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Old 11-02-2023, 04:31 PM
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Default Recon Mission - solo adventure

Mason Geddes is used to a life of being a solo operator, behind enemy lines. Collecting intel, tracking high value targets and causing a touch of mayhem on the side. Living outdoors and surviving for weeks at a time where most people couldn’t survive a night is Masons version of down time.

However, with current hostilities hotting up, Management has decided to pair Geddes with another operator.

That person is Diesel. No first or last name, Just Diesel. For the most part Diesel is happy to let those around him believe he is a mechanic - hence the single name reference. But in reality Diesel has two outstanding skill sets. One, he is a hand to hand and close fighting expert. And secondly he has a friendly outgoing nature that has seen him cultivate personal contacts wherever he has travelled. This people skills combined with his specialist operator skills are why he has been paired up with Geddes. Their strengths and weaknesses compliment each other.

Together, they should have created a great two-man team. However there introduction did not go well, a fight ensured and a frosty beginning to their relationship began (Diesel failed a social conflict role to determine how their relationship starts. Then Diesel failed his push roll!). On the plus side, Geddes largest concern was whether Diesel could handle himself, and in the ensuring fist fight Geddes learned the hard way that he can. Onto new beginnings.

The new two person unit was instructed to cross the border and investigate new infrastructure being built 15 miles from the make shift fence line that delineated the two warring sides. The fence line itself was no longer the robust protective defence system it was intended to be. Today, it was breached in many places. In fact every couple of hundred meters or so there were large holes, enough to drive convoys of vehicles through.

Rumours were that both sides had heavily mined the demarkation line to account for the holes in the fence. How true these stories are, is not clear.

While full scale war has yet to break out, most fear it is not far away. Cold wars and hot wars are in many ways easy to operate in. Black and white. This grey war presented unique challenges.

Geddes and Diesel were in country preparing to cross the border and get eyes on new infrastructure being built. A contact only semi-known to Diesel has arranged a meeting to provide necessary equipment for the op.

Diesel warmly greets their new friend. Pleasantries are exchanged before getting down to business. Diesel has taken the lead, and is doing all the talking. Geddes stands an uncomfortable distance apart. Too far away to be in the conversation, but too close that he remains conspicuous.

Fortunately Diesels negotiations this time go as well as advertised. The contact has brought the necessary equipment which includes a handful of fragmentation grenades, a white phosphorus grenade, 2 x smoke grenades and 2 x claymore mines. As a bonus they are offered an Armburst anti take weapon. Diesel gives Geddes a look “do we want this?”.

Geddes makes an exaggerated shrug with his palms up “Of course we’ll take it!”.

The exchange has gone well. The contact accepts payment and offers his latest intel on where to cross the border. Diesel suggests that their work does not involve crossing the border, but what else would these two be doing here? And needing this kind of equipment?

Nevertheless, Diesel listens to where a successful crossing recently took place. Yes, the hole in the fence was abut 300m wide. “But stick to the wheel marks, there are many mines there but the vehicles have left an obvious trail through the minefield that should be safe.



As a solo referee i am trying to include more iPC and NC interactions. This will mean more social conflict situations. The above negotiation for starting kit included opposed rolls between Diesel and the contact. Diesel had a +1 for his negotiating specialy, +1 because he imposed no additional cost on the contact and a -1 because Diesel had some difficult/valuable preferences he wanted met.

I created a small matrix to help me decide how the negations went.
  • Failure meant negotiations stalled and no change took place.
  • one success would pistols and a SMG available.
  • 2 successes would make SMGs available and 50% chance of a LMG.
  • 3 successes would mean the PCs could choose starting gera and inclusion of an AT weapon which ended up being the case, and an armbusrt was choosen due to low weight and being single use (ie not overly powerful).

I have created a 4 stage solo mission that i am playing through.
For each stage i have a set of tables (rumours, moods, radio chatter) and a selection of encounters that could come from the 52 card playing encounters or my own created self-prepared encounters. So even sitting here now as the Ref, I do not know where the story line will go or what the outcomes will be.

Next up is the infiltration stage.
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Old 11-07-2023, 07:10 PM
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Having secured weapons, gear and a locals tip for where to cross the border, Geddes and Diesel head to the infiltration point.

They choose to travel and cross at night time. This will reduce the chances of running into a random encounter, but does introduce some other difficulties that are deemed less risky.

