Example of Play

Streaks of sunlight colour the low cloud as the group of a dozen paratroopers pick their way across the boggy ground behind Utah beach, hoping to rendezvous with their comrades at Exit 2. Rich is playing Sergeant Eriksen, along with Privates Connelley, Kirk, Lambert, and Vasser. George is playing the group's only officer, Lieutenant Joyce, along with Corporal Hibbert, and Private Nylund. Sarah is playing Privates Douglas, Horner, and Ingram. 

The players have just crossed into a new hex, so Dan (playing the referee) rolls a D12 to generate the contents of the hex. The players talk amongst themselves while Dan rolls the dice and makes a couple of notes. It only takes him a minute or two.

He scores a 12 on his first roll, meaning he rolls twice and combines both results. With a 5 and a 7, he gets a random number of equipment canisters and a farmhouse. He generates three equipment canisters, one containing a SCR-300 radio, another carrying K-rations, and the other packed full of fifty smoke grenades in various colours. A final dice roll determines the farmhouse’s occupants - a handful of Osttruppen deserters hiding out in the kitchen. 

Dan: Through the maze of trees and hedgerows, you can see the steeply pitched roof of a farmhouse, a flicker of light spilling out of one of the ground floor windows, illuminating a ramshackle collection of outbuildings and the broken-down remains of a tractor in the farmyard. 

George: Can we see any movement in the courtyard?

Dan: Just a handful of startled-looking chickens, milling around a smashed hen coop. 

Rich: Any sign that this place is inhabited at all?

Dan: There’s several sets of footprints leading across the fields to the kitchen door, but you can't quite tell how many. Looks like they were dragging something between them.

Sarah: We should be careful. Don't want to blunder into an ambush like we did last time.

George: Yeah, that's true. Are there enough of us to secure the perimeter and clear the house at the same time?

Dan: I think you'd be able to do that pretty easily. It's quite a small farm.

Rich: Let's get to it. Sergeant Eriksen can take the lead on securing the area. Connelly, Lambert, and Vasser can go with him.

George: Corporal Hibbert and Nyland will back him up. The BAR will just get in the way inside anyway, and we might need the extra firepower if we get attacked. Are the rest of you okay to follow Joyce into the house?

Sarah: I want to have a peek through the window before we kick the door in. Horner’s going to touch his crucifix for luck before sidling up to the pool of light, his purloined MP-40 at the ready. 

Dan: Okay, make an easy Guile test for me. 

Dan decides that the Osttruppen in the farmhouse are too busy stuffing their faces on stolen K-rations to be keeping a good watch, making Sarah’s test Easy. If they’d had a sentry posted, or if the farmhouse was garrisoned by elite fallschirmjager, this test might be Challenging or Hard. 

Sarah grabs 2D6 and rolls both of them.

Sarah: A five! He’s got luck on his side for once. What does he see?

Dan: The wooden shutters are hanging half off their hinges, the heavy blackout curtains pulled back to reveal a large kitchen, copper pots and pans hanging from the ceiling. A soldier dressed in a ragged field grey uniform is washing his hands in the sink, his wire-covered steel helmet askew. 

The heavy oak table has been overturned, and the cabinets have been thoroughly ransacked. In the middle of the tiled floor, another soldier stripped to his shirtsleeves is rummaging through some equipment canisters. He’s cracked open a wooden crate with the point of his bayonet and is tossing K-rations across the room to two of his comrades who sit slumped against the wall with a bottle between them.

Sarah: Apart from the bayonet, are any of them armed? 

Dan: You can see four rifles stacked up against one wall, well out of reach. 

Sarah: Perfect. George, you want to do the honours?

George: The ever-dramatic Lieutenant Joyce is going to apply his government-issue boot to the kitchen door and charge in, Thompson submachine gun at the ready. 

Rich: Kirk will go in behind him with bayonet fixed, bellowing a ferocious battle cry. 

Dan: The door is booted open with a resounding crash, and you storm in brandishing your weapon. What do you do next? 

George: They’re no threat to us, I just want to give them a scare. Joyce is going to fire a burst into the ceiling to keep their heads down.

Dan: That sounds good. Roll as many D6s as you want, up to your weapon’s rate of fire. I’ll make a morale check for the soldiers, and give them a -1 modifier for every 6 you roll. Remember to deduct the total from your magazine capacity. 

