The first – and still biggest – Red Stripe operation.
This Red Stripe facility is known as “Intersection Market & Motel”. It is located on the outskirts of North Platte Nebraska, near the intersection of I-80 (east-west) and I-83 (north -south)
The facility is robust even by Red Stripe standards of fortification: the walls are concrete and reinforced with steel rails (taken from the nearby marshalling yards of Union Pacific). The only external decoration is a stripe of red paint around the upper edge of the exterior wall
Initial impression: A hollow square, 2 storeys high, and over 150 metres wide.
The “courtyard” is approximately 100 metres square and open to the sky. Once inside, the visitor is welcome to visit any of the stores and businesses that operate here. The more established enterprises have permanent facilities in the many niches and openings that line the walls, while other entrepeneurs operate from temporary stalls that are dotted around the courtyard. Some of these stalls might only be present on Market Days (about once a week)
Established businesses
Red Stripe Motel: The upper floor is mostly used for accommodation. Many merchants pay to live “above the shop” (and appreciate such decadent luxuries as indoor plumbing) but there is enough space to provide 30 private rooms and two dormitories. For the convenience of Badge or Slaver customers, each dormitory is lockable from the oustide and only has (small) skylights
Red Stripe Stables: food & shelter for horses. A small blacksmith shop is also found here
North Platte Bodyworks: Craftsmen working with wood, plastic or sheet-metal can provide all your repair & maintenance needs (they manufacture & repair horse-drawn wagons/carts, also repair the bodywork on trucks & cars)
Intersection Fuel and Service: Mechanics and distillers. This business has both the equipment and the skills needed to perform routine maintenance on most vehicles (although Bikers & Truckers usually just rent the space and tools and do all work themselves). They make ethanol fuel, and “brew up” biodiesel. One valued service that they provide is the repair of tires.
Red Stripe Savings Loan & Pawn (SLAP): You can’t run an economy without some sort of money and this is where the “money” is stored. Currency used within the Trading Post is “Red Stripe Cash” or RSC. All other currency (anything from scrap metal to manufactured goods to gold to KFS credits to Texas Dollars) is converted into RSC and becomes basically a bookkeeping exercise – this avoids the problem of bartering (“I’ll give you 2 sheep for that saddle” “But I don’t need sheep, I want a revolver”). The SLAP also provides a valued service by issuing “certificates of deposit” . It’s a lot easier for merchants/truckers to tranport a piece of paper to another Trading Post than transport the goods they exchanged in return for their original stock. Bandits are also discouraged because these certificates can be queried by other Red Stripe Trading Posts (the network operates a crude morse code radio system). Certificates can be cashed at any Red Stripe facility
US Mail: Local mailmen operate from this establishment. It is a safe place to leave/collect mail and staff will make local deliveries (they have horses and a couple of motorbikes with sidecars). They also provide a writing/reading service for customers who are not literate. At least one Mailman will be designated to escort any mail which is being forwarded on to the next Red Stripe facility
Slaughterer: Animals are killed and processed here. Meat and raw materials are sold to a wide range of businesses. Some of the businesses include: butchers, tanners, candlemakers (and biodiesel makers), catgut makers, glue makers, etcetera
Red Stripe Mall: This is where the Red Stripe sells goods to the general public on Market Days. They like to showcase rare/expensive items
Law Office: Disputes, arbitration, contracts and accusations are dealt with by the “Judge” , her staff of clerks and 5 large, quiet men with steel clubs. The judge is also a representative of the local Overlord and has a great deal of influence.
Freddies Bar & Grill: a restaurant/cafe/bar, “Freddies” is usually busy and is renowned for having the best beer and the prettiest waitresses (some of whom may be available for “other services”)
Keela Bakery: Producing bread daily for the facility and local families. The bread is rumored to have medicinal powers. (advertising slogan “Electric Bread made with ELECTRIC ovens”)
Red Striper Brewery: The Platte river isn’t ideal drinking water – but the products of the Brewery are a lot safer to drink than the local water. Most of the “beer” is pretty weak (and often diluted further by customers) but it’s not a bad way to rehydrate after a day’s work
Power & Light: The facility’s electric hydropower generator is controlled from here (most Red Stripe facilities use hydropower and this location uses a generator attached to the I-83 bridge). Customers can also charge batteries.
