What ware the actual resources of the city ?
The Commonwealth has a splendid Museum of the Ancients – the City itself being built on a set of catacombs that belonged to the Ancients. What they lack in practical understanding and application of ancient technology the Commonweath makes up for in presentation and narrative. The museum attracts visitors from across the globe either coming via rail or the coast road or via the cities impressive air port and airship terminus.
The neo-gothic edifice of the Aerport and airship terminus is secondary tourist resort in its own right. It has a extensive tax free shopping arcades and malls, bars, restaurants and lounges. As well as attracting visitors it is also popular point for layoffs and it is said spies use it as a place for clandestine meetings.
Many jobs in Genova are in the tourist sectors – hotels, food, drink, theatre and various festivals.
The Cities dominance over wide tracts of rural land and rivers with larger side than its neighbours give it an dominant position in the central black ocean region
Its most famous agricultural product is the Genovan pears as reflected in the national anthem.
Genova, the land I call my home,
from the green clear summers
to blossoming pear trees
magnificent her mountains and seas,
Genova, Genova,
you’re noble, proud and brave
Genova, Genova
Forever will your banner wave!
Many of the restaurants feature traditional pear based desserts and pastries.
What does the City import ?
Being Heavy urbanised – despite its large rural hinterland and fishing fleet it needs to import food and most raw materials.
Define the City’s issues
The Common Weath Party has been administering the state for 39 years. The second generation of apparatchiks are embedded in place with privilege from their position. Rather than wrath being held in Common it seems state/party officials have first choice. This breeds resentment and to stem dissent the Party has been shutting down newspapers that don’t toe with party line,
Most business are private owned but utility and public services are owned by the state. Tax is heavy but the public services (child care, health, social care, public transport) is good. It can be hard to do business if you don’t have friends in the political bureaucracy to lessen the administrative burden.
Most workers wear plain overalls but party officials wear lavish outfits and a tendency to big hair.
Define City’s leader / leadership
Chairwoman Isla Jekyll of the executive council – she has marvellous energy for launching sundry policy initiatives but very little energy for following through so there are many policy announcements that bureaucrats delicately ignore until her attention is elsewhere.
She also has a pet Goose Frederick who accompanies her everywhere.
A positive thing about Isla is her desire to build of a local alliance of states against piracy and banditry combining the strengths and weakness of their different militaries. Though diplomatic meetings can be disrupted by Fred.
The City’s big cultural events or selling points ?
The Museum of Ancients a greco-roman edifice that then has multiple catacombs of exhibits under it deep into the bedrock of the City. The Museum has numerous special occasions throughout the year – a midnight openings in advent with light shows, easter egg hunts, a midsummer parade where exhibits are paraded on floats.
There are to add to the tourist appeal many festivals and conventions running in the city a Literary Festival, a Theatre Festival (and associated fringe), burlesque, comedy, circus, a Scientific Romance Convention (SciComRom) , Murder Mystery Convention (MurMystCon), Mitteleuropedia Police Convention and many more.
What is the city’s infrastructure like ?
Since the revolution the City has been centrally planned other than ‘old towns’ around the Theatre district and Aeroport the town is arranged on a grid system with wide boulevards running east to west intersected by narrower streets. Trams run on every second boulevard and state owned buses on every second street north to west. Bike ownership is subsidised and clouds of bikes glide across the City. Tourists are also encouraged to hire bikes for their stay (trams and buses have external bike racks.)
The City has a reliable electric and gas grid but supply is rationed out side the Museum and Arrport districts.
Another state owned enterprise is the Aerotransport Authority whollly owned by the Aerial Board of Control (air traffic control) – a fleet of transport zeppelins subsidised by the state giving the City some independence in transport supply.
What is the City nickname ?
House of relics
What are the City’s inhabitants called ? any nicknames ?
Genovans, Reliceepers
Any notable inhabitants ?
Sebatina Marcel -,The surprisingly young Director of the Museum of the Ancients – archaeologist turned organiser – plans spectaculars to keep the tourists coming – ruthless in defending her budget and people. It is between her, Stolly and Walnut for who would replace Jekyll. She sees the air transport industry as serving tourism and would want to ensure even greater attractions in the City to attract visitors,
Nikolai Chorizo – President of the Aerial Board of Control – a placeholder apprachnik namely appointed to stop Walnut and Stolly finally falling out. Nice but dim – but wise enough to take advice.
