Well ethanol is one thing. So what's the rule on proper oil? Alberta is one of the richest oil reserves in North America. It's literally mixed in with the dirt. You can just filter the crude out of the ground.
As for parts, are there no machines anywhere in America anymore? Surely it could be traded for.
And as for being a pain in the ass, these are religious zealots who are banned from enjoying any type of entertainment. All they do all day is work. Fixing a broken engine would almost be a relief, because it would be a break from doing the same thing every day of their bland lives.
I think it could hypothetically work, but it's up to you guys. If not, can you tell me if horses exist in this world?
The rule on oil and oil refineries is that at best its been hit by several cruise missiles or something like that and at worse got a nuke to the face. Alberta would have been a massive target because of its fuel reserves and most likely got its face imploded at the end of the world. Any major refinery and oil field would have been targeted and blown to bits; sure there are primitive or salvaged refineries and pump jacks, but they work no where near close to modern machines. Even if you did manage to make some, it'd most likely be pretty shit quality as the machines and methods of purification would be something like a lost art or just incapable of being reproduced.
There are still machines in America, its just that its highly recommended that people keep the more advanced goodies to themselves. Think of it this way: you have a nice high tech piece of machinery like a harvester, what would you trade it for? You can't just build another one so raw materials is out, a sum of food wouldn't do much since now you have just traded something that could assist food production for a lump sum which isn't a good investment, sure you could just spend it on riches and gold and that stuff, but what use is that?
While I do see your point about zealots, how many of those zealots would know how an engine works? How a truck fits together? How gun mechanisms work in detail? Manpower means little if you don't have the resources or knowledge to use it. Look at China's Great Leap Forward, almost the entire country got on board with "backyard steel forges" but no one knew how to really make steel outside of the villages who had a history of metal working meaning just about all the metal was too poor quality to be used.
But horses and other pack animals still exist so you don't have to worry too much about that.
@Trigani I'll try to get something up tomorrow about it once I've gotten some more time and sifted through the OOC.
The rule on oil and oil refineries is that at best its been hit by several cruise missiles or something like that and at worse got a nuke to the face. Alberta would have been a massive target because of its fuel reserves and most likely got its face imploded at the end of the world. Any major refinery and oil field would have been targeted and blown to bits; sure there are primitive or salvaged refineries and pump jacks, but they work no where near close to modern machines. Even if you did manage to make some, it'd most likely be pretty shit quality as the machines and methods of purification would be something like a lost art or just incapable of being reproduced.
There are still machines in America, its just that its highly recommended that people keep the more advanced goodies to themselves. Think of it this way: you have a nice high tech piece of machinery like a harvester, what would you trade it for? You can't just build another one so raw materials is out, a sum of food wouldn't do much since now you have just traded something that could assist food production for a lump sum which isn't a good investment, sure you could just spend it on riches and gold and that stuff, but what use is that?
While I do see your point about zealots, how many of those zealots would know how an engine works? How a truck fits together? How gun mechanisms work in detail? Manpower means little if you don't have the resources or knowledge to use it. Look at China's Great Leap Forward, almost the entire country got on board with "backyard steel forges" but no one knew how to really make steel outside of the villages who had a history of metal working meaning just about all the metal was too poor quality to be used.
But horses and other pack animals still exist so you don't have to worry too much about that.
Okay, well all I'm asking for are a couple crappy pump jacks, producing just enough oil to run a few scrap-hobbled tractors, just to give the country a slight edge in food-production, relative to the norm. The majority of work can still be done with horses and simple plows. The idea is that the country sacrifices military manpower (mainly devout pacifists, no hope of general conscription, only useful in self-defense, very little knowledge of military strategy), for an economic advantage. You make a good point about what people would be willing to trade. It could instead be the case that parts and materials are gathered by scavengers, from the ruins of the old world.
The real Hutterites are nothing but tradition, and their entire culture is based around farming and farming technology. Surely, knowledge of how to maintain farm equipment would be the most common attribute of the average citizen. They'd know nothing about how to make guns. That would be something handled by the Albertasleut, if at all. If you'd like, it could be the case that their military is mainly armed with flint-locks and such, and doesn't have much in the way of artillery. I feel like that would be more realistic, than a post-war Hutterite nation that wasn't leading the way (in even the slightest way) in farming technology.
Okay, well all I'm asking for are a couple crappy pump jacks, producing just enough oil to run a few scrap-hobbled tractors, just to give the country a slight edge in food-production, relative to the norm. The majority of work can still be done with horses and simple plows. The idea is that the country sacrifices military manpower (mainly devout pacifists, no hope of general conscription, only useful in self-defense, very little knowledge of military strategy), for an economic advantage. You make a good point about what people would be willing to trade. It could instead be the case that parts and materials are gathered by scavengers, from the ruins of the old world.
