The Battle of Radom, Part Two (10 September 2000)

The hit on the Soviet QRF base west of Radom will rely on a successful convoy ambush to draw off enemy forces. Without dividing the Soviets’ strength, the raid team will be severely outgunned. But they do have a plan…

The team splits up into four elements. Pettimore and Zenobia move in first, creeping up before dawn to take position in an abandoned house southeast of the base.

The main assault will come from two teams, each approaching on the main road in an APC. The team coming from the north will be Bell (driver), Cowboy (gunner), and Miko (dismount) in the BTR-70K. The heavier south assault will be Turner (driver), Leks (gunner), Magda, Minka, and Novotny (all dismounts) in the OT-64. Finally, a three-person RPG team on loan from Von Bahr will approach on foot from the southwest in case any QRF elements try to break out through their compund’s back gate. All three of these teams spend a couple of agonizing hours easing into position. If they’re seen or heard, the whole operation will be blown.

[Bell, as readers may recall, is the trombonist and SIGINT linguist rescued from the POW column in mid-August. Turner is the MP from the same group. Both of them are still NPCs. Cowboy is also a liberated POW, a former MLRS crewwoman who’s now the secondary PC for Red’s player. Finally, Notovny is a fourth ex-POW and NPC, a Czechoslovakian defector who’d subsequently been a grenadier in the 5th ID.

I probably need to do a roll-up post for all the characters we’ve introduced who haven’t yet gotten much screen time here.]

Everyone reaches their starting position without apparent detection. They’re committed now – without radios, they have no coordination between the four elements. On paper, the numbers still suck for our protagonists. Even with the planned diversion drawing off enemy strength, they’re still going to be outnumbered by veteran troops who are equipped at least as well as they are and who are in their home. On the other hand, they actually have done some pre-fight management for this assault, and they should have the additional advantage of…

Leks needs this t-shirt.

Pettimore and Zenobia have been hunkered down in their hide for hours. It’s now mid-morning. Without a radio (the team’s only unit is in the BTR-70K), they don’t have direct communication to tell them when the convoy ambush goes off, but they can tell anyway. There’s a boil of action around the QRF base’s radio room. Within minutes, engines are cranking and hatches are slamming shut. The initial counter-assault package rolls out: the Scorpion, followed by the OT-64 with an infantry squad on board and the UAZ-469 gun truck with its AGS-17.

The rest of the QRF doesn’t rest. The other vehicles pull around to the front of the compound, ready to move once the ambush scene is secure. With the departure of the first package, this leaves a BTR-80, a HMMWV with a DShK, and the unarmed bukhanka ambulance and the Zil-131 recovery truck – plus, of course, the remainder of the infantry, the command element, and the mechanics and medics.

The sniper team waits. At a hundred meters out, they can’t hear the enemy radio, but their rifle optics give them a window into the command element’s body language. They can tell exactly when the counter-assault package hits the White Eagle ambush.

Pettimore sights in. Thoughts and Prayers cracks once. The QRF’s tower guard falls.

A kilometer to the north, Bell hears the distant shot. “I guess it’s that time,” he sighs, and cranks the BTR-70K’s engine. An equal distance to the south, Leks clanks the OT-64’s hatch shut and nudges Turner with his boot.

Pettimore and Zenobia move back into the shadows, watch, and begin marking targets. The Soviets are scrambling for cover, shouting back and forth as they try to determine where the shot came from and who was hit. They’re just getting organized when the bellow of engines heralds the arrival of both APCs.

From the previous week’s reconnaissance, the team determined that the Soviets’ initial reaction package should usually by the Scorpion, one of the APCs, and one of the gun trucks. Their plan calls for removing the biggest threat first: whichever APC remains at the base. Cowboy and Leks swing their KPVs onto the BTR-80 and cut loose. The Soviet APC’s hatches fly open and it shudders in a cascade of internal explosions as the 14.5mm deluge finds its ammunition feed.

From the OT-64’s air guard hatches, Magda and Minka open up on the workshop at the compound’s southeastern corner, suppressing the mechanics before they can get organized. The HMMWV’s gunner starts to swing his weapon in their direction, but Zenobia has been waiting for this. A single round from her M21 takes the gunner’s head off and sends the rest of the HMMWV’s crew scurrying for cover.

Miko jumps out of the BTR-70K and advances through the junked cars on the compound’s north side. He lobs a tear gas grenade into the former restaurant/tavern that now serves as the QRF barracks, then hunkers down as that attracts the attention and fire of the troops who’d already made it out of the building.

To the south, Leks turns his attention to an RPG team that’s trying to set up for a shot on the OT-64. Magda and Minka continue trading fire with the mechanics. Novotny dismounts but heavy fire forces him into cover before he can execute his assigned task of tear gassing the workshop.

Despite Cowboy and Miko’s best efforts, there isn’t enough weight of fire on the north side to pin all of the enemy troops in the barracks and headquarters building. One of the troopers manages to get an RPG-18 into play. The rocket hisses toward the BTR-70K and slams into its flank. The HEAT jet tears through the rear compartment, striking the priceless radio. Miko retaliates with more tear gas.

Heavy fire from the headquarters rattles off the OT-64’s armor. None of it penetrates but it forces Minka and Magda under cover and damages the APC’s coaxial PK.

Pettimore finds the source of the heaviest fire, a Soviet with an ancient Degtyaryov DP-27 propped on a window of the HQ. He sights in, breathes, and puts a round through the man’s heart.

Leks puts PK fire into the remaining members of the HMMWV’s crew, permanently deterring them from re-boarding their vehicle and getting their DShK into operation. Minka and Magda stay in the air guard hatches, sending short bursts toward targets of opportunity.

The Soviet RPG team sends a round toward the OT-64 but it goes high. Pettimore, Leks, and Zenobia focus fire on them.

There’s a momentary lull in the action as both sides maneuver and take stock. Miko, closest to the HQ, is the first to hear the call for surrender. With all his heavy weapons out of action, the Soviet commander seems to have realized the futility of continued resistance. The team moves in cautiously, but there’s no treachery afoot here. Under the guns of the APCs, the survivors lay down their weapons and have a seat on the pavement.

