URBAN OPERATIONS

LEAD GAME DESIGN ER

Tomas Härenstam

LEAD SETTING & SCENARIO WRITER

Chris Lites

L E A D A RT I ST
Niklas Brandt

GRAPHIC DESIGN
Christian Granath

COV E R A RT, A D D I T I O N A L A RT
Gustaf Ekelund

MAPS
Niklas Brandt

BRAN D MANAGEMENT
Marc Miller/ Game Designers’ Workshop

I NSPI RED BY
The Free City of Krakow, by William H. Keith, Jr.,
Frank Chadwick, and Loren Wiseman

PROOFREADING
Brandon Bowling

L AYO UT
Dan Algstrand

ISBN
978-91-89143-85-2

™ & © 2022 GDW and Fria Ligan AB. All rights reserved.
 01 02 03

PLAYING IN CITIES 05 CITY RULES 11 URBAN ENCOUNTERS 23

THE FIRE OF CIVILIZATION 06 THE COP 12 NEW ENCOUNTERS 24

WHAT IS GONE 06
FOOD & WATER 06 THE CRIMINAL 13 LIST OF ENCOUNTERS 26
LAW & ORDER (& ANARCHY) 07
ECONOMICS07 CITY WARFARE 14 STATIONARY ENCOUNTERS 31
TRANSPORTATION08 FOG OF WAR 14 RADIO CHATTER 31
POLITICS & POWER 09 CITY MOVEMENT 14 RUMORS31
RUINS & RADIATION 09 BUILDINGS15
COLLECTIVE TRAUMA 09 CLOSE QUARTERS COMBAT 17

CITY TRAVEL 20
CITY MAPS 20
TASKS21

02
 04 05 06

CITY FACTIONS 35 URBAN PLOTS 41 SCENARIO SITES 53

THE VOROVSKOY MIR 36 THE SPEAR OF DESTINY 42 THE BIG PLAYGROUND 54

THE WHO 37 POWER PLAY 43
FREE POLISH 6TH BRIGADE 38 THE LAST OFFENSIVE 45 THE CHURCH 62
LIFE REGIMENT HUSSARS 39 THE PLAGUE 46
ELECTION YEAR 46 THE POWER PLANT 66
THE MAN WHO WOULD BE KING 48
OPERATION RESET 50 THE BUNKER 73

APPENDIX I:
KRAKOW79

APPENDIX II:
KARLSBORG88

03
01 PLAYING IN CITIES
The playground where I first kissed a boy was a blackened ruin,
the trees behind it matchstick stubs. The school had been taken
over by thugs. My house? It was just gone. The whole block was
a field of blasted debris. But life went on deeper in the city,
or some kind of life anyway. Not one I’d want, right? Hauling
buckets of water up ten floors to apartments without heat.
Trading god-knows-what for parts to keep your bike moving or to
feed a damn horse. But it got me thinking about what kind of life
I’m going to have. I’ve been bumming around with these soldiers
for the last few months. Is that my life? I don’t remember what
I wanted to be when I grew up. I don’t even remember growing up,
but I’m 16 next month and I’m sure I did.
01
PLAYING
IN CITIES
THE FIRE OF CIVILIZATION
Before the war, historians and their like suggested the KRAKOW AND KARLSBORG
first spark of civilization began, most probably, with the
birth of agriculture. The spark, in time, flared into the This module is designed to be used in any
crown jewel of human progress: the city. From Babylon, urban environment, but it also includes one
to Rome, to New York, these towering edifices and con- example town for each of the two official
urbations were the high-­water mark of human achieve- settings of the game: Krakow in Poland and
ment. In the span of five short years, we have destroyed Karlsborg in Sweden. You’ll find these
them all. It has been said that it is far easier to destroy a towns described in the Appendix I and II at
thing than to create it. Mankind demonstrated this once the end of this book, and maps of the towns
again, perhaps for the final time. are included in the boxed set.
But the cities we once built still exist. Though ruined
and decayed, not all are entirely abandoned. They are
shadows of what they were, thrown back suddenly into
a world lit only by fire where the darkness is close in the
night and safety known by previous inhabitants seems
now a fantasy. bars or stolen fencing behind that. Inside, there are only candles and oil
They have their towers and they have their walls. lamps to light the way. Wood heats the house, a chimney drilled into the
They have order and chaos. They contain the remains home above… those neighbors didn’t make it out during the first riots.
of the human endeavor, some terminal endpoint of our A vignette, one typical of the year 2000. This girl and her family
storyline we all knew was coming. Cities are sad places, have it better than most. They have a home. They have access to water,
for the most part, now. They remind us of everything perhaps even fresh. They are alive.
we had and took so easily for granted. Yet, rumors of Elsewhere in the city, things are not as good. There are neighbor-
cities with electricity and functioning government run hoods that have burned all the furniture and books for heat. They cut
through the countryside of devastation likes tails of the down every tree. They have no fresh water. For food, sometimes they
Grail once did through these selfsame lands. History is resort to each other. The girl’s family lives behind a wall, real or imag-
nothing if not ironic. We sit not at the end, or perhaps ined. Patrolling that wall are local militia, police, or maybe even soldiers.
the beginning or, if you’re an optimistic sort, of a great They don’t live behind that wall for free. It is best we don’t think of the
cycle of history. In the cities, where people still gather, dark economics by which they settle their monthly bill.
when the towering achievements of the past are now There are no phones, running cars, no major foot traffic. This place
cracked concrete and rebar, there, we will uncover the is dead in all but name.
story’s last lines and close the book on whatever history
shall call these last 5,000 years. What lies ahead for man-
kind shall come either from the final spasm of our cities’
demise or the reignition of that spark which once lit the FOOD & WATER
streets so brightly that they were visible from the stars. The markets get no deliveries by trucks bringing food from the other
side of the country, or the continent. Taps almost never flow and, if
they do, the water may be poison to drink. The canned food ran out
six months ago or more. Scraps are what people subsist on now, those
WHAT IS GONE things scrounged or whatever can be farmed.
Like many stories, that of the city, any city, now begins Streets laid to ruin or abandoned were cleared to make arable land.
thus: “and then the war came.” Like the fall of a camera’s The soil is fickle, one cannot count on the season’s crop. Outside the city
shutter, the war separates one moment from the next. are larger farms. Citizens, slaves, or criminals work the fields. The people
A before and an after. Whatever a city was, it is no more. who run the city control the food. They control the water. There is no calling
Forget what you know. Forget the cabs, the clubs, the a plumber, for they are gone and anyway the pipes have no wellsprings
streets coughing with petrol fumes, the people wending from which to draw. The fast-­food franchise down the street went up in
through mazes of concrete and glass to jobs in tall tow- a cloud from an American bomb, or a Russian one. No one can be sure.
ers… all that is gone. People live in the burned-­out husks You have a ration card and you live in something vaguely reminis-
of that world. Hell, when is the last time you flipped a cent of an organized city. Anything else you need to eat you must get
light switch and it worked? elsewhere. Fires can engulf the entire town, for there is no proper fire
A small girl carries two pails of water in either hand. department now. The fireplugs are all dry.
She marches up the long stairs of a Brutalist housing tower, Every day is a struggle for something to eat and clean water to
but she doesn’t go far. The city is depopulated, so her fam- drink. Neither are guaranteed. Commercials on television once asked
ily moved to a lower floor. It’s hard to tote water up fifty for donations to the poor of the world who lived like this. Maybe you
floors. Sandbags line the windows of her flat, makeshift gave. Maybe you did not. Then the war came…

06
LAW & ORDER (& ANARCHY) GANGS
The only sure remnant of a city, at least a populated one, is some kind Where no police or soldiers are found, gangs invariably
of order imposed or denied, usually by someone with power. You may are. Some formed from older criminal networks or street
have heard of cities in anarchy, whether intentional or otherwise. Do gangs. Others are the rabble of local strongmen and
not go there. You would not like what you find. Instead, stick to the warlords. Some are former military who now follow no
cities that have some functioning protectors. It doesn’t matter who. orders but their own.
If you’re a refugee heading to a city now, your other options closed Yet like their counterparts, gangs offer some sense
long ago. of security if you are loyal to the gang or pay for their
“protection.” Protection is part of economics, as detailed
MILITARY below. Suffice it to say, if you aren’t in a position of power,
The most common, and effective, form of protection remains the you likely have none at all. Gangs obey the laws they like
military. That said, the great armies of the world which ground each and make. You don’t go to them to right wrongs. You pay
other under tread and boot have themselves been ground down by them and hope they prevent another gang from killing
time, attrition, and the collapse of those societies for which they you or those you love… if you have any loved ones left.
claimed to fight.
Now, marauders might be police, or a small unit may control an entire LAWS
town. Some towns have resources left, or access to new ones. These they Laws vary between each city. There is no legal code any-
trade for mercenaries who function as police force and pressgang alike. more. Hammurabi’s Laws must be reinvented. Each urban
The farms do not tend themselves. The sewers must be maintained, if center has its own ways, but the following are laws found
they are even intact. The military is the default law and order in most commonly in most cities.
urban areas. They can be very bad. They can be almost good. 7 Murder is illegal (but rarely investigated). One

must be caught in the act by someone. Justifiable

POLICE homicide is broad, common, and often applicable.
Those cities with resources, and the means to protect them, may yet 7 Stealing food or medicine is punishable by death.

have actual police. Now, these are not trained officers like before. They Stealing needed goods is as good as murder to
are largely recruits or volunteers, but they attempt to maintain law most folks.
and order in the old sense of the term. Calling a group of thugs “the 7 Ownership is enforced by weapons and the

police” is common, but some few cities actually try to uphold justice… willingness to use them.
at least to a degree. 7 Betraying the security of the city is punished by

Police enforce the most important laws. Murders are not investigated. harsh, and sometimes inventive means.
Stolen property is never recovered. Police attempt to keep as many of 7 Soldiers may be banned. Some folks want nothing

the citizens from violating each other as they can. Yet, no matter how more to do with the war. Soldiers are not allowed
much the try, they almost universally fight a losing battle. in every city. Then again, not every city can do
something to stop them if they wish to come.

GETTING THE PLAYERS INVOLVED

ECONOMICS
Twilight: 2000 is a sandbox game, letting the Money has no value anymore. Most of it was long since
players decide where to go. In order to burned for cooking or warmth. Few coins had much useful
involve the PCs in the urban encounters and metal in them prior to the war, and they, too, have been
plots described in this book, you’ll need recycled for better things. No two cities have the same
to give the players a reason to go to town economy. Hell, two neighborhoods in the same city may
- literally. not. Barter is the rule between neighbors and labor is
This is best done by feeding the PCs the last human resource, most of it physical. Those with
enticing rumors or other intel about the needed, rare skills like engineers and doctors live better
town you want them to visit. Such rumors are than the rest, but almost no one lives well.
included in the sections about Krakow and
Karlsborg at the end of this book. You can CURRENCY
easily adapt these rumors to other cities. Bullets, cigarettes, valuable metal, favors, sex… all of
You can also push the PCs instead of these are what pass for currencies. Ration cards enti-
pulling them, placing large concentrations tle citizens to food and supplies. Beyond this, they
of enemy forces in the opposite direction. must scrounge and trade for what they need or want.
PLAYING
You can use the new rules for areas of Some cities haven’t any ration cards at all. They sim-

01
IN CITIES
control (page 24) to reinforce this. ply distribute supplies on a first come, first serve basis.

07
01
PLAYING
IN CITIES

The strong and quick get the food. They then use that Sugar, salt, cigarettes – all can be found on the black market.
to lord over others. Marauders and scavengers make a living providing these goods to the
Some cities still value gold and silver, but this is not black marketeers. That new coat has a patched hole in it and a blood
guaranteed. The currency of any city depends on its cur- stain, but it keeps you warm. Who wore it before?
rent needs. Food goes a long way. Antibiotics are worth
their weight in illicit drugs. Alcohol is always in high FULL CITIZENSHIP
demand. People want to escape the life they lead as Sometimes, those native to the city are considered full citizens. They are
often as they can. You might feel the same. entitled to whatever rights and goods that city affords people of this
Don’t expect anything to be worth what it was in the stature. Nothing is guaranteed for those who do not meet the criteria
last city or town. The shifting needs of the population of citizenship. Towns and cities look out for their own. Others must buy
drive all trade. their way in or work for the privilege.

INDENTURED SERVITUDE JOBS

Many people find themselves pressed into jobs in There are a thousand jobs to be done but no steady form of pay. Those with
exchange, one day, for the status of citizen. Human labor skills find food and lodging come their way. You might repair and clean the
moves the world once again. Goods are scavenged or sewers for food. You might serve as a cop to get an apartment near a source
hand made. There isn’t ordering anything from a catalog of fresh water. Largely gone are the clerks and administrators of the pre-­war
or going to the mall. The mall was turned into a penal world. If it doesn’t keep one alive or increase their desire to be alive tomor-
facility or abandoned altogether. Many of the people row, a thing has little value. There are no cinemas or stores or restaurants
who live inside a city are not free. They owe fealty to in a general sense. These jobs may exist in some form, but they are few and
someone in exchange for a better station later (hope- far between. Hell, the last film made was in 1995, so far as anyone knows.
fully) or they simply toil for nothing because there is
no one to stop armed, desperate humans from treating
each other like property.
TRANSPORTATION
THE BLACK MARKET Gas and alcohol rarely power cars anymore and, when they do, those
Most cities have a black market. The boss of this market cars either serve a purpose or are owned by those in power. You cannot
is a crafty criminal or simple an ingenious survivor who hail a cab. The subway hasn’t run in years. The tram is broken, rusted,
controls illicit trade. Often, the black market is a necessity. and twined in vegetation.
Ration cards rarely fulfill all needs. People turn to those If you want to go somewhere, you walk. That’s it. You might have a
who trade in the shadows for the rest. horse, but you’re lucky if you do. If you have a vehicle, you surely have

08
the means to defend it. Wagons are common again, pulled by all sorts
of beasts of burden. Cars sawn in half, the beds of former pickups, these OFF-LIMIT CAPITALS
are makeshift wagons for many. The once-­ubiquitous shopping carts of
supermarkets now carry produce under armed guard. You haven’t seen a Despite the vast freedom of move­
plane in months, or a helicopter. Flying is the dream of Icarus once again. ment offered to players in the
sandbox playstyle of Twilight: 2000,
we recommend that they, for now,
stay away from the capital cities
POLITICS & POWER of the two official game settings:
Once, an adage went around that said, after the bomb falls, at least Warsaw and Stockholm. These cities
the politicians will be gone. They proved as resilient as roaches in are largely destroyed by nuclear
the post-­war world. People want to be led. This is the way of things, strikes and don’t offer much of the
and those who can orate well, drum up inspiration or fear, still have type of living urban environment
sway. Some cities still have mayors. Some even still vote. The political that this book describes anyway.
machines that moved the city before aren’t gone, they’re simply dif- The ruins of Warsaw and Stockholm
ferent. The new order is more violent and directly aggressive, but it will be described in a later module
isn’t all that new. The veneer of civilization merely eroded in the wake for Twilight: 2000.
of the bombs and bullets. Someone, somewhere still gives a speech
about a better tomorrow, an end to the old ways. And for every per-
son giving that speech, there are dozens or hundreds that still believe
them. People don’t change.
Power comes from the support of people who have access to resources
or having access to one’s own. These resources are food, wood, medicine, world of the city you live in. Post-­war Berlin circa 1945
fresh water, and weapons. A city may have a “duly elected” mayor or a is almost every city now. Virtually nothing is untouched.
warlord. It might be a cantonment now, and the highest-­ranking officer We don’t live in a wasteland of souped-­up cars and punk
is in charge. It may have a self-­titled baron or duke, but everyone plays gangsters… we live in the ruins of our previous world,
the same game: you trade goods for influence and influence for power. a constant reminder of just how badly we fucked up
That’s how it works. That’s how it’s worked since the plow. We’ve sim- as a species.
ply stripped the system of all its trappings and revealed the cruel, hard Welcome to the year 2000.
iron machine underneath.
Who runs a city, a neighborhood, or a street varies by the flow of
goods and the emotions of the population. A lot of people thought the
apocalypse would bring nothing but strongmen like in a post-­apocalyptic COLLECTIVE TRAUMA
films. Sure, they are plentiful, but so are silver-­tongued orators, raging Look at people waiting in a ration line. Their eyes rarely
demagogues, apocalyptic preachers and, sometimes, those who offer meet. They keep to small groups. When they do look at
what looks like genuine hope. another, it is with suspicion. Cities are psychic wells of
post-­traumatic stress disorder. They are all in shock, per-
haps perpetually. Sure, there are moments of laughter
and fun. Mankind has ridden out lifetimes of suffering
RUINS & RADIATION throughout their stint as masters of the planet. But, over-
The war left few cities untouched. While they weren’t all bombed, con- all, everyone is a shadow of what they were. Everyone
ventionally or otherwise, each suffered from being unplugged from the waits for the bomb that didn’t drop to find them. Or, if
network of distribution for food and electricity, as well as general order. the bomb did find them, they wait for the reaper to come
One side of the street may be bombed out ruins while the other is collect them because he is so very busy and so very behind.
relatively intact. In either case, none of the buildings may be safe, but the There’s a bond in this trauma, though, and one that
population decreased so significantly that space, at least, isn’t an issue. sometimes emerges as strength, pride, and defiance.
Areas of a city which lie in ruin see no patrols from local police or Cities are their own countries now, their own families. At
constabulary. Feral children and psychotics might lurk in the deep caves least some. If you are lucky, you might encounter such a
of urban destruction. Rats fester in huge numbers as does disease and, place. A city which survived the war together and, still as
in some areas, radiation. The latter makes some cities uninhabitable one, presses on to keep the candles burning in the dark
for the next generation at the least. night as they collect around tables and share food when
You all know the black and white pictures from after the last war – they can and stories when they cannot. Surely such places
the chimneys standing over the broken bricks of dead houses. Streets exist? The world after the war must have some strain of
PLAYING
clogged with rubble. A lone piano at an intersection surrounded by human resilience left. Find it. And, if you do, stay there

01
IN CITIES
bombed-­out buildings. That world is back and colorized, now. It’s the and don’t look back.

09
02 CITY RULES
Knew this guy in high school. He was only there a year. His dad and
him moved around a lot. A “lyin’ Yankee” my dad called the kid. Tom
was his name maybe? I forget. Anyway, this guy in Krakow reminds me
of him. Lies like it’s nothing and you can’t tell until later that
it was a lie. Smooth talker. Couldn’t place his accent and I figure
maybe that’s the way he wanted it. But we were trying to get past a
checkpoint and Kasia wasn’t making any progress when this little,
skinny dude comes up and says we’re with him and then launches into
a string of lightning-fast Polish I couldn’t follow, but I could see
Kasia’s eyes go wide. Anyway, turns out he tells the guards we’re with
the black market. And he has DETAILS. Like a ton. Stuff he made up on
the spot. Kept us out of a firefight. Never thought bullshit could do
that. Oh, that kid Tom back home? Heard he wound up in intel. No lie.
02
NEW ARCHETYPES
Cities are home to specific sorts of characters.
Amongst those who blend in, who follow the law, who
CITY
RULES
don’t create trouble are those who protect against
the troublemakers and, of course, the troublemakers
themselves. Two new archetypes for use with the
archetype method of character creation (page 20 of
the Player’s Manual) are offered here: the Cop and the
Criminal. No city is without its share of both.

THE COP
They may have kept the peace before the war or abused their
power. They may have served and protected or merely served
themselves or the state. Cops aren’t monolithic any more than
another career, but they tend to live for the Job. The Job
matters. Justice matters or, if you were ex secret police, the
state matters. Maybe you became disillusioned and decided crime
and justice were two sides of the same coin and you’d rather just
collect the coins. It doesn’t matter. You were a cop. Maybe, you
still are. Maybe, just maybe, that still matters in this world.

APPEARANCE YOUR BIG DREAM

Choose from the examples below or decide for yourself. Choose from the examples below or
7 Badge & sidearm decide for yourself.
7 Your old uniform 7 Rebuild your city’s police force into

7 A battered trench coat and smoker’s teeth. what it once was.

7 Find the perp that got away just

SPECIALTIES before the bombs fell. You haven’t

Choose one specialty. Recommended options are: forgotten what he did.
7 Authority 7 Use your skill and authority to run

7 Close Quarters Specialist this town.

7 Interrogator

HOW YOU MET THE GROUP

YOUR MORAL CODE Choose from the examples below or decide for yourself.
Choose from the examples below or decide for yourself. 7 You helped them out of serious trouble when they came to town.

7 Without order, we are no better than animals. You’ve been together ever since.
7 Protecting people is the only nobility left in the 7 You were military police or secret police and reassigned to this

world. unit prior to the collapse of your command structure.

7 Authority is just another way to gain personal 7 You were shot and beaten by looters while trying to protect

wealth and influence. much-­needed supplies. The looters got the supplies, but these
people saved you.

GEAR
You start the game with:
✓ KEY ATTRIBUTE: STR 7 Any pistol appropriate for your nationality

✓ KEY SKILLS: Close Combat, 7 D6 reloads for your weapon

Ranged Combat, Persuasion 7 D6 rations of domestic food

✓ COOLNESS UNDER FIRE:C 7 D6 rations of clean water

12
THE CRIMINAL
Society was never stable. That was an illusion. You saw through it and
decided to make the gears grinding down the world work for you.
After it all fell apart, you weren’t surprised. You figure there
are two forces in the world: order and entropy. Entropy always
wins in the end, and you weren’t dumb enough to back a losing
horse. You might have been a thief, a drug dealer, and gangster,
or a hedge fund manager. It doesn’t matter. The world was always
two steps away from Armageddon in your eyes. On the other side of it,
you’re getting along better than most.

7 Some bad men were about to

APPEARANCE toss one of them off a roof
Choose from the examples below or decide for yourself. and, for some reason, you
7 Jail Tattoos intervened and talked
7 Your gang’s colors them out of it.
7 A fine, sharkskin suit and two missing fingers lost 7 They needed someone to
in a gambling “misunderstanding.” break into a house, an occupied
one and, well, one thing led to
SPECIALTIES another and now you’re all on
Choose one specialty. Recommended options are: the run.
7 Killer

7 Liar GEAR
7 Thief You start the game with:
7 Any civilian firearm

YOUR MORAL CODE 7 D3 reloads for your weapon

Choose from the examples below or decide for yourself. 7 D6 rations of domestic food

7 Law and order are for the sheep. 7 D6 rations of clean water

7 The world forces you to take what you need and 7 D6 rounds of ammo to use as

what you want. currency

7 It’s only crime if you’re poor. Otherwise, they call

it business.
NEW SPECIALTIES
YOUR BIG DREAM
Choose from the examples below or decide for yourself. The following new specialties may be added to
7 Get by on your wits and your moral flexibility. those found in the core rulebook.
7 Find the cop that put you away. You almost died ✓ AUTHORITY: You can roll COMMAND to calm
in that prison. down a rowdy crowd. This specialty cannot
7 Rise to the top of the black market. be used on hostile enemies.
✓ CLOSE QUARTERS SPECIALIST: The penalty for
HOW YOU MET THE GROUP shooting in close combat (page 63 in the
Choose from the examples below or decide for yourself. Player’s Manual) is reduced one step, i.e.
7 You were in a tight spot, entirely of your own no penalty for pistols, carbines and SMGs,
making, and they got you out of it. and −1 for other ranged weapons.
✓ CRYPTOGRAPHER: Gives a +1 bonus to any
TECH roll involving breaking or creating
encrypted messages and codes.
✓ LIAR: Gives a +1 bonus to any PERSUASION roll
✓ KEY ATTRIBUTE: STR when lying to someone.
✓ KEY SKILLS: Close Combat, ✓ THIEF: Gives a +1 bonus to RECON rolls when
Ranged Combat, Recon picking pockets and TECH rolls when picking
✓ COOLNESS UNDER FIRE:D locks.

13
02 CITY
RULES
CITY WARFARE
Warfare in urban environments is hell, even compared to combat in no initiative draw is made. If they wish, the attacker
the open field. Distances are short and contact with the enemy is often can fire again, with yet another RECON roll afterwards
brief and brutal. The benefits of superior technology and firepower are to stay hidden.
reduced, in favor of knowing the battlefield and using every inch of it
to your advantage.
This section outlines additions and modifications to the combat
rules in the Player’s Manual for combat in cities. Unless explicitly stated CITY MOVEMENT
below, normal combat rules apply. Any troop movement through an urban environment is
generally done very slowly and carefully.

HUGGING WALLS
FOG OF WAR When moving on foot through a built-­up area, it’s a good
A major element of city combat is the limited battlefield overview. Your idea to stay close to house walls. When hugging the wall,
enemy could be hiding anywhere. To represent this in the game, the Referee enemies in the same building will have a hard time tar-
can use a separate smaller version of the battle map, hidden behind their geting you without exposing their own position. In rules
screen. Printer-­friendly versions of all the battle maps from the core game terms, whenever your character token is in a hex that
and this module can be downloaded from the Free League website. borders or partially intersects a house wall, any enemy
On the Referee Map, the Referee can mark enemy positions and kill firing at you from inside the building along the same wall
zones (below). It can even be used to track the movement of enemies immediately loses the benefits of cover (page 60 of the
that have not yet been spotted by the PCs. Player’s Manual) and is fully exposed until their next turn.

HUGGING WALLS
AMBUSHES
Ambushes (page 60 of the Player’s Manual) are common in an urban
environment. When you’re about to move into an area controlled by
hostiles, the Referee can set up ambushes before combat starts. Roll
RECON for the hostiles and remember to use the bonuses for waylaying
and the terrain type. The Referee marks enemy positions on the Referee 01
Map to keep them hidden from the players.
01
KILL ZONES: Ambushing hostile forces typically start the combat in
overwatch mode (page 66 of the Player’s Manual). The hex targeted by
overwatch is called a kill zone. NPC kill zones should be marked on the
Referee Map before combat starts. Typically, an ambushing enemy will Ronson (blue fighter #1) is hugging the wall. If red fighter #1
fire immediately when you enter the kill zone hex, before you have a (inside the building, in partial cover toward the street) fires at
Ronson, it will lose the benefits of cover until its next turn.
chance to spot the ambush. It’s therefore a sound tactic to place a kill
zone in the first visible hex where the enemy is expected to appear.
COVER BY VEHICLE
DEFENDING PCS: If your PCs are the defenders, you can set up ambushes If you have a friendly vehicle in your hex, you can take
and kill zones before combat starts. You don’t need to keep this hidden cover by it (full or partial). Mark the direction of cover
from the Referee, who should act fairly and not have NPCs act on infor- normally. Any hit on a location behind cover will hit the
mation that they don’t have. vehicle instead. Additionally, you can move with the vehi-
cle when it moves, to maintain cover. Such movement
SPOTTING SHOOTERS uses your normal actions but occurs out of your own
After a successful ambush, the target(s) does not automatically spot turn. You cannot roll MOBILITY to move additional hexes.
the shooter(s). Instead, roll another opposed RECON roll with the same
modifiers as the initial roll (page 60 of the Player’s Manual), except that OBSTACLES  
all modifiers for darkness are ignored due to the muzzle flash. To make it even harder for an enemy to advance through
This roll is not an action for either side. The target also gets a +2 an urban environment, you can place additional obstacles
modifier due to the loud gunshot unless the shooter used a silent or in their way. These come in two main variants: sandbags
suppressed weapon. If the attacker wins the roll, they stay hidden, and and debris. These both work like the debris terrain type

14
described in the table on page 57 of the Player’s Manual, they are considered hexes with the debris terrain type, intersected by
with the only difference being that sandbags have a brick walls (low barriers with armor level 2) around them.
standard cover armor level of 4.
BLOCKED HEXES
PLACING OBSTACLES: Placing debris or sandbags in a hex on All indoor hexes are either open or blocked. A blocked hex is boarded up
a battle map typically takes a shift of work. To indicate the or otherwise intentionally obstructed. You cannot move into a blocked
obstacle, you can place a DEBRIS or SANDBAG token in the hex. hex until it is breached (below). You can move out of a blocked hex nor-
mally, however. Blocking a hex typically takes a shift of work.
You can use the BLOCK tokens in this boxed set to indicate this status.
The Referee can mark blocked hexes on their hidden map but should
BUILDINGS always inform players if an adjacent hex is blocked or not. A hex is always
A major feature of urban warfare is, obviously, buildings. assumed to be open unless clearly designated as blocked.
Close quarters combat inside buildings can be managed
using the close quarters maps in this boxed set and the BREACHING
rules later in this chapter. Here follows guidelines for man- A blocked hex can be breached by using explosives or heavy weapons
aging combat on the regular battle maps of urban areas. against it from adjacent hexes. Only weapons with an explosive effect
(blast power D or higher) can be used to breach. Shaped charges (page
INDOORS AND OUTDOORS 70 in the Player’s Manual) are especially useful for breaching.
For game purposes, the center dot of each hex on the If the damage done exceeds the barrier’s modified armor level (page
battle map determines if the hex is considered indoors 59 in the Player’s Manual), the hex is breached and no longer counts as
or outdoors. If the center dot is on the building, even if blocked for any purposes. Flip the BLOCK token over to the BREACH side.
parts of the hex extend outside the building, the entire When attacking a blocked indoor hex from inside a building, the armor
hex is considered an indoor hex. Conversely, if the cen- level is typically 1 (indoor wall).
ter dot is outside of the building, even if parts of the hex When a hex is breached, the explosive effect will affect only the
extend into a building, the entire hex is considered an breached hex. In addition, any booby trap or overwatch token (below)
outdoor hex. in the hex is eliminated. For these purposes, it can be useful to breach
a hex even if it is not blocked.
RUINS: Areas of totally destroyed buildings are not con-
sidered buildings for the purposes of the rules. Instead, SLOW BREACHING: A blocked hex can be breached using hard labor
instead of explosives. This requires a STAMINA or TECH roll (your choice)
INDOORS AND OUTDOORS
and a shift of time. Multiple attempts are allowed.

