In-Depth Continuation
☣ Occupations
Economy / Jobs
Post-war America's economy is weak and rather primitive, but has reached an uneasy sort of stability in recent years. There are smaller cities that have reestablished themselves across the country, each with their population and businesses that still use the American dollar as their currency, but all government work can be traced back to the Imago in the Hub - formerly Boston - which is now considered the capital of the country. The city itself produces very little, but has enjoyed fame as the home of the BHA and a prosperous black market of sorts that specializes in salvaged goods collected across the Wasteland. There have been business proposals and arrangements made by the Imago to establish a stable trading system across the country, and to cultivate goods in each city suited to the territory, all of which have resulted in success. Unfortunately, this in turn has resulted in a major problem with bandits and the wandering monsters that make their home in the Wasteland and attack trading convoys; while an attack by a monster is unpredicted and may prove to be a minor nuisance at best, organized raids by groups of thieves have been known to set an expedition back by weeks. Although the BHA's secondary purpose is to thin the monster population out, there has thus far been no clear solution to the bandit problem.
Boston's main exports are CommLink Devices, assorted anti-radiation and purifying equipment, and fish. It's also known as a recycling center where salvaged goods found in the burnt-out husks of cities and towns that are frequent throughout the Wasteland are taken, inspected and purified of radiation to be sold on the market. Government funded expeditions usually led by veteran members of the BHA are held to make the most out of trips through the Wasteland in search of treasures, making items such as television sets, movies, appliances and electronics valuable collectibles on the open market. With government approval and the necessary items, it's very easy to establish a business that deals in such specialties. Other prominent businesses are the sex and exotic animal industries. Be it due to apathy or the belief that it will lead to higher reproduction rates, prostitution is legal in the Hub and has led to a number of underworld businesses that deal in pornography and even slavery, though accounts of the latter are few and far between. Contrasting on the lighter end of the spectrum is the increased interest in what citizens consider rare animals such as cats and dogs - anomalies in a country where unmutated animals are incredibly scarce; a farm that deals in breeding these for use as pets or livestock exists within Boston.
Imports are a little less clear. While it's well known that the Imago keeps in contact with other cities and all trading is done through government ties, some of the technology found within the city such as the SE system goes far beyond what the other reconstructed cities are capable of producing. Many believe that the Imago has connections with other countries that remain untouched by the fallout, but like most rumors in the Hub, it remains widely debated.
Because common resources are in high demand and the city has such a difficult time managing their trade business, there's a high rate of inflation. Beef from normal, non-mutated cows is a rarity and so are eggs and vegetables; food like this is considered a luxury and market outlets never seem to have enough to meet the demand. Because of this, everything is slightly more expensive in the Hub. Fortunately, wages for jobs are a little higher; the average minimum wage job is $10 an hour.
There are a great deal of jobs available within the city that Mutants and Norms alike are allowed to apply for. They range from the mundane (waiting tables, fast food, janitorial work, cashier duties, mechanics) to civic (defense attorneys, secretaries, managerial work, teaching positions at the local schools) to entertainment (sports teams, bartenders, staffing at the theater or even acting). If your talents are chiefly in fighting or taking combative roles, you might find working for ACRO as a police officer or for the BHA as a bounty hunter productive, or you might find dealing in the black market and prostitution rings more of your thing if you're looking for shadier alternatives. Or you can turn to a life of crime and be a thief or raider if you don't want to work at all. There aren't any limits to the work a character can find in the Hub. Choose a profession best suited to their interests or skill level and let the rest develop from there! Just keep in mind that some jobs require special talents or knowledge, so if your character was a thief in their canon, they probably won't be able to pass the bar exam in order to become a lawyer.
Market / Trade
A lot of business is being done in the Hub, which is why there's an entire district almost exclusively dedicated to trading - no surprise when you're in a society rebuilt from scrap and making money off it. In fact, quite a few people are profiting from the state the country is in, making a small fortune fixing up goods found in the Wasteland and selling them, and, of course, there's the blackmarket for all the stuff that would be confiscated by the government.