Aware that they’re on a clock, the team begins looting everything they can get. Zenobia goes for the HQ first and finds that the Soviet commander’s last action before surrendering was to toss a thermite grenade onto his radio and codebooks. There’s still at least one major intelligence win, though: a large wall map of Radom and its surroundings (which has some interesting implications about the Soviet commander’s headspace).

Miko and Magda head into the recently-fumigated barracks, working in quick bursts before ducking out to get fresh air. Minka makes a beeline for the workshop. Leks, Cowboy, and Novotny, aided by the East German RPG team (who are suitably impressed with the carnage), supervise the Soviet medics’ treatment of their wounded and herd the prisoners into the back of the Zil-131.

The team is about halfway through a good thorough looting when Pettimore, who’s remained on security, spots two heavy trucks approaching from the north. They halt about a kilometer away and an infantry platoon begins deploying. Through his rifle scope, Pettimore can see the ZOMO armbands.

The team drops what they’re doing and scrambles for their vehicles. Miko tosses a Molotov into the barracks; Leks drops the HMMWV into gear, aims it at the workshop, and leaves another Molotov in the driver’s seat. The impromptu convoy turns south, heading for a rendezvous with the White Eagles at the ambush site and hoping that side of the fight turned out as well as this one did…

We had an entire game session devoted to planning this fight before actually executing it, and that really showed the difference between randomly running into enemies and taking the time to think through and coordinate actions. Surprise and suppression played huge parts in the players’ success. The Soviets actually had a fair amount of anti-armor firepower that could have splattered the team’s APCs, but they didn’t have a chance to get much of it into play. At the end, the PCs killed 12 and captured 19 in exchange for minor injuries and stress. They also got away with the UAZ-452A ambulance, the Zil-131, and about half the Soviets’ gear and supplies.

WIP VIII

On the workbench: a few more BattleMechs from the boxed set and a couple of Salvage Boxes. I’ve been continuing to use Speedpaints on these because of the ease use, but they may be a bit too large for the intended use of those paints. Large flat armor panels tend not to have a lot of detail to draw in the pigment, so the result is a bit lackluster at times.

Battlemaster in something that’s only camo in very odd biomes. It doesn’t show well here, but I gave this one a three-color red gradient from front to back.
Mongoose with a slightly more obvious gradient. The plan for this one is to try to freehand a starscape on the darker upper half (and hope I don’t screw up something which, at the moment, looks halfway decent).
Marauder II in an attempt at Berlin Brigade camouflage. This one’s likely to need a lot of detail work despite using Speedpaints for the primary coat.

DRA IV

Back in 2002, when the OGL was young and full of promise, Alderac Entertainment Group released Spycraft, a d20 action/espionage RPG. My local gaming group immediately fell in love with it. I started a campaign, which fell apart after three (excellent) sessions due to a lack of GM focus, planning, and follow-through. My campaign setup document, however, was the writing sample that got me onto the Spycraft design team for the rest of the first edition’s run and the Stargate SG-1 license. I started this blog as a repository for my various older and unpublished pieces (among other things), so this seems as good a place as any to post it. Because of length, this is the last of a four-part series.

Operational Levels

The Agency uses the Operational Level scale to define the current operating conditions of an agent. Operational Level is a rough indicator of the current hazards the agent is under (of which the Agency is aware, anyway), as well as the degree of logistical support he has and the amount of discretion he has in interpreting his orders. Every Special Agent is always at one of the following Operational Levels, which replace the standard Mission Codes in Spycraft:

Level Zero

The agent is off active duty. No DRA resources except non-secure communications are available for his use, but he is unavailable for orders except in the event of a dire emergency. This category is a catch-all for agents who are on vacation, hospitalized or on medical leave, on suspension or mandatory leave after an incident, undergoing medical or psychiatric evaluation, or jailed or imprisoned for crimes in which DRA is disinclined to intervene.

Level One

The agent does not have a field assignment. He is on desk duty and expected to maintain normal office hours as determined by his field office’s policies and duty schedule. He has access to his standard personal equipment (personal budget and signature items), but may not requisition additional gear or resources without authorization from his Site Director.

Level Two

The agent has a field assignment that is believed to have zero to minimal threat potential. This usually includes research assignments or the preliminary stages of non-criminal investigations, as well as standard duty assignments to the Las Vegas field office, AMTReL, Xenopath, or TRC. The agent has significant leeway in his schedule and itinerary as long as he fulfils his assignments in a timely and professional manner. He has access to his standard personal equipment and an unmodified Agency vehicle (usually a mid-size or sedan), and may requisition additional gear or resources that are appropriate to his current assignment (mission bonus: 5 BP, 0 GP).

Level Three

The agent has a field assignment that is believed to have a risk level equivalent to that of standard police patrol duty. This includes criminal investigations where there is a low degree of supernatural involvement, or research assignments in high-crime or exceptionally insular areas. An agent is also placed on Operational Level Three if he has standard duty at APRF proper, a high-risk assignment at AMTReL, Xenopath, or TRC, or desk duty at the Las Vegas field office during an alert period. The agent has access to his standard personal equipment and an unmodified Agency vehicle, and may requisition additional gear or resources that are appropriate to his current assignment (mission bonus: 15 BP, 2 GP).

Level Four

The agent’s current assignment carries a significant risk of supernatural exposure, violent confrontation, or hazardous environments or substances (note that this includes standard duty at several of the DRA’s research facilities). The agent is authorized to use lethal force in self-defense without following normal procedures for escalation of force. He has access to his standard personal equipment, but may not use a “government motor pool” Agency vehicle for reasons of liability and plausible deniability. He may requisition additional gear or resources that are appropriate to his current assignment (mission bonus: 25 BP, 4 GP).

Level Five

The possibility of violent confrontation or life-threatening supernatural or environmental hazards approaches certainty at Operational Level Five. The agent is authorized to use lethal force without warning if he deems such action necessary to preserve human life or national security. He has access to his standard personal equipment, as well as significant latitude in requisitioning additional gear or resources (mission bonus: 40 BP, 6 GP).

