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kato13
No problem Web you have done much more work to advance the t2k world than i ever will.
My research has been for a morrow game so I was semi fanciful in my equipment expectations since morrow teams would be expected to have bleeding edge tech.
I have done a little research today and have found that pre 1997 all four organism mentioned above had been researched and modified to some extent to be enhanced in ethanol from cellulose production. The percentages and efficiency would be less than sugar based ethanol production as they are just matching those numbers in 2007 research.
If scholarly papers are any indication research on them was taking place in dozens of universities. For example there are 615 scholarly papers on "ethanol production" "Escherichia coli " pre 1997. This could be a possible source of the initial strains.
In the end ethanol production from cellulose would be difficult for small communities to improvise on their own. Either acquiring the strains, having them provided to them, or doing significant biological research would be necessary. But since they are biological organisms once they are discovered/created they can be duplicated at virtually no cost.
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Targan ,534
Thanks Kato, you have provided very useful information in a succinct and concise format. What you have written about the strains of organisms used to ferment cellulose made me think of stone age people who would keep glowing embers from their camp fire with which to start the next camp fire. You would have a modern equivalent with your fermenting organisms among T2K parties wanting to produce their own alcohol as they moved.
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Webstral
The more work I do on First District and northern New England in general, the more I see that I am going to have to treat much of what I have put on this board as a first draft. In particular, the distances involved in southern New Hampshire don’t leave as much room for chaos and marauders as I had originally thought. The space between my planned zones of control between 1st DST along the coast and Manchester (NH) is not very great. This is not going to be fertile territory for marauder bands. If they are small, they won’t be able to tackle anything but small targets. If they are larger, they are likely to bring down a PSU from the USCG zone of control and/or a Granite Brigade patrol from Manchester.
South of Manchester is Nashua, which we know is controlled by a tin-pot dictator. (“Howling Wilderness”) The kind of territory needed to keep any substantial population fed in Nashua is going to see Nashua’s zone of control butting up against Manchester’s zone of control. This works for me, but it doesn’t work very well for marauders. Again, small groups may survive by hiding most of the time, but they are likely to suffer attrition fairly rapidly as they run up against well-armed hunters, merchants, and farmers. If the bandits become too successful, they will bring down on themselves troops from Manchester, Nashua, or both.
The there is northeastern Massachusetts, for which I haven’t worked out many details. However, I do know that 1st DST maintains control of the coastline more-or-less as far south as Gloucester. The Salem Defense Force controls that city and some of the territory inland. There’s a gray area northwest of Salem, west of Gloucester, and southeast of Nashua; but it’s not that big a gray area.
Essentially, then, I am looking at a swath of turf in southeastern New Hampshire, south central New Hampshire, and northeastern Massachusetts that is pretty locked down as a result of the size, stability, and proximity of the local cantonments. Small groups of bandits may be able to survive here—especially in the gray zones where cantonments meet. However, I’m starting to think that medium-sized bands (say, 25-100) aren’t going to last after the cantonments start getting things in hand. These medium-sized groups are too big to ignore and not large enough to stand up to full-scale search-and-destroy efforts by the defense forces of the cantonments—not when the defense forces have a halfway decent supply of ammunition and crew-served weapons. If the medium-sized bands can’t survive, they won’t have an opportunity to become large-sized bands (or hordes). The larger bands either have moved on, have taken control of a cantonment of their own (such as Nashua), or have been engaged and dispersed by one or more of the local defense forces.
This fact has major ramifications for the economy in the area. Contrary to what I originally wrote about Manchester, I’m thinking that the whole area actually has a fair amount of commerce (by 2000 standards, of course). If the bandits in the gray zones between the cantonments are forced to operate in small groups, there is no reason merchants can’t form convoys with enough hired guns to move between the cantonments. If the whole area is somewhat under control (compared with northern New Hampshire, for instance), groups of hunters, salvagers, and the like can operate. Fish can be traded inland for whatever goods can come out of Manchester, Nashua, and so forth. Within the general Twilight: 2000 context, this is promising.
So instead of isolated cantonments, I’m thinking that southern New Hampshire represents a somewhat solid—perhaps critical—mass of controlled territory, military might, food production, and population that can be used as a foundation for further recovery. Of course, all of this could be destroyed by the horde wintering in northern Vermont and northern New Hampshire. I’ve been doing a bit of work on them, too. The fragile stability being established in southern New Hampshire, central and southern Vermont, and elsewhere could be undone once the Crusade of the Blood Cross is unleashed.
