Combat Action from my Play by Post

[Haven]

Hey guys.

One of things i love most about these forums is seeing other players/GMs campaign actions.

I'll lurk PBeM games as much as possible...

Short stories, play by play, whatever i love it...great for game ideas, hooks, NPCs etc.


So i thought i would share with you guys my 'Learn the rules' twilight 2013 combat action i had with my one PC who i GM in a Play by Post game.

Timeline i am using is here:

http://forum.juhlin.com/showthread.php?t=316

This is before the EMP burst over the East coast. After the Terrorist attacks on America has reached a level of 'insurgency'.

Enjoy!

Comments welcome!!!!!!!!! (but remember i am a civilian!)
----------------------------

[Haven]

<Catch up on timeline!>


Once I get the rules next week we'll play out a pre-turn combat to get the feel for the rules.

basically we'll play out an attack on your militia check point from some PMC/Terrorist forces.

This will happen between Sept (initial attacks) and Dec (before the nuke).

More to come when we have equipment lists and rules and character sheets


Oct 27th – 5:30pm Local

It’s a cold and wet and there are a thousand different places you’d rather be. It’s not raining per se its just sorta spitting at you. It’s enough to get you wet and miserable but not raining hard enough to cut visibility down more than about 300 yards. Everything you touch is covered in a thin layer of water making it a pain to try and find some place to sit. Still you think to yourself ‘It could be worse, it could be a lot worse’.

For the size of your check-point you’re fairly well equipped. There are 5 total men in your group including Sam (PC’s group member).

You group is currently the Canton Militia – Fifth group. You’re doubling up because technically you still live in Acworth and are a member of that militia as well. Acworth has more active duty police to pull from because on Sept 17th – Canton’s baptism into fire - a huge truck-bomb targeted a police memorial service of a local cop who’d died in the original Sept 11th attacks. Canton’s police force was decimated.

So it’s you, Sam, a Canton PD survivor named Sergeant Fitts (making this whole thing ‘legal’) and two other guys named Mark Hatfield and Jeff Latell.

Sam looks about the Same, has kept his clean shaven face, now 30 years old is still staying in shape with his morning workouts. He’s wearing some old BDU camouflage cargo pants from the 1990’s Army, some police surplus (see previous owner no longer needs them) boots. He’s got a black long sleeve shirt on with black body armor with yellow ‘POLICE’ stuck on the front and back. He is wearing a black UGA baseball hat with a simple G on the front.
He is carrying an AR-15 provided on loan by the Canton PD – with AGOC sight.

Sergeant Fitts is wearing black BDU’s with ‘SWAT’ body armor. He never actually mentioned weather or not he was ever on the Swat team. He has a black Kevlar helmet on with a riot visor on and its up keeping the rain out of his eyes.
He has a MP5 attached to a tactical sling.

Mark Hatfield is an older man in his mid to late 40’s. He has a bit of a girth around his mid section. Its hidden more or less by wearing cold weather Realtree print hunting overalls and jacket with matching Boots. He actually originally showed up with an orange hunting cap before Fitts ‘gently’ chided him about the merits of Terrorist’s vision as opposed to those of a deer. So now he has no hat soaking his salt and pepper hair and is holding on to his matching realtree synthetic stock Winchester 70 with x10 scope pouting a little. You wonder if he can actually shoot it. Fitts made him take an AR-15 too which he keeps slung over his shoulder.

Jeff Latell is wearing blue jeans and a mossy oak camo print hunting jacket. He is in his late thirties, fit, and has a purple Canes baseball hat. Surprisingly, though, you feel more comfortable with Latell than Hatfield since Latell brought his own civilian semi-auto M4 with EOTECH and fore-grip. If he wasn’t in the military he sure seems like it.

Fitts is ‘in-charge’ of this check point.
You’re holding an exit over I-75.
It is basically designed to be a filter before vehicles get to Canton’s main exit off Main Street.
The exit itself is closed. No one on I-75 is allowed to exit unless they have a local area resident permit. Otherwise they get waived on to Canton Main Street exit where they get ‘processed’. This check point is designed to take down anyone who appears to be a threat before they get to the main exit or at least provide early warning to Canton.

