Night Witches

## Background

Night Witches: Toil and Trouble is an RPG show GM'ed by trooperSJP on Saturdays at 3PM. It premiered on January 5, 2019.

It is based on Night Witches, a game by Jason Morningstar / Bully Pulpit Games. It is set in the all-female 588th Night Bomber Regiment that flew bombing missions in the USSR during WWII using planes dating from WWI, with their low speeds, open cockpits, no parachutes and no lighting.

> *To each other they were sisters, with bonds forged in blood and terror.*
>
>

## Quotes

The quotes read by the GM at the beginning of each episode are from the book *A Dance with Death: Soviet Airwomen in World War II*, by Anne Noggle, who was herself a pilot during World War II. This book was also an inspiration for the game.

## Cast

GM: TrooperSJP (AcademicFoxhole)

Starring...

* Fox Smith (RocketteFox): Captain  Tatania Petrova

* Mac Beauvais (StrangeLikeThat): Sergeant Nikita "Nik" Volkova

* Sarah Scheller: Sergeant Yelena "Lena" Domiznova

* Margaret Krohn: Sergeant Irina Ahlberg
* Anna Geeks: Sergeant Veronika Kurdina
* Pumpkinberry: Junior Lieutenant Anosova Andreyeva

## Characters

### PCs

* Captain Tatania Petrova, Leader of Squadron 2, Section C
* Sergeant Nikita "Nik" Volkova, Squadron 2, Section C Airwoman
* Sergeant Yelena "Lena" Dozminova, Squadron 2, Section C Airwoman
* Sergeant Irina Ahlberg, Squadron 2, Section C Airwoman
* Sergeant Veronika Kurdina, Squadron 2, Section C Airwoman, moved to 2C after her section was annihilated
* Junior Lieutenant Anosova Andreyeva, Squadron 2, Section C Airwoman, moved to 2C after her pilot was executed for treason.

### NPCs

#### The 588th Night Bomber Regiment

* Major Yevdokia Bershanskaya, Commander of the 588th

* Captain Evgeniya Lobodeva, Deputy CO of the 588th

* Captain Olga Barsukova, Regimental Politruk of the 588th: her boundless love for the soldiers of her regiment is only matched by her fierce determination to root out counterrevolutionary activities and uncover Lavender Women, starting with Marina Rudina. Captain Barsukova is responsible for taking away Lena, presumably to a hospital and for executing a supposed traitor Matilda Gregorjeva. She also fights so that the heroism of her airwomen gets some recognition. She sees potential in Lena, if only she can renounce violence and become cold instead.

* Senior Lieutenant Svetlana Sheremeteva, Deputy Politruk of the 588th: she does not show signs of the political fanaticism Captain Barsukova demonstrates; still, her role in the shadow of the politruk allows her to keep her younger sister Anastasia from trouble, even if it means others are harmed instead.

* Senior Lieutenant Marina "Masha" Rudina, Logistics and Training Officer of the 588th.
* Sergeant Sophia Yú, Quartermaster of the 588th. She marries Boris Smirnov and is suspected of complicity with him when he is unmasked as the infamous Nightingale that has leaked sensitive information to the Nazis.

* Junior Lieutenant Anastasia Sheremeteva, Squadron 2, Section C Airwoman: the younger sister of the deputy politruk owes her presence in the regiment to her connections; her kindness and her ability to come up with good vodka make up somewhat for her lack of military skills. As time passes and she does her duty, Anastasia's initial frivolity fades and she keeps reaching out. Whatever progress she made, though, is put at risk when her indirect role in Lena's removal from the regiment comes to light. A bad injury in combat leaves her with a scar on the face and a twitch at the side of her mouth. To make things worse, her family blames her and says she'll never get married. She is prone to have naive crushes on fellow airwomen.
* ~~Sgt. Ludmilla Ivanova, Squadron 2, Section C Airwoman~~: the arrogant showboat pilot that Irina got into a fistfight with back in B squadron. She was in Section C briefly to fill in the ranks, but was transferred back as soon as possible. After a boxing match at the talent show, it looked like Ivanova will be brought into Section C more permanently. She also made an enemy of Lena. The Nightingale kills her; the should board she clutches in her hand when Lena finds her ultimately incriminates Sr. Sgt. Boris Smirnov.
* ~~Junior Lieutenant Polina "Polya" Makarova~~, Squadron 2, Section C Airwoman: well-liked while keeping to herself, she died at the base shortly after being hit by shrapnel in a mission and only opening up about it after it was too late: the Santa Barbara medallion she wore in spite of the political risk was not enough to protect her, ultimately.

* ~~Sergeant Sara Rabinovich, Squadron 2, Section C Airwoman~~: the poet from Leningrad who used to read politically dangerous poetry died a hero.
* ~~Sgt. Tamara Golovina~~, Squadron 2, Section C Airwoman: the zealot who joined Section C briefly to fill in the ranks who rubbed everyone the wrong way with her blind loyalty to party over her comrades. Died when a train she was traveling on was bombed by the Nazis on her way back to base.

* Sergeant Mel Kemeneva, Lead Mechanic Armorer, Squadron 2, Section C: when Lena overhears that this former pilot was punished for being a Lavender Woman, she decides to keep that information to herself and soon befriends Mel. Later, after Lena and Mel have become lovers, Lena comes forward as a Lavender Woman to protect Mel. Mel falls in love with Nik during Lena's stay in a hospital to be "cured" but only acts on it after learning that Lena married her longtime friend Alexi Popov.
* Sergeant Apollonia "The Greek" Florakis, Squadron 2, Section D Airwoman: The Greek is one of the members of the 2nd squadron who is happens to be a font of gossip in the regiment. She is one of the ones who shared gossip about the traitor in the regiment. The Greek takes Ivanova's place for the mission that comes immediately after her death.

