A ray of hope II

[Legbreaker]

If you look at Google maps, there's a large lake/swamp and some woods south of Elblag.

I wonder if those woods would have survive the war or been burnt to the ground at some point

FWIW, Maj. Ivan Sergeevich Volokov
Str 1

Wow! So weak he can barely stand up with his clothes on!

[Adm.Lee]

I wonder if those woods would have survive the war or been burnt to the ground at some point

Eh. The farm fields around seem largely to be lined with woodlines, I bet those would go first. Also, I ruled that the area is either "devastated" or "terrorized", so there weren't so many farmers to burn up the woods. More new trees, fewer old trees.

Wow! So weak he can barely stand up with his clothes on!

True. Kind of a 93-pound weakling. When I get odd numbers like that, I rule that's a result of wounds or disease. Maybe he could be a sickly guy with a cough and a withered arm, courtesy of a chemical attack. Ooooh, and play him like the short black-coated Nazi from the first "Raiders of the Lost Ark" film. Wish I'd thought of that before the PCs shot him....

[Legbreaker]

I was thinking the woods may have burnt during earlier fighting - napalm strike, nuclear thermal flash, a few incendiary rounds gone astray during a dry summer, etc.
The same could apply to all woods, fields, etc we can see on google maps/earth.
Some regrowth is likely of course, but I don't imagine it would be a whole lot in just a year or three. Plenty of burnt stumps and charred logs laying about to trip over though.

I love the flexibility and realism the various mapping programs and sites give us, but like most people, forget sometimes that what we can see today isn't likely to be what would be there in T2K.

[Adm.Lee]

Requesting suggestions

Hum, I hadn't thought about fires.

OTOH, the "woods" terrain category doesn't seem to care if we are talking about a lot of saplings, big old trees, or anything in between.

FWIW, the lone adult and T2k vet in the group is now emailing me about digging in and making a last stand against the Soviet follow-on forces. They have captured some Soviets, so the Intel officer PC will be interrogating them for information.

The game has a skill roll for information, what do you think might be a good mechanic for an NPC trying to bluff a PC "Yes, we have three BMPs and a tank. And some mortars. You're better off surrendering."

That gave me another idea on this NPC, and her motivation. Since I specified there were a few extra females among the English-speaking Soviets, the ranking PW has turned out to be an English-speaking woman. What are the odds that she's trying real hard to get the PCs to surrender, because her most recent CO was the late Major If she can talk the PCs out of an expensive battle, she'd be the best candidate to replace the Major as Special Intelligence Officer, no Promotion for her, vindication of the late hero's ideas (Not necessarily in that order).

[Adm.Lee]

Mine is an Evil Laugh!

That gave me another idea on this NPC, and her motivation. Since I specified there were a few extra females among the English-speaking Soviets, the ranking PW has turned out to be an English-speaking woman. What are the odds that she's trying real hard to get the PCs to surrender, because her most recent CO was the late Major If she can talk the PCs out of an expensive battle, she'd be the best candidate to replace the Major as Special Intelligence Officer, no Promotion for her, vindication of the late hero's ideas (Not necessarily in that order).

I'm trying to think through this, without having the game end so soon in either a TPK or a trip to the PW camp, and I had this thought.

What if this GRU officer were to play along with defecting to the PCs, following them and offering some guidance, so that they can find the base camp(s) for the 2nd Polish Free Legion, west of the Vistula Then she can find a way to call in some more of her division. Now that would be worth a promotion, right

[Legbreaker]

The game has a skill roll for information, what do you think might be a good mechanic for an NPC trying to bluff a PC "Yes, we have three BMPs and a tank. And some mortars. You're better off surrendering."

Persuasion skill is the one to use here, modified by any Disguise/Acting ability the character may possess. Might be an opposed test against the listeners Intelligence

What are the odds that she's trying real hard to get the PCs to surrender, because her most recent CO was the late Major If she can talk the PCs out of an expensive battle, she'd be the best candidate to replace the Major as Special Intelligence Officer, no Promotion for her, vindication of the late hero's ideas (Not necessarily in that order).

