Civil Society

Civil Society

Arts & Entertainment Arts & Entertainment "World-class museums, cutting-edge galleries, and ubiquitous street murals make this city a trove of creative riches." – New York Magazine  Philadelphia is one of the United States' most historic cities. Home to over 26 museums and countless historical landmarks, it is a cultural center of gravity that only seems insignificant in comparison to New York City in whose close proximity Philadelphia nonetheless thrives.  It has an incredibly vibrant arts district on South Broad street, expanding arts areas in its sprawling suburbs such as, Norristown, and Doylestown. Active theaters, music venues, comedy clubs, art galleries, street murals, concert halls, film festivals, and outdoor craft shows can all be found within and surrounding the city itself. There are open air shopping experiences such as those in Peddler's Village in Bucks County, and even a seasonal Christmas Village that pops up in Center City every winter.  Many treat the Philadelphia art and entertainment scene as a staging ground for entrance into New York's more prominent one, and to some extent this is true. Comedians workshop here, artists find residencies here, and hip hop artists from DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince to Meek Mill consider Philadelphia to be their point of origin, if not their home. It's a simmering stew of cultural and artistic influences from around the world, creating a unique crucible for creation of one's art and one's reputation. Rules and System  Status in Arts & Entertainment can reflect numerous occupations and influences. Perhaps you are an artist trying to make a name for yourself, a documentarian trying to shine light on a social ill. Or maybe you're a gallery owner profiting off of the artistry in others that you have always lacked, or one of Philadelphia's moneyed elite snatching up artwork for your mansion on the Main Line. You could be a performer, a musician, a show promoter, or a club owner. A stage manager for a local theater, or an actor in local commercials. Your status in Arts & Entertainment is less about your fame as it is about your influence, and influence can be entirely incongruous with talent and fame. Status 1: Starving Artist, Battle of the Bands Hopeful, Open Mic Night Comic Status 2: Gallery Owner, Play Director, Theater Owner Status 3: Producer, Artist in Residence, Museum Curator, Foundation Fundraiser Status 4: Board of Directors of an Arts Charity, Influential Artist Status 5: Cultural Icon and Trend Setter Joining the Sphere  There are no particular requirements necessary to enter play with Arts & Entertainment status, though you should give consideration in your background to how and why they acquired what influence they have. And especially how they maintain it. Earning it in play is as simple as either entering the space as an artist, providing space for artists to enter, or funding such artists or their spaces.  This facet of society is as much about what you can make happen as what you can make, and those who consistently deliver find themselves called upon to keep on delivering. Those who slow down soon find themselves passed by and forgotten. Theme and Society  Philadelphia is home to collections from Cezanne, Matisse, Monet, and O'Keefe. It is also home to a thriving "folk art" movement. The tension between those who consider European art to be "fine art" and those who consider Afrotrends or the art of Latin America to be "folk art" cannot by stressed enough. As with most aspects of Philadelphia's civil society, there is a profound racial and class divide that is patently visible to any who spend much time involved in the space. Even the paternalistic patronage of a wealthy white philanthropist in "elevating folk art", however well intentioned, could be construed by many as evidence of this cancer within Philadelphia's cultural corpus.  Galleries vie for visibility and limited oxygen, venues rise and fall with the fickle tastes of the public. Philadelphia's vox populi has never shied away from rendering harsh and summary verdicts. Praise can be hard to come by, and criticism falls like rain on the heads of the worthy and wanting alike.  Lots of people have talent. Some have the drive. And a very few have luck on their side, besides. Current Plots TBA Education Education "Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn." – Benjamin Franklin  The city and county of Philadelphia is home to an astonishing 115 colleges and universities, 300 public schools, and nearly 100 charter schools. This isn't counting the 60 catholic schools among the 235 private schools within the city limits. Taken altogether, Philadelphia's education infrastructure is some of the most impressive in the nation. It gets high ranks for its college programs and poor ones for its public schools. Its charter schools march in lock step with the strides of most of the city schools, only they do it without providing services to disabled students or those who speak English as a second language. For a city founded in part on the value of a good education, the test scores and outcomes across the whole of Philadelphia's public schools make it clear that is a value that only the affluent are permitted to cherish.  