Anyone Have Any Good Alternate Campaign Startup Ideas?

[AcesandEights]

I did a quick search, but didn't see anything, so figured I'd toss a thread out on the subject.

I was just kicking some ideas around during my commute this morning and was interested in what some people have used, or have always wanted to use, for a good start of a campaign.

I had decided if I was going to do a "home" campaign taking place in the US, I would probably start the campaign with foreign deployed troops and expats en route home aboard a tramp or merchant marine vessel. The ship runs in to one issue or another and the PCs must get off as quickly as possible, only taking so much and securing a lifeboat to make for shore as best they can. This would allow me to have a good range of characters involved without too much pre-game maneuvering and allow me to present factions & the setting of the current state of North America to the PCs as 3rd party outsiders. Seems a nice flexible way of doing things were I inclined to run a campaign in North America (which I'm unsure about).

Any other good ideas for jump starting a campaign people care to share?

[kota1342000]

I have a couple of ideas, and writing some more. I wrote these as convention blocks for around 4 to 6 hours of play, and tried to leave enough room to run them again without doing the exact same thing over and over. Not quite sure if this is what you meant, but thought Id pitch in and see if any of it works.

Rebuilding the 91st
Rebuilding the 91st is a game scenario that originally started out as an idea for a 4 hour game block but is more suited to a starting point for a campaign setting. It was designed as a great opportunity for T2K players who know very little about the military to have a game scenario designed with them in mind, and a great opportunity for experienced players to teach novice ones. With this in mind, if the GM is helping the players build their characters for this game, it is suggested that the players be given two “free skills” that are of absolutely no military or reconstruction value (as a background thing). Also, any GMs that have the game module “City of Angels” may have opportunity to fold characters into or out of both adventures.
In 1998, the Soviet and Mexican forces that were invading California were making good progress. San Diego had been taken as well as the I-5 and I-15 corridors as far north as Temecula and San Clemente. Several rearguard actions were being fought by elements of the US Marine Corps (many detachments at Camp Pendleton that had been left stateside), and the US Army from Ft Irwin. In any case, the attack had been bogging down due to the number of civilians who were both fleeing the area, trying to get food, or resisting the invaders.
Into this mess was thrown the 89th Corps of the US Army, with the mission to stop the advance of the Soviet and Mexican Forces, and begin operations to facilitate a counter-attack. This wasn’t as feasible as originally thought however, because the 89th was unprepared for the task they were given. The only component units of the 89th corps were the 91st Infantry Division formed from a training division at Sausalito, and the 49th Military Police Brigade which took part in the withdrawal from San Diego, though as a more scattered force. During the defensive action the 49th and 91st fought very well, though the 91st took the brunt of the fighting, and performed a series of brilliant delaying actions and large scale ambushes which delayed the Mexican Hermasillo and Tepic Brigades south of Temecula, but was unable to hold against heavy pressure. The entire 89th Corps at the time was outnumbered almost 3 to 1 in forces, and the 91st Infantry was the bulk of the 89th. As inexperienced as the 91st was, they were doing well against the odds against them as they withdrew up the I-15 corridor to defend Lake Elsinore and Perris against attack. Unfortunately the Soviet 48th Guards Motor Rifle Division, which had crossed the American Border at Mexicali and moved north to I-10, moved west and attacked into the flanking areas of the 91st and 49th attempting to hold their ground. The 49th and 91st were ordered to withdraw to the north, but the 91st was encircled and nearly destroyed in a series of extremely ugly night actions in the Moreno Valley, Riverside, Chino and Ontario as the surviving units of the 91st resorted to fighting in the urban areas to shake the Soviet and Mexican pursuers. The situation finally began to stabilize with the arrival of the 63rd Corps (larger but not much more prepared than the 89th corps), where the line was able to be stabilized in a series of zones that cover parts of San Bernadino National Forest, Interstate 40 east of Barstow, and the Angeles and Los Padres National Forests; the large radiation zone of the Los Angeles area being a barrier to both sides.
By late 1999 the 91st was headquartered at Edwards AFB. Brigadier General Harold Guckin the new commander of the 91st Infantry Division (the old CG had recently died of radiation poisoning), decided to rebuild the 91st with the refugees that would volunteer to join the Army and be paid in food and water until civilization began to return to normal. Into this environment came a large amount of people who were refugees for multiple years, and needed feeding just to get them healthy enough to be trained. In addition, many of these refugees had been subsisting on old food stocks, performing various services for food, and also assisting local farmers as unskilled labor. Some had been the “property” of various warlords that were springing up around Southern and Central California, and all were in sad condition mentally and emotionally. Piled on top of all this was the fact that many of these survivors had few or no useful skills at all; they were all former hairdressers, accountants, entertainment agents, game designers, and a myriad of other occupations which left them helpless when war came. It took almost 3 months to get nearly 4000 men and women stable enough to begin training, and the new soldiers already knew each other before training began; having worked through the “recovery and strength building” stage together. General Guckin also made sure that no shortcuts would be made during training, and a standard 6 week basic and appropriate AIT times were allowed for depending on the MOS that was being trained for. It took until May of 2000 to get these men and women trained up and integrated into the 91st Infantry Division, and the equipment, vehicles, and weapons available to the 91st grew in scope if not necessarily in quality.
