The League of Extraordinary Kriegspielers presents....Referendum!

[Patrice]

Felony! Treason! Parody of democracy! The basic rights of the working people are downtrodden!

There are three candidates standing:
1.   The Bolshevik Candidate: Sergei Knoberov
2.   The Pan-Turkic Candidate: Colonel Ismael Pasha
3.   The White candidate: Colonel Roman Sepailov

Extra staff had to be brought in by donkey
Prince Iskander III (Social Democrat): 533,288
Colonel Ismael Pasha (Pan-Turkic Alliance): 105,000
Colonel Roman Sepailov (Mother Russia Party: 629,115
Lord Gordon Grey: 100,003

Extra candidates have also been brought by donkey (or came by ass?)

And nobody else, here on LAF, noticed it?

Where has our beloved comrade Knoberov gone?

Who are these clowns, Iskander III (a name of racing horse), and Grey (how many shades of him?), whose names were not known, even by dogs, before the vote took place (um, at least, when this thread began)?

The country will rise in anger, through valleys and over hills, as a strong and powerful wave!

Um, and I shall call for international support from abroad.

[Ignatieff]

When can we expect to see the (no doubt armed) demand for a recount?

...very soon.  Great game last weekend

[Ignatieff]

Felony! Treason! Parody of democracy! The basic rights of the working people are downtrodden!

Extra candidates have also been brought by donkey (or came by ass?)

And nobody else, here on LAF, noticed it?

Where has our beloved comrade Knoberov gone?

Who are these clowns, Iskander III (a name of racing horse), and Grey (how many shades of him?), whose names were not known, even by dogs, before the vote took place (um, at least, when this thread began)?

The country will rise in anger, through valleys and over hills, as a strong and powerful wave!

Um, and I shall call for international support from abroad.

 

[Ignatieff]

Referendum - Red Brief

"...and then we flick the switch and two weeks later Bukhara sues for peace". Gromeko, the Chief Scientific Officer, had a smug self assurance that irritated most people he came into contact with. It came from the current certainty that in the desperate times the Revolution was going through, 'the one eyed man' of science was a necessity that the Revolution could not do without.

Lenin smiled that cat like smile that told those who knew him well he could smell possibility.  "You see Comrades, and now all you have to do is ensure the election goes to 'plan' and get the troops out of the barracks they are currently skulking in and back out in control of the entire Ferghana Valley".  The three leaders of the Tashkent Soviet - V.I.Blackwood, 'Red' Ted  Robinson and 'Wolfie' Ryanovsky, appeared to finding the design, shape and patina of their shoes overly interesting at this point.

The plan was certainly ambitious.  The most ambitious in fact in Bolshevik Russia's short history.  Build a series of massive dams and divert the course of the Jaxartes river and so starve Bukhara of the one natural resource they couldn't do without - water.  The Jaxartes accounts for mor than 60% of all Bukharas water supply and feeds its most fertile region in the north of the country. Gromeko estimated they would sue for peace within a fortnight.  The first and largest dam, The Rosa Luxembourg, was only three weeks from completion, but the political chaos surrounding the plebiscite had halted work and the dam was increasingly vulnerable to counter revolutionary attacks.

Objectives

1. Win the election and return the Ferghana Valley to Bolshevik control.

2. Re-occupy the Rosa Luxembourg dam site, near the ancient town of Pop, and ensure its security

3. Destroy any counter revolutionary attempts to thwart objectives 1 & 2.

The Election process

There are three candidates standing: The Bolshevik one, the 'Pan-Turkic' one (sponsored by Bukhara) and the The Monster Raving Loony Party candidate (sponsored by Der Baron).  Each starts the election 'officially' with roughly 33.33% of the vote.

Private polling suggests however that the Pan-Turkic party is by far the most popular option.  You estimate that they have nearer 70% support, your man has 15% and Der Baron with about the same.  However fear and intimidation are wonderful electoral devices and so you are confident that you can get your 33.33% out on the day.

To make it a bit more fun, each of the other minor player blocks controls 10% of the vote:  Paul Eaglestone (Italians), Rodger (French), Donald and Neil (Brits), Peter (the Tibetans) and Jamie  (Gerkushians), meaning that c.50% of the legitimate votes are up for grabs through canny negotiation, bribes or threats of violence.

In addition you as the incumbent, and may I suggest no stranger to electoral fraud, hold an additional 15% of 'stuffed' ballot boxes, which means you will only need to convince one minor player to vote for you to be certain of a majority (33.33% plus 15% plus one other minor player's 10% will give you a total of 58.33% of the total vote).  You are the only player who starts with this advantage.

Polling takes place on Thursday 20th November, with the result expected the following day.

Available forces

c.20,000 troops scattered throughout garrisons in the Ferghana Valley. Largest concentrations are in and around the regional capital Andijan (c.10,000), with the rest in barracks or fortified towns throughout the region.  All however are effectively confined to barracks due to the civil unrest endemic in the region.  Basmachi bands, most of whom you believe are under the control of 'foreign' powers, hold sway over large sections of the province.

The dam construction site is near the city of Pop, in and around which are based c.1,500 troops.

All arms of the Red Army are deployed in the Ferghana Valley region.  Troop quality is representative of the Red army as a whole, with some very good units, lots of middling ones, and a fair dollop of enthusiastic but fairly useless dross.

