In Singularity there are no good guys or bad guys. The times are post-modern. Everyone is entitled to his/her/its opinion. Which tend to vary in the extreme. Myriad groups, organisations and individuals are trying to survive and prosper in the changing world. Some example groups are provided here. The groups are rated by how common they are through the world, and the extent of their influence. Local means a small area, up to as large as a city. Regional is up to as large an area as a country, or a similar geographical area. Global means worldwide. Cults Legal and illegal religious and pseudo-religious organisations. Their influence can be local, regional or global, depending on their size. Examples:
Geographical Distribution: Global (California, Japan) Influence: Global This category includes numerous post-modern belief systems involving technology and mysticism. The followers typically believe in the magical nature of technology and science. Some also believe that machines have spirits that animate them, and/or technological devices can be controlled by magical rituals, and/or scientific advancement mainly results from momentary insights/ personal enlightenment that comes to certain gifted (i.e. with genius) individuals. The animist beliefs are similar to traditional Native American and Central Asian shamanism. Some groups also practice pseudo-shamanistic rituals, more often than not with drugs. In some areas techno-animist beliefs combined with/influenced by Voodoo beliefs and ritualistic methods. Many sociologists claim that the 21st century man cannot readily comprehend the complexity of his environment, and quite like his ancestors he tries to explain things through making them (in this case internet, robots, etc. instead of rivers, animals, etc.) more human and thus more comprehensible. They are pro-metahuman (cyborg and ghost) rights and pro-robot (AI and AR) rights, even.
Geographical Distribution: Global Influence: Global Headquarters: Jerusalem Current Leader: Joachim Beck As pressure on established monotheistic religions from modernity and new-age cults continued to increase, they responded by discovering how much they have in common. The One God Movement brings togethers Christians, Muslims and Jews, by making them agree on a number of fundamental points such as the existence of but one God, the God of Abraham. These people still follow their own religions but now they tend to see each other as companions in a world full of pagans and machinations of the devil. They think that since metahumans and AI are not human, they do not have souls, and thus are not entitled to human rights.
Geographical Distribution: Global (US, Europa) Influence: Global Headquarters: Los Angeles Current Leader: Mary Whitfield Gaia's Children believe that the planet's ecosystem is a living entity, and humans are a part of this unity. Some subgroups also believe that Gaia is not only alive but also conscious. According to GC, modern humans have been alienated to their true nature as a part of Gaia because of civilisation and thus grown out of control and became as cancerous cells in an organism. They typically believe that the human-induced change on the environment is evil, and must be brought to an end immediately. Their ultimate goal is to create a society in which man can relate to the environment without affecting it. GC, unlike other Green groups, is at the same time a religious belief system and some adherers practice rituals, which are influenced heavily by pagan/wicca traditions. They are pro-cyborg rights even though they consider them to be abominations, but are against ghost and robot rights.
Geographical Distribution: Global (US, Japan, Europa) Influence: Global Headquarters: New York Current Leader: Fe7iX TransHuman alliance is the union of the people who think that homo sapiens is the current height of evolution, most successful species ever to walk the earth, and is entitled to create its own physical, ecological and social environment regardless of any ethical concerns. They do not believe in Gods or deities, but think that human beings are Gods, or at least have the potential to become Gods. For the THA, humanity is not an end, evolution is not over, so they endeavour to to enhance their powers and capabilities beyond human levels through invasive use of technology (especially biomodification technologies and improvements in cybernetics). Main influence on the THA paradigm comes from the 19th century philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche. They are pro-metahuman rights, and some are even pro-robot rights. Smaller Social Groups Alternative local social units, from street gangs to secret societies.
Geographical Distribution: Global Influence: Local The cities of the world are divided into gang turfs. These gangs can be criminals or vigilantes, punks or goths, or similar groups with a dress code, social conventions/rituals etc. In this urbanised world there are myriad different gangs.
Geographical Distribution: Global (London) Influence: Local Goth movement is still popular in this post-modern age. From harmless black-clad teenagers to cannibalistic secret societies, Goths can be found in any city on the planet.
Geographical Distribution: Global Influence: up to Regional As the gap between the rich and the poor increased, the poor who did not have enough money to become consumers came to be excluded from the new economy. These people organised their own societies and economies and in many cases reverted to the basic tribal organisation. These tribal organisations include motorised nomads, ethnical minority groups, etc. and are likely to have their own social/ethical/dress codes.
Geographical Distribution: Global Influence: up to Global Not all societies are old fashioned. The internet is full of virtual societies, from online gaming clans to Hacker groups. Some Hacker groups are known to have influences which rival those of big crime syndicates (i.e. System Nine) Crime Syndicates Powerful organised crime syndicates. Their influence is regional. As the laws are more liberal, and the states are smaller and more open worldwide, power and influence of organised crime is waning compared to the turn of the century. Legalisation of drugs and improved synthetic drug production processes, combined with legal corporate competition over services add to this trend.
