![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
Entry tags:
HRHR: RETREAT.
ACHIEVE THE IMPOSSIBLE;
never tell me the odds
Things don't look good for the soldiers still trapped at Gallipoli.
Stranded with injured men and a poor cache of supplies, they have little chance of surviving the retreat. Still, COST continues in its efforts to keep casualties at a minimum, meaning it's time for another round of High Risk High Reward missions. Participation isn't required, although there is still a signup if you opt out of this part of the plot. If you'd like to skip to that portion of the write-up, please click here!
This is going to be a little different from previous runs: characters will be sorted into groups and you'll choose your characters' activities within that group. Signups close February 6th, 11:59 PM CST; you'll have until February 11th 11:59 PM CST to turn in plans.
You're more than free to put up logs before turning in plans, if you want to hash out ideas ICly, just thread with your group, etc. We're leaving it to you to create your own logs, but we suggest creating a joint log for groups 1 and 2, while 3 has their own log.
Once you turn in your plan, we'll share your chances of success; if you don't like the odds, you may turn in another plan and try again. You can do this as many times as you like until the 12th. Not turning in a plan will automatically result in failure; the characters involved will not be penalized individually, but it will affect the group and COST's effectiveness as a whole.
Since this is a pretty involved HRHR, feel free to ask us any and all questions here and discuss it between yourselves in the comments below!
There is no limit to how many characters can sign up for each group, but we do ask you to choose two options, to help us better distribute numbers. Ideally, we're looking for 5 to 10 people per group, but it'll be fine with more or less. We'll tell you which group your character is in on the 7th, after signups close.
AN OVERVIEW
On January 15, 1916 (February 9th, OOC), COST recruits will receive the order to split into four groups to try to save the men trapped in the trenches. This is convenient because the only senior officer left, Captain Lewis Morangey, has begun to realise no one knows they're left behind, or at least that no one is coming to get them anytime soon. So in the early hours of dawn, he calls the men together and explains a truly desperate situation: they're alone in now-enemy territory, with no one but themselves to rely on. (As it turns out, this is a new way to somehow, actually, make Morangey's mood even worse.) But without senior officials to turn to, he puts it to the men to find a way out without being detected.
Three groups will leave Lone Pine for other parts of the peninsula, to complete various tasks. Characters are advised to exercise a great deal of caution; the terrain makes for rough, slow going, and they'll have to use tediously roundabout routes along the coast, to avoid enemy fire from Turkish and Regency soldiers (yup, they're still there, tailing your asses). The hours they can move are limited as well: it's best to move at night and, if moving during the day, use the interconnecting tunnels to obscure movements. The still-present mist doesn't help, with poor visibility and its power-dampening effects, but leaving the tunnels of Lone Pine does make these effects less dramatic.
You're free to treat these missions as general mingles and only pair up for specific tasks. We recommend no more than three characters attempt a task together, mostly for your own sanity. But if you think you can tackle a bigger thread, you're welcome to it! Multiple characters can work on the same tasks if feasible (e.g., two different pairs of characters can salvage supplies independently from each other, with different results), but please communicate with each other! Your activities affect the whole group.
Also, some characters may realize they dug up items from the underground that can help one group or another in their mission...
click for a closer look!
A JOINT EFFORT
- GROUP 1: FIGHTERS & GROUP 2: TECHNICIANS
OBJECTIVE: RETRIEVE SUPPLIES & CONTACT FRENCH SHIPS FOR EVACUATION
Group 1 is combat-focused; their objective is to locate and retrieve any supplies they can find (specifically food, medicine, and ammunition). They're also tasked with supporting Group 2.
Group 2 requires technically minded characters; their objective is to contact nearby French ships who are pulling out of Cape Helles and request their aid in evacuation. They'll need radio parts and knowledge of how to use and repair shortwave radios—or at least easily learn the ropes from anyone savvy.
Both groups are headed for an abandoned command center at the Nek, not far from their current position. However, due to the trench layout and dangerous circumstances, it'll be a tedious journey.
