4e What happened to the rest of the world?

[Heffe]

Originally Posted by Olefin

Obviously there must be fuel available as the manuals state that the USN is still very much in the game - i.e. that its not like the 1st and 2nd editions where outside of places where fuel was available (i.e. CENTCOM basically) the USN is not a going concern - witness Satellite Down where it is basically stated that the USN had no ships capable of going to Mexico to get the satellite back or Last Submarine on the east coast

Here's the relevant quote:

"When the smoke clears, the US has obliterated the Soviet navy [in the Atlantic], but suffered huge losses in the process. President West has lost his capacity to ship more troops and equipment to Europe - as well as the ability to bring the forces already there back home."

I suppose there's room for a few interpretations there, but to me at least, that reads as though there's not a whole lot left of the USN. At least not in-theater. Perhaps a few warships still sailing around, but that's about it.

Other relevant bits of info are that the world's populations have been reduced by about half to two thirds by the time 2000 rolls around.

Here's another choice quote or two that add flavor:

"Africa and South America, largely spared from the war itself, are hit hard when world trade collapses. International shipping comes to a standstill and fuel prices skyrocket, when any can be found at all."

"Both sides at first only attack military and command and control targets. Step by step the nuclear duel escalates, and soon industrial centers and other civilian targets are annihilated – not only in continental Europe, but also in the United Kingdom, and soon ICBMs fall in the US and Russian heartlands. Both sides show just enough restraint to avoid total nuclear annihilation – for now – but the electromagnetic pulses knock out most electronic communication, and civil order in the affected countries starts to break down."

To me, there's clearly a few differences between the old editions and 4e, but overall the layout of the world is likely pretty similar. Command, control, and communications have basically broken down the world over. Any kind of fuel is incredibly hard to come by, even more so in continental Europe. I would imagine "industrial centers" could easily mean oil production facilities depending on the Ref's interpretation, etc.