- Posting Speed
- 1-3 posts per week
- One post per week
- Online Availability
- 16:00-20:00 US Central
- Writing Levels
- Adept
- Advanced
- Prestige
- Preferred Character Gender
- No Preferences
- Genres
- Cyberpunk, Sci-fi, Fantasy, and other low-tech/fantasy.
SCHWERPUNKT '89
The Balloon Went Up in '85...
After Mikhail Gorbachev lost the internal party race to become general secretary of the Communist Party of the USSR in 1985 to a Stalinist hardliner Danya Vasilievich the world held its breath. Vasilievich, a long proponent of seizing the production facilities of West Germany to extend the life of the in-decline Soviet Union, had his eyes on seizing the economic assets of the West to keep the dream of a Socialist Workers Paradise alive for a few more decades so that the USSR might endure past the foolhardy arms race it had entered with NATO - one that was steadily running its coffers dry.
The war was anything but unexpected. A series of aggressive Soviet actions stoked the flames of distrust in the West, prompting rapid deployment of British, West German, French, and American forces along the "Iron Curtain" splitting Germany in twain. The lines were drawn, and the world waited on bated breath for what was to come.
Hostilities began on September 3rd, 1985 - just six months after Vasilievich's rise to power. Soviet tanks rolled across the Fulda Gap, pouring into West Germany and blowing apart resistance with ease in the first days of the conflict. But casualties mounted, and in an act of desperation a series of Soviet bombers opted to utilize tactical nuclear weapons to clear a West German armor division threatening to end their offensive.
The West Followed, and the World Was Never the Same.
Atomic bombs were exchanged first in the European theater along the front lines, and ICBMs were then more broadly launched in the United States and the USSR as the bombs continued to rain in Europe. The conventional war continued in Europe for some time after the annihilation of much of the United States, USSR, and European powers but to little cause other than to sustain a cycle of revenge. Once New Years Day came on January 1, 1986 the fighting stopped as supplies became too scarce to continue to wage a war that amounted to nothing worth fighting for anymore.
Soldiers fighting on both sides, still equipped with what remained of their military assets, formed into fiefdoms and gangs that began to pick through the scraps. Though the desolation in the United States and USSR was the peak of the violence and desolation, the use of relatively less destructive bombs on the mainland had preserved enough infrastructure and resources to continue their operation in the short-term at least.
These societies formed all around the mainland, taking in both military and civilian survivors alike. Some went underground, taking shelter from the fierce nuclear winters in the former metro tunnels below. Others stayed above-ground, clustering around spots where crops were able to grow in sufficient quantity to minimalist communities.
Others resorted to pillaging and raiding, taking what they could from the countryside for themselves. Often these raiders were those who still had access to tanks and infantry fighting vehicles from the War and able to, with relative impunity, take what they wanted from weaker rivals. For the first year, these sorts of conflicts were conducted between former NATO and Soviet units with some semblance of a command structure, but these conflicts were short-lived as gas, ammunition, and bodies were used at an alarming rate in fighting equally-competent opponents: it was simply more economical to prey on the weak, so many did.
Now, in the year 1989, life has stabilized as much as it is likely to just 3 short years after the end of everything. The worst of the nuclear fallout has claimed what victims it will in the short term, but many have begun to die from cancers in the radioactive hellscape of Europe. Military conflicts between the former NATO and Soviet powers have ceased in their formal capacity, but old animosities and rivalries have proven difficult to stamp out; rarely will the two allegiances be seen working together, even if infighting in the West and the East is equally common. Military-grade small arms are still in good working order with plenty of ammunition, but tanks and other vehicles are growing rarer by the month as the resources to keep them operational dwindle into nothingness. Rumors of a "Project Reclamation" keep the hope that some kind of government or rebirth of human society is coming, but since reports of mass devastation outside of Europe have begun to reach the mainland in force, hope too has died for any sort of phoenix-like ascension from the ashes...
