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Tegyrius
02-21-2022, 10:18 PM
From the creators of Rook's Gambit, The Korean Peninsula, and The Pacific Northwest:

-----

"'Good luck, you're on your own?'" the sergeant from the 173rd repeated incredulously.

"Yeah, that's the last order we got," I told him.

"Huh. Must be nice to actually get the order.” He shook his head. "What you got to understand is around here, we've been 'on our own' for four years. We may not have won, but we sure ain't lost yet. And the war's about to heat up again. So are you in?"

Like we had a choice?

Tara Romaneasca is a campaign setting sandbox for use with Twilight: 2000, GDW's role-playing game of survival in a devastated world. It explores the former Warsaw Pact nation of Romania, which aligned itself with NATO in December 1996 and has since endured Soviet invasion and years of occupation. This sourcebook includes:

• A primer on Romanian history and culture.

• A region-by-region breakdown of the country's geography, including major cities, castles, fortified churches, and other points of interest.

• An in-depth examination of the Twilight War in Romania through spring 2001 and cues on what may come next.

• Detailed information on the Free Romanian military, NATO's American, British, and Italian units that fought alongside it, and the Soviet Danube Front invasion and occupation force.

• An inside look at the US State Department and resources for embassy-centered campaigns.

• Over 50 new weapons and vehicles deployed in the Twilight War’s Balkan theatre.

• Tools for the referee to introduce Romania's most iconic supernatural denizens as adversaries – or, perhaps worse, as allies.

• A complete setting suitable for starting a new campaign – or continuing one from the classic Bear's Den and Mediterranean Cruise adventure modules.

Tara Romaneasca's story material aligns with the war history published in the first edition of Twilight: 2000. All new rules are fully compatible with the second edition (versions 2.0 and 2.2) game engine.

-----

$9.99, 170 pages. Now available on DriveThruRPG:

https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/386098/T2000-v1-Romania-Sourcebook

- C.

pmulcahy11b
02-22-2022, 08:10 AM
Got it!

Tegyrius
02-22-2022, 08:18 AM
Thank you for your support, Paul!

I think we managed to add a couple of vehicles that you don’t have (even if we had to make them up). ;)

- C.

The Zappster
02-22-2022, 11:32 AM
Bought it.

.45cultist
02-22-2022, 11:49 AM
Payday is tomorrow, can't wait!

Tegyrius
02-22-2022, 11:52 AM
Raellus and I appreciate your patronage, gentlemen!

Happy to answer any questions about the book, though I’ll need to be somewhat succinct until I’m home.

- C.

Olefin
02-22-2022, 12:55 PM
Marc forgot to put up a preview as per standard practice of the new release - i.e. no quick or full size preview available

unipus
02-22-2022, 12:55 PM
Will have to check this out! My game is nowhere near Romania but I know a few Romanians and it's definitely an interesting place!

Heffe
02-22-2022, 02:01 PM
Picked it up and had a chance to flip through it. Just like the PNW book and Rook's Gambit, it's really high quality work.

Ursus Maior
02-22-2022, 02:05 PM
Marc forgot to put up a preview as per standard practice of the new release - i.e. no quick or full size preview available

Good you're reminding me: I wanted to ask what's with the missing preview. Could we get a table of contents? Just some text will do, so I can estimate how big each section is.

Ursus Maior
02-22-2022, 02:07 PM
Will have to check this out! My game is nowhere near Romania but I know a few Romanians and it's definitely an interesting place!

It is and especially in 1E. I just reread the "Last Submarine" campaign and the twist on Romania is well thought out. I think, I'll put a lot of that into my 4E timeline, too.

Olefin
02-22-2022, 02:07 PM
Picked it up and had a chance to flip through it. Just like the PNW book and Rook's Gambit, it's really high quality work.

Does it have a table of contents since you have looked thru it - see Unipus comment above

Rainbow Six
02-22-2022, 02:40 PM
Just bought a copy. Awesome work as always fellas - like Heffe said, it's top quality.

Heffe
02-22-2022, 03:08 PM
Does it have a table of contents since you have looked thru it - see Unipus comment above

Yes, I can confirm that it has a thorough table of contents. And weighing in at 168 pages, it's much appreciated.

Olefin
02-22-2022, 03:15 PM
Yes, I can confirm that it has a thorough table of contents. And weighing in at 168 pages, it's much appreciated.

thats good to hear - thats one thing that is missing from a lot of the V4 products out there - not having a table of contents really makes it a pain in the butt when you are looking for certain items - yes you can use control F but to me a table of contents is the difference between an amateur production and a professional one

Heffe
02-22-2022, 03:25 PM
thats good to hear - thats one thing that is missing from a lot of the V4 products out there - not having a table of contents really makes it a pain in the butt when you are looking for certain items - yes you can use control F but to me a table of contents is the difference between an amateur production and a professional one

Looks at his own product and notices the lack of a table of contents. :cool:

Olefin
02-22-2022, 03:30 PM
Looks at his own product and notices the lack of a table of contents. :cool:

Ok you got me there - but when you are talking 168 pages you have to have a table of contents or its A LOT of back and forth paging

And thats why pdf releases are good - you can always update it with a table of contents and no harm no foul

Question - at 168 pages is this the biggest release since the V1 and V2 guide books?

Heffe
02-22-2022, 03:35 PM
Ok you got me there - but when you are talking 168 pages you have to have a table of contents or its A LOT of back and forth paging

And thats why pdf releases are good - you can always update it with a table of contents and no harm no foul -

.

Lol! In all seriousness, I completely agree. A Table of Contents makes all the difference.

Olefin
02-22-2022, 04:09 PM
Ok Raellus - have a question since I havent read it yet - still at work - but I did see this in the blurb posted on DriveThru

"NATO's American, British, and Italian units that fought alongside them"

Are we talking other Italian units that went over to NATO that used to be on occupation duty in Yugoslavia perhaps? Or is it an Italian unit that was assigned to help Romania prior to the split between Italy and NATO in V1?

The only Italian unit that in canon went over to NATO was the Folgore Mech Division in Going Home and they are acting as anti-Soviet partisans in Austria and only went over due to their commander opposing the socialist coalition for quite a while and despised Italy joining in the war on the side of the Warsaw Pact and the Soviets

Tegyrius
02-22-2022, 05:54 PM
Gentlemen, thank you for the interest. Rather than mass-quote several of you, I'll address today's questions in general.

