Scenario "The Turtledove War"

[Williamb]

OK Finished my scenario. Its rough around the edges and needs lots of Playtesting but will post it anyways.

Here is some background

The Turtledove war is a modification of the War Plan Orange game.

It has its roots in the writings of Harry S Turtledove.

This scenario is more fictional than the regular game.

It creates alot of hypothetical situations and advanced Technology

The basic (Alternative) history as follows with fact and fiction mixed together.

The "Turtledove" war is a ahistorical creation based on writings by the writer Harry s Turtledove.

It assumes Japan has bought Germany's old WWI fleet and that the US has elected Leonard Wood as President.

There are many new ships and changes in this game. Aircraft are more important and have greater ranges due to "tech" advances that didnt exist at this time in history.

The desire was to create a more interesting game

[Williamb]

Some of the multiple changes in this scenario are

Japan gets most of the old German WWI fleet. There are many new Battleships and Destoryers in the Japanese fleet. Also destroyers of bothsides start out with ASW depthcharges.

China gets two battleships. France now has more ships in theater as does the Dutch.

Planes have greater range and a slightly greater bomb for bombers.

China's ports have been "demined' to allow for invasion.

Japan and the US have new troop deployments puting more soldiers in theater. This makes Japan's fight strike much more powerful but also gives the US more troops in the Philipines and Wake.

Subs also have greater range.

There are some other changes in the game as well.

[Williamb]

In the 1880s Leonard Wood was a scout for the US Cavalry. He participated in the hunt for Geronimo. Ambushed by the Apaches he was able to escape alone and traveled over 100 miles on foot to bring word of the location of Geronimo and help aid in his Capture. For this Leonard Wood was awarded the US Medal of Honor.

Later he teamed up with Teddy Roosveldt to help form the Rough Riders. Teddy took command of the 1st Brigade and Wood took command of the Second brigade. Leonard Wood helped to overrun another hill as Teddy was charging up San Juan Hill.

Leonard Wood supported Teddy in both his presidentual runs. He also was a cheif critic of Woodro Wilson and his policies. Wilson eventually sent Wood to take command of the Philipine command to get the "Nusance" out of the states.

Leonard Wood saw the deplorible state of the Philipine Command and urgently express the need to increase the state of preparidness of the Philipines to counter the rising power of Japan.

In 1920 Republicans eager to win back the White House had been backing Calvin Cooledge as their main candidate. But Teddy Rooseveldt convinced the republican party that he would through his support of the Bull Mose party behind Leonard Wood. This convinced the Republicans to switch from Cooledge to Leonard Wood.

In the November election Wood went up against Al Smith who was the democratic party nominee. Wood was able to win a hugh victory and in 1920 became the President of the United States.

Wood in his in inauguration Speech pledge to increase the military strength of the US especially in the Pacific and the Philipines. Thus set the stage for the comming war with Japan.

[Williamb]

Wood's most controvertial appointment was for a little know professor to the post of Secertary of war. This man was seen as either a crackpot or a true Visionary. He espoused increased technological advances for the military to give it an edge. The mans name was H. Turtledove.

Turtledove had a love for what some called "Science Fiction". He believed that technological advances could create advanced military power that would successfully win wars.

One of the current best sellers in Fiction at that time was a book know as "Buck Rodgers in the 24th Century". It told the story of the United States overrun by a Mongolian horde equipted with air warships.

Turtledove envisioned creating an airfleet similar to one in the book. Critics mocked "Turtledove's Folly" until in 1921 a little know pilot by the Name of Charles Lindburgh flew accross the Atlantic in a specially built plane equipted with advanced fuel tanks and air frames financed by one of Turtledoves contracts with a company called Dow Plastics.

Dow working with Lindburgh had created a highly stable airframe using Plastics and Fiberglass. This airplane had more stamina and greater storage capacity than any other aircraft that had existed before. The French and Germans were very eager to copy Lindburgh's plane soon after it arrived in Paris.

Later in the Fall of 1922 a female Pilot by the name of Amelia Earhardt was able to use another plane modified by Dow Industries to fly across the Pacific. Earhardt landed in Tokyo and the Japanese were quicky to take a hard close look at the new aircraft.

It wasnt long afterwards when every major power was copying these new airframes and mass producing them.

[Williamb]

At the End of WWI the Germans and AustroHungarians were ordered to surrender their fleets to the Allies. All their ships put out to sea to surrender in western ports.

The Gemans had a plan to scuttle their vessels in British harbors to keep them from being used and as one last strike at the Allies.

However a young British Navy Lt named James Christopher had different orders. He had received a secret mission assigned to him by Sea lord Winston Churchill. The plan was to sneak in new Britsh special naval forces (SNF) that had been created during the war. These marines were to seize control of all the German ships while they were at sea.

The plan worked. The entire German navy was captured by a handful of British Marines.

Thus ended WWI. However it was the actions after this episode that created the next war.

Italy started it off. They had received two AustroHungarian Battleships as prizes after the war. Being olderships the Italians didnt want to keep them. At first was plans to scrap them but then a warlord in China offered to buy them for Millions in Gold. Italy quickly agreed.

This sale worried the Japanese. A strong united China would be a great threat to them. The Japanese moved quickly to back the Imperial Chinese emperor to set up a pro japanese state in China. The next move was to seek out a way to increase their fleet and military.

[Williamb]

Britian after WWI had captured most of the Imperial German Fleet. It had no real use for the German ships and made quick plans to scrap the ships.

Japan Worried about a rising China and a new US administration led by President Leonard Wood who seemed bent on strengthing the US in the Pacific. The Japanese wanted to quickly increase their military.

The Japanese offered to buy the entire captured German navy from the British for millions in Gold. Britian was sceptical and led by Sea Lord Churchill against the sale.

However the new Armaments Minister Neville Chamberlain argued that with the increase in wealth the British could use the money to improve its own military rather than keep an aging useless fleet of old German warships. Chamberlain argued that "THese ships would be thousands of miles away from Europe and getting rid of them here ends the threat of war here in Europe".

So the sale went through. Intially the Japanese just wanted these ships to be the reserve fleet to keep the US at bay while it dealt with China. The only use the Japanese invisioned for this fleet was only in Case of all out war.

The Japanese backed Chinese government came under direct threat from the nationalist chinee backed by the US. US Ships and planes appeared in China as "Volunteers"or as sales to the Nationalist Chinese.

Japan felt it had to step into china to prevent a hostile china from being created.

[Helpless]

sounds very interesting. where can i get it?

[Williamb]

I uploaded it to the Wargamer scenario depot. Im waiting still for confirmation that it has been approved. As soon as I get that will post a link here

[Williamb]

Finally Wargamer put my scenario up

http://www.wargamer.com/gamesdepot/details.asp?sid=4499

Sorry I had the AI programed but a glitch caused San deigo to become Japanese so I had to backtrack and load an older version of this mod. So the AI isnt programed.

I hope I added a read me. Shouldnt be too hard to install