Designers' Notes: GURPS Covert Ops

by William H. Stoddard & Hans-Christian Vortisch

A Tale of Two Books

The project that became GURPS Covert Ops started out as two entirely different books.

Bill took on the job of preparing a final draft of GURPS Assassins, a 32-page treatment of assassins in history, fiction, and gaming, as villains or as heroes. At about the same time, Hans started work on GURPS Spy-Tech, a 48-page supplement intended as an update (and upgrade) of the equipment lists from GURPS Espionage. The two drafts arrived at Steve Jackson Games, more or less simultaneously . . . there was an interval of silence . . . and then a question came back: Could we collaborate on a single, larger book that integrated what we had done and expanded on it? Having worked together on previous projects, including GURPS Special Ops (which Hans co-wrote and Bill edited), we said, "Sure!"

And then things got interesting . . .

Spy-Tech had four chapters, all on different sorts of equipment. Assassins had six chapters, two of which looked at equipment. We kept the basic Assassins outline, reduced from six chapters to five, and fitted Hans's four chapters into the two technology chapters -- and made those the longest chapters of the planned book. By and large, Hans did the technology chapters, but Bill added low-tech and sidebars on fantasy and speculative equipment, as well as a few passages on other topics. By and large, Bill did the chapters on history, characters, and campaigns, but Hans added accounts of several noteworthy episodes of covert operations.

In the process, the book's mission changed from those of the smaller books. Obviously, it couldn't be just about equipment; it had to look at the people who used the equipment. It needed a broader focus than just assassination. Since it wasn't a new edition of Espionage, it couldn't be about spying; instead it was expanded from assassination alone to all kinds of active interference with an enemy's life, liberty, or property. Bill and Hans both thought, and Steve Jackson Games agreed, that the main audience for this book would be people interested in real-world operations, historical, current, or near-future/technothriller; so we kept the fantastic and speculative material in the sidebars, discussing general principles rather than game mechanics. In particular, we eliminated all the ultra-tech equipment that wasn't either already available or likely to be on the market in a few years -- particularly the superscience gadgets. As a result, a good deal of material ended up being cut.

Here, then, are some outtakes: historical material from Hans, and compilations of technology from Bill.

The Spy-Tech of the Future

Long before the technothriller genre got its name, suspense stories had an affinity for high-tech gadgets. But there's a hard-to-define line separating two classes of gadgets. One side holds gadgets that the audience can imagine might exist now, in some top-secret lab, or in the armory of some elite secret agency. The other holds gadgets so radical that they would change the world. The boundary between them is the boundary between technothrillers and speculative fiction. Many past GURPS supplements have offered equipment that could be used for covert operations, but only in a speculative fiction setting -- cyberpunk, space opera, or anywhere in between.

Some of these gadgets use power cells, as defined in GURPS Ultra-Tech, as their energy source. Less speculative versions would need much larger power sources, or would operate for about 1/10 as long.

First, some surveillance tools:

Beam Sensor (TL8). A laser or infrared beam that sets off an alarm if broken. It can be spotted by throwing glitter, powder, or vapor into its path (for a laser) or by infrared sensors (for an IR beam), and can then be jumped over or crawled under. If there are several beams, an Acrobatics roll may be required. $400 per single entrance or 100 yards of perimeter.

Biohound (TL10). A small handheld sensor capable of detecting the molecules of a designated lifeform -- as general as a species (e.g., "humans") or as specific as a single individual. A detailed bioscanner analysis is required to detect and track unknown species or specific individuals. On a successful Electronics Operation (Sensors) roll, the biohound can tell if its target came within 5 yards of its sensors, at -1 to skill per half-hour the trail is old. Once acquired, a trail can be followed as long as that is physically possible -- an airlock or ride on a motorcycle would erase it. Additional rolls may be necessary every hour to keep on trace. Only one trail can be followed at a time. $2,000, 2 lbs.

Sensor Visor (TL10). A goggle or helmet visor offering light intensification, thermal imaging, antiglare features (+5 to HT rolls avoiding to be blinded), and 2-100× magnification. $1,500, 2 lbs.

