TEXT: An e23 Sourcebook for GURPS
  ®
  STEVE JACKSON GAMES
  Stock #37-0605
  Version 1.0 – March 7, 2008
  ®
  Written by PHIL MASTERS
  Edited by ANDY VETROMILE
  Illustrated by PETER BERGTING, TOM BIONDOLILLO, PAUL DALY, 
  JOHN HARTWELL, ZACH HOWARD, and SAM INABINET
  BRITANNICA-6
  ™
  ™
  
  CONTENTS
  2
  CONTENTS
  GURPS, Warehouse 23, and the all-seeing pyramid are registered trademarks of Steve Jackson Games Incorporated. Infinite Worlds, Britannica-6, Pyramid, and the names 
  of all products published by Steve Jackson Games Incorporated are registered trademarks or trademarks of Steve Jackson Games Incorporated, or used under license. 
  GURPS Infinite Worlds: Britannica-6 is copyright © 2008 by Steve Jackson Games Incorporated. All rights reserved. Some art copyright © 2008 JupiterImages Corporation.
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  Lead Playtester: Jeff Wilson
  Playtesters: Frederick Brackin, Roger Burton West, John Dallman, Rick Gerdes, Martin Heidemann, Kelly Pedersen, Justin Pickard, Jeff Raglin, 
  and Matthew Cornell Woods, Jr. Special thanks to Roger and John for early help with vehicle concepts, 
  and to Hans-Christian Vortisch for assistance with weapons designs.
  GURPS System Design ❚ STEVE JACKSON
  Chief Operating Officer ❚ PHILIP REED
  GURPS Line Editor ❚ SEAN PUNCH
  e23 Manager ❚ PAUL CHAPMAN
  Page Design ❚ PHILIP REED and ––––
  JUSTIN DE WITT
  Art Director ❚ WILL SCHOONOVER
  Production Artists ❚ ALEX FERNANDEZ 
  and PHILIP REED
  Indexer ❚ THOMAS WEIGEL
  Prepress Checkers ❚ WILL SCHOONOVER
  and MONICA STEPHENS
  Marketing Director ❚ PAUL CHAPMAN
  Sales Manager ❚ ROSS JEPSON
  Errata Coordinator ❚ FADE MANLEY
  GURPS FAQ Maintainer ❚ –––––––
  BRETT SLOCUM
  INTRODUCTION. . . . . . . . . . . . 3
  About the Author . . . . . . . . . 3
  About GURPS . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
  1. THE HISTORY OF
  BRITANNICA-6 . . . . . . . . 4
  THE DIVERGENCE. . . . . . . . . . . . 4
  The Heirs of George III . . . . 4
  Charlotte and Leopold . . . . . 4
  Infinite Worlds . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
  “Two generations gone – 
  gone in a moment!”. . . . . 5
  The Whig Revival . . . . . . . . . 5
  THE IMPERIAL MONARCHY . . . 6
  The Kings of Hanover . . . . . . 6
  Craze-Driven Technology. . . 7
  Very Low Inertia . . . . . . . . . . 7
  British Hegemony. . . . . . . . . 8
  Other Western Nations . . . . 9
  THE WORLD BY 1887 . . . . . . . 11
  An Empire of Competition 11
  Stylistic Variations. . . . . . . . 11
  Confused Rivals . . . . . . . . . 12
  2. GEOGRAPHY
  AND SOCIETY . . . . . . . . 13
  COMMON SOCIAL PATTERNS . . 13
  Class and Wealth . . . . . . . . 13
  Race and Nationality . . . . . 14
  How to Be a True Child 
  of Britannia . . . . . . . . . . 14
  Progress! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
  Crime, Law, and 
  Enforcement . . . . . . . . . 15
  Hellfire Clubs . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
  THE HEART OF EMPIRE. . . . . . 16
  King Leopold III . . . . . . . . . 16
  The Aristocratic-Whig 
  Alliance . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
  Rivalry and Engineering . . 17
  Radicals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
  Mr. Charles Dickens 
  (161 points) . . . . . . . . . . 18
  CONTINENTAL EUROPE . . . . . . 19
  France . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
  Germany . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
  Austria . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
  Russia. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
  The Mediterranean 
  and Middle East . . . . . . 20
  THE AMERICAS . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
  Canada. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
  The New England
  Confederacy . . . . . . . . . 20
  The United States . . . . . . . . 21
  Mexico . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
  The Free Port of 
  San Francisco . . . . . . . . 21
  Central and 
  South America . . . . . . . 22
  ASIA. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
  India. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
  China . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
  Japan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
  Asian Adventures. . . . . . . . . 23
  AFRICA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
  The Cape . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
  AUSTRALIA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
  Britannica-6, 1887. . . . . . . . 26
  3. OUTWORLD
  OPERATIONS . . . . . . . . . 26
  INFINITY AND FRIENDS. . . . . . . 27
  White Star . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
  Time Tours, Ltd.. . . . . . . . . 28
  Abraham Jacobov 
  (156 points) . . . . . . . . . . 29
  CENTRUM. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
  THE CABAL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
  OTHERS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
  4. CHARACTERS . . . . . . . . . . 33
  THE WORLD CONDITIONS . . . . 33
  Tech Level . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
  Cultural Familiarity . . . . . . 33
  Social Status . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
  Clothing Styles . . . . . . . . . . . 34
  Control Ratings. . . . . . . . . . 35
  Prejudices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
  OUTTIME VISITORS. . . . . . . . . . 36
  Useful Advantages 
  and Skills. . . . . . . . . . . . 36
  Dangerous Problems . . . . . 36
  ISWAT Recruitment. . . . . . . 36
  NATIVES OF BRITANNICA-6 . . . 37
  Sir Adrian Carter-Sandlebury
  (150 points) . . . . . . . . . . 38
  Wealth Levels . . . . . . . . . . . 39
  Advantages and Perks . . . . 39
  Disadvantages and Quirks. . 39
  Skills. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
  Magic and Psionics . . . . . . . 40
  5. TECHNOLOGY . . . . . . . . . 41
  WEAPONS AND ARMOR. . . . . . . 42
  Guns. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
  Melee Weapons. . . . . . . . . . 44
  Armor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
  AUTOMATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
  POWER SOURCES . . . . . . . . . . . 45
  Roads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
  TRANSPORT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
  Vehicle-Design Rule
  Considerations . . . . . . . 46
  Motor-Carriage 
  Terminology . . . . . . . . . . 46
  Motor-Carriages . . . . . . . . . 47
  Typical Land Vehicles . . . . . 47
  Air Travel. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
  The Electrical Terror . . . . . . 48
  Sample Aerostats . . . . . . . . . 49
  Rail Travel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
  Water Travel . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
  Britannica-6 Battleships . . . 50
  Other Transport . . . . . . . . . 51
  The Ice Dreadnought. . . . . . 51
  COMMUNICATIONS. . . . . . . . . . . 52
  Radio-Telegraphy Towers . 52
  Primitive Radar . . . . . . . . . . 52
  MEDICINE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
  Pharmacology . . . . . . . . . . . 53
  Surgery. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
  Effective TL. . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
  OTHER TECHNOLOGIES . . . . . . 53
  6. ADVENTURES ON
  BRITANNICA-6 . . . . . . . 54
  INFINITY MISSIONS. . . . . . . . . . 54
  The General Position . . . . . 54
  Justice Division. . . . . . . . . . 54
  Morale Division. . . . . . . . . . 55
  Nexus Oversight . . . . . . . . . 55
  Security Division. . . . . . . . . 55
  Communications Division. . 55
  Contact Division . . . . . . . . . 56
  Intelligence Division. . . . . . 56
  Search and Rescue . . . . . . . 56
  Technical Analysis . . . . . . . 56
  ISWAT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
  SAMPLE MISSION: THE
  DECORATIONS ON THE
  CHANNEL BRIDGE . . . . . . 57
  Muster, Briefing, and
  Equipment . . . . . . . . . . 57
  Jacobov’s Warehouse . . . . . 58
  The Journey to Dover. . . . . 58
  Running the Scenario With
  Local PCs. . . . . . . . . . . . 58
  The Great 
  Construction Site . . . . . 59
  The Local Investigation . . . 59
  Identifying the Problem. . . 60
  Resolution and Departure. . 62
  Mr. Owen Costikyan 
  (282 points) . . . . . . . . . . 62
  LOCAL ADVENTURERS AND
  INFORMAL VISITORS . . . . 64
  International Intrigue. . . . . 64
  Imperial Exploration . . . . . 64
  Gone for a Soldier . . . . . . . 65
  Heroic Engineering . . . . . . 65
  Lyme Regis Vice . . . . . . . . . . 65
  A Life of Crime . . . . . . . . . . 66
  Political Activism . . . . . . . . 66
  The Aristocratic Lifestyle. . 67
  Blood Games. . . . . . . . . . . . 67
  BIBLIOGRAPHY. . . . . . . . . . . . 68
  INDEX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
  
  This book is about Britannica-6, a world arising from an
  alternate history, diverging from our own early in the 19th cen-
  tury – and about running GURPS games there. It relates to the
  setting described in Book 2 of the GURPS Basic Set and in
  GURPS Infinite Worlds, but it can also be used as a standalone
  campaign location.
  In fact, Britannica-6 receives a one-paragraph discussion on
  p. 116 of Infinite Worlds, and many thanks are due to Ken Hite,
  author of that book, for the idea. I developed it for use in a con-
  vention game, with the aid of the discussion boards associated
  with Steve Jackson Games’ Pyramid magazine. Thanks are
  owed to everyone who contributed to that dialogue.
  A Note on the Name
  GURPS Infinite Worlds mentions seven “Britannica” time-
  lines, and any campaign can see more discovered. However,
  Britannica-6 is the only one discussed in this book, so the name
  is sometimes shortened to “Britannica” for convenience.
  Concept and Mood
  As described in this publication, Britannica-6 should come
  across as a colorful, eccentric sort of world, with significantly
  divergent technology and enough intrigue (mostly between the
  rather loopy monarchs, aristocrats, and politicians of the local
  British Empire) to fuel any number of plots. That’s not to say
  it’s a comedy setting (although the “Ruritanian steam-tech”
  style can certainly support some comedy). The world’s politics
  can turn all-too-literally cutthroat at times, and the local 
  obsession with progress for its own sake, and unqualified belief
  in human perfectibility, sometimes lead to tragedy.
  Britannica-6 is also a TL(5+2) “steampunk” setting of sorts.
  The technology isn’t as divergent as some timelines that have
  advanced onto a steam-tech path – the local laws of nature don’t
  seem to support anything too bizarre – but it’s used with exces-
  sive enthusiasm. (Some variety is possible in this according to
  the type of game desired; see Stylistic Variations, p. 11.) It’s
  developing particularly rapidly in specific areas, such as phar-
  macology and transport, with some striking breakthroughs,
  and the local rulers have adopted it as a tool for their rivalries
  and power games.
  Significantly, this isn’t a “Victorian” world, although the cur-
  rent date is 1887 and the British Empire is at full strength. It
  diverged before Queen Victoria had a chance to be born, so she
  never existed and the local culture is derived from the older
  “Regency” pattern, with little of the Victorian reaction into
  bourgeois respectability. Visitors who expect straight-laced
  Victorian culture are in for a surprise.
  ABOUT THE AUTHOR
  Longtime RPG writer Phil Masters has written or con-
  tributed to a number of GURPS books, including GURPS
  Castle Falkenstein, GURPS Who’s Who 1 & 2, GURPS Places
  of Mystery, and GURPS Banestorm. His last e23 project was
  Transhuman Space: Changing Times. The version of Britain
  where he lives doesn’t rule the world.
  INTRODUCTION
  3
  INTRODUCTION
  Steve Jackson Games is committed to full support of
  GURPS players. Our address is SJ Games, P.O. Box 18957,
  Austin, TX 78760. Please include a self-addressed, stamped
  envelope (SASE) any time you write us! We can also be
  reached by e-mail: info@sjgames.com. Resources include:
  Pyramid (www.sjgames.com/pyramid). Our online mag-
  azine includes new GURPS rules and articles. It also covers
  the d20 system, Ars Magica, BESM, Call of Cthulhu, and
  many more top games – and other Steve Jackson Games
  releases like Illuminati, Car Wars, Transhuman Space, and
  more. Pyramid subscribers also get opportunities to playtest
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  New supplements and adventures. GURPS continues to
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  current catalog, send us a legal-sized SASE, or just visit
  www.warehouse23.com.
  e23. Our e-publishing division offers GURPS adventures,
  play aids, and support not available anywhere else! Just head
  over to e23.sjgames.com.
  Errata. Everyone makes mistakes, including us – but we
  do our best to fix our errors. Up-to-date errata sheets for all
  GURPS releases, including this book, are available on our
  website – see below.
  Internet.
  Visit us on the World Wide Web at
  www.sjgames.com for errata, updates, Q&A, and much
  more. To discuss GURPS with SJ Games staff and fellow
  gamers, come to our forums at forums.sjgames.com. The
  GURPS Infinite Worlds: Britannica-6 web page is
  www.sjgames.com/gurps/books/britannica-6.
  Bibliographies. Many of our books have extensive bibli-
  ographies, and we’re putting them online – with links to let
  you buy the books that interest you! Go to the book’s web
  page and look for the “Bibliography” link.
  Rules and statistics in this book are specifically for the
  GURPS Basic Set, Fourth Edition. Page references that
  begin with B refer to that book, not this one.
  About GURPS
  
  “Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. I’m sorry to drag you
  all away from your regular duties, but we do have an urgent mis-
  sion for you.
  “Many of you will recognize the building in this picture – yes,
  it’s Windsor Castle. British royal residence, west of London; some
  of you have doubtless played tourist there on Homeline. But I’m
  sure you’ve all guessed that the added towers are unusual.
  Officially, they’re used for astronomical observations, but given
  the atmospheric conditions and light pollution over there, we
  have our doubts. Actually, we think that they house anti-airship
  weapons of some kind, but we don’t have very good intel assets
  in place yet on the timeline, so we can’t be sure. The odds are that
  whatever is in them makes a dramatic sound and light show
  when it’s activated; it might or might not really be any good for
  shooting down airships.
  “This, on the other hand, is a structure that’s unique on any
  timeline we know. There are a few bridges across the English
  Channel on various Europe-dominated lines, but this design is a
  one-off. Yeah, and a bit gaudy . . .”
  While Britannica-6 possesses exotic technology that its
  inhabitants use in rather peculiar ways, it’s also a timeline with
  an alternate history – and one with a fairly recent divergence
  point. Infinity Patrolmen and players who want to operate
  there successfully need to know something of its past.
  THE HISTORY OF BRITANNICA-6
  4
  CHAPTER ONE
  THE HISTORY OF
  BRITANNICA-6
  Infinite Worlds
  Such naïve outsiders are likely to be outtimers; read-
  ers not familiar with this should see pp. B523-546 or
  GURPS Infinite Worlds. Infinity discovered this time-
  line a little while ago and now have a range of operations
  in place, though mostly still on a small scale – see pp. 27-
  30 for details. As a Quantum-6 world, Britannica-6 is
  quite accessible from Homeline, but represents a poten-
  tial front in the war with Centrum.
  Britannica-6 is unlikely to gain access to any sort of
  parachronic travel any time soon – the local understand-
  ing of physics really isn’t up to the task, and its electron-
  ics remains quite basic, while any sort of outright para-
  normal activity appears to be non-existent here (which
  may just mean that it’s kept very quiet, of course).
  Infinity scientists are pretty sure that Britannica’s engi-
  neers couldn’t begin to understand a conveyor even if
  they captured one intact, let alone replicate it. On the
  other hand, too many of those locals are enthusiastical-
  ly efficient or inspired about too many things.
  THE DIVERGENCE
  From the point of view of Homeline, the key to understand-
  ing Britannica-6 lies in the late-18th century – specifically in
  one of those unfortunate dynastic bottlenecks to which mon-
  archies are so vulnerable.
  THE HEIRS OF GEORGE III
  Whatever his other failings, before he slipped into his
  famous madness, George III (on this timeline as on Homeline)
  performed his dynastic duty admirably. He produced 15 chil-
  dren, with no fewer than seven sons surviving to adulthood.
  The crown was guaranteed to pass on smoothly to the next
  generation – and, anyone could reasonably assume, beyond.
  However, his sons proved unlucky or much less dutiful. The
  eldest ruled in his father’s place as the prince regent during the
  King’s last madness and later became George IV. He was noto-
  riously extravagant and self-indulgent, but not entirely stupid;
  and did allow himself to be married off to his cousin, Princess
  Caroline of Brunswick. Unfortunately the couple couldn’t
  stand each other, and soon separated. They did produce one
  child, a daughter, Princess Charlotte, in 1796. Meanwhile, the
  Prince’s brothers were largely avoiding marriage in favor of
  mistresses and generally living as they pleased around London
  and Europe.
  CHARLOTTE AND LEOPOLD
  Princess Charlotte was regarded as a difficult child, who fell
  out with her mother (not that this was unusual) and whose
  movements were restricted after one attempt to marry her off
  
  failed. However, in 1816 she did marry Leopold of Saxe-
  Coburg, an intelligent young prince who had already achieved
  moderately distinguished military and diplomatic careers, and
  the marriage proved happy. Her first two pregnancies ended in
  early miscarriages, but within a year she conceived with
  greater success.
  This is where the divergence occurred. Whereas in
  Homeline history Charlotte died soon after giving birth to a
  dead child in November 1817, on Britannica-6, Leopold lost
  his temper with the doctors who were mistreating the (proba-
  bly quite minor) health problems during pregnancy, prohibit-
  ing them from bleeding her. Stories suggest that he adopted a
  number of “folk treatments” that were, at the worst,
  harmless, and he certainly ensured that she received
  a reasonable diet. As a result, her son was born alive
  and well and Charlotte survived, soon regaining her
  full health. In fact, she would go on to produce a
  large, healthy, and very active family.
  THE WHIG REVIVAL
  Charlotte’s survival in turn produced a major
  political knock-on effect. At the time, the two main
  political parties in Britain were the Tories, who had
  effectively been in power for many years; and the
  Whigs, who had suffered from internal splits and the
  opposition of George III. Both were essentially made
  up of members of the aristocracy and landed gentry,
  but the Whigs were marginally more liberal and
  reformist. (There was also an outright Radical fac-
  tion, but this was weak and the ruling classes, terri-
  fied by memories of the French Revolution, worked
  hard against it.) On Homeline, the Whigs lacked a
  strong image. Some of them had briefly supported
  Princess Caroline when George IV sought to divorce
  her, but that was more of a Radical cause and
  Caroline was something of an embarrassment. The
  Whigs were also drifting out of touch with most of
  the people, despite their traditional populism. They
  would only regain power in 1830, and then with a
  limited majority and a lot of compromises.
  On Britannica-6, moderate Whig politicians
  began to associate themselves with Charlotte (a
  known Whig sympathizer) and Leopold, who were
  seen as a refreshing and popular alternative to the
  aging and increasingly reactionary royal generation
  preceding them. They made rapid progress, and in
  the election automatically triggered (according to
  the law of the time) when George III died in 1820 (a
  couple of months later than on Homeline), they
  gained enough seats to claim power. At first they
  had to operate cautiously, especially as the new king
  instinctively opposed many of the reforms they pro-
  moted, but their confidence grew even as George IV
  was subjected to polite persuasion from his daugh-
  ter and son-in-law.
  Hence, the Whigs were able to bring in a series of
  political and social reforms at least a few years
  ahead of the same changes in Homeline’s past. They
  updated the electoral system (though never granting
  the vote to the general population!); freed up 
  trade; and then, swept along on a wave of popular
  enthusiasm, eliminated the legal constraints on minority reli-
  gions, including Irish Catholics. The relationship between the
  London-based government and Ireland remained difficult for
  years but gradually improved, especially when far-sighted
  Whig businessmen began investing in the creation of modern
  industries in Ireland. Tory landowners grumbled but lacked
  the ability to block these changes for long, and it became clear
  that attempts to reverse the changes could lead to outright
  revolt. Old-fashioned landed aristocrats in the House of Lords
  slowed things down a little, but found they couldn’t risk too
  much obstruction given the support the Whigs now
  commanded.
  THE HISTORY OF BRITANNICA-6
  5
  “Two generations gone
  – gone in a moment!”
  When Infinity’s historians look at Britannica-6, they often com-
  ment that, while this particular timeline looks rather improbable,
  it’s actually strange that there aren’t more alternates with diver-
  gence points clustered around the death of Princess Charlotte.
  Before her pregnancy, she’d seemed a healthy enough young
  woman; she was happily married and popular with the public, and
  the prospect of an heir seemed to assure the future of the monar-
  chy. However, the doctors applied what were then thought to be
  sensible principles during her third pregnancy – which meant reg-
  ular bleeding and a strict diet. Then when the childbirth proved dif-
  ficult, the obstetrician apparently panicked, failing to use forceps.
  Her son was stillborn, and in a few hours Charlotte herself died.
  (Left distraught by his failure, the doctor involved shot himself
  three months later.)
  This tragedy provoked widespread mourning, sometimes com-
  pared to that following the death of Princess Diana two centuries
  later. It also presented the British ruling classes with a problem:
  Any potential heirs to the throne looked ill-suited and unprepared
  at best. The government went into negotiation with the royal
  princes, basically offering them bribes to produce children. Three
  of them, the Duke of Clarence (later King William IV), the Duke of
  Kent, and the Duke of Cambridge, raced to put aside their mis-
  tresses and get married. Clarence’s two children didn’t survive, but
  the Duke of Kent’s only daughter did. Hence, when George IV died,
  he was succeeded by William, who in turn was followed by that
  daughter – Queen Victoria.
  But all this makes Victoria, one of the most symbolically potent
  figures in history and the reliable figurehead of the British Empire
  for over 60 years, something of a historical fluke. If Charlotte’s son
  had lived, or if she had survived in good enough health to try for
  another child, all that negotiation would probably not have hap-
  pened, and would certainly have been delayed. The result might not
  have been Britannica-6, but there’d almost certainly not have been
  a “Victorian era” as such. Even a slight change in the dealings
  between the princes and the government – a different winner in the
  race – could have produced a different succession.
  And yet, Infinity keeps discovering timelines with Queen
  Victoria, in the past or present. It’s clear she’s some kind of high-
  probability element, at least in the structure of n-dimensional para-
  time reality as Infinity can perceive it. This leads to lots of theoret-
  ical analysis, and a certain amount of cautious but intensive
  research in echo timelines with a current date around 1815.
  
  Foreign Policy
  By now, Britain had one of the most radical governments in
  Europe – and even the Tories were happy to tweak the noses of
  foreign absolutists from time to time. While British aid 
  couldn’t save the Liberals of Spain from defeat, it could force
  a compromise, putting Spain on the road to a less authoritari-
  an government. Portugal moved just as fast in both histories,
  granting independence to its great colony in Brazil and accept-
  ing a system of constitutional monarchy at home – and
  cementing its long-standing alliance with Britain.
  Thus, when a string of revolts and revolutions (mostly
  against Spanish rule) broke out across South America, Britain
  supported them (just as on Homeline), albeit partly to protect
  British trade in the area. It found an ally in the United States,
  which had a similar attitude. Here, American Secretary of
  State John Quincy Adams got on well with the Whig diplo-
  mats, and perhaps underestimated them. He and President
  Monroe always asserted the United States’ right to first say
  regarding events in the Americas, but decided it would be
  impolite to make too much of this while working closely with
  Britain. Without a formally stated “Monroe Doctrine” on
  Britannica-6, Britain has exercised a free hand across the
  Atlantic ever since.
  THE HISTORY OF BRITANNICA-6
  6
  THE IMPERIAL MONARCHY
  When George IV died in 1830 (within weeks of the date of
  his death in Homeline history), Charlotte inherited the throne
  with Leopold as prince consort by her side. The British crown
  was once again secure – and the power of the Whigs was
  cemented for a generation and beyond. The dynamic British
  Empire, with its technologically driven industrial revolution,
  could make something of a fresh start.
  Britain now had a growing royal family with a penumbra of
  associated aristocrats, continental cousins and allies, and pow-
  erful political associates. Thanks to their alliance with the
  Whigs, with their relatively egalitarian attitudes and willing-
  ness to support free trade, this loose group got on increasingly
  well with the burgeoning new class of wealthy industrialists.
  The traditional snobbery against “new money” gradually
  faded, at least in cases where there was a lot of new money. The
  old Georgian love of competition, of great gambles and aristo-
  cratic flamboyance, merged with the industrial society’s admi-
  ration for economic success. Over the years, the new genera-
  tion of “Bloods” – younger royal descendents, and their aristo-
  cratic and plutocratic friends – would come to measure their
  worth by their winnings, by bets and prizes. This sort of suc-
  cess could even trump ancestry, although the vague assump-
  tion that “blood will tell” has never really gone.
  British India
  One set of noticeable effects from the point of view of com-
  parative historians on Homeline was in the British possession
  of India. With slightly more liberal attitudes as the norm, the
  governors and managers of the British East India Company
  were more inclined to associate with the local ruling classes,
  and sometimes to treat their Indian servants and troops rather
  better. In addition, relationships between British men and local
  women, up to and including “informal marriages,” were social-
  ly tolerated; fewer British women shipped out to India in search
  of British-born husbands. Over the years, the products of these
  mixed relationships have developed into something of a “mid-
  dle management class,” trusted with many of the operations of
  the company and occasionally venturing into business on their
  own account. Backed by wealthy relatives’ funds, they are help-
  ing launch a minor industrial revolution in India.
  British administration was slightly more tolerant than what
  Homeline was familiar with (or perhaps they just stumbled
  across an effective system of indirect control and “divide and
  rule”), and although there were various revolts and uprisings,
  there was never any great “Indian Mutiny.” Hence, the East
  India Company was never formally abolished, gradually
  becoming integrated with a patchwork system of British 
  One small oddity in 1830 involved the throne of
  Hanover, a German state which had shared its rulers with
  Britain since 1714. Its succession law prohibited women
  from inheriting, so the crown passed to George’s oldest
  brother, the Duke of Clarence; on Homeline, the same law
  prevented Victoria from ruling Hanover, and its throne
  passed to her uncle, the Duke of Cumberland.
  “William of Hanover” wasn’t especially happy there. His
  great love was the sea and Hanover lacked much naval
  power, but William helped establish some government
  reforms (and commissioned a new dockyard) in the five
  years before he died, without heirs, in 1835 (his death came
  sooner in this history). The throne passed to his brother,
  the Duke of Cumberland – who, as on Homeline, became
  King Ernest Augustus I.
  However, William’s efforts meant that in this history the
  unpleasant and reactionary Ernest wasn’t able to reverse as
  many of the reforms instituted before he gained power.
  Furthermore, Ernest’s son George married sooner in his
  world and produced more children. They and their descen-
  dents were accepted as close relatives by the British royal
  family on Britannica-6 (though Ernest was never popular),
  and form an important subsidiary element in its squab-
  bling, dynamic power structure. Hanover has followed
  Britain’s lead in industrialization and technology, and
  Britain effectively guarantees the security of Hanover – pro-
  hibiting Prussia from taking it over, and thus keeping
  Germany more divided. The shipyards of Hanoverian
  Bremerhaven produce many swift motor-yachts and dead-
  ly looking warships.
  The Kings of Hanover
  
  government in the subcontinent. There is less sense of division
  or distrust between natives and Europeans, and the local rulers
  with their great wealth could be accepted into upper class impe-
  rial society provided they were willing to play by its rules.
  Because few of them had been involved in revolts they were
  viewed with less suspicion, and their capacity for flamboyance
  was the equal of many of the Bloods. Indian gold has financed
  many a grand engineering scheme in far corners of the Empire,
  and a silk-clad maharajah or two is considered a fine ornament
  to any European high-society ball. In fact, the Regency-period
  fashion for Indian-style decoration is resurrected every few
  years in Britain, bringing some Indian craftsmen to the country
  along with the steady flow of servants and the odd musician or
  entertainer.
  CRAZE-DRIVEN TECHNOLOGY
  More significantly, though, the new rulers of Britain showed
  a truly startling enthusiasm for science and especially technol-
  ogy. This was initially thanks to Leopold. Even in Homeline’s
  history he had a fondness for new ideas, sponsoring the first
  steam railway in mainland Europe; on Britannica-6, his inter-
  ests expanded into medicine after his wife’s close call. Royal
  approval led to a fad among the wealthy classes for backing
  research (and taking a casual interest in the results). The Royal
  Institution received enough support that Michael Faraday’s
  work on electricity progressed rapidly, while Charles Babbage’s
  projects received the funding that enabled him to complete his
  difference engine and develop a programmable “analytical
  engine,” albeit one very different from the design he produced
  on Homeline. (Curiously, Babbage was somewhat more suc-
  cessful in other “steampunk” timelines where he received no
  more backing; technology on Britannica-6 has never focused on
  programmable computers, although it uses the principle on
  occasion.) Later, Charles Darwin found his way into biology
  slightly earlier. Although he never traveled on HMS Beagle, he
  evolved a theory of evolution more slowly from studying other
  people’s reports of wildlife around the world and from close
  observation of his back garden. Publication came much soon-
  er, as he had more confidence that outrageous scientific theo-
  ries would be accepted despite what conventional religious folk
  would think.
  THE HISTORY OF BRITANNICA-6
  7
  One curious fact about Britannica-6, from Infinity’s
  point of view, is that this is a “very low historical inertia”
  timeline. Events here were significantly different from those
  on Homeline from the moment of divergence onward, and
  remain so even though some roughly parallel events do
  occur. The most obvious symptom is that no individuals
  from Homeline history who were conceived after mid-1817
  appear to have direct counterparts in Britannica-6 history.
  Evidently, “butterfly effects” from the change rippled across
  the world, affecting the mechanics of human conception
  even where they would have been too subtle for any
  observer to perceive.
  Infinity researchers have confirmed this by
  research into biographies and local census
  data. In a few instances, they’ve found indi-
  viduals with the same names and parents
  and similar birthdates, most within a few
  years of 1817 – but in such cases they are
  fairly sure the individual in question was
  genetically different from his Homeline
  counterpart, leading to other careers and
  accomplishments. For example, Britan-
  nica’s “Count Leo Tolstoy” (born 1828) was
  a rather unimaginative career-military offi-
  cer. As the timelines went their separate ways
  70 years ago now, few such people are left alive
  to observe (just as there aren’t many individuals
  whose birth predates the event still around), so the
  researchers have generally given up looking for excep-
  tions. They also now assume there was no subtle divergence
  too far before mid-1817 causing Leopold to act differently
  toward the doctors, as that would surely have influenced
  events as chancy as human heredity.
  (Incidentally, one of the last major figures known to both
  histories was Karl Marx, born in May of 1818 and hence
  conceived before the point of divergence. Even if Leopold
  was acting differently by August 1817, the ripple effects
  were apparently not sufficient at that point to change this.)
  This is technically interesting because Infinity has only a
  weak theoretical understanding of “parachronic inertia.”
  Many scientists and historians find the whole phenomenon
  strange and annoying. The simple logic of the “butterfly
  effect,” the subtle randomness of the world, says that, for
  example, a timeline that diverged in 1856 should never have
  had a version of Elvis Presley (born 1935) – and yet
  Dixie-1 produced precisely such an individual,
  who became a popular singer in the CSA. Some
  scientists are studying Britannica-6 to learn
  more about the phenomenon, and have
  found a need to make observations “on the
  spot.” Fortunately, most want to perform
  technical rather than historical work, so
  Infinity can just transport them to a
  remote site or safe house, look after
  them for a few days, and transport them
  home – but there are exceptions who
  want to observe the results of inertia close
  up, and who can provide I-Cops or Scouts
  with interesting bodyguard assignments.
  Centrum, with its superior parachronic
  science, understands inertia better, and
  Interworld’s technical assessment of Britannica-
  6 is essentially routine (from its point of view –
  Infinity researchers would do a lot to get hold of a copy).
  However, Centrum scientists have their own obsessions and
  love of fresh data, and the need for ever more exact compre-
  hension of timeline stability is critical to the war with
  Homeline, so they too might persuade their supervisors to
  send them to Britannica-6 with a package of instruments.
  Very Low Inertia
  
  By then the descendents of Leopold and Charlotte, and their
  friends and social rivals, had combined this interest in technol-
  ogy with their love of competition and status games. They took
  to racing steam-carriages, sponsoring bridges and buildings
  (provided that they were the longest or the tallest), and boasting
  about the discoveries of their “household philosophers.” As they
  had considerable influence in government, they also encour-
  aged the creation of fast warships, giant weapons, and eventu-
  ally completely new war machines – and gambled money or
  favors on their performance. Some of the wealthiest aristocrats
  awarded cash prizes for the most impressive new inventions or
  to whoever could achieve some technological feat first; while
  these objectives are usually more dramatic than useful, they do
  occasionally lead to further progress.
  Incidentally, one individual who benefited from all this was
  Ada Byron, who never married the Earl of Lovelace on
  Britannica (she instead married an obscure but wealthy gentle-
  man named John Whithers-Fortescue), and never became par-
  ticularly close to Charles Babbage. She did display the same
  mathematical interests and the gambling obsession, which
  made her a popular figure in society, and she gathered a group
  of brilliant young mathematicians who made some break-
  throughs in statistics and probability before she died of cancer
  in 1854. “Ada’s College” still exists as an informal society;
  Infinity would like to study it, but is nervous about some of its
  members’ brilliance.
  This focus on inventions that could win bets or impress the
  neighbors rather distorted progress on Britannica-6, but the
  sheer volume of funds pouring in and the raw enthusiasm of
  the aristocratic sponsors drove progress at a remarkable rate.
  There was also quite a bit of solid basic chemical, biochemical,
  and mathematical work going on behind the scenes, ensuring
  that inventors had the materials and analytical tools their ideas
  needed. Forced-draft steam engines were widespread by 1845
  and compound engines followed in the 1850s, with multi-
  cylinder designs of various sorts emerging from numerous
  workshops by decade’s end. By then, though, an inspired
  inventor seeking something with a better power-to-weight
  ratio had hit on the principle of internal combustion. Lacking
  confidence in the available electrical systems, and always will-
  ing to work with higher compression ratios, engineers came up
  with a kind of diesel engine – known as the “oil engine” on
  Britannica, where Rudolf Diesel would never be born.
  Ironically, though, a crucial earlier development depended on
  electricity, which was widely applied to chemistry: In the
  1830s, one chemist stumbled across the idea of aluminum
  extraction by electrolysis, making that substance quite afford-
  able not long after its discovery – and this lightweight, gleam-
  ing metal was obviously ideal for vehicle construction.
  Even more radically, the recurrent dream of controlled
  flight inspired many sponsored workshops to wild and often
  lethal experiments. Winged, heavier-than-air flight proved
  tricky, although short-range gliders of various kinds appeared
  in several places; in the meantime, lighter-than-air flight was
  already known, and with better motors, balloons evolved into
  “aerostats.” The first of these were co-opted for racing, but
  plenty of dashing young army officers eyed them and began
  suggesting military applications. True aerial battleships wor-
  thy of the name are something of a challenge (except in
  “anime-style” campaigns – see p. 11), but serious military 
  aviation was a reality by the 1870s.
  It should be noted that this accelerated, fashion-driven
  inventiveness is inevitably shallow, and the obsession with
  competition has some odd effects. For example, advanced
  steam and “oil” engines were applied more to road-carriages
  than to rail travel because racing carriages is easier than rac-
  ing trains, and when these carriages met the problem that the
  roads on which they ran were often still at 18th-century quali-
  ty, the solution was simple – better suspensions! Even the war
  machines are mostly used to intimidate neighboring powers
  and look good on parades and exercises; colonial wars are
  fought by cavalry and footmen little different from their
  Napoleonic predecessors (although they may have a light
  reconnaissance aerostat or two along for support). Meanwhile,
  the mass of the population gets around on horse-drawn carts,
  though they know something more advanced is possible if only
  because it periodically hurtles past or above them, unsilenced
  engines screaming.
  BRITISH HEGEMONY
  With even faster technological development, allies in
  France and New England who mostly followed the British lead
  (see below), and a German foothold that would keep Prussia in
  check, Great Britain became even more dominant more quick-
  ly on Britannica-6. It didn’t have everything its own way, but
  the timeline got its codename from Infinity for good reason –
  and even Britain’s bitterest European rivals soon came to
  assume that what they needed to do was emulate their inven-
  tiveness and flair.
  With the exception of some African possessions (in truth,
  mostly lightly manned outposts along the coasts), the British
  Empire in 1887 isn’t much larger than it was in Homeline’s his-
  tory – but it’s even more confident of its supremacy. English is
  the international language of science and engineering, and
  increasingly (to French irritation) of diplomacy. Other powers
  can’t challenge Britain openly, although they may utilize espi-
  onage and subversion to reduce the British lead. Meanwhile,
  refugees and emigrants seeking new lives have been less likely
  to head for the Americas and more likely to move to British
  colonies, perhaps looking to learn some of their engineering
  techniques in the process. There has also been far less migra-
  tion from Ireland than Homeline saw. British governments 
  didn’t always handle the Irish “potato famines” that hit on
  schedule in the middle of the century perfectly, but they made
  an honest effort, and the Irish, who’ve had more political rights
  longer, now regard London fairly equably.
  THE HISTORY OF BRITANNICA-6
  8
  Belgium
  One consequence of the survival of Princess
  Charlotte was that her husband spent the rest of his life
  based in Britain. On Homeline, by contrast, he was
  appointed King of the Belgians in 1831. In any case, on
  Britannica, political frictions in what was then all the
  United Kingdom of the Netherlands were resolved
  differently, with Belgium becoming only semi-
  independent. Hence, 19th-century colonial politics
  haven’t involved Belgian kings called Leopold stirring
  up trouble – but regional discontents in the Netherlands
  remain a persistent problem in European diplomacy.
  
