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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, Emigration 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

      A rowdy, bustling trading town in Idaho (formerly Boise).

 

Origin

 

Pre-War

     Residents of Idaho. It was the capital of Idaho, with a population of about 125,000 (500,000 in the metropolitan area), making it the third largest city in the Northwest after Seattle and Portland. Located within the city was a substantial National Guard center (notably helicopters at Gowen Field), and the headquarters of Micron Technology (fabricators of computer chips).

 

Post-War

     Boise was struck by two missiles -- an SS-17 M2 surface burst (600 kilotons), and an SS-19 M3 air burst (600 kilotons). About 50 kilometers to the southeast, Mountain Home AFB was also struck by an SS-17 and an SS-19. Within a few weeks, it was entirely uninhabited, and (except for visiting scavengers) remained so until after the Long Winter.

     When trade into the Northwest resumed in the 2040s, the wide grazing and farming land around the destroyed city was slowly settled, mostly by people from  the various groups that made up the United Combine. When the Combine broke up after 2050, Fort Boise declared itself independent -- they wanted nothing to do with the "War of the Remnants".

 

What Outsiders Know

 

     Except for a few very experienced traders, folk outside of the Northwest or the Montanan Empire don't know about Fort Boise. The River Folk and other "traveled" people in the Northwest are aware of it as a stop on the main trading route through Idaho over the Rockies.

 

The Reality

 

     It's a scruffy, brawling cattle-town, mostly busy in the summer when the herds are driven in and slaughtered.

 

Population

     Over a thousand people live in the city; another couple thousand people live in the immediate vicinity. Fort Boise controls an area at least 100 kilometers across in the Snake River Valley.

     In the winter and spring of 2139, more than 1000 refugees from the Montanan Empire arrived at Fort Boise.

 

Territory and Locations

     The Senators don't attempt to control anywhere more than a day's ride from Fort Boise.

 

Organization

 

Government, National and Local

     A council of 12 Senators rules the town. They're elected by the adult, male property owners -- less than 500 persons.

 

Justice, Social Control, Punishment

     The local law enforcement and military is the Boise Brigade (BB), recognizable in (locally-made) camouflage uniforms and colored armbands. The BB is quite well-armed, with lots of cartridge weaponry imported from over the Rockies (and after the summer of 2140, taken during the war against the Doom Riders). Within For Boise itself, there are four marshals.

     Slave trading is not allowed in Boise; slaves found in the area are freed. Peasants and serfs of the Montanan nobility aren't considered slaves, though.

     The criminal justice system isn't too different from the late 19th Century United States, however there are no prisons -- the few jails are for holding people until trials can be held, or for short periods of detention (never more than 30 days). Serious crimes (murder, rape, etc.) are punished by hanging; misdemeanors are punished by fines, forfeiture, or short jail sentences. Crimes between misdemeanors and capital are punished with very heavy fines or forfeiture, or with several forms of corporal punishment -- such as a number of bouts in the arena.

 

Political Factions, Dissent

     Divisions include townsfolk vs. farmers and ranchers; rich families vs. the not-well-to-do, and (recently) natives vs. refugees and immigrants.

 

Famous/Infamous Persons

 

     Travis, a member of the Rangers, is often found here -- his "patrol area" is the Snake River Plain.

 

Relationships with Other Groups

     They deal with the River Folk (via the Boise River and the Snake River), the Pale Riders, the Purity Corp, the Hand of Jehovah, Slave City, the Montanan Empire, and Bone City.

      The Purity Corps and the Hand of Jehovah have been probing at the city in recent years, and the Montanan Empire has been torn apart by civil war and an invasion from Colorado recently.

 

Culture

 

Ethnic Groups, Emigration 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

     There are elementary schools at several locations within a day's ride of Fort Boise.

     The usual language is English.

 

Environment and Agriculture

     Blah blah ...

 

Food

     Blah blah ...

 

Art and Entertainment, Music, Literature, Recreation

     There's a rodeo ground and arena in Boise, the Bowels, used both for sport and for judicial resolution or punishment.

 

Fashion and Appearance

     Blah blah ...

 

Urban and Rural Areas, Architecture

     The town itself is surrounded by a wall of scrapped vehicles, rubble, and dirt. Outside the walls are large pens and corrals for animals.

 

Equipment and Resources

 

Economy

     Supporting trade, and a major center for slaughtering and shipping meat (mostly horse, mutton, and goat).

 

Science, Medicine and Technology

     About at American Civil War level; and of course it's a frontier town, so there aren't any genius inventors at work.

 

Weapons and Military Equipment

     The Boise Brigade (about 200 men) possesses a good amount of weapons, mostly 20th Century guns repaired or cobbled together far away, and brought here by traders. About half of the Brigade carry a cartridge weapon; the rest use crossbows, or muzzle-loading or breech-loading non-cartridge weapons.

     Besides the Brigade, pretty much every adult male is expected to serve in an emergency.

 

Communications

     Couriers, riders, flags, fires, heliographs, smoke ...

 

Vehicles

     The Boise Brigade has a couple of 'scrap tanks", in this case old military 5-ton trucks converted to gasogen operation, with some extra armor welded on. Their tires are either solid or filled with something durable; hence they rarely go more than a couple of kilometers away from the town, and move very slowly. One of the trucks has no mounted weapons; the other has a rusty old M2HB .50 caliber machine gun.

 

Aircraft

     None.

 

Watercraft

     None of note.