Re: New Reality Seeds
 

Try this idea Poland was actually a fairly powerful and posperous kingdom. It was an historical accident that the nobility became massively undisciplined and paralysed the government. The reason Catharine and Frederick, along with Maria who "wept, but took," destroyed Poland is that the Poles were getting their act together.

Either keep the Piast Dynasty active after 1370 or prevent Jesuit influence in Poland (the Jesuits worked to destroy the civic culture of Poland because they believed that only such destruction would keep Poland Catholic). In any case, keep the Polish noble civic minded and Poland creates a far more stable and liberal (in the sense of respect for individual liberties) Eastern Europe.

Another path to Liberalism and constitutionalism in Eastern Europe might involve the corenation of Czarina Anne . There was a move by the nobles to force a constitution on Anne. At the time Anne was in a weak enough position to have had to except an constitution. But infighting amoung the nobles cancelled the idea. In a world were Anne, and after her Elizabeth and Catharine, needed to except a constitution, Russia might have evolved into a parliamentary democracy.

Re: New Reality Seeds
 

Extra bays and altered coarses for rivers would lead to some interesting alternate worlds.

Example: Add a sixth Great Lake, Lake Dakota. Lake Dakota would stretch from an inlet at about the Minnesota/Ontario border, to about 175 miles westwest of Homeline's Montanna/North Dakota border. Once the Eire canal opens, large numbers of people form New England and the Middle Atlantic states flood west. In this world, the north settles California quickly and early. Realising the West is going to be controlled by Free Soilers the South puts all its focus on taking Mexico and Cuba.

Re: New Reality Seeds
 

Considering that one reason the 49th Parallel was chosen as the border between Canada and the USA because it intersected Lake Superior, the existence of a sixth Great Lake might move that border a few degrees of latitude south...

Re: New Reality Seeds
 

After the Toba Eruption, homo sapiens goes extinct. The Earth is populated by Neanderthal. Are they technologically advanced, or was that beyond their scope?

Re: New Reality Seeds
 

Or North. It would depend on the shape of the lake. Further, sections of the Canadian prairies might be settled from New England and Pennslyvannia long before the Brits could claim them. Change the lakes and change the US Canadian relationship in so many ways.

Re: New Reality Seeds
 

What if their scope is totally different than Hommo Sapiens? Completely different gifts and faults would make them both scary alien and valuable. If they see any problem from a radically different viewpiont, Neanderthals would be super useful allies.

Re: New Reality Seeds
 

Interesting. I don't think there are any examples of Neanderthal missile weapons... what if they turned entirely to traps instead? Trap-making would maybe spawn other cognitive developments.

Re: New Reality Seeds
 

The goal I want is a world where europe does not conquer india, southeast asia, and africa while forcing much of east asia to conform to its policies. (the new world is ok though) I want to do this without either depopulating europe OR filling europe's all-conquering role with someone else. (yes, in this case europe basically means england, holland, and france).

I suppose the right twists to the reformation might do the trick... hmm.

Re: New Reality Seeds
 

Real Neanderthals seem to have been ambush preditors, much like sabertooth cats. So traps make a kind of sense.

Re: New Reality Seeds
 

I'm reading a book on the spies working in Elizabethan England and it occured to me, if Mary of Scotland had died earlier, without Elizabeth being implicated, it would alter late 16th century politics in several ways. If durring the escape from Loch Leven Castle Mary had caught a bad cold and said cold had turned into pneumonia, then from 1658 onwards, Catholic opposition to Elizabeth would lack a workable figure head.

Phillip wanted to rule England, but he never had the time to focus on conquest of England. It was only the international scandle of Mary's execution that pushed him to the Armada. Elizabeth's main horror in naming an heir, was a fear of assassination. Without Mary of Scotland around, few would pin the hopes of Catholic Europe one her son James. Elizabeth might easily be persauded to except him as an heir. It's also possible that, with reduced international tensions, Elizabeth might see marriage as a workable possibility.

It seems to me that once James is born, Mary of Scotland's death becomes useful to anyone who wants a strong stable England. I could see several different schemes by Centrum, the Cabal, nationist groups (both English and Scots, heck maybe even spainards trying to prevent the disgrace of the Armada), even Homeline, might see killing Mary of Scotland as a viable plan.

Mid-16th century Scotland is both alien and familiar, a great place to set a campaign. PCs could be guarding Mary or out to kill her or just making sure their side knows what really happened. All kinds of storyhooks are availible.