Welcome... Home? (Twilight:2000) (Post Apocalypse)(Looking for 2-3 more players)

Started by AlexStone, May 27, 2013, 08:30:33 PM

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AlexStone

Twilight:2000 has very little to do with sparkling vampires who emotionally abuse high school girls.  In fact, it's about as different as you can get, and still take place on Earth in the same rough time period.  So, if you were expecting some sort of Twilight/Buffy/Angel/X-Files crossover, well, get to work running that game, 'cause it would be pretty fun.

Twilight:2000 is an older RPG, that had a niche, but loyal following (And still does, just even more of a niche), and aimed to give players a gritty, fairly realistic sense of roleplaying in the aftermath of a nuclear Third World War.  The first edition, published in the 1980s postulated a NATO/Warsaw Pact/Chinese threeway in the near future, while the second edition, published in the 1990s, made it an alternate history game.  The third edition completely rewrote the history into the context of the Global War on Terror, and the nukes flew once the French launched a nuclear strike against Belarus, and the less said about that setting, the better.  However, we will, in a sense, be using the third edition rules, but more on that below.  (And, also, below, you'll find a very short history of the war.)

In this particular game, rather than the traditional survivors of 5th Mech's destruction in the last offensive in the war, players will be in a more structured environment: the 4/4th Cavalry Squadron (Armored), the divisional cavalry squadron of the 3rd Mechanized Infantry Division.  If that just made your eyes glaze over, but you're still interested, you will play characters that are part of a military unit in a post-apocalyptic environment, which means that while you have to follow orders, you'll enjoy the support of 5-7000 other veterans of hard combat and stockpiled supplies.  Because of the unit you're in, you'll largely conduct operations on your own, where you can employ your own initiative in getting the job done, though you'll have less support because of your independent operations- in other words, if you're used to a format like D&D or Shadowrun, where you get a job and aren't told too much about how to do it, you won't have too much adjustment.  And, if you like more sandboxy stuff, we won't skip over all the downtime between operations- so, you'll have as much freedom to explore that as you may want.  (Or if you just want to pull guard duty and sleep back at camp, we can accommodate that, too.)

The plot of the game starts as Operation OMEGA wraps up.  OMEGA was the massive evacuation of US troops from Central Europe to the US, using the last sealift capacity in the world, and will be the last major operation of its type for a long, long time.  (If you're familiar with the game, these are the events described in Going Home, though we're picking up with the results of that effort, and I'm fudging it so that there's enough sealift to move US Heavy Equipment and supplies out of Germany)  Because of the food problem- that is, there's no more industrial food production/processing complex- the arriving units are going to be landing along the US East Coast.  3rd Mech will try to find a place to land along Chesapeake Bay, where it will hunker down for the winter of 2000/2001, and prepare for further operations in support of the Military Government of the United States.  However, the US that the characters will return to is not at all the one that they left.  Things have changed nearly beyond recognition, and, in a real way, the PCs are part of an army invading their homeland.  (If you're playing an American- there's plenty of good reasons why a non-US National would be along for the ride, if you have a hankering to play something else.  See more below.)

Here's a fairly compressed version of game info for easy reference, using Moraline's excellent topic guide.

Game:

  • Section the Game will be placed in and whether it is a system game or not.
    This game will be placed under Extreme, mostly because of the fact that, when you get desperate, well armed people in the same place, there's going to be a lot of violence.  This game will use the 3rd Edition of Twilight:2000 (Twilight 2013), but most of the actual rules stuff will be handled by me, and so the game will look and probably feel more freeform.  See "The Combat Problem" below for more details.

  • Who is the RP open to? (Gender, Sexuality, etc..?)
    The RP is open to all people- sure, the US military in the 1990s discriminated against a lot of people, but in WWIII, that mattered a whole lot less all of a sudden.  Sex isn't the focus of the game anyway, though if it happens, hey, it happens.

  • Short Summary of Player Roles and General Story/Plot.   
    Characters will be members of a US military unit returning to the US after several years fighting a nuclear World War III.  The story I have in mind starts with trying to land and establish a garrison for the division in Maryland, surviving the winter, and, if the game continues, crossing the Allegheny/Appalachian Mountains to put the Ohio area under control of the US Military Government.  See, "Do I have to play a member of the US Army?" for more details. 

  • Setting. A post Nuclear Exchange Eastern US.   


  • Character creation info/guidelines. 
    To keep people who would be interested in a game from having to invest in an out of print book, I'll handle the mechanical side of character generation, just like I'll generally handle the mechanics side of the game.  I'll work with interested players to make characters, based on backgrounds they write and skills they want to have.  It'll take a little work, and a few messages back and forth, but it'll turn something out useful that fits in with the game.  If you have access to the rules and want to run your own generation, then let's chat about your character, then make it on that basis.

  • Required Resources
    None are needed.  See, "I love the idea, but I don't know an AK-47 from an RPK-74."

  • Game Pacing.
    I'd expect to make 2-4 posts per week, if I were playing.  Some posts will be longer, others shorter.  No one liners- you can at least tell us a little about what you're thinking, or put a little action into the post, but posts in the two-three short-medium paragraph range will usually work.     

