alternate universes where each of the different Traditions Paradigms become dominant?

[Accelerator]

I suppose the Virtual Adept world would be humanity uploaded into the Digital Web into something akin to the more interesting aspects of The Matrix and Ready Player One.

.... where would that leave everyone else, though? What are the tenets of the Virtual adepts, anyway? Information wants to be free, connectivity everywhere, L33T hackers, able to change reality using hacking and coding.. what else?

[Zennis]

I RAN A post apocalyptic game with the technocracy being wiped out. the void engineers and virtual adepts folded into the etherites and basically they went out the door and into the umbra for the most part.

the traditions had run of the world again and were united enough after the nephandi orchestrated apocalypse hit (which actually came back to bite them in the ass as the void they unleashed upon the world came to consume them as well, they unleashed the dark masters or anti oracles upon the earth and it destroyed them when they couldn't destabilize reality enough to destroy it completely) essentially the council of nine became the greatest world power, though many nephandi survived and continue to terrorize reality and the problems of mages are many.

Now, the region of the pacific north west is under the rule of the hermetic masters of greylocke chantry (see NWO revised), as well as various dream speakers in the area, they have a peaceful relationship and there are also some other mages in the area, mostly choristers.

the rest of the world isn't fleshed out so much but I decided that the traditional strongholds remained viable for many of the traditions.

oh, and the Ahli'Batin came back when the digital web was shattered and reclaimed it as their mount Khaf/web of faith and thus became a super power of the traditions as they were not hit by the death of many of their great masters by the avatar storm and thus reclaimed their seat on the council and evolved into a new and powerful tradition

[Alucard]

Hmm. A divergence point revolving around the early machinations of Tremere and his inner circle, in this case their plot to frame House Diedne as Infernalists gets discovered and the Tremere are ultimately purged around 1000AD instead of Diedne. Because of this, there is no Wizards' March against the Tremere at the start of the 13th century, and when the Craftmasons try to siege Mistridge in 1210, the defenses hold and the artificers are routed. Because this attack isn't mistaken as an attack by the (non-existent) Tremere or as just an accident of the Albigensian Crusade, the Order crushes the Craftmasons.
Because the Order tends to keep itself apart from mundane politics and culture, they don't really get involved with politics or history. However, House Mercere's tasks are expanded to keeping an eye out for any more potential problems like the Craftmasons. This includes them undermining - and with the help of House Jerbiton, coopting - much of the power of the High Guild, and House Verditius absorbing a number of Greek artificers fleeing the falling Byzantine empire. Meanwhile, House Diedne and Bjornaer have absorbed many of the former Old Faith under their banner.
The main potential threats to the Order at this point are the Gabrielites, who have by now mostly corrected/destroyed the Messianic Voices, and the Web of Faith in the Islamic world.

I'm not sure where it would go from there. I sort of have a vague idea in my head of a world that stopped at Renaissance or Enlightenment level technology but is augmented with ritual magic/alchemy into a sort of rapiers & airships style fantasy setting.

Sounds very cool. Would love to play in that setting.

[Dataweaver]

You know how Adventure! could be thought of as “what if the Sons of Ether won the Ascension War?” Well, there's this other game that can be thought of as “what if the Virtual Adepts won the Ascension War?” And that would be Eclipse Phase.

[No One of Consequence]

I suppose the Virtual Adept world would be humanity uploaded into the Digital Web into something akin to the more interesting aspects of The Matrix and Ready Player One.

[Accelerator]

I think that a member of the technocracy or at least the order of reason can arise in a hermetic controlled world.

Just make it so that they're a bunch of people who've 'discovered' that most of the complicated rituals are just dross set up to confuse the common man and have made it their mission to simplify it for everyday use.

I'm more interested in an Akashic world. Technocracy would be those guys using giant robot suits rebelling against super martial artists.

[No One of Consequence]

Hermetics would probably not be like ours. For starters, from what I remember, Hermetics are *not* happy with sharing out their knowledge. They're a mystery cult. So powerful overlords, people who are in the lower level of hierarchy having linear sorcery, and with peasants at the bottom.

