A game about civilians in wartime. You play people who are caught between lethal forces that want things that you may not be able to provide. On one hand, an authoritarian military that has completely slipped its leash. On the other, partisans who fight in the name of the people but who are little more than bandits. ***Draw a Map*** Start with an A4/letter-sized piece of paper. Place two forests (The Garen and the Natin-Gandan) on the map. Each should be about the size of your closed fist. Place a set of low hills about the same size. These can all overlap. Bisect the page with a river (the Natin) and a rail line. Both can pass through forest; the river goes around hills. A major highway parallels the rail line up to the river from one direction, then splits off. Where the river is closest to a forest, there is a marsh. There is a large town (Horál) somewhere along the rail line. Directly outside this town is a military base (Main Operating Base Hailstone). There are three villages (Silný, Pracha and Thola) that can be anywhere - add roads to connect them to the main highway. There is also a military outpost where the river crosses the roads (Outpost Rime) and another just outside Silný (Forward Operating Base Hoarfrost) Feel free to embellish your map with additional details as you play. ***Start a War*** The area is a hotbed of insurgent activity, and subsequent counterinsurgency. Choose one group from each category by giving it a name and assigning it a commander. Note on the map where each group is generally located. Government troops (MOB Hailstone and FOB Rime) 415th Airborne Regiment, Second Composite Division, Arajan Battalion, First Mountain Division General Strach, Captain Protten, Major Beingue, Lieutenant Špato Have: Discipline, Paranoia, Excellent Equipment Demand: Loyalty, Intelligence Pro-Government paramilitaries (Choose a village) Alpha Echo, K-7, Petra Auxiliary, Black Skulls Commander Hlasy, Captain Lunto, Subcommander Placet, Old Fiver Have: Chaos, Savagery, Good Equipment Demand: Loyalty, Support Government special forces (FOB Hoarfrost) Unnamed Kill Team, Special Hunter Group, Fifth Commando Brigade, Joint Task Force Marik Colonel Shorrow, Major Nouka, Captain Motter, Lieutenant Semnow Have: Discipline, Savagery, Excellent Equipment Demand: Intelligence Army of National Salvation (Choose a forest or the hills) Whirlwind Brigade, ANS Ranger Battalion, Group Kanyara, ANS First Mobile Division Subcommander Whirlwind, Lieutenant Krák, Sergeant Roat, Major Spliže Have: Discipline, Paranoia, Good Equipment Demand: Loyalty, Intelligence Self-defense militia (Choose a village) Vigilant Beacon, West Garen People’s Militia, Natin River Self-Defense Force, The Hawks Smoot, Pruit, Kopel, Tadký Have: Discipline, Paranoia, Poor Equipment Demand: Loyalty, Support Partisans (Choose a forest or the town of Horál) Matej Brigade, Gandan Marauders, Kartima Organization, Satra’s Band Captain Fancy, Snout, Antarn, Satra Have: Chaos, Savagery, Poor Equipment Demand: Support, Intelligence ***Stabilize the Lines*** Draw a dotted line around areas of government control. These should extend in every direction from any base, road, or railroad about the width of a thumb (1-2 cm), using common sense to widen, narrow or eliminate control where appropriate. The government never begins with control of the hills or forests. ***Localize*** Decide together where your community is. It can be in a village or a neighborhood in the town. Your community has three Wealth - note this on the map. You may be able to persuade your community to spend some of its Wealth in an emergency. Each of you - decide who you are. Who you are not is a healthy young person. Children, the disabled, working adults, the elderly are all fine. Pick a name: Womal, Žento, Grev, Comit, Wass, Jonek, Joselina, Mirina What do you Want? You Want Peace plus one of the following: Freedom, Security, Closure, Justice Why do you Want that and how will you try to get it? How do you live? What do you do? Where does your food and water come from? If you are male take one Wealth. If you are female take two Wealth. If you are a child subtract one. If you are a working adult add one more. As long as you are employed you will always have at least one Wealth. ***Make a Connection*** Pick another name that belongs to someone alive that you care about: Karolathi, Jara, Plava, Komjai, Coman, Škrý, Pokola, Nathi Tie this person to one of the six groups and your personal Wants. Explain the connection. They could be a soldier, or a prisoner, or work in a cafeteria. They could be a parent or child or neighbor. They might be anywhere on the map (but not in a distant place off the map). ***Play*** Now you should have a strong sense of location, character, and hopefully some implied tension. Whatever groups are most local to you Demand things from you, right now. Begin by roleplaying that. Is it military officers looking for information on partisan activity? Is it partisans shaking you down for Wealth? Does the local militia demand a display of loyalty (or disloyalty?) Remember that they are fighting each other, and the player characters are, to them, of little significance. Apply pressure until the situation is impossible. Eventually all six groups should be looking to the characters for things they are reluctant or unable to provide. Jobs are scarce and fragile. Homes can be demolished. War brings out the worst in everyone. Groups with Discipline will demand order and obedience, imposing harsh curfews and bureaucratic entanglements. Chaotic groups will arrive unannounced and make ill-considered demands, give unexpected gifts, or otherwise behave erratically. Paranoid groups assume all civilians are in league with the enemy, whoever the enemy happens to be. Savage groups delight in unrestrained cruelty, destruction, and killing. Groups with good equipment are eager to use it, oblivious to collateral damage. Groups with poor equipment are eager to collect Wealth to upgrade their arsenals, or to steal from their enemies. Groups that demand Intelligence are eager to know the movements and plans of their enemies, as observed or assisted by the local civilians. They may use severe methods to extract it. Groups that demand Support are always looking for “contributions” - Wealth - which can also be used as a resource to bribe officials, fend off advances, or secure needed supplies. Groups that demand Loyalty are interested in the political and ideological purity of the population, demanding proof and display of same, winning hearts and minds or possibly destroying villages to save them.