I suspect everyone except Varis will have assumed as much, but everyone else who was wounded during the bandit operation is now fully healed.

Rodriguez will heal in 24hours.

LOL...has anyone looked at the new addition to the character list?

I did not notice until you pointed it out

I hope to post for Hank tonight or tomorrow.

Just a heads up, the area surveillance will be done off-camera, summarized. I'll still roll for things though.

It's currently 1215hrs, and all PCs are at the compound.

The map has been updated to reflect the results of the recce. I still have to add a detailed section for the actual objective, which will be coming shortly, so standby on that.

Objective:

43/46 Straganiarska is the target's address, which is indicated on the map with an icon. It's a four level townhouse (ground floor, two middle floors, and an attic space). All windows are boarded up or shuttered, and it has a proper front door which is on the street. If there's a back/side door, it went unseen from the street view that the recce had. The roof is intact, sloped in some parts and flat in others.

Also indicated on the map, is a cluster of adjacent buildings. These appear to be in use, forming a sort of small compound. In prewar times they were multi unit garages for parking a car or personal storage. There's a little driveway/paved open area in the middle, which has it's open side facing the road gated off with an iron fence and topped with concertina wire.

Nobody was seen, but there was at least someone home. There was random banging and small noises coming from the garage area and smoke was emitting from a makeshift exhaust sticking out through one of the townhouse's boarded up windows.

Fuse it looks a little like the parking area has a connection with that blocked off sidestreet on the right. Between the 2 garages where that white car is parked. Bushes? Or is it fully sealed off and the parking area only has 1 way in or out? Or do we know?

In real life it's a metal fence with a hedge.

For the game, and from Ferro and Marta's street view perspective, it appeared to be blocked off completely. So there is only one intended opening for that enclosed parking area between the garages (the XXXXXX markers/iron fence with wire).
This message was last edited by the GM at 10:46, Wed 10 Feb 2021.

I doubt very much if I'll have a chance to post anything IC today.

What does everyone want to do?

Do you want to carry on with the plan to hit the safe house tonight? (Current events may mean that the local militias are distracted)

Or do you want to do anything to follow up on the latest developments? (And if so, what?)

If you can say here that would be handy. If you don't have an opinion one way or the other can you still answer to say that you don't have an opinion?

My vote is to hit the safe house. We have concrete intel, a plan, and the means to do carry it out. We don't really have any of that for the matter of Nowak's coup.

-

I'm worried about stripping the compound of the unit when there's a potential civil war about to erupt. The fort isn't that far from our base and we could be leaving it undefended.

That said, people have sunk time into the operation at the house so if people want to do that, I'll support it.

Safe house.  Good Intel & plan.

I'd be in favor of hitting the Safe House as well. Honestly, the internecine fighting could hurt or help us. On one hand, the militias are probably at a heightened readiness state and more prepared to interdict us if something happens. On the other hand, they may be buttoned down at the moment in their own neighborhoods, not wanting to get involved if there's fighting happening that doesn't directly involve them. In any case, we know this is something we have to do sooner or later, so may as well get to it.

Agreed with Mark that the fort is fairly close - on the map it looks like about 5km by either boat or road. With that said, we should still have the LoSA troopers and Kaminski's people on site at the compound during the raid. Maybe we can advise them to keep an extra eye out to the north/northwest while we're away?

And here's the proposed sketch of the makeshift sangar Jose is proposing for Siennicka (please excuse my terrible artwork).



I'm not a stickler for materials, and figure near anything can be used - 2x4s for the corner pillars, walls could be sandbags, flak boards, whatever so long as it might be able to stop a bullet. Roof can be sheet metal or anything else that might make sense. Random debris spread to the sides just enough to limit the bridge road to cars passing in single file and provide some limited (albeit low) cover to those hiding behind it. Finally, I figured the opening of the sangar would be on the side facing the compound, or southeast.
This message was last edited by a game editor at 21:55, Wed 10 Feb 2021.

Safehouse. It's ready to go, the other not so much. We might know more about the latest developments by the time the safehouse is done with and just slide into that.

I also like the idea of the militias being possibly distracted. I never thought of that. Although the militias are also mobilizing and at a heightened state. It could work against us. I'm still for the safehouse though.

I agree, it's a case of game vs real life, PCs have invested time in the op, we do it and if the world rolls over us, so be it. Makes for a more interesting game, I just wanted to throw my concerns out there.

Looks like we're doing it.

OK, I’ve juggled things around a bit on account of the back door so current assignments look like follows:

Entry squad
Kessler
Ferro
Kolstrup
Voight
Rodriguez

BTR
Andropov – driver
Babicevs – gunner (?)
Fischer – commander / overall street commander

Street Squad 1
Pike, Auttenberg, Anna

Street Squad 2
Czerny (Tactical commander), Aleksandr, Grant, Marta

Back Door
Walsh, Lines

If anyone is not happy with where they’ve been put speak up (preferably IC) and Kessler will accommodate – the eagle eyed amongst you will note that I’ve tried to put as many PC’s as I can into the assault squad - @Mark, if you want Andropov in the assault squad shout and I’ll make it happen (oh, and btw Mark, we’re not talking about rugby…)

With regard NVG’s if those in the assault squad can confirm whether they have a set or not (preferably IC). Anticipating that some people don’t, there is one set in stores (McCarthy’s). I know Kessler has a set and I think Ferro does. That being the case if Kolstrup. Voight, and Rodriguez all need a set Kessler will assign the set in stores to Kolstrup as he’s the most senior and longest serving person in need. I think that’s fair and realistic. If Kolstrup has a set then Voight and Rodriguez will need to work it out between themselves. Have a race, arm wrestle, draw cards with the dice roller. Or just do first come, first served. If we’re still short, you’ll need to try and borrow a set from someone in the street team. If you do need a pair please try and sort it out yourself before you come to see Kessler.

Ditto if the assault team can advise on whether they have suppressed weapons or not. I haven’t gone through the stores to see what’s available. If someone else can take ownership of sorting out weapons IC that would be good. @Fuse, the MP5 that Kessler is referring to is from the Warmia loot – OOC 20 Msg 508 refers).

I think that’s all, although I have a feeling that I’ve forgotten something but I’m going to bed now.
This message was last edited by the player at 23:31, Sat 13 Feb 2021.

In reply to Michael Kessler (msg # 18):
I understand the pecking order with the gear and availability but, I will post IC this evening.

I think that suppressed MP-5 might have been in bad shape?  However, we've got a couple of hours to tune it up.

No Night vision or suppressed weapons for Hank.  Will post this later as wwll.

In reply to Henry 'Hank' Voight (msg # 19):

There's a suppressed Skorpion listed on the stores thread.

Also according to the stores thread at least one person in the street team has a sent of NVG's as well.

Like I said earlier, if more than person has a need and there's only one of each item you'll need to sort it out amongst yourselves.

@All, just a reminder, if you do need kit if you have a look at the stores thread it should give you a good idea of what we have (and in some cases who has it).

Tom'll be fine in the BTR, thanks.

If we're looking at tuning up the MP5S, Tom has decent Gunsmith.

He also has a suppressed Skorpion that can be used by the assault team if it's needed.

In reply to Tomasz Andropov (msg # 21):
Any objections to Hank taking the one from Tomasz rather than the one from stores?

That's fine. Go for it.

OK, is everyone happy if Voight tries to quietly pick the lock to get us into the flat, with Rodriguez standing by to blow the hinges with a shotgun if that goes south? A shotgun will probably blow the element of surprise but so will explosives and I'm taking the lack of responses IC to mean that we no longer have anyone demo trained, which kind of takes explosives off the table anyway.

Or does anyone have any alternative suggestions?

I assume that Ferro and Marta got a look at the front door. Did it look reinforced? If not, a sledge v. the deadbolt should do the trick. If that doesn't work, shotgun slugs v. the hinges should.

I'm fine with trying to pick the lock first, but that will take time. In the movies, it only takes a few seconds. I have no idea how long it would take IRL. Also, if the resident has a back up chain lock, picking won't be an option. In any case, the longer we tarry, the greater the odds of discovery. An alerted target will either try to flee or fight; either way, we could lose our HVT.

I guess that as a long way of saying I think we should just bash or blow the door in and go. Speed is our friend. SWAT teams don't try to pick locks- they use speed and shock to gain entry, and overwhelm and subdue their targets.

That said, looking at this from a game-play perspective, I'm fine with letting a PC try out a skill that he/she rarely gets a chance to use. If Voight fails the check, Rodriguez can attempt a forcible entry.

-

In reply to Per Kolstrup (msg # 25):
I can't argue the sense that Per makes about a dynamic entry and a covert one.  Dynamic entry would give us an advantage of surprise which could serve the operation better.

Covert could give us a little more time until we do have to 'Bang' our way into something (or someone).  I actually like the idea since it is a little used skill in T2K and could work well or, leave us in a bad position.

Either option sounds fun and it is a game so, let's see how it turns out (either way)!

That was pretty much what I was thinking - if we can pull off a covert entry we can maybe do this without waking up the neighbours. Worst case scenario, we go loud and we're hopefully no worse off.

I don't really have a strong opinion one way or the other, but reading the room it looks like everyone that's posted so far is happy enough to give it a go and see what happens.

In reply to Per Kolstrup (msg # 25):

It was a solid looking door but something a sledge or shotgun could handle... unless it was reinforced on the other side like with a deadbolt, chain, or crossbar lock... which is why I suggested demo be taken as a backup. I think "El Chapo" escaped once because the police had trouble breaking down his door and it took a long time. I really think we need to bring explosives.

And on explosives, I just realized which Mad Dog has the skill and embarrassingly I was the one who created it. Meyer is a combat engineer. If we have a hours of prep time maybe we should pull him in to build a basic charge or something. Or we bring a RPG lol.

On lockpicking I don't know. We couldn't get close enough to tell if an actual key lock was present and also in use. I support it for gaming reasons but I have my doubts. I seem to recall Fuse once saying something about most homes not using locks and relying on more simpler crossbars and the like.

Okay one more point about entry. If not the door then a window. They aren't reinforced. They are just covered over with shutters and a little high off the ground. So a ladder and crowbar might be all is needed.

Just throwing out ideas. I'm happy with whatever is picked.

As I heads up I'm going to push the next turn to arriving at the objective, so get in your IC actions before then please.

I'm thinking tomorrow night, or the next night if you are still sorting out the plan (OOC).

If people want to have demo as an option then I think we need to bring Meyer back if we can.

Is it feasible for him to build charges which the breach team could use without him being there if needed? Or do we need him with  us?

That said, I still think we should have Voight try to pick the lock first, with the charges a contingency plan if needed.

Apologies for the delay - between the holiday and some new projects at work, things have been a little nuts for me.

Hank, Rodriguez has an Intrusion asset of 9 if that makes any difference, along with a full set of lockpicking tools in his LBE (he used to be a criminal after all). But if he's on shotgun duty, that's fine as well.

