Black Earth Wiki



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Black Earth is a 28mm and 15mm miniature wargame featuring several factions at war in the fictional world of the earth of 2070. The game is published by Nuclear Shrimp Games and it first made its appearance in October of 2016.

The game currently features three factions, the United Earth Federation (U.E.F), the Homo Inhumanum and the Tecton Order. These are the three factions introduced at launch but already a few other factions have been hinted to soon make their appearance. Namely, the People's Rebellion and the Exiles have been explicitly named in the lore.

Synopsis
Black Earth takes place in an alternate universe where, while the largest portion of the population was migrating to newly build mega cities called ‘Hubs’, a number of unexpected events caused a massive nuclear strike on most of the old cities. This caused hundreds of millions to die from the atomic explosions and rendered all the cities uninhabitable and any technology impossible to salvage. At the same time something, that many attributed to the nuclear strikes, caused the entire fleet of satellites, including the 2 space stations, to fail and crash land. This has left a planet in confusion, cut off from reliable global communications but most important of all in diplomatic breakdown. War is inevitable…

The United Earth Federation as a means to end poverty.
It is the year 2070 and the world has undergone radical political change. After several recurring global economic meltdowns the United Nations pass the United Earth Federation Institution Act in August 13 of  2035, bringing a political union to the vast majority of the countries of the UN. The most powerful and rich countries in the world, along with their allies, form the UEF. The countries that are left out all occupy the bottom charts of GDP per capita, essentially leaving the weakest countries to waver into deeper poverty. These countries would come to be known as the “Exiled Nations” which would eventually replace the common (and wildly misused) term "Third World Countries".

World wide riots and the People’s Rebellion
The perpetuated austerity had created a generation of people who were brought up in the paradigm of civil resistance. The world was already in unrest before the UEF Institution Act was proposed so when it was passed, with tens of millions of people taking to the streets during the vote, the civil resistance grew into a global uproar.

For weeks the streets of most major cities were turned into urban battlefields with the riots causing billions of dollars worth of damage in property. In some cities the wildfires from the mass use of molotov cocktails could not be contained in time causing hundreds of deaths. The UEF military leadership were quick to blame the marxist organised civil resistance groups for this incident allowing them in turn to deploy riot suppression and control troops.

The Riot teams made brutal assaults arresting and severely injuring with reckless abandon. The shock and awe that would once be enough to demoralize future riots worked in reverse causing a new wave of public uproar against the UEF. Soon the rioters would employ weapons and tactics never before seen in riots. These radicalised rioters would soon congregate under the wing of the People’s Rebellion, a radical anti capitalist group.

The Event
On August 15 of 2045, two days after the 10 year anniversary of the institution of the UEF, thousands of ICBMs carrying nuclear warheads flew to the sky. Their targets were the 340 largest cities in the world spanning across the globe. Each city was hit by multiple ICBMs each of which was carrying on average 10 warheads. Anti Ballistic Systems were almost useless, attaining an interception rate of 0.9% putting once and for all an end to the question of how these systems could help to prevent a nuclear disaster.

The death toll was 1.4 billion.

Hours after The Event millions, if not billions, of survivors would seek shelter to any nearby settlements that had not been decimated by the nukes. This would form the largest refugee wave the planet had ever seen, causing mayhem in its wake. The formal migration to the Hubs had not been completed as most of them were still under construction. Nevertheless, millions of refugees tried to get in Hubs throughout the world with or without an apartment reservation. The UEF military was called upon to handle the situation providing humanitarian aid, building makeshift migrant camps outside the Hubs and Cities but also to prevent the refugees from entering the unspoiled settlements. For months, the view outside of these cities would be long lines of people queuing for medical assistance, radiation scanning, meals or bureaucratic data entry of some sort.

The immense number of displaced people was too much to handle and the makeshift refugee camps turned into permanent slam towns as months and years went by. This was not to come to pass in peace of course. Violence and crime skyrocketed as the desperate refugees were reverting to basic instincts in order to survive and protect their families. Cultural differences, in particular religious beliefs, was also a prime reason for tensions.

By 2051 all the refugee camps were declassified as such. They were urbanized with unofficial names such as “Immigrant Quarter” or “Heathen Square” which would carry their legacy in history.

The People’s Rebellion
The members of the newly founded United Earth Federation are lashing out through every diplomatic medium against the alleged terrorists who have yet to claim responsibility for their actions. The People’s Rebellion, a widespread community of anti-capitalists with a rich record of activism, is immediately blamed as the leading terrorist cell.

This creates an outrage in the Anarchist, Communist and Anti-capitalist community and radicalizes the group further. The people take arms and the first armed riots in the heart of the Hubs take place. The People’s Rebellion becomes a symbol of hope among the less fortunate and millions join or support the cause.

By 2072 the People's Rebellion shows a capacity to operate throught the entire planet with small and hard to trace groups. The propencity for violent tactics polarises the people of the UEF with some being supporters of the supposed revolution while others beginning to be convinced that the group was behind the nuclear attacks of 2045. The fight between the UEF and the People's Rebellion would end up taking place both on the military and the social level. Fears of a second McCarthyism era begin to rise as the liberal and conservative parties push hard against the neo marxism movement.

