DAY 5 – APRIL 22nd 2000

PRASZKA, POLAND – MORNING

SITREP and ENEMY FORCES *** SPOILER *** [click to expand]

I’ll stand by CJA assessment that the enemy has 4 to 8 men in the school, so I decided for 4 + D4 = 4 + 2 = 6 enemies. For their nationality I’m house-ruling that half of them is Polish, including the leader. The enemy force is comprised of the remaining members of different units involved in the attack at the checkpoint, so for the nationality of the remaining 3 members I split them in two groups and rolled a D6: 1-2 = Polish, 3-4 = Soviet, 5-6 = US:

• Members #4 and #5: roll[D6] = 3 = Russians
• Member #6: roll[D6] = 4 = Russian

The Flock’s soldiers have killed 2 of the defenders in their assault on the outpost and taken the other 3 as prisoners. By interrogating them, they obtained access to the hidden arsenal of the outpost.

The arsenal has what follows:

• D4 pistols = 3 pistols (2 P-83 and 1 Makarov)
• D3 reloads for each: 3 reloads for the P-83 and 1 reload for the Makarov
• 10 assault rifles (most of them AKMs and the remaining decided by a D6 roll as per the nationality)
  • 7 AKMs
  • 2 decided by a D6 roll = 1 = Polish: I went with PKM-60s
  • 1 decided by a D6 roll = 6 = US: I went with an M16A1
• D3 reloads for each assault rifle: 17 reloads for the AKM/PKM-60 (they use the same caliber) and 2 reloads for the M16A1
• A Polish PKM with D3 ammo belts = 1 ammo belt
• D3 + 1 flak jackets = 3 flak jackets
• D3 + 1 steel helmets = 4 steel helmets
• D3 + 1 improvised grenades = 3 improvised grenades
• 1 RPG-7V with a single rocket

I’ll distribute the equipment among the enemies as I see most fit. I will not group them and each one will act on his own. As they have already fought in the assault on the town, I house-ruled that everyone has a 50% chance of having already suffered 1 damage point.

Here’s the stats for the enemy force occupying the school:

• LEADER represented by the token marked with the inverted cross on the combat map; he’s modeled after a Polish officer from the referee’s manual: HIT CAP: 5          CUF: C

ATTRIBUTES

STR: C

   AGL: B

INT: B 

EMP: B

SKILLS

RANGED COMBAT: C

   RECON: C

PERSUASION: D

COMMAND: C

Carries a P-83 pistol + 1 reload; an AKM + 3 reloads; 1 improvised grenade; 1 smoke grenade. Has Polish army fatigues, flak vest and steel helmet.

Has already suffered 1 damage point.

---

• ENEMY 1 is modeled after a Polish soldier from the referee’s manual: HIT CAP: 5          CUF: C

ATTRIBUTES

STR: B

   AGL: B

INT: C 

EMP: C

SKILLS

RANGED COMBAT: C

   RECON: C

DRIVING: D

CLOSE COMBAT: D

Carries an AKM + 4 reloads; 1 improvised grenade; knife. Has Polish army fatigues, flak vest and steel helmet.

Has already suffered 1 damage point.

---

• ENEMY 2 is modeled after a Soviet soldier from the referee’s manual: HIT CAP: 5          CUF: C

ATTRIBUTES

STR: B

   AGL: B

INT: C 

EMP: C

SKILLS

RANGED COMBAT: C

   RECON: C

DRIVING: C

CLOSE COMBAT: D

Carries an AKM + 3 reloads. Has Polish army fatigues and steel helmet.

---

• ENEMY 3 is modeled after a Soviet soldier from the referee’s manual: HIT CAP: 5          CUF: C

ATTRIBUTES

STR: B

   AGL: B

INT: C 

EMP: C

SKILLS

RANGED COMBAT: C

   RECON: C

DRIVING: C

CLOSE COMBAT: D

Carries a PKM-60 + 4 reloads; axe. Has Russian army fatigues and steel helmet.

---

• ENEMY 4 is modeled after a Soviet soldier from the referee’s manual: HIT CAP: 5          CUF: C

ATTRIBUTES

STR: B

   AGL: B

INT: C 

EMP: C

SKILLS

RANGED COMBAT: C

   RECON: C

DRIVING: C

CLOSE COMBAT: D

Carries an AKM + 3 reloads; 1 improvise grenade; knife. Has Russian army fatigues, flak vest and steel helmet.

---

• ENEMY 5 is modeled after a Soviet soldier from the referee’s manual:             HIT CAP: 5          CUF: C

ATTRIBUTES

STR: B

   AGL: B

INT: C 

EMP: C

SKILLS

RANGED COMBAT: C

   RECON: C

DRIVING: C

CLOSE COMBAT: D

Carries an AK-74 + 3 reloads; knife, Has Russian army fatigues, flak vest and steel helmet.

The Polish group will defend the main part of the building, while the Russians will be in charge of the North wing.

---

I won’t model each soldier of the Praszka militia; they will be represented by tokens displaying the town’s flag.

The group sees the town’s soldiers moving to the houses on the other side of the street from the school. MARKO splits his forces with the support team entering the right one and the assault team the left one, their approach was (hopefully) masked by the houses themselves.

The group is proceeding on a parallel route north of the local forces, exploiting the overgrown vegetation to remain in cover while reaching a spot North of the school, about fifty meters from their planned entry point. They will need to vault over the perimetral fence: it’s short enough no to represent a problem, and they have received an old, small, thick carpet to hang over the fence to avoid the pointy parts on top.

WITH the EYES of the REFEREE [click to expand]

I didn’t bother with an opposite RECON roll, assuming the Flock is expecting an assault on the school; I will roll to see if they spot the players as they’re trying to approach from the ‘blind side’ of the building while the local troops carry on the main attack.

