Worldbuilding Realism Consultation Thread Mk. 4

[Greater Allidron]

I am in a quandary about maps. I want to make a map that can include both elevation and terrain (temperate forests, flat plains, high mountains, swamps etc.). Is this possible?

[The Akasha Colony]

I am in a quandary about maps. I want to make a map that can include both elevation and terrain (temperate forests, flat plains, high mountains, swamps etc.). Is this possible?

Yes. Just add elevation lines to show the elevation and color-coded terrain swatches.

[Saint Fedski]

I am in a quandary about maps. I want to make a map that can include both elevation and terrain (temperate forests, flat plains, high mountains, swamps etc.). Is this possible?

Sure, I've seen relief maps (shading) with symbols identifying terrain feature likes bogs and swamps. Probably easier with a standard topographical map (contour lines).

[Greater Allidron]

I guess I could do that. Thanks!

[Prosorusiya]

So...

I am running an RP campaign based in my nation in meatspace, and I am contemplating final missions for the campaign.

First a little backstory on the campaign: It is a sequel to one I did last year which started out as a Parliament RP but wound up going off the rails as a result of one of my PC's being an ISIS agent, and as DM I egged him on till he blew himself up. As a joke, I said his character got reincarnated, as a Japanese Schoolgirl, and that the Interior Minister he killed was reincarnated as a cat. On summer of Sailor Moon later, and the sequel campaign was born. Essentially, when the ISIS bomber went off at the end of the previous campaign, it created an alternate reality in which the bomb disrupted a leyline of magical energy running through the capital city (I envision this being like a river or thread). This disruption caused not only for there to be a tear in the bearer between the magical and real worlds, but for magical energy to pool. I want to have my bad guy, a reincarnation of Bill from Gravity Falls, appear and wreck havoc by setting off a nuclear explosion from a power plant, the pet project of a Treasurer\Mad Scientist turned President who was a PC in the last campaign and is an NPC in the sequel. He's a fun guy, he basically invented a bunch of literal magi-tech (unconsciously, basically the tech would not work if the players hadn't broken reality) and is responsible for my group being kick ass cyborgs.

Any suggestions for a small European nation when it comes to getting into nuclear power? I am assuming I should go to the Russians for reactors, maybe the Slovaks for guidance and Western control systems?

[Costa Fierro]

Nuclear power is expensive. Hydroelectricity and thermal power plants are cheaper.

[The Akasha Colony]

Any suggestions for a small European nation when it comes to getting into nuclear power? I am assuming I should go to the Russians for reactors, maybe the Slovaks for guidance and Western control systems?

Nuclear plants these days are basically bought "off the shelf" from a set of standardized designs offered by major contractors, like General Electric/Hitachi, Toshiba/Westinghouse, Mitsubishi, etc. The designs include everything from the reactor itself to the coolant loops, control systems, and even the dimensions and specifications of the on-site buildings. The entire thing comes as a single package. They're usually offered at several different output levels and to be self-contained, allowing new units to be added or decommissioned as demand requires.

In these cases, the license is purchased from the designer who may or may not serve as the prime contractor for the actual construction of the plant. Sometimes a domestic contractor would be preferred for political reasons, if there is one around that has the engineering capabilities required. After completion, the plant is handed over to the local utility operator to manage the plant, with support from the designer. This is how it works in most Western countries, including the US, UK, Germany, and Japan.

Some nations that have decided to invest heavily in nuclear energy as a matter of national policy, such as France and nowadays South Korea may end up putting all of these roles together, with a nationalized utility company like EDF and KEPCO handling all phases of design, engineering, construction, and operation. Russia does this as well. But this is only for nations that expect to not only build out a network of reactors with government support but also often expect to market these reactors internationally to reap some profits.

Costa Fierro though is correct in that nuclear power is probably not especially economical in your case. Nuclear plants tend to have very high capital costs and nations tend to invest in nuclear power for geopolitical rather than economic reasons, usually to reduce reliance on imported fossil fuels that may provide an unwanted source of leverage to a potentially hostile power. Or to develop and support a particular heavy industrial sector. If you are willing to import reactors (and presumably the fuel too) from the Russians, you may as well just stick with oil/gas/coal since those are far cheaper and you're still dependent on imports anyway.

[The Soodean Imperium]

Reposting this since it seems to have been bottom-paged and I want a little more feedback before I go ahead and implement changes.

