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Old 02-08-2020, 04:44 PM   #4601
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Default Re: New Reality Seeds

I am just going by a skim of Wikipedia here, but one possibility is giving Holy Roman Emperor Matthias of Austria (24 February 1557 – 20 March 1619) a son and heir who continues his conciliatory policies with Protestants. So he isn't succeeded by Archduke Ferdinand II of Austria, a Catholic who opposed tolerating Protestants.
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Old 02-10-2020, 10:30 AM   #4602
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Try this one...

I'm rereading some Geoffrey Ashe mainly his Quest for Arthur's Britain. And it stikes me that it's a good jumping off point.

Assume a Cabalist, looking for the True Arthur gets stuck in a Q6 low Manna world a great deal like Ashe's take on what Arthurian Britain was. Arthur isn't even a King. He's a Cornish nobleman reputed to be the bastard child of a king. He's got a solid cavalry group (unit may be too sophisticated a term) and probably copies what he's heard of Roman Horsemen the same way the Romans copied the Persians. As the Anglo-Saxons didn't seem to do much riding until after the converted to Christianity, and didn't go in for cavalry even then. Arthur's cavalry were the ultimate shock troops even if they'd look pretty shoddy to moderns or even most Medieval people. Still, the period were the Anglo-Saxons could not advance was historically important throughout Western Europe.

Well, as the Cabalist is stuck in this world, and he always liked living in Cornwall, he was raised there in an alternate very steampunk 19th century, he settled down and started to aide the locals.

After taking on the role of a Priest he started giving out practical aide. He soon introduced a whole range of mid and later medieval technology into the setting (spinning wheels, push pedal looms, clockwork, horsecollars, moldboard plows, stirrups, box bellows, stern post rudders, compasses, Lateen sails, etc.) and he managed to get mulberry trees and silk worms (it pays to be a wizard). Southwestern Britain and Ireland had a boom.

It's now the year 800AD in this world, the Tech level is not yet four, but it isn't far away. The Celtic League (Britain, Ireland, and Western France) are exploring the coast of Africa to see if there's a way to go around Africa. They report mysterious lands to the West.

Basically an early Renaissance with a stronger role for the Celts at the expense of the Saxons.
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Old 02-10-2020, 03:31 PM   #4603
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A Cornwallist Cabalist in King Arthur's Court
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Old 02-10-2020, 04:16 PM   #4604
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Originally Posted by ronwit View Post
A Cornwallist Cabalist in King Arthur's Court
Why not? Besides, Arthur is a minor noble running a mercenary cavalry. less Tennyson's Prince Albert the good and much more John Hawkwood.
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Old 02-14-2020, 09:15 AM   #4605
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Another WWII one, those are generally popular...

In January of 1940 this Q6 world seemed like any other echo except for having low manna. The Winter war is progressing as in Homeline's history. Both the up fort politics and the backroom politics seem the same. Their does seem to be some oddness in both the scientific and occult circles but, as both Homeline and Centrum know that the Cabal has infiltrated the parallel, that's expected.

What wasn't expected was a massive earthquake in western Antarctica. It seems that a https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caldera]Caldera Explosion[/url] occurred.

At first no one is concerned. The locals have other fish to fry and the outtimers aren't concerned about an explosion buried under tonnes of ice. But Western Antarctica's ice rests on land beneath sea level. The Caldera explosion, acting in a very strange way, seems to have destabilized the Western Antarctic ice cap. Suddenly the ice cap is in full collapse, billions of tonnes of ice are being swept into the sea. And sea levels are jumping up.

It's now July of 1941, sea levels are already two feet higher. Almost all ocean ports are finding their sewer systems are beginning to fail because they weren't designed for sea level rise (this would happen to us too). Both Homeline and Centrum know that sea level will probably rise by 20 feet by 1950. The Cabal knows this too, and the locals are coming to that conclusion as well.

The next nine years are fraught with danger and complex struggles all of which the suddenly rising sea levels are going to massively complicate. In order to spare yourself tonnes of math, just assume a two foot a year sea level rise until 1950. The are real world estimates that Western Antarctica could collapse and cause a twenty foot in a decade sea level jump but this scenario isn't about strict realism, it's more improvisation under pressure.
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Old 02-15-2020, 02:04 PM   #4606
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A rift on the last one. History is seemingly unchanged until a Soviet expedition to Antarctica discovers what seems like a ancient alien base in 1957. While trying to discover the secrets of base's technology the soviets unleash a burst of radiation that kills them immediately. This goes largely unnoticed beyond the expedition going missing. However, the base, sadly deteriorated, attempts to fulfill it's designed function. All it achieves in melting Antarctica's ice over the next twenty years.

The local year on this Q6 Low Manna world is 1990. Sea level is about 61 meters or approximately 200 feet higher than on Homeline. Vast numbers of Europeans fled to the USA, Canada, Australia, and anyplace else that would take them in. Many millions died in the forced migrations in the third world. Because of a more maritime climate, Russia's agriculture is healthier, but they suffered from the global economic crisis. Trade is beginning to be reestablished as ports begin to open in new higher areas.

This is a post-disaster world trying to mend. Homeline, Centrum and the Cabal, are looking for any Alien tech, the base the soviets found is slag after it melted down. many Swagmen are smuggling in useful tech to nations they like so this world may get to TL8 sooner than you think. Homeline Russia and China seem inordinately interested in this world.
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Old 02-17-2020, 10:15 AM   #4607
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Try this one...

[url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_III_of_England]Richard III[/url} at one time sought to wed Mary of Burgundy. He didn't get her in our history but in this world he did. With the vast resources of his wife's estate, Richard could brush off challengers. His pragmatic programs like publishing the laws in the local language and the like slowly won him respectability. Mary (who died in Homeline history because of a hunting accident) has several children by Richard. This leaves the Hapaburghs, the Valois, and the Trastámaras, less than happy. A strong England and a Strong independent Burgundy threatens all their plans.

Centurm loves the match seeing it as a way to bring this Q6 Low Manna world into its orbit. Thus Homeline is backing France, Spain, and the Empire.
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Old 02-23-2020, 12:11 PM   #4608
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Try this one...

This Q6 world is either an exotic outlier or has had out time interference. Someone has gotten maize (American Corn), bananas, mulberries, and silkworms, to Egypt in the later years of the second century AD. The economic growth from the silk production alone has transformed the empire. With maize spreading rapidly down the Nile and across the Mediterranean, populations are rising. This world's Rome, now in the late 3 century AD is far more prosperous, but still fragile. If this Rome falls, it could take much more of civilization with it.

Various people seem to want to make sure this Rome doesn't fall. The PCs job is to make sure they don't expose the Secret, or create a monster by outrageous interference and technology transfers.
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Old 02-23-2020, 12:53 PM   #4609
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Default Re: New Reality Seeds

Timeghost asks the questions: "What if the fascists had lost the war in Spain."

Turns out things aren't quite as rosy as it seems.
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Old 02-23-2020, 12:53 PM   #4610
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Astromancer View Post
This Q6 world is either an exotic outlier or has had out time interference. Someone has gotten maize (American Corn), bananas, mulberries, and silkworms, to Egypt in the later years of the second century AD.
Is maize really that advantageous? From what I remember of reading Jared Diamond, it seemed less useful than Old World grains. Some upgraded wheat varieties might seem like a better bet.
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