Jose also has a set of NVGs, so he's good there. No suppressed weapon, though if we're breaching using a shotgun or explosives, that's probably not as important.

Your asset is [1] better than mine so, if you want to make the offer, Hank will switch spots (ans responsibilities) with Jose.

You can take the Skorpion from stores and I can take the one from Tomasz, as well as drawing the DB shotgun out again.

Hank would just need NVG's.

Reposting:

43/46 Straganiarska is the target's address, which is indicated on the map with an icon. It's a four level townhouse (ground floor, two middle floors, and an attic space). All windows are boarded up or shuttered, and it has a proper front door which is on the street. If there's a back/side door, it went unseen from the street view that the recce had. The roof is intact, sloped in some parts and flat in others.

Also indicated on the map, is a cluster of adjacent buildings. These appear to be in use, forming a sort of small compound. In prewar times they were multi unit garages for parking a car or personal storage. There's a little driveway/paved open area in the middle, which has it's open side facing the road gated off with an iron fence and topped with concertina wire.

Nobody was seen, but there was at least someone home. There was random banging and small noises coming from the garage area and smoke was emitting from a makeshift exhaust sticking out through one of the townhouse's boarded up windows.

None of the cars depicted are present.


This message was last edited by the GM at 04:37, Thu 18 Feb 2021.

Fuse, what was the script with the Warmia MP5? Is it serviceable?

It's serviceable but in bad shape (well worn and rusted). It would pass a dry test-fire, at least.
This message was last edited by the GM at 10:07, Thu 18 Feb 2021.

In reply to Fusilier (msg # 35):

Thanks. I presume as it was taken from a dead enemy there's one magazine with it. (The one that he would have been using to shoot at us...)

Yeah, one mag. There are additional loose 9mmP in the stores that can be taken too though.

OK, do you two want to decide amongst yourselves who's lockpicking and who's backup with the shotgun?

I think we can manage that

What is the equipment count for Tomasz's Skorpion and mags?  Did it have a sling?

I posted IC about NVG goggles and got no reply (that I saw/missed) so, Hank will be going in without them.

Correction: Humvee has been edited to Iltis.

Sorry, I meant to post this at the same time as my IC

So, the bullet point summary

Voight / Rodriguez pick the lock on the front door
Breach team enters building
Voight / Rodriguez pick the lock on the apartment door
Kolstrup / Ferro enter apartment first
Kessler / Rodriguez follows
Voight stays at the door looking out the way in case anyone tries to interfere
We grab and restrain anyone in the apartment.

That’s the plan…

@Fuse - Although I don't think it was mentioned IC, is it safe to assume Jose grabbed the other Skorpion as per Voight's suggestion?

Some random thoughts:

@Corkman - Since Voight grabbed a shotgun, Jose'll handle the intrusion work (assuming he's able). I think the simplest way to approach the target is to attempt the door first. Who knows, maybe it's unlocked? Chances are though we'll have to try and pick it though. If we're unable to open it quietly, it's going to cut a good 30secs to a minute off our element of surprise (assuming we aren't spotted from a window on the approach).

From there, things start getting dicey fast. We don't have any idea what the inside of the building looks like. There could be multiple apartments containing hostiles, bombs, traps, who knows. I'm mainly concerned with two areas:
1. Traps around the door to the apartment
2. Mouseholes to adjoining apartments. The last thing we need is the target or his buddies hitting us from behind as we go into the apartment.

In reply to Jose Rodriguez (msg # 43):

Alright

I'll be catching up and posting on Saturday

Tom's Skorpion doesn't have a sling.

It's loaded with 24x9mm
and has 2 spare 25 round mags

Hank is going to make a call on this.  Since he is running security (tail-end Charlie), he's going to let Jose run the Skorpion from Tomasz and utilize his mags and the one from party stores (16/25 mag).  Since none of the Skorps or the DB shotgun doesn't have slings, he's going to have to much 'loose' shit with him to try and manage.

So, he will draw the DB shotgun, [33] 00 Buck & bandoleer, and one of the Soviet Lifcheck webbings for this operation.  Running security & breacher, he can have his AKMS slung while concentrating on the task, if needed.

- [6] AKM Mags
- Watch, Military:
- Flashlight, Mini Mag-Light:
- Sweater [x1]:
- Kevlar Helmet (.5 kg)
- [1] Frag / [1] Smoke Grenades
- Cravat (1x1m) [x1]: A triangular or square muslin sling. It is also used as
  bandanna or dust mask (drive-on rag), or any number of improvised uses.
  Wt 0.05kg/each
- Lock Pick Tools (.5 kg)
- Leatherman Multi-Tool
- Gloves, Light: Light leather gloves
- Handcuffs
- [1] Army Waterproof Map Case (Empty)
- [1] PMK [.5 kg]
- Waterproof Bag: [.1 kg]

I hope this doesn't throw anything off.

I just moved the turn up a little. I didn't go past the intrusion attempt though as I wanted to give Heffe a chance to post accordingly, and for Dave to act on the situation at the rear before entry is made by on the townhouse itself. The map is updated.
This message was last edited by the GM at 12:15, Mon 22 Feb 2021.

Heyyy not a bad roll on the intrusion check. Glad that first one worked out okay. Post is up.

Fuse, I added a proposed route onto the map for Walsh and Lines.

Just to be clear and to ensure I didn't misunderstand our stacking order, Jose is expecting Ferro to lead us in (since she speaks Polish).

In reply to Jose Rodriguez (msg # 51):
Good start & Nice roll!

Hank does speak Polish however, he doesn't have night vision. Whether that's going to affect him reading door numbers, I couldn't say if Ferro has the night vision, she should lead us in?
This message was last edited by the player at 00:36, Wed 24 Feb 2021.

Yeah, that's the plan. (would have used a thumbs up icon of there was one lol)

In reply to Jose Rodriguez (msg # 49):

Good job. I think that's the first time it's been done in this game.

OK, it’s come to light that we do not know which apartment in the building the target is in - it could be any one on any floor. Therefore the plan in its current form is out of the window - as we don’t know which apartment to hit we’re going to have to work our way through them, at least until such times as we find someone that may be able to tell us which apartment our target is in (and hope that they’re not lying).

It’s been suggested that we leave one person at the bottom of the stairs to secure them while the other four move to the top floor and start the search. That way we work from top to bottom so don’t have to potentially fight our way upstairs if things kick off (that also means that as we move down we may be leaving woken up householders behind us but that applies whether we go top to bottom or bottom to top. If anyone has any alternative suggestions feel free to put them forward.

If there’s any grumbles can we please keep them OOC and not IC. I misunderstood the intel we had been given and thought we had a specific apartment number so that's on me not Kessler (and to be fair no one else picked up on it) so I don’t think it’s appropriate to criticise any character(s).

Shit happens!  Situations change!  Judgement free zone...

With the updated Intel, I think it could become dangerous if we don't leave someone to watch our backs and as of right now, our exit.  Start from the top and work down while we (believe) still have the element of surprise working for us.

If you prefer, Hank can hold the position.  He has his AKMR and speaks passable Polish, if it becomes an issue of verbal commands/orders to anyone they 'may' come in contact with.  He doesn't have a suppressed weapon OR night vision AND hasn't been the luckiest but, I think the better option for this particular task.

He can pass off the DB Master Key and bandoleer of ammo to the advancing team.

OK, so I've updated my post from yesterday to the following

Voight will hold the position as suggested by Corkman, transferring the shotgun and ammo to Kolstrup in case any breaching is required.

Everyone else makes for the top floor then we'll start breaking and entering and work our way back down.

Is Jose carrying a sledge?

-

In reply to Per Kolstrup (msg # 58):

I don’t believe so, no.

In reply to Jose Rodriguez (msg # 59):

Do you want Jose to carry the master key or should Per keep it? Your call.

-

Didn't think so.  Last Op out at the bar, yes

I am really confused.

Is the masterkey a thing or is it a way of referring to the shotgun?

In reply to Michael Kessler (msg # 62):

Yeah, sorry. It's slang for a door entry shotgun.

-

It refers to a breaching shotgun used by entry teams.  Shotguns can 'usually/typically' open a common door.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...nt_Company_Masterkey
This message was last edited by the player at 21:03, Sat 27 Feb 2021.

In reply to Per Kolstrup (msg # 60):

Jose'll take it. He's not carrying a heavy weapon this mission, so won't be overly encumbered by the shotgun/bandolier.

I put up a placeholder entry for the turn, but something just occurred to me. I don't think the shotgun has a sling (unless I'm mistaken?). So unless we just want to start blasting down every door we come across, Jose will need to set the shotgun down every time he attempts to pick a lock. It's not a huge deal, but I'm wondering if you all have any thoughts on the matter.

In reply to Jose Rodriguez (msg # 66):

You're right. If you don't want to set it down, Per will hold on to it while Jose attempts the picking and then, if Jose needs it to blow the lock/hinges, Per will hand it back to him. Sound workable?

-

That works for me. Thanks!

Kessler & Per are down by Hank now?

In reply to Henry 'Hank' Voight (msg # 69):

Kessler is. Kolstrup hasn’t posted yet.

Hey all, we're getting dangerously close to the thread cap. Just a heads up for anyone that maybe didn't realize.

In reply to Jose Rodriguez (msg # 71):

Thanks.

I'm waiting to see how this turn will unfold before capping it.

Nobody post if it goes to to 998 posts.

I'm going to be AFK from Tuesday morning to Wednesday evening.

-

I've got a Uni assignment due tomorrow so I may not be able to post today - depends how quickly I get it finished and how many functional brain cells I have left once it's done.

I also hate this colour scheme...

It was spring break and I thought I'd be able to squeeze in time to get the turn up, but no. Back to normal tomorrow, so then.

I'm going to be jammed up with work (professional and academic varieties) today / tomorrow.

No more IC posts, please.

If you haven't posted yet, please PM your turn and I'll paste it into the narrative. If it's communication to other players I'll let them know beforehand.
This message was last edited by the GM at 20:36, Tue 23 Mar 2021.

I'll be away from the keyboard today / tomorrow.

Editing my post to include Jose picking up the double barreled shotgun on the way out. Don't want to leave our master key behind. :)

Sorry, I know you're waiting on me. I'll get things moving later today.

There's no 2nd cell.

As i recall, we should now have four detainees? Karolina, the guy that was lifted in the bar where there was the scuffle with the Uhlans (sorry am on a phone right now and can’t recall his name / scroll back), the guy we just nicked and his wife.

I’ll try and address that in an IC post when I get to a proper keyboard.

I moved my post and changed it so it fit better with Kessler's.

This ended up being longer than I expected and I don't want to cram it in with the IC material, so I'm just going to post it here.

Rolls were made on Interrogation with a secondary roll on Persuasion to modify the difficulty level of the first roll. These are the results:

Jacek Pszczoła went through a number of phases during the interrogation.

