Weird War II – After Action Report: The Failure of Operation Overlord

Years ago I discussed here how Weird War is a setting I'd LOVE to run.

As a campaign starter here is an idea I'm freely throwing out there for anyone to use to kick off one of their games. I've done it previously with a Roman Campaign idea for Majorian or for the New Shadow for Lord of the Rings.

Enter the Savage Worlds rules along with the Weird War II rulebook. 

In this case, imagine Operation Overlord failed. It fails not for the "normal" reasons, but because of the Weird War ones/ You know the beaches swarming with Axis zombies, wehrwolves and stitches along in additional to the rest of the Wehrmacht dug in along the Atlantic Wall.

Imagine if you will this memorandum prepared after the bloody repulse of the troops and the stories circulating among the ranks. Enter the PCs and having to land clandestinely in Europe to figure out just what the hell went wrong.

To: Major General Walter A. Smith From: Lieutenant Colonel William Thomas, 15th Army, 114th Special Operations Command Report filed: June 27th, 1944 Regarding: Failure of Operation Overlord, June 6th, 1944

TOP SECRET – For your eyes only.

General,

As you well know, the Allied invasion of Normandy was a disaster. Despite meticulous planning by SHAEF, everything that could go wrong did. Losses were far higher than even the worst projections. Allied planners are at a loss to explain why the landings failed so completely.

After-action reports chronicle the meager forces extracted from the beaches after just four days of fighting. The French Resistance carried out their missions, but like the soldiers on the beaches, they ultimately failed.

Worse, the reports suggest something far more sinister. Soldiers told of firing multiple rounds into German infantrymen: blowing off limbs only for them to keep coming. Only flamethrowers and bazookas brought some down. Pillboxes spilled out armies of shambling corpses that attacked with gruesome wounds. Despite the carnage, the invasion clawed its way inland.

As the advance continued, seaborne troops linked up with scattered paratroopers. Fighting intensified. Field hospitals were overwhelmed with bite wounds rather than gunshot or shrapnel injuries. Survivors described horrors in jumbled, near-catatonic terms. Then a massive North Atlantic storm rolled in, grounding Allied airpower.

Resistance along the beachhead fractured. Reports flooded in not just of Tigers and panzergrenadiers, but of hulking stitched-together brutes, mechanical soldiers, and other impossible horrors. While the front was stretched to the breaking point, the true enemy struck from the rear.

Men began dying in ever-increasing numbers from infected bite wounds. The dead rose from hasty graves and attacked their former comrades. The 203rd General Hospital was overrun. All medical support collapsed. Simultaneously, the 21st Panzer Division broke through and raced toward the Channel.

Split in two, Allied forces streamed back to the beaches in chaos. Evacuations began the night of June 10th/11th under extreme duress. Outbreaks occurred on several transports, forcing harsh quarantines and disposals. At least the contagion was contained.

The contingency plans of Operation Crosswire and Nightshade were activated. Success was achieved, and after two months all port facilities in the [CENSORED] area remain secure. Recommendation of immediate dispatch of [CENSORED] to France to reconnoiter and make contact with the [CENSORED] partisans.

My command has covertly observed and interviewed survivors as directed. The stories are too bewildering to dismiss. The Office of Special Investigations has been notified and is pursuing further understanding of the ramifications. Material losses and casualty figures remain incomplete.

This office has returned to Operations Mode Alpha and stands by for further instructions.

Respectfully submitted, Lieutenant Colonel William Thomas 18th Army Group, 114th Special Operations Command July 29th, 1944

Prepared by Lieutenant Susan Winters, Assistant Adjutant, 114th Special Operations Command

 The PCs have to parachute in or perhaps be deployed by boat. Either presents opportunities for the Game Master to spring other monsters on them as they infiltrate. Perhaps ultimately needing to find the lair or strange Third Reich science run amuk?

 What do you think? A good way to kick off a Weird War II campaign?

Weird War II for Savage Worlds – Monsters, Magic, and Mayhem in WWII

 

Weird type events for World War II? Yes, please. Unlike Deadlands, I think this one pulls it off. (That’s not an indictment of Deadlands, I like the concept, but that’s another topic.)

The topic at hand is the Weird War II sourcebook from Pinnacle Games for their Savage Worlds rules.

Weird War II is a source book for using the Savage Worlds system with a twisted take on World War II. Like Deadlands, there are dark forces at work, and Europe is in deeper trouble than just Nazi Germany or Imperial Japan. The “Weird War” genre has been around for a while, but I think this book captures it better than anything else in RPG form.

I’m not diving deep into the Savage Worlds rules here (if you’re reading this, you probably already know the system). Instead, I’m focusing on the book itself as source material.

