Bridge building

Now that the war is over…Rebuilding

Introduction. This module presents a mechanism for undertaking longer-term

rebuilding projects, which can form an ongoing story arc. Specifically, it covers
reconstruction of permanent bridges. It provides a simple means of classifying rivers in
terms of width and depth, which can also be used as part of day-to-day travel of a PC
party.
BY Phil Smith

™ & © 2021 GDW and Fria Ligan AB. Used with permission under the Community Content Agreement for Free
League Workshop. All rights reserved.
All photographs: © 1997 the author
Twilight:2000 is a game of military combat, and a game of cannot be obtained, the plan (design) may need to be
survival. It can also be a game of rebuilding. changed.
Fixing a broken-down vehicle may be something that
can be resolved with a single skill roll, but rebuilding the 4: Implementation
trappings of civilisation deserves something more, and can Once you have the design, and the tools and materials
be an ongoing story arc. needed to implement it, it’s time to build.
This module provides a basis for running a major
reconstruction project; specifically, (re-)building a bridge. This module applies this methodology to bridge
However, the basic approach of a multi-stage project, each building.
requiring personnel, skills, materials and time to complete, It looks first at rivers and how to classify them in game
could be readily extended to other reconstruction projects. terms. Then it addresses bridge classification in game
Now that the war is over. terms.
It then provides details of each of the 4 steps required
to build a permanent bridge.
Rebuilding projects
Rebuilding projects are activities that will generally take
many weeks or months. Resolving them as a simple task
roll fails to reflect the complexity or the dramatic potential
for such activities.

A rebuilding project provides the basis for an ongoing

mini-campaign, with a group of player characters taking
charge of the project, for the benefit of the community they
are part of. Now that the war is over.

A rebuilding project should be broken down into four

steps:
1. Reconnaissance
2. Planning
3. Resourcing
4. Implementation

1: Reconnaissance
Having determined that some form of rebuild or civic
improvement is needed, the first step is to gather
information on what is needed, and on the environment in
which it is to be built, including what loads it may be
subjected to.

2: Planning
Having worked out what is wanted, and what the input
parameters are, then the design solution can be worked
out.

3: Resourcing
Possibly running hand-in-hand with step 2, the
materials, equipment and labour needed to undertake the
project have to be located and assembled. If key elements

2
 River depth
For game purposes, all rivers fall into one of four depth
Rivers classifications:
While bridges are built over a variety of obstacles, most
commonly, they are used to cross rivers.
River Depth

Before considering the stages involved in bridging a Class Approx. max. depth (m) Fordable?
river, it is therefore necessary to establish how rivers are D 0.6 All safe
classified, in game terms. C 1.2 With Prep (H)
B 3 Swim (H)
A >3 Swim (H)
NOTE: Free League have announced that one of
the first three expansion modulus for Twilight:2000 will (H) indicates Hazardous
concern rivers. This text may therefore be superseded
once the official river module is published. The listed approximate maximum depth does not exclude
the possibility of locally deeper areas due to scour hollows,
Rivers vary considerably in width depth and flow, and incised channels, etc.
these factors will affect how easy or hard it is to bridge the
waterway. The first consideration then is how to classify Waterways or water features with very deep water
rivers. (fjords, lochs, open sea, etc.), where there is no risk of
For game purposes, rivers are clasified acording to grounding, but also no feasible way to construct on the bed
approximate width and depth. A particularly fast flowing within the confines of the Twilight:2000 setting can be
river could be represented by increasing its depth classified as ‘U’.
classification.
A Depth D river can (generally) be forded by people
and animals on foot, and any vehicle, without hazard.
River width
For game purposes, all rivers fall into one of five width A Depth C river can (generally) be forded by people
classifications: and animals on foot, but this is hazardous. The river can
be forded by any vehicle, again, this is hazardous. Vehicles
equipped for deep wading or that are amphibious require
River Width 10 minutes preparation time; other vehicles require an
hour’s preparation.
Class Approximate maximum width (m)
D 10
C 25 A Depth B river cannot be forded by people and
B 50 animals on foot, or any vehicle. The river can be swum by
A 100
U >100 people/animals, and also be amphibious vehicles. This is
hazardous.
A ‘U’ class river represents a major river where the width
should be based on the real world river width. A Depth A river cannot be forded by people and
animals on foot, or any vehicle. The river can be swum by
people/animals, and also be amphibious vehicles. This is
hazardous.

