A word or two on this weblog's peculiar name: I have adapted the blog's title from the phrase "Ramshackle Empire," which appears in the science-fiction game Traveller, of which your humble narrator was once an enthusiastic fan. "Ramshackle Empire" was the derisive name given to the second human interstellar empire by its critics, and the term itself draws attention to one of the more appealing parts of Traveller's future history: there were not only hundreds of institutions and events described in that history, but also multiple historical interpretations of some of those institutions and events. (Supporters of the "Ramshackle Empire" called it by its official name, the Rule of Man.) The term also displays the game designers' appreciation for terrestrial history, since it was borrowed from critics of the real-world Austro-Hungarian Empire.
As for using the term "vampire" instead of "empire" - hey, I've got to get in on this vampire craze before it vanishes completely. (Note: it has almost vanished completely.)
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