Light winds from the north, not too much impact on the smoke dispersion. It'll maybe stretch it out a little (and I'll show that on the next map), but not affect it a great deal.



Will try to get up the turn tonight, and will mark them on the map (forgot last time).

Meh, why bother... ;)
Jed is afterall slightly, well, lets just say it, racist.

In case anyone might be interested, the following link is of a PDF on the Russian lessons learned in Chechnya. I've been using it for some time now, basing some of the concepts in it on some of the game's factors.

http://armyapp.dnd.ca/ael/pubs...yaLessonsLearned.ppt

Not sure if I'll be able to get the post up tonight. I've just spent a lot of time on rolling and determining outcomes. It may have to wait until tomorrow.

I love the picture they use for the Russians on Slide 9.

I thought we only called for one (1) smoke from the mortar?
I know that's all Jed ordered.

In reply to Jed Black (msg #5):

Correct. I was going by JJM post and overlooked that Jed hadn't relayed that info onto Young yet. Will fix.

Ta.
Just so you know, as mentioned OOC a few days back, he won't be calling in more WP at this time. There's only three rounds left, the location the smoke is wanted is within throwing distance of the Bradley and the chance of hitting said Bradley is too great.
Besides, where's the need for it? I'm not too sure any rounds have been fired from that direction lately (or anywhere in our area for that matter).

Jed really is a charmer!!!

Fuse - can you update the map when you get the chance.

Fuse - please can you update the map as (I think) Jed is ordering Frank's squad to move forward even though they're engaged with enemy to the front and so charging forward blindly would be a mistake.  Bounding forward might be possible but I think that we need to see the map to work out if that is possible or not.

I assume that Jed can see at least Mitch and Rooke firing forwards though I doubt that he can see the targets that they're firing at but we need the map to confirm whether this is the case because I could well be wrong.

Thanks.

EDIT - Leg - the comms list is slightly wrong - Mitch now has Ben's radio.
This message was last edited by the player at 07:08, Wed 13 Oct 2010.

I think I managed to post up a round's actions that weren't somehow completely incorrect.  How?  I need to edit my post.

Yes. Will be done tonight. Half finished the turn as it is.

Don't forget ammo:

Frank: 3x 5.56mmN
Mitch: 10x 5.56mmN
Rooke: 1x 5.56mmN

I haven't gotten any complaints yet about the map (besides forgetting things). So can I assume that everyone's ok with it, can make it out alright, and it's clear?


This message was last edited by the GM at 01:18, Thu 14 Oct 2010.

Fuse - the map is great!  A couple of questions though.  Where is the man Mitch just shot and where is the man that Rooke is trading shots with?

Thanks.

EDIT - Fuse - from studying the map further am I correct that:
 - The man Rooke is trading shots with is the red dot just below the second "A" of "Alpha"?
 - The man Mitch just shot is the yellow dot positioned at about 1 o'clock to the second "A" of "Alpha"?
This message was last edited by the player at 08:24, Thu 14 Oct 2010.

Fuse, can you mark the wounded/dead militia. As he had an AK-74 I would like to try and salvage the weapon & ammo if possible when I advance, but dont want to delay and put unnecessary risk on myself or my team.

Just to confirm before posting, Frank & Mike are at approximately N7 on the map?

And, the ruin at N5, would that provide cover for the three enemy shooters if we made our moves to about O7?

Yes, this is correct.



Will do. He's at M08.



Yes, the pair at the north side of the building, N07. If you see what I mean, for you to be able to see the shooter over at L06, you'd need to exit the building because of the angle.

Yes. The ruin at N05 is big. The walls are still standing for the most part and you can't really shoot "through it". It's multistory, but gutted by fire so the upper floors probably don't exist anymore (just the brick walls).

Mitch can you confirm the fire positions for Mitch - as in prone, kneeling, standing, etc.

Same goes for others, once you get into direct combat.
This message was last edited by the GM at 21:14, Thu 14 Oct 2010.

I see and that's one of the things I wanted to clarify before moving towards the ruins at NO5 and trying to get Zajac and the others assembled too.

In reply to Fusilier (msg #17):

Fusr - Mitch's PC away until Monday so you'll have to make a judgement call.

Post #10,000!  Woo-Hoo!

Congratulations, Fusilier.  It's a rare and special game that makes it this far.

I'd like to add my congratulations. A great game Fuse, thanks.

Thanks very much. I have awesome players.

FYI things are going to continue to be kinda slow on my end, at least until November 1. After that I'm expecting to be able to give it attention enough to get back onto normal scheduling.

Congrats on the # of posts and a great game!  Proud to be involved in it!

Can't do the map tonight, but will tomorrow.

OK on map.  I'll wait until tomorrow to post.

1st Squad:
Rooke is up at the NW corner (O06) of the building.

Mitch is at the SE corner (O07) of the building

Frank, Mike, Zajac, and all of the militia (except for #18) are along the sheltered/east side of the building. There are windows but no doors on this side.

2nd Squad:
Jed is at the northern corner of the N07 building. Everyone else is stacked up along the side of the building. Militia#18 from Frank's squad is here also.

3rd Squad:
Oskar, Varis, Militia#12, and Militia#14 are in the outdoor storage lot. It's a fenced off area filled with scrap metal. Exits are to each of the two connecting buildings. One held by the squad and the other by an unknown number of enemy (at least one armed with a shotgun).

Aleksandar, Militia#4, and Militia#7 are in the office small building, looting the dying enemy soldier and covering to the north.

Militia#11 is at M08 and either dead or seriously injured.
This message was last edited by the GM at 15:59, Sun 17 Oct 2010.

Will post lunchtime - about 3 hours.

Here's the plan.

The idea is that Varis runs short legs, then watches over Oskar's longer, zig-zagging legs.  Together they leapfrog and work through the building.

...and if the militia spoke English this would actually work.  :p


This message was last edited by the player at 02:20, Wed 20 Oct 2010.

Like I said IC, Varis is down with it.

You also said IC that Varis didn't know.  WHY ARE YOU LYING ITS REALLY CONFUSING I WANT TO PLAY POKEMAN OR SOMETHING EASIER IT DOESNT HAVE AMMO TO TRACK

Right, he doesn't quite get it but he's still down with it. It's kind of like if Oskar offered him a handrolled cigarette and told Varis try try it because it was "some good shit"... Varis wouldn't know exactly what was in it, but he'd still take a toke or two. See what I mean?

I hope that helped.

My next character is a Latvian Auxiliary that complains all the time about how this Varis asshole has stolen his schtick.

I'll hold off the post tonight so that everyone can get a chance to post.

Sorry, I have to finished Varis/Oskar and the map tomorrow.
This message was last edited by the GM at 05:24, Sat 23 Oct 2010.

Why do you hate us?

Did we find the treasure and you have to roll up the magic items?

In reply to Oskar Friedmann (msg #36):

I know I know...

It's done now.

Here is the updated map:

I forgot to include Aleksandar's group in Third Squad (they haven't moved from the office section of the building (M07). Hopefully everyone knows where they are at.

The ? indicate a location that may or may not be occupied be enemy troops based on successful observation rolls or obvious indications.


This message was last edited by the GM at 23:01, Sat 23 Oct 2010.

Crappy layout of Varis/Oskar's position. Not to scale and just a very simple diagram. It's mostly to show the layout of the vehicles and how its cluttered with mechanical equipment and "junk" that blocks LOS to very close quarters. Sorry if this actually confuses things even more so.

V - Varis
O - Oskar
M - Militia (one bleeding)


This message was last edited by the GM at 23:37, Sat 23 Oct 2010.

Varis, you magnificent bastard, you upstaged me!  Consequences will never be the same!

Just trying to keep you on your toes.

2nd squad are sheltering behind the building at N07. Are we able to move through this building, or is it completely derelict?

With an airburst nuke having fallen not all that far away, I'm surprised at how much is actually still standing. Certainly can't be any glass in the windows!

Just for clarification, Rooke & Mitchell are NPC's or do they have players?

In reply to Francis 'Frank' Benucci (msg #43):

Mitchell is played by Mahatatain. He is also currently playing Rooke as well, although Rooke is technically an NPC.

In reply to Caleb Mulcahy (msg #44):

Great thanks

I'm a PC....

I'm an "active" NPC...

