State Guard Adventure

[rcaf_777]

Here's the opeing to something I have been working on

This adventure begins in October just before the Nuclear Strikes and involves member of the Texas State Guard

The PC’s are member of the Texas State Guard 8th Regiment (Terry's Texas Rangers) and they are from the Beaumont/Port Arthur area. They have been called up as their company drew this month to perform civil defence duty, there mission is to maintain a traffic control point over the Rainbow Bridge, and search person and vehicles of interest who cross the bridge, while watching for possible enemy infiltrators from Mexico.

The Rainbow Bridge is a cantilever bridge crossing the Neches River in Southeast Texas just upstream from Sabine Lake. It allows State Highway 87 and State Highway 73 to connect Port Arthur in Jefferson County on the southwest bank of the river with Bridge City in Orange County on the northeast bank.

The Radio Message: The radio crackles to life, “Elements of Mexican have crossed in force in Texas and part of Arizona. Army units are pulling back and regrouping. All elements of Texas State Guard hearing this message are to abandoned their positions and head to Denton to regroup, pick up any stranglers or state police you may find, GRU and KGB units may have infiltrated key points and”………..Radio goes dead

[Legbreaker]

Sounds fun!
Do the state guardsmen have to supply their own wheelchairs, oxygen tanks and incontinence pads?

[pmulcahy11b]

Originally Posted by Legbreaker

Sounds fun!
Do the state guardsmen have to supply their own wheelchairs, oxygen tanks and incontinence pads?

Yes, but they do get free beer and beer guts!

[Webstral]

Kudos for using a State Guard basis. Having Mexican forces cross the border in October is a very significant change to the established timeline, though. There isn't a lot of justification for an October 1997 confrontation because North America hasn't been directly affected by the nuclear exchange yet. If the same encounter were to take place in June 1998 the pieces would fit together very nicely indeed.

[rcaf_777]

Originally Posted by Webstral

Kudos for using a State Guard basis. Having Mexican forces cross the border in October is a very significant change to the established timeline, though. There isn't a lot of justification for an October 1997 confrontation because North America hasn't been directly affected by the nuclear exchange yet. If the same encounter were to take place in June 1998 the pieces would fit together very nicely indeed.

My logic for that is the invasion was to happen after the nuclear exchange to make use of the confusion it will cause. however one unit jumps the gun and it starts just few hours before, The player don't really find out about the exchange till they incounter feeing civilians. They do find out through thses meeting that the radio went dead due to EMP effects.

This gives you a seting of radation, panic civilian populations taking to the streets, mexican troops advancing, KGB/GRU Paratroops (Like Red Dawn)

The PC's will have some or no military training (I was in nam in 68 or the governor of the State of Texas made me Captian since he owes me) I will post notes on the State Guard Generation later

[Griff]

Nice idea (I like the Red Dawn feel/hint). But are these guys Texas Guard or Texas State Defense Force? The difference being if they're Guard they should have the same background as the Army created characters, were as the SDF fellas can have any background you care to create (could be military retired, no other military background, a patriot with a handicap inhibiting Federal service, etc.). It's wide open brother ( I would assume butt loads of civilian skills)....not a bad idea especially with Texas's Maritime SDF units. Not bad at all.

Sua Sponte

[Targan]

Originally Posted by rcaf_777

My logic for that is the invasion was to happen after the nuclear exchange to make use of the confusion it will cause. however one unit jumps the gun and it starts just few hours before, The player don't really find out about the exchange till they incounter feeing civilians. They do find out through thses meeting that the radio went dead due to EMP effects.

So you're suggesting that the Mexican military had been told in advance by the Soviets exactly when Soviet nukes would start being launched at targets within the CONUS? With respect, that seems incredibly unlikely to me.

[Legbreaker]

Originally Posted by Targan

So you're suggesting that the Mexican military had been told in advance by the Soviets exactly when Soviet nukes would start being launched at targets within the CONUS? With respect, that seems incredibly unlikely to me.

I agree with that assessment. From my understanding, the Mexicans only became involved with the Soviets when they were looking for assistance in the fight against the US - enemy of my enemy is my friend sort of thing.
There's no reason I can think of for the Soviets to share such delicate and sensitive information months before it was due to happen (it would require that sort of lead time for the Mexicans to properly mobilise).