  OTHER WESTERN NATIONS
  This is a whole world, and history has continued elsewhere
  whether or not Britain has been paying attention.
  France
  In 1830, around the time Charlotte was becoming queen, a
  small revolution in France replaced King Charles X with a con-
  stitutional monarchy under the more liberal Louis-Philippe,
  who happened to be a friend of Prince Leopold. French conser-
  vatives blamed British agents for this, though in fact the same
  thing happened on Homeline without such intervention. All
  Britain really had to do was take passive advantage of the wave
  of Anglophilia that swept France as the new liberal constitu-
  tionalists looked to their Whig counterparts for inspiration. A
  family friendship between the houses of Orleans and Hanover-
  Saxe-Coburg evolved into a formal alliance and produced sev-
  eral royal marriages.
  Because of this friendship, France felt no great competitive
  pressure to establish an empire of its own, although it kept
  what it already held in Algeria and small parts of India.
  Instead, French bankers, businessmen, and aristocrats were
  more than happy to invest in British projects – both colonial
  ventures and great engineering. The British came to see the
  French as (slightly junior) partners in their great adventure,
  and later, sometimes as cunning manipulators who bought up
  the benefits of British genius. All the talk of “French subtlety
  and élan” combining with “British industry and resolve” occa-
  sionally misfired.
  The British example facilitated more and faster social
  reforms in France. The problems that led to another revolution
  in 1848 and the downfall of Louis-Philippe, were mostly avoid-
  ed in this alternate, and the House of Orleans continued to
  rule. In 1887, the king of France is Louis-Philippe’s grandson
  Louis-Charles.
  Prussia
  Otto von Bismarck was born in 1815, before the historical
  divergence point, and wasn’t the sort of man to let a different
  world history get in the way of his great career. Still, he had
  more of a struggle on his hands in Britannica-6. Even before
  he rose to influence in Prussia, that state was one of the dom-
  inant powers in Germany thanks to its military might, but any
  ambitions Bismarck may have held to unify Germany were
  blocked by Britain’s continued interest in Hanover.
  So Bismarck carefully secured British and French neutrali-
  ty – and then Prussia looked east and south instead, bringing
  smaller and weaker German states under Prussian dominance
  in a “German League.” This turned Bavaria into a nervous neu-
  tral, and then he confronted Austria. In a series of schemes
  that always stopped just short of war, he reduced Austria’s
  influence in Germany and then made it into another browbeat-
  en ally.
  Prussia, now confronting Russia for influence in northern
  Europe, caused trouble by supporting local nationalist move-
  ments in Russian-controlled Poland. Bismarck had little real
  affection for these people, but he wanted to keep Russia off-
  balance and calculated that this was the best way to achieve
  that. Anyway, a weak Poland would be an easier neighbor to
  handle than a unified Russian Empire. This didn’t mean
  “Greater Prussia” was especially gentle to ethnic-Polish citi-
  zens in its eastern provinces, but they received a few conces-
  sions to keep things easier for their rulers. Elsewhere in the
  world, Bismarck launched a few colonial projects to raise
  Prussian prestige, sometimes in areas claimed by the French
  on Homeline.
  The Austrian Empire
  Austria seems doomed to slip behind in 19th-century
  Europe, whatever happens. It’s under pressure from Prussia to
  the north; not getting enough from its southern holdings in the
  Balkans or Italy to maintain its strength; and slow to industri-
  alize. Thus the Hapsburg monarchs fell back on their holdings
  in German-speaking lands, Bohemia, and Hungary, and
  dreamt of past glories. However, there have been hints of a
  small revival in the last few years; see p. 19.
  Italy
  Left a patchwork of petty states after the Napoleonic wars,
  Italy produced much the same unification movement on
  Britannica-6 as on Homeline – and yet, despite an even less
  efficient Austrian Empire trying to stop the idea, it’s been
  much less successful. This was partly due to some bad luck –
  several Italian rebel leaders were caught by the Austrians early
  in their careers – and partly because France produced fewer
  successful revolutionaries of its own to support their Italian
  counterparts. France and Britain were actually trying to sup-
  port Austrian interests as a counterweight to Prussia.
  As much as anything, though, the problem seems to have
  been that the country was infected with this timeline’s obses-
  sion with competition above all else and technological roman-
  ticism. Italian artists were unwilling to produce works that glo-
  rified unification, and rebels wasted their energy arguing
  among themselves and coming up with spectacular and
  impractical schemes.
  THE HISTORY OF BRITANNICA-6
  9
  
  Turkey vs. Russia
  Ottoman Turkey always had severe problems trying to keep
  up with Western industrialization, and the more radical
  European technology became, the worse this moribund, con-
  servative empire suffered. Some European powers might have
  propped it up as a counterbalance or distraction to their rivals,
  but the Anglo-French alliance was mostly friendly with
  Austria, which never would trust the Ottomans, while Russia
  perpetually assailed the northern Ottoman borders – and
  Prussia was unable to offer the Turks more than token aid.
  Hence, Ottoman power in Europe has declined even faster and
  further on this timeline.
  Greece achieved independence in the 1820s with support
  from the liberal, idealistic British Whigs, and most of the
  Balkan provinces achieved independence at various points
  throughout the century, usually falling under heavy Russian
  influence. Other European states didn’t trust the Russians and
  worked to slow this process. One of Bismarck’s masterstrokes
  was to present himself as an honest broker in this process. He
  ensured most of the cost of an anti-Russian policy was met by
  other states, Prussia looked fashionably liberal, and Russia
  was weakened and distracted.
  The New England Secession
  Vicious competition was also the order of the day in the
  United States, where the election of 1824 was even more con-
  tentious than in Homeline’s history. John Quincy Adams was
  widely seen by his opponents as too friendly with the British,
  whose assertive, liberal policies were causing a great deal of
  inconvenience for the slave-owning South. Adams managed to
  scramble for a victory nonetheless, but then became bogged
  down in squabbles in congress for his entire term. Adams
  fought to establish a radical, technocratic version of the
  “American System,” based on profits from industrialization
  rather than tariffs, emulating the great British industrial and
  scientific advances. The New England states and New York
  supported this enthusiastically; the South and West, with
  Andrew Jackson as their figurehead, fought it bitterly. When
  Jackson became president in 1829 (as in Homeline’s history),
  he tried to reverse many of the changes, but without success –
  and by then, the Northeast was well into a British-style
  industrial-scientific takeoff. New York state lead in this, but
  most outsiders took to referring to the whole area in question
  as “New England,” and over time, despite complaints from
  both New Yorkers and traditional New Englanders, the re-
  labeling became standard.
  By the mid-1830s, the United States was a deeply divided
  nation, with “Jacksonians” ranged against “Whigs” (whose
  only argument with Adams was that he wasn’t radical enough).
  British investment and ideas were pouring into New England,
  to the personal outrage of Jackson, who was never fond of
  Britain. However, his followers increasingly saw the East as a
  lost cause. When a series of crises in the wake of the 1836 elec-
  tion led to suggestions in New York that the region should
  secede, some Jacksonians openly cheered (despite the opposi-
  tion of Jackson himself). By 1840, the split was complete. The
  U.S. forces mustered, threatening to reclaim the region, until
  the British governor of Canada acted on his own initiative to
  send his regiments south. He offered to aid the “Yankees”
  against the “slave-holding rustics,” and the United States
  backed down, “not wishing to fight to keep a crew of corrupt
  plutocrats with us when they’d rather be licking the boots of
  the King of England.”
  Subsequently, America has continued to expand westward,
  but more slowly on this timeline without the flow of capital
  and immigrants from the cities of New England. It’s seen by
  British observers as a great rural backwater, inhabited by dull
  farmers, barbaric frontiersmen, and plume-wearing cavaliers
  with no grasp of modern tactics. (Still, some of the Southern
  aristocrats can be amusing company.) Some states’ retention
  of slavery is a particularly sore point, although that institution
  is gradually fading; it’s viewed as offensively backward. New
  Englanders, by contrast, are seen as good friends and almost
  British – a little rough round the edges, but clever in their way.
  They themselves look forward to the day when they can match
  and surpass British technology, and can boast of some crafty
  inventions and developments of their own; they’d certainly rec-
  ognize the image of the “Yankee tinkerer.”
  THE HISTORY OF BRITANNICA-6
  10
  
  All this history has left the globe in an interesting but none
  too stable state.
  AN EMPIRE OF COMPETITION
  The key to this setting is its very powerful British Empire,
  which is, in fact, practically falling apart from all the royal and
  aristocratic rivalries and misguided applications of technolo-
  gy. Infinity analysts believe its economy isn’t actually much
  stronger than that of its counterpart in Homeline at the same
  date – that technology isn’t always applied in much depth,
  mostly being diverted to grandiose vanity projects, while 
  agriculture is stuck in a distinctly pre-Victorian form.
  However, the sheer dynamism of the British system can sweep
  over many obstacles. The problem is deciding who is to direct
  all that energy.
  While the Whigs brought in a lot of liberal reforms, the bar-
  gain they struck with their royal friends didn’t actually remove
  much royal power. Rather, it directed that influence to helping
  Whig causes – and whereas in the Victorian era on Homeline
  “the monarchy” meant one rather retiring widow, on
  Britannica-6 it means a whole family of argumentative princes
  and dukes. Infinity analysts say that this Britain can barely be
  called a constitutional monarchy; royal power is very real.
  THE HISTORY OF BRITANNICA-6
  11
  THE WORLD BY 1887
  Britannica-6 can be depicted in various ways, depending
  the style of the Infinite Worlds campaign in which it
  appears; how wildly adventures there play; and whether
  they involve Infinity or purely native characters.
  Realistic: This may be a relatively straightforward
  alternate-history setting in which science and technology
  have galloped forward in an impressive but not wildly
  implausible way, and local politics just happen to have
  developed a tendency toward freebooting. Local inventions
  are clever but there’s little that a good engineer on
  Homeline couldn’t replicate, although some ideas are cer-
  tainly worth studying. All this advanced technology also
  runs very shallow; at heart, this is a TL5 setting with some
  flashy stuff for people who can afford it.
  Vernean: Alternatively, Britannica-6 may have a strong
  “period SF” feel, giving I-Cops a sense that the laws of
  physics are a little more relaxed around here; some
  Britannica-made gadgets may even cease working when
  taken to other timelines. Some airships are bigger than any-
  thing ever built on Homeline (and yet are also relatively
  safe); the motors used in these and other vehicles are at the
  limits of TL7 efficiency or better; and local engineers seem
  to have a knack for designing structures that stand up as
  well as their materials can ever allow. The world may also
  puzzle Homeline economists and other social scientists:
  Relatively few of the local nobles go bankrupt, despite pour-
  ing vast sums into wild projects with dubious financial
  returns.
  Cinematic: At the wildest, this timeline may be one of
  those extreme, implausible settings that gives sensible
  Patrolmen screaming headaches, and everyone else a sense
  that they’ve blundered into a movie with too many special
  effects. (The steampunk anime Steamboy has much of the
  right aesthetic.) There are more Earth-shattering inven-
  tions than anyone can count, most of them in the hands of
  wild-eyed aristocrats with no sense of responsibility, and
  there’s no point in trying to discover how all this large-scale
  experimental engineering is financed – the aristocrats 
  can always raise what money they need from somewhere.
  For that matter, there’s an unlimited supply of hard-
  drinking, backstabbing nobles with nothing better to do
  than commission giant machines. For an added twist, exot-
  ic drugs from remote corners of the Empire may unlock
  “mesmeric” (i.e., psionic) powers in their users, and various
  sneaky but deranged Cabalist ritual magicians may become
  a serious problem, too.
  The Moral Setting
  Moral aspects of the setting can also be adjusted to taste.
  All those aristocrats and inventors may be prone to mega-
  lomania and treating the rest of the population rather
  thoughtlessly, but how crosstime visitors see the place is
  also a matter of style and presentation.
  On the one hand, it can play as something of a scientif-
  ic wonderland with utopian potential. These amazing
  inventions may be intended to inflate the egos and justify
  the compulsive gambling of a bunch of over-wealthy
  princes, but they can generally be turned to good, and com-
  petition serves as a harmless substitute for warfare. The
  world is largely run by European imperialists, to be sure,
  but they’re a relatively liberal bunch, refreshingly free of
  Victorian priggishness and quite willing to treat non-
  Europeans as almost their equals. In the longer term, the
  empires may turn into democratic federations.
  On the other hand, that Victorian priggishness at least
  derived from a certain high-minded morality that has never
  really caught on in Britannica-6; “devil take the hindmost”
  is practically the governing law in this world. Exploiting
  natives and the lower classes is seen as a little tasteless, it
  opens one up to attack by scary radicals, and economic
  texts say that it’s inefficient – but it’s not clear how many of
  the rulers actually think it’s wrong. Industrial accidents,
  alcoholism, and venereal diseases are all running ahead of
  even TL(5+2) medicine’s ability to cope, and one of these
  days the unstable, competitive international politics may
  slip into a 1914-style war in which the truth about all those
  gleaming military machines becomes all too painfully
  obvious.
  Stylistic Variations
  
  However, the families still have the sense to toss some favors
  to the politicians and the electorate from time to time, and
  their flamboyant games and sheer energy gives them a certain
  charisma, not unlike media celebrities on Homeline.
  The Exile Game
  In recent years, the furious competition among the Bloods
  has involved another risk. Since the 1840s or so, an added
  employment for the growing number of princes and royal
  dukes has been to serve as figureheads and occasionally even
  useful governors throughout the Empire. Some of these jobs
  were more interesting than others, and many of the Bloods
  don’t especially want to spend their time supervising ditch-
  diggers in some tropical hellhole (although the more militaris-
  tic of them can be quite keen to lead expeditions on the fron-
  tiers). Eventually, the risk of being sent off to some outpost
  became a penalty for the losers in contests; taking such a job is
  rarely the stake in a single bet, but can be regarded as a fit
  treatment for someone who owes more than he can afford or
  who’s lost too much family status. At the same time, new titles
  were sometimes thought necessary to keep family members
  happy, and some were attached to imperial provinces. There
  was often a sense that the Dukes of Ontario or New South
  Wales ought to visit their nominally associated territories occa-
  sionally, for the sake of form, making these titles into rather
  ambiguous honors.
  The consequences for the provinces of the Empire have
  been mixed, but are often negative; being governed by a resent-
  ful losing gambler rarely makes for good administration, and
  sudden, unexpected changes when someone’s personal posi-
  tion rises or falls make things worse. At best in such cases,
  local bureaucracies learn to run themselves, leaving the exile-
  governor with little to do until he becomes bored enough to
  exert himself. However, some of the “Exile Bloods” have
  resolved to make the best of the situation – and those with a
  few practical smarts or the good fortune to acquire and keep a
  decent administrative staff may even profit significantly from
  what was meant to be humiliation or punishment. Of course,
  this reduces the coherence of the Empire further as successful
  royal governors (who occasionally include junior aristocrats
  who’ve volunteered out of idealism or as a way to make a name
  for themselves, or even successful “self-made” commoners)
  transform provinces into self-contained personal fiefdoms.
  Some have launched great projects in their domains, relying
  on rumors and news reports to reestablish their prestige back
  home – and if those stories grow in the telling, well, who’s
  going to go to the trouble needed to establish the more boring
  truth? The legendary Ice Dreadnaught (p. 51) is only one of the
  more spectacular of these projects. A few may not want to be
  heard about in London – none have actually attempted out-
  right secession yet, but some are certainly channeling more tax
  revenues into their own accounts than they technically should.
  CONFUSED RIVALS
  Elsewhere in the advanced world, the idea has spread that
  “dynamic competition” is the key to Britain’s success. This is
  true to an extent – free market capitalism can be good for eco-
  nomic growth, and much of their advanced technology was
  created to score status points – but because Britain carries it to
  extremes and makes a game of it, almost everyone else feels
  obliged to do the same. This means that the British Empire,
  which should be vulnerable in its lack of unity, doesn’t face
  many organized challenges. France is happy bankrolling
  British endeavors, New England is a slightly inward-looking
  culture that focuses on technology (though that in itself may
  make it formidable in the medium term), the United States is
  bogged down in rural conservatism, Spain and Austria are far
  behind the times, and the independent South American states
  have a long way to go to catch up.
  The Prussian Threat
  Through the 1880s, though, it has gradually dawned on the
  British that they now did face some serious, organized compe-
  tition in the form of Prussia. Wounded soldiers came home
  from colonial wars with tales of Prussian advisors helping
  their enemies, and they seem to be up to something in Italy
  while the border guards in Hanover grow increasingly nerv-
  ous. The Prussian army isn’t as technologically advanced as
  the British or French on paper, but a few experts mutter that
  its weapons are proven and reliable, its training is as good as
  any, and its staff officers are probably the best around. The
  nefarious Prussian spy has become a staple of popular fiction
  and sensational news reports, and like many clichés this one
  has a certain basis in fact. Russia might be a useful ally against
  this problem, but there’s too much friction with British inter-
  ests in Asia for the two nations to trust each other. Indeed,
  Infinity agents trying to find out more about Britannica’s mil-
  itary technology have to worry about being taken for
  Prussians.
  THE HISTORY OF BRITANNICA-6
  12
  Aristocracy has three successive ages – the age of 
  superiorities, the age of privileges, and the age of vanities; 
  having passed out of the first, it degenerates in the second, 
  and dies away in the third.
  – François de Chateaubriand, 
  Memoirs from Beyond the Grave
  
  In the few weeks that had passed since his arrival in the
  notorious gambling town of Lyme Regis, Mr. Joseph Thorne of
  St. Louis had been much remarked upon. Appearing in the har-
  bor one morning in his oil-engine yacht, the Madame
  Chouteau, he had by nightfall challenged three young bucks of
  the gentry to drinking bouts and, it was widely considered, held
  his own in the contests. It was claimed by Mistress Sarah
  O’Hare, thought to be a sharp-eyed dame if not one whose word
  was ever quite trusted, that she had observed a horn-handled
  revolving-pistol of some description under his coat, but this, the
  chatterers held, was no more than ’twas to be expected of one
  from across the Atlantic. Still, in the aftermath of that rumor,
  some of the Fancy took a more tactful line in their converse
  around the fellow.
  While he had at first been assumed a Yankee, that being the
  most common sort of American seen in Society of late, those
  who had found time to consult their hotels’ almanacs now
  understood Mr. Thorne to be most likely a citizen of the United
  States, and hence hot-tempered and given to dueling. As was
  murmured over the piquet tables, for a citizen of His Majesty to
  be obliged to do harm to a foreign visitor would be devilish
  inhospitable and possibly quite inconvenient, even as a matter
  of self-defense.
  What exactly this dashing visitor sought in Lyme was a mat-
  ter of pleasant speculation. There were those who muttered of
  bride-seeking, as ever when a wealthy stranger comes onto the
  scene, but few thought this likely; Lyme’s reputation would hard-
  ly encourage such a project. Mr. Thorne gambled no more than
  most, and while he seemed happy enough to win, he took his
  losses with equanimity, and paid his debts promptly, so there
  was no clue there. He made no attempt to draw the many offi-
  cers on leave in the town into unwise discussion, and though he
  rode out on occasion, it did merely appear to be for the exercise.
  In short, Mr. Thorne represented a most entertaining puzzle,
  who filled many a pleasant hour over cups of tea or hot choco-
  late or glasses of wine. The only outstanding problem he present-
  ed was that no one had been invited aboard the Madame
  Chouteau, which stood well off shore much of the time. That, it
  was felt, was most unsporting of this sporting gent . . .
  The peculiar recent history of Britannica-6 has created an
  even more peculiar world. In GURPS terms, Cultural
  Familiarity (Western) is usually applicable, but skills such as
  Gambling and Carousing can be essential . . .
  GEOGRAPHY AND SOCIETY
  13
  CHAPTER TWO
  GEOGRAPHY
  AND SOCIETY
  COMMON SOCIAL PATTERNS
  In brief, Western culture on this timeline combines a
  Georgian Regency social system, including a strong emphasis
  on competition, with a positive obsession with progress.
  CLASS AND WEALTH
  The success of the alliance between Whig politicians and
  British royalty and the upper fringes of the aristocracy comes
  from a paradoxical compromise: The hereditary rulers pre-
  serve their power in a dynamic, “progressive,” capitalistic soci-
  ety, in exchange for their support for political and social
  reforms that somehow never quite touch them.
  The contradiction underlying this is obvious to many peo-
  ple on the timeline, and Radical journalists frequently point it
  out in print. The aristocrats and their tame philosophers some-
  times answer with references to a kind of Social Darwinism:
  Because they are descended from rulers and conquerors, they
  claim to have the hereditary capacity for rule as well as receiv-
  ing an appropriate education for the task. By this logic, the
  furious competition between the “Bloods” – assorted royal
  princes and dukes with a taste for extreme gambling – pre-
  serves the “peculiar genius” of their class, thinning out the los-
  ers who haven’t inherited or learned enough.
  Furthermore, society is actually meritocratic in that
  wealthy capitalists are granted a place in high society and
  eventually hereditary titles. (It’s easier for someone who has
  made money in the colonies; their involvement with “trade” is
  better hidden. “Nabobs” who made fortunes in India are some-
  times seen as downright romantic, however dubious their
  actual careers.) That these people buy their rank isn’t consid-
  ered shocking, although making an actual flat cash payment
  would be thought a little crass; rather, an industrialist is
  expected to throw lavish parties, make large donations to polit-
  ical causes, sell products to the government and favored colo-
  nial governors at reduced prices, and maybe make gifts of fast
  
  GEOGRAPHY AND SOCIETY
  14
  airships and promising racing dromedaries to princes. Wealth
  converts into status more smoothly than it did in the Georgian
  era, and even more effectively than in Homeline’s Victorian
  age, at middling levels as well as at the top of society.
  Still, there is a substantial middle class that doesn’t have as
  much power as they’d like, and a huge working class without
  any political rights. (A minimum property requirement
  remains for the vote in Britain, although this is reduced from
  time to time by bills bringing in new exceptions or adjusting
  numbers.) While governments haggle to buy off the threat of
  revolution, the upper classes keep the masses entertained with
  their wild and public lifestyles – and, just possibly, wield the
  implicit threat of all their high-tech war machines.
  RACE AND NATIONALITY
  To the British, of course, British is best – but other nations
  have their places, and in 1887 there’s fun to be had deciding
  exactly how they compare with one another. Social liberalism
  has even advanced to the point where skin color isn’t too much
  of an issue; Indians are seen as interesting and clever, their
  upper classes’ wealth commands respect, and they’re good at
  cricket and polo. This is a general principle on the timeline. A
  foreigner who proves himself receives the respect he’s earned,
  and even a complete newcomer can be interestingly exotic,
  while fierce internal competitiveness slightly weakens tradi-
  tions of patriotism and chauvinism. Even hostile natives in the
  colonies can gain regard if they fight bravely or well; most
  Britons are honest enough in their liberal ideals to understand
  someone might object to being ruled from far away, even if it’s
  actually necessary or justifiable. “Manly” fighting skills and
  aggression are both acknowledged as virtues. A governor who
  makes an honorable peace with such people is respected more
  than one who tries to wipe them out – though sometimes, the
  thinking goes, extreme measures may sadly be necessary.
  Tolerance extends to intermarriage with other Europeans –
  if it’s good enough for the royal family, it’s good enough for
  their subjects. The Indian colonial habit of informal relation-
  ships with local women carries over to British men in other
  colonies, while formalizing such relationships is regarded as
  eccentric rather than wrong. But tolerance only goes so far; the
  idea of a white woman marrying someone of another race still
  makes most Britons queasy. Also, the British upper-class tradi-
  tion of casual anti-Semitism isn’t entirely dead, though it may
  seem a little dated.
  British patriotism may be weakened, but it’s not defunct by
  a long way; the whole point of all those fancy war machines is
  to keep rival powers from trying anything aggressive. Britons
  To repeat yet again – the love of competition is the driv-
  ing principle of Britannica’s society. This is particularly
  true in the upper and mercantile classes of the British
  Empire, but the attitude has spread to other classes and
  nations. The reason for these contests lies in gambling on
  the results, and the willingness and ability to pay one’s gam-
  bling debts is a point of honor. Although Britain has a pub-
  lic (i.e., fee-paying) school system of a sort, the “public
  school ethos” has never developed on this timeline. “It’s not
  the winning but the taking part that’s important” would be
  regarded as a silly, soft-hearted idea, a comfort for the
  defeated. Not everyone can win every time and taking
  defeat in stride is good manners, but a loser is most respect-
  ed if he comes back and wins the next time. All this is com-
  bined with a love of new technology that would embarrass
  a Homeline 1950s science-fiction fan. Not everybody thinks
  this way, but those who don’t tend to define their beliefs in
  opposition to the prevailing view, criticizing the wasteful-
  ness or immorality of competitive behavior or large-scale
  engineering works.
  Belief in Christianity remains the norm in Western soci-
  ety, but it’s vague; outside Catholic southern Europe and
  parts of the United States where Protestant fundamental-
  ism is commonplace, people pay little more than lip service
  to their religion. Radicals and other daring freethinkers
  espouse some kind of deism – the idea that there may have
  been a Creator, but He lets the world run according to nat-
  ural laws without intervention, and belief should be based
  on observation of the natural world rather than faith in
  sacred texts.
  This is still a male-dominated, sexist society; women are
  expected to stay at home and produce children. However,
  many people have a more-than-sneaking regard for female
  abilities, especially among the upper classes, whose women-
  folk often hold households together and deal with the dis-
  asters caused by masculine competitiveness. Literature and
  poetry are seen as “female professions” in 1887. A number
  of women have distinguished themselves in these fields in
  recent years, while intelligent, creative boys are steered into
  technical professions. Female musicians are much respect-
  ed and, most important, a few women have entered the sci-
  ences (though rarely engineering) and been successful.
  “Wollstonecraftian” feminism is another favorite radical
  cause, associated with campaigns for female education
  (there are a handful of university-level women’s colleges).
  Upper-class ladies with enough determination can travel
  widely and participate in all sorts of activities. Few men
  bother denying that women are capable of a great deal, but
  those who prove themselves tend to be patronized or treat-
  ed as slightly freakish.
  Lastly, good manners remain the mark of a gentleman,
  and rising members of the bourgeoisie study handbooks
  intensively to learn how to behave. However, formal man-
  ners are almost entirely directed toward members of other
  classes; a person should be deferential to his superiors and
  politely condescending to his inferiors, but can chatter
  freely and loosely to his equals. (Some formalities are
  always due to members of the opposite sex, though.)
  Informality with superiors is presumptuous; toward inferi-
  ors, apart from a few deeply trusted servants and the low-
  est of the low, it’s wildly eccentric – and because people
  don’t like being treated as the lowest of the low, it’s also
  resented.
  How to Be a True Child of Britannia
  
  are at least dimly aware that some other nationalities are more
  united and may plot against British interests (which is put
  down to envy of British success). This demands action by bold
  and capable agents of the crown.
  PROGRESS!
  The Britannica concept of “progress” takes many forms.
  Ideas such as political reform, the abolition of slavery, and
  most of all technological inventiveness, are all seen as impor-
  tant; they’re the mark of the winner. This implies a pragmatic
  view of scientific research – it’s not interesting if it doesn’t pro-
  duce something useful or exciting – but philosophers have
  been able to convince some people that abstract-looking
  research can lead to unexpectedly useful results.
  The political aspects of this obsession are more high-
  minded, but they too emerge from a liking for results. Slavery
  is seen as immoral, but also old-fashioned; an abolitionist can
  feel a warm glow of morality while sneering at people whose
  ideas belong in the last century. Likewise, maltreating the
  working class is less productive than giving them some politi-
  cal rights so they become happy industrial workers. History,
  especially British history, is seen as the record of human
  progress in all spheres, from those times of ignorance and aris-
  tocratic tyranny to the modern age of science and constitution-
  al monarchy; therefore the modern world must be as good as
  it could have gotten by now. This implies things could get even
  better, but somehow, in politics if not in science, influential
  thinkers have decided Britain has reached the summit.
  Nevertheless, appeals to modernity and progress always count
  as powerful arguments.
  CRIME, LAW, 
  AND ENFORCEMENT
  Things aren’t perfect everywhere, of course. Sadly, philoso-
  phers admit, there are areas of society even in the heart of the
  Empire where progress hasn’t advanced enough. There are still
  crimes to deal with.
  In fact, there are quite a lot of them. The idealization of
  competition, and of winners over the defeated, means support
  for the poor from state institutions or private charities is errat-
  ic; the same attitude makes some of those unfortunates feel the
  only way in which they can win is by breaking the rules – by
  turning to crime. Severe penalties don’t discourage them
  much; some are genuinely desperate, while other think only
  losers get caught. Furthermore, parts of Britannica-6 have
  what Homeline would call a serious substance-abuse problem,
  with addicts resorting to gin, opium, or byproducts of
  advanced pharmacology like semi-refined cocaine. These
  drugs aren’t formally illegal – drug prohibition was largely a
  20th-century idea on Homeline – but they make users inca-
  pable of holding down honest jobs while remaining desperate
  for a fix. And while drug prices aren’t high, the poor can be very
  poor.
  GEOGRAPHY AND SOCIETY
  15
  Another Georgian idea that survives to 1887 on
  Britannica-6 is that of the “Hellfire Club.” There was only
  one such club at a time in the previous century, but the
  term now applies to a general class of institutions, wide-
  spread in British high society and spreading to the Empire,
  France, New England, and the United States.
  Hellfire Clubs are usually upper-class groups, though
  some less wealthy individuals choose to ape or parody the
  idea. While the original, from 1720, was a dedicated
  Satanist group, and the most famous, operating around
  1750, was mostly interested in a good, decadent party and
  maybe shocking the neighbors, the modern versions vary
  widely. What they have in common is a willingness to break
  social rules.
  Most are merely riotous social clubs, sometimes veering
  into outright vicious behavior; one or two have a scholarly
  interest in unfashionable “gothic” aesthetics. Some try to
  work black magic, with no known success; others are ven-
  ues for contests and wagers that the most decadent Blood
  would publicly call beyond the pale. A few are run by and
  for political Radicals (see p. 17), usually the sort of extrem-
  ists who think it’s necessary to tear down society and
  rebuild from scratch; and a very few are cover for subtler,
  though no less unconventional, revolutionary groups.
  Hellfire Clubs
  
  The solutions look, to Infinity agents, like a bizarre mixture
  of the old-fashioned and the fairly sophisticated. Britain and
  France never developed the idea of a modern police force, so
  the rest of the world didn’t borrow the idea. Cities, towns,
  counties, privately owned estates, and even companies take
  responsibility for law enforcement within their geographical
  limits. London has the expanded Bow Street Runners and
  associated Bow Street Horse Patrol (which hasn’t changed its
  name despite switching to one-man motorized tricycles), offi-
  cially agents of the Bow Street magistrates’ office, along with
  various neighborhood watchmen and dockyard patrols. Those
  mostly defer to the men from Bow Street when things turn
  serious. Elsewhere, crime prevention may be in the hands of
  local watches and constables or just any member of the public
  who responds to a hue and cry, as is theoretically mandatory
  in many places. Some enforcers are as amateurish as they
  sound; others are professional and efficient and may evolve
  into formal police forces over time. Many wear uniforms rang-
  ing from simple armbands to fancy pseudo-military garb
  issued by noble patrons. Freelance professional “thief-takers”
  function like private detectives and even more like bounty
  hunters; these range from cool, honorable consultants to bru-
  tal thugs. They are sometimes effective investigators, but
  they’re only helpful to people who can afford to hire them or
  post a reward. In remote areas they may function as mercenar-
  ies, working in small groups to fight off bandits, (rarely neces-
  sary or acceptable in civilized areas).
  The tools used by even ragtag figures are ingenious. They
  apply advanced science to their problems, and the Bow Street
  Runners and others employ full-time forensic scientists (called
  “criminological philosophers”). Detectives include senior
  watchmen and a number of keen amateurs, mostly gentlefolk
  fascinated by the science.
  Convicted criminals face a range of penalties. The Georgian
  fashion for treating crime as a disease has declined – it may
  have sounded liberal, but some “treatments” involved, for
  example, isolating perpetrators to prevent “cross-infection,”
  and many petty criminals were driven insane by the bizarre
  experiences inflicted on them. Prisons, the usual punishment
  in Western countries for most offences, are about at Victorian
  levels, but better basic medicine brings the rate of disease
  down significantly. In Britain, some crimes are still punished
  with transportation to the colonies, especially when some
  noble provincial governor wants a large, unskilled workforce
  for his bizarre project. This is widely feared. Serious crimes
  (murder in Britain) can be punished with death, but execu-
  tions are no longer public.
  GEOGRAPHY AND SOCIETY
  16
  THE HEART OF EMPIRE
  Britain is the undisputed power on Britannica-6 and sets
  the tone for its culture, but it draws much on other lands for
  ideas and styles.
  KING LEOPOLD III
  The supreme ruler of this global empire is the great-
  grandson of Queen Charlotte and Prince Leopold, a relatively
  young monarch who is genuinely liked by most of his people,
  though frankly they know little about him as yet. He enjoys
  hunting and other outdoor pursuits, but disrespectful folk
  observe this exercise isn’t enough to save him from chubbiness.
  He’s not on the scale of his ancestor George IV as yet, nor is he
  married, but he has taken a couple of mistresses over the years
  (he is rumored to have a special taste for exotic beauties).
  Several European dukes and princes are steering their daugh-
  ters his way for marriage. Some individuals lower on the social
  scale are plotting to take advantage of his interest in less for-
  mal relationships.
  Leopold pays attention when his ministers address him and
  isn’t entirely stupid, but he has no head for administration –
  just enough sense to leave matters to those who do. He follows
  the accepted line in supporting progress, defending the
  Empire, and reforming the nation’s institutions when neces-
  sary, though he thinks reforms should be gradual. He isn’t
  especially knowledgeable about technology, although he has a
  racing enthusiast’s shallow grasp of the terminology of aerostat
  and steam-launch design. He’s less interested in non-
  mechanized races, to the irritation of people involved in those
  sports who are used to royal patronage.
  Fortunately for them, his three brothers (and two of his four
  sisters) have a diverse range of enthusiasms. (His parents con-
  tinued the Hanover-Saxe-Coburg tradition of fecundity.) Those
  men – the Dukes of Clarence, Kent, and Newfoundland – are
  ornaments to London society and leaders of fashion among the
  Bloods. George, the Duke of Kent, has fallen under the influ-
  ence of his eccentric wife, the daughter of a minor Italian
  prince, and takes an unwise interest in causes like Italian uni-
  fication. He seems to have a special talent for annoying the
  Austrians, whose friendship is necessary in case the Prussians
  cause trouble.
  
  THE ARISTOCRATIC-WHIG
  ALLIANCE
  The Whigs were always an aristocratic faction, for all their
  taste for reform; they had to be to have any access to power in
  18th-century Britain. They were originally the “country party,”
  representing the rural upper class that wanted limits on royal
  power, against the Tory “court party.” In the wake of the
  alliance with Charlotte and Leopold that brought them to
  dominance, the Whigs confirmed this association with new-
  money industrialists. They forged tentative links to the people,
  and to younger royals who wanted some power for themselves
  rather than letting their elders have all the fun. This left Tories
  to be seen as the party of the older generation and the old rural
  gentry.
  The Whigs haven’t ruled the country continuously since
  1820, although they’ve been in power more often than not. The
  Tories have to follow the Whig lead to maintain any credibili-
  ty at all; are swept along in the wake of “Whig progress”; and
  occasionally win elections when the Whigs grow complacent
  or make an obvious mess . . . or their friends in the royal fam-
  ily and the Bloods make themselves too unpopular. In 1887,
  the Whigs are in full control, though the biggest threat they
  face may be a split within their own ranks. The “reform” wing
  seeks to extend the vote to the rest of the country’s male popu-
  lation and exert stronger control over the imperial provinces
  from London. The “engineer” wing’s declared interest is in
  making best use of Britain’s scientific accomplishments –
  which means making life easier for those industrialists and
  aristocrats who finance most of the research.
  By now, the self-made capitalists of the early years of the
  Industrial Revolution have passed their wealth and power on
  to their children and grandchildren. This group sees itself as
  the “new aristocracy,” sometimes in opposition to the old fam-
  ilies but more often in alliance – so long as the aristocrats
  acknowledge their rights. Most get on well enough with the
  Whigs, but some worry about runaway technological progress
  making their lives difficult – new inventions can make whole
  factories useless overnight – or object to social reforms that
  increase their labor costs. Hence, some move closer to the
  Tories.
  RIVALRY AND ENGINEERING
  Britain sometimes has the look of a crazy technological
  wonderland. Gleaming teardrop-shaped aluminum cars tear
  along the roads and aerostats cruise the skies between elegant
  cities of marble, cement, and steel. The wealth of a hundred
  nations flows through the bloodstream of the Empire, while
  dandies in intricate tailcoats stroll the streets arm-in-arm with
  ladies in stylish asymmetric dresses.
  A closer look reveals problems. The roads on which those
  modern cars run are atrocious, and the modern buildings are
  rich men’s fancy houses, a big town hall (in addition to older
  structures replaced by someone showing off sponsoring some-
  thing bigger), and the odd grand tower with no great useful-
  ness. The distribution of wealth is not only unequal, but
  bizarre – and those dandies (whose clothes are made of what
  Homeline calls nylon) spend much of their time and money
  betting compulsively on anything that moves.
  It’s worth noting not all contests between Bloods or their
  imitators are technological in nature, though most have a dis-
  tinctly novel aspect. For example, there’s a persistent fashion
  for racing unusual animals – dromedaries are a favorite
  choice, and small fortunes are spent importing these creatures
  from Arabia, learning how to breed them, and training jockeys.
  Another species proving popular for racing (without riders!) is
  the ostrich, though it can be hard to train or persuade to fol-
  low a course. Thus the country is studded with tracks and sta-
  diums; wise builders design them for use in a wide range of
  events, including athletics. There’s no cult of amateurism in
  sport; track and field events are dominated by professionals,
  and rules against using drugs in training are skimpy at best.
  (That science is in its infancy, but is developing fast in secret!)
  Then again, an amateur who takes on the professionals and
  wins becomes a popular hero, and drug enhancements would
  be considered “unmanly.” Prizefighting remains popular, too;
  it has evolved a set of rules to reduce fatalities and stave off
  moralistic criticism, including the use of rather light gloves,
  but nothing as restrictive as Homeline’s “Queensbury rules.”
  GEOGRAPHY AND SOCIETY
  17
  Radicals
  Like any complex human society, the British Empire
  on Britannica-6 has its revolutionary fringe. This con-
  sists of a diverse bunch of freethinkers, extremists, and
  demagogues, known collectively as “Radicals”; despite
  the paranoia of some members of the government,
  there are few large or well-organized Radical parties or
  revolutionary conspiracies. The moderate public fac-
  tion, with its representatives in the British Parliament,
  is actually by far the strongest single group.
  This radicalism draws on models established in the
  Georgian era and tends to be intensely romantic, even
  mystical. The heroes of English-speaking factions
  include Thomas Paine, William Blake, and Percy
  Shelley. Radicals work for the interests of the masses
  and argue against inherited privilege; they annoy main-
  stream Whigs by borrowing the rhetoric of progress and
  using it with more real conviction. Continental radical-
  ism has a harder edge, partly because it faces more bru-
  tal oppression; it looks back to the French Revolution
  with considerable nostalgia, and is willing to counte-
  nance bloodshed. In New England, radicalism is seen as
  an amusing eccentricity; in the United States, it’s sup-
  pressed as sedition.
  Some Radicals – actually only a small minority,
  despite what their enemies say – are associated with the
  drug-using subculture as a way of asserting their defi-
  ance of social norms (which is hard in a society as flam-
  boyant as this one). These examples are usually mem-
  bers of mystical groups who revere poetic eccentrics
  such as Blake; they’re an endless source of irritation to
  staid, practical groups who are more likely to be deists
  or even atheists, but they do produce some interesting
  pamphlets.
  
