Re: The New Era

The debate seems to have moved onto the role of the Regency in the
New Era but since I've not been able to read my mail for the last
5 days I thought I'd take the opportunity to briefly comment on some
of the replies to my postings.

David Johnson:  I feel that the democratic institutions of the
RC are believable.  The Collapse is stated to have destroyed the
old Imperial government - it didn't survive to rebuild (except in
the Regency and possibly in a few Pocket Empires).  With the
disappearance of the Imperium I don't see why local populations should
have continued to respect the holders of offices in its structure.
Infact, the locals would have been more inclined to lynch the local
Imperial representative after all the suffering of the Rebellion and
then the Collapse (which lends support to your idea of a Revolution -
but I think that this would have happened in 1130 not in 1180).

Jeff Zeitlin suggested that the Hiver's may have re-introduced the idea
of democracy to the world's in the RC.  This may have happened (I think
that they'd certainly encourage it) but I still believe that a strong
democratic tradition could have existed even despite the rule of the
Third Imperium.  My reasons: the Old Expanses was a part of the Solomani
Sphere and only re-conquered by the Imperium during the Solomani Rim
War.  The Solomani (especially in the Sphere) are much more inclined
towards democratic government and the idea of freedom in general.  I
think this cultural belief in self-determination and individual freedom
would have remained even under Imperial rule.  With the Collapse, these
suppressed beliefs would have been allowed to re-appear (and fuelled
by the rejection of the Imperial system because of its' responsibility
for the Rebellion and the Collapse).

Jeff also stated that there was no reason to believe that the Regency
or the Reformation Coalition would automatically regard a Virus-based
interstellar civilistation emerging from behind the Black Curtain to
be an enemy.  Except, that is, for the fact that the Virus was
responsible for destroying interstellar civilisation and plunging
humanity into a new Long Night and that in all of its' most common
forms it is completely hostile to all non-Virus.  I agree that a
Virus controlled civilisation could be non-aggressive and even
benevolent but it will take a lot of persuasion and proof to convince
the RC and the Regency of this.


David Johnson said:
> the Old Imperium.  Imagine the response in the Regency (and elsewhere)
> should a `just and noble' granddaughter of Lucan (or Margaret) emerge from
> behind the Black Curtain at the head of a `Renaissance Fleet' anxious to
> bring `all of Strephon's children' back into the Imperial `family'.
>

I don't agree.  It would make more sense, as I see it, for the Regency to
expand and enlarge *now*, before anyone emerges from behind the Black
Curtain.  The bigger the Regency is, the less likely they are to be
challenged.  My assessment of Norris is that if a legitimate successor
did appear then he would be willing to swear allegiance and accept them
as Emperor.  However with all the democratic changes within the Regency,
the rest of the political establishment might not be too keen on this.
My view is infact the opposite of your view: you think that if an heir
appeared the ordinary joe in the Regency would be clamering to swear
allegiance while Norris (or his heir) would be desparately trying to
cling to power.  I think that Norris would be willing to accept the
claimant to the throne while the Regency's population, enjoying its'
newfound democratic freedom would be opposed to this.  Strange.

The upshot:  I'm still not convinced that there are any good reasons
why the Regency shouldn't be doing what the RC is doing.

David Johnson continues:
> Well, yes, but even the `newest' regions of the Imperium had been incorporated
> for more than a century which means any New Era xeno- or techno-phobia has
> only had a similar amount of time to develop at best.  I know the rulebook
> might say xeno- and techno-phobia are rampant in places but that doesn't
> mean it makes *sense*.  Remember, a *lot* of TNE grandparents are going to
> remember a *lot* of `good' things about technology and off-worlders.
>

I agree.  One of the weakest parts of the New Era setting is the time
scale that GDW presents.  As you point out, 70 years is a short enough
period for the high technology and institutions of the pre-Collapse
society to be in living memory.  The idea that 70 years after the Collapse
the survivors would be worshipping micro-wave ovens is idiotic, IMO.
Technology could be held responsible for the widespread destruction and
people could be (legitimately in the case of computers/robots and the
Virus) fearful of it, but I don't believe that they'd be endowing it
with supernatural qualities so soon after it was a mundane part of their
everyday lives.