You are Cal Phoenix, the Freeway Warrior, champion and protector of Dallas Colony One. From the sanctuary of Big Spring your convoy of survivors begins the next stage of its life-or-death exodus: a journey to the fortified border town of El Paso, a destination that lies hundreds of miles beyond the sun-scorched wasteland of West Texas. In Slaughter Mountain Run your mission is to rescue Kate Norton from the clutches of your arch enemy - the H.A.V.O.C. leader Mad Dog Michigan. You have just seven days to free her and to rendezvous with the colony before it runs the gauntlet of fire that protects the only mountain road to El Paso.
+You are Cal Phoenix, the Freeway Warrior, champion and protector of Dallas Colony One. From the sanctuary of Big Spring your convoy of survivors begins the next stage of its life-or-death exodus: a journey to the fortified border town of El Paso, a destination that lies hundreds of miles beyond the sun-scorched wasteland of West Texas. In Slaughter Mountain Run your mission is to rescue Kate Norton from the clutches of your arch enemy
Internet Edition published by Project Aon. This edition is intended to reflect the complete text of the original version. Where we have made minor corrections, they will be noted in the Errata.
@@ -137,11 +147,11 @@ Initial revision -1990-1998
Rise of global terrorism on an unprecedented scale. Political violence funded by organized crime syndicate called HAVOC - The Hijack, Assassination and Violent Opposition Consortium.
1998-2003
The governments of many small and impoverished nations fall into the hands of HAVOC. International terrorists receive arms, training and shelter in these 'Badlands'.
1990-1998
Rise of global terrorism on an unprecedented scale. Political violence funded by organized crime syndicate called HAVOC
1998-2003
The governments of many small and impoverished nations fall into the hands of HAVOC. International terrorists receive arms, training, and shelter in these 'Badlands'.
2003-2008
Raids on oil and gas installations, assassinations, and the kidnapping of prominent world statesmen become commonplace as HAVOC attempt to terrorize the civilized world into submission. Despite public outrage and growing international tension, the major powers refuse steadfastly to give in to HAVOC's demands.
2008
President of the United States and General Secretary of Supreme Soviet both assassinated at emergency summit meeting. US, USSR and major European nations create the World Defence League and declare war on HAVOC. The Badlands are invaded, key HAVOC bases destroyed, and thousands of HAVOC agents are captured.
2009
HAVOC leaders imprisoned for life in 'Deep Pens' - maximum security gaols located deep underground - to prevent their escape or release by HAVOC agents still at large.
2009
HAVOC leaders imprisoned for life in 'Deep Pens'
2010
New leadership emerges to unify the scattered remnants of HAVOC and plan revenge.
2011
A WDL train transporting seventeen 100-kiloton nuclear warheads, destined to be neutralized and dismantled, is attacked by HAVOC agents. The train is destroyed and its deadly cargo stolen.
2012 New Year's Day
HAVOC hijack a WDL news satellite and broadcast a chilling ultimatum. They have planted the seventeen stolen warheads in major cities throughout the US, USSR and Europe. They call for the immediate release of all HAVOC agents held in Deep Pens, plus the payment of $2 trillion in gold bullion, or they will trigger the warheads one by one until their demands are met in full. A twenty-four hour deadline is set. WDL leaders declare emergency and request that the deadline be extended. HAVOC refuse.
You are Cal Phoenix, a survivor, born in California on Thanksgiving Day in the year AD 2000. In 2012, whilst on winter vacation at your Uncle Jonas' and Aunt Betty-Ann's ranch in Texas, you were invited to visit a shale-oil mine near Austin, the first of its kind in Texas. As Chief of Construction, your uncle was proud to take you on a guided tour of the whole underground complex, which, for security reasons, was totally self-supporting. It was during this tour on 3 January 2012, that the unthinkable happened.
-You remember how the ground shuddered when the shock waves from the first distant explosions reached the mine. Immediately you assumed it was the start of an earthquake, which you had experienced many times at home in California. However, as the levels nearest the surface began to collapse and the central elevator shaft filled with rubble, you realized the awful truth: the holocaust. At first there was no way of telling the extent of the surface devastation. Below ground, the safety generators had switched into operation automatically when the main power supply failed, and the tremors had faded quickly, which encouraged your aunt and uncle to believe that the damage above was superficial. Uncle Jonas was confident that the military would mount a rescue operation and that you would be brought out within a few days, a week at the most. Aunt Betty-Ann, too, was optimistic. After all, there were emergency supplies - enough to feed 200 men for a whole month. Little did she know that the three of you would end up consuming all those supplies, or that the mine would become your home, your shelter and your prison for the next eight years of your lives.
+You remember how the ground shuddered when the shock waves from the first distant explosions reached the mine. Immediately you assumed it was the start of an earthquake, which you had experienced many times at home in California. However, as the levels nearest the surface began to collapse and the central elevator shaft filled with rubble, you realized the awful truth: the holocaust. At first there was no way of telling the extent of the surface devastation. Below ground, the safety generators had switched into operation automatically when the main power supply failed, and the tremors had faded quickly, which encouraged your aunt and uncle to believe that the damage above was superficial. Uncle Jonas was confident that the military would mount a rescue operation and that you would be brought out within a few days, a week at the most. Aunt Betty-Ann, too, was optimistic. After all, there were emergency supplies
It was early September in the year 2019 when eventually you broke through to the surface. When first you set eyes on the landscape surrounding the mine, it was like looking at the surface of another planet. Few structures had survived the blizzards and intense cold that had swept around the world in the years following 'The Day', and now, after the dust had settled and the sun had returned, the once-fertile plains of Austin resembled little more than a desert of parched and broken rock, littered with the artefacts of an absent civilization.
-During the first few days, when you set out to explore this wilderness, it was easy to believe that you were the only survivors. But on the morning of the fifth day Uncle Jonas made chance radio contact with a family called Ewell who were living near the ruins of McKinney, thirty miles north of Dallas. They told him that they had been in touch with a handful of other groups who had managed somehow to survive the holocaust. Most were isolated and unable to move due to lack of fuel, food or water. They had urged those who could travel to join them in McKinney to start a new community there, and some people were already on their way. When your uncle and aunt accepted their invitation, the Ewells were enthusiastic, but they also warned you to be wary - not everyone who had survived wanted to establish a new community. The ruins of some large Texan cities, such as Dallas and Fort Worth, were controlled by gangs of criminals who fought with each other and terrorized anyone seeking to reestablish law and order. They urged you to avoid these gangs at all costs.
+During the first few days, when you set out to explore this wilderness, it was easy to believe that you were the only survivors. But on the morning of the fifth day Uncle Jonas made chance radio contact with a family called Ewell who were living near the ruins of McKinney, thirty miles north of Dallas. They told him that they had been in touch with a handful of other groups who had managed somehow to survive the holocaust. Most were isolated and unable to move due to lack of fuel, food, or water. They had urged those who could travel to join them in McKinney to start a new community there, and some people were already on their way. When your uncle and aunt accepted their invitation, the Ewells were enthusiastic, but they also warned you to be wary
It took more than a week to discover a vehicle that could transport you to McKinney. It was an old school bus, one that had been parked in an underground lot and had survived the years of sub-zero blizzards. With fuel and spares salvaged from the mine, you managed to coax it back to life, and then set off on your journey north.
-When you arrived at the town, it was easy to find where the Ewells lived - their ranch was the only place that was still standing. It looked more like an old frontier post than a ranch, with its fortified perimeter wall, lookout posts and stake-filled moat. However, after being ambushed and shot at by the city gangs of Fort Worth during the final stages of your journey, you fully appreciated the need for these defences.
+When you arrived at the town, it was easy to find where the Ewells lived
'Pop' Ewell, the seventy-year-old grandfather of the Ewell family, was the leader of this small colony of survivors, and it was he who had urged Uncle Jonas to join them when they had first made radio contact. The colony numbered less than a dozen at the time of your arrival, yet, as the airwaves became clearer and new contacts were made, soon this number had more than doubled to twenty-five. It was decided that a name was needed to identify the settlement. The name 'Dallas Colony One' was adopted, known as 'DC1' for short. From that day on, everyone worked hard to make DC1 a secure haven for those seeking refuge from the hostile wastelands and marauding city gangs.
'Cutter' Jacks was one such refugee. Before 'The Day' he had been chief mechanic at the International Grand Prix Circuit near Lake Dallas, and his incredible skill with, and knowledge of, engines was soon to prove invaluable to the colony. He taught you how to drive, and from a pile of old wrecks that you helped him salvage from the circuit, he built you a powerful, customized car. You used it to patrol the highways north of the city, keeping a lookout for gangs of city punks who frequently mounted raids to steal or destroy DC1's supplies. Cutter also taught you to shoot. It was your natural prowess with a gun, and your skill behind the wheel, that was to earn you the begrudging respect of your enemies, who took to calling you 'the Freeway Warrior'.
Six months after you arrived at DC1, the colony was faced with a major crisis. A heat wave was causing a drought that threatened to destroy the food supply. Crops were failing and the colony's artesian well, its only source of uncontaminated water, was beginning to dry up. The drought was also provoking more attacks from the city punks, who were desperate for food and water. Their common need had united them and now they posed a very real threat to the security of DC1.
