CapnJim's Modern Stuff - The Bear Responds - Full AAR - Pg 43 - 04 Mar 25

[flatpack]

Great AAR.
Love the photos, so atmospheric.
The sidewalks, the dustbins, the scatter, all lovely.

[Lord Raglan]

Beautifully done my friend

[has.been]

I agree with the others. Well done. 

[CapnJim]

Stealing the general's Mercedes was the exfil plan?    Or was that an improvised thing? I detect Ted's sense of humor at work there... 

Otherwise, wow! That worked a LOT better than the rangers and marines were able to do...ha, ha! Great AAR, and appreciate the hard work on the "dark" photos and blow by blow of the events!

Mike Demana

Stealing the General's car was a spontaneous decision.  Doorman, who had the B&E specialty, could "open doors/windows & start cars".  The team needed to get away, and the car was handy.  Doorman started the car on his first try, so off they went...

Classy team. Anyone who chooses a Hi-Power as their sidearm and steals a Merc as their getaway vehicle has my admiration.

Yep - Hi-Powers are ubiquitous, and can't really be tied to anyone in particular.  Plus, they just look cool...

Great AAR.
Love the photos, so atmospheric.
The sidewalks, the dustbins, the scatter, all lovely.

Beautifully done my friend

I agree with the others. Well done. 

Thanks, fellas!

[HESH]

Everything about this is terrific. 👍👍

[carlos marighela]

Brownings are really nice to shoot and very reliable. Dead simple to strip and clean and I can't remember ever getting a stoppage on the range. I'm buggered if I know why anyone bothers replacing them.

I'm sure, your Austrian and Swiss space age polymer gats have their advantages (weight mostly) but given it's still just a pistol not sure that's worth the $$. Besides having a 13 round mag, they have a nice heft. Whacking someone or throwing at their head as a last resort/ fit of pique is definitely going to remove teeth and do serious damage. I know people have whined about hammer bite but service issue guns don't have that issue.

I loved shooting the Browning and if I was to ever own a pistol, that would be the one I want. Canada's greatest export.

[CapnJim]

Everything about this is terrific. 👍👍

Thanks!

Brownings are really nice to shoot and very reliable. Dead simple to strip and clean and I can't remember ever getting a stoppage on the range. I'm buggered if I know why anyone bothers replacing them.

I'm sure, your Austrian and Swiss space age polymer gats have their advantages (weight mostly) but given it's still just a pistol not sure that's worth the $$. Besides having a 13 round mag, they have a nice heft. Whacking someone or throwing at their head as a last resort/ fit of pique is definitely going to remove teeth and do serious damage. I know people have whined about hammer bite but service issue guns don't have that issue.

I loved shooting the Browning and if I was to ever own a pistol, that would be the one I want. Canada's greatest export.

I do too.  Mine is a Hungarian FEG (an unlicensed, but pretty good quality, copy).  Never had hammer bite.  The Hi-Power is my 2nd favorite sidearm, after the 1911.  Huh.  They're both John Brownings...

[CapnJim]

Well, with the now confirmed demise of our good Captain General M'Gumbo Isgood in the Peoples' Republic of Northern Gambola, and the hopeful onset of relative political calm that ought come with it, we now turn our attention to Balczakistan (our fictional former Soviet Republic).

As you all may recall, from days gone by, Balczaki Freedom Front terrorists/freedom fighters had taken the members of an NGO medical center hostage in late 1990.  US Spec Ops types went in and rather successfully rescued them.  Then, as the BFF was angered and embarrassed by that, they struck the Balczaki Interior Minister's country house, where he was hosting the US Ambassador to Balczakistan.  While the Balczaki Army guards were able to hustle their Interior Minister away, the US Marines were unable to keep the BFF guys from snatching up the Ambassador (fer shame, fer shame, fer shame... ).  He has been a guest of the BFF since then.  But it's now Spring of 1991, and the US would like its Ambassador back.  Mind you diplomatic efforts have proven futile, so it's time for, um, more direct methods.

Intel has determined that the BFF is going to move the Ambassador from one safe house to another, and has obtained the route and timing of the move.  The plan is to interdict that movement, and bring the Ambassador home, alive hopefully.  Here is the site of the US's ambush:



Salient features are marked on the map. 

