GURPS®Autoduel®

and
CAR INARS®
The AADA Road Atlas and Survival Guide
VOLUME FIVE: THE MIDWEST
A Supplement for Car Wars® and GURPS Autoduel®
By Craig Sheeley
Edited by David Ladyman, Melinda Spray and Stephen Beeman
Cover art by Guy Burchak; Interior art by Gary Washington with Dan Carroll, Phil Morrissey and "Speed" Webber
Maps and graphics by Carl Manz, Czeslaw Somat and David Ladyman
Production by Melinda Spray, Carl Manz, Czeslaw Somat and C . Mara Lee
System design by Steve Jackson; GURPS development by David Ladyman; and Cor Wan development by Stephen Beeman
Playtesters: Tim Bauer (NOVA), Scott Berkley, James Cromo, Flaming Lakers (Steven Koehler, David LaMothe, Phil Morrissey, Stuart Wagner, Wallace Greer,
Marvin Lowe and Jeff Sheeley) Cicsco Lopez Fresquet, Dennis Grey, Ben Kloepper, Mark Orchard (Land of Lincoln AADA) Rob Rapplean and GROSS, Mark
Soderberg, George Thorstad, The Bozeman Game Association, The Wrecking Crew (Ray Carter, Eric Jerome, Dean Kenady, Dan Ormiston, Larry Stohr,
Bill Williams and Michael Vragel), Stephanie Wardwell and her gang (froy O'Brien, John Doyle, Allen and Susan Poynter Shock,
John Monahan and Mary Zawacki). Extremely Special Mention: David Piatt, M .A.D .D Archivist.

Cor Wan, Autod.ul, GURPS, and MDA are registered trademarks of Steve Jackson Games Incorporated. Copyright© 1988 by
Steve Jackson Games Incorporated. All rights reserved. Printed in the U.S .A.

For a current GURPS errata sheet, and a free catalog of our products, send a legal-sized self-addressed stamped envelope to:
Steve Jackson Games, P.O. Box 18957, Austin, Texas

TilE :MI.DWEST • . . • • • . . . • • • . . . • . . . . . . . . • . . • . 2 TilE AADA ROAD ATLAS AND SURVIVAL GUIDE:

Before Tho Blight . ... .. ... .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... .
The Second Civil War . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
A Brief Peace ........ ... . . . . . . . . . . ..... . ... . . .....
The Dakotas .. ....... .. . . . . . . . . . . . . .... . .. .. . .....
The Grain Blight ... ........ .... ......... . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
The Central Midwest . . . . . . . • • • • . . . . . . . . . • . • . . . . . . • • . .
The Midwest Plains . ...............•••...••••...••••
After The Blight ...... ........ .. ... . ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
The Russo-American War .. ... . ..... . ....... ... .......
The Food Riots . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
The Upper Midwest .........••...•••.•......•.....••
The lnduslrlal Midwest •... .... . . . . . • • . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Autoduelling and Recovery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Today and Tomorrow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Nuckar Hazard Areas of the Midwest ...........•. .. ...•..
CAMPAIGNING IN TilE MIDWEST •••••••••••••• 6
Modifications for Midwest Campaigns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
The Western .. .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Gt!nt!ral Reaction Modifiers from Midweslt!mers . . . • . • . . . . • . . .
Clubhouse Blues .... . .... .. ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
The Lone Wolf .. ...... ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. ....
Campaign Suggestions and Ideas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Dlinois . ...... ........ ..... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Lakes and Rivers in the Midwest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Indiana, Iowa, Kansas and Nebraska, Michigan . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
DEDSFL .................••....••.•....••........ 8
Minnesota and Wisconsin, Missouri, Ohio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
North Dakota, South Dakota . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
TilE CHURCH OF AMERICA .............•••.• 10
The Origins of the Church . . . . . . . . . . . . .... . . . . . . . . . . . ...
A New Leader ..... ....... .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Donald LaMothe: Religious Leader or Demagogue .. .........
The Olurch Leader: Donald LaMothe . . . . . • . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
The Church of America Today ........ .... .. ... . . .. ......
Tenets of the Olurch of America ..... .. .... . . . . . . . . . . . . .
FORTRESS TOWNS •••••••••••••••••••..•••• 13
Theory and Practice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
The Anatomy of a Fortress Town . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Busting Fortress Towns and The Art of Raiding . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Tho Defenders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Map ofWichita (1988) ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Building a Fortress Town . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Map of Wichita (2038) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. ........
2 TIIE:MI.DWEST • • ••••••••••.•••••...••. . ••• 21
2
Dlinois . . . . . . . . . . .. .. . .. ..... . . ... ...... .. . . ... . . .. 21
2 Chicago . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..... .... .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
2
Decatur, Rockford, Springfield . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
3
Indiana . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
3 Brickyard (formerly Indianapolis), Floral Gulch ... . . . . . . . . . . . 23
3 Fort Wayne., Lafayette . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
4
Iowa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ...... ... .... ...... 25
4
Des Moines . . . ... ... ....... ... .... .. ... .... ...... 25
4
Kansas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
4 KC-1 (formerly Kansas City) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
4 Topeka ........ ... ... . .. .. ..... ...... ... .... .... 27
5
Wichita . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .... 28
5 Michigan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... .. ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
5
Ann Arbor ... . .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .... .......... 28
Detroit .. .... .... .... .... . . . . . . . . . . ... . . ....... . 29
6 Grand Rapids, Lansing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
6 Minnesota ...... . ....... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
6 Duluth, Minneapolis-St. Paul . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
7 Missouri . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
7 KC-1, St. Louis, Springfield . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... ..... 34
7 Nebraska ....... . .. ....... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
7 Lincoln . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ....... . .. . ....... 35
7 New Omaha - Council Bluffs, Iowa . . . . . . . . . . . . ......... 36
8 North Dakota . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Bismark . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
The Dickenson PSSF, Fargo, Grand Forks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Ohio .... ... ..... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Akron, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
10 Dayton, Midville ...... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
South Dakota ... . . .. ..... .. . ....... .... .. ........... 40
10
10 Pierre, Rapid City . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
11 Sioux Falls . ....... .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. ...... .. .... 41
12 Wisconsin ...... .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
12 Green Bay . . . . . . . . . . . ....... . ..... .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Madison, Milwaukee . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
13
MINI-SCENARIOS ••••••••••••••••..•••..••• 43
Midville, Ohio; Nebraska; South Dakota .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... 43
14
Dodge City, Kansas; Floral Gulch, Indiana . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
14
North Dakota; Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota .. .. ....... . .... 45
16
Iowa; Chicago, Dlinois . . . . . . . . . . . . ....... . .. . .. .... .... 46
16
Wisconsin . . . . . . . . . . ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ...... ...... 47
17
19 N.n]RPHYS'LAVV ..•••........•....•••..•• •• 48

STEVE .JACKSON GAMES

109876 5432 ISBN l-55634-lll-3
 TBI IIIDWIST
Before the Blight
In the Golden Age of America, the Midwest states formed the western edge
of the eastern manufacturing complex, served as a transport district from one
The Dakotas coast to the other, and were the most productive "breadbasket" in the world.
The pre-Blight economy of the Though foreign products dimmed the importance of most American industry
Dakotas, supported mainly by cattle and production, and domestic competition nearly killed the "family farm," the Mid-
grain, was quite stable, as was the west continued to produce more food than the entire country could eat, and ex-
populace. Even the oil depletion didn't
bother or affect the Dakotas much, as the ported grain and produce to other countries. Rail yards and river ports shipped
drivers of the states switched over to al- edibles to other parts of the nation, to be consumed or stored by the federal
cohol fuel that was produced from the government, when there were no other buyers for the oversupply.
ever-present grain. Far removed from the
fighting, the only consequences of the
Second Civil War were that the two Dakota The Second Civil War
National Guard and Reserve units saw
some action in Oklahoma. After a decade of increasing unemployment, lowered industrial employment
However, the Blight had horrid effects, and heavy loss of family farms to corporate farming interests, the Free Oil
in one stroke devastating the economies of States' Declaration of Independence and the ensuing war brought frantic, if
both states. People streamed out of North
and South Dakota in search of more
short-lived, prosperity back to the Midwest. Since they were so close to the war-
prosperous places to live. The food dis- front, manufacturing in Michigan, Indiana and Ohio became valuable. Grain-
tribution to the remaining population held producers like Kansas, the Dakotas, Nebraska and Iowa plunged into the alcohol
out a little longer than it did in other, more business, since the military switched to alcohol fuel. The resources of Min-
heavily populated states. However, refu-
gees from other states came to the nesota, Missouri and Illinois - all were used for the war effort. Men and
Dakotas, brought the expected wave of material moved south along the rails, rivers and roads. To prevent the Free Oiler
destruction with them, and totally depleted attacks, forts were built in states close to the battlegrounds of Arkansas, Mis-
the food supplies.
Fortunately, as soon as there was no souri and Kansas, while arms were stockpiled in other Midwestern states. Mid-
food left, the vandals left for more souther- westerners readied themselves for war; some of them saw action, as National
ly climes. The severe Dakota winters and Guard units and reserve corps were committed to the conflict.
the short summer growing season did not
allow enough time for the cultivation of the
soybean and potato crops adopted by other A Brief Peace
midwestern states. Until the greenery re-
conquered the plains, cattle ranching on The Texarkana Accords of 2004 ended the war abruptly, catching everybody
any scale but miniscule was impossible. by surprise. Virtually no one anticipated that the federal government would con-
The human race seemed to pull out, leav- clude that war to reunite the country was more expensive than letting the country
ing the Dakotas practically deserted.
Practically. There were those who
remain split. A mini-depression followed for the country as a whole, and for the
stayed on in the few husks of cities left that Midwest in particular. Grain-to-alcohol was still a strong industry, as many of
could provide shelter. Some were bandits, the country's internal combustion cars changed to alcohol-fueled. However,
but most were just stubborn Dakotans who other concerns struggled to re-adapt to civilian products instead of military sup-
wouldn't be budged. Once the algae food
technology assured a good food supply, plies. Once again, unemployment bred unrest throughout the Midwest, both in
the Dakotans could afford the wait for cat- rural and urban areas.
tle-feeding plant life to return.
When the cattle fodder came back, the
cattle moved in shortly thereafter. Both
Dakotas have now become an ironic
parody of three hundred years ago: huge
herds of hoofed beasts roam vast expanses
of prairie. There are a few differences,
though. The beasts are now cattle, not buf-
falo, and the men who tend them ride in
trucks and on motorcycles as well as on
horses.

The Midwest -2-

The Grain Blight
The grain-destroying virus of 2012 hit the Midwest harder than any other The Central Midwest
part of America. Not only did it jeopardize future food supplies, but it also Iowa, Illinois and Missouri shared
much the same fates as the rest of the na-
devastated the major cash crop and all the industry associated with it, causing al- tion. The Second Civil War brought a
most instant economic collapse. The great plains of the central Midwest became small repite to unemployment woes .
one huge dust bowl. Only gradual inroads made by thistles and wild grasses res- However, the Grain Blight descimated the
"Com Belt." Com crops, a food staple for
tored this once fruitful farmland. both man and beast, withered on the stalk.
No one knows just who engineered the Blight, or who released it, or where, Refugees flocked to these states, since
or when. It could have been the act of a Third World country, attempting to wipe more than a third of the planted fields were
soybean and clover. Farmers barricaded
out a rival. It could have been a scientific accident- the release of an experimen- themselves and formed co-ops to help
tal virus. It could have been the test of a bio-weapon that escaped control. It may neighbors defend their crops. These crops
even have been a terrorist act. If so, it achieved more terror than its perpetrators also helped the soil so that the dust bowl
could have ever thought possible: the downfall of modern civilization, and the conditions of the plains didn't develop.
end of a Golden Age of plenty.
The Midwest Plains
When the line "amber waves of grain"
was written into America the Beautiful, the
writer surely had the western plains of
Kansas and Nebraska in mind. Once these
two states were truly golden; they raised a
large portion of the grain of America, as
well as cattle. Though lacking any great
amount of industry, the states did quite
well both economically and culturally.
The Second Civil War brought some
changes, as both states were very close to
the area of conflict. Most of the changes
were minor: An influx of troops and
material, the fortification of cities near the
border, occasional attacks across the bor-
der and so forth . One change had a major
but subtle effect on the inhabitants of the
western plains: paranoia toward out-of-
staters. The troops brought in from the east
made trouble in the quiet and rather sleepy
midwestern towns and cities, engendering
bad will; the "Oilies" attacking across the
border into Kansas didn't improve public
relations as far as the Free Oil States were
concerned. This impression widened to in-
Whoever was responsible for the Blight, the virus soon went its own way, clude almost everybody who wasn't from
with devastating results. Any grain that was exposed blackened and died, con- the immediate areas . This attitude became
sumed by the cancer-like virus . Once the virus infected the plant, it would feed very deeply founded during the Food Riot
on the plant's nutrients and multiply, literally starving the plant to death! If there years, when marauders swept across the
plains in search of food, fuel and anything
was seed on the plant, the nutrients in the seed would be devoured in short order else of value.
as well. Indeed, if the airborne virus even landed on a seed, it commenced to When the Blight withere4 grains and
devour the seed's substance. grasses, a specter from nearly a century
before surfaced: The Dust Bowl. Massive
This caused the deterioration of already harvested and stockpiled grains, and dust storms swept over the plains, carrying
there was no way to stop the Blight unless the grain in question had already been over two inches of rich topsoil as far east
treated with preservatives. No grain storage could be made airtight; dust ex- as the Mississippi river. The Dust Bowl
subsided only gradually, as weather pat-
plosion was far too likely if circulation were restricted. terns stabilized and creeping plants
Not only were wheat and rye affected, but rice, corn, and other high-nutrient reclaimed the prairie.
grasses died in the Blight too. All the cultivated grains, bred for thousands of Once vegetation had repossessed the
years to provide an efficient food source, were quickly consumed by the vora- soil and civilization had repossessed the
land, cattle ranching reappeared as a major
cious organism. industry. Vast expanses of unfenced land
There were two notable exceptions to the mass extinction: Australia, are now used for grazing, and armed
through quarantining and luck, has so far avoided the Blight; and barley, for vehicles keep the herds in line and handle
occasional rustlers .
some unknown reason, is immune to the virus. Elsewhere, only laboratory Both states are still, for the most part,
specimens kept in carefully maintained, totally Blight-free atmospheres still live. open plains with little to relieve the
The effects were catastrophic. All over the world, nations and people were monotony of driving except a rare fortress
city or landscape-covering herd of cattle.
suddenly deprived of major food sources. They call that period the "Food

-3- The Midwest

 Riots." It conjures images of only a fraction of the chaos and death that followed.
The Upper Midwest Whole populations died in order to bring the total number of mouths down to the
Minnesota and Wisconsin have had the level where the remaining food supplies could feed them.
good fortune of being connected to the
Great Lakes, encouraging settlers and fa-
cilitating transportation. When the prairies After The Blight
were resettled, these states filled swiftly.
The Blight hit these states less drastical- The Russo-American War
ly than their Midwestern neighbors. Since
they didn't depend on wheat and other The Russo-American War followed within weeks of the Blight's first major
grains to the extent of the other agri-busi- strikes. In less than an hour, the world's most heralded destructive forces en-
ness states, they weathered the loss in bet- countered each other in space. The satellite defense systems stopped most of the
ter shape - such good shape, in fact, that
they attracted more than their share of missiles. Unfortunately, n<?t all.
looters when the Food Riot years came. In the most spectacular strike, Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, vanished in a
But these states' agricultural strength fireball, completely vaporized by a bomb of unknown type (best guess indicates
could not be destroyed by the looters and
migrants who rampaged for two long a fusion-implosion device, creating a momentary sun with minimal radiation and
years. As soon as there were no more easy no fallout). Only the crater remains, now the centerpiece for the popular Divine
targets, most of the looters left, and the Wrath Theme Park.
rural farmers moved out of their bar-
ricaded farms to begin sowing their
The MX silo belt in Missouri collected five less clean hits, the empty silos
soybeans and raising cattle once again. unprotected by the ABM systems. Other nuclear craters dot the landscape, scat-
tered throughout the Midwest, but they are few and far between.
The Industrial Midwest
The three states of the industrial n1id-
west have always had the largest popula-
tions and the greatest industrial might in
this region. Michigan, Ohio and Indiana
had long been centers of industry for the
nation, almost eclipsing the eastern
seaboard in manufacturing volume.
Today, these states continue to make up
much of the country's production might.
Still, the disasters of the 21st century
took their toll. Because of their hybrid mix-
ture of agriculture, high urbanization and
industrialization, they suffered from the
calamities that hit each. Though the in-
dustrial states' economies were
strengthened by the surge of orders for
hardware to fight the Second Civil War,
this prosperity was brief. After the war,
unemployment soared, and the bulk of the
factories shut down. A few automobile
manufacturers did tool up with fuel-cell
technology and produce at a reduced rate,
but their impact was small before they too
were lost in the chaos of the Food Riots.
The rollcall of metropoli has been
reduced to a very few; around a dozen
remain. Outside city walls and perimeters, The Food Riots
many smaller settlements and towns sur- After the War, agri-business in the Midwest struggled to adapt to the loss of
vive, and they have helped revive the in-
dustrial vitality of the region. Barge traffic grains by substituting potatoes and other food crops, such as soybeans. Produc-
now brings metals down from Minnesota tion, however, did not meet demand. Refugees (mostly easterners), desperate to
to the auto factories, and the foundries acquire whatever food they could, added to the problem. Yield wasn't enough to
work again. Unemployment is still high, stave off the inevitable - mass famine.
but lower than before the Blight. Food is
being grown again, although marauders Other countries, with less stored food, had already been affected, but the
make it a risky business. However ,law en- bulk of government supplies in America held out for almost four years, until the
forcement (both professional and private) country collapsed in a period of violence now called the Food Riots.
is on the rise, and there is even talk of ex-
tending the eastern railways into the region Except in metropolitan areas like Detroit and Chicago, the midwestern food
to connect it with the coast once again. riots were generally not the mass madness that gripped the coasts. Instead, the
riots started as mobs raids on food storage bins and evolved into gang attacks on
any place where food could be found. Eventually, these coalesced into the
"organized" cycle gangs familiar today.

The Midwest -4-

 With the collapse of any sort of strong government, the forts and supplies
stockpiled from the Second Civil War became prime targets for the locals, who Nuclear Hamrd Areas
either raided them for arms or took them as strongpoints. Thus began the fortress of the Midwest
towns, places small enough to be defended and lucky enough to have the heavy
arms to defend themselves. Although the larger cities were gutted, life and some Lake Geneva, Wisconsin
order remained, enforced by the citizens of city sections. During the Russo-American War, Lake
Soon the Midwest was reduced to lonely, crumbling roadways passing Geneva was struck by the only recorded
through deserted and wild lands. Few could or would farm; most fled to the hills successful implosion of a fusion bomb.
The result was a vast, glass-lined crater
or to the fortified cities and towns. and surprisingly little radiation. Today, the
crater is the centerpiece of the highly
popular Divine Wrath theme park.

St. Louis, Missouri

St. Louis was also hit; however, the
Autoduelling and Recovery weapon was a small one, targeting the
aircraft and weapons facility on the north
The development and distribution of heavily-armed vehicles that began in side of town. The blast wave also
the early 2020s was the salvation of the Midwest. Mobile defense forces had destroyed surrounding property, the air-
been in existence since the Food Riots, utilizing former military equipment, but port and commuters on the highway. To
this day, the northeast comer of town is
the open spaces in the Midwest were far too vast for the limited forces to cover. still radioactive, and lingering in the air-
Often, outside of fortress towns and corporate hands, the only arms available port complex is hazardous.
were hand weapons.
Tough, useful, reasonably-priced vehicles solved the problem. Armed with The MX Field, Missouri
Some 70 miles south of KC-1, a
enough weaponry to deal with the usually unarmored or lightly-armored cycle decades-old missile silo "field" still exists .
gang, a farmer could actually live beyond the walls of a city and raise food. Soviet missiles targeted on the MX sites,
Trucks could convoy themselves, without tank escort. Gradually, the reclama- and made it through the Kill-Sats to put five
large craters in the area. There were few
tion of land and the rejuvenation of the trucking road network began rebuilding
casualties, since the land was sparsely in-
the midwestern economy. Grains were out of the question, of course, but habited. These craters are very "hot"; the
potatoes and soybeans could be grown, as well as sugar beets. Cattle could now Army has the entire site fenced to prevent
be raised on the meager sustenance provided by the recently reclaimed plains of unauthorized entry .
Kansas and Wisconsin, and trucked, in relative safety, to the slaughterhouses. lndUllla;olis!Brickyard, Indimla
The federal government even started trucking the gold from Black Hills mines in indianapolis was destroyed by an over-
South Dakota, rather than shipping it by air. sized and very dirty fission bomb, set off
by the Jackson Memorial Commandos in
Today and Tomorrow 2015 . There is quite a bit of lingering
Today, the roads hum with trucks from Kansas to Ohio and further east. radiation, and Brickyard is classed as one
of the most lethal radiation areas of the
Faced with massive security costs, the corporate farms have disbanded, and the country. DO NOT GO INTO THESE
family farm is experiencing a resurgence. Gang activity has dwindled to a hand- RUINS.
ful of well-equipped but outnumbered units.
Unlike some parts of the country, the Midwest has so far avoided the threat Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland was neutron-bombed during
of war between states. The states bordering Canada maintain armed forces to be the Food Riots, ostensibly as a method of
on the safe side. There are cultural and economic conflicts between some of the "crowd control." Since then, the city has
manufacturing cities in Ohio and Michigan, but so far actual war is not a threat. not been occupied and is still deserted, al-
though the Nuclear Regulatory Commis-
Thanks to fortune, science and hard work, the effects of the Blight are not so sion has declared that radiation levels in
heavily felt. Where food grains once grew, wild grasses, thistles and other weeds Cleveland are quite low and easily surviv-
have taken over. The food problem has been solved through the development of able for extended periods .
food algae, processed for taste and texture. Real food, as non-algae products are
known, is making a comeback. Beef, raised in the plains on the wild grasses, is Radiation
Rules for dealing with radiation sick-
becoming plentiful again. Flour has even come back to the market shelves, made
ness are included in the AADA Road Adas
from potatoes rather than wheat. Vegetables and fruit, never affected by the and SunivaJ Guide Volume One: The
Blight, are limited only by weather, transportation and safe acreage. East Coast (p. 56) Only those areas listed
But the Blight is not yet dead. Whenever grains are exposed, they die. Still, as dangerous will cause this sickness .
the future looks brighter than it did. As population grows and farming expands,
the prediction is that the Midwest will once again be able to supply the nation,
and then the world, with food. Rumors of corporate research on a strain of
Blight-resistant grain are rife; if true, perhaps the empty plains of America's
breadbasket might once again wave with wheat.

-5- 1he Midwest


General Reaction Modifiers
From Midwesterners
From rural populace,
if you're "city folk" . . . . . . -1
From gangs, if you enter
their "turf" . . . . . . . . . . -2
From Missouri Ozarkers,
in general . . . . . . . . . . . -2
From Amanas (Iowa) if you volun-
tarily surrender your arms . . +2
From nearly anyone during the
celebration of Norway's
Independence Day in
Fargo, North Dakota . . +3
From onlookers in Detroit, Michigan,
if you display great skill in
driving or gunnery . . . . . . + 1
From the majority of the population
of Chicago, illinois, if you admit
to being a member of the
Church of America . . . . . . -1
From the South Siders of Chicago
if you admit you're an "Amy" . -2
From almost anyone, if you drove
through Brickyard with
your windows down . . . . . . -3
~----~~---------------~
Campaigning in the Midwest
Gli1Pll8111118
Ill TBI MIDWEST
Modifications for Midwest Campaigns
The Westem
This type of campaign is most appropriate for this region. In Kansas,
Nebraska, Iowa and the Dakotas, you just can't escape the western influence! As
mentioned in GURPS Autoduel (seep. A71), this campaign revolves around
stock character types: the sheriff, the locals, the renegades and raiders, the
gunslingers and the powerful cattle barons. Out on the midwestern plains, the lo-
cale is not as likely to be restricted to a small town or similar area. Be prepared
to have the action ranging over a wide parcel of land; cattle have to roam pretty
far to find enough food in this country.
Character Roles. In the true range-type western, complete with intercom-
pany rivalry, cattle stampedes and cycle-gang fighting, the most common
character is going to be the cowhand. In addition to the usual weapons and driv-
ing skills, applicable skills could be Area Knowledge, Navigation, Animal Han-
dling, maybe even Riding. Of course, when a range war or similar
unpleasantness break out, there is always demand for the professional
eliminators - in this case, hardened duellists. Other character possibilities are
tycoon (Filthy Rich is a must for these), scout (brush up on those Area
Knowledge and Stealth skills), a con man or gunrunner (Uzis in those boxes
marked "Bibles").
Action. Most of the cowhand's life is spent out on the range, looking after
animals who aren't particularly interesting. However, a campaign won't be
focusing on that aspect. Instead, the things that are likely to crop up in a
-6-
campaign are rustling (small-timers or cycle gangs cutting cattle out of the herd
b breeding or just plain eating); protecting the cattle from crazies who like to
lite pot-shots at them (off-roaders with nothing to do); policing the grazing
DIDge (cutting down or putting up fences, scaring or shooting "squatters" and
other settlers); driving cattle to market (including time-honored cowboy ac-
tivities along the way, like carousing, cavorting with the opposite gender, get-
ting drunk, spending all your money and shooting up the town while avoiding
being shot up in return); and the inevitable range war, with conflict ranging from
a couple of duelling pickups to the large-scale clash of arms, complete with Lakes And Rivers
helicopters, pickups and imported professional duellists. To spice things up, the
In The Midwest
A look at the map in the center of this
GM can throw in the occasional weird occurrence,like the mysterious and still atlas shows the major rivers that flow
uncaught Cattle Mutilators ... throughout the region: the Missouri, the
Helpful Reference Materials. Read Time-Life's Western series. Mississippi, the Ohio. To the north, the
Great Lakes are the major waterways .
These are navigable for the greater part of
aubhouse Blues their lengths, and immense amounts of
This sort of campaign works best on the duelling circuit, or as mobile group material flow through them, both upstream
(perhaps a robber gang!). There's quite a lot of country in the Midwest, and very and downstream.
It's long been a fact that water traffic is
few locations are going to give the day-to-day variety of adventure that keeps a the least expensive way to ship freight, and
Clubhouse Blues game from sinking to the "who do we shoot this week" format. this is especially true in the world of the
Travelling through the Midwest should provide enough variety for any cam- 21st century. With the railways of the
country shut down for lack of defensibility,
paign, though, since areas range from urban through rural all the way to barren. roads still too dangerous for large-scale
Character Roles. Specializing in certain skills, as described in the Club- shipping, and airship transport an expen-
bouse Blues section of GURPS Autoduel (p. A70), is a good idea. If you're sive alternative, watercraft have taken up
the burden of moving most of the produce
going to be traveling, members of the group having varied Area Knowledge of the Midwest.
skills could be very useful. Water shipping is even more inviting
Club Types. Duellists moving from arena to arena on the L'Outrance Circuit since barges and similar ships can literally
would play well; for a better idea of how such a group could be set up, see the become floating fortresses with only a
slight reduction in their hauling capacity.
article "The Corporate Approach to Car Wars" inADQ 4/4. One player with the They're very slow, but nearly unsinkable
advantage of Very Wealthy or Filthy Rich could be the basis for the corporation, when properly outfitted, and capable of
with the other players bankrolled by him (winning the duels would be pretty im- hauling many times the arms and armor of
tractor-trailer rigs .
portant financially!). Not quite as vital to the nation's
Other ideas for groups include: truckers, hauling cargo freelance (or for a economy, but a lot more fun, are the small
small company) across the country; buslines, hauling people instead of freight; watercraft: the cabin cruisers, fishing
boats and speedboats . What little tourism
gangs, robbing the roadways and always on the move to stay a jump ahead of exists in 2038 is concerned more with
retribution; paramilitary mercenaries, renting their skills and weapons to the doi11g rather than seeing, and boat trailers
highest bidder; even law enforcement officials, working for the state, local or hauled by RVs or station wagons are a
federal government. (Imagine the fun of being the FBI in the Car Wars common sight in the Midwest, thanks to
the prime fishing in the area.
universe). Enforcers from KC-1 are also good for this sort of "Clubhouse" cam- Many situations concerning water traf-
paign, since they often pursue criminals beyond the city, and are always willing fic in the states of the Midwest are left un-
to assist anyone in need. presented, for lack ofboat!.watercraft rules
in GURPS Autoduel. However, ADQ 512
does contain some unofficial rules for
The Lone Wolf boats in Car Wars. Use them if you'd like
Lone Wolf campaigns in the Midwest would be even more desperate than to open up a new dimension of adventure
in the Midwest!
back east. Centers of civilization are few and far between; you're not going to
find a truck stop every few miles where you can rest, repair and refit. But when
you find people, they'll more than likely have a job for you. Whether helping to
feed the livestock, delivering messages from point to dangerous point, helping
to fight a local gang or other threat, repairing machinery or getting caught up in
a territory dispute, you'll earn your keep.

Campaign Suggestions and Ideas

fllinois
Chicago is urban campaigning at its best. There are new groups and gangs at
every new street, plus the impact of organized crime. Then there are the basic

-7- Campaigning in the Midwest

 dangers of the daily lifestyle of Chicago. Water adventures are possible, too; the
Waterfront of Chicago is extensive. And don't forget the Church of America!
There might be new battles breaking out between the factions of the church, and
the natives also feud with the "Amys."

