The Duke of Cornwall

[Rainbow Six]

Evening all,

To accompany the timeline and other material that I posted earlier I'm currently working on my first UK Regional Sourcebook, which will cover the South West of England. The full sourcebook still neds a bit fo work, but I thought I'd post the write up that I've done for the Duke of Cornwall and his armed forces.

Please note this is not intended to be a canonical work (for a start I chose to change the Duke's name from Malcolm Briggs to Marcus Rose) - as I'm not actively playing T2K I'm doing this purely for my own enjoyment however I would appreciate your comments / questions, so let me know what you think.

Cheers

Dave

[Mohoender]

I have read it (a bit quickly) and like it personnaly. Nice work on the character and on the way he deals with oposition. I like the part on Penzance and the idea of free looting which in my mind has become a common practice in T2K even for regular troops.

As I'm myself writing a lot of things for the simple fun of it, I kept your text and if you don't mind I would like to use it as a possible inspiration for Cornwall.

Nice work

[Jason Weiser]

I rather like it...and the tensions in the Duke's armed forces are just the sort of thing a smart group of PCs can exploit. Not to mention Rose is a vengeful, paranoid maniac who's anger over his wife, the outcome of the shooting in Belfast, and the post-war conditions have basically turned him into a homicidal loon who's acting like a third world dictator...I suppose next week, he'll either crown himself king or make himself PM..I like this guy as a villain...he's perfect for Twilight 2000!

[Caradhras]

Nice. Certainly a good setting for a group of PCs. I spent a week in Cornwall this summer touring around and stayed near Bodmin so the places all fit for me too.

One option you may consider is to add one or two 'heavies' for Rose (or thorns ). I would imagine he would have picked up some allies before he gathered the initial 50 at Bath. Possibly he met a disgruntled tough NCO on charges in military prison whilst he was awaiting the verdict on his Belfast incident After contacting the NCO he linked up with a wily conman in the Home Service Force. With these 2 behind each shoulder he has more clout while building and someone to delegate to who he can trust.

[Matt W]

I remember doing a 'Duke of Cornwall'... (I grew up in Cornwall)...

A suggested modification:

If the Duke of Cornwall has RNAS Culdrose then he probably has this firm http://www.helstongunsmiths.com/ (it's literally just down the road)

I'd assume that most of the stock was requisitioned early in the Twilight War - but some of the odder stuff (Mauser rifles) might have been left and some of the personnel may still be available to repair the deactivated weapons

Seriously... check out the de-activated weapons on the site, I can imagine the 'Duke' carrying something like the gold-plated sterling SMG on formal occasions

[Legbreaker]

I'm not sure deactivated weapons can be repaired - they're basically chopped to pieces, welded up and generally completely ruined as far as I'm aware (such a waste!)

They still look mean though, so could be useful for scaring the peasants....

[Matt W]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/berkshire/7570436.stm

Unfortunately some deactivated guns can be 're-activated'

[simonmark6]

I like this, not necessarily because it's a profound piece of work, but because it is an excellent scenario for playing. Thanks for the work, I'll be using it if I get the opportunity.

[Rainbow Six]

Thanks for the feedback guys.

Mo, please, feel free to use the text as much of the text as you like - I certainly don't mind at all - the reason I post my work is so that people can use it as and how they wish.

Jason, you've summed up the character of Marcus Rose perfectly - glad you like him!

Matt, thanks for the link. I wasn't aware that place existed. I'm at work at the moment and can't access the site (firewall tag's it a weapons site - oddly I have the same problem with Paul Mulcahy's site - can't access that at work either!), but I'll check it out when I get home. The nature of gun control in the UK does tend to work against having large groups of armed marauders and sourcing enough weapons for the Duke's army did give me a few headaches. Legbreaker does make a valid point, though, inasmuch as the average citizen is going to struggle to tell the difference between a real (and operational) weapon and a deactivated replica. As I say, I'll check out the link you posted later. Anything that gives the Duke a few more weapons works for me...

Caradhras, that's a good suggestion. The NCO could easily be Paul Weston, the commander of the Ducal Guard, and I do like the idea of the HSF conman type character. As I said, I'm still working on a full south west sourcebook, in which I plan expand on a lot of the characters and I'd like definitely like to work that character in. He would also fit in with the Duke's Mistresses, as I'd also envisaged one of them secretly plotting with one of his lieutenants to overthrow him. (I've always found character and NPC generation to be the best part of RPGing and could happily spend weeks assembling a small cast of thousands!)

Thanks again for your feedback - it's much appreciated. Any other suggestions, fire away...also, I don't know Cornwall personally, so any insights from you guys who have been there would be most welcome. I plan to give Rose control of at least one working tin mine (I believe there's one on the penwith pensinsula that stayed open until the 1990's) plus the china clay deposits on the south coast so that potentially he has something to trade with the French arms dealers (although I'm not sure how valuable china clay would be as a trade commodity in the T2K World - it's main use seems to be in making paper).

Cheers

[Rainbow Six]

I like this, not necessarily because it's a profound piece of work, but because it is an excellent scenario for playing. Thanks for the work, I'll be using it if I get the opportunity.

No problem. If my work can be both profound and entertaining then I'm happy...

[Mohoender]

No problem. If my work can be both profound and entertaining then I'm happy...

It is.

[simonmark6]

Crofty Mine would still have been producing at the start of the war, it was concentrating on tin but had deposits of arsenic and tungsten. Tungsten has lots of uses including the creation of vaccuum tubes, if the French were trying to get their comms up and running they might be interested in this.

