The year is 1918. For four years Europe has been locked in the throes of the Great War, the most devastating conflict in history. Technical innovations in artillery, air power, chemical warfare, and automatic weapons have changed the face of battle. When industrial mass production, universal conscription, and staunch adherence to Napoleonic Era military theory were added to the mix, they created the Western Front: a Hell on Earth where literally millions of soldiers have fed the war's hunger for blood. Far more died on the fields of the Western Front than men: a world was ending. The scale of this new War, and its barbarity, are staggering; at the battle of the Somme, which raged from July to November 1916, the British lost 60,000 soldiers in the first day, and total casualties for the offensive ran over a million men. As historian A.J.P. Taylor put it, "The war ceased to have a purpose and went on for its own sake, as a contest of endurance."
The arrogant optimism that had inflamed the West following the industrial revolution, the idea that progress, technology, and enlightenment had raised Man (white man in particular) to the mastery of the world and a state of near divinity is dead, gassed and shelled into oblivion. The cream of Europe's youth learned first hand just how far civilization could fall.
"Are they giving up or not?" asks Nick, taking aim at a German, The weird sensation disturbs him, but he has more important things on which to focus. If they have all stopped shooting, so will he, but if any of them are still firing he will fire at one of the ones that still is.
OOC,I'm confused. I'm not sure if the combat has actually paused or if it's still going on. Has everyone stopped shooting at us, or is it just that the new arrivals aren't shooting yet? Do we still need to make all of the usual rolls?
I think the luckiest combat in Call of Cthulhu is [url=http://www.callofcthulhu.org.uk/pbp/viewtopic.php?f=343&t=5410&start=120]this one[/url]. Two UNIT soldier NPCs rolling natural 1s while firing assault rifles on full automatic meant one dead Star-spawn. It had extremely excellent stats too, almost as powerful as Cthulhu himself, with over 100 hit points. It didn't get to attack anyone at all, but at least people went insane!
Combat,You're still in combat. They have been firing, but the new arrivals showed up and haven't fired yet. If for some reason your character believes they stopped (unlikely since the last shot was probably no more than 2 seconds prior) then you are welcome to stop. I just didnt hyperlink all the rolls so I could get things moving again.
Edit: looking at how you ran the combat perhaps i should use the board-side dice roller. If you wouldn't mind in the general thread could you give me a rundown of how you do it? Posts and edits over and over as you run through the npc/enemy turns or all rolls at once?
That was an insane combat. I thought this was nuts with 4 npc impales. Luckily they have been allied.
language german 63,[url=http://orokos.com/roll/331456]German[/url]: [u]1d100[/u] [b]53[/b]
Fear and darkness still pulled on Richter's mind with a warmness still coursing through his body. Yet, he could hear the German soldiers and understand what they were yelling...they were scared as well. Calling up troops...he could hear them, understand them...now if only he could convey that to his colleagues.
Freddy felt the hairs rise in the nape of his neck. He double checks if Richter will be alright, and then dashes out to where McNalley is, lying down as he investigates his wounds.
First Aid 75%,[dice]0[/dice]
Hit points restored,[dice]1[/dice]
Looking at the muddied state of his hands, he pops the cap on his hip flask, pours the liquor over the wound and presses down some gauze on it.
"He said we were all cooked but we were all right as long as we did not know it. We were all cooked. The thing was not to recognize it."
Richter tried to focus on the words, at least two were killed, more coming...he tried telling his colleagues that more Germans may becoming. Righting himself, he pulled his rifle up and around taking aim and he tried to focus on one of the Germans. His finger squeezed the trigger and he felt the rifle kick against his shoulder.
fire rifle 45,[url=http://orokos.com/roll/331704]Rifle - 45[/url]: [u]1d100[/u] [b]41[/b]
Last edited by Ritterton on Wed Oct 07, 2015 5:22 am, edited 1 time in total.
A fusillade of bullets continues to ring out from your rifles downing a few more of the Germans. You expect counter-fire, but it doesn't come. You hear the shouts and the crash of small arms and bayonets. The charging platoons have hit the German lines and now they have a bigger threat to deal with, though you aren't sure that the biggest threat on the battlefield are the soldiers.
You being to feel mildly nauseous and goosebumps begin to rise on your arms and legs. The wind picks up around the battlefield, but it isn't ordinary wind, you swear you can feel it changing directions - it's in your face and then behind you it seems to be pushing in a circle around the kill zone. The wind is strong as well, you notice the shells have stopped hitting in the epicenter of it. The sphere of influence is too large, you can't get out in time, "Take cover!" cries Cpl. Grimm as he makes himself as small as possible on the ground. Pvt. Ryan pulls Pvt. Martin to cover as the others go to ground as well. If you look to the German lines you see one German soldier pause, noticing the change in the air, only to get gutted by an American lost in the frenzy of battle.
OOC,As far as you're concerned, the battle is over. You have 1 round for reactions and then I will continue. (I also need to compile all of the checks and whatnot that were completed)
Nick throws himself flat to the ground behind the tree he's using for cover, a soldier's instinctual response to impending danger. It has kept him alive so far, but he knows his luck could run out any time.
BIrdy squatted down behind his tree. As much as he was inclined to stick his head in the sand, something in him was sparking inside; his senses screaming. He risked a quick peek from his tree. It was better, he concluded, to see what was coming than to be caught unawares.
Richter drops down and keeps trying to focus his attention on the German line and where he just fired. The strange change in the air, and the tingling, only added to the confusion he was feeling as he attempted to process the continued ache from the wound, the killing of his first Gerry, and the horrors of the battle he found himself in.
