0115 - The Great Escape - Part VIII - Stopping the Bleeding

 1130 08 AUG 2000, Zdunska Wola, Poland
===================================
"We pulled back to an abandoned garage. Sentries were posted and Logan patched everyone up as best they can. I looked through the stuff we captured and gave the Poles the evil eye to stop them from complaining. It was an act of mercy that they could sit there and think about complain-ing. They could have ended up like their friend."

The team has collected the wounded Poles as well as checking out their dead. The team recov-ers:

•     2x PP-19 with 7 magazines and 40 loose rounds of 9x18mm
•     AK-74 with 3 magazine and 20 loose rounds of 5.45x39mm
•     Steel Helmet
•     3 Rations of Wild Food (1.0 Encumbrance)
•     2 Rations of Domestic Food (0.5 Encumbrance)
•     2 Fragmentation Grenades
•     1 White Phosphorus grenade
•     1 Antitank Grenade
•     3 Packs
•     1 Axe

The team (as well as the Poles) have taken some hits. Currently the following team members (and POWs) are wounded:

PC / NPC Name	Hit Capacity
Griffin	3/5
Harris	3/5
Potato	4/6
Robinson	3/5
Macron	3/5
Polish soldier #1-5	3/5
Polish soldier #1-6	Dead
Polish soldier #1-7	0/5 (Incapacitated)

Not a good start of things, but that is how it goes sometimes and at least we are not dead. Now to get to some healing. Logan is our resident Sawbones, and he has an Empathy of B (D10) and Medical Aid B (D10). He has a Doctor's Medical Kit, which gives him a +2 Modifier. In addition, he has the Combat Medic specialty, which give him +1 when rolling Medical Aid on an incapaci-tated person, like our friend Polish soldier #1-7.

Triage is setup and we work from those hurt the most to the scratches. We can start with the Polish soldier #1-7, who is currently incapacitated.  Logan has a total of +3 (+2 Doctor's Medical kit, +1 Combat Medic), stepping up both this base and skill die to D12 and adding a D6. The re-sults are of the 8,11,4 (3 successes). Logan manages to bring the Pole back to the world of con-sciousness and even pep him up a bit, restoring three hit points. Now for the rest.

We want attend to everyone else. Since they are not incapacitated, Logan will only receive the +2 modifier for the doctor's medical kit. A successful roll will also prevent infection, but Logan will not use the antibiotics just yet. We do not have as much as we once did after losing Can-Can.

The results are:

PC / NPC Name	Roll Result	Hit Capacity
Griffin	2 Succ.	5/5 (no infection)
Harris	No Succ.	3/5 (infection)
Potato	4 Succ.	6/6 (no infection)
Robinson	1 Succ.	4/5 (no infection)
Macron	3 Succ.	5/5 (no infection)
Polish soldier #1-5	2 Succ.	5/5 (no infection)

Harris comes away with an infection and will start to show symptoms tomorrow, but that is a problem for another day.

Wally let the Poles know that they will not be getting their stuff back and after some talk of him being a traitor and so, it must be obvious that the group means business.

The Steel Helmet and AK-74 go to Klasha, as she is vulnerable with just her pistol and no armor. Wally can reload one of his mags with the loose rounds of 5.45x39mm. Harris grabs the antitank and WP grenades.  Robinson grabs the frags to replace the one he used and a little extra never hurt. Macron straps the axe to his pack, because, well, you never know. Marshall will trade in her PM-64 for a PP-19 with 4 magazines, the other, along with the PM-64 and three magazines for each, are stuffed into Robinson's pack. Finally, the resident cook Griff packs away the food.

Enough of dividing up the spoils, time to get back to the problem at hand.

0114 - The Great Escape - Part VIII - A Dark Alley Somewhere- Turn 6

 1110 08 AUG 2000, Zdunska Wola, Poland
===================================
"We drove 'em off. Potato ran the barrel hot but the chewed up remains of that one guy con-vinced the others to head for the hills. Now we need to patch up the leaky holes everyone seems to have collected."

The Poles are pushing into the front line and the forward group needs to fall back. Hopefully, they will have time to do so before the enemy can move.

The new initiative order for this round is:

1 Wally
2 Logan
3 Harris
4 Robinson
5 Potato
6 Klasha
7 Marshall
8 NPCs (Not Particularly Cooperatives)
9 Griffin
10 Macron

Most of the team will be able to move, but it might be hard for Griff and Macron after the enemy gets their go.

Initiative Step 1 - Wally

Wally really wants to help the others, but combat is not really his thing. Still, he will take aim at Polish soldier #1-7 (Fast Action) and will then fire (Slow Action). The target is prone (-2) but has not moved this round.  Wally has an Agility of B (D10) and a Ranged Combat skill of D (D6). He will go for broke and add 5 Ammo dice to the pool, as the magazine is half empty any. Both base dice are stepped down, with the D6 being removed and the D10 reduced to a D8. The results are 6 (Base Die - 1 success) and 2,2,2,1,4 (Ammo dice - no successes and a mishap, total 11). The Pole is hit in the torso and his armor removes 1 point of damage and is degraded. The remaining point is enough to incapacitate the soldier. Great shooting Wally! Was not expecting that honestly.

Initiative Step 2 - Logan

Logan will run south (Fast Action) and seek cover (Fast Action) in the building with Klasha.

Initiative Step 3 - Harris

See the Pole get fired up by Wally, Harris reorients to the North and goes into overwatch (Fast Action). He orders Robinson and Macron to fall back (Free Action).

Initiative Step 4 - Robinson

With his weapon jammed and hostile pushing from two sides, Robinson stands (Fast Action) and moves South (Fast Action), passing Harris on overwatch.

