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Twilight 2000 - Roleplaying in the Devastation of WWIII - GDW
1st ed. Accessories | 2nd ed. Accessories | La Conquista Campaign Seed | Finnish Accessories

Challenge Magazine Index for Twilight: 2000

Twilight: 2000

The War has raged for years The high-tech ammo is almost gone. High-tech equipment is failing, piece by piece, with no spares to fix it. The front lines are held by a few grim, desperate soldiers.
The US 5th Division holds the line in Poland. Now, a Soviet encirclement has cut it off in a province ruled by ambitious warlords, local militias, and bands of marauding deserters. HQ is 200 klicks to the rear and powerless.
Your last order sets you free...
Good Luck. You're on your own.

In the mid-Eighties, a bold new role playing game was introduced. Twilight: 2000 was perfect for its time: The Reagan Era, when it seemed that conflict was always around the corner for the United States and the Soviet Union. Conflicts had flared up in numerous places during the Cold War, but Europe was always the presumed scene of Armageddon. The designers went with that assumption, but turned it on its head.

"When we first published Twilight: 2000 in 1984, we suggested that a general European war might come not from a Soviet invasion of Europe, but rather from Soviet preoccupation elsewhere [a war with China] coupled with sudden German reunification. While the prospect of German reunification appeared to be a fantasy at the time (and many critics singled it out as a particularly unrealistic aspect of the game), by the time the original second edition was published German Unification was imminent, and it has since become a reality." ...Designer's Notes

Indeed, the game was always running from its shadow. World events tortured the T2 timeline. By the time the second edition was introduced in 1990, the face of Europe had changed, and the Soviet Union was marching into history. The 2nd edition -- blessed with a much-needed re-writing of the rules -- attempted to repair the timeline. But the book had scarcely made it to the publisher, when events had already made the new timeline obsolete. This problem was permanently solved in the 2.2 edition (1993), by fixing a "departure point" from our world's history, a tactic used in the alternate history novels by Harry Turtledove and others. In 1995, as the world was going to war in the game, GDW went out of business.

Twilight: 2000 is far from obsolete. Some fascinating campaign examples show the versatility of the rules system:

A traditional Europe campaign using the 2.2 timeline
Travelling through post-holocaust America... "Howling Wilderness"
A non-WWIII game using the 2nd edition sourcebook Merc: 2000 and additional background from the Millennium's End game.
A historical campaign set during World War II or enmeshed in the Spanish Conquest of the New World.

The fictional world of Twilight: 2000 is carried forward 300 years in GDW's game 2300AD.

There are surprisingly few good web sites devoted to Twilight: 2000. Most are half-built and abandoned.
Paul Mulcahy's Website is one that stands out. It's devoted to all types and sundry T2000 equipment and vehicles. You could spend days examining all the pages.

The Cold War International History Project and The Parallel History Project on NATO and the Warsaw Pact have the kind of information that was impossible to find in the early days of the game: Actual Warsaw Pact strategy documents, battle maps, operational plans, war games, and much more.

Related games in Espionage/Military | Post-Holocaust

Twilight: 2000 (1st edition)

This was my first non-fantasy RPG, and holds a place near and dear to my heart. Even if the rules seem a little clunky now, it was leagues ahead of other military RPGs of the time. (See Delta Force)

Far Future Enterprises, the current owner of the Twilight: 2000 trademarks, has reprinted the 1st edition - including the first 4 modules - into a large book. The reprint book also contains valuable printing data for the collector.

The 2003 reprint has some fascinating background details of the history of the game (and is the source of some of the printing data you see here). But the original box set is more playable in my opinion. As a referee, I prefer the smaller staple-bound booklets to large perfect-bound (square spine) rule books... easier to work out of the booklets which lay flat on a table.

Printing notes: There are several distinct printings. According to the 1st edition reprint book, Twilight 2000 was released Thanksgiving, November 26, 1984. "The initial Twilight: 2000 print run of 10,635 was exhausted by March [1985] and another print run of 10,000 was ordered for April."

Most sets have an errata sheet in the back, which is a handy way to date the sets:
* smaller, quarter-sheet errata slip dated 21 November 1984 (seen one)
* smaller, quarter-sheet errata slip dated 25 November 1984 (not common)
* full-sheet errata page dated 2/15/85 (less common)
* full-sheet errata page dated 8/8/85 (most common)
* full-sheet errata page dated January 1, 1990 (not common)
A later printing appears, with an ISBN/UPC (086079005009) on the box, with no other discernable differences. I believe this to be 1986, when GDW began putting these details on their box sets. The errata has not been incorporated into the text. In fact, the 2003 FFE reprint still has all the errors.

