GURPS Alternate Earths: Difference between revisions

'''''GURPS Alternate Earths''''' is (as you may have guessed) a ''[[GURPS]]'' sourcebook (well, rather two books, but they're both covered here) about [[Alternate History]]—or rather, alternate timelines which the characters may visit in one campaign, or live in from the start. Describes twelve timelines (six in each book) in loving detail.

 

 

{{tropelist}}

== All worlds ==

* [[Spiritual Successor]]: Gurps Infinite Worlds.

 

* [[Action Girl]]: In the US, women serve in all branches of the military.

** [[Dark Action Girl]]: They also commit as many violent crimes as men do.

* [[Zeppelins from Another World]]

 

Diverges with the assassination of [[Franklin Delano Roosevelt]]. During the terms of Charles Lindbergh and the not-that-competent Nance Garner and Wallace, the US become politically split and polarized. Meanwhile, the nazis conquer half the world.

* [[Alternate History Wank]]: Guess for whom.

* [[Those Wacky Nazis]]

 

Instead of the sinister Tiberius, a surviving Drusus takes over Rome after Augustus' death. During the following two millennia, Rome will expand, fall apart twice and reunite again and expand further. Their technology also develops, albeit not as fast as in our world.

* [[Alternate History Wank]]: Rome, Rome and Rome again.

* [[Steampunk]]: They have boxy, heavyweight steamcars.

 

John Trastamara survives, hence no united Habsburg empire. The way history develops is... odd: Charles II and Louis XVI prevent revolutions which otherwise would have lead to more democracy and the creation of republics, and at the end, the whole democratic phase is somehow skipped, since the world transforms into a typical cyberpunkish society where nothing else counts but how rich you are.

* [[Alternate History Wank]]: Japan, oh so much. Also, Sweden, France and Brazil which are the other three superpowers.

* [[Space-Filling Empire]]: Japan, of course. How much? The eastern half of Asia (incl. India), the Pacific islands and Madagascar, and the western bit of North America.

 

The Carthaginians discover America, so the Old World diseases hit America two millennia earlier. The Roman Empire falls apart after Nero's been killed, and the various barbarians make sure Europe never recovers. Then the Aztecs start the Industrial Revolution.

* [[Alternate History Wank]]: Mongols, Aztecs and Iroquois.

* [[Steampunk]]

 

[[Nikola Tesla]] marries the daughter of J.P. Morgan, gains financial support to take out Edison, and can realize all his cool inventions.

* [[Alternate History Wank]]: Science!

* [[Zeppelins from Another World]]

 

Turgot manages to reform France, which prevents [[The French Revolution]] - and [[The American Revolution]] as well, since he won't support republicans against one fellow king. Only two centuries later, one great power (Russia) becomes the republican Dominate.

* [[Alternate History Wank]]: For the great European monarchies.

* [[Space-Filling Empire]]: Britain and Spain (which kept their empires) and Russia (which includes Finland, Manchuria, Korea, Japan and Alaska - and was even bigger in the past)

 

Ming China never scraps its fleet and starts to expand - first into Vietnam, later into Europe when their pirates attack... and there's no end, it seems...

* [[Alternate History Wank]]: This time, it's China.

* [[Zeppelins from Another World]]

 

The Vikings manage to take Constantinople and capture the secret of Greek Fire. They manage to extend their rule over half of Europe, North America, Russia and Siberia.

* [[Alternate History Wank]]: For Vikings.

* [[Pirate]]: Everyone's doing it. Except for the Scandinavians (no surprise), the [[Long List|Gujerati, Yanomami, Japanese and many other people]] are also into it.

 

An eccentric Muslim scholar refutes the pagan Greek philosophers using rationalism. In combination with an Arab printing press, the Muslims take over the world and also develop science and technology way faster.

* [[Alternate History Wank]]: Islam.

* [[Technology Porn]]: Despite being in the 17th (Christian) century, they already have colonies in space, [[Nanotechnology]] and skyscrapers made of artificial diamonds.

 

"The Divine wind" never happens, so Britain stays under the Stuarts and gradually becomes Catholic again.

* [[Alternate History Wank]]: Averted; the setting gets too weird to say that any power is wanked up. For some times, the Bourbons.

** [[The Revolution Will Not Be Vilified]]: ...but the rebels know that they can't afford to [[Divided We Fall|hang separately]], and currently the liberals are keeping everyone together and mostly civilized.

 

A more successful Angevin (Anglo-French) empire gradually takes over all the world. When the empire falls apart, a meritocracy centered on Terraustralis (Australia) rebuilds the empire. And then, they start discovering and conquering other timelines...

* [[Alternate History Wank]]: Centrum. That is all.

* [[Colony Drop]]: A rogue asteroid collided with Earth around the turn of the XXth century; this is what collapsed the previous empire.

* [[The Rival]]: Centrum for Homeline

 

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[[Category:Tabletop Games]]

[[Category:GURPS Settings]]