Initial background for my Pulp Hero in space circa 1935 game

[Spence]

Major Timeline Drift points.

13 August 1914 - Japan declares war on Germany and then proceeds to annex German possessions in China. The Western Powers informally recognize this. Emboldened by these successes, Japan uses the momentum and quickly follows with larger scale invasions.

29 September 1914 – German troops discover a strange vessel in the Bavarian Alps.

01 October 1914 - The seizure of territories by Japan and the real threat extensive and permanent expansion, allow Yüan Shih-k’ai to consolidate his power. By fall 1915 Japan is embroiled in a deadly war with China and is forced to keep the majority of her fleet in home waters.

07 November 1914 – The Battle of Tsingtao was concluded with the surrender of German colonial forces, however German naval units escape intact.

February 1915 - marines from Imperial Japanese Navy ships based in Singapore attempt to assist suppressing a mutiny by Indian troops against the British government. However the the Imperial German Far East Squadron led by the armored cruisers Scharnhorst and Gneisenau drive off the Japanese fleet. Chinese forces use the opportunity to seize Singapore and drive out both British and Japanese forces.

16 March 1915 – Germany and Austria formally recognize Yüan Shih-k’ai’s government. China offers Singapore as a port for Central Powers naval units.

10 November 1915 - Yüan Shih-k’ai is installed as Emperor of China and declares formal war on Japan.

11 November 1915 – Germany and China sign formal treaty. Germany declares war on Japan. China declares war on Britain and France.

18 December 1915 – Russia and China declare war and the Russo-China front explodes into being. Mirroring Europe it quickly bogs down into trench warfare.

15 November 1916 - the first German rockets raid Britain. The allies are thrown into chaos.

Early 1917 – US business interests respond by “lending” war supplies to the Allies in Europe and Asia. While the US Presidency in a last ditch attempt to stave off US involvement denounces the practice, he lacks the political power to force the Congress to make the practice illegal. In response Germany steps up U-boat and Rocket operations against neutral shipping.

06 April 1917 – The US declares war on the Central Powers. Germany responds by Declaring War and initiating rocket raids against US cities. Raids are limited because the rarity of special compounds needed to in construction have constrained the numbers of Kriegrakete’s (war rockets) that can be built.

18 June 1917 – A Kriegrakete crash lands in Wyoming and is captured.

Dec 1917 - Treaty of Brest-Litovsk is signed. Germany and Japan gain great concessions from the fledgling Soviet Union.

Spring 1918 – Chinese troops pour into support of Germany and Turkey quickly offsetting US contributions.

15 August 1918 - Prince Joachim of Prussia is married to Wen Hsiu, daughter of the Chinese Emperors’ brother solidifying formal ties between Empires.

09 November 1918 – Kaiser Wilhelm is declared Emperor of Germany, Prussia and Austria centralizing all power within those states.

11 November 1918 – The Armistice is signed. The German Empire retains Belgium, Luxemburg and territories of France along the line established by the German offensive of July 1918. The Chinese Empire gains control of all mainland China including territories gained from the Soviets.

Summer 1920 – Both America and German launch their first Aether Rockets.

Winter 1924 – The Soviet Union collapses and is quietly absorbed by the German and Chinese Empires. The move is ignored by other world governments.

1921-1935 – The nations of the earth explore and establish colonies on the planets.

1935 the adventure begins.....

_________________________________

Thoughts?

[Lawnmower Boy]

Hmm, thoughts.
i) There would be severe economic troubles in Japan due to the utterly insane way it crossed its major trading partners in 1914.
ii) China's war shows a complete defiance of strategic realities. Presumably they have rocket ships, too.
iii) Look for the reemergence of an Oirat/Kalmyck state stretching from Urumchi to Volgrograd, guided by the Dalai Lama and backed by the Indian government.
iv) I cannot even begin to imagine the extent how nasty German postwar politics would be. The creation of a Catholic voting majority would certainly provoke a secessionist effort in the North. The Kaiser would never get the Conservatives to form a government. Perhaps the nationalists imagined ruling Belgium, etc, as "Reichslands," but in practice a Catholic majority would mean governing through the Catholic Centre? If so, I cannot see the German government holding onto eastern France, Belgium or Poland. Who else? The Social Democrats? Now we're talking army coup.
And, by the way, forget the image of Germany as a military dictatorship. That was not how it worked.
v) I assume that since the other global powers ignore the dissolution of Russia that they're being governed by alien pod people. This is evidently especially so in the United States. Clearly Wilson didn't win re-election in 1916. So who did?

