 February 6, 2014 - 6:32am | I was reading this post: http://rpgathenaeum.wordpress.com/2010/02/03/using-battlefields-as-adventure-sites/ on developing the character of a location for a D&D campaign and its good material that I would recommend. However, when I first read the headline my imagination went to an adventure taking place on a battlefield while the battle was being fought. Now I like the idea of a battlefield being used for an adventure location after the fact with rusting hulks of destroyed tanks, maybe a monument or two as well or unexploded munitions (or spells) and in the case of fantasy undead rising from their mass graves to plague the living that dare to cross the field. This is really about showing the consequences of a battle. On the other hand using a battlefield while the battle is raging and where the PC's objective is different from or not wholely aligned with that of the army commander is far more interesting. To be sure the Star Spawn of Volturnus module did this sort of thing but the PCs are part of the army command and must push the battle to a successful conclusion and the encounters in the battle are actually snapshots from the battle. What I'm thinking of is something different. First off you need a battle map that will chart the flow and progress of a battle. You might even require more than one map to do this or it might be easier for you to see whats going on on the battlefield by having multiple maps show the placement of troops at different periods in the battle. The map from the Battle of Volkos is a good example:  The PCs will need a map as well and will decide where they are moving to on the battle field during strategic turns (a strategic turn is turn is a non combat turn: generally it can be any length of time that suits but mostly I use 10 minute turns, if combat happens during a strategic turn the scale of turns is shifted to tactical turns or combat rounds and the combat is resolved before shifting back to strategic turns). Thus the game plays out with the PCs making decisions about their actions and the referee informing them of what they see, hear and experience. A map that charts the flow of a battle or a map and a timeline of a battle will be crucial here as the PCs could be on a particular spot and the fighting could be a kilometer away or they could be there and shells are reigning down. They will of course have opportunities to impact that battle: should they be close to the front when an enemy break through happens and said breakthrough is likely to cause the whole flank of the army to be rolled up and lead to a route of the side they are nominally freinds with this could be very bad for them so they might intervene. Should the PCs intervene in a may that impacts the outcome of the battle the referee will need to adjust and extrapolate the consequences of that. (Having an extra map to mark on might come in handy). on a modern battlefield or sci fi one the PCs will want to be gathering as much information- signal intel, as they can to formulate the best picture of the battlefield as possible as this will inform them of their movement options if they are seeking to aviod getting caught up in the fighting. A table or chart of NPC reactions will be handy: medics encountering the PCs will have a diferent reaction than, military police looking for deserters or an officer trying to rally troops etc. Depending on the situation the PCs might even be detained and brought be for a commander. Their relationship to the army and its command staff will need to be outlined. There should be opportunities for clues to finding their objective. PCs objective: Person, place or thing a lot will depend on the situation. I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
February 6, 2014 - 6:54am | Potential conflicts: 1. The Battle of Volkos is well detailed for us in the SF-2 module so this has great potential. I recently had the idea of the PCs going to Volturnus because a member of one of the missing expeditions sent by the government is the daughter of a Streel executive and hes seending a team to go find her. from this angle the campaign plays out as fairly close to the modules as written but the mission is to simply find the girl and get out. She of course is an idealist with a crush on Col. Jamison and will not abandon the peoples of Volturnus. PCs have a choice of helping her and Jamison or kidnapping her for her own good. They could find themselves transversing the battle field to locater her during the battle which would be ideal for this sort of battlefield as adventure location. 2. sathar war/incursion. obviously the sathar will shoot the PCs on site but whats their relationship to the "good guys" referee will need to work out the maps and script of the battle: but he could use something from Earth history ported over to the game which would make the scenario more interesting IMO. 3. Corporate War: both sides are staffed with mercenaries, PCs might be acting as undercover, pretending to be a merc team for one side in order to move around in the back field of the other side. their objective could be to locate something and remove it from usefullness of the side they're pretending to be a part of. Laco's War or some other conflict in the Frontier 4. Free World Rebellion on Kdikit, team sent to prevent an atrocity (massacuring of vrusk) the rebels might be unorganized and undisciplined allowing for the PCs to pass themselves off as partisans while searching. 5. Dramune Wars: there were 3 of them and this could certainly be explored, the fact that one side is run by crime lords and pirates means there is room for "good guys" to slip through the cracks. I would be interested in a First Dramune War scenario where a fat dralasite ship captain named Malthar smuggles the PCs into Ourter Reach only for things to come full circle latter in the campaign with a running of Dramune Run. 6. yazirian clan war, requires a justification for this activity in the modern Frontier but it could certainly be on the table as a possibility. but this could be re-skinned as a huma on huma conflict with the PCs playing a party trying to obtain some other objective than simply killing huma. I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
 February 6, 2014 - 11:48am | There are some solid ideas here. I'm running a huge Rim vs Sathar/Zuraqqor battle this weekend, so I might have to borrow!  |
February 6, 2014 - 12:20pm | There are some solid ideas here. I'm running a huge Rim vs Sathar/Zuraqqor battle this weekend, so I might have to borrow! Keep us informed. I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
 February 6, 2014 - 9:27pm |
Jedion, sounds like you mixed some SEAL team 6 or Delta Force operations with SF there. While the conventional conflict is underway (ie: operation Iraqi freedom) there are meta games at play. CIA operatives are undercover deep ahead of the lines with factionists (ie; the future power players from the governments perspective) working to sabotage or extract or infiltrate or what have you. There was a friend of mine, former SF. He was in a position like this, ahead of the line. His operations led them to capture special contacts (think deck of cards). They were always on the move away from the conventional combat units. These operations could be going on in the heat of battle, such as it was with one case he had mentioned. His unit was ahead of the US forces, besides and behind the enemy forces. They had to constantly relay their movements to ensure they wouldn't take friendly fire. They also had to relay target positions while moving towards their primary objective, as ordered by a big head up the chain. These compromises cost them, not always in lives but in morale, in equipment, in positions of advantage. Sometimes their entire day would be delayed because a conventional battle was being fought that interfered with what they had going on. Everything you said is complete edge of your seat action. You have to account for incoming fire from different directions while keeping focused on your own job. Fun stuff. |
February 7, 2014 - 3:35am | My Dad was on the failled hostage Rescue when Carter was president and says that Carter had a direct line to the on site general and that the general couldn't pass gas without vetting it by the President- my father was very sour on this point and I can see where your special forces buddy's unit would have morale issue just having higher command looking over their shoulder all the time. I hadn't thought in terms of coordinating with higher command which is something that certainly would work with this. Thats another idea for the mud on the wall. What I'm really interested in is a fog of war situation where the players are making decision and trying to generate intel: through radio intercepts, map found on a body, or just play scouting with the mark 1 eyeball. They make their decisions about movement and according to the master battle map and time line they suffer encounters appropriate to the situation. They could get a cake walk or get dumped in the deep sheep dip but its largely going to be a function of their own decision making. If the players understand this the act of making a decision becomes stressful. Speaking of stress, I might include the kitchen timer thing, it dings every 10-15 minutes and (as long as combat hasn't errupted) and time in game has advanced- now they have time pressure to make decisions as well. I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