  • How much sexual activity is likely to occur or expected, if any? 
    So, sex isn't the point of the game, but people have sex.  It's neither really encouraged or discouraged. 


Game Master Info / GM(s) Participation Level (If/where applicable)

  • Will there be a Co-GM?
    I'm not planning for one, but, if the game somehow turns out to be way, way more popular than I expect, I may have to take one on, if someone appears.

  • How guided will the play be?
    The game will have two levels of direction: a mission focused mode (A briefing, gearing up period, and mission execution- the moments of sheer terror) and a downtime mode (The long intervals of boredom where you, as players, can pursue some goals of your own.)

  • To what extent will players be allowed to create/use environment or setting details?
    Players can create and use parts of the environment that are reasonable- "Johannes busts into the apartment, looking for cover- he finds a heavy table, which he quickly flips over and hunkers down behind," works out pretty well, but, "Johannes busts into the apartment, and just so happens to find 10,000 rounds of ammo in the rare caliber his pet rifle uses," doesn't.  Basically, I'll pass you a PM if I need to veto something and have you edit it.

  • How NPC's will be handled. (If any) - (By GM and/or players, and what expectations)
    Generally speaking, I'll handle NPCs, particularly major ones involved in the plot.  Players can use NPCs to provide someone to talk to, or as extras in a poker game or something like that.  Having Captain Anderson, the Squadron Commander, pass one of the PCs and compliment him on completing the mission is fine.  However, having Captain Anderson say, "Sure, you can use my tank.  Just put the keys on my desk when you're done," won't be.

  • How active will the GM be?  
    Fairly- I'll answer PMs at least a couple times a day, and post every day or every other day, if the game threads warrant it.

  • Will there be an OOC thread? (expectations of thread usage)
    Yup!  The OOC thread will be a lot like the table talk of an RPG- a place to sort out things as a group before posting IC actions, if needed, or to talk about how things are going in the game.  There may be separate OOC threads, if that proves useful.

  • How to contact/approach GM with questions? (use OOC thread, direct PM, etc...)
    PM me if you have questions that I can answer alone, OOC for questions that everyone should hear.
  • How will decisions be resolved?
    Either A) By reference to mechanics, B) By negotiation between players, if applicable, and C) I'll make the call, if needed.

  • Will PvP be allowed (if applicable)? 
    Killing another PC is probably murder under the UCMJ.  It's a bad idea.  Though, see "So, are we all just going to die horrible deaths?"

Additional:


  • Respect other player's Offs.  If you have a problem with what's going on, speak up.   

  • If you're going to be absent for a time, let us know.  Your character can get assigned to a different duty.   

  •   If people want to join after we get rolling, let me know, and I'll try to find room.  Your character can get added in when it seems doable, plot-wise   

  • Write in a third person, present style, in general.  Make it hard hitting, when you can.     

I'll need three players, at a minimum to make this work (section commander, driver, trooper) though, 5-6 would be a better number.  I could probably drive this puppy with up to 12, but that'll be tough, and I don't think we'll have that many takers.

If you're interested, give me the EAM Authenticator MUASSTE43E7UNO1 in a reply, and if you know that reference, you get +1 internet.  Have a character idea?  Post some of that, too.  Questions?  Bring 'em.

The Combat Problem

The big problem in running a game like this is the combat system- by trying to provide a gritty, realistic game that covers a lot of possibilities, the rules really slow things down.  I've found that combat proceeds, at the table, in a roughly 1:60 to 1:90 rate- that is, one minute of combat time is 60-90 minutes of table time.  And that's with people who are generally on board with the system.  That's not going to translate well to a forum, especially one with good writers.  So, I propose to take advantage of the fact that the system has breaks in the combat system- basically, there's a period of intense action, then a longer break.  Thus, it seems reasonable to "black box" mechanics- as your character attempts something, I'll handle the die rolls, then describe what happens. 

In combat, this means that, as an exchange of fire happens- the intense bit- players can narrate what they do.  (Based on the situation, and after asking any relevant questions in OOC.)  I'll, rather like a computer, interpret the posts, run the mechanics, and make a post about how it played out.  It means less minute control over your character, perhaps, but I think it'll prove an interesting experience.  This will mostly extend to all rolls- I'll worry about the mechanics, you worry about telling everyone what your character does.

Do I have to play a member of the US Army Armored Cavalry?

Short answer?  No.  Not at all.  While the majority of people in the unit are members of the US Army, beggars can't be choosers.  The unit will take just about anyone coming along.  Most of the support arms in the division have been stripped down, and the members pushed forward into the combat arms to try and keep them up to strength, especially on the voyage across the Atlantic.  So, playing a tanker with no tank, or an infantryman that needed a change of scenery is easy.  Other branches aren't hard- people get cut off from their units all the time.  Marines that took a wrong turn Worclaw.  Air Force personnel whose airbases are smoking craters, and don't have any planes to fly anyway.  Sailors who realize that this is the USNS Roger Young's last voyage, and figure it's time to do something else.  That's pretty easy. 

