101 Things Found on a Battlefield

[ChalkLine]

1 - Trenches
2 - Burnt out vehicles
3 - Razor wire
4 - Shell holes (from 'small' to 'what in hell made that?!')
5 - Skeletons
6 - Used medical waste from injury treatment
7 - Bunkers; sandbag or concrete
8 - Crashed chopper

[StainlessSteelCynic]

9 - discarded smallarms
10- unused ammunition belt (for machineguns)
11- unused ration pack
12 - discarded parachute
13 - pallet for airdropped supplies
14 - stockpile of jerrycans
15 - forgotten backpack/rucksack
16 - coils of comms wire
17 - deployed bridge from AVLB
18 - civilian vehicle
19 - discarded helmet
20 - unexploded ordnance

[ChalkLine]

21 - booby traps
22 - Spent missile casings
23 - Wire guided missile wire draped over the terrain

[unkated]

24 - empty, dropped, assault rifle magazines
25 - full, dropped, assault rifle magazines
26 - deserted med station - 2-4 (bloodied) stretchers on stands, empty plastic containers; small chance of dropped small pack of pain-killers or anti-biotics.
27 - deserted MG position, with intact MG
28 - empty mortar position
29 - single, intact tire (Truck or Hummer/other recon)
30 - length of broken vehicle (tank or tracked IFV) track
31 - dead, disembowled cow
32 - pack of wild dogs
33 - murder* of crows



*flock; could be other carrion birds

[StainlessSteelCynic]

34 - shellshocked survivor (hiding in a trench, shellhole etc. etc.)
35 - a pack of scavengers looting the field for anything useful.

[Draq]

33: cigarette butts
32: latrine holes(buried and open)
31: random dismembered body part/unidentifiable bits of human anatomy
30: graffiti
29: a stash of cassette tapes with player(music junkie's collection, carefully collected and cared for, now abandon. His body is probably near by)
28: a line of executed civilians/soldiers
27: photos of loved ones/letters from home

[WallShadow]

28. Spare MG barrel (possibly burned out)
29. Religious medal on cord/chain or rosary.
30. A single glove.
31. Small arms cleaning kit parts (rod/oiler/etc.)
32. Bird's nest in toppled tree, with eggs.

[Silent Hunter UK]

48. A discarded novel
49. A pre-war fashion magazine
50. A pre-war porn magazine
51. A book of poetry

[ChalkLine]

52 - Large, well marked minefield
53 - Massive cemetery holding all sides of the conflict
54 - Temporary road signs
55 - Warning signs ('Booby Traps!' or 'Sniper on ridge, keep your head DOWN!'
56 - A circle of civilian furniture around a fire

[ArmySGT.]

57 lost canteen
58 Map of the region with unexplained symbols.
59 mechanics tool box with civilians tools
60 key ring with grenade pins from both NATO and Warsaw Pact.
61 diaper bag with cloth diapers, pins, ointment and baby powder
62 Metal thermos for coffee or tea
63 Entrenching tool without case.
64 Linking machine for Soviet non disintegrating MG belts
65 5kg of iodized pickling salt and spices for preserving vegetables.

[CDAT]

52 - Large, well marked minefield


66 - Or even worse any size poorly/unmarked minefield.

[ChalkLine]

66 - Or even worse any size poorly/unmarked minefield.

Unmarked minefields I make as a plot device. Having unmarked mines everywhere spoils a game quickly

[StainlessSteelCynic]

67 - a civilian motorbike/car/truck in working condition, the engine is still running, it's as if it was hurriedly abandoned minutes earlier.
68 - a circle of dead dogs, laid nose to tail (I actually encountered this in an online game, no explanation was ever given for the circle, it was just one of those weird things you encountered and were left to wonder about).

[Draq]

(I actually encountered this in an online game, no explanation was ever given for the circle, it was just one of those weird things you encountered and were left to wonder about).

More of these kinds of things.

[Silent Hunter UK]

Unmarked minefields I make as a plot device. Having unmarked mines everywhere spoils a game quickly

A poorly marked minefield with an array of dead cattle in it.

[rcaf_777]

68 military Tire
69 Tank Tread
70 Compass
71 MRE Hot Sauce Bottle (I found loads of them on the US Army training bases I have visited)
72 Radio Battery new or used
73 Dead Car Battery
74 Batteries new or used
75 English to Polish dictionary
76 Camouflage Netting
77 Pole for Camouflage Net
78 Glass Bottle
79 Glass Jar
80 Empty Ammo Crate

[rcaf_777]

6 - Used medical waste from injury treatment

Used? as opposed to new medical waste?

