Close Parallels

somecallmetim · 10-15-2014, 11:23 AM

We have a couple of threads for more divergent timelines, I thought it might be fun to have one for timelines close to our own with just a little tweak.

A couple I had thought of:

The early murder mystery parlor games become faddishly popular for a few years in the mid to late thirties. The genre goes dormant during WWII, but afterwards reappears with a more modest but steady popularity, and incorporates other genres. like gothic horror and science fiction. This eventually evolves into something like modern RPGs, but with a stronger strain of live action roleplaying, and a much strong narrative and character driven origin, with most mechanics being largely kludged on after the fact. It isn't until the 70s that squad level combat games incorporate elements of the "host games", and these more action focused games remain a less prevalent sideline within an already niche hobby. On the plus side, there is no "satanic panic" regarding these games.

John Edwards wins the 2008 Democratic presidential primary (largely by dent of keeping his scandals quiet longer and a few missteps by his competitors.) When the irregularities in his finances and personal life come out, he is impeached, leaving his running mate, Hilary Clinton as POTUS. In a very close run vote, she secures reelection in 2012, as her second term winds down, the US has engaged militarily against Assad in Syria and is still attempting to extricate itself without letting the new regime collapse, ISIL has failed to gain any traction and is barely on the radar of most American foreign policy makers, the US has a single payer health care system, being gradually implemented and still constantly contested in court, and Attorney General Barack Obama is setting the stage for a run in 2016 against likely challenger Marco Rubio.

During the American Civil War, East Tennessee and Northern Alabama secede from their parent states and form the new state of Nickajack (NK). It is generally one of the poorer states, until the Second World War, when the Oark Ridge laboratories serve as the core of an atomic power and other technical research interests. In total this version of the US has 52 states, with the state of Tongass (TG) being formed from the Alaskan Panhandle and admitted to the union at the same time as Alaska. Another minor eccentricity is a $500 bill with William H Seward on it.

I have a terrible time coming up with names for these things, so if anyone wants to name them, feel free.

10-15-2014, 11:23 AM	#1
somecallmetim Join Date: Oct 2006	Close Parallels We have a couple of threads for more divergent timelines, I thought it might be fun to have one for timelines close to our own with just a little tweak. A couple I had thought of: The early murder mystery parlor games become faddishly popular for a few years in the mid to late thirties. The genre goes dormant during WWII, but afterwards reappears with a more modest but steady popularity, and incorporates other genres. like gothic horror and science fiction. This eventually evolves into something like modern RPGs, but with a stronger strain of live action roleplaying, and a much strong narrative and character driven origin, with most mechanics being largely kludged on after the fact. It isn't until the 70s that squad level combat games incorporate elements of the "host games", and these more action focused games remain a less prevalent sideline within an already niche hobby. On the plus side, there is no "satanic panic" regarding these games. John Edwards wins the 2008 Democratic presidential primary (largely by dent of keeping his scandals quiet longer and a few missteps by his competitors.) When the irregularities in his finances and personal life come out, he is impeached, leaving his running mate, Hilary Clinton as POTUS. In a very close run vote, she secures reelection in 2012, as her second term winds down, the US has engaged militarily against Assad in Syria and is still attempting to extricate itself without letting the new regime collapse, ISIL has failed to gain any traction and is barely on the radar of most American foreign policy makers, the US has a single payer health care system, being gradually implemented and still constantly contested in court, and Attorney General Barack Obama is setting the stage for a run in 2016 against likely challenger Marco Rubio. During the American Civil War, East Tennessee and Northern Alabama secede from their parent states and form the new state of Nickajack (NK). It is generally one of the poorer states, until the Second World War, when the Oark Ridge laboratories serve as the core of an atomic power and other technical research interests. In total this version of the US has 52 states, with the state of Tongass (TG) being formed from the Alaskan Panhandle and admitted to the union at the same time as Alaska. Another minor eccentricity is a $500 bill with William H Seward on it. I have a terrible time coming up with names for these things, so if anyone wants to name them, feel free.