Literally anything you can think of can be found on the market, though not everything will be in perfect working condition. From ordinary household appliances like hairdryers to more obscure things like teabag collections, virtually anything can be purchased and some people are willing to pay an extraordinary sum of money for rarities - which, of course, will be gone in the blink of an eye if you're not fast enough. As long as your findings are curious enough and in a good condition, you'll be sure to find someone who'll want to own it, even if it looks completely useless. Musical instruments, silverware, jewelry and even video cassettes are all treated like small treasures.
One main problem, of course, is the radiation that remains on every item found in the Wasteland, which is why there's a cleaning center where you can clean it up for a fee. Items must also be registered, every single one manually, which can be quite a bothersome process. One of the reasons why people get involved with the illegal blackmarket business is because they want to skip that step, saving them time and allowing them to charge exuberant prices for their illegal goods. Bringing items into the city without a permit is illegal to begin with, but rarely will anyone check what you do once you're inside with your goods.
Aside from Wasteland goods, there are of course also shops that say everyday necessities like groceries. Generally, everything is a bit more expensive - even more expensive if it's rare, like unmutated meat or fresh fish, but wages are also slightly higher.
Bounty Hunting
The Hub has a curious relationship with the monsters that roam the surrounding Wasteland. In time's past, it was generally encouraged to avoid venturing out of the city at all costs due to the threat of these wandering beasts (and also due to fatal levels of radiation) but this has changed substantially in recent years where creatures have been recognized as beneficial to man. Hides, bones and meat have become desired commodities, and the city has found itself prospering from the very creatures they fear. Due to this demand for more components, the Bounty Hunters Association (BHA) was formed by a group of like minded hunters who later sought and gained recognition from the government. Seeing the organization as both a business and contingency to control the monster population, the government legalized bounty hunting as recently as twenty years ago, making it a reputable but unorthodox way to make a living. If your character is capable and passes the grueling application process (and by grueling we mean filling out a pile of forms stating that the BHA won't pay for your funeral), they can become an official member of the BHA and apply for a permit to hunt monsters in the Wasteland. There are, of course, a number of rules and regulations to adhere depending on the bounty; some might be required to be taken down without damaging any bones or killed in certain ways that wouldn't affect the overall quality of the component needed to harvest from the monster. Mutants and Norms alike can become BHA members. Because all bounty hunting is done outside the city, the organization takes no responsibility for any utilization of powers that may happen on a mission; it's a strict don't ask, don't tell policy. As long as you bring back proof of a bounty's death, the BHA won't ask for the specifics.
Registered hunters are allowed to operate in specific territories until radiation turns lethal, making the CLD's Geiger counter absolutely necessary. All loot and components gained from a dead monster will need to undergo cleaning and registration from the BHA before the hunter can be paid and the materials can end up on the official market. If you're feeling really sneaky, it's possible to deliberately flub a mission or hunt without a permit and take the collected materials instead to an independent buyer where they will end up on the black market, but such an act is considered a felony that compromises public safety due to the radiation that will undoubtedly remain on the components. Independent buyers will always end up paying more money for components than the BHA would and don't discriminate with what you sell, whereas the BHA might confiscate certain materials from you.
There are always certain monsters that are considered rare, be it for their meat which is of a higher quality than the other creatures or because they're known to have claimed a great many human victims, and it isn't uncommon for the BHA to post specific bounties for these creatures. If you bring components from them as well as proof of their death, you stand to reap quite a small fortune.
Human bounty hunting also exists in the city, but that's a shadowy affair kept under wraps that the BHA doesn't comment on. Occasionally anonymous sources will post bounties on specific people or the heads of important businesses, but unlike monster hunting, the organization itself doesn't profit on these ventures. Assassination and human hunting is considered illegal by the government, and if your character is caught by ACRO, they will be arrested and prosecuted accordingly.
For more info regarding the bounty hunting business, refer to the Bestiary and Organizations (BHA) pages.