Characters will encounter these obstacles:
- Reaching the dugout; the Regency will tail these groups the most conspicuously.
- A skirmish upon arrival; it seems someone (hmmm) tipped off Turkish soldiers.
- The possibility of being trapped by enemy fire.
- Salvaging any supplies, without losing them in the skirmish.
- Successfully repairing the damaged radios.
- Transporting the radios to a nearby hill and contacting the French.
- The enemy will attempt to shell the dugout, if left unattended.
- Returning to Lone Pine in one piece.
TRACES OF THE REVOLUTION
The Battle of Nek was fought as part of the Gallipoli campaign in August, 1915. It was a futile bayonet attack by Australian forces on the Ottomans; losses were extremely one-sided and the bodies of many Australians remain where they died, in some places six men high.
The area has a fairly straightforward trench layout, but boasts a higher elevation. The dugout that characters are looking for is a former command center, with supplies and radio equipment abandoned in the retreat. They've survived as well as they can, but need some excavating.
Peculiarly, this area of the trenches isn't entirely Australian; the rotting uniforms, mementos, and other traces of the men who once stood this ground are French. A few letter scraps make mention of a man named Jaques Louis; provided their BCE has a French datapack installed (or they know French already), characters can learn he is captain of a ship called the Marie Antoinette and a well-respected commander in the French military. This dugout's existence is attributed to him.
STUDYING POLITICS
- GROUP 3: DIPLOMATS
OBJECTIVE: GAIN AMNESTY FROM THE TURKS
This base is located at Mal Tepe. Again, the group's movements are limited, as anything too obvious will draw the attention of the Regency and Turks.
Characters will encounter these obstacles:
- Locating the base and arriving without interference by the Turks or the Regency.
- Getting at least one person past the soldiers and into the base.
- Scouting the base and locating Atatürk without causing an incident.
- Handling soldiers who might interfere with attempts to reach Atatürk.
- Combating any Regency soldiers assigned undercover to the Turkish side.
- If anyone is captured by Turkish or Regency soldiers, you'll have to stage a rescue.
- Successfully gaining an audience with Atatürk and acquiring amnesty.
- Returning to Lone Pine in one piece.
Locating the Base
The base of Mal Tepe is...no different from that of the ANZACs or, indeed, any entrenched position between here and the furthermost tip of the Eastern Front, save for the finer details that distinguish the Turkish army and people. There are twisting tunnels lined with sand bags and emblems of loved ones decorating small monuments. Soldiers and supporting teams flow in and out of it, a moving mass of life and death. Unfortunately, due to the nature of fighting a war on two fronts, both here and in Palestine, there has been a severe supply problem and many men haven't had decent meals except by what their families send them, via the spokesmen who travel from their villages to the front lines.
The one key difference about Mal Tepe, however, is that this is a battery: the key point of the whole defence is one huge, heavy artillery gun, which was used against the once-present British naval ships. Located centrally to the base's defences, it is directed towards the straits that form the mouth of the Black Sea.
The Mehmetçik Soldiers
The average Turkish soldier is a man not just fighting in a global war, but a man fighting for his country in a widespread invasion that means to march on the capital. These men are determined and follow orders without regard for their lives. Despite suffering from food shortages and the horrors of trench warfare, they have repeatedly held their ground and, when needed, taken back what was previously captured. Having been massively underestimated, they have made the enemy pay by not letting them advance further than the coastline in many locations. It has begun to instill a strong sense of pride in them.
The officers and any longer-serving men were trained, not in Turkey or as Turkish soldiers, but as part of the Ottoman Empire. They were sent abroad to learn what are considered modern techniques from the Prussians, as part of their alliance with Austria-Hungary. This led to a very hard, obedient style of military life; one commander told his men, when trying to hold ground, "I do not expect you to fight. I expect you to die."
Harsh as that seems, it is something these men, who have given everything for their homeland, would gladly do and have done repeatedly. That said, similar to their counterparts across the trenches, they aren't miserable and serious all of the time. Especially in the light of their recent victory, a feeling has seized them all: at long last, their homeland is free and, as such, things have gotten a little less...strict.
