[Zozer Games] Attack Squadron: Roswell
- Thread starter Mithras
- Start date
I would like to see adventures and mini-campaigns. Then it would be worthwhile adding new air forces (USSR, RAF...) to showcase how they do things differently. Could be a whole new setting for Traveller (no idea whether the sales would justify the work 
).
).Rockymountainnavy
Mongoose
I'm not so sure. What Paul at Zozer games has brought to Traveller is small sourcebooks in which each explores a small piece of a larger adventure, usually through focusing on a "gimmick." In Outpost Mars it was Vacc Suits and Agenda; in Orbital it was solar system travel, and Roswell its air combat. Each product has gotten better compared to the prvious one. For this price point, I am interested to see what gimmick Paul explores next.
That said, the 1950s were a great time in aviation. Maybe a focus on the new bombers like the B-36 and B-49 Flying Wing? What about the early X-planes? The Pogo? The FICON concept is mentioned but not really explored. Bring the Agenda mechanic in to help see which side you are on.
Then step the timeline ahead into the 1960s. What was the REAL reason the F-104 was called the Starfighter? How about the X-20 Dynasoar? Or the B-70 bomber? Was that D-21 drone on the back of an A-12/SR-71 for recon or a suborbital missile for attacking the mother ships? By the end of the decade both the US and Soviets had deployed ABMs...but we're they really to defend against a nuclear attack? Google Starfish Prime and read about high-altitude nuclear tests...or was the a climatic battle? The gimmick here may be low orbit and upper atmospheric combat.
That said, the 1950s were a great time in aviation. Maybe a focus on the new bombers like the B-36 and B-49 Flying Wing? What about the early X-planes? The Pogo? The FICON concept is mentioned but not really explored. Bring the Agenda mechanic in to help see which side you are on.
Then step the timeline ahead into the 1960s. What was the REAL reason the F-104 was called the Starfighter? How about the X-20 Dynasoar? Or the B-70 bomber? Was that D-21 drone on the back of an A-12/SR-71 for recon or a suborbital missile for attacking the mother ships? By the end of the decade both the US and Soviets had deployed ABMs...but we're they really to defend against a nuclear attack? Google Starfish Prime and read about high-altitude nuclear tests...or was the a climatic battle? The gimmick here may be low orbit and upper atmospheric combat.
middenface
Cosmic Mongoose
Mithras said:I did consider adding MiG-15s, but decided they wouldn't fit in very well. NO plans to expand the planes, but if someone wants to stat the Hunter, Vampire, Seahawk and Meteor ... I'd love to see them
I'd happily do that, I have some ideas for the RAF involvement in the UFO 'war'
(If I get time, I've a book to write..)
Just some thoughts...I need to do some research..
1. We've known about the UFO issue for some time, in fact before Roswell happened... (see foo fighters... WW2) - information shared between us and the USA and has hit and miss... sometimes quite open and sometimes not...
2. V-Force is a cover for the U-Force (I really like Victor, Valiant and Vulcans!)
3. The atomic tests in the Australian outback have been 'buzzed' and 'Observed' by UFO's
4. We've built a secret base deep in the outback... or perhaps somewhere Scotland/off shore... like that island we dropped Anthrax on...? (I may have the dates wrong)
5. Unlike the Americans we have contacted the Russians about the UFO threat., although it's very very secret... only 3 people know about this...
6. We do believe that we cannot defeat the UFO menace alone.
7. Possibly set it at the same time as Roswell, or later so we can cover the TSR-2 Project...
Totally off subject 'Ministry of Space' would make a nice setting!
Rikki Tikki Traveller
Cosmic Mongoose
Well, the UN is coming together at about this time. The "Security Counsel" - Really SECURITY is the name they chose for the most important international group within the United Nations... Wonder why they picked that name...
LOTS of things within the 50s and 60s that could be blamed on the UFO war...
Bikini Atol = Advanced Alien Base
Korean War = Test of Alien control over the leaders of the NK... Kim Jon Un is really under Alien Mind Control!!!!!
BUT, how do you keep the Cold War mistrust while forcing the US and USSR to work together against the common enemy?
LOTS of things within the 50s and 60s that could be blamed on the UFO war...
Bikini Atol = Advanced Alien Base
Korean War = Test of Alien control over the leaders of the NK... Kim Jon Un is really under Alien Mind Control!!!!!
BUT, how do you keep the Cold War mistrust while forcing the US and USSR to work together against the common enemy?
middenface
Cosmic Mongoose
Rikki Tikki Traveller said:
Well I mentioned this to Paul....
Truth of the Cold War is it's a smoke screen or at least some of it. It's a cover so civilians have no idea there is a worse threat than commies... They fear the total panic if the civvies know the truth>?
SHADO worked under total secrecy... so how about a 1950's version. At first say only the Americans, then the Brits and slowly a few more, eventually it's a multinational team.. even so, some enmity and distrust exists.
Mind you how do you force the US and USSR to work... that's an interesting prospect... (How do you force the crew off a submarine... a Nuclear submarine... echoes in my head)
I'd see it as more of a future scenario - I've yet to read AF:R yet ;o)
Captain Jonah
Mongoose
Another thought on this. If you are facing alien invasion and possible infiltration keeping the major power blocks separate makes it much harder for an infiltration in one country to spread to another.
