Steve Jackson Games - Site Navigation
Home General Info Follow Us Search Illuminator Store Forums What's New Other Games Ogre GURPS Munchkin Our Games: Home

Go Back   Steve Jackson Games Forums > Roleplaying > GURPS

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 12-22-2018, 04:47 PM   #51
David Johnston2
 
Join Date: Dec 2007
Default Re: Alternate Versions of Inifinite Worlds

Quote:
Originally Posted by SilvercatMoonpaw View Post
15) Infinite Intervention

In this Homeline there are more progressive interventionists, resulting in an Infinity Unlimited that doesn't care about keeping parachronics a secret if it means bringing technological and social change to a timeline.

While this results in an Icorps that's a lot less grey in morality, .
Or a lot more considering that this an Icorps that that is in the business of causing havoc and mayhem on a multiversal scale in order to eventually hegemonize all of the infinite worlds. If they are going to expose the Secret everywhere then that means that in the interest of their own survival they'd going to have to absorb all of the worlds which are sufficiently advanced into some kind of league or federation dominated by the earliest worlds to discover the Secret. The road of the imperialist is paved with good intentions.
David Johnston2 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-22-2018, 04:54 PM   #52
SilvercatMoonpaw
 
SilvercatMoonpaw's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2017
Default Re: Alternate Versions of Inifinite Worlds

Quote:
Originally Posted by David Johnston2 View Post
Or a lot more considering that this an Icorps that that is in the business of causing havoc and mayhem on a multiversal scale in order to eventually hegemonize all of the infinite worlds.
I don't know if I conveyed what I was going for in terms of morality or if you can just see the consequences better than I can, but yeah that's an unfortunate possibility.
SilvercatMoonpaw is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-22-2018, 08:06 PM   #53
Astromancer
 
Astromancer's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: West Virginia
Default Re: Alternate Versions of Inifinite Worlds

Quote:
Originally Posted by David Johnston2 View Post
Or a lot more considering that this an Icorps that that is in the business of causing havoc and mayhem on a multiversal scale in order to eventually hegemonize all of the infinite worlds. If they are going to expose the Secret everywhere then that means that in the interest of their own survival they'd going to have to absorb all of the worlds which are sufficiently advanced into some kind of league or federation dominated by the earliest worlds to discover the Secret. The road of the imperialist is paved with good intentions.
Social reformers with laudable goals (at least in their eyes) generally prefer to prevent havoc and mayhem. That said, there is such a thing as degrees. Example: Telling ancient Romans about Panchronomic travel is less than wise. But introducing paper, summer wheat, mulberry bushes, silkworms, the spinning wheel, and the moldboard plow, would transform Rome and lead toward rapid economic growth.

Of course, remaking Rome into a just society would require both ending slavery and making the government less oligarchical and plutocratic, both of which would require profoundly shaking up society. Violence would be highly likely.

Meanwhile, other societies could be aided with less trauma. Eliminating (preferably by kidnapping) figures like Hitler, Stalin, Robespierre, or other opportunistic dictators, could make many societies far better even if better does not equal good.

Subtle interventions, mainly kept quiet would be more likely to turn out well.
__________________
Per Ardua Per Astra!


Ancora Imparo
Astromancer is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-23-2018, 01:37 AM   #54
PTTG
 
PTTG's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2011
Default Re: Alternate Versions of Inifinite Worlds

A society of philosophers (make it a lodge if you like), perhaps lead or composed of various kinds of immortals, with the dictate of identifying historic evils and mitigating them. They have excellent cliodynamics (they've studied history for eons), but only the crudest chronophysics (they use borrowed, stolen, and eccentric techniques, and might not fully understand that other timelines aren't their own past).

They might have a small portfolio of worlds they can reach, but they've been manipulating those worlds for centuries. Often, their interventions take the form of a wizened traveler asking a likely party of locals to take care of something. Or perhaps the society keeps a team of expert warriors on call in some kind of stasis, since immortals no doubt get tired of their favored servants just up and dying all the time.

The society could be large or small; a vampire or two, a handful of sorcerers and inventors, an honest-to-god deity, an AI, a couple of animist spirits, and maybe a guy who just keeps getting reincarnated (good to have somebody in touch with the natura; cycles, after all). Studying history, societies, and philosophy, there's no way there could be internal arguments over the best way to intervene in a given world, right?
PTTG is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-23-2018, 08:29 AM   #55
Flyndaran
Untagged
 
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Forest Grove, Beaverton, Oregon
Default Re: Alternate Versions of Inifinite Worlds

They could also take special interest or even recruit a PC that seems immune to aging or in some other way immortal.
__________________
Beware, poor communication skills. No offense intended. If offended, it just means that I failed my writing skill check.
Flyndaran is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-23-2018, 08:40 AM   #56
Flyndaran
Untagged
 
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Forest Grove, Beaverton, Oregon
Default Re: Alternate Versions of Inifinite Worlds

The Goblin Court: Residing in a pocket realm is a giant hodge podge of various hybrids, of a magical, scientific, etc. nature. Most of them escaped accusations of monsterhood and mob "justice", only to be rescued/recruited by the court.
Who actually is in charge is a matter of debate, but they seem to care greatly about sapient hybrids and to a much lesser extant generic racism. It seems to be about the only consistent feature of the members.