By summer of 2000, the 89th Corps was beginning to stand up again while the 63rd Corps desperately needed a rest. The 63rd was made up of the 40th Infantry Division (mech), the 46th Infantry Division, and the 221st Military Police Brigade,, all of which had performed well but were tired. The good news was that the Mexican government had fallen into a series of coups and civil wars, with several Mexican Army units refusing orders or to work with other units. The Soviets were beginning to become disillusioned with what they were doing in the United States. The bad news was that this slack from the Soviets and Mexicans allowed the marauder and criminal bands across southern California to flourish. So as the new members of the 91st Infantry finish their training and are placed into combat for the first time, there will be plenty for them to do.
Running the adventure
GMs are encouraged to let the players help decide where they wan to start; either jump into the operations assuming their training is already finished, or roleplay out the basic and advanced training for their characters, using it as a tool for characters to improve skills and for players to learn about the military. GMs who have not gone through a form of military basic training are encouraged to watch films such as “Full Metal Jacket”, “Officer and a Gentleman”, and perhaps even “Stripes”. Keep in mind that during basic combat and survival skills will take the foreground over cleanliness and drill. Feel free to allow players to find and use military training texts if they wish.
After training, the characters can be assigned to one of four Brigades of the 91st; 1st, 2nd, and 3rd, which are infantry brigades, and 4th Brigade which is a support brigade. The organization of the 91st is as such but GMs are free to change things around as they see fit;
91st Infantry Division
HHC (HQ & HQ Company) & Communications (100 troops)
3 infantry Brigades (1st, 2nd, and 3rd, all the same organization, each Bde;
3 Rifle battalions of 225 troops (organized into 4 companies
1 Mortar company of 125 troops (3 batteries of 12 81mm mortars)
1 Anti-Tank/Heavy Machine Gun Company of 100 troops (vehicle mounted and armed with .50cal M2HB and M40 106mm RCL)
1 Support Brigade (4th)
4 Supply Battalions of 125 troops each (ammo, fuel, food)
1 Transportation Battalion of 150 troops (60 vehicles including 2 ½ ton trucks, HMMWV, M274 Mules, and M151 Jeeps, also any civilian vehicles that can be salvaged; vehicle count is growing daily)
3 Artillery Battalions of 100 troops each
1st Bn; 4 M101 105mm howitzers, 8 4.2in mortars, 10 2 ½ ton trucks
2nd Bn; 5 M101 105mm howitzers, 6 4.2in mortars, 10 2 ½ ton trucks
3rd Bn; 4 M101 105mm howitzers, 7 4.2in mortars, 10 2 ½ ton trucks
1 Engineer Battalion of 250 troops, 20 5 ton dump trucks, 2 loaders (Cat 950 size), 2 D7 bulldozers
1 Cavalry Squadron of 100 troops (22 M114 recon vehicles and numerous Jeeps) (Also the only armored vehicles in the Division)
Additionally, here is a list of the major military units opposing each other in the Southern California area. Marauder groups and Gangs are left out in order for the GM to place whatever additional units in the area.
Americans
63rd corps (Headquartered at Bakersfield)
40th Infantry Division (mech) (3000 troops, 8 M48A5, 6 M60A3, 2 Stingray, 2 LAV-75, 4 M1, 1 M1A1, 1 M1A2) located Camp Roberts, San Luis Obispo, Wasco, Bakersfield
46th Infantry Division (light) (1000 troops) located Palmdale and Lebec
221st Military Police Brigade (700 troops) located Ventura
89th corps (Headquartered at Barstow)
91st Infantry Division (light) (4000 troops) located Victorville
49th Military Police Brigade (700 troops) located Camp Roberts (in reserve)
Soviets
48th Guards Motor Rifle Division (2600 troops) located Banning
648th KGB Motor Rifle Regiment (800 troops)
701st KGB Motor Rifle Regiment (750 troops)
Mexicans
La Paz Brigade (600 troops 3 tanks)
Nogales Brigade (600 troops 1 tank)
Hermisillo Brigade (700 troops, 4 tanks)
Tepic Brigade (1000 troops 1 tank)
Ensenada Brigade (800 troops)
2o Regt Caballeria (500 troops 2 tanks)
1a Infantry Brigade (1100 troops, 6 tanks)
21st Brigade (500 troops, 12 tanks)
Tijuana Infantry Regt (200 troops)
Conduct of the Adventure
From the rebuilding of the 91st, there are several adventure plots that can be followed.
-First is gaining experience after training. The players can be assigned to keep the Soviets and Mexicans from moving farther into the Angeles national forest from where they are set up in defensive positions. The area of the Angeles NF is covered with very steep hills common to southern California, and should be a chore just to move into position. The GM can use this as a set of scenarios for attacks, defenses and counter-attacks to allow the players to get more experience. Then the players and can be relieved by another NPC group coming up.
-The Los Angeles area was hit with several nuclear weapons, and a large portion of the LA basin is now radioactive to the point where it would be dangerous to move into. The players could be assigned a ‘radiation survey’ mission to scout as to whether radioactive dust and fallout has migrated with local weather and wind patterns (note that some of the strongest wind patterns include the Santa Ana winds which will be blowing out to sea, but nighttime on shore breezes make being close to shore around the LA area dangerous) this scenario can be used as a ‘ugly picture’ of what had happened to the LA area, what a nuclear weapon impact area looks like, and encounters will all manners of rad sick people, primitives, and marauders.
-The players could be sent on escort missions to protect food and fuel shipments coming out of central California being used to supply the military forces of the 63rd and 89th corps as well as the civilian population of central California and the remains of the displaced population of southern California. There are many bandit gangs and marauders who prey on the convoys; mostly without success, but the prospect of trucks loaded with food, fuel and medicine are too much to pass up for most gangs.
There are many places and missions that the players could be given based on the GMs ideas and thoughts on what else could have happened in Southern California, and these three are just the tip of the iceberg. Rebuilding the 91st can be used as the start of an adventure campaign or as a springboard to other areas as well.

