I really hate to be that guy, but I'm going to delay my post again, this time until the morning. I just got home ~40 or so minutes ago, I think. I can't even remember what time it was. I was gone all day - my first class was at 8 a.m. and the ride is an hour long, and it was somewhere around 9 p.m. when I got home because I don't have a vehicle presently and my driver was taking a relative to the hospital (who, yes, is fine now). So, uh...
Yeah, I'm going to bed and I'll wake up when the rooster crows. And then I'll finish this IC post. ¡Hasta mañana!
That post didn't come out as well as I hoped. I rewrote it two times and I'm still not happy with it.
@Jotunn Draugr, the letter is directed to your nation's leaders, though because Bill doesn't know who the Hell that is it's not specific at all. The messenger will be some guy / gal in a beat up pickup truck with a few guards. The letter's contents are basically asking for an exchange of... SOME KIND for food, since the agricultural powerhouse that is your nation would surely have rumors about how plentiful food is reach down south.
Respond to that however you will, including shooting the messenger.
EDIT: Also, yes, the Frankentank in this post was a weaponized offroad fire truck.
Mind if I ask what you had in mind? I have a feeling that quite a few people have dropped this and thus might be reopening some spot soon.
It is very tentative at this point, but I was considering making either a neofedudal state governed by yuppies that managed to flee the Silicon Valley or having the unclaimed remnants of New Jersey and parts of New York governed by a criminal syndicate descended from the Mafia.
It is very tentative at this point, but I was considering making either a neofedudal state governed by yuppies that managed to flee the Silicon Valley or having the unclaimed remnants of New Jersey and parts of New York governed by a criminal syndicate descended from the Mafia.
May I ask what you intend to do with technology in relation to your claim in Cali? Also, I think someone else might be taking southern Cali.
May I ask what you intend to do with technology in relation to your claim in Cali? Also, I think someone else might be taking southern Cali.
In regards to the California idea (provided that Southern California is not taken that is) any remnants of pre-war technology would be maintained and exclusively used by those Silicon Valley refugees to maintain control whilst the general populace has to endure medieval technology.
I mean the tech in detail. What exactly do you have? How much do you have? Just take a look at some of the pages before this one to get a rough sense of the tech level since if you're going to be this shinning computer and electronics heavy nation then I am going to have to reject it on premise. Doesn't matter if the general populace has no ability to use it, if the higher ups and military can have pre-war styled computers and digital stuff then its a plain and simple "nein".
This is an attempt to better articulate my idea. Also advanced apologies for any grammatical or formatting errors as I am on my mobile at the moment.
The "Dark Enlightenment" was neo-reactionary philosophy that was primarily fostered by the a small minority of intelligentsia from the Silicon Valley; the polestar of this particular line of thought was the notion that democratic capitalism was intrinsically prone to crises due to the fact that it was nothing more than an artificial perversion of natural selection i.e. survival of the fittest. Adherents to "Dark Enlightenment" thinking advocated a return to a more agrarian feudalistic society as to them it better reflected the natural order. The fallout from the worldwide devastation allowed those remaining affluent adherents free reign to inflict their backward worldview on an unsuspecting populace. They keep order through maintaining a monopoly on knowledge; while prewar technology is considered a lost cause the elite have maintainEd a good grasp of academics. Honestly, one can think of "Dark Enlightenment" as the ultimate juxtaposition of Californian eco-awareness and Californian entitlement. Alternatively if one has read A Confederacy of Dunces the worldview of Ignatius J. Reilly is a comparable example.
So, in regards to technology it seems I misspoke in my previous post. This proposed Californian state would have medieval technology at best...bows and arrows, clubs, spears and so on; scavenging for pre-war equipment would not only discouraged, but would be a rather fruitless endeavor in post-war society as California's reliance on Eco-friendly cars and stringent anti-gun laws left slim pickings. Agriculturally this proposed state would fair a little better as some preexisting infrastructure could possibly be repurposed to suit the socially engineered agrarian society, but drought and sporadic wildfires would remain a problem therefore fueling expansionist notions and tension with neighboring states.
