Advice/Help Nazi-Occupied Britain Roleplay (Plot Help)

VargasLagola

~ daughter of a rifleman ~
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Hello fellow roleplayers of RPN!

I'm in a bit of a struggle...
I'm currently in the making of an Alternate Timeline-World War 2-Britain Has Been Occupied by Nazi Germany roleplay. I've got all of the history written down from an old documentary called Hitler's Britain where I explain the events leading up to to the German occupation and also what happens in Britain during the occupation.

The next part is where I shall explain the present Britain, (1947, three years after the end of the war in this alternate timeline), basically the life of an ordinary man in Nazi occupied Britain. (Currently being written, or sort of at least.)

Then comes the plot where I have a great idea, (if you ask me), where we'll roleplay as a sort of underground British guerrilla warfare militia where we all dress in fancy clothing (read Peaky Blinder's fashion). They often operate during night and they have like their own community in an abandoned underground railway, with a little bar, some small shops and etc. Men and women are welcome to join The Crown as they'll be called. Their main goal is to push the Germans out of Britain and so on.
I just stall each time I begin writing the plot. Like, how the fuck are a bunch of renegades suppose to push out a giant military force like Germany? Pistol go bang bang and BOOM Nazi air raid. Do you see where I'm going with this? I want to make it work, but how? It seems impossible right now and I fear I must drop this idea. If anyone has any ideas of how I could make this seem at least slightly plausible or realistic please let me know!
Also, if your mind went "Wow, this is a great idea for a roleplay. Amen, this is the shit I've been looking for. Man, if only I could Co-GM this with him." Doubt it, but if that was your reaction. Slide in to my DM's.

Thanks in advance!
 
Firstly, great idea! So many alternate WWII histories focus on America, rather than Britain which is a nice change of pace!

Now, onto business.

First things first, the invasion of Britain was most likely very costly for the Nazi war machine, not to mention how much resources would be lost even with a successful Operation Barbarosa would have been. So a good idea is that despite appearances, the Wehrmacht is starting to struggle. Dwindling fuel supplies and an economy beginning to falter have being on wartime production for too long could cause low morale and less of a focus on maintaining a garrison in Britain. Not to mention the cost of shipping supplies and troops across the English Channel. It could be a situation similar to the American Revolution, where the costs of quelling a rebellion and maintaining the peace become more costly than it's worth, and all troops pull out.

Just a suggestion though!
 
Thank you!
Wow, you really sparked some ideas and inspiration for me! Can't thank you enough!
 
Generally speaking, Nazi Germany was a mess and was running on borrowed time. All the resistance force would have to really do is last and it would collapse on itself, but I know that doesn't make for an interesting roleplay. Don't worry too much on the gritty details because roleplays like this, where Nazi Germany somehow managed to do sea lion [which wasn't possible no matter what Hearts of Iron IV may lead some to believe], already require a certain level of suspension of belief.

As for how they 'push them out', they don't have to do it alone. You can focus a lot of the roleplay on making the lives of the Nazi occupiers hard, sabotaging local factories, attacking patrols, and what not and so pull vital resources away from the Eastern Front [And Africa because Nazi Germany would still have to fight the French and English colonies and Commonwealth forces there {Realistically, they shouldn't fight in Africa at all because that was an incredibly horrid idea and, funny enough, wasn't the plan of Nazi Germany but a certain over zealous general forced the issue}].

In this alternate timeline, the USA could have either ramped up aid or even joined the war early after the Fall of Britain [I know you are hesitant to use the USA, but they don't have to have an 'active' role and more an 'end game objective'] so the 'big push', the grand end of the roleplay isn't the spunky group of rebels overthrowing the Nazi regime but rather them acting akin to the French Resistance and striking at Nazi defenses in a coordinated Allied invasion to reclaim Britain [British exiles, Canadians, Americans, Indians, Aussies, etc].
 
I don't really have anything to add that hasn't already been said, but if this RP gets going then I'm so joining. It's rare to find RP's here that I'm actually interested in.
 
