infinite worlds . . . infinite adventure!

Stock #82-0128 Version 1.0 March 10, 2006

STEVE JACKSON GAMESe23.sjgames.com

GURPS, Warehouse 23, and the all-seeing pyramid are registered trademarksof Steve Jackson Games Incorporated. Pyramid, GURPS Infinite Worlds, andthe names of all products published by Steve Jackson Games Incorporated areregistered trademarks or trademarks of Steve Jackson Games Incorporated, orused under license. All rights reserved. GURPS Infinite Worlds is copyright ©

2004, 2006 by Steve Jackson Games Incorporated.

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INFINITE WORLDS . . .INFINITE ADVENTURE!

The good news is, there are other Earths.Maybe an infinite number. The bad news is,somebody out there doesn't like us.

Welcome to the core setting of GURPS FourthEdition! Every other GURPS setting is on one ofthe Infinite Worlds timelines . . . whether theyknow it or not! GMs can use this to create a wholemeta-campaign, or just as an excuse to move char-acters between worlds when the plot requires it.

Compiled by Kenneth Hite, the master of alternatehistories, GURPS Infinite Worlds combines andupdates material from GURPS Time Travel, GURPSAlternate Earths, and GURPS Alternate Earths 2into one volume, and has dozens of new worlds toexplore as well! This is the complete genre book onboth alternative-world gaming and time travel. Italso provides a wide variety of suitable threats andhazards -- from evil cross-time Nazis and cosmicconspiracies to "ordinary" monsters and disasters.

Whether you're playing accidental travelers or thehardened troops of the Infinity Patrol, this book isyour gateway to adventure. Infinite adventure.

This PDF is an electronic copy of the first print-ed edition of GURPS Infinite Worlds. Allknown errata to that edition have been corrected,as of the publication date of March 10, 2006.

INFIN

ITE W

OR

LDS

01-2001

The good news is, we can visit other Earths. The bad news is, somebody out there doesn’t like us.

The shuttles of Infinity Unlimited jump between parallel Earths,seeking profit, knowledge, and adventure. But a parallel calledCentrum also has the technology to cross between worlds . . . and they want to rule them all. The Infinity Patrol mustdeal with these ruthless rivals, as well aswith world-jumping criminals, and try tokeep the secret of dimension travel out ofthe hands of the really nasty alternateworlds like Reich-5.

Welcome to the core setting of GURPSFourth Edition! Any campaign can be onone of the Infinite Worlds timelines . . .whether they know it or not! Compiled byKenneth Hite, the master of alternate histories, GURPS Infinite Worlds combinesand updates material from GURPS TimeTravel, GURPS Alternate Earths, andGURPS Alternate Earths 2 into one full-color volume, and gives dozens of newworlds to explore as well!

This book also gives detailed rules for timetravel, with three different campaign frames.

Whether you’re playing accidental travelersor the hardened troops of the Infinity Patrol,this book is your gateway to adventure.Infinite adventure.

STEVEJACKSON

GAMES

Written by Kenneth Hite, Steve Jackson, and John M. Ford Edited by Andrew HackardCover Art by Abrar Ajmal, Guy Burchak, Alan Gutierrez, Tony Parker, Rowena,

Bob Stevlic, Rogério Vilela, and Bob WaltersIllustrated by Abrar Ajmal, Brent Chumley, John Moriarty, Tony Parker,

Douglas Shuler, Bob Stevlic, and Eva Widermann

ISBN 1-55634-734-0

SJG03495 01-2001Printed in the USA

9!BMF@JA:RSVRSSoYjZhZ_ZdZ`

1ST EDITION, 1ST PRINTINGPUBLISHED FEBRUARY 2005

STEVE JACKSON GAMES

Written by KENNETH HITE, STEVE JACKSON, and JOHN M. FORDEdited by ANDREW HACKARD

Cover Art by ABRAR AJMAL, GUY BURCHAK, ALAN GUTIERREZ, TONY PARKER,ROWENA, BOB STEVLIC, ROGÉRIO VILELA, and BOB WALTERS

Illustrated by ABRAR AJMAL, BRENT CHUMLEY, JOHN MORIARTY, TONY PARKER,DOUGLAS SHULER, BOB STEVLIC, and EVA WIDERMANN

ISBN 1-55634-734-0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

2 CONTENTS

WELCOME TOANYWHEN . . . . . . . . 4

About the Authors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

1. INFINITY UNLIMITED . . . 5Infinite Worlds Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

THE INFINITY PATROL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8The Mission and the Mindset . . . . . . . . 8Human Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9Headquarters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9Intervention Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10Infinite Justice, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12Cover Stories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14Penetration Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14Recon Procedures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17Miracle Workers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18ISWAT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

PARACHRONIC LABORATORIES . . . . . . . . . . . 19Theory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20Further Infinities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21Research . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22Personal Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22Homeline TL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23Projectors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27Standard Issue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27Conveyors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28In the Cube . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29Conveyor Loadout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

THE UNITED NATIONS

INTERWORLD COUNCIL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31Infinity Development . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31Alternate Outcomes, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . 31Crosstime Colonies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32“Eternity’s Rangers” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

CORPORATE STRUCTURE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35Infinite Darkness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

OUR CORPORATE PARTNERS . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37Cliodyne Research Group . . . . . . . . . . 37Consolidated Mines, Unltd. . . . . . . . . . 37Time Tours, Ltd. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37Johnson Crosstime Incorporated . . . . . 38Time Tours in the Time Campaign . . . . 39Our Corporate Rivals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40White Star Trading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

THE PUBLIC SECTOR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41The United Nations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41National Governments . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42Israel and the Alternity Exodus . . . . . . 43Non-Governmental Organizations . . . . 44Rogue States . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

2. ENEMIESEVERYWHEN . . . . . . 45

CENTRUM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46History . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47Centrum Today . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48Centrum World Classification . . . . . . . 51Centrum Parachronics . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51The Interworld Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52Centrum Plots to Foil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54Centrum Campaigns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54Alternate Infinite Wars . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55Centrum Dark, Centrum Light . . . . . . . 56

REICH-5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57History . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57Geopolitik . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58Technology on Reich-5 . . . . . . . . . . . . 61Outtime Discoveries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63SS Raven Division . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64Glorious Goals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67

THE CABAL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68Truth and Lies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68The Cabal in the Campaign . . . . . . . . . 69

LESSER THREATS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70Organized Crime . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70Swagmen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71Freelance Criminals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71Where Are the Starships? . . . . . . . . . . . 72

PARACHRONOZOIDS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73Spoor and Stigmata . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74

OTHER HAZARDS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74The Spaces Between . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74Banestorms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75Reality Quakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75Mathematical Bafflegab . . . . . . . . . . . . 76Going Elsewhere . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77Reality Quakes in the Game . . . . . . . . 78Gates of Thoth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79Shiftrealms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79

3. PRESENT AT THECREATION . . . . . . . 81

TYPES OF ALTERNATE WORLDS . . . . . . . . . . 82Empty Worlds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83Infinity’s World Classes . . . . . . . . . . . . 83Dinosaur Hunting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84

Echoes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85Putting a Little English on It . . . . . . . . 87Parallels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88Technology Variants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89Challenge Worlds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94Unusual Civilizations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95

HISTORY, ALREADY IN PROGRESS . . . . . . . . 96Direction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96Decision . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97Alternate Greats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98Plagues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99Development . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99Generational Cycles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100Civilization as Biology . . . . . . . . . . . . 102

ALTERING WORLDS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104Timeline Shifting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104Try to Change the World . . . . . . . . . . 105

4. WORLDSENOUGH . . . . . . . 107

ARMADA-2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109ATTILA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110

Other Mongol Conquests . . . . . . . . . . 111AZOTH-7 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112

Other Azoths . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113BONAPARTE-4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113

Other Bonapartes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114BRITANNICA-3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115

Other Britannicas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116CALIPH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117

Other Muslim Worlds . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118CAMPBELL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119CENTRUM BETA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120DIXIE-1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120

Other Dixies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122EZCALLI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122FRIEDRICH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124GALLATIN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125GERNSBACK . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126HELL WORLDS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128

Ariane . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128The Gotha Parallels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128Lenin-2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129Leviathan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129Madland . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130Taft-7 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130

JOHNSON’S ROME . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130LENIN-1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131

Other Communist Worlds . . . . . . . . . . 132LUCIFER-5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133

CONTENTS

GURPS, Warehouse 23, and the all-seeing pyramid are registered trademarks of Steve Jackson Games Incorporated. Pyramid and the names of all products published by Steve Jackson Games Incorporated are registered trademarks or trademarks of Steve Jackson Games Incorporated,

or used under license. GURPS Infinite Worlds is copyright © 2004 by Steve Jackson Games Incorporated. All rights reserved. Printed in the USA.

The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book via the Internet or via any other means without the permission of the publisher is illegal, and punishable by law. Please purchase only authorized electronic editions, and do not participate in or encourage

the electronic piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated.

Playtesters: James L. Cambias, Paul Chapman, Mark Cogan, Devin Ganger, Bob Gilson, Steve Kenson, Phil Masters, Kenneth Peters, Bob Schroeck, William H. Stoddard, Chad Underkoffler, and Jeff Wilson

Additional Material: Steve Kenson, Craig Neumeier, Kenneth Peters, David L. Pulver, and Michael S. Schiffer

GURPS System Design ❚ STEVE JACKSONManaging Editor ❚ ANDREW HACKARD

GURPS Line Editor ❚ SEAN PUNCHProduction Manager ❚ WIL UPCHURCH

Art Director ❚ STEVE JACKSONPage Design ❚ PHILIP REED

Production Artists ❚ JUSTIN DE WITT and ALEX FERNANDEZ

Prepress Checkers ❚ MONICA STEPHENS and WIL UPCHURCH

Print Buyer ❚ MONICA STEPHENSMarketing Director ❚ PAUL CHAPMAN

Sales Manager ❚ ROSS JEPSONErrata Coordinator ❚ ANDY VETROMILE

GURPS FAQ Maintainer ❚ STÉPHANE THÉRIAULT

CONTENTS 3

Other Lucifers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134MERLIN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134

Other Merlins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135MYTH PARALLELS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136

Burton . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136Camelot Parallels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136Mandeville . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136Nottingham . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136Sherlock Parallels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137

NERGAL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137NOSTRADAMUS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138ORICHALCUM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139PUZZLE WORLDS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140

Blip . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140Enigma . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140Microworld . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140Möbius . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141Rustic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141Vanish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141Wyvern . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142

REICH-2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142Other Reichs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143

ROMA AETERNA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144Other Romes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145

SHIKAKU-MON . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146UNITED STATES OF LIZARDIA . . . . . . . . . . . 148YRTH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150

Other Fantasy Parallels . . . . . . . . . . . 151

5. . . . AND TIME . . . . 152TEMPORAL PHYSICS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153

The Physical Setting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153Can of Infinite Worms . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153Paradoxes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154Solutions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154Chronobabble . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155Other Useful Postulates . . . . . . . . . . . 156Talking to Yourself . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157Communication and Observation . . . 158We Will Have Warned You

in the Past . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158The Observer Effect . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159Time Viewers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160Time Machines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162Dangers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164Staying in Period Character . . . . . . . 164

PSIONIC TIME TRAVEL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166Physical Projection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166Mental Projection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167Attunement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168

THE FUTURE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169Getting There Faster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170Physics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170

6. INFINITECHARACTERS . . . . 171

ADVANTAGES, DISADVANTAGES, AND SKILLS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172Advantages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172Disadvantages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178Wealth, Status, and Reputation . . . . . 178Skills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181Techniques . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183

ALTERNATE HUMANS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184CHARACTER TEMPLATES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186

Infinity Unlimited . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186UNIC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188The Private Sector . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190Centrum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191

Reich-5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193Other Opposition . . . . . . 195Bystanders . . . . . . . . . . . 197Locals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198

WEAPONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199Firearms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199

7. INFINITECAMPAIGNS . . . . . 201

CAMPAIGN ASSUMPTIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 202The Hardware Dilemma and

the Software Mismatch . . . . . . . . . 202Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 202Adding Worlds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203Paraphysics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204Characters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204Genre and Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205

CAMPAIGN ELEMENTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 206Through the Rabbit Hole . . . . . . . . . . 206Visiting the World Next Door . . . . . . 206Things to Invent . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 208Black Powder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209The Bad Old Good Old Days . . . . . . 210Mission Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 210The Time Is Out of Joint . . . . . . . . . . 211

8. ALTERNATEINFINITIES . . . . . . . 212

THE ORDER OF THE HOURGLASS . . . . . . . . 212Villains . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 214The Great Work of Time . . . . . . . . . . 215Hollow History . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215Campaign Assumptions . . . . . . . . . . . 216

THE TIME CORPS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217Agent Slang . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217Mechanics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218Time Agents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 220The Enemy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221Time Agent Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . 222Visitors From the Future . . . . . . . . . . 223Detecting Interventions . . . . . . . . . . . 224Gross Changes: A Bad Idea . . . . . . . . 225Changing History . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225Campaign Assumption . . . . . . . . . . . . 226Operation Archduke:

A Typical Mission . . . . . . . . . . . . . 227THE HORATIO CLUB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229

Campaign Assumptions . . . . . . . . . . . 231

BIBLIOGRAPHY . . . . . . 232

INDEX . . . . . . . . . . . . 239

About GURPSSteve Jackson Games is committed to full support of the GURPS sys-

tem. Our address is SJ Games, Box 18957, Austin, TX 78760. Pleaseinclude a self-addressed, stamped envelope (SASE) any time you write us!We can also be reached by e-mail: [email protected]. Resources include:

Pyramid (www.sjgames.com/pyramid/). Our online magazineincludes new GURPS rules and articles. It also covers the d20 system,Ars Magica, BESM, Call of Cthulhu, and many more top games – andother Steve Jackson Games releases like Illuminati, Car Wars,Transhuman Space, and more. Pyramid subscribers also get opportu-nities to playtest new GURPS books!

New supplements and adventures. GURPS continues to grow, andwe’ll be happy to let you know what’s new. For a current catalog, sendus a legal-sized or 9”¥12” SASE – please use two stamps! – or just visitwww.warehouse23.com.

e23. Our e-publishing division offers GURPS adventures, play aids, andsupport not available anywhere else! Just head over to e23.sjgames.com.

Errata. Everyone makes mistakes, including us – but we do our bestto fix our errors. Up-to-date errata sheets for all GURPS releases,including this book, are available on our website – see below.

Internet. Visit us on the World Wide Web at www.sjgames.com forerrata, updates, Q&A, free webforums, and much more. The GURPSInfinite Worlds web page is www.sjgames.com/gurps/books/infiniteworlds/.

Bibliographies. Many of our books have extensive bibliographies, andwe’re putting them online – with links to let you buy the books that inter-est you! Go to the book’s web page and look for the “Bibliography” link.

GURPSnet. This e-mail list hosts much of the online discussion ofGURPS. To join, point your web browser to mail.sjgames.com/mailman/listinfo/gurpsnet-l/.

Rules and statistics in this book are specifically for the GURPSBasic Set, Fourth Edition. Page references that begin with B refer tothat book, not this one.

This book describes the InfiniteWorlds, the “standard setting” forGURPS Fourth Edition. Here, historyvaried on other Earths; the Union Jackflutters over America, Mongol poniesgraze in Britain, and zeppelins floatunperturbed everywhere. The heroicInfinity Patrol, licensed by the corpo-ration that discovered parachronictravel, keeps Homeline safe andimproves life where it can. Betweencrosstime plagues, samurai with forceswords, and unpredictable storms thatblow people to other worlds, its worknever ends.

Any kind of campaign, on any kindof world, fits here – in fact, it’s alreadyhere somewhere! You don’t have toplay the Patrol or even obey them. Youcan steal alternate Monets, hunt were-wolves in medieval Germany, or seekthe Holy Grail across the worlds. Youcan treat this book like your own per-sonal alternate Spanish Main and lootit for goodies and excitement to carryback to your own game world. You caneven build a game world – an infinityof them – from scratch, using thisbook’s alternate Earth design systemsand advice.

It’s only a short jump (as it were)from alternate histories to time travel.Time travel stories often become alter-nate Earth stories, as the plucky travel-er wrenches history from its appointedcourse to save his adopted hometownin the past. Hence, this book also con-tains complete guidelines for time trav-el games, from using time machines tohow to get away with killing yourgrandfather in the past. This book pro-vides two different time-travel cam-paign frames for people who don’twant to go world-hopping . . . andallows the combination of time traveland parallel worlds for infinite possi-bilities, including some in the InfiniteWorlds setting.

Add mutants, magicians, andworld-hopping Nazis – you will needanother Earth just to fit it all in.

So get to it – time’s a-wasting.– Kenneth Hite

ABOUT THEAUTHORSKenneth Hite

On a close parallel Earth, KennethHite’s first RPG publication credit wasGURPS Alternate Earths. In allEarths he can access, he co-wrote thatbook and its sequel for Steve JacksonGames, as well as writing GURPSCabal and the third edition of GURPSHorror, and compiling and co-author-ing GURPS WWII: Weird War Two.His “Suppressed Transmission” col-umn covers high strangeness forPyramid magazine; on some Earths itis called “Thirteen O’Clock High.” Onthe most terrifying worldlines, it hasbeen collected in two volumes to date.

He lives with his wife Sheila inChicago, the center of all worlds worthvisiting. In no Earth has his M.A. inInternational Relations proved at alluseful, but one never knows.

Steve JacksonSteve Jackson has been devouring

time-travel and parallel-world sciencefiction since he was about seven yearsold, and jumped at the chance to inflicthis own contribution on the field.

He is the founder and editor-in-chief of Steve Jackson Games, but, asshown by the present book, still gets towrite something once in a while. Hehopes to do it again someday.

Steve lives in Austin. He enjoys SFconventions, gardening, the Web, trop-ical fish, Lego, and – oh, yes – gaming.

John M. FordJohn M. Ford is the author of nine

novels (so far), including the alternatehistory The Dragon Waiting. On thegaming front, he has done work forGDW, West End Games, and SteveJackson Games. If he survives to finishhis next novel, he’ll probably write anopera. With roleplaying in it. Some-body has to be the first.

PUBLICATIONHISTORY

Much of the background in thisbook was drawn from the ThirdEdition books GURPS Time Traveland the two volumes of GURPSAlternate Earths.

The Origins Award-winning TimeTravel was a collaboration betweenSteve Jackson and Mike Ford. Stevesketched out a parallel-world settingthat owes a great deal to the works ofH. Beam Piper. Mike fleshed it out withhigh-quality rubber science and addedthe whole “Time Corps” background,cut from whole cloth woven on theloom of Fritz Leiber. They respectfullyacknowledge Those Who Went Before,and only wish they could go back andshake their hands.

David Pulver recast the material inTime Travel and other GURPS booksfor Fourth Edition, after whichKenneth Hite added yet more back-ground, rearranged all the puzzlepieces, and fit the entire assemblagebetween two covers.

4 WELCOME TO ANYWHEN

History is not merely what happened: it iswhat happened in the context of what mighthave happened. Therefore it must incorporate, as a necessary element, the alternatives, themight-have-beens.

– Sir Hugh Trevor-Roper, “History and Imagination”

WELCOME TOANYWHEN

“. . . to preserve and defend TheSecret with my last breath.”

As Angela finished the oath, she feltsomething – just the weight of allthose histories – settle on her shoul-ders. Before she could absorb the feel-ing, it was gone, jarred loose by a manshaking her elbow. “Agent Polk,” hebegan, Angela unconsciously lookedaround to see whom he was talking to,but then realized that as of 30 secondsago, she was “Agent Polk,” and wouldbe until, she supposed, her “lastbreath.”

“Agent Polk,” he said again, “let’swalk and talk.” “But my family –they’re here to see the ceremony . . .”“And they did see it, and it was lovely,and your mother cried. And nowyou’re on Patrol time, and your firstleave isn’t until 2028, so let’s jump.”With almost no pressure on her arm,he had somehow steered her awayfrom the crowds of new-mintedAcademy graduates, toward a bronze-colored, ungainly aircraft. “That’s atiltrotor – Hell, that’s a Haussman-2ornithopter! Those don’t even fly inour atmosphere!” “Good thing we’re

not staying in our atmosphere, then,”he responded. “And I’m glad to seeyour dossier accurately reported youraeronautical skills, since you’ll be fly-ing it for us.”

Angela found herself clamberinginto the pilot’s seat and slapping theoddly familiar slats and busbars intothe Lift configuration; she felt a stabof relief when she heard the whhrrrrmof a concealed ducted fan engage,almost blanketed by the increasinglyrapid crump-crump-crump of the (sofar purely decorative) wings. Herhijacker emerged from the back of thevehicle, wearing the (perfectly fitted)damask cape and riding boots of anAerocorps Imperiale officer. He settledinto the copilot’s bench and slotted acard into what seemed to be an ornatebomb-sight. “There’s a uniform foryou in the back,” he said, as he tappedon a concealed keyboard that hadfolded out of the “bomb-sight’s” eye-piece. “Go change and I’ll keep herlevel – and when you get back, let’shope the wings work.”

Pushing into the rear compart-ment, Angela saw four fellow cadets –

no, four fellow Patrolmen – changinginto their own uniforms. She knewDave Pownall and Tranh Sui from herVariant French classes, and had metRoger Giancarlo on the aerobaticsrange.

“So we have two other scouts and abackup pilot,” she said. ’Carlo replied,“And apparently, we’re not going toHaussman-2 for the dancing, sinceSuleiman here was number one in ourclass in bladed weapons.” The Turkshe didn’t recognize flashed her aquick smile and went back to adjust-ing his boots.

Nobody smiled for the next fiveminutes, as the ornithopter jolted andshuddered sickeningly. “Parachronictransition – the wings just caughthold,” ’Carlo said. More jolts bangedthe craft around, and Tranh began “Idon’t think that’s just the wings –” justas a bullet-hole appeared in the hullabove Suleiman’s head.

Angela and ’Carlo dove for thecockpit; even as the craft slopped intoa dive, they kept their balance wherethe other three rolled and spun withthe deck. Angela was first by a fractionand grabbed the yoke, wrestling the’thopter back into level flight. ’Carlowas yammering something in her ear,but she was too busy keeping themfrom crashing to pay attention. Onlyafter the aircraft had juddered back tosomething like normal did she lookaround and notice the dead man onthe bench beside her. “I wonder whatour mission was supposed to – ”Angela began, but ’Carlo cut her off. “Ithink,” he said tightly, “we’re about tofind out.”

Three more ornithopters – thesepainted an ominous gray – appearedin the windscreen, and the flashesfrom their muzzles started the shipjolting and tilting again, spiralingdown toward the parallel LakeSuperior below them.

INFINITY UNLIMITED 5

CHAPTER ONE

INFINITYUNLIMITED

Thirty years ago, formerDartmouth physicist Paul Van Zandtchanged the world. Actually, hechanged hundreds of them. He invent-ed a parachronic projector, a machinethat could send matter into anotherdimension – another timeline. Thefirst world he discovered was “Earth-Beta,” almost identical to his ownworld, which he dubbed “Homeline.”But as he improved his technologyand his survey techniques, he began todiscover worlds where Rome neverfell, or where America was a feudalkingdom. Some worlds – those on thesame “quantum level” as Homeline,Quantum 5 (Q5) – were easy to reach.Others, on Q4 and Q6, were slightlyharder; Quantum 3 and Quantum 7were downright difficult. However,Van Zandt persevered, and built up asmall team of daring assistants whohelped him map 23 more universes.

He funded further research withprofits from trading between worlds,an undertaking he formalized withWhite Star Trading. In 1998, VanZandt revealed his discovery of

parachronic travel to the public, andrevealed a secret to the U.N. SecurityCouncil. Whatever the secret was(p. B525), it halted demands for histechnology to be nationalized, milita-rized, or destroyed. Instead, theSecurity Council established theUnited Nations Interworld Council(UNIC) from its own membership,which chartered a new corporation,Infinity Unlimited (often shortened to

“Infinity” by the media). Van Zandtbecame CEO of Infinity, and UNICadded its own bureaucrats to theboard. The Interworld Treaty, whichchartered Infinity, required thatInfinity work to “better the lot” of theother worlds it explored and exploited.To that end – and possibly to counterthe threat Van Zandt revealed to theSecurity Council – Van Zandt createdthe Infinity Patrol.

6 INFINITY UNLIMITED

We’re jugglers . . . trying to keep our tradersand sociological observers and tourists and plain idiots like the late Gavran Sarn out of trouble; trying to prevent panics and disturbances and dislocations of localeconomies as a result of our operations; tryingto keep out of out-time politics – and, at alltimes, at all costs and hazards, by all means,guarding the secret of paratime transposition.

– H. Beam Piper, Police Operation

alternate: Any timeline except the original Earth. Also“alternate world.”

anchor: An echo that does not experience a quantumshift when “history is changed.”

Armanen Order: The secret order in Reich-5’s SS thathas discovered parachronics.

autochrones: Natives of a timeline, as opposed to out-time visitors or colonists; called “’chrones” and“locals” in Patrol slang.

banestorm: A natural phenomenon that moves livingbeings between worlds.

Cabal, the: A secret organization of magicians andmonsters using magical dimension travel.

Centrum: A rival civilization with the ability to travelbetween worlds. A “Centran” is a native or agent ofCentrum.

cliodynamics: The scientific study of historical change,especially useful for altering histories in a desireddirection.

conveyor: A self-propelled device for traveling betweenalternate worlds.

Continued on next page . . .

Infinite Worlds Glossary


Coventry: An alternate world maintained by theInfinity Patrol as a prison for those – bothHomeliners and outtimers – who Know Too Much.

dimensional highway: A road between worlds, natu-ral, magical, or artificial.

echo: An alternate world which is – or appears to be – identical to ours, but at an earlier point in itshistory.

Eraser: A memory-affecting drug used by I-Cops andothers to keep The Secret of parachronic travel.

Eyes, the: Patrol slang for Internal Affairs.hell parallel: A worldline mostly or entirely emptied of

humanity by a disaster or holocaust.homeboy: In Patrol slang, anybody from one’s own

world of origin.Homeline: The original Earth of Paul Van Zandt and

the Infinity Patrol.I-Cop: An agent of the Infinity Patrol’s Intervention

Service.Infinity Patrol: The paramilitary arm of Infinity

Unlimited.Infinity Unlimited: Often just “Infinity”; private corpo-

ration that controls parachronic technology as amonopoly and governs access to alternate timelines.

Interworld Service: Also I.S., or “Interworld,” theCentran equivalent to the Infinity Patrol.

Kern: From the German for “kernel,” a safe-house usedby Armanen Order operatives. Plural: Kerne.

local: In Patrol slang, native to the timeline.memetics: The study of ideas and their transmission

and change, a back-formation from “genetics.” Notyet fully accepted as a science.

Mule: Armanen Order slang for a world-jumper, espe-cially one created artificially by Nazi science.

Nexer: A Patrol agent from the Nexus OversightDivision.

nexus portal: A “natural” path between alternateworlds.

oneliner: Someone who never leaves his home time-line, especially a Homeline “civilian.”

Outstairs: Patrol slang for Homeline higher-ups.“Those dimwits Outstairs expect us to stop theVisigoths with nothing but Scotch tape and puppetshows.”

outtime: A world other than the speaker’s own; usuallymeans any other world besides Homeline.

outtimer: Anyone from a different world from thespeaker; hence, a Patrol agent is an “outtimer” onCaliph, but a citizen of Caliph would be an “out-timer” on Homeline.

parachronics: The study of alternate worlds. Morespecifically, the study of why alternate worlds exist,and how travel between them is possible.

parachronozoid: A creature with a natural world-jumping ability.

parallel: An alternate world that differs from ours onlyin that its history has been different (some are verydifferent). A “close parallel” is different as the resultof one identifiable historical change.

Pile, the: Patrol Headquarters.portal dimension: A location that connects to many

(or even all) alternate worlds or dimensions.projector: A device that can send a conveyor across

quanta.quantum: An “energy level” in 8-dimensional space

that contains many alternate timelines. Quantumlevels are often abbreviated; e.g., Q7 for Quantum 7.

quantum sargasso: A worldline that cannot be leftusing parachronics.

reality quake: A parachronic upheaval that buriessome or all of an alternate’s history beneath a newone.

reality shard: A fragment of a previous past thrown upby a reality quake.

Reality Vanish: The worldline that supposedly “eats”vanished probes and missions.

Scout: An agent of the Infinity Patrol’s PenetrationService.

The Secret: The fact that technological crossworldtravel is possible. Outtimers are not supposed tolearn this, unless recruited by Infinity. Interworlddoesn’t bother keeping The Secret on primitiveworlds.

shiftrealm: A location that travels between worldlines,from “ghost ships” to whole forests or islands.

skerry: A collection of nearby timelines sharing a com-mon element (i.e., an ongoing WWII, a basis in thefiction of Robert Heinlein).

swagman: A member of a loose fraternity of crosstimegrifters.

timeline: Another term for an alternate world.trod: A magical dimensional highway, usually used by

faeries. Most trods run between forests.UNIC: United Nations Interworld Council, the U.N.

body officially charged with overseeing parachron-ics and Infinity.

vanish it: Literally, “send it to a nonexistent reality”;Patrol slang expression meaning, roughly, “to Hellwith it.”

weird parallel: An alternate world that has many sim-ilarities to our own, but also has differences thatmake these similarities seem unbelievable (such asthe world where intelligent reptiles speak English).

zero point: The term for a location that has been“zeroed” – properly calibrated – for a safe conveyorjump between two specific dimensions.

Infinite Worlds Glossary (Continued)

THE INFINITY PATROLThe Infinity Patrol, like all of

Infinity, is specifically chartered by theU.N. Security Council. It has a unifiedcommand with an existence inde-pendent of any given mission, and soresembles a private security forcemore than a multinational peacekeep-ing task force. In practice, the Patrol isa supranational paramilitary agencyunder Infinity’s control, dedicated toprotecting Homeline, The Secret,Infinity, and the unknowing innocentsof other worlds, in roughly that order.Patrol facilities, like all Infinity prop-erty, are considered “U.N. soil,” andcannot be searched or seized withoutviolating international law. By itscharter, it must “keep the peace, andpreserve the smooth operation ofinterdimensional travel for the good ofall mankind.” This translates, forInfinity Unlimited and the Patrolalike, as “ride herd on everyone elsewith a conveyor, keep Homeline prob-lems on Homeline, and do well bydoing good in the meantime.”

This was hard enough when thePatrol thought itself alone in the con-tinuum, but nine years ago, CorporateSecurity captured an intruder in asecret Infinity facility on the Quantum6 world Turkana. He turned out to befrom another cross-dimensional para-military organization, the InterworldService, of a crosstime civilizationcalled Centrum. Centrum was aggres-sive, competent, and devoted tospreading its own hierarchical system

across the worlds. Fortunately,Centrum was on Quantum 8; it couldnot reach Homeline and neither couldHomeline reach Centrum. The quantabetween became battlegrounds, espe-cially the Q6 “echoes,” worlds thatmirrored Homeline history exactly.Centrum could, and did, shift many ofthose echoes out of Quantum 6 andinto quanta inaccessible to Homeline!The infinity war had begun, and thePatrol had a new set of missions.

THE MISSIONAND THEMINDSET

Technically, all parachronic equip-ment in existence is the property ofInfinity Unlimited, and the InfinityPatrol has the right (and duty) tosupervise its use. In theory, every con-veyor from a two-ton “tramp trader” toa stealthed CIA insertion capsule fallsunder the Patrol’s jurisdiction, and thePatrol can ask to see its hardwiredservice record (giving the time andparachronic coordinates of every jumpa unit makes) without cause or reason.If something doesn’t smell right, it caninvestigate – and if the investigationwarrants, Infinity can revoke aparachronic license or even confiscateand destroy equipment. With conveyorand projector traffic approaching tensor even hundreds of thousands of tripsper day, and with jealous national gov-

ernments, secretive corporations, andfuzzy-minded academics screamingabout every imagined slight or mis-step, the Patrol’s job is never easy.

Dealing with Homeliners, whetheraggrieved innocents or furtive dia-mond smugglers, requires good relations with Homeline institutionscombined with an appearance ofcomplete impartiality to Homelineconflicts. This is a difficult tightropeto walk under the best of circum-stances. The Patrol does very activeliaison work with Homeline govern-ment agencies and Interpol, turns ablind eye to the occasional MI6 orFSB operation, and hopes for thebest. Infinity contributes vast sums to recognized global charities (and re-election campaigns) even while Patrolofficers and agents stay ruthlesslyapolitical. Infinity doesn’t have anything quite so crude as a quotasystem, but it maintains an aggressiveoutreach program to enlist non-Americans. Although InfinityUnlimited acts like a typical Americanmultinational corporation regardlessof breezy “global” marketing cam-paigns, the Patrol emphasizes itsmultinationality – or even its transna-tionality – as befits a U.N. force. ManyPatrolmen even renounce their owncitizenship for U.N. passports as thePatrol Oath explicitly forswears allother allegiances.

That makes the Patrol’s only loyalty to itself. At best, the Patrol seesitself as the “thin blue and black line”supporting all Homeline – all human-ity – against the dangers from otherworlds. At worst, some Patrolmenhave internalized an “us vs. them”attitude, not only to outtimers (whodon’t get the benefit of Infinity’s care-ful neutrality), but also to Homelineoneliners. Even innocent touriststrapped behind the lines at Alesiasometimes grate on professionaldimensional police, to say nothing ofnickel-dime Homeline hoods dealingheroin in a parallel Renaissance Italy.Such missions don’t always helpPatrolmen keep a broad perspective.And the missions never end; worldafter world must be surveyed,checked for plagues, searched for


With conveyor and projector trafficapproaching tens or even hundreds ofthousands of trips per day, and with jealous national governments, secretivecorporations, and fuzzy-minded academics screaming about every imagined slight or misstep, the Patrol’s job is never easy.

magic, classified, watched over, nur-tured, exploited, saved, defended, sab-otaged, and covertly policed.

HUMANRESOURCES

These ever-expanding tasks strainInfinity’s time and attention morethan its pocketbook. Between off-the-books Consisting of Patrol slush funds(many kept in outtime banks), the vastscale of parachronic operations, andlucrative Homeline sublicenses,Infinity’s finances are, for all practicalpurposes, unlimited. However, Infinitymanagement still only has 24 hours inevery day to attend to and superviseevents on hundreds of worlds. Expertsystems, streamlined decision mak-ing, and ruthless policy triage only goso far. Infinity has to allow Patrolagents broad discretion – they simplydon’t have the time to second-guessPatrolmen or make tactical decisionsupstairs. The same time pressureswork on the Patrol’s 60,000 personnel(10,000 of whom are full-time fieldagents), forcing the Patrol to prize ini-tiative, creativity, and independentproblem-solving over all other factors.This irreducible fact of Infinity’sparachronic operations makes Patrolservice very attractive to ex-militaryand ex-police servicemen. Fromarmies and police forces drowning inred tape and bureaucratic procedure,Patrol recruits enter a “sink or swim”world where one decision can savemillions (even billions) of lives or dol-lars. Only true catastrophes result inactive oversight – and disasters usual-ly kill Patrolmen who make stupiddecisions.

But even with the incentive of ini-tiative, staffing remains an ongoingproblem for the Patrol. In the rich andcomfortable Homeline created byInfinity Unlimited, not a lot of peoplevolunteer to risk their lives . . . muchless spend years on end in backwaterparallels without fusion power or den-tistry, even for a fairly handsome pay-check. Increasingly, Infinity turns tooutworld recruiting on those timelineswhere they can manage it withoutrevealing The Secret. Outtimers, afterall, are used to crummy working con-ditions, danger, and filth – they livethere. In some worlds, it’s as simple as

placing a carefully worded classifiedad in the Gazette Californien or theNew Amsterdam Tribune; in others,“adoption by a remote monastery” or“assignment overseas” can cover anextraction. One old standby is disasterrecruitment – a local who showspluck, resource, and skill during a vol-canic eruption or cataclysmic battlecan often “disappear in the wreckage”without endangering The Secret.Clever or daring Patrolmen canmanipulate prison or POW camprecords, hire mercenaries, or simplybuy slaves (although this remains verycontroversial with Infinity higher-ups)to get prime Patrol recruits out of theirdangerous native worldlines and ontothe Infinity payroll.

HEADQUARTERSNew recruits almost always start

their service with an induction cere-mony at Patrol headquarters. WhileInfinity Unlimited runs its corporateempire from a skyscraper in Chicago(just far enough from the New Yorkand Washington mindsets to discour-age overzealous oversight), the Patrolworks from an unassuming glass-and-ferrocrete complex outside Calgary inwestern Canada, well off the radar ofeven Infinity corporate bigwigs.

That low-profile complex spreadsover several hundred acres, includingfiring ranges, proving grounds,airstrips, projector and conveyorbarns, a small but secure prison facili-ty, the fusion plant, and rooms full ofmolecular-memory supercomputersdevoted to Patrol archives and analy-sis. (A backup facility exists at thesame location on Smother, an unin-habited Quantum 5 worldline whereEarth’s atmosphere never oxygenat-ed.) The main headquarters building(five stories of institutional blandness)is only slightly more imposing, andinformal Patrol policy considers it adefeat if “the Pile” ever shows up onthe evening news. (Patrolmen tradi-tionally make press statements fromthe headquarters of whatever agencyor police force they worked with on agiven mission, or from the InfinityTower in Chicago.) The whole area(including several miles of under-ground tunnels and laboratories) restsunder the most comprehensive radar,satellite, and physical surveillance

possible. Ironically, the weakest spotin the coverage is, necessarily, theincoming parachronic transits, whichcould theoretically bring anyone, fromanywhere, with any agenda orweapons. Fortunately, the Canadianprairies are fairly isolated places onmost timelines, so the Patrol can keepsecurity squads camped out on mostparallel headquarters locations with-out endangering The Secret.

Besides guarding its own existence,Headquarters serves as command cen-ter, university, arsenal, motor pool,library, repair yard, and rear office forall Patrol divisions. Most importantly,however, it serves as a true home basefor Patrolmen isolated from both thetimelines they protect and theHomeline they enrich. Even morethan cops or soldiers, Patrolmen canonly talk meaningfully to each otherand nobody else on a thousandEarths. Dormitories, recreation andsports facilities, cafeterias, and stablesare all available to any Patrolmanwithout charge. Whether it’s relaxingin Harry’s Crosstime Bar (run by aPatrolman who lost both legs keepingNapoleon out of a parallel Moscow) ormeditating at the Patrol Cemetery onthe slopes of Mt. Eisenhower, everyPatrolman needs somewhere to con-nect to. Infinity fosters such connec-tions by deliberately interminglingagents and rear-echelon staff fromboth Patrol branches, the PenetrationService (colloquially, the “TimeScouts” or just “Scouts”) and theIntervention Service (the explicitlyparamilitary “I-Cops”), in Headquart-ers assignments.

Infinity encourages a similar mixof experiences in its individualPatrolmen. Corporate policy favorsPatrolmen with a broad, multi-branch background over “time-servers” and “stair-climbers” whomove up the ranks in a single branch,or even a single service. Infinity’sboard refuses to consider candidatesfor Patrol Director, or any executiverank, without several years’ experi-ence in both the Scouts and the I-Cops. Although this creates discon-tinuities and duplication of effort, itprevents (or at least mitigates)bureaucratic empire-building andencourages well-rounded, lateralthinking at all levels of the Patrol.


INTERVENTIONSERVICE

The “I-Cops” enforce the rules andkeep out hostile strangers all over thecontinuum. They are the sword andshield of Homeline. The InterventionService favors reliability over inspira-tion, resolution over communication,and speed over spread. Identify thetask, overcome the obstacles, andaccomplish the mission – don’t get dis-tracted saving other worlds beforeyou’ve saved your own first. An I-Copmakes his own luck by not stickingaround waiting for lightning to strike.They throw the lightning themselves,and jump before the thunder stopsrolling.

The Intervention Service has 10divisions, the first of which may be themost important in the entire Patrol.

The AcademyLocated on the shores of the glacial

Lake Agassiz (in the equivalent ofHomeline South Dakota), in thePleistocene parallel Mammut-1, theInfinity Academy trains every newagent accepted into the Patrol. Eachyear’s class begins in mid-Septemberwith about 650 cadets (although theAcademy has facilities for 1,000 stu-dents if necessary); the rigors of train-ing whittle the average graduatingclass down to about 400. This is bare-ly enough to stay ahead of the currentdeath, retirement, injury, and disap-pearance rate of existing Patrolmen,but Commandant al-Wahid (a SpecialOps veteran who lost her right arm toa dragon) refuses to ease up on theAcademy regimen. The Academytrains both Intervention andPenetration Service agents, andalthough it is officially a division ofIntervention, its faculty remains rigor-ously neutral in any turf wars betweenthe services.

All cadets begin with a three-month “basic training” programemphasizing stamina, decision-mak-ing while fatigued or stressed, andbasic Patrol combat and weaponsdrills. (These emphasize surprise, sub-tlety, and teamwork.) After dinner,coursework on the basics ofparachronics, languages, and globalhistory fills a cadet’s time until lightsout. In their scanty free time, cadets

play intramural sports from a widevariety of worldlines, with winningteams getting better chow and otherminor privileges. The unofficial linebetween “basic” and “advanced” train-ing is Sleepout: an unannounced mid-night alert that picks up four to sevencadets at a time (depending on classsize) and drops them a couple of hun-dred miles away from the Academy tofind their way back through saber-tooth country. With only what theywere wearing and carrying five min-utes after waking up. In December. Inan Ice Age.

The Academy rewards survivorswith a week around New Year’s (uni-versally called “Spring Break” despitethe timing) to do what they like inJohnson’s Rome or another freewheel-ing but primitive world – which isanother test. Cadets who can’t adjustto other cultural mores, who treat out-timers with contempt or condescen-sion, who reveal high-tech devices, orwho are stupid enough to fall for thebadger game get weeded out of theAcademy upon their return. If a cadetmakes it past Sleepout and SpringBreak, he is considered a Patrolman.Perhaps not an agent yet – but some-one worth investing more time andmoney in.

The rest of the winter is more phys-ical training – long marches across theglacier, mammoth hunts with equip-ment from a variety of tech levels,pressure suit training and zero-gravitycombat – interspersed with appliedparachronics, the care and feeding ofconveyors, and still more history andlanguage courses. Weapons drill getsmore complex, and there are “practicesurveys” of mostly mapped (and most-ly harmless) worldlines. The workkeeps piling on, and the team sportstake a break.

In the spring, “aptitude training”begins; the Patrol needs too manyskills from too few people to buildcomplete generalists. (This is part ofwhy Patrol training emphasizes team-work so much.) Infinity can hire theforemost experts on any topic: aikijut-su, wine tasting, archery, or dance.Team sports come back with the warm(well, warm for the Ice Age) weather,too – the traditional final blowout is“Homecoming” in early September, ashowdown game of ollamalitzli (thebrutal Aztec ball game) between the

best cadet teams in the Academy. Thelast week is “Finals,” during which thegraduates prepare a lengthy, specificreport analyzing shortcomings in theAcademy and their training. No cadetcan be flunked for his report – the onlyfailing grade is for turning in nothing.On Graduation Day, the cadets paradein formation for the last time, receivetheir commissions and duty assign-ments, and ship out into the multi-verse, entitled to wear the blue andblack of the Patrol. A week later, thenew class comes in.

A year at the Academy makes anexcellent introductory mini-cam-paign, abstracting as much or as littleof the drills and sports as the groupwants. Such an introduction probablyworks best if each player takes two orthree cadets as characters. The GMcan then wash out PC cadets withoutworrying about wrecking the cam-paign – and the leftover graduates canshow up later as NPCs, or be backupcharacters in case a player’s primaryPatrolman gets vaporized by Nazimaser fire in Atlanta or crippled bytoppling sarsens at Stonehenge.

Customs and InspectionThe Customs and Inspection

Division officially guards everyparachronic projector on Homeline,and has global authority to enter andsearch any location emittingdetectable parachronic energies. Theirthankless task is to keep things out ofHomeline that don’t belong there,from dangerous plagues to smuggledTyrian pendants to fanatical terrorists.Their second priority is to keep suchthings from going from Homeline outinto the unpoliceable void of the infi-nite worlds. Screens at projector baysand conveyor havens continuouslyscan for fissionables, toxins, viruses,nanobots, and anything else the para-noid minds at Customs can suspect.(The sign in most projector bays is asaccurate as it is concise: “Rule One:Declare Everything.”) Customs andInspection tries desperately to get firstpriority on telepathic personnel, withsadly mixed success. Reliabletelepaths can write their own ticket inthe Patrol, and few of them covet bor-ing jobs reading the minds of peoplecoming back from vacation with “asouvenir hardly worth mentioning.”


Patrolmen themselves delight insmuggling – usually low-key contra-band like wine and knives, althoughthe Patrol team that managed tosmuggle an entire hover-panzer backfrom Reich-4 is still the topic of awedlegend. This does little to endear “C &I-Cops” (or C & I duty) to other agents.

Although a team of Inspectionagents tasked to investigate unli-censed parachronic emissions onHomeline probably has one of themost tense and nail-biting jobs in thePatrol, actually playing such a cam-paign would be a little too much likeplaying air traffic controllers. A rovingInspection team checking security onnearby Quantum 5 worlds mightuncover plenty of exciting trouble,though, without even trying. Formixed parties, an individual Customsagent is a very plausible addition toany Patrol team heading into a worldwith valuables, or dangerous items, orsuspicious outtime activity – which isto say, any of them.

Internal AffairsInternal Affairs are the Patrolmen

who patrol the Patrol. They huntthrough currency records looking forbulging offworld accounts, check upon “friends from Bonaparte-4” withsuspicious last names, and bringdown the hammer on anyone, anytime. This makes “the Eyes” even lesspopular among their fellow Patrolmen

than Customs and Inspection, if sucha thing is possible. IA roots outHomeline corruption and favoritismin Infinity where it can, which earnsthe Division no friends in the UNICbureaucracy or Infinity’s boardroom.However, Internal Affairs is alwayshappy to look into reports about whatsome bureaucrat’s rival is up to, whichhelps IA play political hardball whennecessary. Every Patrolman who hasever been left twisting in the wind by arear-echelon type taking a bribe orabetting a coverup – and then seen themalefactor dispatched to count neu-trons on Taft-3 – has to admit that IAmay (just barely) be justified.

Internal Affairs officers mightappear as the “bad guys” in either afreewheeling game of maverick I-Copswho just don’t play by the rules, or ina tense, shades-of-gray game in whichInfinity higher-ups might not alwaysbe the white hats. Internal Affairs PCsmight tag along on one or two mis-sions, but are unlikely to fit well intoan ongoing I-Cops campaign. Unless,of course, all the players take the role of IA officers, and play out“Infinite Ellroy” L.A. Confidential-stylestories uncovering corruption andmalfeasance inside Infinity itself.

JusticeWhere Internal Affairs tracks

down corruption inside the Patrol,the Justice Division solves crimes

involving Infinity personnel or property. (Command of overlappinginvestigations goes to the team withpriority on the case – initiative getsresults.) By one interpretation of theInterworld Treaty, this gives theJustice Division jurisdiction over anycrime on Homeline involving an out-timer or an Infinity employee, oroccurring in a parachronic facility ofany kind, as well as any crime involv-ing a Homeliner on any other Earth.“Crimes,” in this context, includegenocide, mass slavery, environmen-tal neglect, arms smuggling, and sub-version, as well as old standbys liketheft, fraud, and murder. Like the FBIor Scotland Yard, sometimes theirinvolvement is requested, and some-times it’s resented, and sometimesboth at once. Unsurprisingly, neitherthe FBI nor Scotland Yard particular-ly welcomes nosy I-Cops horning intotheir own problems, nor do they usu-ally appreciate the irony of the situa-tion. Worse, despite lavish funding forfacilities and top-flight training for itsagents, the Justice Division doesn’treally have the institutional memory,the staff, or the footprint of a trulymajor criminal investigation depart-ment. Hence, Justice agents have toget by on intuition, flair, and a deepunderstanding of the “offworldangle,” whatever it may be.

A Crime Scene: Infinity campaigncentered on the Justice Division mightbe very entertaining, but over a longerterm it might tax the GM’s creativity(or the players’ patience) to unravelmystery after mystery. However, a sin-gle mystery makes a good “prologue”adventure, and a meaty crime candraw in agents from any other divi-sion as needed, as witnesses, experts,or even suspects. Then, if the realcriminal escapes to another world (oris in cahoots with some larger con-spiracy), the game is afoot, and amixed team can set off on a campaignthat (every so often) gets its man. Aninsidious GM might run a twist on thissetup – draw agents in from variousdivisions, set up the mystery teams,and frame the PCs for the crime!Suddenly, they have to flee Homeline,and chase down the real criminals –it’s the Infinite Fugitive, and they’rechasing the one-armed Nazi acrossthe continuum.


LiaisonThe Liaison Division handles rela-

tionships with other Homeline law-enforcement agencies or militaryunits, especially those with para-chronic investigation responsibilities.With the Patrol’s chronic shortage oftime and manpower, unless an investi-gation truly endangers Infinity inter-ests, the I-Cops are always happy toturn over work to outsiders. Liaisonagents follow up information sharing,keep Homeliners in the loop on out-time investigations, and smooth anyruffled bureaucratic feathers. Liaisonagents make likely NPCs in an I-Copcampaign, but might make interesting

PCs in a campaign centered around aHomeline group such as the FBI’sParachronic Field Team or France’sLégion d’Outretemps.

I-Cop Liaison agents have a partic-ularly warm relationship with theRoyal Canadian Mounted Police(RCMP), who technically “host” any I-Cop operations on Homeline run outof Patrol Headquarters in Calgary. TheMounties’ traditions of integrity, self-sufficiency, professionalism, anddetermination resonate strongly withPatrolmen, and the Patrol seeks toemulate the best of the RCMP experi-ence – bringing order without crueltyor destruction to a vast frontier – in its

own work across the timelines. ThePatrol actively headhunts formerMounties for responsible postings,and the RCMP is the only Homelineoutfit routinely invited on “ride-alongs” to other timelines when I-Cops need backup fast. RCMP characters can add an interestingdimension to an I-Cop campaign,serving as pipelines to the wider worldof Homeline or merely lending another perspective.

LogisticsThe unglamorous task of keeping

conveyors fueled and ammunitionsorted both by caliber and by world oforigin falls to the Logistics Division.These hard-working perfectionistshandle repairs, vehicles, supply, andmaintenance for the entire Patrol.This includes supplies, fuel, ammuni-tion, and spare parts for any outtimeequipment in storage or rotation;Logistics Division works closely withthe Penetration Service’s TechnicalAnalysis Division (p. 17). One ofLogistics’ key tasks is to keep track ofevery single parachronic device inInfinity’s inventory; if a conveyor (or,more subtly, a coordinate disk or spareset of field circuits) goes missing, theyalert the closest Patrol team to its lastknown position. Often, that team isthen ordered to drop whatever it wasdoing and chase down the missingdingus – everyone in the Patrol sharesLogistics Division’s concern aboutvanishing equipment. After all, nextweek it could be bringing a division offanatical Jamahiriya secularists fromCaliph or slavering berserkers fromGotha-19 down on them.

Although essential for the smoothoperation of the Patrol, Logistics offi-cers are not particularly essential forthe exciting operation of a game. Theyserve as information dumps, and asthe source of weird equipment andurgent requests. A quintessential rear-area, support-staff NPC, a Logisticsagent might enter the adventure witha one-time need to recover a particu-larly sensitive item. Once attached to aPatrol team, of course, his skill atrepair and access to restricted orstrange equipment could make him sovaluable that he stays on for a series ofadventures. A team of Logistics per-sonnel might be tasked to establish a


Infinite Justice, Inc.Headquartered in an obsolete steel mill in Gary, Indiana, Infinite

Justice, Inc., the largest bail bond, repossession, and “personnel reacqui-sition” agency licensed for crosstime operations, doesn’t spend a lot onoffice furniture or fancy wall screens. Infinite Justice, Inc., sells itself toits clients with its record (a success rate over 80%) and its personnel (95%with extensive outworld experience before joining the firm, mostly withthe Infinity Patrol, Mounties, or other law enforcement agencies).Infinity Unlimited offers a minimum $500,000 reward, payable to anylicensed crosstime bounty hunter, for the return of any Homeliner hidingout on an alternate Earth; every one of these burglars, runaways, mob-sters, and adulterers endangers The Secret. IJI leases its conveyors fromInfinity on an extremely affordable plan, letting it mount moreparachronic missions than most Homeline governments.

The hunt for a single fugitive may be one adventure long, or extendacross an entire campaign, with a posse of bounty hunters (along withtheir pilot, “face man,” and so forth) involving themselves voluntarily orinvoluntarily in local problems from world to world along the trail oftheir quarry. The posse could also chase down different fugitives acrossthe quanta from week to week and occasionally get sucked into thefringes of larger crises. Alternatively, a bounty hunter can be a recur-ring NPC (or a PC) who provides investigative skills, contacts, or mus-cle for Patrol missions “as a favor to the old outfit” while borrowing an“off-duty” I-Cop squad for his tougher jobs. (The large number of for-mer Patrolmen in Infinite Justice helps smooth out any quibbles aboutregulations.)

The stereotypical bounty hunter mission is to track down a wantedfugitive, apprehend him, and turn him in to the authorities for a reward.The mission can, of course, go haywire anywhere along this path. Forexample, the fugitive might be falsely accused, or a Centrum agent, orhiding out on Merlin-1, or have powerful friends in UNIC. The authori-ties might be corrupt, brutal, mistaken, or otherwise distracted. Thereward might be too small, or so big that it attracts a lot of freelance tal-ent hunting the criminal “on spec.” And, of course, the reward might notget paid at all, depending on the suspect’s condition, legal status, or polit-ical protection. Fortunately, there’s this slave trader with a price on hishead who just happened to stumble across your path . . .

maintenance and supply base on somealmost-hospitable parallel, setting upa long-term series of adventures in acontinuing setting. Having the prototypical paper-pushers save theuniverse (perhaps in spite of the con-descending “real I-Cops”) could be anamusing running gag in a light (oreven a silly) campaign.

MoraleMorale in the Patrol is actually bet-

ter than in most police or militaryforces, although Infinity’s staff psy-chologists, chaplains, and bartendersall earn their stipends. The MoraleDivision doesn’t actually concern itselfwith Patrol morale very much,although that’s what all the jobdescriptions in the unit seem to imply in faultless 21st-century buzz-word-speak. Its actual duties are propaganda, memetics, and psycho-logical warfare – both on other worlds(convincing dictators to stand down,or the citizens to vote out Centrumpuppets) and on Homeline. That lastjob is the most sensitive of all, but VanZandt really didn’t want world opinionto shift and take Infinity away fromhim. So a goodly chunk of Infinity’smoney goes into conventional adver-tising, public relations, and politicalcontributions handled by Infinity’scorporate P.R. offices and their lobby-ists. A bigger, but far more carefullyconcealed, amount goes into carefullyconceived messages to play up thegood things from Infinity (cheapfusion power, safety from Time Nazis)and dismiss the bad (toying with thelives of billions). It’s an exaggerationto say that Infinity guards that secretmore assiduously than they guard TheSecret of parachronics – but VanZandt and his successors on the boardseem to think that the one depends onthe other.

Morale works closely with theScouts as well, helping craft messages(verbal and heraldic) of peace andfriendship (or at least “enemy of yourenemy”) for first contact discussionsand meetings, often accompanyingScouts into the field. On outworldoperations, negotiation and commu-nication is the Morale Division way,although often with the aim of morethoroughly eliminating an opponent.A Morale officer frequently acts in the

role of team leader on another world,or plays “face man” for a team ofPatrolmen. A Morale team assigned tobring down some horrible govern-ment or end a war could be an inter-esting group to play. The result mightresemble either Ocean’s 11 or A Fistfulof Dollars, depending on the tone ofthe game.

Nexus OversightNexus Oversight, the “Highway

Patrol” of the I-Cops, guards andcharts known dimensional highways,nexus portals, and so forth. Relativelyfew such unconventional routes leadto Homeline proper, and Infinitybought up most of them (along withall the land for several miles around,where possible) long ago. However,the Patrol can’t depend on Infinity’sparachronic monopoly to keep thecontinuum safe. Moving along theback roads of the continuum, infiltra-tors, smugglers, or terrorists couldwreak havoc in realities across thequanta, even if Homeline is (mostly)secure. And there are always touriststo gently redirect, squabbles overaccess to sort out, and the occasionalghastly crisis to avert. NexusOversight also tries to keep track ofknown banestorms, and its agentskeep their hands in by killing anythingnasty a banestorm leaves behind. Inpractice, Nexus Oversight sometimesserves as the I-Cops’ own in-houseScout service; the “Nexers” love to findout what’s over the next quantum bar-rier and who’s been driving tanksdown the ley lines.

A roving Nexus Oversight team ofthis sort makes an ideal player group.Even if the worlds they’re patrollingare quiet now, anybody or anythingcould come out of the portal duringthe next new moon and stir things up.A single Nexer could fall in with anyteam anywhere in the continuum – anexcellent way to bring in a new playeror replacement character.

SecuritySecurity Division monitors and

prevents crosstime infiltration ofHomeline. Working very closely withthe Intelligence Division of theScouts, they maintain frighteningamounts of information on every

single licensee of parachronic tech-nology, and on every outtimer knownto have dealt with Homeliners in anycapacity. Getting this information isthe job of Security’s “runners,” whokeep strings of informers and agentsin both the security agencies of manyparallels (they essentially commandthe Vigiles on Johnson’s Rome, forexample) and inside every criminalor political group known to have a crossworld interest. SecurityDivision works closely with thePenetration Service’s IntelligenceDivision to monitor all other time-lines for breaches of The Secret, or ofdomestic parachronic research. Onpaper, Intelligence does the monitor-ing, and Security makes any “adjust-ments” necessary to fix things. Inpractice, this means that Securityagents are usually tasked with“secret improvements” on other par-allels as well: ending slave trades,preventing global wars, derailingatomic research programs in dicta-torships, and so forth. SecurityDivision runs the “prison parallel”Coventry (p. B524), as well as a feweven more obscure detention facili-ties on remote worlds. Security also works closely with Logistics, following their lead when trackingmissing conveyors, and with LiasionDivision, partnering up with Home-line security agencies (especially theFBI, Shin Bet, and MI5) when track-ing crosstime threats against nation-al targets. The Security Division alsomaintains a low-simmering irritationwith Infinity Unlimited’s CorporateSecurity Branch, which is theoreti-cally in charge of Homeline threatsto Infinity operations; withHomeliners who travel crosstime,jurisdiction gets blurry.

A Security team is another idealplayer group. Every mission can bedifferent, from smash-and-grab raidson Islamic Jihad cells on Homeline tofollowing a string of clues to run downa plutonium smuggler across six orseven worldlines. The broad scope ofSecurity missions means thatPatrolmen from almost any other divi-sion can join up for a single operation,or help staff a full cross-divisional taskforce to monitor some developing(campaign-long) crisis.


Special OperationsThe mission of Special Operations

Division is the counterpunch.SpecOps (or SOD, to the less-impressed Patrolmen of other divi-sions) exists to drop onto a Centrum(or, increasingly, SS Raven Division)operation when subtlety is no longeran option. They train in crosstimeassault tactics, doing the most damagewith the least equipment possible inthe shortest period of time. SpecialOperations does not (officially, any-way) launch operations against enemytargets; it is the “cavalry” called in toend a fight, not the “marines” sent into start one. Of course, many rescuesor counterstrikes require the tacticaloffensive, and sometimes that creepsup to “pre-emptive defense” against anInterworld task force that looks almost

ready to launch its own initiative.Special Operations has about 200agents in three companies stationedon Homeline, Hideaway (a top-secretQuantum 6 “manor world” used exclu-sively by Infinity retirees and execu-tives), and Habakkuk (a similarlysecret Quantum 7 world where theLaurentide cooling snapped the Earthback into another Ice Age around6000 B.C.). The company onHideaway is double-strength, sincemore Centrum operations occur inQuantum 6 than the other two. Theirconveyors are hardened subquantummodels built into armored TL9 Icarussuborbital VTOL gunships each capa-ble of carrying up to three squads (15-24 Patrolmen) of SpecOps anywhereon the Earths within four hours of analert. (The Homeline company can, of

course, project to Quantum 3 or 4 ifneed be.) Their bases (in Canada onHomeline and Hideaway; in tropicalKenya on Habakkuk) have immensefuel-cracking stations, full supportfacilities, massive parachronic detec-tor nets, and backups of most Patrolrecords of Interworld activity. Supportstaff (about 2,000 per base) usuallyconsists of disabled Patrolmen fromother divisions, civilian contractors, orspecialists from Intelligence, Logis-tics, and Security.

A Special Operations Divison cam-paign resembles a normal military“special ops” campaign, focusing onraids and assaults. Patrolmen fromother divisions usually come along onspecific missions only to lend specificknowledge or expertise; they aren’tlikely to join a SpecOps squad on afull-time basis. If the GM and playerscan come up with enough variationson the model to keep the game fromgetting stale, well and good.Otherwise, it may be necessary to mixthings up. Players might have a “back-up SpecOps PC.” Every so often, if theregular PCs uncover something thatreally needs a smackdown, the gamecan switch to “SpecOps mode” and theplayers can bring in their backup PCsquad to deliver it. Or the GM caninsert a small SpecOps unit into ananchor, or a shifted echo, for a long-term campaign against Centrum onthat world. Covert high-tech warfareagainst Centrum while keeping TheSecret, rescuing other Patrolmen(who might become PCs themselves),and recruiting local forces to the sideof Homeline presents enough differ-ent challenges to keep the game freshfor some time.

PENETRATIONSERVICE

The “Time Scouts” survey andopen new timelines, and keep theflow of parachronic traffic runningsmoothly. The Scouts favor adapt-ability over discipline, openness overjudgment, and breadth over depth. Amodicum of knowledge and accept-ance on 10 worlds is better than adoctorate on (or initiation into) onesubculture – although Scouts willpump the professor (or initiate) forthe three key details they need to find


Cover StoriesGiven the conflicting imperatives of keeping The Secret and influenc-

ing outtime locals, much thought and effort goes into providing Infinityagents with solid cover while on operations in parallel worlds. Necessarydocuments, travel passes, forged currency, and so forth are the responsi-bility of the Document Section of the Penetration Service (a cross-divi-sional unit staffed by the Intelligence, Records and Research, andTechnical Analysis divisions). Planting actual identities in offworld databanks, maintaining safe houses and bank accounts, and other local jobsfall to whichever Service runs the main Infinity station on the parallel (ifthe Scouts, usually the Intelligence Division; if the I-Cops, usuallySecurity Division).

The actual nature of the cover varies by milieu and TL. In low-TL soci-eties, up to TL2 or 3, agents can pass themselves off as travelers from afaraway kingdom, as magicians (this is harder on worlds where magicactually works), or as emissaries from the gods. Some of these storiesalso work in post-disaster milieus. In societies at TL4 or 5, Patrol per-sonnel have to either invent secret societies to belong to, or suborn exist-ing guilds, orders, or groups (or at least individual lodges or churches).Once nation-states have monopolized power, usually by TL5, Homelineagents have to begin the careful game of claiming to be spies or agentsfrom different nations, hoping to avoid close cross-checking. This, how-ever, makes getting the cooperation of a local government more difficult,and often forces Patrolmen to work through less-than-ideal local cutouts.Impersonating the home government’s spies or secret police is the bestpossible cover, but is fraught with danger.

In very bureaucratic governments (which began by TL2 in China andRome), Patrolmen can often claim to be from another governmentdepartment or a far province . . . or from the capital, if they are operat-ing in a far province. If they can present the right credentials, and use theright tone of voice, this is often sufficient for short-term operations. Overa longer term, such a cover is always in danger of collapsing. In somecases, it might be possible to claim to be time travelers, or even aliens –presenting advanced Homeline technology as “proof.”

a missing tourist in Nineveh or pass amessage to a Patrol contact at theReichschancellery.

The Penetration Service has eightdivisions.

CommunicationsWhether it’s riding camels across a

parallel Mojave or burrowing a TrojanHorse into a Sinhalaraj submarinecomm net, Communications gets theword out and the message through.Communications Division sharesresponsibility with Intelligence forcryptanalysis, and encodes even rou-tine messages to the hilt. However, toomany mysterious, unbreakable codesin a suspicious age themselves endan-ger The Secret, so often Communi-cations has to encode the real messageinside an enciphered cover messageintended to be broken. It’s headacheslike this that make courier duty seemlike a positive relief; all you have to dois get from Paris to Peking and dodgethe Khaghan’s All-Seeing Eyes alongthe way.

Communications agents can openthe door to any kind of adventure – andmay not even know what’s in the mes-sage that causes everyone to hunt themdown. A long-running game centeredon the Communications Division cancenter on multiworld couriers, who“ride circuit” through a number of sta-tions and parallels to pick up messagesthat can’t be sent any other way. Thisprovides plenty of setting variety, andeach stop no doubt holds its own crisisthat in some way threatens the deliveryof the next message.

ContactIn many ways, Contact Division

has the most difficult, delicate job inthe entire Patrol. Once the Scouts dis-cover a new timeline, a Contact fieldteam has to learn its geopolitical, cul-tural, economic, and technical situa-tion in as much detail and as littletime as possible. All of this, of course,while checking for magic, psionics, orother potentially threatening anom-alies in the local physics, establishingsome sort of plausible cover for futurePatrol missions, and keeping an eyeout for Centrum or other outtimetroublemakers. If the new timeline isan echo (which the Patrol can’t alwaysdiscern right away, especially with

more primitive Earths), making tooovert a contact could shift the entiretimeline! To make things even dicier,The Secret is never closer to exposurethan in the first few months of contactwith a new timeline. Agents don’t yetknow what clothing, behavior, or tech-nology marks them as not juststrangers but weird outsiders, andcan’t find out without wanderingaround risking death or worse.

All this makes a Contact team aperfect PC group. Every new timelineis a new set of challenges, the GM cantailor adventures (and whole worlds)to meet (or play with) player expecta-tions, and the flavor can vary as wide-ly or as little as desired. A Contactteam often includes Scouts from otherdivisions, and even I-Cops if they pro-vide specific skills (or warm bodies tofill mission requirements right now).This offers an excellent mix of startingcharacters, and return trips to HQbetween missions even let playerstrade out crippled or dead Scouts forbrash new replacements.

Echo SurveillanceOnce a parallel has been classified

as an echo – an exact duplicate ofHomeline history vulnerable to time-line shifting – the Patrol turns it overto Echo Surveillance Division. Thisdivision has the unenviable task ofmonitoring all potential crisis pointsin the echo’s current affairs for signs ofCentrum involvement, or for otherchanges that might shift the echo outof place. Depending on the change

potential and TL of an echo, a givenworld might have one team (based in1873 Liverpool, monitoring shippingnews and telegraph cables for anymicroscopic divergence from Home-line records), a few teams (one in eachmajor capital in 1942), or more. Mostechoes really ought to have a globalnetwork of agents communicating byultrawave – keeping tabs, for instance,on every minor kingdom and caravanstop from Chichen Itza to Chang’anand back again in 800 A.D. – but haveto make do with overworked “circuitriders” who travel the Silk Road andother trade routes with a cargo ofspices and an eye for the uncanny.

An Echo Surveillance team ismost suitable for long-running cam-paigns set in a single echo. Theagents can deal with local crises fromwars to plagues to suspiciousInquisitors, chasing down everyrumor of sorcery or angels thatsounds like a Centrum cover.Eventually, of course, one of thoserumors will pan out, and the gamebecomes one of cat-and-mouse as thetwo sides choose their pawns andbegin the contest in earnest. On anecho with a lot of potential diver-gence points set close together intime or space (1453, 1789, or 1917,for example), the missions still haveplenty of variety. For more varietystill, the players can take the roles ofa “flying squad” of Echo Surveillanceagents spot-checking comfortablyremote or stable echoes and solvingany crises there as rapidly and silently as possible.


IntelligenceIntelligence Division monitors

every known world (including a fewthat aren’t very well known at all) forany threat to Homeline, Infinity, orThe Secret. Contrary to the romanticimage of Intel Scouts infiltratingReich-5 deployment bases or stealingCentrum coordinate files, mostIntelligence work involves combing

the records of every other Patrol sec-tion. Intelligence Division agents haveclearance to see any report from anydivision of Infinity, and throughUNIC, can request intelligence datafrom most of the Homeline spy agen-cies as well. Although IntelligenceDivision gives lip service to compart-mentalization of information, thereare too many crises, too much data,too little time, and too few Intel per-sonnel for that approach to be practi-cal. Intelligence assigns field agents on“open-eyes” missions (which consistof visiting a seldom-seen world andlooking for trouble) to scare up stillmore data, and many IntelligenceDivision Scouts visit 10 or 12 worldsin a single “circuit” looking for pat-terns that don’t show up in the on-sitereports.

An Intelligence Division agent canget added to any Patrol mission at thelast minute, simply because someonewanted more information or thoughtthat trouble might be brewing some-where. Full Intelligence Division fieldteams go on (slightly) more organizedsurvey, scouting, and investigationmissions to various timelines as well.Intelligence Division PCs can there-fore “solo” with a team of Patrolmenfrom other divisions, or make up anentire adventuring group. AnIntelligence NPC makes an excellent“mission director” for a group of

Patrolmen even outside Intel Division,or someone who can add hair-raisingcomplications (or life-saving hints) toa seemingly conventional missionbriefing. The Intelligence mission canturn out to be a red herring, an excusefor the real adventure, or one moreround in a taut game of thrust andcounterthrust against Centrum’sInterworld Service.

Records and ResearchThis Division maintains every bit

of data recovered or discovered onevery mission, as well as the personneljackets for the Infinity Patrol, dossierson anyone ever encountered by thePatrol in any capacity, and the mostcomplete historical database in theknown worlds. Most of this material isfully computerized on molecular stor-age media, but Records and Researchis always behind on transfers frommore primitive sources, especiallythose from outtime. Thus, the Stacks(as the Division archives are called)also hold several million hardcopybooks, miles upon miles of film andrecording tape, and a few floors ofunclassified stone tablets, cylinderseals, and oil paintings. This divisionalso handles the administrative dutiesfor the Intervention Service; only themost cynical I-Cops really believe thattheir requests always take two weekslonger to file than Scout paperworkever seems to. Everyone knows thatthe best way to get a form approved isto submit it wrapped around a CD-ROM, papyrus scroll, or leatherboundfolio that doesn’t already appear in theStacks.

With the best will in the world, itmay be difficult to set a campaignentirely in the musty world of Recordsand Research, unless a somewhatoutré “adventures in the Warehouse”

game appeals to everyone. A RecordsDivision NPC makes a useful support-ing player, however, always availableto feed a clue or plot point to the per-plexed I-Cops. On some missions,however (such as those to an unburntLibrary of Alexandria, or hunting aneldritch tome through the bibliophileunderground of Merlin-2’s London), aRecords and Research agent PC canbring a glittering eye and a head full offacts to the game.

Search and RescueWhen a researcher goes missing in

Tenochtitlán, or a party of skiers getstrapped by raiding Helvetii, Searchand Rescue Division gets them out.Search and Rescue teams, usuallymounted on special conveyors withfull ambulance and paramedical mod-ules, remain on call in a number ofInfinity stations around Homeline andon major tourist parallels. They can bescrambled and outbound within 20minutes of getting a go-code, althoughmost dispatches are triggered by “fail-ures to report in on time” or returningparties (or escaping survivors) bearingbad news rather than actual distresscalls. Many conveyors have a sub-quantum “black box” drone thatjumps to the closest S&R station oneach quantum in an emergency, butthis is hit-or-miss at best. Search andRescue has the primary “firstresponse” task for any conveyor orcivilian missing on a “non-threat”worldline (in general, those notclassed Z; see Infinity’s World Classes,p. 83). They do not mount paramili-tary or police missions – conveyorsgone missing on the Reich parallelsdraw a response from SpecialOperations, for example. Unfortu-nately, the Search and Rescue teamsometimes winds up being the firstPatrolmen to discover that a mostlyharmless worldline has suddenlybecome a deadly threat. Hence,Search and Rescue agents have to beable to take care of themselves in allkinds of situations, while saving livesand keeping an eye out for the nextdisaster.

A Search and Rescue team makesan excellent PC group for fast-pacedadventures flickering between manydifferent settings. Search and Rescueteams have to have a mix of specialists, ready for anything from


vampire bites to maser burns to flintarrow wounds, moving fast and stay-ing ahead of the locals – or, worse,other dimension-travelers. A singleSearch and Rescue agent is unlikely tojoin a cross-disciplinary team, unlesshe has specialized knowledge (of aworld, a danger, or a technique) need-ed for a mission. However, a tour inSearch and Rescue makes an excellentbackground for a player character“medic” in any other division.

SurveyA Survey agent is what the average

Homeliner thinks of when he thinks ofthe Scouts. Survey Division plans,organizes, and carries out “first in”missions to new worldlines, after asthorough a robotic reconnaissance aspossible (see Recon Procedures,below). Drones can provide a surpris-ing amount of hard data about a newworld, but there are always strangeholes and mysterious quirks that

require on-site human inspection.Survey Division field agents aretrained in camouflage, stealth, andcovert surveillance, as well as variousscientific disciplines, rather thansocial interaction skills (those fallunder Contact Division’s purview). Anideal Survey mission, from the per-spective of many agents, is a longcamping trip in the Appalachiansspent monitoring radio broadcasts ortapping into computer cables withoutmeeting a local. Unfortunately, as withany other Patrol division, no missionis ever ideal, and many Survey agentshave to extract themselves from theclutches of local guards, double-talktheir way past suspicious nomads, orpersonally discover monsters or magicon a seemingly normal worldline.

Since Survey Division teams areexpected to stay out of the way of thelocals, such a team might not seemlike an ideal role for an active playergroup. Unless something goes wrong –

a Survey team that gets lost or cut offfrom Homeline (perhaps because theworldline shifted), and has to make itsway in the new world regardless ofprocedure would be an excellent PCgroup for a medium- or long-termadventure set in a single worldline.Also, playing the initial Survey teamas “guest star PCs” who scope out thesituation first-hand and then turn themission over to the regular heroes hasmuch more immediacy and rewardgoing for it than another GM briefingabout “what Survey Division hasdetermined.” In mixed groups, Surveyagents bring useful talents to the table,and any given mission can add “thefirst agent to set foot on this world-line” to the team.

Technical AnalysisTechnical Analysis Division exists

to help Patrolmen blend in with, rec-ognize, utilize, and if necessary count-er technologies from other alternates.Their specific mission is to examineand evaluate, and ideally be able toduplicate, any and every technologicalartifact from any timeline, fromsharpened bones to bioscanners. TechDivision works closely with Recordsand Research, and also prints forgedcurrency, manufactures inconspicu-ous or fashionable clothing, and cre-ates “pocket fillers” (keys, small idols,eating knives, roach clips, etc.) to helpPatrolmen blend into any worldlinethey might have to enter. Althoughregulations discourage the inclusionof “secret agent” devices in costumesand personal items in case of loss,theft, or accidental discovery, TechDivision loves to add cameras, micro-phones, cutting saws, and similar“mission enhancers” to anything theybuild. They usually tell the agent whocarries the item about such extras.

Like their kindred spirits inRecords and Research, TechnicalAnalysis Division agents are not idealPCs, being quintessential rear-areapersonnel. A team of Tech agentswould be hard-pressed to justify manyoutworld missions, except perhaps toworlds with a lot of very strange tech-nology. However, adding a TechnicalAnalysis expert to a given mission isfar easier to justify, whether the world-line runs on immense analyticalengines, bizarre Tesla devices, ordwarven steam boilers.


Recon ProceduresBefore Survey Division teams ever enter a worldline, standard proce-

dure calls for thorough robotic reconnaissance, using multiple drones,ideally in multiple locations around the world in question. Odd results atany stage prompt the insertion of more drones at other locations forcross-checking and correlation of the data; dangerous results prompt areassessment by the Penetration Service as a whole.

First, Survey pops a small floating drone into the mid-Atlantic tocheck the atmosphere, radiation, gravity, salinity, plankton count, andother major environmental metrics on the parallel. If that survey comesback successfully (and informatively), a larger drone enters on land tomonitor the electromagnetic spectrum for radio, television, or other sig-nals, and to sniff the atmosphere and test the soil for pollutants and com-plex chemicals. This drone also checks the night sky, and determines theparallel’s local present date from the star patterns. (This usually happensin the Chilean Andes, to maximize seeing and minimize witnesses.) Fromthese reports, Survey Division estimates the world’s TL.

On lines lower than TL7, a high-flying stealthed reconnaissance droneenters and takes aerial photos for several hundred miles around; wherepossible, multiple airphoto missions provide good coverage for key areaslike the Mediterranean, the Chinese coastline, and eastern NorthAmerica. If possible (or vital), Infinity orbits a stealthed satellite or twofor surveillance and communications. On timelines TL7 or higher, sub-marine drones crawl up the shore in busy dockyards (disguised as wreck-age or flotsam) and attempt to tap into local wireless computer networks,phone signals, or any other medium they can subtly sift for information.Any drone sent into a TL5 or higher worldline is equipped with a ther-mite self-destruct system that activates if it is tampered with, if it is intru-sively scanned, or if it misses its recall window.

ISWATInterworld Special Weapons and

Tactics (ISWAT) doesn’t exist, at leastofficially. Its agents are all on thebooks as Patrolmen, assigned to vari-ous out-of-the-way parallels, extendedtraining missions, or nebulous head-quarters duties. Its Director isn’t evenon the Infinity payroll, which is under-standable – even a casual auditorwould notice a name like “OttoSkorzeny.” Recruited from aHapsburg prison camp on Aeolus (see

GURPS Alternate Earths 2 for fur-ther details), ISWAT’s Skorzeny com-bines his parallel selves’ genius forsmall-unit tactics and leadership withan astonishing degree of street-fight-ing political guile in the service ofindividual rights and opportunities.He has moved mountains to liftInfinity restrictions on outtimerecruitment, at least for his ownteams, and they remain fiercely loyalto him and ISWAT as a result. Wellover half of ISWAT’s operatives (thetotal number is classified, but there

are probably fewer than 100 five-to-seven-man squads on the active dutylist) are outtimers from all walks oflife.

Some of them, like Skorzeny, are“résumé recruits” picked based ontheir parallel selves’ skills. Some arelocals who come to the notice ofPatrolmen in some way, usuallyinvolving meritorious service or aston-ishing ability. A few are outtimers whostumble onto ISWAT operations andmanage to find their way to Homeline,or to one of the covert financial, mili-tary, or technical facilities ISWATmaintains across the parallels. ToSkorzeny, such cleverness and drivefar outweighs any possible damage toThe Secret – anyone smart enough tofind his people is someone to berecruited, not dumped on Coventry towaste their skills forever.

A solid cadre of ISWAT operativesare Patrolmen, of course – those witha record of toughness, creativity, flexi-bility, and (most importantly) luck.Skorzeny is fond of saying “I can trainsomeone to do anything in the world –except be unlucky enough to find trou-ble, and lucky enough to survive it.”His record speaks for itself; ISWAToperatives receive training compara-ble to the most rigorous special opsunits on Homeline – with the equiva-lent of a doctorate or two in history oranthropology on top of it. As it hap-pens, a number of special ops soldiers,and not a few history professors, alsofind their way to ISWAT’s roster. Patrolrumor claims that ISWAT has gods,sorcerers, vampires, aliens, super-heroes, and angels in its ranks . . . butthat’s just barracks gossip. Probably.

Missions and TrainingISWAT specializes in operations on

closed worlds, weird parallels, andpocket multiverses, and routinely per-forms high-priority but deniable mis-sions that can determine the fate ofentire worlds. Many ISWAT operativeshave magical, psionic, or other meansof traveling between worlds – theydon’t always like to announce them-selves with a burst of parachronicenergy. Some of the crises it faces areurgent and overwhelming: rogue AIstrying to undermine consensus reality,amphichronous invasions from anti-matter universes, kidnappers hijacking


Miracle WorkersMiracle Workers, the “do-gooder” nonprofit wing of Infinity, has a

simple enough mission: save and improve lives across the InfiniteWorlds. This encompasses famine relief, disaster recovery and repair,sanitation and health improvements, nutrition and agricultural sup-port, control of plagues, and (in the direst situations) refugee reloca-tion. Often, Miracle Workers teams show up to keep civilian locals safe(and safely out of the way) in case of a Centrum attack, reality quake,or other parachronic incident. Although their tents and vehicles usu-ally display the red cross, caduceus, pelican, or other local “neutralhealer” emblem, Miracle Workers personnel (except for those in deepcover) wear the dove-and-raven flash of their organization on theirclothing or as jewelry.

Miracle Workers operations vary depending on the type of worldlinewhere they take place. On some depopulated parallels, where Infinity hasopenly taken over (most Hell parallels, for example), Miracle Workersalso operates openly. (On some mining parallels, Miracle Workers teamsare introducing urban sanitation and the germ theory of disease to par-allel Sumerian cities.) On many parallels, Miracle Workers is a chartered,licensed not-for-profit agency (just like White Star Trading is a legitimateimport-export group) that works under its own name with the local RedCross, Doctors Without Borders, Knights of St. John, or whomever. Onprimitive worlds, they simply claim to be itinerant healers, priests ofhealing saints or gods, and so forth. Infinity looks the other way whenMiracle Workers tries to spread medical techniques to the parallels –interference with parallels is allowed, as long as it doesn’t threaten TheSecret. The major controversies involve worlds where the Patrol hastaken a side in a war or worked to destroy some empire – I-Cops don’tappreciate seeing fellow Homeliners working to cure and stabilize thepeople they’re trying to defeat. Miracle Workers staff isn’t allowed ontoechoes at all – the risk of some “humanitarian” intervention changing his-tory is too great.

Playing a Miracle Workers team is a change from conventionalInfinite Worlds gaming. Although the PCs would face their share of localwarlords, outtime interference, and so on, many of the problems wouldnot have human solutions – or any solutions! In most games, the MiracleWorkers operation is just a setup that gets the PCs (Miracle Workers orotherwise) to the worldline just in time to coincidentally stop an entirelyunrelated Centrum scheme.

Charon’s boat and holding an entireEarth’s afterlives hostage, and sentientpsychoses spreading themselvesthrough parallel worlds in dreams.Others are just plain strange. In theintervals between cosmos-threateningdisasters, ISWAT takes on simplertasks like overthrowing corruptempires, stealing or destroying irre-placeable evil magic artifacts, killingimmortals, and capturing invulnerablefortresses. When they’re not doingthat, they’re training.

Training, where at all possible,happens in the field, on lower-priority“feel-good” missions. Skorzeny has aparticular love of sabotaging, subvert-ing, or otherwise hampering NaziGermanies everywhere in the continu-um. A fierce democrat and ruggedindividualist, the Director despises hisNazi “twins” and what he calls their“corrupt toadying cynicism,” and evenhis “Teutonic efficiency” recoils at theinhuman waste that Nazi ideologyrepresents. Hence, he prefers “livefire” training that just happens to takeplace on Reich-2 or any other worldwhere “You five go destroy every vehi-cle in that Nazi airbase, and kill any-one who tries to stop you” can be avalid rule of engagement. Political cor-ruption, social engineering, economicmanipulation, and any other dirtytrick Skorzeny or his brain trust cancome up with gets tested to destruc-tion against totalitarian regimesacross the parallels on training mission after training mission. These

lengthy and repeated exposures to fas-cism from the inside also have thehappy side effect of inspiring ISWATrecruits into an appreciation for indi-vidual freedom that they may not havehad when they left their home parallel.

This appreciation sometimesextends, a little too rowdily, into their“shore leave.” ISWAT personnel offi-cers try to select cities and timelineswhere a week-long melee mightactually improve thingslocally – parallel PortRoyals or Cripple Creeks,for instance – and let anentire team take their leavetogether. Camaraderie forgedon the battlefield is annealed inthe barroom or brothel, and aminimum of harm is done to thepeace-loving citizens of other par-allels for whom ISWAT labors.Some teams prefer slightly more ele-vated shore leave policies; in general,initiative in selecting leave getsrewarded.

ISWAT in the CampaignFor a conventional Patrol cam-

paign, ISWAT should be a mysteriousforce in the background, always doingsomething vital far away. A singleISWAT operative can be an excellentstory trigger, but GMs should be care-ful about overshadowing the regularPCs with this glamorous “guest star.”Ideally, the ISWAT op gives the Patrolteam their mission along with compli-ments about why they were chosen,

and goes off to do something elseimpossibly dangerous off-screen. Amission to rescue a trapped (orbesieged, or otherwise isolated)ISWAT operative, however, can featurethe op as an on-screen NPC, and theuse of his skills can be the “reward”the heroes get for defeating the oppo-sition. In a dire emergency, of course,the GM can use ISWAT as a deus ex

machina, dropping in fromthe clouds and rescuingthe PCs when all looks

most grim – but ISWATshould be on their

way somewhereelse, and leave the

real protago-nists of thestory to tie up

plenty of looseends.

Of course, an ISWAT team makesan ideal player character group, forplayers with a yen for non-stop adven-ture with a big splash of strangeness.ISWAT operatives should begin at 200-250 points at least; teams of1,000-point characters are totallyappropriate for ISWAT campaigns.The GM should think big whendesigning ISWAT missions – majorhistorical changes, the fates ofempires, and immense reality quakesare all in a day’s work for ISWAT.“Nazi turkey shoot” adventures shouldbe vacations for an ISWAT team; thugswith machine guns are trivialities tosuch heroes.

Parachronic Laboratories, or“Paralabs,” serves as Infinity’s in-house “pure research and develop-ment” arm. Paralabs is not related tothe “Patent Development Department”in Infinity Tower, which sifts otherparallels’ scientific developments andtechnologies for future operations,licensing, or theft. It concentrates onthe physics of the Infinite Worlds, thenature of reality and physical law, andthe practical mechanics of crossworldtravel.

Paralabs has research facilities allover Homeline; almost every top-flight university physics departmenthas a Paralabs laboratory attached,

sumptuously funded by Infinitygrants. The main Paralabs facilitiesare in Geneva, Switzerland (as part ofCERN); Batavia, Illinois (associatedwith the Argonne Labs accelerators);and Livermore, California. Paralabsshares its Geneva campus with UNIC,and its Livermore campus with theU.S. Department of Energy. Paralabsalso has facilities on other worlds,which it shares with nobody. The threebest-known are the “Clean Room” onSmother (where it puts really danger-ous or mysterious objects and experi-ments), the “Farm” on Mammut-1’sMadagascar (where Paralabs workson robotic conveyor design; the

Reserve Conveyor Fleet’s hangar isthere), and the “Wheel” on Turkana, aQuantum 6 world where the Earth’smagnetic poles are seriously offsetfrom the geographic ones. Here,Paralabs has built an acceleratoraround the magnetic pole (in the Gobigrassland) and drilled a hole into theEarth’s mantle for power. The Wheelteam is universally considered the craziest team in Paralabs; theirrumored triumphs include artificialreality temblors, creating a banestorminside a wind tunnel, and briefly alter-ing Turkana’s quantum level – andnumber of moons.


PARACHRONIC LABORATORIES

THEORYIn 1957, Dr. Hugh Everett III came

up with the Many Worlds Inter-pretation of quantum mechanics, as away to resolve the paradoxes of thePrivileged Observer and such thought-experiments as Schrödinger’s Cat. ThePrivileged Observer (according to therival Copenhagen Interpretation) isthe observer who causes the quantumwave function to “collapse” into parti-cles with location and speed and othercharacteristics while under observa-tion. Schrödinger’s Cat is inside a boxwith a vial of deadly poison that willbreak when a given atom decays andreleases an alpha particle, killing thecat. Since quantum-mechanically, theatom might or might not release a par-ticle at the instant of decay, the cat isfamously half-alive and half-dead inthe Copenhagen Interpretation – untilthe Privileged Observer opens the boxand “collapses” the cat into either thealive or dead state.

According to Everett’s interpreta-tion, every quantum “choice” createstwo worlds, two timelines. In one, theobserver sees a live cat. In the other,the observer sees a dead cat. There isno Privileged Observer, because bothoutcomes occurred – just not in thesame universe. Every single decision,every single atomic flow or switch,creates another worldline. Initially, theMany Worlds Interpretation held thatinformation (and therefore energy,and therefore, matter) could neverpass between worlds. However, stringtheory in the 1960s, and strange exper-imental results showing seeminglyinstantaneous “dipole communica-tion” in the next decades, made itseem theoretically possible.

Van Zandt’s discoveries did notactually solve the question. Althoughhe discovered many worlds, theyweren’t of the infinite “one photon dis-placed” variety the orthodox ManyWorlds Interpretation predicts.Instead, they were like “knots” in thesuperstring – places where the poten-tial fog of alternatives “collapses” intoactual worlds. Further, these “knots”bunched up into different “energy levels” that Van Zandt dubbed thequantum levels, or quanta.

Thus, parachronics actually man-aged to combine Everett’s theory withan empirical Privileged Observer – the

parachronic traveler. And that, withminor mathematical fillips, is wherethe theory remains even now, withnobody satisfied, and with some radi-cal theorists proposing that a kind ofObserver Effect (p. 159) holds for par-allel worlds, or that the expectationsof the traveler have some effect on hisdestination.

The Physics of InfinityPrecisely how the infinite worlds

vary and interrelate remains a tangle.Most of the fundamental physical constants remain the same, but somediffer wildly while somehow notreducing the universe to quantum fog.It’s difficult to make valid crosstimetheories work, in large part becausephysical laws don’t seem to hold con-stant across the continuum. Not onlyare there worlds where magic works,or where the luminiferous ether exists,

there are innumerable subtle varia-tions down to the level of individualelectrons. Other changes don’t seem tomake any real sense, or exist in isola-tion when they should affect the entiresystem of physical constants. Forexample, there are two worlds inwhich the speed of light is measurablygreater by some half of a percent, andone in which it is less by almost a fullpercent.

The only universal difference isthat the second is nanofractionallyslower on all known inhabited world-lines except three: Homeline,Centrum, and Shikaku-Mon. (Thisimplies that Shikaku-Mon could, if itdiscovered the theory, build para-chronic projectors; see p. 146. Thisdoes nothing for Security Division’speace of mind.) On Blip (p. 140), the

second is much faster, but the “clock”only started ticking a few million yearsago. This divergence has been true onall worldlines for approximately 3.5billion years, roughly (and possiblyrandomly) coinciding with the emer-gence of organic life on Homeline.

Theoretical paraphysics is splitbetween two schools, the “gradual-ist” and the “catastrophist,” mirror-ing the intellectual divisions in theearly history of geology and biology.In the gradualist or “naturalist” view,the alternate worlds were inevitable,or have always existed, or are a natu-ral outgrowth of the Big Bang, whichemitted all the alternate universesalong with all the matter and energyin Homeline’s universe. Gradualisttheory depends on the Many WorldsInterpretation of quantum mechan-ics, in which quantum uncertainty isexplained by postulating an infinityof worlds existing simultaneously at

every decision point down to the subatomic level. If this theory is true,then any seeming irregularities inthe continuum must be observation-al. What Infinity calls “parallels,” forinstance, are merely clusters of his-torical or paraphysical probability;echoes are simply parallels with adifferent charge, and once theirproper quantum is fully observed (infaultless Heisenbergian fashion),they “move” into it.

The catastrophist or “chaotic”viewpoint is almost obtusely New-tonian in a way. Something smashedinto the universe, probably about 3.5billion years ago, and broke it intomany pieces. The quanta remainunstable, and entire physical realmscan simply wink out of – or into –existence. Something (or things)


Which World Is Ours?Homeline obviously isn’t “our” present-day world – our world doesn’t

have crosstime travel, for one thing. But Infinity has discovered a coupleof early 21st-century Earths, just a couple of decades behind Homeline,which diverged by not inventing parachronics. There are certainly a fewmore out there. Since these worlds have technology only a few yearsaway from that of Homeline, the policy is covert observation. If the GMwishes, any of these close parallels could be “our world, our time” – or atleast one very close to it.

occasionally tears through the contin-uum and disarranges it; even the word“continuum” is a misnomer. Realityquakes are an example of this processoccurring right now. Worlds changeplaces, spin off alternates in inexplica-ble fashion, and shift quanta.Regardless of the “steady state” uni-verse and smooth equations belovedof the naturalists, any Patrolman cantell you that there are more changes,more exceptions, and more just plainweirdness out in the infinite worldsthan are dreamt of in any philosophy.Even the laws of physics deform fromworld to world; the notion of a unifiedtheory, even a quantum-mechanicalone, is simply perverse.

The Williams-KhorHypothesis

In 2019, after the discovery ofSherlock-2, Professors Rena Williamsand Gregory Khor proposed a radicalexplanation for the nature of worldineformation. According to the Williams-Khor Hypothesis (called the Super-Copenhagen by its detractors), quanta

are psychic constructs existing in thetraveler’s mind. Belief, hope, and feardrive the formation of the various par-allels; as more and more Homelinerslearned about parallel worlds, theworlds encountered went from thefairly normal (Earth-Beta) to theextremely strange (Ezcalli). TheWilliams-Khor Hypothesis is one ofthe few parachronic theories to

explain myth parallels and the preva-lence of “reality clumping” aroundevents like the American Civil War,World War II, and so forth that playeda major role in the cultural back-ground of the first crosstime explor-ers. Exactly how this might workrequires further research, butWilliams and Khor suggest that mythparallels and similar phenomena aresomehow “emergent properties” cre-ated by the intersection of Homelineand its echoes and close parallels(which well outnumber the otherworldlines). The traveler/observersimply “steps up” into the parallel thatresonates with (or is congruent with)his own psychological geometry, in akind of “pantheistic solipsism.”

Both Williams and Khor wound upat the center of massive controversiesafter proposing their hypothesis. Khorwas actually stripped of tenure by theUniversity of California in 2021 after aterrific fight featuring accusations offorged research, academic witch-hunting, and embezzlement of grantfunds. He announced his intention toconstruct a “syllogismobile” thatwould travel to any world he envi-sioned from any worldline regardlessof quantum level, emigrated toLysander (p. 32), and has not beenheard from since. Williams managedto stave off her inquisitors atCambridge, and has begun to researchthe nature of magic, which also dealswith altering reality in conformitywith the human will. She eagerlyassists with Patrol debriefings ofCabalists wherever possible; unkindacademic gossip hints that she hasaccepted Cabal membership.


Further InfinitiesAll of Infinity’s theories rest on Van Zandt’s original notion of an 8-

dimensional superspace containing a single quantum “axis” and many,many worlds. However, this may just be “locally true,” like Newtonianphysics. The topology of reality quakes (box, p. 75) presumes a 9-dimen-sional matrix, for example; the astral plane of the Cabalists (p. 68) alsosomehow exists “outside” conventional 8-space.

Rumors of completely alien travelers encountered during conveyormishaps, the infamous “frog error” (p. B532) that seems to knot 8-spacearound on itself, and other weird empirical data such as the Möbius(p. 141) worldline also cast doubt on the “limited infinity” notion. Everyso often, the parachronic detection antennae at Woomera pick up signalsand pings from impossibly distant quanta – for four minutes in 2025, thecomputers all insisted that conveyors were arriving from Quantum 93!

Although Paralabs physicists have decided that echoes drift into theaccessible band from other quanta, there’s less than no evidence for thisthesis – there are no reports of echoes “passing through” Quanta 5 or 7,for example. Some radical mathematicians believe that the echoes (andpossibly many high-inertia parallels such as Ezcalli) come from otherworldline axes outside or “perpendicular to” the quantum field asunderstood.

Such axes may also intersect the Tree of Futures spoken of by someprecognitives and UFBs (Unidentified Futuristic Beings). This theoryholds that after a certain period, Homeline’s worldline will fracture (or“blossom,” in the more upbeat reading) into a myriad of interlockingfutures, possibly joined by stargates or hyperspace.

RESEARCH

PsiUnlike most Homeline researchers,

Paralabs scientists never doubted theexistence of psionic powers. They fitthe existing string theory math on“instantaneous communication” toowell to rule out, and when other worlds’research began to pay off, Paralabsinstantly moved the psi program to thefront burner. Although most Homelinepsi phenomena are too weak to studyreliably, much less control, Paralabshas adapted some psychotronic tech-nology from other worlds to create“amplifier chambers” that boost thepsionic signal to readable levels.

Paralabs focuses on two mainfields of psi research: security and psy-choparachronics. Security covers alltypes of mind reading, ESP, clairvoy-ance, and anything else that mightreveal The Secret to an outtimer. Oneearly success of the Paralabsresearchers was the Tenser Method, asubliminal, subvocal, subconscioussystem for masking the user’sthoughts. (This is the Mind Block skillfrom p. B210.) Psychotronic deviceshave also proven themselves on sever-al worlds. In the wake of the Reich-5breakout, the investigation of psionicworld-jumping, both innate andassisted, has taken center stage.Paralabs is probably farther along the-oretically than Reich-5’s ArmanenOrder, but lacks the depth of empiricalexperience that hands-on surgeriesand human experimentation havegiven the Nazis.

UNIC takes a very intrusive part inParalabs psi studies, demandingaccess to all labs and equipment,maintaining its own archive ofParalabs experimental data, andinsisting on the maximum possibleoversight. Some of the permanentundersecretariat within the CrisisMinistry (especially Moira vanDeering, the Special Rapporteur forExternal Security) are lobbying forUNIC to take over Paralabs’ psionicswork itself. Until then, the CrisisMinistry funds duplicate research,headhunts promising parapsycholo-gists, and keeps a close eye onParalabs results. It seems that Infinityisn’t the only one worried about keeping its secrets secure.

MagicWhen the first Scouts returned

with reports of worldlines wheremagic worked, the evidence was dis-missed as local legend, or at best asmisreported psi. Paralabs personnelvisited some of these timelines to per-form psionic experimentation, andaccidentally wound up confirmingmany of the original Scout reports.Eventually, with the discovery ofenough different “magical” parallels,Paralabs boffins and Infinity higher-ups alike grudgingly agreed that some“paranormal” faculty outside conven-tional psi existed.

Studying it, however, is a problem,and not least because using terms like“magic” still raises eyebrows atParalabs. The current theory is a mod-ified version of the crackpot (at leaston Homeline) biochemist RupertSheldrake’s “morphogenetic field” con-cept. Every living thing (even wholeecologies like rivers or forests) possess-es an inherent, transdimensional ener-gy field that interacts with the fields of,and thus influences, similar beings orobjects all over the world. (And possi-bly on parallel worlds as well, but thetheoretical work on that concept is stillin its infancy.) By altering, deforming,damaging, or recharging the morpho-genetic field of some person, animal,plant, or place, a trained “morpho-geneticist” can cause seemingly “unex-plainable” phenomena at a distance inaccordance with his intentions. Not allParalabs technicians in the “SheldrakeSection” buy the entire theory (some ofthem, very quietly, are beginning tobelieve in demons and spirits and,well, magic), but it’s the best one theycan come up with. But since Homelineis (as far as anyone at Paralabs candetermine) a no-mana world, anyInfinity experiments in magic (or mor-phogenetics) must occur in the field.Unfortunately, no “magical” butunpopulated world has yet been dis-covered, so field research involves vis-iting some parallel and asking thekinds of questions that can get carelessmorphogeneticists burned at the stake.

To add to Infinity’s headaches,further research has made it clearthat there are significant variationsin the way that magic actually worksbetween various timelines. At first,these seemed to be limited to the extent to which innate humantalent could influence spells’ energy

efficiency, or the mechanics of spe-cific spells. However, later explorersdiscovered several worlds in whichspells didn’t work well or at all, butlengthy ritual procedures could pro-duce subtle but far-reaching super-natural effects. Paralabs generallyclassifies these worlds as having noor low mana, but those researcherswho are prone to sloppy speculationand the use of borrowed magical jar-gon often speculate that they have“radically aspected” mana whichresponds to trained human will incompletely different ways. (Onecuriosity is that such worlds oftenhave especially extensive infestationsof conscious immaterial “spirits.”)The only silver lining is that manyCabal members seem to have almostas much trouble with the concept asdoes Paralabs.

PERSONALEQUIPMENT

The GM should feel free to providePatrol characters with any TL8 gearimaginable from any GURPS source-book. TL9 gear is also available, on anexperimental basis – primarily surveil-lance, communications, medical gear,and body armor. Costs are for TL8Homeline; not all equipment is avail-able outside the Patrol.

Technically, Paralabs doesn’t pro-vide personal equipment for the Patrol– that’s the I-Cops’ Logistics Division,with support from the Scouts’Technical Analysis Division. However,some of the equipment design doesoriginate in Paralabs computer mod-els, and it has become a Patrol truismthat anything that breaks, or revealsyour position, or interferes with ajump, is Paralabs’ fault, so it goes inthis section anyhow.

All high-tech outtime equipmentcontains fingerprint locks keyed to thePatrol team (they can be reset in thefield, but only by a pre-programmeduser). Attempting to open or use suchdevices without fingerprint accessactivates a self-destruct charge thatimplodes and slags the device. Patrolradios can also send a “slag now” sig-nal to any or all devices; they destroythemselves automatically after 48hours without a “keep alive” signal.Some equipment has even morestringent security, as noted in thedescriptions.


Energy and PowerInfinity Patrol facilities use stan-

dardized fusion reactors for powerat their permanent facilities. Someresearch stations use quantumnucleonic or other cutting-edgetechnologies.

PowerSending large power plants with all

Patrol operations is not a practical useof conveyor resources, so agents mustoften adapt local resources or rely onsmaller “portable” generators.

Fuel Cell: These electrochemicaldevices convert hydrogen and oxygeninto water, producing electricity andheat in the process. For practical andsafety reasons most use hydrocarbonor alcohol fuels, converted into hydro-gen, in a replaceable cartridge. Fuelcell cartridges take three seconds toreplace. A typical micro fuel cell usedby Patrol agents generates 750 wattsof power for 40 minutes before requir-ing a new fuel cartridge ($1, 0.25 lbs.).$75, 1 lb.

Solar Cells: The Patrol makes exten-sive use of TL9 flexible plastic photo-voltaic cells that can be painted onmany surfaces, including clothing andequipment. Each square foot of cellsgenerates about 17 watts of power infull daylight, but accounting for night-time and weather they usually gener-ate an average of 3 watts. $15 and 0.01lbs. per square foot.

EnergyThe Patrol has adopted a commer-

cially available nanocomposite batterytechnology for most of its equipmentas an interim step until Homelineindustry can begin mass-producingroom-temperature superconductorloops. To simplify an already onerouslogistical burden, only two classes ofcells are in normal use, and both arerechargeable.

C cell: These batteries are used topower most Patrol gear, and a smartagent takes several backups “just incase.” $2, 0.1 lb. Stores 90 kJ (25 watt-hours).

D cell: This larger battery is used inpower-hungry electronics and sensors.$20, 1 lb. Stores 900 kJ (250 watt-hours).


Homeline TLFor game purposes, Homeline is a mature TL8 with a few TL9

pockets. (This means you can outfit Patrolmen with any TL9 gadgetyou’d like, but it can break or malfunction as entertainingly as possi-ble.) AIs, for example, remain purely theoretical, although severalexpert research systems exist to harvest, sort, and handle data.Homeline’s space program is static, devoted to mining Earth-grazingasteroids rather than terraforming Mars or settling orbital space. Carsare safer, faster, more energy-efficient and better looking than 1998models, but only their fuel cells (adapted from Lenin-3 models) areTL9. Fusion power, microtech factories, and genetic therapy are allTL9 in effect, but a very “safetech” TL9 that hasn’t bled back into thesociety at large outside the hospital. Whole-body cloning, artificialwombs, designer babies, and even wide-scale bionics remain contro-versial and undeveloped. Organ and limb cloning, healing, and gener-al medicine and trauma care can be considered TL9.

Weapons are still mature TL8. Laser rifles have yet to reliably out-perform the M-23 assault rifle in testing, balky and experimental bat-tlesuits are less practical than tanks, and the “smart spaceplane”remains on the drawing board thanks to the trillion-dollar cost ofbuilding the factories necessary to assemble its components. Nonation except the United States has the resources to refit an entiremilitary in the theoretical equipment used on other parallels, and theUnited States seems happy to stand pat for now (although rumors ofTL9 weapons filter out from American special-forces bases and test-ing grounds). In the basic sciences, with the exception of psionics andparachronics, Homeline remains comfortably TL8.

Homeline ScienceTechnological development on Homeline diverged sharply from our

own Earth when Van Zandt invented the parachronic transfer in 1998.How sharp that divergence was, and whether there were any other pre-vious divergences, are unsolved questions. They will have to wait eitheruntil Infinity discovers our world, or until our world reaches 2027.

What even many Homeliners don’t appreciate is the change made inbasic scientific progress by the accessibility of other timelines. Almost allthe innovations a Homeliner thinks of as “parachronic spinoffs” – fusionplants, wrist-top weblinks, the leukemia cure, and even Mango Spredd –are actually thefts (or, in the best cases, fraudulently obtained licenses)from other worlds’ scientific establishments. The brilliant cancer andAIDS researchers of the 1990s, for example, took fat Infinity consultingcontracts to vet other worlds’ cures, only sporadically attempting to inte-grate decades of parallel researches into Homeline’s own publicationsdatabase. Similar effects occurred in almost every science; the sheermagnitude of the task discourages many scientists from even trying tomaster whole libraries of new scientific data, especially when otherworlds may not quite have the same quantum setup Homeline does, sotheir results may not be reproducible. Finally, why bother working 15years to perfect a vaccine or algorithm when Infinity could bring ithome, already licensed and commercially proven, next week?

Almost all the really innovative thinkers in the sciences, except for afew eccentrics, have followed the money to either parachronic researchand quantum physics (and related fields like cosmology and paleontol-ogy), or psionics research and brain-body biology. Here, at least,Homeline cannot harvest the poisoned honey of other worlds’ technology, and remains forced to pioneer its own.

Communications andInformation Gear

All Infinity Patrol electronics havea short-range ultra-wideband micro-communicator (100-yard range) forpassing information between them-selves and fellow Patrolmen. This canbe disabled if there are concerns aboutsignal emissions.

Hideout Radio: A short-rangeencrypted radio that fits in a smallearpiece, with optional microfineantenna wires. A flesh-colored throat-mike patch picks up vibrationsdirectly from the voice box, so a lowmurmur or whisper is clearly trans-mitted even when around heavymachinery, in the middle of combat,etc. One-mile range. Can operate for250 hours if sending and receivingvoice and text messages, but sendinglarge amounts of data (video, pro-grams, etc.) significantly reduces bat-tery life. $50, neg. weight.

Linguistic Prompt: The best avail-able natural-language translation soft-ware provides three pre-programmedspoken languages at Broken proficien-cy; the Patrol does not possess “uni-versal translators.” Complexity 7,$70,000.

Mission Databases: Most Patrolagents have an extensive set of data-bases and expert systems tailored fortheir missions. This is sufficient toallow the use of most IQ-based tech-nological skills (p. B168) that requiresoftware to function at full effective-ness. For tasks of TL7 or less, the data-bases provide enough information tocancel up to 3 points of TL modifiers(p. B512). The historical and linguisticdatabases, geological survey maps,etc. programmed for each mission add+5 to relevant skill rolls, with a suc-cessful Research roll. Complexity 3.$36.

Palmtop: A rugged portable com-puter with built-in digital camera,voice recognition, pull-out floppy dis-play screen, and augmented realitycompatibility. For security it incorpo-rates a fingerprint biometric scannerand a physical lock to deny unautho-rized access. The computer uses acustom architecture to reduce thepossibility of infection by novel com-puter viruses or other electronic haz-ards. Opening the casing requires aTraps-6 roll to disable the anti-tamper

devices; failure means all data iserased (unrecoverable without super-science technologies) and a tinyexplosive charge destroys the mostadvanced computing and memoryelements. Complexity 7, with 100 TBof usable data storage. $200, 3 lbs,D/20W (12 hours).

Storage Chip: These solid-stateinformation storage devices are keyedto only function when connected to“approved” palmtops or the primaryInfinity Patrol systems. A typicalexample (about the size of a finger)stores 10 TB and can survive all butthe most horrible abuse. $10, 0.1 lb.

TacNet: This software helps aPatrolman by intelligently trackingand displaying his positions, firingarcs, blind spots, ammo counts, etc.The program gives a+2 bonus toTactics if all parties are in communi-cation. Complexity 4. $480.

Sensors and Recon Equipment

Most Patrol agents do not have thebenefit of well-developed surveillanceinfrastructures such as orbital spysatellites or high-altitude unmannedrecon drones in their missions.

Bug Detector: A specialized emis-sions scanner and ladar that candetect nanobugs, smart dust, andother monitoring devices. Operationrequires a Quick Contest ofElectronics Operation/TL8 (SecuritySystems) against the bug’s TL. $500,1 lb.

Chemical Microsensor: A chemicalsensor the size of a thick credit card,able to identify even trace amounts ofany known airborne (aerosol or gas)chemical agents – including manytypes of drugs and chemical explo-sives – without operator interventionbeyond removing it from its protectivesleeve. Microsensors issued byHomeline monitor for dangerouschemical weapons and toxic industri-al gases. $100, 0.2 lb.

Homing Beacon: This small tracer(-11 to spot) can be set to activatewhen it receives a coded signal, orbroadcast continuously. Provides asignal for one hour that can be pickedup by radio emissions scanners up to10 miles away. $40, neg. weight.

MiniHUD: This heads-up display

projects full-color images directlyonto the retina using lasers. The emit-ter clips to the frame of any glasses orgoggles. Provides the user +1 toPiloting, Driving, and other skills thatbenefit from fast, hands-free displayof information. $50, neg. weight.

MicroNav: An atomic clock andinertial navigation system the size of asmall watch. It is built to operate evenin the absence of global positioningsignals. Provides the benefit ofAbsolute Timing and +2 to Navigation.$100, neg. weight.

Parachronic Detector: These devicescan detect incoming jumps withintheir range, as per p. B532. Only bare-ly man-portable, a detector requires aseparate generator for power. Theyhave a base range of 1,000 yards.Every doubling of range beyond thatis at a cumulative -2 to skill. $560,000,56 lbs., 560W.

Parachronic Scanner: A “personalchronoscan” has a base range of 100yards. $56,000, 6 lbs., 4C/56W (2hours).

Quantum Analyzer: This device cancompare the local reality to its data-base and see if there is a match (used to verify a correct jump).Requires one day of readings to be col-lected and a successful ElectronicsOperation/TL8^ (Sensors) roll. Thisunit also detects major disturbancesin quantum flow (reality quakes,banestorms, unshielded nexus por-tals) within 1,000 yards on a roll at -5to skill. $200,000, 25 lbs., 5D/25W (50hours).

Sidereal Chronolog: Instrumenta-tion package that can determine theexact local time and date relative toHomeline based on specific astro-nomical data. The package contains acentral processor and database, plusthree 8-inch optical telescopes forclear nights, and 40 square yards ofradio-sensitive array fabric (in sec-tions) for cloudy ones. The scopes (orthe fabric sections) can be laid out inany position in line of sight with eachother; only one scope or section needsto have line of sight with the CPU.Patrolmen usually spread the fabricon rooftops, or better yet hillsides, infive or six sections. Either unitrequires at least one hour of observa-tion. $15,000; each scope weighs 25lbs., the fabric weighs 80 lbs., and theCPU weighs 1 lb.


Tools and SuppliesAlthough every mission is differ-

ent, the Patrol has standardized someequipment that can be easily dis-guised or is simply too handy to bewithout.

All-Purpose Treatment: A broad-spectrum series of drugs powerfulenough to take on the toughest dis-eases in any of the hell parallels.However, the last thing that Infinitywants is even more drug-resistantsuper-diseases rampaging through itspersonnel and multiple timelines, somedical staff attempt to track thelong-term consequences of their use.The user gains Resistant to Disease 3for a week. Each pill is $750.

Bandage Spray: A liquid spray-on,breathable, analgesic and antisepticbandage. This reduces the timerequired for bandaging (p. B424) to 10seconds. $15, 0.1 lb.

Biomonitor: Placed near the heart,this sensor can monitor vital medicalparameters such as cardiopulmonaryfunctions, blood-oxygen and nitrogenlevels, body temperature, and respira-tion rates. Can transmit medical infor-mation over the agent’s hideout radio,allowing remote Diagnosis rolls with-out a penalty. $100, neg. weight.

Climbing Gear: Three dozen“smart” memory-metal pitons and atough biphase web harness that keepsthe wearer upright in the case of a fall.+1 to Climbing skill if used with rope.$350, 5 lbs.

Cracker Tools: Specialized tool kitsto aid in criminal enterprise. Sets are

available for Counterfeiting, Forgery,Lockpicking, and Traps. $4,000, 10lbs.

Crash Kit: A complete kit for treat-ing serious injuries with TL9 medi-cine. +2 to First Aid skill and counts asimprovised gear (-5) for Surgery. $100,10 lbs.

Crediline: A psychoactive drug usedfor interrogations and other nefariouspurposes. The victim must roll HT-3or suffer Gullibility (9) for (25 - HT)minutes. $240 per dose. LC2 onHomeline, restricted to psychiatricprofessionals.

Cufftape: Looks like duct tape, butactually constructed of a memorypolymer that tightens if the prisonerstruggles. To break free, the prisonermust win a Quick Contest of STagainst the cufftape’s ST 20, or makean Escape roll at -6. The first attempttakes one minute; further attemptsrequire 10 minutes’ struggle. Failurecauses 1 point of crushing damage toeach restrained limb. Cufftape has DR1; 6 points of cutting or fire damagesevers it. A 2’ strip is sufficient torestrain arms or legs. $10, 0.5 lb. per100’ spool.

Diving Gear: Closed-circuit breath-ing system, diving jacket and programmable swim fins. Oxygen isrecycled and mixed with inert gases,allowing three hours of diving inde-pendent of depth (decompression isstill required). The jacket can provide50 lbs. of flotation if the emergencyinflation system is used, and the finsgive the user +2 to Swimming Move.$450, 13 lbs.

Eraser: When outtimers seevisitors appear or disappear, orwitness some use of Homelinetechnology, the preferred solutionis to make them forget. “Eraser” isa sedative and amnesic drug usedby both Infinity and Centrum. Arecipient who fails a HT-3 rollfalls unconscious. On awakening,his short-term memories – every-thing in the last 5d+45 minutes –will be gone. Eraser comes in pill,injection, and gas form. Itappears to have no untoward sideeffects, even in massive overdos-es. Eraser is not for sale onHomeline or Centrum; it is LC2on both worlds.

Meal-in-a-Box: These rationpacks come in dozens of variations,

with randomly selected main courses,side dishes, and desserts. The mealpackages are sealed and have an inte-gral heater or cooler as appropriate.Popular barter item on primitiveworlds. $5, 1 lb.

Nanofiber Rope: A long ribbon orchain of nanotubes, coated with a pro-tective polymer sheath. A 3/4” diame-ter rope supports 2 tons. $30, 2 lbs. per10 yards.

Pneumospray Hypo: Hand-heldpneumatic-hypodermic instrument,about the size of a penlight. The hypomust be touching the patient to injectits drug. It can penetrate DR 1 or nor-mal clothing. A pneumocharge car-tridge holds one dose of a drug. $20,0.06 lbs.

Portable Laboratory: Basic field kitsand expert systems for most TL8 sci-ence skills. Sets are available forBiology, Chemistry, Diagnosis,Forensics, Geology, Metallurgy,Meteorology, and Pharmacy. $8,000,10 lbs.

Portacam: Many agents smugglepersonal video systems into their mis-sion gear. A Homeline pocketcam fitsin the palm of the hand, with a 50¥digital zoom and a low-light modethat cancels up to four points of darkness penalties. Includes a pro-grammable effects processor forquick on-the-spot editing (treat asinadequate tools for complicatedvideo production), preview screen,and microphone with human-leveldiscrimination. Records on digitalmedia similar to storage chips (p. 24).$100, 0.25 lbs, C/10W (2.5 hours).


Quick Shelter: A pre-fabricatedshelter system that can be “snappedtogether” by four people in about sixhours. Includes conduits for datacables and air conditioning,; simpleinstructions are printed right on thecomponents. A set with enough com-ponents to build a 30-person shelter,complete with air conditioning andheating, is $2,000 and 2 tons.

Sobriety Pill: This drug reduces theintoxicating effects of alcohol withoutnullifying its more pleasant sensa-tions. The user gains +2 to all HT rollsrelated to drinking for (25 - HT)/4hours. Each pill is $10.

Surgical Instruments: Basic equip-ment for TL9 surgery when attemptingto perform standard tasks: stabilizingmortal wounds (p. B423) or repairinglasting crippling injuries (p. B420).$1,250, 15 lbs., 4C/40W (2 hours).

Spy GearThe Logistics Division keeps a

large number of surveillance andcounter-surveillance devices on hand,ranging from magical amulets tonanomorphic body stockings.However, Patrolmen usually make dowith conventional equipment, as exotic devices rely on magical, psychotronic, or superscientific prin-ciples that do not always hold trueacross the worlds.

Buzzbot: A small (-5 to spot)unmanned helicopter the size of aseagull. It has two shrouded counter-rotating rotors powered by a hydro-carbon-burning turbine, a cluster ofsimple sensors, and one manipulatorarm (ST 3). It has a Complexity 5onboard computer and thermo-graphic sensors with 4¥ zoom.Communicates using a laser (50-mile

range) or radio communicator (10-mile range). Can fly at Move 10 forfour hours on a few ounces of fuel.$600, 2 lbs.

Chameleon Suit: This is a bulkyfull-body suit (can be worn over form-fitting armor) that uses dynamicsmart materials and electrochromicmetals to adjust its coloration andspectral emissions to match the sur-rounding environment. A chameleonsystems adds +4 to Stealth skill whenperfectly still, or +2 if moving.Effective against normal vision,Infravision, and Ultravision (and byextension, Hyperspectral Vision).$12,800, 9 lbs., 2C/8W (6 hours).

Disguise Kit: An elaborate set ofprosthetic devices, skin tinting chemi-cals, and hormone sprays for one per-son. Many components incorporatemicroelectromechanical systems thatcan mimic muscle twitches, realisticlimps, and other key characteristics.Good quality equipment for theDisguise skill (+1 to skill). $200, 10 lbs.

Nanobug: A tiny (-18 to spot)recording device with human-levelhearing and vision. It can record whatit sees and hears (up to 40 minutesworth of video) or transmit recordeddata using short “burst” transmissionsup to a mile away using tiny radiocommunicator (transmits about aminute of recorded video every sec-ond). The bug can run constantly, beactivated remotely, listen for a specificvoice before recording, scan at specif-ic times of day, or begin recordingwhen it detects light or motion nearby.Patrol nanobugs erase themselves andself-destruct either after 48 hours (ifthey do not receive periodic “keepalive” signals) or when their batteriesfail (about 10 hours of recording andtransmission). $100, neg. weight.

Nanocleanser: Not widely available

in Homeline, these TL10 bioengi-neered bacteria remove dirt, grime,and organic waste products. Useful asa shampoo or detergent, the Patroluses it to clean up biological forensicevidence such as bloodstains or skinflakes. Areas treated with nan-ocleanser impose a -3 skill penalty onany Criminology or Forensic attemptsto locate or analyze such evidence. Aspray bottle can treat up to 100 squarefeet. $100, 1 lb.

Psi Shield: A network of chargedplatinum-iridium wires covering thescalp that “jams” mind-affectingpsionics. Add +3 to the wearer’s IQ orWill when resisting an effect with theTelepathy modifier (p. B257), or toavoid detection through psionicmeans. It also penalizes any Telepathicabilities by the wearer, including MindShield, by -3. The shield electronicsautomatically warn the defender(through a beeper or HUD) when atelepath fails to penetrate the shields,but provides no warning if he suc-ceeds. If built into a helmet or otherheadgear, any damage that penetratesDR breaks the psi circuit and deacti-vates the shield. $3,000, 0.3 lb., 3W.

ArmorPatrolmen generally equip them-

selves with whatever they can con theirrespective logistics specialists into giv-ing them, plus gear they buy on thecivilian market. Generally, the GMshould allow them to carry anythingthat would not blow The Secret rightout of the water or get them shot onsight.

Armor and UniformsAgents rarely have the advantage of

wearing the best armor available attheir TL.


Armor TableTL Armor Location DR Cost Weight LC Notes9 Armor Cuirass torso, groin 50 $1,200 20 lbs. 29 Armored Uniform arms, torso, groin, legs 3 $240 1.6 lbs. 2 [1, 2]9 Assault Boots feet 12/6 $53 0.89 lbs. 4 [1]9 Ballistic Vest torso, groin 20* $630 4.2 lbs. 4 [2]9 Combat Helmet skull, neck 20 $120 4 lbs. 1

+ Visor eyes, face 5 +$72 +0.24 lbs. 49 Mesh Cloth full suit 4* $375 2.5 lbs. 4 [1, 2]

Notes[1] Concealable as or under clothing.

[2] It has a split DR: it gets full DR vs. piercing and cutting attacks, but one-third DR (round up) against otherdamage types.

Armor Cuirass: A heavy set oftorso armor worn in high-threatenvironments.

Assault Boots: Armored boots wornby soldiers.

Ballistic Vest: Lighter “bulletproof”vest that can sometimes be disguisedas a bulky jacket.

Combat Helmet: High-threat head-gear. Includes attachments for a pull-down faceplate or optics and integralbone mike (vibrates the skull to trans-mit sound).

Mesh Cloth: Layers of ballistic clothwoven into normal clothes.

PROJECTORSA parachronic projector (p. B530)

requires approximately 50 cubic yardsof equipment to project one ton acrossthe quanta. The equipment costs $50million per ton of capacity (althoughInfinity almost certainly pads thosecosts), and weighs approximately oneton per ton of capacity. The largestmodern projectors can move up to 300tons at once, and occupy most of a cityblock. An “average” projector requiresenough hardware to fill a small audito-rium, and can move two tons. Energycomes from the public grid, but is nomore than a modern industrial plantrequires; parachronic shipments arequite cost-effective, assuming they’reeven reasonably lucrative.

Experimental ProjectorsParalabs is always working to

improve, or better yet revolutionize,parachronic technology. Infinityunderstands all too well thatparachronics is Homeline’s only realadvantage over the other parallels.When The Secret gets out (as it seemsthat it inevitably must), Infinity wantsto be well ahead of the pack. So far,none of these methods has workedwell enough to go into production;some of them, although disastrous inthemselves, do open up avenues forfurther research.

Long-Distance Projectors: Infinitysuspects (correctly) that Centrumprojectors can recall a conveyor atrange (p. 52). Paralabs believes thatby modifying the circuit geometry ofInfinity projectors, they can bothrecall and transmit conveyors at line-of-sight distance (10 miles or so).

These improvements may be as littleas a year from implementation, andcertain design options may solve theproblem sooner than that.

Wide-Field Projectors: By adjustingthe geometry of the circuits as above,Paralabs also believes that it can dropconveyors across a wide field ratherthan lining them up at a point. Thisprimarily has military applications,and has a lower priority at Paralabs,

although rumors persist of U.S.Defense Department experiments onthe same technology at Sandia Labs.

The “Snatcher”: This very radicalreworking of projector technologywould be designed to detect and cap-ture any parachronic emitter enteringthe quantum. With potentially revolu-tionary security implications, Infinityis accelerating research on this project.


Standard IssueAlthough every mission is different, the following gear can be con-

sidered “standard issue” for Penetration Service agents:

• Leather pack and boots• Neutral-color dark cloak and cap• Leather waterskin (with microfiltration and decontamination in

inner surface)• Firebox (flint and steel, supplemented with safety matches)• Palmlight• 20 yards of manila rope with braided aramid cable inside

(supports 1 ton)• Steel knife or survival tool• Compass• Silver ingots, 1 oz.• TL9 first aid kit in TL4 disguise• Hideout radio• Palmtop with digital camera setting• Mini-binoculars with night vision setting• Nanobugs (keyed to hideout radio and palmtop screen)• 10mm pistol and spare magazine• 30 ampoules of Eraser and a spray hypo injector

The following items are standard Intervention Service gear, althoughthe more obvious equipment (rifles and helmets) usually has to be left inthe conveyor for emergencies:

• Suitable clothing and weapons for the worldline, including gloves, lined with ballistic cloth if possible

• Helmet with night vision and zoom optics, disguised as local helmet if possible

• Flashlight• Climbing gear and 50 yards of rope• Survival tool• TL9 first aid kit in local disguise• Hideout radio• M-23 rifle and several spare magazines (grenade launcher if

mission profile allows)• 2-4 grenades (gas, smoke, flash-bang, etc.)• Cufftape• 30 ampoules of Eraser and a spray hypo injector

Services and divisions swap equipment all the time, to the despair ofLogistics. The GM should allow Patrol characters to carry anything rea-sonable without endangering The Secret unduly. All Homeline high-techequipment contains self-destruct thermite charges.

Open-Circuit Projectors: Ratherthan create the jump field around aconveyor (a closed-circuit device), itshould theoretically be possible to cre-ate an “open-circuit jump field” thatsimply rotates everything in the fieldacross a hypercube into anotherworldline. This technology wouldrequire massive power (to make up forthe absence of a conveyor power plant)and computer control (to modulate theenergies to avoid frying the passen-gers). Although no recall mechanismhad yet been designed, ProjectHypercube was promising enough thatParalabs attempted a manned trialtranslation between the KerguelenIslands of Homeline and Hideawayabout six months ago. It went verybadly wrong (see In the Cube, p. 29),but opened up two other promisingresearch leads, the paraviewer and theartificial nexus portal.

Paraviewer: This device wouldallow observation of other timelines; itis essentially a projector that trans-mits or receives nothing but light. Thefirst prototype could transmit only asingle burst – a photograph. Laterones sent many bursts a second,allowing continuous (albeit silent)viewing. The operator can adjust theangle of view and move the point ofview moved by a mile or so. Viewerconnections are fickle and unreliable.Any given viewer link breaks for 1dhours at irregular intervals – but somelinks are better, and some are worse.Links between worlds in the samequantum are out an average of 9% ofthe time (when it’s important, roll 3d;on a 6 or less, the link is out). Thosebetween adjacent quanta are out 26%of the time (i.e., on an 8 or less). Thosebetween worlds two quanta apart areout 62% of the time – on an 11 or less!Current paraviewer prototypes cannotsee across more than two quanta.Banestorms, reality quakes, and otherdisruptions can “feed back” into theviewer itself, slagging the componentsand starting fires on Homeline.Paraviewers are not standard issue,and Infinity only sporadically usesthem for scouting new worlds.

Artificial Nexus Portals: This tech-nology remains very dubious, but intheory it should be possible to open astable “quantum tunnel” betweenworlds – an artificial nexus portal, orworld-gate. (Reich-5 science hasdeveloped such a thing! See p. 66.)

The unpleasant part of the math indi-cates that unlike a true projector, anyworldline with sufficiently advancedparachronic technology (TL9^) wouldtheoretically be able to build such aportal.

CONVEYORS

Parachronic FieldGenerator

A conveyor’s generator may havesubquantum, quantum, or two-quan-tum range. No one has yet developed aconveyor with greater range.

The generator also has a masscapacity: the maximum mass it cantransport. The mass of the conveyor(including the generator) and its pay-load cannot safely exceed this limit.

The capabilities of the generatorlargely determine the cost of the con-veyor, which is usually very high. Thisisn’t all for the circuitry – much of thecost is licensing fees!

Subquantum Conveyors: These canjump between destinations at thesame quantum level. Base cost is $10million. Each ton of capacity adds $10million and 10 lbs. LC2.

Quantum Conveyors: These canjump between destinations at thesame quantum level. With the help ofa projector, they can jump to or fromadjacent quantum levels as well. Basecost is $20 million. Each ton of capac-ity adds $150 million and 10 lbs. LC1.

Two-Quantum Conveyors: Thesework like quantum conveyors, but canjump up to two quantum levels withthe aid of a projector. Two-quantumjumps are always tricky! Base cost is$30 million. Each ton of capacity adds$300 million and 30 lbs. LC0.

Power SystemA jump requires 200 kJ of energy

per ton of capacity – delivered in a sin-gle pulse. A typical pulsed power sys-tem for the field generator costs $50and weighs 5 lbs. per kJ.

Control SystemA conveyor may have one of two

types of control system:

Fixed: The conveyor can onlyjump between two specific realities,whose coordinates are hardwired.

The operator cannot change thesesettings. This type of conveyor is typ-ical of those available to most corpo-rations, private users, etc. who haveproper licenses. LC2.

Programmable: The conveyor canjump to any reality within its range. Toaccomplish this, the operator mustenter the coordinates into its guidancesystem manually. These units aremuch more tightly controlled. LC0.

Jury-Rigged RechargeNormally, a fuel cell charges the

pulsed power system in the conveyor.This fuel cell replenishes the energybanks in the system in about 30 min-utes – unless something goes wrong.Without a working fuel cell, a travelermust draw power from local energysources. The contacts on the powersystem are remarkably robust, and allPatrol conveyors carry a backup elec-tric motor that can (with anElectrician roll at the lower of TL8 orthe power source TL) be hooked up toalmost any source of mechanical ener-gy. An Engineer roll at the proper TL(and with the proper specialization)may be necessary to design and con-struct the machinery and the powertransmission system (pulleys, turbines,pistons, etc.) to hook it up to the elec-tric motor. At TL6 or higher, of course,electrical power plants exist already –hooking the motor up becomes astraight Electrician roll at either TL.

For each ton of conveyor mass, thebank needs 200 kWs of energy. Themotor (a mature TL8 model) operatesat 90% efficiency under most circum-stances, but the power transmissionsystem varies widely. As a rule ofthumb, assume an efficiency equal toTL¥5%: a TL1 rope pulley systemwould have 5%, a TL2 screw wouldhave 10%, and so forth. Between themotor and the transmission, then, foreach 100 kW generated by a TL2watermill, 9 kW (10% of 90% of 100kW) contributes to the charge, the restbeing waste heat or friction. (At theGM’s discretion, a critical success onthe Engineer roll can increase efficien-cy to TL¥10%.)

Typical power outputs for variouspre-electrical power sources (includ-ing some atypical ones) are as follows,along with the time needed torecharge the energy banks of a 5-tonconveyor (1,000 kWs, or .28 kWh):



In the CubeThis campaign frame is a quintessential “lost in

infinity” game. The PCs are the unfortunate lab assis-tants (“the Wanderers”) flung hither and yon throughthe worlds by Project Hypercube (p. 28). The InfinityBase Team can see the Wanderers and their immediatesurroundings, and communicate with them (playersmight even have “backup” Team PCs), giving advice,research information, and even useful items. But theTeam can only shift the Wanderers at random, hopingagainst hope to bring them all home alive.

All these functions require a “fix” on the Wanderers.Every time a transfer takes place, the fix is lost andmust be reestablished. This requires a ElectronicsOperation (Parachronic)/TL9^ roll by the Team. If theroll succeeds, subtract the margin of success from 12;the result is the number of hours required to make con-tact (minimum one hour). If the roll fails, another maybe made in 12 hours. A critical failure requires animmediate Electronics Repair (Parachronic)/TL9^ rollto avoid a burnout (see below).

Once the fix is established, the Team can see theWanderers as through a window. They may rotate theview, but not leave the characters; essentially, they can-not see anything the Wanderers cannot see. They alsohave two-way voice communications, and can hearanything the Wanderers can hear. Due to a quirk ofquantum flow, the Team’s messages come through verysoftly: under normal circumstances only the Wandererscan hear them. This of course requires that theWanderers talk to the air when they need information,which could be embarrassing if overheard; they canalso write notes, which the Team can read.

If the Wanderers split up, the portal view follows anyof them the Team wishes; to switch from one subgroupto another requires another Electronics Operation roll.A failure requires 1d¥10 minutes before anotherattempt; critical failure requires an Electronics Repairroll to avoid burnout. The Hypercube has three powerlevels, set by the Team:

Level I: Fix and communications. Normal setting,can be maintained indefinitely.

Level II: Preparation to transfer. It requires six hoursto build up from Level I to II; Level II can be main-tained only for 2d¥5 minutes before dropping back toLevel I. Faster power buildup, or extending the mainte-nance time, require Engineer (Parachronic)/TL9^ rolls.

Level III: Transfer. To go from Level II to III, transferring the Wanderers to another timeline, takes

only 1d minutes (which could be a long time in the mid-dle of a battle) and a successful Electronics Operationroll. It takes a critical success, or a kindly GM, to bringthe Wanderers home. At Level III, the Team can sendup to 200 lbs. of matter to the Wanderers (shoving itthrough the Cube with a long stick) instead of trying tojump them, with a successful Electronics Operationroll. Failure means the package is lost; critical failurecauses burnout and possibly drags more people into thepast (though at least the package goes too).

After each successful transfer, contact is lost for1d+1 hours.

The power system is not stable. Critical failures maycause a burnout, dropping power to zero. This breakscommunication and loses the temporal fix. There isalso a chance, known only to the GM, that a burnoutwill duplicate the original accident, yanking moremembers of the Team into the quanta to join theWanderers!

Restoring power to Level I after a burnout takes 12hours, plus or minus the result of an Electrical Repairroll. Then the Team must reestablish a fix in the usualfashion.

The other thing the Team does is look up usefulinformation for the Wanderers, as Mission Control(p. 210).

Campaign ParametersScale: By default, prosaic “survival scale.” Individual

adventures may have any stakes.Scope: Varies by adventure or campaign; a Quantum

Leap-style game might deal with small groups, while aTime Tunnel-style game might see major crises developaround the PCs.

Boundaries: Anywhere and anywhen. Keeping theboundaries broad makes up for the narrow scope andprosaic scale.

Paraphysics: Either parallel-worlds or time travelwith no paradoxes. Two-way voice communication,one-way visual communication; Linearity Principle(p. 156) applies.

Characters: 100-point (or lower) lab assistants, freeto interfere but traveling uncontrollably; no magic orpsi; TL variable.