They can be encountered using any method of travel that exists in the game. But they will remain very defensive and secretive with anyone not suffering extreme ostracism due to their nature.
__________________
Beware, poor communication skills. No offense intended. If offended, it just means that I failed my writing skill check.
Flyndaran is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-23-2018, 08:48 AM   #57
Astromancer
 
Astromancer's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: West Virginia
Default Re: Alternate Versions of Inifinite Worlds

Quote:
Originally Posted by Flyndaran View Post
The Goblin Court: Residing in a pocket realm is a giant hodge podge of various hybrids, of a magical, scientific, etc. nature. Most of them escaped accusations of monsterhood and mob "justice", only to be rescued/recruited by the court.
Who actually is in charge is a matter of debate, but they seem to care greatly about sapient hybrids and to a much lesser extant generic racism. It seems to be about the only consistent feature of the members.

They can be encountered using any method of travel that exists in the game. But they will remain very defensive and secretive with anyone not suffering extreme ostracism due to their nature.
Given the nature of their group they'd be less than sanguine about democracy. They might prefer a "Good King" or a stable empire. Many worthy individuals and societies might be treated as monsters by the Court. Just think how many European intellectuals seem to think that US racial attitudes haven't changed since 1950!

The Goblin Court could be a wildcard equally hostile to Homeline, Centrum, or the Cabal.
__________________
Per Ardua Per Astra!


Ancora Imparo
Astromancer is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-23-2018, 09:28 AM   #58
SilvercatMoonpaw
 
SilvercatMoonpaw's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2017
Default Re: Alternate Versions of Inifinite Worlds

Quote:
Originally Posted by PTTG View Post
A society of philosophers (make it a lodge if you like), perhaps lead or composed of various kinds of immortals, with the dictate of identifying historic evils and mitigating them.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Flyndaran View Post
The Goblin Court:
Not quite sure these two get the intent of the thread: I was trying to go for different versions of Homeline such that they would change the core gameplay. Whereas these sound more like alternate crosstime organizations.

I know it's probably nit-picky. But I don't want this thread to turn into something that other thread already is and obscure the original intent.

Or I could just need some more explanation of why these two have been posted here.
SilvercatMoonpaw is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-23-2018, 12:21 PM   #59
Flyndaran
Untagged
 
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Forest Grove, Beaverton, Oregon
Default Re: Alternate Versions of Inifinite Worlds

Oops. That is right. I guess I just read the last few entries and the thread title. My memory is notoriously poor.
__________________
Beware, poor communication skills. No offense intended. If offended, it just means that I failed my writing skill check.
Flyndaran is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-27-2018, 07:31 PM   #60
PTTG
 
PTTG's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2011
Default Re: Alternate Versions of Inifinite Worlds

Redirecting things back towards the topic...

Jump nukes were long theorized on Homeline, but so far haven't been used anywhere. A related problem is elseworld nuclear weapons, particularly ones from post-apocalyptic worldlines where they can be had easily. The main way the book deals with these issues is with an expansive sweep of the hand and a confident, "arrangements... are made." What if those arrangements fail?

Most nations are outside of the parachronic club. They get to lease conveyors, sure, but their best and brightest are taken to more prominent countries to become scientists and technicians... and likely stay there. Their extraction industries collapse as prices plummet, and their military rapidly becomes obsoleted by elseworld tech.

With dwindling resources, absolutists the world over scrabble for an option. Fleeing to some other timeline has its charms; becoming warlord of some other version of their own continent along with their picked men would be a nice alternative. But Infinity owns all the keys, and they don't like seeing historic echoes tampered with (some no doubt see this as "historical imperialism;" why do Americans get to tell us what to do with our own history?). Even with one stolen conveyor, you'll never funnel enough of your shrinking resources elsewhen in order to make a proper civilization on the other side... one wants one's air conditioning, after all.

And so the decision becomes clear: only when all of Infinity's tendrils (and those other meddling imperialists) are burned away can one finally take the deserved first steps into the cosmos. And tensions remain high; the cold warriors still have their nukes. All it should take are, say, a half-dozen nukes at the right time. We will want an extra conveyor or two in order to capture a small fleet of vehicles so we can quickly export our civilization to a less radioactive world.

So pick a dictator, give them some time and a stolen conveyor, and have them start a nuclear war on Homeline.

In the chaos, homeliners flee everwhen. Teams on outworld missions, especially across quantums, are screwed. And the secret is soooo dead.
PTTG is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Tags
infinite worlds, infinte worlds

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Fnords are Off
[IMG] code is Off
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -6. The time now is 01:58 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.9
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.