Hi guys,
As promised before, a little sneak peek at some of the background material we are currently planning for the forthcoming WarMech hardback RPG, available in March 2003. I am trying to get togetehr some artwork and rules pieces together at the moment, to be consolidated as a downloadable PDF featuring a sample Mech, so stand by! Anyway, on with the background behind the World of 2089;
‘We will not hesitate to act alone, if necessary, to exercise our right of self-defence by acting pre-emptively.’
The National Security Strategy for the United States of America, 20 September 2002
The 21st Century was truly born on 11 September 2001, when terrorists hijacked two planes and crashed them into the symbol of American economic power, the World Trade Centre, and another into the symbol of its military strength, the Pentagon. Although American pride recovered from the tragic events of that fateful day, its aftershocks can still be felt as the century draws to a close. The fire of war scorches the world, ignited by the American response to its first taste of foreign-sponsored terrorism on its shores—and the rest of the world’s unwillingness or inability to join it.
The nature of war itself has changed. While vast armies fought the 20th Century’s conflicts, the wars of the 21st Century demanded a new kind of warrior: highly trained and equipped with awesome destructive power like no soldier in history. The invention of the WarMech made this type of battle even more terrible. A state-of-the-art combat machine, the WarMech is used by both the United States of America and the European Federation, the primary belligerents in the global struggle that could engulf every nation, spinning out of control to bring about another World War that idealists thought impossible at the end of the last century.
For decades, the economies of both the USA and EF have been battered by recession after recession. Widespread environmental collapse, a cautious attitude toward investment, and a lack of new markets to expand have only added to this series of economic disasters. Many previously well-funded areas of scientific research have been virtually shut down through sheer lack of money. In the United States, its minimal social safety net has all but collapsed. The European Federation’s welfare state is strained to the limit, surviving only through ridiculously high levels of taxation that further destroy its already unstable economy.
By the mid 2050s, the long predicted effects of global warming finally appeared, creating a new Dust Bowl in the grain belt of the US and deserts in much of southern Europe. Closer to the Equator, desertification, starvation and population dispersal have rendered whole countries uninhabitable. Scientific research has been stifled in both the US and the EU, with the former increasingly dominated by politicians keen to maintain the status quo and the latter bogged down by endless layers of bureaucracy and regulation. Little public funding exists to develop new technology, except into environmental reclamation and anti-personnel weaponry to maintain the borders of both superpowers against the increasingly desperate waves of economic refugees.
Throughout the century, the United States became increasingly isolationist politically but expansionist economically. The Bush Doctrine provided the US with the philosophical justification it needed to defend its citizens and interests, regardless of what the rest of the world thought. Despite the efforts of international bodies to rein in American adventurism in the name of security, the early part of the 21st century was marked by countless small wars and police actions in the Middle East, Africa, and South Asia. By the 2020s, the Doctrine helped the US create puppet states throughout the Third World and undermined international institutions like the United Nations, which ceased to exist in 2031.
When the US acted, it began to use mercenaries and proxy forces. This policy started after early interventions against ‘rogue states’ caused more casualties than was politically expedient. Typically only a few hundred would die in the actual attack, but hundreds of thousands later developed problems from the chemical and biological weapons to which they had been exposed. Every American seemed to know a veteran who died of lung disease or cancer brought on by their time in active service. The court cases were one more burden on the ailing US economy and public opinion would not countenance the loss of so many of ‘their boys’ in this way. The Army was then privatised as the General Defence Corporation and existed both as a homeland security force and to pass on skills to a new generation of mercenaries. Most of these mercenaries were not US citizens but were paid a retainer and permitted residency so long as they fought when needed.
Europe became one super-state known as the European Federation, laden with bureaucracy, regulation, and political bickering. Like the United States, the EF relies increasingly on what are effectively mercenary companies to provide their armed forces. This policy began when the European Parliament passed legislation requiring its member states to put all public services up for bidding. Trade disputes between the two superpowers led to mutual economic sanctions and these in turn led to the multinational corporations becoming involved, which only exacerbated the situation. In the early stages of the conflict, long before war was officially declared, industrial sabotage and espionage were the main weapons, though this soon escalated into full-scale combat actions.
