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Old 03-28-2021, 03:00 PM   #111
whswhs
 
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Default Re: Alternate Versions of Inifinite Worlds

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Originally Posted by zarawesome View Post
2500 States

In 1976 Earth-New York time, 50 United States capitals in 50 alternate earths opened a permanent portal to a fifty-first, "idealized" America, which almost immediately became a warzone. The current situation is half "peace between brothers", half cold war.

The alternate worlds all have some form of North American country and have a local post-1776 date. Aside from that, anything goes.
That's kind of clever! But it seems like a huge amount of work to come up with fifty different variants on the basic concept, or even fifty different names. And more so if this is an example where you aren't doing fantastic elements such as magic or superscience. Could you offer a few examples?
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Old 03-28-2021, 04:27 PM   #112
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Default Re: Alternate Versions of Inifinite Worlds

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Originally Posted by whswhs View Post
That's kind of clever! But it seems like a huge amount of work to come up with fifty different variants on the basic concept, or even fifty different names. And more so if this is an example where you aren't doing fantastic elements such as magic or superscience. Could you offer a few examples?
You'd definitely want to use some of the pre-existing worlds. For example:

Dixie - Portal in Richmond, Virginia
Ezcalli - Portal in New Orleans, Louisiana
Gernsback - Portal in Seattle, Washington
Reich-5 - Portal in (depends how polemic you want to be)
Cornwallis or a similar British/Illuminati America - Portal in Augusta, Maine
United States of Lizardia - Portal in Tallahassee, Florida
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Old 03-28-2021, 04:44 PM   #113
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Default Re: Alternate Versions of Inifinite Worlds

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Originally Posted by zarawesome View Post
You'd definitely want to use some of the pre-existing worlds. For example:

Dixie - Portal in Richmond, Virginia
Ezcalli - Portal in New Orleans, Louisiana
Gernsback - Portal in Seattle, Washington
Reich-5 - Portal in (depends how polemic you want to be)
Cornwallis or a similar British/Illuminati America - Portal in Augusta, Maine
United States of Lizardia - Portal in Tallahassee, Florida
I can see most of those, but if you include Ezcalli, it seems that you're using a broader definition of "United States" in your criteria than I had envisioned. Now if it were Vinland . . .
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Old 03-28-2021, 05:00 PM   #114
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Default Re: Alternate Versions of Inifinite Worlds

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Originally Posted by whswhs View Post
That's kind of clever! But it seems like a huge amount of work to come up with fifty different variants on the basic concept, or even fifty different names. And more so if this is an example where you aren't doing fantastic elements such as magic or superscience. Could you offer a few examples?
More Examples (Portal in DC unless otherwise indicated)
  1. Yankee - North secedes and wins the civil war.
  2. Madison - Canada annexed in War of 1812.
  3. Whiggish Dream - France conquers thirteen colonies during 18th century, only for them to successfully rebel later.
  4. Bull Moose - Teddy Roosevelt wins third term and invades Mexico.
  5. Estados Unidos - The Spanish Armada crushes England. About 200 years later New Spain rebels!
  6. Kingfish - Huey Long forces a contingent election in '36 and becomes president in 1940, charting a populist and isolationist course.
  7. Wobblies - Economic troubles caused by German victory in WW1 (Britain stayed out and no one calls it that) led to general strikes and syndicalist revolution in America.
  8. Vinlandsaga - A more diplomatic approach towards the indigenous population helped Lief Ericsson's colony survive and thrive.
  9. Seven United Colonies - 80 years' war and the French wars of religion end in a Catholic Victory. Fledgling colonies in New Netherlands are bolstered by large numbers of Calvinist refugees.
  10. Fusang - China settles California in the 14th century, and loses interest during the Ming-Qing Transition. The colony becomes de facto independent and by the early 19th century becomes dominant in North America.
  11. JFK - JFK survives Oswald's attempt, and the Tonkin incident is downplayed. It's 1968, and Nixon must face a deteriorating situation in Thailand with the support of a resolute citizenry.
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Old 03-28-2021, 07:47 PM   #115
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Default Re: Alternate Versions of Inifinite Worlds

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Originally Posted by TGLS View Post
  1. Yankee - North secedes and wins the civil war.
  2. Madison - Canada annexed in War of 1812.
  3. Whiggish Dream - France conquers thirteen colonies during 18th century, only for them to successfully rebel later.
  4. Bull Moose - Teddy Roosevelt wins third term and invades Mexico.
  5. Estados Unidos - The Spanish Armada crushes England. About 200 years later New Spain rebels!
  6. Kingfish - Huey Long forces a contingent election in '36 and becomes president in 1940, charting a populist and isolationist course.
  7. Wobblies - Economic troubles caused by German victory in WW1 (Britain stayed out and no one calls it that) led to general strikes and syndicalist revolution in America.
  8. Vinlandsaga - A more diplomatic approach towards the indigenous population helped Lief Ericsson's colony survive and thrive.
  9. Seven United Colonies - 80 years' war and the French wars of religion end in a Catholic Victory. Fledgling colonies in New Netherlands are bolstered by large numbers of Calvinist refugees.
  10. Fusang - China settles California in the 14th century, and loses interest during the Ming-Qing Transition. The colony becomes de facto independent and by the early 19th century becomes dominant in North America.
  11. JFK - JFK survives Oswald's attempt, and the Tonkin incident is downplayed. It's 1968, and Nixon must face a deteriorating situation in Thailand with the support of a resolute citizenry.
Okay, those are entertaining. You can find a model for Bull Moose in S.M. Stirling's Black Chamber novels, and one for Kingfish in Sinclair Lewis's It Can't Happen Here.
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Old 03-29-2021, 06:22 AM   #116
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Default Re: Alternate Versions of Inifinite Worlds

