Damocles 2017

[Jeff9650]

With my hands wrapped around the 4th edition, I plan to run Damocles. But as one of the people who is going to play that adventure pointed out, there would be a lot of changes since the war started in 2017. That got me thinking, and the more I think about it, there would be changes, not in just the base itself, but how Damocles is hooked up the defense network.

With that in mind, I turn to you, the forum, for ideas and suggestions. Again, not with just any upgrades, but with:

New equipment, would the underground portions of the base expand to accommodate more staff, would Damocles be hooked up to the network, when the first sightings of the asteroid approaching would they do anything different, would the American government put in some freeze tubes to store staff to help Damocles out or use them as a 'morrow-esx' type of base

[ArmySGT.]

Damocles lacked good intelligence gathering capabilities on its own. The little recon units are weak and sending the large defense units out wasteful.

Aerial drones...... a catapult launch and net recovery system for Damocles to launch surveillance and over the horizon comms relay drones.

Would Damocles be hooked up to any networks I think any DoD networks were test and evaluation networks testing capability. That said. The whole reason for the internet was to link research and development think tanks at various universities together and through DARPA. DARPAnet. So I would think that Damocles linked by satellite, microwave transmitter, and fiberoptic cable. The war though cut those connections. Satellites lasted longest....... six months to a year before failing........ Microwave transmitters and cable connections died when the major cities died. The only comms now would be a Defense Service Network phone switch. That could be working as those systems are hardwired and redundant. So maybe the hotlines to National Command Authority, Cheyenne Mountain, Raven Rock, Omaha SAC base, Greenbriar hotel, etc still work

I think that the US Gov has assets in place for a "Deep Impact" scenario in the limestone cliff in Arkansas, salt mines in Kansas, the Black Hills of North Dakota, the deep mine complex in West Virginia, etc. The US govt would likely do the stupid and try to bunch as many cryotubes as they can in one place for security and convenience.

From the other threads, any tubes associated with Damocles would either be cryosleep researchers, a frozen security asset, or computer science personnel preserved to help out after the war.

[stormlion1]

Damocles I think wouldn't change much overall. Only real difference would be multiple connections to the outside rather than a few the original had. Buried landlines, satellite, etc. It would have a connection to the Internet and probably its own servers that could act as a backup to gov't farms elsewhere and probably a hidden automated hanger for several drones that could be controlled by remote. Probably not Predators or anything but more of the helicopter style ones as the need for a landing strip would be reduced. ground drones and automated defences would be relatively the same. I don't see there being cryotubes installed though as the facility would have the ability to communicate with other gov't installations via buried landlines, satellites, or whatever. Ones where people in charge could be sleeping. Damocles wasn't that big after all and shouldn't be made all that much larger.

[ArmySGT.]

The other thing is............ You don't want to give Damocles all that much. Damocles is already a sentient supercomputer capable of building semi-autonomous drones. Damocles is the system that wakes up the Team for "Operation Lucifer". That means that Damocles can begin waking Teams just by brute force sending Morrow recall codes until it gets a response. No control over who wakes up but, it does wake teams. If you get lucky, you wake a combined group leader such as "Operation Final Watch".

"Final Watch" is the "Kobyrashi Maru" scenario for the Morrow Project.

Damocles has the capability to tap into the Houston control center and operate the Morrow Sat. Once connections are established the computer sciences lab at the "Uni" in "Ruins of Chicago".

It makes the definition for power creep. Before you know it you are throwing tanks, stealth fighters, and godzilla at your MP teams because they can defeat anything.

Keep Damocles in check. He is a tool in the GMs tool box and not one for the players.

[stormlion1]

I'd limit Damocles capability's and reach by the fact it has no support personnel (Plus the finding of the last peoples remains and story's is fun to have in the scenario) and having Damocles have severe limits in its ability to scavenge and produce new equipment. Sure it can connect with Houston or Cheyenne Mountain, Raven Rock or the University in Chicago. But what if lines are cut, the bases are destroyed or just have no power Is a Morrow Team going to lay USB cable all the way to Chicago The most secure is buried landlines while satellite dishes probably wouldn't have survived a war very well much less the years that have gone by. If Houston has no power the connection is for nought and come on, Cheyenne isn't going to survive. Its a high priority target. Its going to get hit until its dead. Best bet really is the facility's to produce new drones are using stockpiled parts and Damocles lacks the ability to produce new ones. Something as simple as the facility being damaged could put Damocles behind easily enough. It would limit what it could salvage and what it could assemble. Heck, it would make for good backstory If a original Damocles developer did it to avoid having Damocles go Skynet on the survivors of Earth. He pulled something that Damocles cannot replace and hid it or destroyed limiting Damocles to simple, short ranged drones.

[RandyT0001]

IMO Damocles is a tool for the PD of the game to wake up other teams to work on new modules produced by Timeline in the 80's amd to wake up new teams that are close to where the current team in your game of MP for replacements as needed. The Damocles module really does not require extensive rewriting or changes itself. However, the local environment around the facility may have changed. Instead of nice Nordic people wanting you to join them in a hot tub the area is surrounded by Razers. Maybe the Kentucky Free State has control of the area. Maybe Damocles was targeted by Russian and Chinese cyber-attacks just before the bombs fell and now Damocles itself has lost some functionality because it "self-lobotomized" a portion of it's memory and CPU's to isolate "Virus" (Suicider). This loss of functionality might be why Damocles needs the Uni computer in Chicago. (Of course it's entirely up to Jeff in the end.)

[ArmySGT.]