The final trigger for the war came when the United Kingdom, under its first Conservative government in nearly a century, attempted to secede from the European Federation. The EF’s constitution required any seceding state to gain the agreement of two-thirds of the other member states, and despite the UK’s best efforts, it could not secure this agreement. Civil war broke out in the UK, with both the populace and the armed forces split between European and Independent factions. Most of the country is firmly in the Independent camp, but its armed forces, being merely divisions of the EF’s contracted forces and formed from mercenaries hailing from all EF countries, are largely pro-European.
The Independents appealed to the US for aid against the EF, in what soon became known as the British War of Independence. This conflict still rages, with each faction becoming increasingly vicious and underhanded in its approach to combat and terror. Much of the UK’s population is now displaced or dead. Often it seems that the only remaining combatants are the mercenaries employed by the US and EF. Some of the US mercenaries are former British soldiers, a mishmash of regiments who were predominantly formed from British units rather than European units. Their nation in ruins, they fight on against Britain’s ancient enemies – that is, almost everybody else.
Far from Europe, Southeast Asia is beginning to make its own bid for superpower status. Its nations have banded together under the banner of the Southeast Asian Economic Community, known colloquially as the Tiger Combine, essentially governed by its large technology companies. When war broke out between the US and EF, the Combine unveiled the military research project it had been working on for the previous decade – the WarMech. Both superpowers were eager to make use of this new technology and its obvious applications. The quickest way to do so was by hiring Combine mercenaries along with the Mechs, since training a WarMech pilot takes at least five years. Thus the first generation of pilots were all Southeast Asian, and they still dominate many mercenary companies today. The TC military colleges soon began to accept Westerners who were either willing to pay for the privilege or had such potential as to win scholarships. Now, these highly trained pilots have graduated and are joining existing mercenary companies or founding their own. A few join the more traditional armed forces of the US or EF, or take service with corporations, but the war is still largely fought by mercenaries.
Artificial Intelligence is an unrealised dream and current research suggests it may always be so, with some suggesting that only divine authority can grant true life. Consequently, human beings remain the backbone of modern militaries, especially in those units that rely heavily on WarMechs. Of course, Mechs and other armoured forces do rely on various semi-autonomous drones for short-range reconnaissance, but these lack true intelligence. UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles) likewise form part of the American and European missile defence systems.
On the business front, IPEX (InterPlanetary EXploration), founded by maverick ex-astronaut Richard Martigan, first made its mark by offering a viable missile defence technology to both the EF and US. The system involved improved space shuttles with vastly increased cargo capacity, plus space planes and simple one-use booster rockets. Using the same technology, IPEX was able to build the infrastructure to colonise and exploit space, which was always Martigan’s true aim. During the late 2050s and early 2060s, several rogue states launched ICBMs against both American and European soils, which convinced each superpower of the need for a credible missile defence at any cost, something IPEX readily fulfilled. The sheer cost of building these systems taxed the resources of the US and EF, both of which deciding it was better to cut their other state expenditures to afford them.
The IPEX system can defeat ICBMs with ease, destroying them during their vulnerable boost phase. Howitzer-fired tactical nukes remain effective, however, as do cruise missiles and nuclear bombs though ground-based interceptors, as well as UAV and balloon-based weapon platforms, render most of these less viable than they were in the late 20th Century. Attempts to deliver a nuclear weapon at close ranges, before the various countermeasures can come into play, are now the standard military doctrine, although they are not always successful. IPEX was originally based in California, but its headquarters are now located at Armstrong Base on Luna. IPEX also has smaller mining bases on several asteroids and Mars, in addition to LaGrange factories that employ microgravity fabrication techniques. Its next mission is to Titan, with the aim of experimenting in terraforming techniques. IPEX enjoys a close relationship with the Tiger Combine, whose construction of Mechs depends on high-technology alloys produced in microgravity.
