America after the Thanksgiving Massacre

[guncrazy]

We are playing in a modified version where Russian China and Mexico had invaded the US during the Twilight War the European theater remains unchanged. I am trying to figure out if the CivGov and MilGov would be enemies to the point of going to war and starting a civil war. What is the relationship of these two governments? I know neither recognize constitutional authority to govern but are they enemies? How should I handle a former MilGov (one of the PCs) soldier in a CivGov enclave in New Mexico (slightly modified version of t he back story) the only enclave this far west. Are these two government hostile to each other? And yes New America is the enemies of all

[StainlessSteelCynic]

I've usually treated them as "rivals" - not actually enemies but definitely not friends either. They are competing against each other for leadership of the nation and could be viewed in simplistic terms, as two different political parties competing against each other - not enemies, not friends, they are rivals.

But this gives you a lot of opportunity to vary the relationship in different parts of the country. In some areas they may actually be friendly with each other and even offer limited assistance to each other. In another area they may not actively assist each other but they don't actively interfere with each other either, an "uneasy alliance" against a greater enemy sort of situation.
In other places they may be directly competing against each other for resources and so they do come to blows every now and then and in some locations they may be actively seeking to eliminate each other.

A lot of this comes down to the type of people in charge of the local groups. Certain personalities might only be interested in promoting their own group's welfare and thus consider the other 'gov' not just a rival but a potential threat. In some locations the leaders of the local groups may actually be friendly and may promote working towards common goals rather than fighting among themselves.

It does mean more book-keeping for the Referee but it makes the situation between MilGov and CivGov a lot more dynamic and makes it feel 'alive'. The PCs will not know how the two 'govs' relate to each other in a particular region without getting some intel, or going to see it for themselves. It also means there are great opportunities for the PCs to act as intermediaries and even peace-makers between the two 'govs'.
For me, this sort of thing makes everything a lot more interesting.
The PCs become troubleshooters and even diplomats for the greater good of the USA.
Promoting the idea that MilGov and CivGov are Americans and they should work together to promote the recovery of America for all Americans - there's a long term campaign in that!

[guncrazy]

I had a thought about doing this, one of the PCs is a Marine Sniper and Force Recon who "deserted" from MilGov at the characters start. So she would have some knowledge of what the situation is like.

[cawest]

Originally Posted by guncrazy

I had a thought about doing this, one of the PCs is a Marine Sniper and Force Recon who "deserted" from MilGov at the characters start. So she would have some knowledge of what the situation is like.

to make it even crazier. have someone who defects from CivGov to MilGov run into them as a NPC.

[Legbreaker]

Should PCs even know about the split? It's not like there's any better news available than rumour and what the military is passing on....

[guncrazy]

Originally Posted by Legbreaker

Should PCs even know about the split? It's not like there's any better news available than rumour and what the military is passing on....

I would think they would right?