A Somewhat Longer News Post - Lots Going on These Days!

 I promised more, and I am delivering, there's been a lot of developments in the Twilight: 2000 world. First, there's been a release of a new supplement for those fans of US-based campaigns. Namely, the release of the Pacific Northwest Sourcebook. I was very pleased in my first read through of this book, and it's chock full of information (and potential wargaming opportunities, finally, something to do with my 20mm Liberation Canadians armed with FN-FALs and Sterling SMGs!)  

Taken from DriveThruRPG

 The book is comprehensive, smart and well written by Clayton Oliver. My only complaint, no maps. I can't really fault the designer as much as you might think. My own module writing efforts have run into some trouble because of the issue with finding contemporary maps online (there doesn't seem to be a drive to add 1995 AAA or Rand McNally maps online to anywhere. Kind of a pain in the arse, but one does what they can). I especially love the cold weather rules and the vehicles in the book. Japanese AFVs, this I did not expect! 

 But I still highly recommend the book and feel it's well worth the money invested. And for $9.99 as a PDF? It's a bargain. The PDF is available on DriveThruRPG, and is already selling well (It hit Silver Seller on DriveThru already!). I especially like the description of the Soviet advance into Seattle (anyone think Clayton Oliver channeled this PC game when he wrote this? Then again, I sometimes wonder if the designers of World In Conflict channeled Twilight: 2000?), and the detailed breakdown of the various military units available (Hi, ORBAT nerd, comes with being a wargamer.)  I promise a Module Suitability Review soon! Plenty of wargaming ideas to be had here. I give this 4.5 out of 5 mushroom clouds!

 The second bit of news is Chico has struck again, and for this ORBAT nerd, his stuff is always a fun bit of scenario mining, but this time, he has outdone himself. His work, War in the Far North, is just plain gold. He's also working on some stuff that will be of assistance to all Twilight: 2000 players in general, and that's some great info on military operations in the Artic (not just personal survival rules, as found in the Pacific Northwest book) and a good map for campaigning in the Northern Theatre! In short, well done Chico! I promise, a Module Suitability Review is coming!  I give this also 4.5 out of 5 mushroom clouds.

 As for where I have been, well, I have a paid blogging gig with these guys: EpochXperience.

 It's good and It's a paid gig, which is always a good thing for a professional writer like myself (don't panic, I have a day job, also as a writer.) I am trying to post to this blog at least once or twice a month so, so don't fret. I will be making regular posts as often as I can. In the meantime, stay frosty and watch the Giger Counter my friends. 

 

A New-ish Blog for T2K and Why It Deserves Your Attention!

Ok folks,
 Deep thought time. I found this new blog, The Savant's Rants, and some of the stuff on this site is phenomenal to say the least. I was especially taken by the articles on starvation and food in Twilight: 2000, as well as foraging..but one article is of great importance to miniatures players, at least from an army construction point of view. It's entitled "Crossrant: Feeding the Horde (Armies and Starvation in Twilight: 2000)"

 In short, the article is brilliant. and it explains well that there is an upper limit on the size of armies in Twilight: 2000, because well, you have to feed them. And worse, how much you're gonna short the locals to do just that.

  So what does that leave us? New fodder for scenarios of course! A couple that rapidly come to mind are:

• An "organized" military force is travelling through a relatively fertile area relatively untouched by the war. The locals aren't too keen on having an extra few thousand mouths to feed and are willing to make life miserable for this force. (Campaign fodder if I ever saw it).
• A force is sent by one side to raid another side's farms, and take as much as possible, and burn the rest.
• An enemy force has had amazing crop yields, find out why, and either steal it..or destroy it and make sure they can't have it either?

And these are just a few ideas that come to mind at 8AM on a Monday. I am sure more will hit me as time goes on. But this is what I mean, food for thought is great scenario fodder, and this blog article is no exception. Give it a read, and see if you don't get your own ideas?

Book Review: The Iran-Iraq War, Volumes 1 and 2

Pictures taken from Hellion Publishing Website

The Iran - Iraq War, Volumes 1 and 2, The first volume covers the period of September 1980 to May 1982 and the second covers June 1982 - December 1986. (There are Volumes 3 and 4).
Author: Tom Cooper, E. R. Hooton and Farzin Nadimi
Publisher: Hellion and Company, 2016
Dimensions: 8.5 x 11"
Cover: Soft Cover
Pages: 80pp

I really wanted to like these books. I did. While they are chock full of wonderful insights on the Iran-Iraq War in particular, and a good idea of what two nations unprepared for war with limited resources looks like in general, the books had a lot of issues that really overall, detracted from my reading experience.

First, the good. As I said, the insights found in the books are quite interesting. The extent to which Saddam really didn't have a plan as to how he was going to accomplish his war aims (and even have any really well-defined war aims to accomplish) was startling. It seems the Iraqis stumbled into this being the wider conflict it ended up being.

The Iraqi army wasn't really ready for war either, as it's way of taking an objective was a slow advance while blasting the snot out of a random portion of desert with copious amounts of artillery because said ground was the day's objective. Guderian they weren't.

Meanwhile, the Iranian army was even worse off in 1980 than can be believed, whole units were understrength, and the mullahs really didn't care, as they saw it as a means to prevent a coup, once the war broke out, it is well known they were grabbing military experience anywhere they could find it, including the jails (who were filled with politically suspect officers still loyal to the Shah).

Another interesting thing. The human wave assaults by Iran that we saw in the West became more nuanced over time. How much nuance that really was is arguable, but it seems that the Revolutionary Guards (who were the primary practitioners of said tactics) got better at their execution of such tactics.

Another surprise on the Iranian part, the slow response of the Army. While the Air Force, and even the Navy, as well as the Rev, Guards responded to eventually put up a ferocious defense for Khorrmansharr, the Army was mostly not involved in the initial fighting in any real strength. It also had an interesting look at the fact both air forces spent more time either bombing the enemy homeland or engaging each other, than supporting the army, which fell to the helicopter forces on both sides.

The not-so good about these books? Well, for starters, Volume 1 was, from an editing standpoint, a train wreck. Often, when a range of numbers was quoted, like "500-1,000" the dash was often omitted so the numbers often looked like this "5001,000". It's a minor error, to be sure, but it was consistent throughout the book. There were several glaring errors with the photo captions, especially with regards to tank types, which, considering Hellion's status as a publisher of military history, should be a little bit embarrassing. Volume 2 does clean up a number of these errors, but both volumes suffer from the authors going off on tangential topics that at times had me going on like "What the hell was the point of this?"

Also, I think the MSRP for the books is a bit high at $35.00. I got mine at $24.95 in the bargain bin at a wargaming convention. It's taken me a year to read them properly for a review.

It's not so much that the books are bad...it's that they could have really been so much better.

But, where does it come into play for a Twilight: 2000 miniatures gamer? For starters? If you're doing an RDF-based game or two set in the area around Bandar-y-Khomeini - Khormansharr and Avhaz, the terrain write-ups in the books are damn useful. It gives you an idea of what the terrain is like there, as well as the terrain further west in the Iraqi regions around the Shatt Al Arab.  This is also useful for roleplayers as well.

Also, if you're doing RDF-based miniatures games, the color plates are useful, as it gives you an idea of what Iranian and Iraqi equipment would look like. The climate and the terrain aren't the Arabian desert with unrelenting sand. It's more lots of hills and sand, with some marshland to the west, and that's going to a) create a different look to the vehicles, and b) be a very different war.

So, to sum up, I gotta give both books 3 out of 5 mushroom clouds, there's value there, but I have gotta admit, they're a bit overpriced for what you get IMO, and the editing could have and should have been better, especially in the first book.

