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Aberrant RPG - No Aberrant War


Heru

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Exactly what the topic title is, what do you guys think would happen to the world if there was no Aberrant War and if Taint never got to the point that humanity saw the war as the only possible response.
Let me see if I've got this straight. You're asking what would happen if:

1- most or all of the 1stGen novas wound up accumulating much less Taint than the canon metaplot implies, & as a result of that,

2- the United Nations didn't declare war on the nonexistent/minimal population of High-Taint novas in 2049?

Call me cynical, but I think that a global war would still take place - the reasons for it would just be a little different. The culprits in this case would be the political/corporate elite, just as they were in WW1 & WW2. So instead of the Aberrant War, you get plain old World War 3.

One other thing I would expect is an increased number of novas leaving Earth to live on extrasolar colony worlds & taking suitable baselines family & friends along with them. Why would they stay on Earth, where the Establishment is hell-bent on making the planet into a global dystopia, when they have such a wonderful alternative within reach?

Of course, that would result in one heck of a population loss/brain-drain situation Earthside, which would not be viewed favorably by the baseline Establishment. Add in the loss of so many novas (who the Establishment will be seeing as ultra-valuable commodities instead of the canonical dangerous monsters), & you're left with a planet whose elite will have one *heck* of a grudge against the colonists. By the 22nd Century, this could easily evolve into a situation of interstellar war, with Earth plus whatever colonies they've established in the Solar System pitted against the extrasolar colony worlds.

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That's an interesting look at it, but wouldn't it also be as likely that as time goes on the political establishment becomes the Novas. As in nova politicians being elected in democratic countries and whatnot. I mean hell, if a country is really a democracy than even its citizens with special abilities should be able to run for office. And once they do, well things start happening.

I don't think it will be a glorious and filled with happiness and puppies, but I do think that if you have non Tainted people with super powers and extra capabilities that others do not then they would eventually grow to be more dominant - as time goes on. The issue, as I see it, is that the metaplot of the official setting, didn't even give the option of time, they automatically made things go from okay to bad and then to worse, but there are so many other ways that it could have gone. And while conflict and war is a great possibility so is the eventual placement of novas in a position of general power and authority.

Maybe this is just me, but I honestly do feel that the best for a job should get the job - and the novas are pretty much best for the job. They are better than any human is capable of being, and thus if a nation or a society wants to be the best that they can be, they should provide those better than normal people with jobs equal to their capabilities.

And yes, I do actually support the idea of the Teragen in the metaplot - I think that beings that are so much far from normal baselines have different concerns. Its like how the Exalted rule in the Exalted gameline. To me, its the same for the Novas.

And honestly, while your ideas of war and interstellar colonization by hundreds of novas and colonies under them sound really really entertaining (it would be cool to have a story/game set with the idea of thousands of Edens and entire Eden-like interstellar federations vs. each others, it would be epic) so does the setting in which overtime the Novas build up more and more authority and whatnot. And like I said, it won't be perfect, or a paradise or without conflict, but it would be not a world war type conflict - at least in my book.

++

Definitely related, but here is another question I was just wondering - do you think that Aberrant lost some of its open endedness because of the fact that it needs to fit into the future metaplot of Trinity, or do you guys think that whatever it lost it gained in so much. Because, honestly, I would say that while I do not have a problem with the metaplot of Aberrant in a Trinity Game, I would probably ignore the future events if I ever had another Aberrant game.

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...The culprits in this case would be the political/corporate elite, just as they were in WW1 & WW2...
Novas add Trillions (with a "T") to the GDP of the world, probably even to just the US. It's not that hard to come up with a nova who should command a 9 digit income. Mega-Int 3 with some skills could probably do it.

The Corporate Elite would IMHO be one of the real stabilizing factors in the equation. A nova who is paid 9 digits is bringing 10 to the company... and that's not something the CEO wants to walk away from.

If Mal is still around then the war *will* happen, because with his Mega-Socials he will talk the world's novas into Chrysalis, but without taint Mal never needed Chrysalis to begin with and he probably never went insane. So we pretty much have to take the Teragen out of the picture as well, and Doctor Prime will never become Divis Mal.

