The Nation of Tomorrow Begins Today!
Welcome to Magnificent Begma City! I see you are right off the boat. Make yourself comfortable! Breathe in that good Begma air! Smell that? That is not soot and pollution! That is the smell of Progress! Take a few lung-fulls! If you are lucky, you will develop a fine case of Progress Lung!
Look around yourself. Everywhere you see signs of progress. You might call those explosions but no! Progress! Moving Pictures! Fully steam-powered horseless carriages! Dirigibles! The gramophone and convenient recorded messaging systems! Why, we can even deliver you conical food through the power of pneumatic tubes. The power of the pneumatic tube — now that, sir, is the future. A bright future it is!
You may be tempted to flee. Perhaps first you should put on this hat. It is quite hard. Does that not make you feel better? Now, look about the wonderful City! We have fantastic hotels! Restaurants reviewed in all of the broadsheets and known all over the Golden Circle. Beautiful mountains. Wonderful beaches for strolling. Do mind the gap. Thank you. Fantastic inventions. International snooker matches. A renowned University! Enlightened rights and freedoms for all citizens of our marvelous Republic!
Take this flier. It tells you all you need to know about Begma. Read about our wonderful cities! Our wonderful inventions! Our magnificent poetry! Our bountiful maladies!
—- Brought to you by Your Friends at the Ministry of Tourism
The Common Denizens of Begma in their Natural Environment
Who is the common Begman, you ask yourself? Why, a Begman is just like you or me, but a thousand times more intelligent and witty and certainly more educated! For you see, Begma is a society of SCIENTISTS and ENGINEERS. We hold SCIENCE and ENGINEERING as our highest qualities.
Those who fail to become SCIENTISTS and ENGINEERS become vast bastions of POLITICAL and PHILOSOPHICAL THOUGHT! We have FREEDOM! We have RIGHTS! We have a GLORIOUS and WONDERFUL REPUBLIC where every man over the age of 18 with a proper amount of worth and a proper station and good credentials from a good family can have a vote in our society!
We are quite Enlightened.
Beautiful Begma City!
Welcome to beautiful Begma City, the City of Tomorrow in the Land of Tomorrow! Now that you have arrived on our fine beautiful shores, no doubt as a passenger on the Optimist, perhaps you would like to peruse our city? Do some shopping? Perhaps enjoy our vast array of entertainments! Before you spend the time, perhaps you should learn a little about our land.
Begman Cultural Notes
To truly understand Begma, start here.
Begma is based on the late Victorian England Steampunk/MagicPunk Genre. Names, dress, manner of speech, and culture are all taken directly from London of the late 1850s to the late 1890s. Clothing and dress is typically 1880s New York or 1880s London, but the time period does not exclude Wild West! The Wild West certainly falls under the Begma time period and aegis, in the area of East Begma, where there are still massive ranches, in an area known as 'The Wild East'.
Begma is in the midst of its Industrial Revolution. It is a fantasy location as such that the air is full of dirigibles, the factories run on enormous engines of steam, and trains powered by strange devices carry cargo across the countryside. In the Begman eyes, the World is Moving On, them with it, and the Universe is a bountiful playground full of Limitless Progress! They believe firmly in the Future of Tomorrow.
As Begma is a Republic, the concept of "Royalty" and "Nobility" blur in the mind. Today, Robber Barons and Corporate Magnates own magnitude more land, wealth and political influence than the blue bloods of yore. Coupled with the Professional Politicians, Nobility gets lost in the muddle. Begma still has titled Nobility, but it is considered Quaint and of Curious Interest and no longer a ruling Begman force in Begman politics.
Characters created with Begman backgrounds or Begman ties must keep this in mind.
A Little Friendly Xenophobia
Many cultural norms are taken directly from Rudyard Kipling's poem, The White Man's Burden. While Begma shows an amazing amount of gender equity in the name of science, they are shamelessly racist and xenophobic. They consider themselves racially superior to anyone who does not look like them. All major facilities: the University, the Government, land ownership, corporation owners, titles and patents, and participating in the vote, is open only to those who can claim citizenship or dual citizenship.
Reference Links
Gentleman's Emporium (Begma Clothing/Costuming Reference)
Western Emporium (Begma ADVENTURE Clothing/Costuming Reference)
Hot Begman Pinup Girl
Very Begman Map
Begman Electric Guitar!
New York Architecture in Black and White