In reply to Caleb Mulcahy (msg #41):

The building is standing and was cleared by Mike and Frank - they found only a militia or civilian body slumped over in a chair at desk.

There's entrances on the north face only - a large open bay door and a personnel door.

The interior is filled with piping and not much else. There's few windows and none that are good for firing/observing from (high up near the top of the walls).

In reply to Jed Black (msg #42):

Woah Nukes?  No one said there were any nukes in this game.  I quit.  I've seen the Hills Have Eyes...

Going to be working on the turn tonight and tomorrow at work.

One point I want to bring up for clarification is with 1st Squad - there are no militia with the guys at the ruin (Frank, Mike, Rooke, & Mitch). All of your militia are back at the corner with Zajac at the other building.

Just wanted to point that out - although it probably won't really affect this next turn much. However in the next turn (following your moves) Zajac and his guys will be out of contact with you.
This message was last edited by the GM at 01:00, Wed 27 Oct 2010.

I think something that needs to be brought up again is that PC's are responsible for 2-3 militia each. If PCs race off without their "sidekicks" then why did we bother finding, feeding and arming them?
Need to think more like a unit than a bunch of individuals or it's all going to end in tears.

In reply to Jed Black (msg #51):

Maybe, but 1st squad took fire right off the bat, and the subsequent turns have been a reaction to that and then the continuation of battle.  It's only been a few minutes since then, if that.  The squad is still fairly concentrated, with reasonable combat spacing, giving the situation.

I've only been skimming the other groups posts, but it has appeared little attention has been given to guiding/commanding the militia. Zacjac for example, the translator for that group, has been allowed to run about as he wished, totally neglecting his main purpose. Chaos is the only logical result of this.

Take notice or not of my comments, they're just an observation.

Take it out of Frank's Sergeant's pay...

You ought to be taking 3rd Squad's lead on this and just getting your militia killed.

1st Squad has caused Confusion and Delay.

Mitch will chip in a few quid....

Hope it isn't too convoluted or confusing, but the turn is up. I put it together on and off at work. I'll get the map done tomorrow for anyone who wants to see it before they post.
This message was last edited by the GM at 01:18, Thu 28 Oct 2010.

Please make reference to Frank's messages #622, #639, & #648.  I'm sorry if I didn't make it clear enough but, Frank has a militia preson with him and Mike has one with him.  For right now, Yes, Zajac has the remainder of the militia as a base of cover fire in case it is needed and the only one who can communicate with them.

Crucify Frank after the action is over if need be.  Like i said, I thought I made it clear we were clearing the ruins with two of the militia and I'm not trying to be snotty.

Fuse, Varis has one frag grenade left.

In reply to Varis Babicevs (msg #60):

Oh Ok. I'll edit.

In reply to Francis 'Frank' Benucci (msg #59):

Could be just my skimming of the other teams posts. Appears on face value Frank and the other PCs were racing off alone.

In reply to Francis 'Frank' Benucci (msg #59):



You did make it clear and are correct. When I was reviewing the situation, I guess I focused on only the first wrong part of the turn post and not the later bit where they rejoined you afterward. Sorry about the mix up.

So... #5 and #8 (both M16s) are with you and Mike, and I'll add them in.

...Zajac is back at the corner with #19 (AK74).

...and the fourth militia, #18 is back with 2nd Squad.

Edited the turn post to correct the location of two of the militia.



Putting this up again too


This message was last edited by the GM at 03:06, Thu 28 Oct 2010.

In reply to Fusilier (msg #63):

Milita #18 has joined my little harem!!!

Just a suggestion but maybe skim reading and then offering criticism isn't a good idea.  Maybe reading posts fully first might be a good idea.....

I don't read anything but my own press releases.

I REGRET NOTHING!

I'll try and post tomorrow morning or Friday night.

New map



Final Alpha Building

Now why would I want to go doing that!?
I mean really, who honestly wants to be fully informed before offering their opinion?  :P

Really, I must protest.  Where was the isometric 3/4 view for Varis and me?

Stolen.  Stolen by the commie conspiracy, that's where

And for the record, I too have never let any IC posts stifle my OOC wisdom.

LOL I knew you'd say that. But I gave you hours and hours of MS paint!!!


...I have maps for the next buildings.

Fuse - is it possible for Mitch to respond to Mike's radio message this turn?  Or should I wait until next turn as he's already doing quite a lot?

Thanks.

In reply to Robert Mitchell (msg #72):

Go ahead.

That's why I kind of stopped with calling on the radio and hoped that Mike wouldn't mind doing it so I can search this dude.

I didn't have any grand heroic plans for this turn, so its no problem.

I'm on my phone right now, and think the color code for the radio messed up, even though I'm pretty sure I got it right. Do y'all see it in DarkGreen, or can you see the commands? Fuse can you fix it? Ill be away from my comp for a few more hours. Then again it is just for aesthetic purposes.

In reply to Mike Catchings (msg #75):

For some reason the close of your radio transmission was missing the / on the end colour tag.  I corrected it in the quote I did for Mitch's reaction.

It was missing it because I completely forgot them.  Thanks.

Meant to get the post up tonight, but after doing all the rolling, Halloween showed up. I'll finish it off tomorrow at work and get it posted.

Don't forget your ammo:

Mitch - 30 rounds
Rooke - 2 rounds
Mike - 5 rounds

Map is coming.

Holy shit.  You guys are totally fucked.

Dibs on being Commander!

Fuse

Can you please update the map.

Can you also list Josef's squad somewhere so we know numbers and weapons. Thanks.

To quote Brave Sir Robin - "Run Away! Run Away!"

In reply to Caleb Mulcahy (msg #81):

Absolutely... after work today.

In reply to Fusilier (msg #83):

Cheers!

Fuse,

Just to clarify is the man yelling at Rooke located roughly at O3?

Thanks.
This message was last edited by the player at 15:22, Tue 02 Nov 2010.

ARGH!
What the hell happened to all my free time!? :S
Have to bang out a post soon... :/

Good news is I'll have no excuse for the next few days - heading into hospital tomorrow to have the ankle I screwed up a few years ago falling of a motorbike fixed again. Short proceedure, shouldn't take more than half an hour or so, but I'll be forced to stay home with my foot up until next week. Such a damn shame I won't be able to go into work.....

Did Mike actually get his radio message off before the second Russian popped out?

Fuse,

Another question for you that will probably be answered by the map.  Did Zajac and the last remaining militia man make it to Mitch's position?

Thanks.

...waiting for map update.  :D

Did anyone else see that coming from a mile away?  :/
Hmm, perhaps a charge by Felix might be in order.... Nothing deals with an RPG team like a 20+ tonne armoured vehicle rolling over the top of them. :D

Summary

First Squad:

Mitch & Rooke are outside on the north side of the ruined factory. Mitch is up against the side of the building and Rooke is a few meters away on the ground.

Frank & Mike are in what's left of the entrance of the factory ruin which is on the northwest face. The main doors are closed at this point, but when opened they will have LOS to last Alpha building. Militia#5 & Militia#8 were right behind Mike but have since vanished when the very brief shootout occurred.

Zajac and Militia#18 (I forgot to add their new location on the map) are 3/4 of the way from their last position to Mitch/Rooke's spot. About O06 or so.

Second Squad:

Everyone (plus Militia#19) is in cover at O07.

Third Squad:

Varis, Oskar, Aleksandar at right outside the building at L06. The two militia (one seriously wounded in the ankle) are back inside. Targets past the Bradley are concealed by the smoke. You can see the last Alpha building but no LOS to the enemy positions inside. There are 3 enemy in the brush that have been "hit", but not cleared or confirmed to be killed.

The remaining two militia are back where Aleksandar left them in the first building.

Bradley: as indicated.

Sniper/Foo Party: repositioning and their current location is unknown.

Yes. For simplicity, we'll say the message has been sent.



Will do (soon).



Correct.

I thought it's #18 with 2nd, not #19?

In reply to Jed Black (msg #93):

All my records show Milita #18 was the one who got scvared and is currently with me in 2nd Squad.

Fuse - thanks for the info and map - I will post IC later today.

Ooo... I did!  I did!

Waterloo's insistence on supporting fire pushed the need to roll up on the Bravo buildings ahead of the infantry, but... yeah.

All that smoke between the vehicle and the Bravo targets obviating any ability to support from a distance probably didn't help either.  :)
This message was last edited by the player at 14:30, Wed 03 Nov 2010.