MOVEMENT
A ENTERING BUILDINGS: To move between an outdoor and an open (i.e.,
not blocked) indoor hex requires an extra fast action, in addition to
B the movement itself. The outer walls of a building are high barriers, as
described on page 59 of the Player’s Manual. Individual doors and win-
dows are not shown on the regular battle maps. Instead, every building
is assumed to have windows and doors, allowing entry.

INDOOR TERRAIN: Inside a building, the indoors terrain type is used (page
Hex A is an indoor hex, while hex B is an outdoor hex. 57 of the Player’s Manual), but the maximum visibility is typically zero
hexes – i.e., you cannot see anything beyond the hex you are in, and
RUINS
enemies outside your hex cannot trace a line of sight to you either. Note
that this is a change from the rules in the Player’s Manual.
There is one key exception to this rule – if you are in an indoor hex
bordering an exterior wall and have taken partial cover against the
outside of the building (page 16), you have unlimited visibility in this
direction, and enemies on the outside can spot you as well.

INDOOR MOVEMENT: On the regular battle maps, you can only move
one hex per (fast) action indoors and no MOBILITY roll is allowed to move
faster, because of walls and doors. This rule affects even a movement
CITY
that starts in an outdoor hex and ends indoors.

02
RULES
These hexes are not considered building hexes.

15
02 CITY
RULES
FLOORS: For the sake of simplicity, buildings on the regular When not in partial cover by a window, you are assumed to be in
battle maps are assumed to have two floors – a ground full cover from anyone outside the building, except if you have just fired
floor and an upper floor. This rule may be overridden by against someone hugging the wall outside (page 14).
the Referee or a specific scenario site.
Inside a building, you can use a fast action to move OVERWATCH: As a defender inside a building, it can often be effective
up or down one floor. The corresponding hexes on two to assume an overwatch position against your own hex. As the enemy
different floors count as two separate hexes also for has zero visibility beyond their own hex, your will be able to fire at the
the purposes of blocking and breaching (page 15). moment they enter your hex. You can also assume overwatch against
Use the tokens in this boxed set to indicate which floor a target already inside your hex, and fire at any time.
you are on. Overwatch fire against your own hex does not get a negative modi-
fier for “firing in close combat” (page 63 of the Player’s Manual).
ROOFTOPS: If you move one floor up from the top floor of
a building, you’re on the rooftop. The rooftop does not EXPLOSIONS: In an indoor hex, the power of an explosion is compressed,
count as the indoors terrain type, but rather as pavement and therefore the blast power is increased one step (to a maximum of
– giving you a wide field of view, no obstacles to move- A). However, an indoor blast does not continue beyond the detonation
ment, and a bonus for firing from an elevated position hex. Note that firing an explosive weapon at a target in your own hex
when attacking enemies on the ground below. On the is not advisable, except for breaching (as the blast will then affect the
roof, you are exposed to enemy fire, however. adjacent hex instead).

ENTERING BUILDINGS
BOOBY TRAPS: Indoors, placing mines or IEDs as booby traps can be very
effective. This works as per the rules for anti-­personnel mines (page
68 in the Player’s Manual) but failing the RECON roll when entering a
booby-­trapped hex will automatically trigger a detonation (even if just
a single device is present).

01 BREACHING: To avoid falling victim to booby traps and enemies on over-

watch, it can be useful to breach an indoor hex with explosives before
01 moving into it (page 15). Remember, you can breach a hex even if it
is not blocked.

FIRING BLIND: Since indoor visibility is limited to your own hex, you
cannot fire accurately into an adjacent indoor hex. You can, however,
Ronson moves into the building, spending one fast action on fire blind.
the movement itself and one fast action to cross the barrier. 7 If the adjacent target hex is open, you can fire blind through

an aperture such as a doorway, hatch, or window. With a non-­

COMBAT explosive weapon, you won’t hit anyone in the target hex, but
TERRAIN: As per the terrain table on page 57 in the Player’s you can suppress them. Roll for the attack with only your ammo
Manual, all ranged attacks against a target in the indoor dice. If you roll one or more , all fighters in the target hex
terrain type suffer a −1 penalty, while RECON rolls for hiding must make a coolness under fire roll. The Referee should keep
or sneaking get a +1 modifier. Additionally, don’t forget the result of such CUF rolls secret and can even make fake rolls
the modifiers for firing in close combat (page 63 in the when no enemy is present, to maintain the fog of war.
Player’s Manual). 7 Using an explosive weapon (even a hand grenade) is very effective

when firing blind – when targeting an adjacent open indoor hex

COVER: In an indoor terrain hex, you can seek cover with (not an individual target), the hex is automatically hit (there is
armor level 1. This cover is effective even against ranged no risk of deviation).
attacks from within your own hex. Note that this is a 7 If the target hex is blocked, you can still fire blind into it with non-­

change from the rules in the Player’s Manual, and it only explosive weapons (as per above) but only if the base damage
applies to indoor hexes. of the weapon exceeds the modified armor level of the hex. For
Furthermore, the outer walls of a building are gen- explosive weapons, firing at a blocked hex counts as an attempted
erally assumed to have windows in every hex, on every breach (page 15).
floor. This means that when you are in an indoor hex
adjacent to the outer wall, you can always find partial SMOKE: Thick smoke blocks line of sight even inside a hex. You can, how-
cover toward the outside of the building (typically with ever, fire blind at targets in a smoke-­filled hex. If the Referee deems you
armor level 2). know the approximate location of your target, you can fire normally
but with a −3 modifier.

16
FIRING BLIND
Except when explicitly stated here, a sector functions in exactly the
same way as a hex for all purposes of the combat rules.

TERRAIN: On the close quarters maps, there are two types of indoor
A terrain: open and cluttered (typically by furniture or machinery). When
01 in doubt, assume the sector is cluttered. Cluttered terrain offers cover,
gives a −1 penalty to ranged attacks against targets in the sector, and
a +1 to RECON rolls to hide in it. See the table below.

WALLS, DOORS & WINDOWS: As opposed to the hexagonal battle maps,

01
doors and windows are indicated on the close quarters maps. Intact walls
of an indoor sector are high barriers and can only be passed through a
door or window, or a breach (page 15). Collapsed walls count as low
barriers and can be passed with a MOBILITY roll (fast action). Multiple
attempts are allowed.

EXAMPLE OUTDOOR SECTORS: Some close quarters maps have small outdoor areas,
Ronson, carrying an M4 carbine, is moving through a such as back alleys. These function just like indoor sectors except for
building where some rogue Soviet troops might be hid- the effect of explosions (page 16).
ing. He wants to move into hex A, which is not blocked.
The Referee has marked a Soviet soldier in partial cover LINE OF SIGHT: As a general rule, your line of sight is limited to your
and on overwatch in that hex on the secret Referee map. own sector on a close quarters map. There are two exceptions to this
Taking no chances, Ronson fires blind into it before general rule:
moving. He rolls three ammo dice and gets one . 7 In a larger room/corridor divided into several subsectors, you

The Referee rolls a secret CUF roll for the Soviet soldier have line of sight to the entire room as long as nothing else is
and fails – he is suppressed. Ronson moves into the hex. preventing visibility (e.g. smoke).
As the Soviet soldier loses both actions on his next 7 If you have taken partial cover by a door, window, or breach,

turn, it’s Ronson’s turn again. He aims and fires, get- you have line of sight into the adjacent sector (page 18).
ting a −1 modifier for the terrain type and a further Note that you otherwise cannot trace line of sight through a
−1 for firing at an active target in his own hex with a door or window.
carbine. Having AGL A and RANGED COMBAT C, his roll is
downstepped to a double D8. Adding three ammo dice
to his roll, Ronson hits the Soviet in the chest with two INDOOR TERRAIN TYPES
and one , for a total of 4 points of damage. The
TERRAIN OPEN CLUTTERED
damage is reduced by 1 by the cover, but the 3 remain-
ing points is enough to inflict a critical injury. Ranged Attacks — −1
Cover No Yes (1)
Infiltration — +1

CLOSE QUARTERS COMBAT

In very close quarters, a greater level of detail than the
regular battle maps offer might be useful. Included in this
boxed set you will find two double-­sided close quarters SWITCHING TO CLOSE QUARTERS
battle maps, depicting four generic individual buildings
in detail. More close quarters maps will be published in When to use close quarters battle maps is
the future, and you can easily make your own. up to the Referee. Typically, a combat
encounter will play out fully on one
CLOSE QUARTERS MAPS type of map or the other. It can happen,
The close quarters battle maps have a larger scale than however, that a fight starts on a hexagonal
the regular battle maps (roughly 1:125 compared to battle map and then moves over onto a close
1:500). Also, they have no hexes. Instead, the close quar- quarters map, or vice versa. The Referee
ters maps have sectors. A sector is typically one room or decides when and if the time is right for
hallway, but never larger than 10 meters across. Large such a switch, and also determines the
CITY
halls and long hallways are divided into several subsec- exact position of all participants on the

02
RULES
tors, indicated on the maps by dotted lines. new map type.

17
02 CITY
RULES
BLOCKING CLOSE COMBAT
In close quarters combat, you block (page 15) individual doors and To attack someone in close combat, you need to be in the
windows, not entire sectors. To block a door or window typically takes same sector as your target. Place your character token in
about a stretch of time. Place the BLOCK marker on the aperture on the direct contact with the target token to indicate that you are
battle map to indicate that it has been locked, jammed shut, barricaded, now engaged in close combat. This movement (inside the sec-
or otherwise covered up in some way. A blocked door or window blocks tor) is part of your close combat attack and does not require
line of sight and cannot be moved or fired through, until it is breached. an action. Being engaged in close combat has two effects:
The Referee can mark blocked walls and windows on their secret 7 Neither you nor your opponent can perform any

Referee map but should always inform players about blocked apertures slow actions other than close combat attacks. Fast
in the sector you are in. actions can be performed normally.
7 If anyone outside of the engagement shoots at

BREACHING either of you, roll to hit normally, but a random roll

On a close quarters map, you don’t breach a sector but rather specific walls is used to determine which one of you is actually
or (blocked) doors and windows. You can also breach floors or ceilings. hit by the attack.
Only weapons with an explosive effect can be used to breach. If
the damage done exceeds the barrier’s modified armor level, it is ENDING THE ENGAGEMENT: The close combat engagement
breached. For a door or window, flip the BLOCK token over to the BREACH remains until any of the following occurs:
side. When breaching a wall, floor, or ceiling, place the BREACH marker 7 You move away from the enemy. This requires

where you want. A typical indoor wall, floor, or door has armor level 1. a retreat action as per page 63 of the Player’s
If a barrier is breached, the explosive effect will (only) affect the sec- Manual. You can move into an adjacent sector
tor beyond the breach. In addition, any overwatch token in that sector or stay in the same sector if you prefer. Note that
is eliminated, and any booby trap on the breached door or window is moving out of sector with an active enemy does
eliminated (booby traps elsewhere in the sector are not affected). For not require a retreat action if you are not in a close
this reason, it can be useful to breach a door or a wall to a sector even combat engagement.
if the door is not blocked. 7 You knock your enemy down using the shove

attack (page 63 of the Player’s Manual). You can

SLOW BREACHING: A blocked door or window can be breached using also use the shove action to push your enemy
hard labor instead of explosives. This requires a STAMINA or TECH roll away from you, instead of tripping them to the
(your choice) and a stretch of time. Multiple attempts are allowed. A ground. If so, move the enemy character token
solid wall can also be breached in this way, but it requires heavy tools. to any location in the sector within a 180-degree
arc away from your token.
MOVEMENT 7 You or your opponent is suppressed or incapacitated.

With a single fast action, you can move into an adjacent sector, as long
as there is a door or window connecting the sectors, or if the wall is DIVING BLOWS: You cannot perform a diving blow (page
breached. You cannot roll MOBILITY to move additional sectors. Note 63 of the Player’s Manual) if you pass through a door,
that no additional action is required to move through a door or window, window, or breach when entering your opponent’s sector.
other than the move itself.
RANGED COMBAT
TOKEN PLACEMENT: When ending movement, you can place your character On a close quarters map, you have line of sight to any-
token anywhere in the target sector. You are not allowed to move your one in your own sector (unless they are in full cover) and
token outside of your own turn unless the rules explicitly say otherwise. can thus fire at them. You do not have line of sight into
The exact position of the token matters for two reasons: adjacent sectors through doors, windows, and breaches
7 When in cover, the cover extends in a 180-degree arc from your unless you take partial cover next to them (below).
character token. A ranged attack against a target inside your own sec-
7 To attack in close combat, your token must be in direct contact tor suffers the penalties for “firing in close combat” (page
with your target. 63 of the Player’s Manual), i.e. −1 for pistols, carbines,
and SMGs, and −2 for other weapons (but see the Close
FLOORS: Just like on the hexagonal maps, moving up or down one floor Quarters Specialist specialty on page 13). If the sector
in a building requires a fast action. However, on a close quarters map, is cluttered, you suffer a further −1 modifier.
such movement is only possible by means of a staircase or some other
opening in the floor/ceiling. If there is no staircase, you need a slow COVER: On the close quarters maps, you can take cover inside
action and a MOBILITY roll to climb. a cluttered sector (page 17) or by a door, window, or breach
You can breach a floor or ceiling with explosives to create pathways to an adjacent sector. Taking cover is, as usual, a fast action.
up or down if there is no staircase nearby, or if you want to avoid stair- 7 When taking cover inside a cluttered sector, place

cases due to the risk of booby traps. your character token wherever you like in the

18
 sector except in direct contact with an enemy, and a cover token FIRING AT WALLS: Using a heavy weapon to fire at a wall
(partial or full) next to your character token. The cover extends is a way to breach the wall (page 18). If the wall is
in a 180-degree arc in the direction of the cover token. breached, the explosive effect will affect the adjacent
7 When taking cover by a door, window, or breach, move your sector instead of your own.
character token next to the aperture and place a cover token
(partial or full) in the direction of the adjacent sector. In partial EXPLOSIONS
cover, you have line of sight into the adjacent sector – but enemies On a close quarters map, the blast power of an explo-
in that sector also have line of sight to you. In full cover, you can sion in an indoor sector is increased one step (to a max-
fire blind (below) into the adjacent sector. imum of A). The blast does not continue beyond the
detonation sector – except in the case of large rooms
BLIND FIRE: If you have full cover by an aperture into an adjacent sec- or corridors divided into several subsectors, in which
tor, you can fire blind into that sector. Only roll your ammo dice (at least the blast power is reduced one step for each subsector
one is required). If you roll one or more , all fighters in the target away from the blast.
hex must make a coolness under fire roll. The Referee should keep the
result of such CUF rolls secret and can even make fake rolls even when BOOBY TRAPS: On a close quarters map, a booby trap is
no enemy is present, to maintain the fog of war. If the base damage placed on a specific location in a sector – typically a door
rating of your weapon is higher than the modified armor level of the or window, but it can also be a staircase. This works as
wall to another sector, you can fire blind through the wall without the per the rules for anti-­personnel mines (page 68 in the
need for an aperture. Player’s Manual) but failing the RECON roll when passing
the booby-­trapped location will automatically trigger a
OVERWATCH: On a close quarters map, you can only assume overwatch detonation. Booby traps can be marked using the MINE
position (page 66 of the Player’s Manual) against: tokens from the core set. The Referee can also mark out
7 An aperture such as a door, window, or breach. The moment an booby traps on their secret map.
enemy appears in the aperture, you can fire.
7 A specific character. You can fire at this specific enemy at any

moment until your next turn.

SMOKE: Thick smoke blocks line of sight even inside a sector. You can, how-
ever, fire blind at targets in a smoke-­filled sector. If the Referee deems you
know the approximate location of your target, you can fire normally
but with a −3 modifier.

HEAVY WEAPONS
When firing a heavy weapon on a close
quarters map, you can aim for a sec-
tor or a specific target. When aiming
at a sector, you automatically hit it
(no risk of deviation). If you attack a
specific target and miss, the explosion
will still occur in the target sector. Note
however, that you’ll likely only want
to use a heavy weapon when fir-
ing into an adjacent sector from
your own.

FIRING BLIND: Using an explosive

weapon (even a hand grenade) is very
effective when firing blind into an
adjacent sector through an aper-
ture (see Ranged Combat above).
You can’t hit a specific target,
but the blast will affect every-
thing in the target sector and
CITY
the blast power is increased by

02
RULES
one step indoors (page 16).

19
02 CITY
RULES
EXPLOSIONS
a shaped charge (blast power C) at position B on the
map and detonates it.
The 3 points of explosive damage (the base dam-
A age of 2 is increased one step for the shaped charge)
breach the wall and the explosive effect (blast power
D, reduced one step for the shaped charge) hits the two
01 marauders in sector A, who were behind partial cover
02 in opposite directions and in overwatch mode against
the door and window.
Marauder #01 takes 1 point of damage, fails his CUF
roll, becomes suppressed, and drops prone. Marauder
#02 takes no damage but still needs to make a CUF
roll. He makes it and can act. At this point, everyone
draws initiative. Diaz automatically gets the #1 card
for her surprising initial action. After detonating the
B shaped charge, she uses her fast action to assume par-
tial cover by the breach. Ronson gets the #5 card and
01 02 the marauders get the #3 and #9 cards.
Marauder #01 loses both actions this turn due to
being suppressed. Now it’s Ronson’s turn. He spends a
fast action to move into the room through the breach,
EXAMPLE and then fires at Marauder #02. He gets negative mod-
Later, Ronson and Diaz are moving through a small housing complex ifiers for the quick shot, for firing in close combat, and
to hunt down a marauder leader. They believe he is hiding in sector A the cluttered terrain, for a total of −3. Still, rolling a D8
(an apartment living room) with a henchman. Fearing (correctly) that and a D6 as well as three ammo dice, he scores a hit and
the marauders have overwatch or even booby-­traps on the doors and inflicts a critical injury. The marauder can claim no pro-
windows, Ronson and Diaz decide on a different approach. Diaz places tection from his cover since it was directed at the door.

CITY TRAVEL
Just like combat, travel in urban environments is a lot slower than CITY MAPS
in the open field and is handled in much more detail. The rules in Travel inside cities is managed by city maps, with 200-
this section fully replace the rules for city travel on page 149 of the meter hexagons to regulate movement. You can find
Player’s Manual. two sample city maps in this boxed set – one of central
Krakow and one of Karlsborg. You can create your own
city maps using the blank map templates on the Free
League website.
WHEN TO USE THE CITY MAPS City travel works similarly to long-­range travel as
per chapter 6 in the Player’s Manual, but it is tracked
The city maps are only meant to be used for per stretch (5–10 minutes instead of per shift). In each
travel within key city areas, such as shown stretch of time, you can move a set number of hexes and
on the Krakow and Karlsborg maps in this you might have an encounter (see chapter 3).
boxed set. Use the normal travel rules in
the core set for the move into or out of an TERRAIN TYPES: City maps have terrain types just like
urban hex on the main travel map (with a regular travel maps. The new terrain type built-­up, for
town or the ruins terrain type). Only use urban environments not yet in ruins, is added in this
the city travel maps and rules when you module. For the purposes of the game, it works just like
are trying to reach a specific destination ruins, but with one key difference – when driving “off-­
within the city. road,” i.e. not on a main road, the vehicle’s listed on-­road

20
 LI
JU
4 EJ
A
AL
KRÓ
LEW
K
5 SKA

NOWA WIES
6 ARMII
KRAJOW
EJ ŁOBZÓW
7
NAWOJK
I

8 MAŁE BŁONIA

ZA
WIC
KIE
travel speed is used instead of the off-­road speed. The CHECKPOINTS

MIC
9

MA
travel speed is still halved due to driving “off-­road.” For a Most cities have checkpoints. These function as set encounters, pre-­

A
A AD
10 CZA
R N OW

ALEJ
IEJ
summary of all terrain types, see the table on page 138 positioned in specific hexes. Your PCs might be aware of the locations
SKA

11
of the Player’s Manual. of some checkpoints,
CZARNA WIESwhile others will be unknown to you and known
12
only to the Referee. As usual, a RECON roll is allowed to spot a checkpointPIASEK WŁAD
YSŁA
W RE

before it spots you. If you succeed, you can back off as per the rules above.
YMON
13 TA

TASKS 14
(STA
DRIVING
During city travel, you15need to decide your task for the

A
WSK
stretch just like for long-­range travel, but most tasks will

STO
PIA
16
be unavailable as they take a longer time to complete. ALEJA
17 3 MA
The only tasks you can perform in a stretch of city travel JA

are marching, driving,18and keeping watch. CHECK-

03 POINT

ALE
FOCHA
19 RDYNAN
DA

JA
ŁKA FE
ZWIERZYNIEC MARSZA

ZYG
MARCHING ALEJA

MU
20

NTA
In a stretch of time, you can march two 200-meter city

KR A
21

SIŃ
NOWY SWIAT
hexes on a road or in open terrain, or one city hex off road

SKI
03

O EG
22
in any terrain except open. You don’t need to roll for the ZWIERZYNIEC
23
effects of weather or darkness during city travel, as the

MOS
T D
distances are short. There
24 is also no need for a forced I

ĘB
SZK
CIU

NIC
KOŚ
ZA
march, as you can march 25 for as many stretches as you

KI
EUS
TAD

like (up to potentially 50 stretches per shift, but few city EXAMPLE
26
VER
travels will be that long). Diaz drives the M113 through Krakow, toward VIS Tthe
ULA R
Old Town. She sticks
I

MA
27

RII
to the main roads to keep the pace up. In the first stretch, she moves

KO
NOP
28
DRIVING eight 200-meter city hexes (the on-­road travel speed of the M113 is 8).

NIC
KI

KIE
DĘBNIKI NWA
LDZ

J
When driving in a city, 29 you use your vehicle’s travel Ronson is keeping watch. After six hexes, they encounter a checkpoint.
MOS
T Z
MOS
T G
RU

WIE
speeds as indicated in30chapter 5 of the Player’s Manual, Ronson makes his RECON roll and spots the checkpoint early.
RZY
NIE
CKI

but you travel the indicated number of 200-meter city Diaz decides to back off to find another path, off the main road.
O
SIN

VI
KSIĘCIA JÓZEFA CAS
31 TE

ST
MON

UL
hexes per stretch (instead of 10 km travel hexes per shift). She has two hexes of movement left (as the on-­road travel speed is
GE

A
DĘBNIKI
NE

RI
32
RA

The effects of terrain and night driving are the same as

ŁA

ZACHÓD
still used in this built-­up terrain) which is halved due to going off the

V
BO
HD
AN

33
indicated on page 141 of the Player’s Manual, but you main road. Diaz moves one hex to the west, and then the stretch is over. LUDWINÓW
A

MARII
ZI
EL
IŃ

do not need to roll for34mishaps.

SK

The 1.4 km movement this stretch has consumed roughly three liters

KONOPN
IE
GO

of alcohol fuel – the M113 fuel consumption of 8 is doubled for running on

ICKIEJ
35
R
VE

The fuel consumption is calcu- alcohol, then multiplied by 8 for the number of hexes driven (the last off-­
RI

FUEL CONSUMPTION: 36
LA

lated normally but divided by 50 to get liters per city

TU

road hex counts double), and finally divided by 50 to convert to city hexes.
ZAKRZÓWEK KAP
VI S

ELA
37 NK

hex. To keep things simple, we recommend that you

A

38
wait until the city travel is completed before calculat-
MAP LEGEND
20
BUILD UP LAKE/RIVER OPEN ROAD RUINS WOODS 0m
ing the fuel consumption,
39 and then round off to the
closest full liter of fuel.
40
Z ALEW

41 LONG-­RANGE CITY COMBAT Z A K R ZÓ W EK

MATECZNY
KEEPING WATCH A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S
The rules for keeping watch are the same during city The city maps with 200-meter hexes are
travel as for regular travel as described on page 143 of detailed enough to be used to regulate long-­
the Player’s Manual. How encounters work in an urban range combat encounters - especially for
environment is described in the next chapter. artillery and other heavy weapons, but also
for sniper fire. To play out combat using
BACKING OFF the city maps, we recommend using stretches
When backing off from an encounter after a successful instead of rounds, applying the rules for
RECON roll (page 143 in the Player’s Manual) on a city combat movement for ground troops and vehicles
map, you need to immediately move back out the hex to the city hexes instead of 10-meter combat
with your next move, or you will be spotted. You can hexes. More detailed rules for long-­range
go directly backwards (i.e., make a 180-degree turn) or combat and mass battles will be included in a
into either of the hexes to your back left and right (i.e. future expansion to Twilight: 2000.
make a 120-degree turn). If you have no movement left
this stretch, you must back out of the hex with your first
move in the next stretch.

21
03 URBAN ENCOUNTERS
Diaz doesn’t say a lot. She’s cool under fire, friendly, but only
as a way of keeping people away, if that makes sense. I’ve seen
her lose it exactly once, and even that was clinical. We were
on the outskirts of Krakow. Heard shots coming from an alley.
Two men were shooting at a dog trapped in a dead end. Looked
like they’d hit it once. They were laughing. The dog whimpered.
Diaz raised her rifle. The one with the gun turned and she shot
him in the head. The other held up his hands. She shot him in
the head too. Then, she told Kasia to help the dog. Top nodded
when Kasia looked at him. None of us said anything further. Diaz
never talked about it, and we’ve never asked. They deserved it,
I guess. Probably, we all do.
 03 URBAN
ENCOUNTERS
CITIES BRING LIGHT, LIFE, and promises of warm beds. They also bring
unique danger, for humans are still the worst beasts that hunt the STACKING THE DECK
blasted landscape of the year 2000 and nowhere are they more plenti-
ful than around the dead cores of their former world. You can adapt the encounter deck
When traveling in cities (page 20), the encounter rules from chapter to the specifics of the city
3 of the Referee’s Manual in the Twilight: 2000 core set are used, but with you are playing in. Simply use
the modifications listed below. This chapter is for the Referee’s eyes only. whichever cards, old or new,
that fit the current conditions,
FREQUENCY: City travel is managed by stretches (instead of shifts), and and leave the rest out.
as cities are so much more densely populated, you’ll typically draw one
urban encounter per stretch. As always, as Referee you are free to draw
encounters more or less often, depending on the flow of the game.

ON-­ROAD AND OFF-­ROAD: All urban environments, no matter the ter-

rain type on the city map, are considered “on-­road” for the purposes of AREAS OF CONTROL
encounters. That means that encounters listed as only occurring off-­ A new concept for encounters in Twilight: 2000 is areas of
road will not occur on a city map. control, indicating hexes on the travel map that are con-
trolled by a specific faction. Not all city hexes are under
BACKING OFF: Remember that PCs who want to back off from an encoun- someone’s control – some are simply uncontrolled. There
ter after a successful RECON roll need to back out of the hex (page 21). are two levels of control – limited control and total control.
They cannot just spend extra movement and carry on as in the normal
travel rules – simply because the city hexes are much smaller. 7 NO CONTROL: Draw encounters in the area
normally.
7 LIMITED CONTROL: When drawing an encounter,
NEW ENCOUNTERS replace any military faction on the card (US, Soviet,
This chapter adds 16 new encounters that are city-­specific, evoking the or local) with the faction controlling the area.
nature of the urban centers after civilization’s fall and the highs and 7 TOTAL CONTROL: When drawing an encounter,
lows found in this altered world. These new encounters are on cards replace any marauder or military faction on the
in this boxed set. card with the faction controlling the area.
The new encounters are meant to replace the encounters on the cor-
responding cards in the boxed set. You can remove those 16 cards from Of course, you might need to adapt both the gear and the
the deck and shuffle the new cards into it. The new cards are all marked attitude of the NPCs encountered to fit the faction actu-
Twilight: 2000 Urban Operations along the side, so you can easily remove ally present. As always, you are free to choose encounters
them from the deck again when the PCs leave the city. at will instead of letting chance decide.