Genre: Varies by adventure or campaign. Cinematic,Hollywood history, and investigative (in a QuantumLeap-type game) modes probably fit best.

See Chapter 7 for parameter explanations.

Treadmill (TL1): Treader’s ST¥20 W;a ST 10 treader will take 61.7 hours. AST 27 ox will take 10.2 hours. Horsescan turn treadmills efficiently at TL3with the invention of the horse-collar;

at TL3 efficiencies, a ST 25 horse-pow-ered treadmill takes 4.1 hours. The 50oarsmen of a TL2 penteconter(p. B464) produce 6,000 W at a sprint;a traveler lucky enough to have 50

trained oarsmen (and a Rube Goldberg machine capable of translat-ing angular oar momentum into torquefor the motor) could recharge hisenergy bank in a little under an hour!

Water wheel (TL2): A simpleRoman vertical wheel produces 1,800W; recharge would take 1.7 hours. Thecascade of 16 Roman watermills atBarbegal in Gaul produced 30 kW;recharge would take 6.2 minutes. Themost powerful watermill complex everbuilt, at Greenock, Scotland in 1841(TL5), produced 1,500 kW; assuming25% efficiency for TL5 turbines, itcould recharge the energy bank inabout three seconds!

Windmill (TL3): A small Persianwindmill produces 30 W; it couldrecharge the energy bank in 68.6hours. A TL4 German post windmillproduces 6,500 W and recharges thebank in 14.2 minutes; a large TL5Dutch windmill produces 12 kW,which would recharge the bank in 6.2minutes.

Steam Engines (TL5): The very firststeam engines, in the 1690s, produced750 W at less than 1% efficiency.Newcomen’s engine in 1712 produced3.75 kW, but still wasted 99.3% of thatenergy. Watt’s improvements begin-ning in the 1760s averaged 20 kW at4% efficiency; such a steam enginewould recharge the bank in about 23minutes. (Watt’s largest steam engine,in 1800, produced 100 kW!) OnceCorliss invented the regulating valvein 1849, steam efficiency couldincrease to the 25% of our formula; alate TL5 locomotive engine at fullblast produces 850 kW, which replen-ishes the energy bank in 5.2 seconds!

And, of course, in an emergency,there’s always the possibility ofspreading out a collection antenna,tying it to a lightning rod, and waitingfor a convenient thunderstorm . . .

Variant ConveyorsDrones: Although one-way drone

jumps from Homeline to the field arerelatively easy, getting the drone backis another matter. The AI needed toadjust quantum settings is finicky, andeven for a 100-lb. drone, theparachronic generator is 10-30 lbs.and the power system fills another 50lbs., leaving only 20-40 lbs. for thedrone, its engine (if any), and its sen-sors. Although drones are standard“first look” recon tools (p. 17) wherepossible, one in six drones doesn’treturn at all and is forced to slag itselfto avoid exposing The Secret. At

$400,000 and up per drone ($1.2 mil-lion for a two-quantum jumper), evenInfinity doesn’t want to use too manyof them!

Quantum Stealth: This technologyis intended to mask a parachronic sig-nature, allowing covert insertions toevade Centrum’s scarily efficientdetectors. So far, the experimental sys-tems available penalize skill rolls todetect the conveyor by -2, cost$500,000, and weigh 100 lbs. Theyalso penalize the conveyor operator’sskill by -2, since the “quantum hash”they kick up distorts the conveyor’spath as well!

Paraconveyor: This experimentdoes not exist. If you have a highenough clearance in UNIC or Infinityto know that it does exist, you canread the detailed records of its total

failure. If you are the CEO of Infinity,or one of the seven Paralabs scientistswho built the Alea, you hope those for-geries hold. The Alea is a conveyor thatcan make single-quantum hops with-out a projector. It can go fromHomeline to a parallel in Quantum 4and from there to a worldline inQuantum 3. Upon arriving at a world,it must remain at rest for 1d days torecalibrate itself from local quantumfields. In theory, it could cross the“quantum barrier” at Q0, but nobodywants to risk the prototype on such a journey. Based on technology “borrowed” from several other time-lines, with cutting-edge AI andparachronic detector systems, itsdesign is entirely revolutionary.Hopefully nobody else is even close.


Conveyor LoadoutAlthough every mission is different, and conveyors have varying

cargo capacities, you can count on finding the following equipment inthe back of any Patrol conveyor:

• One M-23 or electrolaser rifle for each Patrolman• One machete, broadsword, or axe for each Patrolman• Shotgun• One psi shield for each Patrolman• Camping and climbing gear, including grapnel• 1,000 yards of rope• Binoculars with night vision enhancement• Digital camcorder• Handcuffs• Disguise kit• Laptop• Sidereal chronolog• Maps• Mixed gold and silver coins from many eras littering the floor• Horseshoes• Crash kit• Small searchlight• Grenades (2-4 flash-bang or tear gas per Patrolman)• Tent or tents (enough for crew)• Basic toolkit including bolt-cutters and sledgehammer• Extra trail rations and meal packs• Jerrycans of water• Bottle of bourbon or brandy• Flares, thermite, and other “sudden heat” devices, including

spare self-destruct tabs• Fire extinguisher

At the GM’s discretion, a Scrounging roll may turn up small or easilymissed items left over from previous missions or teams.

THE UNITED NATIONSINTERWORLD COUNCIL

If you ask Infinity, it’s a privatecompany chartered by the U.N.Security Council, with “understand-able, and welcome, levels of interna-tional government oversight.” If youask the U.N. Secretariat, InfinityUnlimited is “a valued U.N. office inthe important work of peace anddevelopment.” Where those two worldviews meet is the United NationsInterworld Council, a special bodymade up of five Special Repre-sentatives of the five permanent U.N.Security Council members: China,France, Great Britain, Russia, and theUnited States. The chairmanship ofthe Council rotates among the fiveCouncilors, but the real power lieswith the two Permanent Ministers ofUNIC: the Commerce Minister andthe Crisis Minister. Each is elected bythe Councilors for a staggered seven-year term. Usually, the United Statesand the United Kingdom vote togeth-er, as do China and France, withRussia as the swing vote. This mostoften results in a Commerce Ministerfrom an English-speaking country orstrong U.S. ally, and a Crisis Ministerfrom an Asian or African country suspicious of the United States.

INFINITYDEVELOPMENT

The Commerce Minister overseesInfinity Development (ID), whichestablishes economic and commercialguidelines for trade, mining, coloniza-tion, or other Homeline activity onother Earths. When the Patrol opens anew timeline for commercial exploita-tion, interested parties must submitbids for territories (or the wholeworld) to ID. Cash is just one consid-eration; bidders must also show howthey will protect the local environ-ment and population, keep security,and so forth. Outtime installations arealways subject to inspection by IDbureaucrats, I-Cops, or both. Officiallyunder UNIC direction, InfinityDevelopment is almost entirelyInfinity-staffed; to begin with, they

have almost all the qualified or experi-enced personnel for the job. InfinityUnlimited also has formal representa-tion on the ID board. This actuallygives the Commerce Minister someplausible deniability when ID rejects aparticularly grandiose plan (or obvi-ous looting scheme) proposed by aU.N. member nation or other group. Itmeans more work for Infinity PublicRelations, but that’s why they drawthe big bonus.

For Infinity Development toapprove a plan, the applicant needs tosubmit environmental, cultural, andpopulation impact statements, securi-ty waivers and regulations, threatassessments, and business plans. Tosubmit a full plan package with allrequired legal material, computer pro-files and models, and projections cancost millions of dollars. Since bribingthe Commerce Ministry also costs mil-lions of dollars, most applicants go thelegal route.

ALTERNATEOUTCOMES, INC.

For those special occasions wherewhole worlds need to be changed to fitUNIC plans, the Council keeps itsoptions open in the foggiest possibledouble-blind deniability. AlternateOutcomes, Incorporated is a merce-nary outfit based in Massawa, Eritrea,with offices in New York, Budapest,Singapore, and Panama City.Although it takes a few of the dwin-dling available Homeline jobs – elec-tion security in Zimbabwe, rootingout diehard Khmer Rouge from theCambodian border – it keeps its mar-ket niche by being the only mercenarycompany licensed by Infinity for out-time operations. In actuality, AlternateOutcomes is a secret unit responsibleonly to the UNIC Crisis Minister,tasked to interfere covertly – or, some-times, overtly – in wars on otherworlds.


The BattalionIts troopers never refer to them-

selves as “Alternate Outcomes” – that’smarketing talk for civilians. They’re“the Battalion,” no other identifiernecessary. Colonel Singh commands479 men and women (according to theT.O.), organized in nine regular com-panies, each led by a captain. Undereach captain are four platoons, eachled by a master sergeant. (There areno lieutenants in the Battalion, whichmost enlisted men agree is the singlebest thing about the outfit.) Two

squads make up each platoon. Asquad nominally has six men – fourprivates, a corporal and a sergeant.This is flexible; some squads, at leasttemporarily, have as many as ninemen, or as few as four or five.Generally each squad has oneattached specialist such as a sniper, anengineer or heavy weapons expert, ora scout. Many troopers are TL8Homeliners, but a surprising numberare recruited from battlefields acrossthe alternate Earths, with skills rang-ing from Cro-Magnon axe-throwing to

orbital parachuting. Only ColonelSingh, and probably LieutenantColonel Stafford, his executive officer,know how many have magical orpsionic talents as well as their moreobvious martial skills.

Missions and Rules of Engagement

Missions can range from a singlesquad to the whole Battalion, dis-patched in one of the AlternativeOutcomes conveyors. (Through UNICmachinations, these trips never show


Crosstime ColoniesIn legal theory, Infinity Unlimited holds all parallel

worlds “in trust for the human race.” This high-mind-ed language means that when Infinity Developmentdeclares a world open to Homeline settlement, UNICdetermines who settles there, and under what charter.Major crossworld colonies (all on Quantum 5 Earths)include:

Communité: This experimental colony, sponsoredby the French government, proclaims itself a trulycommunist society, and has dedicated itself to usingthe utmost in technical progress to create a classlessutopia. Its 40,000 people are currently divided into twomutually hostile camps on either side of the LoireRiver.

Bhuvarlok: Occupying the southeastern third of theAsian continent, Bhuvarlok is officially a territorialprovince of the Republic of India on Homeline. TheIndian government encourages emigration toBhuvarlok with cash bonuses; its population is in thehundreds of thousands and growing rapidly.

Lysander: A libertarian utopia sponsored by a feweccentric American and British billionaires and char-tered by both governments jointly, its population isroughly 45,000 (although it loudly refuses to conduct acensus) scattered along the California coastline. A slowtrickle of writers, artists, and designers moves thereeach year for the tax advantages, gradually erodingLysander’s ideological purity.

New Colorado: This entire Earth is open to settle-ment by American citizens. It is theoretically adminis-tered from the territorial capital in Denver, but its150,000 residents (who can vote in the elections of theirhome state by absentee ballot) generally ignore thelocal government or move farther away. New Coloradois the Earth most thoroughly exploited by mining com-panies, and many of its settlements have quite a WildWest boomtown feeling.

Sanctuary: The U.N. High Commissioner forRefugees administers this Earth, using it to house

intractable refugee populations unwanted by, or unableto return to, their homelands. Established as a stopgapmeasure in 1999, its population has grown to over fourmillion in the last 30 years. Rumors of corruption, mis-treatment, and senseless squalor occasionally filterback to Homeline, but nobody ever seems interestedenough to intervene.

Tebuguo: What Sanctuary accomplishes by neglect,this parallel accomplishes by policy. China has char-tered two entire Earths for “surplus populations.” Oneof them, Dai Zhongguo, is a thriving colony with a pop-ulation just over two million. Tebuguo, however, is anexile parallel, to which the Chinese government isforcibly moving its entire Tibetan population, as well asa number of dissidents and other minorities. Althoughthe Chinese government restricts all access to Tebuguo,rumors leak out that it has offered other dictatorships“dumping rights” there for their own troublesomeminorities.

Tecumseh: Located on the same Earth asBhuvarlok, Tecumseh is sponsored by the U.S.Bureau of Indian Affairs, and occupies the NorthAmerican continent on that world. Only U.S. andCanadian citizens of provable American Indiandescent may travel to Tecumseh, but they may do soabsolutely free of charge. So far, only a few thousandpeople have settled there permanently, thoughtourism to “the Big Rez” is quite popular.

Uhuru: Established as a Black Nationalist colony byAfrican-American radicals, and initially sponsored bythe U.S. government, Uhuru allows anyone of “BlackAfrican” descent, who can afford the conveyor trip, tosettle there. Uhuru has two main population centers,25,000 in Ghana and 90,000 along the northern coastof the Gulf of Mexico. Uhuru’s Council of Chiefsdeclared the colony independent of the United States ina vote in 2016; Congress ratified the decision andabjured formal American sponsorship of the timeline.Uhuru is a member state of the U.N., and the only oneentirely based on an alternate Earth.

up in conveyor use reports to Infinity.)The conveyors are fully modular, andcan be inserted into any number of“skins” from a sod hut to a C-135cargo plane, depending on the missionrequirements. However, the unit sel-dom has anything in the way of aircover or vehicle support, unless theysteal it themselves at the destination –the risk of getting a conveyor blownout of the sky or hulled by a land mineis too great.

The Colonel selects the teams.Some missions are harder than oth-ers, of course, and green troops geteasy assignments – or careful supervi-sion – until the Colonel is sure ofthem. Some troopers retain loyalty, orat least a feeling of fondness, for theirold nation or old unit. Any soldier inthe outfit can turn down a missionassignment that he’s not comfortablewith. The Colonel only rarely orders atrooper to go against a parallel of hisoriginal nation, at least within a cen-tury of his own time. Usually, whenthis happens, it’s a relatively nonvio-lent mission, such as a theft or aprison break.

Briefings are as full and completeas the Colonel can make them – UNICmakes sure he has access to regularmilitary intelligence on the worldlinesfrom the Patrol and any other recentvisitors. Of course, the fog of war iseven foggier on parallel Earths.Briefings also provide the rules ofengagement for an operation, whichvary widely depending on UNIC’scompeting needs for certainty, speed,subtlety, or power. Some typical sets ofrules might be:

(a) Wear uniforms appropriate tothe timeline; use weapons of the time-line; do nothing to reveal yourself asintruders, and remove anyone whowitnesses an anachronistic act. (Usinganachronistic tactics is a gray area insuch cases, but the Colonel usuallydoesn’t enforce historically accurateidiocy on troopers impersonating, say,French knights at Agincourt.)

(b) Wear whatever you want, carryany weapon or other device up to TL9black technology, and don’t worryabout witnesses. This always makesthe veterans nervous, because itmeans the job is so urgent and dan-gerous that everything has to be sacri-ficed to overwhelming success.

(c) Use period equipment, plussonic stunners disguised as ordinaryperiod weapons, and don’t kill any-body – but stun anyone who witnessesyour arrival or otherwise detects ananachronism, and inject them with a24-hour knockout drug and Eraser(p. 25).

Leave No Man BehindWhen the mission is finished, it’s

not finished. The unit makes ren-dezvous at their stashed conveyor –emphasis on “the unit.” No survivor isever left behind on an alternate worldunless urgent military necessitydemands it. This can mean prisonerrescues, battlefield searches, and longstretcher hauls. (It can also mean eth-ical decisions about shooting badlywounded comrades, but that’s a mat-ter for the GM and players to work outamong themselves.) If troops are gen-uinely MIA (missing in action), it’s upto the ranking officer to decide whento give up and call for a pickup.Leaving MIA behind is not good foryour chances of promotion, or foryour reputation among your fellowtroops. The Colonel’s very next mis-sion is always “Go back there and getour guys,” and the unfortunate officerhad better come back with them or dietrying. Dead soldiers may be aban-doned and security maintained with athermite grenade or genetic liquefier,but the troopers frown on it.

As a general rule, the Battaliondoesn’t take prisoners, unless that’s aspecific mission objective. When mas-querading as local troops, of course,they follow local policy. That can bepretty brutal if they’re impersonatingthe Comanche, but it comes with theterritory. Troopers are also expectednot to be taken prisoner, because thatmeans they miss pickup. A troopertaken by the enemy is expected to

escape by any means possible –including giving his parole and break-ing it – in order to make pickup.Mission plans always include emergency rendezvous points.

ObjectivesMission briefings emphasize spe-

cific objectives. Sometimes theinstructions are very specific indeed:“Kidnap Nobunaga and bring himback for pickup here by 0800 localtime,” or “Enter the Wehrmacht head-quarters between 1900 and 2300Wednesday, recover all the contents ofthe safe, and make pickup ASAP,” oreven “Proceed immediately to coordi-nate Theta and join the Braziliantroops rendezvousing there; when yousee two green flares, use your laserweapons to kill everyone not in theBattalion, and bug out when you’redone.” This last job doesn’t make anespecially challenging adventure, butthere are missions like that. There area lot more that seem like turkey shootsuntil something goes wrong, which italways does.

Very often the goal is simply “makesure that side X wins this battle,” withthe team given considerable freedomof action in making that happen. Thebest way to tip the scales might be aquick skirmish at a key point, or theassassination of a commander (or amessenger), or a precisely timed raidon a strongpoint. Note that the playersdon’t have to be military geniuses toenjoy this. The GM should requirethem to make the best plan they can,complete with maps and contingencyplans. But the leader’s Strategy orTactics roll, made by the GM, deter-mines how good the leader’s plan real-ly is. The GM then adjusts the rollfrom -3 to +3 based on the excellenceof the players’ plan.


There are no lieutenants in the Battalion,which most enlisted men agree is the single bestthing about the outfit.

LimitationsThe Battalion often uses advanced

equipment – far more advanced thanthat of its foes – and they often knowexactly who and what they are facing.This doesn’t mean that their adven-tures are simple turkey shoots, wherePCs with automatic weapons mowdown Roman legionaries just for theheck of it. There are several otherpoints to keep the squad thinking inthe field:

Numbers: No matter how manyshots you can fire compared to yourenemy, he still only has to hit once tobring you down. Even in a “small” bat-tle, the local forces vastly outnumberthe troopers. While the burst from anM-60 would indeed startleRenaissance troops, and perhaps evenput the fear of magic into them, adetermined or panicky charge couldstill bring the gunner down. A briefjam, or a fumble while changing mag-azines, could be fatal. Should a PC for-get that the local “primitives” outnum-ber him by potentially millions to one,the GM should deliver a painfulreminder.

Allies: Sometimes it’s possible toget effective assistance from the armythe Battalion is supposedly helping.Sometimes the rules of engagementmake that impossible. But even underthe best of conditions, dealing withlocal allies requires a little finesse.Men in the middle of a battle tend notto be interested in crazy ideas, unless

they’re desperate, and sometimes noteven then. It may be necessary fortroopers to conceal their weapons,their knowledge of the battle, and eventheir objective, until the last moment.If the rules of engagement specify“don’t reveal yourselves as outsiders,”

they have to rely on persuasiveness,intimidation, good example and anoccasional discreet fragging.

Pickup: And, again: The team hasn’tdone its job until it makes rendezvousfor pickup. Sometimes that’s thebiggest challenge of all.


“Eternity’s Rangers”Alternate Outcomes can serve as the basis for an independent cam-

paign frame. Rather than UNIC and Homeline, mysterious Recruiters(Aliens? Future men? Transhumans?) deploy the Battalion for their ownunguessable purposes. The Battalion, “Eternity’s Rangers,” is stationedat “Port Shanghai,” a wooded stretch of what might be Sicily in whatmight be the year 3800 A.D., if the night sky is anything to go by.

Port Shanghai can regrow Rangers’ limbs and organs (“if you’rebreathing and make pickup, you won’t be on sick call tomorrow”), pro-vide instant language training (although the Recruiters are stingy withthat for some reason), and send the Rangers elsewhen to fight. TheRangers enter a large empty hangar, a golden glow fills the room, andthey arrive at the drop zone. When the highest-ranking surviving Ranger(but only him) bites down on his jaw implant, the golden glow comesback and brings every Ranger (and any prisoners in physical contact)back to Port Shanghai. Sometimes, the Rangers go on Leave – which isusually hard on the locals chosen, as the rules of engagement are thesame as any other mission: “Make pickup.” Port Royal in 1690 is popu-lar, as are fourth-century Rome, 1950s Las Vegas, and Renaissance Italy.

For a professional soldier, the Rangers are a dream unit. Military dis-cipline and military honors; clear, simple orders; tough missions but notimpossible ones; good troops and good officers. Travel to strange places,meet interesting people, and kill them. If you make pickup, you’ll behealed to fight another day. It’s Valhalla with automatic weapons.

As a result, the Rangers have high morale, and don’t worry too muchabout their mysterious employers. They don’t really fight for theRecruiters; they fight for their Regiment.

This is a frame for those who want to run commando adventureswith historical (or parahistorical) backgrounds, but not worry aboutaccuracy. The Rangers can be given any equipment the GM wishes, with-out fear of upsetting the balance of the past – there isn’t any such bal-ance. Or perhaps there is – whatever the Rangers do to change history isundone by other time travelers or the “blind forces of history.” The pointis not to worry about it; the Rangers don’t.

Campaign ParametersScale: Usually prosaic “foxhole” level; not knowing the true stakes

adds to the frisson and intended “world-weary soldier” feel.Scope: Individual battles and missions.Boundaries: Anywhere and anywhen. Keeping the boundaries broad

makes up for the narrow scope and prosaic scale.Paraphysics: Either parallel-worlds or time travel with no paradoxes.

Limited forward communication (recall signals) and Linearity Principle(p. 156) apply.

Characters: 200- to 250-point Rangers from any historical or alternateera under military discipline. Magic or psi are rare; standard kit is TL8+.

Genre: Technothriller war stories; other modes can vary but likelycenter near gritty action.

See Chapter 7 for parameter explanations.

CORPORATE STRUCTUREIn the 30 years since Van Zandt’s

revelation, the sheer scope of itswork has ballooned Infinity’s payrollinto hundreds of thousands ofemployees, despite a firm policy ofoutsourcing everything possible.This rapid growth has so far not tan-gled the Table of Organization toobadly. In most respects except size,Infinity resembles a loose, early 21st-century multinational; if anything,its corporate structure seems moretransparent than those of its peers.

CEO and BoardTadeshi Z. Carter is only the second

CEO of Infinity, after Van Zandtretired a decade ago. Like most corpo-rate executives, he is answerable to theboard of directors. Infinity’s board ishalf elected shareholder representa-tives – mostly American, European,and Japanese business executives andwhite-shoe lawyers from other banksand corporations – and half politicalappointees chosen by UNIC. Like theshareholder representatives, many ofthese appointees hold other jobs (theU.S. representatives on the board

include two U.S. senators and thepresident of Stanford University), andleave their day-to-day board duties todeputies and assistants. What thismeans, specifically, is that Infinityupper management is free to go aboutits day-to-day job while its theoreticaloverseers pad their résumés and pock-etbooks and interfere only when a spe-cific emergency or political agenda(which is to say, the GM’s story line)demands it.

Upper ManagementBelow the CEO are the other sen-

ior officers such as the ChiefInformation Officer, Chief FinancialOfficer, and so forth. In theory, likethe CEO, they serve at the pleasure ofthe board; in reality, they are usuallypicked by the CEO from within thecompany or from top corporationsaround the world. In some compa-nies, these senior officers representfactions within the corporation thatthe CEO needs to placate or visiblysupport for internal political reasons. The strongly elitist, almosttribal, corporate culture of Infinity

tends to aim upper management’spolitical shenanigans outward,toward their theoretical overseers onthe board and at UNIC. Partisanempire-builders are rare – or get sentoff to build actual empires on a parallel world for the benefit of thecompany! The fact that Van Zandthand-picked Carter and many of hissubordinates also helps unify seniormanagers around their chief.

Beneath senior management, theranks of vice presidents fill top slotsin Infinity’s “conventional” depart-ments. Accounting, sales and market-ing, public relations, legal, personneland payroll, information systems,and so forth each have their own lit-tle fiefdom in the Infinity Tower’s 154stories (Infinity headquarters occu-pies the tallest building in Chicago,though not the world) or in the vari-ous Infinity “corporate branchoffices” in smaller skyscrapers inLondon, Paris, Shanghai, and St.Petersburg. These branches run liketheir equivalents in major corpora-tions anywhere, although with amuch bigger budget and at leastsome attempts made at “best practices” management.

Cash FlowInfinity owns, and has the right to

police, all parachronic equipment.When others build such equipment,they do so by permission. Any use ofprojectors is under Infinity’s directsupervision, and requires stiff licens-ing fees. Infinity has the power toconfiscate or destroy any unautho-rized conveyor or projector. In prac-tice, this right is limited when thedevice is in the hands of major powers operating on Homeline.Nonetheless, simply licensingparachronics, specialized cartageand travel services, and charging forjump programs (from $500 for a pre-plotted jump from a commercial,zeroed I-Port to $20 million for acustomized all-conditions departureprogram from specified coordinates)makes Infinity quite a lot of money.Patents and spinoffs from Paralabsresearch further fatten the bottomline.


Corporate SecurityThe only major difference between Infinity and a “regular” mega-

corp like BP or Daewoo is the much more stringent security screeningand testing procedure Infinity employees undergo. Infinity is painful-ly aware that even a back-office drone in the accounting departmentcan uncover a lot of secrets about (or even sabotage) outtime opera-tions. Nobody, least of all Infinity upper management, believes thatscreening keeps out every government spook (not all of them from ourworld!), corporate spy, would-be thief, or fixated monkeywrencher.But the damage such infiltrators cause can be – must be – kept to aminimum by any means necessary.

Office-based campaigns centering on Infinity Unlimited can chasesuch spies through the warren of corporate politics and accountingdouble-blinds – or task a group of player characters with spoofingInfinity security and “liberating” a parachronic conveyor (or a few bil-lion dollars) for their own ends. Infinity’s Corporate SecurityDepartment is heavy-handed, but grimly efficient, in either scenario,even if the protagonists are CorpSec investigators themselves. Nodoubt CorpSec PCs are “dangerous mavericks who just don’t play bythe book.” Infinity’s Corporate Security Department should not beconfused with its rivals, the Security Division of the Infinity Patrol(p. 13).

The fortunes Infinity makes fromouttime technologies dwarf even thathefty sum. Deuterium-fusion plants,room-temperature superconductors,energy-efficient seawater desaliniza-tion, hybrid pest-proof grains, curesfor some cancers, and many otherminor technological miracles trawledfrom high-tech parallel worlds areonly some of the higher earners.Where possible, Infinity legally licens-es outtime technology through adummy corporation. If outtime condi-tions prevent such actions (if licensingwould endanger The Secret, or if thepatent is held by an odious totalitariangovernment), Infinity steals the tech-nology and reverse-engineers it onHomeline. In many nations, Infinity isrequired to pay royalties to the inven-tor’s (or corporation’s) Homeline“twin” or his heirs. A Trenton foodchemist was startled to discover thaton Gallatin her parallel self had acci-dentally created the most popularsnack spread in history, but delightedwhen the first million-dollar checkarrived. Similar rulings apply to art,literature, and other cultural goodsimported from other worlds and soldon Homeline by Infinity or its licen-sors. For example, Infinity is strictlyenjoined from simply pirating FrancisFord Coppola’s The Empire StrikesBack, even though it’s not available onDVD yet on any Earth. Still, it’s a dropin the bucket compared to the vastsums that such imports have earnedfor Infinity.

But it doesn’t stop there. ThroughUNIC and Infinity Development(p. 31), Infinity takes a share of all theresources extracted from low-tech anduninhabited Earths. Oceans of crudeoil pumped from parallel Texases,mountains of chromium mined fromAfricas where mankind never evolved,acres of coffee harvested fromJamaicas that have never known airpollution or pesticide runoff – evengiven the bottlenecks of crossworldshipping, the sheer amount of stuff acompany can reap from even oneempty Earth easily reaches the trillionsof dollars. Infinite worlds means infi-nite wealth. Trade, tourism, andresearch add yet more markets to thebalance sheet, although Infinity canafford to take a stern line on Homelineinteractions with parallel societiesabove the hunter-gatherer stage.


Infinite DarknessOf course, nothing says that Infinity has to be the good guys. If power

corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely, infinite power breedsinfinite corruption. With all that money flowing through the ultimate“offshore” account, someone’s going to get greedy – and start killing tocover up his secret. With the potential to remake society to the whim ofoutside sociologists immune to any bad effects (but wielding unstop-pable technology), Infinity can create inhuman tyrannies accidentally –or on purpose. Rather than expose and overthrow their own creations,they might sweep the victims under the rug and leave them to rot inobscurity. Simple paternalistic neglect, even by a “good” Infinity Council,can abet or create misery, starvation, and cruelty on unheard-of scalesrivaling the Irish famines or the U.N.-backed suppression of Biafra.

Infinity can be a mysterious force in a conventional single-worldcampaign, where the PCs don’t even know parachronic travel is possible.Who shuts down the heroes’ schemes? Who kidnaps their patrons orsteals their secrets? Who supplies their foes with advanced weaponry?As a shadowy villain, Infinity can lurk in the background of a campaign,advancing its own agenda without any concern for this world’s justice orthis world’s defenders.

Infinity can be the enemy, or at least the Other Side, in a multi-worldcampaign using a different set of protagonists. A PC party of “swagmen”(p. 71) fighting for the freedom of all worlds to interact on a basis ofequality would see even a “good” Infinity as the bureaucratic hand oflegal repression. Recasting Centrum as an altruistic, evangelizing meri-tocracy (such as “Centrum Light” on p. 56) might present even thedefault Infinity as selfish, paranoid meddlers, and such a Centrum Lightwould even more sternly oppose a corrupt or incompetent “InfinityDark.” Infinity could similarly meddle in the affairs of another worthycrosstime organization.

Finally, of course, Infinity can be the bad guys in an all-Infinity cam-paign focusing on the massive potential for corruption, exploitation, anddownright evil available to Infinity upper management. The PCs mightbe idealistic heroes, recruited to the Patrol to help chart the worldlinesor kill alternate Hitlers, who gradually discover the true nature of theiremployer. Such a “hall of mirrors” campaign would combine the trickyturnabouts of a classic espionage story and the investigative thrills of apolice procedural, on the infinite canvas of crossworld adventure. Do thePatrolmen defect to another, possibly equally dangerous, side in thestruggle? Do they join an underground, working to subvert Infinity anddestroy it? Or do they rise in Infinity’s ranks, helping where they can andtaking out the worst elements when they won’t get caught, hoping torestore the dream of infinite possibilities that they swore to protect?

The sheer amount of stuff a companycan reap from even one empty Earth easilyreaches the trillions of dollars.


OUR CORPORATE PARTNERSAlthough technically separate

from Infinity Unlimited, most of themajor companies doing parachronicbusiness turn out to have overlappingboards of directors, substantial stockholdings, and even murkier financialstrings tying them back to Van Zandtand his organization. Infinity finds ithard to really let go of anything, andofficially independent corporationsprovide useful deniability and “offthe books” resources. However, thisremote control also lets some ofInfinity’s “corporate partners” devel-op their own agendas away from theprying eyes of the Patrol.

CLIODYNERESEARCHGROUP

This select firm, based in an ele-gant Danish Modern campus inOrange County, California, began asInfinity’s in-house historical consult-ing team. The staff of historians, soci-ologists, and communications theo-rists developed marketing strategiesfor White Star with an eye toward“minimum interference” in otherEarths. Gradually, the group broughtcutting-edge memetics, populationand game theories, and macroeco-nomics into their analysis (along withexperts in all those fields). Ascrosstime travel expanded, other cor-porations needed the kinds of “cliody-namic” (the word combines Clio, theGreek Muse of History, with dynam-ics, the study of motion and change)analysis that only Infinity’s team couldprovide. Infinity spun off the groupinto a separate business for murkycorporate reasons some time ago, butCliodyne clearly considers Infinity itspremier client. The Patrol has begundeveloping its own in-house team forcliodynamics, recruiting from formerpsychological warfare experts andintelligence analysts.

In the corporate world, Cliodyne’smajor rivals are GeTS (Geschichte-TechnikStiftung), a German consor-tium of academic researchers, andTombak & Chang, a Singapore-basedinternational marketing firm with astrong crosstime presence.

CONSOLIDATEDMINES, UNLTD.

This is either the greatest ideaInfinity ever had, or the worst. Theconstant problems with operatingmines on the various parallels aresecurity and staff. How do you run aTL8 mining camp in the fourth centu-ry B.C. Transvaal without attractingundue attention? And how do youmake any money off the mines, if youhave to pay three crews of HomelinersTL8 salaries plus benefits and over-time and hazard pay and outtime dutybonuses and . . . ? Robotics can onlysolve so many staffing problems, andit makes security even worse.

The answer came by serendipity: in2019, a Scout team exploring Rustic(p. 141) via nexus portal wound upinvolved in a prison break from aHessian concentration camp in SouthAfrica. Among the escapees was thatworldline’s Cecil Rhodes, interned forillegal mining activity on Hessianclaims. The Patrolmen brought himback with them, and rather than drophim in Coventry, Infinity offered him ajob running outtime mining opera-tions. (Nobody involved will discusswhose idea this was; it’s not impossi-ble that Rhodes came up with it andsold his erstwhile jailers on it duringhis debriefing.) Rhodes brought hissubstantial low-tech mining experi-ence and intimate knowledge of SouthAfrica to bear; within a year, he hadopened nine mines on nine parallelsfor less than one percent of their ratedcost, and with only a 50% loss in pro-duction for low-tech methods. Rhodesproved a fast study, rapidly developingmethods of integrating covert high-tech mining into low-tech frame-works, as well as rotating teams offoremen and straw bosses who coulddrop into the high veldt with five tonsof standard gear and have a platinummine in operation within two months.

Rhodes also brought his naturalgift for empire-building to bear;Consolidated Mines, Unlimited soonbecame a major Infinity division,and Rhodes began to make noisesabout running for the Infinity corpo-rate board. Panicked at the potential

reaction from the U.N.’s Africanmembers, Infinity offered him a heftyseparation package and the presiden-cy of his own firm instead. Rhodesaccepted with (perhaps feigned)regret, and CMU became an inde-pendent company with a convolutedprofit-sharing system in place.(Infinity has sole options and rights toCMU’s mining and development tech-niques and consulting, as well.) Onlyin recent years has it dawned onInfinity upper management that theyturned Cecil Rhodes loose on infiniteAfricas with parachronic technologyand no close supervision – and contin-ue to pay him handsomely for theprivilege.

TIME TOURS,LTD.

The largest and most prestigious ofthe crosstime tourist companies, TimeTours, Limited (TTL) is big business;Disney, Viacom, and other majorentertainment conglomerates comesniffing around for mergers every cou-ple of years. Time Tours also runsflourishing sidelines in costumedesign and location scouting (and sur-reptitious second-unit filming) formovie studios, manor worlds (p. 85)time-share and resorts, and colorful,“infotaining” docu-dramas (This Is . . .1492!) for people who can’t afford thetrips. But the bottom line is the touristexperience. Infinity, of course, pilesrestrictions on Time Tours in theechoes, but trips to alternate worldsare where the big bucks are anyway.The past, for better or worse, is a spe-cialty interest; the market for The WayThings Should Have Been is limitless.

Scheduling and FeesTime Tours doesn’t accept reserva-

tions too far in advance, and chargeswhat the market will bear. After all,even in the infinite worlds, there areonly so many times that Lincoln willdeliver the Gettysburg Address, orBugsy Siegel will dedicate theFlamingo, or Star Wars will premierein the theater (starring DirkBenedict!). Time Tours can’t re-runpopular events, after all; they have tobuild demand for Renaissance tripsduring the 10 years the Medicis willrule a parallel Florence (and they havebeen accused of committing the oddknifing to keep the Medicis in powerlong enough to sell all the tickets).There are always more customersthan available slots; Infinity views thetourist trade as a necessary evil, andisn’t always generous with the travelpermissions it grants Time Tours andthe other tour companies. Time Toursdoes have a “personal leisure consul-tancy” for very rich clients looking forprivacy and history, and caters toalmost any request, where possible –for the right customer.

If the cost of a tour ever mattersin the specific campaign, the GM isfree to set it as he likes – even a shorttour has a price in four figures. In acontinuing campaign, the PCs arelikely to be Time Tours employees,rather than tourists. In a one-shotadventure, they might be tourists,but Homeline wealth doesn’t reallymatter in a one-shot.

Rules and RegulationsAll Time Tours clients sign a very

strict waiver before the trip. TTL doesnot guarantee to bring them back, letalone bring them back alive, and is notresponsible for their health, sanity, orenjoyment of the trip.

Time Tours also reserves the rightto do absolutely anything required inorder to prevent “cultural contamina-tion” (i.e., telling The Secret) or to cor-rect contamination once it hasoccurred . . . up to and including acomplete abort of the trip.

With that out of the way, note thatTime Tours bends over backward tomake sure that a trip goes well.Satisfied customers are the bestadvertisement; unsatisfied customersare Bad Publicity. Someone who has a

serious gripe can usually be boughtoff – often by an extra-special extend-ed trip to one of the more sybaritictimelines.

But during a trip, the Guides havetotal authority. Time Tours will fire aGuide for a total foul-up, and (in pub-lic) back them to the hilt on anythingless. Part of the Time Tours mystiqueis the supposed super-competence ofthe Guides. “Do what you have to, andlet Customer Relations sort it out” isthe motto.

What Can We Take On a Time Tour?

Anything you want, as long as it’snot obviously alien to the timelinebeing visited. Time Tours does a bigbusiness in disguised cameras of allsorts, for instance.

Weapons regulations depend onthe trip. Hunting parties go loaded fordinosaur. Tourists in historical paral-lels can carry whatever weapons areappropriate for their costumes. (If theguide doesn’t trust them withweapons, they don’t carry them – orthey don’t come on the trip.) Disguisedstunners may be permitted; this is up

to the guide. In general, a tourist whoseems stable and competent is allowedsuch a weapon if the world is onewhere it might really be necessary forself-defense, and not otherwise. Andstill, a few guides get stunned frombehind every year, for reasons rangingfrom spiteful whim to internationalespionage.

Gadgets and gewgaws “for tradewith the natives” are permitted, butthey must be native-authentic andbought from TTL’s own supplies (at aslight markup). A tourist can buy allthe cowrie shells he wants before visit-ing 17th-century Tahiti, but he can’ttake a cigarette lighter to impress thenatives!

The rules are looser for a trip inwhich no interaction with the nativesis expected. Time Tours does a regular(and very expensive) business in tripsto actual echoes, to observe historicalbattles of the 16th through 19th cen-turies. But all these observations aremade from a few thousand feet up, instealthy sky-blue dirigibles. (If one ofthose dirigibles ever goes down, animmense troubleshooting mission willbe needed!)


Johnson CrosstimeIncorporated

The biggest of Time Tours’ competitors, Johnson Crosstime began asanother tourist outfit. Its founder, Alex A. Johnson, soon realized that hecould never compete with TTL in the tourist business, and decided to gointo the resort business instead. One of his tour scouts found a likelytimeline in Rome-2, still cheerfully decadent and clearly “Roman” butwith better food and less resin in the wine. Johnson amassed venturecapital, bought gold on a downswing in the market, and moved to Rome-2 on an extremely poorly worded “business license” from Infinity. By thetime the Patrol came around again, Johnson was procurator ofPannonia and Numidia, and had bribed every member of the Romanbureaucracy, introduced fluoride toothpaste and telegraphs, and single-handedly driven off a Pecheneg invasion.

Realizing the situation was already unsalvageable, the Patrol letJohnson go ahead and salvage it. Infinity confirmed his title to his Rome-2 property (in exchange for a “supervisory share” of stock in JohnsonCrosstime), helped stabilize the inflation spiral he had unwittinglycaused with his Homeline gold, and signed a lucrative conveyor leasingagreement with him. Johnson opened “Johnson’s Rome” for business in2016, and has drawn tens of thousands of tourists every year since.Industry gossip whispers that Johnson has been increasingly absentfrom his offices on Homeline and Rome-2 for the last two years – couldhe have another timeline under development?

What Can We Bring Back?

Unless the trip is to a historicalecho (and ordinary tourist trips aren’t,unless the echo becomes an anchor),a little discreet collection of memen-tos is perfectly all right. The Guidesdo not permit outright thuggery,because it attracts attention and givesTime Tours a bad name on Homeline.But tourists are given the opportunityto buy native money at the beginningof their trip (at a healthy discount),and they can spend it as they want.The I-Cops run an official “customscheck” when each tour returns, butunless the outtime world is known tocontain some specific danger, it’smostly a formality.

However, any souvenir that couldbe mistaken for a “real” Homelineantique, fossil, etc., is supposed to bephotographed for reference andmarked in an inconspicuous way.These precautions don’t make laterfraud, or scientific confusion, entirelyimpossible – but at least it’s anattempt.

Time Tours in the Campaign

Played seriously, the dramatic con-flicts are going to be of the unplannedvariety: the tour group stumblesacross (or inadvertently creates) a sit-uation not described on the website.The party gets scattered, and must berounded up or rescued before goinghome; the big lizards prove to be notsuch easy targets after all; a carelessword or action threatens to reveal TheSecret and the guides have to fixthings; there turns out to be acrosstime war going on that theCompany doesn’t know about, ormaybe just a bit of industrial sabotagefrom a competitor.

In such straight adventures, thetourists should be at least normallycompetent characters (with some dis-advantages not usually found amongheroes, such as Cowardice); they mayeven all be player characters.

Time Tours can also be played forlaughs. In this version, the touristsare Innocents (or maybe Idiots)Abroad: bumblers who can’t managethe clothes or the language, but willwalk right into the Charge of the

Light Brigade to get a good snapshotfor the folks back home. These arelikely NPCs, though a player with atalent for comedy can have a fieldday. The conveyors never work right,

the historical figures are boobs beingprompted or bribed by the Guides,and any crosstime marauders lookand talk scary but couldn’t conquer aprairie dog village.


Time Tours in the Time Campaign

The GM of a time-traveling campaign may be tempted to include atime-tour adventure. Go ahead . . . but if you’re playing with real history, Time Tours requires special attention to the mechanics of timetravel. Ordinary tour agencies take their clients to popular places, but atdifferent times. TTL is offering a visit to an interesting moment in time.Sooner or later all those little groups of temporal visitors, plus the mul-tiple copies of their guides, are going to add up, and perhaps outnumberthe natives.

There are several ways to cope with this:

Ignore it. Tour groups just don’t run into each other, unless the GMwants to do something interesting with the encounter. This lends itselfbest to a comedy game – imagine two groups of tourists in the market-place at Alexandria, haggling over the same souvenir, while their guidestry to decide whether to intervene or sneak away for a drink.

Ignore it, but make some excuses. The tour groups are small, the world(and the past) is big, and TTL Mission Control makes elaborate plans fortraffic control. Not many people can crowd into the No. 10 Saloon inDeadwood for the shooting of Wild Bill Hickok without attracting atten-tion; a dozen little groups, moving carefully, could probably hide outaround Gettysburg; the Normandy invasion might swallow hundreds.This is stretching the point, but gamers are used to that.

The point can stretch farther if Time Tours Ltd. sends its clients togeneral eras rather than specific important dates. Elizabethan Londonor 1920s Chicago can no doubt absorb as many Time Tourists as theCompany can send, meeting only when it’s dramatically useful. Theguides would be instructed to keep the tourists away from importantmoments their presence might upset; naturally, it’s not possible to pre-dict what all those moments might be, and the tourists (who would prob-ably not be aware of the Not Too Much Excitement policy) might haveto be kept away from trouble rather firmly.

Provide a mechanical solution. New Timelines (p. 156) works wellhere, since the main action involves running around in the historicalperiod, not changing it. In a comedy game, this works almost too well,since the intruders may safely make any sorts of crazy changes theywish, up to and including a Marx Brothers bring-the-house-down finale(A Night at the Fall of Rome?). This may, of course, be exactly what thecampaign needs.

WHITE STARTRADING

White Star is the original crosstimeimport-export company – and still thelargest. Van Zandt financed most ofhis original development by tradingwith a single parallel. Its offices nowspan hundreds of Earths ranging frommud-brick caravanserais in Attila’sIran, to faultlessly legitimate venturecapital firms in Reich-2 America, to amovie studio in Campbell making aslowly increasing fortune by remakingHomeline fantasy movies. Some small

White Star offices only transship a fewhundred pounds of rarities; for exam-ple, a carton of DVDs from Gallatin, ora breeding pair of Tasmanian tigers.Others ship hundreds of tons of cocoaor chromium daily, loading the cargoonto barges that go out of sight of landand then jump between worlds. All ofthem have the “sign of the White Star”somewhere in the corporate logo, orhanging on a painted sign out front, assuits their environment.

Not even Infinity knows whatevery branch of White Star is up to;it’s possible that not even the White

Star corporate higher-ups in Bostondo. Imposing any kind of “corporateculture” across such a system is worsethan useless, but White Star head-quarters enforces some standards.White Star merchants are expected togive value for value, follow all locallaws (with a minimum of bribery),and support good causes in their localcommunity. Beyond that, White Starfollows general trade practices, hopesfor the best, and counts its mountingprofits.

General Trade PracticesWhite Star’s trade with other time-

lines, whether open or covert, tends tofollow broadly similar guidelines bro-ken down by the world’s degree oftechnical, economic, and financialdevelopment. Wherever possible, thelocal operations of crossworld traderssuch as White Star double as purelylocal, profitable business operationswith a share of the profits earmarkedto support the Infinity Patrol andother overhead. Given the distressingamount of smuggling carried onthrough White Star outlets (perhapsas a consequence of the Infinity rake-off), this section also addresses suchinformal arrangements.

Uncivilized (TL0): Because bulkresources come from uninhabitedworlds, White Star trades with theseparallels mainly for curios. In someworlds, White Star exchanges low-tech bulk trinkets (e.g., gold fromuninhabited worlds, high-quality butlocal-TL weapons and tools, etc.) forunskilled labor for the mass produc-tion of goods too high above the localTL to be comprehensible. However,this practice is not widespread, asWhite Star is uncertain whether it isentirely safe or ethical, and it makesthe Patrol jittery about endangeringThe Secret. Smugglers often make useof these worlds as bases and sourcesof slave labor.

Civilized, Pre-Scientific (TL1-4): Inthese worlds, traders often utilize atriangular trading method, exchang-ing gold and resources from uninhab-ited worlds for works of art and forlabor-intensive or specialized agricul-tural products such as Falernian wineor Incan blue potatoes. Smugglershave been known to buy or steal


Our Corporate RivalsYugorovsky Group: This Russian mining conglomerate has a reputa-

tion for being unscrupulous and deadly, and tied into both the RussianMafiya and the Russian government. Reports filter back of low-levelproxy wars between Yugorovsky and CMU on some primitive worlds.The Russian councilor on UNIC protects the Group from full reprisals orformal Infinity sanction.

KMP Petroleum: Founded in a series of desperate mergers after thefusion economy cratered Homeline’s oil industry, KMP concentrates itsefforts on filling the insatiable demand for oil on less-developed paral-lels. Their standard practice is to buy a “tapped out” field on such aworldline and ship oil from other timelines into it in conveyor tankers –or build a pipeline through a nexus portal, if they are lucky enough tofind one in an oil patch somewhere. They also practice mature TL8petroleum engineering (and social engineering with recalcitrant sheikhs)to genuinely open fields closed to TL6-7 exploration. The Patrol worriesthat KMP’s wildcat, cowboy habits will endanger The Secret – and thatKMP has far too cozy a relationship to the CIA.

Denarius Capital Holdings: Infinity initially founded this brokeragegroup to keep the economy of Johnson’s Rome from collapsing underouttime stresses by subtly introducing liquidity reforms. Denarius’managers somehow wound up in control of the entire Roman goldreserve, bought out their contract, and relocated their corporate head-quarters to Lysander. (They retain a Palau incorporation for Homelinetax purposes.) Denarius Capital now runs large-scale financial and mar-ket operations on many, many worlds. (Denarius also gives rather gen-erously to some Miracle Workers operations.) On some parallels, itcauses accidental runaway busts and booms – on others, it may causethem on purpose.

Duncorne Foundation: This secretive but influential academic foun-dation funds archaeological and historical research on a wide variety ofparallels, especially those showing evidence of reality quakes or thesupernatural. Its grants focus on the medieval period and earlier, with astrong emphasis on religion, history, and legendry. The DuncorneCollections in New Haven and Oxford will always handsomely rewardthe copying, transcribing, and (according to rumor) theft of rare and lostbooks (of any era) from other worlds. It may also be a major player inthe gray market in crossworld art and antiquities smuggling – manymajor museums and universities find Duncorne’s connections quitehelpful in making that one crucial acquisition.

duplicates of valuable Homeline art-works. (One enterprising smugglerbought several Raphael works for acase of child’s pastels.) One large spe-cialty market on these worlds isbooks: hand-copied scrolls ofAristophanes’ lost plays, or Mayancodices burnt in Homeline’s inquisito-rial bonfires, command substantialsums from Homeline collectors andacademics alike.

Civilized, Scientific (TL5-8): The I-Cops consider such worlds potentiallydangerous should they get The Secret.Permitted trade includes introducingmoderate technological improve-ments and literary ideas, or exchang-ing small quantities of portable wealth(e.g., gems or gold) for artworks andcurios. “Parallel works” are particular-ly prized: Shakespeare’s Historie ofRobert the Bruce, Edmund Burke’sReflections on the American Uprising,and so forth. Homeline publishersespecially like the classics, becausethey don’t have to pay royalties onthem (although Infinity usually holdsthe copyright). Some worlds actuallyproduce consumer goods thatHomeline values, such as the stylishmen’s fedoras available on Gernsback.

Advanced, Scientific (TL9+): TheInfinity Patrol watches, most carefully,all worlds with science advancedenough to reproduce parachronics,and a single unauthorized incursion ispunishable by Coventry. If it is even

licensed to travel to them, White Staruses every available method in theseworlds to discover the principles uponwhich these worlds’ higher technologyis based, in order to patent and utilizeit on Homeline. However, it is ham-pered by the fact that these worldsusually have sophisticated identifica-tion and surveillance technologies, sothat a small misstep might imperilThe Secret. Smuggling technologyand artifacts from these worlds cancarry lucrative rewards, but alsobrings danger from both the alter-nate’s local authorities and the Patrol.

Para-Scientific (any TL): Infinitytreats worlds with variant physical

laws with similar care. If magic works,for instance, even a low-technologyworld becomes a potential danger.GMs have to decide if items from suchworlds continue to function else-where; if enchantments continue tofunction in non-magical worlds, it’shard to imagine any sanctions whichkeep smugglers out. Psis endangerboth The Secret and smugglers; every-one avoids worlds with globally avail-able psionics. Worlds with supers posesimilar problems; smugglers haveenough trouble dodging ordinarypolice without having to deal withgrim avengers of the night.

THE UNITEDNATIONS

Outside UNIC, the U.N. has nomore control over crosstime opera-tions than any other group, and lessthan some. This irritates agencies likeUNESCO, UNICEF, and so forth, whothrow up political obstacles for UNIC,and thus contribute further to theirown marginalization. Infinity refusesto take sides in such disputes, essen-tially passing the buck back to UNIC.(The main exception is MiracleWorkers’ close relationship with theWorld Health Organization.) Every sooften, a U.N. agency gets a lead role insome crosstime development, or an

entire world to administer. It seldomworks any better than the UNHCR’sSanctuary colony (p. 32).

The Interworld TreatyWhat ties the U.N.’s hands is, iron-

ically, the very document that seem-ingly granted it sovereignty over theinfinite worlds, the Interworld Treaty.The main articles of the Treaty (andtheir actual effects) are as follows:

1. Parallel Earths should be exploredfor the good of mankind: In practice,this lets Infinity Development rejectany proposed crosstime venture thatdoesn’t “improve conditions onHomeline and the parallel.” The treaty

does not proclaim the other Earths theproperty of Infinity, Homeline, or evenof mankind.

2. Infinity Unlimited receives a U.N.charter, and formal supranational sta-tus: This article also sets up UNIC asInfinity’s official governing agency,and restructures Infinity’s board toadd multinational control. In practice,this removes Infinity from any nation-al jurisdiction or oversight, allowing itto focus its bribery, pressure, or insti-tutional capture on just UNIC insteadof many different agencies.

3. All parachronic technologyremains the property of Infinity: Thisallows the Patrol to enter and inspectany parachronic facility in the world.


The Alternate Best Sellers ListThe House of the Worm, by H.P. LovecraftTarget: Tokyo! A History of the Invasion, by Robert A. Heinlein, Adm.,

USN (Ret.)Campaigns of Alexander, by PtolemyHardraada in Vinland, by Snorri SturlassonThe Hauntings of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan DoyleSumma Astrologia, by Isaac NewtonSanditon, by Jane AustenCuban Southpaw: My Life in the American League, by Fidel “Red”

CastroFear and Loathing in Tycho Crater, by Hunter S. ThompsonThe Gospel According to PeterHornblower at the Crisis, by C.S. ForesterThe Complete Mystery of Edwin Drood, by Charles Dickens

THE PUBLIC SECTOR

4. An Infinity (or UNIC) license isrequired for all parachronic travel: Thisis honored in the breach; Infinitygrants licenses for year-long terms (orlonger) to favored clients, prime sub-sidiaries, and Security Council vetopowers. It does, however, give Infinitylegal recourse to sue national govern-ments in the World Court if they misuse the license to, say, conqueranother world.

5. Infinity must bear all costs ofparachronic research and crosstimesecurity: This cleverly drafted articlemakes Infinity entirely independent ofany Homeline control; it pays for itsown army, technology, and securityrather than depending on nationalgovernments. This article also formsthe basis for Infinity’s claim on patentsderived from other Earths’ technology.Japanese and American companieshave both challenged it successfully insome cases, and Infinity now paysgenerous license fees to keep the issuefrom coming up.

Of the U.N.’s 197 members, all but10 have ratified the Interworld Treaty.The holdouts are Afghanistan, Burma,Iran, Iraq, Israel (which refuses to sur-render the right to crosstime opera-tion in self-defense), Malawi, NorthKorea, Palau (a popular incorporationsite for companies that want to dodgeInfinity regulations), Palestine (whichrefuses to sign until Israel does), andTurkmenistan. Venezuela threatens to“de-ratify” the treaty every so often toprotest “Infinity neo-colonialism,” andone or two right-wing U.S. senatorscampaign to get the treaty junked as“infringing American sovereignty.”U.N. non-member Taiwan has signedan “Agreement of Understanding”with Infinity Unlimited, basically rec-ognizing Infinity’s jurisdiction overcrosstime travel and development.

NATIONALGOVERNMENTS

One significant downside of UNICoversight of Infinity is that all five per-manent Security Council powers cantheoretically “license” any amount ofInfinity’s parachronic technology tothemselves. Infinity tries to keep ahandle on the equipment, or at leastits location and licensing body, but it’svery difficult to monitor an entire

national government if it doesn’t wishsomething tracked. Patrol officialsassume that all five powers have oneor more completely “off-the-books”conveyors buried somewhere in themaze of records, transfers, and subli-censes that is the UNIC bureaucracy.Worse yet, sufficiently wealthy orskilled nations can build (and almostcertainly have built) their ownparachronic equipment.

The United StatesAmerica is by far the leading

nation in parachronic exploration andexploitation, both public and private.With Infinity corporate headquartersin Chicago, and a large base of experi-enced crosstime workers, Americancompanies and government agenciescan easily staff most “civilian” projectseither with or without Infinity. Withthe world’s largest economy and fore-most university system, America canafford plenty of crosstime travel, andhas plenty of ideas for it. The CIA, FBI,and even some state law-enforcementagencies have standing crosstime taskforces; the FBI keeps officers on dutyon Johnson’s Rome and other popularparallels, and there is a U.S. Marshal’soffice on New Colorado.

Although official policies varydepending on the administration inpower, every President since Clintonhas sent U.S. forces into action onother timelines, usually to protectAmerican citizens in danger. The mostcontroversial such exercise wasPresident McConnell’s pre-emptiveinvolvement on Gallatin in 2022.

Ranger Force Tau overthrew thatworld’s Algerian government before itcould deploy its nuclear missiles,sending the entire Middle East on twoworlds into a year of turmoil.

The Russian FederationRussia concentrates its outtime

operations on two fronts: mining,and propping up the various off-world Russias against their foes. Asone of the five permanent membersof the Security Council, Russia getsone-fifth of the mining permits doledout by Infinity Development. Unlikeother nations, which either auctionthem off or use them as diplomaticchips when bargaining with othercountries, the Russians simply takethe maximum allowed mininglicense and turn it over to a domesticmining company such as theYugorovsky Group. Thus, even in thecheap-mineral Homeline made pos-sible by crosstime exploration,Russia is able to manipulate spotprices and keep its position as a lead-ing mineral exporter intact.

Offworld operations usuallyinvolve Spetsnaz strikes on Nazi (or Kaiserene, or Bonapartist, orSwedish) rear areas, logistics, and

communications centers. Such a live-fire “partisans from nowhere” exerciseon another worldline is now a stan-dard part of Spetsnaz training, despiteInfinity’s strong objections. (Evadingthe Patrol has, itself, become a stan-dard part of such exercises.) A tacitunderstanding with the CommunistParty opposition prevents the Kremlin



from using such strikes to intervene inpurely Russian civil wars on otherworlds, however. Although popularnovels fill other timelines with SVRand GRU agents, Russia does relative-ly little pure espionage (aside frommassive technology theft) on otherparallels.

The United KingdomBritish crosstime travel is mostly

academic. Infinity lavishly fundsOxford, Cambridge, and many smalleruniversities’ history departments tothe extent that American history grad-uate students have a better chance ofcrosstime research at British universi-ties than they do their own! (Perhapscoincidentally, there is rather less aca-demic criticism of Infinity in Britain,and the British delegates can becounted on as strong supporters of thePatrol.) However, Britain punchesabove its weight in crosstime militaryand economic interventions. TheSpecial Conveyor Service is probablythe most efficient crosstime specialops force, with a special mastery of “inand out” attacks involving parachron-ic attacks on Homeline targets. British

companies like Universal Exports andHari & Boyle can find markets andsources where even White StarTrading fails.

FranceAlthough Britain is still part of the

EU, it does not take any great role inthe ECCCP (European CommonCross-Chronal Project), which is dom-inated by French planners. Germanyusually follows the French lead, butdigs in its heels when France gets toocarried away with la mission civila-trice. The official policy of the Frenchgovernment is that the timelines arethe common property of all mankind,and that Infinity has no particularrights or control over their access,which is exclusively a UNIC matter.The Patrol strongly suspects that theFrench government is trying to satelli-tize offworld governments (usually ofFrance, but not always) and build akind of crossworld super-France capa-ble of independent action in anysphere without American or Infinityinvolvement. France makes a greatshow of inviting other countries, bothwithin Europe and in the Third World,

to contribute personnel to crosstimeventures; the Elysée Palace practice ofplowing the profits into its crosstimenetwork of bribes and influence-peddling somehow stays out of thecoverage in Le Monde. The Légiond’Outretemps has racked up morecrosstime interventions (usually tooverthrow some minor African orSouth American government) thanany other unit except the Spetsnaz. Anattempt by the Légion to overthrowthe government of South Carolina onBritannica-1 almost led to outrightconflict between French and U.S. special forces.

ChinaChina, by contrast, appears to be

a model of crosstime respectability.Its 3rd Special Warfare Group existsmostly on paper, having launchedonly minor raids onto Reich-5 beforethe closing of that worldline in 2022.It leases much of its outtimeexploitation rights to other compa-nies, especially Korean, Filipino, andThai firms, taking only reasonablekickbacks and royalties. It alternate-ly blocks and cooperates withAmerican policy crosstime, but asidefrom its two colony worlds and con-sular staff on popular Chinese touristparallels, has little outtime presence.This, of course, has the more para-noid staff officers at the Pentagonand the Pile certain that China isplanning some “Great LeapOutward” that will drasticallyrearrange the global (and crosstime)balance of power.

Non-Veto NationsOf the non-veto nations, India and

Japan have the most active crosstimeprograms. India’s program closelyresembles the American one, withsubstantial academic, corporate, andintelligence operations crosstime.India’s “White Cats” train with theSCS for “in and out” operationsagainst Kashmiri and Tamil rebelsand terrorists. India’s “Bollywood”movie studios also film on exotic out-time locations, and (according torumor) recruit younger versions ofpopular movie stars from close paral-lels to replace stars who get too old ortoo independent-minded.

Israel and the Alternity Exodus

It is an open secret that Israel refuses to accept Infinity’s rules aboutouttime immigration. Although the Israeli census ministry returns blandassurances to UNIC questioners, the standing policy of the Israeli gov-ernment is to offer sanctuary on Homeline to any Jews threatened withdeath anywhere in the Infinite Worlds. Although they do leave echoesalone, Mossad shows little compunction about operations on any otherparallel. Following a full Mossad reconnaissance, Sayeret Geburahtroops drop into the parallel, kill any guards, and remove the Jewishprisoners to Homeline. These operations run from small-scale rescues ofprominent physicists or engineers, to “train robberies” hijacking adeportation shipment, to full-blown liberations of whole concentrationcamps or gulags. The largest such operation was the Kolyar Raid in2014, which seized control of a Silesian town on Cornwallis for six days,and removed 25,000 Jewish and Gypsy prisoners from a Prussian camp,resettling them all in Homeline’s Israel and West Bank. (for more onCornwallis, see GURPS Alternate Earths 2).

Arab governments complain that Israel is “artificially Judaizing” theregion with “outtime illegals.” Since this accurately summarizes Israeligovernment policy, the Israelis simply issue bland denials and get onwith rescuing more victims. Domestic opinion in America is firmlybehind the “Alternity Exodus,” and the United States regularly vetoesany U.N. condemnation of such rescues.

Japan’s crosstime operations aremore like British ones, although theIDF has only a token outtime capabil-ity. Japanese companies very success-fully trade with parallel Japans, andare among the leading Homeline firmsin incorporating their crosstime ver-sions’ best practices and technologies.The result is that they can wind uppatenting a superior version of some-thing Infinity stole a year ago and rap-idly take the lead in global marketshare.

NON-GOVERNMENTALORGANIZATIONS

A vast panoply of other groups,from Boy Scout troops to whole reli-gions, have outtime activities – oropinions about outtime activities –that they are seldom shy about sharing. Some groups lease their ownconveyors and pursue their goalswithout pestering Infinity too much:the Nature Conservancy, for example,brings breeding stock for endangeredspecies on Homeline from otherworlds where the species are plentiful.Others believe that pressuring Infinity,or UNIC member governments, is themost efficient way to see their goalsrealized.

Amnesty UnlimitedA sister organization to Amnesty

International, Amnesty Unlimitedpublicizes the fates of political prison-ers, slaves, and other unfortunates onother timelines. They pressure Infinity(or, less often, Homeline govern-ments) to intervene on those world-lines to improve conditions, call forWhite Star boycotts of odiouscrosstime regimes, and work tirelesslyto promote anti-slavery agitation onother Earths.

Every so often, an AU field teamtravels to another world to try apply-ing their own leverage, but the resultshave been spotty. The best result,arguably, occurred when the Patrolmounted a rescue mission thatsnatched an AU observer team from aprison in Earth-Beta’s Iran and acci-dentally overthrew the theocratic gov-ernment there in the process. AmnestyUnlimited usually draws the line at

advocating such violent regimechange, but some factions are begin-ning to question whether “pacifism ofthe word” is enough.

GreenpeaceThis environmental organization

indefatigably opposes crosstime min-ing operations, even on empty Earths,as “ecological rapes of unsuspectingworlds.” Some members of Green-peace go so far as to chain themselvesto projector doors, disrupt surveys,and sabotage mining equipment (usu-ally before it’s shipped outtime). Theirsupport comes from college campusesand (less openly) from corporationsfrozen out of the crosstime bonanza . . . especially Homeline oil companies.

The VaticanThe official position of the Roman

Catholic Church is that God’s planapplies to all Earths with humanraces. The devil, needless to say, is inthe details: Are all the parallel Christsthe same Christ, or did God have oneson per Earth? Are worldlines inwhich there was no Jesus of Nazarethawaiting their own Messiah, and if so,

will he be Christ as well? Or does theChurch’s evangelizing mission callupon it to teach those worldlinesabout Homeline’s Christ? DidHomeline’s Jesus die for the sins of allthe Earths? The Curia has been work-ing on definitive answers to all of theabove questions since 1998, andVatican speculation is that the nextPope will have to call a general churchcouncil on the topic.

In the interim, Jesuits and otherscholarly orders have contributedgreatly to the study of reality physics,and Catholic mission groups workclosely with Miracle Workers, espe-cially on worlds with an establishedRoman Church. The Pope calls onInfinity to “respect human dignity inall worlds,” and aligns the Vaticanwith reformist and progressive “out-timer rights” groups such as AmnestyUnlimited. Some influential monsi-gnors and orders have even called forInfinity to abandon The Secret, and“share the Truth with all mankind asequals.” The Patrol becomes verynervous indeed when devotees ofsuch philosophies travel to parallelEarths, even for the ostensibly saintliest purposes.


Rogue StatesNorth Korea, Libya, Iraq, Iran, Syria, Cuba, and Burma all reject the

international order to one extent or another. Such rogue nations supportterrorism and international crime, foment revolution abroad, and try todevelop weapons of mass destruction and domestic parachronics. Theymay have support from arms dealers and physicists overseas, working inparallel to build individual components that can get passed along thesmugglers’ routes from Marseilles to Karachi to Rangoon until wholebombs or conveyors take shape in some terror camp in Afghanistan,Sudan, or Yemen.

Infinity’s great fear is that some rogue state will provide a conveyor(and possibly a nuclear weapon) to some terrorist organization. In theworst case scenario, this terror strike hits a technologically advancedparallel, which discovers parachronics in the most traumatic and horri-fying way possible, and blames Homeline. In the second-worst case sce-nario, the terrorists do an “in and out” attack on Homeline America,killing thousands (or millions, if the nuke is big enough) and enrage theUnited States enough for it to pull out of UNIC, nationalize Infinity, andstrike out unilaterally across the worlds. The Intelligence Branch worksovertime to infiltrate terror groups, using Patrol language and culturalskills to blend into the terrorist ranks. So far, the Patrol agents haverolled up whole networks (with CIA or MI6 assistance) and beheadedsuch plans before they start, including an al-Qaeda plot in early 2001 –but they only have to fail once.

“Grade 3Chang, reporting amessage intercept, Sir!” The newentry’s uniform was creased andpressed until it looked like a recruitingbrochure.

“At ease, Chang.” Theduty officer, secure in her

exalted Grade 4 status, hadunbuttoned her own neck stock, andthere was a distinct shininess to thecrimson cuffs of her midnight uni-form coat. Chang strode forward theregulation four steps, came to atten-tion again, and handed over a flimsyand a data cartridge.

Popping the cartridge into theRecords computer (there were someregulations it didn’t do to ignore), theduty officer scanned the flimsy for afew minutes, looking for anythingout of the ordinary. Dinosaur smug-glers – alchemical methods inArgentine platinum mines – assassi-nation attempt on the King of NorthCarolina – here it was, “Nazis” again.“Infinity can’t get panicked enoughabout these ‘Nazis,’ Chang.”

“Sir.” She looked up to see Changstill at attention.

“I said ‘At ease,’ Chang.” Theyounger officer marginally relaxed.“I’d invite you to sit down, but there’sonly one chair in these confoundedbridges.”

“Isometric posture does notrequire chairs, Sir.” Right out of thebook again. Still, she thought, I’dbetter try, or this new kid is going todrive me crazy.

“Chang, what’s your first name?”“Mohammed, Sir.”“That’s unusual for a Chinese,

isn’t it, Chang?”“Sir, all names are Centrum

names. The Centrum embraces allbloodlines.”

“Chang, I’m not trying to trap youin Error, I’m trying to make conver-sation so that you don’t hover therelike a constipated goshawk.”

Chang relaxed another breath.“My family is from Tajikistan, Sir.Lots of hybridity there, even beforethe Centrum saved us.” The duty offi-cer nodded; history wasn’t her strongpoint, even Centrum history, but theCentral Asian tribes were traditional-ly very grateful to the scientific elitethat had saved them from famine,warlords, and plague.

“Understandable then, bordervigor and all that. Use those ances-tral border skills, Chang, and seewhat jumps out at you from this.”

ENEMIES EVERYWHEN 45

CHAPTER TWO

ENEMIESEVERYWHEN

Chang took the flimsy and ran hiseyes down it. “Secundus – er, Infinity– seems more worried about these‘Nazis’ than they do three otherthreats on the same Wave that objec-tively pose a far greater danger totheir operations. Sir.”

“My thoughts exactly. I’ve beenmonitoring Infinity transmissionshere for eight months, and despitefour global wars and a Force Sevenreality quake, these ‘Nazis’ still draw18% of the decision band, when itought to be more like four. Andthey’re not even on this bloody Wave!They’re way the Hell and gone out onWave Minus Five!”

“What did the Records say, Sir?”“Nothing useful; they were an

Irrationalist sect in Bavaria in anumber of timelines; on Secundusthey seem to have triggered a globalwar, and on one world on WaveMinus Two, they won. Rum lot, butnot the foaming anarchists thatyou’d expect from Infinity’s para-noia. More orderly than bloodyInfinity, that’s for sure. But accord-ing to Intercept Branch, Infinity hasmore agents, and more ongoingoperations, on this ‘Reich-2’ than onany comparable parallel. Again,despite greater threats, and muchgreater opportunities, on at least sixother worldlines I could name.”

“Sounds like a perfect opportuni-ty for us, Sir. If we could somehowuse them as a stalking horse, wecould distract the ruddy Patrol fromanything we did. We could have ourrun of the echoes, as long as wecould get some Nazis to pop upsomewhere else while we did it.”

“Sadly for us, Chang, the onlyones with parachronics seem to beout where we can’t go.”

“Unless we find a tunnel. It’s beenknown to happen, Sir.”

“Precisely. That’s what I want youto start sifting these surveys for. Imean to find a tunnel to their Waveand start feeding these Nazis any-thing they want, as long as it willkeep Infinity busy.”

“That could alter the whole com-plexion of the War, Sir. The Forumwill be handing out promotions likecandy on Rebirth Day.”

“Well, we’re not supposed to thinkabout our promotions, Chang. It’sthe good of the Service, and ofCentrum, that counts.”

“Of course, Sir. I’m sorry, Sir.”Chang, abashed, hunched over astack of surveys and avoided hissuperior’s eyes.

But doctrine aside, the duty offi-cer was thinking about promotions.She could easily make Grade 5 forsomething like this, or even higher, ifit became a major Interworld priori-ty. Yes, “Grade 6 Goldstein” had a

nice ring to it, she told herself, andpunched up her own stack of surveysto sift.

Between cometary fallout, angryVisigoths, and mutant smallpox, theinfinite worlds hold enough dangerto keep the Infinity Patrol infinitelybusy. However, the Patrol has taken adark comfort from the fact that youcan’t save every world: they do whatthey can, where they can.Unfortunately, some of those worlds– including Homeline – hold dangersthat can spread to other worlds – alsoincluding Homeline. The Patrol can’tafford to sleep, or to take any com-fort, no matter how dark, in justdoing what they can for thoseworlds. An “acceptable risk” whenit’s some barbarian parallel twoquanta out becomes a deadly crisiswhen it threatens your world and theideals you hold dear. You have to doanything to stop such a danger, or dietrying.

Of course, on some of thoseworlds, the Patrol – and Homeline –represent just such a danger . . .

Centrum is the only human time-line other than Homeline to independ-ently develop parachronic technology.It is also Homeline’s fiercest enemy.Centran agents intrigue against theInfinity Patrol across the dimensions,and will settle for nothing less thantotal domination of the infinite

worlds. Only in unity, Centrumbelieves, is there safety and order.

The origin and focus of a paratem-poral empire, Centrum has spent thelast century sending explorers, spies,businessmen, and occasionally sol-diers to dozens of parallel timelines.Having rebuilt and re-unified its home

Earth after a cataclysmic war,Centrum was poised for majorchanges even before the recent discov-ery of another world of parachronictravelers. Today, in 2027, the conflictwith Secundus (which calls itself“Homeline”) is Centrum’s primaryconcern.

46 ENEMIES EVERYWHEN

Candide, amazed, terrified, confounded, astonished, all bloody, and trembling fromhead to foot, said to himself, “If this is thebest of all possible worlds, what are theothers like?”

– Voltaire, Candide

CENTRUM

Although their society encompass-es settlements on many timelines, thevast majority of Centrans still live ontheir home line, also called Centrum.World and government are seldomdistinguished, and there is no distinc-tion between government and society.The contemporary world-state is actu-ally fairly recent, not much more thana century old, but its roots go deepinto history.

HISTORYCentrum perceives itself as a radi-

cal break with its past, and really caresabout history only because ofparachronics – for which purpose thehistories of other timelines matter atleast as much as its own. A typicalCentran knows rather less about hisown history than a typical 21st-centu-ry American (agents of the InterworldService are somewhat betterinformed, but only in the context ofchanging other histories). If they com-pared textbooks, the two would even-tually discover that their worldsdiverged in 1120, when the heir to thethrone of England was or was notdrowned. Shifting royal marriagesand wars rapidly changed every detailof history. The English monarchsmade themselves masters of northernand western France before theHundred Years’ War could even begin.

To UnityThe Anglo-French Empire was per-

haps the strongest realm in Europe,but that barely allowed it to escapeconquest when the Mongols arrived,less than a century after its formation.Unable to expand into Mongol-domi-nated Central Europe, they turned tothe reports of a far western countrybrought by a Norwegian princess,sending ships across the Atlantic toexplore a vast New World, which theynamed Terranova.

The superior Asian technologybrought by the Mongols, combinedwith the royal patronage of the earlyscientist Roger Bacon, enhanced thebrilliant culture of the High MiddleAges. Like its age of exploration,Centrum’s scientific and industrialrevolutions progressed more slowlythan ours, but began so early thattechnology remained 100-150 yearsahead down to the 20th century.

Anglo-French hegemony inEurope took centuries to achieve.The Empire’s French subjects joinedin the power politics of Europe, theEnglish preferred to concentrate onthe sea. After the War of Lily andRose nearly broke the Empire apart,the crown tried to bind together theEmpire’s disparate componentsusing new techniques such as steamtransport, mass education, and

drawing all the noble families to thefabulous imperial palace atKensington. As merchants andindustrialists rose to prominence,they were encouraged to join thenobility by the crown practice ofgranting new titles associated withhuge fiefs overseas – a practice thatled to “freelance imperialism” legiti-mated from London after the fact. Bythe mid-19th century, the Empireencompassed the globe, and its liter-ally unrivaled power and wealth dis-guised internal divisions growingbeneath the unified façade.

To DestructionIn 1902, it all went to hell.

Opinions are still split on how a bidfor full independence by a few provin-cial magnates could have spiraled sothoroughly out of control. The atomicdestruction of London and a fewdozen other cities paled in compari-son with the tailored bioweaponsunleashed against Asiatic peoples byan imperial pretender. After ravagingChina and India, the plagues mutated,turned back west, finished off theglobal economy, and depopulatedmuch of Eurasia.

The only region left unscathedwas the southern continent ofTerraustralis (much more denselypopulated than our Australia), wherea military-technical cabal, “theCentrum,” took control. They usedtheir isolation to withdraw from theconflict, and imposed draconiansocial controls to stop the spread ofdisease and maintain food distribu-tion. By 1913, once their scientistshad devised protections against thebioweapons, they ventured out into ashattered world. They were appalledat what they saw: two-thirds of theEarth’s population was dead, andpestilence ran rampant among thesurvivors, killing one in every twochildren. Nuclear and bioweaponshad shattered the ecosystem, espe-cially in the fragile tropics; faminesand desertification threatened tostarve anyone who the plagues didnot carry off. Technology was drop-ping back to pre-industrial levelseverywhere, leading to filth anddecay and warlord feudalism of theworst kind.


The Language BarrierThe official language of Centrum is English, which sounds like a

heavily accented version of Homeline English, with a rather larger num-ber of French loan-words. As part of the drive to global cultural unity, theCentrum deliberately wiped out all other languages (a project which hadbegun, to some extent, under the old Imperial dynasty). If any familieshave retained fluency, they have certainly learned to hide it. The onlyexceptions are Latin, Greek, and Hebrew, still studied by classical schol-ars and theologians. Apart from such specialized cul-de-sacs, Centrumnever even developed a true science of linguistics – an omission that hashampered Centrum operations almost as much as the lack of nativespeakers.

Centrum is working on broadening its language base . . . indeed, that’sone of the main reasons for recruiting outtimers. The Education Servicehas been dragging its feet, but many timelines know fairly effective tech-niques for teaching languages swiftly (usually based on immersion). Itshouldn’t be too long before the Interworld Service overcomes its preju-dice against outtime ideas and starts to use them. For now, however, afluent Japanese speaker, for example, is probably not working forCentrum . . . at least not directly.

The Centrum resolved to rebuild,and to prevent future wars, by impos-ing a single, rational culture under asingle authority. The Centrum knewthat disunity caused the war, and near-ly destroyed mankind. Therefore, itwould bring unity: every survivinghuman would speak English, go to thesame schools, get enough food, andbecome an equal part of the Centrum.Most of Earth’s surviving inhabitants,starving and disease-ridden, werehappy to accept the alternative theCentrum offered – just as well, sincethey had no choice.

To Other WorldsLinda Minott was the first Centran

scientist to investigate anomalies inexotic experiments with high energydensities (known since the previouscentury). Her papers were publishedin 1908 and languished for a time, butthe potential was clear. By 1922,Centran scientists had built their firstconveyor and gone exploring.Parachronics gave the Centrum accessto the untapped resources of Earthswhere humanity had never evolved –and, in the early years, the opportuni-ty to buy or steal goods from manyparallel cultures. The Centrumbecame as wealthy in its own way asInfinity Unlimited – wealthier,because it had fewer scruples – but itpoured its wealth back into globalreconstruction.

In 1934, after a few early mishaps,the Centrum officially adopted theLockridge Protocols, a strict hands-offpolicy toward inhabited timelines(almost all of which were technologi-cally primitive, anyway), and concen-trated on mining and colonizing theempty worlds. It had more thanenough to do on its own Earth: curingthe war plagues, halting the famines,deposing the local warlords, and generally forestalling a descent intobarbarism.

After completing the reclamationof its Earth, Centrum (which droppedthe “the” in 1958 after formally com-pleting global reunification) hasreconsidered its attitude toward othertimelines. Some wanted to spread thebenefits of their civilization, bringingsuperior technology and organizationto less-developed timelines and savingthe advanced ones from suffering

their own Last War. Others believedcontinued expansion was needed forCentrum’s own health, or were simplyambitious for new fields of action. Thediscovery of Secundus (whichCentrum sees as a dangerously dis-united near-anarchy) in 2015 awokedeep-rooted fears and silenced theobjectors.

CENTRUM TODAYModern Centrum has fulfilled the

dreams of its founders. It is a self-con-sciously rational society that offersevery citizen a decent life and achance to fulfill a useful function.Everyone can rise as high as their tal-ents and drive take them, regardless ofrace, gender, or ancestry. On the otherhand, Centrum does not place a highvalue on notions of liberty or humanrights, which it tends to considersuperstitions. Society may exist for thesake of individuals, but no individualmatters much in comparison with it.

PoliticsCentrum is a regimented meritoc-

racy: all citizens enter the Service forwhich they have most aptitude and

inclination, to be promoted strictly bytalent and achievement. Each adultcitizen belongs to one of seven grades,corresponding to a specific rank with-in his Service. Everyone starts as aGrade 1 citizen, and nepotism is dis-couraged by common opinion (as wellas being illegal); people are supposedto rise on their own merits.

The Services have individual regu-lations about the meanings of the dif-ferent grades: some are more overtlyhierarchical than others. Commandprivileges never cross Service lines,but lower-grade citizens generallydefer to higher ones socially. (Theexception: any Grade 7 can commandsomeone not of his Service as thoughhe were a Grade 5 in that Service.) Allcitizens must display a badge givingtheir name, grade, Service, and per-sonal ID number. Most Services alsohave a uniform their members wearwhile on duty; Interworld’s are crim-son and midnight blue.

There are hundreds of Services,some of which employ only a few hun-dred thousand people. The most pow-erful Services are Agriculture,Education, Energy, Health, Interworld,Justice, and Logistics. The Military


Secundus: Homeline as Centrum Sees ItFrom Centrum’s perspective, Secundus is a chaotic, irrational mess

of a world. So many groups have parachronic technology, and theybarely coordinate their efforts. Centrum cannot understand why theUnited States and other leading nations aren’t fighting for dominance.

Centrum sees democracy as a primitive form of government associ-ated with Greek and Italian city-states. Itself intensely Spartan, it keepstrying to understand Secundus as a variation of Centrum, looking forthe people who really run things. Infinity Unlimited was the major can-didate (Centrum is run more like a corporation in some ways than aconstitutional republic), until Centrum realized how small Infinitywas. Now it looks like a central power too weak to control Secundus’struggling factions, and the apparent stability of the system bewildersand frightens Centrum.

Secundus seems to be a group of dangerous amateurs not preparedto confront the true implications of parachronics. Some Interworldscientists even view them as a literal threat to the universe, arguingthat the echoes, reality quakes, and some of the anomalous timelinesaround Secundus (especially the puzzle worlds, pp. 140-142) are signsthat Secundus’ parachronic technology damages the local fabric of thecontinuum. Ironically, Centrum sees Infinity’s policy on The Secret asparanoia – it understands caution on advanced worldlines, but the ideaof protecting less-advanced cultures doesn’t really exist in its mentaluniverse.

Service is poised to become moreimportant with Centrum’s new inter-ventionism, as is the new UpliftService (p. 54).

At the top, the Grade 7 coordina-tors compete to set policy, workingthrough their general assembly, theForum, which holds supreme power.Unofficial factions determine broadpolicy: the Interventionists dominateat the moment. They introduced thenew policies permitting exploration ofand (largely covert) interference ininhabited timelines. The discovery ofSecundus vindicated them in the eyesof the Pragmatics, whose main goal isprotecting Centrum from externalthreats or domestic disturbances. Themain opposition group today is theProgressives, who want furtherimprovements to Centrum’s resourcebase and technology and a generalincrease in global wealth and livingallowances before taking on large-scale projects.

SecurityThere is no single “Security

Service.” The Justice Service handlescrime – and trespassing or possessionof unauthorized items is a crime – buteach Service handles its own buildingand equipment security and manydon’t like to call in Justice. Servicecomplexes have the usual buildingsecurity systems – ID checks, cameras,and so forth.

The Logistics Service has softwarethat tracks purchases and comparesthem with grade income, so the blackmarket has to work in kind ratherthan using money. There is no paperor coined money anyway: credits onlyexist electronically.

Citizen IDs contain encoded retinalpatterns and DNA sequences; they areextremely difficult to forge at TL8 orbelow. The computer network whichkeeps track of authorizations, on theother hand, is not as secure asCentrum thinks it is. Hackers whohave familiarity with Centran systemsand an access terminal (both admit-tedly difficult to acquire) never experi-ence a penalty higher than -5, and -2 ismore common.

EducationYounger children are educated in a

variety of schools, and older ones go to

Service Colleges, but every citizenattends a Lyceum from ages 10 to 16.The keystone of the powerfulEducation Service, Lyceums areboarding schools (home visits areallowed bimonthly), which teach basicskills (p. 191) and inculcate correctattitudes. During their time at theLyceums, students are repeatedly test-ed; the Education Service is skilled atidentifying aptitudes of all sorts.Students are subtly, or sometimes bla-tantly, encouraged to join particularServices based on the results. Anyone

showing psionic aptitude is channeledinto a special program run by severalServices – the Interworld Serviceessentially drafts world-jumpers,along with teleporters and astral pro-jectors. Lyceums also use attention-and memory-enhancing drugs andTL8 sleep teachers, among otheradvanced educational protocols. TheEducation Service has tried outrightmental conditioning, but it found thatsuch imposed thought patterns tendto fade over a few months or years.

IndenturedsCentrum’s population is small enough to have a rough time support-

ing its civilization, let alone making efficient use of all the other worldswithin reach. One answer is automation, and Centrum does make fairlyextensive use of TL8 robots – but many tasks require too much flexibili-ty for machines.

Human workers from other timelines are an increasingly popularsolution. These are not Service recruits; they are not citizens at all.Rather, Centrum offers contracts of indenture: standard terms are 30years of labor with paid upkeep and settlement on a colony world at theend. Indentureds have few rights, and cannot become citizens (althoughtheir children can) unless a Service official buys out their contract andsponsors them. It is illegal to coerce anyone into signing a contract ofindenture, but perfectly acceptable to recruit, say, political prisonersfrom Reich-2 (p. 142) or future sacrifices from the Tenochca Empire onEzcalli (p. 122).


Values and MoralityCentrum’s basic values are order,

rationality, and success. Order is iden-tified with the unified state, and itsnatural opposites are anarchy andwar. Most Centrans even view techno-logical progress with suspicion,because of its potential for social dis-ruption. Rationality means facingreality, and is manifest in successfullyaccomplishing one’s goals. Centrumadmires unclouded vision andunflinching will, of the sort thatrebuilt the world after the Last War;thus, ruthlessness is very nearly avirtue to them.

Centrum does ascribe value tohuman life, and prefers to avoidkilling people. It has no patience withdiscrimination on any grounds excepttalent. The good of society is assumedto outweigh the good of any singlemember, and a major cause for con-cern is the recent growth of personalambition, and even corruption, in theupper ranks.

Living in a culturally uniformsociety, Centrans are generally nar-row-minded, and tend to blame disagreements on irrationality intheir opponents. Even Centrans of opposing philosophies have trou-ble coming to grips with each other’s arguments, and they all find itdifficult to conceive of a viewpointthat does not share most of theirassumptions.

Centrans are expansionist for dif-ferent reasons: some see gaining con-trol of other worlds as a pre-emptivestrike against any possible threat,some see it as a humanitarian inter-vention, and some think any increaseof power is its own justification. Allprefer to concentrate on the moreadvanced worlds: those are the oneswhich might discover parachronics,the ones in danger of having theirown Last War, and the ones that arerichest if they can only be organizedproperly. In any case, the logic ofCentran expansion has no limits:only an undivided sovereign power isadequate safeguard against a repeatof the Last War. Some coordinatorsdespair at this – there are, in theory,an infinity of worlds, and there is nophysical reason that the number ofaccessible ones should not keepgrowing without bound.

LifestylesPersonal wealth plays little role in

Centran society, and the complexitiesof the economy have no effect on dailylife. Citizens get basic needs free,although they only become reallycomfortable (by 21st-centuryAmerican standards) around Grade 3– a deliberate policy to encourageaspiration to higher rank. Further-more, many types of equipment areillegal for personal use. If you need astun gun, an airplane, or a general-purpose computer professionally, yourService assigns it to you; if you don’t,you have no business buying one.Centrum’s Control Rating is 5. TheJustice Service is commendably devot-ed, but it sees no point in legal nicetiesthat might stop them from quickapprehension and punishment ofcriminals; e.g., interrogation underdrugs is routine. Personal freedomsare permitted where they don’t inter-fere with public order: for example,there is free speech, but the Servicescontrol all publishing and broadcast-ing. Centrans work an eight-hour daysix days out of seven; they get Sundayoff as a holdover from officialChristianity. (Centrum does notacknowledge religion publicly; prac-tice is free but not organized. Radicalpreaching against Centrum is consid-ered treasonous disunity, just like anyradical threat.) TV is monotonous, butthe music, mostly imported fromother timelines, is extremely variedand surprisingly high in quality.

Recreational drugs of several varietiesare legal and common, thoughfrowned upon by the upper grades.

TechnologyCentrum is basically TL8, with a

few TL9 devices. Not valuing rapidtechnological progress, it has been atTL8 for almost a century, and itsmachines bear the marks of decadesof slow improvement: they are reliableand rugged rather than flashy and“cutting-edge.” Standardized powercells are used for all equipment thatdoesn’t connect to the electricity grid.Computers are very common, but usu-ally limited-program; there are lots ofspecial-purpose networks, but noInternet. Aside from communicationsand weather satellites, Centrum hasno space program worth mentioning;astrophysics is useful solely for what itreveals about parachronics or high-energy physics, and Centrum hasplenty of resources on other Earthsthat don’t require vacuum suits.

Centrum is extremely rich as asociety and has access to phenomenalamounts of raw materials. It disposesof trash, and much industrial waste,on the lifeless Q8 world Omega.Nuclear fission is perhaps the mostcommon source of electricity, sincethe Energy Service doesn’t need toworry about waste disposal. Someheavy industry has been relocated tothe colony worlds, but ecological con-trols are in effect in all the worldsCentrans inhabit.


Most Centrans live in the citiesand use public rail systems to com-mute between their apartment build-ings and Service complexes.Although old-style districts still existin many towns, modern Centranarchitecture tends heavily towardgigantic glass-and-concrete boxes.The cities are linked by air, since theTransport Service deemed rebuildingthe passenger rail network inefficientand ecologically unsound. Hydrogenfuel-cell automobiles are common inthe countryside, but few are privatelyowned; the Services, especiallyAgriculture, assign them for appro-priate uses. Cargo transport is byGEV truck and ship, many of themequipped with parachronic field gen-erators programmed to travel to oneother worldline.

MedicineCentran medicine is basically TL8,

with TL9 treatments against conta-gious diseases thanks to decades ofexperience against wild bioweapons.Centrans who travel to other worldsget panimmunity treatments (Resis-tant to Disease +8) as a matter of rou-tine. Centrum is capable of humancloning but lacks forced-growth tanks,so clones are only created as a specialprivilege for sterile citizens, publicheroes, or unusually successful coor-dinators. The Progressives supportlarge-scale cloning to increaseCentrum’s demographic base, buthave failed to win the necessary com-mitment of resources to rear so manyparentless children. Bionic implantsare available in Centrum, but most cit-izens don’t have any need for them(they are, of course, legally restricted)aside from pacemakers and the like.Centrum’s scientists have not yetcracked the neural interface problem,though they can manage prostheticswith simple, reflexive controls.Implanted communicators and hold-out weapons are common among I.S.personnel who travel in dangerousZones.

CENTRUMPARACHRONICS

According to current Centrum theory, an uncountable number ofalternate timelines are arrayed in

9-dimensional space – but para-chronic travel can reach only a smallnumber. Active parachronic technolo-gy induces a polarization effect, sothat travelers from the originatingworld can only reach the timelines inan 8-space band. Within this band,the timelines condense into waves(“quanta” to Homeliners), becomingincreasingly difficult to reach.

The timelines are configured in amathematically predictable patternthat changes slightly over time,

though parachronic travel to a time-line tends to restrict its movements.Worlds can even switch quantum, orwander into the accessible band fromoutside – a “new” timeline appearsevery few years. Events within a time-line also affect its configuration, sothat timelines move fractionally clos-er with historical events that are “sim-ilar” (a word with a precise scientificmeaning to parachronic physicists),or farther apart with events that are“dissimilar.”


Centrum WorldClassification

Centrum classifies worlds in two fashions: by Wave and by Zone. TheWave is equivalent to Homeline’s “Quantum,” although Centrum calls itsown level (Quantum 8) Wave Zero, and Homeline’s (Quantum 5), forexample, Wave Minus Three. Centrum can reach Waves Minus Two (Q6)through Two (Q10). (For the sake of clarity, even this section usesHomeline terminology.) Centrum also classifies all parallel worlds rela-tive to themselves politically, for purposes of travel and other permittedactivities.

Zone Violet: The original homeworld.Zone Indigo: Colony worlds with no other humans. Unlimited access

available to any Centrum citizen. There are three Indigo lines on Q8 andone on Q9; each has a few million people.

Zone Blue: Empty worlds, including those naturally inimical tohuman life. Access restricted by Interworld Service for safety reasons.One Blue worldline on Q8, Omega, is the official “waste disposal” world-line. There are also Q6, Q7, and Q10 Blue lines that could be colonies buthave not yet been exploited.

Zone Green: Worlds with natives under adequate control. Travelrestricted to Interworld and Uplift Service, and Grade 5s of any Service.

Zone Yellow: Worlds without established control, with natives tooprimitive to pose a serious threat. This category includes the five knownpost-holocaust worlds on Q8. Access limited to Interworld and UpliftService agents of Grade 3 or higher, or to licensed Mining Service agentsunder I.S. supervision.

Zone Orange: Worlds without established control, with natives whohave or could soon develop technology sufficient for parachronics(TL7+). Access restricted to I.S. agents with authorization from an I.S.Grade 5 or higher.

Zone Red: Hostile worlds, and those with capabilities (TL8+, psionics,or parachronics) which make them a potential danger. Access restrictedto I.S. agents with authorization from an I.S. Grade 6 or higher.

NomenclatureUntil recently, Centrum used Greek-letter designations for the empty

worlds that were its major concern: the three colony worlds in ZoneIndigo are Alpha, Beta, and Gamma, for instance. The I.S. now official-ly uses a number/letter/number code that gives Wave, Zone, and date offirst contact. For example, Homeline is Minus Three/R/2015.16.3. Inpractice, I.S. agents use and imitate Infinity’s system of names based onthe historical point of divergence or notable features in the present.

Timelines can theoretically havevery different physical laws, but onlyfairly similar ones can ever be acces-sible. Most of them have slightly dif-ferent physical laws, usually on thesub-particulate stage. Centrum canreach a few worlds with significantlydifferent natural laws, and a few time-lines with science so advanced that it’shard to tell if they have the same laws.Centrum believed parachronic physicsto be a mature science until the late1990s, when a flood of anomalousdata from more sensitive detectorscalled everything into question. In2015, the Interworld Service discov-ered the existence of Secundus, anoth-er timeline of crossworld travelers.Parachronic technology is so sensitiveto minute variations in physical lawthat it should only function in a fewtimelines, and Centrum’s paraphysi-cists were confident that these lineswould repel each other: none could becloser than Q1 or Q15. So what elseare they wrong about?

Centrum ParachronicTechnology

Like Infinity, Centrum uses convey-ors (which it calls shuttles) and pro-jectors (which it calls stations) totransport people and goods across theworldlines. Like Infinity, Centrum canonly send an unassisted conveyorbetween worlds in the same quantum.Like Infinity, their conveyors need aparachronic generator (also about1/200 of the conveyor’s mass) and apulsed power system to provide ener-gy for the jump. Infinity conveyorsneed 200 kJ of energy per ton, but themore efficient and mature Centrumdesigns require only 100 kJ per ton.Like Infinity designs, however, thepower system costs $50 and weighs 5lbs. per kJ. Centrum parachronics aremore reliable than Infinity systems;add +2 to Electronics Operation(Parachronic) skill for a Centrum-built conveyor or projector.

Jumps across quanta require sta-tions. Centrum has almost a thousandstations scattered over its surface,mostly around urban centers. It evenhas four seaborne stations that can betowed to any point in the oceans. Inaddition to serving as transport hubs,these stations monitor the timelines:from these main stations, Centrum

can reliably detect parachronic jumpsamong all accessible quanta.(Homeline can only detect jumpswithin the same worldline.) After 10minutes and a successful Physics(Parachronic) roll, an operator at sucha station (or examining its data) cantell the type of jump – projector, con-veyor, banestorm, etc. – and its quan-tum of origin. After an hour’s analysisand a second successful roll, he candetermine the specific worldline oforigin (or its parachronic coordinates,if it’s an unfamiliar line), and the phys-ical location of the jump (within a fewmiles). On a critical success, he candetermine the mass of the jump.

Centrum also uses parachronicdetectors on other worldlines, but theycan only detect jumps into the sameworldline in which the detector islocated, assuming the operator makesan Electronics Operation (Sensors)roll. They can only detect type anddirection; to get a specific quantum,worldline, or jump location requirestwo or more detectors to “triangulate”on a reading. Local detectors takethree times as long to determine spe-cific information (so determining thejump’s type and quantum requires halfan hour of work), and determiningspecific worldlines and jump locationsrequires a Physics (Parachronic) rollat -3. A local detector can fit into abulky backpack; it costs $600,000,weighs 45 lbs. and has a 1,000-yardrange. If the operator has time to setup antennas at least 12 feet away fromthe detector unit in all directions,range is expanded to two miles. Largerunits weigh 125 lbs. and cost $1.2 mil-lion for each extra two miles of range.

Centrum parachronic stations canretrieve shuttles within a half-mile of their relative location in space,except for two-quantum jumps, which

require spatial identity within 200yards. Two-quantum jumps are diffi-cult at the best of times; they can onlyoccur during a quantum “window”about an hour long. Centrum comput-ers can predict windows about fourdays in advance, but are wrong aboutthe last day about one time in six.

THEINTERWORLDSERVICE

All parachronic travel is technicallythe province of the Interworld Service,and it runs all of Centrum’sparachronic stations. In practice itdelegates much of the routine trans-port among the safe zones to the vari-ous industrial Services, but otherwisejealously guards its monopoly. Callingin the Military Service, althoughsometimes necessary, is a seriousblack mark against an I.S. agent; thiscan give a bad situation a chance toget far out of control.

The Interworld Service maintainsits own enforcers in order to avoidsuch embarrassments, and trains itsscouts and covert agents for combat.(That said, the main I.S. weapons arethe stunner and the needler; there is astrong cultural predisposition towardsubtlety within Interworld.) The I.S.values finesse as well as ordinary suc-cess, and encourages the use of localresources. Its agents are supposed totake a long view, which accounts for their preference for secrecy and infiltration over quick-and-dirty interference: they want to maintainmaximum freedom of action.

Interworld has millions of person-nel – it is far larger than its Secundananalog, the Infinity Patrol. However,agents considered adequately trained


Parachronic CommunicationsTo send messages between worlds, Centrum uses 10-lb. message-cap-

sule conveyors, often equipped with radio transmitters and a ducted-fanengine to carry them to a safe height for the jump. Manned conveyorshave an independent internal “mailbox” that they use when out-quan-tum, exchanging it regularly with a corresponding mailbox at home (aslong as they are still in range of a station). Message drones are not usedas often on Q6 and Q7 missions: Centrum isn’t sure how good Infinity’sscanning techniques are, but it’s best to err on the side of caution.

to plan or complete missions onuncontrolled timelines are uncom-mon, and those teams make it worseby competing for the limited missionsavailable. Harsh internal criticismdoes insure that every mission is thor-oughly planned, with fail-safes andbackups, but it also cuts down thetotal number of operations.

Recruiting in Other Worlds

Centrum respects talent, andInterworld is painfully aware of hownarrow its skill base can be. Under a2012 amendment to the LockridgeProtocols, the Interworld Service hasthe right to invite “especially worthy”outtimers to sign up as Grade 1trainees. Candidates then endure abattery of tests for existing abilities,potential, and reliability, so the Serviceknows what to do with them. Testingpoorly probably means being stuck inunimportant roles; failing the loyaltytest brings either restricted movementsand close monitoring (for those toovaluable to lose) or exile – or even exe-cution, if the candidate is viewed as apotential danger. (The agent whorecruited an executed candidate cancount on nuclear waste disposal dutyfor the rest of his career, at best.)Testing well, officially, can qualify anouttimer for probationary citizenship.

Outtimers are the only group whosuffer from widespread social preju-dice on Centrum. Officially, recruitshave the same chance for promotionas anyone else; unofficially, the I.S. islikely to peg them to mid-level posi-tions without much chance ofadvancement, especially if they werechosen in the first place because of aspecial talent for science, languages,or psionics.

Interworld PoliciesThe Interworld Service has no way

of investigating timelines besidessending people in to take a look.Normally the first survey plants sever-al teams in sites where most timelineshave important cities (Jericho,Constantinople, London, Nanking,New Orleans). After that, they use aer-ial surveys in Zones Blue and Yellow,lots more agents in Zone Orange, anda few hand-picked agents in Zone Red.

It is important to note that

Centrum has no general policy ofsecrecy about parachronics. In ZoneYellow, agents usually pose as “visitorsfrom afar,” and use high-tech equip-ment almost freely; Centrum doesn’treally care what the natives think aslong as they’re not a threat. In at leasttwo low-tech worlds (includingArachne, a Quantum 7 former echo inthe 16th century) the Uplift Servicehas deliberately revealed the existenceof Centrum in the process of creatingpuppet governments.

In Zones Orange and Red, the I.S.is much more cautious, and strictlyforbids revelation of parachronic trav-el to anyone who might conceivablybuild their own conveyors. If theyknow enough about how the localsthink, they will have a cover storyplanned to fit the local conspiracymythology in case of exposure. For alate-20th-century echo, they wouldbring in a UFO or black helicopter.Centrum’s primary goal is always toattain a level of influence sufficient toblock the development of parachron-ics. But most I.S. personnel also wantto be in a position to save any othertimeline from a Last War, whichstrengthens their general preferencefor timelines with a hegemonic powerover those with competing states.Centrum usually picks one side (theone they think they can infiltrate andmodify most easily) and subtly buildsit up while undercutting its rivals. IfInfinity shows up on the other side,Interworld weighs the options – goingdeep underground to sabotage thePatrol, openly providing one side withhigh-tech weapons and advisers, orsomething in between.

Interworld and the Echoes

Almost 300 Quantum 6 timelinesduplicate Secundus at some earlierpoint in its history. Parachronic physi-cists believe that having Secundus’parachonics operating so close toCentrum’s is creating an interferenceeffect attracting these timelines fromoutside the accessible band. Granted,these are the same scientists who werecertain Secundus could not exist, butthere is still evidence for their new the-ory: the echoes go through predictableperiods of paratemporal instability.During such periods (about a third ofthe time), an echo can shift configura-tion very easily, and outtimers’ inter-ference in their histories can causethem to shift to another quantum –sometimes across several at once! (SeeTimeline Shifting, p. 104.) After amajor change to local history the time-line tends to stabilize in place,whether it shifted or not.

As a result, the echoes havebecome the major “front” in the warwith Secundus. Most scientists agreethat shifting enough of the echoes intohigher quanta will eventually causeSecundus itself to shift to a lowerquantum via an action-reaction prin-ciple, possibly even out of the accessi-ble band altogether. Centrum is alsoattracted by the idea of adding to theworlds available for eventual exploita-tion. Operations on many Q9 and Q10timelines have been put on hold whilethe Interworld Service concentrateson the echoes: if Centrum doesn’t seizethem now, it may never be able to.


Interworld ThinkingField agents of the Interworld Service are often more broad-minded

than their coordinators, but they still have trouble understanding radi-cally different viewpoints like democracy or fundamentalist religion.Secundus confuses them terribly because of Infinity’s leasing parachron-ics to governments and corporations. Even those coordinators whomight favor negotiation with Secundus see it as an anarchy – betweenInfinity, the U.N., and powerful national governments, there’s no one tosign a treaty with!

Interworld Service agents are trained to take a long view, which is onereason they prefer infiltration to visible intervention. The other is thatmassive force means losing control of local affairs to the Military orUplift Service.

At present, Centrum has shiftednine echoes to Q7 and six to Q8 orhigher; two were sent to Q5 by mis-taken calculations. Four more haveaccidentally been shifted to a higherquantum by Secundus, which hasalso moved three to lower quanta(and one back to Q6 from Q7):Infinity can rarely judge the effects ofan intervention.

The Uplift ServiceSplit off from the Interworld

Service in 2012, with some personnelfrom several other Services, the UpliftService is assigned the job of civilizingthe less developed timelines whereCentrum has acquired control. Withrecent policy changes and the waragainst Secundus, there are manymore such worlds than in the past,and Centrum is finding the task moreof a strain than anticipated.

Uplift is essentially divided into pri-vate fiefs of small coordinator groups,each with its own idea of how best tomodify a world for immediateexploitation and long-term absorp-tion. They are being given an unusual-ly free hand: the consensus is that theonly rational way to proceed is to trymany different systems and checkback in a generation to see how suc-cessful they have been. Rather hard onthe natives, but their current chaoticsqualor is not very attractive either.

CENTRUMCAMPAIGNS

The most obvious use of Centrumis as a villain in the default InfiniteWorlds campaign. The home worldgenerally remains offstage, butInfinity Unlimited would dearly loveto know more about its enemy.Patrolmen who prove exceptionallygood at infiltration (or at ticking offtheir superiors) may find themselvesassigned to visit Quantum 8 via anexus portal or psionic world-jumperand report back. The odds of survival,let alone success, are not good unlessthe recon team has an edge – a rogueCentran to train or even guide them,at least, and perhaps also specialresources like psionics, magic, orstrange technology. Centrum seemsvery vulnerable to magic; it just doesn’t fit at all in their technocratic,

rational worldview. AlthoughCentrum is a no-mana world, thePatrol could always find a mana-enhancing reality shard somewhere tohelp bring the fun in. The prize forsuccess would be information: howCentrum thinks in general, how theycalculate timeline shifts, or perhapsnews of a major Centrum operation tostop just in the nick of time (seeCentrum Plots to Foil, below).

The Infinity WarGenerally, however, Centrans show

up on other timelines. Quantum 6 isthe major focus of the struggle, but theInterworld Service operates every-where. Centrum has a lot less troubleinfiltrating a relatively open societylike Homeline than vice versa, so theymight even show up in low-quantumworlds, although they would need aspecial reason to risk it. No such rea-son is necessary on Q7 or even Q6:Centrum gives the Interworld Serviceall the resources needed to operatewithin its natural sphere of influence.

Centrum can also appear as anadversary in other crossworld cam-paigns: it would probably just try torecruit any independent travelers, but

it would be remorselessly opposed toany threat to its parachronic monop-oly. (But make sure that it can’t invadedirectly, to keep the campaign a war ofinfluence instead of just a war.)Although the Military Service is smallcompared to Homeline armies (onlyhalf a million men), it is expert atblitzkrieg-style strikes on lower-techfoes, and with its TL9 weaponry, itwould be a mouthful even for somehigh-tech armies.

In either case, Centrans can fit any“secret agent” character type. It isoften difficult to fit continuing NPCsinto a crossworld campaign, but aCentran could be the mastermindwhose schemes the players cross, theshadowy contact who gives theminformation but has a private agenda,or the misguided professional rival(usually of the opposite sex) who triesto recruit the PCs . . . or at least themost attractive one.

Playing CentransPlayers could also participate in

the infinity war from the other side.Some groups may like to play the vil-lains now and then. Or they could playouttimers recruited from situations


Centrum Plots to FoilInfinity Unlimited has no idea that one of Centrum’s reasons for

“stealing” echo timelines is to try and shift Homeline into a lower quan-tum. In fact, Centrum is trying to adjust timeline configurations to shiftit from Quantum 5 all the way to Quantum 3. Not only would that strandall the Homeliners unlucky enough to be on Q6 and Q7, it would makeHomeline easily accessible by conveyor from the dangerous Q3 linessuch as Merlin-1 (p. 134), Reich-5, and Shikaku-mon (p. 146).

A group of Pragmatics and Progressives has been arguing for a dif-ferent approach: build a large conveyor-equipped armada on one of theechoes shifted to Q8, then deliberately shift it through Q6 into Q5 andinvade Homeline directly. The main argument against this tactic hasbeen the expense: although the Infinity Patrol is fairly small, the collec-tive armed forces of Homeline dwarf the Military Service. But ifCentrum were to gain more advanced weaponry (say, from Caliph,p. 117) or find allies among Homeline terrorists, it might try it.

A small faction of coordinators favor offering parachonic technologyto worlds in other quanta, calculating that a partnership could controlthe other worlds more easily than Centrum alone. This viewpoint isunlikely to gain much popularity in the Forum, but if some setback pan-icked Centrum badly enough they might try to create a second front forInfinity on Q3 or Q4. (Reich-5 makes a spookily tempting target for suchan offer.) Centran renegades are more likely to try this, since breakingsecrecy would be one way to win high position in a parallel world!

horrible enough for Centrum to seemlike a savior. If they want to try fixingup their home timeline or timelines,the Interworld Service allows them toimplement any plan that leavesCentrum in charge. If they are reallysuccessful, they may be transferred tothe Uplift Service, and told to do itagain!

Alternatively, the GM can makeCentrum nicer, and perhaps get rid ofthe dimension war entirely. There isstill a basic difference in approach:while the Infinity Patrol spends mostof its time cleaning up other people’smesses, the Interworld Service placesmore emphasis on making messes oftheir own.

If the players are going to try “steal-ing” an echo, the stereotypicalCentrum mission, they need a histori-cal change: the GM can assign one, or,if the players know their history, theycan try to figure something out them-selves. Anything that makes Homelinehistory more like Centrum is fairgame (see Putting a Little English OnIt, p. 87) – but the direction of shiftusually can’t be calculated for nukingcities and similar gross shifts. Playersshould also remember to have a back-up plan in case their first try doesn’twork.

The most common InterworldService mission, actually, is long-terminfiltration, building up Centrum’spower structure on a given timeline oracquiring knowledge as safely as theypossibly can. Player groups are morelikely to be assigned brief support mis-sions, brought in to provide expertisethat the infiltrators need to improvetheir position – often through illegal

means like breaking and entering,theft, or “vanishing” some individual.

Investigation missions are anotherpossibility: Centrum is continually onthe alert for Infinity’s influence, and inthe process has frequently uncoveredanomalies in worlds they thought theyunderstood. There are also straight-forward survey missions, either tonewly appeared timelines or to worldsCentrum is only now getting around

to examining in depth (usuallybecause they now have someone whocan stumble through the local lan-guages). Some Zone Yellow worldssurely have undiscovered features – abarbarian world might turn out to bepost-holocaust, with remnants of theold high culture still around, or a localsuperstition about magic might turnout to be rooted in some sort of fact.


Alternate Infinite WarsThe dimension war can be a very stable setting: neither side really has

the resources to exclude the other completely, and they are immune todirect attack. But GMs who want to upset the applecart have severaloptions, too. First, another timeline could get parachronics and try tocarve out its own (single-quantum) sphere of influence; Reich-5 is on thecusp of being just such a threat, and if the Chronobahn (p. 79) extendsoutside Q3, it could be an even worse one. To alter the current balanceeven farther, perhaps some unexplained shift knocks Reich-5 intoQuantum 6, right between Homeline and Centrum!

For a major change to the existing setting, have the echo shifts final-ly create the backlash Centran scientists theorize and shift Homeline toQuantum 4 or Quantum 3. Or have it work, but not quite as expected:shift Secundus to Quantum 6 and turn the game into an open war. Orshift Homeline out of the accessible band entirely – a victory! Of course,then Centrum has to deal with the Infinity personnel left behind, whosuddenly have a lot less incentive to keep parachronics secret, and a rea-son for revenge on a massive scale. Or shift Centrum to Q9 or Q10(“whoops, inverted the sign in that equation”) and give it a whole new setof worlds to worry about.

A technological breakthrough is another possibility. Psionic world-jumpers can travel between quanta indefinitely far from Centrum orSecundus: that would let the “Infinite Worlds” live up to their name. Ifthe technique (or some other that ignores quantum restrictions) getsbrought from outside by another crossworld culture, the dimension warwould gain a participant that might even force Centrum into alliancewith Infinity.

Playing the Uplift Service

One possible campaign couldinvolve a team of Uplift Service coor-dinators assigned to “civilize” a ZoneYellow (or possibly Orange) world. Inorder to absorb the worldline eventu-ally, long-term cultural changes willlikely be needed (see Try to Change theWorld, p. 105). The basic goals arepolitical unity, meritocratic hierarchy,

and technical progress (up to a stableTL5 or 6, anyway); it would be a nicebonus to make them English-speak-ing. The means used are completelyup to the players: they have a largebudget and a few hundred personnel,but are unlikely to get much morehelp without impressive intermediateresults. The GM should be generouswith equipment requested at thebeginning of the campaign, but stingy

with afterthoughts. (“You do have anentire world of your own; surely youcan find a tank-killing robot some-where.”)

Such a campaign features a lot ofplayer freedom and a more reactiveGM role – but plan on some surprises,and don’t forget that Infinity is likelyto interfere if they can. ConsultWorldline Conquest Made (Relatively)Easy on p. 208 for more suggestions.Centrans are likely to underestimatethe natives, confusing primitive withstupid, and being confused wheneverthey don’t act “rationally” – which is tosay, like Centrans. Centrum’s leadersalso underestimate the danger that anUplift team, in learning to understandthe natives, might come to identifywith them. This could lead to someinteresting moral conflicts among thePCs themselves (or the players!) orwith their superiors and subordinates.

RenegadesA campaign could also be built

around a team that breaks away fromCentrum. The game could start withrenegades, or with an agent group thatslowly becomes disillusioned withtheir superiors and decides to strikeout on their own. If they go over toInfinity Unlimited, they might tip thebalance of power. Finding a niche forthemselves in some other timelineought to be possible, but would notmake for very good gaming unlessthey were trying to carve out anempire, ran across something unex-pected, or both. Creating a new groupof crossworld travelers is also a possi-bility, but would bring down the wrathof Centrum and Infinity together.


Centrum Dark, Centrum Light

Centrans as presented in the default Infinite Worlds setting are notnice people. While not especially corrupt, they are faintly paranoid, oftennarrow-minded, and definitely ruthless. (Or, in their eyes: concernedwith defense, impatient with archaic or senseless practices, and prag-matic in their determination to accomplish their goals.) It’s easy enoughto make them even more villainous; all they need is a suitably viciousideology. Although that ecological niche would seem well filled by Reich-5, perhaps Centrum is an atheist, Communist technocracy full of gulagsfor recalcitrant Arabic-speakers. This can set up a nice “WWII, Again”scenario as Infinity has to ally with its mortal foes to defeat a differentbatch of mortal foes.

GMs who want a nicer Centrum, perhaps as a home base for PCs, cantransform it without too much trouble. Credit it with genuine goodintentions towards other timelines (of course, it may still have troubleunderstanding foreign viewpoints), and give Centrum Light more regardfor individuals in place of their end-justifies-the-means communitarian-ism. Play up their genuine abhorrence of racism and sexism, and theirdevout concern for the ecology and for equality of opportunity. CentrumLight could even have a democratically elected Parliament in place of theForum, although it would be fun toplay with variant democracy.Perhaps everyone has votesequal to their citizenship grade,and actual candidacy for office isrestricted to Grade 7s. Homelinecan be replaced with a more vil-lainous timeline, removed fromthe setting altogether, or evenkept the same, with both sidescoming to see past the nastystereotypes each has of the other.

Perhaps this can lead to trueevolution in Centrum, letting itaccept partners instead of rivalsor subjects. Centrum andHomeline could anchor aFederation of Worlds, spreadacross hundreds of parallel Earths,pooling their technology and resources, planting colonies, and sendingdiplomats and scholars to more primitive worlds. The InterworldService and Infinity could become multi-world institutions handlingexploration – and defense against a fully mobilized Reich-5 and itsThousand-World Dream.

REICH-5This parallel diverged from

Homeline with the assassination ofPresident-elect Franklin Roosevelt byGiuseppe Zangara in 1933, and thereturn of the United States to isola-tionism. While America sank furtherinto depression and despair, Hitler’sGermany and Imperial Japandestroyed the Western Allies.Emboldened by this victory, the fascistUnion Party swept to power in theUnited States under William DudleyPelley (leader of the Silver Shirts para-military organization he modeled onthe Brownshirts) in 1944.

After German troops and atomicweapons crushed the American anti-fascist movement, the United Statesbecame a partner in the World-Axisalong with Nazi Germany andImperial Japan. America slowly crum-bled, never quite able to shoulder itsshare of the totalitarian burden, butnever quite able to throw off the fas-cist yoke. Germany pursued the irondream into space, and Japan retreatedever further into its bushido fantasies,the two powers dimly aware that theyonly had each other to blame, to con-quer, and to learn from. Corrupt gov-ernors and generals began to pursuetheir own ends as ideologies born inwar and conquest softened anddecayed in the endless peace.

Then came the Ausbruch, the“breakout” into other worlds.Suddenly, the Reich had new worldsto conquer – and the destiny of theAryan race to mold on a thousandtimelines. Fortunately, the Reich as awhole doesn’t know it . . . yet.

HISTORY

Hitler VictoriousThe Great Depression spawned

demagogues in all the world’s GreatPowers, from pacifists in Britain tosocialists in France and fascists inGermany. All three types were activein the United States. FDR’s assassina-tion left the country adrift, and itmoved from the well-meaning liberal-ism of President John Nance Garnerto the “strong hand” of RepublicanPresident Charles Lindbergh, who

publicly proclaimed that fascism wasthe “wave of the future.” America’ssocialists and communists opposedhim, and when the Depression contin-ued to deepen, Lindbergh was votedout in 1940 in favor of the socialistDemocrat Henry Wallace.

By then, Hitler’s blitzkrieg hadswallowed Poland and toppled Francein weeks. Had the United States sentaid, Britain might have survived, butwithout FDR, America remainedtrapped in isolationism and depres-sion. With the fall of Britain to unre-stricted submarine warfare inOctober, Hitler was free to turn on hisally Stalin, launching “OperationBarbarossa” in May, 1941. BySeptember, Moscow had fallen to thepanzers of the Third Reich. Operatingon interior lines, the Nazis easily with-stood the uncoordinated counterat-tacks of the primitive Red Army, andby the end of 1942, the Soviet Unionhad been conquered and incorporatedby Germany as the Reichsostland. TheSecond World War was over.

As Germany swallowed Europe(and by extension, Africa), Japan con-quered the East, from the invasion ofManchuria in 1931 to the fall ofAustralia in 1943. China ground downthe Japanese Army in guerrilla war-fare, and the invasion of India stalledin Bengal, but the Japanese militarycommanded virtually the entirePacific rim. Its only obstacle wasdepression-ridden, unstable, isolation-ist America. On September 2, 1944,the Japanese struck the Americanbases in the Philippines, Guam, andHawaii simultaneously. The Japaneseattack was the deathblow to Americandemocracy.

America DestroyedAmerica’s fascist movements, cre-

ated by the Depression and energizedby Hitler’s victories, had grown steadi-ly for over a decade. Their leader wasWilliam Dudley Pelley of NorthCarolina, whose Silver Shirt brigadewas modeled on Hitler’s brownshirtedSA. Pelley and other American fas-cists, including the anti-Semitic “radiopriest” Father Charles Coughlin,Lawrence Dennis, G.S. Viereck, and

Seward Collins, formed the UnionParty in 1936 to bring fascism toAmerica. Wallace’s economic radical-ism proved unworkable, and alongwith his increasing tendency to rule bythe mob, he succeeded only in drivingincreasing numbers of Americans intothe Union Party. Pelley joinedLindbergh’s Republicans as the Vice-Presidential candidate in the 1944election on a “unity ticket” that racedahead of Wallace in the polls.

Wallace was unable to gain thesupport of industry or the military,which he had thoroughly alienatedduring his term. An unknown gunmanshot and killed Lindbergh on October22, 1944, and Pelley was swept intothe Presidency amidst rioting andchaos while Japanese carrier forcesbombed Los Angeles and Seattle andblocked the Panama Canal. TheGerman invasion of Canada in 1945only added to the chaos, and Pelleydeclared martial law and a state ofemergency. Republicans and Demo-crats alike rejected Pelley’s seizure ofdictatorial powers, and Pelley calledon Germany to help “restore order” inthe United States. Senator Robert Taftof Ohio emerged as the leader of theanti-Pelley opposition, and was nomi-nated by both the Democrats and theRepublicans in 1948. Pelley’s UnionParty thugs, the so-called “UnionArmy,” were more interested in bat-tling the U.S. Army and lynchingblacks and Jews than in defending thecountry, and only Japan’s continuingmeat-grinder in China and India pre-vented an actual Japanese invasion.When Pelley blatantly stole the elec-tion from Taft, it escalated the situa-tion into wholesale civil warfare andthe Germans sent 40 divisions intoAmerica on Pelley’s side.

Even the slightest chance of suc-cess for the anti-Pelley forces evapo-rated when Werner Heisenberginvented the atomic bomb in 1950.After secret tests in the Reichsostland,the bomb was used on four Americancities on June 27, 1950. Resistance col-lapsed abruptly, and Nazi Germanywas the master of three continentswhen Adolf Hitler died on October 31,1951.


Deutschland Über AllesFollowing a brief behind-the-

scenes power struggle, ReinhardHeydrich, the second-in-command ofthe SS, became the Nazi Führer andset about consolidating Germany’sgains, formalizing the division ofIndia with Japan, completing the paci-fication of America and Russia, andbeginning the German conquest ofspace. When Japan and Americasigned the Washington-Tokyo Axis in1961, Heydrich established the World-Axis to cement the three great fascistpowers’ alliance, increasing the role offascist America to balance ImperialJapan. In 1965, Germany transferredCanada to American administration tocompensate for the loss of Alaska,Hawaii, and the Philippines to Japan.When Heydrich died in 1975, Germanjackboots had walked on the moonand Mars, and America’s dictatorswere fully integrated into the Germanworld system.

Resistance to the World-Axis wassporadic, the most serious being the“Uprising of ’76” in America, whichthe SS only put down after levelingfive cities and decimating the popula-tion in rebel areas. Führer ViktorAlchsneiss followed that victory withthe destruction of rebels in Afghan-istan and Peru; saturation bombingwith neutron warheads wiped themout in 1983. Since then, the rule of theThird Reich over an enslaved worldhas run ever more smoothly with theorbiting of global spy satellites, theinvention of sophisticated computersurveillance technology, and the slowbut steady expansion of Hitler’s dreamto the stars.

GEOPOLITIKAlthough fascist Italy and

Argentina still maintain some freedomof action, dominating satellite states oftheir own such as Turkey and Peru,they remain essentially appendages ofGerman imperial policy and econom-ics. Finland, Suid-Afrika, and Spainare nearly independent, with their owncorporate cartels, no Gestapo presenceto speak of in their cities, and noLuftwaffe or Kriegsmarine bases ontheir soil. (The same could be said forthe Central Asian khanates, or fascistEire, Mexico, and Brazil, but thesemarginal states are barely able to keep

their own populations under the heel.)However, they keep their domesticindependence only by slavishly follow-ing Germany’s lead in all external mat-ters, no better than the German puppetstates like Vichy France, Hungary,Rumania, Sweden, or Bulgaria.Essentially, the world has three greatpowers – Germany, Japan, andAmerica – and only two superpowers.

Greater Germany and the Third Reich

Stretching from the mouth of theRhine to the borders of the Ukraineand from the Baltic Sea to the Alps,Grossdeutschland (Greater Germany)adds Denmark, Holland, Switzerland,Austria, Lithuania, Poland, and partsof Belgium and Czechoslovakia to pre-war Germany. Only “true Germans”are allowed to become citizens ofGreater Germany, and the 140 millioncitizens who live in the Nazi heartlandlord it over the 35 million Slavs (pri-marily Czechs and Poles) who perform all the menial labor andhousehold duties in the Reich.German citizens (generally loyal andpatriotic; Germany is CR4 forGermans) have the highest standardof living in the world, paid for byimmense slave labor factories in theReichsostland.

Germany’s massive autobahnsspeed agricultural produce, coal, and

iron from the General-Gouvernment-Poland in the east to the industrial furnaces of the Ruhr in the west.Germany’s factories, the cleanest andmost advanced in the world, turn outenormous quantities of aircraft, motorvehicles, armaments, chemicals, plas-tics, advanced composites, and optics.Germany resembles a gigantic indus-trial park, with enormous greenspaces and forest belts even in themiddle of industrial cities likeMunich, Düsseldorf, Breslau, andBrünn. The state scrupulously main-tains wildlife refuges and keeps a cra-dle-to-grave welfare state firmly inplace. Giant stadiums, hospitals, andconcert halls dominate the skylines ofthe clean, orderly cities of the Reich.

Behind these Albert Speer marbleand granite facades, however, theReich’s internal politics have curdledto poison. Heydrich seized power socompletely and effectively uponHitler’s death that he was able topurge his rivals and enforce compli-ance and discipline throughout theParty. He even managed to bring theSS to heel, thanks to his own networkwithin it. Heydrich was confidentenough in his own power to formallynominate a successor, the BalticGerman Viktor Alchsneiss, and let himbuild a power base first asOstminister, and then as Reichsführer-SS. When Führer Alchsneiss died in2001, his own hand-picked successor,


Gunther Wallraff, had no such base,having been shuffled from job to job,winding up as Propaganda Minister.Führer Wallraff retains the loyalty ofthe “Balts” promoted by Alchsneiss(who realize that they will all bepurged if someone else becomesFührer), but without the SS, theWehrmacht, the Luftwaffe, or theParty machinery solidly behind him,Nazi politics have begun to seize up.Individual ministers spend more timespying on each other and jockeying forpower than they do moving the Reichforward, and rumors persist of secretmurders within the Reichschancelleryand bodies dropped silently into theSpree River.

Reichsostland and the Colonies

It is another story in the conqueredterritories: the murders are no secret,and the bodies are left in piles.Although occupied Paris is almost civ-ilized, and the French farmers havenot felt a killing famine in almost 20years, to the east and south the glovesare off the Nazi fist. (The Reich-sostland and the colonies are CR6 forall non-German inhabitants.) Theinhabitants of the former SovietUnion (except for the Far Easternprovinces annexed to Manchukuo by Japan) are all slave laborers, the property of the Ostministerium(Eastern Ministry) of the Reich. The Reichsostland is divided into five Reichskommissariate (Ostland,Ukraine, Caucasus, Muscovy, andSiberia), each under a Reichskomissar.Each Reichskomissar is a Nazi Partyofficial, assisted by the overall militarycommander and the SS commanderfor the district. Over two millionGermans have settled in theReichsostland (especially in theUkraine) drawn by the immense sup-ply of free land and slave labor avail-able to German colonists. Many largeGerman cartels maintain immensefactories in the East, where the strictenvironmental and worker-safety lawsof Greater Germany do not apply. Thecartels dump nuclear, chemical, andother wastes in Siberia, especially inareas already strip-mined of theirmineral deposits.

If possible, things are even worse inAfrica and India, where theReichskolonialamt (RKA) maintains

order with brutality and massacres,while working millions of slaves todeath in uranium mines and coffeeplantations. The RKA is a civilianoffice under the Party, and its securitytroops are low-class thugs and bulliesunfit for either the military or the SS.India is a much-preferred posting forRKA administrators due to its betterclimate and more sophisticated urbanlife. Although Nazi rule over India isharsh, resistance to the Reich is farless common there than in Africa.Gangs of Indians work vast textile fac-tories and plantations under nativeoverseers, who report to the RKA. Thesizable Wehrmacht garrison in Indiaboth keeps order and watches the border of Japanese-run Bengal.

ReichsprotektorateReichsprotektorate are nations that

exercise some independence in localaffairs, but are garrisoned byWehrmacht troops and have internalorder kept by the SS and local secretpolice. (Most of them are CR5 for goodcitizens, CR6 for Kurds, Irish, or othertroublesome minorities.) Usually, thehead of the local fascist party governsa Reichsprotektorat, supervised by aGerman Nazi Party Reichsleiter. Themajor Reichsprotektorate are Britain,Norway, Egypt, Persia, Arabia, andMesopotamia. Local fascist parties(Union Fascist and Nasjonal Samling,respectively) run Britain and Norway as national socialist states, with small detachments of Gestapo andlarge Luftwaffe and Kriegsmarinebases. The German military and IG Farben, the chemical cartel responsible for oil production, dom-inate Egypt, Persia, Arabia, andMesopotamia.

SS BurgundyHeinrich Himmler carved the most

bizarre state in Europe out of easternFrance in 1944. The State ofBurgundy, with its capital at Bisanz(in the original French, Besançon), isessentially a feudal fief belonging tothe SS, comprising the old provincesof Burgundy and Champagne inFrance. Governed solely by the SS,Burgundy operates under SS law andoutside German governmental juris-diction. (Its crazy quilt of laws aver-ages out to CR5.) Himmler dreamedof a rebirth of the medieval TeutonicOrder’s Ordensstaat, a crusading state

devoted solely to the SS. Himmlerintended Burgundy to provide a pureAryan homeland for the SS to recruitfrom, where from cradle to grave nothought but SS orthodoxy would exist.Himmler’s mystical beliefs receivedfull play there, and slave laborersrebuilt many medieval castles of theTeutonic Order stone by stone.

Following Himmler’s sudden deathand the rise of his deputy Heydrich tothe position of Führer, Burgundybecame a dumping ground for the“occult Aryan” mystics who were pre-venting useful research into nuclearphysics or rocketry. Heydrich promot-ed the head of the Ahnenerbe (the divi-sion of the SS concerned with“Ancestral Heritage” and racial-cultur-al research, including research intoparapsychology and occultism) fromReichsmanager to Ordenführer andplaced the Ahnenerbe in charge ofadministering the Ordensstaat ofBurgundy, subject only to theReichsführer-SS. By the 1980s, the SSwas running Burgundy as a touristcenter for propaganda purposes andusing its mountains and forests as atraining ground for SS cadets. Sincethe late 1960s, Burgundy has also heldthe secret bank accounts of many highofficials of the Reich who avoidGerman taxation by paying discreetbribes to the corrupt overlords of theSS State.

The Japanese EmpireThe Japanese Empire rules nearly

half the world’s population, eitherdirectly or through its network ofsatellite states and colonies. TheEmpire proper includes the JapaneseHome Islands, the smaller islands ofthe Pacific from Okinawa to Tahiti,Korea, Taiwan, Hainan, Sakhalin, andHawaii. (The Home Islands are CR4for Japanese citizens and CR6 forKoreans and other foreigners, includ-ing Hawaiian natives.) China,Australia, New Zealand, and Alaskaare the “Outer Empire,” whichremains considerably more milita-rized than the Home Islands (CR6).The Emperor Naruhito is the divineembodiment of the sun god, and rulesthe Empire through a network of aris-tocratic bureaucrats, interlinked byfamily and career loyalties with thekeiretsu cartels and the military.


The Home Islands are slowlyreturning to a more traditional econo-my of small rice farms as the heavyindustries move to Korea, Manch-ukuo, or the Outer Empire. ManyJapanese have also begun commercialfish farming and whale ranching inthe vast waters of the Pacific, operat-ing from huge floating factories.Japan’s increasing isolation emptiesits parks, gardens, and Shinto shrines(except for students and the occasion-al tourist) as its population ages. Withthe real work handled by “invisible”foreign slaves and robots, the domes-tic population has leisure to grow rice,read classic poetry, and (for those withthe right connections) plug intoincreasingly violent and pornographicholographic simulations. A network offast maglev trains and hydrofoils con-nects virtually all cities in Japan; pri-vate use of automobiles is severelyrestricted. Non-Japanese airlines(Lufthansa, Pan Am, Aerolineas,Alitalia) are restricted to NagasakiAirport, on the western end ofKyushu.

The Kempei Tai, the Japanese mil-itary secret police, have gone over thelast generation from one of the mostdangerous intelligence agencies in theworld to a bureaucratized homelandsecurity service. Obsessed with count-ing foreigners, tracking the slaves andkeeping the others out of Japan, it hasallowed other operations to drift.Kempei Tai agents overseas havemostly cast their lot in with the cor-rupt generals and keiretsu bosses whoreally run the colonies, filing proforma reports to a Tokyo headquartersincreasingly concerned with courtfashion and decreasingly engagedwith anything else. With no intelli-gence-gathering competition, nobodyat the Imperial Court has noticed.

The Outer EmpireThe Japanese military runs China

as a feudal empire, with various gen-erals leasing slave labor and factoriesin their fiefdoms to Japan’s immensekeiretsu industrial combines. Japaneserule in China is particularly brutal,with massacres of the Chinese popula-tion a matter of routine for the slightest sign of rebellion. Famines arecommonplace, as the produce fromChina’s farms is sent to Japan or thesatellite states. Japan also tests its

atomic weapons in the Gansu desertin northern China, and, like theGermans in Siberia, dumps its toxicwastes in the Chinese interior.

Australia, Alaska, and NewZealand, collectively known as theShinryodo (New Territories), are beingturned into Japanese colonies as mil-lions of native Japanese emigrate fromtheir crowded cities to these wideopen spaces. Following the wholesaleexecutions of the former military, eco-nomic, and political leadership, Japandeported the white population ofthese areas to America or Britain,where they drifted into crime orjoined the security forces. Many emi-grated to Suid-Afrika, which was ingreat need of white settlers to policeits newly acquired African territories.

Daitoa Koei Han’iThe entire Pacific Rim from

Vancouver to Vladivostok and fromCalcutta to Honolulu is tied into a vasteconomic union coordinated fromTokyo, the Daitoa Koei Han’i (GreaterEast Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere).Japanese keiretsu are the engine ofthis economy, operating freelythroughout the Co-Prosperity Sphereand selling their manufactured goodsto a billion-person captive marketbehind a maze of tariff and importregulations.

The satellite states provide rawmaterials and cheap labor for thekeiretsu – rubber from Malaya, oilfrom Borneo and Java, minerals from

Sumatra and Burma. Some of thesatellites, such as Manchukuo and thePhilippines, have moved into heavymanufacturing, primarily producingtextiles, chemicals, and steel. Others,such as Bengal, Indochina, and Java,remain predominantly agricultural,but Calcutta, Saigon, and Batavia areas industrialized as any Chinese cor-porate hell-city. All of the satellitestates have extensive Japanese mili-tary bases. However, as the Japanesegovernment continues to drift into sta-sis, more and more of these bases havetaken over local industries – first tofeed themselves, and then to claimtheir share of the keiretsu profits – andcut their own deals with local crimelords or ethnic chiefs. The satellitesare slowly becoming warlord statesoutside the sight of the Emperor.

Fascist AmerikaThe United States has been on the

verge of a “complete recovery” for thelast 40 years. Things are better thanthey were in the 1950s, whenPresident Pelley dictated spiritualchannelings over the radio to a coun-try occupied by the Wehrmacht andsmoldering after atomic bombard-ment and civil war. Under PresidentGeorge Lincoln Rockwell, Americagrew to be one of the three GreatPowers in the World-Axis. This wasdue not so much to Rockwell’s largelyindolent Presidency as to its large baseof educated, skilled labor, its high level


of industrial and technological devel-opment before the War, and substan-tial aid and assistance from Germany,which saw America as a white coun-terweight to Japanese Asia.

