[Churchofgaming] This Sunday: Twilight 2000

Sat Jan 5 02:37:50 UTC 2013

Space for me? Had a French mechanic last time I played, so would be good to try him in a non PvP game!

Ps if space, is it still 2 pm at the church.???

 Mark

Sent from my HTC

----- Reply message -----
From: lev at rpgreview.net
To: <churchofgaming at rpgreview.net>
Subject: [Churchofgaming] This Sunday: Twilight 2000
Date: Sat, Jan 5, 2013 12:43 pm

This Sunday we'll start the Twilight 2000 campaign. We'll at least play
through one scenario and if it goes well, we can play several more. :)
Read through the background and think about what sort of character you
will want to play. Remember, given the nature of the second part of the
war you can be pretty much from either NATO or Warsaw Pact forces.

Background
----------

The background assumption is that the 1991 coup [1] in the Soviet Union
was a lot more aggressive and successful than the historical version
(which lasted two days and led to the breakup of the Soviet Union). In
this alternate history a much wider section of the KGB and the Soviet Army
backed the coup, and the State Committee on the State of Emergency was
able to reunite the Soviet Union with force of arms. Moving rapidly,
insurrections also occurred among hardline communists in the former Warsaw
pact (such as Intermovement in the Baltics), calling for Soviet
intervention. Ignoring international protests, in 1992 the Soviets retook
their former territories in the Eastern bloc, despite majority civilian
opposition.

As Soviet forces reached the borders of Germany, NATO responded with a
counter-offensive which was devastating on both sides. Salients were won
and lost with a speed reminiscent of Napoleonic cavalry movements but on a
scale of hundreds of kilometers rather than metres. When a particularly
aggressive Soviet salient pushed through Erfurt then Frankfurt and
Saarland, the French acted to protect their territorial integrity - by
using tactical nuclear weapons, specifically Pluton missiles from
Oberhoffen-sur-Moder and Belfort.

The Soviet response was immediate. President Gennady Yanayev stepped down
to manage public affairs, Marshall Dmitry Yazov was replaced by the
younger and more competent Yevgeny Shaposhnikov and interior minister
Boris Pugo became President. In a strategic move, the Soviets launched
attacks on U.S. military satellites, severely weakening NATO intelligence.
A massive nuclear counterstrike is launched against the U.S. and its NATO
allies, including large numbers of nuclear-armed Soviet satellites,
generating global electromagnetic pulses [4], destroying most unshielded
equipment. From the oceans, Soviet submarine-launched ballistic missile
(SLBM) warheads strike against nuclear facilities in the United States.
For their own part, the United States responds with intercontinental
ballistic missiles (ICBMs) against the U.S.S.R and attacks from B52
strategic nuclear bombers.

The nuclear conflict brings the rest of the world into the action; India
and Pakistan, long in opposition, engage in a conflict with the use of
nuclear weapons and Israel takes the opportunity to create several glass
sculptures in capitals that were potential threats. China, hitherto
staying out of the conflict, comes on the side of the Soviet Union
following the French attack, and in particular with North Korea as that
government comes into conflict with South Korea, Japan, and the United
States (and eventually Indonesia and Australia). The United States takes
the opportunity to use a number of tactical nuclear weapons against Cuba
to destroy any possibility of a deep counter from that source.

The effects of the war were already predicted and well-known in the
scientific community [6]. Following the initial devastation that destroys
almost all major urban centres globally, followed by massive radiation
poisoning, followed by a nuclear winter that lasts two years, and then a
complete collapse in economic productivity and infrastructure. The only
semblance of government that is left behind is small local authorities,
jealously guarding their resources. Technically, the war continued and
certainly there is a great deal of behaviour that suggests this, although
over time such things as rank and seniority fell into complete disregard,
By 1996 the war had exhausted itself in practise, with no central
government really being capable of engaging in command and control.

By 2000, the global population has been reduced by fifty percent and
eighty percent in urbanised Europe and the United States. GDP has been
reduced by well over ninety percent; as predicted it was a new dark ages.
There is very little in terms of electronics that operate at all. Working
vehicles and fuel are, of course, in very high demand. There is some small
scale agriculture. Currency, of course, is no longer recognised. For the
past four years, the player-characters have eked out an existence of sorts
in war-devastated Poland. Like so many others, they now represent a small
band for hire, made up of mixed forces, trading their military abilities
and equipment for food and fuel.

