I'm not sure if this is allowed, but I'll explain what I changed from the vanilla version of Chrononauts and why:
In general,
I gave each event both a month and a year, since, for example, a linchpin and a ripplepoint could be in the same year, so the month makes it easier to figure out which linchpins need to be flipped in order to get a certain result. The only ones without a month are ones that occur throughout a year.
APR 1865: Abraham Lincoln Assassinated - President Shot during Theatrical Event
APR 1865': Lincoln Wounded - Theatrical event marred by attempt to kill president
Nothing changed here.
FEB 1868: Andrew Johnson Impeached - President escapes conviction and removal from office by one vote
Paradox if APR 1865'. Patch: Abraham Lincoln Impeached - President escapes conviction and removal from office by three votes
I changed the flavor text of the patch, since I think a few more people would object to Lincoln being impeached.
APR 1912: Titanic Collides with Iceberg - Collision with iceberg dooms new ocean liner
APR 1912': Titanic Avoids Iceberg - Heroic Lookout unknown.
I changed the flavor of the altered linchpin to imply intervention from a time traveler.
JUN 1914: Archduke Ferdinand Assassinated - WWI breaks out one month later
JUN 1914': Archduke Unharmed in Attack - Injured bodyguard still missing
Nothing changed here.
MAY 1915: Lusitania Sunk by Torpedo - German submarine torpedoes ocean liner
MAY 1915': Lusitania Arrives Safely- Steamship escapes harm despite submarine blockade
Again, nothing changed here.
JUL 1916: Battle of the Somme - 50,000 British casualties in the first hour
Paradox if JUN 1914'. Patch: Berlin Hosts Olympic Games - George Patton wins 2 gold medals for USA
Here's the first new bookmark in the timeline. I thought this could be another event affected by Franz Ferdinand's assassination, as I thought it only effecting one didn't seem right considering how important it is.
For the patch, Berlin was to host the Olympic Games in 1916, but they were canceled for obvious reasons.
George Patton had participated in the Stockholm Olympics in 1912, specifically in the modern pentathlon.
APR 1917: U.S. Declares War on Germany - Key reason: Sinking of Lusitania
Paradox if MAY 1915'. Patch: President Wilson Keeps US Out of War ...just like he said he would
Nothing changed here.
OCT 1917: Vladimir Lenin Stages Coup - Promises to bring "Peace, Bread, and Land."
OCT 1917': Vladimir Lenin Arrested - Train delay is long enough for authorities to identify him.
Another "what if" that the original game overlooks is the October Revolution. I believe that if Lenin were to be arrested before the Germans had put him on a train to Russia, the history of both Russia and the world would be very different.
NOV 1918: Europe in Ruins after WWI - Flu epidemic kills 20 million worldwide
Paradox if JUN 1914' or MAY 1915'.
If JUN 1914' - Patch A: European Economy Booms - Economy booms despite the Austro-Serbian war.
If JUN 1914 and MAY 1915' - Patch B: Central Powers Win - Kaiser signs Treaty of Alsace, with surprisingly lenient terms for both sides.
Two changes here: Most obviously, I added an alternate patch, in which Franz Ferdinand is still killed but the Lusitania isn't sunk. The end result is that the U.S. doesn't intervene, and the Central Powers end up winning the war without their influence.
The other change is that I change the flavor text for the original patch. I think an attempt on Fraz Ferdinand's life would still result in Austria going to war with Serbia, but presumably this war doesn't escalate into the absolute clusterf*ck that resulted in our timeline.
DEC 1922: Bolsheviks win Russian Civil War - Soviet Union Proclaimed.
Paradox if OCT 1917'. Patch: Russian Republic adopts new Constitution- Bolshevik leaders executed.
Without Lenin's influence, I believe that the Bolsheviks would have had a bit harder time managing to gain control of the Russian government.
OCT 1929: Stock Market Crashes - Millionaires lose millions
Paradox if APR 1912'. Patch: Titanic Explodes - Steamship sinks after striking derelict mine
Nothing changed here.
1933: The Great Depression - President Roosevelt launches New Deal
Paradox if APR 1912' and MAY 1915'. Patch: The Mild Recession - "Things could be a lot worse," asserts President Hoover
I changed the flavor text. Here, it is Herbert Hoover, and not FDR, that says that things could be worse, the implication being that without the stock market crash of 1929, Hoover ends up being re-elected.
AUG 1936: Hitler Opens '36 Olympics - Nazi leader makes speech at Berlin Olympic Games
AUG 1936': Adolf Hitler Assassinated - Berlin Olympics marred by sniper attack on host nation's leader
Nothing changed here.