Initiative Step 5 - Potato

Determined to hold the flank, Potato again aims (Fast Action) at Polish soldier #1-6 and lets off another burst (Slow Action). The range is 2 (Short). The target is prone, causing a modifier of -2, but Potato has the specialty Machinegunner and gets +1 to all attacks with a machinegun (total mod. -1). He has a Strength of A (D12) and a Heavy Weapons skill of B (D10), down stepped to C (D8). He adds 4 Ammo dice to the pool. The results are 6,2 (Base Dice - one success) and 6,6,3,6 (Ammo dice - three success, total 21). Ouch!

Sixes on the ammo die mean that these are separate hits. The Pole takes a total of 4 separate hits for three points of damage each. If there were other targets in the same hex. we could spread them around, but that is not the case. The Poles are maintaining separation. Still, a total of 12 points, will be enough to finish him off, as he only has 2 points left. We can rule him as KIA.

Initiative Step 6 - Klasha

Armed only with her PM, there is not a lot Klasha can do to affect the outcome of the fight. She will remain in cover.

Initiative Step 7 - Marshall

Having only her PM-64, Marshall will go into overwatch (Fast Action) to the Northwest.

Initiative Step 8 - NPCs

The Poles now have four WIA, one incapacitated trooper and one KIA, for a total of 60% (or 20% take out of the fight). We can assume that the commander has some sort of tactical overview of the situation and will order his men to begin a withdrawal.

Polish soldier #1-1 will order his men to fall back (Fast Action) before moving to the North (2x Fast Action).

Polish soldier #1-2 will stand (Fast Action) and move north (Fast Action).

Polish soldier #1-3 will leave the building and move North (2x Fast Action).

Polish soldier #1-4 will follow his teammates North (2x Fast Action).

Polish soldier #1-5 does not to leave his friend behind and moves (Fast Action) to grab his fellow soldier who is incapacitated. Seeing the trooper trying to help is buddy and not doing anything offensive, Harris decides to hold his fire.

Polish soldier #1-8 sees the others running for the hills and decides to stand (Fast Action) and catch up (Fast Action).

Polish soldier #1-9 stands (Fast Action) and moves (Fast Action) along the road.

Polish soldier #1-10 also Stands (Fast Action) and heads for the bridge to the North (Fast Ac-tion), disappearing into a cloud of smoke.

Initiative Step 9 - Griffin

As the firing has died down, Griffin will stop running and train his weapon on the Poles, calling for them to surrender (Slow Action). Griff will point out that the team is now alone of the field except for the two Poles and Griff promises to treat their wounds if they surrender.

This will be an opposed Persuasion roll. Unfortunately, not Griff’s strong suit, as he has an Em-pathy of D (D6). Some factors will influence this, each giving a +1 to the roll.

The positive factors are:

• You have more people on your side.
• What you ask for does not cost your opponent anything.
• Your opponent has suffered damage or stress.
• You present your case very well (Griff makes it obvious that he does not want to kill the Poles)

This makes a total of +4.

The negative factors are:

• You are having trouble understanding each other. (Polish is not Griff's native language and Eng-lish not for the Pole)
• You are not in the same hex (more than 5 meters apart).

In total, the modifier for Griff is +2. Griff's Empathy of D is stepped up to B (D10). The Pole has an Empathy of C (D8). The Pole rolls a 1 while Griff rolls a 9 (one success). The Pole rolls a 5 (no success) lays down his weapon.

Initiative Step 10 - Macron

Macron moves over to help secure the prisoners.

Combat has ended.

All in all, I must admit I am happy with the results. The amount of ammo used is like the amount that probably been used in v2.2 for the same result. The reliability rules I find add an easy way track the condition of equipment. The hit capacity of the characters has been reduced dramatical-ly and, in comparison, normal NPCs have become a lot more dangerous. I like that a lot.

The problem I see is initiative. The combat round is a few seconds the characters can change their mind about what they want to do based on actions that have taken place. My suggestion would be for each to declare their actions and THEN draw initiative cards. That way, the players and NPCs are committed to their actions. I believe this helps to better simulate things happening simultaneously. I will be using this model in the future.

0113 - The Great Escape - Part VIII - A Dark Alley Somewhere- Turn 5

 

1110 08 AUG 2000, Zdunska Wola, Poland

===================================

"We made it back to some cover and Wally let loose, trying to give the team some cover to pull back. No way of knowin' if it would be enough, but we hoped for the best."

Just a side note, I have been reading a lot of the comments on the new version (some, not all mind you) and I believe it is important to give constructive feedback to Tomas and the FL Team. I also believe that the Kickstarter had 8,000 backers and it is going to be impossible to meet the expectations of everyone, but please remember, your game is what YOU make it. Want to do a full-on military sim, have at it. Want to see how long your team can survive in the post-apocalyptic world? Knock yourself out. Your table, your game.

Speaking for myself, I am in the second category. This trip started with the stated goal of see if a group of survivors could navigate all v1 European modules to going home. We have already lost one (RIP Mitchell) and the new rules are starting to shape up to be dangerous. Why, you ask (maybe you did not but I am going to assume you did). The playing field has been levelled a lot.

Characters like Potato, Harris or Griff could take a lot of punishment in v2.2, needing a lot of damage to put them down. NPCs, however, did not need as much. A Novice NPC could be reduced to initiative 0, taking him out of the fight, by the slightest wound. An NPC, even an Elite one, was out of the game after suffering 40 points of damage. Potato needed 97 points of damage to his chest before becoming critically wounded. He was a powerhouse. In version 4 not so much. His hit capacity is 6 and his stress capacity is 4, much closer to standard NPCs. He is not going to take as much punishment as before. It is going to be interesting, to say the least.

Anyway, back to the situation the team has gotten themselves into.