The universities in the region produce breakthrough technologies in medicine and chemical science, provide leading archaeologists to digs across the world, send attorneys to New York law firms and artists and performers to LA Soundstages. Drexel churns out the business leaders of the future, while Temple fills the regions hospitals with residents and nurses.  By gaining access and control in education, you open doors in the halls of government, win the focus of a hungry lens from the media, and tap the libraries and archives filled with stored knowledge and the laboratory resources of hundred million dollar science programs. The competition for grant money is fierce, tenure is hard to come by, and column inches in the journals of academia are bought with the future careers of the people you are beating to publication. Rules and System  Status in Education can reflect any number of things. Perhaps it's your position at a university, your role in the teacher's union, your funding of research grants, your foundation's scholarship program, your activity in your doctoral program, or even your election to your local school board. This lets you open or close programs, start research projects, access libraries and archives, or even access campuses other than your own. Status 1: Adjunct Professor, Public School Teacher, Grad Student Status 2: Professor, Public School Principal, Doctoral Student, Union Rep, School Board Member Status 3: Dean, Superintendent, Grantor, Scholarship Founder, Union Chief, County Secretary of Education Status 4: College President, State Union Rep, Education Lobbyist Status 5: State Secretary of Education Joining the Sphere  Any character may join Education at character creation or through play. Entry into it is fairly simple, in that you van voluntarily enter it through pursuing higher education, or as a career choice. Consider how your character interacts with their status. Are they an educator? A student in post graduate studies? What is their relation to their union? Or did they perhaps come to it through politics or government assignment?  Consider what your characters ambitions are within the realm of education. Are they trying to influence research programs, acquire access to the resources of a university's science department, or do they seek to improve the quality of education in public schools?  Depending on how you are entering play, there may be certain requirements. Consult the following list. For Public School Teachers: Academics: 2, Persuasion: 1, and 1 in appropriate skills for the courses they teach. Science, Athletics, Politics, etc. For University Educators: Academics: 3, Persuasion: 1, and 2 in appropriate skills for the courses they teach. Science, Politics, Computer, etc. For Government Administrators: Academics: 1, Politics: 1, Persuasion: 1 For Union Members: Politics 1 in addition to the above requirements for their role in education. Theme and Society  Citizens of Philadelphia fight a constant uphill battle for resources for their public schools. The push of corporate money into charter schools is sapping the city's education programs of much needed resources, while concentrating the cost of students with special needs solely on the backs of the public schools. While parents self-fund their bids to oust corporate stooges from local school boards, and indifferent administrators hit the back nine by three o'clock with their charter lobbyist buddies, the lives of Philadelphia's future are often turning the pages of books that are twenty years out of date or more.  This divide in class extends past the classroom to the college campus. Community colleges keep the trades filled with skilled workers, pouring apprentices into Philadelphia's expansive construction unions. The state colleges and Temple see to it that the middle classes have a shot at a better future, and UPenn sees to it that the heirs of the Main Line have a local option if they still want to feel superior to the unwashed masses.  Private university presidents look to the profitability of the enterprise over the outcomes of their students or the prestige of their published research papers while adjunct professors teach crowded classes of students in ever increasing loan debt who they will see later that evening at their respective second jobs. Before clocking out to drive Uber.  So what lesson are you hoping to learn? Current Plots TBD Government Government "Not only are there regular reminders that ethics are a forgotten art in Philadelphia, but the side effects of rampant waste, fraud and abuse are impacting the lives of working-class Philadelphians each day." – A. Benjamin Mannes, The Hill  The truth of the matter is that the City of Philadelphia is so deeply entrenched with the Democratic Party that it's nearly impossible for a Republican or independent to win a district seat on the city council, and there hasn't been a Republican mayor since the signing of the Home Rule Charter in 1952. Two At Large seats are reserved for minority party or independent candidates, and one of those is currently held by the Working Families Party. The consequence of this one party rule has been predictable. Decades of waste and corruption have resulted as city contractors receive sweetheart deals and no-bid contracts while the trade unions and developers cozy up to familiar politicians, bankrolling their campaigns and pet projects in exchange for access, concessions, and contracts.  