Other mines that closed around this time still yielded copper and zinc, with tin I think they make brass. These mines were flooded and spewing poison into the rivers by this time and they might not be viable using Post War technology, although rescuing slave workers from the hellish conditions such a mine would create would be a great scenario for a white hat party.

Another possible source of revenue could be slate. Cornwall has lots of good slate and it can be shipped instead of ballast so its transport costs are effectively free. Again, if the French are rebuilding their country, slate for roofing might have some value.

[Matt W]

Thanks for the feedback guys.


Matt, thanks for the link. I wasn't aware that place existed. I'm at work at the moment and can't access the site (firewall tag's it a weapons site - oddly I have the same problem with Paul Mulcahy's site - can't access that at work either!),

LOL... I might have implied that Holman Gunsmiths only sell deactivated weapons. In fact, they sell literally tons of weaponry - from pistols to stuff like real, fully-working artillery (including pack howitzers and Recoilless Rifles) Not to mention AFVs like Abbots and Chieftains - so I can see why your firewall might consider it a 'weapons site' .

As to what the Duke (and Cornwall) could be exporting
1. Academic knowledge/expertise - the Camborne School of Mines is a world-class centre for teaching and research in mines, minerals and earth resources engineering.
2. Specialist mining equipment (made by Holmans of Camborne - Cornwall's largest employer for nearly 200 years)
3. Fish - Newlyn is perhaps the UK's major fishing port by value of fish landed. Mackerel and Pilchards might be a major source of income

IMHO, the big 'diplomatic effort' might be payment from the French for maintaining lighthouses and navigation beacons. If the French are getting imports from Africa etcetera, they would be wise to make sure that their ships don't crash into Cornwall (in the real world, ships get wrecked on the Cornish coast with depressing frequency)

Also - if it hasn't been nuked - GCHQ Bude might be of major interest to the French. I could see them paying a lot of money for the rights to operate it

[Rainbow Six]

Crofty Mine would still have been producing at the start of the war, it was concentrating on tin but had deposits of arsenic and tungsten. Tungsten has lots of uses including the creation of vaccuum tubes, if the French were trying to get their comms up and running they might be interested in this.

Other mines that closed around this time still yielded copper and zinc, with tin I think they make brass. These mines were flooded and spewing poison into the rivers by this time and they might not be viable using Post War technology, although rescuing slave workers from the hellish conditions such a mine would create would be a great scenario for a white hat party.

Another possible source of revenue could be slate. Cornwall has lots of good slate and it can be shipped instead of ballast so its transport costs are effectively free. Again, if the French are rebuilding their country, slate for roofing might have some value.

Geevor was the mine I was thinking of, but having looked it up I see no reason why the Duke can't have control of Geevor and Crofty. And as you say, he would have ample slave workers to work in the mines so isn't going to care if he loses some to the occasional cave in, flood, or fire.

And you're right about there being the correct mineral deposits in Cornwall to make brass, which is obviously a key component of ammunition (amongst other things). So, that and tungsten gives the Duke at least two things to trade with the French, plus the possibility of slate also. I like where this is going...

[Rainbow Six]

LOL... I might have implied that Holman Gunsmiths only sell deactivated weapons. In fact, they sell literally tons of weaponry - from pistols to stuff like real, fully-working artillery (including pack howitzers and Recoilless Rifles) Not to mention AFVs like Abbots and Chieftains - so I can see why your firewall might consider it a 'weapons site' .

As to what the Duke (and Cornwall) could be exporting
1. Academic knowledge/expertise - the Camborne School of Mines is a world-class centre for teaching and research in mines, minerals and earth resources engineering.
2. Specialist mining equipment (made by Holmans of Camborne - Cornwall's largest employer for nearly 200 years)
3. Fish - Newlyn is perhaps the UK's major fishing port by value of fish landed. Mackerel and Pilchards might be a major source of income

IMHO, the big 'diplomatic effort' might be payment from the French for maintaining lighthouses and navigation beacons. If the French are getting imports from Africa etcetera, they would be wise to make sure that their ships don't crash into Cornwall (in the real world, ships get wrecked on the Cornish coast with depressing frequency)

Also - if it hasn't been nuked - GCHQ Bude might be of major interest to the French. I could see them paying a lot of money for the rights to operate it

Bude I had down as evacuated in 1998, with remaining personnel relocating to HMS Drake together with what equipment they could salvage. (I also have the surviving personnel from the RGHQ at Salcombe consolidating in Plymouth in early 98).

I checked out the gunssmith site at home... you're right, they have a heckuva lot more than just deactivated firearms! Looks like there's enough stuff there to equip a full armoured squadron! I'm going to assume that most if not all of the heavy duty stuff would have been requisioned by the Government earlier in the war, but I do think that it might be a good source of small arms, perhaps for the Mebyon Kernow resistance rather than the Duke. (I'm currently polishing my draft on the MK, so will try and get that posted asap - must point out that it has no connection with the real life MK - I felt that the name justified a bit of artistic licence!).

I'd planned to give the Duke control of the Cornish fishing fleets (the fishermen's families would be held as hostages onshore in order to ensure that none of the boats made for HMG's enclave at Plymouth) but wasn't sure if there would be enough fish to have an export surplus (I know here'a s lot of agricultural land in the south west but I figured fish would still be a staple part of the Cornish diet). Mines and mining is a definite goer, but beacons I had never ever considered, so thanks for that...will definitely incorporate that into the full sourcebook when it's done (with appropriate credit obviously )

Cheers