Steve Jackson Games - Site Navigation
Home General Info Follow Us Search Illuminator Store Forums What's New Other Games Ogre GURPS Munchkin Our Games: Home

Go Back   Steve Jackson Games Forums > Roleplaying > GURPS

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 09-15-2014, 05:11 AM   #541
combatmedic
Banned
 
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: a crooked, creaky manse built on a blasted heath
Default Re: New Reality Seeds

Quote:
Originally Posted by warellis View Post
What would be the general TL of Pow-Wow? TL (5+1) or something? Is magitech around?
TL 6

Magicians have been trying to work up rituals involving complex machines for some time, but it's not as simple as just waving around a wand and chanting some magic words. Only in recent years have efforts at mechanical magic borne fruit, so there's no magi-tech yet.

That could change as things develop.

I'd probably allow a "cutting edge training" perk for a character who wanted some TL 6 machine-oriented rituals.
combatmedic is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-15-2014, 03:16 PM   #542
Drifter
 
Drifter's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: Los Angeles
Default Re: New Reality Seeds

Combatmedic inspired these two with his Gnosis timeline.

Barabbas Worlds

POD is A.D. 33, when Pilate ignored the crowd and commuted the sentence of Jesus Christ, and instead executing Jesus Barabbas. The living Jesus fades into obscurity, while the dead Barabbas becomes a rallying point for revolutionaries against the Roman regime and order in general. The Church of Barabbas the Insurrectionist is founded on chaos, violence and hate.

The history of the early Church is a cruel parody of the early Christian Church. When the Romans eventually accept Barabbasism, it is because of the bloodlust of its followers. The military readily accepts the new religion when Constantine I saw a flaming eagle affixed to a cross in the sky. The reforms of this Constantine were just as powerful as the Homeline Constantine, but very different. Military authority was paramount over civilians, but military leaders could be replaced by anyone with the might do so. Coinage was abandoned after inflation made the current monetary system unworkable. He was held up by the Church as the very embodiment of fear and hate, the twin foundations of leadership.

Barabbas – 1

On this timeline, local year of 1452, finds a Europe mired in barbarism and bloodshed. The only unifying force is that of the Church of Barabbas, local parishes distinguished by their hill forts and sword foundries. Only the right of force establishes rulership, while vengeance and blood feuds can go on for generations. As is, there is no political organization above the tribal level, and hasn’t been since the destruction of Byzantium by its own citizens in a series of riots and reprisal killings in the early 400s.

At first glance this appears to be a Gotha world, with no large towns or cities, and populations well defended from wandering hordes of murderers. Closer inspection will reveal that the towns are more like prisons, keeping the inhabitants in virtual slavery to a violent elite.

Islam did not arise, with no Christianity to act as a model, and Judaism as only the most widespread of a dozen suppressed sects. Instead a religion based on the worship of a dozen related goddesses, the Ashtarot, is formed in the late 700s, becoming powerful in the Mid-East and north Africa. Modeled on Judaism to an extent, Ashtarot sees some success in conquest, but not nearly the success of Homeline Islam. Barabbasian reaction is one of hate and violence, casting Ashtarot in the role of devils.

In the 1200s would-be Mongol invaders carried the Church of Barabbas back into the Khanates. India has so far been able to resist the hordes, but the Chinese empire has degenerated into the chaotic violence that plagues Europe.

Barabbas -2

Local year is 2012 on this possibly Myth Parallel. A close echo to Homeline, this is a mirror world, where evil is good, and good is evil. A despotic George Washington drives the English from America, allowing bloodsports and the freedom for local nobles to subjugate the citizenry. Lincoln announces the Slavery Declaration, officially enslaving African-Americans that had for generations been offered colonization rights by southern states. Ghandi orders terrorist attacks on British forces in India. Hitler, attempting to free the suffering masses of Europe, is defeated by the Alliance who gas and firebomb huge swaths of non-combatants. MLK Jr is assassinated for his Re-Enslavement stance, and Nixon is hounded from office for attempting to expose election fraud by the Democrats.

The key element tying this world’s weird history together is any contact with Barabbasism. History proceeded normally for all sections of the world that otherwise had no contact with Christianity in Homeline. Once contact was made, in this case with Barabbasism instead, the twisted ethics took hold. So the bloodthirsty Aztec civilization still falls to Spanish Conquistadors, but Father Serra’s Missions along the Pacific coast were built specifically to exterminate the natives.

Evil, sadistic and cruel versions of Homeliners can be found on this timeline, while cruel and sadistic Homeliners are paragons of virtue here.

Note - trying to come up with examples only gave me lines even more tasteless than that Hitler reference. This can be a fun one though, with evil versions of the PCs, or players.
Drifter is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-15-2014, 04:19 PM   #543
Astromancer
 
Astromancer's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: West Virginia
Default Re: New Reality Seeds

Byzantium-7

This world diverges in the reign of Justinian II, basically Justinian is lost at sea with no tears shed. Tiberius III founds a stable dynasty which holds the line against the Arabs and later the Turks. In the 12th century, with an ecconomically revived West seeking new learning the Byzantine Emperor offers a prize of a chest of rubies for anyone who can come up with a faster and more accurate way to copy books. A form of the Chinese printing press won the prize.

Later moblie type and other innovations were added. In this world the scientific revolution took place in the 15th century. America is discovered (and named Atlantis) in 1387. Northwestern Europe soon enters a long boom as the Mediterrian becomes a backwater.

The local year on this TL5 Q6 world is 1507. The Byzantines allied with Venice are trying to conquer Egypt in order to build a cannal and recover their trade dominance.


