Soviet. I've been led to believe they are starting in a different location to us. We'll probably still gain the benifit of their allowance eventually, but to begin with it's just the four of us plus two NPCs (who according to Tony aren't bringing much more than a smile and good intentions).

I'll post the completed list shortly. For the moment, we've lost the motorbikes, substantial amounts of fuel reserve, some ammo, medical supplies, the inflatable boat, and misc other equipment. We're down to the point where we've got room to swing a couple of hammocks inside the LAV (if we could afford to buy them!)

At this time I'm thinking of going withthe C6 GPMG as the commanders/antiaircraft MG and swapping that out for the Mk-19. Whoever is in the passenger compartment could use the C6 out of one of the roof hatches.

Hopefully though there won't be a lot of combat - we simply don't have the "manpower" for a standup fight. We do have the firepower to thump anybody who tries anything though... :P

I think we're almost there now. I worked with Tony up until about 12 hours back on the equipment. I can't think of anything holding us back now.
This message was last edited by the player at 07:30, Thu 03 Jan 2008.

Thats not bad (what we lost). The Mk-19 I still think we can do without.

We also don't need 3 more radios, as a few of us already have them.

Item	                              Units
Duct Tape                                3
Barbed Wire, Concertina, metre          30
Barbed Wire (Straight), metre          200
Bucket, Metal                            1
Cord, 15M                                5
Jerry can, 20L                           5
Rope, 11mm milspec, 50m                  2
Snorkel Gear                             2
Wetsuit                                  2
Tarp, 2x3m                               1
Grapple                                  1
Antenna, 500km                           1
Individual Tactical Radio                1
TA4044B Power Amplifier                  1
Field Medical Assortment #2              1
Blood, whole                             4
Battery Charger                          1
Bolt Cutters                             1
Basic Tool Kit                           1
Entrenching tool                         1
Excavating tools                         1
Small Arms Tools                         1
Heavy Ordnance tools                     1
Wheeled Vehicle Tools                    1
Ethanol                                520
FLEXCEL Liquid Container, 250 litres     2
Medium Still                             1
Domestic food                          200
Water purification Kit                   1
Can Opener                               1
Mess Kit                                 6
Mounted Water Ration Heater              1
NMT                                      1
NHT                                      1
C6 GPMG                                  1
Mk-19 Mod 3                              1
40mm HVHEDP, 50 belted                   4
M18A1 Claymore, case, 6                  2
7.62mmN, case 600, belted                2
40mm HEDP, case, 75                      1
40mm Illum, individual                   2
M67 Frag Grenade, individual             8
M2 Carl Gustav                           1
FFV-551 HEAT, 84mm                       8
FFV-545 ILLUM, 84mm                      4
M203A1 grenade launcher                  1
Refrigerator, small                      1
Freezer, small                           1
1.5 Kilowatt generator                   1
GKB-816 (Russian 3 tonne trailer)        1

The Mk-19 represents the only real artillery support we'll have. I think it's well worth the $1,493 it costs.
I've removed all but one of the tac radios. I think we'd be complete fools to leave the LAV unattended at any time and as that's already got comms, whoevers there woun't need a personal radio. The radio on the list is for if one of the NPCs leave the vehicle for some reason. We might be able to drop it though as the Signaller comes with a manpack PRC-177.
We now have a full load of reserve fuel (520 litres) - 2x250 in bladders and one jerrycan. The other 4 jerrycans are water but could be used for other liquids in a pinch.
The above list has been approved by Tony except for one or two very minor items (such as the entrenching tool) - none of which are less than common in availablity.
We are also carrying every last crumb of available food. Even so, thats only enough to feed the 6 members of the unit for a little over 16 days.

My thoughts are that if we're stopping in one place for more than an hour or so, the C6 should be set up on the tripod, claymores deployed, pits dug (or at least begun), wire set up and sandbags filled, probably in that order (or one like it). Naturally some of those tasks wouldn't be done if we expect to be moving again shortly.