I'd say draw motivation cards for her. She could have a totally different outlook on how things should proceed. No matter what, I'd think saving her own skin would be high on the list of priorities.

I'm trying to think through this, without having the game end so soon in either a TPK or a trip to the PW camp, and I had this thought.

Nothing wrong with having them as prisoners - ups the stakes quite a bit and makes them think up imaginative plans to escape.

What if this GRU officer were to play along with defecting to the PCs, following them and offering some guidance, so that they can find the base camp(s) for the 2nd Polish Free Legion, west of the Vistula Then she can find a way to call in some more of her division. Now that would be worth a promotion, right

Hmm, could work, but how likely are the PCs to trust her that much It'd come down to her having a HIGH Charisma and Persuasion skill and you as GM convincingly RPing it.

[Adm.Lee]

Persuasion skill is the one to use here, modified by any Disguise/Acting ability the character may possess. Might be an opposed test against the listeners Intelligence

One of the PCs has an Interrogation skill, I think I'll oppose that with her Persuasion.

I'd say draw motivation cards for her. She could have a totally different outlook on how things should proceed. No matter what, I'd think saving her own skin would be high on the list of priorities.

8 Diamonds, 6 Hearts. Wealth over Social, so it kinda fits.

Nothing wrong with having them as prisoners - ups the stakes quite a bit and makes them think up imaginative plans to escape.

Nope. I just really, really don't get the feeling that these guys will "come along quietly." Plan: Custer is more like their style.

Hmm, could work, but how likely are the PCs to trust her that much It'd come down to her having a HIGH Charisma and Persuasion skill and you as GM convincingly RPing it.

That last bit is always the tricky part.

Upon further reflection, I think I will sit back and just let them figure it out, it's not my job to make their Golden Bridge. I'll just work out some encounters to drop into place.

It has been useful to work through this NPC who is among them, thanks for the feedback.

[Legbreaker]

It has been useful to work through this NPC who is among them, thanks for the feedback.

That's what we're here for!

[Adm.Lee]

Session 4 report

Again, I was short our two most experienced players today.

A short debate opened the game-- fight or flight what to do with the prisoners I was a little shocked at how much detail one of the boys wanted to go into, to hide the bodies after shooting the prisoners. His little brother, usually the hack & slash-only guy, was the one who asked, "wouldn't that be, like, a war crime" Fortunately for me, saner voices agreed to leave the prisoners behind when they left.

They did decide to siphon the ethanol out of the broken BMP and drop the 2-ton still out of their last remaining vehicle, the 2.5 tonner, and drive out of the closing jaws of the Soviets.

Of course, they bumped into one platoon of the Soviets anyway. 3 four-man squads, carrying a PKM and dragging a DShK (towed behind a bicycle), along with a company commander with a radio to the 120mm mortar. The firefight went mostly OK, and they were actually about to gain fire superiority, when they tried bringing their lone truck into action. This exposed not only the truck, but the seriously wounded inside, into range, at the same time as one of the Soviet squads got into a flanking position. One wounded PC died*, many took wounds when those guys opened up from the treeline. The mortar didn't do much but scare them, but it did cause them to not pursue when the Soviets decided to break contact.

The truck got hit in the engine, but I ruled that they could get it running again after a half-day delay.

This did get them through the Soviet "jaws," and south into country unpopulated by major military units. They got almost to the highway running east from Grudziadz without further incident. I think there are still Polish cavalry patrols from Malbork, and they will have to find a way across the Wisla, once they get there. (In retrospect, they thought they might have to abandon the truck once the got to the river, maybe I didn't need to let them keep it running).

Gamewise, I had trouble holding some of their attention, as some of them had long periods in which their characters had nothing to do, given the large numbers of hesitations some had, especially once they had been knocked-down. I think I want to shift to a simpler initiative system, probably lifting the easy one from Savage Worlds. Everyone will get an action, and it will be clear when one's turn is coming up.

