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Old 07-21-2021, 07:21 AM   #5671
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Originally Posted by Prince Charon View Post
There were British politicians who wanted to do that, but didn't push much for it, due to knowing something that the Old Planters either didn't know or thought wasn't important: The British public were very hostile to the peculiar institution of slavery. It was politically impossible for the British to support the Confederacy militarily against the Union (some of the politicians might have been worried about being lynched, though the Old Planters wouldn't have believed that that was a serious option), even ignoring that the British doing that would lead to their enemies militarily supporting the Union against the Confederacy and the British.
Interestingly, it could work out the other way. Suppose the British came to the Union's aid, and Austria or Germany or Russia or France or heck even the Dutch decide that they can embarrass and weaken the UK by making the US civil war a boondoggle for them.

Alternatively, your France or Austria could back the Union, and in so doing send give the UK cassias bellium to support the Confederacy. In either case, the Union may end up regretting the alliance. Especially in the second case, because with the British as an enemy, the northern front opens up...

The Union would presumably be aware of such a risk, but something like a slightly more effective South, perhaps one that takes Washington (but presumably doesn't capture Lincoln), might trigger that sort of gamble.

Last edited by PTTG; 07-21-2021 at 07:26 AM.
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Old 07-27-2021, 11:33 AM   #5672
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I've done a GURPS Infinite Worlds-style write-up of Iskander-5 from GURPS Lost Worlds. Here is the original blurb on Iskander-5:

On lskander-5 (Q3, current year 1505), Alexander’s empire lasted long enough to produce Hellenistic successor states in Gaul, Spain, and Britain capable of fighting off the Germans, who invaded the Near East instead, eventually sending the Huns and Turks east into India and China. The Celtic-Hellenistic kingdoms of the North Atlantic coasts are TL(4+1); the German-Persian kingdoms from Armenia to the Ganges, and the welter of warring Chinese states, are TL3.
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Old 07-27-2021, 11:34 AM   #5673
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Iskander-5, 1505


Current Affairs: Celtic-Hellenistic kingdoms of the North Atlantic coasts pursue their own Industrial Revolution, while the German-Persian Central Asian kingdoms and welter of warring Chinese states languish.
Divergence Point: 323 B.C.; Alexander’s empire lasts long enough to conquer Celtic western Europe.
Major Civilizations: Celtic-Hellenic (multipolar), Norse-Iranic (multipolar), Chinese (multipolar), Indic (multipolar), West African (multipolar), Gothic-Steppe (diffuse)
Great Powers: Maurousii (dictatorship, CR4), Aigyptos (dictatorship, CR5), Macedon (dictatorship, CR4), Britannia (dictatorship, CR3), Gaol (dictatorship, CR3), Atlantis (dictatorship, CR3), Hibernia (dictatorship, CR3), Manannan (oligarchy, CR2), Israel (theocracy, CR5)
Worldline Data:
TL: 4+1 (North Atlantic), 3 (Asia)
Quantum: 3 Mana Level: No Mana (low mana spots)
Infinite Class: R5 Centrum Zone: Inaccessible

The most recent ‘Iskander’ world found has no massive Alexandrian Empire, but it is furthest forward in time. Nearly 1800 years have led to a massively divergent world, in language, culture, technology, and even basic waves of settlement.
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Old 07-27-2021, 11:35 AM   #5674
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Horses of a Different Color
Alexander the Great’s empire lasted long enough to produce Hellenistic successor states in Gaul, Spain, and Britain capable of fighting off the Germans, who invaded the Near East instead, eventually sending the Huns and Turks east into India and China. Not just the history but the peoples of Eurasia went differently than on Homeline (including no Roman Empire, Christianity, Islam, etc.). China broke up in the Many Kingdoms Period that still reigns.
But even with Greek spoken in Hibernia, pale Franks ruling Pers, and Turks holding Ji [Beijing], states rose and fell, tribes overrunning kingdoms (or not) and becoming kingdoms themselves (or not). A few familiar civilizations survived, such as Japan and Aithiops, but were still altered. Alexander was never matched, with China and Europe forever divided, Persian empires coming & going, while Aigyptos and Macedon were unable to truly expand. Still, his greater legacy kept this world more connected, and a few centuries ahead of Homeline in development.
In 1279 a Maurousii [Morocco] ship headed to West Africa veered off course and into the New World, naming it “Atlantis”. Western Celtic-Hellenistic states rose, founding colonies and reaping rewards like in central Atlantis. Meanwhile, the old Near East declined, with the most recent Empire of Pers finally collapsing in 1447. Maurousii eclipsed Aigyptos, seizing Numidia and Carthage.
But all that gold & glory brought overreach, Maurousii attempting to match Alexander the Great by conquering Iberia, Sicily, and the entire Sea of Carib all at once. In the Atlantic Wars, not only was Maurousii turned aside, but most of Atlantis achieved independence. A new wave of Old World immigration to the New has begun, including West African settlements to the south and far-flung trade ports by the enterprising Lusitanians.
Then there is this world’s own version of the Industrial Revolution, the power of steam fueling ships & airships (yet no rail), rudimentary electricity powering rudimentary radio. But though the discoveries from the western Alexandrias have reached old Macedon, theocratic Israel, and even Alexandria-in-Aigyptos, everything further east is warring and backward.