Clinic: An Emdee & a couple of nurse/midwives are welcome guests of the Red Stripe Corporation (no rent is charged)
Security: A dozen men & women patrol the facility. They are usually armed with clubs & revolvers – but have access to heavier weaponry
Types of Market Traders
These are stall-operated businesses and are often only present on market Days – many are operated by local farming families and craftsmen
Saddler
Soap-Maker
Cutlery (knives a specialty – handles are made from horn)
Gunsmith & Ammo (after a few unfortunate accidents, Red Stripe policy is not to allow ammunition manufacture inside the facilities)
Butcher
Cheeses & smoked Meat
Glass goods (modern manufacture)
Jams & preserves
Preacher
Printer, Bookseller & Bookbinder (some old, some new)
Paper (poor quality stuff – more like papyrus or parchment)
Tailors (also sell buttons, thread)
Rope & strings (rawhide & catgut)
Bootmaker
Smokes (dried tobacco and ‘herbal’ substances)
Plastic-worker (melts & recycles old plastic)
Bone-worker (needles, buttons, buckles, decorative handles)
Winesellers
Entertainers
Hardware (nails, screws, hinges)
Candles & Lanterns
Kindergarten – a safe place for kids while you shop or go to the bar
When the Truckers, Bikers, Salvagers and Wanderers come by, the Courtyard Market is a crowded, noisy place – with a wide range of goods & services available. It’s a particularly BIG day if some Balloonists make an entrance or a tribe of Amerindians appear.
Many MP Teams see it as their duty to set up communication and trading networks. Unfortunately, most Encounter Groups are insular and resist contact with outsiders. To provide contrast, this is a Group that enthusiastically supports the flow of commerce, information, and people across the continent of North America.
NAME: Red Stripe Trading Company
GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION: Anywhere
H & M AVERAGE: 12
NUMBER FOUND: n/a
TECH LEVEL: C
POWER/RESOURCES: Micro-Hydropower is commonly used. If unavailable, will operate steam or diesel generators
WEAPONS: Firearms in good repair, including some light automatic weapons. May sell hunting rifles
SPECIAL ATTRIBUTES: A network that provides secure locations for ANYONE to trade ANYTHING. Uses couriers & radio to disseminate commercially important news & information within the network
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The Ingram M10 is one of the Morrow Project’s 9mm submachineguns (The UZI is the other) and is included in 6 of the 20 Weapons loadouts: #4, #7, #10, #15 (with the M202a1 FLASH) #17, and #18.
The Ingram M10 has a number of problems. It’s cheaply made, difficult to control on full auto and its rate of fire is VERY high (resultant” barrel climb”. means that it absolutely CANNOT be fired one-handed). However, it does have the advantage of being small enough to fit in a holster and its suppressor is very effective
Picture & video after the fold
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(the following is an extract from an analysis given to KFS military officers. It is classified as Top Secret)
KFS Secret Police have recently completed an analysis of a recent conflict between a Morrow Project Science Group and a force from the “Warriors of Krell” (Wok). It should be noted that the MP forces consisted of approximately 80 personnel and the Krell forces were in excess of 1,000
The Krell were defeated.
BACKGROUND BRIEFING
There are 5 aspects to a paramilitary culture: creativity, authority, personal initiative, technical proficiency and group loyalty
1. Creativity
Morrow Project teams have a certain method of approach: to state (identify) a problem and then to make an “appreciation”. This “appreciation” will examine all aspects of the problem then provide potential solutions for the Team Leader to select from. In other words, the Morrow Project has found a way to engender creativity. A way that also applies to armed conflict.
The Warriors of Krell actively discourage creative thinking. They are indoctrinated to believe that “quantity will always beat quality” and that an individual Warrior does not need to think – only to obey
2. Authority
The Morrow Project emphasises decentralized authority. Personnel are encouraged and expected to make command decisions on their own. Training emphasises that they need not seek authorization from their superiors
In contrast, Krell (when “awake”) personally determines the activities of every unit, handing down his orders via radio to his senior officers, who then relay them, unchanged, to their subordinates. Officers are neither authorized nor encouraged to make decisions on their own. Rather, if Krell fails to communicate precise orders, they are expected to stop and consult him for further instructions, in person if necessary. As one Warrior put it, “He communicates commands to us by radio message, regularly. If a week goes by without getting radio messages, then our commanders go to visit Krell”.
