Ten years and one day ago, I posted CS: Civil Society, a collection of some notes I'd made maybe as much as ten years before that about how civilians lived in the Coalition... what they did, what they watched on TV, where their food came from, things like that. Recently, the Palladium Message Boards were talking about CS supply issues, and I helpfully guided people to my blog, where they can be linked to the many wonderful things I sell, and otherwise give me money and bask in my brilliance.
But, talking about the thing got me thinking of it, and so, wanting to avoid real work, I wrote out a short 6,800 words about what went on in the civilian society of the Coalition. I wish I'd published it yesterday, but, also, such is life. I'll note: this was first written close to twenty years ago; there may be a lot of sources since then that contradict it. In this, I draw somewhat on the old Rifts Main Book, Rifts: Ultimate Edition, Rifts: Coalition War Campaign, and Rifts: Lone Star, with some references from Rifts: Psyscape.
CS: Civil Society
The Coalition States is a genocidal, fascist empire. Their chosen scapegoats are "D-Bees" and magic-users, with psychics and mutants "enjoying" a sort of second or third-class citizenship. Slavers, they have created entire species of mutant animals to serve their needs. Imperialists, they push into other lands and create colonies, seizing resources for their own purposes. They would argue that they are protecting humankind from the threat of devil-worshipers and illegal aliens, but we've heard that sort of thing before, haven't we?
Most people who live in the Coalition States grew up surrounded by these messages; the skull-clad troopers are there to protect the people from the evil that others will do to them, and, if they have a conception of human rights, the citizens usually view the loss of them as an acceptable price to pay for security.
Usually.
As is bound to be the case in a country made up of several semi-autonomous states, the society of the Coalition is a complex mix of true believers, rebels, and those who go along to get along. The first believe the propaganda; the second question it. And the third group just accepts it, because they've got bills to pay and mouths to feed and credits don't grow on trees... unless you own an apple orchard, I suppose. To understand the civilian parts of the Coalition States, we are going to look at its divisions, it's art, and its economy. Who are the people, what do they do, and what do they make? What they make is the Civil Society of the Coalition States.
Class And State
Two of the broadest categories by which one can identify a Coalition citizen is by what class they belong to, and what state. While the Marxist delineation between the proletariat, bourgeoisie, and aristocracy remain, there are, of course, always shades and divisions to discuss. Easier to discuss is the state in which one lives, so we will begin there.
The Coalition is made up of five states, nominally independent, but under the command of Emperor Prosek and the national government. Each state has its own history and character, and, except one, is under the command of a governor approved, if not chosen, by Emperor Prosek. It is administered from the city of Chi-town, in the state of Chi-town.
Chi-town
Chi-town most often refers to the mega-city itself; millions of people in an abbreviated pyramid fortress-city. People live their entire lives in this city, seldom seeing natural sunlight or tasting air that hasn't been filtered and re-filtered for decades. The upper levels of the city are home to the aristocracy, called the "Lofties", and many from the proletariat labor in their service. The lower levels are the home of the proletariat and the industry of the Coalition; the city of Chi-town contains vast factories, which feed both the war machine and the society itself. While every city in the nation has some manufacturing, Chi-town does the lion's share of the consumer goods.
Chi-town is also the name of the state, however, which covers much of what was once Iowa, northern Missouri, and northern Illinois. Much less densely populated, this area is primarily rural, with small towns every few tens of miles apart. The lives of those in the rural portions of the state are far different than those within the city or its immediate environs. The military is less omni-present, and, at a local level, there may be a degree of democracy. However, that is purely at a local level.
Over the entire state is the Governor, appointed by the Emperor. The Governor is, in theory, in charge of the entire state, but within the city of Chi-town, district Mayors, also appointed by the Emperor, have near-unimpeachable power. Each Mayor has authority and responsibility within a specified section of the city, and direct command of the (military) police in the area. The Mayors are officially advised by elected selectmen, but the Mayor has the backing of the Emperor, so the selectmen have little influence below the highest levels of the city.
A similar arrangement happens in the rural areas, but the mayors of those settlements are elected, from a slate of candidates approved by the Governor; often, it is a slate of one, but local selectmen, more freely elected, have more influence on their mayor. Rural mayors often do not have a force of military police under their command; they may have a handful of officers for their twenty-five hundred square mile territories, sometimes accompanied by older Dog Boys granted semi-retirement.
Missouri
Missouri is much like the state of Chi-town, with an Imperially-appointed Governor overseeing semi-elected Mayors, who are advised by elected councils. The Governor is headquartered at New Chillicothe, the only city of any size in the state.