So... *if* there is a war it will be because Novas are gods, and not monsters.

The problem is Q6 and Q8 probably break the system anyway. Without taint there will be a lot more Gods, and sane gods might not be better than insane ones.

Pick a hot topic. Any hot topic. Abortion. Animal Rights. Either the nova community polices itself and instills a respect for the law (which I find hard to believe) or we end up with rival Q8 novas on opposite sides of some issue and they end up using their powers to "do the right thing".

Or Pax might get enough Novas to police the world... and enslave nova kind.

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Definitely related, but here is another question I was just wondering - do you think that Aberrant lost some of its open endedness because of the fact that it needs to fit into the future metaplot of Trinity, or do you guys think that whatever it lost it gained in so much.

Because, honestly, I would say that while I do not have a problem with the metaplot of Aberrant in a Trinity Game, I would probably ignore the future events if I ever had another Aberrant game.

Your second statement answers your first.

If the players stay small, then the meta-plot is decades away and they'll never see it.

If the players become gods (and with abby that's the way to bet), then they'll mangle the meta-plot with the ST's blessing.

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Novas add Trillions (with a "T") to the GDP of the world, probably even to just the US. It's not that hard to come up with a nova who should command a 9 digit income. Mega-Int 3 with some skills could probably do it.

The Corporate Elite would IMHO be one of the real stabilizing factors in the equation. A nova who is paid 9 digits is bringing 10 to the company... and that's not something the CEO wants to walk away from.

If Mal is still around then the war *will* happen, because with his Mega-Socials he will talk the world's novas into Chrysalis, but without taint Mal never needed Chrysalis to begin with and he probably never went insane. So we pretty much have to take the Teragen out of the picture as well, and Doctor Prime will never become Divis Mal.

So... *if* there is a war it will be because Novas are gods, and not monsters.

The problem is Q6 and Q8 probably break the system anyway. Without taint there will be a lot more Gods, and sane gods might not be better than insane ones.

Pick a hot topic. Any hot topic. Abortion. Animal Rights. Either the nova community polices itself and instills a respect for the law (which I find hard to believe) or we end up with rival Q8 novas on opposite sides of some issue and they end up using their powers to "do the right thing".

Or Pax might get enough Novas to police the world... and enslave nova kind.

If we'd still have the baseline Establishment vs. gods, that's more than enough impetus for a global war right there. Your take on the "sane gods" I find fairly accurate, but you may have a rosier view of the baseline Establishment than I do. Many of those people are not only subject to the "top dog syndrome" (basically "I'm on top & I'll do anything to keep it that way for as long as possible"), but that self-perception has been confirmed by their wealth & political/social influence.

Now toss in these quantum gods (sans Taint) who not only can match or surpass the B.E. in wealth and political/social influence but have access to power the likes of which the B.E. can only dream of having. That's a very potent blow to their collective egos, & they will take steps to avenge the perceived slight to said egos.

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I just think that if a bunch of superhumans get together to try and become major individuals and influences in democratic nations - and they do it legally - they cannot be stopped. I mean it would take but a single nova individual who wished to run for a government position - maybe a mayor of a small town, or a senator or a governor, or even in the end, the president. If they run, have enough political capability they will probably win. And once they achieve the position they will probably be very very good at what they are doing.

There would probably be untold stories of novas running for mayors of small towns. The towns are not doing so well and then the nova mayor comes in and in a year or so the town is completely turned around in how it operates. All it takes is a mega-social and a mega-intelligence nova, and they win.

A nova begins his own business, not long after they will probably gain enough money to begin buying out other businesses all in legal ways.

A nova is a general or other major military leader. They can plan campaigns using strategies beyond normal human thought.

A nova as a politician. As a lawyer. As a reporter. As a...whatever. Whatever they put their minds to (and it won't it in most cases on wearing capes and fighting crime) will no doubt win and achieve what they are setting their minds to.

And yes, while some will have problems with what they are doing - what are they going to pass laws making it illegal for a nova to run for political office. or own a company. Or be a lawyer, or whatever.

In addition, I could see a nova creating a nova-only gambling establishment which uses games of chance that take into account nova abilities and use it to make it so its hard to cheat beyond certain thresholds. Lots of money could be made that way.

