|
As someone of Scottish descent (my mother was a
Mactaggart), I can't help but wonder why the Brits would use kilted Scots to
investigate the paranormal.
As far the situation in Britain
proper goes, while Victoria was "in charge", government was actually
run by the prime minister of the day, only a little less so than it is the norm
today. While in theory the British Sovereign had a considerable amount of
power, in practice it was hardly used. This trend was reinforced by the
fact Queen Victoria became very reclusive when she went into deep mourning for
many years after the death of her husband Prince Albert and consequently took
very little interest in public affairs for a very long period. (One
possible idea for a Deadlands adventure in the U.K. could revolve around
Victoria and her somewhat morbid obsession with her dead (or harrowed?)
husband.)
Britain was at the height of its
wealth, influence and technology thanks to a strong navy which allowed it to
extert it's influence as a trading nation, and a relatively small army which
prevented it from getting into costly wars (shooting the natives was relative
cheap, not so white people). ;-) Generally, Britain was far more
interested in trade than conquest.
With regards to the major colonies,
Canada, New Zealand and Australia were more or less self-governing at least with
regards to internal matters.
Canada was working hard on building
the Canadian Pacific Railway to link British Columbia with the Eastern
Provinces. In the Weird West, I imagine the project was even more of a
priority than it was historically because of the race to get a reliable supply
of ghost rock from the Maze. In a Deadlands universe, the North West
Mounted Police (later the RCMP) founded in 1873 would also be charged with
dealing with the supernatural, at least west of Ontario. ("We always
get our manitou.")
My two cents worth.
Daniel Gwyn
"No matter what you've lost, be it a home, a love, a friend Like the Mary Ellen Carter, rise again!"
|