 

Next, tools for intrusion and escape:

Electronic Thumb (TL8). A pocket-sized gadget that can be used to bypass fingerprint and retinal scanners. One end displays a retinal pattern; the other has a plastic pad that can be configured to match a thumbprint. New prints can be downloaded into it by a cable connection. An A cell powers it for a year. $5,000, 0.25 lb.

Nanogrip Gear (late TL8). A pair of soft gloves and shoes covered with nanofibers that allow climbing up virtually any surface, like a gecko or spider. Add +4 to Climbing. $250, 3 lbs. for complete set.

Plasma Torch (TL9). A small plasma generator for heavy cutting and welding. Its beam of ionized plasma does 7d per second; even if it doesn't penetrate DR, every 10 hits of damage will reduce DR by one, allowing it to eventually burn through any material. Its C cell powers it for 60 seconds. $750; 4 lbs.

There is also a larger version available; the heavy plasma torch is a backpack-sized device that does 20d per second. It operates for 200 seconds on an E cell, which is carried on the back, together with the plasma generator. $3,000; 40 lbs.

Intruder Suit (TL10). Several steps up from the TL8 chameleon suit, this full-body suit (including face mask, hood, gloves, and boots) "bends" the light around the wearer using fiber-optic light guides, granting a blurry almost-invisibility. Observers are -10 on Vision rolls to see the wearer if he is standing still, or -6 on Vision rolls if he is moving. It gives DR 1 (DR 6 against lasers). $8,000, 12 lbs.

Holobelt (TL10). A holobelt projects a roughly man-sized three-dimensional image around the wearer, to conceal him. Standard holodisks show plants, animals, rocks, or other unanimated objects; alternatively, a disk showing a recording of somebody else can be used. A casual observer may not notice the wearer (+4 Camouflage), but close observation will reveal that something is wrong. In addition, the holo image, projecting light as it does, rather obviously glows in the dark. Once spotted, all attacks on the wearer are at -1 to skill, and attacks aimed at specific body parts are impossible unless the image closely mirrors the wearer. A B cell powers the projector for 24 hours. $1,100, 4 lbs. Pre-recorded disks are $100 each.

Cannibal Nanokit (TL11). Nanotech makes it possible to assemble objects at the molecular level -- and to disassemble other objects to provide raw material. A nanokit makes use of this capability for the benefit of people who need to hide what they're carrying.  A tube of some seemingly innocuous material such as makeup can be squeezed onto suitable raw material (mechanical objects require metal; fuels and propellants require organic material) and reshape it into a weapon, explosive, or other controlled device, taking 1 minute per pound. The product must be one TL lower than the nanokit's TL. If the availability of suitable raw material is doubtful, roll 3d against the nanokit's TL. The nanokit weighs 1% of the weight of the end product and costs three times as much.

Tau-Field Generator (TL16). A tau-field generator creates a bubble in space/time, in which time is vastly accelerated. It cuts off all inside the field from those outside, allowing those inside to take any action without interference from others. For example, an operative could deal with his targets at his leisure, since they can neither escape from the field nor get help from the outside. In fact, those outside and on "normal" time will not even note what happens inside the bubble. When the tau-field is switched off, they will see the results of the action inside, but to them, only a moment passed.

A backpack generator runs for 30 minutes of subjective time on a D cell and covers a one- to four-yard radius (depending on the setting chosen by the wearer). $1,500, 40 lbs.

 

Intruders may want to take someone back out with them. For this purpose, restraints are helpful:

Pneumospray Hypo (TL7). A hand-held device that uses a charge of compressed air to give an injection. It can penetrate clothing with DR 1. An air cartridge is good for 100 injections. 1/4 lb.; $125; +3 to Holdout skill. Invented for medical treatment, but assassins will find other uses for it! Changing either the air cartridge or the vial of injected substance takes 2 seconds.

Neural Inhibitor (TL10). A flat disk about 2" in diameter that can be attached to the skin, cutting off nerve impulses. The effects depend on the location; it is placed on the forearm, the forearm and hand are paralyzed (and feel no pain); if placed on the neck near the spinal cord, the entire body from the neck down is paralyzed. Intended for medical purposes (e.g., as a local anesthetic to perform surgery), it has many uses to "bind" kidnapping victims or to control prisoners. Each disk runs 24 hours on its two integral A cells. $200, 0.25 lb.