Krell makes it clear to his subordinates that he will not accept any deviation from his orders once they have been issued. If anyone questions the orders, he has them executed, often immediately and in public. For example, when a fresh recruit questioned why the Warriors had been ordered to kill and maim civilians and steal their property, he was immediately shot. According to one witness of the event, “no one… uttered a word again.”
3. Personal Initiative
The Morrow Project expects and rewards those who exercise personal initative. Examples are numerous of well-motivated personnel taking appropriate and timely action.
The Warriors of Krell do not emphasize personal initiative. In fact, Krell specifically stifles personal initiative among his subordinates. For instance, as mentioned above, he does not permit subordinates to develop orders on their own, even to the point of requiring them to leave their positions in the field and visit him to obtain new orders. Consequently, his officers are not likely to feel comfortable launching new operations on their own initiative. Moreover, his propensity to execute anyone who even questions his orders destroys any willingness to show initiative – because the risk associated with displeasing their supreme commander, by deviating from his stated plans, is too great for even the most ambitious and skilled subordinates. Krell seems to deliberately create “mindless obedience”.
4. Technical Proficiency
Morrow Project personnel were frequently observed training and retraining with their vehicles and weapons. It was also noted that – if they encountered any new/unfamiliar technology or weaponry – they would quickly learn how to use it effectively.
Warriors of Krell have very limited technical proficiency. Although new “recruits” go through an indoctrination process that they call “basic training,” this does not involve encouraging the recruits to learn how to use their weapons effectively. On the contrary, the process forces recruits to observe and take part in deprivations against civilians, including beatings, rape, mutilations, torture, and murder.
Apparently, the Krell training process is designed to transform recruits into sadistic killers rather than trained soldiers.
5. Group Loyalty
From a KFS viewpoint, the Morrow Project’s internal cohesion appears similar to the esprit de corps of our better Regiments, however it is subtly different. Personnel of all races – and from many different backgrounds – appear to be genuine friends with each other. Human nature being what it is, there are examples of “office politics” and personality conflicts – but these are rare and discouraged. Discipline on and off the battlefield seems to be excellent
In contrast , the WoK do not prize group loyalty. Warriors are aware of this from the moment they join, since almost all were conscripted against their will during raids on civilian settlements. During these raids, any potential recruit who offered concerted resistance would be executed in front of the rest to demonstrate that there was no possibility of escape. This also informed the new recruits that their commanders see them as expendable and might murder them on a whim.
Anyone who tries to “desert” from the Warriors is immediately and publicly executed, without discussion or attempts at reconciliation, as a warning to the others. In addition to these threats, the WoK compels their disloyal personnel to remain by constructing a kind of “social prison”. For example, many conscripts are forced to kill their own friends and families before being taken away to a Krell base camp. Also, new recruits are usually tattooed and/or branded - forever identifying them as Krell. As one Warrior put it “Anyone seeing the branding will have the right to kill me”
The KFS is forced to deal with 3 problems: challenges from the Morrow Project, changes in tactics by its (lower tech) enemies and its own limited manufacturing capabilities. The “Quad 50″ is a new and experimental solution; it uses 4 standard KFS heavy machine guns and mounts them on a lightly armoured trailer (which can be towed by a jeep, or even a team of horses). This provides devasting firepower. In fact, it has resulted in a reduced need for Close Air Support from the KFS Air force
The Quad-mount has also been well-received by KFS troops operating from static defensive positions.
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This type of vehicle is representative of the “heavy weapon” that is sometimes held by a community (or a wealthy Farmer). It is obviously derived from a pre-collapse tractor, and has moderate cross-country capability. Its main purpose is to transport a Heavy Machine Gun and provide the firepower necessary to fend off raiders.
The New Confederacy does not have a standing army and the military unit most likely to be encountered “in the field” is the “Mobile” Infantry Company: a unit of infantry that relies primarily on horse-drawn vehicles. Such units are usually raised and paid for by a Colonel (a courtesy rank associated with wealthy landowners)
Standard weapons are
NC 81 semi-auto rifle
NC Shotgun
9mm pistol Model 40
9mm SMG Model 7
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Background: In most (perhaps all) of the official modules, the players have no real knowledge of the area that they operate in. There are no mechanisms for introducing them to the people and circumstance that they have to deal with. So I thought it might be interesting to come up with a scenario where the Player’s Team is the SECOND Morrow Project unit to operate in the area…
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Agroville #9 is a KFS Colony; it is built on the outskirts of the the semi-ruined town of Sikeston, Missouri, 30 miles from the KFS border.
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