Indiana
Indiana's supposed to be EDSEL (p. A80 or the AADA Road Atlas: Volume
1 The East Coast)pacified- at least that's what EDSEL claims. But the mini-
DEDSEL ons ofDEDSEL are also at work in the state. It makes for a wide campaign play-
The antithesis of EDSEL, DEDSEL ing EDSEL characters, having to deal with the nebulous DEDSELs and their
started off as a reaction to EDSEL's incur-
sions from the east, particularly the unrelenting guerilla war against EDSEL, complete with spy missions, infiltra-
"Orang Nach Iowa." A loosely-organized tions, sneak attacks, ambushes, quick commando strikes and incursions into and
group, DEDSEL's main strength is in In- from Ohio and Michigan. This could escalate into a "Vietnam" situation, if you
diana; small affiliated groups of duellists
devoted to the defeat of EDSEL. For the
want to take the group loyalties that far.
most part, these duellists conform to be- Remember Brickyard and the misguided nuts who caused it? Are the Jack-
havior expected of the breed, but some son Commandos still around? Is there anything left in the radiated city that could
have gone farther, declaring war on pique player-character interest? Only the GM knows . ..
pedestrians altogether. DEDSELs of this
stripe will fire on any armed pedestrian
who even looks like he or she might belong Iowa
to EDSEL. A very good place to try out being a gang. The Iowa state forces are con-
The sparring between DEDSEL and centrated at the borders; once you're inside the state, things get easier. But watch
EDSEL has been sporadic but bloody. The
EDSEL forces are better organized and
out for the Amanas! Or set up an Amana group, out to help rebuild the state and
more capable of stand-up fights. Some deal with anybody standing in the way of progress.
DEDSELs have stooped to terrorist tactics
- bombing homes of local EDSEL
leaders, kidnappings and terror killings
. . . These incidents have been well
publicized by EDSEL, and the DEDSELs
have been portrayed as slightly less human
than punk bikers - a number of which
claim alliance with DEDSEL.
How long the two will limit the minor
war to occasional skirmishes remains to be
seen.

DEDSEL In GURPS Autoduel

Members of DEDSEL are likely to be
from the Indiana/Ohio/Michigan area.
DEDSEL is a patron, of sorts (15 points).
Unless the character is a leader or steady
trooper, though, DEDSEL's patronage is
only useful on a 6 or less . . . although
roleplaying advantages are greater, as
many gangs in Indiana and Ohio respect
DEDSELs and consider them partial allies. Kansas and Nebraska
Disadvantages : EDSELs are pretty As mentioned, these states are best for the range cowhand style of campaign.
much sworn enemies (large group, 30
points); the most radical DEDSELs (the But there are urban campaigns in New Omaha and Lincoln (try being a member
pedestrian-shooters) usually have of the Robobusters in Lincoln for that hi-tech flair). Pure federal-marshal-type
Fanaticism or Intolerance. lawman campaigns in KC-1 as well as the threat of incursions and raids across
the Oklahoma/Kansas border, if you fancy the Quantrill's Raiders type adven-
ture are other possibilities. (The Kansans and the Okies still don't like one
another much.)

Michigan
Talk about danger incarnate! Remember, Michigan is the place where the
cops let you shoot one another, as long as you don't damage the roads. The state
is swarming with gangs and duellists in new cars just looking for a chance to try
them out. Then there's Detroit, steeped in company feuding, corporate
espionage, environmental disagreements with neighboring Windsor and
governed by a nearly non-existent government. The possibilities for corporate
intrigue and mercenary strikes in Detroit are endless.

Campaigning in the Midwest -8-

Minnesota and WISconsin
What's exciting about dairy work? Not much. But the Anarchist Relief Front
a pretty strong foothold in northwest Wisconsin, and they regularly cause
trouble- they're still fighting with the Flaming Lakers in Minneapolis/St. Paul.
And don't forget the sectarian conflict in Milwaukee. The beer convoys have
more trouble every day pulling through the slums. Set up a group as the Mar-
queUes, and wage war and insurrection against the ruling elite of the enclaves!
And if you're more the off-road type, remember the logging companies in both
states; they're always in need of good men (and women).

- - .(~l·,__,----~- ~---l.-- --
V·
Missouri -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - · - - - -
1{ there is a state that could ever be posted as a zone dangerous to your
health, this is it. You're not likely to find much in the way of urban, corporate
intrigue here, although the two fuel-alcohol companies in Springfield usually
worry about profit first and legality later. Most of the campaigning in Missouri
will be colored by the near paranoia of the armed residents (you can live in a

--
town for 20 years and still be considered a "foreigner") and the large numbers of
splinter groups that the Ozarks region seems to collect. Hiding in the forests,
are groups ranging from the rural moonshiners and dope farmers to cult religions

---
and neo-Nazi groups . For additional complications there are Okie raids into Mis-
souri as well as Kansas- Joplin lives in fear of them (although some Joplinites
live in gleeful anticipation of combat).

NoTth Dakota
A wonderful "Clubhouse Blues" campaign could center around the North
Dakota Electric Authority (NDEA, seep. 34). The duties ofthe NDEA include
some law-enforcement, as well as the task of maintaining the powerlines against
the problems of weather and vandalizing duellists. "NDEA blues" would also
extend well into South Dakota, cooperating with the SDEA.

Ohio
An obvious idea for a campaign or adventure is to place the story in M·d-
ville. The maps and some of the personalities are already provided. Lots of
things happen in Midville: the six months where TV crews move in to shoot
background and other footage for the TV show "Crash City," the MONDO - - - ~~!!f!IJI
patrols, the ever-present problem of cocky duellists coming to the town to chal- ·
lenge the locals' prowess etc. If you don't want to use Midville, try out one of
the cities in the area - for instance, a campaign set in Cincinnati or Dayton,
centered around the inevitable rumbles there. And what of Cleveland, the only
neutron-bombed city in the world? Neutron bombs just kill people, you know,
and the radiation's not supposed to linger . .. Who knows what (or who) is there
in the city now? Will you be brave enough to find out?

South Dakota
The co-ops are ready-made for campaigning, on a limited scale. The story-
line would tend toward The Western in format.
Using the mines and the city of Rapid City in campaigns is also a great idea.
Almost anyone can find something to do in this burg! Driving ore trucks for the
mines, free-lance prospecting (very dangerous), hunting down gangs, hunting
down ore shipments, scouting the Badlands to help re-open the Park, even riding
shotgun for the airships flying the refined metals- all are good possibilities.

-9- Campaigning in the Midwest

TBI GBURGB OF AMIRIGA
Donald LaMothe:
Religious leader
or demagogue?
(His Politics: Loud - His Bank Ac-
count: Silent)
In the vid-happy world of the 21st cen-
tury, the influence of video personalities
like Donald LaMothe is great. When he
can make an appeal for funds and get them,
mostly from non-members, in 24 hours,
his character must come into question;
anyone with that sort of power is suspect.
LaMothe's defenders maintain that he
is a sincere preacher, spreading the gospel
in the most effective way he can, and that
such methods take a lot of funding. There
is no argument that he is a very entertain-
ing speaker, capable of enthralling an
audience with his voice.
Others argue that the funds raked in by
LaMothe's ministry are ill-spent and mis-
managed, if not put directly into personal
fortune. Examples such as his Morningstar
Deluxe, custom-built and plated with gold,
and his mansion in the Bolingbrook section
of Chicago, are presented as proof that the
contributions of the faithful are misused.
Champions of LaMothe simply point out
that he has many enemies and needs the
security .
Attempts to delve into LaMothe's past
have met with considerable failure. Little
about him is known or can be found prior
to his appearance in Tulsa. Inconclusive
evidence linking him with a radical fringe
political movement before the Riot Years
has been found, and this has been used by
detractors to claim that LaMothe was a
crooked politician before he became an
evangelical crooked politician, but that is
the limit of his history to date.
LaMothe himself has answered his ac-
cusers firmly but without providing any
concrete information, holding that his life
before his enlightenment no longer exists .
With answers like that, accusers have
taken to waiting for LaMothe to make a
mistake before questioning him, lest La-
Mothe turn the appearance into a chance to
preach. So far, they're still waiting.
The Church of America
The Church of America, as mentioned in the descriptions of Chicago and il-
linois, is a growing force in the nation, and especially in the Midwest. As the
most powerful religious organization on the airwaves today, anyone wishing to
travel the Midwest should know something about it.
The Origins of The Church
The history of the Church is shrouded in mystery, which is surprising for an -
organization so young. It is thought that the "miracles" on which the Church is
founded occurred during the Riot Years. Best guess places the foundation ofthe
Church in 2019 or 2020.
According to the recorded gospel of the Church a group of motorized tran-
sients -probably a cycle gang - was stopped for an extended camp somewhere
in the plains of Colorado, heading east. One of this group, a woman whose name
was Ann, or some reasonable facsimile thereof (in the Book of America, she is
referred to only as Saint Anne), had a vision one day. She saw a large mass of
people waiting in a city on the western side of a great lake. Apparently they were
waiting for a pair of hands to reach down from the sky and pick them all up,
taking them from the earth to some destination unknown. Ann awoke from this
vision inspired, and told her fellow travelers. Shortly thereafter, the other thir-
teen members of the group experienced similar visions, and one of them, iden-
tified as Brother Jed, asserted that the city was Chicago, and was the City of
Redemption.
The group took this vision through Oklahoma, acquiring occasional
believers, but still remaining a small cult. This changed when they reached
Tulsa.
ANew Leader
During an impromptu "service" in the ruined section of Tulsa, covered by
local guns and television cameras, a convert named Donald LaMothe carne for-
ward. He seized the megaphone from the erstwhile speaker/preacher and under-
went a rather lengthy and dramatic but inspiring conversion to the faith of the
Church of America. His oratory was very impressive, and so excited the
audience that at least twenty people carne forward to join. This was a record for
the Church, it seemed, and LaMothe became the de facto leader of the cult.
The Church followers left Tulsa shortly thereafter, headed north. They went
"spreading the faith," and "many of the unenlightened saw the Truth and flock-
ed joyfully to the news of Saint Anne" (according to the Book of America).
Eyewitnesses testified that as the cult went north, they pillaged and plundered,
sparing only those people who converted or contributed to the Church. (Few of
these witnesses are alive now; most of them have been killed in the last few
years. None of the murderers have ever been found or identified.) Most of the
willing converts were small gangs, who joined the obviously superior power of
the Church.
This phase of the cult's history ended about 2026. Having acquired enough
animosity (and, one would presume, cash), the Church stopped raiding and mar-
ched north to Chicago. They traveled mostly on foot, for there were not enough
vehicles to carry the swelling ranks. It was during this march north that the Book
of America was compiled, by author or authors unidentified.
The Book laid down the tenets ofthe Church (see sidebar, p. 12), as well as
setting down the origins of the cult. A considerable section was devoted to point-
-10-
ing out prophecies in the Apocrypha, the Koran and the predictions of
Nostradamus that foresaw the Church and its grand purpose; its last sections The Church's Leader:
revealed the rewards awaiting those who joined the Church and furthered its pur- Donald LaMothe
pose. It is from this tome that most of the information concerning the early days ST 10, DX 11, IQ 14, HT 11.
of the cult is drawn for this essay - no easy task, considering that the Book's Basic Speed 5; Move 5.
writing is obfuscatory and vague. Details of important events are missing, espe- Advantages: Reputation +4 (to Church
cially unflattering details. Some have accused the Church of deliberate falsifica- of America members, all the time, as a
saint); Reputation -4 (to church enemies,
tion in its Book; the leaders of the Church disdain to comment on these all the time, as a religious fanatic); Voice;
accusations, holding that there will always be those jealous of the power of the Attractive Appearance; Filthy Rich; Status
Church. An interesting side note here is that the host of a live national TV talk +3; Charisma +5.
Disadvantages: Greed; Enemies of the
show was murdered in Chicago in 2034 shortly after he extensively probed Church (Medium group, 6-, typically un-
Donald LaMothe about some of the discrepancies of the Book. organized).
When the members of the Church arrived in Chicago, they moved into the Quirks: Can't resist a TV appearance;
very vain; somewhat paranoid; must be the
southwest part of the sprawling city. There the followers of LaMothe settled center of attention at all times; won't dis-
down for a brief peaceful period. Then, in 2030, they attempted a full-scale in- cuss theology.
vasion of the whole city in an bid to gain complete control of the metropolis and Skills: Accounting-13; Administration-
thus have the entire city as the Holy Place of the cult. 14; Acting-20; Bard-20; Carousing-10;
Computer Operation!TL7-13; Detect Lies-
Why LaMothe made this critical mistake is a subject of conjecture among 14; Diplomacy-16; Driving!TL7 (car)-11;
historians; some believe that he was "inspired" to make the attempt, while many Motorcycle/TL7 (Med/Hvy)-11; Eco-
others hold that LaMothe had to do something bold to maintain control of the cult nomics-11; Fast-Draw (pistol)-10; Fast-
Talk-18; First Aid-13; Forgery/TL7-11;
in the face of a new rival for power, Adlai Robberwell. Gunner/TL7 (MGs)-13*; Guns/TL7 (pis-
At any rate, whatever LaMothe's reason, the legions of the Church attacked tols)-14*; Guns/TL7 (SMGs)-13*; Inter-
and were bloodily repulsed. The natives of the city, particularly of the ethnic rogation-12; Knife-10; Law-14;
Leadership-15; Politics-16; Psychology-
south side, had long viewed the Church as a gang of goons (at best) and resented 11; Savoir-faire-14; Writing-12.
their intrusion into the pattern of Chicago's power structure. On all fronts, the (*includes +2 IQ bonus)
Church lost, retreating to the boroughs that they already held. Personal Equipment: Kevlar vest, con-
Yet the defeat was not the end of LaMothe or the Church. LaMothe hand- cealed; Smith & Wesson .357 pistol, con-
cealed; dagger, concealed.
somely and eloquently apologized to the people of Chicago on city-wide

-11- 1he Church ofAmerica


Tenets of the Church
of America
Due, perhaps, to its realtive youth, the
Church of America is not terribly restric-
tive in its views concerning its followers
and the world around it. However, there
are some things the Church holds to be
true:
There i11 011/y o11e Supreme Bei11g. It has
many names, but it is still the same.
Chicago is the Holy City. All believers
gathered there will be ele-vated to Nirvana
(that's how it's referred to in the Book of
America) .
All followers of the Faith of America
shall spread Sai11t Am1e's Visio11 a11d the
belief ill it to the Ullelllightelled.
Those who are Ullelllightelled are to be
pitied. It is the duty of the follower of the
faith to enlighten them.
Those who defy the Visio11 ofSaillt A1111e
are i11jide/s a11d evil. Though offered en-
lightenment, they have refused.
Virgi11ity is a 11ecessary evil Ulltil the
age of co11selll; virgi11ity after the age of
conse111 is a11athema. This age is fourteen
years, derived from the number of original
holders of the Vision.
Marriage is !WI a11 institu1io11 i11 the
Church ofAmerica. If members wish to be-
come legally bound to each other, or even
to those outside the Church, it is their own
business.
All who hold the Vision of Saint An11e
are brother a11d sister, no matter what
their past, creed, or race.
These tenets may or may not be strictly
observed by members of the Church, ac-
cording to individual taste. Certainly the
Church has no tenets against taking life or
fighting. A side effect of the Church tenets
is the population of southwest Chicago:
Church population growth is roughly 10%
per year, which frightens the rest of the
city ...
The Church ofAmerica
television, claiming that he had been misled by the plans of Robberwell, whose
brainchild the attack had been. Robberwell ostensibly committed suicide when
he saw what carnage he had brought to the members of the Church and the
citizens of Chicago.
(LaMothe's appearance on television was nothing new; he could do so when-
ever he chose. When the Church had settled in southwest Chicago in 2028, the
first major purchase had been a satellite broadcasting system. After the 2030
Massacre, that system and others installed by the Church started broadcasting to
the world the word of the faith from the Church of America, in a very effective
evangelical campaign that continues to this day.)
The Church of America Today
Donald LaMothe's inspirational appearances and the powerful programming
of the American Religious Network (often known as "Amy TV") make the
Church of America the most well-known cult in the nation. Many viewers (par-
ticularly in the Midwest) who yearn for religious television watch A.R.N., for
lack of any other source. The programming shown on A.R.N. is not just Church
of America propaganda; often, spokespersons from other religious groups are
featured as well. Some point to this as a sign that the" Amys" are becoming more
tolerant of other schools of religious thought; others think compromise is too un-
like the Church of America, and therefore suspect collusion or worse.
The Church is known for more than its television. Several champion duelists
have come from the Church environs in Chicago, and many truckers running
from Illinois throughout the Midwest are "Amys"; most are members in good
standing in the Brotherhood. No longer is the Church a reputed bandit gang,
though rumor has it that Church-sponsored gangs of highwaymen still operate in
neighboring states.
Economically, the Church is a success. It brings a great deal of money into
Chicago, though the Chicagoans would rather be grateful to someone else for the
windfall. The money comes from loyal Church members in Chicago (who con-
tribute half their income), donations from television viewers, and other profit-
making operations. (One such operation is the sale of burial plots in Chicago,
allowing Church members who don't live in Chicagoto rest eternally in the Holy
City and thus be among the Assembled when the Hands appear.) Some ofthe
Church's wealth is attributed to loot from their purported bandit gangs.
All is not peaceful in the Church at the moment. Although Donald LaMothe
is still the undisputed leader, there are factions in the Church which quarrel with
one another, sometimes lethally. The main warring factions are those of the
Moslem converts (there are many of these in Chicago, of predominantly black or
Middle Eastern extraction) and of the ex-WASP conservatives. Both are radical;
led by Brothers Shadigo and Fubu in the ex-Moslem camp and Brother Caspar
in the former Christian, these groups often clash. Brother Morgar, the Chief of
Security in the Church and LaMothe's right-hand man, has his hands full trying
to keep the war from flaring up to a level where the press will notice it. Consider-
ing the constant tension with the rest of Chicago, the position of the Church is
anything but secure.
-12-
PORTRISS TOWIS
Theory and Practice
As long as there have been men more interested in taking than making, there
have been those who have fortified their dwellings and possessions.
During the era of the Blight famine, the takers followed the same pattern as
the barbarian hordes that ravaged ancient Europe. Mobile but heavily-armed
raiders struck quickly, grabbed what food, arms and valuables they could, then
vanished into the distance before the defenders could react or catch them. This
time they were armed with 21st-century technology.
The makers also followed the same pattern - they built fortress towns.
These towns were built to resist the raiders' attack, while the defenders
mustered. Easy access routes were blocked off, strong points reinforced and
barbed wire strung around the perimeter.

------- -- --
-
(
...___ _____----
~------~
~-------------

The residents were trained too. Every able-bodied person who could use a
weapon was assigned one and a place to defend - organizers realized that con-
fusion benefitted the raiders more than the defenders.
A great many towns reacted this way. The arms stockpiled during the
Second Civil War, though they added much carnage to the Food Riots, served
the people of the Midwest well during the chaos that was to follow. Soon after
the fall of authority, primitive fortress towns began to appear, with the trigger-
happy inhabitants manning roadblocks and bunkers to protect their own.
Fortress towns were not just small rural communities like Midville. Often,
parts of major cities would become little fortress communities within the greater
metropolis, warring with any outsider- even (or sometimes especially) their
neighboring boroughs!

-13- Fortress Towns


Busting Forlress Towns and
The Art of Raiding
(We repri11t, by permissio11, excerpts
from a11 ifllerview of the retired ex-biker
ga11g leaders of the disba11ded ga11g, the
Beasty Boys. The i11terviewer was Milo
Chesterfield, free-/alice reporter worki11g
for the cult magazi11e Rood IWts. The ar-
ticle was e11titled "The Beasty Boys: Now
a11d The11" (Volume 4 Number 6, published
i11 October 2035).
The first part of the article introduced
the Beasty Boys (Rap, Movin' Mountain
and Blam-Blam) and covered some of their
earlier exploits of the Riot Years, from
their origins as a failed pop singing group
through their career as leaders of the
powerful and successful cycle gang that
took the name of their defunct singing
group .
Milo: What are the secrets of your suc-
cessful raids of supposedly u11raidable
tow11s all over the U.S.
" Unraidable towns? Haw!" Rap, the
spokesman, chortled through his whiten-
ing mustache. "Ain't no such thing, blood.
There been places that said they were un-
raidable, but none of 'em stood up to th'
challenge."
He turned to Blam-Blam. "Hey, Blam-
Blam, remember that place down in
Mexico, with th' machine guns and the
tanks? Stupid macho *(deleted)* even had
it goin' over the radio in American that
their little Alamo couldn't be taken. We
showed 'em!"
"Yeah!" Blam-Blam wheezed, holding
his paunch as he laughed. "Lemme tell
Milo what we did to 'em, Rap!" Rap
nodded assent. "We starved 'em out; we
just sat outa th' range of their guns, and
didn't let no food in. Dumb *(deleted)*
didn't have no seaweed plant, or nothin'
but th' food they had already inside. An'
nobody came to help 'em either; we
camped outside the walls fer a couple
months, an' they got so weak they couldn't
even man their big guns . They tried comin'
out to fight us, but we could get away 'fore
them tanks could find us . Remember th'
time they split up t' search, Rap? Th' boys
ambushed th' tank 'n took it. From then
on, they didn't even try t' come out, 'cause
they was afraid of their own tank!"
Co11ti11ued 011 11ext page . ..
Fortress Towns
Overall, fortress towns were a success. Those that survived managed to
achieve the dual goals of restricting the gangs' road access and protecting the
citizenry. Eventually, the gangs started to leave tough targets alone, and the sur-
vivors began to grow and stabilize themselves economically. Now, the fortress
town/city is a firm support of our society. Most are self-sufficient, with their
own nuclear and/or solar power, and algae breeders to feed the populace. In-
dustries now have the protection needed to produce goods again; no longer do
the inhabitants have to watch over their shoulders for attackers. The fortress
towns are havens of civilization in the wastelands of 21st-century America.
The Anatomy of a Fortress Town
Every fortress town is different, as different as the towns and cities were
before they were converted to fortress towns. However, there are similarities of
construction and, certainly, of purpose. These similarities allow most fortress
towns to be grouped into one of three categories: open, citadel and closed.
An open fortress town is one where there are no walls and few real impedi-
ments to entrance or egress. Most of the roads are clear, with perhaps a couple
of roadblocks on the main highways in and out. Commanding the approaches,
there are no massive defenses visible; weapon restrictions inside the city limits
are usually lenient.
This sort of fortress town depends more on the bravery and firepower of its
defenders for its "fortress" rating than on static defenses. The best example of
this type of fortress town (or at least the best known) is Midville, Ohio. For
years, without the benefit of massive defenses, the MONDOS and their allies
have beaten off attackers of all sorts, ranging from cycle gangs and random duel-
lists to a stolen tank manned by the Anarchist Relief Front. Their success is due
to the sheer number of weapons and the many willing hands that use them.
A citadel fortress town harkens back to the medieval concept of the castle.
A fortified citadel is constructed in a more or less central location, serving as a
rally point and/or retreat area in case of attack. In the beginning, the citadel is
often simply a strong building, large enough to hold a sizable number of people,
located in a defensible position. As time passes, the citadel evolves into an ar-
mory, storehouse and administrative headquarters for the defenders, just like the
medieval castle.
As the town prospers, outlying mini-citadels and/or bunkers are constructed
for the defense of particularly vulnerable areas or trouble spots (through-ways,
major highway entrances and main drags are all prime areas for these) . Some
bunkers are actually transformed into smaller auxiliary citadels, complete with
troop space, armories, and garages along with weapons emplacements. The
majority of cities and towns don't have need for anything this elaborate, though,
and the bunkers remain armored weapons mounts, controlling the traffic in the
area. Most of the fortress towns are citadel types, since the citadel offers the best
balance of protection and cost-efficiency.
Some rare towns and cities take the next step, though, and go right into the
closed fortress style. This bears a great resemblance to the medieval walled
town, with complete concrete encirclement of the town and its inhabitants. Ex-
pensive but strong, the closed town is too great a challenge for gangs to attack -
nothing short of a full-fledged army is a threat to these fortresses.
More often than not, the closed town starts off as a simple roadblock and
barbed-wire concept. A citadel area is constructed or chosen to serve as a base
- wealthy neighborhoods, school campuses, factory complexes or other places
with defendable boundaries are all prime choices. The walls are gradually ex-
tended as it is decided that more area must be defended. Eventually, the whole
town/city has its boundaries sharply defined by the walls. To prevent anyone
-14-
6an trying the walls, many closed towns mount weaponed bunkers at crucial
· , similar to the defenses of the 20th-century Maginot Line. The closed
tDwn is the epitome of expense and protection in our world.
The three types presented here are only stereotypes of the various cities and
1Dwns that exist throughout the world. Often, the types are mixed- it is very
are to find a town or city that has only one type of defense (unless it is quite
small). The average city is fairly open with a central citadel or fort as it strong
point.
In such large areas as Chicago, however, the mix is greater. There are rela-
tively open areas with bunkers; occasional closed regions like suburbs and col-
lege campuses; seemingly unfortified areas that appear open, but have buildings
1bat can be emergency citadels; and honest built-for-that-purpose citadels with a
aetwork of tunnels connecting all of them so troop movements are right under
the attackers' feet.

The Beasty Boys' second clones, following their less than successful raid on New Omaha.