The real Hutterites are nothing but tradition, and their entire culture is based around farming and farming technology. Surely, knowledge of how to maintain farm equipment would be the most common attribute of the average citizen. They'd know nothing about how to make guns. That would be something handled by the Albertasleut, if at all. If you'd like, it could be the case that their military is mainly armed with flint-locks and such, and doesn't have much in the way of artillery. I feel like that would be more realistic, than a post-war Hutterite nation that wasn't leading the way (in even the slightest way) in farming technology.
If not, could you propose some other way to better balance the nation?
To cover bases I had to do some more research and ask some questions to some folks. But the other thing being forgotten among all these machine talks is while larger fields still can be maintained with combines - cobbled together or not - there's a standing issue with a lack of fertilizer to issue to the communities to keep the soil maintained. They could soon after the bombs dropping afflicted with a deficit of fertilizers, particularly presently used artificial fertilizers to lay on the fields to restore soil condition.
As a case study to hold the Hutterites here against they'd be facing the same cyclical problems as the English economy in the middle ages which underwent wheat famines through soil depletion. The English wheat economy finally collapsed in the 14th century after intensive agriculture when they depleted the richness of so much of the soil they had to change industry.
Where-as Egypt at the time and even in antiquity could maintain constant agriculture because the Nile was continually replenished with fertile silt soil from up-stream Africa that they could plant their crops in and have a bountiful harvest each time.
The modern answer to making anywhere Egypt was accessible artificial fertilizer which is often produced from petroleum or natural gas itself, further straining any hopes for a viable fuel economy.
And beyond that there's the loss of modern fungicides and herbicides forcing every farming economy to go organic, which isn't a process of agriculture that can maintain modern populations anyways and would be more energy intensive (you'd be planting more than you need to begin with to expect to loose most of it) and probably triggering later calamity (See: Dust Bowl).
Not to say you can't try, but it's not a golden safety gun or a long-term edge. You're going to have to write about it all withering away sooner or later and a seizing economy.
Claims: The Jefferson Federation spans the majority of former Northern California. From the ruins of Stockton to the South, its borders run the span of the following Highways, Interstates, and Routes to create its Southern borders; 92, 580, 205, 120, 108, 395, and 182. The Eastern borders form along the lines of former Nevada and old California state lines, the Northern borders along Oregon and old California. Lastly, the Jefferson Federation lays claim to all the Western seaboard of its territory, to include the vital cities of San Francisco, San Mateo, Hayward, San Leandro, Alameda, and Oakland, forming the revitalized bay area of the Jefferson Federation.
Terrain: Due to the lack of big targets in this region, Northern California made it out relatively unscathed. While limited nuclear exchange happened upon the region, it was spared widespread destruction due to a massive radar array that provided nuclear defense and deterrence in the old days of the United States. It provided early warning of the first launches, for not only Northern California, but also the entire Western seaboard. This radar system allowed for the former Air Forces, Navy, and Marine Corps to scramble fighters and other assets in order to defend the region, and down a number of the warheads destined for the area. Sadly, nuclear warheads still found their mark upon the lands of the Jefferson Federation. Sacramento is one prime example of this destructive power of the atom. A ruined wasteland, completely walled off and abandoned to the radiation and mutations that now inhabit the area. San Francisco was hit, alongside of Oakland, though with smaller, submarine based missiles. Farther North, Redding was hit, though with minimal damage due to where the weapon hit and detonated. The climate of Northern California, or rather, the Jefferson Federation is colder in the winters, and relatively the same during the springs and summers. Terrain has remained the same, with the land and water retaining low levels of radiation, aside from the Sacramento crater, which still remains a hot spot to this day.
Government Type: The government is currently run through a Military Junta, chaired by the colloquial term, The Big Three. Led by Brigadier General Nouvelle, Lieutenant General Otto, and Rear-Admiral Lawton, the Military Junta makes up the Tribunal, the governing body of the Jefferson Federation. The whole of the Jefferson Federation is led under a modified form of martial law, and all civilians falling under the protection and justice system of the military. All cases are tried under the Uniform Code of Military Justice, a holdover from the former military branches that the Big Three hailed from. All in all, the military runs an effective, though albeit controlled, form of government in their area of influence.
Capital: The Jefferson Federation bases its capital out of Beale JMB, CA. With the obliteration of Sacramento, and the heavy damage dealt to San Francisco, it was the almost unscathed nature of Beale AFB and its amenities that led to it being chosen as the main base of operations for the Jefferson Federation. Beale AFB has been built up into a monolithic stronghold of the Tribunal, walled off and fortified to provide not only a safe haven for the military leadership, but also a symbol of power and control.
