New Reality Seeds

[TGLS]

Originally Posted by Astromancer

This was an alternative world were the siege of Vienna took place in 1694 after Kara Mustafa had time to properly plan. The Ottomans did rule in this Germany.

I dunno. I think the problem is you're faced with a trap that resembles this:

1) There are insufficient Muslims in Germany for "Hitler" (it's a 200+ year divergence point, forget about it being Hitler) to use demonizing the group as a route to power.

2) There are sufficient Muslims in Germany. However, Germany was ruled by a foreign power who preferred Muslims, and thus non-Muslim power was thoroughly destroyed in the process. Therefore, "Hitler" is unable to rely on the support of the old right-wing elite (or at least the, "He's a peasant but at least not a communist").

[fchase8]

Originally Posted by johndallman

He wasn't a haemophiliac. Haemophilia can only be inherited maternally; Tsarina Alexandra was a grand-daughter of Victoria and carried the mutation . . . this was a significant plot point in the occult WWII campaign, OK?

You are right - my bad. I just assumed like every early twentieth century royal was inbred with some sort of health issue...

Originally Posted by johndallman

The British would be far more inclined to give a motivated Russian a chance to kill the Tsar than to do it themselves. Giving someone a chance can be passed off as a failure of security; a murder by your own staff makes it much harder to deflect the blame.

They would ignore a would-be Gavro Princip. Though the Tsar wouldn't be out in public much - indeed, even 'public' meetings would be highly organized.

And a failure of security would be humiliating for British intelligence. Indeed, if it was someone the Tsar approved, it would be take the blame from the British.

This would lead to Centrum wanting to secretly poison the Czar.

[TGLS]

Originally Posted by fchase8

This would lead to Centrum wanting to secretly poison the Czar.

Or covering his bathtub in teflon

[Astromancer]

I just finished reading Independence Lost, a work about people who lost because of the American victory in the Revolutionary War. The complex politics of the 1780-1815 period in the American Southeast are wildly underrated. The various Native American groups, especially the Chickasaws, were profoundly sophisticated diplomats. Their best diplomats could enter diplomatic poker with a pair of duces and beat royal flushes. However, stagnant and declining Native American populations and rapidly growing American populations upended the whole card game.

Still the whole area we think of as the American Southeast (Dixie) is up for grabs and the fates of nations with it.

Which players and events in this area and era interest you?

[patchwork]

Well, I'm an Aaron Burr fan. And James Madison.

Alexander MacGillivray fascinates me sometimes. His irrational hatred of the Americans, based on his father's fate during the Revolution, pretty much doomed his (Creek) nation. Had Alex been a bit more pragmatic and reasonable, the Creek would have been admitted to the Union as a state with basically the same borders as present-day Alabama. Now there's a non-English/white state in the union already in the 1790s.

I've seen a very good, if speculative, treatment on the survival of John Laurens. Had he lived, he would have been the Southern ally Alexander Hamilton desperately needed and never found; leading to a much more Federalist early union.

[Astromancer]

Originally Posted by patchwork

Well, I'm an Aaron Burr fan. And James Madison.

Alexander MacGillivray fascinates me sometimes. His irrational hatred of the Americans, based on his father's fate during the Revolution, pretty much doomed his (Creek) nation. Had Alex been a bit more pragmatic and reasonable, the Creek would have been admitted to the Union as a state with basically the same borders as present-day Alabama. Now there's a non-English/white state in the union already in the 1790s.

I've seen a very good, if speculative, treatment on the survival of John Laurens. Had he lived, he would have been the Southern ally Alexander Hamilton desperately needed and never found; leading to a much more Federalist early union.

Although both Washington and Franklin wanted to bring the Native Americans into the Union, neither most Native American populations nor most of the American economic elites could accept the idea. It's depressing.

[cptbutton]

Originally Posted by Inky

To make it work as an Infinite Worlds setting, you might have to think of some way to stop the world-jumpers from scouting Central Asia first to find out who or what Gog and Magog are. With that much magic going around, though, it seems like it would be easy enough to add a "conveyors can't get to this area and we don't even know why" handwave.