You all start the campaign in Tashkent.  Your first job is to get into the Ferghana Valley safely and start to reassert control and win the election.

Intelligence

Bukhara is rumoured to be mobilising a significant force in its controlled province of Tajikistan to the south.  The c.7,000 troops of 'Army Group South' have been renamed 'The Bukharan Electoral Commission' which strongly suggests they may be deployed in the event of the 'wrong' result in the forthcoming election.

Der Baron is rumoured to be mobilising a large force in his capital-in-exile (as he calls it), Kashgar.  Intelligence suggest they are working in cahoots with their old ally Von Stauffenberg.

Bolshevik troop totals are considered sufficient to deal with this dual threat, however force concentration will be an issue, particularly in the run up to the election.

There are also rumours of a number of unauthorised foreign incursions into the Ferghana Valley region, all taking advantage of the breakdown in Bolshevik control.  These appear for the most part to be under the spurious guise of 'archaeological' expeditions, though there has also been one unconfirmed sighting of The Mongolian State Circus. The true nature of their intentions at this time is unknown.

Your worldwide intelligence network may provide further clues and intel, directed through the Bolshevik Supreme Spymaster, only known by his codename 'Carla'.

[Ignatieff]

Referendum - Bukharan Brief

For the first time in your Empire's short history the situation looked less than rosy.  The Bolsheviks are rumoured to be building a series of giant dams across the Jaxartes river, high in the lush fertile Ferghana Valley. The 'Rosa Luxembourg' dam was ostensibly a 'symbol of progress and international fellow-hood' to quote their snake like propaganda, but it was - of course - nothing of the sort.  By controlling this river (which provides Bukhara with c.60% of all its water supply,  and runs through the most fertile part of your kingdom),  they had put a jackboot on throat of Bukhara who was entirely dependent on this river for the majority of its water supplies. Turn the taps off and first the vital cotton crop, then the vegetable crop and finally the water for the people of Bukhara itself would be gone. Your chief scientific advisor Professor Ali Gebra estimated there would be rioting in the streets within a week and total surrender within a fortnight.  You had to act.

Fortunately the loyal Turkic peoples of the Ferghana Valley had come to your aid, rising up in the face of Godless Bolshevik oppression.  Brave bands of 'Basmachi' had seized most of the countryside, forcing the 10,000 or so Bolshevik troops back into their barracks where they hid, skulking and afraid.

The Bolshevik response to this was to call for a plebiscite as to who should own the Ferghana Valley.  The fools!  Don't they realise that over 70% of the electorate are fanatical Bukharan supporters (from your own private polls).  And even if they did try and rig the vote, the loyal Basmachi of the valley would never allow such a travesty to happen.

But you have to act quickly.  Your intelligence suggests that Lenin has despatched the so-called 'Dumb Boy 3' from Tashkent to rally the Bolshevik forces and push back the threat from your supporters.  Comrades V.I.Blackwood, Red Ted Robinson and 'Wolfie' Ryanovksy are said to be en route to the valley at this very moment. And that other 'wild card', Der Baron was rumoured to be in cahoots with Von Stauffenberg and planning to invade the valley from the eastern approaches.

Objectives

1. Win the election and take legitimate democratic control of the Ferghana Valley

2. Support your democratic ambitions with the help of the elite 7,000 strong Army Group South, or the 'Bukharan Electoral Commission' as you have cunningly renamed it, who are based in your Tajikistan province. 

3. Capture the Rosa Luxembourg Dam intact, so you can then turn the taps off to Tashkent if you so choose, or blow it up,  or at the very least use it as an effective bargaining chip.  The dam is near the town of Pop, held by only 1,500 demoralised Bolshevik troops.  Take this and Ferghana falls!

The Election process

There are three candidates standing: The Bolshevik one, the 'Pan-Turkic' one (sponsored by Bukhara) and the The Monster Raving Loony Party (a.k.a. 'Mother Russia') candidate, sponsored by Der Baron.  Each starts the election 'officially' with roughly 33.33% of the vote.

Private polling suggests however that your Pan-Turkic party is by far the most popular option.  You estimate that you have nearly 70% support, the Bolsheviks 15% and Der Baron with about the same.  However there are widespread reports of intimidation by the Bolsheviks, and so you think your vote on the day will be closer to the 33.3% mentioned above.

To make it a bit more fun, each of the other minor player blocks controls 10% of the vote:  Paul Eaglestone (Italians), Rodger (French), Donald and Neil (Brits), Peter (the Tibetans) and Jamie  (Gerkushians), meaning that c.50% of the legitimate votes are up for grabs through canny negotiation, bribes or threats of violence.

A simple calculation therefore tells you you need at least two of the above blocs to get past the 50% mark and ensure electoral success.

Polling takes place on Thursday 20th November, with the result expected the following day.

Available forces

7,000 troops, well armed and equipped, with tanks, heavy artillery and air support, under the command of your loyal and talented general General Gibby Pasha, based to the south of the Ferghana in your sometime troublesome province of Tajikistan.  They are ready to move at a moments notice.