A lot of people were suppressed last round but recover. These are:

• Griff
• Polish soldier #1-3
• Polish soldier #1-5
• Polish soldier #1-8

Note: I am using stress for NPCs because it adds a use for leaders in NPC groups. It also allows us to simulate one of the bad guys having enough of the fight and cowering in a hole.

Currently, the Poles have 40% wounded, but none incapacitated or killed. I am using that as the basis for their morale. They will retreat after losing more that 15% of their number.

 The new initiative order for this round is:

1          Robinson

2          NPCs (Not Particularly Cooperatives)

3          Marshall

4          Logan

5          Harris

6          Griffin

7          Wally

8          Macron

9          Klasha

10        Potato

Robinson will get a shot off but then the Poles are going to light the team up again.

Initiative Step 1 - Robinson

Robinson drops prone (Free Action) before aiming his weapon (Fast Action) at Polish soldier #1-6. He will then squeeze off a few rounds. The range is 2 (Short). Robison’s Agility is B (D10), and his Ranged Combat is C (D8). The target is prone (-2), and Robison will use 4 Ammo Dice (let him have it!). The D8 is down stepped and removed due to the target stance. The results are 1 success on the base die, 1 success and 3 mishaps on the ammo die, with a total of 9 rounds used.

Robinson inflicts two separate hits, one for the base die and one for the ammo die. The first hit is to the head, but the Pole has helmet, reducing the damage to 1. The second hit is to the arm for 2 points, for a total of 3. His armor degrades to 0, meaning it will no longer stop any rounds. He will also need to check for suppression.  His Coolness Under Fire (CUF) is C (D8) and the Unit Morale is B (D10 - line of sight to Polish soldier #1-10). He has one success and avoids being suppressed.

Robinsons AKM is reduced in reliability to B, forcing him to make the reliability roll with 2D8. With flying colors, Robinson rolls two 1s, resulting in his weapon jamming.

 Initiative Step 2 - NPCs

Now the team needs to take cover.

Polish soldier #1-1 yells to the rest to follow him (Free Action) as he moves south (2x Fast Action) to help overrun the group.

Polish soldier #1-2 drops behind cover (Fast Action) and reloads his RPK-74 with his last magazine (Fast Action).

Polish soldier #1-3 stands (Fast Action) and then moves forward (Fast Action), closing on Griff's position.

Polish soldier #1-4 stands (Fast Action) and then charges south (Fast Action), following Polish soldier #1-1.

Polish soldier #1-5 his ears still ringing, the Poles stands (Fast Action) and follows his buddy south (Fast Action).

Polish soldier #1-6 aims (Fast Action) and fires at Robinson. The range is 2 (Short).

Robinson is prone, causing a -2 Mod for the shot. The soldier has an Agility of B (D10) and a Ranged Combat skill of C (D8). He will add 3 Ammo die, to not empty the magazine completely (17 rounds remaining). The skill dice is removed by the modifier, leaving 1D10 and 3 Ammo die. The shot results in no successes and 11 rounds used.

Polish soldier #1-7 sees everyone else running South and joins the pile-on (2x Fast Action), flanking Macron before dropping prone (Free Action).

Polish soldier #1-8 will stand (Fast Action) and move South (Fast Action) before dropping prone again.

Polish soldier #1-9 will go on overwatch (Fast Action), facing Southwest.

Polish soldier #1-10 aims at Potato (Fast Action) before firing off some rounds (Slow Action) in his direction. The range is 3(Short). The soldier has an Agility of B (D10) and a Ranged Combat skill of C (D8) and he will add 2 Ammo die. No modifiers apply to the shot, but Potato's legs are protected by a brick wall (Armor Rating 2). He has 1 success and uses 2 rounds of ammo. The round hit Potato in the torso and his vest is degraded to 0 because of the hit. The remaining force of the blow causes 2 points of damage to Potato and he must roll for Suppression.  His Coolness Under Fire (CUF) is B (D10) and the Unit Morale is B (D10 - line of sight to Robinson). Potato rolls two successes and not suppressed, but rather annoyed.

Initiative Step 3 - Marshall

Marshall continues to move South (Fast Action) and takes cover in a building (Fast Action).

Initiative Step 4 - Logan

Logan picks himself up (Fast Action) and moves further South (Fast Action), looking for cover.

Initiative Step 5 - Harris

Harris sees Polish soldier #1-7 round the corner and prepare to fire up the team. He draws a bead on the soldier (Fast Action) and fires (Slow Action). The range is 1 (Short). Since the soldier is prone, a modifier of -2 applies. Harris has an Agility of C (D8) and a Ranged Combat skill of C (D8). He will add 3 Ammo dice to the pool. The results are 6,1 (Base Dice - 1 Success, 1 mishap) and 2,3,5 (Ammo dice - total 10). The round hits the Pole in the leg, causing 2 points of damage.

Initiative Step 6 - Griffin

Griff's position is compromised, and he decides to pull back. He stands (Fast Action) before running (Fast Action) past Harris on his way South. Griff decides to push on and we need to make a Mobility roll for him. Griff has an Agility of A (D12) and a Mobility skill of D (D6). The results are 1,3 (no success but no mishap either).

Initiative Step 7 - Wally

Wally takes cover near Marshall (Fast Action) and fires off a snap shot at Polish soldier #1-6 (Slow Action). The range is 6 (Short). The target is prone (-2), and Wally makes a quick shot (-2). Wally has an Agility of B (D10) and a Ranged Combat skill of D (D6). He will go for broke and add 5 Ammo dice to the pool. Both base dice are stepped down, leaving us with the minimum of 1D6. The results are 5 (Base Dice - No successes) and 5,3,1,1,6 (Ammo dice - possible suppression and a mishap, total 16). Wally's AK-74 now has reliability of B and we roll 2D10 to avoid a jam and the roll is 6,7 (two successes).

