Alyeskan Gazetteer: Grimsport

Alyeska is home to be many settlements; some little more than mining camps whilst others are fully fledged towns. Most were founded either in areas rich with natural resources or close to readily available water. All usually have some sort of reputation for good or ill; Grimsport sits within the latter.

"A Most Dour And Decrepit Town"

The town of Grimsport sits at the mouth of the Grimsby River, which flows eastwards from Wicked Antler Lake to meet the sea on Alyeska's eastern coastline. The town was founded by the Grimsby family who gave their name to the river, the town and the whaling company that was Grimsport's major employer. Though the Grimsby family is now all but gone, the last male heir is believed to have been killed during the Great Darmonican War, and the town seems to be in terminal decline.

Grimsport has always had a bit of an ill reputation, the Grimsby family is said to have left the Home Isles under a dark cloud and some dare say that the family was cursed. The townsfolk themselves are a insular bunch and extremely unwelcoming to strangers, even to the point of outright rudeness. Whaling ships typically only unloaded the fruits of their labours at Grimsport, then sought a different port to take on supplies and for the crew to enjoy some shore leave.

Today, Grimsport is a decrepit looking town. The whaling industry effectively collapsed with the outbreak of war and Grimsport gradually went into terminal decline. Grimsby Hall, the seat of the Grimsby family, lies neglected whilst the whaling company factory is a blackened shell after a fire a couple of decades previously. An air of decay with streets of dilapidated buildings, seemingly half of which have any sign of human habitation.

Grimsport's only real contact with the outside world is the rickety old bus that runs from the town to Purpleflint and back three times a day, though the town does boast a small airstrip originally maintained by the Grimsby Whaling Co. There is also a two-man Air Police detachment, though this is rotated every three months and is an unpopular posting as its considered a punishment detail. The detachment's main role is to function as a point of contact for search and rescue efforts during an emergency, though they are alerted via a landline telephone so that they do not have to main the radio round the clock.

Services wise there is a rundown hotel that contains the town's sole restaurant and bar. There is also a combined general store and post office, a remnant of the old Great Northern Trading Co. This store is run by a Mrs Jenkins, a war widow and the only friendly face in town. Mrs Jenkins' husband died during the war, but she has maintained a cheerful disposition and is willing to impart advice to newcomers.

Due to Grimsport poor reputation, most aviators tend to turn down jobs that involve the town. As a result such jobs tend to offer double pay as an incentive, even for something as simple as a mail run. That may seen enticing to player characters who'll probably consider it 'easy money' even if they suspect a catch. Smuggling is another option due to the town's remoteness and the lack of interest from the aforementioned law enforcement.

Grimsport should be played as being more than a little creepy; there is a near-constant mist that engulfs the town and there is overwhelming feel of abandonment due to the rundown nature of the town. The locals will simply stand and silently stare at newcomers rather than engage in conversation, they also look similar to one another. The characters should feel like they're being constantly watched, perhaps even see half-glimpsed shadows, in addition to feeling that they're trespassing on unhallowed ground.

Rogue's Gallery: Kaelin Madigan

Alyeska is a land of ample opportunity; some toil the land for the fruit of the earth whilst others seek precious minerals beneath it. For every soul seeking to make an honest living, there are many who seek to part fools from their gold through dishonest means. Thieves and bandits are a common plight in civilized lands, but there is another kind of scoundrel that is on the raise who uses trickery and deceit to get what they want.

Kaelin Madigan is one such person, using every trick up her sleeve to fleece others out of their heard earn coin.

Kaelin Madigan

Kaelin didn't have an easy start in life, being born on a Genchi ghetto in the Aldwell District of Lindun. She never knew her father and her mother was killed during an air raid, the ghettos having received no provisions for the safety of their residents. Being orphaned at a young age was bad enough, but being a Genchi she could expect no help from the state for her welfare. The other families in the ghettos looked out for her as much as they could, though food, medicine and even clothes were in pitiful short supply as the Genchi were low down on the rations list.

It wasn't long before Kaelin started stealing food from shops and market stalls; sometimes she'd managed to get away with a loaf of bread, other times she got bruises from irate shopkeepers for her troubles. Through a mixture of trial and error she learnt that she had a knack for subterfuge, using deceit to swipe coins and ration books from unsuspecting victims. She soon put her skills to good use with a street gang, acting as a distraction whilst her fellow gang members went about the actual act of thievery. However, the gang ended up being busted by the law and Kaelin opted to skip town.