Semi-related question while we're on this topic: is there any precedent for a municipal government converting ground-level railways to elevated ones because the city has grown around them? Or would there be another solution to this? Either way, how would it be done to avoid disrupting rail traffic during construction? As I mentioned earlier, the main passenger lines in both cities were originally laid down in the 1870s-ish as a multi-purpose ground-level line around the outskirts, but it would be nice if I could have them be elevated lines later on when they solely carry electrified passenger trains

I don't see the southern and northern freight lines being connected, unless you're doing what we (or I at least) suggested vis a vis the rail corridors.

You're right, they're not

Would it be sufficient to connect them off the southern edge of the map, and adjust their courses to suggest this? It's still tacking an extra 100 kms or so onto the journey, but if the Gyŏngnam line is electrified and elevated it may struggle with tall and heavy well cars passing through all the time.

That's how it works IRL, with even high speed trains sharing the same track to get into major stations. I used the TGV in France about eight years ago and they ran TGV sets on regular rails and the trains often routed into major stations in places like Paris on normal rails also. It's cheaper and better to have one major station catering to all commuter and intercity passenger trains (providing traffic management is good to reduce delays) rather than building two separate stations for normal and high speed trains (as is the case in Avignon).

Maybe it's hard to see here, but the high-speed line does merge alongside regular passenger trains while moving through the city, and stops at Donggyŏng Main Station. The high-speed trains use standard gauge and are electrified, so they could move onto regular rails during this stage. Though I'd imagined having two sets of track running in either direction down that trunk so that traffic from commuter trains wouldn't interfere as much with the high-speed and express intercity lines.

Commuter stations would concentrate principally on where the population is most dense, so suburban areas where there might be a stop every couple of kilometres. The wider metropolitan area is less dense but still a source of significant commuter traffic so it could be a case of having one station in every major population center outside of the capital's main urban area.

Right now I have one station in each population center large enough to be marked red on the map, sometimes two, and occasionally stations in between where the rail line passes a highway or something. But that's still about 5-10 kms between stations on average, compared to 2-3 kms between stations on New York's Harlem Line for example. And I'm not sure if it's worth adding more stops in between given that much of the empty space is smallholder agriculture rather than middle-class suburbs.

I'm also divided over whether to add more commuter stops within the city center, which would increase delays but serve commuters better, or use express service to larger and more widely spaced stations, with the understanding that passengers will use the subway lines spreading out from those hubs.

But to say that it's cheaper and better to have a single station as a general statement is, IMO, hard to defend. It varies too much from city to city to be true.

Literal path dependency

[Prosorusiya]

Would it still make sense if it were more of a single plant built as a propaganda piece\in a setting where nuke power if becoming more common? This would be used for a near future\ cyber punk setting in the 2020s...

I not, I'll just scrap it. If I have some time, I'll post rough maps for the RP I'm running in meatspace of a cyberpunk version of Grozny that is under going a redesign...

[The Akasha Colony]

Would it still make sense if it were more of a single plant built as a propaganda piece\in a setting where nuke power if becoming more common? This would be used for a near future\ cyber punk setting in the 2020s...

I not, I'll just scrap it. If I have some time, I'll post rough maps for the RP I'm running in meatspace of a cyberpunk version of Grozny that is under going a redesign...

If it's a prestige project then cost is less of an issue, because prestige projects are somewhat inherently not based on a tangible economic benefit.

[Welskerland]

I need help creating a national anthem. I want to use real songs as the basis or at least inspiration but write my own lyrics.

What genres are national anthems usually?

[NeuPolska]

Shoot for something orchestral

[Welskerland]

Shoot for something orchestral

That's what I'm thinking. I want orchestral/symphonic but I don't know any good pieces to use. I don't want to use music of well known composers just because it would be too obvious and I want it to sound grandiose.

[Hyggemata]

Shoot for something orchestral

That's what I'm thinking. I want orchestral/symphonic but I don't know any good pieces to use. I don't want to use music of well known composers just because it would be too obvious and I want it to sound grandiose.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pKpsm754cVk

[The Greater Aryan Race]

Shoot for something orchestral

That's what I'm thinking. I want orchestral/symphonic but I don't know any good pieces to use. I don't want to use music of well known composers just because it would be too obvious and I want it to sound grandiose.

The Ukrainian and Croatian national anthems are fairly decent. And the Polish anthem. Majestic albeit melancholic pieces these.

