Is it possible for me to actually run a black market esqe faction which mainly could act as a "contractor" for rebel groups? Based upnon hardened criminals, gangsters but also some military veterans?

Is it possible for me to actually run a black market esqe faction which mainly could act as a "contractor" for rebel groups? Based upnon hardened criminals, gangsters but also some military veterans?

This sounds a bit like what I'm doing actually since I have a shit load of crime gangs/families/syndicates under me as well as military vets and homeless people and generally people who got buttfucked by poverty and want to "take back what's their's form the rich" but I'd like to offer you a preposition:

How does being in my area (north eastern seaboard) and being a closely aligned but ultimately independent faction? It'll give you a nice layer of protection, close and easy access to a hungry market who wants weapons and good land which is honestly at a premium in this RP it seems. You can have direct access to the Atlantic and unless you want to try your luck as Northern Midwest gun runners going through the Canadian wilderness, I'd say you got a very solid area to set up shop.

<Snipped quote by Sovi3t>

This sounds a bit like what I'm doing actually since I have a shit load of crime gangs/families/syndicates under me as well as military vets and homeless people and generally people who got buttfucked by poverty and want to "take back what's their's form the rich" but I'd like to offer you a preposition:

How does being in my area (north eastern seaboard) and being a closely aligned but ultimately independent faction? It'll give you a nice layer of protection, close and easy access to a hungry market who wants weapons and good land which is honestly at a premium in this RP it seems. You can have direct access to the Atlantic and unless you want to try your luck as Northern Midwest gun runners going through the Canadian wilderness, I'd say you got a very solid area to set up shop.

The idea for me was two have two bases, one in Arizona and one in Alaska with a potential Russian Connection coming through sometime in the roleplay, but I don't mind setting up a chapter in that area as one of the three chapters I will be starting out with.

I am not sure about having three bases so far apart that you are keep together while preventing the Russian connection for going public. It would make more sense to take some land up mid-north and be pro-Russian. Or be Russia's puppet in Alaska.

<Snipped quote by ClocktowerEchos>

The idea for me was two have two bases, one in Arizona and one in Alaska with a potential Russian Connection coming through sometime in the roleplay, but I don't mind setting up a chapter in that area as one of the three chapters I will be starting out with.

Going off of what @The Spectre said, having two bases with a massive amount of land between them doesn't seem like a wise idea. That's a lot of land which you can't control thorugh which you must travel and communicate by meaning its easy for someone to screw with you. Plus, if the base in AZ falls or is under attack, good luck trying to get any help from Alaska down in time. How would your people even form their faction though with such a distance? Did you repeatly send diplomats or something over wild air space or something? There's a reason why nations in history tend not to have holdings in distant far off lands unless they were attempting to colonize.

@Keyguyperson I have an idea. Given the general spread of people's nation's ideologies and ideas, what if there were two broad labels that people fell under. "Loyalists/Patriots" for the people who want to keep the old ways and "Revolutionaries/Reformers" who want to do something new. These labels wouldn't be binding and there could easily still be infighting but I'd imagine it would be a way for outsiders to have a broad, general view of which faction is on which side and stuff.

I kinda like this idea. I think I'd consider myself a Loyalist - albeit, one whom has an iron-hard dislike for any Left-ideals. Otherwise, anything else is good on my end - a nice little slice of paradise and stability. In the ocean of vile reformers and uneducated communist lackies.

I am contemplating being Oathkeepers or some radical group of that nature.

I just think there are people severely overestimating the military capabilities and ideological projection capabilities of other countries here. The US is still military super power here. A humilating defeat trying to invade a country whose military philosophy was built on guerrila warfare from the days of Mao onward doesn't make the US military which has bases literally all over the world magically vanish.

Blowing up a couple super carriers and satellites doesn't mean a country with a global military hegemony suddenly loses that edge. The worst case scenario is a loss of our military activity in East Asia due to being rebuffed by China. The US military is like 6-10x more expansive than the next largest military. The power balance is very lopsided... Intervening in the civil war of a super power would be a massive, massive gamble for any foreign force.

Also does the US international military still carry out operations even if the domestic situaiton has collapsed? I mean, they are likely without their CiC to set an agenda but they're still likely out there. A military without a country and all that.

