- New Europe - [Interest Check] [Alternate Modern. Action, Politics, Intrigue]

[Letexta]

Welcome to New Europe. The idea for this world has been in the back of my mind for a while. I've written a little solo work around it, but I've decided that it's a world I'd like to explore with other people. A group game seems to be the obvious next step. For now, this is an interest check. If anyone else thinks this is a good idea, I'll get a character sheet put together and we can go from there.




THE SETTING




The same world as the one you're sat in right this moment, and yet one that is unfamiliar. An alternate modern setting if you will. The date is the same, the geography is the same, the technology (broadly speaking) is the same. But the political landscape? Well, that's where the 'alternate' part of the alternate modern setting is going to come in.

Europe has formed into three primary factions. What's left of the European Union sits in the West. The organisation is a shadow of it's former self, and the countries within it are effectively puppets of the US. Although, not the US Government as you know it today. Capitalism has reached a new level in this version of the US and EU, and instead of a government in the traditional sense, this group of countries is ruled over by corporations. The government?

Privatised. Police forces? Privatised. The army? Private military companies have totally taken over here, even operating their own navies and air forces. These mega corporations have total control. Want to break the law? Go for it, so long as you can afford to line the right pockets. This has led to an even bigger gap between those at the bottom of society, and those at the very top. If you're super rich, then the West is a great place to live. For everyone else though? Perhaps not. The vast majority of society trudge through life, struggling to make ends meet as they're bombarded by corporate power and propaganda.

In the East, lies Russia. Those countries between the EU and Russia aren't in a formalised union like the EU, but they are most definitely on the Russian side, for the simple reason that as the West became more and more corporate and corrupt, the East started to become a better and better option. Yes, Russia still has it's problems, and corruption and poverty are far from non existent, especially in the less developed parts of Russia and it's sphere of influence. But there is still a functioning government that controls and regulates things within the sphere, and a (mostly) functional justice system. You won't find the ultra rich totally in control in the East like you will in the West. However, for the average person living in Russia or a country in the sphere of influence, life might not be much better than what can be found in the West. While they may not be struggling to make ends meet due to corporate greed, they may well be struggling from a simple lack of money in the more poverty held areas of the nation.

The third faction to be found in Europe is the only one of the three that doesn't extend out to the West, across the Atlantic, or the East, into Russia. The Union of Scandinavia. Made up of the Scandinavian nations of Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland and even Iceland, the UoS is the nearest thing left to what we know in real life today. The countries are independent, but closely allied, with functioning social and justice systems in place. Just like modern day Scandinavia, this may be one of the best places in the world to live for the average person. Taxes are high, but it gets back to the people in the form of brilliant public services. Corruption is almost non existent up there.

Within Europe there is one exception to the rule of everyone being divided into these three camps. Switzerland. Sandwiched between the EU and the Russian influence zone, the small, rich nation has managed to maintain it's historic neutrality up to now by focusing it's foreign relations mainly to the North, allying itself to the nearest thing to an independent power in the region.

And for the rest of the world? Well, the honest answer is I don't have it all worked out yet. It's probably safe to say that as well as extending it's power to the EU, the US might well have control of countries like Canada and Mexico as well. Perhaps even all of the Americas? Or maybe there's another union existing in the south of America, and another in the middle east, another in Asia, and one in the Pacific. Or maybe those areas aren't inhabited any more for some reason. There's a huge amount of options here, and development of the world is something that can be done both in planning, and in the actual writing of a group game here.

The map to the right is VERY rough, made by yours truly in five minutes flat. Perhaps someone with slightly more artistic ability and motivation might like to take a better crack at it.




THE GAME




So, you know where this group game is going to be set. But what actually is the game. Well, there's a few different directions we could take it. Heck, maybe if there's enough interest, then players might be active in all of these things. What I have for now is a list of potential areas to focus on with a group of players, especially if that group end's up being small.

• Firstly, the initial idea that I have been using within some solo writing. War. War sparked off between the two major powers in Europe. If you'd like a bit more detail, I was exploring a story line where the Swiss, obviously uncomfortable as tensions rise between the two powers surrounding them turn to the UoS for aid. Quietly, special forces from the UoS were helping the Swiss to staff safe houses over their borders in both the EU, and Russian zone, the idea being that should war begin, having small, specialist teams in place could help to slow the advance of an army into Switzerland. Everything kicks off, and this team is activated
  
  
  
  • From here we can explore a story of military action, spying, intrigue and politics as the team operate behind enemy lines, coordinating rebels, attacking supplies, conducting espionage, infiltrating companies. There's all sorts of options.
    
  • Second choice, the team is far less successful and is quickly captured by enemy forces. Especially if they were in the West, this could be a chance to explore the lawlessness of the EU and US, with the private military contractors who captured them selling them onto slavery, allowing a group to explore the West more.
    
• Alternatively, we could take a more slice of life approach. Explore the lives of regular people in these areas, and the struggles of day to day life. Perhaps even explore the contrasts between those at the very top of society with all the power in the West, and those at the bottom. Or the contrasts between these union's themselves, people hailing from other countries moving around and experiencing the different lives in the different powers.
  

So, that's about what I have so far. The setting is wide open. We can explore the military side of things, slice of life, politics... Anything. You decide. Like I said earlier, this is an interest check, so if this setting has caught your eye, drop a reply below. I want this to be something collaborative, where we, as a group, decide on the direction to go and shape the world to our desires.