(E.I. Game) The New EI 'Final'

[DGNT]

Alright, The Crimean War scenario and Years of Rice and Salt-esque RP are neck in neck and there seems to be a lot of opposition to the Crimean War scenario, so, were going to have a final of sorts.

Your options are:

A. POD = Mid 14th Century, Plauge/disease/famine/whatever wipes out %90 of Europes population in the mid-1300's. By the start of the RP (1600-1940) the main powers are American and Asian. Technology may roughly parallel the levels historically achieved depending on the start date (I would say by 1700 the Americans would have caught up provided the Chinese sold them things like guns and advanced metalworking, which would be likely givin the amounts of native American gold)

B. POD = 1854 The Russia-wins-Crimean-War scenario. This will most likely start out as a sort of Russo-English 'cold war' in the Baltic/Aegean, with Russia holding significantly larger territories in the Balkans and East Asia.
I definitly see Russia being more modern and more stable into the 1860's, with Tsar Alexander II not getting himself blown up and Nicholas I living longer.


NOTE:
POD is NOT the start date. Option A will not begin until at least the 1600's. Option B may well start in 1854, but (IMO) that would be rather boring.

This poll closes in two days.

In the event of a tie, Ill flip a coin.

EDIT:
Also, the debate topic for these two timelines is here:

http://alternatehistory.com/discussion/showthread.php?t=50927

[AaronH]

I voted for the wrong option. I accidently clicked B so take one off that and add it to A if you please.

[SionEwig]

Option (A) is going to take a lot of prepatory work to get it ready since you will need at least 300 years of a timeline done. Option (B) probably not as much work.

The advantage of starting from the 1854 POD and playing from there is that there is ample historical information available. And if you set a pretty fast pace for time to go by in the first part of the game, then you can quickly get to 20 years or so down the road and then slow things down.

[DGNT]

We are already preparing for both occasions. I already wrote out a basic timeline for the initial alt-hist in the YRAS-esque RP, 1354-1426, I think. Its not very good, but I dont write well at 2am either :P

[DGNT]

I am going to be seriously annoyed if this poll ends up tied as well >_>

[General_Paul]

I am going to be seriously annoyed if this poll ends up tied as well >_>


Eh, it may or it may not. I actually have a quick question: Does the Mexican-American War happen on schedule and on time, along with the ACW, or is it a little more AH then it sounds?

[Tyr]

Having a POD before the game starts is not good. Leaves people very unsure as to their situation.

[General_Paul]

Having a POD before the game starts is not good. Leaves people very unsure as to their situation.


I agree. Is there any way that we could make the POD 1866 or whenever the game starts? RP'ing out the POD might be a bit more fun IMO.

[SionEwig]

Having a POD before the game starts is not good. Leaves people very unsure as to their situation.

I agree. Is there any way that we could make the POD 1866 or whenever the game starts? RP'ing out the POD might be a bit more fun IMO.

Isn't that more or less what I said above concerning Option (B)? I will agree that it makes things more fun, just set the POD (and make it a fairly big one), and then go forward from that. The advantage is that you have historical record for everything up to the POD, and then after that THE GAME is writing the timeline as things progress.

[DGNT]

Weve done 'historical' RPs way too often for my tastes, and we just finished up a 1850's RP. Personally, if we do the Crimean War I would push for a start date in the 1870's at the very least.

In both cases we would have a timeline which would clearly show who the 'big players' were and would minimize confusion on the 'situation'.

[Muse_Of_History]

Maybe its just me, and its probably just me, but I don't think that the (further) balkanization of Europe would result in a years of rice and salt scenario. The fact of the matter is that, Europe had just emerged from being hit with many big sticks and many heavy rocks (Mongol Invasion barely a century back...). Before that, it had endured the damaging of its central religious authority following the fall of rome, next, we had very interesting fall of Rome, the Frankish conquests, the burning of major learning centers and so on. Europe clings to life and power like a dog clings to chew toy, and when it loses it it chases it. Ireland would be a really fun place to play. In OTL during the dark ages, Ireland was the single most Christian and Intelligent nation in the West. its position and how it deals with the arrival of the equivalents of the: Mongol/Islamic/Viking invasions, probably closest to Viking with Gunpowder and the good ol' steam ships. The only serious threat to just about anyone is China, whom we would have to placate like a cow-consuming dragon....

[SionEwig]

Weve done 'historical' RPs way too often for my tastes, and we just finished up a 1850's RP. Personally, if we do the Crimean War I would push for a start date in the 1870's at the very least.

In both cases we would have a timeline which would clearly show who the 'big players' were and would minimize confusion on the 'situation'.


Maybe somewhere else, but not here. And if you don't want a 1850s, then have a different POD! If you want an 1854 POD and the game start in 1870s, then you will still spend a good bit of time coming up with the TL for those 20ish years. And if you are going to ask for input on the TL and make it a group project, then you might as well play it out.

[DGNT]

Oh noes not teh workz!
Meh. Work is part of the concept. IF it means I have to spend a week writing an TL because people on the alt-hist boards dont want to help out, then a week it shall take.

TL's arent what makes me upset anyway. Its when people refuse to help on them and then freak out because something is wrong with them after theyre done.

[Fatstalin]

Must we truly keep the poll open for two days? I think it's pretty obvious by now that option B is the perferred choice.

[DGNT]

Its only ahead by one vote, since AaronH mis-voted.

[Euskadi]

Will you please write into this a free Euskadi, somehow?

[DGNT]

In A we might have been able to, but B doesnt give us a POD far enough back.

[Euskadi]

In A we might have been able to, but B doesnt give us a POD far enough back.

Was France involved in your version of the Crimean War, if so, I could write up a series of events that occur allowing a Basque state to be created

[Fatstalin]

Was France involved in your version of the Crimean War, if so, I could write up a series of events that occur allowing a Basque state to be created

Unfortunantely for you, the whole POD in this scenario is that France, rocked by another set of revolutions, is unable to come to the aid of Great Britain in the Crimean War.

[DGNT]

Well, now that that issue is resolved, we just have to set the start date.

New poll forthcoming.