CHPATER 1, TURN 0: MISSION PLANNING
“All right! Get up, get up! It’s mission day. You ship out in eleven hours and then in four more your feet will be on High Gothic soil.” Your NCO yells marching into the small airbase barracks.
You all dress and shamble out and begin a long walk along one of the intersecting, hangar-side runways of the airbase.
You walk past hangar after hangar to the buzzing tunes of Rolls Royce Merlins and the American Pratt & Whitney Double Wasps. An air service man gives Madeline a nice smile and a bit of a salute, he tends a Supermarine Spitfire Mark V. Atkinson, or Madeline ((DivideByZero)), always stands out. While orcs and elves aren’t exactly commonplace on the base, besides a few secretaries or whatnots she’s likely one of the only women in military service. It was her abroad experience and her credible experience as a magic scholar’s apprentice that qualified her for service; and her marksmanship and outdoorsyness that allowed her a place on a Commando unit. However, rules regarding her service were an express concern. No romantic relationships with team members, short hair, standard male uniform and no explicit mentions of her gender among team members, not even at the pubs. She lives and sleeps with the rest of you; command says it’s crucial for building proper team morale.
“Some awfully nice fellows have prepared a nice surprise for you. And no, before you ask, she’s not coming on the mission with you.” The NCO takes a turn and leads you down a narrow path between hangars.
Turning the corner your eyes meet the blooming feathery expanse of griffon’s wing. It has amber eyes, a pale yellow peak and feathers of a brown black brindled pattern. Its lion tail wags anxiously. A rider with long leather gloves and pilot’s get up stands at its flank.
“Whooa, whooa. It’s ok Marie. It’s ok.” He assures the creature. Marie, despite his assurance, looses a nervous squawk. The griffin’s squawk is a lot louder and deeper than the sparrow and gull cries that you are familiar with. “These chaps aren’t going to hurt you,” he says with a smile.
In a brief but sobering moment Marie’s eye passes over each of you. The griffin is age old symbol of acriscratic might and you cannot help but feel that some ancient power of war on the other side of Marie’s eye has cast judgement upon you.
…
An hour or so later you all find yourself in a briefing room with your NCO for one last review of the mission. It’s time to discuss your plans and the equipment you want to bring.
The target is an above ground forested office in eastern low gothic territory. The facility, which is quite small actually, is a small brick office furnished like a mansion. It is supposed by English intelligence to be an Low Gothic intelligence processing center. The target was located by tips from local anti-gothic groups and confirmed by air reconnaissance photos. The facility is occupied by a small garrison of Low Gothic soldiers (around 20) and intelligence officers. You expect the garrison to be armed with the regular Low Gothic armament which includes machineguns, machinepistols, rifles and handheld grenades.
The objectives of this mission are elimination of Low Gothic intelligence officers, capture of Low Gothic intelligence and the destruction of the faculty’s communication equipment. You'll be air dropped near the site and trek the rest of the way and you will rendezvous with a contact after the mission for transportation out.
This airbase has stock piled weaponry for this operation, you’ll need to select the weapons and equipment you’ll want for the operation. Each team member has 4 inventory slots, 2 of them can be used to carry weapons. Weapons here include captured enemy types, purchased American types and English types.
