Fictional AltHistory Scenario #1: Fallout, Part One

If you have been reading this blog at all, you would most likely know that I'm a huge fan of Fallout. No, not the radioactive substance or one of the bajillion bands with the name. Though I'm sure some of them might be good, and, well, it did get the name from the former... But anyway, I'm taking Fallout: The Post Nuclear Role Playing Game, first released from Interplay in 1997, with the next instalment coming out on November 10.

So, in a slight change of pace from what I have been doing here, instead of doing an alternate history on a real historical event, I want to take a stab at writing an alternate history of a fictional universe. And better yet, since there are multiple canon games (Fallout, Fallout 2, Fallout 3, and Fallout: New Vegas), I can make at least four separate scenarios. Yay for another multi-part series!

Yeah... not even going to bother getting into the alternate history where these games were made...

Now, these scenarios will be a bit more limited than some of my other, globe spanning alternate history scenario, instead mostly focusing on the remains of post-apocalyptic America, as that is the setting and place where Fallout takes place. And what better place to start than with the first game, and ask "What if the Master's Plan succeeded?"

WARNING: Spoilers for a nearly 20 year old game are coming! So if you haven't played Fallout, but you want to, you might as well go close this. Maybe read my scenario for what happens if the USSR never get's the atomic bomb?

Either way, this song will fit. Of course.

Point of Divergence

For those of you who haven't played the original, turn based classic RPG yet, a brief summary of the plot of Fallout. You, a simple survivor of the nuclear war of 2077, are sent on a dangerous mission in 2161. The water chip that controls the machines to make clean water in your home, Vault 13, has malfunctioned, and the Overseer has chosen you to go find another one. However, a small problem cropped up when you start meeting big, massive, green skinned, super strong, minigun and plasma rifle wielding super-mutants, the result of a toxic, painful and unpredictable experiment from before the Nuclear war called the Forced Evolutionary Virus. Searching for the source of the super mutants, you find an even more evil plot to kill or enslave all of humanity, turning the best (i.e. non-irradiated, so mostly Vault dwellers) into more super mutants to take over the world. And all of this is lead by a horribly mutated creature known as "The Master," and his vision of "Unity," to end suffering and war... by causing suffering and war. Sure, he might be pretty smart, but I don't think he thought that through.

Ummm... that's The Master from Doctor Who, as played by John Simms. Not the right guy here...

Anyway, in order to win the game, you need to defeat both the Master, in his secret vault in the middle of the Boneyard, the ruins of Los Angeles, and bury the facility with the FEV that's commanded the Lieutenant, one of the smartest super mutants to come out of being "dipped." Do those things, and a winner is you!

However, Fallout is a notoriously brutal game, and it's not uncommon for your character to die, forcing you to replay a COUPLE HOURS OF THE GAME BECAUSE YOU FORGOT TO SAVE AND THIS IS WAS THE TIME BEFORE AUTO SAVE SO YOU HAVE TO GO BACK AND FIGHT THE GOD-DAMNED DEATHCLAWS AGAIN AND AHHHHHHHH!!!!!

Peek a boo!

So, that could easily be a POD: your character dies in the Wasteland, the Master wins, and that's that. But that's too easy for me. Instead, let's take door number two. Because while Fallout can be tough, it's designed not only for multiple playthroughs, but multiple styles of play: a sneaky thief character, a blunt, fist and heavy guns guy, or a smooth taking diplomat that only kills when his words fail. And right at the very end, it even offers you a choice: either kill the Master, or join him. So why don't we say the Vault Dweller joins the Master on his quest of Wasteland unification?

Immediate Consequences

Following the events as outlined in the cutscene at the end of Fallout that has Ron Pearlman narrate the ending as you left the Wasteland, things look pretty bleak. The ghoul city of Necropolis has been wiped out; the Followers of the Apocalypse and the entire Boneyard is destroyed and enslaved; Shady Sands, the future capital of the New California Republic, is razed; Junktown, another settlement, also destroyed; The Hub, a major trading post, is abandoned in the face of the mutants... and Vault 13 has been taken over, it's inhabitants taken to the Mariposa Military base and converted into super mutants.

Basically this. Everywhere.

This is achieved through the super mutant's healing ability, their tough skin, and competent leaders (as well as an aggressive, seemingly angry and hostile manner), which means that it would take more than a few mercenaries in a town, or a group of farmers with rusty guns or knifes, to take down a 10 foot tall, 800 pound, over muscled behemoth of a man, usually carrying a minigun, flamethrower, plasma or laser rifle.