Note: I might need to move the year back a bit to allow less ecconomic degradation of the Mediterrian Basin nations. Still this should be a good Swashers/Arabian Nights crossover world.
__________________
Per Ardua Per Astra!


Ancora Imparo
Astromancer is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-15-2014, 05:48 PM   #544
combatmedic
Banned
 
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: a crooked, creaky manse built on a blasted heath
Default Re: New Reality Seeds

Byzantium 7 looks really fun.

I assume the Byz-Ven alliance wants to (after nabbing Egypt) repair that old Hellenistic-Roman-Arab Nile-Red Sea Canal.

Or even, if the TL 5 stuff enables it, dig a north -south, Med to Red, canal.

Awwww, yeah.

RE


Barabbas worlds:

Barabbas--1
It looks great for low TL adventuring.
Grab your sword and get ready to rumble.


Barabbas--2

Most AH scenarios don't get explicit about strong, clear archetypes of morality. This one does. I think it works as a funhouse mirror, distorted and exaggerated.
Good Hitler= bold.
combatmedic is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-15-2014, 06:20 PM   #545
johndallman
Night Watchman
 
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Cambridge, UK
Default Re: New Reality Seeds

Quote:
Originally Posted by combatmedic View Post
I assume the Byz-Ven alliance wants to (after nabbing Egypt) repair that old Hellenistic-Roman-Arab Nile-Red Sea Canal.

Or even, if the TL 5 stuff enables it, dig a north-south, Med to Red, canal.
The OTL one was built 1859-69, and largely dug by hand labour. With no need for locks it's easy to build if you can recruit (or coerce) enough labourers.
johndallman is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-15-2014, 07:22 PM   #546
combatmedic
Banned
 
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: a crooked, creaky manse built on a blasted heath
Default Re: New Reality Seeds

Quote:
Originally Posted by johndallman View Post
The OTL one was built 1859-69, and largely dug by hand labour. With no need for locks it's easy to build if you can recruit (or coerce) enough labourers.

There was a lot of forced labor involved, as I recall.

And, yes, considering that earlier large canal and locks systems were done at TLs 2, 3, and 4, I think this prospect looks like a plausible project for the Byzantine-Venetian alliance of Byzantine--7.


As Astro notes, first they have to reclaim Egypt for Christendom. And that means a war, possibly a new crusade.
combatmedic is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-15-2014, 07:27 PM   #547
combatmedic
Banned
 
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: a crooked, creaky manse built on a blasted heath
Default Re: New Reality Seeds

Looking back, it seems to me I have fallen into writing timelines and not reality seeds.

Have I polluted the thread, or has it just evolved?
combatmedic is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-16-2014, 06:22 AM   #548
Astromancer
 
Astromancer's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: West Virginia
Default Re: New Reality Seeds

Quote:
Originally Posted by combatmedic View Post
Looking back, it seems to me I have fallen into writing timelines and not reality seeds.

Have I polluted the thread, or has it just evolved?
As long as someone gets something gameable we are doing a good thing for humanity! Or at least having fun.
__________________
Per Ardua Per Astra!


Ancora Imparo
Astromancer is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-16-2014, 06:37 AM   #549
Astromancer
 
Astromancer's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: West Virginia
Default Re: New Reality Seeds

The Roosevelt designation is used by Homeline to tag parallels were changes in the lives of the Roosevelt family is the main cause of the differences. Note: some worlds were alterations in the lives of this American family are the main or at least a key driving force in historical change get other names because other factors were overwhemingly obvious first.

Roosevelt-7

This Q6 world diverges from Homeline history in November 1904. T.R. never declared that he wouldn't run again. In our world T.R. declared that finishing out McKinley's term counted as his first term. He soon bitterly regretted that statement.

However, on Roosevelt-7 T.R. is busy with his 1908 presdential election. Meanwhile agents of Centruum have decided that they need to control the minds of T.R., F.D.R., his wife Elanore, T.R.'s daughter Alice, and F.D.R.'s mother Sara. The Homeline agents are trying to protect these people.

Note: Trying to a secret agent around any of these five people would be hard enough. Being subtle enough to go unnoticed by any or all of them would be nearly impossible. By the way, the Centruum Agents are in for a nasty shock when they try to control any of these folks. ;-)
__________________
Per Ardua Per Astra!


Ancora Imparo
Astromancer is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-16-2014, 07:26 AM   #550
combatmedic
Banned
 
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: a crooked, creaky manse built on a blasted heath
Default Re: New Reality Seeds

Karl Marx, fiction author
POD 1837
Young Karl Marx, encouraged by a professor and buy his fiancée Jenny Von Westphalen, drops some side projects and concentrates on his novel, Scorpion and Felix. He publishes it two years later. To Marx’s delight and surprise, the novel enjoys modest success.
He goes on to write short stories, novels, and several plays. As his recognition grows, he rises in society with help from Jenny. Soon he casts off his radical university associates and moves deeper into respectable middle/upper class circles.
After their marriage, Karl and Jenny move to London where they become good friends with Thomas Carlyle and Charles Dickens. Karl’s politics shift further right, and he writes a number of popular didactic novels about social reform from a conservative direction.

Marx never meets Engels.


Further developments? I’m not sure. But removing Marxism won’t remove socialism. It might make a little more room for both the utopian and anarchist variants, by fatally weakening so-called “scientific socialism” before it really develops.

Last edited by combatmedic; 09-16-2014 at 09:18 AM.
combatmedic is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Tags
ideas to share, infinite worlds, infinity unlimited

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Fnords are Off
[IMG] code is Off
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -6. The time now is 12:13 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.9
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.