I honestly think that if superhumans appeared in the real world things would change so much more than that which Aberrant suggests. And while I can understand why they do that I wish that a superhero game or setting came out in which the establishment of such superhumans caused changes in society to the point where those that are most capable do what they are most capable of.

And I must say, I wouldn't be adverse to working with others (if others exist who are interested in this) to try and come up with something that would be more realistic in the sense of superhumans coming into a world and shaking things up to the point that the mundane baseline status is no longer anywhere near status quo. Though I will say that I don't think that this is only the good, it will also include some bad events, nothing is perfect, but I do think that in the end such superhumans will win.

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Sure Mega Mental and Social novas will dominate the worlds of finance and politics. What you need to be worried about is all the novas with more immediately destructive abilites who arent so smart, who make dumb or even criminal decisions. And of course, the really smart hacker types out for profit or with personal agendas. Just because you get a Node doesn't automatically grant conscience, compassion or wisdom...

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Sure Mega Mental and Social novas will dominate the worlds of finance and politics. What you need to be worried about is all the novas with more immediately destructive abilites who arent so smart, who make dumb or even criminal decisions. And of course, the really smart hacker types out for profit or with personal agendas. Just because you get a Node doesn't automatically grant conscience, compassion or wisdom...

True, true, true. I agree with you that for every few good novas their will probably be some bad novas. And this bad novas are going to do selfish things that kind of ruin it for almost everyone. And your completely right, having a node doesn't make a conscience.

But maybe its me being optimistic and all that, but I do think that in the end more novas will try to become something within the system (considering that they can change it once they are in it) rather than destroy it from the outside. Heck, even Divis Mal tried it in his Adventure! era past, before he decided screw it.

I just think that if there exists a huge number of novas who wish to become something within the system their dominance of the system would cause many of the other novas some pause and maybe have them think about joining.

And for those few that there is not hope - well, conflict is the root of stories, so their presence makes it somewhat awesome to read and play in.

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I think you are making the wrong assumption that there will be a large amount of novas who will want to be in the 'system'.

Most, (but not all) people tend to be self-serving and greedy to some degree. Now give them powers, I can't see them putting the public interest high on their list of things to do.

Aside from that, you can take society as is now as an argument. Do the best and the brightest always join the 'system' in an effort to make the world a better place somehow? Most definitely not. At least in America, we have the unfortunate success of electing through a popularity contest instead of qualification.

While I agree with your optimism in part that some novas would work for the greater good, most probably wouldn't. Also remember that most novas that erupt do not have the grandiose powers as described by the various Dramatis Personae, but rather as very low powered and sometimes useless abilities. I imagine this would continue to be the norm sans the War and the effort to induce taint-ridden eruption later in the timeline.

Would add more, but gotta get to work.

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Sans large taint, and not touching the Divis Mal issue. . .

. . .I tend to think the setting would mostly still look the same, as far as the first decade or two. Beyond that, you would get various alterations, but in general, the world will be more like the early days of the nova age than the later.

Minimal taint means novas aren't turning into insane monsters.

Minimal taint means the Teragen is going to be a lot less powerful.

Minimal taint means the Utopian efforts aren't going to burn out novas near as much.

Remember, humanity as a whole didn't turn against novakind until the Aberrant War literally brought Earth to the brink of armageddon. Lacking the above factors, that's highly unlikely to happen, which means the overall baseline attitude towards novas is going to remain positive.

Oh, and re: "novas and the system". . . who says self-interest means novas won't buy into society? With even low level nova power, a nova can achieve fame, money, and position, all the things a self-interested individual would want.

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The thing about being on top is having novas around makes it easier to stay on top.

One Nova Healer could service every member of Congress and their Families and *still* have lots of time left over to do whatever he wanted. Ditto one Nova Temporal Manipulators.

Is Bill Gates going to not hire a nova computer guy?

Is a producer going to not hire a nova actor for his movie?

Yes, granted, Tom Cruise and Arnold won't be happy that they're not in the top 5 any more... but who cares about them? They lost, and part of having lost is we don't really care about them any more.

Ditto the former top models.

