Worldbuilding Realism Consultation Thread Mk. 4

[Welskerland]

So what are some tips to naming and designing currency. The official currency of Welskerland is the Credit because I couldn't think of anything at the time and I use it as a placeholder.

Welskerland is a constitutional monarchy with a Caucasian majority, but it isn't a European country, and has its own unique culture and history, so Euro wouldn't work.

[Crookfur]

So what are some tips to naming and designing currency. The official currency of Welskerland is the Credit because I couldn't think of anything at the time and I use it as a placeholder.

Welskerland is a constitutional monarchy with a Caucasian majority, but it isn't a European country, and has its own unique culture and history, so Euro wouldn't work.

Currency names tend to have long an convoluted histories unless you have carried out a recent renaming/reorganisation.

Crown (or the local word for crown) is a fairly typical name due to currency originating from monarchs/the government.

So think about where your current currency came from, who you were trading with and who spread the currency.

[Gallia-]

Dollar.
Real.
Ridge.

[The Soodean Imperium]

So what are some tips to naming and designing currency. The official currency of Welskerland is the Credit because I couldn't think of anything at the time and I use it as a placeholder.

Welskerland is a constitutional monarchy with a Caucasian majority, but it isn't a European country, and has its own unique culture and history, so Euro wouldn't work.

Florin and Guilder (or one of their many linguistic derivatives) are a good place to start. If you wanted to be picky you could say that neither makes sense if you weren't historically in contact with Florence or some Germanic country, but they're nice-sounding names for Western monarchies' money and don't get the love they deserve.

Another option is some name derived from a historical measure of size or weight, which would have been used when minting or measuring value in precious metal.

The boring way out, but the easiest one, is to use your language's word for coin or money.

[DnalweN acilbupeR]

How does your nation handle requests for gatherings/protests in public spaces?

In Republica Newland, the government is forbidden from any encroachment on freedom of speech and freedom of assembly in the context of mass gatherings in public spaces if and only if the actions of said gathering are not potential infractions. A good example of an action by a crowd of people that could be considered an infraction would be blocking a public road or blocking the flow of traffic on a public sidewalk. Practically, as long as there is no unreasonable disturbance to normal traffic flow on public space (obviously pedestrian traffic would be somewhat disturbed assuming a large crowd occupies a square or something, but wouldn't be completely blocked as long as bystanders can pass through the protesters/crowd with relative ease, and are not physically blocked from doing so), and no crimes committed, there is complete deregulation, meaning that all such protests/gatherings are inherently authorized by the government and as far as they respect the mentioned conditions there may be no government encroachment upon them (you do not need to seek permission beforehand or even notify the authorities) . Minor wrongdoings such as being a noise nuisance to e.g. neighboring residents will be dealt with a warning initially, and then fines.

In order to use public roads for protests in a legal manner, an organizer must first request permission from local/state/federal authorities, depending on jurisdiction. It is significantly harder to obtain permission to block one way of the road or the entire road than it is to block just a single lane. This request must normally be approved if the organizer provides a petition signed by significantly more participants than the average number of people which would use that road during the requested time frame. Other factors will be taken in consideration, such as alternative routes (for the given road). The police will attend the protest and estimate the number of actual participants - during the entire length of time that the crowd has been granted to carry out their protest on the public road, the total number of participants may not go down below a certain minimum (which is proportional to the declared number) ; otherwise, the permission will be instantly declared void and the remaining participants will be asked to leave the public road and forcefully dispersed/arrested if they refuse. If during the remaining length of time left from the initial permission a large enough crowd gathers again, they may notify police who, given they are available, shall come in a reasonable amount of time and make an estimation on the number of participants ; if they estimate that the required number is reached, they shall block traffic as they had done initially and allow the protest to resume on the public road. Up until this point the crowd will have waited off the public road, legally. If an unexpected, large inflow of traffic occurs on the occupied road, the protest may be moved off of it temporarily and resumed when average traffic resumes, with the lost time being recuperated afterwards assuming the crowd still numbers much more than the number of travelers on that road who would be affected by blocking it.