The Pole must check for suppression. His Coolness Under Fire (CUF) is C (D8) and the Unit Morale is C (D8 - line of sight to Polish soldier #1-6). The result is 8,8 (Two successes) and he is not suppressed.

Initiative Step 8 - Macron

Macron decides to hold his ground. He drops prone (Free Action), takes aim (Fast Action) at the Polish officer running at him and lets him have it on full auto (Slow Action). The range is 1 (Short). Macron has Agility of B (D10) and a Ranged Combat skill of C (D8) and he will add 4 Ammo dice. His specialty (Rifleman) gives him a +1 but the target is moving (-2), leaving a net result of -1. The D8 is down stepped to a D6. The results are 7,5 (Base Dice - 1 success) and 5,2,4,2 (Ammo dice - no success, total 13).

The officer is hit in the torso. His armor stops some of the blow but is degraded to 0. He takes 1 point of damage and must check for suppression. His Coolness Under Fire (CUF) is B (D10) and the Unit Morale is C (D8 - line of sight to Polish soldier #1-4). The results are 7,4, resulting in no suppression.

Initiative Step 9 - Klasha

Klasha move into the building (Fast Action) and seeks cover (Fast Action).

Initiative Step 10 - Potato

Determined to cover the team, Potato aims (Fast Action) at Polish soldier #1-6 and lets off another burst (Slow Action). The range is 2 (Short). The target is prone, causing a modifier of -2, but Potato has the specialty Machinegunner and gets +1 to all attacks with a machinegun (total mod. -1). He has a Strength of A (D12) and a Heavy Weapons skill of B (D10), down stepped to C (D8). He adds 4 Ammo dice to the pool. The results are 5,4 (Base Dice - no successes) and 2,2,4,6 (Ammo dice - one success, total 14). We could check for suppression here, but it would not change anything, as the NPC would recover from suppression next round anyway.

The Poles have 60% wounded, but no one incapacitated. The team will have to keep fighting.

 

0112 - The Great Escape - Part VIII - A Dark Alley Somewhere- Turn 4

 1110 08 AUG 2000, Zdunska Wola, Poland
===================================
"Behind me, the crump of grenades and a long PK burst said the team was still up and in the fight. We needed to get some cover so that they could fall back too. We had no idea how long they could hold but we needed a few more seconds."

Robinson recovers from being suppressed. May want to pull back, we will see.

The new initiative order for this round is:

1    Logan
2    Macron
3    Wally
4    Potato
5    Klasha
6    Robinson
7    Marshall
8    Harris
9    NPCs (Not Particularly Cooperatives)
10    Griffin

Luckily most of the team can act before the Poles. That might be advantageous.

On the map, I have added some small diamonds to show different stances and such. These are tokens and will be used in the future.

Initiative Step 1 - Logan

Logan will round the corner, heading to the line of buildings to the south (Fast Action). Logan will attempt to move further by making a mobility roll. He has an Agility of C and a Mobility of C but is wearing a backpack (-2 Mod). One die is stepped down to a D6 and then removed. Worth a shot. Unfortunately, Logan rolls a Mishap and falls flat on his face, his backpack giving him a light, lov-ing peck on the back of the neck. Logan is now prone. Not going to try that again, I think.

Initiative Step 2 - Macron

Macron notices Polish soldier #1-7 running across his front and decides to put him down. The range is 4 (Short). Macron has an Agility of B (D10) and Ranged Combat of C (D8). In addition, he has the specialty of RIFLEMAN, giving him a +1 modifier to RANGED COMBAT rolls for firing as-sault rifles, submachineguns, and shotguns, leaving him with 2D10 as Base dice. In addition, Mac-ron will add three Ammo dice. The base result in one success and the ammo die have no success-es but a total of 8. The Pole is hit for 2 and Logan fired eight rounds.

Initiative Step 3 - Wally

Since Logan fell flat on his face and Wally is not as limber, we are not going to risk it. Instead, Wally rounds the building on the opposite corner and heads south, taking slow with the shuffle (2x Fast Action).

Initiative Step 4 - Potato

Potato props his bipod on the windowsill, yelling at the team that he has them covered. Potato is now on overwatch oriented North-East.

Initiative Step 5 - Klasha

Ducking under the barrel of Potato's PKM, Klasha follows Logan around the corner, trying hard not to step on him as he lays prone (2x Fast Action).

Initiative Step 6 - Robinson

Worried that the flank is open after seeing the Pole run across his front, Robinson decides to lob a grenade over the burning OT to get him and anyone else that may be hiding. He stands (Fast Ac-tion), pulls the pin and lobs the grenade (Fast Action) around the corner. The range is 2 (Short). Robinson has a Strength of C (D10) and a Heavy Weapons C (D10). No Heavy Weapon modifiers apply. Robinson has no successes and the grenade deviates. The maximum deviation distance is 2 / 2 = 1 hex. It deviates to the Southwest, catching the running poles in the blast.

All four of the post are caught in a Type D (D6) explosion.

• Polish soldier #1-3 takes a fragment to the for 1 point of damage and is knocked prone. His Coolness Under Fire (CUF) is C (D8) and the Unit Morale is B (D10). He fails with no successes and a mishap. He is now suppressed.
• Polish soldier #1-6 suffers no hits but is knocked prone. His Coolness Under Fire (CUF) is C (D8) and the Unit Morale is B (D10). He makes the roll with two successes.
• Polish soldier #1-8 suffers no hits but is knocked prone. His Coolness Under Fire (CUF) is C (D8) and the Unit Morale is B (D10). He fails with no successes and two mishaps. He is now sup-pressed.
• Polish soldier #1-10 suffers no hits but is knocked prone. His Coolness Under Fire (CUF) is C (D8) and the Unit Morale is B (D10). He passes with one success and avoids being suppressed.