Totally lean into the idea that the occupation of Britain is, at it's core -- (as mentioned above) a "bulldog front" that's actually spread really thin and easier to disrupt than would readily appear. I can think of some missions that would be cool for the resistance --

You say pistol pew pew then German Air raid BOOM BOOM?

1) One of the resistances first hard objectives is neutralizing the main airstrip/assets being housed in Britain. This is accomplished by secretly seizing the AA guns at the end of the main Nazi airfield runway and then confederate resistance fighters launch a "pew pew" operation that scrambles the all the nazi planes, only to have them cut to pieces as they try to reach the end of the runway.

2) Nazi submarines are using the naval bases of Britain to resupply and continue to spread havoc in the Atlantic. The resistance mission? To infiltrate the largest Nazi food supply cannery and quietly spill a massive patch of LAXATIVES into the Submarine Rations... so that the next wolfhunts will have to be managed with Severe diarrhea on board. A fate worthy of the huns, jailed underwater in their own waste.

3) Those are just a couple of ideas, but I think sabotaging german Tiger and King-Tiger tanks could also be a cool mission (they were masterfully built vehicles but not assembly-line produced like allied tanks, so sabotage of a great vehicle might require a special part to be ordered or uniquely machined to restore a tank to functioning. Then tricking the Nazis into fielding their sabotaged vehicles and wiping them out with the lighter assets of the resistance.

4) Convoy ambushes in the countryside made possible with the aid of airdropped light AT guns or simply Nazi guns stolen or British guns hidden after the fall. The germans might have supreme might, but they are strangers in a strange land, and should NEVER have the benefit of surprise.

5) A giant prisonbreak would be a cool mission/objective -- releasing new fighters and influencial orators for the resistance.

6) The british resistance spreads rumors of an ancient treasure dating back to arthurian times hidden under a great church under a city or in a remote location. Several VIPs and their elite goons go out to secure it -- but it's really a trap set by the resistance, either to eliminate these VIPs in a straight fight, or more gruesomely -- seal them in the catacombs or crypts under the aformentioned Church and leaving them to rot.

I could go on and on.

point is, this RP is very much viable and inviting when you "do the math" and realize how spread thin the Axis would need to be and with continued pressure on the eastern front (which in your timeline could be going all sorts of bad) there could be a vacuum of resources to keep the Nazi warmachine on it's feet... the perfect scenario for a bunch of plucky resistance fighters to cause the Axis to stumble again and again. :D
 
Totally lean into the idea that the occupation of Britain is, at it's core -- (as mentioned above) a "bulldog front" that's actually spread really thin and easier to disrupt than would readily appear. I can think of some missions that would be cool for the resistance --

You say pistol pew pew then German Air raid BOOM BOOM?

1) One of the resistances first hard objectives is neutralizing the main airstrip/assets being housed in Britain. This is accomplished by secretly seizing the AA guns at the end of the main Nazi airfield runway and then confederate resistance fighters launch a "pew pew" operation that scrambles the all the nazi planes, only to have them cut to pieces as they try to reach the end of the runway.

2) Nazi submarines are using the naval bases of Britain to resupply and continue to spread havoc in the Atlantic. The resistance mission? To infiltrate the largest Nazi food supply cannery and quietly spill a massive patch of LAXATIVES into the Submarine Rations... so that the next wolfhunts will have to be managed with Severe diarrhea on board. A fate worthy of the huns, jailed underwater in their own waste.

3) Those are just a couple of ideas, but I think sabotaging german Tiger and King-Tiger tanks could also be a cool mission (they were masterfully built vehicles but not assembly-line produced like allied tanks, so sabotage of a great vehicle might require a special part to be ordered or uniquely machined to restore a tank to functioning. Then tricking the Nazis into fielding their sabotaged vehicles and wiping them out with the lighter assets of the resistance.

4) Convoy ambushes in the countryside made possible with the aid of airdropped light AT guns or simply Nazi guns stolen or British guns hidden after the fall. The germans might have supreme might, but they are strangers in a strange land, and should NEVER have the benefit of surprise.

