New Europa is different from our own Victorian past in several important ways. The presence of magical orders, faeries and the like is obvious, but there are also more subtle differences. For example, whereas contemporary Europe has a river (the Rhine) that roughly separates France from Germany, New Europa has the Inner Sea. The Inner Sea is a channel roughly fifty miles wide extending along what is in our world the Rhine valley into Bavaria, separating Prussia from France. The effects of the presence of the Inner Sea are very subtle (Prussia, Bavaria, France, and even Austria have more powerful navies than in our history, trade by ship between Austria, Bavaria, and England is more important than in our history, etc.) but you should be aware of it, as reference will be made to it during the game. If your character's talents would include the ability to recognize the various strategic, economic, and political significances of this geographical anomaly, then we'll fill you in. For the most part, the Inner Sea serves as a reminder that we aren't in Kansas anymore, Toto!
Here is a map of New Europa.
Politically, things are different too. Perhaps the most significant difference is the importance of the Kingdom of Bavaria, in the capital [Munich] of which our game takes place. The Kingdom of Bavaria sits at the center of a series of important international political, economic and diplomatic relationships. Thus, many of Europa's great powers consider their Munich embassies among their most important. Here are a few reasons why:
Bavaria occupies much of the coast of the Inner Sea.
For England, trade with the Continent is far more important than it was in our history. Bavarian ports receive British goods intended not only for Bavaria (herself a major market for British manufactured goods) but also Austria, Italy, and the Balkans.
Bavaria serves as a political and military counterweight to Prussia.
As in our world, Prussia, led by Otto von Bismarck, is an aggressive and expansionist military power. Recently, Bismarck embarked on a war against Bavaria and Austria, seeking to unite all German-speaking Europa under the Prussian flag. He lost. Why? Because at the last moment, with Prussian forces armed with the world's most modern armaments poised to crush the combined forces of Bavaria and Austria at the crucial city of Königsberg, the Bavarians unveiled a new weapon -- the aerial battleships of the Bavaria Luftmarine! (literally, Air Navy). Combining a secret mix of dwarfish engineering and magic, these airships turned the tide of the battle, and the war. Imagine an armor-plated zeppelin capable of speeds of a plane. That's a Bavarian aerocruiser. And it's inner workings are the most carefully guarded military secret in New Europa. At any rate, since his military defeat, Bismarck, much to the world's surprise, has taken the diplomatic route to seeking to achieve his ends. And also much to the world's surprise, Prussian diplomats have proven as able as their generals. Were Prussia to succeed in forging a secure alliance, or even a union, with Bavaria, and maybe even Austria, the balance of power in Europa would shift dramatically. Thus, the English and French, not to mention the Austrians, Russians, and even the Turks, watch with interest the evolving relationship of Europa's two primarily German-speaking states.
Bavaria is a fun place to be!
People from across Europa agree that Bavaria is an extremely pleasant place. Bavarians are almost as efficient as the Prussians, and almost as easygoing as the Italians, and they greatly value Gemütlichkeit. What's Gemütlichkeit? It's one of those words that's almost impossible to translate. But it suggests comfort, friendliness, and a desire to make others feel welcome. It embodies the values of good hospitality. Not to mention good beer. Combine their central location both geographically and politically in New Europa with this visitor-friendly ethos, and it's no wonder that Bavaria occupies an important place in the New Europan landscape.
Here's a brief rundown of the Great Powers of the world when the game takes place.
Great Britain is ruled by the monarch who gave the age its name -- Queen Victoria. The nation possesses the world's most extensive overseas empire, as well as the world's most productive industrial economy. British manufactured goods are sold all over the world and British productivity and quality is world-famous. But there is a price for all this. Britain is also perhaps (outside Russia) the most stratified society in the world. The gap between the rich and poor is astonishing. Britain during the Steam Age may be the world of Gilbert and Sullivan, Sherlock Holmes, and Gibson Girls, but it is also the world of Dickensian poverty, slums, and urban decay. There's a reason why Marx predicted that the worker's revolution would first strike in Britain. Two groups vie for control of British politics. The Steam Lords are wealthy industrialists and committed Social Darwinists who want nothing more than to continue on the present course. They are opposed by a growing alliance of old rural aristocrats, who have lost their place at the apex of British society to the new industrialists, sorcerers who find industrialization interfering with the natural flow of magical energy, and reformers who feel that progress comes to Britain at too high a cost.