Hey fuckingk Yankee Mitch, you use wrong fuckingk call sign!!! Fuckingk Mericans... all fuckingk idiots...

In reply to Istvan Medgyessy (msg #97):

Oops - corrected!

JJM, this was a difficult turn for me to roll up and form into a narrative. Because of it's length, in your next turn please indicate 2 actions for the Major. Basically, I want to be able to give him an opportunity for an action from when he fell back into his seat until the end of the the narrative - in addition to his next normal turn action. Make sense?

The Bradley's turn was long not only because so much happened in a short amount of time, but I thought due to the seriousness of the situation, it would be proper to give it some detail.

The other PC's turns will be done tonight.

Depth Platoon (Fisherman's League) reinforcements:

1. Squad Leader (Josef) - black rain jacket with two F1 grenades dangling from his Polish webbing. Armed with an M14 rifle. Speaks English.

2. Sharpshooter - brown coveralls with an ammo and small items bandoleer - no webbing. Armed with a scoped hunting rifle.

3. Demolitions - civilian clothing with US issue webbing containing a molotov, two large pipe bombs (burn fuses), and an M67 frag grenade. Armed with an Uzi.

4. Rifleman - Polish army fatigues with Home Guard insignia. Polish webbing and armed with a Tantal rifle and one F1 grenade.

5. Rifleman - Polish army lightweight jacket and blue jeans. Backpack and a police style utility belt. Armed with an AKM rifle. Has a helmet too.
This message was last edited by the GM at 21:31, Thu 04 Nov 2010.

Fuse - great turn post despite the wounds and the Bradley getting hit!

I think that I need to see a map however before I can post, just to be certain where the various reinforcements are.  Sorry.

I'm also away for the weekend but hope to have internet access so that I can post.  It might be late Sunday night however.

I haven't looked at the IC thread as yet, but the intent was that all the reinforcements and 2nd group move up behind Franks group. There should be nobody coming up on the left side as yet.

This is one of the reasons why I had militia carry the mines and other necessary stores...
We're screwed if it burns, but not as screwed as we could have been.

Fuse, I believe the turret can be turned manually by a crank. It's slow, but it works. Provided the smoke can be sorted and the RPG teams disposed of, the Bradley still makes a fine pillbox for fire support.

So, to confirm: Varis and Oskar are unaware of the situation with the Bradley?

I was about to say yes, but remembered that Fox was covering the Bradley and saw much of what happened - his last radio message is pretty much all you have to go by:

"Sunray! Move north before you lose the smoke!"

"Three enemy to your front. Almost on top of you!"

Most of what going on by the Bradley is either blocked by the AFV or the dissipating smoke.

...but the explosions and smoke-spewing Bradley weren't/aren't audible and visible?

In reply to Oskar Friedmann (msg #107):

There is no visible smoke coming from the Bradley, not visible against the backdrop of the smoke cloud anyway - there is increasing smoke inside it however.

No explosion was observed when it happened. The sounds are no different than the surrounding effects either.

Rolled on Observation.
This message was last edited by the GM at 20:34, Sat 06 Nov 2010.

Gotcha.  :)

Seems like a lot of talk and little action going on. Making it a bit boring in the rear....

Stop your winging! <G>

Mitch just involved you!
This message was last edited by the player at 23:20, Sun 07 Nov 2010.

Looks like Frank just 'volunteered' to babysit the prisoner!

I don't think we've got a live prisoner anymore

Correct, both are dead now.
This message was last edited by the GM at 10:34, Mon 08 Nov 2010.

Hey all,

Was going to get the turn up but some unexpected personal stuff came up. Either tomorrow or the next day.

Hello. I'm able to get back to posting now. Sorry for the delay, it was unavoidable. I'll get the rest of the turn up in a few hours.

Just to say that I think that it's best if I hold off posting as Mitch until Leg has had a chance to post as Major Black - the combination of Mitch's report and suggestion to Jed are in opposition to what Major McCarthy has just instructed.

Hope that's ok.

Hello. I am back and will post soon after I catch up what's happened.

In reply to Helmut Meyer (msg #117):

Hi Meyer, welcome back. Our section update is pretty simple. 2nd squad is bunched up together at N6 on the map. We haven't seen any action yet, but 1st & 3rd squad have. We have gained a new member, militia18 from Oskar's squad, who is now with me.

We are currently awaiting instructions from Major Black.

Helmut - welcome back!



Minor correction to this - militia18 was from Frank's squad I believe not Oskar's.

In reply to Robert Mitchell (msg #119):

Correct! Well spotted!

Excluding Zajac, Aleksandar and the concierge guy - with the militia's simplistic and generic "names", or rather numbers, it is kinda easy to mix them up. I have mulled over the idea of fleshing them out a little, to give them something more than a number and weapon, but I can't at this time.

While Varis was back collecting the rest of Third Squad, did Oskar catch anything else with his Observation?

No, nothing new.

I had a post almost complete when rpol went down a few days back...
Then, Friday night, I got kidnapped by friends and forced to consume far, far too much alcohol (their excuse was it was my birthday or something). I quickly relearned why I limit my intake - sleeping on hardwood floorboards and 36 hour hangovers SUCK!

I think I'm getting old.....

Leg - I know what you're talking about!  It takes me a lot longer to recover from a drinking session now!

Fuse - I should be able to post tonight, though if you need to move things along then Mitch will be saying "yes sir" to Jed, regrouping and finding out if Frank is able to continue or not.  Rooke will just complain about something.....

Based purely on weapons, Rooke is probably the better choice out of the two British Corporals to take over command - the automatic rifle Mitch is carrying makes a bit too much noise when properly employed to allow effective shouting of orders.
HOWEVER, Rooke is being NPC's isn't he? Therefore realism gets shown the door... ;)

As an observation, I've noted that almost nobody has bothered to include any clues as to their character's ages (and thereby relative experience) in their description....

In the cast list Caleb is quoted at 29...

OK - Rooke is an arsehole who has displayed a distinct lack of loyalty to the unit and a preference for looking after himself rather than doing what's right for the unit and you want to put him in charge!!!!  He is one step away from deserting the unit and you want to make him a squad leader?????

I can't think of a worse choice, regardless of whether he's a PC or an NPC!

Personally I would rather make the choice of leader based on their capabilities as a leader rather than the weapon that they're using, both in this game and in real life.  I think that basing leadership on someone's weapon is a really bad idea and I can't imagine that any competent military unit would say "Oh, you're carrying a machinegun, you can't take over when the squad leader is wounded!"  They might well reassign the machinegun but that is a different question.

Mitch is also using a M249 SAW so that's hardly a weapon that is unusable by a squad leader - it's probably easier to use than, say, a Bren gun.

For reference Mitch's age is listed in the Cast list thread and has been listed there for a very long time (the last time I edited the post was 26th Jan-10).  He is 29 and Rooke is the same.  I will amend the cast list thread so that it includes Rooke's age just to keep you happy! link to a message in this game

Lastly just so everyone is clear the situation with Rooke continues as before.  He is an NPC but I (Mitch's player) am helping Fuse by (mostly) writing combat posts for Rooke so that he's a more "active" NPC to ease Fuse's workload.  I started doing this when Mitch was sidelined as a vehicle commander ages ago and it has continued ever since.
This message was last edited by the player at 22:17, Mon 15 Nov 2010.

I can!  I can!  PROTIP: he's currently leading a squad.

Though I will say that most of Rooke's 'ditch the squad' mentality has been in his internal dialogue rather than actions.




I'd say it depends more on which way the weapon is pointed than what the weapon is.  Leadership qualities come second.  :D

True - but if you remember the "discussion" of Jagelis' ability to lead a squad then when Rooke made his statement to Major McCarthy he was fairly clear about his intention to abandon the unit if he had to serve under Jagelis again.  I think that was a fairly good indication of where his loyalties lie, even though it was only witnessed by JJM and Weiss.

I'm guessing but I would think that JJM wouldn't be keen to have Rooke as a squad leader.

I will try to make it a bit more obvious though - thanks for the pointer.  It is a bit complex though because when the firing starts Rooke can't stop himself from getting into the thick of it!  Anyway, I will try to make it a bit more apparent.

Like I said, based PURELY on weapon choice and the fact the two characters are of equal rank and nationality. The immediate decision on who takes over is actually Franks in my opinion.