Of course we're yet tosee what the actual mission is so until then we can only speculate on how we're going to operate.

Javier is a new player to RPGs/PBeMs, so starting his character in a different location to be met later will allow him to see how the game is played first.

The equipment list looks good. It pretty much strips the local DRI unit of a lot of non-weapon gear! ;)

I will assign actual character slots over the weekend.

In some of the pictures I posted (like the book scanned by google) it showed vehicle crew with CVC helemts. So the LAV-III comes with 3 of those hooked to the intercom. The C6 can easily be fired out a hatch, a video I posted showed someone doing just that (the C6 had a missing trigger guard).


Tony

Used to do just that myself with the M60. Don't need to use the bipod to use it but DON'T expect to hit much while the vehicle is moving offroad.

There should be a couple of headsets for the infantry commander and 2IC in the rear also. It's vital in mounted operations that they remain in contact with other sections and know exactly what's going on. One really good idea I saw in the LAV-III 3D on the Canadian army website is the "situational awareness" monitor just behind the turret. Even with the hatches open, it's very, very easy for the passenges to loose touch with the outside. When the ramp drops, you can often be suprised at whats actually there.

The rear hatch on the M113 is just big enough for four people to squeeze up through. I think the two hatches of the LAV would just about allow the same number of people. We would have the section commander (or plattoon comander it if was the HQ vehicle), machinegunner and No1 scout standing with heads out most of the time. This left one spot for the remaining 6 people to rotate through.

Worst bit about it was that the exhaust was right in front of where the scout stood....

Leggy, did you include Andy's (my PC) $2945 in your figurin'? I mnetioning a couple of pages back but I forgot to post it again when you asked about balances remaining. Just making sure.

Ref, is there anything else we need to do as players before this thing kicks off?

Yep, sure did. Very useful.  :P

Every last dollar has been spent. I'd wanted to try to keep some back as gold, but by the time I'd gotten all the vitally important stuff, there was only small change left so I threw it into odds and ends like the sandbags ($36), entrenching tool ($26), 40mm ILLUM ($12), and the M67 frag grenades ($32).

Hopefully it's not a bad selection...

Ummm, what maps? Lots of background info but can't see any maps of note.

Andrew,

The correct link's there now, sorry for the confusion. Also some more links on info.

Mess kits are "free".

We're waiting on me! Characters will be done today, then I guess we can get going.


Tony
This message was last edited by the GM at 06:11, Fri 04 Jan 2008.

Character sheets are now done!

Slight tweaks: Martial Arts is now a cascade skill with either Armed or Unarmed. As previously mentioned, Small Arms can use either STR or AGL.

Please fill the character sheets out. Also, your bios (1/CAR or RCMP for unit, over top of rank) and character descriptions if you've not already done so. Religion, if any, plus include info on parents or family.

Edit Added: Bios are done.

This thread will be closed once the game begins. Ask any OOC background questions on behalf of your characters in the Briefings thread before the game starts.

Tony
This message was last edited by the GM at 02:54, Sat 05 Jan 2008.

If anyone is wondering what a police officer is doing along on a military-seeming mission, bear in mind that a return to civil order and an end to military rule is part of the eventual plan for the area.

Lee is there to provide liaison duties with local law enforcement where present, and the general citizenry.

The RCMP are not under the military. They are technically an equal branch of the military. The Mountie is not a civilian along for the ride, they are a different branch like the Air Force or Navy.

The mountie's "special ability" is that Canadians in general have a high degree of trust and respect for the RCMP (still in the high 80% range), they are a nationally-respected institution. Although the complete loss of civil order hasn't made doing their job any easier, it's not stopped the Mounties from doing what they do even in areas that are otherwise completely lawless. It's hoped that this link to the stability and order of the past is something people will cling to.

Although it's likely not going to be a free ride, it's also hoped this respect will be advantageous.

This  undefined "people" thing is her real ace-in-the hole, and she should use it to her and the group's advantage. She in not intended as a second-string back-stop for the "real" ass-kickers, but as an integral part of the mission.