The total word count on this book is around 85,000. Those of you who've previously bought The Pacific Northwest will have a basis for comparison: that one was about 65,000 words. As a professional writer, I find word count to be a more accurate measure of content than page count, as it's easy to inflate page count with large fonts (looking at you, first edition 7th Sea) or lots of art. Those who were happy with PNW's look and feel should be comfortable with Tara Romaneasca, as we reused my layout settings from PNW. I have a fondness for the classic 1e trade dress and I like to think I got pretty close. :)

There is no preview because Marc didn't ask me for one. He didn't ask me for one for PNW, either. In the interest of transparency, though, here are the major chapters and their respective word counts, rounded to the nearest thousand:


Romanian History, Geography, and Culture - 9,000 words
Romania's Twilight War History - 7,000 words
Major Faction - Romania (military and government) - 9,000 words
Major Faction - NATO - 7,000 words
Major Faction - Warsaw Pact - 11,000
Minor Factions - 8,000
US State Department - 7,000
Running Campaigns in Romania - 7,000
Supernatural Options - 6,000


(I'm not listing word counts for the rules material because careers, weapons, and vehicles get screwy when assessed by word count.)

Again, those of you familiar with PNW will find the organization of many of these sections to be broadly familiar. It seemed to be a successful template, so we scraped a lot from it when we assembled the project outline for Tara Romaneasca.

- C.

cpip
02-23-2022, 08:40 AM
thats good to hear - thats one thing that is missing from a lot of the V4 products out there - not having a table of contents really makes it a pain in the butt when you are looking for certain items - yes you can use control F but to me a table of contents is the difference between an amateur production and a professional one

Is the PDF bookmarked? I'd sooner that than just a table of contents in the front of the book.

Tegyrius
02-23-2022, 08:47 AM
The ToC is hyperlinked, as are all of the internal cross-references.

- C.

Raellus
02-23-2022, 09:11 AM
We might be able to add that feature to a product update- one of the benefits of the PDF format (DriveThru automatically provides customers free updates if the product is modified).

-

Tegyrius
02-23-2022, 09:15 AM
I’ll take a look at that. This project admittedly stretched my InDesign skills already, but it won’t hurt me to learn something new there.

- C.

Olefin
02-23-2022, 09:42 AM
173rd Airborne in Romania - nope. Lets point out why

Frank Frey's unreleased Kenya module which has been discussed here ad infinitum had the 173rd in Kenya - for V1. The RDF and Kings Ransom referred specifically to US troops in Kenya as a prelude to that module. They were there specifically to guard the port and refinery at Mombasa which CENTCOM needed.

Second - Raellus own entry in the first fanzine - based on the discussion of Frank's notes - shows the 173rd in Kenya - not Romania

Third - the East Africa Sourcebook which is V2.2 canon - not a fan release but official canon per Marc - shows the 173rd in Kenya since 1997 to guard that refinery and port initially - the only reason its not V1 is that, per Marc, he was not interested in canon releases for V1. Thus the 2019 re-release of the EAS specifically scrubbed all references to V1 and added a lot of V2.2 elements to it.

So you have multiple pre-existing references to the 173rd being in Kenya not Romania

Now I can see Tegyrius not knowing that the East Africa Source Book is canon and that the 173rd is in it because he has studiously ignored everything I have ever released, let alone my comments on here.

However Rae - you knew what I am talking about - and the 173rd shouldnt be in Romania.

What you produced by putting it in a V1 only book is apocrypha - i.e. its on a par with Soviet tanks equipping Mexican units in City of Angels.

Basically you set up a complete disconnect between V1 and V2.2 - and yes there are a few examples of that - i.e. you can mention the 2nd Infantry starting in Vietnam in the V2.2. But the difference is that it is a start location only - it ended up exactly where it was in V1 by June 2000- right down to the same numbers of men and armor.

Pro-NATO Italian forces in Romania - ok I can make that argument too. But the 173rd - nope. There is only one reason to put them there and I wont be obvious and state why. Dont want to give anyone fodder for another ban.

So no - I dont plan to waste 9.99 on a book that basically sets up yet another endless argument on canon and differences in timeline and does so on purpose.

Tegyrius
02-23-2022, 09:48 AM
David, are you sure you really want to escalate to actively attacking other creators’ products?

- C.

Spartan-117
02-23-2022, 09:50 AM
Already a Copper Best Seller. Congrats Teg & Rae!

Olefin
02-23-2022, 10:31 AM
David, are you sure you really want to escalate to actively attacking other creators’ products?

- C.
Clayton

I pointed out that having the 173rd in Romania is ignoring multiple references that it was in Kenya in V1 - Frank Frey's notes that have been published here on his unpublished V1 module, Raellus's own post in the first fanzine, etc.

In V2.2 its canonically there in Kenya since late 1997 - which has been referred to here in multiple posts as well in the East Africa Sourcebook itself - but which since you have me on ignore you wouldn't know - which I referred to (i.e. how would you know if you are ignoring those posts - that isn't criticism that is just a statement of fact that you yourself have made repeatedly here on the forum about that status as to my posts and my published work).

Thus your release currently shows a unit there that shouldn't be there for either version of the timeline. I faced a similar situation when I did my initial release of the East Africa Sourcebook. It was pointed out to me by more than one person and I said "thank you very much". I looked and they were correct so when the sourcebook was updated to make it V2.2 specifically per the agreement with Marc to make it canon, I corrected that error and did it with no issue at all.

I did it freely and accepted it for what it was - constructive criticism - and acknowledged the error by making the correction.

Is this an active attack - no it isn't. Per the rules of the forum its constructive criticism and thus is legal per the rules of the forum - unless those rules have been changed.

Its not attacking the work at all. It is constructive criticism pointing out that having them there sets up a dysfunction between the two versions of the canon for the original version of the game. Constructive criticism is legal per the guidelines of this forum.

Personally I hope the book is a great success as was the Pacific Northwest which I consider an excellent book. I have repeatedly stated that here, on the discord, and on Facebook as well (both groups that I am a member of), recommending it highly as a great work for the game and one that I wish Marc would make officially canon.

Thus if constructive criticism now merits a warning and removal of a post then it seems that the forum is yet again changing its rules. I hope that isn't the case as the forum has been a source of joy and information to me for a long time.

Rainbow Six
02-23-2022, 10:53 AM
Olefin,

You’ve referenced Frank Frey’s unpublished notes and an article in an unofficial fanzine to support your claim that the 173rd shouldn't be in Romania.

Can you supply a quote from any v1 material published by GDW that explicitly gives a location for the 173rd Airborne Brigade? (Other than the Romania sourcebook obviously).

Raellus
02-23-2022, 11:43 AM
Its not attacking the work at all. It is constructive criticism pointing out that having them there sets up a dysfunction between the two versions of the canon for the original version of the game. Constructive criticism is legal per the guidelines of this forum.

Thus if constructive criticism now merits a warning and removal of a post then it seems that the forum is yet again changing its rules. I hope that isn't the case as the forum has been a source of joy and information to me for a long time.

Your post has been undeleted so that everyone can see how constructive you were being.

-

Olefin
02-23-2022, 02:34 PM
Olefin,

You’ve referenced Frank Frey’s unpublished notes and an article in an unofficial fanzine to support your claim that the 173rd shouldn't be in Romania.

Can you supply a quote from any v1 material published by GDW that explicitly gives a location for the 173rd Airborne Brigade? (Other than the Romania sourcebook obviously).