Support weapons and command don't generally go hand in hand. Support weapons are generally less mobile than a commander needs to be and much noisier due to a higher rate of fire. Very hard to yell orders while laying down supressing fire...

In the case of the 2nd unit, who else is going to haul the Bren, let alone fire it? Besides the three PCs, 2nd is composed entirely of Novices who barely know which end of a weapon is which, let alone anything about automatic weapons (Ok, some are carrying SMGs, but they're seriously simple weapons with big mags they don't have to change often).

Go and read/re-read message #681 - Frank radioed Mitch and Rooke in that message, effectively saying that they were leading the squad now as he had been hit.  Mitch has a radio, Rooke doesn't so Mitch took charge rather than let Rooke take charge, following Frank's instructions.

Now it's turned out that Frank can probably continue as his wound isn't as serious as first thought so Mitch will hand command back to him.

Fuse and Oskar: Since the narrative has moved on a bit, I just want you both to know that Varis kept his word and told Oskar about the wounded miltiaman/asked him to call for a medvac on the radio.

In reply to Robert Mitchell (msg #132):

Fair enough. I missed that detail. Still, I think the point regarding automatic weapons is probably valid for future reference (and I'll certainly be taking it into account should Jed have to both fire and issue orders).

Is the Bradley actually on fire or just smoking? Can this be dealt with by the five characters on the spot?
This message was last edited by the player at 00:47, Tue 16 Nov 2010.

In reply to Jed Black (msg #134):

Turn post said no fire is observed, but I think that's because there's so much smoke and no one is actually venturing into the crew compartment.  Is there a fire extinguisher in the Brad that would be readily accessible?

Good to know. Thanks. I'll leave it in Oskars hands then.



Not sure. There is smoke... a chemical smoke that burns the eyes and throat and is probably very toxic. No actual fire has been observed - that could be because there is none, or what Mike said.

I'll say there is a small fire extinguisher... since I think that it was used before. Maybe JJM can confirm?

Turn post will be done, eventually. I need to keep do it in increments tonight.

Whatever's going on in the Bradley, I think it needs te be dealt with ASAP (perhaps by somebody with a gas mask?). There's a LOT of stores in there important to the survival of the group, much of which could go off with a VERY large bang...

Ok, turn is up. Taking these buildings has taken much longer than I originally expected. Hope everyone is still ok.

I think in game time it's been fairly quick hasn't it? The time really has been the detail it's required.

In reply to Jed Black (msg #139):

True.

I purposely only put a squad + in Alpha as a small screening force... thinking they'd be swept aside so that the most of the time would be spent fighting a larger more intense battle. But I still seem to underestimate the amount of time it takes for our sessions to play out encounters.

In my IRL experience, even just one opponent in an exercise situation can hold up a superior force for half an hour or more.
The key is keeping the initiative, applying the principles of Speed and Agression and not slowing down for anything! Get in and on top of the enemy before they've had time to blink, let alone fire more than a few rounds.
Of course when you thow in excelent cover such as buildings, the whole thing slows right down as you never really know if they're alone, or if there's somebody about to pop out behind you and lay a few dozen bursts into your back.

I'm expecting though that Josef's small team will tear through the building in short order, working in pairs and clearing the entire structure in about a minute. This of course assumes they know something about what they're doing...

For the move to Bravo please indicate a clear route... not just the start and end points, but the path between (and even if its just one straight line let me know).

It can either be a series of grid coordinates or just a narrative for the path. In game or OOC is fine.

There are unknown enemy out there and potential for taking fire, spotting targets or whatever. Knowing the route will help me a lot.

Um - isn't Sunray JJM and not Jed?

Is Jed trying to countermand JJM’s orders? (message #692)

EDIT - Ah Oskar is ignoring them anyway.... <G>
This message was last edited by the player at 13:20, Tue 16 Nov 2010.

And risking getting a lot of people killed....

That sounds like Oskar! <G>

Personally I think that Varis (of the PCs) should be the most conerned.  Oskar's squad will probably draw fire while Frank's moves unmolested and Oskar has more lives than a very lucky cat so it's the rest of his squad that's probably in trouble! <G>

More seriously Leg you seem to have forgotten that this is a game - I'm certainly having fun and I think that most of the others are.

I haven't forgotten.
I also haven't forgotten that nobody likes their characters to die because somebody else isn't where they were expected to be, doing what was expected of them.

Fuse - could you please update the map when you get a chance. I am considering lobbing in a 40mm grenade but need to know distance, friendly locations, etc. Cheers.

I think that Oskar is just following JJM's orders......

Let people run their characters how they want to.  Passive aggressiveness OOC isn't called for.  Bring it up in a PM.

Yes, that's the short version.  Jed is countermanding Major McCarthy's orders.

In fairness, Jed's playing it safe and I wouldn't call it stupid.  As a normal human (unlike, say, a Special Forces death machine) safely behind my computer screen, contemplating getting another cup of coffee and perhaps eating an organic apple my wife packed for me this morning, I can say that the idea of running 200m across open ground while flanked by an unknown enemy element in trees, facing multiple open windows of a building with more unknowns inside is indeed totally fucking crazy.

In fact, if it were me (operating without time constraints), Third Squad would hold, provide flank support to First Squad as First advanced along the road through the trees, and Second cleaned up the last Alpha building.  Once the treeline was clear and First's advance putting them closer to Bravo, First would switch to covering the road while Third followed in behind, moving through the trees to eventually assault Bravo from the south.  Second would follow behind First and Third, watching north across the road from the trees.

That said, Major McCarthy is clearly in trouble and calling for help as well as a more-rapid advance.  The sniper team is calling in artillery to the treeline.  First Squad is beginning its advance and can provide some suppression or at least a distraction to enemies operating near the road.  Smoke has been called in to cover the advance relative to Bravo.  Enemy reinforcements of some kind are moving in, putting an unknown time constraint into play.  As far as making a crazy run 200m across open ground, its about as good a go as can be done under the circumstances.

More importantly, Oskar firmly believes that he cannot be killed by anything short of a tank with infantry complement operating on open ground.

The effort could be obviated by the remaining members of Third Squad deciding its fucking crazy and they're not doing it, in which case they remain behind to provide fire support anyway.  The militiamen and Aleksander can balk.  Varis can make his own decision.  Oskar is going, and if he's going alone he's taking the fucking radio with him since it will give him someone to talk to.  :D


EDIT:

Path of advance for Third Squad, with in-game post edited accordingly.



This message was last edited by the player at 15:59, Tue 16 Nov 2010.

It can either be a series of grid coordinates or just a narrative for the path...



...or something like this lol.
Thanks

I'll get a post up this evening.  Been working out on the range all week...

Not at all. JJ did not issue any specific orders besides:

JJ is not on the spot and I'm assuming he is (or certainly should be if he wants to live) focused fairly squarely on more local events....

That is the general plan actually with 3rd only delayed for a minute or so while 1st moves through the trees and establishes themselves on the ground outside Bravo. At that time, 2nd moves up and allows 3rd to move under cover and concealment to roughly Josef's current location before following 1st, perhaps leapfrogging them to assault into Bravo.
Trying to use 2nd in anything other than a supporting role will result in numerous casualties and certainly impact negatively on any surviving local cannon fodder militia. True, there are novices in the other squads, however all of 2nds militia are novices and the three PCs have their hands full keeping them alive as it is.

Agreed, however none of the infantry components are currently in a position to do anything to assist beyond fire support with machineguns and possibly grenade launchers. Therefore, realistically only Oskar with the M240 and Jed with Bren can do much for them.

Which is exactly their intended role. As far as I'm aware only Weiss and Jed have a reasonable chance of calling accurate fire. Fox has some skill while Rooke can at least point in the right direction. If anyone else tries then they're basically wasting our limited ammo.

I doubt it. Those enemy forces are currently engaged by another much closer company. If anyone can help the Bradley crew, or distract the enemy, it's them.

It's suicide.
What's worse is that it puts 3rd right in front of 2nd and negates their ability to provide supporting fire to, well, anyone really. Not only does it risk killing 3rd to a man, it also eliminates any support of any other unit on the field.


Actually that's what Jed called him at one point to his great displeasure.  :P
This message was last edited by the player at 02:05, Wed 17 Nov 2010.

Wrong road, I think.  I'm talking about I1-M3.

