0093 – The Great Escape – Part V – Weilun (Scene I – Checkpoint)

0830 07 AUG 2000, Weilun, Poland

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Since most of the kids are already onboard, the team will load up the sick boy and continue through the checkpoint. The guards are probably just happy traffic is moving again and were not really motivated to stop anyone in the first place.

So, the team has a bunch of kids onboard and are now rolling through Weilun. This would be a good time for Wally to question the kids about their friend.

[GME: Do the kids know if others are sick? - Chaos Rank 6 – Likely (85%)- 22% - Yes]

The 22 also results in a random event. We can get to that in a bit. Now for a second question:

[GME: Do the kids know if others are being treated? - Chaos Rank 6 – Likely (85%)- 80% - Yes]

So the kids know about the treatment situation. We know that not everyone is being treated and can assume that the kids now impart this information.

[GME: Do the kids know if there are medical supplies available? - Chaos Rank 6 – 50/50 (65%)- 63% - Yes]

So the kids are a wealth of information. There are medical supplies but not everyone is being treated. Less than ideal situation. Now about that random event.

When you roll on the fate chart and the roll is some form of doubles, 11, 22, etc. and that single digit number (1, 2) is less than the current Chaos Rank (6 in our case) there is a random event. A rolls on the charts gives us the event focus (Move toward a thread), an Action (inspect) and a subject (Anger).

The GME says the following about threads:

Threads are the goals that player characters are going after. These are the unresolved missions that the players are trying to solve. There could be more than one thread in an adventure, some big and important while others of less consequence.

We have the main thread being the rescue of the POWs. We can now open a new thread, this one about helping those affected by Cholera in the town. Alternatively we also have the secondary mission or thread concerning crippling the enemy logistical infrastructure. I would prefer to open a new thread. Marshall can introduce it.

Wally jabbered away a long time with the kids, his face becoming more solemn the longer the discussion went on. When he was finished he related to us what the kids had told him. Everyone got angry then.

There was a cholera outbreak in the city. The town council were giving out passes to be treated by the Soviet docs that they have received from the local commander. If you could pay the price, that is. The kid in the back was an orphan now and he couldn’t pay. The kids offered to show us one of the “aid stations”.

Now we have something to keep us busy for a while.

0092 – The Great Escape – Part IV – Weilun (Scene I – Checkpoint)

0830 07 AUG 2000, Weilun, Poland

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So, the team runs into a group of kids trying to pass the first checkpoint. So far, no one is shooting at them, so we will count that one as a win.

Still, we need some details about the kids. First, a number would be good, to know how many of the rugrats are running around. I would just simply set the number at 2D6 or in this case 8.

They will probably have a leader of some kind, so a motivation would be a good thing too. Two card draws later (or one run of my referee assistant program) we are looking at:

• Generous: The character is generous to a fault and will gladly give away anything he has to someone in need, even if this leaves him with nothing. In less extreme cases, he will be inclined to make very generous trades and will always refuse payment for help with a task other than one directly related to his normal livelihood.

• Very sociable: The NPC will have a strong commitment to justice and the welfare of everyone he meets. He will look for the good qualities in anyone he comes in contact with but will react with anger to injustice and brutality.

It restores faith in the virtual world that the kid still seems to have his or her heart in the right place. So a 50/50 roll makes the kid female. Now a name would be nice. A random name generator selects the name Dominika Sokolska. A slightly modified random character description gives us a picture of Dominika:

Blond, wavy hair awkwardly hangs over a bony, lively face. Bulging sapphire eyes, set well within their sockets, watch anxiously over streets of her home town. Freckles are spread graciously around her cheeks complete her child like appearance.

I am not going to worry about weapons, as I do not believe the group would fire up a group of kids. Still, there is potential there for interaction. Maybe Marshall remembers the incident

I remember watching nature programs about monkeys in India, how they would swarm all over things. That is honestly how I felt. No soon had Robinson brought Can-Can to a stop before the kids were all over us. They swarmed up the side of the vehicle, presenting each of us with a bunches of ragged flowers, chattering away in Polish as they did. Potato, for some reason, got a lot of attention with two kids squeezing up next to him. It was definitely a David and Goliath moment.

