0600 24 AUG 2000, Near Krakow, Poland (Hex 17357)
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"El Dorado it was not. You hear travelling merchants talk about Krakow as if it was some kind of fantasy kingdom where anything can be had and anything was possible. To me it looked like a city that had taken a beating during the war and had the scars to show for it. What I did see was more people in one spot than I had seen in a very long time. It may not be everything it was talked up to be but it was a city, and that was a lot these days."
Work, family and school vacations are really cutting into my team for my favorite game. I would change it but it is really hard to get rid of any of those factors. I will just have to soldier on and deal with it.
In the story so far, the team has travelled from the cantonment of B Troop, 1/116th Armored Cavalry Regiment in Dobrodzień, Poland to Krakow. They are posing as arms dealers but their mission is to contact the DIA agent in Krakow in hopes of finding out what happened to the special forces team that the cav troopers were supposed to meet up with. On the way, they have had some encounters of the last three days, the most recent being an ambushed convoy and a dying lieutenant that whispered something about Operation Reset and the team needing to find it before giving up his dog tag. The team buried the bodies are prepared to make the run into Krakow.
Just a few notes from my side. I am using the v1 version of the Free City of Krakow because I like the internal power struggle within the city government itself as well as shady operations between the DIA, CIA and KGB. The team does not know about Cutler, as that gives too much of the game away from the start, in my humble opinion. I am not using the Reset as printed in any version of the game up to now so we are not looking for a chest of documents and it is not the last great offensive, however, Reset is actually in Cutler's possession, although he does not know what he has. Other organizations know of the operation but not it's exact details. The people with that information are pretty much all dead. The helicopter is there and may, or may not, play a part in the story.
The team is close enough to the city of Krakow so that they will not need to check for navigation and such. You would have to try really hard to get lost now. I will not be using the travel template but rather the Game Master Emulator scenes. In short, we move from scene to scene with a scene setup and resolution. The setup is how we think the scene will go and the resolution is the way the scene plays out. The resolution is affected by the Chaos Factor (from 1 to 10) which shows how well the characters have everything under control. The higher the factor, the less control that they have.
We will maintain lists of the characters (both player and non-player), threads and locations. These are found at the bottom of the post. These are important for random events and such. In the first scene, the characters are approaching the city and encounter one of the military checkpoints at the city's edge.
Scene K1 - Approaching the Military Checkpoint (CF 5)
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"They had become garrison troops. Some of they may not have ever been anything else. There were others though, and they knew what they were doing. Low concrete barriers slowed traffic down a lot and each group or vehicle was waved forward to the next position, one at a time. All the turning and the stuff exposed our flanks and the RPG team in the bunker made their presence known a lot, often checking their optics on those approaching. It was meant to send a message and we understood it. "
Scene Setup
The team is approaching a military checkpoint at the edge of the city. The checkpoints control the traffic and keep out undesirables which means those that want to make trouble or who are just plain hungry. The team will roll up to the barrier in march formation with the barrel of the KPV elevated away from the bunker. Better not to make anyone nervous. Once the reach the barrier, Klasha and Wally will explain that the group are arms dealers and have come to the city to sell their wares. They will offer to show the guards the weapons in the truck before moving on once the guards wave them through.
Scene Resolution
The first step is to roll a D10. If the number is less than the Chaos Factor (5) then the scene is modified, otherwise the scene plays out as planned. We roll a 2 and since it is even, the scene is interrupted. If it had been odd then the scene would have been altered in some way. It basically means we can throw out our scene setup and start out with a random event.
Random events have an event focus, action and subject. This is determined by roll 3 D100s, one for each item.
- Event Focus: Move toward a thread
- Event Action: Triumph
- Event Subject: Magic
Threads are goals that the PCs want to achieve. We keep track of them in a list and these are updated at the end of the scene. Some threads will be closed and new ones opened. For our event, we will be moving closer to a thread and its conclusion. We have the following threads in our list:
- Travelling to Krakow
- Passing the Checkpoint
- Iov wants to travel home
- Find Reset
- Find the DIA Agent in Krakow
- Discover the fate of the SF team
The first has been completed but we will keep it in the list anyway. Five remain and we can roll randomly to determine which is the relevant thread and we roll the third thread or Find Reset. Now we need to interpret the results.
The action is Triumph, which is also a form of success. The subject is magic. I should probably, at this point, say that Mythic is system agnostic and we should not interpret magic to be literally magic as in a fantasy setting. It is something unexpected and probably more of a positive thing. We can ask the GME some questions to help us find the true meaning.