Don't matter.  Whee!

Fuse - I've posted additional actions for Mitch and Rooke to keep things moving along.  Hopefully that's ok.

Thanks.

In reply to Mike Catchings (msg #149):

Second.

Started some rolling.

I'd like to ask that in the future, please indicate the stance your PC is in during combat.

I know I know, just another thing the GM is looking for, but I do take into considering stance for certain rolls - observation and shooting are good examples. So it could benefit your rolls.

Some of you already do this quite often, Meyer in this turn and Mitch a few back for example. Sometimes I can figure it out from the narrative, but in other times it would be just good to get something simple in the combat tag. High, medium, or low, for example. Or standing, kneeling, prone.

Anyways, its not a concrete rule - just something that could be beneficial for all.

For Jed it's prone when ever possible to minimise how much of him can be seen (and shot at) by the enemy. Use of the Bren's bipod is also implied.

In reply to Jed Black (msg #159):

Right. But what I mean is, its easier for me if that is actually posted in a tag or in the narrative, as opposed to remembering what I was told weeks or months later by each player.
This message was last edited by the GM at 23:59, Thu 18 Nov 2010.

Good point.
I would assume though that any character with decent combat experience would take up cover at every possible opportunity unless specifically posted otherwise. This well developed sense of self preservation is probably all that's kept most PC's alive through the years of warfare.

Oskar notwithstanding.
This message was last edited by the player at 01:06, Fri 19 Nov 2010.

No, he just makes sure there's enough people around him to be shot at that he gets away clean....

Currently prone, and also making sure that his militia are prone as well.

Running while prone, please.




I wasn't sure which image macro to go with on this one, so I'm doing a two-for-one special.

...I don't even...

Turn is up. Please take care of your ammo. I'll get the map up in a little while.

Cleared away some of the last Alpha building interior. There is a small window in the rear door and I'll assume that one of the PCs looked in.




This message was last edited by the GM at 02:43, Sun 21 Nov 2010.

Thought I'd ask the question of those with the experience.
http://forum.juhlin.com/showthread.php?t=1239
So, hopefully the electrics aren't completely shot which leaves the traverse and electronics (sights, etc) still operational - at least for the short term until the batteries die.

The batteries did die. That's why there is no power.

Yeah, I noticed that after I finished reading the post. Good news is we've got some spare truck batteries laying about. Shame they're back with the softskins... :(

JJM, regarding the PPSh-41 you took, the loaded drum is at 50/71 and the spare one is full at 71/71.
This message was last edited by the GM at 18:37, Sun 21 Nov 2010.

Sorry - not been able to post for a couple of days.  Catching up but will probably be able to post IC tomorrow.

Yeah....sure.....
I think I see an lynching coming on...

No problem. I'm really tired tonight anyways, so I'll hold off the post until tomorrow after work.

Sorry - just writing my posts now.

Fuse - just to be clear Mitch is throwing his grenade through the western most window and Rooke is throwing his through the eastern most window.

Hope that makes sense.

Yes, makes sense.

I'll need to finish up the turn tomorrow. If you are not in 1st or 3rd, then feel free to go ahead and post anways.
This message was last edited by the GM at 04:48, Thu 25 Nov 2010.

My impression was that the only radio contact was with Molar; his yelling at Oskar was just yelling.

I'm guessing here but as Jed referred to Oskar as “Found Seven” I reckon that Fuse has assumed that it was said across the radio.

Leg’s post isn’t completely clear though.

As a side note, Happy Thanksgiving to all who celebrate!

Fuckingk Mericans and their fuckingk Yankee public holidays...

Happy Thanksgivin' to y'all!

We don't get anything like that here - roll on Xmas!

In reply to Oskar Friedmann (msg #179):

Note the different colours in the post - dark blue indicating radio messages and blue for normal speach/yelling.
In other words, EVERYONE near a radio heard Jed telling off Oskar for his stupidity and disobedience.

Hmm... Jed is starting to remind me of a certain Canadian Lieutentant PC we used to have...

Don't know why. Jed is COMPLETELY different. For one he's a bigot, totally uninterested in the survival of anyone who's not, well, Aryan...
Can't really blame him for reacting in a similar manner to those who blatantly risk the lives of his brother caucasians.

Ben on the other hand was young and relatively inexperienced, who cared greatly for everyone under his command regardless of skin colour, religion, etc. So much so that he almost beat to death a US forward observer who called in 155mm fire on his position. Jed would still beat the FO, but it would probably just be for the fun of it and if they weren't white, likely end up with a good ole' burnin'!

Turn is complete. Sorry for the delay.

Leg its the fact that both characters get mad at his 'disobedience' and that you continue to express your opinion of him as thoughts and ooc, so he can't respond.  I caught the same feeling that Rae is, it seems as if you have made another character who gets upset if someone doesn't do exactly as he says.

This particular case has little to do with what Jed said. It's the fact that Oskar has taken it upon himself to completely ignorte the fact that there were other units relying on him and his unit's ability to provide supressive fire. We're all extremely fortunately that 2nd was sufficient for the job.

The other MAJOR problem is he led half a dozen people directly in front of 2nd squad, negating their ability to fire upon Bravo should it have been needed. In fact, Jed actually fired upon 3rd because he saw movement where their shouldn't have been any. It's just pure luck that nobody was killed.

Note also, as I've posted on numerous occasions, 2nd is NOT a capable combat unit in any way, shape, or form. Only three out of the 8 (9 if you could the straggler we picked up) have any significant chance of hitting the broad side of a barn, and you can forget about trying to actually move and fight at the same time. When Oskar led 3rd across the front of 2nd, he ignored the basic rule of combat - leave one foot on the ground. Both Josef's and 1st were already moving and exposed. Also, as the bulk of 2nd are novices (at best) it was quite possibly they'd panic and fire at anything that moved where they did not expect friendly forces to be.

Note also almost everything Jed has said has been overheard by at least one PC. Both Meyer and Caleb are within earshot and much of what he's said has been over the radio. What hasn't been "said" is pure "flavour" to give the words more of an impact.

Now, if anyone disagrees with Jed's assessment of the reckless behaviour he's witnessed, feel free to speak up IC. He's definately not going to hold back just to spare anybody's feelings.

This.

Leg, please can you do us all a favour and use two colours that are more different than two shades of blue.  On my screen at present they look almost identical.



The major difference here (I believe) is that Jed is just an "Advisor" and not fully a member of the Major McCarthy's unit or its command structure.

---

Leg - one thing that you need to remember as a roleplayer is that you need to avoid creating a situation where the other PCs won’t associate with your character as it stretches the credibility of the game.  It's not an issue at present but should we come to a situation where we decide to leave Gdansk and travel somewhere else do you really think that Jed is going to be welcome with the rest of the unit?  Or, for that matter, that Jed is going to want to stay with the rest of the unit?

You seem to want to play a character that is permanently in conflict with the other PCs.  That sort of works while military discipline is in place and people take orders and stick together but should military discipline break down (and I would say that Ben/Jed’s personalities increase the likelihood of it breaking down) then you start to put yourself in a position where the rest of the PCs won’t want to associate with your character and what happens then?  Either Fuse is forced to compromise the credibility of the game by forcing the rest of the PCs to put up with Jed to keep him in the “party” (to use a more gaming term) or you have to drop Jed and create a new character that will get on with the rest of the PCs.

Now Oskar does a lot of mad (arguably stupid) things but as a character he gets on with almost every other PC so they are happy to associate with him despite all of his foibles.  I'm making an assumption here that I'm right about the other PCs but no one else is making any negative comments about Oskar and his actions.

Do you see what I mean?

I haven’t bothered posting this IC (partly because it's quite negative to put in "thoughts" and partly because Mitch is a Corporal and Jed is a Major who Mitch has known for a few hours so it's not a conversation that is likely to happen) but Mitch's first impression of Jed is that he is another idiot officer who likes screaming at soldiers and doesn't trust them to use their own initiative.  From Mitch's perspective Jed has done nothing so far to indicate any high level of competence whereas Oskar has (in the short period Mitch has known him).  Jed also gets stroppy like a child when someone doesn’t follow his orders to the letter and there is nothing more annoying than that.

Put simply Oskar inspires confidence, Jed doesn’t.  Oskar is a leader (now without any rank), Jed has rank but no leadership qualities or skills.