As far as dealing with riots goes, there are 3 main strategies:

1. Proactive riot control: quickly identifying and isolating riot hotbeds, in the sense of not allowing small violent mobs to grow larger to the point of where actual full-blown riots take place

2. Targeted action: assuming a riot has already started, and there are both peaceful protesters and violent individuals/groups present, plainclothes police, simulating that they are bystanders or peaceful protesters, will inconspicuously perform general surveillance, and the same or other plainclothes units, or possibly even uniformed as well, will disperse or arrest violent individuals/groups depending on the situation.

3. Trap and quash: in the case of riots of exceptional violence and/or where a striking majority of the people present are offenders and there are few or no bystanders or peaceful protesters (and arresting offenders is of higher priority than simply dispersing them), police, using standard and specialized vehicles, along with officers on foot, will create an impenetrable perimeter surrounding the area where the riot is taking place, and tighten this perimeter around the center as the offenders are pushed back and toward it. This will eventually concentrate all of the offenders in a small area. When this containment is complete the perimeter will be further flooded with police and divided into smaller areas ; trouble groups will be dispersed or arrested. The perimeter will be slowly evacuated ; more suspects will be detained or arrested during this process

Should be mentioned that the entire event would be recorded through various means: body cameras, dedicated camera teams, helicopters, etc. for evidence purposes as well as identifying, later on, offenders other than those initially arrested during and at the end of the riot.

[Welskerland]

Do the names of currency really mean anything?

I mean the dinar is used almost exclusively by Islamic countries, along with the Orthodox countries of Macedonia and Serbia. Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, and Sudan all use the pound even though it is also used by the UK.


The Czech Republic uses korona, a variation of crown, despite not being a monarchy. Iran has the rial, from the word Royal, but it is a republic.

[Austrasien]

Generally they did but lose the literal meaning over time.

Case in point: the ‎£

[Kazarogkai]

In Kazarogokai the current currency is known as the Gada which is a local word for shell. The reason behind this is quite simply the Kaza make use of what is known as shell money a historically rather common currency system found in much of the forest regions of africa. Of course a single shell isn't really worth that much on its own as such the typical custom is to fastem 12 of these into a string. This is what is known as a Standard Gada, the primary currency of Kazarogokai. 12 of these create a "Kadano(sash)" and 12 of those create a "Kesi(case)" which is used in larger transactions.

[Chinese Peoples]

How does your nation handle requests for gatherings/protests in public spaces?

Quite smartly.

While holding a protest on private land is completely up to the proprietor of the land, any use of the public roads that interferes with vehicular and pedestrian traffic requires a referendum of the entire city to grant permission. Along with a detailed proposal about the nature, extent, and expected attendance of the protest, the organizer must also make adequate provision for diverting normal and emergency traffic, such as ambulances and fire engines, that may need to travel through the occupied parts of the road. The city then votes on the basis of the nature of the protest, and the government decides on whether the organizers have made adequate provisions to guarantee the safety and convenience of the surroundings. If both pass, then the organizer may have their protest. On particularly large-scale events, a damage deposit must be put up by the organizer; a conference between government ministers and community leaders determine the amount on the basis of the value of the properties surrounding the protest. Depending on the terms of the deposit, part or the whole of the deposit may be confiscated by the city to pay for any damages claimed afterwards.

The government's inspection of the public safety provisions is very methodological; around 80% of all proposed events pass. The citizens, however, haven't voted to allow a single protest to happen since 1972.

[Taihei Tengoku]

Do the names of currency really mean anything?

I mean the dinar is used almost exclusively by Islamic countries, along with the Orthodox countries of Macedonia and Serbia. Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, and Sudan all use the pound even though it is also used by the UK.


The Czech Republic uses korona, a variation of crown, despite not being a monarchy. Iran has the rial, from the word Royal, but it is a republic.

Dinar derives from denarius, and was part of the Ottomans' claim to be Rome's successor. Middle Eastern countries that were part of or friendly to the Ottoman Empire adopted the Dinar. Those who weren't adopted some form of currency from an anti-Turkish power, like the real (Portugal) for Persia and the pound (UK) for the Arabs.