Missouri is even more sparsely populated than Chi-town, but sees a large amount of development; retired officers are offered incentives to establish colonies in the area, with licenses for decommissioned military gear, and sometimes the aid of Coalition engineers in beginning their colony. There is some tension between the long time residents of Missouri and the newer settlers, as the newer settlers seem to have Imperial favor over those who have been on the land for generations. This grows more pronounced the further south into the Ozarks one goes, as those communities were largely annexed into the Coalition, and the newer settlers do not know the ways of the more insular Missouri Ozark families.
Lone Star
Lone Star is an entirely military state; its civilian settlements are all centered around former officers. While the Coalition claims the entire state of Texas, they only control the northwest, as well as a sizable military base on the Gulf Coast, near the independent city of Houstown. Like Missouri and Chi-Town, there is a military governor with authority over the entire state, but local Mayors are under his explicit command. They serve as both executive and judicial authorities, often enforced by Dog Pack soldiers under human NCOs. As military settlements, they receive decommissioned gear for their military constabulary.
Unlike Missouri, there are no pre-Coalition towns in Lone Star that maintain that identity; while Ava and Branson in Missouri have pre-Cataclysm history, the Coalition completely controls life in Lone Star, including vast ranchlands.
El Dorado
El Dorado, centered on Fort El Dorado in what was once southern Arkansas, is the newest Coalition state. It remains under the command of King Randall III, whose maintained power was part of the deal that brought the state into the Coalition. He is advised by noble families representing the financial interests of the state; while he has the nominal power to ignore them, doing so will cost him politically, as they retain significant influence. When Randall's reign ends, it is expected that one of his children will be appointed Governor, and perhaps be given the title of King.
Prior to the annexation, El Dorado was a somewhat open community, with wide literacy and some tolerance for D-Bees (but little for psionics, and none for magic). Becoming part of the Coalition has changed that. Literacy is not outlawed, but it is not discouraged, and demeaned as "wasteful" in the proletariat. The D-Bees who once belonged to its communities have been excluded, sometimes disappearing in the night, replaced soon by immigrants from other Coalition states. The official word is that they moved of their own accord, but many doubt that is true.
Iron Heart
Iron Heart, headquartered at the old city of Sudbury, is an industrial powerhouse within the Coalition States. An independent nation before joining the Coalition, it is nonetheless a staunch adherent of Chi-Town. Iron Heart is notable, even among the Coalition States, for its extreme racism and hatred of magic-users. While Lone Star has many Dog Boys serving in its cities and towns, Iron Heart has none, and very few human psychics.
Unique among the States is Iron Heart's government, a representative democracy. Every 1000 people sends a representative, with some representing several small towns, and so the legislature is nearly seven thousand people. Meetings are raucous, and the assembly is easily swayed by charismatic leaders, including the appointed representative from Chi-Town (who has the right to speak, but no vote). Representatives serve three-year terms, but have no term limits, and in addition to passing laws, also serve on city councils, lead police forces, and the judiciary; on juries for the aristocracy and bourgeoisie, and as judges for the proletariat.
Class
Class in the Coalition cuts across State boundaries; while the proletariat of Iron Heart and Lone Star have much in common, they are still subject to the rule of the aristocracy and exploitation of the bourgeoisie, even in "democratic" Iron Heart. Likewise, within the military, opportunity is often a matter of class; a Lofty from Chi-Town can walk into an officer's commission, while someone from lower down the class order will be stuck as a non-commisioned officer without significant patronage. That one can advance through the military is part of what makes it attractive to the proletariat.
Aristocracy
The extreme upper crust of the Coalition's society is the Emperor and his inner circle of hand-picked officers. While Emperor is the only title of nobility in the Coalition (King Randall not withstanding), to be known as being amongst the Emperor's confidants places one above money or lesser politics. Even Governors are not in this elite circle.
Beneath that, however, are the Lofties, the upper classes of Chi-town. Afforded a life of wealth and privilege, usually as the result of their family connections and inherited wealth, they enjoy one of the highest standards of living in the world, with excellent medical care, abundant food, and an array of luxuries to engage with. While the Emperor's power is absolute, even he is reluctant to stir up the Lofties, because putting down a Lofty uprising would be disruptive. Not impossible, not unthinkable, but disruptive.
