Mission for Spec Ops - Opinions?

[mook]

As I'm working on updating the pre-gens for this game, I thought I would also throw out what I'm mulling over for the actual mission for y'all to chew on.

NOTE: If you are playing this game at Strategicon's OrcCon 2014, reading further will be very, VERY spoiler-y!

This is still pretty bare bones, but the gist of things:

The primary objective is to take out a chemical weapons storage facility within Syria, specifically about 10 miles East of the port city of Latakia on the shore of a lake there. The facility is somewhat isolated, and normally garrisoned by a force of 400 soldiers. However, a recent push against the city of Aleppo 100 miles NE by the Free Syrian Army has temporarily drawn off the bulk of those defenders. Only about 30-40 remain, and the CIA SAD has decided to use that window to take out the facility (there may be simultaneous ops going against other sites at the same time, but that doesn't really affect the game).

The team will board a private (CIA) charter flight in Israel, destined for Turkey (a night time flight). En route, they will gear up and parachute out to an LZ a few miles from the facility. After destroying their chutes (thermite? just bury them?), they will make their way (hopefully) undetected to the facility, neutralize any defenders they encounter there, photograph whatever they can/grab hard drives etc., and use Semtex charges at two foundation locations to collapse the building. Once accomplished, they must make their way to a remote site for exfiltration. As there can be no external communications (for concern of being overheard and tied to the U.S.), they must be at the site when the chopper arrives (a re-purposed Russian Mi-26) or they're on their own to get out of the country.

Optional (basically depends on how we're doing on time): On the way to their exfil point, they spot a small convoy carrying a High Value Target like a high-ranking Syrian officer, known war criminal, Hezbollah lieutenant, something like that. Do they have time to take him out and still make it to the LZ!?

The defenders of the primary installation will be standard soldiers of the line -- their main threat is that there are more of them, but presumably the PCs will have the element of surprise. If the team is just mowing them down effortlessly, there may be a small squad of more seasoned troops in the mix with better training and weapons (yes, I'm one of those hippy GMs lol).

The convoy defenders will be tougher, more like peers to the PCs.

A few of the myriad things I'm unsure of:

• Would the facility defenders be using Night Vision goggles at all times, or just if they were put on alert for some reason?
• Should the team have to take out the hardlines and use a radio/cell jammer, or just assume they'll be in and out quick enough to avoid reinforcements?
• I'm think a squad of gear-laden spec ops can hump about 5 mph on foot if they can't commandeer a vehicle?
• If they do miss their helicopter ride, how would they get out on their own? Just walk over the border into Israel? (I imagine that border is pretty well militarized) Maybe Turkey? Steal a boat to Cyprus? Tunnel deep into the earth and seek assistance from the Mole People?

[johndallman]

Originally Posted by mook

The primary objective is to take out a chemical weapons storage facility within Syria

Um, blowing up a chemical weapons storage facility will spread the contents all over the area, and depending on what the weather does, may kill a load of people. Blowing up a production facility that hasn't started up yet makes more sense.

After destroying their chutes (thermite? just bury them?)

Burry them. Thermite generates bright lights and bright lights at night are a really bad idea for a covert mission.

Only about 30-40 remain ... they will make their way (hopefully) undetected to the facility, neutralize any defenders they encounter there, photograph whatever they can/grab hard drives etc., and use Semtex charges at two foundation locations to collapse the building.

They need to make very sure that the site's communications are taken out, as one phone call saying there are foreign attackers makes life much harder for the politicians. So that's jammers for the Syrian army's radios and for soldiers' own cellphones, and cutting all the telephone and long-distance networking cables, before anyone at the facility knows anything's up. If this is insufficiently Action!, or too much complexity for the timeslot, add an NPC support team to do it.

Would the facility defenders be using Night Vision goggles at all times, or just if they were put on alert for some reason?

Depends on how much budget they have, and how well organised their supply officer is.

I'm think a squad of gear-laden spec ops can hump about 5 mph on foot if they can't commandeer a vehicle?

Not for very far at that pace.

Just walk over the border into Israel? (I imagine that border is pretty well militarized)

It's a bit less militarised than the DMZ in Korea. But only a bit.

Maybe Turkey?

Less militarised, but still significantly. Lebanon will be a better bet, but is not terribly safe territory. The CIA can probably provide routes that will work, but that information would be terribly embarrassing if it was captured.

Steal a boat to Cyprus?

The ex-SEAL will be up for that, but it's not a short voyage. If they are being chased, they'll be in dead trouble once day breaks at sea.

Tunnel deep into the earth and seek assistance from the Mole People?

<fnord>

[mook]

Originally Posted by johndallman

Awesomeness snipped

I was thinking more of an "implosion," like when they collapse a building on a city block, to bury everything under tons of rubble, but I do like the idea of a pre-operational production plant. Feels like it "means more" if they succeed. Cool!

No thermite, makes sense. Cut/jam comms, makes sense - maybe even the power as well, particularly if the enemy N/V isn't up to par. Not sure yet whether to lean towards the PCs doing it themselves or having an NPC team give 'em a hand (actually, even as I type I'm thinking that any time the PCs can do more firsthand, probably the more fun!)

I was blindly ballparking the squad speed at 5mph on an average marathoners speed of 6.5mph, but yeah, 3mph might be better to work with.

Lebanon seems a good bet -- maybe I'll even move the whole operation south and put the exfil LZ in Lebanon instead of Syria itself.