WarMechs have transformed the modern battlefield. More heavily armoured than any main battle tank, but with greater weaponry, flexibility, and manoeuvrability, Mechs can be landed by ship or submersible and then operate for days behind enemy lines. Though a tank can be faster on open terrain, legs and feet can go many places tracks cannot, and this is crucial when stealth is required. Mechs are typically landed in small squads of four to six, designated with specific missions to perform. Larger forces have great difficulty crossing the ocean safely, where the superpowers still battle for control and actually landing an invasion force is problematic at best due to the defensive air and sea forces fielded by both sides, along with the ability to pinpoint attacks via satellite. The main forces fight in and over the oceans, while small mercenary companies engage in near-suicidal attempts to cross the water and make a landing. Being small and stealthy, they have at least a fighting chance of succeeding and the firepower of these forces promises to turn the tide of entire battles if they survive long enough to reach their intended targets.
These missions are typically short due to the difficulties of re-supply in the field. Mechs must carry all their fuel, ammunition, and other consumables, retreating to the shores when they run low. Most Mechs must be landed by boat, often with a carrier group as escort though for greater stealth, a few Mechs are amphibious and can be launched from submersible transports. Most Mech teams have a dedicated Comms Mech able to send coded messages via satellite when they need to call in heavier support or be evacuated. Other team members’ Mechs are likewise specialised, sometimes extensively so, depending on their function within the team.
While the war wages between the US and EF, the rest of the world watches with horror, certain that the conflict will soon spill over and engulf them all. Russia, a long-time American ally, struggles to avoid being drawn directly into the conflict, while attempting to play one side off against the other in a bid for its own restoration to superpower status. Russia’s missile defences are neither as extensive nor as modern as they need to be, making it all the more urgent to avoid being drawn into the war. The US is putting pressure on Russia to allow its land forces passage through its territory to Europe, realising that opening another front could turn the tide in its favour.
Perhaps inevitably, much of the Middle East is radioactive glass—and the rest poorer than ever. The Bush Doctrine saw its greatest rhetoric here, as the US and Israel did not hesitate to use their overwhelming military advantages to destroy their enemies before they had the chance to consider doing the same. Even countries not directly involved in these battles were adversely affected, as clouds of radioactive debris and sand swept the region and, coupled with the spread of the deserts caused by global warming, there is virtually no agriculture or industry possible in the Middle East. American actions here caused tension with the EF, who had advocated peaceful solutions to its problems. Today many Middle Easterners survive by living a primitive existence, with camels once again the standard means of transportation and petrol vehicles available only to tribal chiefs. Thanks to the wider conflict, Israel now finds itself bereft of US aid for the first time since the 1960s. To protect itself, Israel has descended into paranoia and surrounds itself with a one hundred mile Exclusion Zone, patrolled by tanks and attack helicopters ordered to atomise anyone who dares violate it.
In the southern hemisphere, Australia and New Zealand remain obsessively neutral. Their leaders fully expect to be the only technological powers left to rebuild the rest of the world, once the war boils over into Asia, as they believe is inevitable. South Africa, under the Zulu King Ujama, is taking advantage of the world situation to expand its territory and bring war to Africa. South America is as stable as it ever was, which is to say desperately divisive. The northern nation states suffer from desertification and accompanying starvation, while those in the south go on much as they always have, bullied by the US and disdained by Europe. Central America is frequently used as a landing point for European Mech companies who then slog through the desert heading for the Midwestern United States, to take the war to America’s heartland.
As the war between the United States and the European Federation escalates, it seems that Armageddon may finally be upon the world. The paranoia and mutual suspicion of the two combatants is at any all-time high. Each jockeys for position across the globe, goaded on by Russia and the Tiger Combine, both of whom see an opportunity to advance their own agendas at the expense of the warring superpowers. The invention of the WarMech made this kind of war possible and some believe that its conclusion may lie within these mighty machines of destruction—whether as final proof of the futility of war or as harbingers of the apocalypse, only time will tell.