Despite having one of the highest per capita tax burdens in the nation, Philadelphia's public pensions are facing a $5.3bn shortfall. And with money pouring in from federal, state, and municipal government the Sheriff's Department of Philadelphia somehow managed to "misplace" over $53 million dollars. The streets are a shambles, bridges are crumbling, the city's parks are deteriorating rapidly, and despite politician after politician, union leader after union leader, cop after cop being caught, outed, prosecuted, and punished? There is always a successor in line waiting to fill the void and exploit the power it offers them.  A movement is rising within the city's working class, however. Groups like Philly Socialists, the Working Families Party, Black Lives Matter Philly, and the Philadelphia Tenants Union have rallied behind candidates outside of the political mainstream, seeking to deliver urgently needed change to city hall. Rules and System  Status in City Hall is all about what you can make happen or stop from happening. Sure, it's easiest to enact change if you sit on the city council, but it's also enough to have a city councilor in your back pocket. Politicians in Philadelphia are, as a rule, available for purchase or for rent at modest prices. They depend heavily on the local trade unions and land developers, allowing each to profit off the exploitation of Philadelphia's working class and the gentrification of its poorest neighborhoods. Status in Philadelphia's government can rise and fall overnight as elections, criminal investigations, investigative journalism, and the voice of the people all seek to right the listing ship of city hall. Status 1: Campaign Operative, Party Delegate, Union Rep, Connected Activist, City Employee Status 2: City Administrator, Office Manager, Campaign Advisor, Union Chief Status 3: City Alderman, County Election Board Member, County Sheriff, City Attorney Status 4: City Council President, Party Leader, Corrupt Union Boss Status 5: The Mayor, District Attorney Joining the Sphere  Status in City Government can be acquired at character creation or during play. PC's are forbidden from holding elected office at the moment, but status can be acquired in other ways. One can work in the offices of the city or county, organize with one of the local activist groups, take part in a local union that funds a corrupt politician, or represent a political party's interests in court or before the press. Money and favors are the typical currency in Philadelphia politics, and most politicians fear only the District Attorney's office and the lenses of the Action News Team. What are they going to do? Vote Republican?  While one can theoretically acquire status in Government without the following stats, one would be hard pressed to hold it for long without them. Manipulation, Resolve Politics, Subterfuge, Persuasion Allies, Contacts, Resources Theme and Society  Since the signing of the Home Rule Charter consolidated Philadelphia County and the City of Philadelphia, the Democratic Party has ruled in Philadelphia. So much so that seats had to be reserved for minority parties to at least lend the city a veneer of bipartisan rule. People still remember with cold hatred the tenure of Frank Rizzo as Mayor and how his racist policing policies and handling of the MOVE standoff where over 1,000 uniformed officers surrounded the home of black activists. Or in 1985 when a city manager colluded with city police and fire to drop a satchel charge on the roof of a MOVE building, killing numerous people and setting an entire neighborhood on fire. The jailing of Black Panther member Mumia Abu-Jamal for allegedly murdering a police officer, or the ongoing saga of Meek Mill's probation for a single drug charge all tilt the scales of public opinion away from support for the city's leadership.  Within the halls of power, there is no partisan gridlock. There is no effective resistance, no honorable opposition. Just what the powerful want done and what they don't. Inroads are being made in certain parts of the city as activists successfully force progressive candidates onto the At Large seats of council and swallow up much desired airtime on local news with tales of single party corruption. Philadelphia remains a city where you will absolutely receive a parking ticket if your meter expires for even a minute, but where the pot hole in front of your house won't be filled for months unless you spray paint a penis around it.  So what are you after? Change? Or pocket change? Current Plots TBD

