DAY 7 – APRIL 24th 2000
PRASZKA, POLAND – DAY
MORNING SHIFT [click to expand]
Last day in Praszka (the players have one more night, then they have to move out of town). The Players have abundantly discussed what their next step should be, but more on that later.
The new day presents itself with a grey sky and a light breeze sweeping the streets.
NASCAR feels bored, so he volunteers to go to the training ground and pretend he’s doing something useful (his words).
LED and ALEX persuade DONNA to spend the morning at the hospital, so they have the rest of the day all together for final preparations. LED tells the militia guarding their quarters that he’s going with DONNA, but they say he’s not allowed in the hospital anymore. Apparently, someone got a sense he’s trying to gather all the intel he can find. LED is instead rather impolitely asked to be at the church by noon. They quickly decide that ALEX will go with DONNA for the morning and will later join LED at the church (the militia agrees to ALEX’s presence as he speaks Polish).
LED spends the morning putting to use his poor technical skills trying to restore the P-83 pistol in the group’s stockpile to full functionality.
- LED rolls Tech [D10] = 1 SUCCESS (rolled a 6)
The P-83 pistol goes up to 5/5 REL.
By noon the sky has darkened considerably and rain starts falling on the town. A trickle at first, which then turns into a full shower. The players’ quarters have a roof that needs patching up, so water starts entering the floor. LED moves the table and folding mat to a dry corner in the main room, along with their small stash of looted weaponry.
After the others are back, LED and ALEX leave for the church escorted by a militia soldier.
NASCAR and DONNA’S SHIFT [click to expand]
NASCAR gets comfortable on the worn-out yoga mat and gets his daily sleep.
DONNA takes care of the AKM in their stash, as she mentally compiles a list of all the medical supplies she saw in the town’s hospital, and what she hopes they can trade for before leaving.
- DONNA rolls TECH [D8+D8] = 0 SUCCESSES (rolled 3 and 4)
She focuses and pushes the roll:
- DONNA rolls TECH [D8+D8] = 0 SUCCESSES (rolled 2 and 3)
DONNA’s work is a bit sloppy and the AKM is as good as it was before she took it.
LED and ALEX move with steady pace under the rain, they pass the hospital and reach the park where the vehicles are kept. As they walk in front of the town’s arsenal, ALEX stops and points at something on the other side of the street, right at the edge of the park.
LED, who was keeping his head down in the rain, turns and looks. On the other side of the street, a man has been hanged from one of the arched lamp posts. He’s in his underwear, his stretched feet only half a meter from the sidewalk, and his pale skin shows multiple bruises and cuts.
LED and ALEX stand there briefly contemplating the rain showering the corpse. ALEX asks something to the militia in Polish, then turns to LED “I could tell you who that is, but I guess you have already figure that out”
LED nods as his mind goes back to Wanda Chotomska school and the hostage lying dead on the floor at the entrance of the bathroom. “Let’s go” he then says.
WITH the EYES of the REFEREE [click to expand]
I’ll have both LED and NASCAR roll their EMP; if they succeed, they will get a stress point:
- LED rolls EMP [D10] = 0 SUCCESSES (rolled 5)
- ALEX rolls EMP [D10] = 1 SUCCESS (rolled 7)
ALEX gains 1 stress point.
They cross the church’s threshold as two militia men hold the double doors open. An old thick carpet in a faded crimson color has been placed at the entrance for people to wipe their feet and so they proceed. ALEX crosses himself finishing with a bow before proceeding, and LED observes him while wiping the raindrops from his hair and jacket. After a brief hesitation he crosses himself as well, smiling while thinking he’s regaining an old habit.
As soon as he’s done, he notices MARKO standing near a decorated window on the left, apparently looking at the raindrops streaking the colored glass. He is wearing a rain jacket with wooden camouflage while holding a worn-out baseball cap. A hunting rifle is slinged on his back and his combat boots are stained with mud. LED gets closer and when they see each other they exchange a nod.
“Been outside?” asks LED while pointing at the other’s feet.