[kota1342000]

Twilight 2000 Take it Easy

The history leading up to the scenario for "Take it Easy" is based on some additions to the order of battle that I have made to fit more closely a Soviet Pact invasion of the southwestern United States. the game has made reference to Soviet and Communist Mexican forces both in Southern California and in Texas, so I have added some units on both sides to account for the gap in the front. the units for this scenario are listed in the files for the US and Soviet add units.

The US 35th Corps was a new formation that was assembled in a hasty manner in 1999 to assist with the repulse of communist forces from the southwestern US. However, 35th Corps was given no troops and was instructed to "hold rear areas, lines of communication, and develop forces for operations." Major General Arnold Blazak, commander of 35th Corps was initially not amused.
Having been headquartered at Nellis AFB in Nevada, Blazak set the local population to work in making irrigation projects, area control, and sustinence farming for southern Nevada and southeastern California. Reservists and prior service veterans came in as volunteers and the 35th Corps was able to equip them as light infantry and light motorized units which were organized as two brigades, and given the colors of the 198th and 199th Infantry Brigades. An offensive was mounted against the Soviet and Mexican forces that was mildly successful, retook Flagstaff Arizona, and stopped before it stuck its head into a lion's mouth of Soviet tanks. the neighboring 63rd Corps in California assisted the 35th with supplies, and the 35th Corps was also able to use rear units of the 198th Brigade to fight down marauders harassing St. George in Utah, gaining the trust of the State Governor and additional supplies. the 35th was ready to expand.
Again the 63rd Corps in California gave a hand as large groups of refugees who had no useful skills began to be trained as soldiers and organized into battalions. another break came when support units of the 35th Corps was given vehicles and tanks that had originally been slated to go to Korea but were forgotten in the unrest that came to San Francisco in 1999. The 35th Corps also came across an older vehicle park in the back of Ft Irwin California which had several tanks that could be repaired and used. an experiment was launched and 3 Battalions of the refugees were paired with the tanks mostly from San Francisco and formed up into the 31st Armored Brigade. The 31st was launched down the gains of the 199th Brigade and crashed into Soviet Pact forces, helping to clear a large section of Interstate 40 west to Kingman with the help of hundreds of American Partisans in the area.
With the experiment of the 31st Brigade an overwhelming sucess, the 35th Corps continued, and Brigadier General Sammy Ochoss was placed in command of the forming 10th Armored Division, made up of the remaining 8 Battalions of the refugees and all the remaining tanks that had been found. Additional armor was fabricated from other vehicles, and some even fashioned into older armored vehicles as well (plans for WWII armored vehicles were in the Las Vegas Library).
...and this is where the players come in. You are members of the newly formed 10th Armored Division, and about to embark on an offensive east on I-40 from Flagstaff to Winslow Arizona. GMs have a wide variety of equipment and vehicle sets that can be given to the players depending on the types of characters they play.