As promised before, a little sneak peek at some of the background material we are currently planning for the forthcoming WarMech hardback RPG, available in March 2003. I am trying to get togetehr some artwork and rules pieces together at the moment, to be consolidated as a downloadable PDF featuring a sample Mech, so stand by! Anyway, on with the background behind the World of 2089;
‘We will not hesitate to act alone, if necessary, to exercise our right of self-defence by acting pre-emptively.’
The National Security Strategy for the United States of America, 20 September 2002
The 21st Century was truly born on 11 September 2001, when terrorists hijacked two planes and crashed them into the symbol of American economic power, the World Trade Centre, and another into the symbol of its military strength, the Pentagon. Although American pride recovered from the tragic events of that fateful day, its aftershocks can still be felt as the century draws to a close. The fire of war scorches the world, ignited by the American response to its first taste of foreign-sponsored terrorism on its shores—and the rest of the world’s unwillingness or inability to join it.
The nature of war itself has changed. While vast armies fought the 20th Century’s conflicts, the wars of the 21st Century demanded a new kind of warrior: highly trained and equipped with awesome destructive power like no soldier in history. The invention of the WarMech made this type of battle even more terrible. A state-of-the-art combat machine, the WarMech is used by both the United States of America and the European Federation, the primary belligerents in the global struggle that could engulf every nation, spinning out of control to bring about another World War that idealists thought impossible at the end of the last century.
For decades, the economies of both the USA and EF have been battered by recession after recession. Widespread environmental collapse, a cautious attitude toward investment, and a lack of new markets to expand have only added to this series of economic disasters. Many previously well-funded areas of scientific research have been virtually shut down through sheer lack of money. In the United States, its minimal social safety net has all but collapsed. The European Federation’s welfare state is strained to the limit, surviving only through ridiculously high levels of taxation that further destroy its already unstable economy.
By the mid 2050s, the long predicted effects of global warming finally appeared, creating a new Dust Bowl in the grain belt of the US and deserts in much of southern Europe. Closer to the Equator, desertification, starvation and population dispersal have rendered whole countries uninhabitable. Scientific research has been stifled in both the US and the EU, with the former increasingly dominated by politicians keen to maintain the status quo and the latter bogged down by endless layers of bureaucracy and regulation. Little public funding exists to develop new technology, except into environmental reclamation and anti-personnel weaponry to maintain the borders of both superpowers against the increasingly desperate waves of economic refugees.
Throughout the century, the United States became increasingly isolationist politically but expansionist economically. The Bush Doctrine provided the US with the philosophical justification it needed to defend its citizens and interests, regardless of what the rest of the world thought. Despite the efforts of international bodies to rein in American adventurism in the name of security, the early part of the 21st century was marked by countless small wars and police actions in the Middle East, Africa, and South Asia. By the 2020s, the Doctrine helped the US create puppet states throughout the Third World and undermined international institutions like the United Nations, which ceased to exist in 2031.
When the US acted, it began to use mercenaries and proxy forces. This policy started after early interventions against ‘rogue states’ caused more casualties than was politically expedient. Typically only a few hundred would die in the actual attack, but hundreds of thousands later developed problems from the chemical and biological weapons to which they had been exposed. Every American seemed to know a veteran who died of lung disease or cancer brought on by their time in active service. The court cases were one more burden on the ailing US economy and public opinion would not countenance the loss of so many of ‘their boys’ in this way. The Army was then privatised as the General Defence Corporation and existed both as a homeland security force and to pass on skills to a new generation of mercenaries. Most of these mercenaries were not US citizens but were paid a retainer and permitted residency so long as they fought when needed.
Europe became one super-state known as the European Federation, laden with bureaucracy, regulation, and political bickering. Like the United States, the EF relies increasingly on what are effectively mercenary companies to provide their armed forces. This policy began when the European Parliament passed legislation requiring its member states to put all public services up for bidding. Trade disputes between the two superpowers led to mutual economic sanctions and these in turn led to the multinational corporations becoming involved, which only exacerbated the situation. In the early stages of the conflict, long before war was officially declared, industrial sabotage and espionage were the main weapons, though this soon escalated into full-scale combat actions.
