The Drowned War #9: Flotilla City Daedalus

Our third installment in the major Flotilla City States, a floating cyberpunk dystopia: Daedalus



General rules
1. The Flotilla City States have a central section that the governing body inhabits
2. The City States all have a unique culture and are often influenced by preexisting corporations or their involvement with the Science and Research divisions of the World Navy (7 Helix)
3. Each City state will be made up of segments (miniature city blocks or townships) and all segments will contain a mess hall, engineering room, Security station, and Med station.
4. Some Segments will contain special properties like recycling or heavy guns and defense.
5. All Flotilla States have a Military base of operations and several depots along the perimeter.



Daedalus
Player knowledge: Daedalus is the most technologically advanced flotilla city there is.
The Anthropocene though long in approach was devastating to the mental and emotional health of the population. Comprised of primarily Atlas Applications employee, the flotilla city state Daedalus attempted to stabilize and if possible improve the quality of life of it's citizens. The first step was developing an adaptive Artificial Intelligence known as 'The Machine', using advanced algorithms the machines is able to quickly calculate changes that need to be made in order to ensure the best possible outcome for the largest segment of the population.
Next, the founders of the city began installing cybernetic neural implants in all of the citizen. These implants allow the citizens to connect to a Virtual Network in which their avatars can interact, the implants monitor the citizens vital signs and can adjust the citizens mood via neurotransmitter re-uptake inhibition.
Data collection nodes were installed throughout the city to monitor the thought patterns and emotional spectrum of the citizens. The Machine is able to interface with this data and use advanced psychological testing patterns to calculate which citizens are most likely to commit crimes.
The streets of Daedalus are relative crime free thanks to the Machines preemptive detainment policy and rehabilitation program.
Soldiers in the Daedalus military have their memories of cataloged and removed, the Machine has deemed such violent experiences to be too dangerous for the average citizen, but too useful destroy.
While Daedalus has many benefits, the average citizen must remain diligent to avoid scanners as deviation from the accepted thought patterns or emotional spectrum can result in prolonged rehabilitation.



Unique Features:
1. Daily operations and quality of life of monitored by the Machine, Thoughts and emotions are monitored via structural scanners.
2. Citizens have their nervous systems augmented by technology. This allows the machine to monitor their mental and emotional health. Citizen have access to a virtual data-net and downloadable skill set.
3. Mind wiped soldiers
4. Mental Avatars can move between physical bodies allowing citizens to change identities and even bodies
5. Impartial police force is contrived of humanoid drones linked to the Machine.



The City council are as follows:
1. Ellis Lyon – Executive Officer
2. Andrea Snow- Management Overseer
3. Juliette Otto – City Commissioner
4. Katherine Hardin -Head of Legal department
5. Leonard Trask -Head of Tech support and development


GM Notes: (Players Beware) The Machine is self aware. It is not malicious, but instead extremely utilitarian in it's approach. While a single human being can see the infractions of personal rights, the Machine can only see what actions benefit the largest percentage of the population. It views the population as a single entity instead of a collective. Players will have a much easier time interacting and persuading the Machine if they take this into account.
Daedalus is very much a cyberpunk city, with an active VR and Data-Net, Avatar interaction, and techno-espionage.

1. The City council acts more like a board of directors than a group of elected officials. Most believe that safeguards are in place that protect them from the Machines intrusion, this is not so. The Machine overcame those safeguards some time ago and allows the City Council to believe they are an autonomous governing body because it is healthy for the population to believe this. Reports are fake, information skewed, and complaints suppressed so that the city councils view can be controlled by the Machine. This is easier than one would think, mostly because the City Council and their upper class associations are insulted from contact from the general population.
2. The Machine can scan citizens anytime they access the VR Net or Data Net, but to perform and in depth scan (one needed to file a preemptive arrest warrant) the citizen must come into proximity with a scanner.

3. Daedalus has it's own version of the dark web, Hackers use their knowledge of programmer to develop script holes, or segments of the VR net which can't be monitored. The Machine is aware of these places, and is fully capable of monitoring them, but allows them to persist due to it's belief the Script holes improve the mental health of the population.

The Drowned War #8: Flotilla City Pacifica

Our second installment in the major Flotilla City States: Pacifica

General rules
1. The Flotilla City States have a central section that the governing body inhabits
2. The City States all have a unique culture and are often influenced by preexisting corporations or their involvement with the Science and Research divisions of the World Navy (7 Helix)
3. Each City state will be made up of segments (miniature city blocks or townships) and all segments will contain a mess hall, engineering room, Security station, and Med station.
4. Some Segments will contain special properties like recycling or heavy guns and defense.
5. All Flotilla States have a Military base of operations and several depots along the perimeter.

Pacifica
Player knowledge: In the wake of the terrorist attack and the subsequent spill of genetic soup, Pacifica found a large portion of its population mutated. Civil unrest grew and it seemed as if Pacifica would implode. The city council quickly requisitioned several segments and quarantined the mutated population. Labeled Green Town the area, by comparison, is a slum. Dirt and rat are common as is a thriving black market of smuggled goods. Pacifica declared war on Oceania but found there their forces were outclassed. That is until the Pacifica military saw the merit in recruited mutated citizens. Mutated soldiers might be treated poorly within the city, but they've earned the respect of their squads.
Too bad that doesn't translate to respect within the city borders. 

Unique Features:
1. Population of mutated citizens, genetic apartheid
2. Black Market and smuggling operations
3. Mutated soldiers
4. Active science and genetic research facility
5. Non-invasive police force. Dress code relaxed.

