Wolves in the Night…

No Realms of Cthulhu! this past Savage Saturday Night. I was really damn tired because I had gotten up at 6AM to for a 60Km ride (oh, and I’d been up until midnight the previous evening painting and watching a movie)…. AND I was planning to go for another ride Sunday morning…. AND a John and Brenda were away…. AND I figured Chrisitian might be a bit sad about having missed the last couple WW2 games… AND… well… honestly, I just didn’t have any Cthulhu-type adventures ready…. So I ran a quick Weird War Two skirmish scenario.


8 July 1941, Somewhere west of Bialystok, Poland

SITUATION

It has been just over two weeks since the Germans have invaded. Two Panzer Groups of Army Group Center smashed through the front lines and within a week met near Minsk to seal off a pocket of nearly 300000 Soviet soldiers in and around Bialystok, Poland. Another 10 days of hard fighting by the follow-on infantry has reduced the pocket to a few small groups of defenders. Most have surrendered, some fight to the death, a few have tried to escape to continue the fight behind German lines or make the long march back to friendly lines.

SCENARIO

The Rag-tag group of soviets must attempt to escape off the

FORCES

Soviet Forces (Elements of the 13th Rifle Regiment, 2nd Rifle Division,

Serzhant Iliya Levitsky - Wild Card - Christian
Ag d6, Sm d6, Sp d6, St d6, Vg d6,
Pace 6, Parry 5, Toughness 7
Skills: Fighting d6, Shooting d8, Notice d4, Stealth d4, Intimidate d4, Throwing d4
Edges: Rank (NCO)
Hindrances:
Gear: PPSh SMG (Range: 12/24/48, ROF3, Damage: 2d6, AP: 1, Auto)

Rayadovoy Pavel Gukov – Sniper - Wild Card - Darrin
Ag d8, Sm d6, Sp d6, St d4, Vg d6,
Pace 6, Parry 5, Toughness 5
Skills: Fighting d6, Shooting d8, Notice d6, Stealth d6, Throwing d4
Edges: Alertness
Hindrances:
Gear: Mosin-Nagant Rifle (Range: 24/48/96, ROF1, Damage: 2d8, AP: 2, Snap Fire, Scope),


Anya Putyatin – Medical Aide - Wild Card – Amanda
Ag d6, Sm d8, Sp d8, St d4, Vg d4,
Pace 6, Parry 4, Toughness 4
Skills: Fighting d4, Shooting d6, Notice d6, Stealth d4, Healing d8, Throwing d4
Edges: Combat Medic, Healer
Hindrances:
Gear: Uniform, Medical Kit


Soviet Conscripts - 4
Ag d6, Sm d4, Sp d6, St d6, Vg d6,
Pace 6, Parry 4 (5), Toughness 5
Skills: Fighting d4, Shooting d6, Notice d4, Stealth d4, Throwing d4
Gear: Mosin-Nagant Rifle (Range: 24/48/96, ROF1, Damage: 2d8, AP: 2), Bayonet (Str+d4, Reach 1, Parry+1)


German Forces (elements of … Army Group Center)

Obergefrieter Karl Schmidt – Wild Card
Ag d6, Sm d6, Sp d6, St d6, Vg d6,
Pace 6, Parry 5, Toughness 5
Skills: Fighting d6, Shooting d6, Notice d6, Stealth d6, Intimidate d6, Throwing d6
Edges: Rock-n-Roll, Command
Hindrances:
Gear:
MP-40 SMG (Range: 12/24/48, ROF3, Damage: 2d6, AP: 1, Auto)
Luger Pistol (Range: 12/24/48, ROF1, Damage: 2d6, AP: 1)

German Rifle Team #1 (6)
Ag d6, Sm d6, Sp d6, St d6, Vg d6,
Pace 6, Parry 5, Toughness 5
Skills: Fighting d6, Shooting d6, Notice d6, Stealth d6, Throwing d6
Edges:
Hindrances:
Gear: 6x Kar 98K Rifle (Range: 24/48/96, ROF1, Damage: 2d8, AP: 2), Bayonet (Str+d4, Reach 1, Parry+1)

German MG Team #1 (4)
Ag d6, Sm d6, Sp d6, St d6, Vg d6,
Pace 6, Parry 5, Toughness 5
Skills: Fighting d6, Shooting d6, Notice d6, Stealth d6, Throwing d6
Edges:
Hindrances:
Gear: 3x Kar 98K Rifle (Range: 24/48/96, ROF1, Damage: 2d8, AP: 2), Bayonet (Str+d4, Reach 1, Parry+1), 1x MG34 (Range: 30/60/120, ROF3, Damage: 2d8, AP: 2, Auto, Snapfire)

German Rifle Team #2 (6)
Ag d6, Sm d6, Sp d6, St d6, Vg d6,
Pace 6, Parry 5, Toughness 5
Skills: Fighting d6, Shooting d6, Notice d6, Stealth d6, Throwing d6
Edges:
Hindrances:
Gear: 1x MP-40 SMG (Range: 12/24/48, ROF3, Damage: 2d6, AP: 1, Auto),
5x Kar 98K Rifle (Range: 24/48/96, ROF1, Damage: 2d8, AP: 2), Bayonet (Str+d4, Reach 1, Parry+1)

