Prime Base

[mikeo80]

I agree that Prime Base needs to be looked at. It all depends on when TEOTWAWKI occurs.

IF you follow canon as it exists today, then guess what, you are stuck with the original Prime.

IF you push the date out, then, as you correctly state, technology evolves.

It just really depends on YOUR game. When do you want to light up WWIII

One thing I have done in a lot of games, even those built around 1989, is better information about Prime to the field commanders.

IF you follow the canon, and Prime dies, then I have had at least some of the following things occur.

1) The delayed message to wake the teams occured. However, there was additional information encoded in the message. If a field commander of sufficent rank used his/her ID card to access the vehicle commo, then the rest of the message was issued. It showed the commander the location of the nearest regional supply base.

2) Once at the supply base, the commander's card would access a part of the computer's memory that contained the full story of the death of Prime. (At least as much as was known) The location of Prime was also released/

3) Upon activation of 20% or more of the field assets (Based upon attempts to contact Prime.) another signal was sent. This was to Prime Beta. The alternate command center. THis would wake the sleepers at Prime Beta with the story of the death of Prime Alpha. It also would bring on line a solid C3I base to begin the work of Morrow Project.

Just some ideas to kick around.

My $0.02

Mike

[ArmySGT.]

Hey all.

Apologies for the resurrected thread, but I figured it would be better to consolidate my questions here instead of starting fresh.

I dont mind this has been a great thread. Any inputs is a better game.

Has anyone considered modernizing Prime Base Technology is a lot more advanced now than it was in 1987, and I subsequently believe that Prime could get a great deal more "bang for its' buck", even if you keep it confined to three modules.

I generally play the canon date of 18 November 1989. As we know what technology and events were happening at the time. This is the GMs call completely, the rules are a framework so tweak it if that makes it more exciting.
As for the technology, well fusion power, Man portable laser, powered exoskeletons, digital maps, and Damocles.. I treat the technology available to the Morrow Project as 10-20 years ahead of that in use by the Federal Government and others. The Council of Tomorrow is comprised of successful businessmen in a variety of fields comprising the industrial capacity of multinational conglomerates.

Computers would get much, much smaller. This could either free a great deal of the space in Ops, or give the base room to double-down, and install larger systems, possibly cloud-based. A cloud system could be used as a centralized processing resource, which could be dynamically allocated to whichever department needed it most.

I re-designate the space as Data Centers. Holding the knowledge and scientific achievements of all of the Pre-War cultures for the rebuilding effort.

Flight Operations is fine conceptually (ignoring the tunnel thing), but could definitely benefit from modern technology. The V-22 Osprey's S/VTOL capability and long(er) legs make it a practical shoe-in for the hangar. Some kind of UAV like the Fire Scout would be great for maintaining situational awareness around Prime, and assisting any patrols that get in firefights nearby.

I was thinking instead of an electro-magnetic catapult to launch drones with a short dirt runway and disguised elevator on the roof for recovery. The Osprey is not a little bird, but I am not excited by the Flight ops in Prime Base either.
My solution to Flight Ops is to turn it to Drone ops, and move Flight Ops out of the Cylinders with access by subway train from the Ops cylinder. Maybe move it to Gerlach, Nevada. The Playa there is big enough to land 747s in the dry season.
I think a drone would call to much attention to Prime Base. It would be like vulture circling a kill and be visible to radar for miles, and miles. Not to say one would not be launched to look around, but I think Prime Base would have fixed sensors that are passive or short ranged like Closed circuit cameras, LIDAR, and phased array radar in a low power setting. Most would be semi autonomous and alert a human operator when something in their area changed. Modern CCTV does this now.

The exposure modules could probably use some growth, too. Perhaps a third dedicated module with area search radars would be wise; the project had the air base planned for some time, and it never hurts to know what's in your area.

I think that make a great side adventure for the Team to locate and get into operation sensor modules that are off the Prime Base and out of the area. Prime Base is hidden and a RADAR is an active radio transmitter that can be tracked back to its source. Prime would either need to give up their deception and go public, or use systems off site that can transmit back to Prime. An AWACS UAV perhaps, or a series of RADAR stations that relay their signals to Prime through MPsat.

I love some of the ideas floated. A fourth cylinder would be really cool to design from the floor up, as would a dedicated industrial capability. In my mind, both life and support would be much different.

I agree. I am not satisfied that Prime can do the Mission in the original write up. Though this was very advanced for the time the Module was written so kudos to the authors for what was put together. Nitpicking is easy, creation is hard!

