Finding Prime Base

[cosmicfish]

A few comments:

First, there is no data that cannot be corrupted over time, so whether or not Damocles still has the data is up to the PD.

Second, there may have been several post-war detonations. Krell, rogue/fanatical sub commanders, people tinkering with undetonated warheads, etc. There may have been a nuke going off every decade for all we know. And those detonations may not be correlated with pre-war targets.

Third, and more importantly, there is no reason to think that either Damocles or the players would associate a late nuclear detonation with the location of Prime Base. Damocles knows nothing of the Project, and neither Damocles nor the players know that a nuke was detonated at Prime Base until they get there. If a team did query the data, they would probably assume that whatever was at that site was destroyed anyway.

Finding Prime Base should be a matter of following protocols that would exist for the situation where any command was taken out.

[tsofian]

Originally Posted by cosmicfish

A few comments:

Third, and more importantly, there is no reason to think that either Damocles or the players would associate a late nuclear detonation with the location of Prime Base. Damocles knows nothing of the Project, and neither Damocles nor the players know that a nuke was detonated at Prime Base until they get there. If a team did query the data, they would probably assume that whatever was at that site was destroyed anyway.

Finding Prime Base should be a matter of following protocols that would exist for the situation where any command was taken out.

The players know Prime Base was knocked out. It is not unreasonable to assume it was hit by a nuke. Finding nuke detonations with no apparent target might be a decent line of investigation. Just say'n.

[cosmicfish]

They know it was knocked out, if there is only one post-war nuke they might decide it was Prime Base (if they also assume it wasn't taken out during the war )... but do they really abandon everything else to haul themselves into the desert to investigate what they assume to be an empty crater? They might reasonably assume that it was nuked, but knowing that it was knocked out why would they assume there was anything recoverable or worth investigating?

[tsofian]

So what is the SOP for Prime Base and the entire rest of the Project being unavailable? The player team is the only team in the entire western hemisphere that is operational. They open the handy dandy MP SOP Manual and pull out what?

[mmartin798]

Well, an excerpt from 4th edition states:

You have already been briefed on the location of your assigned bolt-hole, and had a chance to familiarize yourself with the surrounding area. As a security measure no other teams will be aware of the location of your bolt-hole, only Prime Base will possess this information. You will be provided with maps leading you to hidden supply caches, containing sufficient equipment to maintain the team for 18 months. Vehicles provided are also designed to operate on their power cell for up to 18 months.

Before those 18 months have passed it is expected that you will have made contact with other teams, your Regional Base, and with Prime Base where you will be resupplied.

Your standing orders remain. Assist the local population in their recovery, and reunite other Project teams.

Upon activation you will receive additional orders via radio on the secure frequency.

3rd edition has a similar statement, so they are to go out, help the local population and try to find other elements of the Project. Straight from the SOPs.

[tsofian]

Martin
This still doesn't explain how to find Prime Base. It was suggested that teams will look for Prime Base using SOPs.

How do you search for a needle in a continental sized hay stack? One that has been lost 150 years ago?

One way is you look for anomalies. A late nuclear detonation might well fill that bill. Damocles quite likely was getting data from everything in the sensor net. He might well know that this particular detonation did not have an associated reentry vehicle track. That makes it more curious.

Perhaps there are late detonations on a frequent basis, but how many of them do not have an associated reentry vehicle track, or perhaps a known US warhead?

So the question, to be specific is:
Scenario
You wake up 150 years later
You are the only active Team and you cannot make any contact with any other Teams
Prime Base is not responding

Is there an SOP that handles this situation? If so what does it say to do?

Maybe the SOP is to just bag PB and act locally

[mmartin798]

I believe finding Prime Base was handled in 3rd edition in Desert Search. There the commander of the power station knew the location of Prime Base and was able to send the team to it.

So at some pay grade, there are people outside of Prime Base that know its location. Since there are more of these people frozen about the country, you just need to find a large enough facility or base to be handed the location of Prime Base. These are easier to find. They are the unusually resilient structure just off the main road, the unusual looking rock after erosion, etc. and there is one or two not too far from where your team woke up.

Helping the locals would give you the legends of the area that may offer hints that something Morrow is in those hills. The team goes to investigate, finds trouble, mitigates the situation and eventually finds a way into the base. Once they wake up the right person and debrief, the team gets sent off to see what happened to Prime Base with some "fresh" MREs, full cans of ammo, new filters for the gas masks and a wash, wax and detailing of their vehicle. Once they get there and find the slightly radioactive swamp in the middle of the high desert, all bets are off.