Want to have some civilian backgrounds?  Also simple.  Every one between 18-35 was subject to conscription.  Men first, but the voracious RP/DP units got less picky about plumbing quickly.  The entire National Guard and all Reserve forces were called up, down to the bottom of the list.  This makes it easy for older characters to have lesser rank, if you want to play someone older, with some civilian time, with a lower rank. 

What if you don't want to play a US National?  No problem!  Like I said, it's been a long war.  Units get cut off and destroyed, stragglers get lost and swept up, and generally things have gone to hell.  NATO members easily fit into units in other NATO armies- their weapons shoot the same ammo, their radios work the same way, and procedures are pretty similar.  If there was no real way to get someone cut off back to his home unit, he or she would make a good replacement, and you landed in this unit.  Warsaw Pact members?  Don't have POW camp to send them to, so give them a choice- give us the guns and get lost in the wild world out there, or sign up and take point for a while.  Don't betray anyone, and eventually you'll be treated like the rest of the group.  All you have to do is accept you'll have to learn English, and be ready to explain why your character decided to tag along to the US. (Which could be as simple as, "The unit's my family, now.")


Are we all just going to die horrible deaths?


Let's talk character death.

Twilight:2000 is a brutal game of survival.  PCs are a little tougher than NPCs, but not too terribly much.  The game's realistic- one bullet to the head or chest can end your life right there.  Even one to the arm or leg can be pretty bad, and without good first aid, you can just bleed out, right there in the middle of the Maryland countryside.  Take that out of the game, and it's not the same game.  So, we all have to agree that it's okay if your characters don't live long enough to die of leukemia in a couple of decades, and that dying of cholera is just the kind of thing that can happen if you're not careful.  Not everyone gets to die like a hero.

On the other hand, your characters have a lot of advantages- guns, body armor, skills in combat, and a strong knowledge of how not to die in post-apocalypita.  (If you didn't, you'd be dead already.)  This will help you survive.  Also, I promise that, as GM, if your character dies, and you want to keep playing, I'll contrive things to get you back in the game as fast as I can, even if it means straining coincidence. 

In sum, this is a game where survival is something you from which should derive satisfaction.  I don't want to cheapen it, and I ask you to have the maturity to handle it, and still give your all to playing your character.


I like the idea, but I can't tell an AK-47 from an RPK-74

No worries.  While  Twilight:2000 was written by wargamers, and tends to attract people interested in military stuff, it's not required to enjoy the game.  Here, OOC is your best friend- if you don't know what it is someone's referring to, ask.  I mean, E has a well deserved reputation for not being judgmental, and that extends to playing a military based game and not being a sweaty palmed gun fondling gear queer.  (You can leave the sweaty palmed gun folding gear queeriness to me, if you want.)  Your character will know a lot of basic stuff that you may not, and that's fine.  Just ask if you don't understand, and don't sweat if you don't know what "Rolling block blowback recoil" means. 

If you want to have some help in character, take the Tactics skill, which you can roll to get some idea of what to do in combat.  Or, hit the deck, bring up your rifle, shoot towards the enemy and wait for orders. 

If I can help you out any further, just send me a note- I don't mind a bit.

A short history of the war


Faced with the looming collapse of the Soviet Union and the Warsaw Pact, a conspiracy of high ranking Soviet hardliners, known as the State Committee for the State of Emergency, arrested and detailed Mikhail Gorbachev in August, 1991.  Despite popular pressure, led by Boris Yeltsin, the reforming mayor of Moscow, the conspirators moved quickly to consolidate power, culminating in the KGB assassinating Yeltsin, and loyal troops enforcing a "Tiananman Solution."  Nationalist movements in the Republics are put down by loyalists, while countercoups succeed in Poland, Czechoslovakia, Romania, Bulgaria and Hungary.  East Germany is already too closely integrated into the West, and Yugoslavia is already falling apart too fast to matter.  By 1993, the countercoup governments have reformed the Warsaw Pact, and Germany has reunified.

Tensions in Europe remain high, and military spending increases.  However, while war looms in Europe, it explodes in the Far East.  In the early 1990s, nationalism comes to replace Maoism as the guiding ideology of the Chinese elite.  Clashes between the Soviet Union and China along their long border increase in 1993 and 1994, leading to an ultimatum in early 1995: China demands lands it claims as part of the Middle Kingdom, taken in Russian expansion in the 19th Century.  It's just a pretext.  The Chinese want a war, and, boy, do they get one. 

While most observers expect China to not last long once the Russians launch their inevitable counterattack, Chinese resolves proves deep.  Nationalist militias rise to take the place of collapsing military divisions, and, despite suffering millions of casualties, the Chinese have millions to give.  The Far East quickly absorbs all the Russian divisions stationed there, and the Red Army begins mobilizing its reserves, as well as pulling troops from the Western TVDs to attack into China.  Soviet mobilization makes NATO- particularly Germany, both nervous and emboldened. 