As a note about characters, only one or two players should have characters that are experienced or veterans. I have also run this one with the sole veteran character having only one arm to work with. The remainder of the characters should be from the refugee side of the equation, and though once again well fed and not starving, the characters should have little military experience, and I have rolled up characters for this block that had high skills in accounting, entertainment, cosmetics, hairdressing, etc.
GMs are also free to slide an already experienced player group into this scenario to assist the 10th as it goes into combat for the first time.
For the "atmosphere" of the game, describe the 10th as having older olive drab fatigues and steel helmets as uniforms. the name tapes, badges, and unit patches are drawn onto the uniforms in black marker or cloth-paint. This is also a good unit to throw in exotic and rare infantry weapons such as Colt CMG-2 machine guns and even older weapons like M1919A6 machine guns. the improvised armored vehicles have followed the lead of older WWII vehicles as mentioned already, and the most numerous are the M9 halftrack (though the tracks are rubber), the M20 and M8 armored cars (salvaged from semi and medium trucks and reworked) and the M5 light tank (which is an almost scratch built version fairly close to the original except for using existing chassis to cheat with). Other vehicles mentioned such as the CGM-1 Hawk and the M60-2000 are vehicles that can be found on Paul Mulcahy's website www.pmulcahy.com.

Here is a quick order of battle for the 10th Armored Division;

Headquarters (HHC) 10 vehicles (pickups and blazers) (Anchor 6)
Division Trains (Supply) Battalion 56 trucks & tankers (Anchor Bravo)
Artillery Brigade (Anchor Charlie)
1/441 FA Bn (A thru E btty w/ 4.2in & 81mm mortars, + 8 105mm M101 howitzers)
2/441 FA Bn (F thru J btty w/ 4.2in & 81mm mortars, + 4 155mm M114 howitzers)
3/441 FA Bn (K thru O btty w/ 4.2in & 81mm mortars, + 12 75mm pack howitzers)
Combat Support Brigade (Anchor 4)
2/434 ADA (6 2 1/2 ton trucks with Maxon mount quad .50cal machine guns)
Anti-Tank Co. 340 Infantry (12 M151 Jeeps w/ 106mm RCL)
66th Engineer Bn (12 5 ton trucks, 2 D-7 dozers)
1/16 Cavalry (6 HMMWV, 23 Jeep, 6 M8 Armd Car & 8 M5 light tank)
1st Brigade (Anchor 1)
2/202 Armor (3 M48 tanks, 2 CGM-1 Hawk tanks, 6 M20 Armd Car, 8 M9 halftrack)
1/340 Infantry (4 FMC AIFV, 8 M20 Armd Car, 6 M114 RCN/APC, 4 M113 APC)
2nd Brigade (Anchor 2)
2/340 Infantry (6 M5 scout car, 10 M20 Armd Car, 6 M9 halftrack, 2 FMC AIFV, 3 M114, 3 M48 tanks)
3/340 Infantry (6 M114 RCN/APC, 14 M9 halftrack, 2 FMC AIFV)
3rd Brigade (Anchor 3)
1/202 Armor (2 CGM-1 Hawk tanks, 12 Stingray II tanks, 3 M114 RCN/APC, 6 M9 halftrack)
2/202 Armor (10 M60-2000 tanks, 4 FMC AIFV)

The listed strength of the 10th Armored Division is 1500 troops, and GMs should feel free to place these troops as the feel the need for detail. Also, as the deserts of the southwest have less organic material suitable for distillation into alcohol, and that there are better things that can be done with corn in some areas, cactus in others, the 10th Armored Division is running on methane cooked from animal and human waste from the farms that have been set up in southern Nevada. Called sometimes biofuel or biomass, this is how "Bartertown" was fueled in the third Mad Max film, and in reality is a method that has been used sucessfully for decades. Methane will also get a vehicle farther than alcohol, having 1/2 the power conversion of gasoline instead of the 1/3 or 1/4 conversion for ethanol and methanol respectively. The down side of this is that all of the Division's fuel has to be carried in compressed gas cylinders, and may become rockets themselves if hit and penetrated. consider compressed gas cylinders having an AV of 2, unless hit on the valve without a valve cap, AV 1.

Again, GMs are free to use whatever unit listed above for the characters. As a side note, this is a really good scenario for players who either have never played Twilight, have absolutely no clue about things military, or both. And a warning for GMs; Ive run this one a few times and using this one as a 4 hour block will get you into one battle. It will make a great springboard into a campaign or just a short campaign.

To give the scenario direction, have the officer in charge of the unit that the players are in give the following briefing with your own flavor added;

Situation
The Mexican Communist forces and the Soviet army are occupying a line across the southwest United States that is pretty much marked by Interstate 40 across Arizona and New Mexico. The line is being held in a "bulge" by American forces of the 199th Infantry Brigade and the 31st Armored Brigade, located at Flagstaff and Kingman respectively. Opposite the 31st Armored Brigade to the west in California is elements of the Soviet 48th Guards Motor Rifle Division (unknown size but suspected 200 troops). to the east of Flagstaff and opposite the 199th Infantry Brigade is the Mexican Saltillo Brigade (800 troops with armored vehicles, last position reported as Winslow AZ), and elements of the Soviet 302nd Tank Division (suspected battalion plus, with armor support, last position reported as Holbrook AZ). The Mexican occupation force of the Saltillo Brigade has not moved for some months, and seems to be preparing for withdrawl across the southern US border. The Soviet forces however have imposed martial law on the civilian population and KGB political officers have set upon the civilians hoping to convert them to marxism through fear and awe. This situation have made any civilians in the occupation area extremely hateful of the Soviets, and any official non-combatant may also be a friendly partisan or even possible recruit.
(GMs are free to use any time of year or weather.)

