kato13
01-21-2010, 09:27 PM
Dogger 12-01-2003, 12:08 PM Does anyone know how Japan faired during the Twilight War?
Did Japan join any side? Did Japan suffer any nuke attacks? (Probably from the Soviets)
I can't remember much being mentioned about the Japanese in the T2K canon.
In my T2K game I have the Australian mainland escaping more or less unscathed from the nuke strikes, and now with New Zealand are kind of a counter balance to the French.
I never really put a lot of thought into Japan. Any of you guys have any info canon or otherwise?
********************
orrin_ladd 12-01-2003, 02:14 PM From memory, so correct me where I'm wrong.
No mention of anything happening in the 1st edition timeline.
The 2.0 Big Yellow Book mentions that Japan was nuked, Tokyo if I recall? The remainder of the country is governed by the military. Also the 2.0 Soviet Combat Vehicle Handbook mentions 3 or 4 Soviet divisions invading Japan, Hokkaido, I think.
You could probably throw in Sasebo (US Navy), Okinawa and Kadena, Yokota and Misawa AFB as nuke targets.
In my campaign, the Japanese Maritime and Air Self Defense forces got involved in the fighting in Korea but not the Ground Self Defense forces. The remnants of US forces in Japan are involved in either rebuilding and maintaining order or fighting the Soviets in the north. There is also a low level anti-gaijin movement that US forces Japan has to contend with.
********************
jasonlips 12-01-2003, 08:10 PM I checked my 2.2 bible and came up with the following. Soviets invade Sakhalin Island and the Kuriles and nuke Japan in 1997. Japanese industry heavily damaged and Tokyo in ruins. Most areas are under command of military officers. Communities count as either insular or independent. Large cities devastated due to civil unrest.
The Soviet OOB in Japan is listed in the 2nd ed. vehicle guide as:
Pacific TVD
Current location: Sakhalin/Kurile Islands
128th air assault brigade (600 troops)
28th Soviet army
50th Guards MRD (2000 troops, 12 T-72's)
104th MRD (3000 troops, 15 T-74's)
101st Guards MRD (1000 troops)
********************
Dogger 12-02-2003, 03:29 PM Thanks for the info guys.
:cool:
********************
nmdecke 12-04-2003, 06:17 AM Hi,
Have you seen the Challenge magazine article on Japan called "Rockets Red Glare"?
If not, here it is...
The briefing opens in a large hangar on the grounds of Moffet Field in Mountain View, California. About 20 soldiers are gathered on the chairs set up in the middle of the hanger. One common feature is that all seem to have some experience
with Asian languages, preponderantly Japanese. A USAF colonel wearing a kevlar vest walks up to the front of the
assembled chairs; obviously, the briefing is about to start.
"Welcome gentlemen. I'm sorry that you've been brought here with such little information, but this is an extremely
important and delicate operation. My name is Colonel Sanderson, and I'm going to be the mission controller for your
group.
"On July 12, 1997, two Russian tactical nuclear bombs destroyed the Chinese space vehicle launch facilities and
primary design center, both in Shanghai province. The engineering team had been warned by the attacks on troops in the
field in the previous days, and escaped along with many of their notes and plans. As the situation in China disintegrated,
these engineers sought and were given safe asylum in Japan. Shortly thereafter, Japan was effectively destroyed by
nuclear attack.
"Ten days ago, some Milgov agents in Japan discovered that many of the Chinese and Japanese engineers survived
that attack also, and they are still alive. They have indicated that they would like to relocate to the United States and
continue working as possible, and Milgov has agreed to assist them. Your job is to extract them from Japan, along with as much of their plans and surviving rocket hardware as possible. A newly fitted-out transpacificcapable ship will transport
your team there and return your team and the 300 engineers and about that many dependents.
The engineers are currently on the island of Tanegashima, where the Japanese space launch complex was located.
This island is approximately 150 kilometers south of Kyushu, the southernmost of Japan's four main islands. It is less than
50 kilometers long and significantly less wide. The engineers will gather at the launch complex seaside for pickup. No opposition is foreseen at the pickup, but your team is being assembled as a contingency.
