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  • #76
    CONNECTICUT

    Like most heavily urbanized states, Connecticut has suffered greatly since 1962. Literally millions of panicked people streamed out of the train wreck that was New York City following the nuclear hits. These mobs of refugees totally swamped and buried the western two thirds of the state under a tidal wave of violence and desperation. The first winter of 1962 thinned them out, and as soon as the food ran out those that still lived by the spring moved on north and west. Behind them they left needless devastation. Connecticut--along with most of New England--had very little stored food reserves and was one of the first states in the country to experience food shortages following the nuclear strikes, and thus some of the worst food riots. It was widely rumored amongst the civilian population that the military was hoarding food at the expense of the civilians, and military bases throughout the state were besieged by hungry and angry people. Once winter came and the great die-off began, people began to eat everything. The deer disappeared, even packs of dogs in the urban areas were hunted for food. By the spring of 1963 all that was left in relative quantity was fish. The few farms in the countryside were all swamped by refugees early, leaving little agriculture outside of small family plots. Throughout 1964 conditions in Connecticut have been getting worse--food is becoming more scarce and what law and order remains is either rapidly breaking down or becoming increasingly more autocratic in order to remain in control. Those civilians still in the state are very desperate.

    1) NUCLEAR TARGETS
    None.

    2) ORGANIZED MILITARY FORCES
    The state's component of the 43rd Infantry Division, three battle groups and an artillery regiment, were mobilized soon after the first nuclear strikes. Conditions in the state, especially following the nuking of New York City, rapidly degraded the National Guard's capability and by 1963 there were just a few places left where they were organized. The federal government was unable to rally the state to send the men overseas and so most of them have remained here. These units now owe their loyalty to the cities and towns they protect and there is little or no overall state command.

    43rd Infantry Division
    ------169th Infantry Regiment--Hartford (520 men)
    ------2nd Battalion/192nd FA Regiment
    ------------Battery A--Norwich (55 men)
    ------------Battery C--Waterbury (40 men)
    248th Engineer Company--Norwich (35 men)

    3) CONNECTICUT URBAN CORRIDOR
    The New York-Boston corridor is lined with small, semi-suburban communities, all of them demolished to differing degrees by years of rioting and refugee migrations. The worst are Bridgeport and New Haven, with lesser (but considerable) difficulties being offered by Norwalk, Fairfield, Stratford, and New London. Most of these turned to fishing or farming after the initial period of famine that largely depopulated the area. As well, the marauder bands have preyed upon and savaged many of these communities. Many who had staked their hopes on farming have been ruined by the unfavorable weather and have either become hunter/scavengers or marauders. The Connecticut coastline now offers a number of smaller fishing communities with a tradition of fleeing instead of fighting.
    Greenwich: After the initial chaos, for several months this city was calm, life was hard, but people survived. Then the drought and the marauders came. Now there are only small pockets of people all over the city. There is no food, starving people are reduced to eating rats. The land north of the city is worthless for farming and their fishing fleet, once powerful, now sits rusting and rotting dockside. There are more diseases in the city than in any research lab, and there are few doctors and no medicines left.
    Stamford: This city was destroyed by rioting, out of control fires and fighting scavenger gangs. The city is now a checkerboard of fire-blackened ruins. The two dozen or so survivors are hiding in little pockets all over the city, terrified to go out.
    Danbury: In this upland town, the citizens tried to band together to defend themselves against the marauders and starving refugees. They were crushed and swept aside for their efforts. The city is rapidly falling into decay and ruin. The museums and finer homes have been looted, the libraries sacked. Dogs and cats have become food staples.
    Norwalk: Under control of gangs. They have raided extensively about the countryside, stealing food and women.
    Bridgeport: The city has been looted and savaged so many times that it is nothing more than a shell of what it once was and there was no one left to fight the hurricane-like fires that burned most of the city down. The 10,000 or so people who still live in this dying city are sick and malnourished. Cholera is rampant in the city today. Bridgeport Harbor is a cesspool of pollution and rotting skeletons. The northern suburbs are relatively intact and the many manufacturing plants in the area still hold many treasures.
    Fairfield: Burnt to the ground during the chaos, this city is empty today.
    Waterbury: There is some farming going on in the fields around the city. They have a militia that has successfully battled the gangs and kept the population down to manageable levels. The town's main protection comes from the remains of the National Guard's Battery C (105mm) of the 2nd Battalion/192nd FA, a former component of the 43rd ID (40 men). The citizens have tried hard not to let their city turn into a slum or be looted by vandals. In every space available, someone is growing a garden or raising chickens. The railroads leading into the city are useless, vandals have destroyed miles of track.
    Milford: Looted and sacked so many times it's only a hulk now. Pirates used it as a base for a time, but abandoned it and moved on.
    New Haven: Devastated by fires and rioting, this long-shadowed, burned city is now a hulk. Fires still smolder in the mounds of coal in the heavy manufacturing areas in the outskirts. Abandoned and smashed cars litter every street. Marauders occupy most of the city today armed with light weapons mostly, many are survivors of several Connecticut National Guard units stationed here that were swept away in the rioting. There are some 2,500 civilians left, many serving as slaves for the gangs.
    Wallingford: Looted and burned, with only a few hundred survivors.
    Hartford: Hartford is doing better than most cities in the area, having a stable population fed by gardens planted everywhere there is dirt. All the National Guard units in the area were consolidated and reformed under the banner of the 169th Infantry Regiment, a component of the 43rd ID. Total manpower is around 520 men at this time. Well-equipped with the stores and weapons in six area NG armories, the force is truly to be reckoned with. As well, there is an active State Militia organization in the city, led by the Governor's 1st Horse Guard Company (40 men) and the "Nathan Hale Battalion (60 men), made up of former University of Connecticut--Hartford ROTC cadets led by a former US Army colonel. There are several doctors still in the city and considering all that has happened, the citizens are doing well. The state government is still here, operating at vastly reduced levels. The state leadership has very little influence on affairs in Connecticut outside of Hartford County.