Hmm. A divergence point revolving around the early machinations of Tremere and his inner circle, in this case their plot to frame House Diedne as Infernalists gets discovered and the Tremere are ultimately purged around 1000AD instead of Diedne. Because of this, there is no Wizards' March against the Tremere at the start of the 13th century, and when the Craftmasons try to siege Mistridge in 1210, the defenses hold and the artificers are routed. Because this attack isn't mistaken as an attack by the (non-existent) Tremere or as just an accident of the Albigensian Crusade, the Order crushes the Craftmasons.
Because the Order tends to keep itself apart from mundane politics and culture, they don't really get involved with politics or history. However, House Mercere's tasks are expanded to keeping an eye out for any more potential problems like the Craftmasons. This includes them undermining - and with the help of House Jerbiton, coopting - much of the power of the High Guild, and House Verditius absorbing a number of Greek artificers fleeing the falling Byzantine empire. Meanwhile, House Diedne and Bjornaer have absorbed many of the former Old Faith under their banner.
The main potential threats to the Order at this point are the Gabrielites, who have by now mostly corrected/destroyed the Messianic Voices, and the Web of Faith in the Islamic world.

I'm not sure where it would go from there. I sort of have a vague idea in my head of a world that stopped at Renaissance or Enlightenment level technology but is augmented with ritual magic/alchemy into a sort of rapiers & airships style fantasy setting.

[Accelerator]

Hermetics would probably not be like ours. For starters, from what I remember, Hermetics are *not* happy with sharing out their knowledge. They're a mystery cult. So powerful overlords, people who are in the lower level of hierarchy having linear sorcery, and with peasants at the bottom.

[The Nilbog]

Great, now I want to write up an alternate timeline where King Suleiman lost the War of Enslavement thanks to large factions of human Mages siding with the Djinn. This, in turn, fosters healthier, more equitable human-spirit relationships. Umbral practices remain fairly reliable and easy to do, and spirits and humans help eachother well enough that there is no pressing need for the Order of Reason or Council of Traditions to come into existence. Instead, the practices develop along more Umbra-oriented lines, and the largest unified body is made up of various spirit mages who maintain travel and diplomatic relationships between humans and various classes of spirit, divided by the entities they specialize in invoking and interacting with. There would be ersatz Choristers who work with angels, ersatz Void Engineers/Etherites who work with aliens, ersatz Hermetics/Taftani who work with djinn, and of course the most respected of all, the venerable alliance of ancient shamans who deal with nature spirits: the Dreamspeakers.

I will grant, it's hardly an especially Dark world, but I think it would be a fun one to run games in...

[MyWifeIsScary]

Virtual adepts: haven't really been round long enough to make that big of a difference.

Hermetics: Hermetic alchemy gave birth to modern science, So If Hermetic philosophy was more dominant I can only barrier to having everything better than it is now is that hermetics tended to hoard secret knowledge and didn't share information until much later (but they're still kinda secretive) 5/5 stars.

Etherites: The Good: That Renaissance was a real renaissance and a half, and we'd have those elusive hoverboards we've always wanted. The bad news is that computers would suck and we'd have probably destroyed the earth. 4/5

Every other tradition: Technological advancement would stagnate during the medieval period. Also I'd feel we'd tire of certain viewpoints. 1/5

[No One of Consequence]

My further thoughts on the Cult of Ecstasy and their various factions here.

Also currently pondering two different Celestial Chorus ideas, one based on ancient Egypt and the other on the Middle Ages.