Ditto even Tiger Woods.

Ditto even the former CEOs for whatever companies got kicked off the Fortune 500 because 5 novas started 5 companies.

Very few "normal" humans are going to be in a position to have their job taken by a nova. A few will. Organ Transplant Doctors, cancer treatment doctors, etc. But mostly those are small problems.

RE: Selfish Novas.

The nice thing about our system is it turns selfish self interest into more profit.

You have Mega-App 2? Great, work inside the system and you get 50 million dollars a year and baselines super models will have cat fights over who gets to sleep with you. Or you can step outside the system and fight it out with T2M.

RE: Criminal Novas

A problem, but as long as the criminal world pays less than the real one, not a horrible problem.

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There is the side issue, granted, of discontent at the inability to achieve those 0.1% jobs no matter how hard a baseline works.

OTOH, this is mitigated in a bunch of ways:

1. Only a small portion of the population seriously has that level of ambition, anyway

2. The productivity generated by novas makes life generally better for everyone, no matter if your at the top 0.1% or not

3. Eruption is, generally speaking, an equal opportunity affair

Granted, an ambitious effort to induce self-eruption is probably not healthy. And if/when somebody discovers a way to determine, absolutely sure, when a person lacks the potential to erupt. . . well, *that* has some sociological bombshells attached.

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Forge

Most self-serving people will discover that its better to make money that is within the system than it is to make money outside the system - if one does not have to worry about loosing that money do to illegal things. So while a person could work illegally they could probably make more money, safely and better by working within the system.

And once enough novas are within the system they can become the system - which will then change the system and make it better for novas.

Another point is that the most capable novas are also the most likely to get elected - if you have both Mega-Mental and Mega-Social then you are the socially capable doctor or scientist. You are not just smart but you are also capable at being appealing. And thus you are able to get others to vote for you and your intelligence policies.

I never said for the greater good, I said within the system. One can work for oneself, to make one richer, more popular and more successful then others - but they could do it within the system rather than by tearing it down.

metaphysician

I am with you that history would work the way it does when novas just begin to appear. But I think that as more time passes their presence would change things so much more rapidly then it actually does in canon.

I agree with you completely.

Alex Green

Yeah, this is pretty much how I see it.

The companies, the organizations, the corporations, the communities are all going to hire novas for their jobs. And while a company is still going to have a human computer programmer, they might also higher a couple of nova programmers. The nova will do things that he is capable of beyond what the normal programmers can do, the normal ones will work at what they are capable. Bill Gates (for example) won't loose is control because he owns it, the novas will work for him. Though at some point a couple of novas will go - "you know what, I think I am going to create my own computer company." They will split off and they will make new programs and revolutionize the field. For Microsoft (again for example) to compete they will need Novas on the board providing nova-level ideas.

The basic jobs done by baselines will continue to be done by baselines. No matter how many nova doctors there are their will still be a need for baseline doctors. Same with nurses, engineers, whatever. This works for every position. Though most baselines won't be considered the top top of the line they will still have important positions and jobs.

metaphysician

Honestly, this is exactly how I look at it.

By having novas be at the top of the medical field the entire medical field will be pushed forward and upward and it will be easier for baselines to get standardized medical care.

This is the same for pretty much any industry that one could think about. If novas are at the top of it, organizing it, or administrating it, then it will be easier for baselines to benefit from its greater levels.

And really, if novas are at the upper levels of whatever than it will be hard for those baselines who truly hate it to truly be able to stop it.

I would think that there would be nova lawyers and nova judges - they are citizens and they would have the right. Nova officers, nova doctors, engineers, technicians, talk show hosts, game hosts, sports players, movie stars, politicians, you name it there will be it.

Novas will organize, they will spread throughout society and they will come to dominate it eventually.

+

I should note that honestly in both real life sense and in-game sense I do not have a problem with the way that Eden is organized in the Trinity era. Or the way that the Solars ruled the Realm in the First Age of Exalted. I would think that such a thing would be pretty much the end result of the existence of a huge number of superhumans.

Superhumans will either rule it or they will be destroyed by baseline society - Exalted and the Edenites do the first while Aberrant and Trinity decided the second.