Fording or swimming a river

In general, crossing smaller rivers, whether by existing
bridge or a ford, can be assumed to be included in normal
travel. However, there may be occasion when the crossing
of a waterway becomes a key dramatic point. At that point,

3
the width and depth of the waterway become relevant Navigation along a river
factors. The river depth table shows whether a river is The same river depth classification can also be used (until
fordable or not. the official river module is released) to deal with travel
If a river is noted as ‘all safe’ under ‘fordable?’, then it along a river.
can be crossed with no specific difficulty (no skill check Any water vessel should be rated for its safe navigable
needed). water depth (by river depth class). A vessel may safely
If ‘fordable?’ is noted as hazardous, a specific (driving) navigate that depth of water or greater. A vessel may
skill check is required. Failure will generally result in being navigate a waterway that is one classification lower, but
washed a little way downstream, loss of equipment, or this becomes hazardous. A vessel may not travel along a
bogging / swamping of the vehicle due to a local scour waterway that is 2 or more classifications lower.
hollow or incised channel.
If the attempt is pushed, and is still failed, a potential Water vessel navigation capability
serious problem occurs (swept away/risk of drowning,
Draft Safe Navigation Hazardous Navigation
vehicle is flooded or topples over with threat to life, etc.).
C C D
B B C
Crossing ‘on foot’: A A B
U --- A
STR + Stamina (+Diver if swimming)

Crossing by vehicle:
Note that the draft rating for any vessel is equivalent to a
AGL + Driving (+Biker, Racer or Tanker, as
river depth about x1.5 to x2 the actual loaded draft,
appropriate for the vehicle).
reflecting the fact that the river classification gives the
approximate maximum depth, and shallower stretches of
the river may be encountered. Deep and very deep draft
Modifiers for river width
vessels (i.e. anything over about 4m) and deep water
Class modifier channels are probably outside what will be encountered in
D +1 (Bonus) a Twilight:2000 setting, but in any event are outside this
C 0
B -1 (Penalty) system (i.e. you can’t rate a Nimitz-class aircraft carrier as
A -2 ‘U’ and then claim to sail it up the River Vistula).
U -3

The ability to navigate along a river is affected by both

Prior preparation (for example, if swimming, safety line
the river and the vessel being used. Assuming that no other
erected; if fording, entrance and exit prepared): +1.
hazards to navigation are present, travelling along a river
in a boat involves travelling at the speed of the vessel.
If the combination of vessel draft and river depth gives
safe navigation, then the vessel moves at listed speed, and
any driving task rolls are at +2 (as per players’ manual,
page 138, Terrain types table): Each shift, a driving roll
needs to be made, with +2 bonus.
If navigation is shown to be hazardous, it means that
the navigable channel is barely sufficient for the vessel,
and grounding is likely. Travel is subject to a terrain speed
factor of x1/3. Each shift, a driving roll need to be made,
and the +2 bonus does NOT apply. For man-powered
vessels (kayaks, rafts, etc.), the terrain speed factor is
x1/2.
Class D depth: A safe ford

If a mishap occurs, consult the normal travel mishap

table, with the following changes:

4
 2: Broken Axle: Grounded and holed. The bottom has If using this system for navigating along a river, it is
been ripped out of the boat; therefore suggested that the width and depth of a river is
6: Grounded, without damage specified for each terrain hex it passes through.
7: If the referee considers the main channel to be Determining the width of a river can be achieved from
obvious, treat as grounded. Otherwise, (for example, a good topographic map of the area, or from on-line free
complex channel network), apply as normal satellite image software.
10: Grounded, without damage Determining the depth of a river is more difficult: some
11: Grounded, with damage to hull nations have organisations that deal with inland waters and
publish this data, otherwise, it has to be estimated
For man-powered vessels, results of 4, 5, 9, 10, 12 (according to common sense and dramatic necessity).
become ‘no mishap’. Waterways that are maintained for commercial navigation
will generally be depth A or B.
Note that road block represents a debris blocked river For the principal European waterways, navigable
– this may require a driver skill to navigate through a depth can be determined from:
hazardous path, work to clear the channel, or be [Link]
completely impenetrable short of explosive demolition, at
the referee’s discretion. It will generally be possible to
portage light boats over land around the obstruction, at the
expense of some time. Example vessels