Outworld Operations
Nearly two millennia of divergence with Homeline, including different population settlements and cultural mash-ups, has made Iskander-5 difficult to infiltrate, with a language barrier as severe as ever encountered. Currently, Infinity is focused on the North Atlantic, the divergent technological progress including that rudimentary radio which can be monitored. The Celtic-Hellenistic culture is fascinating (dubbed “Cellenistic” by Cliodyne), from its relative equality between the sexes & sexual liberty to its adaptable & well-developed pantheon religion.
But as alluring as those airships were to the first Scout satellites, Iskander-5’s uniqueness is a mountain to climb. Some researchers are in Macedon and Aigyptos, though even their Greek has strayed from Homeline Classical. Israel may speak a more familiar Hebrew, but is paranoid of outsiders. Then there’s Homeline Beijing, trying in vain to unite long fractured China. Some Infinity agents even pose as ‘Atlantean’ natives to explain their confusion with strange Cellenistic society.
Initially designated no-mana, but as magical beliefs are widespread, and Quantum 3 has so much weirdness, Sheldrake Section launched an investigation that revealed islands of low mana, such as Alexander the Great’s many post-divergence European stops. Studying the older parts of Alexander’s empire has been put on hold, as the current theory is that those, pre-divergence, aren’t magical, and anyways Infinity needs to get a better handle on this strange timeline first.
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Old 07-27-2021, 05:36 PM   #5675
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Arafel Worlds

Arafel-1 was considered to be just an anomaly world, like many others. Then Arafel-2 was discovered, and others followed. Them Echo-126-Minus became Arafel-6 while Homeline and Centrum and Cabal observers watched helplessly.

What was considered once to be a mere anomaly is now theorized to be a form of meta-creature that infects and takes over entire realities.

"Arafel" is referred to in Cannanite mythology as "The Divine Darkness". In Hebrew it means "fog" and is used in reference to the Apocalypse.

In an Arafel world, the process of day and night has been hijacked. The sun still rises and sets, but no longer determines day and night. Instead, "night" is a local state of the sky. From orbit, patches of night seem to run across the face of the planet like animated ink blots. When the sun is not in the sky, it's still daytime, just grayer. When the sun is in the night sky, it looks like a dim dark-red moon-like object (always full).

Nightfall on a Arafel world is an unpredictable event that can come on either gradually or in a dramatic surge. And it's duration is equally unpredictable - whle usually measured in hours, it can also be in minutes or weeks. The exceptions are a dozen-kilometer zones around the magnetic poles, with one being etermal night and the other eternal day.

Daytime in an Arafel world is at Low Mana, while the night is High Mana. And the night is inhabited by dark and fell creatures and supernatural phenomena. Simple electric systems work at night, but electronics become unstable and prone to occult effects. Basically, Day in an Arafel world is science, and night is Wild Dark Magic. Spontaneous night-based insanity is not uncommon.

Arafel-1 and 3 are uninhabited world with no sentients.

Arafel-2 is a prehistoric Earth by the calendar, with very paranoid and efficient hunter-gatherer tribes. But at least two city-state civilizations have emerged with glass-blowing technology, built around greenhouse-fortresses. Their TL is an early TL2.

Arafel-4 is at TL 3, with huge fortresses surrounded by farmlands. At the approach of night, the farmers flee into the fortress. Large-scale warfare is rare, as no one can predict when night will fall. There are cults of night-worshippers who seek to open the gates of cities at night, which makes everyone paranoid about strangers. Knights and monster-hunters are commonplace. Some call it "Gothic D&D World".

Arafel-5 is a post-apocalype world, which became an Arafel world in 1846, approximately 150 years ago. The written accounts of how civilization collapsed under the onslaught of what they called "The Demon Night" makes horrific reading. Small communities and desolate half-decayed cities are all that remains. While there are TL 4 remnants, the industriual base no longer exists to build, expand, or maintain it. This world was the one that caused the crosstime powers to get worried.

Arafel-6
was originally Echo-126-Minus, in the Gilded Age and happily stumbling it's way to World War One. Then on Halloween 1911 local (four years ago), there was a worldwide thunderstorm that covered the world for three days. When it cleared, the world was an Arafel world. Civilization is trying to cope, but the population was reduced horribly the first Arafel night. Magical cults are emerging, increasingly-desperate efforts are being made to sustain industrial supply-lines, and society in most areas is beginning to splinter.

Basically, Arafels are worlds where at any second the world around you can become a Gothic horror story. And with Low Mana in daytime, it's very difficult to prepare for supernatural menaces. The crosstime powers generally restrict access to researchers, as there is suspicion that the Arafel state might be contagious.
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Last edited by Mysterious Dark Lord v3.2; 08-25-2021 at 02:29 AM.
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Old 07-28-2021, 01:41 AM   #5676
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The sun still rises and sets, but no longer determines day and night. Instead, "night" is a local state of the sky.
What is the effect on the growth of plants?
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Old 07-28-2021, 03:45 AM   #5677
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What is the effect on the growth of plants?
While the local daytime is a roll of the dice, the global average is still half day and half night. So any oddities of plant growth (abundant growth from two-week daytime or wilting from a two-week night) are local.
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Old 07-29-2021, 02:27 PM   #5678
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Arafel Worlds

SNIP
This is a bit of a glorious slow-burn, post-apoc horror setting.

Since I don't particularly care for horror, I'm surprised how much I liked this one. :)
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Old 07-29-2021, 03:20 PM   #5679
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Locals might not be able to predict day and night on Arafel, but I bet you can with satellite imaging and computer analysis. Some simple weather satellites could make a massive change for the better on an Arafel world.

I'm sure the Cabal are looking into steering and reproducing the phenomenon. Which is a terrible idea, but that never stopped anybody.
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Old 07-30-2021, 08:02 AM   #5680
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Locals might not be able to predict day and night on Arafel, but I bet you can with satellite imaging and computer analysis. Some simple weather satellites could make a massive change for the better on an Arafel world.
Up until a satalite crosses over a night zone, goes fritzy, and starts reporting who knows what...

Its a nice disaster, perhaps because it offers hope. Maybe you can't save the world forever, but you can save these people right now. It also gets the suspense of disbelief just right, without relying on a stance on human nature.
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