Level Six

Operational Level Six is only used in circumstances where the fate of the nation or the planet literally depends on the agent’s actions. At Operational Level Six, the agent’s actions fall under Presidential Special Order 1952-508, which allows him to violate the Constitution in the pursuit of his duties without fear of sanction. Few agents ever operate at Level Six, and only a bare handful more than once. Records show that “going to Six” (also referred to as “going to Eleven”) has a 40% mortality rate for DRA Special Agents, rising to 98% for civilians who are directly involved in such an operation. Under Operational Level Six, the agent has access to his standard personal equipment and the full available technical reserves of the Agency (mission bonus: 60 BP, 10 GP).

“Level Seven”

Operational Level Seven does not officially exist – it is part of Agency folklore. The following are the most common rumors about Level Seven:

  • It is the assignment code for off-planet or extradimensional operations.
  • It allows the agent to release nuclear weapons or other WMD without Presidential authorization.
  • It is the Operational Level designation for a rogue agent whose termination the Agency is actively seeking.
  • It is the Agency-wide code for a scorched earth defense of the planet in the event of a widescale paranormal or extraterrestrial invasion.

Cold Iron, Tire Iron

Back when my then-roommate and I were watching NASCAR, he casually dropped the factoid (which I’ve never verified because I prefer to believe it’s true) that every NASCAR track has a chapel in the infield.

This means that every NASCAR track has a small piece of holy ground on it.

Ever since then, one of my campaign concept slush file entries has been a monster-hunting NASCAR pit crew. Race on Sunday, slay on Monday, be gone on Tuesday and leave the evidence for the local cops to figure out.

The only other rational option is to hit up B.J. Zanzibar for the old WoD Highlander homebrew rules…

WIP VII

On the workbench: a CPLT-C1 Catapult from the current Battletech boxed set:

I’ve had mixed results with Speedpaints on figures with limited texturing, but they did okay on the panel lines on this one. Less success with the attempt to freehand a peacock pattern. That might have gone better if I’d used some of The Girl’s iridescent nail polish.

The Battle of Radom, Part One (10 September 2000)

With negotiation and reconnaissance concluded, the team preps their gear and moves to their staging areas. Red, Erick, and Ellis, along with NPCs Ross and Ortiz, move south in the UAZ-469. Their job is to link up with the White Eagles, await a suitable convoy, and support the ambush on the QRF. The main assault element for the hit on the QRF’s base is composed of Pettimore, Zenobia, Miko, Cowboy, Magda, Minka, Leks, and NPCs Bell, Novotny, and Turner with the BTR-70K and the OT-64.

The Battle of Radom begins fifteen kilometers west of the city. The White Eagle-friendly merchants in Opoczno report that a Soviet convoy is passing through on its way from Lodz to Lublin. It’s a BRDM-2 escorting two GAZ-66 trucks and a staff car. The ambush team moves into position and begins prepping the ground…

I resolved this as an off-screen mass battle scene, using a cobbled-together guidelines (too loose to be called “rules”) and a fair amount of improvisation. Here’s how it worked:

The White Eagles are committing their Platoon B: 25 experienced troops under Mariana Rabarchak. They’ll also provide one of their four vehicles, a pickup truck mounting an SPG-9 recoilless rifle. The convoy ambush will focus on disabling the vehicles and pinning down survivors so the QRF has an obvious reason to come to the rescue hastily.

Friendly force strength looks like:

  • command section (Rabarchak and 3 troops with a PK machine gun; veteran quality)
  • infantry section 1 (6 troops with an RPG-7; experienced quality)
  • infantry section 2 (6 troops with an RPG-7; experienced quality)
  • infantry section 3 (6 troops with small arms; experienced quality)
  • SPG-9 team (3 troops; experienced quality)
  • PC contingent (counts as veteran quality)

Expected enemy force strength is:

  • convoy survivors (hopefully low numbers, small arms only, and experienced quality)
  • QRF Scorpion light tank (veteran quality)
  • QRF gun truck (veteran quality)
  • QRF APC (veteran quality)
  • QRF infantry squad (6 troops with some type of light support weapon, veteran quality)

Once the ambush goes off, combat resolution will be abstract. Opposed Command checks between Rabarchak (d10+d8) and the Soviet commander will determine which side goes first each round.

Each group gets one “attack” with one base die for every 3 troops, or fraction, still active. Base dice are determined by troop quality: experienced d8, veteran d10. Heavy weapons provide additional d6s, similar to ammo dice: 1 for a machine gun or RPG launcher, 2 for a heavy machine gun, auto grenade launcher, or cannon.

A unit can always target an opposing unit that attacked it on the last enemy turn. Alternately, it can roll randomly for its target, representing the chaotic and uncertain (and map-free) nature of maneuvering in this fight.

Hits on vehicles are resolved normally, using the attacker’s most powerful weapon.

Hits on infantry are resolved with a random roll to determine who’s hit (one per success on the attack) Roll 1d6; if it’s equal to or less than the weapon’s base damage, the target is a casualty (dead or too injured to keep fighting; exact fate to be resolved later). If the die result exceeds the base damage, the victim is injured but still in the fight; a second injury makes them a casualty. White Eagle/PC forces get a +1 modifier to this roll because they’re fighting from prepared positions.

An example:

White Eagle infantry section 1 attacks the QRF infantry squad. They’re 6 troops of experienced quality, so they get 2d8 base dice and another 1d6 for their RPG-7.

An unlikely roll of 7/6/6 yields three hits on the QRF infantry.

Randomly selecting victims yields three different Soviet troops taking hits. The RPG-7 has a base blast damage of 2, so we roll 1d6 for each of the hits. Die results of 4/5/1 indicate that the attack injures two Soviets and kills a third.

The Soviet infantry team is down to 5 combatants, 2 of whom are injured and will be dropped by any successful subsequent hit. They’re of veteran quality, so they’ll still be rolling 2d10 base dice for their return fire, plus bonus d6s if they have a heavy weapon.

