"Time Travel organisation" Topic

(This was originally proposed by my 'thegn' when I was a re-enactor as a embryonic RPG idea some 16 years ago, hence being here, and not for another period. Specifics I've added for this).

We can send back 12 'boxes' to the year 899 to study the Anglo Saxons, and they will arrive approximately a day's march from London, and half a day's march from St Albans. You don't have to worry about being found at the arrival point, as long as basic precautions are taken.

Each box is 2m x 1m x 1m (Approx the size of a door per side). It can fit one person with reasonable 'day kit' (webbing, day sack etc) OR equipment. Each person is less kit- more kit, less people. You would be expected to range around the Home County area, so access 'home' would not be instantaneous (you have to use the boxes)

Who/what do you take? What research do you do? How?

This is entirely dependent on how timetravel actually works. If it is "traditional" timetravel (i.e. moving backwards within the current reality), then I would take no modern technology…all the way down to the skivvies. If timetravel is in fact displacement to an alternate reality, it matters less, since any sort of "interference" in that timeline (i.e. go back in time to kill your own ancestor) will cause the universe to "calve" and create an alternate, branching timeline from the original timeline. In that case, polluting the timeline is less relevant since it would have no impact on YOUR timeline…

Damon.

First, NOTHING that cannot be locally procured/repaired. It does not look good to explain that a number of you were burned as witches.

All would need to screened to make sure WE are not the source of any plague. Immunizations would be the first order of business in preparing for the journey.

Other than journals to write observatons in and possibly freeze dried food/jerky, I'd go for a couple TRAINED men at arms to support the observers. 2 close action types and Bows for the rest, including observers

Looks like Garand and I were on the same team.

Sorry---I'm going with some modern equipment, just in case. Ghilly suit, good digital camera with spare batteries, good low-light binoculars, a Browning Hi-Power (or similar hi-capacity automatic pistol) in .40 S&W, a well-stocked first aid kit, lighter or waterproof matches, in addition to period gear. Some small trade goods.

Of course, I'm of the alternate universing/calving theory anyway with respect to time travel.

I'd like to see how the different folks actually interacted.

Rob

well presuming Time Travel has been worked out, maybe invisibility would too. I'd go with taking all the modern day kit I could, and an invisibility cloak – so they couldn't find me and burn me as a witch. just taking what they have… I want toothbrushes, toothpaste, modern antibiotics. What if we really do get a virulent subset of plague. Its more likely that plague was a lot more lethal than it is now, basically as the more virulent types died off with their hosts (there are theories on this as to why some diseases aren't so deadly anymore) Or what about the seating sickness. That was so bad its died out now and we don't really know what it was.

Hmmm. I'd have wanted to study the language first.

But assuming I have that, dammit, I'm taking firepower. Pistol, rifle, plenty of ammo, tools and recipe for reload (I know this may be tricky, and I may need to take a musket as back up). I'll add in some grenades, a megaphone, and body armour. Night vision goggles too. And yes to antibiotics! Oh and gold and gems.

MEET YOUR NEW KINGS GUYS. STICK WITH US AND OUR MAGIC WILL MAKE THIS TRIBE GREAT AND YOU ALL RICH. TRY TO BETRAY US AND YOU'LL GET IT LIKE CHIEFY HERE DID! RESPECT OUR AUTHORIT-AH!

Along with that, I'd take reference books for lots of basic technology and agricultural advances: Stuff like movable type printing and gunpowder, and how to improve their steel, right up to steam engines with said steel. Let's just skip the next 1,000 years huh? A doctor and engineer would be great to have on the team. The rest is gear.

"This is my BOOM-stick!"

That's all you need to know.

A big box of grenades and breakfast cereals to impress the natives; one or the other is bound to work….

What did they use for toilet paper???

I hope you're moving an equivalent amount of mass back up-time in return, otherwise the earth will gain weight and change its orbit…

I'd take a big gun, and the knowledge of wherever the King, and the Church kept their treasuries.

Really, who gives a about research when you have the opportunity to make yourself obscenely rich?

I think it would be beneficial to take somebody with you who can speak something resembling the language spoken at said location at said time.

Griefbringer

kyoteblue said – "We send Smokeyroan, John the OFM, Murphy, DWW and me back. I'm sure nothing bad would happen…………" – OMG!!!!

I'd go with the modern kit with the idea of TOTAL AVOIDANCE of the temporal locals. I just don't think we could train a person to be native enough… language & customs. Unless they played the "I am from a far land. Good day, hey? You hosehead."

Yep, playing the exotic foreigner always works: the locals give you slack when you don't know the taboos, and you can impress them tons with your gimmicks, toys and gifts. Work in with the church and the local lord as their best friend and you're a shoe-in. Boredom and homesickness follow soon thereafter….

Ok. Let's assume the selection proceedure weeded out the megalomaniacs…

Don't worry about paradoxes etc- this is an thought exercise, unless that man in the tin foil hat is actually telling the truth… How would you approach a culture that is our heritage, but we have lost touch with. Also that is why I didn't say something like the Victorians. A/S is the birth of a country.

I purposely didn't give any thoughts to start with, but the original discussion included do you send back A-S experts and troops to protect, or do you train men who can look after themselves to speak Anglo Saxon? (We know enough A/S to be able to play the 'traveller is my accent' card. Alfred had the Bible translated.)

I'm thinking cameras, both hand held and hidden, along with 'wire taps'

"Yep, playing the exotic foreigner always works" – er… Doug… You know something we don't?

If time travel did exist I'd LOVE to have that job. My favorite reading is Poul Anderson's Time Patrol stories.

I don't think that if you knew the lingo enough to functionally communicate, that you would have any real trouble explaining any of your gizmos as just very efficient machines. The whole notion of technology is to make desired tasks easier/possible. A camera would be a super advanced tool for recording pictures and sound: you would explain that instead of writing in ink on parchment, you speak and the words go straight to the ear instead of the eye. No magic, sorcery involved at all. Batteries? Simple: they get warm and inside is a "fire" (not a serious breach of the truth) that powers the machine like hot air makes things rise or cooks food: it is contained inside the metal casing and is only "lit" when the machine is turned "on". Since the medieval equivalent of anything we would take already exists in some rudimentary form, even if only as a concept, the appearance of wandering foreigners in the Shire would be a matter of sensational curiosity and not fear of the devil….

I would think you to be out of phase and unable to affect the real world so it would not matter what you took. But everything comes back that you take, leaving something behind could cause a point of out of phase or a hot spot.

So the timline should not be altered, go where ever you want…as it is time related…you could go where ever and when ever you want regardless of the atmosphere or other issues.

I would think the only real problem would be shaking off the out of phase issue, stay too long out of phase and you are stuck in an observer mode until you starve, die of thirst, or old age. Your buddies could keep sending stuff to you and keep you going…hope the project has good funding.

Bring a space suit and a cyanide pill………….

Chances are when you end up in 899, the Earth will be in a totally different position in space and you will have missed it. Entirely. So after floating in space, for what seems like an eternity, you will want to end it all.

Ralph