Idea for starting a campaign

[StainlessSteelCynic]

I agree with pretty much everything that's been said but would just like to add the following regarding NPCs,

Have the PCs as the most important crew members of the tank and make the other positions for NPCs like the Loader example given before. So maybe you8 have just two PCs and then 2 NPCs in the tank.

But...

Give them two or maybe even three tanks if you have enough Players. Then they have to co-ordinate with the other tanks during attacks and movement etc. etc. I've seen this work quite well because the tank while it's run by two or three Players, ends up being treated like a single entity. The Players spend a lot of time working out things with each others tank crew - you let the Players worry about managing the tanks and so you end up with less to manage about the tanks.

This can be particularly impactful when some of the tanks get damaged and they then have to start sacrificing parts from one to keep another running and so on. Or they have to redistribute the ammo or fuel. Or worse, when one tank has to be abandoned and then suddenly you have one or two extra people to stick inside the working tanks.

[M-Type]

In reading the in-depth T2000 timeline here, I'd love to do something in Alaska.

Every 5 RL minutes, "Roll to evade frostbite!!""Roll to evade feral wolves!""Frostbite again!"

That'd be great. For me as the GM at least.

[Legbreaker]

The city of Lodz was the immediate aim of the US 5th ID, they were driven back westwards to Kalisz by the sudden arrival of all those extra Soviet and Polish units. Most of the 5th never even saw Kalisz with the 256th Brigade being overrun before Divisional HQ reached the town.

Many encounters in T2K are not with armoured opponents. With a machinegun added to the loaders hatch, they can participate just as much in combat as the gunner (coaxial machinegun) and commander. The PC driver should be asked to make fairly regular driving rolls when in motion to reflect their ability to read the terrain, keep the vehicle in cover while also allowing the weapons guns to be brought to bear. Can be quite a stressful time for them if they get it wrong and everyone's yelling at them to a) get them out of the line of fire or b) get them into a position where they can shoot back!

Desert Storm is touched on in the 2.x timelines. http://forum.juhlin.com/showthread.phpt=3109

[Marc]

Some suggestions

Hi to everyone, after some time away from this forum.

M-Type, perhaps you will find this link of your interest. Some top-down counters for your Abrams:

http://www.juniorgeneral.org/JClick.phpUID=368

It's only an example. The site has more top-down counters for every period. Just take a look in the "modern section".

http://www.juniorgeneral.org/load.phpPeriod=10

I've used them in some of our last games, printing, plasticizing and cutting them. The same site contains trees, buildings, troops,...

I think one important thing to bear in mind when gamming a vehicle based scenario is the practical problem to manage distances,speeds and times. Depending of the situation, you will find yourself changing from a oebattlefield mode (large distances and/or speeds) to the more usual (in rpg terms), oepersonal mode. Even these two game scales are possible at the same time. If you are able to manage this problem in a fluent way, Im sure your players will enjoy a great gaming session.

I agree with the post of StainlessSteelCynic if you are thinking to run a vehicle-based game. Not taking decisions is frustrating for the players. Its a usual problem in some situations when the game group is acting as a crew of any vehicle in any setting.It's a good idea to consider to give them responsibility positions in one or more vehicles. Of course, it implies more difficulties for the referee!!

[M-Type]

I love Junior General! They have paper models for every imaginable era.

Leg: Adding a gun would definitely allow the Loader to do something, and I agree with the rolls for the different spots.

I figured the driver would be making rolls for navigating, the Commander would be shouting orders and spotting enemies, the Loader would be loading (and firing the MG), and the gunner would be...gunning :P

I'd probably throw a few mechanic skills at someone (maybe the all-powerful Loader) so that they don't just sit there if they break down.

Any maybe, if the GM is willing, the 'light at the end of the tunnel' can be the Middle East front, where the oil 'flows like water'!!

Well, that's at least what the nice man from CENTCOM will tell them.

[Tegyrius]

Another permutation: rather than having multiple tanks to accommodate a large number of PCs, have one tank and one or two light AFVs or soft-skins working as a hunter-killer team. This also lets you have a broader range of skills among the PCs (or attach a few more NPCs with support skills).

- C.

[M-Type]

Have 'em part of an Armored Cavalry squadron, so the exceeding number of PCs can be in some fast(er) moving vehicles, the Recon boys (or girls).

[Olefin]

the part about counting shells was a big deal with us - we started with a full load for my tank and an NPC with a tank as well in my campaign (we were an armored unit during the breakout attempt) and we managed to hit a supply dump that had some captured shells in it - but eventually shells started to be an issue - when we got to Krakow we bought some but they werent cheap (sure we have shells no problem - and then you see what they want for them!).

