A Cool and Lonely Courage

By Alex White

- 5 minutes read - 872 words
This is an ENNIE-nominated tragic role playing story game about the women of the SOE (Special Operations Executive) during world war 2, for two to five players.

The game starts with each of you captured by the Nazis, and facing interrogation and death at their hands. Together as players you tell the stories of these brave women through their training, deployment, missions and eventual capture, and discover their lives through flashbacks.

Playing cards are used to determine whether the focus of each scene is one of love, failure, success, or death. Each scene will call involve other characters from that individuals life - friends, enemies and bystanders - all of whom are played by other players around the table. Characters introduced in one scene may return in future scenes, for good or ill.

The game ends with a final session where between you, you work out who lives, who dies, who tells their stories.

Some comments I received after playtests at Metatopia 2018:

"It was my most affecting game of the Con"

"It's a deeply emotional game. I had a hard choice to make at the end for my character"

"I have been playing this unforgettable story in my head since Metatopia"

Downloadable Resources

The following resources are provided for you to download and print.

The supporting character cards comprise 8 allied female cards, 8 allied male cards and 8 enemy male cards. Each card contains a name, a 'role' and a couple of personality hooks. In order to use the cards, you can just draw a single card and use the information off that one card, or you can draw a series of them in order to mix things up a bit - taking the name from the first card, role from the second and attitude from the third.

face and back of eight example cards

Actual Play Session

I was hugely priviledged to have a number of groups of people record playtest sessions, and agree to have them made available for people to listen to.

The first is a recording around a kitchen table by Diana Gamet, Rob & Lindsay Daviau, Ariel Jaffee and David Nolin. It isn't a studio recording, so there is quite a lot of background noise, but their story still plays out dramatically.

Genevieve​ (Esther Nemerov) ​played by Ariel Strength: Surprisingly skilled with knives. Weakness: Terrible French accent. Jewish, family escaped Germany and headed to England. Married to a French Jewish man. She enlisted to fight against the Nazi regime, for those who didn’t get out in time. She is assigned to the role of Courier.

Josephine​ (Elizabeth “Poppy” Smith Hargraves) ​played by Rob Strength: Excellent liar. Weakness: Accent (learned French from nanny, who was from Brittany) is a bit off. Wealthy, elite English heiress. Learned French from her governess while growing up. When her many brothers did not choose to enlist in the war effort, she did. She is assigned to the role of Courier.

Clothilde Thierry​ (Georgette) ​played by Dave Strength: Trained mechanic, excellent in bicycle and automobile repair. Weakness: Borderline (poor) French literacy. Father was a French soldier, mother was an English nurse. In the First War, her mother emigrated to France, when she met Clothilde’s father while treating injured soldiers at the front. Before his death, Clothilde’s father taught her bicycle & auto repair in his shop. Clothilde’s father was killed during the German invasion, and Clothilde fled to England with her mother. Clothilde is now posing as a refugee from the German occupation. She is assigned to the role of Courier.

Rose​ (Claire) ​played by Lindsay Strength: Excellent skill as a wireless operator and communications technician. Weakness: Average (or less than) in physical skills demanded of SOE agents. Age 23, French mother, Rose grew up in England. Worked as a live-in nanny for a lower-upper class family back in England. After the loss of several of her mother’s relatives in France, Rose joins the resistance to honor her loved ones. She is assigned to the role of Wireless Operator.

Podcast Actual Play

A two play game on the podcast Party of One by Jeff Stormer and Kiva Fecteau

A four player game on the podcast Roll Playing Guys by Rebecca, Nick, Spencer and Tyler in four parts

A three player game on the podcast She's a Super Geek by Senda, Andi and Betsy in two parts.

Video Actual Play

This is a recording of a Gauntlet Hangout by Catherine Ramen with Peter Mazzeo, Carmen Maria Marin and David Morrison

This is a recording of a Gauntlet Hangout by Donogh McCarthy, Leah and Sabine

Where can I buy it?

Learn more about these amazing women

Documentaries

Dramas

This drama about Nancy Wake is now only viewable on youtube directly.

This drama is a play about Violette Szabo. It is no longer viewable in the UK, but I've left the video link here in case it is visible in your country.