Waterways are convenient transport routes, and often Draft C

have settlements along them, so travelling along a  Combat Support Boat (UK)
waterway may be treated as travel by road for the purposes  CB90 (Sweden)
on encounters, at the referee’s discretion.  PBR (vietnam era) (USA)
Draft B
 LCM-8 (US)
Tidal and seasonal variability  OSA class missile boat (Soviet/Warsaw Pact)
The classification of a river in terms of width and depth is a  River passenger catamaran
‘spot’ value: in reality, rivers can vary in both, according to Draft A
the season, and also if tidal. For example, rivers that flow  Hunt Class minesweeper (UK)
out of mountain ranges can be shallow streams occupying  Tarantul class corvette (Soviet/Warsaw Pact)
a fraction of the river bed prior to snow melt, but become  Small motor cargo (river) vessels
deep and wide torrents when carrying the melt water. Draft U
The referee should allow for this to whatever extent  Large motor cargo (river) vessels
she sees fit; for example, the player characters may seek
*Man-powered vessels (Kayaks, rafts, etc) are all
to design the bridge for the worst case, but aim to build it
considered to ahave a Draft rating of C.
when the river is at its minimum.
Determining river statistics
The width and depth classifications are intended primarily
to enable a ‘point description’ of a river at a potential bridge
site. However, they can clearly be applied to describe a
stretch of river.
In reality, even the mightiest river tends to start as a
rivulet emerging from a hill side somewhere, so it is not
likely that a single width and depth classification can be
applied to a river for its entire length.

5
 Resilience
A resilience check is made using 2 dice – one for the
Bridges current bridge strength, one for the current bridge
Bridges are for game purposes classified in terms of resilience.
Strength and Resilience, each of which is rated from A If the check is passed (any number of successes) the
(best) to D (worst). bridge does not degrade / suffer damage. If the check is
Strength represents how well the bridge can carry its failed, the bridge is degraded: reduce the highest of the
design load. Resilient represents a ‘wear condition’, how bridge’s strength and resilience scores by 1 step (reduce
badly it has degraded due to overload, age, etc., and how resilience if both attribute are currently the same).
resistant to such degradation it is. If resilience is reduce to less than ‘D’, future checks
are made with only the strength dice; if strength is reduced
to less than ‘D’, the bridge collapses.
Strength
Bridges are classified according to the load class of the
Resilience checks are made under the following
maximum weight of vehicle (object) that the bridge can
conditions:
carry (see section on bridge design that follows).
Whenever the bridge is subject to an overload
A bridge rated as Strength A:
condition.
Can carry up to 1 vehicle of a load class higher than
After each year, on the anniversary of its
the design load.
construction*.
Can carry any number of loads up to the design class
After any extreme weather or environmental event
(i.e. nose-to-tail traffic).
(severe storm, earthquake, etc.).
A bridge rated as Strength B:
Any other factor that the referee wishes to apply.
Can carry multiple loads of the design class, if spread
out (‘convoy spacing’).
*If the bridge is subject to effective periodic
Can carry any number of lower class loads (nose to
maintenance, the resilience dice has +1 (advantage);
tail).
*if the environment is considered to be particularly
A bridge rated as Strength C:
hostile (marine/tidal, extreme flow variation for example
Can carry a maximum of 1 load of design load class
due to snow melt), the resilience dice has -1
on the bridge at any one time.
(disadvantage).
Can carry multiple loads of one class lower than the
design class, if spread out (‘convoy spacing’).
Can carry any number of loads of two or more classes
lower than the design class (nose to tail).
A bridge rated as Strength D:
As Strength C, but the design load class is treated as
being 1 class lower than the intended design class (for
example, a bridge designed to be class 40 that has
strength ‘D’ is in effect a class 10 structure)..