Ever since the coup, Poland has been in turmoil.  Solidarity had never been fully suppressed, and had taken root in the large number of ethnic Germans in the Western part of the country.  Concerned about the fate of their countrymen, Germans military officers begin pressing their counterparts across the border, leading to a series of minor clashes as Germans in Poland try to escape west.  In 1996, responding to a major Polish incursion, the German army crosses the border.  Poland immediately appeals for help from the Warsaw Pact.  The Soviets respond, while the others demure for the moment.  The combined Soviet-Polish forces can slow German advances into Poland, but at high cost.  However, as Germany drives deeper into Poland, it has to pull troops off the Czech border- and, then, are unprepared for the Czech offensive against their reservists.  The German front breaks, and Soviet reserves arriving in theater begin pounding their way to Berlin.

On the verge of collapse in late 1996, Germany appeals to NATO for aid.  The Anglosphere- Canada, Britain and the US- drive across the border as the Soviet Union attacks Norway.  France, Italy, Greece and Belgium renounce their membership in NATO.  The arrival, and full mobilization of US forces, breaks the siege of Berlin in 1997, as Soviet B and C divisions prove no match at all for the cream of the US Army.  As the US enters the war, it begins to expand in the south.  Romania formally splits from the Warsaw Pact over a dispute with Hungary, and is invaded by her neighbors.  Turkey rushes to support Romania, and doesn't mind running through Greek Thrace to make it happen.  Greece declares war on Turkey, and allies with Italy.  A NATO effort to support Turkey leads to NATO attacks against Greece, which pulls Italy into the war, launching a series of attacks across the Alps.

The action in the south, however, is a distraction compared to NATO's advance across Poland.  By August, NATO forces crossed into the Soviet Union, on the road to Kiev- and the lead elements of NATO forces started absorbing nuclear strikes.  While on the Central Front, NATO responded warhead for warhead in the tactical region, the use of nuclear weapons in the Far East and Turkish fronts blew them wide open.  China's nuclear arsenal lasts a week, but the Russians never stop once the war crosses the threshold.  The assault continues, and NATO forces gradually retreat west under heavy pressure.  In September, NATO forces on the Central Front begin operational strikes against Warsaw Pact marshalling grounds, airfields and rail junctions to slow their advances in the Central Front and South.  This gives NATO the upper hand until the Soviets start targeting major ports in the UK and Germany in October.  By the week of Thanksgiving, 1997, the ICBMs are flying over the pole, as each side eases their way into a strategic exchange.  Not an all out one at once, but gradually, leaving a number of warheads destroyed on the ground- and almost all of the world's refining capabilities destroyed. 

The exchanges are not the end of the war, but they slow things down quite a bit.  1998 sees another Pact offensive, driving to reestablish the Polish Border.  Chaos reigns in China, as Soviet units try to take control of Manchuria and the mineral deposits there, while the US and most of the Soviet Union begin to slide into anarchy.  In southern Europe, what's left of various national armies try to recover, and prosecute the war on a local level.  The war continues to wind down for lack of interest in 1999, units on both sides establish the "You grow food and we don't kill you" racket, drafting as many men as they can to fill out their ranks.  In 2000, NATO launches one last offensive, but it fails. 


The 4/4 Armored Cavalry Squadron, late 2000


During the transport phase of OMEGA, the 3rd Division began a massive reorganization, mostly to formalize a large number of informal situations, cope with a number of Europeans opting to stay in Germany, and and influx of US forces that had their parent formations disbanded.  This reorg included an effort to push as many troops from rear formations forward as needed to bring fighting formations up to some sort of useful strength.  Many of the rear area positions were filled with camp followers who made the trip with the unit, since they were really doing most of the work anyway.  The 4/4th Cav has maintained five Troops- four combat Troops, labeled A, B, C and D, with HQ serving as a fifth.  Other than A Troop and HQ Troop, most Troops (Which should be company sized) are platoons.

A Troop is the only Troop that is still largely Armored.  It consists of a tank platoon- with 2 M60A3s, a M48A2GA2 picked up in a swap with a German reserve unit, and a T-72, put together from spares.  It has two mech platoons, one in Bradleys, one in M113ACAVs.  A Troop considers itself the elite, most other troops consider it a pampered unit, since HQ rarely commits is valuable vehicles to major combat.  B and C Troop are both organized as Light Cavalry platoons, using a variety of light trucks.  (The TO&E calls for Humvees, but good luck having enough to fill out the TO&E, so a smattering of Jeeps, Land Rovers and even a few armored cars are in the mix.)  D Troop is still called "Air Cav," but the only theoretically functioning helo is in HQ- and it hasn't had fuel in a year and a half.  Instead, D Troop is divided into two platoons, one on motorcycles, the other on bicycles.  HQ has absorbed a large number of functions.  In particular, HQ is responsible for food preparation- the unit tries to live off of local production as much as possible, supported by allotments from Division.  This leaves preserved rations for emergencies.  HQ also is responsible for running the large industrial stills that produce the ethanol and methanol that power the unit's vehicles.  Division has some diesel and some gasoline, but those stocks are largely reserved for the Armored Battalion's M1s.  HQ also has a battery of a mix of NATO 155mm howitzers, manned by what is left of the 1-115th Artillery Battery.