    4) SOUTHEASTERN CONNECTICUT
    The southeastern corner of the state was mostly spared the ravages of the refugees, and the area is now the most secure in the state.
    Norwich: A mix of productive refugees and decent citizens occupy this city now, all trying to survive. The town's defenses are provided by the National Guard's 248th Engineer Company (35 men) and Battery A (105mm) of the 2nd Battalion/192nd FA, a former component of the 43rd ID (55 men).
    New London: Today, this city is a gutted and looted shell, home to just 600 citizens. Much of the factory facilities which supported the submarine base here were destroyed in the riots and civil disorder following the nuclear strikes. The Coast Guard Academy is now deserted and in ruins. The city of New London itself is largely empty. The few inhabitants make a living either farming roof gardens and sifting over the rubble for overlooked bits of salvage, or by brigandage. The former submarine base is occupied by a small group of a few hundred refugees. The factories have been looted of all but the heaviest machinery, and everything that can be pried loose has been taken away or broken. The riverside harbor is empty except for one half-sunken sub and a beached cargo ship. The sub is the Barracuda class SS-552 Bonita, which was undergoing an engine refit when rioters looking for food tore through her. The cargo ship was rumored to be carrying grain from Iowa for the military and was swamped by hungry mouths, only to find machine parts and rubber tires. Today there are about 30 US Navy men at the base from the CivGov enclave at Newport, Rhode Island working to salvage some electronic components from the ships.
    Groton: Just across the Thames River from New London, Groton is a different story. It too has been heavily looted, but it has a small permanent population--a few local fishermen operating out of the old harbor there and a couple of craftsmen who produce rope and netting for the fishers. Recently, a group of monks moved into the area and is providing medical care and acting as an impartial governing body to settle local disputes. The Submarine School is now deserted and in ruins.
    Mystic: Along the coast, this once quaint, little historic town is now the current equivalent of a minor metropolis. Dusted with radiation from the New York nukes, the town was initially abandoned. With a month, however, it was obvious that the area was safe and the people started to return. With a population of almost 30,000, many of them refugees from New London, Mystic now supports a vigorous fishing industry, as well as some coastal trade. Much of this is due to the contributions of the former employees of the Mystic Seaport and Marine Museum, who have kept the Charles W. Morgan, America's last wooden whaling ship, in operating condition. They have also managed to convert the other sailing craft in port into highly profitable fishing/merchant vessels, and they have an ambitious educational program for transmitting special maritime skills to an ever-increasing number of their young people. Not surprisingly, Mystic is particularly well defended, boasting several .30 cal machineguns and a pair of 81mm mortars, in addition to the more predictable selection of military, paramilitary, and sporting long arms. It maintains a low-power radio station for emergency broadcasts to its populace and for long-range contact with the rest of the world. Mystic's secret insurance policy is their cooperation with the CivGov Coast Guard enclave to the east in Rhode Island. In fact, the guard loaned Mystic the .30 cals and mortars eighteen months ago in exchange for the loan of the Australia, the historic schooner that had been part of the seaport exhibition. They are also serving as an advance base for the navy as they begin to salvage the New London naval yard.

