0126 - Off We Go Again - Part I

 0600 12 AUG 2000, Near Dobrodzień, Poland
===================================

 Now that the team has had time to rest and recuperate, it is time to move on. No First Sergeant worth his money is going to let soldiers sit around and talent go to waste. We can assume that 1Sgt Blue Elk is the same. The question, what do we do?
 
Sure, we can wander post apocalyptic Poland, gleefully moving from one firefight to the next but that will get tiresome after a while. Still, a little combat will get the blood pumping.
 
Readers may remember that the characters passed a group of American stragglers on the way to base. We can assume that this information was passed on during the debrief. Adding 18 new souls, in addition to the 60 POWs would give B Troop a good number of combat-ready troops and the Captain would probably be behind the mission. This is, however, war-torn Poland, so we are not going to just roll out the carpet for anyone.
 
So, we can use an encounter that we previously ignored again, adding some sense of continuity of the world, making it more than just a series of random events. In addition, we can give the characters the possibility of exploring the world, hex crawling to their hearts content. Now for a bit of story text.
 
“Top Blue Elk was all business again. When he got like that, it meant there was something to be done and usually meant that we were the ones doing it. Today would turn out like every other time.
 
‘Captain Warren was very interested by our report of stragglers to the East. Any new bodies we can use to fill the ranks would be a benefit. We also want to learn a bit more about the conditions in Lubliniec following the great marauder showdown there. We were more interested in driving off those marauders that got too close to home than making a survey.
 
Your mission is to precede east and has two goals. The first is to contact the stragglers you met and bring them back if you feel they would be a benefit to the community. Your second goal is to determine the current condition of Lubliniec and contact any survivors there. A lot of the people came here after the battle, but there might be more.
 
Draw four days of rations and water and report when you get back.’
 
That is how it goes. Do something well, get more work.”
 
Now we have a destination, it may be helpful to get some information on the stragglers. We know the numbers and the fact that they are starving and desperate. I can use my T2K v2.2 generator to add some detail and then convert that to v4. Here are the results:
 

• American straggler #1
•  
• US Officer STR C, AGL B, INT B, EMP B, Hit Capacity 4, Skills: 5 Ranged Combat C, Recon C, Persuasion D, Command C
• 
  
• Motivation (From v2.2):
• -----------------------------------------------------
• Moderately greedy: The NPC will probably only accept gold or will strike very hard bargains in barter. This sort of character is very easy to bribe.
• Somewhat greedy: The NPC will generally sell items for gold, even if alone in the wilderness.
•  
• Main Weapon: M9 pistol (Rel C) with one magazine
•  
• Equipment: Flak Jacket, Combat Webbing, Pack, Gas Mask, Sleeping Bag,
•  
• *****************************************************
• American straggler #2 
• US Soldier STR B, AGL B, INT C, EMP C, Hit Capacity 5, Skills: Close Combat C, Driving C, Ranged Combat C, Recon C
• 
  
• Main Weapon: Colt Police Positive (Rel F) with 2 speed-loaders and 10 loose rounds
•  
• Grenades: Antitank grenade []
•  
• Equipment: Flak Jacket, Combat Webbing, Pack, Gas Mask, Sleeping Bag,
• 
  
• *****************************************************
• American straggler #3
• US Soldier STR B, AGL B, INT C, EMP C, Hit Capacity 5, Skills: Close Combat C, Driving C, Ranged Combat C, Recon C
•  
• Main Weapon: FN-LAR (as per FN-FAL, ROF 2) (Rel A) with 3 magazine and 20 loose rounds
• 
  
• Grenades: Antitank Grenade []
• 
  
• Equipment: Kevlar Helmet, Kevlar Vest, Combat Webbing, Pack, Sleeping Bag, Gas Mask,
• 
  
• *****************************************************
• American straggler #4
• US Soldier STR B, AGL B, INT C, EMP C, Hit Capacity 5, Skills: Close Combat C, Driving C, Ranged Combat C, Recon C
•  
• Main Weapon: M231 (as per M4, range 3) (Rel B) with 1 magazine and 20 loose rounds
•  
• Grenades: White Phosphorous Grenade []
• 
  
• Equipment: Kevlar Helmet, Kevlar Vest, Combat Webbing, Pack, Sleeping Bag, Gas Mask,
•  
• *****************************************************
• American straggler #5
• US Soldier STR B, AGL B, INT C, EMP C, Hit Capacity 5, Skills: Close Combat C, Driving C, Ranged Combat C, Recon C
• 
  
• Main Weapon: .22 Bolt-Action Rifle (as per M1894, Damage 1) (Rel C) with 4 magazines and 20 loose rounds
• 
  
• Equipment: Kevlar Helmet, Combat Webbing, Pack, Sleeping, Pack, Flashlight,
•  
• *****************************************************
• American straggler #6
• US Soldier STR B, AGL B, INT C, EMP C, Hit Capacity 5, Skills: Close Combat C, Driving C, Ranged Combat C, Recon C
•  
• Main Weapon: .38 Special Snub-nose (as per Colt Police Positive, Range 1) (Rel A) with 1 speed-loader and 20 loose rounds
•  
• Melee Weapon: Knife
• 
  