Overload
A bridge can be overloaded by 1 ‘step’ as detailed above
(for example, nose-to-tail loading by the design class on a
strength B bridge), but must make a resilience check.
A bridge that is overloaded by 2 or more ‘steps’ as detailed
above collapses.

6
 assume that the intention is to produce a permanent bridge
that will be of ongoing use to the civilian community.
Bridge Building However, the rules can also serve to enable player
characters to construct a ‘temporary’ bridge, designed to
This section details the process for building a permanent
be adequate to get them over a river obstacle, but with no
bridge across a water obstruction. Permanent in this sense
requirement for it to be a long-lasting structure. In this later
indicates an intended design life of several years/decades,
case, the bridge can be a hasty design.
with a structure that is not designed to be taken apart and
reused elsewhere (i.e. not a Medium Girder Bridge, Bailey
For a hasty design:
Bridge, or similar, not a vehicle laid military bridge)
Stage 1a is not required / provides no benefit.
Stage 2a primary design is fast.
Notation
Stage 2b secondary design is not required / provides no
A ‘Fast’ task takes half the standard listed time. benefit.
A ‘Slow’ task takes twice the standard listed time Stage 3 material gathering is fast.
An ‘Optional’ task need not be undertaken, but if omitted, As-built resilience is always ‘D’.
there may be negative consequences.

All stages of the work must be completed in order (Yes,

Stage 1 Reconnaissance: Site Investigation.
gathering of materials could strictly start before design is
This involves establishing the geological and hydrological
finalised, but for simplicity, every stage should be done in
conditions at the site, and selecting the best crossing point.
order).
The Site investigation stage consists of two sub-
stages.
The Engineer:
If the player group is engaged in a significant
The Engineer is a role, and indicates the person who, at
rebuilding project, it is likely that they are working with the
any particular stage of the work, is controlling the process.
local community, who will have some knowledge of the site
The person undertaking the role can change from stage to
conditions (such as how often the river floods, etc.), which
stage of the works.
will be of use.
If the Engineer has Scientist or Civil Engineer (see below),
they gain +1 advantage to all Bridge building tasks rolls (i.e.
tasks requiring The Engineer). Stage 1a: Background investigation (optional).
Before the war, the world was quite well recorded, with
The Engineer’s assistant(s): geological maps, technical memoirs, statistics on river
Any character with Civil Engineer, Scientist or logistics levels, etc. If this information can be found, then it would
specialty can act as an Assistant to the Engineer for some provide useful input data. This element of the investigation
tasks. thus breaks into two parts: finding the information, and
analysing it.
New specialties In the world of Twilight:2000, the players cannot rely
on being able to visit the local library. However, not every
For a campaign centred on rebuilding, an additional
library has been destroyed in the flames of the apocalypse.
specialty beyond those defined in the Players Manual is
Published information can be obtained from specialist
appropriate:
libraries (Natural History or Geology museums; higher
Civil Engineer.
education facilities that teach civil engineering, geology or
mining), and may be available from local history museums
Civil Engineer is a TECH speciality, available to Education
(if the area has particular mining heritage, for example). It
(Sciences) and White Collar (Professional or managerial).
may also be found in consulting engineering offices
(generally only present in mediums sized towns or larger).
Hasty Design
Finding the data may be a mission in itself, or might be
The bridge building rules herein are intended to enable combined with some other scavenger hunt. Once the data
player characters to assist in reconstruction efforts, and so