The counter spies and security teams hunting for Russian/American infiltrators and spys can be used to block alien agents as well without ever having to break security and tell them they are after aliens not Russians.
With the constant threat of the Russians/Americans it is easy to get big military budgets authorised and funds can easily be moved to black projects. Having to explain to large numbers of gossiping politicians that the increase in military budgets is to chase off flying saucers is going to be a nightmare to keep secret.
Plus it makes great cover for moving the military around. If one side spots the aliens concentrating then both sides can move in strong forces in response to a build up by the other, the anti alien squadrons can hide in the masses and just have to be careful not to bump into the other sides conventional units.
Though that can make for an interesting scenario. A Russian alien observation plane and escort are down, the US team are moving in to recover the aircraft or destroy it before the aliens get there. The local Russian anti alien task force is out of contact and regular Russian forces are aware that Russian aircraft are down and are moving in to support.
Russian troops in the cold war arriving to find US troops picking over the remains of a recently shot down Russian aircraft are not going to want to hear about some flimsy American excuse about flying swamp gas or weather balloons :lol:
The counter spies and security teams hunting for Russian/American infiltrators and spys can be used to block alien agents as well without ever having to break security and tell them they are after aliens not Russians.
With the constant threat of the Russians/Americans it is easy to get big military budgets authorised and funds can easily be moved to black projects. Having to explain to large numbers of gossiping politicians that the increase in military budgets is to chase off flying saucers is going to be a nightmare to keep secret.
Plus it makes great cover for moving the military around. If one side spots the aliens concentrating then both sides can move in strong forces in response to a build up by the other, the anti alien squadrons can hide in the masses and just have to be careful not to bump into the other sides conventional units.
Though that can make for an interesting scenario. A Russian alien observation plane and escort are down, the US team are moving in to recover the aircraft or destroy it before the aliens get there. The local Russian anti alien task force is out of contact and regular Russian forces are aware that Russian aircraft are down and are moving in to support.
Russian troops in the cold war arriving to find US troops picking over the remains of a recently shot down Russian aircraft are not going to want to hear about some flimsy American excuse about flying swamp gas or weather balloons :lol:
Mithras
Banded Mongoose
Early on Ian Stead suggested an additional layer of setting that did take the USAF out into space with a secret lunar base, rocket fighters and perhaps a Von Braun style space station. On consideration, though, it would really become another game, and could use the core rulebook straight up.
Some great suggestions on this thread would really flesh out that setting! Planes in design or development in the 1950s give an idea of what the craft would look like. The F-104 Starfighter for starters, but this beauty, the ramjet powered XF-103:
Some great suggestions on this thread would really flesh out that setting! Planes in design or development in the 1950s give an idea of what the craft would look like. The F-104 Starfighter for starters, but this beauty, the ramjet powered XF-103:
ShawnDriscoll
Cosmic Mongoose
The X-Files, using Mongoose Traveller.
middenface
Cosmic Mongoose
Yay, I got the Orbital print copy and it was super.
You've inspired be to start a 'setting' book one day...
You've inspired be to start a 'setting' book one day...
Mithras
Banded Mongoose
Steff Worthington, artist and cartographer wrote a 5 page PDF several years ago called D-SAG ('Deep Skies Advocacy Group'), a campaign concept set in the 1950s where a multinational group of pilots and their fighters was established to counter the threat from The Invaders .... He has kindly let me host it and link to it from here. It would certainly provide the much needed detail that expansion of the SA:Roswell game would benefit from ....
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/68895612/D-SAG.pdf
Many on both sides were distrusftul of one another but that soon disappeared when each side presented its evidence. The photographs, eyewitness reports, and small pieces of indescernable metal quickly blew away selfish national interests. After all, what is a nation when the world is at stake? Many of the high ranking military chiefs were also alarmed about the possibility of a descaling of military hardware now that world war 2 was over. It was here that some generals decided that they would continue to push for the enlarging of their respective military budgets. They would propose new fighters, new technologies, and better research for the military-industrial complex so that if the invaders ever came in force the united global airforce might stand a chance. They would encourage research into rockets to hopefully hit the enemy before they reached Earth’s atmosphere. The newly formed ‘Deep Skies Advocacy Group’ ended its meeting with firm agreements between shadowy aspects of governments supposedly at each others throats.
kafka
Mongoose
Paul, can you send me the file directly...as I cannot seem to access dropbox at this conjuncture. I would still keep the rubric of the Cold War, as you have done but just shift sides. Afterall, clearly the Vilani, I mean, Invaders are applying a classic Imperial strategy of divide and rule. Thus, things are heating up in Suez and Hungary. The Red Army has to be ever vigilant...and despite the reports coming in the Far Eastern Military District, there is no such thing as flying "plates". I am still trying to figure out a way of inserting Gary Powers into all this.
steffworthington
Mongoose
Mithras said:
Steff Worthington, artist and cartographer wrote a 5 page PDF several years ago called D-SAG ('Deep Skies Advocacy Group'), a campaign concept set in the 1950s ....
Ya know, I'd forgotten all about that lol
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