Twilight: 2000 Campaign

Early Campaign Timeline

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Early Campaign Timeline (May–June 2000)

Historical / lower-fidelity record

These entries cover the campaign before the detailed shift-by-shift session logs began. They are reconstructed from rough notes and are intentionally summary-level — expect beats and outcomes, not full shift breakdowns. The good per-day logs take over at June 5, 2000.

This early arc features the earlier / expanded cast — Greg, Birger, and Johnny, plus NPC allies Reece, Ashton, and Anders — alongside returning party members like Archer (and later Stanislaw). It marks the handoff from the old cast to the present party: over this arc the old hands leave the story — Johnny (after the “Call to Port” rumor), Greg (at Piotrkow Trybunalski), and Birger with Piotr (captured fleeing Lodz) — while newcomers arrive: Pedro and his companion John come in with Mike Riley’s crew, and Mik joins around the same Lodz break (see his arrival on May 31). See the Historical / expanded roster note in Characters.

Prologue: The Road to Turek (Late April – Early May 2000)

  • The “Hammer of God” Incident: The group camped at a site where KGB operatives had killed Russian prisoners to silence them. Following a GLONASS signal, the group was driven off by a long-distance sniper and incoming mortar fire. They recovered intel pointing to a Soviet scout base near Turek and a US force under fire in Pleszew.
  • Kalisz (The Car Shop): The group holed up in a damaged car shop in Kalisz to repair their APC — specifically a damaged fuel tank. Patrols began searching for them; Birger and Johnny were followed back to the garage, forcing a hasty escape.
  • The Battle of Turek: Leaving Kalisz, the group ambushed a Soviet unit in Turek. Archer, Greg, Birger, and Johnny — with NPC allies Reece, Ashton, and Anders — engaged the targets. The firefight ended when the three remaining Russian soldiers surrendered.
  • Bartering and Recovery: After the battle, the group bartered captured AK-74s for medical supplies, spare parts, and camping gear. They established a chicken pen and built a lookout point.

Daily Timeline (May 6 – June 4, 2000)

Saturday, May 6

Location: One hex over from Turek

  • Scrounging near Turek, the group encountered Elijah, an escaped slave from a marauder camp, who provided initial intel on the region.
  • Conditions: Escaped a massive forest fire.
  • Combat: Launched an assault on a camp across the river — Birger infiltrated the far side while Johnny prepared the jeep. The assault concluded successfully.

Sunday, May 7

Location: Near Sieradz

  • The Cave & The Intel: The group confronted the GRU soldiers (who had surrendered at Turek) in a cave full of telecommunications supplies. They looted it, finding an old Soviet encryption device and a note mentioning Radom.
  • Key revelations: Birger realized a friend might be investigating a zip drive in a prison near Radom. The group also heard a rumor of an American general issuing a “Call to Port” in Gdansk.
  • Travel: The vehicle bogged down just north of Sieradz, forcing the group to strip it for repairs.
  • Departure — Johnny: Johnny (John “Johnny” Johnson) took the “Call to Port” radio rumor to heart. Around this time he split from the group to make his own way back to America and did not return. (Not to be confused with John, Pedro’s companion, who joins the party later.)

Monday, May 8

  • The Smell of Victory: The group came upon the site of a previous napalm attack — charred corpses and burnt-out cars.
  • Ground Zero: They navigated around a radioactive crater left by a nuclear strike, which blocked the road and required an off-road detour.

Tuesday, May 9

  • Roadblock Clash: The group ran into the GRU mercenaries manning a roadblock (alongside Michał Jagłowski), holding a hostage. In the confrontation, Birger stabbed their leader, Leopold — who managed to escape.

Saturday, May 13

  • Run to Ground: Archer and Greg tracked the fleeing mercenaries to their camp. The party assaulted it, and Birger stabbed Leopold a second time — fatally. Unlike the earlier roadblock clash, Leopold did not get away this time and was killed.

Sunday, May 14

  • The Rabies Incident: Rabid dogs attacked the group; Archer contracted rabies (recorded as “not infected,” but noted).
  • Intel: Birger learned that Anatol Budz, a comms officer, could facilitate a meeting with the nobleman Piotr Liptak.