Rockwell was badly shaken by theUprising of ’76, and came close to los-ing both his nerve and his Presidencybefore National Bureau of StateSecurity (NBSS) director Roy Cohnassumed control of the situation andcalled in the SS. Cohn supervised thefinal stages of the mass deportation ofblacks to Africa (and RKA slavecamps) and the Final Solution forAmerica’s Jews and homosexuals.Cohn was President in all but nameuntil his death in 1988. That sameyear (and perhaps not coincidentally),Rockwell died and was succeeded byDavid Duke, the Governor ofLouisiana and Grand Dragon of theKKK. Duke has actually attempted torun the country, but finds that withthe SS and NBSS handling real secu-rity (the CR in the United Statesremains 5), and the American militaryriddled with Resistance cells, his onlyreal power is to dispense governmentpatronage to people who can’t getgood jobs with German or Americancartels.

Beginning in the 1960s, manyGerman cartels formed partnershipswith American corporations such asBMW-Ford, Farben-DuPont, Heinkel-Boeing or Siemens-Westinghouse.American oil corporations also gaineda powerful role in the German-domi-nated economy, and their favoredAmerican banks brimmed withGerman investment capital. TheEastern seaboard remains the centerof German investment and influence.Domestic industries, such as oil andfilm, center in Houston and LosAngeles, respectively. Oklahoma Citybecame a transportation and manu-facturing hub, with a spaceplane port(Lindbergh Field) that is a center forhigh-tech industrial research. Asteady “brain drain” of America’s bestand brightest to those cartels – andthen to Germany – matches the flowof American services, oil, and manu-factures to Europe, paid for in dollarspegged embarrassingly low to theReichsmark.

The remaining population ofroughly 220 million (includingCanada) rebuilds autobahns andmaglevs, and clears rubble from thebombed-out centers of Calgary, SanAntonio, and Atlanta. “Cartel stores”

in most cities stock a wide variety ofAmerican and European goods pricedin Reichsmarks. Those without corpo-rate connections, such as the workersin the immense Ring Cities around theradioactive ruins of Omaha, St. Louis,and Dallas, shop in “open stores” forshoddy goods often re-imported (at afat markup) from German slave facto-ries in the Reichsostland. Most of thebrave new America seems threadbareand drab to a German (or Homeline)visitor.

TECHNOLOGYON REICH-5

Reich-5’s technology is moreadvanced than that of the Homeline2010s, well into TL8 in most areas,and early TL9 in many military appli-cations. Reich-5’s greatest advancesare in those areas involving the spaceprogram: not only in aerodynamics,metallurgy, physics, radionics, andchemistry but in “spinoff” areas aswell. Zero-G chemistry, medicine,computers, ecology, biochemistry,materials science, and other fields arealso highly advanced. The benefits ofthese advances are, of course, restrict-ed to German and Japanese cartelsand citizens and to the elites ofAmerica. Most of the rest of the worldremains mired in TL7 or lower.

TransportationIn Germany and America, the per-

sonal automobile is still the king, atleast for middle- and upper-class citi-zens. Advanced computer-controlledcarburetors, ceramic and polymerengine parts, and multistroke enginesallow smaller, lighter cars such asFords or Volkswagens to retain the“feel” of a V8 muscle car while drasti-cally lowering gasoline usage and pol-lution. Higher-class citizens still drivepure V8 and V12 Mercedes andCadillac sedans, and the autobahnshave no speed limits in the lefthandlanes. Porsche sports cars are alsoquite common, as are Ferraris andMitsubishis. Automobiles are routine-ly equipped with satellite location systems for navigation, cellular telephone/TV systems, and computerroute-and-speed controls and mini-radar for night and all-weather drivingcapacity.


The American ResistanceThe American Resistance was badly hurt following the Uprising of

‘76. Carefully hoarded weapons stocks were expended, most Resistancefighters were killed, and sympathizers and moles within the government(most notably Governor John F. Kennedy of Massachusetts, son ofAmbassador to Germany Joseph Kennedy) were exposed and executed.Finally, the extreme brutality with which the SS and the Union Party putdown the revolt sent the American population back into a state ofnumbed shell-shock reminiscent of the post-War era. Most Americanssimply wished to return to what could be salvaged of their lives.

By the early 21st century, after a generation’s passage, the Resistancehas managed to rebuild a loose network of cells across the country,strongest in the Yukon and the intermountain West, New England, andthe rural South. Its activities are restricted to infiltrating the securityapparatus, inserting bogus data into the national computer network,once again attempting to build up arms caches, hiding the occasionalrefugee, drug trafficking, and stirring up resentment against the SS“advisers” still present in the country. The Resistance has learned fromlong experience that any more-overt action brings massive retribution inthe form of hostage-taking and blanket executions. Also, any large-scaleaction runs the very real risk of being betrayed by NBSS informers orordinary people who covet the $100,000 standing reward for turning ina Resistance cell.

Over longer distances, maglevtrains have almost totally replacedthe old-fashioned Kugelbahnen(bullet trains) of the 1960s and 1970s thanks to warm-temperaturesuperconductors developed by theGerman space program. The rail net-work covers virtually the entireNorthern Hemisphere, due to close coordination between the Axis powers, although transfers on the Trans-Siberian and Great Indian Railways between Japanese- and German-dominated territoriesrequire switching onto other tracksand recalibrating electromagneticpotentials. The Berlin-to-Capetownand Pan-American Railways extendthe network to the southern ends ofthe Earth.

In the air, giant suborbital Lufth-ansa scramjets cross oceans and con-tinents in two or three hours. Moreconventional superjumbo jets carryless-well-heeled or well-connectedtourists and business travelers, andmany vacationers still ride the ZLFhelium airships that make the touristruns from Germany and the UnitedStates to Brazil and Spain. Such tripstake four or five days, but the airshiplines can successfully compete withthe ocean liners in luxury andromance.

SpaceGerman exploration and exploita-

tion of outer space began in the 1920s,and continued with Wernher vonBraun in the 1930s and 1940s. Whenthe military and security applicationsof satellites became fully understood,Germany immediately launched afull-fledged space program. TheLuftwaffe orbited the first space sta-tion, Hitler, in 1959; it is now the coreof a permanent geosychronous orbitalsettlement. The Luftwaffe has main-tained control over the German spaceprogram ever since, although manycartels and keiretsu have launchedtheir own satellites or added researchor engineering modules onto Hitler.Japan, Italy, Germany, Argentina,Suid-Afrika, and the United Stateshave all launched LEO (low Earthorbit) stations. Activity at Hitler cen-ters on completing the Neues Essenspace factory and permanent colonyconstructed from the hollowed-out

earth-grazer asteroid Neuruhr, movedinto orbit by Heinkel-Boeing andKrupp in 1979. Mass mining hasmoved to Neusilesien and Neumesabi,two new asteroids drawn into slightlyhigher orbits.

Military transport from Earth toorbit is still handled by A-20 Engelspaceplanes taking off fromOklahoma City, Lublin, or Tsitsihar.Cargo transport, formerly launched inhigh-payload orbiters from Kamerunor Singapore, now runs along theBifrost skyhook completed in 1994.Bifrost, named for the bridge connect-ing heaven to Earth in Teutonic myth,is a 31,000-mile-long cable whichserves as a giant “elevator” from theEarth to an orbital station, Asgard,22,000 miles along its length. Thecable is tethered at its far end toEisengard, another mining asteroidthat holds the Kepler Space Telescopeand a Luftwaffe base. Bifrost isanchored to Mt. Kirinyaga, Kenya,which has become the center of ahuge Luftwaffe research station con-nected to the Berlin-to-Capetownmaglev line. The security of Kirinyagais so important that the SS overseesthe slave laborers who maintain thefacility. Bulk cargo and passengerstravel up and down Bifrost in “elevatorcars” which take five days to gobetween Asgard and Kirinyaga.

The German bases on the Moonand Mars are theoretically bases of theWorld-Axis as a whole, and manyItalian, Japanese, Argentine, Croatian,or British scientists work at Tycho orDescartes bases on the Moon or at theCydonia research station on Mars.However, the Luftwaffe controls allbase security and access, and Germanscientists and cartels have priority inall research or mining activities. TheGerman colony on Mars is currentlyimplementing the initial stages ofProjekt Ymir, which involves ter-raforming Mars into a livable world bythe end of the 21st century, expandingthe lebensraum of the Master Race toa whole new planet.

Computers and Networks

Computer technology, which beganin the 1940s in England and America,has continued to be an English-speak-er’s field. Although many German and

Japanese firms have mastered themost state-of-the-art hardwarerequirements for supercomputers orhandheld minicomputers, softwareengineering remains one of the fewareas where Americans hold the lead.This is probably because the Germancartels consistently refused to investin software improvements, believingin large, centralized mainframe sys-tems modeled after the German stateeconomy. American companies, des-perate for a competitive edge againstthe overwhelming power of the car-tels, were willing to take more risks.Also, the destruction of much of theAmerican mainframe network in theUprising of ‘76 led almost by accidentto the advent of the minicomputerand the development of redundantcomputer networks.

Both the security forces and thecartels needed to transfer vastamounts of data to widely scatteredsites, and the computer network offiber optic cables that grew up in thelate 1970s and early 1980s soon beganlinking universities, the space pro-gram, and research corporations. In1984, the Völkische Beobachter estab-lished an informational service bycomputer link. The New York Timesand Asahi Shimbun soon followed, asdid many other news organizations.The Information Ministries of the var-ious Axis powers strictly controlaccess to computer systems, andsecret police forces armed withincreasingly sophisticated and power-ful AIs monitor transmissions. Mostprivate citizens still do not own per-sonal computers due to their expenseand to the delays in getting clearances.Even powerful cartel executives or sci-entific personnel usually lease theircomputer from the cartel or universitythat employs them.

Computers in Reich-5 range fromthe Complexity 2 personal computersof the cartel vice presidents to theComplexity 6 mainframes in thetelemetry centers of Von BraunSpaceport in Kamerun and the cellarsof the Gestapo in Prinz-Albrecht-Strasse.

Medicine and GeneticsAlthough the German space pro-

gram has accelerated medicalprogress (like most other scientific


progress), the official ideology of “racescience” has left German genetic tech-nology peculiarly retrograde.Although German biologists have per-fected the full cloning of humanbeings, only scientists vetted by theSS-RuSHA for Party loyalty may con-duct such sensitive research, underthe tightest possible security.Currently, cloning techniques arerestricted to military hospitals andtrauma centers for “regrowing” limbsand organs, including eyes and hearts(generally a period of weeks for majorregrowth). Brain tissue can beregrown if damaged, but the patientmust undergo physical therapy andre-education to “relearn” skills andmemories.

The greatest advances in geneticengineering have come from the labo-ratories of the Japanese keiretsu.Japanese corporate scientists andengineers have already created petro-leum-eating bacteria to clean up oilspills, disease-resistant strains of riceand corn, and new breeds of tuna,bluefin, and salmon for their fishfarms. Genetic alteration of humans isbecoming more common as well,although it is still too expensive for“cosmetic” purposes. Some small,elite squads are composed of“enhanced” super-soldiers called ten-shi (literally, “heavenly warriors”)trained from birth to serve their supe-riors and the Emperor. Japaneseobstetricians routinely test for genestied to birth defects, hemophilia,retardation, or homosexuality, andgenetically alter fetuses that show anyof these.

The German medical communityhas not yet begun genetically altering

fetuses, due to a shortage of trainedpersonnel, and prefers simply to abort“imperfect” fetuses. German obstetri-cians also abort fetuses showing“Jewish” genes such as the Tay-Sachsmarker. The American EugenicsBoard also encourages abortion of“undesirables,” but has far too fewtrained geneticists to engage in anywholesale testing policy. All Axisnations routinely practice euthanasiaon mental patients, the terminally ill,Alzheimer’s victims, and elderly slavepopulations. In America, the EugenicsBoard also sterilizes criminals (espe-cially including Resistance members),as does the SS in Germany. In Japan,sterilization is reserved for theChinese and Korean populations.Japanese authorities routinely steril-ize women after the first child (inChina) or the second (in Korea). TheGermans similarly sterilize the Slavpopulations of Greater Germany andthe Reichsostland.

(See GURPS Alternate Earths forfurther details of Reich-5.)

OUTTIMEDISCOVERIES

When the Infinity Patrol discov-ered Reich-5 16 years ago, in its localyear 1994, they clamped a securitylock on not just the worldline’s coordi-nates, but also its very existence. Ofthe five known parallels at the timewith a victorious Nazi Germany (seeReich-2, p. 142), Reich-5 was the mosthorrifying. The Third Reich firmlycontrolled their third of the world, andthrough their American puppet state,dominated the Western Hemisphere

as well. Imperial Japan, although lessstable, was no less cruel; there were no“friendly powers” to work through onthis parallel.

The Patrol and UNIC actuallymapped out plans for a global mobi-lization against Reich-5. OperationFirefall called for a full-scale invasionof Reich-5, using the armies of theSecurity Council nations, Germany,and Israel to conquer that worldlineafter a surprise decapitatingparachronic atomic strike againstTokyo, Washington, and Berlin. (Asecond version of Firefall, OperationDandelion, called for provoking aGerman-Japanese nuclear war beforemounting an invasion.) NATO’s plan-ning staff, the Russian and Chinesearmies, and (as a courtesy) theJapanese IDF drew up operationalplans calling for simultaneous jumpsinto Reich-5’s Urals, Appalachians,and Szechuan province by a total ofhalf a million men with heavy equip-ment and cutting-edge air support.

Two main objections finally scut-tled Firefall planning. First, in thechaos of an invasion, it was almostcertain that some Nazi or ImperialJapanese unit would both maintaincohesion and capture a conveyor.Thus, the strategic goal of the war –preventing a Reich-5 breakout into thecontinuum – would be compromisedfatally by the war itself. Second, theappalled general staffs wargamed theinvasion and discovered not only thatHomeline would suffer at least250,000 casualties in the first year (tosay nothing of the millions dead onReich-5 in the opening bombard-ment), but that there was a nontrivialchance that the Wehrmacht (and pos-sibly the Japanese military) wouldthrow back the invaders. What wasplanned as a short, surgical war couldbecome a replay of World War II, last-ing years and killing tens or even hun-dreds of millions of people on bothworlds. After costing trillions of dol-lars, the war would leave Homelineeconomically smashed, dangerouslyremilitarized, and possibly underthreat from rogue Nazis with nuclearweapons and revenge on their minds.

For now, UNIC and Infinity haveshelved Firefall (although it getsupdated regularly, just in case) infavor of lower-profile operations or(better yet) none at all.


The Infinity Patrol on Reich-5

The Infinity Patrol, stretched thinas it is, concentrates on preventingother Homeliners from reachingReich-5. With Reich-5’s computer net-works more centralized, detectiontechnology more advanced, and gov-ernments more powerful, the I-Copsdo not have the resources to mount amajor operation here. The few I-Copsoperatives that have been planted hereconcentrate on infiltrating Germanand Japanese technical laboratories tosteal technical secrets for Homelineand sound the alarm should Reich-5researchers get too close to theparachronic Secret.

Another headache for the I-Copsworking Reich-5 is the occasionalattempt by Homeline racists or fas-cists to steal a conveyor and bring it toReich-5. The Patrol’s Security andLiaison Divisions work closely withthe FBI, South African CID, JapanesePSIA, and German BfV to infiltrateany fascist group that seems to beplanning a parachronic theft. Mostfascist groups, fortunately, have nei-ther the resources nor the know-howto mount a conveyor theft, much lesssneak into Reich-5. A more seriousthreat is the possibility that radicalterrorists such as the Hezbollah orHamas might steal a conveyor andattempt to elicit Nazi aid in destroyingIsrael on Homeline. So far, thesethreats have been more potential thanactual, but the Patrol has had one ortwo close shaves. Additionally, onlyhigh-level Infinity personnel and oneor two people in the major nationalintelligence services know theparachronic coordinates of Reich-5.However, a rogue group with a con-veyor could find Reich-5 by randomhunting – that is, after all, how Infinityfound it in the first place.

Homeline NationalGovernments on Reich-5

The United States, Russia, Israel,and China have all mounted covertoperations on Reich-5. The fournations launched more and moreambitious plans, opposed by I-Copsboth on Homeline and on Reich-5.UNIC pressure, and Patrol maneuver-ing, stopped most of those planspolitically, with only the occasional

recon patrol sneaking through. In2022 (Reich-5 local year 2001) aRussian Spetsnaz special forces teamgot through I-Cop security and wasloose in Reich-5 for four days beforeit was wiped out by the Waffen-SSnear Vorkuta. Two scouts went toground and evaded the Germansweep; six months later they madecontact with an Israeli recon missionin Poland. They reported that at leasttwo of their comrades had been takenalive, and not all of their parachronicequipment had been destroyed.

This “near miss,” and the possibili-ty that the SS was now aware of othertimelines, led to a reduction in scale ofnational operations. For now, a tenta-tive arrangement has been worked outbetween the I-Cops and the CIA,Mossad, the GRU, and the ChineseCCI. The I-Cops allows “dead drops”of gold, personal weapons, and micro-electronics to the resistance forces inthe United States, China, or theReichsostland on the condition thatthe source remains untraceable andunknown even to the recipients. Inreturn, the United States, Russia,Israel, and China refrain from mount-ing any further operations in Reich-5.

Unfortunately, that agreementcame too late.

The AusbruchOne of the Spetsnaz team on the

2022 mission, Evgeny Karashkin, hada genetically linked psionic world-jumping ability. He had gone throughearly to reconnoiter the landing zone,and an Ahnenerbe psychic had detect-ed his “anomalous vibrations” while ina drugged stupor. Brigadeführer KarlFest, the Waffen-SS commander in theregion, happened to be a believer inthe occult (who had, in fact, beenassigned to Siberia to keep him out ofany important posting), and he actual-ly read the Ahnenerbe code-flashwarning him to look out for anythingunusual in the area. Thus, the Waffen-SS was waiting when the Spetsnazcame through, and attacked theRussian team instantly, harrying it forfour days until the final stand atVorkuta. Karashkin was killed in thefirst exchange of fire, but one of thefour survivors captured by the SSknew of his ability, and revealed it tohis questioners before dying.

Brigadeführer Fest then made hissecond fateful decision in as manymonths. He offered to turn the wholecase over to the Ahnenerbe inexchange for a transfer out of Siberia,and to not report anything unusual tohis superiors, describing theencounter as a simple run-in withlocal partisans. The Ahnenerbeagreed, with the stipulation that heuncover and bring along their world’sEvgeny Karashkin (who, if he existed,would be a 10-year-old boy). Fest notonly found Karashkin; he arrested hisentire bloodline in a major sweep of“subversive elements” across theReichsostland. With 72 prisoners(three of them surviving Homeliners),82 Spetsnaz corpses, and the wreck-age of a troop-carrying worldline con-veyor, Brigadeführer Fest transferredhis command to a new division, head-quartered in Bisanz.

SS RAVENDIVISION

The Armanen OrderWith the discovery that parallel

worlds existed – and could be foundby at least some psychics – theAhnenerbe found a new role for itself.Although some wanted to bring thefind to Berlin, as justification for allthe hundreds of billions ofReichsmarks spent on their seeminglylunatic programs, wiser heads pre-vailed. Führer Alchsneiss was aHeydrich man who despised theAhnenerbe; he would merely havetaken over the parachronic programand had everyone shot to maintainsecurity. Ordenführer Mattern real-ized that security had to be his priori-ty, too. He, Fest, and Doktor ProfessorEmil Pauder (the head of the parapsy-chology program in Dijon) formed asecret society within the Ahnenerbe.They named it for the Armanen, myth-ical warrior-priests who served theAesir – the gods, not the kings, of theancient Germanic tribes. Mattern andthe others likewise believed that theyserved the Aryan race and the Reich,not any specific agency or person,even the Führer.

This Armanen Order (which wasalso the name of a prominent Runic society before WWI, for extra


confusion and secrecy) reached out toother influential people with connec-tions in the Waffen-SS, the Gestapo,and elsewhere, using the lure of secretBurgundian bank accounts as bait.Slowly it built itself operating room inthe increasingly Byzantine structureof the Third Reich. Slowly, Pauder’steam made progress in unlocking theparachronic secrets held in the sub-conscious minds of the three survivingSpetsnaz troopers, and (some said)from the dead ones as well.

Making World-JumpersPauder also dissected Karashkin

thoroughly, submitting him to top-of-the-line stolen Japanese genetic disassemblers and a full battery ofpsychometric, magical, and cultictests and rituals. The Armanen foundthe genetic marker for psionic world-jumping after a year of study, andsome of the other parascientificresearchers also reported promisingresults. One of the psychics in theDijon Research Hospital turned out tohave been dreaming of other worlds;her brain chemistry was added to thestudy list (although she was kept aliveas a lucid dreamer and scout forfuture invasions) and advanced otherlines of inquiry.

A few of the methods Pauder andthe Armanen Order use to cross theworlds or create a world-jumper(derisively called a Maulesel, or“Mule”) follow:

Breeding: The Order was able tofind a suitably pure Aryan who carriedthe marker for the psionic world-jumping gene: Per Havig, a fishermanfrom rural Denmark. He had no livingrelatives, so they didn’t need to risk a“Karashkin sweep” inside GreaterGermany itself. The Order used theircontacts in the Gestapo to have hisfishing boat “disappear at sea.” The SStook Havig to an isolated manor inBurgundy, and put him out to studwith Karashkin’s female relatives and

a selection of other genetically prom-ising mates. Of his 14 children fromthe program, two (one by a Karashkinand one by a Frenchwoman) bear theworld-jumping gene; they have beentaken from him to be raised in SSLebensborn creches elsewhere inBurgundy. The Order has only toldHavig that his blood contains “thefuture of the Reich”; Havig seemsnever to have unlocked his psionicpowers.

Drugs: The simplest, almost rou-tine, method is a battery of subduraldrug injections into the brain, bonemarrow, and spinal fluid of the sub-ject. This stimulates brain hormoneproduction and retrovirally implants acopy of the Havig-Karashkin world-jumping genes into the Mule. The subject spends three days running adangerous fever (104°) and gets a HT-6 roll to resist the retroviruses; if he fails, he receives the Jumper(World) advantage and concomitant

disadvantages as listed on p. 194. Inmost cases, the Mule still needs to takea blood-cell stimulant to trigger theability. Recently, Armanen scientistshave made progress with fetal injec-tions into Aryan babies, althoughmany of the mothers die giving birthto the baby Mule. The Armanen alsoraise baby Mules in Lebensborncreches, except for visibly deformedones, who they raise at the hospital.

Brain Surgery: In some cases,although the brain accepts the newgenetic material, the body dies duringthe procedure. The “waste not, wantnot” response: graft those brain tis-sues into another volunteer Mule. Thisis a two-week surgical process, andalthough the brain-blood barriermeans that rejection per se is not aproblem, the neurons may still fail toknit. The subject must make a HT-1roll to avoid failure (HT+2 if usingfetal brain tissue from the experi-ments in the previous paragraph), andtakes -1 IQ per point the roll failed by.Critical failure results in brain deathwithin 1d days.

Glandular Implantation: On furtherexamination of various corpses,Pauder discovered that especially forsome animal parachronozoids (p. 73),the world-jumping ability is glandularand sex-linked. Rather than rewrite theMule’s genetic structure, it’s almost assimple to implant a cloned jumpergland into his groin and wire an elec-trical trigger to the relevant brain cen-ters. (Injections of jumper hormone,sadly, seem to have no effect, althoughexperiments continue.) This requires aweek in the hospital, along with a reg-imen of immunosuppressant drugs. Inthis case, the subject must fail a HT rollat HT-8. Subjects with Resistant toDisease add half their bonus (rounddown) to HT for this roll. A successfulroll means the gland and trigger mech-anism is rejected; the subject mustmake a HT-2 roll every day or lose 1point of ST and 1 HP (1d HP on a critical failure). Apply none of themodifiers above to this roll; these rollscontinue until the subject dies, or theimplant is removed. A failed roll meansthe subject gains the Jumper (World)advantage, becomes Susceptible toDisease (HT-3), and gains further con-comitant disadvantages as indicatedon p. 195.


Demonic Seeding: This method is atriumph for the Armanen occultists,who tracked down the world-jumping“demon” known as Tychiron in vari-ous crumbling tomes. A RavenDivision team found it in aTransylvanian mountain pass in theFriedrich worldline (p. 124) and cap-tured it using a thorn web woven intoa many-knotted sphere. After bringingit back to Bisanz, the Order immuredit in the crypt beneath a TeutonicOrder castle, in a chamber lined withthorns, runes, and mirrors accordingto the ritual developed by Armanenresearchers. When prospective Mulesare brought to the chamber, Tychironrapes them (Will-6 to resist), leavingits egg-spawn roiling in their spineand pelvic nerves. (Resisted or not, theexperience causes a Fright Check, alsoat -6; Tychiron might try to rape astunned character who resisted it atfirst.) The Mule can’t technicallyworld-jump, but the Tychiron spawncan, and brings the Mule along. Muleswho undergo this treatment need totake regular herbal supplements tokeep the Tychiron spawn infantile andsubservient; without them, the advan-tage becomes essentially Uncontrol-lable. As long as the herbs hold out,though, the Mule has the Jumper(World) advantage with the disadvan-tages as set out on p. 174. He is alsomindlinked with every other spawn orcarrier of Tychiron across the worlds;since most of them have gone mad,this is not necessarily a bonus.

Psibernetics: Not all the Mules aresent out with the Division to the newworlds. Some of them remain behindin Bisanz and Dijon for various pur-poses. A few, who are reduced toimmobility or idiocy by the drugs,become human gene banks and tissuetanks, doped into stupor and drainedof blood every day by the doctors ofPauder’s lab. Others (especially thosewith the Mass Jumper enhancement)are wired into psibernetic linkagesthat expand their powers to allow lightaircraft (such as helicopter gunships)and small vehicles up to 4 tons or so totravel between the worlds. These psi-bernetic linkages also have a chance ofrejection, as with surgery; the roll isnot modified for Resistant, however,and the procedure does not conveySusceptible to Disease.

Still others (those who displeasethe Order, or violate procedure onother worlds, or show signs of tryingto escape) are locked into stalls in theBisanz world-gate. This doorway,powered by a fission reactor andfocused using the renegade Mules’brains, cycles between Reich-5 and itsduplicate on the Nostradamus parallel(p. 138) every six hours. It was com-pleted in 2009 after four years of con-struction; many of the delicate partshad to be re-machined on site manytimes as the local quantum flowchanged, and it requires almost dailymaintenance. (It also requires 21Mules, one or two of whom die everyfew months.) It can send 10 tonsthrough at a time, mostly componentsand spare parts in trucks (all moreeasily fudged on inventories than self-propelled howitzers or attack drones).The Mules are fatted – and penned –like veal calves, with their brainstubed together in a psionic circuittuning the gate.

Pauder’s next project is to use hun-dreds of cloned fetuses from Havig’ssperm as batteries in a much largergate, one able to send panzers and per-haps even heavy transport aircraftthrough. This master gate is 18months away from completion, unlessPauder has a theoretical breakthroughthat allows him to develop parts capable of adjusting to quantum flowalteration, or if the Ahnenerbeoccultists discover a ritual to keep thegate magically tuned.

The Raven Has FlownWhile the energies of Nazi science

and occultism worked to open the wayto new worlds, the subtleties of Nazipolitics and blackmail built an army toinvade them. Ordenführer Matternexpanded the training cadre at the SSacademies in Burgundy, adding moremen and more facilities, spending his

own administrative funds to improveand fully staff the bases. The Waffen-SS command, possibly amazed to findsomething actually militarily usefulbeing done in Burgundy, put up noobjections. He then began to siphonoff a few men at a time into a new unitwith its own training and barracksfacilities, which he grandly called SSRaven Division. Believing this newdivision (actually closer to regimentalstrength) merely an overblown “head-quarters guard” to feed Mattern’s ego,Waffen-SS command again signed off.

In 2007, after years of test runs andreconnaissance jumps, Raven Divisionlaunched its first full-scale crossworldinvasion, from the MesopotamiaReichsprotektorat into Nostradamus(p. 138). Local resistance was fierce(especially from the Kurdish cavalry),but fruitless against the high-techweapons of the SS, which rapidly tookcontrol of the Euphrates Valley. TheArmanen had selected Nostradamusbecause of the unanimous verdict ofall precognitives that victory wasassured; they discovered thatNostradamus also sat at a dimension-al highway junction. This “Chrono-bahn” (p. 79) directed the Armanen totheir next target, Friedrich, whererather than mount an invasion, theOrder decided to strengthen the localFirst Reich (the German-RomanEmpire) into a pure Aryan state.

Between the Nostradamus garri-son, the recon squads along theChronobahn, and the advisers inFriedrich, the Raven Division isstretched to its limits. BrigadeführerFest plans to recruit and train pureAryan soldiers in Friedrich, and armthem with weapons from the factoriesthe Armanen have been secretly build-ing in Nostradamus for the last threeyears. Until these plans can cometogether (the first fully outtime RavenDivision regiment will finish its train-ing in a few months, but their heavyequipment has been delayed by sabo-tage in Nostradamus), the Divisionhas to draw its strength from itsReich-5 base.

Training and DoctrineThe Raven Division trains as

gebirgsjägers, mountain light infantrytailored for extended patrol operationswith minimal support and a heavy


concentration on force multipliers.None of Pauder’s Mules are able totransport panzers across worlds, forinstance. The largest load that theOrder can send outtime is a 10-tonSpähpanzer APC, along with its crewand passengers (six men in all), and itcan’t send many of those without fill-ing out some very creative paperworkto explain how it “lost” the vehicles.Perforce, then, Raven Division has tostrike fast, light, and hard. To avoidsuch hassles, the Division keeps a largenumber of light civilian vehicles(motorcycles, off-road trucks, etc.) onhand.

Training emphasizes mobilitywithout the use of mechanized or air-mobile support, and the Divisionensures that all troops receive specialtraining in “antiquated” tasks such ashandling horses and mules. In theorythe Division gets by with a very lightbaggage train, prioritizing ammuni-tion and foraging in the operationsarea (i.e., pillaging the locals) wherepossible. As a practical matter, theDivision tends to accumulate addi-tional animals to hold more ammo,parts, and loot as time goes on.

Compared to troops in front-lineSS and Wehrmacht units, RavenDivision troops are horribly under-equipped. Logistics is king, and thelimited Mule capacity cannot be spenton the large amounts of consumablesthat are required for TL8 and TL9 mil-itary equipment (notably batteries).Transport must prioritize the troopsthemselves, medical supplies, small-arms ammunition and supportweapons.

Weapons: A typical trooper carriesa loaded StG 03 rifle (p. 200) and 10extra clips at all times. Accuracy is at apremium, so all troops receive the bestsights money can buy – these light bat-tlesights are +2 Acc and provide bothInfravision and Telescopic Vision 2 (2lbs.). Officers carry 9mm Luger pis-tols; all Raven Division soldiers carrybayonets, grenades, and additionalammunition for the squad lightmachinegun.

Uniform: The basic feldgrauarmored uniform includes adaptivecamouflage (+2 to Stealth whenmotionless, +1 when moving) and amicroclimate system to keep thewearer comfortable even in unusually

hot or cold weather. In high-threat sit-uations he can put on an armorcuirass (p. 27). Completing the uni-form is a pair of assault jackboots anda coalscuttle combat helmet. See theArmor Table on p. 26 for additionalinformation. Every trooper has theequivalent of a hideout radio (p. 24)in the helmet.

Field Pack: When moving to a newoperations area each trooper carries afull pack, freeing up the animals forheavy and bulky equipment (mortarbaseplates, fuel cans, ammo boxes,etc.). This includes, at a minimum, anentrenching tool, lightweight shelter,compressible sleeping bag, two mor-tar rounds, first-aid kit, extra uniform,personal basics (p. B288), rain gear, 3-gallon water bladder, climbing gear(p. 25), 20 yards of nanofiber rope(p. 25), and a weeks worth of rations(see Meals-in-a-Box, p. 25). Trooperswith special missions (e.g., theradioman) carry a bit less as they musthaul around the large tactical radiosused in Reich-5 (they do not benefitfrom the software radios used inHomeline and Centrum). Troopersalso tend to carry around knicknacksfrom home and small trinkets thatcaught their eye.

KerneTo prepare the way for future

Raven Division assaults, and to stealtechnology and valuables from otherworlds, the Armanen have estab-lished Kerne (“kernels”), self-suffi-cient bases throughout the nearbyworlds and all along the Chronobahn.Each Kern is commanded by aGestapo agent from Amt Z (“OfficeZ”), the secret office of the Gestapocreated by the Armanen conspiracy,and staffed by a minimum of oneMule and three to five Raven Divisiontroopers for security. It has a stand ofweapons, both local and SS issue,suitable for 20 men, and supplies(food, medicine, etc.) to sustain thatmany men for a year, roughly eighttons of equipment all told. Ideally, theKern has an encrypted radio, micro-computer, and other useful electron-ics. As much of this as possible isbought locally using gold stolen orcounterfeited on site; transportinggold across the worlds takes up a lotof room that could go to TL8+weapons and intrusion gear, whichcan bring any Gestapo agent worthhis salt plenty of gold.


Glorious GoalsWhere Centrum actively plans to impede the Patrol and, eventually,

remove Homeline from the board entirely, the Raven Division follows itsown purposes. The Armanen have no interest in going out and picking afight with the Patrol; they are content to wait and build their strengthwhile they pursue goals such as:

Find Hitler: Not just any Hitler will do, of course. On some worlds, henever had his wondrous insights; on others, he became a drugged-outshambling wreck; on still others, he lost the War and is obviously anunfit specimen. The Order wants to find the True Hitler, the one whobears the spirit of Reich-5’s departed Führer.

Find the Ark of the Covenant: Or the Holy Grail, or the Spear ofDestiny. The Spear at Wewelsburg doesn’t seem to work as promised, butsomewhere in the worlds there must be one that will guarantee victoryto the Aryan race. Actually, the Order takes any reality shard (p. 76) itcan, since some may allow their users to jump across worlds.

Find the True Aryan Homeland: Although Friedrich is an excellentstart, even the Aryans there have suffered the taint of mixed breedingand seem puny and querulous compared to the mighty warriors ofHimmlerian legend. Somewhere among the worlds is the original worldwhere the original Aryan race was born. That holy place will be animpregnable fortress and a boundless source of warriors for the Reich!

THE CABAL


Somewhere among the quantathere is an Earth under the shadow ofa vast conspiracy of monsters, sorcer-ers, and psionic masters. That con-spiracy claims to date back to the firstwars of gods and men that splinteredthe magical cosmos and hurled frag-ments of existence across the univers-es on plumes of magic and the bloodof gods. It claims to have eyes that cansee across the planes to the remotestEarth and talons that can catch theunwary between universes. It is theCabal, those who bowed before themad Pharaoh Khaibitu-na-Khonsubefore he led them into battle againstRa, the Unconquered Sun, when thePyramids were new.

TRUTH AND LIESSo much for what the Cabal claims.

(See GURPS Cabal for further details.)What the Patrol knows doesn’t imme-diately contradict any of the above – inthe infinite worlds, after all, strangerthings have proven to be true, and thePatrol doesn’t think it’s found the Earththe Cabal originates on.

If there is only one such Earth:Baron Janos Telkozep (p. B320), avampire who works for ISWAT, sayshe left the Cabal’s home world onestep ahead of the Cabal, but hisdescription doesn’t match other infor-mation available to the Patrol. TheCabal, like some other conspiracies,may be “native to” a number of world-lines at once, parallel Cabals to gowith the parallel Egypts and JohnDees of the alternate histories. On theother hand, the parallel Cabals may allspring from one ur-Cabal foundedbefore a great reality quake or quanta-clysm destroyed their original Earthand left shadow Cabals across a scoreof worlds.

Vast ConspiraciesHowever many Cabals there are,

they all seem to have roughly the sameagenda: the secret accumulation ofmagical power and knowledge in thename of self-defense and self-aggran-dizement. Even on worlds with openmagic, the Cabal operates in the shad-ows; on worlds without it, the Cabal

takes extreme pains to keep it thatway. The existence of multiple Cabals,each claiming to be the original, mightalso explain why so many of the magi,parachronozoids, and undead whoclaim to be Cabalists seem, on furtherexamination, to be mainly bent ondoing some unspecified but no doubtgory harm to some other Cabalist inan endless cycle of magical vendettaand coup-counting.

If its larger organization is a matterof theory and contested allegiance,however, on the local level the Cabalcan be ferociously loyal to its own.Each Cabalist has two memberswhose death he is honor-bound toavenge, his passers (from the Latin for“sparrow,” as in the Biblical verse “Nota sparrow shall fall without his sight”).He, in turn, has two ultors (Latin for“avengers”) who are sworn to avengehis death. This strict pattern ofvengeance may be why so many of theCabalists plotting against each otherseem to do so out on isolated worldsor shiftrealms on the Patrol’s beat.

Cabalists organize themselves intoquasi-independent Lodges of 10 to 20Cabalists under the leadership of anAdept. If the local Lodge runs intosomething it can’t handle, it calls in itsAdept’s allies in the upper ranks of theCabal, who can be very powerful andscary indeed. At the top of the pyramid are the Grand Masters, who are vampire lords, werewolfqueens, deposed gods, billionaire

conspirators, psionic mandarins, andpowerful magi such as John Dee orMarie Laveau. Some Lodges areorganized into Grand Lodges withchapters across the world (or worlds).A few of the more commonly encoun-tered Grand Lodges include:

Amonis Albioni: This lodge is cen-tered on various Englands, and vora-ciously accumulates maps and chartsof the planes and the infinite worlds.The Amonis Albioni also has a greatdeal of experience at infiltratingdemonic cults – either to destroythem, or to add their power to theLodge.

Blind Haroeris Lodge: This lodge isdevoted to quests, seeking out theFountain of Youth, the Golden Fleece,the Philosopher’s Stone, and otherwondrous items. One special interestof the Lodge is tarot decks; it will killan impressive number of people for aunique Boccaccio Deck or aLombardy Second. Its members sel-dom have a fixed base, preferring tooperate out of sailing ships (especially“ghost ship” shiftrealms, see p. 79) orairships. Some of its members areswagmen (p. 71).

Golden Lodge of Asten: The GoldenLodge operates primarily “east ofSuez” in Singapores, Djakartas,Angkors, Shanghais, and Amboynason many worlds. Its golden “monkeypaw” sign hangs discreetly in twistyChinatowns and glasteel skyscrapers

Active GodsWhile roaming across the Infinite Worlds, both Cabalists and harder-

headed Patrolmen have encountered all manner of “gods,” from sentientdefense computers to immortal pranksters to crashed aliens. Every sooften, they meet a god who meets the more traditional definition – atranscendent entity of immense supernatural power.

Patrol and Cabal protocol is identical in these cases: polite agreementwithout committing to anything, especially worship. Fortunately, only avery few gods seem to have the desire (and even fewer have the ability)to leave their home worldline or pocket universe. For some reason, suchgods are seldom the kindly and benevolent sort. Even if they are, theirdivine paths are strewn with banestorms, reality quakes, and other signsand wonders. These rogue gods pose grave threats to the continuum;ISWAT and the Cabal both give such outbreaks their highest priority.


alike. It seems to be in the occult arti-fact acquisition and disposition busi-ness, and has cordial (if necessarilydiscreet) relations with White StarTrading representatives on manyworlds.

Lodge of the Midwinter Aton: Thislodge of Bavarian sorcerers exists on afew worlds, led by the fearsome were-wolf-mage Léonard du Sarrazin. Itsemblem is a black left-handed swasti-ka in a white disk, and the Patrolstrongly suspects it of having ties tothe Nazi Parties of various worlds andpossibly to the Armanen Order ofReich-5. It seeks political power bol-stered by magical force; its experi-ments triggered the Hellstorm onMerlin-3 (p. 135).

Sons of Imhotep: These freaks scareeven their fellow Cabalists. Devoted to

the blackest of ancient Egypt’s necro-mantic cults, the Sons of Imhotepbuild magical pyramid chambers inthe worst districts of teeming cities.Clad in robes that (it is said) hide hor-rible animalistic deformities, the Sonsof Imhotep stalk archaeologists (bothlocal and outtime) to steal idols orpapyri needed for their blasphemousceremonies.

Wheel of Ptah: This lodge traces thefault lines and subtle craquelure ofreality quakes across the infiniteworlds. Occasionally, a Paralabs

researcher who provides a Wheelmanwith fresh data or the location of apotential banestorm upwellingreceives an emerald the size of a fist,or the death of a rival, in return. Everyonce in a while, he gets something heactually wanted, too.

Across the PlanesAccording to the Cabal’s cosmolo-

gy, there may be infinite worlds, butthere are only four Realms that mat-ter. The Cabal more usually uses thenames shown in parentheses, whichare drawn from Jewish mysticism.

Material Realm (Assiah): TheMaterial Realm contains all the infi-nite Earths and Marses and so forth,like pebbles in a beach or knots in arug. Although Cabalists spend plentyof time in the Material, they don’t usu-ally consider it the source of wisdom.The mana level of Assiah varies fromworld to world, and sometimes varieswithin a given world.

Astral Realm (Yetzirah): The AstralRealm is “above” or “inside” theMaterial Realm, touching all worldsequally. It holds flocks of spirits bothmalevolent and benevolent, and wholecities and planets of its own. Cabalistsconsider the shiftrealm of Faërie(p. 80) to be part of Yetzirah, eventhough its elves seem material enoughto Patrolmen who (cautiously) visit.The Astral Realm has normal mana.

Iconic Realm (Briah): Separatedfrom Yetzirah by an enormous spiritu-al ocean, Briah is the home of gods,archangels, and similarly iconic fig-ures. Some Patrolmen claim to haveseen Batman or Mao in the IconicRealm; the boundaries to Briah maybe more porous than the traditionalistCabal would like to believe. The IconicRealm has very high mana.

Realm of Pure Spirit (Atziluth): NoCabalists except the Grand Mastershave ever visited Atziluth, theGodhead at the Center of Everything,and there is some reason to believethat the Grand Masters are lying.

The Cabal in the Campaign

As written, the Cabal plays second fiddle in an Infinite Worlds cam-paign. Consumed with infighting and with its own arcane and abstruseresearches, it takes no sides in the great contest between Infinity andCentrum. Its goal of keeping magic and the supernatural secret keeps itfrom threatening Infinity’s Secret. So how can the GM use it if he’d liketo?

Variety: The Cabal adds a strange Hammer Films flavor to thestraightforward SF of the Infinity Patrol. If the GM wants to add some-thing magical to the game, the Cabal can let him do it without creatinga full-fledged fantasy world.

Unpredictability: Even if the Cabal picked a side, not all the Lodgeswould go along. In a setting with two villainous villains, the Cabal makesan ambiguous one. Patrolmen are more likely to cooperate with a notobviously deranged Cabalist than with a world-hopping Nazi or a ruth-less Centrum agent. Any Cabal encounter, therefore, might potentially bea social encounter, one about building the game world rather than shoot-ing off chunks of it.

Flexibility: Anything the GM could possibly want to send the Patrolafter, the Cabal might want to steal, break, or shift from world to world.The Cabal might have its own unguessable reasons for shifting echoes,summoning banestorms, kidnapping time tourists, killing Centrumagents, or any other adventure-creating action.

Ubiquity: Anyone might be a member of the Cabal, on any world. Thisgives the GM a “Trojan Horse” to hook some NPC into the adventure, afun source for player paranoia, and plenty of possibilities for characterdrama. Between the Gates of Thoth and the astral plane, a Cabalist canshow up on any world, in any era.

Power: The Cabal can be a big hammer to smash something the GMwants smashed, a barely trustworthy ally to help deal with a menace, ora source for world-jumping abilities outside the control of Infinity orCentrum. If the GM wants it brought, the Cabal can bring it.

LESSER THREATS


ORGANIZEDCRIME

Although plenty of small-timegrifters hang out on the fringes, realconnections across the worlds requirejuice. That’s where the Mob comes in;for a price, it can get you your oldhigh-school girlfriend from anotherEarth, or sneak you into an illegaldinosaur-poaching expedition. Butthat’s just constituent relations, small-time stuff. What the big picture is likedepends on the mob in question; notall Mafias are created equal.

The OutfitFor the Chicago Outfit and its vari-

ous national affiliates, going to otherworlds was just business as usual.When White Star Trading needed tospin off its waste-hauling business, thetrucking firm it called in was alreadyan Outfit front. The Outfit slipped intocrossworld crime by signing on thedotted line in Infinity Tower. UsingInterworld Waste Transport as thelicensor of record, the Outfit was ableto divert a small fleet of conveyortrucks to its own use. With bribed andblackmailed programmers, the sup-posedly hardwired systems could gethacked (albeit with a permanent -2penalty to all Electronics Operation(Parachronic) skill rolls on those vehi-cles) to allow free subquantum opera-tion. Diverting a projector is beyondthe Outfit’s capacity (so far), butthere’s little need for one right now.Like the Patrol, the Outfit’s “East SideExpress” has more work than it canhandle, even restricted to Quantum 5.

The biggest business is drugs.From Gallatin, an alternate Earthwhere the Midwest is a libertariananarchy, the Outfit buys cheap, legal,guaranteed pure heroin and cocaine –and ships it by the ton to Homeline.The most difficult part is launderingthe drug shipments on Homeline sothat the FBI and the Patrol don’t tracethem back to the supplier. A close sec-ond is prostitution and the fleshtrade; Gallatin is oddly bad at pornog-raphy (making it acceptable seems tohave spoiled the thrill), and far too

well-armed to run kidnap rings in, butthere are other Earths with starvinggirls willing to go anywhere as long asit’s away. One or two Outfit operatorshave been working to take over theChicago mobs in parallel Earths, torake off some of their take for the ben-efit of Homeline, but the technologicaladvantage isn’t as helpful when every-one is still using baseball bats andflick-knives anyway.

Finally, of course, the various blast-ed, frozen, hell-scarred Earths towhich Interworld Waste Transportactually delivers its legitimate cargoesof spent plutonium, tetradioxin, andberyllium dust make excellent dump-ing grounds for inconvenient corpses– including a few from the Patrol’sJustice Division.

The Russian MafiyaLike the Chicago boys, the Russian

Mafiya simply transferred its stan-dards and practices offworld. In thiscase, it was their connections withthe Russian government and mining

industry that gained them theirentrée to the parallels. With Russiajealously guarding its 20% share ofoffworld mining licenses, and withthe Mafiya working hand in glovewith all the major oligarchs and their paid governors, the result was a foregone conclusion. One StateDepartment paper estimates that80% of the Russian offworld miningoperations are carried out by Mafiya-owned or -connected firms, and bil-lions of rubles flow right into thegangs’ bank accounts in Switzerlandand Johnson’s Rome. The Mafiyamostly uses these vast rakeoffs tofund its Homeline operations in com-puter crime, racketeering, and extor-tion, rather than expand to otherworldlines. They do heavily “recruit”soldiers from various battlefieldsacross the alternate Russias; there isno shortage of desperate, brave,doomed warriors willing to get highpay and modern dental care inexchange for only having to shootunarmed civilians.


An alarming number of Russianmafiosi decide to go “play czar” on theprimitive worlds their supposedlysecret mines exploit. Since manyRussian mining operations are mis-filed, with “accidental transpositions”in the coordinate field for example, itcan be months before reports of blackSUVs loaded with gunmen looting theziggurat at Lagash filter back to thePatrol. So far, one or another wave ofbarbarian invasions have swallowedup the outrages, but the danger to TheSecret remains ever-present.

The TriadsThe various Asian crime families

around the Pacific have found theirway across the worlds as well. Usually,they travel on forged papers to a par-allel with a large Chinese diaspora.

When the “historical researcher” or“import consultant” on the passportvanishes, the Triad member surfacesand makes contact with the localTriads in the parallel. Although a cer-tain amount of turf war is inevitable,the combination of access to cross-world travel and connections withhigh technology proves too temptingto the outtimers. The locals thenambush a different conveyor in a dif-ferent area – the Patrol doesn’t knowhow many “vanished surveys” areactually sitting at the bottom of theHaiphong harbor or a quarry inGuangdong on some parallel, but it’smore than one or two.

The Triads concentrate on buildingredundant crossworld connectionsand allies; they heavily recruit Chineseworld-jumpers, especially in overseasand outtime Chinese communities

outside the reach of the Communistgovernment on Homeline. They shiftthings of great rarity but low weight –pirated software and movies, industri-al secrets, and powdered dinosaurpenis. The Triads do a brisk businessin crossworld poaching, as well – therhinoceros is endangered on four orfive more worlds, and the sabertoothhas been hunted to extinction in Asiaon Mammut-3. The I-Cops have beguncracking down on the crosstimeTriads.

FREELANCECRIMINALS

There’s plenty of room in the infi-nite worlds for freelancers in crime, aswell. If one version of Miami gets toohot for you, try the next world over!The real bottleneck is access to a con-veyor; if it’s not under the watchful eyeof the Patrol or some government orU.N. agency, it’s probably under thewatchful eye of the local mob. Eventhe free spirits listed below, therefore,probably need at least one “connect-ed” street Contact to operate, unlessthey have some non-parachronicmeans of world-jumping. (These samecriminal types, and most of the sameassumptions, apply in a time-travelcampaign as well.)

Crosstime ThievesThese criminals use their knowl-

edge of the other world (or the past)and/or their advanced technology tosteal gold, gems, and other highlynegotiable goods. Time thieves areoften clever but unsubtle. A Spanishtreasure galleon, for instance, is aneasy target for an armed hovercraft, oreven a few men with body armor andsubmachine guns in a native sloop.When the gold is secured, the piratesburn the ship and send it to the bot-tom, with no survivors and nobody thewiser.

ScavengersMany items are quite ordinary in

their own time or place, but pricelessin today’s world. Almost any ancientweapon, for instance, becomes a valu-able antique a few centuries down theline. Likewise, ordinary coins, stamps,mechanical devices, and publicationscan all become very valuable with thepassing of time.

SwagmenA crosstime extended “family” of grifters, the swagmen take their

name from the Australian slang term for wandering bums. TheAustralian Outback sprouted boomtowns on Homeline in the early 21st,as miners came through to dig opals and gold on their own, and urani-um for Infinity, on alternate Australias across the quantum. Where fastmoney and greed come together, so do confidence men and gamblers.One crew of such outlaws managed to coalesce with a series of griftsthat wound up stranding a Consolidated Mining representative inCoventry, and leaving them on their own with a conveyor and a book ofcoordinates.

They had the same problem every other ambitious crosstimer faces;too many marks and not enough men. Rather than dummy up, theyreached out to friends of friends and connections from every dive bar onthree continents. From the Irish Travelers and the Romany, they tookthe codes of trust and insularity that kept con games going for decades;from the grifters and sharps they took the newest cons and the flair toreach beyond the pigeon drop and driveway game to big takedowns.

As their contacts expanded, so did their options. Swagmen often takejobs on crosstime mining operations, or simply bribe personnel clerks toput their names on the roster. As the miners go from world to world, theswagmen go with them. Con games can raise the fare for a Time Tourstrip, and glib operators can hook onto an academic team as guides ortranslators. There are plenty of ways to get from world to world if you’regood at the grift, and the swagmen are among the best.

With an infinity of marks, they can afford to hit only the richest andmost deserving. They’ve run the Spanish Prisoner on a world where theArmada won, and the Two-Ring Gambit with the Bonaparte crown jew-els. They’ve conned a parallel Howard Hughes before the Mob could,and accidentally-on-purpose gained Australian independence for NedKelly on Britannica-6 (and a fortune in gold for themselves).

Every year on April Fool’s Day, all the swagmen who can make it willhook up for a big party on some rural worldline. There they swap sto-ries and trade techniques, keeping their options open and their sense ofsolidarity intact.


Where Are the Starships?So far no one from Homeline has reported a paral-

lel Earth with reliable, technological faster than lighttravel. (Although Azoth-7 (p. 112) has its own strangealchemical starships, they don’t seem to operate in anynormal cosmos at all, being closer to Cabalistic planartravel than anything else.) Paralabs physicists have twomain theories on the subject, neither of them anythinglike experimentally proven:

Delay: Although seemingly unlikely, it might just bethat no parallel Earth has invented FTL travel at all.Since Homeline is among the most technicallyadvanced Earths, and FTL hasn’t been invented there,maybe it just takes another century or two of progress.Caliph (p. 117) may be getting close.

Distortion: Another theory postulates that the localquantum field can only deform in one direction, either“timeward” or “spaceward.” Since parachronics camefirst (on Earth, anyway), no Earth-based FTL is possi-ble at all – unless the parachronic distortion can some-how be filtered out.

No, Really, Where Are They?Like reliable, technological time travel (Can of

Infinite Worms box, p. 153), interstellar campaign set-tings don’t mesh well with crosstime gaming. Thecausality and time-dilation paradoxes alone will driveGMs crazy, and any realistic advanced, interstellar,high-tech civilization is just not going to accidentallyoverlook Infinity agents sneaking into its universe inparachronic conveyors, emitting all kinds of quantumradiation. The Secret would last about an hour and ahalf, and then your campaign would be over.

Finally, the canvas is quite simply a little too vast forthis book. What about all the parallels where the diver-gence point happens on Tau Ceti IV? What aboutarmadas of crosstime alien invaders? What if every oneof the billions of worlds has its own quantum cloud ofechoes and parallels? One of the fundamental assump-tions of a crosstime game is that Earth (or one of them,anyway) is central and important. The vastness of theGalaxy mitigates against that. Add FTL to the InfiniteWorlds if you wish, but – be careful out there.

The scavenger acquires such itemswhen and where they are new. Hemight then bury them for proper“aging,” or just bring them directly toHomeline (or, in a time travel cam-paign, the future). The existence ofscavengers can drive a collector mad.Is this Four-Penny Black stamp a“real” one from Homeline, or is itfrom an alternate world? And if it is analternate, does that make it a forgery?

Of course, in some campaignsscavenging might be legal. In others, itmight be illegal – not because it iswicked in itself, but because of thedanger that any unauthorized time ordimension travel might pose to thecontinuum. On Homeline, scavengingis strictly licensed (LC2), for “museumreplicas only,” but in practice is almostimpossible to control.

LootersLooters are also thieves, but instead

of “ordinary” valuables, they look forunique ones. They may raid art gal-leries, libraries, palaces, and mansionsfor the masterpieces of other worlds.Or they may be souvenir hunters, pick-ing up interesting relics. Some lootersare connoisseurs, treasuring their

acquisitions for their own sake. Mostsimply sell to collectors.

Depending on the game back-ground and the laws, some sorts of“looting” may be perfectly legal. If thegoods are obtained honestly, and thereis no chance of upsetting history orchanging the structure of a parallelworld, it may be all right to “import”valuables. (And some worlds take amore “Elgin Marbles” approach toother timelines’ artifacts, tacitly con-doning looting artifacts from “bar-barous” timelines or cultures to bringsuch masterpieces into the light of“civilization.”) In a time-travel game(or even on an echo), “stealing” treas-ures about to be destroyed, if donecarefully, might be a praiseworthy res-cue mission rather than a crime!

TimenappersTimenappers visit a historical alter-

nate world (or the past, in a time trav-el setting), and kidnap victims fromthere, bringing them to the criminals’own homeworld. The object might beransom – just another way of gettingrich in the past. But more likely, it’sbecause someone on the timenappers’home world wants that victim.

Past times and alternate worldscould be an inexhaustible source ofslaves and other victims. A crossworldtrading organization might easily turninto a slave trade, taking prisoners onone obscure alternate world and mov-ing them to another in exchange forvaluable goods.

Individuals – famous people fromhistory, or their alternate versions –might also be kidnapped for any num-ber of reasons. People might also betimenapped for research purposes,legitimate or otherwise.

If the timenapper’s “home world”has biotechnology at TL8 or better,human genetic material can be stolenwith rather less fuss than kidnapping.There might be a thriving under-ground market, driven by men whowant to own a clone of Cleopatra or ofMarilyn Monroe and by women whowant to bear a natural child of ElvisPresley or Alexander the Great.Another advantage of gene-napping isthat clones can usually be furtheraltered to the buyer’s specifications –get a baby Alexander without the genefor alcoholism, or a naturally platinum-blonde Marilyn Monroe.

Parachronozoids are creatureswith natural world-jumping abilities.They range widely in form, disposi-tion, and nature. Some look like nor-mal animals, while some are talking,bipedal beasts. Some seem human orghostly. A few are simply indescrib-able – beautiful (or horrible) beyondcomprehension.

All parachronozoids possess theJumper (World) advantage (p. 174).Most have the Tunnel enhancement,allowing them to create interdimen-sional paths that can be followed.Often, these paths close behind themafter a time, with potentially drasticconsequences for the unwary follower.Many parachronozoids also have theWarp advantage (p. B97), giving themthe ability to jump across space as wellas the dimensions.

Some parachronozoids seemdrawn to those with latent or activepsionic abilities (most often ESP orTeleportation). Others seek mana-richareas, and there are rumors of ways tomagically summon or lure them.Certainly, wizards have trapped andtamed such entities, using them asmounts or harnessing them to createworld-jumping chariots.

There are almost as many differentkinds of parachronozoids as there areworlds for them to hail from. Thismere smattering includes two uniquebeings and one fairly common (andunpleasant) species.

“Aaron”Aaron is the name most often given

by a man in dark glasses who appearson lonely roads driving a black automobile. Sometimes it’s a hearse,sometimes it’s a coach and four, andsometimes it’s the iconic blackCadillac Seville. He only appears totravelers on foot, and only at night ornoon. Aaron shows up at the momentwhen the walker’s spirits are at theirlowest . . . when they have receivedsome deadening setback that crusheswhat little hope they had.

Aaron begins by offering a rideand, if accepted, conversation. Hetalks in generalities, but they center onthe importance of love and virtue.Occasionally he tells a story of some-

thing he saw on his travels, or someanecdote about his family. (He is espe-cially fond of stories about his twinbrother, who apparently has doneeverything from serving in the Armyas a buck private to dancing withmovie starlets.) At the end of the jour-ney, Aaron has dropped his passengeror passengers wherever they weregoing, and left them with a gift ofsome sort. Sometimes it’s just moneyor jewelry, but sometimes the story hetold holds a crucial clue to the prob-lem waiting for the traveler. Andsometimes, the traveler finds a key allywaiting for him, or his true love, orboth.

Aaron may be a ghost, or a tulpacreated by psionic projection or masswish-fulfillment, or he may just be aworld-jumping bodhisattva with anidiosyncratic personal style. Nobodyhas ever tried to harm Aaron in hisown car, and he has never offeredharm to anyone, even the deserving.

GargoylesGargoyles are either the pigeons or

the rats of the parallels. Possibly both.They are slightly smarter than chim-panzees, with the aggression andtrooping instincts of baboons. Theyhave widely varying facial and bodystructures, but all have wings andtalons.

Gargoyles have a gray, shiftingcomplexion that blends well with oldstone (rather less well with concrete).They prefer to flock in the older sec-tions of cities, especially old churches.They can roost stock-still for hours at

a time, merging with the roofline andwaiting for prey.

They prefer world-jumpers, butwill attack anything with a strangeparachronic “smell.” Failing that, theywill attack anyone alone who lookslike he would spray blood for a verygreat distance. They love to sadistical-ly dangle foes in midair, hang themfrom church spires, or attack them inmid-climb, knocking them onto nar-row ledges or rooflines for extra fun.

Some Cabalists are reputed to havetrained gargoyles as coursing houndsor “carrier pigeons.”

GargoylesST 20+; DX 16-18; IQ 7; HT 16.Will 10; Per 16; Speed 8; Dodge 11;

Move 8 (Ground).SM 0; 200-300 lbs.Traits: Automaton; Body of Stone;

Chameleon 5 (Stone only);Enhanced Move 1 (Air Speed 32);Flight (Winged; Air Move 16);Jumper (World); Long Talons;Magery 0; Silence 5.

Skills: Brawling-14; Stealth-18.


His voice had risen to a scream. “Frank,Frank, a terrible and unspeakable deed was donein the beginning. Before time, the deed, and fromthe deed –” He had risen and was hystericallypacing the room. “The deeds of the dead movethrough angles in the dim recesses of time. Theyare hungry and athirst!”

– Frank Belknap Long, The Hounds of Tindalos

PARACHRONOZOIDS

The White StagThe White Stag has romped

through the mythic history ofmany an Earth. It led Magor andHunor to the steppes of Scythia tofound the tribes of Hungary. Ittried to warn Pwyll away from thelands of Annwn, and led Peredurto the Grail Castle. It launchedquests by Sir Geraint and otherArthurian knights. And it hasappeared every so often toPatrolmen on leave or otherwisenot on duty.

Unfortunately, it has yet toappear to a Patrolman with anygreat skill at woodcraft (itrequires at least Tracking-16 tofollow successfully), so nobodyknows where it’s trying to leadhim. It creates a trod (p. 79)under its hooves; anyone who cantrack it can follow it to anotherworld with no other roll needed.Anemones spring up along itstrail three days after it passes by.


Spoor and StigmataAlthough parachronozoids vary widely in form and feature, there are one

or two ways to identify many of them, and a few reliable indicators thatsomething has walked through worlds nearby.

Parachronozoid spoor includes:

• Odd bare patches in the shape of footprints, especially cloven hooves orcanine tracks. Sometimes they appear in naked rock.

• Unusual growth of crossworld plants such as Puck’s Cap mushrooms,tradescantia creeper, and Queen Marie’s clover. Rings or lines of more nor-mal mushrooms and flowers sometimes indicate a jump or running land-ing by a parachronozoid.

• People near the entry or exit point often have dreams of large black cats.This can happen even when the parachronozoid is small, pale, and non-feline.

Signs that a creature may be a world-walker include:

• Pure white fur, without other albino features.• Violet or mismatched eyes.• Unusual perception or intelligence for its species or, on worlds where it’s

not normal for the species, human speech.• An unusual appetite for oats or strawberries.

Not all the dangers between theworlds are human, or even sentient.Simply traveling the continuum canbe a harrowing experience, especiallywithout a handy conveyor. Even nexusportals don’t always open onto thesame place twice, and dimensionalhighways thread through someuncanny turf indeed. The continuumdoesn’t stay the same from place toplace or time to time; banestorms andreality quakes shift even the scenerythat doesn’t shift by itself.

Charting these hazards and theireffects remains an inexact science.Surveyors can determine deforma-tions of the physical landscape, andmap them to field strengths of variousquantum energies. Paraphysicists,meteorologists, and geologists findtheir disciplines merging as the con-nections between physical and para-physical phenomena teasingly flitthrough the available theories anddata. Pure mathematicians offer help-ful comments on catastrophe andchaos theory, and rather less helpfulcomments about “nonbirational mappings.”

THE SPACESBETWEEN

Although the worlds vary widely,they are all still worlds, and usuallyEarths. The spaces between theworlds, however, can be anything at all– or nothing at all.

NothingnessThe most common experience of

the space between Earths, for theInfinity Patrol anyway, is nothing.(For which they are profoundlythankful.) If it’s working correctly, aconveyor simply vanishes from onepoint and reappears instantaneouslyat the same point on another Earth.Whether it travels through a micro-wormhole at billions of times thespeed of light, or simply transposesitself like an electron when nobody’slooking, or ravels down the super-strings that knot the Earths togetherbeneath even the quantum level,nobody knows for sure. The mathexplains it all three ways, dependingon which figures you emphasize. If

the “jump space” that conveyors tran-sit has any characteristics, they don’tshow up on Infinity’s instruments.

The CurrentThe other type of space between

the Earths that the Patrol has encoun-tered so far is “the Current,” a rushingflow of charged particles that runs“back” from Homeline through allother worlds. (Centrum may also gen-erate a Current of its own.) Paralabscalls these “oz particles,” after thetwister that took Dorothy Gale toanother world (which, unnervingly,exists on Quantum 4) in The Wizard ofOz. Powerful eddies of the Current roilaround Merlin-3 (p. 134) and someother worlds; travel to or from thoseworlds by any means is always at -1 ormore to skill.

The Current mostly appears on thevarious Earths in the form ofbanestorms (p. 75), which are proper-ties of its much more massive anddangerous flow. Although only a fewespecially hardened Patrol conveyorshave breached the Current (entering

OTHER HAZARDS


through larger and more stablebanestorms), it may be possible forother vehicles (like the Time Sphereon p. 163) to somehow ride it betweenthe worlds. With conveyors so mucheasier and less dangerous, Paralabshasn’t put too much effort into design-ing an “oz ship,” although the threat ofsome barbarian crosstime culturedescending onto Homeline in oz-rid-ing pirate vessels does preoccupy afew UNIC planners.

Exposure to oz particles works likeradiation exposure (see pp. B435-436),with “oz” instead of “rads.” Some ozsources include:

Unprotected (no conveyor) time ordimension travel: 1 oz per trip.

Downwind from a banestorm: 1-6oz per minute, depending on stormstrength. After a banestorm, oz levelsin the air and water drop to 1-6 oz perhour over the next day, and 1-6 oz perday over the next month.

Inside a banestorm: 300-1,800 ozper hour, depending on stormstrength. A twin-charged banestorm(p. B534), however, delivers little or no(1-6 oz per hour) oz charge to thoseinside it.

Oz effects are as follows, using theRadiation Effects Table on p. B436:

–: No effect, but doses continue toaccumulate.

A: Minor fortune or misfortune, atquirk-level. Roll 1d to determine good(1-3) or bad (4-6) luck. Somethinggoes right (or wrong) for no reason.Superstitious activity (rubbing a whiterabbit’s foot, for example) can “posi-tively spin” the effect.

B: Major fortune or misfortune. Yougain 15-point Luck, or Unluckinessplus Ham-Fisted. Roll as before.Superstitious activity (as aCompulsive Behavior) can affect therandom roll by +1 or -1. These effectslast until the oz dosage decays.

C: Temporal decay. Make dailyaging rolls (p. B154). On a critical suc-cess, you “age backward.” You alsohave Magic Susceptibility 3 until theaging stops; your ears may also getpoints, your hair turn green, etc.

D: Rapid temporal decay. Roll as C,above. The charged particles begin todo actual physical damage. Even on asuccessful roll, you suffer 1 point ofinjury; on a failure, 2 points; on a

critical failure, 1d points. Your fea-tures may turn monstrous or ethereal-ly beautiful and strange.

E: Overwhelming temporal decay.Make hourly aging rolls; double abovedamage.

Some materials grant oz shielding.Unlike radiation shielding, the wearerdoes not usually need to cover allexposed areas to gain the benefit of itsProtection Factor (p. B436), merelyhave a few ounces of the materialexposed to the oz field between thefield and the wearer. Silk or amber hasPF 7, steel has PF 10, silver orhawthorn has PF 32, and cold iron hasPF 100. Also unlike radiation shield-ing, not all materials grant the sameprotection against every banestorm;individual oz frequencies may varytremendously.

BANESTORMSA “banestorm” is a localized event

that transports everyone within a cer-tain area to another dimension orworldline. Most often circular,banestorms range in size from a fewyards to a few miles across. Within anatmosphere, a banestorm tends tomanifest as a thick fog bank, mysteri-ous thundercloud, or heavy electricalstorm that builds up slowly and van-ishes suddenly. When the banestormvanishes, so does everyone within itsradius. These “passengers” reap-pear . . . elsewhere. Banestorms do notnecessarily send their passengers tothe equivalent spot in their world.

With the oz charge they carry,banestorms often have a major effectnot only on the unfortunates caughtup in them and the countrysidethrough which they plow, but thequantum field around the Earth theystrike. A banestorm interferes withquantum jump windows, giving apenalty to Electronics Operation(Projector) skill from -1 to -6! SomePatrolmen still risk it, because abanestorm also masks parachronicdetection, drowning out the jump sig-nal in an ocean of parachronic“noise.” The banestorm gives the samepenalty to the Electronics Operation(Sensors) skill to detect a jump andhalf that penalty to any Physics(Parachronic) skill roll to analyze datagathered during a banestorm.

VorticesThese daring Patrolmen seek out

vortices, points on the Earth’s surfacewhich, for some reason, tend to attractor manifest banestorms more fre-quently. Nobody quite knows why vor-tices appear, or even if they actuallyexist outside Patrol superstition –banestorm surveying is a necessarilydifficult job. Patrolmen often noticetheir compasses begin to spin aroundwhen a banestorm is brewing up, andother anomalous readings begin tohash delicate sensors. The bestParalabs guess is that vortices appearwhere the Earth’s magnetic field fluctuates more than usual; such fluctuations may have a geological ortectonic component.

Commonly appearing vorticesinclude the Bermuda Triangle, theDevil’s Sea (a triangular stretch ofocean centered on Iwo Jima), theHoggar Desert in central Algeria, LakeErie, the mouth of the Indus River, theinterior of Madagascar, the KermadecIslands north of New Zealand, and thetwo magnetic poles. On mana-positiveworlds, vortices tend to show up nearley line junctions or at sites such asStonehenge or the Pyramids.

REALITY QUAKESA reality quake (or, as Paralabs

prefers to call it, an “ontoclysm”) cre-ates such an upheaval in the path oftime or worlds that history itself isupthrust and overturned, leaving anew past in its wake. Not just historycan change in a reality quake, ofcourse. The laws of nature and physicscan alter; worlds can go from highmana to no mana (or the reverse),gods can die or be born, and new starsand planets appear in the heavens.One good sign of reality quakes inprogress is an anomalous eclipse,unpredicted comet, or other strangeastronomical (or astrological) portent.Another effect of imminent realityquakes is to “blank out” precognitiveor psychometric abilities, since historyliterally “doesn’t exist” on the far sideof the quake. Volcanism and conven-tional earthquakes also seem to followor precede reality quakes; Paralabsnervously admits that on some Earths,they might cause reality quakes!

Much as an earthquake leavesbreaks in the strata and fractures inthe geology, or flings up material fromdeep in the earth onto the surface, areality quake leaves breaks in civiliza-tion or fractures in the historicalrecord. It can also and fling up anom-alous fragments of other realities –“reality shards” – into the new/oldpast. After each shift, only the realityshards remain, and the fossilizedtraces of the previous reality surviveonly in the subconscious mind andmyths of surviving cultures, and in thestrange artifacts rejected by the inhab-itants as oddities or forgeries. Manyreality shards show up in multiple versions on more than one Earth.

Reality ShardsPatrolmen who find reality shards

are supposed to bring them toParalabs for study. However, giventheir weird, anomalous effects onconveyors (and Patrolmen!), they areoften “accidentally” left behind inhidden caches, or (if seemingly luckyor useful) “accidentally” left off theincident report.

Reality shards tend to give anom-alous readings under scientific testing,especially carbon-14 or thermolumi-nescence dating. Many seem to be pal-pable forgeries, “given away” by theiranachronistic composition, construc-tion, or artistic technique. Of the real-ity shards known to Paralabs, anotable percentage are made of crys-tal, or have some sort of glaze onthem. Whether this is a function ofcrystal’s general ruggedness or of themeta-geometry of reality tectonicsremains unknown.

Sample reality shards include thefollowing, most of which haveHomeline equivalents:

Nineveh Lens: An optically groundcrystal lens initially discovered in theruins of Nineveh in 1853. The NinevehLens predates by millennia otherknown lenses; archaeologists have dis-covered it (or a lens very similar to it)in Nineveh in many different years ona number of Earths. Looking throughit lets the viewer see invisibleAkkadian demons, or reality quakestresses, or an imprinted recording ofAugust 12, 605 B.C.

Glozel Fragments: In 1923 a farmerdug up hundreds of enigmatic artifacts

in a field near Glozel, France. Mostlystrange stones, brick, and bones,they bore carvings in an unknownalphabet. That same alphabet is usedas a Phoenecian creole in Ezcalli,and on one or two other worlds.Some fragments show signs of sud-den, intense heat; some Cabalists inthe Wheel of Ptah throw Glozel frag-ments for divination.

Shroud of Turin: Thought to beboth the winding cloth of Jesus Christand a pious forgery from the 14th cen-tury, the Shroud of Turin remains anenigma. The presence of Palestinianpollen grains and the afterimage ofRoman coins over the eyes of the fig-ure contrast sharply with radiocarbondating demonstrating the Shroud’screation around 1350. Although theVatican refuses to allow further testson the Homeline version of theShroud, the one in Turin Cathedral onAriane (p. 128) gives every sign ofbeing a major reality shard. Eerielights, the smell of incense, and fre-quent nexus portals to first-centuryJerusalem pervade the Shroud’s home

on that world, which is under the careof the conservative Catholic Opus Dei.

Vinland Map: In 1957, a curator atYale University bought a handwrittentome known as the Tartar Relation. Init, a map, dated to 1440, showed theeast coast of North America, labeled“Vinland.” Various analyses haverevealed it as authentic, or as a mid-20th-century forgery. The original ofthe map is now in the DuncorneFoundation collection. Under theright wavelengths, it is rumored toshow the dimensional highway to apocket universe of Norse gods and an“eternal Vinland the Brave.”

Magic Bullet: The 6.5 mm bulletthat passed through John F. Kennedyand John Connally appeared, almostcompletely intact and unscathed, onthe gurney at Parkland Hospital inDallas. Conspiracy theorists call it the“magic bullet.” Some conspiracy-minded Paralabs analysts think thatOswald (or whoever) might have trig-gered a reality microquake, recreatingthe 535 A.D. event (see below) andsending shadow bullets winging


Mathematical BafflegabFor GMs and players who crave technobabble and jargon for the full

roleplaying experience, we proudly present this excerpt from AnIntroduction to Ontophysics, by Dr. Joseph Franecki (University ofWisconsin Press, 2026, third edition, revised). The topic of the learneddoctor’s disquisition is the mathematics of reality quakes, but it canapply to echoes, puzzle worlds, and other paraphysical phenomena withequal facility.

Pioneered by Margaret Steed in 2004, quantum combinatoric geom-etry relates directly to the parachronic upheavals, which may occurwhen two or more realities are brought too quickly into proximity (asdetermined by the L8 metric).

Steed’s equations themselves are an invaluable basis for the calcula-tion of the intersection indices of Leinster co-bundles in hemi-projectivevarieties, which may not seem relevant, until one appreciates that ourcurrent model of the 8-dimensional meta-space in which the knownalternate worlds reside is an 8-dimensional projection of the compactifi-cation of a generally positioned smooth 9-dimensional hemi-plane, andindividual vector chains in the Leinster co-bundles correspond to theconditions under which parachronically stable worlds can (and did)develop (our own included).

Intersections, then, would indicate locations in meta-space and timewhere the probability of nonbirational mappings between worlds orquasi-worlds is maximized, leading to a real possibility that information(in the form of history-changing events, cultures, concepts, or individu-als) can be destroyed or erroneously created, that is, transported from noreal antecedent in this or any world.

across the continuum. If loaded into arifle, a magic bullet supposedly grantsan instant kill (a critical hit to thebrain) when fired at a king.

In game terms, reality shardsalmost always act as Mana Enhancers(p. B68), and may grant other advan-tages (with the Can Be Stolen andUnique modifiers, perhaps) such asDoesn’t Eat or Drink, Doesn’t Sleep,Extraordinary Luck, Omen, Jumper,Unaging, or Blessed. (They makeexcellent “origin items” for world-jumping supers.) Of course, theymight also carry disadvantages, suchas Delusions (“I am rightwise King ofEngland!”), Flashbacks, Cursed, orUnluckiness. Any reality shard is guar-anteed to be a Weirdness Magnet. TheGM is free to introduce his favoriteartifact or enigma as a reality shard –the Piltdown Man skull on Homelinemay be a forgery, but that doesn’tmean there’s not a “real” shard justlike it out in the continuum some-where.

Fracture ZonesThe fracture zone is the “epicenter”

of the reality quake, a location inspace-time usually a few square milesand around six days in extent. Afterthe quake, it technically becomes a“reality subduction zone” where theold reality is “sucked under” the newone. In practice, everyone calls thearea a fracture zone regardless, issuesof chronology being what they oftenare around reality quakes.

A few space-time locations seem tobe especially vulnerable to realityquakes, such as:

Ajalon, c. 1400 B.C.?: According toJoshua 10:12, during a battle againstthe Gibeonites at Ajalon in Canaan,the sun stood still for an entire day.This is either pious myth, miracle, orprima facie reality quake evidence.The battle, interestingly, has yet to beconvincingly dated – or even men-tioned in other local chronicles.Estimates range from 1439 to 1131B.C.

Troy, c. 1200 B.C.: An earthquakemay have caused the “fall of Troy,” andthe Odyssey reports that the Greeksceased to honor the gods after theirvictory. The traditional date for the fallof Troy is 1179 B.C.; shortly thereafter,

Greek history simply disappears into aDark Age for 300 years until Homerwrites the Iliad about the siege of Troy.Did his song “knit together” a realityfracture?

Etruria, c. 750 B.C.: The legendaryfounding of Rome takes place hereand now, with the customary accre-tion of omens and signs from thegods. A “shield of Mars” fell to Earthduring the reign of Rome’s legendarysecond king Numa Pompilius – was ita reality shard? Interestingly, magnet-ic analysis of pottery from the regionseems to indicate a reversal of theEarth’s magnetic field around the timeof Numa’s reign.

Corfu and Jerusalem, 29 A.D.: Offthe Adriatic island of Corfu, Plutarchrecords that passengers heard a “greathowl” announcing the death of theGreat God Pan. This date also roughlymatches the date of Jesus’ crucifixion,which was accompanied, according tothe Bible, by an anomalous eclipse.

Britain or Java, 535 A.D.: The vol-canic island Krakatoa may have erupt-ed cataclysmically around the time ofthe death of King Arthur. The centuryafter that date was almost a globalDark Age; the Byzantine Empire lost athird of its population in the Plague ofJustinian, Rome lay in ruins, Chinaand India descended into chaos andcivil war, and even Teotihuacan andthe Maya states collapsed. Faminesand storms swept over the world.

Armageddon: At the natural chokepoint between Egypt and Asia, theplain of Megiddo in Israel sees battlesin all eras in almost all Earths. (OnHomeline, they range from Pharaoniccampaigns in 2350 B.C. to the YomKippur War in 1973.) This may beenough to twist it permanently out ofspace-time; soldiers missing afterthese battles may have fallen into a“reality sinkhole” to emerge on someother field, or recruited into a cross-world brigade.

QuantaclysmsThe 535 A.D. event (which may also

have involved a mysterious comet) isone possible quantaclysm, a realityquake so severe that it actually obliter-ates the worldline on which it takesplace, and flings reality shards to tensor even hundreds of other Earths in itswake. The Holy Grail, in all its myriad

forms, may be such a reality shard, asmight the wizard Merlin, who accord-ing to the stories lived backward fromhis senescence (in which he was frozenin time by Nimue) to his youth inBritain. Another such quantaclysmmay have blown a world of evolved,technologically advanced dinosaurs topieces, and sent the survivors hurtlingdeep into the past. Such an eventmight have left almost all Earths withlegends of “talking snakes” or “drag-ons” who bring wisdom and knowl-edge from “under the earth,” and theU.S.L. worldline (p. 148) as the onlyremnant.

Reality Quakes and Time Travel

Reality quakes would also be quitedangerous for time travelers. Ofcourse, in a sense, any time travelerwho changes the past causes a realityquake, but (in the commonly under-stood versions of temporal physics),time “pastward” of his changeremains unaffected. A true realityquake, on the other hand, changes thepast as well; it more often onlychanges the past, leaving history afterthe fracture unaltered, but historiansunaware that their past is now differ-ent. Such a reality quake could changethe past while a traveler was still in it,trapping him in a reality cyst with lit-erally no future. Some eras of the pastmight be ontically unstable, especiallyin fracture zones, leading to time-slipsor chronal storms.

GOINGELSEWHERE

Nexus PortalsA “nexus portal” (see pp. B534) is a

hole leading from one dimension toanother. It is usually circular and lessthan 10 yards across, and allows lightto pass through from both ends (thatis, you can see its destination). Like aconveyor, a portal crosses realitieswithout crossing space. Portals can beone-way or two-way; open all the time,or accessible only on Durin’s Day or tothose with the Key of Time, or sum-monable by the person who knowswhich kabbalistic sequence of elevatorbuttons to push. Some portals go a lot


of different places (at random or byselection), and some are invisible untilafter the unwary traveler has tumbledthrough them into another world.

The Patrol has encountered everysort of portal mentioned above, andsome even stranger than that. So far,the Patrol has found at least onepotential portal on every world it hassurveyed except for Coventry. Patroldoctrine allows Patrolmen to seal por-

tals if the situation seems to demandit. Individual Patrolmen take variousapproaches to that question: some likehaving a bolthole available in casesomething goes wrong with the con-veyor; others don’t like the thoughtthat the “back door” to the world is leftopen and unlocked.

Most nexus portals can bedestroyed with sufficiently high ener-gy release; dynamite does the job in

many cases. (Even if it doesn’t closethe portal, it can effectively blockaccess to it.) Some portals go “offline”during nuclear blasts or very intensefires or electrical storms. A few por-tals require charged-particle blasts,magic, or other methods to close, andeven then they can reopen after a fewyears. If possible, locking the portalmakes the best compromise betweenaccess and security; this often takes a


Reality Quakes in the GameIn essence, reality quakes are a GM’s tool to allow

things to happen outside the normal rules of the set-ting. Want to massively retcon your campaign? Realityquake. Want to put the Holy Grail into a resolutelyhard-SF setting? Reality quake. Want to have a worldwhere ancient Romans fight the Confederacy? Realityquake. This also happens to be the explanation used bymost “flung into the past” stories, no matter how theymay gussy it up with lightning bolts or Druidic curses– it happened because it’s just too neat for reality to getin the way. Providing hard and fast rules for realityquakes, therefore, would seem to be beside the point.

But, if you want to have a game centered on thequakes – their cause, their cure, their uses – here aresome rules mechanics to govern their appearance, allneatly tied into the existing paraphysics of the setting.

Reality Stress LevelCompute the basic Reality Stress Level as follows:

add 1 for every level of local mana above no mana (lowis +1, normal is +2, etc.). Add the SL modifiers for cos-mic energies, historical murk, and magic use (thoughnot magically significant days) from the ChronalStorms section (p. 164), as written. If the area has beena fracture zone in other worlds, add from 1 to 5 points(from a minor slip to Armageddon). Add 1 or 2 pointsif the area is on a geological fault line.

Reality Quake RollThe GM should make the Quake Roll when local

conditions seem to threaten a quake, usually due toone or more of the modifiers below. Take the total RSLand divide it by 5 (round down). Apply that as a modi-fier on the Quake Roll; roll 3d and apply the results asfollows:

6 or less – Pressure relief stabilizes zone.7-9 – No result, but add 1 to any further roll made

within a week if stimulus continues.10-11 – No result, but add 2 to any further roll made

within a week if stimulus continues.

12-13 – No immediate result, but if the zone is not stabilized, roll again in 1d¥10 hours, at +2.This moifier is cumulative if rolled more than once.

14-15 – Reality temblor in 2d hours; a banestorm may blow up, 1d reality shards appear, or 3d beings from another reality emerge (possibly hostile and supernatural).

16-17 – Reality quake will occur in 2d days; realitytemblor will occur as above.

18 or more – Reality quake will occur in 2d hours; reality temblor will occur immediately.

Further local modifiers to the Quake Roll are at theGM’s discretion but might include: +1 or more for acult devoted to the zone’s previous (or coming) reality(+1 for 100 members, +2 for 1,000 members, etc.) inthe area; +1 or more for a being from another realitybecoming known to the local population (gruesomemurder spree, strange lecture tour, etc.); battlefieldmodifiers for a battle going on during a potentialquake; +1 or more for a reality shard in use; +1 to +3for strange eclipses, astrological conjunctions, etc. visible in the area.

Stress ReliefImmediately after a Quake Roll results in a 6 or less,

cut the RSL by two-thirds, and subtract 3 from anyQuake Roll made in the next year. If a Quake Rollresults in a 3 or less, cut the RSL to just the local manalevel, and subtract 6 from any Quake Roll made in thenext year. Over that year, the RSL builds back up to itsnormal “background” level.

Stabilizing a fracture zone may involve super-science “warp dampers,” magic, or simply trying toremove potential quake stimuli (weird cults, realityshards, monsters, nexus portals) from the area. Itmight involve resolving the area’s historical enigmasand mysteries to clear up any rubble from previousquakes. The GM should determine when an areacounts as stable – a whole campaign could center onstabilizing a major fracture zone!

magical ritual, psionic attunement, ortuning a quantum flux capacitor tomatch the portal’s signature.

Dimensional HighwaysThe same basic strictures apply to

dimensional highways, the paths thatrun across the parallels. They arealmost always much harder to closethan mere nexus portals. They aresomewhat less common, althoughalmost all mana-positive worlds haveat least one minor dimensional high-way usable by anyone (or sometimesany mage or supernatural being) whoknows the way. These “faerie trods”mostly run between forests, their pathstrewn with Puck’s-cap mushroomsand Queen Marie’s clover.

Less decorative are the “ghostroads,” straight paths leading throughmisty declivities. The fog on eitherside of a ghost road resembles theclouds of a banestorm, and has similareffects if you step into it. In the clouds,travelers see shadows and familiarfaces – possibly quantum shadows oftheir alternate selves – that alternatelyentice and mock them. Walking aghost road usually involves a FrightCheck, at -2 to -4. Ghost roads nor-mally appear in normal-mana or high-er areas, but they sometimes drift ontothe path (or vice versa) of particularlybloody massacre sites, plague pits,and the like.

One subclass of dimensional high-way, called the “time tunnel,” is justlike a nexus portal, except that thejourney is not instantaneous and pass-es through a tunnel. The tunnelresembles a natural cavern, with wallsof raw stone occasionally enlivened bygraffiti, carved runes, or paintings ofbulls and dinosaurs. What, if any-thing, is on the other side of the tunnelwalls remains unknown.

Some fairly well-known or signifi-cant dimensional highways include:

The Chronobahn: Two roads, com-posed of fitted hexagonal basaltblocks, run through a number ofworlds on Quantum 3. Each road isabout 20 yards wide, and runsthrough each world for about 300miles before moving into the next. Thetwo roads cross near Carchemish, inthe upper Euphrates valley onNostradamus (p. 138). Its western endon Nostradamus leads to Friedrich

(p. 124); the Raven Division has sentscouts along its length for about athousand miles in all four directions.

Eleusis Alesia: This ley line runsthrough a number of worlds on anumber of quanta, includingBritannica-7, Johnson’s Rome, andWyvern. It can be accessed manyplaces along its length, between laAliseda, Spain, and Kalisz, Poland.Only women can travel it, and no vehi-cles past TL4.

I-776: “This psionic construct wasbuilt by the subconscious will of theUnited States just before the GreatAwakening of July 4, 2076.” That’swhat the Roadside Historical Markersays, anyway; all the Patrol knows isthat it runs along the old Route 66from Chicago to Los Angeles onalmost every worldline with a U.S.

interstate highway system. It can onlybe accessed through patches of fogalong a rainy highway somewhere inAmerica, although there are certainradio frequencies that draw an on-ramp closer to your automobile.

SHIFTREALMSShiftrealms are geographical fea-

tures (and some artificial constructs)that move between the worlds.Shiftrealms usually travel on a regularschedule, although it may be a fairlyimpenetrable and complex one. A fewshiftrealms are either entirely ran-dom, or their schedule is so abstrusethat no pattern has emerged yet. Somefamous “ghost ships,” such as theFlying Dutchman, may also actually beshiftrealms.


Gates of ThothMysterious triangles that appear and disappear in an indecipherable

pattern, the Gates of Thoth are doorways through time. Members of theCabal believe that Khaibitu-na-Khonsu, their first Grand Master, openedthe Gates during his war with the god Ra in the third millennium B.C.Opinions differ on what he thought he was doing, and on whether theGates were even his intended result. If a person steps through a Gate, heusually moves backward in time to another Gate appearing at the sameplace. Occasionally, travel occurs across space or even forward in time.Gates can span hours or millennia, but a slim majority open across oneto three centuries. A Gate may also open to another world or planeentirely. No Magery is necessary to utilize a Gate.

Gates of Thoth often open in high-mana worlds and high-mana loca-tions on normal-mana worlds, but have also been known to materializein any world with even a trace of magic. A Gate appears as a “hole” inthe air in the shape of an equilateral triangle. Their height from base toapex is usually around 10 feet, but the Gates rarely appear at groundlevel, often materializing dozens of feet above the ground. A Gate usual-ly remains open for three to 18 hours, during which travel is permissibleboth into and out of the Gate. When used in conjunction with the PlanarSummons spell (p. B247), the gate increases the skill roll by 6 andreduces the energy cost to 10.

Gates of Thoth can allow a GM to introduce time travel into a cross-world campaign on a one-shot or limited basis, strictly under his control.Gates of Thoth can also bring dinosaurs, historical villains, or evenunearthly Things from beyond the stars into a game, as part of some evilCabal scheme or simply to spice things up. GMs who like the idea of ran-dom gates opening and closing under the GM’s control, but don’t wantto deal with time travel even a little bit, can recast the Gates as magicalnexus portals (p. 77). These Gates of Psais (named for the Egyptian godof destiny) only grant passage between parallel worlds.

The Ouroborous CarPerhaps this subway car fell

through the geometry of a subway sys-tem. It now rattles between subwaystations on the infinite worlds.Nobody can tell what city it originallycame from; the interior is dimly lit andsmells bad. All its advertisements arein English and Spanish; the outsidesof the car are painted over with graffi-ti and unreadable. It may be an intelli-gent parachronozoid rather than ashiftrealm, as Patrolmen who havetaken it report that it somehow“knows where you need to go” andmakes the required stop.

SilenziaThe Silent City, Silenzia flickers

between many Earths, but onlybetween two locations. In June andJuly it appears, wreathed in fog andrainbows, on the flank of the MuirGlacier in Alaska, above Glacier Bayand below the St. Elias Mountains;Midsummer Day at noon is the besttime to try entering it there. InDecember and January, it manifestson the slopes of Mount Etna in Sicily,above the Straits of Messina; midnighton Twelfth Night it is most accessiblethere. Silenzia’s architecture is astrange but organic mixture ofmedieval Arabic and Gothic, althoughsome of the buildings appear to havebeen constructed as late as the 1890s.The Silenzians claim that their citywas founded by Roger II of Sicily, butstolen by Morgan Le Fay in anger athis refusal to renounce Christianity.(Less romantic theorists believe it tobe a large reality shard, although it isa low-mana zone.) For at least 200years, Silenzia has quietly prosperedselling Yukon gold in Naples, Messina,and Palermo; local fishermen (bothSicilian and Inuit) do well selling theircatches on Silenzia’s docks, and do notspeak of it to strangers. Silenzia is apopular hangout and rendezvouspoint for swagmen, and dimensiontravelers can find a surprising varietyof goods from all over the multiversefor sale (for a surprising variety of cur-rencies) in Silenzia’s quaint shops andnarrow bazaars.

Huy BreasilIn Homeline legend, Huy Breasil

(also Hy-Brasil, among other variant

spellings) was the “fortunate island” ofgolden palaces and wise enchanters,rich in sheep and glass, wreathed infog to the west of Ireland. Every sevenyears it would appear, sending a sweetwind of spice and apples across theocean. As it happens, this is anotherlegend with a basis in a shiftrealm; theisland actually exists, floating betweenvarious Earths on a long circuitthrough the quanta. Seemingly TL2 atmost, the natives need only murmuror gesture to find their desires ful-filled; higher technology, meanwhile,often fails (all rolls to use devices orequipment on Huy Breasil are at -1 toskill for every TL the tool is above 3).Huy Breasil is a very-high-manaisland.

The mana differential betweenHuy Breasil and most of the worlds itvisits kicks up a cyclonic banestormaround its coastline, which furthershrouds it from visiting ships (andoften sends ships right through theisland, none the wiser). If it drops intoa low- or no-mana world, it generatesa banestream, a current of highermana flowing east out of the islandthat can last for years or decades, evenafter Huy Breasil has moved on toanother Earth. The banestream usual-ly dies down by the time it hits theEuropean continent, although insome bad years, gales and high waveschurn up ports and dockyards fromGlasgow to Lisbon, sending monstersand merfolk up onto the land.Particularly strong banestreams canaffect weather patterns (and mana lev-els) as far inland as the upper Danubevalley.

FaërieFaërie is a timeless kingdom of

elves (also called fae) ruled by QueenTitania and King Oberon. Althoughmutable by sufficiently powerful fae, itusually resembles a rural area ofmedieval northwestern Europe on aperfect spring afternoon. The palaceof Oberon and Titania rises in the cen-ter of the shiftrealm, with a “goblinmarketplace” on the border. Manytrods (p. 74) run from Faërie to vari-ous northern Europes. Other trodslink Faërie to other shiftrealms suchas the Forest of Arden, which movesbetween Englands whenever theleaves turn. Although the trods toFaërie tend to open only to magi, or to

those with elven blood, even normalmortals can find themselves stum-bling into Faërie from an Irish hilltopor a Tuscan grove. The relative solidi-ty of Faërie makes it a common desti-nation for material travelers in theAstral Plane, as well, since it touchesthe Astral Plane on all sides.

WanshijieshanWanshijieshan, the “Ten Thou-

sand Worlds Mountain,” seems tohave flowed out of some TangDynasty print, wreathed in the mists,clad in impossibly slender conifers,and mounting gracefully up to heav-en like cloud turned to stone. Alongits ridges and ravines, a thousandcaverns open – some wide and yawn-ing, some softly glowing with phos-phorescent fungi, some narrow andrimed with lime and lichen. Some ofthem are fouled with mephiticvapors or flooded with glacial runoff;others are closed off by landslides orblocked off by curiously shapedwalls. Through every passage lies adifferent Earth, although some of thecaves end in holes in an icy river inAmerica, or ponds in a forest inEngland, rather than mountainsidesand canyons in the rocky west ofChina’s Shanxi province, where dedi-cated or worthy travelers may find it.

The Mountain is home to a smallcommunity of monks who haveretired there. Asking them about thecaves is useless; they have retired toforget the Earths, not act as tourguides. It is the gravest possible dis-courtesy to recognize a monk, andespecially to call him by a name hemay have held once long ago. Theabbot speculates, with respectful vis-itors, upon the nature of theMountain itself, and the omens seenin its trees and skies and rivers.Perhaps the lightning that flickersaround its top bears witness to somegreat disruption, or to the birth ofsome great majesty. Perhaps eachnew spring that bursts out of therock is a dimensional road being cut,or a new set of minds learning tomove around the continuum.Perhaps, he suggests over his tea, themountain is not a shiftrealm at all,but the only fixed realm in all theinfinite worlds, the true navel of thecosmos.


Angela andSuleiman – AgentsPolk and Erdoglu,as their recordschip read, or “Mrs.Banning and herm a n s e r v a n tPompey” as theywere known here-abouts – weremostly concernedwith the rain.Specifically, at itsannoying tenden-cy to fall throughwhat was left ofthe plantationhouse roof, ontotheir very accu-rate, and hencenot at all water-proof, clothing.“Nobody canbe expected toperform clio-d y n a m i ca n a l y s i ssoaked to theskin like this,”Angela groused.“Look on the brightside,” her partner respond-ed, hunching a little deeper into histopcoat, “Nobody’s trying to kill usright now.” It was true; the Unionartillery had found somewhere elseto obliterate for the time being, andthe two Patrolmen hadn’t seen hideor hair of the Centrum agents knownto be swarming all over this particu-lar stretch of Mississippi in this par-ticular 1863. Angela sneezed.“Except maybe with pneumonia.”

“That’s right, though. Where theHell are the I.S. boys, and why aren’tthey trying harder to save the Rebs?If Vicksburg doesn’t fall to Grant,Gettysburg doesn’t matter a bit, andworse yet, Grant doesn’t go east next

year to finally teach Bobby Lee howto lose like a gentleman.” Suleiman,who had a soft spot for Lee, respond-ed, “More to the point, theMississippi doesn’t get cut, and thatopens up some troublesome develop-ments in Missouri that could tweakthe 1864 election. All the numbersshow that Vicksburg is the key nexus,so why hasn’t Centrum made itsmove by now?”

“Well, they’re all medieval screw-heads; maybe this is a bluff, andthey’re trying to save Pickett’s Chargeor something.” Suleiman grinned,but demurred: “Look, they don’t

think like we do, but they understandwar pretty well. Gettysburg is asideshow. Even if Lee wins, he’s stilllost in the middle of Pennsylvaniawith no logistics and no cavalry sup-port, and two Union armies over thenext ridge.” He trailed off, realizingthat Angela had neatly trapped himinto calling Lee’s eternal genius intoquestion, and changed the subject.“Maybe they’re not even thinkingabout the Civil War, though – Britainis the really important country hereand now, and Palmerston is stillholding on to Centrum-style hierar-chy by the skin of his teeth.”

PRESENT AT THE CREATION 81

CHAPTER THREE

PRESENT ATTHE CREATION

“Plus, they’re supposed to be sign-ing a free trade pact with Belgiumand France this year – didn’t Vanderlyn say that World WarOne really begins because Britainhas too much cash tied up in Belgianports?”

“Vanderlyn? He’s crazy, and he’striple crazy about Belgium. If youwant to find World War One startingin 1863, go to Denmark, where KingChristian is being ass enough to giveBismarck a pretext for a war that willwind up unifying Germany.”

“Is that this year?” “Yep.”“No,” Angela sighed after a long

thought, “that just seems too subtlesomehow. Too long-term. I can’t getaway from the notion that Centrumis involved here and now, atVicksburg. Otherwise, who’s to saythey’re not murdering Henry Ford inhis crib, or conniving to delete thepenalty kick from soccer? No, I don’tthink they’re in Denmark.”

“Plus, it’s probably raining inCopenhagen, too.”

The two Patrolmen pondered thatgloomy prospect, and watched moreof the carpet return to the Delta mudthat had no doubt produced it in thefirst place.

“Let’s recheck the numbers again.Maybe the computer has somethingfor us.”

For miles around, the rain hadturned Mississippi’s roads to burgoo,bogging down the Union wagons andcannon, and pneumonia had beguncarrying off more and more of the

Union wounded. The besiegingUnion Army of the Tennessee waseroding away in the downpour, ordrowning in mud. Ulysses S. Grantlooked at the sky in frustration, andcursed to himself.

It was supposed to be sunny today,dammit. Somehow I just know it wassupposed to be sunny.

Even the most heroic I-Cops, or themost fiendish interdimensional Nazis,need a stage for their actions. In theInfinite Worlds setting, as in mostcrosstime campaigns, that setting isthe alternate world, an Earth wherehistory took a different turn. Manyexamples of such worlds appear in fic-tion, speculative history, and film;GMs can have their hands full withadventures set in a single world ofNazi victory or Roman survival.However, the canvas of the InfiniteWorlds setting is vaster than even oneworld where history turned aside; it

contains a myriad of parallel Earths,each one with its own potential forriches, adventure, mystery, or danger.This chapter lays out some of the basictypes of alternate worlds, and someprinciples (based, as far as possible,on historical research) for designingor constructing them.

Throughout this chapter, varioustables and metrics can help the GMto randomly or mechanically createanother timeline. It should go with-out saying that these systems existsolely for the GM’s convenience, andif he has a better idea, or wants totweak the results to produce some-thing that sounds interesting, heshould do just that. However, just assome of the fun of “space merchant”games is randomly discovering plan-ets, some of the fun of crosstimeadventures is randomly discoveringalternates. Hopefully, this chapterand these systems can add to thatfun.

82 PRESENT AT THE CREATION

Had I been present at the Creation, I wouldhave given some useful hints for better orderingof the Universe.

– Alfonso X, called “the Wise,” of Aragon

TYPES OF ALTERNATE WORLDSBoth crossworld travelers and GMs

tend to classify worlds into varioustypes, depending on their use, nature,and inhabitants. This section primari-ly approaches the topic from the GM’sperspective, although it uses someInfinity Patrol terminology ratherthan reinventing the wheel. For specif-ic Infinity world classifications, seethe box on p. 83.

A world might be a pre-existingelement of the game, or one custom-designed to fit a given scenario. A lostconveyor, or a more free-form settingthan the “default” Infinite Worldscampaign, might drop Patrolmen into

any number of random worlds. Torandomly generate an alternate

world, roll 1d twice and consult thefollowing tables:

Random Quantum Table1 Quantum 3 (Q8 for Centrum)2 Quantum 4 (Q9 for Centrum)3 Quantum 5 (Q10 for Centrum)4-5 Quantum 66 Quantum 7

Random World Type1 Empty2-5 Echo/Parallel (if on Q6, roll again: 1,2 – Echo; 3-6 – Parallel)6 Challenge

EMPTY WORLDSEmpty worlds have no intelligent

native life – or, at least, none that thecross-dimensional visitors have foundyet! How Infinity, or othercrosstimers, use such a world dependson their own procedures and on thenature of the empty Earth in question.An Earth where mankind neverevolved – or hasn’t yet – is very differ-ent from an Earth on which some hor-rible disaster cleansed the world ofintelligent life or derailed hominidevolution.

Within the Infinite Worlds setting,a random empty world breaks downas follows; roll 1d and use the discus-sion below to refine the basic result.

1-4 Resource exploitation.5 Homeline colony or colonies.6 Disaster world.

ResourcesMost Earths have the same geo-

physical history, so the same mineralresources exist in the same richnessand the same locations across the par-allels. (Major exceptions include theLucifer parallels, most of which werehit by major asteroid or meteoritestrikes. In the impact zones of suchdisasters, very rich, pure veins ofmany different elements occur.) Themajor industrial minerals, their roughvalue on Homeline, and their primarydeposits, are as follows:

Bauxite ($20/ton): Bauxite (alu-minum ore) deposits occur globally,the richest being in the UralMountains, the Guianas, Guinea,Ghana, and Jamaica. Although alu-minum itself is dirt cheap, bauxitecontains valuable gallium, widely usedin computer technology and worthabout $200/lb. Recovering galliumwithout refining the bauxite into alu-minum is economically unfeasible.

Beryllium ($300/lb.): Found in themountains of Utah, Sinkiang, andKazakhstan.

Chromium ($500/ton): 95% of theworld’s chromium deposits are insouthern Africa (South Africa,Zimbabwe, and the Katanga provinceof the Congo). Minor chromiumdeposits appear in Greenland,Montana, and Kazakhstan.

Cobalt ($25/lb.): Cuba, Zaire,Zambia, New Caledonia, and thenorthern United States (primarilyMinnesota) contain most of the easilyaccessible cobalt in the world. It alsoappears in nickel mines.

Gold ($4,400/lb.): South Africa hasabout half the world’s gold deposits;the Yukon, California, the Amazonbasin, and Mexico share another 25%of the total. Major Old World golddeposits include Spain, Nubia,Bactria, and southern India. Oneadvantage of gold is that societies atall TLs value it; it makes a near-idealmedium of crosstime exchange.

Platinum ($6,400/lb.): Over 90% ofworld platinum deposits occur inSouth Africa or Zimbabwe. The UralMountains, Kola Peninsula, andMontana also have viable platinummines. Other platinum-group metals(palladium, rhodium, ruthenium, irid-ium, and osmium) appear in the samedeposits.

Silver ($220/lb.): The richest silvermines in the world were in Potosi,Bolivia; other major silver lodesappear in Nevada, Mexico, Peru,Greece, Turkey, and Spain.

Titanium ($4/lb.): Ilmenite (titani-um ore) occurs in Australia, SriLanka, Norway, and South Africa.Ilmenite sands in California andFlorida also produce commercial-grade titanium.

Uranium ($7/lb.): Almost all of theworld’s uranium comes from Niger,Namibia, or Australia; other lodesinclude South Africa, New Mexico,and Saskatchewan.


Infinity’s World ClassesThe Penetration Service gives every surveyed worldline a class rating,

to guide future Infinity activity. UNIC can, in theory, override aPenetration Service classification, but never has. Sometimes, newly dis-covered (or defeated) dangers in a timeline can shift its class rating upor (less often) down the scale.

Class O (Open): Worldlines declared safe to enter, and available fortrade, colonization, or other activity.

Class P (Protectorate): Generally applied to parallels with “autochro-nous” populations (those native to a timeline, as opposed to Homelinecolonists and their descendants). Many lower-tech Class P worlds havelimited and licensed trade or tourism openings.

Class R (Research): Set aside for special study, but not immediatelythreatening. Such worldlines usually have strange physical laws or wild-ly variant cultures, dinosaurs or other exotic ecologies, or pre-BronzeAge human populations.

Class Z (Closed): Worlds that pose a danger to Homeline, or to TheSecret. This class includes most hell parallels (p. 128), very high-techworldlines, the Reich parallels (p. 143), and worlds with aliens, magic, oropen psionics.

Within each class, worldlines have Access Ratings. These denotewhich outtimers can enter the timeline, and range from 1 (Patrol per-sonnel with specific orders only) to 10 (free visitation by any Homeliner).Intermediate stages 2 (Patrol personnel only) and 3 (Infinity, personnelonly) restrict the world to Infinity, although with enough pressure fromnational governments or UNIC, outsiders might be allowed access. AR4allows only Infinity-licensed researchers; AR5 allows accredited researchstaffs from any major corporation or university. At AR6 through AR8,Infinity allows outtime trade in ever-larger amounts and in ever-less reg-ulated goods; AR9 allows guided tourism. No Class Z world has a AccessRating above 4.

Other minerals worth mining fromsettled areas near Homeline colonies,or in pre-existing mining complexes,include copper, iron, manganese, nick-el, and zinc. Gems, although temptingfor smugglers (especially betweenprimitive Earths) have little or noindustrial value, since artificial gemsequal or exceed their hardness andpurity. Iron and nickel, on Homeline,come almost exclusively from asteroidmining, and manganese comes fromseabed mining; there is little exportmarket for crosstime mining of thesemetals. Similarly, the wide use offusion power makes petroleum far lessvaluable on Homeline than it is onmost developed Earths. A large per-centage of petroleum extraction onparallel Earths is “wildcat” drilling for

cargoes to be shipped (legally or, moreoften, on the gray market) to moreadvanced Earths in tankers fitted withsubquantum conveyors. Swagmenoften work with, and sometimes workas, crosstime wildcatters.

The ability to mine other Earths forvaluable resources contributes mighti-ly to Homeline’s high standard of liv-ing. Mineral combines, and politiciansinterested in keeping prices low andtechnology booming, steadily pressureUNIC and Infinity to open more andmore worlds for exploitation andextractive development. Since areassuch as the American West, Australia,and especially southern Africa wereoutside the “known world” of mostcivilizations, these pressure groupshave successfully gotten Infinity

licenses to open (strictly guarded)mines in those regions, even on worldswith substantial native development.Rumors about the mines spread, butusually evolve (or dissolve) into thestandard legends of King Solomon’sMines, El Dorado, and other “lostcities of gold” familiar from Homelinehistory and folklore.

ColonizationGiven a world without any native

humans, but otherwise hospitable,Infinity has the power to open it topermanent habitation from Homeline.Although most colonies also maintainsome mining or research facilities,their purpose is settlement, not mereextraction or study. In general, thespecifics of the colony parallel dependon the colonizing power or organiza-tion, but all crosstime colonies can fallinto one or another general colonytype.

Overflow colonies from nationssuch as India, China, Indonesia, andNigeria allow surplus populations tosettle otherwise empty alternate ver-sions of their homeland (and usuallythe surrounding areas). Bhuvarlok(see p. 32) is an overflow colony.

Separatist colonies allow groupsthat do not wish to (or are not allowedto) remain in their Homeline nationsto set up their own communities.Religious and green movements suchas the Mennonites, Mormons, neo-Druids, and Sustainabilists comprisemost voluntary separatists; theircolonies sometimes purposely regressto TL4 in all areas save medical care.Some separatist colonies such asLysander or Tebuguo (see p. 32) areprimarily politically motivated.

Clandestine colonies are not quitecolonies, in that they are usually per-manent military bases, smugglingdepots, or slave markets. They are noton the official maps, and some are noteven on charted timelines! Cland-estine military bases are usually thework of a major Homeline power, andmay be secretly located on a worldlineassociated with it. The world ofLysander (see p. 32), for example, iswidely rumored to be the site of amajor clandestine parachronic basefor the U.S. and British military, called“Camp No-When” in Net legend.Clandestine criminal colonies attract


Dinosaur HuntingAlthough many Homeline organizations protest the practice, one of

the most lucrative and romanticized fields of crosstime tourism is biggame hunting. Not only lions and elephants in empty Africas, butaurochs in the primeval European forest, tigers in India, and mam-moths in prehuman America draw the rich and bored of Homeline forelaborate safaris. Most hunting worlds are Class O empty worlds; jung-ly Shikari and Miocene Mammut-2 (both on Quantum 5) are the most“developed,” with hunting lodges, airfields, and permanent popula-tions of guides and zoologists.

However, the biggest game of all is dinosaur hunting. This pastime istheoretically only legal on Lucifer-4, a late-Cretaceous parallel where theiridium meteor has already fallen, and the native dinosaurs are in theprocess of dying out. But Lucifer-4 has terrible weather, a dwindlinggame supply, and a serious absence of romantic flavor. Its other troubleis difficulty of access – since it is well out on Quantum 3, visiting Lucifer-4 is expensive.

Many hunters apply for “guard licenses” on research worlds withthriving saurian ecologies, such as Rex-2 and Sereno. Guards at theresearch stations on these worlds are allowed to kill stragglers or runtsfor meat. At some stations, the management looks the other way (for aconsideration) if a guard takes a long “vacation” into the mountains with“visiting friends.” The mother lode, however, for the would-be poacher isCrichton, a Class R world with a theoretically impossible mix ofdinosaurs from all eras of their evolution. Tyrannosaurs anddimetrodons, pterodactyls and apatosaurs all share Crichton’s steamingswamps and warm savannas. Crichton is on Quantum 7, and Centrumuses it to contact Homeline’s criminal elements. Its coordinates are oneof the worst kept secrets in Infinity records, and although dangerous andunregulated, lucrative “pirate safaris” depart for Crichton several timesa year. The Patrol has its hands full there, and has broken up kidnappingplots and attempted murders (a combination of rich hunters and law-breaking seems to draw such incidents), as well as more conventionalsmuggling rings feeding the substantial East Asian market for dinosaurglands.

large transient populations when theheat is on elsewhen, or when there aremajor cargoes to sell or divide; theyusually have a small or medium-sized“permanent floating” population ofwhores, distillers, and muscle.

Manor colonies are those devotedto the privacy of the very rich. Many Homeline billionaires buy orlease million-acre (or larger) “manorestates” on empty worlds. Primeestates, such as all of Tahiti or Oahu,go for tens of billions of dollars unim-proved; your own Rocky Mountain ora lesser Greek island can be a relativesteal. Corporations also buy or leasemanor colonies for retreats or execu-tive country club housing. Manyworlds devoted to other colonies makesome money selling or leasing primemanors to rich Homeliners, with iron-clad privacy and airspace agreements(going both ways in the case of someseparatist colony worlds).

In many cases, several geographi-cally disparate countries or organiza-tions pool their resources for one common world. The resulting timelinemight host an overflow colony in itsIndia, a separatist religious retreat onthe American East Coast, and a num-ber of European-chartered manorsscattered around the Pacific islandsand Mediterranean.

Many colonies support themselvesby leasing their world’s (or region’s)mineral rights to Homeline consortia.A world can thus have a seeminglyutopian and pristine separatist colonyin its North America, supported bydirty, miserable – but unseen – extrac-tive labor across the continent oraround the globe. Colonial govern-ments that can use such leases to fullysupport themselves can wind up withvery low tax rates – but often havesimilarly little incentive to listen to thewishes of their citizens.

DisastersThis general term encompasses

not only worlds depopulated bysome cosmic impact, plague, or eco-logical shift, but also worlds too mar-ginal to support colonization. Mostdisaster worlds that result from actu-al disasters are functionally “chal-lenge worlds” for the PCs (p. 94).Earths where the atmosphere never

oxygenated, or has no moon and DNAnever formed in tide pools, or are thewrong distance from the sun for life toexist, are also considered “disaster”worlds. They can be cleared for entryfaster than plague worlds, and robotmining or dumping operations (with afew well-paid, miserable techniciansin pressure domes) can continue toexploit them. Most disaster worlds arecleared only for toxic waste disposalby automated conveyor, which isabout all they are usually good for.Every so often, one of the mining sta-tions goes silent, or a waste conveyordoesn’t return, and then the Patrol hasto suit up and see what happened.

ECHOESAn echo is an alternate Earth

apparently identical to Homeline atsome earlier point in its history.Although detailed records down to theindividual level are not available forany era (even Homeline’s civilized 21stcentury), no echo has been proven todeviate from “known history.” In thefew cases of apparent deviation, laterresearch determined that Homeline’srecords or interpretations were inerror. This factor alone makes echoes

priceless resources for historicalresearchers – and since historicalresearch is a key underpinning ofPatrol success, Infinity does allow verycarefully supervised research teamsaccess to echoes wherever possible. Inthe final analysis, it often takes atrained historian to notice the beginning of an echo’s shift!

That, of course, is why researcherson echo timelines need to be evenmore careful than usual. An echo canshift out of its current quantum coor-dinates, and into an entirely newquantum level, if history is changed onit. (Very minor changes, like the pres-ence of Infinity researchers orderingbreakfast in 1793 London, fortunately“damp out” in an indeterminate haze.)Unfortunately, since echoes are inher-ently unstable, it’s not a matter of “if”history changes, but “when.” If itshifts by itself, or through accidentalInfinity interference, that’s one thing,and the team’s biggest worry is gettingback to Homeline in time for their rep-rimands. If Centrum shifts a timelineout of Infinity’s reach, a team can betrapped there forever, or killed in the“mopping up” process as Centrumasserts its control.


Naming EchoesInfinity names echoes based on the number of years the echo’s local

present lags behind Homeline. An echo with a local present date of 1776would be Echo 251, or 251 Minus (both names get used interchange-ably), since 1776 is 251 years behind Homeline’s present date of 2027.Once the echo shifts (or, if it turns out to be an anchor, once its historychanges from Homeline’s), it gets assigned new coordinates – and usu-ally picks up another name based on whatever the change point was –assuming anyone in Infinity ever finds the echo again.

When we realize that the actual outcome didnot have to be, that any alteration in any stepalong the way would have unleashed a cascadedown a different channel, we grasp the causalpower of individual events . . . Contingency isthe affirmation of control by immediate eventsover destiny, the kingdom lost for want of ahorseshoe nail.

– Stephen Jay Gould, Wonderful Life

Echoes therefore make good set-tings for subtle scenarios of investiga-tion, mystery, and indirect action.Wild, maniacal gunplay and city-shak-ing explosions are more than normal-ly dangerous (except during wartimeechoes, of course). Echo settings alsoreward lots of close integrationbetween the heroes and the world;they have to have local allies, localsources of information, and localclout to detect and prevent Centruminterference.

It’s wise, therefore, to select anecho based on a historical milieu thatthe GM and players know well or amilieu for which they have reliable,useful resources. However, some GMs(and players) like the seat-of-their-pants feel of random reality-hopping;for such randomness, use the follow-ing system to create a “present”between 3400 B.C. and 2001 for a random echo.

Roll 1d repeatedly on the RandomPresent Table, incrementing the yearforward as indicated from the initialStarting Era. After the third incre-ment, if a specific year is desired, rolla final die and add the result.

Once the GM has the year figuredout, he can use a timeline or world his-tory text to find someplace exciting forthe party to arrive. In our example, theera 554-560 A.D. is suitable for post-Arthurian grit in Britain, a decadentgame of intrigue behind the scenes ofJustinian’s Byzantium, or high-flyingwuxia martial arts action against thebackdrop of China’s Three Kingdoms.

This system produces a lot of“ancient” echoes; this can be handyfor fantasy-genre crosstime adventur-ers (whose swords and sorceries

translate to most years before 1450 orso), but such periods aren’t terriblywell documented, which can run his-torically minded games onto theshoals. For a system weighted to pro-duce more recent presents, add amodifier to the Starting Era die roll, orjust pick the Starting Era you’d like tobegin with.

TamperingThe great danger (and opportunity,

from a story perspective) on an echo ishistorical tampering. Although minorshifts, like renting a room or hiring amaid, don’t usually change anything, ifyou rent the room where Edgar AllanPoe was planning to sleep off a bender,or hire Emiliano Zapata’s mother as amaid, you run a certain risk. Majorchanges are more likely to send thingsoff the rails, though there have beencases of echoes where change afterchange mounted up before a shiftoccurred. (And there are echoes thatjust never change no matter what; seeAnchors, p. 87.) Infinity doesn’t knowwhy some changes cascade into quan-tum shifts, and others seem to dampthemselves out – the only thing thePatrol can do is keep a wary eye onany changes they notice.

Centrum, however, does know.Echoes go through windows ofparatemporal instability, duringwhich they are vulnerable to shiftingout of their quantum. Changing his-tory on an echo during other periodsdamps out; echoes outside a windowhave a higher degree of temporalinertia than most parallels! Centrumthus sets up their agents duringhigh-inertia periods, and launches

its tampering plots at the opening ofa window. To determine if a windowof instability is open for a given echotakes a week. Either a week of “back-ground readings” with a parachron-ic detector and a successfulPhysics/TL9^ (Parachronic) roll, ora week of checking newspapers anda successful Current Affairs roll forthe local culture plus a successfulCliodynamics roll (p. 182) works.(To randomly determine if the echois in a window, roll 1d; on a 1 or 2, awindow of instability is open. Roll3d on the Shift Delay Table on p. 104to determine the window’s length.) Acritical success on either roll lets theagent predict the next window open-ing, though not its length.

A divergence that hits during awindow of instability has a chance ofshifting the timeline. This chance getsgreater with the degree of divergencecaused by the shift.

Minor event (+1 to shift): A changeof the sort encountered in most closeparallels (p. 88).

Important event (+2 to shift): Achange of leaders in a minor power;the career of a major artistic figure; thefounding or bankruptcy of a large cor-poration; a seminal scientific theory.

Major event (+3 to shift): A changeof leaders in a great power; a battle ina major war; a new political philoso-phy; scientific discovery or invention.

Historic event (+4 to shift): A revo-lution or civil war in a great power; adecisive battle; a new scientific para-digm in a given field; a new industry.

World-historic event (+5 to shift):The defeat of a great power in a majorwar; a TL shift; the destruction or

Example: The first die comes up 5,so the Starting Era is 200 A.D. Thenext roll is a 3, so the present isincremented up by +300 years, to

500 A.D. The next roll is a 3, adding+50 years (550 A.D.); the fourth diecomes up 2, adding +4 years for apresent of 554 A.D. A final die roll, if

desired, can add a few years, but theecho is clearly in the mid-sixth century A.D.


Random Present TableStarting 1st 2nd 3rd

Roll Era Increment Increment Increment1 3400 B.C. +0 years +0 years +0 years2 2500 B.C. +150 years +25 years +4 years3 1600 B.C. +300 years +50 years +8 years4 700 B.C. +450 years +75 years +12 years5 200 A.D. +600 years +100 years +16 years6 1100 A.D. +750 years +125 years +20 years

birth of a civilization or mass religion;the founding or aborting of a futuregreat power.

Agents can use Cliodynamics tofind something that starts small butwill ripple up the scale as the shift pro-gresses. This helps prevent their ene-mies from noticing it until the shift iswell advanced. The GM is free to moveevents up or down this scale, whichroughly corresponds to alternate history as presented in fiction andgaming rather than any specific (orrigorous) historical theory. For exam-ple, Shakespeare’s career might wellbe a genuine +4 historic event.

For the results of Centrum (or acci-dental Homeline) tampering, seeTimeline Shifting on p. 104.

AnchorsAn anchor is an echo that, for some

reason, does not shift quanta when thecourse of normal Homeline history ischanged. The leading theories assumeeither that anchors are actually poten-tial parallels with misleading quan-tum signatures (and were thus neverreally echoes at all), or that they arethe “original” worlds from which theother echoes actually resonate – possi-bly including Homeline and Centrum!Discovering that an echo is actually ananchor usually triggers a stark escala-tion in the contest between Centrumand Infinity, since both sides can“change history” at will without risk-ing a timeline shift. At its most dra-matic, such a contest can trigger aninternational crisis, or even precipi-tate a major global war, as Infinity andCentrum “choose up sides” and getready to rumble by (heavily armed)proxy.


Putting a Little English on It

Since Centrum is attempting to advance a specific ideology ratherthan shifting timelines randomly, Patrol doesn’t have to watch every pos-sible change point equally. Some signs of Centrum interference, withexamples, follow:

Transnationalism: Centrum believes that all nations should unite; ittries to strengthen global forces such as the British Empire, Napoleon’sempire, the U.N., the early Communist movement (but not SovietRussian imperialism), environmentalism, medieval Christendom, and soforth. Genuine patriots and nationalists like Queen Elizabeth I or GeorgeWashington (who committed the extra sin of breaking up a globalempire) attract Centrum assassins or intriguers.

Equality: Centrum doesn’t like hierarchies, except for meritocraticones. It helps out leveling revolutions like the French and Russian ones,and then try to steer them in the direction of technocracy. It works (in anorderly way) against ossified hierarchies like medieval China, the Incas,or Bourbon France – unless they have managed to build a unified glob-al empire, of course.

Moderate scientific progress: Too much scientific advancement, toofast, leads to social turmoil. Centrum silences or diverts controversial,revolutionary figures like Galileo, Newton, Darwin, or Einstein whilesupporting technologists and pragmatists like Tycho, Hooke, Wallace, orBohr.

Rationality: Centrum loves reason and the rational; it distrusts thereligious and emotional. Centrum prefers Hegel to Nietzsche, andFrederick the Great to Hitler. The existence of a transnational Muslim

caliphate frustrates Centrum immensely – itwould be perfect if it weren’t so religious!Attempts to secularize Islam in the ninth cen-tury – or the 20th – get wholehearted aid fromCentrum agents. Centrum also knocks offpoets who cause trouble as well as celebratethe emotions: Shelley, Byron, Blake, andother Romantic radicals are often Centrumtargets of opportunity. The Centrum has

much the same objection to the Confederacy,although its social conservatism and corrosive effect on Americannationalism are both positives in Centrum’s eyes.

In practical game terms, the GMcan make an echo into an anchor(either after the fact or in the originaladventure plan) if it seems like morefun to explore the consequences of achange than to consign the echo to itsnew quantum and move on. (For arandom method, once a timeline isdetermined to be an echo, roll 3d. Ona 5 or less, the echo is an anchor. Posthoc, the GM can declare an echo to bean anchor if he rolls a 3 on theTimeline Shifting Table on p. 104, or ifhe makes three rolls in a row thatdon’t wind up shifting the echo.) Ananchor can also make an excellent set-ting for adventures involving ever-increasing cascades of technologicalor geopolitical change. A team ofInfinity Special Operations agentstasked with uplifting Persia to TL5and causing the fall of a Centrum-backed Roman Empire will have theirhands full – especially when theCentrum agents in Rome begin tointroduce their own innovations.

PARALLELSMost of the worlds one thinks of

when one hears the phrase “alternateEarths” are parallels. On a parallel,history turned aside from its courseon Homeline at some divergencepoint in the past. Parallels span thegamut from client worlds such asJohnson’s Rome to isolated dangerslike Reich-5, and from close parallelswhere only Bob Dylan’s discographyis different to worlds with varyinglaws of physics and survivingBabylonian monarchies.

To randomly generate a parallel,roll 2d and consult the following table:

2-4 Close parallel5-10 Farther parallel11 High-inertia parallel12 Myth parallel

Close ParallelsClose parallels have only minor dif-

ferences from Homeline Earth.Further, those differences are primari-ly cultural or microeconomic. If polit-ical divergences exist, they are minor,creating small ripples rather thanmighty waves. Although a close paral-lel might have a superior staplerdesign, it probably won’t have anti-gravity, or magic. Often, the changecomes about due to one person’s deathor life taking a slight detour fromHomeline history: Pete Best stayed inthe Beatles and broke them up beforethey hit America, or Sir Arthur ConanDoyle became a Spiritualist earlier inlife, so Sherlock Holmes investigatedonly haunted houses. Not all smallcauses have small effects, however.Occasionally, a single death or careerchange by a seemingly minor culturalfigure creates a farther parallel (seeCampbell, p. 119). Cliodynamics is notan exact science, and the GM shouldfeel free to let the entire world turn ona single horseshoe nail or lostShakespeare play.

From a story perspective, close par-allels basically serve as scenery –reminders that this is, indeed, a gameof alternate Earths. A brief snippet of“the country stylings of Miss Britney-Lynn Spears” on the radio, or a moviebased on “the best-selling romancenovel by Tom Clancy” nicely conveys afrisson of difference in an alternateworld. It’s possible to use them asdeeper settings for crimes (ripping offslightly alternate artworks), conspira-cies (untangling the twisted skein ofthe Nixon assassination), or similarstories that likewise depend on sur-face detail for their interest. And cer-tainly, any adventure you can set onHomeline you can probably add a lit-tle something to by setting it on a closeparallel instead, unless Homeline-spe-cific institutions like InfinityUnlimited need to play a role.

To generate a random close parallel, roll 1d on the table below todetermine which changes are mostsignificant (or visible). Some possibleexamples of each result follow.

1 Popular Culture2 High Culture3 Economic or Corporate4 Technological5 Political6 Geopolitical

Popular Culture: Elvis Presleydied at birth (instead of his twinAaron) and rock and roll still com-petes with “big band” jazz for audi-ences; Fritz Leiber and HarryFischer invented roleplaying gamesin the 1930s. Reality Holly (p. B526)is one example.

High Culture: Charles Dickenscompleted Edwin Drood before dying;Frank Lloyd Wright died in theIroquois Theater fire of 1906 andAmerican buildings are generallymuch uglier; Orson Welles’ moody1946 film The Batman made comicsserious art to the New York criticalestablishment.

Economic or Corporate: Cleverexploitation of the fur trade funded agolden age of art and wealth in 17th-century Norway; Coca-Cola became amoderately popular health tonic andsports drink; Studebaker replacedChrysler as the number three U.S. car-maker. Reality Cherokee (p. B526)offers other examples.

Technological: Archimedes invent-ed a water mill that nobody improvedon until the 1300s; typewriter key-boards standardized on a differentpattern than QWERTY; home video-taping never caught on because Sonyintroduced recordable DVDs in theearly 1980s.

Political: Congress put RonaldReagan on the nickel after he died in1998; the Tranby Croft Scandal forceda reshuffling of the British Cabinet in1891; Hitler made Göring his succes-sor rather than Dönitz before commit-ting suicide in 1945.

Geopolitical: Malta is still a Britishcolony; the states of Tennessee andKentucky are called Franklin andTransylvania, and have different bor-ders; an earthquake leveled Aden in1540, eventually moving the capital ofYemen to Mocha.


There was inherent in the course of history acertain element of going off course.

– Robert Musil, The Man Without Qualities

Farther ParallelsFarther parallels diverge farther

from Homeline history than close par-allels. They may also have variantphysical laws; if they have it, openmagic often drives society and tech-nology even farther from theHomeline historical path. Farther par-allels can play any role in a game,from the sole setting to a brief men-tion in swagman gossip. (“You’ve gotto see the matriarchy that Boadiceafounded over on Britannica-7 – talkabout your swinging Londons!”)Design them to last, or just write aone-line description and move on;you’ll never run out of things to dowith farther parallels.

Randomly creating a farther paral-lel begins by defining its “present,”rather than selecting a divergencepoint and branching its history for-ward from there. (For some discus-sion of “change forward” paralleldesign, see p. 96.) To randomly createa farther parallel, first define its lead-ing TL by rolling 3d on the followingtable:

3 TL1-3 (roll 1d/2)4-5 TL46 TL57-9 TL610-14 TL715-16 TL817+ TL9+

This table is designed to give resultsmatching alternate history literature,which is overwhelmingly biasedtoward 19th- and 20th-century diver-gence points. For a more historically

representative result, roll 2d: on anyresult but 12, the TL is 0. On a 12, roll3d: 3-9 is TL1; 10-13 is TL2; 14-15 isTL3; 16-17 is TL4. Roll 3d again on an18: 3-9 is TL5; 10-13 is TL6; 14 is TL7;15 is TL8; 16+ is TL9+. It’s probablymore fun to go with fiction this timearound. Speaking of fun, weird or vari-ant technologies can be a pure GMcall; alternately, roll 1d. On a 5 or 6,consult Technology Variants, below.

After defining the leading TL, deter-mine which civilizations predominatein the parallel. A civilization, generallyspeaking, is a society with cities andtrade. In the plural form, “civiliza-tions” are the larger cultural groupingsdescribed by world-historians such asSpengler, Toynbee, and McNeill. Such


SkerriesSkerries are clusters of parallels, usually on the same quantum and

sharing common historical or cultural elements.Sometimes a skerry is created by a reality quake sliding different

worlds into close contact both historically and paraphysically. Otherskerries are actually joined by nexus portals, dimensional highways, orother links. These close ties disrupt the quantum flow around skerryworlds. In general, travel between two worlds in a skerry is at +4 (orhigher) to skill; travel to any other outside world from a skerry is at -4(or worse)! Banestorms, reality quakes, and other parachronic disrup-tions are usually more common in skerries, although some becomehyperstable thanks to fortunate quantum geometry.

A thematically unified campaign can be set entirely within a skerry,or an adventure exploring different outcomes of the Battle of Antietam,for example, can chase through component Earths of a skerry.

Technology VariantsTo randomly determine variant technology, roll 2d on the following

table, based vaguely on a survey of the genre:

3 or less Magic4-5 Divergent Technology6-7 Split Technology8 Psionics9 Supers10+ Superscience

Modifiers: -1 per TL below 5. +1 per TL above 5.

For magic, psionics, or supers, roll 1d¥25 to determine the averageextra point value of a mage, psi, or super in the world.

Apply the results as follows:

Magic: Roll 1d or select: 1, theoretically accepted or covert; 2-3, openbut rare; 4, open and common; 5, mages rule the Earth; 6, universalmagic ability. Roll 1d for mana level: 1, low; 2-4, normal; 5, high; 6, veryhigh.

Divergent Technology: Randomly determine the technological diver-gence point. For example, in a TL7 world, roll 1d and subtract the resultfrom your TL; if the die comes up a 4, the world is TL(3+4). For a TL6world, roll 1d-1, and so forth. Re-roll a result of 0 or less.

Split Technology: Roll 1d and apply the result to the indicated fieldfrom p. B511: 1, communications; 2, transportation; 3-4, weapons; 5,power; 6, medicine. Randomly determine whether the split is “forward”or “back.” Repeat as desired; if you repeat a result, add airships to yourworld’s technology regardless of the TL.

Psionics: Roll 1d or select: 1, theoretically accepted or covert; 2-3,open but rare; 4, open and common; 5, psis rule the Earth; 6, universalpsi ability.

Supers: Roll 1d and apply the Psionics results, reading “super” for“psi.”

Superscience: Roll 1d or make something up: 1-2, antigravity, 3, forcefields, 4, ray guns, 5, zero-point energy, 6, Martian canals and reaction-less drives. Roll another 1d: on 1-3, aliens or ancient astronauts broughtthe superscience.

civilizations consist of groups ofnations, city-states, or tribes that usu-ally share at least a few of the followingcharacteristics: ethnic descent, lan-guage or linguistic stock, religion ormythic pattern, artistic or literary style,and a coherent territory. For the pur-poses of timeline creation, this chapteruses a modified version of Toynbee’slist of civilizations, which has theadvantage of including “abortive” and“arrested” civilizations, somewhatmore suitable for alternate histories.For most purposes, civilizations arethe same as cultural familiarities(p. 173).

Depending on the TL of the paral-lel, roll 3d on the Parallel CivilizationsTable to determine the dominant orleading civilization. This is the civi-lization with local military superiorityto the others, with the highest localtechnology (world TL or TL+1, possi-bly higher in some areas) the one mostemulated by other civilizations, theone with the widest trading links, orthe one with the most territory occu-pied in other civilizations’ areas.

At different TLs, the Earth can“support” (or has room for) a differentnumber of major, independent civi-lizations, as given in parentheses.Other, lesser, civilizations exist, butdon’t affect global affairs (or evenregional affairs, sometimes) unlessouttimers vault them into the lead,meteors wipe out the other civiliza-tions, or some other catastrophicchange occurs. After determining thedominant civilization, pick the othersby any method you like: further rolls,geographic proximity (civilizationsoften have civilized neighbors) or bal-ance (if all your major civilizations arein Europe, add China or India), ordesired world flavor.

Parallel Civilizations Table

TL0-1 (1d civilizations)3 Andean4-5 Hittite6-8 Chinese9-10 Egyptian11-13 Mesopotamian14 Indus Valley15-16 Minoan17 Meso-American18 Retrogression or Dark Age;

roll on TL2 table.

TL2 (1d+3 civilizations)3 Mississippian4 Andean and/or

Meso-American5 Celtic6 Bactrian7 Indic8 Iranic9 Hellenic10-11 Chinese12-13 Roman14 Steppe15 Mesopotamian16 West African17-18 Survival; roll on

TL0-1 table.

TL3-4 (1d+2 civilizations)3 Mississippian, Andean, and/

or Meso-American4 Malay5 Japanese6 Norse7 Indic8 Orthodox9-10 Chinese11 Islamic12-13 Western14 Steppe15 Roman16-17 Survival; roll on TL2 table.18 West African

TL5-6 (1d civilizations)3-4 Malay or West African5 Japanese6-7 Indic8-9 Chinese10-12 Western13 Islamic14-15 Orthodox16-18 Survival; roll on

TL3-4 table.

TL7+ (1d-2 civilizations)3-4 Malay or West African5-7 Indic8-9 Chinese or Japanese10-12 Western13 Orthodox14-17 Islamic18 Survival; roll on

TL3-4 table.

