Re: Creative project
Okay, we seem to have stalled this a little, so here's an idea: Everyone interested post up a complete city, part of a city, district, idea, what have you.
Together we'll sift through and see what pieces we like, and what pieces we like less.
1st entry:
City X: This city is essentially run by the guilds, what guilds you might ask? Why that's easy:
1) Transportation
2) Merchant
3) Arcanist
4) Public Works
5) Public Safety
The leader of each guild is reffered to as a 'Governor', and there is an election among these governors for the post of 'High Governor'.
There are minor guilds
a)entertainment
b)... (that's as far as I got)
they have a similar setup, but their 'high governor' only sits with the real governors as an observer/tie breaker.
Public Safety, as it is it's own guild, is prohibited from interfering/investigating the other guilds. For this, private contractors are used (we call them PC's...) The department of public safety is left to handle, essentially crowd control, crime not related to guild business (which isn't much), and security from external governments and such.
AB (miracles) is disallowed, I feel it is too... hopeful... for a Steampunk setting.
AB (weird science) clearly allowed depending on focus, could work for pretty much any guild except Arcanist.
AB (magic) allowed, they will be members of the Arcanist guild... or they had better be hiding, wouldn't want to be caught practicing magic w/out a license. - I like the elemental method for this setting.
My vision includes, more or less uniforms for guild members, at least a jacket or overcoat they should be wearing, which would relate their status in the guild, and which guild. (I wouldn't expect the Arcanist guild overcoat to be cut the same as the Public Safety overcoat).
guild structure, child apprentices => journeymen => member => some sort of local 'leader' position => minister (in charge of the guild in a larger area, either geographical or practice) => Governor
There would also be regions in the town.
Docks - dockyards and manufacturing area (these could be standard water docks, or airship docks, or (as in my head) both.
City Center - all guilds would have their main facilities here, including the immense Tesla coil atop the Public Works guildhouse.
High Town - a place where the upper crust live and shop
Low town - a place for the rest of us
...
And some other geographical areas as well, I am sure.
Where does the 'punk' come in, most of the oppresion is more in the vein of the Cyberpunk oppression, the power is all in the hands of the Guilds... sure you can scrape out a living on the fringe, but it ain't easy. It's always the little guy who's taking the brunt, always...
not to mention that something about the tesla coil casts an almost permanent hazy gloom over the city. But in exchange there are all sorts of marvelous devices that just work. Electric cars, public safety has shock rods (tazers), etc.
Well, that's what I've been thinking about, more to follow, probably.