☣ Daily Life
Racism
No society is exempt from cultural biases and discrimination. The majority of racism found in the Hub is directed towards the Awakened, popularly and derogatorily referred to as Mutants due to their unnatural powers and appearances. Natural born Hub citizens - herein referred to as Norms with equal contempt - outnumber the Mutant population by 80%, but the possibility that Mutants will one day outnumber the normal folk is a very present fear among many people leading to general distrust, paranoia and resentment. Among other criticisms are that Mutants have it easy and are accused of doing nothing but sleeping while Norms and their grandparents were working hard to rebuild society, and many Norms believe that they will use their potential powers to destroy what they have rebuilt. Laws have been passed for this very reason that prohibit the use of superhuman abilities in public and private, the general idea here being that a Mutant can't be a threat if they've yet to develop or even realize their potential, and although the Imago and the government go to great lengths to ensure equal treatment for both parties through reintegration and education programs, these attempts rarely work in practice. Despite the criticisms most employers get for it, Mutants can find respectable jobs working for reputable business and even government organizations like ACRO and the judicial system as officers and lawyers respectively; these individuals are met with condescension, but if one were to ignore it they would find the salary and benefits far worth the belittlement.
Awakened characters can be identified as such by a strange scar found on the back of their necks in the shape of grid line, similar to the inner workings of a computer; it is considered extremely impolite for a Norm to question a Mutant about this, but some Norms are rude enough to do so anyway. These characters are also considered first generation Mutants, and the more human they look, the easier they will find settling into society. Particularly bizarre or animal looking Mutants are known to receive the worst treatment, as are the offspring of the extremely rare Mutant/Norm couples that exist here and there in the Hub. Even Mutants that display no supernatural talents and appear human outwardly are still treated with caution because of the belief that they could start developing powers at any moment.
Two extremist organizations have involved themselves in the rights of Mutants, both representing opposite ends of the spectrum. The anti-Mutant group Zarathustra has committed acts of terrorism against Mutants and the government movements that sponsor them, while an organization known as Sanctimonia believes that mutation is synonymous with perfection and that Mutants are the key to ushering in a new age of enlightenment. Within the latter group and among their followers, sexism has become something of a problem with women given higher privileges over men. Because of Sanctimonia's fanatical stance on preserving Mutant life at the cost of Norm safety and integrity, the city generally scoffs at their pro-Mutant endeavors and looks upon the very group they're trying to defend with even more disdain.
Overall, the issue of racism within the Hub takes a far bigger priority than most other issues and leaves very little room for other prejudices. Mutants and Norms are the predominant social classes, and given the stigma that surrounds Mutants, it's very clear what their quality of living is compared to the folks that consider themselves mercifully untarnished by mutations. The government's attempts to do away with this have fallen short and it remains a hotly debated topic for the Imago.
Culture
America, once a melting pot of traditions and diversity, has regressed significantly in the past 200 years. The country and especially the Hub has developed its own culture in which very little foreign customs survive; values, traditions and ideals are all American, reflected everywhere you go within the city and found even in mundane activities and places. Traditional sports like baseball, football and basketball are all popular, and there are no ethnic restaurants that specialize in Chinese or Italian cuisine, but rather diners with menus that consist of dishes like apple pie, clam chowder, and even hamburgers (expensive considering how high in demand red meat is). The people in the Hub are very content with this niche and aren't used to change, nor do they see any point in expanding their horizons. You won't see training dojos with teachers that specialize in martial arts or anything of that sort here, but there are historians and collectors that hunt for old memorabilia beneath the rubble in the Wasteland, be it American or foreign. Xenophobia isn't unheard of here, not out of any true malice but rather a complete lack of understanding and knowledge of any countries outside of the US.
Holidays are still celebrated such as Thanksgiving, Halloween, Independence Day and Christmas, but all have lost their meaning and are mostly done out of sentimentality. Christmas in particular is regarded as a children's holiday and an excuse to exchange gifts due to religion being practically non-existent. Marriage doesn't exist anymore and any bibles salvaged from the rubble are considered works of fiction; additionally, there are no churches within the Hub save for the Temple of the Pure, Sanctimonia's personal temple. Sanctimonia's religion is viewed as fanatical and little more than a joke in the eyes of most citizens; operating more like a cult than anything, they glorify mutation, radiation and female superiority, believing that Mutants and Norms must copulate for the world to be saved. Other religions such as Christianity and Judaism are rare, and any worshiping is usually done in private.
