TL Description and Title Game

[Barbarossa Rotbart]

Originally Posted by Michael Wittmann

The USSR, under Stalin decides not to send aid to the Communists during the Chinese civil war and sent troops to aid the Nationalist Army, which leads to a KMT victory. This leads to North Korea and North Vietnam being butterflied. meanwhile, an unknown force overthrew Chiang Kai-Shek and a lot of changes are going underway in China.

Stalin & Chiang Kai-Shek: Unlikely Allies

Luther's and Calvin's reform movements were much more successful. Not only all of Germany, Britain and Scandinavia did adopt either Calvinism or Lutheranism, but also France, Italy and many smaller European realms. Only Spain and its colonies remain Roman-Catholic.
Martin Luther's approval of the second marriage of Philipp of Hesse lead to the legalization of polygamism (but the additional marriages were considered morganatic). In the 17th century the ordination of women was introduced.
The French Revolution in the 18th century did not only introduce democratic and republican (but France stayed a monarchy) ideas but also made homosexuality legal. King Charles X of France was the first monarch to marry his male lover.
With Italy (and Rome) lost to Calvinism and Lutheranism the Pope relocated to Spain and later to the new capital of the new Papal state in Meso-America.

[Chris Oakley]

Originally Posted by Barbarossa Rotbart

[/B]Luther's and Calvin's reform movements were much more successful. Not only all of Germany, Britain and Scandinavia did adopt either Calvinism or Lutheranism, but also France, Italy and many smaller European realms. Only Spain and its colonies remain Roman-Catholic.
Martin Luther's approval of the second marriage of Philipp of Hesse lead to the legalization of polygamism (but the additional marriages were considered morganatic). In the 17th century the ordination of women was introduced.
The French Revolution in the 18th century did not only introduce democratic and republican (but France stayed a monarchy) ideas but also made homosexuality legal. King Charles X of France was the first monarch to marry his male lover.
With Italy (and Rome) lost to Calvinism and Lutheranism the Pope relocated to Spain and later to the new capital of the new Papal state in Meso-America.

Papal New World

Artur Seyss-Inquart dies under mysterious circumstances just before the Anschluss between Germany and Austria is due to take place.

[Starseed]

Originally Posted by Chris Oakley

Papal New World

Artur Seyss-Inquart dies under mysterious circumstances just before the Anschluss between Germany and Austria is due to take place.

The Bloody Anschluss






The Halo franchise is a popular series of space-strategy games that begins with the Covenant pulling a Pearl Harbor and smashing up the UNSC. The UNSC take sup most of a spiral arm. As such it takes a long time to be defeated, over the course of three games. At the final battle, the demoralised UNSC forces have to hold out a half hour to let the civilians flee to a neighboring galaxy via forerinner superhighway. (Which will destroyed hopefully..) However, through this superhighway comes forerunner ships crewed by indigs who fled the galaxy through the very same gate in game one. They come back at 25:00 after two defensive lines have been lost (however if they are not, the battle goes better than ever expected. The indigs/forerunner fleet is equiped with foreriunner AI droids and ship AI's (think of Minds) who help them paste the covvie fleet. They paste the covvies who break into factions, with the Elite/Grunt crewed ships turning around after five minutes of getting pasted ship by ship, destroying ships commanded by Brutes as well as the Covenant flagship with all three prophets on it. The battle is won, with the covvies fleeing, the elites signing a treaty with the humans and leavin to liberate their worlds with the help of the forerunner ships.

The games are run on a Xbox due to simple models and a innovative control pad, which includes a early touch pad used to command ships around the map. They are wild successes in the strategy community and spawn a entire genre of games that use the same controls as the Halo games. The Xbox gets the reputation the Dreamcast was working on as well as re-releases of all the Dreamcast games, not to mention older games from SEGA consoles. Yes, Dreamcast controller is made for the Xbox by SEGA as well as a 'adapter' to allow the Saturn 3D controller to be used with the Xbox. Third, the old VMU's can be used on the Xbox, however to save Xbox files they need to be 'formatted' for the new console. (You can still transfer files from a VMU to a xbox as well as use it for data storage.) This solidifies a new Microsoft/SEGA alliance. A keyboard and mouse is released for the Xbox using a single controller port near the end of it's life.