I'd limit Damocles capability's and reach by the fact it has no support personnel (Plus the finding of the last peoples remains and story's is fun to have in the scenario) and having Damocles have severe limits in its ability to scavenge and produce new equipment. Sure it can connect with Houston or Cheyenne Mountain, Raven Rock or the University in Chicago. But what if lines are cut, the bases are destroyed or just have no power Is a Morrow Team going to lay USB cable all the way to Chicago The most secure is buried landlines while satellite dishes probably wouldn't have survived a war very well much less the years that have gone by. If Houston has no power the connection is for nought and come on, Cheyenne isn't going to survive. Its a high priority target. Its going to get hit until its dead. Best bet really is the facility's to produce new drones are using stockpiled parts and Damocles lacks the ability to produce new ones. Something as simple as the facility being damaged could put Damocles behind easily enough. It would limit what it could salvage and what it could assemble. Heck, it would make for good backstory If a original Damocles developer did it to avoid having Damocles go Skynet on the survivors of Earth. He pulled something that Damocles cannot replace and hid it or destroyed limiting Damocles to simple, short ranged drones.

According to the modules, Damocles once co-opted by the MP team will raise the comms tower and using brute force reactivate a team near a nuclear weapon that impacted without detonation. This is Operation Lucifer. Damocles will attempt often to contact National Command Authority to request new orders. Damocles will upon activation detect the operation of the Morrow Sat and use this to increase his range and opt for more signal capacity than AM wavelengths. That is from Operation Lonestar.

Damocles is the envisioned tool for the players to get the Project started without Prime Base.

[Fifty-Three-Delta]

Its a FRPG, So.....

It all depends on how much "realism" you want. In the MP campaign I'm getting ready to lunch my "Damocles" (which I don't call it that) is hooked into the cloud network currently being set up by the likes of Google and Microsoft. The team will discover a still somewhat operational Google Data Center, aka Server farm and so starts the quest.

BTW this is my first post to this forum, testing the waters shall we say

[Gelrir]

Welcome to the forum, Fifty-Three-Delta!

--
Michael B.

[stormlion1]

According to the modules, Damocles once co-opted by the MP team will raise the comms tower and using brute force reactivate a team near a nuclear weapon that impacted without detonation. This is Operation Lucifer. Damocles will attempt often to contact National Command Authority to request new orders. Damocles will upon activation detect the operation of the Morrow Sat and use this to increase his range and opt for more signal capacity than AM wavelengths. That is from Operation Lonestar.

Damocles is the envisioned tool for the players to get the Project started without Prime Base.

I'm going on the basis of its initial discovery and what assets it might have. Later events are up to the PD. Never did find Operation Lonestar so that scenario in an unknown to me.

[ArmySGT.]

I'm going on the basis of its initial discovery and what assets it might have. Later events are up to the PD. Never did find Operation Lonestar so that scenario in an unknown to me.

You can buy it direct from Timeline (Chris Garland) or from Noble Knight games.

The Lonestar state is a good foil to an expanding KFS.

[stormlion1]

Have to pick it up when I get the chance. Not really germaine to our currant game but it will make good reading.

[ArmySGT.]

Have to pick it up when I get the chance. Not really germaine to our currant game but it will make good reading.

Stats for three hover craft (MP types), M1 Abrams, M2 Bradley, T72 MBT, BMP-1 APC, AK-74, PKM machinegun, and some new black powder weapons. Some history for the SW and Meso-America.

One Snake eater is around to clue in the Team if their really not getting it.

[ArmySGT.]

The other threat to Damocles is the Maxwell's Militia.

It the "After the Module" events for "Liberation at Riverton" that can bring this scenario on fast. If Maxwell's Militia finds that the "Troops" at Riverton are no longer around to prevent it I am sure they will send someone fast to take that over. Everyone wants the munitions, the weapons, the radios, and especially the manuals............ Bunker after Bunker of munitions and 105mm tank ammuntion at that!

Maxwell's Militia is going to be on that like a pack of hyenas. Then when Damocles starts transmitting a new rival for the region is going to have to be investigated.

[Capt Gideon]

The most glaring omission from the module is first the second elevator which has been addressed in another blog. One personal elevator large enough for a hospital gurney with a 1500 kg capacity, the other a cargo elevator at least 3.5 meters deep and 2.5 meters wide with a 5000 kg capacity. But the biggest thing missing was the utilities. Next to or between the elevators should be a large utility shaft containing a service ladder defending to all levels. Two large ventilation ducts, primary supply and primary return to supply fresh or recycled air to all levels (breathing is important). Next is the power lines (440VAC, 220VAC, 110VAC and 440VDC, 110VDC), Telecommunications and networking cables, plus compressed air lines (2000psi, 700psi, 100psi and filtered 100psi Emergency Air Breather EAB supply). Then there is potable water supply, pure water supply, and septic disposal line. A new level need to be added to handle air processing, water treatment, air compressors, water demineralized, water storage, Oxygen generator, nitrogen concentrator, along with all necessary storage and transformers and converters. Also I added bulk storage on this level for operating supplies.
When I last ran this module it was back in the early 90s and half the players were former military including a former Navy SEAL. I had to detail the base as much as possible because my players would look for the details and expect common sense. Stupid oversights don't fly.
Damocles would have been a D.A.R.P.A. project and with no active military bases in the UP anymore (all closed) it is not likely that this is where Damocles project would be located, a former missile complex that was repurposed would be much more likely. Two books I found very handy are "Last Line of Defense, Nike Missile Sites in Illinois" and "US Strategic and Defense Missile Systems 1950-2004" by Osprey in the Fortress series. In fact I recommend many of the Osprey books if you want idea what certain groups might have and what they might look like, even the books on Zeppelins can help with Ballooners.