It was the last day of May, 2020, when Pop Ewell made radio contact with another colony who were based in the city of Big Spring, 300 miles west of McKinney. Their situation was completely the reverse of DC1's: they had food and water in plentiful supply but they were desperately short of fuel. They told of their contact with survivors in Tucson, Arizona, who were also without fuel. The Tucson colony reported that the territories west of the Sierra Nevada mountains had been spared the worst effects of the radioactive blizzards that had devastated the rest of the country and, miraculously, much of southern California was still widely populated. In fact, it had survived the last eight years virtually intact. When you heard the news you could hardly believe your ears. Perhaps your family was still alive. After all that had happened, there was now a real hope that one day you might be reunited with them.
A meeting was held to decide how best to deal with the crisis facing DC1. Everyone agreed that to stay at McKinney would lead eventually to death, either slowly from starvation or suddenly at the hands of the murderous city gangs. The only choice open to DC1 was to try to reach California; only there lay real hope for the future of the colony. The decision was relayed to the survivors at Big Spring and a deal was struck to rendezvous with them as soon as possible. DC1 would refuel them in exchange for food and water, and together they would join up with the Tucson colony for the final stage of the journey to California.
-Careful preparations were made for the long trek, and three vehicles were chosen to make up the convoy: the school bus, your customized roadster, and a gasolene tanker laden with 5000 gallons of petroleum siphoned from underground storage tanks at the Ewell ranch. Supplies of food and water were adequate but the colony lacked sufficient firearms and ammunition with which to defend itself. So, on the day before the convoy was due to leave, one of the colonists was sent north to search the town of Sherman for weapons. He radioed back to say that he had found a cache of hunting rifles and ammunition, but that his truck had broken down and he was stranded in the town. He had also found a survivor - a beautiful teenage girl - and he requested that you be sent to Sherman to pick them up. As soon as you arrived you were ambushed by the scouts of a brutal gang of bikers known as the Detroit Lions and, in the ensuing gun battle, you killed Stinger - the scouts' leader.
-Later, you learned that the girl, Kate Norton, was the sole survivor of a Kansas City colony, which had been attacked and wiped out by the Detroit Lions. The Lions' leader, who calls himself 'Mad Dog Michigan', had taken a liking to her and spared her life. Mad Dog had once been a high-ranking HAVOC agent. He had escaped from Pontiac Deep Pen near Detroit, and he and his gang, most of whom were also HAVOC escapees, were heading for the Fort Hood Military Reserve near Killeen, Texas, the largest armoury in the whole of the United States. There he hoped to find enough weapons to equip the other HAVOC clans who were now in control of cities all along the eastern seaboard. Kate had managed to steal a motorcycle and escape from their camp, but Mad Dog had been determined to get her back. He sent his brother - Stinger and a handful of his best scouts to track her down. They had finally caught up with her at Sherman.
+Careful preparations were made for the long trek, and three vehicles were chosen to make up the convoy: the school bus, your customized roadster, and a gasolene tanker laden with 5000 gallons of petroleum siphoned from underground storage tanks at the Ewell ranch. Supplies of food and water were adequate but the colony lacked sufficient firearms and ammunition with which to defend itself. So, on the day before the convoy was due to leave, one of the colonists was sent north to search the town of Sherman for weapons. He radioed back to say that he had found a cache of hunting rifles and ammunition, but that his truck had broken down and he was stranded in the town. He had also found a survivor
Later, you learned that the girl, Kate Norton, was the sole survivor of a Kansas City colony, which had been attacked and wiped out by the Detroit Lions. The Lions' leader, who calls himself 'Mad Dog Michigan', had taken a liking to her and spared her life. Mad Dog had once been a high-ranking HAVOC agent. He had escaped from Pontiac Deep Pen near Detroit, and he and his gang, most of whom were also HAVOC escapees, were heading for the Fort Hood Military Reserve near Killeen, Texas, the largest armoury in the whole of the United States. There he hoped to find enough weapons to equip the other HAVOC clans who were now in control of cities all along the eastern seaboard. Kate had managed to steal a motorcycle and escape from their camp, but Mad Dog had been determined to get her back. He sent his brother
When Mad Dog learned that you had killed his brother, he vowed to get even with you at any price. He abandoned his plans to loot Fort Hood and embarked instead on a relentless pursuit of your colony as it crossed the sun-scorched wastelands of central Texas. The journey to Big Spring was fraught with great danger. Yet, in spite of the many perils you faced, perhaps because of them, you felt yourself falling in love with Kate and you sensed that she, too, was becoming increasingly fond of you.
-Sadly, the convoy was only a few miles from Big Spring when disaster struck. The land surrounding the settlement was controlled by a gang of bikers, a renegade clan called 'the Mavericks' who had been the bane of the Big Spring colony for many months. As the convoy drew nearer to its destination, the Mavericks launched an attack, and, in the running battle that ensued, they captured and abducted Kate. The convoy entered the fortified gates of Big Spring to a rapturous welcome from the colonists of that settlement, but for you the mood of celebration was soured by the vivid memory of Kate's abduction. You vowed to rescue her, and, from that moment on, every waking minute of every day at Big Spring was spent thinking about little else.
+Sadly, the convoy was only a few miles from Big Spring when disaster struck. The land surrounding the settlement was controlled by a gang of bikers, a renegade clan called the 'Mavericks' who had been the bane of the Big Spring colony for many months. As the convoy drew nearer to its destination, the Mavericks launched an attack, and, in the running battle that ensued, they captured and abducted Kate. The convoy entered the fortified gates of Big Spring to a rapturous welcome from the colonists of that settlement, but for you the mood of celebration was soured by the vivid memory of Kate's abduction. You vowed to rescue her, and, from that moment on, every waking minute of every day at Big Spring was spent thinking about little else.
By chance it transpired that the leader of the Mavericks, a blond-haired murderer called Amex Gold, was a former HAVOC agent who had served under Mad Dog Michigan before 'The Day'. He offered to join forces with the Lions, and, as a token of his loyalty to his former commander, he returned Kate to him. Together, the Lions and the Mavericks launched a hasty attack on Big Spring. However, although they outnumbered the colony by more than three to one, they were unable to breach the settlement's fortified perimeter wall, and were repelled with heavy losses.
On the day after the attack, Pop Ewell discovered the radio frequency that the clansmen were using and was able to eavesdrop on their communications. He learned that Mad Dog had ordered another HAVOC clan, based in New Orleans, to come and reinforce his command; they were expected to arrive within the week. He also overheard Mad Dog arrange a meeting with Mekong Mike, the leader of the Angelinos, a gang that controlled the city of San Angelo. He wanted him as an ally and was prepared to offer guns and ammunition in return for his help in destroying the Big Spring colony.
@@ -277,7 +287,7 @@ Initial revisionA well-stocked Medi-kit can make all the difference to your chances of survival should you suffer injury in the field or as a result of combat. It contains useful first aid supplies, such as dressings, antiseptics, antibiotics, water purification tablets, sulphonamides, pain killers, potassium iodide tablets (to delay absorption of radioactivity) and sutures.
+A well-stocked Medi-kit can make all the difference to your chances of survival should you suffer injury in the field or as a result of combat. It contains useful first aid supplies, such as dressings, antiseptics, antibiotics, water purification tablets, sulfonamides, pain killers, potassium iodide tablets (to delay absorption of radioactivity) and sutures.
For convenience, these medical supplies are grouped into units. To find how many units you have in your Medi-kit, pick a number from the Random Number Table (0 equals 10) and add 2. Your total score equals the number of units with which you begin your adventure. To keep a record of them, circle the appropriate number of unit symbols in the Medi-kit section of your Action Chart. The maximum number of units you can carry in your Medi-kit is twelve.
You may use your Medi-kit units to restore lost
These weapons aid you in hand-to-hand fighting. You begin your adventure armed with a Hunting Knife which, when used in close combat, adds 2 points to your
If you find a close combat weapon during your adventure, you may pick it up and use it. Close combat weapons will appear in the text with a close combat skill number, for example, Machete (3). This number indicates how many points this weapon will add to your
The maximum number of close combat weapons you may carry is two.
+The maximum number of close combat weapons you may carry is two.
Throughout a long and moonless night, the colony loads up and manhandles into line the vehicles that are to transport you west to Tucson. Preparations for the breakout did not begin until an hour after sundown, for Amex Gold has men positioned on nearby Signal Mountain with orders to observe and report all activity within Big Spring. These lookouts are especially vigilant; their leader is expecting the colony to attempt an escape and they know that their lives will be forfeit should they fail to predict exactly when it will occur.
-In near-blackness you service and refuel your roadster by sense of touch alone, while all around you the chill night air is alive with movement and whispering as your fellow colonists furtively attend to their allotted tasks. Although you cannot see them you know exactly the positions of the five other road vehicles that comprise the convoy. At the head of the line, twenty paces back from the west freeway gate, is the armoured tow truck that will lead the breakout. The driver is 'Pecos' Pete Tyler, and beside him you can picture his brother Rex riding shotgun. In the open back of their truck is Rickenbacker, a former flying circus stunt pilot, who has chosen to ride out in the open so that he can look after 'Icarus' - his motorized hang glider - which by now he will have carefully dismantled and strapped aboard. Next in line are two Amcorp Landcruisers - solar-assisted roadbuses that carry the Big Spring colonists, and behind them is positioned the gasolene tanker with Uncle Jonas at the wheel. The DC1 school bus is next and your roadster last, the back marker until the convoy is clear of Big Spring.