In a cut mission, there is a traitor in the reclusive, technology obsessed Brotherhood of Steel that betrays the BoS to the Master. Since it wasn't part of the game, instead I'm going to say that the Brotherhood is about the only human faction that survives against the Super mutant hordes with their access to pre-war technology, including power armor, advanced weapons, and other tech, but eventually they would be overwhelmed and destroyed, though it would cost both sides dearly.

The Core Region wasteland (California, Nevada and the rest of the South-western US) is almost entirely occupied by the Master's army by 2180. The few humans to survive his wrath are no longer allowed to reproduce, meaning that this would be the last generation of human's in this part of the world. With his capital in the Cathedral in the middle of the Boneyard, the Master begins plotting his next moves; expansion, to bring Unity to the entire wasteland, moving east over the Rocky Mountains, sweeping everything before them. It seem's that the Master's plan is in full force.

Well, no, that's The Master, a 2012 movie I haven't seen...

Later Consequences

However, two major problems arise, which lead to the downfall of the Master's Empire. The first was another human faction that no one knows about, the Enclave. The remnants of the US government and Army after the Great War, they retreated to one of the last oil rigs, deep in the Pacific Ocean. For decades the Enclave slowly gathered strength, investing in new technologies including better weapons and power armor. Using the pre-war designed VOTL aircraft known as "Vertibirds," The Enclave begins scouting the wasteland, and the scouts are horrified at what they find.

With the super mutants now a huge threat (and with the first couple of teams sent to kill them in turn being killed or captured and dipped), and unable to access the FEV virus so they could reverse-engineer it, the Enclave instead retreats back to the rig. But they have learned a secret, one that in the end will allow the Enclave to emerge victorious.

And that secret can be found in the main game, and can even be used in the final confrontation with The Master, ending the battle in a peaceful manner.

The super mutants are infertile.

And he has such a good chance to going out with the high school prom queen...

The FEV virus does a lot of weird things to the human body, and it can be almost different between one person and another. While one person may get super strength, another may be killed. While some, like the Master and the Lieutenant had their intelligence increased, in most it reduces it. Some people are turned into terrifying centaurs, made up of Human and Canine limbs in some demented Kindergarten project. And some times, as in the case of Harold, it might not even turn people into Super Mutants, but completely unique mutations.

However, in all cases, it turns the resultant mutant is sterile. No matter the romantic candlelight or soft music, it just ain't happening.

I'd think The Master would learn this sooner or later. And that will be a huge blow to the Master. Sure, his creations could live in harsher conditions than humans, as well as live many times longer than the starving, de-hydrated, irradiated human inhabitants of the Wasteland, which, as part of the Master's plan, were all being sterilized as well. Basically the Master was not only relying on a flawed solider, but was actively destroying the only way to naturally reproduce humans to turn into super mutants. Basically... oops.

Uhhh... That's Master Chief from Halo. Even if he wanted to, we'll never see him making that face you get when you realize everything you had ever done was wrong. Stupid helmets.

Now, with The Master being a smart guy, I'd think he'd try to find a way around it. But by 2200, with limited facilities and few willing test subjects, he might see the plan as not only flawed but also impossible to rectify, as he does in the main game if you present him with the evidence of the Super Mutant sterility. Of course, in that time frame, he kills himself by blowing himself up with a nuclear weapon under the Cathedral, kinda a last resort option. Would he do that? Maybe in utter despair he would, especially as it's hard to stop a horde of angry, well armed giants that would be by now either at the Mississippi or over it and advancing even further east, spreading the Unity even further.

So, there are two possible scenarios: the Master kills himself, and throws his entire army into chaos, or presides over a doomed Empire that is constantly growing larger and larger. Since the game has his killing himself when he realizes the plan is flawed, I think he would cash out that way.

...I'm not really even trying anymore, am I?

So, the Master kills himself, the super mutant armies, mostly composed of un-intelligent soldiers with a few leaders that kept their smarts after being dipped, it's safe to say that the entire thing falls apart. Different factions come up, with some just wanting to stop fighting and others who want to continue the Master's plan and conquer the whole world, and everything in between. Civil War destroys the Unity. When it's super mutant fighting super mutant, it's fair to say that no one wins. The numbers of the super mutants plummet, turning them from a fierce and proud warrior race to a shadow of their former selves. However they still cause massive amounts of damage, possibly destroying what few human outposts survive in the East, such as the Capital Wasteland, the Pitt, and Point Lookout. The Commonwealth, briefly mentioned in Fallout 3 and where Fallout 4 will be taking place, might be in a good position to hold them off, with androids, robots, new weapons and a seemingly more organized civilization. Of course, I can't say much for certain until I play Fallout 4....

