"Ye Can Always Tell a Yankee, But Ye Canna Tell 'im Much..." American Characters in Space: 1889 The character generation rules in Space: 1889 are intended to permit the generation of British subjects, and succeed very well at that. The generation of American characters, however, requires some modification to the basic rules, primarily in the specific careers available. Likewise, since America differed from Great Britain in certain social aspects, this article will also summarize those differences. All page references are to the Space: 1889 rules book. AMERICA AND THE WORLD America in the late 19th century had just begun to exercise its economic muscles, and had not yet developed military ones. America had no colonies in 1889, a relatively small standing army, and some thoughts of building a modern navy. It did, however, have economic spheres of interest: Americans believed that it was their God-given right to go anywhere, and sell anything to anybody who had the money. The vast plains of the midwest produced grain in quantities previously undreamt of, and the burgeoning railroad network constructed in the 70s and 80s permitted this grain to be readily transported to eastern harbors for shipment and sale to Europe. American factories were growing rapidly, and while they were closing in on those of Great Britain, they had not yet overtaken them. Overall, the American economy was in its infancy, but some observers were already predicting that the baby would soon grow up to be a behemoth. Americans were world-class in one category, however: machines. Nobody could invent them, build them, or maintain them like Americans. When Oscar Wilde said "There is no country in the world where the machinery is as beautiful as in America." he did not mean physical beauty, but the beauty of a well-oiled, efficient mechanism. American machines worked, and they worked well, and American tools were acknowledged to be second to none. Americans had a fascination with gadgets and gizmos that was to continue into the twentieth century, and was to change the world radically. The back-yard inventor and the tool-shed tinkerer were typically American mythic characters. Tom Swift, Hank Morgan, and their ilk would soon replace the Horatio Alger-type heroes in American literature. In some ways, America is the same as it was then. In many other ways, however, there was a tantalizing mix of the alien and the familiar. Cigarettes (especially those new-fangled ready-mades) were still viewed as radical invention in some circles, and were illegal in some states. Edison (who chewed) refused to hire cigarette smokers. Baseball was the great American pastime in 1889, but the rules were not the same as today. In 1889, overhand pitching had only recently been introduced, and the batter could signal for a high or low pitch (the pitcher was required to oblige). The dimensions of the field were recently altered (the distance from the pitcher's plate to home plate were increased from 45 to 50 feet in 1881*), and no pitcher's mound appears in the rules until 1903. ********************************************************************** * * * Before you baseball fans write me scathing letters, bear in mind * * that the distance was extended again, in 1893. LKW. * * * ********************************************************************** AMERICAN SOCIETY "There are only about four hundred people in New York Society." one social arbiter remarked in 1888, in reaction to the publication of that city's first social register, which contained 3600 entries drawn from telephone customer listings, among other sources (this is not as silly as it sounds...the telephone was still something of a rich man's toy in those days). The statement is of value here only in indicating one person's opinion of the number of socially acceptable people in the largest city in America: four hundred out of four million. Class divisions in America were not as sharp as in Europe, and movement between them was much easier. Few families had been in America for more than a few generations and most Americans were not interested in pedigrees...only the present (and the future, of course) was important. America had no royal family and no titled nobility, but it did have a rough equivalent in the various "socially acceptable" families in each community. Social level in America revolved completely around money and how you had gotten it: If you had made the family fortune, you were nouveau riche, if your father had made it, you were barely acceptable, and if your grandfather had made it, you were in. The Aristocracy consisted of two parts: old and new. The old were the prestigious families of the eastern seaboard (like the Adamses) and families like the Vanderbilts, whose