Beneath the Lofties are the upper classes of the various states, whose lives are similar, but without the level of luxury afforded to the Lofties. They are still educated and raised to leadership, and still have the social privileges denied to the lower classes, but being merely from Iron Heart or Lone Star (or, worse, El Dorado or Missouri) places them below the Lofties. They are also afflicted by lesser access to the Imperial echelon; while a Lofty may have a story of the time they met Joseph Prosek when they were in school, the provincial aristocracy don't have that level of access; the leadership of the Coalition is very Chi-Town focused.
These upper classes own large, industrial farms, and significant factories, often ones with direct government connections. A military the size of the Coalition's consumes an incredible amount of food and materiel, and much of that comes from the corporations owned by aristocrats and their economies of scale. As the Coalition has a central banking system, there are very few whose money is made simply by making money; shares of corporations change hands, but not at a scale that allows true market manipulation. The Emperor prefers things to remain stable, unless he wishes to destabilize them, and economic upheaval is not to his liking.
Two features are especially notable about aristocracy. The first is their education. Their education begins very young, and includes literacy, physical fitness, and technical skills. As children, they are read to, and partake in group projects and team sports. They are encouraged to take their turns as leader in small groups, and their projects center around problem-solving, rather than research. Sports are individual team sports; tennis, golf, fencing, and other games where individual skill is showcased, but one is judged on the performance of the team, as well. As they grow, they are introduced to more complex problems, and competition becomes fiercer. At around sixteen, they are introduced to their formal education or career training.
Secondly, aristocrats are almost never psychic to any degree. The anti-psychic bias of the various Coalition states means that psychic powers were regarded as a stain upon one's bloodline, and so few among the Lofties will have any psychic power.
A Lofty Player Character will begin with the skills
*Language: American
*Literacy: American
*Athletics, Aerobic Athletics, or Running
*Robot Combat: Basic
*Computer Operation
*WP E-Pistol
The Bourgeoisie
The bourgeoisie class of the Coalition States is very small, made up of those whose commercial and manufacturing interests are critical to the functioning of the society, but don't elevate them to the level of the aristocracy. A large part of this class are the owners of the civilian transportation services; freight haulers and passenger services both. While the Coalition army provides moves its own materiel, there is always a need to take raw materials to factories, food to warehouses, and workers to their workplaces. Additionally, there is a class of agricultural businesses that provide crops and materials that are less economical to do at scale. While there are vast corporate farms to provide wheat, cotton, pork, and poultry, there is still call for sheep and beef, which respond less well to industrial farming. Within the cities, these can manifest as hydroponic farms for vegetables, as well as the retail and grocery stores.
Education is very important to the bourgeoisie; while there's no realistic hope of entering the aristocracy, everyone is running the Red Queen's Race... constantly running to stay in place, and not slipping down to the proletariat. However, literacy laws in the Coalition make education more difficult; some among the bourgeoisie gain literacy, but it is still suspect, and many do not. There is a degree of state-provided education available; young children are taught stories and songs about the great history of the Coalition, and the scariness of D-Bees and men of magic, with older children pushed into team sports and problem-solving, and teenagers into driver's training and on-the-job training or apprenticeships.
A player character from the middle classes will begin with the skills
*Language: American
*Athletics, Aerobic Athletics, OR Running
*WP E-Pistol OR E-Rifle
*One Communications, Piloting, and Technical skill of Choice
The Proletariat
As it ever is, the vast majority of the Coalition's population is amongst the "great unwashed". Uneducated, often under-employed, the proletariat of the city usually have enough to eat, but only usually. The Coalition States ensures that food prices are just attainable, that rents are barely controlled, and that entertainment is cheap and the education is unavailable. Medical care is extremely basic, and mostly oriented around preventing outbreaks of disease, and pre-natal care and screening for psychic powers. For all their privation, the urban poor are able to tell themselves that they are safe, protected by the might of the Coalition Army and the powerful walls of the cities.
This poverty pushes many towards the military; in past decades, 40-60% of the urban proletariat would have military experience. Post-Tolkeen, this is closer to 80%. The military offers a steady wage, while providing food and housing, so proletariat in the military are able to provide for families still in the cities; joining the Coalition Army can be the way you make sure your bothers and sisters have enough to eat until someone in your family can get one of the few available jobs. Despite this, a place in the cities is the dream of many would-be Coalition citizens.
The rural proletariat have their own struggles. The food in the provinces doesn't receive government subsidies, and the struggle is not to find work, but to have enough people to do the work available. Entertainments are taken around the work, and even a day off will still involve chores that must be done; the cows need to be milked even if it is the Emperor's Birthday. Enlistment from the rural areas is only 20-30%, but a fair share of veterans will take retirement incentives to move to rural areas. While the urban proletariat flocks to the Army, the rural poor must fight monsters as they appear in their homes and fields. This lack of safety means that many would-be citizens do not take the incentives to move to the rural areas; they want the safety of the cities, not the nominal benefits of citizenship.