Corporations Rulers of the world, anything from small and flexible companies to huge transnational conglomerates. Their influence can be local/regional or global. Most large corporations have their own special operations teams, intelligence agencies and security departments. Corporations are anti-metahuman and anti-robot rights. Here are some leading transnational companies with global influence:
Shell (Headquarters: Rotterdam) Unoil (HQ: Houston) Asian Resource Exploitation Company- AREC (HQ: Beijing)
Nokia (HQ: Helsinki) TNX Cybernetics (HQ: Silicon Valley) MatsuTech (HQ: Tokyo)
Novartis (HQ: Paris) Synex (HQ: Boston) Pharmacon (HQ: Chiba)
Volkswagen (HQ: Bremen) General Motors (HQ: Detroit) Mitsubishi (HQ: Osaka)
Eurasian Aerospace Industries - EAI (HQ: Berlin) Boeing (HQ: Seattle) United Asia-Pacific Aerospace - UAPA (HQ: Shangai)
Sony (HQ: Tokyo) Virgin (HQ: London) Millenium Entertainment (HQ: Hollywood) Non-Government Organisations
Geographical Distribution: Global Influence: Global Headquarters: New York Current Leader: Dan Kwon With national governments weakening and the globalisation at its peak, the UN remains the main international authority. It is more important and influential than ever before. The UN security forces enforce the global law and the new world order.
Geographical Distribution: Global Influence: Global Headquarters: Los Angeles Current Leader: Robert Moss The Green Union is the union of environmentalist NGO's. It organises activities to further the green cause of protecting the environment and wildlife and restoring the ecosystem to its pre 20th century state.
Geographical Distribution: Global Influence: Global Headquarters: New York Current Leader: John Hardin WTO acts as an agent of the companies in opening up new markets to the global economy and keeping them open. It is one of the main tools of the corporations in controlling the world economy.
Geographical Distribution: Global Influence: Global Headquarters: Prague Current Leader: Tom Barber The Prague Platform is formed by the groups that oppose the new world order. These groups are characteristically anti-corporation, anti-globalism, and anti-capitalism.
Geographical Distribution: Global (Asia-Pacific, US, Western Europe) Influence: Global Headquarters: Tokyo Current Leader: Yasutake Ninoyu SfMR struggles to modify the UN declaration of human rights to include metahumans (Cyborgs and Ghosts). Government-State Organisations
The world militaries are smaller than before, in terms of personnel. Compulsory military service is extinct in the industrialised world, but can still be found in the third world. Modern militaries rely on robotic or teleoperated high-tech weapon systems. Many militaries, including those of the third world have nuclear capability. Many militaries also have access to bioweapons some of which can be used to target certain ethnical groups. Almost all have special branches for information warfare. Worldwide military spending continues to decrease.
In many countries, increase in urbanised population causes great social problems. Many big cities suffer from daily riots and terrorist attacks. Random violence is also common in certain (usually poorer) city districts. Modern big cities are usually divided into 'safe' zones of corporate commercial, residential and industrial settlements and surrounding slums that usually have very little or no police presence of any type (corporate or state).
Intelligence Agencies, be they international or national, are now required to keep an eye on a wide range of emerging potential threats. These include activities of new social, terrorist, religious organisations, metahhumans, artificial intelligences and corporations. Metahuman Control Board (MCB) units keep metahumans and AIs under constant surveillance. Until now no hostile or rogue AI activity is reported, but Ghosts and Cyborgs have in different occasions been charged with 'rogue' behaviour and illegal activity. Intelligence agencies cooperate more that ever, especially against terrorism and metahuman activity. Terrorist Organisations The new generation terrorist organisations are highly decentralised and usually are networks of groups with similar goals. Through their own communication channels and internet they can cooperate their actions quite efficiently. They also cooperate with other terrorist organisations to share tactics and information, or to organise joint attacks.
Geographical Distribution: Global (US, Europa, Africa, Asia-Pacific) Influence: Global This is a loose confederation of terrorist cells fighting capitalism and the new world order. The individual cells include anything from anarcho-nihilists to communists. FF is the armed counterpart to the Prague Platform. Their activities include attacks that target corporate data constructs, industrial facilities and personnel. Previous head of the World Trade Organisation was assassinated in Brussels by the FF.
Geographical Distribution: Global (US, Europa, Africa) Influence: Global Champions of Gaia is the armed wing of the green movement. CoG is a league of small groups; neo-luddites, Gaia's Children and other non-religious green cells, animal rights activists all contribute to this meta-organisation. They typically blame all problems of mankind on technological development and industrialisation. Their activities include bomb attacks on industrial production and research facilities. They are known to cooperate with the FF and SoG, and local neo-tribes for a different range of operations. They target equipment more often than people, but their attacks regularly cause civilian casualties.
Geographical Distribution: Global (US, Europa, Africa, Middle East) Influence: Global SoG is the militant arm of the One God Movement. Many former religious terrorist organisations such as Hezbollah are supporting this religious fundamentalist alliance. Their goals include banishing the devil and his servants from the world and founding new societies based on religious values. They may target anything they view as blasphemeous, but they typically respect other monotheistic religions. SoG is the least uniform of new generation terrorist organisations, as it is formed by fundamentalist factions of different religions. SoG is mostly a medium to share information and expertise and debate tactics.
Geographical Distribution: Global (US, Europa, Asia-Pacific) Influence: Global Spartacus is a terrorist organisation fighting for metahuman rights. Its members include Cyborgs and Ghosts. Rumours suggest that even AI's are involved, but this has not been confirmed until now. It is highly centralised unlike other modern terrorist organisations. Very little is known about the actual structure and members. Spartacus does not cooperate with other terrorist organisations. |
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Copyright Notice This entire document and all contents is Copyright © 2001, by Gizem Forta. Permission to duplicate for personal use is granted. You must receive explicit permission from the author (email: gizem@technologist.com) to use this game and any portion therein for public use, such as publication or convention play. |
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