Degausser
Mar 19 2009, 07:05 AM
Randomly, as an Idea, I thought it might be cool for my PCs to run around in a war-zone for a bit. I won't base the entire campaign on it, but the idea of NOT doing a run, but just trying to survive and take out enemy base camps came up as an idea. I mostly got this idea after re-playing through MGS 4 (In particular, the first two chapters.)
So where are war zones in 2070? I know that the Middle East still hasn't calmed down yet, and I was thinking about sending them to an Islamic country where extreamists are trying to kill a group of those 'Dirty, evil Orks (Hobgoblins).' but that seemed a bit too tasteless to me. Even If I can justify it, my players would probably think worse of me for it. Where are other areas that are war-zones, where guerilla fighting is the norm?
Naysayer
Mar 19 2009, 07:16 AM
I would start with the idea that in every major sprawl, there are areas that for all intents and purposes, are exactly like modern downton Mogadishu, but with better broadband connectivity, and work my way up from there.
Degausser
Mar 19 2009, 08:22 AM
The thing I wanted to do (at least for a few sessions) was to give the feel of not having guns (like MGS 3). While this would be a horrible idea (and piss players off) for a long campaign, I thought it would be a nice change of pace to have to rely on guns stolen or taken from corpses for a while. If fighting in the barrens, PCs can bring their own super customized Ares predetor to a fight, and why would they use an AK-97 Carbine when they have the cash for an Ares Alpha? I kinda wanted them to have to rely on finding and using whatever is at hand . . . if only for a few runs. And it's hard to do that when you can just drive to the shadowmall and pick up whatever you need.
Asheron
Mar 19 2009, 08:40 AM
I doubt any of this would be canon, but these are a few interesting places I think would make awesome war zones.
Africa:
Tremendous natural resources and relatively unstable and weak governments would probably cause the corporations to start raping and pillaging as soon as they were able. Add strife between tribes, and the existence of the ghoul nation Asamando that no one likes because the inhabitants like to eat people, and I'd imagine there would be a dozen major conflicts around the continent.
Check out Cyberpirates because it has some cool info.
Korea:
I like the idea of a general revolting against the civilian government, sparking off Korea, part 3. The general would want to start a communist dictatorship, so the government calls on the help of Japan, and the power of the Japanacorps. Of course, they won't help for free, so they want serious economic concessions. This is a great opportunity for a corporate proxy war as some of the other corps support the revolt solely to oppose Japan.
South America:
I don't know how SA looks geopolitically, but if Colombia still exists, it's stuck between the 2 giants in the room, Amazonia and Aztlan. Colombia would be caught in the crossfire as Aztlan attempts to make up for losing the Yucatan. Throw in the Carib League, corps gunning for Aztlan, the drug cartels trying to make some coin, and you have fun for the whole family (if your family is entirely made up of mercs).
Russia/Siberia:
The war between these two countries would start to heat up as Russia attempts to keep the East-West corridor open and Siberia tries to shut it down. Evo (i think thats what its called now) would have a vested interest in helping Russia in any war effort. Guerrillas from Siberia and bandits from Mongolia and the Chinese states could cause a lot of shit and cut the Motherland in half. Russia would probably be alone since they might have lots of international animosity because of the whole 'lets invade Poland' debacle, and their enemies could even have help from other countries/corps that Russia managed to piss off. The Reds might even try invade Finland, Belarus, Central Asia if Siberia can't be taken.
Browncoatone
Mar 19 2009, 09:01 AM
I think it would be easier to list where isn't a war zone.
CultClassic
Mar 19 2009, 01:17 PM
I was actually thinking on the lines of this idea, but for a future mercenary campaign. I would also like to see a new sourcebook ala "FIelds of Fire" with more fluff, (hotspots, organizations, military details of UCAS,CAS,etc.)