Module Suitability Review: Korean Sourcebook

Taken from DriveThru RPG

Hey all, been a long time since we did one of these, eh?

Well, this has been long threatened for Twilight: 2000, long demanded, cajoled, and pleaded for, and now, it's finally here. A canon sourcebook for the Land of the Midnight Calm. And, like the last time, it seems this 2nd Korean War has settled into a stalemate again, this time, both combatants are at the ends of long, shattered supply chains, fighting in a nuked, blasted landscape, and they are surrounded by a population that really wishes they'd leave. (Pretty much sounds like a lot of Twilight: 2000).  

So what do you get? For starters? I must say, Raellus did a good job. For a $2.99 PDF download, you do get a lot for your money. A very good description of events in Korea, a whole chapter on Korean Culture (a very useful thing for non-Korean GMs and players!) It has a lot of information on all the players in North and South Korea in 2000, important NPCs, character generation rules, as well as campaign ideas and missions and equipment unique to the Korean peninsula.

What I really like about this module is how it plays off the split between the Soviets and their North Korean "allies" (who are basically allies in at most, name only, really.) and the Milgov/Civgov - esque split in South Korea (which makes a lot of sense considering South Korea's history of Military/Civilian relations in the past). Rae also manages to throw a bit of horror elements into it for those so inclined. 

While the book has some editing issues, it's a solid book overall, I had a lot of flashbacks to the format and writing style of RDF Sourcebook, which as a model, you could not ask for a better template if you ask me. 

Now of course, you ask, what is the miniature gaming scenario potential for this book? Well, as it turns out, a lot, so let's get cracking, eh?

Skirmish Games

Like it's spiritual ancestor, the RDF Sourcebook, the Korean Sourcebook doesn't have any specific ideas for skirmish gamers, but the Mission Generator has some really good skirmish game fodder, as well as the rules for North Korean tunnels (Yes, that alone would make a great table setup and a very unique idea, a post-apocalyptic dungeon crawl! Always a hit!)

But here's some other ideas:

• A small American outpost on the frontline, and it's adventures could be resolved as a skirmish campaign, you could use a mix of rules from the module, and either Force on Force or No End in Sight's campaign systems would shine here, no matter what rules you use. Using Platoon Forward from Too Fat Lardies would be an excellent idea to flesh out the personalities of the American garrison. 
• A race to recover a nuclear weapon that failed to detonate from the remains of Seoul. You could have a three sided race, the US/South Koreans, the North Koreans, and the Soviets all racing to get the warhead before the other side does. And then there are complications with the nuke itself. Black Ops would be a great set of rules for this and a devious referee could make this a very exciting bit of gaming meets an RPG adventure.
• Another great idea is a raid on the remains of the North Korean bioweapons program by either side, neither of whom is going to be really enthused about the Kim family unleashing whatever variety of nasty their scientists have been cooking up on what is left of the world. This would also make great Black Ops fodder.
• Gaming out the initial raids by North Korean commandos and sleeper cells on a South Korean installation (any number of ideas here can be mined), versus a collection of South Korean cops, reservists, and other internal security forces). If the North Korean player can escape with any of his people, you can then game out the hunt for the surviving commandos as a mini campaign for Black Ops?
• A clash between an American/ROK supply convoy and North Korean partisans. Rules for this would be Force on Force.

Larger Games

In terms of larger game fodder, like RDF Sourcebook, you really have to mine that from the chronology, as organized military operations do tend to break down after about 1998. But, it seems you can get some really interesting stuff out of it, some of the more interesting ideas to me are:

• The initial attack on the DMZ, you could do a collection of company sized US or ROK outposts along the "Z" hit by a couple battalions of North Korean light infantry, with a bit of armor, and more than enough artillery (which isn't going to hit much outside it's pre-planned targets, but the pre-planned ones should be hyper accurate), and with some pre positioned North Korean sappers already to the rear of the US/ROK positions). The North Koreans have to overrun all of the positions to win, the US/ROK has to just hold one to win. Rules for this in my opinion would be the Cold War Battlegroup rules put out by the Cold War Hot Hot Hot blog, as authored by Richard Chambers, as the game is kinda too big for a skirmish game, and too small for a 1:5 game like Fistful of TOWs or Command Decision.
• The fight for Munsan in the early days of the North Korean invasion, it's a desperate rear guard action between dug in South Korean defenders buying time for the ROK/US forces to set up a defense further south, and a North Korean mechanized army trying to push down the traditional invasion corridor. Couple this with a heavy chem environment in an urban area, and you have quite the game for Fistful of TOWs.
• The summer 1997 amphibious landing near Kimpo by US 4th Marine Division and ROK 6th Marine Brigade. This landing and the subsequent breakout has the makings of a pretty decent Fistful of TOWs or Command Decision campaign.
• The retreat of US 8th Army from the Yalu in 1997 as the Soviet Yalu Front enters the war in late summer of 1997. Fistful of TOWs works well here, as you might be using a nuke or two to simulate the heavy use of Soviet tactical nuclear weapons here.
• The "Last Soviet Offensive of the War in Korea" in July of 1998, this could make a decent Fistful of TOWs or Command Decision game, as you have a depleted Soviet MRD with support from a Air Assault Brigade (both short on fuel) attacking towards the Gimwha Valley in an effort to seize the farmland to feed the Soviet army trapped in North Korea, as well as the US/ROK counterattack. This also might work as a campaign for Fistful of TOWs or Command Decision.

Well, that is it for now. We have a bit coming down the pike, a review and build of PSC's recently released T-55 kit for 20mm, a review and writeup of the Unofficial Cold War variant for Battlegroup, and those Iran-Iraq books I have been promising a review of. I will get to them, also, my roleplaying group and I want to try an actual Twilight: 2000 themed miniatures game in the very near future, so I am excited about that, and I will be working on that soon, so lots to come.

Module Suitability Review - Rook's Gambit

Cover image is taken from Drivethru RPG, IP is GDW/FFE

Well, here we are. The last of the v1 adventures, Rook's Gambit. This adventure, by Alf Bergstrom, aka Raelleus on the Twilight: 2000 forums, is a pretty straightforward adventure, and one that tells an interesting "side story" of Going Home. Namely, a vengeful, and ambitious Soviet General (whose war record up till now reads like someone applying to the Douglas Haig Memorial Staff College), has gotten the bright idea (no pun intended) to use a captured American ADM (Atomic Demolition Munition) to destroy the concentration of American troops in and around Bremerhaven. The repercussions of such an action are well, staggering, to say the least, and the DIA has recruited a "crack" team (the player characters) to go in, disable or capture the nuke, and kill the good general before he touches off an even worse nuclear exchange. The adventure itself is available for sale as a PDF for $2.99 on DrivethruRPG.com.

The side plots, involving the Polish Free Legion are fun, and the chase to "get the McGuffin" are classic Twilight: 2000. as well as the sandbox nature of the adventure (there's multiple options for the ref to get the bomb to Bremerhaven). I love the inclusion of the castle as well, it's a nice touch, and frankly, I think it's better carried off than Castle by the Sea, but that's just me (Not a big V2 fan, but 2.2 had a lot of promise).

But how does this do as miniatures fodder?

Skirmish Gaming

For a skirmish game, Rook's Gambit does well for inspiration. The mission to sneak in and assassinate the General/steal the nuke is enough to make a very good Black Ops/Skirmish Sangin game. Furthermore, what makes it loads of fun is the castle, the amount of 15mm or 28mm castles out there to be used for a game like this are plenty, and it does give the game a whole "James Bond assaulting the evil overlord's lair" sort of feel.

Some other ideas include?