They are learning to drop prone early and often. I don't know if the lesson on flanking will sink in. Forming teams for fire & maneuver hasn't come to them yet.

* In just about every game I have run for this guy, I've killed or incapacitated his character. My dice (or my table) have it in for this boy. Fortunately, he has a backup PC.

[Adm.Lee]

Session 5 report

Not much fighting today, more sneaking and scouting.

In a fast-forward interlude from the end of the last game, I had the group drive their truck SSW, to get nearer to the Vistula (but still not there), and then set up camp in an abandoned village. I figured they found a garage behind an apartment building or hotel that still had roofs, and moved in. Within a block of them, I introduced a new PC and 2 NPCs, fellow Marines/sailors that had escaped captivity by the Soviets, and wound up in the same ghost town. The player that rolled his new PC made him a Navy doctor, so now someone can treat wounds!

--- Which gave me license to "resurrect" the PC that was killed in last week's fight. "Oh, he's only mostly dead."

Around their new base, they set up their many captured machineguns and sent out hunting parties/patrols, as they were nearly out of food.

Two guys (not the sniper team, we all noted) were able to surprise some bunnies and kill two before a pack of dogs treed them. From the top of the tree, they dropped a grenade, which must have bounced up at them again-- both were wounded, one enough to be seriously wounded in the face. At least it killed all the dogs! Once they'd dragged the many bodies back to the camp, the had meat and the new doctor had more business.

Next day, a 4-person patrol found a trio of stripped trucks... and drag marks towards a nearby gas station. That turned up a cache of track-links, unfortunately booby-trapped with a Soviet Claymore. Again, more business for the doctor.

Day after that, the 2-man hunting party bumped into a smugglers' camp. Some gunpoint negotiations set up a meet for the next day, to swap a PK and belts for more food. That's where we suspended the game for this week. The party is considering double-crossing the smugglers, or at least short-circuiting the inevitable double-cross by the smugglers. (To be honest, I was planning on the smugglers playing it straight. They just weren't please with the PCs introducing themselves as Germans, so the prices went way up!)

I think I have 3 Fridays left until school starts for some, so I'd better get them moving on their way across the Vistula to NATO lines, huh Perhaps the smugglers offer to introduce them to someone with a boat

[Adm.Lee]

Session 6 report

One deal made, one deal offered, one case of mistake identity, one firefight.

We started with the group motoring to a crossroads roadhouse to trade an MG for food. They tried to set up covering positions in a nearby barn, but the (lightly armed) farmers dissuaded them from taking it over. There was no shootout at the roadhouse, just some toasts to seal the deal.

Then, the smuggler who brought them food (the group was down to its last MRE) observed that they were on the wrong side of the big river from the rest of NATO-- maybe he could offer them a boat ride The group's negotiator pressed for contact with someone on the other side, as well, so they agreed to meet again in 5 days. The group returned to the abandoned village they were camping in, now with 4 days' of food.

One player (remember, these are 13-year-olds) wanted to do something destructive, so he slipped out at midnight, took their scouting bicycle, and pedalled back to the farm, wanting some pig. Again, the sharp-eyed farmers saw him coming, and ran him off with Mauser fire. (I had hoped this would scare the player back into line-- nope.)

When he got back to the building they were using for base, he tried to mess with the sentry. When challenged, he hollered, "No speak-a English!" So the sentry shot him. (The fun part here is that the two players involved are brothers.) Only then does he identify himself, and they agree to let him get closer once they get a flashlight on his face.

This is when the evil GM has the other sentries spot someone else moving on them from another direction! Eighteen marauders, hoping that the MG they traded away might weaken their defenses. It didn't. The Marauders got up to their house, close enough to put grenades through the windows, and even bust in themselves. A furious firefight at room-to-room range wiped out most of the marauders and wounded several PCs. The few that tried to run off were dropped by the group's sniper using NVGs.