Wulf Jung – Greater Werewolf – WC
Ag d10, Sm d6, Sp d8, St d12, Vg d8,
Pace 8(+d10), Parry 7, Toughness 6
Skills: Fighting d10, Intimidate d10, Notice d10, Stealth d10
Edges: Fleet Footed, Combat Reflexes, Improved Frenzy, Quick, Bay
Hindrances: Weakness (Silver)
Gear: Claws (Str+d6)


Lesser Wolfmen (4)
Ag d10, Sm d4, Sp d8, St d10, Vg d8,
Pace 8(+d10), Parry 6, Toughness 6
Skills: Fighting d8, Notice d8, Stealth d8,
Edges: Fleet Footed, Improved Frenzy
Hindrances: Weakness (Silver)
Gear: Claws (Str+d6)

Pack of Wolves (3)
Ag d8, Sm d4(A), Sp d8, St d6, Vg d6,
Pace 5, Parry 5, Toughness 5
Skills: Fighting d8, Notice d8, Stealth d8,
Edges:
Hindrances:
Gear: Bite (Str+d4)

THE GAME

I deployed the Germans on the table – on both flanks, right at the edge of the table. Really I didn’t mean for them to get in contact, they were just there to funnel the players into the middle where they would meet the nasty surprise – a pack of werewolves hiding in the woods!

Rather than running that gauntlet, however, They players decided to fight their way up one side!?


(Remember: click on the pictures for a bigger version)


Christian showed up first so he got to wear the “lucky Pilotka”… of course then I forgot to give him the bonus benny, but it seems to have turned out lucky in the end anyway…


Turn one they were in contact and blazing away at each other – more or less ineffectively – in the dark

It was a full moon – July 8th, I did check to see when the first full moon during Operation Barbarossa was - so the darkness penalty was only -2… but still.. then there was cover, etc…


There was also a machine-gun team nearby – but because I didn’t want to crowd everyone up too much (ans was taking pity on the PCs) they held their position in reserve.

The Germans on the other side advanced into a position of good cover and then also held.


Ooh.. the Germans tagged one…

This was starting to look like it was going to take forever (Did I mention that I was tired and wanted to go to bed… well… somewhat earlier than we normally do…?) so I decided to impose a time limit – once we hit turn ten I’d star rolling a d10 – if the total was equal to or greater than 20 – game over. If they weren’t off the table by then they lost – more Germans arrived and completely overwhelmed them. Or more likely Germans in the rear heard the firefight and moved more into a blocking position so it would have been impossible for any of the Russians to escape…


Then the Russians got lucky took out one German, shook another..


This was the first time I EVER saw the Combat Medic edge work – the Germans took out a Russian, Medical Aide Anya Putyatin rushed forward and did her healing roll at -2 (+2 for healing and a further -2 for darkness – hard to spot the holes spurting blood in the dark!!), and bippity-bam Russian Conscript returned to action shaken!

The big Turn Tracker Die was ticking away and no one was moving – every turn I made a loud “tick” every time I turned it to give the palyers a hint that they had very limited time!! Still they sat in the bush and blazed away…


Then lucky-pilotka-wearing Christian pulled a joker! As we were using the showdown skirmish ruleshe rolled for Fortune and Calamity and came up with "Team Work" - a second unit within 12" gets to act on the joker and has all the usual benefits - well with that they shot up the Germans pretty good!


I started to move up the MG team. Then Christian got another Joker… he rolled for Fortune and Calamity and came up with “Out Of Ammo”… Guess who...? That’s right the MG team!!


So the MG team high-tailed, having no ammo whatsoever, it back to their hiding spot in the bushed to the rear and the Russians charged Obergefrieter Schmidt! The conscripts were so bad at close combat that they needed the sarge and the sniper to come in and help them by beating the Obergefrieter to death with the stocks of their firearms (SMGs and Sniper rifles lacking bayonets and all…)


They pursued the fleeing Germans through the woods and took out another of the rifle team.

It was now about turn ten… they were nowhere near the side of the table there were to exit off!


So they made a mad dash through woods in the dark… then suddenly…


There was a loud, bonechilling baying coming from somewhere in the woods not very far away – right in the direction they were headed!

Well, maybe it was only bonechilling for the sniper – he was they only one to fail the spirit roll the baying induced!


Next they found themselves being chased by wolves and wolf-like creatures….!

Aaaaaaand the game ended… turn 14, rolled a six…

Hmmmm well that’s pretty anti-climactic….

Shall we play on….?

Of course we shall!!


The Greater werewolf leaped out of the woods and attacked Pavel! I think he got one solid blow in with the stock of his rifle, but after that it was a downhill battle…


The conscripts and Serzhant Levitsky were attacked by the pack of wolves while Anya made a run for it!!


The Russians quickly overcame the wolves – but the terrifying wolfmen were hot on their heels!


Flushed with their victory against the wolves – and realizing they could never out run these devilishly fast creatures – the Russians CHARGED!


It didn’t work out so well and they were torn to shreds in two rounds…


Pavel was also torn to shreds – but it took a good three or four rounds to take down the tough Russian – which gave Anya and Serzhant Levitsky time to make their excape… well from the horrors at least… They DID fail to get off the table within the time limit! So I guess second line troops were alerted and moved into blocking positions. With the creatures nipping at their heels and an overwhelming number of alert Germans to their front, perhaps surrender would seem not so bad…

…or maybe they would choose to go down fighting…? We’ll have to figure that out next time I guess…

Coming Soon to Savage Timmy’s Playhouse:

Wednesday in World War Wednesday and we will be carrying on from last week’s game… and next Savage Saturday night we should be back to Realms of Cthulhu!