Damocles 2017

[ArmySGT.]

The other threat to Damocles is the Maxwell's Militia.

It the "After the Module" events for "Liberation at Riverton" that can bring this scenario on fast. If Maxwell's Militia finds that the "Troops" at Riverton are no longer around to prevent it I am sure they will send someone fast to take that over. Everyone wants the munitions, the weapons, the radios, and especially the manuals............ Bunker after Bunker of munitions and 105mm tank ammuntion at that!

Maxwell's Militia is going to be on that like a pack of hyenas. Then when Damocles starts transmitting a new rival for the region is going to have to be investigated.

[Capt Gideon]

The most glaring omission from the module is first the second elevator which has been addressed in another blog. One personal elevator large enough for a hospital gurney with a 1500 kg capacity, the other a cargo elevator at least 3.5 meters deep and 2.5 meters wide with a 5000 kg capacity. But the biggest thing missing was the utilities. Next to or between the elevators should be a large utility shaft containing a service ladder defending to all levels. Two large ventilation ducts, primary supply and primary return to supply fresh or recycled air to all levels (breathing is important). Next is the power lines (440VAC, 220VAC, 110VAC and 440VDC, 110VDC), Telecommunications and networking cables, plus compressed air lines (2000psi, 700psi, 100psi and filtered 100psi Emergency Air Breather EAB supply). Then there is potable water supply, pure water supply, and septic disposal line. A new level need to be added to handle air processing, water treatment, air compressors, water demineralized, water storage, Oxygen generator, nitrogen concentrator, along with all necessary storage and transformers and converters. Also I added bulk storage on this level for operating supplies.
When I last ran this module it was back in the early 90s and half the players were former military including a former Navy SEAL. I had to detail the base as much as possible because my players would look for the details and expect common sense. Stupid oversights don't fly.
Damocles would have been a D.A.R.P.A. project and with no active military bases in the UP anymore (all closed) it is not likely that this is where Damocles project would be located, a former missile complex that was repurposed would be much more likely. Two books I found very handy are "Last Line of Defense, Nike Missile Sites in Illinois" and "US Strategic and Defense Missile Systems 1950-2004" by Osprey in the Fortress series. In fact I recommend many of the Osprey books if you want idea what certain groups might have and what they might look like, even the books on Zeppelins can help with Ballooners.

[ArmySGT.]

Originally Posted by Capt Gideon

The most glaring omission from the module is first the second elevator which has been addressed in another blog. One personal elevator large enough for a hospital gurney with a 1500 kg capacity, the other a cargo elevator at least 3.5 meters deep and 2.5 meters wide with a 5000 kg capacity. But the biggest thing missing was the utilities. Next to or between the elevators should be a large utility shaft containing a service ladder defending to all levels. Two large ventilation ducts, primary supply and primary return to supply fresh or recycled air to all levels (breathing is important). Next is the power lines (440VAC, 220VAC, 110VAC and 440VDC, 110VDC), Telecommunications and networking cables, plus compressed air lines (2000psi, 700psi, 100psi and filtered 100psi Emergency Air Breather EAB supply). Then there is potable water supply, pure water supply, and septic disposal line. A new level need to be added to handle air processing, water treatment, air compressors, water demineralized, water storage, Oxygen generator, nitrogen concentrator, along with all necessary storage and transformers and converters. Also I added bulk storage on this level for operating supplies.
When I last ran this module it was back in the early 90s and half the players were former military including a former Navy SEAL. I had to detail the base as much as possible because my players would look for the details and expect common sense. Stupid oversights don't fly.
Damocles would have been a D.A.R.P.A. project and with no active military bases in the UP anymore (all closed) it is not likely that this is where Damocles project would be located, a former missile complex that was repurposed would be much more likely. Two books I found very handy are "Last Line of Defense, Nike Missile Sites in Illinois" and "US Strategic and Defense Missile Systems 1950-2004" by Osprey in the Fortress series. In fact I recommend many of the Osprey books if you want idea what certain groups might have and what they might look like, even the books on Zeppelins can help with Ballooners.

I use the Osprey books quite a bit. Especially the series on Native American tribes to flesh out the encounter groups. The fortress series for colonial period wooden forts, and Viet Nam or WW2 bunkers and such for scenario set up.

Lots of good points on setting up an underground facility.

Point to ponder....... Damocles is and may have been meant to be a one off prototype. Never actually meant to take over or run the North American defense network. A proof of concept model if you will. Which gives the PD the possibility that there is another complex with a Damocles II contained within that is even more capable.

[Capt Gideon]

I have run the Project Damocles three times, once with Second Edition and twice with Third Edition rules. Now I am planning to run it a forth time under the new rules. I have redesigned and detailed the original facility twice and have never been truly happy with it. This time I plan to use a real underground facility that lies abandoned by the USAF, the 850th SMW Titan I Launch Site A. The Titan I launch facilities were the largest and had the shortest service life of all ICBM facilities, being deactivated in the mid 1960's. It was a massive facility interconnecting three silo complexes with a twin antenna complex. two massive dooms structures at and over 100-feet in diameter, as well as support tunnels and other underground structures. It is very easy to see how this complex could be taken over as a underground D.A.R.P.A. research facility. There are no longer any military installations in the upper peninsula of Mich. so the reason for having the facility there makes no sense. This site is actually visible on Google Maps just off the I-90 Freeway east of Rapid City SD (Ellsworth AFB), find the 171st Ave Exit and follow the 171st North about a mile and a quarter there is a dead end road heading east, this leads to Launch site alpha complex, look on satellite view and you can pick out the features. Doing an image search has given me dozens of line drawings and pictures of the interior of the tunnels which are great for building the feel for where the players are at I placed the Fusion Reactor Development project at the bottom of one silo with the old liquid oxygen tank serving as a liquid Deuterium storage giving an explanation of why the reactor has stayed fueled for 150+ years and giving the players a possible way to refuel their fusion reactors and packs should it become necessary. I put Damocles in another silo complex along with robotic research, modified the antenna complex so that one is a high gain trainable satellite antenna and the other is a phased array radar. The top of the Damocles silo has a bunker with an elevator that leads down to floors in the silo where the SU and MDU are stored. The remaining silo can be used for anything or nothing, I had the idea to use it for a future adventure where the team must find the components of and transport, prepare and launch of a Delta IV rocket to launch a satellite using the third silo.

[mikeo80]

WOW !!!

Very nice. Excellent resource!!

My $0.02

Mike

[nuke11]

For those looking for the launch complex enter this into Google to get the access road;

22549-22557 171st Ave, Owanka, SD 57767, USA

[nuke11]

The original module give some good points as to why Damocles was built in the upper peninsula of Michigan (page 11). These still hold true for the 3rd or 4th edition timelines. it will be interesting to read the re-write of this module updated for the 4th edition.

I like the idea of using the old missile complex as a DARPA black project site, but depending on the timeline used it is really close to active silos that would be targeted.

You also have to take into account that by START I/II agreements, all of these sites where to be decommissioned, so it would raise the interest of the Soviet Union (or Russia depending on the timeline) if one of these complex's showed signs of use afterwards. Erecting new above ground structures could be a problem.

An interesting place to look at is one of the AT&T L-5 Junction Centers an example here http://www.missilebases.com/ballardmissouri. They are 4 story in most cases underground hardened bunkers. There where a lot of them around the country.