  GEOGRAPHY AND SOCIETY
  18
  Somewhere in the files on Britannica-6 compiled by the
  Infinity Patrol and White Star, one harassed historian men-
  tions that the noted British writer Charles Dickens, who
  was born in 1812 before the divergence point, not only
  achieved success in his chosen profession, but – unlike in
  Homeline’s history – is still alive in 1887. However, he 
  didn’t choose to become a novelist. The odd thing is that no
  one from Homeline has taken any serious interest in this
  subject yet; White Star didn’t find any alternative Dickens
  novels in the shops or libraries, but didn’t investigate why
  not.
  The fact is at some point in his early teens,
  Dickens took a different path. His imagina-
  tion was evidently caught by the wide-
  spread new enthusiasm for science
  and especially technology, so when
  he became a journalist, technology
  was where his interests continued
  to focus. Over time, he earned a
  name as a specialist in the field,
  and eventually founded a high-
  ly successful magazine, the
  British Engineering Review,
  that has occupied him ever
  since. He wrote a few short
  stories, 
  most 
  concerning
  heroic engineers, but never
  found much money in it;
  tracking down a full set of
  these would be a moderately
  lengthy task.
  Being 75, Dickens might have
  retired long ago, and he could
  afford to, but he doesn’t want to do
  so. He enjoys his work and remains
  the proprietor and honorary editor-in-
  chief of the Review, with a piece in every
  monthly issue. He’s a respected figure in the
  engineering world, and is treated as an impartial
  arbitrator in disputes between leading professionals. (Many
  company owners are aware that his sympathies verge on
  the radical, but acknowledge his honesty, fairness, and
  technical expertise.) He’s also spry and energetic for his
  age; the health problems that killed him much younger on
  Homeline seem to have passed him by here.
  Dickens would be an interesting and useful contact for
  visitors from Homeline, with added amusement value – and
  his autograph would be worth a bit back home, too. He’s
  sharp and imaginative, though, so visitors with the Secret
  to protect should be careful around him. Tracking down his
  complete literary works, or even just creating an anthology
  of his technological writings, could be a modestly profitable
  exercise for White Star staff or freelancers; if he heard that
  anyone was doing such a thing, Dickens would be flattered
  but puzzled as to why they’d bother.
  ST 8 [-20]; DX 10 [0]; IQ 14 [80]; HT 9 [-10].
  Damage 1d-3/1d-2; BL 13 lbs; HP 8 [0]; Will 12 [-10]; Per 13
  [-5]; FP 9 [0].
  Basic Speed 4.75 [0]; Basic Move 4 [0]; Dodge 7.
  Social Background
  TL: 5+2 [0]
  CF: Britannica-6 Western [0].
  Languages:
  Britannica-6 
  English 
  (Native) 
  [0];
  Britannica-6 French (Broken/Literate) [3]; Britannica-6
  German (Accented) [4].
  Advantages
  Contact Group (London consulting
  engineers; business skills, level-15; 15 or
  less; usually reliable) [60]; Reputation
  +3 (Respected expert commentator,
  in the engineering profession, all the
  time) 
  [7]; 
  Social 
  Regard 
  1
  (Venerated, as a respectable older
  man) [5]; Status +1 (free from
  Wealth) [0]; Wealth (Wealthy)
  [20].
  Disadvantages
  Bad 
  Sight 
  (Nearsighted,
  Mitigator: Glasses, -60%) [-10];
  Curious 
  (15) 
  [-2]; 
  Pacifism
  (Reluctant Killer) [-5].
  Quirks:
  Code 
  of 
  Honor
  (“Gentlemanly”); Low-frequency
  hearing loss (-1 or -2 penalties at the
  GM’s option); Moderate but serious
  radical sympathies – believes in equal
  treatment for all, workers’ rights, etc. [-3]
  Skills
  Accounting-12 (IQ-2) [1]; Airshipman/TL(5+2)-
  14 (IQ) [1]; Area Knowledge (Britain)-14 (IQ) [1]; Area
  Knowledge (London)-14 (IQ) [1]; Area Knowledge
  (Manchester)-14 (IQ) [1]; Boating/TL(5+1) (Motorboat)-10*
  (DX-1) 
  [1]; 
  Current 
  Affairs/TL(5+2) 
  (Science 
  &
  Technology)-18 (IQ+4) [12]; Detect Lies-11 (Per-2) [1];
  Driving/TL(5+2) (Automobile)-12* (DX+1) [3]; Expert Skill
  (Scientific Theorizing)-12 (IQ-2) [1]; Literature-12 (IQ-2)
  [1]; Mechanic/TL(5+1) (Automobile)-13 (IQ-1) [1];
  Photography/TL(5+1)-13 
  [1]; 
  Professional 
  Skill
  (Journalist)-17 (IQ+3) [12]; Savoir-Faire (High Society)-14
  (IQ) [1]; Writing-16 (IQ+2) [8].
  *Bought up from IQ-based default.
  Note: Dickens’ Expert Skill gives him a broad knowledge
  of the jargon and common themes of research in the sci-
  ences, but no significant laboratory experience; he can fol-
  low scientists’ conversation, but not join in.
  Mr. Charles Dickens (161 points)
  
  CONTINENTAL EUROPE
  GEOGRAPHY AND SOCIETY
  19
  Even the proudest citizen of the Empire freely acknowl-
  edges that their nation is part of the larger European civiliza-
  tion. It sees itself as standing a little apart, and being a bit bet-
  ter, but the British royal family is forever marrying into the
  royal houses of the Continent. The aristocracy isn’t far behind
  in this, especially when its members are looking for sources of
  joint investment in some grand project or another, so
  European affairs are often in the newspapers. In any case, an
  interest in the moderately exotic and colorful is regarded as a
  sign of forward-thinking open-mindedness – and communica-
  tions aren’t so advanced that those foreign nations can’t 
  preserve many crucial cultural differences.
  FRANCE
  The most obvious example of this ambiguity lies just across
  the English Channel. France is doing well, and gets along fine
  with Britain officially and unofficially. The two nations work
  closely, especially when they need to keep certain German
  states in their place. There’s a minority political fringe in
  France that would prefer an independent foreign policy, but
  most Frenchmen who worry about national pride convince
  themselves France is doing fine on its own account.
  French engineering is seen as less grand than British, but
  even the most chauvinistic Briton admits they come up with
  some clever ideas, and the irrigation systems they’re driving
  into the North African deserts are certainly impressive.
  Meanwhile, the children of France’s King Louis-Charles
  behave all too like the wild British Bloods. Paris is considered
  the most beautiful modern city in Europe; France has a
  stronger tradition of centralized urban planning than Britain,
  so the modern architecture there is more harmonious and less
  a patchwork of half-baked projects.
  GERMANY
  Germany divides into three zones: Hanover, a British client
  state that follows their lead in style as well as politics; the inde-
  pendent princedoms, which are mostly too small to do more
  than amble along in rustic backwardness (although there are
  a few “forward-thinking” nobles with grand plans to match
  those of any Blood); and Prussia, which is organized, central-
  ized, and determined. Bismarck is more or less retired, but his
  grand vision is genuinely popular with the majority of the pop-
  ulation. Technophiliac and militaristic, Prussia sees itself as
  the primary power among the German states, and it’s hard for
  anyone to disagree, much as the neighbors might wish things
  otherwise. Still, most Britons think Prussia can be kept under
  control, and many have a sneaking regard for Prussian 
  efficiency and focus.
  Infinity’s secret representatives on this timeline take a
  more jaundiced view; some analysts are seriously worried by
  Prussia, which they estimate can use the local military tech-
  nology far better than other states. They suspect it’s a natural
  focus for Centrum operations, assuming Centrum can 
  suppress its bias for English speakers – and Centrum isn’t
  entirely stupid that way.
  AUSTRIA
  As the ramshackle giant of central Europe, governed by an
  ancient aristocracy with no special love for speed or progress,
  Austria receives both more respect and more contempt than it
  deserves. Of late, its attempts to emulate more successful
  nations may have begun to pay off in small ways. Austrian
  pure science has achieved some breakthroughs, to the delight
  of a younger generation of aristocrats and petty princes who
  envy their British counterparts. Their contests may not be as
  impressive as those, but their steam-gigs and light aerostats
  look good, after an ornate fashion, and Vienna challenges
  Paris for the position of Europe’s most cultured city. Its lead-
  ing figures seem to be more politely sober more of the time
  than British or French aristocrats. Furthermore, with substan-
  tial resources and no actual defeats in war to wear it down,
  Austria commands a fair amount of strength in depth –
  assuming Prussia doesn’t subvert it, morally or politically.
  Russia
  As 
  on 
  Homeline, 
  19th-century 
  Russia 
  on
  Britannica-6 is ruled by an aristocracy with great
  enthusiasm for European manners and modernity, but
  who draw their income from a primitive agricultural
  society. The result is a thin facade of sophistication
  and technology pasted over something much more
  archaic. A visitor to St. Petersburg sees the latest
  barouches and Paris fashions from just a couple of
  years ago; if the same visitor travels a few miles out
  into the countryside, the picture changes to something
  almost medieval. There have been attempts at indus-
  trialization, but they haven’t spread far in the absence
  of an appropriate economic base; on the plus side,
  only the largest cities feature tenement slums. Some
  younger Russian aristocrats have nearly bankrupted
  themselves trying to live like British Bloods, shattering
  the axles of their expensive phaetons on the rutted
  local roads; others are a little wiser or a lot richer, and
  are able to sustain the lifestyle. Some have invested in
  the development of legged vehicle designs, and have
  achieved results that have caught the attention of even
  Infinity’s engineering analysts.
  Russia would like to be regarded as a problem on
  the international scene but hasn’t been taken seriously
  except by some older diplomats and soldiers. British
  governors and agents in northwest India do worry
  about the occasional Russian plot, and their agents
  often seem to be up to something on the west coast of
  America. These operate largely on their own initiative,
  and it’s possible Russian administrators in Alaska
  dream of carving out an autonomous Grand Duchy
  beyond the effective reach of the Tsar.
  
  THE MEDITERRANEAN
  AND MIDDLE EAST
  The center of power in Britannica’s Europe has shifted
  northward, as Spain slips into decline, Italy remains disunit-
  ed, and the Ottoman Empire slumps into catastrophic col-
  lapse. Bizarre, advanced technologies emphasize that differ-
  ence, but only a little; with individual princes and Italian
  city-states occasionally sponsoring flamboyant inventions of
  their own, the region can seem deceptively in tune with the
  spirit of the age.
  Ottoman power in Europe is almost completely eliminat-
  ed and control of Egypt has passed to a regime closely mon-
  itored by the British, who seek to protect their Suez Canal.
  Europe has ignored events in the Ottoman-controlled
  Middle East until recently, but the growing importance of oil
  to run modern engines and the realization that there may be
  a lot of it in that part of the world is shifting the focus.
  European governments claim to take an interest in the
  region because of the Ottoman mistreatment of their subject
  peoples, but they make sure to build up their own influence
  there; liberal attitudes are proving conveniently compatible
  with commercial interests. Alas, European freebooters are
  running ahead of the official agencies and expeditions, while
  Prussian influence with Turkey is suddenly very convenient
  for the Prussians. Infinity assesses this region as one of the
  most 
  dangerous 
  potential 
  political 
  flashpoints 
  on
  Britannica-6.
  GEOGRAPHY AND SOCIETY
  20
  THE AMERICAS
  To the Bloods and Whig politicians of the British Empire,
  the New World looks gratifyingly well in hand. Oh, a part of it
  was lost a century ago, which was unfortunate, but the people
  there now seem either awestruck by the power of British inge-
  nuity or sensibly keen to emulate it. From the politically useful
  northern reaches of Canada to the forests and jungles of the
  southern lands (full of useful drugs and compounds waiting to
  be discovered by bold pharmacist-explorers), the Americas are
  two whole continents of possibility!
  CANADA
  The glittering ice crystal in the British crown, Canada is a
  significant component in the Empire, if only as a place for the
  royal family to exile each other. It’s been arbitrarily subdivided
  into many provinces with little economic or geographic logic to
  them. It’s also benefited from a fair amount of investment and
  immigration; New Englanders in search of a new life move to
  the Canadian West, feeling especially pleased if their advance
  is running ahead of that of the United States to the south.
  Fortunately, this rivalry rarely rises above the level of name-
  calling and bragging.
  Much of the eastern part of the country is bilingual, with
  French-speaking Catholics living comfortably alongside
  English-speaking Protestants. The British government made
  concessions to keep the French-speakers loyal as far back as
  the 18th century, and the Whigs continued this tradition, giv-
  ing away enough power over the years that Canada never suf-
  fered serious anti-government rebellions – although there was
  a certain amount of grumbling at times. The friendship
  between the two powers led to the idea the two language
  groups should work together to bring civilization to the world,
  and French financiers took to investing in eastern Canada,
  transforming the local Francophone community from peasant
  farmers to something more varied.
  This situation has changed in recent years, growing less
  comfortable. Canadians increasingly see their country as a
  dumping-ground for drunken British aristocrats, while New
  England investment and immigration, encouraged by London,
  makes both language groups feel their country is no longer
  under their control at any level. The old Parti Canadien has
  seen a revival in its fortunes as it becomes a mouthpiece for
  dissent, and many English-speaking Canadian radicals have
  learned French as a symbol of defiance. Whether the exiled
  princes and dukes who supposedly run most of Canada can
  handle this problem remains to be seen.
  THE NEW ENGLAND
  CONFEDERACY
  On Britannica, “New England” consists of Connecticut,
  Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island,
  Vermont, and New York State (a few rural areas were handed
  over to the United States). This nation operates under a consti-
  tution based on that of the original United States, with an
  administrative capital in Providence, Rhode Island – selected
  to avoid giving an advantage to any of the larger cities. Its
  greatest commercial city is New York; Boston calls itself the
  cultural capital.
  When the original country split under internal stress, the
  northeastern segment looked smaller, weaker, and more
  restricted. However, technological progress and large-scale
  European immigration to its cities have made it the most
  sophisticated and wealthiest part of the continent. Still, 
  New Englanders like to think of themselves as straightforward,
  Russian Alaska
  The Russians moved into Alaska in the 18th century
  and, on Britannica-6, they’ve never been bought or
  chased out. They continue to send traders and trappers
  down the west coast, although this is some distance
  beyond their ability to project real influence or military
  power. Alaska itself remains an uncomfortable but
  moderately populous outpost of their empire – which
  makes the British, or their Canadian dominions, nerv-
  ous. Well, it gives them an excuse to build
  countermeasures . . .
  
  feet-on-the-ground folk – practical engineers, not as crazy for
  useless gimmicks as their British allies. (They may have a
  point.) A New York banker or Boston philosopher will dress in
  plain, even somber garb compared to a British aristocrat; if he
  wants to flaunt his wealth, he invests in a big, rugged motor-
  wagon or two. Younger New Englanders of all classes tradi-
  tionally go abroad to make their fortunes, from working-class
  lads who hail from the coastal cities sailing the Seven Seas, to
  sons of wealthy industrialists building great hydroelectric proj-
  ects in western Canada. Most eventually return home, at least
  if they’ve gotten rich, but the bright-eyed New Englander with
  big ideas is a recognized phenomenon around the globe.
  The border with the United States is mostly peaceful – the
  two nations ignore each other as much as possible – but is
  nonetheless patrolled by New England’s small but well-drilled,
  very high-tech armed forces. Motor-skiffs prowl the east side of
  the Delaware River and the waters of Lake Erie, and three reg-
  iments of war-barouches are based in Jamestown; they look
  intimidating when they aren’t in the stables being enhanced or
  repaired yet again.
  THE UNITED STATES
  Distracted and weakened by the New England secession,
  the United States has been unable to expand westward as
  effectively as in our history, nor has it engaged in any great,
  victorious war to claim large parts of Mexico. American forces
  have fought a series of frontier actions to the south, rarely at
  the level of formally declared war. It has won most of these but
  Mexico had the support of European powers (and, on occa-
  sion, of various New Englanders – whose government has
  always disowned their actions), so the U.S. took a few prizes
  from these victories. California is a frontier zone, but the focus
  of development is in a number of territories, none of them yet
  granted statehood, in the regions of Colorado and Wyoming on
  Homeline.
  Despite underdevelopment, the sheer size and natural
  resources of the continent can’t help but make the United
  States wealthy even if it isn’t invested energetically. Its armed
  forces may be technologically backward, with most of their
  officers being younger sons of wealthy southern families, but
  they have a tradition of wild courage that can compensate.
  They claim a small aerostat force, useful for patrolling the
  long, stark western frontiers. American aircraft at the limits of
  their range also monitor Canadian military exercises and tech-
  nological experiments on the Great Lakes, where the two sides
  watch each other with a degree of animosity. There’s disputed
  territory in those parts, albeit too far from reliable supply
  bases for either side to start an actual fight as yet.
  MEXICO
  Since it acquired independence from Spain (in 1821, just
  like Homeline), Mexico finds itself on the front lines of the
  struggle between European Whig-aristocrat power politics and
  the resentful United States. It retains control of much of south-
  western North America, including most of Texas and
  California. However, this is a remote and uncertain sort of con-
  trol; these regions are full of settlers and adventurers who owe
  loyalty to anyone or no one. Further south the country is mod-
  erately prosperous, perhaps because the European powers on
  this timeline are inclined less to political meddling and more
  toward providing investments and aid.
  The country as a whole is officially friendly with Britain,
  France, New England, and most of the nations of South
  America, and has mostly settled its differences with Spain. Its
  biggest concern is the three-way confrontation with the United
  States and Russia along the western seaboard.
  GEOGRAPHY AND SOCIETY
  21
  The Free Port of
  San Francisco
  The San Francisco Bay area is at the furthest edge of
  Mexican control, on the border with other powers. After
  several abortive attempts to impose its authority, the
  Mexican government has made a virtue out of necessi-
  ty, and semi-formally let it be known that San Francisco
  will suffer few taxes and small garrisons, so long as
  these freedoms are not too flagrantly abused.
  Hence, this has become a bustling, cosmopolitan,
  and often dangerous community where Mexican sol-
  diers and missionaries rub shoulders with Russian
  traders and trappers, American “Coloradan” pioneers
  and adventurers, and the sailors of a dozen nations
  (including, presumably, lots of British spies). Actually,
  “San Francisco” still doesn’t exist as a city. The Mexican
  town of Yerba Buena dominates the bay, but rubs up
  against the independent Russian trading colony of Fort
  Ross, and the even more stridently independent
  Coloradan colony of Jacksontown (on the site of
  Homeline’s Oakland, across the water).
  The city has grown purely on the strength of mari-
  time trade and pioneering farming efforts so far. There’s
  nothing else to bring anyone there – though there are
  rumors of some kind of secret Russian mining opera-
  tions in the mountains to the northeast (the Russians
  seem pleased with themselves). Some folks wonder if
  they’ve found gold or something, but that’s crazy talk.
  Remember, democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes,
  exhausts, and murders itself.
  – John Adams
  
  CENTRAL AND
  SOUTH AMERICA
  Some Latin-American nations have been as fortunate as
  Mexico; others have suffered when European powers decided
  to flex their muscles for one reason or another. The Republic
  of Central America, consisting of what Homeline calls
  Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Costa
  Rica, is a significant regional power, although its democratic
  system is only held together by a great deal of coastal maritime
  traffic. Beyond that, development is patchy at best. It has
  therefore come to define itself as a sea-going power, and built
  a moderately impressive navy. There is no Panama Canal as
  yet, but the idea is frequently discussed.
  The Empire of Brazil is the regional giant. Here as else-
  where, Whig liberalism has won out by establishing a “consti-
  tutional monarchy” that allows the royal family power in
  exchange for progressive policies like the abolition of slavery.
  Emperor Pedro IV is married to a German duchess, and some
  of his relatives live in London where they are great friends with
  the Bloods. Two of them have recently returned with ships full
  of modern inventions, which have been taken up the Amazon
  to closed estates in the interior. Pedro, distracted by border
  disputes and radical intellectual movements, may be treating
  them rather too indulgently.
  GEOGRAPHY AND SOCIETY
  22
  ASIA
  Most Europeans on Britannica-6 still think in terms of old
  clichés when they consider Asia – and to be fair to them, much
  of the continent is developing slowly. European traders ply the
  coasts in steamships, while traditional Asian rulers seek to
  limit the impact of foreign ideas on their empires (in the
  fields, peasants continue to farm using the same low-tech
  methods their ancestors used for millennia). Changes happen
  sometimes, and the influence of the modern world is making
  itself felt in a thousand places.
  The flamboyant fashions of Europe borrow periodically
  from Asia, so some of the peoples are viewed as modish, at
  least in a patronizing way by young, style-conscious Bloods.
  Indian fabrics and clothing styles are perennially popular, and
  generations of returning army officers have brought a taste for
  Indian food and other luxuries to Europe. Chinese and other
  Asian influences are intermittent, taking the form of small,
  elegant, decorative items such as porcelain, which at least
  gives Asian countries something to trade with European
  merchants.
  INDIA
  India is a crucial element of the British Empire. It’s closer
  to being an equal partner than it was at this time in our histo-
  ry – which is not to say its people are treated much better, but
  at least a substantial proportion of the rulers lording over
  them are themselves Indian. The old divisions into principali-
  ties, kingdoms, and so on are preserved but are much more
  than regional divisions: Even in 1887, there are a multitude of
  “princely states” whose local rulers make their own laws, run
  their own courts, and set their own taxes with light British
  oversight (loose enough that, for example, persuading some of
  them to abandon slavery has been a struggle). This was true
  on Homeline, but on Britannica some of the princes (such as
  the Maharani of Travancore and the Nizam of Hyderabad) are
  respected throughout the Empire, comparable in significance
  to many of the Bloods. A few of the more sophisticated Indian
  rulers have even invested in industrial development, hoping 
  to make their realms wealthy in the long term. While India is
  not as industrialized as Britain or New England, this sort of
  project seems to work well.
  Overall, however, the subcontinent is definitely ruled by
  Britain – specifically by the British East India Company. This
  is so integrated with the British government that the system of
  official regulation and corporate ownership is invisible to
  casual observers. The Company’s private army regularly
  exchanges officers and tactical ideas with the “regulars” –
  though it helps that many regular army regiments are seen
  almost as the personal forces of various ultra-wealthy spon-
  sors and factions.
  Incidentally, one consequence of the hands-off nature of
  British rule in this India is an incomplete removal of the
  Thuggee cult. The British have campaigned against it effec-
  tively in many places, but groups are still periodically discov-
  ered in 1887.
  CHINA
  Having preserved its independence from direct European
  control, China has to deal with indirect manipulations (main-
  ly by foreigners who want to use it as a setting for proxy bat-
  tles) and also a more overt profit-driven problem.
  Since the 18th century, the East India Company has smug-
  gled Indian-grown opium into China in large quantities so
  merchants could pay for Chinese goods; the Chinese attempt-
  ed to stop this, and their initial, feeble efforts have gained
  vigor in the 19th century. On Homeline a similar process led
  to the Opium Wars, in which Britain forced China to tolerate
  the trade. On Britannica-6, the Whig government and their
  Company associates were less willing to commit forces to an
  obviously amoral cause, but the profit available from the trade
  was hard to ignore. Thus, smuggling exploded along the
  coasts and borders while British governors and military com-
  manders looked the other way. Chinese forces were inade-
  quate but did their best to stop this, enforcing increasingly
  draconian policies to the disapproval of the British authori-
  ties. The ruthless criminality, run by unstable alliances of
  renegade Westerners of every nationality and Chinese crimi-
  nal gangs (including Triads, corrupted away from their origi-
  nal political function even faster on this timeline), causes
  high-minded Westerners to regard the situation with distaste.
  Popular stories tell of heroic, independent adventurers bat-
  tling Chinese opium-smugglers and their depraved occidental
  
  criminal associates (from a Western nation other than the sto-
  ryteller’s, of course); some of these are even true. The time-
  line’s ethos of ruthless competitiveness runs strongly on both
  sides in China. There are rumors some British companies
  secretly research even more potent drugs for sale to the
  Chinese, to increase profits further.
  Without Opium Wars, Britain and
  Portugal don’t control Hong Kong or
  Macau; instead there is a string of small
  Western-run trading posts along the
  coast. Most see opium pass
  through, though a few legitimate
  traders struggle to suppress this
  for moral reasons and to keep
  on good terms with the less
  corrupt Chinese authorities
  (some governors and officials
  are in the pockets of the
  smugglers).
  Internally, China is ruled
  by the ethnically Manchu
  Qing dynasty, although social
  stresses (including opium-
  financed corruption in the
  south) threaten to tear the
  state apart. Homeline’s cata-
  strophic “Taiping Rebellion” has
  been avoided; instead, China has
  suffered a series of smaller rebel-
  lions and civil wars, with leaders
  ranging from ambitious drug lords to
  sincere (but usually naïve) socialistic
  reformers. This killed fewer people but did
  even more damage to society. The chances of
  China achieving any kind of technological modernization in
  the near future are slim.
  Agents of Western powers are insinuating themselves into
  this mess. Britain has been slow, leaving the development
  (and exploitation) of the East to the independent commercial
  enterprises that served so well in the past. Prussia and fac-
  tions from other nations, including New England, have
  seen opportunities to catch up with British global
  influence through the Qing court or success-
  ful rebel factions. The British have finally
  noticed and are scrabbling to catch up,
  all while denouncing the immorality
  of the whole thing – but many
  Chinese officials don’t trust them,
  for some incomprehensible rea-
  son. It seems “British” has come
  to mean “opium smuggler,”
  despite a significant minority
  of Western smugglers being
  from other countries.
  JAPAN
  With the United States in
  disarray, Commodore Perry
  never forced the opening of
  Japan, and no other Western
  power has chosen to do so,
  either. The country remains
  introverted and underdeveloped,
  although it’s gradually acknowledg-
  ing the rest of the world by growing
  trade through Nagasaki and other treaty
  ports. Japanese styles are not often encoun-
  tered in the West, and aren’t likely to become
  fashionable there.
  GEOGRAPHY AND SOCIETY
  23
  Asia on Britannica-6 is a natural setting for “colonial”
  adventures involving PCs who are native to the timeline – or
  for that matter I-Cops who are attempting to influence the
  local pattern of colonialism, or to prevent others from
  doing so. It’s rich and urbanized enough to support many
  types of story, but diverse and underdeveloped enough for
  amoral freebooters to run amok. It’s also the main location
  for “proxy conflicts” between European and North
  American powers; the coasts and courts of China are the
  obvious place for this, but the scope can include
  Kiplingesque espionage on the Northwest Frontier; tramp
  steamer meanderings around the South China Sea; or
  belated attempts to open Japan up for trade with whichever
  power can force the issue. The general flavor of such games
  may owe something to the pulp tradition.
  PCs native to Britannica can be amoral but charming
  smugglers or high-minded forces for civilization (pre-
  sumably commissioned and sponsored by some powerful
  faction, or a wealthy independent; a British aristocrat
  exiled for questioning the competitive games back home
  might be interesting). They could be national agents sent to
  advance a country’s interests and foil its rivals. They might
  also be natives, annoyed by the colonial exploitation but
  willing to work with Westerners who demonstrate a gen-
  uine sense of justice.
  Technology encountered in Asian scenarios is mostly
  old-fashioned (and cheap and reliable) TL5 equipment, but
  exceptions are always possible. Wealthy adventurers or
  government-sponsored military expeditions might com-
  mand TL(5+2) gunboats or carry an array of personal gadg-
  ets, while Indian potentates could finance scientific-
  industrial “prestige” projects to astonish the neighbors –
  and one-off imported toys of all sorts are always possible.
  As the limited civilian airship industry expands into long-
  range passenger travel, the skies of the entire British
  Empire fill with these craft.
  Asian Adventures
  
  With the rapid advance of science and technology, the
  British developed long-range steamboats and completed the
  construction of a canal linking the Mediterranean and Red
  seas in the early 1850s. Their willingness to investigate inter-
  esting medical treatments and borrow from folk medicine on
  many occasions (Prince Leopold was noted for sponsoring this
  idea) meant quinine and other anti-malarial drugs came into
  widespread use faster than on Homeline. And thus, European
  powers in general and Britain in particular expanded their
  activities in tropical Africa by the middle of the century. The
  British navy, with its proud tradition of anti-slavery patrols,
  pushed for stations on the west coast, while the construction
  of the canal gave the East India Company an incentive to
  secure the east. The search for more interesting pharmaceuti-
  cal compounds in the wild encouraged exploration of the inte-
  rior, with missionaries joining the effort. In short, the
  “Scramble for Africa” started early, albeit initially driven more
  by rivalries between members of the British ruling elite than
  by national competition. Nowadays, rival governments scram-
  ble to join the race, looking for their own share of the loot –
  and everyone is using lots of airships.
  Several different trading companies, each in the pocket of
  some prince or upper-class partnership, have spread up and
  down the coasts of the continent, their outposts interspersed
  with military bases and coaling stations. Military control is still
  seen as the primary concern, but trade is quite important – if
  one can get ahead of the Prussians and French, and make
  money doing so, that’s a double victory! Really profitable trade
  has to wait on more extensive economic development through-
  out the continent, meaning farms and plantations if not indus-
  try – and so far, even with reliable medicine, few European set-
  tlers or investors have shown much interest in moving into
  tropical Africa.
  THE CAPE
  In the far south of the continent, Britain took over the pre-
  viously Dutch-ruled Cape Colony in the early years of the cen-
  tury. The Whig regime soon came into conflict with the
  independent-minded, Calvinist, conservative Boers, and when
  the British rulers attempted to institute a rapid series of
  reforms and administrative changes – not least the abolition of
  slavery – they faced the first in a long series of revolts and
  resistance movements.
  These never erupted into full-scale war, nor did any large
  group of Boers ever engage in anything as substantial as the
  “Great Trek” of Homeline history, as fewer British colonists
  ever came to this fractious, annoying region. But South Africa
  has long been a painful problem for Britannica’s British
  Empire. When both the Boers and the British encountered
  first the powerful Ndebele and then the militaristic Zulus to
  their north, things became even more complicated and violent.
  The province didn’t grow as large as Homeline’s South Africa,
  and the Zulus haven’t been subjugated (nor have many outly-
  ing Boer communities or Ndebele groups). The British even
  trade guns to the Ndebele, Zulus, and other Africans in
  exchange for support in military actions, making the Boers
  even less happy with British rule; a competent, charismatic
  Boer rebel leader could probably trigger a full-scale independ-
  ence movement, but no such figure has appeared. Prussian
  agents are rumored to be active and well-received among the
  Boers, though.
  The British colony in Cape Town has grown into something
  substantial. The Royal Navy has established a major coaling
  station with a strong defensive garrison, and in recent years
  this has come under the control of a formidable figure.
  The Prince
  Prince Augustus of Hanover-Saxe-Coburg (now known as
  “Prince Augustus of the Cape”) is the uncle of the present King
  of Britain. For various reasons he joined the navy in his youth
  and found he liked this a great deal; he’s definitely a militarist
  by nature. It wasn’t his family position that allowed him to rise
  so rapidly in rank; he’s a competent commander, albeit the sort
  who regards losing a few men in the course of a routine peace-
  time exercise as acceptable. He’s by no means conservative; he
  likes motorized war machines on land as well as sea. However,
  despite his competitive nature, he dislikes the “childish” con-
  tests played out between the Bloods, considering them futile
  and undisciplined.
  Giving him a command position in South Africa got him
  away from all the family gatherings he spoiled by his grum-
  bling, but he doesn’t really mind. Left to his own devices, he’s
  turning Cape Town into a pocket military dictatorship and
  spending his generous budget – plus personal funds – on arm-
  ing it far beyond its real needs. He regards the South African
  veldt as a wonderful testing ground for military vehicles, and
  permits various armaments manufacturers (and even some
  Bloods, if they’re prepared to accept a bit of military-style dis-
  cipline) to try out their new toys there. Live-fire exercises are
  definitely part of the deal.
  Boers, Ndebele, and Zulus observe these wargames with
  startled interest. The wisest among them are also developing
  ideas about guerilla tactics.
  GEOGRAPHY AND SOCIETY
  24
  AFRICA
  
  If the frozen north of Canada is a nice place for the British
  ruling classes to exile the losers in their contests, the baking
  outback of Australia seems almost as good – and it’s even more
  distant. Then again, the more hospitable southern coastal
  reaches offer clear benefits to colonizers, and Australia is cur-
  rently the Empire’s primary source of bauxite, and hence of
  aluminum, the wonder-metal required by many of Britannica’s
  most wondrous devices. The idea of using the outback for any-
  thing as routine as, say, sheep farming, hasn’t occurred to
  many people.
  Thanks no doubt to the general atmosphere of this timeline,
  the wild old idea of Australia as a prison colony has trans-
  formed to a place where competition is even less circum-
  scribed than elsewhere, and where every class loves games of
  chance. The occasional gold rush is just the icing on the social
  cake. Describing a new business venture as “a big gamble” is
  regarded as a recommendation among Australians, and the
  streets of every town teem with wealthy success stories and
  ruined speculators whose projects didn’t pay off. Society is still
  rustic, although a few businessmen have been clever enough to
  present industrial projects as interesting gambles, so a viable
  manufacturing base may develop in coming years. Most of the
  population is white, but some large ventures have attracted
  investment from India, which has led in turn to small commu-
  nities of Indian expatriates appearing in the large cities. Some
  of the upper classes also employ Indian servants (and Indian
  mistresses), as a matter of fashion.
  Australia is divided into three provinces within the Empire.
  The first is the sparsely populated New Holland on the north-
  ern coast, governed from the small and inappropriately named
  Jansz City, near to the southernmost point on the Gulf of
  Carpentaria. New South Wales on the east coast is far larger
  than the state of that name on Homeline, and is governed from
  Sydney. And Cookia, covering most of the western parts and
  governed from Port George, sits close to the site of Homeline’s
  Perth. Over the last 20 years, all three governors have been per-
  mitted to expand their territories by commissioning official
  expeditions to explore, survey, and claim the regions beyond
  their current borders. (Some use giant motorized tractors,
  although these are more trouble than they’re worth.) As the
  richest and most populous province, with the easiest access to
  fertile parts of the south, New South Wales has by far been the
  most successful, with solid claims to much of the southern
  coast. The other two may have larger areas, it’s just that most
  of their claims involve unprofitable desert or rain forest. The
  occasional mineral strike changes the balance of perceived
  success from month to month. In any case, New South Wales
  has recently suffered some unexpected political troubles.
  The Kelly Movement
  Small frontier towns have been created in many places to
  reinforce the governors’ claims, though these are often popu-
  lated by the hopeful, the desperate, or the wildly eccentric and
  suffer severe failure rates. A few remote communities have
  been set up by social radicals who may not follow the usual
  risk-loving local ethos, and who may oppose much for which
  the Empire stands. So when a new, wild-sounding political
  movement sprang up in the outlying New South Wales claims,
  no one was terribly surprised. Their leader was a mysterious
  but charming fellow named Kelly, who apparently had the luck
  of the devil; after his party managed to acquire some local
  positions of influence, several of his friends and political sup-
  porters received mining licenses or concessions for sites that
  turned out to be spectacularly profitable.
  Within a year, Kelly’s “Free Hinterland” movement was a
  rising power across rural southern Australia and found sup-
  port in the other two provinces. The governor was persuaded
  by someone who allegedly had information on Kelly that the
  man could be discredited, but this scheme backfired, humiliat-
  ing the governor instead. When Kelly himself vanished shortly
  afterward, rumors spread that the government had done away
  with him. The governor was recalled to Britain in disgrace, and
  the “Hinterlanders” are going forth with the name of a martyr
  on their banner. Britain may have to grant autonomy and dem-
  ocratic rights to Australia or face outright revolt – and with the
  provincial government in turmoil, they’re probably going to
  have to make large concessions.
  Infinity have recognized all this as a swagman con game
  (see p. 35), but there’s not much they can do about it. The per-
  petrators have moved on, and Infinity has little stomach for
  sabotaging democratic political movements just to restore the
  status quo.
  GEOGRAPHY AND SOCIETY
  25
  AUSTRALIA
  “Popular instinct has found in Kelly a type of 
  manliness much to be esteemed – to reiterate: 
  courage, resolution, independence, sympathy 
  with the under-dog . . .”
  – Clive Turnbull, Australian journalist
  
  “So, Agent Walsh – I assume that you are here to investigate
  the message I dispatched yesterday.”
  Walsh sipped his local Turkish coffee, fidgeted with the stiff,
  synthetic-fabric collar of the weird jacket he’d been issued, and
  nodded. “You know this timeline as well as anybody, Mr.
  Jacobov, so if you think that something’s up, we’ll take a look.”
  The White Star man smiled. “I’m flattered. But I think you
  may understand what caught my attention well enough.” He slid
  open the brass-and-oak cover on a local-style office desk and
  extracted some kind of newspaper. “I got hold of this yesterday
  morning – I’m afraid it’s a couple of days older than that, but it’s
  not the sort of thing anybody bothers bringing to London on a
  fast coach. Boring parochial stuff mostly, but do look at page
  five.”
  Walsh took the paper from him, and glanced first at its name
  – The Wessex Intelligencer – and then at the indicated page,
  which was partly occupied by a picture – some kind of motor-
  yacht race . . .
  Then he almost spilled his coffee, and Jacobov smiled again.
  “I see that you recognize the gentleman. I, too, keep abreast of
  Patrol suspect alerts.”
  “It could just be a chance resemblance.”
  “It could.” Jacobov extracted a notebook from his own
  pocket. “However, I thought it best to make some enquiries, and
  fortunately I’m well placed to do so, sometimes. It seems that 
  Mr. Thorne has led a most interesting life these last couple of
  months – which is curious, because nobody had heard of him at
  all before that.”
  Walsh groaned and put his cup down carefully. “Okay,” he
  said, “tell me the worst.”
  Infinity only discovered Britannica-6 relatively recently,
  and so far as they can tell they’re the first out-time faction to
  find it. However, the fact they’ve done so makes it likely others
  will follow – and there are many good reasons why other fac-
  tions should want to set up operations here.
  OUTWORLD OPERATIONS
  26
  CHAPTER THREE
  OUTWORLD
  OPERATIONS
  (Following the reference format used in GURPS Infinite
  Worlds.)
  Current Affairs
  The princes and aristocrats of a Regency-flavored
  British Empire amuse themselves with runaway technolo-
  gy, while politicians engage in high-minded gestures and
  rival nations seek to match the inspired pointlessness of the
  great British projects – or contemplate alternative routes to
  power.
  Divergence Point
  1817; Princess Charlotte survives childbirth and goes on
  to found a profuse and hyperactive Hanover-Saxe-Coburg
  dynasty.
  Major Civilizations
  Western (empire with rivals), Orthodox (empire with
  satellite states), Islamic (empire with rivals), Chinese
  (empire).
  Great Powers
  British Empire (oligarchy with democratic elements,
  CR2 for upper classes, CR3 for everyone else), French
  Empire (oligarchy, CR3), Prussia (dictatorship, CR5),
  Russia (dictatorship, CR5), China (dictatorship, CR5), New
  England Confederacy (representative democracy with corpo-
  rate state tendencies, CR2), United States (representative
  democracy with oligarchic tendencies, CR2 for whites, CR5
  for non-whites).
  Worldline Data
  TL: 5+2 (for war machines and aristocrats’ toys; large
  areas are still at 5, even in advanced nations)
  Mana Level: none (may be small areas of low)
  Quantum: 6
  Infinity Class: R6
  Centrum Zone: Orange
  Britannica-6, 1887
  
  From Infinity’s point of view Britannica is still a new dis-
  covery, so operations are stretched even thinner than on most
  timelines. The Scout Survey Division handed off responsibility
  to Contact, who are wrapping up their final analysis. They
  should have been done by now, but Intelligence and Technical
  Analysis have been looking over their shoulders and demand-
  ing more details – the former with a slight air of paranoia, the
  latter with geeky enthusiasm.
  The outstanding question is what Infinity’s policy should be
  with regard to the local balance of power. Clearly the British
  Empire is the big fact that can’t be ignored, and it’s not the
  worst hegemony Infinity has ever had to consider. Admittedly
  it’s a colonial empire run by and for its upper classes, many of
  whom are either crazy aristocrats or obsessive money-
  grubbers. But their vaunted Whig ideology is fairly egalitarian;
  the political system is nominally a constitutional monarchy
  and will probably grow into that role given time; and the local
  love of science and technology has its charms. However, its
  rulers adore their big flashy weapons, and lack any recent
  experience with industrialized warfare to knock the edges off
  their jingoistic enthusiasm. With Prussia on the rise, a rerun of
  World War I (with more airships) may well be on the cards in
  a few years. There’s no clear way to stop that, and some ana-
  lysts suggest the local version of Britain needs a counterbal-
  ance to save it from complacency and economic instability.
  Frankly, Prussia could be useful if Centrum gets its claws into
  the British – though if that’s the concern, most I-Cops would
  rather attempt the delicate trick of keeping France
  independent-minded and non-hostile.
  Another complication is the American situation.
  Britannica’s United States has the same appeal to assorted
  romantics and bigots that makes the CSA such a nuisance over
  on Dixie-1, with the added issue that its name commands more
  respect from Homeline American patriots. Such people find
  the American schism distressing, and there’s been some sug-
  gestion on the Interworld Council that reunification would
  give this world a desirable extra power to balance British arro-
  gance. Even if this were true, there’s too much bad blood
  between the two nations to make it a viable project, especially
  as local British diplomats could be expected to interfere and
  smooth things out even as they wrinkled.
  Thus, Infinity currently classes Britannica as a Research
  world, but staff members are convinced it’s relatively safe –
  local technology is exotic but this doesn’t reflect wildly diver-
  gent physical laws, the science is nowhere near developing
  parachronics, and out-time incursions seem to be limited at
  worst. The Patrol already permits general access for
  researchers, and has licensed some trade. A change to
  Protectorate status is widely predicted for the near future, to
  be followed by an increase in commercial access once agents
  have a good handle on the local political situation.
  WHITE STAR
  Infinity’s commercial partners moved promptly once infor-
  mation on Britannica-6 was declassified, realizing that it had
  potential. As soon as they completed a preliminary analysis of
  the initial reports they pulled strings to have the timeline
  opened up, which is one reason why the Access Rating has
  been dialed down to 6. Small-scale operations are all they’ve
  been permitted (or really been able to organize) so far, but the
  timeline is high on their list of interesting medium-term
  prospects.
  The point is that it’s exotic but not incomprehensible. The
  local technology incorporates some amusing ideas, most of it
  seems to work okay on other timelines, and the dominant cul-
  ture is related to one of Homeline’s more flamboyant histori-
  cal periods, with a ready-made fan club. Furthermore, there
  are no inconvenient questions of royalties due to crosstime
  counterparts, and plenty of niches where agents can be insert-
  ed without difficulty. Operations have to be on a modest scale,
  at least at first – but White Star knows all about turning a
  worthwhile profit from high-value handicrafts and intellectual
  property.
  Cultural Artifacts
  All artworks and fashions created on Britannica-6 since
  1817 have been original, but most have some relationship to
  the popular Regency period, so White Star’s publishing divi-
  sion is happily exploiting a growing collection of images,
  recordings, and texts. Their bestsellers are older works, such as
  novels by Charlotte Bronte (whose writing was significantly
  less gothic on this alternate), and music by Richard Wagner
  (who became obsessed with technology on Britannica-6, pro-
  moting through his operas the idea that Germany should unite
  as a kind of technocracy). Works from around 1850 onward
  have some value, but by then fashions and styles had begun to
  diverge significantly, and fewer of the creators from the later
  period have name recognition on Homeline.
  White Star has tried shipping items from outside the realm
  of high art, such as fashionable clothes (see p. 34) and even one
  or two custom-modified vehicles, but most buyers on
  Homeline seem to find these garish and unappealing. The sales
  department does think it’s identified a modest market for
  Britannica-made costume jewelry.
  OUTWORLD OPERATIONS
  27
  INFINITY AND FRIENDS
  It is in vain to say
  human beings ought to be
  satisfied with tranquility:
  they must have action;
  and they will make it if
  they cannot find it.
  – Charlotte Bronte,
  Jane Eyre
  