The Czechs were a kingdom in the Holy Roman Empire and so used crowns. Dollars also derive from a place in Bohemia.

[Allanea]

Typically currency names derive from the names of coins and/or measures of weight for gold/silver that were traditional in the area.

The word shekel - you knew this was coming - is a cognate of mishkal, weight. It was a traditional unit of measure for silver or possibly barley in biblical times. The words pound, hryvnia, and some others are of similar origin.

[Minroz]

Natural disaster is mainly an issue due to horrid state policies.

Natural disaster has also been an issue.

Famine is not a natural disaster, it is the result of a lack of civic institutions and government accountability.

From what I see on these points, it's better reform/built the civic institutions and government, correct me if I'm wrong.

[The Greater Aryan Race]

How does your nation handle requests for gatherings/protests in public spaces?

Requests must be made to the local and district authorities within the relevant jurisdiction where the intended gathering/protest is to take place, with the notable exception of the State of Prussia. All public gatherings and protests in the State of Prussia require the express approval of the national government besides the local authorities. Most requests are generally turned down, unless the requests are made by Party organisations for rallies or other mass gatherings.

These small instances and exceptions aside, public gatherings and protests are forbidden under law except at designated Speakers' Corners in various cities and large towns where organisers do not require a police permit and open-air public speaking, debate and discussion are allowed. Nevertheless, the police and security organs do monitor every single event conducted at these Speakers' Corners and will intervene in instances where the speeches involve obscenity, inciting and instigating violence or wilful disobedience of the government and insults against the Reich Chancellor,

[Purpelia]

How does your nation handle requests for gatherings/protests in public spaces?

As a general rule any large gatherings of people need to be registered with the local authorities at least a month in advance. Exceptions to this rule are given to special and sudden occasion (like say if an airplane crashed and you wanted to hold a mass funeral march). Each application must contain the exact time, date and schedule for your event as well as the approximate number of expected participants and a detailed plan of its organization.

Local authorities are obliged to carefully evaluate this request but can refuse it if they feel it is unfeasible, unsafe or otherwise inappropriate. Examples of what this might constitute include but are not limited to:

• Any gathering where the schedule or organization is seen as impossible, unsafe or not well thought out.
• Any gathering where the number of participants is higher than the location can safely hold.
• Any gathering where the event it self would be deemed unsafe for the participants or their police escorts.
  Like say holding a protest on the edge of a cliff.
• Any gathering which would pose an undue obstruction to the regular functioning of the system to which the location belongs to.
  For example if you wanted to protest right in the middle of a busy highway and obstruct it completely or in front of the only entrance to a hospital that's not allowed. We don't care what your problems are, you simply can not be permitted to ruin other peoples lives because you have it rough.
• Any gathering that has a reasonably high threat level of turning violent.
• Any gathering that is seen as deliberately provocative in a way that might cause a violent reaction.
• Any gathering that involves committing or promoting actions which are illegal.
• Any gathering by non citizens or for the benefit of non citizens at the expense of citizens.
• Any gathering in front of ducal palaces without the explicit permission of the Duke.
  Other nobles don't get this protection. But the big guys have to.
• Any gatherings within an unsafe distance from an otherwise restricted area.
  Examples include military bases, power plants and other major utilities etc. Basically, if things turn violent you can't be allowed to be within molotov range of something important.
• Etc.

Since most people are actually sane and reasonable however the most common result is that applications for public gatherings are approved. Once this happens the gathering can proceed and will be given a full police escort to assist and secure the event. This includes stuff like closing off traffic in advance, informing the public to the event, providing security for the participants, providing security from the participants etc.

[DnalweN acilbupeR]

Do your police still issue snub nose revolvers, if they ever did at all?

Does anyone else have a weird huge hard on for vintage police like especially that from the days of gangsters like Al Capone and whatnot?