+In near-blackness you service and refuel your roadster by sense of touch alone, while all around you the chill night air is alive with movement and whispering as your fellow colonists furtively attend to their allotted tasks. Although you cannot see them you know exactly the positions of the five other road vehicles that comprise the convoy. At the head of the line, twenty paces back from the west freeway gate, is the armoured tow truck that will lead the breakout. The driver is 'Pecos' Pete Tyler, and beside him you can picture his brother Rex riding shotgun. In the open back of their truck is Rickenbacker, a former flying circus stunt pilot, who has chosen to ride out in the open so that he can look after 'Icarus'
Once your preparations are complete you leave your vehicle and feel your way along the side of the school bus towards the boarding door. Cutter is sitting in the driver's seat, staring thoughtfully at the night sky, his face lit by the faint green glow of the instrument panel.
'Cal, you'd better get back and watch out for Pecos Pete's signal,' he says, on seeing you at his side. 'We're outta here in fifteen minutes.'
'I've decided I'm not goin' to Tucson with the convoy,' you reply, your voice steady and resolute. 'I'm not gonna abandon Kate. I'm the only hope she's got of cuttin' loose o' that psychopath Mad Dog Michigan, and I'm not gonna betray that hope. He's sure to have taken her with him to San Angelo, and I've thought out a plan to spring her from there while he's busy fixin' a deal with the Angelinos gang.
'I understand how you feel, Cal,' says Cutter, sympathetically, 'but you've a duty to the rest o' the colony that you can't just ignore. You're the convoy scout, the convoy's eyes and ears. We're gonna need you to get us across the mountains in one piece.'
'Rickenbacker in his micro-glider can scout for the convoy. With a CB on board he could stay in radio contact with Pop and be your eyes in the sky. He'd make the best scout the convoy could ask for,' you reply, convincingly.
-Cutter stares at you in silence then, begrudgingly, he nods in agreement. 'OK, Cal. As soon as we're safely away from here I'll talk to the others and get them to listen to your plan. But first we've gotta concern ourselves with gettin' out o' here in one piece - agreed?'
+Cutter stares at you in silence then, begrudgingly, he nods in agreement. 'OK, Cal. As soon as we're safely away from here I'll talk to the others and get them to listen to your plan. But first we've gotta concern ourselves with gettin' out o' here in one piece
'Agreed,' you reply, relieved that at last you have told someone your decision to rescue Kate.
Suddenly the discordant blare of an auto horn splits the silence: it is Pecos Pete's signal to the other drivers to start their engines. Quickly you return to your roadster and, as you fire up its engine, you see the twin tail lights of the school bus shrinking in the dark as it heads towards the now-open freeway gate. The breakout has begun.
The crack of your pistol shot is echoed by the clansman's shocked scream. He drops the knife and clutches his hands to his wound before crashing lifelessly to the floor. With fear in their eyes, the other two reach for their pistols as they back away hastily from the guard's blood-stained body.
+The crack of your pistol shot is echoed by the clansman's shocked scream. He drops the knife and clutches his hands to his wound before crashing lifelessly to the floor. With fear in their eyes, the other two reach for their pistols as they back away hastily from the guard's bloodstained body.
Kate grips your hand tightly as you descend with a group of the cave people into the depths of the Sonora caverns. An astounding speleological feast greets your eyes as you follow them through a series of monumentous caves that have been eroded over millions of years by subterranean rivers and streams. The group stops frequently at specially prepared defensive hides, which are virtually impossible to see. One or two of their number, armed with rocks, spears and slings, occupy each of these positions. At once you see that it is their intention to lure the clansmen into the caverns and fight them here, where, despite their lack of firearms, the odds are in their favour.
+Kate grips your hand tightly as you descend with a group of the cave people into the depths of the Sonora caverns. An astounding speleological feast greets your eyes as you follow them through a series of monumental caves that have been eroded over millions of years by subterranean rivers and streams. The group stops frequently at specially prepared defensive hides, which are virtually impossible to see. One or two of their number, armed with rocks, spears and slings, occupy each of these positions. At once you see that it is their intention to lure the clansmen into the caverns and fight them here, where, despite their lack of firearms, the odds are in their favour.
Soon the sound of gunfire begins to penetrate the caverns, announcing the arrival of the clansmen. You stop with Kate and crouch behind a clump of stalagmites, while the three remaining cave people arm themselves with rocks and take up a position on a ledge directly above a narrow defile. For several minutes the sound of gunfire and the screams of the wounded fill the caves with clamouring echoes. Then two of the Angelinos appear at the entrance to the defile and come running towards you. The cave people hurl their rocks and bring an Angelino crashing to the ground with a broken skull, but his partner avenges his death by sweeping them from the ledge with one long burst of automatic fire.
For three long, hot, tedious hours you sit watching the two clansmen through your binoculars (during which time you must take a Drink or lose 3
Once you are sure that it is safe to continue, you start your engine and drive towards the bridge. As you approach the entrance you see the remains of the clansmen's camp fire, its ashes still smouldering.
-Once you are sure that it is safe to continue, you start your engine and drive towards the bridge. As you approach the entrance you see the remains of the clansmen's campfire, its ashes still smouldering.
+The bullets whine as they ricochet off the side of the Chevrolet and pass within inches of your body. You reach cover and Kate tosses her machine pistol to you over the side of the roadster. You catch it near the ground, but before you can draw back the firing bolt and return fire, you spot the outline of a man standing away to your right. He is armed with a pistol and he has you dead in his sights.
'Do like the man said, buddy, or take your last breath,' he says, and reluctantly you let the G-12 slip to the ground.
'Ain't no good you hidin' in there, honey,' says the voice from the pay booth. There is a pause, then slowly Kate climbs out of the car and stands beside you.
-The man with the pistol is tall and muscular and dressed in green army fatigues. His blond hair is cropped close to his head and his eyes are hidden behind a pair of dark sunglasses. With his pistol still aimed at your heart, he walks slowly towards you, stopping at the entrance to the pay booth. Two more men in uniform emerge from the doorway - the rifleman and one other, armed with a sawn-off shotgun.
+The man with the pistol is tall and muscular and dressed in green army fatigues. His blond hair is cropped close to his head and his eyes are hidden behind a pair of dark sunglasses. With his pistol still aimed at your heart, he walks slowly towards you, stopping at the entrance to the pay booth. Two more men in uniform emerge from the doorway
'They don't look like clan punks, Sarge,' says the rifleman.
'We're not,' interrupts Kate. 'We're running from the clans.'
Bemused, the blond-haired man scratches his chin and turns to say something quietly to his two companions. It is then that you notice the faded sergeant stripes and the circular globe-of-the-world emblem that adorn his sleeve. Instantly you recognize the latter: it is the emblem of the World Defence League. At length, he turns to face you once more and says, in a friendlier tone, 'I think you two had better tell us your story.'
@@ -671,7 +681,7 @@ Initial revisionKate moves forward to check that he is dead and to search his body. She keeps what she needs: his machine pistol, a quantity of ammunition and his water canteen, and offers the rest of his possessions to you:
The deadly bullets miss you by inches and you dive to the floor in case the unseen gunman decides to fire again. Then you hear running footsteps approaching, and as they get louder, you raise your weapon and unleash a round of fire at the door. There is a scream from inside the kitchen, and you hear a body fall heavily to the tiled floor amid a crash of broken glass and crockery.
+The deadly bullets miss you by inches and you dive to the floor in case the unseen gunman decides to fire again. Then you hear running footsteps approaching, and as they get louder, you raise your weapon and fire at the door. There is a scream from inside the kitchen, and you hear a body fall heavily to the tiled floor amid a crash of broken glass and crockery.
Just inside the door you discover the body of a clansman. Judging from the long-horned skull that you find painted on the back of his leather vest, you have just laid to rest your first Angelino. On the floor nearby you find his weapons and equipment: a Machine Pistol (containing eighteen rounds of 9mm ammunition) and a Backpack, which holds the following items:
In addition to these items, a search of the kitchen also reveals the following:
@@ -819,7 +829,7 @@ Initial revisionYou pull the trigger and immediately duck your head behind the roadster's reinforced steel door. The speed of your reflexes saves you from being hit by the Maverick's gunfire as, in the throes of death, he empties his pistol into the side of your car.
-With the screams of the other clansmen ringing in your ears, you force yourself to concentrate on restarting your roadster. This time, despite an almost overwhelming urge to stamp the pedal straight through the floor, you take your foot off the gas as you turn the ignition switch. The move works - the engine roars back to life - and within seconds you are accelerating away from the Mavericks with your eyes glued firmly on the convoy's tail lights, glowing red in the distance. A few poorly aimed bullets chase your escape but you soon catch up with the school bus and pass beyond range of the clansmen's guns.
+With the screams of the other clansmen ringing in your ears, you force yourself to concentrate on restarting your roadster. This time, despite an almost overwhelming urge to stamp the pedal straight through the floor, you take your foot off the gas as you turn the ignition switch. The move works
Kate manages to pull the snapping dog from your arm and despatch it swiftly with a pistol shot to the head.
+Kate manages to pull the snapping dog from your arm and dispatch it swiftly with a pistol shot to the head.
