Confederated American States, What do we really know about them? Options

[sunnyside]

I recall reading about specific cities in various sourcebooks. But I don't have a feeling for the area in general. I was wondering if it'd even been laid down in cannon or if was wide open for the GM. Specific issues include:

1. Once you get out of the cities what is life like? After succession, wars, plagues, and crashes I wouldn't be surprised to find some areas aren't all that different than they were 100-200 years prior.


2. Is at least the airspace wide open for runners that generally keep their noses clean? Obviously the Azzie boarder is militarized as well as the UCAS side to a lesser degree. But could a team just fly around within the states if they stayed away from major cities without having to file flight plans, get harassed by some kind of cop, or anything like that?

3. How bad are things for metas?

4. What's the Pueblo border/relations like?

Does it vary by state much?

[Blue eyes]

The best book out there with the best CAS coverage is: Shadows of North America. Theres a very nice CAS chapter (page 57-72), with some nice maps (page 61), as well as some very useful general info about CAS and focus on some of the cities. The over all map of North America on page 11 also give a nice geographical overview of CAS.

2. Theres a section in the book about how to get in and out of CAS on page 193-194.

3. According to the "at a glance" tables in each chapter: CAS has 66% humans as to 68% in UCAS according to Shadows of North America, so I guess it's just as bad as UCAS. These are 2062 numbers. These "at a glance" tables which are used in Shadows of North America, Shadows of Europe and Shadows of Asia can be use to reflec how harsh racism is in the different countries. For example take a country like Switzerland which is well know for it's harshness towards metas, humans make up 86% of the population, which means alot of Metas have left the country for friendlier places, like the Czech Republic (59% humans) or France (60% humans). I dont recall any specific sections in the book covering racism in CAS but I might be wrong.

4. The book mostly focuses on CAS's borders with UCAS and Aztlan on page 194, it also mentions the border with the Carribbean league, all of these are heavily patrolled. On page 196 in Shadows of North America which focuses on info on Pueblo, it talks about the Pueblo borders in general and states that all Pueblo borders are heavily patrolled, though the Aztlan, Ute and Califree borders are especially strict.

If I was you i'd get the book it's a really great source-book (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

[HeavyMetalYeti]

Does the spirit of Robert E. wander astral space in the grand nation of CAS?

[Jackstand]

His ghost was actually elected president.

[Siege]

And at least two churches.

Seriously though, the whole "we're re-fighting the Civil War daily" is more stereotype than reality.

-Siege

P.S. Robert E. Lee

[Cheops]

I personally like the idea of Southern Preachers forming a new aristocracy with slave Task spirit labor on giant organic cotton plantations. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/love.gif)

[sunnyside]

And at least two churches.

Seriously though, the whole "we're re-fighting the Civil War daily" is more stereotype than reality.

-Siege

P.S. Robert E. Lee

Well, in SR they sort of are actually. Yeah probably an exageration of reality.

I personally like the idea of Southern Preachers forming a new aristocracy with slave Task spirit labor on giant organic cotton plantations. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/love.gif)

Now that's thinking SR style. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/cyber.gif) Most of the time the spirits would get miffy and start using edge when summoned. But there might be some slightly messed up path varients that would work with that.

[psychophipps]

Ahh...yes. The CAS. The south shall rise again! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/cool.gif)

OK, probably not... (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

[CanRay]

I just wish I could find that old link about "You might be a Redneck Mage if..." from a Shadowrun site long ago...

[nezumi]

Really, the big difference between the CAS and the UCAS is the same big difference that currently exists. The majority of the UCAS is urban or suburban, with lots of manufacturing, design and services. It's very political, and very muchso about 'who you know'. The CAS is significantly more rural, slower moving, and individuals are more independent (both physically and in mindset). Economically, they are more focused on agragarian and production industries, and so it's more 'how hard you'll work' over 'who you know'. There's a lot more history there too. Up north your enemy today is your friend tomorrow. Generally not the case south of the Mason-Dixon line. People remember a lot longer, and they have tight bonds and tight communities which are slow to accept outsiders.

Of course, those are broad generalizations, and there are many, many exceptions on both sides of the line.

[CanRay]

Yeah, you're from "Away" until you've been in the town for three generations. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/nyahnyah.gif)

[sunnyside]

so it's more 'how hard you'll work' over 'who you know'.

are slow to accept outsiders.