First came an assertion that there had been a mistake...

"Yes, I work for Germans... Waterloo Germans."

"Talk to Captain Woermann, please, he will tell you. I routinely supply his company with provisions. Someone is trying to interfere with my business, Handlowcy Unii I suspect."

This is actually probably true. Although mostly a regional trader, Pszczoła's company likely does legitimate local business here in Gdansk too. And (as Kaminski could attest) merchants who aren't don't hold cartels membership are routinely targeted by them.

Pszczoła expressed shock and disbelief towards the accusations facing him.

His second phase involved abandoning his cover story, for a different one... that he was duped.

"They told me they worked for Captain Woermann. I didn't know."

Tears were mustered. Regret expressed over and over.

At this stage Kessler almost bought it, a cover story within a cover story, with almost believable emotions. But he knew better and pushed back, laying pressure on the detained Pole. Threats were made to Jacek. It wasn't difficult for them to be believable either. The Golden Dawn alone would hang him in an instant. That is if a mob didn't lynch him on the way to gallows first. Kessler, perhaps unexpectedly, included threats levied against the man's wife as well though.

In the next stage came an admission to the truth. With this, Pszczoła was not overly apologetic however. He expressed regret that the DDR team committed the bombing, but he didn't directly feel responsible for it. He even claimed he wasn't supporting the DDR unit out ideological reasons.

"I provide food, set up places for them to stay, and sometimes medical or transportation needs, nothing more."

His motivation was explained...

"Before, before NATO came to Gdansk I mean, life was hard for everyone. Of course it was. The Generals in Malbork demanded so much from Gdansk."

"But there was order."

"Gdansk was organized, functional. You could look past Malbork's strong hand to see that it also meant there was order."

"Now? Gdansk is more divided than it ever was. More warlords than I can name, and yes, that is what they are. We are going backwards here. The choices made since NATO had come and left, have been so bad that they have affected the entire region. We need order again. That is why I helped Malbork's commandos. But maybe you are blinded by the old politics to see that."

The final phase of the interrogation was about compiling details:
1 = Strong likelihood of accuracy
2 = Moderate likelihood of accuracy
3 = Weak likelihood of accuracy

Note: Crosschecking information with the wife has helped establish some of the ratings.

- The name of the DDR unit is "Pine Tree Detachment". (1)

- Hauptmann Schweppenburg is still alive and in command. (1)

- Contact with the DDR unit is initiated by them. Normally, a message would be delivered informing Jacek of a radio frequency to listen in on and at which time to do so. Instructions were given in this way. (2)

- Schweppenburg accused Jacek of sloppy security and accused/thought he was under surveillance, which is why he preferred the hands-off/radio method. (2)

- Pine Tree Detachment no longer has a radio link with Malbork. The radio they use to communicate with Jacek doesn't have the necessary range. So written messages between the unit and their HQ come in and go out via Jacek's company. (1)

- Before going out the window, Jacek burned the only message that he had on hand before going out the window. He did not read it and has never done so before with other messages he was relay. (2)

- Jacek does not know why Pine Tree Detachment doesn't use the Soviet camp at Pruszcz Gdański to relay radio messages to Malbork, since they are close enough. (1)

- Pine Tree Detachment has six active members remaining. He knows this from the rations count but has not met all of them. (1)

- Jacek has met, at least once, Schweppenburg, a "German sniper who was a hero at the battle of Warsaw", a German woman that was not Karolina Schleicher, and some sort of specialist who may be Russian and not directly subordinate to Schweppengburg. The other two members are not known. (2)


- Jacek's trading company is Pine Tree Detachment's only means of logistical support in Gdansk. He believes this because they get angry if he can't provide something, (if because it's on too short of notice for example). There's obviously (to Jacek) no alternative supplier. (1)

- Jacek's wife was aware and supportive of his covert support to the DDR unit, but she not an active participant. (1)

- Jacek believes with his support gone, Schweppenburg will end his mission and attempt to return to Malbork. He feels the unit is exhausted and won't attempt rebuilding a covert logistics network. They are also low on morale. (2)

Note: no information was ranked 3. Jacek seemed to be cooperative as much as he could.

"I can't lead you to them even if I wanted to. They come to me, understand? They look over their shoulders all the time. Ever since their Finn was killed, or whatever, in his apartment, I waste so much time changing different places for them to stay."

Lastly, when told his cooperation was not good enough, Pszczoła requested that his wife be excused. Failing no promises for that, he then offered to give up the Pine Tree Detachment if they make contact with him again (assuming they don't realize he's been compromised).
This message was last edited by the GM at 07:43, Fri 16 Apr 2021.

Sorry I'm late.  Trying to get my life back on track.  Divorce and move are completed.  I'm in settling in stage at my mom's with my son and treating the three herniated discs in my back.  I hope that I'm completely done by the end of the month.  I'll try to keep up the best I can.  Thanks for your patience!

Sorry, I’m also a bit behind, been a busy couple of days. I’ll get caught up tomorrow morning.

Who's still playing?

I am. To be completely open, I'm struggling a bit to figure out how to engage. My respective PCs have voiced their opinions regarding the current situation. I don't want to keep repeating myself IC as I worry that would be annoying to other players, or interpreted as being surly and argumentative.

-

That's fine. I'm not trying to call people out or anything, just trying to see where we stand and what's happening.

Still here.  Schedule is still a bit of an issue but, I'm trying my best to stay active.

I'm here.

Still here.

OK, we don’t seem to be getting far with what to do about the East Germans so how about we park that for now, leave all the options on the table, and go try and follow up on Nowak before civil war breaks out. If we take a Humvee I think there should be enough room for everyone that’s active to send a PC. In the meantime maybe we can continue to work through options about what to do about the East Germans OOC.

How does that sound?

Sounds good.

-

Fuse,  a couple of things Kessler would want to run by Kaminski off camera

1. Did we ever find out if any of the recovered art was potentially valuable? (I think Kaminski was going to get a guy from the University to assess it?)

2. Has he heard any stories about a German sniper who was a hero at the battle of Warsaw? (And if not can he discretely ask around about that)

In reply to Michael Kessler (msg # 93):

Yep, that works for me as well.

In reply to Michael Kessler (msg # 95):

1. No, things got all hectic and tense shortly after the unit returned from out east so he hasn't worked that out yet, but he will.

2. No but yes.

In reply to Michael Kessler (msg # 93):
I'm good with that

I stopped things for Kessler & Co to verify if they have a specific destination in mind since I didn't ask you beforehand. It's okay if you don't, other than you're simply going to the mouth of the harbor. Keep in mind, mouth of the harbor is about the best you have at this point. You don't actually know exactly where Nowak is. All you know is that she landed at the mouth of the harbor and either seized (or just raided) some areas a little ways inland from there. And since her troops landed by boats, some of them at least are likely still near the water in order to protect them.

Also you can stop at the people on the road too if you'd like, but again, it's okay if you don't.

Also I'm assuming?

Ferro - driver
Kessler - front pass
Jose - back pass
Voight - back pass

Also assuming battle gear is being worn?
This message was last edited by the GM at 03:50, Fri 30 Apr 2021.

Safe assumption with everything going on

Very sorry for the lack of posting this week.

Kessler & Co were instructed to leave behind all weapons except for a pistol. I'll assume they did, so there's no need to reply confirmation on that, unless your PC didn't comply in some way.

I forgot to ask that in the PM.

I will have a compound narrative tomorrow.
This message was last edited by the GM at 03:10, Sat 08 May 2021.

Hi there everyone. Andy here popping by to say hello.

I can see the light at the end of the tunnel with regards to my free time and I might actually be able to rejoin this game at some point soon.

Hope everyone is well.

Andy

Hello. It would be great if you rejoined.

Hope you can rejoin us soon, Andy.

-

Hi Andy, good to hear from you (I still think you’re Tim Peake...)

@all, sorry, I’ve had stuff on all day Saturday and most of Sunday. I’ll post tomorrow.

Hey Andy!  Hopefully see you soon!

Andy - miss you, dude. Hope everything is cool and that you can rejoin soon!

Thanks for the comments guys. I'm hoping to start posting occasionally and to get back into the swing of things.

Hope you're all well.

Andy

@All, Kessler’s IC post is really just a holding statement as I didn’t think it was appropriate to give a yes / no answer to what could be a fairly major in game thing unilaterally - if anyone’s got any thoughts on what stance the Mad Dogs should take with regards Nowak’s request that we ally with her I’d love to hear them, even if it’s just that you don’t have a preference one way or the other

It's a tough call. Nowak's terms are a bit unclear to me and it sounds like it's really up to the other factions, whether she stays or goes. AFAIK, a unified, anti-Soviet Gdansk is what the Mad Dogs want (most of them, at least). If Nowak can pull that off with her offer of unlimited electrical power, then maybe we back her? But if she just wants to be despot, the cure might be worse than the illness so it's hard to say. I didn't expect her to put us on the spot like that. It's a fun twist, but a tricky situation Fuse has put us in. I think Kessler's noncommittal response was perfect.

-

Agreed with Rae; I think we need more info. The unit worked for a while to set up Lukasz Piszczek as a solid face for all of Gdansk to rally around, based on a variety of good reasons. To have Nowak come in somewhat suddenly and want to claim that role doesn't feel quite right to me. Not because it undercuts the work the unit has done, but because as a character she doesn't seem as though she'd be able to rally the city together as well. Speaking personally, I'd like to understand her motivations a bit better, and know whether and to what extent she'd be willing to work with other groups within the city before we make a decision.

In any case, it would also be hard to overstate the importance of steady, reliable electricity. Gdansk would essentially become one of the largest regional powers within a matter of months, and would act as a beacon to the surviving populace of Poland. Of course, it would also draw out the city's enemies like moths to a proverbial flame, so there's downsides to that approach as well.

I'm leaning strongly to agree. I recall Ferro liking Nowak and I just reviewed Chapter 17... that's where she came to our aid and then later worked alongside us fighting the pirates. There was nothing there that I saw to suggest she would be a bad choice but I am also not dismissing people's concerns.

I'm willing to think she won't be an evil despot. She referred to Inspector Kowalczyk as "gestapo" and expressed her dislike of her fellow FL captains who chopped those peoples' hands off for trespassing in FL waters. I know that isn't an assurance or anything but I think it says something. She could flip once in power but that's always going to be an unknown possibility until/unless it happens and right now everything points in a good direction (unless I missed something).

Gdansk is a target whether it has a sub or not. In my last turn I started writing how the sub would paint a big target on the city but then I realized its had it that way ever since the game started. So it will always be at risk from but with electrical power it definitely becomes stronger.

I think Piszczek and Nowak are both good in different ways. They both have strengths the other lacks but for me Nowak's sub is what tips the balance. And I don't think that means Piszczek needs to be tossed to the curb. There still could be a place and future for him and the city.
This message was last edited by the player at 21:34, Wed 12 May 2021.