The first would be obviously if we find Reset. The chance is very low, as the characters do not really know what it is and Cutler will have taken it into the city. Still, one can ask:
[GME: Do the characters find Reset? - Chaos Rank 5 - No Way (15%) - 81% - No]
They may find something connected to reset. This is a little more likely not definitely not a sure thing.
[GME: Do the characters find something connected to Reset? - Chaos Rank 5 - Unlikely (35%) - 25% - Yes]
Oh, another clue. It is not Reset but it may be someone or something connected with it. We know that pretty much everyone except Cutler who have been involved with Reset are dead so it may be him. If it is not, then it would be something connected with Reset. Cutler makes a living by helping the marauders rob and kill groups entering the city, so he may be here keeping his eyes open. Still, it is a big city with many entrances and he cannot be at every entrance.
[GME: Do the characters meet Cutler? - Chaos Rank 5 - Unlikely (35%) - 24% - Yes]
Now that is interesting. The man himself has made an appearance. Remember, we know who he is, the characters do not. For them, he is just another American in Poland. Cutler would probably approach the group and offer his "services" as a guide. He lives in Krakow and knows the city well and the team does have a lot of stuff that he would be interested in. A fat cow waiting to be slaughtered. Cutler has a back story that the PCs could eventually find out and we can add it to the Threads list. It will be interesting to see if they manage to find out the truth.
We should probably add some stats for Cutler, as the team will have some interactions with him. The description is from Rendezvous in Krakow (Copyright 1985, 1995 by Game Designers' Workshop, Inc.). Cutler has been converted using the rules from Free League in v4. The backstory and details have been modified to fit my Reset version. I chose the specialty based on the description of Cutler and his skills.
Background:
Randolph Lasalles Cutler is a deserter from the American 5th infantry Division (he left before the destruction of the division at Kalisz), but it is not likely that any of the PCs have met him before (a division is like a city-there are a lot of people who never see each other, even though they are in the same place). He began his career as a petty criminal, but was caught just as the War broke out, and given the choice of
entering the army or the penitentiary. Cutler is 25, but can pass as older or younger if necessary (disguise is a talent he acquired during his criminal career). He calls himself "sergeant" and has the stripes on his field jacket, but he never achieved a rank higher than private.
Recently, Cutler linked up with a band of marauders outside Krakow, leading parties outside the protection of the city into pre-arranged ambushes for a cut of the proceeds. This is what happened to Strike Force Zulu.
Appearance:
Cutler is 25 and is undistinguished in appearance, being of average height and build and usually carelessly, even slovenly, dressed.
Personality:
Cutler is a sociopath and is totally unconcerned with the welfare of any person other than himself. His relationship with Lucja is purely a matter of momentary convenience, to gain shelter and companionship. He will desert her as easily as he would discard an empty rifle magazine.
Refereeing Cutler:
Cutler will try to lie his way out of whatever unfortunate situation he finds himself in. He can be brave when he needs to, but usually his greed and sense of self-preservation overwhelm his courage.
Possessions:
In addition to a set of fatigues and a ragged backpack, Cutler has an M9 9mm pistol, a P-64 hide-out piece in an ankle holster, several concealed knives and one or two fragmentation grenades, in addition to a few dollars in gold and ration chits. The briefcase is not presently in his possession.
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Type |
Attributes |
Hit Cap. |
CUF |
Skills |
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Petty criminal |
STR B, AGL B, INT C, EMP C |
5 |
C |
Heavy Weapons D, Close Combat C, Driving D, Mobility D, Ranged Combat D, Recon D, Survival D |
Specialties: PSY OPS - Gives a +1 bonus to PERSUASION rolls for changing someone’s mind about a particular issue.
NPC Motivations:
- Primary Motivation: Very Greedy - Cutler's overwhelming motivation is personal greed.
- Secondary Motivations: Ruthless - Cutler is totally ruthless, and will not let anyone or anything stand in his way. He has no loyalty and will betray allies if the benefits outweigh the risks.
We know that Cutler will always be looking for a good mark and he has no reason to believe that the group would not be such a mark. It would be probable that Cutler would engage the team in a conversation but how could this conversation look like? Using the Universal NPC Emulator (UNE), we can use it to help us set up the conversation, at which time the GME or the v4 Rules could take over.
We know the details of Cutler, being a ruthless petty criminal motivated by personal greed. We know his relationship to the characters and that he wants to profit of them. In his initial mood, he will be friendly and sociable, as he wants to gain their trust. Without that, he has no chance of getting them outside the city so his band of cutthroats can shoot them up. His demeanor will be friendly. Once we have the mood and the demeanor, we can roll a d100 on the bearing table and learn his bearing is (69) "promise". His focus will be (97) "enemy".