Four lanes are closed down to one. North bound traffic only. Anyone coming south is assumed to have been processed by the more northern exits. The radio is supposed to let you know if someone is coming south.

Sergeant Fitts’ Ford Explorer patrol car is parked in at a 45 degree angle across two of the 3 left lanes the rest are closed off by orange cones.

There are concrete barriers at the ends of the bridge that overpasses the highway blocking traffic on the overpass.

There is a white trailer positioned in the middle of the bridge acting as command center. It’s basically a place to park the radio, a generator, and a coffee machine.
On afternoons like today it is an occasional way to get out of the rain.

Signs tell vehicles to stop 100 yards out from the exit where the militia is supposed to have a chance to get binos on the vehicle. (Chkpnt 1) There is also an intercom system in place for further instructions if needed.

Once a traffic signal (wired up to the generator on the overpass) gives them the go ahead they pull up to a second point where Fitts, on street level, takes a peek at them and questions them before signaling them forward on down to Canton Main Street exit. (Chkpnt 2).

Lattell is also down on street level with Fitts.

You, Sam, and Hatfield are providing ‘overwatch’ and are in charge putting binos on the vehicles as they approach. You then radio to Fitts what you see before he gives them the ‘go’ or ‘no go’. There are make shift bunkers with sand bags and a tin roof to keep the rain somewhat off you.

This is your new part-time job. You still work at <PC’s current work> but since the attacks started almost every company has put their workers on an ‘as needed’, remote access, type work schedule as the economy slows down. You’ve chosen to take a part time job as a member of the militia wanting a chance to kill these fuckers that keep bombing our cities and towns.

Things have been pretty boring so far in your new part time job…..

What are you wearing and what weapon are you using.
You have the option of using a Police AR-15 with iron sights or any of your own weapons.

Map otw…..
blue lines = concrete barriers
yellow-green line on bridge = trailer
brown lines on bridge = sandbags
orange dots = orange cones
yellow line = Fitts' police car

Green dots = Canton Militia - Fifth group members

Fitts and Latell are green dots on the ground.

Rest of you are three dots on bridge. Pick which dot you want to be


First stop is at Fitts' car where you're supposed to bino them... then they move to up to Fitts and Latell after that.

Wearing:

If they've got Body armor available, I want to be wearing that.

Mossy Oak 3D Camo Fleece Top
Olive Wide Brimmed ("Boonie") Had
Black Cargo's / BDU's
Black North Face Hiking Boots
Shooting Gloves

Weapons:
AR15-M4 w/4x Scope and as many 30rd Mags as I can pack on me
7mm Mag Slung across my back (If that's allowed)
Side Arm - USP .40 Cal
Gerber Folder

As far as placement, I'd like to be the west-most position, closest to the south-bound lanes.

Any other information that you need for me for now?

You get some black body armor with 'POLICE"
You're carrying 6 30-round mags.


That's it for now.... mainly waiting on PDF download which they say will be avail this week.

Then we have to generate char sheets for everyone.

Then we learn the combat rules and test them out here on pre-turn 1.0

then we start the real thing....

[Haven]

So you’re working the 5pm - 10pm block of time tonight.

You settle in and grab a cup of coffee in the trailer. It’s black and slightly burned. There is no creamer or sugar available. You also grab your ‘POLICE’ body armor and put it on.

You half trot from the trailer to the furthest west ‘bunker’, trying to stay out of the rain. It’s basically a DOT concrete barrier that you’d normally see protecting road construction. That is laid up against the guardrail overlooking the highway below. Behind the concrete is sandbags piled 2 deep as high as the concrete. The sandbags also surround you 2 deep on either side of you. This gives you about a 10ft long flattened – flattened on the guardrail - semi-circle bunker. Overhead is some metal sheeting giving you about a 6 ft clearance. It’s enough to keep the rain off your head, but the pinging sound of the rain on the roof eventually gets annoying.

There are binoculars resting on the bunker waiting on you. They are roped to the bunker with ¼ inch steel cable, like a pen would be attached to the desk or clipboard at a doctor’s office. Apparently, the city of Canton trusts the militia enough to kill terrorists but not enough to not steal the binos. Also attached to a ¼ inch cable is a radio pre-tuned to the militia frequency, it’s basically just a walky-talky.