[DnalweN acilbupeR]

OK, so I know we've been over this at least once, but I'll still go for it:

In Republica Newland, I currently have the following arrangement in place to tackle government corruption and abuse (remember RN has a semi-decentralized police service):

-Government corruption and abuse is investigated by the Police, more specifically by the Investigations Bureau of the respective local/county/state/federal agency (which is a part of the Intelligence Branch of the Police and handles all general scope investigation duties)

-Corruption and abuse of or related to a Police agency itself is investigated by that Police agency, more specifically by the Internal Control and Counterintelligence Bureau (also part of the Intelligence Branch) of the respective local/county/state/federal agency. The ICCI is separated from the main investigations body, the Investigations Bureau, in order to prevent "blue code of silence", cop camaraderie and abuse of authority/influence-type situations from developing which could potentially interfere with an investigation. The ICCI are not typically supposed to collaborate much or have much contact with the rest of their agency for the reasons stated above. Essentially the point is to instill them with the concept that they are there to catch bad cops, period.

Both Investigations Bureau and ICCI Bureau cases as well as any other cases are obligatorily reported "up the chain of command" to the superior agencies. A superior agency, typically the next higher agency, may, for a good reason, perform oversight of an investigation, investigate along with the first agency, perform its own parallel investigation, or completely take over the investigation altogether. This would be done by the respective agency's Investigations Bureau, thus formally treating the case (even an ICCI case) as regular government corruption/abuse versus tasking the agency's ICCI Bureau with the lower agency's ICCI cases.

Certain cases where the suspect(s) are thought to hold a considerable amount of influence in the police agency although not being police officers of that agency themselves may be initiated directly by the ICCI or transferred to ICCI at some point in time or even given directly to the next higher (or even higher level) agency (possibly directly to its' own ICCI).

---------------------------------

So, as you can see, there are certain checks and balances in place, but my main problems are:

a) The government in policing the government
b) The police is policing the police

, both of which have had IRL bad consequences plenty of times especially without some type of independent and/or civilian oversight or control.

It is worthwhile to note that RN as a country has relatively low if not near to inexistent government and police corruption and "blue wall of silence"-type attitudes compared to e.g. an IRL worldwide average. This can be attributed to culture, harsh penalties, training or accountability and control&discipline measures or a combination of the above.

So basically I'd reckon my current system would work just fine if not actually be plenty effective in a (semi-)ideal world where even if there is the possibility of dirty cops etc. existing, at least the striking majority of counter-dirty-cops are supposed to be clean and there are measures in place to take care of the rest.

However, I was wondering, if I were to have a higher incidence of bad/corrupt cops/government clerks and officials, would the system still work, or would I need to change something? And if so, what should I change? What is the most effective way to ensure good police accountability and control/discipline? A separate government entity? Independent civilian oversight? A combination of the two? Draconian penalties for offenders?

[Allanea]

That's what I'm thinking. I want orchestral/symphonic but I don't know any good pieces to use. I don't want to use music of well known composers just because it would be too obvious and I want it to sound grandiose.

The Ukrainian and Croatian national anthems are fairly decent. And the Polish anthem. Majestic albeit melancholic pieces these.

It helps the Ukrainian, Polish, and Israeli anthem are clearly poetic influences on each other.

In Poland...

Poland has not yet died,
So long as we still live.
What the alien power has seized from us,
We shall recapture with a sabre.

In Ukraine...

Ukraine's glory has not yet died, nor her freedom,
Upon us, compatriots, fate shall smile once more.
Our enemies will vanish, like dew in the morning sun,
And we too shall rule, brothers, in a free land of our own.

In Yugoslavia:

Hey, Slavs, there still lives
the word of our grandfathers
While for the nations beats the heart
of their sons!

In Slovakia:

Hey, Slovaks, there still lives
the Slovak language
While for the nations beats the heart
of their sons!

In Israel:

As long as the Jewish spirit is yearning deep in the heart,
With eyes turned toward the East, looking toward Zion,
Then our hope - the two-thousand-year-old hope - will not be lost:
To be a free people in our land,
The land of Zion and Jerusalem.

[Eulenberg]

Actually I find that both libertarianism and base Marxism have the absolute same problem. They rely on people being good by nature. And that is absolutely positively 1000% undeniably wrong. People are monsters, plain and simple. Being good is no more natural to us than presenting a paw to shake is to a dog. It's trained behavior.

And I find that all freedom loving ideologies, be they relent on good through individual expression or good through cooperation fail because people just won't do good until you force feed it to them during their formative years. And that's hardly free now is it?

Well, someone has no idea about Psychology

[Allanea]

Actually I find that both libertarianism and base Marxism have the absolute same problem. They rely on people being good by nature. And that is absolutely positively 1000% undeniably wrong. People are monsters, plain and simple. Being good is no more natural to us than presenting a paw to shake is to a dog. It's trained behavior.