Firstly there is a navigation check to ensure they follow the correct path to the crossing point and then onto the target. Navigation is difficult due to travelling on ground they are not familiar with (-1 navigation check) and also travelling at night (-1 navigation check). The result of the roll is 1 and 3, so a complete fail. Geddes decides to push his roll, but can only roll the die that came up a “3” as any die that come up as “1’s” are not able to be pushed. The pushed single die roll is successful (9). Therefore there are no navigation issues encountered.

Both soldiers decide to engage in a hard march, to push through the night and cover as much ground as possible. The trade off is a stamina check needs to be passed, but the upside is that they gain time on target. Both men are considered fit and the risk is worth taking. Geddes, perhaps living an outdoor woodsman kind of life pushes on like a trojan. Diesel is no slacker, but rolls a 1 and 4. Again, the result is pushed but with only a single die which comes up 10! Both soldiers have successfully navigated and force marched through the night.

Come dawn, a random encounter presents a single UAZ Jeep approaching along a road that Geddes and Diesel have had to cross. Unfortunately, Geddes fails his passive recon roll and is unable to push it. Therefore the vehicle spots the two shadows crossing the road and speed up to investigate. Encounter starts at range 20 hexs / 200m.

First combat round
In the first combat round the UAZ travels 60m to close the distance to 140m. Both soldiers hear the vehicle approaching now. They are not expecting any contacts and are not aware of any friendlies in the area, so assume the contact is hostile. Geddes decides to fire his FAL (-1 medium range, -1 dim light, -1 moving target and +1 for having a scope) and gives a full burst of bullets (4 ammo die). The result is 17 bullets expended and a single hit. 3 damage points are done, -1 for armour with hit location being internal cargo.
Diesel moves off the road 20 meters.

Second combat round
For the second combat round the UAZ closes the distance from 140m to 80m. Geddes has only 3 bullets remaining in his clip and decides to fire on the UAZ (no ammo dice) as a fast action (ie no aim) and then try to reload as a fast action for his second action (he’ll need to pass a weapons check to successfully reload). Geddes secures a single hit to the engine, for 2 damage points. I roll a D6 to determine the random starting reliability of the engine and roll a 5, which is reduced to 3 after the damage. For his second action to reload Geddes rolls a 12 and 3, so successfully reloads his magazine.
Meanwhile Diesel moves another 20m off road, to now be 40m away from Geddes.

Third Combat round
The UAZ continues to drive straight at Geddes who is standing in the middle of the road. The distance closes from 80m to 20m.
Geddes goes full ROF with aimed shots at the driver. (A+A) +1 scope -2 called shot -1 moving target -1 dim light resulting in (B+C)+4 ammo dice. The result of the die rolls are (7+8), 1,1,6,2. Therefore there are two hits and the location result is head! The driver is killed. The “6” rolled on the ammo die could be used to hit the driver a second time but isn’t necessary, so instead i use it to hit another target in the same hex being the front passenger. Both front seat occupants of the car are down, out of the fight.

Fourth Combat round
The vehicle slews to the side and passes by Geddes who stands motionless in the middle of the road. I make up my own random table to determine what happens to the now driverless car.
Roll D10 and;
1-3 the car continues to drive into the night (dead man at the wheel)
4-6 the car rolls to a stop not far past Geddes, with the remaining 2 x NPCs exiting the car to continue the fight
7-8 the car crashes and the two remaining NPCs are injured
9-10 the car crashes and the two remaining NPCs are killed

The result of the D10 roll is a “5”. The car comes to a stop 20m from Geddes, and two NPCs get out of the rear doors to continue the fight.

Geddes fires from close range (A+A) +1 scope -1 dim light and uses two ammo dice (A+A)+2D6. The result is (7+3),3,6. Therefore one hit (damage 3) and an additional hit with the 6 on the ammo dice OR an extra damage point which would mean a critical hit. I rule that the 6 on the ammo dice cannot be used to hit the second NPC as they exited from the rear doors, i do not consider them in the same hex. Therefore 1 NPC is downed by Geddes.
Diesel has seen all of the above, and chooses to quick draw his M9 pistol and fire on the lone remaining NPC. The range is long, in dim light though, and a single D6 is rolled for a miss.

Fifth Combat Round
The lone remaining NPC and Geddes get a chance to win initiative. Geddes wins and fires from close range with two ammo dice. The result is (12+7) for a hit +2 damage which is a critical hit, to the legs. From the critical hit table this results in a crushed ankle. The lone NPC is down.
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