New Reality Seeds

[Astromancer]

Try this one...

Israel-4

The Israel parallels diverge from Homeline history with events in the History of Israel. In this Q6 low mana (but with rare very small islands of Normal and High mana) parallel the divergence point is the Yom Kippur War. The key difference being that Brezhnev suddenly collapsed. While Brezhnev lay ill, the U.S.S.R. was involved in internal power struggles and paralyzed. Egypt collapsed and Syria was made prostrate. Unknown to both Homeline and the locals the Cabal rigged the game both the paralysis of the Soviet government and clever sabotage of the Arab militaries. Israeli troops entered Cairo and from there occupied Egypt. Syria kept their independence but signed a peace with Israel, as did Jorden, Lebanon, and Iraq.

What the Cabal wanted out of this was to break the influence of the Jinn in Egypt and get full access to this parallel's exceptionally well preserved Egyptian Antiquities. However, this massive military victory has made Israel the dog that caught the car. The Israelis, in the local year 2010, are stuck running the area covered by Egypt, Israel, Lebanon, Syria, and the West Bank. All with hostile sullen populations hungry for revenge.

Basically, an espionage campaign with the goal of defusing violence and eliminating terrorists with the surprise additions of angry Jinni and sneaky Cabalists.

I'd use Centrum as a distraction until the PCs relax and assume it's a no magic/supernatural setting. Then spring the Jinni on them.

[Astromancer]

Try this one...

Libertatia

In Homeline history, Libertatia may or may not have been fictional. In this Q5 Low Mana parallel Libertatia isn't just real it's stable and growing.

The main difference seems to be the existence of an Island roughly the size of Wales on the furthest north extremity of the Kerguelen Plateau which extends into the semitropical latitudes on this Earth. Although the island had had large aggressive flightless birds that hunted in packs, which drove off early Dutch attempts to settle the island, the rats these failed colonies left behind caused the extinction of these Terror Birds. (The rats robbed the nests of eggs and killed the chicks). By the time the Pirates, driven from Madagascar set up their colony, the Terror Birds were merely a legend.

The local year is 1818. Britain has stopped piracy for the most part, but Libertatia still presents problems. America managed to neither lose or win the recent war but they still hold tight to New Orleans and the Mississippi. Moreover, the yanks are making surprisingly good progress in building their canal. Having failed to stamp out the Republic in America the British hope to stamp out the Pirate anarchists of the Southern seas.

Basically, the British navy versus the children of the Pirates. Monarchy versus anarchists. Guerilla warfare on a pirate island.

Note, the locals live by farming and fishing with a little trade on the side (especially in Naval Stores). The British government sees the Island of Libertatia as an excellent base for naval operations. The locals live in informal democracies centered around small towns. The society is highly egalitarian and totally decentralized.

[Astromancer]

Try this one...

The sardonically named Mayberry seemed like an uncomplicated best option wish dream parallel. Stalin chocked to death on a fish bone at a New Year's Eve party in 1945. The USSR got taken over by Zhukov who focused on healing his nation after the war. Zhukov, distrusting Mao, drew out of China. Lacking Soviet aid, the Communists were beaten and China went nationalist. Most of Asia including Japan, China, Iran, Vietnam, Korea, Indonesia, and Myanmar, all went through programs of land reform based on the Ideas of Wolf Ladejinsky. And all of these societies moved strongly towards democracy.

By the 1960s this parallel's Earth was having an unparalleled period of peace and prosperity. Which is when this world seems to have been found by the Cabal. Although Mayberry had a normal past, the parallel had a high affinity to Atlantis. So in 1968, near Bimini, Atlantis rose from the sea.

Basically, in a fairly idyllic (for a 20th century world) Q5 parallel, the Cabal has returned an Outpost of Atlantis to the Material Plane. Before this event the Parallel was Low Mana with tiny isolated pockets of normal and high mana. Now the Earth is 90% Normal Mana and 10% High Mana. The High Mana areas tend to fit a conventional pattern (Tibet, Egypt, the Celtic Lands, the South Seas, etc.).

Homeline had had connections to this parallel since the locals were experiencing the late 1950s (a White Star Traders agent prevented the plane crash that killed Buddy Holly). They strongly suspect a Cabal plot.

This is a game of magic and espionage. Atlantis needs followers to help generate Reality Quakes to overwrite this reality with a version of Atlantis. Homeline doesn't want a powerful and predatory Techno-Magical Empire that near. Centrum is torn between seeing Homeline crushed and fear of Atlantis. Meanwhile, many factions of the Cabal massively mistrust Atlantis and especially this iteration of Atlantis.

