I do believe that even in a recovery environment, there's plenty of opportunity for enterprising players to do their thing.
Regarding recovery, players can take part in answering a couple of key questions. Among the top few questions is "To co-opt or not to co-opt?" To a degree, warlords and "legitimate" governments are on the same side against marauders and other forces of chaos. How does one deal with the Sealord of Jacksonville? How does one deal with the United Brotherhood of Fishermen? Both groups have significant armed forces. Defeating them in the field (so to speak) might be the most desirable solution, but open combat might prove too costly for everyone involved. Player characters might have a role to play in determining the susceptibility of warlords to co-option and possible execution of said co-option.
I've been thinking about the above in reference to the Shogun in Nevada. Obviously, the Nevada survivors can't be left to his tender mercies. However, his motorized army does provide security for the majority of the survivors. If, for instance, in 2001 the 111th Brigade were to establish a logistical base at Kingman, then meet and defeat the Shogun's forces in battle, there's still the question of administering the territory. To a degree, the survivors could be counted upon to run their own affairs. Nevertheless, there is a steady stream of marauders attempting to encroach on the Shogun's territory. The Snake River is controlled by New America; they'd love to get their hands on the surviving population, agriculture, and industry of the I-80 corridor in northern Nevada. The 111th doesn't have the manpower to protect Nevada, even if the mobility issues can be solved. Is it better to knock out the Shogun and leave the locals to their own devices or leave the Shogun in place? Co-option, though a bitter pill for everyone to swallow, might be the most practical answer to the problem of reestablishing MilGov control over the Silver State.
Ditto the Mexicans in the Imperial Valley. Destroying Second Mexican Army or driving it out of California would be a stupendous undertaking--well beyond the capabilities of 111th Brigade. Co-option might be the only way of bringing the agricultural potential of the Imperial Valley back under American control. More bitter pills.
On the other hand, co-option could go another way entirely. If conventional warfare isn't likely to yield good results in a given area, given the corrrelation of forces, perhaps the player characters could fall back on the Special Forces role that figures promimently into the US-based modules. Surely Texas offers a rich bounty of possibilities, regardless of what is happening in Colorado. The same might be said of Alaska, large swaths of the South, and so on.
Webstral
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