Just thinking about a new game start

[LT. Ox]

You are in Colorado one day before the EMP strike and...........
Ok this is a bit skimpy I know.
For me it would involve a retired Military current deputy Sheriff and his extended family, perhaps a friend or two and
SURVIVAL
For you?

[StainlessSteelCynic]

Funny you should mention it but I too have been thinking about a new game these last few days.
I'm in the situation where I'd be advertising at my Friendly Local Game Store (FLGS) for players and with that in mind, many of them are going to be 20- or 30-somethings with me and the game store owner as the oldest gamers at the table (him, late 40s, me 50). Fortunately for me, my FLGS has a game room so location is easy to sort out and I can pretty much count on the FLGS owner to be one of the players.

So with all that in mind I've been rethinking the start of a T2k campaign and with the type of players I can get (who are probably all going to be new faces to me with the exception of the FLGS owner), I'm thinking of going with a variation of D&D's tired old "You all meet in a tavern" trope.
In this case however I was thinking of having the PCs meet at a military evacuation point and have them be told that there are too many people to evacuate and because the world has fallen apart, the governments no longer truly exist and the military doesn't have enough resources to look after you anymore so you'll have to look after yourselves... "Good luck because from here on, you're on your own."

But given the majority of the players I'm likely to get, I'm specifically going to be pushing for a survival and rebuilding game rather than any "Keep fighting the nasty commies" type game and I'm also probably going to advance the timeline to 2020... Twilight: 2020. So my game would be something akin to the rebuild civilization mission of The Morrow Project game but in this case, the PCs have to recover all the cool gear themselves before they can start rebuilding... and they have to survive long enough to be able to get themselves into a position before they can even start rebuilding.

This is my current line of thought regarding a timeline to 2020, based on real events up to now (2015).
Russia continues to gobble up former Warsaw Treaty nations until NATO is finally pushed into doing something. Fighting is conventional but the Russians pay the Chinese to conduct cyber warfare against NATO until the point where the Russians start to default on their payments to the Chinese. The Chinese conduct cyber thefts against the Russian banks/treasury in retaliation. Russia and China go to war. Russia nukes the Chinese, the Chinese nuke Russia right back, Russian command figures "What the hell, let's use nukes on everybody and also chemical and bio weapons". World goes to hell in a handbasket.

[LT. Ox]

Which rule set? I am just now getting some play testing with the 2013 set.
I think I am going to like it.

[Targan]

Originally Posted by StainlessSteelCynic

Funny you should mention it but I too have been thinking about a new game these last few days.
I'm in the situation where I'd be advertising at my Friendly Local Game Store (FLGS) for players and with that in mind, many of them are going to be 20- or 30-somethings with me and the game store owner as the oldest gamers at the table (him, late 40s, me 50). Fortunately for me, my FLGS has a game room so location is easy to sort out and I can pretty much count on the FLGS owner to be one of the players.

Is that so? Hmmm...

[LT. Ox]

Don't look now but some one is lurking over your shoulder.

[StainlessSteelCynic]

LOL! Lurker Alert!
Targan lives probably no more than 30-40 klicks away from me and any sort of modern, post-apoc gaming is few and far between in this town so I can understand his interest

As for rules: -
I'm not particularly familiar with the 2013 rules but there are some aspects of them that I like and would use (such as the one where a PC can sacrifice a piece of valuable gear instead of taking the damage themselves - can't remember the specifics but that's basically it) and there's also a set of rebuilding rules very much like the old Aftermath post-apoc game had, but more up to date.

While I know Targan likes a rules set that he can sink his teeth into, I favour lighter rules, something that doesn't spend much time getting in the way of the story or the players interactions with each other and the GM. I've been used to running the 2.2 rules for some time and with a few house rules and other mods here and there I'm 90% likely to use them. One of my common house rules is to lower the number of hit points PCs get, a much quicker and easier way to increase the damage factor without rewriting every weapons damage stats.

I find applying difficulty factors and task numbers very easy with the 2.2 rules and they use a minimal amount of dice compared to some systems (for instance, I'm playing in a ShadowRun game at the moment, I had to get more D6 because eight wasn't enough!) Combat is still a little clunky compared to some games but no game I've ever played or run has really satisfied me in that regard and the other aspects of the 2.2 rules compensate me for that part.