Ok so lets see - Frank Frey was writing for V1 - here is the forum link

https://forum.juhlin.com/showthread.php?t=2303

So lets begin


#20 Report Post
Old 05-26-2010, 11:39 AM
Frank Frey Frank Frey is offline
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Greetings,

The 173rd Airborne Brigade was deployed to Kenya for several reasons.
1.) To provide security for the port of Mombasa and for the oil refineries there.
2.) To help secure Kenya from the depradations of any number of warlord armies so that the country could continue to serve as a staging area for operations in the Gulf.
3.) MilGov cut a deal with the French. The French supply the vehicles and the equipment and the US supplies the manpower for a cut of the oil. This arrangement, BTW, has led to a number of American paras wearing the famous French "lizard" pattern camo fatigues.
In effect, the 173rd are mercenaries fighting for France. Sort of an American Foreign Legion if you will.

Out Here,
Frank Frey


#27 Report Post
Old 05-28-2010, 01:51 PM
Frank Frey Frank Frey is offline
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Raellus,

According to my notes, the 173rd was shipped to Kenya in early 1997. There is nothing in my notes about how they were deployed. That's all I've got.

Frank Frey

Old 05-28-2010, 02:53 PM
Frank Frey Frank Frey is offline
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Raellus,

No problem...Airlift would make the most sense at that time. As far as cutting deals with the French, yea, 1998 sounds right. It wasn't an overnight thing either.When the final deal was cut, it basically just formalized on paper what had been going for a while.
As for the equipment, let your imagination run with it. Hell, IIRC I had an American armored cav unit that had been re-equipped with AMX-13's. The aviation unit (228th Aviation Bn.) was using a lot of Gazelles and Pumas.
Hope this helps.

Frank Frey

Olefin
02-23-2022, 02:37 PM
then we have this

5-31-2010, 11:25 PM
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Raellus Raellus is online now
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Quote:
Originally Posted by HorseSoldier View Post
For a single brigade, especially without the full-up suite RSTA assets available these days and limited airlift, just securing the Kenyan border against random marauders spilling over from the Sudan (and Ethiopia, Somalia, Tanzania, and Uganda) would be a serious trick. Don't really need major invasions to have the 173rd and the Kenyan military stretched to the limit with the whole continent sliding into chaos.
OK. But in mid-'97, when the 173rd deployed (according to Frey), adequate airlift and fuel for the brigade's aircraft was available and the Kenyan military is no slouch. If it's simply a matter of assisting the Kenyans in counter-insurgency operations, elements of the 5th SFG would probably be adequate. A reinforced BCT is overkill, especially considering the need for such a unit elsewhere. With the U.S. engaged in full-scale conventional warfare in Europe, the Middle East, and Asia, an entire Airborne BCT could be put to use almost anywhere else BUT Kenya. IMO, a conventional Tanzanian invasion makes the commitment of the 173rd in Kenya a much more justifiable investment. Once they're there, the breakdown of the world's transportation networks following the TDM and the continued presence of large numbers of marauders on Kenya's frontiers explains the BCT's continued presence there.

Thanks, though, for the lead on the 5th SFG. I'll have to take a look at my RDF sourcebook. I could definitely use them in my scenario.


RDF is version 1 not version 2

then we have this


#22 Report Post
Old 06-01-2010, 01:36 AM
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Originally Posted by HorseSoldier View Post
It's a brief reference in the text of RDF about 5th SFG having teams working with Masai tribesmen, if I remember right. As noted, it would be 3rd Group if they still got reactivated in 1990, which would possibly have happened in the Twilight timeline as well. I'm pretty sure the reactivation was planned as part of the Reagan-era plus up of the US military before the walls came down, even if it post-dated that by a year or so.
You've got a good memory. This is all that the RDF sourcebook has to say on the subject:

"SOCCENT: Last (but certainly not the least) of CENTCOM's component commands is Special Operations Command Central Command (SOCCENT).

Its Special Forces A Teams are in action from Iran to Kenya and work with such ethnic/racial groups as the Kurdish hill tribes of southwestern Iran and the Masai warriors of Kenya." (RDF Sourcebook, p.18)

Olefin
02-23-2022, 02:40 PM
Ok Rainbow now you have this - Frank's Podcast where he referred to the unreleased Kenya module - posted by Raellus


#22 Report Post
Old 06-01-2010, 01:36 AM
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Originally Posted by HorseSoldier View Post
It's a brief reference in the text of RDF about 5th SFG having teams working with Masai tribesmen, if I remember right. As noted, it would be 3rd Group if they still got reactivated in 1990, which would possibly have happened in the Twilight timeline as well. I'm pretty sure the reactivation was planned as part of the Reagan-era plus up of the US military before the walls came down, even if it post-dated that by a year or so.
You've got a good memory. This is all that the RDF sourcebook has to say on the subject:

"SOCCENT: Last (but certainly not the least) of CENTCOM's component commands is Special Operations Command Central Command (SOCCENT).

Its Special Forces A Teams are in action from Iran to Kenya and work with such ethnic/racial groups as the Kurdish hill tribes of southwestern Iran and the Masai warriors of Kenya." (RDF Sourcebook, p.18)

Then we have this podcast with Frank too

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very interesting time indeed - listened to a lot of the blog tonight - he had a bunch of great info indeed

never had heard of the MiG Mountain scenario he talked about - or having the USS Jacksonville (Los Angeles class SSN) being part of the US forces in the RDF Sourcebook (which would be an interesting addition) with a brand new reactor core and fully fueled up

and like how he has the US and the French stomping the LRA in Uganda as part of Lions in Twilight - that is something I have foreshadowed in my East African Sourcebook with how the LRA has managed to piss off both the US and the French - and it definitely felt good when I heard Frank answer that question on what source books he wished had been written and he immediately said "Kenya"

and six 16 inch shells hitting the Kirov from one salvo - kiss it goodbye Ivan!

and War of the Everglades, the Last University and the Key West Naval station scenarios that were mentioned that Tom Mulkey was working on - damn love to see those

and hearing that Frank is actually thinking of posting MiG Mountain so we can enjoy it - damn very nice!

Olefin
02-23-2022, 02:53 PM
So do you want me to keep going with all the references that Frank Frey made to his V1 unreleased module, his references to it along with the RDF (which is a V1 module) by the way, etc..

Frank was a member here, was a canon author (and soon if his health holds up will be again for V4), wrote the RDF and Kings Ransom - both of which detail what was going on in the Middle East for V1 and which reference US troops in Kenya in both of them, repeatedly discussed his unpublished module with Raellus which stated that the 173rd was deployed to Kenya

So should I go on posting more forum discussions, more podcasts, more of what Frank himself posted on here? Last I heard this thread was a discussion about Romania but you threw down the gauntlet so I can keep posting the threads and discussion

Including Frank's notes on Somalia, the PARA, etc..