Webstral
Webstral
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Targan ,534
Web, if you can you really should get hold of the Rifle River module from Challenge Magazine. The Challenge articles on T2K are basically canon after all. I'm not saying you should abandon what you are working on for the Coast Guard, I'm just saying that reading the canon material on the CG might be useful. For instance, I love using what people on these forums write up, but I can't throw out stuff that is already in my campaign in favour of something new that comes along. And I own an original copy of the Challenge mag that Rifle River was published in, and have been using that material ever since my campaign moved back to the CONUS.
Just a suggestion anyhoo. No disrespect intended towards your good works.
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Webstral
I'm all in favor of canon (except, of course, where it doesn't suit me). I have no idea how I would obtain the old Challenge articles, though. Do people sell them online?
Webstral
Webstral
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Webstral
Reaction to "Rifle River"
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Okay, thanks to Tigger (and with many generous offers of help from my fellow Twilighters) I now have “Rifle River”.
My first comment is that I love it. My second is that it’s a little spooky how similar my ideas and GDW’s are. I was on the verge of writing up an idea I had for the horde in northern New England. Essentially, this horde has gathered under the leadership of a Hitler-esque bishop who is preaching a holy crusade. The war was God’s doing. Now the horde must finish God’s work. The horde must work its way to the National Cathedral in Washington, DC. All along the way must join or die. This would spell doom for the surviving cantonments of New England, unless they can join together and destroy the horde. Sound eerily familiar?
My third comment is that I’m not going to feel bound by this particular work of canon, although I usually do my best to honor canon. At this point, I’ve done too much work on New England and on First District in particular to throw it away. I am going to work “Rifle River” into my ideas for New England, though.
Rear Admiral Scott MacDowell was the Commandant of the USCG 1st District when the United States entered WW3 in December 1996. Although USCG assets were mobilized for combat duty at that time, it wasn’t until mid-1997 that Coast Guard cutters and personnel were absorbed directly into the Navy. MacDowell continued to perform his pre-war duty from the 1st District Headquarters in Boston, MA with a somewhat reduced but essentially intact base of Coast Guard personnel and smaller cutters. After some changes in personnel and resources, MacDowell was in charge of coastal defense from Rhode Island to the Maine border by Thanksgiving 1997.
“After Washington and Annapolis were hit by nuclear strikes, the Naval Academy briefly relocated to Newport, Rhode
Island, home of the Naval War College and OCS program. With its combat-ready resources already stretched thin, the navy assigned HoIsgirder the duty of providing local security and defense for the new Naval Academy. HoIsgirder welcomed the assignment; Newport was a perfect base of operations and very likely to last through the dark ages he saw on the horizon. He began shifting his assets out of bases on Cape Cod and Maine, and reorganizing them into a full-time fighting force at Newport.” (“Rifle River”)
At the time, Holsgirder commanded only USCG assets that were not operating under the direct command of the US Navy. He and MacDowell traded hard words over the movement of Coast Guard ships, crews, and equipment from northern New England to the southern New England coastline. MacDowell believed firmly that the fishing fleets were the key to keeping the coastal population of New England from starving and turning into the kinds of rioting masses that had driven him out of Boston. These fleets needed Coast Guard protection and succor. Although MacDowell commanded a force with US Coast Guard on its uniforms and ships, he was acting under Navy orders. Already, his force had been tapped to provide replacements and to escort Army units (including a recently-raised brigade of New Hampshire Army National Guard troops) to reinforce Europe. MacDowell believed it was necessary to keep every USCG asset possible in northern New England to protect shipping and fishing in the event the Navy decided to move more of MacDowell’s assets. Holsgirder flatly disagreed.
“On 19 May [1998], President Munson suffered a nervous breakdown and had to be relieved. His successor (the former Secretary of State) soon succumbed to heart failure, and his successor (the former Secretary of Energy) was so overwhelmed by the enormity of the job that she committed suicide. There was no longer an operating CLS to locate a successor, and the military assumed de facto control of all federal functions.” (“Howling Wilderness”)
The Secretary of Energy-cum-President of the United States was named June R. Flaherty. She was first cousin of Scott MacDowell. As soon as he heard the news about his cousins’s assumption of the presidency, MacDowell contacted her. For some time, he had been developing a plan to use his remaining forces to maintain control of two facilities he believed absolutely critical to the future of the Navy and Coast Guard: Portsmouth Naval Yard and Bath Iron Works. At the same time, MacDowell intended to provide security and support for the fishing fleets operating out of Maine, New Hampshire, and northern Massachusetts. Holsbirger could take care of the fishing fleets operating out of Rhode Island, Connecticut, and points south with his own ships and people. MacDowell presented his plan to the new President. Flaherty already was completely overwhelmed by the enormity of the job. She signed off on Macdowell’s scheme after a few cursory questions and without consulting the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Specifically, MacDowell’s plan was to recreate USCG 1st District with a new boundary running from Woods Hole to the border with Canada. All Navy assets within that zone—former USCG, Navy personnel, and Navy installations—would come under the command of 1st District. MacDowell provided President Flaherty with specific verbiage that would enable him to escape control by any authority short of the Joint Chiefs, if he so chose. Flaherty’s staff wrote the orders, and she signed them.