-15- Fortress Towns

 The Defenders
The Art of Raiding No fortress town is worth anything without people - indeed, in the begin-
(Continued)
ning, all !l fortress town has is its defenders.
"See?" Rap smirked. "They's no such Nearly all defense organizations started out as a sort of militia, either during
animal as an unraidable place. Even nuts the Food Riots or shortly thereafter. Usually, some local leader asked for volun-
like KC-1 '11 break ify' know where t' put teers, then told the townspeople that they could either fight together or die
th' hammer."
separately. Rarely, some ex-military unit would serve as a nucleus for a fighting
Milo: •So you starved out the Mexicans, force. Whatever the case, town defenders were usually part of an ad-hoc or-
laying siege - what about places where
help would arrive, and keep you from ganization at best.
starving them out r Like the towns they d~fended, the defenders also evolved. From the militias
"Those y' gotta hit fast and get out, or and local neighborhood organizations, many took on a semblance of order,
not at all," Rap pointed out. "Like, man, y' choosing leaders and working out organized tactics for dealing with attackers.
don't hang 'round if there's a bunch of nuts Some even started training their members in marksmanship and other organized
with guns comin' t' put holes in ya, ya
know what I mean? It's a sb.lpid bunch of
mayhem to the point of resembling the armed forces they replaced.
bikers that waits around fer t' be killed." Today, a wide variety oflocal defenders can be found. The range oftraining
"No *(deleted)* ," Movin' Mountain and professionalism is reflected by such groups as the still private-citizen
grunted in his deep voice. "Ya got ta be MONDOS and others like them; the highly-trained, private security forces in the
sure of what ya do, with these places. If ya
don't find out what yaup against, ya goin' western neighborhoods of Chicago; autoduelling clubs that act as city defense
ta die, ya dig?" and anti-terrorist units (SANDTRAP in San Diego being a good example); and
Milo:"How did you all do this so con- the superbly trained and hyper-tough Enforcers of Kansas City.
stantly, without getting caught or killed? What type of defenders a city has is likely to hinge on the wealth, type and
There are very few bikers that made it attitude of the place. A good rule of thumb: The larger, more cohesive and weal-
through to retire comfortably. •
thier the city, the more professional and well-equipped the defenders are likely
The three of them grinned, and Movin' to be.
Mountain laughed through his gap-toothed
smile.
The converse is also true - the smaller the town, the less professional the
"You said it, brother," Blam-Blam
chortled, running his hand over his tanned,
bald pate.
"What we did was use our brains," Rap
explained. "There was a right way t' raid,
an' a wrong way t' raid. Now, y' see, th' Wichita,
wrong way is t' take it like th' Thunder Kanaaa
Turkeys did in Midville a few years back: Jabara Airport
They went roarin' into th' town like they
owned it, an' got chopped inta little bits by
the MONOOs . Ya can't do that with a Iotta
places an' expect t' see yer next birthday."
"You tellum, Rap," Movin' Mountain e Wichita State University
seconded the statement.
"I am, Mountain," Rap shot back. •
St. Francis
Medical Center (i;
"Keep yer mouth shut whilst I lay down th'
line for th' man with th' magazine." He ~
glared at the other two, who subsided, and
continued: "Those guys who went in firin'
0 •
Mid-America All-Indian
Center and Museum
and came out smokin' didn't use no
~h Aircraft Corp.
strategy. None at all. They wouldn't know
what they was up against, or who, or how •
t' go about it. We didn't make mistakes like
that."
He spat into his beer bottle and got up
from his seat. "Ya see, we're smarter than •
Kansas-Newman
College
that. We got brains, see? When we picked
out a town t' hit, we didn't go in t' get our
*(deleted)* *(deleted)* shot off. Naw, we
scouted th' place out first, real careful-
like."
Colllinued on next page .. .
McConnell
Air Force Base

Fortress Towns -16-

dei-Dders. Smaller towns field units like the MONDOS -private citizens acting
in defense of their homes and families, paid only in the security of their towns
8li the gratitude of their peers.
Larger cities with centralized governments often use professional forces.
The Art of Raiding
(Continued)
the ancient city-states, the fortress cities must keep private armies. The
wealth of a town or city also helps determine the sort of defense force. A poor "Saved our *(deleted)*, too," Blam-
a:mmunity cannot afford to hire people just to sit around and drill, waiting for Blam interrupted. He quieted before Rap
could scold him.
attack that hopefully won't come. Richer places, such as the famed city of Los "As I was sayin'," Rap continued,
Disneys, can afford to do just that. scowling, "ya gotta find out some things
Naturally, in the event of widespread attack citizens who volunteer to help about a town 'fore ya go in forth' kill. Ya
will be welcomed. However, the professionals can handle most problems alone. gotta look for weak points, like seein' if
they got bunkers or guns set up on th'
The attitude of the community is also important. Chicago, for instance, does roads. An' do they got th' roads mined?
have a professional standing army - each faction refuses to allow a superior It's happened more than once, Iemme tell
anned force to exist under the control of anyone else. Detroit shares much the ya.
"Now, these ain't weak points, these're
same attitude. The corporations feel that a standing army would be a waste of th' stro11g points. But if they got strong
money, given the strength of their corporate armies. They are also notably points, they gotta have places where they
cautious about placing the command of such a force in the hands of whatever don't make strong. Ya look for these;
spend a coupla days scoutin', just t' make
company-sponsored politician is in charge of the city. sure. If they're stupid enough t' have th'
The independent city-state, KC-1, on the other hand, has a strong central main drag open, an' no machine-gun nests
government and strict control over the populace. Although the Enforcers fill or roadblocks or mines, then you're in
police functions as well as military ones, they are still a standing army, and are luck."
"Hah," Movin' Mountain grunted ex-
pretty much the extent of Kansas City's defense force. plosively. "Like Coffeyville?"
Rap nodded. "Yeah. Good point,
Mountain. Case ya hadn't heard, Milo,
Building A Fortress Town Coffeyville was 11asty. We learned a
First, decide what general type the town is to be. Will it be completely open, coupla things there 'bout scoutin'.
"We was just leamin' th' trade, when
depending on heroic defense, or will it have fixed, concrete (in more ways than we stumbled inta Coffeyville. I never saw
one) defenses? If so, how much? a place that looked so good t' hit: No MGs,
no mines, not even a road-block. Me 'n
The city of Wichita, Kansas will be our an example. Looking at a map of Mountain, here, we went in t' check it out,
Wichita (on the previous page), note that the city has two universities, one col- see what they had, y'know? Th' folks was
real friendly, an' didn't seem t' have much
lege, three airports and a military base. It also has a major north-south and a inna way of guns, so we went t' th' bar-
major east-west freeway running through the middle of town, as well as three they had potato booze- an' asked some of
other highways that form an incomplete beltway around the town. Based on the th' locals if they'd seen much gang action.
They said a couple times, but it was no big
size, openness and the already-existing base, the open format is out - too many deal t' speak of. Gave us th' impression
ways to attack- and the city is too poor to be closed. Therefore, Wichita is a that all they'd seen was a kid on a trike
citadel city. once. Targets, for sure. So we leave,
wavin' goodbye, an' ride back in at dawn
After the decision is made what type of fortress the city is going to be, the with th' whole gang."
GM has to decide just what happened to the town or city in the fifty years be- "I 11ever saw that many guns an' that
many people show up in that little time in
tween the date of the source map being used and the time of Autoduel America. my .whole life. We was lucky t' get outta
This is a crucial step, as it will determine more about the town/city than any there with our heads; lost four guys there,
other single process. insid'a minute. We didn't even stop t'
fight; we just kept on goin' . An' the moral
Quite a lot of information is necessary just to plot out the basics on a small of it is: Make *(deleted)* good an' sure t'
city. All that information will directly or indirectly influence the next step of for- scout out th' townfolk thoroughly. If they
tifying the city. Be warned: totally converting a town or city to the world of the boast 'bout th' gangs they've stopped, lis-
2030s is going to require some thinking, and a lot of arbitrary decisions Don't ten good. Ya can tell how tall th' story is
most of th' time; if it's real tall , then th'
be frightened of all the decisions, though. Once you make the first few important guys with th' guns aren't half as good as
ones, the rest of them fall in line, and the "story line" of the area becomes clear. they claim."
What did happen? Was the place nearly burned to the ground, with only a "I'll say it again: Look forth' defenses,
an' look forth' weak points. Check out th'
very small part of it surviving? Did the city fragment into armed camps, or did guys you're most likely goin' t' be shootin'
the citizens band together? How often was it attacked? How did it prosper after at, an' see how good they are."
the Riots - what was the economic base for survival? Did the inhabitants im- "Don't forget th' loot!" Blam-Blam put
in.
port, export, steal or produce for themselves? Geographically, if there were Co11ti11ued 011 11ex1 page . ..
parts of the town/city that didn't survive the Riots and were destroyed, what
parts are they? Has there been any rebuilding in the area? Are there any arenas

-17- Fortress Towns


The Arl of Raiding
(Continued)
"*(deleted)* straight," Rap agreed.
"While you're lookin' th' place over, find
out what ya want an' where it is. Ya spend
time during a raid lookin' for th' loot, ya
may as well give up. Oh, there was some
places too weak t' defend themselves, and
ya could practically move in with 'em.
Take all th' time in th' world t' find what ya
wanted. Those got real rare as time went
by; places that survived got tougher.
'Specially th' midwest farm towns: They
got tougher'n concrete. Ya had t' get in 'n
get out fast, or you'd lose to many of th'
gang. Oh, sure, ya might beat 'em, but
they'll shoot yaup in th' meantime."
Milo: "What did you do once the towns
started fortifying?"
Rap tapped his head. "We hit 'em
where they didn't expect us to. If they had
th' place made t' keep us out, we looked
for a way in. They couldn't have
everywhere covered! All we had t' do was
look, an' nine times outta ten, there'd be
some road with just an old dead car, or
barbed wire, or somethin' else weak,
where we could go through. Oh, sure, it'd
slow us down a bit, but we'd get through
anyway. An' once we was in, that's when
the fun started!
Continued on next page ...
Fortress Towns
or other items of interest in the place? What facilities survived? And what
economic base does the place survive on now?
Wichita was quite prosperous during the Second Civil War. Located a mere
45 miles from the Oklahoma border- a serious war zone - McConnel AFB be-
came a major staging area for the military. As a Strategic Air Command (SAC)
base, it was home to a busy bomber squadron as well as a refuelling depot.
Numerous troops were stationed there to protect the supply depot as well as the
wing. There never was an attack on Wichita, however, since the Free Oil States
were never really strong enough to attack. Some remnants of this mobilization
still remain.
When the Blight hit and the grain industry disappeared, many people left the
city in search ofjobs as well as food. If the soldiers at the base had joined the
Riots, Wichita would have been destroyed. As it was, they either left or helped.
The remaining cityfolk came to depend on the soldiers for armed protection. Air-
tech, a light aircraft manufacturer, aided the soldiers with their corporate fleet
of small aircraft fueled by petroleum obtained in the southwest corner of the
state. As the years passed, the demarcation between armed defenders and
populace nearly disappeared as the soldiers became part of the population.
The economic base for Wichita's survival was be the aircraft factories and
the Kansas soil itself. Sowing alternate food crops, such as potatoes, and grow-
ing wild-grass feed for cattle, provided enough real food for Wichita to export
some to other cities. The aircraft provided an aerial highway to transport the
food without fear of hijack or attack. As petroleum supplies dwindled, the
aircraft came to depend more on electric-engine technology. As airships
returned to widespread use, Airtech was in a prime position to seize a huge
market share - Wichita sits on vast reserves ofhelium, and Airtech had already
pioneered high-efficiency electric-powered aircraft.
As greenery recaptured the Kansas plains, the cattle industry reappeared in
strength. Wichita, as a "rea/food" exporter, was in a wondeiful position to com-
mence large-scale exports. Wichita became the 21st-century equivalent of
Abilene, the town at the end of the 19th-century cattle drives.
The population is still lower that pre-Riot levels, and the inhabited part of
the city is smaller. It also has an algae plant for supplementary food supply. The
base still survives, andAirtech does a very brisk business in all sorts of aircraft
(including the occasional gas-burner for the wealthy speedjreak). The new
stockyards at the old municipal airport are never idle, and trucks move through
the city day and night carrying beef (on the hoof or frozen for shipment
eastward).
The final step of the process is to take a map of the town or city and fortify
it, with the changes made by future history firmly in mind. Here, the decisions
are distinctly tactical. Where are the vulnerable spots? Where are mobile attack-
ers likely to try and enter the place? Are there any highways straight through the
center of town, or nearly so? Are there any bases, armories or other obvious
defensive areas? What are the attackers after?
When you have located the vulnerable areas and strong areas, the decision
must be made on how strongly they are going to be defended. This is based on
the wealth of the city, the importance of each area and whether there are facilities
already there that will provide defense.
The boundaries of Wichita have shrunk, as the populace withdrew from the
outer sections of the city. There are roadblocks on the through streets; some are
tank-trap permanent, indicating that until Wichita grows again, these streets are
blocked off. The streets leading east from Interstate 235 are not only tank-
trapped, they are mined to prevent attackers or cowboys bent on hell-raising
-18-
 Cowtown Arena
• Wichita,
Kanaaa

21st St .

e Wichita State University The An of Raiding

>. •
~ St. Francis
(Continued)
'lij Medical Cen:er
e
co "It really pays t' scout, Milo. Once, we

County• •
Mid-America All-Indian
Center and Museum
went inta a town th' back way, thinkin' it
was pretty easy, only t' fmd that th'
Courthouse 2 nd St.
downtown was a mess of barbed-wire an'
glass put out t' blow tires . Worked, too:
We lost a half a dozen cycles in five
minutes. Fortunately, we could outshoot
Friends University th' locals, an' kept 'em off long enough t'
[ ; ) get th' bikes out. But it was a bust."
.._,J "As for th' really strong places, like
KC-1, well, ya have t' get a Iotta guys t'
take it on, and be ready t' have lottsa guys
shot. Those places are nasty SOBs, and
that's the *(deleted)* truth! But they can
still be raided."
Milo: "if you don't mind my asking,
McConnell Rap, why haven't such strong points been
Air Force Base raided? KC-1 boasts no raids for the past
decade; don't you think someone would
have risen to the challenge?"
Rap spat into his bottle again . "Dude,
you'd never made it as a biker! Ya got th'
from entering the town from the west. 1he streets coming off of State Highway 96 brawn, but no brains. Ya don't attack
somethin for the challenge- this ain't no
to the north are similarly impassable. Please note that there is no such protec- *(deleted)* game! There's no percentage
tion on Interstate 35; it is almost a part of the city, and is regularly patrolled by in a place like KC-1. Ya hit it, ya take a
the Police. Iotta hits from th' Enforcers . Chance is
there won't be enough guys t' do much
The bunkers at the campuses of Kansas Newman (now a fort instead of a once ya get inside th' walls. Naw, if ya
school) and Friends University command the approach from the west along 1-54, raid, ya take on smaller places, where ya
as well as keep an eye on the Airport Stockyards- any cowhand who decides to won't take so many hits an' can still get out
have some fun roaring up the main drag and shooting up the town finds that the with yer head an' some goodies besides.
An' there's lots of those little places still;
town shoots back! For cowhands who don't want to spend the night out at the there's even more now than there was ten
yards, there are cheap but clean transient rooms at Kansas Newman in the old years ago."
donnitories (keeping some cowhands out of trouble in town during time ofpeace, "It's gettin' harder 'n harder t' raid,
though. Th' gangs'r smaller, an' it's more
and serving as barracks in wartime). expensive. Lottsa cycle gangs 'r
There are more bunkers at the St. Francis Medical Center- the hospital *(deleted)* social clubs now! Nothin' like
was already fortified, and the planners just used the existing defenses - that we was out there on th' road!" The other
two growled agreement. "An' trucks 'n
command north 1-135. And, of course, the stupid attacker that hits from east or
cars are easier prey than towns today,
south must deal with the entrenched defenses (and hovering hunter-killer chop- anyway. Who's gonna take on artillery t'
pers) ofAirtech. get inta a town if there's a truck out there
that ya can just knock th' front wheels offa
The mapping of the city is complete. All that remains is to decide the level 'n grab what it carries?"
of law enforcement (professional, legal, amateur and/or lethal), and detail the Continued on next page ...
defenders. Other facilities, such as medical, educational and governmental areas
should be noted. Duelling arenas, local combat football and other sports teams,
as well as unique or unusual fixtures provide interest to the city.
Wichita, by the very fact that it is a cattle-town, has less strict laws and law
enforcement than before the Riots. There's no practical way to restrict the arms
of the cowhands and citizenry, so the police force spends its time responding to
problems within the city.

-19- Fortress Towns


The Art of Raiding
(Contimud)
Rap paused for a moment, gathering his
thoughts. He set his bottle down and began
pacing. "Th' real thing that killed off th'
gangs, though, is th' cars. When J.Q.
Public started gettin' guns on his car 'n
shootin' anythin' that moved just for kicks,
it kinda took th' fun outta bikin'. Not that
any onecarwas much of a threat; we'd just
mow it down. But it'd hit one, maybe two
bikes before it got fried, 'n there got t' be
more 'n more cars on th' road. Too many
t' fight fer th' rule of th' road; th' cars just
took over."
Mi1o: "Why didn't the bikers go to
cars? That's always surprised me, that
they didn't fight fire with fire. •
Rap shook his head. "Ya ever tried t'
play mechanic on one of those things? A
bike, we can fix; they don't take too much
t' deal with, an' ya don't need a *(deleted)*
shop t' fix 'em, either. Just try that with a
car. That's why we didn't go t' cars: We
just couldn't afford th' places t' fix 'em,
most of th' time. Some gangs today 'r dif-
ferent, of course. But forth' most part, it
take a garage t' fix a car, an' a Iotta bikers
didn't have one handy."
"Town folk, on th' other hand, did have
garages, so they could get their cars fixed
up when they got shot up. An' th' cars got
cheaper, so there got t' be a lot of'em . . . "
He sighed. "There's a few gangs still out
there, but not like it used to be. An' too
many of those *(deleted)* cars, ready t'
shoot ya up. So we just cashed it in 'n got
out before we got ours . . . still, we do
pretty well, eh, guys?" The other two
smirked. Rap went to the refrigerator and
got another beer; he popped the cap and
raised the bottle. "Here's t' us, th' last of
th' real bikers!"
Fortress Towns
There is a police force, which patrols in standard patrol cars; the force is
about I 00 strong, with 30 cars and a good-sized force of helicopters and light
aircraft. This is fairly good for a population of I20,000. As far as law enforce-
ment goes, duelling or the discharge of weapons is forbidden within the city
limits, as might be suspected, though, only serious or damaging incidents get the
attention of the police.
The corporate armies ofAirtech are relatively small in Wichita, numbering
perhaps I 50 to 200 men apiece - in essence just strong security forces. But the
air armadas that could be put in the air in case of major attack are limited only
by the company's available inventory!
McConnell Air Force Base is now the Wichita airport. Its facilities and
aircraft are heavily guarded by the Wichita Guard, a militia-type organization
with semiprofessional training. The manpower for the Guard is supplied by the
populace of the city- over 60% ofthe able-bodied belong to the Wichita Guard.
St. Francis Regional Medical Center offers a full range of excellent medical
care, as well as forming the city's northern bastion. The Vetrans' Administration
Hospital is still in existence, supplying medical care and Gold Cross facilities
(with discounts for U.S. veterans). St. Joseph Hospital offers basic medical care,
and has enlarged emergency facilities.
Wichita State University is a closed campus, and is well known for its
agricultural research. Friends University is also closed, and better known for its
technical degrees.
The fortified center-city region, including the County Courthouse and the
city government, serves as the administrative center for the entire western half of
Kansas.
Wichita's foremost tourist attractions are the Airport Stockyards, the Mid-
America All-Indian Center and Museum and the Cowtown Arena, out where the
Jabara Airport used to be. The Airtech zeppelinfadory is purported to be the
roomiest building in the world (Clouds form in there!). Scheduled tours are
available.
From 1980s city to 2030s fort, the conversion of your town or city is now
complete.
-20-
THE AADA ROAD ATLAS
AND SURVIVAL GUIDE:
THE UNITED STATES
TBI MIDWIST
There are a few facts of life that are the same over the
entire region. For convenience and to avoid repetition
these are presented here rather than in each state's descrip-
tion.
Keep an eye on the weather. Temperatures reach both
extremes and don't respect latitude; Missouri often has
below-freezing winters and North Dakota often has over-
1000 summers. Many states in the Midwest are subject to
violent storms, such as tornados and blizzards. Food,
water, snow chains and long-distance radios are all strong-
ly recommended for travelers.
Be wary of interacting with the rural populace of any of
the Midwestern states. They are likely to be stubborn and
argumentative toward "outsiders" which can be lethal if
they feel threatened. Remember, the midwesterners who
live outside fortress towns have to be tough, and they don't
survive by trusting strangers on sight.
Travel by convoy, airship or bus if possible. There are
enough gangs still surviving from the Bad Years to
threaten a lone or weak vehicle, and help is far away in
most parts of the Midwest.
When you do travel in your own vehicle, be alert. Do
not be lulled into "highway hypnosis" by the deserted
roads and country through which you'll pass. Stimulants,
loud music, computer alarms and the like are all good ways
to stay awake, alert and alive. The best solution to the
problem is to have along a talkative passenger or gunner.
Key to Map Symbols
IHI =Hospital
..+.. = Airport
f = AADA Office
~ = Bunkers and Fortifications
-21-
ILLINOIS
Government: Weak but trying. The few remaining
cities manage their own affairs, and the few inhabitated
areas outside these cities tends towards anarchy.
Duelling Climate: Neutral. The residents take the view
that if you don't bother them, they won't bother you.
Gang Activity: Heavy. The state patrols 1-55, but once
off that you're on your own.
CHICAGO
Population: 2,500,000.
Description: Chicago, even more than Los Angeles,
could be called "The Ethnic City." The territoriality that
prevailed in Chicago long before the riots manifested itself
in neighborhoods fortifying themselves against all out-
siders - including anyone not from their own neighbor-
hood!
For a time, travel through the city was virtually impos-
sible, due to the interlocking rival "turfs." Those wishing
passage had to acquire the permission of each gang along
their way; if permission was granted, a member of the
gang usually rode shotgun to guard the travelers. As time
passed, this grew into a system of identification, and or-
ganizations arose whose sole function was to act as pre-
cleared shotgun riders and mediators. Eventually these
were unified into the Chicago Transit Authority.
Organized crime filled a similar role. When some social
order returned to the city after the Food Riots, the Families
returned as well. No longer capable of brute control or
manipulation, organized crime turned to competitive
protection operations - the Families serve as a kind of
super-gang, capable of dealing firmly with any other gang
(or small alliance), allied with none, and carefully neutral .
Their prices are higher, but no one will tread too heavily
on someone thus protected.
The Mafia has also served as a go-between and mediator
in inter-gang dealings, providing armed force when the
CTA could not cope with the situation. (Indeed, the two
groups' frequent cooperation has led many to speculate
quietly on a connection between the two.) On the whole,
the inhabitants of Chicago see organized crime as a benefit,
1he AADA Road Atlas
not a problem. As one sociologist put it: "In an age of
anarchy, organized crime is a source of cohesion."
Today, there is even a city government. Although he
has less actual power than the leaders of the various
boroughs, the election of the mayor is hotly contested and 94
subject for much discussion (violent and otherwise) in the
streets of the city. Organized crime remains the closest
thing to actual strong government that Chicago has. It is
interesting to note that there is no centralized police or
patrol force in the city.
The Church of America is the only group not conform-
ing to the social order. It refuses to pay protection, ignores
the turf boundaries and generally annoys the average
Chicagoan. Around the South Side, admitting to being an
"Amys" is tantamount to suicide.
Duelling Facilities: Many and varied. Name the type of
facility, and it's available somewhere in the metro area.
The Gladiator Arena, built just north of Warrior Stadium
and the Museum of Natural History, is the most famous.
Lake Michigan
Gambling on duelling is not only legalized, it is a very
lucrative and high-profit business in Chicago.
Other Facilities: Four major TV stations, not counting
"Amy TV"; numerous hospitals (with full Gold Cross, see
p. A75), two major and three minor airports, better than
70 colleges, a heavy shipping industry with attending
facilities, a great many company headquarters and a profes-
sional combat football team.
Gang Activity: The neighborhood organizations may
act more as neighborhood defenders than as gangs, but
they still occasionally engage in rumbles, raids and other
typical gang actions against rival territories. No one tries
to have full-scale wars inside the city anymore; the or-
ganized crime structure frowns on that sort of thing (bad
for business) and stomps them out of existence.
Gang activity outside the city is fairly low as well.
Neighborhood groups prowl the city limits in two-day
rotations according to a well-coordinated patrol schedule.
The effect is to give each group a couple of days to parade
in front of their neighbors and show off for the TV
cameras.

Chicago,
Illinois

U.S. Space Force

Accelerator Lab

Amydrome

• Amy City
•
Church of America
Headquarters

----~80
The AADA Road Atlas -22-

DECATUR
Population: 15,000.
Description: Since the main route south from Chicago
changed from I-57 to I-55, Decatur has been cut off from
main traffic flow and any importance outside its region. In
its isolation, Decatur is home to rather paranoid people.
Short stops for fuel and supplies are safe, but watch your
step if you stay longer . . . · busy, with plenty of robbers and other rabble lurking along
Duelling Facilities: None worth mentioning. There has
been talk of a Chicago promoter renovating the old Sports
Complex south of town, though.
Other Facilities: St. Mary's Hospital survives, as does
the Decatur Airport, though the airport is terribly exposed.
Numerous auto-repair and food-storage areas are around,
to serve the farmers.
Gang Activity: On the unpatrolled roads outside
Decatur, an off-road band calling themselves the Nutcrack-
ers often blocks the roads, sets up tollbooths and extorts
money from passersby. Only the Decatur Truckers' Union,
a branch of the Brotherhood, has the mass and firepower to
periodically run the blockades. Over the years, the
Nutcrackers have learned to avoid such clashes.
Stadium's ratings are still the highest; the Action Arena
south of town, a close second; and the Fairgrounds Arena
third.
Other Facilities: Two hospitals (both with Gold
Cross); five (!) TV stations, all of whom have news chop-
per squadrons; the Air National Guard/Patrol Base; the
Capitol Building and numerous historical sites, including
the Lincoln Home.
Gang Activity: The police and highway patrol keep
the roads. The steady stream of traffic draws raiders of all
sorts, including the Wreckers, a band of infantry raiders
who block roads with mines, pitfalls or wrecks, then
swarm over whomever runs afoul of their traps. Another
group is the Rollers, a well-equipped gang rumored to be
affiliated with the Church of America.

ROCKFORD
Population: 40,000.
INDIANA
Government: Fairly solid and well-organized.
Description: Rockford is a second-class city, in the
Duelling Climate: Neutral. Once the state for auto
shadow of the colossal Chicago. It is only half a city as
combat Indiana's autoduelling pre-eminence ended in
well; the eastern half perished in the Riot Years. Its only
2031 ~ith the invasion of EDSEL forces. EDSEL still
real use is as a base for the irregular patrols that try to
maintains a minor presence here, but their patrols are
maintain the safety of the roads in the area.
limited to cities and major highways. No state antiduel!ing
Duelling Facilities: There are no safe facilities. For the
legislation, though; road duels are too popular on local
daring, the Rockford Speedway north of the city is well-
TV.
protected from on-track interruptions, but getting there in-
Gang Activity: Light. Most of the gangs were
tact in an expensive vehicle is another problem!
destroyed in the Road Wars, a period (from2025-2031) of
Other Facilities: Rockford boasts precious few. One
escalating conflicts between gangs and armed citizens.
hospital (no Gold Cross) and its associated helicopter land-
EDSEL patrols put an end to the Wars, however gangs
ing area are the only facilities other than small garages.
have begun to return.
Gang Activity: Heavy. The east side of Rockford is in-
fested with gangs who prey on the traffic of nearby I-90.
The most notable are the Spinners and the Sweeps, two BRICKYARD
very strong groups that rule over the rest. They are in a [For"'erly INDIANAPOLIS]
near-constant state of undeclared war with one another. A terrorist organization called the Jackson Commandos
detonated a small, but extremely "dirty" nuclear device
here in 2013, destroying the city. Today, Brickyard is a
SPRINGFIELD radioactive junkheap, prowled occasionally by those sear-
Population: 50,000. ching for valuables - unopened bank vaults and the like.
Not even gangs will go there to hide out; the danger of
Description: Springfield is the main stop between
radiation poisoning is far too real. Geiger counters still
Chicago and St. Louis. It has industrial capability of its
chatter wildly in Brickyard. When passing by this city (the
own, and is no longer wholly dependent upon Chicago for
road network around the area is still intact, and quite
its machined goods. A prosperous city by 2038 standards,
heavily used), stay inside your vehicle. Do not linger, un-
Springfield bustles with traffic passing through the city.
less you like "glowing in the dark."
Highway patrols stage from here, trying to keep the
peace along I-55. These air patrols, flying from the Capitol
Airport, scour the interstates, looking for troublemakers to
blast. The bulk of the state's military waits in and around FLORAL GULCH
the city to deploy in time of crisis. Population: 110,000.
Duelling Facilities: All three of Springfield's arenas vie Description: The new capitol of Indiana, Floral Gulch
for TV coverage on the weekends, but appear to be losing was transformed from a small, sleepy college town into the
out to televised coverage of road affairs. Lanphier large city populated by an influx of refugees looking for

-23- The AADA Road Atlas

 security. Since the residents of Floral Gulch "annexed" the
LooPNAD Naval arms depot back in 2012, the city had a
good reputation for being quite secure - few gangs wanted
to tangle with, say, an old Navy cruise missile!
It was this strength that brought the new state govern-
ment to the city, and the Gulchers didn't really mind. After
all, there was no way that the government could be any
more trouble than the University, and the city had been
living with the latter for decades. Strangely enough, the
new state government settled in quite peacefully, bringing
with it only the remaining military units to swell the al-
ready fearsome defenses.
The State University is the citadel of the city; its reserve
(two by three miles) is totally walled and weaponed. In
times of trouble, the Gulchers comfortably retreat to it and
rain havoc down on any attackers. At other times, the
university students go about their studies, have their events
= and keep the local police busy with their "antics."
Duelling Facilities: No arenas - most of the duelling is
on the roads. Since EDSEL has a presence in the area (al-
beit a weak one), road duellists are warned to be on the
watch for EDSEL helicopters.
Other Facilities: The University; three hospitals (one
with Gold Cross); one TV station.
Gang Activity: Light. No surprise considering that the
Guard is stationed here. After the Battle of Hoosier Na-
tional Forest, the major strength of gangs in the state was
crushed, and the Guard became feared by those gangs that
survived. The lack of gang activity doesn't mean that the
roads are totally safe; sparring on the roads by local
autoduelling groups (most notably the Amoco Kids) is al-
most as dangerous as the gangs.