  Gadgets, Weapons, and Medicines
  On the other hand, White Star may have a significant mar-
  ket for some of the exotic and often bizarre weapons and other
  military equipment they can acquire – with some difficulty –
  on Britannica-6: the Infinity Patrol! Apart from the need for
  reference samples and engineering research materials, Infinity
  likes to hold a varied collection of gear in its armories – one
  never knows what might be reasonably appropriate and not
  too out of place for a mission to some new timeline. Britannica
  provides an amazing assortment of low-tech but ingenious,
  and sometimes well-made, sidearms. Local military air-gun
  designs (see p. 42) look especially interesting, given their abil-
  ity to deliver sub-lethal rounds at reasonable ranges.
  Acquiring this stock is a headache for White Star. Weapon
  control laws on Britannica are fairly light, but there are some,
  and anyone buying an assortment of guns and ammunition
  tends to attract casual attention at the least; they’re still work-
  ing to resolve the problem. Ensuring a sufficient supply of
  ammunition is a concern; they don’t want to continually come
  back for reloads, but large orders draw notice. Fortunately, in
  a pinch, Homeline armourers can recreate what’s needed.
  Other gadgets are also of interest to both the Patrol (espe-
  cially if they can be used as inconspicuous holdout gear by
  undercover agents) and civilian collectors with a taste for exot-
  ic ingenuity or unusual designs. Much of the time, White Star
  agents only acquire such things singly or in small numbers, at
  retail; they can still turn a decent profit, especially as limited
  supply pushes the prices up on Homeline. But this is often a
  short-term, self-limiting market, as Homeline engineers can
  copy and then mass-produce anything that looks set to become
  widely popular. The same applies to pharmaceuticals, and
  White Star chemists are beginning the huge task of assessing
  Britannica’s vast library of medical texts, looking for interest-
  ing discoveries or compounds. Most of this stuff has been dis-
  covered or superceded on Homeline, but the tiny proportion
  that has been missed might include a few drugs and treat-
  ments that could make fortunes and save thousands. There’s
  also the chance that Britannica has derived useful extracts
  from species that were driven to extinction on Homeline
  before they could be properly investigated.
  White Star’s London Base
  As soon as they had clearance from Infinity, White Star dis-
  patched a number of agents to the timeline with reasonable
  cover stories and non-traceable wealth, and one team, sent to
  Britannica’s London, enjoyed a stroke of luck. They identified
  a warehouse available for long-term lease in the East End on a
  site corresponding to a combined Infinity/White Star conveyor
  station on Homeline (with another “support station” on a cor-
  responding spot on an uninhabited Quantum 6 timeline). They
  snapped this up and set to work establishing a cover story that
  gave them a commercial outpost in the heart of the capital of
  the Empire, now managed by their factor, Abraham Jacobov
  (see p. 28). This is so convenient that Infinity frequently
  invokes an agreement with White Star that gives them use of
  it; this hasn’t caused problems as yet, but if Infinity exploits it
  too far it may become a source of friction.
  Jacobov presents himself as a merchant from eastern
  Europe, establishing himself in London as a buyer of high-
  value items – high-tech devices and occasional curios – for
  export to his “homeland.” As eastern nations are well known to
  be behind Britain technologically, the idea that they might
  want to import such things sounds perfect sensible. (This
  means Jacobov has to perform quite a few such trades to pre-
  serve his cover story; he dispatches goods by ship to carefully
  cultivated associates in various Baltic ports, but his shipments
  to Homeline go direct by conveyor from his London ware-
  house.) He trades as “Jacobov and Partners,” but his business
  notepaper and a sign over the warehouse door incorporate the
  giveaway white star symbol.
  As a “dual outsider” – Jewish, in a rather overt and old-
  fashioned way, and foreign – Jacobov suffers a little prejudice,
  but has an excellent cover for any small mistakes or oddities in
  his behavior with the locals or flaws in his accent. (If he were
  a native, he’d probably have a Social Stigma, although overt
  anti-Semitism is rather unfashionable in this London. As his
  position here is technically temporary, and he’s actually
  exploiting things in a calculated and efficient way, this doesn’t
  appear on his character sheet.) He employs a series of assis-
  tants he presents as relatives and associates from “the old
  country” passing through while learning the ways of interna-
  tional business, but who are actually other White Star staff on
  short-term assignment. (No one is rude enough to suggest they
  might be checking up on the honesty of his activities.) There’s
  usually at least one such on station along with Jacobov
  himself.
  TIME TOURS, LTD.
  Infinity has let it be known they’ll consider licensing
  tourism to Britannica-6 once they’ve completed their current
  survey ops; Time Tours is paying attention. The combination
  of Regency style (with automatic appeal to a vast market of
  romance novel readers) and wild technology used competitive-
  ly (great fun for gadget buffs to watch, hopefully from a safe
  distance) suggests this could be a popular destination, espe-
  cially as local medicine is good enough that customers won’t
  be distressed by the sight of too many disease victims dying in
  the streets. However, there may be some issues left to resolve.
  OUTWORLD OPERATIONS
  28
  
  OUTWORLD OPERATIONS
  29
  White Star’s trading factor in Britannica’s London is
  American by birth, though he can hide it well. Abraham
  Jacobov’s family was Reform Jewish, and he was brought
  up in the faith although he isn’t very observant. He has
  always had a casual interest in the history of his people,
  and more recently he’s worked out how to turn his knowl-
  edge to practical advantage.
  Graduating with a degree in business studies, and hav-
  ing long thought that White Star looked like an interest-
  ing employer, he joined the company as a trainee. He
  worked his way up, eventually winning a series of field
  assignments in which he distinguished himself, earning
  promotion to junior management. When Britannica-6
  was scheduled for development, he put together a propos-
  al the board liked. Jacobov took crash courses in lan-
  guages and history, made some preliminary visits to var-
  ious northern European cities to help establish his cover
  story, and then settled down to running the new trade sta-
  tion. He quite likes the timeline, mostly because it’s mak-
  ing him a good profit and a name in White Star.
  Jacobov attends the synagogue regularly, and is well
  regarded in the local “old-style” Jewish community (he’d
  be called “Orthodox” on Homeline, but that division
  works differently on Britannica). He’s also been fortunate
  that one of his neighbors in the East End street where he
  rents a small house is Sergeant Brown of the Bow Street
  Runners, a friendly, outgoing character who thoroughly
  enjoys trading tales with this odd but courteous foreigner
  over a cup of Jacobov’s fine coffee. Brown is honest 
  and straightforward, and doesn’t say much that he strict-
  ly shouldn’t, but sees no harm in mentioning a few excit-
  ing details about current cases that haven’t reached the
  newspapers yet.
  Jacobov thinks of himself as a businessman first, a
  Homeline citizen second, and Jewish a long way third; he
  only plays up his ethnicity on Britannica because the
  stereotype of the European Jewish trader, still prevalent
  here, sustains his cover. However, he knows his history
  well enough; any hint of a Reich-5 incursion would make
  him call for an immediate I-Cop response.
  He is an innocuous-looking individual in his 30s, with
  the distinctive hair, beard, and clothing of an Orthodox-
  style Jew. His clothes are of Britannica-6 manufacture,
  made with a lot of synthetic fibers, which he finds slight-
  ly but persistently uncomfortable; on any return trips to
  Homeline, he changes immediately into a well-cut light-
  weight suit.
  ST 10 [0]; DX 11 [20]; IQ 13 [60]; HT 11 [10].
  Damage 1d-2/1d; BL 20 lbs.; HP 10 [0]; Will 12 [-5]; Per
  13 [0]; FP 11 [0].
  Basic Speed 5.5 [0]; Basic Move 5 [0]; Dodge 8.
  Social Background
  TL: 8 [0]
  CF: Modern Western [0]; Britannica-6 Western [1].
  Languages: Homeline English (Native) [0]; Britannica-
  6 
  English* 
  (Native) 
  [2]; 
  Homeline 
  German
  (Accented/Native) [5]; Homeline Modern Hebrew
  (Accented) [4]; Britannica-6 Polish (Accented) [4];
  Britannica-6 Russian (Accented) [4]; Homeline Spanish
  (Broken) [2]; Homeline Yiddish (Native) [6]; Britannica-6
  Yiddish* (Native) [2].
  *Homeline languages give their Britannica-6 counter-
  parts at one level lower (see Infinite Worlds, p. 175).
  Advantages
  Business Acumen 1 [10]; Contact (Bow Street Runner;
  effective skill Streetwise-15; 12 or less; somewhat reli-
  able) [4]; Contact Group (Local merchants; effective skill
  business skills, level-15; 9 or less; somewhat reliable) [10];
  High Manual Dexterity +1 [5]; Reputation +2 (As a pleas-
  ant if slightly eccentric fellow, in the East End tradition-
  alist Jewish community; all the time) [3]; Reputation +2
  (As a fair dealer, in the London international trade com-
  munity; 7 or less) [1]; Wealth (Comfortable) [10].
  Disadvantages
  Code of Honor (Professional) [-5]; Pacifism (Self-
  Defense Only) [-15]; Secret (From another Earth) [-20].
  Quirks: Ambitious regarding his career in White Star;
  Develops a stutter when he’s scared; Slightly greedy –
  regards wealth as a way of “keeping score.” [-3]
  Skills
  Accounting-14* 
  (IQ) 
  [4]; 
  Acting-13 
  (IQ) 
  [2];
  Administration-14* 
  (IQ) 
  [2]; 
  Area 
  Knowledge
  (Britannica-6 Eastern Europe)-13 (IQ) [1]; Area
  Knowledge (Britannica-6 London)-13 (IQ) [1]; Carousing-
  11 (HT) [1]; Computer Operation/TL8-13 (IQ) [1];
  Connoisseur 
  (Literature)-13 
  (IQ) 
  [2]; 
  Current
  Affairs/TL(5+2) (Business)-14 (IQ+1) [2]; Current
  Affairs/TL(5+2) (Headline News)-14 (IQ+1) [2]; Current
  Affairs/TL8 (Business)-13 (IQ) [1]; Detect Lies-12 (Per-1)
  [2]; Economics-12* (IQ-2) [1]; Fast-Talk-13 (IQ) [2];
  Forgery/TL(5+2)-11 (IQ-2) [1]; Freight Handing/TL(5+1)-
  12 (IQ-1) [1]; Freight Handing/TL8-12 (IQ-1) [1];
  Gambling-13* (IQ-1) [1]; History (19th century Jewish)-
  11 (IQ-2) [1]; History (Georgian Europe)-11 (IQ-2) [1];
  Housekeeping-13 (IQ) [1]; Karate Sport-9 (DX-2) [1];
  Market Analysis-13* (IQ-1) [2]; Merchant-15* (IQ+1) [4];
  Propaganda/TL8-13* (IQ-1) [1]; Religious Ritual
  (Orthodox Jewish)-11 (IQ-2) [1]; Savoir-Faire (High
  Society)-13 (IQ) [1].
  * +1 from Business Acumen.
  Abraham Jacobov 
  (156 points)
  
  If there’s one thing about a world that makes I-Cops assume
  they’re going to have problems with Centrum there, it’s a
  “Britannica” tag. Any timeline dominated by a hierarchical
  English-speaking empire with a taste for social orderliness is
  already partway to meeting Interworld’s criteria for domina-
  tion and absorption. 
  As a matter of rational pessimism, Infinity assumes that
  Centrum knows at least something about any alternate on
  Quantum 5 or higher unless they have good evidence to the
  contrary – and in the case of Britannica-6, their concerns are
  correct. The timeline’s passing resemblance to Britannica-2, a
  known Centrum success story, adds to the red flags. However,
  things may not be as bad as the analysts fear.
  Centrum found out about this particular world through
  agents on Homeline, who remain a major source of informa-
  tion on the topic. Infinity was simply lucky enough to find this
  set of coordinates first, and anyway, they have the positional
  advantage on Quantum 6; Interworld isn’t so foolish as to
  assume it has any sort of edge
  here. Nevertheless, it sent a num-
  ber of exploratory teams through,
  and ran a set of cliodynamic and
  geopolitical analyses while also
  analyzing Homeline’s position and
  actions.
  While it certainly won’t be
  ignoring this timeline, Centrum
  isn’t as sanguine about it as
  Infinity assumes. An English-
  speaking, technocratic potential
  world-empire is indeed nice, but
  the aristocratic hegemony and
  pointless rivalries remind Inter-
  world all too much of their own
  history before the Final War. The
  crazy unwillingness to put any
  sort of brake on Progress and the
  obsession with dynamic competi-
  tion makes the place look like
  Homeline at its most annoying.
  The decision-making committees
  are still deliberating, but given the
  Infinity home-turf advantage on
  Quantum 6, the most likely deci-
  sion is to stick to cautious long-
  term infiltration while trying to
  get a handle on the local politics –
  and also to run the odd spoiler
  action against identified Infinity
  OUTWORLD OPERATIONS
  30
  CENTRUM
  For one thing, there’s the question of whether any hostile
  factions are active on the timeline. That’s not an absolute bar –
  Time Tours has a standard service contract with a wonderful
  collection of waivers and exclusions in the small print – but the
  PR department wants a few firm statements before they write
  a new chapter for the brochure. For another, a new timeline
  means a new batch of guides to train up, which has to be done
  partly on site – and this one requires people who can manage
  a formal upper-class party and answer damn-fool technical
  questions about exceedingly damn-fool local contraptions and
  devices. And who’s going to train the trainers? Plus there are
  safe houses to set up, local currency to acquire . . . all the things
  the company has managed countless times in the past, but all
  needing work. And neither Infinity nor White Star wants to
  help much.
  The actual tours have to be sold with some no-guarantees
  policies. It may be possible to drop a group in just in time to
  watch a showdown between rival Bloods and their dueling
  aerostats, but if the aristocrats are so inconsiderate as to shake
  hands and make up the night before – well, provoking them
  into the challenge after all would be highly unethical, even if
  they were that easily manipulated. The London Season and the
  regular regimental balls in Delhi are more reliable, but cadging
  invitations for large groups of strangers is hard. (At least a lot
  of parties in Bath, Lyme, and Montreal are run on a convenient
  ticketing basis.) Anything involving radical experimental tech-
  nology is inherently unpredictable. And if the local internation-
  al situation ever goes WWI on everyone, the extraction process
  may be messy.
  Still, that sort of situation is why Time Tours feels entitled
  to charge what it does.
  
  OUTWORLD OPERATIONS
  31
  THE CABAL
  If Infinity slightly overestimates the threat from Centrum
  on this timeline, it significantly underestimates the potential
  for trouble caused by one of its other competitors – the Cabal.
  Infinity has correctly assessed the local mana level on
  Britannica-6 as none, with just a few low-mana areas. That,
  they assume, gives it minimal interest in the eyes of a bunch of
  power-hungry wizards. What they don’t appreciate is that
  Cabalists can work quite comfortably with low mana, exploit-
  ing their exceptional grasp of the technicalities of magic to
  accomplish useful, reliable results in those conditions. Indeed,
  many Cabalists like low-mana zones; there’s less competition
  from sloppy, undisciplined local independent wizards or mag-
  ical entities, and any who do show up can usually be briskly
  and ruthlessly suppressed. These zones aren’t large on
  Britannica-6, but even that may be correctible.
  While few of them would admit it, the Cabal, like Centrum,
  is paying attention to Britannica in the wake of reports of the
  Infinity discovery. They claim amongst themselves that they
  knew about it all along. What this actually means is some long-
  ago Wheel of Ptah researchers discovered one or two unstable
  nexus portals or dimensional highways leading to a whole slew
  of alternates including this one; mapped them according to
  some arcane personal theories of higher geometry; placed ram-
  bling papers in the Cabalist archives; and promptly forgot
  about them. No one could muster enough interest in those few
  useful spots of low mana, even if they were noticed.
  But Cabalist cataloguing systems are surprisingly efficient
  sometimes. After some spies assigned to watch Infinity men-
  tioned the discovery of Britannica-6, those papers were pulled
  out and dusted off within days, and passed to various people
  who decided to take another look. The Arcane Masters are
  damned if they’re going to give a bunch of gun-toting
  mundane-minded buffoons totally free run of any realm that
  could be exploited for higher purposes – and once Homeline
  starts regular travel to this line, it should be easy to send the
  odd agent of influence along, avoiding more complicated
  routes.
  So the Cabal is back on the case; the Wheel of Ptah has
  examined the subject, but mostly it’s Amonis Albioni handling
  things. (It likes maps and focuses its actions on Britain. It’s
  also skilled at infiltrating real demonic cults, which should
  make the play-actors of Britannica’s Hellfire Clubs easy prey.)
  Several Cabalists are reviewing the mystical facts on the
  ground with interest, as some broadminded theoreticians
  admit any realm with bizarre local technology may have some
  kind of improperly comprehended magical potential.
  They’re also assessing the mundane politics of the world
  with a view to infiltration; they like to have a few hooks into
  any power structure, even if magic isn’t involved. In this case,
  it helps that many Cabalist leaders have an easier understand-
  ing of elitist, aristocratic, and monarchical systems of govern-
  ment than they do of anything as “decadent and hollow” as
  democracy. Britannica still fits with these ideas pleasingly well,
  a few democratic forms notwithstanding. In short, the local
  high society should be eminently easy to infiltrate and manip-
  ulate, even without the chance for direct magical action.
  Their first concern, though, is to gain control of low-mana
  sites. Unfortunately, some of these may coincide with nexus
  portals, which Infinity seeks to locate and wants to monitor
  closely. Conflict is inevitable. Some Cabalists look to employ
  techniques like sacred architecture to expand the areas of
  usable mana; the problem with this is that they’re obliged to
  ask for help from the real experts – the Sons of Imhotep. And
  when the Sons become involved, things are bound to turn
  unpleasant.
  operations, of course. In fact, both sides might take actions to
  prevent the timeline stumbling toward global war, and they
  may end up tripping over each other in the process.
  Still, Centrum is often at its most dangerous when its agents
  are being slow and cautious. Once they have a proper grasp of
  the situation, or if some unusually brash, ambitious Grade 6
  gets hold of the file, they may switch to an aggressive, sys-
  tematic campaign of subversion and manipulation, backing
  some carefully selected aristocratic faction against all others.
  Well-placed technological “gifts” could quickly give such cat’s-
  paws a radical advantage; how soon Infinity would spot the
  manipulation amidst all the weird local techno-politics may be
  largely a matter of luck. And yes, Centrum might just be clever
  enough to learn some German and start exploiting Prussia (see
  p. 9).
  Centrum currently classifies Britannica-6 as a Zone Orange
  world. This may be reduced to Zone Yellow if analysts decide
  local physics isn’t up to comprehending parachronic science,
  but the place does look rather weird and unstable, so the
  responsible analysts are currently inclined to err on the side of
  caution.
  OTHERS
  So far, Infinity doesn’t know of any other out-time factions
  operating on Britannica-6, although they’re always preparing
  for the possibility of something – anything – showing up.
  They’re aware that by publicly announcing the discovery of a
  timeline, they draw other people’s attention to it – but even set-
  ting that aside, a law of natural perversity seems to apply to
  their work. Some paradimensional physicists theorize that ini-
  tial travel to a timeline somehow facilitates other access
  attempts, but most agents would rather not think routine con-
  veyor use “weakens the walls between worlds”; they prefer to
  talk about the malice of the inanimate. And, come to that, of
  the animate.
  
  Swagmen
  Almost as soon as Britannica-6 was located, a crew of swag-
  men managed to get hold of the coordinates. (The story
  allegedly involves a poker game and a bottle of brandy from
  Napoleon’s cellars in a backroom in Oxford, or maybe Boston.)
  The numbers were passed to some friends with pull in the
  University of Sydney’s shiny new crosstime research depart-
  ment, who sent a conveyor through one night to take a look.
  The team came back with news of a timeline where gambling
  was practically a global obsession and much of the money was
  in the hands of a bunch of drunken upper-class Poms. It
  would, they declared, have been a crime to pass up the oppor-
  tunity. A bigger team moved down to Australia, made the
  jump, and set up operations there even before Infinity had
  arrived on that side of the globe, while associates within White
  Star began setting up return arrangements in some of the com-
  pany’s subsidiary stations.
  The group moved around the gold fields and regional capi-
  tals, skimming a little local cash as seed money, but something
  felt wrong. Oh yes, that was it – Australia was still run by the
  bloody Poms! The local Aussies surely just needed a kick in the
  right place to sort themselves out.
  A large and complicated set of cons followed, subtle enough
  that Infinity took a long time to realize it was an out-time oper-
  ation. In fact, if the front man hadn’t succumbed to temptation
  and called himself “Edward Kelly,” the cover might have held
  indefinitely. (The real Ned Kelly, being born in 1855, never
  existed on this alternate.) As it was, by the time they picked up
  enough data on the new political movement in the colonies,
  there was damn-all that Infinity could do to stop the game;
  they did manage to stir up trouble for the swagmen camps in
  the aftermath, shutting down the Sydney loophole.
  In any case, swagmen are now dropping in and out of race
  meetings, parties, and mining camps on every continent on
  Britannica-6, and Infinity is still trailing (and yelling a lot at
  White Star’s security team). Given that a typical swagman
  operation fits with the atmosphere of the timeline pretty close-
  ly, Infinity isn’t sure this rates as a high priority – and they
  can’t tell a swagman game from something entirely native to
  the timeline. They have closed down a couple of high-profile
  groups, and made it clear anything too out of place – or likely
  to endanger the Secret – will adjust their priorities. Patrol pol-
  itics or an especially offended Homeliner with influence could
  also change things at any time.
  Meanwhile, individual cons have attracted significant
  attention from local lawmen and the press, making things a lit-
  tle hot for the perpetrators. The swagmen are now split
  between those who want to take a maximum profit while they
  still have a relatively free hand, and those who want to play it
  safe and keep Britannica-6 hospitable for as long as possible.
  Other Homeline Criminals
  As the swagmen have demonstrated, Britannica-6 is a prof-
  itable place for a crook with the edge out-time origins provide;
  it’s safe to assume other freelancers are going to jump in once
  they get the chance. Scavengers and looters are especially like-
  ly to prosper; local security technology is too good for thieves
  in search of easy pickings, and the prospects for timenappers
  are limited. Still, given the slightly disorganized state of
  Britannica-6 law enforcement, there are tempting targets for
  all kinds of criminal.
  Out-timer organized crime lacks an obvious “handle” on
  Britannica, especially given the quantum level difference, but
  close inspection would find potential allies. The Triads have
  the best chance, if they can arrange reliable crosstime
  transport (perhaps using world-jumpers or a misappropriated
  Chinese government projector). Negotiations with their local
  counterparts would be complicated, given different histories,
  but a shared cultural background and the chance of fat profits
  would surely count for plenty. The lawlessness of parts of
  China on Britannica-6 could provide cover for almost
  anything.
  One thing Infinity is already watching out for is the use of
  Britannica-6 as a source of new recreational drugs. The local
  pharmaceutical industry is dynamic and diverse, and laws are
  relaxed regarding use of its products. Both individual and
  organized criminals may find a way to exploit this situation.
  Reich-5
  The risk of a crosstime Nazi incursion should logically be
  low, given that Britannica is on Quantum 6 and Reich-5 is on
  Quantum 3, but the erratic weirdness of the travel methods
  used by Raven Division makes them dangerously unpre-
  dictable. For one thing, their techniques malfunction often
  enough that their agents can show up on any timeline by acci-
  dent. For another, the Nazis actively investigate and exploit
  any hint of a functional nexus portal or dimensional highway
  – and those don’t always respect quantum level differences.
  Most likely, if Reich-5 agents did begin operating on
  Britannica, they’d look to ally with or influence Prussia, which
  shares their language and general cultural background. The
  Prussians would be interested enough in anything that gives
  them an edge over Britain that they might not look too closely
  at these new allies. (The mystical high-tech Nazis have ideas
  that would make even a 19th-century Prussian militarist
  blanch.) They might limit themselves to plundering local sci-
  ence and technology, and perhaps setting up exploitation oper-
  ations in some colonial backwater, especially if their access to
  the alternate was limited. Local investigators would simply
  mistake such activities for a Prussian operation.
  OUTWORLD OPERATIONS
  32
  
  It is commonly observed, among the Quality, that ladies of a
  certain age have a great soft spot for the army. Soldierly gallantry
  always passes well with those no longer able to provoke male
  attentions at a whim, and in any case, aging eyes settle happily
  on well-cut uniforms. But Lady Geraldine Dutroix was generally
  considered immune to this particular weakness of her sex, and
  Captain Alfred Jessop was not given to excesses of panache.
  Nonetheless, on a certain evening in the July of 18__, in a
  reception at the French embassy in London, Lady Geraldine went
  to some trouble to attract the Captain’s attention and to speak
  with him quietly. That the Captain paid her some close attention
  might be ascribed to his eccentricity, which had been the talk of
  several messes in the past.
  “Freddy,” said Lady Geraldine, “that young fellow over there,
  lurking by the pillar and not wanting to be noticed much. D’ye
  know much about him?”
  “Not especially,” said the Captain, not seeming to have looked
  at all. “New in town. Been serving in India, it’s said. Not much
  in with any of the other Indian off’cers, now you mention it, but
  I think I’ve seen him a couple of times at the review parades. Pays
  a fair measure of attention to the aerostats and the new iron cav-
  alry. No great sportsman, but rides passable.”
  “And to which regiment does his uniform belong?”
  “D’ye know, I’d have to look that up? One of the Company up-
  country lot, I’d assume. It is a little odd, though, isn’t it? Now
  you mention it. D’ye think I should be lookin’ at him?”
  “My dear Freddy, that’s not for me to say. I’m just a foolish old
  widow, and you, I understand, are involved with maps and
  buoys, or something equally important.”
  “Hardly, dear lady. Bells, Charts, and Buoys is a Navy office.
  Still, if he’s caught your curiosity, I’ll see what might be learned
  ’bout the fellow . . .”
  Games set entirely or partly on Britannica-6 require their
  own style of PCs, and probably the odd fully detailed NPC. This
  chapter looks at what this entails.
  CHARACTERS
  33
  CHAPTER FOUR
  CHARACTERS
  THE WORLD CONDITIONS
  Characters are defined partly in terms of the world in which
  they operate, so we start with some game-mechanical informa-
  tion about this timeline.
  TECH LEVEL
  Britannica-6 is TL(5+2), reflecting runaway successes in
  scientific and technological development – but applied (with
  downright insane enthusiasm) on a fairly limited scale, and
  often accessible only by the rich or lucky. Hence, skills and
  devices from earlier TLs are commonplace, and less wealthy
  characters can easily have the Low TL disadvantage, especial-
  ly if they come from backwoods areas.
  Technological divergence occurred not long after the histor-
  ical divergence, around 1820. In principle, that’s mid-TL5, but
  significant TL5 developments appeared after that date on
  Homeline. Homeliners with TL5 technical skills may not find
  much opportunity to use what they know while visiting
  Britannica-6, or they may run across outdated but functional
  steam engines in poorer parts of the world. What’s more com-
  mon is use of TL5 skills for prosaic but widespread and social-
  ly important purposes such as farming or freight handling;
  even in wealthy, advanced areas, these may not have gone
  beyond TL(5+1).
  Likewise, while some sciences and branches of engineering
  are progressive, less glamorous or prestigious subjects that
  don’t attract aristocratic sponsorship lag behind; for example,
  Astronomy is still at TL(5+1). TL-based military skills have def-
  initely advanced to TL(5+2) in Western nations, which happily
  pour money into spectacular, intimidating devices – but even
  some of their colonial and second-line forces still use a lot of
  older equipment, and many less advanced nations are still at
  TL5. This isn’t necessarily a great disadvantage, given the cost
  and unreliability of much of the high-tech gear, but profession-
  al fighters may wish to train at a range of tech levels in case
  they’re forced to use whatever comes to hand.
  CULTURAL FAMILIARITY
  Following the rules on p. 173 of GURPS Infinite Worlds,
  Britannica-6 has its own versions of a range of commonplace
  Cultural Familiarities. Western is the most widespread,
  Orthodox applies in Russia and various satellite states, and
  Islamic, Chinese, Japanese, and any number of minor local
  cultures all remain functional in appropriate geographic
  regions. There is a -1 unfamiliarity modifier for visitors who
  only know a culture from Homeline – they’re going three tech
  levels back and then two forward down a different path, and
  the place frankly has a lot of strangeness in the detail. Infinity
  or White Star staff stationed here in the long term do well to
  purchase local Cultural Familiarities (i.e., to acquaint them-
  selves with a long list of minor peculiarities), to avoid persist-
  ent minor problems.
  
  SOCIAL STATUS
  Status remains very important in Britannica-6 Western cul-
  ture; any claims about this being a more egalitarian society
  than its predecessors just mean that high Wealth and Rank do
  grant bonuses to Status, and even then, a European character
  is unlikely to qualify for Status above 2 without a knighthood,
  noble title, or high Rank. Status 4+ really demands a title (or,
  at a pinch, a ministerial role in government or high military
  command). In most of Europe and its empires, a sufficiently
  rich man who wants a title can usually acquire one, and high-
  ranking military officers receive at least a knighthood, on
  retirement if not before. “Bloods” are at least 5+; many people
  would say truly qualifying as a Blood (rather than as a poseur
  or hanger-on) requires Status 6. The King of Great Britain 
  was declared “Emperor of the British Dominions and
  Colonies” some years ago, giving him a formal title to go with
  his undeniable de facto Status 8; deciding exactly which other
  monarchs qualify for the same Status in game terms might be
  an interesting exercise in hair-splitting and protocol.
  At the other end of the scale, it’s worth noting there are
  many unskilled factory hands and farm laborers with negative
  Status. Even in wealthy countries they may outnumber those
  with Status 0, although increasing wealth levels are shifting
  the balance.
  New England and the United States are closer to being
  classless meritocracies (p. B28). Titles aren’t awarded or
  required (although a European visitor with a fancy title
  receives some gawping respect), and local characters can’t buy
  more than two or three levels of Status directly, deriving any
  more from wealth and Rank. Most American citizens are
  Status 0; negative Status is limited to the distinctly indigent.
  Typical Status levels are as follows:
  CHARACTERS
  34
  Like Victorian garb in our own history, Western styles of
  dress on Britannica-6 have evolved from those of the
  Georgian-Napoleonic period and still bear recognizable
  points of similarity to those sources – but the exact paths
  developments have taken are often markedly different. On
  the one hand, local styles are closer to their Georgian roots
  than any 1880s fashions from our own past; on the other,
  advanced materials technologies and a society with a taste
  for flamboyance have produced some radical oddities.
  The Georgian resemblance is perhaps most noticeable 
  in male attire, which still tends to high-collared jackets,
  breeches, and cravats, albeit all looser than Regency dandies
  favored; any fashion for male tights was distinctly short-
  lived. A variety of hats are popular; fashionable gentlemen
  pay close attention to the precise style that’s “in,” and many
  of the forms these hats take look odd to Homeliners. The
  divergence from Homeline’s 19th century is most noticeable
  in female garb, which would shock any respectable
  Homeline Victorian; not only have the crinoline and bustle
  never been invented, it’s considered perfectly respectable for
  a woman to show some ankle and even calf. In fact, thanks
  to the influence of Indian styles, stylish or daring women
  may show a flash of midriff in warm weather. (Thus corsets
  are rare, though expensive female dress may be rigidly struc-
  tured in other places.) High-fashion or showy dresses are
  asymmetric in some way; for example, a skirt may brush the
  ground on one side and rise almost to the knee on the other.
  Fashionable ladies wear amazing hats for big events, but
  most get by with a simple cap most of the time.
  Both male and female clothes make full use of the syn-
  thetic fabrics and colorful dyes out of the timeline’s advanced
  chemical industries. The results are certainly dramatic – the
  idea that respectable folk wear plain colors is long forgotten,
  “white tie and tails” never caught on, and jackets and coats
  may be outrageously patterned. Female evening wear can be
  downright painful on the eyes. The heavy use of basic syn-
  thetic fabrics makes many outfits sweaty and itchy by
  Homeline standards, but fashionable locals consider this a
  small price to pay for looking good and modern; indeed,
  “static cling” is actively encouraged as a way to show off the
  wearer’s figure (much as daring Georgian ladies would
  dampen their chemises for revealing effect).
  All of this primarily applies to rich fashion plates, of
  course, but a taste for showy dress spreads to every class
  because synthetic fabrics make it cheap, and the fashion
  industry is quite powerful on Britannica-6. Some old-
  fashioned people grumble at such things, but even they are
  probably dressed in crimson-dyed linen over bright yellow
  shirts or chemises, male hats no more than six inches high,
  and female skirts rising just above the ankle.
  Clothing Styles
  Status Typical Position
  8
  Emperor, pope
  7
  King, archduke
  6
  Royal family, duke, president of a major nation
  5
  Marquis, earl, prime minister, American state governor, archbishop
  4
  Viscount, baron, minister, senator, bishop
  3
  Knight, baronet, judge, member of parliament, congressman
  2
  Barrister, company owner, consultant surgeon, canon, town mayor
  1
  Professional (solicitor, doctor, priest), wealthy tradesman, large farmer
  0
  Small shopkeeper, independent peasant farmer, journeyman
  -1
  Unskilled laborer, Rank 0 soldier or sailor
  -2
  Beggar, rag-picker
  Use the standard Basic Set rules for cost of living at each Status level (p. B265).
  
  CONTROL RATINGS
  A typical Control Rating in western Europe on Britannica-
  6 is 3, falling to 2 for those members of the upper classes who
  traditionally know the rules don’t apply to them. Even at a
  grand society ball, though, only a serving soldier in uniform
  would get away with wearing even just a sword, and he’d be
  expected to put it aside somewhere safe for the evening.
  Personal duels are out of fashion unless they involve huge war
  machines, and impromptu duels are likely to get everyone
  involved arrested, at least until they calm down. Passions do
  run hot at times, and conflicts may be resolved by violent con-
  frontation in some quiet spot; the upper classes may resort to
  pistols, while tough members of the lower orders are assumed
  to be quick with their fists. Conversely, in rigidly controlled or
  militaristic societies such as Prussia or Russia, the Control
  Rating can rise as high as 5, but swords and even pistols are
  accepted as integral to the ever-popular military uniforms, and
  dueling may still be tolerated and admired.
  The United States and New England still have the atmos-
  phere of armed frontier societies, making them CR2 unless one
  has the bad taste to be, say, non-white in the United States.
  Europeans pretty much expect Americans of both kinds to go
  armed even when they visit Europe, to the irritation of count-
  less peaceable New Englander travelers. Still, with so many
  guns around in an aggressive, unsettled society, many a feud
  ends up being settled violently, especially out in the West. The
  “frontier principle” also applies in many provinces of the
  European empires, lowering the effective CR: A hunter or pio-
  neer carrying a rifle or pistol barely attracts a second glance in
  remote towns in Canada or the Claim Stations of Australia,
  and while personal violence is officially frowned upon, it’s
  hard for the authorities to hear about it from such places.
  Equipment Legality
  Equipment mostly has its standard listed Control Rating,
  and a new or unusual high-tech enhancement that makes a
  weapon deadlier tends to be regarded as stylish and interesting
  rather than making it less legal. For example, fully automatic
  personal firearms are rare, but if someone came up with a
  functional light SMG, it’d be classed like a pistol (LC3 rather
  than 2). Air guns are seen as military equipment, and treated
  as such by custom and law rather than being less controlled as
  in some settings.
  Armed vehicles are definitely regarded as “interesting”
  rather than “scary” by most people, at least until they open fire;
  in any case, they’re operated by the sort of high-Status people
  who can get away with going armed. Their weapons may have
  effective legality close to that of personal weapons, rather than
  being more heavily controlled.
  PREJUDICES
  The general atmosphere on Britannica-6 is quite broad-
  minded for a 19th-century timeline – but there are still a num-
  ber of possible Social Stigmas for local characters, and many
  plausible targets for the Intolerance disadvantage.
  Foreigners aren’t automatically disliked, even if they are
  visibly members of a different race or religion – but quite a few
  people have pet hates for specific nationalities. For example, in
  Britain, Prussians are sometimes seen as dangerous, hostile
  militarists, and citizens of the United States may be regarded
  as slavers and long-standing antagonists to various high-
  minded causes. Exotically foreign male characters, especially
  members of non-white races, are occasionally assumed to have
  “too much” interest in European women (and one who lives up
  to this cliché can quickly get into difficulties). There are also a
  few marginal subcultures and groups who can qualify for
  Social Stigma (Second-Class Citizen) and low Status, includ-
  ing Romanies and Asian dock-laborer groups working in
  European ports, and the “peasants,” “primitives,” and urban
  gutter-rats who suffer from Social Stigma (Uneducated).
  Within the dominant Western culture, individuals definite-
  ly suffer from Social Stigma (Minor) until age 16 or so, despite
  many being employed by then (and often for a couple more
  years if they look young; actually, they may not acquire full
  independence until they’re 21). Women get a fair amount of
  leeway, but don’t have the vote and are often patronized, so
  one who lacks assertiveness or suffers from overbearing male
  relatives could have Second-Class Citizen. Family bonds aren’t
  tight enough for Disowned to work as a Stigma, but some
  members of the upper classes have negative Reputations that
  include this factor. Likewise, Criminal Record is a good basis
  for a Reputation, but it only counts as a Stigma if the charac-
  ter is universally notorious for some serious wrongdoing.
  CHARACTERS
  35
  
  Infinity and its associates and competitors have agents in
  place on Britannica-6, and others occasionally drop in. All
  groups involved know enough about the society to have some
  idea what characteristics are useful there, but even so, not
  everybody assigned there turns out to be perfectly suited to the
  timeline.
  USEFUL ADVANTAGES
  AND SKILLS
  Along with the usual significant advantages for a crosstimer
  (such as Cultural Adaptability) and skills that are part of the
  standard training packages or useful to infiltrators (such as
  Acting), a few specific items can be worthwhile here. Social
  Chameleon is handy in a society with a keen sense of social
  position, especially since many aristocrats enjoy mixing with
  the “lower orders” but appreciate still receiving “proper
  respect” while doing so. High levels of Savoir-Faire or
  Diplomacy count for a lot – though, in this setting, Carousing
  or Gambling seem to achieve as much. TL and familiarity
  penalties means it still takes visitors with Current Affairs skills
  a little while to come up to speed upon arriving on any new
  timeline, though Infinity and White Star are building useful
  reference databases; it’s knowledge worth acquiring, if only
  because many locals enjoy gossip. Even if anyone possessed it,
  Weird Science skill is only intermittently useful when analyz-
  ing local technology; the underlying theories are pretty
  straightforward, it’s just the applications that get bizarre.
  However, the skill can help understand some of the theories
  generated by local natural philosophers.
  DANGEROUS PROBLEMS
  As a reasonably high-tech timeline with some competent
  medicine, this isn’t the worst world on which to suffer from
  physical disadvantages. For example, someone with cor-
  rectable Bad Sight can acquire serviceable replacement glass-
  es within a few days in most towns, although contact lenses
  haven’t been invented. The local glass-making industry can
  produce something tough, but it is still glass, nothing safer,
  which should worry anyone who gets into fights. The Infinity
  Patrol still won’t accept field agents with anything too limiting
  for duties here.
  Social disadvantages don’t prevent serving Britannica duty
  either, so long as they’re minor. They aren’t any more likely to
  get someone killed here than on most timelines, but groups
  assigned to infiltrate high society, with its unpredictable taste
  for formality and keen awareness of reputation and relative
  position, should mind their manners. Any agent known for
  obnoxiousness is ruled out for such tasks.
  Finally, addictive personalities have problems with postings
  to this timeline; anyone suffering from Alcoholism or
  Compulsive Gambling is presented with a lot of temptations –
  and the locals may take offence at someone who backs away
  from such offers!
  CHARACTERS
  36
  OUTTIME VISITORS
  One possibility in games involving Homeline’s elite,
  ultra-secret ISWAT teams, is that Britannica-6
  natives might be recruited to that organi-
  zation. That could in theory mean any
  highly competent individual encoun-
  tered on the timeline – but most
  likely it’s a professional adventur-
  er whose skills and areas of
  interest derive from the world’s
  nature.
  It would mean someone
  flamboyant, with a taste for
  gadgets and at least a little talent
  for using them. The word “swash-
  buckling” would apply, but that
  doesn’t mean the character would
  focus on swordplay; in Britannica’s
  technologically-oriented society, everyone
  understands a skilled marksman is the most
  dangerous sort of fighter. Such an ISWAT recruit might
  have a background as a secret agent, freelance adventurer,
  or colonial soldier. Another strong possibility is some kind
  of adventurous gadgeteer-engineer, keen to apply his inven-
  tions and ingenuity to any problem he encounters.
  Of course, any ISWAT recruitment pitch has to over-
  come the individual’s former loyalties; he must
  primarily serve the interests of Homeline.
  ISWAT is concerned with suppressing
  threats to humanity or the whole
  multiverse, but all else aside, the
  recruit must be prepared to keep
  the Secret, even from old
  friends, loved ones, colleagues,
  and leaders – and the Infinity
  Council must believe he’ll stick
  to this. Britannica-6 is a world
  in which patriotism and per-
  sonal loyalty still mean a lot.
  Recruitment might work best with
  individuals who’ve been betrayed in
  the self-indulgent back-stabbing of
  Blood competition, or left on the losing
  side in some miniature colonial or civil war,
  making them cynical about the empire they once served or
  the land they loved and in need of a new, higher cause.
  They could be supreme idealists who see automatically,
  once they’ve been introduced to Infinity’s reality, that there
  are causes beyond their single world.
  ISWAT Recruitment
  
