The World of Ghost In The Shell

GHOST

IN THE SHELL

THE WORLD OF GHOST IN THE SHELL

It is the near future. The world has become highly information-intensive, with a vast corporate network covering the planet, electrons and light pulsing through it. But the nation-state and ethnic groups still survive.

And on the edge of Asia, in a strange corporate conglomerate-state called "Japan" ...

- Masamune Shirow, Ghost in the Shell

2029, a dark, gritty future where the crime levels have skyrocketed in the inner cities, and political unrest is at a boiling point in every major nation. A future where the mega-corporations duke it out on the covert battlefield and governments are constantly fending off terrorism. The net has permeated every level of our everyday lives and technology has run rampant through society, bringing about a new era on the verge of information overload. Sound familiar? It should… if you've been playing Cyberpunk 2020 at all, or have ever read a William Gibson novel. The point is that Ghost in the Shell is going to be familiar territory for most Cyberpunk players. It's mood and themes are similar to those presented in the Cyberpunk 2020 game. What makes it interesting, is the complex political setting and intrigue that G.i.t.S. presents. Having said that, we must introduce several of the concepts and elements that stray from the CP 2020 that you are used to.

THE CONCEPT OF THE "GHOST"
In Ghost in the Shell the concept of the "ghost" is an important one. As the title itself implies, the "ghost" is one's soul or consciousness and the "shell" is simply where it is housed, be it in the human body or in a machine or computer. In Ghost in the Shell, technology has come to the point where this "ghost" can be manipulated, programmed or even downloaded in to a computer (ghostdubbing). Obviously, this sort of thing has raised interesting questions about the morality of such acts. This concept of the "ghost" and the questions surrounding it is one of the major themes of Ghost in the Shell and they should be played up as much as possible in your game.

The World
The world of G.i.t.S. is still in a state of postwar flux following the recent WW III and WW IV. Economies have shifted, and it is apparent that the new world superpower is none other than Japan. The following are current profiles of countries & international organizations. Immediately following the profiles is an in depth look at Japan.

Countries & International Unions

By 2029, Asia has become the most important and most powerful economic region in the entire world, and at the helm of all the prosperity in the Pacific-Rim is none other than Japan. Home to the biggest and most technologically advanced cites in the world. See in depth report on Japan 2029.

The European Union (EU) - previously called the European Community (EC) and sometimes known as the Common Market - is an intergovernmental organization of 12 Western European nations with its own institutional structures and decision-making framework. The aim of the EC's founders was to construct a united Europe through peaceful means and create conditions for economic growth, social cohesion among the European peoples, and for greater political integration and cooperation among governments. The member nations of the EC are Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, and the United Kingdom. Despite criticism early on, the EU has become a formidable economic competitor to Japan and the United States. Although relations are good between the EU and Japan, this economic rivalry has become the basis for several corporate sponsored covert actions between the two entities.

Although still a very important nation, the United States' superpower status was been giving way to the economic behemoth of Japan in recent years. Currently, the United States is suffering from a faltering economy and a divided population. Class and racial lines have divided people into separate groups, each struggling against the others. Crime has risen to an all time high and the underfunded government can't keep enough police on the streets to do anything about it. The major corporations have stepped in somewhat offering privatization off law enforcement in some areas. As for foreign policy, the U.S. government is looking to do anything that will improve their status economically.

Russia, or the Russian Federation, is the largest country in the world, extending from the Baltic Sea in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east, and occupying more than half of the Eurasian landmass. From 1922 to 1991, Russia was the main constituent republic in the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. In the early 2000s a hard-line communist faction seized control of the Russian Federation once again, but by the end of WW III it became apparent that economically, Russia would have to change. After a plot to gain access to EU markets through a German connection failed, Russia turned to Japan for help. In order to grease the gears between the two nations, Russia withdrew its presence from the Northern Islands (which it has occupied since 1945), returning them to Japan.

The League of Arab States was formed in Cairo on Mar. 22, 1945, by Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, Transjordan (now Jordan), and Yemen. The main aim of the league is to coordinate the political action and safeguard the sovereignty of the Arab states. In the council of the league, on which each member has one vote, only unanimous decisions are binding. The Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in 1990 split the league. Twelve of its members condemned Iraq, and nine sent ground forces to join the anti-Iraq coalition in the 1991. The league was split again during World War III when 11 members left the League for good. Today the League, has negotiated lucrative trade agreements between several of its members and Japan. This has, of course, led to problems with Israel, and the fighting has spilled over into the streets of Japan. Recently, Japan's Foreign Minister, Hidaka, tried to remedy the problem by getting Japanese corporations to form joint ventures with Israeli corps. The whole thing was scraped when it was discovered that the Mossad was manipulating events in order to sway public opinion over to the Israeli cause.

The United Nations (UN) is a general international organization established at the end of World War II to promote international peace and security. The main purposes of the organization were to "save succeeding generations from the scourge of war." It has since participated in almost every major war including the "peacekeeping actions" that escalated into World War III and WW IV. It should be noted that by 2029 Japan has become a principal supplier of military aid to the UN.

Other International Entities

Terrorist Organizations
In the post-war scenario of 2029, terrorism has escalated to record levels. There are many different groups operating inside of Japan. Prominent groups include Islamic factions as well as South East Asians. Since S-9 is a counter-terrorist agency all crimes committed by these groups fall under their jurisdiction. For In depth info on terrorism and terrorist groups you can use in your campaign, check out my article: Techno Jihad.

Corporations
Corporations in 2029 have a tremendous degree of power and resources. These mega-corporations survive to meet only one goal. To make money. This means that they will pursue profit over anything else, and will engage in morally questionable acts to meet these ends. Violence is often used as a means to this end. Assassinations, sabotage and corporate espionage have all become common tactics among businesses. Here are just a few of the corporate giants that inhabit Japan.

MEGATECH
Megatech is one of the major manufacturers of prosthetic bodies, robots and AIs. They are known in the industry for producing top of the line equipment, and for their highly popular Class-A prosthetic body. All the cyborgs in Section 9 have bodies and parts from Megatech, and the SDF maintains contracts with them as well. Their headquarters is in Newport City.

HANKA PRECISION INSTRUMENTS
Hanka Precision Instruments is a major manufacturer of AI robots. They manufacture a variety of different models from defense to waitpersons. Recently, they were caught in a scandal where they were dubbing the ghosts of children into a robot known as the Tomliand Prototype to achieve a greater sense of human personality. When these robots started going berserk, their plot was found out and their president was arrested. Hanka is still in business but their profits have severely dropped. It is uncertain if they will make it through the next five years.

SAGAWA ELECTRONICS INC
Sagawa Electronics Inc. is the main company of the Sagawa Group. The Sagawa Group is a massive corporate Zaibatsu which has its hands in every piece of the corporate pie. Sagawa Electronics was once a midsize corporation who manufactured a variety of electronic goods: optics, cyberware, toasters etc. (think IEC) until the Public Security Bureau stepped in during the war. A man named Kagasaki (who is now Minister of the Interior) used the corporation to get close to the Russian bases. Along the way he embezzled enough money to launch the Sagawa Group into a prosperous future.

[ Masamune Shirow Conversions ]