Chernarus: Total War. The dynamic player-driven campaign for the HFTP.
Times are bad in Chernarus. The country is run by an oppressive communist dictatorship that runs a brutal regime already infamous for its countless crimes against humanity. The country's borders are sealed tight, the army patrols the streets and the media has been heavily restricted. The authorities threaten the people with poverty and death.
Times are bad. But not so bad that a small group of independent minded patriots can't come together in secret to plot the overthrowing of Andrei Berenkov, the Supreme Chairman of Military Affairs and the nation's de facto leader.
You are part of a group that remembers the old days. That remembers the freedom of old Chernarus, when you could lunch at Burger King, dine at McDonalds, watch Hollywood movies in theaters and drive there in Fords and Chryslers. Now you are stuck with stuffy old Lada's and Trabants and you feel like your nation has been thrown back into the 70's. As noone should be forced to drive such atrocious vehicles to horribly undermanaged pubs that serve wodka which tastes like the sweat of Berenkov's fat hairy back, the time for change is there. You have met in secret with representatives of NATO and the UN, both of whom are willing to support your rebellion if it takes off, but neither are willing to invade the country and start a war for the sake of your people. You will have to take the first step, gamble all you have and face either glorious victory or a torturous death. Berenkov will not hesitate to strike you down with every soldier, tank and helicopter at his disposal.
But for now, he has no idea of what you're up to. Your strike will be the first one. You gather in the village of Tulga, a few dedicated patriots having nothing but smuggled weapons and the goodwill of the people on your side. You will start this fight that will either blossom into a nationwide revolution or die an infant's death.
The time to strike is now. Where will it be?
Campaign Dynamics:
Your unit will always fight as a single group. All actions undertaken will be undertaken with as many members as will commit to the operation. Nevertheless, as the army grows, individual players can take command of allied army units if they so desire. This means that they can decide, out-of-game, where their specific army element will go and what it will do. The consequences of these movements will generally be decided out-of-game by the DM of the campaign, but can be turned into a mission if the group agrees to it.
If no players assume command of any of the AI army's elements, the DM will entirely decide how the war evolves beyond what the players themselves do during missions.
Every action taken requires a certain amount of time to complete. This is generally not a matter of concern for the players and is mostly a matter of DM administration. A nighttime stealth operation costs less time and fewer resources than an armored offensive intent on pushing forward the front line. The general rule of thumb is: the larger the force to move, the more time and resources it takes.
For practical purposes it is useful to, as a group, assign a leader. The leader will be able to be decisive when the group as a whole is deadlocked about what to do. If noone can come to any agreement on whether to sabotage the factory, capture the harbour or attack the enemy city, the leader will be able to decide for the group (and will also be held responsible for the consequences of his decision). The leader cannot, however, veto anything. When the majority of a group has decided on something that the leader hasn't, what the majority wants still goes.
The map you are playing on will be divided into zones and each zone will have its drawbacks and benefits. Industrial towns will supply you with the means to keep your army mobile and your armored units in the fight, but will generally not deliver as many recruits as a residential city would. Likewise, conquering a castle for a new regional HQ will increase AI troop skill on the battlefield but will not bring in any resources, unlike the capture of that harbour that you decided to pass up.
The enemy will also not sit still. As you grow in power, so do your enemy's means to fight you change. If you wish to develop a stealthy insurgency that relies on terrorist attacks and sabotage operations, then Berenkov will not generally respond by rolling armoured divisions across the landscape to seek you out. He will, however, send incognito special ops units after you, or more heavily reinforce locations that could be possible targets for your attacks.
Remember aswell that you fight for the wellbeing of the people of Chernarus. No matter what decision you make, you will put them through hard times. It is your job to make these hard times as bearable as you can. Berenkov will not hesitate to arrange public executions, prison camps or even downright genocide. It will be your responsibility to keep the people as safe as you possibly can. Do so, and they will support your insurgency vigorously. Fail to protect them and you will not only lose popular support, but may even face armed resistance from a people who believe that throwing their lot in with Berenkov's dictatorship may spare them his anger.