The 360 comes with the same adapter for the 3D controller, modified for the new console. A new Dreamcast controller is released with backwards compatability for the VMU, again the same restrictions the original Xbox had with VMU's. This time, the new console can take advantage of rrumble legacy code in DC games on Xbox discs. A fishing rod is developed and famously if you have one you can hot switch to it in Fable II and III for the frishing minigame. A arcade stick also comes out, as well as the Dual Stick, a controller with two sticks. (Youtube) Also a ASCII analouge stick is released, in Capcom black and yellow, and SNK blue and white. (Youtube) All told, SEGA becomes a primary partner, and when it releases it's latest Total War game on the new console for use with the keyboard and mouse but with microphone support added to the constant horns and drums of ancient armies command and control; in short it's considered the most realstic game ever released for ancient combat and people all over the world love it.

Microsoft never looks back, and strategy games in the living room take off. The 360 also has great success when all and sundry can sign up as services that can be used with the console for media streaming. Other speciality controllers are easy to make for the new console and are released occasionally for games like Rock Band.

Microsoft finally in 2008 goes around Apple's patents when Samsung makes a deal with Microsoft saying it's willing to do anything to crush the upstart. Microsoft releases a VMU with a color screen covering it's entire front that can be plugged into a Dreamcast controller, although a new DC controller is released so the unit's entire screen can be seen while plugged in. The new item is called the Zune, and it's capable of the same high capacity storage tricks as the iPod Nano, but also can play simplified games. This is a huge success. In 2011 they release at E3 a new device that can play video's. However, they also release a Zune HD that's has twice the screen real estate, but can be plugged into the SEGA Revolution controller, a take on the DC controller where the middle of the controller is the Zune's HD's screen. Yes it can be used with games while plugged in, let alone games for 'handheld computing devices'. (IRL Smartphones.) The Zune sells as a independant unit with the Zune 3G which can be plugged into the SEGA Revolution. The unit has a headphone and microphone port to plug in a wireles reciever, the wireless headset for the unit making it a very nice phone. This also sells like hotcakes. Apple is crushed by the SEGA/Microsoft alliance as it's known in Japan, or the Microsoft/SEGA alliance as it's known everywhere else.

Microsoft also never throws away backwards compatability. Downloadable games for the Zune can be played on the big screen, with many series making this 'jump' to becoming AA titles for the big screen. With the primary of the big screen taking hold, 'smartphone' games always remain a sideshow.

As a sidenote, the Wii is a wild success, but only makes 3/4ths the money of OTL and Nintendo has to come groveling to SEGA to get any games on the new MS box. They manage to port most first party NES games for download and make so much money they throw in the towel at 2012 E2 and promise MS their entire research division's support for new consoles by the Redmond giant. At the same event, every first party SNES title is released for the MS console, with most second and third party games for the NES and SNES making the transition in the next five years. The series are relaunched as 'smartphone' downloadable games, and many series reach the big screen. This is aided by how hard it is to program for the elabvorate and brilliant hardware from Sony, while the MS consoles always have a option for using C+ and other simplier codes, with plenty of drivers scraped from MS' Windows platform. (The Xbox is a expanded version of Windows CE at it's inception, so not suprising.) While this was happening, in 2015 Steve Jobs, on death's door manages to secure a merger with Research In Motion. (The Blackberry folks.) A Blackberry patch, really several drivers for blackberry programs, is made for iPod Touch and iPhone as well as laptops and desktops and servers.

By 2016 all Samsung TV's come with a special port for the MS consoles, which makes communication between the two much faster and with massive bandwith, allowing for greater graphics. This forces Sony to make a PS3TV that fails to catch attention. They provide better support between their consoles and their TV's but it's just not enough, and it never catches on even after the Sony Viao Reader is released as a addition to the PS/TV ecosystem. As Sony adds products in looking for the panacea, they start a war over the living room between Samsung/SEGA/MS and Sony.

Other retaillers are floored and eventually by 2019 they join one partner or the other.

Social Abstract

Console wars are again between two Goliaths. Old SEGA commercials serve MS splendidly and they floor Sony, who never admits defeat and is a ever growing faint second. Sony takes up the nche markets with a fanatical yet small fanbase. /v/ is a strong MS board, with /k/ommandos pointing out how you can use Linux devices in the Sony ecosystem. /r/gaming is a Sega board, with Sega fanboys cheering MS, while /r/games is a moshpit of flames. Children once again know what's it's like to support one or the other. The commercials are cheesy as they can get, bringing back the memories from the old Nintendo/SEGA wars. However with Nintendo on it's side, commercials for Nintendo are put out, with a digital release of Nintendo Power making a comback on the Zune Newsstand in 2013. The series never dies, and is a massive hit. It comes with a single downloadable demo per issue. Special real world E3 issues come with ten special edition downloads as well, making the Nintendo booth at E3 a must-go to place in the E3 community.

