OT- Being a Twilight 2000 player has deterrence value

[Jason Weiser]

I am in a Battletech Strategic PBEM (We play NCAs of the various nations)

I am playing the Lyrans (Nice, somewhat corrupt merchant types)

Now I have been getting my arse kicked for the past six months, and finally? I finally am starting to get some of my own back, trouble is? I get bushwacked (Some of it referee intervention, Matt's a good guy, mostly )

Now, I am feeling backed into a corner at this point conventionally. So, I do what any sensible modern leader does:

FLASH TRAFFIC ALL COMMANDS

NCA has authorized potential nuclear release as per Damocles 1138 ZULU 07053025. Consider this a warning order of said release at this time. All commands should open their level one package orders and prepare to execute them upon release of codewords for Damocles. This is not a release of Damocles at this time, but all commands should prepare for release of Damocles within 12-14 recpt of this msg.

NCA Tharkad

I give myself some time to think this over, I figure I am not getting my message across:

FLASH TRAFFIC ALL COMMANDS

THARKAD NCA HAS APPROVED LEVEL 1 PACKAGE RELEASE OF 54 WARHEADS IN THE 5-20KT RANGE TO COMMANDERS IN THE FIELD. STRIKES ARE AUTHORIZED IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS.

POBLUSO - 18 WARHEADS
FORD - 24 WARHEADS
SEVERN - 2 WARHEADS
MORITZ - 2 WARHEADS
LAURENT - 8 WARHEADS

WAIT FOR COPY OF RED DOT 5 MESSAGE:

ALPHA PAPA ONE SIX FIFE BRAVO FOUR TREE SEVEN NINER

RPT

ALPHA PAPA ONE SIX FIFE BRAVO FOUR TREE SEVEN NINER

GOD SAVE US ALL. GOD FORGIVE US.

THARKAD NCA

I accompanied it with this:

Matt,
I do not make this decision lightly as I know what it will do to the story. However, the events of last turn have left the Commonwealth with few options. Skye and Tamar are on the edge of rebellion. I've lost most of Bolan and a good chunk of Tamar, the reserves are committed for the most part and any peace agreement with the Kaeptyn powers would include Skye, Tamar and Hesperus. This is unacceptable. I feel I have been left few options, and thus, like NATO in West Germany, the gloves are coming off. These are a limited package of strikes and will be accompanied by a cease-fire demand. I recommend for the Kaeptyn powers to take this demand. I play Twilight 2000. I will not flinch. I understand this will send the game into directions you hadn't counted on. I am sorry for that. But, certain actions I will not discuss here have made this necessary. I have the support of Bruce and Mike and I feel that's enough to proceed. If the KC powers agree to the initial cease-fire terms, I will stop. I will present those terms at Geneva after the strikes have been completed. I will preserve the Commonwealth by any means. The gloves are off now. Kelswa and Lestrade want action? They're going to get it...in spades.

His response, (edited as there are some in game events it reveals)

OK, just need to breathe for a moment. I know you play Twilight and I believe you when you say you have the will to use those weapons. However, there is no such thing as a limited nuclear release. There is not using them and there is using them.

You could almost hear the "PLEASE GOD DON'T DO IT!". Boy deterrence works!

[Grimace]

Ha ha! Nice!!

Never poke a player of Twilight: 2000.

[headquarters]

regular RPG gamer: Nukes? Oh no ! what an abhorrent notion!!!!?!!!

T2k gamer: drop the m*****fu***** ! Twice!!!

[StainlessSteelCynic]

Originally Posted by headquarters

regular RPG gamer: Nukes? Oh no ! what an abhorrent notion!!!!?!!!

T2k gamer: drop the m*****fu***** ! Twice!!!

I laughed loud enough at this for people at work to wonder what I was looking at!

On a somewhat less comedic note, it's interesting to hear that gamers who have not played T2k hold certain views about those who do play it.
Kind of like "Oh that guy Jason? Yeah, he's definitely not afraid of the aftermath of a nuke war in this game, he's already gamed through it for several years."

[Cdnwolf]

http://www.2012supplies.com/countdown.html

Well the end of the world is almost upon us.

[JHart]

Screw the Ares Conventions! Nuke'm 'til they glow!

[Panther Al]

Nah:

Two things to bear in mind when I have my back to the wall in interstellar games such as that:

Orion Drives.

Astroid Fields.


Nuff said.

[Targan]

Originally Posted by Panther Al

Two things to bear in mind when I have my back to the wall in interstellar games such as that:

Orion Drives.

Astroid Fields.

Hells yeah. Decent sized asteroids make for fine ortillery strikes.

[Panther Al]

Originally Posted by Targan

Hells yeah. Decent sized asteroids make for fine ortillery strikes.

Yep. If you are crafty, you can get it going to the point where it isn't going to be stopped: No Point Defence can halt a rock the size of a small country.

[stg58fal]

Originally Posted by Panther Al

Nah:

Two things to bear in mind when I have my back to the wall in interstellar games such as that:

Orion Drives.

Astroid Fields.


Nuff said.

I like the way you think.

[DigTw0Grav3s]

Which game system is this? Strategic Operations?

[mikeo80]

Originally Posted by Cdnwolf

http://www.2012supplies.com/countdown.html

Well the end of the world is almost upon us.

On a lighter note, concerning TEOTWAWKI.

