friendshipranger
Posts: 274
1/28/2013
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Obviously we all know the Neath is a place of Mysteries. What transpired before the Fifth City? How did the Neath Fall, exactly? What IS the correspondence. But whether by design or no, a much less discussed mystery is the Great Game. What countries take part? Why? What is the deal with the Teeth? Since previous threads for sharing notes on the Correspondence and the Fallen Cities were productive, I thought it would be profitable to start one for what we know of the Great Game, and various conspiracy theories. Obviously spoilers are fair....Game. I'll begin:
*The Game is played between the Masters of the Bazaar, the Surface Cities, and other factions. From the information presented in the Cheese-monger storyline, the Surface Cities seem to have a keen interest in obtaining leverage over the Bazaar, for obvious reasons. Russia, and France seem to be the chief players other than the Bazaar. America and Germany seem conspicuously absent of discussion.
*We don't know how many of Britain's colonies and possession remain loyal, or at least, under control. They've expanded along the Neath, however, into a place called the Carnelian Coast. And of course to the Tomb-Colonies.
*The Great Game's namesake is the series of conflicts arising in Central Asia, chiefly between Britain and Russia. The battleground, as it were, was mostly Afghanistan and the outlying areas. According to Wikipedia, Britain's initial interest was in preventing the Russia invasion of India. I believe this is important in terms of the Neath because of the language in one of the sidebar texts. Paraphrased, it went something like this: Once, the Surface Cities played the Game in Central Asia; now, their battleground is the Neath. Does this mean that despite the hubris of the Crown, the Neath is considered just as vulnerable to manipulation as Afghanistan? And is London a buffer against some other more dangerous threat to the Surface powers, like Afghanistan was?
*Paris seems important, and not just for the cultural resonance.
*The Game itself seems more Cold War era intrigue than open War like the actual Great Game entailed.
* The Foreign Office and the Teeth seem to do some state-sanctioned spywork, and probably are located in Wilmot's End for a reason.
*Wilmot's End is simultaneously a strange sort of safe zone and a chessboard for the Game.
edited by friendshipranger on 1/28/2013
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http://fallenlondon.storynexus.com/Profile/J.L.%20Moriarty
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protonsinthedark
Posts: 106
1/28/2013
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[Warning, Silver Tree spoilers below!]
Well, it's possible that the mention of the Great Game being played in Central Asia is actually a reference to the events that led up to Karakorum's Fall? There are more than a few implications--and a couple outright mentions--that the sculptor William is working for more than one European power during The Silver Tree. The Interpreter also has some sort of agenda too but I was never quite able to figure out what it was. (I didn't choose her ending though.)
Another thing to consider is that Third City was (we're pretty sure) in North America, which would be unknown to most of the rest of the world until well after the time of its Fall. So it would make more sense that the Great Game is something that originated on the Surface and came to the Neath with the Fall of the Fourth City.
re: Surface Cities--I think Surface Powers/Countries would be a more accurate description. Despite London's Fall, it is still (in theory) the seat of the British Empire. The various European states trying to maneuver for power and influence is not all that new. The Bazaar and the Master just add a new element to it.
re: America/Germany -- If I'm remembering my history right, the US is mostly focused on westward expansion in North America during this time period. Its involvement in world politics (that isn't related to North American territory rights) doesn't really pick up until around WWI. Germany is also mostly concerned with domestic affairs at this point since it is trying to transition from a collection city-states and small baronies into a unified nation-state. I don't think it really had the resources to be meddling around with international affairs. OTOH, Britain, France and Russia are all pretty well-established monarchies (with empire-building ambitions), so they can devote more of their attention to trying to backstab one another. 
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Mio, a midnight, sinister, irresistible, and breathtaking lady of mysterious origins.
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