Rescue of Two Old Hero's - Full Game Posted

[Vagabond]

Cries out for some kind of distraction, really. Not sure what would hold the baddies attention long enough for the remainder to overwhelm the jailers.

Fram 4 out of my 5 plans had some form of distraction the 5th was quite subtle but as I'm not a subtle man I didn't use it.

[Vagabond]

Always a pleasure to read your report !

Thanks a lot I'm glad your enjoying it.

[Vagabond]

Fantastic AAR! Fantastic looking game! Inspiring! Thank you for sharing!

Thanks for your encouragement, much appreciated.

[Vagabond]

I would think setting a fire, while certainly distracting, would alert the Germans and their Italian friends that something is afoot, thus heightening their level of attention.  Somethin' more subtle is called for here.  I like the idea of relieving some of the less enthusiastic guards of their weapons (quietly if possible, using the charms of the female rescuers to permit the guards to let their, well, guard down), perhaps with the suggested bit of devious food and drink provision as well.  Then, the would-be rescuers can liven the whole thing up. 

That's my vote, anyway.  Then again, I'm not know for my subtlety, so maybe I'm not the skullduggery subject matter expert from who you should take advice...

I'm not known for my subtlety either and niether are my girls, grenades and bullets, backed up with knives and knuckle dusters are more their modus operandi.

[Vagabond]

Set a fire by the fuel depot.

That's a really good idea and certainly one I didn't think of. In the end I went for creating a distraction but it had consequences that I hadn't foreseen.

As an aside I've just created a number of individual quoted replies but I've seen people add small quotes from a number of people in 1 reply, can you tell me how I can do that please.
Cheers

[FramFramson]

The trick is it's not a forum software thing; just manual. Do the individual replies, but instead of actually posting you just copy the text into your next reply (or if you use tabs do X separate replies each in different tabs, and then copy-paste them to one post in the end).

[Doug ex-em4]

That's a really good idea and certainly one I didn't think of. In the end I went for creating a distraction but it had consequences that I hadn't foreseen.

As an aside I've just created a number of individual quoted replies but I've seen people add small quotes from a number of people in 1 reply, can you tell me how I can do that please.
Cheers

It’s actually easier than Fram suggests. Click "Quote" on the first response. That opens up the standard message page and includes the quote. Make your reply under the quote. Select the next response you want to quote. Click "Quote" on that response and the quote will appear under your reply to the first quote. Reply, then go to the next response and so in until you’ve done them all.

By "click Quote", I mean click on the “Quote" button on each post.


Doug

[Vagabond]

The trick is it's not a forum software thing; just manual. Do the individual replies, but instead of actually posting you just copy the text into your next reply (or if you use tabs do X separate replies each in different tabs, and then copy-paste them to one post in the end).

Thanks Fram

It’s actually easier than Fram suggests. Click "Quote" on the first response. That opens up the standard message page and includes the quote. Make your reply under the quote. Select the next response you want to quote. Click "Quote" on that response and the quote will appear under your reply to the first quote. Reply, then go to the next response and so in until you’ve done them all.

By "click Quote", I mean click on the “Quote" button on each post.


Doug

Thanks Doug.

I think I've got it. Much appreciated.

 I'm currently using my phone and I can barely read the text at all, the pleasures of not being so young anymore.

[Doug ex-em4]

Thanks Doug.

I think I've got it. Much appreciated.

 I'm currently using my phone and I can barely read the text at all, the pleasures of not being so young anymore.

Always happy to help an Old Timer navigate the intricacies of the modern world

Doug

[Mad Lord Snapcase]

I think the fuel dump fire is a good idea (1 grenade). Something going on there would at least draw away the guards in the White Swan, opposite. Then a stealthy assault up the back passage, behind Acorn Antiques. The guards in there, although likely to stay in the building, will probably be trying to look out the windows at the front to see what is going on. To keep attention focussed on the south and west of Great Snoring, perhaps lob a grenade towards where you have marked 'E' on the sketch map?

Presumably the rescue party would have prepared a getaway vehicle which could be parked in East Lane near Auntie Bettys? This would mean though, that someone would have to take out (terminate with extreme efficiency) Rachael Weiss in the photographers. Starting to get too complicated now, so I think stick to the back-passage assault and diversion.

Looking forward to seeing what you came up with, in the end. Pip, pip!