My wife works for AAFES at the Class 6 on Fort Bragg. For you civilians and non US folks, it's the base liquor store. So .....

On the 20th of December, as the world hurdles to doomsday, the Mrs. and I will be sitting in our house, getting drunk as SKUNKS. We have told our friends, "hey, if the world is ending, come on over. We have enough booze for us ALL to get WASTED!!!"

So, on the 20th, I will raise a glass to all of you good folks. Now what EXACTLY will be in the glass, I have no clue. Depends how far into my scotch I get.

Now, if the world is still here on the 21st and 22nd, as I suspect it will be, I will have a MONSTER hangover. I might wish the end HAD come.

My $0.02

Mike

[mikeo80]

Originally Posted by JHart

Screw the Ares Conventions! Nuke'm 'til they glow!

You forgot a very important part of this....

"Shoot them in the dark!!!!"

My $0.02

Mike

[Targan]

Originally Posted by mikeo80

My wife works for AAFES at the Class 6 on Fort Bragg. For you civilians and non US folks, it's the base liquor store. So .....

On the 20th of December, as the world hurdles to doomsday, the Mrs. and I will be sitting in our house, getting drunk as SKUNKS. We have told our friends, "hey, if the world is ending, come on over. We have enough booze for us ALL to get WASTED!!!"

So, on the 20th, I will raise a glass to all of you good folks. Now what EXACTLY will be in the glass, I have no clue. Depends how far into my scotch I get.

Good lord, man, don't drink that liquor! If TEOTWAWKI is something akin to the Twilight War you're going to need that booze as fuel

[Panther Al]

Originally Posted by Panther Al

Nah:

Two things to bear in mind when I have my back to the wall in interstellar games such as that:

Orion Drives.

Astroid Fields.


Nuff said.

Originally Posted by stg58fal

I like the way you think.

Back in the day the group that gamed out of my old FLGS (Yes, I ran it) did a lot of SciFi stratagy games from various systems. It didn't take long for everyone else to learn two things: I always played the long game - hence, don't give me time. And second, always assume that any system you take from me won't give you squat, because I *always* rigged up planet killers on deadman switches in all my systems - scorched earth hell - scorched system!

Always fun to watch the others think to themselves... "Hrm... he isn't that big a threat yet, and yet if I move against him, all I am gonna get out of it is a sharply reduced fleet that will make me dead meat to my neighbours. But... if I let it go too long, I'm dead meat to him! Damnit!"

[HorseSoldier]

Yep. If you are crafty, you can get it going to the point where it isn't going to be stopped: No Point Defence can halt a rock the size of a small country.

And not just as even strategic level ortillery. In a sci-fi setting with FLT drives there's generally some way to work the physics to turn an asteroid into an extinction level event for a habitable planet. Either slam the asteroid into the planet at high fraction C velocities or for "jump" sort of systems, materialize one or more rocks the size of Delaware or larger on fault lines.

The fact that Traveler 2300/2300AD's FTL system seems expressly written to preclude that sort of thing makes me certain someone started talking about it during the Great Game they played to get that setting's backstory done.

[stg58fal]

Originally Posted by HorseSoldier

And not just as even strategic level ortillery. In a sci-fi setting with FLT drives there's generally some way to work the physics to turn an asteroid into an extinction level event for a habitable planet. Either slam the asteroid into the planet at high fraction C velocities or for "jump" sort of systems, materialize one or more rocks the size of Delaware or larger on fault lines.

The fact that Traveler 2300/2300AD's FTL system seems expressly written to preclude that sort of thing makes me certain someone started talking about it during the Great Game they played to get that setting's backstory done.

This reminds me of the books "Freehold" and "The Weapon" by Michael Z. Williamson. Good books, if you haven't read them I recommend doing so.

Without spoiling too much of it, one of the only free planets humanity has is fighting a war for their very existence against the UN. In addition to special forces infiltrator teams that wreak havoc on Earth, the resisting planet sends some FTL shuttles to the Sol system, gets them in an Earth orbit, and then jumps them into the surface of the planet. Much havoc was wreaked, much hate and discontent spread.

[headquarters]

Wont your table tilt and brake all the bottles as they crash to the floor when the continental US flips over and slants / lilts on its side? Or do you guys have plastic bottles also?

Originally Posted by mikeo80

On a lighter note, concerning TEOTWAWKI.

My wife works for AAFES at the Class 6 on Fort Bragg. For you civilians and non US folks, it's the base liquor store. So .....

On the 20th of December, as the world hurdles to doomsday, the Mrs. and I will be sitting in our house, getting drunk as SKUNKS. We have told our friends, "hey, if the world is ending, come on over. We have enough booze for us ALL to get WASTED!!!"

So, on the 20th, I will raise a glass to all of you good folks. Now what EXACTLY will be in the glass, I have no clue. Depends how far into my scotch I get.

Now, if the world is still here on the 21st and 22nd, as I suspect it will be, I will have a MONSTER hangover. I might wish the end HAD come.

My $0.02

Mike

[weswood]

Originally Posted by headquarters

Wont your table tilt and brake all the bottles as they crash to the floor when the continental US flips over and slants / lilts on its side? Or do you guys have plastic bottles also?

That'll only happen if we move everyone to either the west or east coast. Mostly glass beer bottles, and plastic coke bottles. But there's some plastic beer and glass coke bottles out there.