What If You Could Travel In Time (A Few Questions For You)

[The Perilous Dreamer]

I have added a poll of which you can pick three choices of the time periods you would travel to if you could travel backwards in time. Prior to the earliest date in the poll is probably not survivalable for a human. We will assume that you will be able to arrive distant in time from the various extinction events. Just for info, it is estimated that creatures recognizable as human in appearance date back about 300,000 years, if you want to arrive where there are at least some form of people that you perhaps could assimilate into. We will also assume that you are vaccinated against everything possible for the time period, that there are some stable, durable medications that you can take with you and that you have been cleared of taking any illnesses with you.

But here are the rules, the minimum amount you can travel back in time is 800 years and it is one way, you can never come back. So here is what you do, select up to three time periods you would like to travel to and then comment on the following topics.

1. What time periods would you like to travel to and why?
2. For each time period you picked, where specifically in the world would you like to go?
3. What are the ten (or more) abilities and/or knowledge you would want to have when you make this trip?
4. What things would you like to take with you? Assume that you can have a large backpack and a travois and that you could drag up to 180 lbs of weight with the backpack lashed to the travois. Assume that you can take a travois from light and strong, but durable modern materials designed to look like wood.
5. If you detail more than one time period, then answer questions 1-3 for each time period.

I am going to vote for the time periods, but it will take some time to answer questions 2, 3 and 4 so I will have to come back to that.


Edit: Assume you are 25 years old and in perfect health.

Edit 2: if you want to take some animals with you such as dogs and horses, tell us why and which breeds you would take. Maximum is one stallion and three mares and one male dog and three females.

Edit: 3 OK due to request, you can take up to 5 people with you. But explain who and why.

[The Perilous Dreamer]

The Time Periods I picked on the first pass are:
500-999 AD

10,001-30,000 BC

30,001-100,000 BC

30,001-100,000 BC Western Europe 

10,001-30,000 BC North America

500-999 AD North East North America

Now the specific times and places will need fleshed out and if I were leading an expedition of say 30 people those would be different from just one person.

[Ibizan Zamway]

I'm 76, a one way trip to see the dinosaurs would be a blast.

I would have to think about the rest of it.

[clooney]

I would like to see the Neanderthals and the Denisovans and anyone else that was still around. Equipment, that would take a lot of thought.

[Q. F o s t e r]

Can we take some people with us?

I want to go back to England about 800 AD with world maps and get a jump start of 100 colonies before the other nations know what's happening. Some way to screen for disease before they board ship and intermarry like crazy with the natives.

[The Perilous Dreamer]

May 4, 2022 13:37:23 GMT -5 Q. F o s t e r said:

Can we take some people with us?

I want to go back to England about 800 AD with world maps and get a jump start of 100 colonies before the other nations know what's happening. Some way to screen for disease before they board ship and intermarry like crazy with the natives.

I updated the first post to give you the option of taking 5 people with you, but explain who and why.

[Snuffy Smith]

I picked the first three!

[Vladimir, The Dark Prince]

I would like to go back to the year 80,000 BC, with a nuclear powered aircraft carrier with small aircraft and boats and a much larger crew an replace most of the hangar with cargo and people. Then colonize, North and South America. Go with extensive maps of the location of resources and the skills to make bows, swords and all that, horses and dogs, along with a good mix of crops. How to make wooden ships and a lot of other stuff. 

[hengest]

May 1, 2022 18:51:32 GMT -5 The Perilous Dreamer said:

1. What time periods would you like to travel to and why?
2. For each time period you picked, where specifically in the world would you like to go?
3. What are the ten (or more) abilities and/or knowledge you would want to have when you make this trip?
4. What things would you like to take with you? Assume that you can have a large backpack and a travois and that you could drag up to 180 lbs of weight with the backpack lashed to the travois. Assume that you can take a travois from light and strong, but durable modern materials designed to look like wood.
5. If you detail more than one time period, then answer questions 1-3 for each time period.

I am going to vote for the time periods, but it will take some time to answer questions 2, 3 and 4 so I will have to come back to that.


Edit: Assume you are 25 years old and in perfect health.

Edit 2: if you want to take some animals with you such as dogs and horses, tell us why and which breeds you would take. Maximum is one stallion and three mares and one male dog and three females.