Speaking of rarities, you won't see many animals in America - at least not unmutated ones. If you asked a man on the street what a cat is, there's a very good chance he wouldn't know. Dogs, cats, cows, chickens, horses, birds, pigs and the like are considered endangered and are bred on farms for use as livestock and pets; be prepared to shell out a lot of money if you want one. Vegetarians will also have a hard life. While greenhouses exist in some cities including Boston's Vault, eating habits have changed where meat is considered the primary source of food. Some monsters are seen as a delicacy despite their radiation as well as fish, though Boston's harbor has been mostly purified with healthy fish being bred for consumption.
Post-war America also produces its own music which bears resemblance to the modern day industrial genre. Old records are regularly donated to the radio station, so most of the music you'll hear on the radio are classics from the 20th century, mostly hits from the 1930s, 40s, 50s and 60s. There don't exist many local bands, probably due to the lack of musical instruments.
Boston's citizens are very touchy when it comes to the topic of nuclear war. Glorifying it is a grave crime; most people would rather forget about it altogether rather than speak of it, considering it a mistake they've learned from and are paying for every day of their lives. Part of the reason the Imago gained such rapid support for Project Purity was because of their promise to create a future where nukes are nonexistent.
Also noteworthy is the Hub's official mascot, Pops - a super deformed cartoon version of Apophis, the giant serpentine monster that makes its home in the Wasteland and can sometimes be seen flying over the city in the morning. There is a great deal of merchandise available for Pops, including shirts, toys, coffee mugs, coloring books, Pops brand 'snack foods' and the like that are popular with young children and women for their cute appeal. There are also Pops radio dramas that cater to a young audience; listeners can tune in every week day to hear the further adventures of the lovable monster and his female companion, Mops. Thankfully, no real life equivalent for Mops is known to exist.
Sexuality
Sexuality still exists, of course, and can be a pretty big issue in the Hub. Copulation is highly encouraged as the government sees it as a way to boost survival and ensure the repopulation of the country, but it's unfortunately made difficult due to high infertility rates because of radiation exposure. Norms are mostly unaffected by this, but many, if not most, Mutants have been rendered sterile; this is often regarded as one of the few positive things to have come out of the situation, owing to the paranoia that Mutants will one day outnumber Norms. However, people generally agree that if you are able to have children, you should have children, so heterosexuality is very encouraged. Contrasty, homosexuality, while seen as unproductive, does not carry as many stigmas as it had before the war and homophobia is very rare (except in Sanctimonia's church where same sex relationships are viewed distastefully as a waste of time). Rape and pedophilia, however, are still considered grave crimes.
Hub denizens make no attempt to ignore that 'sex sells' as the old saying goes (and if pregnancies come out of it, even better) so the sex industry in the city continues to grow and flourish even if Mutants are having a harder time than Norms in taking part in it. Marriage does not exist anymore, though the government has been trying to reintroduce 'old values' by granting registered couples special privileges and discounts, especially for the SE System, but this has not been very successful so far. Promiscuity is common, and so are contraceptives.
Entertainment
In a city as big as this, you might be wondering what its citizens do to keep themselves from going nuts. The answer is...not very much, at least not by the standards you and your character might be used to. For one thing, movies aren't a widespread form of entertainment here due to the presence of the SE System and virtual reality, and also because most traditionally filmed cinema and footage was destroyed hundreds of years ago. Yet in spite of this, movies are a hot commodity in certain circles and desired relics by historians who specialize in understanding what the country was like before the war. The Silver Star theater exists in the Residential District to cater to that demographic and has been standing for decades despite numerous protests to condemn the admittedly decrepit building, but a loyal fanbase of film enthusiasts has kept it alive.
For the mainstream public, the aforementioned SE has effectively replaced movies as a legit and popular form of entertainment. Why watch fake accounts of fairy tales and heroics when you can experience them for yourself? Virtual reality is the norm in the Hub, and connecting one's consciousness to the SE to experience a simulated day in paradise is akin to a weekend getaway. For a fee, users can either request a specific environment of their choosing to be created for them (beaches, parks, forests and mountains are popular picks) or they can model their sim after a place or event in their memory. It's also possible for multiple people to connect to the same simulation, making the SE system a viable alternative to a vacation among families. There are limits to this, however; a time limit of one hour is enforced and the simulation will automatically deactivate once that hour is up unless the user is willing to pay in advance for more time. Discount rates are offered for families or multiple users paying for the same simulation. More info on the SE System can be found here.
