[Webstral]

It is my considered opinion that militias are ubiquitous in Twilight: 2000. Everyplace not under the control of a warlord will have a militia-constabulary to provide local defense. It’s possible to imagine that some locations under the control of warlords will have militias, although these militias may appear very differently than militias in towns with elected or pre-Exchange governments. Even cantonments that are ostensibly under the control of a Milgov or Civgov formation will have militia to handle local crises or at least keep a lid on things until the heavies arrive.


It is also my opinion that marauders are ubiquitous. They take many forms. Some marauders are basically armed thieves who survive off small-scale theft and fight only when necessary. Other marauders are organized bands living by the sword, so to speak. Still other marauders blur the line between marauders and warlords. This last group may control a territory with specific limits. They keep out other marauders and charge protection from the communities within their boundaries, but they don’t administer the communities in any way. So long as the communities pay, they are free to conduct their own business.

Free corps probably are not especially common in CONUS. As I have opined elsewhere, I think the majority of EPW in CONUS meet an untimely end at the hands of their guards following the TDM. Still, it’s entirely possible for groups of former Pact soldiers to operate in specific locations. I have incorporated thousands of former EPW into the force structure of SAMAD in Thunder Empire (thus, the EPW don’t technically constitute a free corps because they have been fully integrated). The Shogun in Nevada has many former criminals, some military and police deserters, and a few former EPW from camps in the region. However, these folks don’t really constitute a free corps, either, as they are also thoroughly integrated into the force structure.