The initial hit on the eastbound convoy goes off exactly as planned. The BRDM-2, on point, rolls directly over one of the team’s carefully-hoarded antitank mines. Although the resulting destruction of the fuel tank somehow doesn’t ignite a fire, the crew bails out anyway.

PK and RPG-7 fire rips into the GAZ-66s and the staff car. One GAZ rolls over, its driver’s dead hand no longer on the wheel. The second GAZ and the staff car are damaged, their drivers and passengers bailing out and taking cover. The White Eagles begin sporadic harassing fire to herd and pin them in place to be rescued…

The QRF halts about 500m out to dismount the infantry, then advances in wedge formation with the Scorpion on point, the UAZ (mounting an AGS-17, let’s not forget) on the left flank, the OT-64 on the right flank, and the infantry squad using the Scorpion for cover while providing additional eyes. They fail to defeat Ellis’ crafty positioning of the other AT mines, though, and the OT-64 finds one the hard way. The blast rips through the vehicle, scattering the ammo stowage for its coaxial PK and heavily damaging the suspension. The crew bails out and the fight is on.

Round One

The White Eagles win initiative.

An RPG-7 round strikes the Scorpion’s glacis. The light tank shudders as the HEAT warhead rips a chunk out of its suspension, but it’s still drivable and the crew remains on board.

Small arms fire peppers the abandoned OT-64, killing the vehicle’s commander before he can re-mount.

The SPG-9 crew engages the UAZ-469, hoping to take the area saturation weapon out of play. Their first shot kills the commander and injures the gunner, but the gunner and driver remain steadfast.

Ortiz and Ross target the Scorpion and volley the RPG-22s they brought to the fight. Ortiz misses, but Ross scores a hit. A fuel fire erupts! The Scorpion crew hangs tough, though, and does not bail out.

Fire from the convoy survivors indicates they’re willing to take an active hand in their rescue. Two of the White Eagle infantrymen fall.

The Scorpion crew manages to extinguish the fire before it can reach anything explosive. Trailing smoke from its wounds, the light tank searches for its tormentors.

The UAZ-469’s gunner returns fire on the SPG-9 crew, injuring one of them.

The OT-64’s driver and gunner re-mount their vehicle amid a hail of fire.

The dismounted Soviet infantry zero in on the firing signature of the RPG-22s. A well-aimed GP-25 round tears into Red and Ortiz.

Round Two

The White Eagles maintain initiative.

An RPG-7 round, an SPG-9 shell, and a wall of fire from the command section’s PK all go wide of the frantically-maneuvering UAZ-469. That AGS-17 is still in the fight…

Another RPG-7 round strikes the Scorpion. The crew’s luck runs out as the commander is killed instantly. The blast injures the driver and gunner, but they still refuse to abandon the scrappy little vehicle.

Small arms fire drops another of the convoy survivors.

The PCs return fire on the QRF infantry, killing two with well-aimed shots.

The Scorpion entered this fight with an HE round loaded and has found a target. The blast sends one of the White Eagle infantry sections sprawling; two remain where they fell. A follow-up round from the QRF infantry’s GP-25 injures another.

The OT-64’s gunner locates the White Eagle command section and cuts loose with the PKV. Rabarchak’s RTO is torn apart.

Round Three

The White Eagles still have the momentum despite their losses.

An RPG-7 rocket ends the UAZ’s evasions. The vehicle comes apart in a yellow flash as its AGS-17 ammo detonates.

Another RPG strikes the OT-64’s bow, killing the driver. The gunner is alone on board his immobilized ride, but he refuses to bail out.

The SPG-9 crew loads HE and shifts fire to the QRF infantry, killing one more.

Hoping for a lucky hit, the PCs catch the Scorpion in the side with massed automatic fire. Sparks fly and a track link is severed.

The remaining Scorpion crew aren’t giving up yet. The gunner slams another HE round home, slews the turret, and engages the PCs. The blast knocks down Ross and Erick with moderate injuries.

The OT-64 gunner is still in the fight too. The KPV walks through one of the White Eagle infantry sections, claiming another victim.

The dismounts and the isolated convoy survivors have had enough, though. Both groups are below half their original strength. Their morale is flagging. Caught in a fire sack, they surrender [below 50% original strength and failed troop quality checks for morale]. The isolated OT-64 gunner realizes he’s in a stationary target that is about to attract at least three antitank attacks; he, too, pops a hatch and waves a towel. The Scorpion crew takes a bit more convincing, but with one dead, one injured, and a barely-functional vehicle [Reliability 1], they have to admit they can’t carry the fight on their own.

Red and Erick bind their own wounds, give Ortiz and Ross a quick assessment and patch job, and begin triaging the White Eagle casualties. Two were immediately fatal; three more are severe trauma cases.

Ellis, somehow uninjured, reloads his G3 and starts rounding up the prisoners. The haul is better than he expected: nine convoy survivors (three injured), the Scorpion driver and gunner (both injured), the OT-64 gunner, and three of the dismounts (including the platoon commander).

DRA III

Back in 2002, when the OGL was young and full of promise, Alderac Entertainment Group released Spycraft, a d20 action/espionage RPG. My local gaming group immediately fell in love with it. I started a campaign, which fell apart after three (excellent) sessions due to a lack of GM focus, planning, and follow-through. My campaign setup document, however, was the writing sample that got me onto the Spycraft design team for the rest of the first edition’s run and the Stargate SG-1 license. I started this blog as a repository for my various older and unpublished pieces (among other things), so this seems as good a place as any to post it. Because of length, this is the third of a four-part series.

SDRA Offices and Facilities

DRA personnel are assigned to one field office as “home,” but may be sent anywhere in the country or abroad as needed. With less than 2,000 Special Agents, specialists are usually sent wherever they’ll be able to do the most good rather than working close to home. The following exotic locales are the places most likely for a DRA agent to call “home.”

