Hunting Napoleon

A campaign in development by Blair.

Campaign Setting

It is June 18th, 1815 at the closing moments of the Battle of Waterloo. Napoleon has just lost. Our team, largely unknown to each other (but there may be some acquaintances here) have found themselves at the same spot at the same moment, La Haye Sainte, a farmhouse unluckily situated at the center of the battle. How each has arrived here is up to the player. They had all been employed by one army or another, likely the victorious side, England and Prussia. But not necessarily.

A Prussian aide-de-camp suddenly appears through the smoke and approaches the group, beckoning them close. He has an offer.

Character Creation Guidelines

Tech Level: TL4/TL5

Max Points: 250

Max Points on ST/IQ/DX/HT: 13/13/13/13

Max Points on Disadvantages: 40

Other requirements:High level mercenaries from anywhere in the world, each with a wide array of skills/techniques or extremely skilled in a few. This campaign is on the cusp of TL4/TL5, so many of the TL5 technologies will be available (such as rifling, steam, etc.), please confer with the GM. Magic has mostly faded from this world as colonization reaches the far corners and the Industrial Revolution looms, but many things can appear as magic (fantastic tracking or remarkable marksmanship) and superstition is still strong...

Characters

• Ben Smith, John's Native American Soldier, Mountain of a Man
• Johann von Thielmann, Ernest's worldly Prussian military officer
• Hanzo, Darren's wandering samurai
• Pierre Bonne Nuit, Josh's dexterously hard-scrabble former slave

Episodes

Episode One: The End of the Battle

The scene opens on the smoking, desolate remains of the farming compound La Haye Sainte, situated near the center of action of the Battle of Waterloo. It is June 18th, 1815. Our four characters are unknown to one another, various actors on this charred and demolished stage of history. One Mr. Adams, in a particularly clean British infantryman's uniform, approaches these men and offers them the job of finding and retaining one Mr. Napoleon Bonaparte. After introductions, instructions, and negotiations the men scrounge the battlefield for French uniforms, additional accoutrements and horses. Ben dons a tent, as there is no uniform that fits him. They depart to the southwest in the direction of Paris. The travel is largely uneventful in the chaos of the aftermath of a major military engagement. Most of the other individuals and groups afield are members of the French Grand Armee and their allies, in various stages of disarray. As the day goes on these groups are beginning to coalesce and organize. The group continues SW throughout the day, unmolested, until dusk when they happen upon a Belgian roadside hamlet that is teeming with French soldiers. Our group entered the hamlet boldly,but on high alert. Besides attention to Ben's size and clear origin, and Hanzo's origin the group entered the hamlet unassailed. Ben took the horses to the stable, while the rest of the group entered the clear center of the hamlet, the tavern. Amongst the usual assemblage of drunk soldiers they find the proprietor and a dashing and well-spoken gentleman in a French Dragoon Officer's uniform, named L'Anfiere.

L'Anfiere makes them welcome and introduces the team to a cozy spot amongst the crowded encampment. The group notices the sudden disappearance of Mr. Adams. Besides being bunked down amidst the enemy, the night passed uneventfully. In the morning, a roadblock had been set up at the hamlet, and it was dutifully staffed with soldiers. A new set of papers was drawn up for our team, and they departed towards Paris. The morning was largely uneventful, but the various groups of French soldiers appeared to be rallied and better organized from the previous day's debacle. The team comes across another hamlet, with a roadblock. As they stop to consider how to approach, a volley of gunfire erupts from the distant hamlet. It appears the the unit manning the waystation is being assaulted from their rear. From this distance it is difficult to get a clear picture, but the military experience of the group tells them that this is a small engagement, likely skirmishers disrupting order behind enemy lines. Johann believes that the attacking party is Prussian. Mr. Adams makes a humble reappearance and is immediately grilled by the team. As it turns out he is a Prussian aide d'camp/agent. And explains that he thought that a British approach to the problem of Napoleon would be better. He is suspiciously readmitted into the group. Johann believes that these Prussian skirmishers would be of help. As the gun battle dies down, he leads the group towards the general direction of the skirmishers rally point. He is correct, and after a touchy introduction, everybody is accepted and the Prussian unit helps the team through the next few miles of territory and to their secret forward camp. The next day the team makes its careful way into the suburbs of Paris. To a smuggling contact of Johann's, in the suburb of Choesy on the Seine River.