Eastward Ho.

“Blake’s Raiders”
North of West Days, Mississippi

Friday, 19 July, 2030 

An uneventful night saw us up at our regular time.  We started the day by scouting eastward along Church Road toward I-55.

We stopped briefly to check out an industrial building.  It turned out to be the site of "Brentwood Originals", a company that made foam pillows, chair pads, etc. before the war.  A small group of hunters was occupying the offices in the front of the building.  
Initially, they decided our mounted scouts were 'soft' targets and tried to ambush them.  Fortunately, they changed their mind and showed themselves, just as SGTs Whitehead and Rodriguez were about to begin shooting.

[Encounter roll 3, "armed".  Second roll in "other" territory, 3, hunters.  I judge an 90% chance that they will be friendly.  Roll is 92, so no. (Dammit).  C'est la vie.]

[There are 1d6 hunters, roll of 6.  On a roll of 1-4, they are on foot; 5-6, they are mounted.  Roll is 5, so they have horses.  They apparently want to kill the scouts to take their horses...  Per the rules, three are armed with shotguns, and three with sporting rifles.  I judge a 50/50 chance of the sporting rifles being 30-30 or 30-06.  Roll is 6, so they are armed with 30-06 rifles (ROF: 1, Mag: 2 (internal); Rage: 60; DMG: 4; Armor Modifier: -)  Being armed with powerful 30-06 rifles also explains why they are willing to take on the scouts...]

[I judge they are veteran NPCs - skills: 50, coolness: 2, hits (2d10x2)=10 (really)]

[The scouts have a DIF:RCN:75, (-6) to spot the hunters.  Roll of 26, final result of 20, so success.  The hunters have an AVG:RCN:50 to spot the scouts.  Roll of 42, also success, but the scouts have the advantage, rolling 17 under their number (37) versus the hunters that rolled only 8 under their number (50).]

[Initial range (clear) is 1d10 x 300 meters, roll of 3, so 900 meters. The scouts pull up 400 meters short of the building, picket their horses, and radio their contact report in.  The HumVee also pulls up to within 400 meters of the building (MK-19 Medium range) as the scouts begin their stalk.]

[At this point, I judge a 75% chance that the hunters will fold and show themselves.  Roll of 80, so no.  (dammit)]

[The advantage is now with the scouts.  I judge every 100 meters, they need to roll AVG:RCN:75 against DIF:RCN:50.  First rolls are 24 for the scouts (success) and 44 for the hunters (failure).  The scouts are now 300 meters from the front of the building.  Second rolls are 39 for the scouts (success) and 62 for the hunters (failure).  The scouts are now 200 meters from the front of the building and they decide to set up their shots at medium range.  They check in with Captain Blake and agree to initially limit the combat to sniper rifle fire unless the scouts radio in a request for support or pop a smoke grenade, at which point the HumVee will open with five rounds from the MK-19 while Captain Blake and SSGT Ruiz dismount and move in to support the snipers. SPEC McCarthy will wait five minutes and fire five more MK-19 rounds unless ordered otherwise.]

[At this point, I judge only a 25% chance that the hunters will fold.  Roll of 17, so the hunters decide to surrender at the last minute.]

Just as the SGTs are taking their final sights, a young boy came of the front door, wildly waving a dirty, but still mostly white, t-shirt in his hands.

SGT Whitehead stood up and moved toward the building, staying out of SGT Rodriguez's (and the HumVee's) line of fire.  After a short conversation, she radioed the "all clear" signal, and we moved up to the front of the building.

[I judge a 50/50 chance that the factory was not looted, since the production machinery isn't obviously usable and it is in a pretty remote location.  Roll of 32, so yes, the factory is intact.]

We spent the rest of the morning talking to the hunters about the situation.  They agreed to garrison the factory until someone from the 197th shows up.  Unfortunately, the factory foreman passed away over the winter, but I assured them that the 197th is expanding their security perimeter this way and will want to get the factory up and running again if at all possible.  Being able to supply foam mattresses will be a big morale boost!  We left them with two days worth of food and grain for their horses as a goodwill gesture and continued east down Church Road toward I-55.

[Next encounter roll is 5, Military Convoy.  There is no reason for a military convoy to be moving around this area, so I judge it to be "no encounter".] 

We spent the afternoon scouting through the town of Horn Lake.  We thought we hit the jackpot when we got to the High School.  From the outside, the building looked untouched, but vacant.  Unfortunately, it had been completely stripped of anything of value [I judged a 10% of finding school books, roll of 100, so not just no, but no to ANYTHING being left at the school.]  Having found the High School, we started looking in earnest for other schools.

It took an hour or so, but we finally found the former Shadow Oaks elementary school to the north, except it was clear from the outside that it had been ransacked. [roll of 99 this time...]  Same story at the nearby Horn Lake Middle School [roll of 78].  We didn't have any luck finding textbooks at the last school we found, Horn Lake Elementary [roll of 11], but Specialist McCarthy [DIF:SCR:50, roll of 11] spotted what looked the remains of a business sign in front of a house down the street from the school.  He suggested we check it out, since the building seemed mostly intact.  Turned out it the house had been turned into a used book store, and we were able to gather some books that hadn't been ruined by mold or weather [d%, roll of 43].  We carefully packed them up for turn in at the end of our mission.

The rest of the afternoon passed uneventfully.  We scouted through Horn Lake, finally reaching I-55 early in the evening.

[Encounter roll 3, armed.  Second roll in "other" territory is 6, no encounter]

A gas station / garage on the east side of the I-55/Church Road intersection had gone bankrupt long before the start of the Twilight War and the building was largely intact.  The garage doors didn't work, but it didn't take long to put up the camouflage netting.  The overpass was an ideal spot for a lookout.  At least we didn't have to worry about putting up the radio antenna that night...

Not that we got much rest.  Just after 2:00 a.m., SGT Rodriguez radioed in that she had spotted a small group working their way up I-55 and that they appeared armed and armored, but were on foot and she was pretty sure they had spotted her.  Once the rest of the team was in place, she was going to shift position to the far side of the overpass, where we had already established a secondary guard post position.

[To be continued...]