Kansas City, MO

SDRA headquarters is located outside Kansas City. The facility’s 300-acre grounds are heavily vegetated, save for access roads and a private airstrip. They are thickly sown with electronic sensors and are rumored to be patrolled by guard animals that have been enhanced through alien genetic manipulation techniques. The outer perimeter is a triple layer of 12-foot fences topped with barbed wire, with razor grass planted over minefields between the middle and innermost fences. Signs every fifty feet warn that the installation is secure and deadly force is authorized in its defense.

The aboveground offices are functional but nonessential – the four office park-like buildings are built over a converted NORAD command facility, one of a series of backup sites scattered around the nation as insurance against the destruction of Cheyenne Mountain. The Agency’s high-security core is buried deep underground in a self-contained armored bunker that is theoretically proof against a one-megaton nuclear ground-burst.

SDRA also maintains a satellite office at its Maximum Security Containment Facility at nearby Fort Leavenworth. Operated in conjunction with the Department of Defense, the MSCF (pronounced “Missiff”) is the final destination of criminals whose capabilities preclude their incarceration in conventional prisons. It is also rumored to hold captive extraterrestrials and supernatural creatures.

Domestic Field Offices

Seattle, WA

In addition to the Agency’s oldest field office, Seattle also hosts SDRA’s primary training facilities. The SDRA Academy (known as “Hell State University” within the Agency) provides specialized training to incoming agents whose previous careers have almost certainly not prepared them for their new assignments. The Agency, through the cutout company of Sea-Tac Aerospace, is currently negotiating with Boeing to purchase the aerospace corporation’s former headquarters and assembly plant and relocate the Academy to those grounds.

Las Vegas, NV

The Las Vegas field office is the most luxurious and sought-after posting in the Agency. It is also the most hazardous, having come under attack from extraterrestrials at least a half-dozen times since its establishment in 1953. After the first public attack, the old office building in downtown Vegas was demolished and the Agency moved to less built-up surroundings on the outskirts of the city.

This office is a prime target for assaults because it serves as the administrative center for the Agency’s Advanced Physics Research Facility. APRF is located at the secretive Area 51 and is one of the world’s foremost laboratories for the analysis of captured alien technology. It is also the location at which the Agency modifies standard terrestrial aerospace technology for internal use.

Flint, MI

The Flint field office is housed in a sprawling industrial park which also boasts the Advanced Materials Technology Research Laboratory. Officially a Department of Energy facility, AMTReL produces composite alloys, superconductors, advanced plastics and ceramics, and other substances which defy conventional engineering. It has connections to several of the automotive corporations which have facilities in the state, and is the Agency’s “speed shop.” Rumors from GM state that AMTReL is about to publicly release the formula for a rubber substitute with a coefficient of friction 300% greater than that of current tire materials.

Atlanta, GA

The Atlanta field office is housed next to the Lucent Technologies (formerly Bell Labs) research facility, giving it access to some of the world’s foremost telecommunications resources. Of more critical importance, however, is the Xenopathological Research Institute which the Agency operates in conjunction with the CDC. Xenopath is the nation’s only Level 5 biocontainment facility, theoretically equipped to handle pathogens with nonphysical components such as Stoker’s Disease and the Greys’ Mimetic Alteration Virus.

Colorado Springs, CO

The Colorado Springs field office is built on top of the bunker for the Agency’s Deep Space Tracking Center. DSTC has a direct communications link to USAF Space Command, NORAD, and various NASA space tracking facilities, and can eavesdrop on transmissions from virtually any US military satellite (and, unofficially, many foreign ones as well). It also controls the Agency’s own constellation of space surveillance satellites, which are designed to detect extraterrestrial craft entering terrestrial or lunar space.

Kona, HI

The Pacific Territories field office (with jurisdiction over the Mariana archipelago and US-allied Pacific islands as well as Hawaii) also supports the Thaumaturgical Research Center. TRC’s location varies – it is built in a converted deep-sea oil drilling platform, and is usually kept at least 100 miles from the nearest populated territory in case of catastrophic accidents. A pair of oceangoing salvage tugs (former Coast Guard vessels) move it once every two to three months to keep magical activity from forming a permanent power nexus or diverting local ley lines.

Tampa, FL

Located in an office park adjacent to MacDill Air Force Base, the Tampa field office contains the Agency’s Military Liaison Office. Working through Special Operations Command (based at MacDill), MLO is the primary conduit between the Agency and the formidable resources of the Department of Defense. Because of its proximity to the Gulf of Mexico, personnel from Tampa often participate in drug interdiction operations.

New Orleans, LA

The “Big Easy” field office has no specialized facilities, but does tend to attract a large number of Agency parapsychologists interested in studying New Orleans’ hundreds of resident ghosts. The office keeps at least two magically adept security personnel on duty at all times to counter the occasional voodoo practitioners who object to government interest in the area.

Memphis, TN

The Memphis field office is a common posting for agents who have sustained psychological trauma. It has an unusually low incidence of high-stress or violent cases, and duty here is somewhat easier than in many other locations.

Phoenix, AZ

Surveillance operations into Mexico are commonly run out of the Phoenix field office. This is also the information center for Agency investigation of potentially dangerous cults.

Salem, MA

Salem’s field office houses the DRA’s secondary magical research facility, as well as its forensic archaeology unit. Activity here is strictly limited to extremely low-power work for safety reasons.

Anchorage, AK

Due to its isolation and barren surroundings, the Anchorage field office is an ideal site for the Agency’s psychic research program. Anchorage has yet to receive a formal facility designation or additional funding for such a program, but psychically active agents tend to gravitate here.

San Francisco, CA

Located close to UC-Berkeley, the San Francisco field office often conducts field observations of popular culture trends that could introduce dangerous elements into American society. It also monitors Hollywood for potential leaks or propaganda opportunities.

Foreign Offices

Ottawa, Canada

The US embassy has a permanent DRA liaison office for coordinating DRA activities with the Canadian Department of National Defense’s Territorial Security Division and the RCMP’s “Y” Division (often referred to as “Y Me?” Division). Foreign Office Ottawa is the least hazardous of DRA’s foreign postings and is often reserved for D-1 agents who have earned postings “close to home.”