• Intercepting the nuke if it's already been sent out, either raiding the airfield, or shooting up the SSM, or waylaying the Spetsnaz team (The last is my particular fave), all of them would make excellent Skirmish Sangin/Black Ops fodder.
• Fighting out the 1st Polish Free Legion's "civil war", the numbers involved lend themselves to be more of a skirmish game, perhaps even a campaign. Force on Force would do pretty well here.
• An interesting what if? What if the Soviet KGB or GRU got wind of this little plan? Might they in willing cooperation with the Army (probably a first for the Soviet Union) go in and crush this mutinous nutcase before he does too much damage? And what if some American "free-lancers" got mixed up in it all? Yes, has the makings of a good Force on Force game, no?

Larger Games

The trouble with doing larger games is that the Soviet general is commanding a paper force. He has a frontal HQ and some assets at his disposal, but no major combat formations, so honestly, were there forces available to go crush him, it probably wouldn't last long. Unfortunately, he has just enough gear available to deliver the nuke. The rest, well, that's academic. But, sadly, for a large scale game, it's not really all THAT possible...but you could pull a what-if? Suppose our general makes some promises he should not have to a certain exiled marauder warlord that some American stragglers recently kicked the hell out of in Warsaw? And he has an army...and some murderous ambition of his own?

Well, that's it for now. It's post #60 everyone! Where do we go from here? Well, I have some book reviews I promised, some products I have been meaning to talk about, and there's enough coming down the pipe to discuss. Rest assured. I'll be keeping the flame for everyone, so as long as you keep reading, I will keep writing. 

ADDENDUM: I want to thank the TGN Blog Network for adding "500 Miles.." to their ranks. It's awesome to be a part of something like this, and it's nice to be recognized a bit.

Module Suitability Review - East Africa Sourcebook

Taken from DrivethruRPG.com, IP is GDW/FFE

We're now reviewing the first of two PDF-only releases for Twilight: 2000. The first is something that was bandied about on the Twilight: 2000 forums. Africa got scant attention in the development life of the game, a throwaway line here, or there, but there were three attempts to bring what has become this book to life.

The first was Frank Frey's post about the "Lions of Twilight" which was a bare-bones writeup about the 173rd Airborne Brigade being sent to secure Mombassa in Kenya and the refinery therein to make sure the oil flowed to the RDF in Iran. Another work was by the poster "Raelleus" whose work formed some of the basis of the third attempt, by David Adams, whose work we see here. The East Africa Sourcebook is currently available for $2.99 at DrivethruRPG.com

So, the cool factors? One, the book has plenty of mayhem and chaos to game out. Most of Africa has collapsed under the weight of war, disease, famine, and the not-so-occasional nuclear attack. Kenya has only survived an invasion by most of her neighbors because of direct US intervention (organized under AFRICOM or African Command), not to mention the exhaustion of the other combatants.

Even though the book says "East Africa/Kenya" we get a write-up for South Africa (now Apartheid-free and expanding at the expense of her chaos ridden (and in some cases, nuked) neighbors.

So, who's Kenya fighting now that the conventional war with her neighbors is over? It's mainly a marauder/terrorist/guerilla threat, which in Twilight: 2000, can often be one in the same. In Kenya's case, it's a group known as PARA (Pan African Revolutionary Army) who is often raiding the Kenyan forces occupying what was once Tanzania. There's also the Lord's Revolutionary Army (LRA) in Uganda, who's taken over Uganda, and has received some French aid after they overthrew the previously US-backed government. There's also the Somali warlord threat to the north as well, and they aren't behaving much differently then they do in our timeline.

There are detailed write-ups for most of the local militaries, as well as AFRICOM and some other players (namely the French). It also has entries for all of the prominent local NPCs as well as campaign suggestions that may as well be fodder for all sorts of miniature game ideas..and yes. we'll be discussing this later in the article.

I also like a discussion of the terrain, climate and people of Kenya, all of it very useful for not just the role-playing side, but the wargaming as well. I especially like that there are a few paragraphs on mercenaries and even in World War III, the wings of the Wild Geese flap somewhere. I also like the idea of Operation Harverster. The idea of raiding and trading all over Africa for parts and munitions to keep aircraft flying is a very Twilight: 2000 thing to do, and it's great scenario fodder.

Another thing I like? The real grab bag of gear. Everything from US Army run-Skyraiders found boxed up in some warehouse in Mombassa, to a "Volunteer" Mech Infantry Battalion made of US ex-pats and reenactors, complete with period gear and P-47s! And that's just the Americans!

But, how does this do for wargaming fodder?

Skirmish Scenarios

For skirmish scenarios, this is some pretty great stuff. Modern Africa has seen a real growth as a sub-period of modern wargaming, and Twilight: 2000 and Modern African wargaming go together like cookies and cream for ice cream. What I love about the book is how the role playing scenario ideas in the back of the book are such great ideas for miniature games as well.

Some of those ideas include:

• Any number of raids or anti-marauder sweeps by American, British, French, or Kenyan forces against PARA or any of the Somali Islamist groups.
• A boarding action on a pirate vessel by either elements of the USMC, the French Navy, or a mercenary group hired by one or more of the non-governmental interests in this part of the world.
• A covert raid to decapitate the head of an LRA brigade before a raid. This would have to be done covertly of course because of the French support for the Ugandans. This game would make perfect Skirmish Sangin (which I plan to review and add to the rules section) or Black Ops fodder. If you make this part of an "Operation Harverster" raid, all the better.
• Another LRA focused operation is the destruction of a series of hydroelectric dams under LRA control. This would also make excellent Black Ops fodder.
• The initial invasion of Northern Kenya in 1997 by Somali Islamist bands, the Kenyans are simply trying to slow them up and inflict casualties, the Somalis need to take the town. You can also game out the counterattack by US Army Special Forces and Ranger units that retake the area.  

Larger Battles

For larger games, there are more than a few ideas here. Most of them are set in the backstory of the book because, by 2001, the combatants are mostly engaged in operations that are more skirmish game in size.

Some of the better ideas include:

• Some of the battles from the initial invasion of Kenya by the Tanzanian-run coalition. The initial ambush 20km outside of Nairobi sounds interesting, as well as the fight for Mombassa.
• US 173rd Airborne's attack with two battalions against the Tanzanian "volunteer" brigade that has cut the Mobassa-Nairobi railway. Considering the Americans have a company of M551s and the Tanzanians have Ferrets and PT-76s, it's actually a neat idea for a game.
• A large scale raid on an isolated airfield in say, Zambia to seize parts and munitions to keep aircraft flying. This might make a better Rapid Fire or Battlegroup: NORTHAG (when it is released) game than something like Fistful of TOWs. 

This module is replete with ideas, and there's plenty of wargaming figure lines out there for it! Some of the ones off of the top of my head include:

• Peter Pig's 15mm AK-47 Republic range (and the rules would work really well for this).
• Ehliem Models 20mm Africa and Middle East range
• RH Models 20mm Africa range (their Multipurpose stuff also works well here). 
• Stan Johansen's 20mm Merc range (they have everything you might need). 

Some rules I can also suggest to help give the local "flavor" include:

• AK-47 Republic by Peter Pig
• Wars of Insurgency by First Command Games
• Skirmish Afrika by Radio Dishdash Publications (you'll need Skirmish Sangin to play it)

Post #60 is coming up! We'll be reviewing Rook's Gambit next, so stay tuned!

Module Suitability Review - Survivors Guide to the United Kingdom

Picture taken from DrivethruRPG.com. IP is FFE/GDW

Hello all, it's on to the final GDW-published supplement for 1st Ed. Twilight: 2000, Survivors Guide to the United Kingdom, or SGUK for short, is a controversial book to say the least with UK fans of Twilight: 2000. Many of the UK fans state they got a lot more wrong than right in this book, being an American, I can't really argue one way or the other, so I will simply state that I am just going to review this book as is for miniatures scenario fodder, and let the UK/Commonwealth fans argue whether or not this book added anything to canon. 