Essentially Oskar is someone that Mitch would want to follow into combat whereas Jed isn’t.

Leg, I don't think that any of us are saying that Jed has to like Oskar, or even that you have to like his player. What I think several us fear is that Jed is heading down the same path as Jagelis, where his oppositional and high-handed command style loses him the respect and ultimately obedience of his teammates. The fact that both characters have had beef with Oskar is a little too much to be a coincidence.

I think we'd all like to see you and Jed take a slightly more flexible and less dogmatic command approach. Green Berets are very flexible in their tactical approach. They also are used to showing inititiative and recognizing it in others. Lectures about by-the-book procedures during firefights seem a little out of character for a professional GB PC.

Also, this is a GM matter, but I think that IG "thought attacks" are really counterproductive and just amp up the OOC drama level. Luckily Oskar/MeanLiar seems to have a pretty thick skin but that kind of thing is really a buzz-killer for those in the audience (including yours truly).

Some battles aren't worth fighting. I think trying to force Oskar into a field manual mold is probably a Sisyphean task. None of the other players/PCs have shown any antagonism towards or mistrust of Oskar. He's a nut but folks seem to like him. Picking a fight with him is not going to win much support. Please take the high road here.
This message was last edited by the player at 18:39, Fri 26 Nov 2010.

For the record, I don't mind any of this.  My only complaint is that I didn't pick out the radio transmission.  I'll have to backpost an edit, since I don't think Oskar (or me) would miss the opportunity to wax prolific.  If I were going to use tags to call out radio transmissions, I'd use the [tt] and [/tt] tags: radio speech, spoken speech.

I've already explained why I thought the advance wasn't as nutty as Jed's making it out to be (as well as recognizing and agreeing with Jed's assessment of what a proper, orthodox, unhurried advance would look like), but if it were a clear case then my decision would've been the orthodox solution and we wouldn't be having a discussion.  As it is, Bravo is abandoned, the enemy is pulling back to regroup and we'll still need a few minutes to fill the gap they're leaving.

I do think it odd that 2nd would take a shot at a unit moving from a friendly-secured objective along a generally-announced path called out by those that secured the objective.  It looked to me to be sour grapes but if Fusilier went ahead with it then I'm assuming it was a legit ground for misunderstanding.
This message was last edited by the player at 22:12, Fri 26 Nov 2010.

You know, when Zajac says my lines, they sound fucking stupid.  :D

Bunch of maps...

Main map. Little has changed since last turn.



Last Alpha building with some of the interior revealed by Rooke before leaving. The bodies of two armed soldiers are visible, but their exact condition is unknown of course.



Northernmost Bravo building (whitish color on the map) that 3rd Squad is moving on.

Two entrances face them - the roll up garage type bay door at the top of a low ramp, and a set of double man doors further down. There's single door on the north side. Although you can see them on the map, no other doors are visible.

There are 2 busted out windows, both at the NE corner of the building (not drawn on the map). There are a few other windows but they are high up and more for letting in natural light than looking out of (they're too high to climb into or use for shooting).



Southernmost Bravo building (dark color on the map) that Platoon HQ is moving to.

The only doors are those facing the SW (towards Waterloo Coy). Personal doors and a large roll up garage type bay door next to a raised loading platform.

The windows (yellow) are too high to look into from the outside, but could be used by those inside - the ground floor is a little higher than the ground outside). However there's been no sign of enemy here since the opening shots of the attack.


This message was last edited by the GM at 01:08, Sun 28 Nov 2010.

Makes sense and done.

True to an extent. Major Black is on a mission assigned to him directly from 8th ID HQ - round up stragglers and equipment and push them eastward. He has no concern over what informal "structures" may have developed amongst the stragglers he and his unit finds. Note that the US 8th ID is the Division most, if not all NATO PCs came from just a few game weeks before and there is next to no reason as yet to believe the war is lost (the 5th ID was only destroyed about a week ago and the PCs have received no communications about it's loss). At this time it is reasonable to believe that the powerful German III Corps (the follow on units for the offensive) are only a couple of days away.


He has his orders. He may not like them (preferring to have stayed up front with the Division and done some real fighting), but he is obeying them. The only PCs he's even slightly concerned about are the US soldiers which he considers are still on active duty. Others can do as they please.
Now I ask a question. Why would any PC (or NPC for that matter) want Oskar hanging about after risking so many lives with his glory seeking? If he'd stayed in place just a minute or two more, there'd have been no conflict. Who knows what would have happened if any enemy chose that moment to open up? We got lucky, nothing less.

Did Mitch notice Oskar lead his men directly in front of Jed's machinegun?

My bad. Should have used (and now changed to) another colour.

The main IC complaint is that 3rd ran in front of 2nd while they were firing. If they'd ran around behind 2nd (longer path I know) or simply sprinted directly forward across the field (no cover, potentially suicidal, but not as much as running in front of green troops with itchy trigger fingers), then there'd be a few words about it afterward, but that's about it. Note that Jed doesn't think very much of Varis at this point either (both because he's the "enemy" and was silly enough to follow Oskar when he should have known better).

There was NO advice to anyone outside 3rd that they were ignoring the plan and moving. Also, the area through which 3rd moved was not known to be clear of enemy. It was VERY possible that 3rd could have been enemy making a run for it.

In reply to Fusilier (msg #196):

Is 2 correct on the map? It doesn't look right to me being so far north... :S
I though we were at N5 rather than what looks like O4 and outside our area entirely.

I'm pretty sure I sent out a radio message responding to Sunray that 3rd was advancing to Bravo - that was the transmission that set Jed off, to which Oskar responded in his Oskar-esque manner.

Fuse - is this right for Mitch (and by extension Rooke)?  They are from 1st RGJ and I thought that 1st RGJ had been attached to the 5th ID?



Fair enough but be prepared for a point (probably months of real time away) where the directions of Jed and the rest of the unit diverge and Jed either continues to follow his orders and leaves the unit or compromises his orders.



You keep mentioning Oskar's glory seeking but what current PCs have actually seen Oskar do something that unnecessarily puts others lives at risk?  Remember that most of the current PCs (including Jed) are relatively new to the unit and therefore have no knowledge of much of what Oskar has done in the past.

For example I don't believe that Mitch has seen Oskar put others lives at risk unnecessarily as the only mission he was in the same group as Oskar was the boat mission and on that Oskar constantly took the lead and put himself in more danger than anyone else (scouting ahead alone) and I don't believe that he endangered any of the rest of the entry team through his actions.  He displayed some other rather brutal traits but Mitch wasn't in any greater danger as a result of them.



Nope - Mitch was running for his own cover and if he was looking in any other direction it was at the Fisherman's Union militia who had been forced to go to ground, thus stalling their attack on the building Mitch was trying to bypass.

Additionally I'd say that I as a player (and therefore Mitch as a character) had assumed that Jed would direct all of the fire from 2nd on the known enemy position in the final Alpha objective, thus aiding the Fisherman's Union militia in their assault of the building.

Yes. Went up the (sheltered) side of the ruin until the last building was in view.



For the most part yes, the 8th ID - or at the least, operating diurectly under 11th Corps in the 8th ID's vicinity. Nobody here is from the 5th ID or was attached to it.
This message was last edited by the GM at 18:09, Sun 28 Nov 2010.

I'll answer that: Because people like Oskar. He's funny and brave and I don't think anyone feels he's unecessarily put their lives at risk. He didn't force Varis to make the run with him. Varis chose to go because Oskar's his brother-in-arms.

Not to open up old wounds but many- Varis included- believed that it was Ben, not Oskar, that unecessarily put people's lives in danger. Specifically, Ben seemed to care more about gear than his teammates' lives. You accusing Oskar of this seems to be a case of transference.

Fuse - Thanks for clarifying this - I has misunderstood that.



I would agree with that.

Rooke would certainly agree with this.

Oskar radioed he was moving and Jed replied telling him to stay put. Oskar's response was nothing less than gibberish to which Weiss responded with "stop clowning around".
Not further transmission was received leaving many with the belief Oskar might actually be staying still.

If you see it that way.  :p

Half the turn is up - the other half will be up tomorrow.

He did originally fire at the final Alpha building, but spotted movement where there shouldn't have been any and fired upon it, as any other character would have done.
Fortunately for 3rd, he missed before recognising who it actually was. Had the dice fallen differently, there might well be fewer characters still breathing.
Note that it was posted prior to this that he would fire towards Bravo should he see a target.

