Americana

Old Business: A Word On Anthems As was pointed out in the last article, we Americans do seem to hear our anthems more often than the British. But viewers of baseball will confirm this typically involves listening to some celebrity belt the thing out. Anyone who has actually attempted the song knows that Francis Scott Key (the composer) makes some rather harsher demands than the average Joe's vocal talent can fulfil. As a result, while its probably safe to conclude that most Americans could recognise their own anthem and even hum it more or less tunelessly, its unlikely that many could give a performance that would make our nation proud. A Very Brief Note On US Geography First, the obvious: compared to the UK, the US is big. Really. Big. GMs setting a campaign in the states can realistically include tundra, woodlands, vast swamps, deserts, and plains. But if you're keen on realism, keep in mind travel time. I've never gone coast-to-coast, but consider Boston to Chicago, roughly 1/3 the length of the continental US, a unit of measure. By plane it's approximately 4 hours, bus/train 22 hours, and by car a mere 18 hours if you've the endurance to do it all in one wack and a rather liberal interpretation of speed limits. (A word of caution, though: the author is still recovering from his last jaunt).

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