American Homefront

[CmdrKiley]

I've been thinking about this for a while and given I've been hearing plans for expansion into the usual expected areas of WWII, Pacific, North Africa, and Eastern Front. What about North America? Based on the fluff there's lots of chaos going on in America: Japanses Invasion of Alaska, San Francisco Virus Bombed and Quarentined, Manhatten Island Destroyed by a F/A Bomb. Furthermore the Occult Expansion adds more details like the forced recruitment of Native Americans, a Cthulhu-like cult forming and in alliance with the US Government, certain trouble makers disapearing and finding themselves as part of human sacrifices and experiments. Furthermore you have actual historical stuff like German, Japanese, and Soviet espionage and sabotage operations within North America, with all the rationing you've got to expect crime to be an issue too. Now there's talk of adding superheroes to AE, which I find sort of completes the "cover all areas of pulp in that one can customize their setting to the weirdness level they want" that I envision AE: to be.

So what about an expansion that covers this. You could have a new American Sub-Faction like the FBI with units like G-Men, Agents, and Police and hero types like Spy Buster and such. Also wasn't the OSS involved in counter espionage operations within the US?

Another faction could be The Mafia and other crime organizations.

How about a citizens vigilante group setup much like the superheroes in the early days of The Watchmen. They really don't have much in terms of super powers but access to some wierd tech science or occult powers.

Then you can also have a government sponsored 'super soldier' program much like that what created Captain America. Somehow the formula got mixed into public consumption (mixed into that new fluoridated tap water) and now people 0.001% of Americans are showing signs of super powers. Some have been enamored by the courageous costumed vigilantees that are getting all media attention, others seek to use their powers for their own gain and some are recruited by the government for the war effort.

Then there's that shadow war between the OORD and The Prometheans as described in The Occult Expansion.

Also there's Axis and Soviet powers within the US that seek to do harm to America. Axis influence in South America spilling over into Mexico, and German control French islands in the Carribean that could launch raids and perhaps someV-2 or V-3 rockets into the US. A US and Canadian task force, with the help of civilian militia trying to push out the Japanese from Alaska. Perhaps the Soviets have found something of great interest in the Arctic that is really on the Canadian side of the border. Plague zombies escaping the quarentine zone of San Francisco.

All sorts of weird potential here.

[cheif]

A while back I made a suggestion for a Native American Resistance Faction, based on armed resistance against the forced recruitment of natives.

[abbysdad]

There's a lot of good ideas there! Thanks for posting them.

You'd be surprised how many ideas beyond the usual suspects are being kicked around right now. I think you will find the super heroes concepts in the April OTW useful in telling some of those stories about the American homefront.

And don't think we're done with pulp genre concepts just because we'll have super heroes in the line up. Don't count us out of ideas yet!

As far as what expansions will be considered when on what topics...we'll have to see. There's a pretty good plan of what's coming this year and next year. If there's a strong demand for something like the homefront, or Alaska, that will certainly influence what order things go in.

In my opinion, there are two really fun aspects to the AE background and timeline right now. The first, is that if you take the weird away, you still have WWII.

The second, is that there are enough "distant mountains" (to quote Tolkien) on the horizon to encourage people to tell their own stories and imagine what is happening in different parts of the world while the main threads are developing.

Even if there were unlimited resources available to develop minis and books, I'm not sure it would be right to fill in all the details and bring those mountains closer. Then we'd just think up strange landmarks farther away to give people a place to explore with their imagination.

Keep the ideas coming. You never know what might come next.

All the best,

Chris

[skorzeny]

Part of the background also mentions a civil war in Mexico between President Camacho and his US backed forces against Axis-supported elments of the PRC. That would have plenty of opportunity for spilling over into the border states.

[Scorpio]

Camacho? Is he played by Terry Crews?

[CmdrKiley]

Look American Robot Soldiers sent to Mexico!

[Darkson]

I have that book its very cool and very well done.

[CmdrKiley]

Another thing I was thinking about would be, given that the Japanese have invaded Alaska and the US is having a tough time kicking them out. Perhaps Uncle Joe decides he needs to offer some assistance (welcomed or not) to his allies and sends troops to help 'liberate' Alaska. It's strategic resources are too valuable to allow to fall into the hands of the Fascists.

Obviously this help is not welcomed by President MacArthur, further increasing tensions between the US and the Soviets (possibly a good reason to break off all support to the Soviets and declare war on a new front). This would give some nice fertile ground for some US vs. Soviet actions and a nice place to have some all out AE:WWII style warfare on US soil using the new battlefield conditions.

[skorzeny]

Recall that the Soviets had a non-agression pact with Japan for, well, pretty much the whole war until August 1945. Uncle Joe was helping the Japs by leaking information to them so they could react a bit better to some of our planned invasions. The Soviets working with the Japanese isn't entirely implausible, especially with the deterioration of the relationship with the US and Great Britain as the war progresses.

[CmdrKiley]

Soviets had a non-aggression pact with Germany too. Things can change.

Alaska could be an interesting 3-way battleground.

Also throw in some help from Canada. Although Canada may have some of it's own issues with German and Soviet incursions into the arctic regions.

Wasn't there also some Soviet meddling going on in Mexico around that time?

[abbysdad]

Apr 9, 2010 9:49:37 GMT -5 CmdrKiley said:

Also throw in some help from Canada. Although Canada may have some of it's own issues with German and Soviet incursions into the arctic regions.

I wouldn't trust the Canadians in AE-WWII if I were you

[skorzeny]

The Soviets and the Germans had political intrigues in Mexico in the 1930s and 40's, most prominently the Soviet assassins who killed Leon Trotsky in Mexico City.

While true that the Soviets had their pact with the Germans, it was the Germans who broke it. Without a good reason to attack the Japanese, I can't see Stalin messing with them while still fighting the Germans. On their part, the Japs got such a bloody nose from Zhukov in the 1930's, they won't be eager to start poking the Red Bear with sharp pointy sticks, though their Manchurian puppets might not be so restrained.

[CmdrKiley]

While searching around YouTube I came across a few old war era Superman clips. Although I'd imagine superpowered heroes being a very small percentage, and probably nothing as powerful as Superman, I thought the villians and the plots were pulpy enough for American Homefront.

Superman in The Japoteurs

Superman in The Mechanical Monsters

I sort of like the idea of perhaps a disgruntled ARPA tech perhaps using robot technology for his own use or enemy agents plotting to steal or sabotage some new American weapon.

[DthenB]

I like that airplane, though a crew of three seems a bit lacking.

[DthenB]

this just got added on hulu today. Japanese forces on American soil.
www.hulu.com/watch/69310/pbs-indies-red-white-black-and-blue#s-p2-so-i0