The ship you will travel on is the USS Jones, a small converted container ship. She departs in three days and will take
three weeks to cross the Pacific. You will embark in 48 hours from this base; please be here at that time. Equipment
requisition is to be handled on a priority basis by the base S4 office. Maps and intelligence reports will be available to
officers immediately. This briefing is adjourned."
The additional information to officers includes maps of Tanegashima and intelligence reports on the situation in
southern Japan. A quick summary is that nothing seems to be happening; Kyushu's cities were significantly damaged in the attacks, and their inhabitants are now working the land and sea feeding themselves. Except for around the cities, little large-scale conflict is going on.
Materials available to the contingency team are basically anything from what's available. Only a small landing craft and
two medium (35-foot) motor yachts will be available for transport from shore to the containership, so large vehicles make
little sense (even if they were available). Up to two antitank missile launchers (one man portable, one tripod or HMMWV mounted) or light artillery (a recoilless rifle or 120mm/107mm mortar) pieces are available, along with one HMMWV (the
largest vehicle that can fit in the landing craft). Personal weapons can be whatever the characters want, within reason
(there simply isn't more than one PSG-1 in the area that can be requisitioned, nor too many antitank rocket launchers, etc.) For "normal" weapons (basic load types), extras will be provided to cover losses that may occur during the operation. Additional equipment (body armor and miscellaneous equipment) is generally available.
The ship is a 700-foot-long containership with a steam turbine engine that was recently converted to burn coal. Four
of its holds have been replaced with coal bunkering space, and the rest of the below decks space has been made
into crude barracks for the 600+ evacuees. Notable on deck are several large cranes, cradles holding the three midsized
boats (all running on Ethanol, of which 30,000 liters are also on board) and four small speedboats, a deck-mounted FOG-M missile rack, several light (up to 35mm) cannon, and a Rapier antiaircraft missile launcher. The naval crew has been strengthened with marines to operate those weapons, and the crew is also training with several hand-held SAM missile launchers.
EXTRACTION
After three weeks of eventless transpacific voyage, the Jones arrives at Tanegashima. As it appears over the horizon, lookouts with binoculars begin scanning the island. As the launch site begins to become clear, something seems wrong; several columns of smoke are visible. The engineers onshore don't respond to the radio signal. The captain (and mission commander on scene) halts the Jones five kilometers offshore and orders the contingency team to go in to investigate.
Remind the team that they are operating at sea, and probably want to wear floatation vests and not carry so much that they can't swim (for at least a short while).
The most obvious feature of the launch complex are the three large structures, all damaged by exposure over the last
four years. The oldest launch tower has started to crumble. However, the newest (and never used) H-11 launch tower
and assembly building still tower majestically over beautiful coastline, perched on a plateau overlooking the water. Anyone looking further down the shore will notice a flat area near the beach about two kilometers from the launchers. Anyone observing it with binocular scan see crowds of people there, some waving.
The characters will probably approach, with caution. The people onshore (men, women and children) will wave enthusiastically; a few are armed. When the characters are close enough, several people on the beach start yelling:
"O-kuni wa? American desu ka? (Where are you from? Are you the Americans?)"
The characters can respond in English or Japanese -- the message will be communicated. Next comes a garbled
bunch of yells:
"Enjinia desu! Tasukete! (We're the engineers! Help!)"
"The warlord's men are coming!"
The characters will sort it out in a little while (faster if they speak Japanese). A new warlord from the island of Kyushu, Atsuki Kono, is attacking, and the engineers and dependents (and 400 additional island native refugees) have to be
evacuated quickly. Apparently, no heavy weapons are in use, but the locals and few armed engineers are being pushed
back toward this beach. They should report this back to the ship, at which point the captain will order the ship to move in
closer (one kilometer off-shore) and order the characters to begin ferrying people out to the ship. It will take about five
minutes trip time, one way, for the boats to run out one kilometer, then they need to unload, return and pick up another load. They can take up to 60 people each trip on each boat. The characters have to figure out how to organize the beach rescue and help hold off the warlord's men at the same time.
About five people can handle organizing the refugees, once the evacuation starts to go for real. It will take about 15 boat trips (five each boat) to get everyone out to the ship; the hard part will be rescuing the rearguard. The rest of the
characters are free to go investigate the warlord's attack; if they brought their heavy weapons and/or vehicle, all the
better.