MacDowell wasted no time consolidating his new command. He abandoned Cape Cod wholesale, taking everything and everyone of value from the Massachusetts Military Reserve. MacDowell even managed to scoop up number of Coast Guard Auxiliary and Coast Guard Reservists who had been operating under Holsbirger’s orders. Holsbirger was furious, but there was nothing he could do except hang onto everything he had left after MacDowell had made his grab.
“On June 2 [1998], the Mexican government, in order to protect its citizens, sent its army (including the Soviet “Division Cuba”) across the Rio Grande [and into New Mexico, Arizona, and California]. The Joint Chiefs of Staff (who were now governing the country) sent Army units in response.” (“Howling Wilderness”)
The Joint Chiefs, who had plenty to do from the moment they took charge, were not even aware of the new orders concerning 1st District until June 1. Flaherty hadn’t consulted them. Eventually, minutes of the day revealed that the President, who by then had committed suicide, had executed some sort of orders regarding the Coast Guard and Navy chains of command in New England. By the time the Joint Chiefs began to look into the matter, the Mexican Army was crossing the border. Eventually, of course, the Joint Chiefs learned the sordid details of MacDowell’s coup. However, the Joint Chiefs had far bigger fish to fry. In any event, MacDowell still obeyed orders (albeit not always from the Commandant of the Coast Guard or Atlantic Fleet Headquarters) and was maintaining control of a useful cantonment where so many others had simply melted away or turned warlord. The orders granting MacDowell his unique command were never altered.
At the time of the events of “Rifle River”, Commandant Holsbirger despises Admiral MacDowell, whom he views as a naked opportunist. From the Commandant’s point of view, MacDowell had built his own little empire along the northern New England coast when more heavily populated southern New England needed to manpower, equipment, and ships more. The almost fraternal relationship between 1st District and the United Brotherhood of Fishermen galls the Commandant, who views the UBF as a dangerous gang of thugs.
MacDowell sees Holsbirger as the agent of the split. If Holsbirger hadn’t pulled out of every station north of Fall River, MacDowell might not have been forced to create his own solution. Obviously, MacDowell is full of fertilizer, but he doesn’t see things that way. Ironically, MacDowell and Holsbirger see a number of things the same way. Both believe that the UBF will come to constitute a real problem as Carlucci becomes more paranoid and reactionary. Both leaders have used their older hands to train a new generation of seamen. Both leaders have created somewhat stable cantonments that have the critical ingredients of success.
Where the two leaders differ is in their relative might and their intentions for the future. With a comparatively large and capable force, including several operational cutters and four 200-man hammerhead units (otherwise known as Port Security Units), 1st District has developed a powerful offensive capability. MacDowell intends to use this force to decapitate the UBF’s leadership with an amphibious assault on Nantucket that should lead to the death of John Carlucci. The remaining UBF forces, infrastructure, and settlements will be given the opportunity to join 1st District with full amnesty.
If the USCG 1st District can bring this about, MacDowell will have to carefully consider how he wants to deal with the Commandant of the Coast Guard.
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thefusilier
Potentially moot point/question... It says Annapolis was hit? I though it was only abandoned due to fallout from nearby strikes on DC and others. Thats how the New Jersey State Militia came into having 4000 Garand rifles.
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The Fusilier
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Webstral
There are a few examples of this sort of thing in Twilight: 2000. It's to be expected, given the volume of material generated. Anyway, I read the same thing in the Challenge article I received yesterday on the state of affairs in New Jersey. How can there be 4,000 Garands if Annapolis was hit? We have to make some choices when we encounter these little snafus. No bad on GDW--they did great work. I'm inclined to interpret Annapolis being hit as being close enough to DC to receive some damage from the DC attack.
Webstral
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