Head of State: The Jefferson Federation is led by the Tribunal, with leaders from the former Air Force, Army, and Navy/Marine Corps. The Jefferson Federation is led by Brigadier General Nouvelle II, Air Force, Lieutenant General Otto II, Army, and Rear-Admiral Lawton II, Navy. These three men hold the power of the region, ruling under martial law and military efficiency. While they believe in the tenants of the former United States, to include democracy, that time has come and past, and until the future can be completely secured, the Tribunal will reign supreme.
Brigadier General Nouvelle II: Forty-six years old. A quiet man who leads by example, holding everyone under his command and dominion to the level of self-responsibility that he believes everyone should be held to. Some say he is cold, or detached, but that is for those that have faced his wroth and punishment for their crimes against the State and the rule of law. Married with three children, he is the youngest and kindest of the Tribunal.
Lieutenant General Otto II: Fifty years old.He led the charge of Abrams tanks and rotor wing choppers to stabilize and maintain military control of the region during the downfall of the United States. Due to his tactical prowess, he is sometimes called the Mountain Lion, striking and then disappearing into the mountains that he calls home. A loud, hard charging man, he commands the majority of the ground forces of the Jefferson Federation. Heavy handed and large in stature, he is the biggest of the Tribunal, both in body and mind. He can be called many a thing, but what resounds best, both with him, and his enemies, is deadly, a Mountain Lion both in spirit and mind.
Rear-Admiral Lawton II: Forty-eight years old, former Navy Carrier commander/captain. Based out of San Francisco, aboard the USS John F. Kennedy. With the downfall of the United States, and the increasing scarcity of refined parts, Rear-Admiral Lawton II called for the decommissioning of the Jefferson Federation’s three aircraft carriers, reutilizing them for two projects, one, being housing within the bay area, along with work space, and two, as reserve fleet ships, should they ever need to be called back into active service. A bonus was his thinking to use their nuclear reactors before they ran out as power for the Five Cities project of the bay area. A resourceful man, he has a knack for recycling and reusing numerous items for the betterment of his country. He is smart, caring, and by far, the nicest of the Tribunal.
Other Important People: There are a few other influential people within the Jefferson Federation, but the main ones of note are the following: Captain Jason Prichard, U-2 Pilot who crashed his jet into an incoming ICBM to spare Beale AFB from a nuclear attack. He is immortalized with a bronze statue at the gates to Beale AFB, and his jet’s tail number no longer be used in active circulation. Major James P. Sullivan, Army tank commander who defended and repulsed the onslaught of mutant and evol incursions from the Sacramento crater. He still defends the Sac-City barrier to this day, tirelessly protecting the remnants of humanity from the horrors within. Staff Sergeant Amanda Collard, hero of the border wars with former Nevada National Guard units who went rogue during the chaos and downfall. The battle of Nevada City and Reno has been immortalized in the annuals of history through the gallant actions of SSgt Amanda Collard, who killed the Commander of the Reno Guards in a daring counter attack to rescue trapped civilians.
Population: With the stabilization of the Jefferson Federation’s borders, along with its relatively untouched farming lands and grazing pastures, the Jefferson Federation, minus the losses of Sacramento and the Bay Area, has roughly 2.4 million people living within its borders, all serving towards the greater good of the Tribunal.
Attitude towards Evols: The Jefferson Federation on a public view point has taken a hardline stance towards these mutations and abominations. They have contained most, if not all these creatures to the Sacramento Crater region, alongside two other “Reservations” of hot spot activity. Secretly, these creatures and mutations are studied in the confines of military labs that hope to harness these genetic mutations for the betterment of mankind. The military hopes that through selective breeding, and conditioning, that these creatures may become some sort of guard animals. More sinister rumors are that these beasts are bred with humans, to create hybrids, but, that is conjecture and unfounded. Nothing fancy, just basic taming and selective breeding, like one would use to tame a wild wolf or wild tiger.
Economic System: Due to the constraints of the Jefferson Federation, the entire economy is run and owned by the Tribunal, in almost a Facists/Communist fashion, where everything is owned by the government. That is not to say no one can get rich through the economy, but that it is far more controlled and regulated to not only protect the citizenry, but also the military as well, who have become the life blood and lively hood of the nation. The economy revolves around agriculture, mining, logging, and the manufacturing of military equipment. In a nutshell, a wartime economy.