5) A giant prisonbreak would be a cool mission/objective -- releasing new fighters and influencial orators for the resistance.

6) The british resistance spreads rumors of an ancient treasure dating back to arthurian times hidden under a great church under a city or in a remote location. Several VIPs and their elite goons go out to secure it -- but it's really a trap set by the resistance, either to eliminate these VIPs in a straight fight, or more gruesomely -- seal them in the catacombs or crypts under the aformentioned Church and leaving them to rot.

I could go on and on.

point is, this RP is very much viable and inviting when you "do the math" and realize how spread thin the Axis would need to be and with continued pressure on the eastern front (which in your timeline could be going all sorts of bad) there could be a vacuum of resources to keep the Nazi warmachine on it's feet... the perfect scenario for a bunch of plucky resistance fighters to cause the Axis to stumble again and again. :D
What I love about a lot of these ideas is that it exploits two of the Nazi regime's greatest flaws: it's lack of resources and it's tendency to overestimate itself.

Another idea could be that some missions aren't necessary violent. Resistance takes many forms, after all. Maybe one has the characters help set up a pirate radio station for those still in possession of radios (radios were illegal to own in Nazi occupied Europe unless you were a Nazi,) or they could even hijack a radio tower to play God Save the Queen instead of the usual propaganda
 
What I love about a lot of these ideas is that it exploits two of the Nazi regime's greatest flaws: it's lack of resources and it's tendency to overestimate itself.

Another idea could be that some missions aren't necessary violent. Resistance takes many forms, after all. Maybe one has the characters help set up a pirate radio station for those still in possession of radios (radios were illegal to own in Nazi occupied Europe unless you were a Nazi,) or they could even hijack a radio tower to play God Save the Queen instead of the usual propaganda
Oh man, this is already giving me character ideas if this RP actually becomes a thing.
 
Beckoncall Beckoncall Well thank you very much! I'm drowning in ideas now!!

I'll let all of you who showed interest known when the roleplay is open! =)
 
Shocker, I've run into a problem once again...
So, I can't decide if this should take place during the actual war as Hitler's struggling on the Eastern front. Or if Hitler actually won war in the Soviet.
I'm thinking they win the war and so on, they manage to develop nuclear weapons, America say it has a similar weapon and calls for an end to the war before the entire world crumbles to pieces. Like a "cold war" situation, I'm leaning more towards this. But then I'm back at square one, Hitler has occupied fucking Europe and now there's really no way for us to push them out. Ah, I'm so frustrated. I really want to make this work, but I just end up in these thought-loops and start all over.
 
Shocker, I've run into a problem once again...
So, I can't decide if this should take place during the actual war as Hitler's struggling on the Eastern front. Or if Hitler actually won war in the Soviet.
I'm thinking they win the war and so on, they manage to develop nuclear weapons, America say it has a similar weapon and calls for an end to the war before the entire world crumbles to pieces. Like a "cold war" situation, I'm leaning more towards this. But then I'm back at square one, Hitler has occupied fucking Europe and now there's really no way for us to push them out. Ah, I'm so frustrated. I really want to make this work, but I just end up in these thought-loops and start all over.
I will say that it's very unlikely Nazi Germany was able to defeat the Soviet Union completely. Even if they were able to capture the vital oil fields and hold them, which was the main reason they invaded Russia, once the Red Army recovered from Stalin's purges, it would be extremely difficult for Germany to mount an effective offensive. A likely solution is that Germany was able to get the oil fields, and using its atomic weapons was able to ward off any immediate counter attacks under threat of nuclear attack. But with the Wermacht slowly starting to falter, alongside Hitler most likely being in extremely poor health, Nazi Germany is extremely vulnerable.
 
Yeah, I know... I think it will be easier and more realistic to have the war on the Eastern front going during the roleplay. It just opens up too many opportunities. Thank you!
 
