Now, I am sure all of you are aware that some variants, for example, variantID=68, have a cool story showing how that variant fits in to a timeline of some sort.
However, the story given by Variant Bank is a little weak.
Example:
"The Poles had many opportunities to overwhelm both the Russian and the eastern Germans. We must here assume that one opportunity finally worked."
I would rather have something like
"Without the threat of an eastern invasion by Russia, Poland was easily able to defend against and successfully invade Prussia and other Eastern German states."
Or something to that effect. Is there anyone here willing to write a detailed back story for each country to be used in its description once it is uploaded?

Funny, Scordatura and I have been thinking about making this variant a possibility on this site for a while, and now someone else is doing it. I actually have the maps on my desktop :)

Also, I could write descriptions for a few of these, Byzantium, Burgundy, Israel. All I need to know is when the map is set.

That would help a lot! I wouldn't mind taking a look at them; we are still figuring out how to do the large map. As for the story, I think that it should take place in WWI of the alternate history. If another time period would have more awesome stories, I am open to changes!

Wow, I didn't realize how many variants there were.

It's a bit staggering to try and sift through all of them to find the few halfway-decent ones, but being a creator is all about trial and error.

This is a fun, if somewhat imbalanced variant. I'd be willing to give it another spin.

Burgundy At his death, Charlemagne split his Empire between his three sons. The parts developed into Germany, France, and Burgundy. France was constantly harried by Danes, Angles and Normans and finally split by Raymond of Toulouse who took his Provencal kingdom and left a tiny French rump, easily absorbed, although his own state was no match for Burgundy and Spain.

Byzantium: In a world without Mongol Hordes, the Turks remain to this day in Manchuria. The Byzantine Empire survived an early attempt at conquest by Arabs and later by Slavs but to this day the Empire remains its continuing decadent self. Indeed, it has even expanded from its initial borders.

Hungary: One of three Jagiellonian powers. Hungary's survival rests partly on dynastic politics, in which the Lithuanian-Polish-Hungarian Jagiellon dynasty still rules most of Eastern Europe. More important to Hungary's survival of course is the Chinese conquest of Mongolia in the twelfth century and conscription of a young Mongol prince named Temujin into the Imperial navy.

Eire: This is in fact a misnomer. The country in question is the Blessed Empire of Christ and Brigid in the Far West. The Synod of Whitby found in favour of Celtic, rather than Roman Christianity and the Far Western Christian Civilisation, began.

Israel: In 988, faced by incursions from the newly Muslim Pechenegs, Vladimir of Kievan Rus found himself forced to adopt one of the Religions of the Book. Knowing of the perfidy of Byzantium, he rejected the Orthodox faith, knowing the Russian affinity for booze, he rejected the Islamic. Instead, he became a Jew and decided it was his duty to restore Jerusalem to its rightful owners, the Jews. He and his descendants, left Russia and made it their life's work to conquer and hold the land of Greater Israel. They came at a time when Islam was divided and were indeed welcomed by the Shiite Fatimids as a shield against the Sunni Rashidi. Over a thousand years later, the Russians and other Jews remain.

Poland: Poland became a great power when "King" Jadwiga of Poland (daughter of Louis of Hungary) married Grand Duke Jogaila of Lithuania, who then became Wladislaw II Jagiellon, King of Poland and founder of the Jagiellon dynasty, which rules three kingdoms. Without Turks or Russians or Mongols, the multicultural Polish state has thrived ever since.

Sicily: Sicily was a powerful Arab state after the first flowering of Islam. Conquest by the Normans changed only the name of the king. The hybrid Arab-Norman state which resulted proved more powerful than the other city states of the Italian mainland, and over the centuries, consolidated its rule over them all. With the fall of Rome, the Pope retreated to Gniezno in Poland, which remains the site of the second Vatican to this day.

Spain: With France weakened and with allies in Sicily, al-Andalus remained a powerful Islamic enclave in Western Europe. With Celtic Christianity triumphant in Britain and Arianism in Burgundy, Catholicism has collapsed outside of the three Catholic Jagiellon states.

Ukraine: The original Russian state was centred at Kiev, but its rulers left when they converted to Judaism, leaving behind the mass of unruled Ruthenian Peasants, and a power vacuum into which came the Poles, Lithuanians and Pechenegs. All fought for dominance over the centuries until Poland recognised and chose to protect the Ruthenian state which it called U-Kraina (Southern Country). At length, a minor branch of the Jagiellon dynasty came to the Ruthenian throne and the Empire of Ukraine was born.