Now time to set the hook. We know that the town is suffering from Cholera and needs medication. What if one of the kids was sick, showing symptoms? That would probably work with any group.

One kid did not jump up on the vehicle. It was a small, skinny boy and he was not looking well. He was bedded down on some old pallets near the road. I nudged Logan and his face dropped when he saw the kid. He was up and out before we could say anything else, medical bag in hand. Griffin went over to speak with him softly and came back after a bit, speaking just one word: cholera.

Now what will the team do.

0091 – The Great Escape – Part IV – Weilun (Scene I – Checkpoint)

0830 07 AUG 2000, Weilun, Poland

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Preparation:

We know the team is approaching some form of checkpoint. Although these are not first line troops but they are originally a Category I division and have been involved in the fighting since the war in Europe went hot. They have survived and this probably would mean that they have at least a little experience in security. To be sure, we can ask the GME:

[GME: Have the troopers set up roadblocks and defenses around their checkpoint? - Chaos Rank 6 – Likely (85%)- 57% - Yes]

OK, so some form of roadblock and defenses. We can assume, that they may be on guard but may not be stopping everyone, as they are probably a lot of coming and going. Still, they have just driven out some marauders and fighting has taken place to the north recently. Maybe, maybe not.

[GME: Is everyone entering the town being stopped? - Chaos Rank 6 – 50/50 (50%)- 95% - Exceptional No]

Now that is unexpected. Not only is not everyone being stopped but one would have the impression that they don’t really feel inclined to stop anyone.

Going on that information, let’s see if the team can make it through.

Scene Setup:

The troops at the roadblock seem content to let anyone pass. The characters will attempt to drive by the roadblock with Potato giving a, for him anyone, friendly wave. The vehicle will not slow down.

Scene Resolution:

The current Chaos Rank is 6. We roll a D10. If the value is six or less, the scene is modified. If the roll is 7 or more, the scene proceeds normally. In keeping with the tradition of things going pear shaped, we roll a 6. Great.

The value rolled is even, resulting in an interrupt scene. We need to randomly roll two things, an action and a subject. The action is Carry and the subject is Victory, but does all of this mean.

Remember the towns people had suffered under the marauders until the Red Army showed up and dispensed justice. Now we have a Soviet vehicle about to enter the town. Maybe some of the enthusiastic town folk want to come out and thank their liberators. They cannot possible know every member of the Soviet forces in the town. This has possibilities. Marshall was there and saw it all.

The troopers at the checkpoint were rather lax. I knew it might have been laziness but as I saw them standing there, waving the traffic through, it seemed to be more weariness. They had probably been working hard to keep up with the demand after we gave ‘em all what for at Kalisz. Serves ‘em right for pickin’ that fight.

We were determined not to stand out. As a famous smuggler once said, fly casual. We were doing our best to do just that. Potato even gave them a friendly wave with those servin’ plates he calls hand. One of them even managed to raise his arm in return. Dudes were dead on their feet.

Robinson was tryin’ to get by as nonchalantly as possible when he slammed on the breaks when a group of kids crowded the roadway. Can-Can almost made canned meat of ‘em.

Seems we had fans.

0090 – The Great Escape – Part IV – Weilun (Scene Planning)

0830 07 AUG 2000, Weilun, Poland

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Throughout its history, Weilun has been a crossroads for trade. It would probably not be any different in 2000. The city straddles many large roads and has highway access.

The pre-war population was approximately 22,000. That number is down significantly now. Still, where there are people, there is the potential for our champions to get in trouble.

The major arteries leading into town will at least have some form of checkpoint. I would assume that the ORMO has not had time to reform, so the checkpoints will be manned by members of the rear echelon troops in the town.