Edit: 3 OK due to request, you can take up to 5 people with you. But explain who and why.

One of mine (now, I changed one of my votes) is around 3000 BC. I chose it because it is proposed, with evidence, that around that time the Proto-Indo-European language was still spoken. The language would be plenty difficult but at least it would in principle be related to the languages I know some of now. And at least some of the stories might be familiar to me. If I'm never coming back, then I want it to be a time and culture where I can at least feel that, by living and dying there, I'd be contributing in some way to the cultures that formed me. 

2. I would go to an area where it was used, or where they say it was used, like the Pontic–Caspian steppe (Ukraine and part of southern Russia).

3. I would like to be able to make fire well, smelt metal, purify water using locally available items, recognize many edible plants that grow in that area, manufacture arrows and bows, tie knots well, make shelters.

4. Among my supplies would be modern fishing tackle to get started and spores of easily cultivated mushrooms that could grow well in that area.

[mao]

Time Travel is One of my very favs, there is ALWAYS tons of it when I run Mysantia, Don't even remember much but I know the detail of a acople of cool ones Including epic 3 year game(IRL). includes the very best evil organazation that I ever created. game all about time travel.Needs its own thread, will get to it , hopefully today. Organazation needs its own thread too
Admin Pete
oops wrong thread
wrong thread needs to be moved to Time TRavel thread, only slighty off topic.  


@admins
The Semi-Retired Gamer
hengest

[mao]

Nope going back to about 1976-78ish

[The Semi-Retired Gamer]

Jun 12, 2022 8:09:21 GMT -5 mao said:

Nope going back to about 1976-78ish

So you can...

[mao]

You have no idea how much I have thought about it.not really for here.

[The Semi-Retired Gamer]

Jun 12, 2022 11:18:39 GMT -5 mao said:

You have no idea how much I have thought about it.not really for here.

<scratches head> Okay.

[nobody]

I would want to go back to 1965 with a copy of every original document from 1965-1980 that I could lay my hands on (rpgs and wargames and related materials), along with copies of all the OD&D "clones" and a list of all the OSR game names and a list of all roleplaying game names. And thousands of modules.  But on the way there I would grab myself at the same age Arneson was in 1965 and fill myself in on everything. 

But there would be a lot of other steps on the way there ( going back into the 1800s to get a financial start and then jump along the way to keep it on track until you get to 1965 with at least $100,000,000 or a lot more). My young self would meet Arneson and get things rolling so that in 1971 OD&D is published. Also publish other games to be holders for the trademarks on all those names you collected.  etc. When you can't stave off the railroads any longer, you are setting there with thousands of modules to publish, that you brought back with you. But you make OD&D like Monopoly and everything that has been done with Monopoly you do with OD&D. Along about the year 2000 or whenever POD first became viable you allow people to go to a website, customize OD&D send it to a high quality POD and keep them hooked.

All the people that ran TSR into the ground, keep them completely away from D&D. 

Publish Traveller and a whole slew of other great games between 1971-1975 and beat everyone to everything. Also try to hire all of those creators to help write and publish those games that were involved in our time line.

Also do everything you can to slow down computer gaming in the rpg area by keeping open ended sandbox gaming alive and well. Pay to computer game programmer to make all of the non-rpg games. Play your cards right and make tabletop face to face RPGs a cultural touch stone.

[Haunted Elf]

May 1, 2022 18:51:32 GMT -5 The Perilous Dreamer said:

I have added a poll of which you can pick three choices of the time periods you would travel to if you could travel backwards in time. Prior to the earliest date in the poll is probably not survivalable for a human. We will assume that you will be able to arrive distant in time from the various extinction events. Just for info, it is estimated that creatures recognizable as human in appearance date back about 300,000 years, if you want to arrive where there are at least some form of people that you perhaps could assimilate into. We will also assume that you are vaccinated against everything possible for the time period, that there are some stable, durable medications that you can take with you and that you have been cleared of taking any illnesses with you.

But here are the rules, the minimum amount you can travel back in time is 800 years and it is one way, you can never come back. So here is what you do, select up to three time periods you would like to travel to and then comment on the following topics.