London, England

DRA’s largest liaison office is located here. The assigned office space is in the US embassy, but it’s extremely uncomfortable. Most personnel assigned to Foreign Office London prefer to work out of loaned facilities in the sub-basement of MI-5 headquarters at Thames House (much to the chagrin of MI-6, another partner agency, which MI-5 one-upped by making the first offer of local assistance).

Sydney, Australia

There is no official DRA presence in Australia, but the US consulate in Sydney hosts a small DRA contingent which performs liaison duties with ANZAC forces. It also monitors the Great Barrier Reef for paranormal activity, which Australian authorities tolerate so long as the monitoring remains covert. Previous incursions into the Outback have been strongly discouraged and a gentlemen’s agreement with the Australian Secret Intelligence Service’s Parasecurity Division keeps further such misunderstandings from occurring.

Yokohama, Japan

DRA has no official reciprocity agreement with any Japanese agency, but the port facilities in Yokohama (conveniently close to Tokyo and often frequented by the US Navy) play host to Foreign Office Yokohama, a small contingent of personnel with highly unofficial local connections.

Manila, The Philippines

A single DRA agent and four support personnel are assigned to the US embassy in Manila. Shoehorned into the back of the naval attachรฉ’s office, Foreign Office Manila provides intelligence and consulting to the Filipino military.

Pretoria, South Africa

One of DRA’s dirty little foreign relations secrets is its constant contact with the South African government’s National Intelligence Coordinating Committee (NICOC) since 1976, even when international relations between Pretoria and Washington were at their worst. Foreign Office Pretoria is regarded as something of a punishment assignment for Foreign Service agents due to the living conditions, but the Unconventional Research personnel here have returned a wealth of data on magical practices and threats on the southern end of the continent.

Hong Kong

DRA officially pulled out of the American Consulate in Hong Kong when the island returned to Chinese rule. However, six DRA agents are still on the payroll as maintaining private apartments there, in a complex heavily inhabited by officers of the HKPD’s Special Branch.

The Cocaine King of Barren County

Back in the ’90s, the western end of Kentucky had a surprisingly lively World of Darkness LARP scene. No one ever could explain why Bowling Green (40,000 people and four last names) was a major strategic focus for the Camarilla and Sabbat, but hey… nerds gonna nerd. But interactions with non-players were always interesting because this was not generally, shall we say, a progressive or well-read region. No, friends, this was – and is – a place where Justified is a documentary.

At the time, there was a regional sci-fi/fantasy/horror convention, ConCave, so named because it always ran in an old, raggedy hotel adjacent to Mammoth Cave National Park. It was a small con, a peaceful con, a con at which the old SF/F fandom could relax, reminisce, and spouse-swap. At least… it was peaceful until Vampire: The Masquerade LARPs became a thing and the region’s LARP community was looking for a con, any con, at which to gather.

All names have been obfuscated to protect the damned.

My comrade FB was playing a Setite drug lord. FB was decked out in his finest business attire. FB also went all-in on props. Including a briefcase. A briefcase full of sealed bags of powdered sugar.

About 0200 on Saturday morning, the first night of play was winding down. Due to a con hookup – not his, more’s the pity – FB found himself locked out of the hotel room he’d arranged to share with another player. Disgusted and sleepy, he staggered down to the hotel’s pool room, dropped his briefcase on a ping-pong table, threw all of his other props into it, and crashed under the table.

Unfortunately, he left the briefcase open.

Because of con shenanigans in previous years, this hotel had hired a local sheriff’s deputy as night security. Around 0300, Deputy Toothless was making the rounds when what to his wondering eyes did appear but the largest drug bust in the history of Barren County. Doing his due diligence as an officer of the law, Roscoe P. Coleslaw roused FB and dragged him and the “evidence” down to the night manager’s office to await an on-duty deputy. And perhaps the DEA. With a news crew or three. And a promotion. Maybe even a future run for the sheriff’s election!

So there FB was, somehow not handcuffed, in the manager’s office. The night manager was horrified. Deputy Toothless was giddy and accusatory. The sheriff, when he arrived, was skeptical – and not amused at being called at home at 0300. FB was tired and cranky and his back hurt from trying to get comfortable on the floor.

I am informed that the conversation with the law amounted to this:

FB: Look, Sheriff, you can run a test kit on it if you want, but if I had this much cocaine, would I be staying in this f’ing fleabag?

S: You’re free to go, son. Deputy… we need to have us a talk.

WIP VI

On the workbench, still needing some detail work: Reaper Miniatures’ Cassiatta:

This was a free promotional figure from Main Street Magic, Miniatures & More, a reward for buying $40+ of Reaper product (more on that later). The sculpt and Reaper’s page make it clear that Cassiatta is supposed to be eeeeeeevil, but I wanted to be deliberately obtuse. The foliage visible out my window suggested a palette. Now she’s something like a spring-aligned eladrin fighter.

DRA II

Back in 2002, when the OGL was young and full of promise, Alderac Entertainment Group released Spycraft, a d20 action/espionage RPG. My local gaming group immediately fell in love with it. I started a campaign, which fell apart after three (excellent) sessions due to a lack of GM focus, planning, and follow-through. My campaign setup document, however, was the writing sample that got me onto the Spycraft design team for the rest of the first edition’s run and the Stargate SG-1 license. I started this blog as a repository for my various older and unpublished pieces (among other things), so this seems as good a place as any to post it. Because of length, this is the second of a four-part series.