Resources: With the downfall of the old Federal and State governments, a vast plethora of untapped resources were opened up to finally be tapped into for the benefit of the region. With the EPA gone, Federal regulation gone, and Liberal California Legislation gone, huge swathes of forests were finally able to be cut for lumber, massive mineral deposits, ranging from precious minerals like gold and silver, to the life blood of the Jefferson Federation’s navy, coal, to water resources that no longer had to be pumped to Southern California, which could be used for the massively revitalized agricultural boom of the Jefferson Federation.
In tangent with these inland resources, engineers and geologists are currently working towards rebuilding and rekindling the fledgling oil fields and petroleum reserves that are the new hot commodity of the ruined world. These oil fields burn bright in the night sky, pumping valuable and precious black gold to the military storage yards and facilities for refining and utilization for the war effort. These oil fields were built upon the oil reserves that were never allowed to be drilled due to regulation, built using machinery and technology closely resembling 1920’s American oil industries before truly modern technology came into the forefront.
Currency: With the downfall of the federal mint and reserve, the Jefferson Federation has created its own form of currency for financial transactions within its borders, backed in gold and silver, with the creation of the Black Iron Currency, a special purpose minted currency only made and traded within the Federation, and more correctly, the mint located in Yuba City.
Technology: The Jefferson Federation has retained a small number of its industrialized machinery and facilities, though they are heavily guarded and protected. Due to the lack of readily available spare parts, along with the scarcity of the industry itself, more often than not the country side and industrial backbone has begun to revert to a more 1920’s era of construction and industrialization. The reliance upon coal for energy, alongside with natural gas and crude oil, have led to something from an old history book of the America’s during post WW1.
Official Religion: Freedom of Religion is still actively enforced within the confines of the Jefferson Federation, but radically different from what was common in the old days. The Tribunal enforces that no one religion can rule above any others. Furthermore, all religions pay taxes, and said religions also are kept from government rule and law making. The Tribunal looked at the failures of the past, and hopefully, in their minds, learned from them. Religious Information: N/A
History: The past history of the Jefferson Federation is brutal and short. The war started, lives were lost, the military stepped in and took control, staving off complete destruction and downfall. The Tribunal rose from the Ashes, their banners waving in the winds as they waged war against former fellow Americans and the mutants. Martial law declared, numerous rights suspended for the greater good, but for the survival of all. The Federation may be called a dictatorship, but they, and they alone have saved the people in this region, and given them hope for a brighter future.
Currently, the Jefferson Federation is in an alliance with the California Republic, to their South, working together to reunify the West under their control and dominion. The Jefferson Federation offers much needed military expertise and power to their allies, along with crucial intelligence upon their enemies and own assets.
Culture: The Jefferson Federation claims to be the true keepers of the United States, and the remnants of it. The people that make up the Federation are very pro-military, through both propaganda, indoctrination, and the fact that they owe their lives to the members of the armed forces who fought and died to ensure that the civilians did not have to face the horrors of war. They like to call themselves Jeffersonians, likening themselves in a sense to the founding fathers of the great nation they once called home.
Military Strength and Disposition Military Numbers: The Jefferson Federation owes its large military numbers to the reinstated draft and compulsory service of all citizens within its country. With a standing military of 50,000 active duty service members, broken up amongst the Air Force, Army, and Naval Forces (Including the Marine Corps and Coast Guard), and the ability to rapidly call up another 20,000 Reservist and National Guard members, the Jefferson Federation is able to maintain relative stable control over their territory. The military is broken up into 3,000 Air Force members, 9,000 Navy members, and 38,000 Army members. The Reserves and National Guard units comprise roughly an equal distribution amongst the three main components of the Jefferson Federation’s military.
Military Units:
At first, during the first five years of the chaos, old world weapons were in abundance. Fully automatic rifles, machine guns, tanks, the whole nine yards. But, then something else became glaringly apparent, the weapons of the new world were never built to last. Politicians, weapon manufacturers, lobbyists, they all had worked to increase profits while decreasing reliability. The mass produced weapons of the U.S. Military began to degrade, breaking from over use, lack of spare parts, and so on. And the inventories of the once great armories, ranging from National Guard, Army, Marine, Navy, Air Force, even Coast Guard, began to be depleted, their stocks never being replaced. This was a cause of great concern for the original founders of the Jefferson Federation. As their M16’s, M4’s, SAW’s, M240B’s, and so on began to break down, unable to be replaced in sufficient numbers, the military looked to the old world for solutions.