1. What time periods would you like to travel to and why?
2. For each time period you picked, where specifically in the world would you like to go?
3. What are the ten (or more) abilities and/or knowledge you would want to have when you make this trip?
4. What things would you like to take with you? Assume that you can have a large backpack and a travois and that you could drag up to 180 lbs of weight with the backpack lashed to the travois. Assume that you can take a travois from light and strong, but durable modern materials designed to look like wood.
5. If you detail more than one time period, then answer questions 1-3 for each time period.

I am going to vote for the time periods, but it will take some time to answer questions 2, 3 and 4 so I will have to come back to that.


Edit: Assume you are 25 years old and in perfect health.

Edit 2: if you want to take some animals with you such as dogs and horses, tell us why and which breeds you would take. Maximum is one stallion and three mares and one male dog and three females.

Edit: 3 OK due to request, you can take up to 5 people with you. But explain who and why.

1. and 2. I want a team of five people. Two really good linguists that both know tons of languages and are good at teaching them. Three Navy Seal Types that are devoted to me (bogus court martial and I helped them escape execution) and while I am no Seal, I am in that league. 

Travel to 3500 BC and spend two years building a base camp with fields, gardens and water power and establish a power center in North America. 
Then I would travel to 2000 BC and select about 240 of the most genetically healthy women I could find from northern Europe, tall and strong and highly intelligent. Transport to the base camp in 3500BC, teach them English and continue to set up shop to take over all of North and South America.
3. Among the six of us we possess a wide array of knowledge relative to horse drawn society and the ability to build water driven tech. With backgrounds among myself and the Seals to handle any tech up to the 1900 AD level. Also the ability to use more primitive weapons and master level with a variety of bows. A ton of written detailed how to resources to eventually and gradually get technology up to about the 1900 AD level by year 1000 AD.
4. As noted a very precise set of written resources, in fine print with some good magnifying glasses of the majority of tech and skills that we would need printed on water resistant material. Body Armor and an array of Weapons, knowledge to provide food and clean water, etc. 

Set about having children with our 40 wives apiece, along with building up food stores, gathering ice in the winter to keep food stuffs cold/frozen all year round. Create and build/maintain weapons such as bows, spears, swords etc  Among the group bring a total of six stallions (3 riding stock and 3 work stock) and 18 mares. For dogs Border Collies, German Shepherds and American Pitbulls, the first two are great work stock and the former is the world's premier herding dog and the latter a great defensive asset. The American PitBull would add strength to the dogs and courage with no fear. The dog population would grow quickly. For all of the animals try to bring back the most genetically clean (no bad mutations, etc) that you can get. All young animals for maximum breeding span. We would also have to pop over to Southeast Asia to get some domesticated water buffalo.

Spend about five years getting everything solidly established.

Then start doing time hops forward in time at 20 years intervals in teams of three, one being a linguist. Alternating back and forth with one team always staying behind. Several goals, one is to pinpoint when each of us dies (hopefully of old age) so that we can all make an appearance at each death to establish the legend that we will always show up in the future. So make hops forward in time so that those written resources we mentioned above, can be distributed along the timeline to where they will be of the best use.

One goal is to eventually build ships so that we can eventually travel to Europe for additional animal breeding stock and other limited trade and to keep track of where they are tech wise. Another is to establish a navy so that no ship traveling from Europe to us ever makes it back (at least until we are ready for full contact). Be careful about when we travel their taking into account plagues, also never get the ship close to shore but use boats and avoid any old world rats coming aboard. Bring ferrets/weasels with us to deal with any attempted stowaways.

Once we get the society to 1000 AD, we will probably be getting old, so we will have to bid them adieu and let them know we will not be returning, but leaving them with a blueprint and advice for the future.

Another possibility is to take over all of the islands in the world, along with Australia, New Zealand, Iceland, Greenland, Japan, the Philippines and the British Isles by 1000 AD. Might have to consider ham radio with vacuum tubes so that we can communicate around the world. 

Another thing is the culture that you build for this, so there will need to be a deadly rite of passage for all men to claim adulthood, so that no weak character men survive. Even the musicians and poets would have to go through the rite of passage. That and other things would be annual cultural events. Build it into the culture that we will fall if we even get too soft to require the rite of passage. In other words raise every man to be someone that Genghis Khan would have respected. Establish the death penalty for lying, dishonesty, treachery and other major character flaws.