The plan calls for the support team to open fire on the school, followed by the movement of the assault team and the group. LED has agreed to move his team as close as he is comfortable with (he made sure those were the words agreed upon) before the assault, on account of needing time to pick the door’s lock before entering the building. LED has given ALEX is lockpicks as he’s the best suited for picking the lock.

There’s enough vegetation to move to the opposite side of the road and a bit closer to the school (years of missed landscaping will do wonders for a stealthy approach), shortening the distance to about 30 meters.

PLAYERS’ APPROACH ROLL [click to expand]

We’re close enough for an opposite RECON roll. I’m basing my approach on Google Street View images of the area surrounding the school: the player’s approach is well concealed, but a lucky roll from a Flock’s soldier might reveal them.

The players are moving all at once so the player with the lowest RECON skill rolls for the entire group: that would be DONNA as she has no skill level in RECON. She’s not wearing her full fatigues, just the pants, so I gave her a 50% of that being enough to grant her a +1 on her Recon roll (7-12 on a D12 roll: I rolled an 8 = she gets the camouflage bonus).

DONNA gets a +1 for wearing camouflage and +2 for moving in what I’m considering a Foliage hex.

All the Russian members of the Flock guarding the north wing of the school have INT C and Recon C. I’ll assume one of them is in a position where he can see the players. He rolls without modifiers.

• DONNA rolls[D12+D6] = 2 SUCCESSES (rolled a 10 and a 1, so she won’t be able to push it)
• The FLOCK’s soldier rolls[D8+D8] = 1 SUCCESS

DONNA moves like a professional

[Looking at the school using Google Street View I realized there are two windows on the north-most side of the school. I’ll stick to my map and pretend they aren’t there]

The group moves carefully and takes position without raising alarms, then they wait for their local friends to start the dance. NASCAR and DONNA leave their backpacks in this spot.

Once inside there will be a corridor with classrooms on one side, and a lot of windows on the other. They will need to clear the classrooms on by one, but the windows of the corridor facing east may prove dangerous as they give the enemy an opportunity to fire at the players from the main building. Luckily the north wing is partially sunk into the ground, so they can remedy by remaining low.

LED’s plan is to enter the building with NASCAR and take position at the end of the corridor, while ALEX and DONNA remain outside and clear the classrooms from the windows. (there’s no openings in the main building where the enemy can fire at them if they stick to the east wall).

The group has gone over the plan multiple times, but are also ready to change and improvise as the situation develops. Also, LED has overruled MARKO’s order to avoid grenades: as long as they’re in the north wing, grenades have the green light. (LED thinks potential hostages have a high chance of being in the main building and the rest of the group agrees).

Everybody is lined up against the perimetral fence, behind the cover provided by the vegetation. LED (first in line, closest to the school) has already chosen the spot where they’re going to cross the barrier and is now looking down the road waiting for the locals to initiate the assault.

A full minute of silence goes by, interrupted by someone shouting in Polish. The voice appears to be coming from the school, but its source is masked by the trees near the main entrance. The male voice shouts a few sentences and then repeats them a second time; the tone is threatening and the volume clearly meant to be heard by the other side of the street.

LED turns to ALEX, who passes NASCAR in the column and gets right next to the lieutenant.

“They said they have hostages and they will kill them if they see anybody getting close, then they said ‘you see, we will kill him’. I think they’re showing a hostage from a window, one we can’t see from here”

LED keeps looking down the road “must be a window of the main building, right in front of the town’s militia”

“You think they’ll attack?” asks ALEX in a whisper.

Again, the male voice shouts something in Polish. “They said they’ll f*****g kill him, and that they don’t care” translates ALEX.

“Don’t care about what?”

“I guess us storming the building” speculates ALEX.

“Now it’s up to MARKO, or CJA, or whoever is running this op” says LED.

Behind him, NASCAR turns to DONNA “what do you think is going on DOC?”

DONNA leans forward, looking down the street “I think we’re witnessing the last measure of civility”

“They’re tryin’ to talk it out?”

DONNA nods “yeah, and by the looks of it they’re failing at it”

“So then what?”

“Things are going to get uncivilized really quickly”

The threat coming from the school is repeated (and translated) once more, then the players see the local assault team lining up on the northern side of the house in front of the school. MARKO is in first position, his thick beard recognizable.

“They’re in the open, why are they in the open?” comments NASCAR with concern.

“Can the Flock see them?” asks ALEX.

“There’s trees on the school’s side, but I don’t know” answers LED.

Another voice shouts in Polish, it’s calmer and goes on for a few sentences. LED tilts his head toward ALEX.

“They asked for the release of the hostages and immediate surrender, they promised no one will be shot if they come out with empty hands raised, then they said they have three minutes”

There’s some more shouting both from the school and the opposite side of the road that goes on for about a minute. Sometimes the two are superimposed, with ALEX having a difficult time translating, but basically the Flock is not surrendering and the locals’ countdown is now at two minutes.

As the shouting match goes on LED observes MARKO reach the corner of the house, expose himself and raise his rifle.

Another shout and LED raises his right fist to interrupt ALEX. His eyes are fixated on MARKO, who’s aiming at something on the upper floor. A split second later a single shot is fired from MARKO’s weapon, who right after starts to cross the front garden of the house and then the street, closely followed by his men.

At the same time a machinegun opens fire on the school while AKM bursts start flying the other way.

The battle for Wanda Chotomska school has begun.

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FINAL COMMENTS

The battle is on. As always (or twice so far…) I’ll save my comments for the final part of the battle.

If you want to know more about the dice mechanics of TW2K, check this page.

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