Over the years I've fallen more into the Storyteller type DM and have left the Rules Enforcer type DM far behind - if a player wants to do something crazy but spectacular that maybe fits into the rules but definitely fits in with the story and isn't outside the bounds of gameworld reality, I'll let them take a shot at it. I work with a maxim that I stole from a friend - no restrictions, only consequences - if a player wants to do something crazy I'm not going to immediately shout "No you can't do that" but they better understand that there will be consequences.

At the moment I'll have to give at least one months notice at the very least to inform/attract any other players so nothing is happening just yet.

Targan, time slots for the shop's game room are some weekday evenings/nights and Sunday during the day and evening - personally I'd prefer a Saturday but the other times are booked up with other groups so Sunday is my current preference for the most likely session time.

[LT. Ox]

Er how soon do you need an interest note about that game?
Wife will be pissed and I do not mean on beer, yep I trained with a few of you crazy misplaced Irishmen.
a long long time ago.

[StainlessSteelCynic]

Originally Posted by LT. Ox

Er how soon do you need an interest note about that game?
Wife will be pissed and I do not mean on beer, yep I trained with a few of you crazy misplaced Irishmen.
a long long time ago.

Hahahaha!
Well, you have at least, one month to relocate all your worldly possessions to Down Under to be able to attend

[.45cultist]

Originally Posted by LT. Ox

Which rule set? I am just now getting some play testing with the 2013 set.
I think I am going to like it.

T2013 is very versatile for that. I've been slowly putting together something like that. A military doctor, her ex mil husband, foreign relatives. The doc was waivered due to late term pregnancy. Oldest son at BMT/AIT(EX USAF, so forgive any mangling of army terms). I could run the son at the mexican front, the family back home for two linked campaigns.

[Elf86]

I'm putting together a campaign where the players (one guy so far) is running a platoon of German KSK in northern Afghanistan hunting down terrorists and drug lords. Twenty total men in a full strength platoon with support personnel and base support from US forces. The file is a partially complete roster of what the unit will look like. I have a mountain of data on the terrorists, just need to compile it into an organized manner. Only job hunting has stood in my way . The date will be March 2008 and will serve there until November 2008. Nine months of recon, patrols, raids, attacks and base defense against the bad guys. No T2K background at all.

Whadda'yal think?

[LT. Ox]

Originally Posted by Elf86

I'm putting together a campaign where the players (one guy so far) is running a platoon of German KSK in northern Afghanistan hunting down terrorists and drug lords. Twenty total men in a full strength platoon with support personnel and base support from US forces. The file is a partially complete roster of what the unit will look like. I have a mountain of data on the terrorists, just need to compile it into an organized manner. Only job hunting has stood in my way . The date will be March 2008 and will serve there until November 2008. Nine months of recon, patrols, raids, attacks and base defense against the bad guys. No T2K background at all.

Whadda'yal think?

I think it sounds fun and good luck with the Job hunt!

[LT. Ox]

Originally Posted by .45cultist

T2013 is very versatile for that. I've been slowly putting together something like that. A military doctor, her ex mil husband, foreign relatives. The doc was waivered due to late term pregnancy. Oldest son at BMT/AIT(EX USAF, so forgive any mangling of army terms). I could run the son at the mexican front, the family back home for two linked campaigns.

I have a son and his family in Oregon now( as of two months ago) and His son Is my name sake ( Harry IV) who wants to game and go in the Army, Working on learning the Roll Twenty site to facilitate a game.
the more I read and play test the 2013 the more I like the set.

[.45cultist]

Dug up my domestic food stuff and I think I have some civvie camp stuff stats for T2 K2.2. T2013 has some of that already.

[StainlessSteelCynic]

Originally Posted by .45cultist

Dug up my domestic food stuff and I think I have some civvie camp stuff stats for T2 K2.2. T2013 has some of that already.

I'd definitely be interested in seeing those stats if you're ready to post them.

[LT. Ox]

Originally Posted by StainlessSteelCynic

I'd definitely be interested in seeing those stats if you're ready to post them.

I would like to as well.

[.45cultist]

Originally Posted by LT. Ox

I would like to as well.

The well done lists are mostly from a field military angle but civilians and bases have domestic food, a subject that can be expanded upon quite a bit. Condensed soup is an interesting subject, since it's sugested that one use an equal amount of water.

[LT. Ox]

Originally Posted by .45cultist

The well done lists are mostly from a field military angle but civilians and bases have domestic food, a subject that can be expanded upon quite a bit. Condensed soup is an interesting subject, since it's sugested that one use an equal amount of water.