I won't be reviewing 3W's effort, City of Angels, by the way. Honestly, I kinda consider it the worst Twilight: 2000 supplement ever written, and it suffers from a lack of basic research, so rather than spark a flame war about that one..we're just gonna skip it entirely. Everyone ok with that?

So, what does SGUK have going for you? Well, from the miniatures standpoint, quite a bit. The UK as posited, is broken up into a lot of little statelets (with HM Government being just one of them) after the country is nuked about the same time as the US, receiving a further wave of strikes again in 1998. Yeah, not fun to be British. This all leads to a patchwork of groups and warlords, with some of the more memorable entries being the Tartan Army (A marauder band that pays...and is run by committee?), the Red Devils (Man U's fanclub got REAL militant), and the Soviet Group of Forces England (SGFE) (Escaped EPWs who just want to go home.) And did we mention the private little war that's going on between the Republic of Ireland and the UDR over Northern Ireland?

But there are more groups out there than one can shake a stick at, and more that are just hinted at...not to mention, HM's Government in the southwestern third of the country wanting to reunify the whole thing (with MI-5 preparing to fight an assassin's war to do so). And the drought, like in America, getting ready to knock the entire thing into a cocked hat..but what about miniatures possibilities?

Skirmish Games

There's a ton of fodder here. Just about anything you could conceive of for a Post-Apoc skirmish could be done with a British guise, just make sure the combatants have a British feel with less ironmongery, more SLRs and shotguns, and perhaps an armed traffic warden or two....A really good online source that you could adapt for ideas is Winter of '79. Some great figure lines in 20mm are Ehliem and Liberation, the latter's a bit hard to come by outside the UK, but their Urban Meltdown range is perfect for this stuff. It's got a lot going for it in terms of ideas and with a bit of adaptation...it could work for Twilight: 2000. But since you also expect some ideas from yours truly:

• A raid by one statelet on another for food, arms, or just about anything would make a good skirmish game. It's pretty straightforward, and would be pretty much the cause of most armed combat in Twilight: 2000 Britain. Most skirmish rules can handle this pretty well. 
• Another game that could be fun is the two patrols from rival factions run into each other and both decide the other isn't going to report back. Again, most skirmish rules can handle this pretty well. 
• Finally, in a bit of fun, you could do a Black Ops game where MI-5 gets the go-ahead to start assassinating warlords. a small team of 4 MI-5 agents sneaking into a warlord's compound, and doing him in in the middle of the night would make for a tense game.

There's a whole host of other ideas one can pull from this book on the Skirmish end.

Larger Games

The trouble with larger games here is the shortage of food and fuel to support the larger games some of the 1:5 rules thrive on. When your army is based around a single, and I mean single AFV with not much ammo, it's difficult to do a good Fistful of TOWs game. That's not to say it's impossible. One game that comes to mind for a medium-sized game, perhaps with a bit of fast play rules like Rapid Fire, or perhaps Battlegroup: NORTHAG (once it is released), would be HM's Government deciding to apply direct military force against a nearby warlord, and using it's hoarded supplies of North Sea oil to do it. It would make for an interesting, if tough game for the defender.

Well, that's it here. Next on the review queue is the East Africa/Kenya Sourcebook, where we look and see how all that African wargaming material that's come out in recent years can be adapted to Twilight: 2000. 

Module Suitability Review: White Eagle

Image taken from Twilight: 2000 Wiki, IP from GDW/FFE

So, we're coming up on the end of the Version 1 modules. I will be reviewing the two new releases we've seen of late, Rook's Gambit, and the East African Sourcebook, but probably after I review Survivor's Guide to the United Kingdom, the last of the Version 1 modules.

As for what is the basic plot of White Eagle? Well, the long-hinted at struggle for the future of post -apocalyptic Poland has begun, all three factions, the WL, Krakow, and Silesia are now posturing and getting ready for the fight to come. All of the factions have something to offer, some more than others, but your Player Characters might have a bit of a past here, seeing as how they have interacted with a lot of these people before in earlier adventures (at times, negatively).

The adventure is very open-ended, and the buildup to the major fight can be quite a campaign in it's own right, but a lot of things feel...recycled. Moreover, I've mentioned dissatisfaction with one aspect of the adventure before.

But, how does this stack up as miniature games fodder?

Skirmish Games

White Eagle has a lot going for it in the combat arena, a lot. And, it can be the basis of a skirmish campaign, especially from the WL perspective, as you raise a guerilla army from basically nothing, train it, and send it out to wreak havoc on the enemy. This could be quite a rewarding campaign if done right, and the various Force on Force or No End in Sight campaign mechanisms would work very well here.

Other ideas include:

• Ambushing a small supply convoy belonging to one of the enemy factions and looting it for all it's worth, this works well for all sides.
• Playing out the ambush of a small diplomatic mission to one of the other factions. This could have some roleplaying elements as everyone plays "Let's make a deal".
• Launching a raid against one of the other factions to stir up a rebellion in said faction?
• A raid to capture/kill the leaders of an enemy faction. (There's a good map of Raciborz Castle if you want to make the Markgraf of Silesia the subject of said raid.)

In short, there's a lot of skirmish ideas here, and it's fertile ground if you look hard enough. Helpfully, there is a scenario for Last Battle in the back, and it can easily be converted to the aforementioned rules sets. 

Larger Games

White Eagle is pretty much leading up to some larger battles that are best played out via Spearhead, Command Decision, or Fistful of TOWs. (To be honest, these will mostly be smaller games anyhow, as the numbers involved will be smallish). That said, the shame about White Eagle is that there are no notes on the current states of the three combatants, where there was plenty of information in the previous modules that contributed to White Eagle. So, anyone trying to do a potential game out of this is going to have to improvise. 

Well, that's it for White Eagle. The next module on the list is Survivor's Guide to the United Kingdom. Not 100% sure when that will be, as I am getting married on the 21st of October, and time is going to be at a premium. But, rest assured, when my schedule allows, I will be back at it! 

Till then, happy gaming all!

Module Suitability Review - Bear's Den

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

Well, it's the long promised review of Bear's Den. It's the only adventure that takes place in the Soviet Union (why in the world the PCs would ever go in that direction is beyond me, unless you really want to take the long way home through Siberia to Alaska, which if Deadliest Catch has taught us anything, it's no, don't go that way!)

  The adventure has a lot of potential, it centers around the Ukrainian city of Lvov, a Soviet general with dreams of empire..and the military skill that's already made him a legend...and the small matter of him potentially having a SCUD with a nuke? Not to mention, it's left open ended for the players to join him or not..decisions..decisions? Did I also mention the CIA-backed partisans and that Soviet Tank Division (also controlled by the CIA) that's marching on the city?

Yeah, it's a big battle the likes of which we don't often see in a Twilight: 2000 adventure. And what a battle it could be.

And the PCs could be right in the middle of it all....

But how does it do as miniatures fodder?

Skirmish Games

For skirmish games, this scenario pack has a lot going for it. There are skirmishes between the forces of the "Red Bear" and the partisans, or the 27th Tank Division (pro-NATO) and the forces of the Red Bear...but some other ideas lend themselves well below:

• A raid to seize Olesko Castle ahead of the 27th. The place is heavily guarded and would be quite the challenging Black Ops game.
• A raid to liberate NATO POWs from the camp outside town. Little is written about the place in the adventure, but a decent and smart referee can come up with something. This would make an excellent Force on Force or No End In Sight game.
• Another idea is to assassinate the "Red Bear" himself. This would make another great Black Ops game, and the referee has his pick of places to choose from in Lvov to have the action take place.
• Lead an expedition of a small unit to get the 27th's recon unit out of the siege it has found itself in a small mountain pass, this would make a decent campaign for Force on Force or No End in Sight. Oh, and the opposition? It's a Soviet ski unit! How Cold War cliché is that?
• A raid to destroy the SCUD before it launches on the town of Drogobych. This would make an interesting game for either Black Ops, Force on Force, or No End in Sight.