7
is obtained, it will generally be suitable and available for all
building projects in the general area (travel hex). Stage 1b The Physical Investigation.
While a review of what has been published can tell the
Finding the data: Engineer the general properties of the region, the site-
Personnel: specific conditions require site-specific investigation. Since
The Engineer, or Engineer’s assistant, plus whatever other any building placed on the ground must have foundations
personnel are needed to escort her. in the ground, intrusive investigations techniques such as
trial pits and boreholes, are important. Failing to undertake
Equipment: an investigation does not prevent the design and
Whatever is needed for the expedition. construction proceeding, but imperils the project.
The physical investigation requires the Engineer, and
Time: one or more investigation teams. If sufficient equipment
However long the referee wants it to take. and suitable personnel are available, multiple teams can
be employed on an investigation to shorten the overall
If and when suitable background information and time. However, the total time of the investigation cannot be
publications have been acquired, the data can be reduced to less than one quarter that listed.
reviewed. It is assumed that the investigation as a minimum is
carried out using hand excavation tools.
Analysing the data:
Personnel: Personnel:
The Engineer or Engineer’s assistant. The Engineer.
Work crew (2 labourers/drivers/rig operators) per team
Equipment:
The desk study information acquired. Equipment:
Hand excavation tools (picks, shovels, Hand auger).
Time: Mechanical excavators (JCB type back-actor) (Optional)

2 shifts. Borehole drilling rig (Optional)

Task roll: Time:

INT + TECH. Depends on length of bridge (width of river) and depth of
river.
If the Engineer has desk study data and local people to
Duration of intrusive investigations
provide anecdotal information, +1 (advantage) to INT.
If just paper records, no modifiers. Width Shifts required
If just local peoples’ knowledge (no records), -1 D 4
(disadvantage) to both the INT and the Tech dice. C 8
B 14
If no paper records and no local knowledge, task cannot be A 22
attempted. U 40
May NOT be pushed.
SLOW if only hand tools are available.
Task is slow if the engineer does need speak (read) the FAST if a mechanical excavator is used
language the data is written in (numbers and units are (Normal speed if a drilling rig is used)
‘international’, so some understanding is still possible).
Task roll:
Not required/allowed for Hasty Design. INT + TECH.
Modifier:
Effect: +0 modifier if a mechanical excavator is used (that is, Zero
Resilience reduced if not successfully completed. modifier)
+3 if a drilling rig is used.

8
-1 modifier if the river is deeper than ‘D’ and the river is Stage 2 Planning: Design.
width B or A, and a boat is not available. This is when the engineering design of the new structure
-3 modifier if the river is deeper than ‘D’ and the river is takes place.
width U and a boat is not available. The Engineer has first to decide what load class the
bridge is to be constructed for. The load class indicates the
The boat must be capable of carrying the machinery used maximum weight of vehicle (in tonnes) that can be on the
for the investigation. bridge at any one time.

May NOT be pushed.

Bridge Load class
Effect: Load
Description
Bonus to primarily design; bonus to construction. Class
Narrow footbridge, for pedestrians and pack animals.
1 Suitable for bicycles and motorcycles too. Not suitable
for wider vehicles.
Narrow vehicle carriageway, suitable for any animal
10 drawn transport, motor cars, pick-ups and light trucks
(can carry light armoured vehicles if within weight)
A single, full width highway carriage, suitable for
(almost) any civilian vehicle. Wide enough for any
40
military vehicle, but MBTs or other heavy vehicles will
overload the bridge.
A single, full width highway carriage, suitable for any
95 traffic. Load class required if the bridge is to be built as
a railway bridge.

Note that all bridges are assumed to be single-lane

bridges; traffic will be sparse, so there is no need for a twin-
lane structure.

Stage 1b Intrusive Investigations: a drilling rig at work The design process consists of two stages: Primary
and secondary. Primary design accounts for the basic
function of the bridge. Secondary design allows for a
variety of additional loadings that may occur (strong winds,
debris or ice in the river, earthquakes, etc.).
Primary design is compulsory.
Secondary design is optional.

Stage 2a Primary design.

The engineering design necessary to come up with a
functional bridge deign.

Personnel:
The Engineer.
The Engineers assistant (optional)

The Engineer’s assistant(s) can carry out up to half of the

total design work, if such assistants are available. The Skill
check is still made against the Engineer’s skill/specialty.

Equipment:
None major (pencils, paper, etc.).

9
Time:
Based on river width to be bridged: Task roll:
Width D: 6 shifts; INT + TECH (Civil Engineer provides advantage; but
Width C: 8 shifts; scientist does not).
Width B: 10 shifts; Modifiers:
Width A: 12 shifts; +2 advantage and becomes FAST if a working
Width U: 20 shifts. programmable electronic computer is available

Task roll: May NOT be pushed.