By this point the Great Darmonican War had ended and civilian shipping was starting to recover from the long years of war. It proved relatively easy for Kaelin to gain passage to Alyeska, a supposed land of opportunity she'd frequently heard others talk about. Whilst getting to Alyeska proved easy enough, Kaelin found that establishing herself there was another matter entirely. Her good looks had proven useful in the past and proved useful again as she managed to gain work with a certain madame as an escort.

From a string of wealthy clients she quickly learnt the etiquette of high society and useful tidbits from indulging in pillow talk with said clients. Before long she was able to work on a more freelance basis and had access to the few exclusive clubs and casinos that exist in Alyeska. She chooses her marks carefully, making sure that they're inebriated before she approaches them and thus more open to her advances. Later she engages in pillow talk in case her mark lets slip valuable information, then waits until he falls asleep before examining the mark's home. Personal papers, especially those relating to financial matters, she is particularly interested in and she uses a miniature camera to allow her to forge copies later on. She also looks for valuable items that she can secret out of the house and then fence.

Player characters may get hired by one of her victims to help catch her if the victim suspects what she has been up to. The characters may even get approached by Kaelin if they frequent upper end clubs and look reasonably wealthy with the intention of robbing them. On the flip-side, Kaelin may approach the characters to enlist their help with a potentially big score.

Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d8, Spirit d8, Strength d6, Vigor d6
Skills: Climbing d6, Fighting d8, Gambling d8, Intimidation d6, Lockpicking d6, Notice d8, Persuasion d10, Repair d6, Shooting d6, Stealth d8, Streetwise d8, Taunt d6
Charisma: +6; Pace: 6; Parry: 7(8); Toughness: 4
Hindrances: Greedy (Minor), Small, Wanted (Minor)
Edges: Acrobat, Alertness, Attractive, Very Attractive, Block, Charismatic, Dodge, Extraction, Level Headed, Martial Artist, Quick, Strong Willed, Thief
Gear: Revolver (12/24/48, 2d6, RoF 1, Shots 6, Revolver), Dagger (Str+d4)

March 2018 Update

Tis been a couple of months since out last update, so its kinda high time for a new one.

There is some news regarding the Kickstarter, chiefly how things are progressing on that front. There has also been some movement on the Cold War Skirmishes front as well. Finally, reports on the deployment of Utherwald Press later in the year.

Kickstarter

The bulk of the artwork for Frozen Skies is done, just waiting on a handful of pieces which have been delayed. Hoping that these final pieces will be completed in the next week or so, potentially allowing us to finalize the PDF by mid to late April time. If all goes well we may even be lucky enough to start shipping rewards early, it just depends on how things go.

The draft version of Act One of the Kickstarter exclusive adventure 'The Remmants of the Past' has already been shared with backers and work on Act Two should begin soon. Envisioning at least three parts to the adventure, which will be turned into a PDF once completed.

Cold War Skirmishes

A week ago I released a fan made adventure called 'Operation Thule', a Weird Wars style adventure set during the Falklands Conflict. The response to it seems positive, so I'll look into doing a fuller CWS book on that conflict.

For those who've not yet seen the adventure, the link can be found here; https://drive.google.com/open?id=1fa4WgFiR1pLMhJjlPBatvauJxnmFzA1W

Events

Diceni, Norwich - 6th May -  Didn't get a stand, but Utherwald Press may still be there.

UK Games Expo - The logistics for UKGE this year haven't worked out, but maybe next year.

NOR-CON - This one is still on the cards.

Cold War Skirmishes: Blackburn Buccaneer

This week we're doing something a little different for Cold War Skirmishes, we're gonna try and stat up an aircraft.

Our candidate is the Blackburn Buccaneer, a British carrier-borne attack aircraft designed in the 1950s for the Royal Navy to counter a new generation of Soviet warships. Used by the Fleet Air Arm, RAF and South African Air Force seeing combat action in both the Gulf War of 1991 and the South African Border War. They also put in appearances at the US' Exercise RED FLAG from 1977 through to 1983.

