Point of Divergence V 3.0 : The Return to Madness
An alternate history ISOT RP by Democratic East-Asia
“If there’s a zeppelin, it’s alternate history. If there’s a rocketship, it’s science fiction. If there are swords and/or horses, it’s fantasy. A book with swords and horses in it can be turned into science fiction by adding a rocketship to the mix. If a book has a rocketship in it, the only thing that can turn it back into fantasy is the Holy Grail.”
-Debra Doyle
An alternate history ISOT RP by Democratic East-Asia
“If there’s a zeppelin, it’s alternate history. If there’s a rocketship, it’s science fiction. If there are swords and/or horses, it’s fantasy. A book with swords and horses in it can be turned into science fiction by adding a rocketship to the mix. If a book has a rocketship in it, the only thing that can turn it back into fantasy is the Holy Grail.”
-Debra Doyle
OOC (HERE) | IC (now open!) | Our Discord server! (planning)
Moderation: Greater Redosia and Democratic East-Asia
Moderation: Greater Redosia and Democratic East-Asia
So what is this?
Greetings comrades! This, my friends, is a reboot of the old "Point of Divergence" RP. The third time, actually. It utilizes the concept of ISOT (a common alternative history term taken from Stirling's Island In the Sea of Time trilogy) to make a nation RP that should produce interesting results, and operates somewhat like a sandbox. Anyhow, what might the term ISOT mean?
alternatehistory.com wrote:Essentially, an ISOT involves taking a large area of land, say an island or a country, and sending it back or forward in time to another era. This usually also results in the land from that time being sent back to 'now' to replace that country, but this is not necessarily part of the definition.
For example, a scenario with the premise of “2006 Germany ISOTed to 1942” would mean that the territory of 2006 Germany replaces that of 1942 Germany. This would serve as a set up for a story, where the ISOTed 2006 Germany and the rest of the 1942-Earth have to react to this strange event and to each other's presence. Coping with the ensuing culture shock and various differences would also be a major issue, especially early on in the story. Incidentally, this kind of “coping with the aftermath of an ISOT” is a very common theme (or trope) in works that use it.
Often, there are many ramifications associated with the concept of the ISOT (as stated above), something this RP will seek to explore. The world we'll be RPing will be a diverse one, one not confined by the mere boundaries of complete realism and factual truth. There will be variety, and it will (in many cases), be rather "out of earth".
It's quite simple: nations and organizations from all over the multiverse (fictional franchises, personal fiction, alternate history, etc) are teleported to a version of Earth completely bare of sentient life (note, all weather patterns and plant life still exist, as do geographic features), a "Virgin Earth". The RP that follows focusses on the post-teleport (from now on, we shall call this "The Event") situation of the planet, and what happens in a world where everything seems different from how the various nations once saw it.
I've been on this insane train before, and I do believe it can succeed if implemented properly. For those interested, hop on board and prepare for a ride of your life! Forwards to a brave new world we go!
The Event
"I have no clue what's going, but we've lost contact with the rest of the world!!" -Anonymous individual
"So you’re telling me there’s no way to get home, Mister Lasky?" -Captain Matthew Yelland of the USS Nimitz , The Final Countdown
Hitler rants about the situation
"I have no clue what's going, but we've lost contact with the rest of the world!!" -Anonymous individual
"So you’re telling me there’s no way to get home, Mister Lasky?" -Captain Matthew Yelland of the USS Nimitz , The Final Countdown
Hitler rants about the situation
It might've been a hot, sunny day for some, and it might've been a cold, snowy day for others. However, none of that mattered in the end, as the event spared no one. Across many worlds within the greater multiverse, The Event happened. Whether it took seconds or minutes; whether it was a flash of light, or a sudden darkness, when the Event was over, societies and organizations from all over existence found themselves on a new world, one spared from the excesses of civilization, conflict, and strife. It was an empty world, one where no soul had ever stepped a foot upon. What the future has in store is yet to be known, but it will certainly be anything but static...
Things to know about the New Earth:
- All claimed lands have nothing changed to them (resources, ecological health, etc)
- All water sources around the planet are now clean / returned to their pre-human settlement state
- Resources in unclaimed regions have returned to pre-human settlement levels (they've been replenished)
Rules, Regulations, and some Basic Information
- Follow the given rules. I am willing to take criticism and make certain exceptions in some cases, but don't count on it.
- OP's word is final. If OP is not available, defer to CO-OPs.
- No god-modding / meta-gaming. While the concept of balance within this RP may be questionable, please consult with players if you plan on doing anything that will affect them to a large extent.
- As state above, be realistic in your actions. 1940s propeller planes won't do well against modern jets.
- 3 strikes and you're out. I won't tolerate flaming or trolling of any kind here. Each time you're accused of doing so, you'll get one strike and a warning to stop.
- A minimum requirement of 1 paragraph posts for anyone. We want to maintain some level of in depth content.
- Keep WMD use (against other players) to a minimum, unless common consensus can be made. WE'RE going to avoid any world ending apocalypse.