This spirit is important and something to preserve as much as ANZAC lives, because it will be how one auspicious general founds the modern republic of Turkey.
Mustafa Kemal Atatürk
The man who will one day lead modern Turkey to become the nation that it is today, by becoming its first president. At present, he is a general securing one of his greatest victories. He originally only commanded one division, but became the front line commander after he successfully predicted an attack and held his position until the Allied forces were forced to retreat. He's seen his fair amount of action and knows how to keep his head through it.
Despite a middle-class family and middle-class upbringing that had little to do with the military, Atatürk enrolled into the Ottoman Military College without telling his family and, as a young man, began his military career. He was deeply nationalistic from a young age and that drives him in the collapse of the the Ottoman Empire in the years to come.
It's noted that, after the war, he speaks kindly of the ANZACs as brave soldiers who did better than anyone expected and goes on to honour their bravery, commemorating where many of them died and giving consolatory speeches not only to speak well of the soldiers, but to comfort the grieving families left behind.
Should characters successfully approach Atatürk, he'll be NPC'd by a mod.
THOSE LEFT BEHIND
- GROUP 4: DEFENDERS
OBJECTIVE: DEFEND THE SURVIVING SOLDIERS
As it technically isn't part of the HRHR missions, this group is structured a little differently and won't feature dice rolls; a mod-posted log will go up on February 9th. These recruits will experience shifts in the weather (expect snow) and, eventually, a solicitation of surrender from the Regency. More details will go up with the log.
That said, speaking of the Regency... They have plans for you.
THE REGENCY 101
It's no secret that the Regency has been watching.
They'll finally make a move when characters leave Lone Pine, abducting several individuals they've confirmed as COST operatives. Exact numbers will vary, depending on signups to other groups, but we're looking for 8 characters max for this portion of the plot. Players may sign up for a HRHR mission and kidnappings; these characters will be taken immediately after they contribute to their group's objective. At most, we'll RNG two characters from a given group; otherwise, they'll be taken partway through their trek or from the tunnels.
Selected characters will receive a followup questionnaire (it's relevant, we promise).
Abducted characters will lose touch with the bulk of the game until they escape or are rescued. Their BCEs will still function, but lose network access. Their location and vitals will go dark, regardless of their privacy settings. Attempts to contact them will return the message "THIS USERNAME DOES NOT EXIST."
This is not a HRHR mission, as it has more mod and NPC involvement (think of it as a plot coupon), but it shares a number of similar elements. A log will go up February 12th.
SIGNUP CRITERIA:
- IDENTIFIABLE: The character has to somehow stand out as a COST operative. The logic doesn't need to be complicated—it can be as simple as failing to use period-accurate terminology—but the Regency needs to be able to identify them.
- EASY MARK: The character needs to be vulnerable in some way. If a character refuses to go anywhere alone or is always hypervigilant, the Regency has less opportunity to nab them. This doesn't rule out competent characters, but they need a crack in their routine.
- XP EXCHANGE: A slot costs 5xp. This will be refunded if you don't get the slot!
Also be aware that characters will experience some form of psychological torture, so please don't sign up if you aren't ok with that!
Depending on the number of interested parties, we may RNG a few extra slots to individuals who dodge a kidnapping attempt. If you land this option instead of the abduction itself, you'll be free to decide how your character escaped (e.g., they managed it on their own, someone showed up at an Opportune Moment, sheer dumb luck, whatever you want).
KNOW THINE ENEMY
For those of you who encounter a Regency soldier firsthand, here are a few things to know.
- PHYSIQUE: Regency soldiers are strong, fast, durable, and very well trained. Consider a human in peak physical condition—like an Olympic athlete—and multiply that by two. In general, you can assume it'll take at least two average humans (and some luck) to take down one Regency soldier.
- WEAPONRY: Each soldier carries one (1) standard issue energy firearm (like blasters from Star Wars), one (1) melee weapon of choice (ranging from blunt weapons to blades), a set of handheld bombs, and three (3) futuristic EMP grenades.
