New Reality Seeds

[PTTG]

Workings have similar levels of raw power output per-person as does normal magic. However, it is very much against the spirit of the thing to calculate specific KWh/FP conversions.

Historically, Hoffman tried and failed, much to his disappointment, and the televised failure discredited the idea for many Americans. In fact, the reason for the failure was a combination of hubris and interference. He alone could not accomplish it, and several of the people in his support circle actively opposed the casting, fearing that it would only lead to harsh crackdowns.

A game in this setting might actually cast the players as CIA agents (including at least one mole) hunting down a gang of supernatural hippies. It could be madcap parody, or, in the proper hands, almost as serious as Big Trouble in Little China.

[Astromancer]

Originally Posted by Prince Charon

Can you make the Pentagon levitate and turn orange? OK, that was 1967, but it was a new agey thing that they did try; it was intended to end the war in Viet Nam, despite the fact that the President and Congress were the ones who made those decisions. With magic now clearly working, I could see them trying again, if it was before the US withdrew.

Didn't Abbie Hoffman already claim that he did just that?

[Astromancer]

Try this idea Louis Antoine de Bougainville wanted to discover a new continent. In this Q6 world he did. Bougainville, the parallel were Bougainville was successful has a large continent in the Southern Pacific Ocean on the same latitudes as New Zealand but a couple of thousand miles to the east. Although smaller than Australia, this continent, name France Sud , has very rich volcanic soils and a rainier climate.

France, Britain, and Prussia, all send out colonies in the early 19th century. With it's rich soils and lack of diseases and weeds (read [urlhttps://www.amazon.com/Ecological-Imperialism-Biological-Expansion-Environment/dp/0521837324/ref=mt_hardcover?_encoding=UTF8&me=]this book[/url] to explain) the colonies all thrive. It is now the 1890's. Each of the three colonies wants to have the Lion's share of the rest of the continent. Each is backed by a great power.

Basically it's a frontier version of European politics 1890's style. Great power conflicts with ranchers and six-guns.

[TGLS]

Originally Posted by Astromancer

Each of the three colonies wants to have the Lion's share of the rest of the continent. Each is backed by a great power.

Why wouldn't have the three powers already claimed the entire continent (with potential clashes over borders)?
Why are the colonies apparently independent enough to wage war? Wouldn't a "Scramble for Africa" situation emerge between Britain, France and Germany over the unclaimed territory?

[tshiggins]

Originally Posted by Astromancer

Try this idea Louis Antoine de Bougainville wanted to discover a new continent. In this Q6 world he did. Bougainville, the parallel were Bougainville was successful has a large continent in the Southern Pacific Ocean on the same latitudes as New Zealand but a couple of thousand miles to the east. Although smaller than Australia, this continent, name France Sud , has very rich volcanic soils and a rainier climate.

France, Britain, and Prussia, all send out colonies in the early 19th century. With it's rich soils and lack of diseases and weeds (read [urlhttps://www.amazon.com/Ecological-Imperialism-Biological-Expansion-Environment/dp/0521837324/ref=mt_hardcover?_encoding=UTF8&me=]this book[/url] to explain) the colonies all thrive. It is now the 1890's. Each of the three colonies wants to have the Lion's share of the rest of the continent. Each is backed by a great power.

Basically it's a frontier version of European politics 1890's style. Great power conflicts with ranchers and six-guns.

What is the native Polynesian culture? Do they have access to concentrated sources of protein because of the native fauna? Does the new continent have flora that can be used as a good food source?

If this continent exists so far to the east, why hasn't Polynesian culture spread to South America?

Basically, if the native culture is similar to the competently violent Maori, with all of those advantages, then attempts by colonizers to commit genocide against them could run into some real problems.

Also, if the Polynesians use the continent as a base to have regular contact with South America (and introduce Old World diseases to them -- or even just a different set of diseases) the colonization of the New World would differ, substantially.

[Astromancer]

Originally Posted by TGLS

Why wouldn't have the three powers already claimed the entire continent (with potential clashes over borders)?
Why are the colonies apparently independent enough to wage war? Wouldn't a "Scramble for Africa" situation emerge between Britain, France and Germany over the unclaimed territory?