The ultimate goal is the death of Berenkov and all his affiliates. How you reach that goal is up to you.
Campaign Mechanics:
Chernarus is a country that has everything a nation needs to succeed. The only problem is that Berenkov owns all of it and doesn't use it for any good. Spread across the nation are harbours, quarries, lumber mills, airfields, farms, factories and so forth. If you are intent on open rebellion, you will have to capture and occupy these assets to provide you with the resources you need.
The first ingredient of any army are its men. To field an army capable of taking on Berenkov in the open, you will have to capture towns and farms. Towns to provide you with recruits, farms to keep your men fed.
The second thing an army needs are weapons and training. As an insurgent movement you will be using the various medieval castles spread around the country as headquarters, since these are the hardest places for Berenkov's vast military to get to, and are the easiest to defend. Headquarters serve as training grounds, which improve NPC fighting skill, aswell as deployment positions. From a headquarter you can invade adjacent zones. To get access to weapons and armor there are only a few options: either seize control of OPFOR military outposts, or get access to harbours and airfields from where NATO and/or the UN can sail/fly in weapons and armoured vehicles.
To construct defenses aswell as increase the durability of your army, factories, quarries and lumber mills are required. Factories will provide your troops with munitions and repair damaged vehicles. Quarries and lumber mills produce stone and wood respectively and are necessary in creating fortifications.
Larger towns and cities also have medical facilities. You will require these to heal wounded men, which in game terms means you get some of your casualties back as deployable troops. Access to these facilities also help you keep the population happy, which you will need as your insurgency requires popular support to succeed.
Popular support itself is a dynamic resource. You can get it and lose it from anything, and other than hospitals, only the power plant and TV antenna's such as the one on Green Mountain are capable of passively keeping the population satisfied. These resources may not prove to be enough on their own, however. Succesful missions without civilian casualties will keep the population pleased, succesful defensive operations against Berenkov's military will also do the job. But leave gaps in your defenses and you may suddenly find Berenkov exploiting them by committing genocide on your towns. Even worse, he may threatens villagers in regions he controls and use them as currency for negotation. Failure to prevent Berenkov from mutilating the very country he claims to own may turn the people into a disillusioned and bitter faction that want nothing to do with your cause.
Ownership of regions will also generate finances. Industrial assets generally produce the most wealth, followed closely by densely populated regions. The majority of this wealth will be passively channeled into your army and won't necessarily be represented ingame. A portion of it however is channeled directly into your coffers and can be used to purchase special equipment such as weapons and vehicles, that are stored at the HQ of your choosing and can be taken into missions. It is as important to train your own armies as efficiently as possible, as it is to make sure that your own characters are as outfitted as possible. But beware, the money isn't always unconditionally available. There may be situations in which you are forced to choose between spending it on yourself and spending it on a greater cause. In addition, the money can also be used to charter the services of elite independent operatives, such as Private Military Companies and infiltrators that spy on enemy movements.
Lastly, keep this in mind: all the assets that you need, the enemy also needs. As you strenghten yourself by claiming locations, you weaken the enemy in turn. Think strategically: some targets may have more than a single asset to offer and taking them from the enemy may deal them a serious blow. Or, you could choose to sabotage via a stealth operation an important asset in territory you have no hope of claiming.Enemies of the Revolution
The above three people are the foremost enemies of the revolution. The goal is their death or their capture, though as far as the revolution is concerned death would be preferable. From left to right, they are:
Oleg Minkov
The country's official President and Berenkov's only claim to running a democracy. Berenkov often claims that Chernarus has the most frequent elections of all democratic nations and is thus the most democratic, but the opposite is true. Every year he puts Oleg Minkov up against a completely unknown factor who has been paid off to lose. Minkov regurgitates the same rhetoric every year, while the other candidate generally just praises the country that he is so blessed to live in and never promises any sort of change.