[The Perilous Dreamer]

Aug 6, 2022 21:38:22 GMT -5 Haunted Elf said:

1. and 2. I want a team of five people. Two really good linguists that both know tons of languages and are good at teaching them. Three Navy Seal Types that are devoted to me (bogus court martial and I helped them escape execution) and while I am no Seal, I am in that league. 

Travel to 3500 BC and spend two years building a base camp with fields, gardens and water power and establish a power center in North America. 
Then I would travel to 2000 BC and select about 240 of the most genetically healthy women I could find from northern Europe, tall and strong and highly intelligent. Transport to the base camp in 3500BC, teach them English and continue to set up shop to take over all of North and South America.
3. Among the six of us we possess a wide array of knowledge relative to horse drawn society and the ability to build water driven tech. With backgrounds among myself and the Seals to handle any tech up to the 1900 AD level. Also the ability to use more primitive weapons and master level with a variety of bows. A ton of written detailed how to resources to eventually and gradually get technology up to about the 1900 AD level by year 1000 AD.
4. As noted a very precise set of written resources, in fine print with some good magnifying glasses of the majority of tech and skills that we would need printed on water resistant material. Body Armor and an array of Weapons, knowledge to provide food and clean water, etc. 

Set about having children with our 40 wives apiece, along with building up food stores, gathering ice in the winter to keep food stuffs cold/frozen all year round. Create and build/maintain weapons such as bows, spears, swords etc  Among the group bring a total of six stallions (3 riding stock and 3 work stock) and 18 mares. For dogs Border Collies, German Shepherds and American Pitbulls, the first two are great work stock and the former is the world's premier herding dog and the latter a great defensive asset. The American PitBull would add strength to the dogs and courage with no fear. The dog population would grow quickly. For all of the animals try to bring back the most genetically clean (no bad mutations, etc) that you can get. All young animals for maximum breeding span. We would also have to pop over to Southeast Asia to get some domesticated water buffalo.

Spend about five years getting everything solidly established.

Then start doing time hops forward in time at 20 years intervals in teams of three, one being a linguist. Alternating back and forth with one team always staying behind. Several goals, one is to pinpoint when each of us dies (hopefully of old age) so that we can all make an appearance at each death to establish the legend that we will always show up in the future. So make hops forward in time so that those written resources we mentioned above, can be distributed along the timeline to where they will be of the best use.

One goal is to eventually build ships so that we can eventually travel to Europe for additional animal breeding stock and other limited trade and to keep track of where they are tech wise. Another is to establish a navy so that no ship traveling from Europe to us ever makes it back (at least until we are ready for full contact). Be careful about when we travel their taking into account plagues, also never get the ship close to shore but use boats and avoid any old world rats coming aboard. Bring ferrets/weasels with us to deal with any attempted stowaways.

Once we get the society to 1000 AD, we will probably be getting old, so we will have to bid them adieu and let them know we will not be returning, but leaving them with a blueprint and advice for the future.

Another possibility is to take over all of the islands in the world, along with Australia, New Zealand, Iceland, Greenland, Japan, the Philippines and the British Isles by 1000 AD. Might have to consider ham radio with vacuum tubes so that we can communicate around the world. 

Another thing is the culture that you build for this, so there will need to be a deadly rite of passage for all men to claim adulthood, so that no weak character men survive. Even the musicians and poets would have to go through the rite of passage. That and other things would be annual cultural events. Build it into the culture that we will fall if we even get too soft to require the rite of passage. In other words raise every man to be someone that Genghis Khan would have respected. Establish the death penalty for lying, dishonesty, treachery and other major character flaws.

Have an Exalt, I would read the book if you write it.

[Feald]

Jun 16, 2022 22:35:39 GMT -5 nobody said:

I would want to go back to 1965 with a copy of every original document from 1965-1980 that I could lay my hands on (rpgs and wargames and related materials), along with copies of all the OD&D "clones" and a list of all the OSR game names and a list of all roleplaying game names. And thousands of modules.  But on the way there I would grab myself at the same age Arneson was in 1965 and fill myself in on everything. 