[FramFramson]

I think the fuel dump fire is a good idea (1 grenade). Something going on there would at least draw away the guards in the White Swan, opposite. Then a stealthy assault up the back passage, behind Acorn Antiques. The guards in there, although likely to stay in the building, will probably be trying to look out the windows at the front to see what is going on. To keep attention focussed on the south and west of Great Snoring, perhaps lob a grenade towards where you have marked 'E' on the sketch map?

Presumably the rescue party would have prepared a getaway vehicle which could be parked in East Lane near Auntie Bettys? This would mean though, that someone would have to take out (terminate with extreme efficiency) Rachael Weiss in the photographers. Starting to get too complicated now, so I think stick to the back-passage assault and diversion.

Looking forward to seeing what you came up with, in the end. Pip, pip!

Naturally, one would assume you have a particular interest in this specific operation.

[Vagabond]

I’ve left this final part of the story a little longer than I’d hoped and I’m afraid it’s rather a long story, please accept my apologies.

Thank you for all the Rescue Options you came up with, the ones I thought of all involved a noisy demonstration, either a grenade into the fuel dump and one into another building or a grenade into each of the buildings that I knew had troops billeted in them, followed by an immediate assault on the Antiques Shop and hopefully rescue the two old Duffers, I mean Hero’s.
The most subtle option I could think of was to take Rachael Weiss hostage and use her to persuade the guards in the Antiques Shop to open the door and let us in.

In the end I rolled the dice to decide on the specific option out of the five I came up with. The distraction was to lob a grenade at the fuel dump and then another one into the White Swan if the first had done its job on the fuel drums. Then assault the Antiques shop with everyone else.

Please note the text relating to the pictures is under them.


Just to remind you of the layout of the town, the Rescuers are starting from Aunty Betty’s which is really Aunty Edna’s….. it’s complicated. There are enemy troops known to be in 4, the Antiques Shop, 5, The Fruit or Florist’s shop, 7, a House and 15, the White Swan. Guards or Sentries are located in North Gate, West Way and South Street. The 2 Hero’s to be rescued are in 4 the Antiques Shop.

The shop layout was unknown to me, but from the outside it looked like there might be a large showroom at the front with a door and window at the back indicating maybe 1 or 2 rooms, probably a kitchen and office? There were 4 windows on the first floor so 2 or 3 bedrooms and a bathroom, old buildings in a village probably had a cellar and maybe and attic or loft space.
Once I laid my cunning assault plan I rolled dice to see which of these rooms existed so even with a solo game there was a reasonable element of surprise for me in assaulting the shop.
I then rolled some more dice to decide where the rest of the enemy elements were located, the ones that hadn’t been discovered in the initial reconnaissance and finally we’re all set for the game to begin.

Sorry – not quite - In the game each element or individual only acts if they pass an activation roll, I’d decided that it takes 3 active turns to get dressed, clean their teeth, pick up their weapons etc, 1 turn to go downstairs and 1 turn to open the door and leave the house. So that’s going to translate into a minimum of 5 turns plus any inactive turns before each figure is out on the street, of course if the Rescuers enter a house they might encounter enemy cleaning their teeth or running downstairs etc etc.

Vaggers asserting his male authority said they needed a distraction, an assault crew, a cordon team and a back up team, he’s read Sun Tzu, Bunty suggested they needed a surprise as well as a distraction she’d read the Wiley Woman and they all thought her’s was a good idea, especially when she suggested the surprise.

Ok are you up to speed – Then I’ll begin.

THE PLAN.
At the mention of grenades and explosions, Mad Patsy’s eyes lit up and she volunteered to go and throw them, Sally decided she must ensure Patsy threw them at the right time and at the right target so had to accompany her.

Once the fuel dump exploded Barbara using the shotgun as a door knocker would blow the back door of the Antiques Shop open and Spankers would rush in, followed by Barbara. At the same time Vaggers and Bunty would attack the shop from the front with Isabelle and Nicole providing covering fire where needed but they were positioned on the flanks to try and stop the Afrika Korps and Italian sentries from interfering in the attack.

They knew the front door of the shop was locked but Bunty’s surprise should overcome that problem, more of that later.


The game is a foot and with some appalling dice throwing for the Italian Sentries it turned out that all the Italians were wrapped up in their beds and there were no sentries set for this night.

Turn 1 Patsy and Sally left for the fuel dump, you have to imagine it’s dark and visibility is only 12”, unless of course you are illuminated by a big fire, but more of that later.


