Module Linkages

[Tegyrius]

While flipping through some of the old modules over the weekend, I noticed a few introductory notes about suggested order of play (i.e. which prior modules the GM could use to introduce the current one). With some judicious abuse of a flowcharting tool, I managed to cobble together the following loose map of the order in which GDW suggested all the modules be played.

Green boxes indicate European modules and blue boxes indicate modules set (or at least triggered) in North America. Yeah, King's Ransom is off in the corner by its lonesome. Lines and arrows, obviously, indicate play order. The circles marked "A" and "B" are cross-connection points because direct links into Gateway to the Spanish Main and Urban Guerilla would have made the diagram significantly uglier. The Return to Europe modules are linked with dotted lines to indicate my uncertainty about their intended order of play.

Edit: updated version posted below, original version retained here for archival purposes.



Note that this does not include GDW's suggested dates of the events in each module. I'll add those in the next revision... but it may cause some space-time paradoxes.

- C.

[Webstral]

Nicely done!

[Raellus]

Flowchart magic! Thanks!

On a sidenote, IMHO, Black Madonna is sort of the odd man out of the original Polish modules. It was published after EfK, FCoK, PotV, and RoW, yet it would involve some geographical backtracking for the PCs to get to the module AO after liberating Warsaw. Just in terms of point A to point B travel, it works better to run BM either shortly after EfK and/or after FCoK, and then nudge the PCs north up the Vistula to Warsaw.

[Legbreaker]

The key is to look at it as a web of options. There's no way one single group of PCs can possibly run through every last module in geographic or temporal order without serious twisting the fabric of space/time.

[Tegyrius]

Originally Posted by Raellus

On a sidenote, IMHO, Black Madonna is sort of the odd man out of the original Polish modules. It was published after EfK, FCoK, PotV, and RoW, yet it would involve some geographical backtracking for the PCs to get to the module AO after liberating Warsaw. Just in terms of point A to point B travel, it works better to run BM either shortly after EfK and/or after FCoK, and then nudge the PCs north up the Vistula to Warsaw.

Hmm. Yeah, I went back into Madonna and couldn't actually find a direct link from Ruins. However, Madonna's introduction does indicate it takes place about a month after the demise of 5ID, which I had missed in favor of thinking of it as "Module 4." When I'm back at a machine with Visio, I'll adjust that section of the chart to put both Krakow and Madonna downstream of Kalisz.

Originally Posted by Legbreaker

The key is to look at it as a web of options. There's no way one single group of PCs can possibly run through every last module in geographic or temporal order without serious twisting the fabric of space/time.

Oh, totally. But it does help with plotting the campaign for which I'll never find players.

- C.

[leonpoi]

Great work. Thanks. I can see that it would be very difficult to have one set of PCs do all of those modules - or indeed find the time to even scratch the surface

[Legbreaker]

Although the timings for the early modules are a bit difficult to screw about with, those set in the US shouldn't be too hard to change to fit. As long as some lip service is given to events in other modules, there shouldn't be too much of an issue.
The capture/elimination of Carl Hughes for example in Kidnapped is going to have some serious impact on modules such as Urban Guerrilla. Probably not much on a number of other modules, not least being Satellite Down which really could be delayed by a year or so if needed (just have the satellite fall later). Red Star, Lone Star could be problematic given the Soviets precarious position and need for fuel and a way home sooner rather than later.
Note both Gateway and Going home can both feed into Kings Ransom, and almost anything can feed Last Sub (Going home, Armies of the night, Kidnapped, Gateway, even Satellite Down given the data is important enough to warrant an aircraft).
Red Star is the logical feed to Angels given that they are in the same general area, but Satellite may be a good option too. Angels could well be a good feed for Satellite.

And then you've got the various Challenge articles, not to mention scenarios presented in Nightmares, Encounters, etc all which have suggested locales.