FACTIONS: Just like the encounters in the core set, the new urban encounters HIDDEN MAPS: As a Referee, you can mark out areas of
have suggested factions listed, helping you to connect encounters to the control on a hidden copy of the city map. Players should
key players in the area. A number of new factions are found in chapter 4. not be allowed to see this map beforehand – getting intel-
ligence on areas of control can be difficult and dangerous.
PLOTS: In addition to factions, some of the new encounters offer sugges- In the appendix of this book, you will find two sample
tions on how to connect them to the plots. A plot is a longer narrative Referee city maps, one of Krakow and one of Karlsborg.
that can involve one or more faction. Read more in chapter 5.
CONTROL CHANGES: Areas of control are not static; they will
change over time. This is generally left to your discretion.
Areas of control can also be changed due to the PCs’ actions.
MODIFYING ENCOUNTERS
CHECKPOINTS
Most of the on-­road encounters from the A ubiquitous feature in cities of the year 2000 is the
core set may be used in cities, but some checkpoint. Whether manned by an organized military
might require a little modification. force or just a few thugs from the neighborhood, city
For example, an encounter with a farm travelers will regularly encounter roadblocks.
or a village should rather be seen as In rules terms, checkpoints function like encounters,
an apartment block. In such cases, we but they are not randomly located. Instead, they have a
recommend that you adjust the encounter set position on the map. The checkpoint replaces any
accordingly. random encounter in the hex.

24
 AREAS OF CONTROL encounters can be used as a basis for a checkpoint, depending on the
ON THE BIG TRAVEL MAP faction controlling the area:

Areas of control are especially 7 MILITARY: Queen of Clubs, Queen of Diamonds, Queen of Hearts.
applicable in cities, as they 7 MARAUDER: 9 of Clubs, 9 of Diamonds, 9 of Hearts.
(still) tend to be a little more
organized than the countryside. STATIONARY PLAYERS
But you are free to use the Page 37 of the Referee’s Manual describes special encounters that might
rules for areas of control on be triggered if the PCs remain stationary. This concept is even more rel-
the big travel map as well, evant in cities, as a group of well-­armed and capable individuals will
and you can have a hidden map quickly draw attention from the locals.
indicating factions controlling On page 32 and forward is an expanded list of stationary encoun-
certain areas of the land. ters for use in urban areas. You can roll on this table as often as you like,
but we recommend doing so at least once per day. As in the countryside,
add +1 to the roll for each subsequent day in which the PCs stay in the
same place. As always, you are free to choose a stationary encounter
rather than let chance decide.
Of course, you will need to adapt the exact nature of the encounters
On the two sample Referee city maps of Krakow and to the specific location in which the PCs are staying.
Karlsborg at the back of this book, you will find check-
points marked. The staff and gear at these checkpoints PLOTS: Just like the new city travel encounters, several of the stationary
are detailed in Appendix I and II. encounters offer suggestions on how to connect them to plots (chapter
For other cities, you can design checkpoints as you 5). Using these stationary encounters, you have a quick and easy way
see fit or use appropriate encounter cards. The following to draw the players into the nefarious plots and schemes of the city.

ROBBERY

URBAN

03
ENCOUNTERS

25
 03 URBAN
ENCOUNTERS
TYPICAL NPCS
TYPE ATTRIBUTES HIT CAP. CUF SKILLS TYPICAL GEAR
Gang Member STR B, AGL C, 5 C Close Combat C, Ranged Combat C, Pistol or SMG with one reload,
INT C, EMP D Recon D knife or club
Street Kid STR D, AGL B, 4 C Close Combat D, Mobility C, Recon B Knife or club
INT B, EMP B
Police Officer STR B, AGL C, 5 B Close Combat C, Driving C, Ranged Pistol with two reloads
INT C, EMP B Combat C, Persuasion D, Recon D

LIST OF ENCOUNTERS
Below, the 16 new urban encounters for Twilight: 2000 are be a member of the Sanctuary at the power plant in Power
described. You will also find them on cards in this boxed set. Play (page 43).

2  BURNING BUILDING
8  SNIPER

A building burns along this road. A man frantically tries to res-

cue objects from inside. If the PCs help, he’ll split his belongings 7 FACTION: Marauder
with them. If they pick on their own, he becomes irate but does 7 NUMBER: 1
not fight them. Inside the house, an intensity C fire rages. Each
round, a PC can make a scrounging roll to find an item on the A sniper fires at the PCs and other people nearby. Citizens run for
scrap table on pages 144–145 of the Player’s Manual. A total of cover; they are used to snipers. A RECON roll with a −2 modifier can be
D6 items can be found. made each round to spot the sniper, for the nest is well-­concealed.

PLOT: The fire was set by one side of the Krakow schism (page PLOT: The sniper is sick with The Plague (page 46) or part of
46) as a warning. The Last Offensive page 45).

3  ROBBERY 2  DYING SPY

7 FACTION: Marauder 7 FACTION: US Intelligence

7 NUMBER: PC 7 NUMBER: 1

A robbery takes place before the PCs’ eyes. Some thugs (gang A spy lies dying in an alley. Wet noises and coughing alert the
members) are beating an unarmed man who tries do hold them PCs to the victim who, with their last few breaths, tells the PCs
off. The PCs can intervene or leave the parties to their business. they must take a package at the end of the alley and deliver it
It’s a one-­sided fight unless the PCs stop it. to an intel agent. The spy doesn’t have time to say what is in the
package, who they work for, or who killed them.
PLOT: The victim of the robbery carries some piece of informa-
tion or tech relevant to Operation Reset (page 50) or might PLOT: The package given relates to Operation: Reset or Power Play.

26
 SNIPER

4  GANG 8  BAKER STREET IRREGULARS

7 FACTION: Marauder 7 FACTION: Civilian

7 NUMBER: PC×2 7 NUMBER: PC+3

One of the local gangs decides to shake down the PCs. A pack of street kids takes interest in the PCs. If they think they can get
This is their territory, they say, and the PCs must pay 100 away with it, they try to lift small items off the characters as they crowd
bullets (or the equivalent in other goods) for access. They around them. These kids see and hear a lot in the city and could be use-
are armed and, if the PCs are better armed, claim they ful if the PCs make friends with them. However, they are suspicious,
can call on reinforcements. and wise beyond their years, causing any PERSUASION roll against them
to suffer a −2 modifier. On the other hand, if the PCs give them food or
PLOT: This gang threw in with one side of the Krakow plot. supplies, the roll is instead made with a +2 modifier.
Alternatively, they’re deserters from The Last Offensive.
PLOT: One of the kids works occasionally as the eyes and ears of a DIA
agent. He’s been asked to listen for anyone mentioning Operation: Reset
URBAN
or The Last Offensive.

03
ENCOUNTERS

27
 03 URBAN
ENCOUNTERS
REFUGEES

K  REFUGEES
the two groups, and violence could erupt at any moment. The
PCs must either find a way around the brewing riot or intervene.
At your discretion, the violence explodes just as the PCs are in
7 FACTION: Civilian the thick of it. A lot of blood could be spilled.
7 NUMBER: PC×4
PLOT: The protestors are on one side of the Krakow schism, agi-
A group of refugees walks through the town begging for assis- tated about the coming changes. They might otherwise be gath-
tance. The citizens do not want to help and might even pelt them ered due to rumors of The Plague, demanding the city help.
with random objects and cutting insults. The refugees fled from
a military/marauder attack on their nearby town. People here

5 
have their own problems.
POLICE
PLOT: These refugees fled after the initial Russian push in The
Last Offensive. They might otherwise flee The Plague.

7 FACTION: Police/Militia

2 
7 NUMBER: PC
PROTESTERS
Local police or militia stop the characters with routine questions
about their business. If the characters look overly suspicious, or
are caught lying, the police try to bring them to the local court-
7 FACTION: Civilian and Police house or other HQ. The group itself isn’t that large, but they can
7 NUMBER: PC×4 each call on reinforcements.

A group of citizen protesters squares off against the local militia PLOT: The police are on edge due to rumors of The Last Offensive
or police over an internal matter. Things are very tense between or The Plague.

28
 6  POP-­UP MARKET 2  IMPROMPTU CHECKPOINT

7 FACTION: Civilian 7 FACTION: Military

7 NUMBER: PC×2 7 NUMBER: PC+2

A semi-­regular market has set up shop here. There are several Whatever faction controls the town has erected an impromptu
makeshift stalls and a crowd of people bartering for various checkpoint, stopping everyone who wants to pass. Causing trou-
goods. Local militia, gangs, or police patrol the area to prevent ble here follows the PCs throughout the city. There is an armored
blatant theft. Many items are available. The market has com- vehicle here, equipped with a mounted machine gun.
mon items automatically and scarce items on a 4–6 instead of
5–6 as seen on page 90 of the Player’s Manual. PLOT: This is a new checkpoint erected during the events of The
Plague plot as a containment measure. It might have likewise
PLOT: This market tries to turn a quick buck as people stock-­up been erected due to The Last Offensive.
for The Last Offensive or The Plague. That’s why it’s very busy
right now.

8  UNLOOTED BUILDING

Somehow or another this building wasn’t looted.

It looks dodgy, near collapse, and maybe that’s
why looters passed it by early on. A quick search
and a SCROUNGING roll in here will yield D6 rolls
on the scrap table on page 144–145 in the
Player’s Manual.

PLOT: Inside this house is a clue leading to the

location of the church holding the Spear of
Destiny or a clue to Operation: Reset.

Q  DRUNKS

7 FACTION: Civilian
7 NUMBER: PC+3

A group of drunks amble down the street.

They’re in good spirits but turn when they see
anyone wearing a uniform. They don’t like
uniforms. If the PCs can’t calm them down,
the drunks throw bottles and rocks at them. It
could easily escalate. DRUNKS

PLOT: These drunks were victimized by soldiers as part of

URBAN
the Last Offensive or fled from The Plague.

03
ENCOUNTERS

29
 03 URBAN

3 
Others simply pass by. His words are ominous, full of new apoc-
ENCOUNTERS
MUSIC alypses. Spotting the PCs, the zealot claims they are part of one
of his prophecies and heckles them to join his deranged cause.

PLOT: This street preacher knows something about the Spear

A group of musicians plays in the middle of the street. It might of Destiny or The Plague. He’s still not well, but some bit of his
be Beethoven or NWA. It doesn’t matter. Live music is a rare ranting holds truth.
thing, and it uplifts the souls drug low by war. Each PC heals 1
point of stress. Everyone on the street has stopped, staring, lis-

8 
tening, some crying.
FUNERAL
PLOT: One of the musicians worked at the power plant in Power
Play or is a deserter from The Last Offensive.

The characters see a funeral procession. It is quite long, with the

4 
casket carried in a black painted wagon drawn by two horses. A
STREET PREACHER functioning car slowly leads the procession (a seeming waste of
gas, indicating the importance of the deceased). It is a somber
affair and inflicts 1 point of stress on each PC. This may be miti-
gated by a CUF roll (see page 77 of the Player’s Manual).
A man dressed in medieval-­looking garb stands on a box in the
street and screams the prophecy of the The Shepherd’s Flock PLOT: This funeral sets off the Krakow plot (page 46). Alter­
(page 62 of the Referee’s Manual). Some in the crowd listen. natively, the deceased carried The Plague.

MUSIC

30
 FUNERAL

STATIONARY ENCOUNTERS
Cities bustle with activity. Just because the PCs stand RADIO CHATTER
still doesn’t mean everyone else does. If the PCs If the PCs have access to a radio set, and a character spends a shift monitor-
remain in the same hex for a shift, you may draw an ing it, roll on the table on page 33 to see if they pick up any transmission.
encounter card (ignoring any result other than PP).
If they stay for more than a day, start rolling on the
table for stationary encounters on page 32. For each
subsequent day after the first, add +1 to the roll. As always, RUMORS
feel free to choose encounters instead of generating Cities are a hub of gossip. People are social creatures and want to talk.
them randomly. There’s no end to the wild rumors, conspiracy theories, petty rivalries, and
URBAN
genuinely important intel floating around. Anytime the PCs find them-

03
ENCOUNTERS
selves in an area with more than a few people, they might hear a rumor.

31
 03 URBAN
ENCOUNTERS
STREET KIDS

STATIONARY ENCOUNTERS

D10 ENCOUNTER
1–2 Draw an encounter normally. Only encounters marked are triggered.
3 INCOMING!Artillery rounds land near the PCs, who are exposed to a blast power D explosion. The rounds came from
outside town.
PLOT: The rounds were fired by a unit from The Last Offensive who got ahead of the operation and misconstrued orders.
4 STREET KIDS: A dozen kids come on as poor beggars. In fact, they’re trying to rob the PCs. The first group approaches the PCs
while a second group takes whatever they can from the PCs’ stash. Anything the kids take winds up on the black market.
PLOT: These kids fled the Last Offensive.
5 POLICE: Two members of the local police or militia approach the PCs, asking them about their business here.

PLOT: The police ask the PCs to help out in any current plot affecting the town.
6 EXPLOSION!A building next to the PCs explodes. If they investigate, it looks like a small group was setting up a bomb that
detonated early.
PLOT: These are Spetsnaz or GRU agents who tried to wire this building to explode. The idea was that it would be
sabotaged for the Last Offensive assault. The dynamite went off early.
6 CHASE: The PCs witness a chase while minding their own business. They can leave well enough alone, but it sure does
look interesting. The pursued party screams for help.
PLOT: The chased is a CIA agent who obviously needs help right now. He has two KGB agents on his tail, trying to stop
him before he spills crucial intel on The Last Offensive.
7 SECRET AGENT: A local greets the PCs, offering to chat and gossip. They seem friendly.

PLOT: The local is in fact an enemy agent (KGB or GRU) trying to find out what the PCs know about Operation: Reset or
The Last Offensive.
8 VIGILANTES: 2D6 vigilantes (gang members) patrol a section of the urban terrain. They aren’t affiliated with the faction
controlling the town but aren’t opposed to it either. They want the characters to move out of their area. Any combat
causes the PCs’ reputation in the city to go down, as many citizens agree with the vigilantes.
PLOT: The vigilantes are on edge about the rumors of The Plague. They want to get any outsiders off their turf.

32
 D10 ENCOUNTER
9 SHADOWED: Someone starts following the characters. If confronted, the person claims to be a friendly agent from the CIA
or DIA. They want to recruit the PCs.
PLOT: In fact, the agent does want to recruit the PCs, but as a decoy. The agent’s real asset is in town for The Last
Offensive, but they need someone for the KGB to target instead.
10+ SOLDIERS: A large patrol of PC+2 soldiers from the force controlling the town approaches the PCs. First, they ask for any
papers the city might have issued. Then, they give them the third degree: what are they doing here? Who are they?
Where did they get all these weapons?
PLOT: The soldiers demand that the PCs help out against the Last Offensive (page 45) or some other plot affecting the town.

RADIO CHATTER
D10 TRANSMISSION
1–4 Music, possibly from the Big Playground if you want to use this scenario location in the city (page 54), comes in.
5–6 The PCs hear sporadic communication between marauder units in the area. If the PCs understand the local language
and make a COMMAND roll, they can gain valuable intelligence about the marauders.
7 The PCs overhear a conversation between two lovers, clearly separated by some sort of barrier. It is touching, some rare
conjuring of past sentiment. If they triangulate the signal, they might be able to help the couple.
8 The PCs pick up a call for backup from a local police or militia unit which is under fire. The firefight is just 2D6 city hexes
away. If the PCs intervene, they could earn valuable allies.
9 A series of numbers backed by strange, ambient sounds plays across their radio. This is what was once known as a
“numbers station,” coded information for spies. A TECH roll might give a sense of which side the information is meant
for. Finding the signal is hard, but not impossible. Decoding the message is possible. The resulting message leads to The
Plague plot but was sent by a military agency such as the DIA or GRU.
10 A virulent stream of Hell and Brimstone pseudo-­Biblical ranting comes over the waves. This is a broadcast by the
Shepherd’s Flock (page 62 in the Referee’s Manual). It chills anyone who listens to it, possibly as a result of the words
themselves, or perhaps the fervor in the voice and the accompanying sounds effects. The signal is strong, which means
it is likely coming from nearby. The empire of Heaven is coming.

RUMORS
D10 RUMOR
1 Spies from the Shepherd’s Flock infiltrated the city. Word is, they’re doing early reconnaissance for some sort of attack.
2 A drunk claims that one side (NATO or the Soviets) created a doomsday disease to unleash at war’s end. He says it’s still
out there. This is, possibly, The Plague (page 46).
3 Orphans scavenging about town say they’ve seen “suspicious characters” scouting the area. These are Russian soldiers,
though not in uniform, looking for targets to hit during The Last Offensive (page 45).
4 Someone at a local clinic wants volunteers for a drug trial, so they claim. They work for the WHO and are tasked with
investigating The Plague.
5 An American soldier came into town wounded. One of the local doctors fixed him up. Then, he mysteriously
disappeared. This can be Sergeant Cutler (page 77 in the Referee’s Manual) and his disappearance connected to
Operation Reset (page 50).
6 The major force in the area just made a deal with the citizens of this city. In exchange for fuel, they’ll take care of a
serious problem. Some say this problem is a small group of former enemy soldiers. Sound like anyone you know?
7 A patient in the local clinic comes in and out of consciousness. While conscious, they say, “Reset! It’s all about Reset!”
The doctors have no idea what they mean.
8 Indentured servants throughout town plan a general strike. Given they believe they’ll be met with force, they’ve
planned thorough resistance. These folk are part of the Krakow plot.
9 A flood of refugees flees not combat but a mysterious disease. This ties into The Plague plot.
10 A church somewhere in Poland holds a priceless artifact. This ties into The Spear of Destiny plot (page 42). URBAN

03
ENCOUNTERS

33
04 CITY FACTIONS
A kid from my school joined up as soon as he could. I heard he
wound up with the 6th Polish Free whatever. He was popular, good-­
looking, and most other girls had a crush on him. I tutored him
through biology one year. I hope he’s okay. Another kid I heard
was in with the Vorvoskoy Mir because I ran into a mutual friend
from school when we were in a little town north of Krakow. It’s odd
how you run into people like the old days. I wonder sometimes if
I’m talking to ghosts or if maybe I’m the ghost. Every time I see
someone I knew as a kid I think, “My, God, they look like they’ve
aged 20 years. Then I realize. I must look that way too. Mostly, we
run into much younger people or much older people. People my age
seem to be dead. Two-­Fer likes to remind me that he’s only three
years older than me and he’s not dead… yet. He thinks he’s funny.
04 CITY
FACTIONS
THIS CHAPTER ADDS FOUR new factions to your Twilight: 2000 game, in In almost any city found amid the blasted landscape
addition to those in chapter 4 of the Referee’s Manual in the core set. of the year 2000, the Russian mob (Red Mafiya) also runs
These are primarily based in cities, but PCs can run into them in the alongside whatever means any official “government” has
countryside as well. in place to keep people fed and equipped. But few such
Each faction has a faction type, which makes it easy for you to link governments, or even militaries, can adequately serve
encounters to them. Each faction also lists plots (see the next chapter the needs of even the decimated populaces of the cities
of this book) that they might be involved in. which remain inhabitable.
Many factions described in the core set are also active in cities, espe- Thus, enter the black marketeers. The old Soviet Union
cially the intelligence agencies CIA, DIA, KGB, and GRU. was known for shortages on food, toiletries, and bans on
foreign goods. That being the case, many of these black
markets existed before the war, run by criminal organi-
THE VOROVSKOY MIR zations who, with the collapse of the system, find they
have nothing against which to fight. In fact, the Pruszców
FACTION TYPE: Criminal Mafia takes its name from a 90s-­era group in the titular
PLOTS: Election Year, The Spear of Destiny area near Warsaw. Though connections to it are loose at
best, the name stuck.
Criminals existed before the war, and they exist after. At least, groups The point is, no matter where in the world one finds
who are criminal to someone, somewhere. The Vorovskoy Mir, or “thieves’ themselves, the Vorovskoy Mir fills a chasm left in the
world,” isn’t a single organization, but a network of connected opportun- wake of the war between official services and what peo-
ists, marauders, scavengers, and the like who supply needed or wanted ple actually consume. For this reason, coupled with the
goods in return for some sort of profit. Most aren’t in it to help others fact that most cities lack the ability to actually police the
but to help themselves. This is life after the war, isn’t it? Red Mafiya, illicit goods are often acknowledged and, if
The Vorovskoy Mir trace their roots back to the days of the Tsars. This the sellers pay the authorities, encouraged.
world of thieves swore no fealty to any lord and vowed a life as an outlaw. Whatever you need, the Vorovskoy Mir says it can
By World War II, some in the Russian gulag system were offered pardons find it… for a price. That price might be gold, some bar-
if they fought in The Great Patriotic War. Those who accepted were seen ter, or even labor and slaves. How bad do you want that
as traitors. However, Stalin lied, and these “collaborators” were returned new oil pan for the Hummer? Or, how much do you need
to prison after the war. There, a war began between the old guard and the that intel?
new breed who’d fought for the government, albeit briefly. The so-called Intel, like anything else, is also a commodity. While
traitors won and became the foundations of today’s Vorovskoy Mir. the remaining spy agencies have the bulk of such infor-
mation, the market is now open. There’s little chance
any traitor selling secrets will ever face consequences
and, really, to whom and what is their left to be loyal?
OTHER CRIMES
GOALS
While their primary role is dealing in The Vorovskoy Mir has only profit as a goal, at least nomi-
goods otherwise hard or impossible to nally. However, the world has a history of criminal organi-
obtain, the Vorovskoy Mir doesn’t stop zations almost as old as war itself. In chaos, they flourish.
there. Anything which brings profit catches This world is nothing if not chaotic.
the eye of these vultures (or Robin Hoods) To accomplish the goal of maximum profit, the mafia
as they may be. Before the war, a citizen wants to drive any competitors out of business or force
might know where to buy drugs or hire them to join. That means any local illicit action usually
someone to commit an illegal service and gets invited to join the Vorovskoy Mir who then take
never think of needing real connections a huge cut of that gang’s profit. Saying no ensures a
to do so. That isn’t the case now. Now, war between the gang and the mafia. The mafia almost
the apparatus is all around the citizen. always wins. They’re like old casinos, that way.
Anything not provided by a given authority For most people in the year 2000, such conflicts don’t
might be found within the Red Mafiya. Below matter. If they can feed themselves, their family, and
are some few examples of services it might satiate whatever appetites they have, who brings it is
provide. It is up to you to determine which, of no consequence. Morality is a luxury of another era.
if any, of these are on offer in each city What everyone knows is that no refrigerators full of food
and how hard a PC must work to find them. from the good ole US of A fall from the sky anymore.
✓ Murder-­for-­hire Their ration cards may not keep them alive. Anything
✓ Mercenary work else which adds another day to this life is welcome. No
✓ Intelligence of all sorts one cares how it was obtained or at what cost to whom.

36
 FORCES THE WHO
It’s exceedingly difficult to determine what forces the
Vorovskoy Mir has available. However, it is safe to assume FACTION TYPE: Civilian
that any local militia, military, or otherwise armed groups get PLOT: The Plague
some of their needed goods from the Red Mafiya.
Simply put, messing with the Vorovskoy Mir in such a dire time The World Health Organization was the major monitor
is sure to draw the attention of armed folks who depend upon it. of possible outbreaks and pandemics prior to the war.
That said, most Vorovskoy Mir circles do have enough In addition to research and prevention, the WHO dealt
criminal muscle upon which to draw to at least discourage with major outbreaks of diseases such as Swine Flu and
amateurs and locals. Ebola during the 1990s and prior.
Assume any mid-­size city (Now 40,000+ people) can mus- With the outset of the war, the WHO began to fall
ter 15–30 armed toughs to defend the Red Mafiya. These are apart, with small factions trying to prevent old diseases
irregular forces and not always immediately available. such as dysentery, cholera, and even bubonic plague
7 15–30 goons with assault rifles, pistols, and subma- from resurfacing. As the state of humanity can attest,
chine guns their efforts were mixed at best.
7 1–2 Pickup trucks with a mounted machinegun War brings disease, its companion horseman, wher-
7 1–5 horses ever it goes, and this end war was no different. Untold
7 50 “conscripts” with nothing more than a pistol or millions who did not die in nuclear fire succumbed to
melee weapon disease in the aftermath. They still die today. The WHO
is largely a memory to most, but some few members are
still out there fighting for the survival of humanity in the
VLADIMIR BASAYEV face of its oldest terror: disease.
Basayev wasn’t much before the war, a low-­level criminal in the city’s
local network. But, after the city was ravaged by the war, he was still GOALS
alive. He marshaled the remaining forces of the criminal enterprise and The WHO has a new goal, and a desperate one. They believe
declared himself the boss. Having been the guy who bribed the police a new super virus is on the loose in Europe and it is their
prior to the war, he knew some key police to turn to for support. After intent to stop it. Small villages have been wiped out by
that, it was simply a matter of figuring out how to keep supplies running. this strain of what some think is the flu and others believe
Basayev has been doing so for some while now. He’s not a brilliant is a biological weapon loosed during the war. Whatever
mastermind but is possessed of a feral intelligence and willingness to the case, Miriam Haake, the last person to head the WHO
go as far as he must to get what he wants. What he always wanted was (for a total of seven days before the end came) is in charge.
power, and now he has it. He maintains this power through his connec- Frightened civilians paint her as everything from a
tions, his supplies, and his ties to varying intelligence networks. Basayev savior to an angel of death. The European countryside
knows one thing: the indispensable individual is the hardest to get rid of. is rife with tails of WHO scientists, wearing NC gear and
He saw this in the old organization and made himself that person now. carrying flamethrowers, razing entire towns where they
You see, Basayev isn’t just “the boss” of the Vorvoskoy Mir, he’s believe an outbreak occurred. This might well be hysteria.
also the power behind whatever government exists in the city. He No one knows for sure. What is clear to all, however, is
provides the goods that get rationed to begin with. He provides the in- that diseases old and new stalk humanity through the
telligence needed on rival towns and organizations. He knows where ruins of its cities and towns and no one believes that
to get the guns, the heavier equipment and the labor. He deals in either the Soviets or the Americans were incapable of
weapons, booze, drugs, prostitutes, and anything else worth his time. unleashing a supposed biological horror as a last ditch
Basayev is overweight, balding, a lick of hair constantly pasted effort to win the war.
across the broad expanse of his bar skull. He wears nice clothes or
track suits, affecting a gangster look that was in vogue prior to the
war. He’s forty-­five with a deep, seemingly mild voice, but he radi-
ates violence, or tries to.

ATTRIBUTES
STR B, AGL C, INT A, EMP B

HIT CAPACITY: 6

SKILLS: Close Combat B, Command B, Driving B, Ranged Combat B,

Persuasion A, Recon B
SPECIALTIES: Front Line Leader, Psy-­Ops
CITY
GEAR: AK-74 with 4 reloads

04
FACTIONS

37
04 CITY
FACTIONS

FORCES antine and will go to any lengths to enforce such a state if she feels it
While members of the WHO are equipped with is for the greater good. While it is unknown if she ordered the burning
NBC gear, scanners, and other medical equip- of towns as alleged, she has made deals with marauders and various
ment, they don’t have a proper army of which military units to lock down entire towns until she felt the virus had
anyone is aware. They tend to ally with local passed or nearly all within were dead.
remnants of either side, offering talented doc- It is her personal belief that the virus is an American biological
tors in return for protection and aid in searching weapon used by a rogue (and probably mad) commander late in the war.
for what they simply call “the virus.” Popular The Patient Zero for this virus is unknown and left to the Referee. Any city
legend gave it the moniker Pandora but that, or urban area not destroyed in battle could have mysteriously “turned
too, is likely hysteria. off” as a pandemic swept it, leaving behind only contagious corpses of
7 50 mercenaries with assault rifles the dead. For Haake, the Black Death once again walks this earth.
7 10 4WD cars Haake has short, straight hair with razor-­cut bangs and horn-­rim
7 15 doctors glasses, her only nod to any kind of preferred fashion. She otherwise
7 30 medics wears whatever is field expedient. Her eyes bore into people like la-
7 One M113A3 APC sers, whittling away persona to dig down to the chemical entity she
7 One Bradley M2 APC believes humans are below all the layers of self-­delusion.

ATTRIBUTES

DR. MIRIAM HAAKE STR C, AGL B, INT A, EMP C

Not yet thirty-­five, Dr. Haake was a stellar epidemiol- HIT CAPACITY: 6

ogist who, by virtue of the collapse of the WHO as a SKILLS: Close Combat D, Command A, Driving B, Ranged Combat A,
whole, became the brief default director before the Medical Aid A, Persuasion B, Recon A, Tech A
entire organization fell apart. Early SPECIALTIES: Field Surgeon, General Practitioner, Scientist
in the war, she worked in the field GEAR: Makarov with two reloads, doctor’s medical kit
treating people for diseases Europe
thought it would never see again.
After the collapse of the World
Health Organization, she became a
crusader, dedicated to finding and FREE POLISH 6TH BRIGADE
eradication a virus she believes
is killing untold numbers across FACTION TYPE: Military
the continent. PLOTS: Election Year, The Plague, The Last Offensive
Dr. Haake is uncompro- NOTE: This faction is linked to the Polish town of Krakow (see Appendix
mising and driven. She under- I on page 79) but it can be used as a template for other local military
stands the importance of quar- forces in Poland or elsewhere.