They took notes from the chaos of the first two world wars, on what worked, and what did not. Simplicity and reliability became the rule of thumb, sought over the mass produced killing weapons of the 21st century. As the remaining weapons were brought into stockpiles, being looked over, poor condition weapons being scrapped for their spare parts, the military began to crank up the production of a newer weapon, one that was based on the tried and true fire arms of old. This is not to say some crack military units were not still equipped with their original automatic weapons, but they were few and far between, used only in the most dire of situations and for the Central Guards unit that guarded the Tribunal.
The Army keeps its few scarce remaining Abrams Tanks in reserve and ready for heavy combat, this in part to them being gas hogs, and the lack of new parts for them. When the war broke out, tanks were in abundance, yet now, those still in working condition perhaps number no more than twenty, half stored at Beale Joint Military Base, the other half at the Five Cities Army Depot. The main weapon of the armed forces is now the refurbished Mk-J7 Infantry Rifle. A simple bolt action rifle, based off of the designs from reverse engineered Russian Mosin Nagants, said to be in every Big 5 Sporting Goods store back before the downfall. Production was streamlined and simplified, one, because the loss of modern production technologies, and two, with the reliance upon pre-1940’s technology and manufacturing standards. This has become the standardized weapon of the Jeffersonians, though a hodge podge of weapons still exists in some Reserve units.
The Army found that due to the lack of spare parts for many of its mechanized units, it was becoming severely hindered in its ability to fight its enemies in rapid deployments. With its remaining Humvees, Strikers, MRAPS, and other armored fighting vehicles being placed into reserves, in part because of a lack of the huge fuel reserves of old, eyes began to shift to new alternatives. Numbering perhaps no more than a handful a vehicles per unit, the Army with the help of Eco-Friendly survivors of Northern California, converted what diesel vehicles they could get their hands on to Bio-Diesel, Vegetable Oil, or normal diesel, from the few Oil Fields that had been created after the nuclear war. These new oil fields, built upon untapped oil reserves from previously prohibited areas by the EPA, survived the nuclear war due in part to having nothing on them but trees and grass. Now, they resemble something from post WW1 oil fields, dirty, smelly, smokey, but producing vital black gold for the State.
Military vehicles range from older pickup trucks, SUV’s, and older sedans, most if not all from before 1995. Older engines in these vehicles were easier to maintain, repair, and rebuild. The 6.9 and 7.3 idi engines of Ford, the 6.2 Detroit Diesels of Chevy, the 5.9 Cummins of Dodge, and the 240/300 TD’s of Mercedes Benz became the gold standard, their maintaining and repair being taught to all citizens of the State, for all citizens would be needed to help the military should they need said help. Tanks all but disappeared, aside from the few relics from WW2, but even these rarely show face, aside from super heavy combat. The Army has now reverted to a very WW1 style of combat, relying upon horses and the few vehicles they have to haul their equipment and personnel.
The Air Forces of the Jefferson Federation have suffered greatly in the 50 years since the downfall of the United States. Where they were once comprised predominantly of fixed wing aircraft, drawn from the pool of military aircraft that survived the war thanks to the early warning from Beale AFB, they are now but few in number, having mainly rickety aircraft built by hand at Beale Joint Military Base. The few remaining pre nuclear war fighter aircraft are in reserve, preserved and laid up until a time comes again when they may be needed again. The Jefferson Air Force leadership understands that perhaps these beasts of old may never fly again, but it doesn’t hurt to be ready. Pre-Nuclear war fighter aircraft consist of roughly eight surviving F-15’s, twenty-four F-18’s, and six A-10’s, all of which sit in their hangars, preserved and stored away. The few aircraft that still fly in this time and day, 50 years after the end of the world, are a handful of WW2 aircraft taken from museums. Numbering perhaps no more than twelve all together, these relics fly out of Beale JMB, but more often than not, stay on the ground, parked on the ready alert pads and hardened shelters.
All jet aircraft have been grounded, to conserve fuel, the aircraft themselves, and because there is no real need for them at this time and day. Airlift operations falls to the shoulders of the fleet of aging C-130’s that have been pieced together from Coast Guard, Air Force, and Marines air wing units. All 30 to 40 years overdue for major rebuilding, they have been kept together by downsizing and reducing the number of flying airframes, from twenty eight two years after the nuclear war, to seven flying airframes, only flying once in a while to transport supplies between Beale JMB and the Five Cities region. Travis AFB, the Jefferson Federation bone yard, storage depot, and weapons dump, lies the reserve collection of C-17’s, C-5’s, KC-135’s, KC-10’s, B-52’s, B-1’s and E-3’s (AWACS). These large frame aircraft are in inactive reserve, their large airframes being scavenged for parts from time to time to keep the C-130’s flying.
