Re: New Reality Seeds
 

But Russia did invade Germany in August 1914 full tilt with two armies, with the conquest of Berlin being the explicite objective of the exercise. (What do you think happened instead?) This was a good deal sooner than the German leadership had expected, by the way, but it seems that Russia had already begun to prepare for the war in secret, even before their official general mobilisation. Germany had to divert troops (the German 8th Army) to confront this threat (possibly leading, definitely contributing to the failure of defeating France in the West), and although greatly outnumbered, it was managed to defeat the Imperial Russian warmachine in a series of battles, most notably the (inappropriately named) Battle of Tannenberg in late August, where the 2nd Russian Army under Samsonov was destroyed, and, at least as important, the First Battle of the Masurian Lakes, in which the 1st Russian Army under Rennenkampf was crushed in early to middle September. Please do note that the use of the "imperial" terminology is much more appropriate this way around, since Germany, being actually a Confederation (its official name was "The German Realm"), was an Empire in name (and somewhat misleading English translation) only, whereas Tsarist Russia (official name: "All-Russian Imperium") was an Empire in every sense of the word, absolutism and despotism included.

Re: New Reality Seeds
 

Thank-you. I think those events were it's hard to tell the difference between the dinner and the diner make good gaming. Although I avoid such in the flesh.

Re: New Reality Seeds
 

Most of Russia's troops went to the Carpathians. There they got nothing done for years. Had the troops wasted on capturing those mountains been throw at Berlin imediately, while Germany was sending it's armies into France, Hindenburg's assistants couldn't have cleaned up the mess.

I grant you that German arms made quick work of the few troops sent, and did so with skill and style. Certainly the campaign deserves to be much better known. But I said 2/3's of the Russian Army, a very different case.

Re: New Reality Seeds
 

Well, the Austrian-Hungarian Empire was another of Russia's prime targets after all. While not as strong and dynamic as Germany, this was still an entity with a population of about 50 million at the time. I am not so sure that Russia could have afforded it to entirely ignore this ally of Germany, and instead to open up an early front with the Osman Empire, a state that was still neutral at this time (although it was admittedly another target for Russian desires of conquest, especially Istanbul and the Turkish Straits), as you suggest.




It consisted out of two very sizeable armies. As a matter of fact, the Russian invasion force sent into Germany seemed more than strong enough to do the job. Both the Russian 1st and the Russian 2nd Army were a good deal larger than the German 8th Army, and only because the latter actually managed to engage them separatedly (and to win each engagement) was it possible to fight that invasion off. But in early August 1914 there was no reason from the Russian point of view to expect anything but a swift and smashing victory and the successful conquest of Berlin, possibly until Autumn, certainly before Christmas. After that, the first serious German troop concentrations west of the Russian Invasion force would have stood in Belgium - Germany would have had no alternative but to capitulate.

Re: New Reality Seeds
 

One should also remember that coming to the aid of the Southern Slavs - the Eris Apple of the entire conflict - would require going through Austria-Hungary. This had strong support in Russia and any attempts to neglect this entirely would lead to protests.

Re: New Reality Seeds
 

One possibility for the alternate would be to have germany's wins go the other way --- Perhaps by getting the russian generals to get along with each other better, or some other small detail.

Re: New Reality Seeds
 

Fragmented quotation follows:


You say that like it's a bad thing.

Re: New Reality Seeds
 

I am sorry. It was not my intention to give offence to any imperialists, absolutists or despots on this forum. Especially not to the ones who are also moderators.

Re: New Reality Seeds
 

Kewl beans.

:)

I'm just ribbing you in a good-natured way.

Re: New Reality Seeds
 

Pow-Wow
Current Year 1926
POD- 1820s, folk/ritual magic demonstrations convince a growing small but growing number of researchers in the United States. A revised Pow-Wow book, published in Baltimore in 1829, contains an additional set of keys that enhance and activate magical power.


Magic only works for those who believe in a higher (or lower) power and a metaphysical realm.
No atheists or materialists need apply.


This is ritual magic (path/book) based on Religious Ritual skill.

Religious Ritual: Pow-Wow
Religious Ritual: Conjure
Religious Ritual: Diabolism

etc.


The US has led the way in magical studies, but other countries have gone a long way towards catching up.





Some later events:
1849
• Karl Marx, a notorious black magician, hanged by the Koln authorities’ for the ritual murder of a prostitute (some of his followers have claimed he was framed, that his involvement in radical politics was the real reason for his hanging).
1861-65
• American Civil War, both sides recruit magicians as “chaplains’ assistants” and “surgeon’s aides.” The first-hand experience of soldiers lucky enough to get magical healing helps popularize the Art, though sadly the healers number too few to save more than several thousand men.
1901
• Harvard, the last hold out among the major American universities, first offers courses in practical magic.

Current events:
• In Russia the Marxist-Luciferian regime struggles to suppress Khlysts, Lamaist-Tsarists, and Skoptsy-Socialist rebels.
• Negro folk magic/conjure/hoodoo gains wider popularity along with jazz, sometimes through the same club venues
• American magicians who utilize alcohol in rituals fail again in a bid for a legal exemption from Prohibition (more seek bootlegger contacts)
• Japanese research on yamabushi rituals first published in English, newspapers warn of the Yellow Peril and mysterious Oriental sorceries

Great Powers:
United States of America
• Representative democracy
• CR 3 (4 for non-whites in some states)
British Empire
• Representative democracy
• CR 3 (4 for some colonial native populations)
French Republic
• Representative democracy
• CR 3 (4 for some colonial native populations)
Japanese Empire
• Representative democracy/oligarchy (in Japan proper; colonies add subjugated modifier)
• CR 4
Italy
• Representative democracy
• CR 3 (4 for some colonial native populations)


NOTE-- Kenneth Hite has already written up worlds like this. Call it an homage. Or drawing on the same source material.
I could push the date back or forward, but I like the 1920s.

This isn't a secret magic world; magic is known to work.
But since it works for more than one tradition, nobody can be certain from empirical evidence which tradition's connected religion is the True Faith.
If any.

Materialism is a minority intellectual position, crackpot stuff.

Hard atheism really isn't a thing, outside crackpot circles.

There are a few Jungian types who claim the gods and spirits magicians call on are projections of/dwell within the human collective subconscious. They haven't been able to create a working tradition of their own, at least not yet.