[John Farson]

Europe

Europe suffered immensely from the war, and most of the battles that were fought with conventional weapons were fought on the soil of the Old World.

The United Kingdom: The British suffered much during the war due to the country being one of the most important members of NATO. The goverment controls the southeastern part of the country south of the Thames and east of Southampton. This area is organized with regards to encounters, although its border regions are military cantonments. The populations centers (i.e. those that are still intact) outside this area are independent. The government of these various local communities ranges from municipal councils (like those before the war) to military dictatorships. The area between Folkstone and Hastings is the subject of constant disputes between the government and various independent communities. The government has managed to maintain control of a few oil rigs in the North Atlantic, and therefore is able to acquire at least some oil products.

France: Despite her neutrality, France suffered from nuclear strikes directed at her ports and oil industry in order to deny them to NATO. The destruction was mostly limited to the coasts, but the number of deaths was great. Riots and instability caused by the war and ensuing refugee crisis led first to the closing of the borders and then to the occupation of the entire west bank of the Rhine. Because of this the Army has created a freefire Dead Zone (La Zone Morte), where anyone who is caught moving can be freely killed. The border is officially closed to all but French citizens, although in practice one can bribe one's way in, provided that you have a useful profession that you can support yourself with.

The Franco-Spanish border is also closed, but smuggling is rife. The black market is run by the Union Corse (a Corsican organised crime syndicate). With the worsening of the situation the French government has had to take tougher measures, and as a result life in most areas is hard but bearable.

In some areas (particularly mountainous ones) there is open rebellion against the government and martial law is in place almost everywhere. The governments of the southern French departments are unbelievably corrupt because they are controlled by the Union Corse. Marseille is the largest undamaged city, though it is in bad shape compared to the pre-war era. It represents the remains of trade between the merchants of Europe and the Eastern Mediterranean and is completely under the control of the Corsicans.

Most of France is organized (mostly due to the French government/Army though the Union Corse functions similarly in southern France). A few mountainous areas are disputed or independent. Terrorised and isolated areas as well as military cantonments are to be found in the west bank of the Rhine. La Zone Morte is destroyed.

Scandinavia: Although no Scandinavian country suffered from strategic nuclear attacks, they suffered significantly in the 1997-98 Lapland war between NATO and the Warsaw Pact. The cessation of world trade has made life ever harder. Most of Scandinavia's cities are independent or isolated, although the southern areas are mostly organized. In the northern areas which suffered from the Lapland war there are military cantonments, destroyed or anarchy -riven territory. (Although Scandinavia does have the only intact oil refineries in Europe besides Ploesti, such as the Neste refinery in Porvoo, they are so far away from crude oil production areas as to be useless. -editor.)

The Iberian peninsula: Despite their neutrality Spain and Portugal shared France's fate due to their oil industry and ports. The governments of both nations have collapsed and been replaced by the Guardia Civil and the former armies, whose forces are bandits and extortionists. Gibraltar and everything around it in a 20 km radius are in anarchy. The rest of the peninsula is isolated, terrorized, destroyed or independent.

Italy: Italy's oil refineries and industrial centers were targeted both by conventional as well as nuclear attacks. Contiuous fighting destroyed the Alpine region, but otherwise the country is (more or less) intact. Although the government is nominally in control, in practice the army runs most of the country (based on the martial law declaration of 1998). Italy has many guerrilla movements, including a monarchist one.

In the north the industrial cities are destroyed or in anarchy. Cities that are further away are isolated. Central and southern Italy has military cantonments or independent cities.

Western Mediterranean Islands: Corsica is still nominally under French control, although the Union Corse is the de facto authority on the island. Corsica is organized. Sardinia and Sicily are nominally under the authortiy of the government in Rome, although in practice they are on their own. Sardinia's and Sicily's communities are isolated or independent.

The smaller islands have been left to fend for themselves (are independent). The meagre trade with the continent is continuously endangered due to the pirates that have infested the coasts of North Africa, which is almost in anarchy.

Austria: The government has completely vanished. Some parts of the country are occupied by foreign forces, and the occupiers are mostly German and American. The rest of the country is ruled by local village leaders (isolated) or in anarchy.

Switzerland: Switzerland has declared a national state of emergency and closed its borders to refugees, though some black market trading of industrial products for food is allowed (unofficially). To be born in Switzerland is to win the lottery. Life is hard but not intolerable. Industry is functioning, albeit inefficiently (due to the raw material shortage). EMP damaged most of the country's hydropower production. Because of this electricity distribution is rationed. At least you can get electricity there, unlike the rest of the world. The entire country is organized.

Germany: The federal government has ceased to exist. Large swaths of the country are in chaos, while others are ruled by foreign soldiers or local strongmen. Even despite this, numerous communities occupied by German soldiers (military cantonments) exist all around the countryside, particularly on the Polish-German border.

The British military cantonments are around Hannover and Braunscheig, while the Americans are mostly in the south. The industrial areas of Augsburg and Nurenberg are destroyed. The swath of area 50 km east of the Rhine is either destroyed or in anarchy. Most communities are independent or isolated and it is especially so in the forests of the Schwarzwald (the Black Forest), in the areas of the Hartz and Jura mountains as well as in Rheinpfalz. The Polish and Czech border regions are disputed.

Poland: The government has practically disappeared, and it nowadays only controls Lublin and the surrounding area. Part of the country is occupied by foreign forces, another part is in anarchy and the rest has declared independence. The area around these relatively stable regions is terrorized or destroyed. The Gliwice/Katowice/Bytom corridor is destroyed. Downtown Warsaw is destroyed, but its suburbs are isolated. Cracow is independent, as are some cities in Silesia and Pomerania. Pomerania itself is a Polish military cantonment. These units no longer answer to the government in Lublin. The strength and situation of the military units in Poland are described in a separate chapter.

Czech Republic & Slovakia: The central government of the reunited Czechoslovakia has declared martial law and nowadays runs the country via local military commanders. Said commanders do not really follow the government's orders anymore. The area has military cantonments as well as a few independent population centers. The industry of the Czech Republic was hit hard in the war, and part of the border regions are occupied by foreign forces (disputed). Prague, Ostrava and all industrial areas are destroyed.
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