Thursday, September 9, 2010

Retrieve the Agent


29 September 1941

SITUATION

Our heroes have made it back to “friendly” lines but have come under suspicion as deserters and cowards (Comrade Stalin did, after all, order them to defend and not retreat… and our heroes have retreated so very, very far). Because they have shown resourcefulness and an ability to infiltrate behind enemy lines (and to prove their loyalty to the soviet union) they have been given a special task; They are to meet a soviet agent in the middle of a disputed town and escort him back safely to their own lines.

SCENARIO

Get to the designated building where they are to meet the Agent and retire back arcoss their own table edge with him.

Except for the HMG all German forces start the game hidden. After turn ten reinforcements will be diced for…

FORCES

Soviet Forces

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: 10/20/40, ROF3, Damage: 2d6, AP: 1, Auto)

Soviet Riflemen - 7
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: 6xMosin-Nagant Rifle (Range: 24/48/96, ROF1, Damage: 2d8, AP: 2) +Bayonet (Str+d4, Reach 1, Parry+1), 1x DP LMG (Range: 24/48/96, ROF3, Damage: 2d8, AP: 2, Auto, Snap fire)

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

Soviet Riflemen - 7
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: 6xMosin-Nagant Rifle (Range: 24/48/96, ROF1, Damage: 2d8, AP: 2) +Bayonet (Str+d4, Reach 1, Parry+1), 1x DP LMG (Range: 24/48/96, ROF3, Damage: 2d8, AP: 2, Auto, Snap fire)

Efreytor Marcov - Wild Card - Jackson
Ag d6, Sm d8, Sp d4, St d4, Vg d6,
Pace 6, Parry 4, Toughness 4
Skills: Fighting d4, Shooting d4, Notice d4, Stealth d4, Driving d4, Throwing d4, Repair d8
Edges: Command
Hindrances:
Gear: Pistol (Range: 6/12/24, ROF1, Damage: 2d6, AP: 1)

Russian Agent - Wild Card - NPC
Ag d6, Sm d8, Sp d8, St d6, Vg d6,
Pace 6, Parry 4, Toughness 4
Skills: Fighting d8, Shooting d8, Notice d10, Stealth d10, Streetwise d10, Persuasion d8, Intimidation d6
Edges: Connections
Hindrances:
Gear: Pistol (Range: 6/12/24, ROF1, Damage: 2d6, AP: 1)


German Forces (elements of Army Group Center)

Gefrieter Karl Ulrich – Wild Card
Ag d6, Sm d6, Sp d6, St d8, Vg d8
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: 10/20/40, ROF3, Damage: 2d6, AP: 1, Auto)
Luger Pistol (Range: 6/12/24, 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: 10/20/40, 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 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 HMG Team (3)
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: 2x Luger Pistol (Range: 12/24/48, ROF1, Damage: 2d6, AP: 1)
1x MG34 on Tripod (Range: 30/60/120, ROF3, Damage: 2d8, AP: 2, Auto, No Move)

German Sniper – Wildcard
Ag d6, Sm d6, Sp d8, St d6, Vg d8,
Pace 6, Parry 5, Toughness 5
Skills: Fighting d6, Shooting d8, Notice d8, Stealth d8,
Edges: Marksman
Hindrances:
Gear: Kar 98K Rifle (Range: 24/48/96, ROF1, Damage: 2d8, AP: 2, Snap-fire), Telescopic Sight (+2 to hit when not moving)

German Rifle Team #2 (6) (came on as reinforcements on turn 10)
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: 10/20/40, 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 ruined section of town with a heavy machinegun set up to cover the central streets. The building they were to meet the Russian Agent in is to the right of the MG team (with the area marker #5 next to it – locations of possible enemy units)


The Russians begin their advance dashing from cover to cover…

Unfortunately at this point my camera died… and I apparently forgot to recharge the batteries… Luckily Dave stepped in to save the day with his cell-phone-texta-camera-thingamajiggy… (Thanks Dave!)

They’re a bit grainy… but they have that WW2 action photography look that kind of works..


Sgt Trotsky’s section advances. The DP Gunner just rounding the corner is about to get his head blown off by the German Sniper.


Sgt. Zaitzoff dashes across the open right next to a building occupied by a German LMG team – completely unseen by the team within or the HMG team a little further down the road!! (mega-acing on the stealth roll makes Zaitzoff like ghost!)