Dimitri Stolly – Director of the Aerotransport Authorityhard drinking, hard swearing, opportunity grabbing, intriguing boss who is a more capitalist state would be a Corporate Baron. He would definately free the economy to more private enterprise (from his rich friends in more capitalist states.)
Warren Walnut – Director of the Aerport and Airship terminus – dedicated administrator who runs the Aerport like a military vessel. Despises Dimitri Stolly as a drunken capitalist buccaneer. He favours return to revolutionary values. He does run from within the Aetport staff his own intelligence network spying on the spies using the facility and gathering a treasure trove of intelligence and back mail – indeed much of the public spaces of the ‘port are bugged.
Augustus Bloodwort – Imperassio, Actor and adventurer – duelist, lover, star of stage and silver screen (is he a spy ? maybe) (Apologies to Megadumbcast’s Chris here.) He hates the lost of theatre talent to the movie industry in Formsvien on the west coast.
Cardinal Patriarch Gurtlich Gold – senior churchman mumbles mild condemnation of the state from the pulpit.
Director of Public Safety Taylor Street maintains a strictly neutral stance which has enabled her to survive in post through the whole post revolution period / the stress of this has led to a furtive affair with Cardinal Golf (who is supposed to be celibate.) She rarely appears in uniform.
General Karla Volvo leads the New Model Army – she disapproves of the Chairwoman’s foreign policy – she considers nearby cities are a threat and will be using anti bandit co operation as a chance to spy. She has an estranged twin sister who is a member of the Sisters of the Sands.
What is the City Flag ?
How is the City policed ?
Genova Department of Public Safety
Constables wear a light blue version of military battle dress with a blue soup bowl helmet or fore and aft forage cap and a yellow aiguillette. They are typically unarmed but can be issued with pistols, rifles and batons.
The ranks are Probationary, Constable, Sergeant, Inspector, Chief Inspector, Superintendent , Chief Superintendent, Commander, Deputy Assistant Director and Director of Public Safety.
Plainclothes detectives are called agents and the ranks agent, special agent, Assistant Special Agent in Charge , Special Agent in Charge, Captain, Bureau Leader, and then Commander etc;
City Military
All forces are branches of the New Model Army
Every adult citizen18-50 does a month basic training followed by a one days training a week and a two week camp in the military.
Every 5th year of service (23,28,33,38,43,48) you spend 6months called to the Ironsides the precise role depends on fitness and civilian career. This means the GPFs frontline forces have a different age demographic to many conscript armies.
The Mobile Forces (or ‘Ironsides’) are truck borne infantry and light armoured cars designed to deter bandits and attackers.
The Reserve Forces are called into County (country) or District (urban) battalions and companies of infantry. They have lots of machine guns and mortars – initially they are meant to fight as a static defence and if that fails break into resistance bands.
The elite of infantry of the Air Mobile Forces designed to be dropped from gliders carried by Aerotransport Authority Zeppelins which would be pressed into service. The AMF also act as security / marines and on Aerotransport Authority ships.
The Marine Force is one of fast patrol boats there are no ‘marines’ as in naval infantry per se.
The professional Air Defence Forces are devoted to air superiority flying biplane fighters.
The universal uniform is composed of a fairly streamlined short jacket of wool serge that buttoned to the outside of high-waisted wool serge trousers. The sleeves of the jacket had a forward curve built into them so that they were more comfortable to wear prone, shouldering a rifle, or seated holding a steering wheel for instance, although they tend to show multiple wrinkles near the inside of the elbow when the soldier’s arms were held straight at the sides. On the trousers, there is a large map pocket on the front near the left knee and a special pocket for a field dressing near the right front pocket (on the upper hip).
One problem, the gap between the blouse and trousers opens up in extreme movement and buttons popped, so braces were issued; in some cases a sweater was worn. A woollen shirt was typically worn under the wool jacket. Wearing an open collar jacket (with tie) was initially restricted to officers, other ranks buttoning the top button of the jacket and closing the collar with a double hook-and-eye arrangement. Short webbing anklets cover the gap between the trousers and the ankle boots, further adding to the streamlined look and keep dirt out of the boots without having to use a taller, more expensive leather boot.
The AMF wear light blue berets.
A soup bowl helmet is commonly worn by all arms in combat.
