No Man's Land - First Conflict with Germans

[SWPidgeon]

Anyone have any advice on how to run the combat in No Man's Land? There are 10 German soldiers in a trench on higher ground.... should I make a map? Is that the best way to try and do it?

[Sir Wulf]

You should be able to find relevant photos from WWI websites, showing the players what the No Man's Land looks like from the trenches. I wouldn't give them a map of the enemy lines: Uncertainty is the Keeper's friend...

[Emrys]

You could always supply an artist's impression of the German trenches ....

Darling: Are you sure this is what you saw Blackadder?
Blackadder: Absolutely. I mean there may have been a few more armament factories, and [looks sideways at George] not quite as many elephants, but...

[Roucheau]

I would say you should probably keep things easy on your players as this is the first encounter and if you play it the way you should, you'd wipe them all out without much difficulty. As for maps, I guess that depends on how visual your players are, but maps tend to bog down combat and that is not the point of this encounter or this adventure. I suggest keeping the event fast with the Germans fire a few volleys at 1/4 skill and let the players get lucky with a couple grenades and move on to the next thing.

[Miihkali]

I like having some kind of maps of important places, it will make it easier to visualise the situation and realise where and how things are. Just remember CoC is not board or strategy game, so it don't have to be very detailed nor there's need for 'updating' the situation or keep very pedantic track of characters. I mean, it should be: "The place looks roughly like this, you are behind this rock and the Jerries are here." No: "Now the German no 1 moves from this hex to this one. Now it's your turn, Player A, you can move 10 hexes if you run, 5 hexes in cautious move or 2 hexes if cowering. Remember to move your penny accordingly on the paper." That will definitely bog things down and kill the mood.

[Andreas Junzell]

I run cinematic games. When I gamemaster I prefer to (at least) try to give the players the feel of the situation rather than the specifics. My belief is to get moods and atmosphere out of this, because I think that in combat (or similar stressful situations) you really don't have time or the possibility to gain all the info about exactly whats happening. Unless you're a combatant in the highest of leagues, I don't think you know whats going on.

But that's just how I roll. Rather the D-day-scenes in Saving Private Ryan than slow, tactic play, well you get the point.

I would make the germans attack out of nowhere. The players only see a ridge of sandbags or whatever. A helmet that pops up here and there and some random gunfire causing bullets and ricochets flying all over the place. Once in cover, the players are safe, and gets to plan their move. Reward them if they are smart. Hurt them badly if they are stupid.

[eternalchampion]

I agree with the people above. It is most important to create feeling in the game, strong one if possible. This encounter is one that can offer that. If I remember correctly the company runs in to an ambush at night. They can hardly see anything of the enemy position, except the flashes of the machine-gun. It is an encounter that will wipe out most of the company and leave the players alone. So it should be messy and chaotic. When we played it, the first round was all panic, at the second round each one tried to find cover for himself and it was only at the third round that they begun to think what more can be done.

[Andreas Junzell]

I concur. The more dangerous and "wild" the situation is, the more chaotic and confused I like to play them. A western duel could be played out quite slow with all the ins and outs plotted out to the players, segment by segment. But as with the situation in "No mans land" described above, I would go for messy, chaotic and confusing!

[Arlecchino]

I don't own a copy of No Man's Land so I can't give specific advise. I will say that the BRP/CoC system is extreemely unforgiving and said situation (10 men armed with high powered rifles behind cover in an elevated position firing on a group of equal size or smaller running uphill with little to no cover) really should result in a TPK - the system is specifically designed to punish that sort of behavior.

If you're going to run that scene I'd put the PC's towards the rear of a much larger group of bullet sponges and shrapnel magnets...I mean friendly soldiers. Make them the only survivors of such a Pyrrhic assault so you can move the plot where you need it but they don't have any illusions of martial supremacy.

[viscounteric]

Just follow the order of the battle and judicious use of the Infantry Charge Table. Do NOT run a normal combat, unless you want to account for the reinforcements on round two. It should be run with gory detail mixed with just enough cinematic flair to give the players the slightest glint of hope. That should all be erased soon enough.

This is the only product that I've used the pregens for and it worked out beautifully.