High Society High Society "The city of Philadelphia is all about the underdog." – Zach Ertz, Philadelphia Eagle  The old money in Philadelphia has more or less always existed along the Main Line, so named for the name of the railroad trunk that used to pass through it. Commuter rail still passes through the northwestern regions and suburbs of Philadelphia, although the locals refer to it interchangeably as the R5 or the Paoli-Thorndale line. The Gilded Age of the 1880s to the 1920s was the peak of prestige for the Main Line. Townships like Radnor, Wayne, Merion, Haverford, and Devon sprung up around the palatial country estates of Philadelphia's wealthy elites. Those days are long since gone, and the upper-middle class has filled itself in around the ever shrinking lots of the old mansions still occupied by the truly wealthy, but it remains an undeniable truth that the Main Line is where the wealthy and powerful of the region live and play. Money and power pour into this part of the region and rarely, if ever, flow back out again. The poor and the powerless may only catch a glimpse of these places through the frosted window of a SEPTA train, or when they show up to clean the toilets of the people that live there. And the residents are happy with that arrangement.  High Society in Philadelphia is quite subjective. The old money families with names like DuPont, Widener, and Lenfest still live at the gleaming tip of the diamond, admired for their history and achievements as much as their contemporary fortunes and influence. Yet the newly wealthy and powerful continue to make names for themselves, establishing their own nascent dynasties in technology, media, and the arts. The cosmopolitan nature of the city ensures that class is the true factor in these social circles. Race and religion are of vanishing importance where the solidarity of the wealthy is concerned. Wealth and its utility eclipse all other concerns. And in a town where whole hospitals can bear the name of a wealthy founder, vanity and charity are frequent bedfellows.  Are you old blood or new money? Do you wish to share your prosperity or build a higher wall around your country club? Or is your goal buying enough politicians and police officers to tear down the walls of someone else's and absorb their influence for your own? It's all there for the taking now. The Gilded Age has ended. And we're making America Great Again. Rules and System  Status in High Society are your keys to the castle. Politicians depend on your donations, civic institutions look to you for charitable giving, the police are apt to look the other way when you're caught drinking behind the wheel. Your surname, if not your given one, carries the weight of wealth and prestige. It's scrawled in the note pad of the chief of police under the heading 'Do Not Cross'. You can start and end careers. Build or destroy lives. Create fortunes for aspiring capitalists or turn a land developers visions of gentrification and wealth into an endless parade of bureaucratic red tape and protesting tenant unions. You are the asshole that asks 'Do you know who I am?' rhetorically before walking away from a pointed gun. In a city of plebians, you are Cicero. Status 1: The child of new money, a host of some successful social functions, the new guy at the country club Status 2: New money, the child of old money, the financial planner to the wealthy who knows where the bodies are buried Status 3: Old money, the name on the side of the hospital wing, the owner of the country club Status 4: You married a DuPont, your family founded a college, your name is synonymous with charitable giving Status 5: Your family dates back to the founding of the city, your family ruined a family that dated back to the founding of the city Joining the Sphere  Players may enter High Society either at character creation or through play, though it is certainly far easier to enter it during character creation. Gaining that first dot of status in play marks a transition in status and lifestyle that really ought to be the culmination of a story in its own right. And certainly players are encouraged to craft a character arc to that end, explaining how they came to hold influence over the city's elite.  Players should give thought as to where their prestige comes from. Are they old money, keeping to the old traditions? Are they new money, trying to shake up the social elite? Where does that money come from? What city institutions do they favor with their patronage? What is their relationship with the local police, or the media? What are their ambitions, and what are their fears? How does your character fit into all of that?  There are no stat requirements to enter High Society, although the following stats are encouraged. Presence, Manipulation, Composure Socialize, Subterfuge, Politics, Persuasion, Academics Resources, Allies, Contacts, Fame, Staff, Safe Place (Reflecting the family estate) Theme and Society  What use is power if you never use it? And how do you keep power that you use when others are hungry for it? While American wealth and power need not be treated as a zero sum game, there are very few in the upper echelons of society who would dare to view it that way. There are people they can control, people they can purchase, and people that are a threat. The elites of Philadelphia may share solidarity of class, but they very much enjoy watching others tumble from the peaks of power in Haverford to the peak of a three story row home in East Norriton. And there's always another pretender eager to fill the void created by a toppled elite. Perhaps one more agreeable to your point of view than the one that came before them. And that's how dynasties are made; by destroying someone else's.  