Mission
The 10th Armored is tasked to clear Soviet and hostile Mexican forces from the I-40 corridor in between Flagstaff to Winslow. Secondary mission to push towards Holbrook.

Execution
From marshalling areas in and around Henderson NV, the 10th will move as a force down Hwy 93 to Kingman AZ, linking up with the 31st Armored Brigade, then move East on I-40 to Flagstaff and perform a passage of lines with the 199th Infantry Brigade.
From Flagstaff it will be the initial plan to advance down I-40 with two Brigades forward and one back in support should the need for a hasty attack or defense arise. 1/16 Cavalry will lead as a scouting force and the Artillery Brigade will leapfrog its units forward during the advance to ensure that artillery support is available as often as possible. 66th Engineers are to be place near the front of the two Brigade front to ensure easy and timely access to areas that may need to be cleared of mines, or where bridges or roads must be repaired.
10th Armored unit personnel are not to fire on any civilian unless fired upon first. Any Mexican soldier is to be offered surrender first, and fired if this fails. Consider any encounter with Soviet troops a "weapons free" situation; remember your Law of War training; no firing on soldiers who are surrendering.
Start time for the 1/16 Cav to begin the advance will be 0330. Brigades will begin advance as soon as 1/16 clears the first checkpoint at Winona.

Admin/Supply
The Division Trains have already deployed forward to stockpile stores at Flagstaff, and will be ready to truck supplies forward during the advance. As none of the Division Trains vehicles are armored, combat and combat support units will designate a "rear supply point" at regular intervals where the Trains can easily find the location and offload/refuel units that come back to the point for re-arming.
Any prisoners taken will be handed over to the Military Police platoon of Division Trains.

Command/Communications
Overall command of the advance will be BGen Ochoss, with the sucession of command going down through the commanders of 1st, 2nd, 3rd, Artillery and Division Trains Brigades.
Each Battalion will have its own radio frequency for battalion, company and platoon level communications, this is all that is available due to the shortage of higher echelon radios and switching equipment. Units are encouraged to keep transmissions short and to the point. Each Battalion will designate call signs for their subordinate units. (Call signs for major units are listed in the order of battle above.)

The unit commander will then answer any questions from the players and hand the situation back to the player in command.

GM Notes
Unless you have something in mind for the trip from Henderson to Flagstaff, it is ok to "fast forward" through that part of the trip. Otherwise, you could spring a Soviet Spetznaz ambush on them, or do a cinematic scene to movie music. If you do the latter, remember to convey how huge the division looks as its on the road. 10th AD has more than a hundred vehicles, and it will be quite an unusual and moving sight in the world of Twilight 2000. The troops of the 31st Armored and 199th Infantry Brigades will be friendly but look tired. They will have been holding the line for some months, and are ready to have help but morale will not be low.
Make the players feel like this whole big procession of vehicles and troops that they're in is going off the end of a diving board as they begin the actual advance from Flagstaff. It will be dark at 0330, and everything will be on time. Armored vehicles are driven without headlights, and characters should drive slow. Night vision equipment is there but not common and there will be urgency to save batteries. Encourage feelings of "crap, I cant see shit!" and "how many Ivans are watching us right now?"
As the sun comes up, people who live along I-40 will willingly come out and greet the players and all the NPCs with them. They will bring what food they can, provide whatever intelligence on the Mexicans and Soviets that they know (reports may conflict but this is due to rumors, not malice) and will even offer hooch. This should hold true as the Division passes through Winona, Two Guns, and Leupp Corner. Then the fighting begins.

The Mexican Saltillo Brigade is located in Winslow, and has fortified the town against attack. However, these fortifications were built months ago and have fallen into some disrepair. The Saltillo Brigade's morale has begun to crash and burn, feeling like many Mexican Brigades do that with a Civil War in Mexico proper, what could be the point in staying here? the Brigade's strength is 800 troops but only 150 of these who are the hard core troops of the Brigade will actually have anything to do with fighting an American advance. They will not fight to the death either, but put up a strong fight to prove they are not cowards.
Though they are the occupying force in Winslow, the Mexicans have protected the people from the political re-education methods used by the KGB detachments sent to the United States along with the forces. Even going so far as to build a fake detention camp and ask civilians to volunteer to act as prisoners, the Mexicans have convinced a lazy and complacent KGB supervisor that they are doing their patriotic duty. the remaining citizens of Winslow have greatly appreciated this, having heard of what has happened to their neighbors down the road in Holbrook. American forces moving into Winslow will find that the civilians in the city are happy to be liberated but will attempt to protect the Mexican troops.