[Griff]

Originally Posted by Legbreaker

I agree with that assessment. From my understanding, the Mexicans only became involved with the Soviets when they were looking for assistance in the fight against the US - enemy of my enemy is my friend sort of thing.
There's no reason I can think of for the Soviets to share such delicate and sensitive information months before it was due to happen (it would require that sort of lead time for the Mexicans to properly mobilise).

The Sov's telling the Mexicans' exactly what they were going to do.....No, but it's feasible for them to inform they're higher Military leaders of "strategic support" prior to offensive operations. Which can/could be interpreted as anything from strategic conventional bombing to, covert ops, to a combination of possible assistance.

Though more likely they only informed the Divisional Political Officer and Commander of "prepared to initiate offensive operations NLT....." (with a possible heads up on the nuke aspect to allow Div. Cuba to get into an early protective posture) and the Sov Commander would then "counsel" his Mexican allies to be prepared to initiate hostilities at the proscribed NLT date with added emphasis on possible NBC training in preparation for actions against they're "highly aggressive and barbaric capitalist pig enemies".

His possible time-line shift is workable, based on the fact that the Mexican Gov. allowed the Soviets in with intention of using them in combat with the US. Showing the Mexicans may have been prepping (secretly mob'ing) for awhile, and as stretched thin as the US was at this point it wouldn't take many divisions to initially crack the US front. The Mexicans (w/Soviet assistance) only pushed into Northern Texas/Oklahoma, Arizona, N. Mexico, and half way up Caly (which granted is shitload of land mass, but US road networks make it "possible", though more likely (without massive indigenous support ) would get most foreign military forces LBS (most Americans can't figure out all the roads in US)). A partial mobilization, with Soviet Tac' Nuke support and other assistance is possible/plausible in my mind.

But that's just one dumb-assed grunt/scout's take...."strategery" ain't my exactly my forte.

Sua Sponte

[Targan]

Originally Posted by Griff

Though more likely they only informed the Divisional Political Officer and Commander of "prepared to initiate offensive operations NLT....." (with a possible heads up on the nuke aspect to allow Div. Cuba to get into an early protective posture) and the Sov Commander would then "counsel" his Mexican allies to be prepared to initiate hostilities at the proscribed NLT date with added emphasis on possible NBC training in preparation for actions against they're "highly aggressive and barbaric capitalist pig enemies".

I'm happy to be corrected on this but I'm pretty sure that what came to be known as "Division Cuba" didn't exist at the time that rcaf_777's scenario takes place.

[Webstral]

I like conspiracy theory as much as the next man, but a secret connivance between the Soviets and the Mexicans pre-nuke to take on the US with Mexican ground forces and Soviet promises of nuclear fire support is a recipe with a very generous portion of suspension of disbelief. The idea that the US wouldn’t notice a major Mexican mobilization and movement to the border is hard to swallow. The idea that the Mexicans would agree to go to war with the US before the nukes started flying is a bit much. Prior to the nuclear exchange, Mexico has things to lose. There’s no guarantee that the US won’t get wind of the whole thing and throw a generous package of nuclear fire at Mexico, even if the Soviets make good on any promises to nuke the US first. Even in a realm in which we regularly suspend a great deal of disbelief, the idea of a Mexican invasion of the US in October of 1997 is far-fetched.

However, this is not to say I’m not terribly fond of the idea of an SDF-based group of characters. They offer enormous potential. One doesn’t need to turn the existing chronology of Twilight: 2000 into a pretzel to make the most of playing in Texas with State Guardsmen. I’ll be keeping a very close eye on the forthcoming material as an example for AZSTAG 3rd Brigade in southern Arizona.

[Targan]

Originally Posted by Webstral

However, this is not to say I’m not terribly fond of the idea of an SDF-based group of characters. They offer enormous potential. One doesn’t need to turn the existing chronology of Twilight: 2000 into a pretzel to make the most of playing in Texas with State Guardsmen. I’ll be keeping a very close eye on the forthcoming material as an example for AZSTAG 3rd Brigade in southern Arizona.

Yes indeed. I wouldn't have bothered commenting on this thread if I wasn't intrigued by some of the ideas in the postulated scenario. Find a more likely starting date and I'll be completely hooked.