Skills for those from the urban proletariat are:
*Language: American
*Domestic Skill of choice
*Athletics OR Running
*Automobile, Hovercraft: Gound, OR Motorcycle
*Art OR General Repair/Maintenance
*WP Energy Rifle
Skills for the rural proletariat are:
*Language: American
*Gardening
*Animal Husbandry
*Physical Labor
*Automobile OR Tracked/Construction Vehicles
*WP Rifle or WP Shotgun
The Underclasses: Psychics and Mutants
Beneath even this are the psychics and mutants. "Psychics" refers to those like the psi-stalkers, bursters, and psi-ghosts whose psychic nature is not subtle, while "mutants" are those that cannot be mistaken for humans, mostly mutant animals created by Lone Star, or their descendants. Minor and Major psychics live within their own classes, the bourgeoisie and the proletariat, though they face discrimination for their difference. But the Master psychics and mutants are a class to themselves.
Master psychics are classed as "human-like mutants", and do not have any rights as a citizen (such as they are in the Coalition), but are afforded a degree of privilege if they join the Psi-Battalion, NTSET, or Psi-Net. However, as they are non-human, they have limitations on their fraternization with humans; provable sexual relations with a "human-like mutant" can result in prison or execution, should the State choose to pursue
charges. Sometimes, they do not, but the offspring will be treated as a human-like mutant, regardless of whether they inherit the powers of their parent.
Mutant animals are considered property of the State; they have neither rights nor privileges. They are, however, afforded the status of "belonging to the State", and so not automiatcally deemed enemies for their non-humanity. So long as they remain good tools, they may be treated well, if their "handlers" deign to do so. Many humans they work with will bond with them and help ensure their proper treatment. This is frowned upon by Coalition command, but common enough that it is impossible to enforce.
Political Factions
Within the Coalition, there are various political factions vying for increased influence. These are not the outright rebels; there are, of course, groups interested in destroying the Coalition from within, and anti-Prosek factions who seek to dethrone the Emperor and his inner circle. These are, rather, those who want change for the better, as they define it.
-Anti-Coalition: The Anti-Coalition faction in Arkansas has now largely died. They advocated for King Randall to avoid allying with the Coalition, either out of a fear of the Coalition itself, or out of compassion for the D-Bees in the kingdom (there was little compassion for magic-users). Some still remains, and they attempt to influence King Randall to resist some of the Coalitions more racist policies, and maintain a degree of independence.
-Anti-Michigan: The Anti-Michigan coalition opposes the Coalition doing business with Northern Gun and the Manistique Imperium. They are primarily an Iron Heart-based group, who fear that Iron Heart will lose influence if their hold on domestic heavy industry is diluted through internal competition.
-Anti-Mutant: A more extreme version of the party line, the Anti-Mutant faction ranges from those who want the government to end the use of psi-hounds, to those who wish the government to exterminate all psychics, minor to master. They are losing a lot of ground post-Tolkeen, as many troops return with a fondness, if not respect, for the Psi-Hounds they served with, but they are still strong in Iron Heart.
-Bug-Killers: Especially prominent in Iron Heart and Chi-Town, the Bug Killers view the Xiticix as the greatest threat, and want to direct all efforts towards them, with some going so far as to suggest allying with enemies (such as Quebec and Lazlo) to face the threat.
-Democratic Movement: Inspired by the government of Iron Heart, the Democratic Movement wants all state governors and mayors to be elected by citizens. Their public releases are carefully not anti-Prosek, but the ISS frequently arrests members and leaders for sedition.
-Expansionists, Jayhawkers, and Sooners: Expansionists want to rapidly expand the Coalition to take in more territory, including improving incentives for the urban poor to move to rural areas, and providing provisional citizenship to acceptable Burbies if they will accept living in a wilderness community. Jayhawkers and Sooners share many of their goals, but wish to annex Kansas and Oklahoma, respectively, and may not support broader Expansionist goals.
-Explorers: Related to the Expansionists, the Explorers seek not to claim new lands (at least, not immediately), but to instead explore the world, gaining a more current view of its state, and possibly generating new alliances.