Its fangs have penetrated the leather sleeve of your jacket and gouged your arm (lose 2
Quickly you regain full control of the roadster and steer it towards the Christoval bridge.
For a moment the clansman shudders at your feet as his last breath escapes from between his blood-flecked lips. Then his eyes glaze over and he succumbs to the endless sleep of death. Kate moves forward to check that he is no longer a threat and to search his body. She keeps what she needs: his machine pistol, a quantity of ammunition, and his water canteen, and offers the rest of his possessions to you:
Reaching over your head, you grasp the rounded handle of your shotgun and unsheathe it from its storage place behind your seat. It is loaded, and a glance at the breach tells you that the safety catch is set to fire. The moment the clansman sees you resting the twelve-gauge barrel on the door, he veers across to the left lane of the highway as quickly as he can. You smile when you realize the purpose of this manouevre: he is trying to increase his chances of survival by making it as difficult as he can for you to shoot at him with your right hand.
+Reaching over your head, you grasp the rounded handle of your shotgun and unsheathe it from its storage place behind your seat. It is loaded, and a glance at the breach tells you that the safety catch is set to fire. The moment the clansman sees you resting the twelve-gauge barrel on the door, he veers across to the left lane of the highway as quickly as he can. You smile when you realize the purpose of this manoeuvre: he is trying to increase his chances of survival by making it as difficult as he can for you to shoot at him with your right hand.
Add together your Driving and Shooting skill scores. Now decide how many rounds you wish to fire at the clansman (minimum: one round; maximum: four rounds), and add the number of rounds to your skills total.
The sharp report of your rifle is echoed by the clansman's shocked scream as your bullet passes straight through his body and punches a hole in the observation window behind. He drops his knife and clutches his hands to his wound before crashing lifelessly to the floor. With fear in their eyes, the other two reach for their holstered pistols as hurriedly they back away from the guard's blood-stained body.
+The sharp report of your rifle is echoed by the clansman's shocked scream as your bullet passes straight through his body and punches a hole in the observation window behind. He drops his knife and clutches his hands to his wound before crashing lifelessly to the floor. With fear in their eyes, the other two reach for their holstered pistols as hurriedly they back away from the guard's bloodstained body.
Sergeant Haskell is only too willing to speak to his command unit at El Paso. He gives his call sign Palmito Four Zero - and as soon as it is confirmed as valid, the El Paso garrison relays news of what is happening in their area. Parts of the city and the military reserve are under siege from HAVOC-led Mexican clansmen. They warn that Fabens is a Mexican base, and that they have barricaded the east freeway approach to that town. In closing, they tell you to contact them again if you make it through Fabens. They do not sound very optimistic.
+Sergeant Haskell is only too willing to speak to his command unit at El Paso. He gives his call sign Palmito Four Zero
After your meal you try to think where you might find some gasolene. Sergeant Haskell and his men - Marines Gunter and Knott - have searched every square inch of Fort Stockton and know that there is none to be had here.
+After your meal you try to think where you might find some gasolene. Sergeant Haskell and his men
'What we need is an old road map,' says Haskell. 'One that would show us where the freeway rest stops and gas stations in this area were located.'
'I've got a map,' you volunteer, and take from your jacket the map that you snatched from Mad Dog Michigan's table at the stadium in San Angelo.
-'Hey, where did you get this?' says Haskell, as he examines the notes and other markings that have been made on the map of the United States. You tell him its origins and he scrutinizes it at length. Finally, he comments, 'What you've got here is a blueprint of a major HAVOC operation to take over the country. This is one hot piece of property: it shows clan strengths, supply areas, HAVOC strongholds, controlled cities, everything - even pockets of WDL resistance on the eastern seaboard. We've gotta get this to El Paso. If there's anything left of WDL headquarters then they must be warned about what is happening in the East.'
+'Hey, where did you get this?' says Haskell, as he examines the notes and other markings that have been made on the map of the United States. You tell him its origins and he scrutinizes it at length. Finally, he comments, 'What you've got here is a blueprint of a major HAVOC operation to take over the country. This is one hot piece of property: it shows clan strengths, supply areas, HAVOC strongholds, controlled cities, everything
'OK,' you reply, uneasily, 'but what about fuel? My roadster has barely enough to make it another twenty miles. All we need is enough gas to get as far as Kent in time for the rendezvous with the colony. Then we can refuel from the tanker and you can catch a ride with us all the way to Fort Bliss.'
-'There's a rest stop here,' replies Haskell, pointing to the map at a place on Interstate 10 that is half-way between Fort Stockton and a town called Brogado. 'There's no knowing if there's still any gas in its storage tanks but it's our only hope. It looks like a 25-mile-drive - do you think you can make it?'
+'There's a rest stop here,' replies Haskell, pointing to the map at a place on Interstate 10 that is half-way between Fort Stockton and a town called Brogado. 'There's no knowing if there's still any gas in its storage tanks but it's our only hope. It looks like a 25-mile-drive
'I can try,' you reply. 'Like you say, it's our only hope.'
At such close range, the blast from your shotgun virtually rips the clansman in two. With a gurgling scream he crashes down in the middle of the table before rolling lifelessly to the floor. Hurriedly the other two reach for their pistols as, with fear in their eyes, they back away from the clansman's torn and blood-stained body.
+At such close range, the blast from your shotgun virtually rips the clansman in two. With a gurgling scream he crashes down in the middle of the table before rolling lifelessly to the floor. Hurriedly the other two reach for their pistols as, with fear in their eyes, they back away from the clansman's torn and bloodstained body.
Placing your hand under the dashboard, you pull down a handful of cables and isolate two - a red one and a black one - that are connected to the ignition lock. Quickly you rip these out and touch the exposed copper braids together. There is a bright blue spark and immediately the engine growls into life. After twisting the wires together, you throw the jeep into low gear and take off towards an open section of the perimeter wall. A wheeled screen partially blocks this access point, which is guarded by two clansmen armed with automatic assault rifles.
+Placing your hand under the dashboard, you pull down a handful of cables and isolate two
You are fifteen yards from the screen when suddenly they realize that you have no intention of stopping.
Pick a number from the Random Number Table and add to it your Driving skill score.
Kate moves forward to check that the clansman is dead and to search his body. She keeps what she needs: his machine pistol, a quantity of ammunition and his water canteen, and offers the rest of his possessions to you:
The sound of their engines is getting louder with every passing second and yet you are unable to find a safe way down to the river bed - it is far too steep. Desperately, you drive back and forth along the edge of the bank until a volley of shots echoes across the plain and the first of the clansmen's bullets start to whistle past. You have been seen.
-Quickly you abandon your attempt to hide and steer your roadster back on to the freeway in a frantic bid to outrun the pack. The fastest bikes give chase and relentlessly they pursue you until the leader is within twenty yards of your tail. With mounting fear, you glance in your rear-view mirror to see him draw a stubby-barrelled weapon from a tube strapped to the fuel tank. At first you think it is a sawn-off shotgun, but then you recognize the weapon and your heart sinks. It is a D-40 - a laser sighted grenade launcher. You see the muzzle flash, then moments later there is a deafening explosion. The last sensation you feel is that of being hurled skyward, surrounded by fire and fragments of your roadster.
+The sound of their engines is getting louder with every passing second and yet you are unable to find a safe way down to the river bed
Quickly you abandon your attempt to hide and steer your roadster back on to the freeway in a frantic bid to outrun the pack. The fastest bikes give chase and relentlessly they pursue you until the leader is within twenty yards of your tail. With mounting fear, you glance in your rear-view mirror to see him draw a stubby-barrelled weapon from a tube strapped to the fuel tank. At first you think it is a sawn-off shotgun, but then you recognize the weapon and your heart sinks. It is a D-40
The armour-piercing grenade has penetrated the trunk and exploded the spare fuel tanks you were carrying. Tragically, your mission and your life end here.
@@ -1441,7 +1451,7 @@ Initial revision'Hey, this oil's still wet,' you say to Kate, as you dab your index finger in the pool. You are wiping it clean on the leg of your jeans when you hear an unexpected reply. 'Drop your weapons
It is a man's voice and it is coming from inside a derelict pay booth.
A sharp, burning pain erupts in your right calf as a bullet, fired from below, hits you and gouges a furrow of flesh from the back of your leg: lose 3
Gritting your teeth, you hobble to the end of the gantry, to where a covered staircase leads down to tbe vast area located below the stadium tiers. Kate helps you as best she can by supporting your weight, but you are bleeding heavily and you are soon forced to stop for fear of fainting.
+Gritting your teeth, you hobble to the end of the gantry, to where a covered staircase leads down to the vast area located below the stadium tiers. Kate helps you as best she can by supporting your weight, but you are bleeding heavily and you are soon forced to stop for fear of fainting.
At such close range, your burst of automatic fire lifts the heavy clansman clean off his feet. He screams, and with a crash he lands on his back in the middle of the table, before rolling lifelessly to the floor. The other two reach for their pistols as hurriedly they back away from the clansman's blood-stained body.
+At such close range, your burst of automatic fire lifts the heavy clansman clean off his feet. He screams, and with a crash he lands on his back in the middle of the table, before rolling lifelessly to the floor. The other two reach for their pistols as hurriedly they back away from the clansman's bloodstained body.
