The Second World War was supposed to end in the year 1945, when the Allied Powers set foot in the City of Berlin and ceased the aggression in Europe for what seemed like the last time. However, something changed along the timeline. The fall of many allied nations left the world weakened, stormed by the forces of the Third Reich and its Axis associates. A war of attrition was replaced with a war of annihilation. Foes began to fight for each centimetre of land, every building and room it housed and every living soul. There was no great weapon of mass destruction, only countless more bodies to be thrown at one another. Rivers flowed with both German and Russian blood. The Eastern Front stands alone. The Soviet Union is losing the fight, slowly but surely. Millions have died and millions more will follow as the turn of the decade nears. 1948. Eight long years had the Second World War gone on for. It's days were numbered, but the fighting had only grown stronger, larger and more ferocious than ever before.
Machines of war have only grown to be more deadly. Those who can expend the resources have created conventional tools of slaughter. Specialised armoured vehicles can now be seen with mechanical legs, scaling mountains and unreachable terrain. Aircraft is faster, deadlier in its pacing and aggression. Artillery is heavier, pounding more than the Great War could've ever imagined. Millions occupy factories and take arms for their homelands. Bullets are made in the hundreds of millions. Bodies stand ready, waiting for the next assault across every front of the Soviet fallback line. Now, the Wehrmacht stand within ninety miles of Moscow. Joseph Stalin has fled to the East of Russia knowing a second Stalingrad was only months away. Fighting is split between minute skirmishes to assaults of grand proportion. Lest in peace, there seems to be no clear victor in sight. The Soviet Union stands with brutality under its belt, ready to do whatever it takes to keep its asphyxiating nation alive. Partisans, standing armies, militias, exile divisions and foreign powers sink their reserves anywhere possible, be it Asia, North America or the ruthless catalyst of the war - Eastern Europe.
In the dawn of the Moscow offensive, the Kremlin is unable to dictate the outcome of the critical battle. With underground industries fuelling most of the Soviet war machine, drastic measures are set in place beforehand. In the wake of such panic, a new initiative is devised. Units cast from all across the Red Army and several contingent allies are prepared to relinquish a suicidal task - sow the seeds of war beyond the frontline to give the Red Army the chance it needs to push. Those brought into its ranks are unaware of its intent - of its true goal to die - and are given experimental weaponry to aid in their struggles. Enter 'Eksperimental'nyy Otryad', better known as
SQUAD 914.
Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the reboot of Squad 914, the alternative World War 2 scenario that pits characters through a dire world of survival, brutality and condemnation. Here, we are going to take the role of the aforementioned Squad, made from conscripts, veterans of the front and recruits who are expendable enough for their suicidal mission. Transported into the heart of conquered Russian lands, as well as lands that have seen occupation since 1940, the tension of the prying German war machine, its allied fighters and the partisans once wronged by the Soviet's advances will shroud the squad in high stakes, high rewards. Their goal? Cause as much destruction as possible and bring as many Axis forces away from the frontline as possible. The success of their operation may or may not lead to death, dissent, desertion and abandonment, but for the unknowing its a goal worth fighting for.
In this world, the Rise of Fascism gave way for a victorious Axis powers, managing to ridicule the Eastern and Western world harshly. The Imperialism of the Japanese Empire has exploded in Southeastern Asia, whilst also opening another front against the North American allies. Here, Russia and Germany stand toe to toe in the field of battle. Cities are reduced to rubble. Fighting breaks out in streets, trenches, fields, forests, mountains, deserts and blizzards. Hideous weather hinders the advances of both as they hold onto one another with murderous intent. How far the nation will go to defend itself depends on not only the players actions but the forces around them. Brutality, atrocities unknown and clashes beyond human comprehension are just the beginning. Squad 914 will either give the Soviet Union the push it needs to free the Western World or it will come crashing down in a fireball of fury and anguish.
The roleplay itself will be split between an interchangeable plot which will see our characters traverse several locations of Western Russia, Poland, Romania, the Baltics and even potentially Germany itself. With an arsenal of crude, yet advanced, military gear grounded within a believable reality will heighten their skills, their destructive capability and their output on the war machines they so wish to dismantle. A squad that sees no boundaries by gender nor ability, its effectiveness is greatly doubted.
The characters who'll be taking the mantle may come from all walks of life, though a primarily Soviet register will make up the most of its ranks. Characters of other ethnicity, nationality and origin are available in lesser numbers, at the request to the GM. Though the gear each character gets is mostly down to the player, there may be restrictions set to overpowered or unreasonable equipment, as to make sure characters don't outshine one another entirely. From medical gear, specialised firearms, additional explosives and strange anti-armour materials, their arsenal may vary quite a lot, pulled together by the scraps of the Soviet Experimental Division preceding 914's creation.
I won't go into much more detail here in the interest check, and you are free to ask many questions about the roleplay, its possibilities and the character ideas you may have. I'm very excited to see if the concept hits it off well with players who are in for a dark, gritty and brutal tale of combat, character relationships and the diverse interactions that come with everything. Ideological strife, political extremism and bloody murder are just some of the major themes that may be seen throughout the roleplay. The characters themselves will be the focal point of the roleplay, hopefully, and the personalities, beliefs and actions they commit towards will shape the story's direction, outcome and legacy.
I thank you for reading the interest check/prototype of Squad 914 and I hope you've enjoyed the idea itself. For those interested, let yourself be known down below and we can begin work on the OOC once the player count grows to a suitable manner!
Big appreciation to @Inkarnate who helped rekindle my interest in running this Roleplay scenario!
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