Time for the obligatory "OMG, CAN'T WAIT TO PLAY FALLOUT 4 COMMENT!" I always do in these articles...

And now the Enclave steps in. With humanity, mutant and non-mutant alike, on the West Coast nearly extinguished and wide open spaces open, the Enclave begins to resettle the Wasteland. Unfortuantly, another problem emerges, the fact that inbreeding is a major problem in a community that had been isolated for so long. You start to see the effects even when Fallout 2 happens, and it's fair to say that since there isn't many groups to "renew" the blood line, the Enclave might turn into something approaching a backwoods Louisiana hillbilly family. Basically humanity isn't going to be in good shape, at least as far as America is concerned. Maybe the rest of the world might get it's act together and start trying to unify the world. Or not. After all... War. War never changes.

At least on the bright side... there is no Caesar's Legion.

Because just screw these guys. Mr. House all the way!

Conclusion

Usually when I do Alternate History, I try not to go into the whole "Because this happened, therefore everything was better/worse!" that you usually see in certain alternate history stories. I feel that, while maybe some scenarios would leave the world in a worse place than what really happened, there are always a few trade offs. Heck, if Hitler won World War Two, at least their would be autobahns everywhere.

However, in a nuclear or post-apocalyptic scenario, no one wins. The vast majority of the world is dead, the few people left might as well be, and only a very few lucky people will get the chance to live out the nuclear winter in a fallout shelter that won't subject them to cruel and unusual social and environmental experiments. Radiation, ruins, the loss of technology and a few thousand years of cultural advancement gone in one big mushroom cloud. The only group that would win would be the cockroaches.

So, sometimes it's nice to look back, and see that, well, things may be bad but they can be a lot, lot worse. And in my opinion, the best place to do that would be in a video game. It's both real and isn't: a simulation of a world that could be ours, providing a bit of escapism, maybe some feel good moments along with cathartic pleasure, relaxation, and if you are downright cruel bastard, a place for you to toy with computer beings as a malevolent god.

And everyone that has played The Sims is a cruel, fickle god. That's just science.

However, there is always the part of my mind that enjoys a thought experiment like this. An alternate history of an alternate history. Maybe not quite a novel within a novel as you've seen some writers accomplish, but at the same time, it's fun, entertaining, and can help to answer those questions that game developers either didn't have the time, money, or desire to show case.

And now, if you excuse me, I got a Fallout fanfic to finish before the next game comes out.

Okay, finally! That's the Mas.... OH MY GOD, I FORGOT HOW TERRIFYING HE IS. KILLITKILLITKILLIT!

THANK YOU.

AltHistory Scenario #10: What if the Russian Revolution Never Happened?

Let's face it: Russia has gotten the short end of the stick in, well... forever. Tyranny, backwardness, oppression, racism and dealing with all the leaders that not only weren't the sharpest knives in the drawer but also had a few screws loose. Sure, there were the good moments like kicking Napoleon out of Russia in 1812 and the collapse of the USSR in 1991, but for the most part Russian history just seems to get darker and more depressing as time goes on.

One of those dark moments was the Russian Revolution in 1917 that overthrew Czar Nicholas II and established a Bolshevik regime that would later become the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. While the revolution itself is long overdue and welcomed at first, in hindsight it can't be said that it improved the lot of the ordinary peasant, especially once Joseph Stalin showed up.

Stalin. Pretty much the most hated person in Alternate History. We even let Hitler win a few times.

So, what if the Russian Revolutions never happened?

Point of Divergence

The Russian Revolutions were very much a product of incompetence of Czar Nicholas II, the army, his ministers, and almost everyone in the top of the political structure of the Russian Empire, and it finally lead to a complete breakdown of the Empire after the February Revolution. Now, before any Russian History majors starts shouting at me in Cyrillic in the comments, I'll point out that Russia was still using the Julian Calendar in 1917, and not the Gregorian Calendar that most of the Western World started using in 1583 and still use today. So I'll most likely be referring to the Gregorian Calendar dates here on out.

Because if I were to use the Mayan dates, the conspiracy theorists would think I'm predicting the end of the world.

So, in order to avoid the February Revolution, and with it the October (November) Revolution a few months later, we need to give a boost to the Russian military. The best I can think is that the Brusilov Offensive in June 1916 had more support than it got in our timeline. First, when the main attack was running out of steam by late July, General Alexei Evert had used his armies to support the offensive, instead of delaying like he did, and then only launched a half hearted offensive. Second, STAVKA, the Russian high command, doesn't interfere as much as in our timeline after the initial successes.

