You're on your own - UK Edition?

[perardua]

Hi, long time lurker, first time poster!
I'm currently building up to running a T2K campaign over the summer, and having seen the high quality of thought and ideas floating around this site, I was wondering if anyone could offer up some plausible reasons for a small group of British troops to be stuck reasonably deep behind Soviet lines in Europe in a similar way to the classic 'Death of a Division' scenario. Ideally, they would be some distance from the happenings in Kalisz, and not any type of SF soldiers.

Cheers in advance!

[Legbreaker]

First thing that pops into my head is the old standard "escaped prisoners" scenario.
I've ran something like that a few times over the years with good results. Characters start out with nothing, just what they can scrounge from tehir prison and then attempt to escape. As they go along, they gather more equipment, but only what the GM allows (the odd rifle here, webbing there, perhaps a softskin vehicle with a few dozen litres of fuel left unguarded, etc.

[Webstral]

Welcome, perardua. We're always delighted when a lurker steps into the light.

Twilight: 2000 offers many opportunities for those looking for an exception to the rule. A group of British troops might have been attached to almost any formation of XI Corps. Given the events of July, 2000, many possibilities exist for a group to become separated from their parent unit.

Webstral

[Matt W]

I'd suggest a specialist unit. Player Characters are part of a UK team that was assigned to the US raid into Poland. Possibilities include something like

Intelligence Corps (linguists etcetera)

Logistics Specialists (Driver Railway) http://www.armyjobs.mod.uk/jobs/pages/JobDetail.aspx?armyjobid=RLC240/249+&category=

[StainlessSteelCynic]

I think it is the 2.2 timeline (but I'm not certain) that mentions NATO forces pushing deep into Czechoslovakia sometime in 1998 to try and cut enemy supply lines. And if I remember correctly, it makes mention of the NATO troops being British and at some point in 1999 they are told to consolidate their positions for the final push in 2000.

[perardua]

Lots of excellent suggestions, thanks! On a related note, does anyone have any information or suggestions on what the Berlin Brigade was up to during the Twilight War?

[General Pain]

...could be if:
The Party could be journalists or archeologists and stranded long behind enemy lines when the twilight fell....I like the prison story too though...
They could also be :

Working for Red Cross on an humanitarian mission
They could be russian officials trying to defect
They could be a bunch of priests on a religious journey
They could be working for a huge english company/corporation (BP fex...)
They could be astronauts that got stranded in sibir because of a solar storm when entering earths athmosphere
The could work for a circus and touring in Russia

....only your imagination sets the limits here ;)

[Rainbow Six]

Lots of excellent suggestions, thanks! On a related note, does anyone have any information or suggestions on what the Berlin Brigade was up to during the Twilight War?

Canon material is reasonably scarce on the Berlin Brigade. From memory I think there are a few references to British troops being involved in the fighting in Berlin in Dec 97 / Jan 97....the Survivor's Guide to the United Kingdom definitely refers to I British Corps linking up with the remnants of the Berlin Brigade at the start of January 1997. I think the SGUK also lists the Berlin Brigade in its British Army orbat for the start of 2001, when it's listed as having a strength of 100 men (or thereabouts). It doesn't mention any specific Battalions being attached to the Brigade.

My own take on the Berlin Brigade is that it would have fought to defend Berlin until relieved by I Corps in January 1997 as per canon. After that I went with the following (all of this is non canon):

1st Battalion, Light Infantry - suffered almost 90% casualties during the Battle of Berlin; survivors withdrawn to the UK and distributed amongst the 2nd and 3rd Battalions, Light Infantry. 1st Battalion removed from the order of battle and its colours placed into suspended animation until such times as it could be feformed from new recruits / recalled reservists etc (up to the individual GM if / when that happens).

1st Battalion, King's Regiment - suffered 60% casualties; survivors amalgamated with 5th/8th Battalion King's Regiment (TA) after British forces reached the Oder. In a nod to tradition, 5th/8th Battalion renumbered as 1st Battalion, King's Regiment shortly before Operation Advent Crown, meaning 1st Kings stays on the order of battle but 5th / 8th is removed. The new 1st Kings proves to be one of the toughest and most effective British formations during the Twilight War

1st Battalion, Duke of Wellington's Regiment - suffered 35% casualties. Assigned rear area security role in Germany for several months whilst it absorbs replacements. Returns to full strength in time to participate in Siege of Warsaw.

C Squadron, 14th / 20th King's Hussars - loses all of its Chieftains in first day of Battle of Berlin; survivors fight with Infantry Battalions until relieved by I Corps, at which point they rejoin parent Regiment.

Hope that helps....welcome to the boards...

[pmulcahy11b]

In ROTC, one of the instructors, SGM Mills, was part of the SFDB (Special Forces Detachment Berlin) in the late 1970s. He told us, without going into too much detail, that if the balloon went up, part of it would leave Berlin -- to go out into the East German countryside to raise partisan forces and cause general mischief.

[perardua]

Excellent! One of my semi-formed campaign plans revolved around the Berlin Brigade, and I think I shall be pitching it to my players along with the more traditional T2k campaign. The only stipulation they had was that they get to be British troops, which is fine by me, because I feel much more up to the task of running a British based campaign accurately than I do any other nationality!
I'd also like to share some advice with any of you have seen or plan to see Threads. Don't watch it during a thunderstorm. When lightning flashes through your window at the same time as the first nuclear strike, it rattles you just a little.

[Rainbow Six]

Peradua, you may have seen this site already, but if not you might want to check it out - it has good info on the British Army and RAF for T2K

http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~dheb/2300/Admin/Index6.htm

Cheers

[General Pain]

Peradua, you may have seen this site already, but if not you might want to check it out - it has good info on the British Army and RAF for T2K

http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~dheb/2300/Admin/Index6.htm

Cheers

Nice one rainbow....didn't know about it...

[perardua]

Peradua, you may have seen this site already, but if not you might want to check it out - it has good info on the British Army and RAF for T2K

http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~dheb/2300/Admin/Index6.htm



Thanks, I was aware of that site but had somehow completely forgotten about it!