Basara_549 wrote:I actually ran "Return of the Masters" as a MALCONTENT era adventure - highly modified, of course.
I started off with the Malcontent wars going off on a tangent from the comics version (I loathe the novel version), and the Scavengers and other Malcontent groups turning their attention full-bore of fighting the EBSIS expansion in Africa (which of course, gave the ASC less reason to be directly involved).
One of the things the Scavenger Malcontents developed was a deep-sea-hardened version of the comics' "Stinger" mecha. That, combined with a heavily damaged flagship rebuilt as a drydock (the cannon split becoming the opening margin for the dock), led to their next idea - they called it "Project Argo", after seeing a bad Earthling TV show of 35 years previous. But, since the Yamato was in too bad shape, they opted for something more frightening to the Russians.
They salvaged the hull of the Bismark, fitted it with laser turrets, a mecha bay, the engine section of a salan scout and a bow-mounted heavy laser cannon, then sent it after the Soviet naval fleet. BTW, just for the shock value, they repainted it in its full WWII German Navy paint scheme - even the Zentraedi parts - right down to the swastikas in the fore & after decks.
After a single attack, sinking all of the EBSIS surface naval assets in the Indian Ocean, they disappeared - only to reappear later - fully refitted, and with a synchro-cannon-like gun replacing the laser cannon. Their attitude had changed somewhat as well, and were less hostile towards Earth - however, in their absence, a psycho malcontent that KHyron had though insane had gotten hold of a set of devices originally meant, once fueled, to be used to divert/destroy comets or asteroids that might be discovered on an Earth impact trajectory, and intended to use them on the Factory satellite (and have it come down in a manner as to end human life on the planet). The player's group, which had some personal ties to some of the Scavengers dating to before the Brasilia Massacre, was one of the few groups that believed the threat existed, and the final showdown with the bad guy, after his plan failed, and he escaped on a Salan Cruiser his followers hijacked from the Satellite drydocks, took place on G-95, who had to decide who, if anyone, they should aid (its curiosity first awakened by the odd ship it had upgraded months previously).
Interesting, but I don't like this idea for a number of reasons:
1) Why would the Zentraedi bother to salvage a 70 year old wreck 3 miles down in the Atlantic ocean just for use in the Indian Ocean?
2) How the heck do they know about it, or Nazi insignia? Why do they care?
3) Why would a resource stressed EBSIS bother with an Indian Ocean pressence? Pacific, North Atlantic, Crimean and Mediterranean would be their primary AOR's. Only a small flotilla would be responsible for RedSea/Persion Gulf/Gulf of Hormuz
4) The Soviet Navy (and by extension the EBSIS Navy) has a preference for long range, sea-skimming, supersonic anti-ship cruise missiles, often with nuclear warheads. Such weapons would be capable of hitting your Bismark (or in the case of the nukes exploding just outside it's close defence envelope) from beyond the horizon, where none of those energy weapons could hit. Most EBSIS cruisers would have a dozen or more of these missiles at their disposal.
5) Where did the Zentraedi find the expertiese (yes, expertiese, it's an older technology but it's a highly specific one) to reconstruct a 70 year old battleship and refit it with energy weapons? Where did they find the 2500 micronized Zentraedi with the skill to operate and crew a 70 year old battleship?
Instead I'd use something like a Salan Scout, who's engines have been badly damaged so it can't lift off, but it has enough thrust to manouvre in water.