Sgt. Zaitzoff tried to toss one of his grenades over the highwall but missed – it bounce back – but luckily deflected off out of range to cause him harm…


Zaitzoff’s section followed – apparently also taking the Germans by complete surprise – they were spotted but BOTH the LMG team and the HMG team were unable to interrupt their action in time! (presumably the LMG team was distracted by the sound of the grenade exploding at the side of their building!)


A short but vicious fight – the Germans were completely overwhelmed. The Gefrieter and three of the LMG team were taken out the fourth member of the LMG Team surrendered!


Efreytor Marcov dashed across the street and made contact with the Soviet Agent. Before making their way back he cleared the street by blowing up the HMG team with a grenade!


The German rifle section moves out to aid their comrades.


Sgt. Zaitzoff covers the retreat of his section and the Soviet Agent. First he fired on the German Rifle team, then the next turn he threw a grenade before scarpering. The grenade when wide blowing up on the other side of cover…

The next turn, however, one of the soviets pulled a Joker – the result on the fortunate and calamity table was “Twist of Fate”: take a benny from your opponent or remove an extra if he has none… I had none… so we said the grenade blast tossed a large brick chunk up in the air that came down on the head of the rifleman on the other side of the rubble, knocking him out.


Sgt. Zaitzoff’s section retires taking their prisoner with them.


Everyone making a dash for their own lines.

German reinforcements arrived and were quickly closing in on them. Sgt. Zaitzoff’s section abandoned their POW as he was slowing them down…

Because of his extreme heroism in this action (and previous actions), Efreytor Marcov has been promoted to Leytenant and given command of a tank platoon… well… in theory… not many tanks around for him to command in October of 1941… (he leveled up and I let him take Rank: Officer) (That’s right, Patrick, Jackson will be your platoon commander!)

These last couple games have been pretty epic! Lots of tension and uncertainty…

On the Soviet side Trotsky had lost two from his section. One, the DP gunner, was killed in action (by the German sniper). The other, a rifleman, was lightly wounded and managed to make his way back to friendly lines… Sgt. Zaitzoff lost three riflemen. Two were killed in action, the third was wounded and captured by the Germans after the action.

The Germans lost three killed in action (one of the HMG team, and two from the LMG team that was close assaulted by Zaitzoff’s section). Two were seriously wounded (the other two members of the HMG team) both of which succumbed to their wounds some time later before making it back to Germany. Three others were lightly wounded but recovered to fight another day…

Coming Soon to Savage Timmy’s Playhouse:

This Savage Saturday night we might be back to Realms of Cthulhu…. Or maybe we’ll play some more WW2 (depending on who actually shows up)… and next Wednesday we’ll definitely be back at it on the Eastern Front!!

7 comments:

Thomas Jakobsen said...

Hi Tim - as always a pleasure reading your posts.

One questiuon - how do you decide the fate of those shot? A Vigor test or some sort of table?

Thomas

tim said...

Cheers Thomas!

Yeah, for extras it's pretty much a vigor check - results are something like this:

1 = KIA
2-3 = Serious Wound (miss one game - or a week - then check again)
4+ = Light Wound (miss one game - or out of action for one week)
Raise = knocked out or broken morale (return to action immediately)

-2 to roll if your side lost and wounded were abandoned on the table.

If your side lost and wounded extras were abandoned on the table I have them do a stealth roll to avoid capture (-2 if lightly wounded, -4 if seriously wounded).

I generally roll for everyone - regardless of it whether it really matters or not (i.e. for the Germans who they will never see again).

In the case of the two Germans that were seriously wounded and succumbed to their wounds - I initially rolled a serious injury and then was going to roll again to see how long it took them to recover and both rolled a 1 on the second roll (so, died of wounds).

that's GENERALLY what I do... sometimes I just make stuff up.... it's a "narrative campaign", so I can do that.

Thomas Jakobsen said...

Hi Tim

Thanks - I really like the idea of cheking how everybody does when the dust settles, and the MIA's fate are decided. It really gives a nice "ending" to the game, when you write the debriefing.

Again, thanks for all the great battle reports. All very inspiring.

Thomas :o)

jmezz382 said...

I was just rereading some of your SW posts and eas wondering how or what you used for the ruins and buildings .... did you make them ?

tim said...

Yea I made them.

MDF and pebbles, mostly...

jmezz382 said...

Mdf?

tim said...

MDF= Medium Density Fibreboard.

I use the 1/4" variet for the walls, and the 1/8" variety for the bases.