Category Archives: November Company

November Company D6 Notes

As promised (threatened?), here’s you chance to snag the I put together to run a Mini Six/Open D6 World War II game. They’re what you might call “barebones” if you’re feeling charitable. But if you know the system reasonably well they should make for a decent foundation for your own efforts towards such a game.

Download the November Company Notes (14657 downloads )

November Company, in my conception, is pretty much the A-Team combined with the actual early Army Rangers. The soldiers assigned to November Company are the type of guys who don’t make good soldiers, but who have skills and personalities that lend themselves to, shall we say, different uses in a theater of war.

Anyway, download ’em and do with them as you please. In addition to the very basics of character creation, you’ll find a small selection of US weapons of the period, a 1/2 page character sheet, and a sheet with vehicle information on the trusty “Rat Patrol” style jeep.

As always, I must admit that I am most decidedly not a WWII scholar – in fact, I’m little more than a tourist in the era. The material that comprises the period flavor of these notes is essentially what I was able to glean from Wikipedia, without any concern for accuracy beyond the bare minimum needs for maintaining a reasonable degree of Hollywood verisimilitude for a bunch of players who know even less about the period than I do.

That’s the long way of saying that if you see something that makes you draw your breath sharply through your teeth, blame a lifetime’s viewing of cheesy WWII representations, offer a gentle correction, and move on to something more important 🙂

Dogs Of W*A*R: November Company Grunts

So here I am using Dogs Of W*A*R (the modern action relative of Barbarians Of Lemuria) to knock out a few grunts for that theoretical November Company thing I mention occasionally. I’m not actually anywhere near doing anything on that front, but I’m trying to rekindle the RPG fire by poking at something I find interesting. So, without further ado, here are some low ranking GIs who have found themselves assigned to November Company.

Sgt. Danny Womack

Daniel Womack hails from Santa Rosa, California. The son of a policeman and a seamstress, the 24 year old Womack had himself entered the force before enlisting in the army after Pearl Harbor. He has taken to the service and is respected by his superiors. He is a very serious man who almost seems to lack a sense of humor entirely.

Sgt. Danny Womack / Lifeblood 11 / Exploit Points 5
Attributes: Strength 1 Agility 1 Mind 0 Appeal 2
Combat Abilities: Brawl 1 Melee 0 Ranged 2 Defense 1
Background: Law Enforcement
Specializations: Sleuth 1 Soldier 2 Sneak 2 Snoop 1
Boons: Alert, Gun Specialist
Flaws: Anger Issues
Languages: English, German, French
Equipment: Heavy Pistol (d6+1), Light Machine Gun (2d6* +1)

Pvt. Dominic Di Martino

Nineteen year old Dominic Di Martino is as Brooklyn as it gets. Before entering the army he was well on his way to establishing himself as a petty criminal of some note. The army has set him straight and it’s unlikely that he’ll return to that lifestyle if he makes it home. Dom is garrulous and something of a practical joker. And his knowledge of baseball is unrivaled in all of November Company.

Cpl. Dominic Di Martino / Lifeblood 12 / Exploit Points 3
Attributes: Strength 2 Agility 0 Mind 1 Appeal 1
Combat Abilities: Brawl 2 Melee 0 Ranged 2 Defense 0
Background: Criminal
Specializations: Faceman 1 Soldier 2 Fixer 1 Tech 2
Boons: Stylish, Fast Talker, Grease Monkey
Flaws: Greed
Languages: English, Italian, German, French, Yidish
Equipment: Heavy Pistol (d6+1), Rifle (d6)

Pvt. John O’Shea

Boston-born John O’Shea is no soldier – at least not by the standards of most of November Company’s fighting men. But what O’Shea lacks in army training he makes up for with a broad range of knowledge and languages. Whether you need to get patched up or take out a bridge, O’Shea’s your man in just about any theater. Now if only he could keep from losing his glasses in a firefight.

Pvt. John O’Shea / Lifeblood 10 / Exploit Points 5
Attributes: Strength 0 Agility 1 Mind 2 Appeal 1
Combat Abilities: Brawl 0 Melee 0 Ranged 3 Defense 1
Background: Other
Specializations: Academic 2 Soldier 1 Medic 2 Sapper 1
Boons: Mimic, Deadly Fists, Born Behind The Wheel
Flaws: Poor Eyesight, Clumsy
Languages: English, German, Burmese, Japanese, Chinese, Russian, Finnish
Equipment: Heavy Pistol (d6+1), Rifle (d6)

BRP Characters: The Greek Resistance

Wherein your humble scribe presents a small group of lightly-statted NPCs for use with Basic RolePlaying.