-Eugenicists: Especially popular in Lone Star and Chi-Town, this faction wants to mandate human improvement with breeding and sterilization programs, and through "minor" genetic engineering. They are obviously in conflict with many in the anti-mutant faction, but they have a lot of support from Lofties, and even some from the proletariat, as they are frequent proponents of improved health care at all levels.
-Free Media Coalition: The Free Media Coalition opposes government censorship, and are frequently associated with rebel broadcasters, though not all endorse "illegal transmission." They do not, as a whole, oppose the overthrow of the government, but do want a more robust communications network, with more options for public speech.
-Free State Movement: Many of the rural areas of the state of Chi-Town push for their own independence from the city; they do not want to separate from the Coalition, but to have their own governor, who they hope will listen to their concerns, rather than being dragged along by the concerns of the city.
-Isolationist: Isolationists want to end expansion for now, and limit outside contact; less trade, stronger borders, and better control over claimed land. They will often borrow from the Expansionist plans to offer incentives to the urban poor and potential citizens in the Burbs to bolster rural and wilderness populations, though they oppose their policy of taking new lands.
-Literati: The Literati support improving CS education. They want to loosen (or remove) anti-literacy laws, and introduce public education at all levels of society.
-Pro-Business: Especially active in Chi-Town and Iron Heart, they support the loosening of restrictions and taxes, and increasing protections against nationalization. They are especially popular in the bourgeoisie, who have more to fear from aristocratic nationalization than aristocrats do.
-Pro-German: This group supports expanding the alliance with the NDR, including more trade and cross-training.
-Vanguard: Though officially disbanded, the Vanguard maintains some political influence through various "cautious magic" and "magical research" groups. At the very least, they support empowering the RCSG to learn more about how magic can be controlled and defended against.
Coalition Economy
The Coalition economy exists to serve its military machine, but still provides a fantastic standard of living compared to those in the Burbs. While the proletariat do not have a surplus, they frequently have just enough, and the food available is fortified to mostly eliminate diseases such as scurvy, rickets, and pellagra. Food is more available in rural areas, though it is offset by hard labor and lack of defenses.
Urban Employment
In the cities, many work in the service industries; cooks, salespeople, housekeepers, deliveries, drivers, and so on. Many dream of being hired by the aristocracy to serve them personally, living in upper level servants quarters, maybe with enough of a wage to send home. Of course, many more work for companies owned by the aristocracy, or the bourgeoisie. Factory work is prized for its relatively high pay, but is often dangerous, as there are few safety regulations, and always more proletariat. Chi-town manufactures most of the consumer electronics used within the Coalition, while Iron Heart handles most of the transportation and machine-work. Less durable consumer goods and textiles are manufactured in every city, largely for their own states, though Missouri produces the majority of the wool, and Lone Star produces much of the cotton.
Many of the skilled trades... electricians, mechanics, technicians, and medicine... are dominated by former military personnel. A discharged CS Medic can find work in any hospital or clinic, and may be able to set up an independent practice; a second hand IRMSS and RMK, and the knowledge to use them, can make one a potent healer in the lower levels. Likewise, Technical Officers, even Grunts, can have enough training to do things that one simply cannot get training to do outside of the military. There are, by law, no unions to enforce safety or provide training; the only reliable source of education is the military, and so the only reliable source of trained people is veterans.
Resource Extraction
The Coalition excels at recycling. The pre-Rifts world extracted much of the mineral wealth from what is now the Coalition States, and so much of the material used in the Coalition is recycled, even if it must be substantially reworked to be suitable. There is some mining in the Ozarks, but much of it is robotic, or handled by borgs or power armor. It is theorized that subterranean rifts have replenished minerals, as there seem to be more available than expected based on pre-Rifts mineralogical surveys, but no such rifts have been observed. The states of Lone Star and El Dorado exploit the East Texas Oil Field, and Lone Star explores west Texas, but much of the oil and diesel these days are plant-based.
A far more lucrative career is in salvaging. Some will salvage on behalf of the Coalition military, cleaning up after military engagements. Others will go to the old cities, dismantling buildings, scrap machinery, and salvaging technology. The Coalition pays a finder's fee for salvaged data. Many ex-soldiers are engaged in this sort of extraction, either as guards or in the labor, and former members of military intelligence make sure data is handled "appropriately".
Agriculture
The Coalition States has possibly the biggest agricultural economy in the world, feeding its millions of people with the produce of its fields, pastures, and gardens (traditional and hyrdoponic). All of the products are genetically engineered, emphasizing hardiness and yield. Still, Psi-Druids are extremely valued members of these communities, despite their status as "human-like mutants".