I personally dislike the second option and think that the first is so much more entertaining and cool from a game perspective. Which is why I would love to work on something like that with others.

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In that case Heru, have you considered joining up in Rorx's PbP Eden based game? ::happy

I hadn't actually seen it until you pointed it out just now. I kinda just look at the Aberrant area of the site mostly.

After glancing through it, I am confused. Is there two games - one based on Psions and one based on Novas. Or is it one game.

And didn't it start already, which could cause problems. I mean I wouldn't be adverse to thinking about joining a game in which I can play a nova from Eden, that sounds like pure heaven.

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See I've been trying to say that having multiple OOC threads will confuse people!

The game started as a Trinity game but was lagging. So Rorx, the ST, advanced the timeline up and is now including Novas. It is one game, Psions or Novas from Eden are playable and we haven't gotten the thing back off the ground yet. It's the perfect time for you to jump in if you like. Hopefull we will start soon...

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See I've been trying to say that having multiple OOC threads will confuse people!

The game started as a Trinity game but was lagging. So Rorx, the ST, advanced the timeline up and is now including Novas. It is one game, Psions or Novas from Eden are playable and we haven't gotten the thing back off the ground yet. It's the perfect time for you to jump in if you like. Hopefull we will start soon...

Ah, I see, I see. Thanks :) I will definitely give it a look and strongly consider the possibility of asking to join. :) The idea of playing novas from Eden in Trinity is almost too awesome to pass up in my estimation.

The possibilities of what a bunch of nova PCs could do in Trinity using their powers is just too immense for words. hehe

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I wholeheartedly agree! Been wanting to play an Edenite since like...freakin'ever! ::ultracool

It was only recently that I personally gained access to Stellar Frontiers, it was one of those books that I could never get my hands on - and now I did. And when I did I immediately turned to the section on Eden which I had heard so much about. And I gotta say I was not disappointed, I immediately discovered it was the sort of society that I love in superhero games. It was a mix of Exalted (which came after, but still, was read first) with Aberrant and Trinity, and thus made of win.

Of course, posting about it in this thread, caused me to realize that there was a game on about Eden and all that, which made my wish to join.

So yeah, both the existence of Eden and a game about Eden novas is something that is completely awesome and made of win in my book. :)

Of course, this makes me wonder how things would change in official Trinity history once novas from Eden begin to be accepted on Earth. It might cause a change, even a greater acceptance amongst certain human groups. Hell, it could even end in the idea of some humans wanting to leave the chaotic and wartorn Earth and head to Eden to live amongst a stable society run by people who know what they are doing and are capable of doing it better than anybody else - even most psions.

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Of course, it's by no means sure that Edenite novas will be accepted by the general Earth populace, who might not touch them even with a ten-parsec pole. ::biggrin In canon, only Aeon, the top psions and the UN know about Eden, generally speaking (well, some Karroo colonists, too). Joe Hologram certainly doesn't, and after decades of demonization, how would you introduce "friendly" demons? If you assume no War, novas who didn't agree with the way life on Earth was going could still take off and form their own colonies along their preferred lines (ie, the Edenite benevolent dictatorship). If Earth novas had integrated along more egalitarian lines, Edenite novas might not find a warm welcome (or might give Earth novas interesting ideas).

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1) Keep in mind that there is only one nova per 100,000 baselines. Not every corporation is going to have one on staff, and it's not likely that corporations that have one will push that nova hard (Taint issues). Also, keep in mind that not all novas have abilities that are truly useful; flight and q-bolt may be great powers, but they have few uses that aren't trumped by 22nd century tech, especially allowing for potential taint issues.

2) I thought Edenites were pretty much common knowledge; after all, not only did most of the Karoo colonists see one in action, but didn't Apollo send out a public message to everyone? Even if he hadn't, wouldn't have the Karoo colonists heading back home spread the word?

FR

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1) Keep in mind that there is only one nova per 100,000 baselines. Not every corporation is going to have one on staff, and it's not likely that corporations that have one will push that nova hard (Taint issues).
No taint on this thread. ::sly

While not *all* corporations will have a nova, if we look at just the Fortune 500 I think the odds will be pretty good.