Intelligence

There are rumours of a number of unauthorised foreign incursions into the Ferghana Valley region, all taking advantage of the breakdown in Bolshevik control.  These appear for the most part to be under the spurious guise of 'archaeological' expeditions, though there has also been one unconfirmed sighting of The Mongolian State Circus. The true nature of their intentions at this time is unknown.

Der Baron's forces are estimated at being around 11,000, including some elite German style units, as well as all the usual dross.

Although Bolshevik forces are rumoured to be nearly 20,000 in total in the valley, most of them are demoralised from months of Basmachi attacks and all of them are scattered in penny pocket garrisons throughout the region. A quick decisive hammer-blow, particularly one that seizes their trophy dam project, should see them crumble.  Indecision however will allow them to regain their nerve and hence the initiative.

Although the Basmachi have proved a very good and sharp thorn in the side of the Bolos, you know from past experience they can be fickle allies.  You can probably count on a couple of thousand core effectives therefore, and a huge amount of unreliable hangers ons, depending on the prospects for loot.

Your province of Tajikistan is notionally loyal, but hides the core of the troublesome 'Gerkushian' rebel alliance.  The so-called kingdom defines itself as stretching from modern day northern Afghanistan, through all of Tajikistan as well as laying claim to all of the Ferghana Valley.  The pathetic fools!  General Gibby Pasha has suppressed the Tajik element of this irritant, but there are rumours of active cells operating within the Ferghana Valley.

[Ignatieff]

Referendum - Gerkushian Brief

"The job should be simple" said Oddball, who 'commanded' your stolen Bukharan tank. "After all, we've theoretically done the hard part.  We've stolen the tank, we've rebuilt it with a better engine and better armour and.." he chuckled in that distinctive way of his.."and, we've managed to smuggle it and two other fighting ve-hicles deep into enemy territory".  He paused and grinned. "But still it feels frickin scary..."

He was right.  You have brought a 100 of Gerkush's best fighters, a giant tank, an armoured machine gun carrier and a weird machine gun motorcycle thing deep into what is currently Soviet Ferghana, but which will be eventually the northernmost part of the unified kingdom of Gerkush.  However the prizes you were after - the prison break to free your men and the Czarist gold - are bang slap in the middle of a serious war zone.  This was going to be very difficult, and you may need friends.  You know the British are somewhere in the area, but in little strength, but they have helped you in the past.  The French are here, but God knows what they are up to, and then there's the Italians.  Co-religionists maybe, but you don't entirely trust their leader Cardinal Capone.

Anyway, your deployed, ready to go, and completely up for it...but you need to move fast and decisively.  You start the game outside the town of Pop.

Objectives

1. Break into the prison, free your men and then head for the Czarist gold.

2. Capture as much of the Czarist gold as you can.  There is reportedly 14,000 gold bars, which will take a lot of trucks (or a train) to transport

3. Get clean away off the board by any means possible.

and then there's the little matter of influencing the referendum for a bit of fun..

The Election process

There are three candidates standing: The Bolshevik one, the 'Pan-Turkic' one (sponsored by Bukhara) and the The Monster Raving Loony Party (a.k.a. 'Mother Russia') candidate, sponsored by Der Baron.  Each starts the election 'officially' with roughly 33.33% of the vote.

To make it a bit more fun, each of the other minor player blocks controls 10% of the vote:  Paul Eaglestone (Italians), Rodge (French), Donald and Neil (Brits), Peter (the Tibetans) and you (Gerkushians), meaning that c.50% of the legitimate votes are up for grabs through canny negotiation, bribes or threats of violence.

A simple calculation therefore tells you that a successful candidate therefore needs at least two of the above blocs to get past the 50% mark and ensure electoral success. You therefore could have a significant say in who eventually wins.  This could be very useful in terms of deals/intelligence, etc

Polling takes place on Thursday 20th November, with the result expected the following day.

Available forces

As specified above.  The tank can also hold ten figures.  Inside the prison you estimate there are another 30 infantry figures, who can be armed and equipped by what you have brought and what they can 'liberate' from the prison armoury.

Intelligence

The prison is thought to be lightly defended.

There is a secure bank in the city outskirts, where you know the gold is not hidden.  However your intelligence says that the bank has some sort of access to the site, wither a tunnel, or a map or some sort of code. Breaking into there might therefore be a good next step if at all possible.

The western end of the Ferghana Valley is hotting up.  The Bolos have sent their best commanders in the region in from Tashkent to but some backbone into their cowering forces, Der Baron is rumoured to be invading from the east with some 11,000 troops, and The Bukharans have mobilised something called 'The Bukharan Electoral Commission' in Tajikistan, rumoured to be about 7,000 strong. All are heading for where your heading. The local Bolos are thought to number about 1,500 troops, but the  reinforcements not far away.

There are also rumours of a number of other unauthorised foreign incursions into the Ferghana Valley region, all taking advantage of the breakdown in Bolshevik control.  These appear for the most part to be under the spurious guise of 'archaeological' expeditions, though there has also been one unconfirmed sighting of The Mongolian State Circus. The true nature of their intentions at this time is unknown, though you suspect you are not the only one who knows about the gold.

The local Basmachi rebels are on the whole fairly friendly, and there may be a chance to recruit some allies. However they are by and large a very untrustworthy race and therefore should be handled cautiously.

[Ignatieff]

Referendum - French brief

Vladivostock, six months ago, just after the battle of...

