Imperial Wars, to put it bluntly, is an alternate history, a What-If? However, the question is far different from: What if the Roman Empire never fell? No, it is: What if Teutoburger Wald had been won by the Romans? What if Confucianism had never taken root in China? These are the real questions. If Teutoburger Wald and Confucius had been changed, Roman and Chinese expansion would have increased, to the point where it is reasonable polities such as the State of Han might exist.
If Roman expansion had increased, if China hadn't stagnated...a thousand ifs, and this adresses only two of them. But still, technological development is likely to have remained the same - humanity develops its technology according to needs and requirements, as well as the simple urge to explore, to discover, in a way that makes it possible, no, simply required by the laws of probability, that technology develops along the same lines, even if culture is different and alien.
In a way, Imperial Wars is alien - gladiatoral deathmatches on TV, to name just one difference. But the technology is not that much different from the modern day. Computers and photographs may be called different names, but they still exist (by the way, the (translated) Roman words are ordinator and auragraph). America is still discovered, though it has a different name. Hypersonic suborbital nuclear bombers may be used instead of ICBMs, but although the delivery method is different, nuclear weapons still exist.
You don't change the play by changing the actors. And this, I think, is what I am trying to say.
Just what is this about?
Just what is this about?
You have ruled this galaxy for ten thousand years.
You have little of account to show for your efforts.
Order. Unity. Obedience.
We taught the galaxy these things.
And we shall do so again.
You have little of account to show for your efforts.
Order. Unity. Obedience.
We taught the galaxy these things.
And we shall do so again.