Category: Night Witches: Discussion

In each duty station, why are the Night intro and missions listed before the Day intro?

In each duty station, why are the Night intro and missions listed before the Day intro?

In each duty station, why are the Night intro and missions listed before the Day intro? Should we start each new duty station with some Nighttime action? My instinct would be to start with some daytime scenes.

Does anyone know where I can read the original four step breakdown of Apocalypse World style play by Kasper Brohus…

Does anyone know where I can read the original four step breakdown of Apocalypse World style play by Kasper Brohus…

Does anyone know where I can read the original four step breakdown of Apocalypse World style play by Kasper Brohus Allerslav? (Mentioned and adapted on page 70 of the Night Witches RPG)

A couple of visual references I find useful to get an idea of what it meant to fly a Po-2:

A couple of visual references I find useful to get an idea of what it meant to fly a Po-2:

A couple of visual references I find useful to get an idea of what it meant to fly a Po-2:

586th flew this: http://ram-home.com/ram-old/yak-1-gor1p129-1.jpg

http://www.airwargame.com/upload/image/render/Yak-1b_03.jpg

587th flew this: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/17/Petlyakov_Pe-2_at_Poltava,_Russia.jpg

http://img.wp.scn.ru/camms/ar/265/pics/1_13.jpg

588th flew this: http://www.hans-egebo.dk/images/po2-2.gif

http://www.bestpapermodels.com/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/p/o/polikarpov_po-2-winter.jpg

Sergeant’s beginning stats

Sergeant’s beginning stats

Sergeant’s beginning stats

Can a sergeant start with +3 -1 -1 or +1 +1 -1 in her stats?

Doubts about Act Up

Yesterday evening I was running a demo with Mauro Ghibaudo, Luca Ghibaudo and Mattia Grazioli.

Luca was playing sgt. Sveta and she was acting up against some male comrades who, in an act of bullying, stole the bombing levers from the planes of Sveta’s Section.

Well, Luca rolled a 7-9 and choose “add one the the mission pool”. Ok, so Sveta didn’t make the boys do what she wanted. The problem is Luca narrated as part of her initial action that Sveta took away with force the levers from Stepen, an NPC.

Then Luca asked me: “Does the 7-9 mean that I still get the levers or not?” Luca’s request was motivated with the general rule of the moves, which states that with a 7+ you still get a success and not a failure.

I answered him that is the general rule of thumb, but that the outcome depends on the specific move: “The trigger of the move says ‘When you try to get your way…’ and, well, if you don’t choose ‘make someone do what you want’, I don’t think you are getting your way”. But, at last, I only narrated Stepen and his friend taking back only a few of the levers, leaving the most with Sveta.

How would have we managed that situation according to the rules?

After the second reading, some more thoughts, doubt and typos (with help from Daniele Di Rubbo):

After the second reading, some more thoughts, doubt and typos (with help from Daniele Di Rubbo):

After the second reading, some more thoughts, doubt and typos (with help from Daniele Di Rubbo):

First things first, what I miss most is something more about the life in duty stations during the day, how it changes according to ranks, etc. There is something, and I have to see how it developes during the game, but after reading the rules I felt I’d have needed something more. Also about ranks: it’s not really clear to me how duties, and day scenes, changes according to ranks (I know Section Leaders have to do paperwork, for example; I’m not so sure about how to bring this without being repetitive or boring, I guess I’ll have to see what I can do during play).

Doubts:

• Pag. 20, Major: If another airwoman attains [Major] rank, one of them will be reassigned to a different command

This means one of the PC is out of the game?

• Pag. 31, Order of the Red Banner: When you earn this individually, you may choose any staff role in the Regiment other than Commander. Choose a character to be transferred into your old job when you receive the Order of the Red Banner

“Old job” as in pilot/navigator, so the PC isn’t pilot/navigator anymore? (Unless she finds a way to keep flying.)

• Pag. 42: Split 5 Harm between you however you like

How to split Harm is chosen by whoever rolled the Move? So, if I roll it, I can say “The other PC in my plane takes it all and dies”?

• Pag. 44, Murky Past: Choose two things you are hiding: valuable training, prominent family, political connections, a strange secret, portable wealth. Define them whenever you want

Just to be sure, can I also choose which one I’m hiding (valuable training, etc.) on the spot, as the details, or I have to choose them when I get the Move? (I guess I can?)

• Pag. 46, Sacrifice: When you are sent to the hospital to recover from combat injuries, you may choose your assignment, Squadron, Section, and aircraft when you return

What if she returns to a different Squadron/Section, not the one with the other PCs? Not sure about how to manage this during missions.

• Pag 46, Behind Enemy Lines: On a miss, you don’t evade capture

And? I mean: the captured PC is out of the game, returns after a while after managing to escape, it’s GM’s choice…

• Pag 107. Wayfind and Attack Run: HOW CAN I IMPROVE OUR ODDS?/Ask your Vedomaya for help

“Help” here is just the Vedomaya ability to take consequences? I’m not sure because that doesn’t improve odd of Wayfind (i.e., roll’s result), but I guess being able to return home in a piece counts as improved odds?

Typos:

• Pag. 23: MAKE AN ATTACK RUN, endure Enemy Fire, find yourself Behind Enemy Lines, or in an Informal Interview, and choose it as an option.

Not sure if it’s a choise for Moves’ names not to be bold.

• Pag. 41/42: “split 2-harm between you and your crewmate however you want” and “Split 5 Harm between you however you like” and “Split 3 Harm between you however you like”

Wayfind, Enemy Fire and Wheels Down have similar consequence, written in different ways; this could be confusing (I wondered for a while if “however you like” meant “among all planes”, since Wayfind says “between you and your crewmate”).

• Pag. 21 and 42: You are free to change a slot’s tone at any time, and you can change who a slot’s target is between sessions or as a result of the Reach Out Move

Also Wheels Down let you change your Regard (“Change an existing Regard slot to refer to your plane if you want”); not sure if it’s a typo this isn’t shown in the summary on page 21.

• Pag. 72: Consider changing GMs when:Any player chooses the “Moving West” Advance

According to Moving West, the player who choose it has to become GM (“you become the GM”), while here it seems just an option.

• Pag 109 and 111: “PASHKOV-skya” and “Pash-KOV-skya”

Pronunciation is written in a different way.

• For Engeles, it isn’t said missions are to be done in order, but since training has an order I guess the mission should be done as presented?

(I’m guessing friendly fire here works as normal Enemy Fire, since they could mess things up and hit you nevertheless?)