Captain Nikolai Pecherovsky was by now 'singing' patriotic war songs of his lost cause and country in a slurred and barely audible drone.  The open leather briefcase was still handcuffed to his left wrist. Despite his inebriated condition, he retained that peculiar Russian ability to still look immaculate, resplendent in his Russian Imperial Guard officers uniform. On the table were three empty vodka bottles and the metal bar, which you now knew to be solid gold, stamped with the ancient symbol of the Romanov eagle.

All you had got from him was it was part of a larger stash, hidden somewhere in the Ferghana Valley, and the Bolsheviks who nominally controlled these rebellious Basmachi heartlands had no idea it was there. And he kept repeating the name 'Rosa Luxembourg' over and over and over, she being the Bolshevik heroine of the Sparticist revolt in Germany, recently executed by avenging Freikorps.

Pecherovsky suddenly sat bolt upright, looking entirely lucid, took out a small beautifully turned silver case from his side pocket from which he extracted, tapped and lit up an expensive looking cigarette. "14!" he exclaimed in a strange hi-pitched squeal. "14.........14,000 bars....". He looked straight at you, smiled, and then his head slammed off the table with such force you jumped.  A small trickle of blood, almost black, appeared from the side of his mouth.  He was stone dead.

Ferghana Valley, mountain crossing, north of the ancient town of Pop....

The night was ice cold and clear.  The moon was full and cast grey shadows as your party of men and mules scrambled down the rocks.  The French government would not countenance a full scale invasion into Bolshevik territory, no matter how disputed it might be.  The relevant departmental heads did however agree to turn a blind eye to a small 'private' expedition in return for a cut of the action and a promise to deny everything should you be caught.

Your passports said you were an expedition from the Acadamie Francaise sent here to excavate a new Alexandrian site just outside the city of Pop, near the site of a massive new Bolshevik engineering project, the so-called 'Rosa Luxembourg' dam.  It is somewhere near hear that the Czar's gold is hidden.  However you have to be quick. The Bolshevik army in the region, some 20,000 men, wouldn't stay confined to barracks for ever, and the allied funds that were supporting the Basmachi revolt that was keeping them there was rumoured to being withdrawn immediately after the upcoming referendum on who should rule the valley.

Objectives

1. Locate and seize the Czarist gold and get it off the table.

2. Use your 10% of the vote (see below) to ensure the best strategic outcome for longer term interests of France

The Election process

There are three candidates standing: The Bolshevik one, the 'Pan-Turkic' one (sponsored by Bukhara) and the The Monster Raving Loony Party (a.k.a. 'Mother Russia') candidate, sponsored by Der Baron.  Each starts the election 'officially' with roughly 33.33% of the vote.

To make it a bit more fun, each of the other minor player blocks controls 10% of the vote:  Paul Eaglestone (Italians), you (French), Donald and Neil (Brits), Peter (the Tibetans) and Jamie (Gerkushians), meaning that c.50% of the legitimate votes are up for grabs through canny negotiation, bribes or threats of violence.

A simple calculation therefore tells you that a successful candidate therefore needs at least two of the above blocs to get past the 50% mark and ensure electoral success. You therefore could have a significant say in who eventually wins, and should look to extract a price

Polling takes place on Thursday 20th November, with the result expected the following day.

Available forces

200 Foreign Legion volunteers, disguised as archaeologists and porters, and with a selection of mule portable heavy weapons: mountain guns, mortars and HMGs.  These tough men have a variety of useful skills, including demolition, underwater sabotage and mountaineering. And there might be some reinforcements.

Intelligence

The western end of the Ferghana Valley is hotting up.  The Bolos have sent their best commanders in the region in from Tashkent to but some backbone into their cowering forces, Der Baron is rumoured to be invading from the east with some 11,000 troops, and The Bukharans have mobilised something called 'The Bukharan Electoral Commission' in Tajikistan.  All are heading for where your heading.

There are also rumours of a number of other unauthorised foreign incursions into the Ferghana Valley region, all taking advantage of the breakdown in Bolshevik control.  These appear for the most part to be under the spurious guise of 'archaeological' expeditions, though there has also been one unconfirmed sighting of The Mongolian State Circus. The true nature of their intentions at this time is unknown, though you suspect you are not the only one who knows about the gold.

The local Basmachi rebels are on the whole fairly friendly, and there may be a chance to recruit some allies. However they are by and large a very untrustworthy race and therefore should be handled cautiously.

[Ignatieff]

Referendum - British brief

Bullivant was looking out over Horse Guards as the two of you entered his office. The day was cold and crisp, and dark coated figures scurried in the distance. Big Ben struck ten as he poured you the usual mid morning whisky and soda.

The chief looked worried, even more so than normal.  "The good news is that we've discovered that Commander Craig is alive" He paused and tapped his pipe. "The bad news is that he is rotting in a Bolo prison deep inside the Ferghana Valley".