Mexican Saltillo Brigade (GMs should split this force however they wish)
800 troops
40 civilian vehicles
4 school buses
6 M20 Armored cars
22 82mm mortars
16 B-10 RCL

While in Winslow, it may be possible for the players to spot a Soviet team of 4 troops on horseback approcahing Winslow from the direction of Holbrook. Keep in mind that the 10th Armored Division is not going to be easy to hide; it can be done but extremely difficult. the opportunity to capture the Soviet troops does exist however, and the players will find that they have captured a KGB Junior Lieutenant and his political group that was coming to re-inspect the political re-education accomadations the Saltillo Brigade had faked in the past. These four will be communist fanatics, and none will cooperate willingly. However, none of the four are very bright and smart roleplay will trick the KGB troops into giving up pieces of information below that they hadnt realized they were giving. Should these tropps not be seen and captured they will withdraw back to Holbrook and their paretnt unit to report the presence of a large American force in Winslow.

Holbrook is occupied by one of the Regiments of the 302nd Soviet Tank Division, and the Soviets have taken over many of the houses for the officers of the regiment, and many businesses have been appropriated for the troops as barracks buildings. almost half of the city's population has been imprisoned in a re-education camp at the end of the tarmac at Holbrook Municipal Airport. All vehicles, businesses, and supplies have been appropriated for use by the "Peoples Republic of North America", the name for the Soviet puppet state that the Russians are attempting to build in the United States. Nearly no one is buying it in Holbrook and there is an active resistance in the town. As a result of attacks and ambushes in the night against the Soviets, the occupiers have cracked down on the town and it is now under martial law. Curfew is 6pm to 8am, and anyone violating the curfew is shot on sight. The Soviets have also built light fortifications all over the town, but rely on their firepower and mobility more heavily.

2 Regiment, 302nd Tank Division

400 troops
4 T-62 tanks
4 PT-76 light tanks
2 ASU-85 assualt guns
2 SU-130 assualt guns
6 BRDM-1 scout vehicles
12 D-30 122mm howitzer
6 Rapira-3 125mm AT guns
28 82mm mortars

The Soviets, if informed by the KGB team, facing an attack from the West by the 10th Armored Division will move out and attempt to fight a "meeting engagement" kind of attack to throw the 10th off balance and drive them back to Winslow. They will lead with tanks and attempt to use a mortar and howitzer barrage to cover the advance of the tanks with infantry following. As the players are lower on the chain of command, the GM can have BGen Ochoss do one of several things as the 1/16 Cav will let everyone know the Soviets are coming;
1. Hold position in a hasty defense and let the Soviets come forward into the firepower of the 10th,
2. Get off I-40, swing around to the side and attack the Soviets in the flank,
3. A combination of 1 and 2 (there are 3 manuver brigades),
4. Get off of I-40, bypass the Soviets completely and get in behind them to attack from a unexpected direction (this is the most complicated option)

If the KGB team is captured, the Regiment of the 302nd will be caught unaware and will still be in the town of Holbrook. Receiving an attack in this manner will force the Soviets to fight a street by street battle in Holbrook with the occasional civilian running either for cover or attempting to join the players. With this option as a possibility, the GM should make the Battle for Holbrook a near free-for-all with small units rushing from street to street in brief but sharp fighting. Tank battles should be out in the middle of the streets.
The street fighting described above should also take place if a meeting battle takes place on I-40 west of Holbrook, but of much shorter duration. Once it becomes obvious that the Soviets are about to be overwhelmed, they will begin to withdraw towards Gallup NM as that is there the 302nd's main force is.
Also do not forget that Americans are unlikely to hold with being "re-educated" without getting off shots of their own. Make the players feel that there is a high possibility of a friendly fire incident with these American Partisans.

[kota1342000]

Twilight 2000; Bridgework



The 7th Infantry Division has suffered greatly in the past year. During the 1998 season, the Soviet high command directed that strategic and tactical nuclear weapons be used on an unprecedented scale against the Chinese army. The 7th Infantry Division, operating against Soviet and North Korean forces north of the Yalu river, was in close proximity of a 5 megaton blast of an SS-18 strike. The entire 3rd brigade was instantly wiped out, and the remnants of the 1st and 2nd were suddenly set upon by soviet and NK mechanized forces, freed from fighting the Chinese forces that had been crippled by the nuclear attack. Brigadier General Mike Polnik (now division commander as MGen Crowe had been killed) ordered a retreat to friendly lines; falling back to the 38th parallel.