Immediate Consequences

When Brusilov's attack began to slow down in the face of German reinforcements and extended supply lines, Evert's attack began. While not as tactically finesse as Brusilov's, the attack had the intended consequence to diverting German strength away from Brusilov long enough to allow supplies, reinforcements and artillery to advance and catch up with the main army. In mid-August, Brusilov ordered the attack to begin again, smashing the Austro-Hungarian armies and German forces in front of him, gaining more prisoners, and advancing to the Carpathian Mountains.

You are going to hear a lot about this guy, General Aleksei Brusilov, in this article.

With the entire Austro-Hungarian army now pretty much in disarray and panic, Germany was forced to send more and more troops to the Eastern front, removing troops from the Western front to confront the crisis in the east. This allows the Battle of Verdun and the Somme to go easier for Britain and France, though the slog is still tough and brutal in the trenches. Eventually, Brusilov told STAVKA that he can't continue any more in September, and order's his troops to halt and dig in. German forces mount several counter attacks, and while they do force the Russians back in some areas, it's clear that Russia has not only won it's first major victory of the war, but that they can hold it. Russian morale soars as winter falls, and offensive maneuvers are put on hold.

Casualties are high, though not as bad as it could have been due to the tactics that Brusilov used. While the desire for peace is still high, many think that maybe there is a possibility it could be done with a Russian victory. The Bolsheviks try to stir up discontent and strikes, however they begin to lose support, especially when Brusilov takes a dramatic step in January 1917. Rumours reached Nicolas II, accusing Brusilov of disloyalty to the Czar, which he begins to take seriously. However, a coalition of liberal and conservative nobles, land owners and factory owners organize themselves into The Committee for Victory, see Brusilov as the best chance Russia has for victory int he war. When the court intrigue finally forces Nicholas II to summon Brusilov to dismiss him, equally intense pressure erupts to not only keep Brusilov in command, but to make him the Commander-in-Chief, the title that Czar Nicholas II took in 1915.

Honestly, about the only thing Nicholas II did right was his beard and moustache. And that can be hard enough some times.

The crisis reaches a fever pitch, but eventually the Czar is forced to back down, and instead of firing Brusilov, makes him his deputy commander-in-chief, though in reality he now has most of the power, nearly a military dictator in Russia. Brusilov uses his new position to force out incompetent officers, reorganize the economy for full mobilization, engage in a massive propaganda blitz to keep up morale, and a tight lid on dissent, including suppressing the Bolsheviks. The biggest coup occurred when Vladimir Lenin, believing Russia was ripe for revolution, convinced the beleaguered Germans to let him return. When Lenin arrived in Petrograd, he was met immediately by members of the Okhrana, the secret police, and he was never heard from again.

By Summer 1917, Russia was in a much better position than just a few months before. However, Brusilov knew that he couldn't squander this chance by throwing Russia straight into the German machine guns. Instead, knowing that Generals Hindenburg and Ludendorff, who had been named the new commander-in-chief and deputy commander in chief of the German Army, advocated a Russia first approach, Brusilov had his army prepared for the defensive. When Germany did attack the front near the city of Minsk, Brusilov was willing to allow organized retreats, drawing German troops deeper and deeper into Russia, voluntarily ceding Minsk to Germany. However, this stretched German supply lines, and by the time the German's had advanced close to 75 miles past the front, with the line stretched but not broken, a counter offensive was called for, smashing the German armies in battle, taking over 400,000 prisoner's in just a couple of weeks.

So... would this make the Germans "Beer drinking surrender monkeys" in this ATL? I dunno...

While the strategy was unpopular, it was successful, and soon Russian troops were on a general offensive. Vilnius was retaken, as was all of Ukraine, and soon Minsk was recaptured as the pocket surrendered. Germany tried to rush more troops to the east, but they were unable to pull more troops from the west. The Western Allies, seeing the weakness of Germany, launch their major offensives in June 1917, quickly turning into a rout for the Germans. When they propose unrestricted submarine warfare again to force Britain from the war, Hindenburg and Ludendorff, their "Russia First" strategy in tatters, are instead both relieved from command in July. Belgium is reclaimed and Russian troops approach Brest-Litovisk. Italy, long stalemated against Austria-Hungary, finally cracks the Isonzo Front, and soon spread out into Slovenia. Bulgaria and the Ottoman Empire also begin to face reinvigorated Russian troops, and defeat and defeat occurs.

