Module Suitability Review - Satellite Down

Image taken from DrivethruRPG.com, IP is GDW/FFE

Satellite Down is billed as a "thinking man's adventure" for Twilight: 2000. I was, at first, a little hard pressed to figure out how. But a little thought led to some good points. (I really would love to hear from Blane Pardoe on this). Yes, the cult (based around the survivng crew of the USS Virginia, a CGN that got into a nasty but unlikely naval battle with several Soviet destroyers, but was badly damaged itself) that holds the McGuffin in this adventure (a downed Soviet weather satellite with 4 years of weather data, useful if you're looking down the barrel of a nuclear war induced drought) is somewhat numerous, but there are fault lines in this little slice of Jim Jones that are going to fall apart under the strain of being hit hard enough by a raid to recover the satellite. The main issue would be, figuring out where the cult, and their insane leader (who apparently is drugged out of his mind most of the time) has the satellite stashed.

The DIA contact is good, as well as the rebellious sailors who have had enough of this little slice of "Haven", as it gives the players some nice contacts on the inside. The main issue? Once the players get the data, it's getting out that might present the most trouble. Baja California is a long way from home, in the midst of a civil war.

Oh, and there is the small matter of the Soviets wanting the data for themselves. (I would treat them as KGB Oznaz, real ruthless killer types). They might launch their own raid on the fly if they see the characters making a grab for the satellite. But, honestly, none of these are insurmountable issues, just tricky ones.

But how does this do as miniature wargame fodder?

Skirmish Gaming

For skirmish gaming, there are a few ideas, other than gaming out some of the usual encounters, some of the ones that come to mind are interesting ones:

• A covert reconnaissance of Haven, perhaps grab a prisoner? Perhaps extract the DIA contact? This would make excellent Black Ops fodder and could make a good two scenario campaign where the second game would be the raid on the satellite.
• A raid to kidnap the titular head of the community and interrogate him for the location of the satellite, as well as gain his (presumably unwilling) cooperation in the recovery of the satellite. Keep in mind, his self-proclaimed #2 is waiting in the wings for an opportunity like this...and the Soviets might take advantage of the confusion. This scenario also works well for Black Ops.
• A variant of the above idea? Kill Brupp and let things fall apart, then grab the satellite in the confusion. Riskier, but a doable game if a small, well motivated raiding force gets in and gets out quick. A very good scenario for Black Ops as well, the down side? Both the grab for the satellite and the hit on Brupp are going to have to happen simultaneously, For a small raiding team, this is going to be a rough scenario.

Larger Scenarios

Larger scenarios are tougher to game out in the backdrop of this adventure, but it can be done. My best bet would be to game out the mini-civil war that is sure to break out when Brupp dies (and considering his level of drug use, as intimated by the adventure, that's going to be pretty soon). You can bring in all the factions, give them various objectives (Grab the remains of the Virginia, kill X# of the enemy, grab the satellite, etc.) and then let them have at it. This still isn't going to be a huge game by anyone's standards, but it would make a good game for Force On Force, if done right.

Well, that's it for Satellite Down, Next up is White Eagle, then I plan on finishing up the remaining V1 adventures, then I will review the products we have seen released recently. I am excited about this as I am darn happy you all have been hanging in there. We'll be doing more miniature-related posts as well, though the workbench article from yesterday isn't getting the response I thought it would get....

Another new module for Twilight: 2000!

Image taken from DriveThru RPG, IP is FFE

It has been a red letter year for Twilight: 2000 fans. First, there was the release of the East African Sourcebook, which caused quite the buzz, and yes, fans, I will review it as soon as I can (got that wedding coming up), and now? Now we have a new adventure, Rook's Gambit, by A.R. Bergesen (known to many Twilight: 2000 forum goers as Raelleus!) . Like the previous work from FFE, this is another PDF only project for $2.99 and all I can say is, this nostalgia ridden Twilight: 2000 fanatic is overcome with joy.

I suspect there are other projects in progress (and some of them, I have personal knowledge about, some, I just suspect, but I will say no more than that). I applaud Marc Miller for going this route, there's a lot of stories to be told by the fans, and yes, PDF publishing allows them to be told. I do promise I will review the module from a miniaturist standpoint soon, but I wanted to take the opportunity to congratulate Raelleus on this blog, and let him know, there is not only a fan base, but one that will go out and buy this thing like hotcakes.

So, run, do not walk to get this thing. Rest assured, I will read it and review it soon!

Yes..Another of Those Short Posts! Lots of Thank Yous Need to Go Out!

1. First, I want to say thanks again for all those who have supported the blog. With the recent release of the East African Sourcebook, and all the positive buzz here? Twilight: 2000 is back, with a vengeance. And to me? That is a good thing. Spreading the word of 80's post-apocalyptic fun is to me, a labor of joy..and doing it with miniatures? Even more fun. So to all the blog supporters and those spreading the word? Thanks to all of you (especially the members of the Red Storm Rising Wargaming and Twilight: 2000 groups on Facebook, you didn't write me off as some crazy spammer, and look what this thing has become, you guys put me there!) , and thanks to Marc Miller, for all he is doing to keep the game alive.

2. I want to again, give Covert Intervention Games another shout out. They mentioned us! Yep, that's right. "500 Miles.." is becoming a force in the hobby. A small force, to be sure, but it's always nice to be noticed, and I give a lot of credit to you, the reader. Thanks!

3. As you know, I am slowly but surely running out of 1st Ed modules to evaluate from a miniatures standpoint. Not to complain at all, but I intend to write some more about miniatures and modelling soon (I did promise). Specifically, I want to write about technicals and gun trucks and what you can accomplish in modeling them. As my modeling skills are to be fair..moderate at best, if anyone wants to contribute their work to discuss in an article? I'd appreciate it.

4. Please know, as much as I write this blog, and will be contributing the lions share of the work, I am not above, nor would I shrug off guest posts. In fact, I would welcome them. There is a whole big community out there, and I would love to hear from it. What would I be looking for?

• Modelling articles?
• Painting tips?
• Terrain making tips?
• Reviews of products I haven't mentioned here that might be of use to a tabletop gamer looking to do Twilight: 2000 inspired games?
• Scenarios and AARs of games you have done that were inspired by the milleu?

I will be doing all these things and more, but I wanted to give you, the reader a chance to contribute as well.

So, if you're interested, fire up the word processor, I would love to see what comes of it. And as always, spread the word. "500 Miles.." is out there, and we'd like to reach all interested corners of the internet!