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Message no. 1
From: Simon Fuller sfuller@******.com.au
Subject: Chicago [Re: Denver]
Date: Sat, 26 Feb 2000 09:45:20 +1100
-----Original Message-----
From: Sommers <sommers@*****.umich.edu>
To: shadowrn@*********.com <shadowrn@*********.com>
Date: Saturday, February 26, 2000 8:31 AM
Subject: Re: Denver



>Unfortunately, Chicago went a little too long, and Ares didn't have enough
>juice. Read Burning Bright, as it details not only the Chicago situation,
>but also makes several mentions of their other bug-killing operations.
>
>In short, there were others that happened, but they were killed because
>they weren't big enough.
>
>Sommers


I have a question, not being American. Most games set in a variation of the
real world has Chicago as a major centre of interest in some way. Shadowrun
has Bug City, Rifts has Chi-Town, Vampire has the Chicago Chronicles, by far
the biggest and most in-depth setting sourcebook that I have ever seen, and
I am pretty sure there are more. What's so special about Chicago?
Message no. 2
From: Yiannakos Yiannako@*******.edu
Subject: Chicago [Re: Denver]
Date: Fri, 25 Feb 2000 18:44:51 -0500
From: "Simon Fuller" <sfuller@******.com.au>

> I have a question, not being American. Most games set in a variation of
the
> real world has Chicago as a major centre of interest in some way.
Shadowrun
> has Bug City, Rifts has Chi-Town, Vampire has the Chicago Chronicles, by
far
> the biggest and most in-depth setting sourcebook that I have ever seen,
and
> I am pretty sure there are more. What's so special about Chicago?

I'm sure there are some Chicagoans that will answer this question much more
passionately than I (not necessarily positively), but it is (I think still)
the third largest city in the country, possibly the most important inland
shipping and travel nexus, appears regularly among the "cities with the
highest buildings" list, et cedera, et cedera.

It also is a city with a lot of color and character, and generally has a
sense of "personality" about it.

FASA also has their offices in Chicago, so I think what happened to Chicago
in SR is a little side humor on their part.

And coming from a New Yorker, all of the above is high praise. ;-)

---Dave ('s not here man)
Message no. 3
From: kawaii kawaii@********.org
Subject: Chicago [Re: Denver]
Date: Fri, 25 Feb 2000 18:42:24 -0500 (EST)
On Fri, 25 Feb 2000, Yiannakos wrote:

> From: "Simon Fuller" <sfuller@******.com.au>
>
> > I have a question, not being American. Most games set in a variation of
> the
> > real world has Chicago as a major centre of interest in some way.
> Shadowrun
> > has Bug City, Rifts has Chi-Town, Vampire has the Chicago Chronicles, by
> far
> > the biggest and most in-depth setting sourcebook that I have ever seen,
> and
> > I am pretty sure there are more. What's so special about Chicago?
>
> I'm sure there are some Chicagoans that will answer this question much more
> passionately than I (not necessarily positively), but it is (I think still)
> the third largest city in the country, possibly the most important inland
> shipping and travel nexus, appears regularly among the "cities with the
> highest buildings" list, et cedera, et cedera.
>
> It also is a city with a lot of color and character, and generally has a
> sense of "personality" about it.
>
> FASA also has their offices in Chicago, so I think what happened to Chicago
> in SR is a little side humor on their part.
>
> And coming from a New Yorker, all of the above is high praise. ;-)
>
> ---Dave ('s not here man)
>
>

Traitor! (Ahem) =P (Just kidding)

I think it happens that a lot of the gaming shops started in or are still
in or are around Chi-town. I know FASA is in Chicago, I heard that the
developer of V:tM(Hurricane Justin) was from Chicago.. *shrug* =) A
popular gaming town, all in the all.

Ever lovable and always scrappy,
kawaii
Message no. 4
From: Patrick Goodman remo@***.net
Subject: Chicago [Re: Denver]
Date: Fri, 25 Feb 2000 18:49:56 -0600
From: Yiannakos
Sent: Friday, February 25, 2000 5:45 PM

> > What's so special about Chicago?
>
> I'm sure there are some Chicagoans that will answer this question
> much more passionately than I (not necessarily positively), but it
> is (I think still) the third largest city in the country, possibly
> the most important inland shipping and travel nexus, appears
> regularly among the "cities with the highest buildings" list, et
> cedera, et cedera.

Not to mention the fact that FASA is headquartered there, as is (I believe)
White Wolf. I don't think Palladium is, but Kevin Simbieda might be *from*
Chicago.

And it's "cetera," with a T. Like the former lead singer of Chicago spelled
his name.... (Yeah, I know it's lame, but it seemed to fit....)

No, wait, a quick check tells me that White Wolf is in Georgia and Palladium
is in Michigan. Scratch that theory.