By August 1917, Germany's military situation was dire. Austria-Hungary, in the throes of nationalist upheaval, signs armistices' to the Allies, followed by Bulgaria and the Ottoman Empire. By the end of August, Germany too gives up. The war is over almost a year before it actually does.

Later Consequences

It wouldn't be until 1918 that the final peace treaty is signed. However, while the original demands of the Allies are harsh, the Central Powers are able to negotiate to lessen the terms. The effects are still severe. Alsace-Lorraine is returned to France, East Prussia and the Rhineland de-militarized, the Navy reduced in size to only a third of the UK's size, all the colonies divided between France and Britain. The Ottoman Empire see's Mesopotamia, Syria and Palestine freed from their control and given independence as their own nations with no British or French interference.

Because, in remarkable foresight, they realize that arbitrary lines in the desert will just lead to douchebags that kill thousands of innocent people, displace millions and destroy priceless historical treasures because they believed a nutbag's reading of the Koran.  

The biggest loser is Austria-Hungary. It was difficult to sign a peace with them, and in the end it wouldn't be done until 1920, when the "Austro-Hungarian Civil War" finally ends, with a half dozen new countries: Austria, Hungary, Bohemia, Transylvania, Croatia, Serbia, and Slovenia are all established, with only Austria maintaining the Hapsburg monarchy. While Russia and Italy do take a bit of territory, in general all the nations are recognized.

In Russia, the effect of the war is profound. The empire is fatally weakened, the incompetence of the Czar, the Czarina, his ministers, the generals and the nobles all exposed. While the Bolshevik's are no longer a threat, the demand for reform is still strong. Brusilov, not wanting to see Russia break apart, demands that the Czar give a representative Duma to the people. Nicholas II, broken, nervous, ill and mourning over the death of his son due to haemophilia in 1918, accepts. By 1920, elections have established a new Duma, a new constitution, and named Brusilov as the new Prime Minister. Using his position, a series of reforms are undertaken, though it leaves everyone unhappy except for the army, which he devotes special attention to.

Because even when the Russian army loses, it still wins.

The landowners are compensated for the land they have to give up, but a fraction of their actual value, and not enough to satisfy most peasants. New state controlled business, with modern machinery from Britain and France and paying a higher wage than most factories, force factory owners to raise their own wages and improve their own equipment to compete. However taxes remain high due to the cost of the war, and with a manpower shortage the harvest of 1919 nearly leads to famine, but it's only averted by emergency shipments of grain from the US and Canada. The Bolshevik's attempt an armed coup, as do some die-hard Monarchists, and though hundreds are killed in the separate revolts, Brusilov's new government survives. When Brusilov passes away in 1924, he is replaced by his protege, the young Alexander Kerensky, who remains Prime Minister for the next 15 years. By 1939, Russia has been transformed from a backwards, slow, and lumbering empire to a vibrant, economic powerhouse. While the government has a strong, heavy hand to it, democracy is slowly flourishing, and politics is more peaceful than in times past. While nationalist minorities wish to break away, an effort in 1931 to give them more autonomy has sated all but the diehard nationalists for the current time.

The rest of Europe is also changed: the new nations of Central Europe are a mixture of republican and monarchist, with equal measure democracy and autocracy. Germany is the best example: while a Republic was declared, and elections are generally free, the governments have been heavy handed in their dealings with those that disagree with them, and there are many conservatives, monarchists, moderates, socialists, Bolsheviks and others that engage in sometimes cutthroat and fierce political maneuvering. While Kaiser Wilhelm II remains a "special guest" of Emperor Charles of Austria, it's pretty much impossible to consider bringing him back. However, despite men like Ludendorff claiming their was a "stab in the back," the peace treaty is accepted by most of the people, which undercuts extreme nationalists like a certain Austrian corporal, who leads a fringe anti-Semitic, anti-slavic, warmongering and dictatorial party that eventually collapses when he dies in a car accident in 1935. The Ottoman Empire, in comparison, stagnates for decades, with Sultan's still lording over Anatolia, modernizing the army to the neglect of the economy and politics, seeking the next chance to reclaim lost lands in Europe, Asia and Africa.

Maybe not realizing that most of the people in this yellow blob actually hate them.

The United Kingdom and France, while victorious, suffer a sharp economic depression after the war. The reparations that they receive from the Central Powers, while large, is no where near enough to cover the huge expenses they racked up. This, followed with a quick demobilization, means millions of people are unemployed. It would take until the mid 1930s for the economy to recover. Italy recovers Trento and Dalmatia, and are generally satisfied with what they got in the war, but a simmering revolt in Dalmatia continues to be a problem.

