The Scenario Thread

[Dominique]

OK, I've got a few ideas for some modern missions, and figured I'd post a thread listing them out. Anyone else who'd like to contribute should feel free to post also.

[Dominique]

Narco Assault

The scenario is set somewhere in South America (you can decide what best fits your game). The PCs are members of either of a military SOF (Army Special Forces, Delta, MARSOC, SAS, etc.), civilian paramilitary team (CIA, MI-6), or civilian law enforcement agency, sent to train local counter-narcotics police officers in drug interdiction techniques. After arriving in country, the team is transported to a remote jungle base, and is awaiting the arrival of most of their gear. Within a day of their arrival, word reaches them of a immanent narco-guerrilla attack on their base. The weather is beginning to worsen, so local air support, which is iffy under optimal conditions, is out of the question. US air support has been denied, for political reasons, and the team has been ordered to hold in place. In addition to the team, there are approximately 50 new police recruits, 20 seasoned counter-narcotics officers, a National Health Service doctor, and roughly 20 support personnel on the base.

The camp is a small compound, it's surrounded with an eight foot high barbed wire fence, with lights located roughly every fifteen feet. Wooden guard towers located at its four corners. At its center are a series wooden barracks (each housing a dozen men), a brick admin building (which contains the bases radio equipment), a dining hall, a medical clinic, several storage buildings, a brick walled armory, three large generators (one to power the admin building, clinic, and dining hall; one for the barracks; and one for the various electrical devices used in the camp), a fuel storage area, a helo pad (there's a larger cleared area outside the wire that can take up to four UH-1 helos at once), and an instruction/classroom area (several sets of bleachers [with overhead cover], a small classroom, and an open area for use by the instructors. In addition to the classroom area, the team has been granted the use of one of the barracks, a section of the arms room, and a storage building.

Weapons wise, the team has personnel weapons, commo gear, night vision, and a limited supply of medical equipment. The Police are armed with M-16A1 rifles (one per an officer, with 20 spares in the Armory), a half dozen M-79 grenade launchers, and two M-60 machineguns, which aren't quite in working order (it'll take roughly 20 minutes to make them serviceable. A front's moving through the area, bringing heavy rains, and low clouds. Visibility is roughly 150 meters.

How much time you want to grant the team to prepare, is up to you, but the narco-guerrillas want to hit them before they have a chance to toughen up their defenses.

[Dominique]

So, any of you guys read over this?

[Tearstone]

Sounds like it's going to be one hell of a fight. How many gurellas?

Also, I have a scenario in mind, but I'll hold off on it.

[Jefffar]

Too bad about the orders to hold in place. I'd be tempted to use the cover of the storm to slip my troops and the personnel I'm guarding out of there, and let the NTs walk into booby-trap city. Then I'd hit them while they try to escape.

As is, the cover of the storm does help out quite a bit. The catch is if the NTs are the type to wait out the storm or to try to use it to their advantage, and for that we'd need some intel on their operations style. On the plus side with a large number of experienced anti-narcotics officers I should be able to get that information.

As a MDI would definitely give them time to get the MGs up and running, but I might have a few of the bad guys scouts be spotted during that time to keep the pcs worried.

[scarius]

you should really give them a "chance" to decided while getting the MGs sorted out if they want to follow their orders, or to do their own thing and flank the NT.

also i have some scenario ideas that i have gotten from books/movies/friends/personal experence, but tehy can wait for another time maybe

[Dominique]

Sounds like it's going to be one hell of a fight. How many gurellas?

Also, I have a scenario in mind, but I'll hold off on it.

You know, I just now noticed I didn't give any guidelines for that. Give me a bit, and I'll see what I can come up with, as well as providing some info on what the attack force is armed with.

[Lord Z]

I like this scenario, D. It's a nice balance between allowing flexibility in tactics and specific details that make the adventure interesting. After posting the details of the narco forces, will there be more scenarios? Yes, I realize that the thread is nearly a year old now, but we are patient, right?

[Lord Z]

Rumble in Dubai

Here is a Beyond the Supernatural scenario I have been kicking around. After cutting the supernatural elements, I think it still works.

The setting is a fictional artificial island off the coast of the United Arab Emirites. The island is part of a real estate project involving a planned community of mansions, the world's largest hotel, a cruise ship dock, and more. The entire project worth hundreds of billions of euros has come to a sudden halt. The problem is piracy.

