Alternative Science
sometimes the most dubious sources make for the best gaming.
Basic Information
This page lists theories and fields of inquiry which some might call scientific but which are not considered part of modern science, including those that have been rejected, those that were never accepted in the first place, controversial ones and ones dealing with fictional or hypothetical concepts. For those dealing in historical settings, bear in mind that alternative science and actual science have swapped places from time to time…
- Acari (and abiogenesis thereof)
- Alchemy
- Basilisk image
- Classical Element
- Cold Fusion
- Cryptozoology
- Evolution, Alternatives to Darwinian:
- FTL
- Homeopathic Medicine
- Humorism
- Hypothetical Types of Biochemistry
- Lumineferous Aether
- Lysenkoism
- Miasma Theory
- N-Ray
- Negative mass
- Orgone Theory
- Orichalcum
- Paracas Skulls
- Phlogiston Theory
- Phrenology
- Polywater
- Psionics
- Reality Quake
- Super-Sargasso Sea
- Symmes Hole
- Teleportation
- Tachyons
- Tipler Cylinder
See Also
- Charles Fort
- Hollywood Science
- How Unscientific
- Mad Scientist
- Magic
- Pathological Science
- Pseudoscience
- Science Marches On
Sources
Bibliography
Game and Story Use
- Making true scientific theories which are rejected in the real world will give a world a distinctly fantastic feel, which may be good or bad.
- In a campaign where alternate realities are visited, a world where the only difference is that a certain scientific theory is true makes for an interesting scenario. The natural historic divergence point would be around the time the theory was rejected in the real world.
- Alternative theories can be a good source of Applied Phlebotinum, especially when the players don't understand them too well.
- You can avoid the limitations of actual science by making things work differently in your world. For example, in a world where the Lumineferous Aether is real and Relativity Theory is not there is no theoretical prohibition against faster-than-light travel.
- In a world reflecting mainstream science, a crackpot inventor who adheres to one of these theories instead can be an intriguing character, especially if somehow his inventions actually work.
page revision: 32, last edited: 23 Dec 2019 04:02