While this was happening, the lone-wolf PC, upon entering the building had tried to shoot his brother's PC. And missed. The two of them got into their own little firefight through a closed door, which ended when the sniper (on another rooftop) shot up the lone-wolf. The inside brother almost finished him off.*

A court-martial, or at least an execution, was considered against the lone-wolf (unconscious) by some of the team, as they suspected him of bringing the marauders back on them. As GM, my gut was about to make me intervene, but things cooled off, and the player's promising to color within the lines from now on. We'll see.

Oh, and the kid whose characters I always seem to wipe out He didn't make it to the game, so his guys were safe.

* This led to an intense discussion on the crappy damage done by pistols and SMGs in v2 rules, versus the really high hit-points that PCs have, against NPCs. The decision is to try it with v1 damage rolls next time: i.e., 4d6+4xDam at close range. NPCs will get doubled hit points, from 20 to 40, 'cause it seemed they were going down way too easy.

[headquarters]

LOL - brings back memories

We started playing this game in our early/mid teens too. I GMed alot but was also a player.
I have to say all of this rings a bell and brings back good memories of sessions past. The lone wolf wanting to get something destructive done - and subsequently gets into trouble with other PCs. The GMs silent worries about the "alignment" of their PCs . ( Yeah its a game but sometimes you consider - is torture , massacre or fratricide really a good subject for a game)

And of course the PC vs PC or indeed NPC damage discussions... ( v.2.0)

These were though in our group and firstly led to all players getting a sawed of 12 gage. The relatively low bulk and very high damage means that it was dubbed the party killer. One hit in an unarmored location was almost sure to bring the subject down. Many PCs were erased from their sheets by one of these. Over time this brutish way of dealing with quarrels among the PCs went out of fashion. ( Were we getting older and more mature) But it is still practiced by one or two of the PCs. ( Equipping a PC with implies that you are geared for an infight )

Now the PCs have adopted more sophisticated ways of killing eachother. A favourite these days is secretly arranging with the GM that the next firefight some of your shots will be going into the back of your fellow party member..In a chaotic loud firefight no one will be the wiser as long as this is aranged by sending a note or the slight nod to the GM to do the preplanned murdering..ah..the joys of gaming..

Keep the log coming. It is a fun read.

One deal made, one deal offered, one case of mistake identity, one firefight.

We started with the group motoring to a crossroads roadhouse to trade an MG for food. They tried to set up covering positions in a nearby barn, but the (lightly armed) farmers dissuaded them from taking it over. There was no shootout at the roadhouse, just some toasts to seal the deal.

Then, the smuggler who brought them food (the group was down to its last MRE) observed that they were on the wrong side of the big river from the rest of NATO-- maybe he could offer them a boat ride The group's negotiator pressed for contact with someone on the other side, as well, so they agreed to meet again in 5 days. The group returned to the abandoned village they were camping in, now with 4 days' of food.

One player (remember, these are 13-year-olds) wanted to do something destructive, so he slipped out at midnight, took their scouting bicycle, and pedalled back to the farm, wanting some pig. Again, the sharp-eyed farmers saw him coming, and ran him off with Mauser fire. (I had hoped this would scare the player back into line-- nope.)

When he got back to the building they were using for base, he tried to mess with the sentry. When challenged, he hollered, "No speak-a English!" So the sentry shot him. (The fun part here is that the two players involved are brothers.) Only then does he identify himself, and they agree to let him get closer once they get a flashlight on his face.

This is when the evil GM has the other sentries spot someone else moving on them from another direction! Eighteen marauders, hoping that the MG they traded away might weaken their defenses. It didn't. The Marauders got up to their house, close enough to put grenades through the windows, and even bust in themselves. A furious firefight at room-to-room range wiped out most of the marauders and wounded several PCs. The few that tried to run off were dropped by the group's sniper using NVGs.