The fall back was under heavy pressure, with the division using its advantage as a light unit to great advantage, being able to move through areas that tanks and APCs cant. Now the division has come to within 6 miles of Dandong on the Chineese side of the Yalu river, and a crisis has arisen.
First, half of the division is suffering from dysentery and radiation sickness. The division surgeon has found that most of the cases are non-lethal, and expects many of the members to recover, given rest and decent food (which may be a chancy proposition). In any case, half of the division’s troops are afflicted with general weakness, diarrhea, severe headaches, dehydration, and are barely capable of continuing the march or making an effective defense.
Second, the twin cities of Dandong (on the Chinese side) and Sinuiju (on the North Korean side) are both held by the North Koreans. The NK brigade, part of the 619th Reserve Division which garrisons the cities is well entrenched into the urban area, and guarantees a long bloody fight that may finish off the 7th Division. The bridge over the Yalu river at Dandong/Sinuiju is the only bridge for more than 50 miles. The bridges north of Changsong (North Korea), and the Chosin Dam were both destroyed early on in the war by American air strikes to wreck North Korean infrastructure.

The 7th Engineer Battalion (Combat), the engineer unit for the 7th Infantry division, is as in as dire straits as the rest of the division. There are now 48 men and women left out of the 760 that started out when the division arrived in Korea in 1997. Right now, 30 of the 48 are so sick that they are having trouble doing their jobs. That leaves 18 men and women of the battalion to perform all of the engineer work for the 7th division. That means laying mines, clearing mines, performing demolition work, building obstacles and fortifications, reducing obstacles that the enemy set up, and most important right now, building bridges. And this is where the characters come in.
Major Dave MacGuyver, the commander of the battalion, is fortunately not one of the sick. He has split the effective members of the battalion into three groups to cover all of the work. Sgt Kaufmann is the group leader of the bridging team. MacGuyver gives you a brief on the situation above, and sets out a five paragraph order on your assignment.

Situation
The remanants of the 7th Infantry Division (Light) are unable to cross the Yalu River at Dandong/Sinuiju due to heavy NK units in force and dug in to the cities. However, the division must continue its southward movement to survive. The Soviet 34th MRD is closing rapidly on the division rear guard, and North Korean units moving south are threatening to envelop the divisions positions. There are no other bridges across the Yalu river in the local area.

Mission
Your engineer team is tasked with building a bridge, pontoon ferry, crossing point, or any other method of bringing the division across. This preferably needs to permit the crossing of vehicles. The crossing must also be at least 5 miles to the north of Dandong/Sinuiju; out of range of the NK mortar batteries.

Execution
• The group is being given two of the battalion’s five remaining vehicles and any spare engineer equipment that is available. The battalion has no organic bridging equipment left. The group must use whatever materials can be found in the area to build with.

• The Division Long Range Reconnaissance Platoon will be tasked with assisting the bridge team in finding a crossing point, though all engineer reconnaissance tasks must be performed by the bridging team. No additional help is available. The other two engineer teams are being tasked to lay protective minefields and obstacles to limit enemy movement coming up from our rear, and clear any minefields leading into our crossing point.

• The engineer team has 5 days to complete this task, this being the time estimated by Division G2 staff (intelligence) that the Soviet 34th MRD and North Korean 8th Division will be able to bring its full combat power to bear against the remnants of the 7th.

• You are authorized to appropriate whatever materials you can find for this operation as long as you do not risk yourselves in a major engagement. You are further authorized to use whatever force necessary to defend yourselves from enemy forces and irregulars.

• Any method is allowable for crossing the river as long as we can get vehicles as large as a 5 ton truck across. Abandoning the division’s vehicles is not a very acceptable option considering how many wounded the division has, and will be considered only as a last ditch resort.

Administration
• The 7th ID Division Trains is able to give limited resupply but extremely short on vehicle fuel. Explosives are in short but not critically short supply; the Engineers have priority for need of this equipment.
• Fire support is available from the 4.2in mortars of 332nd Field Artillery. The engineers must share priority with the 1st and 2nd brigades.
•


7th Infantry Division Order of Battle

• 17th Infantry Regiment
300 effectives, 8 81mm mortars, 4 Dragon ATGM

• 21st Infantry Regiment
250 effectives, 6 81mm mortars, 5 tankbreaker ATGM

• 332nd Field Artillery
100 effectives, 16 4.2in mortars
•
• 7th Engineer Battalion
18 effectives, 5 vehicles

• 7th Division Cavaltry Troop/LRP
22 effectives

• 45th Transport Bn
20 effectives, 17 vehicles

• 3033rd MASH
38 effectives caring for over 400 wounded

• 7th Division Trains
143 effectives, 12 vehicles


GM Notes
This is the first of three 4 hour game modules for the 7th Infantry’s Engineers. GMs should work to give a dark and ugly atmosphere to the game. Occasional detection of radiation, lots of dead bodies, remants of towns infected with diseases, and NPCs from the Division struggling to carry their weight. I like to run this scenario with anywhere from 2 to 8 players; if you have less than 4 fill in more engineers with NPCs. For additional equipment, I’ve attached a pair of vehicles with some equipment for the players (not required, or can be added to, use as an example).