You take a look over to your left. Hatfield is in the middle bunker between you and Sam. Each of the bunkers are built the Same. They each have binos and a radio.
Hatfield is smoking a cigarette with his Winchester 70 deployed on its bipod and AR propped up next to it. He looks bored already. You catch a glimpse of him pouring something from a flask into his coffee.

You look past Hatfield at Sam. Sam is chewing on the end of a cigar. He’d probably be smoking it except they are so damn expensive now. He has the AR lying across the front of the bunker on its side in front of him – rocking and chomping down on the end of the cigar like a baseball manager.

All things considered you’re lucking out right now. Fitts and Latell are down on the street level standing up behind their concrete barriers getting rained on.
Both Latell and Fitts are standing at ‘parade rest’ with their hands resting on their weapons hanging off their tactical slings.

It’s pretty slow so far. Mainly small commuter cars with single passengers returning home from work. Fitts recognizes most of the cars from this morning. First they pull up to Fitts’ parked Ford Explorer police car with the back open and a traffic signal propped up on the back. Fitts has a cable running to the traffic signal where he changes it to ‘green’ if yall give him the go ahead after getting a look though the binos. Then they pull up to Fitts and Latell to get the final go ahead after a couple questions and quick inspection. About six cars have gone though over the course of an hour.

You check your watch, three more hours to go. It is starting to get dark and cold.

“Hey, buck up gentlemen. This is an unknown.” - crackles Fitts over the radio. You snap back to attention and take a look down your binos. At the edge of your visibility you see a plain white mini van approaching the checkpoint at about 300m out. It looks like a normal contractors van so far.

Bum bum bummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm….. =)


"Hatfield, get a bead on the driver with the rifle...Sam, grab your binos "

I wanna keep my rifle at the ready, but bring the Bino's up and watch the fan for anything suspicious; Anything moving in the back behind the driver's seat, anything odd laying on top of the dash, what the driver is wearing... anything that may stick out that something is fishy.

How fast is he approaching? Lights on? Any other vehicles on the road... south bound or north bound?

The van is approaching at about 40mph slowing up as it approaches the police SUV.

Lights on, which is sorta obscuring your vision of the cab.

So far its the only vehicles visible.

Sam cracks over the radio "Aight, on him." You hear him charge his AR15. Binos in his right hand peering at the van with his rifle in his left hand pointed up at a 45 degree angle ready to go. (OOC: damn lefty! almost forgot that detail)

Hatfield jerks awake(?) and shakes his head left and right real quick and then starts to settle in behind the scope of his rifle.
"Ro..*cough*.. Roger on it"

Sam and you both peer down your binos trying to see what you can behind the headlights.

<observation roll>

Sam’s observation roll:
<rolls and math stuff cut for story>
Obviously... since he needed a 2 or below.... he didn't get it.

James's Rolls….
<rolls and math stuff cut for story>
Margin of Sucess = 1.

With a Margin of Sucess of 1 - I'll give you a FEW details on the driver and passenger.

What you see:

2 men.
Age 20s to 30s.
Dark Hair on both.
Tan or dark skin.
Driver has a black beard about 2 inches long.
No visible weapons.

I want to relay the information via the radio:

"Two men visible, 20-30, dark skin, dark hair with 2inch beards, no visible weapons. Look alive.. we've got Incoming. I've got a draw on the passenger"

I want to put the bino's down and Bead-up on the Passenger.

Fitts comes on the radio,
"Good info. Stay on'um.
Sam and Hatfield make sure you keep a bead on the driver.
If they don't stop at the traffic signal next to the Police SUV. Shoot to kill.
Protect my ass down here."

You put down the Binos and grab your M4 and start lining up a shot on the Passenger.
You hear Sam chamber a round in his AR15.
Hatfield coughs a couple more times and settles on in on his rifle.


The Van approaches like normal and makes no erratic or sudden moves.

Fitts and Latell try and act normal but you can tell they are nervous.

The van approaches and slowly comes to a stop next to the Police SUV.

