Out shopping with MrsJ earlier today (someone has to push the trolley or pop back for items she's missed in an aisle we've passed) I came across this one off title in the magazine shelves. Full of alternative history scenarios, some more outlandish than others.
Three pages of index listing the articles, one of which I show here.
Each article starts with a brief synopsis, and then takes the form of a question and answer session with an appropriate author.
Some subjects are more interesting than others. Most are of the usual things ,Napoleon winning Waterloo, JFK not assasinated, Hitler winning Battle of Britain; while others are less thought of, Vikings colonising America, Aztecs beating Spanish, Queen Victoria being assasinated (there were several failed attempts) and so on.
An interesting read that could give rise to some different ideas for games.
This sort of thing can be quite fun, and even small things can have an impact upon the greater.
ReplyDeleteYears ago, I postulated a 'Second American Civil War' on the basis of George McClellan winning the 1864 Presidential Election. The idea was that a peace was patched up with the Union agreeing to withdraw its troops from the Southern States, but retaining Kentucky and Missouri. The situation anent the territories west of Texas and Kansas remained in dispute.
However, the Union was to say the least dilatory in its withdrawal from Tennessee, to the extent that by March 1866 there were sizeable formations in and south of Nashville, Knoxville and even in Memphis. An ultimatum from Richmond failed to accelerate progress, and the Confederacy declared that a state of war existed between it and the Union.
Neither side overkeen on the conflict escalating to an all-out war, the thing became a contest see how much the Confederacy could recover - or for that matter hold - of the State of Tennessee.
Not a hugely plausible 'what if', but enough to set the ball rolling. After several smallish combats, the thing became somewhat deadlocked after a large battle about half way between Nashville and the Alabama border (Columbia possibly).
Another project I have in the pipeline, is my Napoleonic 'War of the Nations'. The narrative begins: 'For the rest of his life after the disastrous campaign of 1812, Napoleon allowed that instead of wintering his army in and about Smolensk, he would have had more success bringing Tsar Alexander to the negotiating table had he continued on to Moscow....'
Cheers,
Ion
Many of my wargames, and especially my fantasy medieval, now 18th century campaigns begin with plenty of u7nhistorical mix-ups and the rationale often comes afterwards.
ReplyDeleteI have played games of French and British intervention in the ACW. I have also played many vaguely late 19th to early 20th century games where any country can fight any other and we often choose this by a roll of the dice. The countries are only vaguely Britain, France, Russia etc plus nations from literature and various combinations that even include Barsoum and Ozzz (my version of Oz and Ozz).
The only things I keep historical are (usually) the weapons tactics (usually) and terrain.
My main influences in these regards are Frank Perry's wargames and the Funny Little Wars of Paul Wright.