Leaping Puma: Panzergrenadiere Trials
It is year 1944 and Germany is losing the war. There is no avoiding a truth that only becomes clearer to any commander not blinded by the wrath and passion of a would-be messiah of the people. Forced to fight a losing war on both sides after the Eastern Front was all but lost after brutal fighting and the Allied disembark on Normandy's beaches provided them with yet another concern, the Reich is weakening and the Axis is crumbling with it. Casualties and constant conflict from all sides means lack of manpower is one of the most pressing issues for the Germans' war effort, followed closely by the loss of petrol-producing territory that risk forcing the swift and mobile Heer to stop dead on its tracks. The first issue is addressed by giving weapons to recruits either too young or too old to fight, while the second one forces the Panzer divisions to put high importance in capturing Allied fuel supplies. Some amidst the High Command still hang onto the hope of crushing the Western forces for a reason or another; either to have leverage for an armistice or dreaming about winning the war after focusing their forces solely on the Eastern front. The ambitions, dreams and hopes of officers notwithstanding, something must be done before they suffer yet another humiliating defeat in such a major conflict.
It is a time for desperate measures. And so begins
Unternehmen Wacht am Rhein, Operation Watch on the Rhine.
....
24 December 1944, outskirts of Bastogne, Belgium. Elements of the 15th Panzergrenadier Division join Panzer Lehr's 901st Regiment and the 26th Volksgrenadier Division. An influx of walking Panzertruppen, followed by soldiers either inside armored vehicles or sitting on the hull or back of several half-tracks, arrives at the scene. The group is a mix of older men, baby-faced recruits and weary veterans from either the Italian campaign or the Eastern front. They do not have much time to rest before orders are relayed and a series of attacks are ordered, with the reconnaissance teams sent far ahead of the main force in order to pinpoint enemy positions and numbers as well as eliminate any enemy scouting forces.
You are part of that group. At least one of you probably hoped to become a Panzer ace, destroying opposition inside a Panther or Tiger; others may be excitable young recruits with far less experience than willingness to fight; a few may even be personnel from a different branch of the Wehrmacht, left "jobless" as Germany lost space in sea and air, and finally, it's likely some of you wouldn't even like to be fighting in the war, though for one reason or another you are found yourself drawn into it. You have been recently designated as the crew of a
Sd.Kfz. 234/2 Schwerer Panzerspähwagen "Puma", a fairly light and fast armored car transferred from the 2nd Panzer Division. Its speed means the vehicle in your hands is a great asset for scouting, heavy reconnaissance assignments and eliminating weak opposition, but having thin armor will force you to pick your fights. Try and survive during Germany's ambitious offensive in the Ardennes.
About: This game is actually the test run for an idea I had. Since the original idea would require a lot of commitment and reasonably sturdy mechanics, and since my schedule is messed up, I decided to get this started to develop the system and correct any inefficiencies before deciding whether I can make the leap to the original idea.
As you may have noticed, this is a WWII RtD. Though I'm not too much of a history buff, I will try to keep things mostly believable. Even if a few pieces do not fit history perfectly, I will strive to keep things interesting and fun as they should be. Selection will not be First Come First Serve. I will analyze the applications and choose the ones that fit better.
There is a minimum of three players for the game to start - the Commander, Gunner & Driver trio - with Support soldiers numbering at a maximum of two or three depending on the applications. The radio operator/secondary driver role, responsible for steering the four rear wheels when needed, will be filled by a NPC unless someone feels like taking it. In that case, the Driver occupation's equipment and abilities apply.
Name: (Try to keep them German, Austrian etc)
Description: (Anything applicable, such as age, appearance and clothes go here)
Extras: (Backstory, personality, quirks and anything you feel may be good to add)
Occupation: Commander, Gunner, Driver, Support (Further information in the spoiler below)
Abilities: (Depends on Occupation)
Inventory: (Depends partially on your occupation chosen, but you can add minor trinkets)
Veteran: Yes/No (Choosing to be a veteran lets you choose three extra abilities and erases a Luck Point)
Luck Point: 2/2 if non-Veteran, 1/1 if Veteran (Part of what heroes are made of, a luck point can be burned to save you from death)
Vote: (Explanation in one of the spoilers below)
Commander: Battlefield awareness, effective radio communication and judicious elaboration of efficient orders are your area, and you better be good at it or you can forget earning shiny medals. Or staying alive.
Equipment: MP40, Pistol, uniform, binoculars and headphones.
Abilities:
-Awareness I: You are perceptive, a virtue that in a battlefield helps you keep your organs in perfect state inside of your body.
Pick One Ability:
-Leader I: Your battlefield suggestions, requests, warnings or orders to the crew of other vehicles are rather convincing.
-Well-Ranked NCO: Whether hailing from the academy or the battlefield, you have a little more weight to put into your requests.
-Upgrade Existing Ability: Upgrades any existing numbered ability you already possess. Example: Awareness I > Awareness II.
Gunner: Herr Kommandant shouts "FEUER FREI!"; you obey. Too bad the Reich has too many small arms and vehicle-mounted guns... And you haven't been taught how to use most of them.
Equipment: Pistol, uniform plus ear muffs.
Abilities:
-Armor Gunnery: You know how to operate the mounted weapons of your assigned vehicle (SdKfz 234 "Puma").
Pick One Ability:
-Deadeye I: Less penalties for called shots to specific parts of an enemy vehicle. You're also generally better at using the vehicle's weapons.