Aye, Grey and Abe are set up in California with some pre-established lore. It'd be a shame to break their agreements and throw a wrench into either, we're still waiting on Grey to get set up.
You could work something together in which he is a part of what you'd call the reunified California's, or something. He would be like a protectorate of your majority controlled Southern California. Your call, but you have dominion over everything South of my borders.
Am I allowed to post my nation sheet over in the nation sheet tab now?
Claims: The Jefferson Federation claims the following former counties of Northern California: Butte, Colusa, Del Norte, El Dorado, Glenn, Humboldt, Lake, Lassen, Mendocino, Modoc, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, Shasta, Sierra, Siskiyou, Sutter, Tehama, Trinity, and Yuba counties.
Terrain: Once the mushroom clouds dissipated, Northern California remained much the same as it looked before the war. As the dust and ash settled, three nuclear warheads had made landfall, detonating over their prescribed targets. Beale AFB, Sierra Army Depot, and the Bush Creek Wilderness areas were hit. The former military stations received heavy damage, irradiating the local area, while the third warhead caused widespread wildfires in the forests of Bush Creek. The scared land between Berry Creek and Merrimac still struggles to grow to this day, blackened and irradiated from the nuclear fallout. Winters on average are roughly 10 to 15 degrees colder, the same going with summers. Aside from the three damaged sites, little to no change has occurred in the region, excluding latent increased radiation levels.
Government Type: During the original chaos of the nuclear war and its ensuing conflict, the scattered military, federal, civilian, and municipal governments struggled to survive. They looked to whomever would provide support. As battered National Guard units, Reservists, and Active Duty military units tried to maintain the peace, massive riots, sectarian violence, and overall anarchy ensued. It wasn’t for another two years after the first bombs had hit that anyone was able to claim supremacy of this fractured region. It didn’t help that numerous survivalists and small time warlords wanted to be lords of the region, but finally, at least to a sustainable degree, the remnant military claimed command over the region. 48 years later, two civil wars, and a few hostile invasions of neighboring nations, a military dictatorship reigns strongest over the Jefferson Federation lands. Led by the Jefferson Party, these autocrats control the region in a typical authoritarian government, with all power in their hands, and their hands alone.
The government retains almost undisputed control over the Eureka to Ukiah coastal region, tenuous if not outright sectarian violence (little to no control of the Northern Coast/Klamath Mountain Ranges), stabilized, but flares of violence within the Redding to Lincoln Valley corridor, and finally, no recognized government control over the Sierra Nevada Mountain Ranges, inhabited by separatist scum and terrorists.
Capital: The Jefferson Federation bases its capital out of Eureka, CA. Untouched by the nuclear warheads, and the only deep harbor between San Francisco and Portland, Eureka offered premier place to set up operations and command. Conveniently located near the Coast Guard Air Station Humboldt Bay, McKinleyville California, the remnant military units; Active, Guard, and Reserve, seized control of the small city, and built it into the capital that it is today. With a population of roughly 65,000, it is the largest and most populous city of the Jefferson Federation.
Head of State: The Jefferson Federation is led by General Trevan R. Storus II. 34 years old, he leads the Jefferson Federation after the death of his father, General Trevan R. Storus I, at the age of 67. Power has transferred from father to son in a hereditary dictatorship, much like former North Korea. He may be young compared to some of his contemporary military advisors, but due to his father’s commanding personality, and sacrifices made to the people in power, has made the transition for the most part, smooth. Thanks in part to propaganda, and the state police forces, power for the time being, remains with the Jefferson Party, and its leader, General Trevan R. Storus II.
Other Important People: Colonel Aaron Bender – 31 years old, Vice-Commander of the Eureka Capital Guards Corps. Close friend to General Storus, he has served loyally to the Storus family and the Jefferson Party. Proponent of heavy armored units, he is currently working to gain funding and manpower to divert towards the revitalization and activation of the heavy armored vehicles project.
