Re: New Reality Seeds
 

Try this one...

Another highly similar supers setting but supers are a worldwide phenomena, although most common is areas of high technology and high populations. a group of Nazi aligned Weather controlling supers attacked Britain in September of 1944. Groups of British, American, Canadian, Indian (India) and West Indian, supers, with similar powers fought back and took the fight to Germany.

A planetwide series of storms was raised as a side effect of so many weather focused supers fighting. Much of the world is trashed. FDR and Elenore are still alive inspite of being caught in the storm, they were rescued by the May Angel ( a seven year old girl with telepathy, telempathy, flight, force fields, and healing powers). {So I made my mom a superhero, so what?}

The May Angel healed not only FDR's imediate wounds, but also the Emphasema that weakened him and caused the Intracerebral hemorrhage that killed him, as well as the pollio damage. She also healed Elenore and Harry Hopkins at the same time. Churchill was protected by British supers durring the storm, Stalin is dead. But the Soviets have a new leader Geogry Zhukov. The Germans are also getting their act together.

It's WWII mixed with Supers and gone Mad Max. I'd suggest setting up platoons of 350 point allied supers fighting off similar Axis groups in the post-apocalyptic wastelands.

Re: New Reality Seeds
 

Try this one...

Hunting the Murex Snail in order to make the Tyrian Purple was what first brought the Phoencians out of the Mediterranian. On this Q6 world the Phoencian sailors discovered rather more islands than on Homeline. The whole arc of islands that form Macaronesia had vastly more islands and was spread further west and south.

Rome, seeking to control the supply of Tyrian Purple developed the ships to both sail to and conquer these islands. Sailing back and forth amoung these islands Roman sailors are developing new skills even as the empire begins to stumble under the rule of [url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commodus]Commodus['url].

Still, something odd has happended. Someone has introduced the Sternpost Rudder centuries before it was supposed to be introduced from China, and only about a century after we know the Chinese had it. Similarly, the Lateen Sail has been introduced early as well.

In Dionepolis, a Greek colony founded in the 7th century BCE, on a large and fertile island that doesn't exist on Homeline, the magnetic compass and the spring driven clock have been introduced. Clearly, someone is deterined to rapidly accelerate the developement of European sea power. But whom?

Centrum is active on this world, but they are mainly focused on eliminating or stunting the growth of the Early Church. However, the Cabal is big in the islands. What are they after?

Note: Dione is a Titaness. In some early myths she rather than Hera is married to Zeus. She is associated with prophecy, the stars, rain, and the sea.

You could play with the idea that the change of myths transformed the gods. Once Zeus and Dione ( sky and sea) were wed and Hera (a goddess of Earth, cattle, social norms, and marriage) was wed to her son/lover Heracles (a god of male social roles, and a guardian/savior) were also wed. Zeus, Hera, and Heracles, remained among the most important and popular dieties in the Mediterranean world, Dione sank into obscurity. Maybe she means to come back as a goddess of navigation and seamanship.

Basically, a cross between espionage and sea going adventure.

Re: New Reality Seeds
 

Try this one...

While reading Wonderland: How Play Made the Modern World by Steven Johnson I came uponan interesting fact. Walt Disney origionally meant Epcot to be a model city without cars. He was following the ideas of Victor Gruen (best know for inventing shopping malls, an idea he saw as having been massively corrupted) and won the aproval of figures like Jane Jacobs(a journalist with major influence on modern urban planning and a great enemy of suburbs).

The basic concepts of EPCOT were laid out by Disney as he learned he had terminal cancer. At least on Homeline, on this Q6 world there were several anti-smoking campaigns in the early 20th century. These mainly took root in the USA, as a result, several people who died because of smoking related illnesses like FDR and Walt Disney, lived much longer lives. FDR's Second Bill of Rights was largely put through in the late 1940s, and the Civil Rights Movement progressed more quickly than in Homeline history. When Walt Disney, with Gruen's aid, created his Epcot, America was highly receptive to it. Cars became, as Disney foretold, mere weekend recreational vehicles.