Monday, May 15

  • Greg treated refugees but contracted cholera.
  • Archer processed meat from a deer hunt while Birger performed reconnaissance.

Tuesday, May 16

  • Capture and Release: Birger was captured by a Soviet caravan while traveling but returned with vehicle parts.
  • Greg recovered from cholera and bonded with a child in the group.

Wednesday, May 17

  • Superior Firepower: A recon mission turned violent. Archer engaged enemies and disappeared into the woods, while Birger ended up chained in a cell.

Thursday, May 18

Conditions: “Rain of Ash”

  • Betrayal: At a meeting, the group was betrayed by Anatol Budz. A bar fight ensued; Birger killed a soldier and Archer escaped with a kid. They planned a rendezvous at Piotrkow Trybunalski.
  • Departure — Greg: At the Piotrkow Trybunalski rendezvous that followed, Greg was captured trying to slip into the city. He left the party there and did not rejoin.

Friday, May 19

Saturday, May 20

  • The Caper: The group attacked a train camp using RPGs. They escaped a Hind helicopter, looted massive amounts of ammo and fuel, and persuaded the captured soldiers. They sold a bike for fuel and traded a flak jacket.

Sunday, May 21

  • GRU Pursuit: GRU agents located the group’s cabin and tunnel. Birger was caught by his friend Edward Field (Arkady Novotny). The group used a thermite grenade to burn the cellar and cover their retreat.

Monday, May 22

  • Investigation: The group investigated the tunnel, finding tracks and killing GRU agents. One agent was found with his heart impaled.

Tuesday, May 23

  • Close Call: Two GRU agents approached to suppress the investigation into Birger. Archer took stress while retreating to the APC.
  • Stanislaw repaired the KPV machine gun and scanned the radio, learning the Russian military was ending its search.

Wednesday, May 24

  • The Assault on Liptak’s Estate: The group hacked radios to play the Polish national anthem and rammed the estate gate. Archer and Stanislaw used RPGs on the APCs. The Russian soldiers eventually surrendered to Piotr Liptak, and the group killed Arkady (Edward Field) with a grenade.

Wednesday, May 31

  • New Alliances: The group met new NPCs, including hunters and Mike Riley. Birger was confronted by Zofia, a KGB agent, but they established a plan to extract soldiers.
  • Arrival — Mike Riley’s crew: Mike Riley’s crew had been smuggled out of Lodz; with them came Pedro and his companion John, who join the party here. (This John — Pedro’s companion — is a different person from the departed Johnny.)
  • Arrival — Mik: Mik came to the party’s defense in the fighting outside Lodz and joined them around the same break. (Only later does it emerge that he was a KGB agent inserted to steer the group toward Radom and the zip drive — his turn against his own side comes on June 7, 2000. See Characters and the Zip Drive thread in Storylines.)
  • Loss — Birger & Piotr: Around the group’s break from the Lodz area, Birger and Piotr were captured by Russian forces while fleeing Lodz. Their status is unknown; they are presumed still in Russian custody. Birger was still carrying the group’s Soviet encryption device. (This is the last the timeline sees of either of them.)

Thursday, June 1

  • Road Ambush: The group used a truck full of Polish civilians as a distraction during a road encounter. Archer missed a Russian APC with a rocket. Mik spotted an encampment of displaced Polish civilians.

Friday, June 2

  • The Tank Heist: The group reconnoitered a T-62 tank and APCs, devising a plan to burn a house as a distraction and steal the tank before a helicopter arrived.
  • Death — Mike Riley: Mike Riley was killed in the fighting around the tank. His crew — Pedro and John — stayed on with the party.

Saturday, June 3

  • Repairs: Stanislaw worked to fix the tank while Archer failed his repair attempt. The group scouted Opoczno and gathered fuel.

Sunday, June 4

  • Integration: To preserve their safe haven, the group began integrating with the locals. (The specific outcomes of this integration — the field and military jobs, and the discovery in Kascper’s room — are recorded in the authoritative June 5, 2000 log.)

The detailed campaign record continues at June 5, 2000.

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