In reply to Michael Kessler (msg # 110):

I'm obviously seriously out of the loop here as a player and I'm not sure that I can give an answer either way as a result but what is the current political situation in the city? I thought that significant power lay with the IB as they were linked up with the Marians. Is that not the case anymore? My apologies if that is a dumb question.

Also is there any mileage in trying to persuade Nowak to help form a council to run Gdansk by using her sub as a bargaining chip to negotiate an agreement with other factions.

Lastly, do we have any idea which factions are already allied with Nowak?

Ta,

Andy

The IB are very weakened. They got morale and discipline problems, and Kessler was told that Tarawa's commander is going to take his men and head west to rejoin the NATO troops trapped on the coast. That's like a third of their men walking away so their influence will be even less than it is now.

Pretty sure all we know if what Nowak just told us.

Just thinking out loud here.

It seems to me that the primary forces opposing Nowak are the cartels, Armenia Company (which may have now signed on with the cartels), and Monolith, whom we already know signed on with the cartels.

Just to ensure I'm on the same page, my understanding is that there are the Fisherman's League, and the Merchant Union. The two aren't in complete agreement on everything, but they're typically aligned. A portion of the FL has joined Nowak. Given the unit's history with the Merchant Union, including what they did during the siege along with what happened at the distillery previously, I'm definitely feeling more sympathetic toward Nowak than toward them. The challenge is that the Union controls such a huge portion of the trade. Are they primarily concerned with Nowak disrupting their control of the city's resources? That seems like the obvious explanation, I mean why else would they be so determinedly going after Nowak?

I just realize something when you wrote that. It's more than just about the submarine.

Gdansk gains a sub if Nowak gets in.
Gdansk loses a good portion of its fishing fleet if it doesn't.

Right? They are branded as traitors. We heard before how the FL were rounding up people suspected of being on Nowak's side.

With the rest of what you wrote I think it's correct. The cartels seemed like control was equally (or more) as important as trade to them. These guys were ones up to no good trying to sneakily take over Forest City, as just one example.
This message was last edited by the player at 00:31, Thu 13 May 2021.

Thanks for the info. Very interesting about the IB.

I think that we need to understand which factions are allied with Nowak because at present we have the MU on the opposition to Nowak side and they have always been a bit of an issue for us. We have other allies though (e.g. Piszczek and the Marians) and we need to know where they sit in this power struggle. It's quite possible that the Marians will try to stay neutral and that may be where the sensible/cautious path lies. The most fun however (as a role-player) might be to side with Nowak against the MU and try to take out some of their leadership.

I've been under the impression for quite some time that the MU and the FL were rivals. Is that not so? Did Nowak's recent actions alienate both factions, bringing them together with a common enemy (her), or have I misread things?

-

In reply to Varis Babicevs (msg # 119):

You could well be right.

Alternatively, did the FL split in two, those that are rivals with the MU going with Nowak and those that are friendly with the MU staying?

In reply to Varis Babicevs (msg # 119):

You're right. Rivals is probably a better term for recent history. Originally they we're pretty closely allied, but that ended pretty early in the game.

Thanks for the input. I’ve tried to incorporate what was said in Kessler’s post and which gives Nowak a conditional offer of support, hopefully without committing to anything irrevocably.

I think that this decides our POV on Nowak, though do we need to talk to the Marians to confirm this?

Also she said "I will have" rather than "I have" so is she being presumptuous?

Andy in the last chapter some guy was found snooping around in the neighborhood (by the ice cream factory). Tosh and Grant would know so I figured maybe you should too if you didn't already. It might be relevant.

Thanks - I will go and check up on this. Presumably Jan would have been told this as well? Or Varis might know as well?

I'm pretty sure everyone would know something like that.

Fuse,

How would you test if some food had been poisoned or not? Presumably that would require either the Chemistry or Biology skill? Reggie has both skills but I presume that you would also need some lab equipment. Is that right?

Ta,

Andy

Animal(s)?

In reply to Henry 'Hank' Voight (msg # 128):

I don't think that Kaminski will let us use his dogs for this.......

In reply to Reggie Grant (msg # 129):

And if anyone tries to use Riedel's mutt Kessler will shoot them...  ;)

In other news, we just 40,000 posts....well done everybody - and special thanks to Fuse for giving us this amazing sandbox to play in!

I was thinking mice or rats honestly...

...and, happy 40K posts!  Glad to still be apart of this game!
This message was last edited by the player at 21:45, Mon 31 May 2021.

Humvee team, if you want to take our chances running the roadblock just say. It may be a better option than everyone getting out but I don't want to make the call for you so if you can state your preference that would be good.

I'm sorry that I've been disengaged lately. I'll try to get my head back in the game.

-

Yeah, I think your response was fine. We should know who we're talking to before we start acquiescing to demands to exit the vehicle. What's next, disarming us? And if they start shooting at us for not getting out immediately? Well, that's still an answer of sorts.


I'd prefer to stay in the humvee at least til we have a better idea of who this is.

Ferro and Jose set up a two-way link between the sentry post at the gate (basically the slit trench & elevated sangar) and the rooftop OP (that watches the north). I've added it to the list of improvements listed in thread about the compound.

There was a plan to rig up a more complex system between more points, including the school, but it ran into some problems and wasn't finished.

I'm not liking the idea of stopping even more now.

These guys came prepared for a vehicle stop when it's obvious that Nowak is not operating any vehicles (not when her force came by fishing boats and a sub). For me that's a big red flag saying this isn't a routine stop.

And if Hovsepian mentioned the Humvee (even if there was no ill intent) then it's probably safe to assume he also mentioned how many people were in it. And now the math won't add up so stopping is going to put Nowak's guy in serious danger. And in turn that puts us in even more danger because we're no longer recon, we're participating.
This message was last edited by the player at 05:51, Thu 03 June 2021.

In reply to Ferro (msg # 136):

Yeah, I'm leaning towards trying to bust our way through. Or backing up and trying to find an alternative route. Stopping and getting out seems like at the very least it's going to put Roland at risk.

@Fuse, I may have misinterpreted this



Given that everyone (including Ferro) is facing forward on first read of that I took it to mean there was a path ahead of us that was clear. However rereading the morning I see it specifies the road behind is clear. So I just want to confirm whether the road ahead is passable or not?

If it is I think our best bet is to just push on through. If not  we can back up and try and find another route.

Thoughts?

Directly* in front of the Humvee is the rope (with attachments) which has been pulled across. Several meters from that is the riot truck, stopped half on the road and half off (but due to the narrowness of the road it's still covering a good amount of it).

The sides of the road are covered with brush, which conceals what sort of ground is underneath (as in, is it swampy, filled with depressions, are there logs, etc). This will be relevant if you attempt to drive around the rope, truck, or turn around.

Is that clear? If not I can draw a sketch but I won't be able to upload it until this evening.

* there's a few meters to spare (re:Ferro's turn around plan).
This message was last edited by the GM at 10:31, Thu 03 June 2021.

If memory serves, the inspector is a jerk, and we already know Vaclik from his firefight with Varis and Kaminski. Getting out of the humvee and submitting to their demands seems like it will get us nothing but trouble.

With that said, they know who we are. If we run the blockade (assuming we're even successful in doing so), that might be sending up a signal flare to the cartels that the Mad Dogs have chosen a side, and it isn't theirs. That puts the Mad Dogs square in the middle of the cartel's war with Nowak. Surely they know where Kaminski's is located as well, and won't be happy to have a new enemy right across the river from their distillery. I add this to mean that running now could have some very serious repercussions, and it risks us giving away our hand before we're ready.

In any case, I think I'm still in favor of running the blockade. :D

In reply to Jose Rodriguez (msg # 139):

Good point. I hadn't considered that.

I still think we should make an escape now though (too).

I'm also in favour of getting out of dodge (or at least trying to). I think if we get out now we're in trouble and once we're out of the vehicle our options reduce dramatically.

I'll post IC sometime tomorrow - unless anyone has any compelling objections I think turn around is better than try to push on through (we know what was behind us, we don't know what's in front).

Re self identifying, It did cross my mind earlier (I wondered if I'd made an error doing so) but I guess we couldn't expect them to do it if we wouldn't and not identifying ourselves they might have just opened fire. At the moment I'm leaning towards crossing the bridge that is any potential repercussions when we get to them - I mean, the whole City could be in full scale Civil War in 12 hours anyway. And at least if they do come after us at our place we have home team advantage.
This message was last edited by the player at 23:42, Thu 03 June 2021.

Yeah, self-identifying was the right call for sure. I mean the Armenians knew we had come through earlier regardless, so it probably wasn't a mystery to Vaclik either way.

The only other concern I have with running the blockade is that in terms of crossing the Martwa Wisla, we really only have the Siennicka bridge. I'm assuming we're heading south on the 89, but if there's another blocking force further on ahead, we're going to run out of options pretty quickly in terms of how we get back to base. I suppose there's also the railbridge as a backup (?), but I'm not sure if we'd even be able to take the humvee over it.

This may be stating the obvious, and what you intend anyway, but reversing initially rather than turning around straight away may be the least bad option.

Before it gets too involved I just want to point out an OOC discussion on a general course of action is all good, no problem, but not the details of how you do it. That getting a little too meta. It's gotta be just the driver's action/IC input for that.

And speaking of the other bridge, this is not really familiar territory to any of the characters, you only have general ideas of where it's at and how to get there. Nothing firm. Know what I mean?

In reply to Fusilier (msg # 144):

Apologies

No need for that or anything. I was just clarifying.

In reply to Fusilier (msg # 146):

Understood, I'll try to watch that. Thanks for the reminder.

Ferro, PM me your turn so I can integrate it into the post.

Dave, Jose is going to have to swap seats with Roland to get on the gun. Not impossible or anything, just wanted to make that clear in case you didn't realize the seating.
This message was last edited by the GM at 20:46, Sat 05 June 2021.

In reply to Fusilier (msg # 148):

Yeah, that’s cool, I imagined it might be a bit of a scramble

Sorry about the delay but it was easier/quicker for me to work out things with a few back and forth PMs with Ferro instead of breaking up that narrative into two turns or more.

Also, probably a good thing you didn't get out of the vehicle. You probably wouldn't have like what was supposed to happen lol.
This message was last edited by the GM at 04:06, Tue 08 June 2021.

With regards to the small patrol that Jan has just suggested to Per, presuming that Per approves it, then who should we send?

The only PCs in the base at present are:

Varis
Per
Chris
Jan
Reggie
Tosh
Tomasz

Dave - do you want Chris to go?
Rae - who do you want to send?

I think that Reggie needs to go and I'm happy for either Jan to go if Per is staying at the base or for Tosh to go (and Jan stay at the base) if Per wants to go himself.

What would you like to do?

Also what other Mad Dog NPCs are in the base currently? Pike is but what is the status of Janku, Fischer and anyone else? Fox is still at the farm I believe but who is with him currently?