money had been around enough to have worn off some of the stigma. The new were the families of the self-made millionaires like Andrew Carnegie or John Rockefeller, who still had a slight nouveau riche taint to overcome. Unlike the aristrocrats of England, however, engaging in business was not socially forbidden...provided it was the right kind of business (that is, if there were heaps of money to be made at it) and provided that your family fortune had been made by a remote ancestor (it was acceptable to make money if you already had a lot of it to start with). Indeed, the aristocracy of America tended to send its sons into business (it tended to send its daughters to Europe, to marry land-rich but cash-poor noblemen). Government was the only other respectable career. At their best, these people could be quite laudable. Andrew Carnegie founded libraries throughout the country, and was famed for his other philanthropies as well. It was Carnegie who said "the man who dies rich dies disgraced." At their worst, these people could be totally ruthless and uncaring, especially where business was concerned. Competitors were to be eliminated by whatever means worked, legal or illegal, short of actual murder. The callous and conspicuous displays of wealth (especially during the minor recessions of the era) defined a stereotype for the bloated, money-grubbing, sybaritic capitalist that became a stock character in many melodramas and provided ammunition for anarchists and Marxists for decades. ********************************************************************** * * * THE RICHEST MAN IN THE WORLD * * William K. "The public be damned" Vanderbilt considered himself * * to be the richest man in the world, even though he admitted that * * certain British nobles owned more property, but he held that since * * their value was tied up in useless property, his income was * * greater (in was in the millions of dollars). * * * * People with less disposable income than Vanderbilt were only able * * to accomplish minor investment feats...such as that of New York * * financier W.R. Grace, who assumed the debt of two Peruvian bond * * issues in 1890, saving the country from bankruptcy and effectively * * buying control of the nation's resources (including several * * railroad leases, all the Peruvian nitrate deposits, 5 million * * acres of oil and mineral lands, and the Cero de Pasco silver * * mines). * * * * Unfortunately for players, people such as these are completely off * * the scale as far as Space: 1889 goes. If your character is Soc. 6, * * you are perhaps a distant cousin to one of these astronomically * * wealthy families, and you have access to only a miniscule fraction * * of the vast family fortune (assuming you roll high enough). * * * ********************************************************************** The Gentry were the less wealthy versions of the aristocracy: those who hadn't quite made the climb to multimillionaire yet, or who had fallen from that dizzying height. Ante bellum southern families (who tended to be the landord end of the sharecropper system) tended to be in this class. The Civil War (aka War Between the States) had eliminated (or freed) the bulk of their wealth, but left their pride intact. In the north, the growing economy spawned thousands of mills, factories, newspapers, breweries, steamship lines, railroad lines, banks, and brokerage houses, and their owners were accumulating money faster then it could be spent (remarkable though it seems). Not that there was any shortage of places to put it...there was always some new invention to be invested in (the cash register, for instance, or that new-fangled office machine that was revolutionizing business paperwork--the typewriter). The Middle Classes were likewise burgeoning. They consisted of the same sort of people as the middle classes in Great Britain, and in many ways were identical to them, except for a more optimistic attitude about their immediate future. America was obviously on the way up, they felt. Any boy could grow up to be president, if only of a major business concern. All it took was hard work, intelligence, and a free marketplace. The Working Classes of America's cities were mostly immigrants or the children of immigrants (between 1845 and 1917, 33 million immigrants settled in the United States). They labored in the factories of the gentry and the sweatshops of the middle class and dreamed of the better days to come. Unions were in their infancy, and this was the time of the 12-hour workday and the six-day workweek (although the burgeoning unions would soon change both of these). Children were employed as soon as they became strong enough to do work, and most women either worked in a sweatshop