@Arawak

I guess, that will be the difference when former/current soldier clash with simple-minded National Guardsmen.

Plus you'd underestimate the power of a civil uprest.

@NecroKnight
Powerful nations whose civil society collapses don't lose their military power overnight. I can't think of any historical example where that has been the case. The Russian Federation still haz a strong military and extensive nuclear arsenal to this day despite being the product of the USSR peacefully collapsing.

And the US has tons of inertia going into this. All those bases didn't get nuked after all. The war didn't escalate that hard- it just had a war with a rogue state and a invasion launched from Japan that got rebuffed with China alienating the whole world by destroying everyone's satellites.

@Arawak

That is true, but those places didn't have so easy access to large amounts of guns and weaponry.

It doesn't take soldier to kill another soldier - just a lucky shot from a hillbilly rifle, would suffice as well.

@NecroKnight
Soldiers vs militia members usually favor soldiers as even without GPS or whatever, the soldiers are just more disciplined and organized along with usually being better equipped.

Like as Oathkeepers (who have many former war vets in their ranks) I doubt i'd have much success in a direct engagement against a organized military force. I'd be reliant on ambush engagements and improvised traps on the defensive I suspect.

Still I don't see how this correlates to the US losing military power unilaterally. Whatever group restores the federal order is likely to inherit the powerful military complex the US has.

@Arawak

That is true, but if the Federal Government fucks up massively, you could have such soldiers stranded in various states. Plus keep in mind, the USA is a basic Union of States. Given the chance, without federal oversight they would slowly start to turn on eachother. Many soldiers are from such places. Plus it was mentioned in the earlier posts you had soldiers defecting - so that throws another wrench into your plans. Hence, why I have one char as SpecOps - since they would eat-up both regular soldiers and militias. Likely more loyal too.

Go for that, if you wish - just pick your state or state' locations out soon. Since the places are going like hot-cakes.

@NecroKnightThe Oathkeepers are a real organization that have former war vets in their ranks. I am basically usiung a real militia group here since they are a very likely actor in a situation like this and their ranks would swell in such break down of civil order. They probably would be like glorified warlords in small town areas. Maybe they carried out a coup in one of the states, though I am not sure which states the Oathkeepers would be most likely to take over.

@Arawak

Well...how about starting near New Mexico? Its between California which is mostly the same - and New Texas Republic (me). Which is the usual Texas + Oklahoma - just more anti-left.

The US is also fighting - or was, depending on severe this collapse is going to continue to grow if we keep getting new people - that may have deployed or stranded individual units overseas in the chaos that follows. They might be attempted to be recalled, they may never hear the word, or they get the recall notice but knowing what's happening at home or believing in the cause as it relates to their allies abandon their posts and stay put on the front fighting for a new country with the same cause in international brigades all their own.

On top of that, pause to consider that most of the men and women overseas may be considered citizen soldiers in the sense citizen is weighed over soldier and may defect the federal government to join with whatever local faction has taken power in interests of simply defending their friends and family and all notions of being supported by the Federal Government as they had before being washed down the drain.

I'm also calling this post out since this is honestly more important than impotent nation-wanking.

Can I do a thing with just a single character? No nation, no faction, just someone trying to live day to day?

@Keyguyperson

When will this game be started?

I'm more wondering if we'll get news from the outside world. Perhaps GM posts updating players on the global situation. Even if we can't exactly do anything outside the U.S it would still be nice to see what's happening with the world's largest power out of play.

So what has yet to be done? Oath keepers or Dominionists are what I am split between.

@Dinh AaronMk
I just don't see how the US military vanishes the way the gm makes it sound like it does. All those assets are still out there and since you have players with control of states like texas or california access to US military assets should be more common than the GM makes it sound like.

I suspect it's a asymmetrical situation as I just don't see why some players wouldn't have access to jets, helicopters, ships and tanks. The situation isn't apocalyptic (no nuclear war between America and China occurred after all) and the US has tons of energy resources even if global trade has collapsed which it likely did as China is probably a pariah state over the destruction of the worlds orbital infrastructure and the global economy tanking is just inevitable in this situation.

Can I claim Kansas and Missouri?