We'll be using the Fistful of Lead core rules, with the vehicle rules from Galactic Heroes.  The BFF convoy will consist of a sedan, with the BFF leader, a driver, and the US Ambassador.  They will be accompanied by 2 technicals (each with a driver, an HMG gunner, and 3 guys with AKs).  They must enter from the entry point on Turn 1, and get the Ambassador, still in their care, off the field at the exit point.  I will play the BFF bunch.

The residences are occupied.  The one nearest the entry point has a single guy there, who begins next to his car.  The one near the NW corner, has a couple and their dog, who begin outside in their yard.  The one near the south board edge has a single guy and his dog.  He is outside working on his tractor.  I will also play the civilians, who will activate on a single card.  They will move randomly.  Mostly ( ).  The US players will be warned that the BFF is operating in territory friendly to them, and to exercise appropriate tactical caution regarding the civilians.  depending on what the US folks do, the civilians may affect the action...

I will give the US players a choice of forces.  They may choose either a 9-man US Marine squad (d10s, with body armor (8+ save) and the Camouflaged trait), or a 7-man Spec Ops squad (d12, also with body armor and Camouflaged).  Either way, they will be accompanied by 2 People's Balczaki Resistance fighters (d8, with the Ranger trait, which will also apply to any US figure within 3" of one of them when the US figure activates - the PBR fighters know their way around).  The US players may also choose 1 type of roadblock if they'd like.  It will be either a felled tree, a stack of crates and other stuff, or a "broken down" vehicle (which will have 2 more unarmed PBR fighters with it, who can arm themselves as an action if they are adjacent to a door or the trunk of the vehicle).   I will provide the US players with a map, on which they may mark their hidden starting positions and the roadblack position.  They will be revealed when they are within LoS of any BFF fighters, or they shoot.  I will allow hidden movement, as long as all the movement is out of LoS of BFF folks or civilians.

We will play this Friday (the 9th).  Of course, I will post an AAR afterwards (likely in a couple weeks, as we have company that weekend, and Da Boss and I are gonna be on a little vacation 12-15 July).

In any event, stay tuned.  Regardless of what happens here, Balczakistan will be heating up now...the US will be somewhat annoyed that the Ambassador had been captured, and the PBR may strike at the last remaining Russian troops left in Balczakistan.  Ideas, ideas....

[carlos marighela]

Looking forward to that. These are always a pleasure to read.

I should point out that his thread has cost me quite a bit of money. You've inspired me to raise my own late 1980s/ early '90s US force, replete with choppers and associated impedimentia. 

On the upside, while waiting for the bulk of the US Army to arrive,  it has forced me to go through the lead mountain and convert and paint a ton of OPFOR. Fictional caribbean island defence forces and narcos so far. Finally found a use for a Cessna and the toy 'go fast' boat I picked up for a couple of bucks years ago. So at least the OPFOR has been essentially 'free'.

[CapnJim]

Um, sorry?   

I have my own fictional CA country.  La Republica de El Perdomo.  Its capital is San Fuente.  It's a small country nestled between Panama and Costa Rica.  far it has only been featured in my Top Secret RPGs (set in 1989).  The government is US-friendly, but there are rebel factions gadding about the place, supported by Cuba.  When I get around to painting up some government troops and rebels, it will make an appearance in our wargames...

[Lord Raglan]

Very inspiring 👍🏻

[HESH]

Love your photo map technique 👍

[carlos marighela]

I'm more impressed by how he gets 28mm drones to lug a camera phone over the terrain. Presumably it's a quite few of them flying in close formation

Nice teaser btw.

[CapnJim]

Very inspiring 👍🏻

Thanks!  That's high praise from you, with the stuff you've posted!

Love your photo map technique 👍

Thanks.  I use MSPaint...

I'm more impressed by how he gets 28mm drones to lug a camera phone over the terrain. Presumably it's a quite few of them flying in close formation

Nice teaser btw.

Thanks.  No drones, though.  In 1990, it was probably aerial photos from a low-flying fixed-wing...

By the way, the BFF chaps are d10s with the Ranger trait (they know their way around, too), except for their leader.  He's a d12...and they won't knock the Ambassador off, unless it's absolutely hopeless.  If they whack him, I imagine the US will take a dim view of it, even dimmer than that already taken...

[mikedemana]

Looking fun! Is the new recruit coming to be indoctrinated in the wacky world of Jim's modern games?

Looking forward to coming up for our visit at the end of this month!

Mike Demana