Woah... THAT is an awesome story line! Do you mind if I use that in the variant description?

No problem

But I forgot to include a one-liner under Burgundy about Germany collapsing into dozens of petty princedoms.

Nice job Alcuin!

Thanks G-man, Counterfactuals'r'Us

LOL!

I definitely want to help test this when you get to that point. Aberration V is great!

Oh man, I tried to get a game of that with some RPing and some detailed world building behind it, even had a couple fake front pages printed before it fizzled out when a couple critical players dissappeared. I was really hoping it would pop up here.

But basically what I mean to say is that I'm definitely in a bit of testing.

Here is my version if you are interested in an Alternate-Alternate History;

This Builds Up Towards a Climax that Marks the Beginning of the Game;

In the midst of Viking Raids which plundged Europe into Chaos, Eire managed to unite Politically behind the High King and push forward, uniting the Gaelic Kings of Scotland and expanding over the Isles, their Rulers styled themselves as "High King of the Islands" or "High King of Ireland (&the Scots &the Picts &the Britons)".

Charlemange's Kingdom was likewise divided between his three Sons, however in this world, the Elder Son was Shrewder and Managed to keep the Brothers on edge, both by keeping them wary of eachother and by promoting the power of Barons under them. East Francia fizzled until eventually becoming the Holy Roman Empire as in our World.

Sicily: Rollo makes his conquests in Picardy as in our world, however without a claim to a decent section of the English lands, their attention turns South and they hold on to Sicily much closer in this world; indeed it becomes the centre of the Plantagenet's Throne during the Hundred Years war which ends in the succession of Languedoc, and the united Throne of Sicily, Gascony and Picardy, thus marking the End of France.

Spain; Very Little Change is strictly Necessary, personally though I like the Idea as a fourth Charlemangian Kingdom, Though a Muslim Territory to make up for those lost in the East and Account for a Weaker France makes a lot of Sense as well. I can do a Write up but as you like it.

Other Major Powers; Holy Roman Empire is a major power within Christendom and a strong force of Unity, the Swedish Empire is powerful and has strong ties to the other Viking Kingdoms of Normandy, Finland and Denmark

Now, the East is where the Major Changes Happen;

The Mongol Hordes hit harder and consolidate better than in our world, rather than less so, even if they never gain a conqueror quite like Gengis again;

The Middle Eastern Caliphates and Powers Collapse under the Mongol Hordes, allowing a campaign of reconquest for Byzantium and the Burgundy-Normand-Mongol Alliance [Historically the French-Mongol Alliance Floundered] is declared a ressounding Success as the Kingdom of Jerusalem is founded.

Similarly, the Rus narrowly resist an invasion which is aimed towards the North in this history, The Rus do not manage to form a single state in the wake of this but rather unite behind the Nations of Novogorod, Moscovy and the Ukraine, with the Ukraine quickly rising to be the power of the three.

Without the pressure of Northern Russia, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth stays strong and helps to maintain the strength of the Jagellion Dynasty in Hungary against the Hapsburgs [who may or may not be a Power in Spain].

Finally the Protestant Reformation arrives and in the wake of this History's Thirty Years War; The Swedish Empire and Normandy are the Major Powers against the Catholic Armies of Poland, Ireland & Hungary. A Catholic Victory exacts harsh terms over the Protestant Nations, ending with the Independance of Finland, Picardy, Gascony, Wessex, Yorkshire [Northumberland], Holstein, and All Southern Baltic Territories.

However, inspite of this, the Holy Roman Empire does not remain in a happy union. Protestant States and Populace are bitter about their return to this union, neutral princes are treated bitterly by the rest of the Nobility and so on. It is not long then, until under the weight of tension, the Emperor is assassinated and the HRE is deadlocked for picking a successor, eventually leading many to talk of succession.

The HRE crumbled and the power to the North Collapsed, Germany and Northern Italy open up to their ambitious neighbours who have long envied their lands march in. This of course sends shock waves over Europe as the Ukrainians, Irish, Spanish, Israelis and Romans lean over to see what they can grab as Europe is once more thrown into Chaos.