There is a mix of corporate, private, and communal farming in place. Corporate farming predominates in the states of Chi-town and Lone Star; the corporation owns the land, the machinery, and the product. The workers are paid, sometimes with bonuses for meeting or exceeding production targets. Many of these workers live in "company towns", where your employer is also your landlord, and your pay is just enough to keep you in debt to them for your children's lifetimes. Corporate farming often involves higher-end machinery, as well. This also includes factory farming of pork and poultry, where animals are kept in small pens to produce a large amount of meat in a relatively small place.
Private farming is smaller scale, and predominates in El Dorado and Iron Heart. In private farming, the owner of the land is usually involved in the work, considering themselves a farmer, but their workers are there for a wage. The private owner keeps all the produce and profit. It is expected that El Dorado's agricultural sector will transition to corporate farming within twenty years, especially as D-Bee former citizens "move out", and their land is purchased and consolidated by aristocrats.
Within the cities, these are hydroponic or mushroom farms; large warehouses rigged with lights and water to grow fruits and vegetables (seldom grains, as they are not economical at hydroponic scales). These not only extend the city's stocks in the event of siege, but they provide additional nutrition... and a place with near-sunlight for humans otherwise in the dark center of a city. As with most Coalition foodstuffs, these are heavily genetically modified.
In communal farming (which predominates in Missouri, especially in the Ozarks), the farmland is owned by a family or town, with all coming together to manage the world, and all sharing in the profit and produce. These tend to be far smaller in scale, and semi-independent; technically subject to Coalition laws, but not tending to call in outsiders for things that can be handled in the community. Some may legally organize themselves as corporations, but still function on the communal scale.
While farm equipment can take many forms, the Coalition (largely Iron Heart) produces tractors and combines. Most will have an MDC frame and tires, with SDC workings, making them resilient, but far more economical than a fully MDC device. MDC armor panels can also be mounted. Most use a diesel/electric hybrid engine, as nuclear is too expensive, and they use firmpoints allowing for the mounting of weapons (firmpoint gives +1 to an aimed shot, or +2 to burst fire).
Light tractors will have a max speed of 45mph, with a 250 mile range. The frame is 60 MDC, the workings 400 SDC, and armor plates can add 20 MDC protection, at the cost of 10 miles per hour and 50 miles of range. Tires are 3 each in front, 6 each in the rear.
Heavy tractors and combines have a speed of 30mph and a range of 250 miles. The frame is 100 MDC, and the workings 700 SDC, with armor plates for an additional 35 MDC; the plates don't slow the large vehicles down, but will cost 50 miles of range. Tires are 6 MDC in the front, and 15 in the rear.
The CS also engages in ranching and herding; as mentioned in WB 13: Lone Star, Coalition cattle are big, beefy, and tasty. The animals have proliferated throughout Coalition territory, but Lone Star is especially known for its beef. Sheep, mostly raised in Missouri, are also modified, with some breeds emphasizing wool growth, and others grown for meat.
Of special note, for the Missouri shepherds, is the Missouri Hill Dog. Descended from pre-Rifts gene-engineered work dogs, Hill Dogs have a higher order of intelligence than most dogs, but their intelligence is far different from a humans, rather than the more human-like thought processes of the Psi-Hounds. Hill Dogs can be 100-200 pounds, and have animal psychic powers (RMB p 114), the psychic and magic senses of a Psi-Hound, and the ability to harm supernatural creatures and creatures of magic (doing mega-damage, if appropriate, or SDC in the case of creatures like vampires). While originally derived from genetically modified stock, they have bred naturally since then, and so are somewhat distant from what Lone Star has on file. (A good reference for Missouri Hill Dogs are the Bounders of After the Bomb).
There is some limited fish farming, mostly in the lakes near Iron Heart. Unlike the terrestrial animals, the fish are not modified by Lone Star, and Iron Heart, with its anti-mutant bias, prefers it that way. Fort Pinnacle, near Houstown, has not yet developed enough civilian infrastructure to have a fishing fleet.
Coalition Media
The Coalition produces a lot of media; television, radio, movies, and internet. Most of this is produced by corporations, but it must conform to guidelines from the Ministry of Truth. Censors watch every program to approve it, and auditors monitor live broadcasts and unproduced entertainment (such as radio broadcasts or internet forums).
Telecommunications
With regards to internal communications, the CS has a robust cellular network inside the large cities, with Coalition-provided repeaters throughout the space. It is assumed that they communications are at least sporadically monitored, especially in the case of persons of interest. Smaller, non-fortress cities and towns also have local cell service, which may be able to reach to other cities, depending on local conditions. Many smaller towns will simply use CB radio, which works fine unless a nearby ley line is flaring up.