The PCs will be assigned to 3rd Platoon, B Troop.  3rd Platoon has two sections, each centered around one vehicle and the soldiers manning it.  (Which section has the PCs in it depends on if the section commander is an officer or a sergeant.) Each section has between 3 and 6 men, a truck, and perhaps a heavy weapon such as a .50 cal MG, or, more rarely, a MK-19.  HQ in B Troop has a few logistical supports- most of that his handled at Squadron- but a fairly strong mechanical and medical team under the First Sergeant.  It also has a mixed mortar battery, though ammo is pretty light at the moment.  There are a few camp followers in HQ.

The Things They Carried

This is the standard loadout for a trooper in 4/4th Cav.  Because of the way the rules work, you'll probably have more gear, but just about everyone will have the following:
1 Set Fatigues and Boots
1 Kevlar Vest + Extensions
1 Kevlar Helmet
1 M16A2 + 1 Magazine + Sling
On Load Bearing Gear:
2 Quad Magazine Pouches
8 Magazines, M16A2
6 Grenade Loops
2 Fragmentation, 2 Concussion, 2 Smoke Grenades.
1 Canteen Carrier
1 Canteen, 1L
1 Medical Pouch
1 IFAK
1 Radio Pouch
1 Tactical Radio
1 NVG Carrier
1 NVG
1 Flashlight Pouch
1 Flashlight
1 Knife Sheath
1 Knife
In  Pack:
1 Whistle
1 Sleeping Bag
1 Shelter Half
50 Chlorine  Tabs
1 Flint and Steel
1 Compass
2 Rolls, Duct Tape
60m Paracord
1 Multitool
1 Gun Cleaning Kit
2 sets, rechargeable spare batteries
3 Days MREs.
Cold Weather Gear
Rain Gear
1 piece Team Camp Gear (Stove, filter, tent, etc.)

Skills

Skills are rated on the following scale, in descending order of ability:
Legendary
Master
Expert
Professional
Competent
Novice
Unskilled

Expert and Professional are good levels for skills you use a lot.  Competent is fairly easy to get to, and covers a lot of normal applications.

Skill List:
Agriculture: Growin' Stuff.
Animal Husbandry: Basic care of animals.
Aquatics: Swimming and the use of small boats.
Archery: Shooting Bows.
Artillery: Shooting large indirect fire weapons.
Artisan: Making things by hand.
Aviation: Flying Stuff
Climbing: Climbing Stuff.
Command: Giving orders that will be followed, organizing efforts.
Computing: Operating computers.
Construction: Building things, and tearing them down.
Deception: Lying.
Driving: Making ground vehicles go.
Electronics: The use and repair of electronic devices.
Fieldcraft: How not to be seen in the field.
Survivial: How to live off the land.
Forensics: The gathering of evidence in police investigations.
Freefall: Jumping out of perfectly good airplanes.
Gunnery: Shooting large bore guns.
Hand to Hand: Beatin' people up.
Hand Weapons: Stabbin' folks.
Instruction: How to teach.
Intimidation: How to threaten people.
Language: Knowing how to communicate with humans.
Longarm: Shooting things with a stock: rifles, shotguns, SMGs, SAWs.  (Not GPMGs or HMGs)
Mechanics: Fixing broken engines and vehicles.
Medicine: Fixing broken people.
Mounts: Riding animals.
Performance: Singing, dancing, etc.
Persuasion: Convincing people to do things.
Seamanship: Driving big boats.
Security: getting into something, or keeping people out.
Sidearm: Shooting pistols.
Special Equipment: How to use something not covered by another skill, like a nuclear power plant.
Special Vehicle: Driving something not in another skill, like the Space Shuttle.
Streetcraft: Hiding in built up areas.
Scrounging: Finding useful things.
Support Weapons: The Big Guns: GPMGs, HMGs, Grenade Launchers, flame throwers, ATGMS, RPGs...
Tactics: How best to engage the enemy.

mayovagn

I am interested. I have Twilight 2000 and a few of the vehicle/weapon books on the shelf, though I haven't read them in a long, long time. It would take me a bit to be back up to speed.

I will read through the stuff up above here soonest and have an idea to you. Would it make sense for a lady brit RAF fighter pilot to have been caught up in the evacuation or is that way too far?


Thanks.


M.
All hail Eris! Kallisti! All Hail Discordia!

Member in good standing but poor sitting and terrible leaning of the Most Secret Order of the Stone Bonker of the Kakapo

AlexStone

Quote from: mayovagn on May 28, 2013, 01:03:17 AM
I am interested. I have Twilight 2000 and a few of the vehicle/weapon books on the shelf, though I haven't read them in a long, long time. It would take me a bit to be back up to speed.

I will read through the stuff up above here soonest and have an idea to you. Would it make sense for a lady brit RAF fighter pilot to have been caught up in the evacuation or is that way too far?


Plenty of time to get caught back up- though, don't worry too much about the rules or anything like that, and consider setting, that sort of stuff.

As to an RAF Pilot, I'm not opposed to any sort of character, but I can see a couple of issues. 
1) Your best skill (Fly fighters jets) is never going to be used in the game.  Sure, some people are cool with that, but you need to be aware that you'll have quite a few skills that won't be used at all, and a few that won't be used heavily.

