Thu 02 Jun 2022, 15:44
This is one of the two detailed Bandit Encounters (page #65) also cut and pasted ...
THE KEARNY GANG
The so-called Kearny Gang (the family name may be changed as appropriate for the local language and/or ethnicity) is actually an extended family of good for nothings who are known for their scofflaw attitudes.
In the years of the 3WW? Well, the authorities did give several family members a choice between gaol and military service, which is why the number of gang
members is relatively small.
Numbers: 5 (1 Average/Trained, 2 Average/Green, 1 Low Average/Trained, 1 Low Average/Green) Bandits.
In the middle period of the war, numbers remain the same but returning wounded family members change the makeup to 1 A/T, 1 A/G, 3 LoA/T. Late in the war it becomes 1 A/T, 4 LoA/T.
A tougher group would have +1 A/T character instead of a LoA/G or LoA/T one.
Weapons: 1 Simonov SKS Carbine (100 rounds), 2 Mossberg M500 ATP8S Pump Action Shotguns (40 rounds each), 1 Savage 311R Double Barrelled Shotgun (20 rounds), 1 Colt M1911a1 Automatic Pistol (40 rounds), 2 Colt Police Positive Revolvers (30 rounds each), 1 PM Makarov Automatic Pistol (20 rounds).
If you want a tougher group, then increase the number of SKSs (mid-war), or even make some (or all) of them SKKs (late war) as law and order breaks down. A doubling of ammunition for the Carbines would also make the group somewhat tougher, especially for the SKKs which could be converted for automatic fire.
An unexpectedly tough variant would be to give them a dozen sticks of dynamite to use as crude grenades.
Transport: 1 X Country Motorcycle, 1 Mdm Pickup. Mid war this remains the same, but late war the group is reduced to one X Country Motorcycle and two horses or mules for riding. The remaining gang member(s) will either be on foot or bicycle or riding double on one horse or the motorcycle. A slightly tougher gang would have two Mopeds instead of the Horses.
Base: The Kearny’s have a run down farmhouse somewhere nearby that they use as a semi-permanent base for their activities. They don’t all live there – though Joe, the nominal leader, does.
Before and after a “job” they do tend to gather here to drink, gamble and relax.
Motivation(s): These guys are mainly petty troublemakers – small time thieves, random vandals, and drunken brawlers. At least, that’s what they’re like at\ the beginning of the 3WW.
As the war progresses and as people in general become more deprived and desperate ... at the same time as local law enforcement is being cut back and/or overwhelmed, well, the Kearny’s graduate to somewhat bigger things ... extortion, robbing lone travellers, cattle rustling, hijacking or theft of relief supplies.
They’re not very organized at it – and therefore not very good at it – because they don’t have a real leader.
Joe, the A/T level character is the closest they have, and he’s only in charge because he slightly bigger, tougher, and somewhat more skilled at killing than the brothers, nephews and cousins who form the rest of the gang.
The only advantage they have is that they do come from a large family, and this has always helped them as times get tough(er) ... so, if they need a place to hide, some medical assistance or some (limited) resupply they can get something along the lines locally.
Goodies: The Kearny’s aren’t all that well off – they’re really small time operators. Their most valuable possessions, as far as any PC group is concerned, will probably be their weapons and transport (and the ammo and fuel that may be left over for them).
The main exceptions are the Small Still that Joe operates back at their “base” ... for moonshine as much as for fuel ... and Farm Tractor of dubious reliability.
He does also have a combined battery/wind up radio, some NiMh batteries for it and a few other small electrical/electronic items (a torch, for example) and a Solar Battery recharger.
He also has a dozen chickens, a couple of pigs, and a milk cow as well as a workhorse or mule in the post- Exchange period.
I hope these give some idea of the possibilities,
Phil McGregor