The Local year on Roosevelt-7 is 1999, Walt Disney died only six years ago. His dream of transforming urban life took root. Cities look more like 1940s science fiction magazine covers. Private cars are vanishingly rare in cities, public transport is the norm in most cities. The cities and even most large towns are Arcrlogies that blend the ideas of Gruen, Palo Soleri with shrewd Disney touches that make them charming as they are awesome and grand. Only small rural towns look like they did before 1960.

The Cabal loves this world, educational standards are high but the occult is fashionable, not believed, just fashionable. Which makes this low manna world a genuinely lovely place for Cabalists to live and recruit. Going on a spirituality retreat is fashionable but not taken seriously, and a perfect cover for serious occultists. Many people don't realise they're becoming serious occultists until they've already cast functional spells.

Centrum hates this world, it plays with ideas and concepts like tinker toys. The theory of multiple realities is taken seriously in this world (it's basic to explaining gravity) and it's only a step to panchronmics. Centrum sees the Cabalist mystical influence as the threat that might get the locals to take that step.

Homeline isn't unconcerned, but they aren't ready to destroy a world for a false security. Meanwhile, the Cabal, seeing the good thing they have, aren't about to let Centrum just pluck it away.

Basically, it's espionage in a world that combindes Raygun Gothic with a Glam Rock vibe stirred in. With all the Cabalists around, there's an occult undercurrent to any and all adventures.

Re: New Reality Seeds
 

If there's a timeline with living Mycenaean culture, maybe Homeline researchers could finally figure out Linear A.

A deciphered Linear A could actually be used by Infinity, as an unbreakable language, Navajo Code Talker style.

While Navajo, or any Native American (or Australian Aboriginal) language would fool linguistics-poor Centrum, Linear A would also be too much for any intelligence agency native to a timeline. For instance, the CIA & maybe other agencies on Reich-2 could break a Navajo code.

Re: New Reality Seeds
 

I've got a world I use occasionally where this is the divergence point. The world is called "Pharaoh", and its a TL8-ish timeline where Kings are still worshiped as living gods, the standard of living is pretty low, engineers/scientific researchers are a seperate caste, and the current Pharaoh of egypt is building a giant stone tomb in orbit.

Not terribly likely, but its a fun world to stick players on and watch them figure out what's going on.

Re: New Reality Seeds
 

The problem with deciphering Linear A is mostly we have no idea what language it writes. Well the fact that the total corpus is so short and context poor (many inscriptions are only a few letters, the rest are short lists, and the absolute total is shorter than 10,000 characters - commonly quoted as "less than two pages") doesn't help either.

Anyway, it's not a code, it's an unknown tongue - you can achieve exactly the same level of undecipherability by teaching your agents an entirely artificial language with randomly generated vocabulary. You'll notice that nobody appears to have ever bothered to do that.

Re: New Reality Seeds
 

Try this one...

Most Verne worlds diverge with an early development of steam powered transport, Verne-9 diverges with Jaques de Vaucanson's automated loom in 1741. In most worlds de Vaucanson never solves the programing problem and Joseph Marie Jacquard rediscovers Vaucanson's work sixty years later and creates the Jacquard Loom. But in Verne-9 Vaucanson figures out the whole punch card machainism and creates an economically viable automated loom sixty years early.

Vaucanson's looms not only massively revives the French textile industry, it forces the English, Italian, Dutch, and German, textile industries to innovate. Where the Napoleonic wars meant England got a vast lead over the rest of Europe, on Verne-9 all the major European powers innovated at similar times.

Later, when Vaucanson went back to trying to make a machine that could be programmed to do mathematical calcutions and print out the answers, a sort of Napier's Bones just Automated he soon had most of the best minds of Europe and the Americas on the problem since they'd seen what his ideas could lead to before.

Basically, the Napoleonic wars in a steampunk world. The Tech Level on this Q6 low manna world is still TL5 but more like 1860 than 1800. There are TL5+1 and TL5+2 devices in use. Difference Engines and airships are part of the scene. America still broke with Britain and has achieved a partial industrial revolution and will soon be on par with the European nations. There are serious rumors that the Yankees are developing undersea ships to challenge the British Ironclads that threaten their coastal cities. Meanwhile Japan has awakened to the vulnerablity of their position and with friendly aid from the Dutch and the Americans is racing to catch up. Their are signs that China may do the same.