> FASA also has their offices in Chicago, so I think what happened
> to Chicago in SR is a little side humor on their part.

Dave, go take a look at FASA's address, and then go read about the Cermak
Blast in BUG CITY again. It was right across the street....

--
(>) Texas 2-Step
El Paso: Never surrender. Never forget. Never forgive.
Message no. 5
From: HHackerH@***.com HHackerH@***.com
Subject: Chicago [Re: Denver]
Date: Fri, 25 Feb 2000 20:38:37 EST
In a message dated 2/25/00 6:34:50 PM US Eastern Standard Time,
sfuller@******.com.au writes:

>
> I have a question, not being American. Most games set in a variation of the
> real world has Chicago as a major centre of interest in some way. Shadowrun
> has Bug City, Rifts has Chi-Town, Vampire has the Chicago Chronicles, by
far
> the biggest and most in-depth setting sourcebook that I have ever seen, and
> I am pretty sure there are more. What's so special about Chicago?

Let me see, some quick notes.

It's the center of ALL rail traffic within the United States.

It's has one of the largest populations in North America (discounting Mexico
City, New York, and Los Angeles....in that order).

It has equivalency to naval access (the Great Lakes).

It is literally something like 2-3 hour drive from almost 40% or more of the
United States population.

It was "Gangster Central" during the prohibition years, above and beyond even
New York. The reason for this has to do with the shuffling of power in New
York in the first part of the 20th Century.

It is the only city in the United States that not only has had riots, but has
managed to devastatingly burn the majority of itself to the ground not once,
but once REALLY GOOD!!!

It is the central clearing house location for over 40% (more actually IIRC)
of the north american beef markets.

It is also rumored to be amongst the most "haunted" of all cities in North
America, especially given it's size and scale.

Geesh, I know I'm forgetting stuff ...

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
-K
-"Just a Bastard"
-Hoosier Hacker House
"Children of the Kernel"
[http://members.aol.com/hhackerh/index.html]
Message no. 6
From: HHackerH@***.com HHackerH@***.com
Subject: Chicago [Re: Denver]
Date: Fri, 25 Feb 2000 20:41:25 EST
In a message dated 2/25/00 7:47:51 PM US Eastern Standard Time, remo@***.net
writes:

>
> > FASA also has their offices in Chicago, so I think what happened
> > to Chicago in SR is a little side humor on their part.
>
> Dave, go take a look at FASA's address, and then go read about the Cermak
> Blast in BUG CITY again. It was right across the street....

More comically.... on the HHH website, you will find pictures of the
*BUILDING* that was the center of the Cermak Blast site ... but, I don't
recall which section it is in at this time. I think it's part of the
"Gencon" area.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
-K
-"Just a Bastard"
-Hoosier Hacker House
"Children of the Kernel"
[http://members.aol.com/hhackerh/index.html]
Message no. 7
From: Alfredo B Alves dghost@****.com
Subject: Chicago [Re: Denver]
Date: Sat, 26 Feb 2000 00:20:43 -0800
On Fri, 25 Feb 2000 18:49:56 -0600 "Patrick Goodman" <remo@***.net>
writes:
<SNIP>
> Dave, go take a look at FASA's address, and then go read about the
Cermak
> Blast in BUG CITY again. It was right across the street....

The `run to plant the bomb was planned in FASA HQ (in-game; IRL too, I
guess ;))

--
D. Ghost
A Mathmatician is a machine for turning coffee into theorems
--Paul Erdos

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Message no. 8
From: Joel Agee jagee@******.com
Subject: Chicago [Re: Denver]
Date: Mon, 28 Feb 2000 09:53:40 -0700
In a message dated 2/25/00 7:47:51 PM US Eastern Standard Time,
remo@***.net
writes:

>
> > FASA also has their offices in Chicago, so I think what happened
> > to Chicago in SR is a little side humor on their part.
>
> Dave, go take a look at FASA's address, and then go read about the Cermak
> Blast in BUG CITY again. It was right across the street....

I'm not sure which I like better -- FASA's willingness to blow
themselves up, or Steve Jackson's desire to blow everyone else away: In
the Car Wars universe, Lake Geneva, WI (TSR) got hit by one of the few
ICBM nukes that made it through the defenses during the abortive WW3.
FASA's location in Chicago got nailed later by a terrorist
briefcase-nuke. I *think* Seattle (WOTC) got invaded by the Japanese on
their way to take over Montana (don't ask), but I'm not sure on that
one. Texas, of course (SJ's home) split off to become it's own
independant nation again.

Like I said, I can't decide -- self-deprecating humor, or sheer
chutzpah?
--
Joel Agee
Software Engineer
OptiSense Corp.
Tempe, AZ

Further Reading

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