DAY 10 – APRIL 27th 2000
EAST of DOBRODZIEN, POLAND – EVENING
ROUND 07
PFC CRANE has his eyes on the two groups at the closest edge of the town, he can see one of the men in the new group yelling at the others who are just laying prone next to the sandbags. He understands they are about to move, so he calls for a single HE round just South of their current position.
CHANGING TARGET [click to expand]
Like before, a new target for the mortar requires a RECON roll from the forward observer (CRANE has INT C and RECON B):
- CRANE rolls RECON [D8+D10] = 1 SUCCESS (rolled 7 and 2)
He successfully directs the mortar team for their next round.
Team CALDWELL keeps watch.
The MORTAR TEAM uses its slow action to adjust its aim.
The only two visible groups of soldiers in town move South towards the trees.
LOOKOUT and PATROL [click to expand]
The lookout has a 16% chance of determining where the mortar is:
- Roll[D100] = 61 -> still no clue
There’s a 7% chance of a patrol arriving to the scouts’ area:
- Roll[D100] = 56 -> no patrols
End of Round 07
ROUND 08
MORTAR TEAM’S ROLL [click to expand]
Team REDWING and the MORTAR TEAM exchange initiative.
MORTAR TEAM rolls for HEAVY WEAPONS with no modifier. They’re at short range, which gives no modifier, and light, elevation and weather do not come into play:
- MORTAR TEAM rolls HEAVY WEAPONS [D10+D10] = 1 SUCCESS (rolled 9 and 3)
The HE round land on target. There is one 3-men group, visible from team REDWING’s position, in the BLAST B area. Let’s roll for them:
- Roll Blast Power B [D10+D10] = 2 SUCCESSES (rolled 9 and 6)
- Roll Hit Location Die = HEAD
The group suffers 3 damage points + 1 for the extra success on the dice roll, for a total of 4 damage points. Following the precedent of Round 06, I’ll assume the don’t have helmets, so they all receive critical damage and are killed on the spot.
Just outside of team REDWING’s field of view is a second 4-men group in the BLAST C area:
- Roll Blast Power C [D8+D8] = 2 SUCCESSES (rolled 7 and 6)
- Roll Hit Location Die = ARMS
The second group suffers 2 damages +1 for the extra success, for a total of 3 damage points, which is a critical hit. Arms have no armor, so they are killed by the explosion (simplified rules for NPCs).
PFC CRANE calls the round on target and takes a quick look at the town. He can’t see inside the dirt cloud lifted by the last round, so he pushes the radio button.
“CALDWELL this is REDWING, the ball is in your court”
ALEX turns briefly to the town and the dome of dust and debris cloaking it.
“Copy that REDWING” comes a voice over the radio.
CRANE turns to ALEX “well, we did our part I guess”
The church bell stops clanging.
Team CALDWELL starts to direct the MORTAR TEAM to its new target.
There is no movement visible in town.
LOOKOUT and PATROL [click to expand]
The lookout has a 20% chance of determining where the mortar is:
- Roll[D100] = 95 -> still no clue
There’s a 8% chance of a patrol arriving to the scouts’ area:
- Roll[D100] = 85 -> no patrols
End of Round 08
WITH the EYES of the REFEREE – ROUNDS 09-16 [click to expand]
For the next few rounds, team CALDWELL will call targets for the MORTAR TEAM, while team REDWING will just keep an eye on the town (CRANE) and on its surroundings (ALEX).
In the interest of time, I will bundle up the next few rounds. Team CALDWELL reported on Round 00 that they had 2 targets in sight, so they will call one round on each, plus a follow-up round on one of the two.
For each round I will roll only for the followings:
- RECON rolls by team CALDWELL for directing the mortar fire
- HEAVY WEAPONS roll by MORTAR TEAM to deliver the rounds
- Deviation rolls in case mortar rounds are not on target (if the direction of the deviation is S or S-W, there will be a chance of the mortar round landing on the church)
- D100 roll to see if the lookout spots the point of origin of the mortar shells
- D100 roll to see if an enemy patrol enters the scouts’ area
After team CALDWELL has completed its attacks, it will be time to assess the situation.