To be fair, yes, it is disappointing, but they were caught on the edge of a rather weak explosion, so we will let it go at that.

Initiative Step 7 - Marshall

Marshall follows Wally, doing the ruck-shuffle around the corner to the South. (2x Fast Action).

Initiative Step 8 - Harris

Worried that they me be overrun, Harris falls back (Fast Action) to the cover (Fast Action) of a building to the south, yelling for the rest to fall back.

Initiative Step 9 - NPCs

The Poles have three wounded, but no one incapacitated or killed, so they will fight on.

Polish soldier #1-1 runs forward (Fast Action) and takes cover by the building (Fast Action)

Polish soldier #1-2 is going to Aim (Fast Action) and then fire a burst from his RPK-74 (Slow Ac-tion) at Robinson, hiding at the corner of the building. The range is 6 (Short). No modifiers apply.

The soldier has an Agility of B (D10) and a Ranged Combat skill of C (D8). He will only add 1 Am-mo die, since the magazine is close to empty. The results are two successes from the base die and a total of 5 on the ammo die. The magazine is now empty. Robinson has his head and arm ex-posed after throwing the grenade. The hit is for the torso, which is covered by the brick wall, which stops the round. Robinson must still check for Suppression.

His Coolness Under Fire (CUF) is C (D8) and the Unit Morale is B (based on the highest Command skill, D10). and the roll two successes. Robinson avoids being suppressed this time.

Polish soldier #1-3 is suppressed and loses his turn

Polish soldier #1-4 having broken is main weapon, the Pole decides to throw a frag at Griffin (Slow Action), hiding in the building to the Southwest. The range is 3 (Short). The soldier has an Agility of B (D10) but no Heavy Weapon skill. This might have been a bad idea, but it has already been committed to the notebook. He rolls a 1 (Mishap) and fumbles the grenade, causing it to land near him.

Polish soldier #1-4 and Polish soldier #1-5 are in the same hex as the explosion and have a chance to drop prone. They have an Agility of B (D10) and no Mobility skill. Polish soldier #1-4 rolls two successes and drops prone prior to the explosion. For him the explosion is stepped down to D (D6). Luckily, he takes no hits.

Polish soldier #1-5 rolls no successes, almost as if he had not seen it coming. The explosion rating is C (D8) for him, and he take 1 hit to the Torso for 2 points of damage. He will need to make a Suppression roll (yes, it is not from enemy fire, but he can't know that really). His Coolness Under Fire (CUF) is C (D8) and the Unit Morale is B (D10). He fails with no successes and a mishap. He is knocked prone and now suppressed.

Panic spreads and Polish soldier #1-4 needs to check too. His Coolness Under Fire (CUF) is C (D8) and the Unit Morale is B (D10) (he still has LOS to #1-7). He rolls a success and is not suppressed. To be fair, he knows it was coming.

Polish soldier #1-7 is also within the blast radius. The explosion rating is D (D6), but he suffers no hits, but he is knocked prone. His Coolness Under Fire (CUF) is C (D8) and the Unit Morale is B (D10) (he still has LOS to #1-4). He rolls two successes and is not suppressed.

Polish soldier #1-5 is suppressed and loses his turn.

Polish soldier #1-6 stands (Fast Action) and moves (Fast Action) around the OT and into Potato's sights.

Potato lets go with a long burst. The range is 1 (Short). Potato has a Strength of A (D12) and a Heavy Weapons Skill of B (D10). The following modifiers apply:

-2 for a moving target
+1 for Machinegunner

This totals to a -1. Potato has a Strength of A (D12) and a Heavy Weapons of B (D10). The D10 is down-stepped to a D8 but I will add 5 Ammo Dice. I said a long burst and I meant it.

The results are unbelievable. The two base die are 1s (Mishap) and Potato burns off 20 rounds. The reliability of the PKM is reduced to B (D10) and we roll 2 to check for Jamming. Fortunately, we roll two successes and the weapon does not jam. Now we need to talk about Friendly Fire.

Potato's rounds pass through the hex where Robinson is hiding around the corner of the building. In addition, the shot missed so it might hit Robinson. Robinson has a  Coolness Under Fire (CUF) is C (D8)  and the Unit Morale is B (based on the highest Command skill, D10), since he has LOS to a non-suppressed member of his unit (both Maron and Potato, as he is shooting at him). Robin-son rolls one success and again avoids being suppressed this time.

To see if he gets hit, we roll one D6 and any Successes count as a hit. Luckily our streak of bad luck continues, and we do not roll a success.

Lot of ammo gone, not hits but it must have been impressive.

He continues to move forward (Fast Action) and drops prone, bringing his rifle to bear on Robin-son.

Polish soldier #1-7, stands (Fast Action) with rounds buzzing past and grenades exploding in front of him as well as behind, retreats back to the cover of the building (Fast Action).

Polish soldier #1-8 is suppressed and loses his turn

Polish soldier #1-9 take the aim sniper shot (Slow Action) he had on Griffin. The range is 5 (Short). He will call a shot to the head and add one Ammo die.

The following modifiers apply:

+2 Telescopic Sight
-2 Called shot

for a total of 0. The soldier has an Agility of B (D10) and a Ranged Combat skill of C (D8) with 1 Ammo die. The results are 1 hit with one mishap, not resulting in a jam. Griff is hit in the head for three, but it is reduced to 2 because of the helmet. This allows Griff to avoid the critical hit. Still, it hurt. He will need to check for suppression and his Coolness Under Fire (CUF) is B (D10) but he does not have line of sight to anyone, as the building is in the way. He rolls a mishap and is sup-pressed, dropping down below the window

Polish soldier #1-10 stand (Fast Action) before moving forward (Fast Action) and dropping prone (Free Action).