On the Road Again

“Blake’s Raiders”
The “Village” of Lake Cormorant, Mississippi

Thursday, 18 July, 2030

After Tuesday's combat, the afternoon was spent dealing with prisoners, burying the dead (the CO of the 197th's force allowed any prisoners who wished, to participate in a graveside service, under guard, of course...), inventorying captured material, caring for the captured horses (and our own as well), and other post-combat tasks.  Tuesday night, the 197th handled guard duty, so my troops got eight hours of uninterrupted sleep on real beds, after a hot meal that someone else cooked for once.  I volunteered to be in charge of the 2000-2400 watch, to allow one of the 197th's LTs who had been under fire to also get an uninterrupted night's rest.  SSGT Ruiz and I mostly spent the time playing rummy.

Wednesday was spent catching up on maintenance, getting resupplied, and getting ready to head out again.  The SGTs were invaluable in helping with the care of the ex-marauder horses.  In fact, they were both up before dawn, checking on them and not just our own mounts.

I spent part of Wednesday conferring with Major Canham, the CO of the 197th's detachment.  She didn't really have much to add to my original mission briefing material, but then we haven't been gone a full two weeks yet, so I wasn't expecting much.  She did say that while most scouting groups were meeting little or no resistance, and mostly finding refugees, the group to our east was overdue to check in.  They had started out down I-55 and were supposed to scout to the east of the highway, whereas we were scouting west of I-55 to the river.  So, we will need to be especially cautious as we approach the highway...

This morning, we ate one last breakfast prepared by the 197th's folks, checked out with Major Canham's sentries and headed back east on Star Landing Road, toward I-55.  Despite having just scouted this way a few days ago, I knew that conditions could change quickly, so we traveled in the standard, careful, travelling overwatch we always used when we were "outside the wire".  We quickly passed the High School and even made it back to the house we had camped at earlier this week in time to stop and eat lunch there, since we felt we understood the strengths and weaknesses of the site.

[Encounter Table - Road, roll of 4, derelict.  Since the group had been down this road already, I judge this to be "no encounter"]

Since the 197th was securing the territory to the west, and we had established friendly relationships with a group camped out to the southwest, I felt we should scout the area north along MS-301, through the town of West Days, MS up to Austin Road.  I wanted to scout the area along Austin Road to the west, since it didn't connect to Highway 61.

West Days was long abandoned and looted.  We scouted the small roads south of Austin Road, which led to abandoned households.  We did locate the site of a former truck farm that was surrounded by fields that once grew soybeans or some-other field crop.  This is a site worth redeveloping that I will include in my report. 

We then moved north along "Delta View Road", checking out the few buildings that were not obviously destroyed, until we reached Church Road, which ran east and west between US-61 and I-55.  I decided to camp at this intersection, so that we could scout east back toward our primary objective, I-55, tomorrow.

[Encounter Table - Road, roll of 9, armed.  This is 'Other' territory.  Roll of 6 - No encounter]

Contact and Aftermath

“Blake’s Raiders”
The “Village” of Lake Cormorant, Mississippi

Tuesday, 16 July, 2030

“As of this morning, the marauders are approximately 18 kilometers south of the Lake Cormorant railroad crossing.  Based on the information provided by my scouts, the commander of the 197th’s detachment divided his forces into three groups, with a HumVee and M113, along with their attached troops, on each wing, with the Bradley in the center, positioned to support any unit that found itself "in extremis".  The vehicles on each wing were to remain within long range of each other, to allow for mutual support.

Her troops (and mine) were up before dawn, and by daybreak, everyone had eaten breakfast, moved to their designated positions, and had begun preparing or improving their defensive positions.  My scouts reported in when the marauder's mounted units began moving north.  One disconcerting note was that the marauder's HQ remained stationary, with their three mortars deployed after the mounted units moved forward.

About an hour later, my scouts finally reported that the marauder HQ was packing up in preparation to move forward.

[The marauder’s HQ has a DIF:RCN:60 (-20) to spot the scouts and roll a 32 for a failure.  The scouts need an AFV:RCN:75 (+20, but -5 for fatigue) and roll a 16 - they are able to accurately observe the marauder’s activity.]

“Preparations for the upcoming battle continued throughout the day.  The marauder group made about 10 kilometers progress north before they stopped for lunch.  Our dispersed squads were under orders to complete their preparations and have all their men in their fighting positions by 1200.  A double ration of MREs had been distributed that morning to allow the men to eat well and be rested before the marauders were expected to make contact, sometime in the mid-late afternoon, in the hottest part of the day (of course).


"The westernmost squad, with a HumVee in support, made contact with a marauder cavalry squad late in the afternoon.  Although their squad leader was wounded in the initial firefight, they managed to kill or injure the entire group, capturing one horse, three wounded marauders, and a number of weapons and ammunition.  However, a second marauder cavalry group responded quickly, inflicting more casualties.  Fortunately, all of our casualties were relatively minor, while our troops were able to kill or incapacitate the entire second cavalry squad as well, capturing one more horse and more weapons and ammunition.

"There was an hour's lull before the third marauder cavalry group arrived.  We used the time to move our wounded troops, as well as the wounded marauders, into our secure rear area, and move fresh troops into position.

"The third marauder group was quickly eliminated with no losses or injuries to our own forces, and we were able to capture three more of their horses.

"Our scouts reported that the HQ unit was thrown into confusion when riderless horses began showing up, especially when one was dragging the very battered, and very deceased, remains of its former rider.

"Sensing an opportunity, the CO of the 197th's forces requested I have my scouts engage any leaders with their sniper rifles, then withdraw to the south, allowing the 197th to engage from the north.  She instructed her forces to prepare to advance, providing them with the location of the marauder HQ, as provided by my scouts.

"Fortunately, my SGTs knew from experience that mounted scouting missions often became dismounted sniping missions, and a brief radio conversation established that they needed only a few minutes to get into position and begin sniping.  At the agreed upon time, the 197ths armed vehicles moved forward...

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

[Using the Macro Combat rules from the module Ruins of Warsaw, I reorganize the forces on both sides a bit...]

