Author Topic: Operation Archery (Vaagso) - the Wierd Story (Long) (Read 1867 times)

Abbner Home · « **on:** July 03, 2010, 04:09:55 AM »

Here is a quick run down on the latest WWWII scenario in my RPG. The "Alternate Threat Section", a secret unit under the Special Operations Executive, has learned that a map dowser is hiding on the small Norweigan island of Vaagso. Combined Operations has arranged for a major commando raid to cover the insertion of one troop of First Company - the combat arm of ATS. They are preceded by a small group of infiltrators who make contact with resistance elements and fix the location of the map dowser and pass the intel to First Company after the successful raid.

In the event the infiltration is complicated by the serious illness of the resistance asset and the raid being delayed by one day. But after much intrigue (played out in pure RPG format) the intel is acquired. Operation Archery itself is played out using the excellent Savage Worlds "Mass Battle" rules. Finally, phase three, the miniature game focused on capture of the map dowser. The infiltrators learned that Abwher agents had been making contact with a local madman and viking impersonator who lives in a remote cave on the side of the lake located on the plateau above South Vaagso. The man, Niels Kjus, lives with his two adult sons. Besides the younger son's infrequent visits to the wife of a local fisherman the Kjus family is never seen in town. More strangely, workers at the small dam on the lake report that the Abwher agents make contact with Kjus by leaving raw meat on stone near the lake shore.

First Company is composed of two sections of twelve commandos with two attached snipers, one of whom carries a massive Boys ATR with custom scope. Besides standard gear the troopers carry one magazine of silver bullets and wooden practice bayonet whittled to a sharp point. The men are well versed in the nature and existence of “Alternate Threats” and many have encountered supernatural foes on previous missions. They are lead by Captain Graves Basil, a hard charging low-born commando officer. Basil is assisted by Father McCoy, an Irish American Catholic priest who has several rituals and prayers that can repel and even destroy the supernatural. He is also assisted by Captain Rogers, better known as Captain America and Mayan Da Sales, a Spanish explosives expert who has fled Franco and made common cause with the Brits. Da Sales has a secondary objective of destroying the dam. Finally The Great Bandini, a Piccadilly stage magician with powers of telekinesis, has joined the effort. His primary goal is to stay out of the fighting until he can try to take Kjus alive.

First Company skirts along west shore of the lake heading looking for the cave and wary of a potential German ambush. They are shadowed by white wolves whose infrequent howls are answered from the north. Finally the commandos near the north shore and make contact. A well camouflaged face is made out by one of the sharper eyed men. Grenades are pitched in that direction as the men fan out. As the blast clears the enemy is revealed – ten foot tall snow trolls armed with large stone axes. Battle is joined!