New Product Release: Tara Romaneasca (Romania)

[swaghauler]

Originally Posted by Raellus

One of the main reasons we chose the 173rd Airborne for the Romania Sourcebook is that it aligned so well with the v1 timeline, assuming the unit was based in Italy, as it was IRL. Italy's rapidly souring relationship with NATO and Romania's declaring for NATO line up almost perfectly. If the 173rd is in Italy at the time (December, 1996), it makes temporal, spacial, and logistical sense for it to be sent there.

Second, we wanted an "elite-light" unit, nothing too big or hard to move via air (as Romania is landlocked), for the US contingent.

For Refs who'd rather not use the 173rd, for whatever reason, here are a few suggested alternatives. These are units that would likely be reactivated in the event of WWIII. AFAIK, none are mentioned in canon, but all existed, at one point or another, IRL.

36th Airborne Brigade
71st Airborne Brigade

Or, for Refs who want a slightly larger US presence in Romania, there's...

11th Airborne Division
13th Airborne Division

-

All I can say is WHO CARES! When I don't like something, I'll change it.
Just look at my forum posts for proof of that.

[swaghauler]

Originally Posted by Tegyrius

The total word count on this book is around 85,000. Those of you who've previously bought The Pacific Northwest will have a basis for comparison: that one was about 65,000 words. As a professional writer, I find word count to be a more accurate measure of content than page count, as it's easy to inflate page count with large fonts (looking at you, first edition 7th Sea) or lots of art.

• Romanian History, Geography, and Culture - 9,000 words
• Romania's Twilight War History - 7,000 words
• Major Faction - Romania (military and government) - 9,000 words
• Major Faction - NATO - 7,000 words
• Major Faction - Warsaw Pact - 11,000
• Minor Factions - 8,000
• US State Department - 7,000
• Running Campaigns in Romania - 7,000
• Supernatural Options - 6,000

(I'm not listing word counts for the rules material because careers, weapons, and vehicles get screwy when assessed by word count.)

Again, those of you familiar with PNW will find the organization of many of these sections to be broadly familiar. It seemed to be a successful template, so we scraped a lot from it when we assembled the project outline for Tara Romaneasca.

- C.

You need to lay off the large print criticism mister! A man can have perfect vision his whole life and then one day, after passing the age of 50, he begins to notice that his arms aren't long enough to read the morning paper anymore. When that begins to occur, that large print becomes more welcoming... at least until he breaks down and goes to WALMART and buys a pair of "cheaters." One day, you'll be thankful for large print formats!

[Tegyrius]

Originally Posted by swaghauler

You need to lay off the large print criticism mister! A man can have perfect vision his whole life and then one day, after passing the age of 50, he begins to notice that his arms aren't long enough to read the morning paper anymore. When that begins to occur, that large print becomes more welcoming... at least until he breaks down and goes to WALMART and buys a pair of "cheaters." One day, you'll be thankful for large print formats!

I'm in reading glasses denial. The fact that I haven't painted a mini in five years is completely irrelevant.

- C.

[pmulcahy11b]

Originally Posted by Tegyrius

I'm in reading glasses denial. The fact that I haven't painted a mini in five years is completely irrelevant.

- C.

Bet I have it worse: I wear contacts and still have to wear reading glasses! My nearsightedness and astigmatism have gotten so bad that the doctor had to overcorrect my far vision and short my near vision. My far vision's corrected to 20/15, but my near vision's only corrected to about 20/30.

Don't even ask me what my uncorrected vision is -- I can't even make out the top letter on the eye chart...

[Raellus]

Ya'll know you can increase the magnification on PDFs, right?

-

[stilleto69]

Bought it. Like it and anything I don't like, I'll just make adjustments. No big deal. Just like I've always have.

[Targan]

Purchased, and like The Pacific North West, excellent work.

[Ckosacranoid]

I have not bought it yet, But I have to leave this comment from someone there.

Why the hell do we get the fun of having vampires as allies HOw in the bloody world did we get stuck with them Much less the bastards are british no less and if anyone says something about them needing tea....I am gong to shoot you.

Originally Posted by Ckosacranoid

I have not bought it yet, But I have to leave this comment from someone there.