From the inception of the iPhone onward, Apple is/was the professional choice although a distant third with no console outside a workaround for the Mac mini. Anybody seen using a Zune is seen as a child however diehards have made cases to make a Zune look like a iProduct, including a silver Apple logo on the back of the case. These cases are built in China and illegally put into the world market, in addition to several designs for 3D printers existing. Sony can convince people it's products are actual adult products but they have never made the jump to selling the Playstation as a 'home entertainment center' and have to use their TV's as the core of the Sony ecosystem as a workaround. Canonical has always made a choice for those who live linux, but few want to work with linux in releasing content, making this choice the choice of conspiracy theorists who cannot get content released any where else. It's got it's own fans, but they are not gamers as much as computer users and always irrelevant in the major scheme of things.

[Codae]

Strategery: The Best Argument

Just before Charlemagne reaches Rome in 800, he suffers a sudden, fatal stroke. His three sons succeed him on the Frankish throne as Charles II, but never attain the title of Roman Emperor. In fact, the Frankish realms are never united again, being split between descendants of Louis the Pious (in the north) and Pippin/Carloman of Italy (in the south). What unity remains is eroded by the migration of the Vikings, Byzantine power-plays in Italy, and the reemergence of German stem duchies.

In the year 1000, the most powerful states in Europe and North Africa are the Byzantine Empire, the Emirate of Cordoba, and a Denmark that has expanded to Normandy. Also important are Swabia, just big enough to successfully play the top-rank powers off against each other, and Aquitaine, the only place where Carolingians still rule. But the second Rome's eastern frontier is neglected and vulnerable to (accelerated relative to OTL) Turkish assault, and some have begun to consider returning the capital to the First...

[Richter10]

Originally Posted by Codae

Strategery: The Best Argument

Just before Charlemagne reaches Rome in 800, he suffers a sudden, fatal stroke. His three sons succeed him on the Frankish throne as Charles II, but never attain the title of Roman Emperor. In fact, the Frankish realms are never united again, being split between descendants of Louis the Pious (in the north) and Pippin/Carloman of Italy (in the south). What unity remains is eroded by the migration of the Vikings, Byzantine power-plays in Italy, and the reemergence of German stem duchies.

In the year 1000, the most powerful states in Europe and North Africa are the Byzantine Empire, the Emirate of Cordoba, and a Denmark that has expanded to Normandy. Also important are Swabia, just big enough to successfully play the top-rank powers off against each other, and Aquitaine, the only place where Carolingians still rule. But the second Rome's eastern frontier is neglected and vulnerable to (accelerated relative to OTL) Turkish assault, and some have begun to consider returning the capital to the First...

To break down at the last minute.

This TL investigate the political and social effects of the sudden shutdown for 24 hours of the Internet around the world in 2010 and the complete loss of data on its servers, as in systems connected to it, due a multi-platform computer virus, Pluto's Kiss, created by an american hacker.

[Starseed]

Originally Posted by Richter10

To break down at the last minute.

This TL investigate the political and social effects of the sudden shutdown for 24 hours of the Internet around the world in 2010 and the complete loss of data on its servers, as in systems connected to it, due a multi-platform computer virus, Pluto's Kiss, created by an american hacker.

Woops, I hope you have backups!

Somebody try naming my TL again, please. It's all about the touch screens.

[Lycaon pictus]

Originally Posted by Starseed

Somebody try naming my TL again, please. It's all about the touch screens.

The really long one? Standoff at High Zune

Shortly after World War II, a new strain of influenza sweeps the world. It kills relatively few people, but has an unexpected effect on the pituitary glands of children who survive, in most cases inhibiting the gland’s function but in some cases driving it to overcompensate. The upshot of all this is that about twenty percent of all children born between 1947 and 1957 are dwarfs, reaching a final adult height of only 50-75% of their parents’. Five percent, on the other hand, are giants, reaching 125-150% of their parents’ height. This TL explores the effects of this phenomenon on everything from architecture to fashion to automobile design to military recruitment.

[Starseed]

Originally Posted by Lycaon pictus

The really long one? Standoff at High Zune

I like it. (filler)

[Barbarossa Rotbart]

Originally Posted by Lycaon pictus

Shortly after World War II, a new strain of influenza sweeps the world. It kills relatively few people, but has an unexpected effect on the pituitary glands of children who survive, in most cases inhibiting the gland’s function but in some cases driving it to overcompensate. The upshot of all this is that about twenty percent of all children born between 1947 and 1957 are dwarfs, reaching a final adult height of only 50-75% of their parents’. Five percent, on the other hand, are giants, reaching 125-150% of their parents’ height. This TL explores the effects of this phenomenon on everything from architecture to fashion to automobile design to military recruitment.