Centrum wants to slow down Napoleon a bit and start a war between America and Britain. Then use the industrial might of an Anglo-American Empire to dominate this world. The Cabal seems totally focused in the Ottoman, Persian, Arab, and Mughul lands in this world. Homeline France has been caught spoonfeeding key minor inventions to local French industry and is getting ready to rise a stink if they're impeded.

Keep the peace.

Re: New Reality Seeds
 

... peace was never an option.

Wow. Yeah, I have to wonder how many other nations are spoonfeeding tech to their counterparts. At best, Homeline can perhaps influence the coming wars, though they can probably keep an Anglo-American war from starting, or failing that, prevent it from leading to an Anglo-American Empire.

Re: New Reality Seeds
 

The more documents there are, the more a computer can chew on. Also, even the slightest hint of context gives a linguist a huge leg up. Even, "This is the transcript of Infinity expedition 713B, which came back from timeline Lucifer 7 in a total panic, after which the timeline was reclassified R2," can give some contest.
I think that modern computers would be able to decipher Navajo code talking over time, if they had both what was said and what was happening at the time. Tactically useful, but not indefinitely.

Bare bones of a frightening one
 

How's this one? Take any magic based world.
Magic is getting more powerful.

At first, only the most skillful wizards are noticing--not even the most powerful, but the most meticulous and observant.
Each mana point is giving more effect. At first, only a precisionist will notice--who's going to notice that that 5 yard area is actually 5 yards and a fraction of an inch.
But gradually, the effects are growing. Now, perhaps 9 mana into a fireball gives 10 dice of damage. A healing spell cures an extra 10%, fractions rounded down.
Now a contest of skill between a currently cast spell and one cast at least 2 years ago gives the modern caster a +1.
Some wizards are quite happy--but he more thoughtful are getting worried.
Accidents are starting to happen--minor ones at first. A wizard trying to cast a minor firestarting spell almost incinerates the entire campfire's wood.

Rituals, likewise, of any flavor, are growing more powerful. The same work needs to be done, but the effects are getting more intense.
Magical plants and animals are also metabolizing more magic. So far, it's resulted in them growing more powerful...but just like a human who suddenly gains super strength, without reinforced bone, some plants and animals are having problems.

Powerstones were recharging a little faster a year or two ago--now, it's noticeable. Yesterday, the Lapis Potentimus (GURPS Magic Items) blew up, leaving a large hole where the tower it was kept in used to be. That particular powerstone had been kept where it was at a massive convergence of power, so that it wouldn't take a year or so to recharge.

At the rate things are going, doom is coming. Some wiser wizards are relocating to low mana areas. (The mana level isn't chaging...just the results of what mana there is. Non mages still can't cast spells--but there's some reports of mages with level one magical aptitude casting spells that call for level 2...

There's no sign of the trend changing--and if it continues, someone is going to make a mistake, and something VERY bad might result. <Meanwhile, less responsible wizards (and others) are enjoying the raw speed that they can get out of their flying carpets and brooms.>

The Great Mages are discussing calling a conference. The agenda is to discuss the proposal to form a working group to determine of there is anything that needs to be done--and how to do it without upsetting any Great Mages.

The REAL archmages seem to have made themselves scarce...but you almost never see one of them anyway.

Parts of the Cabal are cautiously taking advantage--the rest is TERRIFIED. Some might even be considering stealing non-magical weapons of mass destruction to ensure that no magical accident reverberates across the Infinite Worlds.

Infinity is nervous...can this happen elsewhere? Where will it end? Will it do anything to the natural gates between worlds? If the increase doesn't stop, the end of this worldline is inevitable.

Characters could be trying to prevent the e3nd of everything, or hasten it. They could be searching for the solution, or for the Archmages--have they fled? Are they trying to prevent it? Are they causing it/ (And do the Archmages even exist?)

If there is crossworld travel--Infinity, The Cabal, Merlin-1, and others--what are they doing? Merlin-1 might even have a direct route to this timeline, which, until a few years ago, had been a normal magical world--if there is such a thing.

If anyone does anything with this, I'd love to hear thoughts.

HAVE FUN!