A Post-Apocalyptic Christmas

James “Hat trick” Jones was born in the summer of 1969, he spent his youth in Beaufort, South Carolina. when not at school or home. he would go on hunting trips with his Pa. after leaving school he joined the Beaufort County Sheriff Department. At 24 at the rank of sergeant, he left his career in law enforcement, to join the US Military. At 27 he was promoted to Corporal. when war broke out J.J had just been promoted to Sargent and started a special operations assignment. He was issued a sniper rifle. His “job” as to seek out people of interest and terminate them. now he’s alone behind the enemy lines if the is such a thing anymore. His mission now is to reconnect with his command, but until then he will he will carry out his orders he was last given.

It is now Dec, 3 days before Christmas. He is cold, hungry, and thirsty.

There is a small error on the character sheet, coolness under fire (CUF) should be an (A) not a (D), I also missed out Sniper as a specialty and that he started with 5 permanent rads

I plan to move 3 squares per day on the main travel map and draw one card per hex from the encounter deck. I plan to keep doing this until the 3rd of January 2022 or till the death of the character.

I did a unboxing of the core set, referee screen and the dice pack, here.

Unboxing

Lodz Poland

Weather Heavy Snow

JJ Leaves town in his Polski Fiat 126p, heading southwards on the main road.

JJ  has to roll a Survival to search the car wracks, Intelligence B (D10) + Survival C (D8). I fail the roll with a 3 & 1. I cant push the roll (reroll) becuse i rolled a 1.

JJ Gain 1 stress from the road of death scene

Note: the bloody first roll of the game failed (facepalm)

JJ short on food pushes on past the refugees.

JJ spots the minefield just as dusk starts to fall. Tomorrow JJ has to decide whether to retrace his route back to a junction he has passed or carry on, on foot.

Day 1 is done. no as of combat yet.

please leave comments on what you think JJ would do.

Disclaimer

I know I’m not following the rules 100%, I’m trying to make an interesting story

Piotrkow Trybunalski, Poland

Weather Heavy Snow

JJ decides to leave the Polski Fiat back at the minefield, JJ has set his sights on reaching Krakow before the year’s end. As he remembers this is one of the army marshaling points before the shit hit the fan, and JJ hopes that maybe he can reconnect with command there.

Passing thru Piotrkow Trybunalski, JJ passes a 220-meter by 44-meter deep nuclear strike crater. JJ decides to avoid the crater so as not to take any extra rads

JJ searches the site of this tank battle and Rolls a 7 and a 3 on the recon check. with one pass he finds a golf club, JJ decides to leave this behind

JJ encounters a half-crazed US officer in Sulejow, who tries to order JJ to execute some civilians. JJ tries to reason with the officer. But I failed the Empathy C (D8) & Manipulation F (No dice) check as I rolled a 5, I pushed the roll (rerolled) and got a 4.

The officer pulled his pistol and tried to shoot JJ, and missed. However, JJ’s police training kicks in JJ pulls his own pistol and kills the officer.  JJ rolls Agility A(D12) & Ranged Combat B(D10) and rolls a double 10. this counts as four successes. one hit and 3 carried over onto damage. 1 base damage + 3 bonus damage. this wouldn’t normally be an instant kill, as an officer normally has 5 hit points, however. The torso is rolled on the hit location dice and then a D10 was rolled, on the hit location chart. 10 on the torso chart is a heart shot, resulting in instant death

JJ Buries the Officer the best he can in the frozen ground, marks the site on his map. so if this shit show is ever over they can send the body home.

JJ sets up camp in the ruins of Sulejow at the end of day 2

Sulejow Poland

Weather Heavy snow

A Roadside IED, only an issue when in a vehicle. JJ is on foot so easily avoids the device

JJ passes a recon roll and sees a fire with a hunter cooking meat on. JJ uses his rifle scope to see that the hunter is cooking human flesh, JJ can see the half butchered body. JJ takes aim and rolls a called headshot. this is a -1 to the roll. JJ rolls a 10 and 3, then a location 8 on the table with a shattered neck location. JJ then does a second coup de grâce shot killing the hunter

JJ meets a group of hunters, who are willing to trade meat for ammo. But after the last encounter, JJ is unwilling to trade. However, they allow him to share their camp for the night

Weather: Heavy Snow

30 miles  North West of

Skarzysko Kamienna, Poland

Another hunter encounter, JJ passes a recon  check to avoid them

JJ approaches a small retail complex of 11 buildings.  JJ fails his recon check ( also failed the reroll )and stumbles on a local bandit leader and one guard. JJ wins the initiative and shot the guard dead. the bandit leader draws his uzi and runs at JJ to get in range. JJ has time to take and shoot and wound the bandit leader.  just as the bandit leader lets loose at JJ with the uzi and hits JJ causing 2 damage.

JJ fires again and kills the bandit leader

on the outskirts of Skarzysko Kamienna. JJ hears a heavy track vehicle. having not taken anything to deal with armor. JJ passes a recon check and goes to ground as a T-72 and a GAZ-66  with a dozen US POW’s in the GAZ-66. AS the vehicles rumble on past eastwards.

JJ spends the night in the woods, he treats his wound. At dawn, he will move on again

Weather: Heavy Snow

Outskirts of Skarzysko Kamienna, Poland

The Military convoys carry on thru the night, the last one passes just as dawn breaks. it is led by a BTR-70 and two GAZZ-66’s. JJ stays hid until they have rumbled on past

JJ recon’s the bus and spots the viper before it attacks. JJ then searches the bus and finds a tire iron and a crowbar. JJ leaves these behind as he doesn’t need the added weight of them

JJ encounters a pack of rabid-looking dogs, the dogs attack JJ. JJ shoots and kills one with a pistol. the second bite’s JJ for 1 damage. JJ shoots and kills the second dog. (There is a 1 in 6 chance that these dogs have rabies. So I roll a dice if I roll a 1 JJ gets infected, luckily I rolled a 4 so no rabies)

JJ again sets up camp for the night at the halfway point between Skarzysko Kamienna,  and Kielce

Weather: Heavy Snow

halfway between Skarzysko Kamienna,  and Kielce Poland

JJ stumbles onto a bear, JJ wins the initiative. JJ shots the bear and does 4 damage. The bear charges at JJ, but before ut can reach JJ . JJ shots it dead.

JJ encounters more hunters and they share 4 rations with him

JJ hears the train coming and passes a recon test to hide, as he still doesn’t have anything to deal with large vehicles.

JJ rests on the outskirts of Checiny for the Night.

JJ checks his map and reckons he will be in Krakow in just over two days.

Note: I roll for the weather every day, on a 1 the weather gets one step worse, and on a 6 the weather gets one step better. To date, there have been plenty of 1’s but you can’t get worse than heavy snow