[Spence]

Remember we are talking Pulp here.

generally the Reality of the real world doesn't apply.

If it did many of the great older scifi pulp books would not have been written. War Lords of the Air. The universe of Buck Rodgers and such.

The Chinese consolidate and have an Emperor. Why? It fits the plot.

Japan is a power why? Ditto.

The Kaiser rules an Empire. Why? Because it meets my needs for the 1935 era plots. I really don't care a flip about religion unless it aids the plot.

Pulp is all about grabbing adventure and not remotely connected to drab reality. The deviations are there to establish the "Great Powers" for a universe that has Earth of the 1930's with colonies on Mars and Venus. It is also geared to have European and Asian nobility in place vice the real world socialism which sucked the color and excitement right out of things.

Think Pulp, adventure, excitement. Not the bullet of boredom straight to the head that is real world politics and religion ;)



:D

[Spence]

Hmm, thoughts.
i) There would be severe economic troubles in Japan due to the utterly insane way it crossed its major trading partners in 1914.
ii) China's war shows a complete defiance of strategic realities. Presumably they have rocket ships, too.
iii) Look for the reemergence of an Oirat/Kalmyck state stretching from Urumchi to Volgrograd, guided by the Dalai Lama and backed by the Indian government.
iv) I cannot even begin to imagine the extent how nasty German postwar politics would be. The creation of a Catholic voting majority would certainly provoke a secessionist effort in the North. The Kaiser would never get the Conservatives to form a government. Perhaps the nationalists imagined ruling Belgium, etc, as "Reichslands," but in practice a Catholic majority would mean governing through the Catholic Centre? If so, I cannot see the German government holding onto eastern France, Belgium or Poland. Who else? The Social Democrats? Now we're talking army coup.
And, by the way, forget the image of Germany as a military dictatorship. That was not how it worked.
v) I assume that since the other global powers ignore the dissolution of Russia that they're being governed by alien pod people. This is evidently especially so in the United States. Clearly Wilson didn't win re-election in 1916. So who did?

I'm fairly familiar with history and understand the differences between reality and fantasy.

Did you catch on to the whole Pulp theme? Ignoring political and religious reality is part and parcel of it.

Not meaning to be rude or anything, but all of your points try to hammer a potentially fun and exciting world of exploration into the life sucking gray death of reality ;)

[Lawnmower Boy]

Bear in mind that my opinions were solicited, and the setting as given is entirely historical. I'm sorry that I sucked the life out of them with all my reality. I am the buzzkill.
I do think you're underestimating the power of real history to be interesting. I ran my only Pulp campaign to this point as close to actual history as I could because it gave me a framework that gave lost continents and pirate submarines a great deal more traction.

[Spence]

Bear in mind that my opinions were solicited, and the setting as given is entirely historical. I'm sorry that I sucked the life out of them with all my reality. I am the buzzkill.
I do think you're underestimating the power of real history to be interesting. I ran my only Pulp campaign to this point as close to actual history as I could because it gave me a framework that gave lost continents and pirate submarines a great deal more traction.

Lawnmower Boy:

I owe you a real apology. I was a bit tired and my response came out all wrong. I sounded like a real idiot. This is all on me.

Looking at it I realize I never actually said what I was looking for and just slapped a incomplete write up and just assumed everyone could read my mind.

Once again, sorry for my lack of brain power. Sometimes I am a real idjit :ugly:

[Lawnmower Boy]

And I'll just close this out by apologising to Spence for being the cranky horse's end I so obviously am.