or did piecework at home. The lucky ones were employed as servants of the middle and upper classes. Nevertheless, there was still a good deal of optimism, and most believed that their children, at least, would have a better life than they. The Rural Laborers tended to be farmers or ranch hands in America, although in the some regions they were miners (copper, lead, silver, and gold in the west, coal in the Appalachians, iron in upstate Minnesota). Unlike Great Britain, there was plenty of room for agricultural expansion (the conclusion of the last of the indian wars had seen to that), and every day laborer could dream of owning his own farm, if he worked and saved. ********************************************************************** * * * THE CLOSING OF THE FRONTIER * * The truth of the statement above was largely due to the gigantic * * quantities of relatively inexpensive land opened up to settlement * * by the end of the indian wars. The census of 1890 would soon * * conclude that the American frontier no longer existed, and most of * * the country could be counted as organized, if not actually * * civilized. * * * * Except for occasional flareups (the Ghost Dancers of the plains * * indian tribes, for example) the indian wars were over. Red Cloud * * and Crazy Horse were dead. Chief Joseph of the Nez Perce and * * Geronimo of the Chiricahua had surrendered, and Sitting Bull of * * the Sioux had recently been on tour with Buffalo Bill's Wild West * * Show. The clash between cultures was inevitable, and the final * * defeat of the various tribes was simply a matter of time after * * 1865. Some tribes emerged in better shape than others, but even * * those that cooperated with the army (such as the the Crow) usually * * got shafted. * * * * Huge ranches (often owned by absentee landlords) dominated the * * grazing areas of the west once the indians were out of the way. * * The Homestead Act allowed settlers to acquire cheap land, but the * * influx of farmers was viewed with alarm by the local cattlemen, * * who often opposed settlement with criminal measures (such as those * * which caused the so-called Johnson County War). * * * ********************************************************************** ATTRIBUTES AND SKILLS CHARACTER ATTRIBUTES for Americans are determined in the standard fashion, without modification (although the definitions of the various social levels are somewhat different). The types of skills available are the same, and these skills are obtained in the same way as for British characters, although the specific careers differ somewhat. General skill points are allocated as noted on page 12. Skill explanations remain identical. CAREERS AND MONEY The rules on careers, wealth, additional benefits, and inventions outlined on pages 12-13 remain unchanged, except as outlined below. Government careers suitable for Space: 1889 characters are pretty much the same as in the rule book, with a few minor changes. Army: In the American army, there were no fashionable regiments, no native regiments, artillery was largely restricted to coastal batteries, and the technical services were quite small. The US army had no native regiments, but it did have the Scouts, which were similar. Likewise, it had no fashionable regiments, but it did have the staff. Americans didn't like their army much (in peacetime, anyway), and it was commonly viewed as a career suitable only for misfits, criminals, and the lower classes (those of higher social standing who insisted on joining the military tried to get themselves assigned to staff positions). Therefore, implement the following changes: Soc 1: Private Soldier-- Skills for Social level 1 are unchanged, but add the following branch: (dot) Scouts: Fieldcraft 1, Tracking 2. Soc 2: Noncommissioned officer-- Skills for Social level 2 are unchanged, but add the following branch: (dot) Scouts (end 4+): NCO, Fieldcraft 1, Tracking 1, Leadership 1. Soc 3-5: Line Officer, common regiment or scouts--Leadership 2, Marksmanship 1, close combat 1 (for 5, technical services are not allowed). (dot) Infantry: Fieldcraft 1, Wilderness Travel 1 (mapping), Observation 1. (dot) Cavalry: Riding 1, Fieldcraft 1, Wilderness Travel 1 (mapping). (dot) Artillery: Gunnery 1 (MLC or BLC), Mechanics 2 (machinist). (dot) Engineer: Engineering 2 (earthworks), Mechanics 1 (machinist) (dot) Surgeon: Medicine 2, Science 1 (biology). (dot) Scouts: Fieldcraft 2, Linguistics 1 (as troops commanded). Soc 6: Staff Officer--Leadership 1, Riding 2, Eloquence 2, Bargaining 1, Linguistics 1 (any European language). Navy: The United States Navy was somewhat more socially acceptable as a career than the Army. All skills are identical to those on page 15, except that "BLC or