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For those of you playing in modern settings, do you use real world locales, or do you create your own? And for those of you using real world locations, who are the player's adversaries? Terror organizations and extremist groups, drug cartels, foreign militaries, pirates, paramilitary groups, warlords?

Most of my games (though not Recon yet) are in modern or sci-fi settings. I like using real locations for short games. Ythe benefits of real world visual aids like maps, photos, and even Google Earth enhance my games. For longer games, I prefer fictional places like the planet of Tatooine or the nation of Albanistan so that the continuity errors and factual errors are less distracting. As for where specifically, I mix it up a lot. The last campaign I ran was focused on my home county. Otherwise, I have sent players to the bayous of Louisiana, India, the Netherlands, and Antarctica. I am interested in setting a game in Dubai or a fictional equivalent.

As for NPCs, it is tough to beat pirates for pure fun -- either as the heroes or the antagonists.

For modern games I prefer using a mix of actual locations as well as fictional. I try to be a true to the real world as possible, but let's face it, my world geography sucks Sure, I'll send my players into Russia, but unless they're on their way to Moscow or Leningrad, the city is fresh off the top of my head. As for the adversaries I like to use, I'll just say, Yes

I just remembered something. There is a wonderful podcast entitled The Gamer Traveler. It is about exotic and interesting locations all over the real world, as viewed from the perspective of an avid gamer. I have used information from this show twice before when my players traveled to two different cities featured in TGT. Link!

For the guys who incorporate real world locales into their games, do other US military/intelligence services, do you use any real life terror groups? Or do you prefer homebrew organizations?

Dominique wrote:For the guys who incorporate real world locales into their games, do other US military/intelligence services, do you use any real life terror groups? Or do you prefer homebrew organizations?

Sorry to necro here. i tend to use both.

I'm currently playing around with creating fictional African country, Nambia, currently under the dictatorial rule of President for Life Gen. Joseph Otanga. He's fighting an insurgency against his one time ally, Desmond M'Butu. Nambia is a former British colony granted sovereignty in 1966 when the British left, after setting up a pro-British government, which was over-thrown by Soviet back rebels a few years later. Since then it's gone through a series of civil wars, and tin-pot dictators. Gen. Otanga, and his merry band of thugs, came to power in 1989, after a military junta "cleansed" communists from positions of power. While neither the US or the UK really liked him, they turned a blind eye to his activities, as long as he got rid of the communists and allowed allowed US and UK based mining companies the chance to explore for precious metals. I'm still tinkering with the rest.