GURPS Infinite Worlds

Add links
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
GURPS Infinite Worlds
Steve Jackson, John M. Ford
PublishersSteve Jackson Games
Publication2005
GenresScience fiction, Pulp, Multiple Worlds
SystemsGURPS
A hub worldbook for GURPS. Intended to make it possible to tie campaigns from other GURPS settings and games together.

GURPS Infinite Worlds is a supplement for the Fourth Edition of the

alternate history Earths. This was presented in the Fourth Edition GURPS Basic Set (and originated in the Third Edition supplements GURPS Time Travel, GURPS Alternate Earths, and GURPS Alternate Earths II
).

Contents

GURPS Infinite Worlds builds on the idea of player characters travelling from one world to another, even across genres, for the fourth edition of GURPS.[1]

GURPS Infinite Worlds has eight chapters: Infinity Unlimited, Enemies Everywhen, Present at the Creation, Worlds Enough, ...And Time, Infinite characters, Infinite Campaigns, and Alternate Infinities.

Infinity Unlimited

This chapter describes one of the two worlds (known locally as Homeline) that have full-fledged, public "parachronics" programs (the technology behind traveling between

parallel universes
). Travel between worlds is generally done through ground-based equipment ("projectors") or vehicles ("conveyors"), but magic, parahuman abilities and even stranger methods can and have been utilized by both. Alternate worlds (also known as realities or worldlines) are grouped into "quanta", which have varying degrees of ease of access not only to Homeline but to her opponents.

Enemies Everywhen

This is the chapter that describes Homeline's adversaries and hazards. The major adversary is Centrum, the only other reality known to have a public parachronics program, who can be played as a deadly adversary, occasional opponents or grudging allies depending on the GM's preference.

The secondary adversary is Reich-5, the worst of the five known 'Nazis win/survive WWII' realities in the setting. An ill-advised raid by Spetsnaz troops from Homeline Russia resulted in the capture of a troop conveyor, a handful of live prisoners, and the corpse of a scout with a genetically-linked psionic world-jumping ability. A quick-thinking local Brigadeführer made a deal with the mystical SS society of the Ahnenerbe to take possession of the booty (and to keep it all secret from the mainstream Nazi hierarchy); Reich-5 scientists and sorcerers are using occult rituals and horrific medical experiments to slowly spread their Thousand Year Reich to other realities.

Present at the Creation

This chapter describes how to create your own alternate reality and offering inspirational concepts to look at such as the Great Man, Great Moment, and Great Motherland.

Worlds Enough

This is the chapter on some of the alternate worlds in the setting. Reich-5, Caliph, Dixie, Ezcalli, Gernsback, Roma Aeterna, and Shikaku-Mon all appeared in slightly different forms in the older Alternate Earths volumes.

Armada-2

Further information: Times Without Number, Pavane (novel), and Ruled Britannia

So named because it is the second world discovered by the Infinity Patrol in which the

Huguenot
Nouvelle France as other powers.

Attila

A parallel where city-razing

steam engines
have just been developed.

Azoth-7

When

Rivers of London
 series is also based on the premise of a magical Isaac Newton)

Bonaparte-4

In Bonaparte-4,

Napoleon sacrificed the romance of an Egyptian campaign (which he conducted in 1798 in our timeline) for a stealthy invasion of Ireland, granting him victory over Britain. By "current year" 2024, the world is divided between French, Japanese, Russian, and Brazilian Empires, along with the United States and the Russian Republic, and the world has achieved a stage of technological achievement and social disaffection and tension reminiscent of cyberpunk
.

Britannica-3

The success of the rebellion of James, Duke of Monmouth against James II of England in 1685 is the point of divergence between our own world and Britannica-3; wiser and more Protestant rule in Britain meant that tensions with the North American colonies never reached the point of rebellion as they did in real history. Despite the rise of other strong European powers, the world is free of major conflicts, which can be attributed to the strong influence of Centrum in this parallel.

Caliph

In this world the

Persia, Andalus, the Bulgarian Caliphate and the Ummah
) and the technocratic Jamahiriya of the western continents threatens the existence of this advanced society.

Campbell

Named for the early death of influential

communist
societies.

Centrum

The nominal villains of the campaign, Centrum is a

the Hundred Years War
, and ultimately the "Anglo-French Empire" became a world-spanning power, with technological progress centuries beyond that of Homeline.