Some more titbits about running a resistance group:

1. Stay separated. Most of the Resistance cells in Nazi occupied Europe were highly autonomous, with little to no communication between them. While this limited their ability to wage a full scale war, it meant that if one cell was compromised, there was no way for other nearby cells to be compromised as well.

2. Resist in everything you do. Resistance isn't just shooting soldiers or blowing up fuel depots. Forced to give up food to troops? Give them food poisoning. Working on a truck? Forget to check the fuel line. Working in a factory? Work slow enough so that you're slowing things down but fast enough to not draw undue attention. On a delivery run? Take your time. Any little thing helps.

3. People with skills are extremely valuable. Electricians, plumbers, mechanics, they're the people you want Oh your side, and seeing as they're also blue collar, tend to already be against the establishment you're fighting against.

4. Trust no one. Most resistance groups are demolished due to betrayal. Sometimes people just can't take it anymore, whether it be from a need for money to support their family, fear, or even guilt. Never give any one person too much information
 
Repeatedly you mention how you are concerned that you are placing your rebellion in a David vs. Goliath scenario, which you are. However, as in the biblical account, David overcomes Goliath with a well-placed stone to the forehead. Granted, David had the Lord on his side, but that is nonrestrictive to the application of the story. In every story where there is a group of rebels, they are unequivocally the underdog. They would more than likely get steamrolled in an outright confrontation with their tyrants. However, the simple fact that an established and powerful organization is present does not mean that a revolution will be inherently unsuccessful. See the American Revolution, the Germanic Revolt against Varus' legions, the French Revolution, the Galactic Civil War, etc. There are plenty of underdog stories - fiction and nonfiction - up the same alley as the world you propose. Do not let that be a barrier. Take up arms in the face of uncertainty and march forth.

how the fuck are a bunch of renegades suppose to push out a giant military force like Germany?
To reply to this directly, I have the following: subterfuge, asymmetric warfare, political intrigue, and hope! Nothing screams revolution like a group of freedom fighters hopping out from the back of a truck and blowing up a munitions depot, then driving away before the nearest garrison can intervene. I suggest you read up on asymmetric warfare and the associated strategies and tactics. If you plan on having your rebellion as a small independent London cell of agitators, consider ways you could boost recruitment. Obviously, with 5-10 people in a cell, it is unlikely to occupy a radio station. It is even more unlikely that they can broadcast pro-British propaganda for a meaningful amount of time before they are all killed or arrested then executed. Instead, start with vandalism and print. Have the revolutionaries take paint and paint the Union Jack on the walls of factories, mills, presses, and warehouses or, even simpler, "Down with Hitler!"

Any successful revolution needs public outrage, and you have to get the people fired up. Like the communists in the early twentieth century that helped Hitler's and the fascists rise to power, hold rallies. These were often done in secret with working-class individuals in backrooms or empty warehouses to spur the thought of a communist society and the erasure of the bourgeoise. In Britain, these rallies were not necessarily illegal but were dangerous to national security and broken up by local authorities. The only difference between the democratic rallies and the communist rallies is that the stakes are now higher.

Head to towns with large veteran populations. Almost every man served in the Great War nearly 30 years earlier. With these men and their families, there would be high levels of British patriotism. These groups will be the first to help bolster the ranks of the revolution, passionate to restore Britannia to the rightful rulers of the land. The next step would be to target the working class. Britain's aristocracy would have been forewarned of the German invasion and the opportunity to align themselves with "the right side of history" before any Nazi boots marched on the Isles. The little guys are always forgotten and dejected. Stir the notion of revolution in the factory workers and farmers, and you will have hundreds of work-hardened souls at your side. Amplify the unjust treatment of the working class and the totalitarian rule of the Nazis to invoke a more profound sense of hatred and want for liberty.

The next step is to find those in the aristocracy who are displeased with the Nazi rule. As previously mentioned, their money bound some of them to buy their way to sanctuary upon Hitler's arrival in Britain. They maintain their wealth through their silence, but as the saying goes, wealth whispers. Finding monied elites to help inject funds into the revolution or supply assets in the form of factories, vehicles, connections, etc., will prove most useful to any revolution. Additionally, suppose the revolution finds a soul brave enough to entertain sedition in his social circles. In that case, the idea will diffuse among the aristocracy. You will discover more allies, more resources, and more numbers to strengthen your might.