#### The 218th Night Bomber Regiment

* Major Dmitri D. Popov, Commander of the 218th
* Senior Sergeant Boris Smirnov, Quartermaster of the 218th: Sergeant Smirnov is the person who'll get you supplies in return for favors, which are likely to revolve around advancing is relationship with Sergeant Yú. He uses Anastasia to propose during the Talent Show. He dodges a bullet when Tatania declines to make him fall for his links to the Black Market. It is his offscreen murder of Ivanova that finally incriminates him as the spy know as The Nightingale.
* ~~Junior Lieutenant Alexi Popov, Airman~~: young and handsome, he is Major Popov's nephew. Lena recognizes him as a friend of her brother. He almost causes trouble for section 2C when his mates leave him bound and gagged, in his underwear, in their barracks. News break in Ep 6 that he has married Lena soon after learning she was "treated" at a hospital, thus helping her get out. He is shot down in the campaign to liberate Berlin after navigational plans were leaked by The Nightingale.
* Sgt. Andrei Kasanov, a thin, short navigator who asked Irina to dance, got his feet stepped on, and then then asked her if he could write her letters. She accepted, and now he's convinced they may be an item. He kept writing, and Irina answered.

#### Other Figures

* ~~Major Marina Raskova~~, Commander of the 587th Bomber Regiment, Hero of the Soviet Union and founder of the three women's Regiments: The 586th, 587th, and 588th. In real life, she died on January 4, 1943, which event was the subject of a scene at the end of Ep 5.
* Lieutenant General Igor Miroshnichenko, Commander of the Fourth Air Army, under which both the 218th and the 588th Night Bomber Regiments serve.
* Klaus Müller, German POW: this officer of the Secret Police who was captured with others of his unit draws Irina's attention when he sees, and definitely recognizes, Anosova.

## Tatania's premonitions

### Episode 6

Before the mission, Tatania sees a swan in the water. Its reflection becomes another swan.

Right after the mission, news reach the base that Lena and Alexi have just got married.

### Episode 8

Before the mission, Tatania’s sees a smiling woman seated on top of a biplane, her hair in the wind. She’s surrounded by a fireball that doesnt seem to hurt and no one pilots the flying plane.

    During the mission, Irina's plane is caught in the fire caused by her bombing. She climbs on the cockpit to hold the parts of the separating top wing together. Her goggles fly off, and her hands get badly burnt in the process.

### Episode 9

Before the mission, Tatania sees a wolf, circling her and staring at her, with s dead goose in its mouse. The wolf could be a reference to Nik's last name, Volkova.

    During the mission, Anastasia screams, then whimpers for the rest of the flight. After landing, Tatania jumps from her seat to check on her navigator: she is curled up, still whimpering, with a big piece of shrapnel lodged in her face.

### Episode 11

Before the mission, Tatania sees a worm with a skeletal head in an apple.

    After the mission, Tatania receives a letter from her mother. It is just a picture, signed in a way Tatania recognizes. It means that Tatania's mother is still alive, despite all she must have gone through after turning herself in. The picture, skeletal people in a street, shows how bad the situation is in Leningrad. It also contains a worm with a skeletal head in an apple.

## GM Art

Captain Olga BarsukovaJr. Lt. Anastasia SheremetevaSgt. Mel KemenevaJr. Lt. Alexi PopovSr. Lt. Svetlana SheremetevaSgt. Sofia Yú
## Losses

### People

* Sergeant Sara Rabinovich. Killed in Action while trying to protect the retreating Red Army at Rostov-on-Don. Ep 4.
* Major Marina Raskova. Killed in Action in a scene that was alluded to in Ep 5.
* Sgt. Tamara Golovina. Died while traveling to the new duty station when the train she was on was bombed by the Nazis, killing her along with hundred of other people in Ep 6.
* Junior Lieutenant Polina "Polya" Makarova. Injured in Action, bled out to death at the base in Ep 6.
* Junior Lieutenant Matilda Gregorjeva. Pilot and friend of Anasova Andreyeva, executed for treason in Ep. 7.
* Sgt. Ludmilla Ivanova. Shot by The Nightingale while trying to uncover their identity in Ep. 12.
* Jr. Lieutenant Alexi Popov. Shot down in the campaign to liberate Berlin after navigational plans were leaked by The Nightingale in Ep. 12.

### Planes

* Plane 105. Destroyed in a crash after the first training mission in Episode 1

## Notes

1. ↑ Quoted from the Night Witches page.
2. ↑ Tatania was a Junior Lieutenant until her promotion in Ep 7. She became a Senior Lieutenant in Ep 10 and a captain in Ep 12.
3. ↑ Mac couldn't be here for Ep 2. In game, she was summoned to an interview with the dreaded NKVD.
4. ↑ Margaret could not be in Ep 1.
5. ↑ Starting in Ep 5, because Sarah couldn't be there for a few weeks.
6. ↑ Anosova made her first appearance in Ep 7.
7. ↑ Anosova was demoted from Junior Lieutenant to Sergeant after her pilot was executed for treason and she herself became suspect. She was restored to her previous rank in Ep 12.
8. ↑ Starting in Ep 10, Tatania leads the whole squadron 2 and the airwomen of section 2C are promoted to section 2A.
9. ↑ See Ep 9 and Ep 10.
10. ↑ See Ep 10. He ends up in Captain Basukova's clutches.