Operation Medusa Discussion.

[kanila]

I’m leaning towards Surveillance and Demolitions. Demolition will add homemade and defuse which I don’t currently have. But if you are planning to add more I might hold off for the time being.

[swrider]

I don't have anything in mind right now. As things come up in play I'll make adjustments or notes for future adjustments.

[SavageBob]

@SavageBob you really like playing medics don't you? It seems like that is your most common character type, iirc.

Hahaha! A more accurate way to say it would be that I like playing support characters. Medics, know-it-alls, faces, buffers, etc.

BTW, I read through an article on Black members of the French Resistance last night. As far as I can tell, it's the only real scholarship on the subject. Seems what I suspected is mostly correct: There were some 200,000 colonial subjects in France at the time of the occupation, a good proportion of them from Africa or the Caribbean. These folks were in a wide array of positions: laborers, students, entertainers, professionals, bureaucrats, etc.

After the Occupation, the Germans tried to impose strict racial laws limiting movement, but Black officials representing the colonies petitioned the Vichy government to be more lenient and got things relaxed. Black laborers were even brought in from the colonies the Vichy controlled to deal with a labor shortage, although their conditions were little better than slave labor, as many were POWs. Among other things, Black members of the Resistance helped them escape and get to Free French territory or to Allied countries.

In short, in contrast to a theoretical game set in Germany, a Black character in Occupied France should have a much wider array of options for cover stories and freedom of movement. There's racism, sure, but it's a different kind of racism from the version found in Germany. It's more, "Oh, you poor savage, we're helping you evolve to become more civilized," rather than the virulent apartheid Germany is trying to enforce. Thus German soldiers and SS officers will likely be the most dangerous people for Essomba to meet, but other folks are more likely to be OK with his presence (just annoyingly condescending in many cases).

[swrider]

Yeah, that is about what I am cooking to with also. It won't not come up, but it won't always come up either.

[ThreeBFour]

So Benito has some of the Demolitions and some of the Burglary skills but not all of either. To be true to himself he would more than likely take both of those a specialties to even out the missing ones, although Surveillance would be a likely choice in there as well. Suggestions? But like @ShadoWarrior said before it would seem somewhat of a waste to round out the character's primary skill set.
I think maybe having a the PC pick their 5 background skills from a particular category, might be an idea at the start. Also they could either pick all their skills from one of the Specialties or from a mix of non-Specialty skills.

[swrider]

So Benito has some of the Demolitions and some of the Burglary skills but not all of either. To be true to himself he would more than likely take both of those a specialties to even out the missing ones, although Surveillance would be a likely choice in there as well. Suggestions?

All three are good choices. From what others have said though Burglary is not being considered by many and it has some important skills that the group will probably need. Also remember you can get good at any skill, this just gives you more conditional dice and a slight head start.

[SavageBob]

I think my character is ready for approval.

[ThreeBFour]

I think my character is ready. Let me know what you guys think.

[swrider]

Looks like two of the characters are approved and shado's will be shortly. Feel free to introduce them in the ic when you want.

[ThreeBFour]

Where are we going to be?

[swrider]

The tent is on an allowed airbase near the Polish planes. You are still in England. Though it will have been about a month since you have really interested with each other unless you share a specialty.

[ThreeBFour]

Do you know how hard it is to type a NY Italian accent?......lol

[swrider]

Lol. He should have been practicing his french all sound so you could type a more formal 'french'. Please continue to your in English though as that is or common language.

[ThreeBFour]

He never spoke French to begin with so it will be halting.

[ShadoWarrior]

Finally got around to working up Gavin's legend. Sorry it took me so long. Character is ready to be reviewed.

[swrider]

That is ok. Ill take a look now.

[ShadoWarrior]

"You all will meet at the provided location one day prior and three hours before the time and date provided."

This isn't completely clear to me. We're suppose (1.) to meet someplace 27 hours before a certain date/time? Or (2.) meet there 27 hours early, and then meet there again at the date & time, or (3.) meet there 27 hours early and wait there until the specified date & time?

[swrider]

Excellent question. You will meet at the location 27 hours before the time listed in the correspondence. This time frame has been requested by the organizer of the mission as their is significant censoring and monitoring of correspondence in Paris. Should the two pieces be intercepted and deciphered, enemy operatives will arrive on the wrong day and time. You should not wait longer than 30 minutes for any meeting ever and only do that if you have a strong alibi to be waiting in the area.

[swrider]

I have reposted that in the IC.

Please let me know in the OOC if you don't have any questions so I know when to move on. Any questions can be asked in the IC or OOC as appropriate.

[SavageBob]

No questions from me.

[swrider]

Ok thanks. Ill give some more time for the others to chime in then progress. There will be a final opportunity at the end just in case someone thinks of something or doesnt get an opportunity to post. That being said, people have been busy so I don't want to rush.

[ShadoWarrior]

I asked the only question as a player that I had.

[ShadoWarrior]

Reinhard Heydrich, wow! The man in charge of implementing the Final Solution. A truly evil beast. Historically he was offed by Czech & Slovak SOE-trained agents. They critically wounded him on 27 May 1942 in Prague and he finally croaked a week later.

[swrider]

Reinhard Heydrich, wow! The man in charge of implementing the Final Solution. A truly evil beast. Historically he was offed by Czech & Slovak SOE-trained agents. They critically wounded him on 27 May 1942 in Prague and he finally croaked a week later.

That is why I put in a disclaimer that this game will deviate from historical fact. If you succeed those poor czech & slovak units wont get a chance and he will die a few weeks earlier.

[ShadoWarrior]

Out of curiosity, since I don't remember and I'm feeling too lazy to go do any more digging, was he actually in Paris IRL earlier in May? There was a documentary all about him on the History channel many years ago (sometime between 2006 and 2010) that was more or less a full biography as well as detailing the assassination. I just don't recall where he was and when in the weeks prior to his being killed. He was, essentially, the #2 guy in the SS ... directly under Himmler.