Ta,

Andy

In reply to Jan Czerny (msg # 151):

Is Marta on base? I've lost track of her.

Per is fine remaining on the roof. From there, he can provide over-watch and C&C via radio.

I'd like to send no more than 4 people. At least one of them needs to be an effective translator, and the group needs a radio.

So, assuming that I remember correctly that Walsh has good Polish, how about Grant, Walsh, and Varis? That gives us each a PC outside the wire and inside the wire.

-

In reply to Per Kolstrup (msg # 152):

Re language skills, Jan has Polish 6 for a total asset of 10 and Reggie has Polish 2 for a total asset of 9. Both of them have radios as well.

My suggestion for a four man team is Varis, Chris, Reggie and Jan. That is at least 2 radios and 2 good Polish speakers so it should cover the requirements you outlined.

I don't know where Marta is but she's the former WA member isn't she? How trusted is she now?

Pretty trusted. She killed at least one WA during the op, and her ear bitten off by another, and she helped out in the hunt for the Pine Tree detachment, so I think she's proven herself by now.

-
This message was last edited by the player at 17:24, Tue 08 June 2021.

Last word on Marta was during the Pine Tree Op. Presumably she's somewhere at the compound at the moment. Here's who I have listed as Mad Dogs still at Kaminski's:

Varis Babicevs
Per Kolstrup
Tomasz Andropov
Chris Walsh
Janacek Czerny
Reggie Grant
David "Tosh" Lines
Anna
Aleksandar Mazurek
Walter Krupp
Piotr Auttenberg
Lukas Fischer
Karel Janku

There's also Katarzyna and Kaminski himself (along with his in house forces), along with a few fighters from LoSA.

In reply to Jose Rodriguez (msg # 155):

That's close.

Fox, Meyer, and Kaczka, are on contract so they are absent. The contract was for 4 people, but it was decided to scale it back and you got one-eye Auttenberg back.

Janku is back under BND control so he's officially not part of the unit anymore and no longer lives at the compound.

Krupp is unofficially gone. He spends all his time at the hospital, basically lives there now.

Everyone else is available.

I’m pretty swamped right now. If you can manage without Walsh that would be better for me. If you want / need him Fuse may need to NPC while I focus what time I have on Kessler.

Rae/Heffe/Fuse

Thanks for the info.

---

In reply to Chris Walsh (msg # 157):

Understood.

Is Aleksandar Mazurek the Polish Fireman who's been with the Mad Dogs for quite a while now? If he is then is he healthy? I have a vague memory of Aleksandar the fireman being either badly wounded or killed a while ago.

Anyway, assuming that Aleksandar is the Polish Fireman then I suggest that Varis, Reggie, Jan and Aleksandar go to investigate what is going on.

In reply to David 'Tosh' Lines (msg # 158):

Definitely the same person



Fairly sure he's not dead. As best as I can recall he was injured during the hunt for the WA bandits (I think Babicevs mistook him for a WA fighter - it was dark and fairly chaotic) but I don't recall his injuries being life threatening. Fuse can probably confirm one way or the other, otherwise you'd need to check back the relevant IC posts.

He's not healed up yet. I can't check at the moment but I'm pretty sure that his recovery date is the same as it says for Varis.

IIRC, Andropov's* Polish is good. Fuse, can you confirm?

If Andropov's Polish is good, I'm cool with Jan, Varis, Grant, and Andropov going outside the wire.

*AFAIK, he's an NPC now. Mark, if you're out there, I hope you're OK.

-

He can say hello, basically.

Don't forget it's Gustek that said someone should get over there, and he speaks English enough.
This message was last edited by the GM at 20:57, Wed 09 June 2021.

In reply to Fusilier (msg # 162):

OK. We'll have to consider Polish language skills next time we split the team for any length of time.

Final call: Jan, Varis, Grant, and Lines (since Walsh is staying behind) will leave the wire. Gustek can translate.

-
This message was last edited by the player at 21:08, Wed 09 June 2021.

In reply to Per Kolstrup (msg # 163):

Sounds good to me. I have 3 characters in a team of 4 so I can talk bollocks to myself a load! :)

Jan has Polish 6 (total asset of 10) so I think that he is one of the best non-native speakers in the Mad Dogs.

EDIT - do you want to have Per tell Jan to take that team out to find out what's going on?
This message was last edited by the player at 08:04, Thu 10 June 2021.

Andy, what sort of pace is Czerny setting for the move down the lane? For simplicity, let's just use the game types: walk, trot, or run.

In reply to Fusilier (msg # 165):

You didn't ask me, but I don't think Varis is capable of running quite yet.

-

Right, he can't run.

It's not a massive distance from memory so an initial short trot to cover the first bit quickly and then moving in pairs, one pair trotting while the other covers/observes. Pairs will be Jan and Reggie and then Varis and Tosh.

That make sense?

Ok

Best firing options/position from rear passenger seat in case of pursuit...

Fuse,

Do we know anything about these locations?

In particular, I'm thinking of Reggie's more Gdansk based background than the others.

Ta,

Andy

Not really.

In reply to Fusilier (msg # 172):

OK - understood.

EDIT - is it Observation skill to check a body for IEDs?
This message was last edited by the player at 22:14, Mon 14 June 2021.

In reply to Reggie Grant (msg # 173):

That or combat engineer, yeah.

In reply to Fusilier (msg # 174):

Ta

Fuse, how often do the Mad Dogs currently send foot patrols out into the area around us?

Ta,

Andy

In reply to David 'Tosh' Lines (msg # 176):

Nothing regular. Last time when during the search for Anna and the ice cream factory incident. And there was a light scrounging effort recently too. Other than that, nothing, I think.

In reply to Fusilier (msg # 177):

OK, clearly we need to be more active in patrolling in our local area to demonstrate to the nearby community that we are present and protecting them.

I feel like we don't really have the manpower for that though. Do we need to do a bit more recruitment to bolster our numbers a little? Once the current situation in the city is resolved then maybe it will be a good time to recruit, potentially from the IB if part of that is leaving. There may well be IB troops who have started to make a home in Gdansk and want to stay in the city rather than leaving. What do people think?

Manpower has been an ongoing problem for some time. Part of the reason that we started working with the LOSA was to try and alleviate some of those issues.

While your suggestion makes sense on an IC level any sort of recruitment that doesn’t involve more player characters is going to impact on Fuse’s workload. That said, it may take some time to play through the current situation in the City, particularly if it does become a full scale Civil War, so it may be something that can be parked until then. Or current events may offer some sort of alternative resolution.

In reply to Michael Kessler (msg # 179):

Yea, I think that you're right. While it's needed IC it might well be parked for quite a while because of the current situation in the city.

Also, wrt to the local civilians, Kessler did appoint Andropov as liaison to them with instructions to speak to them and try and ascertain their needs so we haven't completely left them to their own devices (although to be fair I'm not sure if Mark's schedule at the time gave him any time to follow up on that IC).

Re splitting up further to pursue the civilian posse, Per would say no. I've commented IC and OOC several times that I think one of the biggest tactical mistakes we make IG, again and again, is splitting up- during combat, in particular. Half the team is in the city somewhere, out of coms, with no ETA. Several PCs have a funny feeling about the very recent extra food delivery. Per wouldn't authorize the reduced garrison to split up and head off on what sounds like a wild goose chase. Also, I don't like the idea of getting in the middle of a heated dispute (at the same time, I really don't like the idea of an innocent party getting lynched).

On the other hand, looking at this in game terms, it would give me and Andy something interesting to do. So, I'm inclined to have Per acquiesce (although it seems out of character, so I'll have to figure out why he does it).

Fuse, feel free to shut this discussion down if it's too meta, but I'd like to hear what the others would do in this situation.

-

Personally I think this is a civil affairs matter. How we handle it reflects on how our relationship progresses with our tenants, some of whom already think we’re absentee landlords. How much people are concerned about that is, I suppose, linked to how invested they are in the long term Gdansk storyline. From my perspective we’re already being criticised for ‘hiding’ behind our perimeter so if we fall back to the compound now that’s just going to feed that narrative. So I know what Kessler would do if he was there, but he’s not which makes Kolstrup the ranking PC. If you want a justification for why Kolstrup would act out of character you can always have him presume that assisting the tenants is what Kessler would want him to do. If you want.

With regard to constantly splitting up, to be honest I can’t think of a single T2K game I’ve played in that’s had more than four characters where that hasn’t been a regular thing. I think part of it is probably related to manpower issues and I know part of it is related to people playing team leaders trying to make sure that players get a chance to do things that they want to do.
This message was last edited by the player at 15:56, Tue 15 June 2021.

In reply to Per Kolstrup (msg # 182):

I think that Fuse has put us in a difficult position here, almost like he was deliberately trying to make us do some taxing roleplaying! Giving your PCs difficult decisions with consequences is good GMing in my book. :)

I agree with you Rae, chasing off after this is a tactically dangerous thing to do. However if we just walk away then we've probably lost our civilian allies/employees. We almost have to be seen to try to do something, even though that's a risky thing to do. Both options are bad and contain risks and it's a question of which one is the least bad option. As a player I'm happy either way but I suspect that investigating is the least bad option.

Also what do the characters at the base know about the meeting that Kessler etc have gone to? Do we know that civil war in the city is looming?

Ta,

Andy

That is a key point and that may vary by character. For example, taking mine:

 - Jan is invested
 - Reggie doesn't give a damn and would rather be safe behind the walls
 - Tosh just likes a good scrap

I think everyone should have a fairly good idea that trouble is brewing. Ferro and Marta passed on the intel about Nowak and the submarine in the last chapter (msg 912)  and everyone should know that Kessler was going to try and meet with Nowak - that was also discussed IC as a group, following which Kessler asked who wanted to go with him.

In reply to Michael Kessler (msg # 186):

Thanks for the info.

In reply to David 'Tosh' Lines (msg # 187):

There's probably more info out there. If you want to catch up I'd suggest opening the thread for Chapter 21 and put Civil War in the search box, that should bring up the relevant posts (make sure yous elect the 'all' option to get every page of the chapter). I got nine results. Unless it's specifically stated in the relevant post I think you can safely assume that your characters would be aware of these conversations unless you want to specifically play it otherwise.

In reply to Michael Kessler (msg # 188):

Thanks. I'll try to find time for that.

Andy

As a player I think that this note refers to the East German group operating in Gdansk. Am I correct that this conclusion is fair for Jan to come to?

In reply to Jan Czerny (msg # 190):

I mean, after the recent op to secure their equipment guy, I think that's a pretty safe assessment. It makes more sense to me than any other working theory at the moment.


As an aside, I'm heading on a long (really long) needed vacation starting tomorrow to visit some in-laws and friends down in San Diego. I'll still have access to the internet while I'm away, but posting may be a little strained. I should be back to normal posting (assuming it's impacted) by the 28th.