About 250 lightly armed marauders are attacking down a 500-meter-wide valley, toward the seashore two kilometers
away. About 75 lightly armed islanders and engineers (Chinese and Japanese) are holding them off. If the characters
appear, one of the engineers with a shotgun will recognize what's happening and usher them over to the "command
post" for the defenders -- a small brick house with a light machinegun behind a barricade out front. Occasional bursts of
fire go in both directions, but there seems to be little danger immediately.
Inside are two runners and two men with binoculars and a map; the older strides forward to meet the characters. "I am Okuchi Ito, director of the Tanegashima launch complex. You have arrived in time." His forces are giving ground, but are several hours from being forced back to the beach. A counterattack by the characters, however, may disrupt the attack
enough to prevent any more casualties to the defenders and allow a safe rescue from the beach for all. The characters have an hour until the rest of the civilians are to the ship, and may take whatever actions they feel are appropriate.
Unless something goes badly wrong, they should be able to retreat to the beach and start to withdraw in an hour or later. Just as they reach the beach, however, a machinegun on the hill above (700 meters away) opens fire on the defenders getting on the boats. One of its first victims will be Ito. His dying words are, "Rescue the rockets ... the city near the shuttle... in the moon."
The characters can silence the machinegun. Ito's last words remain a mystery for the time being.
ROCKETS
Interviewing the engineers back on the ship will give a probable answer to the meaning of Ito's dying words; the Chinese arrived in Japan via the port of Kitakyushu, at the north tip of Kyushu. In Kitakyushu was an amusement park called Space World, with a replica space shuttle. The Chinese further report that they had brought some operational rocket engines from an unfinished rocket, but left them in Kitakyushu. Unfortunately, only Ito and some now-dead engineers knew where in that city. The captain of the Jones (and Colonel Sanderson, consulted by radio) agree that it's worthwhile to try to find and salvage the engines, but not at the risk of the engineers or ship. The Jones will move to near Kitakyushu, but stay off shore. The contingency team can take two of the three larger (and two or three small) boats and whatever equipment they want, and try to find and salvage the engines.
KITAKYUSHU: 2000
Kitakyushu, which narrowly missed being the target for the US bomb that finally hit Nagasaki in WWII, was not so lucky
this time. Its steel production centers were primary targets. One was right next to the amusement park. Much of the
population has fled to the surrounding areas due to residual radiation.
The characters have two leads; one, Ito's cryptic mention of the shuttle and the moon (presumably meaning some
reference to the amusement park), and the area around where the Chinese stayed, in a separate section of town.
Investigating the park, which is near the water, will show that it and the surrounding area are radioactive (moderate
dosages; 1D6 rads per 10 minutes). It's unhealthy for the characters to do much searching. Visible are several rusting
rides and buildings, and an amazing sight -- a still shiny, full-sized mockup of an American space shuttle, standing erect
as if it were ready for launch. Philosophical characters may note the optimism that the shuttle projects, still standing within kilometers of a major nuclear strike, still reaching for space in a mostly dead world.
If they leave the park or land to explore the part of the city the Chinese described, they will find a crowd of locals (some lightly armed) approaching. If the PCs don't threaten them, an elderly gentleman will stride forward and look them over.
After a short pause, he smiles and extends his hand to the nearest character. "I am Mayor Ichikaro. Welcome to
Kitakuyshu," he slowly announces.
The mayor's English is poor, but an interpreter soon comes forward to assist. The mayor is curious as to what the characters are seeking in his city and will politely ask. If they try and pull a fast one, it likely won't work: There's no reason
for Americans to be there except something special, and any cover story had better be well worked out beforehand or the mayor will spot holes in it. Telling the truth is easier and will gain cooperation. The mayor will respond candidly: "I do not
believe we know where these rocket engines are." But he is friendly and offers to lot the characters stay as guests of the
city and look for them. They are invited to the Kokura section of the city, away from the amusement park, but where the Chinese stayed.