A band of pirates from India infiltrated the migrant work force. Once inside, they secured some key strategic positions over night and ambushed the small security force. Within hours, they were joined by other pirate crews from east Africa. Negotiations have broken down, and more pirates arrive every few hours. Pirate activities is currently limited to large scale looting and random vandalism (not counting the initial ambush). The latest news is that a large cargo tanker has been hijacked and directed towards the artificial island. This tanker is capable of carrying out fortunes of loot, and it is bringing in an unknown number of armed militants from Africa. If the situation is not resolved before that tanker arrives, the pirates will have the manpower to fortify the island and make it into a criminal haven.

The P.C.s are experienced mercenaries who are being hired to lead an operation to take back the island. Their soldiers are really just inexperienced security guards and body guards, but their budget is effectively unlimited. Here is the catch, the invasion must be performed stealthily. Neither side wants the authorities to learn what is happening yet. A naval bombardment or airstrike would surely result. The developer is desperate and already working to keep its investors onboard. If the investors learn about the pirates by way of bombs or loose lips, these investors will pull out and doom the entire project.

[Desert Rat]

Too bad about the orders to hold in place. I'd be tempted to use the cover of the storm to slip my troops and the personnel I'm guarding out of there, and let the NTs walk into booby-trap city. Then I'd hit them while they try to escape.

The 'real world' problem you would have with booby-trap city course of action is that a lot of money is dumped into a firebase and no Command element is going to allow you to blow it up without first taking the primary course of action which is defending it.

[Jefffar]

So don't make your booby traps blow things up.

A few deadfalls and punji stakes will still make them want to leave.

[Rockwolf66]

I have a scenario that isn't ones usual recon game but works wonders.

The PC's are hired to act as security for a primary, who is visiting refuge camps in an unstable African country where the ruleing elite are oppessing a majority who are not their tribe/religion/whatever. Basically a trip where if the PC's do their job right there will be no shooting.

At the end of the tour there is an incident and things go belly up and the PC's have to escort the primary through an active warzone to safty and a flight to europe.

Something I came up with after reading "Bodyguard Manual" by Leroy Thompson.

[lather]

Zombie surprise.

[Desert Rat]

Speaking of Iran, when and how do you guys think Isreal will attack the Iranian nuke program?, and what will be Iran and the rest of the worlds response?

I am guessing they already have...and by their reaction, Iran isn't going to do anything. Link: Stuxnet

[Mantisking]

Speaking of Iran, when and how do you guys think Isreal will attack the Iranian nuke program?, and what will be Iran and the rest of the worlds response?

I am guessing they already have...and by their reaction, Iran isn't going to do anything. Link: Stuxnet

This is very interesting. However, it is only a matter of time before the Iranians rebuild their nuke program, if this is true. After all, the U.S. built the first atomic bombs with computer technology that by today standards is far surpassed by the average home computer. Having said that I think that the only way to be shure it is destroyed is to physicaly do so (be it by air raids or spec. ops. saboteurs using explosives and assinations, of which I know that there have been both), after all computer viruses no matter how advanced can be delt with.

Except it was a physical attack. The virus damaged the centrifuges needed to process uranium and did so for over a year. It probably did more damage (in terms of man-hours lost and loss of confidence in the people working there) in the long run because it was more subtle than a bombing raid.

[Dominique]

I like this scenario, D. It's a nice balance between allowing flexibility in tactics and specific details that make the adventure interesting. After posting the details of the narco forces, will there be more scenarios? Yes, I realize that the thread is nearly a year old now, but we are patient, right?

Sorry for the delay, I've been procrastinating. I've got ideas for a few more, including the rescue of a hi-jacked merchant ship, and recovery of a Missionary from an African Warlord. As the original scenario goes, here's the info on the Narco Terrorists. The Narco traffickers number approximately 100 men, including 10 "Officers". They're armed with Ak-47 rifles, (4) RPG-7's, (4) RPKs, and hand grenades. They'll approach the camp in two groups. One group, of approximately 70 Narco-Terrorists (including 8 of the officers) will hit the fence line after peppering the compound with machinegun and RPG fire. They're primary goal it to take out the generators, and knock out the radio antenna. Once that's done, they'll move onto the barracks, chow hall, and medical building, with the primary goal of inflicting as many casualties on the recruits as possible. The second group, of roughly 30, will provide fire support for the main group, using 3 of the RPKs and 2 of the RPGs, they'll fire on targets of opportunity, and try to keep the police recruits pinned down until the main assault force can pull out of the camp. If the narco-terrorist sustain more than 25 casualties (total), the assualt group sustains more than 20 casualties, or more than 1/2 of the officers are killed or seriously wounded, they'll break off the attack, and retreat.