The AADA Road Atlas -24-


FORT WAYNE
Population: 97,000.
Description: Since the Battle for the Concordia
Theological Seminary in 2017, naturally defenseless Fort
Wayne has become known as "The Beehive." The name is
derived from the inhabitants' practice of having everybody
tum out when the city is threatened. The city still has light
industry that includes, thanks to the recovery of Detroit,
prefabrication factories which make parts for shipment to
the auto-assembly plants. The city's economy is further
supported by local farmers, who supply "real" food. Since
Indiana is relatively pacified, tourists are coming to the
lakes again.
EDSEL found the "everybody fights" attitude of Fort
Wayne perfect for its purposes. Fort Wayne is the strong-
hold of EDSEL's strength in the state, and the Fort
Wayners welcomed the addition to their firepower. Al-
though not very virulent about keeping duelling off the
roads, the EDSEL recruits from the city do a very good job
of keeping duelling off their streets, and perform the func-
tions of the police force.
Duelling Facilities: Just because EDSEL is in town
doesn't mean that duelling shuts down entirely. In fact, it
was EDSEL funds that allowed the building of the new
Southtown Arena on the razed grounds of the old South-
town Mall. (Observers consider this one of EDSEL's best
propaganda victories.)
Other Facilities: Two hospitals (with Gold Cross); one
TV station; a working airport.
Gang Activity: With EDSEL so firmly in town, anyone
shooting a vehicle weapon in the area is in trouble. Resi-
dents of the area will probably interfere and shoot back,
whether you were shooting at them or not! Thus, gang ac-
tivity is quite light, consisting mostly of robbers lurking
along 1-69.
LAFAYETTE
Population: 80,000.
Description: Lafayette specializes in three things:
agriculture, ammunition manufacture, and the Purdue
University. The University still dominates the city and the
Des Moines,
Iowa
Des Moines Ice Arena
• their time at the borders, disarming duelling vehicles, the
Army Post Rd .
-25-
surrounding area, still administering much of the city's
functions and serving as the rallying point for defense.
Duelling Facilities: One small arena, the Mayor Smith
Memorial, the site of the annual autoduelling meet between
Purdue and Floral Gulch's State University. This is always
a good match and the teams are usually fairly equal.
During the event, the entire town is either on the streets, in
the stadium or glued to the vid screen. Please note that
armed vehicles intent on staying in town over 24 hours
must be registered at the County Courthouse to avoid a
nasty fme.
Other Facilities: The University (watch out along Laser
Row, the University's main line of defense- the laser
bunkers fire on any car firing along the Row); one very
large hospital (with full Gold Cross), two TV stations and
an airport.
Gang Activities: Inside the city, all you have to worry
about are frat fights- as if these weren't bad enough! The
Lafayette Police and the Purdue Security Police try to keep
these civil, and off the streets if possible.
Outside the city are two gangs of note - the Hoosiers, a
nasty smash-and-grab gang of approximately 75 vehicles;
and Reverend Death and the Death Watch, a lunatic gang
of cyclists who are sworn enemies of everybody, especially
the still-functioning Student Volunteer Program. The
S.V.P. has offered a quarter-million-dollar reward for the
Reverend - and they don't care what condition he's in
when they get him.
IOWA
Government: Strong and organized. Though a
democracy, the government (and most of the state) is
dominated by the Amana Society, a German-immigrant
religion devoted to peace and progress. The hard-working
Amanas are responsible for most of the state's rebirth, but
some Iowans balk at their heavy-handed control of the
government.
Duelling Climate: Unfavorable. The Amanas forbid
duelling, and they enforce the law with extensive military
patrols of the borders, confiscating the ammunition and
targeting circuitry of travelers; the patrol issues vouchers
for the value of the confiscated equipment. These restric-
tions are waived for trucks and commercial vehicles,
provded they obtain permits (available via telecommunica-
tions before entering the state).
Gang Activity: Heavy. Outlaw the guns, and only out-
laws will have guns. Many cycle gangs fmd tlte Amanas
fairly easy pickings. Since the government troops spend all
state's citizens are left to defend themselves unaided.
COUNCIL BLUFFS
(see New Omaha, Nebraslca, p. 36)
DES MOINES
Population: 100,000.
Description: Des Moines sits squarely in the middle of
Iowa's road system, and is the central point for safe travel
through the state. It has heavy fortifications, some say too
The AADA Road Atlas
heavy for a city in the middle of a demilitarized state.
Proponents of the defenses point to frequent attacks by
violators of the city's weapons restrictions as the reason.
As one of the largest manufacturing centers of the state, the
amount of rich traffic through the city draws frequent
criminal activity.
Duelling Facilities: Duelling is officially forbidden in
Iowa. Thus, there are no duelling facilities. Not official
ones, anyway . . . Hack hockey at the Des Moines Ice
Arena is still very popular.
Other Facilities: One airport; four hospitals (one with
Gold Cross); one college. The Academy at Fort Des
Moines still operates as the "West Point for Women,"
turning out officers for the Iowa Army and the U.S. Army.
This accounts for the higher percentage of female troops in
the Iowa Army than in any other force in recorded history.
Gang Activity: Heavy. There are plenty of gangs in the
state of Iowa, and Des Moines' location makes it a prime
hangout for highway ambushers. None of the gangs are
well-organized enough to have recognizable histories and
structures; any group that gets that big is in trouble in
Iowa. There is one group that is known, but not hunted:
The Harpies, a group of female vigilantes composed of
KC-1
Enforcer Citadel
KANSAS
The AADA Road Atlas -26-
former officer trainees. Although illegal, their war against
other gangs and their former military affiliation often has
state forces looking the other way when they cross paths.
KANSAS
Government: Virtually nonexistent. Most of the
government's resources are spent keeping the roads around
Topeka safe.
Duelling Climate: Favorable everywhere except KC-l.
Gang Activity: Heavy. KC-1 is the only haven in the
state. Rowdy cowhands can be as dangerous as cycle
packs, and travelers are advised to avoid highway en-
counters. Fortunately, this isn't too difficult.
KC-1
(Formerly KANSAS CITY]
Population: 400,000.
Description: KC-1 is one of the largest manufacturing
centers in the region, maintaining trade with the Dakotas
and the southerly states via the quite navigable Missouri
River. A major producer of algae products and electrical
machinery and robotics, KC-1 does quite well. Socially,
the city is still a strict place to live in. Although martial
law is a thing of the past, the legal system is strict and
swift, coming down hard on violent crimes (especially
weaponed combat of any sort).
The citizenry is well-behaved, even though unemploy-
ment in KC-1 is unusually high for such an economically
strong city (due to heavy use of robotics). The unemployed
are maintained by the city as members of the militia. Those
wishing to avoid the ennui of unemployment are free to
work on the farms outside the city.
The Enforcers are largely responsible for the peace in
the city. Empowered to execute sentences on the spot, and
trained for ten years before taking the job, these profes-
sional law officers maintain order with an iron hand. Al-
though their number is disproportionate to the size of thei,r
-27-
city (the normal ratio is one cop per 2,500 citizens), the
1,000 Enforcers usually have anywhere from 50 to 250 of-
ficers out of the city, pursuing criminals or guarding
citizens who work outside of the city. The city itself is
protected from attack by its Maginot-Line-style fortifica-
tions and heavy artillery.
Although he still rules the city, assassinations have
made the present Judge-Mayor Fargo a fourth-generation
clone. State control (and taxation) is nonexistent: by agree-
ment, both Kansas and Missouri leave KC-1 alone.
Duelling Facilities: Duelling is forbidden in KC-1, as
well as in the connected city of Independence. Weapons,
other than prominently displayed and registered handguns,
are illegal. Ammo is removed from any vehicular weapons
at the city gates and weapons are sealed. However, the
George Brett Memorial Arena, part of the Harry S.
Truman Sports Complex, welcomes duelling, since it's
outside the city limits! The International Drag Strip south
of Raytown is a very popular duelling spot, too.
Other Facilities: Numerous parks, hospitals (many
with Gold Cross), airports and aerodromes, convention
centers and entertainment centers can be found in the city,
all in relative 1Jeace! There's no fighting one's way through
town to find something as in other cities.
History: Abandoned by state governments during the
Food Crisis, Kansas City found a strong leader in
Municipal Judge Fargo, who outlined the city defenses and
led their construction. During the Riot Years and the anar-
chy that followed, Fargo's strong and strict rule kept the
city alive and the citizens fed. Eventually, Kansas City
declared itself independent of any government and Fargo's
Law ruled supreme. Blasted by some as the world's most
efficient dictatorship and hailed by others as the world' s
best police state, KC-1 is the largest and most heavily
protected fortress city in the Midwest.
Gang Activity: Outside the city, some gangs do prey on
traffic, but these gangs are few in number. The Enforcers
are willing to answer any call for help with air support of
overwhelming strength - a typical support group is a
flight of four helicopter gunships. Faced with this sort of
firepower, most gangs keep away from KC-1 .
TOPEKA
Population: 45,000.
Description: Topeka's main defenses are barrier walls
along the southern roads that lead around and into the city.
Once bristling with MG emplacements and sensors to
detect intruders, the walls are falling into disrepair, and
only pose a serious impediment to vehicles. The defenders
aren't interested in keeping out people any more - the
northside of the city along the river is impossible to defend
against infiltration anyway.
Topeka's defenders are organized, more or less, into a
sort of citizen militia. The resident state patrol serves as
full-time law-and-order in the city - as a matter of fact,
they behave more like city police than a state-wide patrol.
Though small in number, the patrolmen are quite seasoned,
and very experienced at dealing with drunken cowhands.
The Topeka state government is responsible for the
maintenance of the roads connecting Topeka, KC-1 and
Wichita. The revenue for the roads comes from tolls in
The AADA Road Atlas

each of the cities; the actual work is done by Roadworks
Inc., a specialty firm in Topeka.
Duelling Facilities: The Governor's Arena, on the
grounds of the old Governor's Mansion, is the main duel-
ling center of the city. There is plenty of street duelling for
the patrol to break up, though.
Other Facilities: The manufacturing district, two
hospitals (one with Gold Cross), and a TV superstation.
History: Topeka has long been connected to Kansas
City by economic ties. Since the Food Riot and the break-
down of government and order, this relationship has
changed somewhat- Topeka lives off KC-1 's scraps.
Though still nominally the capitol of Kansas, Topeka's
resident state government is regarded as a joke; it has no
authority to wield, since there is no state army, and the
State Patrol hangs very close to Topeka's city limits.
Gang Activity: Heavy. With vigilance at the walls a
thing of the past, renegades have taken up residence in the
ruined south part of the city. Riverside citizens strike back
regularly, trying to drive them out.
The State Patrol has its hands full trying to prevent a
full-scale gang war inside the city, as well as answering
distress calls from motorists attacked outside Topeka by
gangs on the interstates.
WICHITA
Population: 120,000
Description: Wichita thrives off its two main resources:
beef and helium. Huge cattle drives keep the stockyards
busy, packing meat for shipment to the rest of the country.
Much of this food is transported on airships built right
here, at the Airtech factory.
Duelling Facilities: The Cowtown Arena hosts a large
number of Amateur Night events, as hotshot cowboys try
to "make it big."
Other Facilities: Three hospitals, two with Gold Cross;
two universities; large airport and stockyards.
1he AADA Road Atlas -28-
Gang Activity: Light. Few gangs want to risk airstrikes
from Airtech's fleets of hunter-killer choppers. Rowdy
cowhands can be as dangerous as cycle gangs, so travelers
should take care outside the city.
For more information, see Fortress Towns, p. 13.
MICHIGAN
Government: Despised and ignored. The state govern-
ment is holed up in Lansing and has no influence outside of
that city's limits.
Duelling Climate: Almost too favorable. Everyone you
meet is willing to duel - no surprise, considering that
Detroit has both the nation's highest murder rate and the
nation's largest auto manufacturing facilities. Undetonated
mines are a constant hazard on the roads here.
Gang Activity: Heavy. EDSEL presence in surround-
ing states drove many gangs to the anarchic state of
Michigan. The state government is barely able to defend
Lansing, and has nothing to spare to patrol the open roads.
ANN ARBOR
Population: 60,000.
Description: Ann Arbor is still essentially a college
town. Without the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
would be a tiny manufacturing town and road center, prac-
tically a suburb of Detroit.
Ann Arbor is closely tied to Detroit anyway, but the
college keeps it from being a Detroit subsidiary. The col-
lege organization and campus now dominates the city, as it
is not only responsible for the economic survival of Ann
Arbor but for the laws, defense and administration as well.
When the city's government collapsed in the upheaval of
the Food Riot years, the college president, Martha P.
Bridgeport, organized the students into a fighting unit and
took over the town, providing a rallying point and fortress
• for those residents that stayed to fight.
The University is now Michigan's largest, and attracts
students from all over the state and beyond. Though
security against invaders is strict, the city of Ann Arbor
provides a pleasant change from the free-for-all paranoia of
Detroit.
Duelling Facilities: The administration of Ann Arbor
has not banned duelling; it is one of the more popular stu-
dent sports in the city. To that end, the Chrysler Arena was
reconditioned to become one of the best-kept arenas in the
state.
Other Facilities: The University, of course; one TV
station run by the University; the University Hospital
(with Gold Cross).
Gang Activity: Not much in the way of cycle and other
similar gangs.
Beware of fraternal and dorm clashes; many of these in-
formal "gangs" pack more firepower than the average
cycle gang, and less knowledge of when to stop fighting.
The University Security force spends much time trying to
stop these fights, creating a second hazard: if you're in the
area of a frat-fight, you might be fired on by Security as
well!

DETROIT
AADA Advisory: Downtown Detroit is in a perpetual
state of violence. Travelers are advised to stay within
walled compounds as much as possible.
AADA Advisory: The Detroit water and food sup-
plies contain toxic levels of pollutants. Travelers are ad-
vised to inspect food and drink very carefully, and are
encouraged to avoid local produce altogether.
Population: 1,200,000.
The evolution of Detroit into today's form was in-
evitable, given the profit-motive drive of the corporations
that were Detroit. Projects that were profitable or neces-
sary were done; nothing else mattered. Most of the wealth
coming in from the manufacturing stayed with the corpora-
tions rather than being spread out to the populace. It's no
wonder that Detroit today is like a sea of devastated build-
ings, with islands of manicured corporate grounds and
facilities. The casual visitor will note the poor condition of
the majority of the citizens immediately, especially when
compared to the sleek and clean factories, executive
quarters and testing grounds of the various corporations.
Also noted will be the apparent lawlessness on the streets.
Cars firing at one another is a common sight, and the
sound of small-arms fire never seems to stop.
Detroit has no government per se; the closest thing to a
government is the Chamber of Commerce. This group
decides only major "laws" for the city, and has very little
interest in imposing restrictions of any sort, since to do so
might cramp one's own style. As a result, although the fac-
tories are clean and Detroit has a very low air-pollution
index, the toxic-waste and water-pollution index is
dangerously high. Make sure the water you drink in
Detroit has been treated! Most be-tels guarantee clean
-29-
water, but read the fine print! On a political scale, this pol-
lution has caused problems in the lake, and the government
of Windsor, Canada, is threatening economic and military
sanctions if something is not done to rectify the problem;
at present, the only answer forthcoming from the Detroit
corporations has been to conceal their toxic dumping -
there have been Canadian raids on overt dumping already.
Duelling Facilities: Numerous arenas and testing
grounds, more automotive repair and sales facilities than
anywhere else in the nation (prices are 10% less for
automotive products in Detroit), and the Belle Isle Duel-
Park (site of over three-quarters of the Midwest Champion-
ship autoduelling matches). Duelling goes on practically
around the clock, in the arenas and on the streets.
Other Facilities: Nearly every corporation has a com-
pany hospital, and most have Gold Cross (private patients
are also welcome, at a 15% additional cost); there are two
TV stations (and several mobile "pirate" transmitter sta-
tions), two functioning airports and large shipping
facilities at the waterfront. Also worthy of note are the Joe
Louis Arena, a sports arena for non-autoduelling events,
and Showroom Row, where the latest auto designs can be
seen and occasionally test-driven (for a nominal fee).
History: Detroit was the car manufacturing capital of
the continent. Yet as fuel grew more scarce during the
'90s, the number of cars produced shrank, as did the for-
tunes of the city and the state. Recession, depression and
layoffs sent unemployed workers elsewhere to find work
and filled the streets with those who stayed. Detroit be-
came an abandoned city, full of hopelessness.
The Second Civil War opened the factories again,
cranking out military supplies and vehicles - since the ma-
jority of the new Army transports were wheeled, the fac-
tories needed few changes before producing at full speed.
The Blight and the loss of alcohol fuel stopped the
Detroit,
Michigan
The AADA Road Atlas
production abruptly. Most of the manufacture was internal-
combustion cars, although there were some finns looking
into fuel-cell technology. Indeed, for a time, the fuel-cell
technology research intensified, as the manufacturers of
Detroit tried frantically to fmd a way to make their fac-
tories and businesses viable again. Then came the Riot of
Hoover-Nine Mile Station. Within hours, Detroit was in
total turmoil. Only the corporations, with their armies,
survived as bastions of order. In time, they came to own
the whole city (if not on paper, then in economic might).
Gang Activity: Heavy. The only police forces in the
city are the corporate security forces. They have little in-
terest in maintaining any kind of order other than prevent-
ing damage to their parent corporations - sometimes, they
resemble gangs to a great degree. The rest of the gangs,
unhindered by police, have a free hand in the city, and the
violence is constant. Visitors to the city are advised to go
heavily armed and ready for trouble.
GRAND RAPIDS
Population: 70,000.
Description: Slowly recovering from its defenseless-
ness and the destruction wreaked during the Food Riot
years, Grand Rapids became and still is the central fruit-
and produce-packing point for the farming areas on the
shore of Lake Michigan. It also has paper, wood and pulp-
chemical industries in it - a helpful circumstance, con-
sidering the number of elections and polls that the classic
democratic government conducts (everyone has a vote on
everything).
Those people that aren't involved in manufacturing and
agriculture are members of the city's militia, the patrol
force for the entire area. They don't bother to patrol the
roads like normal police groups; rather, they are a rapid-
response force to deal with raiders in the farming districts.
Duelling Facilities: The Gerald R. Ford Memorial
Arena, a recently opened arena, is the only official AADA
arena in the area, and the only built-for-duelling facility.
Other Facilities: One TV station, two well-equipped
hospitals, and a surprising number of museums including
the Gerald R. Ford Museum, the Art Museum, the Grand
Rapids City Museum and the Agriculture Showcase
Museum. Also worthy of note is the New Horticultural Ex-
The AADA Road Atlas -30-
perimental Facility (busy on developing new fonns of
food-plants, including a try at Blight-Resistant Grain, the
Holy Grail of the 21st century).
Gang Activity: Light, inside the city. The inhabitants
are quick to destroy any gangs that try to make a move in
the city limits. The gangs operating in the area of Grand
Rapids have to be careful. As noted, the citizens of the
state aren't intimidated by much and tend to be heavily
armed. Do not threaten the locals in this area!
LANSING
Population: 115,000.
Description: Lansing is a sore name in the state of
Michigan. During the time of anarchy, the state govern-
ment pulled back most of the military forces available to
protect the capitol, leaving the rest of the countryside
open. Unfortunately for the ordinary citizens of the city,
this gesture did not go over well with the rest of the state.
They quite paturally resented the action (admitting that you
are from Lansing is dangerous in Michigan today, for the
resentment has scarcely abated). Admitting that you're
employed by the state government is even worse.
Lansing still trades with the rest of the state - not even
enmity is going to get in the way of profit - specializing
in being a shipping point between the fruit farms of the
western section of the state and the machining of the east-
em section; to further this end, toll on commercial vehicles
are waived. Private vehicles passing through the city can
count on a $100 toll to get through; this makes travel dif-
ficult, for the only safe route through the state is 1-96
through Lansing.
The state government still exists in Lansing, even
though no-one in the state pays even lip-service to it. The
members of the government still continue their shadow-
play of voting on legislation and arguing with one another
in the halls of the capitol buildings, but they have no
authority and no funding beyond the tolls on the Lansing
roads. For this reason, there is no state patrol or similar
force in Michigan.
Duelling Facilities: None. Duelling is not permitted in
Lansing, though bills are constantly being proposed in the
state legislature to allow autoduelling within the state bor-
ders.
 Other Facilities: Two TV stations, one university, mul- on a snowmobile patrol of their own to counter such at-
tiple hospitals and the state government administration tacks.
building.
Gang Activity: None inside the city. The military for-
ces keep a tight rein on any conflict. There are plenty of
gangs outside the city, but they keep a low profile, lest the MINNEAPOLIS/ST. PAUL
tanks get after them! Population: Minneapolis 480,000; St. Paul410,000.
Description: The Twin Cities are still the center of
manufacturing in the state; the forces remaining after the
war and the government's ruthless efficiency in putting
down riots allowed most of the Twin Cities to survive the
MINNESOTA Riot Years more or less intact.
Government: Strong, democratic and marginally inde- Not that the Twin Cities are thoroughly peaceful: in
pendent of the national government. The Minnesota keeping with the large population, there are plenty of
farmers, pressured by unreasonable government demands duelling and other armed groups that keep the news chop-
during the Food Riots, rose up against Washington. pers in business. Adding in three overzealous and non-
Though the secession was quelled, the ultimate victory cooperative law enforcement agencies and a number of
belonged to the rebels. Soon after the Treaty of Hudson strict anti-duelling laws, the Twin Cities are the backdrop
ended the Minnesota Uprising, the federal government col- for a great many sports broadcasts.
lapsed altogether. The occupation forces were co-opted Duelling Facilities: The St. Paul Duelling Arena is the
into the Minnesota National Guard, and with their help the main arena; there are other, smaller arenas.
state weathered the Food Riots better than nearly any other Other Facilities: Three TV stations, one airport,
part of the nation. Today the federal government is wary of numerous hospitals, and one university.
asking for too much control over Minnesota, lest it rise Gang Activity: Very light, within the cities. With the
again. Municipal Police, the National Guard and the State Militia
Duelling Climate: Favorable. on patrol and ready to enforce the antiduelling statutes, the
Gang Activity: Light. Many rural areas of the state life of a troublemaker isn't worth much. Most of the gangs
have been continually farmed for the past fifty years - a and the autoduelling clubs that scrap regularly take their
remarkable fact in this day and age. business outside of town - once beyond the patrol limits
of the Municipal Police, things lighten up somewhat and
gangs begin to show. The best known of these are the King
Devils, the South Dakota Destroyers and the Iron Blizzard
DULUTH (one of the largest known cycle gangs in the country, often
Population: 55,000. numbering over 80 bikes and other vehicles).
Description: Duluth sends shiploads of fish and ore east It is interesting to note that the antiduelling statutes are
and receives manufactured goods and other commodities in most often broken by the defenders of those same statutes,
return. These go by barge south to the rest of the state, and firing at one another.
into the Mississippi River routes via the Hubee Canal. This
canal was built in 2007 as new technology fmally
facilitated a link between the St. Louis River and the
Mighty Mississippi. Several Chicago and Detroit shipping
firms have large operations in Duluth, and there are repre-
sentatives from eastern shipping companies here as well.
Duluth is also a center for water sports and a gateway to
the forested north of the state; quite a few tourists come
through on their way to hunting and fishing country.
Duelling Facilities: None officially. Most of the duell-
ing in the area is off-road or water-borne. Most of the
duels and other events take place in mud-flat areas or on
the surface of the lake.
Other Facilities: Numerous shipping facilities, a hospi-
tal (with Gold Cross), a seaplane airport and heliport, and
a college. The Minnesotan Navy has its headquarters here.
Gang Activity Light during the majority of the year.
Most of the hostile activity comes from boat raiders who
lurk in hidden harbors along the shore and sally forth to hit
pleasure craft and other inviting targets. The Navy and
Guard try to prevent gang activity, both land and water-
borne. In the winter, though, the snowmobilers appear
from the forests to raid the city, generally at the height of
snowstorms that ground the Guard's aircraft and seaplanes.
The leers, a large snowmobile gang, have hit the city each
of the last five years like clockwork. The Guard is working

-31- The AADA Road Atlas

The AADA Road Atlas -32-
NatJonal Forelt

WISCONSIN

-33- The AADA Road Atlas


MISSOURI
Government: Democratic. Its control is exerted
primarily through the Highway Patrol rather than through
actual legislation.
Duelling Climate: Favorable. Off-road duels are com-
mon, as are alcohol-fueled internal combustion vehicles.
Gang Activity: Medium. Cycle gangs are less of a
hazard than the Missouri citizens themselves. The term
"Show Me" regained its challenge tone during the Food
Riots. If you couldn't prove you belonged, watch out!
KC-1
[Formerly KANSAS CITY]
See KC-1, Ka11sas, p. 26.
ST. LOUIS
Population: 120,000.
Description: St. Louis is more a collection of neighbor-
hoods than a unified city. Most of the inhabitants live out-
side the central city. The fortified neighborhoods have be-
come "micro-cities" on their own and operate inde-
pendently of each other - not much different from the old
days, really. The residents of Maryland Heights, Creve
Coeur, Olivette and Kirkwood look down on the central
city dwellers as the lowest sort of scum ("city rats"), while
the city dwellers share equal hatred for the "suburb fat-
cats."
Roads through the middle of St. Louis are often bar-
ricaded by the "city rats," and are frequently impassable.
There's virtually no good reason to travel through the
1he AADA Road Atlas -34-
central city; and the downtown bridges were destroyed in
the rioting.
The only bridges still crossing the Mississippi are the
toll bridge at 1-270 to the north and the Jefferson Barracks
Bridge to the south. Both of these bridges are well-
manned, well-defended and charge a toll of $100 per
"axle."
Anyone wanting to see downtown St. Louis will have
to use one of the bridges to cross over into Illinois, board a
tour boat in Granite City and float to Gateway Landing,
beneath the highly polished Gateway Arch.
Duelling Facilities: There are several minor arenas in
the St. Louis area, but the major one is at Busch Stadium.
Other Facilities: Inside the downtown area, NorsoCo
(responsible for renovating the city's historical buildings)
runs its own hospital and public facilities, including a TV
station. The only other facilities, in the western half of the
city, include Gold Cross-equipped hospitals and two air-
ports. It is worthy to note that the Church of America
operates a transmitter station in the area, rebroadcasting
"Amy TV" from Chicago.
The Jefferson Barracks area in the south of the city also
has military-style facilities, complete with a TV station and
a full military airport.
1-44 and 1-270 are lined with hotels and restaurants for
the tourists and travellers. Tourist traps include the
Gateway Arch and Forest Park, which is now a wild area
-the descendants of the zoo animals are still living there.
Safaris, anyone?
History: Long the "Gateway to the West," St. Louis
has been prosperous since its founding. A major aircraft
and weapons manufacturing company kept it going through
bad times in the late 20th century. They were also the
cause of its ruin during the Russo-American War. A small
(by nuclear standards) nuke wiped out the facility, the air-
port and many commuters on 1-70. Firestorms, fallout and
panic-born riots reduced most of central St. Louis to
charred embers.
Gang Activity: Medium to Heavy. There are several
gangs in the area, engaging in various criminal activities,
such as raiding the inhabitants of the Ruins, attacking road
traffic for salvage and generally making trouble.
The Jefferson Barracks radio frequency should be ac-
quired before travelling there, since these troops are the
only long-ranged "police" in the area. The troops, and
neighborhood security if you're in the area, will help you
out of trouble if you call them. Don't call them without
reason, though - there's a $250-per-responding-vehicle
fee for their services. And don't run afoul of them - they
don't take prisoners ...
SPRINGFIELD
Population: 45,000.
Description: Springfield has been and still remains a
road center and nexus for the farmers in the area. Its main
industry now is collection and shipping of fuel alcohol
(produced from whatever makes a good mash in the many
small distilleries of the area), with the two alcohol com-
panies of AlCo and Ozarks Juice in competition for the
bulk of the shipping. The rest of it is sold locally (they
have so much of it, alcohol fuel costs $5 a gallon in