Dan is tweaking the ranged attack rules to represent Joyce’s wild fusillade. There’s no need to make a to-hit roll for unaimed shots, so only the suppression portion of the attack rules is used. 

George: Well I don’t want to burn through too much of our ammunition - no-one else has any .45 on them - so I’ll just roll 2D6. 

George rolls both dice and scores a 5 and a 6 for a total of 11. He deducts 11 rounds from his Thompson’s current magazine, leaving him with 19 left. Dan makes a Morale check for each of the four Osttruppen, applying a -1 penalty for Rich’s 6. Dan also decides to add a further -1 penalty for the soldier’s lack of training. He rolls scores a 3, 5, 6, and a 12. One of the Osttruppen surrenders immediately, two are suppressed, and the final one is unaffected. The one with the bayonet in hand, of course!

Dan: Plaster and dust cascades down from the ceiling, accompanied by a cacophonous ringing as some of your bullets strike a large copper kettle hanging from a hook. The soldiers start yelling in a language that you don’t recognise. The man at the sink practically shits himself and throws his hands up in the air, the two eating appear frozen in terror. The last one lets out a wild shout and hurls himself towards you, bayonet in hand!

Rich: Is Kirk close enough to bayonet the guy before he shanks Joyce?

Dan: Let’s roll Initiative really quick and see if you’ve got the drop on him.

Dan, George and Rich all roll a D20. Rich scores a 17, George gets a 10 and Dan gets a 5. With the highest score, Rich gets to act first. 

Dan: All right, Rich. What’s Kirk doing?

Rich: Kirk’s gonna lunge forward with his rifle and stick the guy in the stomach. 

Rich grabs his D20 and rolls again, scoring a 13. He adds the soldier’s AC of 9, for a total of 22. With a score of 20+, Kirk has struck his intended target. 

Dan: That’s a hit! Roll damage for me.

A rifle with a bayonet attached is a medium weapon, dealing 1D6 damage. Rich grabs a D6 and rolls it, scoring a 5. To keep the action moving, Dan decides to forgo rolling the soldier’s HD and have the attack incapacitate them instantly. As Rich scored a 22, this resulted in a minor injury to the enemy. Dan rolls 2D6 and scores a 3, meaning that if he doesn’t receive treatment, the soldier will die in three hours. 

Dan: Your thrust sinks into the enemy’s stomach and he doubles over, clutching at his guts. He topples over, a blood stain blossoming through the threadbare fabric of his grey uniform. His bayonet clatters to the ground, forgotten. He’s babbling to himself, pressing his hands against the wound in a vain attempt to staunch the bleeding. The other three soldiers are staring at you from across the room, frozen in shock. 

Rich: Kirk’s going to pull back his rifle and thrust again. 

George: Joyce puts a restraining hand on Kirk’s arm. ‘The guy's done.’

Sarah: ‘What are we gonna do with them, El-Tee?’ Horner's going to menace the other soldiers with his gun, looking anxiously to his commanding officer for guidance.

George: Shit, what do we do with them? We can't take prisoners with us, but we can't shoot them. 

Rich: His anger suddenly turning to remorse, Kirk will set his rifle down and slap a field dressing on the man's wound, encouraging him to apply pressure with his hands. Does it do any good?

Dan: You're able to staunch some of the bleeding at least, but you stuck the guy in his guts, it's not looking too promising. He’s going to need a field hospital pretty soon or he’s toast. 

Sarah: Fuck it - shove them all in the pantry and let’s get moving. We’ve wasted too much time already…

Dan takes a quick look at his notes. They started at 03:00, and sixteen turns have elapsed so far making it approximately 05:40. He consults the timeline and sees that the next major event is the commencement of the naval bombardment preceding the landings. He waits for a break in the chatter and says:

Dan: Your conversation is interrupted by what sounds like the rumble of distant thunder, flashes  of light illuminating the distant horizon. It starts as a low peal, building to an almost-deafening crescendo, as hundreds of ships let loose with their main guns. Even from miles away, it sounds like the whole world is collapsing around your ears.  

Rich: Jesus, the fucking invasion’s starting. We really need to get a move on!