  Native PCs can be a varied bunch, from a range of cultures,
  social levels, and occupations – and the idea of such a mixture
  working together isn’t too implausible or outrageous by local
  standards. However, note that society is stratified and rigid
  enough that characters with higher Status are expected to take
  charge, and Europeans tend to lord it over anyone from other
  lands.
  Adventuring Types
  Many character types are possible in this setting, and quite
  a few are suitable as adventurers while others may just become
  entangled in events.
  Engineers: The people who build the weird tech-
  nology of Britannica-6 are more than backroom
  geeks. Combining the motivation to outdo each
  other with the persuasiveness to find spon-
  sors, they embody the spirit of the age. In
  addition to a wide range of technical skills,
  they can use Current Affairs, Merchant,
  Savoir-Faire (High Society or Servant),
  and all too often, Fast-Talk.
  Explorers: Many parts of the world
  are still being opened up to Western nat-
  ural philosophy – and a mix of curiosity,
  daring for its own sake, research into
  naturally-occurring 
  pharmaceuticals,
  and religious missionary impulses drive
  this movement hard. An explorer might
  have at least one crucial, motivating disad-
  vantage, such as Curious or Fanaticism
  (Religion). The skills for this vocation include
  Area Knowledge, Guns, Navigation, and
  Survival; other options reflect motives (Clerical
  Investment; Cartography, Geography, Pharmacy),
  means of travel (Animal Handling, Hiking, Riding, vehi-
  cle skills), and other possibilities (Leadership, Naturalist,
  Public Speaking, Smuggling, Tracking).
  Nobles: The old aristocracy are still at the top of society in
  this alternate, albeit filling out their numbers from the ranks of
  politics and business from time to time; what’s important here
  is that they’re expected to justify their position through demon-
  strations of daring, style, and innovation. In addition to Status
  and Wealth, the nobles have skills such as Carousing,
  Connoisseur, Gambling, Current Affairs, Leadership, and
  Riding; shrewd individuals may have Administration, Politics,
  and Tactics, enabling them to wield their money and station to
  best effect (though plenty of nobles don’t). Eccentric personal
  hobbies are expected and even admired, so any skill can be jus-
  tified (although a gentleman shouldn’t be boring about his
  interests). Vices include Alcoholism, Compulsive Behavior, or
  Lecherousness. Bloods are a special case among the British
  upper classes – they’re young rakes with royal lineage, high
  Status, and probably a wide network of Allies and Contacts,
  engaged in continuous prestige games with rule of the Empire
  at stake.
  Philosophers:
  The term “science” isn’t widely used 
  on Britannica-6; the older “natural philosophy” remains the
  standard name for a field. Professionals, especially curious
  polymaths with a talent for getting sponsorship from the upper
  classes, are called simply “philosophers” and may turn up as
  consultants, researchers, and showpiece decorations for aris-
  tocratic houses. In addition to the obvious intellectual skills
  and disadvantages (such as Curious), a modest, positive
  Status, Teaching skill, and a professional Code of Honor are all
  likely.
  Radicals: Not everyone on Britannica-6 believes the cozy
  Whig consensus goes far enough. A few hotheads say politi-
  cians throughout Europe have stolen dignified ideals of reform
  and liberty and twisted them into dubious slogans and hollow
  promises of change, thereby replacing old, stubborn autoc-
  racy with a bright new mechanized tyranny. The radi-
  cal tradition is alive, from Luddites smashing new
  machines to decadent, fearless poets denouncing
  the enemies of freedom – and still frightening
  the rulers. Not all have Fanaticism, but many
  do! Radical adventurers might be rabble-
  rousers with Public Speaking, Streetwise,
  and probably Brawling and Tactics; ideo-
  logues, with skills such as Economics,
  Philosophy, Poetry, Propaganda, and
  Writing; or skilled politicians, working to
  reform the system from within using
  Politics, Public Speaking, and a network of
  connections and Favors.
  Royal Agents: In a competitive society
  barely held together by convention, habit,
  and fragile laws, wherein both democratic
  politicians and hereditary aristocrats spend
  most of their time in fierce contests and never
  think about the greater good, a few stalwart indi-
  viduals do what’s necessary to keep the world turn-
  ing. Some draw explicit support from (and owe a serious
  Duty to) the very highest levels of society. (Admittedly, those
  supporters are the people with the most to lose, whose idea of
  the public good may be a trifle selfish – but a loyal agent fol-
  lows his judgment rather than his orders only in extreme
  cases.) In addition to high levels of Will and all-around good
  attributes, an effective agent of the Crown should combine
  combat skills, the ability to operate a range of vehicles and
  other advanced devices, and enough Intelligence Analysis,
  Observation, and Stealth to assess a situation in detail before
  he acts.
  Servants: If action and adventure attracts the wealthy and
  the upper classes, somebody still has to do their washing and
  see off a lot of problems that are beneath the rich folks’ notice.
  The function of a “stoker” (see p. 48) is especially important.
  Servants are probably employed by other, higher-Status PCs,
  and may owe them a Duty or Sense of Duty; games generally
  go smoothest if the “master” heroes grant the “servants”
  respect and some leeway to use their own skills, but a little
  intra-party squabbling may be amusing. With less need for
  Status, Wealth, and “prestige skills,” servant characters can
  afford good attributes and a range of practical skills; some may
  be ex-soldiers, others may simply be tough and strong, and still
  others may be quick-witted and clever talkers.
  CHARACTERS
  37
  NATIVES OF BRITANNICA-6
  
  Soldiers: Organized, high-tech violence is the business of
  the military on Britannica-6, although a surprising number of
  war machines are in private hands; still, if someone is wealthy
  enough to afford such a thing, his personal retinue can rate as
  a small private army in itself. Conversely, much of the Indian
  colonial army technically consists of mercenaries in the
  employ of a private company. The divide between colonial
  forces (who have to fight serious wars against low-tech oppo-
  nents with older, proven equipment of their own) and the
  “British Regulars” (with access to the shiny, untested new
  gear, and the chance to associate with European society when
  off duty) is significant, but it can be crossed, and careers 
  can encompass both. For an officer with less wealth or fewer
  connections, active service on the dusty frontier can earn pro-
  motions that in turn lead to a place in European society.
  Weapon skills, Leadership (for NCOs and above), Tactics,
  Savoir-Faire (Military), and of course Soldier define the char-
  acter type (although Tactics may be distressingly low among
  some officers). Cavalry regiments add Riding or vehicle skills,
  and Mechanic in the junior ranks. Survivors of tough cam-
  paigns may know Camouflage, Observation, Stealth, and
  Survival. Courtesy Rank supports high Status without an
  accompanying title.
  Sportsmen: With gambling so much a part of life in this
  world, the professional sportsman is the focus of countless
  hopes and much interest (and remember, the amateur ideal
  CHARACTERS
  38
  Sir Adrian, a minor land-owner, cousin of the Duchess
  of Kent, and all-around sporting fellow and good company,
  is a typical if fairly capable member of the Britannica-6
  gentry, potentially suitable for use as a PC or as an NPC
  encounter. (The Ally advantage should be removed from his
  character sheet if he’s used as an NPC.) His upbringing and
  personality reflect his class, although he’s been lucky
  enough to acquire the services of a dedicated and excep-
  tionally smart steward, who ensures his family estates in
  Sussex and various business investments bring a sufficient
  income to support his enthusiasms and bets. The GM may
  assume “country landowner” is his job. His Independent
  Income means he doesn’t have to spend much time on this,
  and he’s guaranteed a return from his estates even if he
  spends extended periods away from them – although in that
  case, it’ll help if Peter Offstead remains behind to look after
  things.
  Sir Adrian also has an old school friend, Alfred Jessop,
  who opted for a military career and is now involved in some
  vaguely defined area of military intelligence. Jessop some-
  times stumbles across threats to the Crown that can’t con-
  veniently be handled by official means; on occasion, he
  calls upon Sir Adrian or other pals to lend a hand. Sir
  Adrian, having been brought up with an old-fashioned
  sense of patriotic enthusiasm, willingly pitches in, despite
  being under no formal obligation. He also has to fend off
  periodic attempts to discomfort him by some cads from
  Portsmouth whom he once outwitted, as well as the usual
  attempts by female relatives to find him a wife.
  Sir Adrian’s possessions include a wardrobe of fashion-
  able clothes, good-quality hunting shotguns, a pair of pis-
  tols, an army-style rifle, and a speedy phaeton of the latest
  design (see p. 47).
  ST 12 [20]; DX 12 [40]; IQ 11 [20]; HT 11 [10].
  Damage 1d-1/1d+2; BL 29 lbs.; HP 12 [0]; Will 11 [0]; Per 11
  [0]; FP 11 [0].
  Basic Speed 6 [5]; Basic Move 6 [0]; Parry 9 (Boxing); Dodge
  9.
  Social Background
  TL: 5+2 [0]
  CF: Britannica-6 Western [0].
  Languages:
  Britannica-6 
  English 
  (Native) 
  [0];
  Britannica-6 French (Broken/Accented) [3]; Classical Latin
  (Broken/None) [1].
  Advantages
  Ally (Peter Offstead, Steward; 75 points, 15 or less) [6];
  Appearance (Attractive) [4]; Contact (Captain Alfred Jessop;
  Intelligence Analysis/TL(5+2)-18; 12 or less; Usually
  Reliable) [12]; Fearlessness 1 [2]; Fit [5]; Independent
  Income 4 [4]; Reputation +1 (As a good fellow, in London
  and southeast England high society; 10 or less) [1]; Status
  3 (Baronet; 1 level free from Wealth) [10]; Wealth (Very
  Wealthy) [30].
  Perks: Can always assess the general quality of a motor-
  carriage correctly with a cursory inspection. [1]
  Disadvantages
  Chummy [-5]; Code of Honor (Gentleman’s) [-10];
  Compulsive Gambling (12) [-5]; Enemy (Portsmouth
  Hellfire Club; Small group of less powerful people, Rivals,
  9 or less) [-5]; Impulsiveness (15) [-5]; Overconfidence (15)
  [-2]; Sense of Duty (King and Country) [-10].
  Quirks: Mildly addicted to good German wines; Slightly
  superstitious – avoids the number 13; Somewhat lazy when
  King and Country aren’t at stake; Strongly dislikes drome-
  daries; Sucker for redheads. [-5]
  Skills
  Area Knowledge (London)-11 (IQ) [1]; Boxing-12 (DX)
  [2]; Carousing-11 (HT) [1]; Connoisseur (Wine)-10 (IQ-1)
  [1]; 
  Driving/TL(5+2) 
  (Automobile)-13 
  (DX+1) 
  [4];
  Gambling-13 (IQ+2) [8]; Guns/TL(5+1) (Shotgun)-12 (DX)
  [1]; Guns/TL(5+2) (Pistol)-12 (DX) [1]; Leadership-10 (IQ-
  1) [1]; Riding (Horse)-11 (DX-1) [1]; Savoir-Faire (High
  Society)-12 (IQ+1) [2].
  Sir Adrian Carter-Sandlebury
  (150 points)
  
  counts for little in this context). Even if he comes from a hum-
  ble background and has never mastered many social graces, a
  successful competitor may be treated well and provisionally
  accepted into grand households. He can also hope to travel the
  world, giving exhibitions and engaging in competitions against
  local champions. Good physical attributes and one or two rel-
  evant skills broadly define this character type; a good
  Appearance can gain one sportsman popularity over equally
  talented colleagues, while some events allow a little
  Performance to wring some extra cheers out of the crowd.
  Thief-Takers: In the absence of centralized police forces, the
  tradition of the thief-taker has survived and expanded.
  Combining the roles of private detective, bounty-hunter, and
  occasionally bodyguard or security consultant, he can be a for-
  midable, capable, versatile individual – although it’s possible to
  make a living in the job with a little natural shrewdness, sharp
  eyes, and some Brawling skill. Other common skills in the pro-
  fession include Broadsword (mostly for use with blunt instru-
  ments), Criminology, Interrogation, Intimidation, Shadowing,
  and Streetwise; sophisticated characters can add Forensics or
  Law, and some undercover specialists have Acting and
  Disguise. Incidentally, professional NPC thief-takers are likely
  to appear as occasional adversaries for outtimer agents on
  Britannica-6; they’re a confusingly diverse bunch, and some
  are worryingly competent.
  WEALTH LEVELS
  See p. 34 for a description of Status on this timeline. Base
  starting wealth is $7,500, better than normal for the standard
  TL5 conditions but lower than normal for TL6; although this
  timeline has a fair amount of TL7-equivalent technology, it
  isn’t widespread enough to generate the sort of prosperity nor-
  mally associated with high-TL worlds.
  In fact, Wealth varies widely and in important ways on this
  timeline. As substantial parts of the world (including some rus-
  tic parts of Europe and the United States) are barely at TL5,
  many inhabitants are at Struggling or worse and can’t support
  Status-0 lifestyles; such people are seen as low Status by
  Western standards. Even in such areas, city-dwellers may qual-
  ify for Average Wealth and Status 0. For the well-to-do, family
  members from leading royal families, highly-placed aristo-
  crats, and wealthy industrialists may be very rich indeed; in
  fact, some multimillionaires have far more wealth than they
  need to support the formal Status they’ve acquired, and live in
  what’s considered vulgar splendor. “Bloods,” on the other
  hand, usually have enough money to support their flamboyant
  lifestyles – but some of them face problems. They and slightly
  less elevated aristocrats and gentry sometimes resort to tradi-
  tional solutions such as marrying for money.
  ADVANTAGES AND PERKS
  Britannica-born player characters can justify most mun-
  dane advantages, but one or two merit special discussion.
  Allies, Signature Gear: Among other things, either of these
  can be used to represent the unique vehicles and gadgets pos-
  sessed by powerful individuals on Britannica-6 who’ve spon-
  sored or otherwise acquired some singular invention. Using
  exotic advantages with gadget limitations isn’t usually appro-
  priate, but might work on occasion.
  Gadgeteer: Although this timeline features a lot of inventive
  technology, the standard Gadgeteer advantage should only be
  available in “Vernean” or cinematic games, and Quick
  Gadgeteer should be limited to fully cinematic characters, if
  permitted at all.
  Legal Enforcement Powers are available to watchmen, con-
  stables, Bow Street Runners, military officers assigned to pub-
  lic order duties in Prussia, and so on. Local watchmen are
  restricted to the 5-point version. A few professionals in the
  employ of high-ranking magistrates, governors, or the govern-
  ments of authoritarian states, including U.S. and New England
  Marshals, have 10-point Powers. Enforcers’ jurisdiction is usu-
  ally geographically limited, so 15-point Powers are limited to
  special “agents of the Crown” in various nations.
  Patrons: Britannica-6 society is old-fashioned in various
  respects; among other things, anyone of lower social class who
  seeks to make his way in the world is well advised to find some
  kind of patron or sponsor – though this isn’t mandatory. The
  favor of powerful figures is sought by many people, so this is a
  fairly common advantage. As usual, it’s likely to come with an
  associated Duty.
  DISADVANTAGES AND QUIRKS
  Again, some world-specific notes:
  Addiction: The highly active pharmaceutical industry on
  Britannica-6 has identified a number of interesting substances,
  although few have been refined enough to make them totally or
  even highly addictive. Most are legal, and in many places; such
  habits are regarded as private vices rather than matters of
  broad social concern.
  Alcoholism: This is tragically widespread, although the great
  age of gin addiction is past. Many people expect their fellows to
  demonstrate the ability to consume their share of liquor.
  Bully: While this is despised as much here as elsewhere, it
  seems to be something of a favored hobby in the upper classes
  at times.
  Compulsive Behavior: Carousing, Gambling, and Spending
  are almost matters of prestige in parts of Britannica-6 society.
  Duty: Duties can be owed to patrons, armed forces, etc.;
  high-Status officers often manage to get out of tiresome, rou-
  tine duties in peacetime (giving the disadvantage a low frequen-
  cy of occurrence), although doing so in wartime would be
  noticed and lead to a bad Reputation.
  Selfish: This defines many Bloods.
  Social Disease: This is a class of problem even Britannica’s
  TL(5+2) medicine can’t always solve.
  And finally, this setting-specific disadvantage occurs in a few
  forms (familiar and new):
  Code of Honor
  p. B127
  Some gentlemen endeavor to live by the Gentleman’s Code,
  which is all very respectable – but most of their contemporaries
  actually regard these individuals as stiff-necked and impracti-
  cal. The Soldier’s Code is much more common, but among mil-
  itary men, of course. Meanwhile, some rough and ready fellows
  among the gentry actually live by the Pirate’s Code, as do some
  street ruffians and the like. And another variant is common in
  Britannica-6 high society, especially in Britain and France:
  CHARACTERS
  39
  
  Code of Honor (“Plunger’s”): Never break your sworn word
  to an equal or social superior. Gambling debts are a matter of
  high honor (although debts to mere tradesmen are trivial and
  unworthy of concern); you can request more time to pay, but
  someone who holds your note is entitled to enforce it as he
  chooses. Never ignore an insult to yourself, a female relative,
  or a lady to whom you have promised loyalty. You should
  respond to any foreigner’s insult to your nation, crown, or flag.
  (Gossip about royalty and complaints about the government
  are a fellow’s birthright, but only if one was born here!)
  Offenses from social inferiors can be dealt with by a whipping,
  usually administered by your servants. Insults from social
  equals can be wiped out by a duel, but that’s tiresomely illegal
  these days, dangerous, and maybe even excessive, so you may
  choose an alternative: humiliating the offender in the most
  inventive way you can come up with, or otherwise getting your
  own back in a public, satisfying fashion. If you should be
  caught out in some matter of high integrity, such as cowardice;
  public bankruptcy while owing gambling debts; or embezzling
  regimental funds, you may have to wipe out the stain by disap-
  pearing forever from society. This may entail volunteering for
  suicidal duties in some sordid colonial war, or even actual sui-
  cide (the classic library, bottle of whisky, and pistol routine),
  so it’s usually wisest not to indulge in such activities in the first
  place. -5 points.
  Note that, although only a minority of high-Status charac-
  ters actually have fully functioning Codes of Honor, such
  things are supposed to be the norm; a Reputation for lacking
  honor can easily be worth -3 or worse. Many high-Status peo-
  ple at least have “gentlemanly” behavior as a quirk.
  SKILLS
  Technological skills can be learned on Britannica up to
  TL(5+2). Keep in mind not everyone and not every device is
  that sophisticated; plenty of folks get by perfectly well with
  TL5 and TL(5+1) skills, and things like Farming/TL(5+2) is
  limited to a few eccentric aristocrat-landowners and their ser-
  vants. (GMs should be careful about permitting PCs to take a
  lower personal TL as a disadvantage; in many campaigns, this
  won’t be particularly limiting.) Scientific research does operate
  at or near TL(5+2), and most GURPS science skills are avail-
  able in the setting in some form, so philosopher PCs would be
  crippled by this disadvantage – but note that “abstract” or
  “pure” science isn’t really as advanced here as in Homeline’s
  TL7. For example, nuclear physics is barely getting underway
  as a subject, the transistor hasn’t been invented, and the under-
  standing of genetics is mostly a matter of intuitive assessments
  and simple statistics; DNA remains undiscovered, but biolo-
  gists have deduced that some such agent must be present in
  living things. Most local computers are limited to specialized
  electrical valve devices; the skills to build and use them are
  known by only a few engineers in specialist workshops, and
  “operation” mostly consists of throwing a switch or two and
  adjusting a dial. However, some more general-purpose
  machines may be under development. Weapon and vehicle
  skills are available for a wide range of TLs and specialties, and
  familiarity can be a problem as every leader and army seems
  to have not only a different idea what is good equipment, but
  also the budget to acquire new designs. If the adventurers are
  going to use whatever comes to hand, GMs may choose to
  apply unfamiliarity penalties relatively lightly.
  Unarmed combat skills are mostly limited to Brawling,
  Boxing, and Wrestling among Westerners – there’s never been
  any great interest in oriental unarmed styles – but a few hob-
  byists study old or exotic arts, including Judo or Karate
  techniques.
  Wildcard Skills (p. B175) may be appropriate for local char-
  acters, especially in “Vernean” or cinematic modes (p. 11).
  Incredibly capable engineers and omnicompetent philoso-
  phers are part of the style, and the sheer range of weapons and
  vehicles available makes extreme versatility a desirable trait in
  local adventurers.
  CHARACTERS
  40
  Magic and Psionics
  Infinity has Britannica-6 provisionally classified as a
  no-mana world – with a certain sense of relief, as that’s
  one less wildly unpredictable thing to worry about.
  However, its testing methods are severely limited, and it
  still hasn’t surveyed this world in much detail; patrol-
  men may yet be in for some paranormal surprises. See
  the sample adventure, pp. 57-64 for more on this.
  Psionics and similar abilities are mostly regarded as
  myths, so agents who possess them have a definite edge,
  but they should be very careful about using them too
  flagrantly.
  While some locals might respond to the sight of para-
  normal activity by assuming these are conjuring tricks,
  their senses are deceiving them, or they’re going mad,
  some are broadminded to the point of eccentricity, and
  curious into the bargain. If they can’t explain an inci-
  dent, it might become the subject of fireside anecdotes,
  wild newspaper stories – or investigation by shrewd free-
  lance natural philosophers. If they learn or suspect
  much, locals resort to terminology such as “mesmerism”
  or “animal magnetism,” and formulate theories not so
  far from Homeline ideas about psionics; most educated
  natives of Britannica like to think of themselves as ratio-
  nalists and materialists, and find words like “magic”
  annoying in this context. However, conventional religion
  remains influential; careless visiting psis aren’t going to
  get themselves burned as witches, but there’s a chance to
  find themselves being exorcised.
  
  “Quite a view up here, innit, guv’ner? You can see all o’
  London, if the bally fogs’d just lift. They say they can dock a
  dozen aerostats at a time, and telegraph signals can reach right
  darn to the docks at Portsmouth, wi’ no relay towers needed.”
  “Yes. Very impressive.” Samuel Culpepper’s customer looked a
  little queasy as the tower rocked gently in the breeze, and Samuel
  risked a speculative glance at the fellow’s face. He made it a prin-
  ciple never to ask too many questions, but he really wished that
  he could place this one’s accent. The man tried to hide it, but he
  was – what? American, probably, but it’d be nice to be sure.
  Samuel was patriot enough to double his prices if he was selling
  to, say, a Prussian.
  Ah well. Samuel glanced round to confirm that they were
  indeed alone – though the choice of meeting place made them
  quite safe, give the customer credit for cleverness there – and then
  produced the papers from his hidden pocket. “Here’s the goods,
  guv. All the plans for ’is Grace’s noo self-sinkin’ boat. All ship-
  shape, if you’ll pardon the ’umor.”
  The man plucked the plans from Samuel’s hands, gave them
  a brief glance, and frowned. “Ridiculous size,” he muttered.
  “What? Now look ’ere, guv, them plans is kosher . . .”
  “Oh, don’t worry.” The man managed an odd smile, though
  the tower chose that moment to sway more than usual. “I’m sure
  that they’re fine. It’s His Grace’s naval architects who I wouldn’t
  trust.”
  Samuel shrugged off the comment, distracted by what he
  glimpsed in his customer’s inner pocket as the fellow reached out
  a promisingly plump purse. A pistol grip, too small to suggest a
  really powerful weapon, but sleek and burnished and most con-
  veniently easy to conceal. Samuel wondered if he’d been meant to
  see that; the customer did seem quite shrewd, for all his odd
  ways.
  “Damn!”
  The man’s curse broke into Samuel’s reverie, and he looked
  through the observation window to determine what had pro-
  voked it. Then he frowned. An approaching aerostat was nothing
  to remark upon, of course, but this one was coming in a little too
  high and a little too fast for a normal docking run – and it car-
  ried a certain ducal crest.
  Coincidence, perhaps, but only a fool would rely on that pos-
  sibility. Samuel and his customer both bolted for the elevator
  platform.
  Britannica-6 is defined in GURPS terms as TL(5+2), mean-
  ing technology somewhat comparable to TL7 but diverging
  substantially from Homeline’s development, starting at TL5. In
  truth, this advanced technology runs rather shallow – not sur-
  prising, given the speed with which it developed. Britannica
  jumped two levels in a period in which Homeline barely moved
  up one. The new stuff really hasn’t had time to spread through-
  out society, and in any case a lot of it was invented for the
  amusement of the social elite. Even in Western Europe or New
  England, many creations considered new and impressive can
  be classed as TL(5+1) or even late TL5; many other areas are
  still scrambling up to TL5, and more advanced devices are one-
  off imports in the hands of the wealthy or their minions. In
  particular, less glamorous fields such as agriculture haven’t
  progressed much faster than Homeline history. Also, a lot of
  TL(5+2) technology remains experimental and unreliable.
  Still, the most sophisticated developments sometimes spill
  over into unexpected areas, and many out-time visitors are
  interested in the most advanced items.
  This advanced technology uses principles a Homeline 
  scientist understands well enough; it doesn’t seem to be
  exploiting any major variations or relaxations in physical laws
  on this timeline. This may not be entirely true if the setting is
  used for cinematic scenarios (see p. 11); gigantic vehicles and
  mesmeric powers need some strange physical laws in order to
  stand up.
  TECHNOLOGY
  41
  CHAPTER FIVE
  TECHNOLOGY
  
  WEAPONS AND ARMOR
  TECHNOLOGY
  42
  Britannica-6 is far from being a peaceful timeline, but the
  most advanced weaponry and military equipment on this
  world doesn’t see much use. There’s not much of it around and
  its main purpose is to look good on parade to impress and
  frighten the neighbors, whether that means neighboring aris-
  tocrats in the same country or adjacent states.
  However, even the old-style technology used by remote bor-
  der forces and in colonial wars can be extremely diverse. Every
  group with a need for weapons seems to have their own ideas
  about what works best, and can usually find a manufacturer
  somewhere willing to meet their specifications. This makes the
  job of quartermasters assigned to keep large forces fully sup-
  plied with the correct ammunition a perpetual nightmare. The
  lack of standardization also raises prices somewhat, though
  fierce commercial competition sometimes drives them down
  again.
  In game terms, anything listed in the Basic Set or GURPS
  High-Tech as available at TL5 or early TL6 might be used in a
  Britannica-6 game with a different name and maybe some cos-
  metic alterations (like slightly different bore sizes); prices are
  much as listed. Counterparts to late TL6 and TL7 weapons and
  military equipment are also possible, although the GM should
  make sure they fit the timeline’s general pattern of develop-
  ment (as discussed below), and anything very advanced should
  be expensive – three times listed cost is likely, and five times is
  entirely plausible. Completely new designs of comparable
  sophistication (with inflated prices) can and should also
  appear!
  One benefit from the Infinity Patrol’s point of view is that
  agents sent to Britannica can carry standard-issue Patrol
  weapons without many difficulties. If they have to use their
  sidearms, they can pass them off to curious locals as “rather
  fine little pieces – new designs – from a one-man gunsmith’s
  shop out in the colonies.” State-of-the-art Homeline weapons
  are too sophisticated and strange to pass a Britannica-6 expert
  who gets to examine them closely, especially if they incorporate
  electronics; agents are strongly discouraged from overusing
  standard-issue gear in front of career soldiers or gunsmiths!
  GUNS
  All this primarily applies to guns. Advanced Britannica-6
  designs can be sophisticated, but still look distinctly clunky to
  Homeline eyes – though they may be lighter than they appear.
  (Britannica-6 engineers do love aluminum alloys, while gun-
  smiths have developed a habit of sacrificing reliability to save
  weight.)
  Britannica-6 armourers have a number of propellants more
  or less equivalent to Homeline smokeless powder; a few older
  weapons use black powder. Almost all rounds have conven-
  tional brass cases; most sidearm rounds are plain hard lead,
  with jacketed bullets just beginning to appear. The threat of
  light armored vehicles led to several experiments with hard-
  tipped armor-piercing bullets, and what Homeline calls semi-
  armor-piercing explosive and armor-piercing explosive tech-
  nology; treat these as equivalent to TL6 quality. A few shooters
  use something akin to hollow-point ammunition, air guns may
  fire drug darts or other exotic shot, and one or two users have
  experimented with poison rounds.
  The most common configuration for both pistols and rifles
  is some kind of revolver mechanism, but traditionalists prefer
  multi-barrel “pepperbox” pistols while experiments with vari-
  ous odd hopper feeds have led to the appearance of box maga-
  zines (and some variant drum types). Curiously, fully automat-
  ic weapons remain experimental and rare; purchasers on
  Britannica-6 seem to prefer one big bang to spraying lots of
  rounds. This may be partly because the lack of standardization
  leads many shooters to hand-load their ammunition, or tell a
  servant to do so, which is easier than trying to find the right
  stock in a local gunsmith’s shop (hand-loading kits are as com-
  mon, and as ornate, as snuffboxes); firing fewer, larger rounds
  makes for less work. Within that constraint, a huge range of
  variant mechanisms can be found; lever and pump-actions are
  common, and semi-automatic feed is regarded as state-of-the-
  art. Artillery pieces are single-shot breech loaders, but have
  sophisticated breech mechanisms. A few rapid-firing weapons
  have been fitted with liquid cooling systems.
  The standard arm for infantry (and for “cavalry” when this
  effectively means mounted infantry of some kind) is a rifle
  with fittings for a bayonet; officers carry a huge variety of pis-
  tols, reflecting personal tastes, which may be eccentric. Some
  gunsmiths have come up with the “bullpup” configuration with
  pistol grip (here known as the “fore stock”), and have con-
  vinced a few regiments and minor nations to purchase their
  designs. Shotguns are seen as a sportsman’s or farmer’s
  
  weapon, and tend to traditional designs. Some forward-
  thinking forces have taken to using “bomb guns” – hand-held
  grenade launchers, in Homeline terms – and even “personal
  rockets” (rocket-propelled grenades), primarily as anti-vehicle
  weapons. Both are erratic and unreliable, but they make satis-
  fying explosions and give infantry an answer of sorts to
  armored vehicles. The result is the emergence of the 18th-
  century concept of the grenadier (sometimes termed the “rock-
  eteer” on Britannica) – a strong, brave, possibly not intellectu-
  ally brilliant elite infantryman carrying a heavy weapon.
  Vehicles carry big, slow-firing guns that do as much damage as
  possible with each shot; some mount rocket-propelled
  missiles.
  One technology that has become distinctly sophisticated
  on Britannica-6 is air gun design, which continued to develop
  as a military arm from its occasional use in the Napoleonic
  period. Models typically use a hand-pumped reservoir of com-
  pressed air, and are at best functionally equivalent to TL8
  Homeline weapons. Such guns are still unusual, but they do
  appear in the hands of some troops; with smoothbore barrels
  fitted, they’re also useful for delivering drugged darts and
  other exotic projectiles.
  Example Guns
  These are some widespread or interesting local designs.
  Crowhurst Desolation Number 2, 2” “bomb” 
  (Great Britain, 1882)
  A handheld, breech loading, smoothbore “bomb gun”
  known throughout British armies as “the mule” because of its
  horrendous kick, the Desolation is intended to deal with vehi-
  cles – as much by blasting away wheels or other vulnerable
  parts as by punching through heavy armor, though it finds
  other uses. It’s a bulky, stubby shoulder arm with a wooden
  stock, a primitive but functional muzzle brake, and an ornate
  integral bipod; with its flimsy barrel and explosive ammunition,
  it demands a lot of careful maintenance. The values given on
  the table are for anti-vehicle ammunition, hard-cased rounds
  designed to penetrate at least light armor before exploding. One
  alternative is a high-explosive fragmentation shell; add a (0.5)
  armor multiplier to the initial kinetic damage, and replace the
  follow-up explosion with a linked 3d+2 cr explosion and [2d+2]
  fragmentation effect. Other experimental and specialist muni-
  tions exist for this weapon. The listed costs are 20% higher than
  a similar weapon might cost if made on Homeline, as this is a
  relatively advanced design.
  O’Mally Ganges Model 1879, .40 O’Mally 
  (Great Britain/India, 1879)
  An excessively heavy long-barreled pistol that’s fashionable
  among certain army officers and favored by U.S. marshals
  and thief-takers in the most lawless areas, this sidearm has
  serious stopping power, although it also requires regular
  maintenance. (Infinity agents who’ve seen the sample import-
  ed by White Star refer to it as the “Britannica Magnum.”) A
  six-shot double-action revolver with alloy components (a
  futile attempt to keep the weight down), it takes a powerful
  jacketed bullet and is hard to conceal. The cost is 50% more
  than a similar firearm on Homeline, thanks to experimental
  design, unusual materials, and limited production quantities.
  “Grey Maggie” Rifle, .50 British 
  (Great Britain, 1868)
  The standard issue for regular British army regiments
  whose colonels haven’t been seduced by some pet theory or
  gunsmith’s special offer. Also in use in France and other
  nations, similar designs are commonplace in America. It’s
  infernally heavy with an appalling kick, and its double-action
  eight-shot revolver mechanism can be slow to reload – but
  British infantry preserve their tradition of making every shot
  count, and its half-inch caliber bullets have some heft. The
  rugged barrel and mechanism are steel, but the weapon has a
  number of brushed aluminum details and fittings.
  TECHNOLOGY
  43
  Ranged Weapons Table
  See pp. B268-271 for an explanation of the statistics. The first value in the cost column is the price of the weapon unloaded; the second is
  for a complete reload.
  TL
  Weapon
  Damage
  Acc
  Range
  Weight
  RoF
  Shots
  ST
  Bulk
  Rcl
  Cost
  LC
  GUNS (GRENADE LAUNCHER) (DX-4 or most other Guns at -4)
  5+2
  Crowhurst Desolation Number 2
  5d+1 pi++
  2
  315/2,600
  15.9/1.11
  1
  1(3i)
  13B†
  -6
  6
  $450/$1.60
  1
  follow-up
  4d cr ex
  GUNS (PISTOL) (DX-4 or most other Guns at -2)
  5+2
  O’Mally Ganges 1879
  3d+2 pi+
  2
  210/2,300
  3.8/0.27
  3
  6(3i)
  12
  -4
  4
  $540/$5.85
  3
  GUNS (RIFLE) (DX-4 or most other Guns at -2)
  5+1
  “Grey Maggie” Rifle
  6d+1 pi+
  3
  750/4,700
  11.6/1.2
  3
  8(3i)
  11†
  -5
  5
  $630/$10.85
  3
  5+2
  Le Chevalier Cavalry Carbine
  5d pi
  5
  770/3,200
  7.2/0.84
  3
  12(3)
  9†
  -4
  3
  $1,570/$63
  3
  5+2
  Meyrink Luftgewehr 
  Modell 1881-bis
  2d+1(0.5) pi++ 4
  50/200
  15/0.5
  2
  15(3i)
  9†
  -5
  1
  $1,100/$25
  3
  follow-up
  drug effect
  GUNNER (CANNON) (DX-4 or other Gunner at -4)
  5+2
  Perry Vehicular Cannon
  6d¥8 pi++
  5
  4,300/12,000
  1,030/430
  3
  20(5)
  38
  -16
  3
  $37,600/$5,530
  1
  follow-up
  10d cr ex
  
  Le Chevalier Cavalry Carbine, 0.333 Anglo-French
  (Great Britain/France, 1885)
  A light rifle in “fore-stock” configuration, used by various
  types of well-funded mounted and vehicle troops, the Chevalier
  incorporates a semi-automatic mechanism with detachable
  12-shot aluminum box magazine for maximum ease of use. Its
  reliability is questionable, raising maintenance requirements,
  but that’s what the good funding is for. The listed costs are
  about 50% higher than a comparable gun on Homeline thanks
  to advanced technology and low production numbers.
  Meyrink Luftgewehr Modell 1881-bis, 15mm
  Meyrink (Austria, 1882)
  Austrian air guns are widely regarded as the best in Europe,
  and Meyrink air rifles are used by a handful of specialist mili-
  tary units; they’re heavy, but effective and nearly silent. This
  variant has a smoothbore barrel and lower power than some
  military models, enabling it to fire drugged rounds and other
  fragile, exotic ammunition. Infinity has a standing order for
  more of these from White Star; agents in the field usually load
  them with more sophisticated, less damaging TL8+
  drugged darts (1d-2 pi-, $5 per shot) or something
  even more exotic. Rounds are loaded in a tubular
  magazine, integral to the gun, that can be fitted
  with an ingenious system of spacers to take
  special ammunition such as darts; it has
  (appropriately enough) a pump action feed.
  A pressurized cylinder of carbon dioxide,
  good for 30 shots (albeit -1 to damage on
  the last five), fits into the shoulder stock;
  a fresh cylinder weighs 0.25 lb. and costs
  $20, and recharging a used cylinder costs
  $5. The listed performance details are for
  a dart capable of injecting one dose of a
  drug, but the ammunition cost does not
  include the price of the drug itself. If the
  drugged rounds are replaced by simple
  lead slugs, the details change: Damage
  2d+1 pi++, Range 80/550, Weight 16/2,
  Reload Cost $16.
  Perry Vehicular Cannon, 2”
  Manchester (Great Britain, 1875)
  Typical of the weapons used as the main arma-
  ment on heavy war-barouches, and for anti-airship
  and anti-personnel purposes on numerous watercraft
  and air vehicles, the Perry incorporates a 20-round drum mag-
  azine and what Homeline would term a semi-automatic mech-
  anism, giving it a respectable rate of sustained fire by local
  standards. Its standard ammunition is designed to explode
  after penetrating armor, giving it extra effectiveness against
  vehicles and making satisfying levels of noise on the trial
  range. Reload time is debatable; manhandling a 430-lb. drum
  on a cramped or moving vehicle is a task for multiple
  crewmembers!
  MELEE WEAPONS
  The usual selection of melee weapons can be encountered
  on Britannica-6, but in civilized areas where the TL is 5 or
  higher they see only occasional or informal use; firearms are
  more effective, and the widespread love of technology means
  combatants see little dishonor in using guns. Among other
  things, the pistol has almost entirely replaced the sword as the
  weapon of choice in duels, where they’re allowed at all; fenc-
  ing has become a formalized hobby-sport. Still, there are
  “backward” areas where spears and axes rule, many military
  officers wear swords (at least with dress uniforms), and there
  are always back-alley knife fights, so any low-tech melee
  weapon from the Basic Set tables and the associated skills
  can be found somewhere on this Earth. A few inventors have
  tried producing electrified blades or have experimented with
  unusual materials, but these remain unproductive one-off
  experiments as yet.
  ARMOR
  Body armor isn’t widespread here; the basic TL4-7 prob-
  lem, that damage from guns runs way ahead of the protective
  ability of any materials light enough to wear for long periods,
  is as visible here as in other timelines. Armor is mostly limit-
  ed to parade cuirasses worn by a few cavalry units.
  Because there hasn’t been a major war involving
  two nations with heavy artillery at the local max-
  imum TL, the problem of head injuries caused
  by shrapnel from bursting overhead shells
  hasn’t demanded the development of pro-
  tective helmets as happened at TL6 on
  Homeline. Steel military helmets of TL6
  quality can be found, but this usually
  requires some searching or a special
  order, and at 50% greater cost.
  None of this stops inventors from
  trying to come up with something use-
  ful in the way of body protection, and
  advances in chemistry and metallurgy
  offer some possibilities. Military forces
  aren’t interested, but with assassination
  attempts an occasional danger for the
  rich and powerful, there’s a market for
  lightweight armor. Anyone wearing such
  things is seen as eccentric.
  Padded Synthetics: While the Britannica
  chemical industry hasn’t come up with any-
  thing to match Homeline’s TL7+ ballistic cloth, it
  can produce synthetic fibers that, combined with
  padding, provide some protection. A light protective vest,
  concealable under ordinary clothing or passed off as ordinary
  cold-weather wear, gives DR 2 flexible protection to the torso,
  weighs 5 lbs., and costs $300.
  Britannica Brigandine: For better protection, these same
  synthetic fibers can be combined with steel or aluminum alloy
  plates in a style resembling Renaissance brigandine armor.
  Relatively light, concealable, torso-only protection gives DR 5,
  weighs 12 lbs, and costs $600. A heavier version, occasionally
  worn by paranoid European dukes and wealthy mercenary
  officers, is equal to a TL6 flak jacket (p. B284), but costs
  around $1,000. The most extensive thing on the market gives
  DR 7 to the body and arms, weighs 32 lbs., and costs $1,600,
  but is miserably cumbersome and restrictive (-1 or -2 to any
  DX-based task the GM feels should suffer).
  TECHNOLOGY
  44
  