Suffering shortages however, word has reached the PCs of a city to the
south which has managed to organise itself and is serving a central point
for trade where there is a local government that strictly enforces a
public peace. It is calling itself the "Free, Independent, and Strictly
Neutral City of Kraków with its Territory" [7].

[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1991_Soviet_coup_d%27%C3%A9tat_attempt
[2] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intermovement
[3] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pluton_%28missile%29
[4] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electromagnetic_pulse
[6] http://www.foundationwebsite.org/CANAMoptions.htm
[7] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_City_of_Krak%C3%B3w

Twilight 2000: Rule Summary
===========================

The following is a summary of the rules with some minor and necessary
tweaks..

Core Mechanic
-------------

Roll under modified attribute or skill with a d10. If you fail your skill
roll, I will allow an attribute roll, but with a modified effect (e.g., if
you fail to Persuade you can still impress with Charisma). Modifiers are
strict (+1, -1 etc) rather than what the rules suggest (halve or double
skill/attribute levels).

Character Generation
--------------------

Choose sex and nationality. Receive EDU+INT skill levels in native
language (the rules suggest just 10 ranks). Assign 32 points to
Attributes; Strength, Agility, Constitution, Charisma, Intelligence,
Education.

Select 4 background skills and receive level 2 in each. Background skills:
Language, Swimming, Wheeled Vehicle, Computing, Melee Unarmed,
Horsemanship, Fishing, Small Boat, Motorcycle, Tracking, Farming. You are
now 17. Following this the characters can engage in a number of four-year
career paths in civilian or military occupations, which provides skills,
ranks, and contacts. At the end of each term, roll 1d10. If this roll is
equal or lower than twice your term number, the war has started. This
follows with two terms "under fire", as everyone is drafted into a
military career. Characters over the age of 33 will start suffering
effects of ageing.

The second edition rules had a new Initiative system, which is just
terrible and is totally ignored. Instead a variant of the first edition
Initiative (aka, Coolness Under Fire) is used instead. Combat is carried
out in 30-second turns, divided into six phases of five seconds each.
Every character can act once per phase, however they must spend a number
of rounds hesitating or repeating a non-combat action (e.g., crawling)
when in fire combat. This number is 6 - the character's Coolness Under
Fire.

Everybody starts with one level of CuF. For a civilian term in war or
non-war military term gain +1, and for a military term in combat gain +2
CuF. Starting PCs will have at least 5 CuF as a result (one base, plus 4
from two terms of fire combat). Even peasants and refugees will have a CuF
of at least 3. Apart this, actions are carried out in order of Agility.

Characters received 1d6 each for vehicles, which can be pooled up to 3d6.

Combat
------

As a military-focussed game, combat and military skills is a significant
component of the game.

Hit points vary according to location; head is CON*2, chest is
(STR+CON)*3, arms and legs are (STR+CON)*2 each. Base carrying capacity is
(STR+CON)*3 in kilograms. Throw range for a 1kg object is STR*4. Unarmed
combat damage is base on Strength plus half of Melee Combat (Unarmed)
skill. Hit location is based on a d10 die roll.

The basic hit number for an aimed shot at medium range on a d10 is
represented by the appropriate skill. Weapon damage is based on a number
of d6s per bullet. Automatic fire is determined from the RoF for the
individual weapon, with an additional 1/5 striking with each +1 the roll
is made by (typically +1 bullet per +1 hit). For each bullet that misses,
roll 1d6 for characters within 4 meters of the target and beyond in the
weapon's trajectory; a 6 indicates a hit from a stray.

Concussion grenades have their damage divided among all body parts.
Fragmentation grenades are directed against particular body parts (and are
therefore more dangerous).

If a character receives more wounds that their CON they are knocked down.
If they receive any damage to the head they are Stunned if the damage is
greater than their CON and are unconscious for a number of turns equal to
the excess. Any wound less than capacity is slight, and reduces CuF by
one. A serious wound (greater than location) reduces Strength by half, and
reduces CuF by two; such a character must also roll under their CON as a
percentage each turn to remain conscious. A critical wound causes loss of
the relevant body part and death within 10 minutes; the head is immediate
death.

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