[Peacebringer]

I am guessing they already have...and by their reaction, Iran isn't going to do anything. Link: Stuxnet

That really sounds like the Iranians planted that story to make people believe their program was crippled.

In truth, the Israelis and the Iranians are allies; they have a common enemy, the Arabs.

Sure, the Iranians call for the destruction of Israel regularly, but that's as far as it will go. Iran, being Muslim, can't appear to befriend an anti-Muslim nation; yet, if Iran nuked Israel off the map, it would just be them and the Arabs; then the Sunni Arabs would start to question the Shi'ite Persians.

[Desert Rat]

Israel and Iran are allies?

[Lord Z]

Just a quick note, fellows -- we are accepting new articles for Ritter 0.1 through February. Recon is one of the product lines for which we don't yet have any contributions.

[Lord Z]

I recently heard this on a podcast. A host described the typical adventure scenario in an RPG as being five strangers sitting in a bar when they all agree to quest to find the princess' missing garter belt. I thought the concept was so funny, that I would try to adapt it to some other RPGs.

The Garter Belt
During another mission or during some downtime between investigations, one of the player-characters receives a curious gift. A woman's garter belt shows up on his dinner plate, right on top of the vegetable. Alternatively, it could be found in a mail box or left in his car or almost any other way to anonymously get the item to the PCs. Any investigations into the origin of the belt quickly lead to dead ends. It could be deduced that the belt is made from the highly quality Middle Asian materials. The belt should be treated as just an amusing event which occurs during a time when the PCs have more important worries.

One or two game sessions later, a stern older woman appears out of the blue, seeking the undergarment. She explains that she is a diplomat from the nation of Albenistan and securing the garter belt is a matter of nation security for her country. By studying of surveillance tapes or else by remote viewing, her spies have determined that the PCs were the last people to see the belt.

Here is what is happening in Albenistan. The country has a long history of division among quarrelsome tribes, but a generation ago, a single warlord was able to unite the country under his command – with the aid of considerable Soviet backing. With his Soviet allies now gone, the king is attempting to establish a royal bloodline. There are several other warlords who would prefer to claim the throne for themselves and have a heritage claim to their method of the crown going to the strongest. The king has only two living children, a son and a daughter. The elder sibling, the prince, is expected to be given the crown soon. If the prince were to become king and if he were to die before having an heir himself, the royal bloodline would flow through the princess and her children. For that reason, protecting the princess' virtue has become a major priority. The stern woman is the the royal family's Minister of Chastity. While the royal family was making a diplomatic journey, the princess did have an illicit relationship, evidenced by her giving away the garter belt. Her conspirator, suddenly afraid that he was about to be caught by the king, got rid of the belt. Perhaps the man was the cook who put the belt on the plate to get rid of it, or maybe he was a mail carrier who shoved it in a mail box rather than being caught with it. As the king has aged, he has grown obsessive about his daughter’s chastity. The Department of Chastity keeps all of her clothing on record. This would not normally be a problem, but the king has ordered a thorough and public inventory be performed. If it is found that the garter belt is missing, the king might just order his daughter's execution rather than risk civil war. The Minister understands that she has failed in her duty, but she is willing to do whatever she must to prevent the king from learning it. A wealthy prince and a lovely princess are also anxious to resolve the situation as quickly and subtly as possible. Can the PCs leverage the situation to introduce political reforms in Albenistan or simply to make bank? Is the princess really this slutty? This is a scenario in which the GM is likely to find a carrot more significant than a stick.

So where is the garter belt? The odds are that the PC who received it either did something goofy with it or forgot it. Was it used as a sling shot? Was it left behind at the last hotel room?

If it was not written down on the character sheet with all of the character's other gear, than it was lost. Where was it seen last (meaning where was it mentioned last in-character)? Was it in the drug lord's plantation house? Was it in that firebase which the enemy overran? Somebody will have to go back there to find it.

If the garter belt is on the equipment list, then the Minister will thank the PCs, pay them a generous reward, and leave with the prize. The next day, the real Minister of Chastity arrives. The real Minister is an older man and the guy who is having a secret relationship with the princess. He did ditch the garter belt, but the stern woman is a thief who is blackmailing him. Because of the role that the PCs played in aiding the blackmailer – and possibly in causing a diplomatic incident – they should be shamed into the helping the Minister retrieve the lost garter belt.