    5) NORTHWESTERN CONNECTICUT
    On a smaller note, in the northwestern corner of the state, is Goshen, a small village of a dozen or so buildings and an old rangers fire watch tower looms several stories above the town. The radical Church of Human Perfection is fast into weeding out the sick and old in the town to create a "perfect population". These islands of humanity are rare, however, as most towns are deserted and looted.

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    • #77
      RHODE ISLAND

      While the tiny state of Rhode Island was untouched by missiles, it's people had to then fend for themselves in the aftermath of that horrific day. Governor John Notte had placed the National Guard all along the border with in twelve hours after the missiles stopped, and only two after the refugees started arriving. Governor Notte also quickly made a deal with the National Guard 103rd Replacement Battalion stationed in his state. The commander saw quickly that he had to help the Governor if he and his family were to survive. So with three well armed forces under his command--the RI ANG, the 103rd Replacement Battalion, and the RI state police--the Governor was able to pretty much close the borders. Notte new that he needed the military to hold things together, so he worked with them to ensure that he and they were given the lions share of food and supplies. Still, the following harsh winter and the spread of disease took its toll on the population of Rhode Island. Within two years the state was down to less than 200,000 people. The population of the capital city Providence (currently at twenty percent of its pre-war level) presently forms a community which now calls itself the "Isolationists". Practicing what their name implies, the Isolationists have shut themselves off from outside governments and are attempting to become as self-sufficient as possible. The Isolationists claim all of Rhode Island but they only effectively control the parts of Providence and the adjacent area within the border formed by the Providence and Pawtucket Rivers and Scituate Reservoir.

      1) NUCLEAR TARGETS
      None.

      2) ORGANIZED MILITARY FORCES
      103rd Replacement Battalion--Providence (1300 men)