197th Combat Force
[The troops work out to one Elite squad of 7, two Veteran Squads of 6 each, and two Experienced squads of 6 each.  Since there are only three armored vehicles, the squads are distributed randomly by rolls of a d10 (1-2 = Elite; 3-6=Veteran, 7-10=Experienced) resulting in the following

M2A3 Bradley (Veteran Driver, Elite Gunner) (93 25mm rounds, 1 TOW missile
Elite Squad (M16, 120 rounds)

M113 APC #1 Experienced driver, Veteran gunner
M40 Recoilless Rifle (17 rounds)
Experienced Squad (M16, 120 rounds)

M113 APC #2 (Experienced crew)
M2 HMG - 4 belts
Veteran Squad (M16, 200 rounds)

HumVee #1 (Veteran crew)
MK19 GL (3 belts)
Veteran Squad (M16, 200 rounds)


HumVee #2 (Experienced crew)
MK19 GL (3 belts)
Experienced Squad (M16, 120 rounds)

Vehicle gunners are instructed to hold their fire in reserve.

The two 5-ton trucks and their crews remain back with the work crew, who were sent down to dismantle the solar panels and move them to a more secure location in Memphis.

Marauders:
The marauders have one Elite squad of 5, three Veteran squads of 5 each, three experienced squads of 5 each (I slightly shuffle the numbers around from the rulebook), making seven squads (not counting vehicle drivers/crew/gunners).  Four rolls of d20 later, the squads are:

Mounted Squad #1 - Experienced (M16, 50 shots)
Mounted Squad #2 - Veteran (M16, 60 shots)
Mounted Squad #3 - Experienced (M16, 50 shots)
Mounted Squad #4 - Veteran (M16 60 shots)

The three mortars are manned by one each Elite squad, Veteran Squad, and Experienced squad, with the Elite squad also serving as the HQ unit.  d100 rolls for mortar ammo are 67, 25, and 36, for a total of 128 rounds, or 43 rounds per mortar (rounded up, so actually 129 total rounds).

The marauder’s Bradley has an experienced driver and a veteran gunner.  The marauder CO is an elite NPC who stays near the Bradley with his elite XO and two Veteran guards. The Bradley has 30 rounds for its 25mm gun and no TOW missiles.

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

I roll a d10 for the 197th Unit to make first contact, against an d8 for the marauder mounted squad, resulting in HumVee #2 and it’s squad making contact with Marauder mounted squad #2.  The next closest 197th Unit is M113 #1 and it’s squad.  The next closest marauders are mounted squad #1, 1d10x300m away.  Roll is 9, for 2700 meters, so marauder squad #2 is going to be on its own for a while, while M113#1 and it’s squad are only long rifle range from HumVee #2 and its squad...

The 197th units are in soft cover, making it a DIF:RCN:50 roll for the marauders to see them.  They roll an 86 for a complete failure.

-----------------
The 197th’s squad elects to fire at medium range (4 shots per die rolled).  The six squad members all fire two aimed shots (+2 to hit), for a total of 12 shots (3 dice).  Four squad members fire a third aimed shot, for one additional die roll, for a total of 4 rolls (16 shots fired).  The rolls are  4, 4, 5, and 6 (before modifiers), for 4 hits.  The marauders hit are #1, #2, #2, and #3.  Hit locations are 1, 3, 4, 6.  The marauders take damage as follows:

#1 - 1/2 hit to the head, doubled to a full hit for a light head wound - may not fire or move for the rest of the current turn and the next full turn.

#2 - 1/2 hit to the body and 1 full hit to the body for a light wound - may not fire or move for the rest of the current turn and the next full turn.

#3 - 1 hit to the body for a light wound - may not fire or move for the rest of the current turn and the next full turn.

The 197th rolls a 4 for initiative and is able to fire again.  The two marauders who weren’t hit roll a 5 and are able to shoot back.

The 197th uses the same fire decisions for 4 rolls, targeting the two remaining marauders.

The marauders elect to use their full fire (15 rounds each) in response, for 15 die rolls (2 shots per die roll because they are veterans at medium range...)
The 197th rolls rolls 3, 3, 3, and 5 (before modifiers) for 4 more hits, evenly divided between the two marauders.

In return, the marauders roll 1, 1, 2, 2, 2, 2, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 4, 5, 5, 6 for three hits.  (Sometimes  quantity doesn’t beat quality...). Of these three hits, two are stopped by cover.  The one successful hit targets trooper #1, the squad leader, isn’t stopped by his armor, and leaves him with a light wound.

The two hits on marauder #4 are not stopped by armor (hit locations 5 and 9) and he suffers a serious wound and is out.  The two hits on marauder #5 are also not stopped by armor (hit locations 9, 10) and he also suffers a serious wound and is out.

The marauders roll a 4 for morale.  With all five members wounded, I use a +10 to the roll, and the marauders are routed (if the three lightly wounded members survive the next turn).

The horses of the two seriously wounded marauders flee (AVG:EQ:50, rolls of 52 and 57).  There is a 10% chance that one of the marauders will get their foot stuck in a stirrup.  Rolls are 07 and 92, so one horse drags his rider off, killing them.

The next turn, the 197ths troops follow the same fire routine, but with only five members, the fourth roll will be at only +1, not +2.  The to hit rolls are 2, 2, 3, and 6, (before modifiers) for two hits.  Hits are on marauder #1 and #3.  Hit locations are 7 and 4, so both take an additional light wound and are now seriously wounded.

The 197th rolls a 9 for initiative and is able to fire again.  Hit rolls are 1, 3, 5, and 6, for three hits and the last marauder is down.

Two of the three remaining horses flee (DIF:EQ:50 (horses are herd animals and two of their ‘herd’ have already run off), rolls of 30, 34, and 5).  Neither of the marauders is dragged away...   

- - - - 

[While retrieving the one remaining horse, securing the wounded marauders, and recovering the marauder’s weapons and other gear, the 197th unit rolls AVG:RCN:40, roll of 23 and spots the next group of approaching marauder cavalry, but the marauders roll AVG:RCN:40, roll of 02 and spot them in return.  The 197th troops are able to get back into their fighting positions, with wounded trooper #1 guarding the wounded prisoners.  The marauders will get to fire during the first action phase this time.  The marauders choose to approach to medium range.

There is a 50/50 chance that another marauder cavalry unit is in range.  Roll is 37.  Mounted squad #4 is twice the encounter range, or 1d10 x 600 meters.  Roll is 10, so they are 6Km away (this marauder unit is on its own as well...)  There is only a 25% chance that the marauder HQ unit is in range.  Roll is 33, so no.  This is shaping up to be a classic “defeat in detail”.