As one that carried my meals in cans, a whole lot of cans, I am here to tell you that they take a lot of room, are a major noise problem and the clean up disposal is also a major pain.
but it you have an old time steel helmet then the stews you can make are pretty tasty.
Carried two meals in a wool sock, well two cans of meals add in the dry stuff in the butt pack you tied off the socks for three, four or five days worth then attached them were ever they would fit.
Not only the meals but the load bearing gear is so much better now.

[StainlessSteelCynic]

Haha, I remember doing the same sort of thing in the Aussie Army. We were using the US M56 webbing back then with Aussie ammo pouches for the SLR. The buttpacks were good pieces of kit, when we changed to the new Auscam webbing they continued to issue the buttpack (or as we call it, the bumpack). The main meals in our ratpacks were in tins back then as well.

As I recall it, the procedure at the time for the tins was to "burn, bash & bury" them once they'd been used - burn any remaining foodscraps out of them, bash 'em down flat then bury them deep.
That changed some years later when they figured that certain enemies could still locate the buried rubbish by either metal detectors or even sense of smell in some places, and we had to haul all the rubbish back with us.

[LT. Ox]

Originally Posted by StainlessSteelCynic

Haha, I remember doing the same sort of thing in the Aussie Army. We were using the US M56 webbing back then with Aussie ammo pouches for the SLR. The buttpacks were good pieces of kit, when we changed to the new Auscam webbing they continued to issue the buttpack (or as we call it, the bumpack). The main meals in our ratpacks were in tins back then as well.

As I recall it, the procedure at the time for the tins was to "burn, bash & bury" them once they'd been used - burn any remaining foodscraps out of them, bash 'em down flat then bury them deep.
That changed some years later when they figured that certain enemies could still locate the buried rubbish by either metal detectors or even sense of smell in some places, and we had to haul all the rubbish back with us.

Dang burn bash and bury!!!

I had forgot that. Same same for us in Nam. I often wondered why we were so dang carful about trashing the country side just after I called in about forty rounds of Willy Pete.
here is another oldy but goody.
Det cord and c-3 not for the enemy but to heat rations and to cut trees.
Just do not stomp on that c-3 when it is burning, never did nor did I see any results just the idea that it might go bang was enough to let it burn out. a marble size ball would heat the canteen cup boiling hot.
good old zippo lighter and c-4.

[.45cultist]

Originally Posted by LT. Ox

As one that carried my meals in cans, a whole lot of cans, I am here to tell you that they take a lot of room, are a major noise problem and the clean up disposal is also a major pain.
but it you have an old time steel helmet then the stews you can make are pretty tasty.
Carried two meals in a wool sock, well two cans of meals add in the dry stuff in the butt pack you tied off the socks for three, four or five days worth then attached them were ever they would fit.
Not only the meals but the load bearing gear is so much better now.

The fruitcake could turn alcoholic according to a marine from that era.

[.45cultist]

Originally Posted by LT. Ox

As one that carried my meals in cans, a whole lot of cans, I am here to tell you that they take a lot of room, are a major noise problem and the clean up disposal is also a major pain.
but it you have an old time steel helmet then the stews you can make are pretty tasty.
Carried two meals in a wool sock, well two cans of meals add in the dry stuff in the butt pack you tied off the socks for three, four or five days worth then attached them were ever they would fit.
Not only the meals but the load bearing gear is so much better now.

Ramen is lighter, but the ones in foam containers have a shorter lifespan due to the eco-friendly styrofoam breaking down. The ones in plastic are more compact, one is included in the "Hunger Buster" ration in a Japanese ration book. the plastic bowl ones are more bulky, but some tasty options are there. Probably will have to measure water to get weight. If one eats two kinds of food, which weight applies? I.E. 1kg domestic, 1kg wild food is eaten by a character.

[ArmySGT.]

Originally Posted by StainlessSteelCynic

Funny you should mention it but I too have been thinking about a new game these last few days.
I'm in the situation where I'd be advertising at my Friendly Local Game Store (FLGS) for players and with that in mind, many of them are going to be 20- or 30-somethings with me and the game store owner as the oldest gamers at the table (him, late 40s, me 50). Fortunately for me, my FLGS has a game room so location is easy to sort out and I can pretty much count on the FLGS owner to be one of the players.