Iorgos Vassilides and his compatriots are a group of Greek resistance fighters recruited to help November Company with a series of raids against the occupying Nazi army. Vassilides and company are more than happy to assist, thanks in no small part to the better equipment and food provided by the Allies.

Iorgos Vassilides
STR 18 CON 14 SIZ 15 INT 12 POW 10 DEX 10 APP 12 HP 15
Rifle 45% (1d8), Revolver 40% (1d6), Brawling 55% (1d3+1d6), Knife 35% (1d4+1d6)
Skills: Command 35%, Demolition 15%, Dodge 45%, K: Greek Mountains 85%, L: English 20%

Apollo Papasotiriou
STR 10 CON 16 SIZ 11 INT 15 POW 11 DEX 16 APP 12 HP 14
Rifle 75% (1d8), Revolver 55% (1d6), Brawling 35% (1d3), Knife 35% (1d4)
Skills: Climb 55%, Demolition 15%, Dodge 55%, Hide 35%, L: English 10%, Spot 75%, Tracking 35%

Martinos Papasotiriou
STR 16 CON 13 SIZ 17 INT 11 POW 13 DEX 13 APP 9 HP 15
Rifle 50% (1d8), Revolver 45% (1d6), Brawling 50% (1d3+1d6), Knife 35% (1d4+1d6)
Skills: Bargain 35%, Demolitions 40%, Dodge 35%, Fast Talk 40%, Insight 25%, L: English: 10%, Slight of Hand 45%

Isidoros Cosmatos
STR 16 CON 15 SIZ 9 INT 13 POW 16 DEX 11 APP 16 HP 12
Rifle 40% (1d8), Revolver 35% (1d6), Brawling 45% (1d3+1d4), Knife 65% (1d4+1d4)
Skills: Dodge 40%, First Aid 55%, K: Greek Cities 65%, L: English 55%, L: German 30%, Listen 55%, Medicine 25%

Dogs Of W*A*R: The Gospel Of Lorraine

So, despite having downloaded it months ago, I finally actually started to read Barbarians Of Lemuria relative Dogs Of W*A*R over the weekend. This delay is probably because I’m not actually all that big into the 80s-era men’s action fiction genre. I didn’t read Mack Bolan novels when I was a kid, nor did I much care for the A-Team or other entertainments in that style. So while I was quite interested to see what Simon himself did with the BoL engine in the name of guns & “modern” action, I just hadn’t gotten around to giving DoW a read yet. My mistake!

You see, even though the basic game is pitched at precisely those notes that don’t sing to me, there’s a little Alternative Settings section at the back of the book that includes an entry called Misfit Platoon, which just happens to list Kelly’s Heroes, Dirty Dozen, and Rat Patrol as its inspirations. Those sound familiar to anyone? Yep, those are pretty much the exact inspirations for that whole November Company concept I was on about previously. And though I know that if I ever do get around to running something like that my players will have fits if I don’t use Basic RolePlaying as the system, I can’t help but think that the concept and the BoL/DoW rules would be perfect for the concept.

As noted before, thinking in BoL comes easily to me. And with the assistance of my handy dandy BoL-to-BRP Conversion Guidelines I’ve got no reason not to indulge my own love of said elegantly simple system.

In the meantime, to give DoW a spin, here are a quartet of French Resistance fighters done up in DoW, which seems to fit the idea of a WWII scenario focusing on the exploits of this kind of group quite well.

Yves “Mathieu” Xavier

A former mid-level minister in the pre-Vichy government, the devout socialist Yves Xavier has vowed to fight the German occupation of France to his last breath. Yves still has access to much of his family’s fortune, which he uses to fund the operatives and soldiers he has recruited into his personal resistance cell.

Essences
Lifeblood 12
Hero Points 3

Attributes
Strength 2
Agility 0
Mind 1
Appeal 1

Combat
Brawl 2
Melee 0
Ranged 2
Defense 0

Background Political

Careers
Leader 2
Soldier 1
Administrator 2
Sapper 1

Boons
Paper Pusher
Wealth
Current Affairs

Flaws
Womanizer

Languages
French, German, Italian, English

Equipment
Heavy Pistol, d6+1

Isaak “Marc” Lunel

A young Jewish man from the the Pletzl (in the Marais district of Paris), Isaak Lunel has spent most of his life in trouble with the law. And though he has no love for France itself, he is proud to fight against the Nazis’ presence in his homeland (and, by extension, their persecution of his people). If that means he must work alongside those who have seldom given him respect, so be it.