Oh, it is an endless party, or at least a series of endless parties. It's just that some peoples' idea of a party - Hollywood drug orgies, Pentecostal snake handling rituals, or the Cenobites from Clive Barker's Hellraiser - aren't going to be everyone's idea of a good time. This is one of the reasons the Code of Ananda stresses respect for others and not forcing your preferred path of ecstasy on to unwilling participants. It's a paradigm that requires one to willingly seek it out, which is probably why having it be the dominant world view would require a pretty massive shift in either human nature (the general preference for the safe and routine) or world history/civilization development.
Just personally, I tend to divide the Cult into four types based on general kamamarga/paths of ecstasy. The Bringers of Joy (happiness and pleasure) would be the most common, and easiest for "normal" people to get behind. The Seekers of the Divine (religious faith and divine congress) and Sowers of Discord (rejection of orthodoxy and routine) would require a bit more dedication and devotion. The Destroyers of Flesh (annihilation of the self and extreme tribulation) are going to be fanatical outliers no matter what.

(I keep thinking it would be interesting to have an Ecstatic sect based entirely on the simple pleasures of work and craft. The sort of people who lose themselves "in the now" of cooking, gardening, making furniture, and the like.)

That’s really useful. Thanks.

[baakyocalder]

. . .

(I keep thinking it would be interesting to have an Ecstatic sect based entirely on the simple pleasures of work and craft. The sort of people who lose themselves "in the now" of cooking, gardening, making furniture, and the like.)

We could call them the 'Domestic Sensualists,' since Kraftwerks is taken by the night-club kids. This group has connections to House Jerbiton and House Veriditus in the Order of Hermes and the Society (Sons if you prefer) of Ether. They aren't into the perfection of crafts for the sake of power or making crazy magic like the Order of Hermes, or to so many of the crazy theories of the Society of Ether, though they respect the attention to individual excellence in crafting. House Jerbiton, now a diminished house in the Order of Hermes, was about creating art and beauty.

So, while the practical craftwork of the Domestic Sensualists might not agree with House Jerbiton's aesthetics, when something practical and beautiful is made, both groups are happy. The Domestic Sensualists probably draw members from various arts-and-crafts revival movements throughout history and are the type who, wherever they are making something, it's joyous to behold.

[Czernobog]

Oh, it is an endless party, or at least a series of endless parties. It's just that some peoples' idea of a party - Hollywood drug orgies, Pentecostal snake handling rituals, or the Cenobites from Clive Barker's Hellraiser - aren't going to be everyone's idea of a good time. This is one of the reasons the Code of Ananda stresses respect for others and not forcing your preferred path of ecstasy on to unwilling participants.

The same code of Ananda that about half the Cult of Ecstasy canonically thinks is for losers, right?

It's a paradigm that requires one to willingly seek it out, which is probably why having it be the dominant world view would require a pretty massive shift in either human nature (the general preference for the safe and routine) or world history/civilization development

Indeed.

(I keep thinking it would be interesting to have an Ecstatic sect based entirely on the simple pleasures of work and craft. The sort of people who lose themselves "in the now" of cooking, gardening, making furniture, and the like.)

That would be interesting, yes.

[No One of Consequence]

Okay. So basically four people think a world run by the CoE is a really bad thing. I just saw it as an endless party. My bad.

Oh, it is an endless party, or at least a series of endless parties. It's just that some peoples' idea of a party - Hollywood drug orgies, Pentecostal snake handling rituals, or the Cenobites from Clive Barker's Hellraiser - aren't going to be everyone's idea of a good time. This is one of the reasons the Code of Ananda stresses respect for others and not forcing your preferred path of ecstasy on to unwilling participants. It's a paradigm that requires one to willingly seek it out, which is probably why having it be the dominant world view would require a pretty massive shift in either human nature (the general preference for the safe and routine) or world history/civilization development.
Just personally, I tend to divide the Cult into four types based on general kamamarga/paths of ecstasy. The Bringers of Joy (happiness and pleasure) would be the most common, and easiest for "normal" people to get behind. The Seekers of the Divine (religious faith and divine congress) and Sowers of Discord (rejection of orthodoxy and routine) would require a bit more dedication and devotion. The Destroyers of Flesh (annihilation of the self and extreme tribulation) are going to be fanatical outliers no matter what.

(I keep thinking it would be interesting to have an Ecstatic sect based entirely on the simple pleasures of work and craft. The sort of people who lose themselves "in the now" of cooking, gardening, making furniture, and the like.)