The final component of the Air Force is made up of ten large Nouvelle Reconnaissance/Bomber Biplanes. These canvas covered planes, harken back to their ancestors of WW1, providing a sustainable, though severely reduced, air wing capability. They fly out of Beale JMB, mainly being used to map troop movements, and if need be, drop bombs, though in a limited case by case basis.
The last components of the Jefferson Federation military is the navy, based out of the Bay Area. A collection of ships from the former U.S. Navy, those that had survived the nuclear war through being at sea, being deployed, or just not at their home ports, came under the command of Rear- Admiral Lawton I, his command being out of Yokosuka, Japan, Seventh Fleet. When he got word of the chaos beginning to unfold in the United States, before the atomic war, he set sail with his entire fleet, abandoning Japan to its fate. Perhaps this is what saved him and his ships, as he was at sea when the first bombs and missiles hit and dropped. He watched in dismay as the bombs detonated, their atomic light brightening the sky, before forever darkening it. He sailed for Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, finding only smoldering ruins and a few surviving ships. He took what he could, refueling his fuel bunkers, taking survivors, and towing the damaged ships with him, and set sail once more for California, stopping at major ports along the way, salvaging what they could, and heading to his home, San Francisco. That was forty seven years ago. What was once a massive fleet of ships, now numbers far fewer, downsized and reduced to be maintained and used for actual maritime operations.
The former super carriers were decommissioned, turned into floating cities and barracks, offering a save haven during the years of rebuilding that lay ahead. Their nuclear reactors providing energy for the citizens of the Five Cities for the first twenty or so years, before the fuel in the reactors ran out. When that happened, the flat tops were turned into farmland, the massive holds into homes and small manufacturing shops. These massive ships are truly laid up now, the open ocean no longer a viable hope for them. Moored to their respective docks, they now ride the waves of the Five Cities Bay, silently guarding the Jefferson Federation. Only one carrier now remains seaworthy, her tale as old as time. The USS Hornet, built back during WW2, serves as the naval command center of the Jefferson Federation Fleet. Its massive boilers are powered by coal, something that does not see any end with the rebirth of the mining industry of former Northern California. Diesel Electric engines gave way to old steam boilers, with many of the still active ships seeing their old engines removed, and replaced with boilers and coal bunkers.
It took 35 years, but roughly 10 years ago, the last of the conversions were completed. All the active vessels of the Jefferson Navy run off of steam boilers, fueled by the coal mines further inland. Fancy weaponry and new age technology was stripped clean, some melted down, some scrapped, other things stored, replaced by simpler mechanisms and machinery. The once proud fleet of the U.S. Navy transformed into a fighting force much closer to post WW1 naval forces of yesteryear. The USS Hornet no longer had planes flying from its flat top, but rather served as a command vessel, while the rest of the fleet’s carriers relegated to inactive reserve status. They are used as floating barracks for the Navy, farm land on their massive flat tops, and manufacturing bases for military supplies. They also serve as the command structures to the small fleet of ships that make up the Jeffersonian Navy.
Full lists of naval ships is as follows. Note that not all of these ships are in active service. Some are laid up as reserve fleet to be used as spare parts or for a time when needed, others being used for power generation, and others in active service: 14 active naval vessels, 3 ships converted to living spaces/farmland/manufacturing plants, 20 vessels in reserve, laid up at Alameda Navy Air Station, 5 ships undergoing repairs and rebuilding.
Aircraft Carriers (CV’s): USS John F. Kennedy - Barracks, manufacturing, farming platform, no longer sea worthy USS John C. Stennis - Barracks, manufacturing, farming platform, no longer sea worthy USS Hornet – Active Carrier, used for maritime patrols with Five Cities Region USS Blue Ridge – Barracks, manufacturing, farming platform, no longer sea worthy.
