Living in prime base

[tsofian]

In the plan the crew at prime base was to sit out the world for tg
The last years of civilization watch several billion people die and wait another five years or more before lifting a finger to help anyone.

No wonder they let the colony happen. How did the project think the kind of people they hoped to attract could be put in that situation and not act

[ArmySGT.]

How many committed suicide anyway From the supplemental material we know that the war lasted for months. Everyone went back for reloads.

[cosmicfish]

Did they have an alternative It's not like PB was in a heavily populated area where they could expect refugees - it pretty sparse, the kind of place people should have avoided. There probably isn't any place they could have placed PB where it would have been less likely to attract refugees but still have been at all useful as a Project base. And I suppose they could have put THEM to sleep as well, but that would much worse all around.

[tsofian]

Since it appears that the intent of my question has been misconstrued, let me rephrase it.

How did the Project plan to deal with the psychological issues that the crew of Prime Base would face in the period between their entry into the base and te point when the Project would become active

[cosmicfish]

By screening the base personnel as thoroughly as they screen anyone else, and by providing a good counseling staff in PB. I always thought that the hardest thing about putting the Project together had to be finding people caring enough to be trusted with the job but tough enough to thrive post-apocalypse. I always thought that was limiting factor on the size of the Project. But such people exist, coming out of the military and the Peace Corps and other places, and the Project had to find them.

[tsofian]

I was looking for something a bit more specific:
Did everyone in the base do an hours of yoga every day
Was Physical activity mandatory
Did everyone go to group therapy once a week
Were there specific types of therapy or counseling that might prove more effective
How big a staff of therapists were available
Was there a weekly movie night Was the holographic room used as a planetarium so people could "see" the night sky
Was there some form of periscope leave
Was there a large amount of craft equipment kept for therapy (model building, wood working, pottery, painting etc.)
So very little is better for moral than sex. Did the Project have professional sex therapists/surrogates that provided more intimate services than just talking therapy
Was the water in the base chlorinated, fluoridated AND thorizinated (just a joke)

What if someone in the base absolutely could not deal with it Would they be frozen Was there an "Island of Misfit Toys" bolt hole someplace were all the people who couldn't handle Prime Base were basically stashed If that place was Prime Base did the frozen patients survive the plague Could a group of player characters wake them up If so this could lead to some very strange adventures!

[stormlion1]

Actually I would figure any news would be censored heavily. Only the top tier of people would know what was happening to spare the damage to the bases personnel. Beyond that there would be make-work and maintenance for the base. Can't forget arts and crafts and movie night.

[cosmicfish]

I suspect that there would be a small team of therapists on staff whose job would be to monitor everyone and find whatever THEY need to keep going. Some might do yoga, others might do movies, etc.

But I would not expect that many of them required much attention. Remember that they were all carefully selected, highly trained, highly motivated, very busy, and doing exactly what they all new would help. A few might have minor problems, and maybe one or two would snap, but yes, they could give them some degree of therapy and/or medication and if necessary freeze them.

[tsofian]

I am not sure if censoring is a good idea or even possible. The base has a mission to record TEOTWAWKI and according to the module hundreds of staffers are involved in gathering communications traffic. There are too many people who will be going through that traffic to keep secrets and I think it would be even worse for morale to do so, or try to do so

[cosmicfish]

I am not sure if censoring is a good idea or even possible. The base has a mission to record TEOTWAWKI and according to the module hundreds of staffers are involved in gathering communications traffic. There are too many people who will be going through that traffic to keep secrets and I think it would be even worse for morale to do so, or try to do so

Agreed. Not every detail needs to be disseminated, but outright censorship would be disastrous.

[ArmySGT.]

I was looking for something a bit more specific:
Did everyone in the base do an hours of yoga every day
Was Physical activity mandatory
Did everyone go to group therapy once a week
Were there specific types of therapy or counseling that might prove more effective
How big a staff of therapists were available
Was there a weekly movie night Was the holographic room used as a planetarium so people could "see" the night sky
Was there some form of periscope leave
Was there a large amount of craft equipment kept for therapy (model building, wood working, pottery, painting etc.)
So very little is better for moral than sex. Did the Project have professional sex therapists/surrogates that provided more intimate services than just talking therapy
Was the water in the base chlorinated, fluoridated AND thorizinated (just a joke)

What if someone in the base absolutely could not deal with it Would they be frozen Was there an "Island of Misfit Toys" bolt hole someplace were all the people who couldn't handle Prime Base were basically stashed If that place was Prime Base did the frozen patients survive the plague Could a group of player characters wake them up If so this could lead to some very strange adventures!

I for one include some mundane social aspects to Prime Base not specifically found in any other, except the Backup. Food courts, a mini mall, intramural sports, a nickel arcade, cigar bar, karaoke bar. Spread about the cylinders.

During the screening..... socially awkward and people that prefer small social circles or very limited contact.. "cyber hermits"...... would be screened out.

Morrow Project training must include extended "Shelter stays" were the TMP members are kept indoors and underground shelters for 14 to 21 days...... an anti radiation exposure protocol. Those that can't handle this would be screen outs from working at Prime, Backup, and probably Regional bases. There is probably a larger population of Air Force and Navy veterans versus other branches in this type of assignment.