Sports like basketball, football, baseball and hockey still exist within the Hub, and attending games remains a popular past time on the weekends. Each school has their own basketball and football team with their own set of fans, and though their talent is debatable, going to a game is as good a way as any to kill a few hours. There even exists something akin to a league; once a year, there is a big sports event held where teams from other cities are brought over to compete against the official Boston teams.
Also existing within the city are a multitude of night clubs, a downtown strip mall, a few independently run businesses that cater to the bizarre, a museum, a casino, and even an underground theme park is said to be in construction in one of the Vaults. All of these locations and more are listed on the Locations page.
→ The Lottery
The Hub Lottery is an event that takes place every month, beginning on the 15th and ending on the last day of the month,held by Eyewitness Ltd and sponsored by various organizations and independently owned businesses. As with any lottery, prizes can be won, and anyone who's 18 or older is allowed to enter (sorry, kids!). Boston's lottery asks for a three number combination - if you get even one or two numbers right, you can win a prize, and if you get all three right, you win the jackpot. Each month's jackpot carries onto the next month's jackpot if the previous one was not won.
Starting on the 15th when the lottery ad gets posted on the network, characters can enter and post their combination until the end of the month when numbers are drawn and posted by Eyewitness Ltd (or rather, rolled by the mods). And from there on, you'll have to rely on your luck! Winners and prizes will be announced then - if more than one person happens to draw the winning combination for the jackpot, it will be split between parties. Until stated otherwise, each character can only take part in the lottery once per cycle.
Tickets for the lottery cost $5 each, and can be purchased and submitted at many places around the city (shops, the Hostel, many Etablissments in Old Town...)
Oh, and don't even try to cheat with supernatural powers - every Jackpot winner will be thoroughly examined - including their criminal record.
☣ City Layout & Travel
Infrastructure
The city of Boston bears very little of its former glory. What was once a city of about 600,000 has now shrunk down to about 90,000, and most of the city lays in disrepair and ruin. What's left of it has been converted into what people now call 'the Hub'. It's now best compared to most moderate sized cities in the United States, but when you weigh it against the metropolis it once was, the contrast is depressingly noticeable. Infrastructure within the Hub is extremely rudimentary past the caved in streets and destroyed buildings you'll find in the city limits. There are streets, but you'll barely find any cars or trucks - the few there are are government property or reserved for emergency services. Motorcycles - mostly old models - are common, though, but fuel is expensive and hard to obtain, and most residents get by with using regular bicycles. The Hub also has its own tram system; three lines exist with a fourth one being constructed. The tram can be used free of charge for the general public, though it's liable to break down every now and then making it a less reliable alternative of transportation. There are also a number of underground Vaults, which are all inaccessible at this time for the general public; elevators are used within these.
Boats are docked at the harbor, all of them fishing vessels and all of them owned by the government. Stealing one is heavily advised against; even if you get far, there's the radiation and sea monsters to worry about...
Wasteland Traveling / Radiation
Nuclear fallout has claimed the surface of the entire country, polluting water, mutating animals and, of course, making long distance travel very difficult. Large stretches of land are radiated and continue to be, and as such, you'll find traveling outside of the Hub's safety to be a dangerous affair unless you have the right anti-radiation equipment coupled with the means to defend yourself. About 90% of the land is contaminated with radiation along with any bodies of surrounding water; the exceptions to this are Boston, its harbor and the territory directly surrounding it (green area on the map). Survivors are making a conscious effort to extend their reach further, but because they're so shorthanded with help and research is moving at a slow pace, these attempts are weak at best and the land outside of the Hub remains a lonely wasteland.
