I have recently endevored to find out more about the Steamlands. I tend to be a reclusive Sooty – but have been trying to change that.
So a question I have for anyone who will answer – Are Steelhead Boomtown and Seraph City associated with each other?
Also – Seraph City – 40s? Earlier? Are they still steamy?
I need a travel guide – OR perhaps I should make one….
Seraph City is an American city of the diesel era, “between the wars.” Most of the founding residents were from New Babbage.
Steelhead is in Oregon, based on 19th century mining wealth. They also have a chinatown.
Caledon is an independent nation of british origen, located in the middle of some ocean. Steelhead and New Babbage are both break offs of Caledon.
Winterfell is attached to Caledon on the north side, and has leans further into fantasy/goth/not quite medieval tastes. The sun never seems to fully rise there, known as “The Winterfell Phenomenum”
New Toulouse is based in New Orleans culture of the 19th century.
Armada Breakaway is based the flotilla city of Armada from China Meiville’s novel The Scar. It seperated from New Babbage during the elections.
Meiville is based in San Francisco. It is the home base of the SteamHunt.
Antiquity has a heavy emphasis on military & naval history.
Marikesh Mondrago, formerly Cala Mondrago, has a north-african desert theme. It was originally attached to Caledon, then moved to a grid east of Armada. The founding builders were from New Babbage.
Steeltopia has been closed, it was closely associated with Steelhead.
Victoriana moved to another grid.
Arkham, like Seraph City, isn’t in era, but has a strong association with the Steamlands. It is based on HP Lovecraft’s New England.
Ravila, Bump, Falun, Ichor Falls, etc, do not exist, these are places that are associated only with New Babbage. Best place to go for photos of your vacation in Ravila is Venexia.
The Consolate of Europa Wulfenbach has existed within the steamlands for a long time with a representative build in every nation, and now has its own sim at Europa Wulfenbach, near New Toulouse. It is based on Phil Foglio’s Girl Genius comics.
There are numerous dedicated roleplay sims which are in era, but are not considered part of the steamlands due to more rigid storytelling. Don’t get any ideas about making alliances, it gets in the way of artistic themes and makes headaches that no one wants (people do ask about it sometimes). We get huffy when someone brings outside stories here, so give them the same respect when you go there. NeoVictoria would be in this group.
There are two non-steamlands that have close historical associations:
Escapades is Loki Eliot’s childhood adventure paradise, which was rezed after New Babbage was. See “the sunrise experiment”
Adam ondi Ahman, or “mormon island,” was once considered part of the steamlands, as the residents were all frequent travelors to Caledon becuase it was the only place one could buy modest clothing back in the bad old days. It can be demonstrated that Caledon’s victorian theme was a protest to the prevailing “mainland” culture of SL, and has nothing at all to do with steampunk.
This is fantastic but you forgot the Dairy Cooperative, one of my personal favourites – and more than an ‘etc’.
if there was someone that really really wanted to build it….. nah, it would never work.
Oh my goodness! Someone who doesn’t totally forget about Mieville! Joking aside though, most comprehensive list I’ve ever seen. Mondrago really could use some good builders, it’s a lot less of it’s former glory these days.
::Faints::
Thank you Mr. Tenk! Very very very helpful!
I;ve found a few of the dedicated RP steampunk sims lately do use the concept of multiple parrallel worlds as part of their background though, such as serenity falls, wich most the refugees from legacies seemed to have gone to, and leave themselves fairly open to differing backgrounds and stories, being a ‘pocket dimension’ accessed by portals. also one of the less restrictive of the dedicated RP sims I’ve found so far.
some character concepts are a little easier to work in them, than in the steamlands though, and they’re parallel worlds, so they don’t follow the same history, setting, or locations.
I think I heard Meiville was based off steampunk writers, like China Meiville, partially why it’s located in San Francisco
Seraph I always figured it was a different era, so works great with time travellers, or if you don’t age much, or could always see it more as a city with more advanced technology, similar to Antarctica in Dystopian Wars
I didn’t know Wulfenbach was a sim now, I may need to check it out
and did Zepplinheim close? I haven’t heard anything, but can’t seem to find it now
If you look on the Big Map at New Babbage, you’ll see you can almost throw a rock and sink an Armadan ship, too. So close… easy to visit!