The 1st edition is normally found in its original box, but sometimes loose books are sold as well. A full set should include:
* Play Manual (24 pages)
* Referee's Manual (32 pages)
* Players' Charts
* Referee's Charts
* Equipment List (12 pages)
* Price List
* Beginning Adventure: Escape From Kalisz
* Adventure Handout: Escape From Kalisz
* Intelligence Briefing
* Campaign Map (Poland)
* Character worksheets and record sheets

-Wayne

1984 ... GDW 500 ... ISBN 0943580501
Print Run = 97,518 Units
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2003 ... FFE 2001 ... ISBN 1558782273
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Twilight: 2000, 2nd edition

Twilight: 2000 quickly became one of GDW's core products, with many modules and supplements published. The basic timeline of the game was badly out of date by 1990, the year of this 2nd edition listing. The rewrite also incorporated numerous rule changes, streamlining play. 1st edition modules and supplements were always very "rules light" -- They can be used with 2nd edition with little revision.

According to the promo sheet in the Twilight Encounters set, the 2nd Edition Twilight 2000 book was going to be a "288-page, trade paperback with two fold-out maps, perforated charts in the back, and 16 pages of full color." None of this actually made it into the final book.

-Wayne

(Box set contents: * 280 page rules book. * 2 large, full-color tactical maps. * 10 encounter cards [each a complete mini-adventure]. * 2 sheets of over 200 game markers.)

1990 ... Frank Chadwick ... 280 pages ... GDW 2000/2001 ... ISBN 155878070X/1558780718
Print Run = 32,180 Units
V2.0 Boxed Set = 5,240

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Twilight: 2000, Version 2.2
"What is Version 2.2?

How is this book you are holding different from the previous printings of Twilight: 2000 2nd Edition? Do you have to buy it if you already have 2nd Edition Twilight?
No, you don't have to buy it. Twilight: 2000 2nd Edition works fine the way it is. However, Version 2.2 introduces a number of changes to make Twilight: 2000 fully compatible with the new Traveller: The New Era, and you may want to know what these changes are.
• First, 2.2 takes Twilight from the D10-based combat and task resolution system to the new D20 system. The D20 system allows greater detail in task resolution because the larger number of die roll results allow the number of difficulty levels to be increased from three to five. This update is fully detailed in the Twilight: 2000/Merc: 2000 Referee's Screen. If you already have the screen, you know how to convert from the D10 system to the D20 system. In addition to incorporating these changes into the rules, the combat rules have been reorganized for greater clarity (see the Combat rules, pages 194 to 223).
• Second, the Initiative and turn sequence system has been modified for simplicity and speed of play. Rather than having six five-second phases within a 30-second turn, the five-second increments are now called turns, with no intermediate 30-second step (again, see the Combat rules).
• Character generation has been modified to provide more-skilled characters, and some of the skill names have been changed to make them correspond to Traveller (see Character Generation, pages 16 to 44),
• Numerous other evolutionary improvements have also been incorporated, including all errata. The vehicle data cards are updated and more detailed to show current information and new vehicle variants, and have additional data to make them more useful, including all-new amphibious ratings for all amphibious vehicles, reactive armor, etc. The revised recoil ratings for automatic and semiautomatic weapons from the Referee's Screen have also been incorporated into the weapons listings.
• Traveller players will find that the changes in this edition make all Twilight: 2000 vehicles fully compatible with Traveller, providing a representative set of Tech Level 8 combat vehicles ready for use. These changes include the new D20-system ratings for fire control systems and target size classifications.
With all of these improvements fully incorporated into the basic rules, Version 2.2 is up-to-the-minute, state-of-the-art Twilight: 2000."
-from the Introduction

Version 2.2 was the last version of the game, and minor rule changes polished-off an already superior product. It also tweaked the timeline one last time, setting it as an "Alternate History" to prevent obsolescence. Version 2.2 has the same ISBN (book ID number) and GDW item number as the 2.0 book, but is more rare.

Though the 2.2 edition was available in a boxed set, they are insanely rare. However, it is redundant, except to the most completist of collectors. The 2.2 box set is essentially identical to the 2.0 box set, the differences being a foil sticker on the box cover and a 2.2 book inside (of course).

Dark Conspiracy and Traveller: The New Era - other GDW games - use the same rules set... the GDW "House System" There's no learning curve. One can switch back-and-forth between the games. Even if one isn't interested in the other games, each has a mine of high-tech equipment ready to spice-up a Twilight: 2000 game.