Battleships (BB’s): USS Missouri – Flag ship of the Five Cities Bay Fleet, patrols Five Cities Region USS Iowa – Reserve fleet ship, currently undergoing repairs
Cruisers (CA’s): USS Antietam – Active fleet use, patrol duties in Five Cities Region USS Chancellorsville – Active fleet use, patrol duties in Five Cities Region USS Chosin – Reserve fleet, laid up in Alameda Naval Base, used for spare parts USS Port Royal – Reserve fleet, laid up in Alameda Naval Base, used for spare parts USS Shiloh – Reserve fleet, laid up in Alameda Naval Base, used for spare parts
Destroyers (DD’s): USS Mustin – Active fleet use, patrol duties in Five Cities Region USS McCampbell – Active fleet use, patrol duties in Five Cities Region USS Barry – Active fleet use, patrol duties in Five Cities Region USS Lassen – Active fleet use, patrol duties in Five Cities Region USS Milius – Reserve fleet, laid up in Alameda Naval Base USS Benfold – Reserve fleet, laid up in Alameda Naval Base USS Stethem – Reserve fleet, laid up in Alameda Naval Base USS Fitzgerald – Reserve fleet, laid up in Alameda Naval Base USS John S. McCain – Reserve fleet, laid up in Alameda Naval Base USS Curtis Wilbur – Reserve fleet, laid up in Alameda Naval Base USS William R. Rush – Reserve fleet, laid up in Alameda Naval Base
Submarines (SS’s): USS Pampanito – Laid up in dry dock, currently undergoing full overhaul USS Bowfin – Laid up in dry dock, currently undergoing full overhaul
Auxillary Ships (AA’s): SS Lane Victory – Active cargo and supply hauling fleet SS Jeremiah O’Brien – Active cargo and supply hauling fleet SS Red Oak Victory – Active cargo and supply hauling fleet SS Cape Jacob – Reserve fleet, laid up in Alameda Naval Base SS Green Mountain – Reserve fleet, laid up in Alameda Naval Base SS Cape Breton – Reserve fleet, laid up in Alameda Naval Base SS Cape Borda – Reserve fleet, laid up in Alameda Naval Base SS Cape Blanco – Reserve fleet, laid up in Alameda Naval Base SS FB-62 – Reserve fleet, laid up in Alameda Naval Base SS Cape Girardeau – Reserve fleet, laid up in Alameda Naval Base SS Cape Bover – Reserve fleet, laid up in Alameda Naval Base SS Cape Fear – Reserve fleet, laid up in Alameda Naval Base USCGC Planetree – Coast Guard patrol vessel for Five Cities bay area USCGC Iris – Reserve fleet, laid up in Alameda Naval Base USS Potomac – Tribunal Review vessel, used for fleet inspections USS LCI(L)-1091 – Laid up in dry dock, currently undergoing full overhaul USS LCS(L)(3)-102 – Laid up in dry dock, currently undergoing full overhaul USS Tacoma - Coast Guard patrol vessel for Five Cities bay area
To cover bases I had to do some more research and ask some questions to some folks. But the other thing being forgotten among all these machine talks is while larger fields still can be maintained with combines - cobbled together or not - there's a standing issue with a lack of fertilizer to issue to the communities to keep the soil maintained. They could soon after the bombs dropping afflicted with a deficit of fertilizers, particularly presently used artificial fertilizers to lay on the fields to restore soil condition.
As a case study to hold the Hutterites here against they'd be facing the same cyclical problems as the English economy in the middle ages which underwent wheat famines through soil depletion. The English wheat economy finally collapsed in the 14th century after intensive agriculture when they depleted the richness of so much of the soil they had to change industry.
Where-as Egypt at the time and even in antiquity could maintain constant agriculture because the Nile was continually replenished with fertile silt soil from up-stream Africa that they could plant their crops in and have a bountiful harvest each time.
The modern answer to making anywhere Egypt was accessible artificial fertilizer which is often produced from petroleum or natural gas itself, further straining any hopes for a viable fuel economy.
And beyond that there's the loss of modern fungicides and herbicides forcing every farming economy to go organic, which isn't a process of agriculture that can maintain modern populations anyways and would be more energy intensive (you'd be planting more than you need to begin with to expect to loose most of it) and probably triggering later calamity (See: Dust Bowl).
Not to say you can't try, but it's not a golden safety gun or a long-term edge. You're going to have to write about it all withering away sooner or later and a seizing economy.
Details details. I appreciate the impute. It's a very good point to consider down the road into the RP. For now, however, I don't even know what I'm allowed to work with.
@Jotunn Draugr Yes, you can have steam-powered and coal-fired engines, I have them myself, but remember that they are larger and produce less power. To quote from a wikipedia page on steam trains:
Steam engines have considerably less thermal efficiency than modern diesels, requiring constant maintenance and labour to keep them operational. Water is required at many points throughout a rail network and becomes a major problem in desert areas, as are found in some regions within the United States, Australia and South Africa. In places where water is available, it may be hard, which can cause "scale", composed mainly of calcium carbonate, magnesium hydroxide, and calcium sulfate. Calcium and magnesium carbonates tend to be deposited as off-white solids on the inside surfaces of pipes and heat exchangers. This precipitation (formation of an insoluble solid) is principally caused by thermal decomposition of bicarbonate ions but also happens in cases where the carbonate ion is at saturation concentration.[55] The resulting build-up of scale restricts the flow of water in pipes. In boilers, the deposits impair the flow of heat into water, reducing the heating efficiency and allowing the metal boiler components to overheat.
