[kcdusk]

Geddes lay exhausted on the wet ground. He had evaded his pursuers, but in doing so had lost his backpack which contained much of his gear (including cold weather gear). And also, his next action was to asses where he was, because potentially he had become lost during his escape.

To know where he is, Geddes needs to pass a Navigation test, which requires a survival roll (Geddes is A+A). I rule Geddes has lost his map and compass with his backpack, so -2. I also assign a further -1 due to running wildly during the pursuit. This reduces his chances to B+C (or a D10+ D8).

Geddes rolls a 3 and a 2. So fail. Geddes is lost.

There is still a few hours of daylight left, and while he keeps moving Geddes will not feel the cold too much. But once night begins to settle, he can expect cold and frigid conditions with no protective gear.

Whilst definitely lost, Geddes keeps his head and is just able to work out where the sun is, and get an approximate feel for where North, East, West and South is. So he does have one simple choice available to him; which way does he want to go?

North would mean a 50/50 chance of crossing into a neutral country or into the enemy state. East would definitely lead directly into the enemy state. South would lead towards a safe option. West would be back towards where Geddes expects the front line to be, approach friendly lines but from the enemies side.
Geddes decides the fight has started, and he needs to be a part of it. So he chooses to head North. There is a chance this leads to a neutral state, and from there he can re-enter the fight. But there is also a chance it leads further behind enemy lines, where Geddes can make an impact.

With Geddes heading North I roll for a random encounter. I roll 3 of Spades = pack of wolves.

Geddes can hear howling wolves in the distance. Turning his head from side to side, he determines that they are behind him. Possibly tracking him? This is something he will need to monitor in the short term. Night time is approaching, which could be dangerous if the wolves are following.

With the sun setting, the final random encounter of the day has Geddes coming across a road, with a car load of locals driving dangerously fast. They are clearly panicked and in flight mode! Geddes looks down at his fatigues and FAL. Will they see him as part of the invading force? Or as a friendly?

Geddes decides not to take a chance, and ducks off the road into a drainage ditch. The vehicle blasts on by. Geddes rolls onto his back exhausted and thinks about all the gear he lost by dropping his backpack. It made sense then to help him evade capture, but now, it would make it more difficult to get through the night.

With no warm clothes no sleeping gear to help him through the cold night. I determine that Geddes must pass two survival rolls or suffer hypothermia. Geddes grew up sleeping and hunting outdoors which is represented by his Intelligence (A) and Survival (A) ratings. I assign -1 for the cold, -1 for no sleeping gear, and another -1 for extra difficulty. Geddes rolls D10+D8 and gets 8,4. So one success means while suffering through a cold night, he is OK for now. Second roll is also D10+D8 and is 4,2. So a fail.

Being hypothermic means Geddes suffers 1 point of damage and 1 point of stress. These are his first injuries!

Geddes makes it through to sunup. Hypothermia cannot be healed until you are able to get warm. Geddes intuitively knows he is in trouble, and at first light makes every effort to find a way to get warm. He rises slowly to his feet, and begins to walk. Almost anything Geddes comes across that attracts his attention will be considered if it has the potential to provide warmth.

I roll for a random encounter to start the day. (Also, I should have pushed that second hypothermia roll, I might have been able to avoid the impact. But this is a rule that is new to me, so I don’t always think of it in the moment).

The encounter I rolled didn’t make a lot of sense. While I was wondering how it might fit into my story, I heard a wolf howl …..

I decided to ignore the rolled encounter and instead use the howling wolves encounter from yesterday. This made more sense and I think is a good example of how to join encounters together to make a larger story.

A wolf has been tracking Geddes. The carload of people late yesterday may have given them pause, or made they shy away. But overnight they have picked up Geddes sent and they have come together this morning.

Geddes makes a recon roll (keeping watch). D12+D12. The roll is 2,5. So Geddes fails to see or hear the wolf approach. Stats for animals, including wolf, are on page 38 of the Referees Manual.

The wolf wishes to ambush Geddes, so is stalking him. This is resolved via opposed Recon rolls.

Wolf: Intelligence D and Recon A. So D12+D6. No terrain modifiers. No darkness modifiers. The wolf wants to advance into Geddes hex, so -2 to the recon roll reduces the D12 to a D8, plus the remaining D6.

Geddes is D12+D12.

The rolls are; Wolf 4,1. Both Fail.

The rolls are; Geddes 9,9. Two success. Therefore Geddes sees the wolf approaching him.

Range to the wolf is 110m (11 hexs).

Geddes is cold, weak and knows he is vulnerable when he first sees the wolf. Internally he’d love to let it go, he has no desire to shoot any animal. But realising the wolf sees him as weak and therefore prey, Geddes understands he must act. Then it hits him. The first Star Wars movie, when Luke Skywalker crawls into a Tauntaun. Geddes doesn’t just need to kill the wolf to keep from being eaten, he needs to kill the wolf to stay alive himself!

Geddes touches his holstered 45 colt, thinks better of it, then makes his FAL ready. Lining the shot up, Geddes knows the first shot is likely to startle the wolf and make him run. Normally frightening the wolf off would be enough to stay safe. But Geddes needs the warm, dead body for himself.

Geddes ranged combat is A+A.

-1 medium range
-1 small target (feels right)
-1 shrub land modifier

Final roll is B+C or D10+D8.

Roll result is 9,6. Hit with two successes. FAL damage is 3 +1 for the extra hit, so 4. The wolf goes down, Geddes lowers his head, but understands this will be a bloody way to get warm.