38
The Free Polish 6th Brigade was formed in May of 1999 LIFE REGIMENT HUSSARS
under General Lis (page 85). By this point in the war,
it was clear Poland would largely have to fend for itself FACTION TYPE: Local Military
as NATO had all but ground to a halt. General Lis decided PLOT: The Man Who Would be King
to use the term Brigade as an intelligence ploy, even NOTE: This faction is linked to the Swedish town of Karlsborg (see Appendix
though he began with as little as 500 soldiers. But radio II on page 88) but it can be used as a template for other local military
chatter soon heard talk of a Free Polish Brigade, and no forces in Sweden or elsewhere.
one could verify how big it was. Even now, a year later, it’s
nowhere near the pre-­war brigade size, but it is impres- The Life Regiment Hussars is a Swedish elite regiment and one of the world’s
sive for the times. oldest military units. The regiment descends directly from units set up by
Since its formation, General Lis invited all Polish units King Gustav Vasa in 1536 and was very active in the 17th and 18th centu-
to join. Many did. A shattered collection of partial bat- ries, winning several key battles for Sweden on the European continent.
talions, companies, local militias, and partial platoons Over the course of the 20th century, the Life Regiment Hussars was
showed up. Former ORMO and ZORMO, long since retired, transformed from a mounted infantry unit into a regiment focused on
showed up. Civilians showed up willing to train. General training ranger units and intelligence officers. The regiment was relocated
Lis took a rag-­tag collection of soldiers and turned them to Karlsborg Fortress (page 88) in 1984. In 1994, the special operations
into a force ready to match any NATO or Soviet units left— unit SSG (Special Protection Group) was also headquartered at Karlsborg.
at least in theory. To date, they have had no large-­scale In the initial stages of the Soviet invasion of Sweden in 1997, Karlsborg
engagements. It remains to be seen if their rumored Fortress was hit by Soviet airstrikes and largely evacuated. Rangers and
combat efficacy is real. special forces from the Life Regiment Hussars and SSG carried out sev-
The Brigade is organized into three battalions and eral operations behind enemy lines during the following two years.
then broken down into companies usually based in a In early 1999, when the military command structures had largely
village or suburb. For example, one might encounter collapsed on all sides of the war, units of the Life Regiment Hussars
the Bronowice Company. The company then reports to found their way back to Karlsborg Fortress. After evicting marauders
a central headquarters, in this case Krakow. The Referee squatting there, the Hussars took control of the facility again. The for-
should feel free to put such companies anywhere they like. tress was once built as the “reserve capital” of Sweden, and the Hussars
were determined to finally let it serve this role – no matter how little
GOALS now remained of the nation.
The Free Polish 6th Brigade purposes itself toward freeing Few in number, the Life Regiment Hussars have so far only a mar-
Poland of outside influence. This is, of course, a long-­term ginal presence outside of the fortress gates. They control some key junc-
goal. On a day-­to-­day level, they seek to liberate Polish tions and bridges in the surrounding Karlsborg town. They offer some
towns and citizens from Soviet, NATO, or marauder units. protection to the civilian population, but there is a growing discontent
These are in no short supply. over the Hussars’ refusal to let refugees inside the gates. You can read
The Brigade sends advance reconnaissance to a given more about the situation in Karlsborg on page 88.
area, assesses the situation, and acts if it believes it can. In a recent development, a relative to the Swedish royal family of
However, they always keep a portion of their forces sta- Bernadotte, which has been missing since the early days of the war,
tioned outside Krakow as per an agreement they have showed up at Karlsborg Fortress. Claiming to be the rightful heir to the
with the Free City. Indeed, the Brigade is an important throne, he took the royal name King Carl XVII Johan. For more on this,
reason the city remains free. see the plot called “The Man Who Would be King” on page 48.

FORCES GOALS
An eclectic mix of troops from old Polish units, In the short term, the Life Regiment Hussars want to fortify Karlsborg
civilians, and NATO-­units willing to pledge alle- Fortress and expand their presence in Karlsborg town and the sur-
giance to Poland, the 6TH Brigade is comprised rounding area. To this end, they are recruiting civilians and military
of three battalions numbering about 750–1000 stragglers – even Americans and other foreigners, offering protection
soldiers each. Each battalion has a commander in return for servitude.
who reports directly to the general. However, the Hussars are wary of alarming the numerous Soviet
7 3,000 soldiers forces in the region under the command of the Admiral (page 60 in the
7 250 mercenaries, mostly from former Referee’s Manual), and try to keep a low profile. In the long term, the
NATO units regiment commanders hope that the Kingdom of Karlsborg will become
7 Three T-72 MBTs the starting point for a new and rebuilt Sweden.
7 Two M1 Abrams MBTs

7 20 BTRs, Bradleys, BMPs and M113s FORCES

CITY
7 200 horses 7 Soldiers: 500

04
FACTIONS
7 50 trucks, cars, and other transports 7 Vehicles: 12

39
05 URBAN PLOTS
Did I really care if some crazy zealot thought an old spear
would make him a god-­emperor? No. Not one bit. Not until we came
through this little town, I’ve tried real hard to forget the name
of. I’d seen a lot. I’d seen people do things that you wouldn’t
think jackals would, but I haven’t ever seen people crucified,
bodies bloated under the sun, swarms of flies around them like a
crown of thorns. The New Holy Roman Empire had been through here.
Nailed up everyone they thought unfit. People who weren’t white,
people who were gay, they all had their crimes listed atop the
chopped telephone poles they’d used for crucifixes. After that
did I care about some spear and a crazy zealot? You bet I did.
05 URBAN
PLOTS
THIS EXPANSION INTRODUCES A new concept for the Twilight: 2000 sand-
box playstyle – plots. While retaining the player freedom to navigate COMBINING PLOTS
the open world, a plot offers a backdrop that can tie encounters and
factions together into longer narrative arcs. A plot is not a linear
A plot is not a detailed story that the PCs must follow. Instead, it adventure. You don’t need to
offers you a context to draw inspiration from and a way to give the PCs’ play a plot from beginning
travels a long-­term purpose. You should not force your players to follow to end without intermission.
the plot, but rather feed them plot elements throughout the campaign Instead, you can drop the
at a pace of your choosing. A plot can be as long as you like, and you can countdown events into your
even have several plots in play at the same time. ongoing campaign as you see
fit, in the middle of whatever
COUNTDOWNS else the PCs are doing. You
Each plot has a countdown of related events that can occur during can even have several active
play, drawing the PCs in and escalating the plot toward a final con- plots running at the same
frontation. The plot events should occur in the order listed but you can time, weaving them together
modify them to fit your campaign, and the frequency of these events or letting your players shift
is entirely up to you. You can also add additional countdown events focus between them.
to flesh out the plot even more. Use the countdown as a skeleton for
the plot in your campaign.

THE SPEAR OF DESTINY lance in Vienna dated to the 9th Century AD, it did have
what appeared to be a first century Roman crucifixion
FACTIONS: The Shepherd’s Flock, CIA, DIA, KGB, GRU nail suspended inside. Most academics dismissed the
SCENARIO SITES: The Church authenticity of the lance in terms of its relation to the time
of Christ, but it had a history and legend surrounding the
The Holy Lance, the Lance of Longinus, the Spear of Destiny, this artifact rule of Europe. He who held the lance would rule. Even
goes by many names and has more than one claimant to authenticity. Hitler may have had interest in this. The Germans took
Broadly, though, the most famous of the would-­be lances is one previ- the lance during World War II until it, along with other
ously housed at the Hofburg Palace in Vienna, Austria. regalia, was found by the Americans. It then returned to
The lance itself supposedly pierced the side of Christ while on the Vienna where it remained up until World War III.
cross, done so by a Roman Centurion named Longinus. The lance in The fate of the lance is unknown, but the Hofburg
Vienna became associated with the leaders of the Holy Roman Empire, Palace was ransacked early in the war by looters. Various
a symbol of both their right to rule as well as a holy artifact. While the claims hold the lance was sold on the illicit antiquities
market, was never found by the looters, or was destroyed
in a subsequent fire when Vienna was bombed.
For Adelbert [Ansgar], the leader of The Shepherd’s
INVOLVING PLAYERS Flock (page 62 in the Referee’s Manual), the lance is real,
and he must have it. Holding the lance, he believes, gives
The countdown events for each plot offer him the right to rule as a divine king as his supposed
multiple ways for the PCs to get involved Carolingian forefathers did. Further, he believes an army
with it. If your players don’t take an active which carries the lance before it is unstoppable.
interest in the plot after the first event, Thus, he has his followers scurrying about Europe look-
try another later and modify the incentives ing for some clue as to where the lance might be. It is more
for the PCs to get involved. Don’t force your than a symbol for his vile, feudal lords. This Holy Relic will
players. If, in the end, they choose to ignore grant them victory in battle and reshape Europe as it was
a plot despite your best efforts, let them. when the Holy Roman Empire ruled. With the Spear of
This is a sandbox game, and the players are Destiny in hand, Adelbert will tread the ruined cities of
in control. They’ll hear about the fallout Europe under the hooves of his cavalry. Mankind will return
of the ignored plot sooner or later and must to the divine right of kings and feudalism as is God’s intent.
live with the choices they made. Of course, Adelbert [Ansgar] is likely mad. But those
who wish to find him and stop him would do well to
find the Spear of Destiny before he does. His zealots
bring death and torment wherever they roam. Were

42
they to get the Spear, who knows what further fervor ADELBERT [ANSGAR]
it might inspire. That is to say nothing of the value of Possibly Northern European, little is known about Adelbert. Some intel
the relic to history and to those in Europe who would agencies believe he was a soldier at one point, though in what army
see its culture preserved and are willing to pay hand- they cannot say. There are several candidates who came to the fore
somely for it. during the chaotic mid-90s, leaders of extremist groups and fringe
The Spear was actually saved from Vienna by a religious organizations who might have been the man that now calls
deeply religious conservationist who worked there. himself Adelbert, but no photograph of Adelbert is known to exist.
She was Polish [Swedish] and brought the Spear home A thin KGB dossier describes him as “a would-­be messiah” with
with her when war broke out, believing it her holy duty great charisma and control over crowds. Quite probably mentally un-
to keep it safe for future generations and the new civ- stable but possessed of rare leadership ability.
ilization that will be built on the ruins of the old. She It is said both the CIA and KGB tried to kill him
brought it with her to a small church where she has during the war. No proof of this claim exists.
now taken refuge with a congregation of like-­minded For all his apparent lunacy, Adelbert is
individuals (this is The Church scenario site, more oddly calm, even-­tempered, and frighteningly
below). They keep the Spear hidden and are ready to sane-­seeming. His views may be demented,
risk their lives to protect it. Adelbert [Ansgar] heard but the man himself appears stable and in
rumors that the Spear is in Poland [Sweden] and now control. Several other Christian groups view
scours the land for it. him as the anti-­Christ come to usher in the
End of Days.
COUNTDOWN Skinny and bald, some of his close lieuten-
7 A band of fanatics from the Shepherd’s Flock ants call him “the vulture.” His eyes track the
passes through the town where the PCs are. lost in a similar way to how those of carrion
A preacher holds a fiery and hateful sermon, birds follow the dying. He’s weather-­beaten,
praising their leader Adelbert and describing they say, and younger than he looks. He carries
how they will “cleanse” all non-­believers from a staff every­where he goes, leading his chosen
the continent. to whatever promised land they believe in.
7 The PCs hear a rumor about the Spear of Destiny
ATTRIBUTES
that was lost in Vienna, and that some crazy reli-
STR B, AGL C, INT A, EMP A
gious fanatics calling themselves the “Shepherd’s
Flock” are looking for it here in Poland [Sweden]. HIT CAPACITY: 6

Maybe they’ll pay well for it? CUF: A

7 The PCs come across a village or city neighborhood SKILLS: Close Combat B, Driving C, Ranged Combat C, Persuasion A,
that was recently attacked and is completely laid Recon D
to waste. Some victims are crucified. A terrified SPECIALTIES: Psy-­Ops
survivor describes the attackers as crazy religious
GEAR: Adelbert carries a PM pistol with two reloads. Everything else
fanatics who asked about the Spear of Destiny.
he gets from his followers.
The survivor knows nothing about it.
7 The PCs are stopped by a roadblock manned by
the Shepherd’s Flock. They demand to know if
the PCs have seen or heard anything about an old
antique spear hidden in the area. They care for POWER PLAY
nothing else. If the PCs don’t have any answers,
the Flock soldiers threaten them or even attack. FACTIONS: The Sanctuary, Marauders (any)
It could get violent. SCENARIO SITES: The Power Plant
7 The PCs hear a rumor of a woman who is suppos-
edly hiding an old antique spear in a church in a A group of people created a Sanctuary settlement at an old nuclear
nearby town or city neighborhood. Some people power plant. As part of the Sanctuary movement (see the Referee’s
have been asking around about it. This should Manual), they are driven by an idealistic will to rebuild a new world. In
make the PCs understand that the church is in this effort, they managed to restart a reactor and part of the electrical
serious danger. The church is described in detail grid, to once again provide power to the nearby towns. It’s dangerous
as a scenario site on page 62. work though as the plant is damaged, and the project has attracted
7 The Shepherd’s Flock attacks the church with a unwelcome attention from a local marauder group who sees the return
large force, led by Adelbert himself, stealing the of electricity as a threat to its power over the people in the area.
URBAN
Spear and crucifying everyone inside – unless Electricity is one of the major losses from the world before which

05
PLOTS
the PCs stop him. might be remedied. No one can bring the dead back, but electricity offers

43
05 URBAN
PLOTS
some hope to reforge modern civilization – at least one area at a time. 7 The PCs spot people working on an electrical
The Sanctuary found a nuclear power plant which wasn’t beyond repair. power line. It’s a strange sight in the war-­torn
Once they did, they sent in experts to fire the plant back up. landscape. Suddenly, marauders appear and start
Of course, whoever controls the power plant controls the electricity. firing at the workers, who flee in a car.
The Sanctuary has competition from marauders and, if there’s a conflict, 7 The streetlights come on again, in a different
the city must ensure that this hopeful torch in the dark doesn’t turn location. This time, a group of local marauders
into an actual meltdown. comes out and starts shooting out the lights.
7 The PCs learn – through their own investigations
COUNTDOWN or rumors told to them – that a nuclear power
7 One night, without warning, the streetlights suddenly come plant nearby is said to be operational, sending
to life in the neighborhood where the PCs happen to be. The power through the remains of the grid.
locals are dumbstruck by the miraculous sight of functional 7 If they visit the power plant, the Sanctuary mem-
streetlights for the first time in years. A celebration breaks out, bers are suspicious but can let the PCs in if they
lasting through the night. By dawn, the lights go out again. No convince them that their intentions are good.
one has any idea where the electricity came from. Inside, there is a marauder traitor who is trying
to sabotage the plant.
7 At one point, the marauders arrive and besiege
the plant, claiming that they are the ones who
decide when the people here get light and heat,
no one else. A battle might break out, and it will
be very dangerous at the semi-­functional power
plant.

44
THE LAST OFFENSIVE The inhabitants (and PCs) need to seek shelter.
Casualties mount in the town while food and
FACTIONS: Military (Soviet), CIA, DIA, KGB, GRU ammunition run low. The local commander asks
SCEANRIO SITES: The Bunker, The Divide, Big Playground the PCs to lead civilians to safety across the
front lines.
The war is over. The war is never over. We reduced the greatest of human 7 The local commander informs the PCs that an
achievements to little more than bone and ruin, but the machine wishes opportunity has presented itself to take out a
to grind ever finer. Ash on the wind, only that satisfies the great war Soviet commander, located in a field HQ near the
machines of the East and West. Somewhere, out there right now, one town. He asks the PCs to do it. This very dangerous
side plots a final offensive. operation behind enemy lines could finally stop
The death of the 5th Division was supposedly the final offensive, but the offensive in its tracks.
now there’s another. They’ll be another until we are, as Einstein said,
“fighting with sticks and stones.” Following the failed push by NATO
during Operation: Reset, the Soviets mount a counterattack. There are CHERYL KRAUSE
still commanders out there. They assemble troops. There are still those Krause joined the military out of high school, scoring
who believe the war is somehow “winnable,” at least locally. Such is high enough to get a slot in intel. She thrived there, and
the path of madness. soon became fluent in several European languages.
An offensive takes time, and this plot is best stretched over many She was posted to Poland [Sweden] in the late 1980s,
sessions. This, then, is the beginning. Somewhere a high-­ranking where she briefly thought that democracy won the
commander gathers a force. It takes time to assemble. Rumors wend Cold War. But the Coup of 1991 changed all that, and
down the broken highways of the country. They flit in the impromptu Cheryl knew war was coming.
bars in the ruined cities. Someone wants to prosecute the last bat- The intervening years took their toll. She is less
tle of the war. the patriot now than the survivor. She feels deeply for
But cities are now more Medieval, and a siege of that era (and horror) the people of Poland [Sweden] and purposes herself
looms as a likely outcome. With the nukes gone, the planes all out of to protect them with the resources she has. In truth,
gas, and resources low, pummeling a city into dust is the last refuge of she feels guilt at participating in the war which ended
a failed war. For those caught in the middle, it is but another reminder the world.
of the price civilians pay in modern war. Cheryl is about 50 years old with a strong jawline
and high cheekbones. She has walnut brown eyes and
COUNTDOWN likewise hair, though that is streaked with gray. She
7 The PCs hear rumors or chatter indicating large Soviet troop favors utilitarian dress, as do most people these days.
movements in the direction of the town or area where they are Her eyes are backed with determination.
currently located.
ATTRIBUTES
7 A DIA agent Cheryl Krause approaches the PCs (this can happen
STR C, AGL B, INT B, EMP A
at the Bunker, page 73) and informs them that a major Soviet
force plans an offensive in the area, and soon. The locals are HIT CAPACITY: 6

dismissive, unwilling to believe it will actually happen. The agent CUF: A

asks the PCs for help to scout the approaching force, playing on SKILLS: Close Combat B, Driving C, Ranged Combat B,
their sense of duty. Persuasion A, Recon A
7 Whether by chance or having accepted the DIA mission, the PCs SPECIALTIES: Linguist
encounter a large Soviet force – thousands of heavily armed
GEAR: An M4 with three reloads
soldiers with artillery and armored vehicles. They must be careful
to get in and out unnoticed. Firefights are likely.
7 A bombing occurs in the town (this can also happen in the
Bunker), killing several people including the DIA agent and
possibly harming the PCs as well. Two unknown men are seen
leaving the scene, and the PCs can pursue the suspected culprits.
They are GRU agents.
7 At dawn, the attack starts. Artillery shells rain down on the town,
followed by armored vehicles and infantry. The town scrambles
to mount a desperate defense. The PCs are asked to defend a
large housing block at the edge of town (this can be the Big
Playground, page 54) and a pitched battle starts.
URBAN
7 The initial attack is pushed back by desperate defenders, and

05
PLOTS
the Soviet forces resort to besieging and shelling the town.

45
05 URBAN
PLOTS
THE PLAGUE The heir apparent is one Anna Jankowski, a mem-
ber of the city council. Her opponent is Jan Augustyn,
FACTIONS: WHO, CIA a fascist who claims all of Krakow’s ills can be solved
SCENARIO SITES: The Bunker, Big Playground by an authoritarian regime that stops accepting “out-
siders” – mostly foreigners, but anyone they don’t like
A new deadly virus spreads, and the WHO takes desperate measures to fits the bill.
stop it – some would say too desperate. Following the current mayor’s death. The city’s pol-
Cholera, dysentery, even biological attacks—these are all sadly iticians divide along old opposing views. Among the
familiar to the people of the year 2000. But what happens when a new new issues, is how long Indentured Servitude should
disease, of unknown origin, begins to ravage villages across the coun- last. Anna feels it needs to be shortened as it’s cruel and
try? Local doctors are baffled but, then again, they don’t have much some indentured servants rally to strike. Jan wants to
modern equipment to help. keep it as is. But the loss of the upcoming election, and
Hysteria rises, for there are no vaccines and rumors tell of something its results, aren’t the end of the story. For some, losing
like the Black Death. Rumors aren’t usually one-­hundred percent true, but isn’t an option.
even a little plague goes a long way in a world thrust back into savagery. Jan is actually a puppet of Baron Czarny, the cruel
Meanwhile, the World Health Organization (page 37) seems to leader of Warsaw, and his installation would end the
be the savior everyone needed. But their containment procedures turn notion of a free city. Indeed, he’d have thugs move in
out to be brutal. Can they be trusted to devise a solution, or is the cure quite soon to clamp down on all rights. Can anyone save
worse than the disease? Krakow from such a fate?

COUNTDOWN COUNTDOWN
7 The PCs hear a rumor of strange teams in hazmat suits, burning 7 The PCs hear of, or witness (page 31) the funeral
entire villages and neighborhoods. No one seems to know who for Krakow’s mayor. While everyone unifies to
they are. mourn, tension is clearly in the air.
7 The PCs happen to come across a WHO team, just about to “decon- 7 The city council declares an immediate election to
taminate” a village or neighborhood with flamethrowers. They are find a new mayor. Two major contenders emerge,
told to back off, “for their own safety’s sake.” It might get violent. one who is accused of being a puppet for an out-
7 The PCs meet some really sick people, suffering from some side power in Warsaw. The election takes place
strange ailment that has not been seen before. in three weeks. The city can’t wait any longer
7 The outbreak spreads and panic starts to spread in the community than that. Anna’s side asks the PCs to protect
as more people get ill. PCs might also be infected. their candidate until the election. Attempts on
7 A WHO team arrives to quarantine the area. If the PCs do nothing, her life ensue.
the WHO team “cleanses” the civilian population. 7 The PCs are asked to secure a polling location. That
7 The WHO continues to “cleanse” such places unless stopped location gets attacked regardless of whether or
by the PCs. If the PCs approach the WHO, they offer them a job: not they accept.
find a biological lab where they believe this disease originated. 7 The election takes place. Anna wins but Jan
Bring back a sample. The PCs might convince the WHO to pause refuses to accept the loss. His followers take
extreme measures while they do this. to the streets and demand his installation.
7 If the PCs do not find the lab, or do not try, the plague continues Someone tries to kidnap Anna. If the PCs aren’t
to spread through the population, and the WHO continues to working for her already, they are asked to help
quarantine as they see fit. find her.
7 That night, Jan’s people stir up violence. People
are hurt and even killed. The PCs are asked to help
police the riots.
ELECTION YEAR 7 It turns out that, during the night of the vio-
lence following the election, the followers of
FACTIONS: CIA, KGB, Marauders, Polish Regiment Jan took Wawel Castle. The PCs are asked by
SCENARIO SITES: The Bunker, The Church, The Power Plant the city council to go in and get them out by any
NOTE: This plot is connected to the town of Krakow (see Appendix I on means necessary.
page 79), but it can be adapted for use at other locations. 7 If the PCs accept, they storm Wawel Castle and,
hopefully, remove Jan and the other occupiers.
After the mayor of Krakow dies, the city decides to hold the first election If not, Krakow won’t remain free much longer.
since the war to find a replacement. But things have changed a lot, and
muscle is as important at the polls as anything else.

46
 JAN AUGUSTYN
Jan was a politician before the war,
one on the fringe. He was a mean
fellow but had a beat-­like magne-
tism. He ran in several elections but
never won. When the war came, how-
ever, people began to listen to his
extremist ideas. Suddenly, the idea
of forced labor, capital punishment
for what used to be minor crimes,
and authoritarianism were appeal-
ing. Until the death of the mayor,
ANNA JANKOWSKI however, Jan was just a thuggish
Anna was a civil servant before the war. She had few political opposition voice. Now, he plans to
ambitions. But she became familiar with government and, once take power.
the war ended, was asked to join the city council. There, she He did a stint in the Polish army
proved charismatic and pragmatic. People liked her, and she and was recalled when the war
became a political powerhouse in the newly free city. Krakow is broke out. He served under the So-
her home. Her parents were killed here. Her house was bombed viets, and thinks their doctrine is best. He’s cruel but
here. She will see it thrive again. enthralling. At forty, he has no hair on the crown of his
Anna has dark brown hair and eyes. She’s in her mid-30s and head, deep blue eyes, and a well-­trimmed, pointy beard
favors turtlenecks and large glasses. that some say makes him look like Lenin.

ATTRIBUTES ATTRIBUTES
STR C, AGL C, INT A, EMP A STR C, AGL C, INT B, EMP A

HIT CAPACITY: 5 HIT CAPACITY: 5

CUF: B CUF: B

SKILLS: Command B, Close Combat D, Driving C, Ranged SKILLS: Command B, Close Combat B, Driving C, Ranged
Combat D, Persuasion A, Recon C Combat C, Persuasion A, Recon D
SPECIALTIES: Frontline Leader SPECIALTIES: Logistician, Psy-­Ops

GEAR: An old .45 with one reload GEAR: AK-74 with four reloads

URBAN

05
PLOTS

47
05 URBAN
PLOTS
THE MAN WHO WOULD BE KING he greets them at his office in the fortress and
welcomes them to stay at Karlsborg, saying the
FACTIONS: Life Regiment Hussars, KGB, GRU, CIA, The Admiral Hussars “need more good fighters, no matter
SCENARIO SITES: The Railyard, The School where they are from.” He invites them to join
NOTE: This plot is connected to the town of Karlsborg (see Appendix II on the next Council of the Realm meeting.
page 88), but it can be adapted for use at other locations. 7 The Council meeting is presided over by the
King and Prince Gottfried. The King seems
The war drastically changed life for everyone, but for some in stranger frail and confused, constantly prompted by
ways than for others. Prince Gottfried. They question Colonel Fält
Count Carl-­Fredrik Johan Wilhelm Bernadotte was a Luxembourgish on why civilians are not let into the fortress.
wine maker, who also happened to be the second cousin of the Swedish The Colonel, trying to explain that the Hussars
King. He did not pay much heed to his royal blood before the war, at times don’t have the resources to care for the entire
even suspected of using it for financial gain such as when he officially civilian population, is clearly frustrated. The
adopted an adult German man to grant him a princely title – suppos- PCs can witness the Council meeting or hear
edly in return for money. “Prince Gottfried” became a close friend and of it afterwards.
confidant of the count. 7 The PCs witness an angry demonstration outside
Shortly after the Soviet invasion of Sweden in 1997, the entire royal the fortress gates, denouncing the “military
family disappeared. Most presumed them to have been killed or cap- rule” and demanding that all civilians should
tured, but nothing was ever confirmed. Count Carl-­Fredrik realized that be let into the fortress. The PCs can meet the
he was, most likely, the heir to the Swedish throne. refugee leader Ingrid Lindberg (page 93) here.
The now pauper count made the dangerous journey across war-­torn Some protesters shout “Long Live the King!”
Europe to Sweden with his adopted prince – motivated by a newfound They have true grievances, but some have been
sense of duty, but also hoping that his kingly title would earn him some egged on by the KGB who wants the situation
measure of wealth and security. to escalate. The PCs might intervene to avoid
Traveling the lands and nearly getting killed on several occasions, things turning violent.
the duo came to hear of Karlsborg Fortress and its new occupants, the 7 Major Adolfsson summons the PCs again. If they
remaining forces of the Life Regiment Hussars (page 39). Upon arriv- refuse, he will instead send his lieutenants to
ing, the count declared himself the rightful King of Sweden under the speak to them. Adolfsson says that there are
royal name King Carl XVII Johan. rumors of the KGB infiltrating Karlsborg, possibly
The Life Regiment Hussars accepted him, believing the new “King even the Hussars. He has received word of a KGB
of Karlsborg,” as he became known, could be a symbol of unity for the safehouse in the old railway station (page 90).
civilian population. However, the new monarch pushed for more than He asks the PCs to investigate and, if necessary,
a token role, with rising tensions with the Hussar commander, Colonel capture or kill the agents. He offers something
Fält (page 92), as a result. Shortly after, the elderly King’s mental valuable that the PCs need in return. The safe-
and physical state started to deteriorate. Step by step, his adopted son house is real – but it’s run by the GRU, not the
Prince Gottfried has assumed many of his duties, much to the chagrin KGB, something the PCs may or may not realize
of Colonel Fält. if they go there. There will likely be a firefight
Being an island of relative order in a sea of chaos, Karlsborg has – Malekov wants the GRU agents killed before
attracted elements of all major intelligence agencies. Colonel Fält’s they report back to the Admiral (page 60 in the
second in command, Major Adolfsson, is a KGB informant and stooge. Referee’s Manual).
He reported all of the news about the King to his KGB superior Malekov 7 The CIA agent “Mona Sax” (page 93) contacts
(page 93), and a plan was set into motion. the PCs, probably in the The Mess bar (page 91).
The KGB wants the rising tension between the King and Colonel She says both the KGB and GRU are active in
Fält to boil over into open conflict, paving the way for Adolfsson – and Karlsborg and warns the PCs to watch out. There
thereby the KGB – to take control of Karlsborg. The PCs, being newcom- are rumors that the Admiral is planning an attack
ers and with sufficient firepower, are the perfect tools to do it. But there against the town. Suddenly, Mona is shot dead.
are more things afoot than even the KGB has realized. The PC can hunt the killer (it’s one of Malekov’s
agents), and/or befriend Mona’s pianist and
COUNTDOWN lieutenant Sammy (page 93).
7 Soon after arriving at Karlsborg, the PCs are attacked in the street 7 Ingrid Lindberg seeks out the PCs, having heard
by local thugs, hired by the KGB to test the PCs’ capabilities. If of their presence in Karlsborg. She explains how
captured, the thugs don’t know the name of the man who hired the refugees outside the walls are suffering. If the
them (it was one of Malekov’s KGB agents). PCs agree, she takes them to the school to witness
7 The PCs are approached by Life Regiment Hussars informing the plight of the refugees firsthand (page 89).
them that Major Adolfsson wants to meet them. If they agree, Lindberg believes that Colonel Fält is a despot with