- Realism, what's that? Depending on your play style, your nation could be totally realistic or rather fantastical. All up to you, just nothing that's blatantly OP. Dieselpunk, steampunk, (other punk categories), alternative history, fiction (sci-fi, fantasy, etc) are all possibilities when creating / selecting (if you're taking RL ones) a nation / organization.
- HOWEVER, remember that your actions should be realistic within the scope of the setting, and actions have consequences. Example: don't declare war on people expecting that nobody else will care.
- There is no "victory": the goal of this RP isn't to wank off and win every single confrontation as your "favorite" faction. We're trying to create a story / scenario where things can develop.
- Warhammer 40k and anything on that level is banned.
**NOTES:
-We are trying to limit the number of overly advanced factions (I'm looking at you, future tech states). IF someone does choose to do a nation / organization of the type, please keep it low key and small.
-Magic will be allowed (for those nations and groups that it applies to), so long as it isn't absurdly powerful.
-Your nation doesn't necessarily need to be from Earth, it simply needs to be able to fit on Earth, although nations originating from Earth-like worlds / Earth itself are preferable.
-Yes, you can be alien space bugs if you want (just tone it down).
-Yes, you can be some anime-esque nation of the sorts.
-Yes, you can be an insane atom-punk totalist dictatorship.
-Yes, you can be robo-stalin leading some red-alert USSR.
-Or you could just be a totally normal nation, up to you.
-You get the point.
-IMPORTANT - Organizations with no set location (companies, pirates, mercenaries, etc) can choose where to spawn / teleport to initially (if within another player's borders, permission is required). Most assets (buildings, infrastructure, etc) will come along.
-Nations DO NOT need to have their entire landmass ISOT-ed. You could honestly do some sort of rump state if you really wanted (ex: out of the USA, only the western states come along)
Nation App
- Code: Select all
[spoiler=Nation App]
[b]Full Nation Name :[/b]
[b]Short Nation Name :[/b]
[b]Flag / National Symbols:[/b]
[b]Government Type :[/b] (Republic, Direct Democracy, etc)
[b]Official Political Ideology :[/b] (Anarchism, Marxist-Leninism, Classic Liberalism)
[b]Head of State :[/b]
[b]Head of Government :[/b]
[b]Government Description :[/b]
[b]Territory :[/b] (Territory you currently control)
[b]Territorial Ambitions :[/b] (Territory you seek to gain. OPTIONAL)
[b]Capital City :[/b] (It's real life location and a basic description)
[b]Population :[/b] (Self explanatory. Nothing too unrealistic)
[b]Majority/Official Culture :[/b] (What your people identify themselves with. Chinese, French, English...)
[b]Majority/State Religion :[/b]
[b]Major Industries / Economic sectors:[/b]
[b]Amount of Industrialization :[/b] (General description of how industrialized your nation is)
[b]Economic Description :[/b]
[b]Technological Level :[/b]
[b]Magic and other shenanigans? (If any exists) :[/b]
[u][b]Military Description[/b][/u]
[b]Army:[/b]
[b]Navy:[/b]
[b]Air Force:[/b]
[u][b]National Goals :[/b][/u]
[b]History :[/b] (At least 1 solid paragraph)
(Remove all parenthesis when done)
#POD 3 (don't remove this!)
[/spoiler]
Organization App
- Code: Select all
[spoiler=Organization name here][b]Full Organization Name :[/b]
[b]Type of Organization :[/b] (political movement, rebellion, etc)
[b]Flag / Symbols:[/b]
[b]Official Economic Ideology :[/b] (Republicanism, Direct Democracy, etc)
[b]Official Political Ideology :[/b] (Anarchism, Marxist-Leninism, Classic Liberalism)
[b]Head of Organization :[/b]
[b]Other Important Individuals :[/b]
[b]Territory :[/b] (Territory you currently control. Don't add if given on map. This may not be applicable with certain groups)
[b]Territorial Ambitions :[/b] (Territory you seek to gain. OPTIONAL)
[b]Capital City :[/b] (Applicable only for revolt states / rebellions with significant amounts of territory)
[b]Population :[/b] (Only applicable for revolt states. Otherwise remove)
[b]Membership :[/b] (how many people are actively involved)
[b]Economic Policy :[/b] (Only applicable if you're a revolt state, company, or some sort of . Otherwise remove)
[b]Tech Level:[/b] (1980s? 1920s? Retro-future 1960s? Medieval Fantasy? A bit of explanation is preferred as well)
[b]Extra Information / Quirks:[/b] (Your organization special in any particular way?)
[b]Universe of Origin (if any):[/b] (from which universe in media do you originate from? Is it an AU version of that universe? Or is this a creation of your own design?)
[u][b]Military Description[/b][/u] (Only applicable if your organization is a revolt state / rebellion. Otherwise remove this part)
[b]Army:[/b]
[b]Navy:[/b]
[b]Air Force:[/b]
[u][b]Organization Goals :[/b][/u]
[b]History :[/b] (At least 1 solid paragraph)
(Remove all parenthesis when done)
#POD3 (don't remove this)[/spoiler]
Reservation App
- Code: Select all
Reservation App
[box]
[b]Name of country reserved:[/b]
[b]Territory:[/b] (a map is preferable)
[/box]
