New Reality Seeds

[TGLS]

Originally Posted by malloyd

Between said Marxists, the recently disbanded but still active State Security Bureau, and the intelligence services of Iraq, Israel and the United States, I don't see why anybody would assume that.

I suppose, but such a quiet assassination might have Infinity going Zebras not Horses, especially if this is an echo.

[doctorevilbrain]

I don't get that reference. If that's in Infinite Worlds, what page is it on?

[Astromancer]

Here's another Iranian idea.

Afshar-2

Afshar-2 is a mainly low Mana Q4 world. It has a few areas of normal mana and some limited (the size of a large house at most) areas of high mana. Although the local time period is in the 1760s the areas of hightened mana correspond to a "usual suspects" pattern. Weirdly reflecting those areas associated with magic in 20th century American popular culture. However, the parallel is named for Nader Shah Afshar one of the last great Islamic conquerors of Southwest Asia in those parallels close to Homeline history.

In most parallels Nader Shah Afshar is killed by a conspiracy of his nobles in 1747. However, something seems to have shifted events. Nader Shah Afshar instead conquered Syria and the Levant. An Islamic Persian Empire extends to the Black, Mediterranean, and Red seas.

The Ottoman state is on the brink of collapse. The Egyptians and the Barbary coast states have declared independence. From Russia to Spain the European powers are sizing up a radically changed eastern Mediterranean.

Basically, espionage in a very Arabian Nights setting. The Cabal is very active on this parallel. Homeline wants to know what the Cabal is after and whether or not it's something Homeline could use themselves.

[cptbutton]

Originally Posted by TGLS

I suppose, but such a quiet assassination might have Infinity going Zebras not Horses, especially if this is an echo.

Originally Posted by doctorevilbrain

I don't get that reference. If that's in Infinite Worlds, what page is it on?

If you mean "Zebras not Horses." It is a medical aphorism about not expecting the rare cause rather than the common cause.

"When you hear hoofbeats behind you, don't expect to see a zebra."
- Professor Theodore Woodward in the 1940s.

[malloyd]

Originally Posted by TGLS

I suppose, but such a quiet assassination might have Infinity going Zebras not Horses, especially if this is an echo.

One complication that occurs to me is a scattering of normal and high mana sites around that aren't present on OTL (or Homeline) could change things a lot, particularly in this case. One of the things Khomeini actually [did] was formally curse people - warning Iranian troops and security forces that if they opposed the revolution Allah would bring misfortune upon them. If there's more functioning magic, there's a real possibility one of his opponents cursed him back.

[Astromancer]

I just finished watching a YouTube video by US of Z and HistorysInfluence What if Napoleon Invaded the Ottoman Empire, or at least the title is something like that. It's a good campaign setting.

In this alternative History Napoleon doesn't invade Russia. Instead he uses diplomacy (and clearly got bunches of critical successes on his rolls) to get the Russians to join him in attacking the Ottoman state. Note: Russia was trying to conquer the Ottomans but Napoleon's invasion of Russia pulled them back.

Anyway picture a successful Franco-Russian invasion of Greece aided by Greek and Bulgarian revolts against the Turks. Now the cities of Adrianople (modern Edirne) and Constantinople are under siege by the Franco-Russian armies. The Brits are sending agents to aide the Turks and spy on the French and Russians.

Meanwhile, while the exotic Swashbuckling campaign is going on. Centrum has a plan. Let the French and Russians win. Britain, shut out of Europe would continue to deepen its control of Asia. If the Napoleonic Empire lasts until dies (which might not be 1821 if Centrum doctors decide to lengthen his life) maybe Britain would be far too entrenched in Asia to let go.

Homeline would be trying A) to discover Centrum plans, B) figure out what to do about them.

[Astromancer]

Here's a question for alternative historians. Britain was in many ways isolated from the continent of Europe for most of the 1789-1815 period. This both accelerated the growth of the British Empire, mainly because Britain needed to replace European trade with anything else, and it meant that the embryonic industrial revolution was largely unobserved by Europeans for more than a quarter of a century. Further, the cheap mass produced goods, cloth and thread especially, the British sold the world beyond Europe had few European competitors and a vital unassalible role in financing the government and the war effort. A world with a less violent French Revolution, or more to the point a less violent European response to the French Revolution might be a world were Britain was never as powerful as in our history. True or false?

What do you guys think about that analysis? Are Robbespierre and Napoleon two of the greatest forces promoting the Victorian British Empire? Would Centrum understand that kind of paradox?

[TGLS]

Originally Posted by Astromancer

What do you guys think about that analysis?

I think that neglects a rather important thing: the already existing British Empire was both one of the reasons why the French Revolution had happened and why the British were able to weather that crisis. If the British had come out worse for wear during the Second Hundred Years war, the French may have been able to find a less revolutionary resolution to their financial crisis or perhaps even avoid the crisis entirely.

Originally Posted by Astromancer

Are Robespierre and Napoleon two of the greatest forces promoting the Victorian British Empire? Would Centrum understand that kind of paradox?

I mean, given the have timeline alteration down to a science with Cliodynamics, I think it's safe to say they would understand this better than any of us. They might even be able to split the greedy jerks you need to build an empire from the greedy jerks who would destroy an empire, but that might be a little far.

[Astromancer]

Cavorite

This Q5 low Mana parallel is fairly interesting to Homeline. The local USA has a monopoly on an antigravity technology and has Vacuum Tube based Polywell Fusors. This world is a combination of TL6 and TL6+2^. The antigravity tech doesn't work in most parallels but since the local year is 1924 flights to the moon are pretty easy to come by and not particularly regulated.

This means that White Star Lines has been able to smuggle conveyors to Covorite's moon. This has allowed the set up of a moonbase at the South Pole of the Moon on Homeline.

Basically, multiple Homeline nations want control of the moon. Large numbers of Homeline people are sneaking around Cavorite's equivalent of the USA in a world a great deal like Homeline's USA in 1923 and trying not to seem suspicious. Note: It's understood in Cavorite's USA that foreigners want to steal the rare minerals that make spaceflight possible. Suspicious people interested in space can get into serious hot water fast.

[Phil Masters]

Originally Posted by Astromancer

This Q5 low Mana parallel is fairly interesting to Homeline. The local USA has a monopoly on an antigravity technology and has Vacuum Tube based Polywell Fusors. This world is a combination of TL6 and TL6+2^. The antigravity tech doesn't work in most parallels but since the local year is 1924 flights to the moon are pretty easy to come by and not particularly regulated.

This means that White Star Lines has been able to smuggle conveyors to Covorite's moon. This has allowed the set up of a moonbase at the South Pole of the Moon on Homeline.

This is one of those timelines where the implications rapidly become insane the moment you let someone with a basic knowledge of physics know the assumptions. I mean, just within the timeline, you have perpetual motion machines and planet-killer weapons. Then, once out-timers finally manage to acquire an antigravity ship and install a conveyor, you can putter around any accessible solar system at whim. And build those planet-killer weapons.

Do not use this timeline in a game with any players who take science half-seriously. Because they will abuse it, in one sense or another.