"We do have a window however.  The Bolos have called a referendum to decide the future of the valley.  Whole thing will be rigged of course. But it does mean that for the moment that we can get small parties in and out of the region.  The local Reds are skulking in their barracks and the Basmachis hold sway throughout most of the region. But it wont last for long.  Lenin has despatched the three stooges from Tashkent - your old foes Blackwood, Red Ted and 'Wolfie' Ryanovsky - and they'll soon put some backbone into them"

He paused again and looked even more worried, if that was possible. "Problem is there are two major invasions mobilising to wrest the regions from the Reds - Der Baron, who has some 15,000 men mustering in Tashkent, including Von Stauffenberg and some of his most upto date weaponry: and something calling itself 'The Bukharan Electoral Commission', which is actually an elite force of the some 7,000 coming up from Tajikistan.  You don't have much time therefore...."

"And then there's this"...he pushed a dull grey ingot across his desk. "Go on, pick it up" It looked and felt like lead. "Nothing of the sort" snorted Bullivant.  He used his pipe knife to scrape away the layer of what turned out to be paint and wax, revealing a brilliant gold bar with the distinctive Romanov eagle seal.  "There are 7,000 more of those, or rather 6,999 where that came from, somewhere near Craig's prison.  And we've a man who knows where they are".  The door opened and in came a tall, thin sharp looking fellow with cold eyes, like a dead fish.  "let me introduce Captain Steiner, ex of Imperial Russian Counter Intelligence. Don't worry, he's not a Hun, Baltic German descent, but White Russian to the core.  His job during the war was to sniff out German and Bolo spies.  Had an 'instinct' for it.  Good friend of Craigs as well. And he went to school with that lunatic Sternberg, so he has many uses as you can see".  Steiner smiled. A cruel smile you both thought, but he appeared friendly enough once you got to know him on the long trip to the Ferghana Valley via China.

Objectives

1. Spring Craig from prison

2. Find the Czarist gold

3. Get both clean off the board.

You start in the ruins of an old Alexandrian settlement, somewhere near the ancient town of Pop.....

...and just for fun, you have a chance to effect the result of the election....

The Election process

There are three candidates standing: The Bolshevik one, the 'Pan-Turkic' one (sponsored by Bukhara) and the The Monster Raving Loony Party (a.k.a. 'Mother Russia') candidate, sponsored by Der Baron.  Each starts the election 'officially' with roughly 33.33% of the vote.

To make it a bit more fun, each of the other minor player blocks controls 10% of the vote:  Paul Eaglestone (Italians), Rodge (French), Donald and Neil (Brits), Peter (the Tibetans) and Jamie (Gerkushians), meaning that c.50% of the legitimate votes are up for grabs through canny negotiation, bribes or threats of violence.

A simple calculation therefore tells you that a successful candidate therefore needs at least two of the above blocs to get past the 50% mark and ensure electoral success. You therefore could have a significant say in who eventually wins...over to you to sell,it to the highest bidder for whatever information you might want...

Polling takes place on Thursday 20th November, with the result expected the following day.

Forces

200 'archaeological workers', who look strangely like Sikhs and Gurkhas. Plenty of LMGs, HMGs and a couple of mountain guns.  About 50 engineers complete with demolition charges, etc.  A civilian plane (with six light bombs and 1 LMG). And there might be some reinforcements, including significant air support.

Intelligence (in addition to the above)

The prison is thought to be lightly defended. There is a variety of white, Gerkushian and Basmachi prisoners kept in there.

Professor Indiana Jones and his father, Henry Snr, are rumoured to be in the region

There are some 1,500 bolo troops in and around Pop.  Demoralised, they appear to be reluctant to leave their barracks

The local Basmachi rebels are on the whole fairly friendly, and there may be a chance to recruit some allies. However they are by and large a very untrustworthy race and therefore should be handled cautiously.

Tibet is said to be mobilising

The Mongolian State Circus is rumoured to be in the region, as are French and Italian archeological expeditions.

[Ignatieff]

Referendum - The Italian Brief

'God's Holy Trousers!' exclaimed the elder of the Jones professors.  The younger, his son Indiana, was pointing out to you and the Holy Father what he claimed to be the site of The Garden of Eden.  The tale was almost beyond belief, but the ancient scrolls, found by Professor Indiana Jones near the Dead Sea under a Vatican sponsored expedition the previous year seemed to confirm the young American archaeologist's theory.

'You see Holy Father, its not where the traditional legends have it, somewhere in the middle east, but much further east, in the remote Ferghana Valley, in the middle of what is currently a war zone'.

'These manuscripts, from the second century AD, and purporting to tell of the journey of Joseph of Aramethia immediately after the death of Christ, confirm that he wandered east, eventually reaching China, but in the years before that he discovered the Garden of Eden and the still extant 'Tree of Life' in the western approaches to the Ferghana, near the modern city of Pop'

'Junior, why didn't you tell me?  You know Joseph of Aramethia is my life's work?' said his Scottish sounding father.

Jones Jnr gave his father a quick look that said "don't call me Junior...". 'Precisely for that reason dad.  We know you are being watched by some very jealous and powerful rivals on your Grail obsession'. It was the turn of Jones senior to return a look to his son, 'and so I couldn't risk this discovery being under the same scrutiny'.

'And look at this' continued the young American, 'Horses, described here as 'Heavenly Horses', and as 'God's Messengers'.  I bet these are the same horses the Chinese prized so much.  They are meant to be bigger, faster and stronger than anything on earth, and they sweat blood. The very same horses that have been recently spotted high in the western approaches to the valley'

Pope Pius XVII interjected. 'The question is now therefore how do we get an expedition into the Ferghana Valley to prove Professor Jones's theories, and avoid this discovery falling into the hands of the godless Bolsheviks....or worse..'