Available equipment:
Ordnance type:
75mm Pak Howitzer (9 slots, load can be shared across team members) (The gun must be in inventory to be moved but not to be fired. Fires in two configurations: direct or indirect. Indirect: designate operators, these operators will not join you on the mission instead they will operate the howitzer from an appropriate distant location (hits on +6, requires one team member and one Howitzer operator to have a portable radio), +5 when you fire on the same unmoved target that is in vision of a team member with a radio. Direct: In this configuration, the gun is deployed on the mission site and players can leave the gun at any time (+4 hit at all ranges). A player reloading this gun cannot make additional actions this turn. Max rate of fire is 3 rounds per turn. (damage depends on ammo)
37mm M1 anti-tank gun (6 slots, load can be shared across team members)( The gun must be in inventory to be moved but not to be fired. Hits on +4 at all ranges.) (damage depends on ammo)
60mm mortar (3 slots, load can be shared across team members slots)( The gun must be in inventory to be moved but not to be fired. (Hits on +5, +4 if firing at the same unmoved target.) (damage depends on ammo)
Bazooka (2 slots) (Short +4, Medium +5, Long +5) (damage depends on ammo)
PIAT (2 slots)(Low noise, no muzzle flash, Short +4, Medium +5, Long X) (damage depends on ammo)
Panzerfaust(2 slots)(Short +4, Medium +5, Long X)(3 hit dice, 3 damage per hit, blast)
Explosives:
Demolition charge heavy (2 slots)(Short +4, Medium X, Long X)(20 dice, 3 damage per hit)(hits all things near it at short range)(When used at short range ignores cover)
Demolition charge light (1 slots)(Short +4, Medium X, Long X)(20 dice, 2 damage, blast)(When used at short range ignores cover)
Hand grenades (3 per slot) (Short +4, Medium +5 Long X) (7 dice, 1 damage, blast) (When used at short range ignores cover)
White phosphorous grenade (3 per slot) (Short +4, Medium +5 Long X) (2 dice, 1 damage, blast)(lasting effect that hits targets every turn)(-2 to all shots through the phosphorous area) (When used at short range ignores cover)
Thermite grenade (3 per slot) (Short +4, Medium +5 Long X)(1 dice, 10 damage)
Smoke grenade (3 per slot)(can be thrown out to medium range)(-2 to all shots through the smoke)
Machineguns (weapon):
Bren /Lewis/MG34/MG42 (2 slots)(Short +4, Medium +4, Long +5) (1 damage)
M1919/M1918/Vickers/MG34/MG42 w/ tripod (3 slots)(Short +4, Medium +4, Long +4)(1 damage)(-1 to hit at all ranges if moved this turn)(belt fed, no maximum number of shots per turn)
M2HB .50 caliber w/ tripod (4 slots, load can be shared across members)(Short +4, Medium +4, Long +4)(2 damage)(belt fed, no maximum number of shots per turn)
Vickers orc adaptation (3 slots)(includes 100 round drum adapter, wooden stock and bipod)( Short +4, Medium +4, Long +5) (1 damage)
Hispano Mk. II 20mm cannon orc adaptation (20 round box magazine, stamped metal stock and bipod)(3 slots)(Short +4, Medium +4, Long +5)(3 damage)
Rifles(weapon):
Short Magazine Lee Enfield (SMLE) /Karabiner 98/Gewehr 98/M1 Garand (1 slot)(Short +4, Medium +4, Long +4)(1 damage)
Boys .55 caliber AT rifle (3 slots) (Short +5, Medium +4, Long +4) (3 damage)
Machine pistols(weapon):
Sten/MP40/MP28/Lanchester (1 slot) (Short +4, Medium +5, Long +6) (1 damage)
Melee (weapons):
Light sword/axe (1 slot) (Short +4, Medium X, Long X) (1 damage) (4 dice)
Heavy sword/hammer/axe (2 slots) (Short +4, Medium X, Long X) (2 damage) (4 dice)
Webley .455 revolver/M1911 (1 slot) (Short +4, Medium +5, Long +6) (1 damage) (can always be fired in addition to any other turn actions)
Body Armor:
Heavy assault shield (1 slot)(grants user -4 hit cover in addition to other cover but user cannot move and fire a weapon in the same turn) Note: throwing explosives, shooting pistols and using melee weapons do not count towards this.
Basic Armor (1 slot)(grants -2 hit cover against pistols, machine pistols and explosives)
Ammo:
75mm howitzer: White Phosphorous, HEAT, HE, Timed fused High Explosive. (one slot each)(HEAT: 6 dice, 10 damage, no blast)(HE: 30 dice, 2 damage)(Timed fuse: 30 dice, 1 damage, when fired direct detonates on the turn after it is fired, when fired via indirect fire ignores cover)
37 anti-tank: canister, AT (2 rounds per slot)(canister: 15 dice, 1 damage)(AT: 3 dice, 8 damage)
60mm mortar shells: HE, Smoke, White Phosphorous(2 rounds per slot)(HE: 10 dice, 1 damage, blast)(White Phosphorous: 2 dice, 1 damage, leaves -2 smoke, hits targets inside blast every turn)
Bazooka rocket/PIAT round: HE, HEAT (2 rounds per slot)(HE: 8 dice, 1 damage, blast)(HEAT: 2 dice, 5 damage)
20mm ammunition (20 rounds is one item slot)
All other ammunition (50 rounds is one slot)
Note: Items (including ammo) can be dropped and if so they can be used by characters at that location.
