There's the Neovictorians of the Empire, dedicated to cleaning the Earth of all taints of humanity save those in the "Change Cage Cities", megacities kept in Victorian-era technology and culture enforced by clockwork "Peeler" automations, and the threat that looms above everyone: The Change Cage, where any bit of outlawed or illegal technology or culture is thrown into, never to be seen again (Including the scientist/artist!).
Then there's the Skyloft, the free people who escaped the human culling of the Empire by lofting their cities into the sky and anchoring them to mountaintops. They have a massive airship arsenal and an anachronistic stew of technology, depending on which city you're going to. Ranging from the trader town of Helios which makes the world's standardized currency (Based off Helium!), to High Tortuga the Pirate Freeport that Jack Sparrow would be at home in! "CAPTAIN Jack Sparrow." Oh, right, sorry.
Finally, the Neobedouins (It's steampunk, they like Neo-stuff.
![nyahnyah.gif](http://forums.dumpshock.com/style_emoticons/default/nyahnyah.gif)
The game system is similar to Shadowruns, where the Dice Pool (Yes, they use that term too) is D6s, and 1s and 6s are successes. Rather than decrease the dice pool for difficult tasks, "Black Dice" are added into the roll, which take away successes from the regular dice. Easier tasks are given additional dice.
It's a world where traveling circuses, musical groups, scientists, and other ne'erdowells are branded "Pirates" and actively hunted, where your airship might have a diesel engine assisting the normal steampunk engines, and muzzle-loaded cannon sit next to lightning guns and gatling guns. Where the man or woman beside you might be a time traveler, an escaped factory worker, a tribal warrior, a drunk pirate, or not even human at all...
Described by one friend as being "Warhammer 40K-Level of Grimdark" and "Are you seriously telling me that there is a rock opera steampunk goth band that has their central plot revolving around a time traveling pirate airship?" ;D
Honestly, Shadowrunners are one blue police box away from being dropped into the mix of the world... And, if the PCs get a time machine themselves (They can), they may even make the world Shadowrun!