Salt Creek
The State
Holmes
ParkLake fit{'
r--nJ
•
: · ~.,)
Penitentiary :, · ~
e__, 1 r-I
Lincoln,
(L+JJ
Nebraska Holmes Park
Springfield), as internal combustion engines are still im-
mensely popular with the locals. Its only points of interest
are the Guard Fort, the old Federal Medical Center
(formerly a facility for the criminally ill), and several col-
leges, including the Southwest Missouri Military Univer-
sity.
Duelling Facilities: The Hammons Dueltrack, at the old
fairgrounds, is open for all types of duelling. Of course,
you are far more likely to fmd combat on the roads ...
Other Facilities: Springfield is still home to two col-
leges, the Combined Bible College and the Southwest Mis-
souri Military University. There is also a Gold Cross-
equipped hospital (and two other non-Gold Cross hospi-
tals) and an active airport.
Gang Activity: There are plenty of gangs in the Ozarks,
many of whom operate near Springfield to prey on the traf-
fic on 1-44. The National Guard units out of the North Fort
counter them, but patrolling is thin and most of the gangs
are well-equipped for off-road operations. Be on your
guard around here - the threats don't come from just the
roads!
NEBRASKA
Government: Limited to maintaining and patrolling 1-
80. The real power in the state resides in the farmer's co-
ops. These vary widely in power, temperament and lawful-
ness.
Duelling Climate: Neutral. Street duelling is usually il-
legal, and the C<H>ps tend to ban road combat within their
jurisdictions, but weaponry is legal and arena duelling is
popular.
Gang Activity: Light. Though some co-ops are
rumored to play an overly active role in the salvage busi-
ness ...
-35-
LINCOLN
Population: 60,000.
Description: Lincoln itself is not very heavily
defended, as far as walls go. The approaches are fortified,
and the campus of the University is walled, but most of the
defenses comprise strategically placed automatic bunkers
that target vehicles that violate pre-programmed
parameters (for example, firing weapons in the city limits
or speeding more than 15 mph over the speed limit).
In times of trouble, the city police can take control of
these bunkers with remote control units for more selective
use of the bunkered weaponry - the bunkers are not
capable of on-site manual operation, as the police don't
want their own weapons used against them. Typically,
these bunkers are steel and concrete, with laser or gatling
weapons.
With these robotic defenses, the police force is smaller
than it would normally be for a city the size of Lincoln,
and doesn't patrol as much. Most of the patrol work is
done with helicopters, which are used to herd offenders
within firing range of bunkers, thereby avoiding costly and
lethal combat with heavily armed criminals.
The patrol forces for the highways are the old National
Guard; they try to keep the roads within a 50-mile radius
secure. Guard engineer units also maintain these roads,
which accounts for the excellent road conditions.
Duelling Facilities: Street duelling is illegal, but the
Cornhusker Arena near the University welcomes duellists.
History: Lincoln is best known for the University of
Nebraska at Lincoln and the university's famous combat
football team, "Big Red." Justifiably so, for "Big Red"
routinely places among the top amateur combat football
teams in the world. Some dispute exists over the amateur
status of the team, and the controversy over the subject of
alumni contributions to the team is constant, but historians
point out that these questions and the furor surrounding
them have been around since the Golden Age.
Other Facilities: Besides the University, Lincoln can
boast of its still-open airport, two hospital centers, and the
peaceful Holmes Park, one of the most totally
demilitarized zones in the whole state.
Gang Activity: With its robotic defenses, Lincoln is
generally free of gangs, although the Robobusters, a high-
tech gang whose purpose is to disable as many of the robot
bunkers as possible, give the police a constant struggle for
the maintenance of those defenses. Outside the city, the
Highway Guard has its hands full with gangs that lurk on
the Lincoln-New Omaha stretch of 1-80- auto parts ship-
ments, passing from Lincoln parts factories to New Omaha
vehicle plants, are high-profit targets. The bandits are also
not above attacking tourists, for target practice if nothing
else! Before going into the I-80 war zone, check with the
Highway Guard for their emergency call frequency. You
might need it.
1he AADA Road Atlas
NEW OMAHA, NEBRASKA
& COUNCIL BLUFFS, IOWA
Population: 160,000.
Description: These two cities specialize in automobile
industry and shipping. Since they flank the Missouri River
both cities can tax shipping (ostensibly for "maintenance of
banks and depth"). They also add this tax to manufactured
items. Council Bluffs is classified as partially-closed. It has
a city wall to the east, built along State 192 and 1-29/80.
The fortification was built during the Food Riot years to
repulse invaders, and access from the eastern side of the
city is restricted. New Omaha is less heavily protected,
with bunkers on the approaches and toll booths on the
major roads. Both cities are protected by the Militia, an or-
ganization (formed out of old National Guard units) dating
back to the Food Riot years. All citizens of both cities are
required to serve at least one year in this city defense force.
Small, professional police forces are charged with keeping
order - a tall order considering that both cities maintain
separate police forces, with strictly separate jurisdiction.
Duelling Facilities: Many and varied. The Bluffs Drag
Strip (drag racing only, please), the Westroads Mall Arena
(for indoor duelling - honest!), the unused runways of the
Eppley Aerodrome, and, of course, the Ak-Sar-Ben Field
and Coliseum.
Other Facilities: Four hospitals (two with Gold Cross),
a multitude of auto parts stores, the corporate headquarters
of Kane Motors, a branch of Uncle Al's (the only one in
Nebraska), airship and aircraft facilities at Eppley
Aerodrome and a surprising amount of boat dealerships.
Water recreation facilities are available at Lake Manawa,
outside the city wall.
History: New Omaha and Council Bluffs have been
linked together since the earliest days of settlement; Coun-
cil Bluffs came first, built on the site of Lewis and Clark's
councils with the Indians, and old Omaha grew from it.
Gang Activity: Light, inside the linked cities. The
Militia has been known to fire upon any duelling inside the
city limits, and the police are scarcely better. The Iowa
Motor Safety Association (IMSA), based in Council
New Omaha City,
Nebraaka
IOWA
'/he AADA Road Atlas -36-
Bluffs, has influenced and encouraged this attitude,
through lobbying and passage of city laws preventing city
duelling. The IMSA, though similar in its goals to
EDSEL, is not related to that organization, and carries out
its fight in the council room rather than in the streets.
Despite this civilized attitude, IMSA offices have been at-
tacked frequently in the past.
Outside of the city, gangs lay in wait for good targets,
particularly along 1-80. Two mentionable groups are the
Thunderbolts, who are well known for their mass attacks
on convoys - even truck convoys! - and the Hellfires,
who operate north of the city on both road and river. The
Hellfires specialize in flame and incendiary weapons.
NORTH DAKOTA
Government: Non-existent. The closest thing that pas-
ses for central control in the state is the North Dakota
Electric Authority. The NDEA keeps the state running, not
only guarding the power lines and generators but also
patrolling the highways and operating the mines.
Duelling Climate: Favorable. The NDEA doesn't par-
ticularly care what goes on, provided the power lines are
safe. Duellists should be aware that the NDEA takes an ex-
traordinarily dim view of radar jammers, Bollixes and
other ECM devices - open use of such equipment is sure
to invite retribution.
Gang Activity: Heavy. Gangs can roam free in North
Dakota - as long as they don't bother the NDEA, the
NDEA won't bother them.
BISMARCK
Population: 30,000.
Description: The capitol of North Dakota and the head-
quarters of the NDEA, Bismarck is also known as the last
bastion of civilization until Billings, Montana (although
some North Dakotans say that civilization isn't reached
westward until Spokane). Only lone truck stops and similar
facilities dot the road between the two cities.
Bismarck's main attractions are the NDEA HQ and the
Missouri River. Tours of the NDEA HQ stopped in 2034
when a terrorist group tried to blow it up. The river, on the
other hand, is still open to tourists. Since the Missouri
flows unimpeded until the Oahe Dam in mid-South
Dakota, river shipping is frequent from Pierre, South
Dakota all the way up to the Garrison Dam at the end of
Lake Sakakawea, and doesn't require much maintenance.
Bismarck is a citadel city. The main citadel is the
NDEA HQ, with other fortified buildings scattered
throughout the city. Roadi>locks consist of tollbooths
astride 1-94, manned by the Bismarck Police Regulars,
who patrol the area within five miles of the city.
Duelling Facilities: One minor arena, the Theodore
Roosevelt Memorial Arena.
Other Facilities: A local TV station, two hospitals (the
Hancock Hospital has Gold Cross), the Bismarck Airport,
and the Mary College.
Gang Activity: Very light inside the city; outside the
city, gang activity is heavy. Warning: Do not shoot at
white vehicles with red triangular flashes on them - that is citizenry is over half Norwegian in origin. May 17,
the paint job of the NDEA! Norway's Independence Day, is still celebrated in a city-
wide festival - a cease-fire between local groups is
THE DICKENSON POWER declared on this occasion, and a good time is had by all. A
few have conducted attacks during the celebration, meeting
STOP & SERVICE FORT uniformly with disaster as the celebrants banded together
Outside the ruins of Dickinson, the Power Stop and Ser- to destroy such interruptions.
vice Fort transfers power from the nearby Dickinson Dam. Fargo has very little in the way of fortifications. All the
The fort is extremely well-defended, and is a major stop groups operating in the city have strengthened buildings,
for NDEA vehicles. The service is good, the food has three of course- the largest of which is the NDEA's- but the
stars in the Brotherhood's American Eating Guide and the city is classified open. This fact, in conjunction with the
power is cheap. Charge up here, because there's no other amount of weaponry and groups in the city, makes for a
stop before Montana! Beware of attackers lurking o~tside very dangerous and exciting lifestyle in Fargo. This life-
the fort waiting for travelers to leave. The NDEA toes to style becomes even more dangerous during the biannual
get rid of them, but they haven't gotten them all .. . cattle drives that bring livestock and bored cowhands to the
city. Tourist are advised to steer clear of Fargo during late
April and late October. . .
FARGO Duelling Facilities: The North Dakota UmvefSlty
Arena has a modem, well-maintained arena. Hector Field's
Population: 43,000
deserted runways are sometimes used as drag strips
Description: One of the two North Dakotan cities on
the Minnesota border, Fargo is the largest population cen- Other Facilities: One TV station (boasting the tallest
structure in North America, a 2063-foot antenna situated
ter in the state. Strategically located on the Red River with
two interstates (1-94 and 1-29) passing through it, Fargo between Fargo and Grand Forks), three hospitals (St.
has long been a transportation nexus and shipping center. Ansgar and St. Lukes engage in frequent price wars; the
Veterans Hospital is the Gold Cross facility), the civic
Fargo has returned to its behavior of earlier days in the
auditorium, and the North Dakota University.
time since the Golden Age. When the city was first settled,
Gang Activities: Heavy inside the city. A particularly
it was as wild a western town as Dodge City or
vicious group known as the Blackouts holes up west of
Tombstone. Law and order is similarly rare today, consist-
Fargo in the ruins of Tower City. This gang is an avowed
ing only of periodic sweeps by NDEA troops to ferret out
enemy of the NDEA and the two organizations are con-
enemies (which includes anyone who fires upon the NDEA
stantly skirmishing.
sweepers).
Economically, Fargo does have a number of food-
processing and metal-producing factories, which are
guarded by factory-hired mercenaries. Culturally, Fargo's GRAND FORKS
Population: 15,600.
r--, Description: A small city, Grand Forks is little more
I
I
I
I
than a stop on the journey to Winnipeg. The occupied areas
I
I
L- - - - ,
I
are classified as walled. The University and the southwest
I I
r-' district is one closed area; the Riverside district is the
r-'
I I
other. The rest of the city lies in ruins. There is a small
I I
;- ~ -- -1 police force formed mostly out of student volunteers that
I
'--,
L.. . -
patrols the city and the highway for a few miles, and the
I
NDEA operates patrols from Grand Forks, but that is the
extent of law enforcement.
Duelling Facilities: No AADA-sanctioned arenas. Most
University
a
of the year, the County Fairgrounds are used as racetrack
by UND autoduelling teams. Often, gangs from the sur-
• rounding area tum team practice into real combat.
@) Other Facilities: The University of North Dakota;
Medical Park. Medical Park has cloning ability, but it isn' t
Gold Cross!
Gang Activity: Heavy, in the ruined parts of the city.
The patrols by the University Police and the NDEA are
often heavily contested. You take your life into your hands
when you venture out of the walled areas.

NORTH DAKOTA MINNESOTA

OHIO
Government: Strong and democratic. Ohio is almost as
Fargo,
North Dakota organized today as it was 50 years ago. The state govern-
ment relies on trustworthy local militias (such as the famed

-37- The AADA Road Atlas


MONDOs) for most patrols, a system that has proven quite
successful.
Duelling Climate: Favorable. Ohio citizens drove out
EDSEL forces in 2032. They still take pride in this ac-
complishment, and show their pride by engaging in fre-
quent road duels.
Gang Activity: Light. Ohio is the most pacified of the
Midwestern states.
AKRON
Population: 170,000.
Description: Rejuvenated by the invention of synthetic
rubber, Akron is once again the great tire-making capitol
of North America. Huge shipments of tires go north to
Detroit, and there is talk of building a railroad (!) from
Akron through Toledo to Detroit, just to satisfy the ship-
ping demands. Until the gangs are eliminated, though, rail-
roading remains just a memory and a dream - trains are
too vulnerable. In addition, Akron's venerable Findley
Brigade, descendants of the 2nd Battalion, aren't strong
enough yet to protect a railway.
Duelling Facilities: Several minor arenas and one major
one, the Rubberway. Duelling is forbidden on the streets,
and this is enforced.
Other Facilities: Three hospitals (all with Gold Cross),
a functioning airport, four TV stations and a major airship
factory (over half of Akron's synthi-rubber goes for gas-
bags, not only here but in Wichita and Amarillo). Careful-
ly disarmed tours are conducted of the historical Old
Blimp, the last surviving airship from the 20th century.
Gang Activity: The duellists and the Findley Brigade
make life hazardous for gangs in the area. There are some
still on the interstate (I-76), and the Cuyahoga Valley is
home to gangs who lie in wait for convoys out of Akron
headed north. Watch out when taking I-77 north to join up
with I-80 west; that's where they normally jump traffic.
The AADA Road Atlas -38-
CINCINNATI
Population: 120,000.
Description: The citizens of Cincinnati made their stand
against the Riot Years along the banks of the Ohio River,
putting their backs to the water and blocking roads along
the northern approaches. With bridges cut and roads block-
ed, the tactic worked, leaving Cincinnati with a great deal
of the waterfront industry intact. That industry works
today to feed and breathe life into the city. Many of the
citizens work in machine plants and algae factories, export-
ing the manufactured goods upstate and down river.
Duelling Facilities: The duelling fever grips Cincinnati
hard. The incidence of street duelling is almost as bad as in
Detroit, although the Cinncinati police try to control the
violence- often failing. For the arena duellist, there are
regular duelling arenas available, and plenty of arena
events (and plenty of fans- TV coverage of arena duels
nets ratings almost as high as the random street combats!)
Other Facilities: Besides the manufacturing district,
Cincinnati has two very good hospitals (considering the
amount of carnage about, they'd better be good!) with
Gold Cross, a downtown airport, and two TV stations.
Gang Activity: The "gangs" of Cincinnati are actually
the duellists. There are few to no cycle gangs of the classic
type in or around the city (depending on the season; in the
summer, some come to ambush tourists), because the duel-
lists of the city love to rip up cycle gangs. And they're not
too reluctant to rip up anyone else who gets in their way.
Fortunately, most of the gang activity and club fighting is
among the groups themselves, punctuated by occasional
sallies to Dayton to "rough up the Dayton geeks." As
noted before, stay away from these gangs, and especially
the Cinnci-Dayton rumbles.
CLEVELAND
Cleveland today isn't a city, it's a road hazard - the
highways around it are the best routes from Erie to Akron
and west to Fort Wayne. Although the radiation from the
neutron bombs that killed Cleveland was not lingering,
only a few brave souls will remain near the rusting ghost
city, and they are considered crazy.
Some have gone into the heart of the city, looking for
valuables to plunder, but they have never returned - at
least there is no record of their return. The fear of radiation
still frightens the majority of the curious, and they restrict
their yearn to see the nuked city to taking pictures from the
window of a sealed car while motoring past.
COLUMBUS
Population: 127,000.
Description: Columbus centers around the Ohio State
University and the Defense Center, a former storage area
for national defense construction. The state government
still rests in Columbus, financing itself with part of the
tolls collected on the roads in and around the city.
The government doesn't exercise much power, being
satisfied with the amount of revenue coming in from the
taxes, and restraining demonstrations of force to dealing
with those persons who wreck roads and commerce.
Duelling Facilities: Street duelling is considerably dis-
couraged in Columbus - the police are likely to call out a
Guard attack chopper or tank to deal with persistent duel-
lists. However, this doesn't discourage arena duelling, and
there are a number of stadiums in the area. Some of them
are little more than makeshift tracks constructed by sealing
off a small section of destroyed city, while others are old
masterpieces, like the Derby Downs and Scioto Downs
Dueltracks to the south.
Other Facilities: Columbus has one TV station and two
colleges. The State School for the Blind and Deaf, one of
the few facilities of its type in the country, draws students
from all over the land. Major technical advances in rectify-
ing the problems the school treats have been made here,
and the school has even produced one blind duellist who
"sees" through her targeting systems, thanks to a combina-
tion of braintaping technology and special targeting sys-
tems. The city also boasts several hospitals (all with Gold
Cross), and a functioning airport.
Gang Activity: As might be expected around a city
with many roads going through it, the gang activity beyond
the city limits is pretty heavy. The Guard and the police are
constantly on the lookout for gangs, and offer rewards for
the elimination of identified gang members. This bounty
process has worked quite well, considering the amount of
duellists in the state.
To date, the largest reward not claimed is for the
Gassers, a gang thought to reside in the ruins of Lancaster,
southeast of town. The reason for both the size of the
reward ($250,000) and its unclaimed status is that the
Gassers are a large group (over 30 vehicles) and every
vehicle is equipped with some sort of gas-dispensing
weapon (smokescreen, grenade launcher, smoke-rockets).
Doesn't sound very formidable? Perhaps not, until one
considers that the Gassers have managed to obtain a stock-
pile of nerve gas which they use in combat. If you see
cyclists or small car drivers wearing completely enclosed
body armor of a nonstandard type, be on the lookout for
gas attacks! And stay out of the gas; this is nerve agent,
and gas masks are no protection. Nerve gas will kill you
inside a minute if it contacts any exposed skin.
DAYTON
Population: 75,000.
Description: Dayton drew in around Wright-Patterson
AFB when the crisis period hit. In the fortified airbase, the
citizenry survived the Riot Years and struck back peri-
odically at the raiders. In the time following the Riot
Years, the city of Dayton has expanded from the base.
Dayton's heaviest defenses are along the south side of
the city, to protect from attacks coming from Cincinnati!
Today, the raiders that Dayton fears come from the sister
city; gangs and robbers aren't nearly as much of a threat as
the duellist groups from the southern city. Of course,
Dayton's duellists stage counter-attacks periodically ...
Duelling Facilities: Outside the AFB, duelling is com-
mon in the streets. The Dayton police try to put a stop to
this, but they can't cover all the ruined and deserted areas
of the city. For those interested in the more lucrative arena
-39-
contests, there is the Kettering Arena, at the southern skirts
of the occupied area, where the rivers meet.
Other Facilities: Dayton's facilities are mostly con-
centrated in the airbase; the base has a TV station, a quite
functional airfield complex, a well-equipped Gold Cross
hospital, and plenty of fortifications and firepower to deal
with anyone trying to break into the air base.
Gang Activity: Most of the gangs and robbers are north
of Dayton, lurking along I-70 into Indiana. Dayton still
has its problems with punks and other gangs in the ruined
areas of the city, of course, but these gangs don't cause
much more problem than the duellists do - often less,
since many of the members of these punk gangs work at
low-paying cheap-labor jobs in the city. Still, be on your
guard in the ruined areas; a brick tossed at strangers is con-
sidered a greeting card in this area.
Not even the gangs interfere when the Cinnci duellists
come up to rumble in the city. Only fools would be stupid
enough to mess with that firepower, and the Cincin-
nati/Dayton battles that erupt are often dangerous enough
for the Guard to intervene. If you are in or around the area
of one of these fights, get out fast!
MIDVILLE
Population: 2,500.
Midville is a very popular tourist attraction today.
Everyone wants to see the MONDOs in action (which they
very well may, as the MONDOs are the patrol for 40 miles
around the town), and visit the Sarah Bellum Memorial.
Duelling Facilities: The Midville Duel Arena,
renovated from an old racetrack by then Midville mayor
Dani Adair.
Other Facilities: One hospital, too small for Gold
Cross.
History: Midville gained popularity and notoriety as
the site of the famed TV series "Crash City," a show based
on a cycle gang raid which failed miserably. The
townsfolks' heroic and stiff defense of of their little town
has warranted the classification of "Fortress Town," the
first walless community to be awarded the title.
Gang Activity: If you go to Midville in the hopes of
fighting the Thunder Turkeys or the Crusaders, forget it.
The Crusaders still lurk toward Akron, but they don't get
near Midville anymore. The MONDOs keep gangs and
other raiders at a considerable distance, though plenty
come roaring towards town to "see if them MONDO freaks
is really so tough."
'/he AADA Road Atlas

SOUTH DAKOTA
Govenunent: On the road to recovery. Most law and
order is provided by the corporate mining interests.
Duelling Climate: Neutral. If there were more control
over the roads the climate would be Unfavorable, but the
state government hasn't even bothered enacting antiduell-
ing ordinances. Duelling is usually outlawed in civilized
regions of the state, since the mining companies view all
duellists as potential bandits.
Gang Activity: Heavy. Travelers are safer here than
other places, however, since the frequent ore trucks are
much more valuable targets than mere tourists. An interest-
ing side note here is that the state government, with the
help of several mining companies, is planning to purge the
Badlands National Park of bandits and gangs in order to
bring tourism back to the state; so far, however, this idea
is only in its planning stages.
PIERRE
Population: 5,000.
Description: Though the state capitol, Pierre is one of
the smallest cities in the Midwest. It serves as the supply
center for farming and cattle-raising in the area, as a stop-
off for tourists on the way to Lake Oahe, and as a link be-
tween highway trucking and Missouri river shipping.
Pierre is a citadel city that takes advantage of the natural
terrain of the river valley: All roads are blocked and
watched, and anyone trying to come into the river valley
by any other way has steep hills and bad terrain to deal
The AADA Road Atlas -40-
with. The city's defenders are primarily militia; South
Dakota has no Guard or Army to speak of.
Duelling Facilities: None, unless you count Lake Oahe.
Other Faclllties: Pierre has a Gold Cross-equipped
hospital, and serves as the base for the Lake Patrol and the
South Dakota Electric Authority.
Gang Activity: Heavy, due to convoys of material roll-
ing to and from the river passage. However, they're usual-
ly after larger prey than single cars (although they'll not
pass up a target with high profit potential). There is more
gang activity on the river.
Pirates operate from the banks of the Missouri and Lake
Oahe, using small armed speedboats to raid commerce and
tourism. Those who want to fish in the lake or journey up
the river are advised to do so only when the Lake Patrol is
around, or when in a barge or other heavy craft. The Lake
Patrol, a public service of armed boats funded by license
fees, scours the lake for pirates.
Population: 40,000.
Description: A strong survivor since before the Food
Riot years, Rapid City is now the gold-producing capitol
of the United States. Gold, silver, and uranium make the
city live.
Rapid City is definitely a closed city. Though not com-
pletely walled, the entrances to the city are few and strictly
controlled by armed men with itchy trigger fingers. Only
sidearms are allowed inside the city; vehicular weaponry is
disarmed upon entrance unless you have identification and the Pen Pounders, the two ruling groups, still exist,
from one of the mining companies. but the extent of their rivalry today is limited to occasional
Heavy traffic pulls in every day from the Black Hills, police disputes (each group supplies one shift) and an an-
laden with precious metals (or decoy cargos, run to fool nual intra-city football brawl. The situation outside of the
gangs); equally heavy traffic pulls out with supplies for the city is more fluid, with gangs lurking on the roads waiting
mines. The airport is busy, handling private traffic and oc- for prey.
casional Navy airships picking up government gold ship-
ments. On the whole, Rapid City resembles an armed
camp. The produce of the mines is guarded more closely
and with more firepower than Fort Knox used to be. Not
even the Oklahoma oil baronies can match the mineral cor-
porations of Rapid City for man-to-man firepower.
In Rapid City, there are two classes of citizens: those
who belong to the mining companies, and those who don't.
The miners have the distinct social advantage; be wary of
insulting a miner or even demanding equal service in trade
establishments.
Duelling Facilities: None. Duelling is forbidden in the
city.
Other Facilities: The companies retain their own hospi-
tal facilities, complete with private Gold Cross services for
executives; the only civilian hospital, the Rapid City
Regional, lacks Gold Cross equipment. There are two
company TV stations, an airport, a former National Guard
base, and a technical school.
Gang Activity: Outside the city and to the south, the
Badlands are infested with gangs. Generally they don't at-
tack anything that doesn't look like a cargo-carrier. With
so much in the way of precious metals moving through the
area, there is no percentage in attacking regular cars.
However, sometimes the mining companies will send par-
ticularly valuable shipments through in camouflaged
cargo-cars, so the gangs might attack an innocent, just to
be sure ...

SIOUX FALLS
Population: 40,000.
Description: Sioux Falls is a fairly typical cattle-
country city, dependent on revenues from sales and tolls.
Its only unusual feature is its government, a conglomera-
tion of the various gangs which used to battle over the city.
Even the police force is made up of the gangs' members-
they are uniformed, but not very professional, preferring
shooting over talking. Their numbers vary from shift to
shift, and have a fierce competition to outdo the other
shifts!
Duelling Facilities: The Battleship Arena management
hosts "come-as-you-are" events regularly; the format is
quite popular with the viewers, as it combines the best fea-
tures of arena duelling and impromptu road duels.
Other Facilities: Sioux Falls' facilities are limited; the
new hospital in the Pen district is quite modem but lacks
Gold Cross support.
History: Sioux Falls was the holdout of rival gangs
centering around the State Pen and the Battleship Monu-
ment. Their destructive rivalry went on for years, until
gang leaders figured that there was more money in peace
than in war.
Gang Activity: There are naturally some gangs inside
the city, but they keep their activities civil; many of them
are now social clubs rather than threats. The Battleshippers
WISCONSIN
Government: Weak. State control covers the three
largest cities and not much else. The government's most
notable activity is the production of national TV commer-
cials, advertising the delights in store for the tourist in
Wisconsin.
Duelling Climate: Favorable.
Gang Activity: Medium to Light.
GREEN BAY
Population: 45,000.
Description: Green Bay came through the Food Riot
years in a distinctly different configuration than it had had
before. Rather than abandoning half the city and putting
their backs to the river, the inhabitants fortified along both
sides of the river and the waterfront instead, building
defenses along the perimeters and keeping their waterways.
Another oddity about the fortification of Green Bay was
that the material most used was wood, a resource plentiful-
ly available. Even today, wooden palisades are common in
the city, for wood is cheap (Green Bay is in the middle of

-41- The AADA Road Atlas

logging country), and, when treated with fire retardants,
durable.
The inhabitants of Green Bay are typical Wisconsinites,
only more so. Though one of the largest cities in the state,
it still feels like hinterlands and the rural areas of northern
Wisconsin.
Duelling Facilities: Lambeau Field, an official AADA
arena, is the home of the local autoduelling team (named
for a brand of automobile from the middle 20th century).
Other Facilities: Paper mills, plenty of dockyards,
several marine vehicle manufacturers, a hospital (with
Gold Cross) and two TV stations.
Gang Activity: Gangs just don't have much to prey on
around Green Bay - what do you do with a load of lum-
ber? There are some gangs in the area subsisting on raiding
food hauls headed for the lumber sites, but the lumberjacks
are continually after such thieves. Most of the action in the
area comes from fights between rival lumber companies.
With the equipment such companies can field, staying
away from these conflicts is the best decision.
ley survived the Blight. Milwaukee's 2038 Best is just as
good and plentiful as its ancestor in the Golden Age.
Duelling Facilities: A good variety, if small for the
most part. The most popular is the old Amtrak Station
Duelpark, featuring tunnels and unique road hazards.
Other Facilities: Multiple breweries, five hospitals,
two automotive plants, a TV station, two colleges.
U.W.M. includes one of the hospitals (with Gold Cross).
Gang Activity: Heavy. The ruins of the city provide
plenty of places for gangs to hide, and the police forces of
the triumvirate don't go well together. Formed for the pur-
pose of protecting their own enclaves, the police lack
cooperative training and spirit. In their own territory, these
security forces are quite good, and security is strict; out-
siders are only allowed inside by invitation. But the gangs
(mostly on foot) rule the streets, unless you can muster the
firepower to get through them. Particularly noteworthy are
the Marquettes, a revolutionary gang dedicated to the over-
throw of the existing system and the re-establishment of
Marquette University, in that order.
Visitors are advised to go through the city well-armed;
there are too many "have-nots" in and around the city who
are just looking to attack anyone looking affluent. Don't
expect the enclaves to provide much protection.

MADISON
Population: 60,000.
Description: Madison is a city largely located on a
land-bridge between two lakes. As such, it is one of the
most impregnable natural-defense fortress towns in the University of Wisconsin
world. It still remains the seat of state government, and the at Milwaukee
center of the State Patrol.
Duelling Facilities: As the center for duelling in central
Wisconsin, there are several arenas in Madison, the largest
being built on the ruins of the old Truax Field airport.
Other Facilities: A TV station, two hospitals (one with
Gold Cross- the U. ofW. Clinic) and the University.
Gang Activity: Light. State Patrol helicopters prowl PoorTown
within a 10-mile radius outside the city, and the gangs go
elsewhere to avoid tangling with them.