machinegun" should be replaced with MLC or BLC) since the American Navy was not as technologically advanced as the British Navy. Department of State: In the United States, the State Department is the equivalent of the Foreign Office (even though the only firm foreign policy in 1889 was to have as little to do with foreigners as possible). The careers of agent and Diplomat remain the same. Since America has no colonies, it has no Colonial Office and no colonial administrators, thus the Colonial Office career does not exist. The remaining careers are identical. Exotic careers are all identical to those in the Space: 1889 rules, with three additions. Shootist: Agl 4+. Wilderness Travel 1, Fieldcraft 2, Tracking 1, Marksmanship 3 (pistol). (dot) as a special bonus, the shootist may fire two pistols in the same action, thus getting off up to six shots per action instead of the normal three. Marksmanship is one less for both pistols. ********************************************************************** * * * Bloodletters and Badmen * * One of the classic characters of the American west was the * * gunfighter (aka gunman, gunslinger, hired gun, owl-hoot, * * pistolero, and several dozen other things). For the purposes of * * Space: 1889, a distinction is drawn between the white hat gunmen * * we have labeled shootists and the black hat gunmen we have labeled * * desperadoes. Shootists are mostly good-guys, and have some * * scruples. Desperadoes are basically crooks. Some examples: The * * James gang started out as shootists, and ended up as desperadoes. * * Wyatt Earp, the Sundance Kid, and any gunfighter John Wayne ever * * played were shootists. James Dalton, Butch Cassidy, and Lee Van * * Cleef (in _The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly_) were desperadoes. * * Historical personalities tended to be a complex continually * * shifting mixture of both good and evil. Space: 1889 characters, * * however, can (and should) be larger than life, and will show one * * predominant characteristic. * * * ********************************************************************** Circus Performer: Agl 5+ Theatrics 1, Eloquence 1, Fisticuffs 1. (dot) Aerialist/Acrobat: Wilderness Travel 2 (Mountaineering), Marksmanship 1 (rifle). (dot) Animal Trainer: Riding 2 (horse), Riding 2 (elephant or camel) (dot) Magician/Escape Artist: Crime 3 (Lockpick), Crime 1 (pickpocket). Gambler: Int 5+ Theatrics 2, Marksmanship 1 (pistol), Observation 2, Eloquence 2. Service Careers are also identical, except that Grounds Keeper is replaced by Cowboy/Frontiersman. Cowboy/Frontiersman: Soc 2-, end 3+ Riding 2, Wilderness Travel 2 (foraging), Close Combat 1, Tracking 1, Marksmanship 1 (pistol). Mercantile and Professional careers are identical. Criminal Careers are identical, except that Poacher is replaced by Rustler, and the additional career of Desperado is added. Rustler: Soc 2- Riding 2, Wilderness Travel 2 (Foraging), Tracking 2, Marksmanship 1 (pistol). Desperado: Soc 3- Riding 2, Fieldcraft 1, Marksmanship 2 (pistol), Close combat 2 (dot) As a special bonus, the desperado may fire two pistols in the same action, thus getting off up to six shots per action instead of the normal three. Marksmanship is one less for both pistols. RACE The 19th century was a time of overt racial prejudice, and feelings still ran high on the subject. It wasn't a very happy time to be non-white in America. On the other hand, things were not hunky-dory for all whites, either. Blacks and others shared the lower rungs of society's ladder with other groups: Mediterranean and East Europeans were just beginning to arrive, and were subjected to the overt prejudice that the Irish had finally managed to overcome. Jews were subject to mistreatment, especially if they came from eastern Europe. Physical appearance, however, tended to keep blacks, indians, and orientals on the bottom. The social and career restrictions below are reasonably historical. It might have been exceptional to see some combinations of race and career, but player characters represent exceptional individuals, don't they? Blacks: Blacks were the most numerous of those who could be distinguished by physical appearance. Reconstruction was over, and although slavery had been eliminated, the system of tenant farming and sharecropping that sprang up after the civil war wasn't much of an improvement. The so-called "Jim Crow laws" were beginning to eliminate the freedoms the Thirteenth and Fourteenth amendments had established, and the south (where most blacks still lived...the migrations to northern cities were still to come) was in an economic doldrums that was only to be made worse with the coming of the boll weevil (which would destroy southern agriculture as