After you have united the poor and the rich, the revolutionary needs to find friends. Even if every man, woman, child, and dog in Britain joined in a revolution against the Nazis, they could still be overwhelmed by the Nazi resources and professionally trained soldiers. Seek special advisers from the United States to help prepare your soldiers. If the United States does get involved at this point, they are more than likely to be very willing to supply some special advisers and airdrop supplies. Establish connections with the French Resistance and learn about their tactics and strategies to undermine the Vichy government. Through your trials, you will gain experience. Your soldiers that American generals once trained will train the next generations of British revolutionaries. Send emissaries to Greece, Italy, the Soviet Union, Japan, etc., and find like-minded individuals. Grow the revolution internationally and empower your people to cripple the fascist rule domestically and abroad.

You seemingly have all the recipes of revolution - your casus belli, soldiers, funding, organization, friends, and scope. From here, it is time to take action. You scoff at the "sedition" of your early rebellion. Painting the walls with the Union Jack is nothing short of child's play at this point. Now you are lining bundles of dynamite along trainyards, running pirate crews along the coast to apprehend German provisions, and targeting critical points in the British infrastructure. While the enemy is weak and debilitated, you strike. Ambushes in the hills of Scotland, assassinations in the streets of London, bombing garrisons. The dog barks and bites.

You will slowly see the marble columns of the Krolloper crumble as you have picked at them from the faraway shores of England.

I think it will be easier and more realistic to have the war on the Eastern front going during the roleplay.
I wholeheartedly agree that this will improve your story. The Eastern Front adds complexity that opens an infinite number of doors. The tragic story of invading Russia has been repeatedly retold with slight tweaks in each telling. A dissenting Nazi officer in the know about troop movements heard that a sizable garrison in Birmingham is being moved to Southampton or London to board a ferry back to mainland Europe. This knowledge allows you to make a move on Birmingham or perhaps intercept the transports and rig a series of explosives along the roadway. Maybe a contact from the Soviet Union has spies in Berlin that note an arms shipment arriving at Immingham port in two weeks. Luckily, you know the foreman and the level of security at Immingham. You have just secured 150 Karabiner 98ks, 200 MP 40s, 15 MG 34s, dozens of hand grenades and mines, and thousands of rounds of ammunition. Maybe there is a particularly sadistic Nazi officer in Norwich whom even his subordinates hate that has a collection of skeletons in his closet. Suddenly, a dossier decorated with the hammer and sickle arrives at your front door detailing these lewd excursions. With a little bit of encouragement, the information allows you to blackmail the officer and use him as a puppet to learn more about operations in East Anglia to your advantage.

The best part about revolution and storytelling is the creative license you get with both.

There is a lot of potential for the idea, I say you move forward with it.
 
Sounds great bud! Don’t know a lot about WWII, but I’d love to be a part of this
 
From GM experience, don’t take me as an expert on this kind of thing, but it seems like this problem from my perspective can be solved in two ways; a third-party addition to the story or an against all odds type situations where it’s one screw up and you’re done.

As for the first one, I’m not going to act like I read all the messages on this forum, but from skimming through I can tell that most responses have something to do with this idea. This idea is really not constricted to another world super power like America, but could be taken a rather large multitude of ways. One of the opportunities for this would to have the war still half going, I remember something about the eastern front and something else about Russia which leaves a multitude of different situation for the characters and plot. It would be a lot easier to take down a massive world super power if they were fighting a battle on the outside and inside. Who said the war had to keep going though? Even though the war has been fought, doesn’t mean it’s “over”. Actually this opens up a lot more possibilities on the rebellion side of things, maybe the rebellion isn’t just a small thing, but maybe a larger phenomenon only the bravest partake in. Or maybe your characters are the start to the world wide revolution. Possibly your characters don’t need to know every detail of the world outside of nazi occupied Britain, maybe internal conflicts interfere with experimental nazi weaponry made with the new found resource and extra man power of Britain that the rebellion may just need to push back the nazi powers. Obviously this one leads more into fantasy than 1 to 1 real life historical accuracy, but may have a larger impact on the people giving your story an extra layer of detail. Anyways this one leads heavily into empowering the rebellion and the characters of the story.