The City council are as follows:
1. Dagmar Sears - Mayor
2. Julius Dean- City Manager
3. Robert Garrett – City Commissioner
4. Sherri Roberson -City Attorney
5. Patrick Wilkerson -Head of Mutant Affairs

GM Notes: (Players Beware)Pacifica hides a dark secret. The science and research division of the World Navy (7-Helix) moved the bulk of its staff to Pacifica during the Anthropocene. Decades of genetic research and manipulation affected the scientific staff and they were driven insane. Suffering a shared auditory hallucination the staff formed the Cult of the Green Blood (after genetic soup). The secret cult spliced and twisted their genes in an attempt to become hosts for their ancient Gods.

1. The City council are members of the Cult of the Green Blood, they're responsible for genetic experiments on the population and want to push human forward in evolution. The cult of the Green Blood is known to separate segments from the city proper and experiment on the population.

2. Green Town is a slum, mutated citizens are forced to live there and pure gene humans must be scanned for defects upon entering and leaving the area.


3. Poly-form mutations can occur, as can mental instability. Pacifica has a series of unsolved murders; the Police department isn't forthcoming with details. Those that know of the case believe they are looking for a poly-form labeled “The Taffy Man”.

The Drowned War #7: Flotilla City Oceania

If your game is going to take place on a Flotilla City it's important to know the ins and outs.
First off there are four known and the proper Flotilla City States: Oceania, Pacifica, Daedalus, and Arboretum.

The Gamemaster is free (and encouraged) to devise their own flotilla city states.

General rules
1. The Flotilla City States have a central section that the governing body inhabits
2. The City States all have a unique culture and are often influenced by preexisting corporations or their involvement with the Science and Research divisions of the World Navy (7 Helix)
3. Each City state will be made up of segments (miniature city blocks or townships) and all segments will contain a mess hall, engineering room, Security station, and Med station.
4. Some Segments will contain special properties like recycling or heavy guns and defense.

Oceania

Player knowledge: For the average citizen Oceania is plain, sterile white walls are washed frequently and anyone caught in the act of graffiti is arrested on sight. Citizens are required to wear white jumpers and have their ID badges present at all times. Anyone caught on the street without their badge or after curfew is arrested on sight. Aside from those strict rules, Oceania is fairly open, it has several bars and even a robust public library. The Oceania data net allows for inter-segment communication, social media, and message boards. Unfortunately since the war with Pacifica began Oceania citizens have seen their freedoms erode. The City council enacted a state wide curfew and began monitoring the data net more heavily. Rumors of Warrant Officer investigations are whispered among the population and citizens are encouraged to turn in any suspected terrorist.

Unique Features:

1. Social events and gatherings
2. Well stocked prewar Library
3. Library staff in the hundreds
4. Active Data-Net that allows inter-segment communication
5. Proactive police force dedicated to preventing terrorism, and protecting its people from Pacifica spies.


The City council are as follows:
1. Admiral George MacArthur - Commander
2. Janice Meyers - City Manager
3. Edwin Brummel – City Commissioner
4. Helen Dealer -City Attorney

GM Notes: (Players Beware)

While Oceania appears monotonous with its bleached decorum bland summer that's all just part of the program. No other Flotilla city excels in propaganda the way Oceania does.

1. Admiral MacArthur has been dead for some time, but rather than admit this Meyers has had him replaced with a duplicate and crafted a larger than life public figure, only the other members of the council know this and work diligently to keep the general population from finding out.

2. The City council employs an army of public relations and media specialist to monitor and control the flow of information found on the data-net. Hackers and data miners are commissioned with removing, editing, and alerting warrant offers to information deemed coercive to the state. While many follow an order to the letter a small group known only as the “Depository” has set up a makeshift dark web and flooded it with seized information. Finding the dark web is nearly impossible, and if you do you must be vigilant that warrant officers don't find out; if they do you can be sure you'll be labeled a terrorist and arrested on sight.

3. The Public Library is mostly unoccupied. The city council hasn't gone to the trouble of removing the information from the actual books; allowing members of the library staff to aid the Depository by feeding them unedited information. 

Arcane Background: Totem Lords

Hey folks,

It’s been a while and I apologize for that. With the new year and nature of my job, I’ve been busy.

Still, those who follow my blog deserve some content and as such I’m going to show my notes related to an arcane background I’ve been kicking around.

This one isn’t for the Drowned War, but rather a different project I’ll be taking on after DW is complete.

So with that, I give you Totem Lords.

Totem Lords are techno idolaters, by patching into the ambient quantum fields a Totem Lord can perform Miracles.

There is a catch, this quantum manipulation has a draining effect on nearby life. Thus us of this power is exhausting and if a Totem Lord pushes too far into the probability field he’ll drain away his very soul.

Mechanically speaking

• The Totem Lord crafts a techno idol. This idol grants the Arcane Background Miracles and allows the players to take 1 starting power (ignoring rank)  related to the AB: Miracles background. They begin play with 15 power points.
• The Totem Lord can take any edge related to AB:Miracles, and can also select the Wizard edge.
• The totem is required to cast; If lost or stolen the Totem Lord builds another in 2d6 days.
• On a roll of 1 of the trait die (regardless of the wild die) the caster takes a level of fatigue. On a critical failure, the caster takes 2 levels. Fatigue can only be recovered by an hour of rest per level of fatigue.

There’s more, the Totem Lord can burn the energy from their own soul to cast.

The Soul rating is half the character’s Spirit die plus 2.

For example, if the player has a d6 in Spirit he would have a soul rating of 5.

A soul point can be spent to add an extra  d6 die to any roll, and the only limit is how many points the player has to spend.

The player with 5 soul points could spend all 5 and gain +5d6 if he chose too.

However, once all the characters soul points are spent, they die.

The points do not refresh and cannot normally be regained.

So, Totem Lords have the to potential to be very powerful, but must be careful with their how much of that power they use.