The Tecton Order and the Technocrat Party
In all this chaos a new power rises. On the 24th of August of 2049 The Tecton Order, a group of powerful individuals coming from the financial and political elite, come out publicly and announce that they intend to use their resources and influence to create a new world order which will end all conflict and suffering. The 12 ‘unmasked’, as they will be come to be known, are shown to be some of the most powerful people alive. Bankers, Conglomerate owners and CEO’s and prominent politicians are among the 12 Unmasked of the Tecton Order and this immediately causes a tremendous blow to the UEF, as these people literally control 50% of the global GDP.

In a salvo of aggressive public statements the UEF and the Tecton Order suffer a diplomatic breakdown overnight with the former attempting to show their teeth with military action. A regiment of Tecton Knights, an elite military unit using state of the art technology including powered personal battle suits, makes a surprise attack in the NATO HQ in Brussels. The Knights overwhelm the idle UEF forces and the headquarters are destroyed in a show of brutality and deadly efficiency. Meanwhile in the UEF senate, the Technocrat Party proposes a more favourable look at the Tecton Order’s manifesto as it happens to promote the more pragmatic ideology of the party. Being bound by the UEF constitution and the protection of all ideas in the Senate, the Liberal party, the Conservative party and the Socialist party fail to pass an accusatory mandate to charge the Technocrat Party for condoning with terrorism. This gives the Tecton Order a legitimate body of representatives inside the UEF that would later be used to destabilise the UEF’s sovereignty.

The Homo Inhumanum
The UEF, the Tecton Order and the People’s Rebellion would engage in the first war in human history with no geographic fronts. Fierce urban skirmishes would dominate the entire planet for several years with no faction really gaining any significant advantage.

It was then that another threat appeared from the smoldering wrecks of the old cities, still smoking from the nuclear holocaust. A group of mutated supersized humans never seen before started causing mayhem in the areas surrounding the old cities. These mutants seemed to be obsessed with violence and murder, sometimes lashing out for no reason other than to cause harm.

Communication with this new ‘species’ of human was impossible as the only intelligible words they can spew out are “KILL”, “DESTROY”, “MURDER” and a few others on that same category. The severe DNA alteration of these humans was so significant and universal among a large population that it warranted the creation of a new species of the Homo genus.

This species is now called Homo Inhumanum although the term 'Brutes' is a lot more ubiquitous. Brutes use crude tools and weapons, scavenged from the ruins of the devastated old cities. Although their technology is extremely backward the sheer strength, stamina and ferocity of the Brutes makes them extremely dangerous even when armed with steel clubs.

The Brutes were originally hypothesized to be a minor threat as their limited cognitive capacity and primitive society would mean they would be outmatched by modern military. However their numbers seemed to be getting larger at an exponential rate – even taking into account their high mortality rate. The Brutes were hypothesized to be sterile and indeed all specimens brought for study show exactly that. It is yet unknown how these creatures reproduce although it is worth noting that no juvenile or female Brutes have ever been encountered which adds to the mystery of their numbers.

Operation ‘Meteorite’
By 2071, The UEF and the Tecton Order have been fighting it out in every outlet, from skirmishes to publicity races. Operation :”Meteorite” is mainly a publicity attempt by the UEF to show the might of their armed forces by eradicating the seemingly easy target presented in the savage Homo Inhumanum. The UEF mobilizes its army in a manner that resembles mostly a victory parade in an attempt to enhance its image as the world’s greatest power.

However, six weeks into the operation, the UEF forces begin to falter under unprecedented Homo Inhumanum numbers. The UEF administration manages to keep the turning of the tide of the war secret from the media for a few more weeks but Tecton Order agents eventually manage to gather enough evidence from the frontlines to expose this embarrassing and bloody defeat.

Terror spreads across many Hubs when the Brutes, despite reassurances from the administration, counterattack and invade UEF territory. The administration is immediately forced to resign amidst the crisis and the new elected government includes 2 members of the Technocrat party from the 50 total cabinet members.

Operation ‘Meteorite’ becomes a commonly used term that signifies major political blunders and is set in stone in human history in the worst possible manner.

Black Earth Universe fun factoids
The list that follows goes through some fun facts of Black Earth that help flesh out some of the less interesting parts of the Black Earth universe.

Did you know? The inconvenience of inflation has been completely wiped out by an algorithm that every few hours readjusts interest rates in such a seamless manner that currency never loses or gains value. One dollar will always be one dollar!

Did you know? Although electric flying vehicles are ubiquitous as city transports, battery charges are unfortunately still a problem. Good ol’ fossil fuels are still the way to go for high performance personal transportation.

Did you know? Animal slaughter has been banned across the UEF since 2054. Meat is solely provided by meat farms growing genetically engineered meat plants. Fishing is still a thing though.

Did you know? In 2047 the majority of the elected 900 senators happened to have strong beliefs in astrology. During that 2 year term a significant portion of the legislation was utterly disconnected from reality, such as a reform to include the astrological sign of all citizens in the medical record. The body of senators that served the 49-51 period passed legislation to require all candidates to pass a simple science test to be eligible for candidacy. The law is still in effect today although it is considered an elitist law that discrinimates against alternative facts.