Only if you have some highly unreasonable definition of 'goodness'.

[DnalweN acilbupeR]

Another question: what is the relationship between the prosecutor/prosecutor's office and the police? What do you think is the best type of relationship between the two?

In RN, prosecution is not considered to be part of the judiciary. There is no concept of "magistrates" in the sense of judges and prosecutors. Prosecutors are considered part of law enforcement along with the police and are independent from the courts. Additionally, there exists private prosecution in RN. In other words, any party who can legally gather enough evidence to convince a judge that there exists probable cause to arrest a 3rd party whom they suspect has committed a crime has the right to do so.

Additionally, in RN, as opposed to some countries IRL, the prosecutor is pretty much relegated to the role of "offense lawyer", i.e. taking care of the legal proceedings and convincingly presenting the case in court and conducting the work of the prosecution during the criminal trial. Although good relationships usually form between the two, police officers are not somehow subordinated to the prosecutor. The prosecutor does not directly lead the investigation. He will normally indicate to the police what sort of evidence he thinks he would require to secure a conviction and there will exist back and forth communication, but his role is merely advisory to the police who are free to conduct the investigation as they wish. As such, a prosecutor in RN will not necessarily be very experienced in police work, but will be skilled at coming up with a convincing case and presenting it in a court of law. In other words, he will make for a good lawyer, but not necessarily so much a good cop leader.

In RN, the following terminology is used:

• Public prosecutor - Prosecuting lawyer representing the government in a criminal trial
• Private prosecutor - Prosecuting lawyer representing a private party in a criminal trial
• Defense lawyer - Lawyer representing a defendant in a criminal trial
• Solicitor - Lawyer representing the government as the plaintiff in a civil trial
• Attorney - Lawyer representing the government as the respondent in a civil trial
• Lawyer - Lawyer representing a private party plaintiff or respondent in a civil trial

[Korva]

korvan legal system:

police bring cases and then prosecutors plea them all out cause its a fire hose

[Gallia-]

Actually I find that both libertarianism and base Marxism have the absolute same problem. They rely on people being good by nature. And that is absolutely positively 1000% undeniably wrong. People are monsters, plain and simple. Being good is no more natural to us than presenting a paw to shake is to a dog. It's trained behavior.

Only if you have some highly unreasonable definition of 'goodness'.

The real truth is that people only go in the direction you push them.

The optimal future is all action guided by discovered algorithms of psychology and economics.

[DnalweN acilbupeR]

I'll just continue sperging about police and law enforcement since I have no better thing to do ATM.

The Investigations Bureau of the Intelligence Branch of RN police agencies (whether local, county, state or federal) may include the following:

• Violent Crime Division [VC]
  
  • Homicide Sub-Division [HOMICIDE]
  • Rape, Child Abuse and Human Trafficking Sub-Division [R-C-HT]
  • Robbery and Kidnapping Sub-Division [ROB-KID]
  • Assault and Battery Sub-Division [AS-B]
  • Animal Abuse Sub-Division [A-AB]
• Property Crime Division [PC]
  
  • Economic and Financial Sub-Division [ECO-FIN]
  • Burglary and Theft Sub-Division [BUR-T]
  • Arson and Criminal Damage Sub-Division [A-CRID]
• Statutory Crime Division [STC]
  
  • Firearms and Explosives Sub-Division [F-EX]
  • Traffic Sub-Division [TRAFFIC]
  • Vice Sub-Division [VICE]
  • Environmental Sub-Division [ENVI]
• Special Crime Division [SPC]
  
  • Anti-terrorism Sub-Division [ANTI-TERRO]
  • Counterintelligence Sub-Division [CO-INTEL]
  • Sabotage and Treason Sub-Division [SAB-RE]
  • Abuse Brutality Corruption Sub-Division [A-B-C]

The Investigations Bureau can also be divided into Detectives and Forensics.

[Rich and Corporations]

The Investigations Bureau of the Intelligence Branch of RN police agencies (whether local, county, state or federal) may include the following:

aren't all those crimes related?

in my country crime fighting is outsourced to Cambridge Analytics

[DnalweN acilbupeR]

The Investigations Bureau of the Intelligence Branch of RN police agencies (whether local, county, state or federal) may include the following:

aren't all those crimes related?

in my country crime fighting is outsourced to Cambridge Analytics

Not sure what your point is.

RL PD's commonly have divisions such as Homicide, Narcotics, etc.