But there would be a lot of other steps on the way there ( going back into the 1800s to get a financial start and then jump along the way to keep it on track until you get to 1965 with at least $100,000,000 or a lot more). My young self would meet Arneson and get things rolling so that in 1971 OD&D is published. Also publish other games to be holders for the trademarks on all those names you collected.  etc. When you can't stave off the railroads any longer, you are setting there with thousands of modules to publish, that you brought back with you. But you make OD&D like Monopoly and everything that has been done with Monopoly you do with OD&D. Along about the year 2000 or whenever POD first became viable you allow people to go to a website, customize OD&D send it to a high quality POD and keep them hooked.

All the people that ran TSR into the ground, keep them completely away from D&D. 

Publish Traveller and a whole slew of other great games between 1971-1975 and beat everyone to everything. Also try to hire all of those creators to help write and publish those games that were involved in our time line.

Also do everything you can to slow down computer gaming in the rpg area by keeping open ended sandbox gaming alive and well. Pay to computer game programmer to make all of the non-rpg games. Play your cards right and make tabletop face to face RPGs a cultural touch stone.

Sign me up, I will help with this. Important to make D&D as big as possible before computerization comes along. But when it does, hire the right programmers so that you can maintain the lead in computer games and start fast out of the gate with quality.

[Feald]

Aug 6, 2022 21:38:22 GMT -5 Haunted Elf said:

1. and 2. I want a team of five people. Two really good linguists that both know tons of languages and are good at teaching them. Three Navy Seal Types that are devoted to me (bogus court martial and I helped them escape execution) and while I am no Seal, I am in that league. 

Travel to 3500 BC and spend two years building a base camp with fields, gardens and water power and establish a power center in North America. 
Then I would travel to 2000 BC and select about 240 of the most genetically healthy women I could find from northern Europe, tall and strong and highly intelligent. Transport to the base camp in 3500BC, teach them English and continue to set up shop to take over all of North and South America.
3. Among the six of us we possess a wide array of knowledge relative to horse drawn society and the ability to build water driven tech. With backgrounds among myself and the Seals to handle any tech up to the 1900 AD level. Also the ability to use more primitive weapons and master level with a variety of bows. A ton of written detailed how to resources to eventually and gradually get technology up to about the 1900 AD level by year 1000 AD.
4. As noted a very precise set of written resources, in fine print with some good magnifying glasses of the majority of tech and skills that we would need printed on water resistant material. Body Armor and an array of Weapons, knowledge to provide food and clean water, etc. 

Set about having children with our 40 wives apiece, along with building up food stores, gathering ice in the winter to keep food stuffs cold/frozen all year round. Create and build/maintain weapons such as bows, spears, swords etc  Among the group bring a total of six stallions (3 riding stock and 3 work stock) and 18 mares. For dogs Border Collies, German Shepherds and American Pitbulls, the first two are great work stock and the former is the world's premier herding dog and the latter a great defensive asset. The American PitBull would add strength to the dogs and courage with no fear. The dog population would grow quickly. For all of the animals try to bring back the most genetically clean (no bad mutations, etc) that you can get. All young animals for maximum breeding span. We would also have to pop over to Southeast Asia to get some domesticated water buffalo.

Spend about five years getting everything solidly established.

Then start doing time hops forward in time at 20 years intervals in teams of three, one being a linguist. Alternating back and forth with one team always staying behind. Several goals, one is to pinpoint when each of us dies (hopefully of old age) so that we can all make an appearance at each death to establish the legend that we will always show up in the future. So make hops forward in time so that those written resources we mentioned above, can be distributed along the timeline to where they will be of the best use.

One goal is to eventually build ships so that we can eventually travel to Europe for additional animal breeding stock and other limited trade and to keep track of where they are tech wise. Another is to establish a navy so that no ship traveling from Europe to us ever makes it back (at least until we are ready for full contact). Be careful about when we travel their taking into account plagues, also never get the ship close to shore but use boats and avoid any old world rats coming aboard. Bring ferrets/weasels with us to deal with any attempted stowaways.

Once we get the society to 1000 AD, we will probably be getting old, so we will have to bid them adieu and let them know we will not be returning, but leaving them with a blueprint and advice for the future.

Another possibility is to take over all of the islands in the world, along with Australia, New Zealand, Iceland, Greenland, Japan, the Philippines and the British Isles by 1000 AD. Might have to consider ham radio with vacuum tubes so that we can communicate around the world.