MAY 1937: Hindenburg Explodes - Zeppelin bursts into flames while landing at Lakehurst
MAY 1937': Bomb Found on Hindenburg - Device disarmed safely, but saboteur still at large
Again, nothing changed here.
SEP 1939: Germany Invades Poland - World War II begins
Paradox if AUG 1936'. Patch: Fairgoers Love German Cake - Black Forest Cake served at Germany Pavilion is big hit at New York World's Fair
Once gain, nothing changed here.
JUN 1941: Operation Barbarossa - Germany invades Russia
JUN 1941': Operation Barbarossa Called Off - Russia remains neutral
Another "what if", this one being that the Germans realize that invading the USSR is a horrible idea, and as a result, Operation Barbarossa gets called off, and thus, Russia remains neutral in WWII.
DEC 1941: Pearl Harbor Bombed by Japanese - US enters WWII
DEC 1941': Raid on Pearl Harbor Called Off - US remains neutral
Nothing changed here.
JAN 1942: Final Solution Undertaken - Systematic murder of all Jews agreed on at Wannsee Conference
Paradox if AUG 1936'. Patch: Nuremberg Race Laws Repealed - New government restores full citizenship to German Jews
Again, nothing changed here.
DEC 1942: Battle of Stalingrad- Nazi forces surrender inside the city.
Paradox if OCT 1917' or AUG 1936' and/or JUN 1941'.
If OCT 1917' and AUG 1936 and JUN 1941 - Patch A: Raid of Tsaritsyn - Russian armies annihilated by Nazi forces.
If AUG 1936' and JUN 1941 - Patch B: Treaty of Kiev - Russo-German war ends with both sides signing white peace.
If AUG 1936 and JUN 1941' - Patch C: Allies pushed to the Suez Canal - Field Marshal Montgomery considers destroying it.
If AUG 1936' and JUN 1941' - Patch D: Nazi Leaders executed - Last remnants of the former Nazi regime rounded up and shot.
Ho boy. Let me explain each patch:
Patch A: Here, the October revolution fails, but Hitler still rises to power and invades Russia. The result is that the non-Soviet Russian forces end up getting utterly curbstomped.
As a side note, Tsaritsyn was the original name for the city of Volgograd. It was renamed to Stalingrad in 1925, before being given it's current name in 1961.
Patch B: This card is here to explain the Operation Barbarossa Linchpin in a scenario where Hitler gets killed.
Patch C: Here, Hitler lives but realizes that invading Russia is a bad idea. The implication is that German forces that would have been tied down in Russia are instead deployed in Africa, where the other allies are having a much harder time dealing with them.
Patch D: Here, WWII never happens. The post-Nazi government has dealt with whatever remaining resistance there is.
1943: Manhattan Project - Secret government project works to build nuclear weapon
1943': Manhattan Project Sabotaged - Atomic bomb program set back two years
Nothing changed here.
JUN 1944: D-Day - Allied troops begin ground invasion
Paradox if AUG 1936' and DEC 1941'. Patch: Warsaw Hosts Olympic Games - Jackie Robinson wins 5 gold medals for USA
Again, nothing changed here. I must say, I do appreciate that the original timeline card just says "Allied troops begin ground invasion." They don't specify where. Presumably, if not Normandy, maybe the Japanese home islands?
AUG 1945: A-Bombs Dropped on Japan - World War II ends
Paradox if AUG 1936' or JUN 1941' or OCT 1917' or DEC 1941' or 1943'.
If OCT 1917' and/or JUN 1941' and AUG 1936 and DEC 1941' - Patch A: Nazis Win - The nations of Europe are united under a strong central government
If OCT 1917' or JUN 1941' and AUG 1936 and DEC 1941 and 1943 - Patch B: Nazis Surrender - Nazi War ends with the Atomic Bombing of Munich
If OCT 1917' or JUN 1941' and AUG 1936 and DEC 1941 and 1943' - Patch C: Berlin Captured - Hitler found dead as American and British troops enter the city
If OCT 1917 and JUN 1941 and AUG 1936 and DEC 1941' - Patch D: Soviets Conquer Europe - The nations of Europe come under communist governments
If AUG 1936' and DEC 1941 and 1943' - Patch E: Tokyo Captured - WWII ends as Japan Surrenders
If AUG 1936' and DEC 1941 and 1943 - Patch F: Tokyo Nuked - Japanese-American War ends with third Atomic Bombing
If AUG 1936' and DEC 1941' - Patch G: World Peace - For once, for a little while, there is no war anywhere
Once more, let me explain each patch:
Patch A: A card from the original game, the requirements for this are:
- Hitler is alive
- Either Lenin is arrested, or Operation Barbarossa is called off
- The Pearl Harbor attacks are called off
The result? Nazi Victory. The flavor text makes the scenario sound less nightmarish then it really would be, in my opinion.