Now for the second option, this is more suited to a against all odds type ordeal. Remembering back to when I was skipping through the replies on this thread, I remember you talking about how you kind of wanted a David and Goliath type approach to this story, well here it is. From GM experience, in a situation like this where the characters are building a resistance, you must always start off small. As the characters slowly build up the resistance more and more, they will be able to gain more power and resources, taking on the enemy more frequently and harder than ever before. Building a sense of progression for your players is one of the main components of a good rp experience. Soon enough your characters are facing the nazi super power head on. This doesn‘t only provide opportunities for combat, progression, and plot, but character development too, which I’ve found is one if not the MOST vital part of an rp. Im not a WWII fanatic, but by abusing the exact weaknesses of the enemy, persistence, and pure will and determination would be the driving factor for the fall of the nazis. One important thing to note is that you can’t just overwhelm the world’s largest super power with just pure numbers and the just mentioned traits of what I think a rebellion would need, but the individual people are. The world is a wide place, there are all kinds of people out there and as the rebellion grows, your players should see more of this. Peoples opinions, cultures, and beliefs should clash too or else they’re just not human. There needs to be a general consensus as the driving factor behind the rebellion, which is already I’m assuming is figured out, but the characters also should agree with this. This doesn’t mean the characters should always agree though, questioning if your doing the right thing is always good in these kinds of stories. Finally, remember that the nazis are people too, not just some blank faced killing pure evil superpower, they’re just normal people with the same consensus as the rebellion in that is the way they’ve been raised and it’s what they believe in. This will most certainly add another layer of detail to your story and maybe some character development.

Well, that’s it, keep in mind this is to only help you along your tracks to making this a damn good rp, and I hope it turns out great, for you and your players.
 
Read up about how Armia Krajowa and Soviet partisan groups worked, and base your resistance on that.
You can also check up on Yugoslavia, which was entirely liberated by partisan uprisings without help from the Red Army.
 
Dude that sounds awesome. I would totally join that rp and I like how it doesn't just focus on America like every piece of WW2 fiction. Would Churchill lead it? Or queen Elizabeth? Also what is the goal here, driving Nazi's away from Britain or collapsing the whole regime Man in the High Castle style? Would the Crown be in London or everywhere? I don't know much about England being American and all but I do find the place really interesting and would like to see different parts of England in the rp like the North or South and maybe even up to Scotland? Or the Nazi's could attempt to get Ireland.
 
i'd be down to join this rp. i know that there would undoubtedly be a jewish resistance movement, because.... we fight back. of course, we do have to remember that most nazis arent evil excuses for human being, they are simply the uneducated who fell to propaganda. they are not inocents, merely fools.... but yes, we can still kill them cause its my right.


i lost family in the hashoah, so this subject must be one that is handled with utmost care. no glorifying nazis.
 
i'd be down to join this rp. i know that there would undoubtedly be a jewish resistance movement, because.... we fight back. of course, we do have to remember that most nazis arent evil excuses for human being, they are simply the uneducated who fell to propaganda. they are not inocents, merely fools.... but yes, we can still kill them cause its my right.


i lost family in the hashoah, so this subject must be one that is handled with utmost care. no glorifying nazis.
I get what you're saying, but I doubt most RPers have any interest in glorifying Nazis anyway. Whenever the subject comes up a lot of players become wary, and understandably so, but I do believe the topic is possible to explore in a mature and realistic way that doesn't downplay the atrocities or glorify the perpetrators. I have personally done many RP's taking place in the era and I haven't run into too many problems over the course of my RP career.
 

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