 

The published material in GURPS Covert Ops includes many futuristic weapons, but as far as possible, these are extrapolations from current designs or research. Here are some more speculative ideas, often taken from classic science fiction:

Knives. At higher TLs, more advanced variations of knives become available.

Vibroblades (TL8) vibrate thousands of times per second, adding 1d to the regular damage of the weapon. DR protects against vibroblades at 1/5 value. The vibration cannot be seen, but generates a faint hum that can be detected at 1 hex range on a Hearing roll and that anyone familiar with vibroblades will recognize. Turning on the vibro effect takes 1 second; a successful Fast-Draw roll activates it as the weapon is drawn. The hilt of a vibroblade contains a B cell (p. B247) which supplies power for 1 hour divided by the blade's weight in pounds. Vibroblades have no added weight, but cost $200 extra for any knife size.

Monowire blades (TL9) have edges of molecular thickness, enabling them to cut into almost anything, adding 1d to the regular cutting damage of weapon. DR protects against monowire cutting attacks at 1/10 value. Monowire blades have no added weight, but cost $500 extra for any knife size.

Hyperdense Filament Blades (TL10) appear in laboratories and advanced workshops as a more durable single-molecule tool head. Originally they represent a tiny edge set into a larger blade to permit improved penetration of dense materials and individual cells. These blades are cutting-only tools that gain no damage bonus, but inflict +1d damage and penetrate the target's armor considerably better than anything before: one-fifth normal DR at early TL10 and one-tenth by the end of TL10. They appear in the hands of covert operatives and on the black market in the form of stilettos at first, having the same effect as early TL10 laboratory blades, then as the edge and tip on the most expensive combat knives. These filament lattice blades are the thinnest advanced alloys with hyperdense filaments inserted into the edge and tip in a microscopic copy of the Aztec macauitl. The blade weighs the same as a normal knife, as the lighter alloy is balanced by the heavier edge. Costs vary due to rarity and the bespoke nature of this item from a base of $1,000× weight, halving at early TL11. Making a hyperdense blade also a vibroblade adds +1d to damage but does not add to the blade's penetration.

Force knives (TL11) are smaller variants on force swords and use the Force Sword skill (p. B50); anyone who has only used the full-sized version is at --2 with the knife size due to unfamiliarity, and vice versa. A force knife is a small hilt, about the size of a dagger hilt; when activated, it generates a "blade" of energy that inflicts cutting or impaling damage. DR protects against force knives at 1/5 value. Any limb that takes twice the damage required to cripple it in a single hit (p. B129) is cut of, and the wound is cauterized; excess damage is lost. Any material weapon that parries a force knife is broken, except on a critical success. It takes 1 second to activate a force knife, except on a Fast-Draw roll, and 1 second more for the blade to stabilize. Power comes from a C cell in the hilt, which allows 10 minutes of continuous use.

Needlers (TL8). Needlers use a magnetic field to fire a steel sliver. Because they don't use chemical propellant, chemsniffers can't locate them, making them easier to conceal. Their damage is impaling rather than crushing as for chemical slugthrowers.

Beam Weapons. Energy projection weapons, or beam weapons, are speculative technology, as none have yet been made practical, especially not as man-portable or concealable weapons! For more detail on these weapons, see GURPS Ultra-Tech and Ultra-Tech 2. Several varieties would be useful in covert operations:

Lasers (TL8) fire a beam of coherent light. They have very long ranges and no recoil; the dispersion of shots is less than the diameter of the beam. As a result, when a laser is fired on full automatic setting (see pp. B119-120), the damage from all shots that hit the same location in the same turn is totaled before DR is subtracted. Damage is impaling: any damage that gets through DR is doubled. Any hit to the eyes (location 5 from the front; see p. B211) causes double damage and blinds the victim unless he makes a HT roll; +5 for anti-glare goggles. Roll as for crippling injuries to recover. Actual damage to the eye results in permanent blindness. Lasers do half damage in fog or smoke and are stopped by heavy smoke such as generated by military smoke dischargers.

Blasters (TL9) fire a bolt of charged particles; the beam does impaling damage and also inflicts knockback. It is treated as a projectile for blow-through purposes. This isn't a subtle weapon, but may appeal to a heavy.