But I do have a question? Desert Wars, I know this started out as a conflict, but is now used as a locale for the corps. to test out their latest and greatest military designs. But are the battles that take place actual conflicts with human casualties, or is this just a convention for military dealers to show off their ware.
Demonseed Elite
Mar 19 2009, 01:53 PM
QUOTE (CultClassic @ Mar 19 2009, 08:17 AM)
But I do have a question? Dessert Wars, I know this started out as a conflict, but is now used as a locale for the corps. to test out their latest and greatest military designs. But are the battles that take place actual conflicts with human casualties, or is this just a convention for military dealers to show off their ware.
I know it's an unintentional typo, but Dessert Wars sounds like the tastiest conflict ever.
CultClassic
Mar 19 2009, 02:30 PM
Edited post, yea it puts man vs food to shame.
Browncoatone
Mar 19 2009, 02:39 PM
If I remember right Desert Wars is somewhere between a Trideo Reality Show and a professional sport. Corps get their units together with their top tech and send them into the Desert Wars area to duke it out while the home audience laps up the war porn. Sorta like Urban Brawl to the next magnitude.
And if I'm wrong I'm transferring this idea to the 6th Worldisms thread.
Kanada Ten
Mar 19 2009, 03:59 PM
China is divided in to warring states: continuously warring states. It'd be a good location to keep the tech level low, plenty of grey factions, lots of scattered camps and bases, occasional merc action, plus Triad smugglers (good for moving the player characters in, around and out), all without not much fear of overwhelming response against the group.
Africa: diamonds and gun, corpses and ghouls. Awakened jungle, warlords and rebels, DeBeers death squads. Just stay away from the Kilimanjaro Space Gun... And get your shots first.
Neraph
Mar 19 2009, 04:02 PM
Don't forget the continuing Yucatan Peninsula fiasco... toxic spirits vs nature spirits in an all-out war to decide the fate of the world! And with meta-forces aiding both sides, there's some interesting things that could happen there.
Wesley Street
Mar 19 2009, 04:25 PM
Warzones as of 2064 (and this is off the top of my head):
Africa - Check out Feral Cities as it has sidebars on countries that are hiring mercenaries. The Ethiomalian Territories, the Maghreb Region, and Libera are all engaged in hostilities. Libya is a toxic wasteland due to Israeli nuclear bombardment. Western Egypt is home to the Desert Wars though that's more product demonstration than real war.
China - The country of Sichuan is always on the march and the Western states of China are ruled by warlords so there's always something going on there.
Europe - Sarajevo. Everyone vs. anyone different.
Southern Vietnam - The Dega Alliance vs. the governments of Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam. The Alliance is/was also in negotiations with the naga in Angkor.
Yucutan Peninsula - Aztlan vs. spirits vs. spirits vs. dragons vs. who knows what.
Also the Karavan is always engaged in raiding activities in the Turkestan area.
Agent 333
Mar 19 2009, 04:38 PM
Amazonia and Aztlan seem like they're ready to kill each other at a moment's notice....
Demonseed Elite
Mar 19 2009, 04:54 PM
Actually, the Yucatan rebellion has largely calmed down since the Aztlan/Yucatan peace accords that installed the Yucatan Semi-Autonomous State with Pobre as its governor. Sadly, most of the detail about this is in Shadows of Latin America and we've only been able to seed small mentions of it into recent books. I wouldn't say the fighting is over, but it's not as bad as it once was. Aztlan/AZT has pulled most of the troops along the Yucatan border out and re-positioned them elsewhere.
But the Aztlan/Amazonia cold war is definitely getting more tense, especially since Aztlan shifted more troops there and the whole Ghost Cartels storyline happened.
Fix-it
Mar 19 2009, 05:32 PM
start a large gang war. the barrens, for all practical purposes, are about equal to the bad parts of Africa right now. dumping your players in a MODERN warzone (as of 2070) would be a great way to get them killed quickly via the automated killing method of your choice. a large-scale gang war is more visceral, and more survivable.
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