Larger Games

The scenario pack has everything you need to run the final fight for Lvov. Everything is broken down in deep detail in the last part of the book, and lends itself well to a set of large battle rules like Fistful of Tows, or Spearhead. Keep in mind there are some fuel issues for some of the Red Bear's forces and that Drogobych is important because of it's fuel supplies to both sides.

Other factors? It's a Ukrainian winter, probably one of the coldest in memory, and both sides are not going to have an abundance of IR or Image Intensifying gear to go around.

The size of the game will probably make this a campaign game, or even an all day convention game, and the better news? It's on the Ukrainian steppe, so think lots and lots of flatlands.

Well, that's it for Bear's Den, I will be reviewing Satellite Down next, as I accidentally skipped it somewhere. US Navy sailors forming a fanatical cult, a downed Soviet weather satellite, all in the midst of the 2nd Mexican Civil War? Oh my. Also, I am tying the knot soon (October 21), so updates are definitely going to be on a "As I can" basis until the day happens.

Oh, I almost forgot! We crossed the threshold of 20,000 pageviews! So to quote Sally Fields: "You like me, You really, really like me!"

See you next time!

Module Suitability Review - Return to Warsaw

Picture is taken from Twilight: 2000 wiki, IP is GDW/FFE

  Return to Warsaw is in some ways, a rehash of Ruins of Warsaw, you're again trying to fight off Baron Czarny, and his band of not-so-merry cutthroats, they again have chemical weapons (blood agent filled grenades this time), and again, you're defending the plucky farm community of Silice along with a somewhat shaky mix of allies.

 But, there are some neat differences. First, the Spetsnaz team from Black Madonna? SSD-1109? They're back as private contractors working for the Baron, and they've kidnapped one of the Warsaw community leaders kids..and you can rescue them, or you can foil their attempt to decapitate the Silece leadership. Another difference, rallying the 10th Guards Tank Division might not be so easy this time, as General Konev died during the events of Ruins of Warsaw.

 The module's information is much better presented in my opinion, as I like NATO-symbols and wire frame org charts, not to mention the units are spelled out. There's also a scenario in the back for the boardgame, Last Battle, but the notes here lend themselves to any large scale miniatures system, such as Fistful of TOWs or Spearhead.

 So, as an adventure, it has more than a bit going for it, and it does well reintroducing the PCs to Europe as the beginning of the Return to Europe trilogy. I also dug the narrative section at the beginning alluding to the Baron Czarny - Darth Vader comparison.

 But how does it do for miniatures fodder?

Skirmish Games

 For skirmish games, you really do have tons of material here, (the scenario in the back of the book is an excellent start) all sorts of patrol actions and raids can be fought here, and SSD-1109 can really add a nasty, but fun surprise to the normal Twilight: 2000 inspired miniatures game. Some interesting ideas include?

• Rescuing the hostages from the Baron and his Black Guard, using the descriptions laid out in "A Little Rescue". The events described there make an excellent Black Ops or Force on Force game.
• Foiling the attempt on the lives of the leadership of Silece by SSD-1109.
• Conducting an recon patrol into the territory of the Baron, to gain what intelligence you can.

Any of the ideas laid out in my review of Ruins of Warsaw also apply as well. This book is really replete with ideas.

Larger Battles

  In short, the final fight for Silece is really the big game to be had here. It's able to be played out, but not at 1:1 scale, I would recommend a 1:5 scale set of rules, like Fistful of TOWs or Spearhead, the conversions would be simple enough, but I would go 1:1 representation for the vehicles, as there are not that many of them on anyone's side. 

 

  Terrain is going to be something of an issue, but any sort of rubbled city, with the landmarks being prominent would work well, the big factor being the rubble wall Silece has built for it's defense.

  One thing I forgot to mention in my review of Ruins of Warsaw, was that the game should be replete with random events, as a Twilight: 2000 inspired battle of this size is going to have all sorts of issues with vehicles that might break down, heavy weapons that might fail, or worse, and morale on both sides that is probably less than stellar. 

  That's it for Return to Warsaw, next on the list will be Bear's Den, adventure in the Ukraine in the midst of winter...brr. That sounds like fun....not.

  Oh and shameless plug alert, my self-published scenario book, Red Star, White Lights, will be a Deal of the Day beginning tomorrow (7/27), 10 am US Central Time, at 50% off, so it shouldn't be too hard on the wallets? So grab a copy, and put a chill on that hot wargaming summer! 

Module Suitability Review - Kidnapped

Image taken from Amazon.com/IP is GDW/FFE

Kidnapped is another Twilight: 2000 adventure with a McGuffin at stake, only this time, the McGuffin is a person. That person is none other than Carl Hughes, leader of the fascist organization known as New America, now a contender for power in the post-apocalyptic United States. It reunites us with some NPCs we first saw in Allegheny Uprising (namely Rodger Caldwell) and introduces us to some new ones, some of whom, the adventure could have done without (and some where a little research might have helped, "Lance Sergeant"? Uh, yeah).

The mission is simple, find Hughes, who is holed up in a bunker that is half fortress and half pleasure palace for him and a few hundred of his closest friends, which happens to be smack dab in the middle of one of the largest New American cells this side of St. Petersburg, and bring him back to Civgov and Caldwell, alive.

May I just state, that while the idea of this adventure sounds cool? It's guaranteed to be what they call in role playing to be a TPK (Total Party Kill). Not to mention? There is this totally unnecessary side trip and additional dungeon crawl through an abandoned New American facility that has almost zero intelligence value, except to confirm "Nope, Hughes, he isn't here!" The displaced social studies teacher makes a better way to find Hughes and his not-so-merry band of sleazeballs.

Oh, and did I mention the marauder band that is practically an ethnic slur to Native Americans, in the foot hills of Appalachian Virginia? Um yeah...

And did I mention this was all about to happen while the most controversial event in Twilight: 2000 canon, "the Drought" was about to begin and Civgov and Caldwell are pulling up stakes for the Midwest?

In short, nobody thought this through really well at all.  But, desperate people do desperate things, even if those desperate things border on military insanity? But no, this adventure needed some better writing overall.

But how does it fare as miniature scenario fodder?

Skirmish Games

For skirmish games, Kidnappped has a few possibilities, even for an adventure as well, badly written as this. Many of the potential encounters make good fodder for man to man games, but some of the really good ideas are these:

• Dealing with the Trolls outside Sandy Hook, one restriction on using firepower is that the locals need the bridge intact.
• Launching a raid on the New American supply depot at Bolivar (this one should be no picnic for the Civgov raiders, as the adventure description makes the place sound like a fortress).
• Clearing the Makado Computer Corporation building from either a New American patrol...or an unaffiliated marauder band.
• Rescuing Roy Masterson from a New American raid on his farm meant to silence him, and recover the papers he has come into possession of.

Larger Games

For larger games, there would not seem to be a whole lot here, but the fact, it..any assault on the Country Home bunker would take a far larger force than the typical band of role playing characters. I personally would think it would take a company sized force or larger to do it right..there's simply too many New Americans there. So, you could say Civgov had an attack of the smarts, and sent a force in to do it right, but that would entail that force fighting it's way all the way through to Country Home in the first place, which I suppose, could make a good campaign...but then again, with the drought on the way, could such a force hold together under the circumstances?

Well, next on the list is Return to Warsaw, which should have some folks wondering if the Baron Czarny really is the Twilight: 2000 answer to Darth Vader? 