Rear Admiral Echevari – 36 years old, highest ranking military officer of the navy currently, as former Admiral Lawton died in a training accident, his ship sinking in the Eureka harbor. Friend to the Storus family, Rear Admiral Echevari currently serves aboard the JFSS Eureka (The former USS Missouri). The task of rebuilding the fledgling Jefferson Federation Navy, with all eyes upon the commander to provide sustainable, affordable, and attainable naval forces for the defense of the Jefferson Federation.
Major Bennet Maceedoe – 28 years old, Commander of the Sutter Buttes High Command Redoubt, military stronghold of the Jefferson Party. Currently runs counter-insurgency operations against rebels squatting in the ruins of Beale AFB, Linda, and Marysville CA. Known as being a superb hunter of traitors and rebels, he has been deployed to the Sutter Buttes Redoubt in order to quell a local uprising that local military police could not handle.
Population: With the stabilization of the Jefferson Federation’s borders, along with its relatively untouched farming lands and grazing pastures, the Jefferson Federation has roughly 365,000 citizens within its borders.
Attitude towards Evols: All Evols are to be avoided if possible, and if not, killed on sight. These abominations pollute the land they walk upon, the water they drink, and the air they breathe. The government studies them for weaknesses and if possible, their taming, but thus far, all research is conducted out of the Chico Hardened Military Complex. Thus far, no viable results other than a better understanding of Evol weaknesses have been discovered.
Economic System: The Jefferson Party owns all land and buildings. The Fascist government rewards those who are loyal, and punishes those who are not. They have reverted to a predominantly Pre-WW1 style of agriculture, fishing, and manufacturing. Supply lines connect the major cities that remain, along with military complexes. The economy is based typical economics of a fascist government.
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 Live Oak.
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 early 1900’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 Jefferson Party 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. Religious Information: N/A
History: The past history of the Jefferson Federation is brutal and short. The war started, lives were lost, and the military stepped in and took control, staving off complete destruction and downfall. The Jefferson Party 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.
Culture: The Jefferson Federation was closely modeled after past historical fascist governments. The look at themselves, for the one who whole heartedly believe the propaganda, the speeches, etc, as the last of the few true American, and the rest of the former United states as a collection of usurpers, terrorists, and cowards. Culturally speaking, the closest historical representation of the Jefferson Federation populace/culture would be late 1930’s Germany, with a large percentage of the population buying into the rhetoric and propaganda of the state.
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 40,000 active duty service members, broken up amongst the Army and Naval Forces (Including the Marine Corps and Coast Guard), and the ability to rapidly call up another 15,000 Reservist and National Guard members, the Jefferson Federation is able to maintain relative stable control over their territory from outside threats. Internal conflicts flare up from time to time, only to be brutally suppressed. The military is broken up into 500 Air Force members, 3,500 Navy members, and 36,000 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 Capital.
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-1920’s technology and manufacturing standards. This has become the standardized weapon of the Jefferson Federation, 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 inactive 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, only being allocated for the Capital, and the Sutter Buttes Redoubt. 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. Little to nothing remains of the once great U.S. Air Force. Currently, research and funding is being allocated to the building and testing of biplane aircraft for the use of reconnaissance and mail delivery. As of now, only three prototype airframes have been built, with flight testing yet to be conducted.
The Jefferson Federation has a fledgling navy built from remnant pieces of the former U.S. Navy and the Coast Guard. With no more than eight operable and seaworthy naval vessels, the Navy patrols the waters about Eureka, Jefferson, and the coastlines of the State. They venture perhaps no more than 300 hundred miles tops from their home port and reliably supply of fuel, though such long journeys are rare, and few and far between. The navy has converted all of its ships, aside from the two submarines that sit in dry dock, to steam boilers, reverse engineered from both the former Hornet and Missouri, both of which had old, pre-WW2 steam boilers already installed in them when both were built almost 100 years ago.