Her brevet rank is "Staff Sergeant", and while there is no equivalent army rank this makes her equivalent to a Warrant Officer. Her place in the chain-of-command is fluid as this is a joint mission. Tactically, the mission is under Lieutenant Jagelis' command. However, operationally he is expected to make use of this asset, and ignoring Lee or taking her for granted will overall have a dire effect on the mission (or so he's been directly informed).

With the disastrous ongoing military coup in the USA in mind, the new Canadian federal government is highly sensitive to perceptions the Army running roughshod over a still-fragile civil authority in Canada. As Lee makes her own reports, any hint of this from her will not be taken lightly!

Tony
This message was last edited by the GM at 02:52, Sat 05 Jan 2008.

Character sheet is in. I'll get the description, etc done when I'm not so tired (it's nearly 1am as I write this).

I've got some of the char-sheet done. I still have to make a couple of rolls. Is there a house rule on figuring innitiative? I seem to remember having read something to that effect here.

Brandon,

Nah, it's all straight-up for initiative. The only house rule was that AGL could be used to substitute for STR when using the Small Arms skill. Martial Arts is a cascade skill (that is, the skill level for the lower is equal to half the higher of Armed or Unarmed, plus any added levels). Can't think of anything major.

Once people get their sheets done, we're good to go. NPCs are posted as well, added some finishing touches to them. (Have a look.) Javier's done.

Also, do your characters have any kind of private lives? Were or are they married? Kids? Current lovers? Any sexual orientation? Tastes in music? Goals in life? Do they smoke? Have any Tattoos? (The "Death Before Dishonor" under a winged parachute on the bicep is pretty much de rigeur for paratroopers so I'll assume all the Airborne have one.)

I think neatly-trimmed beards are acceptable after a change in gas mask design in the 90's.

Thanks!

Edit Added for Equipment:

A magazine is included with longarms. So, issue would be 1 plus 6 spares (loaded) and 180 loose rounds.

The medic-trained character (Chris) will use the medical bag when required, but doesn't keep it with him all the time.


Tony
This message was last edited by the GM at 05:02, Sun 06 Jan 2008.

^* Based on an officer I knew who lost his commission essentially by being too friendly with the other ranks.

Well, thought I would step in all.

Tony was kind enough to bring me over from another game, I hope I can be as useful as him playing this character for you guys.. unlikely, but I am betting it is fun =)

Anyway, will be posting for the character now, looking forward to playing with you all.

Thanks Tony!

-M

Well, and it looks like I am not with the main party, not sure exactly where everyone is, can anyone give me a SITREP?

In fact, Kelsey is with the main party at the Royal Vancouver Yacht Club Marina, just outside the UBC perimeter on the south shore of Burrard Inlet.

They are deployed as a reaction element, in support of a detached sniper element (MCpl McRae and Pvt MacDonald) who are on a recce (recon) of the North Shore of Burrard Inlet. They are looking for a fishing community at Eagle Harbour in West Vancouver that the team wanted to contact.

They found it, but it appears abandoned and burned down, a possible victim of plague. They have sent word via radio and are following a mounted patrol of what looks like Russians passing through the area.

*nods*
Right, that gels what I read into something cohesive, now I understand.  It was the yellow pages and maps and such that threw me off, but I am betting that was easily scavenged locally, yes?  Fire Station or yacht club.

Yes, there is also a couple of families that live in the fenced marina compound and runs the marina there and charters their sailboat (a 42-foot luxury yacht), the Persephone. Kelsey will get the pop culture reference to the a boat on the long-running family-drama show on CBC (that all the Canadian PCs will have watched), "The Beachcombers". The Uni stores some of their watercraft there (despite being on the water, UBC is on a highland and has no marina of its own) and they all have acquired names of actors and characters from The Beachcombers. In fact, one of the jet-boats is a dead-ringer of Relic's black jet-boat (Relic being a sometimes-villain on the show). I was going to have Kelsey comment on the name at one point.

