Putting a bit more logistics catch-up on screen:
The micro hydro generator project is complete, providing limited electrical power to Ponikla, and Alexei’s radio station is online, so we can close out those project clocks.
Red is still working on upgrading his medical clinic, especially now that he has a power budget. He’s also looking at scaling up the area’s medical coverage:
- Locally, his best prospects are Ewalina Janicek, a former chemistry grad student now serving as the village’s schoolteacher, and Jacob, the one-eyed teenager from the railyard.
- One of Von Bahr’s troops has hooked up with a refugee who was in nursing school in Warsaw before the war.
- Von Bahr also has two soldiers who got basic field medic training from NATO advisors (probably Special Forces 18Ds) after they defected, but neither of them really has the educational background to progress too far toward post-apoc M.D. credentials.
- The emerging merchant collective that’s running Opoczno has acquired a retired radiologist. He’s kinda rusty on general medicine, and a determined alcoholic, but he’s willing to assist Red in getting his CT scanner up and running.
- The White Eagles have one soldier who was a vet-tech before being drafted… and thanks to an improbably high random roll, one civilian from their base community in Skarzysko Kamienna who was a surgical resident at the Medical University of Lodz.
- When Red asks Filip about medical capabilities in the Bracia Wilkow, the Wolfbrother leader shrugs and ignores him.
With seasonal floods a rapidly-approaching concern, there’s pressure to finish the floodwall.
Zenobia and Red want a backup wind generator to diversify their power sources and add redundancy.
Minka has a perpetual laundry list of upgrades for her smithy and machine shop, especially now that she, too, has limited electricity available.
Regional salvage projects and diplomatic efforts are ongoing.
Food preservation is a constant during harvest season, but I’m not running a progress clock for that as long as no in-game events disrupt it.
Ponikla’s September harvest was acceptable, but not as good as it could have been. Part of that was due to the disruption from the Battle of Radom. PCs being pulled off on other critical infrastructure tasks also accounted for a good chunk of that (PCs who contribute to the harvest use their own Survival rather than the village default of C/C). Total yield was 7,500 rations:
- 500 rations of apples
- 500 rations of beets
- 2,400 rations of cabbage
- 2,200 rations of corn
- 1,100 rations of plums
- 800 rations of potatoes
Coming up, October’s harvest will be more apples, beets, cabbage, and potatoes, and some pears.
As of 18 October 2000, the village has a population of 80, including two new NPCs and a horse-thing that consumes one human’s ration equivalent a day in meat. Kaja Kaczmarek’s baby is still due in November.
Ponikla has 242 days of food remaining. That should increase by a comfortable margin at the end of October, when I roll for the month’s harvest. There are three dairy cows (each producing 2d6 rations/day of milk, most of which I assume is being processed into cheese). Total of 21 pigs: four breeding sows, one breeding boar, 16 being raised for slaughter in November (each will yield 2d6x2 rations). 26 hens and 6 roosters, with intent to expand the flock as much as possible over the next year.
Fuel production is barely keeping pace with expenditures, as the bulldozer is needed for floodwall construction and the tractor is in use for the harvest. All vehicles are being kept at full tanks but the village has effectively no reserve.
Under the tutelage of Leks, Arkadi, and a few of the 5th Infantry Division survivor NPCs, Ponikla now has a green but improving little militia. The TO&E is:
- Command section
- SSgt Scott (AKM)
- PFC Bailey (AKM)
- LCpl James (AKM)
- J/Tech Quinn (AKM)
- M. Kaczmarek (PM-84)
- Mortar section
- Spec/4 Ross (AK-74)
- J. Kowalski (AKM)
- 2x unnamed villager (AKM)
- 82mm mortar
- Fireteam B
- Spec/4 Turner (AK-74)
- 3x unnamed villager (AKM)
- three LMGs (DP-27, RPK, RPK-74) available for fixed defense
- Fireteam C
- Spec/4 Foster (HK33)
- S. Jablonski (scoped wz.29, crossbow)
- 2x unnamed villager (AKM)
- scoped hunting rifles, ghillie suits, and field gear available for reconnaissance and sharpshooting work
- Fireteam D
- Pvt Novotny (M16A2/M203)
- 3x unnamed villager (AKM)
- AT-5 launcher (3 rounds) and SPG-9 (limited ammo) available for confirmed armor threats.
Generally speaking, each militia member has their personal weapons and kit, at least four magazines for their primary weapon, one smoke grenade, a flak jacket, and a steel helmet (mostly Polish wz.75s). The fireteams also have been issued one fragmentation grenade per person.
All militia personnel are NPCs and the force is strictly for local defense. It won’t deploy – that’s what the PCs and their White Eagle and East German allies are for.
Opoczno, the largest population center in the emerging regional alliance, was a ceramics production center before the war. Red and Zenobia are very interested in getting its glassworks back into action for cranking out insulators for power grid restoration, and in getting large-scale concrete production stood up. The town’s governing council is willing to look at the project over the winter, but their first priority is establishing themselves as a regional mercantile/trade/salvage center. They’re looking to increase their craft and trade services to attract more legitimate travel. They also want to add an armored cavalry element to their militia for trade route patrols and bandit suppression.