48
 no regard for the civilians of Karlsborg under his heel. She asks aristocratic features and manners. Now, he is thin
the PCs to kill him if they get the chance. She says that a large and frail, with a wisp of white hair blowing in the cold
demonstration is planned by the Götiska Vault very soon – that wind. Yet, he wears his fraying ceremonial uniform
could be the opportunity to act. with pride and his grip is still strong enough to draw
7 Major Adolfsson summons the PCs again. This time, he says his old saber in battle if he needs to.
he has a very serious matter to discuss. He now has reason
ATTRIBUTES
to believe that Prince Gottfried is in the pocket of the KGB,
STR D, AGL C, INT C, EMP B
and thus also the King is compromised. They are inciting the
refugee population against the Hussars, to pave the way for HIT CAPACITY: 4

a Soviet attack against Karlsborg. Adolfsson asks the PCs to CUF: C

kill them both as he cannot order his own troops to kill the SKILLS: Close Combat C, Ranged Combat D,
king. The King and the Prince reside in the Royal Villa (page Command C, Persuasion B
91). He offers something of major value and permanent GEAR: Antique saber (stats as a machete)
citizenship in the Kingdom if they accept. If the PCs refuse,
an attempt on the King’s life will still be made shortly after,
by Malekov’s KGB agents. It will succeed unless stopped CROWN PRINCE GOTTFRIED
by the PCs. The life of Gottfried Neumann changed forever when
7 The demonstration outside the Götiska Vault quickly turns into he met Count Bernadotte at a social gathering on
a violent riot, as the news spreads that the King is dead (if that is the French Riviera. A small-­time German business-
indeed the case). Hundreds of protesters try to storm the fortress man with a trail of bankruptcies behind him, he
with soldiers firing back. The PCs can try to stop the bloodbath, at hit it off famously with the count, who a few years
serious personal risk. If the PCs make a move against Fält, he will, later officially adopted Gottfried as his son. Some
if given the chance, tell them that Adolfsson is a KGB agent – he suspected Gottfried of basically buying a royal title
has suspected this for some time. from the cash-­strapped count, but both strongly
7 The thunder of cannons echoes over Karlsborg, as the Admiral’s denied the claim.
forces attack en masse. Malekov has underestimated the Ever the opportunist, Gottfried now aims to use
Admiral, who knew what the KGB was up to via his GRU sources. his princely title to wrestle control of Karlsborg from
Both the 76th Guards Airborne Division and the 1st Guards the Hussar commander. He has been secretly sharing
Motor-­Rifle Division take part in the attack – a total of over information with the refugee leader Ingrid Lindberg
2,000 soldiers with armored vehicles and artillery. The Hussars to incite a civilian uprising. Gottfried knows that the
fight a pitched defense, and the PCs can join in or make a run King doesn’t have many years left,
for it. Malekov and Adolfsson, realizing that their game is over, and expects to inherit the crown
try to flee using the helicopter (page 92). The PCs might stop for himself soon. He is, however,
them or join them. blind to the fact that there are
other forces conspiring against
AFTERMATH: This plot will have fundamental repercussions for the the town. Should push come to
“Kingdom of Karlsborg” and the PCs. When it is all over, they can find shove, he would rather flee than
themselves heroic defenders of the fortress or running for their lives, stand and fight for his throne.
hunted by the Soviet army, the Hussars, or both. Gottfried is a short and stout
man who has managed to main-
tain a fairly impressive waist
KING CARL XVII JOHAN size despite the war. He has a
The “King of Karlsborg” believes constant smile on his face, his
it to be his destiny to rebuild the departing hair is combed back,
fallen Swedish nation. His notions and he wears a ceremonial uni-
on how to accomplish this were form similar to the King’s but
always vague at best, and recently less well fitting.
his age and the traumas of war
ATTRIBUTES
have dimmed his mind even fur-
STR C, AGL C, INT B, EMP A
ther. He trusts his adopted son
Prince Gottfried implicitly and HIT CAPACITY: 4

now leaves most decisions to him. CUF: C

Count Carl-­Fredrik Johan SKILLS: Ranged Combat C, Recon C, Persuasion A
URBAN
Wilhelm Bernadotte was once GEAR: Pist 88 with one reload, knife, frag grenade

05
PLOTS
a tall and handsome man with

49
05 URBAN
PLOTS

OPERATION RESET The CIA, desperate for anything that could be used
to counter the Soviet threat, came across the Kurchatov
FACTIONS: CIA, DIA, KGB, GRU Paper in 1998 via the Kremlin mole Valeriya Mikhailova.
The CIA station chief in Poland [Sweden], codenamed
This plot posits that Operation Reset was something much more than the “Turner,” was spurred to act, setting an ambitious oper-
NATO military offensive in the spring of 2000. That was just the begin- ation into motion. He called it Operation Reset.
ning of a massive undertaking, initiated by the remains of the CIA and A piece of technology essential to Operation Reset
its allies, to restore the world – or some version of it. But the military could only be found in Warsaw [Stockholm], a city devas-
part of the operation failed, and the intelligence agencies now fight a tated by nuclear strikes and surrounded by hostile forces.
shadow war to get Operation Reset back on track – or stop it forever. An agent he sent there was exposed and killed. Secretly,
Unlike the other plots in this chapter, Operation Reset will not be Turner reached out to commanders of the remains of US
explained here in its entirety. Instead, it will only be introduced here, and other NATO forces in Europe. Telling these command-
then continued in the next expansion for the game, Hostile Waters, and ers only as much as they needed to know, Turner slowly
finally concluded in the module named Operation Reset itself. managed to build an alliance for a final military offensive
A key part of Operation Reset is to find technology, documents, and toward the Polish [Swedish] capital in the spring of 2000.
individuals connected to Project Zavtra, a secret Soviet research program Despite Turner’s best efforts to keep his plans secret,
reaching back to the 1980s. The leader of the project, Doctor Aleksandr word got out. The DIA, now a rival of the CIA, got wind of
Kurchatov, published a science paper known as “the Kurchatov Paper” the operation early on and has been trying to discern its
that was left to gather dust for years, until the Cold War was turning true purpose ever since. On the Soviet side, both the KGB
hot in the late ‘90s. and the GRU soon learned of the leak of the Kurchatov

50
 ALEKSANDR KURCHATOV
BEYOND THE FRINGE Dr Kurchatov was a brilliant
scientist who went far down
The Operation Reset plot explores the the rabbit hole and managed
fringes of known science and in some to lose himself in the process.
respects goes beyond them. If you know that The leader of Project Zavtra, a
this is something that you don’t want in secret Soviet research program
your Twilight: 2000 game, we recommend that you reaching back to the 1980s, he
leave this plot well alone, and instead let made discoveries that could
Operation Reset be nothing more than the change the course of history.
military operation in the spring of 2000. In the 90s, he faded into obscu-
rity and became increasingly
eccentric in the process. Now,
he is a shadow of his former self,
his mind wandering between
confused ramblings of trivial
Paper to the CIA. The GRU played a major role in convincing local military matters and brief episodes of
commanders in Poland [Sweden] to mount a powerful counterattack lucidity.
against the NATO offensive. The KGB, acting largely independently from
ATTRIBUTES
the Kremlin now, instead wants to co-­opt the operation and use it for
STR C, AGL D, INT A, EMP D
its own nefarious purposes.
HIT CAPACITY: 4

COUNTDOWN CUF: D
7 The PCs hear rumors that there was more to Operation Reset SKILLS: Tech A
than the military operation. The various intelligence agencies GEAR: None
are said to be hunting for technology and information related to
an old Soviet research document, called “the Kurchatov Paper.”
It’s connected to Reset somehow. Some say Operation Reset will VALERIYA MIKHAILOVA
save the world. Few take that seriously. This double agent fed classified
7 The PCs meet the CIA operative Valeriya Mikhailova, perhaps information from the Kremlin
by helping her or saving her somehow. This could happen via to the CIA for years, seen as the
the King of Hearts encounter in the core set. The PCs may or most valuable US intelligence
may not learn that she is a CIA operative. Mikhailova later tells asset inside the Soviet Union
Turner about the PCs. by many in the agency. As the
7 The PCs come across an old Soviet encryption device, perhaps at Cold War was turning hot in the
the scene of an ambush or in the hands of the dying spy in the late 90s, Valeriya Mikhailova
2 of Diamonds encounter in this module. It could also be the leaked the Kurchatov Paper to
zip disk in the scenario site The Prison (page 71 of the Referee’s her CIA handlers and shortly
Manual). Shortly after, the GRU attacks the PCs to get the device. after fled Moscow. She is now
Under no circumstance will they reveal what it is. CIA station chief Turner’s right
7 DIA agents seek out the PCs about the device. They interrogate hand woman in Operation Reset.
them and want to know what it is. If the PCs are Americans, She is tough, competent, and
the DIA appeals to their patriotism. If they still have the device, a true believer in the values of
the agents want the PCs to hand it over. They also ask the PCs the free world.
if they know of a Soviet national named Aleksandr Kurchatov.
ATTRIBUTES
They probably don’t.
STR C, AGL A, INT A, EMP B
7 By chance or because they seek him out, the PCs meet Kurchatov
in person. He is bitter and just wants to be left alone. He mentions HIT CAPACITY: 5

“Project Zavtra.” Before he can reveal what it was, both the GRU CUF: A
and KGB move in. The GRU wants him dead while the KGB wants SKILLS: Close Combat B, Stamina B, Mobility A,
to abduct him. One of them succeeds. Ranged Combat A, Recon A, Persuasion B
7 That concludes Operation Reset for this module. The plot will GEAR: M9 pistol with three reloads, knife,
continue in the future expansions Hostile Waters and Operation AN/PRC-148 MBITR radio URBAN
Reset.

05
PLOTS

51
06 SCENARIO SITES
It was one of those Soviet housing blocks, all concrete and grey
as the sky behind it so the huge towers looked like maybe someone
had just cut them out of that sky. One tower, though, had this
huge mural on it. Some gangster-looking guy. A local told us he
was the martyr of Big Playground, which is what they called the
place. Two gangs ran the blocks, but they had a truce. Two-Fer
and I wanted to go as soon as we heard someone rented out TVs and
VCRs from the place. I haven’t seen a movie since 12 Monkeys came
out. Talk about ironic. Dontcha think? Everyone in the unit hates
that song. Anyway, I was real excited until we arrived and saw
one gang toss someone off the roof of one of the towers. I hope it
was the video guy. God, I’m getting as bad as the rest of them.
06
SCENARIO
SITES
THE BIG PLAYGROUND
A giant housing complex centered around a large playground and green- Big Playground is just the nickname for this public
ery where thousands once lived. Now, gangs run the territory but there’s housing monolith. It had some other name prior, likely
thing you can get here not found anywhere else. something related to the municipal wizards who con-
cocted the idea. Those days are over. Municipalities and
OVERVIEW governments are gone. Now, here on Big Playground, two
Paneled slabs of concrete Brutalism against the slate-colored sky. Housing rival gangs vie for control over the local resources and turf.
blocks looming rectilinearly over the horizon. But, on one of the buildings One is known as the East Gang, also knowns as The
rises a giant mural. Something chaotic, nearly psychedelic. A celebration Rooks, and is led by Big Gaz. The other is known as the
of humanity loosed from some bonds. It looks wild… and dangerous. West Gang, also called the Bishops, and is led by Mau-Mau.
Both gangs are active rivals for the territory, the drugs, and
other business that goes on here. Between them stands
a man known as Ratkovitch, a member of the Vorovskoy
Mir (page 36) trying to keep the peace so that goods and
RUMORS profit continue to flow. In addition, a chef runs a restau-
rant here, and a DJ spins music and politics on a nightly
✓ The PC’s hear Radio Free Europe when near basis. It’s only a matter of time before a gang war erupts.
Big Playground. They may decide to check it The Rooks and the Bishops seem very similar to an
out and follow the signal. outsider, but they do have differences. Mau Mau has a
✓ Someone in the city, or another city, seeks plan to revitalize the community. But, to do so, he needs
a rare copy of a Wim Wenders movie and Gaz and The Rooks out of the way. Now, Mau Mau isn’t
claims there’s a video store in some gang- any saint, but he wants to improve things for everyone
controlled area that has it. This person living in Big Playground… so long as they answer to him.
will pay well for the PCs to fetch the Gaz and The Rooks don’t have that goal. They want
video for them. the community to do well enough that they can keep
✓ The Soviets plan to take a former public it under control, but any loftier ambitions are seen as a
housing block by force in the next few threat by Gaz. However, Gaz and the Rooks have stron-
days. That site is Big Playground. ger mafia ties and can get goods at a better rate. They
✓ The PCs hear that black market medicine — also have some intelligence contacts the PCs might find
of whatever stripe they currently need — useful. Mau Mau and The Bishops do not.
can be found at Big Playground. Thus, it comes down to a choice of whether the PCs
✓ A strung out tweaker tries to sell the are willing to alienate Gaz and his connections for a
PCs some junk. He wants to score from Big slightly greater good.
Playground, which they’ll find out about A further point involves energy. Big Playground has
if they ask him more. generators with fuel (most of the time). The gangs get
✓ There’s a hidden helicopter atop one of this fuel through their connections with the black market.
the towers of Big Playground. They also In return, the gangs serve as soldiers for the mob when
have fuel. needed. The gangs also have drugs. They make them locally
in quantities large enough to trade for fuel when needed.
Note that the areas which have power are the exception
rather than the rule. A lot of apartments are lit with a sin-
gle bulb if that. Candles and such are common. The theater,
restaurant, and radio station receive near-constant power.
THE SITUATION
Big Playground is a housing block from the Soviet Era or one which ARRIVAL
looks similar. These are found all over Europe from the UK to the con- Somewhere in the city, huge housing blocks rise before
tinent. These ominous farms of concrete towers were once home to the PCs. Some of the towers are ruined but others remain
the poor, to the citizens of the Soviet puppet regimes, to all kinds of intact. Music, the scent of food, woodsmoke, and electric
people. They still are today, only the population isn’t as large and they lights hit the senses—this is something out of the world
don’t answer to any government but their own. Of course, their own before. Tack-suited gangster types with gold chains min-
may not be ideal either. gle with refugee types and other survivors.

54
 1. Gaz sends a representative to suss out the PCs’ intent on his
turf. If they seem like mercs, he’ll make them an offer to help
him take out Mau Mau.
Upon approaching, one of the gangs (either side, 2. Mau Mau and his posse approach the PCs. He wines them
Referee’s choice) asks their business. If the team is heav- and dines them, trying to get them on his side. Predictably, he
ily armed, they aren’t allowed in with such weapons. A wants them to take out Gaz.
pistol each is all the gangs allow. They rule here. 3. After each proposal, the gang who made it expects the PCs to
The gangs also give the PCs the standard speech join them. If they don’t, they see them as enemies. Even if the
about this being their turf, and they get a cut of any PCs throw in with neither gang, the gangs see turning them
business that goes down. Mostly, the gangs just don’t down as an act of disrespect.
want trouble from any military force. If they think the 4. A deal goes bad on Big Playground and a small firefight breaks
PCs are some sort of forward unit, they’ll make a show out, resulting in the death of one ganger from each side of the
of force against them. conflict. A PC is blamed for one of the deaths.
5. The aftermath of the firefight stirs up a lot of big talk from
COUNTDOWN Gaz and Mau Mau. Ratkovitch urges caution and tries to make
The two gangs aren’t peaceful. One always tries to get the peace, but they don’t listen. He pleads with the PCs to help.
drop on the other. When the PCs arrive, the two gangs are 6. A member of the Bishops gets shot on Big Playground, appar-
already plotting against each other. Gaz and Mau Mau ently by a sniper. The gangs look for a trained, military shooter.
both see the PCs as a new variable. Either might try to Guess who fits that description?
recruit them or set them up. 7. A mortar attack hits the Rooks’ tower. As above, it’s a solid,
Ratkovitch wants to maintain the peace for business precise hit. If the PCs threw in with a gang, a friend they’ve
reasons. He has connections to other cities and their made inside is killed by the mortar.
SCENARIO
black markets. Because the blocks have power and are 8. Unless the PCs stop it, an all-out gang war starts. Or they

06
SITES
defensible, military types see promise in taking them. might be on one side or the other.

55
 DEFENSIVE NEST
(ROOFTOP)

HYDROPONICS
(ROOFTOP)

DEFENSIVE NEST
(ROOFTOP)

DISTILLERY
GAZ’S PAD (GROUND FLOOR)
(UPPER FLOOR)
DEFENSIVE NEST
(ROOFTOP)

ROOFTOP
GARDEN

BLOCKBUSTA VIDEO
(GROUND FLOOR)

PLAYGR

DEFENSIVE NEST
(ROOFTOP)
 DEFENSIVE NEST
(ROOFTOP)

RADIO FREE EUROPE

(UPPER FLOOR)
DEFENSIVE NEST
(ROOFTOP)

ROOFTOP
GARDEN

ROUND
DOC’S
(GROUND FLOOR)
06
SCENARIO
SITES
LOCATIONS The entire floor was opened up to make this green-
Big Playground is comprised of a series of six, huge apartment blocks house and it is guarded constantly. It’s a true, and truly
that are not nearly as heavily populated as they used to be. The interi- odd, urban jungle. A firefight inside here would make
ors are covered in graffiti and the outsides in murals where local artists quite the set piece.
decided to brighten their gray world.
The locations below need not be inside a single apartment block; DOC’S
indeed, some are obviously outside. It is left to the Referee to decide Doc’s is a medical clinic run by both gangs. This, among
whether they wish to spread out the locations over the six blocks (and other things, is part of their deal with the community.
many, many floors) or not. Certainly, one gang controls one block and their The place is, like other locations here, made from tear
opponent the other. Other than that, you can mix and match as you like. downs of the interior floor of one of the towers. There’s
Big Playground gets its name from the central playground and medicine, EMTs, and even a few doctors. It was named
“park” which sits as a sea of concrete and mostly dead trees between in honor of a woman they all called Doc prior to the war,
the rising blocks themselves. This was neutral territory prior to the war who used to provide care for those who couldn’t afford
and remains so now. it or could wait for whatever health system was in place.
She was killed by a NATO bombing on the city outskirts.
BIG GAZ’S PAD Her portrait hangs over a few of the beds here, their
Big Gaz is the head of the East Gang, also known as The Rooks or Gaz’s patron saint of good causes and medicine.
Gang. He has the top floor of the easternmost tower all too himself and Outsiders must pay for services here. Citizens do not.
his bodyguards and hangers-on. Gaz runs guns, prostitution, and liquor People from the city proper often come here, barter in
in Big Playground. His pad is the result of knocking down every plaster hand, for treatment.
wall on the top floor and creating a huge open space punctuated only
by support columns and load bearing walls. BIG PLAYGROUND
Huge parties take place here. Ragers. There’s drugs and booze you The huge concrete expanse between buildings, still home
can’t find elsewhere. Gaz and his crew live a high life at the top of the to a large playground and some dead foliage, is where
stacks. The windows are all covered in blackout curtains lest Mau Mau Big Playground got its name. It’s neutral territory for the
have a sniper take a shot at him. The space is impossibly huge, littered gangs and full of food stalls and other merchants during
with couches, beds, tables made of old doors, speakers and working the day. These invariably pack up at night, retreating into
electricity. Gaz’s generator always works. the stacks or into the city itself if they have a deal with
one of the gangs to sell here.
BLOCK BUSTA VIDEO
This is really two apartments “remodeled” into one larger space. Old book DEFENSIVE NEST
racks, sagging shelves, piles of VHS tapes and CDs… all are organized by Several corner apartments around the housing complex
genre and title on hand-written cards. Citizens of Big Playground can are dedicated to emplaced weapons positions. Each has
rent TVs if they don’t have one or VCRs here. They are all prized items a heavy machinegun, snipers, and scouts with working
and everyone knows the West Gang protects Block Busta Video. walkie-talkie’s. Most of the time, they are on the lookout
In truth, Block Busta doesn’t have many functioning VCRs, TVs, or for a move by the opposite gang, but the whole commu-
tapes that weren’t wiped by an EMP. But they have enough that people nity would come together under direct assault from an
can come and use one of the apartments on the same floor to watch a outside force.
movie or anything else they have recorded. They also have some CDs,
vinyl, and bootleg concerts from before the war. It’s a small collection, DISTILLERY
even pitiful by pre-war standards, but here it’s like the king’s coffers. The basement of the East Gang’s main block is a large dis-
tillery. Some of the hooch that comes out of here is pretty
RADIO FREE EUROPE good. The place is well-maintained for fear of fire because
Broadcast by an antenna atop one of the tower blocks, Radio Free Europe the only fire department left is people with buckets.
is a mix of music and politics. It aspires to some sort of Euro ethnic unity
but usually involves talking old grudges, the roots of the war, and the GARDEN (ROOFTOPS)
eventual end of what little civilization is left. People tune in for tunes. It’s A former park is now a community garden. It provides
hard to find recorded music these days and Bebop, who owns the radio, enough for Big Playground’s population and little extra
has the largest extant collection of vinyl on the Continent (or so he claims). which they sell to the city. Guards are posted at all times.
Stealing food is punishable by death.
HYDROPONICS
The West Gang runs the top floor of their tower as a hydroponic garden
for food and, more profitably, marijuana. Grow lights hang from the
high ceilings helping foster row upon row of cannabis plants as well as
vegetables and fruit where possible.

58
NPCS Now, the Bishops are Mau Mau’s family. He is the
Big Playground is home to a stern but fair father. He’s all of 27 but carries the years
host of different characters. of someone much older in his eyes.
The following are just some
ATTRIBUTES
examples of the varied pop-
STR A, AGL B, INT B, EMP B
ulation of this micro-city.
CUF: A

HIT CAPACITY: 6
GAZ SKILLS: Close Combat B, Command A, Driving C,
Gaz is the head of the East Ranged Combat B, Persuasion B, Recon A
Gang, who runs the East Side SPECIALTIES: Brawler
of Big Play­ground. Sometimes they are also known as The Rooks. Gaz
GEAR: An older, but well-maintained AK-47 with four
was a member before the war, but a younger member. His elders
reloads.
and chief got conscripted as the war went on, leaving Gaz to tend
to things. Thus far, no one who went to war came back and that is
Gaz’s greatest fear. He’s young, and while he has experience as the
chief now, he knows some of the old boys could come back and give BEBOP
him trouble. He’s always on the lookout for that. Bebop is the local DJ who also
In that, Gaz has a kind of imposter syndrome, and he covers for it by runs Free Radio Europe, broad-
being loud, opulent, and a bit crazy. He’s twitchy with his trigger finger cast out of Big Playground. They
always ready to shoot first. He and Mau Mau are opposite sides of the don’t have much range, but
same coin. Gaz runs his show using fear, and those below him know everyone in Big Playground
the stories about getting hurled off the top of one of the blocks if you listens to his shows. Bebop is
screw up. The truth is… they aren’t just stories. Bodies do find their way usually on-air 6 hours a day.
down to the playground for a variety of reasons… not all of them Gaz. Bebop’s real name is Samuel
Travis Long, a UK citizen by birth
ATTRIBUTES
trying to become a DJ in the
STR B, AGL C, INT B, EMP C
burgeoning rave scene of the
CUF: B 90s in the city. He was doing
HIT CAPACITY: 5 alright, and amassed quite a
SKILLS: Close Combat B, Command B, Driving B, Ranged Combat B, collection of vinyl. As an immi-
Persuasion B, Recon B grant, he qualified for housing
SPECIALTIES: Frontline Leader
in Big Playground and gained
a bit of a rep. He still has that
GEAR: AKM with four reloads and a Makarov with two reloads.
rep. He’s also got a newly-found belief in liberty, hence
Radio Free Europe. When he isn’t spinning music
on air, he’s got people talking about making Europe
MAU MAU free again. Free of the great powers, now crumbled,
Mau Mau was a refugee from a civil war that predated the Twilight which brought the world to its current state. He’s got
War, what he calls “a trailer for the big show.” He got the name Mau a degree in political science back home, but became
Mau because he used to make the point that his people’s fight was like enamored with the idea of underground fame. It’s
that of the Mau Mau in Kenya. He doesn’t bother anymore because hard to tell how much of his politics is real and how
everyone knows what war is like now. much is part of his show as a DJ. If the GM includes
As an immigrant, Mau Mau tends The Bunker in the same city, Bebop spins there as well.
to run a gang thick with outsiders to
ATTRIBUTES
the local area. He is calm, calculating,
STR B, AGL C, INT C, EMP A
and level-headed. He also deserted
from the local army to come back CUF: D

here and take over the West Gang, HIT CAPACITY: 4

also called the Bishops. In truth, he SKILLS: Close Combat C, Driving C, Ranged Combat C,
came back looking for his mom and Persuasion A, Recon C, Tech B
kid brother but no one knows what SPECIALTIES: Electrician
happened to them. It’s assumed they
GEAR: FN FAL with three reloads, a Walkman with SCENARIO
were killed in the battle for the city,

06
SITES
extra batteries.
which lasted only a few days.

59
06
SCENARIO
SITES
RATKOVITCH
Ratkovitch is the local repre-
sentative of the Vorovskoy Mir.
He lives in a nice apartment,
having been a local prior to
the war. Back then, he dealt
in drugs and guns. Now he’s
added medicine, information,
and alcohol to his services. He’s
also got a connection to a local
military cantonment and might,
if paid enough, turn on Big Playground for that military.
CHEF There’s a lot of resources here a military unit might want, to say
Chef only goes by the name Chef. She went to a nothing of (usually) running water and generators.
culinary institute and damn well wants people to
ATTRIBUTES
know it. But her roots are here in Big Playground.
STR C, AGL A, INT A, EMP B
She grew up here. She knows all the locals. When
the war hit, and it became clear that her dreams of CUF: A

her own Michelin Star restaurant weren’t going to HIT CAPACITY: 5

come true, she came home. Her mother was still SKILLS: Close Combat B, Driving B, Ranged Combat B, Persuasion A,
here, having lived through the war. Recon A, Survival B
Chef spent some time being sad as anyone else SPECIALTIES: Interrogator, Trader
would after the collapse of civilization, but then saw
GEAR: VZ 61 with three reloads, 2,000 bullets (stashed).
it as an opportunity. She got some local boys to take
hammers to the walls of one quarter floor of Big
Playground and opened a restaurant. It’s got no star
rating, but the food is world class… given the ingre- GANGER
dients available. A typical ganger of either side. They take orders. The shoot when told.
Chef runs the garden as well, or anyway has a They sell what people want and need. They give back to the commu-
stake in it. Fresh produce is a must. Meat is harder to nity in exchange for protection. Oddly, the relationship between the
source though she has black market connections. She gangs and the citizens is healthier than the majority of such circum-
prides herself on her meals and tries to maintain pre- stances seen in post-war Europe.
sentation while plating, no easy feat in these times.
ATTRIBUTES
In a way, Chef is living the dream she had before
STR C, AGL B, INT C, EMP D
the war which isn’t something most people can say.
The community loves her. Her staff fears her, as any CUF: C

good kitchen should. She is a fixture of her commu- HIT CAPACITY: 5

nity and wants nothing to interfere with them. Her SKILLS: Close Combat C, Driving C, Ranged Combat C, Recon C
restaurant “The Market,” is neutral ground between SPECIALTIES: None
the two gangs. You don’t down anybody in her place.
GEAR: AK-74 with two reloads or a PM with three reloads.
ATTRIBUTES
STR C, AGL A, INT A, EMP B

CUF: C

HIT CAPACITY: 5 EVENTS

SKILLS: Close Combat C, Driving C, Ranged Combat C, Below you can find a number of specific, potential events that can occur
Persuasion B, Recon D, Survival A at Big Playground. Some of them are related to the Countdown, others
SPECIALTIES: Cook
are independent from it. These events are all optional, to be used or not
used depending on the PCs’ actions. Choose or roll a D8:
GEAR: PSM with two reloads, knife.
1. A man chases a dog across Big Playground, screaming at it. He
asks the characters to catch the dog. If they do, he’s in their
debt as the dog ran off with some packaged meat he just
bought for his family. If the PCs help, the man is grateful, but
the dog has an owner that wanted that food. They belong to
separate gangs.