Essences
Lifeblood 11
Hero Points 5

Attributes
Strength 1
Agility 2
Mind 0
Appeal 1

Combat
Brawl 1
Melee 1
Ranged 0
Defense 2

Background Criminal

Careers
Fixer 2
Soldier 1
Sneak 2
Wheelman 1

Boons
Alert
Edged Weapons Specialist

Flaws
Ugly!

Languages
French, Spanish, German

Equipment
Knife, d3
Medium Pistol, d6

Lt. Jules “Luc” Severand

A survivor of the Battle of France, rescued in Operation Dynamo, Lt. Severand has returned to France to fight with the resistance against her enemies (both foreign and domestic). His painful shyness, though certainly a weakness, led directly to his development of an eagle eye with the sniper rifle.

Essences
Lifeblood 10
Hero Points 5

Attributes
Strength 0
Agility 3
Mind 1
Appeal 0

Combat
Brawl 0
Melee 0
Ranged 3
Defense 1

Background Military

Careers
Marksman 3
Soldier 1
Medic 1
Scout 1

Boons
Gun Specialist: Sniper Rifle
Tough Guy

Flaws
Socially Awkward

Languages
French, Dutch, German

Equipment
SMG, d6
Sniper Rifle, d6+1
Knife, d3

Olympe “Jean” Daux

The widow of a newspaper publisher who was executed by the Nazis for his refusal to run their propaganda after the invasion, Olympe Daux has vowed to avenge her husband and restore France to its rightful place as a free and democratic country. She doe not relish the battle, but she will do what must be done.

Essences
Lifeblood 8
Hero Points 5

Attributes
Strength 0
Agility 0
Mind 2
Appeal 2

Combat
Brawl 0
Melee 2
Ranged 0
Defense 2

Background Business

Careers
Faceman 2
Soldier 1
Sneak 1
Sleuth 2

Boons
Contacts
Stylish
Fast Talker

Flaws
Slender
Phobia: Snakes

Languages
French, German, English, Russian, Greek

Equipment
Foil, d6
Knife, d3
Light Pistol, d6-1

BRP WWII Notes: November Company

A while back I posted a couple of NPCs (here and here) I had put together in relation to a World War II scenario I intended to run over Thanksgiving using Basic Roleplaying, but other gaming got in the way (darn the luck!). Before I realized that was going to happen, though, I started work on some brief notes designed to help the players produce “new recruits” quickly, since we were likely to have 6 hours at most for gaming. Rather than toss these, or worse, risk losing them to my “special” filing system, I thought I’d post them here. They ain’t pretty and they ain’t detailed, but if you know BRP then they should make sense. Oh, and cheers to the mighty Charles Green for his work on Dragon Lines, where I more-or-less swiped the skill distribution concept from.

Given that the game was intended to be a one shot (or, at best, a once-a-year shot) I was purposefully limiting all of the players to making soldiers rather than letting a motley crew of spies, femme fatales, and archaeologists (or femme fatale archaeologist spies) take the stage. Still, I believe there’s enough room for customization below that the characters would all have been unique enough for the game. At least, I think they’d have been unique enough for a vintage WWII movie, which is the feel I was going for, after all.

But enough about me. Here’s the notes:

  • Attribute Determination: roll 2d6+6 seven times, place in desired order
  • Step Six is on
  • Professional Skills
    • Put 25 points each (in addition to skill base) into each of the following:
      • Brawling
      • Dodge
      • Firearm: Rifle
      • First Aid
    • Put 25 points each (in addition to skill base) into any six of the following:
      • Artillery: Howitzer, Mortar, etc.
      • Climb
      • Command
      • Drive: Jeep, etc.
      • Firearm: Machine Gun, Submachine Gun, Revolver
      • Grapple
      • Heavy Machine: Tank
      • Heavy Weapon: Tank Gun, Turret Machine Gun
      • Hide
      • Language: French, German, Italian, etc.
      • Listen
      • Jump
      • Medicine
      • Melee Weapon: Bayonet, etc.
      • Missile Weapon: Crossbow, Thrown Knives, etc.
      • Navigate
      • Repair: Mechanical
      • Ride: Horse, Camel
      • Spot
      • Status: Army (base 20)
      • Stealth
      • Technical: Radio Ops
      • Throw
  • Put INT value into 10 skills of your choice, either Professional Skills above or other era-appropriate skills (Perform: Jitterbug, anyone?)
  • Army Status skill indicates rank as follows:
    • 01-29 Private
    • 30-39 Corporal
    • 40-49 Sergeant
    • 50-59 Lieutenant
    • 60-69 Captain
    • 70-79 Major
    • 80-89 Lt. Colonel
    • 90-99 Colonel
    • 100+ General