The continent of France Sud (South France in English) was claimed piecemeal and with conflicting treaties. The Mother Countries are willing to let the colonists duke it out for a while to avoid to much stress back in Europe.

[Astromancer]

Originally Posted by tshiggins

What is the native Polynesian culture? Do they have access to concentrated sources of protein because of the native fauna? Does the new continent have flora that can be used as a good food source?

I left that blank for the GM to decide. The standard Polynesian set of crops is no more suited for France Sud than for New Zealand, so population is limited. Without the discovery of new crops the polynesians could never take over the whole continent.

If this continent exists so far to the east, why hasn't Polynesian culture spread to South America?

Maybe it has in your game.

Basically, if the native culture is similar to the competently violent Maori, with all of those advantages, then attempts by colonizers to commit genocide against them could run into some real problems.

Western diseases decimated the Maori fairly well. And even more isolated group would be harder hit.

Also, if the Polynesians use the continent as a base to have regular contact with South America (and introduce Old World diseases to them -- or even just a different set of diseases) the colonization of the New World would differ, substantially.

Again your call. As I propose it, odd currents prevented a Polynesian discovery of France Sud. Change that how you like.

[David Johnston2]

The Great War is averted when Russia is persuaded to avoid directly intervening to help Serbia. Instead there is an Austro-Serbian war that drags on due to Austrian ineptitude and Russian under-the table backing until it piddles to a stop. Lenin dies in Switzerland. There is a communist revolution in Russia in the 30s with Trotsky playing the leading role and with Britain, Germany and Japan teaming up to attack the new regime. Japan and the United States still fight over China.

[fchase8]

Originally Posted by Astromancer

It could be a good world to adventure in. Read Moorcock's Warlord of the Air which is set in a world were WWI never happens. In many ways Lucifer-5 is also a similar thing but still very different. Read The Riddle of the Sands by Erskine Childers, a very good pre-WWI spy novel for ideas. John Buchan's works would also give you loots of good ideas even thought they are all post WWI.

Warlord of the Air sounds interesting - I had never heard of it.

A world without WWI would be very steampunk, or even mix steampunk/dieselpunk/atompunk. It would somewhat resemble Gernsback, but more of an emphasis on the archaic political system, less on the weird tech (though there certainly would be some of that - perhaps Tesla's inventions helped keep the Austro-Hungarian Empire going).

I had forgotten about Lucifer-5 - that is a definite 'weird tech no WWI'.


It seems like it would take something the size of an asteroid strike to prevent a WWI. Maybe there's a world with no WWI, no great colonial rebellions, and Infinity/Centrum are trying to find out why.

Originally Posted by Astromancer

The continent of France Sud (South France in English) was claimed piecemeal and with conflicting treaties. The Mother Countries are willing to let the colonists duke it out for a while to avoid to much stress back in Europe.

Harry Turtledove had his Atlantis series, where there is a continent in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean (basically the East Coast of North American separated from the rest of the continent).

If 'South France' is habitable in different places, that could explain why it was settled by different powers. With Australia, it's basically the southeast portion that was the only seriously habitable spot at the time. 'France Sud' could have a few different natural harbors spread out around the continent.


I would recommend giving the continent a different, less obvious name. Maybe name it 'Bougainville'.

In alternate timelines where there are different discoverers of the Americas/Oceania/etc., it's always tempting to just give places names that are 'New [Old World place]' or the like. While there are clear examples of that in the real world, it's noteworthy that most names are native, famous people, describing the area, etc.

Even the 'New XX's can be named after not the most famous original places. It's New York, not New London; New Orleans, not New Paris. And sometimes even the 'New' is dropped out - there are two Portlands, for instance.

[PTTG]

A super-Carrington-level event strikes Earth in March of 2000.

In addition to frying all orbital equipment, power systems around the world are destroyed, sometimes fused solid.

15 years later, the damage is repaired, but global politics are dramatically different...