The Coalition cities do have a limited internet for public use; these networks are city-specific, though there are supposed to be military channels for inter-city communication. In accordance with literacy laws, the interface is icon-driven, and icons selected will describe themselves. It is frequently used to access news, or to discuss media. There are, surprising to some, political and social discussion forums, where people can gather virtually to discuss issues of the day, but it is well known that they are closely monitored. Some mild dissent is tolerated, but many suspect that constant grumblers will be watched by ISS.
Movie and Radio
Chi-Town is also the home of the movie industry; approximately 50 feature films are put out each year. These are produced by private companies, though often with heavy government investment. Despite their propaganda, these movies are nonetheless popular across the continent; you know that a CS movie is likely to have Sgt. Hugh Manly fighting the horrible Monsters from the Rift!, but it will be entertaining, and some of the films are less obvious about their propaganda (aside from having human casts interacting entirely with human casts). Others are based on pre-Rifts entertainment (98 PA's Pride and Prejudice was good, but MacBeth from 103 PA got a bit weird when the witches were on screen). The Ministry of Truth approves of these foreign sales, as they spread the cultural reach of the Coalition.
Most areas will have 3-5 radio stations. One is always the Coalition-provided news and weather service, but there are also folk/country, electronic/dance, classical, and pop music channels in most areas. The CS offers absolutely massive libraries of approved music to create an instant music station; request a genre, and hundreds of hours of music can be sent on a single disc, then simply played over your licensed radio station.
Harder styles... rock, metal, and rap... get little to no play on official stations, but privately-owned stations may play it in genre blocks of programming; three hours of metal music on Tuesdays at 9 PM, for example. The music must still conform to Minitru guidelines. Medium-sized cities will sometimes have to deal with pirate stations, broadcasting unapproved music, news, and opinions, but it is not a problem for the larger cities, with more resources to drown out the pirates, or smaller towns, where running such a thing clandestinely is more difficult.
Television
Like movies, the CS is the television capital of North America. Every State broadcasts its own official news channel, and more populated areas may have 2-4 more stations. Individual stations choose their programming (within Minitru guidelines), but where multiple stations are in a region, they seldom compete, instead each of them specializing in specific types of shows; one channel may run mostly children's programming, with another specializing in sports, and a third in dramas and comedies.
Common TV Program types:
-Children's Shows: Puppets, cartoons, live actions, and a lot of lessons similar to those in school. A popular genre is dramatizations of history, emphasizing the evils of magic and aliens, and how the Coalition military protects everyone. GI Joe: The Movie, where inhuman creatures try to make everyone into monsters, but are stopped by the brave human soldiers? There have been seven different versions of that plot in the last five years.
-Sports: Baseball, football, soccer, basketball, and hockey are all big, and part of Our Human Heritage. Juicer sports are gaining popularity, but the Ministry of Truth edits them before broadcast to remove "inappropriate" messages.
-Crime Dramas: These are not dissimilar from 21st century shows like Law and Order, but half the uniformed cops will be psi-hounds. Most criminals are magicians, unregistered psychics, D-bees in disguise, or rogue scientists. Rarely, the criminal will be a Psi-Hound or psychic; the show will emphasize that they're the exception, but the subtext is "Watch out for wrongdoers in our midst."
-Army Dramas: Extremely popular shows, often semi-historical (set during specific campaigns, often 10-20 years in the past). These can also include "frontier dramas", where human settlers fight off the D-Bee hordes while Making This Land Their Own. Drill Instructors frequently use them as an example of what not to do. "You think you're in a studio up on level three? You're a real Dead Boy now, and that stand and fire crap only works on TV! Now take cover and give me fifty, or I will shoot you myself."
-Soap Operas: Aristocrats behaving badly. One of the longest-running is "Lofties", where several intertwined Lofty families marry each other, cheat on each other, backstab each other in the boardroom, and generally cause high-dollar havoc in pretty dresses that sometimes come off in surprising ways and with surprising people. Next week, it is said that Prosser Industries will be inspected by Colonel Prosek, but Randy Conklin is planning to sabotage the visit to make Mark Prosser look like a traitor! And Caitlin Prosser is pregnant with his baby, but is still married to Jim Carnahan, who we learned last month is a wizard!
-Sitcoms: Poor and middle class people behaving badly. Office and family sitcoms are common, but there have been a few experimental military sitcoms... never casting the military itself in a bad light, nor to imply that the stars are lying to their superiors, but rather kooky garrison soldiers succeeding in their missions.