- NULLIFIERS: Every Regency soldier has a power nullifer built into the very fabric of their uniform. Power usage within a radius of approximately ten feet will fizzle and die, including projectiles (although this doesn't apply to, say, a non-powered object thrown from a distance using super strength). Cybernetics are also dampened.
The nullifers will not extinguish any powers inherent to a character's survival; e.g., if a character is literally made of magic, the nullifers won't dispel their presence. They will, however, nullify their ability to use that magic. Nullifiers also cannot force characters with transformative powers to return to their default shape, but they will not be able to change into another form until they're out of range.
GROUP 1 & 2: PLANNING.
REGENCY ENCOUNTERS: 6 soldiers.
Groups 1 and 2 may work together to accomplish objectives (e.g., a character from Group 1 can protect one from Group 2, while 2 tries to move a radio). You're free to embellish the given information as needed, including anything that creates other conflicts and affects how your characters interact with the Regency. Regency soldiers may or may not survive depending on dice rolls.
Characters with asterisks next to their names will be abducted by the Regency, so plan accordingly!
If you have any questions, please ask them here. You can submit plans here.
no subject
Ok so Ax is in group 2 and his contributions will vary depending on the situation. His whole deal right now is trying to survive while not giving anything about himself away, which will be really difficult on this mission given that he'll be surrounded by people like constantly while in serious danger and he hates being human in combat situations because he can't defend himself. I am absolutely willing to have this totally fall apart for him but it'll be purely situational. THAT SAID, here's some stuff he can do:
Pitfalls include him not being much of a team player, especially when it comes to his own secrets; there are only a handful of people in the universe he truly feels like he can trust and none of them are here, so he's inclined to treat everyone with suspicion until he has a better understanding of what's happening. Also, he considers human technology laughably primitive and will almost certainly be an asshole about it, as well as refusing any help because excuse me this is child's play, sniffs derisively.
Despite all that, he will also be willing to risk all this to help fight the Regency if anybody needs an out of getting abducted (or even a failure to avoid being abducted!). Or, in general, if someone needs help and he can provide it--he might be a bit arrogant but he's not cold, and he'd rather compromise his cover than have someone get hurt.
no subject
She also found the parts of a (nonworking) camera in the tunnels and has no use for them/is only a tinkerer when it comes to magical shit, so if someone can come up with a way to repurpose them here she probably won't mind giving them up.
So yeah, I'll be happy to plot out Morrigan working with as many or few people as necessary and play out key points like fighting a Regency asshole or two. Let me know if you have a use for her or want to be battle buddies!
no subject
no subject
I'll be happy to plurk it up with you guys if that'll make things easier.
no subject
no subject
no subject
She found a distilling station in the tunnels and, while I'm sure she'll miss the shitty jam moonshine, she can dismantle it and use it to fashion components, or help fix any of the components that were crushed in Rey's radio. Rey's radio parts are going to the the best leg up group 2 has. Morrigan's camera parts would also be very very useful!
Assuming we're going with a crystal radio/ham radio kind of set-up here, I imagine the bigger items like the tuning coil and tuning capacitors are the things that would most likely get damaged. Things like diodes/something that works well enough like a diode would be the hardest thing to make from scratch. Samus could offer to cut and fashion these (and possibly an antenna) with time and elbow grease and ideally without interruptions. I'm honestly completely fine skipping over the technical details of the actual building. Unless you're into that. I can be totally into that.
Samus will be extremely conscious of the fact they're being tailed by Regency. It's probably going to distract her and there might come a point where someone needs to remind her to keep her cool/focus on the task at hand that doesn't involve breaking noses or spilling blood. Or Turks if they get too close. I'm also interested in Samus helping to stage rescues and I'm okay with her getting injuries. She recognizes the mission is imperative but she also she cares about other people's safety way way more than she cares about her own safety.
She will also care a lot less about disguising herself as a male ANZAC soldier at this point. So. If you met her thinking she's a guy maybe that will be confusing.