The US, not having been dragged into the war, continues in "splendid isolation" for decades. A stock market crash in 1937 nearly craters the American economy, and causes ripples throughout the world, but it would be years before the US recovers, and after a disastrous war with Japan in 1943 awakens the US to the realization they are isolated in the world leads to a gradual diplomatic opening with the rest of the world.

Before you ask: yes, Dr. Seuss did draw political cartoons mocking Hitler and America First. And also racist Japanese ones, but let's not talk about that right now.

A Second World War wouldn't break out for years, and eventually a new "balance of power" is established in the world by 1950: the UK, France, Russia, Germany, Japan and the US are the six most powerful nations in the world, and generally resolve disputes with diplomacy, though minor wars break out between one power and the other; the war between Japan and the US, and later Russia and Japan, are the most notable. With a minor victory against the US and a protracted stalemate against Russia, Japan is seen, in a sense, as a "rouge nation," and have allied with Germany as a balancing force. The UK, France and Russia maintain their tenuous alliance, with the US still trying to get in to the "big boys club," and instead maintain alliances with many smaller nations like Italy, Sweden, Iran and Brazil in return. All the nations maintain strong militaries, and conscription is a universal trait, as well as big navies and untested airforces.

As of the 1950s, it's not known if a World War could break out between the great powers. But while several crisis have been solved, especially over the lingering imperial powers, it's to be seen if a new "Great War" will soon break out.

But most not likely with these guys to keep the moral questions a bit more black and white. Damnit!

Probability/Conclusion

I honestly think that this scenario gives Russia quite a few lucky breaks in order to prevent a revolution. But this is perhaps the scenario I could think of that avoids the revolutions when Russia enters World War One. Had Russia stayed out of the fighting, then it's possible the revolutions could have been delayed, but in that case, Russia might no longer have been considered a great power, and a revolution would occur anyway.

Perhaps the only true way to avoid the 1917 Revolution was to have the 1905 Revolution succeed, and Czar Nicholas II just meekly accepts his new role as constitutional monarch. I don't know if Russia would be in better shape in time for 1914 if that happened, but I'm inclined to believe that possibly it would be. Instead of a single, ineffectual autocrat controlling everything, maybe an elected Duma would have been able to modernize the military and reform the economy, though it's hard to see if it would be for the good of the Russian Empire or for the industrialists, nobles and wealthy that made up the electors of the Duma in 1905.

In the end, I think the Russian Revolutions of 1917 were bound to happen. If not over the war, maybe over a misstep of the Czar in 1919, or 1921, or any other time. But do the communists have to come to power? Well, that's another debatable point, and one that could be explored in other alternate histories.

OH S***, STALIN'S GOT A TIME MACHINE. AND NOT JUST ANY TIME MACHINE. WE ARE ALL F***ED!!!

State of the Blog Post #1

It's been about two months since I decided to start a blog, and despite a few ups and downs, I think things have been going well! I've only missed one week, mostly due to the passing of my grandmother, but I've done my best to have something up every Tuesday and Friday. So, go me! I know the "real history" aspect has kind of fallen by the wayside, but I realized a lot of the stuff I was doing was either simply rewriting Wikipedia or talking about stuff that only a few people would be somewhat interested in. So... Alternate history scenarios, rants and other posts away!

Things may start getting a bit hectic in the near future, as just yesterday I started a new job at a local newspaper. I'm going to do my best to keep up with a twice weekly posting schedule, but that may have to change if I just can't write as much as I feel I can. Also may mean that the pictures, as much as I enjoy having them, may be either going away or losing their comments underneath.

Anyway! On to the main reason for this post. Two months might seem like a short or a long time, depending on how you look at it. However, I need some feedback, because I'm not sure what works and what doesn't yet.

So, I have ideas for how I want to develop the blog from here on out. Some of them are for sure, some of them are iffy, some of them are passing moments of fancy.

First, I'm thinking of doing "Theme Months," where all the posts I make that month would be on one topic. So far I have a World War Two and Roman month planned out, and then what ever other ones I may come up with. I was thinking of starting that with the next post on Friday, but I may put it off until November. We shall see.

Another thing I wanted to do was something that caught my interest on the Alternate History Weekly Update, which is "What Happens Next," such as this one based on Harry Turtledove's WorldWar and Colonization series. I'm not sure how that will work out, or if I may just submit a few ideas there, but it's something to think about.

I also wanted to take a stab at trying to write some alternate history based on other media, such as movies, TV shows, video games and books. I already have a few ideas there, but nothing written down yet.