-On The Move I: "What do you mean some people can only shoot when their vehicle's standing still?" You suffer less penalties for firing on the move.
-Upgrade Existing Ability.
Driver: You have been taught how to drive an armored fighting vehicle. It's not as easy as baking a cake, though it is about as hot.
Abilities:
-Puma Rider: You know how to drive a Puma and do not need to make any rolls for normal actions. Putting the pedal to the metal without losing control is a different story.
Equipment: Pistol, uniform plus ear muffs.
Pick One Ability:
-Daredevil I: You shouldn't drive armored vehicles like that. You suffer less penalties for reckless/daring driving.
-Mechanic I: You understand mechanics enough to have an idea when something is wrong and perform minor repairs.
-Minesweeper: Whether through listening to advice, experience or almost abnormal observation skills, you have a rough idea of where enemy mines are. Good enough to avoid traumatic amputation and death!
-Upgrade Existing Ability.
Support: Either following the vehicle closely or riding atop its hull, you are the infantry side of the combined arms. Try to not lag behind.
Equipment: Main or Heavy weapon, Pistol, uniform (Feldbluse, jackboots and steel helmet), 3x M24 Stielhandgranate (grenades), Splitterring (fragmentation sleeve for grenades), Kampfmesser 42 (combat knife), infantry gear.
Abilities:
-Grenadier I: You have been trained in the usage of man-portable infantry weapons and taught how to fight. Governs general combat effectiveness.
Pick Two Abilities:
-Explosive Blitz I: You are good at indirect fire, either with grenades or mortars. Raises mortar and grenade accuracy/effectiveness.
-Freeshooter I: You specialize at providing death from behind a rifle's sights. Rifle accuracy/effectiveness.
-Kleine Klaus: People call you Tiny and either through training or genetic heritage, you're strong and/or big. Carrying more than the average grenadier isn't a problem, but you can be quite the target.
-Medic I: Someone with medical training is appreciated by their peers, even more so when there's bleeding and shrapnel involved.
-Scavenger: You are quite fast at relieving the dead - friend or foe - of their equipment, a valuable talent in a losing war.
-Upgrade Existing Ability.
General Abilities can be chosen by any occupation in place of their provided ones: Awareness, Grenadier, Kleine Klaus, Mechanic, Medic, Minesweeper, Scavenger.
This link may help.Main weapons: StG 44 (assault rifle) or Kar98k (bolt-action rifle, scope or iron sights) or G43 (semi-auto rifle, scope or iron sights) or MP40 (submachine gun) or any other appropriate.
Heavy weapons (lose grenades): 5cm GrW 36 (mortar) or Kz 8cm GrW 42 (heavier mortar, comes with free NPC loader!) or RPzB 54 Panzerschreck (anti-tank rocket launcher) or 3x Panzerfaust 60 (anti-tank recoilless gun) or MG42 (machine gun) or Flammenwerfer 41 (flamethrower) or any other appropriate.
Pistols: Luger P08 or Walther P38 or C96 Mauser or any other appropriate.
Mines: Tellermines 43 (anti-tank mines), S-Mines (anti-personnel mines).
Uniforms: Panzer wraps are the close fitting black uniform made for German WWII tank crews and Feldbluse is the Heer's uniform in its several variations across the war as materials grew scarce and complexity dropped, plus a steel helmet.
Note for people who like detail: Due to ever-changing regulations coupled with general confusion and different tastes, armored car, tank-destroyer, assault gun and SPG crews wound up wearing uniforms that varied from the black or gray panzer wraps to the standard Feldbluse, with different types of piping and badges (infantry Litzen or tanker Totenkopf). You can basically pick your favorite and end up with historical backing for it.
The "vote" area is for picking the vehicle your group is graced with. There are two options: a "mint" condition vehicle and an Eastern front veteran. There are certain differences which explain why there's a need for this.
Rookie: SdKfz 234/2 that appears to never have engaged in combat. It is painted with appropriate camouflage for the region and seems otherwise unremarkable.
Weapons: 1x 5 cm KwK 39 L/60 gun (Turret), 1 x MG34 (Co-axial).
Equipment: Camouflage paint, camouflage netting, 6 smoke launcher tubes, spare wheel, tools, 2x Tellermine 43.
Ammo: 55 x 50mm projectiles; 2,850 x 7.92mm ammunition.
Engine: Tatra 103 V12 diesel (85 km/h top speed)
Luck Points: 4/4
Veteran: SdKfz 234/2 with a few dents and scratches over its hull, as well as tally marks on the turret counting several infantry kills as well as a couple of tank and light vehicle ones. The armored car was damaged during combat, recovered and repaired afterwards, though the first crew moved on to another vehicle during its downtime. It has armor skirts and an extra machine gun.
Weapons: 1x 5 cm KwK 39 L/60 gun (turret), 1x MG34 (co-axial), 1x MG42 (pintle-mounted).
Equipment: Factory standard dark gray (Dunkelgrau), 5mm side/rear Schurzen (armor skirts), camouflage netting, 6 smoke launcher tubes, spare wheel, tools, 2x Tellermine 43.
Ammo: 55 x 50mm projectiles; 4,000 x 7.92mm ammunition.
Engine: Tatra 103 V12 diesel (80 km/h top speed)
Luck Points: 3/3
Author
Topic: Leaping Puma: Panzergrenadiere Trials {Turn 6: Slow awakening} (Read 16063 times)