Advnt Chars
The information in this section describes
To preserve excitement, players should stop reading now.
St. Helena sits in the middle of the Atlantic about 800 miles off the Guinea coast of Africa. St. Helena was selected for Napoleon’s exile because it was about as far from anywhere as one could get. It was difficult to approach unseen (there were watch posts at various high points) or to reach the shore (most of the coast is very rocky or cliffs), a definite bar to rescue.
In the early 19th century, there was just the small port of Jamestown, its wells, and a few plantations - and a regiment of British troops guarding Napoleon. After his death, Napoleon was interred with full military honors in a tomb on a ridge overlooking Longwood House, an apparent favorite spot of Napoleon.
In early World War II, there is not much more to St. Helena. Jamestown hosts the governor's mansion, a small naval and weather station, a small airfield with a few small search planes, and one (unfortunate) infantry company that perpetually guards Napoleon's tomb. later in the war, the airbase will be expanded, and St. Helena will become a stop on the aerial ferry route from the Americas, as well as an ASW base. But that is in the future...
There are few roads and they are rather rugged. The coast is dotted with the ruins of old batteries and fortifications from the Napoleonic period. Most of the area that is not plantation is rough and rocky. Have a look (in the 1920s, now or now again - which is not that different from the World War II period).
The Royal Navy is represented by a small base of 50-60 men and officers. They are seldom found outside Jamestown. They have access to few small arms (usually borrowed from the army). They man a signals (radio) installation, a weather installation, a military transportation office, and:
Jamestown, the capital, is nestled in a very narrow deep valley in the best harbor of the island. That's not saying much: see?. It is small, with about 1,000 inhabitants. The sides of the valley are extremely steep. Up the west wall is a set of 699 steps known as Jacob's Ladder.
Napoleon is currently guarded by the 3rd Platoon, 2nd Company, Welsh Fusiliers quartered in Longwood House. While good soldiers over all, duty at St. Helena is certainly dull and quiet. The platoons rotate guard duty monthly. The Fusiliers believe their mounting guard is a solely ceremonial duty. Unless otherwise alerted, each soldier has only a single clip issued for each weapon and their rifles are unloaded . The remaining ammunition is stored in the armory (issued on certain days for target practice). The attack will certainly surprise them.
| Character | Weapons | Quality |
| 1 Lieutenant | Webley .38 pistol | 1D10: 1-6: Exp; 7-10: Nov |
| 1 Sergeant |
Sten SMG |
D10: 1-7: Vet; 8-10: Exp |
| 4 sections, each with: |
||
| 1 Corporal 10 Privates |
Lee Enfield w/Bayonet; 1 clip of 5 rds. |
1D10: 1-6: Vet; 6-10: Exp 1D10: 1-3: Vet; 4-7: Exp; 8-10 Nov |
Each squad also has a Bren LMG, and the platoon has a Vickers .303 medium MG and a 2-inch mortar in storage in the Jamestown barracks, since they are not needed for guard duty. 2 men in each squad are detachments from MG and mortar crew; normally, there are 8 privates under a corporal and a weapons section with a Corporal, an MG team of 3 (Vickers .303) and a mortar team of 4 (2-inch mortar).
All of these weapons (Webley, Sten, Lee-Enfield, Bren, Vickers, mortar) are described in GDW’s supplements Infantry Weapons of the World or Heavy Weapons of the World.
The other two platoons of the company are identical, with a captain, a sergeant, and another weapons section as the company command element. All squad and company support weapons (LMGs, MMGs, mortars, and a couple boxes of frag grenades) are available to the Jamestown garrison. The company also has available four light trucks (capable of carrying a squad) and two cars available for transportation, one of which is at Longwood House.
Usually two squads are spread out at a few high points on the island for watch duty during the day. They are dispatched and picked up by truck before dawn and at nightfall. Occasionally, a platoon leave Jamestown for training marches through the uplands (2- on 1D10).
One squad is always on guard duty; switching every four hours. While one duty, the squad is usually deployed as follows:
During the day, another squad is usually engaged in some form of maintenance, janitorial, or grounds-keeping work. Occasionally, a squad marches off to some unused area for target practice.
The Longwood House complex is made of Old Longwood House, once Napoleon’s home in exile, and New Longwood House, a more modern House built for Napoleon, but was not completed by the time of his death. It now houses the duty guard platoon. Each squad is quartered in a separate room of cots. The sergeant and lieutenant have separate rooms. The lieutenant also has an office. There is also an office for the duty NCO. These offices are connected by telephone to the garrison in Jamestown.
There is a small museum in other rooms that include displays of Napoleon’s clothes and other personal effects. There is a curator’s office that is only manned during the day. The curator is the only museum staff (the guard platoon also performs janitorial duties). One room is a kitchen. One room is an armory where small arms ammunition is stored.
The Tomb is carved into the top of a ridge 2 km further inland east of Longwood House, overlooking it. It is near the site of the original tomb. There is a highly carved archway depicting scenes from various highlights of Napoleon’s career, and two guard boxes cut into the stone face. There are two bright lights at night. Inside is a five meter tunnel into a large room (10 meters by 10 meters). The walls and ceiling of both the tunnel and the room are carved, listing of depicting Napoleon’s battles, his generals, Wellington, his generals, Waterloo, and the text of the order requiring Napoleon’s exile. In the middle of the floor is a stone platform, upon which rests a large dark casket containing the bones of Napoleon. The room was lit by torches until 1905, when oil lamps were put in each corner.