The final trigger for the war came when the United Kingdom, under its first Conservative government in nearly a century, attempted to secede from the European Federation. The EF’s constitution required any seceding state to gain the agreement of two-thirds of the other member states, and despite the UK’s best efforts, it could not secure this agreement. Civil war broke out in the UK, with both the populace and the armed forces split between European and Independent factions. Most of the country is firmly in the Independent camp, but its armed forces, being merely divisions of the EF’s contracted forces and formed from mercenaries hailing from all EF countries, are largely pro-European.
The Independents appealed to the US for aid against the EF, in what soon became known as the British War of Independence. This conflict still rages, with each faction becoming increasingly vicious and underhanded in its approach to combat and terror. Much of the UK’s population is now displaced or dead. Often it seems that the only remaining combatants are the mercenaries employed by the US and EF. Some of the US mercenaries are former British soldiers, a mishmash of regiments who were predominantly formed from British units rather than European units. Their nation in ruins, they fight on against Britain’s ancient enemies – that is, almost everybody else.
Far from Europe, Southeast Asia is beginning to make its own bid for superpower status. Its nations have banded together under the banner of the Southeast Asian Economic Community, known colloquially as the Tiger Combine, essentially governed by its large technology companies. When war broke out between the US and EF, the Combine unveiled the military research project it had been working on for the previous decade – the WarMech. Both superpowers were eager to make use of this new technology and its obvious applications. The quickest way to do so was by hiring Combine mercenaries along with the Mechs, since training a WarMech pilot takes at least five years. Thus the first generation of pilots were all Southeast Asian, and they still dominate many mercenary companies today. The TC military colleges soon began to accept Westerners who were either willing to pay for the privilege or had such potential as to win scholarships. Now, these highly trained pilots have graduated and are joining existing mercenary companies or founding their own. A few join the more traditional armed forces of the US or EF, or take service with corporations, but the war is still largely fought by mercenaries.
Artificial Intelligence is an unrealised dream and current research suggests it may always be so, with some suggesting that only divine authority can grant true life. Consequently, human beings remain the backbone of modern militaries, especially in those units that rely heavily on WarMechs. Of course, Mechs and other armoured forces do rely on various semi-autonomous drones for short-range reconnaissance, but these lack true intelligence. UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles) likewise form part of the American and European missile defence systems.
On the business front, IPEX (InterPlanetary EXploration), founded by maverick ex-astronaut Richard Martigan, first made its mark by offering a viable missile defence technology to both the EF and US. The system involved improved space shuttles with vastly increased cargo capacity, plus space planes and simple one-use booster rockets. Using the same technology, IPEX was able to build the infrastructure to colonise and exploit space, which was always Martigan’s true aim. During the late 2050s and early 2060s, several rogue states launched ICBMs against both American and European soils, which convinced each superpower of the need for a credible missile defence at any cost, something IPEX readily fulfilled. The sheer cost of building these systems taxed the resources of the US and EF, both of which deciding it was better to cut their other state expenditures to afford them.
The IPEX system can defeat ICBMs with ease, destroying them during their vulnerable boost phase. Howitzer-fired tactical nukes remain effective, however, as do cruise missiles and nuclear bombs though ground-based interceptors, as well as UAV and balloon-based weapon platforms, render most of these less viable than they were in the late 20th Century. Attempts to deliver a nuclear weapon at close ranges, before the various countermeasures can come into play, are now the standard military doctrine, although they are not always successful. IPEX was originally based in California, but its headquarters are now located at Armstrong Base on Luna. IPEX also has smaller mining bases on several asteroids and Mars, in addition to LaGrange factories that employ microgravity fabrication techniques. Its next mission is to Titan, with the aim of experimenting in terraforming techniques. IPEX enjoys a close relationship with the Tiger Combine, whose construction of Mechs depends on high-technology alloys produced in microgravity.