The five marauders fire 12 shots each, for a total of 15 rolls.  They roll 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 2, 2, 3, 3, 4, 4, 5, 6, 6 for a total of 3 hits.  Two of these hits are stopped by the cover. 

Trooper #2 is hit for a light wound, putting him out of action for the rest of this turn and all of next turn.

The 197th again uses aimed fire for three rolls at +2 and one roll at +1.  They roll 4, 5, and 5, then roll a 4, for four hits!

Three hits are against marauder #3 and one against marauder #4.  None of the hits are stopped by armor.  #3 is down and #4 is lightly wounded.  ESY:EQ:40 (there are still riders able to give the riderless horse direction) roll of 44 means the riderless horse stays put.

The marauders roll a 1 for initiative while the 197th rolls a 7, meaning the 197th will shoot, but the marauders won’t.

The 197th is now down to three aimed fire rolls at +2, all against marauder #4.  Rolls are 1, 4, and 5, for two hits.  None are stopped by armor, and marauder #4 is seriously wounded and out of the fight.  AVG:EQ:40 roll of 30 means the horse also stays put (since this is the second rider to be shot down in this turn, the roll is harder...)

The marauder’s moral check is 6 after modifiers, so no effect.  The 197th’s morale check is also 6 after modifiers.

Second Turn

Firing just short of full fire (44 shots total), the three remaining marauders now get 11 rolls.  Their rolls are 2, 2, 2, 3, 3, 3, 4, 5, 5, 6, and 6, for four hits, two of which are stopped by the cover.

Trooper #3 Is hit in the armor, which absorbs the hit for no effect, but trooper #4 receives a minor wound, putting him out of action for the next turn.  

The 197th again takes three aimed fire rolls at +2, spread against all three remaining marauders, but the rolls of 1, 2, and 2 are all misses.

Both sides fail their initiative rolls

The 197th rolls a 9 after modifiers for morale, BARELY managing to stay in the fight.  The marauders roll a 10 after modifiers and are suppressed, so they will begin a fighting withdrawal, so they will be at -1 to hit.

Third turn

Marauder #4 is back in action,.  The four marauders again fire 44 shots total, for 11 rolls.  Their rolls are 2, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 5, 5, 5, 5, 6 for one hit, which is stopped by cover.  

Trooper #2 is now back in action, but with the squad down to nearly 50% strength, the Assistant Squad Leader calls for the M2 Gunner of the nearby M113 to open fire (next turn), holding the MK19 grenade launcher in reserve, with the hope of capturing more horses...

The 197th takes another aimed fire at medium.  They are back to three aimed rolls at +2 and one roll at +1.  Their rolls are 2, 3, and 6 for two hits.  The +1 roll is a 1 for a miss.  the hits are against marauder #1 and #4.  Marauder #1 takes a light wound that is not stopped by armor.  Marauder #4 takes a hit against his helmet, which is stopped by 1/2, but is doubled for a head wound, so she has now taken two hits, is seriously wounded and is out of action.  Her horse bolts (DIF:EQ:40, roll of 73), leaving her laying on the ground (10%, roll of 80).

Both sides fail their initiative check.

Both sides pass their morale check.

Fourth turn

Trooper #4 is back in action.  The 197th takes another aimed fire at medium, with flour aimed rolls at +2.  Rolls are 3, 4, 4, and six for four hits.  The hits are to marauder #1 (3 hits) and marauder #2 (1 hit).  Two 1/2 hits are absorbed by his body armor, giving him a second light wound.  The third hit is is not stopped by body armor, and he now has three hits, giving him a serious wound and putting him out of action.  His horse bolts (DIF:EQ:40, roll of 37), leaving him laying on the ground (10%, roll of 30).

Marauder #2 is hit in the helmet.  1/2 of the hit is absorbed by his helmet, but head wounds are doubled, so he now has a light wound and can’t move or fire until turn five.

The M2 (Experienced Gunner) fires at the marauders.  At medium for the M2, he needs 4 shots for each roll.  Full fire on the M2 is 16, so he gets 4 rolls at +1 for being a vehicle-mounted weapon.  Rolls are 3, 3, 4, and 5, for two hits.  Both hits are against marauder #5.  Neither hit is stopped by armor and marauder #5 is KIA.  His horse also runs off (DIF:EQ:40, roll of 50).

The marauders still get a chance to fire.  Their 11 rolls are 1, 1, 2, 2, 2, 3, 3, 5, 5, 5, and 5 for four possible hits.  One hit is stopped by the cover.  The hits are to trooper #2, trooper #5 and trooper #6.  Trooper #2’s hit is stopped by armor.  Trooper #5’s hit is stopped by his helmet, but trooper #6 suffers a light wound and is out until turn #6.

The 197th troopers fail their initiative check, but the marauders make theirs.  However, the only marauder not seriously wounded is #2, and they suffered a light wound earlier this turn and our out of action until the start of turn 6 (assuming they live that long).

Fifth turn

The 197th is back down to three aimed rolls at +2.  With only one surviving marauder, they forgo the shots that would have given them a fourth roll at +1, trusting on the M2 to finish off the marauder if they all miss.  The rolls are 3, 3, and 5, for three hits.  None are stopped by the marauder’s helmet or body armor, and they are KIA.  Their horse runs off (DIF:EQ:40, roll of 76, but the first horse stills stays put (DIF:EQ:40, roll of 04).

The M2’s rolls are 2, 3, 4, and 5 (16 rounds expended) for two more hits, confirming the kill.

- - - - 

With four squad members lightly wounded, the squad calls for evacuation.  Two of the trucks are sent down to evacuate the captured marauders, who will be guarded by the wounded troopers.  The M113 and it’s troops move over, using the noise the trucks make to cover their movement [the marauders roll against AVG:RCN:50, roll of 95] and keeping the HumVee for heavy fire support.  The plan is to allow the marauders to approach to close range, and then open fire with both the squad and the M2 and hopefully end the combat quickly.

The marauders roll against DIF:RCN:50, roll of 66 and fail to spot the entrenched troops, or the camouflaged vehicles [AVG:RCN:50, roll of 65], so the ambush succeeds.