Minkov is a puppet. All major international affairs are handled by Berenkov, national security is handled by Berenkov, propaganda is handled by Berenkov, and so forth. Only national finance and infrastructure are left to Minkov, and so these things are generally fairly well taken care of since at the end of the day Minkov is more of an administrator and less of a tyrant. To the revolution he is a weakling that was picked specifically for his lack of a spine. Whether or not this man would've acted otherwise without Berenkov guiding his every move is irrelevant. He is a traitor to the nation and must die.
Andrei Berenkov
Berenkov is the Supreme Chairman of Military Affairs and therefore the country's unofficial leader. As the dictator of Chernarus he rules with an iron fist and puts his people through every possible variant of misery. Why he even wants to lead a country, nobody knows. He regards the inhabitants of Chernarus like ants in an antfarm and everything he does with them is for his own amusement and own gain. The revolution suspects that he harbours another agenda that nobody is aware of except his closest. What this agenda may be however, is anybody's guess.
Berenkov's claim to power is, like with most dictator, a brutal coup that killed all members of the last government. This brutal deed scared his opposition into silence and so he has ruled the country ever since. If there is one constant in the Berenkov regime it is the relentless focus on the army. There is a great amount of focus on weapons development and military growth. In fact, under Berenkov's leadership the army has grown by a factor 2.5.
No matter what, Berenkov must die. Even if the revolution fails, if an opportunity to take the head of Berenkov presents itself, it should be taken.
Sergei Lebedev
Lebedev is the country's evil Einstein. A true polymath, he turns his intellect towards researching anything Berenkov needs it for. The imagination can fill in the blanks as to what it is he researches. He has been a loyal follower of Berenkov for years, going back to their university years long before the coup. Berenkov is the man with vision, Lebedev in turns gives him the means to carry it out. He is currently speculated to be working on a variety of weaponized gasses and liquids for biochemical warfare.
He also dictates research on more standard military technology, with entire teams of weapons scientists under him researching more effective ammunition and revising various armoured vehicles.
Lebedev is the #2 priority to take down. Without Berenkov he will not be able to do much arm, but his cruel nature nevertheless makes him a menace.
TOTAL REVOLUTIONARY ASSETS
Total Wealth:
20550$
Towns:
Tulga
Msta
Kamyshovo (Minor Port)
Pusta
Elektrozavodsk (Major Port, Minor Port, Factory)
Solnichniy (Minor Port, Factory, Quarry)
Nizhnoye (Minor Port)
Staroye
Shakhovka
Headquarters:
Rog (Mortar Firebase)
Current income per mission:
1050$
Additional revolutionary forces:
4x Infantry Squad
2x BMP-2 Mechanised Squad
3x BTR-70 Mechanised Squad
1x Technical Squad
1x Armoured Section (1x T-72 + 2x-T55)
Additional revolutionary assets:
Static:
3x Podnos Mortar
2x D-30 Artillery (at Skalisty)
2x ZU-23 (AA)
3x SPG-9
Armoured:
2x T-55
1x T-72
1x BMP-3
2x BMP-2
1x BTR-90
3x BTR-70
Motorised:
2x GAZ Vodnik
4x Technical UAZ (SPG-9)
Air:
1x Mi-24 Hind
2x Mi-8 MTV-3
(NEW) Other sources of aid:
Private Military Company
A private military company from the United States called The Shield has offered its support to us at a price. While they would not reveal the reason behind their offer, we suspect that we have some benefactors working for us behind the screens as long as NATO's hands are tied. They have offered us the following deals:
- Purchasing a weapons crate: for $500 we can buy from them a chest of specialised weaponry that we can take with us for a single mission.
- Purchasing SUV's: for $3000 we can buy an SUV complete with mounted minigun for a single mission. Keep it operational for the duration of the mission and they will return us $1000.