Initiative Step 10 - Griff

Griff is suppressed and loses his action.

The Poles have 40% wounded but no incapacitated or dead, so we will let them fight. Fragmenta-tion is starting to feel like it always has, so no big change there, but I do like the rule "In addition to damage, any person hit by the
blast is knocked prone and must make an immediate coolness under fire roll". That gives a nice feel to the explosion and resulting concussion. I admit I did not see the rule and had to rewrite a lot of this turn. The grenades did a good job of breaking the momentum on the right flank so.  

I am not really seeing the deadliness but a lot of ammo being spent, as we see from Potato's rolls but that can happen to you in any version, trust me.

0111 - The Great Escape - Part VIII - A Dark Alley Somewhere- Turn 3

 1110 08 AUG 2000, Zdunska Wola, Poland
===================================

• "The may have gotten the jump on us but we are professionals. The grunts and snake eaters put some rounds down range while I moved with part of the team to find a place to cover there retreat. We may be goin' but we would decide when and where."

I am goint use a modified version hidden initative going foward, as I find the concept much more intriguing. Using the a static initiative draw is very similary to the initiative in V2.2. A character with initiative 3 will ALWAYS have three (I know, unless he swaps it). In our case, the NPCs will alway have an initiative of 2.  I am not sure that this reflects the ebb and flow of events in combat.

I use an online card shuffler located here: https://www.random.org/playing-cards/. You can choose just one suit and the cards from Ace to 10 and this simulates the initiative cards well.



The new initiative order for this round is:

• 1 2LT Jade Marshall
• 2 2LT Wayne Logan
• 3 MAJ Edward Harris
• 4 SSG Michael Griffin
• 5 SSG Micheal Macron
• 6 SFC Jack Robinson
• 7 SPC Walerian ‚Wally‘ Losinski
• 8 AGT Sukhikh Klara (Klasha) Kirillovna
• 9 NPCs (Not Particulary Cooperatives)
• 10 MSG Eduard Lyubomyrovych Potapenko

A couple of administrative things. First of all, the OT is burning and will continue to do so. The smoke will remain during the battle. The length of the smoke will be doubled, as smoke travels on the wind. All other smoke will be check to see if it disipates starting with Turn 4. The first turn is Light smoke that will not block line of sight.

The typcial NPCs table in the referee's handbook does not include CUF, but this is needed for rolls for suppression and such. I assume a CUF of C for normal soldier and B for officers and special forces, etc.

Also a shout out to Mr. Coleman for reminding me that modifiers are culmulative. Sum them up and apply them only once. Thanks again for that.

Initiative Step 1 - Marshall
Mashall calls for the grunts to lay down some suppressing fire so the others can move south-east to set a base of fire to cover them (Free Action). She then charges around the corner to lead the team south (Slow Action, 2 hexes, no roll necessary)

Initiative Step 2 - Logan
Logan also moves south (Slow Action, 2 hexes, no roll necessary), weaving his way between the buildings.

Initiative Step 3 - Harris
Harris pulls the pin on a frag grenade (Fast Action) and throws the grenade toward the Poles in the house to the north-east (Slow Action). The range is 3 (Short). Harris has Strength B (D10) and Heavy Weapons D (D6). No Heavy Weapon modifiers apply. The result is one success, resulting in the grenade landing in the chosen hex, occupied by Polish soldier #1-4 and Polish soldier #1-5.

The Poles can make a Mobility roll to go proen, reducing the Blast Power by 1. The Poles have an Agility of B (D10) but no skill in Mobility.  As I track NPC indivdually, I will roll for each seperately.

Polish soldier #1-4 rolls no successes. The hand grenade has a blast power of C, resulting in 2D8 being used for the attack. The attack roll on Polish soldier #1-4 has one success, resulting in a hit but no extra damage. The Pole is hit in the leg for 2 points of damage. The soldier must roll for Suppression. The soldier has a CUF of C (D8) and a Unit Morale of C (D8).  He rolls 1 success, preventing him from being suppressed. The hole in the leg is enough, I guess.

Polish soldier #1-5 rolls two successes, allowing him to go prone. The hand grenade blast power is reduced to D, resulting in 2D6 being used for the attack. The attack roll results in no successes and no damage for the Pole. He probably reached down and pulled his boots up into his helmet.

Polish soldier #1-7 is also within the blast, if a bit father away. He is in solid cover with his head and arms exposed. He will also make a mobility check to go prone. He rolls no successes and the grenade blast power remains at D (D6). The roll results in 1 success but the hit location is the legs, which are behind solid cover.  The soldier must roll for Suppression. The soldier has a CUF of C (D8) and a Unit Morale of C (D8), but he rolls three successes and fights on.

Initiative Step 4 - Griffin
Griff move into the building (Fast Action) and takes cover on the north side (Fast Action).

Initiative Step 5 - Macron
Maron runs across the alley (Fast Action) and takes cover on the other side (Fast Action).

Initiative Step 6 - Robinson
Robinson moves to the corner (Fast Action) and pokes his weapon around briefly to fire an 30mm grenade at the enemy's right flank (Slow Action). The range is 6 (Medium),

Robinson has a Strength of B (D10) and a Heavy Weapons of B (D10). Medium range results in a -1 Modifier, reducing one of the D8s to a D6. The roll results in no successes. The maximum deviation is (6 / 2 = 3). The deviation direction is 4 and the distance is 2. The round falls short and explodes harmlessly.

Initiative Step 7 - Wally
Wally follows Marshall south, running between the builldings (Slow Action).

Initiative Step 8 - Klasha
Klasha runs behind Logan, headed south (Slow Action).

Initiative Step 9 - NPCs
Polish soldier #1-1 is going to stand (Fast Action) shift to his right (Fast Action) while ordering the left flank to advance and flank the group (Free Action).

