A Different World

It's 2098 and the United Kingdom has the largest empire, incorporating Canada, USA, Australia, India, South Africa and numerous other small countries. The Republic of China is the 2nd largest, incorporating most Asian countries.

A Historical Reference:
In the early 1870’s, China rose in military technology very quickly and positioned itself as a Superpower in the world. With superior munitions and artillery, they were able to conquer most surrounding countries, and would have gained even more power if it were not for the significant amount of in-fighting . Across the globe, the British Empire took advantage of a recovering civil war-torn country in the middle of the Long Depression. While the depression hit England almost the hardest, they focused their efforts on regaining a colony they lost nearly 100 years prior. Once again, military technology won out, as the US was no match for automatic and semi-automatic weaponry during a time of great upheaval. In only one short bloody year the USA was united under the British flag. It was later revealed that China and the UK were in alliance.

And Since:
England has maintained superiority over the US, one of its many colonies, and although tentative at times, it has maintained its alliance with China. The US has a Prime Minister (of which has been Bill Clinton, George Bush, and Barack Obama) and its parliament house is the White House.  Capitalism still rules one half, while Communism the other. It is not uncommon to have many English accented Chinese in the US, nor is it uncommon for a Brit to speak perfect Chinese. Other parts of the world are as you know it, just a little further in the future.


 Some New Developments

The world is still working on a tolerance for Superbeing kind. Some Supers fight for their rights behind the scenes, but otherwise walk among everyday people.  A powerful organisation has been formed to monitor and control Superbeing activity throughout the world. It's called S.C.R.E.T (Superbeing Control, Regulation and Extermination Teams) and is well funded. SCRET is basically the police force for mutant kind. They are technologically well equipped and are positioned around the globe, working mostly on their own, but it's uncertain if their funding comes from the UN or UK or China. They have a number of Supers in their registry, tagged and monitored. Many Supers are against registration, but some sanction it. There are even some Supers that are employees of SCRET (not widely known), but it's mostly human. 
Magic is all but forgotten. And for the most part, powerful people want to keep it this way, especially those that use it - which are far and few between.

Aliens have not been much of an issue. Public records reveal an instance in 2052,  a small alien ship entered Earth's atmosphere and parked over Cardiff for a few days while the British military flew around it to check it out. Eventually, after 7 days it finally landed. Reportedly, a door was opening but the ship exploded before anything had a chance to get out, taking out thousands of lives and an entire city block in the process. This was the dawn of a new age, confirming life outside of Earth in worldwide acceptance of the occurrence. Geeks and alien enthusiasts around the world rejoiced and created the unofficial We Are Not Alone Day, still not a recognised nor paid holiday. Conspiracy theorists speculate that aliens have been inhabiting the world for a few hundred years, although not in any great numbers. They also believe that aliens have made contact many times throughout the following years, but information of this was never released to the public. The world has 1 major space station and little information is given about the operations therein. Only that it is co-owned by the UN and is there for monitoring the skies as well as major broadcasting and your average Big Brother activity.

Technology is, of course, advanced. Some of the alien wreckage gave enough information for the world to take the next step in advancements. Most people still travel on wheels, but the more fortunate travel via hover-tech. It's not uncommon to see hover vehicles in the air. Energy weapons are available, but not to the main public. Lots of other cool gizmo tech is available as well. Some still use keyboards, but touch sensory technology or impression keys are used as well as voice recognition. There is some AI, but fairly restricted use of it to maintain control. Bionic and cyber-tech is available, and even the occasional cyborg. Teleportation is a work in progress, mostly disastrous, and it takes a lot of energy to do. Many people are micro-chipped. Money doesn't float around much in paper form anymore but mostly in the form of credit.

And so:
The world is, for all intents and purposes, very similar to the one you grew up in otherwise. The history you learned in school is valid, with minor differences. But now it seems that the world is in distress. It's somehow more chaotic and over-regulated. Tension is thick almost anywhere you go, but you wouldn't really know it because you're so wrapped up in your day-to-day activities. But that's just the way of the world.
There are some few that are trying to make a difference in the world, good and bad. Which are you?


Thanks for taking the time to get through all that. From here, we can get you started.
This message was last edited by the GM at 14:32, Sat 21 Apr 2012.