Quote:
Originally Posted by kalos72
The more I ponder this topic, and the others regarding New America, I find myself asking this question.
Would a group of people, say a refugee camp or larger population that simply cant feed everyone start to "categorize" or "weigh" its citizens similar to the way NA does, only based on skills and usefulness rather then race and political beliefs?
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Like I said earlier: Life Boat Politics. Any group under sufficiently dire stress could end up making these kinds of decisions. What starts as an underfed refugee camps could end up turning into something like a low-tech version of the City from
Logan's Run. Only instead of killing or driving off the old, the refugee camp drives out anyone who isn't contributing to the survival of the majority.
But there is something to consider. TW2K is usually set around two and a half years after the nuclear exchange. There have been two harsh winters and a kind of "nuclear autumn." Refugee camps have suffered massive casualties by this time. The old, the sick, the handicapped, the mentally impaired, the mentally ill... all these kinds of people may have been either Darwined or even Malthused out of the equation by either the environment or even their fellow humans. By the time the players arrive on the scene, the weakest (pre-war) links have probably been removed. The social triage will no doubt continue as people get sick and injured, but by the summer of 2000, most camps are going to be down to their hardiest members. Any triage in the face of food supplies is going to be based on the individual's skills and ability to help the group. Not just what has someone done in the past, but what can they do in the future. Of course anyone with skills who refuses to use them might be subjected to some very brutal persuasion.
Quote:
Originally Posted by kalos72
I think its ENTIRELY possible to see that sort of "what have you done for me lately" attitude in larger groups under stress on just feeding themselves. If you live in a small town and are decently safe and fed, as per T2K standards go anyways, I doubt you would resort to this.
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I've seen post apocalyptic fiction where the communities supplies were manipulated to create false shortages in order to prompt the community to conduct a lottery to determine who had to be kicked out into the wilderness. Of course the lottery was manipulated too to ensure that political and personal enemies were forced into exile. So don't think that some ruthless people couldn't evoke "lifeboat politics" to get what they want.
Quote:
Originally Posted by kalos72
Perhaps NA cells, as they recruit more and more liberal minded people, the ones hiding it just to survive, the more those racial, elitist tendencies will get brushed aside. Especially for the cells that arent in direct contact with any sort of organized leadership any longer.
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There is a TW2K scenario published in GDW's
Challenge magazine issue #44 called "Crossburn." In it there is New America Cell that has broken with HQ because they realize if they throw talented "racial inferiors" out of the lifeboat, then the whole community is going to fail. They abandoned the orthodox racial agenda in favor of raw survival.
The scenario also features a band of marauders/deserters from the 108th ID (all of whom are racial minorities) who deserted because the command of New America is falling under the ideological influence of New America.
The scenario was significant because it mixed it up to make the standard villains red herrings.
A. Scott Glancy, President TCCorp, dba Pagan Publishing