That night, the mayor invites the characters to dinner. They are escorted to a high-rise hotel, and the first of many
surprises in Kitakyushu is that there is still some electrical power. An elevator whisks them to the top floor, where a commanding view of the city and a multicourse dinner in mixed Japanese and French cuisine awaits them. The mayor and several other officials dine with the characters. After the meal, an assistant pours a round of sake, then the mayor starts to address the characters.
He slowly explains that while the city has weathered the war and years since well, it is economically dying due to lack of markets for most of its remaining industries. Most of Japan and Asia have been reduced to subsistence level, and can't
afford new steel, machinery, electronics or aerospace hardware. He tells the characters that in exchange for the rockets,
if they can find them, they must try and convince their government to use its transpacific transport to begin trading with Kitakuyshu. He will stay up and discuss the city, Kyushu, or anything else the characters wish, but neither he nor anyone
else in his government know anything about the rocket engines. The characters are free to locate them on their own, if they agree to minimize personal weaponry (nothing bigger than submachineguns) while within the city and obey the normal laws. The city will provide two translators if they need them.
SEARCH
The next day, the search for the rockets can begin in earnest. There are a number of possible ways to go about
searching: They can look around docks and warehouses near where the Chinese stayed; they can ask people for
information; or they may devise some other plan. If the party splits up, each group may perform search tasks.
If the party searches warehouses and docks, roll 1D6 each day (eight hours) of searching. On a result of 6, they locate several tons of boxes and containers which have Chinese markings and are full of rocket parts, apparently abandoned. But the fully assembled engines are still missing, no matter how hard the characters may search. If they keep looking, they will find more incidental equipment each day they roll a 6 again, but still no engines.
If they search for information, their success is based on what they're asking about. If they just ask for information about
the Chinese rockets, every period (four hours) of search will allow one roll on the Rumor Table 1.
All these rumors are false, though the characters may investigate the first two if they want to.
If they look for more general information, such as about people who helped out with the Chinese while they were here,
or who used to work around the amusement park, they may also roll on Rumor Table 2 once per day.
Obviously this has some more promise. The longshoreman's story is true, though only slightly helpful. The spirit story is actually an old wives' tale that parents use to scare children away from radioactive areas. The rumor about the old
fireworks man is true, but nobody's seen him for a while. If characters start to look for him, they just are told that he lives somewhere in the pedestrian mall near Kokura. The mall is block upon block of three-story, covered pedestrian streets with massive stores right next to warrens of room sized shops and five-seat noodle shops. Characters who have never been to Asia before will be overwhelmed by the flashing lights, lamps in smaller shops, smells and the incredible density of people and businesses. Finding him will take 2D6 days of hard searching in the more than 30 square blocks of pedestrian mall.
When finally located, the man turns out to be dying of cancer. If the characters are kind (especially if they bring painkiller medicine for him) he will tell them that he moved the last big boxes out to Space World to protect them, and tells the characters where to find them (in the Space Camp building). The party can now proceed to retrieve the engines and say goodbye to their hosts in Kitakyushu.
FURTHER ADVENTURES
Though the rocket engineers and hardware are all likely recovered intact during this adventure, there are many potential continuing adventures in Japan and around Kitakyushu. Milgov will decide that the manufacturing and technology base in Kitakyushu is important, and may start a regular trade route going using the Jones or other vessels. The characters could
be assigned to this route or to be permanently stationed in Kitakyushu. Possible adventures include scouting the rest of
Japan to determine its current condition, defending Kitakyushu against organized warlords, or counter-espionage
missions to determine who's trying to steal designs from Kitakyushu's remaining electronics factories.
Rumor Table 1
1D6 Rumor
1 The Chinese dropped some boxes in the Kokura harbor. Maybe the rockets
were in there.
2 The mayor sold the rockets to someone from Tokyo last year.
3 They were probably nuked.
4-6 No Information.
Rumor Table 2
1D6 Rumor
1 A longshoreman who helped unload the Chinese ships confirms that there were some rocket engines, in crates, but that they disappeared a couple of years ago.
2 Some spirits of the dead are haunting the amusement park; stay away if you
value your soul!
3-5 No rumor.
6 The old fireworks man hired some kids to move a lot of boxes out to Space World
two years ago.