Because they were expecting Italian Sentries on South Street, they had taken the bold decision to go the shortest route through the town to avoid them. Given more time they should have gone out into the country and headed through the fields and back lanes approaching the Fuel dump from the West but Patsy was wearing her new red shoes and refused to get them muddy so they took the short route. They went down the alley between the Antiques shop with the Gestapo billeted in it and the Florist’s Shop with the Afrika Korps billeted in it.

They were moving stealthily, half a normal move and checking to see if they created noise at certain points. There was one heart stopping moment when a tomcat howled but they made it through to High Street without incident.


That’s when they met Coco the Doberman, not a breed known for its cuddly and playful nature.

They now had two problems, time was slipping away with all this stealthy palaver and of course Coco might not want to play and be cuddled.

On a dice roll of 6 Coco attacks savagely, 4,5 she barks and attracts attention, 1,2,3 she wants to play quietly. I rolled 1 and they pat the dog and move on. Does she let them go on alone, 4,5,6 she goes with them – oh no who thought of that!! I rolled 2 – whew, Coco roamed away into the night.

By taking their straight route through the town they’d avoided the Italian sentries on South Street but they were still expecting to meet the ones on West Way or North Street and would have to creep around them, however they were completely unaware of a pair of binoculars trained on them as the progressed along High Street.


That’s when the rest of the Rescuers started to move out in three waves.

First Bunty and Vaggers exited Aunty Edna’s and head away from the Antiques Shop!?! You remember Bunty is in disguise as Hazel and Vaggers is in disguise as William, of course you do, I’m sorry to mention it. They had to go furthest and set off first.

The second wave are Nicole and Isabelle who are acting as the cordon in Vaggers grand plan, that is if two Girl Guides can act as a cordon, anyway they are intending to take up their positions as the backup men or maybe women for the shock troops.


Isabelle in the red beret has taken up a position to enfilade the Afrika Korps as they emerge from House 7, I think that’s a French word meaning blow the sh*t out of them if they get in her line of fire but French is not my strong suit.

That’s when the shock troops emerge, Spankers has changed her bad habit of a nun for more informal leather jacket and blue pants and that could be a stolen Luftwaffe hat? Barbara didn’t bring along a spare change of clothes and is still wearing her blue beret and carrying the door knocker (shotgun).


You might begin to guess at the surprise that Bunty proposed as she and Vaggers climb in to Aunty Edna’s black Sportster.

There was a short squabble over who would drive, before Bunty slipped into the drivers seat – There’s some talk about – well you’ve got the shotgun so I should drive but it was only whispered, after all these guy’s are professionals.


Moving as quietly as they can Patsy and Sally have passed the White Swan without waking anyone and they can’t see the expected Italians, who as you already know are tucked up in bed.

Patsy, trembling with excitement pulls the pin out of the first grenade as Sally wonders how long they have after pulling the pin before it goes BANG, Patsie with nerves of steel waits 1 move before she throws it at the fuel drums.


BOOM, her aim was good and the grenade explodes amongst the fuel drums with a loud WOOSH and she ducks back behind the big red…ish truck.

My intention then, was that Patsy would run across the road and break a window of the White Swan and drop the 2nd grenade in, causing further confusion if not casualties, then they would get out of town as best and fast as they could.
There was a slight flaw in my plan, because there wasn’t a roadside window near them for her to drop the grenade into and so she would have to go round the corner into High Street to use the main door window which would cause a few problems!


Spankers falls hard as she climbs over the wall but the Germans are all sleeping soundly and don’t hear her.  Then there’s a loud explosion as the Fuel Dump blows up, the timing was off because they’re in not place by the back door but they’re not far away.
Bunty turns the key in the ignition and the model A Ford bursts into life.


Everyone else starts to count down to see how fast they can get out of bed, get dressed etc, etc.

The white rings indicate how many active moves everyone as taken so far.


Bunty puts the pedal to the metal as the saying goes and the small car accelerates into the corner.

Sally and Patsie roll dice to see how fast they recover from the concussive effect of the exploding fuel drums.

All the sleeping troops are now awake, more or less and the Italians being light sleepers, or maybe having guilty consciences are leading the way.


I expect you’ve guessed by now that Bunty’s surprise was to drive Aunty Edna’s Model A Ford through the front window of the Antiques shop, who needs a key to the door when you can drive straight in without knocking.

At this point I drew up the very professional plan of the building based on the previous criteria.