In reply to Jose Rodriguez (msg # 191):

Yep, the fact it’s in English would imply that it’s not connected to any Pole on Pole altercation.

Enjoy San Diego. I think the last time I was there Clinton was in his first term.

Not knowing this has happened yet, that's deep!

In reply to Jose Rodriguez (msg # 191):
Speaking of that time, I'll be completely offline during the last weekend of the month, plus Friday and Monday.

I'll have the Humvee turn up tomorrow (technically today actually).
This message was last edited by the GM at 04:06, Thu 17 June 2021.

Thanks for confirming guys.

Ta,

Andy

In case it becomes an issue, can anybody answer this?

Thank you. Those you guys going on vacation or
taking some rest enjoy yourselves

I'm not sure I understand the question.

---

---

Ok... this is not to scale or anything. I just wanted to illustrate something in order to clarify what I going on about angles and directions and all that.

Both vehicles are travelling in the same direction but the bike is moving at a faster speed. By Jose's guess, if neither vehicle changes speed (or direction) then the motorcycle will likely end up in front of the Humvee by the time the Humvee gets onto the road.

Right now, the bike is positioned exactly on the Humvee's left flank, say 9 o'clock, but will quickly turn to 10 o'clock, 11 o'clock... as it passes in front.

I will clarify better when I can get to my computer later today

In reply to Fusilier (msg # 197):
As far as shooting from the rear of the Hummer's rear passenger seat.  Rolling down a window or shooting through the back window.  Not sure what type of material makes up the back portion of the vehicle (plastic or bullet resistant material).

Now also realizing that the threat is on the other side of where Hank is in the back and he doesn't have NOD's.

There's no back window, the rear is covered over with the cargo space hardtop, which has kevlar reinforcement (AV2). The door windows can slide down and are just normal glass.

Sorry for the confusion and thank you for the clarity

Happy Father's Day to all my fellow dads out there. Hope you have a good one.

-

In reply to Varis Babicevs (msg # 202):

And to you mate.

I had the day all planned out. Watching my elder boy's cricket team in the morning and then my younger boy's team in the afternoon. Would have been great! I live in England though so the weather screwed up those plans unfortunately......

Likewise

Just to confirm, Fuse OK’d my posting on the basis that Kessler had been advised of the motorcycle as Heffe is travelling.

Re:Humvee, despite the length of the turn and the amount of things happening, the amount of time that passes is actually very short.

Please have your turn in by Thursday night. That'll be the last opportunity I can put up the turn before I'm away. Otherwise everything will have to wait until next week.

Ok thanks for getting all turns in (except Jeff who's away). I'll be online only for OOC and PM matters until next week. Please have your next turn in by Tuesday at the latest, as that's when I will be back and plan to resume things.

If you fired this turn, don't forget to account for it on your sheets, thanks.
This message was last edited by the GM at 02:10, Fri 25 June 2021.

In reply to Fusilier (msg # 208):

Enjoy your vacation!

I'm going to try and post tonight so this way I don't have to put it off

I'm going to be AFK until Friday afternoon, PST(US). Goin' to California with an aching in my heart (well, not that last part).

-

In reply to Varis Babicevs (msg # 210):

Enjoy your break.

In reply to Varis Babicevs (msg # 210):

Remember it never rains in Southern California…and you can go for a walk on a winter’s day.

I'm back! I had forgotten that travelling with two young kids isn't much of a vacation, but the family definitely had a lot of fun so it was well worth the time. :)

Fuse, thanks for posting Jose's actions, and hope you had a nice long weekend.

Hope everyone had a nice Father's Day.

Rae - Enjoy your time in SoCal. I hope you're staying somewhere with amazing A/C or right on the coast, because it's pretty warm down there at the moment.

When this eventually happens Jan has a vehicle inverter and a battery charger in one of his packs. He offered them to be set up permanently in a vehicle a while ago but I don't believe that it ever happened.

Thanks for everyone getting in your turns. I'm going to have to take back what I said about getting the turn up though, just finished a 5 hour drive and I got no sleep last night so I'm drained. Sorry, but it'll be up tomorrow for certain.

In reply to Fusilier (msg # 215):

No worries mate.

Did you have a good break? That's the key thing.

I'm sure nobody will have a problem with waiting an extra day for you!

Fuse - is Grzegorz armed?

Ta,

Andy

There's a metal rod, scrap maybe, on the ground by his feet, that he was possibly using as a melee weapon.

I'm back! I must have timed it just right. When we arrived in SD, it was overcast and in the low 70s. The sun came out on day 2, but the temp didn't rise above 80 or so. It was a perfect respite from the S. AZ heat.

-

In reply to Varis Babicevs (msg # 220):

Where I live we hit the beach at 65 and declare a heatwave at 70.

In reply to Fusilier (msg # 219):

Thanks for the info.

---

In reply to Varis Babicevs (msg # 220):

Glad you had a good time - from what has been said on the news, the west cost of the US and Canada has been incredibly hot.

Fuse, how big is the building that Walek has been taken prisoner in? You've said single story but does it look like a single room or big enough to have a second entrance?

Ta,

Andy

It's a house, a small house.

In reply to Fusilier (msg # 224):

Ta.

Fuse, how close is the Humvee to the compound? Going by the map it looks to be around 500 metres or so? Are there any known and obvious obstacles between us and base if we try to get the wounded back on foot?

Yeah it's about that. No, from the previous drive over the road is basically clear.

Okay so, the time became split between the two groups, so it's later in the evening for the Humvee people vs those at the compound/vigilante situation.

If Czerny's group leaves now they will be back at the compound when Kessler radios in. And the timelines will be back as one. Otherwise the time difference will remain.

Let me know what the vigilante group plans to do, so Kolstrup can either says Grant is available or Grant is not available.
This message was last edited by the GM at 22:44, Thu 08 July 2021.

Kaminski owns a tow truck too.

In reply to Fusilier (msg # 228):

I'll post IC tomorrow but Jan's group will return to the compound, probably with Gustek and anyone else injured in tow so that Reggie can give them proper medical attention (he knows the compound will have light). If Reggie hasn't finished with his patients the new one will clearly take priority as a GSW.

I just noticed OOC msg #228. I went back and revised Per's IC post to reflect the time difference- i.e. assuming that Jan's team had returned already, and is ready to head back outside the wire.

@Fuse: When you get a chance, can you update Radios and Callsigns? The last update was in 2012!

-

There is a more recent list in the game Wiki, curtsey of Heffe: http://wiki.rpol.net/?id=30566/Callsigns

Tosh doesn't have a callsign as he doesn't have a radio. Tosh will probably do though, should it ever be relevant. <G>

Fuse - is there anything that Tosh can damage or smash as he's withdrawing, preferably something of value to the people in the house? Even something decorative like a wind charm. I don't think that there is but I thought that I would double check. He wants to vent his frustration at the tear in his trousers.....

Fire barrel can be tipped/spilled, same for a crude rain water barrel, couple potted soil items (probably for plants when in season) could be tipped or broken, and plywood nailed over door window could probably be busted out if something could be used like a hammer.

That's all that's seen at the last house.

Probably should point out that all three people covering at the Humvee are pointed in the same direction.

I adjusted IC.

I know I said at the time that we might need to park this until later, but the news about the IB in the latest turn post makes me wonder if there's perhaps some mileage in revisiting it as Woermann is pulling his troops out of the City. Essentially I'm wondering if Kessler and Fischer, both of whom have German Army rank, could try and recruit any stragglers that didn't get out of town with the main body over the next day or so IG.

It's definitely not a bad idea, but unless we can accomplish it over radio, I'm not sure we're going to have the time to make it happen. At least not for a bit. The way I see it, these are the priorities at the moment - let me know if I'm missing anything?

• Get Roland to Osprey and secure Osprey's support for Nowak and the FL.
• Look out for the East German terrorists - this includes making sure they don't attack the base to rescue their comrades/cause trouble, as well as making sure we don't alienate the other civvies on our island to the point that we make yet another enemy we don't need. It's probably safe to assume they are at least keeping an eye on us at best - at worst, they're actively planning an attack, or will attempt to capitalize on any openings against us.
• Look out for the Merchant League. They're the largest enemy of ours now in the city, and present a real threat. They know where we live, and what our capabilities are. After opening fire on us at the blockade, we're now a threat to them as well, and it's only a matter of time until they have to deal with us.

Thoughts?

Side bit...

What about temporarily pulling in the civies to our perimeter?

1) That will increase the numbers there and maybe make the place at least look less undefended.
2) They aren't obligated to but maybe 1-2 might be willing to actually be part of the defenses.
3) It means we don't have a vulnerability (the school) that we need to worry about for now.
4) It can free up 1-2 Mad Dogs and we need to be "out there" right now in force (not guarding a gate).

Also maybe a lower priority than what's been said above but throw in getting the Humvee fixed. If it was the unarmored one then it wouldn't be as much of a deal but it's our #2 most important vehicle.

What about putting NPCs on one of the high priorities? Roland is the lead negotiator for Osprey so we'd be riding backseat on that one either with PCs or NPCs/side PCs. I'm thinking Walsh and someone could do it while we focus on another main priority.

Yeah, I’d thought about bringing the civies inside the perimeter. Kessler doesn’t know about the shenanigans with the East Germans yet but when he finds out about it he’ll pretty much insist on giving them the chance to move into the rowing club temporarily until the situation is resolved (it will also give them some security if a civil war does break out. His sense of responsibility towards these people means he wont really entertain any objections from Kaminski (or anyone else for that matter).

Of course, if they don’t want to move in that’s another matter. If that turns out to be the case I was thinking that Walsh would probably volunteer to move in with them to give them at least a modicum of extra security.

Getting the Humvee fixed sounds like a plan. If necessary we can always take parts from the other one if we feel Lobo is the priority. AFAIK we have two competent NPC mechanics (Fischer and Andropov).

Agree that we need to look at getting Roland to Osprey ASAP but that’s going to mean moving at night now (while it might be safer to wait until daybreak, I’m not sure Nowak’s plans will allow us to wait that long). If we want to delegate that to NPC’s I’ve no objection to including Walsh in that group (I don’t have the time I used to have so am pretty much focusing on keeping Kessler active at the moment, hence why I also said Walsh could move in with the civies up post). Roland will need medical treatment as well.

Beyond that I’m not sure what our best course of action is, at least for the next twelve hours until Nowak makes her move. It seems to me like it’s dark and we might be about to come under attack from the Merchants or the East Germans (or both) so the sensible thing might be to hunker down for the night (with the exception of those taking part in Op ROLAND) and prep for a defensive action. If we’re not attacked that might not make for the most exciting game play, but if that’s the case I’m sure Fuse will move us on quickly enough and there will be plenty to do in the morning when the revolution starts…

I think we have to focus on what we can control. Right now, a lot of big events over which we have little to no influence are starting to get underway.