[ArmySGT.]

80 blackened and dented metal tea kettle
81 East German Officer uniform with empty holster beside an open and strewn about suitcase of polish clothing.
82 Trench dugout with trash and old cigarette butts.
83 Russian donkey ears trench binoculars knocked down in the mud.
84 1d100 Free city of Krakow ration chits.
85 courier dispatch bag with papers for the evacuation of ......
86 Polish field phone....still wired in.
87 Polish civilians huddled in a drainage culvert. |
88 Engineers inflatable infiltration raft
89 bundle of 100 OD sand bags
90 bag of looted medications

[rcaf_777]

Eight more to go

[jimbo4795]

abandoned antenna farm.

broken military switchboard.

[StainlessSteelCynic]

These are all meant to be scenes to make the Players wonder. They have no answer to their mystery and they have no connection to the adventure unless of course you choose to incorporate them into your scenario.


A macabre scene of two recently dead enemy soldiers in a shellhole, arranged as though they are playing poker for empty bottles of booze (the bottles have traces of alcohol in them and they still smell of some rotgut whisky). The bodies are propped up with sticks. Their uniforms are dirty and torn and they have no usable equipment except the pack of cards.

A collection (2d10+2) of boots. They're in a range of sizes and all in usable condition except that they are all for the left foot (or the right foot, if you will).

A NATO Kevlar helmet with scraps of hair and large splotches of blood. Nothing particularly unusual except that the helmet has been cut into two halves and what you're looking at is the right side half.

A crashed military light truck/jeep. There's bloodstains on the seats but the most interesting thing is that there are several circular saw blades embedded deep into the bodywork, doors and the windscreen. It's as though they were launched from some device. Some of them have penetrated through the doors and could have injured the person sitting next to that door.
(If you want to give the Players a clue, I imagined this scenario as one where the attackers had built themselves a ballista or three that could fire the sawblades. One ballista may have been damaged and left behind and can be found nearby in a typical ambush position, with about a dozen unused sawblades piled next to it).

EDIT: I meant to say as well, that these are in response to Draq's request for some more of the "stranger" things to encounter.

[rcaf_777]

1. Trenches
2. Burnt Out Vehicle
3. Length of Razor Wire
4. Shell Hole
5. Skeletons
6. Used Medical Waste From Injury Treatment
7. Bunkers; Sandbag Or Concrete
8. Crashed Chopper
9. Discarded Small arms
10. Unused Ammunition Belt (For Machineguns)
11. Unused Ration Pack
12. Discarded Parachute
13. Pallet For Airdropped Supplies
14. Stockpile Of Jerry cans
15. Forgotten Backpack/Rucksack
16. Coils Of Comms Wire
17. Deployed Bridge from an AVLB
18. Civilian Vehicle
19. Discarded Helmet
20. Unexploded Ordnance
21. Booby Traps
22. Spent Missile Casings
23. Wire Guided Missile Wire Draped Over The Terrain
24. Empty, Dropped, Assault Rifle Magazines
25. Full, Dropped, Assault Rifle Magazines
26. Deserted Medical Aid Station, Bloodied Stretchers and a few Empty Plastic Containers
27. Deserted Machinegun Position, With working Machinegun
28. Empty Mortar Position
29. Single, Intact Tire (Truck Or Hummer/Other Recon)
30. Dead, Disembowelled Cow
31. Pack Of Wild Dogs
32. Murder Of Crows
33. Shell-shocked Survivor
34. A Pack Of Scavengers Looting The Field For Anything Useful
35. Cigarette Butts
36. Latrine Holes(Buried And Open)
37. Random Dismembered Body Part
38. Graffiti
39. Stash Of Cassette Tapes With Player(Music Junkie's Collection)
40. A Line Of Executed Civilians/Soldiers
41. Photos Of Loved Ones/Letters From Home
42. Spare Mg Barrel (Possibly Burned Out)
43. Religious Medal on Cord/Chain or Rosary.
44. A Single Glove
45. Small Arms Cleaning Kit Parts
46. Bird's Nest in Toppled Tree, With Eggs.
47. A Discarded Novel
48. A Pre-War Fashion Magazine
49. A Pre-War Porn Magazine
50. A Book Of Poetry
51. Large, Well Marked Minefield
52. Massive Cemetery Holding All Sides Of The Conflict
53. Temporary Road Signs
54. Warning Signs ('Booby Traps!' Or 'Sniper On Ridge, Keep Your Head Down!'
55. A Circle Of Civilian Furniture Around A Fire
56. Lost Canteen
57. Map of the Region with Unexplained Symbols.
58. Mechanics Tool Box With Civilian’s Tools
59. Key Ring with Grenade Pins from both NATO and Warsaw Pact.
60. Diaper Bag With Cloth Diapers, Pins, Ointment And Baby Powder
61. Metal Thermos For Coffee Or Tea
62. Entrenching Tool without Case.
63. Linking Machine For Soviet Non Disintegrating Mg Belts
64. 5 kg of Iodized Pickling Salt and Spices for Preserving Vegetables.
65. A Poorly Minefield.
66. Civilian Motorbike In Working Condition
67. Civilian Car In Working Condition (Used as an officer Staff Car)
68. Civilian Truck In Working Condition,
69. Circle Of Dead Dogs, Laid Nose To Tail
70. One Military Tire
71. Length of Tank Tread
72. Tank Tread Pad
73. Compass
74. MRE Hot Sauce Bottle
75. Radio Battery New Or Used
76. Dead Car Battery
77. Batteries New Or Used
78. Radio Battery
79. English To Polish Dictionary
80. Camouflage Netting
81. Pole For Camouflage Net
82. Glass Bottle
83. Glass Jar
84. Empty Ammo Crate
85. Blackened And Dented Metal Tea Kettle
86. East German Officer Uniform With Empty Holster
87. Trench Dugout with Trash and Old Cigarette Butts.
88. Russian Donkey Ears Trench Binoculars
89. 1d100 Free City Of Krakow Ration Chits
90. Courier Dispatch Bag with Papers for the Evacuation Of?
91. Polish Field Phone
92. Polish Civilians Huddled In A Drainage Culvert. |
93. Engineers Inflatable Infiltration Raft
94. Bundle Of 100 Olive Drab Sand Bags
95. Bag Of Looted Medications
96. Abandoned Radio Antenna Farm
97. Broken Military Switchboard
98. Small Wooden Box
99. Watch
100. Pack of Playing Cards
101.

