What Counterfactual is, and why it works
Counterfactual is the simplest possible answer to a question history teachers have struggled with for decades: how do you teach students that history was contingent rather than inevitable? Most history education treats the past as a fixed sequence — Caesar crosses, Rome falls, that's what happened. Counterfactual flips the frame. You're in the room. The decision hasn't been made yet. Pick.
Each scenario is an 8-decision arc built around a real historical moment where individual choices visibly mattered. Between decisions, the game shows a "consequence" card narrating what cascades from your choice — citing real history where applicable, plausible speculation where appropriate. By the end of the arc, the four state variables (power, wealth, stability, innovation) determine which of four alternate endings you unlock.
It's the format that historians use informally when they argue about turning points. We just made it playable.
Currently available scenarios
- The Ides (Rome, 49–44 BC) — Caesar at the Rubicon through the conspiracy on the Senate floor. Read the deep-dive article.
- The Westward Voyage (Atlantic, 1492) — Columbus from the pitch to Isabella through the second voyage and the legacy years. Read the deep-dive article.
- The Armada (England, 1587–88) — Elizabeth I from the intelligence reports through Mary's execution, the fireships, and the pursuit north. Read the deep-dive article.