Also, keep in mind that not all novas have abilities that are truly useful; flight and q-bolt may be great powers, but they have few uses that aren't trumped by 22nd century tech...
Pretty near all novas can do *something*. It's *very* hard to build a nova who isn't worth a million a year to someone. Granted, not everyone will be worth 10 million a year, but most will. 100 million is harder but still easily done.

Mega-App: Movies, Modeling

Mega-Manip: Lawyers, Interrogators

Mega-Wits: Biz, Day Trading

Mega-Int: Science, Engineering, Medicine

Etc.

Note all those examples don't really depend on how popular novas as a whole are.

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astronomer,

While I cannot say I am completely sure, I thought that the existence of a non-tainted nova colony was somewhat common knoweldge. Or at least that it was released to the public of the world.

The idea of Earth novas taking baselines and starting their own colonies with only but a bare touch with Earth is cool. I think the idea of humanity expanding throughout the stars under the purview of nova leaders would provide a great story idea, campaign setting, and plot point.

Earth itself would be a nucleus, the place where novas are born in radically huge numbers (all thanks to Divis Mal) so it will always be important for continued nova growth in numbers. And it will also be a major trade and societal center for the newly formed colonies.

I would think that as time goes on a sort of balance would be achieved between novas and baselines. That eventually both will reach a state of equilibrium where they are both generally happy with the status quo. This, of course, assumes, very few taint ridden monsters and the other alternative (canon one) that says baselines will completely come to hate and fear and want to kill novas.

Finbar,

There are less mega-corporations in my thought than there are novas that might want to work for them. And I also think that it takes a very rare and very very unusual nova who is completely useless. Nova powers are not single things like the mutant in X-Man who can change the channel on television. In Aberrant he would probably have Cyberkinesis and thus be quite useful.

Plus, are you sure about the numbers. I am not disagreeing with you, I am just not sure that is that so few a ratio. I could have sworn that there was more and more as time goes by.

Alex Green,

Yeah, exactly. I agree with you 100%. Very few novas would not be able to do something useful and interesting and that would make them rich.

++

I just want to make a note that as time goes by I think that the very campaign plot of Aberrant (the superhero aspect) would be changed and give way to a futuristic sci-fi setting like Trinity. With interesting super-gadgets designed using quantum energy, advanced technology, spacecraft, space colonies, etc. etc. Things would, as time goes ever forward, become more and more different from present world as more and more novas begin making their mark and changing various aspects of how the world operates.

All it will take is for a Mega-Intelligence nova with advanced training in psychology to come up with a theory on better government or better societal organization or whatever. If its not to far out there a theory (in that baselines can understand the concept even if they would not have been able to get to it themselves at the present time) than it might change how things occur.

Same thing with new advancements and technological innovations - if enough novas begin developing advanced but mortally understandable technology than the stupid Utopia prohibition on technology will fall by the wayside as corporations say "stop, you have no legal authority over us."

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I'm not sure Eden would necessarily get founded in this time line. . . but I'm sure there would be nova-founded colonies of some kind or other. How they would get along with Earth, would probably depend on a wide range of factors.

I agree, in my view of the future Aberrant time line Earth itself is more than likely operated along Eden-like lines - with novas acting as some sort of leadership caste above baselines. But that is just my thinking.

But as you said, so many factors would have to be taken into account, factors that change based on the goals that individuals see when they consider the setting.

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Well, just as an offhand, you'd probably see colonies with some of the following attitudes:

1. Religious pilgrims, with a central nova and whatever religion/cult he has gathered, heading elsewhere so as to be free of outsider influences. Ethics depend on the nature of the religion.

2. Space enthusiasts, founding a colony for the sake of colonization.

3. Corporate colonization, either to escape Earth legal rules, or just to gather resources. Most likely a nova-run company

4. Nova supremacist/separatists looking to found a baseline free world

5. Good old fashion government-sponsored colonies

Pretty much any of these could have any relation with Earth. For example, nova separatists might well disdain Earth, or even plan to war on it. Or, they might have little issue with diplomacy and trade, as long as they are allowed to be a separate planetary nation.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Admittedly, given in canon, Divis Mal is the reason N-Day happened, hmm. . .