The old money looks to protect its legacy. The new money looks to create one. The tug of war in city government tends to revolve around these disputes, with the pawns of the various elites caught in the middle. Land developers, local politicians, government officials, and even restaurateurs or club owners typically all have allegiance to one family or more. Middle class families send their kids to college on your scholarship grants, the archdiocese looks to you for money, for moral leadership, but in the absence of morality? Even more money.  There is no part of civic life you cannot influence. You can write your name in the clouds, make the whole city look up, and whisper your name in wonder. And the only people that can stop you are the same ones you have to have at your next dinner party if you're to continue on as you are. You need them. They need you. And you all hate each other for it. Current Plots TBD Media Media <<Action News Theme Intensifies>>" – @Allikatz  The Philadelphia Media Market is not limited to Philadelphia, nor even to Pennsylvania. It stretches as far north as the edge of the Lehigh Valley, east across the Delaware encompassing much of South Jersey, south to the edge of Wilmington, and west to the fringes of Amish country. It reaches the eyes and ears of millions in eastern Pennsylvania, Delaware, and southern New Jersey. It influences politics and elections in three states, and reports on topics vital to the local economy and politics. As with much in Philadelphia, it is compared unfavorably to New York City's media market, and is thought to lack the political impact of the DC media market. But in that comes a measure of freedom. The lack of national scrutiny and the enormous audience make it an excellent test market for new ideas, for better or for worse.  It is home to four major newspapers and countless smaller journals and imprints. There are dozens of terrestrial broadcast stations in reach of its homes. Endless local journals, small town papers, trade magazines, and cable stations clutter the airwaves and news paper racks of local gas stations. It's a constant battle for the attention of the public, most of whom just want to watch the game on Sunday. Rules and System  Status in the Media circus of the Philadelphia Market is about reach and about access. It's about the stories you can bring to print or screen, and the ones you can make go away. With a flash of your credentials you can breach the guarded gates of the region's government and its elites. It can bring you before the rich and famous, earn you the trust of the poor and the hungry, and amplify your opinions and agenda to the eyes and ears of millions. Status 1: Blogger with an Audience, Beat Reporter, Staff Writer Status 2: Columnist, Desk Reporter Status 3: Editor, Pulitzer Nominee, Talking Head Status 4: News Anchor, Editor of a Major Paper, International Reporter Status 5: National Anchor, National Reporter, Pulitzer Prize Winner, Media Mogul Joining the Sphere  Anyone can acquire Media Status either during character creation or while in play. It is necessary to consider what publication or news corporation you are working for, and in what capacity. If you're interested in having reporters under your thumb, Allies would reflect this better than Media Status. If, on the other hand, you wanted to own a media outlet outright without producing any copy yourself, this would then apply. This is less about your personal gravitas, as that would be reflected in the Fame merit. It's about the reputation of your organization and the power and access your position within it grants you.  While there are no requirements for joining, the following stats are suggested: Attributes: Presence or Manipulation Skills: Investigation, Expression, Subterfuge, Persuasion, and Politics. Merits: Contacts, Allies, Fame Theme and Society  There is a perception in American life that is now starting to diminish that the media are and ought to be nonpartisan objective arbiters of truth. Philadelphia's papers have, since their very beginning, been a hotbed of partisan thought, vitriol and invective, and sometimes even of open hostility. As major corporations have slowly bought out local stations and corporate talking points have begun to leach into the copy read by local anchors, that perception has been fading into the fond remembrance of history. Edward R Murrow and Walter Cronkite are both dead and buried, their legacies having faded into fairytales. Oh, the media can still influence perception. That's still the case. It's simply that the influence it exerts is now bought and paid for by corporate interests. Only a few bastions of truth remain out there, and they are under constant attack by those who view every issue as having two sides: the one they want told, and the one you won't tell.  