Movement through the town will involve several scenes. The first being the checkpoint outside of town. The next would be moving through the Russian unit followed by the town center before the team exits the city.

One main problem today in Weilun is the traffic through the town, as it is necessary to travel through the town center to get anywhere else. Therefore, it is logical that the remaining people and the Russian units would cluster along these routes. This is the reason for the scenes we will have during this section of the narrative.

Seeing as the last episode could have better (from the point of view of the characters), the current Chaos Rank is 6. This increases the chance of any question posed to the GME to be answered as yes. It also increases the chance of the scene not going the way we planned.

It is going to be interesting anyway.

0089 – The Great Escape – Part III - Continuing North

0830 07 AUG 2000, Weilun, Poland

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We approached Weilun from the south. The few guards they had posted were old or injured. Definitely not front line material. A few attempted to wave us down but a few gruff words from Potato and they waved us through. I am not sure what he said but his hulking mass said enough.

We passed an open air hospital where a few civilians were being treated. They were sick but not wounded. I made sure to wash my hands twice that day.

I noticed some getting shots and others not. That seemed strange.

The team survived the encounter with the marauders and took away a few scars. Unfortunately the mission is still on and they continue north, leaving Praszka in the rear view.

The next stop on the whirlwind tour of apocalyptic Poland is Weilun. On their trip south, the team did not pass through Weilun, as they traveled south father west. They do not know the conditions of the town nor do they know of any opposition. They do not, but we do.

We can take some of the information from the Escape module and generate the rest of the data. The town was, until recently, plagued by marauders but then the Red Army moved in to save the day. They also stayed and currently the rear services and supply dump of the 21^st Motorized Rifle Division are located in the town. I can use my automated encounter tool to generate 20 military convoy units, which can simulate the rear echelon troops in the town.

The town details also give us a new NPC, Major T. B. Amramovich who is commanding the rear echelon troops. He is probably not hard core trooper, so I will set his experience level at Experienced. A couple of card draws and some data copied from an old list of encounter stats later and we have a NPC:

Major T. B. Amramovich

Experienced NPC (Initiative: 3, Attributes: 6, Assets: 11, UCD: 3)

Motivation:

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Somewhat Violent: The NPC is not frightened or intimidated by threats of violence and will not hesitate to use violence if the situation seems to warrant it.

Somewhat ambitious: The NPC is inclined towards boastfulness and a desire to impress his peers

Hits:

OOOOO OOOOO OOOOO OOOOO -1 Initiative

OOOOO OOOOO OOOOO OOOOO -2 Initiative

Note: initiative modifiers are cumulative.

Main Weapon: FN-FAL with 6 magazine(s)/belt(s) and 20 loose rounds

Equipment: Steel Helmet, Flak Jacket, Combat Webbing, Pack, Flashlight, Sleeping Bag,

Food: 4kg of Domestic Food

The major has an interesting combination of motivations. It seems we may have misjudged him. Let’s look at the town before we continue to see what is going on there. Again a few rolls help us to flesh out the town:

Weilun, Poland

Settlement Size: 2,500

Settlement Attitude: Frightened

Settlement Government: Corrupt Council

Settlement Crisis: Disease, medicine needed

The frightened attitude probably has to do with the fact the town was, until recently, controlled by marauders. That will make you lose your faith in humanity.

The disease aspect is interesting aspect. In addition to a lot of food, the Soviets also have medical supplies and more importantly, doctors. The town needs these so we can assume that the Soviets are not just handing the stuff out. Enter our corrupt council.

We have a boastful major who wants to impress his peers and such combined with a corrupt council and a community in need of medicine. One can easily imagine a group of corrupt men fawning over the boasting major and providing access to the medical supplies they may receive from the major as a good will gesture only to those willing to meet their price, whatever that may be. I like how this fits together.

Now we just need a disease. For simplicity’s sake, we will take Cholera. Contaminated food and water are definitely going to be problems. The relatively high infection number probably assures that a lot of people are infected.

This is the background as the team rolls into town.