"Official UFO?" Topic

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Using the manned version for my Space 1959 campaign

Looks cool, I'd love to see more details as your campaign evolves. What rules are you using?

My players like Savage Worlds but I want to use games like AirWar C21, FFT, a stripped down Harpoon so I may go with Traveller/TW2K(CT/Mongoose) variant since I have STL supplements.
Starts in 1959 with a second Korean War(more UN/Soviet/Red China). No VietNam War, WWIII in '68, Alien Incursion 1973. …still a lot of work…

1960….President Richard M. Nixon…..

woot!!!!

You may want to take a look at the Cold Space RPG from Flying Mice games for some ideas, it's right on theme!

Cold Space covers the years 1949 to 1989, after swiss scientists discovered a faster than light drive and antigravity using obscure physics principles. The Soviets quickly stole the idea, and the race for the stars was on!
The ships they flew in were crude, rough, and apt to fall apart if not tended constantly, but they worked!

The Cold War has moved into space, where the Americans, Soviets, and the rest of the nations of the world move in a political miasma of espionage, proxy wars, revolution, deceit, and betrayal.

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Nope-he gets assassinated in South America. JFK's Dallas motorcade is delayed by a Jackie Kennedy/Marilyn Monroe 'bar fight'-three Secret Service Agents injured protecting JFK from thrown objects. Three assassins thwarted&captured because of this(Cuban, Mafia & Russian). Betty Page wins a Oscar. GRU codenames for the FBI&CIA are 'Moose&Squirrel'. GRU and KGB fight each other more than us-'The Other Enemy'.

Basically, everything that didn't work in this era does, twist the cliches/stereotypes, invert policies(no Mcnamera-replaced by Dr. StrangeLove), rampant what-ifs(James Dean lives).

Space Race-there were seven women that trained as Astronauts with the original 7 but NASA didn't use them. The CIA got the X-20 DynaSoar and couldn't see NOT having them as astronauts, they're already trained so ….

Basic premise-Sputnik went up, orbited a few times and got shot down by a Alien Quarentine/blockade satellite. This was kept secret by from the public. The X-20&Pyewacket is developed to break the blockade(along with Soviet designs). A UFO war is going on along with the Cold/Hot War.

I wanted some conedic elements and a different Space Race/WWIII/Alien Invasion campaign with all my favorite doodads/personalities/gear/weapons/vehicles.

I like a gyrojet version of the BM-59 para-carbine for Cis-Lunar Deep Purple-Dark Ops….:)

I have Cold Space-one of my inspirations.

Coolness, love the idea! There are some nice Space 1959 friendly spacecraft minis for sale on Shapeways like DynaSoars, Raketoplanes and Orion NPP ships:

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Keep me posted, this is one of the genres I've always intended to game. Oh, I'm also doing stuff for Two Hour Wargames, so if you need conversionsfor those rules, like 5150: Fighter Command, I can help.

Thank you all. Want me to PM you or just post here.

I'm making a list and basic stats for space craft progression. Still working on the time line.

Great ideas skippy!!!

Don't leave out those great looking, UFO vehicles from the TV show by the same name.

Hi skippy0001, you can PM me and we can exchange emails that way!

Just going to add my applause to your idea, Skippy. Sounds like brilliant fun. I'd love to see that bar fight! I always wondered if Marylin was the real gunman – er, gunwoman – at Dallas, but she was actually aiming at Jackie…

Idea sounds like a blast, I've also played around with similar concepts ('Space Patrol: 1970' and so forth), LOTS of cool material to work with.

-Will

Say, just found out about this German StarTrek series from the 1960s -- pretty cool, and love the 1960s music, LOL! Classic flying saucer ship.