The scorched bones of a coyote lie scattered around the ashes of the camp fire, the remnants of the meal that you watched the two clansmen share. Where their motorcycles were parked you discover a
The scorched bones of a coyote lie scattered around the ashes of the campfire, the remnants of the meal that you watched the two clansmen share. Where their motorcycles were parked you discover a
Satisfied that nothing of importance has been missed, you return to your roadster and begin the next stage of your journey to San Angelo. Less than a mile beyond the bridge you see a deserted stretch of Freeway 87. You join the freeway, heading south, and within a few minutes you catch sight of a town on the road ahead. A glance at your map confirms your suspicions: you are approaching Sterling City.
You abandon your cover and shadow the two clansmen as they circle around to the rear. An old tyre rack propped against the side of a derelict car wash offers you a good defensive position, and quickly you scurry towards it. You reach the rack in time to see the Lions halt. For a moment they duck out of sight, but soon they reappear and come running half-crouched with guns at the ready, towards your new-found hiding place.
+You abandon your cover and shadow the two clansmen as they circle around to the rear. An old tyre rack propped against the side of a derelict car wash offers you a good defensive position, and quickly you scurry towards it. You reach the rack in time to see the Lions halt. For a moment they duck out of sight, but soon they reappear and come running half-crouched with guns at the ready, towards your newfound hiding place.
In addition to these items, a search of the kitchen also reveals the following:
@@ -2156,10 +2166,10 @@ Initial revisionCoughing and popping, the roadster lurches to a halt in the middle of the highway. You try to restart the engine but it refuses to run smoothly for more than a few seconds at a time. You are running over all the possible faults that could have caused the breakdown when suddenly you remember the comp-aid digipad that Cutter fitted to the dashboard while you were in Big Spring. He had salvaged the unit from the wreck of a '99 Mercedes Malibu Coupe and modified it so that you could use it to run an automatic systems check on your roadster. Hurriedly you tap in your access code and immediately the unit's LCD identifies the fault :
Coughing and popping, the roadster lurches to a halt in the middle of the highway. You try to restart the engine but it refuses to run smoothly for more than a few seconds at a time. You are running over all the possible faults that could have caused the breakdown when suddenly you remember the comp-aid digipad that Cutter fitted to the dashboard while you were in Big Spring. He had salvaged the unit from the wreck of a '99 Mercedes Malibu Coup
It takes you an hour to dismantle, clean and replace the fuel filter, during which time you must take 2 Drinks or lose 6
The fault rectified, the engine starts sweetly the first time you touch the ignition. You accelerate away but within a few minutes you see something in the distance that makes you slow to a snail's pace.
-It is a girder bridge that carries the highway across the North Concho River. The bridge is intact and passable, but you are worried by the sight of a lazy plume of woodsmoke rising from a spot near its approach ramp.
+It is a girder bridge that carries the highway across the North Concho River. The bridge is intact and passable, but you are worried by the sight of a lazy plume of wood smoke rising from a spot near its approach ramp.
You rush forward, pausing briefly at the bottom of the staircase to check that the two guards are no longer a threat. Lying across the blood-stained chest of one of the men is a machine pistol (if you wish to take this weapon, you discover that it contains twenty-four rounds of 9mm ammunition) and attached to the belt of the other is an
You rush forward, pausing briefly at the bottom of the staircase to check that the two guards are no longer a threat. Lying across the bloodstained chest of one of the men is a machine pistol (if you wish to take this weapon, you discover that it contains twenty-four rounds of 9mm ammunition) and attached to the belt of the other is an
Stepping over the bodies, you begin to ascend the stairs to the observation room, but you are only half-way up when you see the door start to open.
The frightened man lowers his aim and sends the arrow thudding into the ground at your feet - a warning shot. At that moment your pursuer comes roaring up the track, closely followed by the other Angelino scouts whom you encountered at the bridge. You scream a warning to Kate and throw yourself down as a double burst of machine gun fire strafes the palisade. The bullets pass over your back and hit the archer in the chest, dropping him in a tangled heap on the threshold of the gateway.
+The frightened man lowers his aim and sends the arrow thudding into the ground at your feet
You spring to your feet and rush forward to help Kate drag his body away, so that the gate can be closed. The other members of the settlement come to your aid and, once the gate is secure, they point to the cave mouth and urge you to enter. You do not want to abandon your roadster to the Angelinos, but to stay here and attempt to fight would be suicidal. Reluctantly you leave the gate and follow them into the cave.
You decide to spend the night in the library's main hall. After clearing a space near the centre, you build a small camp fire, using a few of the many thousands of books that line the walls. Then, once it is ablaze, you help Kate to prepare the food she has found. Outside, the weather has grown steadily worse. Thunder rolls across the surrounding plains and the jagged flashes of forked lightning illuminate the roiling clouds of dust with increasing regularity.
-'I don't like it - it looks real bad,' you say, as you stare anxiously out of the window at the raging storm.
+You decide to spend the night in the library's main hall. After clearing a space near the centre, you build a small campfire, using a few of the many thousands of books that line the walls. Then, once it is ablaze, you help Kate to prepare the food she has found. Outside, the weather has grown steadily worse. Thunder rolls across the surrounding plains and the jagged flashes of forked lightning illuminate the roiling clouds of dust with increasing regularity.
+'I don't like it
'It ain't all bad,' replies Kate. 'At least we don't have to worry 'bout Mad Dog's boys showin' up outta the blue.'
-The food and wine taste delicious (restore 3
The food and wine taste delicious (restore 3
It seems as though you have only just closed your eyes when you are stirred to consciousness by a loud crackling sound and the acrid smell of smoke. Horror fills your senses when you open your eyes to see yourself surrounded by a blazing wall of yellow flame. Lightning struck the library roof while you were asleep, starting a fire that has been fuelled by the shelves of dust-dry books, and which has now spread to the main hall where it threatens to consume you both.
Quickly you wake Kate and together you fight your way towards the main door. You are within ten feet of the exit when a burning bookcase falls across your path.
A parting blow with the edge of your new-found weapon stuns the clansman and drops him to the floor. You call to Kate, telling her to follow you, and immediately she moves out from her hiding place. As she passes the clansman, she stoops to snatch his machine pistol from the floor and then quickly follows in your footsteps as you retrace your way along the defile and return to the surface.
+A parting blow with the edge of your newfound weapon stuns the clansman and drops him to the floor. You call to Kate, telling her to follow you, and immediately she moves out from her hiding place. As she passes the clansman, she stoops to snatch his machine pistol from the floor and then quickly follows in your footsteps as you retrace your way along the defile and return to the surface.
You pass between the shattered stores and houses of Broome with your nerves on edge, half-expecting to run into a clan patrol or fall prey to an ambush. Yet your visit passes without incident and soon you find yourself back on the open freeway, heading south-east to San Angelo. You are hungry, and during your drive you must eat a Meal or lose 3
You pass between the shattered stores and houses of Broome with your nerves on edge, half-expecting to run into a clan patrol or fall prey to an ambush. Yet your visit passes without incident and soon you find yourself back on the open freeway, heading southeast to San Angelo. You are hungry, and during your drive you must eat a Meal or lose 3
When you first see San Angelo, the sun is a quarter hidden below the skyline, its soft red glow reflecting upon a cluster of tall buildings that stand at the city's centre. They are the ravaged shells of banks and state offices that were the pride of this once-prosperous city before 'The Day'. Surrounding them, for many miles, is a sea of dust and rubble. Your skin prickles when you realize that this is all that remains of the city's suburbs, an area that once was home to more than a million Texans.
You are about to drive towards the centre when you notice that a fortified wall has been erected around the tall buildings of the downtown area, and the northern freeway approaches are controlled by roadblocks. It would be near-suicidal to approach any closer, so you make a wide detour around the city limits and try an approach from the south.
It takes nearly two hours to reach the south side of San Angelo, by which time night has fallen. Fortunately, your decision to go south has paid off: this section of the city is virtually uninhabited by the Angelinos and your approach goes undetected.
@@ -2455,7 +2465,7 @@ Initial revisionHaskell despatches three of the four clansmen, and the survivor manages to escape into the yucca forest. You are about to give chase when he says, 'Let him go, Cal. He won't get far on his own. Let's see what they had on board the truck.'
+Haskell dispatches three of the four clansmen, and the survivor manages to escape into the yucca forest. You are about to give chase when he says, 'Let him go, Cal. He won't get far on his own. Let's see what they had on board the truck.'
You discover several crates and lockers filled with munitions: mortars, anti-tank weapons, heavy machine guns and the like. However, you cannot find any ammunition for these weapons. You are about to set fire to the truck, to prevent them from falling into the hands of other clansmen, when you discover one item that could be of some use after all.
In a sealed locker at the bottom of the heap, you discover a portable Leviathan ground-to-air missile, a weapon with approximately eight times the destructive power of a bazooka. If you wish to keep this
Having set fire to the truck, you return to your roadster. You are just about to climb in when you feel an arm snake around your neck and pull you backwards into the yucca forest.
@@ -2641,7 +2651,7 @@ Initial revisionYou rise at dawn and spend the morning servicing the engine of your roadster, while Sergeant Haskell and Marine Knott take it in turns to act as lookout from the roof of a Baptist church, the tallest building still standing in Kent. It is two hours before noon when you hear a faint buzzing noise, high in the sky towards the north-west. You search the cloudless expanse and your hopes soar as you see Rickenbacker's motorized hang glider circling above the town. He comes down and makes a low pass, waving his arms excitedly as he flies directly over the roadster. Then he is gone, rising above the surrounding peaks and returning the way he came.
