General Overview
We're a semi-canon roleplaying environment, set in 1970/1971. This means that canon characters such as Dumbledore, Voldemort and the Potters exist and that we plan on roughly following the established time-line of the Harry Potter franchise. Our timeline will start as Voldemort rises to power for the first time and move along the canon timeline of the series through the first wizarding war and beyond. The details, however, are up to you. We're happy to make some alterations such as having different professors teach at Hogwarts or having events unfold that were not mentioned in the books, if it fits the general mood, look, and feel of our source material.
You have complete freedom regarding your individual plots, but we would like to ask you to keep things true to the feel of the books and movies where possible.
Site wide events will be announced via the
Year Book.
Britain in the 70s Our setting is 70s magical Great Britain and will progress from there throughout the decade and onward. While most wizards have minimal contact with the muggle world understanding our setting within history is important to play a character who lives during that era. Our guidebook does not encompass all events or moods of the decade it is intended to help you get in the spirit of the period.
Politics & Economics The start of the decade saw high levels of prosperity and economic growth within the UK. Employment levels were high. However by the mid 70s the tide had turned as UK industrial output and demand slowed. Workers and laborers went on mass strikes to protest as many families faced economic peril. Massive international petrol shortages impacted all aspects of British life. Inflation soared as taxes rose and the economy struggled. Most middle and lower income families struggled to keep up. In Ireland and Northern Ireland the late 1960s saw the start of a 30 year conflict dubbed 'The Troubles'. The Troubles was an ethno-nationalist conflict in Northern Ireland between those wishing to remain part of the UK and those wishing to join the Republic of Ireland and leave the UK. The Troubles is noted by extreme violence and conflict amongst communities across Northern Ireland. The mid and late 1970s are remembered as one of the darkest periods in modern British and Irish history due to the economic and political turmoil that gripped the UK and escalating violence and conflict in Ireland.
Technology To us modern muggles the technology of the 1970s might as well be ancient relics. By the 1970s most homes did have a TV, some even started having color TVs! Computers were just starting to be used for automation and calculations in the workplace. Internet access was largely limited to military agencies and would not be readily available for home use for two decades. There were no mobile phones, no laptops, and no Google. Long distance communication was often still done via post instead of e-mail or phone. Of course electricity and magic don't mix, so these items won't be around much in our universe but it's good to know what the muggles were working with!
Society The 1970s was considered a largely progressive period compared to previous decades. However, in comparison to the society norms of the 2020s the 1970s in the UK would be considered deeply conservative.
For the first time significant strides were made in recognizing communities traditionally ignored and repressed by society. The feminist movement changed the discourse around women's place in society. More women were working outside the home, more women were gaining a voice in public life, and more women were accessing reproductive health access. However, despite these gains sexist behavior towards women was still normal in many regards and gender roles were still quite rigid.
In the 70s persons of color in the UK struggled for rights and access on par with white citizens, especially in work and housing. In 1970 there were 1.4 million people of color living in Britain but immigration laws remained strict requiring non-white persons old an employer work permit or have a parent or grandparent born in the UK to hold citizenship. Labor and inclusion laws passed throughout the 1970s did improve access for people of color in their communities. Though racism and colorism remained common in people's social lives.
By and large gender roles and dynamics were still extremely traditional. While today UK society is open and largely supportive of persons in the LGBTQ community historically this was not the case in the 1970s. Homosexual acts were criminalized in the UK until the late 1960s. While many people thought being gay should not be a crime the public by and large considered homosexuality and gender dysmorphia as a mental illness. While of course LGBTQ people existed in the 1970s they would be much less likely to publicly identify as LGBTQ for fear of severe repercussions from society and their communities. Despite being a period of rapid change overall people's views in the 1970s were more conservative, even persons who considered themselves very modern and liberal, than today.
**Note: Foe.Glass is an inclusive community. We do not tolerate OOC discrimination based on race, faith, gender, or sexual identity. Please understand that while we openly embrace you for you given the time period the board is set in, some character storylines that work in 2022 may not work in 1970.