New Reality Seeds

[johndallman]

Originally Posted by ericthered

what happens next? Do the British invade in response? Does he unite south America? Does he die of Stomach Cancer?

The British are most unlikely to invade. Chile is dependent on its export trade, and the British can restrict that far more easily than they can mount an invasion.

Uniting South America may well be possible, but is going to be quite a long job. The stomach cancer will probably kill Napoleon first.

In my Cold War Pulp campaign, set in 1950, the characters recently fled from Argentina to Chile, with no visas, advance bookings or Chilean money. They just turned up at one of the crossing points in the high Andes, in two cars, one of which had a few bullet holes and a badly wounded man. Fortunately, their face-man has decent Spanish, and got a reaction roll of 25 after modifiers.

[Astromancer]

Try this one, Catherine the Great's eldest son, Paul I, whom Catherine disliked immensely, was a sickly child. Paul's death would hardly be a major issue. Catherine could find an alternative heir, it had happened before. Have Catherine pick one of her illegitimate children to be the heir. And simply allow the new Czar be be mildly talented and very level headed. Paul I wasn't a good ruler, just switch him out for a steady hand. Russia becomes substantially more powerful in period.

It is notable that generals with common sense generally fared better against Napoleon. Part of Napoleon's military gift was simply a knack for getting his opponents to make stupid mistakes ( a major advantage in any battle). A calm opponent not given to acting rashly is a bigger threat to Napoleon.

You might trade a French Europe for a Russian one.

[Astromancer]

Try this Stalin dies in a battle early in the Russian Civil War. His replacement obeys Trotsky's orders to come to Warsaw. There is no miracle of the Vistula. Once he secured Warsaw Trotsky marches on Berlin. For the next six years the lands between Berlin and Warsaw are a chaotic battlefield.

With Lenin's death Yakov Sverdlov took over. As the early death of Stalin forced Sverdlov to stay in Moscow, he never caught the plague that killed him young. Sverdlov, a highly skilled bureaucrat and a serious Marxist (far moreso than Lenin or Stalin) kept Russia focused on a Marxist course of action. Unlike Lenin and Stalin, Sverdlov never had any serious interest in fascism nor any interest in incorporating fascist ideas into Marxism. Sverdlov was no democrat and spent little time on human rights but he no taste for needless violence.

Meanwhile, Hitler and Ernst Rohm seem to have both died in the Russo-German war of 1920-1926. Germany still has serious problems but no one seems to be able to overthrow the Weimar Republic for now.

It's 1946, the scars of both the World War and the Russo-German War seem healed on the surface. Europe has largely rejected democracy outside of France, the low countries, Denmark, the UK, Ireland, Finland, Sweden, Norway, and Switzerland. Democracy in the Weimar Republic and Czechoslovakia hangs on by inertia. The nations of Southern and Central Europe are restless and resentful. Russia is probing around the edges of Europe looking for opportunities.

Basically, a good espionage setting. If you want the Cabal involved interwar Europe was a hotbed of occultism. Recruitment would be easy and profitable. Meanwhile, L.A. in California is the Occult capital of the world in this time period.

[Astromancer]

The Kapp-Luttwitz Putsch is an under used historical turning point. Although the Putsch was a prime example of "amateur night in Dixie," it did fatally poison the political well. It started the trend of not taking right-wing threats seriously under any circumstances. But try this idea.

On the Q5 parallel Kapp-Luttwitz the Putsch was far more organized and bloody. The Republic had to fight back hard. Whereas in Homeline history none of the leaders of the putsch faced real punishment in this parallel there were executions. Kappa, a high ranking civil servant, and Luttwitz, a major general (who in Homeline history still got his pension) both faced the firing squad. There was a general overhaul of the judiciary and a removal of reactionary judges.

Seven years later, Hitler's Beerhall Putsch got him executed. It's now 1945, the Weimar Republic is still strong and leading a coalition of European nations wanting to keep the Soviet Union on their side of the border. France is ostentatiously neutral. Britain is more afraid of Germany unifying Europe than of Soviet aggression. Germany needs to get an alliance with the USA in order for Europe to survive.