MILWAUKEE
Population: 400,000.
Description: Milwaukee consists of three fortified
enclaves inside a burned-out urban husk. These enclaves
center around the University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee,
the Saint Francis Seminary and the old breweries,
strongpoints never abandoned during the Food Riot years
- they had food sources, even then. Through the years,
the inhabitants of these areas have become the aristocracy ('(' "--,,_,
(' ')

of Milwaukee. The distinction between the classes was [ J

c St. Francis J
reinforced during the Job Rush of 2026, when a well-
\ Enclave l
financed center-city rebuilding program brought in large "' J
<..,.."' ~~._)
numbers of migrant workers who settled in the less for-
tunate neighborhoods. The class conflict manifests itself
primarily in political battles, though open warfare is an oc-
Milwaukee,
casional possibility. Wieconein
Milwaukee was famous for its beer 50 years ago, and
it's still famous today. Mysteriously - and luckily - bar-

1he AADA Road Atlas -42-

 11111-SGIIIBIOS
South Dakota
The once-sacred Black Hills, mined since the last century,
still produce gold - tons of ore every year. And in the still-
depressed economy of 2038, gold is money in its most compact
form.
In order to keep the mines working, the Crazy Horse Truck-
ing Company hauls food and supplies from Rapid City on a
lucrative but dangerous contract - Black Hills gangs lurk
around old Highway 79, a road specifically repaired for the
mines traffic.
Less well known is the fact that Crazy Horse trucks also
return with cargo. Q-trucks, their weaponry concealed to make
them look like regular Crazy Horse line trucks, haul gold back
to Rapid City, where the precious metal is auctioned off to
governments by lot. In general, these concealed gold-haulers are
safe, for the usual assumption is that a truck on the return leg is
empty. However, not all rigs are ignored ...
This mini-scenario is for two sides: truckers and bandits.
The truckers get a $250,000 tractor-trailer rig. The truckers get
a five-man crew of 40-point characters (30 points per skill).
The bandits get $75,000 to build any number of vehicles,
but no air vehicles. They get no more than ten characters, with
40 points each (maximum 30 per skill).
The map used is simple: clear road sections, two-lane only.
The third lane does not exist. Every tenth road section, roll 1
die; on a 5, the next section is a mild curve to the left, and on a
6 it is a mild right curve. The bandits may set up 20" ahead or
10" behind the truck, which is traveling at 60 mph at the begin-
ning of the scenario (company rules). The bandits win by stop-
-43-
ping and looting the truck. The truckers win by not being
stopped.
Variant 1. For more maneuvering, make the road one of the
more scenic routes by rolling the die for curves every road sec-
tion!
Variant 2. For more players, add escorts for the truck: For
every $15,000 of cars added to the truckers' convoy, add
$20,000 to the bandits' funds and 20 skill points. The crews of
the truckers' cars are 40-point characters, with the same limita-
tions as the truck crew.
Variant 3. For a third side, add a rival gang of bandits. The
truckers get escorts as above. However, instead of increasing the
first bandits' forces, add a second group, giving the third team
the funds and skills mentioned in variant 2. If the truck survives,
the truckers win; otherwise, after the truck is stopped, the two
bandit gangs fight over the loot - the winner is the last player
with vehicles left alive on the map.
Autoduel Siats. All the crew and gang members should be
25-point characters.
Midville, Ohio
The scene of the famous vid show Crash City and home to
one of the best known militias in the country, the MONDOs, is
now the setting for impending warfare. A policy split between
factions of the MONDOs has divided the membership into
camps, with the old guard MONDO founders pitted against the
younger members, who have taken to calling themselves the
"New Mashers." In the last MONDO meeting, things got so
heated that the split developed into a fight with two distinct
sides, and the meeting dissolved in disorder.
At the next dawn, Saturday morning, the hard-core
MONDOs and the New Mashers meet downtown to decide who
shall lead the civilian defense of Midville ...
Use the Midville map; the MONDOs start out at the Bar
None, while the New Mashers are holed up in the Mall at the
start of the scenario. Both forces are composed of ten men
apiece; the MONDO forces are made up of 60-point characters
(no more than 30 in any one skill), while the New Mashers are
made up of 40-point characters (same restriction as MONDOs).
The MONDOs start with $12,000 while the New Mashers start
with $16,000. The fight continues until only one side holds the
field (i.e., until all characters on one side are dead or off the
map).
Variant. In the actual fight, the police took no part in the
battle except for those defending the police station. What would
have happened if the police had tried to stop the fight? Put a pair
of police cruisers into the fray, starting behind the police station.
The cruisers are each manned by a pair of cops (Driver + 1,
Gunner+ 1, Handgunner + 1, Runner+ 1), equipped with body
armor, gas masks, SMGs and two tear gas grenades. The police
also control the station's defenses.
Autoduel Stats. The MONDOs and police are all 50-point
characters, while the New Mashers are built on 25 points each.
See Car Warriors for some typical MONDOs and police.
Lincoln, Nebraska
Lincoln relies on robotic defenses to keep order on its busy
highways. Automated bunkers, equipped with radar, fire on
vehicles that break traffic laws - speed limits, no-duelling
Mini-Scenarios

zones and the like. The system is very efficient and effective.
And, after all, it's all computerized; nothing can go wrong ...
This mini-scenario, for one or more players, pits an innocent
commuter against the malfunctioning robotic defenses of Lin-
coln.
The commuter gets a $15,000 car and 50 skill points (max
30 per skill). He has just pulled onto Interstate 34. Use clear
road ~tions to represent the highway; every fifth section, roll
one die - on a 5, the next section is a left curve, and on a 6 it is
a right curve. The commuter starts off at one end of a road sec-
tion in the right-hand lane, traveling 60 mph.
There is a bunker at the midpoint of every road section, on
the right-hand shoulder (use an obstacle counter). Each bunker
has 15 DP; treat it as a tiny building, but only one breach is
needed to destroy it. Bunkers are equipped with radar and com-
puter gunners (Gunner 0) and will fire at the commuter's tires
every turn until he is immobilized.
Whenever a bunker is placed on the map, roll one die. On a
1 or 2, the bunker is equipped with two linked light lasers; on a
3 or 4, it has two linked MGs; and on a 5 or 6, it has a single
VMG. Each weapon has an essentially unlimited ammo supply.
The commuter is 20 road sections away from the next exit.
Once he reaches the end of the last section, he has won. If he is
immobilized before then, the bunkers stop firing but he has lost.
Variant 1. For a more complex and interesting game, have
the scenario take place during rush hour - add traffic! Scatter
five or ten cars on every road section, all heading the same direc-
tion as the player's car, at 60 mph. Non-player vehicles follow
the road and make no other maneuvers. They block line of fire
from the bunkers.
Variant 2. For a two-player game, stage a road duel be-
tween members of two rival fraternities (or cattle companies or
whatever). Each player gets a $20,000 car and 50 skill points as
above. The bunkers target one player or the other at random.
Auloduel Stats. The bunkers have DR 5 and HT 45 . Com-
Mini-Scenarios -44-
puter gunners have Gunner skill with their weapon at level 12.
The player's character has 50 points (though he could instead be
a 100-point PC from a continuing campaign).
Dodge City, Kansas
A range dispute between two rival cattle companies has
~orne down to a showdown between the champions of the forces,
m the mostly deserted city of Dodge. Pickups and off-road
vehicles rumble into the ruined streets, like old-style gun-
fighters, to settle the argument with gunplay ...
Use the Midville map. The whole place is deserted, and
none of the defenses at the police station exist. The two sides
enter from north and south edges; determine who enters where
by mutual choice or die roll. The fight is on until one or both
sides can no longer fight! The side that kills the most people (not
vehicles, people) wins!
This isn't Midville, however. Most of the buildings are
derelicts; there is a 50% chance (4-6 on one die) that a building
will not block line-of-sight for any given shot.
Each side gets ten 40-point characters (30 max per skill),
and $150,000 to build vehicles and arm characters. All vehicles
must have off-road suspensions (which means that oversized and
air vehicles are prohibited).
If more than two sides are involved, just add more ranchers,
each with the same amounts of characters, points, money and
restrictions.
Autoduel Stats. The characters are built on 25 points.
Floral Gulch, Indiana
In 2032, the duellists of Ohio united to drive the EDSELs
out of their state, pushing them back to Indiana. One of the
leaders of the Ohio duellists, Mel "Six-Gun" Bryce, went on to
found the nebulous DEDSEL organization, a loose alliance of
duellists dedicated to the destruction of EDSEL. For years, she
went east to the states of EDSEL's genesis and lobbied state and
local governments to try and limit or banish the EDSELs, but
was unsuccessful: Since road death rates tended to drop and
road/police maintenance costs tended to decline in areas of
EDSEL influence, EDSEL was rather popular with those
governments. Frustrated, she returned to Ohio where she con-
tacted several autoduelling groups in Indiana with the proposi-
tion of destroying the EDSELs in that state in the same fashion
as their destruction in Ohio. She was well received, and jour-
neyed in secret to Floral Gulch to meet with the Amoco Kids
outside of town in a fortified truck stop.
Unfortunately for "Six-Gun" Bryce and the three repre-
sentatives of the Amoco Kids, EDSEL found out about the meet-
ing and staged an attack to squash one of their most persistent
foes . ..
Use the Truck Stop map. The Amoco Kids' cars and
Bryce's Six-Gun are parked outside the restaurant; she and the
three Kids are inside. The truck stop defenses are armed and
manned (Gunner+ 1) and will fire on any attackers.
 EDSEL forces enter the board from any edge, at no higher
than 6" altirude (they flew in under the radar). That's right, flew.
They have a standard Plunge and a standard Aerohauler loaded
with 10 infantrymen. The pilots and aircrew are all Pilot + 1,
Gunner + 1, and have body armor and sub-machine pistols; the
infantry are Handgunner + 2, Runner + 2 and have body armor,
an SMG with 1 extra clip (all anti-vehicular ammo), light
amplification goggles, and two grenades of any type (all equip-
ment per man).
"Six-Gun" Bryce's Six Gun is a custom-built Division 15
vehicle. Bryce herself is a Driver + 2, Gunner + 2, Handgunner
+ 1 and Runner + 1; her personal equipment is bought with
whatever funds are left over from the $15,000.
The Amoco Kids must have either two or three vehicles,
crewed by three 50-point characters (no more than 30 points in
any one skill); they have $50,000 to spend on cars and personal
gear.
The EDSELs win if they kill Bryce. Any other result than
Bryce's death is a victory for the duellists. Remember the truck-
stop defenses, the blow-through and wall-breach rules, and the
fact that it's night - any firing outside has the -3 nighttime
modifier, unless you have equipment to counter the darkness
Variant. For simplicity, this scenario ignores the other cus-
tomers of the truck stop. To add neutral pedestrians, scatter 20
peds inside the building along with Bryce and the Kids. These
pedestrians each have $1,000 worth of equipment and 20 points
in skills. Give EDSEL another Aerohauler, identical to the first
(including infantry contingent).
To further complicate matters, give some of the pedestrians
more skills and money and have tlleir vehicles parked outside as
well. Details for this on are left as an exercise for the reader.
Autodutl Stats. Bryce is a 75-point character; the Amoco
Kids have 50 points each; all other characters are built on only
25 points.
Special rules: Each cow weighs 900 pounds and has 6 DP.
The cattle are moving across the road at 5 mph.
Each time weapons are fired into the herd (don't forget
missed shots headed in the right direction!), roll two dice, ad-
ding 1 to the roll if the weapon in question is burst-effect. On a
12 or better, the cattle stampede. Roll one die to see which way
they stampede: in the direction there are already beading (1-3) or
toward the firer (4-6). Stampeding cattle move at up to 25 mph,
and accelerate at 5 mph per tum; once a stampede is underway,
it won't stop or change direction.
Treat cattle like motorcycles for targeting and collision pur-
poses. Dead cattle are left on the map and count as obstacles.
However, if a longhorn takes more than 20 cumulative points of
damage, remove it from the map entirely.
The herd of cattle is essentially endless; keep them coming
across the road (or stampeding) for the duration of the scenario.
Autoduel Stats. Typical cattle have PD 1, DR 1, and HT
15. See pp. 70 and 87 of the GURPS Bestiary for more details.
The humans have 25 character points each.
Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota
It has been said that "an armed society is a polite society."
While this may or may not be true, an armed society certainly
has more weapons at hand with which to settle arguments, even
silly ones.

North Dakota
Massive cattle herds roam the state. Often, these animals
cause traffic problems merely by straying across the highway -
for several hours. Some travelers are less patient with this living
roadblock than others, and often the cowhands who ride watch
over the herds must deal with cattle shootings on the road.
This scenario is for two players. One player is a highway
traveler whose way is blocked; the other is the cowhand. The
map is a straight road three sections long, with the long axis
aligned north-south. The first two sections (to the north) are
clear; on the third (southernmost) section, there is a herd of
longhorns.
Use pedestrian counters to represent the cattle. Each square
inch of the southernmost road section should contain two long-
horns. The herd begins the game moving eastward at 5 mph.
Whenever a longhorn exits the east edge (or is destroyed), bring
it on the west edge again.
The traveler, coming from the north, wants to get past the
herd to the other side, and wins by doing so, by whatever means
necessary (such as blowing the herd out of the way!). The
cowhand is there to see that the cattle aren't butchered before
they get to the stockyard. If the cowhand inflicts more DP
damage on the traveler than the traveler inflicts on the herd, he
wins. If not, the traveler wins, as long as be gets away!
Both sides get $30,000 and 50 skill points apiece (no more
than 30 in any one skill). The cowhand must build a vehicle with
at least 500 lbs. cargo capacity and off-road suspension, while
the traveler needs at least 150 pounds and 1 space for cargo.

-45- Mini-Scenarios

One such argument arose between the Flaming Lakers and
the Anarchist Relief Front. The FLs had been using the circled
A symbol on their vehicles and the ARFs resented this- the
symbol was one of anarchy and thus was considered the ARFs'
'' trademark.'' The FLs hotly denied any linking of the circled A
with the anarchy movement, and continued to use the symbol. In
an age before autoduelling, both groups would probably have
limited the enmity over the argument to insults, pranks, and oc-
casional barroom fights. In 2038, though, hot lead flies faster
than harsh words ...
This scenario takes place on the East Midville maps (Car
Wars Expansion Set #3), late at night (the -3 nighttime fire
modifier is in effect). The two sides enter from opposite sides of
the map, equipped with $60,000 of cars (no trucks or helicop-
ters) and gear, driven/worn by 50-point characters (no more than
30 points in any one skill). The winner is the survivor with the
most cars on the map!
If more vigilantes, gangs or other interested parties want a
say in the matter, give each the same starting equipment, and
have each enter from an unused side of the map. If more room is
needed, add the regular Midville maps.
Autoduel Stats. Both sides are composed of 25-point
characters.
Iowa
If you don't know that the entire state of Iowa is declared a
demilitarized zone by the Amana Society (and the government),
you' ll fmd out quickly! The state troopers stop all cars at the
borders, confiscate all ammunition, fire-control circuits and per-
sonal weaponry and seal gun muzzles with a special plastic
crimped to prevent forgery. The seals will be removed and the
cash value of confiscated goods returned at a duly-authorized
exit toll gate. Any cars trying to enter the state that do not stop
and surrender their arms are in for a chase.
This scenario takes place on standard road sections, with
every other road section having a 1 in 6 chance of being a ran-
Mini-Scenarios -46-
-
dom tum. All road sections are rubbled and debris-strewn (use
the back side of standard road sections).
The Iowa State Police receive one standard police cruiser,
with the following modifications: Delete one passenger space,
add a magazine for the RR and 5 points of armor to the back. The
offending motorist, aiming to keep his weaponry, had crashed
the barrier (at the cost of two dice of damage to his front armor)
and sped up the road at high speed in his $25,000 car.
The police characters are Driver +2, Gunner +2, Handgun
+ 1. The driver of the other car has 70 points to spend on skills,
no more than 30 points per skill.
The scenario starts with the police car 12" behind the
motorist. Both cars choose their starting speeds, which must be
between 60 and 80 mph (inclusive). The state trooper in the
scenario is restricted to tire and turret shots and may only fire at
the main body of the car if the car is immobile, the turret is gone,
and the car continues to shoot.
Autoduel Stats. The two police each have 25 character
points, while the motorist has 50 (or 100, if he's a PC).
Chicago, Illinois
The Wotija Day Parade is one of the finest spectacles of cul-
tural strength in the city. Every February, one Saturday is set
aside for the long line of private vehicles and marching bands. It
is one of the events in the city's calendar that tourists are advised
not to miss. Especially this year!
This year, some Church of America fanatics intend to crash
the parade. Literally. Their plan: Smite the rear guard of the
line, kill some heathen, then flee the scene.
Straight 12" road sections are needed. This is a business dis-
trict, so vehicles may not drive or fire off the edges of the road
sections. Treat the shoulders as regular road - these streets are
four lanes wide, and the sidewalks are too full of things like light
posts, benches and other clutter to safely drive through them.
The street continues straight and there is an intersection at the
beginning and end of every section.
 Begin with two straight road sections. The float is at the far
end of one section. The three Society of Wotija vehicles (they
may cost no more than $20,000 apiece), driven by 60-point
characters (no more than 40 points in any one skill), are within
3 inches of where the two sections meet. Both float and escorts
are driving 15 mph. The Amy vehicles (five vehicles totaling
$60,000), driven by 40-point characters (no more than 30 points
in any one skill), enter at the far end of the other section, at SO
mph. The float may accelerate at 2.5 mph per second, but cannot
drive faster than 15 mph.
An Amy vehicle may not fire on the float unless there are no
escort vehicles between itself and the float. The Amys lose if
they are immobilized. The Wotijans lose if the float is
destroyed. (It is possible for both sides to lose.)
The Wotijans must give battle; if they don't, the Daughters
ofWotija float ahead of them will be overrun and destroyed. The
Amys have 20 turns to accomplish their dirty work and flee
before reinforcements (armed TV choppers, for example) arrive.
The Daughters of Wotija float is 20 DP to destroy, but it will
catch fire with a + S modifier! (And it burns most satisfactorily.)
Variant. For a third player, add a south-side gang, with 40-
point characters and $40,000, to come in from the middle and
shoot at anything they see!
Autoduel Stats. The Wotijans are SO-point characters, while
all the rest are built on 25 points.
Wisconsin
Once, in the Golden Age, sports teams traveled in huge air-
liners, moving swiftly from game to game. Those airliners have
been replaced by airships, but the blimps are expensive and
don't go everywhere. So sports teams often move on the roads
like the rest of the populace.
The Crushers, Green Bay's home combat football team,
-47-
regularly travel by bus when the distance isn't too great. A trip
to Chicago for a game with the Bears is just a few hours' drive.
However, sometimes the tensions of the season get too great for
the fans, especially when the Crushers are having a good season
and the Bears aren't ...
This scenario represents an attack on the Crusher's special
team by some overzealous Bears fans. The map consists of clear
road sections on a relatively straight stretch of road - every
road section, roll2d6. On a 10, the next section is a left curve;
on an 11 or 12, it is a right curve. The fans start on the sides of
the road at speed 0 and start moving any time the bus gets within
12".
The Crushers' $80,000 bus (which must carry a driver, gun-
ner and 16 passengers) is hauling the drowsy team at 55 mph.
The driver has Trucker +2, Gunner + 1 while the gunner has
Gunner + 2. Each of the 16 passengers has Handgunner + 2 and
$300 worth of equipment. They will be able to add their
firepower to the fight after they wake up. Roll a die for each nap-
ping passenger after each second of combat - on a 6, that pas-
senger is awake and can fire next tum. Four may fire out of each
of the bus's four side arcs; none may fire out the back.
The Bears fans get no more than five 40-point characters,
with no more than 30 per skill, and $80,000 to construct their
force - no air vehicles, please. The bus has a good lead on the
fans, so they'd better build some rapid-acceleration vehicles!
The scenario continues until the bus is stopped or the Bears
fans cease their attack. The Bears fans win if they immobilize the
bus or injure at least 5 of the passengers. If they don't, it's a loss
for the Bears- the Crushers will arrive on time! Any way you
look at it, there are going to be reprisals ...
Autoduel Stats. The trucker, gunner and Bears fans all have
25 points. The Crushers have 75 points each, but a lot of those
points should go towards ST, DX, HT and Sports (Combat
Football).
Mini-Scenarios

Adventure Table of Contents
Roast Turkey . . . . . . . . .
Useful Skills i11 This Advemure
Player l!iformalioiJ About KC-1
Regal Place NPCs . . . . . .
The Third-floor Murphys . . .
Time/able . . . . . . . . . .
Mileages . . . . . . . . . .
The Fleei11g Murphys . . . . .
Hot Pursuit . . . . . . . . . .
JJ7w Are We Chasi11g? . . . .
Tracki11g lhe Murphys . . . .
E11jorcer Rei11jorceme111s . . .
Roleplayi11g lhe E11jorcers . .
The Etiforcers . . . . . . . .
TerrorCon at Brickyard
Whal's a Zalmer Good For? .
Radialio11 i11 Brickyard . .
Co!lve111iofl Schedule . . .
The Black Asp's Pla11
ASP Forces . . . . . . .
And Beyond . . . . . . . . .
Who Did We Tick Off? . .
Murphys' Law
MURPHYS' LAW
Roast Turkey
What You Tell the Players
You have arrived at KC-1 near noon, your vehicles overshadowed by the
gun emplacements and artillery pieces lining the twelve-meter walls that sur-
. . 48
. . 49 round the entire city. Except for the Dover Arcology in Delaware, KC-1 is the
.. 49 single most impressive city in the nation.
. . 50 At the gate, you wait while the line of cars is processed. The signs on the
. . 52 walls make it clear: KC-1 is a demilitarized city, and no functioning automobile
. . 53
. . 53 weaponry is allowed inside, except for that of the Enforcers. Indeed, nothing
. . 54 heavier than a semi-auto pistol is allowed in private hands, and there's a $500
. . 55 license fee for that!
. . 55 When your turn comes, you watch the grim, face-shielded Enforcer
. . 56
mechanics remove ammo and vital fire-control circuitry from your vehicle, tag
. . 58
. . 58 it carefully, add all weapons heavier than a pistol (and that too, unless you
. . 59 choose to buy a license), and place everything in a container.
. 59 "You'll get it back when you leave the city," the bored Enforcer who takes
. 60 your name and other data assures you. He hands you a receipt and some papers.
. 60
. 61 "I can't complete the process from this point," he says, gesturing towards a
. 62 blank portable computer terminal. "Our link with the central computer is down,
. 63 so we've commandeered some space. What you do is take these papers to the
. 64 Records office in Regal Place. It's easy to find," he points down the street to a
. 64 modest skyscraper. "Hand these to the clerk; they'll take care of it from there.
Have a nice stay in KC-1."
Fortunately, the indicated building has a private parking garage occupying
its first floor, so your cars should be safe while you're inside. An elevator leads
to the temporary Enforcer facility on the third floor.
There's another line at the Records office- this seems to be your day for
lines. There are no Enforcers here, just civilians and two build-
ing security guards. Within a few minutes, the line dwindles
down to you . The clerk says "Next," you step forward to hand
her the papers, and the lights go out - all of them.
There are plenty of people who are vocally unhappy about
this, especially since there are very few windows in this build-
ing, and all the computers are down for lack of power. The clerk
in front of you yells, "Somebody hit the auxiliary switch! The
thing's probably jammed again. Frank, get the solar panels on."
Frank moves over and fiddles with a wall-panel switchboard.
"The solar controls are working, Allie, but nothing's happen-
ing!"
This is frustrating. Suddenly, the terminals light up, there's
an" AAHOOOGAH!" from the klaxon, and the emergency lights
come on.
A security guard who had been watching by the door yells,
"The emergency doors! They're activated!" She grabs her shot-
gun and rushes out the doorway, into the hall. Anyone who fol-
lows will see her racing for the stairs at the end of the hall. She
is trying to beat four metal triangles which have emerged from
the walls, the floor and the ceiling, and which are rapidly closing
together to seal the hall. She launches herself in a desperate at-
tempt to dive through the door; she doesn't make it. The tri-
-48-
angles meet, cutting her in half- the shotgun on the other side. Even those who
didn't follow hear her abruptly terminated scream. Useful SkiUs in this Adventure
The emergency doors aren't the only things that activate. You see that the Armoury (Vehicle Armor); Criminol-
windows are now blocked by blast plates, and the elevators are locked in place. ogy; Detect Lies; Driving; Fast-Talk;
Everyone is still yelling in pandemonium, and Allie, the clerk, is yelling for Gunner (all types); Guns (all types); Inter-
everybody to SHUT UP! She's very good at this; so good that everybody does rogation; Mechanic (cars, etc.); Shadow-
ing; Stealth; Streetwise; Heraldry
shut up long enough for her to query the computer. (duellists); Area Knowledge (Midwest).
"The mainframe in the building is responsible for this," she explains loudly.
"I'll find out what triggered it." (Does anyone want to peek over her shoulder?
On a successful Vision roll, this is what you see:) Player lnfonnation
INFREC3 STATUS RED. INTRUDER ALERT CODE 1. DEFENSIVE SYSTEMS AC-
AboutKC-1
The first thing PCs are going to notice
TIVATED. DEFENSIVE SYSTEMS MALFUNCTION. CROSS-REF SEC.932: REMOVAL
is the excessive amount of law enforce-
OF NERVE GAS SPRAYERS IN ADHERENCE TO LOCAL LAW 8/27/2027. IMPERATIVE: ment. The laws are strict and wen-en-
DESTROY INTRUDERS. ACTV. PLAN BETA. forced. To avoid trouble, every visitor to
the city is given a "cheat-sheet" on the laws
"What the heck is Plan Beta?" Allie mutters as she types in the interrogative. and their penalties:
(Still peeking? Here's what you see:)
PLAN BETA- USE OF ENVIRONMENTAL SYSTEMS FOR INTRUDER DEFENSE. Critn£ • • • • • • • • •Penalty
Murder . . . . . . . . Death
UTILIZES HEATING SYSTEMS TO DESTROY INTRUDERS . RAISE TEMPERATURE OF Killing in Self-Defense . . . . . .
BUILDING ONE DEGREE FAHRENHEIT PER MINUTE. BACKUP PLAN; RULED INEF- . . . . . . Hard Labor for life*
FECTIVE, SAVED FOR EMERGENCY USE IF OTHER DEFENSES FAIL. PLAN BETA AC- Gunplay . . 5 years or $1,000 fine
TIVATED. Possession of illegal weapon $100 fine
Violent Crime (any sort) . .10 years
One of the other workers screams: "We're gonna die! We'll be cooked (with gun) . . . . . . .20 years
alive!" (He has his own terminal, and watched what Allie did.) Traffic Violation 1 month or $500 fine
"Nonsense!" Allie snaps. "We just tell the stupid machine to turn it off." She Destruction of private property . . .
works at the terminal for a minute, glares at it and mutters, "A security code? . . . . replacement costs + 10%
Destruction of city property
Special authorization for deactivating defenses? What the - ?" . . . 10 years and replacement costs
One person is already fiddling frantically with the temperature control; you Littering . . . . . . . . $50 fine
can feel that the air conditioning has switched off and the baseboard heating sys- Disrespect to an Enforcer . . 15 days
tem has come on - and it's summer outside! *There may be mitigating circumstan-
ces.
Referee's Information This is why the citizenry of the city is so
This part of the adventure is primarily a roleplaying situation. The charac- well-behaved.
However, if you are in trouble, the En-
ters are out of their cars and stripped of their Rambo-class personal armaments, forcers will come to your aid just as swift-
and put into a pressure problem-solving situation. They have to get out of it by ly as if you were a resident, a rare thing in
thought and roleplaying, not by destroying the problem. 2038.
The best advice to the visitor: enjoy
your stay, don't cause trouble, and behave
Atmosphere in a civilized fashion. You'll have no
The inside of the building is now lit only by emergency lighting, which is trouble with the law.
Additional biformation: Energy is
sporadic and poor. All Vision and combat rolls are at -3. It is getting steadily hot- cheap in KC-1, so recharges cost only 75%
ter, and the people trapped in this part ofthe building are acting in the calm, ra- of the listed cost. Food is likewise avail-
tional manner that you expect at a time like this; they're panicking. There will able; you can get a real beef feast for a
be a rush on the water fountain and the restrooms, and furious fighting over any mere $10! Ammunition is available only at
stops outside the city limits; go to a brand-
water. Fortunately, no NPC has a gun except for the remaining security guard name dealer when buying ammo, for there
and the security chief; else there would be real trouble! (Of course, one NPC has are plenty of untrustworthy independents
a few satchel charges, but more on that in a few minutes.) As GM, emphasize the out there waiting to sell you bum ammo at
inflated prices.
heat, the darkness, the smell of fear in the air, the general attitude of hopeless-
ness. Make the players sweat! If you're playing this in the summertime, you may
want to turn off the air conditioning. Give them a real taste!

What Caused the Problem in the First Place

The computer and the building at Regal Place are quite old, dating back to
the 1990s. In that time of rampant terrorism and corporate warfare, defenses
were installed to protect the secret and rather illegal work that was taking place
there. The computer was given defense programming, based on the nerve gas

-49- Murphys' Law


Regal Place NPCs
Benton Holnus
("Storage Room," figure X1-33),
programmer deluxe. He is oblivious to the
world when at a keyboard. If apprised of
the malfunction, he'll clear it up in a
minute. Computer Operation-20; Com-
puter Programming-20.
Allison "Allie " Fortlond
(Enforcer Office, figure X1-32), head
clerk at the Records office and the terror of
the floor. A definite "by-the-booker" who
rules the office. Administration-13; Com-
puter Operation-13; Computer Program-
ming-14.
Max Harmon
{Showroom, figure X1-37), computer
salesman. He likes to think of himself as a
hero (in video games), but is a true
coward. Computer Programming-9, Com-
puter Operation-12, Fast-Talk-12.
BillyAUen
(Enforcer Office, figure X1-8), surviv-
ing security guard. Billy is a pretty nice
guy for his size.
6' 1", 195lbs.
ST 12, DX 12, IQ 10, HT 11.
Speed 6, Basic Move 7.
Skills: Brawling-12; Guns (Pistols)-13,
{Shotguns)-13; First Aid-10; Running-10;
Tactics-7.
Equipment: Shotgun, .357 revolver, 24
shells each, flak jacket, helmet (PD 5,
DR 3). He also has Toughness (DR 1).
Co11ti11ued 011 11ext page ...
Murphys' Law
system, and told to activate it if any of the walls were breached or power systems
went completely off-line. Both of these criteria were recently met when the Mur-
phys cut the power and blasted through the top of the elevator shaft, so the defen-
ses were activated.
The Heat
GURPS has some rules for heat, mostly concerning fatigue loss while work-
ing in heat. The heat levels referred to are not nearly as hot as the people will
probably get here! The temperature starts out at 75 degrees and will climb at 1
degree per minute.
At 90°, assess the extra 1 point of fatigue for fighting more than 10 seconds.
At W0°, everybody loses 2 fatigue points (only 1 if you have plenty to
drink).
At 110°, everybody loses another 4 fatigue points (only 2 if you have plen-
ty to drink, and don't exert yourself).
At 120°, assess the same penalties as at 110°. (Remember, the scenario is
now 45 minutes old!)
At 130°, everybody loses 6 fatigue points (only 3 if you have plenty of water
to drink, and no activity at all!).
At 140° and up, everybody loses another 6 fatigue points per 5 minutes (only
3 with water and no activity). If people aren't out cold by now, they're not
human!
The fatigue lost cannot be regained by rest after the temperature reaches
woo. Until the temperature falls back below woo, that fatigue's gone, with all
the attendant effects (see page B117).
((Sneaky players may think of setting off the sprinkler systems. This will
provide plenty of water for everybody and negate the penalty for activity.)
How To Get Out of This Mess
There are at least five ways to get out of the situation. The players may find
other ways, but remember that the building is sealed by 1" thick steel shutters
over the doors and windows (DR 12, HT 40).
1. Destroy the mainframe. This is difficult, since the
mainframe is behind one of those steel shutters. However, if you
can blow your way in, you can maul the mainframe until it shuts
down. ("Dave, I'm losing my mind ... Dave?")
2. Turn off Plan Beta in the mainframe. This is the least
damaging and best way to solve the problem. It takes the security
code clearances that the Chief of Security has, and a Computer
Programming roll at -5; one attempt may be made every 15
minutes . Any interruptions will foul up that 15 minutes of prob-
ing, rendering it useless. (Playful GMs will find interruptions,
won't they ... ) Ifthe party doesn't have the security code, each
attempt is at -12, not -5.
3. Blow a way out ofthe building. Same problem as solution
#1: Where do you get the explosives? And these are tough walls
(DR 12, HT 80). If you want to try and blow a way through the
blast doors to the rest of the building, the blast doors are DR 12,
HT40.
4. Escape through the hole at the top of the elevator shaft. The
elevators don't work, and the stairs are blocked by the blast door.
Unless one of the players sees the Murphys coming out of that
elevator, there's no way to know that there's a hole at the top of
the shaft. Of course, even if they know, they'll have to deal with
the Murphys and climb up the shaft in the heat.
-50-
 5. Find the computer systems troubleshooter who's hidden out back in his
own private workroom (you know, the locked one marked "Storage") and per- Regal Place NPCs
suade him that there's a problem with the computer. In moments, he'll have the (Continued)
alert cancelled. (GM, this man is also a 'Deus Ex Machina,' to keep the charac-
Frank CabeUo
ters from becoming hot dogs. If they can't get out of the building or stop the (Enforcer office, figure Xl-28), inat-
computer by the time they pass out, this hacker will come out of his hacking shop tentive clerk. A handsome young man,
for a restroom break, feel the heat and dig into the computer until he finds and Frank thinks that if you've got to go, why
corrects the problem - which should take him about a minute. The PCs will not go out with a bang? Brawling-12,
Carousing-12, Sex Appeal-12.
wake up to find themselves being cared for by medics.)
[.Fran Lustig]
[(Enforcer office, figure Xl-27) inat-
Helpful NPCs tentive clerk. A young, beautiful, striking
Most of the NPCs are going to be minor distractions, at best. There are three duellist groupie. Sex Appeal-12. Fra11 is
of them who can be helpful, if persuaded by action or word. o11ly supposed to be ill the adve11ture if
there are 1wjemale PCs.]
Allie, the chief clerk. If asked politely, she'll lend her knowledge of this
floor of the building, the personnel of this section and her computer ability, as Dana Neilson
(Hardcopy Room, figure Xl-25), head
long as you can put up with her bossiness. clerk in the Records office. Dana is a
Billy, the security guard. He's very friendly, and will certainly appreciate secret romantic who writes poetry and
any help he can get keeping things under control. He has keys to all the doors believes in the "Prince Charming" theory
(yes, that's a Delusion disadvantage). She
(not the blast doors, though) and knows all the floor plans. He also has a shot- is Attractive and has the Voice advantage.
gun. His aid may be enlisted by asking (not ordering) or by helping him out. Administration-13; Computer Operation-
Benton Holmes, the hacker. If the characters can find him, 12; Poetry-13.
simply explain to him what's going on and he will help.