In the coming days, I also will be reporting on my upcoming trip to Historicon. I am leaving for Fredricksburg this Thursday, and I will check in with Covert Intervention Games and see what they are up to, as well as look about and see what else is going on of interest to anyone with a hankering for wargaming in the world of Twilight: 2000. Look for the paunchy fellow with glasses, brown hair, and eyes wearing a black t-shirt with a Twilight: 2000 1st Edition or module cover on it! That will be me!

Until next time everyone!

Module Suitability Review - Boomer

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

And so we come to the conclusion of the Last Submarine trilogy. This adventure is in many ways, a bit better than Mediterranean Cruise. There is a Soviet Typhoon-class SSBN out there, and it's got some missiles left. And the Soviets are trying to recover her..to what end, I am sure nobody wants to find out.

In any case, there is the epic voyage to Norway, to gain more information as to the whereabouts of the SSBN, with a tense moment or two involving the French Navy and some improptu repairs in what's left of the UK. After that it's a trek through the north of Norway and a raid on the Soviet encampment around the Soviet "Boomer". Then the players might wind up with a ship of their own? Perhaps a return to Europe is in order?

Like Mediterranean Cruise before it, there are a couple of capsule scenarios for Harpoon, if you are into modern naval wargaming. And, the advanture is well paced, and solid. probably one of the best to come out for Twilight: 2000 during that period.

But how does it stack up for generating miniatures games?

Skirmish Scale

There is a lot of skirmish fodder here, and with the maps in the module, it makes terrain construction a snap, to be honest.

Some of the best possibilities are?

• Holding off the marauders trying to take the sub on the British beach while she is affecting repairs. It is a large, flat beach, with not much in the way of terrain features, but one can make some interesting changes, the numbers involved lend itself well to No End in Sight, or Force on Force.
• The Norwegian raid on Narvik to hit the KGB Headquarters there would make an extremely good Force on Force or Black Ops game.
• The final raid on the SSBN encampment would make a great, tense game as well, but there is a lot of flat terrain, so it would be best to limit visibility so as to not allow the defenders to have it all their way.

Larger Scale

Sadly, there isn't much for any larger scale games. Between the war coming to something of a grinding halt, the nature of warfare in the Great White North, and the forces involved, it's really not got much for large battles. For some more on wargaming in Scandinavia, and the factors involved...check out "Red Star, White Lights" by yours truly. (End Shameless Plug!)

This was a short review as Boomer is, for a Twilight: 2000 adventure, a pretty straightforward adventure. It hasn't got a lot of meat or subplots going for it, but then again, it's the nature of the adventure. Find the sub, sink the sub.

Next to be reviewed will be a book I think I accidentally skipped, which is Kidnapped. This book has a lot more potential for larger scale fights..not to mention..the McGuffin involved could decide the fate of the United States.

Signing off the net for now! 

Module Suitability Review - Mediterranean Cruise

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

Mediterranean Cruise is an interesting tableau for an adventure, The last active US Navy sub is going around Southern Europe and the coast of North Africa, recovering DIA assets for return home, as well as another McGuffin (The Popovs and their cold fusion technology, which might prove a boon to the recovery of the United States).

The locations are varied, and wide ranging, and while I understand the wide ranging tableau didn't allow for some detail in the adventure descriptions, I remember being a bit let down as to the level of descriptions of some of these places, it almost felt a bit cardboard.

That said, it is a solid adventure, and one can make a campaign out of it very, very easily. The ending is a bit of a climactic payoff, but it might be a bit over-the-top (Romanian guerrillas managing to have the firepower to dislodge the remains of the Soviet Army from their country with nothing more than what a submarine can carry? Bit of a stretch), but it has some potential, one might just have to play around with it a bit.

Then there is the small issue of a spy on board who's trying to sabotage the entire mission? That also leads to a bit of fun drama..and the referee can choose who the spy is...adds to replay value if you ask me,

I do like how it segways into the final adventure, Boomer. You can almost hear the "Next time on Twilight: 2000!" TV voice as you get handed the partial communique.

But how does this do for fodder for miniatures games?

Skirmish Games

As fodder for Skirmish games, this is where the modules shines, in my opinion. You have a number of missions where you have to recover DIA assets, and these missions are tailor made for rules like Black Ops. If done right, they could provide a tense, cat-and-mouse like game that would give everyone a good bit of fun.

Some other ideas?

• A party of angry locals is chasing a shore party back to the sub for any number of reasons, the players have to evade pursuit, and the locals get points for any shore party members they capture or kill. And any captured members simply cannot be left to the locals...so one's going to have to rescue them..so there goes some more games.
• The Turkish DIA officer's attempt to seize the submarine for his own nefarious ends..it would make an awesome skirmish game as both sides fight it out on the deck..and perhaps inside the submarine.
• A bit AU for the adventure...but doable. Say the Popovs are taken by Soviet Spetsnaz and are being held in some small port town in Romania in an attempt to draw out the sub. A small shore party is sent in to rescue the Popovs, and kill the Soviets?

Larger Games

There isn't a whole lot of larger games to be had to be honest in this module, except for perhaps gaming out the uprising in Romania, but that would to be honest, better played out by a series of skirmish games.

But there is another quirky game you can do? Many pirate bands and such are going to want the sub. And you can't go wasting a Mk-48 on a cabin cruiser? So, what to do? MK-19s on the conning tower work well. And the sub can do thirty knots..so it might make an interesting fight..or the sub might simply dive away?

Another thing to mention, this adventure and Boomer both have capsule Harpoon scenarios in them, They are simple affairs, and with the right group of players, lend themselves to a new genre? Post apocalyptic naval wargaming?

Next time, we're going to take a look at Boomer! Stay tuned folks, we have more reviews to come!

Module Suitability Review - The Last Submarine

Taken from Twilight: 2000 Wiki, IP is GDW/FFE

Last Submarine is an interesting adventure. It has the usual Twilight: 2000 adventure elements, a very important McGuffin, and a road picture, this time, of New England, which is barely holding on by it's fingernails. The players involved are myriad, and if they aren't careful, things could spiral out of control fast while they try to recover the sub. The Boston Megapunks could make good allies or enemies, if Dain could be eased out of the way in favor of his sister (and if they can get the good father who knows where the sub is away from said Megapunks), and the UBF is an interesting foil, sort of a mobbed up union with some really nasty qualities, Not to mention the little issue of a coup brewing in the 43rd MP Brigade, but nothing I think a competent group of PCs could not handle? Right?

But how does this do for miniatures fodder?

Skirmish Games

There are a lot of skirmish games to be had here, and I mean a lot. If you're smart, you could make an entire campaign for your favored rules set out of this, and really come up with some great gaming ideas.

Some of the leading ideas for me include:

• The UBF raid on the Weymouth Naval Depot for Mk 48 torpedoes for the sub.
• A raid by the PCs with some local help, on Nantucket and kidnap John Carlucci, the head of the UBF. (this can then be morphed into another raid to recover the submarine)
• A raid to save Father O'Grady from the 43rd MP Brigade in the midst of a coup.

All of these lend themselves to rules sets like Black Ops, or perhaps Skirmish Sangin. I personally like the two game campaign idea for the raid(s) on Nantucket.

Larger Games

While there is not a whole lot of larger game fodder, there is some. One is gaming out either the coup in the 43rd MP Brigade, or the collapse of the Isolationists in Rhode Island. Either one has an unusual but interesting premise that lend themselves to a larger scale set of rules. 

Well, that's it for Last Submarine, next on the list is Mediterranean Cruise, the 2nd adventure in the Last Submarine trilogy. It's got quite the spread of adventure, and has some real skirmish game potential.

