Converting Twilight 2000 for use with GURPS 4e

[Anders]

Originally Posted by Z09SS

Making the Win 70 in .30-06 representational probably is incorrect.

A very quick Google search suggests that .30-06 and 0.308Win are the most common in Sweden.

[mlangsdorf]

Originally Posted by Z09SS

1991
To the terror of the Warsaw Pact and Soviet leadership, US weapons and doctrine work exactly as advertised in the Liberation of Kuwait. A crash program of defense modernization begins, increasing internal strife and causing violent crackdowns. NATO, distracted with their victory, does little more than complain to the UN.

Would Kuwait have been liberated in this timeline? The end of the Cold War gave the US more leeway to act against a semi-former USSR client state. If the USSR is still a going and antagonistic concern, that might not have happened.

Also, I can't see a Democratic president authorizing a draft for anything less than a shooting war. Maybe Russian pilot advisers got shot down during Gulf Storm and tensions ratcheted up enough that GHWB started a draft, leading to his electoral defeat?

[dcarson]

Originally Posted by mlangsdorf

Would Kuwait have been liberated in this timeline? The end of the Cold War gave the US more leeway to act against a semi-former USSR client state. If the USSR is still a going and antagonistic concern, that might not have happened.

Would Kuwait need liberating? The Cold War not ending means that a semi-client of the USSR attacking a semi-client of the US would be discouraged by the USSR because they don't want things to go hot.

[Þorkell]

Originally Posted by dcarson

Would Kuwait need liberating? The Cold War not ending means that a semi-client of the USSR attacking a semi-client of the US would be discouraged by the USSR because they don't want things to go hot.

At least it wouldn't have a massive multi-month buildup with forces from both sides of the Iron Curtain.

Originally Posted by Z09SS

1989
The year the Cold War almost ended. Enough was apparently enough with the Soviet hardliners and Mikhail Gorbachev was found dead in his suite in East Berlin on October 6th.

What's the significance of October 6th 1989?

Also getting Gorbachev out of the way in 1989 feels like too little too late. He'd already been in power for four years at that point.

[ronom]

Version 2 had a change where Alpha Team voted to assault the Duma, killing Boris Yeltsen and hundreds of others and securing the hardliners power, following the arrest of Gorbachov.

[ronom]

Perhaps the rest of us could help. There are plenty of misc. modern templates right here, but perhaps a marauder lens, add deserter lens as well. a few more civvie templates. I don't have my "Home Front" notes any more, but there is an incredible pool of talent here.

[Z09SS]

Originally Posted by Þorkell

What's the significance of October 6th 1989?

In RealWorld® he spoke at the 40th Anniversary of Berlin and made announcements that led directly to the falling of the Berlin Wall.

If he turned up dead right before, then Erich Honecker might have been supported or even encouraged to crack down on the East German people.

The goal with the revised 1989 to 1995 timeline is to get it back in synch with the 1995+ timeline. Can't have glasnost and perestroika gumming up the works!

I'm still crunching at it.

In a lot of ways making the Cold War go another 8 years is a lot like speculation that The Third Reich could go a lot longer. The Soviet economy was messed up.

This alt-history needs just enough nudging to keep the USSR in the game until Warre Were Declared and strong enough for there to be a Warre.

I'm open to alternative suggestions, but tend to be closed to flat, "that doesn't work" without a why it doesn't. (Did that make sense).

I can see Kerrey supporting Kuwait because even Clinton kept the US flagged tankers program going. I think that Saddam needed an external distraction, like a war, to keep his domestic butt out of the fire so an invasion that the Russians screaming at him is a BAD PLAN WHERE YOU LOSE YOUR HAT might have been ignored. Then the Russians not helping him out once he'd ignored them can also be an indicator that they were just barely keeping their own defense build up lashed together.

They'd have to be disassembling all the pro-reform and pro-democracy movements that had gotten established during the brief Gorbachev period; so they wouldn't have had time to waste real resources on some tin-pot dictator in the middle east. Besides, since when had the Americans ever WON one of these interventions?

[Z09SS]

Originally Posted by ronom

Perhaps the rest of us could help. There are plenty of misc. modern templates right here, but perhaps a marauder lens, add deserter lens as well. a few more civvie templates. I don't have my "Home Front" notes any more, but there is an incredible pool of talent here.

That's splendid!

One thing I tried to limit myself on scope to just what the original game had in it.

For my own use, there'd have been supplements to the players for each adventure.

So far, in play, we've only managed to get through Escape from Kalisz and The Black Madonna before a group would break up or time ran out on my vacation.

By the way, the scary nature of The Black Madonna works SO much better in a game system that has fright checks!

Some place I have hand written, pre-computer, notes on how to convert the playing card motivation system into GURPS 2e advantages and disads too.

[Þorkell]

Originally Posted by Z09SS

I'm open to alternative suggestions, but tend to be closed to flat, "that doesn't work" without a why it doesn't. (Did that make sense).

The reason I'm thinking getting Gorbachev out of the way in 1989 is as I've mentioned he's been in power for about four years at that point. At that point he's already announced the glasnost and perestroika plans/ideas. Besides the faults of the system had been known for some time and he's the first one that is in place to try and do something about them.

What is needed is something to repair the faults well enough, and while I'm vague on Soviet history I think you'd have to go back to at least Brezhnev for that. Perhaps have him die a few years early and his successor comes up with some bright idea that keeps the Soviet Union limping along in better form for a few more years.

[Z09SS]

Maybe if this song wasn't so apt?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X4bJ8u0eCEY

If Andropov or Chernenko had lived, it might suffice.