An idea I had was maybe writing more, but shorter scenarios, along the lines of the This Day in Alternate History blog. Most of these would be written up based on suggestions I receive in comments, Twitter, Facebook and email, and would mostly be ideas that I'd think wouldn't require a full length article.

On the opposite side of the coin, I may try my hand at writing full length short stories for this blog. This is one of the ideas I've been debating about for a while, and I could go either way. I might only do this if I achieve my goal of writing a larger work of Alternate history stories, maybe as way of promotion. Again, I don't know.

Lastly, I've also been thinking that maybe someday in the future I could revisit or expand on some of the scenario's I've already been writing about here. This wouldn't be for a while, but something that I will keep in mind, especially many people's comments on things that I never thought of when I wrote the article.

So what do you guys think? I'm always open to more ideas, as the "ideas" part is usually the hardest thing for me. I will most likely be trying all the things I mentioned above at some point or another, but this is sort of a notice that I may be trying new things in the future.

Anyway, I'm writing this late at night (again) when I should be going to sleep. So let me know what you think!

Editorial: Five Things I Hate Seeing in Alternate History

If you are reading this blog, it's a pretty good chance you are doing so because you like Alternate History, and decided to put up with my twice a week rambles on topics that as of yet is not World War Two or the American Civil War (don't worry, I have a plan for them...). If not, it's because your a family member or a friend and I asked you to look at this blog. In that case, HI MOM /DAD/ BROTHER/ GRANDPARENT/ AUNT/ UNCLE/ COUSIN/ FRIEND/ ACQUAINTANCE!

However, I decided to take a moment and write what I think are some of the most important things when it comes to writing and enjoying Alternate History. This is not because I haven't read anything really historical in the past week to help me research a topic, or I'm holding onto ideas for just the right time, forget about them, then never actually do it. Neither of those.

But consider this perhaps a somewhat short and concise explanation of some of the pet peeves and cliches that I see popping up over and over again that just makes me cringe and want to set whatever I'm reading on fire. I've always wanted to get it off my chest, so might as well do it sooner or later.

1: The Lack of Plausibility. The best praise an alternate historian can get for something they write in the genre is "This is really plausible." My favorite line, one I got for my short story "From Enigma to Paradox" published in Substitution Cipher was "chillingly plausible" by Publishers Weekly. Publishers Weekly! This is an acknowledgement that the story that has been written is not only good, but the background and plot work together to present an effective "what if?" scenario, and one that, if events happened differently, could be real history.

That said, there is nothing that will destroy my personal interest in a story quicker than if the scenario isn't plausible, or isn't well explained, or feels like it was shoe-horned in just to seem "cool." One example is the novel His Majesty's Dragon, also known as Temeraire, where dragon's are placed in the Napoleonic War. When I was first reading the book, it just irked me. It took a while to figure it out, but I eventually figured out that it was because dragons were just put into the timeline, and though it's mentioned that dragons have been used by militaries and nations for centuries, human history developed exactly as in our timeline, which I think completely destroyed any sense of plausibility for me. I'd think that if dragon's had always existed, that it would do a lot more than just establish air warfare a bit earlier.

2: Alien Space Bats and Deus Ex Machina. In general, I don't like "serious" alternate history stories that thrown in a Alien Space Bat. What is an Alien Space Bat? Well, basically it's a deus ex machina. What's a deus ex machina? Click on the links I provided and stop asking silly questions! But basically it's when something otherworldly or unnatural comes in, either to start a story, provide conflict, or help clean it up. There are times when it works, like "The Race" that invades Earth in the middle of World War Two in Harry Turtledove's Worldwar series, but it's one of the few times it works. After the aliens are introduced as having somewhat modern weapons and technology in 1942, Harry then keeps it all grounded in reality, or as close as he can imagine it to be.

But the bad ASB stories, like Harry Harrison's Stars and Stripes trilogy were, suddenly, the UK is not only at war with the US over the Trent Affair, but also the Confederacy, then the US and CSA invade England... yeah, that's not happening. Scenarios that pull magic or advanced technology or aliens out of no where, have it fix a problem in the story, then never heard from again, is not only sloppy writing, but very, very, very bad alternate history.

3. The Butterfly Effect. If you have read my big timeline on the Alternate History Wikia, French Trafalgar, British Waterloo, you'll realize that I'm not a huge fan of The Butterfly Effect. Besides the fact that it's hard to find pictures of people you make up to place in something like the List of Presidents of the United States in a TL, it really doesn't make sense to me that if one very tiny thing changes, like say a butterfly that flapped it's wings in our timeline is killed before it can do it in another, it will rewrite all of human history... I don't think so. This is usually used when dealing with Time Travel stories, but it also pops up in more serious alternate history as well.

