Midwinter: Sky's Unclouded

Previously, Sergeant Llewellyn had just convinced ski teacher Virginia Caygill to help protect the free villages against the evil General Masters sneak attack. Captain Stark left off as he was attacked by a tank deep inside the enemy's territory. Llewellyn and Caygill go their separate ways, in order for them to best recruit more people in the hopes of repelling this invasion...assuming Stark doesn't just take out Masters powerbase all on his own. The following takes place over the course of 12 in-game hours.

Virginia was a wise choice to recruit, as she is very good at skiing, or I'm lucky enough to get a good patch. She goes northwest to where she recruits Jenny Adams. From there, she goes northeast, to a cable car to get across the mountain, where she will attempt to recruit Professor Kristiansen to the cause. Unsurprisingly, the old man joins up. The duo accidentally travel across the same stretch of land, before Virginia goes northeast where she recruits Davy Hart, her other pupil. Then, its off over another mountain to get Rudel, a hunter. He says he won't be able to join up, like she asked him to repair a snowtractor or something.

Jenny is 11 and a better shot than a small child planning on being a doctor has any right to be. She goes northwest, hopefully to convince some of the PCs up there to do something. Only the cruel will be able to resist a child saying the evil men are coming. I'm not actually sure what I'm going to do with all these people. She also has some good skiing, probably because she's 11. She can also drive very well for someone who is 11. She only ends up losing the buggy because I didn't react in time to a tree. I half-expect her to kill a dozen people. After, she recruits PC Wright. After a brief rest the duo head north, where Wright gets off at a cable car. Jenny continues driving in another buggy, along the west coast of the isle.

This location takes me through some great scenery, probably the flatted part of the island. Surprisingly isolated too, not many places of interest. PC Cropper, the fellow she finds there, is eager to help. Unfortunately, he lacks skills such as skiing, hanggliding, endurance and driving to a certain extent. Better than having an 11-year-old drive, I say. Its quick journey north, but a gas-guzzling one. One mostly for nothing, as the inhabitant there is interested in helping neither of the two people. Apparently some can resist a child saying the bad men are coming.

Llewellyn barely makes any distance, probably because...uh...I don't know of a Welsh stereotype that'd make him slow, sorry. Somehow, he manages to take out an enemy buggy with a gun, although he's now lacking for bullets. He eventually reaches a garage, which makes his next recruit easier to reach. Unfortunately, the town he reached was held by the enemy, and thus, the taking up of more time. Fortunately, the person inside, PC Muller, is not an ungrateful ass. I bring him along in the buggy, because he'll probably help in recruiting people.
To the northwest, there is a man I previously tried to recruit, PC Jackson, who has many enemies. Muller can't recruit him, despite Jackson getting locked up.

Stark loses his snowbuggy after taking out a bunch of cars. This area is swarming with the enemy, which is to be expected. Hopefully taking out those vehicles and a warehouse will do some damage. Escape is difficult, as Stark is as fast as a Welshman on skis. Shooting a gun at a tank with little rhyme to the direction it goes and breathing like crazy, also difficult. After the first two hours Stark is left many miles away from a garage or any settlement beyond the one he just blew up. So I just have him sleep, he needs it. According to the manual that's a concern. Staying up for a good twelve or so hours probably does things to you. Sleeping for four hours helps him a good deal, but anymore is a luxury right now.

I assumed that the area had nothing of interest beyond towns. I was wrong, but its hard to reach the right area when there are dozens of vehicles in the immediate area. Getting shot twice. Stark loses the ability to use both his arms, making sniping things impossible. He can't use his arms anymore.

Kristiansen, the newly recruited electronics researcher, is old and terrible at such things like skiing, shooting, and things required for people rushing about in the snow, trying not to be killed by an evil psychopath. However, he's good at blowing things up, and the manual tells me that if he gets to a radio, he might just have a shot at recruiting people over the airwaves. While skiers don't travel together, he does travel along the same path as Virginia, until I have Davy drive back in a car for him. With the radio he was going to journey to captured, I have him go in another direction.

PC Wright, who apparently suffers from being too nice for PC Jackson's taste, is the generic character with generic stats. He seems like a good choice to assist Kristiansen or Stark in blowing things up. So, after leaving Jenny at a cable car, he wisely takes off in a hangglider, safely lands slightly uphill of the next town, then skis down. All for nought, as Dr. Revel, the inhabitant, doesn't particularly care for Wright. He's polite at least. The radio here is held by the enemy, not a good sign for wherever Kristiansen has to go. I have him climb back up to the top of the cable car, where he'll try to take off for a real amount of distance.

Davy Hart is 12 and also a good shot. He's Kristiansen's grandson and I have him ski northwest to get a buggy to get his grand papa to a radio. With that done, I have no idea what I'm going to do with him. I just have him go along with the professor. To the east, and then to the enemy's HQ.

So far, I've done some damage to the enemy's supplies, but not so much to the enemy's forces. I've got a good shot at destroying them in the long term, but not so much in the short. The manual says I can win by keeping at least 1 heat mine for 40 days, then the Masters's troops will revolt. I think you have to be really good at this game to do that, as a sort of challenge.

This Session: 4 hours

Total Time: 11 hours