Why the hell do we get the fun of having vampires as allies HOw in the bloody world did we get stuck with them Much less the bastards are british no less and if anyone says something about them needing tea....I am gong to shoot you.

Another mind lost to meth and bath salts. Terrible to see. Just say no kids. #justsayno

Also - I'd like to report someone threatening to shoot me. Thank goodness muggle weapons don't work on me.

[Tegyrius]

Thank you, stilleto69 and Targan!

Ckosacranoid, welcome to the forum. Please feel free to tell your correspondent that this sourcebook's vampires are (1) entirely optional, (2) only allies if the player characters have particularly poor judgement, and (3) rarely British. They're definitely intended to be adversaries, but war makes strange bedfellows...

- C.

[swaghauler]

Originally Posted by Spartan-117

Another mind lost to meth and bath salts. Terrible to see. Just say no kids. #justsayno

Also - I'd like to report someone threatening to shoot me. Thank goodness muggle weapons don't work on me.

I have that covered. 12 gauge hardwood slugs at a reduced velocity. Those slugs are drilled at the front and then stuffed with garlic and soaked in holy water. I then coat the lower half of the slug with silver plating etched with gold-plated crosses for good measure. I then take them to an "open-minded" Episcopalian priest (think "Catholic light") who blesses them. Guaranteed to make your vamps cry!

Goes good with my blessed .40 +p silver hollow points stuffed with wolf's bane and holy water.

I love DARK CONSPIRACY!

[.45cultist]

A swage press, epoxy and silver wire cut up to replace the lead core and you have a suitable round that won't tear up your barrel! This time my DC stuff ports over to T2K!

[shrike6]

Finally broke down and bought Tara Romaneasca along with some of the other new modules for v1/2 like Rook's Gambit and the Korean and East African sourcebooks. Yes I'm a cheap ass bastard because those were $2.99 comparing Korea and Rook's to Tara Romaneasca you can tell the writing has evolved do not get me wrong those were good Tara is just better. There are a page or two that make me cringe though but other than that, its still worth the money.

[Tegyrius]

Thanks for the support, Shrike. May I ask which elements made you twitch? This hopefully isn’t my last project for this game line, nor Rae’s, so constructive feedback will make our future projects even better.

The price point for this (and Pacific Northwest) was my request. In terms of word count and page count, both books surpass the size of the original 2e sourcebooks whose PDFs now sell for the same price. Folks are free to disagree but I like to think Rae and I have given good value for the money.

- C.

Mărțișor Fericit!

Happy March 1st! If my new copy of Tara Romaneasca is correct, today I should visit a spring festival, eat porridge, and sabotage an oil refinery!

[shrike6]

Originally Posted by Tegyrius

Thanks for the support, Shrike. May I ask which elements made you twitch? This hopefully isn’t my last project for this game line, nor Rae’s, so constructive feedback will make our future projects even better.

You'd think it would be the 173rd being used. While I am in the camp that the Herd is roaming the African Savanna that really doesnt bother me all that much. What does bother me is the history of one of its subunits the 2-555th. Seemed to me anyways, that it was not well thought out so you could make a cheap easy joke on politicians that seemed out of place. While I get your precedent on it would be the ship naming process in the US Navy in the present day. It is much easier to put a politically favorable name on a nameless ship then it is to replace a regiment with a long history with the state and 100s of veterans associated with that regiment for a more politically in vogue one. While it may be possible I can't see doing that as tenable if that politician wants another term. Let's face it to make the Airborne battalion to work numbers wise in a small state like WV you would have had to reorganize one of the combat arms battalions (1/150th Cav or 1/201st FA). I also get the meta joke that goes beyond the surface with using the WV NG given that one of the former IRL US Senators for WV during the 90s was a former Klansman.
What I would have done is place the battalion in IL with their historic African American regiment the 370th Infantry Regiment and changed that to Airborne. the IL NG is bigger and much more able to absorb an additional battalion. The 370th has a great history going back to the Spanish American War compared with the 555th which has no combat history at all. The Germans called the 370th die Schwarzen Teufel. Let's face it Black Devils sounds like the nickname of an Airborne regiment anyways.Call the battalion either the 2-370th Airborne to still honor the 2nd Ranger Company or 555-370th Airborne like the 100th-442nd to honor the 555th and that way you get your NG Airborne battalion and honor African Americans at the same time with an actual attachment to the state it is placed in and a combat history to be proud of in that way it would have been far less cringe worthy for me. In the end its author's choice and I enjoyed the rest of the module.