France is ruled by Napoleon III, who came to power in a military coup that ousted a corrupt and ineffective republican government. He earned, and continues to enjoy, the support of the French people because he has overseen a renewal of the French empire abroad. With colonies in Africa and Asia, France is second only to England as a colonial power. In Europa, Paris is considered the social and cultural center of the world. The latest fashions, the latest trends in art, the latest intellectual movements all originate in Paris. While Napoleon III has a reputation as a rogue, he nonetheless oversees a nation which is as influential socially as England is economically.
Prussia is ruled by Kaiser Wilhelm I, but the real driving force behind Prussia is Prince Otto von Bismarck, the Iron Chancellor. Bismarck has overseen a program of industrialization which has catapulted Prussia into the ranks of the world's greatest military and industrial powers. Despite a population only a third as large as England and a quarter as large as France, Bismarck has made Prussia the continent's dominant industrial and military power. As in Britain, this has not come without a price -- Prussia is perhaps the most tightly regulated society in New Europa, with every man, woman, and child striving to play their part in Prussia's rise to greatness. A military order and precision characterizes all aspects of Prussian life, with all the honor, loyalty, aggression, and ruthlessness which that entails. Wilhelm's predecessor Frederick the Great once said that his kingdom was hatched from a cannonball. If, according to Napoleon I's famous gibe, England is a nation of shopkeepers, then Prussia is a nation of soldiers.
Bavaria, ruled by King Ludwig II, has been discussed above.
Russia, ruled by Czar Nicholas I, is eerily similar to the old Soviet Union of the 1980s. It is an economically backward authoritarian state in which the ruler's wishes are enforced, and dissent suppressed, by a pervasive secret police, and where a massive army out of proportion to the nation's ability to pay for it provides national prestige and keeps Russia a player in Europan politics. Russian society is probably the most stratified in Europa. Vast and sprawling, Russia is still a feudal state only just creeping into the industrial age. Invaded again and again, Russia is deeply suspicious of all her neighbors (which helps explain the massive army) and the fact that Europan powers have sought to push back Russian expansion (mainly at the expense of the decrepit Ottoman Empire, the "sick old man of Europa") have only heightened the paranoia. The Russian countryside is isolated and pervaded with supernatural creatures -- vampyr, leyshe, ghasts, werewolves -- which only increase the country's isolation and eerie spookiness.
Austria-Hungary, ruled by Emperor Franz-Joseph, is perhaps the most cosmopolitan of Europa's nations. Vienna rivals Paris as a center for fashion, art, and style. Long ago eclipsed by Prussia as a military power, the empire continues to be a major power in Europan politics, due in large part to Austrian diplomats, who since the days of Metternich have been regarded as Europa's best. With an empire that includes Magyars, Serbs, Croats, Czechs, Slovaks, Rumanians, Turks, Poles, as well as Germans, Austria-Hungary is a patchwork of competing interests. To exacerbate the problem, the Empire has increasingly involved itself in the affairs of the Balkans as its influence in German-speaking Europa has waned. Balancing the many conflicting interests of all these ethnicities against each other to prevent rebellion or war is a difficult job, and there is no doubt that Austria's suave and crafty diplomats have honed their skills on domestic crises.
These are the Great Powers. Other national interests also occupy the political stage in New Europa. Italy seeks to unify the various city-states and minor kingdoms into a nation. The Ottoman Empire seeks to retain its hold over its dominions in the Balkans, but following the Greek example, Bulgaria and Rumania are both trying to gain international support for a rebellion. Irish Home Rule continues to be a serious domestic problem for Britain. The many smaller German states -- Hessia, Hannover, the Rhineland Palatinate, and others -- must steer a safe passage between the ambitions of the great powers.
Across the Atlantic, while Canada, Mexico, and South America are much as they were in our own past, our U.S.A. is divided into four states. The United States, just recovered from a draining Civil War, tries to maintain its hegemony over Central and South America. The Bear Flag Empire, ruled by the eccentric Emperor Norton, comprises California, Oregon, and Washington. This region broke away in disgust from the United States during the Civil War. The Republic of Texas broke away from Mexico under the leadership of Sam Houston. Finally, the Confederacy of Twenty Nations occupies the Great Plains. Using the magic of their shamans, the Native American tribes of North America have proven that they are not to be trifled with.
In the Far East, the Dragon Emperors of China are quite literally dragons. Their magical powers keep China from suffering the exploitation that it suffered in our history.
All in all, there are a great many opportunities for the politically-minded player. If you have any questions, or wish to make sure that a concept is plausible and playable, feel free to contact the Staff Historian (who would be Ray) at lavoier@campbellhall.org.
