Briefing Page-Escape From New York

There are no guards inside the prison: only prisoners and the worlds they have made.

The rules are simple. Once you go in, you don't come out. Escape from New York The war began in fire in the year 1990. It has never really ended.

The world is struggling through the aftermath of a global nuclear holocaust. The war began suddenly and for what all sides said afterwards were uncertain provocation. Nuclear weapons ruined the breadbasket states of the United States of America and the Oil and Gold ranges of Sibera. The rest of the world followed suit in their own wars and the nations of the world fell apart.

What the people of the world do not know is that during the Black Road War between Amber and Chaos two intrusions of the forces of Chaos occured, like they did in Lorraine. One stretching from the North Dakota to the Gulf of Mexico and on east of the Urals to the Pacific Ocean. The USA and the USSR each responded thinking the other was attacking it. Other nuclear powers responded on their own.

Principal World Combatants

• United States of America and the Union of Socialist Soviet Republics.
• Republic of India and the Islamic Republic of Pakistan
• France and England. (Mostly a cold war that embarrassed both sides.)

Secondary Combatants

• Federate Republic of Brazil and the Argentine Republic & Allies
• Đông Nam vùng lãnh thổ(Southeast \Union) vs most everyone of Singapore.

North America

The new nations in North America have all agreed in principle that someday in the future they will reunite and reestablish the old United States. But in the mean time the regional nations are better able to take care of themselves then a continental government. Till the Reunion there are some mutual trade arrangement and relief efforts. Most efforst are aimed at solving the nuclear issues in Damnation Ally.

• Pacifica: California, Oregon, Western Washington, British Columbia, Alaska
• Northern States: Eastern Washington, Idaho, Montana
• Deseret: Utah and parts of Nevada and Arizona
• Mountain States: Rocky Mountains of Colorado, Wyoming, New Mexico, and western Mexico
• Mississippi: Southern Louisiana. For unknown reasons opposed to scientific law the region of Louisiana was unaffected by the devastation of Damnation Alley.
• Conch Nation: Southern Florida.Rising sea levels and a change in the crust of the earth caused a third of Florida to sink under the water. The divide occured leaving a wide gap north of Disney World, which was unharmed.
• Chikago:
• Detroit
• Minnesota:
• Quebec:
• Eastern States: The Eastern States is also the old Federal United States Government and maintains the illusion that it controls the whole continent. The other nations give it some respect but do admit it is in charge of Damnation Ally.

Damnation Ally

This region include the bottom of the Yukon through the Dakotas, Kansas, Nebraska, New Mexico, Texas, northeast Mexico. It is a nuclear wasteland with isolated and desperate habitations. Many radiated creatures exist and there are wild stories about what happened here.

(For Players from Amber they will be told and might recognize that the Black Road War touched this world in this area and in the north of Siberia where a similiar patch like Damnnation Alley exists)

Europe and Asia

• During WW3 a nuclear DMZ was created from the city of Kolingrad, through Belarus, along the Russian/Ukraine border, through Geogria, Azerbaijan, Irand and Iraq, Saudi Arabia and into the Indian Ocean.
• A region similiar to the American Damnation Ally was created consuming Siberia and most of the Far East. Inhabited areas on the Artic Sea developed as waters warmed. A semi-autonomous nation of Kamchata exists and deals with the Pacific Island Nations. Kamchatka is out of the ability of the remaining Soviet Nation to enforce its possession of it and so the central authority treats Kamchatka in a manner similar to the seperate North American nations.

Insurgent Briefing.

The New York Federal Penitentiary is a World unto itself. Many of the regions in conflict have little to agree on but sending their criminals to New York is one thing the areas can agree on. Of course the regions once belonged to the United States so they have a history between them. It is part of the Custodial Agreement that prisoners will not be used in other conflicts beyond the walls, whatever they may be.

The Federal Prison System was established soon after the unexpected outbreak of hostilities between the principal world combatants in 1988. In the 40 years sine the system began the wars have gone through several phases but the process of delivering prisoners has stabilized and has had few breeches of contract by participating members.

Insurgent Type

• Light Troopers. Day work. Deliveries in safe Zones. Teams are usually large. 10 to 20, armed with side arms and blades. Minimal body armor. Elbows, knees, gloves, helmet.
• Medium Troopers. Medium Armed with side arms and a mixture of Submachine guns and combat shotguns. . Supervise Light Troopers details. Light body Armor on chest and head.
• Heavy Troopers. Heavy Armor. Wall Guards. Route guards. M4 rifles and similar weapons. Protective. Wall-mounted Machine gun. Protective Observation Mounted Machine Guns
• Air Support. Armed Helicopters.
• Water Support. Mark 5 Special Operations Crafts. Reasonable armored.
• Medical. Medium Armored.
• Vehicles. Duelist Armored and Armed Motor Cycles. Armored Trucks. Light Tanks.
• Insurgents. Special Armor. Special Weaponry. Insurgents tent to be allowed to arm and armor themselves as they see fit for their trips inside.