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I can see most of those, but if you include Ezcalli, it seems that you're using a broader definition of "United States" in your criteria than I had envisioned. Now if it were Vinland . . .
I would want at least a couple Americas that were never colonized from Europe. Maybe a variant of Ezcalli with North America independent to some degree, and definitely a union of Native American neo-states.
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Old 03-29-2021, 08:27 AM   #117
whswhs
 
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Default Re: Alternate Versions of Inifinite Worlds

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Originally Posted by zarawesome View Post
I would want at least a couple Americas that were never colonized from Europe. Maybe a variant of Ezcalli with North America independent to some degree, and definitely a union of Native American neo-states.
Well, the Iroquois Confederacy seems to have been something the Founders were aware of. You might look at it as a starting point.

In the original GURPS Steampunk, which I wrote, one of the four timelines is Qabala, a "steampunk" world based on golems rather than steam engines. It had the Cherokee encouraging Jewish immigration and some of them seeking to convert to Judaism, hoping to gain golem technology.
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Old 03-29-2021, 09:10 AM   #118
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Default Re: Alternate Versions of Inifinite Worlds

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Originally Posted by TGLS View Post
More Examples (Portal in DC unless otherwise indicated)
  1. Yankee - North secedes and wins the civil war.
  2. Madison - Canada annexed in War of 1812.
  3. Whiggish Dream - France conquers thirteen colonies during 18th century, only for them to successfully rebel later.
  4. Bull Moose - Teddy Roosevelt wins third term and invades Mexico.
  5. Estados Unidos - The Spanish Armada crushes England. About 200 years later New Spain rebels!
  6. Kingfish - Huey Long forces a contingent election in '36 and becomes president in 1940, charting a populist and isolationist course.
  7. Wobblies - Economic troubles caused by German victory in WW1 (Britain stayed out and no one calls it that) led to general strikes and syndicalist revolution in America.
  8. Vinlandsaga - A more diplomatic approach towards the indigenous population helped Lief Ericsson's colony survive and thrive.
  9. Seven United Colonies - 80 years' war and the French wars of religion end in a Catholic Victory. Fledgling colonies in New Netherlands are bolstered by large numbers of Calvinist refugees.
  10. Fusang - China settles California in the 14th century, and loses interest during the Ming-Qing Transition. The colony becomes de facto independent and by the early 19th century becomes dominant in North America.
  11. JFK - JFK survives Oswald's attempt, and the Tonkin incident is downplayed. It's 1968, and Nixon must face a deteriorating situation in Thailand with the support of a resolute citizenry.
We can do better than sticking all of these in DC:
  • Madison has its portal in Toronto
  • The Kingfish Portal is in Louisianna
  • Vinlandsaga has its portal in either new hampshire or new brunswick
  • Estados Unidos could have its portal in new mexico, or possibly texas
  • The Fusang portal is likely on the west coast
  • Bull Moose* we could stick in Wyoming, near yellowstone.
  • Seven United Colonies should have its portal in the old new netherlands (new york)

Another idea for an alternate:

Greater France - A kingdom in exile is based near St. Louis, the French rule North America, with a English speaking enclaves on the east coast. A very late french revolution has removed the king from power in Europe, but he's becoming very well established in the Americas.



*It is a mistake to only emphasize foreign policy changes for a third teddy term. The man had what he called the "square deal", and if that sounds like the "new deal", its not a coincidence.
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Last edited by ericthered; 03-29-2021 at 09:25 AM.
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Old 03-29-2021, 12:47 PM   #119
TGLS
 
Join Date: Jan 2014
Default Re: Alternate Versions of Inifinite Worlds

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Originally Posted by ericthered View Post
We can do better than sticking all of these in DC
Honestly, I had portals listed for maybe half but tossed them when I couldn't come up with localized place names. It was also partially because I was hung up on national capital, to the exclusion of state capitals.

More examples
  1. Mounds - Late Antique Ice Age is far harsher than historically, lead to denser settlements earlier. North Americans better equipped to resist European encroachment. Portal near Cahokia site.
  2. Yellowstone - Post-apocalyptic Yellowstone eruption. US Remnant struggles to maintain control over its territory. Portal near Mount Weather.
  3. Goddard - Goddard receives more funding early in his career (perhaps by demonstrating his bazooka design earlier?), and American rocketry grew far more advanced than historically. Current year is 1962, with moon bases. Portal near Cape Canaveral.
  4. Mirror - High inertia timeline, where the Americas are vertically mirrored. Westward expansion drastically slowed by the Rockies.
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Old 03-30-2021, 08:55 AM   #120
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Default Re: Alternate Versions of Inifinite Worlds

Other alternates I'd want to look at:


We need a communist alternate. Actually, we probably need two, one in which the gilded age has a much messier end and America is the first socialist revolution, and another that's some form of soviet victory.



An alternate where the US absorbs foreign territory a lot more ambitiously. The Philippines, Puerto Rico, and several central American countries are all states.



A Crony Democracy System featuring machine politics, corrupt state bosses, and the occasional bout of mass vigilantism.


An America of over 70% African decent: the northern colonization efforts never really took off, and the main thrust of colonization was via plantations.
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