A Very American Civil War of today

[FalloutLeader]

Allright guys without trying to get political although i'm sure it will be if there was a ACW of today and no i dont believe it would be North and South or East against West what would todays factions be like.I'm sure it would be Red States vs Blue States i can think of alot of reasons of today of why it would start,what is your thoughts.I have been thinking of doing some games on this would like some helpful thoughts.Ideas

[Fitz]

I think a split along religious lines would work as a milieu. Fundamentalist zealots, sort of a christian Taliban, seeking to impose their own bizarre world view on everyone else, versus a secular democratic alliance. Some states would be completely subsumed by one side or the other, providing bases for organisation and supply. In others there might be guerrilla groups of one side or the other working against an insecure rule (skirmish games), in still others the split might be even enough either for regular warfare (battle games) or a brittle, hostile detente (intrigue games).

This situation would allow for regular and irregular troops on either side (though I suspect that the religious nutters would pretty much have a monopoly on fanatical cadres), and the causes of war are irrational enough that you don't have to worry too much creating a rational back-story.

[commissarmoody]

I honestly don't see it being (at least at the moment) Red vs blue. 
Any one else think its funny that Republicans are red now? Anyways at lest from what I have seen in the news and from livening and traveling all over this great land, it would most likely be Religious nut job, or far right survivalists, and I honestly see it as a small bands or terrorists (patriots) cells, fighting against the FED and contractors. As opposed to tanks and Regaments.

[6milPhil]

Corporates... Nike v Reebok, Coca Cola v Pepsi, Microsoft v Apple, CBS v ABC, and all the factions which might be borne of that.

[Digitarii]

A new variant on the post apocalyptic campaign: Social Apocalypse. The government finally shuts down and the corporations step in and take control. Sounds like the beginning of a story I started some time ago:

The world has changed, but not for the better. Most of the government is ultimately controlled by the corporations. The corporations are corrupt at the most basic level, concerned only with their bottom line, and have few, if any, scruples or morals. The military is the one segment of the government that has any sort of separation from the corporations, but the corporations design the weapons and systems the soldiers use on the battlefield, so the military still must show some deference to the corporations. The cities, while ostensibly run by the mayors or city councils, also have a number of crime syndicates running things in the streets and in the shadows.
The reality is that for most people, someone else defines their reality. If they work for a corporation, the corporation tells them where they live, where they work, and ultimately, where they are buried. If they work for the government, they have a promise of a minimal pay, minimal pension, and a government grave. If they work in the streets, the crime syndicates control them utterly, leading to little more than a short, miserable life. That’s the reality for most people.
But for a few with the will to fight, the skill to win, and the soul that refuses to be dominated, there’s the path that flows between the street and the corporate soul, the way past the bureaucracy and the syndicates. Those few with the desire to define their own path will ultimately follow the path of the Edgerunner. Edgerunners have skills and abilities that set them apart from the rest of society. Some start working for the Corporations or the government, but their abilities push them to a different life.
Within the cities and the corporate districts, the Corporations enforce their own laws. If you work for the Corporation in question, you can move about relatively freely. The corporations make certain that their workers get decent housing, commensurate with their position within the company, can shop at corporate stores, and receive excellent medical benefits…provided they are within their corporate district. Outside of that district, you’re on your own. Between districts is where the disputed zones, commonly called d-zones, are located. Areas that are between two districts are effectively lawless until some corporation swoops in to take control of the area. But this kind of clean up is expensive and many times, not worth the Corporation’s time and effort to do so. This is where the lowest of the low end up: dealing drugs, prostitution, and a whole host of other unsavory ways of just trying to survive. But every so often, rumors will circulate of a corporate op squad that was slain to a man while in one of these disputed zones. Usually, this is attributed to an encounter with another, better-prepared corporate op squad that was in the area first. But there are some situations where the deaths can’t be explained away so easily…

[carlos marighela]

Timberlake vs Spears?

Sheen vs Caruso?

No scratch the last, we all know that the revolution will NOT be televised.....

[FalloutLeader]

Kind of thinking of Fed Socialist Gov passing laws with strict control ,and different factions as in your liberal nutjobs,local government as in police and fire departments on different sides,states being swayed one way and some states split within thereselves.Some factions could be racially motivated like Black Panthers,Skinheads,KKK,Mexican Mafia and such,Mexican Cartels attacking the US along with there army,US militia units,lot of ideas to play with.

[ErikB]

Hip hop ghetto/inner-city drug dealer gangs, white supremists, Mexican drug cartels, Christian fundamentalist zelots, anti-federalist militias (armed arm of the tea party), pot smoking liberals, state gov'ts trying to keep it together (CA especially) or seceed or fight against Mexico trying to get back land, etc.....