SDRA Special Agent Entry Qualifications

  • US or Northern Mariana Islands citizenship
  • between the ages of 23 and 37
  • ability to attain Top Secret security clearance (DRA has been known to grant such clearance on a case-by-case basis for individuals whose criminal records would normally prohibit it)
  • uncorrected vision not worse than 20/200, correctable to 20/20 in one eye and 20/40 in the other, and adequate color and night vision
  • adequate hearing at 1000 through 4000 Hertz
  • valid driver’s license
  • excellent physical condition with no defects which would interfere in firearm use or defensive tactics
  • four-year degree from a college or university accredited by one of the regional or national institutional associations recognized by the United States Secretary of Education, or equivalent professional experience (minimum rank E-6, WO-4, or O-4) in the United States armed forces, or equivalent professional experience in a non-accredited field of academic study recognized by the DRA (typically xenology, xenoethnography, parapsychology, cryptozoology, or thaumaturgy)
  • must pass a psychiatric evaluation administered by SDRA medical staff, with specific emphasis on sense of self and resilience in sudden oppositions of personal worldview and subjective reality

In game terms, character creation guidelines:

  • Only one of STR, DEX, and CON can start below 10.
  • Spot or Listen skill bonuses cannot start below +0.
  • Drive skill bonus cannot start below +1.
  • Total Will save bonus cannot start below +1, nor can Fear backgrounds be higher than 1.

Agents are subject to annual medical and psychiatric evaluations and performance testing. Interim examinations are strongly recommended after any assignment that results in violent contact with a hazardous entity, technology, or manifestation, and may be mandatory at the discretion of the agent’s supervisor.

SDRA Directorates

In the DRA campaign setting, the following Directorates replace the default Department selections from Spycraft.

D-0: Executive Directorate (“Central”)

The Executive Directorate is the central bureaucracy and field investigative arm of the DRA. It has over 60% of the Agency’s total staff, as the vast majority of clerical and administrative personnel are assigned to it. Its agents have no overriding agenda, instead being assigned as “utility infielders” to any operation that needs a generalist instead of a specialist. Agents from Central tend to be well-connected within the Agency’s bureaucracy. D-0 is also home to the Agency’s Internal Security Department, which investigates corruption of both mundane and supernatural varieties within the DRA.

  • 4 extra skill points at 1st level and 1 extra skill point each level thereafter.
  • +2 department bonus to all favor checks. This bonus increases by an additional +1 at 3rd level and every 3 levels thereafter.
  • Select any two skills. You receive a +1 department bonus to all checks with these skills. These skills are always considered class skills, even if you multi-class.
  • Bonus Feat: Any covert or basic skill feat. You must still meet all prerequisites for the feat, including ability score and base attack bonus minimums.

D-1: Foreign Service Directorate

Officially, the Foreign Service Directorate is responsible for coordinating activities with other nations’ governments and paranormal studies and enforcement agencies. Unofficially, it also engages in a great deal of espionage against nations that are less than fully receptive to the Agency’s diplomatic overtures. D-1 has extensive connections in the global black and gray markets, allowing its agents to procure deniable equipment with ease.

  • +2 Charisma, -2 Strength.
  • +5 budget points as part of the agent’s personal budget. +2 budget points to each mission budget, plus an additional +1 budget point bonus at 2nd level and every two levels thereafter.
  • +1 to department bonus to Cultures, Languages, and Diplomacy checks. Foreign Service agents receive an additional +1 department bonus to Cultures, Language, and Diplomacy checks at 4th level and every 4 levels thereafter.
  • Bonus Feat: Any style or gear feat. You must still meet all prerequisites for the feat, including ability score and base attack bonus minimums.

D-2: Domestic Service Directorate

The Domestic Service Directorate works closely with the various branches of the US armed forces and their respective paranormal programs, as well as with other domestic law enforcement and intelligence agencies on federal, state, and local levels. Its official primary function is facilitating the smooth transfer of information between the Agency and other domestic agencies whose jurisdictions may overlap those of the DRA. However, D-2 is also responsible for coordinating joint operations, which means its agents see action in the field on a regular basis. A high percentage of D-2 agents are drawn from police departments and from the military’s commissioned ranks.

  • +2 to any one ability of your choice, -2 to any one ability of your choice. You may apply both the bonus and the penalty to the same ability if you so desire.
  • At 1st level, choose one federal agency, one branch of the US military, or the collective agencies of one state or city as an allied organization. The agent has worked closely with this organization in the past and is familiar with its culture and bureaucracy. The agent gains a +1 allied organization bonus to all Charisma-based skill checks that directly pertain to the allied organization or its personnel. At 4th level and every 4 levels thereafter, choose one additional organization, and the bonus associated with every previously selected organization goes up by +1. For example, a 12th-level D-2 operative will have four allied organizations, with bonuses of +4, +3, +2, and +1.
  • +1 department bonus to skill checks for one class skill of your choice. Domestic Service agents receive an additional +1 department bonus to skill checks for the chosen skill at 4th level and every 4 levels thereafter.
  • Bonus Feat: Any basic combat or covert feat. You must still meet all prerequisites for the feat, including ability score and base attack bonus minimums.

D-3: Technical Directorate (“Cyberpunks”)

The Technical Directorate is in charge of primary analysis of all advanced technology that enters the Agency’s hands. It is also responsible for electronic surveillance, intelligence, and counter-intelligence. D-3 runs the Agency’s spy satellites, information centers, secure communications networks, and cryptographic analysis offices. The Biomedical Office of D-3 handles both in-house medical treatment for agents and analysis of xenobiological and cryptozoological cases. Cyberpunks (the non-computer personnel of D-3 object to the moniker, but it still sticks) tend to be younger than other DRA agents, and many are recruited straight out of college (or jail).

  • +2 Intelligence, -2 Wisdom.
  • Choose one Office at character creation: Information Technology, Electronic Surveillance, Biomedical, or Physical Sciences.
  • Cyberpunks in the Information Technology or Electronic Surveillance Office receive a free laptop computer with a +1 power rating. The computer is upgraded in power automatically by +1 at 4th level and every 4 levels thereafter. D-3 agents in the Biomedical or Physical Sciences Office receive a bonus of +1 gadget point at the start of each mission, plus another gadget point per mission at 4th level and every 4 levels thereafter.
  • +1 to department bonus to checks with two skills, determined by Office. Information Technology agents receive bonuses in Electronics and Computers. Electronic Surveillance agents learn advanced techniques in Cryptography and Surveillance. Biomedical operatives are highly trained in First Aid and Knowledge (biology). Physical Sciences personnel have exceptional aptitude with Mechanics and Knowledge (choose one: chemistry, engineering, or physics). D-3 agents receive an additional +1 department bonus to checks with the specified skills at 4th level and every 4 levels thereafter.
  • Bonus Feat: Any gear or basic skill feat. You must still meet all prerequisites for the feat, including ability score and base attack bonus minimums.