Patches B & C: the requirements for these are:
- Hitler is alive
- Either Lenin is arrested, or Operation Barbarossa is called off
- The Pearl Harbor attack happens.
- For Patch B, the Manhattan project is not sabotaged. Patch C requires sabotage.
Here, the U.S. still intervenes in WWII, but the USSR doesn't. In Patch B, Munich gets nuked, while in Patch C, it's the Western Allies, and not the Soviets, that take Berlin.
Patch D: the requirements for these are:
- Hitler is alive
- Either Lenin is not arrested, or Operation Barbarossa happens
- The Pearl Harbor attack is called off
The end result is that without the assistance of the U.S., the Allies still win WWII, but the post-war is a much more grim situation, with the Iron Curtain ending at the French coast instead of at the Elbe river.
Patches E & F: the requirements for these are:
- Hitler is dead
- The Pearl Harbor attack happens.
- For Patch F, the Manhattan project is not sabotaged. Patch E requires sabotage.
These cards are from the original game.
Patch G: the requirements for this are:
- Hitler is dead
- The Pearl Harbor attack is called off
This card is from the original game. Whew!
MAY 1948: Israel Founded - First Arab-Israeli War begins
Paradox if AUG 1936'. Patch: Berlin Hosts World's Fair - 6 million tourists visit futuristic expo
Nothing changed here.
JUN 1950: Seoul captured by North Korea - Korean War begins, after USA's occupation forces are withdrawn from South Korea
Paradox if MAY 1937'. Patch: Zeppelin Factory Opened in Seoul - Withdrawal of US forces from South Korea postponed (for reasons of National Security)
Nothing changed here. The logic behind a Zeppelin factory preventing the Korean War is a bit weird.
OCT 1957: Sputnik Launched - Russians stun world by orbiting first satellite
OCT 1957': Sputnik Rocket Explodes on Pad - American Vanguard satellite becomes first to orbit Earth
Nothing changed here.
OCT 1962: Cuban Missile Crisis - World War 3 narrowly averted
Paradox if 1943' and OCT 1957' or OCT 1917'.
If OCT 1917' - Patch A: Russia Joins NATO - Intervention in Korea deciding factor in inviting them.
If OCT 1917 and 1943' and OCT 1957'- Patch B: WORLD WAR III - Human civilization destroyed as Cuban missile crisis escalates into nuclear war; UBERPARADOX!
The UberParadox is kept, but there is also an alternate patch where Russia isn't communist.
NOV 1963: President Kennedy Assassinated - President John F. Kennedy shot during motorcade
NOV 1963': JFK Injured in Motorcade Shooting - Doctors predict full recovery
Nothing changed here.
APR 1968: Martin Luther King Jr. Assassinated - Civil Rights activist gunned down.
APR 1968': MLK Nearly Assassinated - Would-be assassin arrested.
Preventing the assassination of JFK also indirectly preventing the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. seems a bit ridiculous, so I decided to make his assassination it's own linchpin.
MAY 1968: Tet Offensive - U.S. support of Vietnam War dwindles drastically.
Paradox if NOV 1963'. Patch: Situation in Vietnam stabilizes - U.S. troops wind down combat operations, while maintaining presence.
Two changes here:
- The original event was the assassinations of Robert F. Kennedy and MLK, but considering the patch, I made it something more related to the Vietnam war.
- For the patch, the implication here is that JFK presumably doesn't go all out with the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution or something similar like LBJ did, and the war doesn't spiral into the generation scarring clusterf*ck it was in our timeline.
JUL 1969: Apollo 11 Lands on Moon - One small step for a man, One giant leap for mankind.
Paradox if NOV 1963' and OCT 1957'. Patch: Soyuz 6 Orbits Mood - America's space program still lagging behind.
Nothing changed here, except I gave the Russian moon mission a name.
AUG 1974: Nixon Resigns - Vice President Ford replaces Nixon after Watergate scandal
Paradox if APR 1865' and APR 1968'. Patch: President King Takes Office - V.P. King becomes first black president following impeachment of Nixon
Nothing changed about the event itself, but the requirements are changed, as I mentioned above.
DEC 1979: Soviet Union Invades Afghanistan - U.S.A condemns invasion.
Paradox if OCT 1917'. Patch: Communist Coup in Afghanistan - Condemned by U.S.A. and Russia.
A new linchpin. The patch explains a latter linchpin I'll get into in a bit.
DEC 1980: John Lennon Murdered - Deranged fan guns down rock star on NYC street
DEC 1980': John Lennon Nearly Killed - Mystery Samaritan intervenes in street attack on rock star, then disappears into Central Park
Nothing changed here.