You smiled, nervously. 'Holy Father, you may not know that we have despatched a 'humanitarian' convoy, via our missions in China, that has just reached the eastern end of the Ferghana Valley'. It was your turn for one of those looks, this time from the Vicar of Rome. 'Knowing what Professor Jones's had discovered, I took the precaution of augmenting the humanitarian supplies with one or two other 'items' provided by the Italian army.  Which obviously therefore necessitated sending a few 'technical specialists' to help operate this equipment....from the 1st Alpini and 13th Assault battalions'....

'Well you had all better go and make sure we go and find the Garden then....' said the Pope.

You and the two Jones professors, Henry Snr and Jnr, are immediately rushed to Rome airport, boarded onto an unmarked Italian airforce transport plane and each handed a parachute.....

Objectives

1. Prove (or disprove) that the Ferghana Valley is the site of the Garden of Eden.

2. capture a pair of 'Heavenly Horses' and bring them, or at least a sample of their blood, back to Rome.

3. And what you didn't tell anybody in the meeting is that the largest stash of Czarist Gold left unclaimed is also rumoured to be in the Valley, and your uncle Al in Chicago is keen to help you find it.

you might find the following side game useful in extracting some help from one of the three 'big' players in the region.....

The Election process

As you are aware there is a Bolshevik run plebiscite being run to decide the future of the Ferghana Valley. There are three candidates standing: The Bolshevik one, the 'Pan-Turkic' one (sponsored by Bukhara) and the The Monster Raving Loony Party (a.k.a. 'Mother Russia') candidate, sponsored by Der Baron.  Each starts the election 'officially' with roughly 33.33% of the vote.

To make it a bit more fun, each of the other minor player blocks controls 10% of the vote:  you (Italians), Rodger (French), Donald and Neil (Brits), Peter (the Tibetans) and Jamie and Rory (Gerkushians), meaning that c.50% of the legitimate votes are up for grabs through canny negotiation, bribes or threats of violence.

A simple calculation therefore tells you that a successful candidate therefore needs at least two of the above blocs to get past the 50% mark and ensure electoral success. You can materially swing it, assuming you back the right candidate, and maybe extract some useful intelligence

Polling takes place on Thursday 20th November, with the result expected the following day.

Forces Available

200 elite Italian infantry, plus heavy weapons specialists and an assortment of improvised heavy weapons, all disguised as an aid convoy. Plus the two Jones professors. And maybe some reinforcements.

Intelligence

The valley really is a war zone.  20,000 Bolshevik troops, albeit the majority of them skulking in barracks due to the bands of blood thirsty marauding Basmachis that control larges swathes of territory.  Der Baron is rumoured to be raising an army of 15,000 in Kashgar to reassert his rights, and of course Bukhara, from its southern province of Tajikistan has also formed the so-called 'Bukharan Electoral Commission'. 7,000 elite troops, heavy weapons and aircraft.

And there's the rumour of French and British 'archaeological' expeditions, wither or both of which may well be after some or all of your objectives.  And then there's the mysterious (and at times downright annoying and patronising) Tibetans, who claims to 'see further and know more than' the Holy Mother Church. Pah!

Professor Jones believes the remains of the Garden to be somewhere near the modern city of Pop, which incidentally is not only where Uncle Al's tip off has the White Gold hidden, but is also the site of a massive Bolshevik engineering project, the so-called 'Rosa Luxembourg' dam, which they say is to increase the prosperity of the entire region, but which the Bukharans say is designed to turn the water off from the Jaxartes river, which happens to account for c.60% of Bukhara's entire water supply. 

[Ignatieff]

Referendum - The Dalai's brief

'You can see a lot from up here' you thought to yourself. 'It's even more fun than levitating.  And certainly less effort...'

The orange and blue 'super zeppelin' and its two smaller supporting dirigibles were drifting almost silently over Mount Everest and heading westwards towards the Town of Pop, in the Ferghana Valley.  There was a serious disturbance in the Force that required your - and 2,000 of your best troops - immediate attention.

The challenge was difficult and not a little complicated. It all centred around the Ferghana Valley, one of the original sites of The Garden of Eden (there were in actual fact at least three of those, as part of an ancient massive alien 'seeding' of the planet, but most modern creation mythology had rolled them all into one). Firstly the Bolsheviks were planning to build a massive dam near the town of Pop to divert the sacred Jaxartes river away from its natural course. And while you cared little for what happened to those most directly affected (Bukhara), the Jaxartes was one of the worlds most sacred rivers, one of the original sources of life, one who still held secrets going back to the very Genesis of Life, and therefore one whose disruption would cause untold damage to the Force.

And then there was the little business of the sacred 'Heavenly Horses'.  These were originally put there by The Force at the time of the Creation, and apart from a few centuries when those bloody Chinese had discovered their supernatural powers, you had managed to keep them safe and well and away from prying eyes.  You had even managed to throw the last part of adventurers looking for them in the late 19th century off the scent by introducing a minor blood vessel parasite into normal horses in the region, that aped one of the special characteristics of the Heavenly Horses.  Now you have learned that at least two of the current foreign parties in the region are after the horses, having learned of a recent siting of the real thing.  There are only some 24 horses left, and you must keep all of them safe.

