"Z" game plan

Outline scenario
20th May 1941
This game continues the Rudolph Hess story. Hess has been taken from Glasgow to the Tower of London as a temporary secure arrangement. Mychett Place, a small country house built in 1779, bought by the Army in 1912 as accommodation for high-ups in charge of administration and was close to various Army training areas and barracks. A plan was hatched to convert this house as top secret accommodation for Hess. Suitable for the second in charge in Germany it offered not only security and a quiet, unvisited place but also allowed the installation of listening devices - for the ultimate purpose was to recover intelligence on what was happening in Germany and Hess's true intentions on coming to Britain. Mychet Place was code named "Camp Z" and four senior officers were assigned to the project - Major General Hunter, Lieutenant Colonel Coates, Colonel Barnes and Major Foley, all overseen by and working for MI6.

Hess - coded named "Z" and referred to only by the name "Jonathan" in all official government communications, memos, transcripts and reports - was transported by Army ambulance in a small convoy from the Tower of London to Camp Z, escorted and guarded by seven guards from the Scotts Guards and Coldstream Guards. The route had been planned and checked out that morning and police not notified of the convoy.

The cargo arrives at Camp Z to be greeted by the new high security arrangements - secure fencing, patrolling guards, barriers and sentry boxes.

The previous night searchlights near Luton Hoo had picked up two parachutists, SS men in plain clothes, in whose possession was a map, circled in several places that included that of the home in Scotland of the Duke of Hamilton. The target of the men who were arrested, interrogated and then hanged was Jonathan who had secrets the German High Command now wanted silenced.

Detailed game scenario
Z has to be escorted to the camp, settled in, lightly interrogated (there is no formal interrogation - every effort is made to extract information voluntarily by befriending and treating Z with respect due to his office) and secured for the night.

Due to a last minute change of plan, concocted on the spur of the moment to foil fifth columnists and assassins, it is decided to drop off Z at the back of the woods and allow the convoy to continue by road as a decoy. Z is to be escorted on foot. Snag is he is still nursing a broken ankle and must be stretchered (but Z may ask to walk). Once Z reaches the camp he must be fed, guarded, needs attended to, meetings made, walks in the grounds arranged.

In all this movement the two SS officers (who have free range in the game) have to plan and carry out the execution of Z. Their cover is that of local gamekeepers - if caught it might cause minor alarm but will be okayed and dealt with by CO.

Within the game the plan is to maximise exposure of Z without it being obvious - clearly if he was banged up in a cell (he wasn't) then Pete wouldn't have a hope to get his mark. Punter's roles throughout the day are guarding and escort duties, establishing a communications network in the camp, attending to the needs of the prisoner, paperwork.

Principal players
Rudolph Hess - Stephen
SS assassin - Pete
Major Foley -David

Paying players - Scotts Guards, Coldstream Guards

Site
Modern Airsoft Warfare, Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire.

Rules
Minimal, basically 30 rounds only issued to players for the day. This is England and not a battle ground.
Rifles preferred, see above.
Medic rules: shouldn’t be a need for any but anyone injured is assisted to the medical centre for a half hour stay.

Uniforms
Hess – Hess kit
Pete – civies
David – battledress
Players – battledress

Principal’s roles
Pete – kill Hess
Stephen – Hess was a volatile, paranoid and ritualised individual. This can be used to assist the game flow and timing. Screaming in agony in transit to the camp will hold up movement, frustrate and confuse players, dropping their guard. Likewise in camp. While he must be guarded at all times he could be nice to people or plain awkward. Close guarding would be limited to a man in the room when Hess is eating or just outside guarding the door. The window is secured but bullet-proof glass has yet to be installed. When being talked to by Major Foley no guards will be present, likewise when taking a stroll in the gardens, the Major being sufficient security.
David – ensuring players are kept busy on duties, roles rotated, Hess moved around, opportunities kept open for Pete.

Game plan
For Pete's sake it will be more fun for him to choose his moment to attack, rather than write into the game plan, but clearly killing Hess in the morning would be a bit of a poo, so if he is hit we would take this as a wounding. This would cause great alarm but shouldn't make much difference to the day's play except to emphasise the need for keeping alert at all times. Pete may have to settle for just taking out the Major, or knife killing an inattentive guard. But once in the camp I intend to set up a timed routine, so Hess goes on a walk on the same path every half an hour, for example.

Clearly, this game is going to be different. Only one side for players to join. Only 30 rounds for the day. No enemy to fight. It is role playing, should be fun for me, Pete and Stephen and fun for the players to do something different for the day and something akin to what most soldiers got up to in 1941 - guarding their camps and following orders and routines, yet with the frisson of top secrecy and the single-most important prisoner in England.