On a “retrogression” or “survival”result, leave the base TL alone, butadvance (or regress) the rolled civiliza-tion to fit. For example, a result of“Hellenic survival” while rolling on theTL3-4 table might indicate a TL4Alexandrian Empire that survived intothe Renaissance – or caused it toflower early.

This table reflects an Earth similarecologically to Homeline; altering ini-tial global conditions (see EmptyWorlds, p. 83, and Ecology, p. 103)changes these probabilities – perhapsdrastically! Note that a result indicating a dominant Andean, Meso-American, or Mississippian civilization after TL0-1 indicatescross-Atlantic contact and travel.

CivilizationsAndean: A series of increasingly

complex cultures in western SouthAmerica from the Chavin (c. 850 B.C.)to the Inca, who fell to plague andWestern conquest in 1533.

Bactrian: A polyglot, possibly multiracial, urban trading and horse-breeding civilization arose in the seventh century B.C. in Central Asiaand maintained a precarious existencedespite numerous conquests until itbecame the battleground between theIslamic and Chinese civilizations in750 A.D.

Celtic: Celtic civilization (buildinghill-towns by 550 B.C.) was almostentirely assimilated by the Roman civ-ilization by 100 A.D. IncreasinglyWesternized outliers survived inIreland and northern Britain until the13th century.

Chinese: The oldest civilization stillin existence, the culture that beganwith Lao Tzu and Confucius in theseventh and sixth centuries B.C. stillpredominates in East Asia from Timorto Tibet.

Egyptian: Egyptian civilizationspread along the Nile from 3100 B.C.until its absorption into the Helleniccivilization by Alexander the Great in330 B.C.

Hellenic: The barbaric successorsto Minoan civilization created theirown urbanized, adventurous, quarrel-some culture after 800 B.C. that even-tually spread from southern Italy toAfghanistan. It fell to the Roman civi-lization in the second century B.C.,but strongly influenced its con-querors.

Hittite: Hittite civilization arose inAnatolia around 1800 B.C. The HittiteEmpire fell around 1200 B.C., and theIranic and Hellenic civilizationsabsorbed its successor states by 550B.C.

Indic: After a lengthy period ofchaos and religious ferment, a com-mon civilization extended across all ofIndia by 320 B.C. and the rise of the


Maurya Empire. It has withstood sev-eral invasions by the Islamic civiliza-tion, and conquest by the Steppe andWestern civilizations.

Indus Valley: Very little is knownabout this civilization, centered onHarappa and Mohenjo-Daro between2500 and 1500 B.C. It may have trad-ed with Mesopotamia, and may havefallen to barbarian invasion, but neither is certain.

Iranic: The same “Arya” barbarianinvaders who produced Indic civiliza-tion built Iranic civilization in Persiain the sixth century B.C. It rapidlyconquered everything from the Nile tothe Indus. Although its influencesspread even farther, wars with theHellenic and Roman civilizationsreduced it to its core territory until itfell to the Islamic civilization in 640A.D. Its assimilation remains imperfect to this day.

Islamic: Although it began as apuritanical, leveling culture in the sev-enth century A.D., its conquest oflands from Spain to Bengal produceda sophisticated, even discursive civi-lization that remains dominant innorth Africa, central Asia, and theMiddle East today despite Westerninfluences and pressures.

Japanese: An outlier of Chinese civ-ilization developed its own combina-tion of aesthetics and brutality in theHeian period (794-1192). Since themid-19th century, it has been slowlyassimilating into Western civilization.

Malay: A vibrant, hybrid tradingcivilization grew from Chinese,Islamic, and Indic outliers in theMalay peninsula and Indonesia, start-ing with the kingdom of Srivijaya in700 A.D. Since the mid-17th century, ithas been assimilating into Chineseand Western civilization.

Meso-American: A number of smallcity-states spread from central Mexicoand Yucatan into a common civiliza-tion by 200 B.C., but never unifiedpolitically. The various Meso-American cultures all fell to Westernconquerors during the 16th century.

Mesopotamian: Urban civilizationwas born with the Sumerian culturearound 3500 B.C. Its ritual and politi-cal structures continued (with theoccasional dark age) through theAkkadian, Babylonian, Assyrian, andChaldean cultures that followed untilbeing imperfectly assimilated into theIranic civilization in the sixth century

B.C. Islamic conquest wiped out itslast remnants.

Minoan: Little is known about thisbull-obsessed civilization centered onCrete. It may have founded theMycenean pirate kingdoms or beendestroyed by them, or both. It flourished between 2600 and 1400B.C.; the Myceneans themselves fell tobarbarians by 1100 B.C.

Mississippian: A loose multi-tribaltrading network rose along theMississippi-Ohio Valley in NorthAmerica by 800 A.D.; it may still havebeen too diffuse to be a true civiliza-tion by the time its main centers col-lapsed in ecological exhaustionaround 1350. Its final outliers fell toWestern settlers in the 18th century.For game purposes, the GM can addAlgonquin and Siouan confederacieslike Pontiac, Tecumseh, or theIroquois to this civilization.

Norse: The last vigorous, expand-ing pagan civilization probably arosein the sixth century A.D., but becamethoroughly Westernized and Christianby 1100.

Orthodox: The successor state toRoman civilization incubated in itseastern half (Greece, the Balkans, andthe Middle East) around 330 A.D. Inthe 10th century A.D., it successfullyspread to Russia, which became itsnew center after the conquest of its oldcore by the Islamic civilization.Survives in Russia and the Balkanstoday.

Roman: Began around 600 B.C.with the Etruscan League of Cities,and built a unified empire and expand-ed over Europe, northern Africa, andthe Middle East. Religious disputes,plagues, and barbarian invasions com-pounded the stresses of empire, and itcollapsed around 450 A.D.

Steppe: Only seldom urbanized,save for caravanserais, the steppetribes (of many cultures and ethnici-ties from Scythians to Mongols)shared characteristics (especially mili-tary tactics) driven by their nomadiclifestyle and common environment.Independent steppe civilizations exist-ed from 600 B.C. or before; by 1650the last of them had been subdued bythe Orthodox Russians or fully assim-ilated by their “subject” civilizations inMogul India and Manchu China.

West African: Iron-working, gold-mining, industrious traders spreadalong the Niger, Volta, and SenegalRivers during the seventh century A.D.By 1700 A.D., their urban centers(which eventually reached the Congoand Sudan) had all fallen to Islamic orWestern conquest, although succes-sors resisted assimilation until the late1880s.

Western: Born by 550 A.D. out ofthe mix of German invaders and thefallen Roman civilization, Westerncivilization fought off a series of inva-sions and then began expanding out ofwestern Europe. By 1100, it hadreached the borders of Russia andinvaded Asia; by 1500, it was plantedin Africa, India, and the Americas. Ithas dominated the globe since the19th century.

Civilization Unity Table2 Unitary3-4 Empire5-6 Empire with satellite states7 Empire with rivals8 Bipolar9-11 Multipolar (1d+2 powers)12 Diffuse

Once you’ve determined the major,independent civilizations, roll 2d on theCivilization Unity Table to establishtheir internal geopolitical structure.


Modifiers: -4 for Japanese orAndean civilization, -2 for Egyptian orOrthodox civilization, -1 for Chineseor Roman civilization, +1 for Islamiccivilization, +2 for Western, Bactrian,Hellenic, or Indic civilization, +4 forCeltic or Norse civilization. Thesemodifiers are based on historical per-formance; obviously, in an alternatehistory, this performance can change!The GM should disregard them for“wilder” alternates.

Unitary: This civilization consistsof one, essentially homogeneous,state. Although powerful and advan-ced, it has no significant colonies inother civilizations’ territory. TheJapanese civilization has usually beenunitary, except for a brief period from1890 to 1945.

Empire: This civilization is unifiedunder one state, which has conqueredall the other states in this civilization.An empire usually has colonies or mil-itary bases in other civilizations’ terri-tory, but not always: the Chineseempire seldom has, except for Tibetand occasional forays into the steppesof Central Asia.

Empire with satellite states: Some ofthe states under the empire’s umbrellamaintain local independence, but donot (or cannot) chart independent for-eign policies. The Roman and Sovietempires both used this model.

Empire with rivals: Although theempire is by far the most powerfulstate within the civilization, otherstates retain considerable independ-ence and might conceivably allyagainst it, or back other civilizations’empires against it diplomatically ormilitarily. Imperial states are not nec-essarily dictatorships; the UnitedStates, under this definition, has beena democratic empire with rivals dom-inating Western civilization since1945.

Bipolar: The civilization is dividedbetween two great powers, with less-er states unable to chart separatecourses.

Multipolar: There are a number(1d+2) of great power states withinthis civilization with substantialcapacity for independent actionagainst other civilizations, or otherlesser states in their own civilization.

Diffuse: This civilization has nocentral concentration of power; its

individual states (if any) set their owncourse and run their own risks. Steppecivilizations, or collections of city-states, usually fluctuate between diffusion and empires.

Any degree of unity (except diffuse)may be “fragmenting” – the old orderis collapsing, but the new order hasnot yet defined itself. The GM canmake this call based on desired flavor,or roll 1d: on a 6, the system is fragmenting. (Add +2 for Steppe civilization rolls.)

The GM may also decide that somecivilizations have been conquered, butnot assimilated by others, like theIndic civilization under the Western(British) rule between 1757 and 1947.Although part of another civilization’sempire, they may still be very impor-tant, and constantly simmering withrebellion and separatism. Other civi-lizations (or empires) may be truehybrids; the Roman civilization mighthave been such a hybrid with Helleniccivilization if Mark Antony had defeat-ed Octavian and moved the imperialcapital to Greek Alexandria. IfAlexander the Great had lived, hemight have tried to build such ahybrid Hellenic-Iranic civilization.Usually hybrids either assimilate theweaker civilization over time orbecome a new civilization, as Westerncivilization evolved from theGermanic conquest of, and hybridiza-tion with, Roman civilization.

Great PowersEach dominant civilization

(except diffuse ones) contains at leastone great power. (Some multipolarcivilizations may have so many localgreat powers that they don’t actuallyhave a true great power.) A greatpower is a nation capable of militarily defeating or economicallydominating any other nation, excepta fellow great power, with minimaleffort. Usually, though not always,

great powers can project war-win-ning military force to the farthestextent local technology allows.Deciding on the great powers withina civilization or on a parallel Earthhelps add concrete detail and flavorto a game setting. It also provides ahandy list of “usual suspects” forhigh-tech experiments, moon shots,global wars, spy plots, and so forth.Quite often, the divergence point of aparallel (or a place to influence it foryour own ends) comes in a greatpower’s political or military history,or at the contest point between twogreat powers.

Randomly determining great pow-ers would be a massive task well out-side the scope of this book, but thefollowing list of examples (includingsome near-great powers) in roughchronological order for the variouscivilizations may help GMs creategreat power rosters for their world.Fictional powers are in quotes.

Andean: Chavin, Moche, Tihuanaco,Inca Empire, “Amaru Republic.”

Bactrian: Ferghana, Sogdia,Bactria, Tocharia, Kushan Empire,Bokhara, Balkh, Samarkand.

Celtic: Cisalpine Gaul, Galatia,Nervii, Vercingetorix’s league, Icenicconfederacy, “Camelot,” “Holy EirishEmpire.”

Chinese: Various Chinese dynasties(Han, Tang, Sui, Song, Yuan, andMing), Jin, Funan, Champa, Korea,Khitai, Manchu Empire, Taiping HolyEmpire, Nationalist China, People’sRepublic of China, “Hongkong LLC.”

Egyptian: Khemet (ancient Egypt),Upper and Lower Egypt, Canaan,Keftiu, Kush, “Aigyptos,” “Coptic SunKingdom.”

Hellenic: Athens, Sparta, Syracuse,Thebes, Ionia, Magna Graecia,Macedonian Empire, “AlexandrianOikoumene,” Seleucid Syria,Ptolemaic Egypt, Greco-Bactria.


Deciding on the great powers within a civilization or on a parallel Earth helps addconcrete detail and flavor to a game setting.

Hittite: Old and New HittiteEmpires, Hurrian Empire, Mitanni,Aram, Urartu.

Indic: Maurya Empire, Malwa,Gupta Empire, Maharashtra, Chola,Delhi, Bengal, Mogul Empire,Mahratta League, Punjab, “UnitedIndia,” India.

Indus Valley: Harappa, Mohenjo-Daro, “Dilmun.”

Iranic: Elam, Persia, Media,Achaemenid Empire, Scythian Bosp-orus, Chorasmia, Parthia, SassanidEmpire, Safavid Empire.

Islamic: Umayyad Caliphate,Abbasid Caliphate, Buwayhid Empire,Ghaznavid Empire, Andalus, Almo-hade Empire, Fatimid Egypt, Khwar-izm, Sultanate of Delhi, OttomanEmpire, “Nasserite Union,” IranianRepublic, “Neo-Caliphate.”

Japanese: Tokugawa Shogunate,Japanese Empire, “Greater East AsiaCo-Prosperity Sphere,” “Japan, Inc.”

Malay: Srivijaya, Majapahit, Java-nese Empire, Malacca, Indonesia.

Meso-American: Teotihuacan, Zap-otecs, Mixtecs, Maya, Toltec Empire,Tenochca (Aztec) Empire.

Mesopotamian: Sumer, Ugarit,Akkad, Amor, Babylon, Assyria,Chaldea (Neo-Babylonia).

Minoan: Knossos, Mycenae, TroyMississippian: Adena, Hopewell

culture, Tuskegee, Muskogea, Caho-kia, Natchez.

Norse: Norway, Denmark, Sweden,Holmgard, Koenugard, Iceland,“Vinland”; England, Scotland, andIreland (at times).

Orthodox: Byzantine Empire,Bulgarian Empire, Kievan Rus,Serbian Empire, Muscovy, RussianEmpire, Soviet Union, RussianRepublic, Ukraine.

Roman: Etruria, Roman Republic,“Sertorian Spain,” Roman Empire,Kingdom of Syagrius, “Arthurian”Britain.

Steppe: Scythia, Saka, Sarmatia,Yueh-Chih, Hunnic Empire, KhazarKhanate, Seljuk Empire, MongolEmpire, Golden Horde, TimuridEmpire.

West African: Ghana, Mali, Audo-ghast, Dahomey, Yoruba, Hausa,Kongo.

Western: Frankish Empire, Vene-tian Republic, France, Poland,Crusader states, Portugal, HapsburgEmpire, Dutch Republic, Prussia,

Great Britain, United States, Mexico,Empire of Brazil, Confederate States,Australia, Nazi Germany, EuropeanUnion.

Political StructureIf desired, roll 3d to determine the

political structure of any states youhave created in the foregoing process.

3 Anarchy4 Technocracy5 Caste6-8 Feudal9-11 Dictatorship12 Oligarchy13 Representative democracy14-15 Clan/tribal16 Theocracy17 Corporate state18 Athenian democracy

This table uses the governmenttype categories on pp. B509-510, plusOligarchy (rule by a small group ofrough equals). It maps roughly to his-torical frequency, modified for greatpowers only. Individual civilizationsdiffer: for example, representativedemocracy was invented by theRoman civilization but spread viaWestern civilization to many others; Steppe cultures flip betweendictatorship and clan/tribal struc-tures; all Indic systems have had a

strong caste flavor no matter theirofficial form. Any structure can be“feudal,” from democracies like thepre-Constitution United States to dic-tatorships like the Mongol Empire;roll again to determine the underlyingstructure. (A “feudal feudal” result is acollection of independent fiefdomswith no overlord, such as the Greekcity-states before and after Alexander,or with a completely powerless onesuch as the German states from 1648to 1806.) In other words, do not feelconstrained by these results. It isimportant to remember that even arelatively restrained monarchy suchas the 17th-century Swedish kingdomcounts as a dictatorship for this table,as per p. B509. Use pp. B506-507 todetermine CRs, if desired.

You may want to differentiate thevarious political systems by region orhistorical era; political structures doseem to change as TL does, forinstance. As an applied example, seethe Western Political Structures Table,p. 94. Entries in quotation marks indi-cate theoretical political structuresactually developed (but not fully insti-tuted) in Homeline history; italicizedentries are purely fictional (at least onHomeline), but not inherently lessplausible.


Western Political Structures TablePolitical Structure TL3-4 TL5-6 TL7+Anarchy Iceland Post-disaster AutoduelAthenian democracy “Free towns” New England town meetings “Cybertopia”Representative democracy Dutch Republic U.S.A., U.K. E.U.Clan/Tribal Scotland Mormon Utah “Communitarian network”Caste “City of God” “Enlightened despotism” ReichsostlandDictatorship Hapsburg Spain, Louis XIV Bonaparte, WWI Germany Nazi GermanyTechnocracy “Alchemical kingdom” “Philosopher-kings” Gernsback (p. 126)Theocracy Papal States Puritan Massachusetts Fundamentalist dystopiaCorporate state Flemish towns Steampunk CyberpunkFeudal Frankish kingdoms Austria-Hungary Post-disasterOligarchy Italian cities Georgian England, C.S.A. Banana republics


Although providing a full networkof randomized historical junctures isoutside the scope of this (or perhapsany) book, the GM can use this table asa possible guide to the political historyof a randomly generated (Western-dominated, at least) alternate. Forexample, suppose the tables generate abipolar, TL6 Western-dominated paral-lel. Further, the two superpowers arean oligarchic power and a dictator-ship. Looking at the table, one exampleof a TL6 oligarchy is the ConfederateStates of America. In this parallel, per-haps the Confederacy won the CivilWar, and now leads a coalition of sim-ilarly “aristocratic” powers (Brazil,Britain, and France, say) against a dic-tatorial Russia or Germany that hasabsorbed or cowed its neighboringstates. The rump United States wouldbe a minor power, either within theConfederate sphere or vengefully sup-porting the dictators across theAtlantic.

High-Inertia ParallelsSome parallels remain relatively

close to Homeline history despitemajor divergences such as magic orsupers, or changepoints centuries inthe past that should ordinarily haveproduced much greater variances inhistory and politics. The classic exam-ple is Ezcalli (p. 122), which somehowproduced an Aztec empire culturallyalmost identical to that in Homeline’s15th century, despite a divergencepoint two millennia earlier and mas-sive cultural contamination of Meso-America by European and NearEastern civilizations. The so-called“United States of Lizardia” parallel(p. 148) is another – even though theinhabitants are sentient, evolveddinosaurs!

Parachronic theorists aren’t surewhat to make of high-inertia parallels.Some believe that some forms ofmagic or superpowered psi have adamping effect on temporal changerates. Others consider high-inertiaworldlines proof of the “law of verybig numbers” and argue that ifEzcalli, for example, exists, theremust be tens of thousands more par-allels than current quantum theorypredicts – possibly in a “dimension”perpendicular to the standard quan-tum array. Still others argue thatsome agency, perhaps time travelersor an unknown dimension-hoppinggroup, has meticulously built Ezcallior other high-inertia parallels for anunguessable purpose.

Since high-inertia parallels are, bydefinition, idiosyncratic and strange,creating them randomly doesn’t work.You might get a result from theParallel Civilizations Table thatrequires a high-inertia parallel toexplain, of course! Essentially, howev-er, they provide excuses for otherwiseunrealistic or implausible parallelsthat the GM nevertheless just wants toput in his universe.

Myth ParallelsThese parallels mirror the settings

of Homeline fiction, mythology, andfolklore. Infinity paraphysicists aren’tsure whether the existence of mythparallels means that famous authorsare latent psionics who see otherworlds in dreams or subconsciousclairvoyance, or whether it providespowerful evidence for the Williams-Khor Hypothesis (p. 21). Neitherexplanation is particularly convinc-ing, or particularly comforting, andsome Homeline theorists believe that

myth parallels are built by unknownpowerful figures such as Cabalistic magicians or even “gods”.

Like high-inertia parallels, mythparallels should be selected by the GMrather than randomized. The GMneeds to choose the myth, the versionof it the parallel follows, and thedegree to which the parallel remainstrue to literature or folklore. TheParallel Civilizations Table can per-haps give the GM a nudge toward arandom culture for the parallel’s leg-endary source, but choosing a familiarmyth is easier for the GM, and usuallymore fun for the players.

CHALLENGEWORLDS

In a sense, any world is potentiallya challenge world; it presents a prob-lem or an opportunity for the InfinityPatrol to solve or attain. True chal-lenge worlds, however, are all problemand little opportunity. In dramaticterms, they exist to warn, to add flavor,or to pose obstacles.

Hell WorldsHell parallels are those on which

humanity is dead, devastated, ordwindling to extinction. Usually, theEarth’s surface, climate, and ecologyalso bear horrific scars. Infinityexploits a few relatively benign (orutterly dead) hell worlds as emptyworlds (see Disasters, p. 85). If suchoperations go badly (or mysteriously)wrong, PCs may be chosen to investi-gate, which gives the GM an excuse toget out the depressing adjectives on aglobal scale. Adventures in a hellworld can encompass disaster movie


action sequences, tense investigationsof toxic ruins, heartbreaking encoun-ters with devolved savage humans, orall three.

For a random global catastrophe,roll 3d and consult the following table:

3-4 Disease5-6 Cosmic catastrophe7-8 Ecological disaster9-15 Global war16-18 Odd disaster

Disease: A disease capable of wip-ing out all of humanity is, evolutionar-ily speaking, highly unlikely. Although

plague worlds such as Attila (p. 110),Ariane (p. 128), and the terrifyingGotha-parallels (p. 128) exist, human-ity (if not civilization) usually beginsrecovery within a few generations.Such plague worlds are still very dan-gerous for unprotected outworld visi-tors, of course, and Infinity maintainsstrict decontamination procedures forreturning conveyors, just in case.Plagues that actually eradicatehumanity are usually either bioengi-neered war-plagues or paranormalones.

Cosmic Catastrophe: AlthoughEarth seems to dwell in a pretty safeneighborhood, cosmically speaking, itonly takes one asteroid impact to ruinyour whole species. Most of theLucifer worlds (p. B528) sufferedasteroid or comet impacts (althoughnot all of them are hell worlds; seep. 133). A nearby gamma-ray bursteror supernova sterilized Lucifer-3(p. B528). Solar flares, dark energy,black holes, and any number of otherdangers wait out there.

Unusual CivilizationsNone of the following civilizations appear on any of

the tables or systems in this chapter. They serve asexamples of curve balls the GM can throw into high-inertia parallels or puzzle worlds, or use as strangeenclaves in more normal timelines.

Mysterious CivilizationsThese civilizations, although real, remained “off the

map” of history. Like many ancient civilizations, theyhave been exoticized in adventure fiction andoccultism.

East African: This syncretic blend of urbanized, mer-cantile Islam and East African pastoral tribes created anumber of small urban centers such as Zimbabwe andZanzibar. Such centers were usually near gold mines oralong trade routes. It flourished between 1100 A.D. andWestern conquest in the 19th century.

Gothic: This cattle-herding culture of warriors alongthe Danube and Dniester valleys emerged about 100A.D. but only urbanized after conquering Rome in thefourth century. It or its outliers may have given rise toNorse civilization; it was quickly subsumed into thenascent Western civilization.

Khmer: A Cambodian civilization descended from ablend of Indic, Chinese, and Malay influences. From itscapital at Angkor, priest-engineers built temples, canals,and irrigation systems between 790 and 1400. After thatdate it declined relative to its outliers in Siam. Chineseand Western civilizations encroached upon it until theFrench conquest in the 1880s. It remains only partiallyassimilated.

Olmec: Considered by many to be the first emer-gence of Meso-American civilization, the Olmecs (whoflourished between 1150 B.C. and 800 B.C.) had enoughvariance in art and design that others have claimed onlyan ancestral relationship between the two civilizations.

Punic: This outlier of Mesopotamian civilizationemerged on the Phoenician coast in about 3000 B.C.

Heavily influenced by Egypt, it expanded commerciallyover the Mediterranean coast. Iranic, then Hellenic, civ-ilization absorbed its homeland from the sixth centuryB.C.; its most successful outlier, Carthage, lasted until146 B.C. and Roman conquest. Some scholars seeHebrew, and thus much of Western, civilization as aPunic offshoot.

Sheban: A trading network of theocratic monarchiesin Yemen and Ethiopia emerged beginning in the 11thcentury B.C. Mostly absorbed into Islamic civilizationby the seventh century A.D., its last descendant, theEthiopian kingdom, fell to Soviet Orthodoxy in 1977and remains culturally shattered.

Tibetan: Beginning in the seventh century A.D.,this Indic-Chinese border outlier (oddly influenced by Iranic civilization) became a theocratic Buddhistcivilization alternating between military and religiousexpansion. It survives, barely, under Chinese overlordship.

Weird CivilizationsThese civilizations never existed, but can sneak into

sufficiently strange parallels either as mysterious ruinsin the past or truly bizarre actors in present-day geopol-itics.

Atlantean: Sorcerous and aggressive, the Atlanteansleft pyramids and solar kingships all along the Atlanticand Mediterranean coasts. They vanished by 4000 B.C.

Megalithic: These matriarchal, earth-centered mageserected standing stones as observatories and ley trans-formers from the time of the Flood to about 1500 B.C.,when patriarchal Aryans destroyed them.

Sirian: Seeking gold for unguessable reasons, thesealiens ruled earthly civilizations as gods, buildingstrange structures and tampering with human DNA.They arrived in 10,000 B.C. and left on their own (orafter a human revolt) in 1200 B.C.

Ecological Disaster: Whether man-made or natural, global climate shiftsor extinction events can wipe out civi-lization in under a century. If theatmosphere dies, it can wipe out allmulticellular life. A returning Ice Age,runaway global warming, catastroph-ic species depletion, and catastrophicvolcanism are the four most commonconditions on ecological hell worlds.Asteroid strikes or uncontrolled sor-cery might replicate any of theseeffects.

Global War: To truly endanger thehuman race, a global war has to befought at TL7 or higher (or with equiv-alently deadly magics). Most suchwars begin as (or include) nuclearwars; almost all of them kill their bil-lions by plague and famine after thebombs have destroyed cities andcrops. On some worlds, nuclear war-fare produces evil mutant supermen

(or submen), nuclear winter, or magi-cal manastorms, as well as piles ofcorpses and charred cities.

Odd Disaster: Unclassifiable orunusual events crop up fairly often inthe Infinite Worlds, and some of themdoom humanity. Drexler (p. B528) andLeviathan (p. 129) are two examples ofstrange new hells; the GM’s fiendish-ness and creativity are the only limitsto what possible disasters the Scoutsmight encounter. Unleashed demons,angry gods, and powerful Things ManWas Not Meant To Know would fit inthis category, although some cosmiccatastrophes might be indistinguish-able from the return of the AncientOnes to near-Earth space.

Puzzle WorldsFiguring out what doomed human-

ity is a specific, if unpleasant, type of

puzzle. Narratively, a puzzle world isits own justification for existence; itexists to add color, drama, or weird-ness to the game. Solving the puzzle istherefore often beside the point. Withsome worlds (such as Enigma onp. 140), a solution may be a larger goalof the campaign, perhaps to prevent asimilar fate overtaking Homeline orsome helpless parallel. A puzzle worldshould be entertaining (or creepy)enough, however, that one or two proforma “travelogue” adventures therecan still be fun and challenging for theteam. Otherwise, there’s little point invisiting it in the first place. The GMcan simply drop its existence intoPatrol gossip or a Paralabs briefingand move on with the real story. TheGM needs to decide on a good puzzle(and, if desired, a solution) that fits thegame’s tone; again, randomizedresults are little help.

The basic structure of an alternatehistory is simple enough: a historicalevent happens differently, its changesechoing down the years to a radicallychanged present. While a singlechange point is generally desirable,the specific reasons for subsequentchanges might be obscure. This sec-tion discusses some principles of alter-nate Earth design, and some issuesthat the would-be worldbuilder mightwish to keep in mind.

DIRECTIONThere are two basic approaches to

alternate timeline construction. Youcan work forward from a known orpostulated divergence point such asthe Battle of Hastings or the inventionof the microscope by Archimedes. Or,you can work backward from theworld you’d like to see built, providinga (hopefully somewhat plausible)rationalization for an independentSioux confederacy or for antigravityweapons in the Hundred Years’ War.

Change ForwardTo begin with the change point,

you need to pick a change point. This

can be as easy as opening a historybook and pointing, but most designersbegin with at least some idea of whatthe change is intended to accomplish.There’s little point, for example, incarefully designing an alternate histo-ry in which Napoleon wins atWaterloo and is then immediately cutto pieces at Mechelen two weeks laterby a regrouped Allied force. If you’rebeginning with Napoleon, you are pre-sumably interested in a history inwhich Bonapartism lasts longer andhas a greater influence over (at least)the next decade or so.

This is an example of lost causedesign, which includes the two over-whelmingly most popular alternatehistory topics: a Nazi victory in WorldWar II and a Confederate victory inthe Civil War. A surviving Rome, arestored Stuart dynasty in England, aunified Catholic Christendom, or anAmerican victory in Vietnam also fitthe lost cause model.

Be careful to look past the onedecisive battle; a lot of causes werelost for deep-set economic or demo-graphic reasons. Still, with suitablehand-waving and a judicious selectionof divergence points, you can make

things seem retroactively plausible, atleast. Don’t get too hung up on plausi-bility: there are enough bizarre twistsof fate in real life that any event can bemade to seem inevitable.

Another common divergence pointfor change forward designs is the out-lier. This is a small colony or offshootof a larger civilization left alone todevelop along its own path. TheAmerican colonies were outliers ofEngland, for example; the abortivecolony of Vinland would have been anoutlier of Iceland, itself an outlier ofNorse civilization. Often, the purposeof an outlier design is to allow somefactor already present in the parentcivilization to dominate the new one.English democracy, for example,flourished like a weed in NewEngland, with no kings or landed gen-try to thwart it – as did the theocratictendencies of the Puritans, with noAnglican accomodationist model toobey. In S.M. Stirling’s “Draka” novels,every unlovely factor in Western civi-lization, from slavery to Nietzscheanmorality, flourishes in the CapeColony. The spirit of the FrenchRevolution might have thrived in anindependent French Canada, or the


HISTORY, ALREADYIN PROGRESS

spirit of the Romanov mystics in a sur-viving Russian Alaska.

If you don’t already have a diver-gence point in mind, you can alwaysuse the Random Present Table (p. 86)to pick one, of course.

Destiny BackwardEven when using a change forward

model, it can be very helpful to have agoal toward which you want the histo-ry to evolve. This goal may be a visionof what reality should look like in thepresent, or at least a few elements tobe included (for instance, Irish domi-nance of England, Egypt the mosttechnologically advanced nation onEarth, America divided into pettystates like medieval Europe – or all ofthe above). It may even simply involveassuring that the beneficiaries of theinitial change survive and prosper,though this works much better forshort periods than histories of morethan one or two centuries. In any case,having a goal in mind allows you tochoose among the many plausiblealternatives that shortly appear.

One such goal is enhancing theimportance of any person, concept, ornation relatively marginal in our ownhistory. Examples of such strengthen-ing the marginal design goals includemaking Poland a world power, allow-ing the Celtic Christians to continuetheir development without interfer-ence by of Rome and the Vikings, orletting Roger Bacon continue to devel-op the scientific method in the 13thcentury. A startling number of alterna-tive histories wind up strengtheningthe marginal technology of airshipsand zeppelins, for example. This is amatter of flavor rather than logic, butthis is a game book, after all. NikolaTesla’s electrical experiments, theMaya kingdoms, and imperial Brazilor Sweden are similarly marginal figures with that combination ofobscurity and flair.

Failing that, perhaps you’d like tomarginalize the strong. Cast a greatnation, religion, hero, or culture ontohistory’s ash heap and never lookback. For example, the Mongols cameclose to overrunning Europe in the13th century, and might have fore-stalled the European age of creativitythat gave birth to the Renaissance andthe Great Discoveries. Or GenghisKhan might have died during his

childhood, when he was enslaved by arival, and never united the Mongols atall. Because this sort of change tendsto throw the possibilities wide open, itoften requires a more specific goal inaddition. Removing Christianity, forexample, leaves you with the questionof what world religion the Romanseventually convert to. Do they bringBuddhism from India, or raiseMithraism from cult to mass church,or simply dodder along as increasing-ly apathetic pagans until the Musliminvasions convert them all to the TrueFaith of the Prophet?

This may wind up as displacement:changing the history of one area tomirror the history of another. If anIslamic Roman empire becomes thenew caliphate, will future Muslim cul-ture resemble Western civilization, orwill future European civilizationresemble the post-Abbasid sultanates?Either way, you can seek models in thehistorical past and apply them to youralternate history. The most commonsort of displacement is moving theScientific and Industrial Revolutionsfrom Western Europe to ancientGreece, or Muslim Baghdad, ormedieval India, or Song DynastyChina. The history of Roma Aeterna(p. 144) is essentially the displacementof the Chinese imperial model ofbreakup and reunification within aself-conscious imperial culture to theWest. One could just as easily postulatea China that, like the West, turns into amass of squabbling kingdoms after thefall of the Han. Like Western Europe,these successor states would graduallylose interest in their imperial past asthey develop into independent nationsand expand overseas. You could applyJapanese modernization in the 1880sto the Iroquois in the 1760s, MehmetAli’s Egypt in the 1820s, or to the SikhPunjab in the 1840s.

One trick that sometimes works,for those of an academic cast of mindanyhow, is to put on your snootiestHistory Channel documentary voiceand say something like “In retrospect,German victory in 1918 wasinevitable.” Then list all the thingsthat (if you didn’t know how WorldWar I wound up) would makeGerman victory indeed seeminevitable – French morale disinte-grating, the Russian Revolution free-ing up the German Eastern Front, the

new proto-blitzkrieg tactics developedby Hindenburg, submarines keepingAmerica out of Europe – and empha-size them in your own timeline. Justifyincreasing all those factors, and deter-mine what you need to change tomake such increases happen, even ifyour change point winds up beingsomething like “Kaiser Wilhelm IIwasn’t as big an idiot as he was in ourhistory.”

Even if you have a present in mind,you may wind up determining a suit-able divergence point in the past, andworking both forward from the diver-gence point and backward from yourgoal. It may happen that a goal turnsout to be impossible to reach from aparticular divergence point. Don’t hes-itate to find another change point,usually farther back in history, andrun the tape again. If changing theoutcome of the Battle of Gettysburgisn’t enough to gain Confederate inde-pendence in your estimation, moveback and try Antietam, or the Trentaffair and a British-brokered peace, orhave the war break out in 1857 undera weak President Buchanan instead ofa determined President Lincoln.

DECISIONSo, what exactly makes history

diverge? What is necessary and suffi-cient to shift history out of its tracks?If we live in Plastic Time With HighInertia (p. 154), how plastic is time,and how high is high? The GM needsto answer these questions for time-travel games. In the Infinite Worldssetting, inertia varies from world toworld. In our own history, the answerhas likewise varied.

Great ManThe most plastic theory is the

Great Man theory, which holds that aman or woman of sufficient willpower,ability, and vision can alter history andchange the course of nations. History,in this view, is biography; it’s the storyof Moses and Napoleon, Hitler andLincoln, Queen Elizabeth I and MarieCurie. This theory suits games andadventures admirably – human storiesand human achievements are whatgames are about, after all. It’s alsomuch easier to write and game aCentrum plot to kidnap Einstein thanto write or game a Centrum plot to


mount a decades-long campaign toweaken German academic standards.This theory, sadly, is well and truly outof fashion among academic histori-ans. However, historians fromPlutarch to Carlyle believed in itimplicitly. To many people it seemshighly unlikely that the American CivilWar, for instance, would have beenremotely the same without AbrahamLincoln or Robert E. Lee. Of course,Lee also provides a salutary correctiveto the Great Man theory – even hecouldn’t win the war for the South,after all. “But maybe,” the Great Mantheorists respond wistfully, “if Lee hadbeen just a little bit greater atGettysburg . . .”

Great MomentThe counter to the Great Man the-

ory is what one might call the GreatMoment theory. The times make theman; postwar chaos in Germanywould have inevitably produced ananti-Semitic, warmongering dema-gogue. If not Hitler, perhaps JuliusStreicher or Joseph Göbbels or someunknown street fighter might havebecome dictator and launched WorldWar II and the Final Solution.Similarly, the forces of demographicsand economics meant that Britainwould have ridden out the threat withor without Churchill, and Americawould have gotten involved in Europewith or without Roosevelt.

This is history as sociology; soci-eties change according to large massmovements, and those movementsthrow up “leaders” and “foundingfathers” and “inventors of the steamengine” who just happen to fit therequirement of the times. This theoryis most closely associated with Marx(and Hegel, from whom he lifted it).However, other historians fromMacaulay to McNeill have presented itin one or another form and it basical-ly dominates academic discussiontoday.

As a model for alternate history, ithas its uses. It’s very important, forplausible alternate histories, to keepmass movements and large-scale fac-tors like economics in mind – Lee orno Lee, the Confederacy was not goingto defeat the Union militarily as longas the North’s industry outproducedthe South’s by 10 to 1. Britain wasprobably never going to accept a

slave-holding ally, and the “peculiarinstitution” would have likely died outeven with an independent Confederacy.However, the Great Moment theory isresolutely unromantic, and difficult toaddress in game terms. One can try toset up complexes of conditions earlyenough that the mass movementsthemselves are diverted – perhaps thecotton gin isn’t invented and the Southhas to industrialize to make moneywhen cotton bottoms out. Perhaps aharsher bout of Chartist radicalismstrengthens English aristocratic reac-tion, and Palmerston can support theSouth without losing any votes inParliament.

Great MotherlandThe Great Moment theory looks

positively carefree compared to thenew macrohistorical studies thatargue that even those mass move-ments are predestined by the regionaland continental ecology where theyoccur. This “Great Motherland” theoryis the highest of inertia. It presents his-tory as geography; the vectors of dis-ease, the varying disaster regimes andcoastal formations of Europe andChina, and the luck of the draw fordomestic animals and plants meantthat western Eurasia was destined torise to global supremacy. This is the

argument of Jared Diamond’s Guns,Germs, and Steel, which has becomethe centerpiece of a construct thatdenies almost any individual humanagency in history.

People everywhere adapt to theirenvironment, and adapt their environ-ment to themselves. If the environ-ment contains horses, coal, iron, andbarley, you get Prussia. If it containsrice, chickens, silver, and typhoons,you get China. If it contains gold butno heavy draft animals or infectiousdiseases, you get wiped out by Cortéswhen he shows up with his horses andiron and smallpox (see Plagues, p. 99)to take your gold.

This model is horribly depressingand unromantic, but it does have thevirtue of denying any role to race, orclass, or “cultural energy,” or any ofthe other things that besmirched somuch historical thought in the 19thand 20th centuries. It can also make ahandy set of invisible walls for build-ing alternates. Taking ecology andgeography into account can preventsilly alternates like a Madan Empirebased in New Guinea (too manymountains and typhoons to developcultural unity) or the Maya conquestof Spain in 1492 (that pesky smallpoxagain, plus no accessible iron or tin forcannon).


Alternate GreatsWhere do you put the Great Men in your alternate history? Near the

divergence point, in particular, similar people may play roles of similarimportance. Designers of alternate histories often use real historical fig-ures in roles that somehow resemble their real lives but differ with thechanged historical context. With this “repertory theater” approach, thestars – the Great Men – always get to play the lead. This helps players andreaders keep the cast of characters straight, and familiar faces sparkinterest. The sight of the condottiere Napoleone Buonaparti rising topower in the decadent Florentine Republic, for example, has the twinadvantages of emphasizing the changes to the world and clarifying thesituation for everybody. It’s hard to quarrel with a solution that bothenhances strangeness and familiarity.

However, it becomes faintly silly after a century or so of divergence;after 350 years, it’s unlikely that the Buonapartis of Corsica would haveeven had all those kids, much less that one of them just happens to be abrilliant soldier and dictator-in-the-making. As the timeline moves fur-ther away from real history, it’s often easier to look at broader trends andassume the existence of unnamed geniuses in the background introduc-ing monotheism or atomic theory when necessary. In this “commediadell’arte” approach, the story always has the same roles, and it doesn’tmatter who fills the Great Moment.

DEVELOPMENTThe way to use such depressing

concepts as the Great Moment andGreat Motherland theories is as guide-lines for developing alternates. Justknowing that there’s a plague or

drought coming can spark ideas forthe next decade or century of yourtimeline. Even if you’ve secretly builtyour whole timeline on the heroic con-tests of Great Men, applying these fac-tors can give it that all-importantveneer of plausibility, and help you

pick which Great Man wins the nextround. This section gives a briefprimer on some of these macrohistor-ical concerns, with extreme prejudicein favor of those that make usefultools for world design.


PlaguesNot all humans suffer equally from all diseases.

Mere childhood ailments in one area become deadlyepidemics in another. Even whooping cough or chick-en pox can kill millions in a “virgin field epidemic,” ifnone of those millions have any resistance to them.(Whooping cough may have killed half of Japan in thelate ninth century A.D.) The clearest case of this in his-tory is the nearly 90% death rate of American Indiansafter lasting European contact in 1492. Although theconquistadors certainly gave it the old college try insome places, they simply could not have physicallyslaughtered such vast populations. Groups too smallto bring Old World diseases with them settled the NewWorld during the Ice Ages, and few new diseasesappeared in the next 30,000 years. Other majorplagues had a similar impact on history:

Plague of Sennacherib (708 B.C.): “The angel ofdeath” slew the Assyrian army besieging Jerusalem,forcing Sennacherib to leave the Jews alive. May havebeen typhus, a killer of armies (such as Napoleon’s inRussia) up to the 20th century.

Athenian Plague (430-429 B.C.): Devastated Athens,killing a third of the city, including Pericles. Athens lostthe Peloponnesian War as a consequence. May havebeen measles.

Plague of Antoninus (166-180 A.D.): Brought backfrom Persia by victorious legions, this epidemic killed 25million people in the Roman Empire. Rome never recov-ered from this demographic disaster, which returned in251-266 A.D. It may also have reached China in 161-185A.D., and returned there in 310-322 A.D., when a plaguekilled 25% of the population. Probably smallpox.

Plague of Justinian (542-543 A.D.): Arrived inConstantinople by ship from Egypt and killed 120,000people; may have killed up to a third of the ByzantineEmpire and southern Europe by 590 A.D., preventingthe reunification of the Roman Empire. Its spread toSyria and Persia paved the way for the Arab conquest.Probably bubonic plague.

Black Death (1346-1350): Arrived in Venice from theCrimea, having already (1331-1354) killed up to half ofChina and disintegrated the Mongol Empire. Killed athird of Europe, and sporadically reappeared there forthe next 400 years, especially in the Plague of London(1665-1666). Its last outbreak killed a million people inManchuria in 1921. Almost certainly bubonic plague,although some historians theorize that the 1346 out-break may have been anthrax.

“Pox Americana” (1775-1782): Smallpox epidemicravaged American soldiers during the RevolutionaryWar, and spread across the plains to eradicate Indiantribes as far away as Puget Sound. May have killed 25million people in North America.

Urban Cholera Epidemics (1826-1837): Endemic inBengal, cholera spread via British ships to Cairo (1831),London (1832), New York (1832), Havana (1833), andCanton (1835); and via Russian soldiers to Moscow(1830), Warsaw (1831), and Berlin (1831), killing tens ofthousands of people in each city. Sanitation reformended the cholera threat in the West by the 1890s.

“Spanish Flu” (1918-1919): Killed 675,000Americans, and up to 40 million people worldwide(more than World War I); it may have begun in U.S.Army camps in Kansas. An unknown strain of influenza25 times deadlier than normal.

Any of these plagues might show up in an alternatehistory; the GM who wants to avoid the Black Deathneeds a clever explanation of why his Europe isimmune. In the case of the Black Death, eliminating theMongol conquests might have done it, since it may havebeen the Mongol unification of the steppes that allowedplague carriers to spread a Central Asian disease to bothChina and Europe in 20 years. Without the Mongols, itmight have taken many more decades to spread, and thevector might have been through the Middle East, whichwas not particularly affected by the Black Death in ourhistory.

The Disease Barrier“Fear, fear, the Bay of Benin. One comes out for each 10

that go in.” This old sailor’s rhyme, about the dangers ofthe Benin coast of west Africa, accurately conveys theimpact of malaria and other jungle fevers such as dengueand yellow fever on populations that have not evolved aresistance to them. Until the isolation of quinine fromPeruvian cinchona bark in 1820, non-Africans simplycould not effectively colonize tropical Africa. OnceColumbus accidentally introduced the anopheles mos-quito to the Americas in 1493, the Caribbean and itsshores became similar death traps for Europeans;Southeast Asia and the Pacific took a less deadly, butnotable, toll as well. Only the promise of vast wealth fromgold and slaves could induce Europeans even to garrisonthe few tiny outposts along the African coast. Before yousend those Roman armies south of the Sahara, explainwhy they’re not all dead or delirious first.

PoliticsA number of historians have postu-

lated a natural “pendulum” in politicalhistory between action and reaction.In 1949, Arthur Schlesinger, Sr.,famously cited a 16-year pendulumthat sadly didn’t even explain the next16 years without a lot of special plead-ing. With that said, generational models (see Generational Cycles,

below) as used by the historianSamuel Huntington (among others)present a plausible explanation for thecommonly observed 20-year life ofmany political movements. Radicallibertarianism began in America withthe Stamp Act protests in 1765; by1785 it was mired in tariff disputesand wrecking the Articles of Con-federation. Kennedy’s 1960 rebirth ofAmerican liberalism was convincinglyburied by Reagan’s landslide in 1980.The Republican Party destroyed theWhigs in 1856 over abolition and by1876 was cutting corrupt deals withSouthern whites to steal thePresidency. The young activists whodrive the issue become middle-agedpoliticians with their own interests toprotect; the middle-aged politiciansthey converted or frightened intoagreement die or retire.

About twice that length (every 40 to45 years) is a peak riot period foroppressed minorities. This, too, maybe generationally driven; perhaps ittakes two generations to forget howsocieties increase repression after ariot. Toynbee claimed that it takessomething like five generations (100-125 years) for a new ideology to createa movement capable of changing soci-ety, but that might be an underesti-mate. Peter the Great’s intelligentsiatook 136 years before they tried tooverthrow Czar Nicholas I in theDecembrist Revolt of 1825. PuritanMassachusetts took 145 years to riotagainst the King. The Civil Rights Actwas passed 133 years after WilliamLloyd Garrison founded the Americanabolitionist movement.

It takes about eight generations(160-170 years), on average, for anempire to get strong enough to fighta civil war, and about three (60-oddyears) to recover from it. (Longenough for all the war veterans tobecome tiresome old coots with


People make their own history, but they do notmake it just as they please; they do not make itunder circumstances chosen by themselves, butunder circumstances directly encountered, given,and transmitted from the past.

– Karl Marx, The Eighteenth Brumaire

Generational CyclesOne model for studying both historical change and historical conti-

nuity is the generational model. The social impact of the Baby Boom inAmerica (and in other nations) is a clear example of generational histo-ry in action – and so is the “Greatest Generation” that survived theDepression, won World War II, and built the greatest economy in theworld.

In Generations, historians William Strauss and Neil Howe break outgenerational types, in order, as follows:

Idealists are born into a time of conformity, and come of age duringsocial ferment. During adulthood, they pursue individualism while urg-ing a return to morality; they age into visionary figures. The Baby Boomgeneration (born from 1943 to 1960) are Idealists, as are theTranscendentalists (born from 1792 to 1821).

Reactives are born during social ferment, come of age in alienationand risk, shoulder a crisis, and age into dim respectability as societybecomes more conformist. The Founding Fathers (born from 1724 to1741) are Reactives, as is Generation X (born from 1961 to 1981).

Civics are born during a return to morality, unite and come of agedealing with a crisis, found institutions in midlife, and build the societythe next ferment will question and disrupt. The Greatest Generation(born from 1901 to 1924) are Civics, as are the Millennials (born from1982 to 2003).

Adaptives are born during a crisis, relish social conformity in adult-hood, work for compromise during social ferment, and age into sensitiveelders. The Progressives (born from 1843 to 1859) are Adaptives, as arethe Silent Generation (born from 1925 to 1942).

This model also implies that society-threatening crises occur aboutonce in every four generations (every 80-odd years), followed by ages ofconformity, social ferment, and individualism each lasting about 20years. Each age sows the seeds of the next. The stress of the crisis produces conformity, Idealistic rebels against stifling conformity causeferment, and the resulting breakdown of conformity leaves risk and ram-pant individualism. Reacting against the alienation and atomizationthey see around them, the (now older and wiser) Idealists call for areturn to morality, just in time for the next crisis to hit and cement thosedemands.

To make their model fit American history, Strauss and Howe have topostulate that the Civil War was a “crisis too soon” that “aborted” a Civicgeneration, and place Thomas Jefferson (an Idealist if ever there wasone) in a Civic generation. However cut-and-try the model, though,using it can help give a natural-seeming rhythm to an alternate society.

stories nobody wants to hear anymore.) By this reading, the AmericanRevolution was a civil war in theBritish Empire established in 1607 atJamestown, 169 years earlier. After1776, America took until 1836 (60years) to start its own imperialexpansion into Texas and concomi-tant disintegration over slavery,while Britain spent almost that longwatching its monarchs go mad andits population riot before the ReformAct stabilized its political system in1832. Rome went through three ofthose cycles before finally collapsingfrom the outside; an average “really successful” Chinese dynastymanages two of them.

EconomicsAnother field ripe for cyclical pat-

terns is economics, either within asociety or on a global basis.(Controversial modern systems theo-rists believe that all economies havebeen on a global basis since about 930A.D., when the Song Dynasty restoredthe trade links between China and theWest.) The “boom and bust cycle” isfamiliar to most casual observers ofthe modern business scene, forinstance.

In 1925, a Russian economist,Nikolai Kondratiev, discovered“waves” of roughly 50 to 54 years (27years up to the peak, 27 years down tothe crunch) in trends within theWestern business cycle. The globaldepressions of 1816, 1873, and 1929seemed to match the theory prettywell, and if you squint, you can fit therecession of 1978-1983 in there, too.Unfortunately, the other globaldepressions in 1826, 1837, and 1893don’t match the wave; nor did thecrash of 2000. (Kondratiev, ironically,was sent to Siberia for making the per-fectly Marxist observation that theeconomy drove history.) Historiansstill squabble over whether theKondratiev wave even exists; othersfavor the “Kuznets wave” of 18-21years, which fits the generationalframework better.

If the Kondratiev wave does exist,it probably represents a two-genera-tion lag in exploiting a new industrialdevelopment. Railroads are intro-duced in the 1830s and mature by the1880s; telegraphs come in the 1860s

and are edged out by radio in the1910s; microcomputers show up inthe 1970s, and we just passed the“peak” of their productivity growth inthe Internet boom of the 1990s. A similar pattern likely holds in anyalternate history after TL3 and theinvention of banking.

On considerably firmer ground arethe Price Revolutions, which unlikeKondratiev waves are taken from thedata themselves rather than statisticalmodels of the data. General prosperitycauses slow inflation, which becomesrapid inflation during the next major

war or capital influx. Rapid inflationcauses increasing inequality andsocial control of the economy untilcontrol and inequality both becomeexcessive, leading to (or contributingto) cults, pessimism, intellectualrevolt, addiction, imperial wars, andfinally a vast crisis. In the aftermath ofthe crisis, prices stabilize in an equi-librium and prosperity returns to startthe next slow inflation. Unfortunately,although the Price Revolutions have aregular structure, they don’t have anice regular cycle.


[T]here are no correct alternate histories; thereare only plausible alternate histories.

– Will Shetterly, “The Captain’s Story”


Civilization as BiologyFrom Ibn Khaldun to Malthus, historians have seen

societies as essentially following biological patterns:spring growth, summer florescence, autumnal decay,and winter death. The German philosopher OswaldSpengler is probably the best-known theorist to applythe biological model to history. In The Decline of the West(first published in 1918), he proposed that civilizationshave individual personalities (Classical civilization wasApollo, while Western civilization is Faust, for example).However, their inherently biological nature (being madeup of people, after all) constrains them to follow similar“life cycles” like any other organism. Spengler postulat-ed only eight such civilizations, which he called “cul-tures”: Egyptian, Mesopotamian, Chinese (which hebegins around 1000 B.C.), Classical (Hellenic plusRoman), “Magian” (Iranic plus Islamic, with substantialJewish influence), Indian (which he begins with theAryan invasions), and Meso-American. Although almostno modern historians take Spengler seriously, his modelmakes a great frame for alternate histories or future his-tories (James Blish used Spenglerian concepts for hisCities in Flight series). In that spirit, Spengler’s “epochs”of civilization are as follows:

Pre-Cultural Period (400-500 years): This is a period oftribes and chieftains; there is no state system or litera-ture. For Western civilization, Spengler equates this erato the Frankish conquests from 500-900 A.D.; forClassical civilization, the pre-cultural period is theMycenaean Era.

Formation of Feudal Order (300-400 years): States andcities emerge and extend their power, as with ChouDynasty China or Sassanid Persia. The “cultural spring”begins with the first priestly (the Lives of the Saints, theRig-Veda, and Hesiod’s Theogony) and military (theArthurian tales, the Mahabharata, and the Iliad) myths.Vigorous architecture, as with the Pyramids in Egyptiancivilization or the Gothic cathedrals in the West.

Interregnum (100-200 years): The feudal order breaksdown in warfare, plague, and famine. The culturalspring becomes summer, and reaction begins. In theWest, Aquinas perfects Catholic scholasticism, and theheresies that will lead to Luther emerge. In Classical cul-ture, the Orphic cults question the Olympian orthodoxy.Springtime art is exhausted.

Aristocratic State Formation (150-170 years): Majoraristocratic states emerge and contend; this is the era ofthe Tudors and the Hapsburgs in the West, and of theseven warring states in China. The passing of the cultur-al high summer is reflected in the Renaissance becom-ing Baroque, or Doric art giving way to Ionic art. Newmathematics emerge: Classical Pythagorean geometry,Magian algebra, or Western calculus. At the end of thisperiod comes a puritanical reaction: Mohammed, orCromwell.

Absolutism (100-150 years): Aristocratic powerbecomes centralized, but the king and bourgeoisie seizepower themselves; society approaches a crisis. In theClassical culture, this is the duel of Pericles andThemistocles; in the West, it is the rise of Louis XIV andthe Stuarts and Hanoverians. Cultural autumn has setin, with summer’s beliefs cast into doubt: examplesinclude the Enlightenment in the West, the Socratics inClassical civilization, or the Mutazilites in Islamic socie-ty. Confucius is the final “Indian summer” of Chinesecivilization, reaffirming order in the midst of chaos.

Revolution and Napoleonism (30-50 years): Revolt ofthe bourgeoisie unleashes war and military dictatorship.The “Napoleons” – Alexander, Sun Tzu, Napoleon –sweep away the old order but usually cannot create alasting empire. In Egypt, the crisis (Hyksos invasion)destroys the nation; in Islam the “Napoleon,” Al-Mansur,was able to create an empire, the Abbasid Caliphate. Artis autumnal, backward-looking, and fierce:Romanticism in the West, and the Shah-Nameh inMagian culture.

Transition from Napoleonism (200 years): In the clearspace after the crisis, bourgeois interests and contendingmass states (some of them democratic, such as theRoman Republic, the city-states of the Punjab, or theUnited States) dominate. The Hellenistic phase ofClassical culture, the era of five warring states in China,and the imperialist phase of Western culture, are allurban, mercantile, and pragmatic. Ethics replace reli-gion, from the Buddha in India to Sufism in Islam toStoicism in Greece to secular humanism in the West. Artis experimental, but little of it lasts . . . final shoots aswinter falls on culture.

Caesarism (200 years): The masses in the victoriousstate eventually rally to force-politics, suppress the bour-geois, and impose a unified empire to the limits of theircivilization’s reach. This is the age of Augustus Caesar,Shi Huangdi, Alp Arslan (who founds the SeljukSultanate), the Pharaoh Ahmose (who founds the NewKingdom), Chandragupta Maurya . . . and the “military-industrial-media complex” in the United States. Culturalwinter leads to artificial, syncretic, postmodern artforms imitating earlier forms.

Final Stasis (200+ years): The imperial state gradual-ly ossifies and decays. Classical culture enters final sta-sis with Domitian, Magian culture with the Ottomans,Egypt with the Ramessids, China with Han Wu Ti. OnSpengler’s schedule, Western culture is due for final sta-sis some time around 2105. Frozen and dead, the cul-ture’s only expression is gigantism.

Aftermath: The empire falls to barbarians, who plantthe seeds of a new feudal order in its ruins.

Alternate histories can ignore thePrice Revolutions, react to them, orinclude Revolutions of their own, atthe designer’s whim. Again, includingthem or something like them vastlyincreases a timeline’s plausibility andrealism – two or three centuries ofprosperity without consequences havenever happened in human history.

The major Price Revolutions are asfollows:

Medieval (1180-1350): Begins withthe invention of banking and the lootof the Fourth Crusade. Ends with theBlack Death and a century of warfareand destruction. The equilibriumafterward is remembered as the golden age of the Renaissance.

Sixteenth Century (1520-1620):Begins with the discovery of Americangold mines and the war against theTurks. Ends with the Thirty Years’War. The equilibrium afterward is theEnlightenment of Newton and Bach.

Eighteenth Century (1740-1800):Begins with the rise of joint-stockcompanies and the sugar boom. Endswith the French Revolution andNapoleonic global wars. The equilibri-um afterward is the Victorian era.

Twentieth Century (1900-present):Begins with the full flowering ofindustrial capitalism and the age ofempires. The current Malthusiandiebacks in Africa, and the wars in theMiddle East, may represent its endstage. If so, the mid-to-late 21st century looks pretty good.

There may also have been PriceRevolutions in ancient Babylonia(1750-1680 B.C.), classical Greece(500-300 B.C.), Rome (90-220 A.D.),and early medieval Europe (850-1000A.D.). All of those periods end in devastating war.

WarWhich brings us to our next cycle,

the war cycle identified by QuincyWright. He found that, statistically, amajor war breaks out between thegreat powers every 75 to 85 years. Inother words, every four generations,just long enough for everyone whoremembers how awful the last one wasto die off. This great-power war usual-ly lasts on and off for 25 to 30 years inseveral phases (like the two WorldWars or the two Napoleonic Wars);long enough to kill a whole generationoff and get society thoroughly sick of itfor another four generations. GeorgeModelski has modified Wright’s theoryby introducing the oceanic war, whichhe claims is the only kind that actuallyshifts power structures, with a slightlylonger cycle of 90 or so years. Neithercycle actually fits the dates involved,but if your alternate history has gone80 or 100 years without a great-powerwar, toss one in.

On average, great power warsresult in at least one great power get-ting the stuffing knocked out of it andremoved from great power status. TheItalian Wars knocked Venice off thelist; the Thirty Years’ War bouncedSpain; the War of the SpanishSuccession made the Dutch andSwedish second-rank powers; theNapoleonic Wars knocked Spain backagain and finished France demo-graphically; the World Wars pinnedGermany’s ears back, and so forth. Agreat power can try to climb back,which takes about a generation, or set-tle for decline. Some great power warsintroduce a new great power to themix, as previous second-rankersmobilize to fight. The Italian Warsmarked the debut of France as a con-tender; the Thirty Years’ War madeSweden a great power; the War of the

Spanish Succession put England andPrussia on the global stage; theNapoleonic Wars did the same forRussia; the World Wars introducedAmerica. In your alternate history,keep a running tally of great powers; ifthey have passed their sell-by date,drop them off in the next big war.

EcologyThe final major influence on the

course of history is climate. Like eco-nomics, people try to identify cycles init such as the El Niño-SouthernOscillation cycle (ENSO), which caus-es floods in China and Peru, faminesin India (by wrecking the monsoon),bitter cold and snow in Russia,drought in the American West andMediterranean, and general chaosevery 8 to 15 years. Strong “mega-ENSOs” may have brought the wet,cold weather that bogged down bothNapoleon and Hitler in Russia. It’spossible, in a Great Motherland way,that the reason northwestern Europewound up conquering the world isthat it’s the temperate zone leastaffected by ENSO! Still little under-stood, ENSO may be the most impor-tant single weather pattern in history.

On a larger scale, global climatehas fluctuated strongly many times inthe history of civilization. Majorweather shifts may be the reasons forplague outbreaks, famines, and otherdemographic crises – every civiliza-tion in the world went through similarcrises during the third century and17th century, for instance, whichargues for global causes. Any of thefollowing climate shifts probably stilloccur in a parallel Earth, unlesschanging the climate is the point ofthe alternate:

Laurentide Cooling (c. 6200-5800B.C.): Four millennia of global warm-ing finally melted a glacial ice sheet inNorth America, opening the St.Lawrence, spilling cold water into theAtlantic, and shutting off the GulfStream. The end of this cold droughtsparked the urban revolution inMesopotamia, India, and Palestine.

Boreal Cooling (3800-3100 B.C.):Another cold drought forces the con-centration of towns into cities inSumer; its end creates Egyptian civi-lization with the return of regular Nilefloods.


On average, great power wars result inat least one great power getting the stuffingknocked out of it and removed from greatpower status.

Sub-Boreal Event (2200-1900 B.C.):A major volcanic eruption triggersanother cold drought, causing the endof Egyptian Old Kingdom andSumerian-Akkadian civic empires.

Crisis of 1200 B.C. (1200-1100B.C.): Major drought in 1200 B.C.,combined with the eruption of Mt.Hekla in Iceland in 1159 B.C., sendswaves of nomadic invaders throughthe Hittites, Babylonians, andEgyptians. This event may havehelped trigger the war for Troy, toseize grain routes in a famine.

Classical Warm Period (300 B.C.-200 A.D.): This was probably a shift inwind patterns; the warm

Mediterranean air mass moved northover France and Britain, supportingRoman wine and olive culture.Eventually, the warmth led to reneweddrought, which shifted the air massback south. According to legend, theGoths invaded the Empire over thefrozen Rhine and Danube.

Catastrophe of 535 (535-600 A.D.):A major volcanic event in Java (possi-bly an eruption of Krakatoa) causes aglobal “nuclear winter,” wreckingByzantium, China, Teotihuacan, and“Arthurian” Britain.

Medieval Warm Period (900-1300):Global warming lets Vikings settleGreenland, sparks the High Middle

Ages in Europe (with demographicconsequences such as the Crusades),and dooms the Anasazi as droughtgrips the American Southwest.

Little Ice Age (1316-1850): Globalcooling, possibly volcanic, sets offfamine and plague in Europe andChina. The glaciers advance in theAlps during the coldest era (1580-1760). This may also be tied to the“Maunder Minimum,” a decrease insunspot activity from 1645-1710. Thisin turn may have triggered the globalcrisis of the 17th century, from theThirty Years’ War to the Manchu inva-sions of China to the first Indian Warsin America.

ALTERING WORLDSThis section provides specific rules

for shifting echo timelines, and guide-lines for altering the technological,political, or cultural climate of anytimeline. The GM can require playersin a Centrum campaign (or a moreaggressive Infinity Patrol attemptingto shift echoes downward beforeCentrum can steal them) to developtheir shift plans using these guide-lines, or simply leave things up to aCliodynamics roll.

TIMELINESHIFTING

If outtimers, either PCs or NPCs,do something that the GM thinksmight “change history” on an unstableecho, roll 3d. If the tampering wasaccording to a Centran plan andoccurred during a window ofparatemporal instability (p. 86), add 3to the die roll result. (Add 2 more if theCentran planner scored a critical suc-cess on his Cliodynamics roll.) TheGM may also add from 1 to 5 to theresult, depending on the degree ofdivergence of the change; the

Tampering section on p. 86 gives someguidelines for this modifier.

Any change can cause a shift in arandom direction; a Centran plansends the timeline higher 5 out of 6times, while a vigorous counterblowto a Centran plan still sends the echohigher 2 out of 6 times. A thoroughlyrandom, accidental, or unplannedchange sends the timeline higher 3 outof 6 times, of course.

No shift is immediate, and if thechange is effectively reversed duringthe period of delay, it does not takeplace. (If the change was severeenough, however, there may be no wayto negate it in time.) For the length oftime before the shift, roll 3d6:

Shift Delay Table6 or less 1d days7, 8 2d days9 1d weeks10 2d weeks11 3d weeks12 3d¥2 weeks13 2d months14-16 2d¥3 months17+ 2 years, plus two more

rolls on this table

Roll on this same table to deter-mine how long it takes Infinity to finda “lost” timeline. If the timeline is nowbelow Quantum 3 or above 7, it can’tbe found by Infinity.

Modifiers: +1 if the timeline is nowin Quantum 4 or 6; +3 if it is now inQuantum 3 or 7. Centrum can find itin one quarter of the time; modify aCentrum search roll by -1 if the time-line ended up in Quantum 7 or 9, andby -3 if it is now in Quantum 8.Centrum cannot find a timeline belowQuantum 6 or above 10.

The above assumes Infinity (orCentrum) is doing the searching. IfInfinity is not aware of the lost timeline (e.g., if it was a secret development of some government orcorporation) add at least +4 to the roll.Many clandestine operations wouldnot have the facilities to find a losttimeline if they had 20 years to do it.

This also assumes that a facelessteam of researchers is doing all thesearching. If a PC scientist (or impor-tant NPC) is involved in the search, hemay attempt one Physics (Para-chronics) roll. For every point bywhich he makes his roll, subtract 1from the search roll.

Timeline Shifting Table9 or less No result, but add 1 to any further roll made within a week.10-11 No result, but add 2 to any further roll made within a week.12-13 No immediate result – but if the change is not reversed, roll again in 1d¥10 hours, at +2.

This modifier is cumulative if rolled more than once.14-15 Shift of 1 quantum, but not immediately – see below.16-17 Shift of 2 quanta. See below.18 or more Shift of 1d quanta, minimum 3. See below.



TRY TO CHANGETHE WORLD

This rules system lets meddlesomeInfinity or Centrum agents attempt tointroduce changes into a timeline,whether it is an echo or not. It can alsomodel Lord Kalvan of Otherwhen typescenarios involving a strandedcrosstime traveler trying to “modern-ize” his new home, renegade timetravelers with a grudge against history,or Denarius Group brokers trying toremake a parallel’s fiscal culture fororder and profitability.

None of these rules should everreplace roleplaying or adventure. If theGM and players would rather poisonFrederick the Great than work torefashion Prussia’s culture, feel free togo ahead and do it. In general, a spe-cific player plan should trump any ofthese results, as long as the GM doesn’tconsider it abusive or ludicrous. Whatthese rules can do is provide a frame-work for long-term campaigns, or a“time limit” for countervailing action.If the culture of the Mogul Empire willshift dramatically in six months unlessthe program of social change isstopped, the GM can determineapproximately how many attempts thebad guys (or good guys) can make toshift things back the other way or otherwise thwart the alteration.

Technological ChangeGURPS already has a guideline for

introducing technological change intoa society, on p. B511. According tothese general guidelines, uplifting aculture by one TL in one broad field ofscientific or technical endeavor (trans-portation, weapons, power, or medi-cine, for example) takes two years,given favorable conditions and suit-able technical know-how (12 or betterin all relevant skills at both TLs) by theuplifter. This system is extremelyabstract, and can be taken as an “out-side limit” for games – few campaignscan spare two years of down time, oreven spend two years in a “backstorymontage sequence” before resumingthe action.

The other way to change a culture’stechnology is at retail: inventing stuffuntil the locals catch on and the tech-nical revolution becomes self-perpetu-ating. The New Invention rules on

p. B473 cover this territory, and theReinventing the Wheel box specificallyrefers to “pre-inventing” older, lower-TL inventions. Whether it’s a futuristicgrav-car or a geared-down watermill,a technological change must bedesigned, constructed, and tested forfailure points. The inventor needssome degree of skill at an “inventionskill” to make any of these things hap-pen. These same principles apply toother changes.

Political ChangeFor political changes to a society,

the agent must have some entrée intoits political process. In an opendemocracy, this can be as simple astaking out ads in the paper, calling aCongressman, or staging a publicrally. In a totalitarian theocracy, it mayinvolve overt displays of sanctity,heavy donations to the shrines, orgood old kidnapping and blackmail ofthe sort PCs seem to specialize in.

With access either realized or pos-sible, the agent must come up with thechange he wants to happen. The GMshould determine how significant achange this is to the system: a Simplechange, an Average change, a Complexchange, or an Amazing change. (Thisparallels the Complexity of a newinvention, as on p. B473.) An Averagechange usually has a degree of diver-gence of +1, a Complex one +2 or +3,and an Amazing change +4 or (if thesociety to be changed is a great power)possibly even +5. Definitions, and afew examples of each, follow:

Simple change: One that wouldlikely happen anyway, but not as soonor as favorably as the agent wouldlike. Examples: saber-rattling againsta rival nation; promotion for afavored courtier; increasing taxes on

the poor or on a rich minority; holding ceremonial games.

Average change: One that couldhappen anyway, but might not givenexisting interests and the political cli-mate. Examples: war with a weak, richneighboring country; appointment ofa cabinet official; tariffs or tradeagreements; building a railroad.

Complex change: One that is notlikely, but possible, despite majoropposition or public disfavor.Examples: war with a powerful coun-try; resignation of a major figure;reform of tax structure or pension sys-tem; constitutional amendment.

Amazing change: One that couldonly happen through staggering shiftsin opinion or major national emer-gency. Examples: disarming unilateral-ly; abdication of the ruler; completechange of economic system; completechange of political system.

The GM now makes a “Conceptroll” in secret against the agent’s rele-vant political skill (which depends onthe political system – Politics,Administration, Savoir-Faire (HighSociety), Theology, etc.) to see if theagent’s proposal has any chance ofworking. Some systems or issues mayrequire two or more skills: a corruptMedici city might require Savoir-Faireand Streetwise, for example, or abanking reform proposal mightrequire both Politics and Finance. Usethe lower of the relevant skills. Timingand failure work as the NewInventions Concept roll on p. B473.

Modifiers: -6 if the proposal isSimple, -10 if Average, -14 if Complex,or -22 if Amazing; +5 if the change isvisibly working well somewhere elsein the world; +1 to +5 if an establishedinterest group absolutely supports it;-5 if the concept is entirely new to theworld or civilization (representativedemocracy in ancient China, a national bank in ancient Rome).

The second roll against the agent’spolitical skill is the Proposal roll. Thisroll lets the concept get a fair hearingin the government (or by the people,in a democracy). On a success, theproposal is made in suitable fashion (athoughtful article in the New YorkTimes, fortunate-character wall poster,or witty kenning by the court skald).On a failure, the concept is presentedhamfistedly or unfairly; any future

rolls are at -2. On a critical failure, theconcept seems treasonous, sacrile-gious, or cowardly; this reduces theagent’s local Reputation by at least 4points (from +2 to -2, for instance).There may be other legal or socialpenalties such as banishment fromcourt, or danger from angry mobs. Hecan never present such an idea againunless he has first cleared his name(e.g., by military victory, royal marriage, or public abasement).

Modifiers: All modifiers listed forthe Concept rolls; +1 per assistantwith skill 20+ in one of the skillsrequired for the proposal, to a maxi-mum of +4; +1 for each level of Statusabove 3 in the local culture held by theagent’s Allies, or +1 for each such levelheld by the agent’s Patrons; -1 to -10(GM’s discretion) for the level of pre-existing opposition to the proposal.Double all penalties for cultural unfa-miliarity! The GM may also addbonuses for the agent’s Reputation onthe subject matter; for example, a +2Reputation (successful general)improves the odds that a military proposal will get a fair hearing.

Any proposal inspires debate andsome level of opposition. Critical suc-cess on the Proposal roll means thatthe opposition can be ignored orsteamrolled and the measure passedas soon as possible; success by 3 or

more gives any opponents a chance todelay by 1d-3 weeks (minimum 1); anyother success means the measuretakes 2d-2 weeks to pass. During thistime, the GM should set up at leastone adventure seed, or a dramaticscene, between the agent and hisopponent(s) requiring a skill roll (usu-ally a social roll such as Diplomacy,Public Speaking, or Savoir-Faire). Acritical success on that roll ends theopposition immediately.

Cultural ChangeMost of the same rules apply to cul-

tural changes: new religions, cuisines,pacifist or militarist movements, andso forth. The relevant cultural skillmay be Propaganda (Advertising),Performance, Poetry, or Writing, forexample.

Some examples and definitions forthe levels of cultural change follow:

Simple change: A simple change toa small facet of daily life with obviousattractions. Examples: A tasty newsnack; a new tune or song; a new rea-son to hate a despised minority; a newprayer.

Average change: A noticeablechange to daily life, but one not out-side cultural norms. Examples: A newcuisine style; a smash hit song or play;adding a negative or positive

Reputation to a public figure; a newpatron saint or demigod.

Complex change: A major, poten-tially permanent change to daily life atsubstantial variance with culturalexpectations. Examples: An unusualnew crop; a new art form or majorchange to an existing one; adding orremoving a -5-point or -10-pointSocial Stigma for some group; aheresy or revival movement.

Amazing change: A revolutionarychange in social expectations withstrong opposition. Examples: Vege-tarianism; iconoclasm; revolutionaryequality or freelance genocide; a newmass religion or conversion to a foreign faith.

Use all the same rules and tables asabove, with the exception of the resultof the Proposal roll. Cultural changestend to damp out over time unlessthey are reinforced. A critical successon the Proposal roll makes the changepermanent (barring revolution, war,or other major cultural stress); successby 3 or more on the Proposal lets thechange last 2d years; any other suc-cess lets the change last for 2dmonths. Further rolls may be neces-sary to reinforce success; each suchroll is at +2 to skill.

Social GadgeteeringAs these rules parallel the New

Inventions rules on p. B473, the GMmay wish to allow a Gadgeteer(Social) advantage that would reflectcharacters from fiction who seemunusually adept at mastering politicalstructures and altering cultureswholesale. (The hero of HarryHarrison’s Deathworld trilogy pops tomind, as does Conrad Stargard fromLeo Frankowski’s Crosstime Engineerseries.) Costing 25 points, the same asGadgeteer, it would allow modifica-tion of the above rules as per theGadgeteering rules on p. B475 – lowerpenalties to the Concept and Proposalrolls, and treat all success on theProposal roll as a success by 3 ormore. (A critical success still has thesame effect.) The GM may wish tocome up with his own entertainingBugs Table, suitable for the specificsof the Social Gadgeteer’s proposal.

There is no Quick Gadgeteer(Social), as that would be just silly.Buy psionics instead.


The Cost of Social ChangeNothing is free, in politics or culture. Although the GM should adjust

these figures at whim, PCs looking to get political changes passed shouldexpect to shell out for bribes, campaign donations, catered lunches forthe intelligentsia, full-page advertisements, fawning documentaries,commercial air time, and so forth. The same is often true of a socialchange; expenses add up, whether for marketing, feeding missionaries,or buying all those jackboots. Use the followingtable as a guideline for the outlay per citizenaffected:

Significance Base CostSimple $1Average $2Complex $4Amazing $10

Modifiers: Double these costs for a relativelywealthy society, or one with a high degree of mercantile or corporate control. Double them for highly corrupt political systems (such as 21st-century Nigeria or 1780s France). Costsare set at TL8 levels; modify them as per Starting Wealth by TL (p. B27).

Although the Atlantic waves sent the deck pitching andyawing under his boots, Robert Giancarlo barely noticed,his hips and shoulders balancing subconsciously. His entireattention was on the bright purple awning spread from themainmast, and on the stocky merchant sitting cross-leggedbeneath it. He had heard rumors of Merubaal’s tent in everyport from Mobile (although they called it Murgha on thisworld) to Carthage, but it had eluded him until last week.

Merubaal was like a wisp of fog; visible at adistance, but dissolving into droplets upclose. It was nothing but a lucky break that’Carlo had stopped in Olispo and heard twoDahomeyan longshoremen talking ofMerubaal’s tent being loaded up for theautumn convoy. A quick jump back to thePatrol base, a nighttime flight to the Azores,and then back across to Melkart-2 to catchthe galleass just leaving Funchal harbor.

Merubaal was not going to just vanishagain, ’Carlo swore to himself.

The merchant certainly looked solidenough now, sitting on his cushions in the

shadows. ’Carlo could see muscle underthe layers of fat that a merchantrequired to advertise his prosperity.’Carlo could also see no guards, whichtold him that Merubaal had the whole

crew in his pocket.“Greetings, prince of merchants.”

Although the phrase was just a formali-ty, Merubaal somehow seemed toembody it, from his oiled auburn locksto his fine calf-skin sandals. Only aspiky forest of tattoos on one armspoiled the effect of urbane luxury. “Andto you, greetings, noble sir. How maythis unworthy one assist your lord-ship?”

’Carlo knew realities where thisrigmarole could go on for hours –

including at least two meals – beforegetting down to business. Fortunately,on Melkart-2 the Carthaginians haddiscovered that time was money. Hedropped to his haunches and pro-duced the coin he had found in theruins of Rome, sliding it across thesilk to Merubaal. “I am interested insuch coins.”

Merubaal stared at his customer for some time beforereplying. “Surely the noble lord would prefer finer speci-mens. I have here hexagons of silver cash from the courtsof the Dragon Empire, and a few of the gold staters ofBaktria, which even the finest sculptors today swear cannotbe matched.” He spread them out next to ’Carlo’s coin, andindeed the Patrolman’s sample looked somewhat drab andflat next to their harsh splendor.

WORLDS ENOUGH . . . 107

CHAPTER FOUR

WORLDSENOUGH . . .

“Yes, those are wonderful pieces,”’Carlo admitted, dropping his voiceto a whisper and leaning closer. “Butthey don’t have George Washingtonon them, now do they?”

Merubaal was silent for anotherlong minute, but when he replied, histone was hearty.

“Is that the name of this king? Hemust have been a poor sort, to adul-terate his coins with nickel and cop-per thusly. I would not give twosnaps” – and the merchant snappedhis fingers twice – “for such a king.”

To Giancarlo’s credit, he almostinstantly recognized the signal to thenearby sailors. Also to his credit, hecrippled four of them before they gotthe ropes around his legs. This waslittle comfort, chained up the stink-ing blackness of the bilge, but it wassome.

When ’Carlo saw daylight again, itwas a watery green color, shotthrough with lightning flashes ofactinic blue, and he was standing onthe deck with some very sharp spear-heads inches away from his spleen.Away from the spearheads, a longplank stretched over the side of theship and out toward the approachingbanestorm.

He craned his neck around to seeMerubaal – or whoever he was –standing on the quarterdeck. “Walkingthe plank? Are you serious?”

Merubaal answered in English,with an incongruous Tennessee lilt toit. “It’s better than you deserve forblowing my operation here, AgentGiancarlo. But you’re Patrol, and Idon’t like killing Patrolmen outright.It’s bad luck.” His fingers uncon-sciously caressed the amulet ofTanith he wore, but he continuedwithout a trace of Melkart-2 formali-ty. “The banestorm will take us some-place you can’t follow, not without aship or a seer. And it will take yousomewhere else; I’ve sailed this onebefore, and it’s funny like that. Soyou get the glory of discovering anunknown world for Infinity. Soundslike value for your quarter to me.”

The following chapter gives a sam-pling of some of the Earths among theInfinite Worlds. (Reich-5 andCentrum received comprehensivewriteups in Chapter 2.) Major worldentries have basic data boxes providing the following:

World Name and Current YearThe colloquial name of this world-

line to Infinity personnel, along withthe local present year on this parallel.

Current AffairsA brief summary of the current

state of this worldline. If there is anongoing global war or other major crisis, it appears here.

Divergence PointThe year in which this worldline’s

history diverges from Homeline’s, anda brief discussion of the resultingchange.

Major CivilizationsThe major civilizations on this

worldline, roughly in order of cultural-military dominance. As per p. 90, othercivilizations almost certainly exist, butplay only regional or local roles. Theunity level (p. 91) of each listed civilization appears in parentheses.

Great PowersThe great powers on this alternate,

per the definition on p. 92. Some “neargreat” powers appear as well, listed initalics, either because they are risingcandidates for great powerhood, orbecause they add flavor to the worldwriteup. The government type (seepp. B509-510) or political structure ofeach power appears in parentheses,along with the general Control Rating(p. B506).

TLThe tech level of the dominant civ-

ilization on this worldline, with anydivergences or split technologiesnoted.

Mana LevelThe mana level of this Earth

(p. B235).

QuantumThe quantum in which this world-

line exists (p. B526).

Infinity ClassThe World Class and Access Rating

assigned to this worldline by thePenetration Service of the InfinityPatrol (see box, p. 83).

Centrum ZoneThe Zone into which Centrum’s

Interworld Service classifies thisworldline (see box, p. 51).

The GM should feel free to adjustthe quantum, mana level, or any otherfactor of the worlds involved to suithis campaign. He can either create a“new” world (a variant on Campbellmight be Campbell-2, on Quantum 4,for example), rule that a convenientreality quake has restructured theworld to his specifications, or justdecree that “this is how it always was”and go on with the game.

108 WORLDS ENOUGH . . .

Unlike Newton and Schopenhauer, yourancestor did not believe in a uniform andabsolute time; he believed in an infinite series of times, a growing, dizzying web of divergent,convergent, and parallel times. That fabric of times that approach one another, fork, are snipped off, or are simply unknown for centuries, contains all possibilities.

– Jorge Luis Borges, “The Garden of Forking Paths”

ARMADA-2After the Victorious Armada sailed,

for over 200 years Spain’s naval mas-tery has guaranteed the dominance ofCatholicism, order, and conservatism.As that mastery shreds, the nationsonce cowed by Spanish guns havestealthily equipped privateers andbuccaneers to contest the seas. Theexplosive growth of steam power inEgypt and Huguenot Nouvelle-Francecreates new economies and new tech-nologies outside the embrace ofMadrid. Spain’s great rival Sweden,meanwhile, is arming Indian princesand Turkish pashas, setting the stagefor another global showdown.

The SpanishAscendancy

When Philip II of Spain died in1598, he ruled a Catholic empire onwhich the sun never set. TheNetherlands were once more unitedunder the liberal and tolerant rule ofthe Duke of Parma, whose policy oftax relief for Catholic merchants hadbrought a flood of conversions fromthe heretofore staunchly Protestantburghers of Amsterdam. Missionariesfrom Florida had converted heathensas far north as the Penobscot Valley toCatholicism, and founded missionsfrom Roanoke to Manhattan. Goldand silver from Mexico and Peru

flooded into Madrid, buying the alle-giance of princes and dukes in Italyand Germany; spices from the Indieslikewise.

During the next century, turmoil inBohemia, Poland, Russia, andGermany threatened to the French

and Spanish dominions, and sparkeda brief Protestant rebellion inEngland. The far-seeing policies ofRichelieu and Olivares managed tostem the tide with financial reforms,centralization, and the Canadian safe-ty valve that allowed Huguenots,

Armada-2, 1812Current Affairs

An overstretched Spanish realm battles pirates and corsairs all alongthe fringes of its empire, as the aggressive Swedes look on.

Divergence Point1588; the Invincible Armada lands in England, deposes Elizabeth,

and puts Henry Percy on the throne of England as Henry IX. A resurgentSpain puts down the Dutch Revolt (1589) and deposes Henry IV ofFrance (1591) in favor of Charles du Mayenne, who becomes Charles XI.

Major CivilizationsWestern (fragmenting empire with rivals), Orthodox (empire),

Islamic (multipolar), Chinese (empire).

Great PowersSpanish Empire (dictatorship, CR4), Swedish Empire (dictatorship,

CR3), Ottoman Empire (dictatorship, CR5), Russian Empire (dictator-ship, CR5), Manchu Empire (dictatorship, CR5), Nouvelle-France (oli-garchy, CR3).

Worldline DataTL: 5 Mana Level: lowQuantum: 6 Infinity Class: P9 Centrum Zone: Yellow


Dutch Reformers, and Puritans aliketo settle that wasteland rather thanstay in Europe and make trouble.Spain even felt strong enough to pushthe Turks out of Morocco and Algeria,although an invasion of Greece fal-tered in 1683. The Turks, shocked attheir near escape, began to modernizein earnest under their Albanian viziersthe Koprulus, seen (not incorrectly) asthe saviors of Islam.

Sweden managed to unifyScandinavia and the few Lutheranstates of north Germany, but wiselytransferred its expansionist aims eastrather than face the combinedCatholic armies of France, Spain, andAustria in Germany. AlthoughGustavus Adolphus’ conquest ofPoland removed a Catholic monarchyfrom the stage, it forced the Swedes totolerate Catholicism in their domainsas the Swedish army rapidly absorbedand professionalized the endless sup-ply of Polish peasants in its frontierwars with Russia and Austria.

(Olivares and Richelieu may not havebeen too disappointed to see theAustrian emperor forced to turn hisown attention to his alarmingly power-ful Swedish neighbors, rather than to Franco-Spanish activities inGermany.)

Over the next century, some of theluster came off the Spanish ascendan-cy. Sweden began to field better, andbetter-equipped, armies againstAustria and Russia, conquering Silesiaand Novgorod. Swedish tradersfounded Christiania in south Africa,and began to poach on India. Swedishcannon turned up in the armies ofSpain’s enemies overseas, such as theNawab of Bengal (whose Swedishartillerists broke the Spanish square inthe monsoon rains at Barisal in 1763).Spain’s ally France began a steepdecline, punctuated by famines andunrest, forcing King Charles XIII toabdicate in favor of Charles ofLorraine in 1789. Nouvelle-Francetook this opportunity to declare itselfan independent Republic on the

former Dutch model, and to sign atreaty of alliance with Sweden. Finally,the Albanian mercenary Mehmet Aliclimbed to the Ottoman throne in1804 and dealt the Spanish fleet acrushing defeat at Navarino. Piratesfrom Sweden, Scotland (a disaffectedformer French client state), andNouvelle-France (and corsairs fromthe Sultanate of Segu in Senegal) preyon the Spanish Main. As Sweden,Spain, Turkey, and Nouvelle-Francebegin the climb to industrialization(slower and later than on Homeline,but broader-based in more countries),it may be only a few years before thearmadas sail again and the world isplunged into war.

Outworld OperationsThe Patrol is keeping a weather eye

on this alternate, concerned that itcould slip into a global conflagrationendangering the generally lucrativetrade in fur and auroch meat WhiteStar enjoys. The Patrol also suspectsthat some Homeline traders have beenslipping the Swedes improvedfirearms and ship designs, and possibly even blast furnaces and othercrucial war-fighting and industrialtechnologies. Tourists primarily visitwindswept Stuart Scotland, theimmense Lacota trading post nearFort-Nicholas on the upper Missi-ssippi, or the steam-powered cottonmills rising under the Pyramids ofEgypt. Centrum’s activities, if any, onArmada-2, remain mysterious,although the 1809 disappearance ofthe Spanish colony of Bahia Teresa (onthe site of Homeline’s Sydney,Australia) is suspicious to say the least.


Other ArmadasInfinity has discovered two other worldlines where the Armada won.

On Armada-1 (Q5, current year 1833), Philip II united the Spanish,English, French, and Imperial crowns under a single Holy RomanEmpire ruled from Madrid. This ramshackle contrivance exploded inrevolt during the 1620s-1680s, returning Europe to a patchwork ofsquabbling feudal states. None of them have the economic muscle, intel-lectual vibrancy, or spare capital to spark the Industrial Revolution; theworld remains at TL4.

On the low-mana TL4 world Armada-3 (Q3, current year 1602),English and Dutch rebellions erupted on Philip II’s death in 1598.Spanish broadsheets claim that an “invisible college” of sorcerers, witches, and Rosicrucians is behind the rebellion.

The horsetail standards of theMongol khans wave across grasslandsand forests where kingdoms and citiesonce rose. A vicious cultural cycle, andthe power of Genghis Khan’s prece-dent, keeps the horse barbarians ontop of a world without cities. Onlywhere the Mongol ponies cannot ride– Japan, tropical Africa, the NewWorld – do men build walls and dreamof progress.

Dreams of the Devil’s Horsemen

According to Mongol tradition onthis worldline, when Genghis Khancaptured Beijing in 1215, he dreamedthat a weed grew out of the city tochoke his horse. The Great Khandecided then and there to raze the cityto the ground and to forbid theMongols to ever build cities; he putmany more cities to the torch duringhis career, and his successors followed

his lead. Subotai leveled Venice,Cologne, and Paris; Mangku crushedAlexandria, Constantinople, andIsfahan to powder; Kublai destroyedCanton and filled in the Chinesecanals, and although the “divine wind”saved Japan, he was able to addLondon and Mecca to the Mongol tollof destruction.

Kublai reputedly rode from thegreat camp at Karakorum to the ruinsof Venice and back, but upon his

ATTILA


death the Mongol Great Khanate fellapart; it was too big to be ruled byeven the most mobile of khans. Hissuccessors warred among themselvesand adopted non-Mongols such asTurks and Hungarians into their clansto add horsemen to their armies after the Black Death ravaged theKhanates. With new cities inevitablyfalling to plague or nomads, Europehas mostly returned to forest; theKhans of Magya and Potu hunt theprimitive woodland tribes of England,France, and Germany for sport.

Japan has unified itself under theTokugawa, raids the Chinese barbar-ians for slaves, and trades with theincreasingly urbanized tribes fromPuget Sound to Peru, most of whichare falling under the sway of the sun-adoring, coca-chewing missionaries ofIntipu, the theocracy that succeededthe Incas in the 1780s. In Africa, theBantu nations have urbanized andtheir city-states squabble within theexpansionist Great Kongo League.The Oyo (in Homeline Nigeria) haveinvented the first steam engines, buttheir growing wealth makes them atempting target for the militaristiccities to the east and south.

Outworld OperationsDiscovered in Homeline’s year

2001 (local year 1978) by an earlyScout mission, this worldline wasnamed Attila due to confusion aboutthe identity and allegiance of the

Hungarian horde that nearly killed theScout survey team charting the ruinsof Rome. Most Homeline visitors toAttila are historians, and the Patrolstill loses one or two civilians a year onthis dangerous parallel.

Attila, 2004Current Affairs

Descendants of the Mongols still ravage a thoroughly rural Eurasia.

Divergence Point1215; Genghis Khan levels Beijing, and the Mongols continue to

destroy cities as policy.

Major CivilizationsSteppe (diffuse empire), Japanese (unitary), West African (diffuse),

Andean (unitary).

Great PowersMongol Khanates (clan/tribal, CR2 for Mongols, CR6 for subjects),

Shogunate of Japan (dictatorship, CR5), Great Kongo League (feudal,CR2-3), Intipu (theocracy, CR6).

Worldline DataTL: high 4 (in Japan, Peru, and Africa), 3 (in Khanates)Mana Level: lowQuantum: 5 Infinity Class: P4 Centrum Zone: Inaccessible

Other Mongol ConquestsIn 1241 on Homeline, two hordes under Batu and

Subotai had just eradicated the armies of Poland andHungary at the battles of Liegnitz and the Sajo River,bringing the Mongol frontier to the heart of Europe.Mongol scouts had ridden to the gates of Vienna andVenice, and in the next year’s campaigning, Batuplanned to conquer Germany, France, and Italy. Thatwinter, however, the Great Khan Ogotai died, and bythe laws of Genghis, all Mongol generals were requiredto return to Karakorum to choose a new Khaghan.Batu and Subotai rode back to the east, and the Mongolempire never expanded out of Russia again.

On Homeline, that is. On several other worlds, suchas Attila and Ezcalli (p. 122), the Mongol invasions con-tinued their seemingly inevitable course. On SanTomas (Q6, current year 1580), European refugeesfrom the Mongols fled to the Crusader States inPalestine, perhaps hoping to be saved from this obviousapocalypse. They gave the Crusader kingdom a bigdemographic boost, and by allying with the MongolIlkhans against the Muslims, the Crusaders survivedand flourished, seizing Egypt in 1380 and sackingMecca in 1409 with Venetian ships built on the RedSea. TL4 Crusader Egypt dominates the Indian Ocean

as England reconquers Europe from the White Horde.The Patrol suspects Centrum involvement behind theCrusaders, possibly within the very influential (andEnglish-speaking) Order of St. Thomas of India.

On Cham (Q4, current year 1902), the Mongols notonly ravaged Europe but successfully captured Japanand, following Japanese fishing routes, discoveredAmerica in 1290. The Mongols conquered ToltecMexico and the Incas, while some European refugeessettled in Vinland. The Black Death wiped out 80% ofEurasia but left the Americas mostly alone; TL4-5Mongol-Chinese-Siouan-European hybrid states rulefrom the Great Plains, and the cities along theMississippi are developing steamboats.

On Tengri (Q7, current year 1588), the Mongol con-quests forcibly joined Western and Chinese civilizationin a global economy that traded ideas and technologyat a fantastic rate. The Scientific Revolution occurredat Bokhara in the late 14th century as Italian, Greek,Arabic, Indian, and Chinese scholars all met; theWorld-Khanate is at TL7 and rapidly on the way tobecoming a Zone Green world as the Uplift Serviceconsolidates its control.


Many worlds have IndustrialRevolutions. A few have AlchemicalRevolutions. Infinity uses the “Azoth”designation for them, using thealchemical name for the “philoso-pher’s mercury,” a key ingredient inthe Philosopher’s Stone. On Azoth-7,Isaac Newton found the keys to theStone in the words of the angels. In1693, he shared those keys with hisworld.

Ad Astra Per AngelisNewton unlocked the crystalline

harmonic code of the universe, creat-ing a system of mathematical equa-tions that gave man mastery over thelower orders of angels, including thematerial spirits of the Earth. Initially,his discovery merely meant an ever-full English treasury, as gold mineserupted in Warwickshire and fishcatches set records from Aberdeen toSheerness. The hubristic speculationthat followed nearly wrecked theBritish economy, and Louis XIV man-aged to unite Spain, Austria, Prussia,and Sweden in a war against a sud-denly all-powerful England. Newtonwas able to summon Amnitziel, thetutelary angel of Britain, who sweptaway the Allied invasion fleet. The war

ended decisively with the Duke ofMarlborough installed as Governor ofFrance, and the French and Englishthrones unified for the first time sincethe Plantagenets.

Gottfried Leibniz had decipheredNewton’s codes and allusions, andderived the Stone (and its attendantharmonies) himself in Berlin, whichkept Prussia independent, as it har-nessed Zuriel, the angel of Germany.The Inquisition announced that it hadawakened “the holy angel of Spain,”which it called Barachiel, althoughEnglish broadsheets trumpeted thecharge that it had merely made a pactwith Samael, one of the Fallen. BeforeSpain could subdue all of Italy, theDoges of Venice unleashed their ownspirits, having somehow obtained theservices of Dobiel and Uzzael, the tute-lary angels of Media and Egypt. Arough parity established itself as thefour angelic powers took the “four cor-ners of the world”: England, theNorth, ruled North America; Spain,the West, took South America and theIndies; Venice, the South, took Africaand Turkey; Prussia, the East, tookRussia and (eventually) China.

As the angelic-alchemical economyheated up, and new devices were built

that depended upon Stones to work,the four powers fell to disputationover supplies of gemstones, whichprovided the necessary crystallinequintessence. Lesser angels could notmove such stones, since the gems’quintessential power resisted suchweak force – the four powers began tocharter first pirates, then privateers,then mercenary bands, to seize shipson the high seas or even loot minesfrom each others’ client states. French“sky dogs” left penniless Paris toswoop down on Spanish emeraldshipments from New Granada; Dutchand Hessian homunculi clashed inCochin-China; subtle Milanese poi-soners lifted stones from Indian rajahsand Russian countesses alike. In 1752,

Azoth-7, 1780Current Affairs

Alchemically powered Britain, Venice, Prussia, and Spain compete toharness angels and mine magical gemstones from the far reaches of thezodiac.

Divergence Point1693; Isaac Newton achieves the Philosopher’s Stone, preparing the

way for the rise of angelic alchemy.

Major CivilizationsWestern (multipolar).

Great PowersBritish Empire (oligarchy, CR3), Venetian Republic (oligarchy, CR4),

Prussian Empire (dictatorship, CR5), Spanish Empire (theocracy, CR5).

Worldline DataTL: 4+2 (space travel and weapons are TL4^)Mana Level: normalQuantum: 3 Infinity Class: Z4 Centrum Zone: Inaccessible

AZOTH-7


just when the four powers seemedabout to plunge the world into angelicapocalypse, the immortal but evermore reclusive and peculiar Newtonrevealed a new discovery.

The Ritual of Qauqabel allowed theangelist to commune with one of theHeavenly Virtues, angels who ruled(or personified, the math is not clear)the stars of heaven. Each star, Newtonrevealed – based on the uncreditedwork of Giordano Bruno – had its ownworlds, and those worlds had gem-stones with unique powers granted bytheir ruling angel. Rubies fromRegulus, for example, made cannonthat fired lances of holy flame; theglow of emeralds from Spica couldregrow limbs white and smooth; dia-monds from Rigel could erect impen-etrable walls. Every nation, and everyindependent angelist, immediately setout for the stars; colonies grew upunder other suns, and soulless alienswere brought back as curiosities andslaves. The four powers found theirrivalry increased, but on a vasterscope; although the piracies and raidsgrew to span the stars, the threat ofwar with the new weapons keeps thepeace of Europe intact . . . for now.

Outworld OperationsAzoth-7 is one of the most exten-

sive pocket multiverses that Infinityhas ever stumbled across, includingnot just Earth and the Solar Systembut scores of other “stellar systems”somehow tangent to it. (Paralabs isadamant that wherever – and whatev-er – this worldline’s “Polaris” and“Sirius” may be, they aren’t glowing

balls of hydrogen tens or hundreds oflight-years away from Earth.)Infinity’s great concern is that someangelist may burrow further intoGiordano Bruno’s research andattempt to reach a parallel Earth;most Patrol missions on Azoth-7 focus

on stealing Bruno manuscripts for thisreason. The rest of the Patrol’s mis-sions on this parallel usually involveattempts to balk the trickle of greedyCabalists who pop up here andattempt to steal manuscripts or Stonesof their own.

Other AzothsOn other worldlines, the Alchemical Revolution takes different paths,

based on their variant magical and physical laws as well as the roll of thehistorical dice. (All these worlds are low mana unless otherwise noted.)On Azoth-1 (Q3, current year 1632), the worldline is TL(4+3). Bernardof Treves isolated azoth from quicksilver in 1488; da Vinci developed theazothic flyer four years later, which the Medicis used to unite Italy.Austrian flyers and azothic cannon drove the Turks out of Europe in1571. In 1617, Sir Walter Raleigh became the first man to land on Venus.

On Azoth-2 (Q4, current year 1558), Nicolas Flamel discovered theRed Elixir in 1382; the French and English used it to destroy each otherin the last stage of the Hundred Years’ War, and the TL(3+2) Italiancities, Aragon, Norway, and Burgundy now compete for colonies in theAmericas.

On Azoth-3 (Q7, current year 1634, high mana), an unknownalchemist developed the Higher Metals in 1614; two decades later, TL4^50-foot armored clockworks devastate Germany in the Thirty Years’ War.

On Azoth-4 (Q6, current year 1010), a Chinese alchemist discoveredthe True Cinnabar some time during the Han Dynasty, which has ruledChina in splendid TL2^ isolation ever since; the rest of the worldremains essentially unaffected.

On Azoth-5 (Q6, current year 854) both the Arabs and Byzantinessystematized the universal solvent alkahest (which releases ElementalFire from naphtha, among other things) in the late seventh century, lead-ing to an alchemical arms race currently at TL(3+4).

Azoth-6 (Q4, current year 1903) is a hell parallel rimed with frozenalkahest and choked with clouds of Elemental Sulfur. DesperateCabalists sometimes prospect there for trans-sublime elements.Researchers would like to discover if this is the aftermath of an alchem-ical war, an experiment gone wrong, or what passes on that timeline fora natural disaster.

BONAPARTE-4In Homeline history, Napoleon

Bonaparte made his name with abold, but ultimately disastrous, inva-sion of Egypt in 1798. Outwitting theBritish and outfighting the Turks, hisromantic exploit fired the imaginationof Europe. In this world, he sacrificedromance for results, slipping out ofthe Breton ports in a fog and takinghis 40,000 veterans to Ireland. Withone bold stroke, he had broken theBritish blockade forever and madehimself master of the continent.

Clash of EaglesWith the Hibernian Republic bris-

tling with French troops, Britain’sstrategic position was untenable.Although the Navy fought gallantly,the need to divide the Home Fleetguaranteed Bonaparte’s invasion of1802 would succeed. (An opportunis-tic American President Burr invadedand annexed British Canada at thesame time.) Polishing off Austria,Prussia, and Russia at Austerlitz, Jena,

and Friedland, Bonaparte was masterof Europe by 1807. He dedicated thenext two decades to reforming andrealigning European laws and sci-ences on the Napoleonic model, andunified the French and Spanishcrowns under his son Napoleon II.The Portuguese monarchs fled toBrazil, which thus became an inde-pendent Empire in 1820.

France and the United Statesfought three border wars overLouisiana over the next century,

always while the Empire was distract-ed with outside rebellions (Mexico inthe 1820s, India in the 1850s, Spain inthe 1880s). The United States neverkept New Orleans, but did takeFlorida, Oregon, and Cuba as it grewstronger and more militarized aftereach stalemate. Meanwhile, Japaninvaded China in 1894, and defeatedRussia in 1905, triggering a social-democratic revolution in the latter.French attempts to destabilize thenascent Russian Republic led to theGreat War with Russia, Japan, Brazil,and the United States in 1937; the warended in the Stockholm Armistice of1942 after both sides invented atomicweapons.

Since then, the overwhelmingFrench military advantage has beensufficient to keep the borders stablefrom the Niemen to the Mississippi,and to keep the oil flowing from itsOttoman allies, but not to defeat theendless rebellions in Latin America,Africa, and India covertly supportedby the Allies. Slowly drained and ossi-fying, the French Empire has becomea globe-spanning banana republic.The secret police is in bed with theUnion Corse, the computer networklinks to nothing but government

propaganda and posturing studentmovements, and the maglev trainsnever run on time.

Outworld OperationsInfinity is hampered on this world-

line by the insistence of the HomelineFrench government that nothing bedone to destabilize the FrenchEmpire, despite clear evidence thatCentrum is busily infiltrating theBonapartist military and scientificestablishments. As an end-run, thePatrol turns a blind eye to the massiveWhite Star trade in advanced comput-er and other technology to the UnitedStates, Brazil, and Russia, strengthen-ing their relatively free economies.Nobody on Homeline has any greatlove for Bonaparte-4’s JapaneseEmpire, which still embraces a fanati-cal militarist ideology of twistedbushido.


Other BonapartesOther parallels with a Napoleonic victory include:

Bonaparte-1 (Q6, current year 1895), a TL6 worldline in whichNelson died in an attack on Boulogne in 1801. Without Nelson, Trafalgarended as a Franco-Spanish victory, and Napoleon dictated peace fromthe Tower of London in 1806. France lost the War of 1812 trying toretake Louisiana from America, and the French Empire came apart in aseries of German, Italian, and colonial rebellions in 1848-1850; Russiaand America (which annexed Mexico in 1853) are dominant powersquarreling over China.

On Bonaparte-2 (Q7, current year 1863), Napoleon managed to routand kill Wellington at Waterloo in 1815. The British stock market andgovernment fell, leading to a reforming Whig cabinet. Napoleon II is thegrand statesman of Europe, and makes noises about intervening in theAmerican Civil War.

Bonaparte-3 (Q4, current year 1913) saw Napoleon hang onto Minskand Smolensk in Russia, and resume the war in 1813 for four more yearsagainst an increasingly mad Czar Alexander. Russia eventually collapsed,breaking the Coalition; a century later, the TL6 Kingdom of Poland isthreatening a global war against the Anglo-Japanese Alliance.

In 1809 on Bonaparte-5 (Q6, current year 1921), both Napoleon andWellington were killed in battle; Metternich negotiated a peace that leftthe half-Hapsburg Napoleon II on the throne of France. Austria fell toCommunist revolutionaries in 1919 after defeating Russia and Prussia inthe Great War; Napoleon V is rallying the West to destroy the newRevolution; TL6.

And on Bonaparte-6 (Q6, current year 1969), the Corsican revolu-tionary Paoli died in 1759, allowing Napoleon to be born Genoese.During the Revolutionary era, he unified Italy in the Roman Republic,and conquered Egypt and Greece. Rome allied with Britain and theUnited States in the War of 1914 against Germany, Turkey, and Austria.Fermi’s atom bomb and Caproni’s jets made Rome the first superpowerin the 1940s; TL8.

Bonaparte-4, 2024Current Affairs

The decadent Bonapartists rule a cyberpunk empire threatened by amilitaristic United States and Japan, and by the slow disintegration oftheir own society.

Divergence Point1798; Napoleon invades Ireland instead of Egypt, leading to British

defeat in the Napoleonic Wars.

Major CivilizationsWestern (empire with rivals), Japanese (empire), Islamic (empire

with satellite states), Orthodox (empire).

Great PowersFrench Empire (dictatorship, CR5), United States (representative

democracy, CR4), Japanese Empire (military oligarchy, CR6), OttomanEmpire (dictatorship, CR5), Russian Republic (anarchic oligarchy, CR1),Brazilian Empire (oligarchy, CR4).

Worldline DataTL: 8 (9 in some areas) Mana Level: no manaQuantum: 7 Infinity Class: P5Centrum Zone: Red

In Homeline, the Protestant DukeJames of Monmouth rebelled againstthe increasingly autocratic (and dan-gerously pro-Catholic) King James IIin 1685. His followers claimed that asCharles II’ bastard son, he was entitledto the crown. Monmouth’s rebellionended in disaster, and the “BloodyAssizes” swept his supporters out ofEngland’s west country and into theCaribbean and America. It was left toa later group of rebels to removeJames II in 1688, in the “GloriousRevolution.” On Britannica-3, though,James of Monmouth was betteradvised, and James II was over-hastyin his repression. When the smokehad cleared, the “bastard Duke” hadbecome King James III of England,and the gentry had learned a salutarylesson about royal power.

The Sun Never SetsAlthough James III was an amiable

fathead at best, his instincts weresound. Colonies were good, radical-ism was bad, and it was best to keepthe one away from the other. In theAmerican euphoria that greetedJames II’s deposition, James III wasable to convert the colonial charters toroyal grants, while officially recogniz-ing colonial legislatures as “ourAmerican Parliaments” in his happyphrase. His successors continued hispolicy of tying local American elites tothe fortunes of England’s elites –Benjamin Franklin was knighted forhis lightning rods and post offices, andGeorge Washington was granted firsta Regular Army commission in theFrench and Indian War, and then apeerage for conquering Louisiana inthe Sugar War of 1779-1783. LordWashington (later the Duke ofWashington) became the firstGovernor-General of North America,and his personal example defused theAbolition Crisis of 1794 that nearlyprecipitated a revolt by Virginia andSouth Carolina against the Crown.

By the mid-19th century, theDominion of North America exceededthe mother country in all types of pro-duction and manufacture save forsteel and chemicals. General SirRobert Lee pioneered the integration

of colonial units into the British Army(transforming it into the ImperialArmy) after his astonishing tacticalsuccesses in the Crimea. That defeatmarked the nadir of Russian power,however; Czar Alexander II’s longreign and his visionary alliance withPrussia created a continental andindustrial rival capable of matchingImperial production. German andRussian backing for the Turks kept theOttoman War bogged down in trenches for four years until the stale-mate broke with the Arab revolt andItalian entry on the Imperial side.Admiral Sir William Halsey defangedthe Japanese Navy with a startling sur-prise air attack on Formosa in 1941that ended the threat of a Pacific War,but the Alaska War erupted in 1943with the discovery of vast oil fields in

Russian Alaska. Again fought primari-ly in France, Persia, and on the highseas, it ended inconclusively onceEinstein and Sakharoff invented thefission bomb in 1947.

The last 40 years have seenGerman- and Russian-backed agita-tion in Ireland, Argentina, andKwantung, and the anti-Italian“Gaulist” military coup in France, butno real change in the balance ofpower. A burgeoning space race, socialturmoil and religious ferment, andblossoming sexual license dominatethe newspapers and telescreens. TheNorth American and IndianDominions lead the world in all three,as well as new industry and invention,under the wisely minimal direction ofHis Imperial Majesty’s Government inLondon.


The one duty we owe to history is to rewrite it.– Oscar Wilde, Intentions

Britannica-3, 1984Current Affairs

Centrum operatives tighten their hold on a decent, well-run BritishEmpire where the sun never set.

Divergence Point1685; the “Protestant Duke” of Monmouth becomes King James III,

overthrowing James II, and conciliating the American colonies.

Major CivilizationsWestern (empire with rivals), Orthodox (empire), Islamic (multipo-

lar).

Great PowersBritish Empire (representative democracy, CR3), German Empire

(dictatorship, CR5), Russian Empire (dictatorship, CR5), Kingdom ofItaly (oligarchy, CR4), Arab League (feudal, CR5).

Worldline DataTL: 8 Mana Level: lowQuantum: 7 Infinity Class: P9 Centrum Zone: Orange

BRITANNICA-3

Outworld OperationsLike almost all the Britannica time-

lines below, Britannica-3 is a temptingplum for Centrum subversion andcontrol. Their language handicappresents no difficulties, the BritishEmpire on this world is alreadyincreasingly meritocratic, and theInterworld Service operates with rela-tive ease on Quantum 7. How deeplyInterworld’s tentacles penetrate intothe London, Philadelphia, Capetown,or Delhi governments (to say nothingof lesser colonial capitals fromHavana to Stanleyville) is impossibleto tell from the outside – Centrum andthe Imperial Government have thesame goals, after all! Infinity tries toincrease the power and influence ofadvanced, decent, neutral countrieslike Japan (where the military govern-ment fell after the Formosa Raid),New Granada, and Cochin-China . . .but without revealing their presence(and risking a parachronic break-through by their beneficiary), thereare limits to what Infinity aid canaccomplish. The Patrol’s job is notmade any easier by the immense popularity of Britannica-3 with Anglophile Homeline tourists.

Other BritannicasOn all accessible worlds with a vigorous, globe-spanning British

Empire, Centrum’s Interworld Service busily attempts to subvert it toCentrum direction and control, with the goal of adding that parallel toZone Green (p. 51).

On Britannica-1 (Q5, current year 2001), the American coloniessplintered after independence to become a zone of proxy wars betweenthe European powers. Undistracted and eventually economically pre-dominant in America, the British Empire defeated Napoleon (1792-1809), Russia (1854-1856), Germany twice (1910-1914 and 1936-1940),and the Soviet Union (1958-1963). The Bolshevist War ended with TL7Britain holding a near-complete monopoly on space travel and a newPax Britannica unfolding before it; now TL8.

The TL(5+2) Empire of Britannica-2 (Q6, current year 1936)diverges in 1824, with the death of John Quincy Adams. Prime MinisterCanning easily outmaneuvered President Henry Clay, and the Britishobtained a full claim to Oregon, which they expanded into California in1846 to secure their Nicaraguan Canal. (The canal was very useful in the1862 intervention that separated the American Confederacy as a Britishpuppet.) The Raj extends from Thibet to Persia, British capital domi-nates the factories of the Germanies through Hanover and Holland, anda British railway runs from the Cape to Cairo. Infinity is unsure howmuch of this is due to Centrum manipulation; the timeline has been partof Zone Green for over a decade. More worrisome are the hints that theEmpire has developed time travel, which if true would explain theunbroken run of British luck since 1824.

On TL6 Britannica-4 (Q5, current year 1901), Washington was ableto bring up enough troops to capture British supply depots in NewJersey and besiege New York in 1777. France jumped in and strippedBritain of its tropical colonies; George III went mad and the PrinceRegent formed a government led by Fox and his Whig cronies. Englandindustrialized and radicalized as France ossified; by the 1860s, it wasdemocratic and overwhelmingly prosperous. Its “freelance anti-imperi-als” intervened in the American Civil War against slavery, intrigued withthe sepoys who overthrew French India, and ran guns to rebels againstFranco-Russian-dominated China. Prime Minister Rhodes andPresident Roosevelt have suggested a democratic English-SpeakingUnion with the Canadian and Australian Republics – almost certainly aCentrum plot in some fashion, but hard to oppose for Infinity withoutaiding Continental despotism.

Other Britannicas diverge more strongly still: Britannica-5 is asteampunk reality absorbed into Zone Green a decade ago.

Britannica-6 (Q6, current year 1887) diverged with the survival ofthe Princess Charlotte in 1817 to become Queen Charlotte in 1830 andspawn a vast new royal family, all of whom continuously intrigue againsteach other, exile each other to remote colonial fortresses, and sponsorsenseless, grandiose TL(5+2) engineering projects such as the ChannelBridge, the Ice Dreadnought, and the Electrical Terror, while bettingimmense sums on dromedaries or racing aerostats.

On Britannica-7 (Q4, local year 1141) Boadicea threw off Romanrule in 60 A.D. and established a matriarchal Celtic tribal union, Brittia,that spread into Ireland and Scotland over the next centuries. An Irishcultural-technical upsurge in the sixth through eighth centuries extend-ed Brittia across the North Atlantic and its influence deep into Europe;it has alternated holy wars and very profitable intellectual exchange(reaching TL4) with the Saracen Caliphate in Rome for the last 200years.


CALIPHThis timeline is almost 350 years

behind Homeline, but any visitorscould be forgiven for thinking it cen-turies in the future. In Caliph, howev-er, the invention of the printing pressin eighth-century Baghdad sparked anIslamic Renaissance when the firstflush of Arabic expansion had hardlyfaded. Following its ninth-centuryScientific Revolution, this worldlinehas advanced to universal prosperityand space colonies. At present, a glob-al war threatens its achievements, andperhaps its very survival.

The GreatTransformation

By the time the Abbasid Caliphatesplit into successor states in the 11thcentury, the Muslim world was welltowards modernization, with personalfirearms and Newtonian physics.Egypt achieved naval control of theIndian Ocean, as far as southernAfrica and the island continent ofDjiba, while its rival Andalus estab-lished itself in the Mediterranean andleaped across the Atlantic to the newworld of Talentis (hardly noticing theChristian colony in the far north).Persia fought with the Turks for con-trol of inner Asia, while to the norththeir protégés the Bulgars expandedfrom their Volga heartland to domi-nate their Khazar and Russian neigh-bors. The impact of Muslim cultureeven reached the Khitans in northernChina, whose conversion revitalizedtheir state and led to the conquest ofSong Dynasty China.

Egypt and Persia led the way intothe Industrial Revolution, whichbegan with oil rather than coal. Theirrivalry for control of the Muslimheartland lasted centuries, thoughironically they fought together in thegreatest wars. When the Global Warbegan with revolts in their Asian colo-nial empires, they fought Bulgaria,Andalus and the African sultanates aswell as the rebels – and, ultimately,were overmatched even with Khitanaid. This 10-year struggle introducedCaliph to industrialized warfare andwas long considered to have demon-strated the folly of armed conflict

between the major powers. The Peaceof Zanzibar ended the last warbetween the great caliphates foralmost 350 years, although there wereoccasional scares such as the fall ofthe Qi Dynasty in China and the sup-pression of the totalitarian Umarites.

The world had sufficient difficul-ties even without warfare, as technol-ogy continued to advance and societywas repeatedly shaken and remade.Technology brought prosperity andknit the Earth together in an increas-ingly unified global society, even as itbegan to reach outward to space.Older political structures came toseem outmoded, with the decline ofnational governments reaching itsapex early in the current century withthe formal dissolution of the EgyptianCaliphate. Religious sentiment ebbedas a universal system of law and eco-nomics organized the secular world,only to come flowing back as theapproach of the millennial year (1000A.H, or 1591 A.D.) tapped into reser-voirs of popular belief.

Meanwhile, as technologyadvanced, Caliph dealt with the sideeffects of success. Industrializationdamaged the ecosystem, which was

healed; universal prosperity broughteconomic dislocations, which wereabsorbed, and increasing longevitydisrupted social assumptions in waysthat have yet to be entirely resolved.

Fourteen months ago, an allianceof old-fashioned imperialists in theCaliphate of Hind and a new sort ofideological state, the radical secularistJamahiriya in the Americas, launcheda war of conquest. At first, it was hardto believe that such an inexplicableatavism could pose a serious threat tothe modern world, but that illusionhas been dispelled. The aggressorAlliance now controls a third of theglobe, and the rest of the planetresponded with a startling revival ofmartial enthusiasm. The ZaghawiAssociates, this worldline’s dominantspace corporation, and the onlyknown constructor of djinn (AIs),responded by severing its ties to Earthand declaring itself an independentcaliphate – it has bigger fish to fry,building a stargate in trans-Neptunianorbit and (so they claim) carrying oncommunications with alien species.

(See GURPS Alternate Earths 2for further details.)


Caliph, 1684Current Affairs

In an ultra-tech worldline, radical secularists allied with the expan-sionistic empire of Hind have launched a global war against the Muslimcaliphates.

Divergence Point796 A.D.; invention of the printing press in Baghdad awakens an

Islamic scientific and industrial revolution.

Major CivilizationsIslamic (multipolar), Islamic-Indic (empire).

Great PowersUmma (anarchic theocracy, CR1), Jamahiriya (technocracy, CR5),

Hind (dictatorship, CR5), Zaghawi Associates (orbital corporate state,CR1), Persia (dictatorship, CR3), Andalus (dictatorship, CR3), Bulgaria(dictatorship, CR3), Sofala (dictatorship, CR3).

Worldline DataTL: 11 (biotech, TL8) Mana Level: no manaQuantum: 6 Infinity Class: Z2Centrum Zone: Red

Outworld OperationsInfinity only discovered Caliph a

year ago, and it remains a top internalsecret of the Patrol and UNIC, neitherof which wants to see Homeline idiotsgold-rushing into a deadly high-techwar zone. If it weren’t for the ZaghawiAssociates stargate experiments (andthe threat of Centrum getting a jumpon Caliph technology), Infinity wouldjust quarantine this world and be donewith it. High-tech worlds are danger-ous enough, without being caught in awar of godlike energies and insanemobility.

Centrum’s reaction to Caliph ispanic tempered by greed – it wants thehigh technology, but really doesn’twant to risk a world this powerful get-ting parachronics. One solution wouldbe encouraging the conflict to turnapocalyptic and sorting through theruins: the I.S. might try that if con-vinced it could work, since it seemstoo late to save this worldline from itsLast War. Infinity has been trying tonegotiate a mutual interdiction to takeCaliph off both sides’ agenda, butbetween the greed and the panic, it’sunlikely that Centrum will go along.

Unfortunately for both sides, infor-mation is harder to obtain during awar than in peacetime. It is very diffi-cult to establish a false identity undercurrent conditions, and just aboutimpossible to operate without one (forstarters, almost all money is electron-ic). Law-abiding citizens across theDar al-Islam are ready to point securi-ty forces toward any sort of oddbehavior.

It may actually be easier to operatein Alliance territory – and certainlyeasier to recruit local help. Of course,the personal consequences of detec-tion are heavier, but that might be anadvantage. Better any capturedPatrolmen should be killed on suspi-cion than questioned deeply enoughto reveal The Secret.


Other Muslim WorldsInfinity knows of several other parallels where history diverged to

vault Muslim powers into predominant roles. Caliph is the only onemore advanced than Homeline, although Jihad-2 (Q5, current year1429), in which Constantinople fell to the Arabs in 676 and Europe fol-lowed, is well into a TL5 industrial revolution.

In Jihad-1 (Q5, current year 1881), where the Arabs defeated theFranks at Tours in 732, Muslim Faranjistan is still stagnating with therest of the world at TL4.

In Ottoman-1 (Q6, current year 1766), the Turks took Vienna in 1529and marched to Rome and the Rhine; the Anglo-Spanish alliance is gin-gerly pressing back into the fragmented taifa states of France andGermany; TL4.

The Turkish empire in Ottoman-2 (Q6, current year 1766) extendsover a huge part of Asia, Russia, and India as the Ottomans turned eastto swallow Tamerlane’s empire upon his death. The Europeans they neg-lected are moving into TL5, however.

Ottoman-3 (Q4, current year 1640) also diverges with Tamerlane,who conquered China in the 1390s and forcibly converted it to Islam.With Tamerlane occupied in the East, the Ottomans took Constantinoplein 1405 and swallowed Europe to the Elbe. Both TL4 Muslim empires(and the remainder of Muscovy) are wracked with revolts and faminefrom Germany to Manchuria.

In Ottoman-4 (Q7, current year 1871), Mehmet the Conqueror sur-vived long enough to complete his invasion of Italy in 1481, aborting theRenaissance. The TL6 Ottomans control the Mediterranean andCaribbean both, and are racing the Moguls to African colonies.

Other Muslim timelines include:

Andalus (Q4, current year 1930), in which the Muslims of Spainthrew back the Reconquista and went on to discover America in 1484,achieving TL6 in rivalry with Japan, Saxony, and Russia.

Isma’il (Q4, current year 1594) in which the Safavids defeated theOttomans in 1512 and built a millenarian TL4 Shi’ite empire stretchingfrom India to Algiers.

Khedive (Q6, current year 1941) in which Mehmet Ali’s moderniza-tion program in Egypt achieved industrial takeoff in the 1860s, allowingEgypt to absorb most of northern Africa and the Middle East andbecome a TL7 great power holding the balance between Britain,Germany, and Russia.

Oh Mankind, surely you are the ones whohave need of God; He is the All-Sufficient . . . ifHe but wills it, He can do away with you andmake a new creation: surely that is no greatmatter for God.

– The Koran, 35:15-17

CAMPBELLLook both ways before you cross

the intersection – the universe you savecould be your own. On the worldlinenamed for him, the science-fiction edi-tor John W. Campbell died in a trafficaccident early in his career. As a result,many science-fiction writers fromIsaac Asimov to Robert Heinlein neverdeveloped their talents, or developedthem in other directions. (RobertHeinlein, for instance, became a suc-cessful writer of young adult mysteryfiction and, later, TV sitcoms. Thebeloved Bob Anson Show was based onthis part of his career.) The field of sci-ence fiction didn’t advance much pastspace opera. Apparently, this reducedthe number of students who becameinterested in science and engineering,because scientific development hasstagnated here since the end of WWII.

TwilightJohn W. Campbell’s death didn’t

end all science fiction, of course. HugoGernsback’s Amazing Stories contin-ued to publish wild utopian scenariosand odes to antigravity machines;Flash Gordon and Buck Rogers stillappeared in the comics; the dystopicThe Shape of Things to Come still pre-miered in movie theaters in 1936, withits vision of grim, devastating warfare.Unfortunately, that was the only accu-rate prediction of the lot. Perhaps mil-itary-technical decision trees had beenslightly skewed toward the optimisticby a steady diet of Gernsback’spablum, or maybe Robert Heinlein, L.Sprague de Camp, and Isaac Asimovwere working more productively with-out writing distracting them fromtheir war research. (Other would-bewriters with scientific training wentinto military black programs, too.)Either way, the Army deployedradioactive dust bombs againstGermany in 1944, and responded withadvanced germ warfare when theNazis unleashed gas in retaliation.

A nuclear barrage finished off theAxis, and managed to poison not onlyEurope and the North Pacific, but alsothe American view of science. Sciencehad let the West win the war, to besure – but it had killed 170 millionpeople doing it, and the “scientificmaterialist” Soviets were gobbling up

the survivors in concentration campsof their own. Communist Chinaemerged from the toxic wreckage ofAsia and began its own “scientific”mass murders to build the World ofthe Future. American and British sol-diers who came back from the warhad been to the World of the Future,and it was a blasted wasteland. Bothcountries rejected all such thinking;waves of pacifism and Luddismspread through the intellectual eliteand common folk alike. In the 1960s,tens of millions of young peopleembraced charismatic religion inmassive outdoor revival meetings andfolk concerts, which continued and re-emphasized the anti-technologicalbent of society. Environmentalism inthe 1970s and 1980s, and even thenewly militant anti-Communist senti-ment in Britain and America duringthe 1980s and 1990s (which did pro-duce a modicum of military researchmoney), all fed into that same channelof religious technophobia.

Campbell remains a poor worldwithout communications satellites orpersonal computers, without robot-ized factories or advanced oil-drillingtechnology or the agricultural revolu-tion that allowed India to feed itself onHomeline. It grows ever poorer andmore dangerous as the Communist

powers begin to hit the wall of eco-nomic performance and ecologicaldisaster. Even Russia’s German andItalian satellites, and China’s Japaneseand Korean ones, have sunk intoMarxist toxic sloth and debilitatingfamine. British, Indian, and Americandraftees face renewed Communistaggression in the Middle East,Indonesia, and Latin America, andthank their God (or gods) that at leastthey won’t be fighting “scientifically”this time.

Outworld OperationsMost Infinity operations on

Campbell fit into one of two cate-gories: attempting to promote science(a real uphill climb in this world;White Star has seen four SF maga-zines go bankrupt after being bannedby church leaders), and intensive soci-ological research. The near-totalderailing of scientific progress (allover the world, not just in the UnitedStates) seems like such a dramaticresult from such a tiny cause thatsome Patrolmen suspect there’s moreto it. A secret society or conspiratorialgroup might be deliberately retardingprogress, or some transhuman entitycould be trying to remove any possiblecompetition.


Campbell, 2004Current Affairs

A world without SF becomes a world without scientific progress; theimpoverished globe girds for the final showdown between Communismand democracy.

Divergence Point1932; SF editor John W. Campbell dies in an auto accident, leaving a

dearth of positive images of scientific progress.

Major CivilizationsWestern (multipolar), Orthodox (empire), Chinese (empire).

Great PowersUnited States (representative democracy, CR3), Soviet Union (dicta-

torship, CR6), People’s Republic of China (dictatorship, CR6), BritishCommonwealth (representative democracies, CR2-4).

Worldline DataTL: 6 (military, TL7) Mana Level: no manaQuantum: 5 Infinity Class: R6Centrum Zone: Inaccessible

A newly penetrated Q7 timelineseems to be exactly like Homelineresearchers think the world ofCentrum was in the year 1895. Couldit be an echo? If so, it has untoldrepercussions for paraphysics asInfinity understands it. Even an ordi-nary parallel has plenty of potentialfor revelation . . . or trouble. Eitherway, why is it the only one they’ve everfound? Since Quantum 7 is moreaccessible to Centrum than it is toHomeline, Centrum Beta swarms withInterworld agents – but for once in theInfinity War, they’re playing defense.

The Plantagenet MirrorThe history and geopolitics of

Centrum Beta are identical to those ofCentrum up to 1895, as detailed onp. 46-56. (See GURPS AlternateEarths 2 for further details aboutCentrum’s history.)

Outworld OperationsSince the discovery of Centrum

Beta earlier this year, the PenetrationService has launched several deeprecon missions into this echo. TheScouts’ goal is to trawl as much infor-mation as possible about the other-wise inaccessible history of Centrumbefore the inevitable Interworldcounter-operation moves it out ofHomeline’s reach. One particularlybold Penetration Service op cleanedout every library in Penzance justbefore a tidal wave hit – the Patrolremains silent on the subject of justhow the Scouts knew a tidal wave was

coming. Patrol operations on thisworldline are particularly reckless,since they know they face a tickingclock. And if Centrum Beta is an echo,perhaps their “interference” will actu-ally move it closer to Homeline!

Interworld, meanwhile, finds itselfin the unenviable position of playingdefense. Normally, the I.S. gets to pickits battlegrounds after careful plan-ning, and has the tactical advantageresulting from picked targets andoverstretched opposition. They havenot, it must be admitted, adjustedvery well to the change. Disagreementat the higher levels of Interworldexacerbates this lack of flexibility:

their sensors report that CentrumBeta (which Centrum calls“Speculum”) is, in fact, an unprece-dented Centrum echo, but itsparatemporal instability index has anodd geometry to it. Interworld walkson eggshells, worried that if it dis-turbs this echo, it will set up a chainreaction throughout the continuum,producing a flood of new Centrumechoes and possibly ejecting theirown world from 8-space altogether. Inthe last month or so, however, I.S. hasdecided to massively increase its reac-tion team deployments on CentrumBeta – whatever happens, Infinity’sfree ride here is over.

Homeline’s United States govern-ment takes a particular interest in thisQuantum 6 parallel. This worldlinebegins to diverge from Homeline his-tory with the conquest of Nicaraguaby the Southern adventurer WilliamWalker in 1856. In Dixie-1, Walker’said ultimately led to a Confederate vic-tory in the American Civil War – or, asthe Confederates of Dixie know it, theWar of Southron Independence. 130years later, the Confederate States ofAmerica remain locked in a nuclear

stalemate with their old rival. Acrossthe Atlantic, the German Empireretains the European hegemony itwon early in the century. In southernAsia, the Indian Republic suppliesmodern weapons to the rebels inGerman Indochina, while the newlyindustrializing countries of the“Indian Rim” manufacture the cheapelectronics which find their way intoConfederate dirigibles and Yankeestratojets.

The Confederacy itself retains itsparticular charms, complete withSouthern belles, riverboat gamblersand dashing cavaliers in butternut. Ifone is (or can act as) a “gentleman” ora “lady,” Southern hospitality is all adenizen of Homeline might wish, ashundreds of well-heeled tourists dis-cover annually. Only white touristsand those who can pass for white, ofcourse – Southern gentility extendsonly to those who belong to a race eli-gible for citizenship. Beneath even

DIXIE-1


Centrum Beta, 1895Current Affairs

Access to a possible echo of Centrum gives the Patrol a unique oppor-tunity for research and sabotage.

Divergence Point1120; William the Ætheling’s ship doesn’t sink, and he becomes King

William III in 1135, eventually leading to English absorption of Franceunder Eleanor of Aquitaine.

Major CivilizationsWestern (universal empire).

Great PowersAnglo-French Empire (semi-feudal dictatorship, CR3-5 depending on

fief).

Worldline DataTL: 7 Mana Level: no manaQuantum: 7 Infinity Class: Z4 Centrum Zone: Red

CENTRUM BETA

“white trash” factory workers andsmallholders, nearly half the popula-tion of the CSA lacks the right to vote,own land, or move across a state linewithout permission. Indeed, in nine ofthe 21 states of the Confederacy, chattel slavery remains legal.

From Secession to Superpower

Both the Confederacy and theUnited States spent the decades afterthe War of Southron Independenceweathering its economic shocks andexpanding on the continent. TheConfederacy picked up the pieces inMexico after the French adventurethere failed, as the vengeful Uniondismembered British Canada duringthe Riel Rebellion of 1869 (the UnitedStates annexed the resultingRepublic of Manitoba in 1911).Bismarck negotiated a U.S.-GermanAccord to counter the British alliancewith the CSA, leaving the twoAmerican powers tied into Europeanalliance politics. The Guiana War of1895-1897 and the Great War of1914-1921 pulled the knots tighter, asthe situation in Europe came todetermine the outcome in America.With Bismarck keeping Russia neu-tral, the first ended in a stalemate. In1920, German armies (redeployedafter the revolutionary collapse ofRussia and the French army)bypassed Patton’s brilliant mobiledefenses in the West and smashedthrough the trench lines in theShenandoah Valley, leaving theUnion victorious. The Confederacylost Oklahoma, Sonora, Maryland,Delaware, and D.C. to the Union bythe Treaty of Washington.

Both the United States and theConfederacy fought new wars in the1940s, though not against each otherthis time. The Union had to rescue itsGerman ally from a mechanizedFranco-Italian assault by the dictatorsde Gaulle and Mussolini, and theConfederacy fought a brutal naval warin the Pacific against an expansionistJapanese Empire that coveted Britishconcessions in China and Confederateoilfields in the Dutch East Indies.(Britain, mired in U.S.-backed revoltsin India, dropped out of the PacificWar early, leaving Australia a perma-nent Confederate ally.) The war in

Europe ended with the German inven-tion of the atomic bomb, dropped onElba in a demonstration shot; thePacific War ended with a bold rede-ployment of the Atlantic Fleet throughthe Nicaragua Canal and the invasionof a fire-bombed Shikoku. In the tur-moil, India had become independent,and the Russian Soviet Republic hadescaped the German orbit.

The years since have seen an eco-nomic struggle in North America,proxy wars in South America and Asiaand a continual arms race that hasimpelled both powers into outerspace. Both Northerners andSoutherners call this conflict by aname coined by a Richmond newspa-per editor: “The Long Drum Roll.” Abrief “Parade Rest” in the 1970s endedas the Confederacy, feeling the eco-nomic squeeze of its military programs (and inefficient apartheideconomy) clamped down on domesticdissent and ramped up its militaryspace program to develop an anti-missile defense shield. In response,U.S. President Knox deployed missilesto Puerto Rico in 1983. Ten years oftension, while the Union’s Indian andGerman allies squabbled over territo-ry in the booming “Indian Rim,” haveleft the libertarian North tired of thestruggle but unable to step back from

the brink – and driven the “WhiteCircle” of South Africa, Australia,Brazil, and the Confederacy ever clos-er to formal union or pre-emptive war.

(See GURPS Alternate Earths forfurther details.)

Outworld OperationsThe Infinity Patrol has a relatively

large presence in Dixie-1, facing aneven larger variety of problems. (Notethat “large,” given the limited numberof Patrol agents available, means apermanent staff of perhaps 20.)Naturally, their bulk of work lies inobservation and aid to Homelinetourists, who flock to the Confederacyin droves. The Patrol’s biggestheadache is nonstop smuggling, large-ly based in Dixie-1’s utterly corruptFascist Italy. For example, an informa-tion smuggling operation succeededin introducing spreadsheet programsinto the local computer industry,sparking a revolution in business pro-ductivity that has not yet entirely runits course. Legitimate traders likeWhite Star primarily export licensedcomputer technology and software toDixie, importing hovercraft designs,hypercotton, and intellectual propertyof all kinds back to Homeline (partic-ularly Faulkner novels and bootlegJanis Joplin CDs).


Dixie-1, 1993Current Affairs

Nuclear stalemate keeps the peace between the increasingly strainedslave-holding Confederacy and a libertarian Union wary of an apocalyp-tic war.