[Draq]

These are all meant to be scenes to make the Players wonder. They have no answer to their mystery and they have no connection to the adventure unless of course you choose to incorporate them into your scenario.


A macabre scene of two recently dead enemy soldiers in a shellhole, arranged as though they are playing poker for empty bottles of booze (the bottles have traces of alcohol in them and they still smell of some rotgut whisky). The bodies are propped up with sticks. Their uniforms are dirty and torn and they have no usable equipment except the pack of cards.

A collection (2d10+2) of boots. They're in a range of sizes and all in usable condition except that they are all for the left foot (or the right foot, if you will).

A NATO Kevlar helmet with scraps of hair and large splotches of blood. Nothing particularly unusual except that the helmet has been cut into two halves and what you're looking at is the right side half.

A crashed military light truck/jeep. There's bloodstains on the seats but the most interesting thing is that there are several circular saw blades embedded deep into the bodywork, doors and the windscreen. It's as though they were launched from some device. Some of them have penetrated through the doors and could have injured the person sitting next to that door.
(If you want to give the Players a clue, I imagined this scenario as one where the attackers had built themselves a ballista or three that could fire the sawblades. One ballista may have been damaged and left behind and can be found nearby in a typical ambush position, with about a dozen unused sawblades piled next to it).

EDIT: I meant to say as well, that these are in response to Draq's request for some more of the "stranger" things to encounter.

Ooh yes thank you. You come across these kind of unexplained things in video games if you look around enough and I find it adds a pleasant mix of fear, confusion and curiosity

[Silent Hunter UK]

This should so be a PDF.

[StainlessSteelCynic]

1. Not a weird encounter but something a little unusual.
When the PCs investigate, the find a small collection of "drip" rifles (AKA "pop-off" rifles or more aptly, the "ghost" or "phantom" rifle) in various defensive positions.
The rifles can be any sort from combat to civilian rifles and may be set to fire single or auto (the small number of ejected shells from self loading rifles indicates that the bursts where small, 3-5 rounds only).

The "drip" rifle is a device that allows the rifle to self-fire. First used by Australian forces during the evacuation from Gallipoli, it consists of the rifle and a pair of tins (or any suitable collection device like canteen mugs etc. etc.) arranged one above the other. The rifle is typically held in place by sandbags or a wooden frame.
The lower tin has a line connected to the trigger and the upper tin has sand or water that has been allowed to drip into the lower tin.
When the lower tin gained enough weight, it would pull the trigger and thus give the impression that someone was still in the trench taking shots at the enemy.