it was then known). The Civil War/War Between the States had settled the question of the existence of slavery, but the racial problems of the "peculiar institution" would last to the present day. Night riders (groups of white vigilantes) intimidated the newly freed slaves and persuaded them to remain in "their proper place." Only in the west, on the frontier, was there a measure of equal opportunity, but the frontier was rapidly vanishing...on Earth. All was not hopeless, however. In the 1880s, the first freeborn generation of American blacks reached adulthood. There were black colleges (of which Tuskeegee in Alabama was the most famous), black intellectuals, black scientists, black cowboys, black soldiers, black professionals (albeit they served only black communities), black sailors (one even commanded a coast guard brig in the gulf of Alaska, and as such was the only government for most of that territory and some of Siberia), and even black inventors. No reason exists why there could not have been a black anarchist (although the author does not know of any). Within another generation, a black statesman (Booker T. Washington) would be a dinner guest of the president. Black Characters: Black characters are restricted to Soc. 3 or lower. Blacks did not achieve ranks higher than noncommissioned officer in the army or petty officer in the navy (and then only in command of other blacks), and are forbidden from the Diplomat career, but may enter any other career for which they otherwise qualify Orientals: Japanese in America were almost unknown, but Chinese workers had built the western third of the transcontinental railroad, along with much of the rest of the west. They were subject to horrible prejudice and mistreatment in many places, and barely tolerated in most others. Anti-Chinese riots were not unusual in some areas. Oriental Characters: Oriental Characters are restricted to Soc. 3 or lower. Orientals operate under the same career restrictions as Blacks. Indians: War, pestilence, and socioeconomic factors had significantly reduced the numbers of the American indian by 1889. In 1888, congress formally did away with communally-held indian land, and gave each indian family 80-120 acres. The plan was to encourage them to take up agriculture. In practice, most were soon forced to sell the land in order to survive, or were cheated out of it. The religious revival/anti-white rebellion called the Ghost Dance began in late 1889, and would end (a couple of years later) in disaster for the tribes involved. Interestingly enough, it is possible for indians to have participated in the indian wars on either (and sometimes both) sides. Members of one tribe sometimes enlisted with the army to fight their tribal enemies (Crow warriors fought as army scouts against the Sioux, for instance, and it was not uncommon for Apaches of one group to assist in fighting another). Indian Characters: Indian characters are restricted to Soc. 3 or lower. They are restricted from all government careers except the army scouts and the navy. They may enter any other career for which they otherwise qualify. Hispanics: Americans of hispanic descent might be respected, barely tolerated, or subjected to prejudice as horrendous as that inflicted on any other group, depending upon the location. The old "land grant" families of the southwest were much like some European aristocrats in that they were often land rich and cash poor (and like them, they tended to marry into cash-rich but status-seeking anglo-american families). Among the middle range of society, different cultural values sometimes caused conflict between whites and hispanics. Hispanics were also guilty of their own form of prejudice...a distinction was drawn between those of "pure" european ancestry, and those of mixed european and indian descent. The lower classes were despised by both upper class whites and upper class hispanics. Hispanic Characters: Hispanic characters are restricted to Soc. 5 or lower (no Hispanic equivalent to the Astors existed). They may be treated with less respect in some circles, however. Hispanics may enter any career they otherwise qualify for, without other restriction. CONCLUSION This article was not intended to be a complete summary of American life from 1870-1900. I encourage players and referees to read up on the period at the local library (look in the card catalog under "Gay 90s" or "Guilded Age"). Its only history, and it won't hurt you in the slightest. For those looking for pictorial references, you might check out the Time-Life "The West" series. There you will find (among other things) that Buffalo Bill and Calamity Jane looked nothing like Paul Newman and Doris Day. -- Loren K. Wiseman (c) 1990, Loren K. Wiseman