So, with that said, see you next time!

Module Suitability Review - King's Ransom

Image is taken from Twilight: 2000 Wiki, IP is GDW/FFE

King's Ransom is to me, "Indiana Jones meets the post apocalypse". It's chasing a valuable McGuffin (the Iranian Crown Jewels sound like something right out of a D&D game), through the devastated and unique vista of Iran. It's sweeping landscapes, and strange customs. It's all those things, and Frank Frey did a very good job tying it all together.

The story of the loss of the jewels is pretty well carried off, and their rediscovery, as well as the purpose they are put to? Straight out of something like the Maltese Falcon. The subplots, including a KGB Colonel, and a cheating wife, that could lead to the rebellion of the Communist army that the Soviets have built up in northern Iran, or a raid on the Soviet 45th Army staff. All of these things make this an adventure of unique value. One I am ashamed to say I never got a chance to run.

But how does this stack up as fodder for miniatures scenarios?

Skirmish Scenarios

We have quite a bit of fodder here, if only using the mountainous terrain of the Zagros mountains and gaming out the multiple patrol sized actions one can game out here. But there are some other ideas?

• The initial raid on the Soviet signal company. That would make a pretty gameable scenario, and let's be honest, you'd have a use for all the specialty kits you find on the market these days!
• The "Ducks in a Barrel" idea in the "Further Adventures" section of the book. It's a very gamable scenario, and the map is accurate enough that you could build a pretty nice terrain piece based on the map.
• The defection of Colonel Shahrestani, this could make a good small-scale campaign if done right, and would fit right in for something like Black Ops.

Larger Scenarios

There are a few ideas here, such as gaming out the subsequent Soviet offensive that is in the offing, and you could also game out some of the Allied anti-marauder sweeps, which are described quite well in the book, though most marauder bands in the Allied held zone are not much larger than platoon sized bands,

But I like the idea of gaming out the rebellion of the Soviet-backed Tudeh army. Frank Frey hints at this being a strong possibility in King's Ransom, and a pretty good game could be done in the spirit of the Sepoy Rebellion, with the Soviets in the position of the British, but with a iffy supply line.

Well, that's as much as I can say for now. Next up will be a review of Last Submarine, which kicks off the second Twilight: 2000 trilogy and takes the game to interesting ports of call..so to speak. So, see you then!

Module Suitability Review - Urban Guerilla

Image taken from Twilight: 2000 Wiki, IP is GDW/FFE

Urban Guerilla is described as an "adult" adventure where "..the dragon eats the fair maiden and has his way with the knight in shining armor." Victory is described as simply "..striking one more spark of resistance in the teeth of the New American hurricane.."

I must say, it delivers. Urban Guerilla came out when I was in the 7th Grade, and I read this adventure from cover to cover many times. Everybody wore grey hats. The New Americans were engaged in a subtle and nasty piece of genocide against their own population of Seconds and Thirds, and manipulated them through terror and "false-flag" attacks. But, the worst part? The resistance is fragmented, weak, and unable to do more than sting the New Americans here and there. Some of their actions could be seen as little more than terror itself, justifications aside, this adventure has a lot of grey.

Uglier than that bit of depressing news, New America is being made to work by a woman whose ideological corner-cutting is the only thing making this enclave successful. Were New American rule to collapse without a viable alternative ready to move in? Yeah, I think we all know that answer.

(AUTHOR'S NOTE: My comments should in no way be taken as any endorsement of New America or any real-life organization that shares their goals. Just stating some very unfortunate post-apocalyptic realities, namely that power abhors a vacuum.)

The adventure does a very good job at giving us a look at how New America functions..the bit about the "classification test" was very well done..and a bit creepy. Thomas Mulkey hit this one out of the park, in my opinion.

All of the subplots weave together well, such as the captured documents and the unfortunate courier at the beginning, the leader of the enclave..and her teenage daughter, the psychotic head of security, who has sent for an assassin to deal with his apostate boss, and the small matter of a father and daughter who are on opposite sides of the dirty war unfolding in South Florida, and a little boy caught in the middle.  Then there is the casual corruption and the endless wars of "urban renewal" that lead to the deaths of thousands of ill-equipped Seconds and Thirds..and a potential rebellion in the ranks.

What a tangled web it truly is...but how does it translate well to a miniatures game?

Skirmish Games

To be honest, this is where Urban Guerilla shines, a lot of potential scenarios for rules like Black Ops can be found here, and there is a lot of mission fodder, some ideas include:

• Smuggling the daughter of the enclave leader, and her boyfriend out to Milgov where they can be debriefed.
• Rescuing the son of the leader of the clandestine resistance, and avoiding the New American trap they've set for just such an attempt.
• Performing a prisoner snatch to grab a New American soldier and getting the results of an interrogation out.
• Stopping a coup against the current leader of the New American enclave on the principle that the alternative could be far, far worse.

Larger Battles

There isn't a lot here for larger fights, but there are some possibilities, One of the best I can think of gaming out a popular revolt against the New Americans, particularly if it's in the confusion of a coup by the traditionalists who are unhappy with the current leaders "shenanigans". 

This has a lot going for it, and if done right, it could also make a good backdrop for some smaller battles as well. So all in all, there is something here, as there are some large forces arrayed against the New Americans (the Seminoles come to mind), and they just need something to unify them...

Next time, we'll be discussing King's Ransom. I accidentally skipped it as I have been trying to go in order of stock numbers, oh well. I promise I will discuss it and like always, there will be a lot of possibilities there.

So, have fun till then!

Module Suitability Review - Gateway to the Spanish Main

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

Gateway to the Spanish Main is a very multi-layered adventure, and has a lot of fun moving parts. New American-backed pirates, the granddaughter of the head of Milgov in peril, and the small issue of a few thousand Cubans stuck very far from home, with their commander convinced that the Yanquis are coming in force.

Did we mention the adventure is meant for the heroes to start as escaped POWs? Aboard a movie copy of the USS Constitution? Yeah, this adventure has it all.

Then there are all of the opportunities the heroes of the adventure have to get a boat of their own, or just plain find some access to arms and ammunition...

It's got a lot going for it, and has a lot about Twilight: 2000 at sea. Moreover, it's just plain awesome as a sort of "Errol Flynn meets Mad Max".

But how does this work out for miniatures fodder?

Skirmish Scenarios

There is a lot of skirmish possibilities in this little scenario. And by a lot, I do mean a lot. If you ever wanted to do tall ships meets the post apocalypse, then this is the module for you. Some of the ideas one can play out are?

• A fight between the Constitution, and a pirate vessel. Keep in mind this might be a more even fight than you might think, and that the crew of Constitution are experienced sailors, to put it mildly. But the pirates are numerous...
• A raid by the Grenadian Constabulary or the NNP on the Cubans, or their lackeys in their "militia". Neither side is particularly well-equipped, but the Cubans are a bit more experienced than anyone else on the island, though there are some GGR folks who have a lot of experience compared to anyone on the island.
• A raid by Constituion's marine contingent on one of the smaller pirate garrisons on Carriacou, or a hostage rescue game of some of the shipwrights being held hostage.
• Gaming out a boarding action between two ships would also be a doable skirmish game, and could be done on a variety of ships. 

Larger Scenarios

The larger scenario possibilities are mostly of the naval variety, but a good game could be had on a raid on one of the ports on Carricou. Now that said, it would do well for a smaller scale (6mm), game. Special rules are going to have to be used reflect modern weapons in what is essentially, an Age of Sail game. In any case, the rules one would have to use would be quite unique.

One also needs to reflect that the pirates only have 106mm training ammunition for the RCLs. The weapons should not be as effective, but the fact is, it would make awesome scratch building opportunities for the ships involved, which rather resembles Pirates of the Vistula, only with tall ships.