You'll also notice that a lot of weapons are treated as equivalent (for this chapter at least), there is one unstated difference the different weapons: clip/mag size. The clip/mag size of your gun is the logical maximum number of shots it can fire in a turn. Belt fed weapons ignore this soft maximum.
Team members:
Team health (72)
Madeline Christie Atkinson (DivideByZero) (12 health, 4 inventory slots)
Race: Human
Appearance: A thin, medium-height woman with high cheekbones and an eternally frustrated look on her face. She has milk-chocolate hair with two braided locks of hair running down either side to her shoulders.
Forbidden Knowledge -- Can make guesses as to how one would cast a certain spell, what a person could do with magic, whether magic was being used, etc. Magical knowledge that's just short of actual magic.
Camouflague – enemies shoot at -1 to hit when you are in cover outdoors.
Psychological Warfare -- Doubled damage and fire superiorty effect with rifles.
Jim Harrington (Questorhank) (12 Health, 4 inventory slots)
Race: Human
Appearance: A tall, lean man. His brown hair is shoulder-length and almost always "up" in some way (usually a hastily-done ponytail). He keeps his beard and moustache short, . There's a faint scar under his left eye.
Speaks Low Gothic
Mechanic – knowledge check mechanics/vehicle weaknesses. +1 to repair actions.
Covered -- 1.25 increased protection from cover
Straight Faced -- +1 on lies/general deception.
Hans Koring Staffenberg (Sir Elventide)(12 health, 4 slots)(squad leader)
Race: Elf
Appearance: An average sized elf, Hans has a line of freckles across the bridge of his nose, straw-blonde neck length hair with a thin braid hanging over the right side and pale blue eyes.
Speaks Low Gothic
Silver-tongued – Intuition check: manipulation
Magosensory Perception – Sensory check: magic
Tactician – Intuition check: enemy tactics
Zehn Graftkin(Doomblade187)(12 health, 4 slots)
Race: Orc
Appearance: A thick, solidly built orc, he has dark eyes and hair, and tries to keep his uniform neat at all times.
Necromancy—roll to commune with the dead! Bonus if offering is made.
Man of Many Words -- Understands many colonial and Euro-Roman languages.
Machinegunner – the first enemy shot at with more than 10 bullets deals -2d6 less damage that turn.
Krilge Schmidt(Pancaek)(12 health, 4 slots)
Race: Orc
Appearance: Krilge is big and muscular, like most orcs of his kind. He also has a bit of belly and a permanent soft expression on his face. He has many small scars scattered over his body, results of dabbling with explosive substances. He keeps his hair short on purpose, and his eyebrows are often rather sparse by accident.
Demolition orc-- 1.33x dice to any explosive you use including ordnance type.
Shrapnel avoider—additional -2 hit cover when you are shot at while contextually moving.
Family orc -- +1 to positive speech, -1 to negative speech, +2 to talking to children
Phillip Ottersen(Slick)(12 health, 4 slots)
Race: Human
Appearance: At 6'4'' the Filipino-English mix is rather tall for a human especially given his heritage, with black crew cut an a trimmed mustache and beard. Tends to have a happy-go-lucky expression always looking at the bright side no matter the situation. Is laden with the equipment of a Grenadier.
Grenadier's Arm: All throw explosives inherit a (short +4, medium +4, long X) profile in place of their regular one, always ignore enemy cover.
I Will Be Your Shield!!!: Can share shield cover with a nearby ally. Additionally, shields do not take a slot.
Hey now, What about that stiff upper lip?: +1 to comforting actions/speech.
Note: I've made some changes to the following skills: Grenadier's arm, I Will Be Your Shield, Demolition Orc, Psychological Warfare and Machinegunner. Also health values are subject to change as I do some testing.
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