It just seems to me that that all the current tacticool dress weapons and shit will never out-cool the stereotypical 1930-1940's suit-dressed, revolver or tommy gun wielding NYPD detective or the 1960-1970's dodge/plymouth/ford black and white-driving, LAPD-uniform wearing copper that pulls out a good old fashioned pump-action shotgun, with fucking old school wood furniture on it, and racks it . or the cowboy hat wearing, horse riding, rifle slinging hillbilly sheriff.

i should probably not start sperging over this or i wont stop

*in other "news" (and more for self-reference) I have FINALLY found a seemingly modern pistol chambered in 7.62x25mm Tokarev (albeit a chinese norinco copy of a sig p226) - it's called the DOMINION ARMS p762

[Taihei Tengoku]

Back when cops beat up black people with class ;~;

[DnalweN acilbupeR]

Back when cops beat up black people with class ;~;

Well if you listen to BLM they still do, but i digress.

Meh, I was just talking about aesthetics not making the argument that "cops were better back in the day". Yes, cops are better today for a number of reasons: they're more effective, equipment and training have evolved, accountability is better (see bodycams and whatnot), there is increased use of less lethal alternatives to guns, etc.

[Kouralia]

How does your nation handle requests for gatherings/protests in public spaces?

You must inform the relevant territorial Watch six days in advance of any protest which involves a march in writing, usually required via a short form which will be available online or in hard-copy at all Watch Houses. You must inform the police of the date and time, the route of the march, and the names and addresses of the organisers. The police have the power to change or limit the route of the march or impose any other conditions on the march as necessary. The march may only be prohibited if the Watch prefect (not merely the local commander - the prefect of the entire watch for the area) cannot foresee a way of preventing unconscionable disorder through these restrictions and police presence.

If the march does not have enough time to give 6 days warning (e.g. protesting a landmark court decision the day after it occurred), the organisers must inform the police that it is due to occur and all information as above as soon as is possible. If they do not do so, or they try to use this as a loop-hole without actually being unable to give 6 days warning (e.g. protesting the judgement of a trial the day after the sentencing hearing a week after the jury delivered its verdict), then the Prefect may prohibit the march on the grounds that inappropriate notice of it was given.

Back when cops beat up black people with class ;~;

Well if you listen to BLM they still do, but i digress.

Less 'if you listen to BLM' and more 'yeah, they do.'

[Gallia-]

crushed

[DnalweN acilbupeR]

In RN, protesters legally occupying a public road still need to make way for emergency vehicles to pass through. intentionally and continually blocking an emergency vehicle is an arrestable offence potentially in the misdemeanor/felony class.

(I mention this as someone said they take into account alternative routes for emergency vehicles in the process of determining whether or not to grant permission for gatherings on public roads)

[Kouralia]

I'm curious: do you think (or know if) the Official Secrets Act applies to the Prime Minister, or the US version applies to the PoTUS?

I'm considering having my nation's Area 51-esque location be revealed and made public knowledge by an incoming Head of Government post-election, and am considering the likelihood of criminal charges immediately following that event.

[Crookfur]

I'm curious: do you think (or know if) the Official Secrets Act applies to the Prime Minister, or the US version applies to the PoTUS?

I'm considering having my nation's Area 51-esque location be revealed and made public knowledge by an incoming Head of Government post-election, and am considering the likelihood of criminal charges immediately following that event.

In theory the prime minister could be charged for violating the official secrets act but a lot would come down to arguments over the issue of the lawful authority language ie does the prime minister have the lawful authority as head of government to disclose whatever he sees fit. I suppose that technically, by announcing the very existence of certain groups and organisations, previous UK prime ministers have very likely set a precedent that the holder of the obvious does indeed have the lawful authority to disclose whatever they see fit.

I suspect the main deterrence against this is more about politics than actual legality.

[Crookfur]

Do your police still issue snub nose revolvers, if they ever did at all?

Does anyone else have a weird huge hard on for vintage police like especially that from the days of gangsters like Al Capone and whatnot?

