Alternate History NESes; Spout some ideas!

Carthage wins the Punic wars or ends up at stalemate with the Romans? Or perhaps the Roman empire fractured into several different states?

"Fractured" is a bit too harsh of a term, and that isn't the PoD. The Carthage on the map is fairly recently independent -- old Carthage was conquered and absorbed by Rome a long time ago in a similar if not identical fashion to the RL Punic Wars.

Fuedalism takes hold in the Roman Empire which was never really an empire but instead a confederation of states all allied under one banner, thus leading to seperate national identities and later seperate independent states?

You're too focused on Rome. The PoD affected Rome significantly but had nothing to do with Rome directly.

That said, Rome simply expanded too fast. The Empire had a more severe Crisis and slowly shucked off its outer provinces as independent countries until an old, tired Roman Empire was left with just Italy, Sicily, Corsica and Sardinia. The modern Rome is still a great center of learning and trade, but it has become feeble in military terms, a hollow shell compared to what it once was.

Vienna Falls to the Turks at some point?

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It does. Why?

I'd say a Bourbon accedes to both the throne of France and Spain for that one.

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Heh. Let me just say that Spain and France have a single king and a single dynasty, but its not Bourbons...

North King: What's that green Arabian nation? Other then that, I have a feeling this had something to do with Alexander. Or perhaps Phillip.

Cuivienen: I suspect Teutonberger Weld has something to do with your map...

Oh, wait, the PoD has nothing to do with Rome DIRECTLY... No Alexander?

China never unifies?

das is closest on mine. It does have something to do with Alexander or Philip.... Now think, what PoD could be isolated to a single axe blow?

He almost met with death at teh River Granicus...by an axe, IIRC... But then an officer of his army lobbed off the head of the devious Persian....

Stabbed the offending Persian with a spear, as a matter of fact. The saviour then was killed by the oh so greatful Alex at a drinking party later in their life.

jalapeno_dude said:

China never unifies?

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Closer than all this rambling about Rome. Now. Why isn't China united?

@cuiv, qin wasn't able to unify the states during Warring Period?

Perhaps I wasn't clear enough: there is no specific PoD, just a significant change. I haven't considered how China fell apart, only why, and that's what I'm looking for.

Legalism never prevails and thus no real supression of the different sects? So even if the Qin did unite China, it only lasted for a while until it all fell apart again?

You know my opinion of keeping China divided for a long time. Geography just doesn't allow it. Perhaps the southernmost China could be kept independant, but I don't think one can keep China from being unified for long... well, maybe unless there was a bad plague and different ethnicities moving into the periphery.

das said:

You know my opinion of keeping China divided for a long time. Geography just doesn't allow it. Perhaps the southernmost China could be kept independant, but I don't think one can keep China from being unified for long... well, maybe unless there was a bad plague and different ethnicities moving into the periphery.

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thier are already different ethnicities in china; the visible difference between the skin tones of North Chinese heritage, and a persone of a southern hertige is distinct, and quite noticable; its just that the culture has been kept together

I mean, RADICALLY different ethnicites: various Mongols, for example. Also, the skin tone difference is at least partially due to the Jurchens.

Anyhow... no Confucius, perhaps?

Btw, the PoD for my previous map was Istvan Bathory of Poland continues the war against Russia (Livonian War) and eventually manages to take over it.

BUMP. Want the next guess-the-pod map?

Alright, the 1931 Huang He flood is averted. Thusly, communist forces gain much less sympathy among the Chinese people. Nationalist forces retain control of China, whilst communists are stranded on Hainan.

The Chinese fight against the invading Japanese forces much more successfully, but still ultimately meet defeat. America and Britain give tons of aid to the fledgling democracy that is China after the war, and the rebuilding process begins.

The Korean War happens, but where Chinese forces were the deciding factor in turning back the American offensive in our timeline, they aid the American advance near the end of the war. Korea is unified under a democratic banner.

Vietnam and the rest of South East Asia also go much differently. Communist rebellions are put down by the French with help from willing Chinese and American allies. Vietnam attains independence under a democratic government July 3rd, 1960. Laos and Cambodia follow shortly thereafter.

JFK, beloved by some, but many considered him a lame duck. His one term presidency is noted for his many problems with the then republican congress. Richard Milhous Nixon was elected in 1964 in a successful Republican bid for the White House. Watergate never happens, and Nixon becomes one of America's most beloved presidents - both leading the charge for civil rights and facing down "Godless Soviet communism".

Near the end of his term, Nixon visits China in 1972 to attend a conference on the destabilizing situation in Hainan...