While this was happening, the lone-wolf PC, upon entering the building had tried to shoot his brother's PC. And missed. The two of them got into their own little firefight through a closed door, which ended when the sniper (on another rooftop) shot up the lone-wolf. The inside brother almost finished him off.*

A court-martial, or at least an execution, was considered against the lone-wolf (unconscious) by some of the team, as they suspected him of bringing the marauders back on them. As GM, my gut was about to make me intervene, but things cooled off, and the player's promising to color within the lines from now on. We'll see.

Oh, and the kid whose characters I always seem to wipe out He didn't make it to the game, so his guys were safe.

* This led to an intense discussion on the crappy damage done by pistols and SMGs in v2 rules, versus the really high hit-points that PCs have, against NPCs. The decision is to try it with v1 damage rolls next time: i.e., 4d6+4xDam at close range. NPCs will get doubled hit points, from 20 to 40, 'cause it seemed they were going down way too easy.

[headquarters]

D12

Has anyone tried using D10s instead of D6 for damage dice

we use d12s to get the job done

[Adm.Lee]

Session 7 report

Our next to last game session had an early end scheduled, so I effectively ran it on fast-forward.

The group met up with the smugglers as scheduled, no further midnight disturbances from any marauders. They traded about half of their captured Soviet small arms for passage across the river, some more food, and contact with the Polish Free Legion on the west bank of the Vistula.

In the time between the meeting and the boat-ride, they questioned the now-conscious AWOL from the last game, and he told them about finding the abandoned Scorpion light tank nearby. The mechanic and an escort were sent to check it out. He reported that it had been stripped, but could run at half-speed (Suspension and turret-traverse damage, but not the engine). This appealed to them, so they put some of their dwindling diesel store into it, and drove it to their bivouac. Then, after converting it to alcohol-running, they put the last of their ethanol into it, and started driving to the river. They hoped the tank could at least be intimidating, even if it did suck down all of their ethanol, and then most of their store of methanol on top of that, just getting to the river.

At the river, the boatmen had something big enough to carry the vehicles one at at time, but... not those guys on horseback approaching from upriver! A very brief firefight ensued, with rapid shooting by the sniper team panicking 16 marauders at 220m. Well, panicking the survivors, anyway.

On the west bank of the Vistula, they met a scout from the 2nd Polish Free Legion, who was quite surprised to see a tank coming at him, and 15 Americans asking for more fuel. He showed them a place to stash the vehicles while he led a foot patrol back to his base, where they might trade for more methanol.

{I figured if the Legion has been in place long enough, it can probably scrounge or brew its own small fuel stores.}

At the base village, someone was awfully happy to meet some Marines, sailors and soldiers. -- the DIA liaison officer. He'd just been handed a Soviet battle plan, captured from the 3rd MRD, showing that division swinging southwest from Gdansk through Chojnice to catch the IX US Corps' rearguard in the flank. When the team told him that they had a vehicle, but needed fuel, he was very eager that they make the attempt to drive through.

By now, the team leadership was less than pleased with the relative value of the Scorpion (actually, it was still faster off-road than the 2.5-ton truck), so they offered it, as is, to the Poles, in exchange for 4 days' food and 950 liters of any kind of fuel. AS well, they offered the remainder of their captured Soviet small arms, ammo and grenades. This deal was eagerly accepted and executed. Oh, and some longbows and crossbows were obtained, too.

The Poles provided a guide, who started them on a chain of local guides to lead them on side roads around the Soviets and towards the NATO rearguard. We ended the session with them looking over a Soviet artillery group off the road, between them and friendly forces. This called for an assault, so a little planning was done, and we ended the game.

All set for a big fireworks-show-game-finale!

[Adm.Lee]

Session 8 report, finale

Last Friday's game promised a big fight, with explosions and armored vehicles-- a last hurrah before middle school takes most of the players away.