      3) THE STATE AT LARGE
      Providence: Much of Providence itself was ravaged by the disorder and starvation that was a mark of the chaos. Fires have gutted many of the large buildings in the downtown area. The area west of Cranston and east of the reservoir has recently been developed into a series of farming co-ops in an effort to break the city's dependence on fish and outside suppliers. Unfortunately, the city lacks a large body of experience in agriculture and animal husbandry. As a result, the yields are expected to by small. They are opposed by small gangs within Providence itself, and by the various bandit and marauder bands which wander New England. The gangs control the low-rent apartment ghettos and parts of the downtown Providence area, creating a siege situation with the Isolationist defense forces surrounding them. The reason that these gangs have not been wiped out is that Notte's daughter was kidnapped by them in 1963 and he refuses to burn them out until he finds her. Some of the larger gangs are the "Pigs on Wings", the "Killer Sheep", the "Rabid Wolf Lingerie Society", and the "Dogs of War". By late 1964, Notte's grand experiment with isolationism is breaking down. Shortages in power and spare parts have forced him to shut down factories and operations left and right. The is virtually no power left for private consumption. Notte's relationship to the Navy enclave and the UBF is becoming more strained by the hour as he is unable to fill trade orders and his work force becomes restless. The 103rd Replacement Battalion (1300 men) provides the bulk of the security forces for the city.
      Newport: Now a CivGov Coast Guard and Navy enclave, which is centered in the compound that was once the domain of the Naval War College and Naval Officer Candidate School, among other important navy institutions. Rear Admiral Nils HoIsgirder is the commandant of the Coast Guard forces here. The Rhode Island Isolationist community to the north in Providence is leery of Holsgirder, and something of an unspoken arrangement exists between them. Providence leaves Newport in peace and facilitates a limited amount of trade with the Isolationist community, while Holsgirder's force is their insurance against any change in the UBF's ambition. Although not large enough to defeat Carlucci, Holsgirder's swabs could deal the UBF a severe, perhaps crippling, blow in a fight to the finish. For now, however, the navy men are active traders with the UBF. The new Coast Guard is a mix of the old and the young. The officers and NCOs are all 40 or more years old; they are reactivated reservists, former academy instructors, and coast guard auxiliary inductees. Most of them (about 200) have seen limited combat. Almost 400 of these new swabs make up the rank and file of the new Coast Guard. The townspeople of Newport (approximately 18,000 of them) are mostly involved in fishing, light industry, and light farming. All people above the age of thirteen are required to attend four hours of militia training every week and two full weeks of intensive training every year (usually during the winter). Enough long arms are available to arm about half these people with something more effective than a .22. Handguns are not prevalent. The Coast Guard itself is armed with M14s and M60 LMGs. A few mortars are available, as are a number of M2HB .50 calibers. Body armor is somewhat rare, most of it being ballistic cloth vests, courtesy of commandeered police stores. Holsgirder wasn't left with much when the navy yanked almost every seaworthy vessel out from under him after the nukings to fight World War III. However, the commandant is a tireless and resourceful worker, and the new flotilla is a direct product of his industry. The primary assets include the medium-endurance cutter Chilula (WMEC-153), the small harbor tug Shackle (WYTL-65609), the inland buoy tender Elderberry (WLI-65401), ten coastal utility craft, the sail training cutter Eagle (WIX-327), the large auxiliary schooner Australia (WIX-999), and twenty various sailed auxiliary sloops. Basically, the tug and buoy tender are both smallish vessels, converted to alcohol, with a top speed of six knots and a complement of 10. The utility craft are models which are produced en masse by Monark boats and have been converted to alcohol; also, they are equivalent to a very small, high-speed cabin cruiser. As well as four merchant ships that sought refugee in Newport when the nukes started to fall. These are a container ship filled with obsolete electronic hardware that was on its way for sale abroad as a part of the Marshall Plan, another freighter with used British Army equipment for sale in New Jersey, and two oil tankers returning from the Persian Gulf loaded with fuel. Air assets, lamentably, are limited to one CH-34 Chactaw helicopter. The helicopter has been retrofitted with M60 MG doorguns. Holsgirder's last avgas is stored in deep vaults, and under no circumstances short of an all-out attack on Newport itself would he let this bird get airborne. It's the ace up his sleeve, and he won't show it unless he has to. The enclave is officially able to use the air assets at Otis AFB on Cape Cod, but they never have had use to waste their fuel and it is dicey whether or not the UBF would let them leave the base anyway. Holsgirder is also working secretly on reopening three oil platforms which once belonged to Texaco off the eastern coast of Nova Scotia. He is also in recent months beginning to salvage the New London navy yards, using the friendly town of Mystic, Connecticut as a staging base.

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      • #78
        all I can say is WOW. I feel a new game in the works


        "There is only one tactical principal which is not subject to change. It is to use the means at hand to inflict the maximum amount of wounds, death and destruction on the enemy in the minimum amount of time."
        --General George S. Patton, Jr.

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        • #79
          Hello from the author

          Hi all,
          I was directed here by a friend. I'm the dude who wrote all that Twilight 1964 stuff a million years ago (2003, eek!). It was a ton of work, but it was fun to do the research on the 1960s. I am surprised that anyone still had a copy of it, I don't think that page has been up for many years. I took it down when I started working on my similar Morrow Project Travel Guide, as it conflicted greatly.
          I'd be tickled pink if anyone actually used any of it for a game, I guess that's what I intended it for. I don't play these games, so I am not sure if it would make a good alternate game setting or not. If anyone wants to chat about it, my email is nmdecke@hotmail.com, I think I might have some additional files somewhere for T1964.
          Thanks,
          Nate

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          • #80
            I am a fan of both the MP Travel guide and the T1964 so I am glad you stopped by for a visit. I have pulled details from both of them for my world so you certanly have my appreciation for all your hard work.

            If you have any interest in posting any of your stuff here or on my MP forum I am sure there would be interest.

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            • #81
              Thank you for the offer Kato, but I'm not sure I would have anything to add to a game conversation. The odd fact is that I don't play RPGs, I just write for them . I'm just happy that someone is enjoying something I wrote, that's what it's all about. I'm slowly working on re-writes for the MP Guide, but it's a slow process and I'm sorta stalled out at the moment. One of these days I'll get it done!
              Thanks for your interest, I appreciate it,
              Nate

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              • #82
                Good to know you are still working on stuff. Once you finish it, an announcement om my morrow forum would be appreciated. I am sure there would be interest.

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