Operation Manifest Destiny Ruminations

[Webstral]

During my commute, I have been thinking more about my Operation Manifest Destiny concept. (No, I’m not shelving Thunder Empire. I write Thunder Empire when I’m at home, but I conceptualize while driving.) As I have remarked before, the whole concept revolves around airships.

A potential mission or module would involve moving all of the airship equipment and personnel from Missouri to Colorado. MilGov probably would expend whatever resources necessary to ensure safe delivery. Still, given the state of things, there might be room for PCs to play their part. Route reconnaissance would be critical. Oklahoma, through which the most obvious route is traced, seems more-or-less under MilGov control, but one could tweak this situation to add excitement. Surely CivGov would have obtained information about the airships from its own agents. CivGov would realize that airships could completely change the balance of power in their favor. What kind of effort could they make to acquire the airship materials and people being trucked (presumably) to Colorado?

Equally, there may be players in the remnants of the Oklahoma government who could be swayed to try to get hold of the airship resources for themselves. Perhaps CivGov corrupts an important official in the rump Oklahoman government? Perhaps that person thinks s/he can make off with the airship resources and use them to purchase a position in whatever organization will offer the best deal? Perhaps a warlord just outside the boundaries of MilGov control gets wind of the movement of men and machines across Oklahoma and makes a bid of his own to acquire the invaluable convoy?

Assuming the airship materials liberated from the New Americans in the Ozarks make it to Colorado, there remains much to be done to realize a vision of fleets of airships aiding in the reestablishment of long-distance commerce and tying the nation back together. Based on the statistics in Airlords of the Ozarks (thanks, Littlearmies), the smaller New American airship cruises at 12 mph and has a range of 380 miles. The larger airship cruises at slightly more than 11 mph and has a range of more than 500 miles. In order to make proper use of the airships, MilGov will need to establish secure aerodromes at suitable intervals. In some cases, aerodromes will have to be established in locales where there is no MilGov control. Sorting out this problem is an excellent mission for player characters.

I see MilGov turning the whole airship show over to the Air Force. It wouldn’t take much for the USAF Chief of Staff to convince his counterparts that manufacturing as many airships with the greatest possible lift capacity would be Colorado’s top priority. Specialty products and machines not available in Colorado might be necessary. Players could be assigned long-range reconnaissance to locate the needed materials and machines.

Determining MilGov’s priorities is going to be a challenge for me. It’s not going to be hard to come up with a laundry list of missions for whatever airships Colorado Springs has available at any point in time. What gets done first? To a large degree, the answer is going to be based on the condition and assets of the Colorado enclave. Equally, the answer will be determined by the needs and assets of other MilGov enclaves. Also, key personalities will influence the list. Any input on all of this would be most welcome.

Webstral