Disruptors (TL9), or masers, fire coherent microwave radiation. Metal reflects disruptor beams, giving metal armor PD 8; the armor emits massive sparks in the process. Disruptors are thus mainly useful for attacks on unarmored targets. Damage to living targets is tripled after DR; the target's cells actually explode. The model specified here is designed to be broken down into four pocket-sized components; assembly or disassembly takes one minute.

Flamers (TL9) are beam weapons that fire short-range plasma discharges and can hit multiple targets in the same arc of fire (see p. B121). Arsonists are likely to find them useful; they automatically ignite paper and dry wood, and set fire to other flammable materials whose DR is exceeded. Unsealed armor has only 1/2 its normal DR against a flamer. For every 10 points of damage done (before subtracting DR), armor loses 1 point of DR at the location hit; if it loses 1/5 of its original DR it becomes unsealed at that location.

X-ray lasers (TL10), also known as xasers, are similar to standard lasers, but are not affected by smoke, fog, or mirrors. Halve the DR of any armor or force screen against an X-ray laser. Grasers (TL14) are even more effective; force screens and armor protect with only 1/5 DR.

Disintegrators (TL15) completely destroy the target, producing heat and concussion in surrounding hexes. Force screens protect at 1/100 DR, and nuclear damper fields completely block them; armor and deflectors provide no protection at all. This is a good weapon for disposing of evidence; if there are no witnesses or recorders, it may not be possible to tell who was disintegrated.

 

Brainwipe. In societies with highly developed medical capabilities (TL9 and up), neither blood loss nor failure of a major vital organ need be fatal if the victim receives medical care quickly enough. If the brain still functions, cybernetic interfaces may permit it to communicate with other people, despite having the No Physical Body disadvantage (p. CI83). Cloning technology may be able to replace a destroyed body. The only certain death may be destruction of the brain.

There are plenty of crude ways to accomplish this, ranging from blunt instruments to surgical lasers. But a more advanced technology may provide specialized tools.

Brainwipe (TL10) requires bulky and expensive equipment ($50,000, 500 lbs., 1 cy). The procedure takes an hour and requires Electronics Operation (Medical)/TL10 skill. The necessary equipment is legal only for governments. However, an illegal organization that has the equipment may find it worthwhile to kidnap an enemy and subject him to the process. It's even possible to install the equipment in a moderately large truck or similar vehicle and go to meet the victim.

Mindscramblers (TL12) and mindrippers (TL14) are portable weapons that accomplish similar results with focused electromagnetic radiation. They use Beam Weapons (Neural) skill. A mindscrambler can rip apart the target's brain, reducing his DX and IQ to 1 and erasing his memories. A mindripper does the same, but also scans the brain and makes a copy of the information stored in it. (From one point of view, this makes it a tool for kidnappers or thieves rather than assassins.) If the attack hits, roll vs. HT-5 at +1 per 10 points of DR protecting the brain. If the HT roll succeeds, the target suffers no more than a mild headache; if it succeeds by no more than 1 point, he is mentally stunned. If it fails, he suffers the full effects.

Of course, if it's possible to record the information in a brain, the victim may have done so already, as a precautionary measure.

Weapons Tables

Hand Weapons

Type

   

Damage

   

Reach

   

Cost

   

Wt

   

Min ST

   

Hold

   

TL

Force knife

   

cut 4d (5)

   

C

   

$2,000

   

1

   

--

   

+4

   

11

 

   

imp 2d (5)

   

 

   

 

   

 

   

 

   

 

   

 

Monowire knife

   

cut +1d (10)

   

*

   

+$500

   

--

   

--

   

--

   

9

Vibroknife

   

cut/imp +1d (5)

   

*

   

+$200

   

--

   

--

   

--

   

8

Ranged Weapons

Weapon

   

Malf

   

Damage

   

SS

   

Acc

   

1/2D

   

Max

   

Wt

   

RoF

   

Shots

   

ST

   

Rcl

   

Hold

   

Cost

   

TL

Beam Weapons

Blaster pistol

   

ver.

   

6d imp.

   

10

   

6

   

--

   

300

   

2

   

3~

   

20/C

   

5

   

-1

   

0

   

$2,000

   

9

Disintegrator pistol

   

crit.