  Charles Babbage found some adequate funding for his early
  work on Britannica-6, and although he never achieved over-
  whelming success, mechanical Babbage engines found a num-
  ber of specialized applications in the middle of the century.
  With the development of electrical technology, the basic prin-
  ciple – a programmable machine that performs a range of log-
  ical tasks – came into its own, and is widely used in 1887.
  However, most electrical “controlling devices” and “analyt-
  ic engines” are dedicated, built for specific purposes such as
  generating and printing tables of numerical data, controlling
  complex weaving looms as they make intricately patterned
  cloth, keeping vehicles on course, and even guiding air-to-
  surface glide bombs. They are programmable only insofar as
  they perform specific tasks according to instructions set up by
  their operators or are configured by specialist engineers at the
  factory. Still, the flexibility and versatility of automated sys-
  tems is growing; large vehicles will probably be equipped with
  genuinely general-purpose computers within a few years.
  In GURPS terms, few of these systems count as “comput-
  ers”; the things that best qualify for that name are installed 
  in factories and laboratories and maintained by groups of 
  specialists. (They’re comparable to Homeline TL6 systems,
  although some are bigger than anything built at that TL.)
  However, some vehicles have crude electronic controls, and
  advanced machines have capabilities that demand complex
  automated supervision. For example, a few legged vehicles
  have been built – with intricate valve-electronic systems to
  manage the tricky task of moving the right leg at the correct
  time while remaining balanced. Most true TL(5+2) air and sea
  vehicles, and some large land vehicles, have TL6-equivalent
  basic autopilots, often linked to complicated, bulky, TL7-
  equivalent inertial navigation systems. Military designs with
  large guns may have semi-automated, TL6-equivalent fire
  direction systems.
  TECHNOLOGY
  45
  POWER SOURCES
  All of this technology demands power, of course. Steam
  engines are slightly more advanced in some ways than at the
  same date in Homeline history, as the most advanced in daily
  use are quadruple-expansion systems (and some engineers are
  tinkering with sextuple expansion); however, steam turbines
  are still strictly workshop experiments. Steam is being super-
  seded by TL6-quality diesel engines – known as “oil-piston”
  engines in this timeline, where Rudolph Diesel was never born.
  This type of internal combustion has almost completely taken
  over as the power source for aerostats, which demand the best
  possible power-to-weight ratio, and is effectively the universal
  standard for new road carriages, whose buyers demand ever
  greater performance. Steam carriages are treated as antiquat-
  ed jokes. Fuel oil is becoming expensive on this timeline, where
  the extraction and refining industry is scrambling to catch up
  with demand. Many deposits remain undiscovered, so coal-
  fired steam is the power source of preference in countless util-
  itarian applications including rail travel, larger ships, and stat-
  ic power plants. Meanwhile, dedicated engineers push the best
  oil-piston motor designs toward parity with Homeline’s TL7,
  and tinker with the types of supercharger that have sent
  Homeline engineers in search of a well-padded wall . . . but
  produce results close to our diesel turbocharger. Gasoline
  engines don’t appear to have been invented, although Infinity
  agents are checking patent office files; they suspect this may
  have something to do with the quality of available fuels, but it
  may just be a weirdness of the timeline.
  Most energy transmission is handled by straightforward
  mechanical linkages. Electrical power is known and fairly 
  well understood, but it isn’t yet seen as a viable option for
  many purposes; few cities have electrical distribution networks
  outside a handful of neighborhoods, and there are no national-
  level grids. This gives electricity the mystique of something
  new, exotic, expensive, and scientific; having one’s house illu-
  minated electrically is seen as the acme of sophistication. Most
  city-dwellers get by with coal gas for lighting; urban gas sup-
  plies are omnipresent in western towns and quite reliable.
  Even so, many homes are still heated by coal or wood fires.
  Roads
  Roads in even the wealthiest regions of Britannica-6
  are almost all amazingly poor quality for such a high-
  tech world. The reason is, simply, that Brittanica-6 cul-
  ture values local-level solutions and personal ingenuity
  above group or government action. When confronted
  with poor roads, the natural response of an engineer is
  to make his motor vehicle’s suspension better, not to
  improve the surface. This is inefficient, but it produces
  some strikingly clever suspension engineering.
  In game terms, the only roads that rate as Good ter-
  rain (p. B351) in any weather are in major towns and
  the estates of a few wealthy nobles. (Some dedicated
  racetracks also qualify). Many turn Bad in wet weather,
  but only minor roads turn Very Bad. Road-making tech-
  nology is at high TL5 or better, and even Britannica
  motor-carriages can only handle so much, so there’s
  enough political pressure to keep standards up to some
  minimum level. Anyone with the Motion Sickness dis-
  advantage is going to hate travel on this timeline.
  AUTOMATION
  
  All this technology is at the service of a wide variety of vehi-
  cle designs, because they’re useful and the ruling class likes
  acquiring new, interesting, and spectacular machines. Vehicles
  make good “prestige engineering” projects because their spe-
  cial abilities are highly visible and they can move around to
  show themselves off to people in different locations. Bloods
  and their imitators love speed, and the military loves power.
  VEHICLE-DESIGN
  RULE CONSIDERATIONS
  For the GURPS Vehicle Designer rules, this is a TL(5+2)
  setting, meaning technology and materials up to TL5 are freely
  available at the usual cost for their TL, sometimes for less;
  indeed, many cheap and non-prestigious machines are
  designed and built effectively at TL5. Where more advanced
  design features appear, they should be treated as if they’re at
  their TL of first introduction, which isn’t greater than 7 except
  in unusual cases. Features appearing at TL5 or below that
  improve with TL should be treated as being built to TL6 stan-
  dards. At the GM’s option they can be stuck at TL5, or at least
  be much cheaper in that form (preserving a certain amount of
  low-tech brass-and-rivets style), or be advanced to effective
  TL7 or even 8 when built by solitary genius engineers at vastly
  increased cost.
  Many land vehicles as well as aircraft are built with fine
  lines even when it isn’t really required, as Britannica designers
  and purchasers love elegant teardrop and cigar shapes. Few
  have better than fair streamlining; those shapes are more for
  show than for real effect, and aerodynamic science isn’t very
  advanced.
  Aluminum alloys are available for most purposes, especial-
  ly frames and “armor” (meaning, in practice, the body shells of
  civilian vehicles; the military still uses TL6-grade steel when it
  wants serious protection). This costs 50-100% more than the
  TL6 prices given in Vehicle Designer; aluminum extraction is
  still a developing industry. Any type of steam engine up to and
  including quadruple expansion are available at standard cost,
  along with TL6 diesel engines. Experimental designs may use
  sextuple-expansion steam, TL7-grade diesel, or diesel super-
  chargers at the GM’s whim, but with considerably increased
  costs. Steam turbines and gasoline engines are unavailable.
  Likewise, the jet engine remains to be invented and rockets are
  used only in unmanned weapons (and the occasional insane
  pilot-killing experiment). Electricity comes from lead-acid bat-
  teries or motor-driven generators.
  Ground vehicles usually use wheels, but engineers have
  developed caterpillar tracks, halftracks, skitracks, wheelform
  propulsion, and even legged propulsion systems, although the
  last are highly experimental. TL6-quality aerial propellers are
  available, usually on aerostats. Experiments with ornithopter
  drivetrains have been unsuccessful so far, and attempts at
  rotor propulsion are too heavy to fly or too flimsy to survive.
  Any vehicle may be fitted with turrets (usually for guns);
  gripper arms are another experimental possibility. TL6-quality
  radios can be installed, but these may be larger and less effi-
  cient than listed at the GM’s option. Radar is a secret military
  experiment (see p. 52); sonar is unknown. Experimental elec-
  tronics and mechanical ingenuity permit the construction of
  simple TL6-quality autopilots.
  Armament
  Heavy vehicle weapons on Britannica-6 look less exotic to
  Homeline eyes than the local personal weapons, although
  rotary cannon are more or less unknown (use something like
  the Perry Vehicular Cannon, p. 44, instead); the larger breech-
  loading rifled cannon designs would barely have attracted
  comment among Homeline dreadnought-era naval gunners.
  Britannica naval architects are under pressure to fit the biggest
  guns they can to any given design; on land, the lightest, fastest
  military vehicles carry small guns, while military aerostats
  concentrate on freefall and glide bombs with a few guns for
  close-quarters defense and for show.
  Some military rockets are in use; chemists have come up
  with solid-fuel propellants that enable the construction of TL6-
  quality unguided subsonic and transonic weapons. Nothing
  TECHNOLOGY
  46
  TRANSPORT
  The words for both personal and military motor vehicles
  on Britannica-6 are derived from the jargon for carriages in
  the Georgian period; there are several different terms with
  precise meanings. The “standard” four-seat, four-wheeled
  vehicle, equivalent to a Homeline sedan, is known as a
  motor-chaise or just a chaise, while a motor-gig is a two seat
  design, sometimes with just three wheels, used as a short-
  distance runabout. A phaeton is a small, fast, four-wheeled
  vehicle popular with wealthy young men and used for unof-
  ficial races, while a landau is a larger private vehicle analo-
  gous to a Homeline limousine.
  There are also two common classes of military vehicle.
  A war-gig is a lightweight, open-topped skirmishing and
  scouting vehicle much loved by the light cavalry; armament
  is usually limited to small arms carried by the crew. A war-
  barouche is the mainstay of mechanized land warfare, a
  heavier armored car mounting respectable weaponry.
  These come in a range of sizes, from the equivalent of a
  Homeline very light scout car up to something capable of
  dominating the battlefield.
  Lastly, terms like cart and coach are used for larger, util-
  itarian vehicles (for goods and passengers respectively).
  Also note that two-wheeled designs never caught on in
  Britannica; a gentleman likes to have space for his servant
  or a lady, or at least some luggage.
  Motor-Carriage Terminology
  
  faster has been built. The only guidance systems use wire guid-
  ance on subsonic missiles, and that’s experimental and unreli-
  able (the wire often snaps). Maritime torpedoes exist but are
  strictly TL5 quality; the feeling is that they’re ungentlemanly
  (and less fun) than really big guns. However, a secret Prussian
  research project is working on this technology.
  An even greater psychological disconnect involves the idea
  of chemical (and possibly biological) weapons. Britannica sci-
  ence is up to creating effective and vicious chemical munitions
  and there have been any number of research programs;
  armourers have certainly come up with appropriate shells and
  warheads. But these things aren’t seen as glamorous, even in a
  world where they haven’t been used much, so they haven’t
  been generally adopted. If Britannica ever gets into a serious
  arms race or a global war, especially if it invents trench war-
  fare, that could change quickly. A few chemical weapons have
  been used in colonial conflicts, but the stronger sense of racial
  equality on this timeline reduces the feeling that “natives” can
  be treated worse than “civilized” opponents (except perhaps on
  the western frontiers of the United States). On the other hand,
  reactionary members of the aristocracy are enthusiastic about
  using non-lethal chemical weapons against radical uprisings
  and other signs of lower-class dissent.
  MOTOR-CARRIAGES
  As on many timelines, early motor-vehicle designs on
  Britannica-6 were horse-drawn carriages with the horses
  removed and an engine and transmission jammed in
  somewhere. However, decades of enthusiastic develop-
  ment have produced designs a long way from those
  primitive contraptions.
  To start with, the quest for greater speed (and some-
  times better control or even comfort) on roads that
  remain questionable in quality led to a steady
  increase in the size of vehicle wheels and the com-
  plexity of suspension systems. In 1887, wheels 4-5
  feet in diameter are not unknown on modest vehicles,
  and the arrays of coil and leaf springs can appear
  bizarre. Issues of speed (and a desire to imitate the aes-
  thetics of aerostat design, the quintessence of high-tech style)
  led designers to investigate aerodynamics and streamlining.
  Frankly, the results of this work are at least as much for show
  as for effect; engineers’ grasp of the science is still a little
  patchy. The standard shape for a road vehicle body shell is an
  elongated teardrop, with the driver sitting well to the front
  behind a curved windshield. Most are fully enclosed, but have
  sliding windows and roof hatches for warm days (or whenever
  the passengers want to throw something at a passerby). These
  body shells are ideally made of thin aluminum; rigidity comes
  from a separate chassis (usually steel, but wood in some older
  models).
  As noted above, power is usually provided by diesel engines,
  although some older steam-coaches are still on the road, and
  agricultural and commercial vehicles may use coal-fuelled
  steam. Fuel-oil distribution is sketchy, an occasional inconven-
  ience to long-distance travelers, but most towns boast a garage
  that can supply a tank of fuel.
  TECHNOLOGY
  47
  These are current production models from Britannica-6,
  in the same format as pp. B463-465. (Note that, while the
  civilian designs here are marked as road-bound, they can
  handle the timeline’s poor, heavily rutted roads!) All use
  diesel engines and steel frames; the civilian models have
  aluminum armor, while the military designs use steel. All
  are operated with Driving (Automobile) skill.
  TL
  Vehicle
  ST/HP Hnd/SR
  HT
  Move
  LWt.
  Load
  SM
  Occ.
  DR
  Range
  Cost
  Locations
  Notes
  (5+1)
  Motor-Gig
  40
  -1/3
  9f
  2/38*
  0.80
  0.22
  +2
  1+1
  3
  200
  $3.5K
  O4W
  (5+2)
  Phaeton
  40
  0/2
  10f
  4/52*
  0.85
  0.2
  +2
  1+1
  3
  300
  $10K
  O4W
  (5+1)
  Chaise
  46
  0/4
  10f
  2/36*
  1.3
  0.5
  +3
  1+3
  4
  350
  $16K
  G4W
  (5+1)
  Landau
  55
  0/4
  10f
  2/36*
  1.9
  0.65
  +3
  1+4
  5
  320
  $22K
  G4W
  (5+2)
  War-Gig
  40
  0/3
  10f
  3/42
  1.0
  0.22
  +2
  2
  18
  350
  $12K
  O4W
  (5+2)
  War-Barouche
  65
  +1/4
  11f
  2/35
  3.8
  0.5
  +4
  3
  35
  280
  $50K
  s4W
  [1]
  Notes
  [1] Has a Perry Vehicular Cannon (p. 44) in a forward-facing mount in the body, with a limited arc of fire.
  Typical Land Vehicles
  
  One odd holdover from the days of steam power are ser-
  vants known as stokers. No gentleman would dream of ventur-
  ing out for a long trip without his stoker in the seat beside him
  – even though he’s using a diesel engine that requires no stok-
  ing! These folks are in fact employed as mechanics to keep
  these unreliable vehicles running, hopefully as fast as possible.
  A good stoker is also a competent driver, able to take the wheel
  if his boss wants to rest or hang out the window throwing wine
  bottles at passersby, though no self-respecting gentry would
  ever admit needing such support (except perhaps to drive lady
  guests home after a good dinner while he’s enjoying a bottle of
  port). He’s also a robust fellow, able to deal with ruffians and
  outraged pedestrians and to push the vehicle out of ditches
  from time to time. Sensible gentlemen appreciate a good stok-
  er’s skills and discretion, and may become almost friendly, tol-
  erating the archetypal stoker’s slightly rough ways and lower-
  class lack of social graces.
  Lastly, the local taste in paintwork tends to the flamboyant,
  to put it mildly. A favorite design involves painting a mytholog-
  ical creature along the whole side of the vehicle; gryphons are
  popular for some reason, but dragons (European or Chinese in
  style), unicorns, stylized tigers, and almost anything else that
  looks good can be encountered on the road. Vehicles from 
  the factory may have such paintings already in place, but
  wealthier owners like to commission something unique and
  personalized from an artist.
  AIR TRAVEL
  Aeronautical technology has advanced rapidly in the 19th
  century on Britannica-6, albeit bumping up against limits of
  materials technology, aerodynamic theory, available funding,
  and inventor mortality. Even on Homeline, early tests often
  killed the experimenters; here, with even more exuberant atti-
  tudes, the casualty rate among promising inventors has been
  truly appalling. Perhaps the only thing that’s enabled matters
  to progress as fast as they have is that many wealthy folks have
  employed assorted coachmen and other hirelings as test pilots
  rather than taking the risks themselves. Of course, they’ve had
  to pay them well.
  In any event, manned aviation still largely involves lighter-
  than-air vehicles. With compact, powerful engines available,
  these have developed from Georgian-era balloons to some-
  thing more controllable (if still at the mercy of bad weather).
  Experiments in heavier-than-air flight continue, but in the
  absence of some necessary breakthroughs it remains a niche
  technology.
  Aerostats
  The standard manned aircraft on this timeline is a small
  airship – known locally as an aerostat. This has a flimsy metal
  frame with a fabric skin surrounding a number of gasbags
  filled with hydrogen, and high-power diesel engines driving its
  propellers. (Helium is known, and some engineers have exper-
  imented with it – but then discarded it. After all, it’s not only
  expensive, it provides less lift than hydrogen, and that’s all that
  matters.) The smallest are single-engined single-seaters, but
  most have reasonable, enclosed cabins for a small crew and
  several passengers. Some see commercial use, but mostly for
  high-price passenger services; carrying cargo isn’t a viable
  option in most places.
  TECHNOLOGY
  48
  Prince Basil of Aberdeen is respected among the
  Bloods, but he is not liked. Even in that elevated commu-
  nity, he is thought proud – too proud to show due respect
  for his rivals, it seems, let alone for his inferiors. And his
  love of competition seemingly has an edge of cruelty for
  the joy of cruelty.
  However, he is prepared to pay the financial cost for
  his pleasures, and his gladness lies in matters befitting a
  Prince of the Blood: victory and progress. His love of all
  that is modern is greater than most. For one thing, elec-
  tricity, he holds, is the light of the future. He has explained
  this on occasion when he thought he had found willing lis-
  teners, but they never seemed to him quite willing enough
  – so he has abandoned mere verbal description. He is
  going to make a demonstration, and the way to validate
  his beliefs most forcefully is through terror . . .
  Prince Basil’s masterpiece uses a diesel engine as its
  power source, which drives a generator that in turn pow-
  ers a complex, electro-mechanical, six-legged drivetrain;
  the even-more-complex control systems that enable this to
  work; a pair of electrified pincer arms; and accessories
  like high-power searchlights. The result is impressive to
  see, and dangerous at close range.
  The exact nature, or rather the scale, of the Electrical
  Terror, should be determined by the style of the campaign
  or approach to the setting (see p. 11). In a “realistic”
  world, it should be highly experimental, and only the size
  of a small truck – though Basil may have several such
  vehicles as the kernel of a small, high-tech private army.
  In a “Vernean” game, it’s bigger – the size of a small build-
  ing – and capable of engaging a lesser army single-
  handedly, though artillery could doubtless bring it down
  swiftly if the operator became careless. And in a “cinemat-
  ic” treatment, it’s the size of a palace or small town, appro-
  priately hard to damage (except perhaps by internal sabo-
  tage), and likely to be used in some mad scheme of nation-
  al conquest.
  Any version can be used as the central feature of a
  scenario or a whole campaign, for I-Cops or local adven-
  turers. Prince Basil may not be insane enough to try to
  conquer the Empire, some part of it, or another nation –
  but he’ll certainly be quite mad with somebody who cross-
  es him, and start using the machine for something more
  than merely amplifying his charisma. He’s also mon-
  strously elitist, even for a Blood, and paranoid about the
  “lower orders”; if he feels threatened by some Radical
  demonstration or a strike (Luddite-inspired, he’s sure) at
  a factory he owns, the Terror may stride forth to remind
  the plebeians of their rightful place.
  The Electrical Terror
  
  The size has increased over time, although engineers are
  having problems building larger models strong enough; there
  have been a few annoying disasters. Many of the largest craft
  are bomb-carriers, which are made relatively robust because
  the buyers are prepared to accept the ensuing loss of speed,
  but the most common use for military aerostats is reconnais-
  sance. That involves light, fast one- and two-man designs.
  Army vessels are also assigned to colonial frontiers in the
  hopes of awing rebellious natives, although this rarely seems
  to work as well as expected. Since only basic optical bomb-
  sights are available, ground attack accuracy isn’t high. One or
  two giant passenger-carrying airships have recently entered
  service.
  The most glamorous aerostats are racing models, built for
  speed above all, and anything else (including safety) is a dis-
  tant second. Some are designed for long-haul racing, but the
  most popular events take place over short, closed courses so
  that sponsors and spectators can watch the whole event from
  fixed seats on the ground.
  Gliders
  Powered heavier-than-air flight is still a dream, but enough
  inventors have tinkered with wing designs to build up a mod-
  est body of engineering experience. Brave (or crazy) experi-
  menters and hobbyists occasionally take to the skies in things
  akin to a TL8 hang glider (only heavier and much more dan-
  gerous), and some armed forces and espionage agencies
  deploy a few to insert individuals or small groups into hostile
  territory, launching them from aerostats. Many lack proper
  control surfaces, steered by warping the whole wing structure;
  the tail rudder has been invented, but isn’t universal on gliders.
  TECHNOLOGY
  49
  See p. B463 for a key to the table abbreviations. The
  Racing Aerostat is a single-seater, designed for minimum
  weight and maximum performance above anything else;
  similar designs with more fuel are used by the military for
  reconnaissance or courier work. The Excursion Flyer is a
  short-range passenger design, useful for giving joyrides or
  ferrying a few passengers to some inaccessible spot. The
  Scout Aerostat is a light military design with a crew consist-
  ing of a pilot (the commander) and a gunner-spotter; the
  Bomb Carrier is typical of “workhorse” military designs,
  intended to provide tactical support to the army or navy
  and for colonial frontier actions (it carries a crew of eight).
  The Strategic Aerostat is an attempt at an air-dreadnought,
  the heaviest craft currently in military service (certain
  nobles and high-ranking officers are said to have commis-
  sioned even bigger designs, which may be successful in cin-
  ematic games); how effective they will be in warfare and
  how vulnerable to incendiary attacks remains to be deter-
  mined. Test firings of the main guns induce worrying
  creaking noises in the structure, and so aren’t often
  attempted.
  All are operated with Piloting (Lighter-Than-Air) skill.
  Prices are for new aerostats; those encountered by PCs are
  well-used vehicles with much-reduced market value (and
  reliability).
  Gliding-Shell
  This is an unmanned weapon. It consists of a 5’ “fuse-
  lage” with a vestigial tail, biplane wings with an 8’ span, and
  a barbed nose-spike to lodge it in targets like enemy air-
  ships, ensuring when the explosive load detonates it does so
  at close quarters. (The warhead has an impact fuse, and can
  also be triggered by the operator.) The fuselage holds con-
  trol systems and a bomb. The glider has a magnesium flare
  on its tail to enable the operator to track it onto the target;
  he “flies” it using simple remote controls with a -4 telepres-
  ence penalty.
  The gliding-shell is launched at 10 yards/second (20
  mph) and uses the rules for gliding flight (see p. B56 and
  p. B398), with a top speed of 35 yards/second (70 mph). It
  stalls at anything less than 6 yards/second (12 mph). The
  warhead is equivalent to a 155mm shell, and the standard
  high-explosive version detonates for 6d¥7 cr ex and [8d]
  fragmentation; designers have experimented with a wide
  range of incendiary, chemical, and possibly even biological
  payloads.
  TL
  Vehicle
  ST/HP
  Hnd/SR
  HT
  Move LWt. Load
  SM
  Occ.
  DR
  Range
  Cost
  Locations
  Notes
  (5+2)
  Racing Aerostat
  20
  -5/2
  8f
  1/40
  1.4
  0.1
  +7
  1
  1
  50
  $500K
  S
  (5+2)
  Excursion Flyer
  55
  -4/3
  10f
  1/30
  2.2
  0.7
  +9
  1+5
  1
  150
  $650K
  S
  (5+2)
  Scout Aerostat
  50
  -4/3
  10f
  1/33
  2.0
  0.3
  +8
  2
  1
  200
  $750K
  S
  [1]
  (5+2)
  Bomb Carrier
  120
  -4/3
  10f
  1/30
  18
  4
  +10
  8A
  2
  550
  $3.5M
  SX
  [2]
  (5+2)
  Strategic Aerostat
  175
  -3/4
  10f
  1/30
  540
  120
  +13
  35A
  2
  4,200
  $150M
  SX
  [3]
  Notes
  [1] Has a single vehicular cannon (see p. 44) on a forward-facing omni-directional mount.
  [2] Armed with three vehicular cannons each covering a 120 degree arc around the gondola, a fourth in a universal mount
  on top of the craft, and eight gliding shells (see below).
  [3] Armed with a pair of 12” main guns on a universal turret below the gondola, four dual-mount vehicular cannon cov-
  ering each 120 degree arc around the gondola, four more universal dual-mounts on top of the craft, and a total of 80 gliding
  shells (see below) with four launch racks on each side of the gondola and one more each fore and aft.
  Sample Aerostats
  
  Some inventors have focused on the idea of short-range
  unmanned gliders, mostly as missiles. The problem is, of
  course, how to grant these any sort of accuracy. Various solu-
  tions have been attempted; the most popular is wire guidance,
  and the requisite spool mechanisms exist. Military aerostats
  carry “gliding-shells” (glide bombs) for use in ground attacks
  and aerial duels. In the event of the latter, the theory is the
  aerostat should gain as much height advantage over the oppo-
  nent as possible, then launch gliding-shells from spring cata-
  pults on pivoting mounts along the underside or occasionally
  the top of the vessel. A gunner guides the missile to the target,
  using a flare on its tail to track it. Trials have been promising,
  though there are some problems to resolve with both the tac-
  tics and technology; experts eagerly await a chance to test
  things out in actual combat. Dashing aerostat officers can no
  doubt achieve wonderful results when fighting in defense of
  their country and honor.
  RAIL TRAVEL
  Train travel was developing in the history Homeline shares
  with Britannica before the divergence point, but it reached its
  glory days somewhat later on Homeline. Trains evolved in
  close parallel forms in the two histories, but the Britannica-6
  attitude to rail travel is different.
  Rail travel is seen as a second-best choice for passengers.
  Some people choose to go that way and there are advantages
  for transcontinental journeys, but at heart a gentleman prefers
  to drive himself in his own motor-carriage. Many see trains as
  something for the lower classes who can’t afford anything bet-
  ter, and it’s useful for freight. Locomotives tend to be stolid
  load-haulers rather than swift expresses; a few rail company
  owners show off by setting out to establish records, but these
  are as likely to be for total weight hauled as for speed. Track
  gauges aren’t standardized, leading to further complications.
  Locos are still coal-burning steam engines, although diesels
  aren’t entirely unknown, and a few forward-thinking city gov-
  ernments experiment with electrified urban passenger servic-
  es, including things more like Homeline trams.
  WATER TRAVEL
  Steam and diesel engines are ideally suited for nautical use,
  as weight is less of an issue there while dependable power
  counts for a lot. Thus, the evolution of motor vessels on
  Britannica-6 echoed Homeline closely – but it has progressed
  faster. Sailing ships are seen as out of date, while swift and lux-
  urious steam-powered liners ply the oceans. The wealthy keep
  their own yachts, while taking a motor-launch or rowing boat
  out on the river is a popular amusement, so water vehicles and
  the skills to operate them are widespread.
  Sea Travel
  The native style of this timeline emerges on the oceans in
  the sheer scale of many vessels. Liners are floating cities, with
  luxurious and ornate upper decks and substantial space for
  less wealthy passengers. Battleships are designed to impress by
  their size, and by the size of their guns, which are usually
  mounted in limited-rotation turrets; the idea of a good warship
  being able to deliver a proper broadside has never quite disap-
  peared. The main limit on civilian vessel sizes is demand, given
  the lower levels of emigration from Europe to North America,
  although quite a few colonists ship out to South America or
  Australia. There are just a few giant ships in the 40-50,000 ton
  displacement range (a little bigger than Homeline’s Great
  Eastern), some with mixed cargo and passenger facilities, qui-
  etly subsidized by imperial governments who see this traffic as
  binding together widely dispersed provinces. The only limits
  for military designs are sheer cost and engineering practicali-
  ty, and neither of those are as respected as they should be.
  Some battleships are white elephants, which cost a lot, don’t fit
  in many harbors, and might not be entirely safe in stormy seas.
  Submarines have been invented, and engineers periodically
  come up with new designs. The military utility of a warship
  that can hide beneath the waves is obvious, and local technol-
  ogy produces something on par with World War II sub-
  mersibles. However, submarines (known as “diving boats” or
  “submersion craft”) have one clear drawback in Britannica-6
  terms: They work best when they’re hidden. The point of new
  technology on this timeline is to show off and impress the
  neighbors! (Their torpedo designs aren’t impressive either; see
  p. 47.) Navies operate limited submarine forces, and those are
  mostly intended for reconnaissance and low-key patrol duties.
  Infinity Patrol analysts worry Prussia will recognize this 
  TECHNOLOGY
  50
  Britannica-6
  Battleships
  Despite the best efforts of the builders of war-
  barouches and military aerostats, the biggest and most
  formidable war machines on Britannica-6 are still, by
  far, the ones that float on the sea – and Britain’s Royal
  Navy owns the most powerful battleships.
  These look somewhat unsophisticated to out-timers
  – more like “pre-dreadnoughts” than the true dread-
  noughts of Homeline history. (Curiously, the longstand-
  ing warship name “Dreadnought” has been applied by
  the Britannica-6 Royal Navy to one of its big battle-
  ships, and since it sounds impressive it’s occasionally
  used as a generic term for “big battleship,” much as on
  Homeline. Infinity believes this is accidental parallelism
  rather than true historical inertia.) They have secondary
  and tertiary batteries backing up their big guns, and
  because the steam turbine hasn’t been invented they
  can be slow and cumbersome by Homeline TL6 stan-
  dards. Some have ornate bow rams.
  Their size may depend on the “style setting” of the
  campaign. For a “realistic” version, they should be sim-
  ilar to Homeline-historical pre-dreadnoughts, displac-
  ing 10-12,000 tons and mounting 12” main guns. For a
  “Vernean” take, they’re 15,000-30,000 ton vessels
  mounting 18” main armaments. The fully cinematic
  version is a 50,000-ton monster bristling with 20” main
  guns and batteries of smaller weapons. Note that these
  ships only have 2-4 guns in their largest sizes and the
  barrels are relatively short, giving shorter ranges than
  was normal for Homeline TL6-7 battleship armament.
  Engagements tend to be fought at fairly short ranges, as
  torpedoes are still feeble on this timeline.
  
  technology is a possible solution to their naval inferiority and
  the Royal Navy’s overwhelming dominance. A few peaceful-
  minded aristocrats may sponsor submarine engineering 
  for purposes of scientific research, but they might be more
  interested in bathyspheres or the like.
  Canals and Rivers
  The early British Industrial Revolution was associated with
  an extensive canal network, and this survives on Britannica
  although it’s not expanding; canal and river transport is most-
  ly limited to high-volume, low-urgency goods. On the other
  hand, with the roads as bad as they are this is the most effi-
  cient way to move bulk loads. The Rhine and Danube rivers in
  mainland Europe and the Mississippi in the United States are
  major commercial highways.
  Cargo boats use steam engines, though some modern
  designs have oil-piston power, and private launches can be
  contemporary in both style and decoration. Vessel size is lim-
  ited by the depth of water in which they have to operate, lead-
  ing to technological fixes like “trains” of towed barges.
  OTHER TRANSPORT
  The engineering diversity and social competitiveness of
  Britannica-6 means virtually any method of travel the local
  technology might support has at least been discussed and quite
  possibly tried. Tunneling machines are too slow for transport,
  but the snow and ice of Canada have inspired the creation of
  some interesting specialized personal transports and at least
  one military monster.
  Some sponsors like the idea of “hybrid” vehicles, capable of
  operation in more than one environment, and some have even
  proved moderately successful. Amphibious motor-carriages
  are slow and ungainly in water, but military strategists adapt-
  ed the idea to the problem of river crossings, and some
  aerostats have gondolas that are fully serviceable boats or
  motor-carriages when detached from their gasbags.
  TECHNOLOGY
  51
  The Duke-Governor of Greater Manitoba is a conscien-
  tious ruler, after his fashion; he thinks the condition of his
  province reflects on him, and he worries about threats to its
  security – perhaps too much. He regards the Russians and
  their colony in Alaska a potential menace, although they
  have never shown any real interest in expanding into British
  Canada (being, in truth, grossly stretched with regard to mil-
  itary logistics). He is a Blood, of a sort, and knows how such
  issues are best resolved: by a show of strength. Fortunately
  for him his vast province has turned out to be quite prof-
  itable with the last few mineral discoveries, so he has tax
  and concession revenues to spare.
  But that on which they have been spent, His Majesty’s Ice
  Ship Earthshaker, is a vehicle without a mission, inspired by
  late-night brandy fumes and built by sighing engineers. She
  is as heavily protected as a warship, mounting four 15”
  guns, eight 5” quick-firers, and substantial tertiary arma-
  ment. (The Army workforce contributing to the project
  sketched out a design bristling with anti-personnel guns; the
  Navy types pointed out no sensible infantryman is ever
  going to get within range; the compromise chosen involved
  a number of 2” vehicular cannons, which are expected to be
  used against incautious aerostats.) She can traverse the vast
  distances and snowy wastes of northern Canada from her
  base on the shores of Hudson Bay.
  The secret of her mobility is the largest ski-track system
  yet built (on any timeline, as far as Infinity knows); the main
  body of the ship sits on twelve massive track units, while ski-
  borne outriggers support the superstructure. In spite of her
  size, she has relatively little ground pressure, and can even
  float on calm water. While this is a serious war machine, her
  15” shells are usually replaced with pyrotechnic loads – fire-
  works, really. All her weapons, even the 15” main guns, are
  in universal mounts with full stabilization; the builders don’t
  know what she might have to fight, but they’ve taken no
  chances.
  Earthshaker has seen action only against unruly Inuit
  (who have the sense to leave well before she arrives), but has
  proved useful for moving supplies and personnel to remote
  settlements during the Canadian winter. Pictures of this
  wonder are circulating throughout the Empire, raising the
  Duke-Governor’s prestige to the point where he may make
  an extended journey to London and the court soon. Her
  crew has several names for her beside the official one, but
  are proud of her (or at least too proud to admit to their real
  opinions). In theory, her mass and huge size are dampers
  against vibration, but her long-term personnel are not as
  healthy as they ought to be.
  She has impressed the rulers of Russia, who would love
  to build something similar, but it might bankrupt their
  nation if they tried. Russian espionage activities in Greater
  Manitoba have recently increased substantially.
  The Ice Dreadnought
  
  The invention of electronics, includ-
  ing some basic computer engineering,
  has triggered an accelerating revolution
  in information communications on
  Britannica-6, but vestiges of an older
  approach are slow to disappear.
  Napoleonic-era visual telegraphy, and
  news media built around newspapers,
  have been replaced – by electrical and
  radio telegraphs, and slightly larger-
  circulation newspapers. Infinity expects
  things will change as enterprising busi-
  nessmen come up with alternative for-
  mats, but the poverty of much of the
  population makes this a slow process.
  The Post
  Old-fashioned messenger and courier systems have evolved
  into a fairly sophisticated international postal service, but few
  nations accept that this should involve any sort of monopoly at
  any level. The British Empire certainly doesn’t, and sneers at the
  aristocratically-managed “official post” in Austria, for example.
  Getting a letter or package through anywhere is a matter of
  selecting the most reliable company or companies operating
  over the desired route, and hoping that their hard-driven motor-
  cart doesn’t crash and burn this time.
  Telegraphic Cables
  The basic principle of the electrical telegraph was recognized
  and exploited quickly on Britannica, but users chafed against its
  limitations and a whole slew of researchers attempted to
  improve it. They created the voice telephone (“verbal telegra-
  phy”) and later, forms of image transmission. First they sent still
  images, and now moving pictures. The latter remain low-
  resolution, but they have entered public, commercial use. “Cable
  telegraphy” is used less for two-way communication – that’s a
  high-priced luxury or emergency service – and more for one-way
  signal distribution. Concerts and readings are transmitted to dif-
  ferent theatres in a single town, though audiences pay more for
  the stage performance. News and ideas travel quickly within
  European and New England cities, national-level networks are
  growing rapidly, and there are even cables under the English
  Channel and the North Sea. However, the timeline’s tradition is
  one of strictly limited large-scale infrastructure development
  unless the work is dramatic, prestigious, or militarily essential;
  landowners actively resist having cables laid across their proper-
  ty, so the system can be patchy. Trans-Atlantic cables remain
  strictly hypothetical, waiting for some government or wealthy
  industrialist or aristocrat to find a reason to sponsor the idea.
  RADIO-TELEGRAPHY TOWERS
  Other advanced technologies are developing. Research into
  electricity in the mid-19th century stumbled upon the princi-
  ple of radio waves (known on Britannica as “Faradayan
  waves”), and the possibilities of these for communication were
  quickly recognized. However, radio
  technology remains relatively crude
  and unreliable, working best over line-
  of-sight connections – so the growing
  “Faradayan telegraphy” system relies
  on a lot of relay towers, usually
  perched on hilltops.
  Homeline 
  engineers 
  suspect
  Britannica’s thinking is stuck in a
  Napoleonic rut in some places – and
  this is one of them. A half-decent radio
  network doesn’t depend on line-of-
  sight beamed transmissions and multi-
  ple relays, and it takes a determined
  lack of innovation to muddle forward
  blindly long enough to develop so
  much infrastructure. Still, it works after
  a fashion; the hills of Europe and New England are dotted with
  radio masts, each manned by a small team of young men to
  keep the fragile valve radios and relay devices working contin-
  uously. Because they succeed, transmissions reach offices near
  the network from anywhere else in the same country within an
  hour, and can cross the continent within a day – if the sender
  is prepared to meet the significant cost. Optimistic Homeline
  observers wonder if Britannica is evolving toward a cell phone
  network by an unorthodox route, but while dedicated “logical
  machines” are linked to the telegraphs to keep the system run-
  ning, anything like the Internet seems a long way off.
  TECHNOLOGY
  52
  Primitive Radar
  A few years ago, engineers working on Faradayan
  wave technology stumbled upon some previously unrec-
  ognized properties, and the idea of radar (“Faradayan
  location”) arrived on the timeline. It came to the atten-
  tion of various military engineering officers quickly, and
  they recognized its potential and managed to prevent it
  spreading much further, hiring most of the engineers
  who knew about it.
  Thus radar is a little-known military technology on
  Britannica, and Infinity doesn’t yet realize it’s been devel-
  oped. They may find out sooner rather than later – secre-
  cy on such projects is weak, and on Britannica-6 people
  are accustomed to boasting about inventions. Hints have
  already appeared in some technical journals, if anyone
  knew where to look and how to interpret them.
  It’s up to the GM exactly who is working on this: how
  many different groups are involved in the process, who
  has their own research programs, who’s learned about
  the idea through espionage. It’ll be useful to whoever gets
  it working, of course, but more at sea than in the air;
  slow-moving aerostat bombers can be seen long before
  they reach their targets, so issues of air defense are a lit-
  tle less fraught with peril here than they were in
  Homeline’s 1930s.
  COMMUNICATIONS
  
  One thing that lifts Britannica’s tech level rating to a full
  TL(5+2) is decent, if sometimes eccentric, medicine. If nothing
  else, it’s a lot less dangerous to its patients now than before the
  divergence point (for one thing, deliberate bleeding went out of
  fashion earlier than on our world, for good historical reasons).
  PHARMACOLOGY
  This advanced medicine includes some innovative
  ad hoc pharmacology. One practical factor is that
  asking natives and folk-healers what herbs and
  concoctions are good for which purposes is
  considered smart rather than undignified.
  Penicillin was discovered years ago and other
  antibiotics followed, along with a range of
  poison treatments, and vaccination – already
  known in a basic form by 1800 – is a mature
  science. White Star pharmacologists are
  combing Britannica’s medical references in
  search of tricks they may have missed.
  They suspect they could sell a lot back into this
  timeline once they’ve got an adequate cover story set
  up. Britannica’s pharmacology is hitting limits in bio-
  medical theory. The distinction, say, between bacteria and
  viruses is understood, in the sense that the diseases they cause
  respond differently to different treatments. Only bacteria can
  be observed under available microscopes, but no one has a
  clue what a virus really is. (Researchers tend to refer to them
  as “virulent toxins.”) Genetics is a science almost entirely of
  brilliant statistical deduction; some researchers have guessed
  DNA might somehow be involved, but local crystallography
  won’t generate ideas about the structure any time soon.
  Meanwhile, enthusiastic use of antibiotics is producing resist-
  ant diseases. Infinity’s medics think selling the timeline a few
  new theories would be a worthy humanitarian act.
  SURGERY
  What makes surgery more effective on Britannica than in
  Homeline’s 19th century is the development of crude but effec-
  tive anesthesia. Fewer patients die from shock, and surgeons
  can work carefully rather than hurriedly, which in turn means
  they can learn from experience even if they fail in
  any given case. Also, although their grasp
  of sterile technique is inconsistent,
  they have some idea. They don’t
  have X-rays or other imaging
  technologies yet so they usually
  go in blind, but they have a
  working understanding of
  blood pressure, some insight
  into blood types (another life-
  saver in extended surgery),
  and even some ideas about
  electrocardiographs. Infinity
  suspects they’ll invent elec-
  troshock treatments for heart
  attacks soon, and probably apply
  them with enthusiasm. Some doctors
  have also developed less invasive techniques,
  including a basic form of physiotherapy.
  EFFECTIVE TL
  Not every treatment available on this timeline can be consid-
  ered fully TL7-equivalent, but some of it isn’t bad. As a general
  rule, treat local medicine as equivalent to TL6 with a good
  range of drugs and anesthetics. Exactly how good any individ-
  ual doctor or surgeon proves to be is something of a lottery, as
  some are prone to strange theories or old-fashioned ideas; cruel
  GMs can decide this with a random die roll if they like.
  TECHNOLOGY
  53
  MEDICINE
  Many of the above technologies depend on something
  basic: good chemistry, along with associated sciences such as
  pharmacology and chemical engineering. This is what
  Homeline engineering historians find most impressive about
  Britannica-6. So for example, doctors have access to a wide
  range of drugs and medicines, while aerostat builders can get
  hold of aluminum for their frames and plentiful hydrogen for
  lift.
  Other technologies are developing because of this.
  Photography is up to early TL7 levels, including various meth-
  ods of color reproduction, although cameras do tend to be
  bulky and complex. It’s advancing fast and there have been sev-
  eral experiments with moving pictures, which are mostly held
  back by engineers’ persistent inability to agree on standards.
  Likewise, phonographic sound recording is advanced, but
  there are a dozen formats of cylinder and disc in use. Electrical
  technology is less sophisticated, and isn’t used much in sound
  recording (as opposed to transmission); engineers tend to
  think of it as a way of handling power rather than information,
  although advances in telegraphy may change that.
  But it’s grand-scale technology that attracts the most inter-
  est on this timeline, and architects and civil engineers can
  claim their share of the glory since they throw bridges across
  wider gaps (the English Channel) or construct astonishing
  mooring towers for aerostats. The idea of the steel-framed
  building – the basic principle behind the skyscraper – has been
  understood for 20 years or so, but there isn’t enough call for
  extra floor space in cities to drive the construction of great
  office or residential blocks. (Showy, slender towers, even out-
  right follies, are another matter.) Where these are attached to
  palaces or castles, they may have weapons mounted some-
  where near the top; after all, the military uses airships, so this
  looks like a sensible defensive measure . . .
  OTHER TECHNOLOGIES
  
  “Son of a . . .”
  The timeline-inappropriate curse was cut off as the short-
  barreled weapon on the pursuing war-barouche barked into life.
  Jeremy Walsh ducked instinctively as his partner swerved left and
  right. One shot ricocheted audibly off the structure of their rent-
  ed motor-gig, but fortunately the hit didn’t seem to have found
  anything important.
  Yet, thought Walsh. It wasn’t the sort of luck on which he
  liked to depend.
  “Centrum?” The I-Cop driver risked a glance back at the pur-
  suit and to make sure that Walsh was unhurt. She’d been wait-
  ing half a mile away while he essayed a little burglary; fortunate-
  ly, she’d reacted quickly enough when he radioed a yell for
  extraction.
  “Worse,” Walsh groaned, as the gig took a corner on two
  wheels, and a passing farm-worker cheered amicably as he leapt
  clear, presumably not having heard the gunfire and assuming
  that this was a race between members of the gentry. “Local
  spooks. They’re too damned sharp, if you ask me.”
  “Very sharp. They’ve got back-up, too, it seems.”
  Walsh groaned again as he saw what the driver had seen first.
  A slender aerostat was dipping toward them out of the sky, and
  he glimpsed a familiar ducal crest on its nose. He pulled an auto-
  matic rifle out from under the gig’s back passenger seat, glanced
  at the telltale to confirm that it was loaded, and kicked open the
  door. Secrecy and subtlety were no longer options, and at least he
  had fair-sized targets. The big wheels on that war-barouche
  looked gratifyingly vulnerable, and then he could try to shred a
  gasbag or two. There might still be a chance for a clean escape.
  Given the local obsession with competition, Britannica-6 is
  never short of opportunities for adventure. Its pattern of run-
  away technological development and general instances of
  slight weirdness means these adventures can be spectacular
  and unpredictable.
  ADVENTURES OF BRITANNICA-6
  54
  CHAPTER SIX
  ADVENTURES ON
  BRITANNICA-6
  INFINITY MISSIONS
  The Infinity Patrol and their allied organizations have a lim-
  ited presence on this timeline – but then, they have a limited
  presence on most timelines. Overstretched and under-
  resourced, they improvise and juggle, adapting loose doctrines
  and organizational structures to the problems at hand.
  THE GENERAL POSITION
  Britannica-6 is seen within the Patrol as a potentially vul-
  nerable timeline but one with some promise, where a cautious
  defensive strategy should hopefully suffice to see off external
  threats and a little careful intervention may steer the local soci-
  ety away from various catastrophic mistakes matching
  Homeline history. It’s also interesting, well worth investigating,
  protecting, and saving, with an admirable enthusiasm for
  progress that may not blow up the entire world in the end.
  Outtime trade has started and looks set to produce decent prof-
  its, and tourism can probably be permitted without more than
  the usual quota of headaches.
  The minority-pessimist position, taken by some analysts if
  only in an attempt to avoid complacency, is that this is a time-
  line wide open to Centrum manipulation. It combines the
  worst elements of Georgian elitism, Victorian smugness, and
  technocratic carelessness, and if it doesn’t suffer a WWI rerun
  in a few years it’ll only be because the British Empire has dis-
  integrated into aristocratic in-fighting.
  But then again, Infinity’s cliodynamicists really need time-
  lines like this to keep them interested. For now they think that
  they can handle this one, and some of them are keen to get on
  with the job.
  JUSTICE DIVISION
  As ever, the Patrol’s Justice Division believes that it’s at the
  sharply practical end of many of these questions, and they’re
  engaged in establishing an overview of Britannica-6 while slav-
  ing through the Scout Service report files in search of likely
  weak points. But they’re already painfully aware that a bunch
  of swagmen beat them to the punch (see p. 32), and some
  Justice agents are working hard on that case hoping to deter
  the crosstime con artists from attempting too many repetitions
  of the coup. A small team is in place in Australia, monitoring
  the local political movements for signs of further swagman
  activity.
  
