The Frozen Watch.

[ArmySGT.]

The Frozen Watch.

Volunteers, within volunteers, cryogenically frozen to be replacements for Morrow Project Team members lost to illness or injury.

How these people were intended to be awoken varies from source to source. Typically the Frozen Watch can be woken by no less than a Combined Group Leader, signal from Prime Base or a Regional Base Commander.

Frozen Watch personnel can be any Morrow Project specialty, and serve a function in game play to replace player characters that have been killed or retired.

In the Module "Operation Final Watch" there is only one Final Watch team and that is six personnel known to the Combined Group Leader. This doesn't go on to say there are no others. This module reinforces the precedent that Final Watch teams do not have a vehicle, only personal equipment, and personal weapons.

Personally, I am looking at change myself.......

First, Two person boltholes. Yes, only two persons in a Final Watch team. After all these a replacements for Teams in the field and not from a pool in a Regional base (large scale Frozen Watch of 50-100, perhaps?). A typical team is 4-6 personnel, so a Frozen Watch of 6-8 would completely replace a Team in the field or have persons without a seat or somewhere to stow their rucksack.

Secondly, both are the same Specialty. Makes sense if your a Science team that both replacements are Science, same for MARS. Now anyone Morrow is certainly a plus but, the Morrow Project has always had massive resources and few personnel. Putting those personnel to work into teams to make the most benefit of their skills has to be a priority. This spins off to another capability. A MARS team may need some Science branch specialists like Psy Ops, Epidemiology, Nuclear power, or more often Trauma Surgery. Picking up a specialists from Frozen Watch fulfills this need.

Third, Wake up. How to do that when there is no Prime Base or Combined Group Leader?........ I am thinking an automated Protocol at a Morrow Project manned or unmanned communication base. A Morrow ID card, a Code (phrase or number) and selection of specialty. This sends a "Wake UP!" signal to a Frozen Watch team who then makes contact with the Commo Base. The location of the Frozen Watch team is not compromised in this way and other link up protocols are worked through.

Fourth, Equipment..... I am ok with personal weapons and rucksack. In other circumstances I think an M-151 jeep converted to methanol or electric hybrid drive, or a 4 wheeler also converted. This transports the Frozen Watch to a link up instead of a FW Team waiting for someone to come get them. This mitigates the danger of a faked signal intended for the killing or capturing a Morrow Project Team. I don't feel that crew served weapons like a Stinger or FN Mag are appropriate for a Frozen Watch team. Equipment like this should already be with the team they are going to. In the case of specialties, tools appropriate to their trade make sense.

[dragoon500ly]

well considered. Have to disagree with you though. I can see the Project with a large number of Frozen Watch personnel at the regional bases/Prime Base etc. But for the local teams, the least I would consider would be 4 personnel, equipped with a hummer and trailer for mobility.

Going with a two member team would mean that after a hard day of driving cross-country, cutting trails, sticking and unsticking the vehicle, two people would then be faced with providing security for the night...3 on and 3 off would simply result in the FW team being exhausted after only a couple of days of movement...going with four personnel at least splits the work load a little bit.

Its the human element that screws up otherwise excellent ideas!

[stormlion1]

I would think there would be a single Bolt Hole set up in each state with a large number of personnel frozen that could be unfrozen individually. Since they would be stepping into a dead mans shoes there equipment would be minimal at best. A single rucksack and personnel weapon. The Bolt Hole itself wouldn't have a vehicle and would probably be hidden not buried. A team needing a replacement personnel would find it, access with a card, and then enter and find the person they need and unfreeze them. Then off on there merry way. The plan would have been to unfreeze them all after all the teams had been unfrozen and were already at work and move them to regional bases to help staff them and be a working pool of personnel.

[ArmySGT.]

From MP10 "Final Watch"

SPECIALTY FW-31 (Frozen Watch), 6 people, (no MPV) [Sequim]

That is what we have to go on.

Assuming scattered about North America is FW- 01 through FW-30, and continuing to FW-???

There were none in MP08 "Prime Base"

[ArmySGT.]

Originally Posted by dragoon500ly

well considered. Have to disagree with you though. I can see the Project with a large number of Frozen Watch personnel at the regional bases/Prime Base etc. But for the local teams, the least I would consider would be 4 personnel, equipped with a hummer and trailer for mobility.

There wasn’t any in Prime…… To date there is no canon on Regional bases. Delta base is an unmanned supply base…. The six person Frozen Watch team (FW-31) with Combined Group Seattle is the only one mentioned in text outside the entry in the game book.

Like you I would expect a number of Frozen Watch to actually BE in storage at Prime and at Regional bases. This way these persons can be woken individually without compromising a bolt hole and the other sleepers.

I think six is too large for replacements when a bolt hole is a one shot. Frozen Watch replace members of Combined Groups in the field lost to illness, injury, or death. I would expect them to be awoken to replace a specialty on a one for one basis, not a whole sale hodgepodge, hope what you need is in there basis.
That is why I contend that the Frozen Watch in the field, be in two person Bolt Holes. Still with just personal equipment and a personal weapon…… I include the Jeep because of the risk of false signals or a compromised bolt hole. The jeep affords these MP members the means to go to someone that awakens them versus waiting to be picked up. The Jeep can be converted for ethanol and be abandoned to a survivor group (3-5 year plan) or used as a light auxiliary. Surplus jeeps are in the thousands and I don’t see why the Project would not have stashed some gasoline, then converted to ethanol powered jeeps just to give away to local governments.

Originally Posted by dragoon500ly

Going with a two member team would mean that after a hard day of driving cross-country, cutting trails, sticking and unsticking the vehicle, two people would then be faced with providing security for the night...3 on and 3 off would simply result in the FW team being exhausted after only a couple of days of movement...going with four personnel at least splits the work load a little bit.
Its the human element that screws up otherwise excellent ideas!

I consider that the tradeoff……. Frozen Watch isn’t meant to be an independent team but, link up with a team in the field supplement them or replace the losses.

[nuke11]

Originally Posted by ArmySGT.

There wasn’t any in Prime…… To date there is no canon on Regional bases. Delta base is an unmanned supply base…. The six person Frozen Watch team (FW-31) with Combined Group Seattle is the only one mentioned in text outside the entry in the game book.

Actually Frozen Watch is also mentioned in an article in Space Gamer/ Fantasy Gamer; #85 Jan/Feb 1989, Project File: Discovery Pages 22-27, Joseph Benedetto, Jr.

The parts of that article that where edited out can be found here http://www.thesupplybunker.net/pdf/m...y_shelters.pdf

The rest of the information from The Finial Watch that was edited out about Medical Facility VF-1C is available here http://www.thesupplybunker.net/pdf/medical_vf1c.pdf

[ArmySGT.]

Originally Posted by nuke11

Actually Frozen Watch is also mentioned in an article in Space Gamer/ Fantasy Gamer; #85 Jan/Feb 1989, Project File: Discovery Pages 22-27, Joseph Benedetto, Jr.

The parts of that article that where edited out can be found here http://www.thesupplybunker.net/pdf/m...y_shelters.pdf

The rest of the information from The Finial Watch that was edited out about Medical Facility VF-1C is available here http://www.thesupplybunker.net/pdf/medical_vf1c.pdf

I have that one........ It is written by the same author........ In itself it is a special case scenario...... In fact written in such a way as to get the action started.

It feels very much like a one shot written for a GM to use at a convention.

Thanks I had forgotten about this one.

[.45cultist]

The old Space Gamer/ Fantasy Gamer magazine had an adventure with a Frozen Watch team.