D-4: Covert Operations Directorate

The smallest directorate, D-4, is the Agency’s “stealth” arm. Its agents specialize in going places they shouldn’t be and doing things they shouldn’t do without ever being seen, be it breaking and entering or assassination. Covert Ops missions are usually things that the Agency would need to be able to deny ever having been involved in, should they come to light. Many D-4 missions involve action against American citizens or institutions, which are technically prohibited without a federal judge’s authorization. However, few federal judges have the security clearance necessary to be informed of Agency operations, which results in D-4 agents conducting a high number (even for the Agency) of technically illegal activities. This Directorate is insular even for the Agency, and D-4 personnel tend to be somewhat antisocial.

  • +2 Dexterity, -2 Charisma.
  • +1 to department bonus to Initiative checks. Covert Operations agents receive an additional +1 department bonus to Initiative at 4th level and every 4 levels thereafter.
  • -2 department penalty to all rolls made for the purposes of identifying, tracking, or researching the character through any means except direct interviews. This penalty decreases by an additional -1 at 3rd level and every 3 levels thereafter. For example, all attempts to run the fingerprints of a 12th-level D-4 operative would have a -6 penalty. DRA personnel ignore this penalty unless the agent has the Altermate Identify feat.
  • +1 to department bonus to Hide checks. Covert Operations agents receive an additional +1 department bonus to Hide checks at 4th level and every 4 levels thereafter.
  • Bonus Feat: Any covert or basic skill feat. You must still meet all prerequisites for the feat, including ability score and base attack bonus minimums.

D-5: Tactical Operations Directorate (“X-Com”)

D-5 is the Agency’s dedicated paramilitary aspect. Most D-5 personnel are recruited from the enlisted ranks of the military. While D-2 often works with the Department of Defense for information sharing and joint operations, D-5 is the Agency’s private army for use in situations where regular armed forces deployment would have prohibitive legal or diplomatic repercussions (for example, if use of military personnel would violate the Posse Comitatus Act). Other directorates have a tendency to see D-5 agents as thugs and cannon fodder, an impression which is not wholly without basis – D-5 has the highest rates of agent mortality and retirement on physical disability of any directorate. However, D-5 agents are also notoriously hard to kill, and tend to do a lot of damage before they go down.

  • +2 Strength, -2 Intelligence.
  • 4 extra vitality points at 1st level and 1 extra vitality point each level thereafter.
  • 1 extra wound point. Tactical Operations agents receive 1 additional wound point at 4th level and every 4 levels thereafter.
  • Whenever he calculates his personal budget, a Tactical Operations agent may choose as a personal weapon any one melee weapon or non-tactical firearm with which he is proficient. After adding the budget point costs of the weapon and all of its ammunition and accessories, he receives a 25% discount on the total budget point cost of the package. This does not apply to mission budget or gadget points.
    Example: Dirk chooses an H&K G3A3 (7.62x51mm assault rifle, 32 BP) as his personal weapon. His standard load-out for it includes 60 rounds of FMJ ammo (3 BP), 60 rounds of AP ammo (9 BP), a bipod (1 BP), and a telescopic sight (2 BP). The total cost of this package is 47 PB. A 25% discount reduces the cost of the package to (47 x 0.75 = 35.25, rounded up) 36 BPs.
  • Bonus Feat: Any ranged combat, melee combat, or unarmed combat feat. You must still meet all prerequisites for the feat, including ability score and base attack bonus minimums.

D-6: Survey Directorate

Roughly 95% of the US population lives in 5% of the nation’s square mileage. D-6 is responsible for patrolling the other 95% of the United States, from the Intracoastal Waterway to Death Valley, and reporting or personally handling any signs of paranormal hazards. This directorate also handles the Agency’s in-house paranormal mapping programs, working closely with the USGS, DMA, and NRO. D-6’s closest ties to other agencies are with the EPA and the Department of the Interior, and state conservation and environmental agencies. Survey Directorate personnel are accustomed to long periods of independent operation, and tend to be rugged individualists.

  • +2 Constitution, -2 Dexterity.
  • +1 department bonus to Fortitude saving throws. Survey agents receive an additional +1 department bonus to Fortitude saves at 4th level and every 4 levels thereafter.
  • +1 to department bonus to Knowledge (Nature) and Survival checks. Survey agents receive an additional +1 department bonus to Knowledge (Nature) and Survival checks at 4th level and every 4 levels thereafter.
  • Climb, Jump, Knowledge (Nature), Survival, and Swim are always in-class skills for Survey agents.
  • Bonus Feat: Any basic combat or chase feat, or Track. You must still meet all prerequisites for the feat, including ability score and base attack bonus minimums.

D-7: Unconventional Research Directorate (“The Basement”)

The DRA’s core reason for existence is most strongly seen in Basement offices. D-7’s research involves magic, psychic phenomena, and less quantifiable individual manifestations of the paranormal. 60-hour weeks are considered the norm in the Basement, and the stress, pace, and hazards of working in D-7 take their toll on its personnel. However, D-7 agents are more psychologically resilient than other Agency personnel due to their constant exposure to things that would drive lesser men mad. They also tend to be preternaturally lucky, even moreso than the average Agency operative.

  • +2 Wisdom, -2 Constitution.
  • +1 department bonus to any action die rolls you make. If an ability lets you roll multiple action dice, this bonus applies individually to each one. Do not count this bonus when checking to see if an action die explodes. This bonus increases by +1 at 4th level and every 4 levels thereafter.
  • +1 department bonus to Will saving throws. Research agents receive an additional +1 department bonus to Will saves at 4th level and every 4 levels thereafter.
  • Bonus Feat: Any basic or advanced skill feat. You must still meet all prerequisites for the feat, including ability score and base attack bonus minimums.