Everyone is in on it. Politicians of all parties, government officials, the police, society figures; all of them use the media to get their viewpoints out there, and all of them know that the right amount of money can make it so that view is never questioned when presented. There are still decent people in the business, and decent publications and organizations fighting the good fight.  Which side are you on? Current Plots TBA Medicine Medicine "Hospitals will quote prices for parking, not procedures." – The Chicago Tribune  There are over 30 hospitals in Philadelphia proper, excluding entirely the satellite hospitals in the suburbs of Montgomery and Bucks counties. Most of these are owned by one of the large health care corporations which dominate the region. Many are operated on behalf of various religious groups, and still more are operated under the auspices of one of the many local universities. Health Care is big business in the Philadelphia region with companies like Merck and Johnson & Johnson developing drugs in the suburbs, and sprawling health care companies snatching up hospitals across the region in order to 'streamline care' which is typically corporate speak for maximizing profits.  Several universities in the region feature teaching and research hospitals where cutting edge procedures and technologies are being developed, and the city itself is home to the first hospital in the country dedicated solely to the care of children at the now famous Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. Overall, the quality of care is quite exceptional on an in-patient basis, while out-patient care and Emergency Room care are subject to all the ills of the US healthcare system. Long waits, mistreatment by doctors and staff, and poor outcomes.  People across the region need care and cannot afford it. This leads to forestalled treatment that makes chronic conditions into acute episodes, clogging the emergency rooms and leading to shoddy health outcomes, mounting medical debts, and loss of revenue for the hospitals themselves. In short, Philadelphia's health care infrastructure is symptomatic of the national need for immediate and profound health care reform. Rules and System  Status in Philadelphia's Medical industry reflects your ability to influence policy, your ability to extend or withhold care, your proximity to medical research, your ability to access, reveal, or suppress medical records, and your access to facilities and infrastructure. The industry is highly competitive, and corporate health care providers are constantly seeking to acquire control of independent hospitals across the region. If you don't exert influence over your little corner of the industry, odds are it won't be yours for much longer. Status 1: Medical Student, Intern, Physician's Assistant, Nurse Status 2: General Practitioner, ER Resident Status 3: Specialist Doctor, Research Doctor Status 4: Dean of Hospital, Specialist Surgeon Status 5: Health Care Executive, Chairman of a Hospital Board Joining the Sphere  You can enter play with Medicine Status or develop it during play, though the likely time scale of the game will make acquiring an actual medical degree problematic if you don't begin play as a medical student. Consideration should be given both to where you want to start, and where you hope for your character to end up. You can't really 'fast track' medical school or a residency, especially not in the highly competitive Philadelphia market. So keep that in mind!  If you're going to portray an actual health care professional in play, you should keep the following stat suggestions in mind. Intelligence, Composure Medicine, Science, Academics, Empathy, Persuasion Theme and Society  Maybe you're a healthcare executive bent on bleeding every penny from your network of providers. Perhaps you're an exhausted and overworked orderly, just trying to ease the suffering of your patients and pay for your own insulin. Maybe you're a doctor dedicated to delivering the very best outcomes for your patients, but caught in a web of bureaucratic red tape and insurance billing nightmares. The point is, the state of medicine in the Delaware Valley is a microcosm that reflects the state of health care in america. It's expensive, full of promise and potential, but hamstrung by corporate interests and governmental neglect. Depending on your position within that web, you can struggle in your own way to push that situation one way or another one patient at a time.  While there is a great deal of competition in health care, it's mostly among administrators and executives vying for control of networks and institutions. With so many hospitals, medical campuses, and offices opening around the region there is a tremendous shortage of qualified nurses and doctors. Even middle of the road graduates are virtually guaranteed work upon graduation. So down in the trenches, things can be quite cooperative and collegial. For the most part, caregivers actually do care about their patients. It's the industry, the bureaucracy, and the money that gets in the way.  So what brings you in today? Current Plots TBD