For the record, I am in no way, shape, or form a WWII buff. I built a few airplane models (P-51D Mustang, P-38 Lightning) and played with army men when I was a kid. I’ve watched a fair number of vintage WWII movies (and too much Rat Patrol), but not a lot of the modern ones. I’ve never played any of the WWII-based computer games. I have played Wings Of War WWII (and WWI, but that’s not important right now), but only a few times. In short, I am a complete and utter tourist in the genre. This means that I’m open to suggestions if anyone has any, but they must be delivered gently and with patience 🙂

I hadn’t gotten too far into thinking about the exact weaponry that was going to be involved, and I was likely to depend on what info I could track down at Wikipedia on the subject. I’d also considered picking up a few of the GURPS WWII books in PDF format, but once I realized we weren’t going to be playing this particular game, I decided to save my pennies for another day. Maybe next year when this particular group of old-timers gets together I’ll think about trotting this out again. And thanks to the blog, I’ll actually be able to find it!

Addendum: As the title of this post suggests, I was planning on referring to the game as November Company. It was a nice reference to the fact that we were going to be playing around Thanksgiving. I discovered a little later (thanks, Wikipedia) that “November” wasn’t used as the indicator for “N” in the phonetic alphabet until 1956, which is just a bit after the time period in question. If this ever does get run, I’ll likely stick with the anachronism though because, as I said, I’m a tourist. That and the fact that November Company sounds way cooler than Nan Company. Naan Company, on the other hand, sounds tasty.

BRP Character: Roger “Lucky Dog” Doggett

Wherein your humble scribe presents an NPC for use with Basic RolePlaying.

Lieutenant Roger “Lucky Dog” Doggett, the leader of November Company, is the kind of man an ordinary soldier can look up to. He’s a big fella who doesn’t shy away from a fight, but he’s also clever enough to know when and how to avoid trouble. More than anything, though, Lucky Dog is just plain likable. So likable, in fact, that if he makes it out of the war in one piece there’s already some talk of him running for office when he gets back home to Texas. You can bet your spare chocolate and stockings that there’s not a man in November Company who wouldn’t vote for Doggett.

STR 14 CON 16 SIZ 17 INT 13 POW 15 DEX 13 APP 16
Hit Points 17 Major Wound 9 Power Points 15

Damage Bonus: +1d4
Weapons: Rifle 50%, damage 2d6+2
Revolver 65%, 1d8
Fist 50%, 1d3+1d4
Grenade 50%, 4d6
Armor: none
Skills: Appraise 35%, Artillery: Machinegun Turret 15%, Bargain 25%, Brawling 50%, Command 60%, Dodge 61%, Drive: Jeep 55%, Etiquette 35%, Fast Talk 35%, First Aid 55%, Firearm: Revolver 65%, Firearm: Rifle 50%, Grapple 35%, Heavy Machine: Tank 11%, Heavy Weapon: Bazooka 11%, Insight 25%, Perform: Acting 25%, Persuade 35%, Language: German 20%, Language: Italian 10%, Language: English 85%, Listen 50%, Sense 30%, Spot 55%, Status: Army 55%, Throw 50%

BRP Character: Sergeant Frank “Nails” Braddock

Wherein your humble scribe presents an NPC for use with Basic RolePlaying.

Like his nickname, Sergeant Frank “Nails” Braddock is as tough as they come. But it’s not easy being a squad leader in November Company – not with the Desert Fox panting down your neck and the sand and heat dogging your every step. Still, just like his pop before him, the son of Colonel Nathaniel “Tombstone” Braddock knows that man’s gotta do what a man’s gotta do. And in 1943 that means that brave men must do their part and stand up to the Axis so that world can be made safe for truth and justice.

STR 14 CON 16 SIZ 11 INT 12 POW 10 DEX 10 APP 13
Hit Points 14 Major Wound 7 Power Points 10

Damage Bonus: +1d4
Weapons: Rifle 70%, damage 2d6+2
Revolver 70%, 1d8
Fist 70%, 1d3+1d4
Grenade 55%, 4d6
Armor: none
Skills: Brawling 70%, Climb 60%, Command 35%, Dodge 75%, First Aid 55%, Firearm: Rifle 75%, Firearm: Revolver 65%, Gaming 32%, Grapple 60%, Heavy Machine: Tank 40%, Heavy Weapon: Machinegun Turret 22%, Heavy Weapon: Tank Gun 22%, Insight 25%, Jump 45%, Knowledge: Military History 20%, Language: German 25%, Ride: Horse 30%, Sense 30%, Spot 40%, Status: Army 45%, Stealth 30%, Swim 45%, Throw 55%