After Mikhail Gorbachev lost the internal party race to become general secretary of the Communist Party of the USSR in 1985 to a Stalinist hardliner Danya Vasilievich the world held its breath. Vasilievich, a long proponent of seizing the production facilities of West Germany to extend the life of the in-decline Soviet Union, had his eyes on seizing the economic assets of the West to keep the dream of a Socialist Workers Paradise alive for a few more decades so that the USSR might endure past the foolhardy arms race it had entered with NATO - one that was steadily running its coffers dry.
The war was anything but unexpected. A series of aggressive Soviet actions stoked the flames of distrust in the West, prompting rapid deployment of British, West German, French, and American forces along the "Iron Curtain" splitting Germany in twain. The lines were drawn, and the world waited on bated breath for what was to come.
Hostilities began on September 3rd, 1985 - just six months after Vasilievich's rise to power. Soviet tanks rolled across the Fulda Gap, pouring into West Germany and blowing apart resistance with ease in the first days of the conflict. But casualties mounted, and in an act of desperation a series of Soviet bombers opted to utilize tactical nuclear weapons to clear a West German armor division threatening to end their offensive.
The West Followed, and the World Was Never the Same.
Atomic bombs were exchanged first in the European theater along the front lines, and ICBMs were then more broadly launched in the United States and the USSR as the bombs continued to rain in Europe. The conventional war continued in Europe for some time after the annihilation of much of the United States, USSR, and European powers but to little cause other than to sustain a cycle of revenge. Once New Years Day came on January 1, 1986 the fighting stopped as supplies became too scarce to continue to wage a war that amounted to nothing worth fighting for anymore.
Soldiers fighting on both sides, still equipped with what remained of their military assets, formed into fiefdoms and gangs that began to pick through the scraps. Though the desolation in the United States and USSR was the peak of the violence and desolation, the use of relatively less destructive bombs on the mainland had preserved enough infrastructure and resources to continue their operation in the short-term at least.
These societies formed all around the mainland, taking in both military and civilian survivors alike. Some went underground, taking shelter from the fierce nuclear winters in the former metro tunnels below. Others stayed above-ground, clustering around spots where crops were able to grow in sufficient quantity to minimalist communities.
Others resorted to pillaging and raiding, taking what they could from the countryside for themselves. Often these raiders were those who still had access to tanks and infantry fighting vehicles from the War and able to, with relative impunity, take what they wanted from weaker rivals. For the first year, these sorts of conflicts were conducted between former NATO and Soviet units with some semblance of a command structure, but these conflicts were short-lived as gas, ammunition, and bodies were used at an alarming rate in fighting equally-competent opponents: it was simply more economical to prey on the weak, so many did.
Now, in the year 1989, life has stabilized as much as it is likely to just 3 short years after the end of everything. The worst of the nuclear fallout has claimed what victims it will in the short term, but many have begun to die from cancers in the radioactive hellscape of Europe. Military conflicts between the former NATO and Soviet powers have ceased in their formal capacity, but old animosities and rivalries have proven difficult to stamp out; rarely will the two allegiances be seen working together, even if infighting in the West and the East is equally common. Military-grade small arms are still in good working order with plenty of ammunition, but tanks and other vehicles are growing rarer by the month as the resources to keep them operational dwindle into nothingness. Rumors of a "Project Reclamation" keep the hope that some kind of government or rebirth of human society is coming, but since reports of mass devastation outside of Europe have begun to reach the mainland in force, hope too has died for any sort of phoenix-like ascension from the ashes...
American "Team Yankee" - 3rd Company of the 1st Armored Division
"Team Yankee" was deployed to the Fulda Gap alongside its compatriots in the 1st Armored Division in the lead-up to hostilities in 1985 and was comprised of both armored and mechanized elements. It fought extensively on the front lines and spearheaded a counter push into East Germany, placing it in relative safety when the bombs fell since the bulk of the Soviet strikes targeted West German hard points.