Was it officially published - no it wasnt as stated by Frank - but I would take the word of the man who wrote a ton of the canon and lots of the modules and sourcebooks as saying that what he presented was what was going to be published

Oh and for the record Romania isnt official canon unless stated as such by Marc Miller - East Africa Sourcebook is however

as was stated repeatedly - his notes were about the "Lions of Twilight" which was a bare-bones writeup about the 173rd Airborne Brigade being sent to secure Mombassa in Kenya and the refinery therein to make sure the oil flowed to the RDF in Iran. Thats about as V1 as you get

.45cultist
02-23-2022, 02:58 PM
Got it, off to the printer!

Rainbow Six
02-23-2022, 03:05 PM
Was it officially published - no it wasnt as stated by Frank
Good, so we're agreed that there's nothing published by GDW that pinpoints the 173rd's location in V1 so no evidence to support your claim that Rae and Teg made an 'error' (your word, not mine) placing it in Romania.

Oh and for the record Romania isnt official canon unless stated as such by Marc Miller - East Africa Sourcebook is however

To be the best of my knowledge no one has claimed canon status for the Romania sourcebook. And no one has disputed that the East Africa sourcebook is canon for v2.2. only - you confirmed that yourself.

Its released for V2.2 canon

You might want to update your forum signature to make that clearer. I'd hate for anyone to buy your sourcebook thinking it's canon for V1 and then make a claim against the forum for false advertising.

Olefin
02-23-2022, 03:28 PM
Multiple posts by Frank Frey show intent as to what was going to be published - that’s all you need to show that the 173rd is there in V1. Or are you saying that Frank was lying?

Rainbow Six
02-23-2022, 03:30 PM
Multiple posts by Frank Frey show intent as to what was going to be published - that’s all you need to show that the 173rd is there in V1. Or are you saying that Frank was lying?

I'm just asking about what was published.

Olefin
02-23-2022, 03:34 PM
https://forum.juhlin.com/showthread.php?t=2099

With Frank showing exactly how the 173rd was reconstituted, what battalions made it up and that it was sent to Africa specifically to guard the refinery and port at Mombasa.

That shows intent of what was to be published and it’s posted by Frank Frey.

Black and white - the 173rd is in Africa

Rainbow Six
02-23-2022, 03:36 PM
That shows intent of what was to be published and it’s posted by Frank Frey

When was it published?

pmulcahy11b
02-23-2022, 03:41 PM
Basically, I'll do what I always do -- read, modify, mine.

swaghauler
02-23-2022, 03:56 PM
Ok so lets see - Frank Frey was writing for V1 - here is the forum link

https://forum.juhlin.com/showthread.php?t=2303

So lets begin


#20 Report Post
Old 05-26-2010, 11:39 AM
Frank Frey Frank Frey is offline
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Greetings,

The 173rd Airborne Brigade was deployed to Kenya for several reasons.
1.) To provide security for the port of Mombasa and for the oil refineries there.
2.) To help secure Kenya from the depradations of any number of warlord armies so that the country could continue to serve as a staging area for operations in the Gulf.
3.) MilGov cut a deal with the French. The French supply the vehicles and the equipment and the US supplies the manpower for a cut of the oil. This arrangement, BTW, has led to a number of American paras wearing the famous French "lizard" pattern camo fatigues.
In effect, the 173rd are mercenaries fighting for France. Sort of an American Foreign Legion if you will.

Out Here,
Frank Frey


#27 Report Post
Old 05-28-2010, 01:51 PM
Frank Frey Frank Frey is offline
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Raellus,

According to my notes, the 173rd was shipped to Kenya in early 1997. There is nothing in my notes about how they were deployed. That's all I've got.

Frank Frey

Old 05-28-2010, 02:53 PM
Frank Frey Frank Frey is offline
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Raellus,

No problem...Airlift would make the most sense at that time. As far as cutting deals with the French, yea, 1998 sounds right. It wasn't an overnight thing either.When the final deal was cut, it basically just formalized on paper what had been going for a while.
As for the equipment, let your imagination run with it. Hell, IIRC I had an American armored cav unit that had been re-equipped with AMX-13's. The aviation unit (228th Aviation Bn.) was using a lot of Gazelles and Pumas.
Hope this helps.

Frank Frey

I could care less about "cannon" history but this idea from Frank has me scratching my head. Frank's history makes no sense.

1) WHY would the US need the French to supply vehicles to a US rapid-deployment unit? Everything they have is air deployable and even mobilization-only units have vehicles in storage at Bragg. This is especially "problematic" when you consider that the French needed NATO's help with airlifting the units for Operation Serval because they didn't have enough strategic lift capacity to do it themselves.

2) What in the H**l are the French doing in Kenya, a former BRITISH colony with a BRITISH MILITARY PRESENCE since the early 1980s? I can see the French in Djibouti, Ethiopia, Algeria, Libya, Mali, the Central African Republic, and even the Congo. Kenya is a little too British-leaning (with actual US and British troops in the country) to ask for French help.

3) Why would the 173rd be wearing French uniforms and using French vehicles when they can just get a resupply from Manda Bay/Camp Tiger right in Kenya? Camp Tiger and Manda Bay were established in 1992 and have operated continuously ever since. They have both radar stations and radio intercept stations just like the US base (Lemonier) in Djibouti (which is just down the street from the French). Manda Bay and Camp Tiger have a large deep-water port/jetty, a large airfield, and permanent base facilities like housing, PX, and various training ranges. The African Union often trains there.

I just don't see Frank's reasoning here.

Olefin
02-23-2022, 04:29 PM
First off Rainbow - per Frank its HIS UNPUBLISHED MODULE - he never said he published it - but he sure gave us all kinds of details on it - more than enough to verify intent and purpose of the 173rd.

Ever done patent law - I have FYI - he came up with the 173rd being stood up in 1995 and then being sent to Kenya to guard the refinery and harbor at Mombasa.

He never got around to publishing it but he has stated both here and on earlier versions of the forum exactly what his intent was, what its general composition was and that it was originally going to be a reinforcement for CENTCOM - and then got sent to Kenya instead.

Nothing anywhere in any of his notes or posts on this forum or any other of the earlier forums about it going to Romania or that it would be posted anywhere by 1997 anywhere else than Kenya - and that it would still be there by the time the game timeline kicked off in 2000.

He was one of the canon authors who released multiple books about the Orbat of the major combatants in the Twilight War as well as the only two books released about CENTCOM - which included references to American forces in Kenya.

What he doesnt say is "I created the concept of the 173rd being in the game and you can have it posted in Kenya or maybe somewhere else if you feel like it". Pretty clearly in multiple posts spread over multiple forums, podcasts, etc. over a long period of years its location is always Kenya by 1997 - whether you or Raellus or Tegyrius agree or not - or you can ignore his notes, posts, podcasts, etc. and say so what who cares what Frank Frey said as to where the 173rd went.

Which is what the Romania module has done.