However, I also know that if something changes in 1805, say the French win the Battle of Trafalgar, that there will be consequences, and changes up to 1905, 2005, 2105, etc. But I don't think it will be as big or as drastic. After all, unless Napoleon winning a sea battle is actually the signal of the End Times, people are still going to be born, grow up, have children, do something important, then die, leaving a generation behind to continue on. So, even if the date of birth, death, name, and their importance in history changes (like say Richard Nixon not being the President but a used car salesman, to use a popular trope), I think that most of the people we know may still be around, just, you know, different. This isn't to say that people that may have lived in our Timeline wouldn't be born in this time, or people not born wouldn't be born either way, but I don't want to say "Oh hey, I killed a dinosaur in the Jurassic, now chickens will  rule the earth when I get back!" The Butterfly effect is something that has to be used carefully, and not just to make everything different for the sake of making something different. It should make sense. It should be... well, plausible.

4. "Ameriacentric" Everything. From the stats on my blog as of last night when I wrote this, the largest single group of people to view my blog are from the United States. 1,349 to be exact. The next closest, my home country of Canada, is a minuscule 193. So, I'm sure this will hurt some feelings (and lose me some views when I say it) but the US is not the center of the universe, and certainly shouldn't be the center of every single Alternate History scenario ever. Yet... it happens. I know I've done my fair share of Alternate History scenarios that focus on the US, but I also try, more often than not, to provide a more fair, balanced, and international view.

But when you have mostly Americans writing and consuming Alternate History, then you get "Ameriacentric" Alternate history, and then you have something like the god-awful Spike TV Alternate History TV show (of which all I could find were links to the terrible reviews of it, including by Matt "Mitro" Mitrovich over at the Alternate History Weekly Update), where, since the US (and the UK and Canada, but are never mentioned) failed in D-Day, the Nazi's bombed New York and won the war. Forget that the USSR had several million men nearly to the borders of pre-war Germany, and the US had the Manhattan Project... because the US lost, the world lost. The US had a big factor in World War Two, but if the US never entered World War Two, I highly doubt the Nazi's could have taken on the Soviet Union and won, or even lasted much longer than Hitler's death.

5. Never Enough Research, Never Enough Time. One thing I've found out time and time again when I was working on my alternate history, on the Wikia, for "From Enigma to Paradox" and now here on this blog, is that no matter how much I know about a subject, or what I think I know about a subject, it's never enough. When I started French Trafalgar, British Waterloo in high school, all I really knew about the Napoleonic Wars was Napoleon, Nelson dying at Trafalgar, marching into Russia in the winter time is a bad idea, and Waterloo. When I started writing it, I quickly found Wikipedia was my best friend. So many things I didn't know, and that I sort of winged as I worked on it, until by now, while maybe not an expert of the Napoleonic Wars, I have a pretty good understanding of it. However, I also couldn't research everything about the Napoleonic Wars, because I talked about much more than that: I've gone up to at least 2010-2011, so I need to have a basic understanding, or better than average knowledge, of over 200 years of history. And even then there are a lot of gaps and places I never talk about. I've had people write to me since I started this blog pointing out things that I never thought of, such as the effect of the Space Race in my first post, What if The USSR Never Got the A-Bomb? Since then, I have a list of things other people have asked me about in my different scenarios that I never talked about, but to some people is more important than what I wrote about. I'm not saying I'm right and their wrong, but that I just simply didn't have the time or knowledge to write about it.

It is so vital, so important, that you know the real history before you start changing it. This ties into everything else I talked about: without adequate research, the willingness to change and edit things, and the ability to connect the dots between people, places and events, you will write implausible, ASB, willy-nilly Butterfly effected, 'MURICA driven timelines and stories that to the average person won't make sense and to alternate historians make us cringe and shout at our computer screens in impotent rage.

This isn't directed at one person or anything, but it's supposed to provide maybe an idea of what new Alternate Historians should be looking at to develop their writing and understanding. It's also really important to state that everyone has a different idea of how an AltHistory scenario will play out, and often times more than one. If you ask a group of 10 Alt Historians something, say "What if the Nazi's won World War 2," you'll most likely get a hundred different scenarios, all different from each other.

Perhaps the most important thing I will say to a new Alt Historian that's reading this for the first time is that no matter what you write about, as long as it's plausible and not full of ASB and decently researched, I would read it and think it's alright, if not fantastic.