Things over which we have very little control or influence:
Nowak's "revolution"
The IB pulling up stakes and leaving
The activities of the Pine Tree Detachment*
"" the MU

Things over which we have more than a little control over:
Repairing the Humvee
First aid for Roland
Providing security for the civies at the school**

AFAIK, it's late at night/very early in the morning at the moment (IG). This is going to make liaising with the IB or moving civies or that sort of thing very difficult. By morning, there could be a civil war underway.

As a player, it's hard to sit back and watch major events transpire while feeling like nothing you do has any impact on events. I'm definitely feeling a lack of agency, at this point. That said, it's not at all unrealistic and sometimes you have to be content being the small fish in the big pond.

*We thought they might leave town after the raid on their safe house. The beheading/warning note suggests that they intend to stay put and continue ops in the city. If Nowak wasn't about to mount a coup, so to speak, I would say hunting them down should be our #1 priority. However, since a citywide upheaval seems imminently likely, I don't think we can pursue this track.

**The issue with this is that doing it well means we can't really do anything else around town. We're just spread too thin as it is.

All I know is that Varis will be happy to go to war v. the MU, and/or wipe out the PTD.

That wasn't helpful, but that's where I'm at right now.

-

I think my head is at the same place mostly. We should send Roland to Osprey with NPC assistance, probably in the 2nd Humvee, and possibly with Walsh? The rest of the PCs should probably garrison up at least until morning with heavy watch cycles. Maybe it's just me, but given the circumstances an attack feels somewhat imminent. It's either that or ... what? We go looking for the Pine Tree detachment when the ML could launch an attack at any moment? Or we could attack the ML and risk the PTD raiding Kaminski's/killing our civvies? Playing defense for a night or two, with all or almost all of our characters present and together for once, feels prudent.

Agreed with Per's assessment of doing what we have more control over!

Maybe start 'looking' into making arrangements about bringing some people in to help us bolster forces, even if non-combat roles for starters.  Shooters would be a nice addition since I think this area is going to get chaotic real soon.

Sorry for my lack of posting. I'm due to fly to Menorca on holiday on Saturday and in the current environment everything has gone a little crazy. Once I'm there I should be ok with posting but I'm juggling a vast amount of stuff at present. I have managed to post quickly for Jan in an attempt to round out the small patrol and place him with the Humvee should any of the patrol (essentially Varis) want to interact with it in any way. Sorry it isn't a fuller post. I'll wait for what I presume will be a briefing from Kessler as we're all now back at the compound and I'll then add in the info that the patrol discovered after that briefing.

Ta,

Andy

EDIT - I also haven't had a chance yet to read through the discussion here in the OOC thread but I will do so and add in my comments.
This message was last edited by the player at 06:30, Thu 15 July 2021.

I’m also swamped this week. I won’t manage a post tonight, will try and get something up tomorrow, day time work permitting.

Just checking which Humvee we plan to keep running?

Lobo is (I think) the up armoured one that has the M2 (and is currently missing a tyre)

Alpha is (I think) not up armoured and has an AGS 17.

I thought we were going to keep Lobo running but just double checking?

Also, I'm presuming everyone is happy for Roland to go with NPC's to see Osprey?

Note Kessler's post is done on the proviso that he doesn't know about earlier events at the school yet.

If we have to cannibalize one of the Humvees to keep the other running, I think we should try to keep the armored one operational.

-

Fuse, when you get a chance, would you mark the exact spot the headless corpse was found on the map?

EDIT: I've marked potential Pine Tree Detachment OPs on the map, numbered with 1 being most likely and 4 being least. All offer LOS to both the school and Kaminski's.

Once I know precisely where the body was dumped, I might have a better idea of where the suspected OP is. My IC plan is to have Per head up to the roof with his SIMRAD night scope and examine the suspected locations (just prior to, and while, Kessler heads over to the school).

-
This message was last edited by a game editor at 23:04, Tue 20 July 2021.

In reply to Varis Babicevs (msg # 249):

We've checked out the fire station at least once or twice, albeit not recently, and there's just not a ton there. With that said, Jose was already suspicious of the guy found trying to talk with Anna at the ice cream factory, so that would be his recommendation.

In reply to Jose Rodriguez (msg # 250):

Good idea. Could you mark the ice cream factory on the map, if it's not marked already?

-
This message was last updated by the player at 23:52, Tue 20 July 2021.

In reply to Per Kolstrup (msg # 251):

Got it. Pretty sure that's where we saw the random guy, and the place Fuse said was an ice cream factory.

Fuse, feel free to adjust my marker if I'm not remembering correctly.

In reply to Jose Rodriguez (msg # 252):

OK, thanks. I had marked that same building as PTD OP 2. Did that not show up on the map for you?

-

In reply to Per Kolstrup (msg # 253):

It did! Just wanted to raise that on the priority list in character. :)

In reply to Jose Rodriguez (msg # 254):

Roger.

-

Your marking for the ice cream factory is correct.

Speaking of maps, just a reminder that what you may see on Google doesn't mean it's there (or something may not be there anymore). As I mentioned before, Gdansk has changed a lot over the last few years. Some neighborhoods are unrecognizable from how they were when we first started playing.

Here are two satellite views of your neighborhood, the first is what's in the game's timeline (minus wartime destruction), and the other is how it is in real life today. Please take a look so you have a clearer picture of the game world.

https://i.ibb.co/Gx6ckYQ/gdansk-early.jpg
https://i.ibb.co/ysD0Rp7/gdansk-now.jpg

Sorry, I missed Ferro's question about interrogating Schleicher earlier so I added a paragraph to my post.

Sorry for my lack of posting. I'm abroad and the internet connection isn't as good as I was expecting. I'm back home late on 27th July but I'll try to catch up now.

Apologies.

Andy

In reply to Michael Kessler (msg # 257):

No prob. Thanks.

Just to help illustrate the upper portion of the athletic club again.

Sorry, I've been swamped this week. I'll get a post up tomorrow.

Turn is up.

Just to say that if I had had a decent internet connection on my holiday then Jan would have reported this to Kessler when he handed over the note. From the start I thought that Zdzisław probably had the better idea of what was going on but the immediate issue was to resolve the brewing fight that the other civilians had gotten into.

Fuse - are you happy that this was relayed by Jan to everyone or not?

---

Dave - with regards to the weapons and ammo check that Kessler has asked Jan to do, is that just what is in the armoury or is that a check of spare weapons amongst the Mad Dogs? Many of the PCs have several weapons so do you want those gathered up as well?

Ta,

Andy

I'd prefer not. I don't really like retconning things unless I've made a mistake, and in this case it would also have the effect of putting out Kessler for not acting. I realize you had shitty internet but I'd rather keep things as they are.
This message was last edited by the GM at 20:33, Thu 29 July 2021.

In reply to Jan Czerny (msg # 263):

Just what's in the armoury.

If any player has surplus weapons that they want to turn in to the armoury (which can then in turn be given to the people in the school) that's up to each individual.

In reply to Fusilier (msg # 264):

Ok, if that's your decision then I'll abide by it but I'll be honest with you and say that I don't think that it's a retcon and it will cause more problems going forwards by saying that it wasn't passed on than it will be ruling that it was passed on.

There hasn't really been an opportunity for Kessler to act on the information as it's just a vague report/suspicion but it would mean that he's prepared for the question and able to answer it now. Had I been able to post IC I don't think that the course of Kessler's actions would be noticeably different to what has occurred. If Dave disagrees with that then fair enough but that is my reading of the current situation.

Additionally by saying that Jan didn't pass on the information then we need to explain why Jan didn't do so when he obviously would have. It's been presumed (correctly) that he handed over the note and reported what the patrol discovered so why would he have left that detail out? It doesn't make any sense in the narrative. Kessler would also be quite correct to be furious with Jan for not passing on that particular piece of information and the reason that it happened is nothing to do with the actual story line so we have to invent one. I'm open to suggestions as to why Jan would choose to not pass on the information as I don't have any ideas why he would make a deliberate omission of something quite important like that.

I therefore think that it would make more sense with the continuity of the story to say that Jan passed on the information to Kessler. I'm happy to abide by your decision if you want to stick to it though.

In reply to Michael Kessler (msg # 265):

Thanks. Obviously you're aware as a player what weapons are in the stores but I'll post Jan reporting it to Kessler when there is an opportunity.

Does anyone have any spare weapons on their character sheets that they would like to "donate" to the civilians? Jan can add the following to the list:

Mosin-Nagant M-1944 Carbine with 12 rounds and one stripper clip.

Fuse - please can you add the following to Lobo's equipment as I'm removing them from Jan's character sheet.

Battery charger
Vehicle inverter

Ta,

Andy

In reply to Fusilier (msg # 256):

These satellite images really help with visualising the ground.

I've tried to take the correct one and mark the relevant buildings on it. Is the following correct?

In reply to Jan Czerny (msg # 266):

From my perspective I’m not particularly enthusiastic about proposing that something that didn't happen IC is presumed to have actually happened given that proposal will put the responsibility for a lack of IC follow up squarely on my character’s shoulders. I can’t really say what Kessler might or might not have done differently had the intel been passed on. At the very least I think it’s fair to say a report of people behaving strangely at the ice cream factory might have warranted a little more focus on the ice cream factory.

WRT the note and why it was presumed to have been passed along, I presumed that had been brought to Kessler’s attention because of Rae’s IC actions as Kolstrup. I waited a couple of days for you to post and when you didn’t I went ahead and posted on the basis that Czerny would have responded to a direct question about the note.

FWIW Kessler won’t go off on one on Czerny IC over it and I’ll do my best to wing some sort of waffle response that doesn’t point the finger at anyone.

Re the armoury, if you want to post an IC response that’s fine by me, but to be honest we’ve kind of moved on past that stage so I’m happy to just assume it was done (when you let us know you couldn’t post I had a look at the stores thread myself and have already posted IC on that basis. I must admit, I was surprised at how little spare small arms we had. I thought O’Brien alone was a walking arsenal).

Also to answer your question, I’ve nothing to donate. None of my characters have more than a single longarm and a single sidearm.

We used to have a lot more looted weapons but we've traded a lot of them away over the past IG month or so. We haven't had an opportunity to pick up more since the Warmia op.

Looks like it's time to pick another fight.

;)

-
This message was last edited by a game editor at 00:24, Fri 30 July 2021.

My thoughts as well...

In reply to Michael Kessler (msg # 270):

Fair enough if that's how you see it. From my perspective it's not a significant change as Kessler would now be able to say "I'm aware of that report and that's one reason why I've come here to find out more details from Zdzisław before we investigate further" rather than having to say "I haven't received that report". But he's your character so it's your decision.

I just find it rather frustrating as a player that Kessler (and by extension the Mad Dogs) are getting shit off an NPC about something due to my internet connection issues.

"I'm aware of that report and that's one reason why I've come here to find out more details from Zdzisław before we investigate further"

I don't actually think that would go down well either.

