[WW] Thoughts and Help requested about mission idea

["Simon Hurr" <shurr@paradise.net.nz>]

Hi there,

I've finally managed to get my SAS chaps through their first mission in our
PBEM, and I am planning the second at the moment. However, I'm running into
a few problems, so I thought I'd ask you lot for your thoughts on the matter
:-)

(If Mr. B is reading this, it's major spoilers for the next mission, so if
you read it, play dumb or fake omnipotence when it comes to playing it :-) )

Before we get into it, the background for the game:

The British SAS has been formed in early 1939, (was in ~1941 in real life,
but I feel that the Special Forces are the right sort of unit for PCs to
belong to!) and Germany has invaded Poland on cue.  Not much weirdness in
the early days, but enough to let people know that something is up.

The first mission that the men undertook was to infiltrate a research
facility where the Germans were close to resolving important metallurgy
issues with turbojet engines on the Messerschmidt Me-262 (which did exist in
prototype form in 1939 in real life, but had this problem where the engines
kept melting.)  They assassinated the scientist (a renowned metallurgist)
and destroyed the prototype and plans before making a fairly hairy escape.
All good fun.


So, on to their next task...

The second mission is due to take place in late September 1939.

The idea is that two Polish cryptologists are attempting to escape Poland
with an Enigma machine. (This is actually a real historical event, they set
out on September the 18th and made it to Paris on October 1st, although I've
not been able to discover how/where they travelled.)

In the game, the British have been notified through a contact close to the
Polish Cryptologists, and have contacted them and asked them to allow a
special unit to escort them, so as to offer them some protection. The Poles
have agreed, as Poland is on the verge of surrendering, and there are a
number of Germans between them and Paris!

No prizes for guessing who's going to do the escorting :-)

The idea is that the PCs get parachuted into Poland at night (the Luftwaffe
has no real night-fighters at this point, so the task is a relatively safe
one) and must meet the Cryptologists and escort them to the coast. Once
there, they must contact a British submarine (the HMS Spearfish) by radio
and get picked up by dinghy. This will avoid them having to enter Germany.

This is all scheduled to happen around the 21st to 22nd of September.

Aside: My choice of the HMS Spearfish for the mission was not a
coincidence - in real life, it was damaged by depth-charges from German
vessels on the 25th/26th. Thought that might be something to spice up the
voyage home, if they get that far...


Along the way, I intend for them to be chased by Nazis, and the Nazis will
have a Brute or somesuch, which I intend for the characters to see running
along on all fours, nose to the ground, obviously tracking them, obviously
not particularly human. It will also attack them with teeth that are
obvoiusly canine in nature.
(We are starting the Weird part of the game quite slowly, and this will be
their first chance to see something unusual.)

I will also have them pass a village and see the Nazis at work - I've found
a reference to a village in Southern Poland where all Jewish men were
rounded up and marched into the marketplace, where they were forced to shout
'I am a traitor to the people' in German. They were then all shot. I intend
to have this happening in the North of Poland as well, as the Germans
'cleanse' the Danzig corridor.

I have three reasons for wanting to include this in the game at this point.

Firstly, it is a very dramatic thing for the characters to witness, and
something for them to be helpless to prevent, as there will be a couple of
dozen Nazis.

Secondly, it is undeniable visual proof of the Nazi's inhuman behaviour,
which will be a theme of the campaign - that the Nazis' use of dark magic
has bereft them of much of their basic humanity.

Thirdly, it could easily provide the basis for a supernatural event. And
this is where I'm stuck. Does anybody have any ideas for what this event
could be, and why it would be appropriate for the scene?

My initial thought was to have it adversely affect the Nazis. However, the
nature of the 'Weird' in Weird Wars does not represent it as being a moral
force, as it is spawned from human death and suffering. Therefore, I'm
thinking that the Nazis could well have a ritualistic reason for performing
such an atrocity. Any thoughts on what such a ritual might be for?

Alternatively, it could be an event that the Germans do not expect, caused
by the mass deaths. This would provide a counter-point to the Germans having
supernatural powers at their call - that supernatural energy can also be
spontaneous and uncontrolled. However, I'm stumped here too - what
effect/forms could it take?

I'm also eager to read your thoughts on the idea of the mission as a whole -
any recommendations?

Cheers,

BJ