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MP Mariners
Page history
last edited
by Michael 6 years, 2 months ago
back to the Index or the Geography and History page
- Origin
- Pre-War
- Post-War
- What Outsiders Know
- The Reality
- Population
- Territory and Locations
- Organization
- Government, National and Local
- Justice, Social Control, Punishment
- Political Factions, Dissent
- Famous/Infamous Persons
- Relationships with Other Groups
- Culture
- Ethnic Groups, Immigration and Emigration
- Social Divisions and Castes
- Religion, Beliefs and Superstition
- Morality and Values
- Progress and Failure
- Family, Age, Sexuality and Gender
- Education and Language
- Environment and Agriculture
- Food
- Art and Entertainment, Music, Literature, Recreation
- Fashion and Appearance
- Urban and Rural Areas, Architecture
- Equipment and Resources
- Economy
- Science, Medicine and Technology
- Weapons and Military Equipment
- Communications
- Vehicles
- Aircraft
- Watercraft
- Rules of the Road for the Great Lakes
- Ratings
- Trade categories
- Technology levels
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pink shows the shipping routes of the Mariners
The Mariners are sailors in the Great Lakes. Other names for them are Marins, Boatmen, Bateliers, or Lakers. They operate two dozen steamboats over 20 tons displacement, more than a hundred of 10 tons or less, and many sailing craft.
Origin
Pre-War
Their own oral history claims they are descended from sailors in the Great Lakes, but their ancestors were probably just ordinary folk. Very roughly 10,000 persons were employed as sailors or marine firemen and engineers in the Great Lakes at the time of the Atomic War.
Post-War
Blah blah ...
What Outsiders Know
Mariners are vital to the economy of the lakes. Any community adjacent to the Great Lakes has heard of them.
The Reality
Blah blah ...
Population
There are less than 8,000 of them.
Territory and Locations
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Calder: once known as Sturgeon Bay, WI. Population 500. It's on what is now called the Winnebago Island, between Green Bay and Lake Michigan. 5,000 people live on the island and on the Door Peninsula, and Calder is the largest town -- perhaps 2,500 Mariners call the area home. Their skinball team is the Fraxx. Economy: non-industrial. Technology level E.
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Grand Island: the Mariners in Lake Superior are a small group, operating sailing craft only. Less than 500 persons make up their community on Grand Island. Economy: poor, non-industrial. Technology level E.
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North Shore: formerly Fayette State Park. Population 50 in winter, 500 at the height of the trading season. Another Mariner area, but they draw a lot of trade from overland in the Upper Peninsula. Their skinball team is the Nessies. Economy: non-industrial, non-agricultural. Technology level D, but most trade is in E-level items.
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Sentinel - about half of the population of this community are Mariners.
Besides the above populations, there are good numbers of Mariners in all the ports served by their vessels.
Organization
Government, National and Local
Blah blah ...
Justice, Social Control, Punishment
Blah blah ...
Political Factions, Dissent
Blah blah ...
Famous/Infamous Persons
Blah blah ...
Relationships with Other Groups
Blah blah ...
Culture
Ethnic Groups, Immigration and Emigration
Blah blah ...
Social Divisions and Castes
Blah blah ...
Religion, Beliefs and Superstition
Blah blah ...
Morality and Values
Blah blah ...
Progress and Failure
Blah blah ...
Family, Age, Sexuality and Gender
Blah blah ...
Education and Language
A well-educated culture, with nearly 90% literacy for persons over age 14.
Ancient (called English) is their main language, although with a smaller vocabulary than in the 20th Century. Some have an Upper Peninsula accent; others have a slight French accent (if they are from the Arcadian Republic or live among the frontaliers). The Anishinaabe languages are also often known.
Environment and Agriculture
Blah blah ...
Food
Blah blah ...
Art and Entertainment, Music, Literature, Recreation
Blah blah ...
Fashion and Appearance
Blah blah ...
Urban and Rural Areas, Architecture
Blah blah ...
Equipment and Resources
Economy
Blah blah ...
Science, Medicine and Technology
The society of the Mariners is Technology Level D ... "late Steam Age", around the end of the 19th Century in North America. They aren't numerous enough to produce everything found in America of 1900, of course; but they have references and a few small but well-equipped factories.
Weapons and Military Equipment
Blah blah ...
Communications
While not produced in the Great Lakes, a number of simple radios -- usually old CB radios -- have been imported from places far west of the Mississippi River. The Mariners could produce a telegraph system, or even simple telephones, but connecting their towns by land (through hostile territory) would be difficult.
They use the printing services available at Bastion and Sentinel.
Vehicles
Except for some horses and horse-drawn wagons near towns, the Mariners are otherwise entirely nautical.
Aircraft
None
Watercraft
They have rowed vessels, sailing vessels, steam vessels and motor vessels.
Most of the sailing vessels engaged in commerce are either scow schooners (crew of 3 typically) and the slightly larger and faster topsail schooners (crew of 4 typically). About 200 sailors are employed aboard these craft.
Smaller sailing craft are employed by Mariners as fishing boats; several hundred sailors act as the crews of these vessels.