In the months that followed, Team Yankee - cut off from supplies and in hostile territory well past what had been friendly lines - fought a fierce war of attrition with Soviet forces until being forced to withdraw back into the West at great cost of both equipment and human life. Of the roughly 200 soldiers of Team Yankee that were deployed, only about 40 of them made it to the relative safety of West Germany.
There, they regrouped with other NATO forces for a time, but as the world became harsher and the outlook bleaker, desertion became all too common. By the end of 1987, Team Yankee was an American military unit in name only, having lost much of its military capability to wear and tear, desertion, and casualties. Now, only about a quarter of the inhabitants pledging fealty to the former American military unit were previously involved in direct combat during the war, with the rest coming from the civilian population. Though it still has a handful of M113 personnel carriers in working order, as well as a Leopard 1 and M60 tank in decent condition, they are hardly in dire straits but are outclassed by several militias and marauders that wander the wastes of postwar Europe.
Presently, Team Yankee operates along the former border between West and East Germany around the former city of Hanover. Roughly 150 occupants exist in the city center of what has been dubbed New Hanover, which has been reconstructed into a livable - if not comfortable - town in the center of the city ruins. The inhabitants of New Hanover enjoy a comparatively good life to others around the mainland, with consistent access to food and water on account of the core of Team Yankees former soldiers proving to be especially competent fighters. Still, gas is running out and scouting missions to forage for supplies are taking teams further and further away from the safety of New Hanover as the months go by...
Survivors of the War - Europeans, Americans, and Soviets Alike
Civilian populations were arguably the most devastated by the atomic strikes that heralded the end of any meaningful conflict between NATO and the USSR. Though armed forces were the direct targets, at least of the initial exchange of nuclear weapons, it was the civilian population that paid the brunt of the price in blood and ruined infrastructure that perpetuated a cycle of violence and decline. Millions perished in the first year - those that survived did so at great cost to themselves, and many joined up with whatever regional power had laid claim to their scraps.
Most of the time, this meant military units led by some commanding officer with sufficient equipment leftover to subdue the inferior-armed civilian populace. Many went willingly, seeing the armed forces as a source of stability and protection, and at the beginning of 1989 many once-civilians have been indoctrinated into their military culture. Several of the survivors survived on their strength, cunning, and will alone and so made excellent additions to the more rigid hierarchy of fighting units that led to the eventual consolidation and merging of both military organization and more guerrilla-oriented tactics.
In the case of Team Yankee, over three quarters of its force is made up of former civilians of various nationalities and descent. Several are the wives, widows, and children of soldiers who were deployed in Germany before the fighting. Others still hail from European countries ranging from Spain to West Germany. There is a plethora of military-grade small arms to go around, from a myriad of sources from the American M16s to British FALs. No two civilian fighters in Team Yankee are quite equipped the same, but all of them - even children as young as 10 - know how to fight when called upon.
Welcome to Postwar Europe - Good Luck
Schwerpunkt '89 is a post-apocalyptic survival RP set in the aftermath of both a conventional and subsequent nuclear war between the Warsaw Pact forces and NATO in 1985, drawing inspiration from novels such as Team Yankee and Red Storm Rising as well as a number of tabletop RPGs of the 1980s and 1990s that captured the imagination by detailing a world in the wake of World War III. You will play as members of the former American military unit designated Team Yankee as well as the civilian survivors that have fallen under its domain.
More specifically, you are part of Ranger Team 1, a small squad of civilian and ex-military scouts who scour the wasteland for supplies, keep an eye out for potential dangers, and escort more dedicated offenses into enemy territory on the rare occasion that conflicts emerge that are more than small, quick skirmishes. Though ex-military front line soldiers are exclusively men per the restrictions of the 1980s, both men and women are equally expected to pull their weight and contribute, and as such Ranger Team 1 is comprised of both men and women.