Re:guns. If we are really short Ferro will give up a MAT-49 she got way back in the Silesia era but has only been deadweight ever since. Then again, there are already 8 valid weapons in lockup. We don't need 1 per civilian. They already have a couple and some of them can't use a weapon. I think getting a number of what we need should probably be done first.

Agreed. I think what's being proposed effectively throws Kessler under the bus, but in any event Fuse has ruled on it so we should probably just move on.

As a matter of interest why do you think that that wouldn't go down well either?

The only information we have is this from Gustek (from post #152 of the current IC thread):

He then continues, "But it is also important that I tell you Zdzisław went looking for who did this... there." He points to the industrial ruins to the west, referring to the Calypso Ice Cream factory and fire station (among others). "Zdzisław say, he knows about strange people around there lately, and thinks what happen to Jakub more serious than what the canal people would do. And listen, Zdzisław is a good scout, even with the bad foot now, so I think he knows better than the other men."

Really?

I don't think that it throws Kessler under a bus at all. I think that it actually puts him in a stronger position becuase he's acting on the information. I think that leaving it as it is puts Kessler in a situation where he has to confirm that one of his Sergeants didn't pass on some information which then implies a lack of information sharing within the Mad Dogs. I see that as worse for Kessler and for the Mad Dogs as a whole.

We will just have to agree to disagree though and move on.

Ta,

Andy

In reply to Varis Babicevs (msg # 271):

Actually, I think we may have more weapons than we think we do.

This is the original haul from WA



Some of that was given to the people at KR.



It was suggested we give them the shotgun as well but I don't know if that was ever confirmed.

And these were traded with Sikora back in Gdansk



Which left a balance to go into stores as follows



As far as I know, none of those were subsequently traded, at least by doing a search of threads for G3 or MP5SD, so should be in the stores.

If they are there I'm not suggesting we hand over the M82 and the mortar obviously, but no reason they can't have the AK's and the pistols.

I've only included the weapons above - there's also a lot of stuff that doesn't go bang - OOC 20 Msg 827 has the full list

If a pistol is still needed, Hank has this in his pack;
- [1] Polish P-64 pistol (9mmM): [1.0 kg] [SS: 2 / RNG:10]
  [6] mags total [0.1 kg each]
    [Kept in pack w. {1} standard PACT holsters/Mag pouch {x2}]

In reply to Michael Kessler (msg # 278):

Thanks for noticing those missing weapons. I'm not sure how I overlooked putting in the mortar and those unique weapons from WA. The weapons have now been added.
This message was last edited by the GM at 04:04, Sun 01 Aug 2021.

Fuse,

I can't remember if I've asked this before but is it possible to clean and reuse latex gloves?

Ta,

Andy

In the players' world? I don't know. I would think boiling them would be the only way but that would also probably destroy the material or at the least make them weak and prone to breaking easy.

In reply to Fusilier (msg # 282):

OK - understood. That makes sense.

We need to get some soap and a nail brush so that in situations like treating Roland, Reggie can just scrub up rather than using up latex gloves as he's getting close to running out. God knows when we'll be able to go "shopping" though.......

Re Roland's request regarding pain relief, I'm not an expert on pain medication as a player but I was expecting "Pain Reliever, Strong" to make the recipient drowsy. Is that right? Would taking one impair Roland's mental capabilities?

In reply to Reggie Grant (msg # 284):

Yeah, you got it. It will reduce his awareness a little.

In reply to Fusilier (msg # 285):

Ta.

Tallies for going to compound/stay at school

To make it easier for your plan to arm people, I've also listed (known) pre-exiting weapons, and * indicates the person is probably too young for a weapon. Some will already have some weapons training but others not (check the bios).

Marysia
Natalia
Irena - *
Teresa
Julia
Halina
Gustek - Shotgun
Manio - Hand Grenade
Walek
Lucia - Pistol
Konrad - *

Radzim
Aneta
Grzegorz - Crossbow(?)
Jakub P - AKM
Klara
Zdzisław - Shotgun
Pawel - AKM

Wiola (currently on generator duty so not known)
This message was last edited by the GM at 22:21, Sun 01 Aug 2021.

Hey,

I moved the turn to just past 2000hrs so go from there.

I'm going to be on vacation for a week starting tomorrow. This will hopefully give everyone enough time to work out a plan based on what's transpired. I'll be available for OOC/PMs.
This message was last edited by the GM at 23:11, Sun 01 Aug 2021.

Just a quick FYI, I'm about to go overseas for three months (work, not pleasure) so things are a bit hectic at the moment. I'll try and get a post in today (unlikely) or tomorrow (more likely)

I fly on Friday, so will be offline for a bit over the weekend - I've been assured (twice) that the place I'll be staying has internet already set up, so all being well I should be able to pick up again Sunday / Monday.
This message was last edited by the player at 14:22, Wed 04 Aug 2021.

Sorry, I'm still up to my eyes and I fly in a couple of hours.

@Rae, if you want to have Kolstrup take whatever course of action you deem best re the man at the fire station feel free to presume Kessler will concur with Kolstrup's decision.

We also need to figure out what we're doing with Roland. I'm not sure though whether Kessler was intending on accompanying him or whether we can just send him with some NPCs.

It was proposed that Walsh take a party of NPC's to accompany Roland.

I tend to agree that Kessler actually should go - Nowak asked him to 'deliver' Osprey so delegating the task to Roland doesn't sit well with me in terms of how Kessler works - he'd feel honour bound to follow through on that (or at least make the attempt, i.e. go speak to Osprey. I know there's the argument that Kessler is now CO so needs to manage things at the camp but the counter to that is that there are two SNCO's - Fischer and Kolstrup - who should be able to step up (I know Fischer's status is somewhat 'grey' inasmuch as he's an NPC so putting him in a 'management' position puts an unfair workload on Fuse as it potentially requires the GM to make IC decisions so we need to look at that going forward - it's been suggested a couple of times that Fischer be seconded to Forest City as an 'advisor' but circumstances have always prevented it from coming to pass).

There's also the possibility that despite being assured (twice) that I have inernet access ready to go when I get to Dubai I won't know for sure if that is the case until I get there. I also don't know what my work schedule is going to be like, so from that perspective I think there's a case for Kessler going with Roland.

That's all I can say for now, I leave for the airport in 45 mins and I haven't finished packing yet. If I get a chance I'll check in again once I'm checked in and sitting in the lounge.

I think that Kessler plus a couple of others should escort Roland while Per leads a group to investigate the fire station. That makes the most sense to me. In terms of who goes where I would suggest that we wait until Dave is able to confirm that he has working internet before making a final decision but some initial assignments could be:

Escorting Roland:
Kessler
Varis
Tosh
Aleksandar

Investigating the Fire Station:
Per
Chris
Ferro
Hank
Jan
Jose
Reggie

This split allows Roland's escort to be handled off camera if Dave has internet issues. It's also presuming that Dave wants the commitment of playing Chris as well as Kessler and that Ferro wants to go to the Fire Station.

Everyone else can stay in the base with someone on the roof (Fischer?) observing the progress of Per's patrol.

What do you think?

Ta,

Andy

In reply to David 'Tosh' Lines (msg # 293):

Looks like a solid plan to me.

-

In reply to Per Kolstrup (msg # 294):

Hello from Doha.

I definitely do not want to play more than one character at the moment.

I like it as well

OK, I'm here and to my mild surprise the internet works just fine. That said, I'd reiterate what I said earlier, i.e at the moment (and for the foreseeable future I only have the free time to play one character, so going forward don't worry about trying to make sure he's included so that I'm not missing out.

Andy's plan looks fine, my only concern would be that it leaves very few Mad Dogs at the compound in the event that there's an attack on it - we don't just have to worry about the East Germans, there's also the Merchants. Most of the people staying aren't geared towards combat (other than Fischer, I think it would be Andropov, Marta, Anna, Krupp (I can't recall if he's still there) and Pike) so we'd be heavily reliant on the LOSA / our tenants to help to defend the base until the fire station team could return.

That being the case, I'll volunteer Walsh to stay stay behind. He can organise the tenants that have weapons and work with them if there's an attack. If you all still want him to go on the fire station op instead I don't have a problem with that but I stress Fuse would need to NPC him.

In reply to Michael Kessler (msg # 297):

Walsh staying makes sense.

Where do you want Kessler to go? With Roland as suggested or to the Fire Station?

Also your point about defending the compound is a good one so can we trim down the people going with Roland? If Aleksandar is driving do we need to send both Tosh and Varis as security? Can one of them stay at the compound to defend it should there be an attack?

In reply to David 'Tosh' Lines (msg # 298):

Kessler should go with Roland.

The challenge as I see it with compound security is one of player engagement/ GM workload. If any PC's stay behind then to my mind one of two things happens

1. Nothing happens at the compound. Any characters there are sidelined.

2. Something happens at the compound. Fuse is now having to manage three different scenes (the compound, the fire statuin, and Osprey) so his work load increases.

If we're leaving one person then most logical option to me would be for Aleksandr to stay behind, as that negates both of the above. Also, on an IC level Kessler would probably prefer that Ferro be his driver but I realise you're trying to split things up so that people have different PC's in different groups so I'm fine with whatever everyone wants to do.

Yea, I mentioned above that I was presuming that Ferro wanted to go to the Fire Station but if she wants to go with Kessler/Roland instead, then we can easily handle that. It's really a question of player preference.

I have no problem with Tosh being NPCd (the same way that you don't with Chris) so if we were to leave Tosh at the Compound then that wouldn't necessarily make that an active scene that increases Fuse's workload.

Presuming that Ferro wants to go with Kessler & Roland that could give us:

Escorting Roland:
Kessler
Varis
Ferro

Investigating the Fire Station:
Per
Hank
Jan
Jose
Reggie

Everyone else staying at the compound.

Rae - are you happy with the suggested assignments of your characters or would you prefer something else?

I suggested putting the Osprey thing as NPCs... so I'd rather have Ferro go with the Fire station.

Also the fire station is only a few hundred meters away. Is there really a need to keep it well stocked with bodies of we are that close? I would think we should beef up the raid group instead. I can't see it hurting.
This message was lightly edited by the player at 13:53, Sat 07 Aug 2021.

In reply to Ferro (msg # 301):

Well we could split like this:

Escorting Roland:
Kessler
Aleksandar
Pike
Walsh (as an NPC)

Investigating the Fire Station:
Per
Hank
Jan
Jose
Reggie
Ferro
Tosh
Varis

If we have someone like Fischer observing on the compound roof and also on the radio net then he can recall the fire station team if there is a threat to the compound.

How does that sound?

In reply to David 'Tosh' Lines (msg # 302):

Are we taking the BTR when we go see Osprey? (Pretty sure that was suggested)

If so I'd suggest

Kessler
Andropov (driver)
Aleks (gunner)
Walsh / Pike (general security/ look outs)
Roland

If we're not taking the BTR what's teh status of the damaged Humvee?