And yes you can argue details - i.e. I totally agree with Swaghauler the French wouldnt be there at all except maybe to make sure they get a share of whatever oil is coming out of the refinery - but the placement and existence of the 173rd in Kenya per the canon author who created the whole orbat for CENTCOM and published both V1 modules that took place in the area? I will go with Frank on that.

VCDR
02-23-2022, 04:33 PM
I purchased the sourcebook earlier and I am extremely impressed with the product. As an FS-01 career member of the United States Foreign Service, I found the U.S. State Department chapter accurate and well-researched. Kudos to the authors.

Ursus Maior
02-23-2022, 04:41 PM
Oh, wow, folks, this reads like there is a discussion about what imagination is more imaginative. And I get the sentiment, but I think this community can raise to higher standards.

In my opinion, unless Marc Miller has canonized a publication for an edition, any material is non-canonic. That being said, we can all enjoy a well laid out book with interesting ideas, can't we? Aren't we all picking every publication for the juicy parts anyway?

Olefin
02-23-2022, 06:30 PM
Picking the 173rd for being in Romania flew in the face of multiple posts over the course of years by the multiple canon module writer who created the idea of the 173rd as part of the T2K canon. He made it clear over and over - and ignoring that fact is not how you come up with a new module or sourcebook. Especially when one of the writers of the Romania book had an extensive article in one of the fanzines about the 173rd being in Kenya.

Bulldog1972
02-23-2022, 07:18 PM
Bought it this morning & found out that the ToC was hyperlinked by accident.

swaghauler
02-23-2022, 07:33 PM
Basically, I'll do what I always do -- read, modify, mine.

Me too. By the way guys, IF I post something in this forum, please feel free to use it or modify it as you see fit. The only thing I ask is that if you post it to another website, you note it was my work so someone doesn't come back and accuse me of plagiarizing my own stuff. And yes, this has happened to me in a Runequest forum.

Swag.

pmulcahy11b
02-23-2022, 07:48 PM
Couldn't we find Tegyrius an equivalent RL, NG, Reserve, or (presently) Inactive unit that could be slotted into the module in an update? Tegyrius, would you be amenable to that?

Tegyrius
02-23-2022, 08:41 PM
Gentlemen, I apologize for the derail you had to endure to get to actual productive discussion of the book. I thank you for your patience, and our host for his intervention.

I purchased the sourcebook earlier and I am extremely impressed with the product. As an FS-01 career member of the United States Foreign Service, I found the U.S. State Department chapter accurate and well-researched. Kudos to the authors.

Thank you! I have a couple of professional contacts in State and they, along with a copy of Inside a U.S. Embassy, were invaluable in helping me produce that chapter. I'm glad they didn't lead me astray.

Bought it this morning & found out that the ToC was hyperlinked by accident.

Oh, no, that was no accident. The ToC is hyperlinked deliberately.

;)

Me too. By the way guys, IF I post something in this forum, please feel free to use it or modify it as you see fit. The only thing I ask is that if you post it to another website, you note it was my work so someone doesn't come back and accuse me of plagiarizing my own stuff. And yes, this has happened to me in a Runequest forum.

It is (usually) fun to see the use to which people put my work. It's out there to be used.

(On the other hand, when I was on the Spycraft design team, someone applied to join the team and plagiarized my own fan work for their "writing sample" submission. That was a different kind of fun.)

Couldn't we find Tegyrius an equivalent RL, NG, Reserve, or (presently) Inactive unit that could be slotted into the module in an update? Tegyrius, would you be amenable to that?

Thank you for trying to be reasonable, Paul, but... no, not really. It's not my work. It's a shared, coauthored work between myself and Raellus, so I'm not going to make unilateral decisions without consulting him.

Additionally, this book is explicitly for first edition. Olefin's work is for second edition, as he takes great pains to point out whenever the issue of canon status comes up. One of the points of having different editions is that there can be... differences. (The first edition canon of the RDF Sourcebook suggests that the 173rd wouldn't be in Africa to secure a refinery complex anyway, as it clearly states that there are multiple functioning refineries in the RDF AO. So I see no factual conflict between our 1e non-canon sourcebook and someone else's 2e material.) If we're going to go there, we may as well pick another country because of how second edition's East Europe Sourcebook handles Romania.

- C.

Bulldog1972
02-23-2022, 08:48 PM
Oh, no, that was no accident. The ToC is hyperlinked deliberately.

;)


My apologies! I didn't mean that it was hyperlinked accidentally. I DISCOVERED it accidentally. Clicked the mouse button while eating my breakfast, actually. Suddenly went to the page for one of the vehicles & I was surprised.

Extremely handy feature, thanks for adding that.

Tegyrius
02-23-2022, 08:50 PM
Nah, I knew what you meant, but I entertain myself by abusing the language. :)

I will try to figure out how to add bookmarks to the PDF, though (and if I do, I'll go back and do the same in Pacific Northwest). That's a usability feature I do feel bad for not including.

- C.

.45cultist
02-24-2022, 09:30 AM
One could always use a unit name that fell out of favor after the mutiny in Vietnam, The Americal Division. Now raise some units and plug into the TO&E.

Tegyrius
02-24-2022, 10:18 AM
Individual referees are certainly free to change any detail of the setting to match their personal visions of the Twilight: 2000 universe or to better meet their tables’ needs. However, as this product’s creators, Raellus and I do not intend to rewrite it. We look forward to hearing about the stories people tell with the toolkit we’ve created.

- C.

.45cultist
02-24-2022, 11:42 AM
Individual referees are certainly free to change any detail of the setting to match their personal visions of the Twilight: 2000 universe or to better meet their tables’ needs. However, as this product’s creators, Raellus and I do not intend to rewrite it. We look forward to hearing about the stories people tell with the toolkit we’ve created.

- C.

As with "Pacific Northwest", I find stuff for T2K and DC already!

Raellus
02-24-2022, 04:26 PM
One of the main reasons we chose the 173rd Airborne for the Romania Sourcebook is that it aligned so well with the v1 timeline, assuming the unit was based in Italy, as it was IRL. Italy's rapidly souring relationship with NATO and Romania's declaring for NATO line up almost perfectly. If the 173rd is in Italy at the time (December, 1996), it makes temporal, spacial, and logistical sense for it to be sent there.

Second, we wanted an "elite-light" unit, nothing too big or hard to move via air (as Romania is landlocked), for the US contingent.

For Refs who'd rather not use the 173rd, for whatever reason, here are a few suggested alternatives. These are units that would likely be reactivated in the event of WWIII. AFAIK, none are mentioned in canon, but all existed, at one point or another, IRL.

36th Airborne Brigade
71st Airborne Brigade

Or, for Refs who want a slightly larger US presence in Romania, there's...

11th Airborne Division
13th Airborne Division

-

Drgonzo2011
02-24-2022, 04:59 PM
Just picked this up yesterday and read through it in one sitting. Really wonderful addition to T2K. The section on the State Department was particularly interesting and might have to feature in my next campaign (set in Korea).

