DAY 5 – APRIL 22nd 2000
PRASZKA, POLAND – NIGHT
SITREP and ENEMY FORCES *** SPOILER *** [click to expand]
The Flock has split its main force into 2 groups:
- 20 men will attack the checkpoint where the players met the town defenders
- 30 men will attack the town from S-E. The enemy infantry will cross the river and push into the town, the technical has moved south to an intact bridge where it crossed the river and will move back towards the town on the road that follows the river
Moving towards the battle, the players will encounter the leftmost flank of the second group; the enemy forces comprising it are as follows:
A) An up-armored pickup, a.k.a. a TECHNICAL: this is a civilian pickup with metal plates and other protections welded and secured on its frame granting +1 armor on sides, front and rear (and a slightly diminished speed which won’t come into play). The pickup main weapon is a PKM heavy machinegun with 150 rounds pintle-mounted on the back and with a front shield that protects the gunner’s arms. The technical is crewed by:
- GUNNER modeled after a Polish soldier from the Referee’s Manual, his stats are: HIT CAP: 5 CUF: C
ATTRIBUTES
STR: B
AGL: B
INT: C
EMP: C
SKILLS
RANGED COMBAT: C
DRIVING: C
CLOSE COMBAT: D
RECON: C
Carries an AKM + 1 reload. Has Polish army fatigues + steel helmet.
- DRIVER modeled after a Polish soldier from the Referee’s Manual, his stats are: HIT CAP: 5 CUF: C
ATTRIBUTES
STR: B
AGL: B
INT: C
EMP: C
SKILLS
RANGED COMBAT: C
DRIVING: C
CLOSE COMBAT: D
RECON: C
Carries an AKM + 1 reload. Has Polish army fatigues + steel helmet.
B) A MACHINE-GUN TEAM stationed in a 4 stories building across the street from the main defender’s position, consisting of 3 men:
- LEADER modeled after a Polish officer from the Referee’s Manual, his stats are: HIT CAP: 5 CUF: C
ATTRIBUTES
STR: C
AGL: B
INT: B
EMP: B
SKILLS
RANGED COMBAT: C
PERSUASION: D
COMMAND: C
RECON: C
Carries a P-83 pistol + 1 reload. Has Polish army fatigues + 1 medkit.
- MACHINEGUNNER modeled after a Polish soldier from the Referee’s Manual, his stats are: HIT CAP: 5 CUF: C
ATTRIBUTES
STR: B
AGL: B
INT: C
EMP: C
SKILLS
RANGED COMBAT: C
DRIVING: C
CLOSE COMBAT: D
RECON: C
Carries an RPK + 1 reload. Has Polish army fatigues.
- AMMO BEARER modeled after a marauder from the Referee’s Manual, his stats are: HIT CAP: 5 CUF: C
ATTRIBUTES
STR: B
AGL: C
INT: C
EMP: D
SKILLS
RANGED COMBAT: C
DRIVING: D
CLOSE COMBAT: D
RECON: D
Carries a Hunting Rifle + 1 reload, a knife and 1 PKM mag.
C) An ASSAULT TEAM is stationed at a school just on the town’s side of the river along with another unit; it will move to attack the players once they are spotted. Its members are:
- LEADER modeled after a Soviet officer from the Referee’s Manual, his stats are: HIT CAP: 5 CUF: C
ATTRIBUTES
STR: C
AGL: B
INT: B
EMP: B
SKILLS
RANGED COMBAT: C
PERSUASION: D
COMMAND: C
RECON: C
Carries a PM pistol + 1 reload. Has Soviet army fatigues + 1 medkit.
- x3 SOLDIERS modeled after Soviet soldiers from the Referee’s Manual, their stats are: HIT CAP: 5 CUF: C
ATTRIBUTES
STR: B
AGL: B
INT: C
EMP: C
SKILLS
RANGED COMBAT: C
DRIVING: C
CLOSE COMBAT: D
RECON: C
I decided that the army of the Flock that’s attacking the town is comprised of units from multiple nationalities. The core soldiers are however Polish and they have been assigned the main guns (pickup and machineguns).
For the assault team I assigned a random nationality by rolling a D6 (1-2 = Polish, 3-4 = Soviet, 5-6 = US), it came out 4 = Soviet.
The MACHINE GUN TEAM has lit a flare to signal to friendly forces its position in the building.
The MACHINE GUN TEAM is marked with MGT on the map; the assault team with A.
And below is a map of the larger area.
All the ingredients for a firefight are in place. Time for the players to make a move.
LED and NASCAR reach the edge of the Garage Hotel area; they observe the street and the single-family houses on the other side. Little moonlight filters through the night clouds and everything is shrouded in darkness; so far nobody is in sight [max visibility is still 5 hexes = 50 meters in a cloudy night].
They can hear gunfire coming from two directions. LED taps his ear with one finger, then points it at each of the two sources. NASCAR nods, then leans toward his buddy, raises a hand towards the houses across the street and whispers “let’s stick to cover”
The duo crosses the street and starts making its way across the small backyards of the periphery of Praszka; they move slowly checking corners, windows, doors, and any potential point a threat could come from.
They reach a road and take cover behind a broken-down sedan. The gunfire is getting more intense, and more cracking sounds can be heard from further up along the river. A burst is fired from a nearby elevated position, the sound somewhat familiar to both.
WITH the EYES of the REFEREE [click to expand]
I had both LED and NASCAR roll for Recon without modifiers: they each got 1 success.
“That’s a machinegun” says LED.
NASCAR nods, his eyes looking for any clue as to the gunner’s position, “my money is on an RPK”
LED notices the faint glow of a red flare burning in one of the upper floors of a nearby 4 stories building. He taps NASCAR shoulder and points at window barely lit in bright red, “double your money that their nest is in there”
NASCAR lifts his M249 just slightly “this thing wasn’t made for close quarters”
“Yeah?” LED taps the grenade strapped to NASCAR’s chest “well this thing here is just perfect”
The building is a small apartment complex with multiple units for each floor, it has windows on the E and W sides, with some small balconies looking towards the river. The S and N sides have no openings.
The building sign is written in white letters on blue background; it reads ul. FABRYCZNA 9 (9 factory street).
There are two entrances on the ground floor, LED and NASCAR stack up at the nearest one, peek inside and then enter the building.
The stairwell is faintly lit by small windows placed on the landings at every other level. Some doors appear to have been broken into a long time ago, some are boarded up or otherwise blocked and some are missing altogether. The duo keeps moving up towards the sound of the machinegun.
Most apartments have been ransacked – especially at the lower floors – and furniture are missing or left there broken and empty. Rubble and broken glass are scattered everywhere and all is covered in a layer of dust. The air is heavy and stale.
The duo proceeds to the top floor, where they can clearly hear the sound of a machinegun firing small bursts coming from the NW corner of the building. The floor has been heavily damaged, probably in previous battles that have involved the town.
FINAL COMMENTS
LED and NASCAR have apparently found what they were looking for.
Not sure however whether they actually know what they’re looking for…