   

8d (100)

   

10

   

12

   

--

   

1,000

   

4

   

1

   

6/C

   

--

   

0

   

-2

   

$6,000

   

15

Disruptor rifle

   

crit.

   

6d

   

13

   

10

   

500

   

1,000

   

9

   

3~

   

20/C

   

--

   

0

   

+2

   

$3,100

   

9

Hand flamer

   

crit.

   

10d

   

4

   

12

   

70

   

150

   

4

   

1

   

8/C

   

6

   

0

   

-2

   

$1,300

   

9

Holdout laser

   

crit.

   

1d-1

   

10

   

4

   

50

   

100

   

1/4

   

1

   

5/B

   

--

   

0

   

+4

   

$500

   

9

Laser pistol

   

crit.

   

1d

   

9

   

7

   

200

   

500

   

2

   

4

   

20/C

   

--

   

0

   

0

   

$1,000

   

8

Laser rifle

   

crit.

   

2d

   

15

   

13

   

900

   

1,200

   

5

   

3~

   

12/C

   

--

   

0

   

-5

   

$2,000

   

8

Mindscrambler

   

crit.

   

Spcl.

   

12

   

14

   

--

   

50

   

8

   

1

   

50/C

   

--

   

0

   

-5

   

$20,000

   

12

Mindripper

   

crit.

   

Spcl.

   

12

   

14

   

--

   

50

   

10

   

1

   

50/C

   

--

   

0

   

-5

   

$50,000

   

14

Pistols and Revolvers

Plastic minipistol, 9mm

   

crit.

   

2d

   

10

   

3

   

150

   

900

   

1

   

3~

   

 

   

 

   

 

   

 

   

 

   

 

Gauss minineedler

   

crit.

   

1d

   

10

   

2

   

75

   

300

   

0.1

   

4

   

25/AA

   

-

   

0

   

+5

   

$400

   

10

Rifles

Gauss needle rifle, .02

   

crit.

   

2d+1

   

14

   

11

   

500

   

1,000

   

6

   

20*

   

100/B

   

9

   

-1

   

-5

   

$2,500

   

8

Note: In the shots column, a slash followed by a capital letter indicates the number of shots per power cell of that size.

Weapons call forth defenses, so a futuristic setting may have advanced types of armor as well:

Arachnoweave Armor (TL8). Created using synthetic proteins derived from spider silk. The standard forms are black, gray, or green for military or combat applications; multicolored patterns cost 25% more and range from camouflage designs (-2 to Vision against similar backgrounds, +2 against inappropriate backgrounds) to brightly colored patterns for sportswear or kimonos (+2 to Vision against any background). Light arachnoweave is PD 1, DR 4 (PD 0, DR 2 vs. impaling); a vest is 0.5 lb. and $400, a full suit is 1 lb., $500. Medium arachnoweave is PD 2, DR 8 (PD 1, DR 2 vs. impaling); a vest is 1 lb. and $600, a full suit is 2.5 lbs. and $800. Heavy arachnoweave is PD 2, DR 12 (PD 1, DR 2 vs. impaling); a vest is 1.5 lbs. and $8000, a full suit is 4 lbs. and $1,000. A vest protects hit locations 9-10 and 17-18. Any 6 rolled does 1 point of crushing damage, even if the attack fails to penetrate the armor.

Bioplas Armor (TL10). Made from pseudo-alive, self-repairing material (repairs minor holes in six hours if it has access to sunlight and air, longer for major damage), bioplastic armor provides PD 2, DR 15. A full suit costs $2,000 and weighs 3 lbs.

Reflex Armor (TL10). Made of bioplastic (above) and normally gives PD 2, DR 15. However, it also incorporates sophisticated passive sensors to detect incoming projectiles or blows. Melee weapons, thrown objects or other low-velocity attacks are automatically detected; bullets, rockets, and sonic beams on a roll of 14 or less; and hypervelocity projectiles only on a roll of 12 or less. Lasers or similar beams are too fast. Once an incoming attack detected, the bioplastic contracts its "muscles" to become rigid for an instant -- protecting the impact point with PD 5, DR 30. Reflex armor requires a power source (usually a B cell that lasts for three months). A full suit is $4,000 and weighs 10 lbs.