Problem NPCs
There are, of course, going to be people who will cause even
the most calm player to get the "urge to kill ... "
Kimmie, the little girl. She will constantly run around, getting
in the PCs' way and staying underfoot, while her harried mother
keeps yelling for her and trying to find her. Nasty GMs will have
Kimmie disappear several times, and her mother, Muffy, will be
asking the PCs for help in finding her. Billy will help, for certain,
and it'd make a real good impression on him if one or more of the
PCs did, too.
Frank, the office worker. Frank is convinced that if you've
got to die, you may as well enjoy yourself on the way out. He will
try to "hit" on the best looking female PC to join him in a deserted
office for a "last fling." He's very persistent, and doesn't take no
for an answer. (If there are no female PCs in the group, substitute
Fran for Frank, and she will hit on the best-looking male PC!)
Harvey Carnahan, the security chief He-man Harvey, not
knowing that the nerve gas projectors were dismantled years ago,
has retreated to his office and sealed himself in, hoping to escape
the gas that way. Crazed with fear, he will shoot anyone trying to
enter his office (but will be very careful not to put holes in the
door). He is the only person who has the security code necessary to get into the Muffy Tarkinton
(Enforcer office, figure X1-35), 21st-
security program files to find out how to deactivate the defenses! And he's com- century Preppie. She's well-off, attractive
mitted them to memory; the only place you can get them is from him. and continually searching for her hellion
The Murphys. This bunch oflunatics started the whole thing, and the PCs are daughter, Kimmie. She's here to file are-
port on the unexplained explosions which
definitely going to have trouble with them, no matter how the scenario goes. her daughter insists were firecrackers.
Kimrnie Tarkinton
The Joker in the Deck (Enforcer office, figure X1-2), an 8-
One of these NPCs is a Murphy plant, there to direct the Murphy strike force year-old pest. Combat rolls on targets her
to the mainframe. Plan Beta wasn't anticipated, but the plant will carry on as best size are at -1.
Co111i11ued 011 next page ...
he or she can. He does have an ace or two up his sleeve - four satchel charges
(10 dice each) and about 10 flash/noise charges. All charges have 5 second to 15

-51- Murphys' Law

 Regal Place NPCs
(Continued)
YazPulrUI
(Enforcer office, figure X1-24), young
punk on probation, serving in Records.
He's carrying a switch-blade, and knows
it's jail if he's caught. A real street rat.
Toughness + 1; Brawling-1 0; Fast-Draw
(Knife)-11; Fast-Talk-12; Pickpocket-tO;
Knife-12; Streetwise-9.
Christine Marshall
(Reception, figure Xl-22), a very
professional receptionist- she knows how
to get rid of people. Gorgeous, blonde and
acidly sarcastic, there's nothing she likes
better than cutting Lotharios down to about
1" tall. Profession (receptionist)-11; Ad-
m.inistration-11; Computer Operation-11;
Detect Lies-10; Savoir-Faire-11; Psychol-
ogy-tO.
Rllth Carter
(Junior Partner's Office, figure Xl-36),
a corporate lawyer with determination to
succeed. Accounting-12; Adm.inistration-
12; Diplomacy-13; Fast-Talk-12; Savoir-
Faire-12; Strategy-12; Sex Appeal-13;
Law-11; Psychology-12.
Haryey Cartllllum
(Security Office, figure Xl-5). Harvey
is the security chief; he's also nuts and in
love with Ruth Carter (and Billy Allen
knows this). Karate-12; Fast-draw (Pis-
tol) -12; Guns (Pistol)-15; Running-10 minute variable delays. When it becomes obvious the strike force is going to
(DX 13, HT 10, Speed 7). He has a .44 have trouble getting to the third floor, he begins taking steps on his own - he
Magnum and a flak vest.
uses the satchel charges, one at a time, to blow away the door protecting the
mainframe, setting flash charges to distract attention when necessary. The
The Third Floor Murphys satchel and flash charges aren't large; several can be carried in a large purse or
(Entering from the elevator shaft, one in an overcoat pocket. They're stored out of harm's way until needed -
figures Xl-14, 16, 17, 19.) The four probably at the bottom of the trash can in the appropriate restroom.
zealots are all different in appearance, if
not in capabilities. One is tall and fat, one
Who's the joker? That's your decision. It's probably not Holmes or Kimmie,
is a skinny punk, one is wearing a trench but anyone else could fit the bill. Even Carnahan might be faking his terror, and
coat, and the last is hiding his face with a slipping out to plant the charges.
bandana. All are ST 11, DX 11, IQ 9, HT
12. Advantages: Toughness + 1. Disad-
vantages: Fanaticism; Severe Delusion The Murphys
(Computers are actually alive and trying to These four solid nut-cases are just part of the Murphys strike at the accursed
take over the world). Skills: Demolition machines of KC-1. They broke in through the elevator shaft to carry their ex-
10, Guns (appropriate weapon)-12, Run-
ning-12, Brawling-11. plosives to the computer and destroy the inhuman brain. They will appear
The Murphys are all wearing flak jack- (having blown a hole in the top of the elevator shaft, climbed down to the
ets and carrying weapons. One has a shot- elevator, gone through the hatch, and come out the third floor doors) just when
gun (sawed-off), another has a standard
shotgun, the skinny one has a .357 revolv-
the scenario is starting to get slow, running through the halls shooting and look-
er, and the trench-coated one has an Uzi. ing for the computer room. (Another team of Murphys has hit this same build-
All four have three reloads for their ing, targeting a higher floor - more about them, later.)
weapons. Each carries a 30-lb. satchel The players can deal with the Murphys diplomatically (lying is a good idea
charge, which can do 25 dice of damage if
properly placed. This requires 15 seconds - "You wanna destroy that computer? Me too! Let me carry your satchel charge
and a successful demolitions roll . Im- for you ... ") or try to take them out with firepower or other violent methods.
properly placed ones cause a 5 dice ex- Please note that capturing a Murphy alive would really be well thought of by the
plosion, like a super hand-grenade.
Enforcers. Capturing all of them alive would net you a $10,000 reward, as well.
Don't tell the players this. If they capture rather than kill the Murphys, reward
them afterward.

Murphys' Law -52-

Advice for the Game Master
This part of the adventure is for the GMs to have fun. It puts the players in
a tight situation, and gives the GM a chance to have complete pandemonium Timetable
erupting around them. Remember that time is short, tempers are short, people Noon- Pes arrive in KC-1, and are
are interfering with the players and on top of it there are some nuts running trapped in Regal Place Office Building.
through the building with guns and bombs. In particular: 12:30 p .m. - Murphys leave city,
headed for Iowa.
1. Keep the action moving. This scenario should not slow down, ever; if it 3 p.m. - Murphys check through Iowa
does, the atmosphere is lost. When the players start gaining ground on the border.
problem, throw something at them to frustrate them: a fight at the water foun- 4 p.m. - Pes start off after Murphys.
5 p.m. - Murphys reach Des Moines.
tain, Muffy yelling "Kiiimmeee! Where are you, darling? Oh, can someone help 8 p.m. - Murphys reach Davenport,
me find Kimmie? She's lost again in this terrible darkness!" or some such. When cross into lliinois.
the time is right (before everyone passes out) bring on the Murphys for the Midnight- Murphys reach outskirts of
climax. Chicago. Sparks sets up meet with Amys;
others continue toward Brickyard, each
2. Don't hand the players any breaks or clues. Let them make their own luck; traveling separately.
all it takes is some rational thinking to get out of this, and even if they don't, they 2:30 a.m. - Remaining Murphys reach
won't die from the heat (remember Benton, the hacker?). This scenario has plen- Lafayette separately; Blackout meets
Destructions.
ty ofbreaks built in. 2:45 a.m. - Brownout waylaid by
3. Ham up the NPCs. Make them real, not just cardboard counters. Their Trench Feet.
profiles, disadvantages and quirks indicate character direction; play with them. 3:15a.m. - Blackout and Destructions
sack out.
4. Use visual effects. Cardboard Heroes Set 18 (Car Warriors) makes good 3:30a.m.- Crash reaches Brickyard.
player characters and 15 (Cops, Crooks and Citizens) provides for the NPCs; the When Pes reach Brickyard- Terror-
GURPS Battle Maps are useful for the floor plans. They make play a lot easier. Con begins.

Regal Place Description

Most interior walls are DR 4, HT 60, while most doors are DR 4, HT 20. Mileages
The blast shutters are DR 12, HT 40. The exterior walls are DR 12, HT 80. KC-1 to the Iowa border 120
There is no power at all, except for the computer, the terminals, the self- Iowa border to Des Moines .90
powered emergency lights and Holmes' room (the "Storage Room"). The water Des Moines to Davenport
(and lllinois border) 150
pressure to the faucets and lavatories in the restrooms and to the water fountain
Davenport to Peru . 90
in the hall is working, although the water fountain cooling system isn't powered. Peru to Chicago 100
Chicago to Lafayette 120
The Elevator Lafayette to Brickyard .60
The elevator is jammed at the third floor, the level the PCs are on. The floor
of the elevator is DR 4, HT 20, as are the elevator doors on each floor . These
doors are locked, and can be opened from the front only by destruction. They
can be pried apart from the inside with relative ease (toal
ST 12 needed). There is no power to the elevator at all, Regal Place Office Building
Third Floor
5 yards N
except for the self-contained emergency light inside.
t
I
Elevator

Infinite Recurswns Computer Mainframe

S~Lower
"Storage• Floors Conference Junior Senior
Computer Office Security Room Partner Partner
and Progranuning Center Room Office

Infinite Recursions is a supplier of electronic I

I
N
- - -

~ I lr
Reception B
dreams. As a source of desktop PCs to micros, Infinite u
Recursions is in an economic decline, doing about a
tenth of its former business.
Stockroom I Showroom
T
A
X
s
T
E
R
Accountants•
Room

E I
s
"Storage Room." This room is firmly locked,
marked "Storage" and has the air of unuse about it. In- I R
E
c
I Men•s
Restroom

Women•a
side is Benton Holmes, the hacker. No one knows he is u Restroom
R 1
in here. Programmers' Bullpen s I
(not in use) I c
Office. This room is the office for Infinite Recur- 0
I
Temporary
Enforcer 0
Hardcopy
(Paper)
N u
sions. It is filled with desks, printers, padded office s Recording
Office n
Storage
Room
chairs, a monitor on every desk, and other assorted of-
fice equipment. Most of the salesmen are out; only Max
-r- --
Executive
Blast
Door
t
e
r

Harmon is holding down the fort. He begins in the ...

Conference Room
(not in use)
Room
(not in
Rest·
room
: - Manage(aI
Office
Showroom. This room is stuffed with "toys" like a
use)
I
StuweU

-53- Murphys' Law


The Reeing Murphys
Sparks MaloM
ST 11, DX 14, IQ 13, HT 8.
Skills: Driver (cars)-15; Gunner
(MGs)-18, (RR)-18; Guns (SMG)-16.
He wears Improved Body armor, car-
ries a MAC-43 and 2 HE grenades. He's a
professional duellist, and will fight skillful-
ly and wisely. He's no fanatic, though, and
will surrender if out-fought. He drives the
Iron Horse.
CrashGreeM
ST 10, DX 10, IQ 14, HT 9.
Skills: Driver (cars)-12; Gunner (RL)-
15; Computer Operation-16; Computer
Programming-IS; Guns (Shotgun)-15.
He wears body armor and carries a
shotgun (an antique 12-gauge sawed-oft).
Crash is the nominal leader of the group;
he's not a very good duellist, but he's a
whiz at hacking. He hates the color purple
(his former wife wore nothing but purple),
and will blast anything purple he can get
away with, either with a small bore
vehicular weapon or his shotgun. He
drives the PCs' stolen vehicle.
Brownout Zahner
ST 11, DX 12, IQ 11, HT 12.
Beautiful.
Skills: Motorcycle (Med/Hvy)-13;
Gunner (RR)-15; Throwing-12; Guns (pis-
tols)-13.
She wears black body armor, a brown
leather vest with lots of tassels, and carries
a .45 autopistol and four smoke grenades.
Brownout is very pretty and very nasty -
she loves to cut up pedestrians with the
blades on her cycle. When things get
sticky, she throws grenades or smoke. She
drives a Spider cycle with cycle blades
added.
Blackout Zahner
ST 11, DX 12, IQ 11, HT 12.
Beautiful.
Skills: Driving (Trike )-16; Gunner
(RL)-16; Guns (pistols)-14; Sex Appeal-
14; Fast Talk-12.
Blackout, Brownout's twin sister, is
less dedicated to terrorism and more dedi-
cated to fun than the other Murphys. She'll
only fight defensively, then try to run. She
wears very tight-fitting black body armor,
carries four smoke grenades and a .45
autopistol. She is never without her lucky
silver-studded "dog collar" neck choker.
She drives a Leo trike with one of the HRs
replaced by a smokescreen. It also has
radar.
Murphys' Law
wall-sized computer monitor which is mounted on the south wall, a large com-
puter table displaying electronics from supplements through PCs to micros, all
of it working; and numerous chairs placed around small coffee tables in discus-
sion-group arrangements. The tables are laden with trade publications.
Stockroom. This room contains models of the whole Infinite Recursions
business line, computer after computer. None of them are powered up or in-
stalled; they are typically DR 3, HT 5/40, if someone ends up smashing them.
Mainframe Computer Room. This is the home of the mainframe. The door
and walls are DR 12, HT 80. The mainframe itself is DR 3, HT 10/50.
Programmers' Bullpen. A room filled with dustcloth-covered desks. It used
to be a programmers' bullpen, back when Infinite Recursions had a more power-
ful organization in Kansas City. Now the door to the hallway is latched (but not
locked) with a sign informing the customer to go next door.
Conference Room. This room hasn't seen a conference in years. Most of the
heads-up hardware that used to be here is gone, put to better use. The table and
chairs are still here, though. The door is shut but not locked. There are no emer-
gency lights here; the room is totally dark.
Executive Room. Under the dustcloths, this room is very swank. Frank/Fran
uses this office for romantic interludes, so there is a small refrigerator hidden
under a dustcloth with material for drinks inside (cold drinks, as long as the
refrigerator isn't left open, but watch out! Drinking alcohol in hot conditions is
not a good idea!). Like the conference room, there are no emergency lights here.
Restroom. Very few people know about this restroom, which is in good
working order.
Building Facilities
Security Office. Harvey Carnahan has locked himself in, and will shoot
anyone trying to enter - he thinks everyone is trying to kill him. There are com-
puter terminals in the office, and a shotgun.
There is a water fountain in the hall between the Men's and Women's
Restrooms.
Tax Busters Accounting Partners
Reception. Christine Marshall has just finished a phone order for "some-
thing tasteful, not over $75 -a birthday gift for her boss to give to his wife.
Accountants' Room. This is the bullpen for the accounting firm Tax Busters.
It's deserted, since no tax accountant is going to miss lunch. The room is full of
desks and chairs in nice, straight lines.
Senior Panner's Office. This office is luxuriously appointed with wet bar
and large-screen TV. The door is locked.
Junior Panner's Office. Ruth is here; she was checking the stock ticker. She
is busily trying to access the computer and shut down Plan Beta now that the ter-
minals are back on line. This office is not as well-appointed as the senior
partner's room- the TV is only a 25" screen model.
Conference room. A large table dominates the room, surrounded by chairs.
Framed tax forms decorate the walls.
Temporary Enforcer Offzce
Main Office. This is the room where the players, Allie, Frank, (Fran if the
situation calls for it), Yaz, Muffy, Kimmie and Billy start. It is full of chairs in
neat rows, for waiting. Behind the counter are the computer terminals and other
tools of the records trade.
Hardcopy Storage Room. This is for the actual paperwork; shelves and
shelves of papers, records and such. Dana has a desk by the door, where she
keeps track of the stacks, aided by Yaz.
Manager's Office. He's not in much; Allie does his job.
-54-
Hot Pursuit
When the PCs get out of the building (either by themselves or with help), MoAre We Chasing?
It might help the hunt to find out who
they'll discover that their best vehicle was appropriated by the other Murphy you're looking for. Here are some clues
team in their escape- apparently a Murphy vehicle was disabled by an inadver- (the GM may pick and choose which ones
tently triggered satchel charge in the garage. They will also have to deal with the are available) that might help:
Enforcers, who are already on the scene. A hardcase named Stark is in charge of
Fuagerprints
the Regal Place disturbances, and he's going to question everybody very The felons wore gloves, and left no
thoroughly (with Detect Lies skill of 16). When he's weighed all the evidence, latent prints.
he'll pass probable sentence, pending confirmation:
Pictures from a Securi-cam
If the PCs destroyed the computer or did significant damage to the building, The Securi-cams provide photos of the
they're guilty of damaging private property- that means repayment, plus 10% entire gang. Unfortunately, the gang were
- and that computer was worth several million dollars! all wearing helmets with face masks under-
neath, but the photos are fine repre-
If they killed anyone, they're guilty of murder in self-defense - that usual- sentations of what the Murphys were
ly carries a life-at-hard-labor sentence. wearing. (Make IQ rolls to recognize
If they used guns, they're guilty of gunplay in the city, and that's an addi- Crash's shotgun or Blackout's choker, if
tional $1,000 fine or 5 years. seen later.)
If they did nothing, either hold them as accessories to all the damage that oc- Vehicle IDs
cured, or get a more active group of players. The vehicles that the Murphys drove
The PCs are bundled off to a holding cell to await sentencing. Three hours were photographed by the gate cameras,
and fairly good pictures are available.
later- around 4 o'clock- Stark reappears, looking somewhat shaken. "The at- Also, anyone with a knowledge of duellists
tack that took place at Regal Place was not an isolated incident. The lawbreakers will recognize Sparks Malone's Iron Horse
calling themselves the Murphys struck at multiple locations around the city, (and the driver). The registrations are all
severing computer communications and causing widespread havoc. According fake, of course.
to captured Murphys, their goal is to destroy all computers and other thinking Voice Prints
machines." These won't give the identities of the
"The strike force that hit your building raided an old federal records storage Murphys, but a portable vocoanalyzer (it's
an expensive computerized gadget about
area on the 37th floor. Automatic recording devices in the corridors give us frag- the size and shape of a cassette recorder -
ments of conversations which indicate they uncovered something we didn't even the Enforcers can provide one) can match
know existed - the location of at least one functioning nuclear-tipped strategic up voice prints if it gets a sample- for in-
stance, if you suspect someone of being
missile. They also located the silo access codes and the keys to the console, as one of the quarry, the vocoanalyzer will
well as the programming and ignition sequence, all apparently stored in an old tell you if they are or not.
safe. Due to the confusion caused by the other strikes, this team escaped the city,
heading north on Interstate 35." SheU Casing
They shot a clerk. Anyone who asks if
"At the moment, you are facing minimum sentences and appropriate fines. they shot anyone and if there were any
In view of the circumstances, I am going to give you a chance to work off your shell casings recovered, should get a
sentences. Our Enforcer corps is swamped with demands, and it is imperative character point. The shell casing left at the
scene bears a good partial print of
that those items be recovered or destroyed quickly, before these terrorists can Brownout Zahner; positive ID can be
make use of them. You have vehicles and weapons . . . I want you to give pur- made! She's a wanted terrorist, according
suit. I understand you have a personal stake in finding these Murphys, as well. to FBI files . If no-one thinks to look for the
shell casing, a successful Criminology roll
Do you accept this assignment? The alternative is prison." will find it.
(Any players not accepting this proposition are going to have their charac-
ters jailed, and should have their heads examined. Stark will cover expenses and, GenerallnformlltWn on the Murphys
if pressed, offer up to $50,000 in cash- or $75,000 in equipment- to pursuade The Murphys are an anti-computer ter-
rorist group dedicated to the destruction of
the party.) highly computerized or robotic society.
If the PCs want to find out more about their quarry (a good idea), they can They appeared in the late 20th century as
the use of robots increased in industry. To
date, their efforts have had little effect.
This raid on KC-1 is their largest ever.
One suspected location of the Murphys'
HQ (if there is one) is in Iowa. (There isn't
any such thing, actually - the Murphys
are too disorganized.)
The Murphys have a standing pass-
word sequence:
"The worst possible thing. . . "
" . .. at the worst possible time!"

-55- Murphys' Law


Tracking the Murphys
RJmdomChus
Having detailed maps of Missouri,
Iowa, illinois and Indiana is very useful to
your players in this part of the adventure,
even if they are 50 years out of date. The
Murphys follow Interstate 35 to Des
Moines, take I-80 to the outskirts of
Chicago, and then I~ down to Brickyard.
Anywhere along that route that the PCs
stop for a recharge, food or just to ask
questions; there's a chance one or more of
the Murphys stopped as well. Roll a die for
each Murphy still on the road at that point
(i.e., don't roll for Sparks after Chicago).
Each time you roll a 1, 2 or 3, that Murphy
stopped for some reason at that location.
Each Murphy should be fairly easy to
remember. Crash has his antique shotgun
and is driving a vehicle the PCs can
describe in minute detail. He might have
reacted to something purple, as well.
Blackout is pretty (not that uncommon, but
men tend to remember anyway), and she
wears distinctive armor and that silver
choker. Brownout is also pretty, and the
blades on her Spider are custom equip-
ment. Sparks is the least noticeable of the
four, but he does have a certain reputation
as a duellist, and his Iron Horse is some-
what distinctive.
Along the highway, nearly anything
purple that's not being closely watched
(billboards, a parked car, a shed) is
probably going to have a spray of shotgun
pellets imbedded in it. Use purple objects
like breadcrumbs - if your party is doubt-
ing that it's on the right course, give them
another shot-riddled victim. If they are on
the wrong road, drive them past several
purple objects that aren't riddled with shot.
Murphys' Law
ask the Enforcers for information or go to the site of the theft (see sidebar, Who
Are We Chasing!).
After any local investigations, the PCs must decided on a route. Remember:
Iowa is a demilitarized zone -that means your weapons are disarmed at the bor-
der - but the trip around is longer.
You Are in 1-1-1-owa!
At the Iowa border, there is a line of cars waiting to be processed through
the border booth. When the PCs' convoy rolls up, they are politely informed by
an Iowa patrolman that offensive weapons are illegal in Iowa and must be sur-
rendered. This includes all ammo except smoke, tear gas, paint and oil. Lasers
have their fire-control circuits removed, and all offensive hand weapons (LAWs,
anti-vehicular ammo, MGs, GLs, bazookas and hand grenades) are removed.
The PCs are assured that all ammo and parts will be replaced with high-quality
Amana parts at any border post on their way out of state. The sign by the booth
tells them that the area's registered by heavy artillery, and four police cars are
loitering nearby. This should scotch any ideas of running the booth.
They have to cross about 250 miles of territory, essentially unarmed, if they
follow the Murphys into Iowa. This is sure to annoy any trigger-happy PCs. In-
ventive GMs will give them some nonviolent but unnerving encounters. (A
group of Indians from northern Iowa coming alongside the convoy and touching
the cars- "counting coup"- is one possibility.) Ifthey skirt Iowa, they should
find the Murphys' trail again in 111inois, but give them no indication beforehand
that this is so.
Sparks: Rumble in Chicago
Sparks has decided to approach the Amys with an offer to sell the missile,
taking the access codes along as proof. Arriving in Chicago around midnight,
he's had time to arrange a meet in a deserted shopping-center parking lot and
take steps against the pursuit rumored to be hot on his tail.
As they near Amy City, the party's convoy hears gunfire behind them. A
Suburb King station wagon (GURPS Autoduel, page 33, modified to carry 3
concealed HRs mounted right) whips toward them from a crossroad just after
they pass it, going 20 mph faster than the convoy and pursued by two Out-
landers . It looks like unwary civilians attacked by cyclists- there are a man, a
woman, three kids, and a dog in the wagon. As the wagon passes the lead vehicle
in the convoy, the man (Driver (Cars)-12, Gunner (RLs)-13) will fire all three
HRs into the PC vehicle's left front tire! The wagon will then try to accelerate
past the convoy, while the kids pitch 1-second grenades out the windows
(they've got 50 grenades ... ). If someone attacks the wagon before it attacks the
convoy, then the wagon will still attack as usual - the kids will attack early,
though! The bikes do what they can before trying to escape.
If the Suburb King or a cycle was stopped, there should be at least one sur-
vivor. Successful Interrogation roll vs. IQ of 10 (9 if it's one of the kids- the
dog can't be questioned, of course) will reveal that the wagon was sent to stop
the PCs. They also reveal that there's a meeting scheduled between the Amys
and Sparks at a deserted shopping center, 5 miles further down the road. The
meeting will take place soon (i.e., just as the PCs arrive) .
When the party arrives, they'll find an Iron Horse (matching a description
they've probably been given) and a Piranha pulled up beside each other, the
drivers in conversation. Sparks, with the access codes, is in the Iron Horse; two
Amys (all necessary stats and skills 12) are in the Piranha. Unless these three
think they have a fighting chance against the PCs, they'll bargain. Sparks will
grudgingly give up the access codes, along with any information the PCs can
force out of him. However, if the PCs eliminate the Amys after they bargained
-56-
in good faith, they'll each have acquired an Enemy (5 points: The Church of
America, appearing on a 6 or less) until they can atone for their misdeed.

Lafayette: The Killing Fields

Should the PCs stop here, they will notice very strange behavior: it looks
like these truck stop denizens are stalking each other with guns! Indeed, as they
drive up, they'll see a young woman shoot an unarmored man in the back - with
bright red paint. But the employees will cease their horseplay long enough to
answer questions and the PCs may proceed along the trail without trouble.
That is, until they get 15 minutes away from the truck stop. Did anyone leave
a vehicle unguarded? Were the PCs watching the college kids' every move? If
not, several things will happen to the cars- they've been "practice" for Killer
players! Make it interesting: smoke bombs inside the air vents, a paint bomb in
the glove compartment, insulting messages on the computer read-outs etc. Noth-
ing lethal, but these little presents should be enough of a shock to warrant a Driv-
ing Control roll, at a minus if something really hit the spot (like itching powder
bombs hidden in the seats). If the party was friendly, then the pranks will be as
well. If not, then not ...

Brownout: A Run-in with the Trench Feet Tracking the Murphys

Brownout Zahner, with the programming and ignition sequences, trailed a SpecifiC Clues
few miles behind Crash beyond Chicago, to make it less likely that pursuers Each Murphy will have been checked
through by one of the six border agents at
would get them all. Unfortunately, she met up with a road-wreck gang and ran the Iowa border, both when entering and
into their trench foot opening at high speed, just past Lafayette.This trench foot leaving, and those agents will still have the
opening is a ditch about 2 feet deep and 6 feet across. She's now their prisoner records in hand (not that the Murphys used
- and has promised them a large ransom from her friends (she's lying, but it their code names).
Where the PCs stop in Des Moines will
keeps her alive a little longer). They haven't discovered the sequences -they be where all four Murphys stopped to dis-
aren't interested in paper unless it's green. cuss their options . An Amy flower girl
About 10 miles past Lafayette, the PCs will hit an increasingly rough stretch ("Here is a flower, ma'am; would you care
to make a donation to the Church of
of highway, with flashing yellow lights and a detour sign after about 5 miles. If America? ") approached Sparks with his
anyone takes the detour, he'll run across the same ambush that waylaid favorite flower, a daisy, and he decided to
Brownout. (Ignoring the detour sign earns a bumpy, but trouble-free path for see if the Church was interested in making
an offer. The other three were opposed,
five more miles before the highway smooths out again. The detour sign is bogus, especially after they were given a flyer
serving only to steer travelers into the trench.) Spotting the trench foot opening promoting TerrorCon, a convention of ter-
will be difficult on the tattered road - Vision -4 roll! Hitting the concealed rorists. They felt they could get a much
trench will cause ram damage to a vehicle equal to 1 die per 10 mph, requiring a higher offer among the competing terrorist
organizations sure to show up at Terror-
handling roll at -10, with attendant penalties on the Crash Table if the roll is Con. People here will remember that an ar-
failed (change to the specific penalties: unless the car rolls or vaults, it is as- gument occurred (without knowing its
sumed to be stopped nose-down in the ditch). Driving around the trench is dif- substance) , and the Amy will remember
Sparks wanting to go to Chicago (without
ficult. It extends well into the shoulders of the road, and only off-road vehicles knowing why) .
can handle the surrounding terrain at faster than 10 mph. The off-road stretch is The man with the TerrorCon flyers is
50 yards long on either side. working his way east. The first time the
PCs stop east of Davenport, they'll be ap-
After the trench has done its damage, the road-wreckers will attack from the proached by a dirty old man who
sides of the road using Uzis, assault rifles and LAWs. There are two road-wreck- mumbles . This man, acting very secretive,
ers for every PC. They have all appropriate stats and skills at 12. If the road- asks them if they're police. Assuming they
wreckers lose half of their number, they'll flee on foot into the woods lining the answered in the negative, he gives them a
flyer. The flyer says that the convention
roadsides. Captured road-wreckers can be interrogated very easily, especially if will start early the following morning.
threatened (-2 to their IQ roll in such cases). Successfully interrogated prisoners The folks at the Lafayette truck stop
will reveal the location of their prisoner, Brownout Zahner, and will tell the PCs will remember Blackout on her trike with
the cycle gang, as well as the gang's inten-
that she's going to be ransomed off by friends who are already on the way (a lie, tions to bed down by the side of the road
but it might confuse the PCs). within a few miles .