Originally Posted by Tegyrius

The price point for this (and Pacific Northwest) was my request. In terms of word count and page count, both books surpass the size of the original 2e sourcebooks whose PDFs now sell for the same price. Folks are free to disagree but I like to think Rae and I have given good value for the money.

- C.

That was a self deprecating joke wasn't meant as a comment on your price point. For example I dont buy video games when they first come out I will wait until the prices fall. Why? Because I am a cheap ass bastard who can wait six months for the prices to fall 50%. I usually dont need to be on the cutting edge of retail. Think of it as an honor that I bought it in the first week at all.

[pmulcahy11b]

I'm glad that all these books (and some magazines and other books) are coming out in PDF format. My house is only 1250 square feet, and even the master bedroom (which is my bedroom -- it's my house!) is crammed full of stuff. I don't even buy books or magazines if they don't come in PDF format. I just don't have the room.

[shrike6]

Originally Posted by pmulcahy11b

I'm glad that all these books (and some magazines and other books) are coming out in PDF format. My house is only 1250 square feet, and even the master bedroom (which is my bedroom -- it's my house!) is crammed full of stuff. I don't even buy books or magazines if they don't come in PDF format. I just don't have the room.

Ain't that the truth

[Tegyrius]

Originally Posted by shrike6

You'd think it would be the 173rd being used. While I am in the camp that the Herd is roaming the African Savanna that really doesnt bother me all that much.

Enh. User preference is user preference. For whatever it may be worth, we had some discussion on the 173rd in Romania a couple of years ago. You can see some of the seeds of this sourcebook in that conversation.

Originally Posted by shrike6

What does bother me is the history of one of its subunits the 2-555th. Seemed to me anyways, that it was not well thought out so you could make a cheap easy joke on politicians that seemed out of place. While I get your precedent on it would be the ship naming process in the US Navy in the present day. It is much easier to put a politically favorable name on a nameless ship then it is to replace a regiment with a long history with the state and 100s of veterans associated with that regiment for a more politically in vogue one. While it may be possible I can't see doing that as tenable if that politician wants another term. Let's face it to make the Airborne battalion to work numbers wise in a small state like WV you would have had to reorganize one of the combat arms battalions (1/150th Cav or 1/201st FA). I also get the meta joke that goes beyond the surface with using the WV NG given that one of the former IRL US Senators for WV during the 90s was a former Klansman.
What I would have done is place the battalion in IL with their historic African American regiment the 370th Infantry Regiment and changed that to Airborne. the IL NG is bigger and much more able to absorb an additional battalion. The 370th has a great history going back to the Spanish American War compared with the 555th which has no combat history at all. The Germans called the 370th die Schwarzen Teufel. Let's face it Black Devils sounds like the nickname of an Airborne regiment anyways.Call the battalion either the 2-370th Airborne to still honor the 2nd Ranger Company or 555-370th Airborne like the 100th-442nd to honor the 555th and that way you get your NG Airborne battalion and honor African Americans at the same time with an actual attachment to the state it is placed in and a combat history to be proud of in that way it would have been far less cringe worthy for me. In the end its author's choice and I enjoyed the rest of the module.

So... fair comments. I will say up front that I am not as up on Army heraldry and unit lineages as you are. This is one of the hazards of this line of work... there's always gonna be a SME out there, and I'm never gonna find a SME to consult with on every detail of a book.

It's a bit late and I'm a bit fried to reconstruct my precise reasoning, but my recollection is that we selected the 555th as a nod to its use in Frank Frey's original notes for the unpublished (and perhaps unwritten beyond notes/outline stage) Lions of Twilight.

Working from there, I needed to find a state in which to place our round-out battalion. My original thinking was Texas because of the ridiculous size of its National Guard component and because of its current real-world 1-143 Infantry. However, a couple of factors drove me away from that, chief among which was the desire to leave Texas alone in case another future author needs to reconstitute the 36th or 71st Airborne Brigade for another locale. I did leave myself an out for that in the writeup for 2-555, as well. I mentioned that three other states also received National Guard airborne battalions... so there's room for another author to use 1-555, 3-555, or 4-555.

