Operation Omega Question

[kalos72]

Hey all...question for you guys.

Does anyone have any opinion or work done on what happens once all the troops arrive back in the states? I am sure I have talked bout this before but I have be away from the game for a few months now and am trying to get my head in line. :P

And please, lets not get into the plausibility questions or critiques of others opinions or works.

[Webstral]

You're in luck, as there has been a great deal of work done on the subject. Look in the sticky threads first. The DC Group invested a considerable effort in this area a couple of years ago.

Webstral

[kalos72]

Yeah I found alot so far...even some of my own posts from a few months ago. lol!

My brain aint working like it used to... :P

[jester]

I have always figured the following options:

Some seeing how messed up things were would work with MilGov knowing that at least they would have some kind of food and shelter.

Others tired of the military would drift off in groups of freinds or men who had served together. Some to return home <epsecialy for units from other parts of the country> trying to make it home. Some would make it, other would not. Some would turn marauder, some would strike out and try to establish their own communities or enterprises, opening up a mine, repairing and operating a factory, farm/ranch etc.

I have been working on a scenario of the returning troops. The PCs are inelligible for retention, realisticaly MilGov can't keep tens of thousands of troops on the payrole, nor can they afford to cut them loose so you have tens of thousands of battle hardened men roaming the countryside with no means to provide for themselves. They would most likely turn to maruading or begging which would be more than the existing forces could handle as well as destroy what production was going on. Thus!

MilGov following the US history, and wanting to satisfy these people and wants to benefit from them as well issues them land grants in areas that have been depopulated. They are given a basic amount of supplies and a yearly allotment of goods/supplies for the next five years as compensation for the back pay owed them. And then it is up to the PCs to make it to the location, and set up their settlement and get things going.

Of course the PCs have to deal with raiders, local war lords, refugees, marauders and whatever else comes along when there. And of course, they have to get there as well, which would be in the mid west, thus proving the old adage "getting there is half the fun."

[HorseSoldier]

I like that idea, only weak point I see is the question of how much skill and knowledge at farming the typical veteran from Europe would have. It's kind of an open question -- '98 and '99 units may have ended up using troops to work gardens and fields to help units feed themselves. Or they may have been more feudal about things and had the local populace do the farming while they concerned themselves with suppressing bandits and marauders and generally staying ready for the next military operation.

On the other hand, a lack of farming skills might be an ideal chance to introduce PCs or NPCs with a non-military background who bring needed skills to the table. Some sort of Agricultural Extension agency could be in the mix of the "veteran settlement/area pacification" program or whatever -- with experienced agriculturalists of one sort or another, including veterinarians as well able to help get things up and running and keep them going. Interesting range of backgrounds could be on display, everything from tobacco chewing "Country Boy Can Survive" rednecks who were barely keeping the family farm going (or failing at the same) before the war, to college academics to peace-n-love hippies who are experts on organic farming without access to modern fertilizers and pesticides, etc. How smoothly all those folks would be able to work together, much less interface with a paramilitary farmer-militia force could make for a lot of entertaining action.

[jester]

Well thats what NPCs are for to bring needed skill to the group. And it does not have to be farming, well it had better include it to a limited extent but also ranching, mining, logging and even production of some sort.

Further, with the scenario idea I posted, the PCs could just be allocated X amount of land in X area <to be determined for the campaign> and they get their land to make a go of it. But, they also get to play guard to some civilians who can do alot of those tasks, whom either are settling the area with the PCs, or who have already gone there and are in need of more manpower who can also be useful trigger fingers to combat the local bandits/marauders/warlords. Heck, it could even be in the middle of two rivaling warlords who both control the area and also prey on the settlers. Toss in a marauder band who also operated in the hills and that alone can give you enough to run a campaign for a while. And then have some intrigue from CivGov who want to gain influence and control of the region and thwart MilGovs efforts, or vice versa. With alot of black bag operations and even the odd open combat.