Of course, those are broad generalizations, and there are many, many exceptions on both sides of the line.

Still that's something that's good to work with in game terms. Just because the runners have CAS citicenships and have the accent that might not mean they're truely welcome as they travel about. But the work thing might make them worked with and tolerated.

I find it works well with runners to have them on the edge that way.

[Siege]

Remember though, there are large parts of "the South" that are every bit as urban and modernized as the North.

We tend to take religion seriously - friends visiting Atlanta comment on the number of churches (and we do have quite a few). Fried food is everywhere.

Basically, there are two key differences between CAS and UCAS: In the UCAS, you have sprawl and more sprawl. In the CAS, you have sprawl, small town, rural farming, woods, small sprawl.

-Siege

Edit: I was born, raised and spent most of my adult life in the South. Atlanta, specifically. Only one person has ever, ever managed to guess I was from the South. And I met her on a train in Italy. The whole 'Southern Twang' isn't as common as you might think.

[FlakJacket]

The books that have most of the information on the CAS are Shadows of North America, Target: Smuggler Havens and the Neo-Anarchists Guide to North America. SoNA is the most recent being a Third Edition book that gives you a good overview of the whole country and how it's set out as people have already said. T:SH is also Third Edition and has a fairly in-depth look at the city of New Orleans. And Neo-A's Guide to North America is a fairly rare Second Edition book that gave you a pretty decent write-up of the Atlanta and Dallas/Ft. Worth sprawls.

To go very briefly through your questions after all the plagues and crashes the population levels of the Shadowrun world have generally grown back to about the same levels as today by the 2060s IIRC, so sure you'll have big differences between the sprawls and the countryside but no more or less so than other countries. As for flying around since they've got major border complications with both Aztlan and the Carrib League, not to mention T-bird smugglers, I'm guessing that they'd have a fairly decent national radar/sensor net so as soon as someone gets spotted flying around without a flight plan or not on the air traffic control grid they'll be getting a visit from the local fighter jet patrols or law enforcement drones. Although this is of course pure speculation on my part so do what's best for your game. As for the metas question I not sure but I think I remember that by Third Edition they'd moved away from the rather silly general anti-metahuman bias that might have been mentioned in earlier editions. And someone seems to have covered the Pueblo question so I'll leave that one.

Seriously though, the whole "we're re-fighting the Civil War daily" is more stereotype than reality.

*Ahem* War of Northern Aggression. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

[Siege]

Heh.

-Siege

[Cheops]

The CAS is significantly more rural, slower moving, and individuals are more independent (both physically and in mindset). Economically, they are more focused on agragarian and production industries, and so it's more 'how hard you'll work' over 'who you know'.

I've never been down South but at least histrionically there are very sharp divisions between classes that restrict what you can do. It was, almost literally, an aristocracy until the North reconquered it. You had your rich plantation owners on top, followed by your middle class educated and small plantation owners, then the blacks, and finally the PWT. Think Victorian England but without an actual constitutional monarchy. Also there is more of an emphasis on Entrepreneurial work than actually sweating in the fields. Everyone wants to be the guy sitting in the shade of his mansion sipping burbon while workers pick the cotton. Essentially the same as the north but WAY more social barriers to entry than say New England or Ohio back in the day.

And if you don't know what PWT stands for you'll have to look it up before you plan on playing in the CSA.

[nezumi]

I'm guessing that they'd have a fairly decent national radar/sensor net so as soon as someone gets spotted flying around without a flight plan or not on the air traffic control grid they'll be getting a visit from the local fighter jet patrols or law enforcement drones.

On the one hand, yes, I suspect they'll have good networks for tracking intruders, because they're basically surrounded by enemies. On the flip side, from what I've seen, Southerners are more likely to respect your right to do as you please, and less likely to be nosey. People are more likely to be individualists and more likely to have the gear necessary to survive on your own, and that means you're more likely to get noticed as a stranger in the neighborhood, than as someone carrying a lot of gear including firearms. After all, when you have people who live on farms, carrying rifles, heavy duty trucks and so on makes a lot of sense.

But again, rules change a bit when you enter the cities.