INT + TECH.
Modifiers: Not required/allowed for Hasty Design.
+2 advantage if the intrusive site investigation (stage 1b)
was successful (obtained any number of successes) Effect:
+2 advantage and becomes FAST if a working Failure (or not undertaken): Resilience is reduced by 1
programmable electronic computer is available. step;
Success (with any number of successes) Bridge strength
Fast if Hasty Design. is increased by 1 step (e.g. if the primary design produces
a result of Strength C, a successful secondary load case
May NOT be pushed. design increases this to Bridge Strength is B).

Effect:
Failure: Bridge Strength as built will be D;
Success (with 1 or 2 successes), Bridge Strength as built
is C; Success (with 3 or 4 successes), Bridge Strength as
built is B.

Stage 2b Secondary design (OPTIONAL).

The additional work needed to make a robust and long
lasting design. The Engineer can choose to omit this work
if they have insufficient time (or are just lazy).

Personnel:
The Engineer.
The Engineers assistant (optional)

The Engineer’s assistant(s) can carry out up to half of the

total design work, if such assistants are available. The Skill
check is still made against the Engineer’s skill/specialty.

Equipment:
None major (pencils, paper, etc.).

Time:
Based on river width to be bridged:
Width D: 3 shifts;
Width C: 4 shifts;
Width B: 5 shifts;
Width A: 6 shifts;
Width U: 10 shifts.

10
Stage 3 Resourcing. Materials:
This is when materials, equipment, plant and manpower No particular material is assumed for the bridge.
needed to build the bridge need to be located and gathered Making concrete requires cement, and making cement in
in. energy intensive. In the T2K world, mortar for brickwork is
The time required to gather materials depends on the likely to be traditional lime mortars, and is potentially
nature of the surrounding terrain. obtainable. However, cement for concrete making (other
than in the few areas where natural Pozzolans exist, as
It takes 240 man-days to gather materials for a D- used by the Romans) is not likely to be available. Thus new
width bridge concrete structures are not likely to be practical.
It takes 320 man-days to gather materials for a C- Steel or iron is also likely to be hard to source, though
width bridge recycled materials from derelict or destroyed structures
It takes 400 man-days to gather materials for a B-width would be obtainable.
bridge Bricks (using recovered bricks from the plentiful destroyed
It takes 480 man-days to gather materials for a A-width structures, with lime mortar) will be a viable construction
bridge option. Stonework could be used, if there is a suitable
It takes at least 560 man-days to gather materials for quarry site or source of recovered stone, though fewer
a U-width bridge individuals skilled in stone masonry are likely to be around.
Timber is likely to be the most practical and obtainable
If the bridge is Class 1, reduce the above to 1/3 the construction material.
time listed Regardless, it is assumed that some suitable material or
If the bridge is Class 10, reduce the above to 2/3 the materials can be located
time listed
If the bridge is Class 40, use as is
If the bridge is Class 95, double the above times.

If the bridge is located in / on a hex side of a woodland

terrain hex, halve the above times (Cumulative with bridge
load class modifications).

If the design is hasty, halve the listed times

(cumulative with other modifiers) (less time spent ‘finishing’
the materials).

1 day indicates 2 6-hour shifts (including at least 10

hours actual work).

The above assumes that materials will be gathered by

man power plus animal transport (pack animals or animal-
drawn carts). If motor vehicles are available to transport
materials, the task becomes FAST. If all materials need to
be carried by hand (manual labour, no pack/draft animals),
the task becomes SLOW.