+You rise at dawn and spend the morning servicing the engine of your roadster, while Sergeant Haskell and Marine Knott take it in turns to act as lookout from the roof of a Baptist church, the tallest building still standing in Kent. It is two hours before noon when you hear a faint buzzing noise, high in the sky towards the northwest. You search the cloudless expanse and your hopes soar as you see Rickenbacker's motorized hang glider circling above the town. He comes down and makes a low pass, waving his arms excitedly as he flies directly over the roadster. Then he is gone, rising above the surrounding peaks and returning the way he came.
An hour passes before Knott sights a cloud of dust on the eastern horizon. You are all gathered in the town, waiting expectantly for the convoy to arrive, but he cannot be sure that it is the convoy that is coming. At such a distance it could be a gang of marauding clansmen.
Using the cover afforded by the undercut banks of Lacy Creek you are able to creep to within twenty yards of the bridge unseen. The harsh, greasy smell of roasted coyote wafts over your hiding place as silently you watch the taller of the two clansmen fan the camp fire with his hat, while his partner kneels down and carves himself a large slice of the blackened meat. He chews it without enthusiasm before finally spitting it out in disgust.
+Using the cover afforded by the undercut banks of Lacy Creek you are able to creep to within twenty yards of the bridge unseen. The harsh, greasy smell of roasted coyote wafts over your hiding place as silently you watch the taller of the two clansmen fan the campfire with his hat, while his partner kneels down and carves himself a large slice of the blackened meat. He chews it without enthusiasm before finally spitting it out in disgust.
'Goddamn dogmeat!' he growls. 'I ain't never gonna git used to it.'
He gulps a mouthful of water from his canteen as he rises to his feet. Your pulse quickens as he turns and starts to walk straight towards you.
Beyond Sterling City the freeway follows a wide, dust-filled gully that was once the North Concho River. You are staring at this dead watercourse, trying to imagine what the river must have looked like before 'The Day', when a road sign flashes past. You stop the car and turn back to read it. It says:
-The time Sergeant Haskell used to observe the barricade was well spent. He noticed that the Mexican clansmen have positioned an anti-tank weapon behind it, which doubtless they will bring into action if it is needed. Littered around it are several dozen boxes of shells. If one of those boxes were to explode, it would set off the others and destroy most of the central section of the barricade. Haskell has an incendiary grenade which would do the job, but in order to make sure that it landed in the correct place - in one of the boxes of ammunition - one of you would have to go to the barricade and place it there. Neither of you are keen to volunteer for this mission, so you decide to settle it on the toss of a coin. Sergeant Haskell calls and, unfortunately, you lose.
+The time Sergeant Haskell used to observe the barricade was well spent. He noticed that the Mexican clansmen have positioned an anti-tank weapon behind it, which doubtless they will bring into action if it is needed. Littered around it are several dozen boxes of shells. If one of those boxes were to explode, it would set off the others and destroy most of the central section of the barricade. Haskell has an incendiary grenade which would do the job, but in order to make sure that it landed in the correct place
Haskell gives you the incendiary grenade and you hand him your signal flare. Then, when the number of Mexican clansmen on guard are at their fewest, you leave the cover of the yucca forest and creep towards the barricade.
Ten yards from the wall of cars you see an opportunity to throw your grenade into an open ammunition chest.
Pick a number from the Random Number Table and add to it your Stealth skill score.
@@ -3276,7 +3286,7 @@ Initial revisionCautiously you drive towards the bridge, fearful yet curious to know what you may find there. You are less than 400 yards away when you see the source of the smoke: a camp fire, over which two clansmen are busily cooking the stringy torso of a coyote. They hear your engine noise and turn their bearded faces to stare in your direction. Suddenly, as if they had received an electric shock, they leap to their feet and start running towards their motorcycles, which are parked at the entrance to the bridge. One of them unsheathes an automatic rifle from the saddle of his bike, whilst the other tries frantically to kick his machine into life.
+Cautiously you drive towards the bridge, fearful yet curious to know what you may find there. You are less than 400 yards away when you see the source of the smoke: a campfire, over which two clansmen are busily cooking the stringy torso of a coyote. They hear your engine noise and turn their bearded faces to stare in your direction. Suddenly, as if they had received an electric shock, they leap to their feet and start running towards their motorcycles, which are parked at the entrance to the bridge. One of them unsheathes an automatic rifle from the saddle of his bike, whilst the other tries frantically to kick his machine into life.
Unable to crack the code, reluctantly you abandon the storage tank and content yourself with siphoning what you can from the fuel tanks of the dead clansmen's motorcycles. Unfortunately, your efforts net you barely enough gasolene to reach Brogado - the next town on the freeway. As you pull away slowly from the service area you are not the only one who is praying that you will find some fuel in Brogado.
+Unable to crack the code, reluctantly you abandon the storage tank and content yourself with siphoning what you can from the fuel tanks of the dead clansmen's motorcycles. Unfortunately, your efforts net you barely enough gasolene to reach Brogado
You drive away from the construction site and pass between the shattered stores and houses of Broome with your nerves on edge, half-expecting to run into a clan patrol or fall prey to an ambush. Yet your departure passes without incident and soon you find yourself back on the open freeway heading south-east to San Angelo. You are hungry, and during your drive you must eat a Meal or lose 3
You drive away from the construction site and pass between the shattered stores and houses of Broome with your nerves on edge, half-expecting to run into a clan patrol or fall prey to an ambush. Yet your departure passes without incident and soon you find yourself back on the open freeway heading southeast to San Angelo. You are hungry, and during your drive you must eat a Meal or lose 3
Reluctantly, you let your gun slip to the ground as the muzzle of a rifle emerges from the darkened doorway.
'You too, honey,' says the disembodied voice, and Kate obeys, tossing her machine pistol out of the car so that it lands deliberately near your feet.
'Don't even think about it,' says another voice, away to your right.
-From behind a wrecked auto steps a tall, muscular man, dressed in green army fatigues. His blond hair is cropped close to his head and his eyes are hidden behind a pair of dark sunglasses. Pistol in hand, he walks slowly towards you, then stops at the entrance to the pay booth. Two more men in uniform emerge from the doorway - the rifleman and one other - armed with a sawn-off shotgun.
+From behind a wrecked auto steps a tall, muscular man, dressed in green army fatigues. His blond hair is cropped close to his head and his eyes are hidden behind a pair of dark sunglasses. Pistol in hand, he walks slowly towards you, then stops at the entrance to the pay booth. Two more men in uniform emerge from the doorway
In addition to these items, a search of the kitchen also reveals the following:
You shoot less than a second before the Maverick discharges his pistol, yet your aim is deadly accurate. You deal him a fatal wound to the head that spins him sideways with the force of its impact. Unfortunately, the pistol in his hand is not a standard factory model: it is a weapon he has customized to fire in fully-automatic mode. The selector is set to auto and, as he falls to the ground, he squeezes the trigger and empties the fourteen-round magazine in a line across your car.
-A sharp, stinging core of pain erupts in your left arm as one of the 9mm bullets finds its mark: lose 4
A sharp, stinging core of pain erupts in your left arm as one of the 9mm bullets finds its mark: lose 4
You signal to Kate to come over to your position and immediately she obeys. You point to the two circling clansmen and she nods her silent understanding of the situation. Together you abandon your cover and shadow the two men as they circle around to the rear. An old tyre rack propped against the side of a derelict car wash offers you a good defensive position, and quickly you scurry towards it. Kate reaches the rack first, in time to see the Lions halt. For a moment they duck out of sight, but soon they reappear and come running, half-crouched, with guns at the ready, towards your new-found hiding place.
+You signal to Kate to come over to your position and immediately she obeys. You point to the two circling clansmen and she nods her silent understanding of the situation. Together you abandon your cover and shadow the two men as they circle around to the rear. An old tyre rack propped against the side of a derelict car wash offers you a good defensive position, and quickly you scurry towards it. Kate reaches the rack first, in time to see the Lions halt. For a moment they duck out of sight, but soon they reappear and come running, half-crouched, with guns at the ready, towards your newfound hiding place.
Kate cocks her machine pistol and takes aim as the first clansman scurries between the rocks that litter the edge of the service area. He is less than twenty yards away when she squeezes off a burst of fire, bringing him crashing to the ground. His partner hesitates, then abandons his stealthy approach and comes running towards you, screaming hysterically, his own machine pistol blazing furiously at his hip. Bullets rip into the tyre rack and one smashes the barrel of Kate's gun, rendering it useless. In the next instant, he leaps on to the rack but, before he brings his weapon to bear, you lash out and smash his knee with the edge of your hand. He drops his weapon and falls forward, landing on top of you with a jolt that leaves you breathless.
You cannot evade combat and must fight the clansman to the death.
@@ -3854,7 +3864,7 @@ Initial revisionDrawing on your reserves of nervous energy, you race up the last few steps and lash out at the door with the sole of your boot. The door flies wide open and slams against the wall, sending the red-headed clansman who was about to investigate the noise, sprawling flat on his back.