Did you know? When the first Hubs begun forming the contracts were given to a single engineering firm with deals passed under the table. Two disciplinary committees were needed to re-issue the contracts resulting in years of delays.

Did you know? 95% of the working force in Hubs work inside their residential quarter. VR technology allows them to be able to experience a believable working environment boosting their performance. This way most of the population does not have to go to work. Besides the resources being saved in transportation, traffic jams are a thing of the past.

Did you know? In 2029 the world sports community realized that world records were no longer being broken. This lead to the temporary lifting of all steroid bans. The following years were the most spectacular in sports history bringing rise to such marvels as boxer Roy ‘Steel Arms’ Barclay who could literally break cement walls with his fists or sprinter Dandrae Rowling who could run 100m. in just over 6 seconds. Physical ridiculousness is now through the roof and it is more entertaining than ever!

Did you know? The International Space Station used to house 503 scientists and engineers and covered an area of approximately 2sq. miles. They were working on a shuttle that could transport humans to other planets safely, prior to "The Event". The fate of those men and women is unknown, though they are presumed dead.

Did you know? In 2031 the mission to Mars backed by 32 countries was cancelled due to financial concerns. The mission was estimated to have had a budget of 350 billion dollars which was deemed as “excessive” and “unnecessary”. During that year the global GDP on cosmetics was 689 billion dollars.

Did you know? 2053 was the year that mankind finally achieved AI singularity. A few minutes later a household refrigerator connected to the cloud ordered a can of Arsenic normally not sold to the public. The incident was considered an attempt at exterminating humanity which lead to the immediate world wide ban of high level AI. All hardware that contributed to the singularity was buried in the middle of the Sahara Desert. Until this day, the UEF imposes this ban under threat of war.

Did you know? In 2052 a group of senators from all parties presented an extensive meta study that conclusively showed that the organisation of politics in ideological parties made discussing matters on which the parties disagree impossible by enhancing a number of cognitive failures. The proposal was to disband all parties in favour of each senator having an independent status. The matter was set to be discussed last in that session, being preceded by such important matters as the use of multicoloured collars in dogs that might suffer from various forms of epilepsy and the rather controversial discussion on the ban of the use of flippers in waters with less than 12 cm depth. A week later most of those senators left their parties to form the party of the Technocrats.

Did you know? In 2041 the industry of goods transportation was revolutionized by engineer and entrepreneur Howard Roland. The Roland Complete Transit System consists of a truck engine which controls any number of trailers via wireless network. The trailers themselves are self powered and fully autonomous. This allows an otherwise unwieldy truck to navigate through heavy traffic and also make the loading /unloading process a lot faster and efficient.

Did you know? In 2043 The chinese company Wuyn Co. developed a massive building construction robot that could construct skyscrapers in a matter of weeks. The robot, named Yi Kaizhan after a legendary Great Wall engineer, envelops the entire area to be built, lays vertical rails and moves upward as it constructs each floor. The robot is controlled remotely and needs very little attention from its controller to finish the entire building. A score of Yi Kaizhan’s can build an entire city from scratch in a couple of months. The Yi Kaizhan costs $1.5 billion and the company has produced a total of 1,900 robots in just 10 years - making it one of the richest companies in the world.

Did you know? An estimated 1.4 billion people died during the massive nuclear attacks of 2045. This brought the population down from 7.9 to 6.5 billion but due to the extreme radioactive fallout the average global birthrate also plunged to 1.2 children per family. The current global population is estimated at 7.2 billion with the UEF accounting for 4.5 billion. Many suspect that the global population is far higher as the ‘exiled’ countries are suspiciously just inside the limit imposed on them by the UEF.

Did you know? The 21 UEF hubs have a total population of 2.3 billion. The rest of the 2.2 billion of UEF citizens live in what is referred to as ‘Old Cities’. This is a catch all term that describes anything from sprawling metropoles of millions to rural communities of a few hundred inhabitants. The jury is still out (and most likely will always be) whether life is better in a HUB or in an old city.

Did you know? HUB 1, also known as Earthen Springs and situated in coastal Virginia, is the largest HUB with a population of 141 million. The smallest one is HUB 17, also known as Alexandria and situated in the Balkans, with a population of 57 million. As far as Old Cities go, Marrakesh is the largest with a population of 11 million and the smallest is the hamlet of Drymades with a stunning population of 3!

Did you know? The abolition of nations has not been total in the UEF. There still exists a cultural national affiliation, based on geography and lineage, present in all Hubs. There also exists a movement that fights for the separation of nations called the National Pride Movement (Na. P. Mo.  NAPMO for short) that is considered a separatist movement on the verge of being a terrorist organization.

Did you know? Although there is no such thing as an official language in the UEF, American English is a compulsory teaching subject throughout the planet. Each Hub has an unofficial language which is spoken by the majority of the citizens with minorities speaking other languages usually congregating in common residential quarters. That being said, thanks to highly advanced real time translation software, language differences are rarely an issue.

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