Raellus
02-24-2022, 05:23 PM
Welcome, Drgonzo, and thank you! I think I can speak for Tegyrius in saying that we really appreciate it. If you're interested, I've also written a sourcebook for Korea (link in my sig).

-

unipus
02-24-2022, 05:32 PM
Good of you guys to maintain composure in the face of withering -- if wildly ineffective -- enemy fire.

Tegyrius
02-24-2022, 06:35 PM
As with "Pacific Northwest", I find stuff for T2K and DC already!

Excellent. Toolkit: functioning as designed. :)

We might be able to add that feature [Tegyrius edit: bookmarks] to a product update- one of the benefits of the PDF format (DriveThru automatically provides customers free updates if the product is modified).

I just checked and it is, in fact, bookmarked already. Looks like I had InDesign configured to automagically add every table of contents item as a bookmark too. So there ya go.

- C.

swaghauler
02-24-2022, 06:38 PM
One of the main reasons we chose the 173rd Airborne for the Romania Sourcebook is that it aligned so well with the v1 timeline, assuming the unit was based in Italy, as it was IRL. Italy's rapidly souring relationship with NATO and Romania's declaring for NATO line up almost perfectly. If the 173rd is in Italy at the time (December, 1996), it makes temporal, spacial, and logistical sense for it to be sent there.

Second, we wanted an "elite-light" unit, nothing too big or hard to move via air (as Romania is landlocked), for the US contingent.

For Refs who'd rather not use the 173rd, for whatever reason, here are a few suggested alternatives. These are units that would likely be reactivated in the event of WWIII. AFAIK, none are mentioned in canon, but all existed, at one point or another, IRL.

36th Airborne Brigade
71st Airborne Brigade

Or, for Refs who want a slightly larger US presence in Romania, there's...

11th Airborne Division
13th Airborne Division

-

All I can say is WHO CARES! When I don't like something, I'll change it.
Just look at my forum posts for proof of that. :p

swaghauler
02-24-2022, 06:44 PM
The total word count on this book is around 85,000. Those of you who've previously bought The Pacific Northwest will have a basis for comparison: that one was about 65,000 words. As a professional writer, I find word count to be a more accurate measure of content than page count, as it's easy to inflate page count with large fonts (looking at you, first edition 7th Sea) or lots of art.


Romanian History, Geography, and Culture - 9,000 words
Romania's Twilight War History - 7,000 words
Major Faction - Romania (military and government) - 9,000 words
Major Faction - NATO - 7,000 words
Major Faction - Warsaw Pact - 11,000
Minor Factions - 8,000
US State Department - 7,000
Running Campaigns in Romania - 7,000
Supernatural Options - 6,000


(I'm not listing word counts for the rules material because careers, weapons, and vehicles get screwy when assessed by word count.)

Again, those of you familiar with PNW will find the organization of many of these sections to be broadly familiar. It seemed to be a successful template, so we scraped a lot from it when we assembled the project outline for Tara Romaneasca.

- C.

You need to lay off the large print criticism mister! A man can have perfect vision his whole life and then one day, after passing the age of 50, he begins to notice that his arms aren't long enough to read the morning paper anymore. When that begins to occur, that large print becomes more welcoming... at least until he breaks down and goes to WALMART and buys a pair of "cheaters." One day, you'll be thankful for large print formats! :p

Tegyrius
02-24-2022, 06:54 PM
You need to lay off the large print criticism mister! A man can have perfect vision his whole life and then one day, after passing the age of 50, he begins to notice that his arms aren't long enough to read the morning paper anymore. When that begins to occur, that large print becomes more welcoming... at least until he breaks down and goes to WALMART and buys a pair of "cheaters." One day, you'll be thankful for large print formats! :p

I'm in reading glasses denial. The fact that I haven't painted a mini in five years is completely irrelevant.

- C.

pmulcahy11b
02-24-2022, 07:28 PM
I'm in reading glasses denial. The fact that I haven't painted a mini in five years is completely irrelevant.

- C.

Bet I have it worse: I wear contacts and still have to wear reading glasses! My nearsightedness and astigmatism have gotten so bad that the doctor had to overcorrect my far vision and short my near vision. My far vision's corrected to 20/15, but my near vision's only corrected to about 20/30.

Don't even ask me what my uncorrected vision is -- I can't even make out the top letter on the eye chart...

Raellus
02-24-2022, 09:11 PM
Ya'll know you can increase the magnification on PDFs, right? ;)

-

stilleto69
02-24-2022, 10:57 PM
Bought it. Like it and anything I don't like, I'll just make adjustments. No big deal. Just like I've always have.

Targan
02-27-2022, 04:33 AM
Purchased, and like The Pacific North West, excellent work.

Ckosacranoid
02-27-2022, 05:39 PM
I have not bought it yet, But I have to leave this comment from someone there.

Why the hell do we get the fun of having vampires as allies HOw in the bloody world did we get stuck with them Much less the bastards are british no less and if anyone says something about them needing tea....I am gong to shoot you.

Spartan-117
02-27-2022, 06:27 PM
I have not bought it yet, But I have to leave this comment from someone there.

Why the hell do we get the fun of having vampires as allies HOw in the bloody world did we get stuck with them Much less the bastards are british no less and if anyone says something about them needing tea....I am gong to shoot you.

Another mind lost to meth and bath salts. Terrible to see. Just say no kids. #justsayno

Also - I'd like to report someone threatening to shoot me. Thank goodness muggle weapons don't work on me.

Tegyrius
02-27-2022, 06:44 PM
Thank you, stilleto69 and Targan!

Ckosacranoid, welcome to the forum. Please feel free to tell your correspondent that this sourcebook's vampires are (1) entirely optional, (2) only allies if the player characters have particularly poor judgement, and (3) rarely British. They're definitely intended to be adversaries, but war makes strange bedfellows...

- C.

swaghauler
02-27-2022, 09:07 PM
Another mind lost to meth and bath salts. Terrible to see. Just say no kids. #justsayno

Also - I'd like to report someone threatening to shoot me. Thank goodness muggle weapons don't work on me.

I have that covered. 12 gauge hardwood slugs at a reduced velocity. Those slugs are drilled at the front and then stuffed with garlic and soaked in holy water. I then coat the lower half of the slug with silver plating etched with gold-plated crosses for good measure. I then take them to an "open-minded" Episcopalian priest (think "Catholic light") who blesses them. Guaranteed to make your vamps cry!

Goes good with my blessed .40 +p silver hollow points stuffed with wolf's bane and holy water.

I love DARK CONSPIRACY!

.45cultist
02-28-2022, 06:22 AM
A swage press, epoxy and silver wire cut up to replace the lead core and you have a suitable round that won't tear up your barrel! This time my DC stuff ports over to T2K!

shrike6
02-28-2022, 11:50 AM
Finally broke down and bought Tara Romaneasca along with some of the other new modules for v1/2 like Rook's Gambit and the Korean and East African sourcebooks. Yes I'm a cheap ass bastard because those were $2.99 comparing Korea and Rook's to Tara Romaneasca you can tell the writing has evolved do not get me wrong those were good Tara is just better. There are a page or two that make me cringe though but other than that, its still worth the money.