The Blackburn Buccaneer

The Buccaneer (or 'Bucc' as it was nicknamed) was designed from the outset to fly at low-level in order to approach enemy ships' below their radar horizon, keeping the engagement to less than a minute before quickly flying out of range whilst its weapons struck. Following the demise of the Royal Navy's fleet carriers in the 1970s, a number of Buccaneers were transferred to the RAF where they were used in the maritime strike role as well as the overland strike role with RAF Germany. In 1972, Buccaneers of 809 Naval Air Squadron operating from HMS Ark Royal took part in a 1,500 miles (2,400 km) mission to show a military presence over British Honduras (now Belize) shortly before its independence, to deter a possible Guatemalan invasion. Other missions include supporting British peacekeepers in Lebanon in 1983 and then operations against Iraqi forces in the 1991 Gulf War, the latter conflict saw the aircraft being fitted with designator pods for laser-guided bombs.

The only other operator of the Buccaneer was the South African Air Force which acquired 16 aircraft in 1963, though further orders were blocked by Harold Wilson's Labour government in the late 1960s. The South African Buccaneers, like their British counterparts, were used in both the maritime and overland strike roles. SAAF Buccaneers saw active combat service in the 1970s and 1980s during the South African Border War, often flying close air support missions. Its ability to carry heavy loads over long ranges, in addition to being able to loiter far longer than other aircraft, made it ideal for the CAS role.

The Buccaneer featured a large internal bomb bay, capable of carrying a wide-range of conventional and nuclear weapons, plus four external weapons mounting points. The bomb bay itself rotated as traditional bomb bay doors could not be safely opened into the air stream at low levels and high speeds. Additionally the bomb bay could be configured to carry a fuel tank and many Buccaneers were used as 'buddy tankers' to refuel other aircraft. The hard points could carry bombs, missiles, rockets, fuel tanks or other equipment like flares, later development introduced electronic warfare and laser designator pods. 

Over its service life, the Buccaneer carried a range of self-defence systems. Early systems included chaff and flare ejectors, but later on ECM pods and radar warning receivers were fitted. Sidewinder missiles were another later addition, typically appearing on at least one aircraft in a 'Battle Formation' of up to six aircraft. A truly unique defence system for the Buccaneer was known as 'retard defence' which came about by accident. During an early Ex RED FLAG a Buccaneer was being pursued by a particularly determined F5 at low level and the Buccaneer pilot decided to drop one of his practice bombs, which proved enough to scare the F5 off. Post-sorted video analysis showed that if the bomb had been a real bomb, then the F5 would've been blown out of the sky by the debris. It quickly became standard practice for Buccaneers to carry four retard bombs in their bomb bays for 'air defence', which was called 'Retard Defence' and had the advantage that these weapons could be used if a target of opportunity was spotted whilst on a mission. 

Acc/TS: 20/322; Toughness: 17 (5); Crew: 2; Climb: 3; Notes: AMCM
Weapons: 4x 1,000lb bombs (internal)
4 × Matra rocket pods with 18 × SNEB 68 mm rockets each (external)
2 × AIM-9 Sidewinders for self-defence or 2 × AS-37 Martel missiles or 4 × Sea Eagle missile (external)
Up to 4x bombs (external)

Further Information

Wikipedia Article
Blackburn Buccaneer: The Last British Bomber
RAF Buccaneer - 12 Squadron Training Film - NATO OPEN GATE - 1978

Cold War Skirmishes: Dispatch #1

Recently took a break from Frozen Skies related topics and did a Cold War Skirmishes installment, one that seems to have been hugely popular. So this week figured I would discuss the current plans for the Cold War Skirmishes line. Basically covering what is being worked on and whats in the pipeline for the future.

Op THULE

I've already teased an adventure called Operation THULE which is set during the Falklands Conflict.

Op THULE is intended to be a Weird Wars style adventure that will see the characters going up against a Chupacabra ('goat sucker' in English) and a German commando who fought in WW2. It is going to be released as a Fan product, partially as 'proof of concept' and partially because my resources are limited until after Frozen Skies is finally released. Going by the tease alone it looks like it may get a positive response.