Polish soldier #1-2 is going to Aim (Fast Action) and then fire a burst from his RPK-74 (Slow Action) at Robinson, hiding at the corner of the building. The range is 6 (Short). No modifiers apply.

The soldier has a Agility of B (D10) and a Ranged Combat skill of C (D8). He will also add three Ammo dice. The results are one success (base die), two mishaps (one base die and one Ammo) and a total of 8 on the ammo dice. This is a possible hit with a mishap.

Robinson is behind a brick wall (armor rating 2) and his head and shoulder are exposed. The round hits his torso, but this is protected by the wall, which absorbs the damage. Although not wounded by the attack, Robinson must check for suppression as the rounds which past the corner of the building. His Coolness Under Fire (CUF) is C (D8)  and the Unit Morale is B (based on the highest Command skill, D10). and the roll has no successes. Robinson goes prone and is suppressed.

Panic spreads, however, and Harris and Potato also need to check suppression, as they are in the same hex.  Harris has a CUF of C (D8) and the Unit Morale is B (D10), like Robinson, and rolls two successes, passing test. Potato has a CUF of B (D10) and the Unit Morale is B (D10) and he rolls one success, avoiding the supression.

Now for the mishap. The reliability of the RPK-74 drops to B (D10) and we roll two base dice. We have a total of two successes, so the weapon does not jam.

Polish soldier #1-3 will stand (Fast Action) and run toward the cover of the smoke from the burning OT (Free Action), performing the action twice.

Polish soldier #1-4 will stand and draw his M1911A1 (one magazine) as a reserve weapon (Fast Action) befire taking cover again behind the wall (Fast Action).

Polish soldier #1-5 will stand (Free Action), aim (Fast Action) and fire a burst at Griff (Slow Action). The range is 3 (Short) and the shooter is elavated (+1). The soldier has a Agility of B (D10) and a Ranged Combat skill of C (D8). The Agility base die is stepped up to D12 because of the modifier. He will also add three Ammo dice.

The results are two successes on the base dice and one success on the ammo die. There is one mishap on the ammo dice as well as a total of 12 for the ammo usage. Griff is under full cover of a brick wall (Arnor Value 2) except for his head. The first hit (with 1 extra damage) is on his legs. The weapon has a damage of 1 +1 is not enough to penetrate the wall, but enough to trigger a suppression check. The second hit (from the ammo die) is on the torso but will also not penetrate the wall.

Griff has a CUF of B (D10) and the Unit Morale is B (D10). The roll reveals two successes and Griff is not supressed.

Polish soldier #1-6 will stand (Free Action) and run toward the cover of the smoke from the burning OT (Fast Action), performing the action twice.

Polish soldier #1-7 will run through the door (Fast Action) and over the street toward the smoke (Fast Action). He will attempt a Mobility check to reach the smoke. His Agility B (D10) and he has not Mobility skill. He fails but without a mishap.

Polish soldier #1-8 will stand (Free Action) and advance toward the south (Fast Action), performing the action twice.

Polish soldier #1-9 will switch to his M40A3 (Fast Action) and Sniper Aim at Griffin (Slow Action).

Polish soldier #1-10 will stand (Free Action) and advance toward the south (Fast Action), performing the action twice.

Initiative Step 10 - Potato
Potato will move south (Fast Action) and take cover in the building (Fast Action).

At the end of round 3, a lot of bullets have been traded with very little damage. Not unhappy with the greande damage and I like the ease at which explosions are integrated. The mechanic with concussion and fragementation took a long time in v2. I like the supression rule, as well as allowing someone to drop flat when a grenade lands near by. Nice touch.

I like the use of unit morale, although we might need to clarify when a unit has had enough. I will rule that they will retreat at 15% casualties, rout at 30% and surrender at 40%.

The Poles advancing on the right could turn out to be a problem. We will have to see how that flank develops.

0110 - The Great Escape - Part VIII - A Dark Alley Somewhere- Turn 2

 1110 08 AUG 2000, Zdunska Wola, Poland
===================================

• "Everytime someone moved to make a run for it, bullets started flying. Harris and Klasha took a couple but everyone made it into shelter. Someone out there had our number and had come to collect."

This will be the first post using the v4 rules. I assume that I will not get everything right, as I am still learning the rules but I am very much looking forward to the results.

The party's vehicle is burning, creating a cloud of dense smoke that is marked on the map.

Adjustments have been made to the characters and their loadouts as well as to the Polish soldiers. There is one Polish officer in the group (Polish soldier #1-1) and nine soldiers. The dispositions of the group have not changed. I will also be tracking the NPCs individually. There are only 10 and it is not that much work.

I used a random card shuffler in the net to simulate the initiative cards (located here: https://www.random.org/playing-cards/) and assigned them first to the characters and then the NPCs. So, with the preliminaries out of the way, let's get started.

Initiative Step 1 - Logan
Logan bails out of the burning OT-64 (Slow Action - no roll required) and runs (Fast Action, 2 hexes, no roll required) behind a building to the south.

Initiative Step 2 - NPCs
Polish soldier #1-1 (Officer) - Will overwatch to his front (Fast Action), ordering his men to do the same (Free Action).

Polish soldier #1-2 - Will go into overwatch to his front (Fast Action)

Polish soldier #1-3 - Will go into overwatch to his front (Fast Action)

Polish soldier #1-4  - Will unjam his weapon (Slow Action) and he must make a Tech roll. His ability is C (D8) and he has not Tech Skill. He rolls a Mishap and the weapon is now broken.