Well, that is it for this week, next on the agenda, we'll be discussing Urban Guerrilla, or Twilight: 2000 in South Florida!

Module Suitability Review - Airlords of the Ozarks

Image taken from Twilight 2000 Wiki, IP is GDW/FFE

Airlords of the Ozarks to me, reflected a change in the "bad guys" in Twilight: 2000 from the traditional Soviets to something far more sinister, and familiar, New America. New America is born of the darkest fears about the Neo-Nazi movement from the 1980s. The ideas were borne of the seeming rise of the neo-Nazi movement, as well as the fears real, and imagined of the Christian Right. That said. New America, whatever your views, is to me, presented an "anti-Morrow Project" to pit against your players (and might have been a bit of a parody of said game, but that is my own position).

But on to the adventure. It's got a lot. The "recon" mission has sort of a creeping horror element to it, as you realize the true nature of the "Airlords" and what they have at their disposal (three dirigibles and a mess of ultralights). Air superiority in Twilight: 2000 against unprepared towns in the Ozarks is nothing short of devastating, as our heroes might find out.

The rot of New America goes as far as the state house in Little Rock in a side plot, and the mission to destroy New America's airfleet can resemble Guns of Navarone if done right. And there is the small issue of New America having some crude CALCMs at it's disposal...(Nice job MilGov). Yeah, you gotta destroy those too.

But that said, how does it do for miniatures scenario fodder?

Skirmish Games

For skirmish games Airlords of the Ozarks does very well on a skirmish scenario basis. There is a ton of fodder really, everything from ambushing New American patrols, to scouting out New American-held towns.

Some really neat ideas I have though are:

• A raid to capture the leadership of the Jonesboro marauder band for interrogation, they would be a font of information on the nature of the "Airlords".
• Raid on an New American LC (Long Contract) Labor Camp (re: Concentration Camp) to recover valuable prisoners as well as to perhaps rile up the prisoners in a general uprising.
• A raid to capture a New American prisoner for interrogation.

Larger Scale Games

Airlords is some awesome fodder in my opinion for some larger scale games, especially for the climax of the adventure. Some of the more obvious ideas include:

• A partisan raid stiffened by some American soldiers returned from Europe on the lair of the dirigibles, it would be especially exciting if there was one loaded with ALCMs ready to launch at MilGov and CivGov HQs. (relax, they aren't nuclear armed, but 1000kgs of HE won't tickle if aimed right). 
• A fight between a captured dirigible and one held by the New Americans (what rules you would use for this, I have no idea).
• Milgov sends the 197th Mech Brigade in from Memphis to crush the New American cell in the Ozarks, one town at a time (This would make an interesting micro armor game, and the New Americans, sans airships, aren't going to have a lot of anti-tank weapons to deal with the ironmongery the 197th can bring to bear).

In short, the scenario has a lot to offer, and the figures for New Americans are easy, just take a mix of Americans in uniforms from Vietnam to 90s era (ala my article on the subject)  and paint a blue armband with a white star in the middle. It should be a darker blue than the Somali flag, to be honest, and as for Ozarks terrain, there is some mention of it in my terrain article on what you can do for some ideas there. (You might have to scroll down). Vehicles for the New Americans would be a mix of pickup trucks and "technicals" for the most part.

Well, it's our 30th Post!! Thanks to everyone for their continued support and comments here. Your feedback makes this worthwhile! I apologize for the wait for this article, a cold laid me up for a few days. Our next entry will be Gateway to the Spanish Main, Post-apocalyptic pirates and kidnapped children to rescue, arr!

Module Suitability Review - Allegheny Uprising

Image taken from Twilight:2000 Wiki, IP is GDW/FFE

Allegheny Uprising is and isn't your typical Twilight: 2000 adventure. It is, as usual, a post-apocalyptic road picture, and it has a McGuffin (a lost strategic reserve stockpile), but it also has something you don't often see in a Twilight: 2000 adventure. It has a plot best described as "wheels within wheels."

You have just within the CivGov team alone, an undercover CIA agent, a budding traitor who will sell the party out to set himself up as the new power in Western PA (which considering that the is a former Lieutenant Governor of Maryland, says a lot about the state of Maryland in Twilight: 2000), and an incompetent buffoon who thinks he is a military genius. Lots going on there. No wonder Rodger Caldwell (the player's patron with CivGov) hired a MilGov team to take care of this.

Next, you have a marauder chieftain (with the oh-so-friendly moniker of the "White Death") shamelessly using an old, vulnerable member of the House of Representatives for his own ends (namely overrunning Western Pennsylvania). But what said chieftain doesn't know is that said congressman knows where this little supply stockpile is. Oh yeah, this has the potential to go sideways really fast, no?

Then there is the not so small matter of a war brewing between the militias in the mountains of Western PA, and the marauder "armies" (more like armed mobs) formed from desperate refugees that are preparing to go to war over the remaining food in Pennsylvania. Seems the harvest won't feed more than 20% of the total surviving populace this year. Yeah, of such things, bitter wars are made.

Something that an online friend pointed out to me after I wrote this? This has got to be one of the grimmest Twilight: 2000 adventures ever written. The fact is, hunger makes people do very desperate things, among them, contemplate genocide. If the heroes do not play their cards right, this could very well happen between the mountain dwellers and the the marauders. The only question would be, who would be the victims?

But how does this do for miniature wargaming fodder?

Skirmish Scenarios

The potential for skirmish scenarios is replete here. There are simply so many small unit actions going on between the marauders and the militias that their skirmishes alone could fill a scenario book by themselves. The main issue is to make sure the scenarios, as I mentioned in my Armies of the Night review, do not become "same-same".  But there are some interesting ideas nonetheless:

• A hired team of European veterans, makes a raid on the "abandoned shopping mall" at Monroeville to rescue Congressman Fitzpatrick. Building a shopping mall is daunting, but it would make a great convention game! (and nice small shout out to "Dawn of the Dead"! )
• Our small band of heroes has to fight off a New American ambush somewhere near the MD line. The trouble is, they can't have anyone taken prisoner, or New America might find out what is going on and send their own expedition.
• The same hired team of European vets decides to launch an attack on the White Death's personal encampment just as he launches the final assault on the mountains. 

Larger Scale Scenarios

Allegheny Uprising really lends itself very well to larger scale scenarios. The armies the White Death can put together are staggering, but badly equipped and trained (some men in his army have little more than knives, clubs, and crossbows). But they are motivated, motivated by sheer hunger, and hatred of the mountain dwellers, whom they believe have huge stockpiles of food. The truth is, they don't but The White Death has them believing otherwise, your morale rules should reflect that. Some interesting ideas include:

• The White Death has beaten CivGov to the stockpile, but Civgov isn't about to just let the marauders have it. The 228th has some advantages of firepower and training, but the White Death sure has the numbers.
• A campaign game of the White Death's attempts to force the mountains and lead his army to the food that doesn't really exist. You might want to have rules for rebellions that will break out in Western Pennsylvania once the White Death is preoccupied with subduing the mountain dwellers.
• CivGov's cache has become well known to everyone. Mountain militias and marauders alike have all allied to get the stockpile for themselves, trouble is, will they wait till the battle is over to betray their "allies"? And how long can CivGov hold the stockpile? 

That's just a few thoughts I have had with this particular adventure. Some final thoughts are, if you do the larger scale games, numbers on the White Death's "army" aren't there, neither are they really there for the militias, but you can fudge it nicely for purposes of a game.

As for figures, the suggestions I made in my Armies Of The Night Review still hold up, but with a higher concentration of civilian weapons. 

Next up, a review of Airlords of The Ozarks, or neo-nazis with dirigibles, ultralights, and ALCMs. Oh my!