Another thing is the culture that you build for this, so there will need to be a deadly rite of passage for all men to claim adulthood, so that no weak character men survive. Even the musicians and poets would have to go through the rite of passage. That and other things would be annual cultural events. Build it into the culture that we will fall if we even get too soft to require the rite of passage. In other words raise every man to be someone that Genghis Khan would have respected. Establish the death penalty for lying, dishonesty, treachery and other major character flaws.

I want to join you with my own team of six to fill out any gaps in anything that you are starting with. If I can finagle it, bring back a Nuclear powered warship altered to be run a by a small crew and while keeping some weapons and lots of ammo, maximize the cargo space. Maybe even an aircraft carrier. No aircraft, but a massive amount of small drones for eyes in the sky and at least 50 smaller ships and boats that can be lowered into the ocean. Try to make as many of those nuclear powered as well. Also add a half dozen 50-60 feet long subs altered to look like and sound like sea monsters. Never let the aircraft carrier in sight of land anywhere outside its home port.

[El Borak]

I am liking these scenarios, especially that two of you want to take a nuclear powered aircraft carrier as a supply base. I know that violates the original premise, but hey, go big or go home!

[Gawaine]

This is a fun thread, I like time travel stories.

[DFL_GM]

I would love to travel in time, but if it were a one way trip, that would be a difficult choice of where and when to go and an even more difficult choice of what you would take with you.

[Barfog]

1800 BC would be the farthest back in time I would want to go, if it were a one way trip.

[Molcho]

I picked the first three, my preference though would be to not go back in time more than about 200 years, especially if it were not a one way trip. My plan would be to go back in time to the greatest gold finds of the 1800s, but get there about 1800 and not later when the gold rushes happened. Being there first, years before anyone else, and hitting the richest finds each time. Go back multiple times so I am digging in multiple locations at the same time and guarding my own back. Then jump ahead to around 1900 and start buying up land in places where it will be immensely valuable today. Prepare for when private ownership of gold was implemented and post Great Depression be poised to invest in the right companies at the right time - three examples in just one field: IBM, Apple and Microsoft. Play your cards right and you could make Elon Musk look poor by comparison.

Now if you were going back to a different time, such as when Spain was shipping all that gold and silver from the new world to Spain, intercept at least half of it and clear every ship that went down in a storm, before the storm. Another thing you could do if you could travel in time, if rip off every criminal enterprise, every time they had a lot of cash or other valuable (gems, etc) in one location. There was a link to huge hoards in India, with time travel you could go back and loot that right after it was sealed up and make use of it starting two hundred years before it was ever opened again.

I am thinking if you timed it right you could buy Australia in the 1800s, I am sure there would have been some point where Great Britain would have sold for the right price, especially someone who would have given them favorable trade status and a huge amount of trade.

[Armor]

I would go back to 1 AD in California and setup shop and expand from there. I would want this The Long Earth (series) to be real and only I could move back and forth and move people and goods back and forth. I could have miners mining every best gold, silver and diamond deposits on a dozen worlds and bringing it all back, but none of them would be aware they were not on the original. Pay them really well and take them back to the future, never knowing they were in the past or on alternate worlds. Rinse and repeat, over and over. When the Viking show up they would find it fully populated and establish a brisk trade with ample profit for them so that they never abandoned the trips to the new world and so have Europe dominated by the Vikings.

[Kujik]

I would research the best time period to go to and then bring back dinosaurs and population all of the Caribbean islands before humans got to them.

[The Man From Coventry]

I would love to travel back in time, but not to any of those years. I would travel back to, when I was 30 and take my 30 year old self back to just after WWI ended and we would create an identify for the old me and young me, spend 5 years building something that would survive the Depression, just before the depression fake the old me's death and the younger me would take over. Then pop in here and there all the way up to when I was 25 to make sure it was all on track, then fake the old me's death again and the 25 years old me would inherit and then the old me and the 30 (now 35) year old me would both return to our time line a few seconds after we left and continue on with the results.

[The Master]

I would go with the first three.

[Dartanian]

Some wild ideas here, I would go with the first three and I like The Long Earth idea.

[Tallyman]

I picked the first three. Not sure what I would do if it were a one way trip. Two way trip (repeatedly) could be a lot of fun.