********************
Dogger 12-04-2003, 04:02 PM Thanks for posting that nmdecke :D
********************
Did Japan join any side? Did Japan suffer any nuke attacks? (Probably from the Soviets)
I can't remember much being mentioned about the Japanese in the T2K canon.
In my T2K game I have the Australian mainland escaping more or less unscathed from the nuke strikes, and now with New Zealand are kind of a counter balance to the French.
I never really put a lot of thought into Japan. Any of you guys have any info canon or otherwise?
********************
orrin_ladd 12-01-2003, 02:14 PM From memory, so correct me where I'm wrong.
No mention of anything happening in the 1st edition timeline.
The 2.0 Big Yellow Book mentions that Japan was nuked, Tokyo if I recall? The remainder of the country is governed by the military. Also the 2.0 Soviet Combat Vehicle Handbook mentions 3 or 4 Soviet divisions invading Japan, Hokkaido, I think.
You could probably throw in Sasebo (US Navy), Okinawa and Kadena, Yokota and Misawa AFB as nuke targets.
In my campaign, the Japanese Maritime and Air Self Defense forces got involved in the fighting in Korea but not the Ground Self Defense forces. The remnants of US forces in Japan are involved in either rebuilding and maintaining order or fighting the Soviets in the north. There is also a low level anti-gaijin movement that US forces Japan has to contend with.
********************
jasonlips 12-01-2003, 08:10 PM I checked my 2.2 bible and came up with the following. Soviets invade Sakhalin Island and the Kuriles and nuke Japan in 1997. Japanese industry heavily damaged and Tokyo in ruins. Most areas are under command of military officers. Communities count as either insular or independent. Large cities devastated due to civil unrest.
The Soviet OOB in Japan is listed in the 2nd ed. vehicle guide as:
Pacific TVD
Current location: Sakhalin/Kurile Islands
128th air assault brigade (600 troops)
28th Soviet army
50th Guards MRD (2000 troops, 12 T-72's)
104th MRD (3000 troops, 15 T-74's)
101st Guards MRD (1000 troops)
********************
Dogger 12-02-2003, 03:29 PM Thanks for the info guys.
:cool:
********************
nmdecke 12-04-2003, 06:17 AM Hi,
Have you seen the Challenge magazine article on Japan called "Rockets Red Glare"?
If not, here it is...
The briefing opens in a large hangar on the grounds of Moffet Field in Mountain View, California. About 20 soldiers are gathered on the chairs set up in the middle of the hanger. One common feature is that all seem to have some experience
with Asian languages, preponderantly Japanese. A USAF colonel wearing a kevlar vest walks up to the front of the
assembled chairs; obviously, the briefing is about to start.
"Welcome gentlemen. I'm sorry that you've been brought here with such little information, but this is an extremely
important and delicate operation. My name is Colonel Sanderson, and I'm going to be the mission controller for your
group.
"On July 12, 1997, two Russian tactical nuclear bombs destroyed the Chinese space vehicle launch facilities and
primary design center, both in Shanghai province. The engineering team had been warned by the attacks on troops in the
field in the previous days, and escaped along with many of their notes and plans. As the situation in China disintegrated,
these engineers sought and were given safe asylum in Japan. Shortly thereafter, Japan was effectively destroyed by
nuclear attack.
"Ten days ago, some Milgov agents in Japan discovered that many of the Chinese and Japanese engineers survived
that attack also, and they are still alive. They have indicated that they would like to relocate to the United States and
continue working as possible, and Milgov has agreed to assist them. Your job is to extract them from Japan, along with as much of their plans and surviving rocket hardware as possible. A newly fitted-out transpacificcapable ship will transport
your team there and return your team and the 300 engineers and about that many dependents.
The engineers are currently on the island of Tanegashima, where the Japanese space launch complex was located.
This island is approximately 150 kilometers south of Kyushu, the southernmost of Japan's four main islands. It is less than
50 kilometers long and significantly less wide. The engineers will gather at the launch complex seaside for pickup. No opposition is foreseen at the pickup, but your team is being assembled as a contingency.