It just seems to me that that all the current tacticool dress weapons and shit will never out-cool the stereotypical 1930-1940's suit-dressed, revolver or tommy gun wielding NYPD detective or the 1960-1970's dodge/plymouth/ford black and white-driving, LAPD-uniform wearing copper that pulls out a good old fashioned pump-action shotgun, with fucking old school wood furniture on it, and racks it . or the cowboy hat wearing, horse riding, rifle slinging hillbilly sheriff.

i should probably not start sperging over this or i wont stop

*in other "news" (and more for self-reference) I have FINALLY found a seemingly modern pistol chambered in 7.62x25mm Tokarev (albeit a chinese norinco copy of a sig p226) - it's called the DOMINION ARMS p762

(Image)

I fully imagine that 1920s to 40s Crookfur police (or at least certain forces) did have some kind of snub nose revolver, probably short barrelled not- Webley fisheries in .455 brannoc and later .455 Brannoc super. Full sized revolvers would also be common as would 9mm and .40/45 semi autos.

Post ww2 era it'll all be about the 9mm semi autos across the vast majority of forces with more exotic loadings appearing in the 1980s.

60s/70s Crookfur detectives would likely be all about the German Inverse gun size ratio rule. Ie the bigger and more grizzled you are the smaller your gun is and the tighter your leather jacket gets

In the 80s everything goes horribly miami vice with a side serving of ashes to ashes and sideways rally spec cars.

[Gallia-]

How does your nation handle riots?

If detected early by surveillance or CCTV, or if it is otherwise spontaneous, the crowd can probably be dispersed by police officers politely asking or telling people to go home. If that doesn't work, then the police officers present will attempt to isolate the crowd by politely asking people to avoid the area. Police officers will erect barriers, form human or shield walls, or barricades to contain the crowd if it refuses to dissociate. If the crowd is moving, preference is for riot police to use shield or baton walls. If the crowd is very large, then police may request assistance from the Gendamerie, who have specialized anti-riot units in every province, equipped with armoured vehicles, water cannons, tear gas, and typical riot shields and batons.

The Gendarmerie also maintains small mobile units of "fast action squadrons" comprising approximately 120 men. The mobile units are technically motorized infantry (or more accurately, military police) and have access to all that entails, including assault rifles, grenade launchers, and light machine guns, as well as armoured cars (Patgb 90/50) equipped with light machine guns and automatic grenade launchers. Further, there are the Gendarmerie Reaction Squadrons, an armoured unit mounted in a version of the Patgb 90 equipped with a 90mm cannon and machine guns. The Ministry of the Interior maintains two reaction squadrons, each squadron has one platoon on "standby" and ready to assemble in 24 hours, and the MoI can have an armoured platoon deployed anywhere in the country in 36 hours.

If the rioting is spread over an area too large to be contained, such as a borough of a city or some such, or police forces are otherwise overwhelmed, then more drastic measures would be needed to restore peace. The Minister of the Interior can request that the Ministry of War provide a Gallan Army unit to assist in civil disturbance operations. Several units of the Gallan Army, including a separate mechanized infantry brigade and the Light Division, are routinely trained for civil control operations and domestic urban combat. Hypothetically, these units would arrive as equipped, deploying either from trucks, helicopters, parachute, or their organic armoured vehicles. However, the only time Army units have been deployed for civil control purposes has been during large, organized, mostly peaceful protests, to protect dignitaries and provide barriers to crowd movement around specific areas; their deployment for widespread lawlessness/anarchy has never been required.

If rioters do not disperse upon arrival of the Army, then the first priority of the Army ground units would be to secure important structures such as power plants, transportation hubs (airports, bus terminals, ports, and subways), government buildings (post offices, courthouses, etc.), emergency services (hospitals, fire departments, and police stations, mostly), and any distribution centers (warehouses of food/medicine/etc.). This would serve to relieve police officers already engaged in these vital tasks to perform the more nuanced role of peace enforcement through patrols. Secondary tasks would be assisting police in restoring law and order, through armed patrols, food distribution, and providing psychological presence. Military police units would be assigned this as their primary task, however, given their nature. If necessary, Army logistics units could provision convoys from distribution centers, under armed guard if necessary.