2) How is it that a fighter jockette is slumming it with these guys?  There are many reasons why, but, since this game takes place in a structured unit rather than the usual band of survivors cut off from everyone, she would have been asked, more than a few times, to head over to Division HQ and take up a nice staff job.  Is there a reason why she'd resist this, and fight to keep up with the troopers that, presumably, picked her up after she bailed out? 

These aren't too hard to work around.  For example, she could have spent a tour or two as an instructor at Survival, Evasion, Resistance, Extraction School, which would explain her having a lot of skills that would make her a very good scout- someone has to know how to live off the land and keep quiet in this outfit.  It doesn't get around the fact that you'll still have an Expert rating in Pilot/Performance, but would help fit you in if this is something you're committed hard to.

If you don't mind my asking, what attracted you to this character concept?  Perhaps we can find a core engagement that drives other characters that may fit in better, if you're not sure this is the best character for the campaign.

mayovagn

Okay, so RAF bad idea... *Nods*

What else would be fun? What else would I be able to write a brit woman as? Secret Intelligence Service? Mechanic of some kind? Medic or doctor? Driver? Escape and Evasion trainer as suggested...

Any which way not too useful I suspect in a fight, course that could be half the fun.


Then again, if no other bugger is interested in joining in... *Sad frowny face*
All hail Eris! Kallisti! All Hail Discordia!

Member in good standing but poor sitting and terrible leaning of the Most Secret Order of the Stone Bonker of the Kakapo

AlexStone

Well, if you're looking to play a woman who isn't that great in a fight, and still going to get a lot of use of her main skills in the game, a driver/mechanic, particularly that knows first aid, would fit in really well.  Someone has to get the Humvee back up and running, and people will still need to get patched up, especially if the fun for you is not just piling up points in "shooting stuff" and "hide really good."  Some interaction skills wouldn't hurt, either.

And, well, let's be patient.  Maybe the right people will wander into our ambush here. :)  I mean, I could just pretend there are zombies.  That might help?

mayovagn

I am running a thing with zombies. Don't you be stealing my audience. *laughs*
All hail Eris! Kallisti! All Hail Discordia!

Member in good standing but poor sitting and terrible leaning of the Most Secret Order of the Stone Bonker of the Kakapo

AlexStone

Fine, fine. :)  Want to fiddle with this driver/mechanic/medic idea, while we wait for people to wander in?

mayovagn

Was a paramedic in the world before things went wonky and radiological. Called up to the service and was a conscientious objector due to having a clue what war is. Put into basic anyway, learned everything, including firearms stuff, but always careful to point out that not interested in killing anyone. Already knew how to fix up machines from growing up with a dad who ran his own family garage and wanted a son. Had the medical knowledge from training as a paramedic, trained on larger vehicles and combat medicine and put into the field as a second line medic?

Seen some unpleasant stuff, yet only ever fired a weapon in self defense and always really regretful about it when that has to occur?
All hail Eris! Kallisti! All Hail Discordia!

Member in good standing but poor sitting and terrible leaning of the Most Secret Order of the Stone Bonker of the Kakapo

AlexStone

I like that idea.  I was hoping someone would step up and be the conscience of the group.  After all, it's a hard world, and it's easy to justify all kinds of bad things in the name of living another day.  Hopefully she doesn't mind ending up as a driver for a team on the edge of the spear for the US Army heading back to the US- though, I suppose if everyone really gets on her nerves, she's the one behind the wheel. 

Hmm.. given this is Twilight 2000, one of the important questions is, of course, how old is she?

Phaia

I dont need to stinkin zombies!!

Hey there! WoW Twilight 2000, I remember my dad and uncle playing it...my Uncle liked it cause it was real and he was a former navy UDT in 'Nam! [yes Before the SEAL Teams]

So yes I have an idea for a character one that has tumbled around for a while looking for a possible home

Alexandra 'Alex' Mary York, granddaughter of Alvin York of WW1 fame. Age 28. smart eduacted ROTC at UVA. Was in reserves and working as a model when things came apart but has shown the York knack for getting things done and handling tough assignements.

basic idea!!



Phaia

mayovagn

Quote from: AlexStone on May 29, 2013, 11:39:15 AM
I like that idea.  I was hoping someone would step up and be the conscience of the group.  After all, it's a hard world, and it's easy to justify all kinds of bad things in the name of living another day.  Hopefully she doesn't mind ending up as a driver for a team on the edge of the spear for the US Army heading back to the US- though, I suppose if everyone really gets on her nerves, she's the one behind the wheel. 

Hmm.. given this is Twilight 2000, one of the important questions is, of course, how old is she?

Early thirties I think would be about right.

We have another foolish enou... Er I mean, raring to join in! Woot!
All hail Eris! Kallisti! All Hail Discordia!