In real-life Disaster Relief plans, UBC (the provincial University of British Columbia) is designated a "node" for disaster response. Therefore, after the nuclear attacks in late 1997 the roads leading to it were cleared of EMP-killed vehicles, supplies stockpiled (although not weapons), etc. When the government decided to evacuate the city a crew of volunteers (Mounties, faculty, students) stayed behind to hold the fort. The Uni was never looted, and the arrival of a defecting Soviet combat engineer 6 months ago (Sep 2000) lead to a considerable security upgrade (a fenced perimeter, checkpoints, some heavy weapons and mines). Salvage teams have gone into the surrounding neighborhoods not to only to scavenge materials but offer technical assistance, medical aid and education to families and other survivors remaining nearby in the abandoned city. The Uni's population is around 500, with another 500 "friendlies" still living nearby but outside the security perimeter (like the marina) connected by landlines (telephones).

The cost of this consolidation is that they kind of lost touch with the rest of the city. There is word that the suburban city of New Westminster on the Fraser River is still around, and nearby on Annacis Island there is a free market where you can get "anything". There are fishing villages somewhere in Richmond, in Burnaby on the river, and supposedly in West Van at Eagle Harbour (although, not so much as you've seen).

If there is anything I remember about that show, its that grouch Relic. Didn't he live right out on the wharf or something?

Yep, based on a real guy, too. He was the coolest guy, although I liked Jessie (the native guy) as well.

The actor who played Relic is a local artist. The jet-boat named "Relic" looks exactly like his boat. The show was based on the flimsy premise that for $10 you could pick up a licence that would allow you to salvage timber that broke away from "floats" (massive rafts) on the way to the sawmill (like Wood-Fibre) and washed up on shore for 50% of market value.

Apparently, I'm harshly dating myself! It ran from '71 to '85.

In reply to helbent4 (msg #148):

some notes on callsigns:

6 is usually given to a Battalion or element commander
11 is usually the Company comander.
1 is usually the TOC.
5 is usually the Element xo
12 is usually the Company xo

it is similiar on bumper numbers:
(listed for a HQ & HQ unit:  ie:  HHC, HHB, HHT, ect)

HQ-1 would be the company commander's jeep
HQ-2 would be the company Xo's jeep
HQ-5 Would be the Battalion XO's jeep
HQ-6 would be the Battalion CO's jeep

Maintenance likes to snag 7 in most cases, since they do the numbering, and it's considered lucky =P

In reply to Kelsey Sarah Champlain (msg #149):

These work for me, and thanks for posting call signs!

Canadian Forces call signs also use the same general format as US ones for reasons of interoperability and most things are similar if not the same. (I seem to recall some artillery support commands are different, but no matter.)

The CF doesn't use a traditional set pattern like "6 = Unit OC" simply because, well, if you know what the pattern is, then you know who everyone is. Still, I'm not looking for that level of realism and I'm fine with something we all understand because it's familiar enough.

My work's been brutal lately and I apologise if it's made my posting a little sparse. One thing I've put off for too long is XP awards, and doing things like good RP, contributing to the debriefing, fan-fic and of course coming up with call-signs is worth bonus XP. All the PCs will get shit-loads of XP anyways, but if you think of something your PC has done that's worth extra then by all means PM me and I'll see what I feel it's worth.

For example, Javier's done more than a few outstanding posts on organisation both in and out of characte, including patrol and operational orders, fan-fiction and posted pictures. At least a couple times Kelsey's posted call-signs (which is always a total drag for players to do, if necessary).

Tony

In reply to helbent4 (msg #150):

thanks for the thumbs up =)

in a real situation the code book randomizes the assignments.

She is probably purposely keeping it simple considering all the newbies!

On a more tactical op, likely she will be more shady, but really you need to be well scrambled and rely on wire or runners rather than wireless for god security.  The tone of the message will often give away more or less who you are dealing with.