11
Stage 4 Implementation: Building. It should also be noted that bridge building is likely to be
And finally, this is when the bridge is actually built labour intensive for a community, and at certain times of
year (particularly spring planting and autumn harvest),
Construction time depends on the width of the river to much of the labour may be needed more urgently
be crossed, and the load capacity of the bridge (a higher elsewhere.
load capacity requires a more substantial structure). In
addition, there is an absolute minimum number of people Engineering supervision.
that can work usefully work on a bridge (it takes a minimum The Engineer must be on site supervising the works; up to
number of people to lift and carry heavy items). half of the supervision time may be undertaken by an
Engineer’s assistant, but the Engineer must be present at
Construction time is given in man-days: 1 day of least 50% of the time construction is in progress,
construction consists of 2 shifts worked per day (minimum otherwise, construction counts as unsupervised.
of 10 hours actually worked). As above, there is a minimum At the end of each week, determine the effectiveness of the
number of people that can work on a bridge at any one Engineer’s site supervision:
time. No maximum number is set, since in practice, it is
unlikely that a labour force so large as to get in each other’s Personnel:
way could be assembled. The Engineer. The engineer’s assistant(s) can undertake
some of the task.
A minimum of one third of the labour force must be skilled
tradesmen; up to two thirds can be unskilled labourers. Equipment:
Nothing special
Bridge build time table (Man-days)

Load Load
Time:
Load Load Class
Class
Class LC1
Class Class
LC90
End of each 7 day period, or end of construction if less than
LC10 LC40
7 days since last check / bridge construction started.
D 120 240 360 720
C 300 600 900 1800
B 600 1200 1800 3600 Task INT + TECH.
A 1200 2400 3600 7200)
U (At referee’s discretion but not less than Class A) Modifiers:
-1 (Disadvantage) to both INT and Tech if no intrusive
Minimum active work crew size: investigation (step 1b) was undertaken; -1 disadvantage to
3 men for LC1 and LC10 TECH (only) if the intrusive investigation (step 1b) was
6 men for LC40 attempted but failed.
9 men for LC95
Effect:
The presence of mechanised plant (particularly cranes and Success: The amount of work (man-hours) completed on
other lifting equipment) converts the task to ‘fast’, and the bridge is the number of people in the construction team
reduces the minimum work crew size to 3 (and the plant multiplied by the number of equivalent days of work
operator), regardless of load class. (modified by inclement weather effects if relevant).
Equivalent days of work equals 6+the number of
successes achieved. Thus 1 success on the supervision
Inclement Weather and other seasonal effects. role during the week will give a full weeks’ (7 days) worth
In inclement weather, each man-day of work actually of work. Four successes means that 10 days’ worth of work
undertaken counts as only 0.5 man days of work towards is achieved in the week. A failure means that only 6 days’
completing the bridge. worth of work is achieved in the week (and there may be a
Inclement weather will typically be most if not all winter in mishap).
North Europe. It may also include any other time of year (at
referee’s discretion), due to stormy conditions (high Failure: As noted above, only 6 days’ worth of work are
wind/heavy rain); melt water making the river swollen, or achieved in the 7 day period.
extreme daytime heat.

12
Failure and any die shows a ‘1’: In addition to the effect of
failure, a delay or accident happens: check on Bridge
building mishap table.

If no supervision was undertaken in the week, a Mishap

automatically occurs

May NOT be pushed.

Bridge building mishap table

Roll Event Description

The site conditions are poor, and work is
Sloppy
=<1 getting sloppy, but nothing has actually
work
gone wrong. Yet.
Only 5 days’ worth of work are achieved
2 Minor delay
in the 7 day period)
Only 4 days’ worth of work are achieved
3 Delay
in the 7 day period)
Severe Only 3 days’ worth of work are achieved
4
Delay in the 7 day period)
Only 5 days’ worth of work are achieved
5 Minor delay
in the 7 day period)
Partial No progress is made at all this week
6
collapse
Shoddy Bridge resilience score reduced by 1
7
construction step*
No progress is made at all this week, and
20% of the works completed to date are
8 Collapse lost and must be rebuilt
1D10 site personnel suffer severe (but
non-fatal) injury
Defective Bridge strength score reduced by 1 step**
9
construction
A fatal accident occurs, with 1D10
>=10 Death personnel killed. Also apply effects of
result 8

Modifiers:
Water depth D: -1;
Water depth C: +0;
Water depth B: +1;
Water depth A: +2
+1 if mishap occurred because there was no Engineering
Supervision (rather than because the supervision roll
indicated a mishap).
*can only occur once, on the second/subsequent roll of 7,
teat as ‘Delay’ (result 3).
**can only occur once, on the second/subsequent roll of 9,
teat as ‘Severe delay’ (result 4).
Note that if defective construction affects a bridge that is
already only strength D, the bridge collapses – treat as a
result of 10.

