0006 - Sieradz, Poland - Approaching the Town

The characters have arrived on the outskirts of Sieradz, Poland. Sieradz is a town and a roll of the dice puts he population at about 4500. The militia strength is about 450. The description in Escape from Kalisz puts say that they are mostly armed with assault rifles. The settlement attitude is suspicious and the local government is a popular council and the city is currently suffering from a lack of food. The food was taken by the Soviets when they moved through the town. Therefore, the settlement crisis is set at Food shortage. This information is gained from the rulebook and the Escape from Kalisz (EfK) adventure.

There is a large group (ca. 200) of stragglers in the town lead by Major R. B. Bologov. The major arrived in town the day after 1st Brigade, 5ID destroyed the Soviet 124th Motorized Rifle Division, so we will assume that is his unit of origin. From the description in EfK, we know the major has been busy restoring order and reorganizing the troops as they wander into town. We also know, beyond the three T-80s (two of which are broken down), we know the Soviets lack both personal and heavy weapons. We also know that the major hopes that the T-80s will be enough to keep out any large American units.

In order to add more detail to the Major, we roll his motivation. The roll gives his motivation as:

• Primary Motivation - 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.
  
• Secondary Motivation - Moderately sociable: The NPC will have a strong sense of duty and loyalty to the group he belongs to.

Using all of this information, we can created a picture of the current situation in Sieradz. This is, of course, my interpretation and yours may be different.

The town is desperate for food and the population, combined with the major’s men need to find a solution for the problem until harvest time comes. The major wants to help and feels slightly responsible for the situation, as his unit took the remaining food in the town.

The major will try to avoid a conflict, as he knows his men are not equipped for the struggle and he would be willing to strike a deal for food. The towns people may be a little reserved but would also be open to contact.

Now it is time to interpret what we know with a little help from the GME.

• GME Questions:

1. Will the Soviets open fire upon contact? - Very Unlikely – Chaos Rank 5 (25% chance of yes) – 71 – No.
   
2. Will the Soviets seek contact with someone approaching the town? - 50/50 – Chaos Rank 5 (50% chance of yes) – 31 – Yes.
   
3. Will the major be willing to make a deal in order to secure food for the town? - Very Likely – Chaos Rank 5 (85% chance of yes) – 62 – Yes.
   
4. Does the major know where food may be found? - Somewhat likely – Chaos Rank 5 (65% chance of yes) – 27 – Yes.

With these few questions we now have a hook. The town is desperate for food. The major knows where food is and is willing to make a deal. We have a few details about the town and a major NPC.