  Other Justice Division members take a more pragmatic
  position, or at least suspect that the swagmen, having made
  their score, have moved on by now. Frankly, they say, a few
  subtle con games aren’t the Patrol’s biggest worry, even if they
  do stir up the politics of a minor British colony. Their greater
  concern is with the timeline’s rampant militarism, the threat of
  war, and the love of flashy weapons. This will make Britannica
  all too appealing to arms smugglers, who can introduce new
  technologies under a thin disguise as amazing inventions and
  trade them for locally made weaponry to sell elsewhere.
  Division analysts have ordered every Britannica technological
  journal they can lay hands on, especially those dedicated to
  military affairs, and are trying to distinguish local ingenuity
  from outtime meddling – which isn’t always easy.
  As a more general concern, Justice Division fears that
  Britannica is the sort of timeline where individual Homeline
  renegades all too easily do all too well: working their way into
  aristocratic households and wealthy society, trading in new
  ideas, and enjoying the flamboyance and low-level corruption
  of the local ruling classes. Basically, all this is an issue of intel-
  ligence; Justice needs to get a handle on the world before more
  problems start, which means asking for assistance from other
  divisions.
  MORALE DIVISION
  Much the same goes for the propagandists and psycholo-
  gists of Morale Division, albeit from a completely different
  angle. On current evidence, they agree that Britannica-6 is
  inherently politically unstable; the local politics are also subtly
  weird, so interventions are liable to be both necessary and
  difficult.
  Right now, this means professional historians in Morale’s
  Homeline offices are going over historical texts and news-
  sheets coming out of Britannica, trying to comprehend this
  wacky political gestalt. They’re also watching for Centrum
  propaganda ops, but happily not seeing any signs of those right
  now (though again it’s hard to tell). Field missions – meaning
  propaganda interventions – are some way off in the future, and
  will doubtless involve a lot of collaboration with other divi-
  sions if they do happen. The Morale psychologists think the
  population on Britannica should be fairly susceptible to their
  manipulations, if necessary; they’ve not been “immunized”
  against the full range of high-tech propaganda techniques as
  yet, but they have decent communications to disseminate such
  things. On the other hand, this means that other outtime fac-
  tions could also mess with things, as those swagmen have
  already demonstrated – and as Centrum presumably has
  realized.
  NEXUS OVERSIGHT
  So far as the Scouts were able to tell, there aren’t too many
  nexus portals opening onto Britannica-6, or dimensional high-
  ways running through, or banestorms blowing up. But Nexus
  Oversight doesn’t earn its pay by being complacent or believ-
  ing everything a Scout report tells them. A handful of analysts
  are combing news reports, anomalous myths and legends, 
  and the arcane, near-paranormal mathematics of dimensional
  disruption, hoping they won’t find anything.
  (In fact, they’re in line for some bad news. There aren’t
  many tears in reality in these parts, but those that do exist
  give access to some pretty weird places. Nexus Oversight
  agents will doubtless get to play with some interesting
  Britannica-6 vehicles and hunting weapons sooner or later.
  Furthermore, the Cabal may stir things up for them over
  time.)
  SECURITY DIVISION
  Security Division regards timelines such as Britannica as
  questions in technological analysis. So long as they don’t
  develop any sort of parachronic theory (or any paranormal
  techniques with the same results), and so long as Justice
  keeps Homeline renegades out of these timelines, Security
  shouldn’t have to do anything except monitor the status quo
  without agents in place.
  In practice, of course, things are never that simple, and
  Security is forever making incursions and “adjustments” to
  all sorts of timelines, especially those with complicated poli-
  tics and lots of weird science. They’re establishing offices,
  safe houses, and hopefully a few contacts across the planet
  while feeding information back to other divisions and build-
  ing networks with Scout Communications agents. They’ve
  been given the job ahead of Scout Intelligence, if only
  because they’re supposed to be more involved with such prac-
  ticalities, and because anything that does blow up likely
  involves running around with guns, which is more their line.
  According to Security’s scientific section, for all its sophis-
  tication in areas such as practical engineering and pharma-
  cology, Britannica-6 is nowhere near anything that would
  actually threaten Homeline. But the possibility can’t ever be
  entirely discounted, either. Anyone with TL7-equivalent sci-
  ence and an excess of enthusiasm could turn into a problem
  at any moment, so Security shares those Britannica technical
  journals with Justice. More to the point, its field agents, the
  people most often assigned to preventing global wars, have a
  feeling they’ll end up with a big job on their hands here in a
  few years; senior officers are preparing contingency plans.
  COMMUNICATIONS DIVISION
  When the initial Scout survey teams move out, the more
  specialized Communications Division teams move in. With
  Infinity still settling into this particular timeline, the shape of
  the required comms networks remains to be determined –
  but Communications can begin surveying a few possibilities.
  In one sense, Britannica looks promising: It has fast com-
  munications, including telegraphy and radio, but they’re
  crude enough that inserting a few encrypted messages and
  sending a few burst signals shouldn’t attract too much atten-
  tion, or be vulnerable to local cryptographic analysis. But the
  native scientists are worryingly smart and, more annoyingly,
  the telegraphic traffic is sparse enough that adding the con-
  tent of a full Infinity communications system is certain to
  attract attention sooner or later. The Scouts are going to have
  to be smart themselves, and maybe resort to old-fashioned
  stuff like couriers. Well, at least they’ll have some fun with
  the local transport.
  ADVENTURES ON BRITANNICA-6
  55
  
  CONTACT DIVISION
  In theory, when other divisions begin moving in, the need
  for Contact surveys should be over. In practice, at least in this
  case, things aren’t that simple because lots of other Scouts and
  I-Cops keep demanding more details. Hence, Contact still has
  a small presence here, running additional surveys and refining
  analyses. These people are mostly away from the larger cities
  as the gaps that need filling are elsewhere, and the bulk of
  them are on the timeline for only a fraction of their schedule;
  many are dividing their efforts between this and other time-
  lines where their expertise is applicable. PCs from other divi-
  sions may encounter these people as advisors or guides, or be
  sent to extract them if situations turn unexpectedly nasty. If
  the characters are Contact Division agents, they might be the
  lead members of an investigative group assigned to resolve
  some question that gets more complicated the longer anyone
  looks; they could escort any team sent into one of the thornier
  and under-documented areas of the world.
  INTELLIGENCE DIVISION
  Intelligence Division, too, is still in survey mode on
  Britannica – and they expect to be here for years to come, or at
  least to continue filtering data that comes out of the timeline
  indefinitely. They don’t have any sort of permanent presence,
  but they’ve sent more than one team in on short-term mis-
  sions. They’re working with Security, as ever, but there’ve been
  a few small disagreements as the I-Cops have tended to focus
  on Britannica technology while the Scouts find more to inter-
  est them in the complex local politics. At present, the Infinity
  higher-ups mostly agree with Intelligence about this, as
  Britannica looks like a low risk for direct threats to Homeline
  but a high risk for possible Centrum political manipulation.
  For that matter, someone with authority on Homeline might
  decide at any time that Britannica merits some kind of inter-
  vention in its political processes, to reduce the risk of war (or,
  perhaps worse, of British collapse and Prussian hegemony);
  Intelligence is building dossiers for use on that day.
  SEARCH AND RESCUE
  So far, there have been no full-scale Search and Rescue
  missions on Britannica-6. As the Division is fully aware,
  though, the question for them is never “if” but “when.” Right
  now, the risk only involves Infinity agents, sponsored academ-
  ics, and a few White Star traders. All of them are supposed to
  know what they’re doing and they’re only present in limited
  numbers – but if the line is opened up for tourism, messes are
  guaranteed to follow. Search and Rescue is tapping the flow of
  reports from Intelligence and Technical Analysis, trying to
  ensure that some of their people understand a little about the
  timeline, its politics, and its technology when they need that
  knowledge.
  TECHNICAL ANALYSIS
  At least someone is having fun. A divergent-tech timeline
  like this makes Tech Analysis work much more interesting
  than the usual workshop testing. It also makes it more compli-
  cated, and likely more dangerous, as hands-on and on-site
  investigation is generally required sooner or later. But the divi-
  sion has plenty of enthusiasts happy to accept that risk, and
  who frankly share the Britannica-6 love of flamboyant technol-
  ogy. Its pure scientists have concluded that there are no weird
  divergent physical laws to look at here, which means they can
  turn their attention elsewhere, but the engineers are still on the
  case.
  At the moment, Tech Analysis activity in relation to
  Britannica is limited to a standing order with White Star for
  samples of anything interesting that comes on the market, and
  requests to other agents for similar stuff they might bring back
  from missions. This gear then goes in the long queue of items
  to be played with in the division’s workshops. They’d really like
  a complete motor-carriage or two sometime, a justifiable need
  as field agents may require familiarization with standard
  Britannica-6 control layouts, so a mission may be authorized
  at some point – but then someone has to break it to the Tech
  Analysis geeks that there’s barely any such thing as standardi-
  zation on Britannica-6.
  ISWAT
  As for the Organization That Doesn’t Exist – no ISWAT
  team has been sent to Britannica-6 yet. But any GM who wants
  to set up such a scenario should have no problem finding an
  excuse. A flashy Cabal manipulation gone wildly wrong, or a
  sudden need to deal with a junior royal turned mad world-
  conqueror with suspiciously too-exotic tech, are among the
  obvious possibilities.
  ADVENTURES OF BRITANNICA-6
  56
  
  SAMPLE MISSION: 
  THE DECORATIONS ON
  THE CHANNEL BRIDGE
  ADVENTURES ON BRITANNICA-6
  57
  This is an example of an Infinity Patrol mission to
  Britannica-6. It’s a combination of investigation and (as it
  turns out) some action. Technically it would be assigned to
  Security or possibly Justice Division, but the initial situation is
  a little uncertain and requires immediate response, so any
  scratch team of “whichever good agents we have available”
  could be given the job plausibly enough. That happens a lot.
  Gamers who expect to actually play through this scenario
  should stop reading here to avoid spoiling their fun!
  MUSTER, BRIEFING, 
  AND EQUIPMENT
  The PCs should start in or near Infinity’s Homeline-London
  office, or a secure Infinity facility on the same geographical
  location on a Quantum 6 timeline. (The GM should find an
  excuse to set this up if necessary.) It’s morning, and they
  receive a message telling them to attend a briefing first thing.
  They can grab a coffee or tea on the way in if they wish. If they
  haven’t worked together before, give them just enough time for
  short introductions.
  The briefing comes from Lieutenant Alexis Cheng, an
  American-born supervisor who was assigned to this office rel-
  atively recently and immediately earned a name for slightly
  supercilious treatment of long-term London-based agents.
  Still, the PCs should realize you don’t reach his rank without
  knowing your job. (Actually, he’s marginally workaholic, takes
  on a lot of work, and gets irritated with agents who don’t
  immediately pick up their share of the load he passes on.) He
  starts without delay, speaking the words “Britannica-6” as he
  switches on a display screen and shows a series of images –
  Windsor Castle with new defensive towers, ornate airships,
  streamlined motor vehicles with oversized wheels, an ironclad
  on skis, people in complicated fancy costumes, and finally a
  black-and-white photograph of a large, incomplete, multi-span
  suspension bridge.
  “And this is the Channel Bridge” he says. “It appears that
  the Duke of Kent – his name is Albert – is trying to increase his
  standing in the Hanover-Saxe-Coburg hierarchy, has estab-
  lished friendly relations with King Louis-Charles of France,
  and has persuaded a couple of Indian rajahs to help finance
  this scheme. Even if you aren’t familiar with the timeline, you
  perhaps begin to see what matters are like over there.”
  He then gives a brisk, short summary of the divergence
  point and subsequent history and politics of the line. He’ll take
  quick questions on the subject, but anything specific about the
  mission can wait until he’s had a chance to explain it.
  “Frankly, this is a weird enough line that we tread carefully
  there, and we’re mostly still surveying it” he says. “But there’s
  an obvious risk of Centrum incursion, so we pay attention to
  any oddities we spot. And one such oddity has just come up.
  “White Star Trading’s factor in London over there has
  established a connection with the Bow Street Runners, who’ve
  recently been called in to assist the Duke of Kent’s Civic
  Guardians with some disappearances on the bridge project.
  The White Star man, named Abraham Jacobov, has just sent us
  a message. It seems one of the few clues that the local cops
  have turned up is, quote, ‘two pages of a fantastical journal pur-
  portedly named the ‘Daily Express,’ foretelling events in the
  future.’ “
  The PCs are fully aware the Daily Express is a real British
  newspaper, on Homeline and in many other timelines.
  However, Cheng raises an eyebrow. “There is no newspaper of
  that name on Britannica-6, and relatively little futuristic fic-
  tion. The idea of alternate histories is equally obscure over
  there – effectively unknown. So we have to assume that this
  represents an outtime incursion.
  “Fortunately, White Star has managed to acquire a ware-
  house on a location corresponding to one of our projector
  stages in East London, so we can insert you as soon as you’re
  ready and you can deploy from there. I’m sure that Jacobov
  will be able to assist. We’ll scan for a return pickup 24 hours
  after deployment, and twelve-hourly thereafter. We can fit you
  out with whatever costumes you think appropriate; I suggest
  that you pass yourselves off as traveling gentry and their ser-
  vants, from the Canadian provinces. Their British Empire is
  big and diverse, so you’ll look very much like weird colonials,
  which usually covers a multitude of sins.”
  Cheng then confirms who is ranking agent on this mission
  and takes questions. However, he really can’t say very much,
  and may turn witheringly sarcastic if any PCs seem to be wast-
  ing time. He knows a fair bit about Britannica-6 but he doesn’t
  know everything, and he would rather that the PCs got on their
  way – they can consult the databases and reports that can be
  installed on their portable computers for most of this stuff.
  The costume department downstairs from the briefing
  room can indeed fit the PCs as they desire; this is probably
  their first encounter with Britannica’s taste for starched linen
  and stiff synthetics. It can also provide appropriate-looking
  large trunks and cases with spare clothes and well-hidden com-
  partments for portable computers and assorted standard-issue
  sidearms. Unfortunately, no Britannica-made weapons are
  available; the travelers have to get by with standard Infinity
  issue, and avoid displays of the technology. The files say nom-
  inal weapon laws are quite light, but wearing guns in public in
  Britain attracts a lot of negative attention.
  And then, it’s on to the projector stage. If it’s important, the
  on-site operator has a skill of 16 with parachronics, and the
  team leader has assessment files of his group’s comparative
  ratings for their own skills.
  
  JACOBOV’S WAREHOUSE
  Assuming they make the transfer safely (and the GM can
  handwave that if desired), the PCs find themselves in a large,
  mostly empty, slightly dusty chamber with no windows, an
  electric light that comes on automatically, and one door. Next
  to that is a pull cord and a note on the wall, under a glass cover:
  Welcome to Britannica-6. If you weren’t expected, please try
  the bell pull on the right; if I or my assistant are available, we’ll
  be along in a moment. If we aren’t, the door key is in the cabinet
  nearby – but please take care, this is an unusual timeline.
  In fact, the bell indeed summons Jacobov (p. 28). His
  variant-Orthodox costume may bemuse the team, but he’ll
  happily explain his cover story as an eastern European “dealer
  in inventions and curios.” He’s openly pleased to see the group
  – he can see there’s some kind of problem here, but it’s outside
  his field. He takes them up to his office over the warehouse,
  offers tea or coffee, and explains the problem – though he can’t
  add much to what Cheng said. His contact in the Bow Street
  Runners passed on the story, but has no direct involvement
  with the case; trying to get any more out of him would achieve
  nothing and probably stress this useful relationship.
  His idea is the investigators should head down to Dover, the
  starting point of the UK side of the bridge project and the
  scene of the excitement, perhaps in the guise of touring gentle-
  folk as Cheng suggested. The idea of interested amateurs lend-
  ing a hand with public matters, even including detective work
  on criminal cases, still has a lot of credibility on this timeline.
  If the party puts up a reasonable act, and especially if they pro-
  vide genuine aid, they should be accepted. It’s morning here,
  and they have plenty of time to reach the place today.
  Jacobov provides the PCs with some local funds – he can
  recover the cost from Infinity (so he needs a receipt), and his
  resources are actually pretty good. He happily helps them set
  up their cover story; among other things, he provides them
  with punched celluloid identity cards that can be read by vari-
  ous police devices. These aren’t mandatory on this timeline,
  but they can simplify matters immensely; Jacobov has a
  machine concealed in his desk that creates these as required.
  (It was built using Homeline skills, and is illegal in local
  terms.) He’ll discuss their return arrangements, and ask polite-
  ly that they not draw any unwanted attention to his warehouse;
  he’ll give them keys to a side door if anyone inquires, but they
  should lose any pursuit before coming back, please.
  There are two or three obvious ways to reach Dover, which
  is about 70 miles from London. The party could travel by train,
  but trains here are mostly for freight and the lower orders, and
  aren’t very luxurious. A motor-coach might be better, or they
  could hire a motor-carriage. There’s an establishment just
  down the road from the warehouse that offers this, and the
  money can cover the deposit and rental. This is probably every-
  one’s first encounter with Britannica’s ornately painted,
  “streamlined,” large-wheeled vehicles and their slightly eccen-
  tric controls; fortunately, “a visitor from the colonies” can
  claim that he’s used to something different, but unfamiliarity
  penalties definitely apply. Remember: A gentleman can
  employ a driver or drive himself. In the latter case, he should
  have a servant assigned as his “stoker.”
  THE JOURNEY TO DOVER
  Assuming they go by road, especially if they take a hired
  carriage, the first thing the PCs encounter once they leave
  London is the abysmal quality of the local roads, which at least
  explains the size of the carriage’s wheels and the complexity of
  its suspension. Once they’re (hopefully) used to the interesting
  ride, they may notice something in the sky behind them: a pair
  of aerostats, coming up fast from the direction of London.
  Examination suggests these are civilian designs, albeit each
  with a different aristocrat’s symbols on the sides; after passing
  the heroes’ transport, they begin circling the road. Characters
  who succeed with Hearing rolls note the sound of powerful,
  under-silenced diesel engines coming fast up the road behind
  them . . .
  Exactly how much paranoia the GM wants to instill in the
  players at this point is a matter of taste, but it may be better if
  they don’t pull out assault rifles and start shooting just yet.
  They should certainly be able to observe that the “pursuing”
  motor-carriages are again civilian types, and lightweight and
  flimsy at that. They are in fact a pair of phaetons, being driven
  dangerously fast but paying more attention to each other than
  to anything else (including the PCs).
  The drivers are William “Mad Billy” Chasuble and Sir
  Adrian Carter-Sandlebury, a pair of enthusiastic and rather
  excitable gentlemen who have a sporting wager on this after-
  noon regarding the capabilities of their respective machines.
  Some of their friends are overhead, watching the contest. The
  team can get out of the way or carry on driving sedately (or, for
  that matter, join in if they choose). In any event, some skill
  rolls may be indicated, and their vehicle may end up in the
  ditch temporarily or even clip one or both of the racers, per-
  ADVENTURES OF BRITANNICA-6
  58
  This story could also employ “native” Britannica-6 char-
  acters, although they’ll find it weird and confusing: Either
  they’ll never understand what they’ve seen, or they’ll some-
  how have to learn something about the nature of the multi-
  verse by the end.
  They could be law enforcers from Kent or London,
  adventurous gentlefolk “lending a hand,” professionals
  employed by the engineering companies to look into the
  problem, or technology enthusiasts visiting this wonderful
  project who get caught up in events. They’ll not recognize
  the gargoyles (although they may spot them as an anomaly
  sooner), so they may underestimate the danger at first.
  They’ll need good weapons, or maybe well-armed support, to
  handle the threat, and the GM might reduce the number of
  creatures to keep things fair. They may have no way to rec-
  ognize Costikyan as the cause of the problem, but if they
  encounter him, his eccentric and distracted behavior may
  hint at something. Of course, it’ll be a big leap for them to
  identify him as a mystic architect attempting to use the great
  bridge as the key to an arcane gate.
  Running the Scenario With Local PCs
  
  haps affecting the results. The phaetons are faster than any
  hired chaise.
  Details of Sir Adrian’s abilities can be found on p. 38. “Mad
  Billy” has broadly similar abilities, except that he’s only Status
  2 and Wealthy; he isn’t Chummy; his Code of Honor is the
  Plunger’s type (p. 40); he suffers from Bad Temper (12); the
  self-control numbers on his Compulsive Gambling and
  Impulsiveness are both 9; and his quirks are low-level callous-
  ness, a capacity for bearing grudges, mild xenophobia, and a
  tendency to talk very loudly.
  The race is set to end at an inn a few miles down the road,
  after which the aerostats return to London and the racers stop
  for a drink. If the PCs choose or are obliged to stop, they may
  have dealings with them. Both are typical hare-brained young
  gentry, but the irascible “Mad Billy” has the slightly slower
  phaeton and takes more foolish risks, and so probably loses the
  race (and possibly blames the team for getting in the way). The
  rather more laid-back Sir Adrian is likely to buy everyone a
  drink. (Drinking and driving is perfectly normal on this time-
  line.) The racers’ stokers are both stolid hired professionals,
  but happy to chat to other servants. Sir Adrian may be worth
  cultivating as a temporary contact, but the party should avoid
  having him get too interested in them. The GM can reintro-
  duce him later in the scenario for extra color, complications,
  or assistance.
  That bit of excitement over, after calming down or perform-
  ing any repairs, the PCs can drive on to Dover.
  THE GREAT
  CONSTRUCTION SITE
  When the PCs first come over the Downs and see Dover,
  they should be quite impressed. The bridge project is impossi-
  ble to miss; new construction is reaching out from the shore a
  mile east of the town, and it’s all big. The design uses great can-
  tilevered supports extending from huge towers, spaced a mile
  or so apart, with intermediate lesser supports every few hun-
  dred yards. Out in the channel, giant steam dredges are busy
  creating artificial islands for further towers, while sightseeing
  aerostats circle overhead. As an engineering project, it’s 
  clearly ambitious and complicated.
  Incidentally, a telescope or a good pair of eyes make out
  similar work going on over on the French side of things.
  Patriotic engineers with whom the party talks happily point
  out the British work is progressing faster.
  The agents probably want to find accommodations, to act
  as a base of operations and a meeting point. They can find
  rooms at various hotels in Dover itself (if they were really
  organized, they could even have booked ahead by telegraph
  from London); several new establishments have opened just to
  support the tourist trade generated by the bridge project. The
  town is crawling with off-duty workmen, junior engineers,
  tourists, and people dedicated to taking money off other peo-
  ple. This last group may sell services of varying degrees of
  morality and legality to them, play cards with them, or possi-
  bly hit them over the head in dark alleys. It’s all about as close
  to a boomtown as a genteel southern English seaport can get.
  The word “bustling” certainly fits. However clumsy their act,
  the heroes probably don’t attract undue attention.
  Their destination is far enough from town along a muddy
  road that the PCs will probably drive rather than walk. Security
  around the construction is frankly pathetic by modern
  Homeline standards – there’s a fence of sorts, and anyone wan-
  dering up to important machinery gets challenged to prevent
  them injuring themselves – but a few cash tips and an air of enti-
  tlement go a long way. The problem agents encounter is that 
  virtually everyone is far too busy to chat to a bunch of eccentric
  foreign dilettantes.
  Mr. Dickens
  At some point during their visit, though, the PCs encounter a
  native of the timeline who notices their interest and chats with
  them, or is pointed out to them as someone who isn’t too busy
  working on the project to tell them all about the technicalities.
  He’s an elderly but spry gentleman with a notebook, dressed in
  plain, practical garb that a keen eye sees is well-made tweed and
  linen. If they have an appropriate specialty of History,
  Connoisseur (Literature), or some other relevant skill, they
  might even get a roll to recognize his face. They need to succeed
  by a large margin to put a name to it rather than simply finding
  him vaguely familiar, as he’s older than in any picture they’ve
  ever seen.
  He’s Charles Dickens (see p. 18), and if he introduces himself
  it may take a Will or Acting roll not to look startled. If they say
  they’ve heard of him, he assumes they’ve read his technological
  journalism – he’ll be quite bemused if anyone claims to know of
  his fiction work. (“I’ve written a few stories but, well, there’s no
  money in it.”)
  Dickens is mostly included in the plot for local color and fun,
  but he does know a lot about the bridge project and other engi-
  neering news, and talks about it to anyone. Infinity agents
  should be careful around him. He’s bright and observant, and
  he’s too well-known and socially respected to pump full of mul-
  tiple doses of Eraser, let alone be casually vanished off to
  Coventry. Dickens knows he’s too old and slow to charge into
  danger so he isn’t too much trouble, and approached politely
  he’s a fair amount of help. He heard about the disappearances
  and he’s curious, but he has no theories on the subject. He had
  a passing acquaintance with some of the people investigating
  them, and can provide an initial introduction.
  THE LOCAL INVESTIGATION
  The disappearances are a problem and a worry, and the
  investigation is being led by Master Guardian Barnaby Valance,
  of the Duke of Kent’s Civic Guardians. He has various constables
  assisting him, along with Sergeant of Constables Martin Smith
  of the Bow Street Runners, down from London to show these
  confused provincials some modern investigative work.
  (Incidentally, all of these people recognize the word “police,”
  though it’s not the term they apply to themselves. “Cop” or “cop-
  per,” however, would puzzle them.) There’s a bit of rivalry and
  friction going on, especially as everyone is confused at present,
  but Valance and Smith are fully on professional speaking terms.
  Newcomers have to tread carefully in all this but the Runners
  and Guardians are used to deferring to the gentry, and these two
  are honest enough to admit that sensible suggestions won’t go
  amiss. Also, successful use of Savoir-Faire (Police) skill goes a
  long way, cultural unfamiliarity notwithstanding; these people
  aren’t used to members of the gentry who seem to understand
  the nature and problems of their work!
  ADVENTURES ON BRITANNICA-6
  59
  
  The Disappearances
  Eventually someone goes over the details of the matter so
  far, even if it’s only a junior Guardian assigned to keep these
  colonial eccentrics away from anything important. The first dis-
  appearance was a night watchman named Herbert Rippon,
  about a week ago. No one is sure when he disappeared; he just
  wasn’t around when expected and didn’t come home. His supe-
  riors assumed he’d slipped away somewhere for personal rea-
  sons, but his family question this idea.
  The second disappearance came two days later. A workman
  named John Jones vanished when he should have been coming
  off shift, and two days after that another workman, Bill
  Winters, disappeared shortly after starting work early in the
  morning. As the local investigators and others have realized, all
  of these disappearances happened in dark or fairly dark condi-
  tions near the end of the bridge (where most work is being
  done) when the men were alone; all three were considered
  capable, steady, and not heavy drinkers. The Guardians were
  called in when enough people decided Jones’ disappearance
  was suspicious, but haven’t gotten far since. The other work-
  men are now understandably nervous and difficult, which is
  delaying work on the bridge. This makes the managers irritable,
  one reason why London is helping with the investigation.
  Smith considers the answer simple. It’s no secret many
  sailors around these parts are unhappy about the bridge
  because it’ll deprive them of work and make traffic in the chan-
  nel harder, and some ship-owners agree with them. Obviously
  some dangerous hotheads have decided to sabotage the work,
  perhaps with backing and encouragement from their employ-
  ers. They have the skill to slip down to the end of the incomplete
  bridge by sea, climb up the structure, and commit some man-
  ner of violence against these victims. The workforce unrest
  shows the plan is working, and Smith feels the Civic Guardians
  should be tracking down whoever’s responsible by now.
  Valance, on the other hand, is annoyed by this suggestion –
  “There’s no way that good Kent men would do such a thing. Oh,
  a lone hothead, perhaps – but such a conspiracy as would be
  needed for this, a gang of kidnappers or murderers – never!”
  He’s being sentimental, perhaps, but he’s got a point about the
  difficulty of the crime, and his informers in Dover haven’t
  turned up any stories of such a gang.
  The Anomaly
  These investigators only discuss or produce the newspaper
  if specifically asked, and the PCs may have to engage in some
  fast-talking or studied vagueness when asked where they heard
  of it. Frankly, the local authorities regard it as a bizarre hoax
  and a red herring, and are a little bemused or disdainful of
  characters who show much interest in it. When they do pro-
  duce it, though, it’s clearly being kept in a locker or safe in the
  secure site office that was taken over as the on-site base of
  operations; they’re professional enough not to be careless with
  anything that might be important evidence. They explain it was
  found lying around at the end of the bridge by one of the
  Guardians looking for Bill Winters, late on the morning he dis-
  appeared. It was damp enough from rain or sea-spray that it
  didn’t blow away, but not wet enough to be destroyed.
  It’s a single sheet – the front and back pages – from a large-
  format newspaper; it’s cheap newsprint stock, but despite
  signs of soaking and a few small tears it’s pretty much “as new”
  for condition, and so fairly easy to handle. It is indeed a copy
  of the Daily Express, dated 1955, and any agent who skims it
  can tell it must come from an echo or close parallel timeline. It
  references minor events – this was evidently a slow news day –
  including criminal cases and domestic politics, but there are
  mentions of controversies over the Suez Canal and cinemas
  canceling showings of the movie Rock Around the Clock due to
  audience misbehavior. It’s utterly incomprehensible to natives
  of Britannica-6, fortunately. Determining exactly which time-
  line it comes from – assuming that it’s a known line – requires
  professional assessment back at HQ, but that’s not immediate-
  ly relevant. The logical deduction is that there’s a careless
  crosstime traveler or an active portal around somewhere.
  IDENTIFYING THE PROBLEM
  It should be clear the local law enforcers have the obvious
  angles covered, but they lack the unique viewpoint I-Cops can
  bring to this situation. The agents can look over the site for
  themselves, and if they’ve failed to approach the local investiga-
  tors properly this should be what they’re doing anyway.
  This means heading a few miles out into the English
  Channel along a bridge that is still under construction and not
  formally open to the public yet, so the PCs still have to cultivate
  the cooperation of various law enforcers and work supervisors;
  slip some local currency to workmen; or maybe just be stealthy.
  It’s a long walk and they may be in a hurry at times, so they
  might be interested in the vehicles used to carry parties of
  workmen on and off shift – steam-powered trolleys, capable of
  traveling 10-16 mph (Move 5-8, perhaps a little more if the GM
  wants them to be misused in a fight scene). The skill to operate
  these is Driving (Automobile)/TL(5+1), with significant famil-
  iarity penalties, though they’re designed to be idiot-proof.
  Someone attempting to “borrow” one after the operators have
  gone off-shift will be pleased to discover the boiler doesn’t need
  more than a few seconds to warm up after being used all day.
  In any event, gaining access to the location by daylight
  shouldn’t be too hard; the builders are used to showing it off.
  (That’s the point of its existence, really.) Doing so after dark is
  trickier as work shuts down then at the best of times, and defi-
  nitely does so since the disappearances started. The people in
  charge are humane enough not to want to lose anyone else,
  even volunteers, and really don’t want to lose, say, any visiting
  foreign gentlefolk. They may be forceful about this in a polite
  sort of way, and they have every right to point out the visitors
  may be trespassing. On the other hand, the project has any
  number of girders, beams, shadowy niches, and stacks of 
  construction material; hiding out until everyone has gone
  shouldn’t be hard.
  Investigating from the Air
  The PCs may decide to investigate the towers (or the whole
  site) from above, or they may need to reach the end of the
  incomplete bridge as soon as possible – or they might just want
  to play wealthy tourists to preserve their cover. The obvious
  place to go is a small field atop the cliffs near the site entrance
  where a handful of excursion fliers (see p. 49) are based, land-
  ing and taking off regularly throughout the day as they convey
  visitors for a look at the wonders of this great project.
  If they hire such a craft, they end up with one operated by
  Captain Gerard Tully, “formerly of the Duke of York’s Aerial
  Lancers” as he’ll tell anyone he meets. Tully is a dashing but
  slightly down-on-his-luck figure who rose through the ranks to
  ADVENTURES OF BRITANNICA-6
  60
  
  aerostat pilot thanks to technical skill, but left the service when
  his lack of social position prevented him rising further and a
  certain independence of mind made him tire of continual for-
  mal maneuvers and parades. Nowadays he makes a living
  where he can, helped by his ownership of an excursion flyer.
  Fortunately he enjoys any job that allows him to fly. His man-
  ner (and his moustache) play up the “old soldier” style, but this
  is partly a matter of habit and partly a way to impress cus-
  tomers; he’s primarily a technophile. His aerostat, the Lucy, is
  in better repair than it appears.
  Tully has ST 11, DX 12, IQ 12, HT 10, Mechanic and Piloting
  skills for his aerostat at 14, and the advantages Daredevil,
  Handsome Appearance, and Courtesy Rank. Encounters with,
  say, winged monsters would rattle him a little, but he’s no cow-
  ard and he does his best to help anyone in trouble. He isn’t ter-
  ribly interested in the bridge or recent events – flying and aero-
  stat maintenance occupy most of his attention – but he knows
  some basic facts about the project, which he’ll rattle off to
  amuse passengers.
  The Bridge and the Monsters
  When they get a chance to poke around, the agents can see
  this is an amazing display of techno-romantic engineering folly;
  it’ll be perfectly functional as a bridge, but the design is crazy
  (as is the whole idea, after all). The towers have a sweeping,
  grandiose style, elegant but maybe over-decorated.
  The PCs should be encouraged to discuss this with locals in
  passing; for example, Charles Dickens will ask his new friends
  what they think of the thing. In the ensuing conversation they
  may remark on the somewhat incongruous inclusion of gar-
  goyles in the architectural design. However, locals with knowl-
  edge of the project are fully aware the design does not call for
  such statuary, and any with an educated grasp of these matters,
  like Mr. Dickens, is startled and amused by any suggestion that
  these things might be featured. “Good heavens, that would be
  primitive Gothicism – grossly barbarous in style! Forgive me,
  but have you not read Ruskin? Mr. Costikyan would be guilty
  of no such savagery!”
  The team can make IQ rolls at +2 to guess what the imme-
  diate problem is, followed by a Will or Acting roll to avoid 
  saying something impolite.
  The Facts
  This entire incident is the product of carelessness on the
  part of a Cabal agent, Mr. Owen Costikyan, whose specialty is
  cross-dimensional uses of sacred architecture. Having infiltrat-
  ed first this timeline and then the architectural profession
  here, Costikyan has swung himself a job embellishing the
  design of the Channel Bridge. (Having detailed knowledge of
  superlative architecture from a dozen parallel worlds and a
  certain flair for self-presentation makes one look like a very
  capable, original fellow.) As a huge, symbolically powerful
  structure built around intricate geometrical principles, the
  bridge can actually generate subtle mystical resonances that
  Costikyan knows how to use; he activates his effect by tweak-
  ing the fine details of the design.
  It should be subtle, no more than a matter of generating a
  transient low-mana zone in key spots from time to time (per-
  haps aspected to travel-magic), or maybe even achieving a
  minor portal. This is something Costikyan can use to shift else-
  where, and any Cabalist can use it for subtle spellcasting from
  time to time. Unfortunately, the incomplete design creates
  effects that reverberate through the parallels and have attract-
  ed the attention of a small pack of gargoyles (see GURPS
  Infinite Worlds, p. 73). Tearing the rent in reality a little wider,
  these creatures have started to pass through. They’ve been
  instinctively cautious, avoiding exposure while they get the feel
  of the place (they know humans are weak and squishy, but can
  turn nasty if roused, and sometimes carry dangerous
  weapons), but they have succumbed to temptation enough to
  grab a few lone humans as prey. Sitting around impersonating
  architectural features that don’t belong is a mistake, though,
  based on long-standing habits; gargoyles aren’t smart enough
  to grasp human construction aesthetics.
  The crew has to track them down and kill them, or at least
  drive them off; aside from killing people, they’re bound to be
  spotted by alert locals sooner or later, and this is the sort of
  radical anomaly that draws too much attention to the wrong
  subjects. They have an irritating habit of dipping out of sight
  any time the team tries to point them out in daylight, but they
  aren’t going to stop their nighttime predations any time soon,
  and they may well turn increasingly active and vicious.
  ADVENTURES ON BRITANNICA-6
  61
  