The fancy weaponry of modern ships was dumped and scrapped, the metal used to keep the hulls patched and sealed from the elements. The ships tend to berth at their home port more often than not, as no sea borne enemies have arisen in many years.
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:
Aircraft Carriers (CV’s): USS John F. Kennedy - Barracks, manufacturing, farming platform, no longer sea worthy
Cruisers (CA’s): USS Antietam – Scrapped, used for spare parts USS Chancellorsville – Active fleet use, patrol duties along Jefferson coastline. USS Chosin – Scrapped, used for spare parts
Destroyers (DD’s): USS Mustin – Active fleet use, patrols Jefferson Coastline. USS McCampbell – Active fleet use, patrols Jefferson Coastline. USS Barry – Scrapped, used for spare parts USS Lassen – Scrapped, used for spare parts
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 Red Oak Victory – Active cargo and supply hauling fleet. SS Green Mountain – Reserve fleet, laid up in Eureka Bay. SS Cape Fear – Reserve fleet, laid up in Eureka Bay. USS Potomac – Coast Guard patrol vessel, Eureka bay area. USS Tacoma - Coast Guard patrol vessel, Eureka bay area.
Military Bases under Jefferson Federation control Beale AFB – Marysville California (Currently controled by separatist forces) Coast Guard Air Station Humboldt Bay – McKinleyville California Titan 1 Nuclear Missile Silo (Decommissioned, 1965) – Sutter Buttes, Sutter California Titan 1 Nuclear Missile Silo (Decommissioned, 1965) – Chico, California Titan 1 Nuclear Missile Silo (Decommissioned, 1965) – Lincoln, California
Targets hit by 2,000 Nuclear Missile Warhead Scenario Lassen County – Herlong, Sierra Army Depot Butte County – Bush Creek area Yuba County – Beale AFB
@AbefroemanLooks better, unless [@Dihn Aaron] has something else to say about it, I find it okay to move. Out of curiosity tho, what are you using the Hornet for? You lack aircraft from which to use it. Have you just made it into a floating base or something?
EDIT: Once again, my co-GM has made several points worth mentioning, ignore this post and readress the issue he has brought up.
On noticing that as well I don't think a nation as small as Jefferson could naturally supply the fuel needed to supply an Essex class destroyer as well as maintain an economy.
Double-checking the ship list the cruisers and destroyers might probably be the only reasonably usable machines since they're small ships Submarines feel like something that might not able to sailed out. The aircraft carrier - no matter how old and how much of a museum it was - is pretty pointless in the setting as well. By an extension the submarines too.
That's not to mention that at the end of the day these things will basically be a platform for small arms fire.
Still, the original points I laid out I feel are relevant, but nothing I would deny it over. They're more notices for things to consider.
To also add on: Battleships too would fit in that net.
Aircraft Carriers and Battleships imply a certain degree of great national health and economic strength which no one in this RP should possess. They're size entails a great degree of expenditure to keep on the water, which'd be too much for even a nation the size of California by itself; let alone what is a third of the state of California.
The Essex-class Abe is trying to claim too is old as it is and being a former museum ship was probably stripped of its teeth to keep it moored at port. And given its port of retirement is San Fransisco, it should realistically exist as nothing more than a wreck at the bottom of the bay. And the USS Missouri is a museum ship interned in Hawaii, so how did California even get it?
There's also the practicallity of it all. There's no point in really using something larger than a patrol boat. Not only because it's more economical (I even originally pictured the Caribbean islands as trading out of the back of duct-tapped small yachts before they got picked up) but they're strategic value is pretty much lost once you can no longer maintain them. And in the setting of the RP any aquatic capability you have would be focused more into brown water or even green water. Not blue water as those are.
Submarines would require a certain degree of engineering capability beyond resources.
In all, the cruisers and destroyers might still be pushing it. But when you put them out to sea you still have no ships gun to fire. They're still a glorified small-arms platform and you might be able to anchor them out off-shore as a sea-fort. But even cargo ships could serve that purpose before they finally succumb to severe rust and sink.