Energy Cloth (TL11). Woven from single-crystal ballistic fiber and thermal-superconducting material, and easily concealable as part of clothing. A vest protects hit locations 9-10 and 17-18, weighs 2 lbs., and costs $2,800; a full body suit (with hood) weighs 4 lbs. and costs $5,600. Either has PD 4, DR 50.

Deflector Belt  (TL12). A generator that creates a form-fitting deflector field over the wearer's body and clothing; it does not extend over objects held in the hand (unless they are completely enclosed). Two settings are available: steady, which provides PD 6 but does not let air pass through, and flicker, which provides PD 5 and allows air (and other gases) to pass through. Two C cells provide power for 5 minutes on steady or 10 minutes on flicker. 2 lbs., $5,000.

 

Finally, advanced medical care can treat many injuries:

Automedic (TL9). An automedic looks like a coffin with integral medical computer; it will attempt to diagnose and heal anyone placed into it. It is fully automated and stocked with drugs and supplies to deal with any injury or sickness a physician can normally treat. Its computer is programmed with First Aid-14, Diagnosis-13, Physician-13, and Surgery-13 (+1 to skill for every TL over 9). It cannot bring back the dead, and should it be confronted with unknown diseases or strange problems, it will put the patient in suspended animation and call for help. The results of critical automedic failures are up to the GM; a sabotaged unit is a death trap . . .

At TL9, it is $50,000, 600 lbs. At both TL10 and 11, subtract 100 lbs.; cost remains the same.

Case Study: "I'll Blow That Hitler Up!"

There were many attempts to kill Adolf Hitler (p. WWii110) prior to and during World War II. None of them worked -- to the despair of many -- but some came close. Their details illustrate some of the pitfalls of covert operations.

Georg "Schorsch" Elser was a simple carpenter from a small town in Swabia, who liked to puzzle with "inventions." Elser, a socialist, had little interest in political parties (including the Communists). Nevertheless, he understood early on that the Nazi regime was not to the advantage of the common German worker. By 1938 he knew what had to be done: somebody had to kill the Führer.

Hitler and his henchmen came to Munich every year to honor the anniversary of his failed "Beer Hall Putsch" of November 8th, 1923 (p. W:IC8) at the very place of the putsch. In 1938, Elser went to the Bürgerbräukeller at the Rosenthaler Platz in Munich and reconnoitered the building. Security was lax. He began planning and designing a bomb. For a time, he worked with a company that produced munitions; later he worked at a quarry. He stole explosives, detonators, and blasting caps, cleverly taking small amounts so that nobody noticed. In late summer of 1939, he went to Munich, living off his savings. Every third night for three months he let himself be locked into the beer hall. He build a secret door into the wooden paneling of the pillar right behind where the speaker's table used to be and then carefully cut a 28"×35" hole into the pillar, using tools wrapped with rags to dampen the sound. He made the plaster for the compartment with his own urine to avoid using the taps. His bomb consisted of two Black Forest clocks (lined with cork plates to suppress the ticking), three detonators, and about 20 lbs. of black powder (p. CV80). He set the timer on the night of the 6th to detonate it at 9:20 p.m. on the 8th. It worked as planned, taking down the ceiling and blowing out one of the outer walls (p. W:IC11). The charge was relatively small, considering the inefficient black powder he had to use. But Elser had learned to tamp the charge for maximum effect by reading a combat engineering manual freely available for public education. However, contrary to tradition (and for the first time in years) Hitler had arrived early and had already departed at 9:07 p.m. The huge hall was void of the top Nazis; only 120 of the "old warriors" remained. Eight people were killed and 63 wounded. At first, it was thought a poison gas bomb had been used, due to the thick smoke generated by the plaster and black powder.

Elser was arrested the same day, as he tried to illegally cross the border to Switzerland near Constance. A few days later he was connected with the bombing (he had parts of a detonator and other incriminating evidence with him when he was arrested). The Gestapo couldn't believe one man alone was responsible, and tried to link others to it, but didn't succeed. He was shot at the KZ Dachau on April 9th, 1945.