CWS: Falklands

If Op THULE does well then I'll see about producing something that covers the Falklands Conflict as a whole. Already plan to include a timeline, outline of battles, gear, NPC stats and some suggested Weird Wars style elements in addition to those for a more conventional military campaign. Thankfully, a good chunk of the legwork for this has already been done.

Odd Angry Shot

I've mentioned previously that I wish to do a CWS book that covers and the Australians and New Zealanders in the Vietnam War. My intention is still to produce this book, though not sure whether it'll be before or after the Falklands one but both will follow a similar format.

The Future

After the Falklands and/or ANZAC books are done I'll look at doing the first of the 'national' books that will cover a nation's military during the Cold War period. First up, since its the one I know the most about, will be one about the British Armed Forces. Then I'll move on to cover other nations and do linked 'conflict' books, but I don't have a particular order in mind. The US and Soviet books are obviously going to be the big ones, but the smaller nations are going to be interesting to do depending on ease of research.

Cold War Skirmishes: Sterling SMG

This week we take a break from Frozen Skies and do a Cold War Skirmishes installment.

We'll be taking a look at the Sterling SMG, the British Army's submachine gun that served alongside the L1A1 SLR for much of the Cold War period. It was used by a number of other countries in a number of different conflicts (including both sides of the Falklands War). Star Wars fans may recognize the Sterling as being the basis for the blaster used by Imperial Stormtroopers in the Original Trilogy.

As ever, brief overview of the weapon and modifications/variants.

Sterling SMG

The Sterling SMG was developed during the latter years of WW2 as a potential replacement for the famous Sten Gun and was even used in combat by British airborne troops before the end of the war. However, it wasn't until 1951 that it was decided that the Sterling would be adopted as the new SMG of the British Army.

There would be a number of different variants of the Sterling, though model changes were minimal throughout its development life. Variants include a suppressed version and a version chambered for 7.62x51mm NATO rounds intended to be used as an emergency standby weapon in case of attack during the Cold War. Canada, Chile and India produced their own licensed versions of the Sterling, the Indian versions are still in production for use by the Indian Armed Forces.

The Sterling also could fit a bayonet of similar design as that of the SLR, though it was rarely employed other than for ceremonial duties. The bayonet stats in the Savage Worlds rulebook would work just fine.

Sterling SMG (12/24/480, 2d6, RoF 3, 34 shots, Min -, Notes: AP1, Auto)

Suppressed Variant:- -4 penalty on listen based Notice rolls to hear weapon being fired.

7.62 NATO variant (24/48/96, 2d8+1, RoF 3, 30 shots, Min Str d6, Notes: AP2, Auto)

Sodkan Imperial Remnants

Prior to the Great Darmonican War, the Holy Sodkan Empire was considered one of the 'great powers' of Darmonica and held sway over extensive territories. During the course of the war, the Empire suffered huge reversal of fortune and splintered into the Iron Collective and the Union of Sodkan Republics. There are many who mourn the lost of the Empire, there are also others who seek its restoration.

The Imperial Remnants in Alyeska

As territory controlled by a wartime enemy of the Empire, Alyeska may seem an odd choice for Sodkan Imperialists to establish themselves. Alyeska is a frontier land and the Commonwealth's hold isn't absolute (as Broken Spires will attest), meaning that there are places that the Imperialists can claim as their own. Whilst it means that they have greater freedom to act, it also means that they are also vulnerable to attack. For now, Commonwealth control over Alyeska seems to be a deterrence against the Iron Collective and the Imperialists view it as a necessary evil.

The Imperialists' goal is the overthrow of the Iron Collective and the restoration of the Holy Sodkan Empire. However, there are many different ideas as to how that can be achieved. Presently the main focus is on hiring privateers to attack Iron Collective shipping, the purpose for this is twofold; the Imperialists get a cut of the plunder to help fund themselves and at the same time they learn a little more about the tactics of the Iron Collective. For this they rely on agents outside of Alyeska, though with the skyships of the Iron Fleet having been spotted in Alyeskan skies they've hired privateers closer to home.

Second option being explored is the idea of stirring up insurrections within the borders of the Iron Collective. The idea of the Sodkan people rising up against the Order of the Great Machine is as appealing as it is ironic, the Order effectively did the same thing in its rise to power. The biggest hurdle is providing support to the insurrections as it will have to come through the Union of Sodkan Republics. However, the Republics have been less than willing to back this idea and so the Imperialists have started trying to get their people into positions of influence.

