Last post of the year

This RPG has been very unique in my experience because it has been more of an exerciser in disaster planning than a normal adventure game. Although the characters have achieved more than a normal group of people would likely accomplish, I think the game has provided some valuable ideas for us all. However it is now time to call things to a halt.

If people like, we may continue talking about the characters and the world of this fictional setting and even play more one day. But as things stand in the game, the "end of the world" has come and gone and the most dramatic and critical opportunities for adventure are over. Life continues for the characters in a world quite different from the one of 2012. What they will make of it is the next big challenge.

The rebuilding of civilization would be the focus of any continuation of this game. That means two things: 1. developing a clear idea of what kind of society will be created, 2. fighting with words and weapons to bring about that vision.  It is easy to imagine an isolated small town recovering after a disaster forming a utopian community - the exact situation our characters were in. But eventually there will be integration with the rest of the world, and that may not go so well. Certainly there will be political and corporate men of power who aim to get things back to normal. They enjoyed old system and see no reason to change it, unless the changes benefit them.

"Ok pall, congratulations on surviving the crash. Now my records show that you have an outstanding credit debt of $34,500.65, how would you like to pay it?" said the banker as things got back to normal. 


End...?

If anyone wants to consider building a better society, I strongly recommend they read Plato, "The Rebublic" is good but its not his best book "The Laws" is a better guide to city state building.

The Battle of Dorchester

Dorchester penitentiary is a hard target to take with only small arms. So the first plans included a siege tactic with several units digging in at key points. The bandits would be kept trapped until they ran out of supplies and gave up. The down side of the plan was that a sizable force from Sackville would have to keep the siege going for several weeks.

A direct assault was not seriously considered ( because the bandits defending the prison from the towers and walls would have a huge advantage ) until the ARCO group let it be know that they had some rocket launchers, and a high powered sniper rifle. These weapons changed the plans a lot.

 Map Note; The prison sits on a hill giving it a commanding view of the area. 

                   The map is similar but not an exact copy of reality.

Plan 9.

The eventual plan called for 3 units to cover the gates and 2 units in the woods. Those at the gates would blow up the gatehouses and place mines in the road way. ( the University chemistry dep. had provided some explosives ).

Team A in an armored van at the front gate would then cover the entry ways and take out the South West tower. Kellyanna and Yvan were the main shooters, with the sniper rifle and a rocket launcher.

Team B in the woods near the pond, would be the jump off point for the infiltration squad; Major Stone and the DARPA kids. The rest of the unit would take out the South East tower. The Grunt was in charge.

Team C and D would take out the rear gates and cover the large open fields behind the prison. Corporal McKenzie, acting chief of the Sackville troops, would use a rocket to take out the North East tower. 

Team E, in the north woods would take out the North West tower and help to cover the main prison building entrance. This was generally said to be the safest assignment because if the bandits tried to brake out they would almost certainly go for one of the gates.           

Getting into place in the dark early morning hours went smoothly. The bandit guards were not very attentive. The first thing they noticed was an armored van screeching to a halt near the main gate house. Then all hell broke out. With in a few seconds all the towers were hit by rockets, with a second salvo coming soon after that.

The bandits’ reaction was to ready a bunch of men and a few vehicles in the inner yard to go out and fight. But Stone’s team disrupted their plan and blew up one truck. At nearly the same time Yvan finally succeeded in hitting just above the inner gate, jamming it.

So after forcing Stone’s team to retreat, the bandits came out on foot. About 150 men armed with rifles and shotguns, charging toward the armored van. A lot of them were cut down by machine gun fire from Yvan, but some one got a lucky shot and almost took off Kellyanna’s arm. Katerie, who was driving the van, called for a retreat not at all confident they could hold off the onrush of bandits.

Doc in the ambulance went to intercept at the village crossroads and start surgery on Kellyanna. A second ambulance was already dealing with a few wounded from Team C and D.

The bandits seeing the van flee, turned to attack team B, as it was the closest. This fight would last a few minutes before team A got back into place to help out. Unfortunately it was Yvan who got shot next, a critical chest wound. Doc found himself juggling two operations at once. Fortunately Katerie proved to be a very able assistant, even though she had no training as a nurse.

At some point during the fighting the bandit chief had been killed and all cohesion quickly was lost. Many of the bandits kept on fighting from the relatively safe places they had, while others tried to retreat into the prison itself. Some of them had a nasty surprise at the main doors when they ran into a booby trap Stone had planted.

By the end of the morning, all the bandits were dead. There was an unspoken agreement not to take prisoners. The wounded bandits were quietly finished off. Of the Sackville troops 6 were dead and 12 wounded, not including the 3 injured in the ARCO group. It was called a great victory.

Corporal McKenzie, took charge of the clean up. The local inhabitants would be given a few weapons ( their own guns mostly ) and some of the supplies left in the prison. A small garrison would be left there and in cooperation with the locals renovate the prison.