Basically, another espionage game. Homeline has the problem of large numbers of Americans resident on this parallel.

One business man, seeing the success of Johnson's Rome has used his wealth and cunning to take over a Hollywood studio. He's making films using talented actors who never got the breaks in Homeline's past. He's also working with genres like Science Fiction and Fantasy which never appealed to the old film molghuls.

Most people don't understand how he makes money. He basically takes his product to other parallels. His studio is a great way for agents trying to infiltrate this parallel's expat community to get their contacts.

The reason the expat community is a threat is they are trying to force this America down their ideological paths, often using means Homeline hates. None of these expats, right or left, wants a Cold War between this parallel's USA and USSR. They'd gladly expose the Secret to force their opinions.

[Astromancer]

A recent problem has come up for Homeline. A bizarre Cabalist, perhaps possessed of exotic technology has been bouncing around the known Quantums, and quite likely beyond, playing at being Doctor Who! This mad man even seems to display paranormal powers where they aren't possible.

On the whole, the actions of this individual seem benign. He has gotten Elvis to a competent doctor a couple of months before he dies on most parallels. He even helped the man off drugs and got him back in the studio producing fine albums!

In a parallel where Edward VI was in better health and proving as brutal as his father this "Doctor" helped the Princess Elizabeth escape her execution and helped her become a cross between Robin Hood and King Arthur. Allowing her to dethrone her brother and guide England and Wales towards becoming egalitarian democracies!

At present the "Doctor" is bringing spaceflight technology to a very Pulpy parallel in this world's 1910s. In 1915 America has orbital assets and is requesting that Europe stop their war NOW!

The parallel the "Doctor" is "assisting" is in Q4. It a more than 95% Low Mana parallel with rare spots of higher Mana. The tech level is mainly either TL6 or TL6+1, but with the "Doctor" around that is changing.

Basically, the PCs need to gather serious intelligence on a powerful trickster Mage with access to unpredictable powers and technology.

[Astromancer]

Visitation-4

The Visitation worlds are distinguished by preindustrial plagues radically altering their history. On the Q6 low Mana parallel called Visitation-4 the Ottoman state and the Arab lands were hit by a brutal reoccurrence of what is assumed to be the Black Death in the year 1667. These states were so disrupted that Spain, France and Austria were able to launch wars of conquest.

With France focused on the conquest of Egypt the Dutch Crisis of 1672 never occurred. The De Witt brothers weren't lunch, the Dutch state kept evolving towards a republic, and the Dutch art market remained very strong.

In England, Charles II's brother James, seeking military glory, joined Louis in Egypt, and died of dysentery two months after arrival. Charles remaining heirs are his protestant nieces.

With the energies of the major Catholic powers focused on the Mediterranean basin Britain, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Denmark have a freer hand. In this parallel both Denmark and Sweden gain and hold onto colonies. Spain's New World colonies decide to make close friends with these new powers and their various smugglers. This brings renewed prosperity to the Spanish empire but not to Spain. The King assumes the low population in the Spanish colonies is the problem, so with the nobility in North Africa (the nobles always fought allowing mass emmigration to the Spanish colonies, the nobles feared loss of laborers and servants) the king allowed a migration to the New World.

Meanwhile, the recovering Islamic lands began to organize and fight back.

Basically, a more exotic Swashbuckling campaign. The future is far less set in stone. Sweden and Denmark had great potential in this period and in this parallel they might actualize that potential.

Centrum is working to build the British economy in subtle ways. They also want to keep France, Spain and Austria focused eastward. The Cabal seems to find Egypt very interesting (never a surprise) and are putting resources into recovering Irish lore (less common but no surprise) and have organized a Danish attempt to colonize Australia (what the heck!)

Homeline is mainly interested in keeping Centrum and the Cabal busy but they do want intelligence on what both of them are up to. Meanwhile, as the Dutch art boom, which collapsed in the Dutch Crisis of 1672, is still active, new and original masterpieces are being created by new and unknown Dutch Masters. Many people want these treasures.