Tegyrius
02-28-2022, 12:08 PM
Thanks for the support, Shrike. May I ask which elements made you twitch? This hopefully isn’t my last project for this game line, nor Rae’s, so constructive feedback will make our future projects even better.

The price point for this (and Pacific Northwest) was my request. In terms of word count and page count, both books surpass the size of the original 2e sourcebooks whose PDFs now sell for the same price. Folks are free to disagree but I like to think Rae and I have given good value for the money.

- C.

Spartan-117
03-01-2022, 05:14 AM
Mărțișor Fericit!

Happy March 1st! If my new copy of Tara Romaneasca is correct, today I should visit a spring festival, eat porridge, and sabotage an oil refinery! ;)

https://romaniatourism.com/images/martisor1.jpg

shrike6
03-02-2022, 12:39 AM
Thanks for the support, Shrike. May I ask which elements made you twitch? This hopefully isn’t my last project for this game line, nor Rae’s, so constructive feedback will make our future projects even better.


You'd think it would be the 173rd being used. While I am in the camp that the Herd is roaming the African Savanna that really doesnt bother me all that much. What does bother me is the history of one of its subunits the 2-555th. Seemed to me anyways, that it was not well thought out so you could make a cheap easy joke on politicians that seemed out of place. While I get your precedent on it would be the ship naming process in the US Navy in the present day. It is much easier to put a politically favorable name on a nameless ship then it is to replace a regiment with a long history with the state and 100s of veterans associated with that regiment for a more politically in vogue one. While it may be possible I can't see doing that as tenable if that politician wants another term. Let's face it to make the Airborne battalion to work numbers wise in a small state like WV you would have had to reorganize one of the combat arms battalions (1/150th Cav or 1/201st FA). I also get the meta joke that goes beyond the surface with using the WV NG given that one of the former IRL US Senators for WV during the 90s was a former Klansman.
What I would have done is place the battalion in IL with their historic African American regiment the 370th Infantry Regiment and changed that to Airborne. the IL NG is bigger and much more able to absorb an additional battalion. The 370th has a great history going back to the Spanish American War compared with the 555th which has no combat history at all. The Germans called the 370th die Schwarzen Teufel. Let's face it Black Devils sounds like the nickname of an Airborne regiment anyways.Call the battalion either the 2-370th Airborne to still honor the 2nd Ranger Company or 555-370th Airborne like the 100th-442nd to honor the 555th and that way you get your NG Airborne battalion and honor African Americans at the same time with an actual attachment to the state it is placed in and a combat history to be proud of in that way it would have been far less cringe worthy for me. In the end its author's choice and I enjoyed the rest of the module.

The price point for this (and Pacific Northwest) was my request. In terms of word count and page count, both books surpass the size of the original 2e sourcebooks whose PDFs now sell for the same price. Folks are free to disagree but I like to think Rae and I have given good value for the money.

- C.

That was a self deprecating joke wasn't meant as a comment on your price point. For example I dont buy video games when they first come out I will wait until the prices fall. Why? Because I am a cheap ass bastard who can wait six months for the prices to fall 50%. I usually dont need to be on the cutting edge of retail. Think of it as an honor that I bought it in the first week at all.

pmulcahy11b
03-02-2022, 10:16 AM
I'm glad that all these books (and some magazines and other books) are coming out in PDF format. My house is only 1250 square feet, and even the master bedroom (which is my bedroom -- it's my house!) is crammed full of stuff. I don't even buy books or magazines if they don't come in PDF format. I just don't have the room.

shrike6
03-02-2022, 02:53 PM
I'm glad that all these books (and some magazines and other books) are coming out in PDF format. My house is only 1250 square feet, and even the master bedroom (which is my bedroom -- it's my house!) is crammed full of stuff. I don't even buy books or magazines if they don't come in PDF format. I just don't have the room.

Ain't that the truth

Tegyrius
03-03-2022, 09:16 PM
You'd think it would be the 173rd being used. While I am in the camp that the Herd is roaming the African Savanna that really doesnt bother me all that much.

Enh. User preference is user preference. For whatever it may be worth, we had some discussion on the 173rd in Romania (https://forum.juhlin.com/showthread.php?t=6111) a couple of years ago. You can see some of the seeds of this sourcebook in that conversation.

What does bother me is the history of one of its subunits the 2-555th. Seemed to me anyways, that it was not well thought out so you could make a cheap easy joke on politicians that seemed out of place. While I get your precedent on it would be the ship naming process in the US Navy in the present day. It is much easier to put a politically favorable name on a nameless ship then it is to replace a regiment with a long history with the state and 100s of veterans associated with that regiment for a more politically in vogue one. While it may be possible I can't see doing that as tenable if that politician wants another term. Let's face it to make the Airborne battalion to work numbers wise in a small state like WV you would have had to reorganize one of the combat arms battalions (1/150th Cav or 1/201st FA). I also get the meta joke that goes beyond the surface with using the WV NG given that one of the former IRL US Senators for WV during the 90s was a former Klansman.
What I would have done is place the battalion in IL with their historic African American regiment the 370th Infantry Regiment and changed that to Airborne. the IL NG is bigger and much more able to absorb an additional battalion. The 370th has a great history going back to the Spanish American War compared with the 555th which has no combat history at all. The Germans called the 370th die Schwarzen Teufel. Let's face it Black Devils sounds like the nickname of an Airborne regiment anyways.Call the battalion either the 2-370th Airborne to still honor the 2nd Ranger Company or 555-370th Airborne like the 100th-442nd to honor the 555th and that way you get your NG Airborne battalion and honor African Americans at the same time with an actual attachment to the state it is placed in and a combat history to be proud of in that way it would have been far less cringe worthy for me. In the end its author's choice and I enjoyed the rest of the module.

So... fair comments. I will say up front that I am not as up on Army heraldry and unit lineages as you are. This is one of the hazards of this line of work... there's always gonna be a SME out there, and I'm never gonna find a SME to consult with on every detail of a book.

It's a bit late and I'm a bit fried to reconstruct my precise reasoning, but my recollection is that we selected the 555th as a nod to its use in Frank Frey's original notes for the unpublished (and perhaps unwritten beyond notes/outline stage) Lions of Twilight (https://forum.juhlin.com/showthread.php?t=2099).

Working from there, I needed to find a state in which to place our round-out battalion. My original thinking was Texas because of the ridiculous size of its National Guard component and because of its current real-world 1-143 Infantry. However, a couple of factors drove me away from that, chief among which was the desire to leave Texas alone in case another future author needs to reconstitute the 36th or 71st Airborne Brigade for another locale. I did leave myself an out for that in the writeup for 2-555, as well. I mentioned that three other states also received National Guard airborne battalions... so there's room for another author to use 1-555, 3-555, or 4-555.