Divergence Point1856; William Walker retains control of Nicaragua, and uses that base

to break the Union blockade of the CSA, allowing the South to win atAntietam and become independent.

Major CivilizationsWestern (multipolar), Indo-Western (unitary).

Great PowersUnited States (representative democracy, CR2), Confederate States

(oligarchy, CR4 for whites, CR6 for others), German Empire (dictator-ship, CR5), United Republic of India (representative democracy, CR3).

Worldline DataTL: 8 (aerospace, late TL8) Mana Level: lowQuantum: 6 Infinity Class: P9Centrum Zone: Orange

Of Homeline’s national govern-ments, the United States, Germany,India, Russia, and South Africa main-tain Dixie-1 bases known to Infinity,usually in the capitals of their Dixie-1analogs. Homeline governments(especially the United States andSouth Africa) are constantly interfer-ing in the Confederacy, despite a clearUNIC finding that racial instability inthe CSA could trigger a potentiallynuclear civil war. Dixie-1’s popularityamong illegal emigrants fromHomeline is notorious. Usuallyromantic citizens of the southernUnited States, these individuals booka tour to Dixie-1, and then attempt todisappear. The Patrol’s vigilant watchfor “new” inventions catches most ofthe obvious expatriates, and keepsinterference by outtimers to a mini-mum, although the Patrol worriesconstantly that one of theseConfederate patriots might reveal TheSecret. Both Centrum and Infinitybusily divert physicists on all sidesaway from research that could lead toparachronics. None are really close,but the CSA is investigating somebackwaters of physics that couldpotentially mean trouble.

Dixie-1, in both Zone Orange andthe Quantum 6 battleground, getsCentrum’s close attention. Interworldfeels that the CSA is probably easier totransform to its kind of society than isany rival power; with India the secondchoice. Confederate rigidity and

reaction respond well to Centrumsociodynamics, while since the revolu-tion, India has enforced church/stateseparation with the express goal ofmaintaining egalitarian politicsdespite the Hindu caste system.Interworld’s goal is to drive a wedgebetween the Union and India, tying theUnited States tightly to Germany’s fad-ing strength, and then to offer overwhelming strategic advantages to

the CSA (in exchange for concessionsthat leave Centrum in the saddle inRichmond). With the Union andGermany shoved over the edge,Centrum’s puppets would pick up thepieces, and their natural tensionswould allow the Uplift Service toimplement some of the EducationService’s decades of experience at ruthlessly enforcing racial equality.

The Pan-American research teamthat recently discovered this worldlinenamed it Ezcalli, from the Náhuatl for“house of blood.” Here, the Pyramid ofthe Sun continues to smolder with theburning hearts of human sacrifice.Here, slave ships travel from Europeto México groaning with their humancargoes. Here, the harsh tropical sunbeats down on Tenochtitlán’s lakesand factories, shining through thehaze on the Place of the Cactus, thegreatest city in the world. Here, theAztecs rule an expanding empire ofblood and glory.

The Tenochca Empire, known toHomeline historians as the AztecEmpire, dominates this world. Itsdivergence point from Homeline

begins with the Carthaginian discov-ery of the New World and theColumbian Exchange of foods, dis-eases and ideas occurring two millennia early. Europe and Asia liesomnolent under the placid, orderly,static rule of the Mongol Khaghans.Rome lies in ruins, its legacy pre-served in the West African SonghayEmpire. The Tenochca navies takecolonies overseas as they battle theirrivals the Hotinohsavannih League(Homeline’s Iroquois Confederacy) fordomination of North America. Steam-powered industry is common in Africaand the Americas, and the firsttremors of the scientific revolution arestirring the Tenochca elites.

Birth of the New SunRome dissolved into civil wars fol-

lowing the assassination of theEmperor Nero. With potatoes plantedin the Gallic soil, the West was nolonger dependent on Egypt for food,and looked across the Atlantic ratherthan back to Asia. The RomanMediterranean economy was split,and the Empire split as well.Barbarians swept over Europe; Romemaintained its rule only in NorthAfrica, by vigorous Christian Caesarsand cunning diplomacy. In the NewWorld, the great empire ofTeotihuacán, stretching from theOrinoco to the Illini, fell to its ownbarbarians, the Siouans and Toltecs,

EZCALLI


Other DixiesDixie-1 was the first of the “victorious, surviving Confederacy” paral-

lels to be discovered. There are five more known to Infinity:Dixie-2 (Q3, current year 1966) and Dixie-3 (Q6, current year 1937)

both diverge at Gettysburg. In Dixie-2 the CSA dominates the Caribbeanand the United States is an appendage of French and Japanese bankers.In Dixie-3 both the CSA and the U.S. are poor, corrupt satellites ofEuropean powers. Both realities are high TL6.

In Dixie-4 (Q4, current year 1954), the Civil War occurred in 1844,the West is still Mexican, and the United States and CSA are alliedagainst the Mexican and German Empires. Britain is neutral; the worldis TL6.

Dixie-5 (Q6, current year 1943) diverged with Early’s Raid in 1864and turned into a long British quagmire in America that left the CSA animpoverished British puppet and the United States a fanatical garrisonstate between British Canada and the Confederacy. The U.S. military isTL8; the rest of the world is TL7 or lower, including the Union’s TL6Soviet allies.

Dixie-6 (Q6, current year 1910) diverged at First Manassas when theCSA pushed on and took Washington; Texas and California have bothdeclared themselves independent, and all four nations are rivals for theIndian West.

and to new plagues from Asia. Only inAfrica did civilization prosper, as theEmpire of Mali, centered on the greatRomano-Christian trading city ofTimbuctu, supplanted the Christiankingdom of Ghana. Mali fell toSonghay in turn, expanding Roman-African civilization from Spain to theCongo.

The final barbarian wave broughtpeace and one last great plague to thewarring states of Eurasia. TheMongol armies raced throughCentral Asia and poured into Europe,crossing into North Africa, takingRoman Carthage and ending the lastRoman kingdom in 1240. Later GreatKhans added Persia, China, Japan,India, Indochina and finally Java tothe great Mongol Khaghanate. TheBlack Death swept through Eurasia,crippling the Mongols’ foes, and leftthe Pax Mongolica supreme over twocontinents.

In the New World, another barbar-ian tribe from the fringes of civiliza-tion founded a great empire. TheTenochca entered the Valley of Méxicoand founded their capital Tenochtitlánin 1325. After the Black Death hit in1361, the Tenochca overwhelmedtheir demoralized neighbors andestablished a powerful kingdom. Thepolitical genius and reformer Tlacaelelbuilt the Tenochca Confederacy into

an empire based on military skill, eco-nomic diversity, and religious blood-thirstiness. One after another, therivals of the Tenochca from theQuechua in Peru to the Muskogeaalong the Mississippi fell to the Jaguarand Eagle Knights of the Empire.Their only obstacle is the Hotin-ohsavannih League, another expan-sionistic confederacy centered onOnondoga in the northeast stretchingfrom the Free City of Manannán(founded by Irish traders in 200 B.C.)to the iron mines west of the FiveLakes.

The Tenochca send their pochtecamerchants across the oceans to forti-fied trading posts on every coast. Theybring back European slaves for thefields and mines, and gems, spices,and silks from the Mongol East. TheTenochca Empire is on the verge of itsgreatest wave of expansion – if it canbeat back its Hotinohsavannih andSonghay rivals for the rich spoils ofthe senescent Mongol Khaganate andthe unclaimed riches of Africa andNorth America.

(See GURPS Alternate Earths forfurther details, and GURPS Aztecs forbackground.)

Outworld OperationsEzcalli was so recently discovered

that Infinity and other parties on

Homeline are still trying to decide ona policy toward it. Since no one is wor-ried about anyone in Ezcalli develop-ing parachronic technology, debate isover exactly what form covert inter-vention ought to take. While there is abroad consensus (even by theHomeline Mexican government) thatsomething should be done to curb theTenochca, no one can agree on exactlywhat to do or how to do it.

Infinity’s main worry is coordinat-ing the activities of the groups thatwant to “better the lot” of the natives,to avoid revealing The Secret. WhiteStar Trading is interested in some ofthe unique artistic and cultural arti-facts of Ezcalli cultures, but they really don’t want to have to disguisethemselves as pochtecas and partici-pate in local religious practices. TheDuncorne Foundation has a similarinterest in Tenochca astronomicalrecords, and even more seriousqualms about worshiping Huitzi-lopochtli. Miracle Workers normallyconcentrates on relieving the effects ofnatural disasters. It frowns on politi-cal intervention except for the preven-tion of wars, but many of theiremployees are urging them to makean exception.

Centrum’s intervention in Ezcalli iseven more recent than Infinity’s dis-covery of the timeline; the first reportsof what sounds like Centran activityhave only just appeared. Reports of avisitation of babbling demons at theTenochca colony in Knasgord (Home-line La Rochelle, France) sound a lotlike parachronic travelers disruptingthe sacrifice . . . and Infinity is quitecertain that there were no visits fromHomeline. Because of the suspicioustiming, Infinity suspects that somesource inside Infinity itself leakedEzcalli’s parachronic coordinates toCentrum.


Ezcalli, 1848Current Affairs

An industrial Aztec Empire expands across the world.

Divergence Point508 B.C.; Carthaginians discover the New World and launch the

Columbian Exchange of diseases and food two millennia early.

Major CivilizationsMeso-American (empire), West African (empire with satellite states),

Iroquois (empire), Steppe (empire).

Great PowersTenocha Empire (caste-based dictatorship with strong theocratic

component, CR4, CR6 for subject tribes), Songhay Empire (dictatorship,CR4), Hotinohsavannih League (representative democracy, CR2),Mongol Khaghanate (feudal dictatorship, CR4-5).

Worldline DataTL: 5 (Tenochca agronomy, TL7; Mongols, TL4)Mana Level: lowQuantum: 6 Infinity Class: R5 Centrum Zone: Yellow

FRIEDRICH


In Homeline history, EmperorFriedrich I Barbarossa exemplifies thehorseshoe nail, the changepoint thatalmost happened. He almost broughtthe rich cities of northern Italy into acommon Empire, losing one campaignthanks to malaria, and losing theBattle of Legnano in 1176 onlythrough the defection of his vassalHenry the Lion, Duke of Saxony. Hedeposed Henry with the aid of manyGerman bishops, and almost broke thepower of the German nobles, which(along with the tax revenues fromItaly) would have unified Germany asa nation much as his contemporaryPhilip II did for France. His strugglewith Pope Alexander III almost endedpapal control over the national church-es, which might have allowed theChurch to reform gradually withoutsplintering. And he led the ThirdCrusade in 1190, which almost tookJerusalem, except that Barbarossadrowned in the Saleph River and theGerman armies dissolved.

A Ripple In The RiverOn this worldline, Barbarossa man-

aged to cow Henry the Lion; with hissupport, he defeated the Italian cities;

with their funds, he tamed the noblesand declared a Crusade; with the pres-tige he gained as the liberator ofJerusalem, he forced the Pope to backdown. His policy of encouraging schol-arship may have made the differenceon this world, where a few court schol-ars have access to subtle and terriblemagics. His good relationship with theKnights Templar (reputed to be wiz-ards), through his court meistersingerWolfram von Eschenbach, may alsohave gotten Friedrich a little magicalsupport where it counted.

Be that as it may, when he died inbed in 1202, he left the unbreakablenexus of a German nation to his sonHenry VI, who added Sicily to theimperial domain by marriage. In 1204,allied with the Venetians, Henry VIstripped the remainder of Anatoliafrom the Byzantines to add to the for-mer Seljuk territories Friedrich hadconquered on crusade. Henry’s sonFriedrich, the Crown Prince, alreadyshows signs of genius, and the NewMen from out of the East have broughtnew methods of war and machinerythat will further strengthen and enrichthe German-Roman Empire. Surely,Friedrich Barbarossa founded a Reichthat will last a thousand years . . .

Outworld OperationsThe Raven Division began opera-

tions on Friedrich in 1214, moving instrength along the Chronobahn(p. 79), which runs from the CilicianGates pass in the Taurus Mountains ofsouthern Anatolia to the high scarpabove Nicomedia, almost to the BlackSea. On its southeast end, theChronobahn enters Nostradamus(p. 138); on its northwest end, it shiftsinto Agamemnon (Q3, local year 1189B.C.), which may be a myth parallelbased on the Greek heroic legends, ormerely a high-mana alternate Earth.Reality quakes are common on thatparallel, and some aftershocks travelalong the Chronobahn in Friedrich, aswell.

The Nazis have recruited three reg-iments worth of local German troops,which they are training in modernweapons and military science as bestthey can with the limited resourcesavailable to them. The main Nazitraining base is the castle of Lampron,an impregnable fortress overlookingthe Cilician Gates and theNostradamus end of the Chronobahn.It lies on the border between theKingdom of Lesser Armenia and theKingdom of Iconium ruled by Fried-rich of Swabia (son of Barbarossa).The Nazis have major Raven Divisionoutposts in Regensburg, the Imperialcapital, Venice, and Messina in Sicily.Armanen agents have already assassi-nated Genghis Khan and bio-bombedMongolia, which has thrown northernChina into total chaos.

The Patrol has to work very dis-creetly here; it is imperative that theNazis not get their hands on another,completely functioning, conveyor.Between the possible sorceries of theEmpire’s Templar allies and the psion-ic wild talents the Raven Division’sMules display, even the slightest hintof Patrol activity could bring downdisaster. The Patrol also suspects thatsome third force operates in thisworldline; the Order of the Assassinshas kidnapped at least one RavenDivision trooper, and may be responsi-ble for the loss of two Patrolmen fromthe Ayyubid court in Cairo.

Friedrich, 1217Current Affairs

A cadre of SS from Reich-5 seeks to transform the German-RomanEmpire into the First Reich, a breeding ground for Aryan warriors.

Divergence Point1176; Friedrich Barbarossa defeats the Italian cities at the Battle of

Legnano, then doesn’t drown during the Third Crusade in 1190 but lib-erates Jerusalem, returns and strengthens imperial power in Germanyand Italy.

Major CivilizationsIslamic (multipolar), Chinese (empire with satellite states), Western

(decreasingly multipolar).

Great PowersSong China (dictatorship, CR4), German-Roman Empire (decreas-

ingly feudal dictatorship, CR4), Ayyubid Egypt (dictatorship, CR3),Khwarizm (dictatorship, CR4), Venetian Republic (oligarchy, CR4).

Worldline DataTL: 3 (plus some TL8 Reich-5 uplifting) Mana Level: normalQuantum: 3 Infinity Class: Z2Centrum Zone: Inaccessible


“Whether we remain in one con-federacy, or form into Atlantic andMississippi confederacies, I believenot very important to the happinessof either part. Those of the westernconfederacy will be as much ourchildren and descendants as those ofthe eastern, and I feel myself asmuch identified with that country, infuture time, as with this.”– Thomas Jefferson to Joseph Priestley,

Jan. 29, 1804

Thomas Jefferson wrote this letterin many histories (includingHomeline’s), but not in the worldlinenamed for his Secretary of theTreasury, Albert Gallatin. In thatworldline, Alexander Hamilton haddied taking a Hessian bullet at theBattle of Trenton, like the one thatnearly killed future President JamesMadison in Homeline history.Madison survived in both worlds towrite his Constitution, but in thisworldline, there was no AlexanderHamilton to defend and explain it inthe Federalist Papers, or to knit thenew nation together with a strongeconomic policy. The United Statessplintered into many “confederacies,”leaving Thomas Jefferson revered byall of them, but president of only one.

E Pluribus NulliumWithout the Federalist Papers and

Hamilton’s oratory, New York refusedto ratify the Constitution of 1787,dooming the pact. An open conven-tion redrafted the Articles ofConfederation the next year, but ten-sions over Western trade down theMississippi drove the Ohio Valley set-tlers further from the weakPhiladelphia government. WhenNapoleon acquired Louisiana in 1802,threatening to choke off Westerntrade, Aaron Burr and AndrewJackson led a filibustering expeditionthat captured New Orleans; theirLouisiana Republic made its owntrade treaty with the Ohio Country,ignoring the central governmententirely.

By 1860, only five states remainedin the United States of America(which adopted a centralizing consti-tution in 1815 similar to the 1787

document): Connecticut, New York,Pennsylvania, Delaware, and NewJersey. Eight other Americanrepublics checkered the continent:New England (rapidly returning tothe British sphere of influence), theConfederation (in which the statesfrom Maryland to Georgia operate asalmost independent nations), theLouisiana Republic (between theSabine and Mobile Rivers, havingsplit Spanish Florida with Georgia),the Ohio Association (a Jeffersonian-libertarian confederacy in the Ohioand Upper Mississippi Valleys), theTexas Republic (an expansionistslave state stretching deep intoMexico and north into Indian coun-try), Deseret (a Mormon theocracy inthe Great Basin), and the Bear FlagRepublic of California (including thecompany forts north pastVancouver). Although border warsand skirmishes broke out from timeto time, on the whole, their relationswere more peaceable than those inthe outside world.

After its own unification in 1871,Germany unified the EuropeanContinent in the Great War of 1914-1916, folding it into a commonbureaucratic-economic union runfrom Berlin. The British resented thisusurpation of their monopolies, butcould do little but mirror it in theirown Empire, creating an economicCommonwealth dominated byLondon. Both powers suffered set-backs in the Pacific War, when theJapanese Empire (having allied itselfwith Stalin’s Soviet Russia) threw theGermans out of Indochina, thePhilippines, and the East Indies, andthe British out of China, Burma, andthe Sandwich Islands. (Texas’ refusalto open the Nicaragua Canal to anybelligerent power made it difficult forBritain and Germany to cooperate inretaking the Pacific, even if they hadwanted to.) The Japanese atomicbombing of Calcutta ended the war.Britain, Russia, Germany, and Texasall built their own bombs in the nextfive years, resulting in a Pax Atomicathat lasts mostly unbroken to this day.

GALLATIN

Gallatin, 2004Current Affairs

A balkanized North America shelters under the Texan nuclearumbrella as the Germans, Japanese, and Soviets duel for global control.

Divergence Point1776; Alexander Hamilton dies at the Battle of Trenton. The consid-

erably more libertarian Albert Gallatin becomes the first Secretary of theTreasury, and the nascent United States disintegrates.

Major CivilizationsWestern (empire with rivals), Orthodox (empire with satellites),

Japanese (empire).

Great PowersEuropaverein (military oligarchy, CR4 for Germans, CR5 for other

nations), Soviet Union (dictatorship, CR6), Japanese Empire (militaryoligarchy, CR4-5 for Japanese, CR6 for subject nations), BritishCommonwealth (representative democracies, CR4), Texas Republic(representative democracy, CR3 for whites, CR5 for non-whites).

Worldline DataTL: 7 (some military hardware, low TL8) Mana Level: lowQuantum: 5 Infinity Class: P9Centrum Zone: Inaccessible

Outworld OperationsInfinity Patrol operatives on

Gallatin attempt to crack down on themassive smuggling operations from theOhio Association (where all drugs andmany heavy weapons are completely

legal) to Homeline, but can barelymake a dent in the traffic without over-throwing the Ohio government (suchas it is). Although Ohio has no army tospeak of – essentially free-riding onTexas and the United States for itsinternational defense, and for defense

against Sioux terrorism – it has aremarkably robust set of local militias.Outtime tourism is also tremendouslypopular on Gallatin, especially byHomeline Texans eager to see the LoneStar Republic standing tall.

This Quantum 7 world follows thesame physical laws as Homeline, butwith some odd variations that ledtechnical progress into a number ofvery bizarre detours. For example,dirigibles plow the skies side by sidewith gigantic atomic-powered cargoplanes. The transistor is unknown, butrayguns and aircars are common.Here, the slide-rule is king.

The first Patrolmen here saw thetowering Art Deco buildings, the sleekaircars, and the omnipresent power-casting towers and named this parallelafter Hugo Gernsback, utopiantechnophile and founder of modernscience fiction. Much about the worlddoes seem like something out of a1930s science fiction adventure, fromthe personal jetpacks to the benevo-lent power of the World ScienceCouncil.

The history of Gernsback divergesfrom Homeline with the marriage of

Nikola Tesla, the last of the mad scien-tists, to the daughter of J.P. Morgan,the last of the robber barons. InHomeline history, Tesla and AnneMorgan became good friends, butTesla died a bankrupt bachelor, themajority of his inventions remainingin his head or sketched in his note-books. On Gernsback, Tesla’s marriagestabilized him both emotionally andfinancially, and he went on to revolu-tionize virtually every aspect of modern life.

The World of TomorrowIn 1902, the Morgan-Tesla Radio

Company began global radio broad-casts from Wardenclyffe, Long Island.The immense success of global radiofreed Tesla to concentrate on his life-long goal: broadcasting electricalpower without wires. After years ofarduous laboratory work by teams of

technicians, Morgan-Tesla introducedTesla’s system of broadcast power. Theresult was global panic and a stockmarket crash. Morgan firms stabilizedfirst America, then Germany; theDawes-Morgan plan wound up rewrit-ing the German Constitution to end itschronic political and economic insta-bility. Prosperity restored confidencein European institutions, such as theLeague of Nations, and let the worldweather another stock panic in 1929,and crises in China and Ethiopia in1933 and 1935. The League forced theaggressors to back down in both cases,further stabilizing the world order.

The next crisis began deceptively,when German physicist Otto Hahnsplit the atom in 1938. The League


Gernsback, 1965Current Affairs

The World Science Council puts down all threats to techno-utopia inthe fantastic World of the Future!

Divergence Point1893; Nikola Tesla marries Anne Morgan, the daughter of financier

J.P. Morgan, and thus remains sane enough to invent radio and broad-cast power with Morgan financing.

Major CivilizationsWestern (multipolar).

Great PowersWorld Science Council (technocracy, CR4), United States (represen-

tative democracy, CR3, CR5 for blacks), German Republic (representa-tive democracy, CR4), British Empire (representative democracies,CR4), Japanese Empire (military-corporate oligarchy, CR4-5).

Worldline DataTL: (6+2) (weapons, up to TL(6+3); broadcast power, TL6^)Mana Level: no manaQuantum: 7 Infinity Class: R9 Centrum Zone: Red

GERNSBACK

placed the newly founded WorldScience Council (WSC) in charge of aprogram to develop atomic powerplants. By 1945, the WSC was buildingatomic power plants in Germany andAmerica. When the Soviet physicistAndrei Sakharov defected and warnedthe world of Stalin’s plan to build anatomic bomb, the League respondedinstantly and declared war on theSoviet Union in 1951. The war was themost massive conflict in world history,with millions of men fighting on bothsides. The WSC produced an endlessstream of superweapons for theLeague, from tanks firing particlebeams to teleguided missiles.Eventually, Stalin’s scientists revoltedagainst his mad plans, destroying thebomb project and surrendering toWSC paratroopers dropped fromLeague superwings. Stalin died onApril 30, 1953 in the confused captureof Moscow, and the world was onceagain at peace.

The League of Nations and theWorld Science Council were facedwith the massive job of reconstruc-tion. The League took over the admin-istration of Russia and the “LeagueTaxes,” which had paid for the war inthe member countries, now paid forrebuilding and peacetime conversion.The League placed all atomic powerresearch under control of the WSC toprevent any other nation fromattempting to build atomic weapons.The 1957 Treaty of New York formal-ized League powers, made the LeagueTaxes permanent, and mandated economic coordination of Leaguecountries with WSC guidelines andpredictions. Finally, it established theLeague Peace Forces (LPF), a perma-nent standing League of Nations army.

The amazing inventions made during the war were perfected andmarketed for civilians, and a huge eco-nomic boom began as war plantsmoved over to peacetime production.The Electronic Brains invented justbefore the war began to produce eco-nomic predictions, which the Leagueused to manage the global economy.The LPF contained the few anti-League rebellions in India, Africa, andthe Middle East, and the WSC stoppedan attempt by the revolutionary gov-ernment of Cuba to withdraw fromthe League. The Council did not evenwait for League authorization before

shutting down all electrical power onthe island and forcing the overthrowof the Castro regime. The world is uni-fied and at peace under the benevolentrule of the Great Powers, the Leagueof Nations, and the World ScienceCouncil. Planning and technology willdeal with the natural economic dislo-cations of the postwar era. Nothingcan go wrong.


Outworld OperationsThe I-Cops’ primary mission in

Gernsback is to oppose the large-scaleCentrum operations here. Centrum’sobvious strategy is to rapidly evolvethe WSC into a technocratic worldgovernment mirroring Centrum’s owngray elite. Then Centrum could easilymount a decapitating coup and rulethe worldline. Gernsback is a favoriteof the Centrum radicals who argue forpartnerships with other timelines. Ifthe dimension war were quieter, theymight even win their point: the WSC isclose to many “correct” Centran atti-tudes and could be a formidable allyindeed.

Therefore, the Patrol gives covertaid to anticolonial movements aroundthe world, while hoping to avoid thefearsomely competent (and jut-jawed)gadgeteering WSC Special TasksAgents. Although Homeline physicistsare fairly sure that Gernsback isnowhere near discovering parachron-ic technology, nobody wants to makeany bets against the heirs of Tesla.

The I-Cops also prevent would-beHomeline inventors from surfacing inGernsback. These troublemakers fallinto two types: those who want toinvent the transistor in Gernsback andmake a billion dollars, and those whoare sure that the WSC will fund theirperpetual motion machines.

The last I-Cops task is to assiststranded tourists – even with the bestbackups and safeties that the WSC candevise, zeppelins do burn up and air-cars do crash. Tours to Gernsbackseem to attract the oddest tourists inHomeline – some Patrolmen stillrecall with horror the trouble they hadrounding up all the stray Klingonsfrom a Homeline SF convention heldin Gernsback’s New York. Other popu-lar tourist attractions include theSkydeck of the Mile-High Building,the Cumberland Gap AircarSteeplechase, zeppelin cruises to theAmazon Hilton, and the OrientElectrical Express (Paris to Peking in36 hours). The biggest draw, however,are the Tesla Day (July 10) festivities atWSC headquarters in Queens (cen-tered on the 1939 World’s FairPerisphere and Trylon), which featureparades, scientific demonstrations,and some really spectacular fireworks.

White Star Trading sells light met-als in bulk, medicines, and seedlingsfrom new crop varieties in Gernsback.They primarily buy different plantvarieties, superscientific alloys, andcultural artifacts – there is a bigHomeline demand for original Hitlerwatercolors, Frank Paul oils, and sci-ence fiction by Gernsback’s versions ofPoul Anderson, Robert Heinlein, andIsaac Asimov.

The U.S. and European govern-ments are under increasing pressurefrom civil rights advocates, feminists,and others concerned aboutGernsback’s blithe acceptance of wide-spread race and sex discrimination.However, there are only a few tinygroups in Gernsback attempting topropose alternatives, dismissed as iso-lated cranks by the mass of publicopinion. Thus, Homeline activists,hampered by Infinity’s enforcement ofThe Secret, have as yet been unable todevise an effective approach.


The WSC produced an endless stream ofsuperweapons for the League, from tanks firingparticle beams to teleguided missiles.

HELL WORLDSARIANE

In 1915, a mutant influenza virus(possibly a version of the “Spanish flu”that decimated Homeline historyaround that time) wiped out 99.9% ofthe population, leaving fewer than twomillion people alive on this Quantum5 Earth. Homeline medical sciencerapidly discovered a cure for theAriane Flu, and after a rapid survey,Infinity opened Ariane up for full col-onization as a Class O10 world in 2012(its local year 2002). Homeline settle-ment is a mixture of separatist andmanor colonies; most of the sepa-ratists are Western cultural conserva-tives, including “Reconstructionist”groups interested in settling andrestoring 1915 Paris, London, NewYork, and other urban centers. (Asplinter sect of ultraconservativeCatholics has a religious colony inRome and Florence.) Some of themanor settlers paid a substantial pre-mium for surviving (or rebuilt) struc-tures like the Kremlin, the WhiteHouse, and the Taj Mahal. The onlysurviving autochronous culture is the

isolationist TL4 theocracy that rulesTibet (off limits to Homeliners byInfinity Development fiat); the rest ofAriane’s natives are barbarian tribeswho raid Homeline colonies. Mostcolonies allow indenture of thenatives, which seems more decentthan exterminating them or leavingthem out in their Stone Age cold tostarve.

THE GOTHAPARALLELS

When the Scouts discoveredGotha-1 on Quantum 7, they thoughtthey had stumbled on a particularlydark Dark Ages parallel; Visigothicberserkers had apparently burnt outevery city in France. Small fortifiedmanor communities of only a fewhundred souls held out, surroundedby bands of marauding killers whoslew anyone they encountered. Later,Patrolmen discovered the same pat-tern on another Quantum 7 parallel,in a eighth-century India ravaged byThuggee. Civilization hadn’t alwaysbroken down in the medieval era,

either; ruins on some parallels showedtechnologies from TL1 to TL8!

After a few more surveys discov-ered new “Gotha” worlds, an appalledInfinity Patrol discerned the commonelement – on each of these parallels,the pneumonic plague had somehowmutated into (or become symbioticwith) a prion-based disease that spreadthrough any concentrated populationof over a thousand or so people. Belowthat threshold, the mutation usuallycouldn’t take hold. Cities becameimpossible, and only manor farms andhomesteads could survive and propa-gate themselves, ruthlessly purgingtheir own populations to keep theplague at bay. The infected, however,became bloodthirsty cannibals (eatingeach other if need be) with socialorganization closer to baboon troopsthan human tribes, holding onto what-ever cultural pattern fit their horrificfate in their own diseased minds.Millennial death-cults blossomed inevery corner of the globe touched bythe pestilence. On some of the Gothaparallels (mostly those with divergencepoints before 1000 A.D.), the Americasand Australia remain uninfected so far,but on most of them, civilization hascollapsed on any level above the fortified township.

The 19 known Gotha parallelsinclude eight worlds on Quantum 6,four worlds each on Quanta 7 and 5,and three alternates on Quantum 4.Infinity doesn’t know if Centrum hasdiscovered any on Quantum 8 or high-er. Nor do they know what caused thecrossworld outbreak. Perhaps a civi-lization on one of the Gotha parallelsonce invented parachronics, andunwittingly created a mutant diseasepool across the worlds. Perhaps themutation (although biologically inex-plicable to Homeline scientists) is anatural one on worldlines where thephysical laws, or evolutionary epi-demiology, differ slightly fromHomeline normal. Paranormal expla-nations, such as a Cabal attack or thedeath throes of a telepathic god, can’tbe ruled out either, as much as mostParalabs experts would like to. ThePatrol has taken no risks, however; theplague virus has been completelywiped out on Homeline.


Gotha Zombies-102 points

The Gotha virus is a super-virulent pathogen (2d minutes delay, HT-6, 1d toxic damage, 24-hour interval, 28 cycles) spread, like the pneu-monic plague from which it somehow mutated, as a respiratory agent. Itis very contagious, with an additional -2 to any of the contagion modi-fiers from p. B443. Once a sufferer has lost 2/3 of his HP to the disease,he becomes infected, and begins regaining HP at the rate of 1 per day.Those infected become “Gotha zombies,” in the callous slang of thePatrolmen who have to enter a Gotha parallel for some horrible reason.

Their Night Vision is a 0-point feature, as per p. 176.

Attribute Modifiers: ST+1 [10]; DX+1 [20]; IQ-2 [-40].Secondary Characteristic Modifiers: Per+4 [20]; Basic Move+3 [15];

Basic Speed+1 [20].Advantages: High Pain Threshold [10]; Less Sleep 4 [8]; Night Vision 5

[0]; Temperature Tolerance (Cold) 3 [3]; Unfazeable [15].Disadvantages: Bad Smell [-10]; Bad Temper [-10]; Berserk (Battle rage,

+50%) [-15]; Bestial [-15]; Bloodlust [-10]; Cannot Learn [-30]; DeadBroke [-25]; Delusion (Chosen by Death) [-15]; Ham-Fisted (-6 toskill) [-10]; Hidebound [-5]; Innumerate [-5]; Social Stigma (Monster)[-15]; Uncontrollable Appetite (Blood and brains) [-15]; Weakness(Bright light, 1d per 30 minutes; Fatigue Only, -50%, Variable, -40%;-80%) [-3].

LENIN-2The Chinese chronicles – nearly the

only ones surviving on this Quantum 6parallel – call the first wars after theSecond American Revolution theSpringtime Wars. The railroad strikesof 1876 destroyed the corrupt Grantadministration and ushered in a work-er’s collective in Chicago; with theBarbary Coup and the ChristmasMarch on Wall Street, the UnitedSocialist States of America stretchedfrom sea to shining sea. A lengthycampaign against the recalcitrantSouth ended just like the last one, withthe stronger North winning throughtotal war; the remaining capitalistsand reactionaries fled to Canada andAustralia. America’s example oncemore fired the workers of Europe;Germany, France, Italy, and Russia allwent Communist in the next 20 years.Only reactionary Britain and Japanheld out, spreading the virus of capi-talism to Sun-Yat Sen’s ChineseRepublic.

The Summer Wars of the 1950sbrought down the British andJapanese monarchies, but the victori-ous powers quarreled over the spoilsand failed to extirpate China’s boom-ing economy, which as always reliedvery little on overseas trade. By thelate 20th century, the stresses ofsocialist economics had badly dam-aged the environment. Just as theHomeline Soviet Union poisonedwhole river basins and lakes, in Lenin-2 the entire industrial world (except,oddly, China) began to choke on itsown filth. The Communist powersblamed the Chinese capitalists, ofcourse, and declared the Autumn Warin 2000 as a crusade to end capitalismand defeat pollution. In fact, theBolsheviks in Russia, the DKAP inMitteleuropa, and the ChristianCommunist Congressional Party inthe USSA fought each other almost asmuch as they fought the Chinese. Thenuclear exchanges didn’t do nearly asmuch damage as did the total ecologi-cal collapse. The Gulf Stream shutdown and shifted global weather pat-terns. Catastrophic warming meltedthe ice caps and flooded the coast-lines; mega-storms tore through thedesertified continental interiors; massextinctions wrecked the few survivingfarms and forests.

Most of the few million poisoned,dying survivors in the current year2021 are at TL3 at best. The Chineseremnants along the drowned coast-lines and interior districts are at TL4/7thanks to (barely) surviving industrialtechnology; China was probably atTL8 by the Autumn War, with desper-ate experiments perhaps reachingTL10. At least one Chinese Orion-drive (nuclear-explosion propelled)ship lifted off in 1999 for an unknowndestination; others may have escapedduring the war. A few Chinese receivedexperimental genetic grafts, hopefullyallowing them to survive ecologicaldisaster. Although Miracle Workersand the Patrol are trying to repairLenin-2, the chances look grim; talent-ed locals such as Xing La (p. B322)receive priority for outtime recruiting,to save a few people before theinevitable choking doom as the last ofthe plankton die off.

LEVIATHANIn this Quantum 6 world, humani-

ty fights a losing battle against a mys-terious TL(1+8) undersea civilization.The local humans on this parallel callthe ’A’Nthleioi the “Atlanteans,” due totheir undersea origins, and perhapsbecause of the likeness in names.These aliens, however, have little phys-ically in common with the Poseidon-blooded human Atlanteans onOrichalcum (p. 139), and may benative to some other dimension orparallel Earth worlds away. TheInfinity Patrol provides some weaponsto the human resistance where it can,but outworld aid can do little to turnback the flood tide of defeat short offull-scale intervention by a nationalgovernment on Homeline.

The War Against The Water

It all began on August 10, 1797,when the ’A’Nthleioi attackedNewburyport, Massachusetts. Ameri-can militia put up a brave, but futileresistance. By that fall, the whole east-ern seaboard was in nonhuman handsand ’A’Nthleioi probing raids hadcome ashore in both Britain andFrance. Savants speculated on thepossible genesis of such fearsomecreatures, and on their strategy, but

did not challenge their apparent self-identification as survivors of thedrowned continent Atlantis. In retro-spect, many disappeared ships hadlikely gone down to the “Atlantean”depths; many more vanished that win-ter, and survivors told of strange radi-ations playing about the rigging assudden maelstroms sucked 74-gunwarships below.

Over the next decades, theAtlanteans grew better and better atworking on land, hauling water tanksinto position, blasting out reservoircraters with odd-colored radiance,and putting sweating human slaves towork digging canals into the interior.By 1812 (the current year), the UnitedStates is only a few military govern-ments under Andrew Jackson’s command, pulled back into theAppalachians and the southwest.Britain and France are long gone, withthe other kingdoms of river-rivenEurope. Trapped in Egypt by theAtlantean menace in the Medi-terranean, Napoleon Bonaparte hasdeclared an “Empire of the Sands”deep in the Sahara; he leads an armyof Zouaves, Bedouin, and Tuareg witha hard core of French veterans underMurat. The Russians are a fewcolumns of armies, Cossacks, andmonks deep in the steppes; theChinese are warlords on the fringes ofthe Tien Shan and Himalayas.


Outworld OperationsOn Leviathan, the Patrol claims to

be visitors from Mars, trying to helpout as best they can in the struggle.(Centrum, probably correctly, consid-ers the world a lost cause and hasseemingly washed its hands of it.)Unusually for a hell parallel, thisworld is only Class R5 – the InfinityCouncil has decided that the opportu-nity to learn about these aliens isgreater than the (so far minimal) riskto Homeline security their invasionposes.

MADLANDThis truly bizarre and inhospitable

Quantum 4 parallel is high-mana withvery-high-mana pockets, deformed byinnumerable reality quakes (whichhave even disrupted the star patterns;Madland’s current present year isunknown) and by the actions of itsmalign, insane gods. These gods,which match no known human pan-theon, are twisted and animalistic,capricious and predatory. The glaciat-ed, forested, inhospitable peninsulas

and islands where the few, cringinghuman natives live barely supportagriculture or fishing at a TL0 level,although some tribes practice basicironworking. Most of the cultures onMadland seem similar to Lapps orNorth American Indian or Siberiantribes, albeit made paranoid and fatal-istic by the actions of their psychoticdeities.

(See GURPS Fantasy 2 for furtherdetails.)

TAFT-7The Patrol isn’t sure what to make

of this Quantum 5 parallel, and willlikely never resolve the issue becauseInfinity has declared it completely offlimits to all travelers. (All complaintsare referred to the worldline’s ISWATcase officer, Dr. William Headley(p. B314).) The Scouts who discoveredthis worldline in 2023 named it Taft-7because its sterilizing radiation countmatches that of Taft-3 (p. B528). Itslocal present is 1952, judging by thestars, but the human race either neverevolved here or died out long ago.Nonhuman archaeological remains(dated as best Paralabs can to about16 million years ago) dot the conti-nental shelves and some upthrustislands in the Pacific. The continentsthemselves are scarred by thousand-mile stretches of basalt that make notectonic sense but may indicate a kindof focused chain of reality quakes rip-ping across the Earth’s surface. Whatanimal life survives are deformedgrotesques, mutated by the radiationlevel; the plants are mostly carnivo-rous or twist themselves in search oflight in invisible spectra.

The dynasty founded by MarkAntony and Cleopatra did not possessAugustus’ genius, but it was in no dan-ger of falling to an urban mob, either.Unlike Rome, Egypt could feed itself;unlike the Romans, the Egyptiansknew better than to question theirdivine kings. The legions still watchedon the Rhine, but Antony saw no pointin conquering empty German forests

when he could emulate Alexander andrule the East. Rome’s energies droveeast and south, adding Nubia andParthia, Sarmatia and Arabia Felix, tothe Empire. The emperor MarcusUlpius granted a very promising tribein Sarmatia, the Goths, immediatefoederati status and transferred themwholesale to the Bactrian border toguard the exiled Jews, which solved

several problems the cheerful, opti-mistic Antonine emperors never evenknew they had.

Gaul and Britain fell eventually, butthey were reconquered eventually, too.Plagues and famines tore through theremoter provinces, but the Egyptiangranaries and Nubian gold mines keptthe eastern core of the Empire alive, ifnot always healthy.

JOHNSON’S ROME


’A’Nthleioi (“Atlanteans”)165 points

Amphibious humanoids with pale, shiny, hairless skin, the ’A’Nthleioishow every sign of having been genetically engineered from a mixture ofhuman, piscine, and alien DNA. They can interbreed with humans,although some of the descendants of such matings eventually respond totheir genetic triggers and revert to “pure” ’A’Nthleioi, gaining subcuta-neous fat and striated muscle (eventually almost 100 lbs. worth). Theyhave large, bulbous eyes, long arms, stubby legs, and clawed and webbedhands and feet. Their skin and eyes are a pale greenish-gray, though theirbellies are white. They have scaly ridges on their backs, jaws, hips, andjoints, and over their prominent gill slits. They prefer salt water to fresh,but can survive in either. Their mysterious acoustic and metallurgicalsciences attain TL(1+8), but ’A’Nthleioi warriors remain most comfort-able with the sword and trident, at least on Leviathan.

Attribute Modifiers: ST+3 [30]; IQ+3 [60].Advantages: Amphibious [10]; DR 1 [5]; Doesn’t Breathe (Gills) [10];

Immunity (Starvation) (Drops into torpor rather than dying, -50%)[5]; Nictitating Membrane 1 [1]; Night Vision 9 [9]; Peripheral Vision[15]; Pressure Support 2 [10]; Talons [8]; Telesend (Racial, -20%,Telepathic, -10%; -30%) [21]; Temperature Tolerance 4 (Cold) [4];Unaging [15].

Disadvantages: Dependency (Immersion in water, daily) [-15]; Dread(Swastikas) [-5]; No Empathy [-20]; Overweight [-1].

Quirks: Prefers salt water to fresh [-1].Racially Learned Skills: Swimming-12 (HT+2) [4].

Rome on XXV Denarii a Day

When Alex A. Johnson, the founderof Johnson Crosstime Incorporated(JCI; see p. 38), arrived in Rome fromHomeline in 1192, he found the sec-ond-biggest city of a cosmopolitanempire just hitting its second peak.The city of Rome compensated for its“second city” status by being very, verytraditional and very, very decadent atthe same time. Johnson fell in loveimmediately.

He introduced a number ofimprovements as he built up his localpower base, from the telegraph to icecream to hand-rolled cigars. (He hadto bribe a Roman admiral to discoverAmerica first, but for lifelong cigar-smoker Johnson, it was more thanworth it.) As governor of Pannonia, hedrove off the Pechenegs with horseartillery and light infantry, and theensuing military revolution is spread-ing to the more conservative generalsin India and Gaetulia, stabilizingimperial defenses at a substantial costsavings.

Outworld OperationsJohnson Crosstime owns an amaz-

ing amount of the Roman Empireoutright, second only to the imperialfamily as the biggest holders of landand gold in the realm. Much of its liq-uid capital goes to bribes, of course;the rest is plowed into upkeep for the

luxurious villas, galleys, and baths JCImaintains for its Homeline tourists.Packages range from the “SevenWonders In Seven Days” shuttle(stealthed hydrofoils and hovercraftwhisk visitors from the Colosseum tothe Pyramids to the Hanging Gardens,rebuilt after substantial JCI bribes tothe Babylonian city governor) to theadults-only “Capri Month in EmperorTiberius’ legendary palace of pleasure”(in this worldline, of course, TiberiusClaudius wasn’t an emperor, and did-n’t become a deranged degenerate, butit was his summer villa). Even TimeTours has given in, running its owntours of slightly higher-toned settings(for a substantial license fee to JCI, ofcourse). Roman citizens have grownused to seeing flocks of tall, doughybarbarians with outrageous accentsand lots of spare silver; “Jonsonius’guests from overseas” usually don’t getknifed and rolled.

If they do, of course, the Vigilescome down on the offenders’ patronlike a ton of marble; the I-Cops’Security Division essentially runs theVigiles (in Rome, Alexandria, andBabylon anyway) as a local branchoffice. The Patrol is mostly concernedwith chasing down terrorist cellsbased here, especially the ones train-ing the rebels in Persia, Mauretania,and Hibernia. In these provinces, theslackening brutality of the Imperialgovernors (part of Johnson’s well-meaning reform plans) has encour-aged overtaxed natives to rebel. Andthey have help: a spate of naphtha-bombings in Babylon, Carthage, andRhodes has all the fingerprints of out-time planning. The FBI office in Romeprovides full cooperation to the Patrol,and even assists with the occasional“sweep and capture” raid through theplebeian neighborhoods.


LENIN-1President Franklin Roosevelt wasn’t

in the best of health during the 1944election campaign. In fact, he wasbarely holding on by his fingernails.On Homeline, he was able to summonthe stamina to fight the Axis. There, he

even had the lucidity to drop theembarrassingly left-leaning HenryWallace from the Democratic ticket infavor of the blunt anti-Communistmachine politician Harry S Truman.On another worldline, with his health

(or his judgment of vice presidents) alittle worse, he left the intensely pro-Soviet Wallace a heartbeat away fromthe Oval Office. On both Homeline andLenin-1, he died in office on April 12,1945.

Johnson’s Rome, 1206Current Affairs

Crossworld terrorism endangers a tourist paradise where Romenever fell.

Divergence Point31 B.C.; Mark Antony and Cleopatra win the Battle of Actium; Roman

center of gravity removes to the east.

Major CivilizationsRoman (empire with satellite states), Steppe-Chinese (empire with

satellite states), Indic (multipolar), Mississippian-Roman (empire withsatellite states).

Great PowersRoman Empire (dictatorship, CR4), Khitai (dictatorship, CR5), Chola

Telugu (oligarchy, CR4), Pagan (dictatorship, CR4), Lenapea (clan/tribal,CR2 for Lenapii, CR4 for subject tribes).

Worldline DataTL: 4 (medicine, TL5/8) Mana Level: no manaQuantum: 5 Infinity Class: O9Centrum Zone: Inaccessible

The West Is RedHomeline’s leftist historians were

right, in a way; without the aggressiveAmerican stance in the 1940s, therewas no Cold War. The Soviets occu-pied Germany and Japan, andpropped up Communist governmentsin France, Italy, Iran, and Greece asthe United States concentrated onsocial reform, disarmament, and eco-nomic readjustment. When China fellto Mao’s Communists in 1949,Republicans squawked about “losingChina,” but couldn’t sell a land war inAsia to the American people, even ifthere had been somewhere left to fightit. (Korea, Indochina, and thePhilippines had all gone Communistas well.) Churchill couldn’t keep theBritish in the containment businesseither: India became an independentsocialist republic, Malaya, Kenya, andAden fell to Communist rebels, andNasser steered Egypt into the Sovietcamp alongside socialist Israel. The1952 elections dethroned the “lion in


Other Communist Worlds

Lenin-1, 1989Current Affairs

The United States is the last capitalist power in a world goneCommunist.

Divergence Point1944; Roosevelt leaves Vice-President Wallace on the ticket instead of

Truman, and the dedicated pro-Soviet Wallace becomes President afterFDR’s death in office.

Major CivilizationsOrthodox (empire with satellite states), Western (multipolar),

Chinese (empire with satellite states), Indic (empire).

Great PowersSoviet Union (dictatorship, CR5), People’s Republic of China (dicta-

torship, CR6), United States (representative democracy, CR4), People’sRepublic of India (representative democracy, CR5), Republic of GreatBritain (oligarchy, CR4).

Worldline DataTL: 7 (space, TL(7+1)) Mana Level: no manaQuantum: 5 Infinity Class: Z4Centrum Zone: Inaccessible

Although worlds with successful Communist revolu-tions are not particularly rare, worlds in whichCommunism managed to exceed its not inconsiderableeffect on Homeline’s history are, with only five knownincluding Lenin-1 and Campbell (p. 119).

Lenin-2 is an ecodisaster hell parallel (p. 129).On Lenin-3 (Q6, current year 2004), Mussolini

stayed Communist and his government supported theCatalan workers, who were the anti-Soviet, anti-Fascist“third force” in Spain during the 1936-1939 War.Mexico’s Cardénas brought his own socialist govern-ment into Mussolini’s “anti-Moscow Socialist Axis” in1938, and Mussolini’s Axis stayed neutral during “theinter-fascist struggle” of World War II. The U.S.-U.K.alliance took an increasingly technocratic stance afterthe war, and launched a series of huge government“Manhattan Initiatives.” Government scientists intend-ed projects like the Moon shots, the fuel-cell car (causedby concern over Iran’s socialist government joining theAxis in 1953), the Concord stratojet, and so forth tomaintain the West’s lead, even after the Soviet collapsein the 1960s. This uneven development path leavesLenin-3 TL6 in some areas (like personal electronicsand agriculture), TL7-8 in most things, and TL9 in high-profile gadgets like moon colonies, fuel cells, and super-sonic aircraft.

On Lenin-4 (Q6, current year 2027), a more severeWestern recession in the 1970s forced perestroika a

decade early, with the United States in a position ofweakness. The U.S. and USSR agreed to cooperateindustrially and economically to dominate the Earthand space. They are challenged by a nonaligned move-ment centered in Brasilia, the United Peoples of Earth,and by a newly formed aerospace megacorporation,Terradyne, Inc.

The Patrol carelessly uses the “Lenin” prefix to noteother worlds with important variances from Homelinesocialist history. On Lenin-5 (Q5, current year 1965),Bukharin, not Stalin, took over the Soviet Union in1924. Bukharin did not purge the Red Army, which eas-ily threw back Operation Barbarossa in 1941, causing aWehrmacht coup against Hitler that aborted the War.General Zhukov took over after Bukharin’s death in1956, denouncing him and revealing the gulags to theWest. Zhukov is pursuing full rapprochement with theU.S. against Mao’s China; fascist Germany remainsneutral.

On Lenin-6 (Q3, current year 1922), Bakunin wonthe dispute over Marx at the 1872 First International,and socialist anarchism remains the progressive waveof the future among the intelligentsia. Kropotkin’sBakuninite soviets overthrew the czars in 1918; theresulting collectives are fighting a desperate, unorgan-ized war against British and Japanese invaders, who areallied with Marxist death squads directed by Lenin,Trotsky, and Dzerzhinsky.

winter”; Churchill retired and accept-ed a history professorship at FultonCollege in Missouri.

The United States did respond toCommunist movements in theWestern Hemisphere: PresidentEisenhower overthrew Arbenz inGuatemala, and landed the Marines inHavana in 1959. President Nixon con-tinued this aggressive stance in theDominican Republic and Peru, butaccelerated Eisenhower’s domesticstatism even further as the postwareconomy slowly ran out of steam.Great Britain became a socialistrepublic in 1974, the same year thatIndia formally became a People’sRepublic (and detonated an atomicbomb to announce its independence

from both the Soviets and theChinese). In 1981, Mexico wentCommunist, drawing no responsefrom President Kennedy. Americatightened its belt, accepted malaiseand decline, and hunkered down towait for the end. Either theCommunist superpowers woulddestroy themselves (and everyoneelse) in a nuclear war, or the inevitabledialectic of history would sweep capi-talism aside and the United Stateswould join Russia, China, Europe, andIndia in grim, egalitarian poverty.

Outworld OperationsHomeline China has no great love

for this parallel’s Beijing government,which continues policies of mass star-

vation and industrial collectivism wellout of favor in Homeline’s Politburo. Ittakes an active hand in planning thefew Patrol operations trying to defusethe suicidal politics of Lenin-1’sKremlin, which is reaching the end ofits economic rope trying to stay in con-trol of Europe, the Middle East, andAfrica while keeping its armies at fullstrength to defeat China and overaweIndia. After all, Homeline’s Chinesepoint out at Infinity Council meetings,who else has more experience revers-ing “left diversionism”? Although theysuspect China of wanting to take overLenin-1 wholesale, UNIC lacks anybetter alternative. The Patrol hopes forthe best, and plans for Lenin-1’s transi-tion to hell parallel status.

On June 30, 1908, a black holefragment slammed into the Earth. OnHomeline, it hit the Tunguska valley inremote Siberia. On another worldline,the planet had revolved six hours fur-ther when the bolide struck. St.Petersburg, Russia was instantly oblit-erated, killing the Czar and the entireroyal family. Russia collapsed intochaos, and Germany moved into thewreckage to salvage what it could.

After the SkyfallIn the radioactive ruins of St.

Petersburg, the scientists of the KaiserWilhelm Institut (assisting with theoccupation of a disintegrated Russia)found something they didn’t expect.They discovered the keys to the future– strange elements they dubbed “astro-nium” and “petrinium.” Astroniumcould be built into super-bombs thatfroze the balance of power, especiallyafter the discovery of astronium inancient meteor craters in Mexico, theBelgian Congo, and Mesopotamia.Petrinium could be used to powercities with electric force, lighting themup for the cost of the wire. And eithercould fuel the core of Willy Ley’s torchships that flew to the planets, some-how defying the conventional laws ofaction and reaction.

The great powers moved into space,using rapid planetary colonization andexploitation as a psychological “safetyvalve,” full-employment program, andsubsidy to big businesses after the

stock market panics of 1929 and 1930.The U.S., Germany, Britain, and Japanhave space stations in low Earth orbit(Jefferson, Valhalla, Victrix, andYamato, respectively); the outer sys-tem holds an Italian shipyard on Ioand a German base on Ganymede,and Britain’s Ceres Station is “halfwayto everywhere,” as the Royal SpaceForce (RSF) proudly says. Britain’sMarsport colony dominates that dry,

canal-latticed world; France exploresthe soda-water oceans of Venus; theItalians prospect the boiling mines ofMercury; all the powers have moon-bases with lunar artillery trained onthe Earth’s capitals. In spaceports fromPearl Harbor to Singapore, leather-jacketed spacers with cosmic-ray tansswagger proudly, knowing that theyare the inheritors of the future.


Lucifer-5, 1938Current Affairs

Bold German, American, and British airmen explore the planets intheir atomic torch ships, as Imperial Japan and the other powers scram-ble for space.

Divergence Point1908; Tunguska bolide levels St. Petersburg, Russia, leaving Germany

supreme in Europe by default, and introducing a superscientific elementto the dawn of the air age.

Major CivilizationsWestern (multipolar), Japanese (empire)

Great PowersGerman Empire (dictatorship, CR5), British Empire (representative

democracy, CR4), United States (representative democracy, CR3, CR5for blacks), Japanese Empire (dictatorship, CR5), Fascist Italy (dictator-ship, CR5), France (representative democracy, CR4).

Worldline DataTL: 6 (power and aerospace, TL6^)Mana Level: none on Earth, low on Mars, normal on Venus.Quantum: 6 Infinity Class: R9 Centrum Zone: Orange

LUCIFER-5

Outworld OperationsCentrum and Homeline duel for

influence in this parallel, but ratherthan choose up sides and fight a proxywar, both Interworld and the Patrolare trying to infiltrate the space forcesof all the powers. Centrum believesthat the RSF, the Raumwaffe, theUnited States Space Corps, and theirFrench, Japanese, and Italian counter-parts have what it takes to form thecore of a new Centrum, an aerospatialelite capable of dictating terms to theEarth below them. Infinity believesthat this is pernicious nonsense, butcan’t deny the logic that command ofthe ultimate high ground carries withit command of this worldline. The twosides also compete to analyze and con-trol the many strange artifacts, ruins,reality shards, and anomalous phe-nomena scattered throughout Lucifer-5’s solar system.

“Now I am become Death, destroy-er of worlds.”

– Robert Oppenheimer, witnessing theTrinity atomic test, July 16, 1945

Dr. Oppenheimer quoted thosewords from the Bhagavad-Gita onHomeline and elsewhen, but only onone worldline did he unknowinglycomplete a necromantic ritual bydoing so. On the world known asMerlin, Oppenheimer ripped open thefabric of reality and a mightybanestorm blew in . . . and stayed. The“Hellstorm,” a sorcerous tornado two-miles tall, blew oz particles (p. 74)across a 2,000-mile stretch of NorthAmerica. The “Manafall” awoke theworld’s magic, especially in the 200-mile radius around Alamogordo, NewMexico. That “Manabelt” became the

heartland of America’s postwargrowth industry: magic.

The Magic ReturnsIn the final analysis, the Manafall

merely made the United States evenmore overwhelmingly powerful inMerlin’s history than it was inHomeline. With almost the entireManabelt on American soil, and withthe unbridled forces of capitalismunleashed on the marvelous new toysmagic brings, it wasn’t even close.Teleportation spells put America’sHermes station in orbit in 1968.Dragon-riding “Black Berets” and the101st Spellborne Division rolled up theCommunists in Vietnam and installeda pro-American strongman in 1974;flying carpets carried U.S. special

forces into Teheran in 1979; the BerlinWall vanished into thin air in 1990; ina covert 2000 Afghanistan operation, amore supernaturally savvy CIA saltedthe Dead Brotherhood zombies plan-ning to destroy the World TradeCenter. Even a stronger, more prosper-ous Mexico redounded to America’sbenefit. The Chinese government hasembraced traditional values and capi-talism even more fervently than onHomeline; the most dangerousCommunists left in the world are thewarlords following a reanimated JosefStalin in Belarus and the Caucasus,and a hive-mind of sorcerous penguinsin Antarctica. Only fascist Argentina,ruled by an undying Evita Perón andsupported by the Nazi sorcerers in theCondor Group, remains a threat to the


Other LucifersHow art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the

morning! How art thou cut down to the ground, which didweaken the nations!

– Isaiah 14:12Infinity initiated the “Lucifer” designation to refer to worlds that have

suffered devastating cometary or meteoric impact. With the discovery ofLucifer-3, the Patrol broadened their usage to encompass other sorts ofinterstellar disasters.

A “dinosaur-killer” meteorite struck Lucifer-1 (Q7, current year 1991)in 1888, obliterating human life everywhere except New Zealand.Continued volcanism in the Northern Hemisphere has rendered almostthe entire atmosphere nearly unbreathable; the New Zealand survivorsare reduced to TL2 savagery.

On Lucifer-2 (Q3, current year 1492) the “Canterbury Event” (a mete-orite swarm striking the Moon in 1178) missed the Moon and plowedacross the Eastern Hemisphere, wiping out urban civilization and ush-ering in a new Ice Age. The dominant civilizations are the AymaraEmpire along the Brazilian coast and a Muskogean confederation in theOhio Valley, both TL2.

In Lucifer-3 (Q5, current year 2004), radiation from a nearby super-nova or gamma-ray burster sterilized the surface of Earth in 1979.Homeliners are systematically looting the ruins of its TL7 human civi-lization for surviving art treasures and refined raw materials.

Lucifer-4 (Q3, current year 64,403,225 B.C.) is a late-Cretaceous par-allel where the iridium meteorite has just fallen in the Yucatan (p. 84).

On the normal-mana world Lucifer-6 (Q3, current year 747 B.C.) aneccentric comet entered an “Earth-grazing” orbit around 2350 B.C.,causing catastrophic weather shifts every 400 years. Babylonian andEgyptian wizards plan to invade and conquer the comet when it comesback around next year.

MERLIN

free world – Argentina’s victory in theFalklands War gave new impetus tomagical neo-fascist movements fromRumania to Egypt.

Outworld OperationsInfinity discovered Merlin in its

local year 1992, when the Patrol sent arecovery mission to New Mexico insearch of a stranded conveyor thrownaskew by an attempted angel-sum-moning. Paralabs finds the magic ofMerlin refreshingly technological andscientific, and is eager to learn more.Only the inherent difficulties of infil-trating a TL8 world (especially onewith magical mind-reading) restrictScout missions from gathering infor-mation on every possible topic. Evenunclassified civilian magitech boughtfrom a Merlin Wal-Mart has led touseful theoretical advances back onHomeline.

Unknown to Infinity, however,beginning in 1998 (Homeline year2021), Merlin’s CIA has sent agents ofits own to investigate and infiltrateHomeline, using top-secret planartravel spells. Among their top agentsin place is Georgia Bush; her cover(working toward a Ph.D. in medievalcliodynamics on a Duncorne

Foundation scholarship) gives herplenty of excuses for legitimate cross-world travel – and cover for her regular trips back to Merlin to report.

Unknown to Infinity or to Merlin’sCIA, the Condor Group in Argentinahas cut a “Perón-Penguin Pact” givingthem access to the Queen Maud LandHellstorm. To their surprise, not onlydid they acquire some very interestingartifacts and magical insights, theymade contact with the ArmanenOrder from Reich-5. Since early thisyear, Merlin’s Buenos Aires has hosteda Raven Division safe house (and anAmt Z Kern: see p. 67), beginningwhat could be a very dangerousfriendship.

(See GURPS Technomancer forfurther details.)


Merlin, 2004Current Affairs

In a world of magic and technology, the United States faces the chal-lenges of the new millennium with the best of both.

Divergence Point1945; Trinity detonation unleashes the Hellstorm, a massive, perma-

nent banestorm raising global mana levels. A second detonation inAntarctica unleashes an even larger one in 1949.

Major CivilizationsWestern (empire with rivals), Chinese (empire), Orthodox (empire

with rivals), Indic (empire).

Great PowersUnited States (representative democracy, CR3), People’s Republic of

China (dictatorship, CR5), Russian Republic (oligarchy, CR4), Mexico(representative democracy, CR4), India (representative democracy,CR4), Argentina (dictatorship, CR5).

Worldline DataTL: (7+1) magitech Mana Level: high (within 200 miles of

Alamogordo, New Mexico and within 1,600 miles of Queen Maud Land,Antarctica); normal (everywhere else)

Quantum: 3 Infinity Class: Z2 Centrum Zone: Inaccessible

Other MerlinsInfinity has discovered two more normal-mana worlds with

Hellstorms since 2015, both of which received a Merlin designation;Merlin is therefore officially Merlin-1.

On Merlin-2 (Q3, current year 2027), a Hamas splinter group nukedJerusalem in 2012, unleashing the “Manaclysm” and turning everythingfrom Cairo to Damascus into a high-mana zone. Another terrorist nuke,detonated in an oil tanker in Galveston Harbor in 2016, obliteratedHouston utterly in the resulting Hellstorm, but made a vast stretch of theAmerican West high-mana as well; a third nuke might well destroy theworldline. The Patrol, as well as most local governments, is in a nonstoprace against terror, while chimeras and monsters wander an Americaboth magical and enraged.

The Patrol discovered Merlin-3 (Q3, current year 1942) only last year;its Hellstorm swallowed Nuremberg, Germany in 1919. The high-manazone is almost entirely German or German-occupied (Alsace-Lorraineand Bohemia), giving Germany a sorcerous edge in this worldline’songoing Second World War. Infinity is cautiously trying to support theWestern Allies without giving The Secret away to suspicious militaryintelligence warlocks. The Patrol is also trying to infiltrate and divertMerlin-3’s atomic research programs, which it suspects could destroy theworldline if successful! (See GURPS WWII: Weird War II for furtherdetails.)

MYTH PARALLELSBURTON

This high-mana Quantum 3 world-line parallels the Arabian Nights, withdjinn and flying carpets, MuslimChinese emirates, and islands of glassin the all-circling Ocean. Needless tosay, the Abbasid Caliphate at Baghdadis by far the pre-eminent power,stretching from Marrakesh toMongolia, TL3 in everything pictur-esque, and TL4 in everything comfort-able or convenient. The few Frankish,Byzantine, or Zanji kingdoms in thewest and south, or the pagan elephant-worshipers in India, seemingly existsolely to provide someone for thecaliph’s armies to vanquish, andplaces for exotic maidens to hail from.Burton attracts all kinds, fromCabalists looking to bottle djinn totourists eager to soak up local color inthe souk.

The strangest thing about Burtonis that it exists in a 23-year time looplasting the length of Harun al-Rashid’sreign, from 786 to 809 A.D. (Someanachronisms, like the Order ofAssassins, exist on the fringes of theCaliphate.) When the Caliph dies,lamentations are heard for 40 days;then, the muezzins announce thatAllah has sent the people a newCaliph, Harun al-Rashid. Other majorfigures leave around then, also;Sindbad is always out on his last voy-age in 809 A.D. and returning from hisearliest apprenticeship in 786 A.D., 40days later. Many of the locals seem tounderstand this, and hope to take partin a story sufficiently glorious to letthem live forever young and interest-ing; otherwise, they will live, marry,have children, and die like back-ground characters.

CAMELOTPARALLELS

In Camelot-1 (Q5, current year437 A.D.), history follows the path setout by the Arthurian Vulgate Cycle;King Arthur rules a TL3 Logres and ispreparing for the Battle of Badon Hillto break the power of the Saxons.Lancelot has returned to the RoundTable with Tristram, and Galahad and

Percival are both three years old. Therest of Europe is under the RomanEmpire, with some Saracens in Spainand Africa. The world is high-mana,but magicians are still very rare.

When the Patrol discovered the no-mana parallel Camelot-2 (Q7, currentyear 469 A.D.), they thought that thequestion of Arthur’s historical exis-tence was settled at last. On thisworldline, a general named Artoriusbecame the Riothamus, or High King,of Romanized Britain by marrying thedaughter of Vortigern, and defendscivilization against Saxon invasions.A grubbily unromantic TL2 thatnearly bankrupted Time Tours whenbad word of mouth depressed ticketsales for the overhyped 2014 (457A.D. local) tour, this worldlineseemed to bear out the speculationsof some Homeline writers such asGeoffrey Ashe in every detail.However, other equally “realistic”Arthurs awaited discovery, and thepartisans of “Riothamus” havereturned to obscurity.

Camelot-3 (Q4, current year 551A.D.) is perhaps not the most “mythi-cal” of the parallels with a known KingArthur, but it is by far the most popu-lar with crossworld tourists. In thisnormal-mana worldline, the fracturezone around 535 A.D. (p. 77) churnedup reality in a major fashion, leavingArthur’s knights clad in TL4Renaissance plate mail, living in TL313th-century castles, and fighting acruel TL2 Roman Empire ruled bygiants. Although Arthur has begun theGrail Quest, Homeline scholars arecompletely at a loss about how the restof his reign might go.

(See GURPS Camelot for furtherdetails of these three worldlines.)

Shortly after discovering Camelot-3 in 2017, Infinity abandoned the“Camelot” designation. Analyzing the535 Event helped Paralabs to developthe theory of reality quakes, and thenew parachronic physics predictedthat tens, or even hundreds, of“Arthurs” waited to be found. On anyparallel with a current date between410 and 660 A.D., the Patrol by nowroutinely expects to discover the “realArthur” in a North Welsh hill fort, aScottish border wall, or a detachment

of Roman cavalry, dying nobly under anuclear winter cloud, practicingGoddess-worship in a pagan paradise,battling rude French knights, or turn-ing into a bear during full moons inIreland.

Just out of curiosity, however, theEcho Surveillance Division of thePenetration Service is keeping a veryclose eye on Echo 1502 Minus.

MANDEVILLEThis Quantum 3 worldline matches

the 14th-century traveler’s tales of SirJohn Mandeville, a famous liar andplagiarist who in Homeline historymay never have traveled any furtherthan Belgium. The current yearappears to be 1336, although readingsvary wildly in the “Empire of PresterJohn,” a bizarre, wealthy, Christianrealm stretching across a somehowwider Central Asia between Cathayand Persia. Prester John claims theallegiance of the thousand kingdomsin the Indies, as well, including Chana(where people worship the first thingthey see in the morning), Natumera(an island of dog-headed folk),Pentoxere (home of the talking birds),and so forth. The Arimaspians (one-eyed men) live in the Mountains of theMoon in central Africa, and theAmazons have several matriarchiesand cities on the fringes of PresterJohn’s empire and in the myriadislands between Europe and Japan.(There are no American continents,although both California and Brazilare large islands in roughly the sameplace as their Homeline counterparts.)

The European nations and Cathayare normal-mana and TL3 (except forhigh-mana lands like Cockaigne);Prester John’s very-high-mana realmis TL4. Although the dangers of thisparallel keep it officially off limits(rated R4), its many nexus portals,plus the Fountain of Youth in the cityof Polumbum, the Valley of Jewels,and similar enticements, draw plentyof unauthorized travelers.

NOTTINGHAMInfinity nitpickers still argue about

whether this low-mana Quantum 6


parallel is a historical anchor (or closeparallel) or a myth parallel. On theside of history, the “Robin Hood” whobattles the Sheriff of Nottingham (androbs the papal tax collectors who bat-ten on the weak King Henry III) livesin Barnsdale Wood, not Sherwood,and the current year is 1244, almost50 years after the death of the mythicRobin’s liege lord Richard I. On themythic front, he most definitely has aMaid Marian accompanying hisMerry Men, and Homeline scholarsare unanimous in agreeing that she isa late French addition to the legendcycle. His true identity might settlethings (if he’s a common poacher, he’slikely historical; if he’s the disinheritedEarl of Locksley or Huntingdon, he’sprobably mythic), but given that he’s

under a sentence of death, Robin isreluctant to broadcast his true nameto anyone. Regardless, Time Toursdoes a nice bit of business inNottingham’s Nottingham, keeping anannual Fair there and doing their ownpart to rob from the rich (onHomeline) and give to the poor (onNottingham). Less their cut, of course.

SHERLOCKPARALLELS

In the close parallel Sherlock-1(Q5, current year 1910), SherlockHolmes apparently died atReichenbach Falls in 1891. Just to beon the safe side, Infinity takes extraprecautions when visiting Sherlock-2(Q6, current year 1888) where bothHolmes and Moriarty are still aliveand awaiting their fatal contest; otherVictorian characters such as Dr. Jekylland Abraham van Helsing are alsoalive on this worldline.

The anchor parallel Sherlock-3(Q6, current year 1897) was once amajor covert Infinity-Centrum battle-ground, which the Patrol cleared outfour years ago. It is now a popularTime Tours destination in which

“Sherlock Holmes” is one of severalactors (one or two of whom have realcriminological experience) hired byTime Tours to impersonate the GreatDetective. For a well-paying outworldclientele, he “solves crimes” in anappropriately foggy Victorian Londonslowly coming under the financialsway of Denarius Holdings (which isalso trying to stave off World War I inthis timeline). Not all the crimes arebogus, however; not only does one oranother “Holmes” get the occasionallocal client with a genuine problem,they now have an arch-enemy. TimeTours is desperately trying to keep theactivities of a Centrum Unattachedagent (who, having apparently donehis research, goes under the name“Moran”) from attracting the atten-tion of either the Patrol (which wouldclose the reality if it knew Centrumwas attempting to penetrate it again)or Scotland Yard. Interestingly, since“Moran” doesn’t want the Patrol inter-fering, either, he keeps his outrages toa minimum and keeps them “in genre”– thefts of submarine plans, airshippiracy, conspiring with wicked femaleagents from the Continent, and thatsort of thing.

In a single reign, King ShalmaneserIII of Assyria managed to abortmonotheism and democracy on hisworldline, and make a fairly savagedent in capitalism and literacy. In 854B.C. on the shores of the Orontes River,his armies slaughtered the Hebrewsand Syrians without mercy, marchingacross the river on the bodies of theslain. While one detachment destroyedthe Hebrew capitals of Samaria andJerusalem, the main armies wheeledwest and caught Tyre and Sidon unpre-pared. Captured Phoenecian ships car-ried the Assyrian armies to thePhrygian flank and secured theempire’s rear. The later obliteration ofthe few Greek oil-and-wine tradingcities on the Aegean didn’t even get awhole paragraph on the triumphantstelae of Shamshiadad V. Tyre andSidon foolishly attempted a revolt that ended with both cities destroyed;their strange “alphabetic” script sur-vives only in a few potsherds on theCoele-syrian coast.


Nergal, 1678Current Affairs

The dark sorceries of the Assyrian priests draw a shadow across theworld as the icy gates of hell slowly creak open.

Divergence Point854 B.C.; Assyria defeats Aram and Israel at the Battle of Qarqar,

eradicates Hebrews entirely.

Major CivilizationsNeo-Assyrian (empire with rivals), Irano-Indic (multipolar), Steppe-

Chinese (multipolar), Meso-American (multipolar).

Great PowersSixth Assyrian Empire (dictatorship, CR5 for Assyrians, CR6 for sub-

ject peoples), Kanavashya (feudal, CR3), Tujue (dictatorship, CR5),Nerwa (oligarchy, CR4), Denehtec Empire (theocracy, CR5).

Worldline DataTL: 2-3 (no gunpowder or paper) Mana Level: normalQuantum: 5 Infinity Class: P7Centrum Zone: Inaccessible

NERGAL

The Terror That Was Asshur

Even the Assyrian tyranny couldnot last forever, although it lasted longenough to drive the Medes andScythians back east, to pillage softertargets in India and China. (Tujue, theTurkish marcher state in China, is thelatest inheritor of their barbaricempires.) But when it fell, all futureempires remembered the murderousglory of Assyria and emulated it everafter. The newest Assyrian Empire (theSixth) reigns in efficient terror fromPersia to the shores of Italy. Its cruelpriests trade gangs of slaves betweentheir basalt ziggurats, and read theentrails of those slaves fortunateenough to be offered to the gods . . . aPhoenecian custom, unlike coinage,that the Assyrians did adapt. The dead-ly efficient war machine of the dark

lords of Asshur presses against thePersian caste-lords in Kanavashya andthe other Indian kingdoms, andagainst the human-sacrificing Nerwain Gaul, whose tall ships scour theAtlantic looking for slaves in the NewWorld. So far, the Denehtec in Mexicohave held out against the Celtic pirateraids, but new plagues are spreadingover the land, and no matter howmany hearts are torn out on the altarsof Kokopetl, nothing seems to bringback the sun. Winter is coming to theworld, and only the cruel will survive.This is the will of all the surviving gods.

Outworld OperationsOn this world, the Infinity Patrol

operates almost openly; Nergal’sprimitive industry poses no threat toThe Secret, and frankly the Patrolwould like to cause as much cultural

contamination here as possible. TheCouncil has rejected simply conquer-ing this parallel and deposing itshomicidal empires by force, but thePatrol has taken over southern Africaand built a thriving TL3 Xhosa-Tamilsociety along its coasts protected by“the sky gods.” (The interior is TL8mining camps, a climatologicalresearch station studying the anom-alous Ice Age in progress, and a largeParalabs magical research center onthe site of Homeline’s GreatZimbabwe.) Every so often, a Patrol“wizard” – or even a genuine wizard,usually from ISWAT – recruits a bandof adventurous locals and lead theminto one or another dark realm to lib-erate slaves, destroy arms factories,and otherwise psychologically desta-bilize the rulers of this nightmareparallel.


NOSTRADAMUSThe French pharmacist and

astrologer Michel de Nostredame dida good business in almanacs andhoroscopes, while cultivating trueprophecy. In Homeline’s history, hegained the patronage of Catherine de’Medici, the true ruler of France. In theworldline named for his Latin pseudo-nym, Nostredame’s scholarshipbrought a further reward, theIamblichan Words of Power used byinitiates in the Egyptian Mysteries. Heincorporated them into hisProphecies, and after his death in1566 (which he predicted), Catherinehad his manuscripts seized by hercourt magi and suppressed elsewhere.She began manipulating events tomatch the prophetic Words. In shortorder, Catherine had raised her sonCharles to the throne of the Saint-Empire Romain and purged her ene-mies before they even knew of theirown plots. In this history, Francewould have no civil war or Huguenotrevolt.

Au Milieu de BranchesHer position secure in France,

Catherine used Prophecy V:49 (“NotSpain but ancient France will beelected for the trembling ships”) tosupplant Spanish naval power; theFrench Armada crushed English

Protestantism in 1578 with ProphecyV:96 (“Upon the world’s center, theRose . . . At the time of need help willcome too late.”) Other prophecies,and a certain amount of old-fash-ioned Medici power politics, raisedFrance and its ally Venice to power inItaly (Prophecy VIII:11 “The great one

of Valencia defeated, when Veniceand more take up the affair”) andbrought the Dutch to heel (ProphecyVI:100 “Daughter of the breeze . . .You will be captive, and more thanfour times.”). As Nostredame’s elixirskept Catherine alive, she kept Francesupreme in Europe.

Nostradamus, 1602Current Affairs

Nazis from Reich-5 conquered Mesopotamia on this world whereprophecy is a weapon; they use it as a base to strike deep into the con-tinuum.

Divergence Point1555; the seer Nostradamus somehow incorporates Words of Power

into his prophecies, to the immediate benefit of Catherine de’ Medici ofFrance.

Major CivilizationsWestern (multipolar), Islamic (empire with rivals), Chinese (empire).

Great PowersNeubabalon (military dictatorship, CR5 for Nazis, CR6 for everyone

else), Saint-Empire Romain (dictatorship, CR4), Ottoman Empire (dic-tatorship, CR5), Ming China (dictatorship, CR5), Safavid Persia (dicta-torship, CR4).

Worldline DataTL: 4 (Nazis, TL8) Mana Level: normalQuantum: 3 Infinity Class: Z1Centrum Zone: Inaccessible

Outworld OperationsOne whom the infernal gods of

HannibalCause to be reborn, terror of

mankind:The ultimate horror worse than

any paper can tell,They will come from Babylon

toward the Empire.– Michel de Nostredame,

Prophecy II:30

Outside Europe, however, the ulti-mate horror landed in Babylon in1599. SS Raven Division (p. 64)machine guns mowed down scimitar-waving Janissaries, helicopter gun-ships destroyed the Turkish artilleryparks, and the Armanen Order con-trolled “New Babylon” from Basra toAleppo. At the Austrian court negotiat-ing an alliance against Turkey, the SSlearned of the “mysterious quatrains”

used by Catherine’s sorcerous diplo-mats to reshape Europe. A quickGestapo operation brought the secretback to Neubabalon. Catherine’ssecret weapon was no secret toinvaders from a history where Nostre-dame’s prophecies were tabloid copy.Ahnenerbe rune magicians rapidlydeduced Catherine’s methods, andinvoked Prophecies II:30 and X:86(“The King of Europe, accompaniedby men of the North, leads the red andwhite against the King of Babylon”) tocement their own control.

The Order seeks to keep the Turksand French off balance, and to fullysecure the Chronobahn (p. 79), whichon this world runs from the TaurusMountains in southern Anatoliaalmost due east to Sinjar, in the Iraqidesert west of Mosul, and from thePontic Mountains just south ofTrebizond on the Black Sea to the val-

ley of Baalbek in the Lebanon. Thetwo roads cross at Carchemish, on theEuphrates northeast of Aleppo. Muchof this roadway remains Ottoman-controlled, or under Kurdish orArmenian border lords who revoltedafter the SS destroyed the Ottomanarmies in the region. The western endof the Chronobahn leads to theFriedrich worldline (p. 124), a crucialpawn in Raven Division strategy.Exploring the Chronobahn is possible– no local force can stop an SS reconunit. Conquering it is more difficult;the Kurds, especially, seem eager toresist the Nazis. The Patrol has notedwhat might be Merlin-2 U.S. SpectralOps forces working with the localKurds, and speculates thatNostradamus also has a possibleworld-gate to Merlin-2 (p. 135) some-where in the Middle East.


ORICHALCUMOn this worldline (and perhaps a

few others) Atlantis exists, and just asHomeline’s Plato reported, it is indeeda great island empire out beyond thePillars of Heracles, founded byPoseidon, god of the sea. At the heightof its power, arrogance, and glory,Atlantis’ rulers are bent on world con-quest, with only the Republic ofAthens to stop them.

A Great and Wonderful Empire

Atlantis is a roughly diamond-shaped island, lying just over 600miles west of the Straits of Gibraltar. Itis just over 1,000 miles long north tosouth, and about 800 miles at itswidest from east to west. (The Azoresand Madeira do not exist onOrichalcum, although other Atlanticislands do, most of them underAtlantean control.) Its geology is com-plex and irregular, with marshlandsand several volcanic mountain ranges,but also some fertile lowlands, includ-ing the broad central plain where thecapital city, Poseidonis, is located. Themountain ranges run right up to thecoastline in many places, creatingrocky, inhospitable coasts; Atlantis’sfew ports, especially the capital, arehighly valued. The climate is broadlyMediterranean; the equinoctial rain

and volcanic ash (and perhapsPoseidon’s blessing) make the islandamazingly fertile and thus amazinglywealthy.

Atlantis dominates western Europeup to the Italian city-states, where itcompetes with Athens (and to a lesserextent, Athens’ rivals Knossos, Thebes,

Sparta, and Argos) for influence, andAfrica to the borders of Khem. Thispyramid-building kingdom rulesEgypt from its capital at Thebes of theHundred Gates well up the Nile Valley.An Amazon outpost in Cyrenebetween Atlantean and Khemite terri-tory is the only non-Atlantean city in

Orichalcum, 9590 B.C.Current Affairs

Atlantis and Athens square off for the favor of the gods and the mas-tery of the seas.

Divergence Point10,400 B.C.; the 10 sons of Poseidon found the kingdom of Atlantis.

(The variant geography indicates another possible divergence pointaround 50 million years ago, but the Patrol would prefer to blamePoseidon’s magic rather than anomalous continental drift in this case.)

Major CivilizationsAtlantean (empire), Hellenic (empire with rivals), Egyptian (empire),

Amazon-Hittite (multipolar).

Great PowersAtlantis (feudal dictatorship, CR4), Athens (technocracy, CR6), Khem

(theocracy, CR5), Themyscira (dictatorship, CR4), Troy (dictatorship,CR4).

Worldline DataTL: 1-2 (some Atlantean tech, TL4) Mana Level: normalQuantum: 6 Infinity Class: R5 Centrum Zone: Yellow

Africa outside Egypt. The Amazonmatriarchy centered on the “BlackIsland” of Themyscira north ofAnatolia dominates the rest of theMiddle East south to Canaan (whichis a buffer zone between Khem andthe Amazons) and west to Troy. East ofthe Amazons, various lesser statesspread out toward the Indian king-dom of Nysa, ruled by the demigodDionysos (see Active Gods, p. 68).

(See GURPS Atlantis for furtherdetails.)

Outworld OperationsLike many “high fantasy” myth

parallels, Orichalcum is a pocket

multiverse, complete with gods on aparadimensional Mount Olympos,the Egyptian Duat, and so forth.Generally speaking, the Patrol sup-ports Atlantis and the Amazons;Centrum backs the proto-fascist“Platonic Republic” of Athens andthe similarly orderly empire ofKhem. Both sides step gingerlyaround the gods, who take an alarm-ingly active role in this worldline.

Ordinarily, both the Patrol andCentrum would leave a primitive, dan-gerous, god-plagued worldline likeOrichalcum alone, except that it’s theonly known source in the infiniteworlds for the wonder metal orichal-

cum. Lighter than bronze, strong assteel, the Atlanteans use orichalcumas a decoration (beaten with copper, itmakes a gorgeous red-gold flash onthe rims of Atlantean temples andpalaces) and to power the occasionalmagical construct such as the bronzegiants that guard Poseidonis’ harbor.(More to Infinity’s interest, it is also awarm-temperature superconductor,and if alloyed with titanium increasesits tensile strength ninefold.) AlthoughCMU prospectors have been busylooking, so far the only orichalcummines are in Atlantis itself and Spain,far too close to the eyes of the gods foropen mining operations.


PUZZLE WORLDSBLIP

This low-mana Quantum 4 time-line seems to have a different time-flow speed. To put it mildly. A dayspent there is equal to only six min-utes and 12.5 seconds elsewhere. Theworld is inhabited; its people are cur-rently at TL3, but they’re advancingquite rapidly! Assuming that the civi-lizations of Blip (which seems to bedominated by a Byzantine-Hunniccodominium between the Danube andthe Jaxartes) develop at roughly thespeed Homeline did, they should besplitting the atom within the next 14months, and possibly inventingparachronics a few weeks afterthat . . .

ENIGMAOn local date July 12, 1982 – 26

years ago – the entire population ofthe no-mana Quantum 7 alternateEarth called Enigma . . . vanished. TheInfinity Patrol discovered this timelinein 2012, 11 years after the disappear-ance. Up until that July, Enigmaappears to have been a close parallel.The most notable difference was thatthe Ramones never toured England,and apparently as a consequence, theband The Clash never formed. Sixmonths of careful study produced noevidence as to what happened – nomillennial tension, no upsurge in UFOsightings, no banestorm, no SecondComing, no global dust-plague – andnothing like it has happened before or

since on any other worldline inPenetration Service records. TheInfinity Council closed the investiga-tion, but has declared the world aClass Z1 alternate, just to be on thesafe side.

MICROWORLDIn this Quantum 3 parallel, some-

thing very strange happened in theyear 1892. Up until that summer, thisalternate had been a fairly close paral-lel, with a few literary and dietary dif-ferences. But it diverged rapidly over aperiod of a few weeks: all mankindshrank by a linear factor of about 70,to an average height of a little over aninch, and average weight of around anounce. (Many domesticated animalsshrank by the same factor.) Their sci-entists never managed an explanation,and as yet neither have Infinity’s! (Avery bright comet did appear in theskies over Microworld in May, 1892,and not over any other known alter-nate.) The various laws of physics thatwould seem to make “tiny people”impossible have somehow beenbypassed, although the square-cubelaw and so forth still hold for inani-mate objects. Microworld is low-mana, but the effect does not seemmagical, at least not as Paralabsunderstands magic to operate.

After an initial period of panic, andglobal wars of extermination againstthe un-shrunken rats, Microworldrecovered and is now in many waysvery prosperous; there are far more

resources to go around! Ocean and airtravel are much harder, of course,since weather is now a much greaterhazard. Wars between humans haveresumed (beginning with a waragainst an expansionist CommunistMicrohungary in the 1920s), but thereis very little nuclear threat, since thesmallest possible atomic bomb isinconveniently large for inch-tall com-batants. The Micro year is 1970; theyare in late TL7.

Observation of Microworld hasbeen very limited, initially on theassumption that the existence of“giants” would probably crush thesepeoples’ spirits. Given that the tabloidsin Microworld now sell off the standswith “giant sightings,” that fear mayhave been overwrought, as was thefear that the shrinkage might some-how be contagious – it seems to betotally unique to Microworlders. Moreimportantly, Microworld is one of themore difficult parallels to covertly infil-trate, for obvious reasons. However, aPatrolman’s serendipitous discovery ofan abandoned laboratory in the Q3parallel Klaatu did produce a chemicalreagent, the Carey Formula, that canallow a Microworlder to survive whileshrunk even on worldlines with moreconventionally consistent laws ofphysics. The Patrol and ISWAT haveeach recruited a few Microworlderagents, especially in the wake of hurri-canes and other disasters, when, as alldevoted Microreaders of the MidnightStar know, “giants” are known to roamthe Earth.

MÖBIUSThis seemingly normal parallel

breaks the fundamental rules of quan-tum parachronics by existing in twoquanta simultaneously. Conveyorsfrom Homeline travel to Möbius byprojector, as if going to Quantum 4.However, once in the parallel, an unas-sisted conveyor can reach Quantum 7worlds, as if Möbius were onQuantum 7. Infinity doesn’t believethat Centrum has discovered Möbius,and they don’t believe that a conveyorcan “reverse engineer” the process andreach Homeline, since that would(theoretically) require a projector,which can’t work on either Quantum 4or Quantum 7. Of course, in theory,the “quantum knot” in Möbius’ world-line should be impossible!

Other than its bizarre topospace,Möbius seems perfectly average; it’s aworld where Ferdinand and Isabelladied besieging Granada in 1492, Spainbroke up, and Cabral discoveredAmerica for Portugal by accident in1500. The Portuguese Empire domi-nates the world’s sea lanes aftersweeping the English and Dutch fleetsfrom the Caribbean in 1578; the cur-rent year is 1590. It does have packs ofneo-troodons (p. 149) living in theAmazon rainforest, but as best Infinitycan determine, they (and the other

surviving “dinosaurs” in the NewWorld) are perfectly normal, if not atall likely. They have become a com-mon feature in European menageries,and are roughly as intelligent as apes.

RUSTICIn this Quantum 3 world, although

it is a no-mana alternate, no technolo-gy higher than “simple mechanics”works. Rustic is in its current year1882, and recovering from a globalhantavirus epidemic that devastatedEurasia and the entire Pacific Rim,including the Chinese colonies inwestern North America, allowingVirginia and Navaju to expand to thePacific. (The other major powers inthe wake of the pestilence areDrakensberg, a Hessian corporatemining empire in South Africa, andthe Jesuit states in South America.)These powers have progressed to TL4(early TL5 in some areas) and seemunlikely to get any farther.

Essentially, it is impossible to pro-duce an artificial electrical dischargeon Rustic. This timeline was discov-ered by a world-jumper; if a conveyorhad gone there instead, it wouldn’thave been able to return, and Rusticwould no doubt have been written offas a deadly setting.

VANISHWithin the Patrol, this name is a

darkly humorous running joke, albeitone in questionable taste. At lastcount, 41 projector/conveyor settingsshow all the signs of validity – in otherwords, the math and the readingsfrom Homeline instruments seem tocorrespond to real timelines. Butnothing has ever returned from a tripto these worlds. The persistence of“Reality Vanish” helps explain whyInfinity sends drones through to a newreality, where possible, ahead ofmanned Scout missions. But suchreconnaissance is not always feasible,or unambiguous, and every so oftenan empty coffin gets buried on MountEisenhower for a Patrolman “postedto Reality Vanish.”

Some researchers speculate thatthese are worlds where the physicallaws are very different, killing visitorsimmediately and crippling theirmachinery. Some superstitiousPatrolmen claim to believe that lostdrones are “sacrificed to the god ofVanish,” and “Vanish it!” has become apopular curse even among the hard-est-headed Patrolmen. Of course, nosuch elaborate explanation is neces-sary; if a conveyor pops into the heartof a volcano, or an atomic explosion,perfectly normal physical laws willdestroy it instantly. But Paralabsknows that some worlds have alienphysical laws; it’s easy to imagine thatsome of these might be deadly.


Microworlders-39 points

The inhabitants of Microworld are normal humans on their ownworldline, and would use normal templates in a Microworld-basedgame. (Un-shrunken rats, on the other hand, would have ST scoresabove 40!) Elsewhere in the infinite worlds, however, they use the fol-lowing template. Without bionics, magic, or other enhancements, aMicroworlder’s maximum ST and Basic Move are 1.

Attribute Modifiers: ST-9 [-90].Secondary Characteristic Modifiers: Basic Move-4 [-20].Advantages: DR 20 (only against falling damage, -60%) [40]; Hard To

Kill 5 [10]; Microscopic Vision 1 [5]; Pressure Support 1 [5]; ReducedConsumption 4 (Require three meals a day, -25%) [6]; Resistant(Alcohol and environmental hazards, +8) [10]; Silence 7 [35];Tunneling 1 (Soil only, -50%) [18].

Disadvantages: Cannot Float [-1]; Dependency (Carey Formula, month-ly) [-30]; Gluttony (12) [-5]; Vulnerability (Poison gas or spray, ¥3)[-30].

Skills: Riding (Birds) (DX+2) [8].Features and Taboo Traits: Size Modifier -11; maximum ST and Basic

Move 1.

WYVERNThis Quantum 4 parallel (current

year 1904) was originally thought tobe a close parallel to Homeline’sEdwardian era with an odd fixationon dragons. The Scouts classified it aP9 world, and moved on. Only aftertwo years of perfectly ordinary touristtrips, White Star trading missions,

and so forth did Infinity realize thatthe dragons on Wyvern were actuallyreal – and that they could sorcerouslydominate human acolytes and appar-ently whole nations without even leav-ing their caves. The Patrol clamped aZ classification on Wyvern and is fran-tically tracking down every Homelinevisitor to this parallel to assess thepossibility that The Secret might have

accidentally slipped to reptilian mon-sters. Of course, covert Cabal trips tothis worldline increased dramatically– many Cabalistic formulas call fordragon’s blood, and dragons are imag-inary (or worse, extinct) on mostEarths . . .

(See Chapters 7 and 8 of GURPSDragons for further details.)

A less resolute government thanChurchill’s might easily have decidedthat the military situation was hope-less in 1940, after the fall of France,and that Britain’s only chance of sur-vival was accommodation to the neworder. The man who almost led Britainto such a peace was Edward FrederickLindley Wood, Lord Halifax, who hadbeen Neville Chamberlain’s foreignsecretary and was his preferred suc-cessor. On Homeline, Halifax turneddown the job, fearing that leading thegovernment in the House ofCommons would be impossible for atitled peer.

On Reich-2, he put such qualmsaside to save England as best he knewhow. Lord Halifax was not a Nazi sym-pathizer, and his government wasnever a German ally. He used thearmistice to build up the British mili-tary, especially the Royal Air Force.However, the military effect of peacein the west was to give Hitler a freerhand in the east. The Anglo-GermanArmistice ended the chances of theUnited States getting involved in theEuropean war, since many Americanssaw little to choose between Nazis andSoviets.

The Kalter KriegWith Britain sidelined, the

Germans and Soviets fought to astalemate and a 1943 armistice thatleft Nazi tanks in the Ukraine andBaltic States, but put Moscow wellout of reach. Lord Halifax detachedJapan from the Axis by selling themoil and rubber, and acquiescing intheir conquest of China, Indochina,and the Dutch East Indies. With theoil embargo broken, the Japanesenever attacked Pearl Harbor, and theUnited States never went to war; the

charismatic President JosephKennedy, Jr. is the first Democratsince Roosevelt in the White House,and the first to seek a renewed inter-national role for America.

The possibilities of that role aresimultaneously constrained and wideopen. The British atomic bomb of1949 and the German orbital rocket in1950 left the balance of power frozenfor a time; with all five great powersorbiting nuclear missile platforms,any open war would rapidly end civi-lization. The five powers shiftalliances and interests frequently; theAnglo-Japanese alliance broke downover India and Malaya (Japan hasbeen supporting anti-British rebels inboth colonies; Britain responds by

running weapons into Japanese-occu-pied China from Hong Kong). WithHitler gone to his Valhalla and theconsiderably more practical (if equallyruthless) Führer Heydrich in theReichschancellery, the Russianarmistice line has settled down almostto a formal border, complete with raillinks, showy “cultural exchanges,” andcrossing points at Kharkov, Mogilev,and Pskov. British commandos haveaided Communist partisans inOccupied Serbia, and hunted them inthe German Kongo. PresidentKennedy’s father is a famous admirerof Nazi Germany, but his party prefersPremier Gromyko’s Soviet Uniondespite the rumors coming out ofCommunist Iran and Afghanistan.


REICH-2

Reich-2, 1961Current Affairs

Nazi Germany, the Soviet Union, and the British Empire fight anever-shifting cold war of espionage and sabotage as the United Statesand Imperial Japan jockey for position and allies.

Divergence Point1940; Lord Halifax becomes Prime Minister of Britain instead of

Churchill, and negotiates an armistice with Germany and an alliancewith Japan.

Major CivilizationsWestern (multipolar), Orthodox (empire), Japanese (empire).

Great PowersGerman Reich (dictatorship, CR4-5 for Germans, CR6 for subject

races), British Empire (representative democracy, CR4, CR5 in colonies),Soviet Union (dictatorship, CR6), United States (representative democ-racy, CR3, CR5 for blacks), Japanese Empire (military oligarchy, CR4-5for Japanese, CR6 for subject nations).

Worldline DataTL: 7 (aerospace, TL(7+1)) Mana Level: no manaQuantum: 6 Infinity Class: Z3 Centrum Zone: Red


Other ReichsOn Reich-1 (Q4, current year 1952), Germany

forced an unequal peace on Britain after destroying theBEF at Dunkirk, and went on to defeat the SovietUnion while the United States ignored Europe andcrushed Japan. Neither has yet developed nuclearweapons, although both have active research pro-grams. After Hitler died in 1949, Himmler purged theParty and took sole power. He began the next war byoccupying Britain, despite the warnings of his admiralsthat Germany was not yet ready to challenge theAmericans. Sure enough, the United States is currentlyblockading the entire Atlantic coast of Europe,American jets proving equal to the best the Luftwaffecan field. Battles against the Wehrmacht in India andSiberia have been less successful, but America is slow-ly assembling a gigantic invasion force in Iceland, andas yet the Germans have no idea of its intended target.

On Reich-3 (Q5, current year 1970), Japan struckRussian Vladivostok rather than Pearl Harbor in 1941.The isolationist United States stayed out of war andnever fully funded nuclear research. Japan andGermany divided Eurasia, isolating the United Statesstill further. Most of South America is German-aligned(though Ecuador and Venezuela are Japanese clients,and Brazil is ostentatiously neutral). Only Canada andMexico remain closely allied with the United States(Canada, with a large voting base of U.K. refugees andtheir children, is in fact far more committed to resist-ing the Axis powers than the U.S.) But the United Statesstill wields influence in the Caribbean that Germanycovets, and its continued possession of Hawaii strikesJapan as an affront. While conflict between the two

Axis empires is rising along their common borders,they have thus far determined to table those issues untilthe last of the Anglo-Saxon powers can be properlyhumbled.

On Reich-4 (Q4, current year 1988) theWehrmacht broke Leningrad’s defenses in 1941. By1945 only Germany and Japan succeeded in develop-ing nuclear weapons, which they used to cement theirvictory. Heavy investments in anti-aircraft defenses bythe United States were negated by the German ballis-tic missiles, whose first nuclear strike destroyedindustrial centers and troop formations alike.American resistance was brave, but ultimately futile.The Japanese provided the bulk of the occupationtroops from their empire, and the Axis powers splitNorth America between them. Without a commonenemy, the two superstates, each convinced of thesupremacy of their ruling race, soon turned on oneanother. In 1979, dispute over Persian Gulf oil rapidlyescalated, and triggered a German first strike thatdecapitated the Japanese Empire and destroyedenough of its nuclear capability to leave Germany as afunctioning state. But the de facto ruler of the world,after heavy losses, is finding it difficult to find the per-sonnel to administer its new territories. (And, onviewing the devastation, the Germans are likewisefinding it difficult to summon the wherewithal tobother, Nazi doctrines regarding lebensraum and theracial destiny to rule notwithstanding.)

Reich-5 (Q3, current year 2010) is covered onpp. 57-67.

The Republicans backed the British,and the Anglophile Yalies in theAmerican OSS continue to supportMI6, the greatest spy agency in theworld, regardless of who sits in theOval Office. MI6, however, isn’t alwayssure which side to support themselves.

Outworld OperationsThe same is not quite true of the

Infinity Patrol; they still support the

Western democracies, despite theirdiscomfort with British colonial meth-ods in Kenya or American peacekeep-ing efforts in Nicaragua and thePhilippines. Centrum seemingly hasn’tpicked a side yet; the InterworldService has moles throughout boththe British and Soviet intelligenceservices, and may have hopes of sub-verting Nazi Germany from within.With all five powers on nuclear hairtriggers, the Patrol and Interworld

operate almost like freelance espi-onage agencies or international crimi-nal rings. (Both Patrol and Interworlduse local spy agencies as cover stories,and occasionally as the source offorged local identities.) The lines getblurred during gold heists from pro-German Argentina, while runningcrossworld Maserati smuggling ringsout of Mussolini’s Palermo, or duringheroin runs into Japanese-occupiedShanghai.


ROMA AETERNAAlthough the dynastic name is the

same, the Julio-Claudian Emperors inthis parallel are entirely different fromHomeline’s after Augustus himself.Drusus, who did not die on campaignin Germany in this worldline, replacedhis older brother Tiberius as Augustus’successor. Drusus’ son Germanicus,who in Homeline history died young(apparently poisoned) survived to suc-ceed him. These two proved to be wiserulers; Germanicus, in particular, wasbeloved by the people. Germanicus’eldest son Nero (not the same as theHomeline Emperor) instead of dyingafter imprisonment by Tiberius,received the name Britannicus afterhis conquest of Britain, and eventually

followed his father to the purple. Theline continued for two generationsmore before Nero Drusus, the last ofthe line, died without issue. Thus,Roma Aeterna was spared the reigns ofthe mad emperors Caligula (a youngerson of Germanicus) and Nero, son ofGermanicus’ daughter Agrippina.

Empire Without EndInstead, the Julio-Claudian emper-

ors gave Rome stable borders inEurope, and, with their patronage ofthe Heronian Academy in Alexandria,primitive industry as well. This paral-lel also had no chaotic “Year of FourEmperors” and no Flavian dynasty of military despots. The adoptive

Antonine emperors who immediatelyfollowed the Julio-Claudians gracedthe Empire with three centuries ofremarkably able rulers, whose bril-liance masked real decline until thefirst succession war in 400 years final-ly broke the illusion of permanence.The Empire fractured in civil war andbarbarian invasions. It took two cen-turies to reunite a shrunken SecondEmpire, by successive dynasties usingthe sea power of North Africa. Newmachines of war enabled the emper-ors – more often from their secondcapital at Alexandria than from Romaitself – to reconquer the East and pushinto India. New ships discovered theHesperides across the Atlantic Ocean,and legions conquered, then colo-nized, the rich lands of the Maiae.

While the First Empire had col-lapsed dramatically, the SecondEmpire had a slower, more painfuldecline. Disease and invasion weremet with increased centralizationfrom the new capital at Alexandria,buying a respite at the cost of culturalpetrification. Imperial control erodedfrom the fringes, passing to local mili-tary or barbarian immigrants. The13th-century Mongol invasions brokethe last pretensions of imperial unity.

The main exception to the dark-ness of the Long Night was across theocean. The Roman colonies in theHesperides traded among themselvesand expanded into the fertile volcaniclands in central Hesperia. TheirHeronian Academies rediscovered thesteam engine and fueled a rebirth ofnostalgic Roman glory. In the 18thcentury, the European provincesrecovered enough to resume tradewith the Hesperides, sparking rivalryand war. The Hesperians got the better

Roma Aeterna, 1893Current Affairs

A conservative new dynasty from the Mexican provinces has restoredthe Roman Empire to its eternal glory. Harnessing steam and gunpow-der, Rome expands once more!

Divergence Point9 B.C.; Drusus does not die on campaign in Germany, and becomes

emperor in 29 A.D. (possibly disrupting Jesus’ crucifixion with a generalpardon for all prisoners); his heirs are not insane, depraved halfwits,unlike the historical Homeline Julio-Claudians.

Major CivilizationsRoman (empire), Chinese (multipolar), Andean (empire).

Great PowersThird Roman Empire (dictatorship, CR4 for Roman citizens, CR5-6

for subjects), Taehan (dictatorship, CR6), Huaraca (theocratic dictator-ship, CR6).

Worldline DataTL: 5 (some weapons, TL6) Mana Level: lowQuantum: 6 Infinity Class: P4 Centrum Zone: Yellow

of Britannia (the leading Europeanprovince) and invaded Europe with amassive steam fleet. SuperiorHesperian technology combined withthe ideological appeal of a rebirth ofRoman glories to make the conquestirresistible. By 1806, the Hesperiangeneral Corineus Junius Selauchishad entered Roma and proclaimed theThird Empire.

After claiming the eternal city, thenew rulers often found their progressbecoming as much a triumphal marchas a military campaign. Egypt, whoserulers still claimed the imperial title,joined the new Empire without a fightafter a Hesperian show of force in theharbor of Alexandria. Even before thereconquests in Europe and Africa hadbeen assimilated, the third of the newemperors turned his attention toPersia, and his successor went onebetter by inaugurating the reconquest

of India. Today, the Empire has atleast duplicated or surpassed its for-mer maximum extent on every front,and its star is still rising.


Outworld OperationsRoma Aeterna was formerly the

destination for several popular vaca-tion packages offered by Time Tours,Ltd. It isn’t as decadent as Johnson’sRome, but there was a clientele thatpreferred to see a world based morearound Roman ideals than Romandecadence. All of that went by thewayside in 2022 after a group of TimeTours employees stumbled upon

Centran agents in Alexandria. Beforemanaging to get their group to safety,they found evidence that Centrum hadthoroughly infiltrated the local powerstructure. Infinity reduced the paral-lel’s Access Rating (p. 83) from 9 to 4,and investigated.

Infinity had assumed thatCentrum would suffer its standardlinguistic handicaps (see TheLanguage Barrier, p. 47) when operat-ing in a Roman worldline. Thanks toa living classical tradition, however,Centrum had fielded agents capableof working in Roma Aeterna withoutdifficulty, and they did such an effec-tive job that the I-Cops still aren’tsure how far their control extends.


Other RomesRoma Aeterna was the third Roman-dominated parallel discovered

by Infinity, hence its official designation “Rome-3.” Rome-2 is Johnson’sRome (p. 130).

On Rome-1 (Q5, current year 954), the Emperor Justinian succeed-ed in reuniting the empire and his successors moved the capital back toRome from Constantinople; the legions conquered Germany andBohemia and hold the borders against Magyars, Vikings, and Turks. Theshorter dark ages have moved Rome into high TL3, or even TL4 in someareas (but with no gunpowder as yet).

On Rome-4 (Q6, current year 1741), the rebellions of Sertorius andSpartacus fragmented Roman civilization in 74 B.C., but the Romansuccessor republics still overmatched all their neighbors. Despite turnsto despotism in the third and 15th centuries, most of the TL6 Romanstates from Cuba to the borders of the Afghan Empire are quarrelsome,independent republics.

On Rome-5 (Q4, current year 404 A.D.), the Chinese expedition toParthia under Pan Ch’ao met the Romans under Trajan in 97 A.D.Roman-Chinese wars led to cultural interchange, which paid off whenGalen accidentally invented inoculation while studying acupuncture.This medical revolution (now at TL5) enabled both Rome and China tosurvive the third-century crisis essentially intact at TL2, and spoiling fora religious war between Roman Catholicism and Chinese NestorianChristianity.

Rome-6 (Q7, current year 248 A.D.) is a normal-mana (with unevenspots both low and high) close parallel of Homeline’s TL2 Rome, exceptthat Christianity (if it exists) is even farther underground, and magicseems to work as the Romans believed. This may make Rome-6 a mythparallel, or it might have some connection to the Cabal, who claim tohave ruled in Rome right about this time. (See Roma Arcana in GURPSFantasy for further details.)

Rome-7 (Q4, current year 180 A.D.) has not yet outlasted Homeline’sRome, but it has entered a full-scale Industrial Revolution triggered byVespasian’s commissioning Hero of Alexandria to build steam-poweredsiege machines to destroy Masada in 73 A.D. Oil-driven TL(2+3) aeoli-cars battle in the Colosseum, and the spoiled sons of patricians drag-racedown the Appian Way as the legions drive into India.

SHIKAKU-MON


The Infinity Patrol has identified atleast a dozen powerful Roman sena-tors and equestrians as Centranagents, mostly wealthy merchants butincluding an important general andthe governor of Libya province. Theseagents do not appear to form a politi-cal faction – indeed, they publiclyoppose each other on several issues.The Patrol doesn’t know exactly whattheir plan is, except that they do seemto be attempting to place agents atcourt. Centrum exercises influencethrough secret societies as well. The

mystery cults of Horus Regnans (inAegyptus) and Angerona, goddess ofsilence (in Italia) appear to have fallenunder their full control. They havealso introduced their own secret soci-ety, the Order of the White Way (OrdoAlbae Viae), a magical sect prominentin the industrial centers of Hesperia.On a few occasions, they have simu-lated magical powers, including“miraculous” cures through antibi-otics, within these front organizations.

Having been caught flat-footed,the I-Cops are trying to recover.

Infinity has limited its activities in theEmpire to intelligence operations,trying to discover the scope ofCentran influence and its ultimatepurpose. The Patrol is building apower base of its own among theChinese traders who sail to the IndianOcean from the Serican petty king-doms in east Asia, which Centrumwould have extreme difficulty infil-trating. Plans to form a secret societyfront organization under Infinity control are under consideration.

The history of this Quantum 3 par-allel diverged in the early 16th century,when the heir to Ferdinand andIsabella of Spain survived to ascendthe throne as John III. Without thedynastic union of Spain and Austriaunder the Habsburgs, European histo-ry took a different shape during thecrucial era of the Reformation. On theother side of the globe, the Jesuitswere successful with their campaignof Christian proselytization in Japan.Under the Oda chancellors, Japannever “turned away from the gun.”

Instead, it began the adaptation ofWestern culture that was eventually togive the Chrysanthemum Throne totaldominance of East Asia.

Today, the name for the parallelitself comes from the local version ofJapanese: shikaku-mon, from thenative word for “square” and theirFrench loan-word for “world,” is acommon term for the quadripolarbalance established in the 20th cen-tury. Japanese control of the easternhalf of the globe is balanced by the economic power of Brazil, the

frightening totalitarian SwedishEmpire, and the technologicalachievements of the Kingdom ofFrance, risen from the ashes of mili-tary defeat to seize the high ground ofspace. Despite technology superior toHomeline’s in many areas, societiescling to archaic aristocratic forms thatno longer function in the modernworld. Social tensions between thehaves and the have-nots have disrupt-ed society in much of the world andincrease steadily.

Four Temple GatesUnder One Moon

Japan began to supplant Portugalin the east in the early 17th century,just as Sweden unified northernGermany under its control andbecame a great power. In the next cen-tury, France allied with Sweden todefeat Britain, Spain, and the Dutch,becoming the paramount state inEurope as the Industrial Revolutiontook hold. The Rationalist Movement,parallel to the Enlightenment onHomeline, expressed and created anew secular outlook on the world, butfailed to create an era of revolutionarypolitics. A Republican movementsputtered to life in Portugal (drivingthe royal family to Brazil to found anindependent Empire there) andEngland’s Virginia colony, but Frenchvigilance kept aristocracy supreme.

In 1861, France lost its global dom-inance to a rising alliance of Sweden,Brazil, and Japan, which had defeatedChina for hegemony over east Asiaand divided India with Britain. The

Shikaku-Mon, 2027Current Affairs

The balance of a cyberpunk world shifts between four great powers:the Japanese Empire, the Swedish Empire, the Empire of Brazil, and theKingdom of France.

Divergence Point1497; the son of Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain survives to become

King John III, weakening the Habsburgs and causing Portugal to focusits attention overseas on Brazil and missionary activities in Japan. As aconsequence, Japan converts to Christianity, never turns away from thegun, and begins expanding in the 1590s.

Major CivilizationsJapanese-Western (empire), Western (multipolar).

Great PowersJapanese Empire (oligarchy, CR4 in Home Islands, CR3 elsewhere),

Swedish Empire (technocratic oligarchy, CR6), Empire of Brazil (corpo-rate state, CR1), Kingdom of France (dictatorship, CR4).

Worldline DataTL: 8 (aerospace and electronics, TL9) Mana Level: no manaQuantum: 3 Infinity Class: Z3Centrum Zone: Inaccessible

powers, now roughly equal, competedfor colonies and trade, drawing eachother into a complex, unstable systemof secret alliances that virtually guar-anteed a general war. The Pyrrhic Warof 1927-1932 began over India, butexpanded across the globe, killing mil-lions but ending in stalemate. TheAllies (Britain, Sweden, and Japan)discovered that victory was meaning-less when they found themselvesmired in colonial rebellions and eco-nomic depression while the Coalitionpowers (Brazil and France) recovered.Edvard Bagare’s Synarchist Party(based on the strangely compellingtheories of Kiyoshi Shibata) won control of the Swedish Riksdag andcreated the first totalitarian state thetimeline had ever seen.

Sweden’s attempt to create thesecond synarchist state, by interven-ing in a coup d’etat in Britain, endedin tragic farce; the Swedish atomicbombing of Britain in 1964 left the

British Synarchist Party in control ofa shattered, impoverished Swedishsatellite state.

The use of atomic weapons inau-gurated the current era of covertstruggle between the four remainingpowers. A case could be made that theso-called “Silent Struggle” did notactually begin until the following year,when Brazil exploded its own fissionbomb. In any event, the era has seencontinuous tension between the pow-ers, with occasional flare-ups intoproxy wars where spheres of influenceoverlap – most violently in Persia andsouthern Africa.

So far the quadripolar balance hasbeen able to surmount even suchcrises as the Swedish defiance of theFrench ban on orbital travel and thecollapse of Brazilian domesticauthority during the “Red Tuesday”events shortly after the millennium.Sweden underwent a spasm of politi-cal purges in the early 2020s, but its

“neo-Synarchist” government seemsjust as repressive as ever, despite offi-cially denouncing its predecessor.Sweden now aggressively supports“Islamosynarchist” fanatics againstboth Mahdist Cairo and the Otto-mans, Nationalist Louisiana’s isola-tion from the global data Tapestry hasbegun to spawn some ugly rumors,and the environment isn’t getting anybetter as global weather patterns startto deform, raising the ever-presentspecter of famine.


Outworld OperationsSince the first days of parachronic

travel, the Infinity Council has wor-ried about the day when a timelinecapable of building projectors wouldbe discovered within reach ofHomeline. Since Shikaku-mon is atthe exact same local time as Homelineand Centrum, a majority of theoristsbelieve that it represents such a threat.It does not help matters that Shikaku-mon technology is slightly moreadvanced than Homeline’s, nor thatthe parallel is dominated by corrupt,paranoid elites. The only bright aspectto the Shikaku-mon headache is that itis beyond the reach of Centrum pro-jectors; thus, the only way Centrummight gain access to the timeline isthrough agents in Homeline or world-jumpers.

The Infinity Patrol is the onlyHomeline organization permitted tooperate in Shikaku-mon, and it isbeing very cautious about its investi-gations. Overall policy towardShikaku-mon is still being debated atthe highest levels of Infinity and UNIC(there are rumors that Van Zandt him-self is involved). Infinity wants to keepShikaku-mon from developingparachronics, and secondarily preventthem from destroying themselves.One frightening possibility: couldShikaku-mon have a counterpart ofPaul Van Zandt, the man who invent-ed parachronic technology? InHomeline, his family originated innorthern Germany and immigrated toNew England, which would make hima Swedish citizen in Shikaku-mon.Relatively few Homeline natives havedoubles in Shikaku-mon – but if VanZandt were one of the few, the resultsmight be disastrous.



Lizardia was the first truly weirdparallel discovered by the InfinityPatrol, and Homeline theorists arestill wrestling with its implications.Some scientists who have beenstudying this world for 25 years stilldon’t believe it.

In many ways, this Quantum 4world is a very close parallel ofHomeline history up to its presentdate of 1991. Major languages and cul-tures are nearly identical, and manynations have similar or identicalnames. The major North American

nations are the United States ofAmerica, Canada, and Mexico, andthey call their world Earth . . .

But the intelligent race on thisworld is a lizardlike creature, appar-ently evolved from a bipedal dino-saur. The basic stats of the race are

So far, Infinity operations haveonly tried to set up corporate frontorganizations in the Americas.Infinity desperately wants to find outif a projector can function in Shikaku-mon, both to test parachronic theoryand to open up further quantum lev-els to exploitation. However, the time-line is pervaded by spies working forthe governments, secret agents work-ing for the corporations, and even“peepers” spying as a hobby. Anythingthat looks interesting is sure to attractattention from some group, and evenamateurs have surveillance technolo-gy equal to the best Homeline equip-ment. The I-Cops get ulcers imaginingwhat the professionals must use, butthey have not yet been able to getsamples of classified technology. Theyhave already had to send several too-inquisitive natives to Coventry, andthe ongoing missing persons investi-gations are yet another focus of anxi-ety for Patrol operations.

Shikaku-mon strongly temptsHomeline governments and corpora-tions, given the advantages that wouldaccrue to any group that duplicatedthis worldline’s superior computer orsurveillance technology. More danger-ous yet, such tech might be viewed asoffering a possible “balance” toInfinity Unlimited’s monopoly ofparachronic technology. Since aJapanese university research teamdiscovered the parallel, the InfinityCouncil has not been able to keep itsexistence secret. Travel to Shikaku-mon is very illegal; Infinity hasdeclared unauthorized incursionspunishable by revocation of access toall parachronic technology from theoffending group – or nation. UNIC hasquietly informed some troublesomegovernments that it concurs with thisjudgment.

UNITED STATES OF LIZARDIA


human-average in all ways, thoughthey have distinct racial traits (seebox). They lay eggs, but the egg nor-mally hatches within a day.

This is not just an echo whereeverybody has scales and tails. Thatwould be easier to understand. TheUSL’s history is like ours in general,but it has played out with completelydifferent actors. They had a WorldWar II, but no Hitler, Churchill, orRoosevelt . . . they have space pro-grams, but the first man in orbit wasnamed Andrei Popov, and, of course,he was a giant lizard. They had noShakespeare, no Rembrandt, but theworld of the USL has producedequally great talents.

Nobody even pretends to explainany of this without talking about“gods with a weird sense of humor.”The situation is sometimes com-pared to that of Goblin (p. 151),which also features a nonhumanrace and a history like ours, but atleast the Goblins are humanoid andtheir twisted version of Europe hasleaders with familiar names.

Outworld OperationsOddly, USL is one of the worlds

where some members of the InfinityCouncil would like to reveal TheSecret and make contact. The techni-cally sophisticated but obviously spiri-

tually minded neo-troodons the Patrolobserves seem cultured, funny, play-ful, and almost human at times. (Theviolent, pack-ridden, obsequioussaurians on this parallel seem no lesshuman, but don’t inspire quite thesame sympathy.) Most Patrolmen whospend any time on USL come back

wishing that just this once they couldtear up The Secret, materialize infront of the Black Hills Longhouse,step out into a crowd of scaly, bug-eyed friends, and say “Take us to yourleader. We have much to learn fromeach other.”

Neo-Troodons 28 pointsCanadian paleontologist Dale Russell proposed in

1982 that the Cretaceous raptor Troodon might haveevolved into a sapient species, based on its high brain-to-body mass ratio. He was gratified to learn, as anexpert on a surveillance trip to USL in 2001, that histheory was correct in many particulars. The neo-troodons of USL do not precisely match the“dinosauroid” model he predicted, however, having(among other things) tails and a lower posture. Infinityhas encountered other neo-troodons on other worlds,including Shikari and Möbius (where they are roughlyas intelligent as baboons), but USL is the only world-line known where they have developed a civilization.

Neo-troodons are seven-foot bipeds, slender andsomewhat birdlike in movement and posture. Theirsmooth skins range from pale green to almost black;they have scales (usually in a complementary color)along the backs of their limbs, spine, scalp and cheeks.Their huge eyes are black and liquid; they have three

fingers and a long thumb on their hands, and three toesand a sickle-shaped claw on their tough feet. Theirinability to resolve non-moving objects is a neurologi-cal effect, not an optical one, so corrective lenses do notmitigate their Bad Sight.

Attribute Modifiers: DX+1 [20]; HT+1 [10].Secondary Characteristic Modifiers: HP-1 [-2].Advantages: Acute Hearing 1 [2]; Acute Taste and

Smell 2 [4]; Discriminatory Smell [15]; Long Talons(Heels only) [11]; Nictitating Membrane 1 [1]; NightVision 3 [3]; Sharp Teeth [1]; Striking ST+4 (Kicksonly, -20%) [16].

Disadvantages: Bad Sight (Nearsighted; Non-movingobjects only, -20%) [-20]; Colorblindness [-10];Compulsive Behavior (Siesta)(6) [-10], Curious (15)[-2]; Gregarious [-10]; Skinny (No skill penalties,-40%) [-3].

Skills: Brawling (DX) [1].Techniques: Kicking 2 [3].Racial Quirks: Attentive; Carnivorous [-2].

United States of Lizardia, 1991Current Affairs

On a world without the Cretaceous meteor strike, dinosaur democra-cy faces new challenges.

Divergence Point65 million years ago; there is no Chicxulub meteor strike, so some

dinosaurs continue to evolve and adapt to changing weather conditionsrather than die out.

Major CivilizationsSaurian, unknown varieties.

Great PowersSubstantially identical to those of Homeline, circa 1991: the United

States is the world’s superpower, watching in apprehensive satisfactionas the Soviet Union falls apart.

Worldline DataTL: (0+8) (odd blend of acoustics, biotech, and fluidics)

Mana Level: lowQuantum: 4 Infinity Class: P4 Centrum Zone: Inaccessible


Yrth is a fantasy parallel, home toelves, dwarves, and orcs. One factionof elves attempted a mighty ritual torid their world of the pestilential orcs.It backfired, and instead summonedan enormous banestorm that lasted acentury and a half, which brought tensof thousands (eventually hundreds ofthousands) of humans to Yrth fromHomeline, or from a worldline with avery similar past. (It also broughtother nonhuman races from otherparallels, in lesser numbers.)

A Magical WorldMost of these humans came from

western Europe or the Middle Eastbetween the years 1050 and 1200; theyestablished kingdoms and resumedtheir interrupted crusades. Bane-storms continue sporadically on Yrth,bringing a few hundred new peopleevery so often, with a major resur-gence in 1551, which brought thou-sands of people from 16th-centuryFrance.

The largest human kingdom on thecontinent of Ytarria, the Empire ofMegalos, has a secretive order, theMinistry of Serendipity, devoted tohunting down new arrivals and inter-rogating them for information aboutchanges on Earth. Megalos restrainsany new scientific or technologicaldevelopments – especially gunpowder– fearing the inevitable culture shockwould tear it apart. Unknown toalmost all outsiders, the Ministry ofSerendipity maintains a secret tome,the Liber Terranum Primus, whichdescribes the current state of the orig-inal Earth as best it can – but if thebanestorms bring “visitors” frommore than one Earth, the Ministrymay know that still more Earths exist.And if the Earth that the banestormsvisit is Homeline, the Ministry ofSerendipity may know all aboutInfinity, too . . .

(See GURPS Banestorm for manyfurther details.)

Outworld OperationsYrth is a quantum sargasso; world-

jumpers and conveyors can enter it,

but they can only leave by usingmagic, a nexus portal, or (of course) abanestorm. Ted Gruberman, a world-jumping Patrolman, discovered Yrthon a blind hop in 2017, and it tookhim 14 months to find a magical raftthat could sail to another world hecould actually leave. When he finallyreturned to Homeline in 2020, hisdescription of the immense bane-storm that struck Yrth a millenniumago caused an immense storm of itsown in Infinity headquarters. A sec-ond, slightly better prepared, Scout

mission took only five months to findits way back to Homeline, and onlylost one man in the process, providingsubstantially more information aboutthe situation on that worldline.

On Yrth, of course, The Secret isout. Everybody knows that para-chronic travel is possible; it’s howmost of their ancestors got to Yrth,after all! Some Yrth factions mayknow more than that. There is someindication that the Templars (whoarrived on Yrth on Halloween night,1310, just ahead of the French

Yrth, 2004Current Affairs

Various sovereignties contend for power on a magical world popu-lated by storms blowing across the dimensions.

Divergence PointUnknown; possibly 150 million years ago, when Pangaea split differ-

ently. But the moon is different, too.

Major CivilizationsWestern (empire with rivals), Islamic (bipolar), Dwarven (empire),

Elvish (diffuse).

Great PowersMegalos (feudal dictatorship, CR4), Al-Haz (theocratic dictatorship,

CR4), Zarak (feudal oligarchy, CR3 for Dwarves), Al-Wazif (feudal dic-tatorship, CR3), Caithness (feudal dictatorship, CR3), Cardiel (feudal oli-garchy, CR3).

Worldline DataTL: 3-4 (gunpowder suppressed; some TL3/6+ elements from new-

comers) Mana Level: normal with variationsQuantum: 5 Infinity Class: R2Centrum Zone: Inaccessible

YRTH

Unknown to almost all outsiders, theMinistry of Serendipity maintains a secrettome, the Liber Terranum Primus,which describes the current state of theoriginal Earth as best it can.


inquisitors) had harnessed abanestorm for parachronic travel, orat least knew enough to hunt onedown on their Earth. (Any unpleas-ant connection between Yrth’sTemplars and the Nazi-taintedTemplars on Friedrich is probablyjust coincidental. Probably.) TheJesuits of Yrth also seem to havepeculiar artifacts of mysterious ori-

gin – could they have been snatchedfrom another worldline? The DarkElves, of course, have likely not givenup on their researches, and nobodyquite knows what to make of thedjinn or the dragons.

Infinity has decided that the pos-sible connection between Yrth andHomeline (or a close Homeline echo)required the closest possible

Paralabs study. A small permanentstaff of “Sheldrake Section” would-be wizards, Paralabs field surveyors,and I-Cop guards set up shop in theborder city of Tredroy, bringingalong a White Star merchant familyto provide gold and cover for theirodd behavior. In the House of theWhite Star, the Homeliners work tounderstand this strange new world.

Other Fantasy ParallelsIn addition to the “historical fantasy” myth parallels

such as Burton and Mandeville (p. 136), or borderlinecases like Orichalcum (p. 139) and Rome-6 (p. 145),some worldlines hew more to the dictates of 20th-cen-tury fantasy fiction. There are myth parallels closelyresembling the works of Robert E. Howard, RobertMcLees, Terry Pratchett, and Andre Norton, for exam-ple. Most such worlds likely diverged at least 150 mil-lion years ago, as few of them share Earth’s continentaloutlines. Some of these worlds have divergentstarfields, implying either severe reality quake damageto the heavens, a vastly far-past (or future) current year,or that they exist in an entirely different cosmos. Somefew of them rest on flat Earths, or inside hollow ones!Hence, dating fantasy parallels is often a matter ofpiecemeal interpolation and wild assumption.

Agents on Yrth have identified that Banestormsfrom yet further worlds originally snatched some of thenonhuman races. The locations of these worlds –Loren’dil, a forested realm of halflings, giants, and

centaurs, Olokun, a planet mostly covered in oceansand with very high tides, home to merfolk and otheraquatic beings, and Gabrook, an arid world inhabitedby goblins, reptile men (possibly cousins or alternateversions of USL’s neo-troodons), and kobolds – remainto be found by Infinity. They are evidently radicallydivergent worldlines, and may form part of a skerry(p. 89) with Yrth – and perhaps one of the missingechoes from Q6 is the Earth from which theBanestorm took its humans!

A firmly located fantasy parallel is Brekilien (Q4,current year 701), one of the worlds continuouslyreshaped by mighty elven magics that harnessbanestorms for the play of the elf-lords.

Goblin (Q5, current year 1830) is inhabited exclu-sively by a different sort of goblins, but is otherwise avery high-inertia, close (if filthy) parallel of Homeline’slate Regency era. (See GURPS Goblins for furtherdetails.)

Although I was used to hisshabby appearance bynow, the greasy cyni-cism of his voice stilltook me aback. “Don’ttell me. Only I cansave the world.”

“That’s right.How did youknow?”

“You thinkyou’re the firstone of you to tellme that?”

“You thinkI’m the firstone of me tohear you saythat?”

That got hisattention, andhe rubbed hisunshaven jowlsthoughtfully.

“No, youlook too tiredto be from thefirst loop. Sitdown, take aload off.”

“I can’t. Wehave to go.”

“It won’t do anygood. Trust me.”

“But –”“No good. Just sit down. What’s a couple of minutes

going to matter?”A brief guilty surge took me, but I shrugged it off and

sank into the armchair with a grateful sigh. “It feels likeI’ve been on my feet forever.”

“Now maybe you see why I don’t hop up whenever oneof you jokers comes in here.”

“Yeah, my dogs are really barking. Got anything todrink around here?”

“You know I do. Help yourself and pour me one.”I got up long enough to pull the whiskey bottle out

from behind the cereal, and poured a splash into two jellyjars. They didn’t look clean, but I couldn’t really catch any-thing strange from him, now, could I?

“Cheers.” “Cheers.”

We drank in companionable silence, and then hestretched and popped a video into the player. CharltonHeston came on, striding down the street in Tijuana asOrson Welles’ camera kept pulling back and back andback.

“Hey, this is my favorite movie!”He gave me a look. “Maybe you are from that first loop,

after all.”As we watched the screen, he took another swallow,

and spoke more kindly. “Mine, too.”About halfway through the movie, when Janet Leigh

was in some dire peril or other, the door opened.We looked up at the very familiar stranger on the

stoop, and said as one: “Don’t tell me. Only I can save theworld.”

152 . . . AND TIME

CHAPTER FIVE

. . . AND TIME

TEMPORAL PHYSICSA lot of stories have been written

about time travel, and it seems likeno two of them use the same machin-ery or rules of operation. Before wecan go anywhen, we have to knowhow we’re going to get there, andwhat we can (and can’t) do once wearrive. What follow are not rules assuch, but an outline of the kinds ofrules a GM must decide on when hecreates a new system of time travel.They combine setting questions andthe mind-knotting complexities oftemporal physics, with the aim ofanswering the first and evading thesecond wherever possible.

THE PHYSICALSETTING

The first question: how does thetime machine or crossworld railway“work,” as a layman might explain it?This is not a question of rubber sci-ence (yet) but of physical description.Possibilities include:

Stage: The traveler stands on theplatform of a monster machine, andtechnicians at a console start pushingbuttons. There’s a blue flash (or a lowhum, or a monstrous subsonic belch)and you’re there. In this case, the“time machine” does not travel at all,and the travelers have less control overtheir journeys. In particular, they can-not bounce around freely in time;they’re at the mercy of MissionControl (p. 210). The harried GM mayfind this limitation very useful.

Portal: A “door” opens between twopoints, bridging the gap betweentimes or worlds. Perhaps it’s one-way,perhaps two-way. Perhaps anyone oranything can walk through; perhaps itaccepts living flesh only, or dead mat-ter only. The extent of the traveler’scontrol over his return is this: if he canget back to the gate, he can comehome . . . maybe. Some gates are onlyopen at certain times; some can beopened only by the volition of an oper-ator at the other end (making themmore like a “stage” device). In theInfinite Worlds campaign, crossworldportals and roads exist with any or allof these criteria.

Devices: The time machine is a“vehicle” which may also be able totravel in space. This vehicle may be ahuge temporal battleship or a one-man capsule. It may not even be avehicle as such; it may be a belt, har-ness or magic amulet that the userwears on his person. This sort of trav-el usually implies that the traveler hasa great deal of freedom to visit differ-ent times at whim. For some sampledevices, see pp. 162-163.

Combination: The above effectscan be combined in various ways.The Time Sphere on p. 163 combinesthe stage, portal, and device, forexample. In the default Infinite

Worlds campaign setting, both con-veyors (devices) and projectors(stages) may be used, and must becombined for a really long jump.

Nothing at all: If the time or cross-world travel is psionic, magical, orsuper-powered in nature, there may beno gadgetry at all involved. However,there may be a need for ritual of somesort. Alternatively, the psionic ener-gies, magical spells, or super time-traveling hyper-speed may require fuelor an apparatus to “boost” or “focus”its power or to send the traveler to aspecific date in time to kill Hitler orsteal the Hope Diamond.

. . . AND TIME 153

Can of Infinite WormsAdding time travel to an Infinite Worlds campaign isn’t impossible.

As it happens, there are plenty of time travel devices, such as the Gatesof Thoth, already littering the quantum landscape. At the bare mini-mum, the possibility of time travel should stay open in case the GM orthe players want to shift the Infinite Worlds PCs into a “future Earth” orSF setting with reliable human faster-than-light travel (see Where Are theStarships?, p. 72), or just one with a calendar date well past the mid-21st-century setting of Homeline. If the Gates of Thoth don’t appeal, there’salways the option of mysterious transhuman entities, such as PoulAnderson’s Danellians, who recruit Patrolmen for a crisis “in a futureworld.”

What the GM should only introduce into the Infinite Worlds if he’sready to do a lot of sweating is reliable time travel, under the control ofthe players. This rapidly sets up not only a tangle of twisting paradoxes(can you retroactively alter an echo?), and the danger of aborted mys-teries or emergencies draining the game’s narrative tension, but a realmare’s nest of research problems. One of the key features of the InfiniteWorlds is GM control – he always knows what world loyal TimePatrolmen will visit, because it’s the worldline they’ve been assigned tovisit! Even swagmen or criminals will operate in a fairly confined circleof parallels, ones that the GM can map out in some detail. Reliable timetravel knocks those struts out from under the campaign, leaving it hang-ing high in the air with no visible means of getting back down.

Of course, some GMs enjoy the high-wire act, or have every possiblealternate history alteration ready to go at the tip of their fingers.However even those GMs may find that their players become dumb-founded and tentative with all the history of every possible world toexplore. They may make a few prods, to test the GM’s improvisationalskills, but even success there runs the risk of making the vast vistas oftime seem humdrum. We can’t stop you from adding time travel to theInfinite Worlds – just remember, you can’t go back in time and undo yourdecision!

PARADOXESAltering history may sound like

good clean fun, but it sets up somefamous paradoxes more philosophythan physics. These are the ones thateverybody from the Twilight Zone toRobert Heinlein has used, and anyplayer with any interest in time travelwill at least vaguely recall them. Thegood news is that there are plenty ofwork-arounds for them, if you’re will-ing to give up only a little freedom ofaction – or your meager humannotions of causality.

The GrandfatherParadox

A man gets into a time machineand travels back a century or so. Hefinds his (as yet unmarried) grandfa-ther, and shoots him in the head,killing him instantly. Since his grand-father can now not meet and marryhis grandmother, the time traveler willnever exist, and thus never shoot hisgrandfather in the head, and thus willhave existed, and so forth.

The Free Lunch ParadoxA man gets into a time machine

with a copy of Shakespeare’s CompletePlays and Poems, and travels back toElizabethan London, where he pres-ents the volume to the Bard. Like allwriters, Shakespeare is desperatelybehind on deadline and has alreadyspent the advance, so he gladly copiesout the plays from the anthology andgoes out drinking all night with hiscronies. Who wrote Shakespeare’splays? Not Bacon, not Oxford, notanybody. Shakespeare merely copiedthem from a later copy of his earliercopies. He got a free lunch, in otherwords, and we all know that there ain’tno such thing.

SOLUTIONSThe usual answer to one or both of

the above is that time simply can’t bealtered. This is Fixed Time. Your gunwill jam, or you will miss your bus, oryour research will be wrong, or yourgrandfather will get the drop on youand kill you instead, or he will turn outto be bulletproof, or your grandmoth-er will marry his long-lost identicaltwin instead, or your grandfather will

turn out to have been the mailman allalong. If you try to give Shakespearethe Plays, you might have a series ofhorrible accidents trying to findShakespeare, or the book will turn outto have been written in Esperanto, orShakespeare’s pen keeps gettingclogged and he throws you and thebook out in the street in a tantrum.Shakespeare, and your grandfather,still have free will – everybody has freewill in the present; it’s only time trav-elers who keep running into FixedTime in other people’s presents. It’sjust that they will never freely chooseto alter history, or if they do, some-thing will prevent them.

