Category: Night Witches

We’re working up a more formal FAQ but here are the questions and answers we have right now.

Training

Since everyone must make at least one successful Wayfind and Attack Run Move while in training to qualify for combat duty, what happens if my character … doesn’t?

Your character shows up at Trud Gornyaka without her combat flight certification, which is shameful and inconvenient. She’ll be a trainee, under the watchful eye of the overworked and under-staffed Regimental training officer, until she earns her wings.

Duty Stations

Are the questions in the Duty Stations meant to be answered by the group at the beginning of the Station, or should they be answered and discovered mostly during play?

You can mix those two approaches according to your group’s preferences. Do answer some though, to give the current GM something to work with.

Medals

You can only choose the “honor and pride” (gain a medal) Advance four times. Since medals are awarded in ascending sequence of honor and rarity, doesn’t that mean that characters can only earn the first four medals, ending in Order of the Great Patriotic War?

Every playbook offers four different medals within that sequence, always ending with the HSU. 

Sparrow is MV, OPW, ORS, HSU and Hawk is MV, OG, ORB, HSU for example.

Also worth noting that whole-Regiment medals and banners, achieved by surviving various duty stations, do not count toward either advancement or medal count and don’t raise your +medals score.

This also means you can award the Order of Battle Merit to a Sparrow as pure color, if the need arises. She’ll never earn it normally because it isn’t in her playbook’s sequence.

Roles: Dreamer

The Dreamer role doesn’t list an action for Advancement. Should it?

Yes. Unfortunately that bit was left out of the role’s description in the book. It is included on the playbooks however:

“When you change Duty Stations, advance if you shared a premonition and it came true.”

Roles: Zealot

On page 46, it says “Call out another player character you despise at a Debriefing and roll +regard. On a 10+ hold three; on 7-9 hold one. Spend your holds, one for one, to give your enemy -1 forward.” Arent’ the Germans the enemy?

In this case “enemy” refers to the person you’ve called out – a fellow airwoman your character has a grudge against. 

 

Night Moves: Vedomaya

If I want to help a plane I’m not Vedomaya-ing on, I can’t use my hold, so am I Tempting Fate?

The Vedomaya move just allows you to cover them – to draw danger onto yourself. otherwise, follow the fiction. Trying to help them is probably Tempting Fate. Under ideal circumstances you might even be able to Eyeball them. Maybe it is impossible to help at all. 

Do player characters have to be assigned as Vedomyye? Can anyone be a Vedomaya?

No one is required to serve as a Vedomaya, but it is a useful function and you’ll want to apportion the role tactically. Omitting it will lead to trouble. Both pilots and navigators can serve as Vedomyye.

Night Moves: Wayfind

If I’ve been assigned to navigate a mission for the section and fail my Wayfind roll, what happens?

You have two options: Scrub the mission and fly home or attack late and alone. Each other plane in your section has the same two options, and can choose however they like.

Night Moves: Attack Run

If I’ve been assigned to lead the attack on a mission for the section and fail my Attack Run roll, what happens?

You have two options: Scrub the mission and fly home or press on, Tempting Fate first. Each other plane in your section has the same two options, and can choose however they like.

Day Moves: Reach Out

Does the “change regard” option for the Reach Out move only change the Regard of the character making the move?

Yes, you are changing your Regard for another. Fictionally, by Reaching Out perhaps your feelings change during the scene. You hated them, now you fear them. You loved them, now you hate them.

Day Moves: Act Up

On a 10+, can you choose the same option more than once?

Yes, although it is a bad idea.