Life should probably be converted over to entirely housing and living facilities. All agriculture should be moved into a separate module that can take advantage of a dedicated vertical farming design. Using gravity to manage water flow would be great for the agricultural viability of the base. If you make it a full cylinder, you also have tons of room for an ark-like seed bank and genetic storehouse, which is a cool set piece. Thematically, more cryo-tubes fit here. Biochemical reactors could be useful for growing and deactivating microorganisms for the purpose of medicine. You could also put a secondary fire station here.

I dont know why agriculture was so overlooked. Any computer models of the fallout patterns for a nuclear exchange showed the major crop producing regions of the US covered in highly radioactive isotopes. Bad juju. I think agriculture is going to be important but probably further out from the main cylinder as the whole process is a bit stinky.

Support should get a workover as well. Whether or not you move industrial gear to a different part of the base, you're going to get a lot of space in here either way. Technology has scaled down quite a bit. Printing, for example, no longer needs a dedicated level for the same output that the Project wanted. I think a good chunk of that space should be dedicated to 3D Printing technology. Imagine the applications of a small, robust, intelligent system that can make a three-dimensional copy of anything you have a CAD file for. I would also like to see support (or a hypothetical industrial cylinder) get a limited petroleum / ethanol refinement facility, if that's possible.

I think you will still find printing to be large scale. Making books, and informational news papers is large equipment. I dont think of this as say a Kinkos copy center but, as a print plant for a major book distributor capable of 100,000 school textbooks a month or a week.
With Daedalus, and Lasers I dont see why not the Support can not have that and more CNC machinery. Just be careful what you dole out to players.
I think a refinery is essential to the Project but not inside Prime. It is to dangerous, and toxic, plus better suited to be built where the oil is, or where a pipeline can be tapped into.

What do you guys usually put in the space that was left unallocated for the Phoenix Project

I treat the Pheonix as Frozen Watch. There are back up personnel there, that were never activated because of the contagion, most will be too old for field work but excellent Science and Operations staff personnel. Alternates for the Projects Regional field and supply bases. This way I can have a low level functioning Prime Base and send the Players back into the field.

[dragoon500ly]

The "New" Prime Base, Operations Cylinder

So looking over the "new" Prime Base...

A base with four cylinders, Operations, Life I and Life II, Support and a Annex Tunnel.

A mine runs into the mountain and stays operational for 10-15 years (cover for the construction of PB) and will serve as the entry into the base.

At the end of one shaft is the entry corridor leading to level one of the Ops cylinder. This consists of the Security Complex, Medical Screening,Records, Central In-processing and a small Billeting area for vistors

Level two Ops remains the same, Personnel and Accounting

Level three Ops remains unchanged, this is Mission Operations, the command center of the Project.

Level four Ops is Branch Operations, unchanged.

Level five Ops is the ELINT center, unchanged.

Level six Ops is the Communications Center, unchanged.

Level seven Ops is Administration, consisting of the Base Internal Telephone Exchange, Security Post Two, the Base Video Complex, Ops Fire Dept and the Base Administration offices.

Level eight Ops is TMP's Technical Library. In the module this also houses the World Holo map, I've often wondered on the utility of this and I find myself tending towards deleting the holo map and using the space for a larger library/additional computer space.

Level nine Ops is also dedicated to the Technical Library and World Holo Map, here I replace the holo map with a Main Briefing Room.

Level ten Ops is the Situation/Briefing Rooms, unchanged.

Level eleven Ops is the Holo Map Viewing and Control. Since I disagree with the idea of a Holo Map, I simply convert this into office spaces for the various teams assigned to PB.

Level twelve Ops is the Holo Map Floor. I convert this into just plain Maps. Not only is it able to project maps up to Mission Operations and the Briefing rooms, it is also the storage space for hardcopy maps as well as equipment needed to update maps.

Level thirteen Ops is the Archives and Atlantis Project Liaison. Here I move the archieve vaults out into the annex tunnels and replace them with computers storing the archived material in e-format.

[ArmySGT.]

Prime Base - 1.pdf

A couple of variations on Cylinders arrangement.

[ArmySGT.]

Klaatu, Verata, Nictu!

A base with four cylinders, Operations, Life I and Life II, Support and a Annex Tunnel.

I am going with Operations (Base), Operations (Mission), Life I, Life II, Support I, Support II, Support III, Annex tunnel and Magazine.

Operations (Base) cylinder just for running Prime Base itself. There is a few hundred personnel, and their dependents, the maintenance of facilities, and the maintenance of support activities. This is a full time job. This one is concerned only with the Base itself. Think of it as the Garrison Command that watches over any Army post or Air Base. Their not in charge of the Troops, except those that maintain the facilities, and those that care for the logistics of keeping the lights on, hot and cold water on tap, and toilets flushing. 24/7, weekends and holidays.

Operations (Mission) this is staffed with the Command Team, and Mission specialist for running the Project. This the Commander in Chief and Prime Base is his Pentagon. They have a large area to cover and not enough people to oversee it. Everything to do with the Project external of Prime Base itself.