Fitts crackles back on the radio. "OK lets take a chance to get a good look at them. Anyone notice anything fishy let me know ASAP. I am gonn.... what the hell! We got people bailing out the back of the VAN!"

<roooooooooooooolllllllllllllll initative!>
Okay, give me OODA checks for initiative, and tell me what your total is. That's your base plus twice your margin of success... if you succeed.

Right now you are all Moderately Encumbered - aka Base initiative of 9


While you cannot be surprised their sudden movement means you're not surprising them either.

Base Initiative of 9 (Moderately Encumbered). Worst you can do.

Hatfield OODA - 3
Rolls: 19 and 3. Take the lowest. 3. Passes. But no MOS to improve his Initiative with.
Acts: 9

Latell OODA - 5
Rolls: 17 and 7. Fails both.
Acts: 9

Fitts OODA - 7
Rolls: 13 and 4. Passes with the 4. MoS of 3. Times 2 = 6. So.... 9(base) + 6 = 15.
Acts: 15

Sam OODA - 3
Rolls: 7 and 15. Fails both.
Acts: 9

Order of Initiative:

= Tick 17 =
Passenger
= Tick 15 =
Fitts
Passenger in Back of Van
Passenger in Back of Van
= Tick 11 =
Passenger in Back of Van
= Tick 9 =
Hatfield
Sam
James
Latell

Unfortunately... they had some good rolls.

Passenger of the Van throws open the door and jumps out (2 ticks) and sprints (can actually only trot due to encumbrance) from the Van and moves 8m to the East (5 ticks) and kneels in the ditch has his free action for moving.
(17 ticks - 2 - 5 = He goes again at tick 10)

Man #1 - Jumps out of the back of the van and runs (trots) 8m west to the Police SUV
He appears to be holding an AK variant (5 ticks)
(15 ticks - 5 = He goes again at tick 10)

Man #2 - Jumps out of the back of the van and runs (trots) 8m to the west behind the Police SUV. He appears to be holding an RPG.
(15 ticks - 5 = He goes again at tick 10)

Fitts takes seat/kneel behind the concrete barrier - currently his back to the van... MP5 just doesn't have the reach without some aiming.... (2 ticks)
(15 ticks - 2 = He goes again at tick 13)

Fitts:

back up with his MP5 now kneeling is gonna try to make a the reach.
Fitts fires off an Aimed Burst...

*brat-ak-ak-ak*! (hard to make the MP5 sound but you know it!)

... and sends 4 rounds down range towards the passenger on the East side who is kneeling in the ditch next to the highway.

<rolls and math stuff cut for story>
(Freaking fantastic rolls!)
<rolls and math stuff cut for story>

IN CHARACTER:
Fitts pops up behind the concrete barrier and props his MP5 over the edge of his cover and takes in and holds a quick breath before purposely squeezing the last pound of pressure needed to send 4 rounds down range.

The first round finds its mark center mass with a puff of dust on the dark-skinned man appearing about collar bone high and the second round hitting him in the right arm before popping in the right cheek. His head snaps back. He goes down with a scream falling backwards from his knelt position. The other two rounds skip off the ground near him.

So Fitts... burning 5 ticks for Aimed Automatic fire... goes again at 8.
(13 - 5) = 8

Passenger out of the back of the Van - AK Rifleman from now on.
Pops his head out from behind the Police Van and lets rip a long burst from his AK at Fitts.

’AK-47 Rifleman’

Burst shot at Fitts
<rolls and math stuff cut for story>

In character:
So Fitts catches a AK bullet (slight wound) graze wound on his left shoulder.

James:
Using a M4A1 Snap-shot against the target Kneeling in the ditch

<rolls and math stuff cut for story>

I'll let you do any in-character descriptions.. but basically, I *told* everyone I had the passenger! He got outa the van ran and kneeled in the ditch, and I put one thru his belly button. (Same target as Fitts with the MP5).

Sam

Takes an Aimed Shot at the driver.
<rolls and math stuff cut for story>

In character:
Sam breathes out, holds and pulls the trigger on his AR15. The bullet flies though the air smashes into the windshield, producing a nice spiderweb effect and slams into the drivers right lung.


