One of the more interesting ideas that is (or should be) a part of a Victorious chronicle is that of the influence SuperMankind can have on the history of a world. For those chronicles that emphasize the late 19th century, their influence could be quite profound; for good or ill.
A project I’ve been working on recently is “Looking Backward from 2000”; whose title was stolen from the Edward Bellamy book published in 1888. Like that work, it attempts to tell the future history of a world full of supernatural powers and influences, from the 1980s to 2000. In the book will not only be a timeline of possible future events, but statistics on new classes, new characters, monsters, and optinal rules for running Victorious in a more modern setting.
Below is a sample timeline for the years 1894–5. Note the connections between Victorious SuperMankind and historical events that can be fixed, or go awry!
1894
- This is the beginning of the infamous Dreyfuss Affair in Paris. The heroine Electress saves some Jews from a riot and nearly leaves France in a fury. Only time and increased payments from the Sûreté keeps the heroine in La Belle France.
1895
- The Jameson Raid on the Transvaal from British South Africa is attempted by armed British citizens dreaming of expanding the empire. This raid not only had Dr. Jameson and his hired guns, but the Iron Duke and several detachments of the New Model Army also intervened to annex the Boer gold fields. Fortunately, SCEPTRE was tipped off in time, and so a scratch force of SuperMankind led by Twilight intercepted the raid near the border.
- Despite the considerable SCEPTRE assistance, the Boers insist it’s all a trick by the British and demand their withdrawal immediately from Praetoria. Twilight leaves, but rescues Jameson and his men to turn over to London. The Iron Duke got away, but his men were left to face Boer justice.
- Kaiser Wilhelm’s infamous Kruger telegram. With the healing and cybernetic implants to his left arm, he becomes even more militarily belligerent, even insisting he was a member of SuperMankind as well. Britain is shocked and resents this apparent attack on an allegedly friendly nation by Germany.
As usual, any comments on the FB page or here are appreciated, more to come!
Genteel Magistrate