Friday, April 23, 2010

Alternate History Imagi-nations List

I was thinking this morning about all of the various Imagi-nations that my friends and I have dreamt up over the last couple of years for VSF gaming. Some are vaguely historical, some a total fabrication. So here they are, briefly described:
  • Republic of Texas: The historical Republic of Texas, independent of the United States and extended across northern Mexico to the Pacific.
  • Kingdom of Hawaii: Essentially a British client, yet still independent. A firm fixture in the British Hegemony.
  • Elistonia: A minor Central European nation. A bit old-fashioned, too.
  • Papal States: Historically, they were absorbed into Italy in the late 1800s.
  • Republic of Venice: Much like the Papal States, Venice has managed to maintain a measure of independence.
  • Confederated Italian States (CIS): As the name implies, the various states of Italy formed a confederation rather than becoming truly unified. The politics of this nation are... vigorous.
  • Empire of Mexico: Propped up by the French, Mexico's Emperor Maximillian I is trying to develop a regional power out of his impoverished nation.
  • Fenian Republic: The Emerald Isle has managed to break the shackles of English dominance, assisted by a variety of clandestine technology transfers, British distractions in the aether, and a good dash of luck.
  • Laputa: A floating (in the sky!) island, an enigmatic mystery, and a source of deadly peril.
I am sure I am forgetting a few, but you can see that there is a lot of odd stuff going on here.

There are also some non-terrestrial nations, on Mars. The most important of these is the Empire of Galfor, which opposes pretty much everything the British do on Mars.

5 comments:

Eli Arndt said...

Don't forget my other imagi-nations of Alcovia and Iqenistan. Also, I am developing a new Confederacy on Mars.

abdul666 said...

Exciting! Everyone of them would deserve at least a post presenting it / providing a link to relevant web material. And the whole series of posts would deserve a new 'label' of its own, of course!


What about a 'collective' blog for inspirational exchanges between Victorian / Belle Epoque Imagi-Nations, along the lines of Emperor vs Elector (Lace Wars) and Interbellum (Interwars)?

J Womack, Esq. said...

I new I was forgetting something. I love the Confederacy on Mars, too. As I have it, the South still loses the War of Northern Aggression, but it took a bit longer IIRC. I need to add your holdouts on Mars to the 'official' alternate history line.

I don't know much about Alcovia and Iqenistan. Suppose I need to look up their histories too...

J Womack, Esq. said...

Oh, and Abdul... my VSF blog Victoria's Boys In Red (www.vbir.blogspot.com) has some of the information about some of these nations on it. Perhaps a re-post is called for here. Some sort of Gazetteer (sp?) of Nations, perhaps?

abdul666 said...

Many of these Imagi-Nations already existed in the 18th C., the Age of Reason and of the Lace Wars: is none of you VSF Imagi-Native tempted by Lacepunk? Is not this dirigible quite inspirational (just replace shakos with tricornes -and, yes the balloon 'enveloppe' is too small in proportion with the 'hull')?

Then if one allows for cavorite or lightwood or whatever, they were already there waiting to be discovered by the mid 18th C., so what about Cosmos 1745?

(On my anomaly of a blog expand messages by adding comments rather than posting new ones under the same label: among the 41 comments to this 'Lace Wars Sci-Fi' post some are devoted to a (very Parroom / Bronze Age TinMan) 18th C. Mars.)

P.S.: yes, I know, appreciate and visit regularly 'VBR' for long, as well as this one, 'vsf15mm', 'Lead people'... a (common, synthetic?) Gazetteer would indeed by great.