Steam vessels in service, of 100 tons or more displacement:
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Badger, 6650 ton, crew 60
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Ruby J, 300 tons, crew 36
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Pioneer, 200 tons, crew 24
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Silarus, 200 tons, crew 24
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Basilan, 200 tons, crew 24
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Great Laker, 200 tons, crew 24
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Semiramis, 100 tons, crew 12
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J.N. Pew, 100 tons, crew 12
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James Swan, 100 tons, crew 12
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Miracle, 100 tons, crew 12
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Acorn, 100 tons, crew 12
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Negaunee, 100 tons, crew 12
There are several dozen smaller steam vessels, of 20 and 30 tons displacement, and a dozen or so steam or motor tugboats. Most of the tugs are small, 22nd Century vessels, but two large 20th Century tugs survive:
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Edna, steam tug of about 150 tons, 28 meters long, crew of 12
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Ludington, tug of 480 tons, 35 meters long, crew of 14. The engine is a 1200 HP diesel.
Total steam vessel crews, about 600.
The operation of large vessels by the Arcadian Republic is sometimes a sore point with the Mariners.
Rules of the Road for the Great Lakes
A lot of the differences from the 20th Century relate to the much lower tempo of shipping on the Great Lakes in mid-22nd Century: many of the specialized lights, etc. for odd situations are unknown. Seaplanes, submarines, underwater cables, etc. are unknown, for example. Mariners have a skill -- Great Lakes Nautical Lore and Customs, I suppose -- about conditions peculiar to the Lakes: where the shallow water is, where wrecks are, when the storms appear, fog banks, where pirates are found, places to avoid anchoring, where to get fuel, fares to charge, what cargoes and tows are available when, where to get repairs, how to call for a tug from outside a harbor, acceptable towing/tugboat charges, characteristics and locations of buoys and lighthouses, etc. The alphabetic signal flags used in the Great Lakes are the same as in the 20th Century, and known to you via Sail skill. Many of the "combination" flag signals, however, you don't know (for example, VK is "Pirates are about"); they would be learned as part of Great Lakes Nautical Lore and Customs. And Sail skill has a lot of information that's the same everywhere around the world: for example, the effects of vessel length and draft, water depth and mode of propulsion on steering, especially alongside piers.
Rules of the Road for the Great Lakes
(summarized version of a document of 16 pages)
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Four types of vessels: barges, small craft (rowboats and other open boats, rafts -- including log rafts --, canal boats, flatboats), sail vessels, motor vessels.
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Vessels are underway when not made fast to the shore, or not at anchor, or are aground -- the usual phrase is "they are underway when not attached to the ground".
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Lights on vessels will be carried from sunset to sunrise.
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Where on a vessel the lights are to be carried, what color, how bright (5 miles basically on a dark clear night), how high above water, which arcs visible in. It's a long section, several pages ... all sorts of differences based on where at ("East of Soo" for example), size and type of vessel, etc.
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Sailing vessels use "flare up" lights when they think a motor vessel is approaching them in the dark.
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Special lights and signals for use when towing. The sound signal for towing vessels (at night or in bad weather) is the "Modoc whistle" (sort of like a diesel engine exhaust, gives a BRRRAAATTTT noise)
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Lights when anchored (one or two bright white lights, depending on vessel length -- 150' is the cut-off for one anchor light, and only three vessels qualify).
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While you might think "Oh, once we have our own lights decided on, the rest isn't important". Well, it is: when you see the lights of a vessel at night, if you know the Rules, you should be able to tell her type, rough size, course, whether towing anything, and a few other facts
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Fog (and bad weather) signals -- on shore, on buoy, or by vessels. Horn, whistle, bell, gun, siren (aka "screech"); how often, what interval.
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Moderate speed in thick weather, or if hazards or uncertainty exist.
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The most complicated section (almost half of the rules): when vessels are approaching, crossing, or overtaking, who keeps out of whose way. Wind direction, type of vessel (motor, sail, etc.), curved channels, shore distance, etc. all factor into this.
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Vessels in narrow channels (rivers and the seaway): descending vessels generally have the right of way. No passing by motor vessels in narrow channels under 500 feet wide unless the vessel being passed is willing, or is disabled.
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Signals for distress, danger and precautions to other vessels -- lights, horns, bells, whistles, sirens, flares, rockets, flags, guns, etc.
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"Due regard shall be had to all the dangers of navigation and collision and to any special circumstances which may render a departure from the rules necessary in order to avoid immediate danger."
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The Mariners charge a fine of $200 against a sail or motor vessel for violations of the Rules of the Road. This only applies to other Mariners of course ... they have other methods of dealing with flagrant navigational hazards caused by "outsiders".
Ratings
Trade categories
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AG: agricultural -- able to export agricultural products
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NA: non-agricultural -- must import agricultural products
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IND: industrial -- able to export industrial goods
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NI: non-industrial -- unable to make industrial goods
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R: rich -- relatively well-off
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P: poor -- relatively
Technology levels
Technology Levels
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level
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name and era
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weaponry
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A
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Atomic Age, 1980+
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might even have fusion or laser weaponry.
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B
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Late Electric Age, ~1955 AD
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semi-auto rifles, assault rifles, light machine guns
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C
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Early Electric Age, ~1920 AD
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magazine rifles, hand grenades, simple grenade launchers, semi-auto weapons, machine guns, flamethrowers
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D
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Late Steam Age, ~1880 AD
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early cartridge weapons, including revolvers
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E
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Early Steam Age, ~1840 AD
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muzzle-loading rifles
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F
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Late Iron Age, ~1770 AD
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muzzle-loading smoothbore muskets
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G
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Early Iron Age, ~700 AD
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bows or crossbows
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H
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Bronze Age, ~00 BC
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I
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Stone Age, ~3000 BC
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Technology refers to what an encounter group or community possesses, not what they can create. So a Morrow Project team is by default Tech Level A.
MP Mariners
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