My idea for that is make it a world currently only accessible via a nexus gate or other such magic door that only goes to one place.

That's what I was going to do with my "Centrum penetrating a still militarized Japan" concept.

[Astromancer]

Asclepius

An ironically named Q6 Low Mana parallel experiencing the year 1932. Asclepius is generally held to be an example of outtime interference, but no one knows who did the interfering. Or for that matter, if anyone actually interfered at all.

Asclepius diverges in 1914. The Archduke of Austria had a rotten cold in later June that simply wouldn't go alway. Franz Ferdinand simply cancelled. Along with missing his assassination, both Franz Ferdinand's brother Karl and Emperor Franz Joseph caught Franz Ferdinand's cold and died by August.

Among other incidents. Mrs. Ellen Axman Wilson, the wife of the American president continued in fine health in spite of concerns about her kidneys (in most parallels she dies of Bright's Disease). Carefully examined newspaper reports show one A. Hitler dying in Vienna in 1915. Several Russian revolutionaries and the Czar all died in the winter of 1914-1915 of "infection" with only the Czar being well reported.

Asclepius in 1932 is far closer to the transition to TL7. In many ways the technology is like 1939. Other than that, Europe looks more like 1914 than not. Woodrow Wilson (under the shrewd guidance his wife, Ellen Axman not Edith Boilling) has moved American politics in a strongly progressive direction. Highly reminiscent of the "New Deal" to outtimers. A Democratic candidate followed him in office in 1920. But he died in 1924. A conservative Republican followed in 1924. His unpopularity gave the Progressive-Democratic (the party's new name) a landslide victory in 1928.

However, in so many ways, WWI was baked into European politics well before 1900. Russia, Germany, France, Britain, Italy, Austria-Hungary, and the crumbling Ottoman state, simply couldn't stand still. Each nation had to make substantial gains that could only come at the expense of the other European powers. Japan was rapidly adding itself to the mix. And in 1932 it looks like the political pot of Europe is about to boil over.

Basically, a hellish mixture of WWI politics and values with WWII technology. Centrum is determined that Britain will win both the war and the peace to follow. Finding means to drag the USA into the war early is priority one. The Cabal wants the war put on hold. The Occult scene in this Europe is both vital and fascinating. A major war would just foul things up. They don't know who delayed WWI, but they like his style and mean to kill whoever it takes to preserve their good thing. Meanwhile, Homeline just wants to prevent either Centrum or the Cabal from gaining dominance on this parallel. Even more, they want to know what is going on.

This is an espionage campaign in a world sliding into its first world war since 1815.

[SilvercatMoonpaw]

Originally Posted by Astromancer

Meanwhile, Homeline just wants to prevent either Centrum or the Cabal from gaining dominance on this parallel. Even more, they want to know what is going on.

Ah, I see we have a mid-series shake-up; ratings are flagging, so the show has to introduce someone who doesn't fit into the stale roles. Maybe a timeline that went through something similar to Centrum, but instead has decided the Last War was a good thing and is now dedicated to hastening all other timelines through this glorious rebirth?

[johndallman]

Originally Posted by Astromancer

Carefully examined newspaper reports show one A. Hitler dying in Vienna in 1915.

That's interesting: he moved to Germany in 1913.

Originally Posted by Astromancer

However, in so many ways, WWI was baked into European politics well before 1900. Russia, Germany, France, Britain, Italy, Austria-Hungary, and the crumbling Ottoman state, simply couldn't stand still. Each nation had to make substantial gains that could only come at the expense of the other European powers.

It was, but not in quite that way. The powers were generally willing to stand still in Europe, but Austria-Hungary wanted more Balkan territory. Germany wanted overseas colonies as a symbol of great-power status, and added a large navy to that shopping list, making the British their enemy. The thing that made WWI start as it did was the alliance system, coupled with Austria-Hungary wanting revenge and territory, and Wilhelm II telling the Austrians they had Germany's backing, whatever they decided to do.