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 One or more spans have been dropped, but
Broken one or more spans remain standing and fit
for use.
As-built classification
Once completed, the bridge will have a strength score
of between A and D, and a resilience score of between A
and D. If the existing bridge is severely damaged or just broken,

Strength then no site investigation works are necessary, and any

The Bridge’s strength starts at ‘B’ to ‘D’ depending on the modifier for site investigation should be the maximum listed

success or failure of the primary design task. Successful beneficial.

secondary design can increase that by 1 step. Defective A severely damaged structure requires 2/3 the resources

construction can reduce that by 1 step. and time of a complete rebuild.

A broken structure requires 1/6 the resources and time of

Resilience a complete rebuild.

The Bridge’s resilience starts at ‘A’.

If the desk study (step 1a) was not successfully
completed, reduce this by 1 step
If secondary design (step 2b) was not successfully
completed, reduce this by 1 step
If a Shoddy construction result occurs as a result of a
Bridging technology
construction mishap, reduce this by 1 step. Sometimes, the easiest way is to bridge a river is to
Any hasty design bridge starts at ‘D’, but is unaffected ‘acquire’ a prefabricated bridging system.
by desk study or secondary design; note that a defective There is a wide range of bridging technologies and
construction mishap DOES reduce resilience by 1 step prefabricated modular bridging systems. Each tends to
(resulting in there being no resilience die for the completed have subtly different load capacities, maximum spans, etc.
bridge) For game purposes, such bridging systems are
clasified acoirding to the width of river that they can span:

Bridging systems
Partial rebuilds Type River width that can be crossed
In many cases, a community seeking to build a bridge Short AVLB D
will in fact be seeking to replace a pre-war structure that Long AVLB D, C
ABLE D, C, B
has been destroyed or badly damaged (and become MGB (single span) D, C, B
unserviceable).
In such cases, it may be possible to use the remains
of the original bridge piers and abutments, and possibly ABLE: Automated Bridge Launching Equipment
even some of the pre-war structure bridge spans. MGB: Medium Girder Bridge (military prefabricated
The referee should determine the extent to which the bridging units)
original structure is damaged, and thus establish how • Single Storey MGB: D
much of the existing structure can be utilised. • Double Storey MGB: D, C
• Double Storey + Link span: D, C, B
Multi-span MBG can bridge class A or U

Damaged pre-war bridge condition

Condition Effect
Total Destruction Complete rebuild from scratch necessary
All spans dropped, but existing piers and
Severe damage
abutments can be reused

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Example bridging systems
Example Rivers
Short AVLB The following table lists some example river details:
 No 12 Close support Bridge (UK),
 MTU-22 (Soviet/Warsaw Pact)
 MTU T54/T55 (Soviet/Warsaw Pact)
Long AVLB CHART
 No 10 Close support Bridge (UK), River at Width Depth
 Krigsbro 4 (KB4) (Sweden),
Thames (UK) Oxford B C
 Leguan Bridge* (US: M104 Wolverine; Thames (UK) London U (~250m) A-C *
Multiple nations: Leopard 2), (below
 MT-55 (Soviet/Warsaw Pact)
London
Bridge)
ABLE Wear (UK) Chester-Le- C C
 BR90 General Support Bridge (UK),
Frome (UK)
Street
Wool D ** C
 Krigsbro 5 (KB5) (Sweden) Oder (Poland) Wroclaw A *** B
Vistula (Poland) Krakow U (~120m) B
Vistula (Poland) Warsaw U(~300m) B
*There is also a ‘short Leguan‘ (Short AVLB) Prosna (Poland) Kalisz C C
Göta (Sweden) (Upstream of U(~300m) A
Kungälv)

* Tidal; depth varies

** An example of applying the concept, not literal values,
the Frome here is about 12m wide.
*** The Oder splits into multiple channels through the
city; this rating is again a case of applying the concept.

Data drawn in part from:

[Link]

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