Excerpts from the AADA ROAD ATLAS AND SURVIVAL GUIDE

Buffalo/Niagara Falls, New York

History

The decline of food sources impacted Buffalo as much as any other city. However, the Buffalo response was not food riots but food raids, scouring the area (especially Canada) for food. Vandalism soon cut the power lines connecting the Niagara Fusion Electric Facility with the rest to the New York power grid; isolated from central authority, the plant management hired local veterans and National Guardsmen to fortify and defend the facility. The dislocated Tuscarora Indians settled on the site of the closed Niagara Falls Airport. using it as a staging ground for assaults on the fusion plant. By 2018, attacks from Cleveland and Lake Erie pirates had begun, and the entire region generally descended into chaos. In the confusion, Grand Island seceded, forming the Grand Island Free State.

2018 was the peak of the Bad Years for Buffalo; by 2020, Buffalo and the town of Niagara Falls consolidated, moving many miles further inland. The ruins of the old towns became fortress zones to ward off lake and border raids. In 2021, the Treaty of Peace Bridge was signed, ending hostilities between Buffalo and Canada. The state troopers, beginning to reassert control over the countryside, turned their attentions towards suppressing the outlaw packs; across the border, the RCMP did the same. These efforts alone did little to cut down on gang activity, but with the advent of autoduelling in 2024, gang raids on New Buffalo became only a minor threat.

The restoration of central authority led to the reconnection of the Niagara Fusion Electric Facility to the New York state power grid, giving Buffalo/Niagara Falls a major source of income to fund reconstruction. Aided by local investors and city dollar-matching, Amex Combat Autoworks built their main plant in Buffalo, to take advantage of the cheap power from the Niagara facility.

Today, the standard of living in Buffalo is nearly as high as it was in 1990. The Niagara facility and the Amex plant employ most of the city's 55,000 inhabitants. Commerce and trucking provide another source of income, as most traffic across the Canadian/New York border comes through either Buffalo or Syracuse. Tourism is making a comeback, and last year over 1000,000 people visited Niagara Falls. Buffalo is a good example of the general recovery of the nation - it's come a long way, but has a long way to go.

Points of Interest

1. Niagara Fusion Electric Facility. The fortification built around the facility during the Bad Years still exist, though today many employees commute from Buffalo rather than live on-site. Because this is the main source of electricity for much of rural New York, it is constantly guarded against terrorism; the power lines connecting it to the main grid are under 24-hour helicopter patrol. Visitors are generally unwelcome and are turned back at the gate.
2. Old Niagara Falls International Airport. The displaced Tuscarora Indians claim the airport for their home. Though generally peaceful, the Tuscarora resent intrusion, especially by whites. Relations between the Indians and Buffalo are good, and most Tuscarora work in Buffalo; none work at the Niagara fusion facility, however, because of the Tuscaroras' hatred of the people who stole their land.
3. Niagara Falls. The Falls are just as spectacular today as they were fifty or a hundred years ago. A group of businessmen took advantage of this and built a hotel complex overlooking the Falls. The complex provides food, lodging, recharges, minor repairs and a safe view of Niagara Falls. Rates are quite reasonable: $10 per adult, $5 per child and $25 per vehicle for a 24-hour pass.
4. Grand Island Free State. The residents of Grand Island declared themselves independent of outside authority in 2018. Since then, the island has come to be known as "the loonie bin." Grand Island is a haven for outlaws of all sorts, since police forces of neither Canada nor New York will set foot on the island. There are no bridges to Grand Island, having all been destroyed during secession. AADA Advisory: Avoid entering the Grand Island Free State at all costs. Combat there is a constant condition, and there are no emergency services.
5. New Buffalo/Niagara Falls. Most businesses and facilities of Buffalo and Niagara Falls moved here in 2020 to a more defensible position. The fortress walls are little more than concrete barricades, but they served their purpose. Today, these walls have been outgrown, especially near the Amex plant.
6. Amex Combat Autoworks. The Amex plant was built on the site of the old Buffalo International Airport. The runways are used as a proving ground for new vehicles. Amex security forces strongly discourage violence or independent duelling near the plant.
7. Old Buffalo. The old downtown area of Buffalo lies in ruin. Used as a defensive buffer zone against invasions from Canada and Lake Erie, it is now the home of dregs and cycle gangs. Police patrol only the surrounding throughways. Many informal duels take place here; the dangers and terrain of the area make such duels quite challenging and interesting, and news copters may frequently be seen in the skies over the area.
8. Peace Bridge Truck Stop. Peace Bridge is a major conduit for trade between New York and Canada, and is well-serviced and protected. The Peace Bridge Truck Stop boasts top-quality charging and repair facilities, and handles a large amount of trucking business. Charges here cost only 80% of the national average, though prices of repairs, food and lodging are 110% of the average; toll to cross the bridge is $10 per tire for vehicles and $15 for pedestrians. The truck stop is fortified because of its proximity to the ruins of Old Buffalo, and Highways 5 and 90 are well-patrolled.
9. Buffalo Memorial Coliseum. Construction on the Buffalo Memorial Coliseum, better known in the autoduelling community as the "Murphy Memorial," was begun in 2029. Contractors were changed due to cost and time overruns in 2030. Contractors were changed again in 2031. The Buffalo Building Inspector was dismissed in 2032 on charges of malfeasance. Contractors were changed yet again in 2033, and the Coliseum was finally completed in early 2034. The Murphy Memorial is constantly having its AADA charter suspended due to duellist and spectator accidents. Spectators are discouraged from visiting the arena, but the Coliseum has one or the largest TV audiences in autoduelling. The Buffalo Coliseum is yet again on probationary status after a TV tower collapsed in August of this year, killing several duellists from California.

Facilities

Organizations

The Buffalo Police have good equipment, receiving free vehicles from Amex; they have 25 patrol cruisers, two helicopters and five other vehicles, including a high-speed interceptor. They patrol the major truck routes diligently, keep and eye on New Buffalo, and let the rest of the area go unwatched. The state police take up the slack along the highways, and the security forces of the Niagara Fusion Electric Facility guard the power lines and the area around Niagara Falls.

Gang activity on major roads is quite low; the roads are well-patrolled by both police and truckers. Similarly, gangs avoid New Buffalo and the fusion plant. However, the rest of the area is open territory, gangs combine, divide, conquer and are conquered too often for an outside observer to tell what gangs are prominent; suffice it to say that conflict with gangs should be avoided. The ruins of Old Buffalo especially are a home for many gangs. Grand Island would be another source of outlaw problems, but contact with the island is limited to boat traffic. No gang is very large or well organized, but all are quite hostile.

While technically a gang, the Tuscs are an exception in many ways. The Tuscs are composed entirely of Tuscarora Indians. They limit their activities to raids against the power plant and occasional vehicles that pass by their territory. These raids are tolerated because the Tuscs don't use their offensive weaponry - they count coup. A Tusc cycle or car will pull up next to an opponent while one of the crew marks the enemy with spray paint. They will continue to mark vehicles until they start taking too much damage; then they ride off whooping into the sunset. The Tuscs are skilled duellists, and when necessary will resort to true combat. However, they are quite friendly to those they consider "good enemies."