The third and final option is also the most drastic: Forming a new Sodkan Empire in Alyeska. Doing this would put the Imperialists at odds with the Commonwealth, since not surprisingly the Commonwealth will react angrily. It would require a heavy commitment from the Imperialists as they would need to raise their own military and fight a costly war to achieve their goal. There isn't much support for this idea, but that support may grow if other options final to materialize in what the Imperialists want.

Rogue's Gallery: Fayra Lockwood

Whilst there are hundreds, if not thousands, of souls living in Alyeska only a few wield any degree of influence on the world around them. Some are in positions of power, others rely on might and bloodshed. There are some who are most subtle, yet their actions still send ripples across Alyeska and even beyond. One of these people is the Commonwealth's top agent in Alyeska and the Queen's personal troubleshooter; Fayra Lockwood.

Fayra Lockwood

Daughter of Lord Henry Lockwood, a noted Commonwealth adventurer and decorated soldier.

Fayra was born during the tenth year of the Great Darmonican War, her father was already widely renown and high decorated at this point. Lord Henry had been badly injured on a mission and was recovering at the time, though it would be some months before he was allowed back on active service. Sensing an opportunity, some Tylander agents attempted to put him out of action for good and ended up killing Fayra's mother in the process. Grief stricken and furious, Lord Henry slewed all but one of the enemy agents who very willingly handed himself over to the authorities and turned Crown's evidence. Not fully recovered from his injuries, Lord Henry led the efforts to neutralizing the Tylander spy ring in the Home Isles.

Once his anger had subsided, Lord Henry turned his focus to his infant daughter and vowed to teach her everything he knew. Soon as her father deemed her old enough, Fayra started learning the skills that her father deemed important enough for her survival. By the time she enrolled at the Royal Military Academy she was already highly skilled and was fast-tracked towards espionage. When she was finally cleared for operations she proved herself just as capable an agent as her father, if not more so. During her time at the Royal Military Academy she met the future Queen Lothwyn Cathmore and the two became fast friends. When Lothwyn succeeded her own father to become reigning monarch of the Commonwealth she invited Fayra to be her personal troubleshooter, which Fayra accepted.

Fayra arrived in Alyeska a couple of years ago and has been active protecting the interests of the Crown and, by extension, the Commonwealth. Her main efforts have been directed towards investigating the disappearance of the Lieutenant-Governor of the province of New Gwentia, which have led her to keep a close eye on Sir Broone Langworth (the Lieutenant-Governor of Eastern Alyeska). She works closely with the Governor-General Sir Douglas Fredrick-Davenport to head off threats that could threaten to destabilize Commonwealth rule in Alyeska. She could prove to be a major ally for the characters, though she can just as easily be a major enemy if the characters seek to destroy the Commonwealth's hold over Alyeska.

Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d8, Spirit d6, Strength d6, Vigor d6
Skills: Climbing d6, Driving d6, Fighting d10, Investigation d8+2, Lockpicking d8, Notice d8+2, Persuasion d6, Shooting d10, Stealth d8, Streetwise d8+2, Taunt d8
Charisma: +2; Pace: 6; Parry: 8; Toughness: 6 (1)
Hindrances: Loyal, Overconfident, Vow (Minor/Commonwealth)
Edges: Alertness, Ambidextrous, Attractive, Assassin, Block, Improved Block, Combat Reflexes, Dead Shot, Dodge, Improved Dodge, Elan, Extraction, Investigator, Level Headed, Improved Level Headed, Luck, Great Luck, Marksman, Mighty Blow, No Mercy, Quick, Quick Draw, Steady Hands, Thief, Two-Fisted
Gear: 2x Revolver (12/24/48, 2d6, RoF 1, Shots 6, Revolver), Dagger (Str+d4), Rapier (Str+d4), Leather Armor

Rogue's Gallery: Genchi Clubmen

A second Rogue's Gallery in a row?

What madness is this?

Its part of some ideas I've to further flesh out and develop the world of Darmonica to make it seem more like a living, breathing world. The recent Airman's Gazetteer series was part of this and so will be a few Rogue's Gallery posts. This week's post expands a bit on Genci culture and provides potential allies or enemies for the characters to encounter.