ROUND 09
- Team CALDWELL directs mortar fire
- Roll RECON [D10+D8] = 1 SUCCESS (rolled 6 and 4)
- MORTAR TEAM consumes its slow action aiming the mortar
- 20% chance of the lookout determining the direction of the mortar:
- Roll[D100] = 55 -> still no clue
- 9% chance of a patrol arriving in the scouts’ area
- Roll[D100] = 11 -> no patrols (closest result so far)
ROUND 10
- MORTAR TEAM fires a single HE round:
- Roll HEAVY WEAPONS [D10+D10] = 2 SUCCESSES (rolled a double 8)
- 24% chance of the lookout determining the direction of the mortar:
- Roll[D100] = 89 -> still no clue
- 10% chance of a patrol arriving in the scouts’ area
- Roll[D100] = 72 -> no patrols
ALEX and CRANE hear a round exploding somewhere North of their position.
ROUND 11
- Team CALDWELL directs mortar fire
- Roll RECON [D10+D8] = 0 SUCCESSES (rolled 3 and 2)
- MORTAR TEAM requires more information for aiming its mortar
- 24% chance of the lookout determining the direction of the mortar:
- Roll[D100] = 45 -> still no clue
- 11% chance of a patrol arriving in the scouts’ area
- Roll[D100] = 33 -> no patrols
ROUND 12
- Team CALDWELL directs mortar fire
- Roll RECON [D10+D8] = 1 SUCCESS (rolled 9 and 2)
- MORTAR TEAM consumes its slow action aiming the mortar
- 24% chance of the lookout determining the direction of the mortar:
- Roll[D100] = 21 -> the lookout has identified the general direction from which the mortar fire is coming and reports it to the Flock’s leadership in the church
- 12% chance of a patrol arriving in the scouts’ area
- Roll[D100] = 94 -> no patrols
Team CALDWELL reports on the radio that a white civilian pickup is fleeing the town moving North with a wooden crate and two men in the back.
ROUND 13
- MORTAR TEAM fires a single HE round:
- Roll HEAVY WEAPONS [D10+D10] = 0 SUCCESSES (rolled a double 3)
The round is off target: time to calculate deviation:
Direction: roll[D6] = 2 -> the round lands N-E of the target hex
Distance: roll[D6] = 2 -> the round lands 2 hexes away from the target hex
- 13% chance of a patrol arriving in the scouts’ area
- Roll[D100] = 65 -> no patrols
ALEX and CRANE hear a second explosion somewhere in the Eastern part of town.
[Unknown to the players, the Flock is quickly organizing a group to move to where the mortar carrier is]
ROUND 14
Team CALDWELL has one final target to strike:
- Team CALDWELL directs mortar fire
- Roll RECON [D10+D8] = 0 SUCCESSES (rolled double 1…)
- MORTAR TEAM requires more information for aiming its mortar
- 14% chance of a patrol arriving in the scouts’ area
- Roll[D100] = 24 -> no patrols
ROUND 15
- Team CALDWELL directs mortar fire
- Roll RECON [D10+D8] = 2 SUCCESSES (rolled 9 and 8)
- MORTAR TEAM consumes its slow action aiming the mortar
- 15% chance of a patrol arriving in the scouts’ area
- Roll[D100] = 24 -> no patrols
[A group of 10 Flock’s soldiers leaves town. They need to cross the river either South or East of the church; I’ll roll a D10: 1-5 they go South and 6-10 they go East
Roll[D10] = 7 -> they cross the river just East of the church
Next round, team CALDWELL will be able to see them (they are not trying to conceal their movement)]
ROUND 16
- MORTAR TEAM fires a single HE round:
- Roll HEAVY WEAPONS [D10+D10] = 0 SUCCESSES (rolled 4 and 2)
Once again, the round is off target, let’s roll deviation:
Direction: roll[D6] = 4 -> the round lands South of the intended hex
Distance: roll[D6] = 2 -> the round lands 2 hexes away from the intended target
[Deviation is minimal, and team CALDWELL’s target was most likely far enough from the church that the round doesn’t damage it]
- 16% chance of a patrol arriving in the scouts’ area
- Roll[D100] = 85 -> no patrols
The radio comes alive and CRANE and ALEX both turn to it
“CALDWELL for BENCH, we have time ten footmobiles at the stream, looks like they’re coming our way”
Another voice crackles through the ether, ALEX recognizes ELK’s distinctive timber “CALDWELL this is BENCH, can you pinpoint their location for another strike?”
There’s a few seconds of silence, then CALDWELL answers “negative, it’s danger close for us or danger close for the church”
“Copy CALDWELL, avoid contact and proceed as instructed. REDWING, same for you”
“Roger that” says CALDWELL.
“REDWING copies” confirms CRANE, who then looks ALEX and nods towards the way they came from.
