the peace. When your sadistic bullies have superpowers protecting and serving can be tricky even if you're super yourself.

B) This Q6 world is a recruiting ground for Homeline, Centrum, the Cabal, and the Swagmen. Being a talent scout can be very dangerous in a world like this. Especially dangerous to the secret.

[Astromancer]

This as yet unnamed Q6 world seems to have stayed fairly close to Homeline's history in spite of being a Normal Manna world until the late 16th century. Then John Dee brought out a new system of magic. It was Syntactical in nature. Not everyone could use it (Magery requirement) but Dee worked on a system of alchemical initiation that seems to work for most people (if you don't have Magic Resistance you can achieve Magery-0).

The local year is 1603. The Queen is recently dead and James of Scotland is coming to claim the throne. Society is beginning to change. Alchemy and Thaumatology are becoming the basis of a scientific and industrial revolution. This transformation is largely restricted to England, Scotland, the Netherlands, Denmark, and a few German states. The Pope is hostile to these "Protestant Black Arts" and some say James of Scotland sees things the same way.

The campaign would be an Illuminated Swashers campaign. The Cabal wants to take this parallel over. They see James' well-known bigotry against magic and his inability to see science, math, or technology, as separate from magic, will drive hundreds of talented mages into their arms. Meanwhile, Centrum sees this world as easy pickings for them in spite of the magic. They plan an early death for James and replacing him with his eldest son who they could keep healthy. Homeline just wants to keep this world free of both groups. Meanwhile, Homeline merchants want to secure recordings of theatrical and musical performances and the texts of period plays, poems, prose, and music. Folktales and folklore from this world are highly sought after as well.

[Mysterious Dark Lord v3.2]

A new reality has not yet been formally designated, the debate is to whether to name it Brittanica-8 or Dark Victoria.

The local year is 2020. The previous year was Queen Victoria's Bicentennial Birthday. She is known to the people of the Empire as Victoria Gloriana because she was glorious in battle and in peace. She has reigned 183 years and still looks like a petite teenager (and as the young say, she can still rock the leather catsuit).

The change happened sometime after 1818. What the exact change was is something of a mystery, but the effect on the woman who became Queen Victoria of Great Britain is well-known and obvious. While it is true that she led a war of conquest and enforced an aristocracy, she has created a fairly free, equitable, and open society.

In her youth she was a scandal, with her skintight leather clothes (introducing the miniskirt and the Little Black Dress in the 1840's). Then she was an object of fear with her (rumored) mesmeric powers that allowed her to dominate Parliament. She had some positive publicity because of the Queen's Touch that healed the sick and infirm.

Then came the Imperial Wars. She often led from the frontlines. Accounts are wildly varied, but she is credited with shattering armies and taking cities single-handed. By 1880, all of Europe, Asia, India, Australia, and Africa was under the British Flag.

The Empire of the 21st century would be alien to the 19th century. There was an enforced end to racism in the 1830's (Her Majesty saying that if God saw all flesh as equal, then humanity calling it superior or inferior was blasphemous), as well as a reversal of sexist policies. All inheritance is through the female line, and women are allowed - even encouraged - to have harems (Her Majesty has an extensive one of both genders). Poverty has been eliminated, and anyone who gets too rich runs afoul of the Imperial Exchequer. Religious freedom is protected by law.

The technology is a dieselpunk TL6+2 but they have avoided the Information Age, with computers being large and expensive. One of the great engineering accomplishments of the age is British Railways, which allows anyone to ride a train in comfort to all the major cities of the central three continents of the Empire, from Edinburgh to Singapore to Capetown (there is a proposed causeway to link Australia to the Railways). There are orbital colonies, the Jovian Moons have been explored, and a moon colony is planned.

The British people love their super-powered Queen, who can frequently be seen flying over London or visiting hospitals to cure the sick. There is also a superpowered aristocracy whose powers vary wildly, all derived from a transfusion of the Blood Royal to them or their ancestors.

The only other significant empire is Japan, which rules almost the entire Pacific Basin. But Japan is a British puppet-state and content to remain so. The only indepndent nation in the Pacific is the Kingdom of Hawaii, which remains neutral and gets rich off of trade.

Only the Americas are outside the Empire, a collection of city-states protected by Tesla Fields that neutralize super-powers in their area of effect. In North and South America, the Queen is referred to as the Antichrist and is believed to be demonic. They expect an imminent invasion by the British and have been waiting for it for over a century.

