Scalphunter – a Solo Game of Cold War Espionage is available from Itch and DrivethruRpg – Free or pay what you want.
Office Politics back at SIS headquarters adds urgency to Eddie Lawson’s undercover role in East Berlin.
OPERATION NIMUE
Mission: Secure Emergency Bailout Funds (Standing)
Simple (6), Critical (4)
There is a “palace coup” taking place within the SIS.
Director of Intelligence has been gathering support in the hope of amalgamating the Operations team as a subdivision under his control. D.Ops as asked his Scalphunters to work on justifying the importance of Operations as an independent body, with the aim of making a pitch to “C” to maintain the status-quo.
An operational success will be vital in bringing this about. Lawson is tasked with bringing an important foreign operation to a successful close.
Task 1: Pass as someone else (Tradecraft)
Lawson is in East Berlin again is working under cover as pro-Soviet reporter, Maksim Popov. His purpose is to infiltrate a student organisation and determine the extent of their penetration by Soviet handlers.
Roll: 4 (Mixed success)
Exposure increases to 1
Complexity track filled: 1
Popov is accepted by a group of German students who are publishing a magazine of political thought. He spends some time getting to know them.
Task 2: Bluff Authority (Interaction)
Just before the next meeting with the Students, Lawson is taken aside and introduced to “our friend Werner.” Werner is an older man who openly challenges “Popov’s” credibility and credentials.
Roll: 3 (Mixed Success)
Exposure: Increases to 2
Complexity track filled: 2
Lawson stands his ground and takes a high-hand with Werner, and believes he has maintained his cover effectively but he’s feeling the pressure mount. Time to back off a little…
DOWNTIME
Lawson arranges for his support team to build up “Popov’s” legend, using trusted assets to make sure that any checks carried out by Werner are answered thoroughly.
Roll: 6 – Clear TWO Exposure, Exposure now 0.
Urgency is now 1
Task 3: Call Additional Support (Standing)
Because of the close call with Werner, Lawson asks for additional resources for the mission
Roll: 5, full success
Complexity track now increased to 3.
He’s given access to recording equipment which he uses during his next social meeting with the students and bugs which he manages to plant in their editorial office.
Task 4: Recruit new asset (Interaction)
Lawson has identified one of the student group as a useful potential source of information. She’s called Frieda Albrecht (Random roll: Honest approach or false-flag? False Flag). Lawson confides in her that he represents the KGB and needs to know about the other members of the group, their activity, their loyalty etc.
The critical approach comes during a meeting between Lawson and Albrecht as they leave the cinema one evening.
Roll: 5 – Full Success
Complexity track increases to 4
Frieda, now believing she is a valuable KGB informant agrees to work with Lawson and they agree on means of communication, with Lawson briefing her on what he… what Moscow… needs to know.
Task 5: Shift Blame/Cover-Up (Standing)
D.Int has learned about Lawson’s recruitment of Frieda Albrecht which he considers a rash and hasty action that will leave the woman dangerously exposed – not to mention that any investigations Albrecht carries out may well draw attention to the operation.
Lawson does not know about this, and the disagreement is handled between D.Int and Lawson’s ally, Paddy White.
Ally Roll: 5
Complexity track increases to 5.
D.Int backs off for now in the face of the veteran manipulator, but is seething.
Task 6: Identify a Mole (Analysis)
Frieda’s information starts to come in. Lawson assures her that Moscow Centre is very pleased with her work. He passes the product of her efforts back to London for Connie Yvon to sift through.
Ally Roll: 6 – Full Success
Completion track increases to 6 and is now full
Frieda’s information is gold-dust. She’s positively identified two members of her group who are actively genuinely working for the KGB as agents and recruiters. Frieda is warned not to admit her own affiliation to them as a matter of “operational security” and in fact mentioned them only to eliminate them from “Popov’s” enquiries. She has identified one young man who she suspects of being ideologically unsound, and Connie has proposed him for potential recruitment. In the meantime surveillance is put on the two known agents in the hope of identifying their handler and the next links in the chain.
Mission now ready for completion.
Paddy White goes in to speak with “C” accompanied by D.Ops with the successful dossier on Operation: Nimue.
D.Int is there too, once again promoting the idea that the Ops department is peopled by mavericks and needs to be brought under his own authority. D.Ops refutes this and offers Nimue as an example of what a suitably independent officer can accomplish. Paddy White offers his own pointed wisdom from time to time, trying to play “C” in the right direction.
Ally Roll: 5 Full Success
The Scalphunters remain independent and secure additional budget
Lawson gains 2 EP and is now on 7.
Frieda is passed to a new “KGB” case handler and continues to spy on the group without realising she is doing so on SIS’ behalf. Meanwhile an overture is made to recruit the “ideologically unsound” student as a long-term agent in place.
Eddie spends 3 of his EP to take on a new Ally – a newly recruited Scalphunter called Blair Baker – she’s fresh from the training school and specialises in Tradecraft.
He spends his remaining 4 EP to increase his own Interaction to 3 having exercised it effectively while under long-term cover.
Otherworlds 