However, if the past can’t bealtered, it becomes a considerably lessinteresting place to visit. (On the otherhand, perhaps only history can’t bealtered – the past can change, as longas nobody knows any different. For allwe know, Shakespeare might indeedhave gotten his plays from nowhere!See The Observer Effect, p. 159.) Anycampaign background must contain aspecific solution to this problem. Toexamine several general solutions:

Plastic TimeThe past is freely alterable, but at

the risk of “editing out” the future thatyou came from. Your actions changethe future. There are several possibleresults:

Traveler at Risk: The traveler him-self may be changed (or even fade outof existence). This isn’t too suitable forgaming unless the players enjoy creat-ing new characters.

World at Risk: The traveler may beunchanged, but return to a changed(perhaps extremely changed) world.This is entertaining for the players,but puts a burden on the GM.

Past or Traveler at Risk: This optioncombines the two above; a time travel-er can change the past as long as noth-ing he does significantly (or perhapsnoticeably) effects the future societyhe came from. Change things toomuch, and you change, or even van-ish! This is an excellent constraint forgames of time-traveling conspiracy –on the surface, nothing has changed,but now it was the Templars whokilled Kennedy, not the Adepts ofHermes.

Return Blocked: The traveler maybe unchanged, but stuck in the past,

unable to return unless he can some-how undo the change. This is quiteplayable, because the PCs will begrossly inconvenienced, but not killedor transmuted, if they accidentallychange history. And they have achance to fix it.

In any event, there are no paradox-es. If you make a change in the past, itreally happened.

Chaotic TimeAn extreme version of “plastic

time” draws on modern chaos theory.If you travel back in time, any changeyou make propagates wildly. If you goback as far as WWI, the act of buyinga newspaper in London would rever-berate down the timeline, and nation-al boundaries would be different whenyou returned. If you go to the PermianAge, just stepping out of your timemachine would make a difference inlocal weather . . . which would propa-gate globally . . . and when you returnto the year 2000, the ruling specieswouldn’t be human.

This is hardly suitable for an ongo-ing campaign, but might make a veryspooky one-shot adventure.

Plastic Time With High Resistance

This is the opposite of chaotic time.The past is still alterable, but it’s hardto alter it. Small changes are canceledout by the background noise of histo-ry. Big changes, or small changesmade with exquisite timing, canchange the future.

Recall the theory of time as a river:if you drop a twig in a river, the wateris momentarily disrupted, but it con-tinues to flow around the anomaly.And the anomaly begins to flow withthe stream until it is, in effect, part ofthe stream. So you could postulatethat though you went back and killedThomas á Becket at the base of thehigh altar at Canterbury (rather thanthe four knights doing the job just out-side the Mary Chapel), the timestream could adjust so that the endresult (death of Becket, martyrdom,canonization, and even the presenceof four knights who were subsequent-ly despised) would be the same. Andhistorians looking at the incidentwould record it the way we are told it happened. And perhaps it didn’t

154 . . . AND TIME

happen the way history recorded it inthe first place! This relates to theObserver Effect, on p. 159.

If the future is changed, theresults on the time traveler are asdescribed above. High-resistanceplastic time makes even “Traveler atRisk” a more playable option,because PCs won’t vanish unless theymake a real blunder.

Paradox-Proof TimeThis is Fixed Time, but with an

interesting special effect. If you start todo something that would change histo-ry, boom – there you are, back in yourown time. The universe is not at allsubtle about preventing paradoxes.And if you return to a time where youhave already been, you cannot com-

municate with your earlier self in anyway, because that would create a para-dox. You can’t even send a friend backto warn yourself. What’s done is done.

This is a playable option. Gettingslammed back to their own time canfrustrate some groups. Others maywelcome it as a safety net, eventhough it means some missions can’tbe completed.

. . . AND TIME 155

ChronobabblePlayers desiring a brief scientific explanation for

time travel may be referred to this section. It may ormay not be complete doubletalk, but it is neverthelessreal doubletalk. Any student of general relativity willrecognize the sources and follow the argument; somewill even agree with the conclusions. Those who havenot studied general relativity should not worry about it.The authors are indebted to Dale F. Reding for providing this material.

From the senior undergraduate physics textPrinciples of Geometric Dynamics, by D.F.R. Skinner,2080:

“Like flight, the idea of travel in time has fas-cinated man since early days. On sound princi-ples of physics it was ‘proven’ that manned flightwas impossible, and indeed, man cannot fly likethe birds. Yet flight was achieved by methods fardifferent from those used by the birds. Similarly,our common sense experience with special rela-tivity categorically disallows the possibility oftravel in time. But here, though special relativitymay still apply, common sense may not.”

Time travel in and of itself is impossible within thephysics of everyday phenomena. However, as the theo-ries of relativity deny us the existence of a global iner-tial reference system, quantum mechanics deprives usof the fiction of a deterministic development of spacein time. Underlying the Hamilitonian structure of localphysics is the remarkably good approximation of thePoincar group to the underlying local symmetry group,exploited in canonical quantization schemes, for dis-tances on the order of Fermi’s length (10-15 m).

However, in the absence of associated matter, sig-nificant extraordinary local effects appear due to thefluctuations in the local 3-geometry on the order ofPlanck’s length (L* = [h(3)γ/(2πc3)]1/2=1.6¥10-35 m).The fictions of space-time and time are exposed as neo-classical approximations.

Centuries of research, from Newton to Weinkoff,converge upon the simple observation that the dynam-ic object of study, in physics, is 3-space. (3)γ, super-space, the totality of all 3-spaces, becomes the primarystructure of physical theory. Simplistically, the 3-geom-etry is itself seen as a “carrier of information abouttime” (Wheeler, 1962).

In a deterministic world, we replace space-time witha foliation. That is, a 3-space development is tracked asa series of sharply defined, infinitely thin “leaves,” orfoliations, defining time development. At a quantumlevel, the resulting picture is replaced by a “fuzzy” viewof history with leaves of finite thickness. On the orderof Planck’s length, the system undergoes quantum fluc-tuations in its 3-geometry. In a classical view, we havethe development of the local physics proceeding as aseries of “yes” and “no” geometries. Ordering the “yes”geometries provides a local view of the 4-geometry.However, quantum theory defines an associated proba-bility amplitude ψ = (3)γ with each 3-geometry. Theamplitude is greatest along the classical path, with asharp degradation on either side of the foliation. Onemay say that for a small period of time the state of the3-geometry is indeterminate. Simplistically, one mayview this as fluctuations in the background 3-space, inanalogy with the well-known phenomenon of vacuumfluctuations in the electromagnetic field (the so-calledzero-point fluctuations).

This is the theory as applicable in a vacuum.However, in the presence of a large spinning mass, orthe provision of considerable energy, the backgroundfluctuations in 3-space may be set into resonance anda temporarily stable local deviation from the classi-cally predicted 3-space then occurs. At each foliation,all physical 3-geometries are possible. Therefore, it ispossible to generate the appearance of “time travel”by temporarily moving to an alternate 3-space. Suchan arrangement is, however, unstable, and will ulti-mately require a “snapping back” into the proper 3-space.

The beauty of this solution is that Special Relativityis inviolate as no information is determined about the“true” 3-space, only about that in which you are cur-rently residing. As such, the popular fears of marryingyour grandmother or shooting yourself are impossible,as it is not really yourself that you are meeting, only a“fading” copy. However, some arguments have recentlybeen presented in the Journal of Geodynamics andAstrophysics suggesting feedback from alternate 3-geometries is possible. Most practical physicists consider this to be unlikely.

New TimelinesThis lets travelers change

history . . . but not their own history.Whenever a time traveler (or group oftravelers) arrives in the past, theycause a new worldline to split off fromthe original, identical in every respectup until the moment of arrival. Afterthat point, however, nothing that hap-pened in the original line is bound tohappen in the same way, or at all. Thenew timeline may be very similar tothe old one, or chaotically different, asdescribed above. (Perhaps there is noway to know in advance what the“rule” will be for that new timeline!)

A key point, however, is that every-thing is duplicated except the travel-ers. They have left their original line(not necessarily permanently – moreon this in a moment). In other words,you can’t really go “back in time” at all,or have any effect on your own histo-ry. You can only create a new world,whose future you are free to alterbecause it hasn’t happened yet.

It may or may not be possible toreturn to the “original” worldline. If itis possible, you can only return to themoment you left, or possibly somelater time. You can’t return to any ear-lier point, because that would give youthe possibility of making changes toyour own past.

This gives a traveler absolute free-dom from time paradox. You can killyour grandpa, or even your youngerself; it only means that in the duplicateline you won’t get born, or won’t growup to be a meddling time mechanic.You cannot, however, make infinitecopies of yourself, because you leavethe original line each time you time-jump. You can exist in two places atonce, by going back to a point withinyour natural lifetime, but no morethan that – because any subsequenttrips take you into a new, “blank” copyof the worldline. (Unless you let thenew parallel branch off from the oneyou just created, with two of you in it.Good luck with that.) You can leavethe original line any number of times,but you can only arrive in a particularline once.

Yes, this is difficult to follow.Because our logic is causality-based,and therefore time-dependent, thissort of thing always happens whenyou consider the implications of timetravel.

This approach owes something tothe time-theory in David Gerrold’s TheMan Who Folded Himself, and a littleto the “superstring theory” of modernphysics. In Gerrold’s book, the tripperwas duplicated along with everythingelse. Paradoxes were ignored, becausealmost anything that might happencould and did happen in one of thebraided worldlines; multiple versionsof the hero could and did meet, andthe issue of whether one could returnto one’s original line, or only to one indistinguishable from it, wasconsidered but never solved.

The dramatic drawback to this sys-tem is the old problem of “If anythingcan happen, who cares?” The travelerscan shoot Genghis Khan, shootShakespeare, shoot their own double;it isn’t their universe, after all. Thismight become tiresome, but on theother hand, it can open up some veryinteresting questions of morality andresponsibility. Interested playersshould read Corrupting Dr. Nice byJohn Kessel (about a society that cancreate new timelines at whim), orGlimpses by Lewis Shiner (about asingle traveler who can). Either asnihilism or experiment, new timelinescan be fun while they last, especiallyfor those who know some history andwant to play around with it.

Parallel WorldsAnother possibility is that what we

choose to call “time travel” is actuallyparallel-world travel; you’re not goingto “our” World War II, but to an exist-ing alternate universe in which WorldWar II happens to be going on “now.”The world may otherwise be exactlyidentical to Home Time, or have differ-ences so tiny as to make no difference(President Roosevelt’s middle name isDouglas), or major and important

divergences (Russia is still a monar-chy). It may or may not be possible toreturn to one’s line of origin – or theremight be so many almost-identicalworlds that one could never tell.

In this case, nothing you do in theparallel world will affect your owntimeline – unless you stumble into adimensional war with people who canfind your timeline. This is the basis ofthe default Infinite Worlds setting.

OTHER USEFULPOSTULATES

Although neither required nor con-tradicted by most of the metaphysicalconstructions above, these next threeaxioms appear in time travel fictionand some time travel theory.Implementing any of them limits theway time travel works, and constrainplayer action. (Implementing them allis fairly restrictive, compared to mostgamers’ assumptions about time trav-el, so explaining things early is help-ful.) This can be good or bad, depend-ing on the gaming group’s instincts,but it does help harried GMs maintainsome control over story developments.

The Linearity PrincipleThis law applies when time travel-

ers must operate from a “home base,”rather than jumping freely around intime. It states that time moves forwardat the same speed for the agents in thefield and the machine operators athome. If the team spends two weeks inthe past, they return two weeks afterthey left. Conversely, if the agentsrequest information or assistancefrom Mission Control, and it requirestwo days to research the data or pre-pare the backup team, the help arrivestwo days after it was requested.

156 . . . AND TIME

There is no privileged past . . . There is aninfinitude of Pasts, all equally valid . . . At eachand every instant of Time, however brief yousuppose it, the line of events forks like the stemof a tree putting forth twin branches.

– André Maurois, “If Louis XVI Had Hadan Atom of Firmness”

The real reason for this rule is,again, to prevent the team from solv-ing problems by “magic.” MissionControl’s inability to scan freely backand forth should be given somemechanical explanation, preferablyone that can sometimes be bent a littleto save the day. One possibility:Control must maintain a “fix” on theagents, which moves forward as theydo; to scan back to some earliermoment risks breaking the fix, losingall communications with the teamuntil they can be located again. (See Inthe Cube, p. 29, for more detail.)

Obviously, where linearity applies,agents can’t make “pickups” in thefield. If you have been out for fiveyears, you can talk to someone wholeft home just a year after you did. Butwhen you go home, it will be five yearslater; no way around it.

Oscillating TimeThis is an interesting limitation to

apply to time travel of any sort.Suppose that the energies of time –whatever they are – vary in a pre-dictable way. You can only travelbetween points that have the same“chronal charge.” Result: the timemachine can only make jumps of acertain length. This might be a month,a year, or a century. Perhaps there areonly a few points in all of history thatthe machine can reach – in that case,it’s more like a “time gate” or a “timesubway” that only makes stops with alot of commuter traffic.

Time travelers are thus presentedwith some interesting problems; theycan never depend on going right to thetime they want to see. In particular,they can’t even think of bopping to lastweek to tell themselves “Don’t do that!”This can make a campaign more manageable. Note that such a systemautomatically conserves linearity.

The Recency EffectThis assumes that, for some reason,

the travelers cannot visit their immedi-ate past. The “Recency Barrier” can bea week ago, a year ago, within the life-time of the time traveler, or centuriesin the past. If the GM wants to avoidtroublesome alterations to the cam-paign’s recent history, this is the way togo. This may be justified by rubberphysics like the Time Corps’ “ArbatovBarrier” (p. 218), or by an oscillation

effect that limits the availability of allpast time.

While this doesn’t make all para-doxes impossible, it limits the travel-ers to historical periods instead ofbothering their last-week selves. If thisis the kind of campaign the GM plansto have anyway, a Recency Effect is agood thing to introduce.

TALKING TOYOURSELF

Nothing can create a really messy(and unplayable) paradox quite asquickly as a time traveler who visitshimself. He can tell himself what todo . . . or what not to do . . . or showup and argue with himself.

For gaming purposes, the questionbecomes “What sort of logical expla-nation, or rubber science, will preventthis from happening?” This preventscharacters’ visiting the same era againand again, either to “work on theproblem till we get it right” or to mul-tiply themselves into armies. It alsomeans that Time Agents cannot returnhome “before they left” and give them-selves advice on how to deal with themission.

Paradox-Proof TimeAs described above, this type of

reality simply bounces a traveler backto his origin as soon as he starts to cre-ate a paradox. If he avoids paradox, hecan do anything he likes.

Temporal ExclusionIn this sort of cosmos, it is simply

impossible for a traveler to clock intoa period he already occupies. If you tryto travel to a time where you have“already” (in your own absolute past)been, several things can happen, noneof them good:

You can bounce. The attempted tripfails, leaving you mentally stunned.

You can wind up in a parallel worldat the same time. If it’s a close parallel,it may be a very long while before youfind out you’ve gone astray.

You can wind up at the wrong time.Usually you go farther back than youplanned – sometimes a lot fartherback. But you might wind up justbefore, or just after, the stretch of timeyou already occupy.

You can travel randomly throughtime and/or space. Use the RandomPresent Table on p. 86 to determine adestination year, and pick a real nastylocation in space to fit the result.

You can wind up in Limbo. Limbois just a theory . . . a term to describethe place travelers go when they van-ish and are never seen again.

If an imprecise method of timetravel is being used, temporal exclu-sion can happen by accident whensomebody tries to cut things too close.

What if you clock into a period justbefore one you already occupy, andwait until the “younger you” appears?If something happens to the youngeryou, a paradox is created. Therefore,the older self – who is the one respon-sible for the problem anyway – shouldfeel the effects. (This is the mostplayable answer, but if the GM canfind a way to make the younger selffeel the effects of a decision the playerhasn’t taken yet, go ahead!)

Temporal SnarlsThis rule is essentially Temporal

Exclusion that can be “bent” once in awhile, but within strict limits. Itassumes that history is resistant tochange and paradox, but allows some-one to be in the same time more thanonce . . . as long as no interaction takesplace!

If you try to interact with an “earli-er” version of yourself, you’ll probablybe frustrated; you are trying to createa “temporal snarl” in your own past.This sets up probability oscillations,and you start suffering fatigue andother effects as you exert effort inopposition to your current existence.

If someone tries to alter his ownpast drastically (say, by shooting him-self), he should either fall unconsciousor pop into another time. This takescare of the Grandfather Paradox. Notethat it is the size of the alteration, notits subtlety, which matters. Goingback 500 years and convincing yourmany-times-great-grandmother tobecome a nun would have exactly thesame effect; you can’t do it.

Any attempt to set up a “free lunchloop” in time is also doomed to failure– or, at least, to having no effect on theoutcome of the adventure. (This isoffered purely for playability. In termsof physics, there’s no reason why itcouldn’t be done.)

. . . AND TIME 157

If you try to meet and talk to your-self about something relatively minor,it should still be painful – say, 6 FP and-2 IQ for the duration of the meetingand the rest of the day.

But a minor attempt to alter yourown worldline is possible. If you wantto send yourself a cryptic note, thecost might be a mere 3 FP.

If the GM allows this at all, heshould assess fatigue (and other) costsbased on the size of the paradox orchange the traveler is trying to create.A general guideline: the moreheadaches it causes the GM, the harder it is for the character to do!

Of course, an accidental meetingwith yourself should be good for aFright Check at -2 or worse. If you seeyourself with injuries or changes, thepenalty should be much bigger!

In campaigns involving paralleluniverses, the rule is not needed andshould not be used. This allows paral-lel versions of a character (who maywell not be friendly) to meet and inter-act.

COMMUNICATIONANDOBSERVATION

In “Time Agent” campaigns, theGM must decide what communica-tions are available between MissionControl and the Agents in the field. Incampaigns where the travelers are freeto bounce around as they wish, thequestion of communications must stillbe settled, but it is less central to theadventures.

No CommunicationThis is the simplest assumption,

and in many ways the easiest to man-age. The agents are entirely on theirown, and cannot ask for help or infor-mation. They also cannot move againin time, unless the machine travelswith them. They must be broughthome either after a fixed amount ofmission time – a useful way to keepthe action moving – or through someautomatic mechanism (see The TimeCorps, pp. 217-228, for an example).No “recall signal” is permitted – if adevice can send a beep, it can sendMorse code.

Limited ForwardCommunication

The agents can send messages toMission Control, but not freely: themessages are limited in length, or for-mat (e.g., they must be sent in Morse),or can only be sent at specific times orfrom specific places (say, the team’sarrival point). Control cannot sendmessages to the agents at all.

But note that even if there is nohandy Time Radio, there are ways toget word to the future. (See the boxabove)

Limited ReverseCommunication

The simplest reverse communica-tion is to let Mission Control continueto send things and people back intime. There are not, however, verymany messages worth sending ifControl cannot receive requests forinformation.

Full ForwardCommunication

Mission Control can look over theteam’s shoulders constantly, either

158 . . . AND TIME

We Will Have Warned You in the Past

How can someone in the past communicate with the presentday?Without a handy Time Radio, or a time-fax to transmit a note a few hun-dred years uptime, a resourceful traveler can still pass information oreven call for help. The longer it will be before the message is read, ofcourse, the harder it is to be sure it will get there.

Message DropsA message can be left in a predetermined place if someone uptime is

looking for it. For a period of a few years, a safe-deposit box could beused . . . but it is important that nobody ever look in it during the inter-vening years!

For longer durations, a time capsule can be buried in a safe place.With access to high technology, time capsules can be put in very remoteplaces . . . in orbit, for instance, or at the top of the Great Pyramid. Evenwith “ordinary” technology, creative solutions are possible. (The recov-ery of a message can be an adventure for the uptime team, too!)

Active DeliveryIf nobody expects your message, you just have to create a message

that seeks out the person you want it to go to. This is much harder, butnot impossible.

Lawyers: With an appropriate advance payment, a law firm will holda message and deliver it in the future – even a very long time in thefuture. Pick a law firm in a city that you know will remain prosperousand unconquered until the day the message needs to be delivered. (Otherorganizations than lawyers can do this kind of task, but a good lawyerwon’t even blink at the request.)

Message in a Bottle: Bury the message where you hope it will be foundat the appropriate time, nested inside two envelopes. The outer envelopesays, “Deliver to Such-and-so for an appropriate reward.” The inner onesays, “If you get this message before (whatever the date is), do not tellanybody, and don’t open it before that date.” Thus, you have at least achance that the message will arrive safely, and will not be read before itshould be. (Reading it early could create a possible paradox.)

through a time-transmitting cameracarried by the agents, or an “areaviewer” like the screen on Time Tunnel.They cannot, however, send into thepast. If you use this option, we suggestthe “time camera” – which may beunreliable, or easily damaged; if youuse the viewer, we strongly recom-mend that Control be able to “fix on”and see only the immediate vicinity ofthe agents. The reason for this is thatunrestricted time-viewing simplymakes Control too powerful (see TimeViewers, p. 160). If they could see any-thing at any point, it would be possibleto examine every possible obstacle to amission – worse, it would be possibleto watch the mission before the agentshad been sent! Time paradoxesagain . . .

Full Two-WayCommunication

There is the equivalent of a radio orTV link between Mission Control andthe field. The agents can ask for infor-mation or assistance, and (subject tothe equipment remaining undamaged,a “fix” being maintained, etc.) theyreceive it fairly promptly.

One interesting way to limit this isto allow full two-way communicationonly from one specific point. Theagents have a “time phone,” but it can-not be moved. If they’re away from thephone, they’re on their own!

Another way to limit this is torestrict Mission Control – if the pres-ent can’t send anything else back tothe past until the agents return, com-munication becomes somewhat lessgame-breaking. (“Control, this isAlpha Team! We’re being attacked bytigers!” “We’ll make a note of that forthe next mission, Alpha Team. Tigerrepellent all around next mission.”“Control, next mission is to the ArcticOcean.” “Can’t be too careful.”) TheTime Sphere on p. 163 has this kind oflimitation.

THE OBSERVEREFFECT

The Observer Effect, stated mostbriefly, says “An observed event can-not be changed.” There are no para-doxes. Known history cannot bechanged.

Now, if this were entirely accurate,time travel would be much simplerand safer. But the Observer Effect saysthat a successful intervention canoccur. History can be changed. But itis very difficult. And usually anyattempt to change an established factresults in failure.

“I Don’t Want To Know!”

But to a good Time Agent, theObserver Effect means that any eventthat was not observed can be changed.And the observations of the locals onthe scene don’t count. The observerfrom the future is the one that mat-ters, because only he can create a par-adox. (Thick volumes on physics andepistemology have been written toexplain this, and they haven’t done avery good job yet.)

Basically, though, all of the detailsof past history can be considered “influx” until they are observed by some-one from the Absolute Now. There aretwo possible explanations for this:

Time is fixed, but we still have freewill. We don’t know for sure what real-ly happened in the past, and until weknow what happened, we can try tochange it. We’re part of history.

Time is not fixed until it’s observed.The act of observation is necessary forthe event to be final. It’s likeSchrödinger’s Cat, which is neitheralive nor dead until someone opensthe box to check . . . In this sense, theobserver from the future creates theevent, and makes it real, by observingit. It’s not real until then.

Either way, an observed event isvery hard to change. An unobservedevent is subject to change.

This means that if an intervention –or a counter-intervention – is bungled,it is very hard to fix. Sure, anotherteam could be sent to the same time.But they can’t do anything that con-tradicts the first team’s observations.

The exception, ironically, comes ifthe first team failed completely andwas wiped out. If they didn’t reporttheir observations back to their suc-cessors, they didn’t “determine” histo-ry. This has some interesting effects:

Agents are reluctant to report failure . . . which sometimes means

they don’t flee or call for help whenthey should.

Agents on both sides are merciful todefeated enemy agents. If they make ithome to report defeat, that defeatbecomes more nearly irrevocable.

Agents hate to observe the death of afriend. Sometimes an agent will walkaway from a wounded “native” ally,rather than risk checking and findingout he is dead. If the death isn’t report-ed, there is a chance that help mightarrive in time. Fanatical agents mightcommit suicide rather than report fail-ure. Even less fanatical agents mightask: “Would you die to give anotherteam a chance to run the mission?”

Degrees of Observationand Loopholes

An agent can never undo anythinghe witnessed. The only hope – andsometimes it is a significant hope – isthat he didn’t witness it correctly.

Witnessing a film or photographisn’t quite as final. Films and photo-graphs can be faked. Digital imagescan be easily faked. Still, unlessMission Control believes that some-thing was faked, it’s not likely to riskan agent.

An observation reported by another agent is as trustworthy asthat agent is. A “real-time” report by ahistorical native is as trustworthy asthat native is.

Published reports, memoirs, etc.,are often not reliable at all. If thenewspaper says the parade started atnoon . . . well, maybe the paper waswrong!

Paradoxes and the Observer Effect

The Observer Effect says that thereare no paradoxes. So what happenswhen something occurs which seemsto be a paradox?

For instance, an agent is in Ford’sTheater on April 14, 1865. He observesBooth’s attempt to shoot Lincoln. Hewatches in sorrow as the assassinsteps forward . . . and in horror as abeam of green light slices throughBooth’s gun arm. In the ensuing turmoil, Lincoln is hustled out of thetheater under heavy guard. Clearly,history has just been changed in a bigway. Or has it?

. . . AND TIME 159

There is no one right answer. Infact, the “real” right answer maydepend on what the PCs do.

The obvious thing would be forthem to start working to kill Lincolnand to leave a historical record thatshowed he had been assassinated onschedule. This would be very difficult,especially since there is obviouslysome sort of futuristic interventionalready going on.

They might decide that, whateveris really going on, it’s too much forthem to handle – and concentrate onriding it out without becoming a partof it. This would require an iron willand a blind faith that History Will SortIt Out.

They might also decide that this isthe sort of event that shouldn’t beobserved, since observation makesevents real. The obvious answer is thatit’s time to go AWOL, rather than everreporting in. (This is really a differentapproach to History Will Sort It Out.)

Or they could go running home toreport. If Home is still there, it tendsto prove that the Observer Effect isstill valid. If they can’t get home, it’s asign that perhaps the rules havechanged (an evil GM at work, nodoubt). If they’ve somehow beenthrown into a parallel timeline, thenthere is still no paradox, but they havea whole new problem.

If they do get home, they oftenreport in doubletalk or opaque sen-tences, in an effort to beat theObserver Effect: “I would suggestsending a heavily armed team toFord’s Theatre starting at least a weekbefore the play.” The usual effect is tomake it harder on the follow-up team,without beating the Effect in the least.The only time that seems to work iswhen the original observer isn’taround to be debriefed when theshooting is finally over.

Working Around theObserver Effect

Suppose that a Time Agent has themisfortune to be accused of witchcraftin 1650. He is captured and tortured,but escapes. He reports back to base,which determines that the head witch-hunter is probably an Evil Time Agent.

Now, the one thing that MissionControl cannot do is send a team backto terminate the witch-hunter before

1650. He was observed in 1650. TheObserver Effect says that we can’t takehim out before then. We know he wasthere. Except . . . if it matters enough,we could try to eliminate him and sub-stitute an exact double, to do thosethings that the original was observeddoing . . . including torturing the original agent!

What if the double tries to cheathistory? He’d better not. The doublehas to make sure that he does every-thing he was observed doing. If hetries not to, something will happen –he will go mad and think he is thewitch-hunter, or he will be secretlykilled and replaced by another enemyagent . . . or something equally bad.(The GM can have a lot of fun thinkingup disasters when PCs try to cheatobserved fate.)

However, it is perfectly safe forControl to send someone to 1645 tokeep an eye on the witch-hunter andreport what he does. Sometimes it’s agood idea, sometimes it’s not.Knowledge is power, but every littlebit of knowledge limits what you cando in your own future. The ObserverEffect is a two-edged sword.

TIME VIEWERSThe biggest problems with time

viewers – devices that can see throughtime – are that they screw up physics,and they can screw up your game. (Atime viewer without a good longRecency Effect also becomes amachine for potentially totalitariansurveillance. This may be a desiredeffect, of course.) Let’s take the easierone first, the physics: by “seeing”something in the past, you’re trans-mitting information to the past (atleast if quantum physics is correct).Any reasonably scientific time viewercan thus become a time communica-tor, even if it’s just a matter of “vieweron” and “viewer off” in Morse code.(Which, as a binary code, can theoret-ically transmit computer programs,or any other kind of data – oh, it’s justtoo horrible to contemplate.) Onceyou’re doing that, all the paradoxesfrom actual time travel come back tobite you, and as long as you have tohave the paradoxes anyhow, youmight as well get the fun of racingaround in fur undershorts waving asword at Romans.

The simplest way around this is toignore quantum physics; the timeviewer works by some other meansthan subatomic particle transfer.Magic is always good, or pseudoscien-tific mysticism such as reading the“Akashic Record.” This psychicrecording of all events, future andpast, in Earth’s history, is keptSomewhere (the Astral Plane, amonastery in Tibet, the DNA of theMessiah) by Someone (monks,Lemurians, energy beings, angels),and is available only to the Worthy(whoever the GM wants). However,with suitably laid-back players, theGM can simply decree that quantumphysics is wrong, or doesn’t apply theway physicists think it does, and theinvention of the time viewer (whichcan’t, no how, no way) communicatewith the past proves it, despite itsbeing ever so scientific.

This brings up the issue of gamecontrol and game balance. If the GMonly lets the PCs’ superiors (or ene-mies) have a time viewer, he needs towrestle with the issues implied by anall-seeing Mission Control (some ofwhich are addressed on p. 210). Heshould also decide if the ObserverEffect applies, and if there is aRecency Effect for time viewing aswell. Even in games without an offi-cial Observer Effect, seeing the pasthas consequences for the observerand his decisions about it. Players areexperts at asking awkward, but emi-nently reasonable, questions like“Can you trace the movements of thebad guy after he thwarts us, and sendus back to thwart him when he’sasleep?”

All of this caution applies in spadesif the PCs have a time viewer. They willnaturally use it for complete recon-naissance of their missions, checkingup on the identity of that one shadowyassassin who got away in the past, andso forth, thus destroying suspense andaction in one go. A good general ruleis, if you must have time viewers, theyshould never be superior to going andlooking in person – and should ideallyhave weaknesses (or blank spots incoverage) that can only be addressedon the ground. Failing that, theyshould be balky, uncooperative, foggy,inconvenient things, or impossible toget time on for piddling details (ratherlike radio telescopes). Otherwise, the

160 . . . AND TIME

GM will find himself presiding over aseries of thrilling narrations of thingsseen on the time viewscreen, ratherthan an actual game.

Having said all that, here are twopossible time viewers.

PythagoreanChronovisor

TL7^This device, according to (genuine)

occultist legend, uses the Pythagoreanharmony of the spheres – which pos-tulates that no sound is ever lost,merely subsumed into the eternalmusic of geometrical creation – tocapture images and sounds from thepast. In 1952, Father PellegrinoErnetti, a musicologist (and exorcist!)working in Venice, developed amethod of “tuning in” to sounds fromthe past using sensitive recordingequipment and an antenna construct-ed from a harmonious blend of threemetals. With the assistance of variouspious physicists (including, says therumor, Enrico Fermi), Ernettiimproved his device, adding an oscil-loscope to let him focus on a specificera, and a television viewer. Althoughthe pictures were blurry, and thesounds muddy, Ernetti was able toview speeches by Napoleon and lostplays in ancient Rome. Father Ernettiabruptly stopped his research in 1978,after the death of Pope John Paul I, forreasons unknown.

The Pythagorean Chronovisor(which may work on similar principlesto an Akashic Time Camera supposed-ly built in the 1940s and 1950s by thespiritualist Baird T. Spalding) workson mystical principles, but construct-ing it requires a Physics/TL7^(Acoustics) roll, and using it requiresan Electronics Operation/TL7^(Temporal) roll. Tuning it into a specif-ic time period involves a lengthy peri-od of searching (1d+2 hours), whichcan be cut by a third with a suitableHistory or Area Knowledge roll (or toone hour on a critical success) whilewatching the display pan back andforth. It can view any scene that tookplace within radio range (10 miles) ofits antenna. With an ElectronicsRepair/TL7^ (Communications) roll, itcan be modified to receive from any-where within 1,000 miles, but takes

four times as long to “home in” on aspecific time period and location, andall rolls to use it are at -4 to skill. It isvery balky and sensitive; add -2 to anynegative modifiers for chronal storms,atmospheric disturbances, realityquakes, etc. To take usable photo-graphs or recordings from it is aPhotography or Electronics Opera-tion/TL7 (Surveillance) test at -6!

At the GM’s discretion, of course,building or using it might also, orinstead, require rolls against Occult-ism, Philosophy (Pythagorean), orMusical Instrument (Chronovisor)! Ifit channels the Akashic Record, or thesongs of the angels, or some otherspiritual archive, the user may need tobe Blessed, have a suitable PowerInvestiture, or at least possess ClericalInvestment. (It might also merely be apsychotronic enhancer, and the usermust have Psychometry to make itwork.)

It cost at least $50,000 to build(and that’s only because the Popemade Enrico Fermi help Ernetti forfree); it weighs 30 lbs.

TimescannerTL9^

A timescanner is a device that canbe used to see into the past; it is usefulfor archaeologists, detectives andgenealogists. When activated, it pro-vides a holographic image of whateveris occurring within a two-yard radiuscentered around the scanner, at somepoint in the past. Nothing outside thatarea can be seen – it can’t be used as a“window” to scan the surroundinglandscape. The place being scanned isrelative to the nearest mass of conti-nental size. Thus, a timescanner canonly be used to scan planetary sur-faces.

Of course, the Observer Effectapplies to anything seen by timescan-ner. But in a background where histo-ry can be changed, you might seesomething different the next time youscan the same period!

A timescanner must be set for anarbitrary point in time in the past –e.g., 31 years, 84 days, 11 hours and 50minutes ago. Make a skill roll againstElectronics Operation (Sensors). Asuccessful roll means the scanner haslocked onto the correct period. Failuremeans that the mark was missed by

10% times the amount failed by (plusor minus, roll randomly). A criticalfailure means that it could be seeinganywhen . . . Other than actual evi-dence (“Why are they wearing togas –are you sure this is 1945?”) there is noway to tell when the scanner is actually focused, only where – thesame place it is in the present.

The more distant the period to bescanned, the longer the scanner takesto reach it. It takes 90 minutes to focuson anything in the last 24 hours, threehours to focus on anything in the lastsix days, six hours to focus on a pointthree months distant, 12 hours tofocus within the last 2 1/2 years, 24hours to focus on something in 25years, two days to focus on somethingin 250 years, and so on. Each tenfoldincrease in temporal distance doublesthe amount of time that the scannertakes to reach that period.

After the scanner is ready, it proj-ects the visual image of the area occu-pied by the scanner, and continue in“real time” until deactivated. This canbe unhelpful if, in the time beingscanned, the area presently occupiedby the scanner is filled with solidmaterial.

For example, archaeologists take atimescanner to the ruin of an ancientpalace. They set it up, and choose togo back to a day exactly 3,200 yearsago, the approximate date it wasbuilt. It takes four days for the scan-ner to reach back that far (whether itshows brief glimpses of interveningperiods is up to the GM); then it startsrelaying images. The scientists usedastronomical data to make sure theyfocused in during the early morning.What they see is two halves of differ-ent rooms – a wall once bisected thearea now occupied by the scanner.One is furnished, a bit of rug extendsout, and the corner of a chair. In theother, they can see half a bed with thebottom half of someone sleepingunder a fur cloak. If they want to seemore, they would have to wait forsomeone to come into the timescanfield, or they could try again, eitherresetting the time (by as little as a fewhours, perhaps) or physically movingthe scanner itself. Moving the scannerbreaks the lock.

A timescanner costs $800,000, andweighs 5 tons.

. . . AND TIME 161

TIME MACHINESMachines that actually transport

things or people into the past (orfuture, if a future actually exists yet)will probably operate (have alwaysoperated?) on the same general princi-ple. A large amount of energy, focusedto a point or a line, opens a wormholebetween two points in space-time.That wormhole, then, draws theobject at its focus (usually the timemachine and its pilot or crew) throughitself either instantaneously or at ahigh years-per-second rate. Somewormholes are “open” to the outside,moving the time machine throughsome sort of hyperspace outside regu-lar material existence. Others are fullyself-contained, admitting nothing –not even light or air – to the machineand its crew during the passage,which must be carefully calibrated toavoid smothering the time travelers.Long trips into the past or future mayneed to be done in stages, or the timemachine should be fitted with oxygenmasks and breathing equipment like abathysphere. Some machines (or the-oretical models) “skip” the machinethrough a rapid series of wormholes,admitting photons and oxygen mole-cules every thousandth of a second (asexperienced by the time traveler).

Conventional science throws up itshands at the request to design a timemachine. In 1974, physicist FrankTipler devised the closest thing to aworking design; it involves a light-years-long cylinder of neutroniumspinning at three-quarters of the speedof light. Not only is such a timemachine inconvenient, bulky, andexpensive, it can only send the userback as far as the moment of its owncreation. However, the determinedtime traveler has options that do notrely on conventional science.

Chronic ArgoTL5^

This device, first invented in 1888and later perfected in 1895, works onan analogous principle to an opticalperiscope. Rather than redirect theflow of light, it redirects the ambienttime flow of the universe by means ofa precise geometrical relationshipamong several control bars of varyingmaterials (bronze, ivory, ebony, rock

crystal, and nickel). By moving thebars forward or backward, the devicetravels forward or backward in time,remaining stationary relative to theEarth’s surface.

It requires no power plant or ener-gy input, but a sufficiently powerfulforce field or temporal distortionmight prevent its rods from preciselyredirecting the time flow. As built byits inventor, it rests in an open-framechassis on two long brass rails; thereis one seat for the pilot, and dialsdemarcated in days, thousands ofdays, millions of days, and billions ofdays provide some notion of temporallocation. Its top temporal speed is800,000 years per hour.

Time BeltTL6^

On June 30, 1908, somethingstruck the Siberian forest in theTunguska River valley, emitting a flashvisible hundreds of miles away. It wasa piece ejected from a spinning darkstar, thousands of light-years away.Most of this bolide disintegrated onimpact, but tiny fragments remained.The time belt contains a submicro-scopic sliver of such a fragment, sus-pended in a powerful magnetic field.By adjusting the field strength with adial, the wearer can increase the reso-nance between this sliver and the orig-inal dark star. This imparts the darkstar’s “Kerr spin” to the fragment, andthus to the belt’s wearer and anyone inphysical contact with him. The wearercan only travel to dates before June30, 1908, and once in the past must“snap back” to the present before traveling elsewhen.

The belt weighs 15 lbs., and is usu-ally worn with a harness and a batterypack (good for 24 hours of continuoususe) on the back to power the magnet-ic containment field. The belt and bat-tery pack have DR 1 and 5 HP each.Should the field be breached or shutdown, the belt becomes too heavy tolift or wear (doing 4d crushing dam-age to the wearer, if any), snaps backto the present (or, if critically dam-aged, to 1908), and cannot be used fortime travel until repaired orrecharged. Time travel using the belt isinstantaneous, although arrival on theexact date desired requires a criticalsuccess on an Electronics Opera-tion/TL6^ (Temporal) skill roll. A suc-cessful roll results in an arrival 2ddays on either side of the target date; afailed roll results in missing the targetby 2d¥10 days; a critical failure missesby 2d¥1,000 days. The traveler doesnot move in space relative to theEarth’s surface. The belt cost its inven-tor $320,000, which included the costof finding and extracting the dark starsliver from the gravelly Siberian countryside.

162 . . . AND TIME

No Machines!You can build an interesting campaign around the idea that, for

whatever reason, time travel works only for living beings. (Say, inani-mate objects have too strong an entropic field, or lack temporal self-identity, or whatever.)

The most obvious result is that time travelers always arrive naked,with no equipment at all. Under these circumstances, the Time Corpsrecruits very healthy, self-reliant sorts with little body modesty. In mostperiods, the first job is stealing some clothes . . .

This works especially well with psionic time travel (pp. 166-169), andalso makes an interesting malfunction for a “normal” time travel system.

Time Machine TableTL Vehicle ST/HPTL5^ Chronic Argo 36TL7^ USS Eldridge 460TL7^ Time Sphere 68TL8^ DMC-12 55

[1] The Eldridge has 11 feet of draft.[2] Cost includes two plutonium

slugs at $80K each.

Rainbow Effect CoilsTL7^

In 1940, the U.S. governmentestablished Project Rainbow to studythe military potential of Nikola Tesla’spower field theories. By July of 1943,the prototype “Rainbow Effect”device, a large series of Tesla coilsnested in a complex geometricalseries, attached to a complex antennaarray along the ship’s mast and super-structure, had been installed on thedestroyer escort USS Eldridge in thePhiladelphia Navy Yard. In theory, thedevice would make the Eldridge invisi-ble; what it actually did (on August 12or October 28, 1943, depending onwhich report one believes) was rotateit out of conventional space-time and into a hyperdimension. Witnessessaw the Eldridge disappear fromPhiladelphia – and reappear 15 min-utes later in Norfolk, Virginia, a dis-tance of 300 miles. Also during that 15minutes, some members of theEldridge crew traveled up to 50 yearsinto the future. Others, unfortunately,“phased” into the deck and died horribly, or went mad from the stress.

The Rainbow Effect coils on theEldridge weighed one ton, andrequired a 500 KW generator; the“Philadelphia Experiment” seems tohave generated speeds of 1,200 miles,and 200 years, per hour. Further test-ing would no doubt improve this per-formance, and reduce the hazards ofhyperdimensional travel. ProjectRainbow scientists reportedly con-ducted a series of land-based tests ofthe Rainbow Effect at Camp Hero(later the Montauk Air Force Station)in Long Island until 1984, and theNavy may have used the Eldridge toproject American power throughoutthe time stream during the secret waragainst Nazi time travelers. The

Rainbow Effect apparatus weighs2,000 lbs. and costs $1,300,000 inde-pendent of the vehicle size; the anten-na array weighs 200 lbs., costs$16,000, and uses 50 KW per point ofSize Modifier covered (minimum +1).

Time SphereTL7^

The Reiss-Jäger time apparatus,invented in 1959 by a formerLuftwaffe weapons scientist, uses afixed time projector to lower a con-verted bathysphere into the timestream. The 5’ sphere is suspendedfrom a thick cable (350’ long) abovethe projector platform. When thezero-point energy source in the appa-ratus power plant is engaged, the plat-form opens, and a winch lowers thesphere through the yawning vortexbelow. The gravity fields of the Earthand sun interact with the zero-pointfield, and the controller (who remainsin the present) homes in on thedesired location in space-time using aseries of handsome Bakelite dials andverniers. This homing process takes3d¥5 minutes and a successfulElectronics Operation/TL7^ (Tempor-al) skill roll (3d minutes on a criticalsuccess). During this period, the rawenergies of the time stream buffet thesphere; anyone outside the sphere ischronally disincarnated.

The sphere can only travel to loca-tions within the inner solar systembefore solar gravity becomes tooattenuated to power the vortex. Thecrew of the sphere can use a telephonehookup braided through the cable tospeak with the controller or anyoneelse at the control station. The spherehas one very thick porthole, and ahatch set into the side next to it. Whilein the past, it rests on four thick, stub-by legs; the cable stretches away into a

twisty nothingness. The winch in thepresent can haul up the sphere at anytime, but the sphere dangles suspend-ed from its cable in midair in the pastfor 1d minutes before returning to theprojector. Any number of “landings”are possible without a return to thepresent, as long as there is sufficientoxygen for the crew to breathe.

Flux DriveTL8^

This device simply channels anenergy discharge (1,210 MJ) into apoint, opening an instantaneous timegate to a preset destination, at thesame relative point on the Earth’s sur-face. The initial version of the fluxdrive uses two magnetic plutoniumslugs to force a subcritical reaction,which opens the gate; the plutoniuminstantly decays to lead during a timeshift. Like the Rainbow Effect coils,the flux drive is normally mounted ina vehicle, especially since it requires ahigh rate of local speed (between 85and 90 mph) to activate. A vehiclewith a steel or steel-alloy constructionis best, since it creates its own Faradaycage, preventing outside objects frombeing sucked into the vehicle’s tempo-ral wake. The flux drive weighs 15 lbs.and costs $393,000; energy generationequipment and fuel are extra.

The following table gives vehiclestatistics for the Chronic Argo, theUSS Eldridge, the Time Sphere, and a1981 DeLorean DMC-12 equippedwith a flux drive. Prices all includetemporal translation equipment as well as base vehicle costs.Operating any of these timemachines requires an ElectronicsOperation/TL (Temporal) skill roll,plus relevant Piloting or Driving rollsfor their vehicle mounts.

. . . AND TIME 163

Hnd/SR HT Move LWt. Load SM Occ. DR Range Cost Locations Notes– 12 – 0.5 0.1 +2 1 1 – $5,960 E2Rs

-3/4 11f 2.5/20 1,240 448 +10 186+14A 60 7,000 $2,100,000 gMS3t4X [1]– 12 – 2.8 0.3 +1 2P 400 – $590,000 g

+1/4 10f 4/62* 1.8 0.4 +3 1+3 5 450 $603,000 g4W [2]

DANGERSDepending on the nature of time

travel, it might be completely safe andinstantaneous (except in the 1% ofcases when the traveler vanishes for-ever), or the equivalent of a climb upMount Everest, requiring days ofeffort, specialized gear, breathingequipment, and a lot of luck. Any ofthe dangers of jump space, hyper-space, or the continuum (see TheSpaces Between, p. 74) might alsoapply to the time stream.

Chronal StormsTime travel might also have its own

dangers, from ultratemporal monstersdwelling between the microseconds tostorms of pure chronal energy thatbatter time machines around like tincans. Chronal storms might arise forany number of reasons; the GMshould decide on his reasons, decidewhich ones apply to the time travelers’planned destination, and add up atotal Severity Level (SL) for the stormfront they will pass through. (For evenmore trouble, the GM might want tofigure out if their route leads throughany other storms on the way.) TheSeverity Level can be a pure game-rules abstraction, or an actual unit ofmeasure used in the Rainbow Projectlabs!

Some possible chronal storm causes include:

Battlefields: The spirits of the war-like dead, or the collision of historicalpossibilities, churns the time fieldaround major battlefields. Determinethe order of magnitude of the battledeaths; Bunker Hill killed 1,200 men(fourth magnitude), Shiloh killed24,000 (fifth magnitude), Passchen-daele killed 570,000 (sixth magni-tude). Add 2 to the SL for every orderof magnitude above third. (The GMcan apply the same metric to otherhistorical cataclysms such the GreatFire of London or the Rwandan genocides.)

Cosmic Energies: Nuclear explo-sions, volcanic eruptions, theTunguska impact, and other “bigbangs” might have also torn up thetime stream, along with the atmos-phere and the climate. Add 2-4 to SL.

Historical Murk: Perhaps part ofwhat drives temporal disturbance is

the uncertainty of the events in the dis-turbed era. This could give PCs anactual motive to go back and solve his-torical mysteries – if they finally figureout who wrote Shakespeare’s plays,they can more easily time travelthrough 1598 London! An significantcontroversy about the facts but littleabout the outcome (such as Columbus’exact route) adds 1 to the SL, vaguebut controversial guesses (ArthurianBritain) add 3; total historical igno-rance (much of the history of centralAfrica) adds 5.

Magic Use: Major spells,banestorms, angelic interventions, orother supernatural manifestationsmight disrupt Tiplerian space-time,adding 1-5 to the SL. Time traveling onmagically significant dates (Hallow-een, Midsummer Eve) might addanother 1 or 2 to the SL.

Overlaps: Entering a time that youhave already visited in person runs therisk of personal timeline tangles. Itmight add 1 to the SL for every suchoverlap.

164 . . . AND TIME

Staying in Period Character

A time traveler (or crosstime agent) must be able to fit in with hisbackground, down to the smallest detail of dress and speech. Dependingon the circumstance, this requires a roll on IQ-5, Acting-2, or Savoir-Faire (of the appropriate specialty)-3.

The GM sets frequency of checks, based on the traveler’s general levelof training, his experience with the period and its difference from home-time society, and the circumstances of the mistake. A trained Time Agentwho has visited the period more than once might never have to check fortrivial errors, only for major social provocations. An absent-minded civil-ian might have to check every time he entered a crowded public place,or did anything unfamiliar.

A player who fails a minor roll should be allowed to “cover” with a lit-tle roleplayed fast talk: “Begad, sir, can’t imagine why I said ‘siege ofCawnpore,’ I meant ‘Mafeking,’ of course. Funny how the port makes thememory play tricks, eh?” Be sure the cover-up is appropriate; there aresocial situations in which an apology fixes almost anything, and othersin which it only makes matters worse. Make a Reaction Roll for the NPCinvolved, with modifiers for exceptionally good or poor excuses. Even ifthe excuse fails, a minor slip only results in the NPC thinking the char-acter is somewhat odd.

A failed major check irreversibly gives away that the person is notwho or what he claims to be. This does not mean that the NPC realizeshe’s dealing with an “alien”; most people have no notion that time trav-elers (or crossworld agents) exist. (Exceptions would include other timetravelers, friendly or enemy; locals who had been recruited by the TimeCorps and let in on The Secret; and the occasional genius/crackpot whobelieves all kinds of crazy things. This last sort, if used carefully, can bea very entertaining NPC nuisance.) Instead, the affected NPC guessesthat the liar is concealing his identity for some plausible reason – is a spy,perhaps, or a commoner pretending to be a nobleman.

Someone who fails a major check may still attempt to control thedamage with smooth talk. “I fear you have me, monsieur – indeed, Inever served with the King’s Musketeers. But I assure you I am a loyalFrenchman – and my orders come from the Cardinal Richelieu himself!”It may even be possible to turn a neutral NPC into an ally – people lovethe idea of conspiracies, especially if they can gain some advantagethereby.

Recent Time Shifts: Alterations tohistory (by rogue time travelers, say)no doubt roil the continuum. Alteringa minor cultural trend adds 1 to SL;reversing a Presidential election mightadd 3 or so; eradicating or seriouslydeforming a world-historic event or(Christianity, the United States, WWII)could add 5 or more. See Tampering,p. 86, for one set of modifiers based onhistorical tampering levels.

These Severity Levels are purelyarbitrary: a GM’s individual campaignmay evaluate the effects of temporaldisturbances entirely differently. Addall the SLs from the various applica-ble causes together for the era’s totalSL potential. Roll 2d and subtract itfrom the potential SL to get the finalSL for the chronal storm in the travel-ers’ path (if any). If Navigation(Temporal) exists as a skill in the cam-paign (or Navigation (Hyperspace)applies to time travel), a successfulroll might avoid a storm altogether, orat least brush past a weaker cell of itand try to avoid an accident (lowerthe final storm SL by 1 for each pointof success).

Temporal AccidentsTemporal storm or stowaway sabo-

tage: whatever causes it, a temporalaccident means unexpected trouble –which is to say, adventure. An adven-ture can simply start with the acci-dent, stranding the players in the storyfrom the beginning. On the other endof the inevitability index, the GM canmake time travel relatively risk-free,with only minor consequences foraccident, such as the failure rules forthe Time Belt (p. 162, above). Otherpossibilities include adapting theparachronic conveyor failure tablefrom p. B531 (possibly substituting atemporal error of some magnitude forthe focus error in those results), ortossing the travelers into a parallelworld. The system below presentsanother possible group of bad results.

Traveling in time requires a skillroll, usually against ElectronicsOperation (Temporal). Modifiers: -3 orworse for damaged equipment.Chronal storms make time travelmore perilous: -1 per point of finalstorm SL. Electrical or gravitationaldisturbances at the departure pointmight also interfere with some

machines: -2 for a severe electricalstorm, -6 for a nuclear blast, -10 for ablack hole passage! Paradox wreckstime travel for everyone; penalize trav-el attempts -1 for every paradox orcausality violation committed by anycrewman or passenger on their lasttime trip (much more for major viola-tions like killing one’s grandfather orquoting Macbeth to Shakespeare as aboy).

Apply the operator’s final modifiedmargin of failure to the followingtable, adding 1 for every extra passen-ger above the time machine’s ratedcapacity.

1 – Go nowhere. The time machineremains at its original point ofdeparture. Hopefully, the travelersweren’t leaving in a hurry.

2 – Temporal error. The time machinewinds up off course by 2d dayseither earlier (1-3) or later (4-6)than its intended destination.

3 – Spatial error. The time machinewinds up out of position on theEarth’s surface (not up or down) by2d miles in a random direction.

4 – Temporal and spatial error.Combine 2 and 3, above.

5 – Diverted by decision point. Thetime machine winds up drawn tojust before a historical decisionpoint near the intended destina-tion. For example, if the travelersintended to visit Leonardo da Vinciwhile he paints the Mona Lisa in1507 Paris, they might wind up justbefore the death of Cesare Borgiaat Viana the same year instead.

6 – Serious temporal error. The timemachine winds up off course by2d¥10 days earlier (1-3) or later (4-6) than its intended destination.

7 – Serious spatial error. The timemachine winds up out of positionon the Earth’s surface (not up ordown) by 2d¥10 miles in a randomdirection.

8 – Serious temporal and spatial error.Combine 6 and 7, above.

9 – Diverted by historical crisis. Thetime machine winds up drawn tojust before a historical crisis pointwithin 15 years of the intended des-tination. For example, if the travel-ers intended to visit Leonardo daVinci while he paints the MonaLisa in 1507 Paris, they might windup in 1519 Tenochtitlán just beforeCortés enters it.

. . . AND TIME 165

10 – Major temporal error. The timemachine winds up off course by2d¥1,000 days earlier (1-3) or later(4-6) than its intended destination.

11 – Major spatial error. The timemachine winds up out of positionon the Earth’s surface (not up ordown) by 2d¥100 miles in a ran-dom direction.

12 – Major temporal and spatial error.Combine 10 and 11, above.

13 – Diverted by major decisionpoint. The time machine winds updrawn to just before a world-his-torical event within a century ofthe intended destination. Forexample, if the travelers intendedto visit Leonardo da Vinci while hepaints the Mona Lisa in 1507Paris, they might wind up in 1588

on the deck of a warship in theSpanish Armada.

14 – Catastrophic temporal error. Thetime machine winds up off courseby 2d¥10,000 days earlier (1-3) orlater (4-6) than its intended desti-nation. (At the GM’s discretion, thiscan be a “dinosaur error” that hurlsthe time machine back to theCretaceous in traditional style.)

15 – Catastrophic spatial error. Thetime machine winds up out of posi-tion on the Earth’s surface (not upor down) by 1d¥1,000 miles in arandom direction. (At the GM’s dis-cretion, this can be a “Mars error”that hurls the time machine toMars – hopefully bedecked withcanals – in traditional style.)

16 or more – Catastrophic temporal

and spatial error. Combine 14 and15, above. (Dinosaurs on Venus!)

The listed consequences last untilthe travelers can successfully fix theircraft and escape. Although campaignspecifics can vary, the duration likelydepends on an Electronics Repair(Temporal) skill roll, suitably modifiedfor inadequate tools, distractions, pre-vious damage to the machine, andjury-rigged equipment. To milk theabove table for the best adventurepotential, perhaps a critical successallows another Electronics Operation(Temporal) roll in 2d minutes, while asuccess repairs the time machine in 1dhours. A failed roll forces a delay for anadditional 1d hours for each point bywhich the roll failed; a critical failurestrands the travelers for 2d days!

Time travel does not always requirea time machine. Many stories (andquite a few allegedly true tales) dealwith travel through both time anddimensions, using only the powers ofthe mind . . . with or without a littlehelp. Mental time travel abilities maybe considered simply “super” innature, rather than “psionic,” if thatbest fits the campaign. The only realdifference in game terms is that trulypsionic time travel can be blocked orinterfered with using antipsi or vari-ous psychotronic gadgets (whichmight also boost psionic time travel,of course), and is affected by psionicTalents. Physical time-jumping fallsunder the Teleportation Talent; mentaltime-jumping falls under theTelepathy Talent.

PHYSICALPROJECTION

This mode is essentially identical tothose using machines, except that themachine is the brain. “Time Police”and “Time War” campaign types canuse it, though it is stylistically moreappropriate to freelance travel, espe-cially in campaigns with a magical oroccult theme.

Not everyone can time travel,although possibly everyone has thepotential. Something not readily

available (that is, something underthe GM’s control) should be required,unless the campaign milieu is a wildpostmodern society where everyonecan go anywhen. (That might be kindof fun, but like most games with fewconstraints on time travel, it runs therisks of being exhausting for the GMand eventually boring for the players.)The time travelers have some versionof the Jumper (Time) advantage(p. B64). Depending on the campaign

rationale, this advantage may alsorequire an Unusual Background or theTrained By A Master advantage,although if everyone in the party is ajumper (which seems both sensibleand likely), such requirements shouldnot count against any disadvantagelimit.

Psionic time-jumping can comefrom any combination of the four possibilities below.

166 . . . AND TIME

PSIONIC TIME TRAVEL

The Time DraftThe idea of psionic time travel leads to an interesting campaign pos-

sibility . . . one in which the time travelers are not at all willing.Secret government experiments have proven that mental time travel

exists, and can affect history (or, alternatively, can bring back valuableinformation and relics). Unfortunately, only one person in hundreds ofthousands has the “time gene.” Time travel is considered so important tonational security that, as these people are identified, they are rounded upand removed to the maximum-security Time Laboratory, where they are“encouraged” to serve their country on missions into the past. Thedraftees aren’t sure they like the idea – but even if your mind has the free-dom of time, it’s hard to argue with someone who’s got your body lockedup . . .

The idea here is that the time travelers are entirely unwilling, andconstantly looking for a way to escape. (If they’re willing to cooperatewith their captors, it’s an ordinary Time Agent campaign.) This might bepart of a broader campaign in which all psi users, not just time-travelers,are hunted by governments that wish to exploit their powers. Some gov-ernment agents might be sympathetic, and help the “underground,”while some psis assist with the roundup.

Inborn TalentTime travelers are born, not made.

Some bizarre genetic twist gives cer-tain people the power to travel in time.The ability may always have existed,being kept secret by its users, as inPoul Anderson’s novel There Will BeTime. Or it may be a recent mutation,perhaps along with other super-pow-ers. It could be even a mutation of apost-nuclear future – although we’llsay this once for the record: Mutationstake place only in the generationsborn after the triggering event; onceyou’re born, you can’t mutate. (At leastthat’s true of radioactivity, but a bio-logical weapon might conceivably“mutate” victims immediately, espe-cially under pressure of dramaticnecessity.) Or it might be a latent traitin all mankind, waiting only for theglobal radiation count to rise enoughto activate it.

An interesting short campaigncould be built around the holocaust’ssurvivors trying to gather the tempo-rally gifted mutants and train them fora mission into the past, either torecover unobtainable supplies or pos-sibly even to prevent the disaster (andcreate a whopper of a paradox, butone imagines that post-apocalypse

societies have bigger fish to fry). Andthe mutation might be inheritable,which means that it might have been“caused” by the future disaster, butshow up in plenty of human blood-lines throughout the past as mutanttime travelers spread the love.

Special TrainingAnybody can time-trip if they know

how; the problem is getting the train-ing, which is the closely guardedsecret of a group of Tibetanmonks/Cthulhu worshipers/KnightsTemplar/mad game designers. Ourheroes learned the technique whentheir plane crashed in Tibet/they wereinducted into the cult, which is nowhunting the renegades/they met one ofthe last defenders of the Faith, whopassed on the secret while dying/they

won the SJ Games prize drawing atOrigins. Tripping-through-trainingusually involves joining a secret elite,who are either sworn to uphold goodor (as with the Cthulhoids above) arefleeing the rest of the group, which issworn to do them in. Just try explaining that to the cops.

Gadget RequiredTime travel requires some kind of

augmenting device, either a machine(which may answer any of the descrip-tions of time machines, from pocket-sized to Pentagon-sized) or a specialdrug or chemical (which you can’t getat the local Boots or Walgreen’s, evenwith a prescription). This tends tomake it the result of a government, orsuper-government, project – perhapssecret and highly experimental, per-haps well-established. The treatmentmay not work on everybody, and itmay have drastic effects on those whocan’t make the grade. See the “RichardBlade in Dimension X” series ofbooks, by several authors using thename Jeffrey Lord, in which onlyBlade is tough enough to survive beingtransmitted into the big X – at least, inthe early books.

Ritual RequiredTime travel requires a ritual of

some kind: a magical spell, a prayer tothe Three Fates, or the achievement ofperfect satori to cast oneself loosefrom the material world. Perhaps theritual must be performed at a place ofpower: a Stonehenge or Siege Perilousor Mystery Hill. The PCs don’t evenhave to know the ritual to trigger it;maybe an ancient coven of Druids castmost of the spell before being sur-prised (fatally) by a Roman legion.The PCs unwittingly hum a U2 tunewhile in the stone circle, completingthe ritual and shooting themselvesback to Whenever. If the travelers havestumbled through the doorway bysuch an accident, they have to find theright place, the rest of the ritual, andanything the ritual might have

required (the Golden Fleece, or theHoly Grail, or the blood of a sphinx),to get home again.

All of the AboveYou can combine any or all of the

above elements to suit your individualcampaign flavor. Perhaps anyone in acertain bloodline can time-jump, aslong as he holds an ancestral mirror.Perhaps only those with years of train-ing can comprehend the ritual fortime-transfer. Perhaps anyone has thepotential to time-jump, but has to eata specific kind of berry that only grewin the Sahara grasslands 8,000 yearsago.

Jumping WithEquipment

Mental trippers usually havetighter limits on equipment than theirhardware-driven counterparts. Theyshould be limited to what they cancarry on their persons. The Jumperadvantage on p. B64 prescribes anabsolute mass limit. This includesclothing, tooth fillings, and everythingthat isn’t the person’s own cellularmaterial. The GM may limit this fur-ther. Perhaps the tripper arrives in thepast exactly as he came into the world,without even the tooth fillings (nevermind the eyeglasses, hearing aid,toupee . . .), as in No Machines! onp. 162.

Such mental time travel offers anideal way to (literally) strip off thehardware and force the players to fig-ure out solutions to their problems,rather than simply pointing a gadget(technological or magical) at them. Onthe other hand, if the GM feels thecampaign works better if large arti-facts can move through time, he canalways allow stretching of the limits.One possibility involves the ExtraCarrying Capacity enhancement toJumper on p. B64. Other enhance-ments to, and variations on, theJumper advantage appear on p. 174.

MENTALPROJECTION

So far, we’ve assumed that “timetravel” means physically going when-ever-it-is, with flesh, blood, bone, andwhatever equipment the GM grants in

. . . AND TIME 167

The past is never dead. It’s not even past.– William Faulkner, Requiem For a Nun

support. Another possibility is to sendonly the mind, the consciousness,while the body remains behind. This isthe Projection limitation to theJumper advantage (p. 174).

This does not necessarily meanadventuring as a disembodied spirit.In most mental time travel stories(such as most episodes of QuantumLeap), the projected consciousnesscan occupy the physical body of a tem-poral local. Usually, the local’s ownmind lies dormant during the possession, providing only minimalbackground information. If it’s toominimal, this can lead to more com-plications, as the time travelers needto explain their sudden weird behav-ior. In a time when people believe indemonic possession – and a greatmany people do, even today – thiscould be rather a touchy subject.

Having the native’s mind remainactive could be interesting, but puts aheavy strain on the GM and playersboth; there would be a set of NPCs, aslarge as the players’ group, on stageand talking constantly. One solutionmight be to let each player take therole of the body possessed by the play-er to his right. Another solution, ofcourse, is to leave the host personalityquiescent, and forget the “I hate peas!”“Well, now you love peas!” and “fight-ing your own hand” routines betweenhost and ghost. Used once or twice,there’s a good laugh in it – but the“sophisticated” time traveler repeated-ly telling the terrified peasant’s mindto shut up and stay out of the way cantake a cruel edge that will likely not tobe funny or comfortable for long.

The mechanics of the projectioncan take any form or use any precon-ditions that psionic physical timetravel does: genetics, rituals, magicplaces, chemicals, training, and soon. The only difference is that thephysical body stays in the present.The bodies are in suspended anima-tion while their spirits are away. Theyneed no food, but are vulnerable tophysical destruction. (If this doesn’tfit with the GM’s chosen method ofprojection, of course, the bodies canlie in bed somewhere, requiring constant attention . . . and even morevulnerable.)

In most campaigns, the LinearityEffect holds true: the time that passesin the present is the same amount of

time that seems to pass while the spirit is in the past. This keeps book-keeping down, and avoids weird experiential time lag in the traveler’sbrain. (Although an interesting varia-tion would be to allow weeks ormonths of adventure in the space of asingle night; the travelers may end upwondering if it was all a dream!)

Past-Time CharactersThe GM should create characters

for the host bodies. This requires asmuch care as designing any otherimportant NPCs, since the players arecarrying around their hosts’ reputa-tions as well as their bodies – thoughthey may have to find out the hardway just what those reputations were.(“Giacomo the Jester is also theworld’s deadliest and most cunningassassin.” “Now he tells me.”) Thehosts may be somewhat spread out,both socially and physically, so theplayers’ first task is to locate and iden-tify one another – and their second isto explain why the King’s Astrologer issuddenly a buddy of an illiterateGascon cowherd. But don’t overdo it;nobody needs to start an adventurewith two-and-a-half strikes againstthem. If the GM wants to make things

a little easier on the team, which is agood idea the first time or two,assume that “like minds seek like bod-ies,” and the hosts are not vastly dif-ferent from the spirit’s home bodies –at least, not in ways that make thespirit’s abilities completely useless.

ATTUNEMENTSome conceptions of psionic time

travel depend on the traveler some-how “attuning” himself to the time inquestion. Traveling back to the 19thcentury in the Christopher Reevetearjerker Somewhere In Timedepends on the traveler entirely dis-missing the modern world from hisperson! In other campaigns, it mightmerely be necessary to use an antiqueitem, or the best possible equivalent,to attune a traveler to his temporaldestination. (This is the AttunementRequired limitation to Jumper, onp. B64.) In still other games (such asthose using No Machines! on p. 162),perhaps time travelers can bring onlysuitably attuned items with them intothe past. Using such metaphysics, thelikelihood of such attunementdepends on how “authentic” theantique or item in question is.

168 . . . AND TIME

The following set of rules and mod-ifiers is one possible arrangement toreflect this conception. What preciselya success indicates depends on thecampaign rules and metaphysics, andon what the travelers are actuallyattempting to do. In theory, thesesame rules could apply to the mostrigidly technological time traveldevices: if the “chronal signature” orthe “tachyonic emission rate” or the“sidereal radiation count” of the “des-tination object” or “wormhole anchor”isn’t exact, there will be hell to pay.

Carrying Items to the Past: A suc-cessful roll brings the item in questionalong. A roll that misses by 1 leavesthe item behind in the present whenthe traveler leaves. If he returns safely,he may try to use it again. A failurethat misses by 2 or more simply caus-es the item to vanish entirely; a criticalfailure might send the item some-where else in the past, either to alertthe traveler’s enemies to his arrival orto set up an ugly temporal paradox tohammer him with later.

Attuning for Physical or MentalProjection: A successful roll allows therelevant time travel roll (an IQ roll fora Jumper, a Electronics Operation(Temporal) for a time machine, or thespell roll for a magical ritual) to pro-ceed unmodified. A roll that misses by1 adds a -1 penalty to the relevant timetravel skill or trait. A failure by 2 ormore prevents the time travel fromhappening at all, either until the aurascan be cleansed with a new item, orfor 24 hours, or until the next newmoon, or whatever the campaign cos-mology indicates. On a critical failure,the item sends the travelers some-where entirely different, either some-where related to its real manufacture

(a modern replica might send the trav-elers to 1993 Hong Kong instead of to1614 Amsterdam), or a temporal accident based on the table on p. 165.

Modifying Other Travel Methods:Alternately, the GM can apply themodifiers in parentheses to the rele-vant time travel roll, using the worstapplicable description of the bestavailable item. These modifiers arecumulative with any other modifiersapplied. Successes and failures followthe standard rules for whatever theactual time travel method may be. TheGM should feel especially free to resetthe “zero point” of these modifiers tofit his own notion of appropriatenessand accessibility.

Item AuthenticityRoll 3d, using the worst applicable

description, but using fairly generousdefinitions of “period” (25-100 yearwindows seem appropriate for mostgames):

Genuine antique from the target-ed period: Automatic success. (+5)

Item is new but wholly natural tothe targeted place (e.g., uncured tobac-co; an uncarved stick): Succeeds on a15 or less. (+3)

Item is a genuine antique that wasrepaired or restored, at some point,with an out-of-period material:Succeeds on a 14 or less. (+2)

Item is a painstaking modernreproduction of a period item, madeusing authentic methods and materi-als: Succeeds on a 14 or less. (+0)

Item is a good modern reproduc-tion of a period item, made using atleast one modern method or materi-al: Succeeds on a 12 or less. (-2)

Item is a quick modern reproduc-

tion of a period item, made usingmostly modern methods and materi-als: Succeeds on a 10 or less. (-4)

Item is out of period due to styleor design, though not technology:Succeeds on a 9 or less. (-5)

Item was not yet invented at thetargeted time: Automatic failure. (-8)

ModifiersItem had been invented but was

not truly of the period because it wasnot in common use: -2.

Item is not native to the targetplace or culture: -3.

Item is not native to the targetedplace or culture, but items like itwere often used there: -1. (For exam-ple, an 1880 Chinese lacquer boxinherited from one’s English aunt is“native” to both 1880 China and 1880England, since that box was in bothplaces. An 1880 Chinese lacquer boxbought in a Shanghai junk shop is“native” to 1880 China, but wouldonly take a -1 for trips to VictorianEngland, since such items were com-mon there as well. A Chinese lacquerbox from 180 A.D. would take a -3modifier for trips to the RomanEmpire, however, since the Romansused almost no Chinese handicraftsbesides raw silk.)

Item was made (or, for an antique,significantly repaired) by the carrier’sown hands: +1 to +3. (The +3 shouldapply only to heroic efforts, such assewing a costume out of cloth you hadspun and woven yourself!)

Item has been in the carrier’s pos-session, or his family’s, for morethan 20 years: +1 per generation, upto +5.

. . . AND TIME 169

Travel into the future is easier thantraveling into the past; we’re all doingit at the stately pace of one second persecond. Except on Mondays, whenwe’re doing it more slowly. Time trav-el games involving the future haveroughly the same concerns with para-dox as those involving the past, andessentially the same solutions.

We are all interested in the future, for that iswhere you and I are going to spend the rest ofour lives. And remember, my friends, futureevents such as these will affect you in the future.

– Criswell, Plan 9 From Outer Space

THE FUTURE

GETTINGTHERE FASTER

Although suspended animation, orcryonics, or making a braintape to beplayed in a millennium, or a long RipVan Winkle nap, don’t feel as slow,they’re actually no faster than normalliving. They also have the disadvan-tage that they don’t work in reverse sowell. This can be a boon for a GMbound and determined to leave the oldcampaign behind (“You wake up amillion years later, and your magicsword is rusted into goo.”) but kind ofirritating for time travelers.

Accelerating to near the speed oflight and letting time dilation do itsrelativistic thing can also work, if youhave spaceships capable of suchbehavior or convenient black holesthat somehow don’t rip you to atoms.Unless the black hole is a “Kerr blackhole” complete with Tiplerian spin,though, you’re still not getting back ina timely fashion.

In short, you have the sameoptions for traveling forward that youhave for traveling backward: timemachines, psionics, or magic gate-ways. You might also get kidnappedby a time traveler – perhaps for thesame reasons present day time travel-ers timenap historical figures (p. 72),or perhaps just to work in the soylentfields.

PHYSICSFuture travel not only shares a

mechanism with past travel, but mostof the paradoxes, possibilities, andoptions emergent from temporalphysics. These apply both to physicaltravel to the future and any form offuture knowledge, whether finding atime-lost diary, Precognition, DeathVision spells (p. B251), or hearing itstraight from a chatty time travelerkilling time in the bar until the SuperBowl starts. (That last one can bekind of fun: “Oh, are you the GregKettler? Can I get your autograph?No, I’m not supposed to say anythingabout your future; it’s against therules. But just between you and me,congratulations on that Nobel Prize,and don’t trust any guy with an eyepatch.”)

ParadoxesThe traveler goes into the future to

find out from his grandson that hemet grandma by accident in a book-store. He returns to the past and hangsout at the bookstore so much thatgrandma thinks he’s a loiterer andcalls the cops on him. Or he pays somuch attention to recreating their des-tined meeting that she thinks he’s aphony and has no interest in him.Who left grandpa alone and bitter?His grandson, who now doesn’t exist.The Free Lunch paradox, and com-munication paradoxes in general,explicitly depend on future involvement and foreknowledge.

PossibilitiesFixed Time: If the future can’t be

altered, that’s depressing, and not a lotof fun for roleplayers or GMs, exceptin horror games, or the kind of fantasy game with lots of prophesies.

Plastic Time: Far more comfort-ing; you can alter your destiny even ifyou see it. Paradox doesn’t exist,either because altering your actionscreates a new worldline (as withParallel Worlds), or because thefuture is still a cloud of potential (asin Chaotic Time). When you go backto the future, it’s different. Theoptions are indistinguishable, unlessyou can travel between worlds, too.For the Traveler at Risk option,assume that changing the futurecauses all memory of the future tovanish – or to change to match thenew future retroactively! ReturnBlocked is even easier; of course youcan’t travel back to a future you justaltered! This, of course, can becomeParadox-Proof Time, retroactively.

Plastic Time With High Resistance:As with pastward travel, this is themost dramatically satisfying option.It lets GMs build a fun or scary futurehistory, but avoids railroading play-ers while giving them a strong incen-tive to involve themselves in theworld.

Absolute Now: There isn’t a future,yet. It just doesn’t exist. This is astark, radical version of Plastic Time,but it’s undeniably final and simple.See p. 219 for further discussion ofthis phenomenon.

OptionsThe Linearity Effect and

Oscillating Time are easily conservedin future travel, and carry roughly thesame reasons and advantages as pastward travel.

The Farsight Effect: Essentially theRecency Effect for future travel, it pre-vents a lot of monkeying around withthe PCs’ own lifespan, jumping for-ward to read their own after-actionreports, and so forth. Remember thatcloning, immortality or anagathictreatments, and other methods mayinconveniently extend PC lifespans;records may last for an annoyinglylong time on DVD or molecular com-puter files. Putting a nice nuclear waror some other disaster between thePCs and the accessible future is onesolution, although that may cause theproblem of goosing right-thinkingtime agents into trying to avert it.More simply, it may just be againstTime Corps regulations to read yourfuture personnel file, as it tends to cre-ate chronal storms or unleash theHounds of Tindalos.

The Observer Effect: This phenome-non can operate just as easily (if noless confusingly) in the future.Travelers cannot alter any observedfuture event, but can try to change itsmeaning or context all they like. Inone sense, this is what the Greekheroes had to go through wheneverthey got an oracle predicting doom ordeath in some specific circumstance.(Akin to that, an Observer Effect canaccidentally give a traveler a Destiny;see p. B131 and tread carefully.) Iftime travelers from the future arewandering around in the present, theGM can either rule that the morefutureward observation counts, whichinvolves a lot of bookkeeping aboutwho from when saw what, or choosethe marginally simpler rule that any-one from another time counts as anObserver. This can turn into a weird,acausal headache if the GM isn’t care-ful, and possibly even if he is; makeabsolutely sure you want a bunch offuture travelers Observing things intostasis before you combine future travelers with the Observer Effect.

170 . . . AND TIME

Lord Byron limped into the room, brandishing hissword-cane. “Which of you renegades has been impersonat-ing me?” he demanded of the group standing around thefireplace. The eerily familiar men, in slightly varying degreesof theatrical posture and widely varying costume, drewthemselves up and began to respond in a veritable Babel ofaristocratic drawls and alcoholic sputters.

“Impersonating you? Tchah, fellow, you’ve been ’per-sonating me!”

“None of you can possibly claim to be inconvenienced,compared to what poor Augusta has gone through.”

“As if I’d bother impersonating someone in that ridiculous cravat.”

“Begad, sirrah!”Before matters could come to blows, one of their num-

ber fired a pistol into the ceiling. Into the silence, he said,in the clear, ringing voice they all shared (when sober, atany rate), but with more than a hint of a Scots burr: “Ihave no idea who you gentlemen are, but I’m fairly sure

we’re none of us Billingsgate fishwives. Do let ussit down and discuss this matter as befits

men of quality. I am Sir George Gordon,heir presumptive to the Earldom ofUrquhart. I returned to Edinburgh froma swimming jaunt to find that someonehad been forging cheques in my name.”

“Swimming, eh?” said a florid, butrecognizably similar, gentleman in ablue broadcloth coat. “I swim meself;but I’m no laird. I was Captain Gordonof the Protector’s Ship Perilous untiltwo days ago, to find some impostorhad resigned my commission right inthe middle of our scrap with the bluidyDanes!”

“Danes? You’re a drunkard as well asan impostor, ‘Captain Gordon.’ Everyoneknows our war is with the Turk, overGreek independency!”

“It was with the French, over Pitt’sinvestments and fear of radical revolu-tion, and it’s been over for years!” insist-ed another dark-haired man, dressedmore shabbily than most. “And I, CitizenByron, am proud of the part I played init, and very much resent whichever buf-foon it was who published a blatantlymonarchist poem over my name in theSaturday Review!”

“Poem?” Three of the more lavishlydressed men perked up their ears at this,and began a storm of argument aboutmeter and scansion and which of them hadplagiarized from the other.

INFINITE CHARACTERS 171

CHAPTER SIX

INFINITECHARACTERS

“Gentlemen!” A new voice inter-rupted them, setting their nerves a-jangle somehow. Another figure,much like themselves, only far palerthan even the most artistic of thepoetical disputants, stood in thedoorway. “You are all GeorgeGordon, and many of you are LordByron, as am I. I have taken yourlives for mine. You all share a certainnative skill with sword and pistol,and have a gift for words, whetherpolitical speeches, seductive whis-pers, lyric poems, or naval reports. Irequire these talents in order to redi-rect the very course of history on ascore of worlds.” The Byron speakingseemed to grow taller, the shadowsaround him darker, and his teethsharper, with every sentence. “Youshall be my instruments, blood of myblood, and you shall open the flood-gates of time to forces far darkerthan anything any of you have everdreamed, forces . . .”

The words choked off with ameaty scraping sound as a length ofcherry-wood emerged from thespeaker’s chest.

“You have no idea of my dreams,brother,” gritted a contralto voicefrom behind the now-desiccatingcorpse. The dust fell away to reveal aslender, raven-haired beauty dressedin the height of Court fashion,clutching a sharpened billiard cue.“You, my brothers, on the otherhand, shall hear quite a bit of them, Iexpect. I am Lady Georgia Byron,and I believe you can guess why youare called here tonight.”

A time travel or cross-dimensioncampaign allows for the widest possi-ble variety of characters – not justNPCs, but player characters as well.Gamers can draw characters fromany world – past, present, future, orwholly imaginary – all in the samecampaign!

Character backgrounds dependon the campaign frame. In a cam-paign built around the missions ofthe Infinity Patrol or similar cross-universe agency, the PCs are likely tobe highly trained Patrol members.Some may be technical specialistsand historians, while others are“agent” types. If the adventures con-cern freelance time meddlers whoacquired their machine by accident,the characters may be from almostany background.

The one thing all travelers need isversatility. One never knows whenone will have to ride a horse, drive aPersian chariot, or fly a P-51Mustang against the Luftwaffe –maybe in the same adventure.Interpersonal skills are also very use-ful . . . for instance, when trying toconvince the captain of the Titanic toreduce speed right now.

This section discusses advantages,disadvantages, and skills as they applyin a time travel or parallel-worldscampaign. As always, the GM has thelast word on any interpretations,enhancements, and so forth in hiscampaign.

ADVANTAGES

Alternate Identitysee p. B39

Having an alternate identity onanother world (or time) than the “baseworld” (or “local present”) for thecampaign, legally or illegally, is worthonly 5 points per identity, unless thelaw enforcement agencies of thatother world or era play a major role(appearing on a 12 or less as Enemies,for example) in the campaign.

Claim to Hospitalitysee p. B41

Depending on the campaign, alltime travelers or dimension jumpers

may have a 5-point Claim toHospitality on each other, as fellow“strangers in a strange land.”Swagmen and members of the Cabalin the Infinite Worlds have this advan-tage, although not with each other.There aren’t enough retired Patrolmenoutside Homeline and the colonyworlds for this advantage to apply toactive Patrolmen; the Patrol either hassafe houses available, or nothing.

Clerical Investmentsee p. B43

The GM should decide whetherthere are enough worlds with similarreligious hierarchies to make thisadvantage worth taking for cross-world adventurers. Most Earths with aRoman Empire and Jesus Christ even-tually develop a Roman CatholicChurch – but church privileges, vest-ments and uniforms, and even theolo-gy (“In the name of the Father, theSon, and the Holy Mother . . .”) maydiffer very widely!

Contact Groupsee p. B44

Time travelers may take a ContactGroup across time as long as theyremain within the same organizationand the same city, as per the rule onp. B44. A priestly Contact Group in theVatican might go back for millennia!

Contactssee p. B44

These two Contact types might welloccur in time travel or crosstime campaigns:

Academic. If you don’t knowenough history to find the Black Birdor have the anthropological know-how to track down the killers from atattoo, you go to the university andtalk to a professor. The most usefulacademic skill set includesAnthropology, Archaeology, History,and Research, but Paleontology (toprep for those dinosaur hunts),Occultism (to fight vampires in 17th-century Hungary), or Economics (to

172 INFINITE CHARACTERS

ADVANTAGES, DISADVANTAGES,AND SKILLS

find out what stocks to buy in 1920sShanghai) might also come in handy.A busy undergraduate has skill 12; aspecialized grad student or academiclibrarian has skill 15; a tenured professor has skill 18; a renownedauthority on the subject has skill 21.

Collector. These are dealers in (orproducers of) rare or collectible items,from this world or another, or frommany worlds. They are the naturalemployers, brokers, and advisers ofcrosstime or time-hopping smugglers.Specific items might include antiques,art, old magical equipment, strangegadgets, weapons, books, or finewines. They can provide informationabout items, other collectors and theircollections, who needs cash fast, andwho seems to always find the beststuff. Specific skills include Connoi-sseur, Current Affairs, and skills associated with certain collections. Abottom-feeder or someone in a smallmarket has effective skill 12; a majorbroker has skill 15; a respectedauthority in the field or the main play-er in a large market has skill 18; theundisputed top collector has effectiveskill 21.

Cultural Adaptabilitysee p. B46

Applies across worlds at no extracost; it’s a cinematic ability, after all.

Centrum’s single-culture ideologyprevents Centrans from taking thisadvantage without a hefty UnusualBackground.

Cultural Familiaritysee p. B23

No matter how familiar you maybe with your own culture, you will bewrong-footed while dealing with itsancestral past. Various eras canbecome cultures (Modern Western,Renaissance Western, MedievalWestern) for no penalty. Even withoutsuch a time-bound familiarity, cul-tures give smaller unfamiliarity modi-fiers for those familiar with theirdescendants (or antecedents).

Apply a -1 unfamiliarity modifierfor every two TLs away from your ownera’s TL. A modern TL8 Americanwith Culture Familiarity (Western)would only suffer mild “past shock” in TL7 WWII America, but someone

brought forward from colonial times(TL5) is at -1 in that same setting. Amodern American dropped intoShakespeare’s London (TL4) is at -2;one in medieval France (TL3, but stillWestern culture) might as well be in awhole different culture. However, thatmedieval Frenchman finds things thesame for centuries on end from, say,700 A.D. to 1500 A.D. – and in someparts of France, until 1800 A.D.!

At the GM’s discretion, this penaltycan also apply to alternate or parallelversions of your culture even at thesame TL. Although the Nazi Germanyof Reich-5 and Homeline America areboth TL8, an American trying to blendinto Reich-5’s Berlin is going to be at a-1, at least. Save a -2 for parallels thatdiverged at least three TLs ago; aHomeline TL8 North American is at -2for a visit to the Tenocha Empire onEzcalli (which diverged in 508 B.C.,TL5). The GM should loosen thisrestriction for close parallels, mythparallels, and other familiar settings.

Detectsee p. B48

The GM should determine the rari-ty of dimensional highways, nexusportals, or time-gates in his campaign.In the default Infinite Worlds setting,they are Rare.

Duplicationsee p. B50

In essence, the Many WorldsInterpretation (p. 20) implies that weall have this advantage, but we don’tknow about it and can’t use it. Thiscould be a very creepy advantage for aworld-jumping “pod creature” or“viral being” to use, as it leaves dupli-cates of itself wherever it goes in theworlds.

Special EnhancementConstruct: Your Dupes are material

projections under your mental control. When you dispel them, theyvanish, leaving you with your current

– not average – FP and HP. You alsoenjoy the benefits of No SympatheticInjury, and need not buy this separate-ly. Finally, the death of a Dupe isn’tpermanent: you can generate areplacement by taking one second anda Concentrate maneuver. This costs 10FP. But there is only one “true you,”and if you die, all of your Dupes diewith you! This modifier is incompati-ble with Digital and SharedResources. +60%.

Special LimitationSequential: You and your Dupes are

chained together in a specific order.Number them from one (the originalyou) on up. When a Dupe dies, allhigher-numbered Dupes vanish aswell! This limitation lets you create acharacter who can summon copies ofhimself from one possible future, with“later” copies dependent on the sur-vival of “earlier” ones. Add Construct,above, if you can replace dead Dupeswith copies from other possiblefutures. -40%.

FugueSome time-jumpers can send

themselves back in time for a few min-utes in order to create a double, specif-ically for purposes of combat. It onlyworks under combat stress; anattempt to fugue to (for instance) sendyourself a message always comes tonaught. When the immediate fightends, the doubles, dead and alive,wink out of existence – they wereclosed causal loops of alternate histo-ry. Damage to the doubles, ammuni-tion they expended, etc., does notaffect the “original you” at all, sinceyou are both the earliest and the con-tinuing “you.” (Yes, this appears toviolate a number of different versionsof the physics of time travel. The GMis free to prohibit it entirely – or say“It’s a wild talent, and it works.” Eitherway, don’t worry about it!)

For the ability to generate up tofive fugue Dupes, take Duplication(Construct, +60%, Linked, +10%;Emergencies Only, -30%, Sequential,-40%; +0%) linked to Duplication 4(Construct +60%, Linked, +10%;Emergencies Only, -30%, Sequential,-40%, Unreliable (8 or less), -40%;-40%) for a total of 119 points.Remember, without Jumper (Time),this does not allow actual travel intime!


Jumpersee p. B64

This advantage may well play amajor role in a time travel or cross-world campaign. The GM may chargean Unusual Background cost to takethis advantage in a campaign (likeInfinite Worlds) in which technologi-cal or otherwise assisted time- orworld-jumping is the standard. In thedefault Infinite Worlds campaign,jumping between worlds on the samequantum costs 1 FP; jumping to aworld one quantum away costs 3 FP;jumping to a world two quanta awaycosts 7 FP; jumping to a world threequanta away costs 15 FP, and so forth,doubling the added cost each time.

New Version: Spirit-JumperThis is the form of Jumper that

many members of the Cabal possess.In the default Infinite Worlds cam-paign, the astral plane has normalmana, and has openings to many dif-ferent worlds (usually via battlefields,cemeteries, haunted houses, or partic-ularly gruesome murder sites).However, to get from one world to theother usually involves a long, danger-ous journey through the astral plane.You cannot interact in any way withthe material plane, and are invisible tothose on it, while on the astral plane;you can only perceive the materialplane dimly (-7 to any Sense roll)unless something like a haunted houseopens an “etheric window” from thematerial world. Any skill roll to use ahigher-tech item in the spirit realm isat -5 per item TL above 4.

Jumper (Spirit): You can bodilymove to and from “spirit worlds” suchas the astral plane. In these worlds,you are a spirit – you can interact nor-mally with other spirits, are affectedby anything that would affect a spirit,and can use any ability allowed by theworld’s laws. To initiate the transition,use the standard rules for the Jumperadvantage; each attempt costs 1 FP.On a success, you shift betweenrealms. On a failure, you stay in yourcurrent world and are at -5 to use yourability again in the next 10 minutes.The results of a critical failure are upto the GM . . . you might attract evilspirits, end up adrift between worlds,or go to the wrong world (e.g., Hell).The special modifiers available to

world-jumpers are available to you,but not all of these are meaningful inevery setting. 100 points.

A number of new enhancementsand limitations can apply to variousforms of the Jumper advantage,depending on the campaign meta-physics:

Special EnhancementsMass Jump: You can work with

other jumpers to move much largermasses. If several jumpers concentratetogether, you can move a mass equalto the total of their individualallowances times the number of peo-ple involved. All jumpers involvedmust have this enhancement. +100%.

No Concentration: You can jump inone second by spending FP and making an IQ roll. +15%.

No Fatigue: You don’t have tospend any FP to jump. +20%.

Reliable: Your ability is unusuallystable. For each level of this enhance-ment, add +1 to both the IQ roll to useJumper and the automatic failurethreshold (e.g., two levels would give+2 to IQ and mean a roll of 16 or morealways fails). +5% per +1, to a maximum of +10.

Uncertain Encumbrance: You canjump while encumbered, but mustmake the IQ roll at a penalty equal totwice your Encumbrance level. On afailed roll, you leave your cargobehind; on a critical failure, you lose 1point of IQ for each Encumbrancelevel you attempted as you “burnedout” that part of your brain temporar-ily. You recover after sleeping. +25%.

Special LimitationsAttunement Required: In order to

jump, you must use an artifact madeor used at your destination to attuneyourself to the time or world youintend to jump to. The GM may wantto use the Item Authenticity table onp. 169 to modify the IQ roll for jump-ing. This form of Jumper often comeswith the Preparation Required limita-tion on p. B114 as well. This is themandatory version of the Trackingenhancement on p. B226. -20%.

Duration: Your jump takes severalminutes or hours of experiential timerather than being instantaneous. TheGM must set the speed (in minutes peryear or minutes per interveningworld) of jumping.

You cannot recover fatigue duringa jump, but depending on the cam-paign, you may or may not be able toeat, bind your wounds, reload a pistol,or engage in other minor personalactivities. The GM sets the value ofthis limitation in his campaigndepending on your freedom of actionwhile jumping and the relative speedof other available means of time ordimension travel. If you have relative-ly free action, and the speed of jumping is similar to other methods oftravel, this may be a -0% special fea-ture, since you essentially have a “bolthole” to hide in! If, however, air mole-cules cannot reach your “jump space”and you must hold your breath or usescuba equipment or MetabolismControl while jumping, this limitationis worth at least -10%.

Limited Access: Only available forJumper (World) or (Spirit). You canonly jump between two particularworlds – your home world and onespecific parallel, the material worldand Hell, etc. The size of this limita-tion depends on how many worldsexist in the setting. If there’s only one,it’s meaningless (-0%). If there aremany, it might be worth -20% or more,at the GM’s discretion. In the defaultInfinite Worlds campaign, there arethousands of Earths – and a numberof spirit worlds, afterlives, and so forthclustered around many of the individ-ual Earths, all themselves connectedvia the astral plane. Access to only twoEarths is a -25% limitation; access toonly the astral plane (from any Earth)is a -10% limitation.

Limited Quanta: This limitationapplies to world-jumpers only. Youcannot jump across any number ofquantum levels, but have a restrictedrange. The value of this limitationdepends on how limited your range is.A two-quantum limit is worth -5%; aone-quantum limit is worth -10%;being able to jump only betweenworlds in the same quantum is worth-15%.

Past Only: You cannot jump intothe future. This limitation applies onlyto time-jumpers. -20%.

Projection: You travel not physi-cally, but psychically (though notnecessarily psionically). Your bodyfalls unconscious and a projection ofyourself appears at the destination.Your body remains in the physical


world, vulnerable to material threats– if it dies, you are trapped outside itforever. Your projected form is visi-ble but intangible, as if you wereusing Insubstantiality, and subject toanything that would affect insub-stantial entities. If you haveInsubstantiality, you can “reverse”your ability in order to become solid;if you have Possession (Spiritual,-20%), you can possess a resident ofthe target world. -50% if you cannotaffect your destination at all withoutInsubstantiality or Possession; -0% ifyou can affect your destination withspells, mental abilities, andMaledictions as a projection.

Psionic Teleportation: Your abilityis part of the Teleportation psi power.(The GM may decide that Jumpingbelongs under a different power;Jumper with the Projection limitationwould fit well under ESP or, if the GMhas created such a thing in his cam-paign, an Astral Projection power.)-10%.

Recency Effect: You cannot jump toa time since the “Recency Barrier,”whenever that is. This limitationapplies to time-jumpers only, and onlyin campaigns where the RecencyEffect (p. 157) does not apply to alltime travel. Usually, jumpers with thislimitation cannot use the Fugueenhancement to Duplication (p. 173).-10%.

Research Required: This limitationapplies to time-jumpers only. You canonly jump to a time that you havememorized, unless you “hitch a ride”with another jumper. This requires atleast two weeks of intensive research(the GM may require rolls againstHistory, Archaeology, Research, andso on), and spending character pointsbuilding up an applicable skill such asArea Knowledge (Classical Rome),Egyptology, or History (AmericanCivil War). At the GM’s discretion,visions of the past using Psychometry,Racial Memory, or magic may reducethe research time (though not thecharacter points) required. This maymake jumping to the future difficult, ifnot impossible! Jumping to that eradefaults to the relevant skill, ratherthan to the jumper’s IQ. -25%.

Special Movement: You must beable to freely move to jump. The valuedepends on how stringent the require-ments are. If you merely have to walk

a few steps and be free of anythingthat restricts your movement (likemanacles or grappling foes), that’s-10%. If you need to enter orbit andaccelerate past the speed of light withexpensive advantages like Flight(Space Flight, +50%) with EnhancedMove 27 (Space), that’s -40%.

Special Portal: You need a particu-lar sort of “gateway” to jumpthrough, such as a reflective surface,a natural cave opening, or a sacredstone circle on a moonlit night. Thevalue of the limitation depends onhow rare the required gateway is; areflective surface is -20%, as is a rela-tively common geographic feature orany doorway. “Only in a certainsacred spot at a certain time of theyear” is a -80% limitation.

Language Talentsee p. B65

This is an incredibly useful advan-tage for time travelers or crossworldadventurers alike, in the absence ofsuperscience “universal translators,”anyway.

Centrum’s single-culture ideologyprevents Centrans from taking thisadvantage without an UnusualBackground.

Languagessee p. B23

Languages shift slightly from par-allel to parallel, even at the same rela-tive point in history, as slang, loanwords, and jargon differ depending onany number of culturally specific fac-tors. Over a century or more (or

between two worlds separated by acentury or more of divergence), thesedifferences accumulate, reducing evenNative speakers to Accented. The nextbreak point comes before mass print-ing standardizes the language; a mod-ern Homeline English-speaker speaksEnglish (Broken) in the 15th century,or on a parallel Earth that diverged inthe 15th century or before. At the GM’sdiscretion, closely related ancestraltongues (such as Oscan and Italian, orOld Norse and Icelandic, or MiddleEnglish and English) can be spoken orread as Broken versions of their rela-tives. The GM should decide howtough to make language divergencebetween closely related “sister”tongues like Spanish and Italian, orEnglish and Dutch, especially acrosscenturies or parallel worlds.Characters with Language Talent(p. B65) should get the benefit of thedoubt on such rulings. A language thatis identical across non-parallel world-lines should indicate that crosstimetravel (if only in dreams or visions) ishappening; suitable languages forsuch weirdness might include AncientEgyptian, Navajo, or Tibetan.

The Patrol practices intensive lan-guage training; all regular Patrol per-sonnel speak English at Native level (inaddition to their own language, if any)and at least three others, usuallyincluding Cantonese and Latin. (Otherlanguages the Patrol emphasizesinclude Aramaic, Arabic, Armenian,French, German, Hindi, Koiné Greek,Lingua Franca, Russian, Spanish, andSwahili.) Centrum, by contrast, is stillplaying catch-up thanks to their single-language ideology of cultural unity; aCentrum agent rarely knows any lan-guage besides Centrum English(which acts as an Accented version ofHomeline English, and vice versa),although classical scholars may knowClassical Greek, Latin, and Hebrew.

Cabalists often know one or moremagical or sacred languages in addi-tion to their own, such as AncientEgyptian, Goidelic, Homeric Greek,Hebrew, Latin, Old Norse, Sanskrit, orTibetan. Swagmen speak Strine, athieves’ cant based on Australianslang, Romany, tinkers’ argot, andCantonese profanity. It has a weirdgrammar evolved to handle confu-sions about time and worldlines betterthan most normal tongues.


Legal EnforcementPowers

see p. B65On Homeline or its colonies,

Infinity Patrolmen have the 10-pointversion of this advantage. Since theycan essentially operate outside thelaws of other worlds, and (usually)escape the consequences of theiractions with impunity, they retain thisadvantage even in campaigns setentirely outtime. ISWAT agents havethe 15-point version, as do agents ofthe Gestapo and SD of Reich-5.

The Interworld Service has no lawenforcement powers of any kind with-in Centrum or the colony worlds; onZone Green worlds (those with nativesunder Centrum control), I.S. enforcershave the equivalent of 15-point pow-ers against natives, and 5-point pow-ers against Centrum citizens. OutsideZone Green, of course, Centrum lawsdo not apply, and Interworld Servicemembers have free rein to bring thoseworlds within the Zones of Controlhowever they see fit, constrained onlyby their superiors’ orders. The onlyexceptions are Grade 7 UnattachedI.S. agents, who (like all Grade 7s) cancommand any Service as a Grade 5member. In a campaign centered onCentrum, Grade 7 Unattacheds havethe equivalent of 10-point LegalEnforcement Powers.

Magerysee p. B66

Depending on the campaign, the“magical awareness” of Magery 0 maygrant the ability to spot nexus portalsand dimensional highways. In thedefault Infinite Worlds campaign,many but not all such gates are magical, especially the Gates of Thoth(or Psais; see p. 79) and manybanestorms.

Night Visionsee p. B71

As an advantage, Night Vision isthe ability to see under low-light conditions as well as under normalillumination. If you can see at nightbetter than by day, because normalsunlight dazzles you, this is a 0-pointfeature, found for example in orcs andowls. Specify how many levels ofNight Vision you have, as usual. At

that lighting level you can see normal-ly. You are at -1 to Vision rolls andvisually guided tasks for each level bywhich your environment is either dim-mer or brighter. You still can’t see intotal darkness.

Example: Morlocks have NightVision 6 as a feature. At -6 illumina-tion (roughly a moonlit night) theycan see perfectly. At either -3 or -9they make Vision rolls at -3; underfull daylight they make them at -6. Intotal darkness they’re blind.

Oraclesee p. B72

In some campaigns, reading theomens also reveals the opening (andperhaps the location) of a nexus portalor dimensional highway, especially atransient one: “Travelers from beyondthe world approach.”

Patronsee p. B72

Most time- or parallel-spanningorganizations have “unusual reach intime or space,” making them not sounusual as all that in a time travel ordimension-hopping campaign. Insuch campaigns, the GM should onlyapply that +50% modifier to organiza-tions or beings with a truly astonish-ing reach across the worlds, such asan active god. By similar logic, organ-izations or figures restricted to a sin-gle worldline (or a single era in time)take at least a -50% modifier asPatrons in heavily crosstime games:King Henry II can’t do much for youon any worldline except the one wherehe rules England, and only for a fewdecades in that one!

The Infinity Patrol is a very power-ful organization, appearing (as aPatron, anyway) fairly often (9 or less)in an Infinite Worlds campaign, mak-ing it a 20-point Patron. Centrum’sInterworld Service is larger, but lesslikely to appear (6 or less), making it a13-point Patron. Neither usuallyserves as a Patron for its field agents –Patrolmen and Interworld agents alikeknow that the worlds are tough, andthat they pay a price for their freedomof action and initiative. The Patrol andthe Service are more likely Patrons forscientists, researchers, historians, andother, less rowdy types.

ISWAT, the Homeline CIA, the SS,and most other secret agencies haveeven less in the way of institutionalloyalty – agents are expendable. Theyalmost never serve as Patrons,although an individual supervisor(“The Professor never abandons aman.”) might wind up as a 15-pointPatron in some games. Skorzeny issuch a patron for proven ISWAT teammembers. The same is true of theCabal as a whole, or of InfinityUnlimited itself, both incalculablywealthy (but rarely appearing) 15-point Patrons; an individual CabalGrand Master (base 20 points) mighttake a more (or less) active hand.

Corporations vary. Time Tours hasa very good reputation for lookingafter its own. As a powerful organiza-tion it appears on a 15 or less inworlds it operates on, and on a 12 orless in general, making it a 30-pointPatron in a general campaign, and a45-point Patron in games set entirelyon worlds like Johnson’s Rome. Mosttransworld corporations are very pow-erful or extremely powerful but exertthemselves for a normal employeeonly rarely (6 or less).

Possessionsee p. B75

This is the advantage used by mostmental time travelers in the genre,even nonpsionic ones like the hero ofQuantum Leap. You can use theSpiritual limitation with this advan-tage for mental time or world traveleven if you do not take the Spirit meta-trait. If it is Linked (p. B381) toJumper, it can use the PsionicTeleportation limitation (p. B257)rather than Telepathy limitation fromp. B257. (If the GM has created anAstral Projection psi power, or someother psi power incorporating bothPossession and Jumper, no link isrequired.)

Special EnhancementDeath-Snap: Normally, if a pos-

sessed body dies, you die! With thisenhancement, if your host body iskilled, you instantly “snap back” toyour own time or world, and mustmake an immediate Fright Check(p. B360). After an accidental death, ora peaceful death in your sleep, roll at nopenalty, providing there was nothingespecially horrible about it. Roll at a -2


penalty for an ordinary combat death.A messy or lingering death requires aroll at -5. A death by torture, or involv-ing a Phobia (a long fall for an acro-phobe, say) forces a roll at -10 or evenworse! Your first “death” always addsan extra -10 modifier, your second anextra -5, and your third a -2. Shouldyou acquire a mental disadvantage as aresult of the Fright Check, it should berelated to the circumstances of yourproxy “death.”

Once you recover from the resultsof your Fright Check, you may imme-diately attempt to rejoin your com-panions, if you choose. Of course, theywon’t know who you are until youidentify yourself! Thus, it’s a good ideato work out passwords in advance.+25%.

Special LimitationBloodline Only: You can only pos-

sess your own blood relatives (or, forworld-jumpers, those of your parallelself or parallel family) out to the sec-ond cousin level, or anyone thatclosely related to one of your linealancestors. -40%.

Ranksee p. B29

Ranks in Centrum’s InterworldService (and indeed, in all the Servicesof Centrum) replace Status, and are 10points/level. (Centrum is a classless

meritocracy; see the box on p. B28.)High Rank grants Status in Reich-5 asgiven on p. B28; Infinity Patrol Rankgrants +1 to Status on Homeline atRank 5-7, and +2 to Status at Rank 8.Both SS and Patrol Rank are worth 5points/level, as is Cabal Rank, which(usually being secret) grants noStatus.

Resistantsee p. B80

The value of Immunity toTimesickness is equal to the value ofthe default effect of Timesicknessbased on the rules on p. 181, assuminga campaign in which time or dimen-sion travel is a common occurrence.

Infinity and Centrum have geneti-cally engineered therapies that conferResistant to Disease +8 on theiragents. Centrum injects all its agentswith its Aesculapius Factor (a geneti-cally engineered antibody complex);Infinity restricts use of polymaxin (aquasi-symbiotic “kamikaze” retro-virus) to those on lengthy outtimedeployments and to Miracle Workerson plague duty, since its long-termhealth effects are unknown.

See Invisiblesee p. B83

“See quantum flows” is an exampleof this advantage. It not only allows

you to locate nexus portals, dimen-sional highways, banestorms, andother disruptions to the normal quan-tum stream; it also allows you todetect incoming parachronic convey-ors as well as a man-portableparachronic detector (p. B532).

Special EnhancementParalocator: You can always tell

which worldline you are in, as long asyou have been there before; if theworldline is entirely strange to you,you know that it’s unfamiliar. Thisenhancement only applies to SeeQuantum Flows (or the equivalentversion in another alternate-Earthscosmos). +30%.

Special LimitationESP: This is a special ability within

the ESP psi power. -10%.

Serendipitysee p. B83

Even if the conveyor gets lost, thetime machine crashes, or the realityquake drops Camelot out from underyou, you will probably wind up some-where pretty neat.

Temporal Inertiasee p. B93

This advantage can be very usefulin some time travel games; the GMmay rule that it damps out the nega-tive effects of any paradox you cause,since reality simply “defaults” toyour memory and existence. In thedefault Infinite Worlds campaign, itincreases your likelihood of surviv-ing a reality quake, banestorm, orother crosstime disaster. At the GM’sdiscretion, a native of an echo withthis advantage may be able to senseCentrum (or Infinity Patrol) tamper-ing before the effects become notice-able to others.

Unagingsee p. B95

You take less damage from expo-sure to the raw time stream (p. 75)than a normal person. In general, anysuch damage or negative effect ishalved for you, after DR or otherreductions, and the GM may rule thatyou are totally immune to somechronal effects.


Rank TableRank Infinity Patrol SS Cabal8 Director Oberstgruppenführer Grand Master

ObergruppenführerGruppenführer

7 Commissioner Brigadeführer Master6 Colonel Oberführer Philosopher

Standartenführer5 Captain Obersturmbannführer Practitioner

Sturmbannführer4 Lieutenant Hauptsturmführer Theorist

Obersturmführer3 Special Agent Untersturmführer Adept2 Agent Oberscharführer Novice

Unterscharführer1 Patrolman Rottenführer Initiate

Sturmmann0 Cadet Mann

Interworld Service ranks are simply “Grade 1” through “Grade 7” with thegrade number matching the level of Rank. The Forum Chairman, the presidingofficer in Centrum’s senior council of coordinators, would theoretically haveStatus 8 but only Rank 7.

Unusual Backgroundsee p. B96

By definition, time travelers orcrossworld visitors already have anunusual background, and daily meetothers with unusual backgrounds. Forthis sort of campaign, the only sort ofbackground sufficiently unusual to beworth points would be one that gavevery special abilities, such as magic,super-abilities, or psi.

In a campaign where only a fewPCs have access to time travel or alter-nate worlds, the GM should considerthis to be a significant UnusualBackground. The cost should be atleast 20 points . . . more, if the time ordimension travel is easy and powerful.(In most such campaigns, all PCs aretravelers from time to time, but not allcan control the means of travel.)

DISADVANTAGES

Addictionsee p. B122

Both tobacco and marijuana areillegal in Reich-5’s Germany (and inany Germany where the Nazis wonthe war), making them -10-pointaddictions for campaigns set primari-ly around such worlds. Both are legalin Centrum, along with a widepanoply of other (mostly artificial)drugs. No addict to any incapacitatingdrug (including alcohol) can advanceabove Grade 2 in the InterworldService, however (unless they take anappropriate Secret).

The value of this disadvantagevaries not only with the drug and itslegality, but with the world and the eraof the addiction. The same addictionto the same drug is worth a differentamount as the drug’s cost responds tothe supply and demand generated by,for example, a drug craze.

Introducing drugs (especiallydrugs from other worlds) to a popula-tion with no social mechanism toincorporate them is a sure way tocause a craze, in which use of the drugseemingly spirals out of control andall society (or at least its drug-usingsegment) is completely disordered.The “Gin Craze” in 18th-centuryEngland and the “crack epidemic” inthe 1980s share identical etiologieswith other drug crazes: discovery,

enthusiasm, price spike, destructionof existing drug markets, hypercom-petition among sellers (often violent,and involving organized crime in thecase of illegal drugs) driving the pricedown, government involvement(either prohibition or licensing, orsometimes both), and eventual socialadjustment until the new drugbecomes just another ongoing feature(good or bad) of the society. If the drugconfers a social cachet (as cocaine didin the 1980s), it stays relatively expen-sive. Most drugs intended for massconsumption get very expensive dur-

ing the “fad” phase until the marketestablishes itself, and then very cheap,barring government intervention toincrease prices (either to control use,or to tax a new revenue source). Evensome seemingly exotic drugs getpriced to move to the masses once thecraze shakes out: heroin, for example,is a cheap addiction in 21st-centuryAmerica.

One excellent example of a fairlylong-cycle drug craze is the refinedsugar craze that began in northernEurope around 1550. Refined sugar,to populations living in areas too cold


Wealth, Status, and Reputation

In a campaign where much of the action takes place “at home,” allthese social advantages are important and may be used normally. Forinstance, in the Order of the Hourglass campaign frame (p. 212), wealthand social position can be very important in preparing for a trip, or indefending from enemy Time Circles at home.

However, in most campaigns Status is of no importance: whoever youmay be in your home time means nothing in the past or future. (Ofcourse, some hereditary titles are ancient – but imagine telling the sec-ond Earl of Pottleby that you’re the 17th Earl, and would he mind put-ting you and your friends up in the family manor for a few days?)

Growing up with high Status is not useless – there still may be abonus to Savoir-Faire skill rolls – but it is no longer “cost-effective,” forthose who worry about such things. The GM must determine skill mod-ifiers for attempts to pass oneself off as historical nobility (or even one’sown ancestors).

Reputations, similarly, count for little in most time campaigns; char-acters are not likely to meet anyone who knows them 500 years beforethey’re born. Exceptions to this occur in games with many time travel-ers, and “recurring villains.” In the Dr. Who universe, for instance, theGallifreyan Time Lords have a Reputation, not always good, among thecultures that know of their existence. It is also possible that time travel-ers who do not keep a low profile become “legends” in later eras. It canbe more than a little complicated to deal with people who think you area mythic hero reborn. Some travelers likely have Reputations to othertime travelers; the GM should decide how frequently such folk appear.

Wealth can be an advantage if the players must finance and equiptheir own time expeditions. A pocketful of gold can work wondersalmost any time (though it might be a good idea to melt down thoseKrugerrands before trying to spend them in the Renaissance). Poverty israrely a handicap for time travelers.

In some backgrounds, it is very easy to become rich if you can travelin time and across worlds. In particular, the Jumper and Snatcher abili-ties could make it easy to become rich. The GM should require jumpersand snatchers to purchase the Filthy Rich advantage if they plan onusing their powers to gain wealth.

to make wine (or who do not other-wise habitually consume fruit sug-ars), is highly addictive with regularuse (a sugar addict uses 10 to 40 lbs.annually). At TL2-3, refined sugar isexpensive (10 lbs. of sugar costs about$7 at TL3 in northern countries).During TL4-5, improved transporta-tion and refining techniques (and thediscovery of new tropical growingareas) increase supplies, but the muchlarger pool of potential addictsincreases demand, driving the pricehigher in a classic craze; 10 lbs. ofsugar is about $100 in mid-TL5, now avery expensive addiction. (The GoldenAge of Piracy was, to some extent, driv-en by competition over sugar-growingislands in the Caribbean; the pirateswere the Crips and Bloods of the1680s.) By TL6+, industrial progressensures that refined sugar is a cheapaddiction, even with millions moreaddicts creating demand, unless thegovernment taxes its use prohibitively.

Code of Honorsee p. B127

A number of the groups in thedefault Infinite Worlds setting maintain codes of honor; for example:

Cabalistic Code of Honor: Do notbetray the existence of the supernatu-ral to the unknowing; expand theknowledge and power of the Cabal;avenge your passers. -5 points.

Centrum Code of Honor: Defendand expand Centrum, at the cost ofyour own life if necessary. Do notallow sentiment or prejudice to cloudyour judgment; take the long view.Order and reason are the primevirtues; success justifies ruthlessnessin their pursuit. Obedience createsorder. -5 points.

Infinity Patrol Code of Honor:Defend the Patrol, The Secret, andHomeline to the death if necessary.Don’t complain, don’t play politics,don’t embarrass the Patrol or yourbuddies. Don’t fully trust anyone whoisn’t Patrol. Go down swinging. Leaveall other allegiances aside when youput on Patrol blue and black. -5 points.

SS Code of Honor: Be tough to thepoint of ruthlessness, lead from thefront, obey the Reichsführer withoutquestion. The SS, the Führer, theReich, and the race are things to kill or

die for; the only mercy is a quickdeath. -10 points.

Swagman’s Code of Honor: Neverbetray a fellow swagman or reveal hisscams; help out if he waves you in,stay out if he waves you off. Staybought when possible. Don’t gostraight. Say nothing useful to out-siders. Warn your mates of trouble. -5points.

Alternative Outcomes troopersmaintain the Soldier’s Code of Honoron p. B127, with the addition of “leaveno man behind dead or alive.” TimeTours staffers keep to the ProfessionalCode of Honor on p. B127, with theaddition of “try not to let the idiot customers get themselves killed.”

Dependentssee p. B131

In general, PCs in a crosstime orcrossworld campaign should get nopoints for Dependents unless theDependents appear essentially all thetime, and are part of the party.Otherwise, their usual antagonistshave no idea the Dependent evenexists, let alone be able to capture orthreaten them.

For example, the inventor of thetime machine could bring his eight-year-old son along for lack of a betterplace to park him. Or the inventorcould be the dependent. He’s brilliantbut quite incompetent; the PC is hisgrown daughter, who leads the party.

Clients, Researchers, etc., asDependents

In some campaigns, only agentsand trained technicians go into thefield. Other games may involve theagents chaperoning groups of histori-cal researchers, or even tourists. Thesepeople are rarely as well trained as theagents, but the agents are responsiblefor their safety (and for keeping theamateurs from dangerous meddling).Such people also count as Depend-ents, though the actual individualsmay be different from game to game.The actual point value depends on sev-eral factors, and is based on the usualadventures the agents have:

Competence of the persons to be pro-tected. Are they reasonably competentand intelligent people (-1 or -2 points)or bumblers who actively cause

trouble (-10 points)? If they have spe-cial trouble-causing potential (highrank, psionics, vampirism) and littlereal intention of cooperating with theteam, that’s the -15-point level. TheGM should be fairly loose about pointtotals, and consider potential for trou-ble when assigning these point values:a brilliant psionic historian mightactually be worth more points than aPatrolman, but if he’s Absent-Minded,Lecherous, and Alcoholic, his potential for trouble is vast indeed!

How often the auxiliaries appear.Use the usual rules (p. B131) for fre-quency of appearance. Note that ifnon-agents are sent along only underunusual circumstances – fewer thanone in three missions – taking care ofthem is part of the Agency Duty, notworth points separately. Thus, the“quite rarely” frequency should notapply.

How closely they must be protected.The Agency may insist that the agentsput the auxiliaries’ lives above theirown (¥2); require the agents to protectthem wherever possible, but not to diefor them (¥1); or consider them to betraveling at their own risk, requiringonly that the agents repair any dam-age they do to the time stream (¥1/2).

Numbers. If a team of severalagents only has to escort and protectone person per mission, halve thevalue. For two Dependents or up tohalf the team, use the normal value.And if the Dependents outnumber thetrained members (as with a touristgroup) double their value.

Examples: A Time Tours guidedeals with well-meaning incompe-tents (-5 points) almost all the time(¥3). They must be protected wherev-er possible (¥1), and outnumber thetour guides in the party (¥2). He gets-5¥3¥1¥2, or -30 points.

A single dinosaur shikari escortscompetent hunters with no dinosaurexperience (-2) quite often (¥2). Theytravel at their own risk (¥1/2). Suchparties have more than two members(¥2). He gets -2¥2¥1/2¥2, or -4 points.

A team of Patrolmen bodyguardsan important but elderly academicresearcher (-5 points) fairly often (¥1).He must be protected at all costs (¥2),but there is only one of him to worryabout (¥1/2). Each Patrolman gets-5¥1¥2¥1/2, or -5 points.


Dutysee p. B133

Membership in crosstime militaryor paramilitary organizations such asthe SS Raven Division, the InfinityPatrol, Centrum’s Interworld Service,Alternate Outcomes, or a Homelinecrossworld special forces unit such asthe British SCS (the Special ConveyorService, or the “Para Paras”) or theLégion d’Outretemps is alwaysExtremely Hazardous for front-linepersonnel. Rear-echelon staff duty,even in the Infinity Patrol, only occa-sionally involves mortal danger, atleast after graduation from theAcademy.

Enemiessee p. B135

Certain groups have time- ordimension-traveling foes who show upoften enough to be taken as Enemies.The Cabal, the Infinity Patrol, ISWAT,and Centrum’s Interworld Service arewide-ranging enough to be “utterly for-midable” in the Infinite Worlds; thebase value of any of them as an Enemyis -40 points. The SS of Reich-5, or aHomeline agency with crossworldaccess such as the CIA, are worth abase -30 points. Criminal groups havea harder time getting crosstime accesssolely for the purpose of hunting you;even the Russian Mafiya (which canpiggyback on Yugorovsky Group min-ing and prospecting trips with relativeimpunity) is only worth a base -20

points, the same as a single Lodge ofthe Cabal.

No Enemy restricted to a singletime or world is likely to be able toreach a traveler often enough to beworth any points, unless the campaignuses that world as a recurring (morethan half of all adventures are setthere) setting.

Evil TwinThis version of Enemy can be as

common as the GM wishes. In a cam-paign where parallel worlds and selvesare both common, the GM mayreduce the normal -3 reaction penaltytoward you, since people don’t neces-sarily assume that it was you who leftyour fingerprints all over the dead GirlScout’s dresser.

Honestysee p. B138

An Honest character, in a differenttime or place, acts as though the lawsand morals of his own home were stillin force. This is sure to cause interesting problems!

Intolerancesee p. B140

Many natives of Centrum,although thoroughly indoctrinatedagainst race, class, gender, and reli-gious discrimination, are intolerant ofall outtimers – Homeliners very muchincluded – for a disadvantage worth -5points. Right-thinking Germans of

Reich-5, especially SS members, havetotal intolerance of “non-Aryans,”despising anyone (including thedescendants of the actual Aryans inIran and India) who is not of purenorthwestern European stock. This isworth -10 points.

Mundane Backgroundsee p. B144

Many Homeliners possess thisbackground; it is up to the GMwhether his campaign involvesenough magic or weirdness to make ita valid disadvantage. Every native of ano-mana world has it, except possiblythe delusional ones!

Phobiasee p. B148

Time Travel (Chronophobia): Justas some people on our own Earth areafraid of flying, some Homeliners areafraid of dimension travel. They donot voluntarily take a conveyor any-where, and face required crosstimetravel at -5 to self-control rolls withoutlots of calming medication (or booze).No normal Patrolman, White Star rep,etc. has this phobia, but it can beentertaining for NPC specialistswhose expertise is vital for a givenmission. -15 points if time (or world-line) travel is common, -10 if it isuncommon, -5 if it is essentiallyunknown. Adjust the cost for the self-control number.

Secretsee p. B152

A corrupt Patrolman (which hap-pens more often than anyone likes tobelieve, but not nearly as often as onemight expect given the infinite oppor-tunities) has a -5-point Secret if thecorruption is restricted to featheringan outtime nest or smuggling minorcollectibles. One taking bribes from(or secretly working for) a Homelinegovernment, a criminal organization,or the like has a Secret worth -20points.

Sense of Dutysee p. B153

Many Patrolmen feel a Sense ofDuty to fellow Homeliners on otherworlds (-5 points). Almost all


Patrolmen feel a Sense of Duty towardthe Patrol (-5 points).

Social Stigmasee p. B155

On both Centrum and Homeline,natives of other (non-colonized)Earths are Second-Class Citizens,even within the Interworld Service orPatrol. On Homeline, this stigma isofficially discouraged, but no less real.

Timesicknesssee p. B158

This is an expanded treatment ofthe “standard” disadvantage.

In some stories, time travel is nomore stressful than walking through adoor; in others, there are serious men-tal and physical effects. When invent-ing new forms of time travel, the GMmay set both the frequency and severi-ty of Timesickness (or “jump sickness”in a parallel-world campaign). A rollagainst either Will or HT may berequired to avoid its effects, dependingon whether the campaign’s time travelis primarily mental or mechanical innature.

Another option is to linkTimesickness to the machine opera-tor’s skill: in this case, the ElectronicsOperation (Temporal) success rolldetermines whether the travelers aredisoriented. The GM may still allowan individual roll to avoid the effects.

If Timesickness is unusual, then itcounts as a disadvantage. If Time-sickness is normal in the campaign,then it is not a disadvantage; instead,Resistant to Timesickness is an advan-tage, as described on p. 177. You canhave Timesickness at a level worsethan normal for the campaign.Calculate the value of “normal”Timesickness for the campaign, and ofthe increased level, as describedbelow. The difference in point costs isthe value of the disadvantage.

Example: Frequent, Mild Time-sickness is the default in the cam-paign. It has a value of -5 points, butthat is not a bonus to normal charac-ters. (Immunity to Timesicknessbecomes a 5-point advantage, howev-er.) However, a character with Acute,Severe Timesickness has a maladywhich, from the rules below, is worth

-20 points. The difference, -15 points,is the actual disadvantage value to thatcharacter.

In a campaign where there are dif-ferent forms of travel with differenteffects, use the disadvantage value forthe least harmful common method oftravel. A character who gains access toa form of travel without side effectsshould be required to buy off hisTimesickness disadvantage.

To find the point value of a givenlevel of Timesickness, multiply theseverity of the effect by the frequencywith which it affects you, as follows:

SeverityNuisance: You are mentally

stunned, and roll for recovery at -5with only one attempt allowed per 10seconds. This has little effect unlessthe travelers arrive in the middle of ahostile situation. -2 points.

Mild: You are mentally stunnedand lose 2d FP. -5 points.

Severe: You must make a HT roll.On a success, you are mentallystunned for 1d¥10 minutes. On a fail-ure, you are stunned for 1d hours.Double this on a critical failure! -10 points.

Very Severe: As above, but you alsotake damage: 1 HP if the duration isunder an hour, 2 if it is an hour ormore. -15 points.

Nightmare: This is a mental effect,most appropriate for psionic timetravel. On a missed Will roll, the vic-tim has monstrous visions. Go to theFright Table and roll as though he hadjust missed a Fright Check by twicethat amount. -15 points.

Critical: The victim takes 1d ofdamage, and makes a HT roll (even ifthe save was on Will); if failed, hetakes another 1d. Shock andKnockdown effects are exactly as nor-mal injury (crippling is ignored, how-ever). This can kill you. -20 points.

FrequencyRare: Travelers are affected on a

critical failure only. ¥1/2.Frequent: Any failure affects a trav-

eler. ¥1.Very frequent: A critical success is

required to avoid effects. ¥1.5.Acute: No saving roll allowed; all

travelers are automatically affectedunless they are immune. ¥2.

Generally, the more commonTimesickness is, the less severe itshould be.

Uniquesee p. B160

Although this disadvantage in itsstandard form is not recommendedfor time-traveling PCs, it can be modi-fied suitably.

Special EnhancementMcFly’s Syndrome: A time paradox

that would ordinarily wipe you out ofexistence still does so – but in delayedfashion. Once the paradox hasoccurred (and the GM is just going tohave to bite the bullet and determinewhat simultaneity means in these cir-cumstances), you begin to lose HT atthe rate of 1 point per hour. At 1/3 ofyour original HT, you begin to deso-lidify and “fuzz out” of view; althoughyou are not reliably intangible orinvisible enough to receive any gamebenefit, your DX-based skills drop byone-third, and lose a further skillpoint each hour. The only way torestore this HT and skill loss is toundo the time paradox that eliminatedyou, or to create your own paradox ora branching timeline that will restoreyou to existence. +0%.

SKILLSIn general, many skills practiced in

a certain specific fashion on oneworldline often differ subtly (or not sosubtly) on other parallels. Natives ofone worldline receive a -1 to -5 famil-iarity penalty on such skill rolls ifinteracting with the skill as used onanother parallel. A Homeline-trainedaccountant is not at any penalty tokeep his own books on Roma Aeterna,but suffers a -3 familiarity penalty tounderstand the financial records of aSyrian merchant from that worldline,even if he can read Aramaic.Worldlines that diverged from eachother later in history generally havesmaller penalties than those thatdiverged earlier; a -1 penalty per 300years of divergence is a decent rule ofthumb. Some worlds (especially closeparallels) may have no familiaritypenalty at all – driving a 1998Studebaker and driving a 1998 Forddiffer only in minor respects.


This penalty is usually subsumedin the TL penalty for TL-dependentskills, or in the unfamiliarity penaltiesfor specific weapon, technical, andvehicle skills; the GM may rule other-wise in borderline cases.

Skills (or specific uses of skills) thatmay take some familiarity penaltyinclude: Accounting, Administration,Carousing, Combat Art or Sport,Connoisseur, Crewman, Erotic Art,Finance, Forgery, Gambling, Games,Gesture, Heraldry, many Hobby Skills,Intelligence Analysis, Law, MarketAnalysis, Merchant, Occultism, Pan-handling, Performance, Politics,Propaganda, Public Speaking, Rel-igious Ritual, Savoir-Faire, Soldier,Sports, Streetwise, and Typing. Artisticskills such as Architecture or Cookingtake no penalty to practical uses suchas finding secret doors or cooking porksafely, but may take a penalty to usesthat depend on knowledge of currentstyles and fads, such as designing abuilding in Confederate Neo-Bourbonor cooking in Dragon Dynasty style.Most academic, scientific, and profes-sional skills also take such a penalty –for the purposes of discussion withothers in the field at least.

Archaeologysee p. B176

At the GM’s discretion, theArchaeology skill (with a suitablefocus or optional specialty in a givenculture) may justify taking a CulturalFamiliarity for a historical culture. Aspecialist in Hittite archaeologyshould be able to justify purchasingCultural Familiarity (Hittite), forexample.

Area Knowledgesee p. B176

Area Knowledge can apply acrossparallels, especially close parallels. Ingeneral, a close parallel is -0 or -1 toskill plus any time modifiers. For anecho, use the appropriate modifier forthe time differential (p. B530) betweenthe echo and your native world. For afarther parallel, use the time differen-tial modifier for the time since thedivergence point between your Earthand the parallel world.

In some campaigns, AreaKnowledge can include the location

and destination of any crossworld orcrosstime gates in the area; in othercampaigns, such knowledge is HiddenLore (see below).

Current Affairssee p. B186

Current Affairs usually does notapply on parallel worlds (or takes dou-ble the normal time-and-distancepenalties, at the GM’s discretion)except for the very closest parallelsand echoes – the details of who’s sleep-ing with whom and which baseballteam is the threat to watch can varywildly from world to world.

Expert Skill(Cliodynamics)

see p. B193This is the Expert Skill governing

historical change, used to analyze par-allels to spot divergence points, pushechoes toward a desired goal, pickwhich Civil War general to kill so thatthe South can win the war, and soforth. It can stand in for CurrentAffairs, Economics, Geography,History, or Sociology to discoverchange points (historical or potential)in a worldline, determine what kindsof causes will bring about desired (orfeared) effects, and detect such histor-ical changes currently underway. Itcan also work as Intelligence Analysisor Market Analysis for this purpose(only). (In some schools, it is called“psychohistory” or “cliology.”)

It is more commonly taught toagents of the Centrum InterworldService than to Infinity Patrolmen.Most Cabalists consider it beneaththem, and it is irrelevant to the con-quests of Reich-5 . . . for now.

Gadgeteersee p. B475

If you suspect that you might behurled back in time by a lightning boltor a blow on the head, or yanked intoan alternate Pennsylvania by aparachronic undertow, this is theadvantage to buy. Without it, yourchances of bringing the telegraph,printing, the pike formation, andwhiskey to the ancient Romans, oranywhere else, dwindle to almost nil.A Connecticut Player Character in KingArthur’s Sourcebook or Lest DarknessFall type campaign can be a lot of fun,either played for laughs or as a deadlyserious race against time and igno-rance to defeat the onrushing hordesof Tamerlane.

Geographysee p. B198

Although Geography (Political) foran area varies widely from world toworld (with game effects similar tothose for Area Knowledge or History),Geography (Physical) only sufferspenalties on worlds with widely diver-gent climate, plate tectonics, and soforth.

Hidden Loresee p. B199

Some Hidden Lore (Demons,Things Man Was Not Meant To Know)are probably quite similar on variousparallels, while others (Conspiracies,Spirits) are less likely to have specificsin common. Hidden Lore (Faerie)may be in either group, depending onthe cosmology of the campaign. Inmost campaign worlds, knowledge ofgates between worlds, time portals,and so forth is a quintessential body ofhidden lore – Hidden Lore (Gates).This may include their locations, howto find them, and even some knowl-edge of their destination (“The gate inthe cemetery leads to a world whereLincoln wasn’t assassinated.”). It doesnot convey the ability to constructsuch gateways.


Historysee p. B200

Historians suffer no penalties toskill rolls concerning parallel worldhistories before the divergence pointwith their own world. For history aftera divergence point, apply the time dif-ferential penalties on p. B530 to thedifference between the year beingstudied and the divergence point, butdo not multiply for TLs that both his-tories crossed! For example, aHomeline military historian specializ-ing in World War II is theorizing aboutthe Pacific War in Dixie-1, 85 yearsand one TL boundary after the diver-gence point between Dixie andHomeline. The Long-Range Modifierstable on p. B241 gives a -6 penalty fordistances up to 100 miles (years, forthis purpose). Ordinarily, this wouldbecome a -12 modifier based on therule on p. B241, but since bothHomeline and Dixie-1 crossed theTL5/6 boundary, the historian cantake those differences into account.The modifier remains -6.

This skill can also be used to determine whether a traveler noticessomething different in the past or in aparallel world from history as helearned it. He makes a History skillroll, with a bonus or penalty appropri-ate to the importance of the change.Realizing that Benjamin Franklin wasnever President is easy (for anAmerican historian, anyway); recog-nizing that the Andrea Doria shouldnot have made it to port is a bit hard-er . . . Of course, a difference may justmean that history, as taught in schoolsor seen in the movies, is often wrong!A roll at a further penalty, and possibly

some research time, should berequired to check this. (Yes, GenghisKhan really did have red hair andgreen eyes, and didn’t look Oriental atall . . .)

Literaturesee p. B205

Literature across parallel worlds isthe same before the divergence point.Each century of divergence usuallyadds -2 to any modifier to Literaturerolls made by students of anotherworldline’s literary tradition. At theGM’s discretion, Current Affairs orHistory may default to Literature-4 ina myth parallel.

Naturalistsee p. B211

On some worlds, and in some cam-paigns, this skill may allow charactersto find gates to other worlds, by spot-ting outtime plants or specificparachronozoidal spoor (p. 74). TheGM may rule that such knowledgecounts as Hidden Lore (Gates) in hiscampaign.

Researchsee p. B217

Research rolls take the same penal-ties across worlds as do AreaKnowledge rolls (p. 182). To return tothe example above under History: theHomeline historian researching Dixie-1’s Pacific War in a standard Homelinelibrary (not one specializing inparachronic history like the Patrol

library system) is at -12 (-6 for the 85years between the divergence point,doubled for the TL5/6 shift) to hisResearch skill to find anything usefulat all. Research into eras before thedivergence point is unaffected, ofcourse – many Homeline libraries(with full computer cataloging anddata storage) are much better placesto research Dixie-1 medieval historythan any library in that world! This isnot a universal verity: for example,since the Hamburg and Dresden ofDixie-1 were never firebombed, thereare surviving medieval documents inDixie-1’s archives that aren’t availableanywhere on Homeline! The GMshould always take the subject matter,availability of information, and stateof historical knowledge into accountwhen adjudicating Research rolls oncrosstime subjects.

Trackingsee p. B226

Like Naturalist, on some worldsand in some campaigns, this skill mayallow you to find gates to other worlds– perhaps even by finding animaltracks that suddenly disappear in mid-stride! Again, The GM may rule thatsuch knowledge counts as HiddenLore (Gates) in his campaign.

TECHNIQUES

Anachronistic TrainingAverage

Defaults: Special (see below).Prerequisite: Any one TL skill; can-

not exceed prerequisite skill.

This technique allows you to usethe prerequisite skill without sufferinga TL penalty for antique or anachro-nistic methods. Each level of this tech-nique removes one level of TL penalty;a TL8 Patrolman with AnachronisticTraining (Artillery)-2 would take noTL penalties for Artillery/TL7 or /TL6rolls, and would make Artillery/TL5rolls at the -1 penalty for skills one TLlower. Anachronistic Training cannotbe used to remove the penalty forfuturistic gear or methods. The GMmay still enforce a familiarity penaltyfor unfamiliar equipment. You mustbuy this technique for each skill separately.


History! (IQ)This optional wildcard skill (p. B175) replaces all specialties of

Anthropology, Archaeology, History, and Paleontology, and covers thehistorical versions of Area Knowledge, Current Affairs, Geography,Heraldry, and Sociology, and the “academic” and historical elements ofthe various artistic skills. (“Why, this is a lost Leonardo masterpiece,Billy!”) It also removes Cultural Familiarity penalties for all historicaleras, and halves them for parallel histories. It is up to the GM whetherthis wildcard skill also encompasses Cliodynamics.

This is the skill possessed by such great time travel pioneers as Mr.Peabody, Professor Phineas Bogg, and Mr. Spock.

Historical FamiliarityAverage

Defaults: prerequisite skill-4.Prerequisites: Archaeology, Egypt-

ology, or History; cannot exceed pre-requisite skill.

Your intensive training in ancientsocieties gives you some familiaritywith the overall geography and cultur-al norms (such as manner of dress andcertain styles) of a certain period oftime. You may default to the relevantArea Knowledge (or, at the GM’s dis-cretion, Current Affairs) fromArchaeology, Egyptology, or Historyinstead of IQ, and gradually buy off the-4 default. Each historical specialty is aseparate technique.


Alternate SelvesOne gimmick that works especially well in a time-travel or crosstime

campaign is to let the players play themselves. To forestall argumentsabout what George’s IQ really is, all PCs are built on the same pointvalue. Players keep their own names, their own quirks, professions, andso forth, and add skills and abilities they would like to have, or like tohave at a higher level – Broadsword good enough to stake one’s life on,for instance. The GM can assume that all the players are (for instance)five years older, and have had time to develop their abilities, or are them-selves from the “next Earth over.”