Radiated territories are marked on the map in color code - yellow territories have low to mid level radiation, whereas red areas are highly radiated. Yellow areas are the least hazardous to a character's health; a person can find themselves staying within the area for a maximum of up to three days before symptoms of radiation poisoning begin to set in. Red areas can only be passed within specific, radiation shielded vehicles or hazmat suits, although it's possible to last up to an hour without any such protection before one starts to feel faint. A character will know that they are beginning to experience the effects of poisoning when they experiences nausea, splitting headaches and fatigue. As the exposure worsens, bloody vomiting and seizures will begin to take hold - a sign that the radiation levels in their body are reaching critical levels. When such symptoms start to occur, immediate medical attention is needed before the effects grow fatal. Expedition teams are usually out and searching through the Wasteland for downed survivors, and if they should find your character critically sick and too weak to make it back to the city, they will rush your character back and to the nearest hospital where radiation treatment will be administered via the SE system. There are many ways to lessen the damage of radiation poisoning, but only the SE system is able to completely purify your character's body of it should they become poisoned. After your character is treated (and takes care of the hospital bill), they may still feel faintly sick for a few days, but that's normal. Temporary amnesia is also normal.
In addition to the radiation, there are also creatures to worry about. Mutated animals as well as humans deformed by radiation lurk around the Wasteland looking for tasty snacks. In the case of humans - known herein as Ghouls - they might have less linear intentions; Ghouls that still have a brain left to reason and plot might be bandits and will attempt to rob your character before trying to kill them. It's never wise to go out into the Wasteland without the proper anti-radiation gear, but going out without a weapon is suicide. Monsters also lurk within the water, so attempting to swim out into the closest body of water you come across is also incredibly foolish. It's usually wise to stick within range of the city, and if not there, within the ruins of any building you find that isn't home to a camp of raiders.
Leaving the Hub to journey out into the Wasteland is generally difficult unless you're affiliated with the government through a trading/expedition/cleaning team, are a member of the BHA, or are a member of ACRO. ACRO guards patrol every exit that leads out into the Wasteland, but it's not impossible to sneak out or trick the usually drunk guards, or climb over the walls if no one's looking. Sports teams have also been known to be provided with the necessary transportation and protection, but they only usually travel through the Wasteland if they're on their way to a city where a game is being held.
Generally, you will need a permit to leave and reenter the city. Such permits are issued by ACRO and the BHA, or fake ones can sometimes be obtained illegally. If you do not possess such a permit, you will have trouble officially leaving the city, and when you try to reenter, you will also get into trouble with ACRO - they might want to have a talk with your character and search them for illegal goods. If you try to reenter the city without a permit, and are caught, they will take away any items found in the Wasteland from you. If you do possess such a permit, and are found out to sell goods illegally on the blackmarket without registering them, they might seize your permit.
Finding old items and relics isn't uncommon when you're out in the Wasteland. Televisions, books, movies, CDs, computers, appliances and even money has been found in the ruins of old homes and can be extremely valuable in the right hands, but any items found in yellow or red territory are poisoned and will not be accepted by the official market unless you get them cleaned and registrated first for a fee, and even then the government has an extensive list of items they will confiscate, such as weapons. The BHA offers services for exactly this purpose (to save you the trouble of having to deal with the Registration Center directly), as well as the Item Cleaning and Registration Center itself. If you sell a contaminated item to a player, there's a good chance they might get sick. The black market, on the other hand, will pay more and accept your contaminated goods for how they are, but do you really want to pollute the whole city?
→ Living in the Wasteland
Living in the Wasteland, while advised against, is indeed possible despite the radiation, monster and raider population, though it highly depends on where you want to settle down and how high the radiation levels are. Obviously you won't survive long in red territory, but the radiation exposure in yellow areas is low enough to be able to live for quite a while; the closer you are to the city, the easier it will be on your health. The rule of thumb is that it will take three days until you will display symptoms of radiation poisoning in yellow territory, though it highly depends on the person - an old, sickly person may have more trouble than a young, healthy one, and you can keep your radiation levels low with with homemade remedies. Medicinal paste made out of Radroach innards, for example, have been known to stave off poisoning, but you have to keep in mind that as long as you do not properly get treated in a hospital and by the SE System, some radiation will always remain within your body and make life difficult depending how naturally resistant you are. Generally, though, you can survive in low to mid level radiation territory in the Wasteland for long periods of time, even without anti-radiation gear, provided you get some treatment at least once a week, so venturing back to the city once in a while (or at least, to settlements that offer trade) will probably be necessary. Settling down below ground also helps to slow down the poisoning process.
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