Member in good standing but poor sitting and terrible leaning of the Most Secret Order of the Stone Bonker of the Kakapo

AlexStone

Oh hey- fresh meat... I mean, another player!  It's always amusing to hear about how other players have encountered Twilight:2000- I have a friend who runs games at cons, and gets a lot of responses like, "I haven't played this game since I was bored in the back of a truck during REFORGER 87!"  So, I'm glad to try and offer you a chance to play it, Phaia.  At this rate, we may end up with an all women section.  Not that that's required, prospective readers.

So, for Phaia, do you see Alex York as having been in the Cav all along (We'll just assume that the US lifted restrictions on women in combat in time, because it makes it more fun for everyone) or did she wander into it during the war?

And, Mayovagn, mind taking a look at the equipment section, and see what sort of stuff you might want to add?

mayovagn

Kit to add?

Triage kit/trauma pack
Personal tool kit
Box of latex gloves
Music player full of good tunes
Lament configuration puzzlebox
150' of hemp rope
2 fighter hirelings
Stumm gas grenades
Lawgiver
Lawmaster
Copy of The Law
30 Ankh Morpork dollars
Gaspode the wonder dog
Holy symbol of Blind Io
1 Ningy
Liberator sonic gun
Scorpio clip gun
Orac
Aquitar/communicator bracelet
The Sword of Omens
The Sword of the Lightbringer
The Arc of the Covenant
The Spear of Longinus
Three Sankara Stones
A rubber chicken with a pulley in the middle
A Pulse rifle in the 40watt range
Thimbles and care
Forks and hope
A railway share
Smiles and soap
A Farnsworth
1 Tesla Pistol
1 type 40 travel capsule
Jelly babies
String
Magnifying glass
U.N.I.T. Photo id for 'Doctor Smith'
1 Vortex Manipulator
1 Acme Catalogue
1 box of twenty acme portable holes
Wacko Warner's Gaggy Bag
Foamy the Freakadog
1 Comlock
1 Map of Your Village
1 Number 8 Badge
1 V.I.N.CENT
1 ZF-1
1 Minbari fighting pike
1 PKE meter
1 Pair of Hoffman lens sunglasses
WOPR
Handheld Link to Ziggy
C.H.O.A.M. Holtzman effect personal shield
Monkey Joe
Tippy-Toe
1 USCM M-43C Rifle
1 Grumman Goose named 'Cutter's Goose'
1 Peacekeeper Pulse Pistol
1 Peacekeeper escort carrier
1 Necronomicon Ex Mortis
1 Aperture Science Handheld Portal Device (moondust paint not included)



I might have gone off the rails somewhere there... One or two of those items might not be appropriate.
All hail Eris! Kallisti! All Hail Discordia!

Member in good standing but poor sitting and terrible leaning of the Most Secret Order of the Stone Bonker of the Kakapo

arkhos

Oh my goodness.... T2K!!!!  I haven't played that game in so long that I barely remember any of the rules! LOL!

But I -love- the setting!

Still looking for characters? Positions still open?

-ark
Wheels within wheels in a spiral array, a pattern so grand and complex; Time after time we lose sight of the way, our causes can't see their effects.

AlexStone

And here, I come back and have yet another person falling prey to our ambush.  There's plenty of room, Arkhos- in fact, if you're interested in playing, you'd make three, and would make the game playable.  (Well, I would have probably run with two, but three for sure.)  Take a look at the stuff in the first post, and then let me know what sort of character you're interested in.  Remember that your character is still part of a military unit.  (And, if you don't have any particular inspiration, "Cav Trooper" is going to be very viable.)  Also, don't fret the rules- I'm going to be running those mostly in the background.

Mayog, are you sure you want the Ex Noctis Necronomicon?  Wouldn't the Al-Azif be better, over all?  In all seriousness, I work up some mechanics for your character, then PM them to y ou after I have some dinner. 

Phaia

Quote from: AlexStone on May 29, 2013, 07:49:09 PM
Oh hey- fresh meat... I mean, another player!  It's always amusing to hear about how other players have encountered Twilight:2000- I have a friend who runs games at cons, and gets a lot of responses like, "I haven't played this game since I was bored in the back of a truck during REFORGER 87!"  So, I'm glad to try and offer you a chance to play it, Phaia.  At this rate, we may end up with an all women section.  Not that that's required, prospective readers.

So, for Phaia, do you see Alex York as having been in the Cav all along (We'll just assume that the US lifted restrictions on women in combat in time, because it makes it more fun for everyone) or did she wander into it during the war?

And, Mayovagn, mind taking a look at the equipment section, and see what sort of stuff you might want to add?

Well according to the defense rulling of 1994 women can not be in 'direct' physical contact with enemy forces. That means by 2000 [est time of game] women were in the navy as pilots and in other areas...intel, medical etc... so I will offer this idea...

Alex is a fully trained 4/4 Cav officer but was head of the 'air cav' section in her area...[battilion maybe as a 2nd or 1st LT] She was trained in ROTC as ground and air ie Mobile Cav. Flying many missions in Europe, heck we can say she came over in a reforger mission after the tac nukes but before it all went to complete hell with the BIG ASS nukes. So she has traininga s a helo pilot but by now also as a field officer -- unit commander etc

Alex also has that York sense of courage...she just does it ...'taking a life to keep others alive' ...she is reglious [like her famous grandfather] and worries about all sorts of things

I do not have the books but I hope this is enough to go with.