You start getting to the point of seeing a ripe target for ambush and then having to decide if its worth the loss of shells to go for it. By the time we finally got back to a US unit we were basically down to the last few we had left.

By the way its the same with guys who love to shoot like crazy with their M-16's and SAW's - rock and roll is a great way to fight if you have ammo resupply and a pretty dumb way to fight if you are spending hours picking up every brass casing to get reloads.

[M-Type]

You start getting to the point of seeing a ripe target for ambush and then having to decide if its worth the loss of shells to go for it.

Yeah, that's pretty much what I'm going for. Start the players as "newbie" tankers (in RL), then slowly have them learn the harsh realities of the T2k'verse until they're expert tacticians in-game and RL.

I would definitely start them out with a full load, and plenty of chance for re-supply for the first 2-3 sessions, as they learn the ins and outs of the system and enjoy blowing up those pesky Pacts.

Then there's the big push into Poland. Throw in some urban fighting, tricky corners and pesky infantry, and the supply lines get cut/overrun/disappear...

[M-Type]

I managed to get the v2.2 East Europe Handbook, and it has a mini-campaign setting about the 8th ID (Mechanized) making a lightning run through Northern Poland and Lithuania, then getting stuck in the swamps of Latvia.

I think this is perfect, as it'll give the PCs the feel of 'awesome explosive action' as the 8th ID fly through Poland and Lithuania, since their job was for pursuit and deep-penetration of Pact forces, then they all suddenly get stuck with no idea where to go.

Their only map is an outdated CIA one (given in the book, bonus!), and their tank would be seriously compromised. They'd join the scout/recon forces trying to scavenge food and fuel, and trying to find their way back to friendly lines.

[Legbreaker]

For table top games I give the players the map from the V1 box, an old atlas I bought a few decades ago, and maybe, just maybe and only if I'm in a good mood, the maps (if any) from the applicable module. Other than that they're pretty much on their own for maps.

However, they can occasionally find information about their local area in the oddest of places. The national park map for example I've presented as a six foot high metal sign (which they loaded up on top of their vehicle and took with them).

[Cdnwolf]

I managed to get the v2.2 East Europe Handbook, and it has a mini-campaign setting about the 8th ID (Mechanized) making a lightning run through Northern Poland and Lithuania, then getting stuck in the swamps of Latvia.

I think this is perfect, as it'll give the PCs the feel of 'awesome explosive action' as the 8th ID fly through Poland and Lithuania, since their job was for pursuit and deep-penetration of Pact forces, then they all suddenly get stuck with no idea where to go.

Their only map is an outdated CIA one (given in the book, bonus!), and their tank would be seriously compromised. They'd join the scout/recon forces trying to scavenge food and fuel, and trying to find their way back to friendly lines.

This might actually be not to bad to do on RPOL...

[Tegyrius]

However, they can occasionally find information about their local area in the oddest of places. The national park map for example I've presented as a six foot high metal sign (which they loaded up on top of their vehicle and took with them).

That's the most inspired bit of practical looting I've seen in years.

Have 'em part of an Armored Cavalry squadron, so the exceeding number of PCs can be in some fast(er) moving vehicles, the Recon boys (or girls).

Yep. And it gives them already-available alternate transport for the times they don't want to use the tank's fuel thrashing around the countryside in search of prey like a dyspeptic Tyrannosaurus. For that matter, with the right PC/NPC mix, the NPCs can stay with the base camp and tank to pull security and maintenance duty while the PCs go off looking for plot.

(Just don't use this as a way to kill off the NPCs and destroy the tank while they're off-screen. That's a major GM dickmove.)

- C.

[M-Type]

...like a dyspeptic Tyrannosaurus.

I don't know how to respond to this, but one of the tanks has to be named "T-Rex" or something now.

(Just don't use this as a way to kill off the NPCs and destroy the tank while they're off-screen. That's a major GM dickmove.)

The only time I would ever kill off NPCs off-screen was if I planned a big battle and dropped some hints, but they didn't listen and headed out to do recon or something. A lesson they'd unfortunately have to learn the hard way...

[Sanjuro]

some of the tanks get damaged and they then have to start sacrificing parts from one to keep another running and so on. Or they have to redistribute the ammo or fuel. Or worse, when one tank has to be abandoned and then suddenly you have one or two extra people to stick inside the working tanks.

Stop hitting me with those negative waves!
(Someone had to say it...)