So with all that in mind I've been rethinking the start of a T2k campaign and with the type of players I can get (who are probably all going to be new faces to me with the exception of the FLGS owner), I'm thinking of going with a variation of D&D's tired old "You all meet in a tavern" trope.
In this case however I was thinking of having the PCs meet at a military evacuation point and have them be told that there are too many people to evacuate and because the world has fallen apart, the governments no longer truly exist and the military doesn't have enough resources to look after you anymore so you'll have to look after yourselves... "Good luck because from here on, you're on your own."

But given the majority of the players I'm likely to get, I'm specifically going to be pushing for a survival and rebuilding game rather than any "Keep fighting the nasty commies" type game and I'm also probably going to advance the timeline to 2020... Twilight: 2020. So my game would be something akin to the rebuild civilization mission of The Morrow Project game but in this case, the PCs have to recover all the cool gear themselves before they can start rebuilding... and they have to survive long enough to be able to get themselves into a position before they can even start rebuilding.

This is my current line of thought regarding a timeline to 2020, based on real events up to now (2015).
Russia continues to gobble up former Warsaw Treaty nations until NATO is finally pushed into doing something. Fighting is conventional but the Russians pay the Chinese to conduct cyber warfare against NATO until the point where the Russians start to default on their payments to the Chinese. The Chinese conduct cyber thefts against the Russian banks/treasury in retaliation. Russia and China go to war. Russia nukes the Chinese, the Chinese nuke Russia right back, Russian command figures "What the hell, let's use nukes on everybody and also chemical and bio weapons". World goes to hell in a handbasket.

So some troops that were dunkirked out of Singapore, Hong Kong, and the Philippines?

[StainlessSteelCynic]

Originally Posted by ArmySGT.

So some troops that were dunkirked out of Singapore, Hong Kong, and the Philippines?

Why not? The evacuation station idea was a quick & easy solution to getting all the PCs together in one place, but the evac stations could be anywhere the GM wants them.
To be brutally honest, I haven't advanced the idea much past Europe and my thought was to place the evac station somewhere near Kalisz (as a nod to the original game). I haven't given any consideration yet to the rest of the world but a campaign starting in the Philippines, Hong Kong or Singapore would be very good, especially if the game allows the Chinese to have increased their blue water navy (e.g. that aircraft carrier they've been playing with) and there's been major maritime operations and combat actions in the region.
Would make for an interesting mix of nationalities, Chinese, Russian, Japanese, British, US, Taiwanese, Vietnamese, Filipino, Malaysian, Indonesian, Singaporean, Korean - both sides, Cambodian, Laotian, Thai, maybe even Burmese, Indian, Bangladeshi, Tibetan, Nepalese, Sri Lankan and Papua New Guinean.
And of course there's much greater chance for us Aussie & Kiwis to be throw into the mix!

[ArmySGT.]

There you go....... a free for all in the South China sea between China, Singapore, Indonesia, Viet Nam, and the Phillipines for surviving oil drilling rigs in the Spratly Island chain.

Corporate interests like BP and Shell are hiring armed private contractors with small boat and scuba experience.

[StainlessSteelCynic]

And interesting you should mention that because I recall the 2nd Ed. module* Operation Crouching Dragon was essentially that scenario (specifically involving the Spratly Islands).


* written for the Merc: 2000 alternate timeline and not Twilight: 2000 as such

[ArmySGT.]

Doesn't everyone become mercenaries when national armies breakdown after T2k?

You can also run missions to supplies spotters or be spotters like the stay behinds that reported on Japanese naval or air assets in WW2.

Humanitarian missions moving medical relief supplies while protecting same from bandits or corrupt government officials.

The gone native troops who take up island or village life and want to forget the modern world while protecting their new home from bandits or drug growers.

Bataan like survivors running and gunning in an escape and evasion scenario from local forces.

Seals/UDT/Frogmen doing fast ashore sabotage and raid missions from a hastily converted diesel electric submarine.

[Bullet Magnet]

Originally Posted by .45cultist

If one eats two kinds of food, which weight applies? I.E. 1kg domestic, 1kg wild food is eaten by a character.

This is where math would come into play. As I recall (without looking it up in my books), a person requires 2kg of domestic food, or 3kg of wild food. So, with your example, the person has had a kilogram of each, or, half the daily "dosage" in domestic food, and then a third of the dosage of wild.
1/2 + 1/3 = 5/6. Personally, I think this could qualify as "close enough", especially if the character is not very large.