[cptbutton]

Originally Posted by Astromancer

With the energies of the major Catholic powers focused on the Mediterranean basin Britain, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Denmark have a freer hand. In this parallel both Denmark and Sweden gain and hold onto colonies. Spain's New World colonies decide to make close friends with these new powers and their various smugglers. This brings renewed prosperity to the Spanish empire but not to Spain. The King assumes the low population in the Spanish colonies is the problem, so with the nobility in North Africa (the nobles always fought allowing mass emmigration to the Spanish colonies, the nobles feared loss of laborers and servants) the king allowed a migration to the New World.

Does the greater immigrant population in the Spanish colonies accelerate or delay the independence movements that came in the 19th century on OTL?

Do the Dutch grab some Pacific islands and use them to prey on the Spanish trade there?

[Astromancer]

Originally Posted by cptbutton

Does the greater immigrant population in the Spanish colonies accelerate or delay the independence movements that came in the 19th century on OTL?

The clock hasn't moved that far yet, but I think it would. It would also probably mean Latin America would have a higher population from early on. That alone would have large knock on effects.

Do the Dutch grab some Pacific islands and use them to prey on the Spanish trade there?

It seems cool and interesting. So yes!

[Astromancer]

Visitation-2

Visitation-2 experienced a major plague throughout most of the Atlantic and Mediterranean basins and Europe in the 1720s. The population loss was substantially greater than the Black Death. Areas of lower population density were far less disrupted. Thus marginal places like Iceland, Ireland, the North American colonies, survived more of less intact. This often radically altered who was in power in a given nation. Example: Scotland experienced brutal depopulation of the lowlands, meanwhile the highlands were only lightly touched. Thus the Stewarts were restored to the throne of Scotland.

The local year in this parallel is 1853. New England is a tech level five society on the verge of industrialization. Meanwhile England is in an interminable war with Scotland. Germany lost the Holy Roman Empire and hasn't replaced it with anything.

Basically, I see this world as a place where you can cross the Western with Swashbuckling. The Caribbean would still have pirates because no one would be able to suppress the pirates. The Americas would be independent in this world largely because no one in Europe would have been able to prevent it. The European powers might be looking to reclaim their lost colonies or any others they might grab. This is an Adventure world.

[Astromancer]

League-2

League-2 is a Q6 low mana parallel. The Tech Level is an early TL7.

The League worlds are distinguished by major changes in or actions of the League of Nations being the divergence point. League-2 diverges with Woodrow Wilson's illness being better understood and his Vice President taking over while Wilson was incapacitated.

Marshall, faced with Lodges' "Fourteen Objections saw that they meant nothing. So he waved them through as such. Wilson was furious later on, but America joined the League of Nations.

America's membership seems to have inhibited the earlier actions of the Fascists powers. WWII is still starting, but about three years late. Italy stayed out of the Spanish Civil War and made no attempt to conquer Ethiopia, so their military (which in Homeline history never had a chance to recover from previous fights) is fresh and ready. Spain has hanged Franco and is proudly aligned with the allies. Which means Spain could be conquered and Gibraltar seized by the Axis.

Germany has a less stable economy than in Homeline's history. One of the reasons WWII happened when it did was the backlash from the Nazi's "beggar your neighbor" trade policies was just beginning. War allowed the switch to a different style of plunder. However, on League-2, the Nazis had to ride out a few years of economic backlash before they could go to war. So Hitler hasn't the resources he had in Homeline history nor the same level of unthinking loyalty from the German people.

Meanwhile, back in the U.S.S.R., Stalin had spent several more years gutting the Russian military in fits of paranoid frenzy. The Red Army is far weaker.

Basically, this is a WWII replay with substantially different possibilities. It might be possible in this world for Germany to conquer Russia. Although that still wouldn't secure them the oil they would need. The Pyrenees could see major military action in this WWII. And the cultural influence of the Loyalist Spaniards on American troops could be fascinating.

The events would be different enough for major surprises and close enough so that knowledge of the real WWII would help.