Hatfield

Hunting rifle, bolt action .30-06 Dam:9 Pen:x2/x3 Rng:M/EX Cost:5/8/11

Hatfield is going to take a snapshot at the driver.

<rolls and math stuff cut for story>
Lower Abdomen (GM rules this a valid hit due to angle of attack from bridge)

In character:
Hatfield surprised at first keeps his cool and squeezes off a round and the driver as well.
*BOOM* the big bolt rifle rocks back and for an instant drowns out all other sounds.
The windshield further shattered takes another round though it and near collapses on its frame.
The driver of the van takes another round this time to his upper pelvis.

GM:
Now technically this happens the Same time as Sam, Hatfield and Latell.

Latell kneels down behind his concrete barrier.

The driver, with his passengers unloaded, slams on the gas of the van bearing down on Latell and Fitts.
First Sam' round punchs the windshield and rocks him back in the seat followed by the bigger .30-06 round from Hatfields big deer rifle.

<rolls and math stuff cut for story>

After about 25m the van vears to the right, the driver overcorrects to the left, causing the Van to fishtail out of control and tip over on its side. After sliding to a quick stop on it side, it lays there for half a second. *Crac-BOOOOOM* the van blows apart in an ear shattering explosion. A quick shudder ripples down your spine as you think about what might have happened if the van had made it under the bridge or next to Fitts and Latell.

All explosion related shrapnel safely bounces off everyone's cover.

Latell smartly uses 2 ticks to change stance to kneel behind the concrete barrier as the van explodes.

---------------------------------------------------
Current Ticks.

Driver n/a
Passenger n/a
RPG 6
RPK 6
AK 4

Sam 0
James 5
Hatfield 0
Latell 7
Fitts 8

Fitts is next to act.

<rolls and math stuff cut for story>

In character:

Fitts immediately after the explosion goes off pops up from behind his barrier and squeezes off another Aimed Burst.
This time at the man with the AK behind the Police SUV.
The man has his AK resting on the hood of the SUV.
Fitts’ first two bullets slam into the hood of the SUV with the next two catching the man in the left hand………….. taking it off.
You hear a scream and the man drops out of sight.

Latell

Aimed shot
<rolls and math stuff cut for story>

In character:
Latell pops up from behind the concrete barrier and shoots an aimed shot and the man peeking out from behind the back of the SUV.
The mans left arm, head, upper chest, and right hand are visible and unfortunately Latell’s shot goes low and strikes the SUV on its back left corner.
He adjusts for height and gets ready to take his next shot.

Tick 3

‘RPG guy’

<rolls and math stuff cut for story>
----------------------------------------
In character:
The man with the RPG slides around the front cab of the SUV aims and fires a snap shot at Latell.

*Phhissshhhooooooooooommm*

Latell who’s just fired a shot off at the Terrorist at the back of the van doesn’t see and react fast enough to the rocket to get back under cover and takes a RPG rocket to the head.
*bloOOOMMMPP*
Latell’s head vanishes in a gory red mist and his headless body, slack armed, slowly tumbles backwards away from the concrete barrier that was protecting him.

‘RPK guy’

Snap shot burst – at Hatfield

<rolls and math stuff cut for story>
Serious wound to Hatfield’s right forearm.
FIT Check – Pass… he doesn’t go into shock.

-----------------------

In character:
The man at the back of the SUV. Leans around the back of the SUV and fires off a long burst from his RPK at the center bunker on top of the bridge.
Which happens to be Hatfield’s bunker.

The tracers arc out and riddle the bunker with rounds poping off the concrete and sand bags.
*Thunk,thunk,thunk,thunk,SLAP!,thunk,thunk* a bullet slaps Hatfields right forearm. “ArrrgghhhhHHH!! I’m hit.”
He drops his rifle and crouches completely behind the bunker holding his right arm.


James:

I'm going to take a single Snap Shot at the Hostile with the RPK with Mag -1
<rolls and math stuff cut for story>

In character:
You hit the man with the RPK in the right shoulder and flay it open. He crumples to the ground a goes into shock.

[Haven]

Wrapping up:
The last Terrorist behind the Police SUV decides it’s not worth it and takes off towards the woods.