First turn

At close range, the 197th’s troopers need one shot per die roll. Each of the six troopers fires three aimed shots for a total of 18 rolls as +2.  The rolls are 1, 1, 1, 2, 2, 2, 2, 3, 3, 3, 3, 4, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, and 6, for a total of 11 hits.  Since this is an ambush, the hits are evenly split among the five marauders, with marauder #1, who appeared to be the squad leader, getting the leftover hit.

Marauder #1 - one hit is 1/2 absorbed by his armor, giving him 2 1/2 hits for a serious wound.  
Marauder #2 - neither hit is stopped by armor, givIng them a serious wound
Marauder #3 - neither hit is stopped by armor, givIng them a serious wound
Marauder #4 - both hits are 1/2 stopped by armor, giving them a light wound
Marauder #5 - one hit is 1/2 stopped by armor, giving them a light wound

The M2 gets one shot per roll, with a +1 for being vehicle mounted.  The 16 rolls are 1, 1, 1, 2, 2, 2, 3, 3, 3, 4, 4, 4, 4, 5, 6, and 6, for eight hits.

Marauder #1 - two hits, neither stopped by armor.  KIA
Horse (AVG:EQ:50, 36) stays (because another horse, rolling at DIF:EQ stayed)

Marauder #2 - one hit, not stopped by armor, KIA
Horse (AVG:EQ:50, 57) runs away

Marauder #3 - one hit, not stopped by armor, KIA
Horse (AVG:EQ:50, 28) stays (because another horse, rolling at DIF:EQ stayed)

Marauder #4 - two hits, neither stopped by armor, KIA
Horse (DIF:EQ:50, 12) stays

Marauder #5 - two hits.  One to the helmet, 1/2 stopped by armor, but doubled for a head hit.  Second hit, half stopped by armor, KIA 
Horse (AVG:EQ:50, 85) runs away

- - - - - - - - - 

Captain Blake passes on the request from the 197th's CO.  While not wanting to press their luck, the scouts see the logic of the request and reply in the affirmative, stating they will need a little time to get set up and execute.

The marauder’s HQ has a DIF:RCN:60 to spot the scouts as they move up from their observation position to a sniping position.  Their roll is 57 for a failure.

Since the SGT's have been keeping this group under observation all day, I judge that they have identified the group's leadership.  The remaining question is, how many of them are out and about?

I judge there is a 50/50 chance of the CO and XO, and the CO and Gunner of the Bradley each being out.

The rolls are 16, 28, 24, and 29, so all four are out, conferring with the leaders of the three mortar squads, as their troops try to calm down and corral the horses that fled the three battles.

Knowing that the 197th is approaching in force, the snipers decided to target the Bradley CO and Gunner first, to take it out of service, then the CO and XO of the group, then the leadership of the mortar squads...

I judge a 50/50 chance that each mortar is set up.  The rolls are 80, 61, and 100, so none of the mortars are set up, and in fact, the experienced squad's mortar sight was damaged when they were breaking everything down this morning, so it is out of commission.

[I will use regular T2K hit rules for these shots...]

I judge the 197th forces will arrive in 2D10 rounds for a roll of 8.

First Round
Both SGTs are 42 to hit (-3 for one level of fatigue), since they are at close range for their sniper rifles.

SGT Rodriguez rolls a 47 and SGT Whitehead rolls a 79, so both miss.  Since they are both using suppressed sniper rifles, their targets have an DIF:RCN:60 to notice these first shots (the difficultly will go down to AVG next round).  The roll a 54, so they know something is wrong, just not what...

Second Round
SGT Rodriguez rolls a 04, and SGT Ruiz rolls a 36, for two hits.

SGT Rodriguez hits the Bradley CO in the head.  Since both the Bradley CO and Gunner would normally wear a Combat Vehicle Crewman Helmet, or CVC, and they are (or were) unaware that snipers were a possibility, I judge they are not wearing any headgear other than soft hats, so the Bradley CO is KIA.  They DEFINITELY know that they are under fire now...

The Bradley Gunner is hit in the left leg.  The Gunner has a hit capacity (2D10 x 2) of only 14.  The sniper rifle round does 28 damage (16+4D6), so the Gunner is KIA as well.

The Marauder CO and XO will spend the round readying their weapons and dropping to the ground.  They also need to roll against their CRM to avoid taking an extra round of hesitation and also to avoid a panic roll.  The CO and XO are both elite, but roll a 61 and 70 respectively, so they will have a hesitation next round.  They are at +2 to their coolness for having two people nearby killed in front of them...  They roll at 7 and 3, so they both pass.

I judge a 50% for the rest of the group to notice what is going on (they are also trying to deal with horses.  They roll a 51, so they will be at 75% next round.

Third Round
The SGT's roll 85 and 77 for two misses.

The marauders take their hesitations.

The other marauders roll a 15 and now know their leaders are being killed by snipers.  I judge it will take 1D6 rounds for the three squads leaders to get their people organized.  The roll is 4, so the action will likely be over before the rest of the marauders can really get their act together (since the SGTs will withdraw after their fifth shot (with magazines empty and an alerted enemy, sticking around to reload is a bad idea).

Fourth round 
SGT Rodriguez rolls a 15 and SGT Ruiz rolls a 32 for two hits.  This is not going well for the marauders.

The marauder CO has a hit capacity of 22 and is hit in the right arm.  He takes 32 damage, and is unconscious.  He may survive to be captured and executed, by hanging, for banditry.

The marauder XO has a hit capacity of 16 and is also hit in the right arm (what are the odds?).  She takes 35 damage and is KIA.

With only one round left in each of their magazines, and all four leaders down, and the rest of the marauders starting to react, the SGTs stick to their plan and begin their escape.  By the time the marauders get organized, the SGTs have remounted and are withdrawing.

The SGTs fail their DIF:RCN:75 "(-5 for fatigue) to avoid detection as they withdraw with a roll of 88 and the marauders roll a 23 against AVG:RCN:50 to successfully detect the SGTs as they begin to ride away.  However, just as the marauders start to mount up in pursuit, they roll an 11 against the same AVG:RCN:50 and hear the approaching armored vehicles.

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

[Frankly, at this point, I want to move this adventure on.  The marauders take (D100) percent casualties, roll of 48, before surrendering / being captured.  The marauder CO dies of blood loss before he can be checked by a 197th medic (25% chance of surviving, roll of 26).]