I'm assuming out of all 18 of group 1 & 2, we really only need one radio to get the job done but if that one radio gets damaged or mysteriously goes missing with someone who is kidnapped everyone else is boned, so probably a backup radio or two is a good idea? I think with everyone's capabilities this is very feasible.
Does anybody speak French/have French in their BCE...
no subject
no subject
DISCORD INVITE
https://discord.gg/zpkkMWN
no subject
Still, if he has to assist--he'll be working with the radio team when they reach the dugout. He hasn't scavenged any supplies himself in sojourns in the tunnels
he was busy, but while this is different technical knowledge, he's used to overseeing projects, and will provide assistance where he can (aka group effort radio building, no solo building from him).Getting there/getting the radios out, Hux is still willing to apply his skills as a sniper, though he's running low on ammo--so careful shots, covering fire.
As the dugout can be lost if someone doesn't stay behind...Hux is staying behind. Again, covering fire.
No ulterior motive I swear...no subject
no subject
HEY GROUP 1 COME READ THIS
Wanted to toss up a quick write-up for the more nitty-gritty, potentially handwavey parts of the mission that we can submit as a sort of overall outline. I think it might be easiest/most flexible if we assume that everyone does a little of everything—that way each player can group up as they please and thread what they want, while we submit an overall plan that states what general tasks are getting done by default. Basically, this can be a general write up of what’s being done and what precautions are being taken so that our asses are covered, even if we’re not necessarily threading out, like, “so-and-so watches the dugout for 8 hours”.
I’ve broken up the mission into basic tasks that we can expand/elaborate on as necessary so we have a general structure to go wild within. If your character has a special talent, asset, item, or contribution, or if you have a particular idea of how the group might be more effective/thorough, let me know here and I’ll add it in to the final outline to toss at the mods.
If you have a very specific scenario or narrative that you want to play out (i.e. kidnapping plans, fighting a Regency soldier), it might be better as a separate submission so the mods can dice roll accordingly. The final submitted outline will not include a strict group roster, nor will it be assigning specific characters to specific tasks, in the interest of letting people play out what’s most interesting to them! This is just a list of basic mission stuff.
SCOUTING THE AREA/FINDING THE DUGOUT
+ Achilles knows the area! We discussed briefly in the discord about handwaving a quick mapping of the area, or sending out a few scouts to alert the group of what might be between us and the dugout.
+ The Regency will be tailing us on the way to the dugout and apparently aren’t going to be subtle about it. Do we want a stealth approach, or at the very least a cautious one? Alternate routes?
SECURING THE DUGOUT
+ Skirmish with Turkish soldiers! Our team is the combatant team, so this shouldn’t be much of an issue (because I imagine we’re all good at punching things), but if anyone has any contributions or specifics as to how we might handle the engagement, hit me with them. Training specializations are also helpful (machine guns, snipers, mortars). Maybe we want to station a sniper or two somewhere nearby?
+ Once we’re in, it needs to be secured, which might involve posting up guards, beginning patrols, etc. The dugout also has supplies that should be sorted, repaired (if possible), and organized for transport back to Lone Pine. It seems like the dugout is meant to be our home base for this part of the mission, so any extra defenses can’t hurt.
+ Someone’s gotta be watching the dugout so we don’t get shelled. This is something that can certainly happen on rotation, i.e. someone watches the dugout while another group is on a supply run or assisting team 2, etc. Easily handwaveable.
SUPPLY RUNS
+ Some of what we can salvage is in the dugout itself, but if we’re feeling particularly intrepid, we might be able to scavenge from nearby trenches.
+ Not only supply runs for anything we might find nearby, but also stuff has to go back to Lone Pine. It might be safer not to transport it all at once, so smaller groups running back and forth with caches of supplies?
+ Ryuji in particular will be scavenging for medical supplies and local medicinal plants.
GENERAL BODYGUARDING/ESCORT MISSIONS (WITH GROUP 2)
+ Assistance with equipment transport, keeping watch while tech is repaired/constructed, and escorting them to the designated locations for transmission/transponders/etc.
+ You know, being buff jocks while the nerds do their nerd thing.