Prisoner Arrivals

Prisoners are brought to the Federal Processing Center at the Newark New Jersey Airport. Brought by bus to the Statue of Liberty they are given a choice.

• Euthanasia. If they choose they may have their lives humanely terminated rather then being delivered inside.
• Entrance. The standard option is entrance. They are cleaned. They are given a wide range of medial treatments including drilling an filling all cavities, broad spectrum vaccinations, and either a vasectomy or tubal ligation as appropriate to prevent vasectomies.

• A third option is not openly known. Some prisoners are given the opportunity to become Insurgents. This option is applied on a case by case basis. These Prison Insurgents serve in specific locations inside the city. These include the Javits Center Compound. Whitehall Terminal .

Known Inside Groups

There are a vast a variety of groups inside the city.

Street Gangs

• Dutch Mill Raiders.
• Turks
• Blue Meanies.
• Furies.

Noble Caste

In the early days of the prison a man of unknown history assembled a great deal of power in the form of a source of gasoline, electricity, food, and luxury items. How he came by was unknown for many years but his supply chain was secure enough that he became known as the Duke of New York. His main underlings Were called Counts, and the lower ones barons. These individuals used the trade goods to secure the loyalty of underlings and to seize territory in the form of buildings. The structure was sufficiently established that after the 1997 Presidential Incident occurred the surviving counts were able to vie for the title Duke and control of the inflow of goods.

In 2020 Insurgent Team 38 discovered a defunct subway line from the early 1900s that had been sealed off and used to reach New Jersey. This ended the flow of goods to the Duke of New York. By then other sources of goods had been developed and the Nobles held control over many parts of the city.

COA : Children of Anarchy

The COA is a extremely diverse organization comprised of many cells with as few as 3 or 4 members and as many as several thousand. The important thing to remember about any CoA group is that the CoA compact means the groups are allied, even if wildly divergent from each other in their goals.

• CoA-Farmers. These groups take or create an area of arable land and farm. After taking their own share of th produce to eat they sell the rest. The CoA across the board, protect the Farmes since they usually give CoA customers first dibs at produce trades.
• CoA-Mailmen. These people know the city and know how to get a message to most everyone.
• CoA-Hats. These groups wear matching hats. Often violent.
• CoA-Blue Gang. The Color gangs spring from a program originally started by the NYAS and since supported by smaller legitimate charities. The idea was that supplying paint to insides would inspire them to decorate their environments and therefor become less violent. In practice the CoA seize the paint deliveries and parcel them out to different groups. In their areas the Color gangs paint everything so that everything is one color, rather then using the colors in a normal fashion of main color and trim or highlight colors.
• CoA-Purple Gang. Known to be contract killers.
• CoA-Green Gang
• CoA-Brown Gang. A response to the other Color Gangs, the Browns seize the paint deliveries and mix all the paints together to make an ugly brown. This group is known to be violent, lending Brown troops as muscle to other groups. They especially hate other color groups.
• CoA-Rattlings. Ratlings have sort of a Fagan vibe. A senior Ratling mentors young ratlings, taking in strays of various ages,
• CoA-Uppers. CoA group that occupy the top floors of a building, staying away from the dangers below. Reclusive.
• CoA-Theater Folk
• CoA-Dancers.
• CoA-Smiths: These are weapon makers. Mostly improvised weapons.
• CoA-Golfers:
• CoA-
• CoA-

Sportos

NY has 3 main sports: Baseball. Soccer. Golf

New York Aid Society

After President Wilkins's crash and subsequent capture and rescue from New York he left politics. He founded the New York Aide Society to help the residents of New York Federal Penitentiary. The non-profit organization supplies clothes, food, medical materials and personnel.

The NYAS provides food drops throughout the city. It runs a medical staff that flies in monthly at various locations. It runs an adoption agency that will remove children up to the age of 5 from the city.

For the first 10 years the organization was above reproach. Then it had unclear issues with deliveries inside and whatever the issue was it was covered up. THis has given the charity a somewhat dark reputation that they complain bitterly is undeserved.

Inside Places

Washington Square

The Dutch Mill Raiders live near by and run protection over the COA Farmers

Chez Rat

The third Floor of the Flat Iron building has been converted into a armored restaurant. It is considered a clearing house of who is who. It is also the best example of Stone Soup Barter Culture. The Cooks of Chez Rat will cook nearly anything that is brought in by the customers. When doing so they will add herbs and seasonings and side dishes. The price is usually a third of the volume of food brought. The cooks prepare the main item the customer brought then augment the meal with side dishes. They then take the Cook's Third and put it in Restaurant stores. As in most New York restaurants the cooks smartly eat as they cook.