However unbearable tensions existed just below the surface, and in 1902 unknown parties decapitated the

nuclear device in London. The resulting succession wars included nuclear and biological weapons, wiped out much of humanity and reduced most of the survivors to preindustrial barbarism
. But Terraustralis (Homeline Australia) escaped much of the destruction, and the techno-military cabal known as "The Centrum" that took control there ultimately extended its authority across the globe.

Centrum is a

technocratic meritocracy
; the government provides all employment and handles the economy, which is bolstered by the massive resources acquired from other worldlines. They believe other worlds should be aiming to follow their example and have a dedicated program of supporting political and economic groups that reflect their own values—stability, meritocracy and an unconscious prejudice against non-English speakers. They view the mix of competing government agencies and private companies from Homeline as dangerously reminiscent of the period prior to their own "Final War".

Centrum Beta

One of the most important parallel Earths from the Infinity Patrol's point of view, Centrum Beta appears to be an exact copy of the home parallel of Centrum - except that the "current year" is only 1895. Understanding Centrum Beta as it is now might give the Infinity Patrol the key to understanding and besting Centrum proper.

Deadly Settings

Also known generally as "Reality Vanish", there are at least 41 parachronic coordinate settings where people or objects sent into them never return. These are assumed to be worlds where the

laws of physics
are sufficiently different from that of our own universe to kill visitors and/or cripple their equipment (see Rustic under Puzzle Worlds, below).

Dixie-1

In this world, William Walker succeeded in conquering Nicaragua in 1856; during the American Civil War this provided a way around the Union blockade for the Confederacy that ultimately ensured their victory. In revenge for British support of the rebels, the United States invaded and annexed most of Canada; meanwhile the Southrons reintroduced their "peculiar institution" into Central America and the Caribbean at gunpoint. Today ("current year" 1993) the U.S.A. and C.S.A. watch each other warily across an armed border that stretches to the Pacific, while India, the Chinese republics and their neighbors expand their economies at the expense of the moribund European monarchies that never fell after 1918. (See American Civil War alternate histories).

Ezcalli

Here the

Songhay Empire
(the last remnant of Roman culture) to the east; whoever wins is likely fated to take on the somnolent but fearsomely large Mongol Khaganate that covers most of Eurasia.

Friedrich

This parallel world is named for the

Friedrich I Barbarossa, who in this timeline managed to be the great imperial unifier and conqueror that the vagaries of fortune prevented him from being in our history. In "current year" 1219, seventeen years after his death, Friedrich is notable for being a hotbed of activity by the SS Raven Division from the Nazi-dominated parallel Reich-5, who seek to turn his Holy Roman Empire
into a First Reich and breeding ground for Aryan warriors.

Gallatin

Gallatin is named for

Japanese Empire
; peace is maintained by the fear of mutual destruction in an atomic war.

Gernsback

This parallel world is named after editor

Stalin's plans to create atomic weapons, the League of Nations declared war on the Soviet Union, which fell on April 30, 1953, with the death of Joseph Stalin
. In "current year" 1965, the World Science Council and the League of Nations are putting down all threats to the techno-utopia that has resulted from the inventions derived from Tesla's work. However, this is a world where race and sex discrimination still run rampant. The main mission of the I-Cops in here is to prevent Centrum from taking over, as Centrum regards Gernsback as a potential ally.

Hell Worlds

Many timelines have suffered catastrophes (some natural, others man-made) that have rendered humanity either extinct or nearly so. These are colloquially known as the "hell worlds". Examples include Ariane (where the Spanish flu killed 99.9% of the population), Lenin-2 (where nuclear war and unconstrained industry have combined to crash the biosphere) and the worrisome Gotha parallels (where a prion-based disease has turned almost all humans into bloodthirsty cannibals on 19 otherwise dissimilar worlds).

Homeline

The main world in the game. The world of "our" timeline (apart from the development of parachronics) and home base of Infinity Patrol, and of players in the game. Seeks to counteract Centrum and its efforts to interfere with natural development of alternate worlds.

Lenin-1

Here Franklin D. Roosevelt maintained Henry A. Wallace as his vice president when he was reelected in 1944; consequently Wallace became president on April 12, 1945 upon Roosevelt's death. His passive stance (and that of his successors) against the Soviet Union resulted in the steady expansion of Communism across the globe. In the "current year" of 1989, the isolated and malaise-stricken United States is essentially the sole remaining capitalist country on the planet.