-Inside the observation room you see two men - one dressed in a flamboyant mix of bright colours and the other attired in sombre black - seated at a table with a map of the United States spread before them. A muscular clansman, his chest criss-crossed with cartridge belts, stands behind the man in black and beyond him, huddled in the corner of the room, is Kate. Clearly she has suffered at the hands of Mad Dog Michigan and the sight of her bruised face and her pained, dispairing expression stirs you to a fit of rage.
+Inside the observation room you see two men
Your escape from the building goes unnoticed by the few clan patrols that are operating in the area. Mekong Mike has brought most of his men up to the central and northern sectors, partly as a show of strength to Mad Dog Michigan and partly as a precaution in case Mad Dog's talk of an alliance turns out to be a bluff, and he is really here to try to take over the city.
The further you venture north, the more clan activity you find, and you are forced to stay hidden for longer periods as you snake your way through the ruins towards the centre of the stronghold. You are working on the assumption that Kate is with Mad Dog Michigan, and he is likely to be found where the number of clansmen is greatest.
-It is shortly before noon when you catch sight of a building that dominates the centre of San Angelo - the Reagan Memorial Stadium. Scores of motorcycles and their riders are gathered around its entrance where two large, tattered banners are fluttering symbolically in the breeze. One bears the lion's head mark of the Detroit Lions clan; the other is emblazoned with the long-horned steer skull symbol of the Angelinos clan. From your location opposite the entrance you overhear two Angelinos talking. You learn that some sort of motorcycle race is to take place here this afternoon, to celebrate the signing of a pact between the two clans. Now you feel sure that Mad Dog and Kate are here somewhere inside the stadium, and you apply yourself to finding a way in.
+It is shortly before noon when you catch sight of a building that dominates the centre of San Angelo
After watching the entrance for over an hour, only two options appear open to you. You can try to hide in one of the trucks that are carrying spares for the clansmen's bikes, in the hope that they will enter the stadium before the race; or you can attempt to scale the stadium wall at one of the many places where it has partially collapsed.
Suddenly there is a bang and a muzzle flash illuminates the far corner of the bar. You throw yourself at the floor immediately, but you are not swift enough to avoid being clipped in the thigh by a 9mm bullet: lose 4
Seconds later Haskell bursts into the bar and fires three shots into the corner. There is a loud groan followed almost immediately by the sound of a heavy body falling off a chair. He rushes to your side and, using his own Medi-kit, staunches your wound with a sulphonamide pad and a bandage. Once he is sure you are not seriously injured, he goes to take a look at who he has shot.
+Seconds later Haskell bursts into the bar and fires three shots into the corner. There is a loud groan followed almost immediately by the sound of a heavy body falling off a chair. He rushes to your side and, using his own Medi-kit, staunches your wound with a sulfonamide pad and a bandage. Once he is sure you are not seriously injured, he goes to take a look at who he has shot.
You pull over to the side of the road and focus your lenses on the distant bridge. Two clansmen, both stripped to the waist, are roasting something on a spit that is suspended over a small camp fire. Their motorcycles are parked beside them, nose-to-tail across the road, so that they obstruct the entrance to the bridge. The two men appear to be occupied with the cooking of their meal and are, for now, unaware of your presence.
+You pull over to the side of the road and focus your lenses on the distant bridge. Two clansmen, both stripped to the waist, are roasting something on a spit that is suspended over a small campfire. Their motorcycles are parked beside them, nose-to-tail across the road, so that they obstruct the entrance to the bridge. The two men appear to be occupied with the cooking of their meal and are, for now, unaware of your presence.
You wait until the stadium gate opens and the crowd of clansmen starts to enter before you make your move. Purposefully, you stride across the wide avenue that surrounds the stadium, trying not to look directly at any of the bikers or attract their attention. One of the trucks in particular has caught your eye and you head straight for it. It is towing a trailer that contains two powerful-looking motorcycles, and you are convinced that they are to be used in the races. If any of the trucks are to enter the stadium then this one surely will.
-There is nobody in the truck and its rear door is unlocked, so quickly you climb aboard and find yourself a hiding place behind two large drums of gasolene. After a few minutes, you hear someobody climb into the cab and start the engine. Then the truck moves away and you sense by its direction that it is approaching the stadium gate. You see the shadow of the arch fall across the trailer and then suddenly the vehicle halts. Your heart pounds in your chest as you hear the rear doors creak open and sense someone clambering aboard.
+There is nobody in the truck and its rear door is unlocked, so quickly you climb aboard and find yourself a hiding place behind two large drums of gasolene. After a few minutes, you hear somebody climb into the cab and start the engine. Then the truck moves away and you sense by its direction that it is approaching the stadium gate. You see the shadow of the arch fall across the trailer and then suddenly the vehicle halts. Your heart pounds in your chest as you hear the rear doors creak open and sense someone clambering aboard.
Pick a number from the Random Number Table and add to it your Stealth skill score.
You complete your detour of Sterling city without incident and rejoin Freeway 87 a few miles south of the town. The hour you spent driving across the dusty plain has made you very thirsty, and you must now take a Drink or lose 3
The freeway follows a wide, rock-strewn gully that was once the North Concho River. You are staring at this dead watercourse, trying to imagine what the river must have looked like before 'The Day', when a road sign flashes past. You stop the car and turn back to read it. It says:
-At once you recognize the brown, thin-legged arachnid by the dark, violin-shaped marking on the back of its head. It is Loxoscees reclusa - a poisonous Fiddleback spider.
+At once you recognize the brown, thin-legged arachnid by the dark, violin-shaped marking on the back of its head. It is
Nervously you watch the spider while Kate salvages a scrap of stiff board from the rubbish-strewn floor. She tells you to keep absolutely still, for she intends to try to knock it off your arm with one quick flick of the card.
Pick a number from the Random Number Table.
Using bandages and a sulphonamide pad, Kate dresses your leg as quickly as she can. Her speedy attention to your leg restores 1
Using bandages and a sulfonamide pad, Kate dresses your leg as quickly as she can. Her speedy attention to your leg restores 1
The wide corridor into which you have emerged is empty at present, but the sound of running footsteps is growing louder with each passing second, and it will not be very long before the area is teeming with clansmen. Kate points to a service hatch, almost invisible against the dirt-encrusted wall, and suggests that you hide there. You nod you agreement and help her to prise open the rusty hatch door.
You tell the soldiers who you are and how you came to be here in Fort Stockton. At first, they listen to your fantastic account with cool scepticism. They cross-examine you both in an attempt to find a flaw in your story, but when they are unable to find any, their attitude begins to change. By the time they have finished their interrogation, you have managed to win their respect and admiration.
-Once they are convinced that you are genuine colonists they recount their own tale. They are WDF marines who, before 'The Day', were stationed at an underground tracking facility in Brownsville, Texas. Twelve of their unit survived the post-holocaust years, but soon after their return to the surface they were the victims of a clan attack. They were the only survivors of the attack and were forced to flee Brownsville on foot. Eventually they managed to find a vehicle that worked - the pick-up truck - and had got this far when the fuel ran out and the engine broke down. They are trying to reach their command headquarters at Fort Bliss, located just north of El Paso, where they hope to rejoin remnants of their unit. They arrived in Fort Stockton three days ago and have been prevented from continuing their journey on foot by the blistering day temperatures and the fierce night storms that have swept down from the Barrilla Mountains.
+Once they are convinced that you are genuine colonists they recount their own tale. They are WDF marines who, before 'The Day', were stationed at an underground tracking facility in Brownsville, Texas. Twelve of their unit survived the post-holocaust years, but soon after their return to the surface they were the victims of a clan attack. They were the only survivors of the attack and were forced to flee Brownsville on foot. Eventually they managed to find a vehicle that worked
They have set up camp in the ruins of a nearby motel and they invite you there to share their food and drink, and to formulate a plan to find some fuel for your roadster. Their provisions are basic but you receive them gratefully: restore 2
Sergeant Haskell and yourself despatch the clansmen with a volley of well-aimed shots (erase two rounds from your Ammo Pouch) before taking a closer look at what they were transporting. You discover several crates and lockers filled with munitions: mortars, anti-tank weapons, heavy machine guns and the like. However, you cannot find any ammunition for these weapons. You are about to set fire to the truck, to prevent the weapons from falling into the hands of other clansmen, when you discover one item that could be of some use after all.
+Sergeant Haskell and yourself dispatch the clansmen with a volley of well-aimed shots (erase two rounds from your Ammo Pouch) before taking a closer look at what they were transporting. You discover several crates and lockers filled with munitions: mortars, anti-tank weapons, heavy machine guns and the like. However, you cannot find any ammunition for these weapons. You are about to set fire to the truck, to prevent the weapons from falling into the hands of other clansmen, when you discover one item that could be of some use after all.
In a sealed locker at the bottom of the heap, you discover a portable Leviathan ground-to-air missile, a weapon with approximately eight times the destructive power of a bazooka.
Hurriedly you leave the car lot and return to the freeway. You pass between the shattered stores and houses of Broome with your nerves on edge, half-expecting to run into a clan patrol or fall prey to an ambush. Yet your departure passes without incident and soon you find yourself back on the open freeway heading south-east to San Angelo. You are hungry, and during your drive you must eat a Meal or lose 3
Hurriedly you leave the car lot and return to the freeway. You pass between the shattered stores and houses of Broome with your nerves on edge, half-expecting to run into a clan patrol or fall prey to an ambush. Yet your departure passes without incident and soon you find yourself back on the open freeway heading southeast to San Angelo. You are hungry, and during your drive you must eat a Meal or lose 3
Repeatedly you pump the gas pedal and, gradually, after a bout of coughing and popping, the engine clears and begins to pick up speed. Confident that the fault has rectified itself, you relax and accelerate away.