Two soldiers are always on duty at the Tomb entrance and two more guard the casket itself.
Napoleon’s casket makes a suitable display, but is not built for convenient transportation. The heavily carved dark wood casket has brass fittings (polished every evening by the guard detail for the last 120 years). The fittings do provide handles for up to six people to carry the coffin. The coffin and contents weighs about 200 kg. For encumbrance purposes, divide the weight by the number of carriers. For example, if four men are carrying it, consider each man as encumbered as if he were carrying 50 kilograms.
On the whole, this adventure should run rather like the WWII movies we all grew up watching. (I mean plot-wise; I have deep distaste for overly cinematic gaming.) There are two angles from which this adventure can be run:
More work has gone into running this as an adventure for the German commandos, but sufficient information is provided that the game can be run the other way.
In this case, the PCs are German commandos. Their goal is to make off with the casket containing Napoleon Buonaparte's bones. Certainly allow them to plan into as much detail as they wish based on the map and the German Intelligence information; they will have had a few weeks on dry land plus two weeks (or more) jammed in a crowded U-boat with little else to do.
Play can start with the PCs on the beach in Prosperous Bay, having just been landed by the submarine. Tell the PCs that handling the rubber boats seemed much clumsier than in their few practice sessions. Feel free to make them nervous about slight swamping, spills on landing, adn wet equipment. But don't count it against them.
The submarine will move offshore and submerge in deeper water to hide. It will come back to look for a signal at a pre-selected time (make PCs choose BEFORE they go on the mission). Then we come to the cliffs. A lead climber must make 3 Routine:Climb rolls to get to the top without incident. Following climbers must make 3 Easy:Climb rolls to avoid an incident. A critical failure means the character has suffered a major fall.
The distance from Prosperous Bay to Longwood House is 4 km as the crow flies. Add another 2 km of up and down for hikers, especially those taking some care to avoid being seen. From Longwood House to the Tomb is about 2.5 km up the road - twice as far off the road.
The Commandos can avoid Longwood House on the way to the Tomb if they wish. Going back past it may be more difficult if they are loud at the Tomb... This is a planning issue for the Germans.
There is only a small chance of being spotted by anyone on this part of the island; most likely a shepherd who has no means of reporting. In the odd event that the commandos run into a chance encounter and fire, the sound will alert the duty guards at Longwood House. In the worst event of them firing at a shepherd and missing, the fellow will run like the dickens and arrive at Longwood House with a tale of being shot at by mutinying British troops (they being the only armed troops on the island; invaders won't occur to him...).
Assuming that they can get the casket, carrying the blamed thing cross-country is even more awkward, since you need two men abreast at each end with the casket between them... The Kommando needs to return the thing back to Prosperous Bay.
At the designated time, they need to signal the submarine. They can climb down the cliff while the submarine moves inshore.
Getting the Casket safely down the cliff is another nightmare. Some characters will need to climb down with the casket, assuming a couple additional characters can lower it by rope.
Adding the casket to a rubber boat does nothing for its control or speed. This may be unpleasant if the British are persuing. And too much fumbling around on the submarine end will allow enough time for the Walrus seaplane to be notified and to take off...
The Germans can try other ideas:
Anything inventive is worth thinking about - but the impractical should cause its own logical punishments.
This is rather dependent on what the Germans do, of course, but generally:
He will also report to Jamestown, telling them he'll get back to them. With a further report. Jamestown will not get excited.
In this case, the PCs are members of the guard platoon at Longwood House. Their goal is to thwart the German commandos from making off with Napoleon's casket. Play can start with the German raid. Of course, in this case, the GM will have to plan the German raid as if they knew only the information presented in the German Intelligence information.
Being the surprised party, the British start out with some major disadvantages - like not knowing what is going on, how many Germans are attacking them (if indeed it is the Germans), and being mostly unarmed. After all, the day started as calmly as the last one, and the one before that and the one before that, and the one before... you get the idea.
As said elsewhere, St. Helena is not the open range. Encounters will be scarce at best. For added spice, use this encounter table:
| D10 | Encounter |
| 1-2 | 1-5 stray sheep or goats. These appear as something creeping aournd in the brush, making a little noise. If shot at, the critters will bolt, revealing themselves for what they are. But the shot may well have been heard... |
| 3 | Shepherd with a small flock of 5-30 (5D6) sheep. The shepherd has a stick or crook and a dog (who may detect the commandos and bark). A shepherd is usually asleep at night (9- on a D10). The shepherd will put up no resistence if captured, but will bolt if fired upon, and will try to make his way to Longwood House or Jamestown or Plantation House (whichever is nearest) and ring up the garrison or guard platoon with a tale of being shot at, probably by mutinying troops... |
| 4 | A pair of young people intimately disposed on a blanket. Upon being captured inflagrante delecto, they will put up no resistence. Both are civilians. If let go, they will flee to the nearest phone and call up the garrison, reporing the "invasion." |
| 5-10 | No encounter. |