Easiest explanation is, Donighal still got his efforts at mass eruption during WWII disrupted by Mercer, still went into hiding afterwards in a bit of a despairing mood, still was ( most likely ) hunted by agents of the Aeon Society for a couple decades, and still worked on building his powers. He still wanted to induce large scale eruption, basically for the same ideological reasons as he did in the 40s. However, his first repeat effort in the 70s was disrupted and stopped by the Aeon Society, again.

Once 1998 came around, however, he had developed enough power and skill to build upon Hammersmith in a way that could not be forseen or disrupted ( perhaps because this time, it wasn't done via technology ). And so, he did.

Alternate explanation: Sane Primoris spent at least part of his time off-Earth, and via such, found out about some looming threats out in the cosmos. Thus, he came back and induced N-Day, in an attempt to better prepare humanity for dealing with such.

( I doubt sane Donighal would end up founding the Teragen, though. Too smart and sane to see them as anything but a disaster waiting to happen. He might end up secretly founding/backing the Aberrants or equivalent, in the face of Proteus, though. . . )

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I like the idea of Divis Mal spending decades traveling through space, figuring out what is there, and trying to understand the actual place of humanity in the universe. Through this, as well as trying to figure out the way to induce a planet-wide Quantum state, he discovers the methods of creating N-Day as well as the threat that aliens impose on humanity. For example, he might discover the Doyn or a hundred and one other alien threats.

So, he comes back to Earth and finds the few other novas that existed in that time. He creates a council around him of novas with the sole duty to try and protect the world - for, even in canon, one of his main things was a love for his people and planet, its just that in canon his people did not include humans, but it might in this since he sees the threat facing it.

He establishes N-Day like he did in canon. But maybe the studies undertaken by him while traveling allowed him to shift the method of how he did N-Day just slightly, creating the world as a very low taint setting rather than the low taint that is Aberrant Default.

Heck, he could even create an organization like the Teragen, but with the goal of working to protect the world from outside threats. In a way this gives to Aberrant an organization like how Aeon Trinity works in Trinity, but without the visibility. This organization would work behind the scenes to provide humans with better ideas on novas as well as to stop both anti-nova and nova-destroy the world groups.

In fact, such a secret council would be a perfect role play opportunity. It would allow for a number of high powered novas to unite together, get missions, and work on various areas around the world to try and save it.

The situation then involves on Earth that is low taint, somewhat more friendly to novas (through the actions of the nova group) and more protective over Earth and humanity. Novas might try to get positions of power but they won't be taint monkeys in the general sense.

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Alternatively... in 1998 Divis was already Q10, he does N-day *right*, and right after that he leaves.

Why does he need to leave. Seriously, I mean his presence, if done correctly, could be a good thing for the story rather than a bad thing. His presence provides protection against the deprivations of Max Mercer, Project Proteus and some of the other secret and evil cults that work against humanity.

And like I said, he could serve as a sort of leader of a council of novas who wish to protect and save the world.

Though I do think that it is a cool concept if after N-Day he decides to spent 3 years out of every five away from Earth traveling around the galaxy.

Though I do like the idea that he has Quantum 10. I also think that he should be like 2nd-gen novas in his resistance to Taint. He was at the very core of the original Hammersmith event and became a stalwart-nova. Thus not gaining Taint in the same way that others would. This would enable him, in our altered view, to still retain the ability to interact and understand and work with baselines. Not that he will a lot but the fact that he can would make him less likely to say that novas and baselines should not mix.

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Why does he need to leave. Seriously, I mean his presence, if done correctly, could be a good thing for the story rather than a bad thing. His presence provides protection against the deprivations of Max Mercer, Project Proteus and some of the other secret and evil cults that work against humanity.

And like I said, he could serve as a sort of leader of a council of novas who wish to protect and save the world.

Though I do think that it is a cool concept if after N-Day he decides to spent 3 years out of every five away from Earth traveling around the galaxy.

