How to Play TriadCity

The TriadCity Players' Guide

The NorthWest Third

You might say that while NorthEast is the Land of Individualism, NorthWest is the Land of Cooperation.

NorthWesterners are proud of their collectivist approach to civic and social matters. You'll often see whole neighborhoods pitching in to build a house for a new citizen; while many of the most prosperous businesses are cooperatives or collectives. They often express the view that "many heads are better than one"; and this goes for hands, hearts and muscles too.

Perhaps the most heartfelt expression of NorthWestern collectivism is the citizenry's passionate commitment to their local brand of participatory democracy. To outsiders this may seem like helpless bureaucracy; but the fact is that no decision of weight can be made without thorough discussion by the Third Assembly — the great open-air mass meetings held when necessary on the Hill of the Pnyx. All are welcome to speak, and all citizens encouraged to vote. More routine matters are handled by a network of representative assemblies based in neighborhoods and large workplaces.

While passionate about collective governance, NorthWesterns are equally committed to mutual support. NorthWesterns require themselves to contribute two weeks' labor to the Third each year, creating a pool of free services including first-rate medical care, superb public works, free child care, and a non-professional force of Peacekeepers who patrol the streets. Yet the Third's administrative staff is exceptionally small, usually consisting of just a couple of clerks.

Notably, NorthWesterners are making a deliberate, collective attempt to break down the "division of labor" between town and country. There are more parks in NorthWest than the rest of the City, more food grown in community gardens, less steel and concrete used as building materials, more attention to social activities outdoors. This in no way implies nostalgia for earlier lifestyles. NorthWesterners are happy to make use of the most advanced technologies. But, they frequently put them to different uses than will be found in the other two Thirds.

Culturally, NorthWest is famous for its musicians, comedians, and street artists. It's home to the Academy, a leading source of philosophical inquiry since the Dawn Ages; the Bait al-hikma ("house of wisdom"), a storehouse of knowledge and practices from earliest history; and the campus of TriadCity University. It has the best blues clubs in town; the best microbrews; the best vegetarian food; and, reputedly, the best White Magicians.

Guided tours are currently being organized. Watch the sign at the NorthWest corner of Sanctuary Island for more information.

Players' Guide TOC

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