The team really wants to continue messing with the Radom ZOMO, but they haven’t actually probed Radom yet. They decide to conduct an extended reconnaissance in the hope of identifying one or more of their desired targets. Of course, not all of the PCs are particularly suited to recon work, so this looks like something to be done during downtime rather than an in-play session.
Because this is a lot higher-risk than the typical downtime activity, here’s how I handled it:
The garrison has an Alert stat ranging from 0 to 5, representing how aggressively they are hunting suspected infiltrators/saboteurs. 0 is absolute complacency; 5 is full counterinsurgency. Pact-aligned forces in Radom are currently at a 2 because of White Eagle activity along the MSR and encounters to the northwest with the PCs and Von Bahr’s East Germans.
Each day of downtime has two Recon checks. The first is for observation of the city, using the best observation-focused Recon in the team (Scout applies). Each success provides a roll on the list of locations. If the result is a new location, it’s revealed. If the result is a revealed location, the PCs gain additional detail on it.
The second Recon check is for avoiding notice, using the worst stealth-focused Recon in the team (Infiltrator applies). This is opposed by a Recon roll for the opposing forces. If the PCs have more net successes, Alert stays the same. If the PCs and enemies have equal successes, Alert stays the same but each PC takes 1 Stress from the close call. If the enemies have more net successes, Alert increases by 1 per success and one randomly-selected PC receives one long-range attack as they’re spotted. If Alert reaches 5, the garrison mobilizes for an all-hands hunt and the recon team is forced to withdraw.
Stealth will also take a -1 penalty on clear, sunny days and a +1 bonus on rainy days (+2 for exceptionally heavy precipitation).
PCs do not regain Stress during this operation because of the constant lower-case stress of conducting close reconnaissance in enemy territory.
The best observation in the team is Magda/Miko, both with an A+B roll after Scout is applied.
The worst Stealth in the team is Miko, with an A+C.
Day 1 (August 21): The team drives to the vicinity of Radom and caches the UAZ-469 (they don’t want to have to run away on foot if their mission is blown). Their initial hide site is near the Rafil paint factory, which appears to be untouched – including a string of ten tank cars parked on a siding. However, a close call with a ZOMO patrol forces them to pull back. Alert 2, +1 Stress.
Day 2 (August 22): Not a great night. As the team is moving into position for the evening’s work, Miko finds a tripwire-triggered flare. Caught in the open, he narrowly avoids a snap shot from an unseen sniper. Patrols are out in force and the team pulls back to avoid detection. Alert 3.
Day 3 (August 23): Swinging south to avoid the area of the previous night’s incident, the team pauses at the grumble of engines. They’re able to creep forward and identify what appears to be the base for the Soviet QRF that’s covering the highway! It’s a few kilometers [1 hex] southwest of Radom, in a scrapyard. Avoiding it seems to be the best course of action, so the team continues on into Radom’s southern industrial sector. They move into the paint factory, confirming that it’s undamaged and was shut down in good order. Tons of organic solvents, resin, and powdered pigments are on site. From there, they’re able to check out the stockyards, which are a total loss from fire. The area is profoundly unsettling and, by unspoken accord, the team pulls back. Alert 3, +1 Stress.
Day 4 (August 24): The north side of Radom is tonight’s area of operations. The team passes through the mostly-intact rail yard, which was a major freight hub for the local industries. There’s probably some enticing salvage here, but there isn’t time to tarry. Pressing east, the team approaches what their collective memories say should be an airbase (formerly used for training Polish Air Force pilots). The base is shattered, apparently from conventional (non-nuclear) bombing… but between it and Radom’s silent shadows lies a moderate-sized compound with a double fenceline and guard towers. The guard force – and their dogs – are sufficiently alert that the team can’t get close enough for details, but this must be the prison camp! Alert 3, +1 Stress.
Day 5 (August 25): Probing the west side of Radom tonight, the team locates an unexpected resource: an abandoned warehouse containing the logo of Fabryka Broni Radom. It’s nowhere near the FB Radom factory, the world-renowned arms manufacturer. Curious, Zenobia slips the lock on a fire door and the team eases inside The building is full of industrial machinery, but not for manufacturing guns. No.. this is the mothballed production line for a side business of license-built Facit 1620 manual typewriters! Invigorated by this discovery, they press on. At the northern edge of the industrial sector, a blaze of light clearly marks the main ZOMO barracks. A passing patrol forces them back into the shadows before they’re able to gather too many details, but they now have a location for it. Alert 3, +1 Stress.
At this point, all of the involved PCs are at 4/5 Stress. They haven’t gathered much in the way of details on the enemy forces here, but they have three key locations for further investigation, as well as information on some valuable future salvage.
Meanwhile, back in Ponikla, the rest of the team is keeping busy:
- Red, Arkadi, and assistants fortify another 19 hexes of the village’s perimeter with earthworks/floodwall
- Ongoing fuel production ensures the net supply stays roughly stable despite the bulldozer’s thirst
- Ellis interviews all of the new recruits and is fairly certain that none of them are plants or major liabilities
- Minka completes one cycle of horse training, allowing her to add a positive trait or remove a negative one on one horse
- Minka finishes machining the necessary parts to repair the fuel pump on Von Bahr’s T-72
- Red and Arkadi deliver the fuel pump and provide medical and technical assistance
- Pettimore and Leks finish harvesting their assigned wheat fields
- Minka fabricates a gun shield (Armor 3) for the UAZ-469’s gun mount
The recon team returns and spends a day resting off their Stress and being interviewed by Ellis, who’s compiling all of the data he’s collecting into a comprehensive picture of the local threat environment.