Despite the impression it may sometimes give, I believe Krakow is still a very dangerous place, despite the ORMO that may patrol it. A lot of old enemies in close quarters combined with scores of desperate people leads to a situation that would normally make you want to have your life insurance premiums paid up. The words "promise" and "enemies" probably means that Cutler would offer to help them find shelter in the town that would be safe and maybe a bit comfortable.
With the information we have, we can start the scene and Marshall will lead us off.
"People need to eat, I get that. I also understand why the Krakow ORMO was not throwing open the gates and just letting every Tom, Dick and Jane into the city, but the gods of fate hated us that day and we were stuck between a group driving a herd of swine ahead of us and a herd of cattle behind. Regardless of how the wind blew, it was bad and that is putting it mildly. I was adjusting my bandana for the umpteenth time when this Sergeant strolled up to us.
His nametag read Cutler and he had the Red Diamond on his on his shoulder, making him one of us. He saw our patches and gave us a friendly wave before strolling over and addressed us in a friendly tone, saying, 'You troops are gonna need a good bath after stinking around here all day and I might just know the place."
Where to go from there? Cutler might claim to know his way around the city, as he has been there several months (which is true).
[GME: Will Cutler claim to have experience in the city? - Chaos Rank 5 - Very Likely (85%) - 7% - Exceptional Yes]
Not only will he claim to have knowledge of the city, he will REALLY stress that point. It would be important to know if Cutler actually knows of a place to stay in the city where the group could bunk down or his he spinning a tale?
[GME: Does Cutler know of lodgings in the city where the group could stay? - Chaos Rank 5 - Likely (75%) - 18% - Yes]
He knows a place where the characters could stay in the city. Knowing Cutler, if they are on friendly terms with him, they may be in league with him as well. Right now, I have visions of Grandma Topolski running through my head.
[GME: Do the owners of the shelter work together with Cutler? - Chaos Rank 5 - Somewhat Likely (65%) - 100% - Exceptional No]
That tells us that they are definitely not working with him and probably do not know of his activities. Interesting fact indeed. Let's see how Marshall saw it:
"This guy could talk. He said his name was Cutler and he had been separated from the 5th before the jump off into hell. Could be, sure were enough of us around back then. Today not so much. Anyway, he was yappin' about what to see in the city and where to go and claimed he had been there for a couple of months. I am no expert on the subject but it sounded like he knew his way around. He kept talking about a place he knew where we could crash while we were in town. Food and beds and the occasional presence of hot water. Sounded good to me."
He will make it sound good but can he convince the group to go with him? We could just throw a random die roll (D6, 1-3 yes, etc.) or make an opposed dice roll for Persuasion. The amount of people on one side or the other is unimportant here, as it is a friendly conversation.
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Task: |
Convince the Characters to go with him |
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Ability Die: |
Empathy C (D8) |
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Skill Die: |
-- |
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Modifiers: |
+1 won't really cost the characters anything, +1 presents the case really well, +1 Psy Ops specialty |
= +3 |
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Mod. Ability Die: |
Empathy A (D12) |
[+2 Steps, total = +2] |
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Mod. Skill Die: |
Persuasion D (D6) |
[-1 Step, total = +1] |
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Ammo Die: |
-- |
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Roll: |
6,2,-- |
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Result: |
1 Success |
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Carrying the flag for the home team is Klasha. She will not really get her Pys Ops bonus, as she is not trying to convince Cutler of something.
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Task: |
Resist Persuasion by Cutler |
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Ability Die: |
Empathy B (D10) |
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Skill Die: |
Persuasion B (D10) |
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Modifiers: |
-- |
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|
Mod. Ability Die: |
Empathy B (D10) |
[Unmodified] |
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Mod. Skill Die: |
Persuasion D (D6) |
[Unmodified] |
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Ammo Die: |
-- |
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|
Roll: |
7,4,-- |
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Result: |
1 Success |
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The would seem to indicate that the group is not really convinced at the moment but they can let Cutler accompany them. Maybe they could talk about it over a drink later. Cutler can climb up on the BTR as the team prepare to enter the city.
The scene closes. Nothing really happened to change the situation, so we will leave the Chaos Factor as it is, at 5. We update the Threads list and the next scene will be passing the checkpoint.
Chaos Factor: 5
Lists
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Character List |
Threads List |
Locations List |
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