-You have driven ten miles when, on the horizon, you see a girder bridge appear. It carries the highway across the North Concho River, and, although it appears to be intact and passable, you are worried by the sight of a lazy plume of woodsmoke that is rising close to its approach ramp.
+You have driven ten miles when, on the horizon, you see a girder bridge appear. It carries the highway across the North Concho River, and, although it appears to be intact and passable, you are worried by the sight of a lazy plume of wood smoke that is rising close to its approach ramp.
The race is about to begin. Eight bikers are drawn up in a line at one end of the arena, each man standing astride his machine and revving its engine in response to the loud cheers of the clansmen watching. The riders have their eyes fixed on a pot-bellied Angelino who is perched atop a wooden tower in the centre of the track. Above his head he holds a checkered flag, and, as he brings his arm down, the crowd screams and the riders surge away from the line.
-Under cover of the noise and commotion of the race, you approach the observation block. An enclosed corridor leads to a flight of iron stairs where two burly clansmen - one an Angelino, the other a Detroit Lion - stand on guard with machine pistols at the ready. At the top of the stairs is the door to the block itself. The noise of the crowd and the roar of the motorcycles have helped you so far, but the race is now into its fourteenth lap, and you know that if you are to succeed in freeing Kate you must get past these guards and storm the observation block before the race ends.
+The race is about to begin. Eight bikers are drawn up in a line at one end of the arena, each man standing astride his machine and revving its engine in response to the loud cheers of the clansmen watching. The riders have their eyes fixed on a pot-bellied Angelino who is perched atop a wooden tower in the centre of the track. Above his head he holds a chequered flag, and, as he brings his arm down, the crowd screams and the riders surge away from the line.
+Under cover of the noise and commotion of the race, you approach the observation block. An enclosed corridor leads to a flight of iron stairs where two burly clansmen
It is almost noon when you drive into Brogado. The storm-shattered ruins of this mountain town do not inspire much hope of finding fuel, and, after making a thorough search of its two gas stations, your initial fears are confirmed: one station has been looted and the other has been gutted by fire.
-It is beginning to look as though you will have to walk the last thirty miles to Kent when Marine Gunter sees a station wagon backed up to the entrance of a drug store, and he calls it to your attention. All five of you are walking along the main street towards the vehicle when a shot rings out from the first floor window of the store, and Gunter is brought to the ground, clutching his blood-stained chest.
+It is beginning to look as though you will have to walk the last thirty miles to Kent when Marine Gunter sees a station wagon backed up to the entrance of a drug store, and he calls it to your attention. All five of you are walking along the main street towards the vehicle when a shot rings out from the first floor window of the store, and Gunter is brought to the ground, clutching his bloodstained chest.
'Sniper!' shouts Sergeant Haskell. 'Hit the deck!'
Pick a number from the Random Number Table and add to it your Stealth and Perception skill scores.
In addition to these items, a search of the kitchen also reveals the following:
@@ -4967,7 +4977,7 @@ Initial revision(The Story So Far) Replaced re-establish
with reestablish
, replaced syphon
with siphon
.
(The Game Rules) Replaced if you pick a O
with if you pick a 0
.
(The Game Rules) Replaced On pages 6 and 7 you will find an Action Chart
with An Action Chart has been supplied
.
(The Game Rules) Removed For ease of use during play it is recommended that you photocopy these pages
.
(The Game Rules) Replaced the Random Number Table at the back of this book
with the Random Number Table
.
(The Game Rules) Replaced survival skills
with Survival Skills
.
(Close Combat Rules) Replaced cross-refer
with cross-reference
.
(Close Combat Rules) Replaced as
with as
.
(Dateline to Disaster) Replaced training and
with training, and
.
(The Story So Far) Replaced re-establish
with reestablish
, syphon
with siphon
, and 'the Freeway Warrior'.
with the 'Freeway Warrior'.
, if you pick a O
with if you pick a 0
, On pages 6 and 7 you will find an Action Chart
with An Action Chart has been supplied
, the Random Number Table at the back of this book
with the Random Number Table
, and survival skills
with Survival Skills
. Removed For ease of use during play it is recommended that you photocopy these pages
.
(Close Combat Rules) Replaced cross-refer
with cross-reference
and as
with as
.
(Combat Rules) Removed on the inside back cover of the book
.
(Equipment) Replaced map of Western Texas
with Map of Western Texas
.
(Equipment) Replaced potassium iodine
with potassium iodide
.
(8) Replaced gun fire
with gunfire
.
(18) Replaced gun fire
with gunfire
.
(23) Replaced Small blanket
with Small Blanket
.
(23) Replaced Medi-kits units
with Medi-kit units
.
(Equipment) Replaced map of Western Texas
with Map of Western Texas
, potassium iodine
with potassium iodide
, C.B. RADIO
with CB RADIO
, and sulphonamides
with sulfonamides
.
(The Story So Far) Replaced fuel, food or water
with fuel, food, or water
, and 'the Mavericks'
with the 'Mavericks'
.
(8) Replaced gun fire
with gunfire
and monumentous
with monumental
.
(18) Replaced gun fire
with gunfire
and sulphonamides
with sulfonamides
.
(23) Replaced Small blanket
with Small Blanket
, Medi-kits units
with Medi-kit units
, sulphonamides
with sulfonamides
, and unleash a round of fire at the door
with fire at the door
.
(28) Replaced despatch
with dispatch
.
(30) Replaced bushwack
with bushwhack
.
(38) Replaced manouevre
with manoeuvre
.
(38) Replaced (minimum equals one; maximum equals four)
with (minimum: one round; maximum: four rounds)
.
(36) Replaced sulphonamides
with sulfonamides
.
(38) Replaced manouevre
with manoeuvre
and (minimum equals one; maximum equals four)
with (minimum: one round; maximum: four rounds)
.
(61) Replaced gun fire
with gunfire
.
(71) Replaced sulphonamides
with sulfonamides
.
(94) Replaced H.E. Grenade
with HE Grenade
.
(115) Replaced queueing
with queuing
.
(126) Replaced sulphonamides
with sulfonamides
.
(127) Replaced gun fire
with gunfire
.
(130) Replaced Plastic tube
with Plastic Tube
.
(130) Replaced Four rounds of 12-gauge Shotgun shells
with Four rounds of 12-gauge ammunition
.
(130) Replaced Plastic tube
with Plastic Tube
and Four rounds of 12-gauge Shotgun shells
with Four rounds of 12-gauge ammunition
.
(133) Replaced Coupe
with Coup
and woodsmoke
with wood smoke
.
(153) Replaced south-east
with southeast
.
(157) Replaced despatches
with dispatches
.
(168) Replaced syphon
with siphon
.
(172) Replaced north-west
with northwest
.
(178) Replaced machine-gunning
with machine gunning
.
(179) Replaced (minimum equals one; maximum equals four)
with (minimum: one round; maximum: four rounds)
.
(183) Replaced syphoned
with siphoned
.
(226) Replaced syphoning
with siphoning
.
(230) Replaced south-east
with southeast
.
(232) Applied bold style to Foil Blanket
.
(239) Replaced syphon
with siphon
.
(248) Replaced sulphonamides
with sulfonamides
.
(250) Replaced gun fire
with gunfire
.
(251) Replaced weapons list
with Weapons List
.
(268) Replaced dispairing
with despairing
.
(270) Replaced sulphonamides
with sulfonamides
.
(279) Replaced (minimum equals one; maximum equals four)
with (minimum: one burst; maximum: four bursts)
.
(292) Replaced gun fire
with gunfire
.
(299) Replaced someobody
with somebody
.
(311) Replaced Loxoscees reclusa
with Loxosceles reclusa
.
(311) Replaced Loxoscees reclusa
with Loxosceles Reclusa
.
(315) Replaced section references. The original text directed the reader to sections 161 and 207, however those references are the result of being apprehended by a single clansman in section 115.
+(320) Replaced sulphonamides
with sulfonamides
.
(328) Replaced despatch
with dispatch
.
(332) Replaced botton
with bottom
.
(346) Replaced H.E. Grenade
with HE Grenade
.
(342) Replaced south-east
with southeast
.
(344) Replaced woodsmoke
with wood smoke
.
(346) Replaced H.E. Grenade
with HE Grenade
and checkered
with chequered
.
(348) Replaced sulphonamides
with sulfonamides
.
(112,152,264) Replaced new-found
with newfound
.
(18,23,36,63,71,101,126,138,146,183,187,232,248,266,308,348) Replaced CCS Bonuses in []
with ()
.
(48,64,124,207,227,253) Replaced Backpack items
with Backpack Items
.
(The Story So Far,123,153,205,208,288,303,321,331) Replaced 'the Day'
with 'The Day'
.
(Combat Rules Summary) Replaced cross-refer
with cross-reference
.
(4,49,62,107,143,347) Replaced blood-stained
with bloodstained
.
(12,111,150,175,224,296) Replaced camp fire
with campfire
.
(Combat Rules Summary) Replaced cross-refer
with cross-reference
, and zero ENDURANCE
with zero or fewer ENDURANCE
.