Long Term vs Bolt holes

[nduffy]

Has anyone tried a long term base vs using the tradition bolt hole?I have had some ideas in play about having a team/ crew wake up and find they had been moved. When they explore their new surroundings they discover they are equipped for about a 6-8 month stay. They still have their cache sites but they have stores and a secure base to operate from. Their team also is increased in size from 4 to 8-12 members and have access to 2-3 vehicles. a HMV-150 or Tpz Luchs 8x8, a armored hummer and possibly a CUCV truck or SUV. This allows for more players. I had also thought about adding the farm in the box and or communications box set up for them. With the farm in the box they could supplement their foods and also possibly have produce to trade and or exchange for goods from locals. Thoughts are welcomed!

[knightofrubus]

I could see this working if the team was supposed to bring a regional base online that needs parts, teams that might be stuck in boltholes etc.

[Desert Mariner]

I realize that the up and out aspect of the bolt hole was primarily a plot device to get the PCs moving around but have always felt it would be a huge waste of Project resources. Considering the multiple hoops that need to be jumped through to secretly build anything, why not put forth a little extra effort and give the teams something they can utilize on an ongoing basis? Add modular restroom, shower, and kitchen facilities that in the least give the team a fallback position should they run into a meatgrinder. The included facilities shouldn’t be extensive, just enough to fulfill basic needs in the short-term.

[nduffy]

Originally Posted by Desert Mariner

I realize that the up and out aspect of the bolt hole was primarily a plot device to get the PCs moving around but have always felt it would be a huge waste of Project resources. Considering the multiple hoops that need to be jumped through to secretly build anything, why not put forth a little extra effort and give the teams something they can utilize on an ongoing basis? Add modular restroom, shower, and kitchen facilities that in the least give the team a fallback position should they run into a meatgrinder. The included facilities shouldn’t be extensive, just enough to fulfill basic needs in the short-term.

I agree, Also think of a medical team. Consider they would need a rather large amount of supplies as well as a base of operation. Stocked up with 3-6 months of medical supplies and even possibly a vehicle with a mobile med unit or even a few med units in their bay, they could set up a tentative clinic and start their work. Their cache is exactly that, emergency use only. in case they need to unass they could torch the hole. denying any bad guys of their equipment and then proceed to the nearest cache to round out and lay low or fight till reinforcements arrive. They could also be equipped with the incredible inflatable concrete tent (building) that could be set up as a clinic in a town or village. this would require a trailer and the pumps needed to inflate the structure.
I could also see communications teams doing the same.
I guess we all have different visions of our MP universe , I find it fun to share ideas.

[mmartin798]

Originally Posted by knightofrubus

I could see this working if the team was supposed to bring a regional base online that needs parts, teams that might be stuck in boltholes etc.

It's hard to imagine a team being stuck in a bolt hole. The standard vehicle loadout includes about 100kg of C4. Even if the escape shaft is collapsed or has a huge tree root going through it and the main vehicle door is somehow inoperative, they can make a pretty big hole with a little digging and blasting.

[StainlessSteelCynic]

Originally Posted by mmartin798

It's hard to imagine a team being stuck in a bolt hole. The standard vehicle loadout includes about 100kg of C4. Even if the escape shaft is collapsed or has a huge tree root going through it and the main vehicle door is somehow inoperative, they can make a pretty big hole with a little digging and blasting.

I don't think he meant literally stuck in and can't get out, I took it to mean, needing to use the bolt-hole as a base camp for a short period of time.

[StainlessSteelCynic]

I was never really taken with the unconnected episodic nature of many of the published adventures. That is to say, the idea that you started a completely new team unconnected to previous adventures.
That was not something I really wanted to force players to do, making new characters every time we were going to do a new adventure so the idea of the traditional bolt-hole was not particularly satisfying to me either.

If I could convince enough people in my little part of the world, to play a TMP campaign, I'd want to have the bolt-hole usable as a somewhat safe, shorty-term base camp that they can be (relatively) secure in while they figure out what the hell is going on in the outside world.
I think even with the aim that they were only supposed to be in stasis for a few years until the war was well and truly over, the concept of the bolt-hole as a short-term base is still valid.
You want information about the "new world" you have just woken up to, having a secure fall-back position can make the task a little safer compared to constantly roving around and camping out each night.

[nduffy]

I want to give future teams a safe place to operate out of or fall back too. It could also serve as a district base down the line if needed. I think once they realized they overslept 150 years they will want to take a bit more caution in exploring the new world vs getting shoved out the door.
Side slide.. I increased the size of my teams to an almost modern squad 6-8 persons, MARS teams are 9-12 and technical teams could be as much as 12 depending on their skill. I figure if I dont have that many people playing I can run NPCs and give them a few red shirts. If they get cocky well the red shirt can save the day and serve them humble pie,,, Recon teams have a team leader, driver, medic, contact specialist, science person, recon specialist, and possibly 2 extras like a mechanic and or engineer.

[knightofrubus]

Originally Posted by StainlessSteelCynic

I don't think he meant literally stuck in and can't get out, I took it to mean, needing to use the bolt-hole as a base camp for a short period of time.

Or having not been woke up yet. Though that's more of my personal variant of the project where things did not go smoothly and Project teams have been sporadically waking up for several decades without any coherent backup.

[nduffy]

Originally Posted by knightofrubus

Or having not been woke up yet. Though that's more of my personal variant of the project where things did not go smoothly and Project teams have been sporadically waking up for several decades without any coherent backup.

Isn't that almost a general theme? Hunting Morrow for tech and goods? The KFS in my games is always looking for MP tech and MP personnel. I had a team on the run for weeks dodging the KFS, I kept them running hard, they even had to rescue another MP team that the KFS had discovered still in their hole. They somehow pulled it off and even managed to keep both vehicles. Although the Bolt Hole teams vehicle was shot up pretty bad. The players were seasoned T2K players and weren't afraid to throw down and fight. THAT was a fun time!