It wouldnt hurt to assign people a "Social job" in addition to their regular job. So a Comms tech could be a lifeguard at the pool. A Sat Recon specialist could be one of several MCs for karaoke night.

Clubs would be encouraged and given space and time gather...... Can you imagine the RC car club having races in the Support Cylinder. Choirs, Bands, and bad poetry readings abound.

There is room for physical clubs like stair climbers racings, indoor 5k and 10k runs, room for a climbing wall in the Motor Pool. Tai Chi, yoga, and calisthenics can all be group activities with highly motivated practitioners.

Lastly, Art....... I don't understand the importance of sterile walls...... I would have murals, reproductions of famous painting and sculpture. I would have various walls were children are encouraged to create.

Playgrounds wouldn't be a bad idea either.

[mmartin798]

If we think of Prime Base as an aircraft carrier sized submarine, then Sgt. depiction fits well. Prime Base may also work on an 18 hour day like submariners do as well: 6 hours on duty, 6 hours off duty and 6 hours sleeping. At least during the buttoned up phase of operation.

[Matt W]

How did the Project plan to deal with the psychological issues that the crew of Prime Base would face in the period between their entry into the base and the point when the Project would become active


1. Professional-based Crisis Intervention
Prime Base has several (perhaps as many as 20) mental health professionals who can provide counselling and therapy using various techniques, for example cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). They would hold regular one-on-one "debriefing" sessions with all personnel (at least once per month). They would have the authority to prescribe all forms of therapy (up to and including pharmaceuticals).

2. Mental Health Peer Support
EVERYONE receives training in counselling skills:
Skills include (but are not limited to) listening, paraphrasing and reflecting skills, questioning, and providing feedback

EVERYONE is taught about the effects of loss and grief, of stress and distress.

EVERYONE is trained to have an understanding of suicide/suicidal behavior.

EVERYONE is trained to have an understanding of the requirements of confidentiality and ethical behavior within the peer support role.

3. Training in Coping Strategies and Techniques
All Project personnel receive (personalised) guidance in how to preserve their mental health. For example, humour, "distraction" or meditation are all valid methods of coping with stress and disaster.

[in a game context, "Coping Strategies and Techniques" provides a reason for the "shoebox of personal stuff" that many PDs allow for player characters ]

4. Outdoor Life vs Indoor Life
IMHO, the subterranean sections are not intended for permanent occupation. Radiation and other hazards might mean that shelter is required for an initial few weeks or months but - after that - the plan would be for people to live and work outside Prime Base.

[cosmicfish]

4. Outdoor Life vs Indoor Life
IMHO, the subterranean sections are not intended for permanent occupation. Radiation and other hazards might mean that shelter is required for an initial few weeks or months but - after that - the plan would be for people to live and work outside Prime Base.

This is the only one I have a problem with.

First, conditions outside the base could reasonably make the nearby area unlivable for some number of years after the war - a stray nuke gets too close, and you won't want little Timmy playing outside until the radiation levels drop! The base and its personnel HAD to be prepared to stay underground for years.

Second, even without the NBC issues, basic security protocols will force Prime Base to maintain secrecy essentially as long as it is needed. The site was chosen for its desolation, a permanent community of hundreds or thousands of people out in the middle of the desert is going to eventually pinpoint the location as a major facility.

Third, an external Morrow town would require external Morrow protection. Can Prime Base spare the personnel to guard the gates of this proposed town If a significant enemy force approached, (forgetting for the moment about secrecy) could Prime Base even defend it

Last, but not least, where do the resources (human and material) come from to build this town Does Prime Base have that many carpenters and plumbers Can they justify the room to store hundreds or thousands of prefab houses and other facilities

Personally, I think the base personnel are just going to have to suck it up, and testing for the ability to do so would need to be part of the screening. As for dependents, well... I can see three options:

1) Don't bring any. Seriously, select PB personnel from those with no dependents. Most are likely to be recruited in or immediately after their college years anyway, enforce on them at recruitment that signing on means not having kids and not forming any dependent relationships with anyone outside the Project.

2) Freeze em. Have a facility at or near PB where dependents can slumber away in cold sleep until a safe village can be established. Maybe they get lucky and it's a matter of months, maybe they don't and its a decade.

3) Combination of the two. Try to only recruit those without dependents, but if you really need Jane Physicist, then her somehow-unfit-for-the-Project husband can join her kids in cryo sleep and she'll just have to wait it out.

I personally like the last option, as it seems to balance the flexibility needed for recruiting while minimizing the non-contributing headcount. Plus, either of the last two options turn the "bury the kids" part of the original module into a "rescue the kids" part, and as a father I really like that idea better.

[mmartin798]

Second, even without the NBC issues, basic security protocols will force Prime Base to maintain secrecy essentially as long as it is needed. The site was chosen for its desolation, a permanent community of hundreds or thousands of people out in the middle of the desert is going to eventually pinpoint the location as a major facility.

Third, an external Morrow town would require external Morrow protection. Can Prime Base spare the personnel to guard the gates of this proposed town If a significant enemy force approached, (forgetting for the moment about secrecy) could Prime Base even defend it

These two reasons are key to why Prime Base fell according to canon. Insurgents followed the crowds walking into the wilderness and security was insufficient to detect and then eventually deal with the situation. Keeping these "problems" will give you the outcome at Prime Base we have already seen. As story telling plot devices, these may not be problematic.