MARKO smiles “yes, I have. I am going back out again, I just needed…” the sentence is left lingering as he points at something indefinite in the church “… supplies”
LED can sense something’s off. “Something on your mind?”
MARKO shakes his head “no, no. It is just the rain”
“Can I ask why you are going out?”
“We need food” MARKO sighs “we always need food. I am going hunting”
LED looks at the window “how can you track game in the rain?”
“When it rains, animals seek refuge. I know where that refuge is”
LED nods.
“American, let’s go” says the militia man, standing at the entrance with ALEX.
“Take care” says LED while moving away.
“Are you leaving tomorrow?” asks MARKO.
LED stops and turns “yes, that was the deal”
“Are you coming back?”
“I don’t know. It’s possible, but I can think of a few people here who wouldn’t like that”
MARKO turns to the window “you should come back. Somebody should come back…”
LED frowns his brow “what do you mean?”
“American” calls the guard again.
MARKO grabs a backpack from the floor, puts on his baseball cap and moves for the door. He pats LED’s shoulder as he passes right next to him, then exits through the double door into the rain.
LED and ALEX are stopped right outside of the side chapel, where they can see six or seven people around the table observing a large map. CJA comes out of the door and stops in front of them.
“This is your last day here, correct?”
“Yes, we didn’t forget” answers LED.
“Where will you go?”
“Haven’t decided yet, any suggestions?”
“No… but I can tell you where not to go. The main road east leads to Czestochowa. It used to be a beautiful city, very important for people of faith. Nuclear missiles hit it and now it’s a pile of radioactive rubble. To the south west is Opole: different story, but the same ending. These are the places you want to avoid the most around here”
“Yes, major cities are easy targets for ICBMs; thank you for the intel”
“Have you got everything you need?”
“We’ll make one final trip to the arsenal” says LED.
“Good… good. But no discounts” CJA smiles “I have instructed my men. I’ve been told you can be persuasive when you want to” he adds pointing at LED.
“Guns are more of a last resort for me, and being persuasive doesn’t need reloading”
“That kind of thinking is rare these days”
“I’ve noticed. Listen, CJA, the prisoners…”
CJA lifts a hand “let me stop you here. Prisoners are treated according to our laws. We do not discuss our laws with strangers and I will not answer any question. You have little time here, so use it to ask about other things if you want to”
LED turns to ALEX who shakes his head before saying “we were asked to come here”
CJA nods “you have helped us in the past days, and I don’t want to seem ungrateful. It’s unusual to meet foreigners who decide to help us on their own. The few who do usually come with a price”
“We don’t want to appear ungrateful as well” says ALEX “we appreciate the hospitality, we really do”
“In the future, your travels may bring you back here. Take this, please” the last word is uttered with a slight delay, as CJA takes something out of his breast pocket and hands it to LED.
It’s a playing card, the 4 of diamonds. The red has faded a bit and the background is shifting to a pale yellow. There’s a small blood stain on the card’s corner. LED lifts it and taps his finger on the crimson stain.
“It comes from the school… some of my men were playing cards the night of the attack”
“Why are you giving us this?” asks LED
“If you get back to Praszka, show it at a checkpoint and they will let you in”
LED considers the card for a few seconds “thanks”
“Don’t thank me, I don’t really expect to see you back here. Don’t worry, I was not planning on having someone hunt you either. It appears you have left an impression on somebody last time you were in here” CJA turns slightly to the side chapel.
LED raises his gaze just over the card and sees counselor MARIA, who’s around the table in the side nave. She briefly looks at him and they exchange a nod.
When the group has reunited, they’re allowed to take a shower at the hospital’s building, and then they’re served a warm meal in their quarters. By this point the four have time to discuss what their next move should be and set a broader objective for the long run, just in case they’re still alive by then.