Then let them all get recruited by the Time Patrol, or find a loose timemachine, and go! If the Time Patrol teaches additional skills, these canbe covered by a Duty to the Patrol.

ALTERNATE HUMANSAlthough most of the humans on

the Infinite Worlds fall well within thegeneral bounds of Homo sapiens sapi-ens, there are worlds – and humanspecies – outside those most familiarlimits. The following variant humanraces appear through several differentlenses, usually depending on theirnative TL or era. Lens point values aregiven as net changes to the basic racialtemplate. Sufficiently advanced (orperverted) magic can, of course,bring about such changes withoutrecourse to biology, and on someworlds the laws of evolution run athigher speed, or down a differentroad, than on Homeline. The GM isperfectly within his rights to refuse toallow any of these species as PCs in aPatrol game, or to require an UnusualBackground advantage for alternatehuman characters.

Dark-Dwellers-2 points

This human species has evolvedliving without natural light, probablyin underground caves, asteroid habi-tats, bomb shelters, or worlds with thesky burned black by horrific experi-ments gone wrong – or horrific warsgone all too right.

Their Night Vision is a 0-point feature as described on p. 176.

Attribute Modifiers: HT-1 [-10].Secondary Characteristic Modifiers:

Per+2 [10].

Advantages: Absolute Direction [5];Night Vision 4 [0]; TemperatureTolerance (Cold) 1 [1].

Disadvantages: Appearance(Unattractive) [-4]; Intolerance(“Sun people”) [-5]; Phobia (Openspaces)(12) [-10]; Skinny [-5].

Skills: Climbing-12 (DX+2) [8];Stealth-12 (DX+2) [8].

TL0-4 (-18 points): Pre-industrialdark-dwellers might be the“Hidden Race” of Arthur Machennovels or 19th-century anthropolo-gy, hiding in the hills and moundsfrom taller, stronger invaders. Sucha race might give rise to legends oftroglodytes, kobolds, or even darkelves. Such a race might survive forcenturies undetected. Add IQ-1[-20], another 4 levels of NightVision [0], and Survival (Caves)(Per) [2].

TL5+ (+30 points): At this TL, dark-dwellers need to be able to main-tain machinery. Sometimes, it isthis very task that has consignedthem to the depths; they might bederos, Morlocks, or dwarves from adark steampunk world or a “mana-punk” future. Add IQ+1 [20] andArtificer 1 [10]. Urban homeless“mole people” should use theTL0-4 lens, above, but changeSurvival (Caves) to Urban Survival.

Outer Space (+12 points): Dark-dwellers in outer space habitatsperforce get used to swings in grav-ity and variable air circulation.

After all, if the lights won’t stay on,probably the other systems aren’tworking too well either. Add G-Experience (All) [10] and anothertwo levels of TemperatureTolerance (Cold) [2].

Regardless of home milieu, anoticeable percentage of dark-dwellers might have disadvantageslike Dwarfism, or advantages likeFlexibility, especially those living incramped tunnels or caves. Nasty dark-dwellers always seem to wind up withthe Odious Racial Habit (Eats othersapient beings).

Mutants-40 points

After a nuclear war or some othercatastrophe irradiates and poisons theEarth, at least three species will sur-vive: cockroaches, rats, and mankind.These are the survivors.

Attribute Modifiers: IQ-1 [-20]; HT-1[-10].

Advantages: Acute Taste and Smell 3[6]; Breath-Holding 1 [2].

Disadvantages: Skinny [-5];Xenophobia (12) [-15].

Racially Learned Skills: Survival(Radioactive Wasteland)-9 (Per)[2].

First Generation (-19 points): Born justafter the Fall, this generation ofmutants barely sustains thespecies. Apply another IQ-1 [-20],

but add Per+3 [15] and HP+2 [4],Reduced Consumption (1/3, Cast-Iron Stomach) [1], Low Empathy[-20], and Scrounging-12 (Per) [1].

Rebuilders (+15 points): Adapted totheir surroundings, they seek tomake their hell a home, but haveyet to lay secure foundations forthe long climb back up. AddRadiation Tolerance 5 [10] andResistant to Poison 3 [5].

Like nasty dark-dwellers, spiky-haired mutants may develop theOdious Racial Habit (Eats other sapi-ent beings) and file their teeth intoSharp Teeth (p. B91).

Neanderthals0 points

On Homeline, Homo nean-derthalensis died out around 32,000years ago, but on some Earths, he wonthe competition with our Cro-Magnonancestors. Neanderthals have largejaws and beetle brows, and are shortand stocky (like weightlifters orwrestlers), but do not fit the stereo-typed hunched, brutish “cave man”image. They have larger cranial capac-ities than Homo sapiens sapiens,which equates to a “weird-looking”skull shape. If they had evolved, theymight well have turned out smarterthan we did; genre convention (but noarchaeological evidence to speak of)paints Neanderthals (both evolved andprimitive) as a less individualistic,more collectively focused species.

Attribute Modifiers: ST+2 [20]; DX-1[-20].

Secondary Characteristic Modifiers:Per+1 [5].

Advantages: DR 1 (Skull Only, -70%)[2]; Temperature Tolerance (Cold)1 [1].

Disadvantages: Overweight [-1];Sense of Duty (Tribe) [-5]; ShortLifespan [-10];

Skills: Armoury/TL0-11 (MeleeWeapons) (IQ+1) [4]; Gesture-10(IQ) [1]; Naturalist-8 (IQ-2) [1];Survival (choose)-10 (Per) [2].

Taboo Traits: May not take any lan-guage at better than Broken.

Evolved (+0 points): This presumesthat Neanderthals became thedominant species on Earth, evolv-ing much as their Cro-Magnoncompetitors did. Substitute IQ+1[20] for the Per bonus, addGregarious [-10], and remove theSense of Duty, the DR bonus, theskills, and the limitation on lan-guages.

Homo erectus (-49 points): This lensgoes the other way, and can serveas a stand-in for Peking Man, JavaMan, and other pre-Neanderthalhominids. Add IQ-2 [-40], increaseShort Lifespan by a level [-10], andremove Overweight.

In a primarily Homo sapiensmilieu, Neanderthals have UnusualFeatures (Beetle brow and prog-nathous jaw) 3, and might even be

downright Ugly. (This may lead toShyness.) The GM may decide thatNeanderthals have a greater chancefor psionics than modern humans, ora flat limit on their Magery, or any-thing else not provable from thearchaeological record.

Super-Soldiers39 points

This human race has been bred, orbuilt, to be warriors first and humanssecond, if at all. At TLs before TL6, itpresumes a chance discovery ofMendelian genetics by some culture(or secret society) capable of moldingsociety to fit its ideals. Such cultures –and such ideals – may well come intoconflict with the Infinity Patrol and itsideals.

Attribute Modifiers: ST+3 [30]; HT+1[10].

Secondary Characteristic Modifiers:Will+1 [5]; FP+1 [3].

Advantages: Combat Reflexes [15]; Fit[5]; High Pain Threshold [10].

Disadvantages: Bully (9) [-15];Callous [-5]; Duty (Military; 15 orless; Extremely Hazardous) [-20];Fanaticism (The Cause) [-15].

Skills: Brawling-12 (DX+2) [4],Hiking-11 (HT) [2], Soldier/TL-10(IQ) [2], Spear-12 (DX+2) [8].

TL1-5 (-23 points): Historical cases ofattempted super-soldier breedinginclude the Spartan warrior caste,the Janissary soldier-slaves of theOttomans, and the grenadierguards in some German princelystates. Add Bloodlust (12) [-10],Hidebound [-5], and Susceptible toDisease (-2 to HT) [-8].

TL6-7 (-19 points): After Mendel butbefore Watson and Crick, “cut andtry” notions of human geneticsbegin to come into play, from Dr.Moreau to Dr. Mengele. This tem-plate implies some measure of suc-cess has emerged: a method intheir madness, if not a super-serumper se. Add HP+1 [2] and anotherFP+2 [6], and add Lifting ST+1 [3]and a cocktail of mental disadvan-tages worth -30 points.

Example: Bad Temper (12) [-10],Nightmares (12) [-5], Paranoia [-10],and Post-Combat Shakes (12) [-5].


TL8+ (-15 points): With the DNA mol-ecule unlocked, true bioengineer-ing becomes possible. This is onlythe beginning. Add HP+3 [6] andFP+3 [9]; and add Appearance(Unattractive) [-4]; Lifting ST+3[9]; Increased Consumption 1[-10]; Killjoy [-15]; and ShortLifespan 1 [-10].

Tenshi (+143 points): This is the pack-age for Japanese super-soldiers asused by various generals and keiret-su cartels on Reich-5 (p. 57). Itshould be taken as a maximumdesign for somewhat realistic set-tings. Add DX+1 [20], HP+3 [6],FP+3 [9], Basic Speed+2 [40];Absolute Direction [5], Absolute

Timing [2], Acute Hearing 5 [10],Acute Vision 5 [10], DR 2 [10],Lifting ST+3 [9], Night Vision 8 [8],Oxygen Storage (25¥, -50%) [10],Peripheral Vision [15], RapidHealing [5], Sanitized Metabolism[1], and Super Jump 1 [10]; addIncreased Consumption 1 [-10],Killjoy [-15], and Short Lifespan 1[-10]; replace Brawling withKarate-13 (DX+2) [12]. To con-struct a full-blown tenshi, applythis racial template to the AlternateOutcomes Mercenary template onp. 189 with the appropriate adjust-ments for Imperial Japan (use thedisadvantage package from the SSTrooper on p. 193).

Some breeders may instill SlaveMentality in their subjects, or (purposely or accidentally) give theirsoldiers Addictions to combat stimu-lants, steroids, or super-drugs, or evena full-fledged Dependency. Many sol-diers, super and otherwise, hold to aCode of Honor; most super-soldiershave Extremely Hazardous Duty.Programs with racial motives (such asthe Nazis) or aesthetic ones (such asPrussian grenadier guardsmen, or asupervillain’s female assassins) mayaim for Attractive or better appear-ance, at the risk of Off-the-Shelf Looks(p. B21).


CHARACTER TEMPLATESINFINITYUNLIMITEDIntervention Service (I-Cop)

155 pointsDepending on the campaign, play-

ers should add 30 or so points to thistemplate (for I-Cops) or the one fol-lowing (for Scouts) to build aPatrolman who has graduated fromthe Academy and served a year or soin one division of the Patrol. The BasicSkills and Background Skills sections(plus the first three advantages) modelAcademy training; the Division Skillssection gives sample packages foreach division of the Patrol. GivenInfinity’s preference for breadth ofservice rather than depth, the GMshould encourage players to buildexperienced Patrolmen by addingother division modules to characters,as well as improving skill levels.

Attributes: ST 11 [10]; DX 12 [40]; IQ11 [20]; HT 11 [10].

Secondary Characteristics: Damage1d-1/1d+1; BL 24 lbs.; HP 11 [0];Will 13 [10]; Per 11 [0]; FP 14 [9];Basic Speed 6 [5]; Basic Move 6[0].

Advantages: Combat Reflexes [15]; Fit[5]; Language Talent [10]; LegalEnforcement Powers [10]; PatrolRank 1 [5]; and two languages atNative besides your own (one of

your Native languages must beEnglish, however) [8].

Disadvantages: Code of Honor(Patrol) [-5]; Duty (Patrol; 15 orless; Extremely Hazardous) [-20];Sense of Duty (Patrol) [-5]; and -30points from among Addiction(Tobacco) [-5], Bad Sight(Mitigator: Glasses, -60%) [-10],Bad Temper [-10*], Chummy [-5],Fanaticism (The Secret) [-15],Honesty [-10*], Impulsiveness[-10*], Insomniac [-10 or -15],Overconfidence [-5*], Pacifism(Cannot Harm Innocents) [-10],Post-Combat Shakes [-5*], andStubbornness [-5].

Basic Skills: Electronics Opera-tion/TL8^ (Parachronic)-12 (IQ+1)[4]; First Aid/TL9-13 (IQ+2) [4];Guns/TL9 (Pistol)-13 (DX+1) [2];History (choose specialty)-12(IQ+1) [8]; Karate-12 (DX) [4];Soldier-12 (IQ+1) [4]; Shortsword-13 (DX) [4]; Stealth-12 (DX) [2];Survival (Plains)-12 (Per+1) [4].

Division Skills: Add 12 points in skillsrelevant to your Division. Forexample:

†1. Academy: Sports (choose)-11(DX-1) [1], Teaching-12 (IQ+1) [4],and 7 points in any other skills asinstructional specialties [5].

2. Customs and Inspection: Elect-ronics Operation/TL8 (Security)-12(IQ) [4] and Search-13 (Per+2) [8].

†3. Internal Affairs: Accounting-10(IQ-1) [2], Detect Lies-11 (Per) [4],

Interrogation-12 (IQ+1) [4], andIntimidation-13 (Will) [2].

4. Justice: Criminology-12 (IQ+1) [4],Forensics-11 (IQ) [4], and Law(Police)-11 (IQ) [4].

†5. Liaison: Diplomacy-12 (IQ+1) [8]and Savoir-Faire (Military orPolice)-13 (IQ+2) [4].

†6. Logistics: Administration-12(IQ+1) [4], Armoury/TL8 (choose)-12 (IQ+1) [4], and ElectronicsRepair/LT8^ (Parachronic)-12(IQ+1) [4].

†7. Morale: Propaganda/TL8-12(IQ+1) [4] and Psychology-12(IQ+1) [8].

8. Nexus Oversight: Area Knowledge(Quantum 5)-13 (IQ+2) [4]; take 4points in any Driving or Ridingskill [4], and bring ElectronicsOperation/TL8^ (Parachronic) upto 13 [4].

9. Security: Intelligence Analysis/TL8-12 (IQ+1) [8] and ElectronicsOperation/TL8 (Surveillance)-12(IQ+1) [4].

10. Special Operations: Cliodynamics-11 (IQ) [4], Guns/TL9 (Rifle)-14(DX+2) [4], and Tactics-11 (IQ) [4].

Background Skills: Vacc Suit/TL8(DX)-12 [2]; take 8 points in anyone skill as your “aptitude skill” [8].

* Multiplied for self-control num-ber; see p. B120.

† Duty is merely Hazardous; takeanother -5 points in disadvantages.

Penetration Service(Scout)

155 pointsAttributes: ST 11 [10]; DX 11 [20]; IQ

12 [40]; HT 11 [10].Secondary Characteristics: Damage

1d-1/1d+1; BL 24 lbs.; HP 11 [0];Will 12 [0]; Per 14 [10]; FP 14 [9];Basic Speed 6 [10]; Basic Move 6[0].

Advantages: Combat Reflexes [15];Fit [5]; Language Talent [10];Legal Enforcement Powers[10]; Patrol Rank 1 [5]; andthree languages at Nativebesides your own (one of yourNative languages must beEnglish, however) [12].

Disadvantages: Code of Honor(Patrol) [-5]; Duty (Patrol, 15 orless; Extremely Hazardous) [-20];Secret (From another Earth) [-20];Sense of Duty (Patrol) [-5]; and -25points from among Careful [-1],Charitable [-15*], Curious [-5*],Fanaticism (The Secret) [-15],Honesty [-10*], Insomniac [-10 or-15], Intolerance (Some outtimesociety or custom) [-5], Loner [-5*],Overconfidence [-5*], Pacifism(Cannot Harm Innocents) [-10],and Post-Combat Shakes [-5*].

Basic Skills: Electronics Opera-tion/TL8^ (Parachronic)-13(IQ+1) [4]; First Aid/TL9-13(IQ+1) [2]; Guns/TL9 (Rifle)-13(DX+2) [4]; History (choose spe-cialty)-12 (IQ) [4]; Karate-12(DX+1) [8]; Knife-13 (DX+2) [4];Soldier-12 (IQ) [2]; Stealth-13(DX+2) [8]; Survival (Plains)-15(Per+1) [4].

Division Skills: Add 12 points in skillsrelevant to your Division (note lens8 is built on 13 points). For instance:

1. Communications: Crypto-graphy/TL8-12 (IQ) [4]; ElectronicsOperation/TL8 (Comm)-13 (IQ+1)[4], and take 4 points in any Driving,Piloting, or Riding skill [2].

2. Contact: Acting-12 (IQ) [2],Anthropology-12 (IQ) [4], Diplo-macy-12 (IQ) [4], and Savoir-Faire-13 (IQ+1) [2].

3. Echo Surveillance: Area Knowledge(station)-14 (IQ+2) [4], History(echo era)-12 (IQ) [4], andShadowing-13 (IQ+1) [4].

4. Intelligence: Cliodynamics-12 (IQ)

[4], Finance-11 (IQ-1) [2],Intelligence Analysis-12 (IQ) [4],Interrogation-12 (IQ) [2].

†5. Records and Research: Admin-istration-13 (IQ+1) [4], Linguis-tics-12 (IQ) [4], and Research-13(IQ+1) [4].

6. Search and Rescue: Climbing-12(DX+1) [4], Swimming-12 (HT+1)[2], add 4 points in any Boating,Driving, Piloting, or Riding skill[4], and bring First Aid up to 14 [2].

7. Survey: Camouflage-14‡ (IQ+1) [2],Observation-15 (Per+1) [4],Photography/TL8-12 (IQ) [2], andbring Stealth up to 14 [4].

†8. Technical Analysis: ElectronicsOperation/TL8 (any)-13 (IQ+1) [4],Engineering/TL8 (any)-12 (IQ) [4],and Electronics Repair/TL8 (any)-13(IQ+1) [4]. Mathematics/TL8(applied)-10 (IQ-2) [1].

Background Skills: Vacc Suit/TL8(DX+1)-12 [4]; take 8 points in anyone skill as your “aptitude skill” [8].


† Duty is merely Hazardous; selectanother -5 points in disadvantages.These Divisions also usually don’tneed to maintain a cover on anotherEarth, and so may not be eligible forthe Secret disadvantage, either.

‡ Bought from Survival.

Homeline AgentsThe above templates can also serve

as the basis for capable crosstime law-

enforcement and national securityagents of Homeline governments,whether overt (such as the RCMP orFBI) or covert (such as Mossad or theCIA). Homeline agents have Duties,Codes of Honor, and Senses of Dutycommensurate with their nationality.In lieu of Language Talent and lan-guages, they usually have skills in Law(Police) and national law codes, alongwith Criminology, Guns/TL8 (Pistol),and Judo.

ISWAT OperativeThere is no “standard” ISWAT

operative. ISWAT’s teams of pulpheroes, supers, legendary figures,faeries, undead, and so forth hew tono common template and have onlytwo traits in common: LegalEnforcement Powers [15] and Duty(ISWAT, 15 or less; ExtremelyHazardous) [-20].

If you wish to build an ISWAT“grunt,” base him on the CentrumUnattached template on p. 192, with the“ISWAT package” listed above in lieu ofCentrum-specific cultural traits, andPatrol Basic Skills (from the I-Cop tem-plate on p. 186) instead of the CentrumPrimary Skills set. The GM shouldreshuffle the Centrum BackgroundSkills as follows: leave Running andSwimming alone (as broadly usefulskills that reflect intensive physicaltraining) and replace the others with 14points in skills that reflect the opera-tive’s world background. An ISWAToperative is seldom below 250 points.


Paralabs FieldResearcher

101 pointsAlthough wandering through alter-

nate Earths is the Patrol’s job,Paralabs needs technicians “in coun-try” surveying banestorms, chartingreality quakes, measuring quantumflux along dimensional highways, andstudying the myriad other aspects of“reality geology” central to parachron-ic research. This template is designedwith a bias to such field researchers,rather than the academic theoreti-cians or parachronic engineers whostay at home and determine the mean-ing or application of what the “glitch-hunters” have found.

Attributes: ST 10 [0]; DX 10 [0]; IQ 13[60]; HT 11 [10].

Secondary Characteristics: Damage1d-2/1d; BL 20 lbs.; HP 11 [2]; Will13 [0]; Per 14 [5]; FP 11 [0]; BasicSpeed 5.25 [0]; Basic Move 5 [0].

Advantages: Fit [5]; MathematicalAbility 1 [10]; and 15 points fromamong Absolute Direction [5],Absolute Timing [2 or 5], EideticMemory [5 or 10], Intuition [15],Lightning Calculator [5], Magery 0[5], more Mathematical Ability[10/level]; Single-Minded [5], andUnfazeable [15].

Disadvantages: Duty (Infinity, 15 orless; mostly Nonhazardous) [-10];Pacifism (Reluctant Killer) [-5];and -20 points from among Absent-Mindedness [-15], Bad Sight(Mitigator: Glasses, -60%) [-10],Code of Honor (Professional) [-5],Combat Paralysis [-15], Curious[-5*], Intolerance (Some outtimeculture or custom) [-5], Jealousy[-10], Loner [-5*], Oblivious [-5],Obsession (Proving a theory) [-5 or-10*], Shyness [-5 or -10],Stubbornness [-5], and WeirdnessMagnet [-15].

Primary Skills: Computer Opera-tion/TL8-13 (IQ) [1]; ElectronicsOperation/TL8^ (Parachronics)-14[4]; Electronics Operation/TL8(Scientific)-14 [4]; Mathema-tics/TL8 (Applied)-14† (IQ) [4];Physics/TL8^ (Parachronic)-13†(IQ-1) [4].

Secondary Skills: Geology/TL8-12(IQ-1) [2]; Mathematics/TL8(Surveying)-13† (IQ-1) [2];

Meteorology/TL8-12 (IQ-1) [1];Research/TL8-13 [2]; Survival(Desert)-14 (Per) [2].

Background Skills: Astronomy/TL8-12† (IQ-2) [1]; Cartography/TL8(IQ-1)-12 [1]; Navigation(Land)/TL8-12 (IQ-1) [1].


† +1 from Mathematical Ability.

Miracle Worker85 points

The staff of Miracle Workers runsthe gamut from do-gooding “angels ofmercy” to coldly efficient triage agentswho separate the salvageable from thewalking dead. Some have bleedinghearts full of charity and outrage; oth-ers have only eyes with the “thousandyard stare” of a hundred worlds’plagues, genocides, and famines.None of them have given up, though,and gone back to Homeline. That saysa lot more than any personal philoso-phy, to Patrolmen who see them inaction.


Secondary Characteristics: Damage1d-2/1d; BL 20 lbs.; HP 10 [0]; Will14 [10]; Per 12 [0]; FP 13 [6]; BasicSpeed 5.25 [0]; Basic Move 5 [0].

Advantages: Resistant to Disease +8[5]; and 25 points from amongCharisma [5/level], ClericalInvestment [5], Empathy [5 or 15],Fearlessness [2/level], Healer[10/level], High Pain Threshold[10], and Less Sleep [2/level].

Disadvantages: Duty (Infinity, 15 orless; Nonhazardous) [-10]; Sense ofDuty (Innocent victims) [-15]; and-20 points from among Addiction(Stimulants or tobacco) [-5], BadSight (Mitigator: Glasses, -60%)[-10], Callous [-5], Charitable[-15*], Code of Honor (HippocraticOath) [-5], Compulsive Generosity[-5*], Disciplines of Faith [-5], GuiltComplex [-5], Honesty [-10*],Insomniac [-10 or -15], No Sense ofHumor [-10], Odious PersonalHabit (Moral posturing) [-5],Pacifism [-5 to -15], Timesickness[-10], Truthfulness [-5*], andWorkaholic [-5].

Primary Skills: Driving/TL8 (choose)-11 (DX+1) [4]; First Aid/TL9-14

(IQ+2) [4]; and select three skillsfrom among Diagnosis/TL9-12(IQ) [4], Epidemiology-12 (IQ)[4], Farming/TL8-13 (IQ+1) [4], Hazardous Materials/TL8(choose)-13 (IQ+1) [4], Phar-macy/TL9 (Synthetic)-12 (IQ) [4],Physician/TL9-12 (IQ) [4], orSurgery/TL9-11 (IQ-1) [4].

Secondary Skills: NBC Suit/TL8-11(DX+1) [4]; and select two skillsfrom among Electronics Opera-tion/TL9 (Medical)-12 (IQ) [2],Freight Handling/TL8-12 (IQ) [2],Packing-12 (IQ) [2], or Teamster(Equines)-12 [2].

Background Skills: Diplomacy-12(IQ) [4]; Leadership-12 (IQ) [2].

* Multiplied for self-control number; see p. B120.

UNICCrisis MinistryTroubleshooter

115 pointsTo the Patrol, there’s nothing less

welcome than the dapper fellow withthe $200 Park Avenue haircut and theclean fingernails showing up “fromthe Ministry to have a look ’round.”The Patrol suspects that these trou-bleshooters’ job is to interfere withPatrolmen doing their job, and to jus-tify their own salaries. While a certainamount of both goes on, their real taskis threat assessment. If the locals onDamocles seem a little too happy withthe nearby robotic mining compound,or if the U.S. government on Taft-2 isgetting strangely cozy with the BritishComintern, it may warrant a genteellook-see and a surreptitious reportback to Homeline. Political instinctshoned in Turtle Bay (the Patronadvantage reflects some juice with thehigher-ups in UNIC) get a workoutouttime, and even if nothing looksremotely strange on the surface, “theman from the Ministry” can sniff outdeep currents indeed. Whether UNICthen alerts the Patrol or calls in itsown big guns depends on what thetroubleshooter sees coming in onthose currents.

Attributes: ST 9 [-10]; DX 10 [0]; IQ 13[60]; HT 10 [0].


Secondary Characteristics: Damage1d-2/1d-1; BL 16 lbs.; HP 10 [2];Will 13 [0]; Per 14 [5]; FP 10 [0];Basic Speed 5 [0]; Basic Move 5[0].

Advantages: Administrative Rank 3[15]; Charisma 1 [5]; Patron (UNICUndersecretary, 9 or less) [15];Smooth Operator 1 [15]; two languages at Accented [8]; and 20 points from among Alcohol Tolerance [1], Appearance(Attractive) [4], more Charisma[5/level], Cultural Adaptability [10],Diplomatic Immunity [20],Empathy [5 or 15], Fashion Sense[5], Photographic Memory [10],Security Clearance [10], anotherlevel of Smooth Operator [15],Status [5/level], Unfazeable [15],and Wealth [Varies].

Disadvantages: Curious [-5*]; Duty(UNIC, 12 or less; Nonhazardous)[-5]; Pacifism (Reluctant Killer)[-5]; Reputation -2 (Rear-echelonbureaucrat) [-5]; and -30 pointsfrom among Addiction [-5 to -10],Bad Sight (Mitigator: Glasses,-60%) [-10], Cowardice [-10*],Extra Sleep [-2/level], Greed [-15*],Jealousy [-10], Odious Personal

Habit (Condescension) [-5], Over-confidence [-5*], Paranoia [-10],Selfish [-5*], Sense of Duty (U.N.)[-10], and Workaholic [-5].

Primary Skills: Acting-14† (IQ) [2];Body Language-14 (Per) [2]; DetectLies-14† (Per-1) [2]; Diplomacy-14†(IQ) [4]; Psychology-13 (IQ) [4];Public Speaking-15†‡ (IQ) [2];Savoir-Faire-15† (IQ+1) [2].

Secondary Skills: Administration-13(IQ) [2]; Computer Operation/TL8-13 (IQ) [1]; Fast-Talk-14† (IQ) [2].

Background Skills: Accounting-12(IQ-1) [2]; Law (International)-12(IQ-1) [2]; Politics-13† (IQ-1) [1];Research/TL8-13 (IQ) [2].


† +1 from Smooth Operator.‡ +1 from Charisma.

PsiberocratCertain imaginative gossipmon-

gers have taken it upon themselves tospread scurrilous rumors of a perma-nent, covert “psiberocracy” nurturedwithin the red-tape warrens of UNIC.If the GM decides that these laughableallegations are true, one of the follow-ing packages can be added onto thetroubleshooter template above:

ESPer Package (+30 points):Clairsentience (Sight Only, -10%,ESP, -10%; -20%) [40]; Secret (Psispy) [-10].

Precog Package (+31 points): ESPTalent 2 [10]; Precognition (ESP,-10%) [23]; Secret (Psi spy) [-10];Fortune-Telling-15 (IQ+2) orIntelligence Analysis/TL8-14(IQ+1), both [8].

Telepath Package (+30 points): MindProbe (No Memory, +10%; Racial, -20% Touch-Based, -20%,Telepathic, -10%; -40%) [12]; MindReading (Racial, -20%, Touch-Based, -20%, Telepathic, -10%;-50%) [10]; Telepathy Talent 2 [10];Secret (Psi spy) [-10]; two morelanguages at Accented [8].

Alternate OutcomesMercenary

190 pointsThis template can also serve for

crosstime Homeline special forcessuch as the U.S. Ranger Force Tau, theFrench Légion d’Outretemps, or theRussian Spetsnaz, or for outtime spe-cial forces of similar caliber.



Advantages: Combat Reflexes [15]; Fit[5]; Military Rank 1 [5]; Resistantto Disease +8 [5]; and 20 pointsfrom among Acute Senses [2/level],Breath-Holding [2/level], DangerSense [15], Deep Sleeper [1],Fearlessness [2/level], Hard to Kill[2/level], High Pain Threshold [10],HT+1 [10], Night Vision [1/level],and ST+1 [10].

Disadvantages: Code of Honor(Soldier’s) [-10]; Duty (TheBattalion, 15 or less; ExtremelyHazardous) [-20]; and -20 pointsfrom among Bloodlust [-10*],Callous [-5], Chummy [-5], Comp-ulsive Gambling [-5*], Fanaticism(The Battalion) [-15], Flashbacks[-5], Intolerance (Civilians) [-5],Nightmares [-5*], Overconfidence[-5*], and Truthfulness [-5*].


Primary Skills: Artillery/TL9(Cannon)-13 (IQ) [2]; Brawling-13(DX) [1]; Electronics Opera-tion/TL8 (Comm or Surveillance)-12 (IQ-1) [1]; Gunner/TL9 (Mach-ine Gun)-13 (DX) [1]; Guns/TL8(LMG)-13 (DX) [1]; Guns/TL9(Rifle)-14 (DX+1) [2]; Savoir-Faire(Military)-13 (IQ) [1]; Shortsword-13 (DX) [2]; Soldier/TL9-13 (IQ)[2]; Spear-13 (DX) [2]; Tactics-12(IQ-1) [2]; Throwing-13 (DX) [2].

Secondary Skills: Armoury/TL9(Small Arms)-12 (IQ-1) [1];Camouflage-13 (IQ) [1]; Explo-sives/TL9 (Demolition)-12 (IQ-1)[1]; First Aid/TL9-13 (IQ) [1];Guns/TL9 (GL)-13 (DX) [1];Guns/TL9 (LAW)-13 (DX) [1];Guns/TL9 (Pistol)-13 (DX) [1]; Stealth-13 (DX) [2]; Survival (Mountain)-14 (Per) [4];Traps/TL9-13 (IQ) [2].

Background Skills: Climbing-13 (DX)[2]; Hiking-12 (HT+1) [4]; History(any military)-12 (IQ-1) [2];Jumping-13 (DX) [1]; Navigation(Land)-13 (IQ) [2]; Swimming-12(HT+1) [2].


THE PRIVATESECTOR

White Star Trader111 points

This template reflects a relativelyopen and above-board White Starmerchant factor in a TL4 city on a par-allel Earth. For a more gray-marketWhite Star employee, see theSmuggler package in the Criminaltemplate on p. 196.

Wealth never falls belowComfortable, barring Visigothic inva-sion, since a White Star employee getspaid (and paid well) in Homeline andcan usually flip a high TL8 salary intoa quite luxurious local lifestyle. TheGM is justified in requiring a WhiteStar character to purchase extra levelsof Wealth if much of the campaign isset on worlds where White Star pur-chasing power is similarly inflated.

White Star Trading does not haveMerchant Rank; there are too fewtraders on any given world for any

issues of precedence to arise oncemarket boundaries are set by InfinityDevelopment or by White Star corporate headquarters.

Attributes: ST 9 [-10]; DX 10 [0]; IQ 13[60]; HT 10 [0].

Secondary Characteristics: Damage1d-2/1d-1; BL 16 lbs.; HP 10 [2];Will 13 [0]; Per 13 [0]; FP 10 [0];Basic Speed 5 [0]; Basic Move 5[0].

Advantages: Business Acumen 1 [10];Contact Group (local merchants,skill-18, 9 or less, usually reliable)[30]; Cultural Adaptability [10];Wealth (Comfortable) [10]; twolanguages at Accented [8]; and 20points from among Charisma[5/level], Empathy [5 or 15], Favor[Varies], Intuition [15], LanguageTalent [10], Lightning Calculator[2], Reputation (Honest merchantand/or Quality goods) [Varies], andmore Wealth [Varies].

Disadvantages: Code of Honor(Professional) [-5]; Pacifism (Self-Defense Only) [-15]; Secret (From

another Earth) [-20]; and -20points from among Addiction [-5 to-10], Bad Sight (Mitigator: Glasses,-60%) [-10], Bad Temper [-5],Chummy or Gregarious [-5 or -10],Compulsive Behavior [-5*], Enemy(Business rival) [Varies], Greed[-15*], Honesty [-10*], Impulsive-ness [-10*], Laziness [-10],Overconfidence [-5*], Overweightor Fat [-1 or -3], and Workaholic[-5].

Primary Skills: Accounting-14† (IQ)[4]; Detect Lies-13 (Per) [4]; MarketAnalysis-14† (IQ) [4]; Merchant-15† (IQ+1) [4]; Savoir-Faire-14(IQ+1) [2].

Secondary Skills: Administration-14†(IQ) [2]; Fast-Talk-13 (IQ) [2];Freight Handling/TL8-12 (IQ-1)[1]; Freight Handling/TL4-13 (IQ)[2]; Propaganda/TL4-13† (IQ-1)[1].

Background Skills: Area Knowledge(local city)-13 (IQ) [1]; ComputerOperation/TL8-13 (IQ) [1]; Con-noisseur (choose)-12 (IQ-1) [1];


Current Affairs/TL4 (Business)-13(IQ) [1]; Gambling-13† (IQ-1) [1].


† +1 from Business Acumen.

Denarius Group Special Banker

Adept at financial manipulationin the capital cities of parallels justgetting a handle on capitalism, aDenarius Group special banker isless concerned with the nitty-grittyof buying and selling, and moreconcerned with consolidating con-trol. Make the following adjust-ments to the White Star templateabove:

Denarius Group (+45 points): ChangeContact Group: (Royal or imperialgovernment, skill-21, 15 or less,usually reliable) [24]; removeCultural Adaptability but addCultural Familiarity (Local culture)[1]; increase Wealth to VeryWealthy [30]; replace two lan-guages at Accented with languageof local government at Native [6];change Pacifism to ReluctantKiller [-5]; replace both FreightHandling skills with Finance-15†(IQ+1) [8]; increase Propaganda to15† [3].

Time Tours, Inc.Tour Guide

70 pointsThis is one of the young, person-

able, remarkably unflappable andwell-informed guides employed togently replace the dollars, yen, euros,and yuan of Homeline tourists withpriceless memories of a world some-how more romantic and exciting thanthe one where they earned the fare.Good guides take the time to immersethemselves in local history and cus-tom; bad guides take the opportunityto help themselves to romance andsmall valuables.


Secondary Characteristics: Damage1d-2/1d; BL 20 lbs.; HP 10 [0]; Will11 [-5]; Per 13 [5]; FP 11 [0]; BasicSpeed 5.25 [0]; Basic Move 5 [0].

Advantages: Cultural Adaptability[10]; Patron (Time Tours, 12 or

less; less useful resources, -50%)[15]; local language at Native [6];and 15 points from amongAbsolute Direction [5], AlcoholTolerance [1], Appearance [Varies],Charisma [5/level], Common Sense[10], Contact Group (Local mer-chants) [Varies], Language Talent[10], Less Sleep [2/level], Luck[Varies], Unfazeable [15], andVoice [10].

Disadvantages: Broad-Minded [-1];Code of Honor (Professional) [-5];Dependents (Tour group) [-30];Pacifism (Self-Defense Only) [-15];and -20 points from among BadSight (Mitigator: Glasses, -60%)[-10], Chummy or Gregarious [-5or -10], Combat Paralysis [-15],Honesty [-10*], Kleptomania (15)[-7], Lecherousness (15) [-7], LightSleeper [-5], and Sense of Duty(Clients) [-5].

Primary Skills: Acting-13 (IQ+1) [4];Area Knowledge (Tour site)-13(IQ+1) [2]; Electronics Opera-tion/TL8^ (Parachronic)-11 (IQ-1)[1]; Fast-Talk-12 (IQ) [2]; History(Tour era)-12 (IQ) [4]; PublicSpeaking-13 (IQ+1) [4].

Secondary Skills: Beam Weap-ons/TL9 (Pistol)-13 (DX+3) [8]; Electronics Operation/TL8(Media)-11 (IQ-1) [1]; Holdout-12(IQ) [2]; Observation-13 (Per) [2];Search-13 (Per) [2].

Background Skills: ComputerOperation/TL8-12 (IQ) [1]; FirstAid/TL9-12 (IQ) [1]; Research/TL8-11 (IQ-1) [1]; Savoir-Faire(Servant)-13 (IQ+1) [2].


Dinosaur Hunter130 points

Time Tours employs not onlyurbane guides, but rough and readyCretaceous shikaris. They would cer-tainly never dream of engaging in anunlicensed expedition to a preservetimeline. It’s only their dislike forexcess paperwork that prevents themfrom reporting such an offer rightaway.



Advantages: Patron (Time Tours, 12or less; Less useful resources,-50%) [15]; and 15 points fromamong Absolute Direction [5],Acute Senses [2/level], AlcoholTolerance [1], Combat Reflexes[15], Danger Sense [15], Fear-lessness [2/level], Less Sleep[2/level], Luck [Varies], PeripheralVision [15], and Unfazeable [15].

Disadvantages: Careful [-1]; Code ofHonor (Professional) [-5]; Depen-dents (Hunting party) [-4]; and -30points from among Claustrophobia[-15*], Demophobia [-15*], GuiltComplex [-5], Light Sleeper [-5],Loner [-5*], Low Empathy [-20],Odious Personal Habit (Whistlingtunelessly, obsessively checkingweapons, etc.) [-5], Overconfidence[-5*], Secret (Illegal dinosaursafari) [-10], Sense of Duty(Clients) [-5], and Truthfulness[-5*].

Primary Skills: Area Knowledge(Cretaceous America)-12 (IQ+1)[2]; Guns/TL9 (Rifle)-17 (DX+5)[16]; Survival (Plains)-13 (Per) [2];Tracking-13 (Per) [2].

Secondary Skills: Camouflage-12†(IQ) [1]; Electronics Operation/TL8(Surveillance)-11 (IQ) [2]; FirstAid/TL9-13 (IQ+2) [4]; Hiking-12(HT+1) [4]; Stealth-13 (DX+1) [4];Traps/TL8-12 (IQ+1) [4].

Background Skills: Paleontology/TL8(Paleozoology)-11 (IQ) [4].


† Bought from Survival.

CENTRUMEvery mature Centran has 1 point

in each of the following skills learnedat his district Lyceum: Administration,Computer Operation/TL8, Mathema-tics/TL8 (Applied), Physics/TL9,Research/TL8, Running, Savoir-Faire(Centrum), and Swimming.

These Lyceum skills appear in theBackground Skills section of the tem-plates below. Primary skills in thesetemplates reflect the InterworldService College curriculum.


Interworld Service Agent

155 pointsLike his Patrol counterparts above,

this is an Interworld Service agent whohas completed Service College andspent about a year in the field. UnlikePatrolmen (who send any and allAcademy graduates – and plenty ofother folk – outtime, regardless ofPatrol rank), all Service agents allowedoutside the Centrum and its coloniesmust attain Grade 3. Hence, many I.S.personnel transfer into Interworldfrom other Services after reachingGrade 3 in their original Service (usu-ally Justice, Education, or Energy, withthe few transfers from Military Servicemostly for personal reasons). TheirCollege term counts against their pro-bationary time-in-grade for their newService, and they can enter the field asnew-minted Grade 3s.

Some I.S. Grade 2s (who workrear-echelon support and logisticalduties until promoted) advance, ofcourse, and there is a good-natured(but serious) rivalry between the“Saxons” (those who started out inInterworld) and the “Normans”(transfers). An agent who loudlychampions one or another side maydevelop a Reputation good for gettingbeaten up in the wrong bars (or help-ing administer beatings in the rightones, of course).

The Radio advantage in this tem-plate is the encrypted radio implantthat all Interworld Service agents havebuilt into their jawbones. Many otherbionic implants are common in I.S.agents; the GM may wish to add suchdevices even to seemingly low-gradeServicemen.


Secondary Characteristics: Damage1d-1/1d+1; BL 24 lbs.; HP 11 [0];Will 14 [5]; Per 13 [0]; FP 12 [3];Basic Speed 5.5 [0]; Basic Move 6[0].

Advantages: Centrum Rank 3 [30];Combat Reflexes [15]; Fit [5];Radio [10]; Resistant to Disease +8[5].

Disadvantages: Code of Honor(Centrum) [-5]; Duty (The Service,15 or less; Extremely Hazardous)[-20]; Intolerance (Non-Centrum)

[-5]; Sense of Duty (Centrum) [-10];and -20 from among Bad Temper[-10*], Callous [-5], Chummy [-5],Curious [-5*], Fanaticism(Centrum) [-15], Hidebound [-5],Honesty [-10*], Impulsiveness[-10*], Oblivious [-5], OdiousPersonal Habit (Narrow-minded-ness) [-5], Overconfidence [-5*],Secret (From another Earth) [-20],and Stubbornness [-5].

Primary Skills: Beam Weapons/TL9(Pistol)-13 (DX+3) [4]; Brawling-13(DX+2) [4]; Cliodynamics-11 (IQ-2)[1]; Electronics Operation/TL8^(Parachronic)-12 (IQ-1) [1];Electronics Repair/TL8^ (Para-chronic)-12 (IQ-1) [1]; FirstAid/TL9-12 (IQ-1) [1]; Guns/TL9(Pistol)-13 (DX+3) [4].

Billet Skills: Take 12 points in skillssuitable for your billet. Forinstance:

1. Enforcer: Holdout-13 (IQ) [2],Interrogation-13 (IQ) [2], Knife-12(DX+1) [2], and Stealth-12 (DX+1)[4].

2. Importer: Acting-13 (IQ) [2],Forgery/TL8-13 (IQ) [4], Merchant-13 (IQ) [2], and Streetwise-13 (IQ)[2].

3. Researcher: 12 points in personalarea of specialty (IQ-based skill).

4. Surveyor: Diplomacy-12 (IQ-1) [2],Observation-14 (Per+1) [4], UrbanSurvival-13 (Per) [2], and 4 pointsin any Piloting skill.

Background Skills: Administration-12 (IQ-1) [1]; Computer Opera-tion/TL8-13 (IQ) [1]; Math-ematics/TL8 (Applied)-11 (IQ-2)[1]; Physics/TL9-10 (IQ-3) [1];Research/TL8-12 (IQ-1) [1];Running-12 (HT+1) [4]; Savoir-Faire (Centrum)-13 (IQ) [1];Swimming-13 (HT+2) [4].


Unattached Agent710 points

Unattached agents are generictroubleshooters outside the Servicehierarchies, appointed and assignedby Forum committees. One is typi-cally assigned to lead a multi-Serviceproject, or given the touchy assign-ment of internal investigations. A

single Unattached agent is expectedto be able to shift the balance ofworlds, with or without Infinity oppo-sition. Their rare failures usuallycause turmoil within the Forum, sincefew Unattached are without a politicalagenda – if only something like “dis-grace those Forum members whosepolitical agendas harm Centrum.”

The Reputation an Unattachedagent receives usually balances out.Within the Centrum, he is honored asa valuable member of society; inPatrol circles, he is reviled as a ruth-less agent of a hated foe.


Secondary Characteristics: Damage1d-1/1d+1 (2d/4d-1 with right arm);BL 24 lbs.; HP 16 [10]; Will 16 [10];Per 14 [0]; FP 16 [9]; Basic Speed 7[10]; Basic Move 7 [0].

Advantages: Centrum Rank 7 [70];Combat Reflexes [15]; DangerSense [15]; Hard to Kill 2 [4]; HighPain Threshold [10]; Intuition [15];Legal Enforcement Powers [10];Patron (Interworld Service, 9 orless) [25]; Radio [10]; Reputation+4/-4 (Implacable agent ofCentrum) [0]; Resistant to Disease+8 [5]; Unfazeable [15], Very Fit [5];and 200 points in other advantages,usually representing bionics, forexample: Bionic Arm (+120 points):Acute Touch 2 [4]; Arm DX 15 [24];Arm ST 21 [30]; DR 7 (Hardened 1,Right Arm Only, -20%) [32]; InnateAttack 3 (Impaling; Armor Divisor2, +50%; Melee Attack Reach C,-30%; +20%) [29]; Payload 1 [1].Bionic Eye (+80 points): AcuteVision 5 [10]; Hyperspectral Vision(Extended Low-Band) [33];Microscopic Vision 1 [5]; Nicti-tating Membrane 2 [2]; TelescopicVision 6 [30]

Disadvantages: Code of Honor(Centrum) [-5]; Duty (The Service,15 or less; Extremely Hazardous)[-20]; Intolerance (Non-Centrum)[-5]; Sense of Duty (Centrum) [-10];and -20 from among Bloodlust[-10*], Callous [-5], Curious [-5*],Enemy (Rival Unattached agent, 9or less) [-5], Fanaticism (Centrum)[-15], Loner [-5*], Low Empathy[-20], Overconfidence [-5*], Secret(From another Earth) [-20], andWorkaholic [-5].


Primary Skills: Beam Weapons/TL9(Pistol)-18† (DX+3) [8]; Brawling-16(DX+3) [8]; Cliodynamics-17 (IQ+3) [16]; Electronics Opera-tion/TL8^ (Parachronic)-16 (IQ+2)[8]; Electronics Repair/TL8^ (Par-achronic)-14 (IQ) [2]; First Aid/TL9-13 (IQ-1) [1]; Guns/TL9 (Pistol)-18†(DX+3) [8]; Leadership-15 (IQ+1) [4].

Unattached Skills: Take 60 points in abroad variety of mission-relevantskills. For instance: Acting-14 (IQ)[2], Artillery/TL6 (Cannon)-13(IQ-1) [1], Climbing-14 (DX+1) [4],Crewman/TL7 (Airshipman)-14(IQ) [1], Crewman/TL5(Seamanship)-14 (IQ) [1],Diplomacy-14 (IQ) [4], Dis-guise/TL8-13 (IQ-1) [1], Driv-ing/TL6 (Automobile)-12 (DX-1)[1], Electronics Operation/TL8(Security)-13 (IQ-1) [1], Elec-tronics Operation/TL8 (Surveil-lance)-14 (IQ) [2], Forgery/TL8-12(IQ-2) [1], Holdout-14 (IQ) [2],Intelligence Analysis/TL8-14 (IQ)

[4], Interrogation-14 (IQ) [2],Intimidation-16 (Will) [2],Knife-17† (DX+2) [4], Merchant-13(IQ-1) [1], Observation-14 (Per) [2],Piloting/TL7 (Light Airplane)-12(DX-1) [1], Riding (Equines)-13(DX) [2], Riding (Camels)-12 (DX-1) [1], Saber-15† (DX) [2], Search-14 (Per) [2], Stealth-15(DX+2) [8], Streetwise-13 (IQ-1)[1], Survival (Desert)-14 (Per) [2],Tactics-14 (IQ) [4], ThrownWeapon (Spear)-15† (DX) [1].

Background Skills: Administration-14(IQ) [2]; Computer Opera-tion/TL8-14 (IQ+1) [1]; Math-ematics/TL8 (Applied)-12 (IQ-2)[1]; Physics/TL9^ (Parachronic)-14(IQ) [4]; Research/TL8-15 (IQ+1)[4]; Running-16 (HT+3) [12];Savoir-Faire (Centrum)-14 (IQ) [1];Swimming-16 (HT+3) [12].


† One-handed DX skill based onbionic arm DX.

REICH-5SS Raven DivisionTrooper

71 pointsThis template builds a standard

Reich-5 Waffen-SS trooper, assignedto Raven Division by the luck of thedraw. Aside from the quality of theirequipment, the Waffen-SS are nomore or less “elite” than any unit ofthe Wehrmacht. That goes double forRaven Division, which operates in theBurgundian backwater state outsidethe direct oversight not only of OKW,but of the main SS headquarters inBerlin. Although the Ordenführer ofBurgundy desperately wants (andneeds) to upgrade the quality of RavenDivision, that would involve explain-ing in excruciating detail – to very sus-picious superiors – what, exactly, alandlocked SS Ordensstaat needs withelite soldiers.

The GM can also use this templateto build adequately trained, battle-blooded conscript soldiers in anyindustrial-era or later army.



Advantages: Combat Reflexes [15]; Fit[5]; Military Rank 1 [10].

Disadvantages: Code of Honor (SS)[-10]; Duty (SS, 15 or less;Extremely Hazardous) [-20];Intolerance (Total, Non-Aryans)[-10]; plus -20 points from among:Bloodlust [-10*], Bully [-10*],Callous [-5], Fanaticism (TheReich, the SS, or the Order) [-15],Gullibility [-10*], Overconfidence[-5*], Poverty (Struggling) [-10],and Sadism [-15*].

Primary Skills: Artillery/TL9(Cannon)-10 (IQ-1) [1]; Brawling-12(DX+1) [2]; Gunner/TL9 (MachineGun)-11 (DX) [1]; Guns/TL9(LMG)-12 (DX+1) [2]; Guns/TL9(Rifle)-12 (DX+1) [2]; Knife-11 (DX)[1]; Savoir-Faire (Military)-11 (IQ)[1]; Soldier/TL9-12 (IQ+1) [4];Spear-10 (DX-1) [1]; Tactics-10(IQ-1) [2]; Throwing-10 (DX-1) [1].


Secondary Skills: Armoury/TL9(Small Arms)-10 (IQ-1) [1]; Cam-ouflage-11 (IQ) [1]; Driving/TL9(Automobile)-10 (DX-1) [1];Driving/TL9 (Motorcycle)-11 (DX)[2]; Engineer/TL9 (Combat)-9(IQ-2) [1]; Explosives/TL9 (Demo-lition)-10 (IQ-1) [1]; First Aid/TL9-10 (IQ-1) [1]; Guns/TL9 (LAW)-11(DX) [1]; Mathematics/TL8(Applied)-10 (IQ-2) [1]; NBCSuit/TL9-10 (DX-1) [1]; Stealth-10(DX-1) [1]; Survival (Mountain)-11(Per) [2]; Traps/TL9-10 (IQ-1) [1].

Background Skills: Climbing-11 (DX)[2]; Hiking-10 (HT-1) [1]; Jumping-11 (DX) [1]; Navigation (Land)-10(IQ-1) [1]; Riding (Equines)-10(DX-1) [1]; Scrounging-11 (Per)[1]; Swimming-11 (HT) [1].


“Nazis. I Hate These Guys.”GMs who nevertheless want “elite

Nazis” for the Patrol to face off againstcan raise the template IQ and DX byone point each, and then bring all one-point skills up to 2 points. This adds 62points to the template; GMs can thenadd 20 points of advantages from theAlternate Outcomes Mercenary tem-plate options (p. 189), and raise Rifle to15. (Make sure that your “elite Nazis”never take an Aim maneuver with theirassault rifles, though, or that high Riflescore will make hamburger out of yourPCs. Or, failing that, make sure thatthey always take an Aim maneuverreeeaaal slooow while standing out inthe open like big Nazi idiots.) Finally,add the “Habits and Expressions”quirk. This brings the template to 156points and parity with the Patrol tem-plates, and justifies all those cries of“You vill die now, Infiniter schwein!”

Gestapo Amt Z Agent120 points

This is a Gestapo agent from “AmtZ,” the Gestapo office in Burgundythat handles covert operations in theother timelines (p. 67). Amt Z has noofficial existence outside Burgundy,and is officially tasked with “projectsecurity” for the various SS researchprograms in the Ordensstaat. Thisslows down recruitment and leavesbig holes in staffing, since new agents

need to be brought in carefully toavoid blowing the Armanen’s secret tothe Gestapo at large. It’s especially dif-ficult to cover up the increasing num-ber of dead agents killed in crosstimeoperations; at some point, Prinz-Albrecht-Strasse is inevitably going toget suspicious enough to risk embar-rassing high Party bigwigs, and moveinto Burgundy in force. Until then,the average Amt Z crosstime opera-tive is still fairly competent, if not nec-essarily the historical and linguisticpolymath that the Patrol or Centrumsend to infiltrate their own targetworldlines.

His Secret applies on Reich-5itself, where he keeps The Secret ofOrdensstaat parachronics from hisfellow Nazis (including, possibly, hisown superiors), and on any otherworld where he might be stationedin secret as a spy or saboteur. Itdoesn’t apply on worlds likeFriedrich or Nostradamus (p. 138),where the Order operates openly asconquerors and overlords, but suchworlds are unlikely to be the centerof the campaign.



Advantages: Legal EnforcementPowers [15]; Military Rank 3 [15];and 20 points from amongCharisma [5/level], CombatReflexes [15], Danger Sense [15],Indomitable [15], Intuition [15],Hard to Kill [2/level], LanguageTalent [10], Less Sleep [2/level],Security Clearance [10], Voice [10],and Wealth [Varies].

Disadvantages: Code of Honor (SS)[-10]; Duty (The Order, 15 or less;Extremely Hazardous) [-20];Intolerance (Total, Non-Aryans)[-10]; Secret (Varies) [-30]; and -15points from among Bad Sight(Mitigator: Glasses, -60%) [-10],Bad Temper [-10*], Bully [-10*],Bloodlust [-10*], Callous [-5],Fanaticism (The Order) [-15],Lecherousness [-15*], Over-confidence [-5*], Sadism [-15*],and Sense of Duty (The Order) [-5]or (Aryan race) [-10].

Primary Skills: Electronics Opera-tion/TL8 (Surveillance)-14 (IQ+2)[8]; Guns/TL8 (Pistol)-12 (DX+1)[2]; Interrogation-13 (IQ+1) [4];Intimidation-14 (Will) [2]; Search-13 (Per) [2]; Shadowing-14 (IQ+2)[8]; Stealth-13 (DX+2) [8];Streetwise-13 (IQ+1) [4].

Secondary Skills: Acting-12 (IQ) [2];Area Knowledge (station)-13(IQ+1) [2]; Criminology-13 (IQ+1)[4]; Guns/TL8 (LMG)-11 (DX) [1];Holdout-12 (IQ) [2]; IntelligenceAnalysis/TL8-12 (IQ) [4]; Lock-picking/TL8-12 (IQ) [2]; Observa-tion-14 (Per+1) [4].

Background Skills: Broadsword-11(DX) [2]; Boxing-12 (DX+1) [4];Computer Operation/TL8-11 (IQ-1)[1]; Driving/TL8 (Automobile)-11(DX) [2]; Soldier/TL8-12 (IQ) [2].


Maulesel (“Mule”)Jumper

As yet, the Order is unable to reli-ably implant the world-jumping abilityinto anyone without horrible conse-quences. Nazi science has never beenshy of horrible consequences, ofcourse, but these consequences areperforce falling on heretofore idealexamples of the Aryan genotype ratherthan various squalid Untermenschen.(Nobody, least of all the Ordenführer,wants to accidentally create a bunch ofSlavs or Gypsies with world-jumpingabilities.) From the ranks of volunteersfrom Raven Division, the torturers


select a subject with suitable physicalstrength and stamina, and then searthe world-jumping code into his bio-chemistry. (For a sampling of theirmethods, see p. 65.) The result – if hesurvives – becomes a shattered husk, agrotesque upon whose twisted bonesand sinews the armies of the Reichtravel to other worlds. He becomes einMaulesel, a “Mule,” both pitied andscorned by his former comrades.Some Mules (those with the Mass-Jumper enhancement, usually) remainin Burgundy to power the dimensionalgateways. Others accompany their fel-lows onto other worlds, to spread thehorrors that created them.

Making a MuleUse the conventional SS Trooper

template above, but replace Rank withCourtesy Rank 4 [4], and a SocialStigma (a combination of “freak” and“valuable property”) [-10]. If the GMwishes, he can add +1 or +2 ST [10 or20] and +1 or +2 HT [10 or 20] to thetemplate to reflect the tougher,stronger selection pool of recruits forMules. The GM can also justify leavingattributes as is, however, on the theorythat the strains of the surgery or side-effects from the injections weaken thesubject back to “average” levels.

Add Jumper (World) with suitableenhancements and limitations fromp. B64 or p. 174. Other possible limi-tations include Limited Use, Prepar-ation Required, Takes Extra Time,Takes Recharge, Trigger (Special drugcocktails, -40%), and Unreliable.Almost all Nazi jumpers have theLimited Quanta (Within one quan-tum, -15%) limitation; almost none ofthem have the Duration limitation orthe Reliable enhancement. TheArmanen especially value, and try toselect for, Extra Carrying Capacity,Mass Jump, and Tunnel.

Nazi science inevitably results in aslurry of disadvantages from among:Addiction (Painkillers) [-10], Appear-ance (Unattractive to Hideous) [-4 to-16], Bad Back [-15], Bad Smell [-10],Chronic Pain (usually migraines) [-5to -15], Epilepsy [-30], Gigantism (+1SM) [0], Hunchback [-10], Insomniac[-10 to -15], Killjoy [-15], Lame [-10],Neurological Disorder [-15 or -35],Paranoid [-10], Supersensitive [-15],Timesickness [-10 or worse, seep. 181], and Unusual Biochemistry[-5].

Specific forms of the advantage,and disadvantages to match, vary withthe source of the Mule’s ability. TheGM should feel free to modify theJumper advantage as mentionedabove. The GM should feel exception-ally free to add horrible limitationsand disadvantages to the followingpackages:

Drugs (+10 points): Jumper (World)(Limited Quanta: Single-quantum,-15%, Psionic Teleportation, -10%,Trigger, -40%; -65%) [35]; and -25points from the disadvantageoptions above.

Brain Surgery (+10 points): Jumper(World) (Limited Quanta: Single-quantum, -15%, Psionic Telepor-tation, -10%; -25%) [75];Appearance (Ugly) [-8], Flashbacks[-10], Nightmares [-5*], UnnaturalFeature (Bulging, scarred head)[-2], and -40 points from the disad-vantage options above.

Glandular Implantation (+10 points):Acute Taste and Smell 3 [6], Fur[1], Jumper (World or Spirit)(Limited Quanta: Single-quantum,-15%, Stunning (from agonizingpain in groin), -10%, TakesRecharge (1 hour), -30%; -55%)[45], Night Vision 4 [4],Temperature Tolerance 2 [2];Appearance (Unattractive) [-4],Colorblindness [-10], CompulsiveBehavior (Checking time) [-1],Lecherousness [-15*], StressAtavism [-15*], Unnatural Feature(White fur on body) [-3].

Demonic Seeding (+10 points): Jumper(World) (Magical, -10%, Unreliable(11 or less), -20%; -30%) [70],Mindlink (Spawn of Tychiron)(Universal, +50%; Magical, -10%,Nuisance Effect (Phantom voices),-5%; +35%) [26], Penetrating Voice[1]; Disturbing Voice [-10], Dread(Thorns) [-5], Frightens Animals[-10], Low Empathy [-20],Phantom Voices [-15], Sadism[-15*], Split Personality (Withdemonic Tychiron spawn (6);Mitigator: Herbal formula, monthly, restricted, -60%) [-12].

Other procedures exist to enhanceMules:

Steroid Regimen (-19 points): TheOrder places its Mules on a regi-men of anabolic steroids to

increase ST (and, hence, carryingcapacity to other worlds). OnlyMules for whom steroids would beinstantly fatal (those, for example,with Unusual Biochemistry) areexempt. To reflect the SS steroidregimen, add ST+3 [30] and HP+3[6], and take HT-3 [-30], BadTemper [-10*], Disturbing Voice[-10], Sterile [0], and lose one levelof Appearance [-4].

Chimpanzee Muscle Grafts (+6 points):Promising Mules (those with theEnhanced Carrying Capacity orMass Jump enhancements) alsoreceive grafts of artificially grownchimpanzee muscle. Assuming theysurvive the rejection process (p. 65;attribute drain is ST not IQ withsuccess), they add Lifting ST+6[18]. Unlike steroids, these carry noconcomitant disadvantages (exceptSusceptible to Disease (HT-3) [-12]from the immunosuppressants, seep. B158), and no HP bonus.

OTHEROPPOSITION

Cabalist Mage120 points

This Adept of the Cabal is a fairlyformidable opponent (or ally), espe-cially if he is able to work subtly,without his foes discovering that amage is scheming against them. GMsor players can modify template costand skill with spells by taking a higher or lower level of Magery, or byapplying a limitation such as Dark-Aspected.

Attributes: ST 9 [-10]; DX 11 [20]; IQ13 [60]; HT 11 [10].

Secondary Characteristics: Damage1d-2/1d-1; BL 16 lbs.; HP 10 [2];Will 13 [0]; Per 10 [-15]; FP 13 [6];Basic Speed 5.50 [0]; Basic Move 5[0].

Advantages: Allies (Two ultors, 6 orless) [5]; Cabalist Rank 3 [15];Claim to Hospitality (Cabalists) [5];Magery 2 [25]; Patron (GrandMaster, 9 or less) [20]; appropriatelanguage (p. 175) at Accented [4];and one of Eidetic Memory [5];Reputation +1 [5], Single-Minded[5], Status 1 [5], Versatile [5], or +1to Will [5].


Disadvantages: Code of Honor(Cabalist) [-5]; Duty (The Cabal, 6or less) [-2]; Secret (Cabalist) [-30];and -30 points chosen from amongAbsent-Mindedness [-15], BadSight (Mitigator: Glasses, -60%)[-10], Bad Temper [-10*], Curious[-5*], Gluttony [-5*], Lecherous-ness [-15*], Obsession [-5* or -10*],Secret [-5 to -30], Sense of Duty [-2to -15], and Shyness [-5, -10, or-20].

Primary Skills: Two Hard spells at 15†each (IQ+2) [4], or Very Hard spellsat 14† (IQ+1) [4]. Nine more Hardspells at 13† each (IQ-1) [1], or VeryHard spells at 12† (IQ-2) [1]. Seepp. B304-306, or GURPS Magic.

Secondary Skills: Area Knowledge(Astral Realm)-14 (IQ+1) [2];Astronomy/TL4 (Observational)-13(IQ) [4]; Dreaming-12 (Will-1) [2];Occultism-13 (IQ) [2]; Savoir-Faire(Spirits)-14 (IQ+1) [2]; Thauma-tology-14† (IQ-1) [4].

Background Skills: Knife-11 (DX) [1];Staff-10 (DX-1) [1].


† +2 from Magery.

Across the Four RealmsThese three packages, all 40 points,

build three different types ofCabalistic world-crossing ability. Addthem to the Cabalist template abovefor a magical traveler between theInfinite Worlds. Plane Shifters usePlane Shift spells (p. B248) to movefrom world to world. Spirit-Jumpershave discovered a magical ritual thatallows them to step into limpid poolsor mirrors and out into other worlds,given a minute to inscribe the correctrunes and invoke Candea, goddess ofhinges. World-Walkers can simplyfind and follow the signs from worldto world, although such signs may notbe as reliable as spells or rituals. Theiradvantage is that their abilities func-tion even on no-mana worlds.

Plane Shifter: Plane Shift-14 (IQ+1) [4]known for the Astral Realm and fornine alternate worlds, includingthe Cabalist’s home parallel.

Spirit-Jumper: Jumper (Spirit)(Magical, -10%, PreparationRequired (1 minute), -20%, SpecialMovement, -10%, Special Portal(Reflective surface), -20%; -60%)[40].

World-Walker: Omen [15]; SeeInvisible (Quantum flows) [15];Hidden Lore (Gates)-13 (IQ) [2],Naturalist-13 (IQ) [4], Tracking-13(IQ) [2], Weather Sense/TL4-13(IQ) [2].

Criminal52 points

This is a petty criminal. For a high-class criminal mastermind who goesabout stealing Mona Lisas from alter-nate Louvres or seducing parallelCatherine the Greats, use the Patronand Disadvantages, and the suitablePrimary Skills package, with the CrisisMinistry Troubleshooter template onp. 188. Use the same approach to“criminalize” other templates asdesired. For example, for a deadlycrosstime assassin, mix this templatewith the Alternate OutcomesMercenary.

Attributes: ST 9 [-10]; DX 11 [20]; IQ11 [20]; HT 10 [0].

Secondary Characteristics: Damage1d-2/1d-1; BL 16 lbs.; HP 10 [2];Will 10 [-5]; Per 12 [5]; FP 10 [0];Basic Speed 5 [0]; Basic Move 5[0].

Advantages: Contact Group (Street inhome city, skill-18, 9 or less, some-what reliable) [15]; Patron (Crimeboss, 9 or less) [15]; and 20 pointsfrom among Alternate Identity [5or 15], Danger Sense [15],Daredevil [15], Empathy [15], HighManual Dexterity [5/level], Luck[15], Night Vision [1/level],Reputation [Varies], and SmoothOperator [15/level].

Disadvantages: Duty (Crime boss, 9 orless, Involuntary) [-10]; Greed[-15*]; pick either Enemy (Patrol(Justice or Customs Division),watcher, 12 or less) [-15] and SocialStigma (Criminal Record) [-5] orSecret (Criminal) [-20]; and -20

points from among Callous [-5],Code of Honor (Pirate’s or “staysbought”) [-5], Compulsive Behavior[-5 to -15*], Cowardice [-10*],Kleptomania [-15*], Laziness [-10],Lecherousness [-15*], Obsession(The big score) [-5*], Overcon-fidence [-5*], Reputation [Varies],and Selfish [-5*].

Primary Skills: Add 16 points in skillsrelevant to your criminal pursuit.For example:

1. Looter: Archaeology-10 (IQ-1) [2],Connoisseur (choose)-13 (IQ+2)[8], Research/TL8-11 (IQ) [2], andSearch-13 (Per+1) [4].

2. Mobster: Axe/Mace-12 (DX+1) [4],Knife or Guns/TL8 (Pistol) at 12(DX+1) [2], Intimidation-12(Will+2) [8], and Shadowing-11(IQ) [2].

3. Smuggler: Disguise/TL8-12 (IQ+1)[4], Forgery-11 (IQ) [4],Holdout-12 (IQ+1) [4], andSmuggling-12 (IQ+1) [4].

4. Thief: Climbing-12 (DX+1) [4],Electronics Operation/TL8 (Sec-urity or Surveillance)-12 (IQ+1) [4],Lockpicking/TL8-12 (IQ+1) [4],Observation-13 (Per+1) [4].

5. Timenapper: Acting-12 (IQ+1) [4],Brawling-12 (DX+1) [2], Fast-Talk-11 (IQ) [2], Sex Appeal-12(HT+2) [8].

Secondary Skills: Area Knowledge(Home base)-12 (IQ+1) [2];Filch-12 (DX+1) [4]; Stealth-11(DX) [2]; Streetwise-12 (IQ+1) [4].

Background Skills: Carousing-11(HT+1) [2]; Gambling-10 (IQ-1)[1]; Merchant-11 (IQ) [2]; UrbanSurvival-12 (Per) [2].


SwagmanTo make a criminal a swagman,

add the following lens:

Swagman (+40): Add Claim toHospitality (Swagmen) [5],Smooth Operator 1 [15], Strine(Accented) [4]; Code of Honor(Swagman’s) [-5]; Gesture-11 (IQ)[1], Hidden Lore (Confidencegames)-11 (IQ) [2], Savoir-Faire(Swagman or Mafia)-12 (IQ+1) [2],and 16 points in any of the skillscovered by Smooth Operator(p. B91).


BYSTANDERS

Expatriate55 points

An expatriate is someone who hasvoluntarily left his own society to live,usually secretly, in another time ordimension. Many expatriates are rene-gades – deserters from the Patrol,Time Tours Ltd., or similar agencies.

Expatriates choose many ways tofit in. They may sell their specializedhigh-tech knowledge – or use it toimpress primitives with their “magi-cal” powers. In a time-travel or histor-ical parallel world, an Expatriate canuse his knowledge of the future to playthe stock markets, win bets, and so on,becoming rich . . . unless he acciden-tally changes history and makes hisforeknowledge useless.

Some expatriates are legitimate –permanent “agents in place” for anorganization that crosses time or hopsbetween worlds. And in some cam-paigns, it may be perfectly legal for atraveler to settle down in a past timeor parallel world, within certainrestrictions. In that case, TimeCorpsmen or I-Cops may be able tocall on help from the local “expat”community!

An expatriate may also be a per-manent agent for a criminal organi-zation – possibly the local henchmanof the big-time crook the PCs arechasing.

Yet another type of expatriate isthe castaway. He didn’t intend to set-tle down, but his means of transportbroke down – or perhaps he was acci-dentally carried away from his home.Anyway, he’s there now, and has tomake the best of it. Perhaps he wantsto return home; perhaps he has beenthere so long that he wants to stay.

In most campaigns, expatriates areNPCs rather than player characters,because the PCs are traveling, and theexpatriate is someone who has chosento settle down. An expatriate may bethe target of a mission, or he may beable to give valuable help. Or he maybe a “wild card” whose very presencewas not known to the PCs when theystarted their mission.

An expatriate usually has aReputation, positive or negative, in hisnew home.


Secondary Characteristics: Damage1d-2/1d; BL 20 lbs.; HP 10 [0]; Will12 [10]; Per 10 [0]; FP 10 [0]; BasicSpeed 5 [0]; Basic Move 5 [0].

Advantages: Cultural Familiarity(Local culture) [1]; Wealth(Comfortable) [10]; the local lan-guage at Native [6]; plus 15 pointschosen from among Ally (Localsidekick, 15 or less) [9 or 15],Contact Group (Local police ormerchants) [Varies], Favor[Varies], Patron (local boss)[Varies], local Status 1 or 2 [5 or10], and more Wealth [Varies].

Disadvantages: -15 points chosenfrom among Code of Honor(Professional) [-5], CompulsiveGenerosity [-5*], Enemy (Whoeverchased him out of Homeline)[Varies], Loner [-5*], Sense of Duty(Fellow Homeliners in local area)[-5], Stubbornness [-5], andXenophilia [-10*].

Primary Skills: Area Knowledge(local area)-12 (IQ+2) [4];Diplomacy-10 (IQ) [4]; Savoir-Faire-12 (IQ+2) [4]; Streetwise-10(IQ) [2]; and 10 points in profes-sional skills (Merchant, Physician,etc.).

Secondary Skills: Computer Use/TL8-11 (IQ-1) [1]; Detect Lies-9 (Per-1)[2]; Law (local)-9 (IQ-1) [2]; and 4points in local vehicle or Ridingskills.

Background Skills: Carousing-11(HT+1) [2]; Cooking (local cui-sine)-9 (IQ-1) [1]; Games (localpastime)-11 (IQ+1) [2].


Historian80 points

Historians are specialists at findinginformation needed by time travelersor crosstime adventurers in the field,using libraries, maps, computer data-bases, et cetera. But the historian’svalue lies not merely in what he canlook up, but what he already knows.The two generic types of historian arethe adventurous type, who enjoysdressing up in period clothes and slip-ping into the cultures he’s studied, and

the academic, who has a very hardtime connecting his knowledge to thepracticalities of life, even in his ownera.

Historians may be generalists,familiar with many periods withoutdeep knowledge of any, or specialists,who know only one era – say, 18th-century London – but can name everystreet, pub, and lamppost. Or theymay be cinematic historians, expertin everything from Brahms’ hand-writing to the details of Nero’s lovelife, in which case they should havethe History! skill from the box onp. 183.Attributes: ST 9 [-10]; DX 10 [0]; IQ 14

[80]; HT 9 [-10].Secondary Characteristics: Damage

1d-2/1d-1; BL 16 lbs.; HP 9 [0]; Will12 [-10]; Per 11 [-15]; FP 11 [6];Basic Speed 4.75 [0]; Basic Move 4[0].

Advantages: Cultural Familiarity (Erastudied) [1]; three languages atNative or four at Accented [12];and 10 points from amongCharisma [5/level], CulturalAdaptability [10], Eidetic Memory[5 or 10], Language Talent [10],Single-Minded [5], +1 Status [5],Tenure [5], Voice [5], Versatile [5],and Wealth [10].

Disadvantages: Code of Honor(Professional) [-5]; and -25 pointsfrom among Absent-Mindedness[-15], Bad Sight (Mitigator:Glasses, -60%) [-10], Clueless [-10],Combat Paralysis [-15], Curious[-5*], Duty (University, 12 or less;Nonhazardous) [-5], Hard ofHearing [-10], Indecisive [-10*],Jealousy [-10], Oblivious [-5], andPacifism [Varies].

Primary Skills: Area Knowledge(Milieu studied)-15 (IQ+1) [2];Current Affairs/TL8 (Era stud-ied)-14 (IQ) [1]; History(choose)-18 (IQ+4) [20]; History(second specialty)-17 (IQ+3) [1]†;Research/TL8-15 (IQ+1) [4].

Secondary Skills: Computer Use/TL8-14 (IQ) [1]; Public Speaking-13(IQ-1) [1]; Teaching-13 (IQ-1) [1];Writing-13 (IQ-1) [1]; 8 points in asecondary academic specialty suchas Anthropology, Archaeology, Eco-nomics, Geography, Linguistics,Political Science, or Sociology.


Background Skills: Administration-13 (IQ-1) [1]; Connoisseur(Antiques or art of era)-14 (IQ) [2];Literature-13 (IQ-1) [2].


† Default from other specialty ofHistory.

StudentStudents are usually found in the

company of academic historians, andoften aspire to become such eminentfigures themselves. (Others, of course,merely aspire to survive the courseand graduate.) If the characters havebeen thrown into the past as the resultof a laboratory accident, one or moreof them may be university students.One advantage students have, whichshould not be overlooked, is that theyare relatively young: they may be ableto blend in more easily in earliertimes, when people aged and diedearly. A Student might also have a use-ful background – for instance, some-one who had spent time as a PeaceCorps volunteer might have an easiertime in “primitive” cultures. Whilemost students are Poor, this rarelymatters in time travel, and only occa-sionally in crossworld adventuring(p. 178).

For simplicity’s sake, this lensdepicts a history major, but swappingout History for any other academicsubject (or for Carousing, in some uni-versities) should be trivial.

Student (-40 points): ST+1 and HT+1,IQ-2 [-20 net]; FP+2 [6]; only oneother language at Native or three atBroken [6]; add Appearance [4 or12], Intuition [15], Less Sleep[2/level], and Musical Ability[5/level] to possible advantages,remove Status and Tenure frompossible advantages; replace Codeof Honor with Pacifism (ReluctantKiller); add Alcoholism [-15],Compulsive Carousing [-5*],Laziness [-10], Lecherousness[-15*], Overweight [-1], Skinny [-5],and Stubbornness [-5] to possibledisadvantages; lower primaryHistory skill to 13 (IQ+1) [8],Research to 12 (IQ) [2], and sec-ondary academic specialty to 4points; replace secondary Historyspecialty, Administration, Connois-seur, and Teaching with 3 points in

any of Carousing, Gambling,Hobby Skill (any), MusicalInstrument (choose), or Sports(choose).

Duncorne FoundationEver so slightly enigmatic, the

Duncorne Foundation (p. 40) pursuesrare books, compiles forgotten lore,and traces the fracture lines criss-crossing reality. Its scholars have morethan their share of academic glory, butstill act less professorial than inquisi-torial at times. A Duncorne Scholarseems to have uncanny access tobooks reported missing, antiquitiesreported destroyed, and a few areasseldom reported at all. Depending onthe campaign, Duncorne Scholarscould also have access to Hidden Lore,spells, or other arcane skills.

Duncorne Scholar (+55 points): AddContact Group (Collectors, smug-glers, or gray market underworld,skill-18, 15 or less, usually reliable)[18] and Patron (DuncorneFoundation, 12 or less) [20] toadvantages, and make Latin(Native) one of the three languages;add Intuition [15] and Magery 0 [5]to possible advantages; addWeirdness Magnet [-15] to possibledisadvantages; the History special-ties must reflect medieval or earliereras; replace background skillswith Archaeology-14 (IQ) [4],Connoisseur (Books)-14 (IQ) [2],Linguistics-14 (IQ) [4], Literature-14 (IQ) [4], Occultism-14 (IQ) [2],Research/TL4-14 (IQ) [2], andTheology (medieval or earlier spe-cialty such as Sumerian, Roman,or Zoroastrian)-14 (IQ) [4].

The new background skills pack-age is the sort of thing all DuncorneScholars (or at least those who getmore than one grant) seem toknow . . . possibly picked up at theinvitation-only Duncorne seminars.Point-conscious GMs or players canuse any of them (except Connoisseurand Research) as the secondary aca-demic specialty and soak up some ofthose 8 points as well.

LOCALSGiving templates for every possi-

ble resident of every possible alter-nate world is beyond the scope ofthis book. Players may create new

characters from any time and placein human history. These might repre-sent “real” individuals who did not riseto prominence and had no great fameor historical impact. This kind of char-acter allows the most flexibility for theplayer, and is certainly easier toresearch. With that said, it can be funand interesting to play not just an out-timer, or even a very skilled outtimer,but a famous outtimer.

One of the greatest opportunities ina crossworld campaign is that of cre-ating a historical character as a PC orimportant NPC. This works especiallywell in a parallel-world situation; a PCcan be an alternate version ofLawrence of Arabia or ThomasJefferson or Mata Hari or Socrates,recruited and trained by the world-hoppers. But it can happen in atime-travel background, too. Even ifparadoxes are possible, the PC couldhave been the subject of a “rescue”which saved him from his historicaldeath without leaving evidence. Thiscan range from historical disappear-ances such as Amelia Earhart, to bod-ies “burned beyond recognition” on abattlefield, or even the substitution ofa cloned corpse for the character bythe time travelers!

The result is an “alternate” versionof the historical character . . . someonewith the same origin, but a differentdevelopment. (For good fictionaltreatments of this idea, see theRiverworld series by Philip JoséFarmer, and “Mozart in Mirror-shades,” by Bruce Sterling and LewisShiner, in the Mirrorshades anthology.)

Players should carefully choosehistorical PCs. They should be note-worthy enough to be interesting, butnot so earthshaking as to unbalancethe campaign. Players should chooseindividuals in whom they have a gen-uine interest and whose time periodthey want to learn about. It is the play-er’s job to research and understand theperson well enough to portray them inthe game. The more thorough thework, the richer the character (and thecampaign) will be because of it.

Even if the GM doesn’t want toopen that particular can of worms in atime-travel or crossworld game, hemay want to present some “big name”NPCs in walk-on or guest-starringroles.


Building HistoricalCharacters

Assign attributes conservatively,based on your research. Writers,artists, scientists and the like have ahigher IQ; athletes and warriors, higher DX. A subject’s longevity can bea clue to setting HT, but rememberthat longevity must be considered inrelation to the time period. A score of11-12 still stands out to contempo-raries as above average over time; ascore of 13-14 is noticed immediatelyand marks the figure as a prodigy; 15+should be saved for “best ever” world-beating types: Newton’s IQ, or GeorgeWashington’s Will, for instance. UseTalents and “aptitudes” such asCharisma, High Manual Dexterity,Mathematical Ability, Versatile, and soforth rather than jacking attributesup. Remember that levels of theseadvantages higher than 3 also lead toworld-beating reputations.

Advantages are any innate talentspossessed by the character, or onesgained very early in life. In general,keep the point total for disadvantagesbelow -40; biographers and hostilecontemporaries exaggerate manycharacter flaws. Quirks are the mostfun; every great person had them, andthey can be roleplayed to the hilt andhelp bring the character to life.Extreme advantages and disadvan-tages (those worth more than 10points) are more appropriate for cine-matic games than purely historicalones, although narrowly combat-focused advantages (like CombatReflexes) are usually more realisticeven at fairly high levels. Rememberto apply Rank and Status, although

this may not matter in a time-hoppinggame of famous troubleshooters.

Two or three skills are usuallyprominent – these should be set ashigh as possible. Keep in mind that askill of 21+ is the greatest in history:Shakespeare’s Poetry or Alexander theGreat’s Strategy, for example. Skills of19-20 are the “best in the country”:John Wesley Hardin’s Fast-Draw. Askill of 16-18 is still enough for lastingfame: Mussorgsky’s Musical Compo-sition, perhaps. Then, determine sec-ondary skills – these should be setequal to the controlling ability (DX orIQ), or perhaps a level or two higher.The remaining points can then bespent to round out the character.Remember that “period” skills thatmay seem useless at first may be veryvaluable to an agent in a primitiveworld.

Footnote CharactersMany of the best temporal agents

are those who might be called “histor-ical footnotes.” They had interestingand distinguished careers . . . but fromthe vantage point of the 21st century,they are obscure. As a result, they areeasier to “rescue” without distorting aworld’s history. Playing such a charac-ter is a good compromise between atruly famous person, and an imaginary nobody.

Simply thumbing through a biog-raphical dictionary, or even an ency-clopedia, gives literally hundreds ofpossibilities for this type of character –people who were prominent in theirown day but not well known now.Research into this kind of character isalso very educational, and a greatsource of ideas for adventures andsubtle parallel world divergences ofthe sort Centrum specializes in.

“I Didn’t Think You Were Real!”

With the GM’s permission, theplayers can research and create “his-torical” characters who never actuallylived, or whose reality is in somedoubt. In many cases, the “real” ver-sion of such a character is a far cryfrom the legendary or fictional one.King Arthur, Robin Hood, andHercules are all examples of charac-ters who might have been based on ahistorical individual.

Such people are also very goodNPCs, because the first reaction ofthose who meet them is often “I didn’tthink you were real!” Some “real”characters will give the same effect.The swashbucklers D’Artagnan andCyrano de Bergerac, and the gunfight-ers Wild Bill Hickok and BatMasterson, fall into this category. Theyall really lived, but many people knowonly of the stories based on theirexploits, and assume that they werepurely fictional. And the truth aboutsome of these people may be surpris-ing . . . Bat Masterson, for instance,was a New York City gentleman formuch of his career, and Davy Crockettwas a member of Congress!


WEAPONSThe arms and accessories potentially

available to crosstime heroes run thegamut from flint knives to planet-bust-ing explosives. This section concentrateson specific firearms encountered in theInfinite Worlds setting.

FIREARMSAll TL9+ weaponry incorporates

advanced electronics (see “Smartgun”Electronics, p. B278).

Baker & Alvarez .591 Express Rifle:This is the standard dinosaur-huntingrifle sold in high-end sporting goodsstores on Homeline. Adapted from ananti-materiel rifle design, it is illegal toown in most Homeline nations, andeven some American states. Huntingagencies often rent them out to cus-tomers. All B&A weapons are very fine(see p. B280). Fires .591 Express Nitro.

CF/3 “Pandar” Stunner: This “stun pistol” is the standard holdout

weapon of the Centrum InterworldService. Based on a neural disruptortechnology that defies Homelineattempts at technical exploitation, thePandar delivers an affliction attack:the victim gets a HT roll to resist, at apenalty dependent on the weapon anda (2) armor divisor (that is, the victimgets +1 to HT per 2 DR on the locationstruck). Failure results in paralysis fora number of minutes equal to the margin of failure.

CF/4 “Porpentine” EMW: TheCentrum Interworld Service uses thiselectromag weapon as a multi-pur-pose firearm that can fire a number ofspecialized munitions, ranging fromanti-personnel diamondoid needleclusters to anti-tank warheads. Theammo chart lists a standard solid“slug” round; other rounds include:beehive (1d-1 imp, RoF ¥100, Rcl 1,CPS $4.4), HEDP (9d(10) and follow-up 1d+1[1d], CPS $3.3), Baton(2d(0.5) cr dkb, Rng 52/156, CPS$1.1), and HE (7d+2(0.5) and follow-up 4d-1[1d], CPS $1.1). Fires 20mm C-Hive.

Electrozap Pistol: The “zat” is ahigh-powered electrolaser carried byPatrol agents and Time Tours guides.Electrozaps are often disguised, andthe hapless crosstime native finding alost zat built into a loaf of bread or

walking stick has become a comedystaple.

Infantry Combat Weapon: Standardissue to the United States military inHomeline (as the M-23A3), the ICWfeatures an “over and under” configu-ration mating a medium caliberassault rifle with a modular under-bar-rel mount for grenade launchers, vor-tex ring projectors, or shotguns.Grenades can be fired on four settings:airburst, delayed impact (for firingthrough doors to explode inside aroom), “window” (a delay for firingthrough openings), and conventionalimpact. Fires 6.8mm ICW.

Infinity Service Pistol: Replacing ahodge-podge of 9mm and 10mm pis-tols, the ISP fires a cutting-edge casedtelescoped round with electrothermal-chemical propellant. It has provenpopular, but limited production ratesand dodgy ammunition quality have

slowed adoption. Fires 10mm InfinityCaseless.

Needler: A small-caliber air gun thatusually fires a small dart using nothingmore then compressed air. The dartscan be tipped with any sort of poison,hallucinogen, drug, paralytic agent,tracking microdot, etc. that Centrumor Homeline ingenuity can devise.Many needles are biodegradeable, andvanish upon striking; the target maynot even know he was hit (roll againstPer). Fires 5mm Airdart.

StG 03: The Mauser Sturmgewehr03 is the main infantry weapon for theReich-5 German military, includingthe SS Raven Division. It is well con-structed and rugged, but requires a lotof preventive maintenance and clean-ing. Like the ICW, it features an under-barrel mount for a grenade launcher.Fires 7.92mm Caseless.


Ammunition TableTL: The Tech Level of the ammunition.WPS: Weight per shot, in pounds.CPS: Cost per shot.

TL Ammo WPS CPS9 5mm Airdart 0.035 $0.709 6.8mm ICW 0.014 $1.309 7.92mm Caseless 0.032 $2.909 10mm Infinity Caseless 0.017 $3.009 .591 Express Nitro 0.39 $18.009 20mm C-Hive 0.054 $1.10

Weapons TableTL Weapon Damage Acc Range Weight RoF Shots ST Bulk Rcl Cost LC Notes

BEAM WEAPONS (PISTOL) (DX-4, other Beam Weapons-4, or Guns (Pistol)-4)9^ CF/3 Pandar, 10mm 2HT-4(2) aff 2 200/600 0.36/0.1 3 104(3) 2 -1 1 $260 4 [1]9 Electrozap Pistol, 80mm 1d-1 burn sur 4 80/240 3.6/1 1 87(3) 6 -3 1 $12,000 4 [2]

linked HT-6(2) aff

GUNS (PISTOL) (DX-4, or most other Guns at -2)9 ISP, 10mm 4d+1 pi+ 3 280/3,200 3.4/0.71 10 15+1(3) 8 -2 3 $1,200 3 [3]9 Needle Pistol, 5mm 1d-1 pi 1 100/390 2.1/1.1 3 25+1(3) 5 -3 2 $200 4

GUNS (RIFLE) (DX-4, or most other Guns at -2)9 CF/4 Porpentine, 20mm 7d+2 pi++ 2 260/780 22/0.78 1 9+1(3) 4† -6 5 $4,200 1 [4]9 ICW, 6.8mm 6d pi 5 570/3,700 4.8/0.5 15 30+1(3) 10† -3 2 $430 1 [5]9 Express Rifle, 15mm 6d¥3 pi+ 5 2,600/11,000 37/0.39 1 1(3) 13B† -10 6 $4,800 29 StG 03, 7.92mm 7d+1 pi 4 1,200/5,300 10/1.8 20 40+1(3) 8† -4 2 $1,000 1 [5]

[1] EPS 0.86, C/104 eShots.[2] EPS 10, D/87 eShots.[3] EPS 2.3, C/39 eShots.[4] EPS 19, 2C/9 eShots.[5] Usually mounts an integral grenade launcher.

Evening heat shimmer obscuredthe bronze flashes on the shields,and the clouds of choking dust muf-fled the sound of 100 pairs of hob-nailed boots striking the arid pan ofthe desert. The scarlet horsehaircrests were gray with windblownSaharan sand.

Even the glint of the spearheadswas tamed, although by carefullysmeared black oil rather than by rustor dust.

As the soldiers crested the rise,they spread out in professional fash-ion, staying low and bounding overthe ridge, exposing themselves

against the violet sky as little as pos-sible. They crept down the hill, theirboots tearing up what little furzeclung to its side.

Clodius Terentius Niger watchedhis men move forward, noting withapproval that each man kept hismates in his eyeline but kept his eyespinned on the next ridge. We don’twant to get surprised by anothermachine-gun nest. At the thought,Niger reflexively massaged the oldscar on his throat and jaw. One of themen below hissed, and his manipledropped to the ground, mere unmov-ing lumps against the rocks of the

Egyptian desert. The whole centuryfollowed suit, waiting as the planebuzzed overhead.

Just a recon plane, Niger decided,as the optics buried deep in his cheek-bones pulled a magnified view fromthe sky and threw the resultingschematic against his retinas. An Me-109 F-5, fitted with cameras instead ofguns. In some ways, of course, thatwould be more deadly to his men, ifthe cameras could find them, and ifthe pictures got to the right people inRommel’s command.

And Rommel would have suchpeople, or the Last Century wouldn’thave been sent after his southernflank. That was how the Rulesworked. That was how the Game

was played.“Quick-time.” Niger

hissed to his second, whopassed the word downthe ranks. At the nextridge, the men leaptover and kept moving,some silence sacrificedfor much speed. We don’thave to outrun the plane,Niger thought. We justhave to outrun the news.The implants in histhighs poured catalystsinto his blood, oxy-genating his musclefibers and making hispalms itch for combat.His legs pistoned andagain his men leaptforward, keeping upalmost effortlessly.We’ll pay for thistomorrow, came thewry knowledge amidthe euphoric rush ofspeed. But Rommelwill pay for it tonight.

INFINITE CAMPAIGNS 201

CHAPTER SEVEN

INFINITECAMPAIGNS

A crossworld or time-travel cam-paign is, almost by definition, themost freewheeling sort of game thereis. Whatever the bounds of reality,whoever the bad guys are, howeverharsh the local law enforcement inany particular world, the heroes canalways Go Somewhere Else.

Still, such a campaign, whatever itsdetails, must always answer certainquestions. The most basic of these are“All right, how did we get here?” – forwhich see Interdimensional Travel, onp. B529, or Temporal Physics, on p. 153– and “What shall we do now thatwe’re here?”

Roleplaying is about solving prob-lems and taking actions inside aframework of rules. So this book has

rules for dimensional and time travel,of several different flavors. It’s veryimportant to understand that the“laws of time travel” or “quantum uni-verses” provided are designed to be(we hope) reasonable and consistent,

like any good science fiction. Butthey’re imaginary, intended to get theplayers to use their heads to accom-plish their missions. If they don’t suityour game or your group, tweak themto fit.

202 INFINITE CAMPAIGNS

To me, all the past is alive with alternatives,and nobody can show, nobody has reallyattempted to show, that they were not real alternatives.

– G.K. Chesterton, “On Fate and a Communist”

CAMPAIGN ASSUMPTIONSThe first step, then, is to decide on

the rules, or at least some guidelines,for your campaign. In freewheelinggenres like time travel, or even (slight-ly) more constrained settings like theInfinite Worlds, it’s important to getyour players to buy into these guide-lines, too, before the first die getsthrown. Otherwise, you’re settingyourself up for a game full of pickyexceptions, intentional near-paradox,and generally avoidable irritation.

THE HARDWAREDILEMMA ANDTHE SOFTWAREMISMATCH

Or Why the BiggestProblem Isn’t So Big

The future can hit the past prettyhard. Imagine the effects of a squad ofmodern NATO infantry, with theirassault rifles, grenade launchers,Kevlar body armor, and so on, againsta Roman legion. Add in some mortarsor medium machine guns, never mindvehicles, and it gets even grimmer.Military analysts Trevor and ErnestDupuy, attempting to calculate the“absolute lethality” of weapons, haveconcluded that a rifle is hundreds oftimes more deadly than a sword.

Because of this imbalance, mostgame approaches to time travel havetried to come up with some mechani-cal limitation on the firepower thattime-tripping characters may carryinto the past. (One rarely sees contem-porary characters going into thefuture and being mown down by com-bat lasers.) Sometimes the travelersare forbidden to carry metal, or anarbitrary “energy scale” (like theDupuys’ numbers) is imposed.

But this misses the point: the diffi-culty is not one of controlling hard-ware, but matching software – makingcertain that the GM’s intentions suitthe expectations of the players.

If what the players really want todo is face off with panzers againstRoman legionaries, then any arbitraryrules designed to prevent the slaughterare going to be resented and dodged.Conversely, if the players are interestedin solving historical mysteries with aslittle violence as possible – and whenit’s necessary to fight, meeting theopponents on their own terms, sword to sword, rather than simplyblowing them away with futuristic fire-power – then a lot of restrictions aren’tnecessary; the Time Service (throughits loyal representative, the GM) sim-ply says “it’s important that you pos-sess or do nothing that would give youaway as time travelers,” and that’sthat.

This is not an argument that onesort of play is “better” than another

(though problem-solving gets some-what more attention in this book thangunfights). It is an argument that theGM and his players need to agree onthe sorts of things they want to hap-pen in the game, before launching intoadventures.

PARAMETERS

ScaleScale is the level at which the char-

acters are interacting with the world,and the results of their actions upon it.Are the heroes acting on a prosaicscale, living day to day, hoping to sell(or intercept) a rookie Fidel Castrobaseball card on Gernsback? Or arethey acting on an epic scale, saving thecontinuum and twisting histories liketaffy?

Normally, scale maps to characterpower. Of course, the GM can createcompelling, gripping adventure orlight-hearted comedy by hurlingunderdogs into big fights. Or a veryhigh-point game can still have a pro-saic scale, such as an ISWAT versionof Hill Street Blues.

The default Infinite Worlds settingis somewhere between prosaic scaleand epic scale; a Patrol team mightrescue a tourist one day, and sabotagean SS invasion next week. This is bydesign; playing change-up with thescale helps prevent the monotony of“another day, another world.” For a

prosaic–scale game, swagmen or pettycriminals, Time Tours guides, or aca-demic historians make decent protag-onists (or antagonists). A fully epicgame calls for really skilledPatrolmen, ISWAT operatives, orCentrum Unattached agents.

ScopeScope is what the PCs can see,

touch, influence, and kill. Where scalerefers to why they step through thetime gate (To save a life? Or to savehumanity?), scope deals with what,who, and (sometimes) how. A cam-paign that only deals with one village,one decade, or even one worldline issmaller in scope than a campaign withramifications throughout a civiliza-tion, all of history, or the InfiniteWorlds. Increased scale usually mapsto increased scope, but not always. Acampaign of vast scope can chaseacross two quanta for the prosaicstakes of one kidnapped woman’slife . . . or a Paralabs researcher andhis assistants can prevent a massivereality quake with a single day trip toa nexus portal in the Turkish desert.

In the default Infinite Worlds set-ting, the scope is fairly broad.Characters are assumed to do a lot ofworld-hopping, and the Patrol haswide-ranging responsibilities, withsimilarly wide-ranging authority. Partof the fun of the Infinite Worlds set-ting is its broad scope, and the keypart played in it by the Patrol – whichis to say, the likely PCs.

BoundariesBoundaries are the edges – implic-

it or explicit – to the setting, and to theaction. If scale answers why, andscope answers who and what, thenboundaries are all about where (or, ina time-travel game, when). Where isthe action, and where is “off-screen”?Boundaries also constrain the possi-bilities: how many sorts of time ordimension travel are there? Do magicand psi work, and do the PCs haveaccess to either? This is not a badthing – an infinity of stories can seemawfully imposing to a GM, and even-tually less interesting to the playersthan a mere “whole lot of stories” joined by some underlyingassumption or theme.

The default Infinite Worlds settinghas pretty broad, fuzzy boundaries.Almost anything is somewhere, andthe GM can make any of it the centerfor an adventure or a whole campaign.Conversely, the GM campaign cantrim the boundaries down to whateverhe’d like. He can essentially ignore allthe “sideshows” and focus purely onthe contest between Infinity andCentrum, or make the game a pulpyrumble between the crew of the USSEldridge (p. 163) and the SS Raven

Division, or present the DuncorneFoundation and the Cabal’s contest todecipher the mysteries of reality as theonly important question. The GM caneven leave whole elements of the set-ting aside; remove the Cabal, Reich-5,or ISWAT, or magic, and it still func-tions. Or just never mention them, andassume that they’re off on Quantum 3doing something terribly exciting butsomehow not very crucial to the business at hand.


Adding WorldsThe basic assumption of the Infinite Worlds setting is “whatever it is,

it’s out there, somewhere, even if nobody knows it yet, unless that wouldwreck your game.” Introducing the Infinite Worlds into an existing gameworld is as easy as having the Scouts show up and ask directions fromyour PCs – or having the Interworld Service show up and try to kill them!Introducing an existing game world into an Infinite Worlds campaign isjust as easy: any game world can exist somewhere in the Infinite Worldsas a parallel on a seldom-visited quantum, as a pocket universe createdby the Cabal, or as the result of Centrum tampering with an echo! If yourgame world depends on some Vast Cosmic Evil That Transcends MereWorlds, it can be tied into the reality quakes (or the Cabal) with minimalstress. If your game world has weird magic, or strange technology, resteasy; it’s no weirder or stranger than Merlin, and you can always rule thatsuch weird strangeness only works on its home world if you’re worriedabout the Wand of Centrum-Vanishing unbalancing the campaign.

Future EarthsMost existing SF settings, and most potential ones, take place on a

future Earth set well past the 2027 “present day” of the Infinite Worlds.There are three basic ways to connect such a future Earth into theInfinite Worlds setting:

Another Anomaly: This future Earth has some odd feature that makesit “safe” for the GM to break the general “no futures” rule of the setting.If the world is on an out-of-the-way quantum, it won’t even affect the set-ting too much, as long as it doesn’t get parachronics on a large scale, andas long as nobody can steal its technology very easily.

Parachronics Plus: Add parachronics to the future Earth, and an anal-ogous organization to the Infinity Patrol. This Earth’s Van Zandt discov-ered parachronics 30 years ago, in 2198, and the whole setting moves upa few notches. This is a huge amount of work for some aspects (Reich-5), and fairly transparent for others (the Cabal and Centrum).

Future Branch: The future Earth is the future of some echo, parallel,or other alternate. Perhaps this is the only such worldline with a defined“future,” and all the others are chaotic potentials (p. 170). Perhaps allworlds have futures, but most of them are inaccessible. A Gate of Thoth,wandering timenapper, or banestorm can shift PCs into the future of anyEarth with no real harm done to the setting, and similar handwaving canshift them back. A permanent, or recurring, Gate of Thoth is probablythe most plausible way to handle multiple commutes if necessary.

PARAPHYSICSIn a sense, the question of the cam-

paign’s underlying physics is a bound-ary question. Who can get where, andhow? Examine the options underTemporal Physics on pp. 153-165; theyshape the stories you can tell. The keyis to keep the rules transparent to theplayers, and to get them to agree toaccept them – or to make the quest toundermine them an acknowledgedpart of the game so that you can pre-pare for it. One method of setting theparaphysics can be the touchstonerule. Describe your paraphysics interms of a setting already familiar toyour players: “Time travel is likeTerminator; one way only, and youhave to arrive naked.” Make sure youknow your touchstone better thanyour players do, though – you don’twant to be trapped into “Star Trek timetravel” with players who watchedVoyager.

The default Infinite Worlds cam-paign sets up some fairly ironcladrules: conveyors can only travel alongthe same quantum without a projector(i.e., without the GM’s permission);there isn’t really reliable time travel;the quantum structure keeps trouble-some worlds away from your homebase. It then sneaks around hinting atloopholes, should the GM wish toexplore them: nexus portals, Gates ofThoth, and banestorms blowingCommunist penguin mana andArgentine Nazis everywhere, forexample.

CHARACTERSOnce the campaign foundations

are laid, it’s time to think about thecharacters. Here, even more than theearlier parameters, consulting withthe players can pay big dividends for aGM seeking to avoid software mis-match and the ensuing “assumptionclash.”

Power LevelAt its most basic, this is “how many

points are the characters?” In compa-ny with scale and scope, this deter-mines much of the feel of the game.

In the default Infinite Worlds cam-paign, Infinity Patrolmen with about ayear of experience are between 180

and 200 points; an average soldierwith the same is about 90 points; aspecial forces soldier is around 220. Askilled civilian with rather more expe-rience varies, but hovers between 100and 150 points. The GM can movethese scores around; for example, special forces can be still more com-petent, or the Patrol can scrape thebottom of the barrel in its desperatequest for manpower. At the standardlevels, this gives a fairly reliable resultfor Patrol skills; the troubles they faceare mostly from the outside, not fromtheir own incompetence. This privi-leges player tactics over the dice some-what, but leaves a large dollop ofchance.

NicheThis parameter might also be

called “role” or “habitat.” Who are thePCs, and why do they hang out togeth-er? Were they all kidnapped by timetravelers, recruited by AlternateOutcomes, hired by White Star, or(un)lucky enough to be in the path ofthe banestorm?

The Infinite Worlds setting pre-sumes some sort of connection toInfinity Unlimited, ideally the Patrol,but it hardly mandates it. No matterwhat the players’ preference, there’ssomeone in the Infinite Worlds whocan suit them, or who can be retrofitted with little bother.

FreedomWhat can the PCs do? Who stops

them, or what? Some of the answersto this question are inherent in thecampaign metaphysics: if time travelis impossible, the PCs can’t travel intime. Others are inherent in thegroup’s niche; Infinity Patrolmen can’t

run drug rings and slaughter out-timers without a qualm. Hopefully,players won’t mind a few restrictionson their actions, but they almostalways want to understand them upfront unless the nature of the restric-tion is supposed to be a puzzle in thegame.

The default Infinite Worlds cam-paign is prejudiced toward characterswith at least some moral qualms; evenCentrum has a strict code of conductand a not entirely contemptible ideol-ogy to back it up. However, cheerfulamoralists can always find a homewith the swagmen; less cheerful onesmight work with the Cabal. “Blowstuff up for the hell of it” types mayfind a socially approved outlet inAlternate Outcomes, at the cost of atighter T.O.

EdgesDo the PCs have access to anything

out of the ordinary – magic, psionics,secret TL10 equipment? In some cam-paigns, of course, a crossworld gate,or a Zippo lighter, may be their only

edge. In others, the players can pickanything they’d like, in the name ofinfinite options. One key question theGM should consider, and perhaps getplayer input on: do their standard foeshave such edges, too? Time travelersmay have the only time machine inexistence, but nothing else special tokeep them alive. Psis may attract theattention of evil psis looking forrecruits, or for competition. It can befun to smack the locals around withan unbeatable edge once or twice, butit can get old. Make sure there’senough competition – even with dif-ferent edges entirely – to keep theadventurers challenged.


The default Infinite Worlds campaign isprejudiced toward characters with at leastsome moral qualms; even Centrum has astrict code of conduct.

In the default Infinite Worlds cam-paign, like tend to fight like. Infinitybattles its ideological oppositeCentrum using nearly identicalparachronics. The Cabal has magic,but tends to attract magical foes fromthe cracks in reality. This keeps tacti-cal decision-making fairly rapid, andmore importantly, lets players buildfocused, effective characters withouthaving to load up on Mental Shieldand Magic Resistance all the time. Ifmagic or psi show up in the Patrol’slife, they are restricted to one world asa special obstacle . . . they don’t dogthem across the quanta.

GENREAND MODE

GenreEssentially, genre is the general

kind of story you’re telling, and it indi-cates the broad run of story elements,scenery, and obstacles the players arelikely to encounter. While the variousworlds of the Infinite Worlds encom-pass all sorts of genres, the campaignas a whole can rest within one. AnInfinity Patrol- or Centrum-centeredgame is likely to be an SF campaign,with details of dimension travel theory,technical whizbang equipment, andapplied cliodynamics sharing roughlyequal billing. A Cabal-centered gametends toward fantasy (if it emphasizesthe magi) or horror (if it emphasizesthe monsters). A game set entirely onLenin-6 (p. 132) is likely to be a warstory, dealing with tactical choices andpsychological stress.

An alternate worlds campaigndepends less on genre than most,although some GMs want the extrathematic unity a single genre supplies,to counteract the unfocusing effect ofthe wildly various settings. Still,boundaries between genres are fluidat best.

Conspiracy: Conspiracy games areabout uncertainty and paranoia. Trustno one; nothing is what it seems. Inthe Infinite Worlds setting, this can bea “hall of mirrors” type espionagegame with uncertain agendas inInfinity Tower, or a straightforwardattempt to unravel the tangled worksof the Interworld Service (or theArmanen Order) across the quanta.

Historical SF: This subgenre takesthe SF emphasis on extrapolation and“What if?” questions and applies it tohistory. A game like this focuses on theparallels, especially those with only aminimum of magic or psi to distortthings. The point of this game is toencounter strange new histories, seekout new cultures and new civiliza-tions, and watch (or direct) their inter-play. Changing history may be anobjective for players of historical SFgames.

Technical SF: This subgenre con-centrates on the questions of physicsinherent in time or crossworld travel.If the GM has a cosmic turn of mind,the large questions about the origin ofthe Infinite Worlds, or the nature ofreality quakes, might take centerstage. Players might want to set upparadoxes on purpose, or have funoutwitting the Observer Effect.

Fantasy: Fantasy games are aboutthe unreal, about magic and thingsthat simply can’t exist. Power andwildness range widely. To a largeextent, the Infinite Worlds is already a“science fantasy” setting. Don’t botherwith extrapolation; just ride thebanestorm wave to the next paralleland marvel at it. This genre has a lot incommon with supers, which is reallyits own topic.

ModeThe mode is how you approach the

genre; if the genre is the searchlight,the mode is the filter on the lens thatgives it color. You can combine them,but too many modes leave the gamemurky, not multi-colored.

Action: All adrenaline and bigexplosions, in action mode the storyis just the reason to have fightscenes, chases, and escapes.Alternate Outcomes campaigns, orcommando ops against the RavenDivision, or jumps through alternateSecond World Wars, feed the actionbeast.

Cinematic: In this cousin of theaction mode, the fight scene alwayslets the villain escape until the lastadventure, the bad guys always dis-cover the hero next to a rank of speed-boats, and the escape is always at thelast second. Drama is sacred, wellabove realism. This mode implies larg-

er-than-life heroes, because otherwise,they might lose!

Dark: There is no morality, andpower corrupts. Infinity is filthy,Centrum is ruthless, and UNIC ispower-mad. The only people PCs in adark game can count on are eachother . . . maybe. Doing the best youcan for a world is its own reward, andstopping the power-hungry from mak-ing it a meal is a close second.

Gritty: A gritty game is cynical and“realistic.” (But not realistic enough togive up parachronics, of course.)History is dirty and smelly; heroeshave feet of clay, and bullets kill you inlingering agony crying for a mother ona world you’ll never see again. Therecan be good guys, but not shiny ones.

Hollywood History: When the leg-end outlives the truth, roleplay the leg-end. Heroes are heroic and noble andgood-looking. There is always a goodside and a bad side, and the good sideis the PCs and their allies. If Infinityisn’t the good guys, beat it with thehelp of Joan of Arc or Robin Hood.

Investigative: The focus is on solv-ing puzzles. What happened onEnigma? What exactly are realityquakes? Why is Centrum killing thegreat chefs of Europe? A variant of theinvestigative mode is the exploratory,or “travelogue” mode; the mysterybecomes a pretext to visit new worldsand play in them.

Pulp: A blend of the Hollywood his-tory and cinematic modes, with a doseof campy dialogue and vile, vile vil-lains. Pulp blends Time Nazis,Confederate airships, and Martianheat rays into a game of pace, narra-tive thrust, and cliffhanging suspense.

Silly: This mode plays things forlaughs; it probably works best withfreelance heroes. Maybe they’re an all-star team of History’s Second-GreatestHeroes, or resolutely in-genre privateeyes traveling the cosmos in an AI-piloted black 1957 Buick.

Technothriller: God is in thedetails. Whether it’s the perfectcrosstime caper thriller or a lovingdescription of alternate submachineguns, it matches narrative thrust andsuspense with tactical planning.Anything with a “mission” structureworks best for technothriller, fromPatrol sting operations to straight-upNazi hunts.


CAMPAIGN ELEMENTSA strong overlap exists between

alternate-world and time-travel cam-paigns. Not only are parallel worlds agreat way to dodge the restrictions oftime travel (p. 156), but thinkingabout the past (or future) is very simi-lar to thinking about a primitive (oradvanced) alternate Earth. In this sec-tion, consider much of this material tobe advice from both perspectives,options for both sorts of games.

THROUGH THERABBIT HOLE

Assuming you don’t have a cross-time galleon, or a handy conveyor, oran Infinity Patrol to show you around,how do you get from world to world?One important subgenre of cross-world or crosstime adventure is that inwhich the heroes have access to a“gate” between two worlds – and onlytwo. Sometimes they don’t even con-trol the gate . . . they just fall (or arepushed) into another world. That’s stillenough for high adventure!

Accidental TransportThe party is pulled across time or

into another world by forces beyondtheir control. They’ll probably neverbe able to get back, because they’llprobably never understand what happened to them.

In the default Infinite Worlds set-ting, the easy way to do this is with abanestorm (p. 75), or a conveyor ortime machine accident (p. B531 andp. 165). The PCs might wind up “ozcharged” by the banestorm’s ball light-ning, crackling between worlds over,and over, and over . . .

Alternatively, the heroes couldreceive a warning that they are aboutto be taken to another time or world,perhaps never to return. What do theydo in their last day on Earth? Whatshould they pack? (see p. 207 for somepossible answers.)

SummoningsPerhaps the party’s transport was

deliberate . . . but not on their part.They’ve been snatched from their owntime, by magical or ultra-tech means,

to perform some mission. Maybe it’sfairly trivial (the wizard just neededhirelings with specific talents). Maybeit’s apocalyptic (only they can save theuniverse).

This works well with a crosstimerecruitment gimmick. The campaignis based in any familiar genre – fanta-sy, space, whatever – but the charac-ters may be drawn from anywhere!Whoever brought them together want-ed certain specific talents, and gotthem. A party might consist of aRoman legionary plucked from a ran-dom battlefield, a Victorian mathe-matician, a Roaring ‘20s private eye, acop from the streets of New York in2010, and an android artist from 2200.Or, for a game in which the recruitersare groupies or snobs, the PCs mightbe Cleopatra, Wyatt Earp, Merlin,Miyamoto Musashi, and the Comte deSaint-Germain! (See Locals, p. 198, forsome notes on building such charac-ters.) A lot of the playing time can be spent just letting the charactersinteract!

GatesGates can create a special and lim-

ited kind of cross-universe campaign.A gate is a portal to . . . somewhereelse. One or both sides may beportable. A gate may work all the time,or only part of the time, or only whensomeone says the code-word . . . Gatesmay be technological, magical, natu-ral, or just there. The nexus portals,Gates of Thoth, dimensional high-ways, and shiftrealms from theInfinite Worlds setting only scratchthe surface of the possibilities.

Since world-spanning gates implyvery high tech, very strong magic, orbetter, it is usually best for the cam-paign if the gate, or gates, simply exist,with no real explanation. The PCsstumble onto, and through, a gate,and what they do next is up to them!

This device works well with the“players as PCs” gimmick from p. 184.If you found an alternate dimension inyour closet, would you go in? Whowould you tell about it? What wouldyou take?

Time Gates: A time gate exists intwo times at once. Anyone who travels

through one side of the gate comes outin the other time – and possibly inanother place as well. A gate mightcome into being, say, betweenChartres Cathedral in 1850 and thebathroom of a Chicago tenement in1990. It lasts 20 years, until the tene-ment is torn down. During that time,anyone can step through that closetdoor and be in Chartres precisely 140years, 19 days and six hours earlier,and vice versa.

World Gates: A world gate is simplya connection between two parallel (ornot-so-parallel) worlds. Depending onwhat worlds it connects, it can beincredibly valuable, a mere curiosity,or totally worthless. Any worlds canbe connected. The heroes of a pulp-era campaign could explore anancient temple and find a gate to theprehistoric world, or the Golden Ageof Piracy, or medieval Japan, or fan-tastic Yrth . . . or to all of them, in aportal dimension like the HoratioClub on p. 229.

A world gate can be used to make apermanent change in a campaign, orit can open once, for a single adventure, and then close again. Thetravelers can keep whatever items,knowledge or companions they pickedup on the other side. Or, if they’re onthe other side when the gate closes,they’re stuck in a new world.

VISITINGTHE WORLDNEXT DOOR

So once you’ve got a gate to another world, or a stolen conveyor, orwhatever, now what? Parallel worldsare likely to inspire the same sorts oftravelers as any strange new land:explorers, missionaries (religious orjust humanitarian), and those out tomake a fast buck.

The last is probably the largestgroup, and may be PCs or their adver-saries. Large-scale business venturesmight involve mining an alternatetimeline for raw materials. Arabia’spetroleum is too close to civilization, ifthere is any – even paratime corpora-tions that don’t care about revealingthemselves are hesitant about “native


trouble” that involves full-fledgedarmies. The mines of southern Africaare a more likely target. (See p. 37 forsome reasons why.) Colonization isthe biggest project of all, probablyfocusing on uninhabited or uncivi-lized worlds, though the Americas andAustralia may be viewed as fair gamein a broader set of timelines.

Trade is another way of making aprofit (pp. 37-41), and it may shadeinto theft and looting. Many types ofinterdimensional travel make stealingfar too easy to be interesting – a GMhas to provide complications amongthe victims, the law, or both.Parachronic crime might also involvestealing people (see Timenappers,p. 72). We can all agree that someonewanting to kidnap Marilyn Monroe, oreven Nikola Tesla, is probably foolinghimself if he tries to justify his crimeas “providing the victim with moreopportunities” than he or she wouldhave had at home. But what to doabout the person determined to kid-nap all the alternate Hitlers from thestreets of Vienna and stash themsomewhere they can’t do any harm?Obviously, a parachronic police forcelike the Infinity Patrol has its work cutout for it.

What to Pack for a VisitAssuming you don’t know anything

about the new timeline, but have thechance to pack, treat it as exploration.Start with standard camping and sur-vival gear: you’ll probably be startingsome distance from civilization. Bringa Swiss army knife; actually, as manyas you can carry, if you plan to tradefor a living. Bring a reliable pen and afew blank journals. Don’t forget binoc-ulars. Bring a radio: if the locals areadvanced enough for broadcastingyou can find out a lot about thembefore setting eyes on one. If not, com-municators for the entire group. Itshouldn’t be necessary to point thisout, but your cell phone won’t work onanother world, unless it’s a very closeparallel indeed.

Once you are ready to meet theinhabitants, you’ll need to acquirelocal clothing, at least outer garments(hope for cloaks). Carry your goods ina “timeless” leather satchel. Silver isthe most common coined metal: bringsmall ingots with a good sharp cutter,

or artificially “worn” coins that looklike they might once have had pictureson them. Failing that, a selection ofplain gold rings is easy to carry (andhide) and easy to turn into cash.

For both initial and later visits,probably the most useful modern toolyou can have is a small computer,hand-held if possible, with a historical,geographic, and linguistic database. Adigital camera (no film needed) is veryuseful for retrieving information. Don’temphasize weapons: you should beavoiding combat. The stunner is theperfect “quiet” weapon if your TL per-mits it; otherwise you’ll have to makedo with dart guns, crossbows, orsilencers.

Don’t neglect antibiotics: the oddsare very good that a random parallelworld is full of diseases your immunesystem has never encountered. GMswho don’t want to be bothered withdisease should make some sort ofImmunity to Disease (p. B443) avail-able. Add a snakebite kit, penicillin,and good old aspirin, plus quinine

powder if you plan on visiting the trop-ics. Make sure your own shots are upto date; thinking of the past, or manyparallel worlds, as a Third World coun-try isn’t a bad habit to get into. See TheBad Old Good Old Days on p. 210 forspecific notes on squalor in the game.

What to Pack for an Extended Visit

If you’re planning to emigrate andhave time to prepare, get all the infor-mation your home timeline offersabout your destination area. Loaddown that computerized databasewith maps, climate data, and a profileof the local ecology as well as basicscience. Don’t neglect guides to low-TL medicine and chemistry. The WayThings Work, A Barefoot Doctor’sManual, and Henley’s Formulas canstart you off. If you have data on thehuman inhabitants, take that too –although many alternate histories,including some in this book, havechanged so much that such information may not be very useful.


The past is a foreign country: they do thingsdifferently there.

– L.P. Hartley, The Go-Between

In this situation you’ll also want togive serious thought to achieving fameand fortune by “inventing” somethingthe locals haven’t yet devised. Theoptions are legion for hard-headedengineer types (see Things to Invent, p.below). Other products you might alsoconsider include cosmetics, recipes,and ceramics. Even without con-sumerism, there are possibilities. Forinstance, the only really color-fast dyefor most of history was indigo: even

one synthetic dye could make you veryrich in the textile business.

It is unwise to introduce newweapons – gunpowder, atomics, what-ever – to a timeline without them,unless you are prepared for the ensu-ing military revolution. On the otherhand, it can be very comforting (andpotentially lucrative) indeed to be theonly person in the world who knowshow to make gunpowder. (See BlackPowder, p. 209.)

Worldline ConquestMade (Relatively) Easy

The most extreme adventure inanother timeline is outright conquest,though PCs are probably more likelyto fight a would-be conquistadorgroup than to be one, unless theywork for Centrum’s Uplift Service (p. 54). Still, you never know whatAlternative Outcomes (p. 31) mightdo, and infinite worlds mean youcan’t rule anything out.


Things to InventThere are a number of simple devices, processes and

compounds that can make a traveler rich at the righttime in the past, or in a primitive alternate world. (Notethat if temporal contamination is possible, the intro-duction of any of these things will do it. By definition,anything that is enough to make its inventor rich isenough to change history.)

Of course, many other things can easily be re-invented . . . by some people. An electronics technicianmight well be able to build a radio in the year 1400.This box lists things that could be created by anyone,or things so easy to explain that a skilled person couldcreate them from any layman’s explanation. To re-invent a specialized device using your own technical orscientific skills, use Gadgeteering (p. B475).

Simple Machines and Basic Concepts

If any of these devices aren’t in use yet, you can raisethe local technology in that field by a whole TL in about20 minutes.

FireWheelLeverContainer (could be pottery, but could as easily be

hollowed-out wood, or even a bag made of leaves)Writing or written mathematicsThe zeroDomestication of animalsAgricultureThe bowThe printing press, adding movable type as soon as

possibleThe steam engine

Office SuppliesDon’t underestimate the historical impact – and the

financial value – of simple inventions that make office

work easier. Each of the creations below certainlyseemed obvious after it was developed, and made itsinventor a lot of money.

Paper clip (Test yourself. Can you draw it exactlyright, from memory?)

Hole punchWindow envelopesAdhesive tape (For this and the following items,

you’d have to hire a chemist to develop the inventionfrom your description, unless you possess Chemistryskill at 16 or better, or are a Gadgeteer.)

Carbon paperSelf-sticking note padsCorrection fluidPencil eraser

Simple Comforts of HomeThese innovations may not change the entire

society – at first – but they’ll still be useful and maketheir creator wealthy if they are properly exploited.

Fermentation, to turn perfectly good grape juice orgrain into (gasp) alcohol.

Distilling (the most obvious use is to make strongalcoholic beverages from weak ones, but there aremany industrial applications).

Glass lenses. These require the existence of glass, ofcourse. Glass itself is relatively easy to create if sand,soda, and fire are available. Lenses are valuable first forimproving vision, then for telescopes and binoculars,and eventually for microscopes and other scientificapplications.

Don’t Waste Your Time . . .Some devices, though, are very hard to get right.

Only a very skilled mechanic or gadgeteer shouldattempt to build (for instance) a clock of any kind, atypewriter or typesetter, or anything else involving agreat number of precisely machined moving parts.

For guidelines on conquering alarge but more primitive empire, thereis no better source of advice than thereal-life conquistadors. A large cen-tralized empire (TL1 minimum, andTL2 is better) is a better target thanlots of little groups, perhaps harder totake but easier to hold. Finding localallies to multiply your forces is criti-cal: if everybody loves the localempire, seek your fortune elsewhere.In fact, work through native rulers asmuch as you can until you have a firmgrasp of local politics.

Assuming everything goes right, aparatime conquistador could decapi-tate an empire in just a few decisivebattles. Cortés overthrew the Aztecsin three years. Conquering an entiretimeline would take far longer,depending on how long it takes tomodernize the military of your newempire.

Use local talent but modernorganization. You probably knowmore about strategy and tactics thanthe locals, and are almost certain tohave a better grasp of logistics. If youhave time to train a military force ofyour own, proper discipline is evenmore important than weaponry.Military science also develops. With agood grasp of military history, youhave dozens of tactical innovationsto offer, even with native weapons, ifyou can train your army to followthem.

This is not to say that weapons areunimportant: as your basic firearm,consider the Sten gun, a submachinegun that can be produced by fairlyprimitive workshops. You may also beable to bring a few other ideas into thelocal arsenal. Many weapons – fuel-airexplosives, for instance – could havebeen built long before they were actually invented.


Black PowderAt any time before its historical appearance (perhaps the 10th

century in China, and the 13th century in the West), black powder is oneof the most spectacular introductions a traveler can make. Superstitiousnatives can be overawed with nothing more than fireworks. Simple gun-powder bombs and mines could probably break most medieval armies,and even the Romans or Huns might not stand up to actual cannon. Butremember that the secret of gunpowder is so simple that, once introduced anywhere, it spreads.

See H. Beam Piper’s Lord Kalvan of Otherwhen and its sequels for theclassic treatment of this situation.

The FormulaIf you, the reader, ever expect to be dropped into a primitive time or

timeline, memorize this . . .To make black powder, combine 10% sulfur, 15% charcoal, and 75%

saltpeter. Mix well and powder carefully without producing sparks. Thisproduces “flash powder” – it primes a gun but won’t explode.

Wet the flash powder to form a paste. Air-dry in kernels of the desiredsize for the job (you’ll have to experiment, based on your desired appli-cation).

Finding the IngredientsSulfur is an element, a yellow powder. In nature, it occurs near hot

springs and gives the water a bitter flavor.Charcoal is produced by burning wood. Different woods and different

burning methods give different results. Experiment.Saltpeter (potassium nitrate) is a crystalline white compound. In a

primitive milieu, the easiest way to find it in small amounts is to removea well-aged pile of manure. The saltpeter is leached out of the manure byrainwater and collects on the ground.

Using Black PowderNow that you have it, what do you do with it? Sadly, the warlike appli-

cations outnumber the peaceful ones. Fireworks and civil engineeringare very nice, but the main impact of black powder is for weaponry.

Almost no skill is required to create “mines” and simple “shells” –powder kegs to be lobbed at the foe with siege engines. Mortars and can-non are more difficult, requiring skill in metalwork and advances in met-allurgy; handguns are harder still. But any general who sees what blackpowder can do will be motivated to help your research . . . or to have youdestroyed.

Use machines that you can repairand keep running with local tools: a P-51 Mustang is about as advanced aplane as you should consider, forinstance, and it’s probably overkill atthat. It need hardly be said that any airpower, even a balloon, gives you atremendous advantage in timelinesthat aren’t accustomed to it. Similarly,if the other side doesn’t have radios,you should pack them: instant com-munications can let you defeat anenemy many times your size. (Not tomention the many non-military uses,of course.) Unless you have a lot ofbackup, we don’t advise invadingworlds less than three tech levelsbelow yours. How well technological“miracles” work to overawe thenatives is really a GM’s call – barbar-ians claiming to be gods, no matterhow showy their trinkets, will notimpress the very sophisticated andnearly agnostic Roman aristocracy.

Once well started at empire-build-ing, shift your model from Cortés tothat other Renaissance man,Machiavelli. The game of power poli-tics focuses on understanding whypeople are loyal in this culture, so you

can keep your allies and break upcoalitions against you. If your newempire has a traditional enemy – onethat you haven’t already enlisted as anally, and perhaps even if you have –crushing them is often a good way towin support and gives you a largerempire in the bargain.

Never make the mistake of underestimating the natives: if acharismatic leader and/or militarygenius appears among your enemies,you must eliminate him by any meansnecessary, and as soon as possible.Primitives aren’t idiots, and man forman they’re better suited for survivalin their world than you are. The lastthing you need is for some localGeronimo (or George Washington) topull guerrilla jujitsu on your paratimemercs, capture some assault rifles,and possibly reverse-engineer them.

MISSIONCONTROL

The classic Irwin Allen TV showTime Tunnel presented an interest-ing take on freedom of action and

character creation: the “MissionControl” option. While our twoheroes were lost in the past, tryingto prevent stock-footage disasters, theTunnel technicians were diggingthrough their files and throwingswitches on their blinking consoles,trying to help them out. (Well, it wastwo technicians and a General. It wasa low-budget show.) Handled withsome restraint, the idea of MissionControl works very well in a roleplay-ing campaign. In fact, it solves onemajor background problem: theagents no longer have to knowabsolutely everything about all of his-tory. They still have to have basic AreaKnowledge – especially if the commu-nications link goes out – but Controlcan provide on-the-spot information.

Some suggested limits are asfollows:

Only information moves, notobjects. Mission Control can receivepictures, and possibly transmit them(useful for sending maps), but if theagents run out of bullets, they’re out ofluck.

Establish search times. Howeverlong it takes Control to find theanswer to the agents’ question is theamount of time that passes in the fieldbefore the answer is received. The lim-iting factor is then not whether theinformation exists, but whether it canbe recovered in time to be any use.

Some information isn’t available. Ifno one drew floor plans of a building,and the building no longer stands, theteam just has to search it the hard way.

Control and Research in a Parallel-WorldCampaign

In a campaign in which, instead oftime travel, the agents are travelingbetween parallel worlds, the job ofMission Control becomes different.On the one hand, nobody can be surewhat happens next in the parallelworld. It may seem similar to our his-tory, but nobody really knows for sure.

On the other hand, if there are lotsof similar parallel worlds, some typesof research become much easier. Ifthe agents must free a comrade heldin tightly guarded Castle Wolfram,Control need only dispatch a team toa similar timeline where Castle


The Bad Old Good Old Days

There are many everyday details of life in many historical eras thatwe would find distasteful, barbaric, and horrifying. Description of suchdetails – the crowding and smell of a city street before modern plumb-ing, for instance – is necessary and useful in making the players acceptthe environment as “the past,” and not just a Hollywood imitation.

Unpleasant details are also useful plot and characterization devices.A group of travelers confronted by a bullying nobleman might followtheir natural impulse to teach him a lesson – only to find themselves hip-deep in trouble for it. Someone who loves horses might gain points fordemanding that a drunken coachman stop whipping his animals – andeven more points if he found a way to do it that would not offend thecustoms of the time.

But, as with any other device, don’t overdo it. A little of the grimi-ness of medieval towns, or the horrors of the Inquisition, or the mis-treatment of one class or race by another, goes a long way, no matterhow historically correct it is. If the GM constantly describes crueltyand abuses that the characters cannot stop without endangering theirmission, the players may quite rightly start to think that they are theones being provoked. Just say something like, “There’s a crowd gath-ered to cheer the public flogging – but you’re professionals; you justlook past and keep on walking.”

Wolfram lies empty. Presto . . . com-plete and accurate maps – they hope.(Of course, this only works whenthere are lots of very similar time-lines. For Infinity Unlimited, thiskind of trick could be used forresearch on the echo timelines, butvery few of the others are similarenough to make it worthwhile. Andthe echoes have their own hazards!)

THE TIME ISOUT OF JOINT

Time travel and alternate worldadventures fall into four general cate-gories. The first three may be actual“missions” in the sense that someoneassigned them to the party. But thecharacters may also find themselvescaught up in events by accident, oreven tricked by NPCs into performingsome sort of dangerous task.

Research MissionsResearch missions are sent to find

something out: Who was Jack theRipper? Who really wrote the ZinovievLetter? What happened to the crew ofthe Mary Celeste? Researchers are usu-ally not supposed to change the past;they are supposed to observe, measure, photograph, perhaps evenconduct interviews, and then return,without having any effect on the timestream (or revealing The Secret, orshifting an echo).

By itself, researching isn’t veryadventurous. Getting into a fight usu-ally means things have gone verybadly wrong. But a research missiondoesn’t have to be dull. The suspenseand excitement come, not from astring of combat encounters, but frommeeting obstacles (some expected,some by surprise) in the path of get-ting the data and getting back with it.

Often, the PC team isn’t cast in therole of researchers, but of guards andguides to the researchers. The scien-tists themselves may have hiddengoals or personalities that endangerthe mission.

Crosstime or crossworld espionageis a special category of research whichcan quickly become dangerous, sincethe spies may be opposed, not only by“native” security troops and coun-terespionage, but also by opponentsfrom their own time or world. Casing

the Forbidden City to loot it before it’sburned in 1860 is technically aresearch mission, after all!

Repair MissionsRepair missions have the specific

objective of making changes to thetime stream. Assuming the charactersare the “good guys,” this usuallymeans that the past has already beenaltered, by enemy action or accident,and has to be returned to normal.There are other possibilities, however.The travelers may be present at a his-torical event – say, on campaign withJulius Caesar in Gaul – in which theoutcome of the larger campaign isknown, but individual, unrecordedskirmishes may have unknownresults. Or the team may be “agents inplace,” guarding a historical diver-gence point such as the Normandyinvasion against interference byenemy agents.

Or the status quo may be intolera-ble to the time travelers – say, a smallgroup of researchers discovers a time-gate, and hopes to use it to overthrow

the oppressive regime. The travelersmay even be soldiers of the regime,driven to mutiny by their unendingmissions of outtime atrocity.

In the Infinite Worlds campaign, aparty may be sent on a “repair mis-sion” to undo sabotage by the agentsof Centrum. This is not time travel – inthat background, they can’t undo thepast – but an attempt to redirect theevents of the present into a preferredfuture.

Recovery MissionsRecovery missions are sent to

bring something back (forward?) from

the past, either for temporary study(in which case another mission maybe necessary to replace it) or to save itfrom destruction. The agents mayneed to plant a copy of the item, orotherwise create a diversion from theburglary. Sometimes history itself –the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius, theChicago Fire, the bombing of Berlin –may cover their tracks.

Time thieves, of course, are also ona “recovery” mission! They may facethe additional hazard of law enforce-ment from their own world, especiallyif their thefts have the potential tochange history.

A specific and challenging type ofrecovery is the rescue of an individualwho history says is dead. Time travelorganizations recruit some of theirbest agents this way. Rescues workequally well in an echo worldlinewhere someone’s death can be predicted accurately.

In an alternate worlds campaign,actual trade and exploration missionsbecome possible, and the opportuni-ties for theft expand exponentially.

SurvivalA fourth type of adventure is the

non-mission, in which the travelershad no intention of visiting anothertime or another world (at least, notthe one they arrived at). Their prob-lem is simply to survive. There maybe a hope of rescue, or they may bedoomed to live their lives in thepast, or some inhospitable paralleldimension.

Depending on the physics of thesituation and their particularresources, their best strategy might beto blend in and not make waves, or toset themselves up as teachers, magi-cians, or gods.


A specific and challenging type of recovery is the rescue of an individual who history says is dead. Time travelorganizations recruit some of their bestagents this way.

This chapter presents some alter-nate campaign frames for GMs andplayers interested in a changeup fromthe Infinite Worlds setting. Each

frame includes notes on characterdesign and campaign parametersbased on the discussion in Chapter 7.These frames are designed to support

extended campaigns, but they canhost one-shot scenarios with somesacrifice of detail.

212 ALTERNATE INFINITIES

CHAPTER EIGHT

ALTERNATEINFINITIES

THE ORDER OF THEHOURGLASS

The time is the 1920s. All over the world, daring adventurers are pushing back the boundaries of the explored world:Darkest Africa, lost cities in Central America, thepolar caps. But in the centers ofthe world’s great cities, smallgroups of people areexploring an entirely different frontier.

These “circles”have discovered akind of mental timetravel. Many, likeour heroes, are sim-ply curious abouttheir ability, andabout the past.Others are intent onusing the power forconquest . . . and thatmay mean eliminatingall the temporal competition.

This frame com-bines time travelingwith Roaring Twentiespulp adventure. Theadventurers can getinto all the usual trou-ble visiting the past,but their real enemies, both pastand present, are other time travelers.

The Coming of GakujiThe ritual of the Time Circle was brought to the West by explorers who did not fully believe what they had discovered.

Though they breathed the herb Gakuji, joined in the chant, and saw the visions of the past, they believed – because they hadto believe – that they were only visions . . . hallucinations induced by drugs and hypnosis.

Dr. Albert Wesker Finch, physicianand adventurer, brought Gakuji backto America, and began to grow theherb at his Long Island estate. His rep-utation already damaged by his exoticresearch, Dr. Finch dared not experi-ment . . . in public. He brought agroup of friends together, and, underobservation, recreated the Ritual. Themembers of the Circle went back tothe Finch estate grounds before thehouse was built; they found an oaksapling and carved their initials into aroot, then covered it with earth.

When they returned, Finch led theparty to the oak, 200 years older.They exposed the roots. The initialswere there. Finch’s guests believed,and with a few like-minded Circlesthey founded the Order of theHourglass. At first a mere club fortime tourists, it slowly evolved into amutual aid society. Some Circles seekto turn the Hourglass into a weaponagainst evil Time Circles and otherswho would misuse the past for vileends, but for now the Order includesthe idly curious and the grimly determined alike.

The RitualThis is physical time travel through

psionic means. No machine is used,and the actual bodies of the travelersare transported. The mechanism ismore like a magical ritual than a scientific experiment.

