The Free State

[dragoon500ly]

This is an overview of the Free State as per TM 1-1, 3rd Edition.

VERMONT is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the U.S. states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to the north. Vermont is the second smallest by population and the sixth smallest by area of the 50 U.S. states. The state capital is Montpelier, the least populous state capital in the United States. The most populous city, Burlington, is the least populous city to be the most populous city in a state.

Capital: Montpelier
Largest city: Burlington
Largest metro: Greater Burlington

Area
Total: 9,616 sq mi (24,923 km2)
Width: 80 miles (130 km)
Length: 160 miles (260 km)
% water: 4.1
Latitude: 42° 44′ N to 45° 1′ N
Longitude: 71° 28′ W to 73° 26′ W

Population Total: 608,827

Elevation
Highest point: Mount Mansfield 4,395 ft (1340 m)
Mean: 1,000 ft (300 m)
Lowest point: Lake Champlain 95 to 100 ft (29 to 30 m)
Time zone Eastern: UTC −5/−4


A list of exploitable or exploited mineral commodities recorded from this region, include: Aggregates; Arsenic; Asbestos; Copper; Granite; Limestone; Marble; Slate and Talc.

Primary Industries:
Dairy Farming; Forest Products; Maple Syrup Production: Artisan Foods; Wineries; Integrated Circuit Production; Marble and Granite Quarrying.

One International Airport, one Regional Airport

As you can see Vermont is a small state with a small population. Considering the distance to the borders of the canon Free State, there is not a lot to attract the KFS, but with a nuclear power plant and a large integrated circuit factory, there are possibilities for a colony to be set up.

[mmartin798]

Given the KFS imperialistic plans, they will need a great deal of ammunition. Vermont, unlike Kentucky, does have large copper reserves. Combine this with the zinc mines in Tennessee and you have all the brass you need.

[dragoon500ly]

Still working on this, but going by the raw data, I'm going to say that for the Free State to be as powerful as the modules hint at, they have to a much larger base than one of two states. Call them trading partners or colonies or even member states, the Free State "web" is much, much larger.

[RandyT0001]

Maybe the best solution is not to make the Free State larger but to weaken its power. Subtract the Thunderbolt airplanes, the M1 tanks and the V300s and make the army a garrison force that suppress slave revolts and the occasional raid. Drop the tech level from equal to MP to about 1950's tech.

[dragoon500ly]

Originally Posted by RandyT0001

Maybe the best solution is not to make the Free State larger but to weaken its power. Subtract the Thunderbolt airplanes, the M1 tanks and the V300s and make the army a garrison force that suppress slave revolts and the occasional raid. Drop the tech level from equal to MP to about 1950's tech.

This is certainly one solution, but if you go by canon (did I just say that?) The Free State was designed to be much larger, with access to resources and technologies beyond that of any other survivor group.

The two modules printed, describe just such a minimalized Free State. Clearly there is a disconnect.

The solution lies in the PD and the campaign he/she is running. If you prefer a smaller, weaker Free State then by all means have at it! I've played or ran many campaigns against just such a setup. But I am curious, if a larger Free State was planned, then what form, resources, numbers and even tech would it have?

I believe that in the past, we have overlooked the potential of a larger, aggressive and far more deadly Free State. Such a KFS would present more of a challenge to a player team if handled properly by a PD. Hence this thread, if no one objects, I'd like to pursue this question or at least post information that may prove useful to other PDs.I

Looking forward to the responses!

[dragoon500ly]

NEW YORK
Capital: Albany
Largest city: New York City
Largest metro: Greater New York

New York is a state in the Northeastern United States. New York was one of the original Thirteen Colonies that formed the United States. With an estimated 19.85 million residents in 2017, it is the fourth most populous state. To distinguish the state from the city with the same name, it is sometimes called New York State. New York is the 27th largest U.S. states in land area.

The state's most populous city, New York City, makes up over 40% of the state's population. Two-thirds of the state's population lives in the New York metropolitan area, and nearly 40% lives on Long Island. With an estimated population of 8.55 million in 2015, New York City is the most populous city in the United States and the premier gateway for legal immigration to the United States. The New York metropolitan area is one of the most populous in the world. New York City is a global city, home to the United Nations Headquarters and has been described as the cultural, financial and media capital of the world, as well as the world's most economically powerful city. The next four most populous cities in the state are Buffalo, Rochester, Yonkers, and Syracuse, while the state capital is Albany.

Area Ranked 27th
Total: 54,555[3] sq mi (141,300 km2)
Width: 285 miles (455 km)
Length: 330 miles (530 km)
% water: 13.5
Latitude: 40° 30′ N to 45° 1′ N
Longitude: 71° 51′ W to 79° 46′ W

Population: 18,976,457

Elevation
Highest point Mount Marcy, 5,344 ft (1,629 m)
Mean: 1,000 ft (300 m)
Lowest point: Atlantic Ocean Sea level

Time zone Eastern: UTC -5/-4

Anchored by Wall Street in the Financial District of Lower Manhattan, New York City has been called both the most economically powerful city and the leading financial center of the world. Lower Manhattan is the third-largest central business district in the United States and is home to the New York Stock Exchange, on Wall Street, and the NASDAQ, at 165 Broadway, representing the world's largest and second largest stock exchanges, respectively, as measured both by overall average daily trading volume and by total market capitalization of their listed companies in 2013.

Silicon Alley, centered in New York City, has evolved into a metonym for the sphere encompassing the New York City metropolitan region's high technology and entrepreneurship ecosystem. High tech industries including digital media, biotechnology, software development, game design, and other fields in information technology are growing, bolstered by New York City's position at the terminus of several transatlantic fiber optic trunk lines, its intellectual capital, as well as its growing outdoor wireless connectivity.

Albany, Saratoga County, Rensselaer County, and the Hudson Valley, collectively recognized as eastern New York's Tech Valley, have experienced significant growth in the computer hardware side of the high-technology industry, with great strides in the nanotechnology sector, digital electronics design, and water- and electricity-dependent integrated microchip circuit manufacturing, involving companies including IBM and its Thomas J. Watson Research Center, and the three foreign-owned firms, GlobalFoundries, Samsung, and Taiwan Semiconductor, among others. The area's high technology ecosystem is supported by technologically focused academic institutions including Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and the SUNY Polytechnic Institute.

A list of exploitable or exploited mineral commodities recorded from this region, include: Abrasives; Aggregates; Clay; Cobalt; Copper; Feldspar; Fluorite; Gold; Granite; Gypsum & Anhydrite; Iron, Lead; Marble; Mica; Salt; Talc; Trap Rock and Uranium.

New York has four nuclear power stations: Ginna (610MW); Indian Point (2,045MW); James A. FitzPatrick (838MW) and Nine Mile Point (Unit 1 [624MW], Unit 2 [1,300MW]).

There are numerous coal (8 total output of 2,836MW) and gas-fired power plants (17 total output of 12,766MW). There are eight Petroleum power plants (total output of 8,260MW), as well as ten Wind Farms (total output of 1,010MW) and a single Biomass power station (output of 50MW).

New York will most likely be of importance to the Free State, mainly due to its mineral resources, powerplants and extensive collection of colleges. As far as the state’s high-tech capability, this is concentrated in New York City and Albany, with nuclear weapons targeted on both cities…

[RandyT0001]

Originally Posted by dragoon500ly

This is certainly one solution, but if you go by canon (did I just say that?) The Free State was designed to be much larger, with access to resources and technologies beyond that of any other survivor group.

The KFS was not designed to be realistic just unbeatable. Any update for 4th edition should address these issues.

And the Lone Star module needs to be adjusted for realism as well.