This is a largely player-driven RP in that I will not necessarily be providing you with an overarching plot, but will instead be giving you situations that you will need to respond to as you struggle to survive in postwar life. You will discover story threads that, if left unexplored, will remain secrets. Though I will prompt you with story threads in my GM posts that your characters may explore and then subsequently add as a form of "quests", nothing will be forced upon the group. Though Ranger Team 1 is still beholden to the pseudo-governmental or military hierarchy of New Hanover, unlike its main defense force, Ranger Team 1 is allowed to undertake missions of its own accord provided there is a suspected material benefit to the mission. All this means that active engagement in the process is expected, and a high standard of writing should be maintained throughout. Collaborative posts are encouraged, and often chat roleplaying or using Google Docs or other collaborative platforms for combat/dialogue heavy posts is expected.
Additionally, resource management and realistic portrayals of maintenance are core components of this RP. As outlined below under character creation, you will begin play with a set amount of ammunition, number of rations, iodine tablets, etc. that will be consumed throughout the course of your adventures. You will have to scavenge, trade, or produce that which you use - I will keep track of supplies and be transparent about how many supplies are used in any given encounter, be it a firefight or a long trip along the wastes but part of the responsibility to track and account for supplies will fall on you. The goal is not to be pedantic about it and turn this RP into a game of spreadsheets, but rather to create the feeling that the post nuclear war elements remain integral to the story and do not fade into background aesthetics. Equipment must be maintained - and your characters must be the ones to maintain it, or it might fail. Ammunition must be used carefully. Creativity in problem solving and creating scrap gear is encouraged, as it will preserve your scarce resources for when you truly need them.
Character Creation - Building Your Survivor
Here is the outline for your character sheet. You are free, and encourage, to format it and way you see fit, but it must have the following information:
Name:
Age: (Minimum age of 18; underage individuals are not allowed in Ranger Force 1)
Sex: (Reminder both men and women are welcome within Ranger Force 1)
Nationality: (All non-Warsaw Pact nationalities are allowed)
Appearance: (Written Required, Photo Optional)
Brief Backstory: (Who they were, where they were when the bombs fell, what they do now, nothing extensive or all-encompassing)
Skills: (What is your character particularly effective at? All Ranger Force 1 members are drilled in basic firearms, close combat, navigational, and maintenance skills so these should be reserved for those talents that make your character particularly unique or different)
Relationships: (New Hanover is a tight-knit community, and reliance on others is integral to survival - what friendships, romantic relationships, familial bonds, etc. are important to your character?)
Equipment:
Equipment and its maintenance and consumption is an integral part of Schwerpunkt '89 and is a large part of your character creation. Each character is allowed a primary and secondary weapon as well as up to 2 personalizations/attachments for those weapons (either ones listed or ones that, within reason, could be added to the weapon). Your remaining equipment is standardized, and will be outlined prior to the RP start as well. The rest of your equipment - either personal in nature, or useful to missions - is up to you.
Weapon Attachments -
Scope, Bipod, Suppressor, Underbarrel Grenade Launcher, Foregrip, Extended Capacity Magazine, Sawn-off Stock, Fortified Stock, Shortened Barrel, Extended Barrel
All weapons begin play with ammunition for one full reload equipped as well as two reloads in spare. This means an assault rifle with a magazine capacity of 30 would begin with 90 rounds, a machine gun with a belt of 100 would begin with 300, a non-disposable rocket or missile would begin with 3, and a shotgun with a tube capacity of 6 with 18.
As a general disclaimer - I reserve the right to approve or deny any characters before admission into the RP. At this time I am accepting up to 6 players, which may increase should there be sufficient interest and interesting enough characters. These characters will be listed here:
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Lastly, though it is not required to participate in this RP, a Discord server will be created to engage with your fellow players, plan collabs, share memes, and ask questions in a more readily accessible fashion than a forum post. Join the schwerpunkt '89 Discord Server! If you have any other questions, ideas, or comments feel free to shoot me a PM here or on Discord or leave a post below!
Look forward to scouring the wastes with you!
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