[Dalillama]

No Nukes
in this universe, Richard Feynman's death in a traffic accident
delayed safety inspections at Oak Ridge and Hanford, leading to severe criticality accidents at both sites. The Manhattan Project was delayed until after both Germany and Japan had surrendered, and the Yalta Conference agreed to severe limitations on research or use of fissiles in any capacity. Lacking the threat of Mutually Assured Destruction, the Cold War went hot in 1958, devastating a Europe only just emerging from the wreckage of the last two wars. In the local present of 1998, Germany is entirely part of the Soviet Union, as are Finland and Sweden. Solar and wind power are much more prevalent than in Homeline, while space programs remain in their infancy.

[Astromancer]

Try this one...

This YouTube video makes a wild claim and backs it with Evidence. I really don't care too much but it leads to wild alternate reality.

If a world has dragons, real or otherwise, in a higher prominence than Homeline, and this is a major defining feature, it might get the Dragon definition. One such world is Dragon-5 were Jehovah is seen as a Dragon and God's servant defending Israel. All of the Seraphim (which are winged fire breathing serpents) are assigned a people to guard and protect. Jesus is the son of El (the god all the Seraphim serve) and Jehovah is his beloved foster father.

Strange as all this seems on Homeline Dragon-5 has vastly less Anti-Semitism (the word didn't even get invented), slavery died out in the Christian West by the 6th century CE, women had higher status and more rights than in Homeline's West, in every way this world has had a Christian Faith that was more tolerant and merciful than Homeline's. Also, Islam never arose, Mohamed became a Christian Saint!

When news of this Q5 Low mana world (which otherwise is an unremarkable shockingly close echo of Homeline in the local year 1915 (but with no WWI) people went nuts. The whole idea of the parallel was denounced as a snare of the devil. Swagmen flocked to this parallel to gather "holy relics" to sell on EBAY, New Agers came to gain insights, and religious zealots came to fight for God.

All of this is violently endangering the Secret!

Basically, go to a TL 6 world and remove troublemakers and thieves. Alternate missions could be to protect researchers studying this world's cultures and ideologies. Another possibility might be to drive off opportunistic Cabalists.

[fchase8]

Originally Posted by Astromancer

Try this one...

This YouTube video makes a wild claim and backs it with Evidence. I really don't care too much but it leads to wild alternate reality.

If a world has dragons, real or otherwise, in a higher prominence than Homeline, and this is a major defining feather, it might get the Dragon definition. One such world is Dragon-5 were Jehovah is seen as a Dragon and God's servant defending Israel. All of the Seraphim (which are winged fire breathing serpents) are assigned a people to guard and protect. Jesus is the son of El (the god all the Seraphim serve) and Jehovah is his beloved foster father.

Strange as all this seems on Homeline Dragon-5 has vastly less Anti-Semitism (the word didn't even get invented), slavery died out in the Christian West by the 6th century CE, women had higher status and more rights than in Homeline's West, in every way this world has had a Christian Faith that was more tolerant and merciful than Homeline's. Also, Islam never arose, Mohamed became a Christian Saint!

When news of this Q5 Low mana world (which otherwise is an unremarkable shockingly close echo of Homeline in the local year 1915 (but with no WWI) people went nuts. The whole idea of the parallel was denounced as a snare of the devil. Swagmen flocked to this parallel to gather "holy relics" to sell on EBAY, New Agers came to gain insights, and religious zealots came to fight for God.

All of this is violently endangering the Secret!

Basically, go to a TL 6 world and remove troublemakers and thieves. Alternate missions could be to protect researchers studying this world's cultures and ideologies. Another possibility might be to drive off opportunistic Cabalists.

Perhaps this world would be designated Wyvern-5, as there is a dragon-dominated Wyvern world. Infinity seems to like not naming worlds something as literal as "Dragon", but going a little fancier.

I had an idea of a Wyvern-2 that's a lot like Reign of Fire, with fire-breathing, but not intelligent, dragons having scorched the world. Only no one seems to be left to say how the creatures arrived, and Infinity is worried that the beasts got to this world parachronically - gargoyles are a bad pest, but now imagine that they're huge & breathe fire...

[Astromancer]

Try this one...

According to a British documentary An Ocean Apart a British government of the 1930s attempted to collapse the American Car industry by cornering and restricting the world rubber market and only allowing British factories to make tires. The American maneuvers to avoid the total destruction of its economy were treated as aggressive imperialism in the documentary.

The Q6 parallel called Halifax(it isn't a Reich world....yet) is a world were Britain successfully collapsed the American economy and destroyed the New Deal. Now in 1940 America is lead by isolationists and is deeply hostile to Britain. Hitler and Stalin are both pleased with this.

