Every RPG campaign needs an adversary, in the Infinite Worlds setting one option for a multiversal adversary is Centrum--specifically, the Centran Interworld Service, the Centrum equivalent of the Infinity Patrol. (Reich-5 is another option and can be used as a unifying influence in a Centrum Light setting)
Basic Information[]
Unlike Homeline, Centrum is ruled by a single world government, and has a unified technocratic English-speaking culture across the entire planet. Centrum is a totalitarian, homogenized world-state, and the only world other than Homeline to have a major parachronic program. Centrum is a socialist technocratic meritocracy; the government provides all employment and handles the economy, which is bolstered by the massive resources acquired from other worldlines. They believe other worlds should be aiming to follow their example and have a dedicated program of supporting political and economic groups that reflect their own values -- stability, meritocracy and an unconscious prejudice toward speakers of English. They view the mix of competing government agencies and private companies from Homeline as dangerously anarchic. From a Homeline perspective Centrum seems authoritarian and repressive, whilst from a Centran perspective Homeline seams anarchic and unbalanced - with serious social problems from which Centrum does not suffer.
Fan Content[]
Realm Information[]
| This is from the Realm Management examples thread in the GURPS subsection of the Steve Jackson Forums thread and not canonal |
| Centrum | ||
|---|---|---|
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| Notes: * (but that's only because no one knows who they are) |
Divergence and History[]
Its point of departure was in 1120, when the White Ship carrying William the Aetheling, the heir of Henry I of England, did not hit a rock in the English Channel. William's survival precluded The Anarchy and the Hundred Years War, and ultimately the "Anglo-French Empire" became a world-spanning power, with technological progress centuries beyond that of Homeline.
However, in 1902 unknown rebels decapitated the ruling house by detonating a nuclear device in London. The resulting succession wars (which included nuclear and biological weapons) wiped out much of humanity and reduced most of the survivors to preindustrial barbarism. But Terraustralis (Homeline Australia) escaped much of the destruction, and the techno-military cabal known as "The Centrum" that took control there ultimately extended its authority across the globe. In 1922, Centrum built their first conveyor and went exploring.
Centrum is located three quantum levels away from Homeline, and as such the two worlds cannot directly send travelers to each other. As a result, both parties fight out their war in the Quantum 6 in-between (and to a lesser extent, in the Quantum 7, as Centrum is attempting to shift Homeline Quantum 6 echoes towards itself for the purpose of denying Homeline access to those worlds and "saving" their populations from Homeline anarchy. Homeline (Secundus) was discovered in 2015 and the cold war with it began.
Centrum knows of nearly 300 echos, nine of which were shifted to Q7, six to Q8, and two to Q5 due to calculation errors.
Sidebars[]
- Centrum Dark, Centrum Light
- The White Ship
- Eleanor of Aquitaine
- Roger Bacon
- After the Apocalypse
- Thinking Like A Centran
- The Uplift Service
- Indentureds
- Security
- The Zones
- How Many Worlds?
- Psionics
- Plots to Foil
- Uplift Projects
- Secundus: Homeline Through Centran Eyes
- Timeline Shifts
- Sample Projects
- Other GURPS Worlds
- The Language Barrier
Centrum-2[]
This is a close parallel of Centrum that is dealing with the Homeline (Homeline-2) that was described in Classic: Time Travel and Classic: Alternate Earths 2 (which contains Centrum-2's timeline from 1137-2015)[1]. It has the same year (2015) as the Homeline it has to contend with.
| Event | Centrum | Centrum-2 |
|---|---|---|
| Discovers “Secundus” (alias Homeline) | 2015 | 2003 |
| “Dimension war” becomes overt | 2019 (est.) | 2007 |
| Present | 2027 | 2015 |
Notes[]
- Centrum is able to access Red Moon, a Quantum 5 reality. However it unclear how Centrum is able to do this and why Infinity seems strangely unconcerned about this little fact. Occam's Razor points to Red Moon likely being a Quantum abnormality.
Trivia[]
- According to their artistic renderings, Centrum officers wear deep navy blue uniforms with red belts/shirts and red berets, with gold trim.
See Also[]
Sources[]
- GURPS Classic: Time Travel, pages 104-106.
- GURPS Alternate Earths 2, pages 110-125.
- Basic Set, pages 541-542.
- GURPS Infinite Worlds, pages 46-56.
- Banestorming Infinity Unlimited (June 19, 1998)
- Ericthered, March 29, 2021. Accessed July 14, 2023.
- ↑ GURPS Classic: Alternate Earths 2, pages 120-121.