The Circle begins by discussing thetime they intend to visit, and doingstudy to fix the goal in their minds.This includes library research and vis-its to museums to examine artifacts ofthe period. Normally the membersspend one to two weeks on thisresearch. During this time, they usual-ly acquire relevant and useful perioditems.

Finally the Circle assembles atsome safe place, usually a countryhouse or lodge belonging to one of thewealthier members. A brazier contain-ing the herb Gakuji is lit, and its fumesfill the room. The Circle begins chant-ing, clearing their minds of everythingbut the ritual and the target. Afterabout an hour, if all goes well, thepresent-day images fade. Some mem-bers see only darkness and silence;others have strange dreams. Whenthis passes, they are in another time –

sometimes a few years from the target,never more.

Returning to the present does notrequire the herb, only that the mem-bers of the Circle concentrate togetherand be in reasonably close physicalproximity. This takes about 15 min-utes if everyone is conscious and close(in the same room, or equivalent); ifthe separation is wider, or some mem-bers are unconscious or dead, it takesmore time.

All living Circle members mustreturn together, conscious or not.Dead members may be abandoned,though their bodies return if they arein proximity to the living. Those witha proper Sense of Duty to their com-rades must always try to bring theirfriends home, even though this cancreate legal problems in explaining thedeath.

The Ritual can only reach the past,not the future. This is probably due tothe enormous difficulty of visualizingthe future. (Think about the 1920sand 1930s images of The World ofTomorrow, as presented in pulp sci-ence fiction magazines and the NewYork World’s Fair. On the other hand,a parallel-world science fiction adven-ture set in Captain Future’s future, orGernsback (p. 126) might be veryentertaining.)

The travelers can bring only itemsappropriate to the period into the past– no Tommy guns in the Middle Ages– and anyone who can’t get hold ofproper clothing arrives nude. Themore authentic the item, the likelier itis to make the trip successfully(p. 169). Time Circles often, given timeand money, acquire a stock of periodcostumes and furnishings for justsuch purposes; They can easily claimthat the outfits are for a costumeparty. They arrive with whatever cloth-ing and equipment they had on whenthey left the present. Travelers canbring things back from the past, up totheir Basic Lift.

The Ritual only moves one’s bodyinto the past; it does not enable thetraveler to speak the language.Remember too that dialects andaccents change, even if a languageremains “the same” (see p. 175 forguidelines). There was more differ-ence between a 1920 British accentand an Elizabethan one than betweencontemporary British and American

dialects – and in a time when few peo-ple traveled far from their birthplaces,odd dialects stood out even moreprominently.

EquipmentAs is usual in Twenties adventures,

money makes the world go ’round.Either one adventurer is wealthyenough to bankroll his Circle’s opera-tions, or the PCs need an eccentricmillionaire Patron who can do so.

Naturally, the GM does not have toallow the eccentric millionaire to buyanything he desires. Some things can-not be acquired for any price. Othersrequire time, and flashing money onlyworsens certain legal entanglements.

Gakuji is extremely rare and expen-sive. A quantity sufficient for onetime-trip (for up to a dozen peopletraveling together) costs $5,000 in1920 dollars (£1,000); this alsoassumes one has a source, normallyan Oriental Herbalist of MysteriousReputation. Finding such an herbalistrequires a successful Streetwise roll ina city with a substantial Chinatown(New York, San Francisco, London’sLimehouse; for someone actually inthe Far East, there is a +2 bonus).Naturally, this sort of dealer takes onlycash, preferably gold. This purchasesthe prepared herb, which can begrown from cuttings but not fromseed. Cuttings might be acquired byan expedition into the wilds of InnerTibet, or from a scientist-adventurerwho had made such an expedition.(Perhaps a PC inherits the greenhousefrom a relative who died underMysterious Circumstances.) Even ifthe travelers can grow the herb them-selves, gardening and preparationcosts come to $1,000 per dose – whichis used up even if the ritual fails forother reasons.

There are other social complica-tions of handling Gakuji. Though it isnot illegal, the police may take aninterest because of the sort of peoplewho sell it. Police aside, there are theusual hazards of dealing with suchpeople. And any transaction involvingthe herb may attract the attention ofother, savory Time Circles.

Period clothes can be made toorder in two to four weeks, for about$40 and up (possibly way up, for a visitto the court of the Sun King). Period

ALTERNATE INFINITIES 213

weapons may be purchased asantiques for moderate prices (collectormania has not yet struck in the JazzAge) – though it may take time for asuitable one to appear for sale. Theymay be custom-made. A wealthy manmight have standing requests with anantiques dealer, or the dealer might beone of the PCs. If an aristocrat wantsto claim that he has a houseful of oldswords and pistols, that’s fine (therereally are such houses, especially inEngland and France), but the GMshould charge the cost against HisLordship’s starting Wealth.

VILLAINSNot everyone wants to use the

power of Gakuji for harmless experi-mentation and historical research.Some of the Circles intend to twist thepast, to make themselves wealthy andpowerful . . . possibly to control theworld.

These groups are not linked together in a single conspiracy. (If theywere, the heroes would hardly stand achance.) They may grudgingly cooper-ate, especially to ensure their suppliesof the essential herb, but thesealliances are for convenience only, andend as soon as someone leaves hisback vulnerable to the knife.

To fulfill their ends, the Circlesestablish bases at key points in history,“safe houses” where they may appearand change into appropriate clothing.For example, a Circle might, usingtransported gold, purchase a smallcountry villa in Renaissance Italy,where they could appear, equip, andride into a city in perfectly normalfashion, instead of suddenly appearingfrom nowhere. The servants at the villawould surely believe that their employ-ers were sorcerers (what else couldthey think?) but there are always peo-ple who can be trusted, or paid, to keepsecrets. From such a base, the Circlecould attempt to influence the wholecourse of politics and economics inItaly, and from it Europe.

Usually Circles will try to influencesubtly through the “normal” channelsof advice and money, though the morechanges they make to the past, the lessuseful their historical knowledge willbe. The occasional convenient deathmay be arranged. (Isn’t it suspiciousthat Napoleon’s Chief of Staff fell froma balcony?) Sometimes they may

openly portray themselves as wizards;many stories have “explained” suchpeople as Cagliostro and Saint-Germain as time travelers.

Time travel helps other villainousplans. It is much more convenient andelegant to kill an enemy in the past. Ifthe body does not return, there isnothing for the police to investigate.Even if the victim’s fellow Circle mem-bers do take him home, there will beno evidence the authorities can follow(or believe), and his friends will likelyfind themselves in great difficultiesexplaining his death.

Sometimes, however, direct actionis called for. A returning Circle wouldbe in poor condition to deal with agang of armed killers in their Ritualroom (though, on the other hand, thekillers would have to be pretty hard-ened sorts not to be startled by theirvictims’ appearing out of thin air).Anonymous tips to the police mightresult in a drug raid on the Circle’sGakuji supplier. Properly timed, someof the members might be arrested aswell, leading to uncomfortable ses-sions explaining to Eliot Ness orGideon of Scotland Yard why theywanted strange Oriental herbs in thefirst place.

The official authorities don’talways have to be the PCs’ enemy,however. Exposing drug or under-world connections is a game two canplay. And if one of the enemy Circleswere to involve a master criminal suchas Doctor Nikola or a resurrectedProfessor Moriarty (or one somehowsaved from his death in the past . . .),the heroic Circle might find them-selves with powerful allies – as theymove in ever-higher circles of interna-tional intrigue.

Besides villainous Time Circles, theheroes of the Hourglass (p. 212) havediscovered two other forces at workmalevolently bending the past to theirown cruel will.

The ArchitectsThis evil group plans to rebuild

society on cleaner, more sensible lines– a world where everyone knows theirplace, and it’s under the Architects’heel. The Architects claim to bedescended from the Invisible Collegeof 17th-century England, which triedto unify science, philosophy, and theoccult into a single, logical world view,but they have more in common withruthless centralizers such as Richelieuand Peter the Great. They have agents,minions, and contacts in many of theMasonic orders of 18th- and 19th-cen-tury Europe, which (along with theirhistorical foreknowledge and greatwealth) let them subtly control policedepartments, banks, and even royalcourts.

They travel back in time using theenergy of ley lines, invisible lines offorce connecting places of power andmystery on the Earth’s surface. Theirtravel ritual must be performed at aley nexus with a building on it, andcan only take them back to the layingof its cornerstone. Like the Gakuji rit-ual, the ley network rejects anachro-nistic devices and technology.However, travelers can travel along theley network to any other ley nexus

with a structure on it; a party ofArchitects could leave from Stone-henge and arrive at the Pyramids ofGiza, although not before 1850 B.C.when Stonehenge was built. Thebuilding need not be intact; the cere-mony will function in a ruin, a scrupu-lously maintained stately home, or anarchaeological excavation. TheArchitects have wormed their way intoany number of churches, archaeologi-cal societies, and so forth to ensuretheir access to cathedrals, castles, andhistorical sites.

The Fang SingThe insidious Devil-Doctor, the

Mad Mandarin, the most fearsome fig-ure in the East, Fang Wu Shih leads a


The time is out of joint; O cursed spiteThat ever I was born to set it right.

– William Shakespeare, Hamlet, I:v:187-188

Triad of devoted, fanatical followersdrained from the dregs of Asia andrecruited from its most elite templesand courts. Dr. Fang hates and resentsthe subservient role China plays in theworld of the 1920s, when its corruptRepublic is nothing but a toy for rivalwarlords backed by greedy foreigndevils who run opium and guns fortheir all-important profits. The FangSing want to destroy all Western civi-lization, leaving China supreme in his-tory; nothing they can do to aWesterner is beyond the pale. (TheDoctor has decreed that the Japaneseare Westerners, at least after the cow-ardly Meiji rejected tradition in 1868.)They work primarily in the historicalFar East, sabotaging and weakeningWestern interventions and building uptheir own Triad in the hills and in thetwisty alleys of Nanking and Shangai;occasionally a Fang Sing agent showsup in the West’s past, working tospread moral decay and corruption.

Doctor Fang has developed psionicprojection to astonishing heights; hecan watch anyone, anywhere in theworld with his vastly superior mind.Further, he has developed a method ofpsionic time travel to let his acolytespossess people in the past: the Ch’iFeng Technique. This only allowsthem to possess people within a mileof the traveler. A Fang Sing traveler inCanton, for example, can only possesssomeone in Canton in the past. TheHourglass has learned to detect thosepossessed in such fashion by gazinginto their eyes – 10 seconds of eye con-tact (and a Perception roll) is enoughto spot the “glimmer” of another mindbehind the pupils. Obviously, peopleunaware of time travel consider suchtalk ludicrous – and if the Fang Singagent in the past has mastered themesmeric arts, gazing into his eyesmay open the traveler up to worsedangers still!

One particularly noxious goal of Dr.Fang’s involves the Black Death. He isattempting to breed new diseasescapable of wiping out Europeannations wholesale; his agents some-times travel back to epidemics to testhis new formulas on unsuspecting vic-tims. He also shows great interest in allforms of selective breeding; some ofhis acolytes set up farms in the distantpast to raise and breed vermin.Generations later, his agents have

access to horrifying insects, monstrousserpents, and enormous arthropods ofall varieties known to science – andsome that science claims are impossi-ble by the laws of God and nature!

THE GREATWORK OF TIME

History can be changed, but itdoesn’t stay changed. If an evil Circlehas replaced Lorenzo de’ Medici asruler of Renaissance Florence, theirrule will last until they leave Florenceto return to the present. At that pointthe people will rebel, or the Milanesewill march in, or the Arno will flood,and after the fires and the riots theMedici will have connived their wayback into power. If you kill someone’sfather, he probably won’t be born, butif you kill his grandfather, who knows?And back more than two generations,family trees tend to re-graft them-selves somehow.

Subtle changes, however, the kindthat sneak under the wire or don’tmake it into the history books – thosecan propagate robustly. An Architectwho sets up a secret society in CharlesII’s London can step ahead to GeorgeIII’s London and expect to find his con-spiracy busily working along, and itwill still recognize the passwords and

secret handshakes he set up a centuryearlier. He may not be able to replacePitt as Prime Minister, but he will beable to bribe and suborn Pitt’s clerks. Ifhe has managed to get an Architectagent made Pitt’s history tutor as achild, he might even be able to alterPitt’s attitude toward such pesky thingsas Parliamentary power. With enoughof these subtle changes pointing in theright direction, the Architects hopethat they can build up enough momen-tum to suddenly alter history all atonce, like a river breaking its banksand carving out a new channel. Failingthat, the Architects plan to set upenough covert power in every nationthat they can seize control once somecrisis – a stock market crash, or a global war, for example – destabilizesall current governments. The FangSing, and certain of the evil TimeCircles, have similar hopes and aims.

In game terms, Simple changes(p. 105) can happen with little trou-ble. Anything that requires a lot ofresearch to find out about – individ-ual casualties at the Battle of BunkerHill, the precise royal budget for1713, whether Napoleon marchedthrough a given small town on hisway to Waterloo – is changeable. AnAverage or Complex change is theGM’s call; an Amazing change shouldbe impossible.


Hollow HistoryOr, possibly, history can be changed, but the present just doesn’t know

about it. Somewhere in the past, the Fang Sing have factories inCarthage churning out repeating crossbows for the final war with Rome.The Architects rule over Elizabethan England with machine guns andsteamships, preparing to launch their invasion of France. Evil TimeCircles command criminal empires in the pirate Caribbean, or launchBalkan wars to exterminate their rivals’ fortresses. None of it shows upin the history books, though, until these islands of “hollow history” canbe connected in a great chain – the Fang Sing have to wipe out Romefour or five times, and then start taking over the Renaissance on the backof Tamerlane’s invaders. Whichever side reaches the present first willrule the world.

To maintain the flavor of the game, changing history should still bedifficult, onerous work. Apply a universal -5 modifier to all outtime tech-nological, political, and cultural change rolls from pp. B505-508 orpp. 105-106. (Travelers should make use of the Extra Time rules onp. B346 to mitigate this problem for both Concept and Proposal rolls.)Opposition to political and cultural change delays things by quintuplethe time given on p. 105 – a delay of eight weeks becomes a delay of 40weeks, for example.

Fortunately (or unfortunately) forhimself, a time traveler has anextremely privileged past, with muchhigher inertia even than the rest of his-tory. His enemies can’t kill him as ababy, or convince his parents todivorce, or burn down his hometown,or draft him into the Army. This has itsdownside, too. A traveler who puts ashilling in an interest-bearing accountin 1700 will come back to find no for-tune waiting in the present. Instead,the bank went under in 1749, or a different claimant withdrew the cash a decade ago, or the government confiscated that account for tax delinquency. A traveler can bury treas-ure in the past and hope to dig it up inthe present, but making history workto change his life – in either direction– is right out. Further, he can’t inter-fere in his own timeline; no attempt atcommunication with his past orfuture self is possible.

CAMPAIGNASSUMPTIONS

ParametersScale: The default scale is fairly

prosaic, one of individual Time Circlescompeting for power, influence, andhandsome Meissen dishware.However, it can escalate with the goalsof the villains, especially if theArchitects or the Fang Sing becomemajor players.

Scope: Broad, intentionally so. Themore exotic and wild the past, the bet-ter to lock into the “pulp Twenties” feelof the campaign world.

Boundaries: The past, essentially asdepicted in a good 1920s history book,with lots of Dark Ages and MysteriousCivilizations outside the well-lit pro-gression of Egypt, Greece, Rome,Merrie England, and Our GloriousSelves. Psionics are the default sourceof “magical powers,” although the GMcan change the flavor by adding othersupernatural elements if desired.

ParaphysicsSee the Great Work of Time discus-

sion on p. 215; history is Plastic Timewith High (or even Very High)Resistance. There is no LinearityEffect; a month of time travel still

takes only one night’s ritual. There isno Observer Effect in the default set-ting, although the GM could add one ifhe wants a more mechanistic flavor tothe Circles’ strategy. The GM willprobably want to impose a RecencyEffect of about 20 years or so, if onlyto remove the temptation to do dirt toan enemy Circle last week.

As written, this setting involvesParadox-Proof Time, although oneinteresting variation would beTemporal Snarls that induce heavyFright Checks, FP costs, Will penal-ties, and even IQ damage for commu-nication with yourself. Is the messageworth delivering, knowing that you’llgo insane? A player can then “restart”in the position of his “younger self”(with said hefty damage) and replaythe crisis, or the GM and players canagree to handwave the shift and moveforward from the repair.

CharactersMembers of the Order of the

Hourglass likely have Enemies (EvilTime Circles), Wealth, and Status.

Power Level: Any, although slightlypulpier heroes (around 175-200points) fit the setting’s feel. Characterswithout several languages are going toget themselves killed.

Niche: All PCs are assumed to bemembers of a Time Circle, friends ortrusted associates of whichever PC it isthat has the Gakuji source.

Freedom: One hopes that all PCswill comport themselves as ladies andgentlemen, whether in the present orthe past. American heroes are expect-ed to try their best, given the handi-caps under which they labor.

Edges: The only edge the PCs haveis time travel, although the GM mayallow other psionic powers if he wish-es. Their foes have at least the sameedges the PCs possess; on average, evilTime Circles are PC-equivalent, theArchitects have more wealth andpower, and the Fang Sing have morepsionics and deadly kung fu.

Time Travel AdvantagesGakuji (+40): Jumper (Time) (Warp

Jump; Naked (Except for perioditems, -20%), -25%, Past Only, -20%,Preparation Required (1 hour), -50%,Psionic Teleportation, -10%, ResearchRequired, -25%, Trigger (Gakuji,

occasional) -30%; -80%) [20]; Warp(Warp Jump; Naked (Except for period items, -20%) -25%, PreparationRequired (1 hour), -50%, PsionicTeleportation, -10%, ResearchRequired, -25%, Trigger (Gakuji, occasional), -30%; -80%) [20].

Architect Ley Travel (+40): Jumper(Time) (Warp Jump; AttunementRequired (Structure) -20%, Past Only-20%, Preparation Required (1minute), -20%, Psionic Teleportation,-10%, Special Portal (Ley nexus struc-ture), -30%; -80%) [20]; Warp (WarpJump; Attunement Required (struc-ture) -20%, Preparation Required (1minute), -20%, Psionic Teleportation,-10%, Special Portal (ley nexus struc-ture), -30%; -80%) [20].

Ch’i Feng Technique (+40): Jumper(Time) (Linked +10%; AstralProjection, -10%, Only in Trance,-30%, Past Only, -20%, PreparationRequired (10 minutes), -30%,Projection, -50%; -80%) [20] andPossession (Linked +10%; AstralProjection, -10%, Only in Trance,-30%, Preparation Required (10 min-utes), -30%, Spiritual, -20%; -80%)[20].

With any of the above methods, acritical failure throws the traveler offcourse by 6d months either way.

Genre and ModeThis setting is a pulp conspiracy

setting; in general, members of goodTime Circles are good guys and can betrusted, but the bad guys might beanywhere else. Order of the Hourglassadventures can support the investiga-tive mode well. Historical fidelity isless important than exciting scenery;at its base, Minoan Crete is a ThrillingLocation, not a fully evoked society,unless the GM wants to explore cul-ture clash more deeply than “I say, SirNigel, they don’t seem to be wearingany, er, you know . . . camisoles.”



In the late 20th century, the physi-cist Alexei Arbatov proved the exis-tence of “entropic charge,” an energypotential inherent in all matter.Entropic charge declines over time;presumably it was at its maximum atthe time of the Big Bang, and willreach zero when the Universe reachesits maximum expansion and begins tocollapse. Physicists are still arguingover what happens after that . . .

Arbatov postulated that entropiccharge serves to “hold” matter station-ary in time, and could be manipulatedto move matter through time. Butnothing was actually achieved for over50 years, when Mariana Brill firstdemonstrated time displacement inthe laboratory on the atomic particlelevel. The Arbatov-Brill Effect usedhuge amounts of energy, and wasuncontrollable and unstable. Another30 years went by before NehemiahEden used a new type of organic-plas-tic semiconductor to create FocalReferent devices, which made the sta-ble displacement of objects practical –though the energy cost remains staggering.

The United Nations, by then atrue world government, immediatelymoved to establish control over timetravel. Under the general title ofProject Timepiece, they constructedthe first large-scale Arbatov-Brill-Eden Transmitter, and set up theTemporal Control Authority (TCA) tooperate it.

Unfortunately, Timepiece is notalone in the past. Early in its exis-tence, it encountered the operativesof an organization calling itselfStopwatch, who were attempting toalter history at key points. Stopwatchis the equivalent of the TCA from analternate present, in which a graybureaucracy rules humanity. (It callsitself United Mankind, but our worldknows it as the Hive.)

Stopwatch agents are workingthroughout time to make certain thattheir future comes into existence.Project Timepiece has its own eliteTime Corps to prevent this.

Who controls the past controls the future; whocontrols the present controls the past.

– George Orwell, 1984

Agent SlangTime Agents, close-knit and highly trained, have developed their own

terminology. This slang adds color to a campaign. (GMs can also devel-op their own – or encourage their players to do so.)

The implanted Focal Referent is called the Latch, or the Jockstrap.The Mark II that non-agents wear has nicknames like Safety Belt.

Agents tend to deride non-agents, and (when the victims aren’t lis-tening) call fitting the Mark II “tucking them in” or “putting on trainingwheels.” The Transmitter Stage may be called Home Plate, Ground Zero,or similar names; only a rookie calls it “the Transmitter” or “the Stage.”

Timesickness has many colorful nicknames; among the more print-able are “Wells’ Revenge” and “The Crosstime Cookie Toss.”

We can’t print their nicknames for Stopwatch agents.

Time Corps GlossaryAbsolute Now: the “real” present, from the point of view of someone at

ABET headquarters.blackout: an area of time which cannot be reached by the ABET trans-

mitter. Some are temporary; some seem permanent.clock out: travel in time.crunch time: time in the Absolute Now passing at a faster rate than

experienced time while on a mission.divergence: warning of impending historical change (p. 225).downtime: toward the past.dropout: when all agents in a time period are thrown back to Base by a

historical change.Ear: a device for detecting items entering or leaving the local time.Eddy Effect: the reason agents in the past may not get supplies or rein-

forcements exactly as expected. This has other names we can’t print,but JAFEE (pronounced “jaffy”) stands for Just Another (Freaking)Eddy Effect.

nak: short for “anachronism.” A person, place or thing belonging in adifferent time or timeline.

native: anyone who belongs in the current world or time.Observer Effect: a phenomenon limiting the type of historical event

that can be changed (p. 159).slack time: time faster than normal relative to Absolute Now.traveler: anyone who goes between times, dimensions, planes or alter-

nate worlds. See also “nak.”uptime: toward the future.

THE TIME CORPS

MECHANICSThe Arbatov-Brill-Eden Transmit-

ter (ABET) is at the center of a town-sized complex in the Canadianwilderness. While the TransmitterStage is just a plain metal disc fiveyards in diameter, its support consistsof ranks of cryogenic supercomputersand one of the largest power-generat-ing stations on Earth; each pound ofmass sent into the past requires some$10,000 worth of electricity. The restof the TCA complex provides housing,research, and training facilities forapproximately 600 Time Agents andseveral thousand support personnel.

Once displaced into the past, anobject has “negative temporal poten-tial”; Arbatov’s entropic energy con-stantly tries to return it to the present.Displaced objects must always be insidethe field of a Focal Referent device, orthey return to the Transmitter Stage.(There is one very important exceptionto this: the Divergence Effect, describedon p. 225.)

The ABET can send a load of 1,200lbs. to any period for which a window(see below) can be found – distanceinto the past does not matter.

The ABET can reach any physicallocation on Earth; agents do not onlytravel in time, but also in space. (Itdoes not seem able to hit off-Earthpoints accurately, due to the lack of agravitational frame of reference.) Thefirst agents sent to a given site have a1 in 6 chance of a small coordinateerror – not fatal, but often interesting.

Target Periods and Blackouts

Because of the Arbatov Barrier, aneffect analogous to the “potential

barrier” around the atomic nucleus,nothing above the atomic level can besent back less than 130 years. For anAbsolute Now of 2100 – a good start-ing place for the campaign – thismeans that no time after 1970 can bereached.

Even before 1970, the ABET can-not send agents to any chosen periodin time. It is limited to “windows” –periods 245 days, 496.5 seconds apart.These window periods move as theAbsolute Now does. If June 7, 1832 isa “window” right now, then June 14will be a “window” next week. These“windows” have no width at all. Youcan send to one specific instant inJune 7, 1832 . . . or you can send toanother instant, some eight monthsearlier or eight months later . . . and soon. If you want to get to June 14, youwill have to wait a week . . . either inthe present, or in the past.

Thus, agents sent into the pastmust usually wait several months toget to a desired historical event – butsometimes they have no choice but toland almost on top of it, and act withlittle preparation.

For game purposes, it is easiest tothink of the present as “dragging” astring of windows through time. Theseare the only points to which a timetraveler can go. They are about eightmonths apart. So if you can hitJanuary 1700 right now, you can alsohit September 1700, and May 1701,and so on – assuming no blackoutsintervene. In practice, of course, theGM can put a window whenever hewants one by deciding what date theAbsolute Now is at.

Certain periods, though, areblacked out and unavailable. Some ofthese are due to successful Stopwatch

interventions (see below). Others aremysteries. The blackout from 25 B.C.to 82 A.D. is especially irritating to his-torians. Blackout periods have beenknown to move and change, too. (TheGM can set blackout periods for anytime he finds convenient.)

When a window moves into ablackout, nothing can be sent throughit, or emerge from it . . . but the win-dow will re-emerge from the blackouton schedule. Agents with downtimewhen a blackout begins cannot returnhome until it is over, and sometimeshave odd memory lapses.

Just sending something back intime creates a temporary blackout.When something is sent to a window,that window closes for the next3d¥100 hours of past time (which isan average of a month and a half). Theactual time it will remain closed can-not be predicted, but the ABET candetect the window opening again.

Since linearity is not conserved inthis scenario – the Absolute Now doesnot necessarily move at the same“speed” as the past, with respect to anobserver in the past – someone whowas sent through a window will notalways be “on” that window withrespect to Control. Sometimes, butnot always! In general, the more a vis-itor meddles with the past, the likelierhe is to set up an “eddy” which willreduce the precision with whichControl can send him reinforcementsor supplies (see below).

ReturningAgents may return at any time

(unless Divergence is occurring; seep. 225). They return to whatevermoment the Absolute Now hasreached. The Linearity Principle(p. 156) does not always hold true. Themore changes the agents make, themore likely it is that time will be linear,as their personal duration “fills up”any accumulated slack in the timeline.

Anything which returns to thefuture reappears on the ABET stage.The TCA keeps the stage clear at alltimes except while actually transmit-ting something, and takes returneesoff the stage immediately. (Theoretic-ally, anything returning to a fully occu-pied stage would simply be displacedin a random direction, to appear in anopen area, but nobody wants to takechances.)


Eddies and UncertaintyAgents who meddle with the past, or who are in the presence of

Stopwatch agents who meddle with the past, find that Control can’t hittheir time exactly with reinforcements, supply drops and so on. The“window” has become uncertain. This uncertainty is from 1d to 10dhours; the GM judges the current level of historical change on a scalefrom one to 10, and rolls that many dice.

The message or reinforcement usually arrives after it was expected.On any roll containing more than two 6s, the shipment arrives before itwas expected. If the shipment was in response to a request from the past,it will never arrive before it was requested!

The Absolute NowThe Absolute Now – the date to

which agents return when they clockback from the past – starts at the dateon which they leave ABET, deter-mined by the GM. Changes are par-tially determined by the PCs’ actions.For instance, if they send a note toControl, requesting a machine thattakes three months to build, then theAbsolute Now advances by threemonths, even if the agents get theirmachine tomorrow relative to theirtime.

The GM can also advance theAbsolute Now arbitrarily while theagents are in past time. This meansthat when they clock forward, theywill come back later than the timethey left. As a general rule, future timepasses at only 10% of observed time ifthe agents do nothing (this allows forsome great vacations). Minor varia-tions let it flow at 30% of past timespeed; major ones at 60%; huge onesat 100%. This can vary by 4d% ineither direction, though never to lessthan 0%. The GM can always declare“A month has passed at Control withno report from you. They get nervousand send you a message.”

The existence of an Absolute Nowprevents one sticky sort of paradox.Agents can meet an agent from “theirfuture” – but they cannot carry infor-mation back to the time they left from.They will return to the same AbsoluteNow that the later agent came from.

Example: Ng Chan clocked out onJanuary 1, 2100. He traveled 200years downtime to January 1900. Heremains there, observing, for 100days. Normally he’d assume thatonly 10 days Absolute had passed(he’s not taking any actions – justobserving). One evening, though, AlMorris, a fellow agent, contacts him.Al tells Ng that he clocked out in July1, 2100. Ng now knows that theAbsolute Now has advanced sevenmonths – and he’ll probably try tofigure out why! No matter what theexplanation, Ng will now snap backto July 1 or later – he has “lost” theintervening seven months (this isknown as “crunch time”; see the boxbelow). Biologically, Ng would haveonly aged three months (the lengthof time he spent in 1900).

It is possible that the “real”absolute now is 500 years from now,and that Timepiece agents are beingwatched by the agents of some futuretime corps – but that would be a dif-ferent campaign, and would requiresome explanation of why Timepieceagents return to their own time. In thisframe, our heroes are at the real Now,the farthest point that eternity hasadvanced. They will not see agentsfrom the far future. If they see agentsfrom a near future, that futurebecomes their present when theyreturn.

The Focal ReferentA Focal Referent (FR) is the device

that keeps a transmitted object in thepast. Time Agents have a Mark IIIFocal Referent implanted in the chestand abdomen. It is powered by myo-electricity from the user’s body, and isnot detectable by surface examina-tion. The organic plastic does notappear on an X-ray, though a carefulsearch with ultrasonic equipment(available only after the late 1960s,and therefore not much of a risk) orsurgical invasion might reveal it.

The Mark III monitors the wearer’sheart and brainwaves. If he is badly

wounded, the device switches off, andthe agent returns to the transmitterstage, where an emergency medicalteam is constantly standing by. WithTL10 medical care, “if he’s breathing,he’s cured.” The only thing thatTimepiece’s medical staff can’t dealwith is severe head injury. If an agentpops back with most of his head miss-ing, he’s dead. Even so, if the playerlikes, a clone of the agent can be cre-ated from a braintape made before themission!

To return voluntarily, at the conclu-sion of a mission or before, the agentuses his tongue to activate two switch-es built into his teeth (two, rather thanone, to avoid accidents). Even so,there is a small chance (a roll of 5 orless on 3d) that any blow that gets pastthe head’s DR will pop the agent backto his home time. (The GM mayignore this result if it interferes withthe game, but players will usually beamused; it’s better than dying.)

Non-agents sent into the past usu-ally wear a Mark II FR as a belt orchest strap (with a heart sensor, whichfunctions like the life sensors on theMark III). It weighs 1 lb. and has DR 3and HT 5.


Crunch Time and Slack TimeWhen the Absolute Now advances at a faster rate than the personal

time of a traveler, this is known as crunch time. In the example above,Ng might complain that he was “crunched seven months, and missed thebasketball playoffs.”

On the other hand, if everything goes well, an Agent can spend longerdowntime than the Absolute Now passes. This is known as “slack time.”

Crunch time and slack time can introduce some interesting effects,especially regarding calendar age vs. biological age. For instance, some-one with a lot of slack time might have a calendar age of 20 years, but abiological age of 50+. Someone who uses slack to his own benefit(meeting deadlines, rising in rank, etc.) is known as a “slackmaster.”

Conversely, an Agent with a great deal of crunched time mightappear to be 25 years old – but have actually been born several hundredyears ago (if the Absolute Now had advanced that far since the campaign started)!

The clock in San Dimas is always ticking.– Rufus, Bill and Ted’s

Excellent Adventure

Both the Mark II and III FocalReferents “hold” the wearer’s clothingand personal equipment to a range ofabout five yards. Beyond this range,the gear will snap back. Equipmentcan be fitted with a Mark I FR, aboutthe size of a credit card (DR 2, HT 3).Agents usually carry a spare Mark I incase they have to temporarily storetheir gear. Placed in a closet or chest ofdrawers, for instance, the Mark Iwould stabilize everything within twoyards. Weapons are usually notequipped with their own circuits –very effective insurance against theirfalling into the wrong hands.

Any “home-time” item that leavesan FR field snaps back to the ABETstage. This includes shed blood, sweat,fingernail clippings, and so forth –which is why agents take a strong lax-ative a few hours before leaving. Thereturn of random trash is messy andinconvenient when the Stage is occu-pied, but rarely dangerous. When nec-essary, pressure sprayers sweep theStage clear. (The backup system is acouple of people with mops . . .)

Exception: An item in a blacked-out period will not snap back to thefuture, even if it loses its FocalReferent, until the blackout ends.

Any FR field will hold a “future”object; if one agent hands a stunner toanother, it the second agent’s fieldholds it when the first agent walksaway. But Stopwatch FR fields will nothold an item from the Timepiecefuture, and vice versa.

The Transference EffectThe food that a traveler consumes

in the past, once digested and assimi-lated, becomes part of the traveler andreturns when the traveler does; sodoes the air in his lungs. It appearsthat when atoms from the future

chemically bond with atoms from thepast, the Arbatov charge “leaks” viathe electrons. If a future object inter-acts chemically with past materialsinside a Focal Referent field, it gradu-ally leaks its “future” charge. Similarly,“past” atoms can be assimilated intoobjects from the future, though theytend to acquire a “future” charge.

Since most of the human body iswater, an agent can avoid any signifi-cant effects by drinking a great deal offuture water for at least a week beforereturning. This replaces the system’s“past” water and seems to replenishthe charge on the body’s other molecules.

But when an agent returns by sur-prise or without taking precautionsafter a very long visit to the past, hemay take actual injury because someof his molecules stay in the past! Roll1d-2 injury for each full year the agentstayed in the past, or 1d-3 if he lived asmuch as possible on rations broughtfrom the future. (But note that sincethe agent returns to the ABET stage,where some of the world’s best med-ical care is available, he’s usually in lit-tle danger unless he’s dead when hearrives.)

Still, there are spooky side effects.When an agent leaves some of him-self behind, those who remain see agreasy, bloody mist in the shape of aman – the left-behind molecules. Andthere have been cases, not thoroughlyexplained, where long-term agentsvanished from the past and did not return to the future. Were theirmolecules dispersed throughout history, or did they arrive, intact,partway to the future?

A much commoner painful sideeffect occurs when any agent returns;a major fraction of the material in thedigestive tract remains in the past.

This sudden vacuum in the gut ispainful, and costs 1d FP.

There are good side effects of trans-ference. After someone has been in thepast for about a month (8d days, dif-ferent for each traveler), their cut hair,fingernails, skin flakes, etc., no longersnap back to the present onceremoved, eliminating a telltale sign ofAgent-ness. Living matter like bloodcells snap back; hair and fingernailson a living body snap back when theperson does (though they may getshorter).

Bringing Past Items Forward

In general, it can’t be done. Past-time items carried by returningagents, placed within items set toreturn, etc., etc., simply stay in theirown time. Agents wishing to sendinanimate items “forward” must burythem in time capsules.

With patience, the transferenceeffect can be used to bring a livingbeing forward. A pair of Eohippus,captured in the prehistoric era andcarefully fed on modern food andwater for five years, returned to theABET stage with no ill effects; theyhave already produced a colt.

TIME AGENTSTimepiece agent characters begin

with a base of 180 points (or more, ifthe campaign is to be cinematic).Certain advantages and skills repre-senting agent training are mandatory,and certain disadvantages prohibited.(The GM may want to use the InfinityPatrol templates on pp. 186-188 as astarting point for constructingTimepiece Agents.)

Timepiece recruits must all be infirst-rate physical and mental health.Sending a hemophiliac into theMiddle Ages would amount to mur-der! Time agents can have no physicaldisadvantages; mental disadvantagesare allowed only if, in the GM’s opin-ion, they would not directly impedethe agent’s work. Impulsiveness orOverconfidence would be allowable;Pyromania or Sadism would not.Pacifism could be a plus, althoughTotal Nonviolence is likely too muchof a handicap in getting the job done.Agents do not have Dependents, and


When an agent returns by surprise or withouttaking precautions after a very long visit to thepast, he may take actual injury because some ofhis molecules stay in the past!


the agency does not normally sendnon-agents into the past. (See the dis-advantage lists in the Patrol templates,or the Alternate Outcomes troopers onp. 189.)

The GM should play the role ofrecruiting officer when the players askfor disadvantage points. Timepiecemight accept a reformed alcoholic, ifhe was very talented – a linguisticgenius, say. Many disadvantages thatwouldn’t disqualify a character wouldalso never affect him in play, andtherefore wouldn’t be worth anypoints in the first place.

Agents have a -20-point Duty toTimepiece (Constant; ExtremelyHazardous). This includes an obliga-tion not to kill if any other option isavailable. It is not a prohibition onkilling, but the GM should rewardcharacters who consider the optionsand find alternatives, and withholdpoints from those who kill needlessly.

Naturally, Timepiece can providetraining in virtually any skill agentsmight need, from fencing to disarm-ing nuclear weapons. Top Field Agentsare generalists rather than specialists.But Timepiece also has many agents,including combat specialists, who arerelatively one-dimensional. They areusually used either as part of teams, orfor very brief missions – i.e., they’reusually NPCs. These include the com-bat specialists, or “grunts,” Timepieceuses when direct confrontations areinevitable.

Timepiece is worth no points as aPatron, because usually the time when

an agent is in most need of help is themoment when Timepiece can’t do anything.

Field AgentsAbout 600 active Field Agents work

out of the Canadian base, plus another100 retired agents (see below).Therefore, while there is a goodchance that any agent will know anyother active-duty agent, nobody canrecognize all his fellow agents bysight. There are recognition codes . . .but nothing is foolproof.

Local AgentsTimepiece maintains a classified

number of Local Agents in dozens ofpast times. These agents often spendyears in place and develop firm identi-ties in the past. Of course, Stopwatchdoes the same thing.

Local Agents can escape to Base atany time just by triggering their FRdevices. But they can return to a spe-cific time only when a “window”crosses it.

Local Agents may receive instruc-tions from Timepiece at any time, butwith rather weird constraints. At anygiven Absolute Now, communicationis possible only with a string of pointsin history, eight months apart, withvarious gaps. So once an agent hasbeen in place for eight months, youcan almost always communicate withhim – but not necessarily at the mostconvenient time. You can’t depend ontelling him “Do this now!” You may

have to tell him “Do this in sixmonths . . .”

Retired AgentsRetired agents often stay with the

service as instructors and advisors,and can return to the field in a pinch.Many of them also volunteer as LocalAgents in the past, becoming perma-nent observers for the rest of theirlives. Currently, Base has about 100retired agents on its staff.

THE ENEMYThe Hive occupies an “alternate

present.” It is impossible to travelbetween the Hive’s present and that ofTimepiece. However, both alternatepresents can send agents into theircommon past. The Hive is a world inwhich everyone works for the govern-ment – or for some part of a web ofoverlapping governments that starts atthe level of the huge, gray apartmentblocks, and goes all the way to thebloated descendant of the U.N. All cor-porations have been nationalized (orall governments have been bought outby the corporations – it’s hard to tell).

It is a polluted, overpopulated, des-perately resource-poor world. But itscivilized portions are very regimentedand orderly. When a Hive agent visitsthe past, he is likely to see not freedomand wealth, but a disgustingly undisci-plined display of waste. But there areexceptions; some Hive agents revel inthe past and don’t want to leave.

Hive agents may be from anyindustrialized part of the world –North America, Europe (includingEuropean Russia), eastern China andJapan, Australia, and Argentina. Thepoorer areas have simply collapsed infamine and disease, and have beenabandoned. Where they held valuableresources, as in South Africa, enclavesfrom the Hive exist to strip them dry.

Why are there only two competingtimelines? Neither side knows.Temporal physics seems to be gov-erned by a strange attractor – a math-ematical function that boils downalmost all probabilities into two.Consider: When you spin a coin, it israndom, a ball of light moving aboutthe table. But when it stops, no matterwhere it falls, it will almost always end

in one of two states: heads or tails.(But it might land on its edge, or falloff the table . . . just as agents haveoccasionally reported observers frompotential futures other than that of theHive.)

The timeline seems to be spinninglike a coin. Whatever happens in thepast seems to lead almost inevitably to


Time Agent EquipmentAgents have access to any equipment they need,

without regard for budgets, at TL10 . . . within the lim-itations of the 1,200-pound maximum transfer. Ofcourse, the agents’ superiors (that is, the GM) may vetoany request that seems unreasonable. The GM, playingthe supervising agents, decides which items may havebuilt-in FRs (so they can stay on the past on their own)and which do not have FRs (so they will snap back ifdropped). See the Patrol equipment on pp. 22-27 forsome similar gear.

WeaponsThere are two standard weapons, which never have

built-in FRs. Occasionally a past-timer will manage toget hold of one which is “stuck” in the past due to diver-gence, but it always vanishes as soon as the DivergenceEffect ends.

The Stunner is a sonic stunner in the shape of ashort metal wand. It can be tuned for either tight-beamor area effect. (Use the CF/3 statistics on p. 200).

The Stinger is a gas-operated pistol that fires tran-quilizer darts. It may be camouflaged to look like anantique weapon (flintlock, Colt .45, etc.) and fitted withpowder charges to make the appropriate flash andbang, or disguised as a cane, prayer book, or other item,in which case it operates nearly silently. The darts con-tain a plastic FR circuit, which is charged as they spinthrough the barrel rifling: a few seconds after firing(more than enough time to reach the target) the chargedissipates and the dart vanishes, leaving only a smallpuncture wound like an insect bite. The Super Stingeris a rifle version of the Stinger with telescopic sight; ifnot disguised as an antique weapon, it folds to fit in asmall shoulder bag. (Use the Needler statistics onp. 200; the Super Stinger has four times the range andsix times the weight.)

Costumes and MoneyThe Costuming division can provide copies of any

period dress, with improvements such as Kevlar liningfor leather armor. Some items, such as suits of platearmor, may have Focal Referents to keep them fromsnapping home when separated from the wearer.

Traveling money is a problem neither of the timeagencies has ever fully solved. Precious metals, or even

gemstones, are cheap compared to the cost of transmis-sion, but they are difficult to stabilize. Where commerceis well developed, Research Division can provideinstructions for profitable, inconspicuous investments.They have also manufactured large coins and articles ofjewelry containing small FR circuits, although theselose their charge and snap back in a few days, givingrise to stories of magicians’ gold that dissolves after thesorcerer departs . . .

Other GadgetsThe effects of Focal Referents are described on p. 219.

The Notebook is a portable audiovisualrecorder/player, about the size of an average hardcoverbook. It is used to record the course of a mission,though if fitted with a Focal Referent it can be used asa snooping device. It records on laser discs that can beejected and used to send messages to the present (seealso next entry). Time Agents are notorious for using therecorder for all sorts of purposes except keeping anaccurate record of their activities . . .

Notecards are small sheets of plastic with a faintradioactive tracer. Agents in the field can write mes-sages on a card and leave it behind; once out of range ofthe agent’s FR, it snaps back to the ABET stage, whereits tracer sets off a warning to pick up the note. The spe-cial cards are rarely necessary, of course. Anything thatappears on the stage will be examined immediately. Butif a note appears on the stage at the same time that sev-eral wounded agents snap back, the special plastic cardsare likelier to survive and be noticed! Notecards that donot disappear provide a warning of Divergence Effect.

The T-Meter is a device for measuring Arbatov ener-gy; it can precisely identify the moment in time at whichthe travelers have arrived. (If the GM would rather theplayers not know this, the T-Meter may be made unreli-able, or not used at all.)

Homemade EquipmentIf the agents are going to be in place for a long

time, they can bring tools and equipment from homeand build some fairly high-tech equipment. If theyreally need an Uzi, they can have one made from localmaterials.

either the Timepiece world or theworld of the Hive.

And here the coin analogy breaksdown, because now – whatever “now”means – both the Timepiece world andthat of the Hive seem to exist. They arenot separate timelines . . . at least,nobody can travel between them. Theyare different aspects of the same time-line, with almost equal probability.

Could enemy action change historyenough to extinguish one side entirely?Mathematics suggests it can’t . . . but ifa timeline becomes unlikely enough, itwill no longer be able to travel in time.And that, by itself, is worth fightingfor! Timepiece agents not only opposeStopwatch’s changes, but try to createtheir own, to make history favor theirworld.

Timepiece has only a general ideawhat events favor Stopwatch, andwhat events favor themselves. Thefinal decision which determineswhich way the coin falls must lie inthe 130 years which the ABET can’tsee or visit. Something during thatperiod was important enough toreduce all preceding history into onesimple choice.

All the maneuvering of both sidesis simply directed at influencing thatone decision, without knowing justwhat it is. But from probability read-ings after each known change,Timepiece knows about what to

expect. In general, it seems that his-torical events favoring freedom andpersonal liberty favor its world, andthose favoring control (whether dicta-torship or just bureaucracy) favor theHive. The form of government doesn’tseem important: corporate control isjust as bad (for Timepiece) as rule byking, president or Mafia don. Wars inthemselves may be good or bad, butthey’re more often bad because war, orthe fear of war, encourages strictercontrols.

Stopwatch AgentsThe agents of the alternate-world

Stopwatch organization are every bitas well trained and equipped as thePCs. Most of them are motivated by apersonal lust for advancement; theworld of the Hive is comfortable onlyfor those on top. Furthermore, theyhave been convinced that the othertimeline must be extinguished if theirsis to survive, so their dedication isfanatical.

Attempts to bring Stopwatchagents back don’t work. Timepieceagents have been captured byStopwatch and taken away, but inter-rogation of prisoners reveals that nonehave ever made it back “home.” Theirfellow Timepiece operatives havenever seen them, either – nobodyknows where they went!

The GM should occasionallyforce the two sides to make a tempo-rary truce and cooperate, either tosave all their lives from the angrylocals, or to avoid a change so mas-sive that it might make both worldsless probable.

Stopwatch agents are generallymore ruthless than Timepiece agents.They have more to gain and more tolose – though as just mentioned,truces are possible. And whileStopwatch does not specifically trainits agents against killing as Timepiecedoes, they are just as subject to theeffects of changing history, and havethe same need for caution. They rarelykill someone unless they know he’sfrom Timepiece. And even so, they canoften make the Observer Effect workfor them by leaving a foe alive. Afavorite Stopwatch tactic – and someTimepiece agents use it, too – is to slita bound foe’s wrists. The blood losstriggers his FR and sends him backhome, where he is patched up to tellhis story. (If the victim wasn’t reallyfrom the future, of course, he simplydies.)

Stopwatch cannot be taken as aspecific Enemy, because it’s built intothe campaign as part of the overallrisk that agents take, and does notseem to target specific Timepieceagents – or to have any way of doingso if it wanted to.

Other Realities andDoubled Agents

The only documented “alternatepresent” is that of the Hive andStopwatch; however, Agents havereported contacts with individualswho seem to be Time Agents fromother realities, some of them quitebizarre.

The other troublesome effectinvolves the people of the Hive’s uni-verse. Are they the same in bothworlds? That is, do Timepiece agentshave duplicates in Stopwatch’s world,or are they entirely different people? Ifthey do coexist, one would expect thatat least some of the people who arerecruited as Time Agents in one worldwould also be employed by their foe.Again, agents have reported meetingtheir apparent doubles – but nothinghas been documented.


Visitors From the FutureControl has never been blessed (or cursed) with visitors from its own

future. The explanation for this is purely theoretical.It starts with the idea that Control exists in the true “Absolute Now.”

There is no future yet, just unformed possibilities. (There is no mathe-matical proof of this, though.)

Even though the current Control exists in the Absolute Now, it mightbe able to send agents to the Control of eight months ago. But theArbatov Barrier prevents this by imposing a minimum time-jump dis-tance of 130 years.

Still, it is possible that 130 years from now, the Control of that timewill be able to send agents to the Control of the “present.” But there aretheoretical reasons to think that the existence of an ABET transmitter isone of the things that can create a “blackout” period. If this is true, thena time that is the source of time travelers can never be the destination oftime travelers.

It is possible that some of the unexplained visitors to the past, occa-sionally reported by Timepiece agents, are really from Control’s future.But if they are, they haven’t admitted it . . . or anything else!

DETECTINGINTERVENTIONS

Penetration DetectionWhen a penetration is made from

Absolute Now in one timeline, theABET on the other timeline can pick itup. Thus, it is meaningful to say,“Stopwatch penetrated 1850 A.D.about 20 minutes ago.”

However, there are lots of falsealarms. This may mean that there istime travel going on that Timepiecedoesn’t know about, or that they don’tunderstand the system, or both. Over70% of the time, a team sent back tocheck a penetration detection findsnothing.

Problem ReportsWhenever possible, Local Agents

monitor important historical events.Sometimes they observe a problemdirectly (an agent in Moscow sees theGermans marching in). Sometimesthey see its effects afterward (anagent in Berlin receives word thatMoscow has fallen and Stalin is aprisoner). In either case, the agent’sduty is to return to Control immedi-ately with a full report. If severalagents are present, one returns. Theothers wait to be contacted. Usuallythe contact comes within minutesafter the messenger leaves . . . even ifit is from agents who have been onthe scene for months.

When a Local Agent becomesaware of a problem, the one thing hemust not do is observe too much! Thisseems like a paradox – in most wars,information is vital. But in crosstimeconflict, often the more you know theless you can do.

Agents can detect enemy action inthe past through the Eden-ArbatovEnergy Reflector – the EAER, or“Ear.” This detects the ripple of energycreated when a mass enters or leaves“current” time nearby. The larger themass, the farther away it can be spot-ted by the Ear. Agents wear smallEars; they are built into the skull, andtranslate the energy into sound to letthe agent “hear” something enteringor leaving. Thus, agents can often

detect each other by listening!Sending a note at the wrong time, orcarelessly dropping something, can bea fatal giveaway.

An agent can tell by the soundwhether something is coming orgoing, the direction, the general size,and the approximate distance. Thedistance something can be “heard”depends on its mass, and increasesaccording to a reverse power curve;the maximum theoretical distance atwhich any ripple can be picked up isless than 150 yards. The table aboveshows the range at which typicalmasses can be detected coming orgoing.

Larger Ears are available (20 lbs.).These have no more detection range,but read out the exact mass and dis-tance of each penetration, and canlog all penetrations for later exami-nation . . . which is useful, becauseeverybody sleeps from time to time.


Object Size Ear Detection RangeFingernail, button, etc. 5 yardsNotecard, dart 10 yardsBullet 20 yards1⁄2 pound 30 yards1 pound 40 yards10 pounds 50 yards100 pounds 60 yards1,000 pounds 70 yards1,200 pounds (maximum ABET send load) 71 yards

The Observer Effect vs. Changing HistoryNew agents often ask, “How can history be changed at all, if the

Observer Effect really works? After all, everything important about his-tory has been recorded.”

The answer – for practical purposes, anyway – has to do with directvs. indirect action. A directly observed event has a great amount of iner-tia; it is not likely to change because of direct action. Indirect action,however, which does not itself contradict anything observed, can buildup a “momentum of events” that can sweep away observed actions. Butthis momentum can take months or years to build!

Thus, a time traveler can take actions that will eventually changeobserved history. This can sometimes sweep away whole sections ofknown history, with all their observations . . . and with all the LocalAgents of both sides. And if, as often happens, the change is reversed, the“old” history will be back in place, along with its agents. But observa-tions made during that period will no longer be fully reliable; there isonce again scope for free action by Time Agents.

Divergence and DropoutIf scheduled reports fail to come

back from a given time, it may meanthat the agents have been cut off bythe Divergence Effect (see below). Ofcourse, if it is divergence, no rein-forcements can be sent directly to thetime in question.

Sometimes the first warningControl has of a change is when itfinds out that Timepiece has lost theround . . . by the unexpected appear-ance of all its agents and equipmentfor a particular time period.

The blackout of that periodremains in effect, and often spreads.History has been changed.

CHANGINGHISTORY

History can be changed. In fact, itcan be changed over and over.

Entropic energy allows an absolutesequence of events to be imposed onchanges made in past time. Supposethat in 2001, Stopwatch agents launcha time-attack against Wellington atWaterloo. They are partially success-ful, and history changes. So in 2002, it

is true that Napoleon won and theFrench Empire survived another 13years. But in late 2003, Timepiecelaunches a counter-effort, whichrestores history to its original track.Thus, the history books of 2003 arevery much like those of 2001.

When one side or the otherchanges history – accidentally or onpurpose – the effect is to change thefrequency of the entropic energy asso-ciated with each possible future. Inother words, the probability of eachfuture is changed.

Instruments at Control can detectthese probability fluctuations. A prob-ability change takes the form of acurve along a chart of history. Somechanges seem to “damp out” immedi-ately. Others have an avalancheeffect . . . but even these seem to dampout in the 130-year period that theABET can’t reach.

The instruments at Control canmeasure the probability of their ownexistence at Absolute Now. This isused to keep overall score in the cam-paign; see The Final Outcome, p. 226.

Control cannot measure the local probability of success in somecontested past time, but the agents in

that time have two rough-and-readyindicators of success.

The Divergence EffectWhen the local probability of

Timepiece’s coming into existencedrops below a certain point, travelbetween that time and the AbsoluteNow is no longer possible . . . forTimepiece agents! Stopwatch agentsare unaffected. The reverse is true forStopwatch.

An agent can check this at any timeby tossing a bit of future material out-side his FR field. If it vanishes, thingsare not going too badly. (On the otherhand, a Stopwatch Ear might hear itgo, so even good news might be badnews.) If it fails to vanish, the missionis in jeopardy. Often, the first that anagent knows of the failure-to-vanishproblem is when someone tries toreturn home, and fails . . . or when ahurt buddy’s body doesn’t vanish, butstays right there and bleeds.

When one side gains a strongadvantage, the other is “stuck” in thepast, with possibly deadly results forseverely injured agents who can’t gethome to high-tech medicine. Agentscall this “divergence loss.” It is notfinal: probability can flip back andforth more than once during a mis-sion, until one side is completelydefeated – or, as occasionally happens,the probability balance is restored,and both sides agree to back off.

When this Divergence Effectoccurs, the time period is blacked outfrom Control’s point of view. Controlcannot send anything to the closest“window” beforehand, and sometimesfor several “windows” afterward.

DropoutWhen the local probability of

Timepiece’s coming into existencedrops below a final threshold, allTimepiece FRs in that period cease tofunction, and all surviving agents andequipment snap back to the Stage infailure. The reverse is true, of course,for Stopwatch. There is often no doubtwhen you “win” an encounter; yourfoes vanish! The losing side can thensend no agents into that period or thetime immediately following, giving thewinners a chance to consolidate theirgains.


Gross Changes: A Bad Idea

“Why don’t we just nuke Hitler?” Every new Timepiece agent asksthat question, or something like it. Why can’t we just send a whole armyof Time Agents, armed to the teeth, to forcibly put history on the kind oftrack we want?

Because it doesn’t work, that’s why.Timepiece and Stopwatch don’t play a subtle game because they want

to. They’re subtle because they have no choice. Both agencies havelearned the hard way that noisy, flashy maneuvers don’t benefit anyone.

In the early days of the Time War, Stopwatch tried several blatantattacks on the early days of American history, from machine-gunningWashington’s troops to planting a fuel-air explosive device on WallStreet. In every case, the result was to pop all agents of both sides out ofthe affected time, and to reduce the Absolute Now probabilities of bothsides’ coming into existence.

Apparently if the past-timers realize, as a group, that they’re beinginvaded, that tends to throw history along very different lines. Nobodyknows what those lines might be, and nobody really wants to find out.

So, agents . . . be happy with your plotting and your careful maneu-vers in the background of history, and forget about nuking Hitler. Unless,of course, you can make it look like an accident . . .

In game terms, if the GM decidesthat Stopwatch is about to win, hecuts off communication between theTimepiece agents and their base. Andif he decides that the agents havefailed and Stopwatch has won thatencounter, he snaps everyone andeverything back home.

Long-Term EffectsOver a term of months or years, as

the Absolute Now measures time, thelocal probabilities tend to even out.The more massive the change, thelonger they take . . . but eventuallymost of that period, with its changedhistory, will be accessible once again.Usually, though, one critical arearemains “blacked out” and unavail-able for direct ABET transfer forever.

Visiting Changed History

When history is changed, the GMmust decide how far-reaching thechange was. The sooner the changedamped out, the less history the GMmust rewrite or avoid!

Agents visiting changed history willbe familiar with the new history. Afterall, this is history now; they read aboutit in their history books. Thus, the GMshould start any such visit with a brief-ing to the players. Often the new his-tory will be because of a Stopwatchintervention, and the players’ missionwill be to make a change that – theyhope – will push history back toward afavorable track. The inertia of timewill help them in this. (The GM mayalso decree that some part of “real”history is a Stopwatch plot, and sendthe party back to change historicalreality.)

Remembering “Original” History

Only those individuals withTemporal Inertia (p. B93) can remem-ber events of an “original” history,including missions (their own or oth-ers’) to that period. Usually, the TimeCorps’ first warning of a changecomes from its agents or employeeswith Temporal Inertia. (Timepiecehires individuals with Eidetic Memoryand Temporal Inertia, even if they have no other qualifications,specifically as “rememberers.”)

After a change, the Time Corpsimmediately debriefs its rememberersand produces a file of alternate history. This can be used in an attemptto plan actions that might undo achange.

The Final OutcomeIf one side loses enough successive

contests, then its probability becomeslow enough that it cannot travel intime reliably, if at all. It seems unlikely that any probability can becompletely erased . . . but who wouldwant to take the chance?

In game terms, the GM shouldstart with the relative probabilities ofTimepiece and Stopwatch at 49%each. (The remaining 2% is made upof a huge number of low-probabilityfutures.) Any successful interventionby one side adds 2d% to its own prob-ability, and subtracts 2d% (not neces-sarily the same number, but reroll anyresult that is more than 2 different)from the opposing probability. The“main” probabilities may never totalmore than 99%, with the last 1% goingto the “wild” futures. Should theTimepiece-Stopwatch total ever bemore than 99%, reduce the higherprobability to make the total 99%.

The GM may also decide that abadly botched intervention has madeboth futures less probable, reducingeach one by 1d% or even 2d%.

If Timepiece’s probability isreduced below 8%, the campaign hasended in failure for the agents. If

Stopwatch is reduced below 8%, thePCs have won – and can continue totravel in time as researchers or eventourists. (But if they do something tochange history again, Stopwatch mayreappear!)

It is also possible that repeated dis-asters will reduce the combined prob-ability of Timepiece and Stopwatch toless than 70%. If that happens, the GMmay create a third time-twisting agentforce, with any characteristics helikes . . . another probability hasreached critical level, and may betreated like the first two. Things canreally get complicated then . . .

CAMPAIGNASSUMPTIONS

ParametersScale: The scale of the Time Corps

is an interesting mix of prosaic, subtleadventures and the ultimate stakes –the future of the world! This is a goodcompromise level, and the GM shouldtry to emphasize both elements of itwhere possible.

Scope: Time Agents are the best ofthe best, alone in the past. They have abroad operational scope, although thenature of the windows and theObserver Effect tend to constrainthem.

Boundaries: One world, but all time(with variations) up to about 1970.There is only one method of time travel, and no gates or other cheats.


Record-Keeping and the Observer EffectTimepiece has two very different kinds of record-keeping. It keeps

extensive records about the detailed course of history, as recorded by his-torians and as observed by agents in “unthreatened” periods. Timepiecehas the greatest historical library in the world . . . fully computerized, ofcourse, but many of the original materials can be examined. (+2 to anyResearch roll on a historical subject!)

But Timepiece does not keep detailed records of the observations andactions of its own agents, once a specific crisis has passed. Even thegreatest success leaves only a numerical rating in the agent’s record,along with a note that he has successful experience in that period. Minorfailures, likewise, leave only ratings. Agents rarely survive major failures.

The reason, of course, is to attempt to outsmart the Observer Effect.The less detail is recorded about some things, the easier it is to getaround them. On the other hand, if you know nothing about what eitheryour agents or the enemy are doing, how can you proceed? It’s a prob-lem that makes the lives of Time Agents entirely too interesting.

ParaphysicsAs given in the Mechanics section,

the Exclusion Rule (p. 157) applies.Travelers can’t travel to a time wherethey already exist. If they visit a timejust before they already exist, theymust leave again before their “earlier”version appears (or is born). If theydon’t, the “later” version will pop backto the ABET stage.

The agents in the field can almostalways communicate with Control vianotecards (see Other Gadgets, p. 222),or by returning in person if necessary.This only becomes impossible if a mis-sion is imperiled by divergence(p. 225). Control can communicatewith agents by sending physical mes-sages through the ABET, but eachtime a package is sent, that window isclosed for a long time. In a pinch,Control can send a package to an ear-lier window and mark it “Do not openuntil [whenever]!” Attempts to use thistrick to get around the Observer Effectfail; usually, such a message is simplyblank when read. Each communica-tion from Control advances theAbsolute Now from the point of viewof the agents.

History in this campaign is Plasticbut very Resistant. The ObserverEffect (p. 159) applies; paradoxesseem to be impossible. If a Timepieceor Stopwatch agent changes history,the change affects the Absolute Nowonly on a probability level.

It is possible for an agent in thepast to meet someone else from “hisfuture.” That is, someone from 2100could meet someone who had beensent from 2101. When that happens,the agent from the earlier time knowsthat the Absolute Now has advanced(p. 219); if he clocks back, he’ll arrivein that later time. Agents in this situa-tion are careful to exchange onlyinformation required for the mission.

CharactersSee pp. 171-200 for character

design notes; Timesickness (p. 181) isCommon and Mild.

Genre and ModeThis is a quintessential technical SF

setting, with much of the challengefocused on using the mechanics oftime travel to accomplish the mission.

A GM with a strong historical SF inter-est can, of course, run plenty of repairmissions (p. 211) in both directions!Missions are likely to be investigative,with a strong dose of technothriller (tofill out those months of waiting for theObserver Effect or the window). Thesetting probably works best ifTimepiece agents are, in fact, the goodguys, but a certain amount of grittinesswon’t spoil anything.

OPERATIONARCHDUKE: ATYPICAL MISSION

Because of the high percentage of“false alarms” and missions to protect“weak spots” against possible incur-sions, the truly typical mission is onein which the agents clock back . . .spend several paranoid weeks down-time, possibly getting in trouble withthe natives . . . and clock home, neverhaving seen any evidence of aStopwatch agent. Certainly the GMcan throw in such a mission now andthen. But players will expect toencounter enemy agents . . . and theplayer characters are paid to expectenemy agents.

Our typical mission, then, is onewhere Stopwatch is really up to some-thing. Here’s an account of the mission as it happened . . .

The WarningThe ABET operators report a

possible Stopwatch transmission: to awindow at May 30, 1914, in Austria. The time and place suggest that this isreal. On June 28, Archduke FrancisFerdinand, heir to the Austrian throne,and his wife were assassinated, leading immediately to World War I.Obviously, this is a key historical event.But how does Stopwatch stand to gainby changing it?

Three days later Brunner, the LocalAgent in Vienna, sends a furtherreport. Just as a precaution, he hadbugged the homes and meeting placesof the Serbian conspirators who wereto assassinate Ferdinand. Through hislistening devices, he heard sounds of adisturbance. A little detective work onhis part confirmed that the main con-spirators had been removed andreplaced by Stopwatch agents!

The BriefingThe agent team is called together

and briefed on the period. In this par-ticular case, the Austria of 1914 cor-responds almost exactly to that of our“real” history. The GM mentions onenon-historical detail: the Americanescape artist and writer, HarryHoudini, is currently living inAustria, writing, researching, anddoing occasional short performancetours. (The depth of this briefingwould depend on the GM and thegroup. If everyone enjoys research,the GM probably started by checkingseveral books out of the library, andhe might end his briefing by handingthem to the players.)

The problem is that the nature ofthe intervention is not immediatelyobvious. Clearly it has something todo with the assassination. But theArchduke was, in his time, a force forstable unity and peaceful devolutionof power. One would think thatStopwatch would want him dead! Sothe agents will have to watch carefullyand think on their feet.

The Initial PenetrationThe closest window to use would

be the same one that Stopwatchused, now at June 2. (The fact thatthey used it recently does not black itout to Timepiece – just to them.) ButControl is concerned that the teammight not have time to prepare prop-erly. Brunner is the only agent in thattime period, and he is not wellequipped.

So: Six agents (the PCs) are clockedto the previous window, eight monthsearlier. This gives them time to pre-pare. Immediately afterward, Controlsends six combat specialists (“grunts”)to the June 2 window, with orders towait for contact from the PCs and follow their instructions.

The PCs in 1913 are under strictorders not to contact the Local Agentin any way, and not to interfere withthe Stopwatch actions that Brunnerreported. To do so would be to chal-lenge the Observer Effect. However –armed with the information suppliedby Brunner – they place the fakeassassins under surveillance withoutbeing detected, and they identify atotal of seven Stopwatch agents.


One of the players tries directaction anyway, just to see what theGM will do. He sets up an ambush tozap one of the female agents with aSuper Stinger – no women are knownto be crucial to the Stopwatch movesalready observed. But the entire teamis afflicted with food poisoning from abad dinner the night before. The rifle-man is doubled up with cramps fiveminutes before his target appears,and his FR yanks him home. Since hedidn’t tell the rest of the team what hewas up to, they spend a lot of timebeing paranoid. The Stopwatch agentwho was being targeted “heard” themissing agent clock out, and her teamis paranoid, too.

In January 1914, the “early” teamgets a time-dropped package of extraweaponry, supplies and information;the missing agent returns in this drop.(If the PCs had thought of anything inparticular that they really needed, theycould have requested it by notecardand gotten it in this drop.)

The Moment of FreedomAt the moment in 1914 at which

Brunner sends his note back to Baseto give the alarm, the agents are free.They are no longer constrained by theLocal Agent’s observations. They cancontact Brunner, and they can actagainst Stopwatch in any way thatdoes not contradict what is currentlyknown of history.

However, they choose not to con-tact Brunner, because they know fromtheir own surveillance that theStopwatch agents have spotted him asa possible foe. But Stopwatch isn’tsure, which is why Brunner hasn’tbeen attacked.

The First MoveThe Timepiece team decides that

they don’t know enough yet to try tofrustrate the plot. They could trydirect action against the Stopwatchteam, but then who will assassinateFerdinand?

But after six days of waiting, theybecome impatient and worried. Whenthe “grunt” team (NPCs) appears, theagents decide to act. They divide theirforces to track the enemy agents, hop-ing to clean them up in a simple fire-fight. A couple of combats ensue. FiveStopwatch agents are hit by darts andclock out to escape. One is captured,but nothing is learned from himbefore he gets away (you can stuff arag in someone’s mouth to keep himfrom using tongue-switches, but it’shard to interrogate him in the mean-time). One escapes.

Three of the Timepiece agents areshot in the melee. Two have to clockout to save themselves. One is merelywounded in the arm. The noisy gun-fire draws police; the wounded agentand one other are arrested. Ironically,the Austrians suspect them of beingEnglish spies (someone missed aLanguage roll) and potential assas-sins! Worse, all the agents must dis-card their weapons as they flee thepolice, rather than risk having futuregadgets captured. (The grunts, theirjob done, clock out.)

Jailbreak!Since they have little to lose, the

agents contact Brunner. With his help,and via some bribery, their two jailedcomrades are freed – an adventure initself. But at this point, the agents findout the hard way, via the DivergenceEffect, that they are in danger of fail-ing their mission. (The jailbreak hasgotten national attention, and warfears are raging . . . with speculationthat England and America are plottingagainst Austria. The visiting Houdiniis suspected of being a spymaster! Andmaybe it’s true . . .)

Neither the agents nor theirremaining equipment can clock home.The agents are now absolutely on theirown; they can’t get help from Control,and they can’t escape. (But at least thesurviving Stopwatch agent, and anycronies she may have, won’t be able to“hear” them.)

Thinking It ThroughOne key to resolving this situation

lies in the war scare; if none of theplayers are history buffs, the GMshould make a few History or IQ rollsfor the agents, and drop some hints.



The Austrians are now rattling theirsabers, but it’s out of paranoid fear . . .historically, they didn’t expect theBritish to get involved on theContinent, let alone the Americans.Right now, the leaders of Austria andGermany are rethinking their plans tostart a war, and this is what is changinghistory.

A Solution?The agents should deduce that a

postponed WWI works againstTimepiece. Perhaps they will realizethat the war is inevitable, and a later war will be worse than an earlyone. They may have to assassinate

Ferdinand themselves to get historyback on track!

One Stopwatch agent is still loose,and the agents’ Ears hint that she is stillactive; she knows who they are, and hasbeen snooping around. She’ll probablybe trying to stop the assassination.

About HoudiniHoudini, of course, is the wild card

in the adventure. He might be a LocalAgent for either side. Or he could be thereal, original Houdini, just “out ofplace” as a side effect of some past his-torical meddling – and if he is, he mightor might not be involved in espionage.Either way, he could be useful to theagents!

Houdini’s birth name was ErichWeiss. He was the son of a rabbi fromBudapest (the other capital of theHapsburg dual monarchy). He spokefluent German and had touredGermany, Austria, and Russia (he wasin fact suspected of being a spy by theRussian secret police). As a Jew, apotential Hungarian nationalist, and apossible spy, he was distrusted in manyquarters. He had contacts at many lev-els of society and a formidable array ofskills. By 1913, he was an aviator, amechanic, an expert driver, a good rifleand pistol shot, an acrobat, an illusion-ist, and an escape artist. He mightknow anything else useful that could belearned at the time; he was insatiablycurious.

THE HORATIO CLUBI’ve forgotten what I was looking

for, when first I found the Club. I wasin London, I think; but I won’t tellyou where in London, because thedetails would either send you lookingfor the place, or bear no relation tothe London you know.

It’s what used to be called aGentleman’s Club – quiet, serviced byimpeccable butlers who know yourname and your habits, with the bestfood and drink; a warm haven to themembers, a closed book to everyoneelse. It isn’t fusty and exclusivelymale – the nature of the membershipis not fusty nor exclusively anything.There are no windows anywhere inthe Horatio Club . . . but there aredoors.

They do their best to hide thenature of the place. The furniture iscomfortable but nondescript; theonly emblems you see are the Club’sown. The pictures on the walls are ofnobody and no place you recognize.There are no clocks at all – but if youask one of the butlers what time it is,you always get an answer that makessense.

Stay long enough, of course, andthe truth will out. You’ll meet some-one dressed oddly (maybe veryoddly), or hear a reference that doesn’t fit your memories. (For atrue vision of what the Club is, listen

carefully to the toasts offered beforedinner; but if you’re present for that,you’re already a member.)

I said there were doors. There aremany of them, upstairs, up anddown long quiet carpeted halls linedwith the most eccentric collection ofcurios outside a museum. Some ofthem lead to bedrooms, with themost comfortable beds you’ve everslept in (or done anything else in, forthat matter, but the Club is discreetas nowhere on Earth is discreet) – notelevision, no radio, but a shelf ofbooks, at least one of which you’vealways intended to read. Most of thedoors are locked. And every now andthen one opens, onto places . . . dif-ferent from the one you left.

Behind one of them, the sunnever set on the British Empire, andKing Charles III rules from theMideastern Colonies to the Missi-ssippi Frontier. Behind another, thatsame Mississippi Valley still belongsto the French, who seem to be in aprolonged global war with thePortuguese and the descendants ofChaka Zulu. Behind another, it’s thesame city you left, but there’s a domeover it. Behind another, anotherdome, but you look up at a black skyand see the Earth; in its dark cres-cent, the craters of cities still glow.

Not all the worlds behind thedoors are noisy, or imperial, or dead.

There are paradises, too. I know, Iknow: every world is paradise tosomeone; every paradise is Hell tosomeone else. I’m being subjective.And I know that if most of thosedoors were not locked – if theHoratio Club were open to all comers – there would be changes.

That’s why I’m convinced that,whatever it may sometimes seemlike, no one ever enters the HoratioClub by accident. If you find yourway here, you’re a member, whetheryou know it yet or not.

Surely there must be some kind ofrules, if there’s going to be this sort ofcrossroads. Can you let just anybodygo hopping from one universe toanother? Good question. I can’t say,though perhaps someone else can,whether the Club enforces the rules,or if it’s simply part of the system.

I do know this: one time and oneonly, I met a fellow-traveler whospoke, not seriously at all, I thought,about finding a door into a world hecould conquer – not just make hisway in, but rule. I saw him again, notlong after by my clock; he lookedabout 20 years older, a bit scarredand much quieter, and he didn’t talkof conquest anymore.

I know that, and that all the mem-bers are human. I think.

The Club is a deuces-wild alter-nate-worlds frame. Like PoulAnderson’s Old Phoenix Inn, it is acomfortable crossroads between allthe universes that are, were, or mightbe, both a way station and a check-point – because, while some of thetravelers are quite lost, the staff alwaysseem to make sure that they get some-where that they somehow ought toreach; and conversely, the selfish anddestructive of the world(s) are neveradmitted there.

There’s no point in giving very spe-cific rules for the Club, because it isnot by its nature rule-driven; it’s philo-sophical fantasy, not hard science fiction. Some guidelines, however:

The Club is most appropriate tosmall groups of adventurers, ideallythe sort of people who like to explorea situation and find out its possibili-ties, rather than be assigned clear-cutmission objectives, or simply shakedown the world for whatever wealth isin its pockets. The group membersneed not all have entered together, oreven be from the same world. Yes, thisis a version of the good old “You meetin this tavern on a dark and stormynight” gimmick to start a campaign.Encourage the players to spin tales ofwhere they came from and how theyhappened to find the Club door, as ifthey were sitting over one of the fineClub dinners. (Doing this by candle-light, over whatever you prefer to eatand drink, won’t hurt the atmospherea bit.)

The doors of the Club do not openat random. Nobody knows (or willsay) what Mysterious Power controlsthem, but Whoever It Is has a remark-able knowledge of the guests’ skills

and abilities, and of wrongs and injus-tices on all the myriad worlds thatthose people are just the ones to setright.

GM AdviceHave the players design their char-

acters well in advance of the first playsession, or if that isn’t possible, holdthe design session, the introduction tothe Club and the dinner-table conver-sation, and then send everyoneupstairs to the Club apartments andstop. Then spend some time workingout what sort of world all these differ-ent people should have their jointadventure in, what uses they can makeof their skills (not to mention the play-ers’ own personal talents). This israther more involved than loadinghostile critters into 10’¥10’ squaredungeon rooms, but it is also rathermore rewarding.

Most of the Club’s guests are notcasual universe-hoppers. Some mayonly visit once in their lives. In theclassical fictional paradigm, they aretraveling from a world in which theyare hopeless romantic misfits to onewhere they can be real heroes and liveHappily Ever After. In GM terms, thismeans a world-problem that can’t besolved too easily or quickly. Perhapsmuch of the adventure will be spentfiguring out just what the solution – orjust what the problem – is.

By Way of Example: The Dolorous Maiden

Your Club guests have retired totheir rooms, but they can’t sleep. Thebooks on the bedside table make them

think odd, faraway thoughts.Independently, they get dressed (orperhaps just pull on a robe and slip-pers) and go out into the hallway,where one of them has found anunlocked door. There’s a darknessbeyond, and without really thinkingwhy, they walk through.

Suddenly there’s no more door, nomore hallway, and the darkness isthinning into a blue dawn. The guestsare standing in a formal garden maze,hedges twice as high as their heads.Just ahead is a stone bench, and on itsits a woman, and she’s crying. Theyapproach. She looks up. She’s verybeautiful (of course). Her mouthopens. And she disappears.

Now, there’s a story hook. Who’s thecrying woman? Was she real, an illu-sion, an astral projection, a ghost?Was she one of the good guys? (Not allthe beautiful maidens are, you know.)And, hey, whose garden is this, arethey going to be annoyed when theyfind us here, how do we get out of themaze, it’s kind of cold to be standinghere in a bathrobe . . .

And there begins the adventure.The group is certainly going to want tofind out about the Weeping Whoever-She-Was, but before that they havelots of other practical problems tosolve, and they’re in no position tosolve them by the classical dungeon-crawler’s method of armed robbery.

Next Week’s SpecialGuest Star Is . . .

Another cliché of the field that theClub can vary a bit is the notion of thecharacters as wandering gunslingers,who always ride on once the localwrong is righted. Maybe some of thetravelers will like this world, once it’sstraightened out. Maybe one of themwill marry the Princess, or the Prince,and settle down. A native or two whowant to see strange worlds may jointhe others, and the Club will have aplace at the table for everyone. Thiscan let players switch off and play allkinds of characters. If one isn’t working out, the player can make upsomeone who seems to fit the GM’scampaign a little better, or one that hemight not play for a year’s worth ofsessions, but wouldn’t mind exploringfor a week or two.


HORATIO: O day and night, but this is wondrous strange!

HAMLET: And therefore as a stranger give it welcome.

There are more things in heaven and earth,Horatio,

Than are dreamt of in your philosophy.– William Shakespeare,

Hamlet, I:v:175-179

Variant ClubsOf course, the GM can leave moral-

ity right out of it, and let the guests goconquer worlds (or get chewed up try-ing) as they please. The multiversalnexus might be not just a passive waystation, but an active clearinghouseand dispatch center for the worlds,matching up teams of adventurerswith adventures: an Infinity Patrolusing freelancers instead of (or inaddition to) its own full-time troops.Going even further, this could becrossed with the Eternity’s Rangersframe (p. 34), making the Club a kindof multiversal mercenary hiring halland armory, where crossworld swash-bucklers recruit and outfit for con-quest, plunder . . . and maybe some ofthat righting-wrongs stuff too, just tostay in practice.

And the Club doesn’t have to be adim-stuffy-plush retreat. It can be akind of Explorers’ Club, furnishedfrom many worlds and eras, decoratedwith souvenirs from as all over as itgets; it might look like an airportlounge (although one of the coolFifties ones before they became sohorribly depressing), a railroad termi-nal in the grand old Belle Epoque

style, a medieval inn (like the OldPhoenix), or an ultra-ritzy 21st-centu-ry hotel. Maybe it looks like all thosethings at once.

CAMPAIGNASSUMPTIONS

ParametersScale: Completely up to the GM,

but this frame works best with per-sonal stories and a minimum of sturmand drang. You can save the universein every other campaign frame; let thisone be about true love.

Scope: Equal to the characters, butnot predictably so. The GM may wantto experiment with a “hidden scope,”in which the problem at hand onlyseems local, but has great repercus-sions in proper fairy tale fashion.

Boundaries: The only boundariesare at the interface between the char-acters and the Club, which cannot behustled, squeezed, robbed, black-mailed, destroyed, or pestered todeath by the adventurers. The GMmay want to eventually develop theClub’s officers and staff, and give the

PCs a glimpse into its workings, butthis will risk making the campaignabout the Club, rather than about theworlds it opens onto.

ParaphysicsAny. Adventurers can meet them-

selves, travel in time or space, andwhirl about free of paradox – as longas the Club allows it. If things get tooawfully snarled up, well, that’s onedoor that the staff keeps locked fromnow on.

CharactersPower Level: Any. Low-powered

characters can shine just as brightly assuperheroes and giants. It’s up to theGM to craft compelling, personal sto-ries for any type of hero.

Niche: None. You all, literally,might have met in the bar. Perhaps theadventure will reveal why the heroesare traveling together, or perhaps theplayers will come up with somethingclever and satisfying.

Freedom: Be excellent to eachother. And party on, dude, but in agenteel fashion, please.

Edges: Up to the GM. Our heroesshould never be able to swat theadventure’s problems aside like a fly,but True Faith, bardic immunity,guest-holiness, and other intangibleprotections seem apropos.

Genre and ModeThis is a philosophical fantasy

frame, designed to allow personal sto-ries on a smaller scale but an infinitecanvas. If it’s a cinematic game, itshould have a nice romantic compo-nent along with the last-minuteescapes and dogfights; if it’s a pulpgame, it should present at least oneobstacle that twin Colt automatics orfists of deadly fury can’t actually over-come. The Club will not work as adark or gritty setting; nobody wants togive something that unpleasant thecontrol over their actions that theplayers are implicitly giving the Club.Any style, from Gothic horror tobright fantasy to Arabian Nights exoti-cism to intellectual gamesmanship,has a place in the Club, as long as itlets the players think and feel for achange.


232 BIBLIOGRAPHY

BIBLIOGRAPHYThis bibliography can only skim

the surface of the thousands of workson time travel, alternate histories, andso forth even on this one world.Absolute musts, the best of the best orpioneering works in the genre, areadorned with a star (*).

FICTIONCategories are fluid at best; some

of the early classics, especially, slopover into more than one. For example,H. Beam Piper’s Lord Kalvan ofOtherwhen combines an in-depth AHsetting (an Indo-Aryan Americatrapped in medievalism) with cross-dimensional politics (the ParatimePolice and its concerns) with the clas-sic time-travel trope of the resourcefulcastaway who brings modern technol-ogy (in this case, gunpowder) to aprimitive milieu.

Alternate HistoriesThese stories, anthologies, and

novels primarily concentrate on thenitty-gritty of the alternate history(AH) setting in question, some of themto the exclusion of plot or character.With a good enough setting, one canoverlook such flaws.

Aiken, Joan. The Wolves ofWilloughby Chase (Doubleday, 1963).First of a children’s series of adventurenovels set in an alternate StuartEngland.

Amis, Kingsley. The Alteration(Jonathan Cape, 1976). Castrati poli-tics in a world without a Reformation.

* Anderson, Poul. A MidsummerTempest (Doubleday, 1974). A brilliantShakespearean myth parallel.

Baxter, Stephen. Anti-Ice(HarperCollins, 1993). VictorianEngland gets antimatter in this seri-ous update of the Verne adventuregenre. The Time Ships (HarperCollins,1995) is a sequel to Wells’ TimeMachine.

* Benford, Gregory and Greenberg,Martin H. (editors). Hitler Victorious(Garland, 1986). Axis-victory AH sto-ries, including David Brin’s classic“Thor Meets Captain America.” Thefour volumes of their What Might

Have Been? series (Bantam, 1989-1992) contain a high proportion ofgood, interesting stories.

Bensen, D.R. And Having Writ . . .(Bobbs-Merrill, 1978). Aliens survivethe Tunguska crash and redirect history trying to fix their ship.

Card, Orson Scott. Seventh Son(Tor, 1987). First of the “Alvin Maker”series, set in an alternate 19th-centuryAmerica where folk magic works.

* De Camp, L. Sprague. “TheWheels of If” (1940). One of the veryfirst “trapped in an altered history”stories; still holds up.

* Dick, Philip K. The Man in theHigh Castle (Putnam’s, 1962). Axis vic-tory in the absolute best AH novelever.

Dozois, Gardner and Schmidt,Stanley (editors). Roads Not Taken(Del Rey, 1998).

Dvorkin, David. Budspy (FranklinWatts, 1987). Unsettling novel of poli-tics as usual in a world with a victori-ous Nazi Germany.

Ford, John M. The Dragon Waiting(Timescape, 1983). Intricate AH fantasy in a world with a paganByzantium, vampires, and Richard III.

Fry, Stephen. Making History(Hutchinson, 1996). Removing Hitlermakes things worse.

Garfinkle, Richard. CelestialMatters (Tor, 1996). A very alternatehistory in which Classical Greek theo-ries of astronomy, physics, and politicsare all literally true.

Garrett, Randall. Lord Darcy (Baen,2004). A collection of the “Lord Darcy”stories, classic AH mysteries set in the20th-century Anglo-French Empire.

* Gentle, Mary. Ash: A SecretHistory (Gollancz, 2000). The seminalreality quake novel about an alternateVisigothic Carthage and the evil com-puters who must destroy Burgundyand its history to thrive.

Gibson, William and Sterling,Bruce. The Difference Engine(Gollancz, 1990). Steam-poweredcyberpunk AH diverges withBabbage’s computers.

Harlan, Thomas. Shadow of Ararat(Tor, 1999) and the rest of the Oath of

Empire series are high fantasy in analternate Rome.

Harris, Robert. Fatherland (Harper,1992). A solidly written AH about thebiggest murder investigation of alltime.

Hogan, James P. The ProteusOperation (Bantam/Spectra, 1985).Time-travel WWII novel with two sep-arate AHs.

Keyes, J. Gregory. Age of Unreason(Ballantine, 1998-2001). AH tetralogyof Newtonian magic, meteor strikes,and angelic math.

Laidlaw, Marc. “His Powder’d Wig,His Crown of Thornes” (1989).Possibly the best “British defeat theRevolution” AH story, and a powerfulindictment of colonialism.

Leiber, Fritz. “Catch ThatZeppelin!” (1975). Smarter than usual“no WWII” AH.

Linaweaver, Brad. Moon of Ice (Tor,1993). A slightly more bizarre AH,expanded from the short story inHitler Victorious and an excellentsource for crazy Raven Divisionschemes.

McAuley, Paul J. Pasquale’s Angel(Gollancz, 1994). Novel of steampunkRenaissance Italy, featuringMachiavelli as a hard-drinkingreporter.

Mitchell, Kirk. Procurator (Ace,1984), New Barbarians (Ace, 1986),Cry Republic (Ace, 1989). Better thanaverage “Rome survives” AH series.

Modesitt, L.E., Jr. Of TangibleGhosts (Tor, 1994) and sequels. Ghostsexist in a Dutch America caughtbetween the superpowers.

Moorcock, Michael. The Warlord ofthe Air (New English Library, 1971),The Land Leviathan (Quartet, 1974),The Steel Tsar (Granada, 1981). AHwar stories featuring Oswald Bastableand the shadowy League of TemporalAdventurers.

* Moore, Ward. Bring the Jubilee(Farrar, Straus, 1953). The classic“Confederate victory” AH.

Newman, Kim. Anno Dracula(Simon & Schuster, 1992). AHdiverges with Chapter 8 of BramStoker’s novel; sequels continue thestory of a vampirized modern era.

Resnick, Mike (editor). AlternatePresidents (Tor, 1992). First of a seriesof AH themed anthologies; each bookusually contains one or two gems andseveral interesting ideas.

Roberts, John Maddox. King of theWood (Doubleday, 1983). Slam-bangalternate America with Aztecs, Arabs,Mongols, and two (count ’em!) kindsof Vikings.

Roberts, Keith. Pavane (Doubleday,1968). The Armada wins and historyslows to a chug.

Robinson, Kim Stanley. Years ofRice and Salt (Bantam, 2002).Generational novel of a world withoutEuropean civilization after a deadlierBlack Death. His “A SensitiveDependence on Initial Conditions”(1991) is a thoughtful essay on chaostheory and alternate history, focusingon Hiroshima.

Silverberg, Robert. The Gate ofWorlds (Holt, Rinehart and Winston,1967) and Roma Eterna (Harper-Collins, 2003). Aztec and Roman sur-vival AHs, respectively.

Smith, L. Neil. The ProbabilityBroach (Del Rey, 1980) and sequels.This series begins as well-realized AHadventure and increasingly becomesstrident libertarian lecture.

Stirling, S.M. Marching ThroughGeorgia (Baen, 1988). First of thedystopian “Draka” series; the novelsinclude impressively detailed AHappendices. The Peshawar Lancers(Roc, 2002) is a more light-hearted AHset in the Anglo-Indian Empire a cen-tury after a comet obliterated Europein 1878.

Sucharitkul, Somtow. The Aquiliad(Timescape, 1983). Rome colonizesthe New World and meets the Indians;two sequels continue beating the joketo death.

Turtledove, Harry. Agent ofByzantium (Baen, 1994), A DifferentFlesh (Baen, 1994), Kaleidoscope (Bal-lantine, 1990), Departures (Ballantine,1993), Ruled Britannia (Roc, 2002). HisWorldwar (Ballantine, 1994-1996) seriesmade alien invasion a major part of theAH genre; How Few Remain (Ballan-tine, 1997) and its sequels are rewritingthe 20th century with a victoriousConfederacy.

* Waldrop, Howard. Them Bones(Ace, 1984) is a small time travel (andAH) gem, but his short stories aretrue masterpieces of obsessive AH

weirdness; collections includeHoward Who? (Doubleday, 1986),Strange Monsters of the Recent Past(Ace, 1991), and Going Home Again(St. Martin’s, 1998).

* Waugh, Charles G. andGreenberg, Martin H. (editors).Alternative Histories (Garland, 1986).Includes a number of classics and astarter bibliography, with an essay onAH construction.

Wilson, Robert Charles. Darwinia(Tor, 1998). One fine day in 1912, thecities and living beings of Europe van-ish, replaced by a different ecology.

Womack, Jack. Terraplane (Weiden-feld & Nicolson, 1988) and Elvissey(Tor, 1993). Agents from a violentfuture visit the World’s Fair and kid-nap Elvis in parallel Earths.

Dimensional TravelThese stories and novels usually

focus on the mechanics – often includ-ing, or especially, the social and politi-cal mechanics – of travel to otherdimensions, rather than the AH (ifany) in them. We have given shortshrift to stories in which the “otherdimensions” might as well be fairy-land, or Australia, or other planets.

Anthony, Piers. Ox (SFBC, 1976).Highly trained agents from thou-sands of close parallel worlds battlefor control.

Asimov, Isaac. The End of Eternity(Doubleday, 1955) and The GodsThemselves (Doubleday, 1972).

Barnes, John. Patton’s Spaceship(Harper, 1997), Washington’s Dirigible(Harper, 1997), Caesar’s Bicycle(Harper, 1997). Fast-paced dimensionwar series with better than averageAH settings. In Finity (Tor, 1999),expatriate Americans from diverseparallels meet and investigate.

Bayley, J. Barrington. The Fall ofChronopolis (DAW, 1974).

Bear, Greg. Eon (Bluejay, 1985),Eternity (Warner, 1988), and Legacy(Tor, 1995). Paradimensional weird-ness trilogy.

Brunner, John. The Infinitive of Go(Ballantine, 1980). An experiment inteleportation turns out to be an exper-iment in parachronics.

Chalker, Jack. And the Devil WillDrag You Under (Del Rey, 1979). Aliensdraft humans to steal parallel-worldartifacts.

* De Camp, L. Sprague and Pratt,Fletcher. The Complete CompleatEnchanter (Baen, 1989). Classic1940s-1950s short stories of mentaltravel between dimensions to variousmyth parallels.

De Chancie, John. Castle Perilous(Ace, 1988) and sequels. Castle servesas dimensional nexus for 144,000 dif-ferent realities.

Dickson, Gordon. Time Storm (St.Martin’s, 1977). A riff on MurrayLeinster’s classic “Sidewise in Time”(1934), both about Earths with differ-ent times intermingled; Dickson’s ismuch darker.

BIBLIOGRAPHY 233

Farmer, Philip José. Riverworld(Putnam, 1971-1980). The series is notprecisely dimension travel, but wellworth reading as an example of his-torical characters from many milieusinteracting. His World of Tiers seriespresents bored immortals creatinggate-linked universes as playthings.

Heinlein, Robert A. The Cat WhoWalks Through Walls (Putnam, 1985)and Number of the Beast (Fawcett,1980) present travel between alter-nate realities and lengthy discussionthereof.

Hodgson, William Hope. The GhostPirates (Stanley Paul, 1909). Dimen-sion travel as supernatural horror.

* Kessel, John. Corrupting Dr. Nice(Tor, 1997). Screwball comedy oftrans-temporal looting; a sequel to“Mozart in Mirrorshades.”

Kilian, Crawford. The Empire ofTime (Del Rey, 1978), The Fall of theRepublic (Del Rey, 1987), RogueEmperor (Del Rey, 1988). Kilian’sIntertemporal Agency has a lot incommon with Centrum’s InterworldService.

Kube-McDowell, Michael P.Alternities (Ace, 1988). Gritty novel ofcovert AH exploration by a parallelEarth.

Kurland, Michael. Perchance (NALSignet, 1989), The Whenabouts of Burr(DAW, 1975). Light crossworld adven-tures; Kurland has also written twoadequate Lord Darcy novels.

Laumer, Keith, The Time Bender(Berkley, 1966) and sequels; Worlds ofthe Imperium (Tor, 1986) and sequels.Adventurous cross-dimensional actionin two series.

Meredith, Richard C. At the NarrowPassage (Putnam’s, 1973), No Brother,

No Friend (Doubleday, 1976), Vestigesof Time (Doubleday, 1978). The“Timeliner Trilogy” features a satisfy-ingly cosmic dimensional war andsome gritty 1970s action.

* Moorcock, Michael. TheCornelius Quartet (Avon, 1977). Thisomnibus gathers Moorcock’s increas-ingly strange stories of multi-dimen-sional mayhem from their originalpublications between 1968 and 1974.

Niven, Larry. “All the Myriad Ways”(1968). The ultimate crossworld story.

* Piper, H. Beam. Lord Kalvan ofOtherwhen (Ace, 1965) and Paratime(Ace, 1986). The Paratime stories arearchetypal tales of cross-world copstasked with keeping order and TheSecret. “Lord Kalvan” is part of theseries but goes its own way;Pennsylvania state trooper CalvanMorrison is accidentally caught in aParacop conveyor and dumped on aprimitive parallel, where he intro-duces gunpowder and turns society onits ear. After Piper’s death, RolandGreen and John F. Carr wrote a sequel,Great Kings’ War (Ace, 1985). Carr hasproduced two more sequels and con-tinues to write.

Pullman, Philip. The GoldenCompass (Scholastic, 1995), TheSubtle Knife (Scholastic, 1997), TheAmber Spyglass (Scholastic, 2000).“Young adult” fantasy trilogy involvesparallel Earths, the nature of God, andtalking bears.

Rohan, Michael Scott. Chase theMorning (Avon, 1990), The Gates ofNoon (Gollancz, 1992), Cloud Castles(Gollancz, 1993). Cross-dimensionalpiracy, magic, and myth.

* Sterling, Bruce. “Mozart inMirrorshades” (1985). A classic of

callous crosstime exploitation, com-plete with freedom-fighting Masons.

Stirling, S.M. Conquistador (Roc,2003). Unscrupulous moderns settlean unspoiled “America next door.”

Zelazny, Roger. Nine Princes inAmber (Doubleday, 1970) and many,many sequels present dimensionaltravel as a squabbled-over family heir-loom. Roadmarks (Ballantine, 1979) isa strange time-travel fable.

Time TravelThese stories and novels offer ideas

for interesting situations, or give dis-tinct views of paradox, causality, andtime tampering. If they introduceAHs, they generally depend stronglyon the time traveler.

Aldiss, Brian. FrankensteinUnbound (Jonathan Cape, 1973). Timetraveler meets Mary Shelley and theMonster.

* Anderson, Poul. There Will BeTime (SFBC, 1972) is the best time-jumper novel ever. Time Patrol (Tor,1994) is a near-perfect collection. “MyObject All Sublime” (1961) is a “timetravel as prison” story well worth seek-ing out, while “The Man Who CameEarly” (1956) brilliantly explores temporal inertia.

Anthony, Piers. Bearing anHourglass (Del Rey, 1984). Interestingnotions of causation; don’t botherwith the rest of the series.

Baker, Kage. The Garden of Iden(Hodder & Stoughton, 1997). First ofthe historically detailed “TheCompany” series; cyborgs from thefuture are secretly hidden in the pastto observe and exploit it.

Benford, Gregory. Timescape(Simon & Schuster, 1980). Communi-cations from the future breed paradox.

* Bester, Alfred. “Hobson’s Choice”(1952) and “The Men Who MurderedMohammed” (1958) are must-reads ofthe genre.

* Bradbury, Ray. “A Sound ofThunder” (1952). Dinosaur huntingmeets chaos theory, decades early.

Chalker, Jack. Downtiming theNight Side (Tor, 1985). Good timepatrol book.

Cook, Glen. A Matter of Time (Ace,1985). Multiple futures co-exist; thepast can be changed without destroying the future.

234 BIBLIOGRAPHY

* Crowley, John. Great Work ofTime (Bantam Spectra, 1991). Britishconspiracy manipulates the timestream with the very best intentions.

* De Camp, L. Sprague. LestDarkness Fall (Tor, 1996 reprint from1939). Paradigmatic SF classic: amodern scholar prevents the DarkAges.

Dick, Philip K. Martian Time-Slip(Ballantine, 1964); Now Wait For LastYear (Doubleday, 1966). Time travelthrough schizophrenia and drugs,respectively.

Drake, David. Time Safari (Tor,1982). Ultimate dinosaur huntingnovel.

Finney, Jack. Time and Again(Simon & Schuster, 1970). Time travelromance.

* Flint, Eric. 1632 (Baen, 2000).Modern West Virginia coal-miningtown appears in the middle of ThirtyYears’ War Germany; adventure andsequels ensue.

Frankowski, Leo. The Cross-TimeEngineer (Del Rey, 1986) and sequels.Much detail on advancing technologyin medieval Poland, but marred byexcessive outtime help and an adoles-cent-male sex-fantasy tale.

Gerrold, David. The Man WhoFolded Himself (Random House,1973). Classic “message to yourself”novel.

Grimwood, Ken. Replay (ArborHouse, 1987). The hero has manychances to relive his own life.

Haldeman, Joe. The Forever War(St. Martin’s, 1974), The HemingwayHoax (Morrow, 1990).

Harrison, Harry. The TechnicolorTime Machine (Doubleday, 1967).What do you use a time machine for?Cheap location shoots for HollywoodB-pictures, of course . . .

Hawke, Simon. The IvanhoeGambit (Ace, 1984) and 11 sequelsform the Time Wars series, notable forthe attempt to historicize famousadventure novels, and for the increas-ingly convoluted temporal physics.

* Heinlein, Robert A. “All YouZombies” (1959) and “By HisBootstraps” (1941) are the classicshort stories of temporal paradox.Less essentially, The Door IntoSummer (Doubleday, 1957) and TimeEnough For Love (Putnam, 1973) fur-ther explore physical and social challenges of time travel.

Hogan, James. Thrice Upon A Time(Del Rey, 1980). Messages to the pastallow the routine changing of thefuture.

Jeschke, Wolfgang. The Last Day ofCreation (St. Martin’s, 1984). Strangetime travel novel with many unforget-table bits.

Jeter, K.W. Morlock Night (DAW,1979). Excellent steampunk sequel tothe Wells classic.

Koontz, Dean. Lightning (Putnam,1988). Workmanlike thriller.

* Leiber, Fritz. The Big Time (Ace,1961) and associated stories form the“Change War” series. Atmospheric,intelligent handling of the “two groupsstruggle to change history throughtime travel” trope, which Leiberinvented in this book along with the“rescue” method of recruitment.

* L’Engle, Madeline. A Wrinkle inTime (Farrar, Straus, 1962). Juvenilefiction classic; the sequels deal lesswith time travel.

Long, Frank Belknap. “TheHounds of Tindalos” (1929).

* Lovecraft, H.P. “The Shadow Outof Time” (1936). The seminal timetravel horror novella.

May, Julian. The Many-ColoredLand (Houghton Mifflin, 1981) andsequels. One-way exiles establish acolony in the Pliocene Era.

Miller, P. Schuyler. “As Never Was”(1944). Time travel and archaeologydon’t mix.

Moorcock, Michael. Behold theMan (Allison & Busby, 1969). Unstabletime traveler and the life of Jesusentangle.

Niffenegger, Audrey. The Time-Traveler’s Wife (Macadam/Cage, 2003).Mainstream novel of true love andtime travel.

Niven, Larry. The Flight of the Horse(Ballantine, 1973). Bizarre huntingexpeditions into the past lead to wackyhijinks.

Norton, Andre. Time Traders(World, 1958) and sequels.

* Powers, Tim. The Anubis Gates(Ace, 1983). Magical time travel to1810 London, tangled personal time-lines, evil clowns, and werewolf killersare only part of the fun.

Reynolds, Mack and Ing, Dean. TheOther Time (Baen, 1984). Time-travel-ing archaeologist beats Cortés to AztecMexico by a couple of days.

Rogers, Mark E. Samurai Cat in theReal World (Tor, 1989). Lavishly illus-trated adventures of a samurai catfighting Capone, Hitler, Stalin, andNazi dinosaurs; the earlier books inthe series send the cat to parody ver-sions of famous fantasy and SFworlds.

Shiner, Lewis. Glimpses (Avon,1993). Rock and roll fan tries to savegreat artists – and albums – fromoblivion and inertia.

Silverberg, Robert. HawksbillStation (Doubleday, 1968). Politicalcriminals are marooned in the prehis-toric past; Up the Line (Ballantine,1969) is a slam-bang novel of timetour guides in Byzantium.

Simak, Clifford. Mastodonia (DelRey, 1978).

Simmons, Dan. Hyperion(Doubleday, 1989) and sequels. A com-plex story involving “time tombs”whose contents move backward intime.

Smith, Clark Ashton. “The City ofthe Singing Flame” (1931), “TheHoliness of Azedarac” (1933), “ThePlutonian Drug” (1934), and “Ubbo-Sathla” (1933) are only a few of hisatmospheric, weird short stories.Many of his story cycles occur in theextreme past or future, and makeexcellent game settings.

Stirling, S.M., Island in the Sea ofTime (Roc, 1998). First book in a trilogy which sends modern NantucketIsland back to the Bronze Age.

* Turtledove, Harry. Guns of theSouth (Ballantine, 1992). Robert E.Lee with AK-47s. ‘Nuff said.

* Twain, Mark. A ConnecticutYankee in King Arthur’s Court(Webster, 1889). Cruel fun from themaster cynic.

Varley, John. “Air Raid” (1977).This short story about rescues in thepast became the novel Millennium(Berkley, 1983), which in turn becamea film (Michael Anderson, 1989).

Vinge, Vernor. Marooned inRealtime (Bluejay, 1986). One-waytravel into an unexpected future.

Vonnegut, Kurt. Slaughterhouse-Five (Laurel, 1968). Determinism asoppression, and vice versa.

* Wells, H.G. The Time Machine(Heinemann, 1895). Fascinating as aninsight into Victorian historical mod-eling, as well as spawning the keyimagery of the genre.

BIBLIOGRAPHY 235

Williamson, Jack. The Legion ofTime (Fantasy Press, 1952).

Willis, Connie. To Say Nothing ofthe Dog (Bantam Spectra, 1998).Hilarious yet moving novel of theObserver Effect and the air raid onCoventry. Doomsday Book (BantamSpectra, 1992) is a grim tale of timetravel and the plague years.

NON-FICTION

Alternate HistoryIn recent years, the AH genre has

spread into mainstream nonfiction, ifnot quite into mainstream academichistory.

Comins, Neil F. What if the MoonDidn’t Exist? (HarperCollins, 1993).Astronomical alternate Earths.

Cowley, Robert (editor). What If?(Putnam, 1999), What If? 2 (Putnam,2001), and What Ifs? of AmericanHistory (Putnam, 2003). Collections ofadequate to excellent essays by lead-ing (mostly military) historians.

* Deutsch, Harold C. andShowalter, Dennis E. (editors). WhatIf?: Strategic Alternatives of WWII (TheEmperor’s Press, 1997). Useful prima-rily as a corrective to romantic silli-ness, but interesting in its own right.

Ferguson, Niall (editor). VirtualHistory (Picador, 1997). Overwrittenand underthought AHs in general, butthe essays often give interestinginsight into historical processes;Ferguson’s introduction should bemandatory reading for those trying tounderstand the philosophy of history.

Macksey, Kenneth (editor). TheHitler Options (Greenhill/Stackpole,1998).

North, Jonathan (editor). TheNapoleon Options (Greenhill/Stack-pole, 2000). Primarily details the tacti-cal alternatives; only a few essays lookat larger strategic options.

Roberts, Andrew (editor). WhatMight Have Been (Weidenfeld &Nicolson, 2004). Collection of essays;a mixed bag.

Sobel, Robert. For Want of a Nail(Macmillan, 1973). Straight-faced his-tory, complete with fictional footnotes,of a happier North America after thefailed Revolution.

* Squire, J.C. (editor). If It HadHappened Otherwise: Lapses Into

Imaginary History (Longmans, Green1931). Includes essays by HilaireBelloc, Winston Churchill, and G.K.Chesterton! The classic AH collection.

Tally, Steve. Almost America(HarperCollins, 2000).

Tsouras, Peter (editor). Rising SunVictorious (Greenhill/Stackpole,2001). Articles exploring victoriousJapanese AH scenarios; his ThirdReich Victorious (Greenhill/Stackpole,2002) compiles similar pieces onGerman decision points, and Cold WarHot (Greenhill/Stackpole, 2003) andDixie Victorious (Greenhill/Stackpole,2004) repeat the procedure for theCold War and Civil War, respectively.He has also written a solo AH sce-nario, Disaster at D-Day (Green-hill/Stackpole, 1994).

Real HistoryTo build a convincing alternate

history, real history is a necessaryfoundation. The following sourceshighlight important aspects of realhistory or are just plain excellent.

Caviedes, César N. El Niño inHistory (Univ. Press of Florida, 2001).

Crosby, Alfred. Ecological Imperi-alism: The Biological Expansion ofEurope 900-1900 (Cambridge Univ.Press, 1986). The consequences of thespread of European ecosystems intothe New World and Australia.

Diamond, Jared. Guns, Germs, andSteel (W.W. Norton, 1998). A well-writ-ten environmental grand history ofhumanity that suffers only from theflaw of fighting a war won decadesago.

Fagan, Brian. Floods, Famines andEmperors (Basic Books, 1999), TheLittle Ice Age (Basic Books, 2000), TheLong Summer (Basic Books, 2004).Popular presentation of climate history.

Fischer, David Hackett. The GreatWave (Oxford Univ. Press, 1996). Thehistory of the Price Revolutions.

Lamb, H.H. Climate, History andthe Modern World (Methuen, 1982).

Landes, Daniel, The Wealth andPoverty of Nations (Norton 1998). Anacerbic, opinionated economic historyof the last half-millennium or so,focusing on impolitic questions andgiving equally abrasive answers.

* McEvedy, Colin. The NewPenguin Historical Atlas of Ancient

History (Penguin, 2002). This volumeand its successors in the same formatcombine accessibility with accuracyand tons of clear, useful maps.

* McNeill, William H. Plagues andPeoples (Doubleday, 1976). Ground-breaking historical study of diseaseand its consequences. McNeill’s Rise ofthe West (Univ. of Chicago, rev. ed.1991) is still the best one-volumeworld history.

Smil, Vaclav. Energy in WorldHistory (Westview Press, 1994). To theauthor, “energy” covers agriculturalefficiency as well as industry, makingthis a good reference work for the his-tory of basic technology.

* Stearns, Peter N. (editor).Encyclopedia of World History(Houghton Mifflin, 2001). The sixthedition of Walter L. Langer’s absolutely indispensable reference.One volume, no waiting, all the pestif-erous details you could look for in 50other places right here at your finger-tips. If you own no other historical ref-erence book, own this one.

Temple, Robert, The Genius ofChina (Touchstone, 1989). A baresummary of Joseph Needham’s magis-terial Science and Civilization inChina, which is also heartily recom-mended to anyone with a decade or soto kill.

Historical ModelingThese sources discuss ways to

look at history as a process or as asystem with its own internal logic;they may some day be the ur-texts ofcliodynamics.

Barnes, John. “How to Build AFuture” (1990).

Denemark, Robert A., et al. (edi-tors). World System History(Routledge, 2000).

* Flynn, Michael. In the Country ofthe Blind (Tor, 2001). This reprint ofFlynn’s 1990 novel includes his essay“An Introduction to Cliology.” Thenovel is a gripping tale of secret soci-eties using historical modeling to gainpower.

Frank, Andre Gunder and Gills,Barry K. (editors). The World System:Five Hundred Years or Five Thousand?(Routledge, 1993).

Modelski, George. Long Cycles inWorld Politics (Univ. of WashingtonPress, 1987).

236 BIBLIOGRAPHY

Spengler, Oswald. The Decline ofthe West (Alfred A. Knopf, 1922). Abiological look at culture, and a pes-simistic look at political philosophy.

Toynbee, Arnold. A Study of History(Oxford Univ. Press, 1934). An increas-ingly religious response to Spengler;skim it for its scope, but check out thethree AHs in the appendices toVolume II.

Trevor-Roper, Sir Hugh. Historyand Imagination (Clarendon, 1980). Agreat historian on the necessity forhistorical imagination.

Strauss, William and Howe, Neil.Generations (William Morrow & Co.,1991).

Time TravelBlumenthal, Howard J., et al. The

Complete Time Traveler (Ten SpeedPress, 1988). A tourist’s guidebook.

Hawking, Stephen. A Brief Historyof Time (Bantam, 1988). A goodattempt at explaining space-time tothe non-physicist.

Macvey, John W. Time Travel – AGuide to Journeys in the FourthDimension (Scarborough House,1990). Informed speculation abouttime travel using black holes,tachyons, time dilation, and hyper-space in this and other universes.

Moon, Peter and Nichols, Preston.The Montauk Project (Sky Books,1992). First of four volumes (so far) onthis fine time travel conspiracy theory.

Moore, William L. and Berlitz,Charles. The Philadelphia Experiment:Project Invisibility (Fawcett Crest,

1979). All about the USS Eldridge andits mysterious fate from a believer’sperspective.

* Niven, Larry. “The Theory andPractice of Time Travel” (1971). Short,witty, comprehensive discussion ofphysics, paradox, and why none ofthis can possibly work; included in AllThe Myriad Ways (Ballantine, 1971).

Randles, Jenny. Time Storms(Piatkus, 2001). Excited UFOlogistdiscusses time vortices, time slips, andother wonderful nonsense.

COMICSAramaki, Yoshio. Deep Blue Fleet

(Gentosha, 2000). Manga of a modernJapanese Navy officer timeslippedback to the Pacific War; later adaptedinto the anime Azure Fleet (TakeyukiKanda, 2003).

Ellis, Warren. The Ministry of Space(Image Comics, 2000, 2004). Dark his-tory of the triumphant British AHspace programme.

Kawaguchi, Kaiji. Zipang(Kodansha, 2001-present). Mangaseries in which a modern Japanesenaval task force is timeslipped back to1942; the result is a meditation on theJapanese role in the world.

Miller, Jack. Rip Hunter, TimeMaster (DC Comics, 1961-1965).Classic “gee whiz” time travel series; amore serious Rip has shown up inDC’s increasingly convoluted temporalcontinuity, even fighting the Illuminatiin Bob Wayne’s Time Masters (1990).

Moench, Doug. Aztec Ace (EclipseComics, 1984). Excellent pulp

adventure featuring a time-travelingAztec flying ace.

Morrison, Grant. Animal Man(DC/Vertigo, 1988-1990) and TheInvisibles (DC/Vertigo, 1994-1996)both involve time travel as key plotelements.

Nomura, Ted. Luftwaffe: 1946(Antarctic Press, 1996-present).Alternate air adventure in quasi-animetechnophiliac style.

Ostrander, John. Grimjack (FirstComics, 1984-1991). Takes place inCynosure, a nexus point for all thedimensions.

Shetterly, Will. Captain Confederacy(Steeldragon, 1986-1987; Marvel/Epic,1991-1992). AH series set in a frag-mented North America.

* Talbot, Bryan. Adventures ofLuther Arkwright (Prout, 1982;Valkyrie, 1987; Prout, 1989).Fabulous, intricate cross-dimensionaladventures; they continue in Heart ofEmpire (Dark Horse, 1999).

Wolfman, Marv. Crisis on InfiniteEarths (DC Comics, 1985-1986). Epicending to the multidimensional DCcosmos that had begun with “Flash ofTwo Worlds” in 1961.

FILM AND TVMovies

Army of Darkness (Sam Raimi,1993). Postmodern “ConnecticutYankee” story, with zombies andchainsaws.

* Back to the Future (RobertZemeckis, 1985). Modern classic ofthe genre; the 1989 “Part II” sequel isthe best AH movie so far.

Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure(Stephen Herek, 1989). Totally awe-some romp caroms off causality andhistory.

The Butterfly Effect (Eric Bress andJ. Mackye Gruber, 2004). AshtonKutcher keeps trying to change hispast; things keep getting worse.

Donnie Darko (Richard Kelly,2001). Ironic “indie film” take on freewill and causality, with a giant evilrabbit for extra fun.

Fatherland (Christopher Menaul,1994). HBO movie based on the betternovel of the same name; Rutger Hauerdoes make a convincing SS officer,though.

BIBLIOGRAPHY 237

238 BIBLIOGRAPHY

The Final Countdown (Don Taylor,1980). The USS Nimitz goes back intime to December 6, 1941.

Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah (KazukiOmori, 1991). Convoluted time travelstory is a masterpiece of retroactivecontinuity. Plus, Ghidorah!

* It Happened Here (KevinBrownlow, 1966). Riveting, morallycomplex AH film set in Nazi-occupiedBritain.

Jin-Rô (Hiroyuki Okiura, 1998).Grim anime love story in a German-occupied AH postwar Tokyo.

* The Navigator (Vincent Ward,1988). Medieval peasants flee theBlack Death through a time tunnel tomodern New Zealand.

The One (James Wong, 2001). EvilJet Li must kill all the other Jet Lis inall alternate timelines to gain theirkung fu power. Good Jet Li must stophim. Discuss.

The Philadelphia Experiment(Stewart Raffill, 1984). Not a badMichael Paré time travel thriller.Philadelphia Experiment II (StephenCornwell, 1993) is the straight-to-video “Nazis win” AH sequel.

Sliding Doors (Peter Howitt, 1998).Gwyneth Paltrow’s life diverges with achance decision; the movie showsboth timelines.

Somewhere in Time (JeannotSzwarc, 1980). Much-belovedromance of true love overcomingtime; from the Richard Mathesonnovel.

* Terminator (James Cameron,1984) and Terminator 2: Judgment Day(James Cameron, 1991). Ultimatetime travel menace movies, completewith the occasional looping paradox.

Time After Time (Nicholas Meyer,1979). Literate romp as H.G. Wellstakes his time machine to 1979 tohunt an escaped Jack the Ripper.

* Time Bandits (Terry Gilliam,1981). The “map of time” is an excusefor silliness and adventure in theGilliam mode; wonderful imagery andoveracting.

Timecop (Peter Hyams, 1994). Silly,but good-looking, Van Damme actionmovie goes well with popcorn.

The Time Machine (George Pal,1960). The best film adaptation ofWells’ novel.

* Twelve Monkeys (Terry Gilliam,1995). The paradoxes of temporalcommunication, and questions of

sanity and free will, hedge this intel-lectual thriller.

Wings of Honneamise (HiroyukiYamaga, 1987). Meditative and exis-tentialist anime of the first mannedspace launch from an alternate 1955;the AH is never very clear, but the lookof the alternate civilization is unique.

TelevisionDoctor Who (1963-1996). Classic

BBC series about a wry Time Lord andhis adventures across space and time.

Kishin Corps (1993). AH WWIIanime series featuring a three-sidedstruggle between alien invaders andtwo human factions.

Quantum Leap (1989-1993).Uncontrolled time traveler helpsresolve personal crises, usually on ahuman (rather than a historic) scale.

Sliders (1995-1999). This miserableFox TV series was the first all-AH, all-the-time TV show; later, it struggledalong on the Sci-Fi Channel fightingcavemen or something.

Star Trek (1966-present in variousincarnations). Standout time travel orAH episodes include “City on the Edgeof Forever” (TOS), “Mirror, Mirror”(TOS), Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home(Leonard Nimoy, 1986), “Yesterday’sEnterprise” (TNG), “Time’s Arrow”(TNG), “All Good Things . . .” (TNG),“Trials and Tribble-ations” (DS9), and“Year of Hell” (VOY). The currentseries, Enterprise, uses a “temporalcold war” as a story frame.

Stargate SG-1 (1997-present).“Stargates” lead to alien worlds, manywith resonances to Earth history. Anexcellent framing device for an RPG,such as the one by Patrick Kapera, etal. (AEG, 2003).

Time Tunnel (1966-1967). IrwinAllen classic of time-lost scientists.

Twilight Zone (1959-1965).Standout time travel episodes include“The Last Flight,” “Back There,”“Walking Distance,” and “The Odysseyof Flight 33.”

Voyagers (1982-1983). Like RipHunter, but without the bitter cynicism.

GAMESAdams, Chris, et al. Continuum

(Aetherco, 1999). Probably the mostdetailed and seamless set of time

travel RPG rules yet published, withan intriguing setting as well.

Cordell, Bruce. Tangents (Wizardsof the Coast, 1999). An excellentsourcebook, covering parallel dimen-sion travel for the Alternity RPG.

Garcia, Jose, et al. Nexus: TheInfinite City (Daedalus Games, 1994).Sadly defunct RPG of colliding reali-ties and the dubious characters whoseek to exploit them. See also the onlysupplement, Robin Laws’ Nexus Life(Daedalus Games, 1994), whichincludes several nifty new realities,discussion of inter-reality trade, andmore.

Gorden, Greg. TORG (West EndGames, 1990). Clashing realities duelfor Earth! Intriguing and original.

Kenson, Steve, et al. All OurYesterdays (Last Unicorn Games,2000). The time travel supplement forLUG’s Star Trek RPG line; fairly com-plete survey of space-operatic timetravel in a series or campaign setting.

Moldvay, Tom. Lords of Creation(Avalon Hill, 1984). High-poweredRPG of warring demigods in paralleldimensions. Recalled fondly by some.

Porter, Greg. TimeLords (BTRC,2003). Revision of Porter’s workman-like 1987 RPG, this time as a supple-ment to his EABA system.

Tucholka, Richard. Fringeworthy(Tri-Tac Games, 1981). Now in itsthird edition (1990); this is the RPG ofthe “fringeworthy” and their adven-tures in parallel Earths.

Voss, H.N. and Worzel, William P.Time and Time Again (Timeline, Ltd.,1984). Nearly unplayable game sys-tem, with an interesting setting; timecannot be changed and the “volti-geurs” must protect researchers andresolve historical mysteries.

THE INTERNETNormally, the Web is too mutable a

thing for a print bibliography to cite,but we make an exception for thesoc.history.what-if discussion groupon Usenet (a rare haven of productivesanity and interest in that blastedheath) and for Robert Schmunk’smagisterial AH bibliography site atwww.uchronia.net. For other links,see this book’s Web page atwww.sjgames.com/gurps/books/infiniteworlds/.

’A’Nthleioi (Atlanteans), 130.Aaron, 73.ABET, 217; ABET

transmitter, 218.Absolute now, 170, 217-218,

219.Addiction disadvantage, 178.Advantages, 172-178.Aeolus, 18.Agamemnon, 124.Alchemy, 112-113.Alternate Identity

advantage, 172.Alternate Outcomes, Inc., 31-

34; Mercenary template, 189.Alternate selves, 184.Alternate worlds, 82-151;

creating, 96; fiction, 232;non-fiction, 236.

Amerika, 60.Amnesty Unlimited, 44.Anachronistic Training

technique, 183.Anchors, 87.Archaeology skill, 182.Architects, 214.Area Knowledge skill, 182.Ariane, 128.Armada-2, 109-110.Armanen Order, see SS Raven

Division.Armor, 26.Atlantis, 95, 129-130, 139-140.Attila, 110-111.Attunement (time travel),

168-169.Azoth-7, 72, 112-113.Aztecs, see Ezcalli.Banestorms, 6, 13, 26, 75,

80, 151.Battalion, the, 31-34.Batteries, 23.Bermuda Triangle, 75.Bibliography, 232.Biology, model of

civilization, 102.Black powder, 209.Blip, 20, 140.Bonaparte-4, 113-114.Bounty hunters, 12.Britannica-3, 115-116.Burton, 136.Cabal, 21, 22, 68-69, 179;

Cabalist Mage template, 195.Caliph, 12, 117-118.Camelot, 136.Cameras, 25, 38.Campaigns, 201-211; Centrum,

54; genre and mode, 205;parameters, 202.

Campbell, 119.Castro, Fidel “Red,” 41.

Catholic, see Roman CatholicChurch.

Centrum, 8, 20, 36, 46-56, 87,179; Centrum Beta, 120;Centrum characters, 191-193; Centrum Dark andLight, 56; see also InterworldService.

Challenge worlds, 94.Chaotic time, 154.Characters, 171-200, 204.China, 43.Chronal storms, 163.Chronic Argo, 162.Chronobahn, 79, 139.Civil War, 120-121.Civilization types, 90-

94; as biology, 102;mysterious andweird, 95.

Claim to Hospitality advantage, 172.

Clerical Investment advantage, 172.

Cliodynamics, 6, 37, 87; skill, 182.

Cliodyne Research Group, 37.Code of Honor

disadvantage, 179.Colonies, crosstime, 32, 84.Communications, gear, 24;

parachronic, 52; throughtime, 158.

Communist worlds, 132.Computers, 24, 62.Consolidated Mines,

Unlimited, 37; see alsoMining.

Contact Group advantage, 172.Contacts advantage, 172.Conveyors, 6, 26-30, 35;

loadout, 20; recharging, 26.Coventry, 41, 78.

Cover stories, 14.Crichton, 84.Criminal template,196.

Cube, 29.Cultural

Adaptabilityadvantage, 173.

Cultural change, 106.Cultural Familiarity

advantage, 173.Current Affairs skill, 182.Current, the, 74.Dark-Dwellers, 184.Demons, 66, 68.Denarius Capital Holdings, 40;

Denarius Group SpecialBanker template, 191.

Dependent disadvantage, 179.Detect advantage, 173.Dimensional highways, 79.

Dinosaurs, 84.Dirigibles, 38, 127.Disadvantages, 178-181.Disaster worlds, 85, 134.Divergence Effect, 225.Dixie-1, 120-121.Doubletalk, see Quantum

Mechanics.Dragons, 142.Duncorne Foundation, 40,

135.Duplication advantage, 173.

Duty disadvantage, 180.EAER (“Ear”), 224.Echoes, 53, 85.Ecology, 103.

Economics, 101.Empty worlds, 83.Enemies disadvantage,180.

Enigma, 140.Eraser, 25.Eternity’s Rangers, 34.Evil Twin disadvantage, 180.Expatriate template, 197.Ezcalli, 21, 122-123.Faërie, 69, 80.Fang Sing, 214.Fantasy timelines, 151.Farsight effect, 170.Firearms, 199-200.Fixed time, 170.Flux drive, 163.Focal Referent,

219.Footnote

characters, 199.Fracture zones, 77.France, 43.Friedrich, 66, 124, 139.Fuel cells, 23.Fugue advantage, 173.Future time travel, 169-170.Gadgeteer skill, 182.Gadgeteering, social, 106.Gakuji, 212-213.Gallatin, 36, 42, 70, 125-126.Gargoyles, 73.Gates, 206; Gates of Psais, 79;

Gates of Thoth, 79.Generational cycles, 100.Geography skill, 182.Gernsback, 126-127.Ghost roads, 79.Glozel fragments, 76.Gods, 68.Gotha parallels, 12, 128.Great Man theory, 97.Great Moment theory, 98.Great Motherland theory, 98.Greenpeace, 44.GURPS Technomancer, 135.

Haussman-2, 5.Hell worlds, 94-96, 128-130.Hidden Lore skill, 182.High-inertia parallels, 94.Historian template, 197.Historical characters, 199.Historical Familiarity

technique, 184.Historical modeling, 236.Historical references, 236.History skill, 183.History! skill, 183.History, hollow, 215.Homeline, 20, tech level, 23;

see also Secundus.Honesty disadvantage, 180.Horatio Club, 229-231.Hourglass, Order of the,

212-216.Huy Breasil, 80.I-Cops, 10, 15, 39; character

template, 186; see alsoOutworld Operations.

In the Cube, 29.India, 43, 84.Infinite Justice, Inc., 12.Infinity Development, 31, 36.Infinity Patrol, 5, 8-19, 36, 64,

179; Academy, 10;Communications Division,

15; Contact Division, 15;Customs and InspectionDivision, 10; EchoSurveillance Division,15; headquarters, 9;

Intelligence Division, 16;Internal Affairs Division,

11; Intervention Service, 10,see also I-Cops; JusticeDivision, 11; LiaisonDivision, 12; LogisticsDivision, 12; MoraleDivision, 13; NexusOversight Division, 13;Penetration Service, 14;Records and ResearchDivision, 16; Search andRescue Division, 16;Security Division, 13;Special Operations Division,14; Survey Division, 17;Technical Analysis Division,17; see also OutworldOperations.

Infinity Unlimited, 5-6, 35-36;see also Infinity Patrol.

Interworld Service, 8, 45, 52-52-54, 120, 177; InterworldService Agent template, 192;see also Centrum, OutworldOperations.

Interworld Treaty, 41; see alsoUNIC.

Intolerance disadvantage, 180.Inventions, 208.

INDEX 239

INDEX

Israel, 43.ISWAT, 18, 140; ISWAT Agent

template, 187.Japan, 43, 59-60, 63, 91,

146-148.Johnson’s Rome, 13, 38, 40,

70, 130-131.Jumper advantage, 174.Kerne, 67.Kidnappers, crosstime, 72.KMP Petroleum, 40.Language Talent

advantage, 175.Languages, 24, 175.Legal Enforcement Powers

advantage, 176.Lenin-1, 131-133.Lenin-2, 128.Leviathan, 129-130.Libraries, 16.Literature skill, 183.Looters, crosstime, 72.Lucifer-4, 84.Lucifer-5, 133-134.Lysander, 32.Madland, 130.Mafia, 70.Magery advantage, 176.Magic bullet, 76.Magic, 22, 68, 134-135,

138-139, 144-145.Mammut-1, 19.Mammut-2, 84.Mammut-3, 71.Mandeville, 136.Medicine, 18, 25, 26, 99, 207;

Centrum, 51; Reich-5, 62.Mercenaries, 31.Merlin, 134-135.Microworld, 140.Mind Block skill, 22.Mining, 37, 40, 70, 71, 84.Miracle Workers, 18.Möbius, 141.Mongols, 110-111.Morphogenetic field, 22.Mules, 65.Mundane Background

disadvantage, 180.Muslim timelines, 117-118.Mutants, 184.Myth parallels, 21, 94, 136-

137.Napoleon, 113-114.Naturalist skill, 183.Nazis, 19, 69, 142-144;

characters, 193-195; see alsoReich Timelines, SS RavenDivision.

Neanderthals, 184.Needlers, 200.Neo-tröodons, 141, 149.Nergal, 137-138.Nexus portals, 13, 77;

artificial, 26.NGOs, 44.Night Vision advantage, 176.Nineveh Lens, 76.Non-Governmental

Organizations, 44.Nostradamus, 66, 124,

138-139.

Nottingham, 136-137.Nuclear war, 47, 129.Observer Effect, 159-160, 170,

224, 226.Omen advantage, 176.Ontoclysms, 75-78.Operation Archduke, 227-229.Order of the Hourglass,

212-216.Organized crime, 70.Orichalcum, 139-140.Ouroborous Car, 80.Outworld operations, 109, 111,

113, 114, 116, 118, 119,120, 121, 123, 124, 126,

127, 130, 131, 133, 135,138, 130, 144, 145,147, 149, 150.Oz particles, 74.ParachronicLaboratories

(Paralabs), 19-22;Paralabs Field

Researcher template, 188.Parachronics; 19-30; Centrum,

51; communications, 52;detector, 24; hazards, 74-80.

Parachronozoids, 66, 73.Paradoxes, 154-156, 157, 159.Parallels, 88-94; high-inertia,

94; myth, 21, 94, 136-137;and time travel, 156.

Paralocator enhancement, 176.Patron advantage, 176.Penetration Service, template,

187; see Infinity PatrolPenetration Service.

Phobia disadvantage, 180.Plagues, 99, 128.Plastic time, 154, 170.Political change, 105.Possession advantage, 176.Projectors, 27, 35.Psi shield, 26.Psionics, 22, 26, 41, 68.Puzzle worlds, 96, 140-142.Pythagoras Chronovisor, 161.Quanta, timeline, 83, 104.Quantaclysms, 77.Quantum mechanics, 20, 76,

155.Radios, 24.Rainbow effect coils, 163.Rank advantage, 176.Raven Division, see SS Raven

Division.Reality quakes, 75-78.Reconnaisance, 17.Reich timelines, 143.Reich-2, 142-144.Reich-5, 57-67; see also

Armanen Order.Reputation, 178.Research, 22, 183;

missions, 211; skill, 183.Resistant advantage, 176.Resources, 36, 40, 83;

see also Mining.Rhodes, Cecil, 37.Robin Hood, 136-137.Rogue states, 44.Roma Aeterna, 144-145.

Roman Catholic Church, 44,109.

Rome timelines, 145.Russia, 42, 70.Rustic, 141.Scavengers, crosstime, 71.Scout template, 187.Secret disadvantage, 180.Secundus, 46, 48.Security, 35; Centrum, 49; see

also Infinity Patrol SecurityDivision.

See Invisible advantage, 176.Sense of Duty

disadvantage, 180.Sensors, 24.Serendipity advantage, 176.Shiftrealms, 79-89.Shikaku-Mon, 20, 146-148.Shroud of Turin, 76.Shuttles, 52, see also

Conveyors.Silenzia, 80.Skerries, 89.Skills, 181-183.Skorzeny, Otto, 18.Smother, 9, 19.Social gadgeteering, 106.Social Stigma

disadvantage, 181.Solar cells, 23.Spectral Ops, 139.Spetsnaz, 42, 64.Spirit-jumpers, 174.SS Raven Division, 22, 64-

67, 69, 124, 135, 139,179; Gestapo Amt Z Agenttemplate, 194; Mule Jumpertemplate, 194; SS RavenDivision Trooper template,193.

Starships, 72.Stations, 52, see also

Projectors.Status, 178.Stinger, 222.Stopwatch, 217; agents, 223.Student template, 197-198.Stunner, 199, 222.Subways, 80.Super-soldiers, 184.Swagmen, 71, 179; Swagman

template, 196.Taft-3, 11.Taft-7, 130.Tech levels, Centrum, 50;

Homeline, 23; Reich-5, 61.Technological change, 105.Telkozep, Baron Janos, 68.Temporal Control

Authority, 217.Temporal Inertia

advantage, 176.Temporal snarls, 158.Thieves, crosstime, 71.Time Agents, 220-221;

equipment, 222.Time belt, 162.Time Corps, 217-228.Time Draft, 166.Time machines, 153, 162-163;

see also Time Travel.

Time Scouts, template, 187; seeInfinity Patrol PenetrationService.

Time sphere, 163.Time Tours, Ltd., 37-39, 145,

179; Dinosaur Huntertemplate, 191; Tour Guidetemplate, 191.

Time travel, 152-170, 212-229;communication, 158;fiction, 234; to the future,169-170; hazards, 164-166;non-fiction, 236; andparallel worlds, 156; psionic,166-169; via reality quake,77.

Time viewers, 160-161.Timeline shifting, 104.Timenappers, 72.Timepiece, 217; agents, 220-

221, 222.Timescanner, 161.Timesickness

disadvantage, 181.Tracking skill, 183.Translation software, 24.

Triads, 70, 71, 215.Turkana, 19.Tychiron, 66.Unaging advantage, 176.Unattached (Centrum)Agent template, 192.

UNIC, 6, 31-34; UNICCrisis MinistryTroubleshooter template,188.

Unique disadvantage, 181.United Kingdom, 43.United Nations, 41, 217; see

also UNIC.United Nations Interworld

Council, see UNIC.United States, 42; under the

Nazis, 60.United States of Lizardia, 148-

149.Universal Exports, Ltd., 43.Unusual Background

advantage, 176.Uplift Service, 54, 56.Van Zandt, Paul, 6, 35, 40.Vanish, 141.Vatican, see Roman Catholic

Church.Vinland Map, 76.Vortices, 75.Wanshijieshan, 80.Wealth, 178.Weapons, 199-200, 214.White Stag, 74.White Star Trading, 6, 37, 40-

41, 70, 119, 151; Tradertemplate, 190.

Williams-Khor Hypothesis, 21.World classification, Centrum,

51; Infinity, 83.World-jumpers, 65, 174.Wyvern, 142.Xing La, 129.Yrth, 150-151.Yugorovsky Group, 32, 40.Zombies, 128.

240 INDEX

INFIN

ITE W

OR

LDS

01-2001

The good news is, we can visit other Earths. The bad news is, somebody out there doesn’t like us.

The shuttles of Infinity Unlimited jump between parallel Earths,seeking profit, knowledge, and adventure. But a parallel calledCentrum also has the technology to cross between worlds . . . and they want to rule them all. The Infinity Patrol mustdeal with these ruthless rivals, as well aswith world-jumping criminals, and try tokeep the secret of dimension travel out ofthe hands of the really nasty alternateworlds like Reich-5.

Welcome to the core setting of GURPSFourth Edition! Any campaign can be onone of the Infinite Worlds timelines . . .whether they know it or not! Compiled byKenneth Hite, the master of alternate histories, GURPS Infinite Worlds combinesand updates material from GURPS TimeTravel, GURPS Alternate Earths, andGURPS Alternate Earths 2 into one full-color volume, and gives dozens of newworlds to explore as well!

This book also gives detailed rules for timetravel, with three different campaign frames.

Whether you’re playing accidental travelersor the hardened troops of the Infinity Patrol,this book is your gateway to adventure.Infinite adventure.

STEVEJACKSON

GAMES

Written by Kenneth Hite, Steve Jackson, and John M. Ford Edited by Andrew HackardCover Art by Abrar Ajmal, Guy Burchak, Alan Gutierrez, Tony Parker, Rowena,

Bob Stevlic, Rogério Vilela, and Bob WaltersIllustrated by Abrar Ajmal, Brent Chumley, John Moriarty, Tony Parker,

Douglas Shuler, Bob Stevlic, and Eva Widermann

ISBN 1-55634-734-0

SJG03495 01-2001Printed in the USA

9!BMF@JA:RSVRSSoYjZhZ_ZdZ`

1ST EDITION, 1ST PRINTINGPUBLISHED FEBRUARY 2005

infinite worlds . . . infinite adventure!

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