While riding away, the SGTs were able to radio in (AVG:EQ:75 (-5 for fatigue), roll of 65, that the marauder's Bradley was unmanned, so the 197th forces were able to refrain from shooting it up, and were able to capture it.  With a wear value of only 4, it will be a valuable addition to the 197th's fighting strength, and will likely be attached to the force working with the GMSM.

I judge a 25% chance that the marauder's truck is captured.  Roll of 19, so it, the mortars, and the mortar rounds fall into the hands of the 197th as well, along with the marauder's personal gear stowed in the truck.  The truck has a wear value of 2, so the marauders must have recently acquired it, and their mechanics have been taking good care of it.  The 197th's G-2 staff will have to figure out where the truck came from, who the mechanics were, and if the mechanics can be reformed, but it's not a problem for Captain Blake, or his Raiders, to solve.

What about the Marauder's 4th mounted squad?  They fail an AVG:RCN:50 check with a roll of 82.  They show up at the marauder's HQ site, and proceed to try to 'liberate' their comrades.  The 197th's Bradley takes them under 25mm fire, and they take D100, roll of 96, casualties and are wiped out to the last man (and last horse, D100 casualties, roll of 82).  

Captain Blake and his troops will get to spend tonight, all day tomorrow, and tomorrow night, camping with the 197th's troops before continuing their mission.

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

Effects of Fatigue: A character’s effective STR, AGL, CON, and INT are reduced by one for each level of fatigue. 

If any attribute is reduced to zero, the character becomes unconscious and will sleep for one complete period (thus raising the attribute back to 1).

All base hit numbers are reduced by three at close range, two at medium range, and one at long range per level of fatigue. 

Load and throw range are reduced by two per level of fatigue. 

Body combat damage is reduced by one per level of fatigue. 

All skills are reduced by five per level of fatigue.

(Player's Manual, page 12)

Please Stand By

Well, the adventures of Blake’s Raiders has been interrupted by real life.

Actually, writing these blog posts has actually accomplished the goal I set for myself - to improve my skills as a GM.

I was originally planned to be running a “one shot” T2K game at my Friendly Local Game Shop (FLGS) as part of their “RPG Demo” days.  The game was going based on the material I have written for this blog.

I had originally planned on running the game on March 21st.I had been busy with preparations until now.  I will resume posts as soon as possible.

Thanks for reading.

Monday, Monday

“Blake’s Raiders”
The “Village” of Lake Cormorant, Mississippi

Monday, 15 July, 2030

[Editor's Note - It turns out, there is a LOT of action today, so this is a LONG post]

Mondays were apparently going to suck during this mission, too, unless HQ got better at responding to my Sunday morning reports...

We were back up at 0500 to deal with the antenna.  I could have waited until 0530 (I wanted the extra sleep), but I also didn’t want to start any bad habits.  Lots of things can go wrong when you are working in the pre-dawn hours, especially when you are working with something like lowering a radio antenna in the semi-dark.  When you try to rush things, especially in poor visibility, you are just setting yourself up for failure, and setting your troops up for injury (or worse).  Everybody knew it, but nobody liked it, not even me.  But, as my first Sergeant taught me, way back when I was a nugget, “A bitching Soldier is a happy Soldier”.  (When your troops QUIT complaining is when you're in BIG trouble...)

Miracle of miracles, HQ had a message for us at 0500.  By 0515, the top two stages of the antenna were back down, the lookout rotated, and everyone but the lookout and I were eating breakfast.

We had covered all the windows in the garage and we had covered all the HumVee’s windows to boot (I had made a “blackout” kit for my HumVee way back when the 197th was  conducting ‘security and disaster relief’ missions close to Fort Benning) so while the rest of the platoon (sans lookout) was chowing down, I was sitting in what I called my “sales office”.

Our orders were understandable, but somewhat contradictory.  We were to secure the rail-capable truck we had encountered (check); establish a position in control of the railroad crossing (check); and scout south along the railroad tracks to "...ascertain, the location, size, composition, and intent of the non-compliant forces (i.e. marauders) encountered."  How my five people were supposed to simultaneously control the railroad crossing whilst also scouting for the "...location, size,..." etc. etc. of a marauder group was NOT in my orders.

At least the 197th was sending units south to “provide security to existing authority in the area’, meaning the Glover-Mid-South Militia, or GMSM that we had encountered just a couple of days ago.  Unfortunately, no one at HQ saw fit to tell me the "...size, composition, and intent..." of the forces they were sending, nor did they provide a time of departure, much less an ETA.  Sierra Squared, Delta Squared.

I spent some time thinking about what we could (and couldn't) do.  Clearly, we weren't going to get any fuel distilled today...

The platoon knew the shit was about to hit the fan when I radioed the code for SPEC McCarthy, who was on roving lookout, to come back to camp, even before I left the HumVee to eat breakfast.  While we waited for McCarthy to work his way back to the camp, I let the rest of the platoon know were were moving out, and to start gathering stuff up, leaving the antenna for last, and that we would tackle it as a group.

Fortunately, it didn't take long to police the camp and get everyone's personal gear packed away, since I had enforced loose gear discipline the whole time we were encamped at Memphis.  Next, I set the SGTs and SPEC McCarthy to packing up the 3rd and 2nd stages of the antenna, since they were already down.  SSGT Ruiz and I sat down to hash out some of the details of my plans...

SSGT Ruiz felt certain that three people could deal with getting the antenna's first stage down and stowed, as well as the other departure-related tasks, like hooking up the trailer - I was NOT going to leave it behind and unguarded, even just for a day or two, if at all possible.

Once the 2nd and 3rd stage antenna parts were packed up, I sent the SGTs to saddle up and begin a mounted patrol.  First, they were to pick up the traps they set out on Friday, except for the ones at the railroad crossing itself (which I made damn sure everyone understood where they were).  Then, I wanted them to scout south, keeping an eye (from a safe distance) on the rail line and looking for any signs of an approaching marauder group.  I wanted them to scout at least 5 klicks south quickly.  Once they accomplished that, I want them to continue south at a more deliberate pace.  I had them take two days of MREs with them, along with two days of grain for the horses and other necessities for an overnight patrol.  I also issued them one of our two M72 LAWs, in case the marauder group had serious firepower...