So Jed is in a rear position to the two other squads and is reflexively firing at targets beyond the forward two squads without even taking a second to work out who it is?

That sounds like fairly sloppy soldering to me, particularly in a mishmash unit like this one that isn’t used to working together.
This message was last edited by the player at 09:34, Mon 29 Nov 2010.

Not at all.
2nd moved up into a supporting position that would enable fire on both the remaining Alpha building (to suppose Josef's assault) and against Bravo should a target be seen there.
The intention to do so was clearly communicated both in person to Mitchell and Josef, and radio a few moments later to 3rd/Oskar.


It's worth noting that this post was originally written by Fuse and altered by me later. The original had 2nd assaulting the Alpha building with Josef's men while 1st moved on. I altered Fuse's plan so that 2nd's unskilled members wouldn't have to learn the near suicidal art of urban combat "on the job" and so that those who were assaulting would have some support while they did so (fire support is a much easier job for the barely trained).

Leg - have another look at the map.  By changing 2nd Squad's orders you've directed fire through a narrow arc towards the Bravo objective from where 2nd Squad is located.  At the same time as 3rd Squad has run across your LOS to Bravo 1st Squad has done the same thing in their run towards the rear of the final Alpha building  (see my route map in message #714).   Therefore any fire from 2nd Squad towards Bravo ran a risk and was probably a bad idea because when Jed gave the order he knew that 1st Squad was going to run roughly that route to bypass the final Alpha building (as he had instructed them to do it).

The map was different at the time of my post. The intent was to have 2nd around N5 where they could have had a clear line of fire in a wider arc (note my questioning of 2nds location a few posts back).
Note also that 2nd knew exactly where 1st was and what they were doing. This information was freely available (they could be seen and recognised before the move).
Also note the burst fired at 3rd was towards the end of the turn, after 1st would have cleared the potential danger area.

JJ has a tac radio of his own doesn't he?
Pearce only has one radio too doesn't he? Transmitting to the PCs would involve changing frequencies and going off the company/battalion net?
This message was last edited by the player at 05:02, Tue 30 Nov 2010.

Fuse did Mike manage to secure the tourniquet?

Regarding radios, Caleb doesn't have a radio. When others are using theirs can he hear what is being said at the other end? I.e. are they personal, like a phone, or out loud, like a radio. This would be useful to know, as it may affect his dialogue with other PCs (such as Mike's query about a CCP).

The will have headsets so you'll only hear what someone says into a radio when they are nearby.

In reply to Caleb Mulcahy (msg #215):

Military Radios tend to not shout out the information for all to hear, for obvious reasons, and most use handsets so it'd be almost impossible for you to discern any useful information, especially since Mike isn't shouting.

In reply to Mike Catchings (msg #217):

Fair enough! I will wait for my illustrious team leader to relay any important messages!

In reply to Mike Catchings (msg #217):

What he said. Only the radio operator can hear the incoming transmission unless someone is right next to the radio and a handset is being used.

Tourniquet worked btw... Varis passed his first aid.

Paging Dr. Babicevs.

If Varis came towards me with the intention of giving me first aid I think that I'd get up and run away! <G>

In reply to Varis Babicevs (msg #220):

Graphic:
http://static.funnyjunk.com/pictures/chill12.jpg

In reply to Caleb Mulcahy (msg #215):

I'm assuming that Caleb is going to stay fairly close to Jed as it's his responsibility to relay instructions to the bullet magnets. Assume Caleb hears everything Jed says (unless specifically posted otherwise), whether that be directly to him or on the radio. Incoming radio messages on the other hand would be near impossible for anyone not pressing their head up against Jed's to hear (earpeice).
This message was last edited by the player at 09:44, Wed 01 Dec 2010.

I'll get a post for Frank out this evening

In reply to Jed Black (msg #223):

Thanks. Up to now I have assumed that I can hear Jed, but not what he hears.

Fuse/Frank/Mike - I think that 1st Squad is now going to be in 3 groups.

Mike plus one Pole (probably #19) as security, presumably about to set up a CCP.

Frank, Zajac plus one Pole (say #5) scouting through the woods to the North East and then round to Charlie.

Mitch, Rooke plus one Pole (say #8) moving up to join Oskar's squad.

Does that sound right?

I believe that Pole #18 was the one that joined 2nd Squad.

In reply to Robert Mitchell (msg #226):

Yeah, that sounds right.  Didn't even think of it like that but, looking at it as re-inforcing 3rd squad and sending a scout team ahead.  We'll see what happens.

In reply to Robert Mitchell (msg #226):

Thanks for the clarification. Its always appreciated, even when it might seem simple.

No worries - glad to help.

Will work on the maps soon.

If I wasn't clear with your PC, ask away any questions as usual and I'll try to answer them quickly.

I'd judged Jed had done enough for one round so left a reply for the next.

In reply to Jed Black (msg #231):

That's what I figured.

Fuse, two questions for you:

1. Can Mitch & Rooke see JJM and his team approaching?  I guess that the map will answer this.

2. Did Rooke manage to strip any AK mags (5.45mmB I think) from the dead body (or bodies) and give them to a militiaman?  He's likely to have given them to Militia #8 (as that's the guy sticking with Rooke and Mitch) - this might be relevant because most of Oskar's squad are using AK-74s and could probably do with the ammo.

Thanks.

With regards to Mike's question to JJM about the Marder - it is no longer in sight to either of them, but can be heard by Mike to the SE - somewhere near the ruin by your original start point by now (still withdrawing).

Mitch

1 - Not anymore. You have a good idea of where they are but after moving forward the LOS has been broken by a corner of the northernmost factory. You'll see in the map. Had the PL/HQ kept moving they would be in sight, but JJM needed to pause to dress his wounds.

2. Actually yes. I should have included that. Zajac didn't want Rooke to get his greasy hands on all of the loot so he picked a two magazines (leaving behind the empties) and a good condition gas mask with an unused filter. Militia#8 uses NATO ammo btw and it's actually more likely that Zajac took the mags for himself as loot (not unit resupply).
This message was last edited by the GM at 14:16, Fri 03 Dec 2010.

That's why Rooke was trying to give them to Militia #8 - to stop Zajac getting his hands on them as he'll just horde them for loot! <G>

Not that that every cross Rooke's mind! <G>

In reply to Andrew Rooke (msg #235):

You got the grenade lol. He'd be willing to trade the 2 mags for that.
This message was last edited by the GM at 14:24, Fri 03 Dec 2010.

I'm sure that Rooke will find some more looting opportunities..... <G>

Has the map been updated?  I like to pore over it for a good three or four hours before posting what Oskar's been thinking in the three seconds his turn encompasses.

No, not yet, sorry. I'm actually halfway finished though.

LOL
This message was last edited by the GM at 22:12, Fri 03 Dec 2010.

Maps

First one is the battle map. I've changed the little dots to numbers representing the squads. 0 is platoon headquarters. The sniper det and the Bradley aren't shown as their positions are no longer known.




The enemy have been cleared of the last Alpha Building, but I'll just put this up to show the interior. I planed on a bit of room clearing action, however some good hits prevented the enemy from pulling back from the windows and engaging you in close quarters in the interior (where your numerical superiority would have had less effect).




Northern Bravo Factory. The first thing you might notice is that the most of the room labels are upside down. That's because I made this map from scratch and wasn't paying attention to its compass facing in relation to the big map - so I had to flip it around... and am too lazy to redo the now upside down words.

Anyways. Here I'll used letters representing you - V is for Varis for example, and the numbers for the militia. Green for 1st Squad and Blue for Third Squad. Red indicates visible enemy. As mentioned in the narrative, it sounds as though Aleksandar's group is fighting a second enemy(ies).



I won't bother putting up the Southern Bravo Factory this time as Platoon HQ is leaving that area and none of the interior was observed anyways.
This message was last edited by the GM at 22:47, Fri 03 Dec 2010.

Very good maps as usual Fuse!

In reply to Robert Mitchell (msg #241):

Thanks.

Posting this again

Depth Platoon (Fisherman's League) reinforcements:

1. Squad Leader (Josef) - black rain jacket with two F1 grenades dangling from his Polish webbing. Armed with an M14 rifle. Speaks English.