City Locations

Federally Controlled

• Javits Center. A Federal Police Force internal unit.
• Whitehall Terminal. Originally the Staten Island Ferry hub, it is now a docking facility for police vehicles.

• Roosevelt Island. A major supply depot and military establishment.

CoC Controlled

• Central Park South. CoC-Farmers. Central Park south of the 79 st Transverse. Terrace Dr. This Area once included the Central Park Zoo, Woolman Ice Rink.

This area is heavily farmed. Many of the wooded areas have long been replaced with fruit trees. The New York Aid Society has a building at 170 Central Park West.

New York Aide Society locations

• The Old Historical Society Building. This functions as on of 3 heavily armed NYAS locations inside the city.

The Blighted Land-TirCon

This version of the Blighted Land, a Jeweled Amber Shadow, is reworked for use during TirCon.

The Shade of Amber it is part of is similar to the regular game and the details of game mechanics, general people, are all the same.

Prince Bley comments on the Blighted Land for in the Diners of Amber pamphlet and the King Random's Trump Deck

This place is just an invitation to commit violence.

The Blighted Land

On some worlds people are just bound and determined to make their lives dangerous and short. They take huge risks and, if they are lucky enough to survive them, may get no reward at all.

This is an Earth/Aerth/Urth world that has seriously lost control. It is a testament though to how people can survive almost anything. To go over the political dimensions of this world would be pointless. They change. Sometime around the late 1900s all law and order slipped away. Wars, nuclear disasters, militarization, easy availability of weaponry, advancing technology despite worldwide carnage, an extremely vibrant commercial climate and little regard for human life are all big elements of this freak show of a world. National governments ceding great sections of their countries to corporations more able to provide services to the populace. Many countries became little more symbolic. Countries turning their military against their populaces. Countries creating huge prisons for criminals of every type. One of these is the New York Federal Penitentiary at Manhattan

The remaining Chikago metropolitan is over seen by the Frasika_Spire[[1]]. A large Arcology at the top tip of Damnation Ally, a region of nuclear devastated land across the heartland of what was once the American Nation.

Many of the people on this world have begun calling it the Blighted Land.

Nuclear disasters destroyed vast swaths of it. Industrial waste and human refuse have spoiled another chunk but some of that is being recycled. City-States, corporate oligarchies, criminal organizations, heavily armed communal groups, and small Regional governments rule this planet. Many people cluster around huge corporate compounds that still do most of the producing. Transportation of goods has become a death sport. Technological advances were extraordinary in the face of necessity and the greed and malevolence of the rich.

The roads of this world are dangerous. There is an active sport called Autodueling that pits drivers against each other in both organized and chaotic conflict. The sporting angle of it gives a modicum of legitimization to the production of equipment that is then used, often as not, to further the insane degrees of regular violence on this world. National legal systems have allowed death-sports as a defined exception to the laws defining Murder.

Transportation of goods is done on the ground and on highways despite the road warrior culture for two reason.

First is the availability of easy to construct, extraordinarily dangerous remote control drones has all but eliminated air travel. Its difficult to mount enough armor on a plane large enough to ship cargo in. There is an underground anarchist organization called the Civil Air Patrol, that treats destroying flying vehicles as a sport. 10 points for a Cessna, 50 point for a F-4, 500 pips for UPS Air Delivery planes. Effort Shadow does not judge good and evil, but it does punish the stupid.

Addendum to the Diners of Amber article

Caine brought me here once. He said he wanted to find a world that had taken consumerism and militarism to the extremes. Someplace he could get a vehicle built for dangerous work. He found it. I spent a bit of time learning the hows and whys of this place and it makes no sense at all. It is a conflict of paradoxes.

This world is one of the most stupidly violent worlds I ever found, and i've looked, but it keeps you on your toes.

World Description

The war began in fire in the year 1990. It has never really ended.

The world is struggling through the aftermath of a global nuclear holocaust. The war began suddenly and for what all sides said afterwards were uncertain provocation. Nuclear weapons ruined the breadbasket states of the United States of America and the Oil and Gold ranges of Sibera. The rest of the world followed suit in their own wars and the nations of the world fell apart.

What the people of the world do not know is that during the Black Road War between Amber and Chaos two intrusions of the forces of Chaos occured, like they did in Lorraine. One stretching from the North Dakota to the Gulf of Mexico and on east of the Urals to the Pacific Ocean. The USA and the USSR each responded thinking the other was attacking it. Other nuclear powers responded on their own.

see [[2]]