Polish soldier #1-5  - Will go into overwatch to his front (Fast Action)

Polish soldier #1-6 - Will go into overwatch to his front (Fast Action)

Polish soldier #1-7 - Will go into overwatch to his front (Fast Action)

Polish soldier #1-8 - Will go into overwatch to his front (Fast Action)

Polish soldier #1-9 - Will reload his RPG-16. His ability is B (D10) and he has no Mobility skill. He rolls one success, making this a Fast Action.

Polish soldier #1-10 - Will go into overwatch to his front (Fast Action)

It is going to be very difficult for the team to exit the vehicle now.

Initiative Step 3 - Harris
Harris exits the OT-64 (Slow Action, no roll required) and moves toward the cover of the building (Fast Action, 2 hexes, no roll required).

Harris is interrupted by Polish soldier #1-5, who fires from overwatch. The following modifers apply:

• 
  
• Range is 3 hexes (Short) --
• Target is moving -2 Steps
• The shooter is elevated +1 Step
• Overwatch counts as aimed fire --
• 
  

The soldier adds three Ammo dice to the pool.

The soldier has Agility B (D10) and Ranged Combat C (D8). The Agility die is stepped up to D12 (+1 step) and the Close Combat die removed (-2 steps), leaving one D12 and three Ammo dice in the pool. The D12 roll is 10 (2 successes) and the ammo dice have a total of 9 and one mishap.

First the hit on Harris. Harris suffers one hit  and one extra point of damage (possible) from the two successes. Harris is hit in the legs for 1 + 1 = 2 and has no armor to stop the hit. The damage is not high enough to cause a critical hit. The ammo in the weapon is reduced by 9. Harris is winged but keeps on moving, momentum carrying him forward.

Initiative Step 4 - Griffin
Harris exits the OT-64 (Slow Action, no roll required) and moves toward the cover of the building (Fast Action, 2 hexes, no roll required).

As he is running, Polish soldier #1-7 fires at him from overwatch. The following modifers apply:

• 
  
• Range is 4 hexes (Medium) -1 Step
• Target is moving -2 Steps
• The shooter is elevated +1 Step
• Overwatch counts as aimed fire --

The soldier adds three Ammo dice to the pool.

The soldier has Agility B (D10) and Ranged Combat C (D8). The Agility die is stepped up to D12 (+1 step) but then stepped down one to D10 again. The Close Combat die removed (-2 steps), leaving one D10 and three Ammo dice in the pool. The result is no successes, 1 Mishap and 11 rounds showing on the ammo die. The ammo in the weapon is reduced by 11.

Bullets fly past Griff but he is too fast for the ambushers.

Initiative Step 5 - Klasha
Like the others, Klasha pops out of the OT-64 (Slow Action, no roll required) and moves toward the cover of the building (Fast Action, 2 hexes, no roll required).

While she is doing her Bolt impression, Polish soldier #1-2 fires hs RPK-74 at her from overwatch. The following modifers apply:

• 
  
• Range is 3 hexes (Short) --
• Target is moving -2 Steps
• The shooter is elevated +1 Step
• Overwatch counts as aimed fire --
• 
  

The soldier adds three Ammo dice to the pool.

The soldier has Agility B (D10) and Ranged Combat C (D8). The Agility die is stepped up to D12 (+1 step) and the Close Combat die removed (-2 steps), leaving one D12 and three Ammo dice in the pool. The D12 roll results in 1 success and the ammo dice have a total of 7 and one mishap.

Klash is hit and has, unfortunately, no body armor. She is also hit in the legs for 2 but no extra damage is caused, as there were no successes. There are also no critical hits.The ammo in the weapon is reduced by 7.

Initiative Step 6 - Macron
With the choice of being stuck in a burning vehicle or getting shot, Macron decides to risk it an leaves the OT-64 (Slow Action, no roll required) and moves toward the cover of the building (Fast Action, 2 hexes, no roll required).

Fortunately for Macron (and anyone coming after him), a thick cloud of smoke caused by the burning vehicle blocks the line of sight for the other Polish troops that have not yet fired. He safely moves into cover.

Initiative Step 7 - Potato
Potato pops out of the turrent and leaves the OT-64 (Slow Action, no roll required) and moves toward the cover of the building (Fast Action, 2 hexes, no roll required).

Initiative Step 8 - Wally
Climbing out of the commander's hatch, Wally drops off the OT-64 (Slow Action, no roll required) under cover of the smoke and moves toward the alley (Fast Action, 2 hexes, no roll required).

Initiative Step 9 - Robinson
Squeezing out of a driver's hatch that is made for someone appearently half his size, Robinson jumps from the the OT-64 (Slow Action, no roll required) under cover of the smoke and moves toward the alley (Fast Action, 2 hexes, no roll required).

Initiative Step 10 - Marshall
Last but not least, Marshall jumps from the the OT-64 (Slow Action, no roll required) under cover of the smoke and moves toward the alley (Fast Action, 2 hexes, no roll required).

The first round with v4 is finished. I am not unhappy with the results. Once you get the hang of stepping up and down the dice, it is not really that hard. I like that aspect. I had the impression that mishaps and the reduction in reliability was happying way to often but I found I had misread the rules and the rule applies if two mishaps are rolled (or one if you do not have the skill). The broken weapon caused by an attempt to clear the weapon may or may not be realistic, but I feel it fits well into the background.

I like the random number of rounds caused by the ammo die. In v2, ammo expenditure was very predictable and I, like many others probably, kept the number of rounds used to what the rules allowed and that still provided some form of advantage.That is gone now and not a bad thing.

The rules are easy to use and I feel provided a result that would also have been probable in v2.2. The team were escaping a burning vehicle under the guns of their ambushers. Two were hit but not killed, but when you compare the amount suffered to their maximum (Harris 440%, Klasha 50%), they probably got hit harder then they would have in v2.2.

What troubles me what is to come. The team is not out of the fire just yet.