The Truck

Back to World War Wednesdays… (although next week will be cancelled due to another board meeting… how do I get roped into these things…?). I had sort of designed this scenario with Jackson’s new character in mind (the tank commander with Repair d8)… the players were kind of screwed out of complete success when he didn’t show up.

1 July 1941, Southwest of Grodno

SITUATION

After breaking out of the encircling Germans trap, the survivors still find themselves cut off behind Germans lines… They met up with some other survivors and stragglers and were heading generally eastward trying to get some sense of where the front line is, all the while trying to avoid German patrols and watchful collaborators, they discovered an abandoned truck…

SCENARIO

The Truck has been strafed by a German aircraft. The driver was killed and it swerved off the road. It is slightly damaged, and any cargo it carried is gone, but has a full tank of gas!

The truck requires a repair roll or notice (whichever is worse) to diagnose what is wrong with it. Once that has been successfully performed the players will be told that it will require 4 repair rolls – each requiring an action (at -4 – due to damage and lack of tools). When it is fixed the truck needs to be pushed back out of the mud it is mired in. This requires a strength roll at -6 (others can aid the roll) and a driving roll at -2 – both at the same time!

Each turn a German patrol will be dealt in they do not arrive on the table until they are dealt a face card.

FORCES

Soviet Forces (scattered elements of the Tenth Army, Western Special Military District)

Serzhant Boris Trotsky - Wild Card - Dave
Ag d6, Sm d6, Sp d8, St d4, Vg d8,
Pace 6, Parry 4, Toughness 8
Skills: Fighting d4, Shooting d8, Notice d6, Stealth d4, Throwing d4
Edges: Rank (NCO)
Hindrances:
Gear: Ppsh SMG (Range: 12/24/48, ROF3, Damage: 2d6, AP: 1, Auto)

Serzhant Ultarak Kaskyrbai - Wild Card - John
Ag d8, Sm d6, Sp d4, St d4, Vg d8,
Pace 6, Parry 6 (7), Toughness 9
Skills: Fighting d8, Shooting d6, Notice d6, Stealth d4, Throwing d4
Edges: Brawny, Rank:NCO
Hindrances: Bullet Magnet
Gear: Mosin-Nagant Rifle (Range: 24/48/96, ROF1, Damage: 2d8, AP: 2), Bayonet (Str+d6, Reach 1, Parry+1)

Rayadovoy Androv Virgilovski - Wild Card - Rick
Ag d8, Sm d4, Sp d6, St d6, Vg d8,
Pace 6, Parry 6 (7), Toughness 7
Skills: Fighting d8, Shooting d8, Notice d4, Stealth d4, Driving d4, Throwing d4
Edges: Brawny
Hindrances:
Gear: Mosin-Nagant Rifle (Range: 24/48/96, ROF1, Damage: 2d8, AP: 2), Bayonet (Str+d4, Reach 1, Parry+1)

Rayadovoy Aelek Travek - Wild Card - Patrick
Ag d8, Sm d4, Sp d6, St d4, Vg d8,
Pace 6, Parry 4 (5), Toughness 6
Skills: Fighting d4, Shooting d8, Notice d6, Stealth d4, Throwing d4, Repair d4
Edges: Quick
Gear: Mosin-Nagant Rifle (Range: 24/48/96, ROF1, Damage: 2d8, AP: 2), Bayonet (Str+d6, Reach 1, Parry+1)


German Forces (elements of 256th Division, XLII Corps, Ninth Army, Army Group Center)

Obergefrieter Hans Ulrich – Wild Card
Ag d6, Sm d6, Sp d6, St d6, Vg d6,
Pace 6, Parry 5, Toughness 7
Skills: Fighting d6, Shooting d6, Notice d6, Stealth d6, Intimidate d6, Throwing d6
Edges: Rock-n-Roll, Command, Rank: NCO
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: 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)

German LMG 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)

THE GAME

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


The Russians arrive at the truck and give it a once over. Rayadovoy Travek notices it isn’t too badly damaged (originally he went bust on that diagnostic roll… rolled two ones!? He was originally going to leave it and try again next turn. Luckily he bennied it and succeeded, because if he hadn’t I would have made further diagnostic checks at -2 and added two more repair rolls to fix it!!)


After a couple turns of unsuccessful hammering away on the truck with his jackknife the Germans showed up…


The first turn they were there one of the Russians plugged one of the MG crew.


Next turn, down went another and the rest of the team failed morale… it generally went downhill for the MG team. Patrick was dealt a Joker and rolled “Close Call” for fortune and calamity (Enemy unit suffers -2 to all trait tests for the turn) – which meant no one recovered… then they were dealt two deuces in a row dropping their ammo level to “last shots” – in guess all the blood and goo in the ammo box would have fouled the MGs action. Then a third member of the team was taken out… it was all bad. The remaining member finally rallied and was at the end of the game the only German not shaken… (but I’m getting ahead of myself here…)

The same turn Patrick was dealt the joker was, I think, the only turn his character, Rayadovoy Aelek Travek, actually made a successful repair roll on the truck…


John had the most unbelieveable luck – first he showed up early so he got to wear the “Lucky Pilotka” again. Then he was dealt two jokers – gaining him two MORE bennies!?

Actually the commies had all the luck; I think they were dealt a total of four or five jokers in a relatively short game and I didn’t’ get a single one!?


Rayadovoy Travek, having little cover was more or less doomed. I think he soaked one hit. The next one caused one wound – and he kept trying to fix the truck, the next hit did four or five wounds splattering guts and gore all over the engine block…

(is that three for three, Patrick? Maybe consider taking “luck” for your next character… or remember to bring more Natural Brew Root Beer or maybe just try to Not Be Seen!)


The German Rifle section tried to move around the flank under cover and close to short range – but the crack shot Ruskies (with some help from all their jokers) shot the crap out of them and they eventually decided to bug out and call it even…

Post game I gave them ONE chance to try and fix the truck… and Serzhant Boris Trotsky, despite being totally unskilled (d4-2), did it!? Of course I gave them one chance to get it unstuck and the only character with driving skill was the only one with strength higher than d4… so it remained mired in the mud and they left on foot headin east once again…

Those Ruskies shoot to kill… well.. that’s what they TRY to do. Though the Germans suffered no KIAs this time around – Of the seven casualties, five of them were seriously wounded!? Because they lost and had to bug out – dragging their casualties three of them expired before they made it to a hospital.

Nice, fun, QUICK game ("Fast, Furious, and Fun"). I guess that's what happens when you don't have 50+ guys on the table...

Coming soon to Savage Timmy’s Playhouse:

A report of Savage Saturday’s Realms of Cthulhu game – which I hope to conclude the adventure we started a couple weeks ago – but didn’t quite manage to finish up in the one evening.