"Raumpatrouille – Die phantastischen Abenteuer des Raumschiffes Orion (literal translation: Space Patrol – The Fantastic Adventures of the Spaceship Orion), also known as Raumpatrouille Orion, and Space Patrol Orion in English, was the first German science fiction television series. Its seven episodes were broadcast by ARD beginning 17 September 1966. Being a huge success with several reruns audience ratings went up to 56%.[1] Over the years, the series acquired a distinct cult status in Germany.[2]"

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Seen that show. Very..German.
I was going to put in a 4th Reich but really can't see that as sustainable post-war without getting into Vrill pseudo-science so threw that out. More German scientist distribution so Europe can get into the Space Race. China and the Soviet Union won't have the rift that occurs, better coordination and cooperation. No Mao, Chou En Li more pragmatic. Later, Chinese Academia will break down and translate Alien language and concepts. Euro scientists will crack FTL drive, Russians will retro-engineer the Grav drive and US will tackle their sensors, avionic, astrogation and beam/torpedo systems. That will be after a 5 year shooting war when we finally get a UN with teeth.
Remember, what didn't work, does-A flight of four NB-36 bombers have two carrying nuke bombs, one with stand off missile nukes and one with a parasite F-85 Goblin fighter supplemented by EW drones etc.
The M60A2 Starship will work. M103 heavies wii be improved until the MBT-70's come on-line. IT-55/62's, JS-7/Troya Objiect 279 tanks fo Soviet.
F7U Cutlass works, jet version of a Stumovik goes to N.Korea.
Assault rifles to Elite units only, improved battle rifles(bullpup FNFAL?)-7mmpluss AP will be needed later against Aliens. Gyrojets will be 12mm-20mm caliber-a sight system wired from the rifle to a reticle/monocle so you can aim while wearing a space suit.Figure LAW/RPG can be modded for lunar/space combat.
SkinSuits for astro/cosmo/taiko/euronauts-gotta get that Wally Wood look, you can wear body armor over it.
Czech Skorpion and Mac-10/11 for military sidearm. Need better light tanks…Lunar version of Saladin?

working on timeline-old 'Dark Storm' campaign rewrite.

Looking for quirky cultural changes, alternate celebrities, tech&science boosts, improvements in materials science without going too far, no Tang-hated that stuff when I was a kid-Fizzies improved(look it up, can't explain everything when you are all three buttons from everywhere/thing), Euro-perspective with better/faster Marshall Plan and a Soviet equivalent for East Europe, A Chinese all-arms brigade and air squadrons part of WP forces, equivalent brigade/air support in N. Korea from East Euro-Sov. Both could have a Anabasis/Long March trying to get home, Wet navies would be the last to work on-really like Skipjacks and missile boat/cruisers, who could unite sub-Saharan Africa?, South America needs another Bolivar-maybe Che, Mexico gains teeth with oil and uranium resources-better, equal with Canada at least-better armed forces, Uzi, H&K MP5 and K-50's more popular.

A unconcious stream of conciousness, I ramble a lot. Talk amongst yourselves while I go verklemft with the timeline-please fell free to add/contribute/demand and plead.

thanks for the inspiration and motivation. timeline draft next.

You've probably read Allen Steele's stuff from the "Rude Astronauts" universe books, like the Tranquility Alternative:

In another alternative history, the U.S. space program begins in 1944. But now interest in nonmilitary space exploration has waned, and funding for the program has diminished. Commander Gene Parnell heads a team shuttling from Earth to the lunar Tranquility Base to launch six Minutemen II rockets into the sun before turning the base over to a German aerospace company. The mission may be foiled, for an imposter among the crew plans to sabotage the launch. Steele vividly re-creates the experience of manned space flight through excellent technical detail.

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Never heard of this, thanks.

Some good books, though written at different times they hinge off an alternate WW2 story:

It's 1941, and Wernher von Braun is ordered by his Fuehrer to abandon the V2 rocket and turn German resources in a daring new direction: construction of a manned orbital spacecraft capable of attacking the U.S. Work on the rocket—called Silbervogel—begins at Peenemunde. Though it is top secret, British intelligence discovers the plan, and brings word to Franklin Roosevelt. The American President determines that there is only one logical response: the U.S. must build a spacecraft capable of intercepting Silbervogel and destroying it. Robert Goddard, inventor of the liquid-fuel rocket, agrees to head the classified project.

So begins a race against time—between two secret military programs and two brilliant scientists whose high-stakes competition will spiral into a deadly game of political intrigue and unforeseen catastrophes played to the death in the brutal skies above America.

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Reading Rude Astronauts now.