<strong>Welcome to the 588th.  </strong><br/><br/>We’re playing Soviet women in an all-female night bomber regiment during World War Two. We’ll be pilots, navigators, mechanics and political officers.  Our mission is to harass the German army, which has invaded our country. The war is brutal and horrific. We fly obsolete biplanes and drop bombs or, when we don’t have bombs, railroad ties on the Germans. Things are desperate. It is incredibly dangerous. We fly in darkness, sometimes a dozen missions each night.  The Soviet army wishes we didn’t exist and nobody expects us to succeed. We are going to succeed anyway.<br/><br/><strong>New Players</strong><br/>As long this is not edited out, we are looking for new players!  Anyone is welcome to join on in.<br/><br/><strong>Characters</strong><br/><br/>Everyone plays a member of this combat unit.  There are 5 different natures of the women who fly in the 588th.  Pick one, read the playbook (http://bullypulpitgames.com/downloads/night-witches-handouts/?wpdmdl=2929&ind=XCF1L7z60IuFsHOGKtORD9PFDdu0tmAwSkE7ImU2nyhbzT3vKsUdJS88Af-ptjO_feLIDzl84sokV6PBlES2Yg), and create a character. I recommend you pick one not already taken for the sake of interesting gameplay, but this is not a requirement.<br/><br/>HAWK<br/>Hawks are decisive and tough, simultaneously showy and precise in their actions. They are also obsessive hunters who strike without warning.<br/>OWL<br/>Quiet and observant, Owls are among the most contemplative of birds. Unlike Hawks, they are happy to watch and wait. Owls are solitary predators who feast on the bones of the weak.<br/>PIGEON<br/>Pigeons are gregarious and not afraid to get their feathers dirty— resourceful and down to earth. They are also vaguely ridiculous and most comfortable in a crowd.<br/>RAVEN<br/>Ravens are intelligent and curious, acquisitive, and confident. Unlike Sparrows, they aren’t afraid to make a scene. They are also carrion birds with a stubborn disregard for propriety.<br/>SPARROW<br/>Graceful, unobtrusive, and discreet, Sparrows tend to be everywhere or nowhere. They are also nervous, timid, and prone to flying away at the first sign of trouble.<br/><br/>When you are finished creating your character, post them in the Character Thread, and feel free to join in on the current scene!<br/><br/><strong>Structure</strong><br/>Unlike most PBP games, this one will have a timed mechanic.  In order to keep things moving, each week will be either day, or night, and will be followed up next by the other.  Each period follows the last, unless there is a change in duty station, in which case some time will have passed.  If you are in the middle of a conversation, and you don't think you are going to be able to follow up before the next cycle, then I recommend roleplaying your character as getting pulled away by urgent duty.  This is, after all, a war, not your Matushka's kitchen table.  You can always come back to your conversation when you get another chance.  If you don't post all week, you will be assumed to be asleep, kept busy or otherwise indisposed.<br/><br/>Personal business can happen in both day and night periods, but keep in mind your other duties and roleplay accordingly!<br/><br/><strong>Rolling</strong><br/>Once per cycle, you can perform a Move (http://bullypulpitgames.com/downloads/night-witches-handouts/?wpdmdl=2929&ind=zuIwXlJXIf2XEcfSjTPNM13ePG-VmMwPIrCrm8HR5J-ZE1QH8pGqvMeh2sW-rkdPIIzzwUBM5K_2Q1ErDwA6cg).   You can do this role on on an online dice roller, Elliquiy's dicebot, or just any dice you have sitting around.  Please don't cheat, as most of the drama is going to come from things that happen to you and your comrades as a result of the rolls.  You don't need to wait for me to to tell you when to roll, just make a post describing how you are performing your mission and your dice roll,  If you succeed, go ahead and describe your success, and maybe inform your comrades!  If you miss, its up to the GM to tell you what nasty fate befalls your airwoman.<br/><br/>If you do something that helps you prepare for the coming mission, the Mission Pool will be updated.<br/><br/><strong>Missions</strong><br/>At the beginning of the week, one person will be chosen to lead a mission.  They will be given a list of missions to choose from.  Two characters will be chosen (or will volunteer) for a WAYFIND move, and another to roll the ATTACK RUN.   The results of these rolls could lead to either a victory against the fascists, or trouble along the way.  Any character who isn't making either of those rolls is a "Vedomaya" or wing woman.  The Vedomaya can choose to take a consequence onto themselves, rather than let it befall someone else (note, this is a houserule.  Normally, you can only protect your assigned plane, but in this game, you can protect anyone in your unit.<br/><br/><strong>Sex</strong><br/>Being the Soviet Union in the thirties, male homosexuality was recent re-criminalized by Stalin.  The state treats female homosexuality as a mental illness, as such it was very hard for lesbians and  to find potential partners, and military service was often the first opportunity for them to explore their sexuality.<br/><br/>A soldier suspected of "Lesbianism" might get a stern warning, or an interview by the secret police.  Others might be sent to a hospital for harsh drugs and ideological therapy before being sent back into combat.  Therefor, publicly outing a character is a cruel and dangerous betrayal.<br/><br/>If you'd like to roleplay a particularly steamy scene between characters, it makes sense for it to be a quick and messy affair, but if you'd like to take your time with the details, you are welcome to play it out in PMs or in another thread.<br/><br/>