And then there's the small matter of the 'Tree of Life', yes the one that gave the 'apples' (actually divine DNA).  The Ferghana Valley one still stands there, in an isolated but very ordinary spot, quite near to where the Bolsheviks are building their infernal dam. And while there are others, dotted around the other Gardens of Eden, you cannot allow this tree, or its sacred fruit, to fall into the hands of the Foreign Devils.

And finally there is the not insignificant matter of Tibet's immediate temporal interests. You have no love for any of the devilish foreigners, but the current chaos may present a chance to rearrange the regional map to better benefit Tibet's strategic interests.  The current plebiscite called by the Bolsheviks who are struggling to control the Ferghana Valley may well be only the first of several such opportunities about to present themselves to you.

Objectives

1. Ensure the sacred Jaxartes remains undisturbed.

2. Ensure none of the 'Heavenly Horses' falls into the hands of the Foreign Devils

3. Protect 'The Tree of Life'

4. Play the current unfolding chaos, starting with the election (see below) for the long term advantage of Tibet.

The Election process

There are three candidates standing: The Bolshevik one, the 'Pan-Turkic' one (sponsored by Bukhara) and the The Monster Raving Loony Party (a.k.a. 'Mother Russia') candidate, sponsored by Der Baron.  Each starts the election 'officially' with roughly 33.33% of the vote.

To make it a bit more fun, each of the other minor player blocks controls 10% of the vote:  Paul Eaglestone (Italians), Rodger (French), Donald and Neil (Brits), you (the Tibetans) and Jamie and Rory (Gerkushians), meaning that c.50% of the legitimate votes are up for grabs through canny negotiation, bribes or threats of violence.

A simple calculation therefore tells you that a successful candidate therefore needs at least two of the above blocs to get past the 50% mark and ensure electoral success. You can therefore materially swing the result.

Polling takes place on Thursday 20th November, with the result expected the following day.

Available Forces

2,000 of your best troops, transported in three zeppelins.  The super zeppelin also has a heavy bombing capability, whilst the two smaller ones only have machine guns. You have some field guns, HMGs and Yak flamethrowers amongst the expedition, and can probably rely upon some of the 'friends from the hills' in high ground

Intelligence

The action seems to be taking place in and around the western city of Pop.  The Bolsheviks have some 1,500 men dug in around the city and nearby dam site, out of a total of 20,000 across the entire Ferghana Valley.  The current Basmachi revolt has however confined most of those to barracks.  Lenin has ordered his three most senior commanders in Tashkent (V.I.Blackwood, Red Ted and Wolfie Ryanovsky) to take command and put some backbone into the defence.

The dam is some three weeks away from completion, and is known at the 'Rosa Luxembourg' dam after the recently dead German Bolshevik heroine.

The Bukharans have prepared a well equipped invasion force from Tajikistan, some 7,000 strong, under the command of General Gibby Pasha, the Beast himself being detained at a family get together in a Welsh mountain cottage....

Der Baron, along with his ally Von Stauffenberg, have asembled an army that some put as large as 15,000 strojg, and are heading over the eastern passes from Kashgar.

There are accounts of Gerkushian rebel activity in the region, with reports that some modern Bukharan hardware has fallen into their hands.

The Italians (under Cardinal Capone), the British (under Brigadier Linn and Lord Grey) and the French (under Count Pierre Smirnoff) are all rumoured to be operating small  forces under the guise of 'archaeological' expeditions.  Their actual objectives are unknown at this time.

The 'Tree of Life' is a small undistinguished apple tree near one of the Jaxartes remote tributaries, somewhere near Pop.

[Ignatieff]

Referendum - Der Baron's & Von Stauffenberg's Brief

The crystal blue sky framed the cold clear morning air perfectly.  The distant  hills rose from the rolling sands of the desert, the first snows just dusting their distant peaks. The only sound was the occasional shattering of glass as you went about your morning target practice. Teapot had come up with the capital idea of balancing medicine bottles on the heads of volunteers who, to steady their nerves, had offered to be tied to thick wooden stakes. So far only a handful hung slumped from their rope bindings.  It was a good day to be alive.

Oh how you loved chaos.  It always spelled opportunity, and in this case the chance to shit on your worst of your enemies, the Bolsheviks.

The Ferghana Valley, just a short march across the Alaj mountains from your temporary capital Kashgar, is in ferment.  The Basmachis have risen in revolt, and the godless Bolsheviks are cowering in their forts and barracks. A manly Bhuddist response would have been to slaughter every man, women and child, but no, those Red fools have called an election to decide who runs the province. Hah!  This is just the opportunity you have been waiting for.  The Ferghana valley is rich in natural resources, which you could do with a bit of (not that you dont enjoy Kashgar, but all this endless sand, all day and every day....), but more importantly the Ferghana Valley is an ideal strategic platform to strike at the soft underbelly of the Bolsheviks, and that comedy act that is the so-called Tashkent Soviet (V.I.Blackwood, Red Ted and Wolfie Ryanovsky at the helm.....). At the very least, ownership of the Ferghana valley would give you an excellent bargaining chip to regain Mongolia, and you'd heard a lot about this democracy thing and were keen to abuse it like the rest of the snake oil peddlars.