Another attempt was made on Hitler's life in July 1944, orchestrated by a large conspiracy consisting primarily of conservative general staff officers, but also incorporating social democrats, communists, and others (pp. W32, W:IC24). Many of the men involved had been contemplating an assassination attempt for years. Some had even begun such thinking before the war, and most wanted to see Goebbels and Himmler dead as well. Valuable time passed as they tried to work out how to take over the state and especially the armed forces after Hitler's death ("Operation Wallküre").

The man who eventually took on the suicidal task of actually killing the Führer was Major Claus Graf von Stauffenberg, a conservative aristocrat and member of the general staff. He was deeply convinced that the unlawful killings of prisoners of war, Jews, and civilians were unethical and dishonorable.

Stauffenberg was to meet with Hitler at the Wolfsschanze, near Rastenberg (the armed forces' headquarters), on July 20th, 1944. Fog had prevented him from arriving early, so he only had minutes between a staff meeting and his meeting with Hitler (scheduled for 12:30 p.m.). He stepped out (ostensibly to change his shirt) and primed the explosive charge in his briefcase. He had two 2.2-lb. blocks of plastic explosive (p. CV81). However, Stauffenberg had lost an eye, his right hand, and two fingers on his left hand in combat, so that he was fumbling with the acid detonator, and because of the time pressure, only managed to prime one of the blocks and take it with him to the meeting with Hitler. After placing the briefcase leaning on the table in the conference room, he excused himself to make a phone call. The charge blew up, but was too small to do the job. The blast was partly deflected by the heavy table. Hitler sustained only popped eardrums and a bad bruise on his arm (by afternoon he was back on his feet, giving Mussolini a tour of the carnage). Four others died from the blast.

Stauffenberg and an aide left the Wolfsschanze, believing they had done the job, got past two guards by sheer chutzpah, and headed for Berlin on a He 111 plane that had been provided by the conspirators. There they tried to set in motion their putsch, but it failed as news of his Hitler's survival trickled out. The same evening, Stauffenberg and a few others were caught after a short firefight with the Gestapo. They were executed around midnight. Over 200 others were rounded up and killed or driven to suicide as well, including General Beck (p. W:IC55), Admiral Canaris (p. W50), and Feldmarschall Rommel (pp. W50, WWii112).

The Armoury

Bellasi's cache consisted of 248 firearms (including some 30 older collector's pieces, mainly pre-WWII military rifles), numerous sound suppressors, scopes, and targeting devices, as well as more than 70,000 rounds of ammunition. He had spent a total of 566,199 Swiss francs (more than $370,000) on the more modern weapons. All were bought legally from a dealer in Bern.

Among these were 3× H&K MK23 MOD0 (p. SO114), 1× Ruger MKII with integral suppressor (similar to High Standard HDMS, p. CV66), 7× SIG-Sauer P228 (pp. C63, SO114), 6× SIG-Sauer P229 (in .357 SIG, p. CV67), 7× S&W Model 29 (p. HT110), 2× Beretta Mod 12S, 4× FN P90 (pp. HT116, SW52), 2× H&K MP5A5 (pp. SO117, SW52), 3× H&K MP5K (p. CV68), 5× IMI Mini-Uzi (p. HT116), 2× Olympic Arms CAR-15 with integral suppressor (based on Colt CAR-15 R635, p. MF28), 4× Orbis MGV-176 with suppressor (based on American 180, p. HT116), 1× Accuracy International AW (p. MF24), 1× Barrett Model 90 (p. HT115), 1× H&K HK33SG1 (p. SW53), 3× Izhmash AKS-74U (pp. HT114, SO115), 1× Remington Model 700 (p. CV67), 3× Steyr SSG 69 -- one with integral suppressor (p. SW53), 7× Mossberg Model 590 (p. C63), 5× Remington Model 870 with short barrel (pp. C63, HT112), plus custom-made sniper rifles with integral suppressor by Kitzmann, Marlin, and Sabatti.

Some of the ammunition was stowed (illegally) on military premises (where he and other members of the army and intelligence trained with the weapons), much of the rest in Bellasi's private stowage rooms.

