Hokay, here's a new opening for the article, plus some random notes off the top of my head. Everything here is up for grabs, so if you see something you like, build on it!
The '''Independent Faction''' (also known semi-officially as the '''Coalition of Independent Moons,''' and more generally as the '''Browncoats''' or '''Whedonites''') is the smallest of the major factions in the [[Fenspace Convention]. It is also the most isolated of the factions, being based in the [[Jupiter] sub-system rather than in the inner Solar System or Main Belt.
The Browncoats are best known for their agricultural exports - the Jupiter area has become the ''de facto'' breadbasket of Fenspace.
==History==
In another universe, one where Joss Whedon contented himself with overwrought pseudo-feminist vampire dramedies and/or near-future science fiction with creepy-as-hell subtext, the majority of the Browncoats would've found their niche with the [[Heinleinians]. (Ed. Note: This may be revised or redacted, as the writer has a bias & is not particularly shy about it)
General notes:
History: Browncoats first came out around '09-'10 - hey, this year! - started settling on Ganymede and Callisto. Started making ag shipments to the inner system (read Mars, Luna & Venus + luxury "more-money-than-sense" Whole Foods market on Earth) around 2012; shipments getting interdicted was one of the casus belli for the Boskone War.
Government: Damned if I know on this one. A quick gloss of the available material doesn't have much at all on how the canon Browncoats worked, if they in fact did. Whedon = not much of a worldbuilder, I'm afraid. Probably the best way to work would be a unicameral republican government with an executive head of state (President, of course; these *are* American fen setting things up, after all) and then a Senate (or whatever) with each Browncoat dome sending a rep. It's not a *great* fix, but... well, you guys can play w/ it.
Culture: Western & Southern US with some SE Asian influences (see below). Lots of hats, waistcoats, pocketwatches, cowboy boots, etc. Not many horses - no real place to put 'em, plus they don't take the haul from Earth as well as other livestock. Just watch the damned show for a take on that.
Browncoats & Indonesia: Lots of ag work + Rugged Individualists[tm] = a major market for skilled farmers. Indonesia has a lot of people, many of whom are skilled farmers, and the Browncoats pay well. There's a *lot* of both contract work (2 years work on Ganymede or Callisto and home) and immigration. Indonesian slowly starting to replace Chinese as the exotic language of choice. Major Indonesian domes are Little Jakarta (best goat satay in the Solar System) and New Palu.
Industry: Light, mostly set up for dome construction & repair. Jupiter Mining does ice mining, a little hydrogen/helium mining & a lot of the transport work. Blue Sun is the general products/retail giant in the area, though as of 2015ish still more Ma's General Store than Wal*Mart.
Mr. Fnord interdimensional man of mystery
FenWiki - Your One-Stop Shop for Fenspace Information
"I. Drink. Your. NERDRAGE!"
The '''Independent Faction''' (also known semi-officially as the '''Coalition of Independent Moons,''' and more generally as the '''Browncoats''' or '''Whedonites''') is the smallest of the major factions in the [[Fenspace Convention]. It is also the most isolated of the factions, being based in the [[Jupiter] sub-system rather than in the inner Solar System or Main Belt.
The Browncoats are best known for their agricultural exports - the Jupiter area has become the ''de facto'' breadbasket of Fenspace.
==History==
In another universe, one where Joss Whedon contented himself with overwrought pseudo-feminist vampire dramedies and/or near-future science fiction with creepy-as-hell subtext, the majority of the Browncoats would've found their niche with the [[Heinleinians]. (Ed. Note: This may be revised or redacted, as the writer has a bias & is not particularly shy about it)
General notes:
History: Browncoats first came out around '09-'10 - hey, this year! - started settling on Ganymede and Callisto. Started making ag shipments to the inner system (read Mars, Luna & Venus + luxury "more-money-than-sense" Whole Foods market on Earth) around 2012; shipments getting interdicted was one of the casus belli for the Boskone War.
Government: Damned if I know on this one. A quick gloss of the available material doesn't have much at all on how the canon Browncoats worked, if they in fact did. Whedon = not much of a worldbuilder, I'm afraid. Probably the best way to work would be a unicameral republican government with an executive head of state (President, of course; these *are* American fen setting things up, after all) and then a Senate (or whatever) with each Browncoat dome sending a rep. It's not a *great* fix, but... well, you guys can play w/ it.
Culture: Western & Southern US with some SE Asian influences (see below). Lots of hats, waistcoats, pocketwatches, cowboy boots, etc. Not many horses - no real place to put 'em, plus they don't take the haul from Earth as well as other livestock. Just watch the damned show for a take on that.
Browncoats & Indonesia: Lots of ag work + Rugged Individualists[tm] = a major market for skilled farmers. Indonesia has a lot of people, many of whom are skilled farmers, and the Browncoats pay well. There's a *lot* of both contract work (2 years work on Ganymede or Callisto and home) and immigration. Indonesian slowly starting to replace Chinese as the exotic language of choice. Major Indonesian domes are Little Jakarta (best goat satay in the Solar System) and New Palu.
Industry: Light, mostly set up for dome construction & repair. Jupiter Mining does ice mining, a little hydrogen/helium mining & a lot of the transport work. Blue Sun is the general products/retail giant in the area, though as of 2015ish still more Ma's General Store than Wal*Mart.
Mr. Fnord interdimensional man of mystery
FenWiki - Your One-Stop Shop for Fenspace Information
"I. Drink. Your. NERDRAGE!"