Black Siberia POW Camp from Challenge

[Matt Wiser]

Anyone here use the POW Camp from Challenge Magazine, the one called Black Siberia? We in our T2K group at CSU Fresno did, in between Black Madonna and Krakow. A well-placed rumor about a POW camp near the Czech Border took us to a village, where raiders had kidnapped a number of townsfolk, and a reward was being offered. We dealt with a raiding party ourselves-they tried to hit our laager at night, and the two survivors were interrogated as to who, where, and how many. A Trojan Horse mission with our T-72, UAZ jeep, and MTLB followed. After entering the camp posing as Soviets (having some Soviet defectors was a big plus), a deal was made with the Commandant, with the intent of returning in a few days, with some prisoners for him, and some goodies from Krakow. Reality: it was an intel op-to get the camp layout and prep for an attack.

A week later (game time) we did the same thing: a Trojan Horse mission to get inside, only this time, they strike while the main force comes in from the outside. It worked. The guards were either killed or scattered, several stool pigeons among the inmates were disposed of, the Commandant given a Field Court-Martial, convicted, and hung from the one remaining guard tower, and the now ex-prisoners given the chance to take off. Several who were Americans joined us (NPCs), while some other NATO prisoners, who were offered a ride with us, declined, armed themselves with guards' weapons, and took off on their own. And those kidnapped from the village were given a ride home. The reward was two weeks in a (relatively) safe place, their stills helped us with fuel, a chance to clean up, do some vehicle maintenance, and give the villagers some help in improving their overall security to prevent a repeat, and they also fed us while there.

[Targan]

Matt, I love it. That is a classic T2K vignette you've provided there.

Funny you mentioned the benefits (for both sides) of your group staying a couple of weeks in a friendly village. In most T2K campaigns I've been involved in, friendly villages' security generally improves greatly when PCs' groups stay a while. In my last campaign the PCs' group engaged in assisting local town militias so often that the CO, Major Po, had his senior NCOs write up training manuals for local militia groups and his Polish-American XO translated them into Polish. The group had salvaged an old spirit-based printer from a school and printed off a bunch of copies.

Sorry, got a bit OT there for a sec. The Black Siberia Challenge article can easily be used as the template for WarPac prison camps anywhere in Eastern Europe. Thanks for reminding me of it.

[Mahatatain]

Originally Posted by Matt Wiser

Anyone here use the POW Camp from Challenge Magazine, the one called Black Siberia?

Which issue of Challenge is this in? I'm going to have a read and work out how to incorporate it into my campaign story arc.

[Targan]

Originally Posted by Mahatatain

Which issue of Challenge is this in? I'm going to have a read and work out how to incorporate it into my campaign story arc.

Black Siberia is in Challenge issue 51, page six.

I can't remember if I've posted it before but I've created a list of the T2K/Merc 2000 articles from Challenge issues 51 onwards (to compliment the complete index in Challenge issue 50). The list has the article titles, issue numbers they are contained in and page numbers. I've written descriptions for about half of them but if there is sufficient interest I'll complete all the descriptions and post the list here.

[Mahatatain]

Originally Posted by Targan

Black Siberia is in Challenge issue 51, page six.

I can't remember if I've posted it before but I've created a list of the T2K/Merc 2000 articles from Challenge issues 51 onwards (to compliment the complete index in Challenge issue 50). The list has the article titles, issue numbers they are contained in and page numbers. I've written descriptions for about half of them but if there is sufficient interest I'll complete all the descriptions and post the list here.

Thanks.

And I'd certainly be interested in that list.

[Matt Wiser]

Glad to be of service. Some adaptations for other locales might be huts instead of tents for POW quarters, other types of forced labor (a quarry, perhaps, or maybe road repair, along with salvage work), etc. You might have a North Vietnamese style prison (cells instead of huts or tents, maybe a former interrogation center), things like that.

Several guards didn't have court-martials. They were disposed of more summarily by the now ex-prisoners. Along with the trusties.

[unkated]

Originally Posted by Targan

Black Siberia is in Challenge issue 51, page six.

I can't remember if I've posted it before but I've created a list of the T2K/Merc 2000 articles from Challenge issues 51 onwards (to compliment the complete index in Challenge issue 50). The list has the article titles, issue numbers they are contained in and page numbers. I've written descriptions for about half of them but if there is sufficient interest I'll complete all the descriptions and post the list here.

Was this index ever posted?

Uncle Ted

[Targan]

Originally Posted by unkated

Was this index ever posted?

Uncle Ted

I'll try to remember to post what I've done so far.

[Adm.Lee]

Originally Posted by unkated

Was this index ever posted?

FFE includes a Challenge index in its "Guide to Twilight:2000" on DTRPG (free PDF)

Anyone here use the POW Camp from Challenge Magazine, the one called Black Siberia?

Not yet, but someday I want to. Something like it might feature in one of my convention sessions some year.

Funny you mentioned the benefits (for both sides) of your group staying a couple of weeks in a friendly village. In most T2K campaigns I've been involved in, friendly villages' security generally improves greatly when PCs' groups stay a while.

This is something I think could make a great campaign on its own-- PC group decides to settle in some spot, secure it, and make a home. Beyond Molly Warren and B Troop in Black Madonna, it's kind of been in the back of my mind since my second-ever campaign of T2k, when a player told me he'd dreamed of the game. The group overnighted at a shack in the woods inhabited by a widow and in the morning his PC said, "No, I'm staying here." and then the player woke up mumbling just that.