The Omniversalis Wikia:Guide to Alternate History

Salve! My name is JoshTheRoman, and I made this page to introduce you to the environment known as the Alternate History Wikia. This guide will help you learn the ropes of this Wikia, including making timelines, introducing the TSPTF, and explaining several terms frequently used on this wikia and the Alternate History community. I hope you enjoy your stay here, at the Alternate History Wiki. Many thanks to Bfoxius, who helped produce this guide.

## Useful Guides

We strongly suggest and reccomend that you read these other guides. However, you should read this guide prior, as it gives an overview of the wiki, while these guides are a bit more specific.

## Terms

It may take you a short while to memorize the entire list, but it will help you if you decide to make a timeline or moving around the wiki in general.

* ASB - Alien Space Bats - Any event or decision that is usually deemed implausible in a timeline, map game, or any other project. ASB Projects are at times, looked down upon, with numerous exceptions.
	+ Geographical/Environmental - Our first type of ASB is Geographical or Environmental ASB, where geological changes not caused by humans. Geographically ASB timelines contain a geographic event that changes features of Earth, the Solar System, et cetara, and is deemed implausible. In general, natural geographical events are almost always considered ASB. This is usually considered the best ASB label a project could get.
	+ Biased - The second example is Biased ASB. This is pretty explimanitory, and includes any project where specific nations or induviduals are biased, in favour of them.
	+ Random - Random ASB is used for projects where completely random events or decisions happen.
	+ Technology - Technoligically ASB timelines have technology, where the cause for it is completely implausible.
	+ Aliens - Since aliens are ficticious until confirmation, they are considered ASB.
	+ Wars - This label is for projects where the issue is wars in the project that are considered implausible.
	+ ISOT - Named after the book, *Island in the Sea Of Time.*This is the practice of taking a person, a group of people, a nation, island, or other landmasses and moving it back in time, or into the future.
	+ Magic - Do I really need to explain why this is ASB?
	+ Disease - ASB Labels tagged on projects where diseases get implausibly out of control, not including zombies.
	+ Zombies - Although zombies are theoretically possible, they are mostly ficticious
* OTL - Our Timeline - Known as history, this term means everything that happened in our history, the one that you are living in.
* PoD - Point of Divergence/Departure -  This is an event or decision that diverges, or breaks apart from OTL, leading to form an Alternate Timeline. This forms the basis of Alternate History.
	+ Counterfactuality - These are PoDs where some aspect of a, or our society become alien to OTL.
* ATL - Alternate Timeline - A timeline after a PoD happens, diverging from OTL.
* AUC - *Ab Urbe Condita* - Latin for "*the Founding of the City* [of Rome]" Rome was founded in 1 AUC, obviously. This time system can be used as an alternative for the usual Before Christ and Anno Dommini.
* Timeline - Self explimanitory.
* Template - These are visual boxes made of HTML code which can contain links, pictures, text, et cetara.
* Talk Page - These pages is most often used for talking off-chat. Links to these pages can usually be located right to the edit button.
* Community Timeline - A timeline where the entire wiki community is welcome to join and contribute to said timeline.

## Timelines

Solo Timelines
Solo Timelines are produced by a single individual. These timelines are usually more coherent but less far-reaching than community timelines.

### Group/"Semi-Open" Timelines

Semi-Open Timelines are made by more than one individual, yet they are not completely "open", meaning that people interested in contributing must either fill out an application of some sort, be invited, must speak to the creator of the timeline about your idea, or may not even be allowed to contribute in the first place. These timelines are usually a "happy medium" between the community and solo timeline styles.

### Community Timelines

Community Timelines are usually almost-to-completely open for every althistorian to edit. They do, generally, have rules for contributions, so they are usually not a free-for-all. Also, be ready for other users to comment on your work, as they are just as interested in building the timeline and making it the highest quality possible as you are. They are usually more far-reaching but less coherant than community timelines.