They agreed on the followings:
Short-term:
- Their best shot is the American unit in Dobrodzień: if there really is one, they might be in contact with other NATO forces, and offer a wider picture of the current state of the war theatre
- Dobrodzień can be reached in just 2 shifts of marching
- According to what they will find in Dobrodzień, they will decide when and how to report any useful news back to Praszka
- As they’re set to move South, they will abandon the broken-down pickup to its destiny
Long-term strategy:
- If they can really make contact with a U.S. unit, if they get a wider picture of the situation of the war and if there’s still a coordinated strategy against the Russian troops in Poland, then the players will lend their assistance where needed. (Those are really big ifs)
- Otherwise, the players might consider trying to get back to the US (ALEX, a Polish native, will have to decide whether to stick with his new family or stay in his homeland)
Final arrangements:
- DONNA will get the P-83 pistol in their stockpile and the single mag for it
- ALEX will keep using his AKM
- The players will keep the combat knifes for future bargaining (they don’t take much space in the inventory)
- They will keep the AK-74 and its ammo as well (good to have a Russian weapon, shall the need arise)
- The remaining AKM and Hunting Rifle will be exchanged at the Arsenal
- LED is still carrying one ration of partially cooked food, which he’ll discard
TRADING at the ARSENAL [click to expand]
LED and ALEX will take care of the trading at the arsenal. As per CJA’s orders, they won’t have any discount (I actually house-ruled their offer will have a -10% modifier). Here’s what they offer:
And here’s what they ask for:
The difference in value is minimal (and favors the Arsenal), so the deal is done.
This ends the Day shift.
The 5.56×45 rounds are for replenishing NASCAR’s current ammo belt, which goes up to 176 rounds. The 9.18 mags are for DONNA’s P-83. The spool of tripwire is not present in the game’s equipment list, so I’m house ruling the cost (25) and that it weighs ½ encumbrance unit for 50m of wire.
EVENING SHIFT [click to expand]
The rain ceases and grey clouds fill the sky.
LED spends the shift resting and DONNA tends to his wounds
- DONNA rolls MEDICAL AID [D10+D10] = 1 SUCCESS (rolled 9 and 2)
The day counts as double towards LED healing from his critical injury (he had 6 days left to heal, tomorrow he will have 4 left).
NASCAR spends the shift trading stories from back home with DONNA and LED.
ALEX spends the shift sleeping and recovers one stress point.
NIGHT SHIFT [click to expand]
The weather is still cloudy.
LED spends the shift sleeping.
DONNA spends the shift sleeping.
NASCAR and ALEX try to get the combat knifes back in shape (there’s still 4 at REL 4/5). ALEX rolls with NASCAR giving him a +1:
ALEX rolls TECH for each knife:
- Knife 1 in the stockpile: roll TECH [D12+D10] = 1 SUCCESS (rolled 2 and 7)
- Knife 2 in the stockpile: roll TECH [D12+D10] = 2 SUCCESSES (rolled 11 and 5)
- Knife 3 in the stockpile: roll TECH [D12+D10] = 3 SUCCESSES (rolled 11 and 7)
- Knife 4 in the stockpile: roll TECH [D12+D10] = 2 SUCCESSES (rolled 7 and 7)
All knifes are back to REL 5.
End of Day 7
FINAL COMMENTS
I felt I needed a symbol for my group, and saw it fitting to use a playing card:
- It’s a physical object that shouldn’t be too hard to find even in the world of TW2K, so it can function as a “passport” or “business card” of sort.
- It’s a common object, so it can be displayed in front of a group of people in a if-you-know-you-know type situation.
- The 5th Infantry Division is also known as the “Red Devils” or “Red Diamonds”, due to the shape of its unit patch (Referee’s Manual, page 56). It’s a nice reminder of the still-present link between the now battered and broken 5th Division and my small band of players.
- Its validity and efficacy are really based on the players’ reputation and how far it extends, so it’s a way for them to benefit from their (positive) actions. Of course, at some point word could spread to the wrong people, but that’s a problem for future me.
- And finally: I thought it looked cool…
The group’s departure from Praszka has almost been finalize. Some more intel about places to avoid and the mean to return should the group want to (see item #1 on the list above) are a final touch to their time spent in town.
Now the campaign moves on to another chapter.