Ghetto Vigilantes

The Genchi are treated as second-class citizens throughout Darmonica. They are forced to live in slums and ghettos with the vast majority living below the poverty line. They are often accused of thievery and the law virtually never ever comes down on their side. Human gangs will frequently target Genchi ghettos or slums with a sizeable Genchi population, knowing that for the most part they can get away with doing so.

In response the Genchi have formed gangs of vigilantes to protect their homes, something that has sparked increasingly violent responses from Human gangs as well as the police. These Genchi vigilantes are often called 'Clubmen' due to the fact that most of them are armed with clubs, the main weapon that is readily and easily available to them. Other blunt weapons and even knives aren't uncommon, though its rare to see a fireman and even then its typically a pistol.

Most Genchi clubmen are young males, normally led by a handful of older and wiser males. Females aren't unheard of, but they tend to be the most vicious fighters. They style themselves as a street gang and will even name themselves. The Gaff Street Cutters of Lindun are a particularly infamous gang having been featured in Commonwealth newsheets and even debated about in parliament due to their street battles with the police.

Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d6, Spirit d6, Strength d6, Vigor d6
Skills: Driving d4, Fighting d6, Notice d8, Repair d8, Shooting d6, Stealth d6
Charisma: -2; Pace: 6; Parry: 5; Toughness: 5
Hindrances: Outsider, Vengeful (Minor)
Edges: McGyver, Mechanic
Gear: Clubs, knives, occasionally pistols

Rogue's Gallery: The Black Talons

Herein we return to highlighting denizens and persons of note that inhabit the frigid land of Alyeska.

Whilst a great many good natured souls call Alyeska home, there are a few who bear dark stains. Bandits and sky pirates immediately spring to mind, the newsheets certainly help keep them front and center in people's minds. There is another group, a group infamous for its bloody reign of terror in the Alyeskan wilderness.

They are a band of Windryders who call themselves the Black Talons.

The Black Talons

Though there have been recorded instances of clashes between Humans and Windryders, typically they have been caused by the Windryders being provoked by Humans trespassing on or desecrating land scarce to the Windryders. Other times it has been the Windryders acting out of self-defence as Humans have raided a Windryder stead. Though recently there have been attacks against outlaying settlements by a ruthless band of Windryders.

The Black Talons.

They are a band of Windryders seemingly want on the destruction of Human settlements and can be easily identified by a burn mark on their left cheek. This burn mark looks like the rough shape of a bird's talons and a Windryder receives this mark when they join the band. Each member of the Black Talons has either suffered a perceived wrong committed by Humans or view Humans as invaders defiling Alyeska. They are considered outcasts by the various Windryder tribes, though that doesn't stop new members from joining.

Their leader Khargi is well known for his hatred of Humans, his tribe was wiped out by a gang of sky pirates who wanted the tribe's stead and dragonhawk eggs. It was he who formed the Black Talons after finding others who'd suffered at the hands of Humans and soon started raiding remote settlements and logging camps. They only use traditional Windryder weapons like bows and spears, so they limit their attacks to raids on lightly defended settlements with the intention of destroying or killing what they can. Some younger members have advocated for the use of rifles, but Khargi has rejected by brutally maiming the most vocal supporter for using these weapons.

Human characters, or groups with Humans in them, will most certainly encounter the Black Talons as enemies. Genchi characters' experiences will depend on how in favour of technology the Black Talons are in your game. Windryder characters will be mistrusted, but the Black Talons won't be openly hostile to them.

Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d6, Spirit d6, Strength d6, Vigor d6
Skills: Fighting d6, Notice d8, Riding d8, Shooting d6, Stealth d6, Survival d6
Charisma: -2/-4; Pace: 6; Parry: 5; Toughness: 6 (1)
Hindrances: Outsider, Bloodthirsty, Vengeful (Minor)
Edges: Beast Bond, Heart of the North
Gear: Bow (12/24/48, 2d6, RoF 1, Min Str d6), Spear (Str+d6, Parry +1, Reach 1, 2 hands), knife (Str+d4), leather armor

Khargi's Agility, Smarts, Fighting, Riding and Shooting all increase one die. In addition he gains the Command and Block edges.