60
2. A woman screams at two gangers (from either side), dressing these days. If the PCs do nothing, a few gang-
them down over recruiting her son into their “filthy hoodlum ers come down to get the disk, arguing about
group.” One of the gangers has had enough and punches her. how it could have broken on the way down.
She’s no match for him and the other just stands there and That gang now keeps an eye on the PCs.
laughs. If the PCs don’t intervene, she’s hurt badly. If they do, 6. A kid runs from a group of bullies. They chase him
they’ve made enemies of the gang to which the pair belong. If and corner him. Their taunts are mean, but the
they don’t interfere, the gang thinks they’re weak and tries to rocks they throw are meaner. Then they pile on
shake them down later. and give him a beating unless the PCs intervene.
3. The PCs see a middle-aged man trying to sell some papers to The thing is, one of the bullies is the scion of a
one of the gangs in the market. They can make out enough high-ranking ganger who might not take kindly
of the conversation to discern that the papers were found to outsiders interfering with his child’s “fun.”
on what the man says is, “A wounded spy he has in his 7. An American soldier is put up against an old
apartment.” The man asks if Mau Mau would be interested flagpole in the center of Big Playground. People
in meeting the man… for a price. He further says the man has bind him to it. It’s clear an execution is about to
valuable information about an upcoming “operation.” The take place unless the PCs intervene. The crime
PCs are free to ignore this, but it could tie into plots such as isn’t specified, he’s just seen as the enemy, and
Operation Reset or The Last Offensive. they believe he was part of a war crime during
4. The PCs witness a group of gangers arguing. The argument the war. If the PCs stand by, he’s shot and the
results in a shoot-out. People dive for cover, but bystanders crowd cheers. If they don’t, they’ve disre-
are hit. The gangs have no regard for the people trying to flee spected the gang members, starting a fight.
the hail of bullets. If the PCs don’t intervene, many are killed 8. A man passes out leaflets for The Church (page
and injured. If they do, they’ve made enemies. 62), trying to get people to come back to the
5. At night, a man is pushed from the roof of one of the blocks. faith. He’s hassled by locals who ask where God
He lands right in front of the PCs. Above, the PCs hear shout- was when the bombs were falling. The man
ing from whoever pushed the man. The man is dead, but he insists God is present everywhere and claims
clutches something in his fist – a disk. An odd thing to find he has proof back at the church.

SCENARIO

06
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61
06
SCENARIO
SITES
THE CHURCH RUMORS
✓ A bishop offers absolution for any
soldiers willing to lay down arms and
In the face of civilization’s collapse, the church took blame work for the betterment of humanity.
for failing man while others sought explanation within ✓ The church sits above old catacombs
its walls. It stands today, relatively intact, as a connec- which house treasure. Some say it’s
tion to the deep past and, perhaps, hope for the future. gold, other’s say the church secreted
But not everyone sees hope here. Some see an obstacle. away fuel down there before it was all
used up.
OVERVIEW ✓ Anyone seeking refuge can find it, no
At the end of the streets stands a Gothic-style church. Its questions asked, at the church.
stained-glass windows catch the morning light in a way ✓ The church welcomes all faiths. If
that is, momentarily, awe-inspiring. On closer inspection, you need a meal, or any kind of help,
some of the stained glass is held in or replaced by epoxy, they’ll do their best.
a dark, cancerous growth crawling over the two-dimen- ✓ A fiery priest grows in popularity at
sional saints. the church, but what is his message?
✓ The church hides a holy artifact
of great value and has done so for
centuries.
THE SITUATION ✓ A priest at the church is actually a war
The church is a place of hope and anger. Citizens seem to criminal and has a high bounty on his
flock here for answers while at the same time blaming head by both the CIA and DIA.
God for failing to protect them. Some believe the war
was God’s punishment. Many other denominations have
been absorbed since the war, other churches not having
survived. All are welcome. This is not a time to be choosy,
but the church is Catholic by origin.
However, peoples’ faith is strained. Bishop Velky, who COUNTDOWN
runs the church, tries to rally his flock. Unbeknownst to him, 1. Bishop Velky invites the PCs to visit the church. He gives them
neither of his priests are honest. One is O’Neil, an American a tour and appeals to them for help with his growing problems.
running from his past. The other is Caron, a member of 2. The PCs see Father Caron talking with a stranger. The stranger
The Shepherd’s Flock, a group of religious zealots bent seems to boss Caron around. Caron refuses to talk about it.
on a return to medieval life and faith (see page 62 of the The stranger is a messenger from Adelbert (The Shepherd’s
Referee’s Manual) trying to infiltrate and cause division. Flock) who just told Caron to kill Bishop Velky.
On top of all this, the Spear of Destiny (see Plots, 3. Father O’Neill tries to get to know the PCs if he has not otherwise
page 42), hides in the catacombs below the church. A done so. He’s feeling them out. He needs someone he can trust
woman named Magdalena brought it here trying to hide to take care of Magdalena and the Spear. O’Neill is convinced it
it. Perhaps it is the answer to Bishop Velky’s prayers, for must be returned to the place of Charlemagne’s coronation. If he
what could restore faith better than a true Holy Artifact? trusts the PCs, he explains the situation, possibly revealing who
is he really is. He has the means to pay them if so required.
ARRIVAL 4. Caron attempts to poison Velky. While it cannot be directly
Everyone is welcome at the church, but no obvious weap- died to him, Velky accuses him of doing so. This causes a rift in
ons are allowed. The PCs aren’t searched, though. Inside the church. Parishioners must choose a side. The PCs must as
is a high-roofed ceiling painted with fading frescoes. The well if they want support from either side.
stained glass was blown out in some parts and covered 5. Caron begins to preach more extremist views. About half the
with epoxy in others, creating a kind of black, melted congregation listens to him. A few days later, a small armed
look to the saints—as if they have cancerous growths mob shows up outside to support Caron. People get hurt if
growing on them. the PCs do not intervene.
Regardless of one’s beliefs, Bishop Velky gives mass 6. Velky formally asks the PCs to serve as protection for the church.
and salvation, if one follows Catholic procedures while If they refuse, the next mob causes a great deal more damage.
inside the Church. No one guards the church, which may 7. A team from The Shepherd’s Flock attacks the church at night.
seem odd to soldiers. However, that situation may soon Without the intervention of the PCs, they take Magdalena
change. and the Spear.

62
 BAPTISTERY NARTHEX

CLASSROOM
CRYING ROOM

BATHROOMS BATHROOMS

NAVE

ATRIUM

VESTING SACRISTY
SANCTUARY
WORKING SACRISTY

CATACOMBS
ENTRANCE
06
SCENARIO
SITES
LOCATIONS WORKING SACRISTY
Nothing of value is left here. The rubble exposes the church to the out-
NARTHEX side, but it is so dense one would have to crawl through the small gaps
This antechamber sports a high ceiling, a bowl of holy to get inside.
water, and checkered tile. Two large stained-glass win-
dows on either side depict the execution of John the CLASSROOM
Baptist and the resurrection of Lazarus. Two members of This is a former Catholic school. The church intends to reopen it, but it’s
the church ask anyone with weapons to leave. However, closed for now. Magdalena lives here under the protection of Father
they themselves are not armed. O’Neill. He doesn’t know where else to put her, and no one comes to
loot an old school, so he believes she’s safe for the time being.
NAVE
The main chamber of the church is where services are held. BATHROOMS
Once gilded, the altar was stripped by looters. However, These bathrooms no longer work, but a chemical toilet for Magdalena
a candelabra and other ceremonial objects of gold and is in one. O’Neill brings her water as needed.
silver sit atop the fashioned wood. Behind that, some
four meters high, is a giant crucifix with Christ’s body ATRIUM
hanging from nails in his hands and feet. The figure has A pleasant place even still. The light falls in during midday. One can
the usual crown of thorns. The enamel paint has chipped almost imagine students sitting out here once, enjoying the air and peace.
and bubbled in places over the years. It is a melancholy
idol, full of redemption and the weight of the world. CATACOMBS
The church can seat at least 500 people, though it is The original structure was built over catacombs dating back at least to the
not always full. The pews sit in neat ranks from the back 1300s if not further. A few in the know claim Caron is here to find a holy
of the church all the way to the altar, A mixed collection artifact below, but most do not take that seriously. Some say saints are
of Bibles line the backs of the pews. The donation plates buried down here. Others claim Romans and even the remains of early
are passed during services. Midnight Mass, especially, pagan kings who converted to Christianity can be found in the winding
draws a large crowd such that it is standing room only. tunnels. Under the rubble in the Sanctuary is a trap door leading to the
Candles are lit everywhere at night or on overcast days. catacombs. The Spear of Destiny is hidden down here.

BAPTISTERY
This domed chamber contains the pool used for baptisms.
Paintings on the wall and the dome date to the early NPCS
16th Century. The church claims one of the paintings is A strange coterie of people float around the church, including clergy,
by noted 16th Century artist Hans Dürer. zealots, and criminals-in-hiding. Below are some of the more stand-
out characters PCs might encounter.
CRYING ROOM
A place for mothers to take crying babies during service,
this room is almost soundproof. Comfortable chairs and “BISHOP” VELKY
a table afford mothers a rest. The church stores rations While Velky claims promotion by the Holy See in the final days the
on shelves in this chamber. church had contact with it, he never actually got the nod. It was com-
ing, probably, but he didn’t receive word. Thus, the title bishop is not
VESTING SACRISTY official. That matters little to his congregation or the priests. No one
This chamber holds the furnishings and vestments of knows if anyone still lives in Rome, anyway. Velky has been the leader of
the church. The priests dress (or vest) here before cer- the community’s spiritual life since before the
emonies. Nothing here is particularly valuable, though war. He continues in that role.
it’s all kept clean and polished. The church’s records are Aside from the white lie
also here in a series of wooden dressers. Some go back of claiming the official pro-
all the way to the 1400s, though they are not complete. motion, Velky is a very hon-
Father O’Neill also uses this as his quarters for now. est man. He is close to God
though he is not always sure
SANCTUARY God is still close to man. For-
The sanctuary is one of the areas hit by shelling during giveness is what humanity
the war. The church fixed the roof, but rubble still occu- needs. The species wasted
pies part of the room. The entrance to the catacombs what was given by the Lord
hides under some rubble. then burned it all in shame.
Still, Velky remains faithful…

64
or had, until the rise of Father Caron. Caron’s fire and FATHER O’NEILL
brimstone preaching, violent oratories, and prejudice is O’Neill is an American, but he is no priest. He
not Godly in Velky’s eyes. Yet Caron is popular and Velky adopted the identity of a dead chaplain because
cannot simply dismiss him. He does not know what to do. he’s a war criminal. His crimes were accidental
Velky is over sixty with near-white hair and a small but resulted in many deaths for which he was
belly. When not in service, Velky dresses in plain white convicted. His crime was treason. After having
vestments. been captured, he sold out his unit to save his
own skin. However, during the chaos of the war
ATTRIBUTES
he escaped and reinvented himself. Now, he
STR C, AGL C, INT B, EMP B
begs God’s forgiveness for his crimes. He drinks
HIT CAPACITY: 6 at night, sometimes during the day, trying to
CUF: D keep those demons at bay. O’Neill, or Ellis as
SKILLS: Command B, Persuasion A he was before, wants to know if redemption
SPECIALTIES: Psy-Ops
is possible. Velky doesn’t know the particulars
of his history, but he does suspect the man
GEAR: Vestments
runs from a hideous past.
He grew up a strict Catholic, so he can
pass as a priest to many. But he’s sincere in
FATHER CARON helping Magdalena. He’s determined to give his life for her, if
Younger than Velky and more charismatic, Caron is necessary. It’s the only way he can right his past, in his mind.
actually a member of The Shepherd’s Flock, reporting
ATTRIBUTES
directly to them. He is, plainly, a plant, a mole. He’s a
STR B, AGL B, INT C, EMP D
virus injected into the faith of the city to twist believ-
ers into looking for vengeance and a return to a feu- HIT CAPACITY: 6

dal church rather than any modern sense of divinity. CUF: A

He was sent to this church to assess the faithful in SKILLS: Close Combat B, Driving C, Ranged Combat A,
the area for possible conversion. However, he’s stum- Recon B
bled upon the prize his superiors seek – the Spear. He SPECIALTIES: Killer
isn’t aware it’s right under his nose, but when he finds
GEAR: None
out, he’ll do whatever it takes to claim it.
Caron has dark hair and eyes which glint with
a near-mad zealotry. He wears the black apparel of
a priest. MAGDALENA MADEJA
A devout Catholic from a small town in Northern
ATTRIBUTES
Poland, Magdalena grew up in rural conditions
STR C, AGL C, INT B, EMP A
with her parents. At the age of ten, she claims
HIT CAPACITY: 6 to have had a vision of the Spear of Destiny.
CUF: C Since that vision, she felt it was something she
SKILLS: Close Combat C, Driving C, Ranged Combat C, had to see in person. So, when she was twenty,
Persuasion B, Recon B she went to Vienna to view the artifact. By the
SPECIALTIES: Killer
time she got there, it had been moved and
the war soon broke out. She returned home
GEAR: A PM with two reloads (hidden) not on him.
to find the Soviets occupying it. Her father
warned her away and Magdalena obeyed. She
tried to get out of the country, but there was
nowhere safe to go.
About a year later, she was a refugee in
Krakow when she saw a man killed in front of
her, shot by two other men. He bled out as she
watched and, as the two killers approached,
she wanted to flee but he held the package before her. Inside was the
Holy Spear. The two murderers were in turn shot by American sol-
diers, who told her to get out of the way. She believes sincerely that
SCENARIO
this was divine intervention and she was born to protect the Spear.

06
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65
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SCENARIO
SITES
Her entire purpose was revealed to her that day, and she’s wandered 1. A US soldier comes looking for O’Neill/Ellis. He
since, keeping the Spear safe with no real idea what to do with it. wants him dead as some of his troops were killed
Only Father O’Neil knows her secret and shelters her in the church. in O’Neil’s crime. He turns to the PCs for help.
If Caron finds out, he seizes the Spear and gives it to the Shepherd’s 2. Flagellants show up, whipping themselves
Flock. If Velky finds out, he ultimately decides it must be taken to and crying out in pain. It’s quite medieval, and
Rome, under guard. Perhaps the PCs would make this pilgrimage? Bishop Velky wants them removed as they
Magdalena is about 20 years old with brown hair and eyes. She begin to agitate, and even convert some of his
wears no make-up and looks away shyly when others meet her eyes. members to brutal ritual. He asks the PCs to
She wears a cross around her neck, given to her by her father. remove them “without much violence.”
3. The PCs see someone sneak into the church at
ATTRIBUTES
night. It’s a kid, there to steal food. However,
STR C, AGL C, INT C, EMP B
while he’s snooping around, he might find the
HIT CAPACITY: 4 Spear in the catacombs.
CUF: C 4. Local forces or marauders demand the church
SKILLS: Close Combat D, Driving B, Ranged Combat C turn over the rations they store due to a
SPECIALTIES: None
shortage. Bishop Velky asks the PCs to help
negotiate an agreement. If they refuse, the city
GEAR: The Spear of Destiny (currently hidden in the catacombs).
sends armed “officials” to seize the food.
5. A fire breaks out at the church. If the PCs don’t
help rescue people inside, some die. The fire
may have been the result of arson, set by a
EVENTS woman who lost her entire family in the war
Between the Spear, Caron’s treachery, and O’Neil’s real identity, a lot is and now blames God and the church.
going on. Below you can find several specific, potential events that can 6. A local gang shows up at night and demands
occur at this scenario site. Some of them are related to the Countdown, everything of value in the church. If the PCs aren’t
others are independent from it. These events are all optional, to be used there to stop it, they get everything except the
or not used depending on the PCs’ actions. Choose or roll: Spear, which they do not find in the catacombs.

THE POWER PLANT

Once again, we live in a world lit only by fire. Gone are the electric lights THE SITUATION
of old. Gone are powered devices. Gone is the electric hum of the city… The nuclear power plant is one of the few, perhaps the
until now. For some streets have light. Power runs through wall sockets only, still working in Europe. Currently members of The
once again. And all of this comes from a nuclear power plant repaired Sanctuary (a utopian rebuilding movement, see page 63
and run by The Sanctuary. But where there is power, of any kind, there in the Referee’s Manual) are in charge. They came to the
are those who would take it as their own. plant about a year ago and began to repair it. It should
This scenario site links directly to the Power Play plot in Chapter 5. be noted the plant never melted down. It was damaged
While you can use it without said plot, it’s intended for use in conjunc- during the war, but the operators shut it down safely. It
tion with that plot and the elements found on page 43. was eventually abandoned until The Sanctuary came.
Two women (Veronika and Masha) run the plant.
OVERVIEW Veronika is in command. The pair were lovers but had a
Beyond a perimeter fence topped with razor wire lies a nuclear power falling out. The Chief, a former police officer, runs security.
plant. The domed concrete containment building’s silhouette is unmis- All three, as well as everyone else working in the plant,
takable. Many such plants dot war-ravaged Europe but this one? This are members of The Sanctuary. Currently, they believe
one is lit with electricity. Through binoculars, you spy a couple of a saboteur thwarts their plans, but they have yet to find
guards walking the perimeter and more activity inside. It certainly the culprit. Due to the high stress environment of a short-
looks like this place is functional. Electricity? After all this time? You staffed nuclear power plant (also beset by marauders,
must be dreaming. see below) everyone is on edge.

66
 The power plant now provides electricity to a nearby city of your 5. Marauders on horseback show up outside
choice. This seems like a great thing, but there are marauders who don’t the fence and demand the plant and its crew
want the city powered. To prey on people, they prefer darkness. The surrender in one day. Veronika refuses.
marauders in question can be members of The Shepherd’s Flock (see 6. That night, and not the following day, the
Referee’s Manual page 62) or another group if you prefer. A city with marauders attack in force. If the PCs aren’t
power has independence and is less likely to subscribe to their medieval there to help repel them, they take the plant
theology, after all. The saboteur is actually Ewa, a young, friendly girl and keep those useful as hostages.
just trying to survive. The Shepherd’s Flock promised her a better life if
she would disrupt operations here.

ARRIVAL LOCATIONS
A perimeter fence stops people from having easy access to the plant.
The Sanctuary posts guards at the entrances and also patrols the AUXILIARY BUILDING
entirety of the fence. No one is allowed inside before being inter- This building holds the offices, showers, cafeteria, and
viewed. The plant needs people, but they must determine their other practical employee needs of the facility. Parts of this
intentions before allowing them entry. Weapons are either confis- building were converted to living quarters for the staff.
cated or left off premises unless those coming inside are vetted as Weapons are stored here, though the facility only has
well-intentioned military/law enforcement types who can help shore about seven guards of any use, not including the Chief.
up the plant’s defenses.
CONTAINMENT BUILDING
COUNTDOWN The containment building is a dome-shaped building.
1. Veronika offers the PCs a very good deal to help guard the It’s made of reinforced concrete three meters thick. The
plant for the next few weeks. nuclear reaction takes place inside this building. A melt-
2. One of the turbines fail. Again, Veronika suspects sabotage. down is the greatest fear of a plant, and that could hap-
This time, she asks the PCs to investigate around the complex pen here if everything goes wrong.
and find the saboteur. This building is normally safe from radiation. In the
3. Veronika and Masha get in a fight over the wisdom of keeping event of a meltdown, the building becomes a hotspot
the plant running until the saboteur is caught. Veronika asks with strong or even extreme radiation (1 rad per stretch
the PCs to keep an eye on Masha. / round, see page 80 in the Player’s Manual). Eventually,
4. Marauders attempt to infiltrate the plant through the perim- the entire surrounding area may become irradiated.
eter fence at night. If the PCs do not stop them, they inflict
great damage on the turbine building and kill several staff. FUEL AREA
The fuel rods for the reactor are stored here. Each fuel rod
is about 5 meters long and 23 cm thick. The fuel pellets
themselves (enriched uranium or plutonium) are inside
the rods themselves. Spent rods must be processed before
RUMORS being disposed of.
This area remains a hotspot with strong radiation
✓ A functional nuclear power plant exists (1 rad per stretch, see page 80 in the Player’s Manual).
but is in the hands of a Soviet unit.
✓ A nuclear scientist who knows about DIESEL GENERATORS
Operation Reset works at a newly- These are back-up generators used in case the nuclear
restored nuclear power plant. reactor fails. These pumps keep water pumping, and
✓ The nuclear power plant claims to the electricity on, so the plant itself does not melt down.
dispose of waste safely, but it’s This area is radiation-free.
actually poisoning people in the area.
✓ The Sanctuary needs people with TURBINE BUILDING
combat experience to guard a valuable Inside this building are large turbines powered by steam
installation. produced in the nuclear reaction. The steam turns the
✓ A pair of sisters (false) took control turbines which then power the electrical generator. The
of the nuclear power plant and have a generator creates an AC current dispersed through what’s
vision for a new Poland. left of the grid in the city. The plant still controls which
✓ A spy is said to have infiltrated the parts of the grid (what city blocks) get power.
SCENARIO
plant before the war and left something This area is radiation-free.

06
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important behind.

67
PERIMETER
FENCE

CONTAINMENT
BUILDING

AUXILIARY
BUILDING

TURBINE
BUILDING
 WATER
PUMPS
FUEL
AREA

RADIATION WASTE
BUILDING

DIESEL
GENERATORS
06
SCENARIO
SITES
RADIATION WASTE BUILDING how most civilized societies
The byproduct of the nuclear reaction produces a lot of worked and contributed to
waste which is stored here. Normally, this was done until her desire to start over here.
said waste could be properly disposed of. That’s much Her own distrust of tradi-
harder in the post-war world. The Sanctuary works on tional leaders manifests in
better ways to dispose of the waste. Right now, they bury a low-grade paranoia.
it where they can, usually in areas already contaminated. Veronika has short, dark
This is a hotspot with strong radiation (1 rad per hair and eyes and the lean
stretch). body mass of most people
who subsist on far less food
WATER PUMPHOUSE than before.
The facility requires a tremendous amount of water. That
ATTRIBUTES
water is pumped through this building from a local river.
STR C, AGL C, INT A, EMP B
The water cools the reaction in one part of the facility
while it boils to create steam elsewhere. The water used HIT CAPACITY: 5

in the boiling process is always highly radioactive and CUF: D

kept separate from the rest of the water pumped here. SKILLS: Close Combat D, Command B, Persuasion B, Ranged Combat
This area is not radioactive. However, the water used C, Recon C, Tech A
during the fission counts as a hotspot of extreme radiation SPECIALTIES: Electrician, Scientists
(1 rad per round) should anyone come into contact with it.
GEAR: Electronics toolkit.

PERIMETER FENCE
The few guards here patrol the inside of the fence. The
Chief is in charge. The fence itself is electrified and topped EWA
with razor wire. However, due to the saboteur (Ewa, to Ewa is 12-years-old girl and one of the scavengers who finds parts
the right), the electricity may not flow through the fence for the plant. Being 12, she’s also not apt to follow strict guide-
during an attack. Besides the fence, the Chief has done lines as outlined by some of the adults and actually ventures
his best to establish a few sandbag positions (one with secretly into the nearby city from time-to-time. It was there the
an 82mm mortar) around the plant, but none are in the marauders found her. They offered Ewa money to sabotage the
best defensive positions. He needs experienced military plant. She agreed.
personnel to help, even though his ego won’t let him ask. Ewa has crooked teeth which in a better time would have received
braces, and pale blond hair. She isn’t a bad kid, but she believes the
marauders will come out on top and she intends to survive. However,
she could be convinced otherwise.
NPCS
ATTRIBUTES
The Sanctuary claimed this site for the “betterment of
STR C, AGL B, INT B, EMP C
humanity,” but they don’t have enough people to run
the station alone. Everyone currently inside the plant is HIT CAPACITY: 4

a member of The Sanctuary, giving PCs a good introduc- CUF: C

tion to that faction. What this Sanctuary facility currently SKILLS: Close Combat D, Recon B, Survival B, Tech C
lacks, however, is highly trained guards. That’s where the SPECIALTIES: Scrounger, Scout
PCs logically come in.
GEAR: Hidden tools to sabotage the plant.

VERONIKA GRABOWSKA
Veronika is the current leader of the nuclear power plant
and a member of The Sanctuary. About 40 years of age,
she led some of Warsaw’s citizens out of the ruins. It
was then she met members of The Sanctuary who, rec-
ognizing her as a leader, brought her aboard. Veronika
was an engineer prior to the war and still thinks in those
terms. Many of the innovations and jury-rigged devices
here are her handiwork. However, she also sees society
in mechanistic terms. She previously worked for the
city and found it corrupt. That informed her views on

70
THE CHIEF ATTRIBUTES
STR C, AGL B, INT B, EMP C
The head of security is the former chief of police of a
smaller city nearby. He was here on official business HIT CAPACITY: 5

when the bombs came. His town was utterly destroyed. CUF: C
The Chief, Manfred, stayed on here and took brief SKILLS: Close Combat C, Command C, Persuasion C, Ranged
control of the plant and its security (if they still exist) Combat C, Recon C, Tech B
before the workers shut it down. He met Veronika on SPECIALTIES: Electrician
his way north with other members of The Sanctuary.
GEAR: PM-84 with four reloads, tools.
The two struck a deal where he would join her to run
security. He does so very well and is in love with Ve-
ronika. She does not reciprocate.
The Chief is about 50 years of age with nearly shaved SANCTUARY GUARDS
graying hair. He stands taller than most and wears a While members of The Sanctuary are idealistic and bold, they aren’t
well-mended uniform from his former position. He lost generally trained for combat. These guards are a mix of civilians and
a family when his town died but rarely speaks of them. former military, but none have much genuine combat experience.
The PCs could whip them into shape given enough time and training.
ATTRIBUTES
STR B, AGL B, INT C, EMP B ATTRIBUTES

HIT CAPACITY: 5 STR C, AGL B, INT B, EMP C

CUF: B HIT CAPACITY: 4

SKILLS: Close Combat A, Command B, Persuasion B, CUF: C

Ranged Combat A, Recon B SKILLS: Close Combat C, Ranged Combat C, Recon C

SPECIALTIES: Investigator, Interrogator SPECIALTIES: None

GEAR: FN-FAL with 3 reloads, P-83 with two reloads, GEAR: AKM with two reloads or a PM pistol.
handcuffs.

MASHA SYMAŃSKA EVENTS

Masha and Veronika were friends at school and later A nuclear power plant attracts a lot of attention. It also requires a large
loves. It was Masha who vouched for Veronika when staff who aren’t all professionals. Problems arise more than anyone likes.
The Sanctuary found her. Masha was a founding mem- Below you can find several specific, potential events that can occur at
ber in Poland and, while she still has deep feelings for this scenario site. Some of them are related to the Countdown, others
Veronika, she riles at her former lover being put in are independent from it. These events are all optional, to be used or not
charge of her despite seniority. used depending on the PCs’ actions. Choose or roll a D8:
The more they are together, the more tumultuous 1. A group of zealots (maybe from The Shepherd’s Flock)
their relationship becomes. Masha believes that Veron- arrives outside the plant chanting and decrying “the energy
ika returns the Chief’s feelings and her heart breaks at that destroyed the world.” They camp out unless forcibly
this. Coupled with her jealousy over leadership, she’s removed. They aren’t armed… this time. The PCs are asked to
starting to doubt the peace and prosperity message of remove them.
The Sanctuary applies to the world anymore. 2. The Chief orders the PCs to patrol alone, outside the perim-
SCENARIO
Masha has long, dark eyes hair and stands about eter. If the PCs question the wisdom of this, they make him

06
SITES
five foot five. angry, resenting their expertise even though they are right.

71
06
SCENARIO
SITES

3. The plant suffers an emergency shutdown. A full meltdown 6. Tensions inside the plant hit maximum levels.
could occur, and people panic. It turns out it’s a systems glitch Veronika needs help keeping people aboard
and the plant is not in danger. No meltdown happens, but this project. She turns to the PCs to back her as
people are on edge after. she gives a rousing speech.
4. Ewa asks the PCs to accompany her on a scavenging run to 7. A staff member gets radiation sickness. The
nearby ruins. While there, they encounter marauders. Did saboteur is suspected as the area was function-
Ewa lead them into a trap? ing until yesterday. The PCs may provide med-
5. A potential meltdown requires the PCs to complete danger- ical assistance and are again urged to find the
ous repairs in the containment building, which is now an area saboteur before they do something irreparable.
of strong radiation (1 rad per stretch). A series of TECH rolls 8. A full-on meltdown occurs. The PCs must help
with a –1 modifier are required to fix the problem, each taking evacuate all personnel. However, some people
a stretch of time to complete (the Mechanic specialty gives must stay behind to contain the meltdown lest
a +1 modifier). Veronika is ready to go in herself, but Masha it irradiate the nearest city. This requires a total
won’t let her. She wants the PCs to do it. Each roll can be done of ten successful TECH rolls in the containment
by a different person. When three rolls have succeeded, the building, now flooded with extreme radiation
meltdown is averted. If three rolls fail, a full meltdown is (1 rad per round). Each roll takes one round
triggered (see event #8). to complete. Are the PCs willing to make that
sacrifice? If not, is anyone?