+ Group 2 is putting up transponders? Those are big, and will probably draw enemy attention/fire. We will need to bodyguard those, too.
—
Presumably the mission parameters have come down from Grothia, so I think it might be better to gloss over IC marching orders/who is assigned what and when and with who to maximize flexibility and let people thread what they want to thread.
Again, I won’t be grouping characters or submitting any kind of roster or task assignment along with this writeup. It’s easy enough to say that everyone is pitching in at least a little in all these departments, and then let individual players group up how they like and decide where they’d like to put their threading efforts. This way nobody in Group 1 is stuck doing only one thing and nobody is locked out of anything.
Feel free to add on specifics in this thread! If you want to contact me privately, shoot me a pp at
no subject
For mapping out the area, we can mention in our submission that characters have made strategic routes based on the terrain/Achilles' report so that they can avoid areas that are difficult to navigate. They can then assess what would be the quickest way to get to the dugout and plan how they'll deal with obstacles (like enemy fire). I got Achilles as a meat shield here.
As for anything else, Achilles' can simply float around since he's got his speed, bringing supplies to those who need it (such as team 1) in a manner of minutes instead of hours.
Other than that, it ooks like we've covered our bases!
no subject
Everything else sounds great though, I'll plug it in!
no subject
As far as anything else, it looks solid, Whit! I'm all for it.
GROUP 2 LOOK HERE (and also GROUP 1 tbh).
REYDIO REPAIR
We have 2 different groups focusing on radio repair. The first group (Rey, Ax, Samus, and Merlin) will work on the main radio for contact purposes, while the second (Ax, Samus, Merlin, Prompto, and anyone else who wants to lend a hand) will try to get backups up and running. The second group will also be working on transponders to help the signal. Everyone here actually has really high competency levels besides Prompto, yayyy.
Characters from Group 1 will be helping out on the protection/combat front! Especially if they're trying to fend off Turkish soldiers during all of this.
BOSSY SPACE GINGER
Hux will be in charge of group oversight, direction, and morale (lol). He will probably give a speech and get on people's cases if they aren't on task. The latter is probably more effective than the former, but hey, the guy is influential in the First Order for a reason, right?
TRANSPORT
Transporting the radios will fall on Prompto and Rey, with assistance from Ryuji and Mordred from Group 1. They'll do their best to get the equipment where it needs to go in good condition, but Rey and Mordred will be getting kidnapped after they complete their parts of the mission. And Ryuji will nearly get kidnapped, because this group has really terrible luck.
Meanwhile, other characters need to get the transponders into place! And, honestly, be ready in case we need a second run.
CONTACT
Prelati and Eren are our French contacts! They'll have assistance from 76 and possibly someone else from Group 1. Prelati knows French and Eren is a seinen hero, so together they should be able to wrangle something. And 76 is a responsible dude.
HOLDING DOWN THE FORT
Hux and Kylo will be staying behind to defend the bunker while the rest of the group is busy focusing on transport and contact. I think this is when the two of them are shady around the Regency and Kylo gets kidnapped, but correct me if I'm wrong.
---
BONUS ROUND: THE REGENCY
I think we can just give a general overview of the characters' competency levels for these. We can also probably submit these plans separately, since we have 6 soldiers and it isn't really necessary for these to have a lot of group cohesion.
These are the soldiers accounted for so far:
- 76, Samus, and Morrigan
- Ryuji and Prompto, someone save their souls
- Heine and Eren, iirc
- Mamoru and Siegfried
- Ax may need some help after turning blue and furry
- Achilles is available as backup until Noctis gets himself KO'd by the Regency and he flips a shit
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject
If we're feeling like group 2 needs a little more padding for success, especially with transport/contact team needing an extra pair of legs since... two sets of them will go missing, I suggest a volunteer from group 1.
I can also offer Samus to rendezvous with transport group to provide back up if shit goes too off the rails; she can do stuff like this so carrying transponders and bodies or serving as additional body guard would be no problem.
EDIT: Merlin has also offered to rendezvous with Samus!