Sigil Prohibition

It might be interesting to have the city function almost as a place where varied narratives across the planes are filtered through this lens of the 1920s-30s. Some magic still works obviously, but perhaps chasing down the Wand of Orcus suddenly becomes hunting for a diamong or Maltese Falcon or somesuch.

Basically, you are still looking for something that will be the Wand of Orcus when you leave Sigil, but it becomes some comparable, appropriate item while in the city's borders. This would also make the city that much more disturbing to the rest of the planes, as upon leaving your memory is hazing and events twist to accomodate a narrative more appropriate to the fantasy medieval setting of the rest of the Multiverse: getting gunned down becomes getting killed by a barrage of magic missles or arrows.

The mind *knows* that isn't really what happened, but it tries to approximate Sigil reality with Everywhere-Else reality.

Well PS as it stands was originially (I believe, so take it with a grain of salt) meant to be played either as adventure in an exploratory sense or as an intridue/espionage/political sense, so alot of the flavor can be maintained (perhaps you ought to consider "augmenting" the chant though, just to adjust it more to the porhibiton feel).

As to the factions the Athar I see as being organized alot like the temperance sufferage orginizations of the tme,in that you see alot of them handing out leaflets in front of churches and occasionally shaking one up but for the most part remaining simply scholars whose ideas can be offputting or not depending on the person.

Believers of the Source are cooks, the equivalent of shakers, seventh day adventists, etc. Their beliefs are socially accpetable, and their position as an industrial congomerate is respected, but they're still a little odd. Actually, think Oneida company, I think, although that's bit farther back in time.

The Bleak Cabal need not really change that much, saving their outfits. Existensialism was just as prominent in the 1920s as it was in the Dark Ages, i.e., not at all.

Doomguard, everybody's favorite (okay, probably not) these guys are the more anarchist version of the anarchists. While the anarchists I see as just "perpetual revolutionaries" the Doomguard can be made more like the punk movement in the UK. They broke things to break them, because it felt good. Their role needn't change and they shake things up not because they are necessarily opposed to the prohibiton (especially since it's actually made the city more disordered) so much as interested in shaking things up to see what breaks.

Dustmen are the same. Creepy blokes who now wear mothballed undertaker suits instead of robes. 

The Fated are starting to become more prominent. Their philosophy, as it falls in line with Ayn Rand's objectivism (probably the wrong word) is actually enhanced by the oppurtunites created by a prohibition and even more so by the industrial revolution. I see them standing with heavy ties to organized crime and more legal business but being sly enough to stay clean.

Fraternity of Order. I think you've already got them covered. Still the endless bueracrats and scientists but with the fashion of the current age. Having finally got an order in place only to see it start to fall apart I see them increasingly desperate looking for better peaceful ways to solve the problem. With their utter focus on law they're desperate because they just can't understand why everyone isn't happy to have their lives ordered.

Free Leaguers don't like seeing others force their beliefs on them so their probably standing up to it. Vocally but nonviolently at first (although they'll still hit a speakeasy) but as they Guverning Triad (Guvners, Hardheads, Red Death) cracks down thanks to the Doomguard and the Anarchists they start to split, either cutting out or sticking to their guns and being gunned down for it.

Harmonium: Finally law and order in Sigil, if we can only get the sodding berks to accept it it'll be perfect and we can move on out to the planes. We can't let them stop us.

Mercykillers: Prohibition was okay, but what's better is the response. Of the people happiest with the situation with the increase in organized crime and general law-breaking, the two that stand at the top are the Doomguard and the Mercykillers. The city is more freewheeling than ever and all the laws are starting to break down which gives the Mercykillers a better chance to excercise their beloved justice. As time passes they grow much closer to the Harmonium, with the Hardheads giving the Red Death more and more leash outside the prison to aid with controlling the population, which will only excarbate the situation. The Guvnors however may eventually realize just what monster they've allowed to be created and may either try and reverse it or secretly give aid to the more moderate elements who speak out against it.

Revolutionary League: Bomb throwing liberals. Not necessarily the operators of speakeasys and such, these are the ones who aid the criminals (who are most likely Outsiders or Fated as I see it, the Fated sitting aside both sides of the legal line) just to break it down, the ones who bomb innocents and guilty alike in order to further their cause. Some of them are just outspoken against it peacefully, but as usual all will be tarred with the same brush and the hammer will be coming down. Hard. 

Sign of One: This really doesn't effect them that much on a faction wide or general level. They may actually split over the issue, although it's unlikely. The average person's likely to see them the same as always, maybe a bit cooky but generally good hearted. They may struggle to remain neutral in the Hall of Speakers but will likely be among the least effected.

Sensates can go a few ways. They may just be a large hedonists club or a legitamate philosophy group but the "sensational" theaters will be all the rage, as will all the new art and music. They may be slightly miffed that it's harder to get somethings but really, prohibiton has created more new sensations than it likely destroyed, and its still possible to get those things, just a bit tougher. 

The Transcendent Order ascetics who may have withdrawn into their shells over the situation and tend to remain inside, however their tendency to simply do things with little to no apparant reason may mean they come into conflict with the Guverning Triad, but most likely givent their disposition to mediation and maintaining the balance, they may end up being the voice of reason in the city as it breaks down. Or they may just walk out as the city pulls itself out of balance. In any case, the great gymnasium would likely be just as popular as ever, with the exception that the poor might be "discouraged" by wealthier elements from going, making it mostly a rich man's spa. 

Lastly the Xaositects. Probably the hardest hit at the beginning of the prohibiton their natural tendencies will likely bring them instantly into conflict with the harmonium, likely leading to most of them quickly being scragged and/or killed, but despite their near destruction they'll find a way to worm through the danger and make it out again, maybe becoming unlikely heroes, more active than the Free League, but less maliciously destructive than the anarchists.

I hope that helps you summit. GIT

P.S. Oh! Also, one way to make it feel gritter is to make it so that one of the laws requires all personages to maintain a "reasonable" form, i.e. one of a humanoid, and items are provided that allow this. They still act just as holy or fiendish, but now look more like flappers, businessmen, and gangsters. I think I'd distance the powers from the planars and primes a bit more than usual as well. Very few proxies involved. One idea that came up somwhere was inter-planar trains. What if one of the inventions was simply that, a sort of train that ran along planar conduits?

Anyway, done for real now. GIT

Oh, forgot the Harmonium. I imagine them as having split in two, with the corrupt beat cops and the upstanding G men.