In short: be prepared to invest a lot of water and other resources to maintain steam engines (especially larger ones) as well as good bit of manpower. If you're wondering why I'm telling you this is so that people in general don't see steam engines as a one stop fix for conventional gas engines and somehow work flawlessly.
@Abefroeman The most glaring issue I see right away is you military. Its large, its highly advanced and it put you at a huge advantage over basically everyone else. The sheer amount of military bases, naval bases, airfields and other places which you've gotten your equipment would have made your land huge targets during the end of the world; in short, there would not be much left of them and even less stuff you'd actually be able to use.
In this setting, even WW2 era weapons can be considered cutting edge, forget anything beyond that. Automatic weapons versus the bolt action and semi-auto weapons can and will give your already massive army more of an advantage outside of numbers and possibly tactical ability.
As for your armored, I've already talked about oil stuffs (and will be updating the OP soon about it): Any old world refinery is also subject to being targeted and anything newly built after the end will make much lower quality fuel and less of it. Tanks and Humvees are also really fuel inefficient which is a major limiting factor why basically everyone else lacks proper armor vehicles. Even if they are more fuel efficient than Abrams (assuming any Abrams survived), it doesn't make them any more fuel efficient.
For the aircraft, first off just no. I don't care what explanation you have, the canvas aircraft of WW1 can already be seen as pushing it. You don't even own the Boneyard of AZ so how would you even get so many aircraft across what would possibly hostile territory. How many people would even know how to restore those planes like that? Most of them have rusted and scrapped to hell already.
As for the naval ships, I've already said that the vast majority of them would be at a naval base and thus in blast reduce or be an immediate target. I don't care how you use them, just no.
In short: You are way to powerful for literally anyone else to oppose you. Your NS is rejected, redo your military and fuel production at the very least. Once that's been fixed I'll take a more in depth look at the other parts of your app which doesn't look to bad at least.
Yeah, I've had discussions about flag design with art students, though I haven't seen that video. Honestly, I'm a bit surprised the U.S. flag isn't brought up more when people talk about iffy flag design. A kid drawing it will inevitably stumble with the amount of stars, or the right number of stripes, or do you start with a white or red stripe, or... etc.
It also brings me back to thinking about ancient flags. You can make letters, but not words, work. Rome's "S P Q R" flag is really memorable, as is the version with the eagle and those letters. What's less memorable is what SPQR stands for, which is something like "Senate Public Republic" except in Latin which I don't speak. (Ah, it's "Senātus Populusque Rōmānus", or "The Roman Senate and People.")
As an aside, I'm not really that happy with the flag I drew up for this roleplay. Trying to incorporate multiple elements from multiple flags and mash them into one wasn't pretty. What colors to use was a huge debate; and I still am really uncertain about the rainbow color scheme in the center. Gah.
But flag design is super fun.
EDIT: Not an art student or artist myself. I just like flags a LOT. And maps. Love maps.
The same groups that had gave Lansing hell a couple decades ago and vying for a “independent kingdom of Negroes” in the old Metropolitan area, headed by a so-called Kwame II.
Do we have a complete map of all accepted nations?
EDIT: Actually, fellas, I'm gonna have to apologise and pull out. Future commitments means I can only do a couple of RPs at a time, and I dropped this one simply because I haven't posted IC yet. Sorry again for the inconvenience.
Do we have a complete map of all accepted nations?
EDIT: Actually, fellas, I'm gonna have to apologise and pull out. Future commitments means I can only do a couple of RPs at a time, and I dropped this one simply because I haven't posted IC yet. Sorry again for the inconvenience.
Don't worry about it, best of luck in whatever you're doing ^^
As for a claims map, I went through and made what I think is an up to date map of everyone's claims
I am editing now. If it needs further edits, let me know. Misread and didn't realize that this was 50 years after nuclear detonations, not 5, so bad on me.
1) What kind of "research" are you doing on Evols/mutants? Humanity lost the technology of modern genetic science so its not like you can just splice in DNA you find worthy.
2) The ships as nuclear power plants, just no. Once again, people have lost the ability to not only control reactors (assuming they haven't melted down) but the ability to obtain more uranium.
I would point out more, but right now I don't trust my brain to make anything close to an educated analysis. If @Dinh AaronMk has anything to say about, listen to him since again, he clearly knows more about the exact tech stuff than I do.
Updated research, it touches base on trying to tame the beasts, but it hasn't gone anywhere, just selective breeding, and attempts to condition the creatures. Nuclear reactors gone, as they would only last roughly 20 to 25 years without refueling. Keep letting me know what needs to be fixed, and I will work on it.
