Speculating about what might have been is a pastime enjoyed by gamers and civilians alike. SteamPunk is an alternative history that emphasizes the role of steam power in the nineteenth, making steam cars and steam airships common and adding some devices, such as steam-powered computers patterned after Charles Babbages Analytical Engine.

Electropia ("Electric Utopia") is an alternate history that follows another energy source that was just coming into its own at the end of the Victorian Era.

In Electropia, like SteamPunk, Inventions that already exisited are given a little boost, made a little more common, even ubiquitous, as we speculate about things that might have been. It does not take much to make an exciting world to play in.

Transportation

There is a story that Henry Ford consulted with Thomas Edison as he was preparing to revolutionize that automotive world. As a result of the conversation, Ford decided to pursue the development of gasoline-powered vehicles. What might Edison have said? Edison spent much of his career working with electricity. Edison had already established companies to develop electrical power stations and grids. In Electropia, Edison might have made an agreement with Ford to develop a light-weight, more powerful battery and establish a national network of electric service stations to power mass-produced electrical cars built by Ford. Another idea might be that Ford wanted a second opinion and consulted with Nicolai Tesla.

Another push for electrical vehicle comes in the form of legislation prohibiting gas cars in city limits. Britain had already passed the Red Flag Law that required cars in the city to not exceed 2 mph and be proceeded by a man waving a red flag. Gasoline-powered vehicles were (and are) notoriously loud and produced noxious fumes. They became popular despite this because they were better than horses, whose more tangible emissions were a major health hazard. However, a more foresightful government might rule that all transportation within the city limits must be electrically-powered, leaving horses and gassers to the countryside. Clean and efficient electric cabs and omnibuses provide transportation to the city's residents. Electric tricycles, like the Keller-Dagenhart models designed for the 1893 Columbian Exposition, fill the role of horses hauling smaller carts.

Light and Power

By the end of the nineteenth century, electricity was well-established in most of the major cities. Street lights were electrified fairly quickly, reducing costs by eliminating the need for lamp lighters to travel throughout the city at dusk. Moving electricity into private homes was a slower process and often limited to the wealthy. Still, electric lighting made the city brighter and, in some ways, safer. The use of gas for heating was never enirely eliminated, many homes use gas for heating and cooking even today.

Other Inventions

In Electropia, like in SteamPunk worlds, Charles Babbage successfully builds his Analytical Engine in the middle of the century (perhaps premiering it at the Crystal Palace in 1851). Linked by telegraph lines, the AE's increase the pace of business and technology, and give the government better ability to monitor its citizenry. What might Edison have done with an Analytical Engine. First, he might have electrified it. Next, he might have figured out a way to replace Babbages mechanical cams with something more efficient and electrical. With some modification, Edison's light bulbs could be transformed into vacuum tubes.

The cathode ray tube was developed by Ferdinand Braun in 1897 and first used to display a television image in 1907. However, with the presence of Edison Electrical Computing Engines demanding a better interface and the power of these "computers" to aid in development, Edison can apply his powers to more rapidly develop the tube for use with the Engines.

The amazing thing about the Victorian Era is that so many of the inventions we used today were first created prior to the twentieth century. We have simply improved on good ideas. In making Electropia more fantastic, the game master need merely take inventions that already existed and make them more common. Other inventions can perhaps be invented sooner than historically due to the influence of Analytical Engines.

Campaign Styles

What makes Victorian and Victorian Alternative History role-playing interesting is not the inventions, the locals or the what-ifs, but rather it is playing characters steeped in the Vicotrian mindset that make it challenging. Historically, the Victorian culture was a result of a stable, tradional society trying to cope with the rapid changes imposed by the Industrial Revolution and the onset of the Modern Age. The Luddites were one symptom of the struggle. In SteamPunk campaigns and campaigns like Electropia, the pressure of technology change puts an even greater strain on society. The Luddites opposed the mechanization of labor that put humans out of work. Imagine the protest if Analytical Engines had been able to take over much of the work done by the human computers it was intended to replace. Marx had taken an interest in Babbage's work and was concerned about the power that such a device would give the capitalists to oppress not only the working class, but also the intelligent middle class. A new age of more influential, more educated Luddites could make things difficult for the advancement of science at the expense of human uniqueness.

Electropia can be played with two distinct styles. The first, as alluded to above is a dark, cyberpunk world. Although cities are safe and clean, light by electric lights and free of the by-products of horses and gas cars, with electric public transportation, not all is right with the world. The government and plutocrats control the Information Network of the new Edison Computers. Citizens are issued identification cards and numbers that allow them to be tracked by the police. Luddite uprisings lead to police crackdowns, curfews and other restrictions that make life difficult for the law-abiding citizenry. Information is power and the aristocrats and industrialists will pay dearly for individuals who can collect "hard-to-get" information. This sort of campaign can be run like a Cyberpunk campaign, but with the style and grace of Victorian manners.

A second style is brighter and more upbeat. In this version of Electropia, all is right with the world. The benefits of electricity have made everything better. The Information Network, run by Edison Computers, is freely available, giving everyone equal opportunities to learn and advance. This sort of campaign would feature adventures of Victorian characters learning to use new technology as they explore the world.