The ship you will travel on is the USS Jones, a small converted container ship. She departs in three days and will take
three weeks to cross the Pacific. You will embark in 48 hours from this base; please be here at that time. Equipment
requisition is to be handled on a priority basis by the base S4 office. Maps and intelligence reports will be available to
officers immediately. This briefing is adjourned."
The additional information to officers includes maps of Tanegashima and intelligence reports on the situation in
southern Japan. A quick summary is that nothing seems to be happening; Kyushu's cities were significantly damaged in the attacks, and their inhabitants are now working the land and sea feeding themselves. Except for around the cities, little large-scale conflict is going on.
Materials available to the contingency team are basically anything from what's available. Only a small landing craft and
two medium (35-foot) motor yachts will be available for transport from shore to the containership, so large vehicles make
little sense (even if they were available). Up to two antitank missile launchers (one man portable, one tripod or HMMWV mounted) or light artillery (a recoilless rifle or 120mm/107mm mortar) pieces are available, along with one HMMWV (the
largest vehicle that can fit in the landing craft). Personal weapons can be whatever the characters want, within reason
(there simply isn't more than one PSG-1 in the area that can be requisitioned, nor too many antitank rocket launchers, etc.) For "normal" weapons (basic load types), extras will be provided to cover losses that may occur during the operation. Additional equipment (body armor and miscellaneous equipment) is generally available.
The ship is a 700-foot-long containership with a steam turbine engine that was recently converted to burn coal. Four
of its holds have been replaced with coal bunkering space, and the rest of the below decks space has been made
into crude barracks for the 600+ evacuees. Notable on deck are several large cranes, cradles holding the three midsized
boats (all running on Ethanol, of which 30,000 liters are also on board) and four small speedboats, a deck-mounted FOG-M missile rack, several light (up to 35mm) cannon, and a Rapier antiaircraft missile launcher. The naval crew has been strengthened with marines to operate those weapons, and the crew is also training with several hand-held SAM missile launchers.
EXTRACTION
After three weeks of eventless transpacific voyage, the Jones arrives at Tanegashima. As it appears over the horizon, lookouts with binoculars begin scanning the island. As the launch site begins to become clear, something seems wrong; several columns of smoke are visible. The engineers onshore don't respond to the radio signal. The captain (and mission commander on scene) halts the Jones five kilometers offshore and orders the contingency team to go in to investigate.
Remind the team that they are operating at sea, and probably want to wear floatation vests and not carry so much that they can't swim (for at least a short while).
The most obvious feature of the launch complex are the three large structures, all damaged by exposure over the last
four years. The oldest launch tower has started to crumble. However, the newest (and never used) H-11 launch tower
and assembly building still tower majestically over beautiful coastline, perched on a plateau overlooking the water. Anyone looking further down the shore will notice a flat area near the beach about two kilometers from the launchers. Anyone observing it with binocular scan see crowds of people there, some waving.
The characters will probably approach, with caution. The people onshore (men, women and children) will wave enthusiastically; a few are armed. When the characters are close enough, several people on the beach start yelling:
"O-kuni wa? American desu ka? (Where are you from? Are you the Americans?)"
The characters can respond in English or Japanese -- the message will be communicated. Next comes a garbled
bunch of yells:
"Enjinia desu! Tasukete! (We're the engineers! Help!)"
"The warlord's men are coming!"
The characters will sort it out in a little while (faster if they speak Japanese). A new warlord from the island of Kyushu, Atsuki Kono, is attacking, and the engineers and dependents (and 400 additional island native refugees) have to be
evacuated quickly. Apparently, no heavy weapons are in use, but the locals and few armed engineers are being pushed
back toward this beach. They should report this back to the ship, at which point the captain will order the ship to move in
closer (one kilometer off-shore) and order the characters to begin ferrying people out to the ship. It will take about five
minutes trip time, one way, for the boats to run out one kilometer, then they need to unload, return and pick up another load. They can take up to 60 people each trip on each boat. The characters have to figure out how to organize the beach rescue and help hold off the warlord's men at the same time.
About five people can handle organizing the refugees, once the evacuation starts to go for real. It will take about 15 boat trips (five each boat) to get everyone out to the ship; the hard part will be rescuing the rearguard. The rest of the
characters are free to go investigate the warlord's attack; if they brought their heavy weapons and/or vehicle, all the
better.