2. Sharpshooter - brown coveralls with an ammo and small items bandoleer - no webbing. Armed with a scoped hunting rifle.

3. Demolitions - civilian clothing with US issue webbing containing a molotov, two large pipe bombs (burn fuses), and an M67 frag grenade. Armed with an Uzi.

4. Rifleman - Polish army fatigues with Home Guard insignia. Polish webbing and armed with a Tantal rifle and one F1 grenade. WOUNDED

5. Rifleman - Polish army lightweight jacket and blue jeans. Backpack and a police style utility belt. Armed with an AKM rifle. Has a helmet too.

Fuse - a couple of questions for you.

1. Firstly did Mitch fire his two bursts as planned on the run (I'm more concerned with knocking off the 20 rounds)?

2. Are Mitch, Rooke and their militiaman on the left hand side of this map now?  I'm a little confused as to their exact position now.



Thanks.

In reply to Robert Mitchell (msg #244):

1. No. I forgot. I'll do some rolls and edit it in.

2. I'm not entirely sure myself, which is why I was vague. Please let me know where you want them to be. I assumed it was at the corner where it says "Pl HQ" but it's up to you.
This message was last edited by the GM at 13:15, Wed 08 Dec 2010.

I think that it's really just suppressive fire so it would be luck if it hit anyone!



That's my understanding of where Oskar wanted Mitch to position his team so I agree with you.

In reply to Robert Mitchell (msg #246):

Perhaps, but I still usually roll for some kind of outcome, even if there isn't any real chance of an actual hit.

Ok, when I finish the turn today and get the map up that's where I'll put them. That place provides a view of 2 of the 3 exits and a corner for cover.

Turn is up for all. I'll get a map up soon for those who want it.

I hope nobody is getting too bored yet. I'm trying to keep things simple right now to move things quickly.
This message was last edited by the GM at 01:52, Thu 09 Dec 2010.

In reply to Fusilier (msg #248):

Not bored at all - I love a good ding dong!!!

Throughly enjoying myself here!

It looks like we're going to finish assaulting these buildings only to be counter attacked!  Should be interesting!

Map update for the Bravo building, please - I'm not sure where this staircase is.

In reply to Oskar Friedmann (msg #251):

Will do as soon as I'm home today. I forgot all about it.

Bravo (North) Map

As you can see there are four known entrances (you aren't aware of the fifth in the back even though I forgot to mask it out). Take note of the compass rose for correct directions (right side is North for example).

Loading Ramp - where you assaulting into (open)
North Doors - where Aleksandar's team is (open)
East Doors - an enemy shot through them (closed)
South Doors - open slightly
West Doors - UNKNOWN

Two confirmed enemy: one dead in the machine room entrance way and one seen only by Oskar on the staircase.



The main ground map is unchanged since last turn with the exception of:

- Frank's team who are currently at G02, in the brush between the service road and the heavily damaged dark colored building.

- HQ Group who are Third Squad's position at Bravo (North).
This message was last edited by the GM at 22:26, Fri 10 Dec 2010.

In reply to Fusilier (msg #253):

If someone comes out of the east door won't Rooke and the HQ guys shoot each other up in process?

I think that there is a definite risk of this.

The door is shut however so hopefully there will be some noise of the door opening before this potentially happens.

Rooke is moving anyway but there is still as risk that militia #8 and Anna end up shooting across each other.

Meant to get the turn post up tonight but I got home really late. Sorry about the delay.

It's finals this week, so I'm probably not going to be able to get any posts in, or if they are they'll be short.  Sorry.  NPC Mike if you please, at least until this saturday at the earliest, possibly later.

In reply to Mike Catchings (msg #257):

Ok, no problem. Thanks for letting us know.

Turn is up. Working on maps shortly.

I'm giving finals this week! Creepy. ; )

I just discovered that, as a player, I have access to a ScratchPad here. Cool! It's great for keeping track of my ammo expenditure or as a game-related To Do list.

Ground Map:



Bravo North:

Most of the interior is now known. The enemy shooter was last seen on the staircase (which faces the right - not the door Rooke is at). Oskar can see two exits in the warehouse section, but his LOS is mostly blocked by the wooded crates, stacks of pallets, etc.

Door are drawn as either closed or open.



Charlie:

As mentioned, there the East face of Charlie (one side of the U shape) is made up of 5 multistory townhouse/apartments. I've numbered them 1-5... edit... actually I numbered them 1-3, as 4-5 are destroyed.

1. Intact
2. Intact
3. Partially ruined (half collapsed)
4. Ruined
5. Ruined

The ruined sections are inaccessible. You can't enter them, but you can try to climb up over the rubble if you wanted to for some reason. The sound came from #1, next to the road.

The other sides of Charlie (West and South sides) are also a mix of rubble and still standing sections.

Fuse - fantastic maps as usual!

One question though.  What is the state of the building at H5, the other part of Bravo to the one that we're assaulting at present?  Mitch is essentially covering that way at present and I'm not sure whether that is the best use of him.

Thanks.

In reply to Robert Mitchell (msg #263):

Thanks

If you mean the other part of Bravo (Bravo South), it is fully intact. It's a building similar as the one you are assaulting, but a bit larger.

Since the Sniper Det and Bradley's suppressive fire on it to support the UK/Germans across the road, there hasn't been anyone spotted inside.

msg #196 has a map showing the doors/windows.
This message was last edited by the GM at 12:42, Wed 15 Dec 2010.

In reply to Fusilier (msg #264):

Thanks for the clarification - I'd missed that map somehow!

I've reposted it below with the key notes.  From looking at the map I think that Mitch can only see the high windows on the eastern side - is that correct?

In reply to Robert Mitchell (msg #265):

He'd be facing the north side with the chimney for the most part, so the view to the eastern windoes would be at a 45 degree angle. Someone would have to be right up against them or partway out of them for there to be any real LOS.
This message was last edited by the GM at 13:11, Wed 15 Dec 2010.

In reply to Fusilier (msg #266):

Thanks - am I right that there are no doors in the wall with the chimney?

In reply to Robert Mitchell (msg #267):

You are right.

post coming tonight

Sorry guys. I was outta town visiting family over the weekend and never got a chance to get the turn up before I left like I wanted to. I'll get it up tomorrow after work.

Turns are up.

Sorry Varis/Oskar, the rolls were not in your favor. Enemy is heard running out the far exit of the warehouse. Oskar see PM for details on injury.

Varis - standing behind two wooden crates giving him cover.
Oskar - lying on the ground behind a push cart.
About 5 meters of open space separating you from each other.

Frank/Zero - main floor on northern most section of Charlie (Apartment #1). You're in the center of the unit where a staircase goes up to the 3 floors above you and there is a closed door where another set of stairs go down to the basement (noises heard).

Maps on the way. Tomorrow though - sorry.
This message was last edited by the GM at 02:26, Tue 21 Dec 2010.

We'll probably start to lose people as Christmas draws closer. Not sure what everyone's plans are, so just like the last two times here, it'll probably easiest to just see how it goes instead of setting firm dates.

Any thoughts?

Just to let people know I will have access to a computer over Christmas but will have no access from 29th Dec to 4th Jan.  I will post when I can and do my best to keep up.

Also, in case I don't get the opportunity to say this later, a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you all.

OSKAR POSTS EVERY DAY.  JESUS WILL NOT STOP THE OSKAR.  NOTHING CAN KILL THE OSKAR.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zeyU7uVOTic

I already posted quite a few actions this turn. Should I wait until next turn before calling for help and attemtping some first aid? I can post now, if it's OK. If it's too much, I can wait too. I'm cool with whatever.

In reply to Varis Babicevs (msg #275):

Go ahead Rae. I don't think it will negatively affect any enemy actions.

Cool. Thanks. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.



LOL. Did you just cut and paste Fuse's PM in your post?

LOL... pretty much. Wasn't hard to spot was it?

I'm paraphrasing.  His post regarding Oskar's injuries was too lengthy.  :p

....And I'm back just in time to save the day.

Back too. May be in and out again over the next while, but do my best to keep up.

Merry Christmas all!  Or Pleasant December 25th if you're not into that thing.

Enjoy your solstice and Happy Saturnalia!

Merry Christmas!

Those pagans sure know how to party.

Not really holiday appropriate, but I happened upon this site researching Latvian swears.

http://www.youswear.com/

I thought I was bad, but I guess not.