This session would be entirely a firefight, so all 3 of my sons participated last night, as well as their uncle of course. The play map is pulled from real life, an actual spot on the highway near Katowice.

11 October 2000

Maks, driving into Silesia on a diplomatic mission with a small crew, is assisting a border patrol of the Markiz in scattering antigovernment partisans of the Wojsko Ludowa (WL). The overall mission clearly came first, to Maks’ way of thinking.

The characters: Maksymilian Zając ~ Grant Derek William ~ Wojciech Nowak ~ Barna Áron

It was a temporary road checkpoint the WL had set up. They were already dispersing as the Silesian patrol arrived. Maks watched the BMP-2 fire at the rebel vehicles at 500 meters with its 30mm autocannon, disabling two rebel trucks. The WL partisans fled the burning vehicles for the woods bordering the highway.

Katowice firefight - open

The Silesian patrol closed in for the kill, and a firefight ensued between their vehicles and the rebels firing from the woods.

Then the mortar rounds began falling.

The Silesian border sergeant Maks had dealt with earlier shouted, “Take out that mortar!”

Maks waved in acknowledgement, gathered his men, and they crossed the grassy shoulder, headed for the woods.

I had all of them make Observation checks. Barna Áron rolled a Catastrophic Failure. I had my son follow up with an Agility check, which he passed.

The group noticed that there were landmines in the grassy strip. They had been dropped in a hurry, and left unconcealed. Áron actually kicked one by accident, sending it skipping away. Maks surmised that they’d been left by the WL to dissuade vehicles from bypassing their road checkpoint. An antipersonnel mine could disable an unarmored vehicle.

Katowice firefight - party open

The party crossed through the forest slowly, on the lookout for partisans and more landmines. They found neither.

They could hear the mortar firing in the distance. The forest wasn’t as deep as they’d thought. After 25 meters, they crossed a primitive road, and then another strip of forest before it opened up into a large clearing.

The could see a mortar, crew, and a rusty pickup parked close. Beyond was the wreckage of a crashed cargo plane. Looked to have been there for some time. Another truck was parked near the derelict aircraft.

Katowice firefight - mortar encounter

Maks and GDW took up positions, concealed at the perimeter of the clearing. Barna Áron and Wojciech made their way down the primitive road. They shot a partisan who’d been running from the fight, toward the mortar. There was so much gunfire from the firefight at the highway, the single shot went unnoticed. The pair drug the body into the bushes.

Making their way into the brush, Wojo and BA literally stumbled into a partisan who’d been concealed in the bushes [nobody – friend or foe – had made their Observation checks]. Wojo struck out with his rifle butt, missed. Partisan likewise missed with his rifle-as-club. BA stuck the man in the abdomen with his knife, but it was a minor wound.

Maks and GDW, who’d been aiming, fired at the mortar loader and his assistant. One was killed outright, the other man fell down. The mortar was shut down, for the moment at least.

Wojciech, expert at unarmed combat, dropped his rifle and grappled their opponent into submission [Outstanding Success]. Áron grabbed two of Wojo’s cable ties and bound the man hand and foot.

Unfortunately for Maks and GDW, two men had been concealed under a tree near the mortar team. They opened up with an RPK automatic rifle and a PK belt-fed machinegun. GDW took a 7.62mmS round in the chest. It was an oblique shot, and his vest took most of the impact.

Maks wasn’t so lucky. The PK gunner hit him once in the head.

Rolled to see if the round hit Maks’ helmet… Nope. Fortunately for Maks, the damage dice were low, but it was still sufficient to solidly Stun the party leader, requiring Formidable CON checks to recover in subsequent turns.

The round went between his head and the helmet, creasing his skull, leaving him writhing on the ground. GDW dragged him a distance away, out of the fire zone.

Another partisan ran past Wojo and BA. Wojciech clamped a hand around their prisoner’s mouth to keep him silent. Áron shot the runner with his G3. The man was down and wounded, so Áron darted out, dragged him under cover, and bound him as well.

GDW took a shot at the PK gunner, missed. The gunner and his partner failed to spot where the round came from.

Áron gagged their prisoner. Wojciech fired his grenade launcher at the PK gunner, missed, but still wounding and KDing the man. GDW shot the RPK gunner.

The trucks near the mortar crew and derelict aircraft began driving away.

Yet another runner, retreating from the highway fight, was unceremoniously shot by Áron. Wojciech, his grenade launcher reloaded, fired at the fleeing truck. He missed, and the 40mm grenade deviated near the mortar, which was definitely out of action now.

Maks finally recovered his senses, but the fight was just a mopping-up operation now. Only a few WL fighters had gotten away, the rest dead or prisoner.