Centrum is pleased that America is crippled, but they don't want the Britain they've pretty much taken over (Churchill is dead in an "accident") to lose the coming war. Simply kill Hitler and Stalin will eventually rule Europe. Kill both Stalin and Hitler and Europe remains a bleeding sore. They need to get America to back Britain.

Meanwhile extremists are rapidly gaining followers in an America without hope. Hope isn't something Centrum knows how to provide.

Unknown to Centrum Homeline is working in America to keep Swagmen from running guns to groups like the Klu Klux Klan and the Black Legion. Once they know Centrum is on this parallel they'll see the British attack on the US economy as a Centrum plot. (It wasn't).

Basically, a spy versus spy struggle in the early days of a darker WWII. Note: Homeline British agents might want to rescue this Britain. If the Homeline Brits kick out the "Cliveden Set" then you can move to a Lion Alone scenario. Although you might want to undo the mess Britain made in America if you want to survive the Cold War.

[malloyd]

Originally Posted by Astromancer

Try this one...

According to a British documentary An Ocean Apart a British government of the 1930s attempted to collapse the American Car industry by cornering and restricting the world rubber market and only allowing British factories to make tires. The American maneuvers to avoid the total destruction of its economy were treated as aggressive imperialism in the documentary.

This sounds like complete nonsense. The automobile industry isn't remotely the same thing as the economy (rubber imports in 1930 were about 80 million dollars, US GDP even in this first year of the Great Depression was 91 *billion*), the world economy in the 1930s was *already* collapsing (there was this thing called the Great Depression on, though the big 3 US auto makers actually turned a profit most years of it, so if you are looking for an industry to target to make it worse, at least this one is more reasonable than most), and the first synthetic rubber plants had already opened by 1930 (DuPont and Thiokol).

Not to mention the British had been making efforts to obtain a monopoly since about 1919, only to be undercut by the Dutch, who dropped prices and stole much of their market share. Those low prices did drive Brazilian production under, but if the British had started succeeding in restricting supply and driving up the price, they'd probably happily resume operation. Getting together a convincing Anglo-Dutch-Brazilian cartel that would actually be willing to not sell to the biggest consumer in a world economy where America was probably in the least terrible shape doesn't look plausible at all.

[Astromancer]

Originally Posted by malloyd

This sounds like complete nonsense. The automobile industry isn't remotely the same thing as the economy (rubber imports in 1930 were about 80 million dollars, US GDP even in this first year of the Great Depression was 91 *billion*), the world economy in the 1930s was *already* collapsing (there was this thing called the Great Depression on, though the big 3 US auto makers actually turned a profit most years of it, so if you are looking for an industry to target to make it worse, at least this one is more reasonable than most), and the first synthetic rubber plants had already opened by 1930 (DuPont and Thiokol).

Not to mention the British had been making efforts to obtain a monopoly since about 1919, only to be undercut by the Dutch, who dropped prices and stole much of their market share. Those low prices did drive Brazilian production under, but if the British had started succeeding in restricting supply and driving up the price, they'd probably happily resume operation. Getting together a convincing Anglo-Dutch-Brazilian cartel that would actually be willing to not sell to the biggest consumer in a world economy where America was probably in the least terrible shape doesn't look plausible at all.

I simply went with what the documentary suggested. Remember the documentary was written by the British. The whole section on the attempt to collapse the American Auto industry was neutral in tone towards the British and deeply hostile towards the US actions to protect American industry. But it wouldn't be the first TV documentary to totally foul up history.

[malloyd]

Originally Posted by Astromancer

I simply went with what the documentary suggested. Remember the documentary was written by the British. The whole section on the attempt to collapse the American Auto industry was neutral in tone towards the British and deeply hostile towards the US actions to protect American industry. But it wouldn't be the first TV documentary to totally foul up history.

No it wouldn't - the History Channel seems to specialize in them.
Seriously though, it sounds like something written by somebody whose economic knowledge is based on poorly understood mercantilism.

The core concept of British Empire economic hostility souring relations with the US is perfectly workable. It could even be done with semi-mercantilist policies if that were important to the theme, you just need to spread it across the entire trade relationship, not confine it to something so specialized. Though I do suspect that while creating and isolationist dislike of Britain in the US is pretty easy, it's more likely to collapse the British economy than the American one.

Alternately if you wanted to focus on the rubber industry and it's strategic effects, one tactic that would make sense is to build the tyre factories near the plantations, and undercut prices to run production elsewhere out of business. When the war breaks out, those Indonesian factories are suddenly even more of a logistics issue than the plantations were.