ALEX gives a final look at the town.
End of Round 16
ROUNDS 17
Teams REDWING and CALDWELL retreat towards the main force of the 116th Cav as planned.
WITH the EYES of the REFEREE – EXFILTRATION [click to expand]
I’ll treat the exfiltration with another opposite RECON roll. If the scouts fail it, they’re spotted by the lookout and the Flock assault team will pursue them straight into the awaiting force of the 116th Cav. Otherwise the scouts will precede the Flock’s soldiers by 8-10 rounds (roughly the time to cross the stream, which is waist-deep in its deepest part)
Opposite RECON roll: ALEX is the member with the lowest Recon skill, so he rolls for the team with a +4 modifier:
- ALEX rolls RECON [D12+D12] = 3 SUCCESSES (rolled 10 and 7)
The lookout has INT C and RECON D and rolls with a +1 for being on top of the belltower, plus another +1 for being already looking in the same general direction of the scouts (house-ruled):
- The LOOKOUT rolls[D10+D8] = 1 SUCCESS (rolled 8 and 4)
Not enough to spot team REDWING. I’ll assume team CALDWELL moves unnoticed as well.
ALEX and CRANE remain low and use the vegetation for concealment as they retrace their steps and move back towards the burned down house in the forest, which is roughly where CSM ELK has deployed his force.
End of Round 17
End of Attack on Camp Flock
POST FACTO OBSERVATIONS
Attack on Camp Flock was as one-sided as a ‘battle’ can be. But that was the point: maximizing damage to the enemy while avoiding a direct engagement (and without civilian casualties). The hostages were logically – and conveniently – all kept in the same building, which of course was the only one big enough to house them, and one that had suffered minor damages from whatever happened to the town before the group’s arrival in the area.
The 120mm mortar – a.k.a. the death tube – proved to be an effective weapon in both striking and confusing the enemies. And the successful rolls in Round 01 allowed for the first mortar round to land exactly where called, maximizing the surprise.
Despite the growing (and house-ruled) probability of getting spotted by the lookout and encountering a patrol returning to town, none of the two possibilities materialized up until round 12. And even then, the lookout could only offer a general direction from which mortar fire was coming from.
A more effective strategy might have been to look for the scouts directing fire, rather than the origin of the fire itself. Well, that’s on the lookout I suppose…
Once I figured out the mechanics at play for a mortar attack (scouting, firing, deviation, damage and rolling for house-ruled probabilities) the battle proceeded at a steady pace. It almost took more time to adjust the combat map than it took to actually roll dice.
The attack was very straightforward, so after reading it back I only took a few notes:
- MORTAL MORTARS: while being a very basic piece of artillery, the mortar proved to be more than effective against infantry and soft targets. It also offers the benefit of being mobile (the 120mm is quite large and heavy, but any smaller caliber can be easily moved by a dedicated team on foot) and its rounds don’t take much space. For future reference: the Player’s Manual contemplates multiple types of rounds, such as illuminating or smoke.
- EYES ON TARGET: mortar fire is indirect, so unless you want to fire blind, you need a forward observer. Someone who actually has eyes on what/whom you want to hit and can communicate both adjustments as needed, and damage sustained by the target. So even if you are hiding away just loading round after round in the metal tube, always remember there’s someone out there risking being spotted (and hopefully positioned outside the max deviation range).
- GO LOW AND ALONE: if your players find themselves at the wrong end of a mortar’s trajectory, seek (hardened) shelter. If there’s none, then go prone (explosive damage level reduced by 1) and do not bunch up. A spotter will have a harder time deciding on what to fire at if all targets are single soldiers far from each other, and the time needed to adjust fire between one target and the next can be used to get out of sight or at least spread even further.
- HOUSE-RULINGS: honestly, I’m fine with how the increasing percentages I house-ruled for a patrol showing up or the lookout figuring out where the mortars are coming from. The attack lasted 17 rounds, which means one and a half to three minutes; it may sound like an eternity when you’re under mortar fire, but it looks alright that the lookout managed to understand the general direction fire was coming from after a little over one minute and 6 rounds fired. As for the patrols not showing up; if they were more than 3 minutes away, it makes sense they didn’t make it back in time to intercept CALDWELL or REDWING.
Overall, artillery fire was a nice new mechanic to give a go to. Now we jump straight into another fight, as the main force of the 1/116th Cav expedition intercepts the Flock’s soldiers looking for the mortar.