Unknown to the 7th Infantry, the NK 619th Reserve Division is stationed mostly along the shoreline of the North Korea/China border. They are a relatively stationary unit with little initiative. But far in front of the crossing area where the Players will be throwing some kind of bridge across the Yalu is the NK 10th Infantry Division. The NK 10th is currently in reserve and commanded by a restless commander who has his troops run frequent patrols. The 7th is likely to be found as they are coming across the Yalu, and attacked by forces in platoon to company strength; the NK 10th doesn’t have larger forces in the area but may call for reinforcements from the NK 619th Reserve Division. Troops coming from the 619th will be novices and less than enthusiastic.
But the greatest threat is the Soviet 194th Motor Rifle Division, which is out behind the 7th and trying to overtake the Americans. But the 194th is a shadow of its former self and even though it has a respectable group of armor, is actually smaller than the US 7th, and has no bridging equipment either. Once the 7th makes it south of the Yalu, the 7th will be effectively out of reach of the 194th MRD.
Here is a quick order of battle for these three enemy units;

North Korean 619th Reserve Division (detachments)
130 Infantry (armed with older SKS and bolt action Nagant rifles)
20 Cavalry

North Korean 10th Infantry Division (detachments)
90 Infantry (initially in scattered patrols of 10 to 15 troops)

Soviet 194th Motor Rifle Division
200 troops
1 T-80 MBT
6 BMP-2
8 BTR-80


The best luck I’ve had with maps online is with either Mapquest (which will probably give just a basic street map for Dandong) or Google Earth (which can give you aerial photos of the area to give a better idea of what is actually there. If you don’t have a printer, most libraries will let you print for much cheaper than copy shops.

The Yalu river upstream of Dandong will probably be the location of the crossing site that the players choose, and though players may even opt to go into Dandong to cross in a urban area, GMs should make this option a long and brutal city and house to house fight.
GMs are free to give whatever scenery to the players they choose but I usually paint the picture of steep pine covered mountain sides, narrow dirt/mud roads, cold wet weather, low hanging clouds, fog, and rain.
There are no single trees or timbers to be found that will span the Yalu; its about 70 to 90 meters across depending on the crossing point. Players will have to improvise materials and methods for crossing the river. If players are stuck, give assistance as needed (for example, a high voltage power line that crosses the river but hasn’t been energized for years).

Have the North Koreans attack the party several times in greater force each time. Also make it clear that the rest of the Division is making a prepared defense against a Soviet motor rifle division behind them. This is where the rest of the player’s parent unit is; la Have the North Koreans attack the party several times in greater force each time. Also make it clear that the rest of the Division is making a prepared defense against a Soviet motor rifle division behind them. This is where the rest of the player’s parent unit is; laying minefields and obstacles to keep Soviet tanks and armored vehicles from completely running the 7th Infantry into the ground. I haven’t added any order of battle for the North Koreans or the Soviets for this game as GMs may want to tailor the enemy forces to reflect the capability and experience of the group.
Also, as a result of all of the rain that the border area has been getting, flood the Yalu river. The players should observe gradual signs of rising water at first, and then make the flooding get worse as the session goes by, especially if the players have rigged some kind of floating bridge or ferry that can bring the Division’s vehicles across.
All in all, make the players feel like theyre being stretched to the limit, but give ways out of the situation that make sense. Above all, make sure the players are having fun and getting the impression that their characters have survived serious hardships (or died in a noble and not futile cause).

[Rainbow Six]

I've played a campaign years ago where the PC's were Soviet (and other Warsaw Pact) POW's who'd escaped from a Prisoner of War camp in the Continental United States and were making their way across America - in our campaign they were trying to get from Florida to Texas to link up with Division Cuba, so were making their way along the coast of the Gulf of Mexico. Dependent on where you wanted to make your start point and what locations you wanted to move through you could vary that though...you could also have the PC's headed to Florida to try and catch a boat to Cuba for example.

Another option that has come up in the past if you want a more unusual location has been to have the PC's as staff of an Embassy who are having to travel overland to try and catch some sort of boat, perhaps because they have missed the last flight home...

[Adm.Lee]

One of my favorite "to-do" ideas is to set a PC group amidst the Russian Civil War, 1918-1920. Lots of factions, unhinged politics, Western and German meddling, armored trains and horse cavalry, and maybe some biplanes and a Zeppelin. Bolt-action rifles and water-cooled MGs all around! Siberia or Caucasus appeal to me for locations.

I was recently thinking of someone's idea to start off as US Marines on the Baltic coast for a short campaign. I want to mix it with some Polish politics & espionage, based on my ideas for the background to the ill-fated 2000 offensive.

[James Langham]

If you are REALLY sadistic, have the war start normally then have an alien invasion turn up...

[Inspired by Harry Turtledove doing this in 1942]