With my scouts on their way, the rest of us finished preparations to move out.  Hooking the trailer up went quickly, and by the time that was finished, it was light enough for us to see, and take the first stage of the antenna down safely.  Once it was down, SSGT Ruiz and I did a last walk-through of the house and the area to make sure nothing important was being left behind, and, just as importantly, that we weren't leaving clues to our unit's size, composition, etc. behind that someone could gain intelligence value from...

During the campaign against the Texian Legion, SSGT Ruiz and I found a house that one of their platoons had occupied.  They had used one room as a barracks, and there was a neat row of cleared rectangles in the dust of the room, showing exactly how many troops had slept there.  They had been careful to not let us see how big their platoon was in action, but with this evidence, I was able to get the 197th HQ to release some reserve troops, and the next time we encountered them, we were able to outflank them and defeat them.  In a similar way, I hoped to gain intelligence against this group of marauders, and use it to defeat them as well.

It was only a few minutes drive back to the railroad crossing, of course.  Having executed an ambush from the west side of the tracks, I decided the best course of action was to set up on the east side this time.  SSGT Ruiz and I had selected a small, run-down, but still intact house trailer about a hundred meters due south of the point where the railroad tracks cross the road.  It's screened from the tracks by trees to the south, but is clear to the west.

The blue spot shows the location of the first ambush.  The yellow spot is where we set up the HumVee today

The first order of business was to unhook and secure the cargo trailer to one of the trees behind the house trailer I had chosen as our temporary HQ.  Then we backed the HumVee partway into the trees, making sure the MK19 had a clear field of fire to the west, but we also had a clear path ahead to make a fast getaway if needed.  Then, SPEC McCarthy and I walked up to where we had parked the marauder’s truck.  Fixing the system that switches between road and rail took about an hour (AVG:MECH (90), roll 41), then SPEC McCarthy drove the truck behind the house trailer, parking it alongside our trailer.

[The group in the HumVee encounters the units sent down by the 197th (Roll of 5 on "Road" - Military Convoy).]

[It is approximately 20 Km from the group’s former cantonment at the Geeter School campus on the outskirts of Memphis to this railroad crossing, so the group from the 197th is able to reach the railroad crossing during the first period of travel.]

About then, we heard from our scouts that it was clear at least five clicks to the south, so I had SSGT Ruiz and SPEC McCarthy take turns at gunner and lookout. I decided to use the time before lunch to make some nominal plans for the next stage of our patrol.  Naturally, just about the time I was making real progress, I got interrupted by a radio call from the group that the 197th sent down, saying that they were approaching our position and requesting that I come up to meet them...  

I guess we'll have friendly company for lunch.

--------

Mounted Scouts Report

"SGT Rodriguez and I had only scouted south of Lake Cormorant a couple of clicks when we ran into a large pack of feral dogs.  I didn't want to immediately resort to gunfire, so I thought I would use a couple of our CS grenades to turn the pack away from us, and hopefully away from Captain Blake's position as well."


[Just as they start scouting south, the two SGTs encounter a large pack of feral dogs ("clear", roll of 12).  Number appearing is 3D6, total roll of 14.  Attack chance is 60%, roll of 26, so the dogs attempt to attack.  Range is 1D10 x 300m, roll of 4, so 1.2Km.  I judge that the wind is blowing from the scouts down toward the dogs (hence the long range of the encounter).  As the dogs approach closely, the scouts deploy CS grenades in an attempt to "discourage" the dog pack without resorting to gunfire...  SGT Whitehead attempts to throw two CS grenades (TW:50, average difficulty.  Roll - 100 (seriously))  Second throw - 22, success.  I judge a 20% chance that the dogs will break off the attack, based on one successful grenade throw.  Roll of 13, so the second CS grenade was enough to deter the pack.]

[Where did the first grenade go?  A roll of 7 on the thrown weapon scatter diagram = short, so the first CS grenade fell short enough to impact the two SGTs and their horses...]

[Per the rules, there is a one-turn delay before the CS gas cloud is generated by the grenade.]

When she hears SGT Whitehead yell, "Oh Shit!", SGT Rodriguez realizes the first CS grenade has slipped out of SGT Whitehead's hand as she prepared to throw it, and it has fallen just a few meters away...  SGT Rodriguez had been looking at the approaching dog pack, and despite her skill, she just isn't able to pull her horse away in time...

[AVG:EQ (75), roll 82]

[Both SGTs now roll against AVG:EQ (75) to avoid panic.  Their rolls are 50 and 30, so they both successfully avoid panic.  Both roll against AVG:EQ to guide their horses upwind of the CS and succeed, rolling 73 and 51.  They also need to roll against AVG:EQ to avoid their horses being impacted by the brief exposure to CS.  Rolls are 39 and 62, so both succeed.  Finally, they have to roll against their own CON to avoid themselves being incapacitated for an hour or so.  SGT Whitehead rolls a 24 and passes, but SGT Rodriguez rolls a 70 and fails (just barely).  So, they will lose an hour of scouting time while SGT Rodriguez recovers, and they are both at fatigue level 1, so all their skills will be reduced by five (per Player's manual page 12) until they have a chance to rest and recover, which probably won't be until they get back to their own camp]


"As the Robert Burn's quote goes, 'The best laid schemes o' mice an' men gang aft a-gley.'  But, in the end, we turned the dogs away without a shot fired.”

"We managed to scout what I felt was a good five clicks south of the railroad crossing, and I radioed into Captain Blake that all was clear this far, then we continued south at a brisk pace."

[Having lost an hour recovering from the effects of the CS gas, the scouts have made it 15 kilometers south of the railroad crossing by lunch.]

[I decided that the marauders that the group encountered at Lake Cormorant had their main camp 20 Km plus 1d4 x 2 x d10 Km south of Lake Cormorant.  Roll was 2 on the d4; roll of 4d10 is 28, so the camp is 48 klicks south.  The scouting group in the truck was supposed to scout one day's travel ahead (two periods, or 40 klicks).  The driver would drop off the four troops, and drive back to the main group to report in, as this group lacks working radios.  They would have already arrived at the Lake Cormorant railroad crossing, but stopped to discuss their options, having lost the element of surprise, and not knowing anything about the forces ahead of them...]