Canada is the strongest American nation, ruled by self-exiled "old-blood" British aristocrats who were displaced from their homeland by the super-powered "New-Blood" aristocrats. America collapsed into city-states duing the Civil War of 1861-1880, fought at the end with Tesla Death Rays. Thanks to Tesla Technology, the Americas are TL5+2 vacuum-tube tech-bases.

Centrum tried to infiltrate, this world being everything they love, but their agents were caught and killed, with a warning that their "subversive and war-mongering ways" wouldn't be permitted. Infinity was contacted soon afterwards, and they were allowed a small and strictly controlled embassy. Her Majesty's government hasn't informed their populace of the existence of the multiverse yet. No one knows if the Cabal knows anything about this world.

[malloyd]

Originally Posted by Mysterious Dark Lord v3.2

America collapsed into city-states duing the Civil War of 1861-1880, fought at the end with Tesla Death Rays. Thanks to Tesla Technology, the Americas are TL5+2 vacuum-tube tech-bases.

This needs a different name. Historically Nikola Tesla immigrated to the US in 1884.

[Daigoro]

Originally Posted by malloyd

This needs a different name. Historically Nikola Tesla immigrated to the US in 1884.

...in OTL.
He may have fled if QV was annexing the Balkans before then.
But yeah, he wasn't the Nikola Tesla that early.

[TGLS]

Hm:
Could go with Franklin, though maybe with hidden documents and plans that came to save the day. Or maybe Edison, who also experimented with electricity. Given great power Canada, maybe Alexander Graham Bell, who emigrated to Canada in 1870. Or maybe Tesla emigrated early.

[Astromancer]

Try this one...

In this world Harald Hardrada didn't attack first. Duke William struck first and Harold Godwinson with fresh troops took William out.

However, while racing North to deal with the Viking threat, Godwinson fell into a trap that Hardrada had had time to arrange while Godwinson fought William. Thus Anglo-Saxon England fell into Viking hands.

The local year of this Q6 parallel is 1150AD Eleanor of Aquitane has given birth to Harald Magnusson, the eldest child of Magnus Ericson King of England. Eleanor was a little taken aback by the strength and status of England's legislatures (Eleanor uses the French word "Parliaments" to describe the systems of Tings and Althings the English use).

England's Viking merchants trade with the Arabs with a friendliness the Pope does not approve of. Mosques are allowed in London making it a very friendly port in Arab eyes. Similarly, the Jews of Europe find a respectful welcome in England. Like the Arabs, they bring new skills and techniques with them. This England is one of the richest and most sophisticated commonwealths in Europe.

Homeline likes this world. The Cabal is mainly interested in the available Rune Lore. They don't see any need to disrupt anything. Centrum is another story. This England rules England. Wales, Scotland, and Ireland, while not in love with their neighbors, maintain a sort of peace. England seeks no dominion over France. The only fight between the two is Eleanor and Magnus' refusal to do feudal homage for the Aquitaine. But the French kings are busy elsewhere. Centrum hates this. They want England to conquer the world. Wealthy merchants who run their own affairs is HOLLAND. Something must be done!

[PTTG]

Give Centrum a promising researcher who feels that the 1930s and '40s are a critical time zone for a statistically significant number of worldlines. Furthermore, there's a number of promising world powers around that time that can be nudged in the right direction.

I mean, Centrum agents trying to change the course of WWII echoes is almost stereotypical, but I haven't yet seen any worked examples for basic ones. It could be subtle, such as changing the timing of a bomb so a failed attempt to assassinate Hitler becomes successful. It could be sophisticated, such as infiltrating the USSR and making it more effective by forcing certain reforms, while weakening the Allies with false-flag spying. Or perhaps it's bold, with a re-imagining of the Zimmerman telegram sapping the strength of the USA during WWI, leading to an ineffective US presence in the latter war.

Or maybe it's blatant, with Centrum funneling advanced guns, materiel, expertise, and slaves to Maoist China in order to create a strong, early China to push back and defeat Japan, diplomatically dominate the USSR, and throw the cold war into chaos.

In all of these, Centrum is probably sabotaging any and all nuclear weapons programs. Heck, the most basic infiltration might be an naively helpful attempt solely to prevent nuclear weapons from being developed, leading to a mid-50s hot war that could persist for decades.