Released in 2009, Pinnacle did a solid job capturing the feel of the genre. Character creation really shines, with advantages tailored to soldiers from each major nationality. While you could play Axis forces, the best campaigns are built around the Allies. The mixed nature of Allied forces gives tons of latitude for military and civilian backgrounds. Female players will find great inspiration in the illustration on page 12, who wants to play a WAC when you could be a French resistance fighter with a penchant for explosives?

The Office of Special Investigations concept neatly sidesteps traditional gender roles in combat: if you can handle the horrors of Weird War, you’re in, regardless of gender. It also feels very ad-hoc, much like units in Twilight 2000.

Equipment levels feel just about right. The book adds the right amount of new skills and Edges, plus an excellent mission generator that keeps things moving. The Warmaster can always “pull rank” with superior officers when the players start wandering off in search of Option Z.

The material scales perfectly, from personal arms all the way up to fighters, bombers, and naval vessels. Rules for fortifications, artillery, disease, parachuting, and more let you play out nearly every aspect of the war (and then some).

Large sections focus on the weird elements (especially Chapter Five), with monsters, Nazi blood magic, and Soviet psychic powers. While the European Theater gets a lot of attention, the Pacific campaign offers just as much potential for weirdness amid sweltering jungles and vast oceans.

The last chapter covers the Axis powers and their monstrous creations. Standouts include the Axis Stitch (soldiers sewn together from multiple bodies), nasty mustard gas zombies, and Wehrwolves.

Graphically, the book looks excellent. Even with some recycled art from previous editions, it’s uniformly strong and captures the tone perfectly. My favorite piece is the Axis Stitch on page 163. Additionally, the front and back covers are also outstanding.

Axis Stich, one fearsome monster!

 

One negative: the hardcover binding is flimsy. My copy is already separating from the spine despite light use.

If I ran this, I’d draw heavily from Return to Castle Wolfenstein for visuals, there’s natural overlap there. Handled right by the referee, Weird War II makes for a fun, exciting break from traditional sword & sorcery.

In closing, I give it 4.5 out of 5 stars. How about you? Have you played Weird Wars?

All Flesh Must Be Eaten – The Best Zombie RPG for Beer & Pretzels Games

BRAINS!

Now that I have your attention, just who does not like the zombie genre? Not many people considering the obsession with zombies on TV and at the box office (although I am protesting World War Z).

Now if you do not like them get the hell outta here. Zombies are cool! In RPG land there are a few good choices for zombie horror survival, but for me I would probably settle on using All Flesh Must be Eaten (fans shorten it to AFMBE). A second choice would be to use Savage Worlds and use the Weird War campaign setting and modify it from there. The Savage Worlds rule system would be perfect for zombie adventures using Weird War II rules as I like the feeling of the supplement and they sanded off the rough edges compared to the previous installment. Lastly, there is also Battlefield Evolution with the Apocalypse Z supplement, but bear in mind that is a tabletop battle miniatures game first and foremost.

Released in 1999 AFMBE is still the standard for zombie RPGs out there. With a number of supplements the line is well supported. While there are other systems, I think All Flesh Must Be Eaten does the best job of capturing the feel of the genre. The rules are not cumbersome (or crunchy) which might be off putting to some gamers but I like the ability to use it in many types of settings from traditional end of the world trope "Rise of the Walking Dead", to voodoo zombie lords "Dawn of the Zombie Lords" to space alien zombies "They Came from Beyond", to name but a few. Seriously, if you are a GM and you cannot come up with SOMETHING in this genre, it is time to hang up your GM screen.

 Of course you can't go wrong with the classic "end of the world" zombie trope! 'Murica!!!!

Back to characters: three basic types (Norms, Survivors and Inspired) each with their own built in advantages (for the most part). Six stats on a point system and away you go. Grab some qualities and drawbacks (here is where I think Savage Worlds is better) and you are off. Also in the character creation chapter I especially like the Archetypes section as it gives a good feel of the tone of the design of the system.

Equipment and vehicles are well handled and I also like the sections for different types of zombies (Apocalypse Z does this as well). For a game with only one really defining monster some variation is needed and with the system presented it is simple to do so: take the base profile and add to it for variation. Boom, done.

One thing I did not like (I have the revised edition so I cannot speak to the original) is the graphic design. I like the look and feel but a lot of it looks like it was low-res quality scans, making it look a bit muddy. Even if they are not, that is how it looked. Shame in an otherwise fine presentation.

In closing I recommend the game. I cannot imagine playing All Flesh Must Be Eaten for really long periods of time but I can certainly see it for a beer and pretzels type of gaming. Anyone else out there with thoughts on this RPG?

Brainnnnssss anyone?