-Wayne

1993 ... 280 pages ... GDW 2000 ... ISBN 155878070X
Print Run = 7,757

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Last Battle [BOX SET]
"WORLD WAR III:
Every nation of Earth has been drawn into a global contest. What is different this time is the sophisticated technology of the tanks, aircraft, personal weapons, and particularly the nuclear missiles.
Last Battle is the ultimate simulation of immediate post-holocaust warfare. Tattered remnants of armies fight for survival in war-ravaged Europe. Cities have been leveled; entire armies have been destroyed; governments have fallen. Small groups of soldiers, separated from their chain of command and supply lines, rely on training and what remains of their sophisticated weapons to fight the last battle.

SPECIAL RULES:
• Detailed Vehicle Damage
• Armored Vehicles
• Soft-Skinned Vehicles
• Leadership and Cohesion Rules

TWO DISTINCT GAMES:
• A system for resolving combat in the role-playing game Twilight: 2000.
• A stand-alone boardgame.
As a Twilight: 2000 boardgame, Last Battle quickens vehicle and troop combat resolution while preserving the detail and flavor which has made the role-playing game so popular. As a complete, stand-alone boardgame, Last Battle is the ultimate simulation of immediate post-holocaust warfare."

COMPONENTS:
• 252 small counters • 21 medium counters • 30 large counters • Rules book • Scenarios Book • 64 Vehicle cards • 6 geomorphic maps

There are only 24 unique vehicle cards. The rest are duplicates.
-Wayne

1989 ... Tim Ryan ... GDW 0551 ... ISBN 1558780173
Print Run = 8,063 Units

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Twilight Encounters [BOX SET]
This is basically a 2nd Edition box set, minus the 2nd Edition rulebook.

"Twilight Encounters is designed to put pregenerated adventures into the hands of the referee for immediate use, and to make resolving encounters easier and more enjoyable. Twilight Encounters contains a revision and expansion of the encounter system and also includes a sneak preview of the second edition Twilight: 2000 combat system.
The expanded encounter system will greatly increase the depth and diversity of random encounters in Twilight: 2000. The revised combat rules, in conjunction with the new tactical maps and playing markers, will make resolution of the combat part of encounters easier as well.

ENCOUNTER CARDS:
Twilight Encounters includes 10 pregenerated adventure encounters in the form of four folios and six adventure cards. Each contains the following information:
Background: This section provides you with different ways of getting your players into the encounter. Since campaigns are set in different locales, we have tried to make the lead-in to the encounter as adaptable as possible.
Approach: How do the characters arrive in the area of the encounter? Whatdothey see when they get there? What obstacles or hazards do they have to overcome?
The Map: A color map of the encounter area is provided. Actual playing areas have a tactical grid superimposed to both regularize and facilitate movement and combat.
Map Description: This is an elaborate map key, with an area-by-area description of what the referee and players need to know about the encounter area.
NPCs: This section describes the NPC allies and adversaries — their weapons, skills, attitudes, and likely actions during the encounter.

COMPONENTS:
• 48 page rule booklet • 2 large, full-color, tactical encounter maps • 4 encounter portfolios • 6 encounter cards • 2 sheets of game markers"

1990 ... Frank Chadwick ... GDW 0552 ... ISBN 1558780521
Print Run = 6,030 Units

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Twilight 2000 PC Game
CONTENTS: • 80 page manual • 14 page manual addendum • fold-out map • 5 3.5" floppy discs.

"Twilight: 2000 thrusts you into a dark but realistic vision of the aftermath of World War III. Radiation, famine, and disease are rampant. The only luxury is survival itself.

The year is 2000...
Poland has been a battlefield for three years, devastated by the brutal charges, frantic retreats and merciless tactics of Warsaw Pact and NATO forces. Left in the wake of the destruction are stockpiles of weaponry, explosives and military vehicles.
You and your squadron survived the initial, global holocaust. Now you face an even tougher challenge: to establish allies, gain territory and defeat an onslaught of marauders and military madmen determined to win a war the rest world lost.

• Control only one character, while commanding a squadron of 20 — a realistic test of your political and leadership skills. Each member of your team has his or her own motivations, each responds to orders according to his or her values and moral code.
• Your character, and those you command, change with each new game. Over 50 attributes and skills; over 60 career options.
• Movement in military vehicles is presented in detailed 3-D. Actions outside vehicles are shown in overhead views with all graphics scaled to size.
• Combat sequences allow each character to act independently. Success depends on the character's abilities instead of the player's joystick skills — leaving the player free to plan strategy and tactics.
• Numerous weapons and vehicles available."