Blackout: Rendezvous with Destruction

Blackout, with the console keys, joined up with the Destructions between
Chicago and Lafayette. This gang is about 40 strong, with 25 bikes in good con-

-57- Murphys' Law

 Enforcer Reinforcements
Do you think your party might be un-
dermanned? If so, the Enforcers will
provide a trooper or two, and possibly an
Enforcer van. Use Booker, Ironwood
and/or the Pat-Wagon to beef up your
party, as necessary. One or more might
even show up along the way, to bolster
depleted forces .

The Pat-Wago11. 30' bus, X-Hvy chas-

sis, regular truck power plant, 10 solid
tires , driver, gunner, 10 regular pas-
sengers. 2linked MGs front, 2linked MGs
back, 2linked lasers in universal large tur-
ret. Armor: F 7/28, LF 3/12, LB 3/12, RF
3/12, RB 3/12, B 3/12, TF (where turret
is) 7/28, TB 114, UF 114, UB 114, six DR
10 wheelguards . 2 targeting computers,
LR radio, bollix, tinted windows, radar,
fire extinguisher. Ace. 2.5 mph to 25, then
5 mph; Top speed 100, Driving skill
modifier: 0. 17,130 lbs., $85,940. 116
cubic feet and 2000 lbs.left for passengers
and cargo.

Roleplaying the Enforcers

Booker and Ironwood are professional,
rigorously trained law enforcement of-
ficers, indoctrinated to stop law-breaking,
no matter what it takes. For all this, they
aren't robots without feelings and quirks .
Joan Booker is the harsher of the pair,
preferring to concentrate on business. She
views the PCs as scarcely above common
felons, and sees their alliance as a neces-
sary evil. Her attitude could change if any
PCs display law-and-order attributes, or
act like exemplary police officers (a rare
PC indeed!).
Marshall (Marsh for short) Ironwood
thinks differently of the PCs, and is quite
chummy, as long as they don't break laws
or act unnecessarily sadistic.
dition and two largish vans (carrying booze, supplies and spare parts). They're
headed for the old Indianapolis Motor Speedway, outside of Brickyard, where
another five bikers are waiting with a load of drugs purchased in Ohio. The
Destructions are going to have a major blowout and destroy some of their brain
cells in one massive outdoor party.
If the PCs follow Blackout, they'll find her in the middle of about 45 other
people. They are scattered throughout a large field by the side of the highway be-
tween Lafayette and Brickyard, in pup tents, sleeping bags, blankets, even noth-
ing at all. Several of them are sitting around campfires talking or getting stoned,
but the majority of them have adjourned to sleep it off.
This is a definite chance for the GM to have some fun. If the players know
what's good for their characters, they'll have them sneak around, looking for
Blackout - a frontal assault with anything less than a tank would be suicide. If
they try such an assault, they'll run over the anti-vehicle mine field the Destruc-
tions laid out. This mine field is three counters deep, all around the field! About
15 of the Destructions are perfectly capable of fighting when stoned ... And
they do have their fully-armed bikes nearby (a Destruction is ST 10-14, DX 11,
IQ 9-10, HT 10-12, with Cyclist-13, Guns (pistols and SMGs)-12, Brawling-10,
and Gunner (as appropriate)-12. Roll a die: 1-3 means armament is a .44 pistol,
4-6 means an Ingram). So the logical thing to do is sneak in, trying to creep
around and peer into sleeping bags, tents and so on, looking for the elusive
Blackout (she's actually in one of the vans with a ST 15 Destruction named Big
Brick) without disturbing or waking any ofthe bikers.
If the PCs mess it up and don't find Blackout before alerting the bikers,
Blackout will grab her clothes, loop the console keys around her neck, mount her
bike and make quick tracks for Brickyard. The bikers should keep the PCs busy
enough to cover her escape.
The name "Destructions" is protective coloring- they're really just out for
a good time. If they weren't so good at finding good times and sharing them,
they'd probably be a common target for other gangs. The Destructions won't use

Murphys' Law -58-

deadlier force than the PCs use. They'lllet the PCs take Blackout if they catch
her- they don't really care. The Enforcers
If the PCs attack and are captured, but no biker dies, the Destructions will Enforcer Booker
keep the smallest party vehicle and let everything else go. If a biker dies, they'll Black hair, 5' 9", 145lbs.
tattoo a black skull and crossbones on both cheeks of any captured PC with the ST 12, OX 12, IQ 13, HT 11.
Advantages: Appearance (Attractive);
admonition, "We don't go in much for cold-blooded killing, but don't let us, or Danger Sense; Patron, very powerful (the
any of our friends, catch you out on the road in, say, five minutes ... " Each such Enforcers), appears on 7 or less.
PC will have a new 5 point Enemy (Destructions and friends, 6 to 20 at a time, Disadvantages: Duty (to Enforcers, on
appearing on a 9 or less in Indiana, on a 6 or less in any adjacent state). 15 or less); Enemies (multiple
lawbreakers, appears on 9 or less); Stub-
bornness.
Crash: the One Who Made It Quirks: All business; Stem; Hates any
lawbreakers.
Crash, with the missile field maps, is the only Murphy who makes it to Skills: Armoury (vehicle weapons)-13;
Brickyard unhindered. Once there, he starts to pass word around of exactly what Climbing-12; Computer Operation-12;
Criminology-12; Detect Lies-13; Driving
he and his fellow Murphys have to offer. Unfortunately; as soon as he gives the (trucks)-12, (cars)-13; Motorcycle
Black Asp an idea of what he is carrying, he is taken prisoner, stripped of the (Med/Hvy)-14; Fast-Draw (pistol)-13;
maps and held incommunicado. First Aid-13; Gunner (MGs)-14, (RLs)-15,
(lasers)-14; Guns (SMG)-14, (rifles)-15,
(pistols)-16, (LAWs)-14; Interrogation-12;
Karate-12; Knife-12; Law-13; Leadership-
TerrorCon at Brickyard 12; Running-10; Streetwise-13; Tactics-
Brickyard is a ghost town- ruined buildings, stagged and burned boroughs, 12; Rural survival-12; Shortsword (for
club)-12; Grenade Throwing-12.
and ever-increasing devastation as you near the center of town, where the Jack- She has Improved Body Armor, a .45
son Memorial Commandos set off their nuke. Day or night, you won't see Magnum autopistol, an Uzi, a boot knife,
anyone in Brickyard, because of the very real danger of radiation ... Or will and her billy club. Her armor has a helmet
radio and gas mask.
you? Locals tell of strange shapes moving in the streets - dimly glimpsed
shadows seen from outside town, things to make your blood chill ... Enforcer Ironwood
The Black Asp dismissed this as local superstition. What a more fitting place Brown hair, 6' 2", 210 lbs.
to hold a meeting of terrorists than in their greatest triumph of destruction? So, ST 13, OX 12, IQ 11, HT 11.
Advantages: Ambidexterity; Patron,
he had radiation shielding stealthily airlifted in, and invited his fellow terrorists very powerful (the Enforcers), appears on
to discuss a matter of great import. 7 or less).
Disadvantages: Honesty; Duty (to En-
forcers, on 15 or less); Enemies (multiple
Getting into the Convention lawbreakers, 9-).
Quirks: Friendly; Health-food nut (eats
Anyone driving into Brickyard will be stopped by radiation-armored only organic food); Loves large guns.
troopers with laser rifles and LAWs, backed up by tripod-mounted RRs in build- Skills: Armoury (handguns)-11;
ings. One trooper will come up to the car and ask the occupants what organiza- Criminology-10; Detect Lies-9; Driving
(car)-12; Motorcycle (Med/Hvy)-13; Gun-
tion they belong to, and if they're police spies- answer yes or no. (If the PCs ner (lasers)-13, (MGs)-13; Fast-Draw (pis-
give any organizational name that's not obviously silly, the trooper won't care. tol)-12; First-Aid/-11; Guns (pistols)-14,
He'll make a show of examining a clipboard, but what's the use? There are so (rifles)-14, (SMGs)-14, (LAWs)-13; Inter-
many splinter groups.) rogation-10; Karate-12; Knife-12; Knife-
Throwing-13; Law-11; Running-12;
The second question's the important one. He's got a portable voice-stress Streetwise-12; Shortsword (club)-12;
analyzer, giving him a Detect Lies-10. The PC's answer will be a Contest of Grenade Throwing-12; Streetwise-10.
Skill- Acting or Fast-Talk versus a Detect Lies skilllO. He is outfitted with Improved Body
Armor, a .45 magnum, a sawed-off com-
If the wrong answer comes up, the trooper will fire through the open win- bat shotgun that he keeps in a leg-holster,
dow at the PC he's talking to, and the other nine troopers will open up with their an Anti-Armor rifle, a switchblade (dag-
LAWs (one apiece) and continue with Laser rifles- not to mention the 2 RRs ger), a boot-knife, and his billy club. His
armor has a helmet radio and a gas mask.
firing as well. If they pass the test, he'll give the PCs a map showing the way
through the nuked city to the convention center and tell them to hurry - things
are about to start.
If they don't pass the test, they'd better back out and try sneaking in, for
there are far too many troops in the city - and if they bull past the troopers and
head for the convention center, they'll have the enraged terrorists to consider as
well! Better to try sneaking in on foot - you can't do it in a car; the roads are
too well guarded.
How do you find the convention on foot? Follow the terrorist vehicles
coming in!

-59- Murphys' Law


What's a Zahner Good For?
Both Brownout and Blackout know that
the Black Asp has been contacted about
selling the Murphys' treasure trove at
TerrorCon, and that he thought it was a
splendid idea. Neither will supply this in-
formation unasked; in fact Blackout, who
was pretty rudely disturbed if she's now
with the PCs, will probably require a hefty
amount of persuasion. On the other hand,
if both sisters are with the PCs, they might
be grateful enough for Brownout's rescue
to help, rather than hinder, the party.
Much of this depends on how they are
treated, of course.
Radiation in Brickyard
After six hours of unprotected exposure
to the radiation of Brickyard, characters
must roll vs . HT. Success means -2 HT for
one week. Failure means that, and nausea
and vomiting within 24 hours; lose (1 die)
ST, OX and IQ. Then make a roll against
HT each day, regaining 1ST, OX and IQ
on each successful roll. A critical failure
on the first roll indicates 2 dice of HT loss,
recovered normally, plus the normal
failure results .
Murphys' Law
At the Convention
The convention center is on the top level of a surviving parking garage, well-
camouflaged. Parking is on the lower levels of the garage (a Vision roll will
allow the PCs to spot the vehicles of any Murphys that made it in the garage); at
the stairway entrance to the convention center, ASP troopers backed by MG
mounts relieve everyone of their weaponry, tagging it and issuing receipts -
there are far to many groups here with axes to grind, and the Black Asp doesn't
want the con to break into mass combat. That's the rule at this convention: NO
WEAPONS. ASP troopers are maintaining security.
Everyone is handed a folder, outlining the purpose of the meeting: to vote on
which of the submitted plans are to be jointly undertaken by the assembled
groups, all members of the fledgling American Terrorists' Association (the _
ATA). ASP (Assassination, Sabotage and Protectionism) sponsored the conven-
tion and is in charge of it. According to the program, the Black Asp himself will
further explain the plans submitted before the buffet. That's right- free food
and drink, too. ASP is footing the bill.
What the PCs Can See of the Convention Center
Main Convention Room. This large room is essentially featureless, save for
the chairs lining the walls, lounges at various points and the dias with podium at
the front of the room; camera equipment and lights dangle from the ceiling - the
Black Asp is prepared for a TV broadcast. The walls are DR 6, HT 40 (this is
the default for wall strength unless stated otherwise). Two ASP troopers guard
each doorway.
Arms Check. All the weapons are locked in the vault, which is DR 20, HT
80. Four ASP troopers guard the vault, and they shoot first/ask questions later.
Racks for weapons line the walls; the only other furnishings are a table and
chairs for the troopers.
Buffet Room/Kitchen. ASP chefs are at work here (they are armed only with
.45 pistols). The room is divided so the kitchen and dining areas are separate but
connected for serving.
The PCs will soon notice that the guards at the doors aren't permitting
anyone to pass who isn't wearing an ASP uniform. The buffet room will be
opened only for the buffet- not before! No sneaking snacks.
Restrooms. These doors aren't guarded .
What the PCs Can't See
1V Control Room. ASP technicians control the remote cameras and the satel-
lite uplink. There will normally only be one tech on duty, except during the
broadcast. The walls are lined with video production and editing equipment.
Surveillance Room. Two ASP troopers keep a watch on the convention
through cameras. PCs making a Vision-2 roll will notice the security cameras.
Mind you, the security troopers can only watch two cameras at a time, and one
of them handles communications between troopers, too ... A diversionary ac-
tion would be certain to distract them. This room is furnished with video
monitors, control panels, and communications equipment.
Armory. This room and its door are DR 12, HT 80. A trooper is continuous-
ly on guard, and requires a password ("Cleopatra") before he will unlock the
door. The room is furnished with weapon racks holding laser rifles, spare power
packs, .45 pistols with ammo stored nearby, boxes of hand grenades, cases of
LAWs, stacked armor and helmets, radios, etc.
ASP Trooper Bunkroom. This is the bunkroom for the troopers pulling
security at the convention itself; the troopers working outside have their own
facilities.
-60-
 Anteroom. There is no furniture in this anteroom, and both
doors are locked. The Black Asp and his aide, Rodric, have the edge o1 top 11oor terrace and tandinQ pad
5yards N
only keys. The first lock is of standard difficulty to pick (Lock-
picking skill); the second is at -2 to skill. If the second lock TerrorCon
isn't opened on the first try, the Surveillance Room will be A ·ASPgJald
t
notified electronically and will dispatch four troopers to see
what's going on. If the intruders aren't in ASP uniforms, the ~:e~ocr,:;:.';!
troopers will attempt to take them captive, and shoot anyone
who tries to fight. (ASP troopers aren't too bright. Smart PCs AsP
------4 Annory
Trooper ASP
could lure them close and take them out - it's a good chance Restroom Trooper
Bunkroom
to acquire some ASP uniforms if they haven't already.) If the ~':wars
intruders are wearing ASP uniforms, the troopers won't shoot,
A A
but they will ask some questions (Fast-Talk, anyone?).
Office. Rather sparsely appointed, with a desk, a chair and
Kitchen Dias~
and , _~
Podium
a safe. The walls bulge outward slightly. Any missile silo items
the Black Asp has acquired are in the safe. It requires Main
Convention
Electronics (Security Systems)-5 to be opened. There is also a Room
storage closet at the rear of the office with several packs
(parachutes) in it- two fewer than there are PCs.
Lounge. In addition to being a lounge, this is also a
helicopter cockpit, but this shouldn't be immediately obvious A Stalnl
to the PCs. The wet bar has two pilot's chairs folded up into it;
the mirror behind the bar curves up into the room (and can be depolarized when
it needs to be a front windshield); there are numerous dials, switches, and tog-
gles on the counter behind the bar; the joystick is unscrewed and lying beneath
the bar; there is a trapdoor underneath the central carpet, which can serve as a
cargo door; the ceiling fan has a much larger motor than it seems to need; and all
of the walls in this room bulge outward slightly. Crash (and any of the other
Murphys that made it to the con) is chained here.

Mixer Convention Schedule

The only thing going on at the convention before the Black Asp's address is An hour after the PCs arrive (A+ 1
a general mingling of terrorists in the convention room, talking shop. ASP hour) - The Black Asp welcomes the con-
troopers eye the scene warily, alert for clashes of ideology on a physical level - ventioneers and makes a short address, ex-
and they do have to break up few such brawls . If the PCs want to listen, they'll plaining the purpose of the convention and
the ballot in the program. The buffet is
hear quite a bit about terrorist activities ranging from supply problems through served.
impending operations, as well as gossip about personal things ("Carlos! How's A+ 3 hours - Voting takes place. As
the wives and kids!?" etc.). Many ofthe more radical groups are busy discuss- soon as all votes are in, the bar opens . Free
booze!
ing goals and ideological matters. (Want to impress these people? Theology and A +4 hours - The results of the vote
Politics are the appropriate skills.) If anyone mentions the Murphys at all (who are announced, and the Black Asp makes a
are not present, as far as anyone can see), this will bring many offers to speak to satellite broadcast to the world, whipping
various people one-on-one in secluded comers ... The conversations may dif- the conventioneers into a frenzy - the fact
that the bar's been open for an hour helps,
fer in content (ranging from offers of money to really grotesque threats), but the of course.
message is the same in all of them: WHERE ARE THE MURPHYS? They have A + 4 1h hours -The Black Asp leaves
something everybody wants, and no one can seem to find any of them. in his heli-office.

Where Are the Murphys?

The player-characters should be picking up some clues about now. For one
thing, at least one of them should have spotted a Murphys' vehicle in the garage
parking. But no-one seems to know where the drivers went ... Perhaps one of
the "private" conversations is eavesdropped on by a trooper, who twitches when
the name "Murphys" is mentioned. Any guard, if questioned about the Murphys'
whereabouts, will claim, "Never heard of 'em." They're not very good liars;
Detect Lies skill is at+ 1 (vs. IQ 9) to pick up the lie. Any PC who mentions that
a Murphys' vehicle is in the garage will be watched carefully by security.

-61- Murphys' Law

 The Black Asp's Plan
He promised his esteemed colleagues
something profitable and heavily
publicized - and he intends to deliver,
with their help. Let that bunch of misfits
have the valuable map, and the heavy
nuclear power they point to? Ridiculous!
Far better to let the idiots serve as cannon
fodder for a doomed but distracting attack
on the Gateway Arch in St. Louis - who
knows, they might even succeed! So much
the better. And when federal and guard
forces mobilize to blast them out of St.
Louis, ASP commandos will have in-
filtrated the missile fields and retrieved the
warheads of the missiles, placing ASP as
one of the world nuclear powers!
In order to do this, ASP troopers had to
seize anyone claiming to be Murphys, and
search them for more items. (Did the
players claim to be Murphys when they
came into Brickyard? Then there was a
polite invitation to meet the Black Asp
privately, or else a nasty scene with the The Black Asp's Speech
PCs once they handed over their weapons About an hour after the PCs arrive, the Black Asp walks out into the room
at the stairway.) Crash is being held in the
helicopter lounge; his map is in a safe in and steps behind the podium. Two troopers take up flanking positions, lasers
the Black Asp's Heli-office. ready. "Welcome, fellow terrorists ... " A vicious feedback howl rips through
the speakers. It is quickly stopped, but not before the Black Asp shoots a
poisonous glance back at the wall to his right. "That's better," he mumbles, then
Tire Heli-offu:e turns back to the crowd. "Again, welcome, friends. I trust that you're all enjoy-
The Black Asp's office is actually in the ing yourselves ... " He's interrupted again, by a bearded man near the rear of
cargo section of a rather large and cleverly
concealed helicopter: the crowd.
Transport helicopter, standard power "When do we eat?" he yells.
plant, pilot, gunner, space for 5 pas- "After my address," the Black Asp replies . Many in the crowd stifle groans.
sengers, two lasers linked in a large "Now shut up and let me get on with it!" There is no further heckling, unless the
universal turret under, radar, cyberlink
from gunner to lasers, LRFP armor F PCs do any. If they do, the Black Asp simply stares at them until they stop -and
6/24, L 5/20, R 5/20, B 5/20, T 2/8, U they'd better, because everyone else will also glare at them. "First, I'd like to
7/28. 1,000-lb., 1,000 cu. ft. "office" in thank the people responsible for our venue- the Jackson Memorial Comman-
the rear cargo section. 24,897 lbs.,
$145,625. dos! Stand up, boys!" Several men stand up and look sheepish while the rest of
the crowd applauds wildly. "Now, for the business at hand. We're gathered here
to vote on a joint project of signal importance, friends. This project is going to
be more than just a simple raid, or robbery ... This project will show the world
that we can stand together, that we are a force to reckoned with!! We stand
united!
"Now, so we know just what we stand united behind, please look inside your
program books. On page 3, you'll find a ballot. In two hours, all votes will be
cast and counted, with the results announced to the world an hour after that! For
now, enjoy the buffet." He bows and leaves the room, going back to the office
(only the GM knows where he goes). The crowd breaks for the buffet room.

The Ballot
On page 3 of the program book, the ballot suggests the following schemes:
#1 is an assault on Fort Knox, in order to seize the gold reserves. #2 is a plan to
poison the water supply of Los Disneys. #3 is a bombing of the power generators

Murphys' Law -62-

at Niagara Falls. 14 is a scheme to seize Three Mile Island and forcibly restart
the nuclear power cores (probably no one would care much, except from a his-
torical standpoint ... probably the Mutants for Nuclear Power thought this one
up). #5 concerns a hijacking of a Space Force shuttle and subsequent seizure of
the entire S.D.I. arsenal. #6 would have an assault on St. Louis to capture the ASP Forces
Gateway Arch.
ASP Troopers
Nowhere is any plan mentioned concerning the missile fields. ST 12, DX 12, IQ 9, HT 12.
Basic Speed 7, Dodge 6.
More Clues Skills: Beam Weapons-14; Running-
11; Karate-12; Guns (Pistols)-12.
Overheard at the buffet: One cook asks another, "What about the prisoner? Each carries a Laser Rifle, a .45
Are we going to feed him, too?" The other answers, "Of course not! It won't autopistol, and a communicator (radio).
matter. In 24 hours, he won't ever be hungry again!" They wear tight black uniforms with a flak
At the changing of the guards outside the doors to the unseen part of the map: vest underneath and a helmet which also
shields the lower half of the face (PD 5,
If any PC mentioned seeing the Murphys' vehicles, the guards being relieved DR 3). They are typically rude and bully-
will tell the new guards to "watch that person. He knows too much .. . "Other- ing.
wise, a Hearing roll-2 will hear the new guards telling the relieved ones to
Tlu Black Asp
"check out a noise in the office. Make sure he's still there." ST 11, DX 14, IQ 13, HT 11.
Rodric, the Black Asp's right hand (a rather lethargic individual of slightly Basic Speed 7, Dodge 7.
ugly appearance and decidedly low IQ), wanders out of the back to take a mes- Wears reflec armor under his black suit
sage to some of the troopers: "My master wants you to get this car (describes the in addition to armor protection similar to
an ASP trooper's . His helmet has a glare-
Murphy vehicle) out of the way; it's causing too much trouble." Since they don't proof reflective faceplate. He has a hiss-
hold Rodric in high esteem, the troopers ask why. Rodric replies, "People are ing, grating voice and is a consummate
beginning to wonder what happened to the driver." The troopers all indicate un- coward - why take any risks when all
these troopers are on the payroll? Still, he
derstanding and go off to remove the vehicle, while Rodric returns to the back. has Guns (pistols)-15, and does carry a .45
automatic.
Voting and Decision
Assuming the PCs haven't gone into the back and disrupted the convention
by now, the voting will commence and be done in an hour. The Black Asp will
call the meeting to order again and read off the result.
"And here, fellow terrorists, are the results of the
ballot . . . " He stops and looks inside the podium,
then around it. "Rodric!"
Rodric comes up. "Yes, master?"
"Rodric, where did you put the ballot results?"
"I hid 'em, master."
"Where, Rodric? In the safe?"
"No, master. I put them where no one would find
them. Inside a turnip ."
The Black Asp sighs. "Get them out of the turnip
and bring them to me, Rodric." Rodric heads for the
kitchen while the Black Asp attempts to hold the
crowd's attention. When Rodric returns, he has a
large turnip, which he hands to the Black Asp, who
tears it apart for the paper within. "The winner is
Number Six, the assault on the Gateway Arch!!" All
the troopers clap; after a moment of confusion, the
crowd will join in. Apparently, this was not what had
been expected. The Black Asp will clear up the con-
fusion by announcing a celebration of their upcoming
victory, and will have the lights and cameras turned
on to announce to the world the first major terrorist
offensive (complete with APPLAUSE sign on the
front of the dias to signal for applause at appropriate
moments). His satellite address over, with a theatri-
cal wave he will signal the arrival of the ASPettes

-63- Murphys' Law

 (who, though dressed in the skintight black of ASP, are uniformed very dif-
Who Did We Tick Off?!? ferently than the troopers ... ). The meeting devolves into one large party, and
How many groups did the PCs step on? the Black Asp mingles with the celebrants for a half hour before leaving.
If they shot up the Church of America
agents in Chicago, they could be in serious Behind Door Number One
trouble. Better watch their step around
Chicago in the future. If the PCs haven't figured out by now that they should be behind the door
Likewise with the Murphys. Unless the that all the ASP biggies keep going through, then the party is a good time for the
PCs pulled Crash (and anyone else made GM to manipulate them behind the door to poke around a bit.
captive with him) out of their trouble, then
the Murphys are likely to be after them,
too.
Did they foil the Black Asp's plan? If And Beyond ...
so, ASP is likely to send a few troopers or
bounty hunters to deal with them. And if Ending #1 - Triwnph
they stole the Black Asp's heli-office, his
This assumes that the PCs have been smart enough to sneak into the
anger (and determination) will know no
bounds - ASP will become a Large restricted section, locate all items pertinent to the missile silos, grab them, sneak
back out and take off for KC-1. Were they sneaky enough to avoid tripping
Enemy with an appearance roll on 15 or
less. ASP forces typically use lasers and
alarms and such, thereby assuring no pursuit? If not, they'll be pursued by a pair
laser-guided rockets (see Roleplayer #9,
Page 2). of helicopters (Small Copter, small power plant, pilot, Laser in universal turret
Under, 4 laser-guided HRs F, hi-res for pilot, LRFP armor F 6/24, L 5/20, R
5/20, B 5/20, T 2/8, U 7/28. Ace. 5 mph, 7600 lbs., $56,600). If they can es-
r,::;~!;l'ii~--=i1T'.,.,~::7N~~~~ cape them, the PCs should have smooth sailing all
the way back to KC-1.
In an insulting variant of this ending, the PCs
steal the Black Asp's heli- office and fly back to
KC-1 with a very expensive chopper and a safe full
of information on ASP's activities!

Ending #2 - Not-So-Complete Triwnph

In this ending, the PCs failed to escape with the
items, but still found out where they were. They
may even have the items in their possession! Unless
they can hijack the Black Asp's heli-office quickly,
there will soon be too many forces around them to
fight off successfully - and it's a cinch that there
are too many troopers in front of them (not to men-
tion angry terrorists) to shoot their way out with
captured ASP weapons .
The PCs might surrender, or barter the items
for their lives or even sell out to ASP - a cir-
cumstance with interesting consequences. Or they
might destroy the items and go down with a Pyrrhic
victory . They'd surely be tortured, but the ASP
plan would be foiled.

Ending #3 - Miserable Failure

Either the PCs didn't make it to Brickyard, or
they failed to get into the back section of the con-
vention center and retrieve or destroy the items.
Well, the attack on the Arch was the diversion that
the Black Asp needed for his plan (see sidebar The
Black Asp's Plan, p. 62), and the theft of the mis-
sile warheads went according to plan. ASP is now
the most powerful terrorist organization in the
world, excluding large governments, some of
which could be considered terroristic.

Murphys' Law -64-

 De AADA a.. is more tbanjuSt an atlas of the
. It
-A complete a~tba oftbe three types of Fortress Towns that developed to
proleCt citizen frcm ....
- Campaign guidelines for GUlli'S AlltotbHI G , with advice for setting an
adwDture in aay part of tbe Midwest;
- MiDi-adveatures for Or WGJS or GUllPS , each set in a difterent part of tbe
rqioa;
-"Murphys' Law,• a complete adveuture for GURPS Alll«<uel. Tbe Murphys have struck a
blow for human fleeclom apimt tbe accursed machines ofKC-1. You are cauJbt in tbe middle, and
tbe only way to buy your own persoaal fleeclom lies in a chase across tbe Midwest. Can you stop the
Murphys before tbey produce a biger blDg than tbey barpined for?

De AADA llDtMI AtiiiS w SanlNl arM., V.,_ JIIN: 17ae Ml4w# is a 64-page supplement for both
GUlli'S AltiMIIII and Or W'GIS. Writlen by Crail Sheeley.

Ul
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~ 0 8 42 06305
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~ ISBN 1-55634-105-9