[WW] Just played a trial game...

[Lizard <lizard@mrlizard.com>]

In honor of the three day weekend, I got some friends together for a WW 
one-shot. Basic plot:

The PCs (four soldiers and a French resistance fighter) were asked to check 
out a small town near the border of allied-controlled territory. Two lone 
scouts had not reported back, and there was fear that a nest of Nazis might 
be holed up in the town.

As they closed in on the town, the general 'mystic level' began to rise. 
First, the jeep broke down due to gremlins. While the mechanic was tearing 
into the jeep, the Medic (also a non-OSI Chaplain) heard what sounded like 
a sobbing child just off the road. He took The Kid From Iowa with him. They 
found a young child nursing a broken arm. They tried to carry him back to 
the jeep, but he cried and insisted they find his sister. Both of them had 
been hurt gathering berries. He leads them to a clearing, where his 
'sister' is waiting -- along with several others. Blood Sprites from 
Creature Collection II. A few screams bring the rest in, and they kill 
three of them, with one escaping. The creatures leave no bodies.

Meanwhile, the mechanic rolls well enough to force the gremlin to 
materialize. Killing it also destroys what's left of the jeep. They send 
the Resistance Fighter ahead to scout the town. To summarize a lot of 
roleplaying and sneaking about (about ninety minutes worth) in a sentence 
or two:Nazis holed up in the old church. They have most of the towns 
children as hostages. They're doing 'something', but no one knows what.

The PCs plan an assault, pull it off. During the fight, one of the Nazi 
officers casts a few spells, scaring the hell out of the PCs. Nazis dead, 
kids safe, fight over...then the Nazi soldiers stand up again, and this 
time, they're a lot tougher. The PCs manage to win, but two of them are 
knocked down to sub-zero HP before the medic can stabilize them. A final 
investigation reveals the Nazis were digging into ancient catacombs beneath 
the town, and had just unearthed a sarcophagus which contained a knight 
holding a sword of an impossibly light, impossibly strong, metal.

They report back. The Sargeant blabs about everything he saw. The Major 
taking their report notes they have no bodies and only themselves as 
witnesses, tells them he'll just say they found and killed some Nazis, and 
don't talk about it to anyone. The OSI officer listening from the other 
room has taken careful notes and will contact them if I ever run again...

Thoughts:
Good use of the D20 system. Some thoughts/comments, and here I'm 
specifically looking for problems:

a)There really needs to be more 'background skills'. Most grunts, scouts, 
medics, etc, had lives before the army, unlike D&D classes where you are 
assumed to have apprenticed in your chosen class. Perhaps allowing all PCs 
a single level of Expert to represent their civilian life?

b)More rifle and modern-combat oriented feats are needed. Most of the PHB 
feats assume a melee-intensive environment.

c)Low AC+2d8 damage means initiative is very important -- against first 
level characters, the first shot is usually fatal and very likely to hit.

d)I hope this game is succesful. I think there's a lot of room for 
expansion/detail, and I'd like to see it evolve beyond the core rulebook.


e)More low-level critters! I know it's not a monster-hunting game, but 
low-CR horrors would be nice.