Alexandra graudated from UVA, knows the Shenadoah valley and central and northern Virginia area. Loves history and is a student of Thomas Jonathan "Stonewall" Jackson. She carries a shotgun as well as her normal gear and also a .45 1911 from her grandfather

Before the 'war' while still in the reserve after gradutation she was a model and starting to become well known...yes she has the looks but is very athletic and well trained


Phaia

Phaia

mayo, based on the image you use you forgot one importent item....a poker

and Susan Sto Helit


Phaia

AlexStone

Phaia, that is the sort of demand for realism and sticking to the facts that makes a T2K Referee happy.  Is there any particular skill or set of skills you want to make sure Alex has?

Phaia

Quote from: AlexStone on May 30, 2013, 08:04:15 PM
Phaia, that is the sort of demand for realism and sticking to the facts that makes a T2K Referee happy.  Is there any particular skill or set of skills you want to make sure Alex has?

what ever fits
she is a crack shot rifle and pistol, sorta runs the family, Alvin York was a expert marksman.
hmm sports she swam and played lacross...
very good pilot but then there aint much for helo pilot to do

former profession Model, but a degree in history from UVA
a few minor ones like chess, cooking etc..if they exsist and a wicked poker player...no one beleives [belived] such a sexy sweet girl could bluff or be good at poker
anything else that would be right for her rotc..4/4 training and any medals you think she may have gotten...It runs in the family ...of course I doubt she has the MoH like Alvin did

Phaia

Phaia

I do we find more recuirts....after all I need to be able to order people around and look good doing it

:P :P ::)

Phaia

AlexStone

Well, hopefully Ark will still be interested.  And there's time for people to wander in- I'll be sure to get us started over the weekend.

Phaia

so just double checking...out vehicile is a truck?

not a spiffy IFV ...I was gonna suggest maybe having an off nationality IFV ...german or english [which could easy allow a german or englsih character concept] Like the Marder AV1'Av2 or the warrior [both having Nuke/bio/chem protection] just an idea

Phaia

AlexStone

Well, the vehicle is kind of up for grabs.  There's going to be some random gear selected, via dice.  Right now, before Arkhos joins up, you have a total of 7 equipment dice.  You'll get more with Ark, and if we manage to snag another character or two. 

Right now, if you spend one die on a vehicle, you'll get a Toyota Hilux, painted OD Green with a big white star on the door.  Good news is you can't kill the thing.  Bad news is, some people have to ride in the back.  For two dice, you get a nice Humvee.  Good news is people in the back get a roof, and you get decent fuel economy. Of course, it's not armored.  For three dice, you get a very sexy M98 Fox.  (Well, technically, it's a Fuchs that you've taped over all the German placards with masking tape and wrote some stuff in English over those.  Good thing you can convert miles to kilometers in your head.)  It's got armor.  It's also thirsty.  For an additional die for any of these rides, you can add one FN MAG (M240B to the US Army.)  For two dice, you get an M2 .50 caliber machine gun.  Ma Deuce speaks with authority. 

There's a reason why Squadron wants you guys to stay light: Fuel consumption.  The number of oil refineries that still exist in Twilight 2000 can be counted on one hand (They were specifically targeted in the nuclear exchange), and the number of oil tankers is even fewer than that.  As a result, everything that has an engine either needs to run on coal, ethanol or methanol.  Ethanol and methanol don't have the energy capacity that diesel or gasoline do- about a third as much.  IFVs are already fuel hogs- running one for an hour takes 150-200 liters of diesel, or 450-600 liters of ethanol. (It's worse for methanol.) In that time period, on a road, you'll move a good 40-50 miles- that is, you're looking, 10 gallons of ethanol per mile.  (Not 10 miles to the gallon, even.)  It'll actually be much worse.  However, a Humvee burns about 25 liters of ethanol to move that distance- in other words, about 10 miles to the gallon.  Since your team will do a lot of driving, it needs to be done economically.  It's a dull reason, but a real one to consider.

Phaia

with the fuel crisis as it is being protrayed the heck with a M98 or a HUMVEE

Lets go with an old faithful...the m35 deuce and a half...its multifuel and will burn just about anything from diesel to cooking oil...heck it would probally burn ethanol...only gets about 9mpg with a 50 gal tank [normally but would get 400-500 mile range and we could make all sorts of changes and additions to it and it goes almost anywhere

Rough ride yes and no real protection against anything but it would also be useful in trade....ie carry trade goods.... food, medical, stuff
could have a motorcycle or 2 on back even

would be nice to have more people along

Phaia

AlexStone

A Deuce and a Half is always an intriguing idea- it does have a lot of cargo capacity, and have good fuel economy for its size.  If you wanted to go nuts, you could armor it up, load it down with MGs and really rock.  The big problem it has pretty poor off-road performance compared to the other options- it's really designed to move heavy lots of cargo down roads, or reasonable facsimiles thereof, while the 4x4 pickups, Humvees and Fox all have admirable offroad capabilities.

Still, we can consider it.