Phoenix Rising

The backstory of Robert Kieft, founder of New City. Based, at least in part, on @etcetera ‘s Kieft’s City — an account of Kieft’s military carrier before and during the Zombie Apocalypse of The Cataclysm.

Type: ThreadPosition: (pre) STF | —Setting: 2050-2069 | various, N. America

Teaching Points

Kieft’s story would explore the events that formed him and set up the situation, setting, and government of New City. This would focus on historical events the have a strong parallel to Kieft’s experience (history repeats itself) and the ideas and systems dynamics underlying these events.

History: Parallel Histories

  • The Second American Civil War (The Cyber War) (2030-2036) || Dynamics of Civil Wars / American, French, and British Civil Wars (Hero vs Citizen worldview), Syrian Civil War or Current Civil Wars (Citizen/Achiever vs Hero/Citizen/Village/Systems).
  • The Climate Change Disaster (2050-2065) ||
  • The Great War (2051-2055) || World War 2
  • The Zombie Apocalypse (2055-now) || The Bubonic Plague, Spanish Flu, and COVD-19
  • The Wandering (2055-2068) || The Israelite Exodus,
  • Founding of New City (2069) || William Kieft & New Netherland Colony, Robert Moses and NYC Development

Social Studies: Value Systems and Political Systems

  • Capitalist vs Communist versions of Citizen Value System. (Can this be expressed as a quad of some sort?)
  • How the communist/collectivist version is attractive to the proceeding collectivist-oriented value systems (Village, and Universe).
  • Is another collectivist wave rising in the US expressed in identity politics and call-out culture?

Science & Medicine

  • Epidemiology and Pandemics
  • Infection Control Strategies and Systems

Proposed Gameplay

  • [gameplay]

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Story Outline

Story outlines use [7] The Seven Questions and [7] The Shape of Stories frames for their structure.

Why | Theme / Plot Potential

Alpha | Imperative

Beta | Situation & Setting

What (Internal) | Characters

Robert Kieft

Mini-Timeline

2030 | Age 18 Rank: Private to PFC — The Second American Civil War (The Cyber War). Volunteers for service with the Democratic Union Army because he’s strongly opposed to the socially conservative and nationalist/nativist policies of the GOP. Afterwards, he attended an officer training program.
2050 | Age 38 Rank: Captain — The Climate Crisis. Mission: Search & Rescue (amphibious assault training detail)
2051 | Age 39 Rank: Major — The Great War. Mission:
2055 | Age 43 Rank: Lt. Colonel — Zombie Apocalypse. Mission:

How did Kieft’s Raiders survive for 13 years in the Outlands? [Maybe related to Pandemic Response Plans]

What (External) | Challenge

Who | Meetings

How | Events

Crux | Climax

Where | Character Review

To What Extent | Connections

Omega | Moral / Plot Realization

Meta

Research Ideas?

Small Items: Post in the comments section.

Large Items: Create a post and link to in the comments section.

Suggested Keywords:

[keyword], [keyword]

Name: Robert Kieft was named for two prominent figures in the history of New York: [1] Robert Moses: designer and urban planner who shaped much of the city after the Great Depression. [2] Willem Kieft was the director of the New Netherland colony (really a de-facto governor) from 1638-1647, the first of two Dutch govenors before the British took it and renamed it New York. Kieft formed a local council but ignored their advice, massacring Native Americas in what he mysteriously called “A Roman Deed” and setting off a war. The colonists protested his leadership and he was sent back to Holland to be replaced by Peter Stuyvesant.

US Army Ranks: https://www.army.mil/ranks/

Becoming an You Officer: Kieft attends officer training after the Second Civil War. Apparently that’s possible with programs like “Green-to-Gold”: https://www.todaysmilitary.com/joining-eligibility/becoming-military-officer.

The Draft: Ultimately, @etcetera rejected the idea of Kieft being conscripted into the military. But I was wondering if it would be likely for a Democratic Nation Convention-aligned faction to support a draft. To find out, I began some research into the position of progressives and the Democrats in political debate around The Selective Training and Service Act of 1940 which set up the current SSA. I discovered this thesis which has section describing the political debate at the time (pages 50-89). Apparently support and opposition to the bill were not party specific, but rather along isolationist and interventionist lines (pg 73).

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