The group set up near the lip of a lightly wooded ravine, ~170m across. On the opposite bank of the ravine, 3 Soviet artillery pieces, dug-in and camouflaged, ready to start shelling the American lines. The PCs had been led to this battery by Polish Free Legion scouts, and now it was just about the only opposition between these wayward Marines and the lines of XI US Corps.

Of course, an Army-level heavy artillery asset like this had to be protected. The players' scouts could make out at least two infantry positions on the other side of the ravine, plus a BMP-B. On this side of it, 2 squad-sized fighting positions and a BTR-80 backing up the left squad. The players divided up into four teams and began stealthing their way towards the foxholes: 2 snipers in overwatch, two 5-man assault teams, and the medics and CO in reserve... and things began to go wrong.

The right enemy squad spotted them creeping through the woods and opened up, kicking off a Medium-range (60-70m) firefight, 16 Soviets vs. 10 Americans. The PCs started to gain a firepower advantage using grenade launchers and aimed rifle fire, until the KPV on the BTR got into action. The US sniper team drilled the APC with several .50 cal rounds, but they couldn't hit the gunner, and two Marines were killed outright with head shots.

Eventually, the sniper's big gun was able to silence the KPV, damaging its ammo supply. More 40mm grenades into the fighting holes helped to suppress the Soviet infantry, and here's where the players' inexperience came to the fore. They launched separate assaults into the seemingly silenced fighting holes, but only 1 man each. They found that the Soviets were either reloading or playing possum, and both died, one in hand-to-hand combat. Two more attempted to board the BTR while the KPV was silenced, only to hear it come to life again, critically wounding one more PC while the corpsman was knocked out by another rifleman.

At this point, they could hear the BMP grinding across the ravine towards them, and they opted to run away, leaving most of their dead and wounded behind. As the BMP emerged from the ravine, one of the team's least wounded members drilled it with his only LAW, cooking off the ammunition. The Soviet dismounts were thus disinclined to pursue, and the remnants of the party disengaged. I think the final result was: out of 15 PCs, 2 dead, 2 critically wounded, 4 seriously wounded and left behind, 2 unhurt and escaping, bringing another 5 seriously or lightly wounded out with them.

Immediate summary: I think they bit off more than they could chew, in their place I might have tried to attack the squad positions only one at a time. Also, I think they didn't use their two 40mm launchers enough, or in concentration. They didn't deploy smoke until the end, to cover their withdrawal-- I would have preferred to use it to mask the approach.

Attacking in daylight was probably another big sin, I would have let them wait until dark (OTOH, I didn't say they could, but I didn't say they couldn't.)
I toyed with having the big guns open up on a distant target if they delayed attacking, offering both incentive to attack and cover from the noise, but they went right into action.

Rules failures: since I shifted initiative systems away from V1's in favor of a faster card-draw system, that meant getting wounded or even hit by concussion didn't slow down the NPCs (or PCs, for that matter). I think the Soviets in the holes were more effective than they should have been, in retrospect. OTOH, I should have played them in separate 2-man fighting positions, I just lumped them all together in squads for simplicity in record-keeping. Note to self: keep more detailed records, and try my idea of more cards for initiative.

Bullet damage: we went back to v1's (xd6 +xy) formula for this round, to see if PCs would take more significant damage (also doubling NPC hit points from v2's 20, to keep it fair). The PCs did take more significant hits, seeing that there were a few Serious Wounds from AK/RPK fire, but I think it was the SVD and PKM that did more of that. The KPV, of course, with its Damage rating of 12 was off the scale, killing 2 PCs outright and Critically Wounding 2 more.

Next time, I'll try using d12s for damage, maybe allowing an extra die if one scores an Extraordinary Success

Campaign summary: at least it ended with a big bang-- the BMP. The guys were still excited (though I could tell my own son was close to tears briefly at losing two of his three PCs, I'm not sure I've ever killed off any of his characters before). At least one asked if we could play again next summer. And they cheerily ate pizza before a sleepover at someone else's house, playing "Modern Warfare 3" until the wee hours of the morning. Ah, youth.