-Home and Garden: Cooking, Home Decorating (either "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous" or "Decorating on a Dime"), and home gardening shows. Popular with retirees and the aspirationally rich.
-Instructional: Demon and Monster identification, signs of traitors, farming techniques, Coalition history, recognizing psychic offspring (which has gotten more informative and less hysterical over the years), and practical repair.
-Game Shows: For obvious reasons, quiz shows aren't popular, but "normal people in physical challenges" is pretty popular. Run an obstacle course for credits! Swim through slime to win a car! There's also a growing market for semi-professional versions of these, such as over-the-top non-lethal combat between groups of soldiers, especially with human troops playing against enhanced soldiers and mutants. Things like cannons that shoot giant beach balls or foam batons, or grenades that explode into fire-suppression foam.
Coalition Expansion and Settlements
While wars such as Tolkeen get a lot of attention, the fact is that the Coalition is frequently starting new colonies in less contested areas. Most often, they will be started by retiring officers or NCOs, who receive a charter, and can get grants and low-interest loans to purchase decommissioned Coalition army equipment, which they will supplement with Northern Gun gear, and sometimes Chipwell power suits ("Half the price and almost half as good!" is not their motto, but it should be). There are corporations that will clear a site for you, build earthworks, and even begin the construction, provided the site is secure.
Frequent settlers are new citizens, term-expired soldiers, and provincials looking for new tracts of land; a young couple looking to start fresh might join a settlement and get a sizable private farm, rather than working for the same corporation their parents did, or getting a piece of a dwindling family farm. In rare occasions, entire units have retired together, building a new settlement. There are often incentives offered, both to new citizens and urban denizens, to join a frontier settlement, especially if they have in-demand skills. Additionally, those who are somewhat disaffected, and feel constrained by city life, will often move to the frontier, hoping for more freedom.
There is some tension regarding these settlements. Externally, of course, there are the people already living there, who may not want to be part of a Coalition colony (or get exterminated as being "undesireable"). Internally, though, many citizens, prospective and established, don't want to live in a wilderness community that may one day be safe and prosperous, not when they can live in a fortress city, protected from the dangerous world that the Coalition has told them is out there. As mentioned, the Coalition offers incentives to convince people to move to outlying colonies and, while it has not yet been implemented, has discussed Project Savannah, which would send convicted criminals to outlying colonies in lieu of prison.
New Skills:
Nuclear Mechanics (Mechanical): Skill in working on nuclear power plants and safety precautions. Requires NBC Warfare and Basic Electronics. 30% +5% per level
Nuclear Engineering (Mechanical, Electrical): Skill in design of nuclear system. Allows for modifications of existing systems to put in new devices (i.e. transferring a power plant from one manufacturer's power armor to another's). Requires NBC Warfare, Electrical Engineer, Mechanical Engineer. 30% +5% per level
CS Politics and Propaganda (Espionage, Military, Technical): Knowledge of political and bureaucratic systems of the CS, and general ability to assess CS reaction to item or act (and how to spin things so they're more positively or negatively received) 30% +5% per level
New Creature: Missouri Hill Dogs
-Alignment: Usually Scrupulous or Unprincipled
-The Eight Attributes: IQ 3D6+2 ME 3D6+2 MA 3D6+2 PS 3D6+10 PP 3D6 PE 3D6 PB 3D6 Spd 3D6+6
-HP: PE + 5D6
-SDC: 1d4*10 + 50
-Natural AR: 10
-Horror Factor: 10 (not to most humans, however)
-PPE: 6D6+2
-Natural Abilities: Nightvision 40', prowl 60%, track by smell 90%, Swim 65%. Sense Psychic and Magic Energy 55%, Recognize Psychic Scent 22%/15%, Sense Supernatural Beings 68%
-Attacks per Melee: Five
-Damage: Bite does 2d6 (plus PS), Claws do 1d6+2 (plus PS); will damage creatures of magic and the supernatural
-Bonuses: +4 Initiative, +8 to Strike, +7 to dodge, +8 v. Horror Factor
-Psionics: See the Invisible, Sense Evil, Sense Magic, Sixth Sense, Empathy, Telepathic Communication; automatic and natural.
-Value: Adult hill dogs do what they want, but tend to bond to groups, like families and flocks. Weaned puppies can sell for 2000 credits, with particularly good pedigrees fetching 10,000 credits or more.
-Size: About 3' tall at the shoulder, and 100-200 pounds.