[leadfool]

I could see political parties being the basis for much of the animosity, particluarly with media influence.  However neither policial party is truly an all encompassing doctrine.  The "big tent" of each party includes some diverse groups that might not stay together if their lives are on the line.
 
I don't see either race or religion being the absolute dividing line.  Factions would form around each of those, especially in certain regions, but would not be able to hold large forces together.  

The branches of the military and perhaps a few large police forces would tend to have a monopoly on power.
Rural food producers would have some clout, until the larger military forces pushed the issue.

Now as an alternative, the triggering event could make a big difference.  If the triggering event was a pandemic, with a significant population loss, that would play out differently then a large natural disaster that destroys a lot of infrastructure.  Or the triggering event could be a hotly contested election, with a lot of voter fraud by an organization named for a seed, followed by a president refusing to relinquish power.

In terms of civilians the left will be better organized and the right better armed.


Actually we could all work it out if we could have a beauty contest, with the judges not knowing who the contestants represent.  We could have Ms. NRA, Ms. Democrat, Ms. Greenpeace, Ms. Libertarian, Ms. NBC, Ms. ACLU, etc.  Each faction enters a beauty, winner gets bragging rights and we all go home and have a beer!

[Brummie]

In my little universe the American Civil War 2 is kicked of sometime after WW3 ends, with the economic power houses of China, India, Japan being utterly devastated by the war and the big primary industry states like Russia also being decimated or just logistically impossible to reach anymore. Thus outside trade the U.S is fairly reliant on shuts down, and the Govt goes bankrupt and can no longer help home industries.
The American Government still holds the New England states and has a small if not still pretty high tech U.S army defending it, bolstered by militias and Weekend warrior types.

The Southern states become Governed by various gangs (turns into a real wild west show) with pockets of law men reinforced by militias keeping order in various towns, but being hard pressed by Cartels, hostile communities etc trying to eek out a living.

Texas decides to go its own way and forms a small army but is pretty much wedged between the chaos enveloping its fellow neighbours and Drug gangs that have split mexico into a number of warring states.

The Mid West turns into a frontier with roaming gangs pretty much like the South, with some Government outposts.
-I sort of went Sci Fi here, because I decided that after much of the Mid West becomes desert due to global warming, the place becomes even harsher and gangs of 'wild men' start to appear who are savage cannibal types, strange beings (aliens) start to turn up raiding fortified towns, and at a secret U.S military plant due to not being maintained releases an outbreak of a deadly virus (the virus the Yanks use to eventually defeat its PLA rivals) mutates and begins to have dramatic zombie like effects on those it infects.

The Western states are a mixed bag with Washington state and its neighbours effectively becoming a sort of Extreme Religious/Fascist Alliance of states (a confused mess of stuff thats not very welcoming) whilst the states south of them are cut between a liberal and not so liberal agenda, but the peace is kept in check by the U.S army presence... almost.

Hawaii becomes independent. Alaska just does what Alaska does and appreciates the snow.

But mostly I left it to few large factions, but mostly gangs with different agendas and a Government attempting to hold things together (with politics getting in the way)

I also added some foriegn contributors too. Britain I decided goes through its own civil war during WW3 knocking the state out of the war (though its armed forces are sent to Scandinavia in preparation before the upheaval and end up stuck) but by the time ACW 2 kicks of its formed a new alliance with Eire and Canada and has rebuilt itself slowly thus sends a mixed force to fight for the U.S Govt and secure the Canadian border from raiders.

[Calimero]

... Alaska just does what Alaska does and appreciates the snow.

 

[Powered Armored Stooge]

Corporates... Nike v Reebok, Coca Cola v Pepsi, Microsoft v Apple, CBS v ABC, and all the factions which might be borne of that.

NOW I would play that game! The PC warriors vs. the Mac defenders.  Probably I would use Nuclear Renaissance because it would work perfectly for a future American Civil War.

[commissarmoody]

Or you could base it on the old video game shattered union, or the TV show "Jericho"

[Zazel]

rather interesting read there brummie, thanks for sharing

[Inso]

What about the underclass/ghetto dwellers uprising against the rich middle class...maybe the survivalists get to a point where their territories are being lessened due to population expansion and they fight to keep their individual way of life...maybe scientologists get together and try to start a new civilisation...drug wars!...an uprising from the wastes of New Orleans due to the lack of help they received...

It doesn't take much to cause a civil uprising and if there is enough sympathy, an uprising can quickly turn to civil war.