Though I do like the idea that he has Quantum 10. I also think that he should be like 2nd-gen novas in his resistance to Taint. He was at the very core of the original Hammersmith event and became a stalwart-nova. Thus not gaining Taint in the same way that others would. This would enable him, in our altered view, to still retain the ability to interact and understand and work with baselines. Not that he will a lot but the fact that he can would make him less likely to say that novas and baselines should not mix.

I don't know, if I had quantum 10, and (cue booming narrator type voice)vast cosmic power! I don't see myself sticking around on Earth until I had done some serious exploring of the universe(s)/dimensions/time...

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But if you still had a love for Earth and its people and its continued existence than you still might stick around. Or at least spend some time away and then come back for some other time. Like spending 3 years away and then 2 years on Earth.

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Why does he need to leave. Seriously, I mean his presence, if done correctly, could be a good thing for the story rather than a bad thing. His presence provides protection against the deprivations of Max Mercer, Project Proteus and some of the other secret and evil cults that work against humanity.
In theory the PCs (or some combo of NPCs) can deal with Max and the others. But *no* combination of PCs and NPCs can possibly deal with Mal at Q8, much less Q10.

In Cannon, because he's a nut and expects a war, we're going to have a war. He's got the mega-socials and raw power to lead perhaps 30% of all novas off a cliff.

And like I said, he could serve as a sort of leader of a council of novas who wish to protect and save the world.
And what happens if you disagree with Mal?
Though I do like the idea that he has Quantum 10. I also think that he should be like 2nd-gen novas in his resistance to Taint. He was at the very core of the original Hammersmith event and became a stalwart-nova. Thus not gaining Taint in the same way that others would. This would enable him, in our altered view, to still retain the ability to interact and understand and work with baselines. Not that he will a lot but the fact that he can would make him less likely to say that novas and baselines should not mix.
According to the developers Mal *was* a 2nd gen nova, i.e. both his parents were novas... it wasn't clear to me whether his parents simply never erupted or whatever, but he himself was unerupted 2nd gen.

Hammersmith made him into a full nova, albeit with fairly minor powers by Abby standards... although rockingly powerful by A! standards.

After that... it's a serious Cannon change for 2008 Mal to be able to interact with baselines (Big "C" 4 times plus lots of Q). In fact it's noteworthy that he has serious communication issues even with the Teragen, and the only one who apparently can understand him is Scripture, whose big public power is Information Mastery (probably with Mastery).

But if we untaint Mal and make him Q10, then we still have the problem of what to do with him after N-day. Project Pro can almost be retroactively eliminated from history by simply getting rid of taint. I.e. no taint, no need for Project Pro's evilness, possibly no baseline vs. Nova war as well.

But Mal with Mega-Social 10's is a serious problem no matter what we want to do with him. Reasonable people can disagree about all sorts of things... unless one of those people you're disagreeing with is Mal. ::huh

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I agree, easiest way is for Donighal to leave after doing N-Day right. Its not that hard to justify; all you need to do is have him concerned with humanity ( and post humanity ) still having free will, and deciding the best way to aid and better humanity is to render superhumanity public and widespread, and then leave. That way, what humanity does with its new gift of superhumanity will not be decided more or less solely by Donighal's will.

While this doesn't entirely fit with Donighal's actions pre-WWII, it does more or less fit with the presumptive philosophical choice that would underly attempting mass empowerment in response to global crisis ( that, when given the gift of great power, people will choose to use it constructively more often than not ).

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Titan is running a game over on NPrime where he did this.

Divis was murdered in 1998 by... future Divis with Q10 (this happened before the game even started). Then shortly after N-Day Q10 Divis left for his own universe, saying he'd come to the conclusion that he was part of the problem (he also mentioned that this wasn't the first time he'd come back in time to replay this in order to get it right).

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Another possible option: after triggering N-Day, Donighal leaves Earth to fight. . . something. . . he found. Something sufficiently scary that mass empowerment of humanity, with all the risk entailed, seems *entirely* justified. . . as Donighal is not at all sure he can stop whatever it is alone.

Then, fast forward to an appropriate time in the campaign. . . and wherever the PCs are nearby, a huge red gate pops open, and Divis Mal stumbles through it, bearing obvious severe wounds, mutters something cryptic like "I hope it was enough", and collapses, comatose or dead.

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