Chapter 1 - It Begins

Sep 13, 2023 2:16 pm
The year is 2000. The world has been ravaged by nuclear war. You and your fellow survivors are on a convoy headed for Głuchołazy, a small town in Poland that is rumored to have a safe way to get out of the country.

Your convoy is traveling along a dusty road just south of Lublin. The sun is setting, and the sky is ablaze with fire. The air is thick with the smell of smoke and death. Suddenly, the sound of explosions fills the air. In an instant, you hear a loud bang, feel yourself being thrown, and then everything goes black.

Moments later, you wake with the sounds of bullets and shrapnel whizzing overhead. You can hear the screams of the wounded and dying.

Remarkably you do not have more than a few scrapes and bruises, and although your ears are ringing you feel capable of taking action.

Next to you are the other travelers that were in your convoy (the other player characters) and a boy around age 13. In front of you is the HMMWV you were traveling in. It currently is providing cover from the battle that’s raging.

Just to the east of you is a another HMMWV that appears intact and empty. You could all easily run to it and get inside, but that would expose you to the firefight. Just south of you is a densely wooded area. You should be able to make it to that area without drawing fire. Finally west of you, in the open, is a still intact backpack. Two dead men dressed in soviet military uniforms lie dead next to it.

https://i.imgur.com/I9bkYpr.png
Sep 16, 2023 8:34 pm
OOC:
This is where it all begins. You are all next to the HMMWV. You can hear shots going overhead, but they don’t seem to be directed at you at the moment. You all instinctively know you shouldn’t stay in this spot for long.

What do you do?
Sep 16, 2023 9:36 pm
OOC:
I'm assuming that unless one has a score next to "Driving" on the skills table, that one doesn't know how to drive one of the HMMVVs. If I'm wrong, I guess you can delete this post.
Lt Cunningham says loud enough over the gunfire to the group assembled, "Anybody here know how to drive an HMMVV?"
Sep 16, 2023 11:07 pm
OOC:

Driving Skill
All characters are assumed to be able to drive cars, trucks, motorcycles, and even tracked vehicles under normal circumstances.

If you don’t have the driving skill, you can still attempt to drive under non-normal circumstances, but you would only roll the 1 die associated with your agility score.

In this instance failing the roll could result in a delayed get-away or even getting the vehicle stuck.

Knowing is half the battle!
[ +- ] Video Clip
Sep 16, 2023 11:18 pm
"Y-yep! I'm like Jesus behind the wheel!"

If the boy wasn't there, Tedic would not have been able to shoot his goofy grin, tooth gap and all. But Tedic's an adult, even if he doesn't feel like it, so he has to be cooler than a cucumber.
OOC:
B rank in Driving, baby!

Anyways, here's a plan I thought of.
1. The whole group goes south into the woods (perhaps some people stay behind to loot the tipped over humvee).
2. Then, one brave soul breaks off east for a bit until they have the intact humvee between them and the gunfire, then go straight to the intact humvee and board it. The idea is to the use the woods and the intact humvee for cover.
3. The brave soul does a U turn to the west, picking up the rest of the group using the tipped over humvee as cover.
4. Proceed to the west, where one of the group can swipe up the pack and loot the soldiers, time permitting.
[ +- ] da schmovement
Sep 17, 2023 3:13 am
Master Sergeant Baker is up against the overturned vehicle, checking his rifle as he looks to the other survivors. "Everyone alright?" he asks cooly, taking his M21 off safe. "I'm gonna see who it is that's out there, and if they're concerned with lookin' this way. Stand by on that SAW, Private."
OOC:
Taking a quick peek, trying to locate and ID and enemy forces. And also -- what's the scale? What's the distance to the backpack and the HMMVV?
Sep 17, 2023 12:36 pm
Baker surveys the surrounding.
OOC:
Here is what he can see without performing a RECON roll. 1 hex is roughly 10 meters.
- Every white hex is simply open grassland or dirt.
- Yellow diamonds are enemies.
- You're all currently represented by the green diamond.
- The black circle is the backpack.
https://i.imgur.com/95sobm7.png

The attackers before you present a hodgepodge of attire, largely comprised of Soviet military uniforms. However, their ranks also feature individuals clad in civilian hunting gear, as well as a few donning Polish military attire. Despite their eclectic appearances, they exhibit a certain level of tactical proficiency. A nearby civilian van to the east bears grim testament to their deadly efficiency, as its occupants have already met their demise. It appears, though, that their organization is somewhat lacking, or perhaps this attack was hastily devised, as a more strategic approach would have involved a coordinated ambush from both the northern rocky terrain and the southern forest cover.
Sep 17, 2023 12:38 pm
The attackers don't seem to be focused on the HMMWVs. Baker can't see any logical reason why this is.
Sep 17, 2023 3:39 pm
OOC:
Humvees. >Smacks self in forehead<

Is it one enemy combatant per yellow diamond? Or are those groups?
After Baker relays what he sees to the group, he says to Reed. "I think you're going to expose yourself to more fire if you run into the woods and then back out. If we lay down cover fire to the bogeys on the left, you can get to the humvee while the group on the right is preoccupied with picking off the civilians. Or we can stay here and slug it out."
OOC:
We should wait for Dmbrainiac and Knighthawke to chime in.
Sep 17, 2023 6:14 pm
"Soviets, maybe some irregulars or militia too," Sheepdog says after he takes his brief look. "I made four to the left and four to the right, focused on the civie truck and van."