Case Study: The Bellasi Case

In the night of August 12, 1999, the Swiss police arrested 39-year old Dino Bellasi at the Zürich airport on charge of embezzlement. Mr. Bellasi, formerly of the accountant bureau of the Swiss military Nachrichtendienst (intelligence service) with the rank of Stabssekretär/Hauptmann (captain), was accused of having stolen more than 8.8 million Swiss francs (some $5.8 million) in a period between 1994 and 1999 by forging invoices which he then cashed at the national bank.

When his home and several other premises were searched, the police found some 220 modern firearms. Piece by piece, it emerged that Bellasi had not only lived very large (with a wife, two concubines, regular brothel visits, expensive cars, and gifts for his friends), but had also invested in luxury houses in Austria and Portugal, a collection of expensive pipes, and modern firearms and munitions. The weapons cache was especially suspicious, since he had acquired dozens of the latest firearms in sets, as if to equip teams with identical weapons (see The Armoury). For whom?

In police custody, Bellasi claimed to have acted on order of his superiors at the Nachrichtendienst, the aim having been to set up a completely secret shadow intelligence service outside of the control of parliament.

Switzerland had already had a similar covert organization between 1967 and 1990, the infamous P 26 secret army. The 1,000-man strong P 26 had ostensibly been set up for the event of a Soviet attack against Western Europe, to organize resistance and maintain contact to a government in exile. During the Cold War, such covert "guerrilla" organizations had been set up with help of the CIA all over Europe -- however, such a relationship to NATO was of course totally unacceptable for the adamantly neutral Switzerland. In addition, P 26 was outside the oversight of the democratically elected parliament and funds (some $6 million annually) were acquired illegally by funnelling them away from the military budget (hidden in acquisition costs). P 26 was abolished in 1990 for these reasons, parliament also naming fear of "self-activation," that is, a putsch (p. CV8) by the covert organization. However, leading figures of P 26 (such as its last commander, Generalstabsoberst Efrem Cattelan, codename "Rico") publically stated that it was only "dormant," not disrupted.

The Bellasi case looked suspiciously as if it was a new or resurrected version of such an organization. Officials denied this, as did Bellasi after "further questioning." Bellasi was sentenced to six years in prison and everybody else implicated was cleared of all accusations. Bellasi walked free in August 2003, after less than four years.

Adventure Seeds

The Bellasi case illustrates several points that may play a role in a Covert Ops campaign: how to set up a covert organization within existing structures, how to acquire funds, how to get suitable weapons, and how to deny everything after the cover has been blown.

The most important point, finance, would appear to be fairly simple: find an accountant who knows how to get the blank documents required for cash withdrawals, to bury the withdrawals inside other posts, and to hide the money in off-shore "businesses."

The case also illustrates a number of things you should not do: don't waste your funds on trifles, don't try to withdraw money after you left the organization you stole it from, and don't carry weapons on your person if you haven't got the right papers for them.

While the Bellasi case has been officially closed in Switzerland by the authorities, some questions remain. Here are some suggestions how to use the affair in a Covert Ops campaign:

Common Fraud

Everything happened as the court ruled. There was no conspiracy, no shadow army, and no criminal connection to the underworld. Bellasi was an embezzler who liked guns, girls and tobacco pipes, in short, a common criminal -- and, like every criminal who let himself get caught, a stupid one.

Still, real covert operatives might have found Bellasi (or a similar, but fictional person in Switzerland or another country) more than useful. He had access to funds, he could provide modern weapons including suppressed sniper rifles, and he knew many people in local and foreign intelligence as well as the underworld. He might become an unwilling puppet in a larger conspiracy, or the logistics specialist for the player characters (or the NPCs).

Organized Crime

It has been widely speculated that Bellasi had connections to organized crime -- especially to Serbian organizations. Criminals have similar requirements for secrecy, money, and weapons as covert organizations, although their goals are ultimately not political, but to acquire more money. In a GURPS Cops campaign, detectives could try to unravel the case itself, or track back money or a mafia assassin's murder weapon to the cache.

Shadow Army

Everything happened as Bellasi first claimed. He might have acted on orders of the Swiss military intelligence service (a very small organization indeed), be on the payroll of the Gnomes of Zürich, or a foreign service. The houses in Austria and Portugal would have been safe houses for covert agents, the weapons cached for operatives or hired assassins.




Article publication date: December 26, 2003


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