(At any rate, I wouldn't have picked on the Illinois National Guard because someone might think I had it in for them. I already did a bunch of damage to their 66th Infantry Brigade as part of the 47th ID in Pacific Northwest.)

West Virginia appealed to me for a couple of reasons. First, because of its mountainous terrain, I felt like a unit coming from there would be vaguely suited to fighting a mountain insurgency in Romania. Second, when I was a kid, I read a factoid that West Virginia historically is the state with the highest per-capita rates of military volunteerism and Medal of Honor awards. I don't know if it's true, but that has always stuck with me.

The backhanded swipe at their congresscritter wasn't actually intentional, but I'll take it as a fortuitous coincidence because I'm snarky like that.

I agree with you 100% about the force strength of other WV NG components being affected by this, and I did note in 2-555's profile that it received a number of transfers from 1-150 Cav and 2-19 SFG. In an early draft, I did mention that those units had not yet recovered full manning and combat effectiveness by the time of the war, but I cut that during development. I trimmed a lot of unnecessary words to make the layout look good, and it wasn't really relevant to this sourcebook because they weren't in Romania.

It also was my intent - albeit never actually written down - that 2-555 was headquartered in WV but not 100% staffed by West Virginians. Again, that drew from real-world precedent (at least according to Wikipedia, which shows D Troop of 1-150 Cav based in North Carolina). As a Kentucky native, it was in the back of my head that 2-555 had one company drawn from the Ashland area, including some guys whose civilian jobs were at the Catlettsburg refinery, but that also was a level of minutiae that didn't make it into the manuscript.

Having said all of that, I like your analysis and selection, too. If I were going in that direction, I might go with the 369th because of Michael Longcor's Ballad of Esau's Sons, in which case I'd've made the battalion a NY NG unit headquartered somewhere in the Catskills.

- C.

[shrike6]

I'll keep this part short. I can't argue with most of it although could come with better examples. The 369th has a fine history but I dismissed them because the NY NG was stretched putting 4 bdes together IRL. Also I go back and forth about using them as an ADA battalion for the 42nd ID since they also have a CA/AAA history as well.

Originally Posted by Tegyrius

It's a bit late and I'm a bit fried to reconstruct my precise reasoning, but my recollection is that we selected the 555th as a nod to its use in Frank Frey's original notes for the unpublished (and perhaps unwritten beyond notes/outline stage) Lions of Twilight.

Just as a point of fact, Frank Frey posted two orbats for the 173rd Airborne. The first in a series of posts in 2000/2001, the second in 2003 which that link has.

2000

An Open Letter to Frank Frey.

Either cede the field or put out a sourcebook on this topic. Some half-considered notes are worth exactly what I can pay for them: nothing.

In the meantime, I have purchased two copies of TR, one for myself, and one for a friend in Poland. $9.99 each.

PS: 1st, 2nd, 3rd, AND 4th, BN of any single Regiment end up in the same Brigade? Really?

[Ckosacranoid]

Bought the book and took a few days to read. The were wolves are funny also to add in to the Vampires.....just as long as the bastards do not sparkle....

[Tegyrius]

This book's vampires only sparkle if you use sufficient white phosphorus.

- C.

The ongoing illegal and unprovoked Russian attack against Ukraine is giving me a ton of ideas on how to structure Romanian resistance, tips tactics and techniques that defending forces might employee against Soviet occupiers, and how deadly a similar TW2K era incursion might be to invading forces.

Really enjoying this one!

[pmulcahy11b]

Originally Posted by Spartan-117

PS: 1st, 2nd, 3rd, AND 4th, BN of any single Regiment end up in the same Brigade? Really?

This is common in Airborne units, but I've never seen it in any other division except the 82nd Airborne.

[Homer]

There were serial regiment battalions in some Army National Guard brigades as well. For instance, 39th Infantry Brigade (AR ARNG) had 1st, 2d, 3d battalions 153rd IN. That was a function of states frequently having single “branch” regiments under CARS.