Originally Posted by Captain Joy

Maybe the high-value target is a chemical weapon scientist. Or, maybe it's a high-value prisoner that we would like to liberate.

Mm, having to cart along a prisoner for those last few miles could make things interesting!

[The Colonel]

Naismith's rule is 4mph over level ground + 1 minute per contour line if that helps, and is meant to be a good walking pace ... not unreasonable to expect special ops to beat that, but given heavy kit and night ops you might take it as your baseline.

For plot complications, add in a meeting with FSA troops, which just happen to include one or more high value Al Qaeda members, thus adding to their dilemma (and, meta wise, acknowledging the moral complexity of the conflict).

Pickup could easily be boat out to a submarine - or pickup by the Israelite Navy, or even just exfil to an area that's clean enough for a Pave Low to come in and scoop them up. Hell, you could even use skyhooks if there are still any kicking about...

[jason taylor]

[QUOTE=johndallman;17

Less militarised, but still significantly. Lebanon will be a better bet, but is not terribly safe territory.

<fnord>[/QUOTE]

Not safe for tourists. It might actually be more safe then most places for a band of special forces with a bad attitude. Of course I might not be keeping up on Lebanese politics. At least if they are already big enough to handle the garrison of the WMD complex.

[johndallman]

Originally Posted by jason taylor

It might actually be more safe then most places for a band of special forces with a bad attitude.

If it's known they're US special forces, that will (a) be linked with the attack in Syria and (b) there'll be plenty of people who want to capture or kill them. Anyone can get lucky with a gun. And once shooting starts, the Lebanese police and army will be wanting to catch them too, to find out what's going on.

[jason taylor]

Originally Posted by johndallman

If it's known they're US special forces, that will (a) be linked with the attack in Syria and (b) there'll be plenty of people who want to capture or kill them. Anyone can get lucky with a gun. And once shooting starts, the Lebanese police and army will be wanting to catch them too, to find out what's going on.

Or maybe they will simply surround them and tail them until they are out of their hair like the Great King did with Xenophon's ten-thousand. They have no personal grudge for anything other then a temporary violation of their neutrality which is indeed a problem but one that might be best brought up at New York. Whereas a state that has been stable for a long time would find it fairly easy to intern them and just might if it hadn't been read in beforehand.

[jason taylor]

Originally Posted by jason taylor

Or maybe they will simply surround them and tail them until they are out of their hair like the Great King did with Xenophon's ten-thousand. They have no personal grudge for anything other then a temporary violation of their neutrality which is indeed a problem but one that might be best brought up at New York. Whereas a state that has been stable for a long time would find it fairly easy to intern them and just might if it hadn't been read in beforehand.

Of course Turkey, Israel, and Iraq are allies to a greater or lesser degree. Jordan is neutral. I don't know what Lebanon is I'm not sure anyone does. Certainly retreating through Jordan would be more dangerous then retreating through Lebanon unless they had been read in. Iraq would probably give us hospitality as a favor trade for propping their present regime up.

However the point remains; any other government you have to get permission to cross. Lebanon, just recovering from a warring states period, might conceivably be transitable. Also there are plenty of nooks and cranies in the mountains, and plenty of local tribal leaders to bribe and so on. More realistically, they couldn't prevent an air extraction from their territory and wouldn't have any reason to try once they were sure that was all that was intended. Protests can be made later.

[Captain Joy]

Originally Posted by mook

Optional (basically depends on how we're doing on time): On the way to their exfil point, they spot a small convoy carrying a High Value Target like a high-ranking Syrian officer, known war criminal, Hezbollah lieutenant, something like that. Do they have time to take him out and still make it to the LZ!?

Maybe the high-value target is a chemical weapon scientist. Or, maybe it's a high-value prisoner that we would like to liberate.

[cosmicfish]

Originally Posted by mook

Would the facility defenders be using Night Vision goggles at all times, or just if they were put on alert for some reason?

Defenders will usually NOT be wearing goggles - there are all kinds of problems with goggles (expense, weight, limited FOV, battery life) that are only really worth it in certain circumstances, like when you want to conceal your presence AND see in the dark. But whether it is known as a chemical plant or not, the facility will be obvious, and heavy exterior lighting makes more sense than hanging goggles on everyone.

Originally Posted by mook

Should the team have to take out the hardlines and use a radio/cell jammer, or just assume they'll be in and out quick enough to avoid reinforcements?

That depends a bit on how close the reinforcements are, but realistically the team should cut the hardlines early on, leaving the radio/cell jamming to a specialist team.

Originally Posted by mook

I'm think a squad of gear-laden spec ops can hump about 5 mph on foot if they can't commandeer a vehicle?

Yes. When I was younger I did a lot of backpacking, and without special preparation I was able to hump a 70lb pack through 20 miles of the lower Rockies in about 4 hours. I see no reason to expect special ops to do less.

Originally Posted by mook

If they do miss their helicopter ride, how would they get out on their own? Just walk over the border into Israel? (I imagine that border is pretty well militarized) Maybe Turkey? Steal a boat to Cyprus? Tunnel deep into the earth and seek assistance from the Mole People?

If they are SAD, then they are trained in a wide variety of exfil techniques, but they will probably have a couple of back-up group extraction sites planned - perhaps the helo will be at site A 0500-0525, be at site B 0530-0600, and there will be an SDV team ready to pick up at a nearby beach 0730-0800 if the helo is unsuccessful.