A lesser known sim in the same time period at Seraph City is Swing Time, too. And I haven’t checked lately on the 1920’s era Berlin RP sim (apologies I do not recall it’s true name).
Arkham/Kingsport/Dunwich sims are a grouping, and Innsmouth is located elsewhere – just wanted to mention as many get those sims tangled up.
Seraph City is loosely 1920’s through 1940’s, and assumes a prohibition-era setting often… cause it’s fun. ;)
Just checked out Seraph City. Man, it’s itty bitty!
armada and mondrago are near by design. i recommended the grid square for where mondrago is now since i knew where there was a good sized hole in the grid. armada was placed offshore rather than adjacent to the vernian so it would have the freedom to develop its own culture without having to worry about if it would conflict with babbage theme.
zepplinheim (owned by Charlene Trudeau of RFL) looks like it has been derezzed, it was adjoined to caledon, as was brythony, and, for a while, city of new brunswick. there were probably a few other short lived nations that were adjoined to ‘the realm of the roses’ as that land mass is called, it looks like the only one at present is numantia.
babbage has quietly spawned some other sims, at least one of which is still around, that are adult content sims. i still see the founders of those that used to live here around town now and then.
Does Steely Dan perform at any of the adult sims?
/me wonders who will get the reference?
Yes, yes I do.
FM, no static at all.
*makes a note to start throwing rocks at Armadan ships to see if they’ll sink*
1920sBerlin is still there.
Arkham and Innsmouth are pretty nice sims,Innsmouth definatly gets the atmosphere, unfortunatly I think I only ever manage to get there when people are asleep, the sim it’self is nice for walking through though
wasn’t aware of kingsport and dunwich, time to make more travel plans soon
Port Kasra is worth mentioning. Pretty laid back place. I go there when I can’t sleep if the guy is up talking about whatever he wants to over his radio stream.
Which ones of all these have train stations? Not wondering for any particular reason. * looks innocent*
think parts of caledon and meiville have trams, I don’t know actual train stations though, steelhead had one at one point, I haven’t been there for a bit to be sure if they still did
would like to see, in one of the larger steamlands like caledon, something like the SLRR, working trains that just go all over, but you’d need something that size for something like that to work, otherwise trams are just as good at teh smaller scale
::grins and turns Nathaniel towards Mr. Perryn Peterson of Mieville:: If you really want to poke Mieville, he’s the one to talk to. Though their sims’ theme isn’t very cohesive in parts, they are good people. You’ll be running back to Babbage for the soot and quirkyness though.
I tried to find Adam ondi Ahman – but had no luck. Is it still around?
It’s the sim name, put it into the search line of your map window and it’ll zoom to the sim.
I really find it fascinating the various Faiths found on the grid. I was quite surprised to find the Friends (the people commonly known as Quakers) here. And they conduct Meetings for Worship!
My general impression is that if there is something that exists in RL, religious or otherwise, it will probably have some kind of presence in SL.
I have a friend who is a Buddhist priest, and his sangha had an inworld presence for quite some time.
*thinks about it*
Well, I wouldn’t expect to meet any Amish folk in SL, but stranger things have happened, I suppose.
I have found a Neo-Luddite websites before. I wonder if they are in SL?
i’ve seen synagogs and mosques, buddist sims, Gizzy used to go to pagan sims when we were still RL housemates, satanic temples, vedic sims, i think the scientologists had a sim for a time as well as raelians, I have yet to find the flying spagetti monster though
I had no idea there was an LDS presence in the Steamlands. I will have to check it out. As an ex-Mormon/Maybe possibly someday I may go back – I wonder what my reaction will be.
its not a steamland, i just mention it because it used to be associated with them in the early years.
I still want to someday (with lots of help) see a Snowpunk community — Russian themed steampunk with cast iron replacing brass, huge bolts replacing cogs, constant snow replacing smog.
there was high sky build in caledon like that for a while, it’s gone now.
Nice idea Mr. Harvey. If it comes to be, I do hope you bleach your fur out and become a true “snow bunny”