*Pop pop pop pop pop* - You all fire… someone got him. He goes down, lifeless.

A lull settles over the roadblock as you all come to grips with what just went down. It started and was over that quick.

You just killed 2 men and no one can touch you for it. You suddenly feel extremely tired as the adrenaline wares off.

Fitts walks out 50m to the Police SUV where there is some low moaning. You hear 3 additional single shots *pop pop pop*. There is no more moaning.

Sam comes on over the radio – “Going down to help Fitts with the bodies. Hatfield get your ass to the trailer and get some pressure on that arm. James switch over to the city band and let them know we need an two ambulances, one priority… the other *sigh*… tell them to send the other when they can… ”

Fitts and Sam police up the bodies.
The terrorist’s bodies are laid out in the ditch.
Latell’s body is covered with a tarp.

You see Sam has also managed to put all the Terrorist’s weapons in a pile over next to him as well.

--------------------------------------------

15 minutes later back on the bridge, an ambulance and 2 additional police squad cars show up.

Hatfield is escorted to the back of the ambulance and they drive off.

Fitts is holding a small mini-meeting with the two other cops that have showed up.

Sam comes up to you with all the weapons in a pile near his bunker. “Yo, we gotta take some of this with us.”

Fiits like he just heard what was said leaving his emeting and comes over to have a mini-meet with you and Sam.
“Good job guys.” He still looks a little shell shocked, and you can only imagine what it would be like to be standing next to Latell when his head vaporized. “Uhhh… look, I gotta take those weapons into police custody. And they’ve already called in CM-4 (Canton Militia – Group 4) to relieve us. So you guys get to take off a bit early”

Sam breaks in (I can just hear/see this in my head. As he looks down and brings his chin in a bit) “Uhhhhhhhh… look. Uhhhh… we uhhh.. we earned these weapons Fitts. I mean…. Uhhhh… I know this is probably against some protocol… but we just wasted these guys. Give us the weapons and we’ll bring um out to ever militia patrol from now on. I mean…. c’mon… we volunteer for this shit… give us at least some weapons to fight fire with fire. Besides half those weapons look beat to hell. We can take um and get um fixed up and ready to go next time. Just look the other way on this one”

<Persuasion roll>

After a second of Fitts staring in to Sam’s eye, lets out a sigh. “What weapons, right? I don’t know what you’re talking about. I am quite sure this won’t come back in bite me in the ass, right?
I need all the police issue stuff back though…. CM-4 is gonna need that.”

Here is what you get….

x3 AK47 – Wear of 3
x8 30rd Mags

x1 RPK – Wear of 4
x2 100 Drum Mags

520 rds of 7.62x39mm

x1 RPG-7 – Wear of 3
x4 RPG rockets

x1 AR15 (M4 style) w/ EOTECH and w/ Foregrip – Wear 6 (caught some RPG shrapnel)
x3 30rd Mags

59 rds of 5.56x45mm

How much of this do you want to take, and how much do you want to give to Sam?

Basically... what are you taking home... and what is Sam taking home?

No peeking at Turn 1.0!
GM retains veto power on everything!

I'd take:

1 AK-47 & 3 Full - Mags (I've got 7.62x39 at my house).. 150 Rds of loose 7.62x39

2 of the 30rds for AR-15/M16 and the EOTECH Scope (and try and fix it up if it's slightly damaged)

<roll 1d20.. less than 10 = RPG, more than 10 = RPK>

I'd take the RPG and Ammo.
That was no peaking.

End Pre-Turn 1.0

[Marc]

Good narration of the skirmish, Haven.
By the way. I've only played / refereed using v2.2 rules. What system have you used in this combat action? Seems quite deadly!

[Haven]

Twilight 2013 rules.



It was a little extra deadly this time because of a mis-interpretation of the rules.

But honestly with the rolls as they were i am not sure it would have made a difference.
It really seemed like the rolls were going to make this combat they way i would have liked to have told it.

Was half tempted to leave the rolls and math in ... but it made it too long.

Someone taking an RPG rocket to the head was .... well something i wouldn't have planned.

Poor bastard.