Merlin-1

Named after the wizard of that name, Merlin-1 is a world where magic entered the world due to the Trinity nuclear test in August 1945. In "current year" 2004 America (where much of the magic is centred) uses both magic and technology to be the dominant superpower. Homeline has begun investigating this world to obtain information about this mana-rich reality, but unbeknownst to them the Merlin-1 American government is aware of their actions and has begun spying on them in return. The setting of GURPS Technomancer.

Merlin-3

A world where magic entered the world in 1916, and is centered in Germany. In "current year" 1942, World War II is being fought with magic. The setting of GURPS WWII: Weird War II.

Myth Parallels

Many worlds have inhabitants that closely resemble characters from the myths, legends and stories of Homeline. The characters from the

Vulgate Cycle Arthur, and Thomas Malory's version) and Sherlock Holmes
are all represented by various worlds, along with hundreds of others.

Nergal

Greek city-states a century later. In the "current year" of 1678, various empires based on slavery and human sacrifice cover the globe (except for an Infinity Patrol-supported haven in southern Africa) while an anomalous ice age threatens to wipe out those unfortunate to live in a world where monotheism, democracy and the Greek and Latin alphabets
were destroyed almost before they could begin.

Puzzle Worlds

Some worlds that do not follow the generally accepted

magic
fits under the category of "accepted laws of physics". Rustic (where artificial electric discharges are impossible to generate), Enigma (where the entire population of the world disappeared on July 12, 1982) and Blip (where one day spent there is equal to a little over six minutes on other worlds) are some examples.

Reich-5

Widely regarded as one of the most disturbing and potentially dangerous worlds so far discovered, in this parallel

atomic bomb
which was used on four American cities in 1950. A second attempt at rebellion in 1976 failed, and America is now a (very) junior partner of the World-Axis that dominates the planet. Reich-5's technology (military or otherwise) is superior to that of any Homeline country, and despite being the only known timeline besides Homeline and Centrum to possess world-jumping technology, their parachronic program is well behind those of the other two.

Roma Æterna

Here

Korean Peninsula), and the isolationist South American kingdom of Huaraca
.

Shikaku-Mon

In this "four-cornered world"

Japanese Empire that covers China, India, New Zealand, and much of East Asia, the economic superpower of Brazil, the totalitarian Swedish Empire and the technologically advanced Kingdom of France
.

United States of Lizardia

A world very similar to our own, except reptilian creatures descended from a species of Troodon are the dominant sentient lifeform. The similarities exist down to cultural and political divisions (resulting in this world's colloquial name) and are assumed by Homeline scientists to be evidence of a "law of temporal inertia" (or "gods with a strange sense of humour").

Yrth

A world reminiscent of several fantasy tropes, inhabited by humans,

elves
etc., all of whom have been involuntarily taken from other worldlines. The setting of GURPS Banestorm.

... And Time

This chapter deals with the many theories of Temporal Physics both real and fictional that exist.

There are some other ideas provided to make things either easier or more difficult for your intrepid travelers such as Linearity Principle, Oscillating Time, Recency Effect, and Temporal Exclusion as well how communication works.

Infinite Characters

Special notes on certain rules in the setting and character templates.

Infinite Campaigns

Designing the campaign's scope and direction.

Alternate Infinities

This chapter provides alternatives to the "default" Infinity setting.

  • The Order of the Hourglass - psychic time travel
  • The Time Corps - a setting similar to that of Pacesetter's Time Master series where the player's homeworld is battling against an alternate timeline (called Stopwatch) with access to the past as the prize.
  • The Horatio Club - a house whose doors open on to other times and other histories.

Publication history

GURPS Infinite Worlds was designed by

Steve Jackson, and John M. Ford, and published by Steve Jackson Games
in 2005.

Reception

GURPS Infinite Worlds

Origins Award as Best Game Supplement.[2]

See also

References

  1. ISBN 978-1-907702-58-7
    .
  2. ^ "Origins Awards winners (2005)". Archived from the original on 2007-08-30. Retrieved 2007-09-11.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=GURPS_Infinite_Worlds&oldid=1213237812"