Again, thanks for the supportive comments everyone.
James, in a way the interim narratives are built into the system. I have to give credit where it is due - Ivan Sorenson & Modiphius Entertainment have created a very nice solo campaign system. The numerous random tables and charts seem overwhelming but do a great job of creating a background and, during play, presenting imaginative random events. All the player has to do is find a way of turning the rolls into some kind of story.
Doug & Capn Jim, yes, your spotting was dead on. Did you also notice that King, who has been traveling these back roads for years, will also do anything for a buck? We don't leave him in charge of the mobile home in case we come home and find it rented out.
New Campaign, Week three - Break & Enter
I believe Dalila's contacts used our first mission as a test to see how well we would do. We must have passed their test as their offer came quickly afterwards. I've decided not to wait but to begin the mission immediately. There is a complication, some sort of scientist is to tag along with us. Our job is to get him to the building, get him inside, and then guard the building until he announces that he is done. Then get him safely back. It shouldn't be too hard, we know the route already.
I feel ready. We are well armed and have plenty of support equipment such as 1st aid kits. Dalila and I are the only ones with assault rifles, but the rest of the group make due with different varieties of semi-auto AR-15s, except for Max and his shotgun of course. Artur's gun is well tricked out now and he should be a terror while on overwatch.
We were very quiet as we approached the parking lot. It looked like we could waltz right in, but I had an uneasy feeling. We had some rocks to our right and a small woods to our left. We could use either if we wanted to be cautious. I looked around.
It was a good thing I did - there was someone else already there. And Dalila spotted movement inside the building. Someone was checking out a truck cab abandoned in the parking lot.
I wanted Artur to go on overwatch but this was not a good spot for him to set up. The sight lines were restricted and the rocks to our right were too close to the building. So I sent King out to our left to check out the trees while Dalila backed him up. Max and I moved closer.
Word quickly came back that King had found someone hiding in the trees, watching the building. He began to question him.
I sent Max over to the rocks and he quickly set up. Unfortunately, he was spotted. The person on the truck shouted a warning and immediately opened fire. And he was good. I should know, I was his target. His shooting skill, and the way he was dressed, made me start thinking of him as some sort of government or corporate agent. What had we gotten into? I turned and looked at our scientist, but he just shrugged.
Meanwhile Dalila and King had been grilling the onlooker. I found out later that he claimed to be a local who liked to visit the zone and had been watching the individuals as they searched the building. If true, this made him just an innocent bystander.
Two more opponents appeared, all of them dressed like some kind of agents. Artur tried to fire on the one in the center, but as I had feared, he couldn't get a proper bead on him. Max opened fire and at the same time gestured towards something in the parking lot I hadn't noticed, some kind of fancy military case. Perhaps this is what we'd been sent for.
Did I mention they were good shots? I couldn't see the agent in the blue jacket any more as he'd moved to the front of the truck cab, so I exchanged shots with the one all in black. I missed, he didn't. I suddenly found myself on my butt. The vest had returned every penny of my investment, I was bruised but otherwise unhurt. Max fired upon the one on the far right, just missing - you could see where the shotgun blast tore a piece out of the corner of the wall. I had been sure the agent had been hit too as he ducked back, but a second later he returned fire.
King moved forward firing, but agent blue (what I decided to call the one in the blue jacket) waited until just the right moment and King went down hard. Seeing this, and not having a shot herself, Dalila moved around the woods to the left in an attempt to reach King.
Agent blue moved towards Artur as I staggered to my feet and prepared to return fire on agent black. Suddenly I heard Max shout out and go down. There were only three of them and we were getting our butts kicked. Enough already I thought, switched my rifle to full auto and let loose on agent black.
It was their turn to lose someone and he went down hard.
I ran over to help Max and opened fire on agent grey. "click". In my hurry I had forgotten to reload. As it turned out it didn't matter. For some reason agent grey had already retreated. I quickly slapped a patch on Max. Luckily it turned out to be just a light wound.
Meanwhile Artur and agent blue were exchanging shots. Artur missed but agent blue didn't and managed to wound him. Even though it was only superficial, Artur ducked back into cover. I move back to my original position. It was about this time I began to wonder what had happened to Dalila.
Artur sees me hiding behind a bush and moves left to get a better shot at agent blue. I see agent grey peeking around the building and realize agent black is no longer lying in the parking lot. Agent grey had pulled him to safety.
Agent blue slowly walks forward firing. Artur goes down. Agent blue must not have seen me move and didn't realize I was nearby.
And agent blue goes down.
That was the end of that. Agent grey and black disappeared, although they left behind an expensive high power pistol. No wonder they had been so dangerous. Our scientist, I never did learn his name, entered the building and twenty minutes later, came out furious. Dalila appeared covered in mud. She had slipped while going around the trees, rolled down the hill to get tangled in the brambles at the bottom. It took her this long just to get free and get back to the parking lot. She saw the casualties we'd suffered and moved to help King and Artur.
Max checked the military case, but it was empty except for a single data-stick stuck inside the lining. King shouted out to bring the case with us, it might be nothing but a fancy case but we could sell it for a couple bucks back in town.
I used the delay in starting home to ask my own questions of the character King had found in the woods. He'd stuck around until the end, and had truly been an innocent bystander. I wish I'd brought my camera along, innocent bystanders were rare enough they were worth taking pictures of. He was a local farmer but since nobody was willing to purchase food grown this close to the exclusion zone, the government was paying him to keep his land out of production. He spent his time exploring the zone. He'd been resting under the trees when the other three had turned up. They spent a little time inside the building, then one of them came out and started searching the parking lot. They seemed to have been in a hurry. Whatever they were searching for, the farmer didn't think they'd found it. I doubt we'll ever find out what it was all about. I asked about the twin cabins and he gave me some local gossip that had me thinking late into the coming night. Then he helped us home.
We rushed King and Artur to the hospital. Artur asked if they had a frequent flyer discount. Obviously he had only minor wounds. A week's rest and he'd be good as new. King was in more serious shape and required immediate surgery. In the recovery room we were told he may require up to 4 weeks of rest. This was not what I'd consider a successful outing. Every one of us had either been injured or shot. It's a good thing that the Kid is ready again.