- Purchasing manpower: for $5000 we can hire a squad of field specialists that will help us wherever we need them, be it on defensive operations, convoy escorts or offensive missions.
All contracts are limited to the duration of a single mission.
United Nations Peacekeeping
The UN has recognised the revolutionary forces of Chernarus as a legitimate factor and has now acknowledged that the country of Chernarus is in a state of civil war. The UN is offering peacekeeping missions to protect towns likely to see a lot of conflict. If we agree to UN peacekeeping operations however, it will see to a town's safety while it removes our ability to use that town as a base of operations for our struggle against the regime. While we will keep the soldiers we've recruited from these towns, we will lose the ability to use a town's facilities or to collect income from it. Essentially the town will be transferred to UN control and while that may be good for the people, it may not be so good for our war effort. The UN is also limited in what it can deploy onto the field, so while a certain UN presence may keep Berenkov's smaller armies out, a complete withdrawal when threatened by a blatantly superior force could also happen.
Peacekeeping missions can be requested at any time and will remain until we either request to have them recalled, or they get driven out by Berenkov.
NATO Support
The presence of NATO within Chernarus currently allows us access to several of their services. Amongst them:
- An unlimited NATO weapons license, costing $10.000
- Requesting air support for a mission, costing $20.000
Purchasing Vehicles
Now that we have a major port we can purchase heavy armour aswell as light armour. The following is currently available:
- M113 for $4000
- LAV-25 for $8.000
- BMP-2 for $10.000
- T-72 for $25.000
CHERNARUSSIAN PEACE TALKS STRUGGLING
Washington (AAN). Once again, the tripartite peace negotations with the Chernarussian Democratic People's Republic (CDPR) have run into problems. Earlier week, United States President Howard Matthews rebooted the peace talks of last year that had failed after Chernarussian dictator Andrei Berenkov angrily walked out of the conference room, threatening with a war that never came.
Berenkov, supreme commander of the Chernarussian army and the nation's de-facto leader, has long been suspected of preparing a strike on American soil. While military strategists have downplayed this threat in the national media, saying a country like Chernarus lacks the military power required to perform such an operation, nuclear experts in the White House and the UN nevertheless investigate the possibility that Berenkov possesses the capacity to launch long distance missiles across the atlantic.
"We must take extremely seriously any threat to our nation, regardless of how we stand in comparison to our would-be enemies." Matthews stated in a public press conference this morning. Commenting on the progress, or lack thereof, made during last nights talks, Matthews had this to say:
"Andrei Berenkov is a man proud of his nation and proud of his accomplishments. This is something we must take into account. All of Chernarussian foreign politics are isolationist in nature for the sole reason that the country's leadership believes strongly in their country's cultural superiority. At the diplomatic table, Chernarus demands respect from it peers. Berenkov feels that our country has been less than forthcoming in this demand, whereas I feel that the United States has, quite frankly, been incredibly patient with a country of which we are still not sure if it has the capacity to attack us on our own soil."
Alicia Baker, one of the White House experts on nuclear weaponry and long range ballistic weapons, told WNN correspondents that she feared not only Berenkov's Napoleon complex, but even more so an imitation of Napoleon's accomplishments. "It is very likely that the leadership of Chernarus believes that it has the power to suddenly march halfway across the world and carve its name into history. I doubt that such an endeavour could end anything but badly for them, but the chaos that would ensue from open war should nevertheless not be taken lightly."
Speculation about a military intervention has also proven to be persistent. President Matthews has in the past spoken language of war, saying that he would not hesitate to deploy troops if Chernarus proved blatantly hostile. Whether or not he holds to that position in these current talks remains to be seen, however.