Life I and Life II, possibly a Life III....... have to have room for everyone. A bed for every head.

Support I, II, and III........ Prime Base is going to be forced to manufacture anything, and everything the Project requires. The projections made by think tanks is that the Soviet response is going to cripple manufacturing and transportation hubs. Someplace, if it had power, may not be able to import raw materials and export goods even if they had the personnel. So these support facilities make everything from Apple sauce to X-ray film. Their are facilities to smelt recycled metals, can or freeze dry meals, synthesize medicines, and recycle plastics, even forge or pour large casting like motors. Fusion packs and fusion powerplants can also be refurbished here.

Annex Tunnel is actually a grid, One main thorough fare with parallel tunnels and side tunnels that paralellel each other. Divided into holding areas.

Magazine. Continuing on past the Annex tunnel leads to a manned guard station and a blast door. This leads to another grid of tunnels with further blast doors, and fire suppression systems for safeguarding the Project ammunition stockpiles and component for reconditioning or refurbishment.

[ArmySGT.]

You know what else makes a great deception and won't catch attention or be flooded by refugees after the war A waste disposal incineration power plant. Any kind of truck can be coming and going. Waste is screened for metals and plastics that can be recycled by other means. Water lines, gas lines, a railyard, power lines and a power substation do not look out of place. All the underground digging and construction can be spun to the public as buffers and coffer dams that prevent contamination of ground water. Even after the facility were to go online any manner of truck could enter the facility and other items brought in on rail.

A waste disposal incineration power plant. Think on it.

[ArmySGT.]

If this group was to think of creating refugee camps they would have already planned for that contingency.
Prepared sites would have already been created, using such guises as dude ranches, retreats, even hollywood movie sets like some old west towns

I really like this idea.. I may have to build a module around the idea. Maybe with a specialist team (lightly armed) that was part of the group meant to open it up.

Harsh, narcissistic, selfish baddies have taken up residence not realizing what is underneath the facade.

[ArmySGT.]

Sitting down and thinking it over, a mine that works over a 10-15 year stretch and then closes when "the vein ran out" may be a better approach; I like the HAZMAT idea, even plays into canon (Starnaman Incident's Delta Base cover).

So what do you suppose is going into the never opened Yucca Mountain

[ArmySGT.]

Live Again!

Placeholder as I am working on something.

[Rockwolf66]

Oh and I have discovered a Plausible reason that the radioactive waste was being stored. IRL they have managed to create a radiation "eating" bacteria by splicing two other types of bacteria. The reason it hasn't been "Field" tested is a combination of Anti-Nuke and Anti-GMO hysteria.

The bacteria eventually make radioactive materials inert. I'm not sure how long that takes but it's fast enough to be observed in a lab setting.

[mmartin798]

Unfortunately, radioisotopes don't work that way. The bacteria you reference is radiation resistant and can decontaminate a radioactive site of other chemical contaminants, but not the radioisotopes.

[midnight77]

Unfortunately, radioisotopes don't work that way. The bacteria you reference is radiation resistant and can decontaminate a radioactive site of other chemical contaminants, but not the radioisotopes.

Don't they concentrate the radioactive material also That makes it easier to clean up, right

[mmartin798]

Don't they concentrate the radioactive material also That makes it easier to clean up, right

The article I read about them did not address that. The one bacteria in the pair derives biological energy from the radiation, essentially using the radiation for food. This protects the other from the radiation and allows it to do the rest. It is possible it could concentrate the radiation, but the article only mentioned breaking down toxins and releasing mercury from being bound and allowing it to go into the atmosphere.

[ArmySGT.]

The article I read about them did not address that. The one bacteria in the pair derives biological energy from the radiation, essentially using the radiation for food. This protects the other from the radiation and allows it to do the rest. It is possible it could concentrate the radiation, but the article only mentioned breaking down toxins and releasing mercury from being bound and allowing it to go into the atmosphere.

This would be radiosynthesis, a process by which the organism uses the energetic radioactive particles to synthesize O2 and Carbon into carbohydrate chains. A process similar to chemosynthesis or photosynthesis. There is a mold within the shattered nuclear containment vessel at Chernobyl doing this very thing. However, this would not be consuming the radioactive material. One would expect the levels of measurable radiation to be lower due the absorptive properties of the organism. Absorption being affected by the mass of the organism and coverage in square centimeters, surely.

[ArmySGT.]

Unfortunately, radioisotopes don't work that way. The bacteria you reference is radiation resistant and can decontaminate a radioactive site of other chemical contaminants, but not the radioisotopes.

I am ok with this because the Morrow Project is a science fiction game.

I mean Blue Undead and a Universal Antidote are a thing.