WarMechs have transformed the modern battlefield. More heavily armoured than any main battle tank, but with greater weaponry, flexibility, and manoeuvrability, Mechs can be landed by ship or submersible and then operate for days behind enemy lines. Though a tank can be faster on open terrain, legs and feet can go many places tracks cannot, and this is crucial when stealth is required. Mechs are typically landed in small squads of four to six, designated with specific missions to perform. Larger forces have great difficulty crossing the ocean safely, where the superpowers still battle for control and actually landing an invasion force is problematic at best due to the defensive air and sea forces fielded by both sides, along with the ability to pinpoint attacks via satellite. The main forces fight in and over the oceans, while small mercenary companies engage in near-suicidal attempts to cross the water and make a landing. Being small and stealthy, they have at least a fighting chance of succeeding and the firepower of these forces promises to turn the tide of entire battles if they survive long enough to reach their intended targets.
These missions are typically short due to the difficulties of re-supply in the field. Mechs must carry all their fuel, ammunition, and other consumables, retreating to the shores when they run low. Most Mechs must be landed by boat, often with a carrier group as escort though for greater stealth, a few Mechs are amphibious and can be launched from submersible transports. Most Mech teams have a dedicated Comms Mech able to send coded messages via satellite when they need to call in heavier support or be evacuated. Other team members’ Mechs are likewise specialised, sometimes extensively so, depending on their function within the team.
While the war wages between the US and EF, the rest of the world watches with horror, certain that the conflict will soon spill over and engulf them all. Russia, a long-time American ally, struggles to avoid being drawn directly into the conflict, while attempting to play one side off against the other in a bid for its own restoration to superpower status. Russia’s missile defences are neither as extensive nor as modern as they need to be, making it all the more urgent to avoid being drawn into the war. The US is putting pressure on Russia to allow its land forces passage through its territory to Europe, realising that opening another front could turn the tide in its favour.
Perhaps inevitably, much of the Middle East is radioactive glass—and the rest poorer than ever. The Bush Doctrine saw its greatest rhetoric here, as the US and Israel did not hesitate to use their overwhelming military advantages to destroy their enemies before they had the chance to consider doing the same. Even countries not directly involved in these battles were adversely affected, as clouds of radioactive debris and sand swept the region and, coupled with the spread of the deserts caused by global warming, there is virtually no agriculture or industry possible in the Middle East. American actions here caused tension with the EF, who had advocated peaceful solutions to its problems. Today many Middle Easterners survive by living a primitive existence, with camels once again the standard means of transportation and petrol vehicles available only to tribal chiefs. Thanks to the wider conflict, Israel now finds itself bereft of US aid for the first time since the 1960s. To protect itself, Israel has descended into paranoia and surrounds itself with a one hundred mile Exclusion Zone, patrolled by tanks and attack helicopters ordered to atomise anyone who dares violate it.
In the southern hemisphere, Australia and New Zealand remain obsessively neutral. Their leaders fully expect to be the only technological powers left to rebuild the rest of the world, once the war boils over into Asia, as they believe is inevitable. South Africa, under the Zulu King Ujama, is taking advantage of the world situation to expand its territory and bring war to Africa. South America is as stable as it ever was, which is to say desperately divisive. The northern nation states suffer from desertification and accompanying starvation, while those in the south go on much as they always have, bullied by the US and disdained by Europe. Central America is frequently used as a landing point for European Mech companies who then slog through the desert heading for the Midwestern United States, to take the war to America’s heartland.
As the war between the United States and the European Federation escalates, it seems that Armageddon may finally be upon the world. The paranoia and mutual suspicion of the two combatants is at any all-time high. Each jockeys for position across the globe, goaded on by Russia and the Tiger Combine, both of whom see an opportunity to advance their own agendas at the expense of the warring superpowers. The invention of the WarMech made this kind of war possible and some believe that its conclusion may lie within these mighty machines of destruction—whether as final proof of the futility of war or as harbingers of the apocalypse, only time will tell.
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