72
THE BUNKER
RUMORS
✓ Some crazy fool has a real live tiger on
display at a club.
✓ You can find mercs, killers, almost-
doctors, former media figures, and
Even in the war-torn world of Twilight: 2000, people anyone else at a place called The Bunker.
gather to drink, dance, and party under strobing lights. ✓ A former war criminal runs a bar around
The Bunker is a club. A lot like the ones you used to know. here somewhere. There was a bounty on
A lot different, too. his head before war’s end.
✓ The greatest ballet dancer in Europe now
OVERVIEW dances at a club in the city.
The thumping is too regular to be explosions, all of it com- ✓ A warehouse in the city survived bombing
ing from this big warehouse in the middle of a blasted because it was run by a coven of witches
field—the lone survivor of intense bombing. It takes a who asked the triple-goddess for
second to realize the sound is bass. The place plays music. protection. Everything around it got
People loiter outside like they might be at a club from flattened so… maybe it’s not so crazy?
before the war. It even has lights. The music sounds like
someone taking apart an Abrams backed to techno, but
this really seems to be a nightclub.

their own visions. Guards are posted throughout in plain clothes. But
THE SITUATION the first thing everyone notices after the music is the giant tiger in the
The Bunker sits as a lone, boxy sentinel on a field of debris cage. The place is famous for it.
where bombs found their targets. The setting is much
like the situation, with the club serving as a kind of “no COUNTDOWN
man’s land” where one checks their allegiances at the All good things must come to an end, and clubs had a short shelf-life
door. That’s the theory anyway. before the war. The Bunker avoided all the bombs that ended the area
Most people are here to have fun, to hook up, to drink, around it. It’s on borrowed time. However, this could also be a regular
and generally forget the horrors outside the walls. Of spot for the PCs if they play things right. The following countdown
course, the world is a far more dangerous place than it needn’t end the club. It could simply change ownership.
was, and armed club-goers drunk on bathtub hooch and 1. Geddy the Pimp gets into an argument with someone at the
crank sometimes produce… incidents. But for a city in club. He cleans the floor with him. Later, the victim approaches
perpetual PTSD, this is a lot of people’s idea of “escape.” the PCs and asks them to take Geddy out for him off premises.
It’s run by a war criminal from the Balkans named If they do, they make an enemy of the Vorovskoy Mir.
Zjelko. He’s vying with the Vorovskoy Mir (page 36) who 2. Zjelko meets with some other rough-looking types inside
want his territory and the Bunker. But the Red Mafiya is the Bunker. Words are exchanged, most of them unpleasant.
stretched pretty thin, and they’d like to take the Bunker Afterward, he asks the PCs if they want a job working security.
with as few casualties as possible. Among the locals 3. Else Schneider watches the PCs for a few days. Once she
involved in the power struggle are Pierce, an American decides they are competent, she tells them that the Red
deserter, Geddy the Pimp, a psychopathic member of Mafiya intends to take the club over. She doesn’t want that,
the Red Mafiya, and a former Stasi agent named Else though she won’t explain why. She’s willing to pay them to hit
Schneider. Watching it all is a lovelorn ex-boxer who just a Red Mafiya safehouse elsewhere in town from where they
wants to be reunited with the woman he lost during the plan their operation.
war. The PCs have the power to decide who wins this turf 4. As Zjelko and his guards leave the club, they’re ambushed by
war in the end. Along the way, they might even have a Red Mafiya soldiers. If the PCs agreed to guard Zjelko, they’re
little time to relax and gain valuable intel. in on the fight. If not, well, the bullets have no particular
names on them and one of the PCs might be hit.
ARRIVAL 5. Lonnie was the one who sold out Zjelko’s exit to the Red
All are welcome at The Bunker, but none are trusted. Mafiya. Lonnie ran off after, but Zjelko wants him found (by
Everyone is searched at the door (you get your weapons the PCs) and brought back for interrogation.
back when you leave). The pounding bass hits the PCs on 6. Either via Lonnie (or another source if he winds up dead),
the way in. The interior is lit with old neon and a cheap Zjelko discovers the Red Mafiya plans to assault the club in
SCENARIO
club lasers. It’s an industrial club in the middle of the end force. They’ve had enough. He wants the PCs’ help defending

06
SITES
times—probably how earlier club designers idealized it. A huge fight it about to explode. Winner takes all.

73
 SIDE BAR

CAGE

MAIN BAR

DANCE FLOOR

BASEMENT
ENTRANCE

SIDE BAR
DJ
BOOTH

OFFICE

GALLERY

SEWER
ACCESS
 SIDE BARS
Little bar carts, really, these are found on the other floors at various
LOCATIONS intervals and rarely in the same place. Waitresses wander the premises
There is one level above ground and one below. There’s with test tubes filled with… something potent (the actual contents vary).
enough space that The Bunker never feels too crowded
(except on rare occasions) and cliques stake out their own DJ BOOTH
territory. Pimps, dealers, politicians, VIPs, and regular folk A large American named Lonnie (page 77) is the main DJ for the club.
mix and mingle under old, repurposed film stage lights, He sits behind his DJ booth, reads the crowd, and reflects their mood in
a single laser someone managed to salvage, and a lot of the music. He’s wired into the throngs of flesh as if he were implanted.
candles. Looking at the place, it’s entirely possible that, if When a crescendo of music hits, he’s the one surfing the tip of the wave.
they survived the war, Nine Inch Nails or Ministry would Two guards flank the booth regardless of who is spinning, but they do take
have shot a video here. requests. That said, if you request something stupid, they’ll let you know.

MAIN BAR DANCE FLOOR

A long bar scavenged from another cub in the city sits The dance floor has a literal target painted on it. It’s a refutation of the
along the north wall of the first floor. An array of bot- bombs that missed this warehouse and of the war in general. A big mid-
tles gleam from a backlit display, but one can never dle finger to the world that fell apart around The Bunker. People dance
say what alcohol might be on hand. The Bunker gets here and they dance all night. They mosh, they freak out like galvanic
its beer from an actual monastery whose monks have frog legs, they have fun. It is an outlet in a world very much in need of
lived pretty much in the Middle Ages for five centuries. one. The crowd shudders with eddies of various mixes of drugs and
So, there’s always beer to be had, and good beer at that. booze and, sometimes, just pure joy. There are worse places to be in
The bartenders are friendly, connected, and bet- current Europe, much, much worse.
ter-looking than you. Zjelko hires them that way. This is Tables ring the edge of the floor with some booths in corners as well
SCENARIO
a prime gig for any young person in the city. You better as on upper levels. If you need a break, there might be somewhere to

06
SITES
tip, too, because you won’t be coming back if you don’t. sit. Depends on the night, the crowd, and the music.

75
06
SCENARIO
SITES
THE BASEMENT
This is where people hid during the bombing of the city back in 1997.
The story goes that someone had a boombox with them, and they spent
the night dancing while all around them the city lit up like a magnesium
flare. That might be exaggerated, but The Bunker is in the industrial
district and remains one of the few buildings standing.
Down here, different music plays than above. It’s more ambient and
not as loud, though it is weird. This is definitely the VIP area and has a
door leading to the office. You get down here, you matter. You’re some-
one. You can see various gangsters, pols, and players posturing in the
booths here (no two the same), and you might fit in with them if you
have talent, moral flexibility, or access to antibiotics.
Dancing down here is less frenetic than above, a bit more of a chill ZJELKO
crowd. Zjelko claims to have been a Red Army paratrooper,
but that’s dubious. When the war started, he engaged
THE OFFICE in what can charitably be called “ethnic cleansing” in
Zjelko runs the club, and his black market connections, from here. He’s some other part of Europe. However, when he got to
a force in the city, and something of legend. His office looks like some- this city, with the remainder of his unit, he freed a por-
thing a tin-pot dictator might have cooked up, with NATO small arms tion of it from some even worse people. He became
along the back wall, various captured flags hanging from behind the a local hero.
desk, and a bust that looks like one which was last seen in The Louvre on He also became a local gangster and immediately
the desk. Zjelko, if he’s here, is never here without at least four guards. plugged into the existing criminal network here. But
There’s a secret door which leads to the sewers and an escape to else- he’s not Red Mafiya. In fact, they want his business.
where in the city. Few know about it. They’ve offered to buy him out. Now, it’s a matter
of muscle.
THE CAGE Zjelko is an affable, sociopathic, purveyor of fun.
Zjelko’s semi-famous tiger is in this cage when he’s not at Zjelko’s side. He’s popular, has a beautiful girl at his side, and trav-
It’s a Siberian tiger taken from the local zoo as a cub. Mostly, though, it’s els around with a white Siberian tiger… because he
a god damn tiger in the middle of a god damn club, in the middle of the can. Regardless of what anyone thinks of him, he’s a
fallout of World War III. Hopefully, they keep him well-fed. force in the city, a good man to know if you want a
job, information, or intelligence.
THE GALLERY
ATTRIBUTES
The gallery only exists during the day and, even then, not always. It’s an
STR B, AGL B, INT A, EMP D
art gallery, or anyway that is the pitch. You can judge the art for your-
self, but Zjelko fancies himself a connoisseur. That said, there’s genuine HIT CAPACITY: 6
talent in the scarred city and, if they get in with Zjelko’s boys, they can CUF: B
get their work seen here. SKILLS: Close Combat B, Driving C, Ranged Combat B,
Moreover, Zjelko has a decent collection of actual, famous art. He’s Persuasion B, Recon D
connected to some of the people trying to preserve human cultural
SPECIALTIES: Killer
artifacts (see Plots), at least the ones willing to take money from a fel-
low like him for the “greater good.” You won’t see the Mona Lisa here, GEAR: A white tiger and an AK-74 with three reloads.

but there is a Van Gogh.

The gallery replaces the mannequins on the floor, when so desired.
“GEDDY THE PIMP”
Geddy has a legend like Rasputin, having been shot,
stabbed, and seemingly drowned before the war. Geddy
NPCS was always a part of the local organized crime, but
Expatriates, locals, what serves as law enforcement, Soviet deserters, never the brains. Geddy is muscle. He has a stable of
prostitutes of all types, arms dealers, killers, junkies, drunks, and general prostitutes. He didn’t come out until after the war. No
party scenesters all collect here. It’s kind of Rick’s Café in Casablanca by one says anything about it now.
way of millennium’s (and civilization’s) end. Below are some of the more While he’s done some nasty stuff in his time,
colorful characters one might encounter at The Bunker. Geddy isn’t psychotic. His workers get a cut of their
proceeds and no one gets forced into the business.
That alone, in the year 2000, is one of the nicer
things you can say about someone. Geddy is over

76
 ­supply network in the US Army. That makes him valuable to the
black market and to Zjelko. But Lonnie would also sell him out if
he felt that was the best way to keep his skin.
Lonnie has mid length hair in a 90s fade style and a Mr. T num-
ber of chains around his neck. He has a pencil thin mustache and a
frame equally as slight.

ATTRIBUTES
STR C, AGL C, INT C, EMP A

HIT CAPACITY: 5

CUF: D

SKILLS: Close Combat D, Driving C, Persuasion A, Ranged Combat C,

six-feet tall and a block of muscle. He’s also not
SPECIALTIES: None
as dumb as he looks or pretends to be. He’s smart
enough to have survived a few bosses in his day. GEAR: Vinyl, man!

They got assassinated. Geddy did not. Who’s the

smart one now?
EMILIA SCHNEIDER
ATTRIBUTES
Schneider claims to have been a non-tenured professor of phi-
STR A, AGL B, INT C, EMP C
losophy in Berlin when the war hit. She plays the part well, cyn-
HIT CAPACITY: 7 ical, prone to bouts of Hegel and Nietzsche and generally miser-
CUF: B ably happy about the species proving her worldview correct. The
SKILLS: Close Combat A, Driving C, Ranged Combat B,
truth is Schneider was East German Stasi. Yes, she was recruited
Recon D as a philosophy student, but she became very adroit at her new
job. She ran a network of spies that would have impressed most
SPECIALTIES: None
KGB officials but, when the country reunified, she left her past
GEAR: A M1911 with three reloads. behind… mostly.
Recently, the KGB found her again. They want her to ensure that
Zjelko stays in power as the KGB hates the Vorovskoy Mir. When the
LONNIE PIERCE PCs appear, they look like the kind of natural talent she might use to
Lonnie is an American deserter, but not one that make the Red Mafiya go away.
bolted when the war fell apart. Lonnie ditched his
ATTRIBUTES
uniform and traded it in for a civilian life, or what
STR C, AGL B, INT A, EMP B
passed as one in WWIII, rather than fight it out for
Uncle Sam. He was a draftee, prone to poker games HIT CAPACITY: 6
and selling military goods on the side. No one really CUF: B
looked terribly hard for him. He was smart about SKILLS: Close Combat C, Driving C, Persuasion A, Ranged Combat B,
how he made his exit. He used to spin for the troops Recon B
when they were in the barracks. Now, he’s the house
SPECIALTIES: Intelligence
DJ and popular with all.
That said, he knows other Americans might react GEAR: A PM with two reloads.

poorly to him. He tries to suss them out. He’s a local

now and still has contacts to his old underground

SCENARIO

06
SITES

77
06
SCENARIO
SITES
EVENTS
There are, in every city, places to see and be seen. Places where you want
to belong and, if you do, you feel a bit better. These places rarely last,
turning over with the regularity of a season’s fashion. Here, in this city,
right now, The Bunker is the height of popularity. It is the place every-
one wants to be. Due to the reduced population of the city, everyone
gets their chance. On this societal ladder, at least, the war made things
more egalitarian… at least for now.
Below you can find several specific, potential events that can occur
at this scenario site. Some of them are related to the Countdown, others
are independent from it. These events are all optional, to be used or not
used depending on the PCs’ actions. Choose or roll a D6:
JAN 1. Theme night at The Bunker – Old Time American Rock ‘n Roll.
Jan was a pro-boxer before the war. He was the reign- This brings a lot of American soldiers who get drunk and get
ing champion of The Bunker before becoming head into a huge fight that must be dealt with.
of security. There’s a story they tell of two Spetsnaz 2. The tiger gets out of the cage and Zjelko demands he be
passing though town who started something at The captured alive! Anyone who does gets a huge reward. Anyone
Bunker. Jan supposedly took care of them both and, hurting the tiger gets hurt ten-fold in return.
then, a third who burst in through the front door with 3. The club gets shelled during the night by marauders. People
a pistol. Jan will show you the scar. He’ll show you his are killed and injured. The PCs’ medical knowledge is neces-
fists if you start trouble. sary to save lives. Afterward, Zjelko wants them to interro-
Jan’s actually a pretty melancholy fellow. He lost gate a marauder he captured. If the Referee wants, this can be
the great love of his life in the war and hasn’t been the a presage to the Red Mafiya assault.
same since. There’s a sadness that looms about him 4. The PCs stumble onto Emilia standing over a body, a bloody
like a black cloud and he’s often drunk when not on knife in her hand. The body is that of a member of the GRU
duty. He sings somber songs from home during those sent to kill her. If the PCs help her get rid of the corpse, she
times and does not sing them well. No one is dumb tells them who she really is.
enough to complain. He’s fiercely loyal to Zjelko and 5. Jan receives word that his old love is in town but may not
would literally take a bullet for him. want to see him. He asks the PCs, pleads even, for them to
look her up and find out if she still has feelings for him.
ATTRIBUTES
6. Lonnie suddenly disappears from the booth. The PCs see two
STR A, AGL A, INT C, EMP C
men looking for him. These are two US soldiers who are not
HIT CAPACITY: 7 happy about how and why he deserted. If the PCs don’t stop
CUF: A them, they’re going to kill Lonnie.
SKILLS: Close Combat A, Driving C, Ranged Combat
B, Recon A
SPECIALTIES: Brawler, Melee

GEAR: A scarred heart and knuckles.

78
APPENDIX I:

KRAKOW
Cities, by their nature, are not supposed to be quiet. Yet almost all HISTORY
went silent when the bombs fell. A city without noise is unnatural, In 1989, when communism fell in Poland, the city became
without people more so. Yet in year 2000 the great cities of the world officially free. However, it soon allied with NATO along
are dead museums. with the rest of the country. That held until late 1998
Krakow, however, is different, near legendary. Listen and you might when the city decoupled itself from NATO as well. Truly
hear the popping of coal or wood echoing up an old chimney, the squeak independent now, Krakow is an experiment in real time
of a bicycle chain in need of oil or, on a rare day, the sound of an engine with real lives. The city manages thus far to support itself
converted to run on alcohol. though not actually prosper. Like most living things in
The din of people floods the streets. Lights, though mostly candles the year 2000, it gets by and that is enough.
and lanterns, pour from windows at night. Horse-drawn trucks and wag- Krakow is an old city, dating back to a Stone Age
ons rumble over the streets. Krakow is a real city, just one thrown back in settlement which grew into a 7th Century city along
time. The city government even functions. Sort of. Official guards keep the Vistula River. The Medieval city left historical rem-
checkpoints on the streets, and a full market runs every day. While the nants. Old Town is a walled city having used the rubble
cacophony of the oil-rich, electric world is gone, the sounds of pre-mod- from outlying neighborhoods to build its fortifications.
ern cities have returned. For anyone who has walked the blasted world Wawel Castle still stands as do other cultural landmarks
outside this place, it is a miracle. centuries old.
Freshly painted ads and billboards decorate the walls around you. The city itself largely escaped the brutal bombings
Touts call for business, luring one to buy a thousand different things. of the early war; only the industrial districts were hit
Independent Polish flags fly on municipal buildings and many neigh- and those by conventional explosives. What brought
borhoods are safe enough to walk at night. Mostly. Krakow down was the overall collapse of civilization
This is Krakow. The Free City. The place never hit by the one, big across the world. Its independence is fragile, and may
bomb. A sample of a vanished world. A dream from the past reified by either grow or be stamped out as the vagaries of the
people dedicated to living on in the new world despite the dark woods world demand. Your PCs may have something to say
of silence around them. about the outcome.

I grew up on a steady diet of post-apocalypse films. They all had

a look, you know? Mohawked punks fighting among the wastelands of
Australia or the hero trying to save the President in the ruins of
New York. You think of dead streets devoid of people, quiet as a
graveyard. But here, in Krakow, it’s like the old world returned.
This could be any city before Edison electrified everything. I can
smell food vendors near the market. Hear the metal grind of the
swings children play on and buy just about anything. And who misses
bumper-to-bumper traffic? Civilization didn’t die, Kasia says, it
just retreated to Krakow. It’s almost too good to be true, but after
so long fighting for each day, each scrap of food, each bullet?
I’m willing to risk a little hope.

I
APPENDIX

79
 I
APPENDIX

RUMORS
Word has spread about the “Free City of Krakow” and many
civilians have made their way there in the hope of finding safety.
Below is a list of rumors, some true and some less so, about
Krakow that you can feed to the PCs to entice them to go there.
You can roll on the table or choose for yourself.

D6 RUMOR
1 Anything you want can be found in Krakow… for the
right price.
2 The CIA maintains a station in Krakow to this day. They
often hire former US soldiers.
3 A functioning hospital exists inside an old castle here.
4 Information brokers sell intel to those in need at
the Market Square, but you need to know the secret
codeword.
5 An attack helicopter was seen flying over the city
recently, then landing inside a castle.
6 The city is the closest thing to the world before the war
within 200 kilometers – good food, warm beds, bars,
and even a radio station.

ARRIVAL
Vast tracts of blasted, rusted industrial
hulks slope against the misty Carpathian
Mountains at the foot of which sits the CURRENT SITUATION
city. The area looks like old black and white As the only “free” city in Poland, perhaps in all Europe
footage of Europe at the end of World War II right now, Krakow is something of a legend. Of course,
but worse… and in color, drab may it be as like all legends, the truth is a lot more mundane than the
everything goes the color of ash, rust, and stories. People here rarely have power. They work hard.
entropy if left alone by human hands for too Crime is rampant and the authorities only have control
long. Someday, green shoots will spark again over limited areas.
but the radioactive rain keeps those days
some while ahead. GOVERNMENT AND ORDER
Major roads have checkpoints (page 82) The mayor (formerly the City Council President) runs
and it’s hard to drive into town without Krakow with the Rada, or City Council advising and vot-
being seen. Walking in, especially at night, ing. However, The Vorovskoy Mir (page 36) is also
is relatively easily but the People’s Militia highly influential. Currently a democracy, an extremist
may at any time stop someone for ID. You bloc recently gained traction and a new election looms.
either pay your way or become indentured. People are on edge. While free now, that freedom must
For all that, there are people here and be earned again every day.
some functioning government. A rare thing. Prior to the collapse of Communism, a people’s militia
(ORMO) defended Krakow along with the Free Polish 6th
Brigade. A new People’s Militia, called ORMO derisively
by many citizens, serves as both police and paramilitary.

80
 Checkpoints exist on all major roads leading into the city. Without goods legally, mostly downtown. Barter is the usual sys-
proper papers some sort of bribe must be arranged. Anyone who looks tem of trade though ration chits are a common form of
like they might be trouble may be rejected. Smaller roads are barricaded currency, as are bullets. Forgery of ration cards or chits
with rubble and wrecked cars to control arteries into the city. is punishable by death.
The People’s Militia holds great power in the city and maintains
order under the direction of the Rada. It oversees the farms outside
the city worked by laborers known as robotniki who work as near
slaves in hopes of earning citizenship. Citizens enjoy some stability, INHABITANTS
rations, and protection provided by the People’s Militia and the Free Most of the current population lived in Krakow before
Polish 6th Brigade. It is an easier life to be a citizen of Krakow than to the war, but refugees stream into the city continually.
be alone in the wild. Approximately one in five people in Krakow are refugees.
Only a tenth of those have citizenship status. The rest
COMMERCE work as forced labor known as robotniki or live on the
The city depends upon the Vistula River for a lifeline. The farms in for- outskirts of the city as scavengers, marauders, or lunatics.
mer neighborhoods and suburbs do not support the current population. The citizens of Krakow are religious as a whole, and
Thus, the city council must import a great deal of food. To do so, the city extremely proud that the last Pope, John Paul II, came
produces mortars, bicycles, ammunition, and other mechanical parts from their city. They have a connection to the Holy See
which are shipped down the Vistula in return for food. few other populations boast in Europe these days.
Inside the city, The Vorovskoy Mir can get almost anything one While not especially suspicious of outsiders, the peo-

I
APPENDIX
needs but the price is almost always high. Shops and stalls sell various ple of Krakow are not overly welcoming of them either.

81
 I
APPENDIX
Independence is serious business to them, and they want to remain NORTHEAST
removed from the affairs of what is left of the world. While alphabet WARSAWSKIE
intel agencies plot inside the city and rag-tag armies consider razing North of Lubicz Street is the central station for Krakow’s
it, the people remain vigilant and dedicated to starting a new, smaller rail network. Mostly closed or ruined, a few lines have yet
world within the confines of Krakow. Anything which places that goal to be ripped up. A steam train leaves the city at regular
in jeopardy is dealt with immediately and harshly. intervals for shipping. At the central station one finds
The People’s Militia is the main law enforcement presence in the militia patrols to protect incoming and outgoing goods.
city. A few still wear old police uniforms, fatigues, or simply civilian Otherwise, the area is mostly home to refugees who’ve
clothes. A red armband marks people as a member, but they must not yet been rounded up and sent to the farms to work.
also back this up with “papers” if a citizen demands it. Of course, as a Some of these refugees arm themselves and secretly plot
practical matter, citizens are rarely in a position to ask for such ID and an uprising against the Rada. No one knows who leads
abuses occur regularly. this incipient movement.

OTHER POPULATED AREAS

KLEPARZ, WESOŁA, KAZIMIERZ
NEIGHBORHOODS Besides Old Town, the above three neighborhoods com-
Several neighborhoods remain recognizable by landmarks if not peo- prise the bulk of the city outside the newly built walls.
ple. Some are almost entirely abandoned. The outskirts of the city There is less crime here (though certainly some), regular
are mined, trapped. and patrolled by the People’s Militia. Barbed wire shops and an open market. People live here and go to work
surrounds much of the city along with signs warning of the mines in the distillery, machine shops rescued from ruin, and
and the penalties for circumventing checkpoints (death or inden- in traditional roles as tailors, doctors, and restaurateurs.
tured servitude). Electricity sometimes powers portions of these neighbor-
A player map of central Krakow is included in this boxed set. A Referee hoods. Even here, though, Edison’s inventions enjoy less
version of this map can be found on page 86. use than the fire we discovered before we learned to speak.

OLD TOWN (STARE MIASTRO) WAWEL CASTLE

This is the historical “Medieval City” of Krakow. It was once surrounded Wawel Castle is the last of many fortifications located
by a moat and fortifications but those were turned into Planty Park in on a limestone hill in Old Town. Restored in this century
the 19th Century, only to be rebuilt in the last three years – at least the before the war, the museum is once again a fortress for
walls. The moat is long buried. elements of the Free Polish 6th Brigade, People’s Militia,
This is the most secure neighborhood and built to withstand a direct and members of the city council, mostly while in session.
assault from remaining NATO or Soviet forces in the region to say noth- Parapets and towers evoke centuries old sieges and the
ing of marauders. The Rynek Glowy, an old medieval square, is the cries of battle as brutal and primitive as any seen today.
heart of Old Town. St. Mary’s Basilica and other churches still stand in Man, it seems, has not gone so far as he thought. Of par-
Old Town. It truly is a piece of a world even more distant than what we ticular interest is a helicopter which takes off from the
called modernity not a decade ago. courtyard. It is a Mil Mi-24. See the page 84.
The Gothic architecture dates from the reign of King
NORTHWEST ABANDONED DISTRICTS Casimir III in the 14th Century, but many renovations over
CZARNA WIES, NOWA WIES the years give the castle a mottled appearance. Three of
Mostly abandoned and heavily damaged, these areas are full of crime the original towers survive. The first parts of the castle
and violence. Refugees (zbieg) often find their way here. The buildings were laid down over 1000 years ago. A rumor says the
are disused except by squatters and marauders. The People’s Militia name Wawel relates to the Tower of Babel.
rarely patrols these areas. Enter at your own risk.

SOUTH ABANDONED DISTRICTS

ZAKRZÓWEK, DEBNIKI, LUDWINÓW, PODGÓRZE KEY LOCATIONS
South of the Vistula river lie abandoned areas. Four major bridges control A few key locations in Krakow town and the Wawel Castle
access to the populated portion of the city, and it’s simpler to just leave are described below. These locations are all marked on
everything south of that to collapse in on itself. This area was also once the Referee map on page 86.
the home of the Jewish Ghetto of World War II, something the citizens
do not want to repeat. Scavengers and squatters make up the populace CHECKPOINTS
here along with some would-be river pirates. The area is reputed to be The People’s Militia has checkpoints at a few key posi-
haunted by those killed in this war or the last. tions in the city and the castle. There are two types of
checkpoints – minor (marked B on the Referee map) and
major (marked A).

82
MI NOR CH ECKPOI NTS are
manned in the daytime by a
single squad of eight People’s
Militia, including one officer. For
stats, use the Polish Soldier/
Polish Officer entry on page
37 of the Referee’s Manual.
Beyond their personal gear, the
squad has one RPK machine gun
and an RPG-7V anti-tank weapon.
Minor checkpoints are protected
by debris (armor level 3).

MAJOR CHECKPOINTSare manned

day and night by two full squads
as per above. In addition to the
squad gear, the checkpoint is
also equipped with a searchlight,
a DSKH-38 and a UAZ-469B vehicle
(converted to run on alcohol). Major
checkpoints are protected by sandbags
(armor level 4).

NA ZDROWIE
This small bar sits on a prominent corner near
Market Square. It’s a walkdown and that keeps it
cool in the summer. The wood stove and hearth keep
it warm in the winter. The owners serve beer made
locally and a few different types of hard liquor. Some old
bottles of once famous liquor can be had by those willing to
pay. Na Zdrowie is open until the wee hours, having an “understand-
ing” with the People’s Militia.

HOTEL KRAKOW
This old, once luxurious hotel has seen better days. The bottom floor
carpet grows with mold. The place has no power, and the staff consist
of about three people. However, the roof doesn’t leak, it’s old enough THIEVES’ TOWER
that the rooms have fireplaces, and it’s protected by the Vorvskoy Mir, Wawel Castle added Thieves’ Tower in the 14th Century
making it safe-ish. At least you aren’t likely to be ripped off. And the beds under King Casimir the Great. A dungeon exists in the
are still far more comfortable than most soldiers have bunked in forages. basement and it is where the tower gets its name.
This is as close to the Ritz as one is like to see these days. Originally, Teutonic mercenaries were imprisoned there,
but now the enemies of the Free City find themselves in
RATUSZ (TOWN HALL) those ancient depths. Atop the tower are guards and a
The Old Town Hall was abandoned by officials early in the war after heavy DSHK-38 machine gun.
shelling. Now, its ruins overlook the Market Square (Rynek Główny) of
the city. Here, tents and stalls huddle in serried ranks where each day UNIVERSITY OF KRAKOW
vendors come to sell their goods. Official city ration chits and bullets are Also used partially as a medical clinic and ration distribu-
accepted as payment. One can find anything for sale here from medical tion center, there are constant rumors that some secret
supplies to weapons to intel if one has the right connections. During the project was created, or at least worked on here, before
summer, the favored spots are those that fall in the afternoon shade of the war. Referees may wish to tie this to Operation: Reset
the ruined Ratusz. The City Council, along with the mayor, claim they or any plot of their choice. Most of the campus is empty
will rebuild and reoccupy the hall. For now, they stay behind the pro- and long since looted but that does not mean everything

I
APPENDIX
tective walls of Wawel Castle. of value was found.