MAR 1981: Reagan Wounded - President survives when he and 3 staff members are shot outside
MAR 1981': Reagan Assassinated - President survives shooting only to die on operating table
Again, nothing changed here.
1985: Americans support Mujahideen - "It will win the war in Afghanistan," says President
1985': Americans decline support of Mujahideen - "They are too far radical," President claims
A new linchpin. Either they're fighting the invading Soviets if the USSR exists, or they're fighting the local communist government if it doesn't.
JAN 1986: Challenger Explodes - Space Shuttle blows up due to freezing of O-rings
Paradox if DEC 1980' and/or MAR 1981'.
If MAR 1981' - Patch A: Challenger Launch Delayed - President Mondale halts launch to to freezing temperatures
If DEC 1980' - Patch B: The Challenger Protest - National Guard called in when Lennon stages protest on launchpad.
If DEC 1980' and MAR 1981' - Patch C: Marijuana Legalized - President Mondale signs bill repealing prohibition after protest on shuttle launchpad staged by John Lennon
Patch C is the original card.
In Patch B, John Lennon lives, but so does Ronald Reagan. Here, Lennon tries his protest like in patch C, but Reagan, unlike Mondale, isn't having his shit. He sends in the U.S. National Guard to deal with him.
In Patch A, both Lennon and Reagan are dead. Here, Walter Mondale orders NASA to delay the launch of the Challenger shuttle.
OCT 1988: Mikhail Gorbachev becomes leader of Russia - promises to reform the old government
OCT 1988': Vladimir Kryuchkov becomes leader of Russia - Gorbachev seen as a threat to Russian values.
A new linchpin. Note how I say "Russia" and not "The USSR."
DEC 1991: Soviet Union Collapses - The Cold War ends as Russia abandons Communism
Paradox if OCT 1917' or MAR 1981' or OCT 1988'.
If OCT 1917' - Patch A: Russo-American Nuclear Treaty - Russia and U.S.A. agree to dismantle nuclear missiles.
If OCT 1917 and MAR 1981' or OCT 1988' - Patch B: Communism Reinvents Itself - Soviet Union adopts numerous reforms while remaining fundamentally communistic
Patch B is the original, and occurs if Lenin is not arrested, but either Reagan is dead, or Gorbachev is not the Russian Leader. If it's the latter, presumably Kryuchkov is more of a hardline communist than Gorbachev.
Patch A occurs if Lenin is arrested.
FEB 1993: World Trade Center Bombed - Terrorists drive a bomb-filled van under the twin towers.
Paradox if 1985'. Patch: Intervention in Yugoslavia - Russo-American coalition intervenes to stop violence.
A few of the Mujaheddin fighters that the U.S. supported against the Soviets later became Al-Qaeda. Yeah, that really bit them in the ass down the line.
APR 1993: Waco Compound Burns to Ground - Federal seige of Branch Davidian compound ends in death and destruction
APR 1993': Waco Standoff Defused Peacefully - Tanks withdrawn from area
Nothing changed here.
APR 1995: Oklahoma City Bombing - Act of terrorism destroys federal office building on anniversary of Waco siege
Paradox if APR 1993'. Patch: David Koresh's Ministry Opens New Hospital - Free clinic serves Waco and nearby Texas communities
Again, nothing changed here.
SEP 1996: Taliban Takes Power - Islamic rebels defeat Northern Alliance
Paradox if 1985'. Patch: Northern Alliance Defeats Rebels - Taliban Leaders executed.
Many of the other Mujaheddin mentioned above became the Taliban.
APR 1999: Columbine High School Massacre - With nihilism on the rise, shooting spree is one of many
Paradox if DEC 1980'. Patch: Lennon's Folly - Senator Lennon impeached for daring to repeal the 2nd amendment.
I changed the flavor text of the patch. The idea of Lennon even thinking of repealing the Right to Bear Arms is just silly, and I can see it getting rejected instantly.
NOV 2000: George W. Bush wins Presidency - Florida Recount halted by Supreme Court
NOV 2000': Al Gore wins Presidency - Florida Recount proceeds as planned
A card from the Gore Years.
SEP 2001: World Trade Center Destroyed - Terrorists fly hijacked airliners into the Twin Towers and Pentagon
Paradox if 1985' and/or NOV 2000.
If 1985 and NOV 2000' - Patch A: White House Nearly Destroyed - Heroic passengers overpower terrorists
If 1985' and NOV 2000 - Patch B: Bush Continues Tax Cuts - The rich continue to get richer...
If 1985' and NOV 2000' - Patch C: Balanced Budget Act - "The surplus will only get bigger from here," says President Gore
9/11 is probably one of the most relatively recent "what if" events out there.