[Hocus Pocus]

interesting interpretaions of the southern folk from you peeps, ones i've been around don't really fit into ya'lls view

live in new orleans, but my job takes me all over the state at times. Very friendly people and after a few meetings they treat you like family, even us minorities. They stop and wave to say high and actually talk to their neighbors. Much hotter down here so maybe that is why they move at a slower pace, the main thing about them is that they still have their tradition al values, which contrary to what hippies might tell ya, is a good think no doubt

oh and the women? they ain't fridged like the women up north, no, true southern belles they are. They won't completely ignore you if you try to talk to them, even the most stellar hot babe will chew the fat with you about anything and more often than naught you can get them taking about sex easy. Flirting is second nature to them. Yeah you'll have the hot chicks up north too, but they won't give ya the time o day.


but in the end, i'm a true jayhawker born and raised in kansas, so i'd definately go to UCAS shoudl the break up every happen. Gonna have to steal they kids away from the wife, but it's all good (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

[sunnyside]

Managed to dig up Shadows of North America and the Neo Anarchists guide.

The Shadows write up kind of annoyed me. They wasted so much space poorly presenting stuff we don't care about so much. And it wasn't like some books where there is some blather but lots of good stuff. I really felt like it left me hanging.

Neo Anarchists guide was better. Tighter writing, more stuff to use.

Though neither do too much to answer the above questions. Neo indicates that back then the metahuman situation was pretty bad. Despite some strong proponents many are in enclaves seperate from society or in pretty horrid economical conditions.

I did gather that Pueblo is an ally and so their boarder probably isn't very hot. Essentially you can buy a visa to the PCC on the stock market from the sounds of things so that's pretty easy.

But still no idea what things are like outside the cities nor of what security is really like off the borders. The latter may be a deliberate ommision to leave it up to GMs I suppose.

My favorite tidbit? The CAS gives out letters of Marque.

[HeavyMetalYeti]

@ Siege: I figured everyone would know who I was talking about. There was only one General Robert Edward Lee who happened to be my grandfather's name sake.

People are more likely to be individualists and more likely to have the gear necessary to survive on your own, and that means you're more likely to get noticed as a stranger in the neighborhood, than as someone carrying a lot of gear including firearms.

You would get noticed sooner if you did NOT have a gun in your pickup truck window. As for family heritage, I'm an Okie born and bred but my people come from Tenn, Tex, and SC. My wife on the other hand is a Kansas Yankee. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/grinbig.gif)

[Siege]

And you were probably right - it just offended me to see his name so casually abbreviated. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/grinbig.gif) (I'm joking! I swear to god, I'm joking)

As noted earlier - the South did develop from an agrarian base, but the notion of plantations are all but gone now and I suspect will be nonexistent in 2050; just a footnote in history next to sharecroppers and family-owned farms.

-Siege

[FlakJacket]

Hell if you consider how small family farms are becoming less and less economic to run compared with large corporate operations that are able to take advantage of factors such as economies of scale just imagine what the introduction of things like drones will do and the rise of large agricorps. Family farms and plantations as people are talking about them will be long in the past by then IMHO.

[WearzManySkins]

Hell if you consider how small family farms are becoming less and less economic to run compared with large corporate operations that are able to take advantage of factors such as economies of scale just imagine what the introduction of things like drones will do and the rise of large agricorps. Family farms and plantations as people are talking about them be long in the past by then IMHO.

Hmm never heard the the Amish? Family Farms working extremely well with less technology than the corp farms.

Also today's corp farms get a major boost from Government Aide in huge amounts. So in 2070 I see less of that Government Aide, so the family farms will make a come back.

WMS

[FlakJacket]

I'm sorry, you actually expect small independent operators to be able to prosper at the expense of corporate interests in the Shadowrun world? You'll have to excuse me if I express a degree of scepticism with that viewpoint. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

[sunnyside]

There are mentions of corp soy operations edging out farmers.

Here's the thing though. Much of the south is not Iowa (which from above resembles a big patchwork quilt due to the near coninuous array of rectangular fields). In the south there is a lot of woods, swamp, mountains or land that is for whatever reason not so developed. Fields are tucked away here and there where there is some good ground.

I imiagine the corps took the best and most convenient land one way or another. But the tucked away farmland just isn't conducive to lard scale drone farming. This I imagine is left to family type farms. Though the efforts of corp farms probably drives prices down, so these family farms probably aren't exactly the best off.