Personally, I like the feel that would be created by calling these devices "ghost" or "phantom" rifles
For some more information on the drip-rifle, the following links give some history and some images to better illustrate the concept: -
https://www.awm.gov.au/articles/encyclopedia/gallipoli/drip_rifle
https://flicense.blogspot.com.au/2014/06/drip-rifle-or-pop-off-rifle-ww1.html
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-12-21/william-scurry-honoured-for-ww1-drip-rifle-invention/7046570
https://subtletv.com/baakaDk/Drip_Rifle_Weird_Weapons


2. And another that is slightly weird, that I recall from somewhere (a movie I think)...

A small stand of trees survives unscathed by the battle. When the PCs approach the trees the only notable thing is a breeze blowing through the area... and the noise.
There's a weird, sort of moaning, sound coming from the direction of the trees. It sounds like something you would encounter in a horror movie. There's no melody or rhythym to the noise other than the "moaning" quality.

When (or if) the PCs investigate they find that someone has placed several lengths and sizes of PVC pipe in the trees. They have cut them and arranged them like a giant set of pan pipes and placed them into position so that they will catch the wind and emit the strange sound the PCs heard.


3. Last one, inspired by Isla de las Munecas (the Island of the Dolls) in Mexico.
http://www.isladelasmunecas.com/

Someone has spent a great deal of time collecting and hanging dogtags from a tree on the battlefield. There are so many dogtags that it's doubtful they are from soldiers killed on this particular battlefield. There are so many of them that when the wind blows, the dogtags act like a windchime.

For some variety and to increase the weirdness factor, instead of dogtags (which are somewhat understandable, perhaps the person was creating a memorial for example), someone has tied chess pieces to the branches of the tree. There are hundreds of them made from plastic, wood and even metal or stone but they are all pieces used in chess.
Of course you could just go into "creepy" territory and have the tree festoned with dolls or stick figures (like in the first Blair Witch movie).

[Draq]

An alternative is to throw all you're ruined/non standard ammo on a fire with alot of leaves/green branches. Creates a thick smoke and a timed 'simulation' of gunfire. Used for distractions/diversions.

[unkated]

1. An old leather shoulder bag - an officer's case from a previous generation - no one makes these things of leather for field use any more. It's heavy if you pick it up.

It contains a 1 kg. bar of gold, stamped with an eagle over a swastika, and a (random) 8-digit number.


2. A set of 8-12 test tubes on stands on the ground. Some have dried out stuff in different colors in them.

Uncle Ted

[StainlessSteelCynic]

1. An old leather shoulder bag - an officer's case from a previous generation - no one makes these things of leather for field use any more. It's heavy if you pick it up.

It contains a 1 kg. bar of gold, stamped with an eagle over a swastika, and a (random) 8-digit number.


2. A set of 8-12 test tubes on stands on the ground. Some have dried out stuff in different colors in them.

Uncle Ted
Nice! :)
I really like these because of that "What the... ?" factor, particularly the test tubes. There's nothing quite like something completely random but hinting of danger, to make the players paranoid!

[ArmySGT.]

This should so be a PDF.



4098

[Apache6]

A baby and/or small child
A kitten or puppy
A bag of silver coins
A women who has been held as a slave
A box of fine china (looted from a house)
Unexploded 500 lb bomb
RPG round that was fired with the nose fuse cover on
A historic weapon of some time (matchlock musket for example)

[Apache6]

A baby and/or small child
A kitten or puppy
A bag of silver coins
A women who has been held as a slave
A box of fine china (looted from a house)
Unexploded 500 lb bomb
RPG round that was fired with the nose fuse cover on
A historic weapon of some time (matchlock musket for example)
The code book for the Soviet radio networks

[pmulcahy11b]

Catholes, urine patches (or the smell left over, if catholes are not used, or doo-doo left over if catholes are not used), and slit trenches, whether covered over or not. If you know what to look for, you can track an enemiy's movement with them.

[StainlessSteelCynic]

Another weird one.


The PCs find a doorframe, complete with door. It's been erected in a small stand of trees and doesn't appear to have been part of any sort of building. It's as if someone just set up the door for no reason other than to mess with people's heads.


(Inspired by the claims of people finding staircases in the middle of woods in the USA. The staircases allegedly cause people to lose sense of time or sense of hearing.)

[WallShadow]

Another weird one.


The PCs find a doorframe, complete with door. It's been erected in a small stand of trees and doesn't appear to have been part of any sort of building. It's as if someone just set up the door for no reason other than to mess with people's heads.

Also a good way of sizing up a group as they mull over the anomaly. And if one knows the range to the door, and it's pre-registered, it makes it easier to dispose of potential problems at a distance.

