'Imperial Culture' (non-canonista)

[Astromancer]

Originally Posted by jason taylor

Cultural merging:

One of the things many ethnologists noted about the ISW era was cultural merging. Not only was there considerable Terranization among the Vilani there was considerable Vilanicization among the Terrans. This was encouraged by areas of space remaining disputed for years or even generations as well as by trade and intermarriage in truce periods.

Some of the oddities were utilitarian and some aesthetic. The two sides would pick up each other's equipment and customs to taste. The result could see some oddities as a Vilani ship using Terran naval custom with the captain's tolerance (only OUTSIDE of the view of a flag officer or inspector of course) or a Terran sporting Vilani dress. As much of Vilani fashion is attractive and Terrans have spent thousands of years fighting wars, aping each other in this manner is not to be surprising. Useful items like tools could be traded or captured back and forth and some minipolities lived on the border and took whatever side was convenient at the time.

Good call! Any two cultures in contact will exchange ideas. images, memes, and often genes. It would be another area for Anthropologists, especially the ethnographers, to examine closely. Just as a virus might be trivial in one population and devastating in another, so a meme harmless in one culture could bring chaos in another.

[Astromancer]

The Department of Popular Song

I'm stealing this from Chinese History when they had a Ministry of Popular Song. The songs were studied for insights to what was going on among the people. The DoPS would actually cover all of pop culture with a goal both of examining what's going on in the 3I and detecting Memetic warfare before it threatens society.

Often, skilled memetic saboteurs use stolen IDs. Which means the PCs could find they're getting the blame for a random ditty they now nothing about.

They PCs could also be agents of the DoPS hunting down deadly memetic saboteurs throughout the tin pan allies and cheap night clubs of the galaxy!

[Astromancer]

Throughout the history of humanni religious tradition are the Faith Healers. Most of these bring short term relief to pain and suffering by psychosomatic means. It can look like magic, but it isn't. Unless it is.

Picture Imperial agents who track down Faith Healers looking to see who is only a phony, who is a possibly dangerous real healer. Sure, some real psis who think they are touched by God's grace (or what ever the locals call it) can be left alone, sometimes. But most hidden psis, whether or not they know they are psis, need to be dealt with.

[Astromancer]

I wonder if the 3I should copy ancient China and have a Censorate. I just read The Traditional Chinese State in Ming Times (1368-1644) and on Page 50 of that book they describe the function of the Censorate. It seems to me that a similar office, also focused on curbing corruption would both give the setting a distinctive feel and be an interesting Patron for PCs.

The Censorate might send them anywhere in the Imperial realms to hunt down corruption. The lists of foes and distractions would be endless.

[jason taylor]

Originally Posted by Astromancer

I wonder if the 3I should copy ancient China and have a Censorate. I just read The Traditional Chinese State in Ming Times (1368-1644) and on Page 50 of that book they describe the function of the Censorate. It seems to me that a similar office, also focused on curbing corruption would both give the setting a distinctive feel and be an interesting Patron for PCs.

The Censorate might send them anywhere in the Imperial realms to hunt down corruption. The lists of foes and distractions would be endless.

They have the MoJ and the OCC. Those seem to be open to manipulation in that regard depending on the will of the Emperor or subordinate Noble who is doing it.

[jason taylor]

Shipcats:

A mildly gengineered species of the Terran cat commonly kept aboard starships as pets and vermin control. The chief notable fact about them is the artificially "tweaked" homing instinct that prevents them from wandering on port visits.

[Astromancer]

Originally Posted by jason taylor

Shipcats:

A mildly gengineered species of the Terran cat commonly kept aboard starships as pets and vermin control. The chief notable fact about them is the artificially "tweaked" homing instinct that prevents them from wandering on port visits.

Could some Shipcats be uplifted animals able to talk and otherwise be companions? I could see spacers playing checkers, canasta, or Pyramid Chess ( a game from Dune) with their shipmates. I could see someone asking "Is Fluffy a card shark?"

[jason taylor]

Originally Posted by Astromancer

Could some Shipcats be uplifted animals able to talk and otherwise be companions? I could see spacers playing checkers, canasta, or Pyramid Chess ( a game from Dune) with their shipmates. I could see someone asking "Is Fluffy a card shark?"

I never used that model because I had philosophical objections to having Sophants able to create other Sophants except in the normal fashion or some variation thereof (like tubing, artificial fertilization, etc, which basically use the same process and tweak it a bit). Vargr were attributed to the Ancients but that is so far back that their origin was mythic. And Dolphins could just be discovered to have a Sophant variation rather than uplifted. The gengineering I used is mainly to keep them from wandering in port and is a fairly primitive version.

That said, those that have the taste for such can make uplifted kitties and write interesting stories about them. And if you or anyone else want to adapt that concept, I did not copyright it and have no intention of doing so.

[ak_aramis]

Originally Posted by Astromancer

Could some Shipcats be uplifted animals able to talk and otherwise be companions? I could see spacers playing checkers, canasta, or Pyramid Chess ( a game from Dune) with their shipmates. I could see someone asking "Is Fluffy a card shark?"

I allowed that once... turned the game comedic. Yes, I allowed a shipcat PC. Was hilarious. I wasn't going for hilarity, tho'.

[Astromancer]

Bath Houses

The institution of the "Bath House" has been reinvented many times over and in the 3I where almost all apartments have bathing facilities these institutions function as spas and male-only spaces. As the equivalents of beauty spas and similar female-only spaces, these are sites of pampering, gossip, and similar things. Just as "girl-talk" dominates the Beauty Spas, so equally "boy-talk" dominates the Bath House.

Both the Beauty Spas and Bath Houses have the reputations of being places of assignation and other scandalous doings. Although most such places are only about hair care, skin care, and entertainments designed for single-sex venues.