About 250 lightly armed marauders are attacking down a 500-meter-wide valley, toward the seashore two kilometers
away. About 75 lightly armed islanders and engineers (Chinese and Japanese) are holding them off. If the characters
appear, one of the engineers with a shotgun will recognize what's happening and usher them over to the "command
post" for the defenders -- a small brick house with a light machinegun behind a barricade out front. Occasional bursts of
fire go in both directions, but there seems to be little danger immediately.
Inside are two runners and two men with binoculars and a map; the older strides forward to meet the characters. "I am Okuchi Ito, director of the Tanegashima launch complex. You have arrived in time." His forces are giving ground, but are several hours from being forced back to the beach. A counterattack by the characters, however, may disrupt the attack
enough to prevent any more casualties to the defenders and allow a safe rescue from the beach for all. The characters have an hour until the rest of the civilians are to the ship, and may take whatever actions they feel are appropriate.
Unless something goes badly wrong, they should be able to retreat to the beach and start to withdraw in an hour or later. Just as they reach the beach, however, a machinegun on the hill above (700 meters away) opens fire on the defenders getting on the boats. One of its first victims will be Ito. His dying words are, "Rescue the rockets ... the city near the shuttle... in the moon."
The characters can silence the machinegun. Ito's last words remain a mystery for the time being.
ROCKETS
Interviewing the engineers back on the ship will give a probable answer to the meaning of Ito's dying words; the Chinese arrived in Japan via the port of Kitakyushu, at the north tip of Kyushu. In Kitakyushu was an amusement park called Space World, with a replica space shuttle. The Chinese further report that they had brought some operational rocket engines from an unfinished rocket, but left them in Kitakyushu. Unfortunately, only Ito and some now-dead engineers knew where in that city. The captain of the Jones (and Colonel Sanderson, consulted by radio) agree that it's worthwhile to try to find and salvage the engines, but not at the risk of the engineers or ship. The Jones will move to near Kitakyushu, but stay off shore. The contingency team can take two of the three larger (and two or three small) boats and whatever equipment they want, and try to find and salvage the engines.
KITAKYUSHU: 2000
Kitakyushu, which narrowly missed being the target for the US bomb that finally hit Nagasaki in WWII, was not so lucky
this time. Its steel production centers were primary targets. One was right next to the amusement park. Much of the
population has fled to the surrounding areas due to residual radiation.
The characters have two leads; one, Ito's cryptic mention of the shuttle and the moon (presumably meaning some
reference to the amusement park), and the area around where the Chinese stayed, in a separate section of town.
Investigating the park, which is near the water, will show that it and the surrounding area are radioactive (moderate
dosages; 1D6 rads per 10 minutes). It's unhealthy for the characters to do much searching. Visible are several rusting
rides and buildings, and an amazing sight -- a still shiny, full-sized mockup of an American space shuttle, standing erect
as if it were ready for launch. Philosophical characters may note the optimism that the shuttle projects, still standing within kilometers of a major nuclear strike, still reaching for space in a mostly dead world.
If they leave the park or land to explore the part of the city the Chinese described, they will find a crowd of locals (some lightly armed) approaching. If the PCs don't threaten them, an elderly gentleman will stride forward and look them over.
After a short pause, he smiles and extends his hand to the nearest character. "I am Mayor Ichikaro. Welcome to
Kitakuyshu," he slowly announces.
The mayor's English is poor, but an interpreter soon comes forward to assist. The mayor is curious as to what the characters are seeking in his city and will politely ask. If they try and pull a fast one, it likely won't work: There's no reason
for Americans to be there except something special, and any cover story had better be well worked out beforehand or the mayor will spot holes in it. Telling the truth is easier and will gain cooperation. The mayor will respond candidly: "I do not
believe we know where these rocket engines are." But he is friendly and offers to lot the characters stay as guests of the
city and look for them. They are invited to the Kokura section of the city, away from the amusement park, but where the Chinese stayed.