The resulting crash left them more shook up than I’d hoped and if you can understand my shorthand from the previous picture there was a dice decision as to how many Germans might be sleeping in the Sales Room, I threw a 6 which meant 2 troopers. They were also a little shook up to find a car, no matter how small drive into their bedroom.

Barbara, blew the lock off the back door and Spankers charged into what turned out to be a kitchen area.

Unlike most rules, the ones I use determine that if someone moves into line of sight of an enemy there is a roll off to decide who reacts first. In this instance 2 reacts first and 1’s all react together or simultaneously if you want to be posh. Again because they are solo rules, it’s just to see who reacts first, then you test to see what your reaction is, it can mean you shoot at the enemy, or maybe duck back into cover etc but nothing is a foregone conclusion.

Anyway gun play was inevitable, Erika fired first and would have hit Vaggers in the right leg but luckily he was still sat in the car stunned from the crash and the Model A Ford’s bodywork saved him. Bunty and Astrid fire simultaneously but Astrid’s smg jammed and Bunty snap firing at Astrid only winging her in the right arm, a flesh wound but of course it caused her to drop the jammed Smg she was holding.
Bunty’s second shot missed, possibly because she was encouraging Vaggers to get his act together and return fire. It was all a bit of a mess in the Sales Room of the Antiques Shop and not going as planned in Aunty Edna’s Dinning Room.


Meanwhile back in the Fuel Dump area, Primo the Italian commander had woken with a start, hearing the explosion. As I said, he’s a smart cookie and he realised immediately what had happened and as he rolled out of bed he wondered how he would blame everyone else for the catastrophe. First out of his billet he saw Patsie and Sally highlighted in the flames from the burning fuel as they cross the road to the White Swan but not soon enough to open fire. The German’s inside the Swan were all downstairs and on their way to see what was happening outside, just then Sally broke the door window and Patsie dropped the grenade inside.

Surprise…


Eckehard went down in a spray of blood and bones, dieing immediately, the resulting panic inside the building saw most of the troops stunned and some even running away. The main problem now for Patsie and Sally is that they can’t retreat into the dark as planned, because there is none now that the fuel dump is blazing so well.

Back with the main rescue attempt in the Antiques Shop, Spankers has stalled in the kitchen area but Barbara pushes past her and into the Showroom area, she sees Astrid reaching for the dropped Smg and opens fire with her shotgun, the blasts sounding incredibly loud in the confined space. Astrid is hit in the guts and left leg; she is out of the fight, too badly wounded to participate further.

Vaggers finally gets his act together, as he and Bunty exchange fire with Erika, she drops to the floor after taking bullets and buckshot to the left leg and right arm, but Bunty’s final shot to Erika’s head kills her outright.


There’s no let up in the action outside the Swan. Wolfgang Arnold pushes through the main door but Sally reacts first and plugs him with a well aimed shot, he goes down out of the fight. They need to get out of there now, before anymore more enemy emerge from the Swan or they are cut off by the Italians.


This is the predicament the girls are in. Out of picture but coming into sight from the far side (West Way) are Primo and his men. Nearest the camera is Meinhard Wenke and a couple of Italians and we know the Swan is still full of Germans.
Patsie and Sally are illuminated by the fire blazing behind the red-ish truck and they have no cover from a three pronged attack. They need to escape to our right but must force the enemy back before they can make a run for it.

Too late though as the Italians on the far side open fire but their shooting is rubbish and they miss, Sally returns fire and she runs out of ammo, her target doesn’t know this and the first bullet was close enough to make him duck back into cover. Primo also fires and also misses, Patsies return fire drives him back, wounded in the right arm he drops his pistol as he scuttles back to cover. That’s stopped the advance from the far side of town for the moment.


Nicole in the neat blue pork pie hat takes careful aim at the shadowy figures moving up the road towards Sally and Patsie, she fires and misses. Volpe dashes forward into cover but Wenke the Gestapo leader calmly draws his Lugar and fires back, fortunately he’s a poor shot and also misses.


Vito, who was just behind Wenke jumps round the corner to fire at Nicole but his wild shot is way off the mark, her return fire is not, chest and head and he’s dead. Wenke is sprayed with blood, stunned and is inactive. That looks like it’s stopped the advance from this side as well, maybe Sally and Patsie can make a run for it before another attack is mounted or Volpe recovers his nerve and moves out of cover.

To be continued very shortly 

[marianas_gamer]

Most exciting!

[FramFramson]

Can't wait!

[Mad Lord Snapcase]

Ooh, this is good! Keep it coming.