The Gallan Army, if needed, can deploy a light infantry battalion to a city in 6 hours after mustering orders are received, assuming the battalion is a ready battalion of its brigade, or 2 hours if the attendant assault helicopter battalion is used. A parachute assault in company strength can be organized in approximately 4-6 hours after receiving orders. A full light brigade can be deployed by truck in 12-18 hours, with the lower bound assuming an echeloned assault where lead elements are deployed by helicopter and the remainder of the brigade arriving by truck. The full Light Division can arrive to any major city in Galla within 36 hours of mustering orders, and assume its primary tasks within 8 hours of arrival using assault helicopters.

An armoured battalion, brigade, or division, moving by rail, can be deployed within 72 hours or less, with full equipment including main battle tanks, infantry fighting vehicles, and self-propelled artillery. The Army maintains sufficient rolling stock to transport an armored unit of practically unlimited size. Upon arrival, the armored or infantry unit G2 would immediately integrate with the local HUMINT and ELINT cells of the MoI and begin building a picture of the situation, while Army troops were deploying to secure government centers. The G6 would oversee ELINT/COMINT activities, augmenting the police as needed with Army assets, and the G5 would begin working with local government and police to distribute information. An Army lawyer or judge would liaison with the local judiciary. The intelligence units may come under a division-level, corps-level, or front-level command, depending on the size of unit deployed.

Army ESM, COMINT, and jamming systems would be deployed to monitor and deny GSM/radio communications. Army REC units could triangulate GSM emitter locations, while Army intelligence units analyze emitter information using COMINT systems to determine the identity of the emitter (i.e. SIM). TUAV and reconnaissance helicopters would be used to localize pockets of criminal activity, supplementing existing police and helicopter patrols. Tear gas, delivered from grenade launchers, hand grenades, or mortars, as well as less-than-lethal sponge ammunition, rubber ball grenades, rifle butts, flash grenades, and rubber ball directional mines would be used to establish barriers between rioters and important buildings. Main battle tanks may also be employed in the less-than-lethal role, providing shows of force and presence, using their main guns to fire blank charges above the heads of crowds which threaten government buildings, while mechanized infantry may be used to force a path through a crowd to reach a vital structure, or they may use non-lethal mines and grenades.

If rioters have not dispersed or violence has not ceased after initial deployment of Army troops, they would likely be ordered to assist police forces in suppressing the rioters through shows of force, such as armored and airborne assaults in view of crowds, mobile cordons and barricades, or providing a quick reaction force for police patrols. Martial law may already be in place, as well as curfews, and after ensuring security of buildings important to functional society, Army troops would be used to augment police patrols, conduct patrols in high risk areas, or perform foot, airborne, or armoured assaults on criminal strongholds.

In wartime, or some other dire national emergency, riots may be suppressed with force outright, especially in a situation where continuity of government is more important than democratic conventions. Under martial law in a state of general war, rioters may be charged with treason, sabotage, consorting with the enemy, or some other charge, and subject to immediate summary execution if they refuse to disperse or become violent. Alternatively, peaceful dissolution means Army internment camps for the duration of the period of war, however long that is.

Do your police still issue snub nose revolvers, if they ever did at all?

Royal Railway Police are issued revolvers chambered for .32 Gallan Service cartridge. They are not cut down.

The National Police Service and Gendarmerie issues P70 handguns, which is just a VP70Z, but chambered in .40 S&W.

or the 1960-1970's dodge/plymouth/ford black and white-driving, LAPD-uniform wearing copper that pulls out a good old fashioned pump-action shotgun, with fucking old school wood furniture on it

Gallan Gendarmes use M1 Carbines, Remington Model 81s, and Auto-5s. They have peaked caps, too. And MP5s, M16s, and VP70Zs, but the former two are only used by goofy looking tactical officers.

[Radictistan]

I'm curious: do you think (or know if) the Official Secrets Act applies to the Prime Minister, or the US version applies to the PoTUS?

I'm considering having my nation's Area 51-esque location be revealed and made public knowledge by an incoming Head of Government post-election, and am considering the likelihood of criminal charges immediately following that event.

Wouldn't prosecuting the Head of Government for spilling military secrets pretty much mean that the state has lost control of its security apparatus? What to keep secret is supposed to be the Boss' call not that of his underlings.