[Infinite Worlds] Lenin-2

[Ed the Coastie]

Originally Posted by Campaigns, pg 528

Several worlds appear to have been devestated by over-industrialization and careless exploitation at the hands of their human or other inhabitants -- some recently, others long ago. On Lenin-2, this led to global warming, flooding, heavy weather, and a massive famine; the few million survivors are now living at TL3.

This seems like a setting that my PCs would get a kick out of encoutering. Is Lenin-2 written up in Infinite Worlds (I don't have a copy yet) or elsewhere? TL3 is the same base as that used for GURPS Horseclans...but Horseclans assumes that several centuries have passed since the Great Dyings. Since this parallel is designated Lenin-2, I assume that whatever happened occured within the past century or so...and to drop from mature TL5/early TL6 to maintainable TL3 in only a century would have to have been MAJOR.

[Akicita]

It is in Infinite Worlds, but the write-up is not extensive. About one and a half columns. The book isn't a 4e version of the two Alternate Earths books; it's more oriented to how to run a world-hopping campaign. Does has a lot of short write-ups, but not the detail of AE.

I do recommend it for world-hoppers, but if all you are after is that one setting, then not so much.

[smurf]

B322 - Xing La also mentions Lenin 2, IMHO it's the best of pulp alternate world sci-fi, evil commies of the description of a cold war era. But if you like pulp fiction then go with it.

I would adapt it to more of a World War Zero (PS2 game), WW1 does not end and the Russians fail in their revolution of Oct 1917.

There are more books being written about the real revolution since the top secret papers have been opened up since 1991 and there is a lot of stuff to go through.

[SCHIFTY]

This sounds a lot like A Canticle for Leibowitz.

[Akicita]

Originally Posted by SCHIFTY

This sounds a lot like A Canticle for Leibowitz.

Both post-apocalyptic, but any similarity ends there.

[Pesterfield]

The basics:
1870s, the U.S. goes communist followed by Germany Russia and others a few years later.
1950s Communist v. Britain and Japan.
2000s Communist v. China, it's now 2021

Now it's a few million TL3 survivors, at best. Excepting the Chinese who are TL4/7 and were once at TL10 in some areas. The planet is dying as mass extinctions and pollution takes thier toll.

[Michael Hopcroft]

Lenin-2 is given, IIRC, as an example of a "lost cause" world -- one on which life will disappear very soon without massive intervention and a lot of luck -- and probably even then. The writer of the report in the Basic Set wants to recruit Xing La into the Corps because she's doomed to die a hideous death if they don't get her off Lenin-2.

[Ed the Coastie]

Thanks...now I have another reason to pick up Infinite Worlds when I can afford it.

[smurf]

1870s, the U.S. goes communist followed by Germany Russia and others a few years later.
1950s Communist v. Britain and Japan.
2000s Communist v. China, it's now 2021

Now that is pulp fiction!

After 1848 there is a huge turn to conservatism, nation building, economic liberalisation etc. Germany is unified in 1870-1, Russia is an absolute Monarchy with a few anarchists tossing bombs (Narodniks). The US has room to expand and the idea of communism will be far off.

There is no WW1 or 2? And how did China's creaking and crumbling Imperial Dynasty survive over 100 years after it's sale by date?

It's all pulp fun and a complete historical fudge. BTW the UK may have gone commie if the rest of europe did, similar organisations and propagandists were alive and well all over europe at that (historical) time.

Damn me for being an historian, just can't do alternate history stuff...

[sn0wball]

Originally Posted by smurf

After 1848 there is a huge turn to conservatism, nation building, economic liberalisation etc. Germany is unified in 1870-1, Russia is an absolute Monarchy with a few anarchists tossing bombs (Narodniks). The US has room to expand and the idea of communism will be far off.

But don´t forget that 1871 was the year of the Paris Commune. If that had been a more successful endeavor, it would be a great turning point for an alternate world.

Originally Posted by smurf

There is no WW1 or 2?

I just read What if? 2, edited by Robert Cowley. It includes an essay which describes how a different solution of the Prussian-Franco War in 1870 (No Reich founded at that point and thus no Germany dominated by Prussian militarism) prevents future European conflicts, that is, no WWI and WWII in Europe.

By the way, if this is about Lenin-2, what´s going on on Lenin-1 ?