Giants & Dwarves

Microsoft got insolvent in 1990 and had been broken apart. Linux, Mac OS, TOS, OS/2 and AmigaOS are the five most important computer operation system which divide up the market among themselves. This increased competition leads to much faster development of computer hard- and software technologies.

[Richter10]

Originally Posted by Barbarossa Rotbart

Giants & Dwarves

Microsoft got insolvent in 1990 and had been broken apart. Linux, Mac OS, TOS, OS/2 and AmigaOS are the five most important computer operation system which divide up the market among themselves. This increased competition leads to much faster development of computer hard- and software technologies.

A Broken Giant, Multiple Choices

In 1894, the experiments of Fr. Roberto Landell de Moura for transmission of human voice through radio receive the attention and investment of Brazilian government, giving the country the lead on wireless communication.

[Barbarossa Rotbart]

Originally Posted by Richter10

In 1894, the experiments of Fr. Roberto Landell de Moura for transmission of human voice through radio receive the attention and investment of Brazilian government, giving the country the lead on wireless communication.

Radio Brazil

The biography of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom. Her preference of revealing dresses (some of her early dresses were based on ancient Egyption designs), skinny-dipping (she really hated those bathing suits), art nude, gymnastics (for women!) and her numerous lesbian affairs did shape that age known as the Victorian Age. She also was an excellent graphic artist of whom several hundred pieces of nude art exist. Some of them show family members (often her eldest daughter, the later Queen Victoria II), others were self-portraits. Her long and peacefull rule (1835-1900) saw among others the introduction of women's suffrage (in 1871!) and autonomy for all parts of the British Empire (in which still exist today).

[Simreeve]

Originally Posted by Barbarossa Rotbart

Radio Brazil

The biography of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom. Her preference of revealing dresses (some of her early dresses were based on ancient Egyption designs), skinny-dipping (she really hated those bathing suits), art nude, gymnastics (for women!) and her numerous lesbian affairs did shape that age known as the Victorian Age. She also was an excellent graphic artist of whom several hundred pieces of nude art exist. Some of them show family members (often her eldest daughter, the later Queen Victoria II), others were self-portraits. Her long and peacefull rule (1835-1900) saw among others the introduction of women's suffrage (in 1871!) and autonomy for all parts of the British Empire (in which still exist today).

We Are Amused.


In 1870, worried that the USA had designs on his land, the King of Hawaii sought and received British protection. Basing rights for the Royal Navy at Pearl Harbour were included in this deal. When Britain's presence in the Pacific was strengthened further by its acquisition of the Philippines and Marianas in 1901, as a result of the Anglo-Spanish War, a decision was made to expand that base significantly and to station a strong fleet there as a regional reserve. Unfortunately this fed American paranoia about British imperialism, raising (with the "help" of Randolph Hurst's newspapers) tensions between the two powers. And then, in 1914, the Prince of Wales was assassinated by an Irish-American gunman while carrying out a state tour of Canada...
War!

[Barbarossa Rotbart]

Originally Posted by Simreeve

We Are Amused.

Great title. I like it.

[Richter10]

Originally Posted by Simreeve

We Are Amused.


In 1870, worried that the USA had designs on his land, the King of Hawaii sought and received British protection. Basing rights for the Royal Navy at Pearl Harbour were included in this deal. When Britain's presence in the Pacific was strengthened further by its acquisition of the Philippines and Marianas in 1901, as a result of the Anglo-Spanish War, a decision was made to expand that base significantly and to station a strong fleet there as a regional reserve. Unfortunately this fed American paranoia about British imperialism, raising (with the "help" of Randolph Hurst's newspapers) tensions between the two powers. And then, in 1914, the Prince of Wales was assassinated by an Irish-American gunman while carrying out a state tour of Canada...
War!

The Pacific Great War: American-Style!

Carrying a valise of Tizard Mission, a porter accidently let it fall, breaking the Cavity Magnetron inside. USA, unconvinced of the workability of UK's RADAR, don't mass produce it, leaving UK without RADAR for its defense.

[Barbarossa Rotbart]

Originally Posted by Richter10

Carrying a valise of Tizard Mission, a porter accidently let it fall, breaking the Cavity Magnetron inside. USA, unconvinced of the workability of UK's RADAR, don't mass produce it, leaving UK without RADAR for its defense.

Broken RADAR

This timeline explores the development of the movie industry in a world in which the Hays Code came never into existence and thus no movie is ever censored. It also investigates how this affects both the comic industry (no comic coda authority) and television.