1991 ... Paragon Software ... MS-DOS

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Challenge Magazine Index for Twilight: 2000

Challenge Magazine was published by GDW before its demise (1995). The magazine supported the science fiction gaming community with articles written for a multitude of RPG systems. The following articles are listed by issue number & title:

I# Title
25 The Baltic Coast: A Looter's Guide
25 What do We Do Now?
25 False Knight on the Road
25 Ref's Notes: On the Use of NPCs
25 Twilight Miniatures Rules
26 Twilight: 2000 Air Module
26 Ref's Notes: Flow Charts for manageable Campaigns Steven Sowards
26 Equipment List: VAB APC and ERC-90 Armored Car
27 The Mexican Army: 1998-2000
27 The Inland Waterway: Supplementary Material for
Twilight: 2000
27 Target: 2000, The Hit List for WWII
27 Twilight: 2000 Consolidated Price List
28 Air Module II
28 Wilderness Travel and Pursuit
28 Ultralights: A Closer Look
29 Weather
29 Inside an M1
29 Buildings: Optional Rules for Urban Locales
29 Equipment List
OT-64, T-72, BMP-B, AAVP9, Scorpion Mk 2/90
30 Shell Game
30 Canada: 2000
30 Equipment List
31 USSR: 2000
31 Combat Examples
32 Equipment for Armor Crews
32 Native Canadian Ranger Regiment
32 Small Patrol Craft
33 Haute Cuisine a la 2000
33 Equipment List
33 USSR: 2000, Part II: The Hit List
33 Twilight Survey
34 Mobile Artillery -- Mortars
34 The Compleat NPC
36 Red Maple
36 Equipment for Armor Crews
37 Tyger, Tyger, Burning Bright
38 Umpiring Twilight
38 Military Electronics in Twilight
38 Equipment List
39 Rifle River
40 Heavy Weapons Guide Preview
40 The Stoner 63 Weapon System
41 The Village
42 A Rock in Troubled Waters
43 Sheltie Holiday
44 Crossburn
44 Falling Fragments of a Dream
45 Twilight II: The Adventure Continues
45 BAGS: Body Armor Generation System
46 Attack of the Mud Men
47 Our Friend Albania
47 Used Car Lot
48 Barbados
48 Strangers in A Strange Land
48 Infantry Weapons Special Preview
49 Pennsylvania Crude
49 HOW TO: Obtain Maps for Gaming
50 If You Go Into the Woods Today
50 Water Rights
51 Black Siberia
51 Standard Operating Procedures
52 Going on Safari
53 Naval Rules for Twilight: 2000
53 New Equipment
54 Seeing is Believing
54 Terror in the Jungle (Merc: 2000)
55 New Vehicles
55 Jumpy Jehosophat (Merc: 2000)
56 Lima Incident
56 Taking a Stand in Kurdistan (Merc: 2000)
57 Westward Ho!
57 Murphy's Laws of Combat (Merc: 2000)
58 A Little Recon Mission
58 Silence is Golden (Merc: 2000)
59 A Question of Identity
59.5 Surprise Party (Merc: 2000)
60 Sailing
60 One Night in the City (Merc: 2000)
61 Spooktek
61 Murder Century
62 Spectres in the Sky
62 Things Got Weirder
63 Dark Angel of the Night (Merc: 2000)
63 Battlesight Zero
64 Handgun Alternatives
64 Ship Shape (Merc: 2000)
65 It Was Unlikely...
65 Terror in the Light
66 Achtung! Minen!
66 Yearning for Antiquity
67 Operation Boomerang
67 All that Glitters
68 Poppies
68 Rolf MacKenzie
69 Avery's Raiders
69 Operation: Point Man
70 Runners
70 Goodrich Hill
71 Tools of the Trade
71 Goin' Up the Country
72 Infantry Weapons
72 Sabre Ratling
73 Crazy Horse
73 Altruistic Motives
74 Damsel (Merc: 2000)
74 Private Charter (Merc: 2000)
76 Babysitters
76 ID/D Aeroweapons
77 The Rocket's Red Glare
77 German Combat Equipment

The Twilight: 2000 game in all forms is owned by Far Future Enterprises. Copyright 1977 - 1998 Far Future Enterprises. Twilight: 2000 is a registered trademark of Far Future Enterprises.

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