THE FEDERAL BEVERAGES MANUFACTORY (FBM)

• Location: Town Center, Hope
• Address: East Northern Crossroad 1
• Surroundings: Adjacent to the Federal Pottery

The Federal Beverages Manufactory (FBM) is the centralized authority for beverage production in the Federal Confederation during the Gamma Age. Located in Hope’s Town Center, the manufactory operates out of the former Mikulić Inc. Distillery site.

It replaced all private beverage companies of the Beta Age, including Space Drinks Inc., Mikulić Inc. Distillery, and Pilswerke Inc., which were nationalized after the introduction of Communardism.

Alcohol consumption was restricted by the Federal Council, and production of liquors has been reduced to near zero. The only product of the FBM is Federal Beer, a standardized light lager distributed under strict quota systems. Plain water remains the most consumed drink across the Confederation.

The building retains much of the heavy stone-and-brick industrial structure of the Mikulić Distillery, adapted to low-energy constraints of Communardism.

• Materials: Local stone, heavy timber beams, and reused brick.
• Lighting (No Electric High-Bays): Clerestories and narrow light wells provide daytime illumination; after-hours, hooded oil lamps and baseboard Luminofera dualis runs are used.
• Ventilation: Passive cross-ventilation through roof vents and stone-cool basements for storage.
• Energy Use: Gravity-fed brewing vessels and manual line shafts minimize draw.

• Main Brewing Hall: Central hall with copper kettles, fermentation vats, and cooling tanks.
• Packaging Room: Bottling and clay jug-filling lines; storage racks for distribution crates.
• Storage Cellar: Stone-cooled area for lagering and final storage before release.
• Quality Control Office: Ledgers, sample casks, and manual testing equipment.
• Administration Wing: Offices for planning and ration logging
• Loading Bay: Direct access for Federal Courier Service Carts.
• Restrooms: Aurorasan System latrines for staff.
• Cafeteria: Meals provided by the Federal Kitchen.

Inside the FBM, the air smells of malt and yeast, with copper vessels dominating the dimly lit hall. Workers move quietly, recording figures in thick ledgers. The atmosphere is austere and orderly, stripped of any branding or ornamentation from the Beta Age companies.

Developed in 2631 following the nationalization of alcohol production, Federal Beer replaced the defunct Space Beer. While rationed, it remains the only alcoholic beverage legally produced and consumed under strict quotas of the Gamma Age.

Staff (≈35):

• Brew Technicians (≈15): Operate kettles and fermentation.
• Packaging Workers (≈10): Fill and crate bottles/jugs.
• Quality Inspectors (≈3): Taste and ledger samples.
• Administration Clerks (≈5): Handle quotas, Allotment logging, and courier records.
• Facility Maintenance (≈2): Upkeep of vats, line shafts, and cleaning.

• Shift: 06:00–14:00 production
• Courier Windows: FCS pick-ups at 08:00 and 15:30.
• Tours: Not open for walk-ins; guild/academy visits by appointment (catwalk only).

• Perimeter Fence: 2.5 m fence with a single staffed gate
• Controlled Access: Access is restricted to staff only.
• Analog Alert System: Analog Siren System tied to the Local Sheriff’s Office (Hope).
• Deputy Patrols: Scheduled town-center pass-throughs; incident ledger at reception.

Legal interactions:

1. Receive GAIA work assignments as brewing or packaging staff.
2. Deliver or pick up crates as an employee of the Federal Courier Service.

Illegal interactions:

1. Forge or tamper with ration labels.
2. Smuggle extra bottles/jugs out of packaging.
3. Sabotage kettles or contaminate yeast batches.
4. Bribe staff for off-ledger distribution.

• Adventure Hook — The Missing Shipment: A shipment of Federal Beer bound for Firetown has gone missing. Players might be tasked with tracing the loss through crate ledgers, courier logs, and storage cellars. The hook could evolve into uncovering a black-market diversion scheme involving disloyal clerks or an Outlaw Faction …

• Gamma Age
• Federal Confederation
• Communardism
• Hope
• Federal Allotment Agency
• Federal Beer
• Space Beer (most popular beer of the Beta Age)
• Space Drinks Inc. (successor, Beta Age)
• Mikulic Inc. (successor, Beta Age)
• Pilswerke Inc. (successor, Beta Age)