[Starseed]

Originally Posted by Simreeve

In 1870, worried that the USA had designs on his land, the King of Hawaii sought and received British protection. Basing rights for the Royal Navy at Pearl Harbour were included in this deal. When Britain's presence in the Pacific was strengthened further by its acquisition of the Philippines and Marianas in 1901, as a result of the Anglo-Spanish War, a decision was made to expand that base significantly and to station a strong fleet there as a regional reserve. Unfortunately this fed American paranoia about British imperialism, raising (with the "help" of Randolph Hurst's newspapers) tensions between the two powers. And then, in 1914, the Prince of Wales was assassinated by an Irish-American gunman while carrying out a state tour of Canada...

War!

The War of the Pacific Kingdoms

Originally Posted by Barbarossa Rotbart

The biography of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom. Her preference of revealing dresses (some of her early dresses were based on ancient Egyption designs), skinny-dipping (she really hated those bathing suits), art nude, gymnastics (for women!) and her numerous lesbian affairs did shape that age known as the Victorian Age. She also was an excellent graphic artist of whom several hundred pieces of nude art exist. Some of them show family members (often her eldest daughter, the later Queen Victoria II), others were self-portraits. Her long and peacefull rule (1835-1900) saw among others the introduction of women's suffrage (in 1871!) and autonomy for all parts of the British Empire (in which still exist today).

I want to name this for the continuance for a liberal english society. Victoria (OTL) did much to make english society wizen up.

No idea what to name it~

Originally Posted by Barbarossa Rotbart

Microsoft got insolvent in 1990 and had been broken apart. Linux, Mac OS, TOS, OS/2 and AmigaOS are the five most important computer operation systems which divide up the market among themselves. This increased competition leads to much faster development of computer hard- and software technologies.

Let's not argue about the butterflied development of Linux, Linus Torvold's 'backwards enginnered' Unix. . . or . . . or . . . or . . . or . . .

Disunited Digital Spirt Saga

(A play on 'Digital Devil Saga'. or DDSS. 'Spirt' is used because the characters representing these OS' are a varied, but mostly inhuman lot. Oh btw, what's TOS? What about BeOS? Does the NEXT do any good in this TL? [If it does, there goes the return of Jobs to Apple.])

Originally Posted by Richter10

In 1894, the experiments of Fr. Roberto Landell de Moura for transmission of human voice through radio receive the attention and investment of Brazilian government, giving the country the lead on wireless communication.

The Southern Cross

(Both a cross of technologies, but also the cross of eras. Oh, does the Argies develop airships in this TL too?)

[Lycaon pictus]

Originally Posted by Barbarossa Rotbart

This timeline explores the development of the movie industry in a world in which the Hays Code came never into existence and thus no movie is ever censored. It also investigates how this affects both the comic industry (no comic coda authority) and television.

From Here You Can See Everything

Louis I of Spain survives the smallpox, but proves an incompetent king. Partly as a consequence of his bungling, in 1756 Spain and Portugal lose the Guaraní War, resulting in a Jesuit-led, Guaraní-speaking state in the middle of South America.

[Starseed]

Originally Posted by Lycaon pictus

From Here You Can See Everything

Louis I of Spain survives the smallpox, but proves an incompetent king. Partly as a consequence of his bungling, in 1756 Spain and Portugal lose the Guaraní War, resulting in a Jesuit-led, Guaraní-speaking state in the middle of South America.

Salvation of the Lost

(The missions, the religious salvation of the locals was kept, but the people had lost their identity by conversion.)

[Starseed]

*bump* I really don't want this dying. It's intresting.

[Barbarossa Rotbart]

Originally Posted by Starseed

*bump* I really don't want this dying. It's intresting.

Then post a TL description!

This TL describes the rise of the Holy Roman Empire. It begins with the rise of the House Anjou-Plantagenet who became Kings of France in personal union with England at the end of the 12th century (Richard I). Henry IV (14th century) was the first (Lancaster-)Plantagenet who was not only King of England and France but also German King, but this grandson Henry VI (VIII) was the first (Lancaster-)Plantagenet to become Roman Emperor. At this time all of Italy was again under the control of the Holy Roman Empire. The 16th century saw not only the transformation of the personal union between England, France and the Holy Roman Empire into a real union, but also the integration of Scotland and Ireland into the Empire, the abolishment of the Salic Succession Law. Elizabeth I was the last (Lancaster-)Plantagenet ruling the Empire but also the first woman as Roman Empress, German Queen, Queen of England and Queen of France.
Today the Roman Empire (that's the name since 1555) is a parliamentary monarchy consisting of the Kingdoms of Germany, France, England, Scotland, Bohemia, Italy, the Irish Counties, the Duchy of Burgundy, the Principality of Wales and their colonies.