You also have it on good authority from the Bogdhar Khan, that there have been recent sightings in the Ferghana Valley of the so called 'Heavenly Horses' after they were thought extinct these past thousand years. These so-called 'blood sweating' horses are said to have tremendous powers, and were meant to have been introduced into the Ferghana Valley by Joseph of Aramathea, who is said to have wandered this far east following the death of Christ.  The blood of the horses is said to give eternal life to those who ingest it.  You quite fancy a pint of what they're having...they were last seen near the town of Pop.

The black tent has been packed, the troops trained hard and lean, and you were excited to be joined by your old friend and ally Von Stauffenberg and 1,500 of his best troops and technology. Vorwarts!

Objectives

1. Win the election

2. Reinforce your democratic ambitions at the head of an army of 15,000 elite and well equipped troops by conquering the Ferghana Valley in a campaign of Blitzrkieg intensity.

3. Loot the valley of all Bolshevik riches and technology 'seven ways till Sunday' and thus bring the natives onside

The Election process

There are three candidates standing: The Bolshevik one, the 'Pan-Turkic' one (sponsored by Bukhara) and the your own 'Mother Russia' candidate.  Each starts the election 'officially' with roughly 33.33% of the vote.

Private polling suggests however that the Beasts Pan-Turkic party is by far the most popular option.  You estimate that they have nearly 70% support, your man 15% and the Bolos with about the same.  However the usual potent package of vote rigging, intimidation and promises of free everything for everyone for ever makes you confident you can drive a base support of the 33.33% mentioned above.

To make it a bit more fun, each of the other minor player blocks controls 10% of the vote:  Paul Eaglestone (Italians), Rodger (French), Donald and Neil (Brits), Peter (the Tibetans) and Jamie and Rory (Gerkushians), meaning that c.50% of the legitimate votes are up for grabs through canny negotiation, bribes or threats of violence.

A simple calculation therefore tells you you need at least two of the above blocs to get past the 50% mark and ensure electoral success.

Polling takes place on Thursday 20th November, with the result expected the following day.

Available forces

15,000 troops, including 1,500 elite German allies. Your own forces are built around a core of loyal elite white officers and cossacks, with the usual allies, hangers on and rabble.  The army also includes air power, heavy artillery and your newly reconditioned elite Steam Tank Panzer division 'Liebstandarte von Ungern Sternberg'.

Intelligence

Bukhara is rumoured to be mobilising a significant force in its controlled province of Tajikistan to the south.  The c.7,000 troops of 'Army Group South' have been renamed 'The Bukharan Electoral Commission' which strongly suggests they may be deployed in the event of the 'wrong' result in the forthcoming election.  Their forces are under the command of the capable General Gibby Pasha, who has been engaged in attempts to suppress the troublesome Gerkushian revolt in the province.  A captured Bukharan intelligence report suggest they are planning to capture the Rosa Luxembourg dam as their primary objective.

There are rumours of a number of unauthorised foreign incursions into the Ferghana Valley region, all taking advantage of the breakdown in Bolshevik control.  These appear for the most part to be under the spurious guise of 'archaeological' expeditions,  and include British, French and Italian missions.  They are believed to be in pursuit of a variety of objectives, including a mythical stash of Tsarist gold (which in the event it turns out to be true, you claim as the legitimate Czarist agent in the region), the equally mythical blood sweating horses, as well as the usual silly 'Boys Own Adventure' japes much beloved by the British in particular and any crazed western loon who has read Buchan's awful potboiler 'Greenmantle'. Most of them seem to congregating in and around Pop.

Although Bolshevik forces are rumoured to be nearly 20,000 in total in the valley, most of them are demoralised from months of Basmachi attacks and all of them are scattered in penny pocket garrisons throughout the region.  The largest concentration is in the regional capital Andijan. Your intelligence suggest about 10,000 are bottled up there.  A quick decisive hammer-blow campaign should see them all crumble.  Indecision however will allow them to regain their nerve and hence the initiative.

The Bolos are also building  series of showcase engineering projects, centred around a massive dam construction at the city of Pop, the so-called 'Rosa Luxembourg' dam.

Although the Basmachi have proved a very good and sharp thorn in the side of the Bolos, you know from past experience they can be fickle allies.  You can probably count on a couple of hundred core effectives to join your cause therefore, and a huge amount of unreliable hangers ons, motivated solely by the prospect of loot

[marianas_gamer]

Always love the initial briefs Steve    So, Heavenly Horses, the sacred Jaxartes, Czarist gold, the Tree of Life, a dam to bust, prisoners to break out, and an election to rig, what more can one ask?!? ....and what about that Mongolian circus?
Lon

[former user]

can't wait to see the pictures

[Ignatieff]

Always love the initial briefs Steve    So, Heavenly Horses, the sacred Jaxartes, Czarist gold, the Tree of Life, a dam to bust, prisoners to break out, and an election to rig, what more can one ask?!? ....and what about that Mongolian circus?
Lon

Yep, thought I'd low ball it this time.......

[coggon]

Yep, thought I'd low ball it this time.......

 

Yes, low expectations are key old chap.    

Can't wait to see how this turns out