[StainlessSteelCynic]

And if one knows the range to the door, and it's pre-registered, it makes it easier to dispose of potential problems at a distance.
:D

Any obstacle should be covered by observation and fire... :camper:

[swaghauler]

Since we're adding to the list, here's a couple of more:

1. A lighter with enough fluid for 1D10 more ignitions.
2. A pack of Marlboro Reds with 1D10 cigarettes in it.
3. A laundry cord tied between two trees with a single sock laying below it.
4. An empty & damaged chicken or rabbit cage and a broken butcher knife.
5. A torn tarp, 20ft length of 3/8" chain (10K # load rating), wooden dunnage, and a ratchet binder unceremoniously dumped in a heap next to a bush.
6. A small steel flask that is now empty but smells like vodka or bourbon.
7. Two dead D-Cell batteries.
8. A garrison cap with a BIG bloody hole through it.
9. A shredded Super-Single off a 5-Ton truck.
10. A used glow stick.

[StainlessSteelCynic]

9. A shredded Super-Single off a 5-Ton truck.

I had to check what a Super-Single is :p
Now that I know it's a type of tyre I understand No.9 :D

[unkated]

Since we're adding to the list, here's a couple of more:

2. A pack of Marlboro Reds with 1D10 cigarettes in it.


For extra, punch, it could be a pack of cigarettes that has no business being there, like...


A pack of Gaulois in a pack of the woods of Poland.
A pack of harsh Turkish cigarettes in an Alabama field.
A meerschaum pipe, still smoking and warm on a path through an African jungle.
A Cuban cigar on a chilly Alaskan beach.


Uncle Ted

[rcaf_777]

A wooden platform found up in the tree's (used for artillery observation)

[StainlessSteelCynic]

Inspired by rcaf_777 mention of observation posts.

A civilian light truck, used for electrical line maintenance. Has a cherry-picker (AKA aerial work platform, elevating work platform) that's been modified with some armour protection. Vehicle was parked behind some suitable protection such as a hill, berm or even a wrecked armoured vehicle. The platform itself has some spent bullet casings on its floor, along with some bloodstains.

Something "borrowed" from a museum and placed on the battlefield, a World War One fake tree.
These were used as observation posts in No Mans Land but also as sniper posts.
Check the following links for information but more importantly, for some images: -
http://blogs.iwm.org.uk/transforming-iwm-london/2014/01/the-british-camouflage-tree/
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/fake-spy-trees-WWI-180962179/
http://www.eastsussexww1.org.uk/camouflage-trees/
https://historywithatwist.wordpress.com/2013/03/05/the-killer-trees-of-world-war-one/
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2274260/The-Armys-special-branch-How-bizarre-fake-spy-trees-appeared-mans-land-WWI.html#axzz2K8hz8ZgZ

[pmulcahy11b]

A wooden platform found up in the tree's (used for artillery observation)

I don't know about other countries' armies, but in the US Army, use of these sort of platforms in trees is discouraged. As one of my Platoon Leaders, 2LT Brian Earl, said, "They are good die-in-place spots."

[ChalkLine]

I don't know about other countries' armies, but in the US Army, use of these sort of platforms in trees is discouraged. As one of my Platoon Leaders, 2LT Brian Earl, said, "They are good die-in-place spots."

There a picture in WW2 of an Australian soldier with a bren gun literally chopping a palm tree to bits to deal with a sniper.
Not much maneuverability when you're stuck up in a tree

[Targan]

There a picture in WW2 of an Australian soldier with a bren gun literally chopping a palm tree to bits to deal with a sniper.
Not much maneuverability when you're stuck up in a tree

The Japanese had a very different mindset though. They'd leave stay-behind guys literally roped into the tree tops. They weren't expected to survive very long, just take out a bunch of the enemy before death.

[pmulcahy11b]

The Japanese had a very different mindset though. They'd leave stay-behind guys literally roped into the tree tops. They weren't expected to survive very long, just take out a bunch of the enemy before death.

The Viet Cong had an "elite" group during the Vietnam War, called "Death Commandos." It's members were chained to trees in the face of an unstoppable US advance or to cover a withdrawal, and they were given hoards of ammo and usually a high-ROF, decent caliber weapon like an RPD, and just kept firing at any enemy troops they could see and kill as many of them as possible before they were killed. They were effective, but there were never many of them (I guess the VC were not insane either).

[mcchordsage]

All my 1960s work has got me casting back a few decades, but one of the scenarios I've been working on involves unexploded M55 rockets...

https://fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/land/m55.htm
http://ye-old-stompin-ground.com/places/places/forts/leonardwood/outside/album/slides/Multiple%20Rocket%20Launcher.html