That night, the mayor invites the characters to dinner. They are escorted to a high-rise hotel, and the first of many
surprises in Kitakyushu is that there is still some electrical power. An elevator whisks them to the top floor, where a commanding view of the city and a multicourse dinner in mixed Japanese and French cuisine awaits them. The mayor and several other officials dine with the characters. After the meal, an assistant pours a round of sake, then the mayor starts to address the characters.
He slowly explains that while the city has weathered the war and years since well, it is economically dying due to lack of markets for most of its remaining industries. Most of Japan and Asia have been reduced to subsistence level, and can't
afford new steel, machinery, electronics or aerospace hardware. He tells the characters that in exchange for the rockets,
if they can find them, they must try and convince their government to use its transpacific transport to begin trading with Kitakuyshu. He will stay up and discuss the city, Kyushu, or anything else the characters wish, but neither he nor anyone
else in his government know anything about the rocket engines. The characters are free to locate them on their own, if they agree to minimize personal weaponry (nothing bigger than submachineguns) while within the city and obey the normal laws. The city will provide two translators if they need them.
SEARCH
The next day, the search for the rockets can begin in earnest. There are a number of possible ways to go about
searching: They can look around docks and warehouses near where the Chinese stayed; they can ask people for
information; or they may devise some other plan. If the party splits up, each group may perform search tasks.
If the party searches warehouses and docks, roll 1D6 each day (eight hours) of searching. On a result of 6, they locate several tons of boxes and containers which have Chinese markings and are full of rocket parts, apparently abandoned. But the fully assembled engines are still missing, no matter how hard the characters may search. If they keep looking, they will find more incidental equipment each day they roll a 6 again, but still no engines.
If they search for information, their success is based on what they're asking about. If they just ask for information about
the Chinese rockets, every period (four hours) of search will allow one roll on the Rumor Table 1.
All these rumors are false, though the characters may investigate the first two if they want to.
If they look for more general information, such as about people who helped out with the Chinese while they were here,
or who used to work around the amusement park, they may also roll on Rumor Table 2 once per day.
Obviously this has some more promise. The longshoreman's story is true, though only slightly helpful. The spirit story is actually an old wives' tale that parents use to scare children away from radioactive areas. The rumor about the old
fireworks man is true, but nobody's seen him for a while. If characters start to look for him, they just are told that he lives somewhere in the pedestrian mall near Kokura. The mall is block upon block of three-story, covered pedestrian streets with massive stores right next to warrens of room sized shops and five-seat noodle shops. Characters who have never been to Asia before will be overwhelmed by the flashing lights, lamps in smaller shops, smells and the incredible density of people and businesses. Finding him will take 2D6 days of hard searching in the more than 30 square blocks of pedestrian mall.
When finally located, the man turns out to be dying of cancer. If the characters are kind (especially if they bring painkiller medicine for him) he will tell them that he moved the last big boxes out to Space World to protect them, and tells the characters where to find them (in the Space Camp building). The party can now proceed to retrieve the engines and say goodbye to their hosts in Kitakyushu.
FURTHER ADVENTURES
Though the rocket engineers and hardware are all likely recovered intact during this adventure, there are many potential continuing adventures in Japan and around Kitakyushu. Milgov will decide that the manufacturing and technology base in Kitakyushu is important, and may start a regular trade route going using the Jones or other vessels. The characters could
be assigned to this route or to be permanently stationed in Kitakyushu. Possible adventures include scouting the rest of
Japan to determine its current condition, defending Kitakyushu against organized warlords, or counter-espionage
missions to determine who's trying to steal designs from Kitakyushu's remaining electronics factories.
Rumor Table 1
1D6 Rumor
1 The Chinese dropped some boxes in the Kokura harbor. Maybe the rockets
were in there.
2 The mayor sold the rockets to someone from Tokyo last year.
3 They were probably nuked.
4-6 No Information.
Rumor Table 2
1D6 Rumor
1 A longshoreman who helped unload the Chinese ships confirms that there were some rocket engines, in crates, but that they disappeared a couple of years ago.
2 Some spirits of the dead are haunting the amusement park; stay away if you
value your soul!
3-5 No rumor.
6 The old fireworks man hired some kids to move a lot of boxes out to Space World
two years ago.
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Dogger 12-04-2003, 04:02 PM Thanks for posting that nmdecke :D
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