(At any rate, I wouldn't have picked on the Illinois National Guard because someone might think I had it in for them. I already did a bunch of damage to their 66th Infantry Brigade as part of the 47th ID in Pacific Northwest.)

West Virginia appealed to me for a couple of reasons. First, because of its mountainous terrain, I felt like a unit coming from there would be vaguely suited to fighting a mountain insurgency in Romania. Second, when I was a kid, I read a factoid that West Virginia historically is the state with the highest per-capita rates of military volunteerism and Medal of Honor awards. I don't know if it's true, but that has always stuck with me.

The backhanded swipe at their congresscritter wasn't actually intentional, but I'll take it as a fortuitous coincidence because I'm snarky like that.

I agree with you 100% about the force strength of other WV NG components being affected by this, and I did note in 2-555's profile that it received a number of transfers from 1-150 Cav and 2-19 SFG. In an early draft, I did mention that those units had not yet recovered full manning and combat effectiveness by the time of the war, but I cut that during development. I trimmed a lot of unnecessary words to make the layout look good, and it wasn't really relevant to this sourcebook because they weren't in Romania.

It also was my intent - albeit never actually written down - that 2-555 was headquartered in WV but not 100% staffed by West Virginians. Again, that drew from real-world precedent (at least according to Wikipedia, which shows D Troop of 1-150 Cav based in North Carolina). As a Kentucky native, it was in the back of my head that 2-555 had one company drawn from the Ashland area, including some guys whose civilian jobs were at the Catlettsburg refinery, but that also was a level of minutiae that didn't make it into the manuscript.

Having said all of that, I like your analysis and selection, too. If I were going in that direction, I might go with the 369th because of Michael Longcor's Ballad of Esau's Sons, in which case I'd've made the battalion a NY NG unit headquartered somewhere in the Catskills.

- C.

shrike6
03-09-2022, 05:35 PM
I'll keep this part short. I can't argue with most of it although could come with better examples. The 369th has a fine history but I dismissed them because the NY NG was stretched putting 4 bdes together IRL. Also I go back and forth about using them as an ADA battalion for the 42nd ID since they also have a CA/AAA history as well.


It's a bit late and I'm a bit fried to reconstruct my precise reasoning, but my recollection is that we selected the 555th as a nod to its use in Frank Frey's original notes for the unpublished (and perhaps unwritten beyond notes/outline stage) Lions of Twilight (https://forum.juhlin.com/showthread.php?t=2099).


Just as a point of fact, Frank Frey posted two orbats for the 173rd Airborne. The first in a series of posts in 2000/2001, the second in 2003 which that link has.

2000

Subject: The Lions of Twilight: T2K in Africa

Posted by Frank Frey

Date: 07/05/2000 08:07


Greetings,


While going through some old T2K notes, I found a hand drawn AO map for western Kenya. I used this map in a Merc: 2000 campaign and was going to use it for a T2K campaign. Here are some of the main concepts for the T2K campaign.

1.) The main American unit in Kenya is the 173rd Airborne Brigade. It was reactivated in 1996 (oob available). It was originally tasked as CentComm's mobile reserve force but wound in Kenya protecting the oil refineries there.

2.) The Kenyan military in T2K is still a very potent force. They work with the American paratroopers in keeping things relatively orderly.

3.) The two main enemy organizations are the PARA (Pan African Revolutionary Army) a loose amalgamation of various tribal militias and warlord armies and Junudullah (Soldiers of God), a radical Muslim group that wants to establish a Islamic theocracy in East Africa.


Anyway those are the basics. I didn't really get much else done.


Frank Frey

********************

Posted by: Frank Frey

Date: 07/05/2000 14:30


Greetings,


As best as I can reconstruct it the, the 173rd AB deployed the following assets in Kenya.

HHC 173rd Abn Bde

173rd Recon Company (Airborne)(LRRP)

173rd Intelligence Company (Airborne)

173rd Engineer TF (Airborne)

1 Bn/ 503rd Parachute Infantry

2 Bn/ 503rd Parachute Infantry

3 Bn/ 503rd Parachute Infantry (Lt. Motorized)

4 Bn/ 503rd Parachute Infantry (Airmobile)

173rd Aviation Company

173rd Artillery Battalion (Airborne)(105mm)


There were units that were attached to the 173rd. IIRC, one of them was the 228th Aviation Battalion.


Frank Frey


xxxxxxxxxxxxxx


Subject: 228th Aviation Battalion/173rd Abn Bde

Posted by: Frank Frey


Date: 10/04/2001 13:56
Greetings,
From my notes and such, here is the oob for the 228th Aviation
Battalion such as it is.
228th Aviation Battalion
HHC Company
2 x O/AH-6 Defenders
A Company (Transport)
4 x UH-60
B Company (Transport)
6 x UH-1J
C Company (Gunship)
3 x AH-1V
D Company (Fixed Wing)
2 x OV-10 Broncos
4 x A-1J Skyraiders
This is what I have. FYI, the Skyraiders had been purchased by the
Confederate Airforce from the government of Chad. They were
awaiting shipment out of Mombasa when the war broke out. There
were 7 of them originally. They are used for close air support. They
have USAAF(United States Army Air Force) on them and are flown
by Army fixed wing pilots.
Hope this helps

Spartan-117
03-09-2022, 08:56 PM
An Open Letter to Frank Frey.

Either cede the field or put out a sourcebook on this topic. Some half-considered notes are worth exactly what I can pay for them: nothing.

In the meantime, I have purchased two copies of TR, one for myself, and one for a friend in Poland. $9.99 each.

PS: 1st, 2nd, 3rd, AND 4th, BN of any single Regiment end up in the same Brigade? Really?

Ckosacranoid
03-10-2022, 05:14 PM
Bought the book and took a few days to read. The were wolves are funny also to add in to the Vampires.....just as long as the bastards do not sparkle....

Tegyrius
03-10-2022, 06:45 PM
This book's vampires only sparkle if you use sufficient white phosphorus.

- C.

Spartan-117
07-02-2022, 07:58 PM
The ongoing illegal and unprovoked Russian attack against Ukraine is giving me a ton of ideas on how to structure Romanian resistance, tips tactics and techniques that defending forces might employee against Soviet occupiers, and how deadly a similar TW2K era incursion might be to invading forces.

Really enjoying this one!

pmulcahy11b
07-03-2022, 10:12 AM
PS: 1st, 2nd, 3rd, AND 4th, BN of any single Regiment end up in the same Brigade? Really?

This is common in Airborne units, but I've never seen it in any other division except the 82nd Airborne.

Homer
07-03-2022, 09:56 PM
There were serial regiment battalions in some Army National Guard brigades as well. For instance, 39th Infantry Brigade (AR ARNG) had 1st, 2d, 3d battalions 153rd IN. That was a function of states frequently having single “branch” regiments under CARS.