  RESOLUTION AND DEPARTURE
  The mission has turned into a monster hunt, but these mon-
  sters are tough (Body of Stone gives them DR 5), extremely
  sneaky, and capable of flight. Then again, they really can’t resist
  jumping out at people, especially after dark, especially if there
  are outtime agents around – such visitors have the parachronic
  “scent” that seems to trigger their attack reflex. The PCs may
  not want to think of themselves as bait, but that’s what they are.
  The number of gargoyles should reflect the size and strength of
  the group – one or two fewer than the number of agents is an
  interesting fight, depending on how much tactical sense each
  side displays.
  The hunt may involve after-dark games of hide-and-seek
  around the construction site. Alternatively, the investigators
  may seek the gargoyles’ hiding places high on the towers in day-
  light – but that involves a lot of arduous climbing up internal
  maintenance stairways, it may attract unwelcome attention
  from natives, and the gargoyles can easily fly away if they’re los-
  ing a fight. Searching the little-visited platforms and beams
  high on the towers at least stands a good chance of confirming
  the fate of the three missing men; there’s not a lot left to find,
  but tough I-Cops with forensics experience shouldn’t suffer too
  many fright checks from this. An ambush by gargoyles might be
  another matter.
  It’s also possible to chase down the monsters from the air
  using Captain Tully’s aerostat – which may also be the quickest
  way of reaching a colleague in difficulty at the end of the
  bridge. The agents might subsequently be chastised for involv-
  ing a local pilot in their activities, but they can always use
  Eraser on Tully and no one is likely to believe his story anyway.
  The bigger issue is that the gargoyles not only cheerfully attack
  the craft, they’re fully capable of ripping its gasbags to shreds
  with their claws. Still, crashing an airship into the Channel
  Bridge while fighting monsters is the kind of thing that makes
  for a good story in I-Cop bars.
  Under the Bridge
  If the player characters drive off some of the gargoyles with-
  out killing them, they see the survivors dive under the bridge –
  and not come out. This isn’t typical gargoyle behavior; they pre-
  fer heights, and it merits attention.
  There’s a small zone of dimensional instability amidst the
  cross-beams and girders under the roadway where the mon-
  sters can shift easily to other dimensions of their choice.
  Anyone who investigates (probably by one of the many boats
  for hire in Dover harbor) has a nervous few minutes in the
  damp shadows under the structure, but if the gargoyles get
  driven back here they leave for good. The dimensional flaw’s
  ADVENTURES OF BRITANNICA-6
  62
  The villain of this piece, or at least the source of the prob-
  lem, is actually a small player by the standards of his organi-
  zation, the Cabal. He’s operating at a disadvantage without
  real access to magic, thanks to the local lack of mana. On the
  other hand it’s entirely possible the PCs will never even see
  him, so if Infinity unknowingly inflicts a setback to his plans
  he may end up in a position to carry on with a viable scheme
  – and that could eventually give him real standing in the
  organization. He’s also better integrated with Britannica-6
  society than the party, and might turn that advantage against
  them if they seem to threaten him.
  He’s primarily associated with the Wheel of Ptah lodge,
  but his studies in sacred architecture have drawn him into
  tentative but repeated collaborations with the Sons of
  Imhotep, from whom he seems to have acquired attitudes as
  well as knowledge. Like any competent Cabalist who wants
  to remain relatively safe, he associates himself with one of the
  Grand Masters – in his case, the great magical engineer
  Erasmus Rooke, to whom he sends occasional reports
  regarding his discoveries, and who may occasionally reward
  him with aid.
  At heart, though, Costikyan is a loner. He’s an expert on
  the subtleties of dimensional instabilities and the dynamics
  of fate, able to read a situation or a destiny with a glance, and
  to manipulate such things in subtle ways that require no for-
  mal magic. (Indeed, he has limited interest in “conventional”
  spellcasting, seeing it as too unreliable in the places where he
  operates; he doesn’t care that other Cabalists might see him
  as a weak dabbler.) His modus operandi is to follow paths
  where they lead; subtly ransack the places he finds; and offer
  fellow Cabalists lore or magical loot to trade his way up the
  Cabal’s hierarchies of knowledge and influence. As an Adept
  he’s supposed to run his own lodge, but his mobile lifestyle
  makes that tricky so he merely points to a scattering of min-
  ions and dupes across a dozen worlds, if anyone asks.
  Britannica, though, strikes him as an understated, valuable
  find, worth a little more attention than most manifestations
  of the Material.
  He didn’t deliberately bring the gargoyles into this situa-
  tion, and unlike some Cabalists, he has no way to control
  them. He might dream of such power, but just now these
  creatures are an inconvenience and a threat to his schemes.
  He’s happy for the PCs to eliminate them.
  Costikyan is in his late 30s, clean-shaven and of average
  appearance, and dresses in a deliberately unremarkable fash-
  ion that normally involves tweeds. On Britannica-6, “plain”
  clothing is a little more flamboyant, but his is still nothing
  spectacular. He may have a small pistol of local make some-
  where on his person.
  Note that Costikyan’s upbringing was at TL7 (on a world
  as similar to Homeline as makes no difference), which rarely
  inconveniences him (or brings much advantage) in his activ-
  ities. In some campaigns, though, he might qualify for High
  or Low TL.
  ST 9 [-10]; DX 11 [20]; IQ 13 [60]; HT 12 [20].
  Damage 1d-2/1d-1; BL 16 lbs.; HP 9 [0]; Will 13 [0]; Per 13 [0];
  FP 13 [3].
  Basic Speed 5.75 [0]; Basic Move 5 [0]; Parry 10 (staff);
  Dodge 8.
  Continued on next page . . .
  Mr. Owen Costikyan (282 points)
  
  visible form is a slight shimmering glow around some of the
  metalwork, but it’s easier to locate by the growths of pale,
  bizarre fungi not native to any “normal” Earth that have sprung
  up around it. Humans can’t use this gate – it needs the gar-
  goyles’ innate powers to “open the way” – but it really needs to
  be closed.
  Characters with technical knowledge know some kind of
  high-energy flux should do the job, at least temporarily.
  Explosives aren’t really a good idea, but acquiring some large
  lead-acid batteries and rigging up something with capacitors
  and cables should serve (skill rolls at the GM’s option). Infinity
  can send a follow-up team in a few days with more specialized
  kit just to make sure the damned thing stays closed.
  If the agents simply kill all the gargoyles or drive them off and
  don’t track them, Infinity sends in a follow-up team (possibly
  including the PCs) with even more specialized equipment that
  locates and disrupts dimensional anomalies. If the party didn’t
  think about the possibility of some kind of portal, they may be
  subject to a little sarcasm from their supervisor – especially if
  they also failed to identify the reason the gargoyles turned up
  here and now, or where the newspaper fits into things.
  The Newspaper
  About which – diligent agents may wonder if they can elim-
  inate that newspaper page before it causes any serious trouble;
  having done so would surely look good on the report when they
  get back. The difficulty of breaking into a locked and possibly
  guarded police office and a secure storage locker, and the atten-
  tion attracted by anyone doing so just to get at a bizarre “prank
  item,” would be worse than the small risks the thing itself gen-
  erates. (Anything more destructive or radical, such as burning
  down that building, is even worse.) No one back at HQ thinks
  the worse of the PCs if they just walk away from that problem,
  though others may be assigned to monitor the matter or tidy up
  the loose end. These or other spin-off plots are good excuses to
  get the crew back to Britannica-6.
  Owen Costikyan
  This leaves the real cause of the problem. Owen Costikyan
  (see the boxes, pp. 62-63) may not be around the Bridge site
  during this scenario, but the heroes can definitely find out
  about the creative mind behind the decorative style of the
  structure. Mr. Dickens can be a fount of information on such
  ADVENTURES ON BRITANNICA-6
  63
  Social Background
  TL: 7 [0]
  CF: Modern Western [0]; Britannica-6 Western [1];
  Renaissance Western [1]; Ancient Egyptian [1].
  Languages: Homeline English (Native) [0]; Ancient
  Egyptian (Accented) [4]; Britannica-6 English* (Native) [2];
  Classical Greek (Broken) [2]; Homeline French (Accented)
  [4]; Homeline German (Broken) [2]; Medieval Latin (Native)
  [6].
  *Homeline languages give their Britannica-6 counterparts
  at one level lower (see Infinite Worlds, p. 175).
  Advantages
  Absolute Direction [5]; Cabalist Rank 3 [15]; Claim to
  Hospitality (Cabalists and personal minions) [5]; Contact
  (Sons of Imhotep Mage; effective skill Hidden Lore (Egyptian
  Cults)-15, available quite often, somewhat reliable) [4];
  Fearlessness 2 [4]; Magery 2 [25]; Night Vision 1 [1]; Oracle
  [15]; Patron (Erasmus Rooke; extremely powerful, 6 or less,
  special abilities (unique magical abilities and contacts), min-
  imal intervention) [12]; Reputation +2 (as a brilliantly inno-
  vative meteoric star, in the Britannica-6 architectural/civil
  engineering community) [3]; See Invisible (Quantum Flows)
  [15]; Status 1 [5]; Wealth (Comfortable) [10].
  Perks: Deep Sleeper [1].
  Disadvantages
  Callous [-5]; Code of Honor (Cabalist) [-5]; Curious (15) [-
  2]; Duty (The Cabal and his passers, 6 or less) [-2]; Secret
  (Ruthless Cabalist Outtime Manipulator) [-20].
  Quirks: Dislikes crowds; Restless ambition – always look-
  ing for the next great arcane score; Uncongenial. [-3]
  Skills
  Architecture/TL4-13 (IQ) [2]; Area Knowledge (Astral
  Realm)-14 (IQ+1) [2]; Artist (Drawing)-13 (IQ) [4];
  Astronomy (Observational)/TL4-12 (IQ) [2]; Camouflage-13
  (IQ) [1]; Cartography-12 (IQ-1) [1]; Connoisseur (Visual
  Arts)-12 (IQ-1) [1]; Dreaming-12 (Will-1) [2]; Fast-Talk-13
  (IQ) [2]; Geography (Physical)/TL7-11 (IQ-2) [1]; Guns
  (Pistol)/TL5-12 (DX+1) [2]; Hidden Lore (Gates)-13 (IQ) [2];
  Hiking-11 (HT-1) [1]; Holdout-12 (IQ-1) [1]; Knife-11 (DX)
  [1]; Mathematics (Surveying)/TL7-11 (IQ-2) [1]; Merchant-13
  (IQ) [2]; Naturalist-13 (IQ) [4]; Navigation (Land)/TL5-15*
  (IQ-1) [1]; Occultism-14 (IQ+1) [4]; Public Speaking-12 (IQ-
  1) [1]; Research/TL6-12 (IQ-1) [1]; Savoir-Faire (High
  Society)-13 (IQ) [1]; Savoir-Faire (Spirits)-14 (IQ+1) [2];
  Staff-10 (DX-1) [1]; Thaumatology-15† (IQ) [8]; Theology
  (Ancient Egyptian)-11 (IQ-2) [1]; Tracking-12 (Per-1) [1];
  Urban Survival-12 (Per-1) [1]; Weather Sense/TL4-13 (IQ)
  [2].
  * Includes +3 from Absolute Direction.
  † Includes +2 from Magery.
  Spells
  Itch-13 [1]; Spasm-13 [1]; Pain-13 [1]; Sense Foes-13 [1];
  Seek Earth-13 [1]; Shape Earth-13 [1]; Ignite Fire-13 [1];
  Create Fire-13 [1]; Shape Fire-13 [1]; Deflect Energy-13 [1];
  Heat-13 [1]; Resist Cold-13 [1]; Detect Magic-14 [2]; Seeker-
  14 [2]; Identify Spell-13 [1]; Analyze Magic-13 [1]; Light-13
  [1]; Counterspell-13 [1]; Dispel Magic-14 [2]; Death Vision-13
  [1]; Sense Spirit-13 [1]; Seek Water-13 [1]; Purify Water-13
  [1]; Create Water-13 [1].
  All include +2 from Magery.
  Mr. Owen Costikyan (Continued)
  
  matters. Spotting Costikyan as an outtimer may be a matter of
  subtle detective work or one inspired guess; doing anything
  about him might involve a quick, efficient kidnapping or
  months of additional play within Britannica society. If the PCs
  get wise to him before they’ve dealt with the gargoyles and
  somehow force or persuade him to help, his supernatural
  awareness may help locate the creatures and the dimensional
  weakness they’re exploiting.
  His designs for the bridge incorporate subtle Egyptian
  styling (a fashion he’s unintentionally promoting among archi-
  tects on this timeline) and precisely calculated proportions. An
  expert examining the plans may spot these nuances – roll
  Occultism-3 or Thaumatology. If he becomes aware of the gar-
  goyle infestation, he modifies the designs to reduce the threat
  in future, leaving various arcane relationships unresolved until
  the bridge is complete to prevent this headache recurring. It
  takes a while to persuade the engineers to make the changes he
  suggests, so it’s just possible other problems develop (although
  the attentions of a specialized Infinity technical team should
  reduce this threat).
  Departure
  The team should eventually decide they’ve done as much as
  is feasible and retire to Abraham Jacobov’s warehouse with
  whatever evidence and souvenirs they’ve managed to collect,
  and possibly Costikyan as their prisoner. (In the last case, they
  should blindfold him to avoid giving away the location of the
  Infinity/White Star station.) If they’ve stirred up undue trouble,
  they should take care to lose any pursuit and minimize the
  chances of being tracked later. Assuming they’ve done so,
  Jacobov will be cordial, interested in their story, and happy to
  offer them coffee and a place to wait for extraction. In a worse
  case, he has a good TL8/9 medical kit on the premises.
  ADVENTURES OF BRITANNICA-6
  64
  LOCAL ADVENTURERS AND
  INFORMAL VISITORS
  As Britannica-6 is a complete world, it’s more than a place
  for I-Cops to visit. Whole campaigns can be set there featuring
  a purely local cast of PCs and no reference to the Infinite
  Worlds idea – or that might be introduced gradually as a
  source of mystery, weirdness, and deeply enigmatic NPCs.
  Outtime characters don’t have to be I-Cops or Scouts on a spe-
  cific mission; tourists and White Star factors slip into
  Britannica society and become involved in local events, too.
  They preserve enough detachment that their players can be
  excused a slightly disengaged view of the oddities of the setting
  and some moments of embarrassing ignorance about its
  details. Strictly speaking, visitors shouldn’t become entangled
  with local politics (at least not without high-level Infinity clear-
  ance), but some minor involvement in events may be unavoid-
  able and forgivable. And anyway, who’s going to tell the Patrol?
  The following are some possible themes for such a game.
  INTERNATIONAL INTRIGUE
  While this timeline is dominated by one large power,
  Britain faces a number of rivals and challengers, and of course
  there’s plenty of conflict within the Empire. Hence, high
  adventure and intrigue are very much part of the setting. In
  brief, think swashbuckling secret agents with really cool gadg-
  ets. Those working for the crown may sometimes feel underap-
  preciated, and even suspect their work is ultimately futile as
  the Empire seems determined to dismantle itself from within,
  while those working for individual Bloods or aristocrats may
  find themselves caught up in pointless games of one-
  upmanship. However, some of the ruling classes are better
  people (more dutiful, honorable, and concerned with genuine
  progress) than others, and everyone can find themselves fend-
  ing off Prussian spies, Russian empire-builders, or villainous
  Italian bandit-princes from time to time. Plots needn’t involve
  attempts to steal the plans for the latest super-weapon
  (although that should certainly be a staple of such games);
  arranging or preventing dynastic marriages or probing the
  defenses of rival powers’ colonial holdings should all be possi-
  bilities. Fomenting or suppressing assorted revolts, at home or
  in the colonies, can be part of the heroes’ business, too, espe-
  cially as some extreme political Radicals may be influential
  and organized enough to become a genuine threat. As with any
  espionage game, this sort of thing can lead to moral quagmires
  when someone is instructed to suppress inconvenient but pos-
  sibly justified opposition to the status quo.
  Agents needn’t actually be professionals; this is one aspect
  of the timeline in which the talented upper-class amateur still
  commands a lot of reflexive respect, and some such folk are
  almost as capable as they think they are. Players who want to
  take a different angle on such matters are welcome to portray
  Americans (from the Unites States or New England) who gape
  in yokel amazement while shooting anything that looks too
  decadent.
  IMPERIAL EXPLORATION
  Europe doesn’t know everything about the world, let alone
  rule all of it. There’s plenty of untamed jungle in Africa, South
  America, and southern Asia, as well as more civilized but ulti-
  mately more dangerous territory to explore in lands like China
  or Japan. Smart local rulers may be understandably cynical
  about the motives of Western guests and respond with brisk
  ruthlessness – despite the fact that some of the people they’re
  reacting to may have genuinely high-minded ideals, or merely
  be seeking new drugs and medicines.
  In games at the cinematic end of the scale this sort of thing
  can get distinctly pulpish, with lost cities, monstrous beasts,
  and uncanny forces; GMs who want to keep things consistent
  with the Infinite Worlds milieu can justify this by reference to
  dimensional portals, reality shards, or Cabal incursions.
  Adventures in Asia provide an excuse for kung fu action – the
  19th century is a setting for many Hong Kong movies about
  
  martial arts adepts fending off exploitative imperialists, and
  there’s no reason why this sort of character shouldn’t crop up
  in wilder Britannica-6 stories.
  GONE FOR A SOLDIER
  Military careers in this setting fall into two types:
  “European” service, consisting mostly of a lot of parades, exer-
  cises, and social events, combined with frequent requirements
  to become familiar with some new wonder-weapon; and colo-
  nial or “frontier” activities, involving older-fashioned equip-
  ment and a lot more live fire. Adventurous sorts can still find
  something to shoot at in Europe, what with all the foreign
  spies and suchlike who seek to undermine their nation’s mili-
  tary strength or steal its secrets. It’s not impossible to swap
  between the two – though fashionable regiments have an
  uncanny knack for avoiding tedious colonial postings. It’s
  more likely that capable soldiers and sailors who’ve attracted
  notice (not all of it the good kind) through their adventures
  and demonstrations of skill find themselves given
  commissions-without-portfolio by the War Office, and are sent
  wherever their knack for stirring up and resolving trouble is
  needed. That may mean foiling spies in Whitehall, chasing
  down missing engineers on the proving grounds of the
  Yorkshire Moors, or identifying and negating Russian
  intriguers in northern India.
  Not all adventures for military folk have to revolve around
  combat. There are plenty of regimental parties and ladies look-
  ing for profitable marriages with rising soldiers even in the
  most turbulent provinces, let alone London or Paris – and not
  all military PCs have to be stout heroes. The fictional hero-
  poltroon Harry Flashman may inspire some players. Those
  who signed up for the army in order to dress up in smart uni-
  forms or fly the latest scout aerostats on parade over Hyde
  Park could find that, through misfortune or misbehavior,
  they’ve been sent into actual fighting – inconvenient at the very
  least, and possibly downright unnerving.
  HEROIC ENGINEERING
  Heroism on Britannica isn’t just defined in terms of war-
  fare and fighting; indeed, much of the local technology was
  invented as a displacement activity for the competitive ruling
  classes, enabling them to show off and play status games
  without starting wars or killing each other too often. The pro-
  tagonists could be the underappreciated geniuses who put
  this stuff together, struggling to make ever-bigger creations
  work despite the fact the aristocratic ambition is running far
  beyond the bleeding edge of technical feasibility. Players who
  want to engage in a little more action and a little less techie
  bafflegab can be the underpaid test pilots, sea captains, and
  drivers who take the finished products out to prove 
  they work.
  Scenarios can involve more than just a lot of design, con-
  struction, and piloting work, too. Rival aristocrats may spy
  on a project or even attempt to sabotage it, creating work for
  alert and combat-capable good guys – who can be sent on
  similar missions themselves if their patron isn’t too fastidi-
  ous. Nor are direct rivals the only threat. With all the bets on
  every contest of any sort on Britannica-6, bookmakers and
  high-stakes gamblers may attempt to influence the results,
  while anything with a military application attracts the atten-
  tion of unfriendly foreign powers. Also, some ventures may
  extend into unexplored territory – new vehicles can be
  designed for reconnaissance work, or great road-building
  schemes can cross barely conquered provinces – producing
  an overlap with the frontier style of game.
  ADVENTURES ON BRITANNICA-6
  65
  Lyme Regis Vice
  It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single
  man in possession of a good fortune must be, in truth,
  a dealer in illicit opiates of the most contemptible kind.
  Also, two Parish Constables, cast together by the vicis-
  situdes of their employment, shall at first despise one
  the other, but shall eventually learn a warm mutual
  regard. And further, the Captain of Constables is
  invariably a Hindoo, who is most distressed by many of
  the necessary actions of the most capable of his
  Constables.
  Crime-fighting adventures are another possibility 
  in this setting, and can take their style from an unex-
  pected source. Remember that the heroes – urban
  watchmen and independent thief-takers – are often
  under-supervised, semi-freelance law enforcers who
  carry oversized guns; drive big, garish, badly-designed
  motor vehicles much too fast; and fight ruthless and
  flamboyant villains who deal in exotic drugs. In other
  words, games can and should combine the sensibilities
  of a 1980s cop show with a mutated version of the aes-
  thetics of a Regency romance. For additional effect,
  intrusive Bow Street Runners sent from London to
  interfere with local law enforcement can wear plain,
  smart suits and tinted glasses, and be Unfazeable.
  Getting the dialogue right is left as an exercise for 
  the players.
  
  A LIFE OF CRIME
  Not everything on Britannica’s Earth is grand projects of
  courtly politeness; there’s an underworld with all the dark
  chaos of Homeline’s 18th-century Gin Lane and the sordid
  energy of the Victorian East End put together. In a reality
  where competition is elevated above everything else, those at
  the bottom of the heap often feel they have no option but to
  fight dirty, clawing their way upward by any means that comes
  to hand. When the wonderful, unconstrained technology of the
  timeline trickles down to the social depths, it’s adopted, adapt-
  ed, and used – and high-powered weaponry and fast motor
  vehicles somehow prove very easy to abuse.
  Assuming the players want something more than doomed
  and desperate ruffians, PCs in a “Britannica’s alleys” campaign
  should have some twist of high-mindedness, or at least a basic
  sense of criminal honor. They might be extremist Radicals,
  seeking to tear down the world’s corruption, or bounty-
  hunting thief-takers, preying on the most ruthless predators.
  Capable street-level characters with a shred of trustworthiness
  could even find themselves hired – on a secondhand, deniable
  sort of basis – by factions from the other end of society; when
  sabotage or espionage are required, the grandest of grandees
  realizes the streets produce the most effective lackeys. It’s also
  possible to be upper-class criminals, gentleman-thieves who
  fill the difference between their income and the economic
  requirements of their Status by pursuing secret second lives . . .
  out-competing others of their class in a way that, tragically,
  can never be declared.
  POLITICAL ACTIVISM
  On Britannica-6, the personal is political in some very spe-
  cific ways. While many countries are more or less democratic,
  the aristocracy and wealthy industrialists wield huge power –
  many political conflicts are defined in terms of personalities,
  and settled by personal contests of political will or social
  influence.
  If the players are interested their roles can be those of polit-
  ical operators (or their agents and minions) involved in semi-
  corrupt elections, lobbying, influence peddling, diplomatic
  missions, and so on. This can get quite exciting, especially
  when a faction has to maintain its standing and promote its
  leader’s personal renown by sponsoring dromedary races, put-
  ting on displays of the technology he financed, or protecting
  him against high-tech assassins or just dubious propaganda. A
  political figure may become the governor of a colonial
  province for a while, either to build a power base or because
  he lost some contest at home and was forced into exile; if its
  population is restive or has enemies on its borders, this can
  mean military campaigning or espionage. Heroes in such
  games have high Wealth and Status, but any politician might
  also employ a few less obvious enforcers with shady back-
  grounds and more physical skills.
  At the other end of the scale, rebels against the system,
  whether wild-eyed Radicals in Britain, independence cam-
  paigners in imperial provinces, anti-authoritarian idealists on
  mainland Europe, or anti-slavery activists in the Unites States,
  are by definition outsiders with no particular wealth or influ-
  ence required. Still, the fight can be just as personal for them,
  ADVENTURES OF BRITANNICA-6
  66
  
  with causes that seem nobler and a prize much more worthy.
  Such dissenters are in the business of fighting the cozy com-
  placency of the world’s leaders, turning their flashy technology
  and vaunted ideals back against them.
  THE ARISTOCRATIC
  LIFESTYLE
  Of course, not all powerful figures on Britannica-6 are in
  the business of serious politics – though many have personal
  objectives and ideas that seem important to them. An “upper
  class for the sake of it” campaign can mix and match flavors
  and styles; Jane Austen meets Jules Verne, with maybe a large
  dash of Baroness Orczy. Family alliances and rivalries, private
  politics, fun with the newest motor carriages, and maybe some
  swashbuckling adventures can all feature, sometimes in the
  same scenario – sometimes at the same house party.
  Successful heroes may fly their aerostats through storms to
  bring their true loves home in time for the first ball of the sea-
  son, despite the ironic comments of archrivals concerning the
  fuel-oil stains on their gloves.
  With such diffuse and varied subject matters, these games
  need a certain amount of ingenuity and focus on the part of the
  GM. They may start with a specific theme, however loose:
  “marital politics in 1887 Lancashire,” or “first class passengers
  on the Steam Ship Theodosius, meeting on the voyage to India,
  and their various reasons for going there.” After that, hopeful-
  ly enough comes up to keep everyone in the same picture. If
  things seem to be slipping apart, the GM can throw in some-
  thing that affects everyone – a shipwreck, a murder mystery, a
  revolution, whatever – and oblige them to cooperate. This is,
  obviously, a soap-operatic sort of game, and GMs can draw on
  that genre for ideas about plotting.
  BLOOD GAMES
  For a really offbeat campaign, all of the PCs could be
  Bloods. These scions of the British monarchy or its European
  counterparts need appropriate Wealth and Status (and accord-
  ingly high point values) as they engage in status games involv-
  ing gambling, sponsorship of bizarre inventions, and social
  interplay. Alternatively they could form the retinue of a Blood,
  providing the necessary technological ingenuity, piloting skills,
  project management ability, and underhanded espionage.
  Such a game certainly has winners and losers – the losers
  being the ones who get exiled to (“sent to administer”) New
  Aberdeen (the ambitious trade-colony project sited on a por-
  tion of Greenland recently purchased from Denmark). If each
  participant plays a different Blood and takes members of his
  retinue as secondary characters, it could be an unusually com-
  petitive campaign, probably with a limited duration. If every-
  one is part of the same faction, the point of the exercise is to
  avoid disaster and maybe scramble up the ladder a bit to a
  hopefully safer position.
  “Moves” in this campaign mostly consist of contests of vary-
  ing sorts – aerostat or dromedary races, high-stakes card
  games, pulling challenges between giant steam engines,
  attempts to claim the hand in marriage of some Italian
  princess – the stranger and more flamboyant the better. Bloods
  or retinue members with Politics skill may also engage in
  courtly intrigue; if the aristocrat himself participates, both the
  benefits of success and the penalties for failure are doubled.
  Between overt physical contests or political maneuvers, the
  active Bloods confront each other in duels of manners and wit;
  in GURPS terms, these can be handled as Quick Contests of
  Savoir-Faire skill, with reaction modifiers applying. Someone
  who recently scored a great victory or won a significant prize
  in an appropriate competition receives a bonus of up to +4 on
  the skill; even a minor triumph is worth at least +1. Offering a
  prize for some impressive objective can also garner a +1 or +2
  bonus, but might be expensive. The GM can assign bonuses for
  especially clever or witty insults or tricks, or for the choice of
  time or subject-matter for the attack. Winning and losing such
  duels generates temporary positive and negative Reputations;
  when a Blood builds up too many losses, a “killing blow” using
  Politics skill can get him exiled for a year or two (indefinitely
  on a critical success). Smart folks who know their position is
  growing unsustainably weak might also volunteer for a provin-
  cial governorship in the hopes of getting a shorter and more
  comfortable posting, perhaps even somewhere that generates
  a comfortable income or opportunities for glory. This can per-
  mit a later return to the fray with enhanced wealth, reputation,
  or technological toys.
  Formalizing the System
  Groups who want to play this as even more of an abstract
  game may choose to gamble against each other or the GM with
  character points as currency. Accumulated points, positive or
  negative, can purchase Reputations within high society for the
  faction leader, who may also go into “point debt” by accepting
  a negative Reputation with some elements of the court. This
  builds up a reserve of points with which to bet, thereby acquir-
  ing a more positive position with other NPCs. This should be
  played out as much as possible – “I’ll sneer at the Earl of
  Shrewsbury’s new motor-launch and accept a -2 Reputation
  with his toadies; his chum Darroway is bound to challenge me
  to a golf match, and I’ll bet the points on that, spending my
  winnings on positive standing with the sailboat faction down
  at Brighton.” High society as a whole counts as a large class of
  people for Reputation assessment purposes; individual fac-
  tions and retinues count as a small class.
  Bonus character points can be used in this way or spent on
  other things; to keep things balanced, the GM may periodical-
  ly award bonus points to major NPCs. Aristocrats who choose
  to improve their standing through hard work or quiet social
  networking might be permitted to adapt the standard
  “Improvement Through Study” rules (p. B292-293). This gains
  one point for every 200 hours spent, or for 800 hours of harm-
  less effort on something obscure or irrelevant but broadly use-
  ful (analogous to “Learning on the Job”); the time expenditure
  can be divided between multiple characters within a faction.
  Positive points may also be spent, on a 2-for-1 basis, to
  reduce opponents’ Reputations (representing a lot of secret
  slander and backbiting). Anyone reduced to a net -4
  Reputation with all of high society has 2d days to do some-
  thing about it before he ends up counting seals in New
  Aberdeen.
  Even if a campaign set on Britannica-6 isn’t built around
  this idea, the GM should bear in mind that it represents the
  way that Bloods and their associates think. It guides and
  explains a lot of their behavior.
  ADVENTURES ON BRITANNICA-6
  67
  
  A lot of basic historical, cultural, and technological infor-
  mation relevant to the alternate history and divergent technol-
  ogy of Britannica-6 can be found in assorted places on the
  Internet. As usual with that source, readers hoping for com-
  plete reliability and accuracy shouldn’t trust everything they
  read, but it’s easy to find material that’s good enough for a
  game set in a wild other reality. A number of websites are
  devoted to historical romances and more highbrow novels
  such as the works of Jane Austen; as many of these are set in
  the Regency period, and some of the modern novelists take
  reasonable care over their social details and period terminolo-
  gy, sites aimed at their readers can be useful.
  As a more conventional, academic source the Encyclopaedia
  Britannica is, as ever, invaluable.
  Also referenced:
  Churchill, Winston S. A History of the English-Speaking
  Peoples, Volume IV (Cassell and Company, 1958). A handy pop-
  ular history covering the relevant period.
  Pool, Daniel. What Jane Austen Ate and Charles Dickens Knew
  (Simon & Schuster, 1993). A useful introduction to the practi-
  calities of 19th-century life. Much of the coverage is of Victorian
  rather than Georgian topics, of course, but careful reading easi-
  ly identifies the parts that should apply to Britannica-6.
  3rd Edition GURPS Books
  GURPS Steampunk, by William H. Stoddard, is a compre-
  hensive guide to running variant-technology, 19th-century-
  based games. Its companion, GURPS Steam-Tech, compiled
  and edited by Stoddard, has many ideas for gadgets and
  devices, many of which might well fit on Britannica-6.
  GURPS Age of Napoleon, by Nicholas Caldwell, is a source-
  book for the Napoleonic wars, including extensive information
  on Georgian-period living (especially military life), much of
  which is relevant to this alternate timeline. It’s an invaluable
  guide to the period immediately before the divergence point.
  BIBLIOGRAPHY
  68
  BIBLIOGRAPHY
  STEVE JACKSON GAMES
  STEVE JACKSON GAMES
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  Ada’s College, 8.
  Adams, John Quincy, 6, 10.
  Addiction disadvantage, 39.
  Advantages, 36, 39.
  Adventures, 23, 64-67; aristocratic, 67;
  Asian, 23; Blood, 67; crime, 65, 66;
  engineering, 65; exploration, 64;
  intrigue, 64; local, 64-67; military,
  65; political, 66; sample, 57-64;
  tourist, 64.
  Aerostats, 8, 48-49.
  Africa, 24.
  Air transport, 48-50.
  Alcoholism disadvantage, 39.
  Allies advantage, 39.
  Aluminum, 8, 25, 46.
  Americas, 20-22.
  Anesthesia, 53.
  Armor, 44.
  Art, 27.
  Asia, 22-23.
  Augustus of Hanover-Saxe-Coburg,
  24.
  Australia, 25, 32, 35.
  Austria, 9, 12, 16, 19.
  Automation, 45.
  Aviation, 8.
  Babbage engines, 45.
  Babbage, Charles, 7.
  Battleships, 50.
  Bavaria, 9.
  Belgium, 8.
  Bibliography, 68.
  Biological warfare, 47.
  Bismarck, Otto von, 9, 19.
  Bloods, 6, 8, 12, 13, 15, 17, 34, 37, 39,
  67.
  Boers, 24.
  Bow Street Runners, 16, 39, 65.
  Brazil, 22.
  Britannica-2, 30.
  British India, 6.
  Bully disadvantage, 39.
  Byron, Ada, 8.
  Cabal, 31; see also Mission (Sample).
  Canada, 10, 20, 35, 51.
  Canals, 51.
  Cape Town, 24.
  Caroline of Brunswick, 4-5.
  Carts, 46.
  Carter-Sandlebury, Sir Adrian, 38.
  Central America, 22.
  Centrum, 7, 19, 27, 30-31, 54-55.
  Chaises, 46-47.
  Charles X, 9.
  Charlotte, 4-6; Queen of England, 6.
  Chauvinism, 14.
  Chemical warfare, 47.
  Chemistry, 8, 53.
  China, 22-23, 32.
  Christianity, 14.
  Class, 6, 13; middle management, 6.
  Clothing styles, 27, 34.
  Coaches, 46.
  Code of Honor disadvantage, 39-40;
  Plunger’s, 40.
  Cookia, 25.
  Communications, 52.
  Communications Division, 55.
  Competition, 11, 14.
  Compulsive Behavior disadvantage,
  39.
  Contact Division, 56.
  Control Rating, 35.
  Costikyan, Owen, 62-63.
  Crime, 15-16, 32, 39; adventures, 65,
  66.
  Cultural artifacts, 27-28.
  Cultural Familiarity advantage, 33.
  Current affairs, 11-12, 26.
  Darwin, Charles, 7.
  Dickens, Charles, 18.
  Diesel engines, 8, 45.
  Disadvantages, 36, 39.
  Divergences, missing historical ele-
  ments, 4-5, 26; 5-6, 22-24, 47; Great
  Trek, 24; Indian Mutiny, 6; Monroe
  Doctrine, 6; NBC warfare, 47; Opium
  Wars, 22; Queen Victoria, 5; Taiping
  Rebellion, 23.
  Drugs, 22-23, 28, 32, 53.
  Duty disadvantage, 39.
  Earthshaker, 51.
  East India Company, 6-7, 22, 24.
  Electrical Terror, 48.
  Electricity, 53.
  Engineers, 37.
  Ernest Augustus I, 6.
  Europe, 19.
  Exile, 12.
  Explorers, 37.
  Faraday, Michael, 7, 52.
  Faradayan waves, 52.
  Fashion, 27, 34.
  Feminism, 14.
  Flight, 8.
  France, 9, 12, 19-20.
  Free Hinterland movement, 25.
  Fuel, 8, 47.
  Gadgets, 28.
  Gadgeteer advantage, 39.
  Gambling, 8, 11-12, 14, 32, 67; game
  mechanics, 67.
  Genre, 11.
  George III, 4.
  George IV, 4-5.
  George, Duke of Kent, 16.
  Germany, 19; see also Prussia.
  Gliders, 8, 49-50; gliding shell, 49-50.
  Gold, 21.
  INDEX
  69
  INDEX
  
  Great Trek, 24.
  Greece, 10.
  Ground transport, 47-48, 50.
  Guns, 42-44.
  Hanover, 6, 19.
  Hellfire Clubs, 15.
  Hong Kong, 23.
  Honor, 14, 39-40.
  I-Cops, 56.
  Ice Dreadnought, 51.
  India, 6, 22.
  Indian Mutiny, 6.
  Indians, 14.
  Inertia, very low historical, 7.
  Infinity, 4, 7-8, 11-12, 19, 25-30, 32,
  36, 42; adventures, 54-64; divisions,
  54-56; recruiting natives and, 36.
  Intelligence Division, 56.
  Internal combustion, 8, 45.
  Ireland, 8.
  ISWAT, 36, 56.
  Italy, 9.
  Jackson, Andrew, 10.
  Jacobov, Abraham, 28-29.
  Jansz City, 25.
  Japan, 23.
  Justice Division, 54-55.
  Kelly Movement, 25.
  Kelly, Edward, 25, 32.
  Landaus, 46-47.
  Law enforcement, 15-16, 39, 65.
  Legal Enforcement Powers
  advantage, 39.
  Legality Class, 35.
  Leopold III, 16.
  Leopold of Saxe-Coburg, 4-7, 9;
  Prince Consort of England, 6.
  Louis-Charles, 9.
  Louis-Philippe, 9.
  Macau, 23.
  Magic, 26, 31, 40.
  Manchu Qing dynasty, 23.
  Manners, 14.
  Marx, Karl, 7.
  Medicine, 5, 7, 24, 28, 53.
  Mediterranean, 20.
  Mexico, 21.
  Middle East, 20.
  Middle-management class, 6.
  Military rockets, 46.
  Mission, sample, 57-64.
  Missions, 23, 54-67; Asian, 23;
  Infinity, 54-64; see also Adventures.
  Monarchy, 6.
  Monroe Doctrine, 6.
  Morale Division, 55.
  Morality, 11.
  Motor-carriages, 47-48.
  Motor-chaises, 46-47.
  Motor-gigs, 46-47.
  Nationality, 14.
  Natives, 37-40.
  NBC warfare, 47.
  Ndebele, 24.
  New England, 10, 12, 20-21, 23, 34-35.
  New Holland, 25.
  New South Wales, 25.
  Nexus Oversight, 55.
  Nobles, 37.
  Oil engines, 8, 45.
  Opium Wars, 22.
  Outworlders, 26-32, 36.
  Parachronic inertia, 7.
  Patrons advantage, 39.
  Pedro IV, 22.
  Perks, 39.
  Phaetons, 46-47.
  Pharmacology, 53.
  Philosophers, 37, 40.
  Phonographic recording, 53.
  Photography, 53.
  Poland, 9.
  Port George, 25.
  Portugal, 6.
  Postal service, 52.
  Power sources, 45.
  Prejudices, 13-14, 35.
  Prussia, 9, 12, 19, 23, 27, 31-32, 35,
  50-51.
  Psionics, 40.
  Queen Victoria, 5.
  Quirks, 39.
  Race, 14.
  Radar, 52.
  Radicals, 13-15, 17, 37, 66.
  Radio-telegraph, 52.
  Rail transport, 50.
  Ranged weapons table, 43.
  Realism, 11.
  Reforms, social and political, 5.
  Reich-5, 32.
  Religion, 5, 14.
  Revolutions, 6.
  Roads, 8, 17, 45.
  Royal agents, 37.
  Russia, 9-10, 19, 35.
  San Francisco, 21.
  Sea travel, 50-51.
  Search and Rescue, 56.
  Secession, United States, 10.
  Security Division, 55.
  Selfish disadvantage, 39.
  Servants, 37.
  Sexism, 14.
  Signature Gear advantage, 39.
  Skills, 36, 40.
  Slavery, 15.
  Social Disease disadvantage, 39.
  Social Stigma disadvantage, 35.
  Soldiers, 38.
  South Africa, 24.
  South America, 12, 22.
  Spain, 6, 12.
  Sportsmen, 38-39.
  Status, 34-35.
  Stokers, 37, 48.
  Submarines, 50-51.
  Surgery, 53.
  Swagmen, 25, 32, 54.
  Sydney, 25.
  Synthetic fabric, 34.
  Taiping Rebellion, 23.
  Tech Level, 26, 33, 53.
  Technical Analysis, 56.
  Technology, 7, 41-53; development, 7.
  Telegraph, 52.
  Terminology, vehicular, 46.
  Thief-takers, 39.
  Thuggee, 22.
  Time Tours, 28, 30.
  Tolstoy, Leo, 7.
  Tories, 17.
  Torpedoes, 47.
  Trains, 50.
  Transport, 46-51; air, 48-50; ground,
  47-48, 50; rail, 50; water, 50-51;
  unusual, 51.
  Triads, 22-23, 32.
  Turkey, 10.
  United States, 6, 12, 20-21, 27, 34-35.
  Vehicles, 46-51; design rules, 46;
  weapons, 46; see also Transport.
  War-barouches, 46-47.
  War-gigs, 46-47.
  Water transport, 50-51.
  Wealth, 13, 39.
  Weapons, 28, 42-44, 46-47; melee, 44;
  ranged table, 43.
  Whigs, 5-6, 10-11, 13, 17, 20; revival,
  5; Tories and, 5.
  White Star, 27-29, 53, 56; adventures,
  64.
  William of Hanover, 6.
  World conditions, 33-35.
  World War I possibility, 27.
  Worldline data, 26.
  Yankee tinkerer, 10.
  Zulus, 24.
  INDEX
  70
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/GURPS [multi]/SETTING/Infinite Worlds/GURPS 4e - Infinite Worlds - Britannica-6 4e.pdf