• Equipment: Pack, Sleeping Bag,
•  
• *****************************************************
• American straggler #7
•  
• US Soldier STR B, AGL B, INT C, EMP C, Hit Capacity 5, Skills: Close Combat C, Driving C, Ranged Combat C, Recon C
•  
• Main Weapon: None
•  
• *****************************************************
• American straggler #8
• US Soldier STR B, AGL B, INT C, EMP C, Hit Capacity 5, Skills: Close Combat C, Driving C, Ranged Combat C, Recon C
•  
• Main Weapon: FN-LAR (as per FN-FAL, ROF 2) (Rel A) with 6 magazines and 20 loose rounds
•  
• Melee Weapon: Bayonet
•  
• Grenades: Fragmentation grenade []
• 
  
• Equipment: Kevlar Vest, Combat Webbing, Pack, Sleeping Bag, Gas Mask,
•  
• *****************************************************
• American straggler #9
• US Soldier STR B, AGL B, INT C, EMP C, Hit Capacity 5, Skills: Close Combat C, Driving C, Ranged Combat C, Recon C
•  
• Main Weapon: Longbow with 6 arrows
•  
• Melee Weapon: Bayonet
•  
• Equipment: Kevlar Helmet, Combat Webbing, Pack, Sleeping, Pack, Flashlight,
•  
• *****************************************************
• American straggler #10
•  
• Main Weapon: .22 Semiautomatic (As per Glock 17) (Rel D) with 3 magazines and 20 loose rounds
•  
• Melee Weapon: Knife
•  
• Grenades: Fragmentation grenade []
•  
• Equipment: Kevlar Vest, Combat Webbing, Pack, Sleeping Bag, Gas Mask,
•  
• *****************************************************
• American straggler #11
• US Soldier STR B, AGL B, INT C, EMP C, Hit Capacity 5, Skills: Close Combat C, Driving C, Ranged Combat C, Recon C
•  
• Main Weapon: UZI (Rel B) with 3 magazines and 20 loose rounds
•  
• Equipment: Kevlar Helmet, Kevlar Vest, Combat Webbing, Pack, Sleeping Bag, Gas Mask,
•  
• *****************************************************
• American straggler #12
• US Soldier STR B, AGL B, INT C, EMP C, Hit Capacity 5, Skills: Close Combat C, Driving C, Ranged Combat C, Recon C
•  
• Main Weapon: AKMR (as per AK-74) with 6 magazines and 10 loose rounds
•  
• Grenades: Fragmentation grenade []
•  
• Equipment: Steel Helmet, Combat Webbing, Pack, Flashlight, Sleeping Bag,
•  
• *****************************************************
• American straggler #13
• US Soldier STR B, AGL B, INT C, EMP C, Hit Capacity 5, Skills: Close Combat C, Driving C, Ranged Combat C, Recon C
•  
• Main Weapon: Mauser Bolt Action (as per M1894) (Rel C) with 36 loose rounds
•  
• Melee Weapon: Knife
•  
• Grenades: White Phosphorus Grenade []
•  
• Equipment: Flak Jacket, Combat Webbing, Pack, Gas Mask, Sleeping Bag,
•  
• *****************************************************
• American straggler #14
• US Soldier STR B, AGL B, INT C, EMP C, Hit Capacity 5, Skills: Close Combat C, Driving C, Ranged Combat C, Recon C
•  
• Main Weapon: AKR (as per M4A1) with 1 magazine and 20 loose rounds
•  
• Equipment: Combat Webbing, Pack, Sleeping Bag,
•  
• *****************************************************
• American straggler #15
• US Soldier STR B, AGL B, INT C, EMP C, Hit Capacity 5, Skills: Close Combat C, Driving C, Ranged Combat C, Recon C
•  
• Main Weapon: L42 (as per M40A3) (Rel D) with 35 loose rounds
• 
  
• Equipment: Steel Helmet, Flak Jacket, Combat Webbing, Pack, Flashlight, Sleeping Bag,
•  
• *****************************************************
• American straggler #16
• US Soldier STR B, AGL B, INT C, EMP C, Hit Capacity 5, Skills: Close Combat C, Driving C, Ranged Combat C, Recon C
•  
• Main Weapon: 870P (Rel F) with 36 loose rounds
•  
• Grenades: White Phosphorous Grenade []
•  
• Equipment: Steel Helmet, Flak Jacket, Combat Webbing, Pack, Flashlight, Sleeping Bag,
•  
• *****************************************************
• American straggler #17
• US Soldier STR B, AGL B, INT C, EMP C, Hit Capacity 5, Skills: Close Combat C, Driving C, Ranged Combat C, Recon C
•  
• Main Weapon: None
•  
• *****************************************************
• American straggler #18
• US Soldier STR B, AGL B, INT C, EMP C, Hit Capacity 5, Skills: Close Combat C, Driving C, Ranged Combat C, Recon C
•  
• Main Weapon: UZI (Rel B) with 2 magazines and 20 loose rounds
•  
• Equipment: Pack, Sleeping Bag,
• 
  
• -----------------------------------------------------
•  
• The unit is on foot. In addition, the unit has 3 AN/PRC-77 Manpack Radio(s)

I have taken the liberty of adding or interpreting weapons out of the v2.2 generator to spice it up a bit. Meeting 18 stragglers with M16 would be a bit boring. I also rolled the reliability of the weapons randomly. You will note that some weapons are inoperable. You know that, the characters do not.

Now that we know where we are going and why and who will be there, we can continue.