Looking at the Lieutenant, he adds, "They don't look like they're in a take-prisoners kind of mood. Shot the hell outa that people-mover. And that's just what I got peekin', there's more of them for sure. I can try to get a longer look, but that risks lettin' them know we're here."
OOC:
If the Lt gives the word Baker will take a longer long.
Sep 17, 2023 6:57 pm
ForeverDED says:
Is it one enemy combatant per yellow diamond? Or are those groups?

OOC:
One individual combatant per diamond. I’m still working out the token and map situation to help keep things clear.
Sep 18, 2023 7:57 am
Chase had hit her head a bit harder than her squadmates, so it had taken her a few moments longer to regain situational awareness. Soon enough, though, she comes around and takes stock of the mess they have found themselves in. She nods in agreement with Daniel's plan.

"I agree with Lieutenant Cunningham. We lay down covering fire and get to that Humvee ASAP. We're sitting ducks out here. We need to move."

She gives the kid that is with them a sympathetic look. "You're gonna want to keep your head down, son. What's your name?"
Sep 18, 2023 12:38 pm
Boy
The young boy is visibly shaken, his wide eyes brimming with tears. In a trembling voice, he utters in Polish, "Nie chcę umrzeć. Nie chcę umrzeć." It's clear that the child is overwhelmed by fear and desperation, grappling with a situation far beyond his capacity to comprehend or manage.
Sep 18, 2023 1:26 pm
Chase puts a comforting hand on the boy's shoulder. She doesn't speak his language, but she hopes the calming gesture will help put him at ease. "Hey. You're going to be okay. We're gonna get you out of here, okay?"

Rolls

Empathy + Command, -1 - (d10, d8)

d10 : (5) = 5

d8 : (7) = 7

Sep 18, 2023 1:47 pm
Boy
Chase's reassuring touch on the boy's shoulder prompts an immediate reaction. The child's trembling gradually subsides, and he turns his tearful gaze toward her. His expression, once filled with terror, now carries a glimmer of hope.
Sep 18, 2023 3:06 pm
After Lt. Hunter agree with his plan, Lt. Cunningham says, "Alright then. On three, we lay down cover fire at the group on the left for Reed to high tail it to the humvee. Once he gets to us, we switch to the group on the right. Ready? 1... 2... 3!"
OOC:
I'll hold off on dice rolls in case someone counters his plan.
Sep 18, 2023 5:40 pm
Tedic's not too sure about drawing attention to their location, but he hands his LMG to Sheepdog anyways. Surely the higher ranked people know better, right? He then dashes off at the signal.
OOC:
Shouldn't the cover fire be to the right, to suppress the enemies there?
Sep 18, 2023 5:48 pm
OOC:
Well, when I was looking at the map, all the enemy combatants on the right are pointed at the civilian van and the humvee is between us and them. The guys on the left (1 & 8 anyway) would have a clear shot at Reed once he leaves the cover of the overturned humvee to reach the upright one.

This is the sort of conversation I wanted to have before we acted. :)
Last edited September 18, 2023 5:49 pm
Sep 18, 2023 6:56 pm
OOC:
I will consider the first die roll to be the action that starts the chain of events. It looks like that’s going to be either Tedic starting the Humvee or someone shooting at the enemies.

Details about this plan of action…

The initial actions can all happen simultaneously. Once it’s started, I’ll roll initiative for everyone involved.

While providing covering fire, let me know which target you aim at (if you are aiming), and state the weapon you’re firing if you have more than one.

Tedic’s M249 is usually fired from a BIPOD. It can be fired when carried with a -2 modifier. It’s fired with the HEAVY WEAPONS skill.

The range listed on your weapons is for short range (number of hexes). Up to twice short range is medium range. Up to twice medium range is long range and so on. Penalties are added the farther you shoot.

— Firing at medium range, -1 modifier.
— Firing at long range, -2 modifier.

Modifiers downgrade the highest die to the next lower tier: d12 to d10 for example. You can’t go lower than a single d6.

Tedic needs to successfully make a driving skill check to get the vehicle started. Failure will result in him not getting the vehicle started and he loses a turn. He will automatically get the vehicle started his next turn.

Once it’s started, let me know where you drive to next.

Don’t forget about the boy. Three characters have a moral code to help those in need. If the group doesn’t take care of him, those three characters will suffer a point of stress damage.
Sep 18, 2023 8:29 pm
Putting his rifle back on safe and shouldering it, Baker takes the SAW from Reed and nods as Hunter gets the kid calmed down. "Yeah, we’re gonna attract a hell of a lot of attention once we start shooting. How about we split our fire, coordinate to get them all ducking, then Reed can make the run…
OOC:
We’ll definitely want to leverage the overwatch and suppression rules there, trying to force some of the enemy to go to ground when they take fire. Looks like we have to pick a hex to fire at / suppress? Baker will do what he’s ordered to, but at this stage that’s probably open fire on the left. Thinking his turn will be Fast Action - Move from Full to Partial Cover, Slow Action - Fire the M249, Free Action - Move from Partial to Full Cover if there are bogeys looking his way. #1 would be the target unless Normal can spread the hire across hexes.

Oh — and what’s the group Morale score? Sorry if I missed that.
Last edited September 18, 2023 8:31 pm
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