83
 I
APPENDIX

THE HIND
A Mil Mi-24 (Hind) sits in the courtyard
of Wawel Castle. It sees little use except
in emergencies as there is little fuel on
which to run her. The helicopter has a nose-
mounted flexible Yak-B 12.7 mm gatling gun
(treat as NSV but with ROF of 8). It also
has two gunpods on each nacelle with an
AGL-17 in each. The Mi-24 has a pilot, a
co-pilot and room for eight troops.
A PC can manage to start and take off ZUZANNA ZIELIŃKSA
with the helicopter with a successful A political science professor in France at the time
DRIVING roll (unless the PC has the Pilot of the war’s outbreak, it took Zuzanna the better
specialty, in which case no roll is part of a year to get home to Krakow, where she felt
needed). The helicopter has reliability she belonged. She served as City Council President
3, combat speed 11, travel speed 42, armor before that position changed to that of mayor as
level 2 on all sides, fuel capacity 1200 the Council largely disbanded under siege. Zuzanna
and fuel consumption 20. The tank currently stayed through the hard times and eventually the
holds 1200 liters of aviation fuel. Council was partly rebuilt.
When flying, the helicopter disregards While popular, she’s made enemies in her two-
terrain and travel encounters and is always year tenure as mayor and various assassination
considered to be in an elevated position. plots always threaten her. A true patriot, Zuzanna
Any hit on the suspension or track/wheels belies in a free city and a free Poland. She is not
is considered to hit the rotor instead, overly fond of either Americans or Soviets given they
with the same effects. If the helicopter brought the war to her home, but the Soviets were
is rendered inoperable, a DRIVING roll is far worse, and she’ll side with an American over any
required to make a controlled landing. If it Russian soldier.
fails, or if the helicopter is permanently She has blonde hair starting to gray and deep,
destroyed, it crashes violently, inflicting seamed cheeks. She’s only about 45, but the years
the equivalent of a 10-meter fall for all have been hard and, like almost everyone, she looks
occupants and permanently destroying the older. She dresses in utilitarian clothes of paramilitary
helicopter. fashion since she sees herself as a war leader, at least
for some while longer.

ATTRIBUTES
STR C, AGL C, INT A, EMP A

HIT CAPACITY: 4
HOSPITAL CUF: B
This old hospital became offices at one point but has been converted SKILLS: Close Combat C, Driving C, Persuasion A
back since the war. Citizens are allowed to use the services the hospital
SPECIALTIES: Frontline Leader
provides, but they are all searched upon entering the castle itself. Doctor
Dulik (next page) is usually in charge with a small staff of former medical GEAR: —

students supplemented by military medics and EMTs. The hospital is well-

stocked given the circumstances but doesn’t have an excess of anything.
MAGDA SOFKA
WAWEL CATHEDRAL Magda runs the Bureau of Rationing, which is sim-
The old cathedral is impressive even though its stained glass is long ply an office with many, many long lines. Daily, she
gone, and much of the roof needs replacement. But the better part oversees the dispensation of food at designated sites
of the western end of the cathedral remains intact. Inside, the city throughout the city. She used to manage a financial
stores food distributed weekly as well as weapons for the People’s company but was never happy. She isn’t happy now,
Militia. Outside the Cathedral, inside the castle courtyard, is a land- but she does feel useful. She has a purpose. Feeding
ing pad for a Mi-24 (Hind). A small supply of fuel (800 liters) is also people is among the best things one can do in this world,
stored in the cathedral. now. She is proud to do so to the best of her ability.

84
 What plagues her is that there are so many she GENERAL ANTONI LIS
cannot feed. There is never enough food. Though she Antoni Lis is the commander of the Free Polish 6th Brigade (page 38)
sneaks extra rations to mothers and children, there is and has served in the Polish army since the late 1960s. He came up
still never, ever enough. through the ranks, rather than a military academy, and spent most
Magda is a brown-haired woman 42 years of age. of his career under the shadow of the Soviet Union. He found their
She stands five foot nine but no longer wears heels military doctrine too reliant on nuclear weapons and was horrified
nor her business attire. at the prospect of a war between NATO and the Warsaw Pact. In
1989, Poland became independent, but Lis never believed that meant
ATTRIBUTES
piece. Unlike many of his peers, he believed war was even more likely
STR C, AGL C, INT A, EMP A
now. He was right.
HIT CAPACITY: 6 General Lis is an affable man. While he can be hard, he becomes
CUF: D so only reluctantly. He once led from the front, but his officers have
SKILLS: Close Combat D, Driving C, Persuasion B
convinced him to stop this of late. Pragmatic and tactical, General
Lis is one of the finest generals produced from the Cold War and,
SPECIALTIES: —
perhaps, among the best five or six still alive. That he would never
GEAR: The key to the rations storage room. agree with such accolades makes him all the more popular with
his troops.
He is in his mid-50s and keeps his hair close shaven. He shaves
DOCTOR DULIK every day but does not demand the same of his men. He is over six-
Dulik is a morphine addict. His license was revoked feet tall and wears sturdy, black glasses. He wears a BDU and it’s
at the outset of the war but, such was the need for rumored he has not been seen in a dress uniform since the start
medical skills, he was brought back into a local hos- of hostilities.
pital. Dulik is a very talented surgeon. He has a keen
ATTRIBUTES
mind. His problem is addiction. His state isn’t all that
STR B, AGL B, INT A, EMP A
different from before the war. He lives for the rush, the
needle, the respite from life. His only other desire is for HIT CAPACITY: 6
Magda, though the two dance around their flirtation. SKILLS: Close Combat B, Command A, Driving B, Ranged Combat A,
His addiction isn’t a secret and, so long as he doesn’t Persuasion B, Recon A
operate while high, no one questions his authority. SPECIALTIES: Tactician, Front Line Leader
That’s just how desperate things are.
GEAR: AK-74 with 4 reloads. Makarov with 2 reloads.
Dulik is literally heroin-thin, very tall, and lanky. He
has not an ounce of fat on him and a full head of brown
hair. He’s 37 years old. He doesn’t expect to hit 40.

ATTRIBUTES
STR C, AGL C, INT A, EMP B

HIT CAPACITY: 5

CUF: C

SKILLS: Close Combat C, Driving C, Ranged Combat D,

Medical Aid A
SPECIALTIES: Field Surgeon, General Practitioner

I
APPENDIX
GEAR: Surgical tools, morphine/heroin.

85
 A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z W Aa Ab Ac Ad
WSKA

1 1
PIASTO

KRAKOW
2 2
O
KIEG

WIT
3 SŁO
WAC 3

A
A B

ST
Z
US
WARSZAWSKIE

W
LI

OS
JU

ZA
4 EJ
A 4
AL
KRÓ
LEW
KLEPARZ
5 SKA 5
NOWA WIES
6 ARMII 6
KRAJOW
EJ ŁOBZÓW
A
7 OSIEDLE OFICERSKIE 7
NAWOJK
MAŁE BŁONIA
I
B
8
ZA

8
WIC
KIE
MIC

ALEK
9 SAND 9
B RA LUBO
MA

MIRS
A

KIEG
A AD

O
10 CZA
R N OW 10
ALEJ

IEJ
SKA
B A MOGILS
KA
11 11
B
CZARNA WIES HOTEL A
12 LUBICZ 12
WŁAD KRAKOW
PIASEK
YSŁA
W RE
YM
13 ONTA
13
B OLD TOWN

ALEJA PO
14 14
(STARE MIASTRO) WESOŁA GRZEGÓRZKI
B MARKET

WSTANIA
15 15
A
WSK

SQUARE
STO

WARSZA
UNIVERSITY
PIA

16 A B 16
OF KRAKOW WESOŁA

WSKIEG
17
ALEJA
3 MA
JA ZACHÓD 17

O
B
18 B 18
A OJU
B B PO K

ALE
FOCHA GRZEGÓ RZE JA
19 RDYNAN
DA CKA ALE 19

JA
ŁKA FE
ZWIERZYNIEC MARSZA

ZYG
ALEJA
B

MU
20 A 20

NTA
KR A
21 21

SIŃ
NOWY SWIAT

SKI

KOTLARSKA
GRZEGÓRZKI

O EG
22 NA ZDROWIE ZACHÓD 22
B GRZEGÓRZKI
ZWIERZYNIEC B WSCHÓD
23 B 23

MOS
T D
WAWEL

TLA
24 I A 24

ĘB
SZK

DIE
CIU CASTLE

NIC
KOŚ

EFA
ZA

KI
EUS

MOS
TAD

JÓZ
25 25

T K
B STRADOM

ST

OTL
AR
OW

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31 TE 31

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37 37

A NK
38 CH
38
MAP LEGEND SKI
20 ŚLĄ
W
BUILD UP LAKE/RIVER OPEN ROAD RUINS WOODS 0m CÓ
39 Ń 39

WI
TA
WS

EL
PO

IC
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40 40
Z ALEW
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41 41
MATECZNY
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z W Aa Ab Ac Ad
WAWEL CASTLE

CASTLE
COURTYARD

CATHEDRAL

10 m

MAP LEGEND
PAVEMENT

FIELD

SHRUBLAND

FOREST

THIEVES’ FOLIAGE
TOWER

INDOORS

HOSPITAL (GROUND FLOOR)

 II
APPENDIX
APPENDIX II:

KARLSBORG
The massive Karlsborg Fortress at the shore of lake Vättern At the beginning of the Soviet invasion in 1997, Karlsborg Fortress
in central Sweden took 90 years to build. It was intended was hit by airstrikes and largely evacuated. In 1999, when the military
to serve as the reserve capital of Sweden in the event of command structures had largely collapsed on all sides of the war, units
war. When it was finally finished in 1909, the rapidly of the Life Regiment Hussars found their way back. They took control of
evolving technology of artillery had already rendered the facility again, determined to finally give it its intended role as the
it obsolete. reserve capital of the country.
As fate would have it, almost a century later, with When the Soviet forces in the area learned of what had happened,
Sweden devastated by the most destructive war in human they lacked the capacity and will to do much about it. With no air power
history, the old fortress finally has gotten a chance to available and little heavy artillery, the massive fortress walls were now
serve its intended purpose. But this stone seed of a new as impenetrable as they once were meant to be, before 20th century
nation has drawn the attention of both civilians seeking technology made them obsolete.
refuge as well as powerful forces who seek to destroy it Word soon spread about Karlsborg Fortress being back in Swedish
or subjugate it for their own purposes. control, triggering an influx of civilian refugees from the area seeking
safety and refuge. Few of these have been let inside the gates, instead
filling up makeshift camps in the surrounding town.

HISTORY
The town of Karlsborg sprung up next to the fortress as it
was built, and mainly consisted of housing for the thou- CURRENT SITUATION
sands of personnel working there. Over the decades, it Karlsborg Fortress is now firmly in the hands of the Life Regiment Hussars
grew to a sizable community, also due to the Göta Canal (page 39) and its commander, Colonel Fält and his deputy Major
which passes through the town. Adolfsson.
The fortress and its 672-meter long main rampart However, mustering just about 500 soldiers the Hussars have so
always dominated the town. It continued to be used as a far only a marginal presence outside of the fortress gates. They con-
military installation throughout the 20th century, serving trol some key junctions and bridges in the surrounding town and offer
as a base for a wide range of military units, among them some protection to the growing refugee population, but much of the
the Life Regiment Hussars (page 39). area is largely lawless.

“I can see why Hamlet was depressed,” Two-Fer said. I didn’t correct
him that Hamlet was a Dane and this was Sweden. It didn’t seem to
matter now. Everything was cold and gray but so was everything
everywhere else we’d been. Two-Fer tried to talk to some of the locals
where our barge landed, but they just shook their heads or ignored
him. He seemed really down about it, so I told him Swedes don’t go
saying hello to their neighbors let alone strangers. I read that
somewhere, I think. Anyway, here we are in a new country. So far it
looks better off than most of Poland. Hell, the fisherman just brought
in a haul and no one ran a Geiger counter over them. There are
Soviets everywhere, though, I hear.

88
 RUMORS ARRIVAL
Word has spread about the “Kingdom of Karlsborg” and many
civilians have made their way there in the hope of finding safety. Approaching Karlsborg along
Below is a list of rumors, some true and some less so, about the main road from the north
Karlsborg that you can feed to the PCs to entice them to go there. or south-west, the PCs will
You can roll on the table or choose for yourself. see increasing numbers of
refugees on and by the road
D6 RUMOR until they encounter the first
1 The old fortress at Karlsborg is controlled by Swedish main checkpoint (marked A on
soldiers, offering protection to anyone who comes there. the Referee map on page 94).
2 A relative of the lost Swedish royal family has come to A painted sign says “Kingdom
Karlsborg and declared himself the new king. of Karlsborg” and a squad of
3 Soviet forces are staying clear of Karlsborg because uniformed Hussars stops them.
they cannot penetrate the walls of the old fortress. Civilians watch the newcomers
but keep their distance. The
4 There is an American singer performing in the old
Hussars question the PC briefly
mess at Karlsborg Fortress. They say she’s really good.
but let them pass unless they
5 Karlsborg is a nest of spies. The KGB, GRU, and CIA all are hostile, and direct them to
have agents there. They are after something valuable. the fortress.
6 The market inside the old fortress at Karlsborg has all After the checkpoint, the
the wares you’ll ever want. PCs enter the town proper. Dogs
bark and gunfire echoes in the
distance. It’s crowded with
refugees of all ages. Street
Most of the town is considered an area of limited control (page 24) kids run after the PCs, begging
under the Hussars, while the fortress and certain areas of the town are for food or gear. If allowed
under full control – see the Referee map on page 94. to come close, some will try to
steal anything they can. Other
THE REFUGEES: Colonel Fält refuses to open the fortress gates to civilians, refugees are hostile to any
fearing a deluge of refugees will swamp the base and quickly consume uniformed PCs, throwing bottles
his limited resources. Instead, he offers only selected individuals with and stones. Some walls have
military training and gear a chance to join the Hussars’s ranks. Civilians painted slogans such as “LET US
are offered “citizenship” and a chance to settle inside the fortress walls IN,” “DOWN WITH THE TYRANT” and
only after a full year of servitude. “LONG LIVE THE KING.” If the PCs
Outside the walls, the squalor of the refugees has grown over the ask, they will be told that the
last few months and there is a growing discontent over Fält’s refusal Hussars won’t let refugees into
to let them inside the gates. The refugee leader Ingrid Lindberg has the fortress unless they pay or
repeatedly pleaded to Fält to reconsider, so far to no avail. work in servitude for a year.
Many civilians seem to admire
THE KING: Recently, a relative to the Swedish royal family of Bernadotte, “the king” who recently came
which has been missing since the early days of the war, showed up at to Karlsborg and is said to be
Karlsborg Fortress. Claiming to be the rightful heir to the throne, he the true heir to the Swedish
took the royal name King Carl XVII Johan. This has created tensions with throne. They hope he will take
Colonel Fält. For more on this, see the plot called “The Man Who Would control of the fortress from the
be King” on page 48. “tyrant” Colonel Fält and let
the refugees in. For more, see
THE SPIES: The “Kingdom of Karlsborg” as it has become known has the section Current Situation
attracted elements of all major intelligence agencies. Colonel Fält’s sec- on the previous page.
ond in command, Major Adolfsson, is a KGB informant. His handler and
the KGB chief in the town is Anatoli Malekov (page 93). The GRU also
has a growing presence in the town, reporting directly to the Admiral
(page 60 in the Referee’s Manual) from their safehouse in the old rail-
way station. The CIA has two agents inside the fortress walls, posing as

II
APPENDIX
jazz musicians in The Mess bar (page 91).

89
 II
APPENDIX INHABITANTS gun and a Pskott m/86 anti-tank weapon. Minor checkpoints are
There are two distinct types of inhabitants in Karlsborg protected by debris (armor level 3).
that the PCs will meet: civilians and Hussars.
MAJOR CHECKPOINTS are manned day and night by two full squads as
THE CIVILIANSare mostly refugees from far and wide. This per above. In addition to the squad gear, the checkpoint is also equipped
small town of 7,000 people before the war has swelled to with a searchlight, a 81mm mortar with ten HE rounds, and a Tgb 13
almost double that now – most living in squalor in burnt- terrain vehicle (converted to run on alcohol). Major checkpoints are
out buildings and makeshift camps. They are cold, dirty, protected by sandbags (armor level 4).
and hungry – living off whatever little they can fish out
of lake Vättern, forage from the woods, grow in muddy GÖTA CANAL
fields, trade with the pirates on the Göta Canal, or gain The once famous Göta Canal, a 190 km waterway across Sweden dug
in return for hard labor in servitude of the Hussars. in the 19th century to connect the east coast with the west, runs right
Local gangs of marauders control most of the town, through Karlsborg. It’s still being used to this today, but most of its 58
extorting the refugees in exchange for “protection” and locks are now controlled by pirate marauders who claim a tribute from
sometimes engaging in bloody street fights. The civilians anyone who dares pass. Most avoid doing so when possible, but some
hope for the Hussars to give them protection, but many civilians trade with the pirates.
have come to resent the soldiers for not giving them
the security and sustenance they came here seeking. RAILWAY STATION
Military-looking PCs visiting the town will often be met In the center of Karlsborg town is an old railway station, with rusting
with suspicion or even hostility. hulks of cargo and passenger cars now being used as shelter by refu-
gees. The old 19th century station building is a secret safehouse of the
THE HUSSARS came here with a noble goal to restore GRU, who are posing as marauders. The refugees around suspect that
the Kingdom of Sweden but have become increasingly these marauders are not what they pretend to be.
beleaguered by the refugee population. They generally
avoid interacting with the civilians except when picking THE SCHOOL
up day laborers, finding themselves unable to help much This three-story brick building used to be the main high school of
anyway. The soldiers will react harshly to any attempt Karlsborg. Now, it’s a massive refugee camp with over a thousand
to confront them, even using lethal force if provoked. people seeking shelter inside its walls. Trash fires are burning in the
The Hussars’ morale has been dwindling in recent old school yard, many dogs prey on the weak, and no one even has the
months, with many soldiers starting to doubt the judg- energy to bury the dead, which are left on the pavement outside. The
ment of Colonel Fält. This discontent is yet to become anger against the Hussars is rising here, channeled by the refugee leader
overt, however. When not out on patrol in the town, Ingrid Lindberg (page 93).
they perform guard duties or have time off inside the
Karlsborg Fortress. Many spend time at The Mess bar, HOTEL CARLSBORG
which can get rowdy at times. This formerly quaint hotel looks burnt out, but it serves as the headquar-
ters of a local marauder leader known as the “King of Ruins.”

GÖTA VAULT
KEY LOCATIONS The main gate to Karlsborg Fortress is heavily guarded. This is a major
A few key locations in Karlsborg town and the fortress checkpoint as per above, but further reinforced by a stripped down Strv
are described below. A player map of central Karlsborg is 103C tank without tracks placed in front of the rampart next to the
included in this boxed set. A Referee version of this map old gate. The soldiers will question visitors and demand to search any
can be found on page 94. vehicle. Visitors who are clearly not Soviet will be let in if they pay for
a one-day “permit” costing 100 rounds of ammo or the equivalent per
CHECKPOINTS person and vehicle. This can be bartered down (page 90 in the Player’s
The Hussars have checkpoints at a few key positions in Manual). Once given the temporary entry permit, guests are told to
the town and on the fortress walls. There are two types report to the Command Center. The soldiers at the gate also tell them
of checkpoint – minor (marked B on the Referee map) about The Mess bar.
and major (marked A).
THE FORTRESS SQUARE
MINOR CHECKPOINTS are manned in the daytime only The main square inside the fortress is bustling with activity. The for-
by a squad of eight Hussars, including one officer. For tress is a city within the city, and this is its center. Most people here
stats, use the Swedish Soldier / Swedish Officer in the are Hussars, but a few hundred civilians who have earned or paid
table on page 37 of the Referee’s Manual. Beyond their their way to “citizenship” also live here, and other civilians from the
personal gear, the squad has one KSP 58B machine town are given temporary access to work here. Market stands line

90
the square, offering pretty much any common (C) item that the PCs (page 49). Hidden under a tarpaulin in the courtyard
might want (no supply roll needed) and even some scarce (S) items outside but clearly visible is the Hussars’ most prized
(roll normally). Fires in metal barrels provide light and warmth at night. possession – an operational HKP 3 army helicopter (the
Swedish army version of the Bell UH-1 Iroquois). It even
THE MESS has half a tank of aviation fuel. The entire building is
This old stone mess building is the center of social activity in the fortress. guarded around the clock by a platoon of Hussars. The
It’s always busy in the roomy downstairs bar, often rowdy and some- basement holds a large arms cache.
times violent, as Hussars let off steam drinking moonshine. The Mess
even has rooms for guests, costing 50 rounds of ammo per night for a ROYAL VILLA
room that can fit up to six people in bunk beds. If the PCs have a permit An old and partly crumbling but still beautiful wooden
to stay in the fortress, they can park their vehicle outside The Mess. The villa sits at the tip of the peninsula, in a forested area
bar singer “Mona Sax” and her pianist “Sammy” are Americans, and behind the fortress. This villa was built as a residence
both covertly work for the CIA. Colonel Fält suspects this to be the case. for the King when he visited, and it has now once again
come to fill this role. Both King Carl XVII Johan and Crown
COMMAND CENTER Prince Gottfried live here, guarded by half a dozen Hussars.
This heavy stone building functions as both living quarters and offices They rarely leave the villa other than to join the weekly
for the Hussar commanders, including Colonel Fält and Major Adolfsson. Council of the Realm meetings at the Command Center.
The building also houses the Council Hall, which is used for the weekly When they do, they travel in an old horse-drawn open

II
APPENDIX
Council of the Realm meetings chaired by King Carl XVII Johan himself carriage, accompanied by four Hussars.

91
 II
APPENDIX
as both the KGB and GRU have their sights set on the
THE HELICOPTER fortress. For more on this, see the plot The Man Who
Would be King on page 48.
The HKP 3 helicopter outside the Command Being short, balding, and a little round about the
Center is only used in rare emergencies, waistline, Colonel Fält strikes an unexpected figure for
as it has little fuel left and no way a commander of an elite military unit. But his appear-
to be refueled. The helicopter has a ance is deceiving – Fält is a tough and experienced
pintle-mounted KSP 58B on the side. A PC officer, earning the respect of his troops by leading
can manage to start and take off in the from the front.
helicopter with a successful DRIVING roll
ATTRIBUTES
(unless the PC has the Pilot specialty,
STR B, AGL B, INT A, EMP C
in which case no roll is needed). The
helicopter has reliability 3, combat HIT CAPACITY: 5
speed 10, travel speed 40, armor level CUF: A

SKILLS: Close Combat B, Ranged Combat A, Recon B,

1 on all sides, fuel capacity 800 and
fuel consumption 20. The tank currently Command A, Persuasion C
holds 200 liters of aviation fuel. When
GEAR: Ak 5 assault rifle with two reloads, combat
flying, the helicopter disregards terrain
knife, fatigues
and travel encounters and is always
considered to be in an elevated position.
Any hit on the suspension or track/wheels
is considered to hit the rotor instead, MAJOR ADOLFSSON
with the same effects. If the helicopter Joining the Life Regiment Hussars was the greatest
is rendered inoperable, a DRIVING roll is honor in Jon Adolfsson’s life, and he feels that it is his
required to make a controlled landing. destiny to lead the unit. Only colonel Fält stands in
If it fails, or if the helicopter is the way of that. When the KGB contacted Adolfsson a
permanently destroyed, it crashes year ago, he saw it as his chance to get rid of Fält, and
violently, inflicting the equivalent allowed himself to be recruited. Since then, Adolfsson
of a 10-meter fall on all occupants and has been in constant contact with the KGB chief in the
permanently destroying the helicopter. town, Anatoli Malekov, both by radio and messengers.
Major Adolfsson has passed 50 but looks younger.
Lean, dark, and tall, he cuts a perfect figure in his im-
maculately kept uniform.

ATTRIBUTES
STR C, AGL A, INT B, EMP A
COLONEL FÄLT HIT CAPACITY: 5
The commander of the Life Regiment Hussars is caught in a bind. He came CUF: B
here to rebuild the nation, but his refusal to open the fortress doors to SKILLS: Close Combat C, Ranged Combat B, Recon A,
the refugees has turned the people against him. He fears letting them Command B, Persuasion A
in will overwhelm the fortress and drain the Hussars’ limited resources,
GEAR: Ak 5 assault rifle with two reloads, combat
as well as risk allowing foreign agents to infiltrate the Kingdom.
knife, fatigues, AN/PRC-148 MBITR radio
The colonel first thought the newly arrived
“King” would help him control the civilian pop-
ulation and therefore allow him to settle at
the fortress. This plan has also backfired as
the monarch and his son the prince have de-
manded real influence and are even using the
refugee situation to pressure Fält, alongside
the refugee leader Ingrid Lindberg.
If the PCs try to mediate between Fält and
Lindberg, and even the King, the colonel could
probably allow a compromise – letting more
but not all civilians inside the gates. Reaching
such an agreement will not be easy however,

92
INGRID LINDBERG
This 46-year-old mother of three worked as a kindergarten
teacher in the small town of Skövde before the war. Though
always well-liked by colleagues, it was the outbreak of war
that made Ingrid Lindberg realize her full potential. When
Skövde was devastated by Soviet forces, people naturally
rallied around Ingrid to lead the way to safety.
Her following grew as the months passed, and when the
Hussars arrived at Karlsborg, she led a delegation asking to
be let into the fortress. Their refusal shocked her, and she has
been trying to pressure them to change their minds ever since.
The dark-haired Ingrid Lindberg stands tall and makes
a strong impression on anyone she meets, despite her torn SAMMY
clothes and furrowed face. Sammy is Mona’s subordinate in the CIA, and poses as her
pianist at the Mess bar in Karlsborg Fortress. He is completely
ATTRIBUTES
loyal to Mona and trusts her judgment. Should someone hurt
STR C, AGL C, INT B, EMP A
or kill her, revenge will be Sammy’s main goal. Nothing much
HIT CAPACITY: 4 else matters to him in this world.
CUF: B
ATTRIBUTES
SKILLS: Recon C, Command B, Persuasion A
STR B, AGL C, INT B, EMP B
GEAR: —
HIT CAPACITY: 5

CUF: B

SKILLS: Close Combat B, Ranged Combat C, Recon B,

MONA SAX
Persuasion C
Mona Sax has been working undercover so long that her real
GEAR: Pump-action shotgun with one reload, knife.
identity seems like a fleeting dream to her now, long lost in the
chaos of war. She remains loyal to the CIA and her local station
chief Turner (page 66 in the Referee’s Manual), and reports to
him regularly from her current base of operations – the Mess ANATOLI MALEKOV
bar in Karlsborg fortress, where she poses as a bar singer. From Major Anatoli Malekov is the KGB chief
there, she keeps a close eye on everyone of interest, especially in the Karlsborg area. As most KGB com-
Americans. Mona can be a source of information or even help manders these days, Malekov operates
in several Plots, especially Operation Reset (page 50). independently from Moscow and plays
a very long game. In the short term, he
ATTRIBUTES
wants to know everyone who comes
STR C, AGL A, INT B, EMP A
and goes in Karlsborg and how he can
HIT CAPACITY: 5 use them to his advantage. His main
CUF: A adversary in the town is the GRU.
SKILLS: Close Combat C, Ranged Combat B, Recon B,
As opposed to the GRU, Malekov
Persuasion A does not have one set base of opera-
tions, instead preferring to keep mov-
GEAR: M9 pistol with one reload, knife.
ing and rarely staying two nights in a
row at the same place. He commands
a team of ten KGB agents (stats and gear as Soviet Intelligence
on page 37 of the Referee’s Manual) and a handful of locally
recruited assets, including Major Adolfsson.

ATTRIBUTES
STR B, AGL C, INT A, EMP B

HIT CAPACITY: 5

CUF: A

SKILLS: Close Combat B, Ranged Combat B, Recon A,

Command B, Persuasion A

II
APPENDIX

GEAR: PM pistol with one reload, knife.

93
 A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W
1 1

KARLSBORG
2 2

3 3

ROA D 49
4 4

5 5

6 6
ABANDONED 7
7
AREAS
8 8

9 LAKE VÄTTERN 9

10 10

11 11

12 12

13 A 13

14 14

15 15

16 B 16

17 ROYAL VILLA 17

18 18
B
19 HOTEL 19
CARLSBORG B
20 20
B
21 21
ST

22 22
RA
ND
VÄ
ME

GEN
LL

23 23
A

B
NG
AT
ST

AN

24 24
OR
GA

B
TA
VÄ

N
S

KARLSBORG
TR

25 25
A

SCHOOL B FORTRESS
VÄ

GÖTA CANAL
G
EN

26 26
RAILWAY GÖTA VAULT
27 27
STATION
28 B 28

B
29 B 29

30 30

31 31
B
32 32
49

33 33
R OA D

34 34

35 B 35

36 36

37 37
A
38 38

39 39

40 40
49
41 R OA D 41

42 MAIN ROAD 42

43 43

44 44
DERELICT AIRSTRIP
45 45

46 46

47 47

48 48

49 49

50 50

51 51
MAP LEGEND
20
0m BUILD UP LAKE/RIVER OPEN ROAD RUINS WOODS
52 52

53 53

54 54
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W
 10 m

MAP LEGEND
PAVEMENT

FIELD

COMMAND
CENTER SHRUBLAND

DEBRIS

FOREST

FOLIAGE

INDOORS

MAIN
RAMPART

FORTRESS
SQUARE

THE
MESS

GÖTA VAULT

KARLSBORG FORTRESS
(SOUTHWEST SECTION)