RUMORS OF REVOLT IN CHERNARUS
Washington (AAN). Peace talks with the nation of Chernarus have ground to a halt little than a week after they commenced. United States surveillance efforts have confirmed, according to the CIA, that there has indeed been gunfire in the southeastern part of Chernarus between Berenkov's troops and unidentified independents. While president Matthews has not yet commented on the matter, his spokesman has informed WNN that he will in fact not further pursue any sort of formal peace with Chernarus until Berenkov is able to account for what is going on.CHERNARUS IN OPEN REVOLT
Washington (AAN). What were still mere rumors a few days ago have now quickly evolved into fact. The people of southeastern Chernarus have entered open revolt against their leadership. There has been confirmed weapons fire in the hills surrounding the country's southern port town of Elektrozavodzk. CIA satellite surveillance imagery shared with this news network also confirms the presence of large groups of armed civilians engaged in combat with the country's official military troops headed by the nation's de-facto leader Andrei Berenkov.
Berenkov, often accused of running a Stalinist regime, has so far not issued any statements. The country's president Oleg Minkov, however, did state the following in a national adress:
"Armed barbarians run wild through the streets of southwestern Chernarus. Inbreds and mongrels intent on destroying the peace and quiet we have built for ourselves. Our wonderful country shall not be harmed by these murderous amateurs, and so our nation's leaders have committed the entire strength of our military to the southeastern part of the country to deal swift justice to this band of traitors."
Experts put Minkov's words down to propaganda. Jonathan Mill, expert on Chernarussian Politics and History and professor at Stanford University in California, feels that it is unlikely that any revolutionary sentiment would somehow be limited to the southeastern part of the nation. He stated that while there had been a pro-government rally in the city of Berezino in the country's north, it is unlikely that this was anything other than a show to artificially restore faith in the nation's leadership.
As of yet, neither the United States, the United Nations or NATO have come forward to comment on the current situation.
CHERNARUSSIAN CIVIL WAR DRAWS INTERNATIONAL EYES
Washington (AAN). This morning, Chernarussian rebels have succesfully occupied the Chernarussian coastal city of Elektrozavodsk. In the light of yesterday's activity deeper into the country's hills, it should now be clear that the regime of de-facto dictator Andrei Berenkov has lost the ability to control the country's southeast. In the meantime Oleg Minkov, the nation's official president, has yet to follow through on his promise of military retalliation.
US President Howard Matthews has stated in a recent press conference that the time to intervene in Chernarus is now drawing closer, and that he will not see rebelling Chernarussians suffer persecution and death on the hands of, as he put it, "a tyrant's personal legion", referring to the ambiguous relationship that Berenkov's seemingly Russian army has with the brass in Moscow. Matthews has requested clarification from the Kremlin on how exactly they stand in relation to the operations of Berenkov within Chernarus.
Andrei Berenkov himself, meanwhile, has called upon the assistance of his two greatest allies, the bordering nation of Takistan and his far-away ally of China, a country he has often referred to as the greatest ally a communist could have, incase NATO does choose to intervene in this conflict. And while Takistani aid seems likely, whether or not the Chinese will answer his call remains to be seen.
NATO INTERVENTION IN CHERNARUS
Washington (AAN). American president Howard Matthews has confirmed in a press conference this morning that NATO is indeed intervening in the Chernarussian conflict, with the USA taking the lead of an international taskforce consisting of American, British, German and Czech elements. Matthews said that, while regretting the necessity to intervene, he was committed to the safety of the Chernarussian people. When asked if NATO was backing the Chernarussian revolutionary movement, Matthews commented that as of now, the stability of the region is NATO's first priority, meaning that the fight will have to be taken to the armed forces of Andrei Berenkov. While experts state that this is, to some degree, heartening news for the country's revolutionaries, Matthews' statement also signifies very clear what wasn't given: expliciting support for the rebellion. Whether or not the interests of the United States are therefore aligned with the rebels remains to be seen.
AAN is currently working hard to deploy journalists inside the nation to get a press release from the revolutionary movement itself.
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