A West Marches-style campaign accommodates a large number of PCs. I have eight players, so one PC per player should be sufficient for now (I may open up a second PC slot if the campaign goes on long enough or if PCs start getting dropped with long-healing-time critical hits). Let’s take a look at the survivors whose exploits I’ll be chronicling here:

Dr. William “Red” Greyson (Lieutenant, U.S. Navy)

“Red” was doing his residency when the war began. Drafted and direct-commissioned as a Navy trauma surgeon, he was attached to an infantry battalion in 2nd Marine Division. With the collapse of anything resembling international law and treaty enforcement, he’s picked up a rifle to defend his patients… and himself… and, really, anyone else who needs it.

Medical Aid B; Combat Medic, Load Carrier, Trader

M4A1, Browning Hi-Power, medical gear

Ellis (CIA)

A veteran CIA case officer, the man who calls himself Ellis began operating in Poland several years before the war went hot. His main line of work was countering Soviet influence and encouraging Polish pro-democracy movements. His last major op involved obtaining an unspecified item from the Soviet Reserve Front HQ and Polish puppet government capital at Lublin.

Persuasion B; Interrogator, Investigator, Tactician

AK-74, Makarov, a few different disguises

John Lee Pettimore (Staff Sergeant, U.S. Marine Corps)

Pettimore grew up in a trailer in rural eastern Kentucky with two younger brothers and an alcoholic mother. He supported the family through hunting, both for subsistence and as a guide for out-of-town rich folk, and eventually parleyed that skill set into a job with the Corps. He spent the first half of the war with the 2nd Marine Division’s 2nd Reconnaissance Battalion. After the main event in Norway was over, he shifted south to the Baltic. In the churn of combat replacements and reshuffled recon assets, he eventually wound up attached to the Army’s 5th Infantry Division before its ill-fated end run into central Poland. He survived the breakout and linked up with a small group of other survivors who made their way to Krakow. He’s somewhat evasive on what happened between now and then… especially as he’s realized that his personal timeline doesn’t line up with anyone else’s…

(Pettimore is a character from a previous campaign who’s been ported from my house-ruled v2.2 into this v4 version.)

Ranged Combat B; Hunter, Scout, Sniper

Thoughts and Prayers (Dragunov), M45 MEU(SOC), compound bow, Bible

Leksik “Leks” Müürikivi (Corporal, Free Estonian Defense Force)

One of a number of Estonians who defected to NATO as soon as it became survivable, Leks is the party’s beatstick. He’s Ellis’ right-hand goon – the two of them have been through a number of escapades prior to the events that led them to Ponikla.

Survival B; Forager, Killer, Machinegunner

MG3, pump-action shotgun, Zippo engraved with “Fuck Communism”

Magda Szymanska (Polish Home Army partisan)

Magda would much rather be baking, but this is what she’s stuck with. A few years before the war started, she joined the Strzelec territorial defense volunteer organization – partly out of patriotism, partly because most of her friends were doing it. When the war broke out, she chose the side of getting her country out from under Moscow’s boot.

Recon B; Cook, Rifleman, Scout

wz.88 Tantal

Mikolaj Krol (Polish civilian)

Mikolaj was a teenager when things went sideways. He came of age in Warsaw – and then in Warsaw’s irradiated ruins. He’s the party’s scrounger and always has one eye on the exit.

Survival B; Runner, Scout, Scrounger

PM-84, machete

Minka (Polish civilian)

Before the war, Minka was a blacksmith and farrier with just enough veterinary knowledge to be dangerous. She was a skilled practitioner of a dying trade. As literal horsepower became a critical resource again, she found her skills in high demand. She’s looking for her mobile forge and her trusty horse, both of which were stolen by Soviet cavalry troops a few months ago, but until she finds those particular Russians, she’s happy to take out her frustrations on any Russians.

Medical Aid B; Blacksmith, Rider, Veterinarian

AKM, sledgehammer

Zenobia Slusarski (Polish civilian)

Zenobia is a native of Ponikla, though she moved away long before the war and only returned a month before the campaign began. A mechanic, tinker, and locksmith, she trusts and appreciates machinery more than people.

Tech B; Infiltrator, Locksmith, Scrounger

Sako L61R in .30-06, Glock 17, toolkit