[The next question is, exactly how big IS this group, and conversely, what forces did the 197th send down to oppose them?]

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

[Based on the U.S. Army Vehicle Guide and Howling Wilderness, the 197th is already being tasked to expand their control beyond the city of Memphis (the reason for this unit's mission), so the 197th will push significant forces south to both shore up friendly forces and meet this first (but far from last) major marauder incursion...]

197th combat force:
1xM2A3 Bradley (2 crew (Veteran Driver, Elite Gunner) + 5 troops (2 Experienced, 2 Veteran, 1 Elite)
1x M113 APC (2 crew (1 Experienced, 1 Veteran) + 5 troops (1 Experienced, 1 Veteran, 3 Elite)
1x M113 APC (2 crew (2 Experienced) + 5 troops (2 Experienced, 3 Veteran)
1x5-ton truck (2 crew (2 Experienced) + 5 troops (2 Experienced, 3 Veteran)
1x5-ton truck (2 crew (2 Experienced) + 5 troops (2 Experienced, 1 Veteran, 2 Elite)
1xHumvee (1 crew (Veteran) + 3 troops (1 Experienced, 2 Veteran)
1xHumvee (1 crew (Experienced) + 3 troops (2 Experienced, 1 Elite)

[197th support / work team (All with Novice combat skills)
1x5-ton tanker with still on trailer (2 crew, Experienced)
1x 2 1/2-ton truck (2 crew +5 workers, Experienced)
1x 2 1/2-ton truck (2 crew +5 workers, Experienced)


[The 197th combat force is basically 35 men, which is 7 base units of marauders.  I roll 7d6 for the marauders, coming up with one ‘leg’ unit, four horse mounted units and two vehicles. The resulting 2d6 rolls for vehicles are 5 (5-ton truck with a small still) and an 11 (APC) - M2 Bradley (wear value 4).  The marauders get three rolls for special weapons.  The rolls are 3, 3 and 11, for a trio of M252 81mm mortars.  These mortars, and their ammunition are carried in the truck, and the 'leg' infantry, along with the truck crew, are both the mortar crews, the still operators, and the guard force.  There are also the three survivors of the scouting group that have been integrated into the forces attached to the Bradley and the truck...]

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

During the morning period, the scouts travel 15 klicks south, while the marauders travel 10 klicks north.  (The marauders are moving slowly both out of caution and to keep their fatigue levels down.  If they had marched at the full 20km/period rate, they would be at fatigue level 1.). When they stop for lunch, the two groups are 23 Km apart...

After lunch, the scouts resume working south.  Two hours into the period (the scouts having traveled 10 klicks south, and the marauders having traveled about 5 klicks north (putting the two groups only 8 Km apart), the scouts have an encounter.  [Roll of 9 on clear, so ‘Armed’.  Given how close the two groups are, I judge a 25% chance that the encounter is with one of the marauder’s mounted units.  Roll is 20, so they, in fact, encounter the marauder's northernmost mounted scouting group...]

[Initial range is 1d10 x 300m, roll of 5 for 1500 meters.  AVG:RCN, SGT Rodriguez (RCN:75 - 5 for fatigue) rolls a 93 for a failure, SGT Whitehead (RCN:50 - 5 for fatigue) rolls an 18 for success.  The marauders roll a 98 (AVG:RCN:60) for an even more abysmal failure than SGT Rodriguez!] 

[Because they were tasked to locate the marauders (and figure out their strength and armament), the scouts disengage and report the contact.  (They are also under standing orders not to engage groups much larger than them, and there are five mounted marauders, all well armed, even if this would be an ideal ambush situation...)]

[The scouts roll AVG:RCN to spot and avoid the next group of mounted marauder scouts, and roll 59 (SGT Rodriguez (70)) and 18 (SGT Whitehead(45)) against the marauder's 63, again succeeding easily.  (Despite her lower skill, SGT Whitehead is having an outstanding day spotting! (and should probably be given an extra skill point in RCN at the end of the encounter...]

[Finally, they have to roll AVG:RCN to spot the main group (-5 for the vehicle and -10 for the number of troops, +2 for their number), and succeed again, rolling a net of 45 and 31 respectively.  In return the marauders need to roll against DIF:RCN:60, plus a net of +13 to their roll. Their final roll of 71 is another abysmal failure.]

SGT's Rodriguez and Whitehead accurately scout the main group of marauders, their primary vehicle, their route, and their rate of advance, and pull back to safely report the same to Captain Blake.  They are instructed to remain to the western flank of the main body of marauders.  They are to try to determine any leaders, but to only engage after the 197th takes the marauders under fire tomorrow.

The marauders continue to move north at a measured pace, moving another 20 klicks north before establishing a camp, using both the afternoon and evening periods to travel and camping just before night falls at 9:14 p.m.  

[The marauders have a DIF:RCN:60 to spot the scouts during the evening, and roll a 95 BEFORE modifiers, for a complete failure.]

----------

"Evening Report - My cavalry scouts successfully located the approaching marauders and were able to evade the marauder's own mounted scouting force, which numbers approximately 20 men on horseback, all with modern arms.  The group is centered around a former Army National Guard M2 Bradley and a 5-ton truck with an additional 15 men or so.  While capturing the Bradley would be ideal, we have sufficient vehicle stocks to make its capture optional.

Fortunately, the total group seems to be of approximately equal strength to the fighting force the 197th sent south, with most of the marauders on horseback, and divided into four groups that operate separately as they scout forward on each flank of their advance.  As such, we should be able to defeat the marauder's cavalry by placing two strong units to each flank of our position and initiating the engagement from cover.  By attacking the marauders while they are on the move, we should be able to defeat them before they can get their mortars in action, since they were only observed to set the mortars up in the evening, once they established a camp site for the night.

It turns out that the gunner of one of the M113s had a grandfather that served in Vietnam with my grandfather (small world).  She grew up with stories of how they mounted a recoilless rifle on their M113 and used it to good effect against the Viet Cong.  When supplies of modern support weapons like the AT-4 started to run out during the campaign against the Texian Legion, she convinced her CO to “acquire” one from a museum and was able to return it to service and even start making rounds for it...  I had heard about it through the grapevine, but I had never seen it.