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Old 09-03-2013, 08:12 PM
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Raellus Raellus is offline
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This is exactly the kind of constructive feedback that I'm looking for. Thanks.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Tegyrius View Post
Nothing in here tweaks my implausibility sense. I'm particularly fond of Freikorps Richter and the Papal State, as both are potential adversaries with "higher" purposes beyond simple self-interested power grabs. Also, mad props for the New Hussites, though you really need to give them some mention of Jan Zizka's legacy in their operations and tactics.
I actually thought about this. I couldn't come up with anything that I was happy with, so I pretty much just dropped it and moved on. Here's what I had a hard time with:

In many ways, Zizka was ahead of his time- his use of armored war wagons and early firearms was fairly atypical in the region at the time. I don't think either would work very well in a T2K setting and I don't think a small-time cult figure would have access to better technology that the surviving militaries of the area would have so I gave up on trying to come up with a T2K equivalent/correlate. I also thought about a Zizka-esque second-in-command for Huss II but that seemed too derivative to me. Perhaps, if the PCs meet Huss II and one of them happens to have only one eye, Huss II will declare him/her his reincarnated general.

I was going to add more on the New Hussites' beliefs and such but I found myself drifting too far from what the original Huss was about and I decided that I didn't want a totally divergent Huss II. So, that's another reason tha I kind of dropped it.

I'll give it some more thought and see if I can come up with anything to add to this faction.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Tegyrius View Post
Question: Would international relations at the time support the Austrian government-in-exile setting up in Germany rather than Switzerland? Given that Austria and Switzerland ostensibly shared the principle of neutrality, the latter seems feasible as well. Or are you operating on the assumption that the Austrian survivors would've thrown in with NATO because the Soviets invaded first?
Yes. My thought was that Austria abandoned neutrality when the PACT invaded. Germany came to its aid so its surviving government has put its remaining eggs in the NATO basket. I can also see some members of the government deciding that Switzerland is a safer alternative and heading for the Swiss hills. And, possibly, a couple of Austrian leftist stay behind to welcome the PACT armies with a brotherly socialist embrace. But I think that the bulk of the government would vow to continue the fight for their country and set up shop in Germany.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Tegyrius View Post
Now… I realize I'm something of a heretic around here, as I tend to detest detailed ORBATs and TO&Es (and I think you've provided as much detail as you need to for the ones you've created). But for me, what's missing to make this a complete sourcebook is detail outside the pure military situation. You have good ideas here but they lack a unified thematic framework to make your Austria a unique feature on the landscape of post-WWIII Europe. Right now, it's a blowed-up area with a bunch of foreign dudes with guns in it. You have the potential for ongoing conflict with a NATO-occupied west, a Pact-occupied east, and a central unclaimed territory. Now expand on that and start filling in the blank areas on the map.

Here are the things I want to know more about:

The map. Tell us something on geography and how Austria's terrain features will affect PCs traveling through it or trying to set up housekeeping in it.
I've added sections on Austria's geography to the sourcebook (I haven't shared them yet) but I'll go back and put in some more on how Austria's terrain and climate might affect a group of PCs who find themselves there.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Tegyrius View Post
The people. What's the take of the average Austrian citizen on the major combatants and the events of the war? Are foreign characters likely to find assistance, grudging acquiescence, or a knife in the back based on the national affiliations they display? Also, you mention the use of militia and partisan groups in the history, but such Austrian forces are notably absent from the factions you've described so far.
I really need to do this. I don't think I'll add specific partisan factions, but I will add thoughts on the attitude of the average Austrian civilian and/or partisan to foreign folks of various allegiances (or none at all).

Quote:
Originally Posted by Tegyrius View Post
Recent history. If I'm a GM who wants to run in this setting, or a player who wants to play here, I could use a bit more detail on the summer 2000 battles and their outcomes. What happened to the PCs who are now on their own - or still reporting to higher - in central Austria?
This is something I'm still struggling with. See my notes to Rainbow for more on my conundrum.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Tegyrius View Post
The government-in-exile. Are they still operating? Communicating with Austrian partisan groups and/or the remnants of the regular military? Running their own espionage network? Tied into DIA or BND operations in Austria?
Good points. I'll definitely address this.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Tegyrius View Post
The map, redux. Give us some unique landmarks and cultural elements that will make it obvious that blown-up Austria is its own thing, not an extension of blown-up Poland with different accents on the actors.
I'm going to get my hands on a travel guide to Austria for help with this (I've never been there and didn't really know a whole lot about the place before I embarked on this project). You're right- there's no point in just duplicating the socio-political-military-economic situation already codified in the Poland materials. I agree with you that I need to do more to set Austria apart. I think the human and political geography stuff, once I expand it, will help establish the setting better.

Thanks again.
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Last edited by Raellus; 09-03-2013 at 08:18 PM.
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