Authors and Editors: Mike Montesa, Shane Lacy Hensley, Simon Lucas, Piotr Korys, Clint Black, Matthew Cutter, Dave McGuire, Butch Curry, Joel Kinstle, and Paul “Wiggy” Wade-Williams

Original concept and material by: Shane Hensley and John R. Hopler, with additional material by Peter Schweighofer, David, John, and Edward Niecikowski, and Mike Montesa

Interior art by: Chris Appel, LuisNCT, Richard Clark, Michael Colasante, Greg Lambrakis, Marcio Fiorito, Jordan Peacock, Richard Pollard, Kevin Sharpe, and Simon Lucas; Cover art by: Daniel Rudnicki; Cover design by: Joel Kinstle; Photos by: The Department of Defense and the National Archives

Critter concepts by: Clint Black, Andrew Hind, John Hopler, Rob Lusk, Mike Montesa, Andrew Morris, Jess Ray, Dirk Ringersma, David Ross, Joseph A. Unger, and Paul “Wiggy” Wade-Williams

Playtesters: “The Unknown Soldiers”—Tony Dolan, Cameron Eeles, Peter Melville, Selby Thorpe, and Stan Ward; Peter “Leitchy” Leitch’s “Savage All-Americans”—Rob Aked, Clem Colman, Bruce Hargrave, Chris Maxfield, and Mark Somers; Piotr Korys’ “Red Heroes”—Piotr Braciak, Michal Kuzniacki, and Maciej Ziebicki; Markus Finster’s “Vienna Resistance”—Stephan Becker, Erika Lexen, Josef Teufer, Michaela Trimmel; David McGuire’s “Force 10”—Richard Downs, Scott Morris, Chris Noellert, Debra Noellert; Shane Mclean’s “Squaddies”—Pete Scarrott, Tim Lewcock; “Stalin’s Fist”—Jason Nichols, Matthew Klausmeier, Christian Clough, Alex Seavey, Keaton VanAuken, and Simon Lucas; “Twin Terrors”—Caden and Ronan Hensley.

Mike’s Dedication: This book is dedicated to the Greatest Generation, to the soldiers, sailors, and airmen of the Allied nations that fought in World War Two, and to my father, who saw it all and made it through.

Shane’s Dedication: To the fantastic artists who paint the worlds between our words, and to DC Comics’ classic war tales—G.I. Combat, Sgt. Rock, the Haunted Tank, the Unknown Soldier, the War That Time Forgot, and most importantly Weird War Tales. If you haven’t read these and you’re looking at this book, we highly recommend finding back issues or trade paperbacks at your local comics store.

Weird Wars, Weird War Two, Savage Worlds, Deadlands, “Plot Point Campaigns,” all related characters and creatures, and all related marks and logos are copyrights of Pinnacle Entertainment Group. All Rights Reserved.

Produced in association with Studio 2 Publishing, Inc. The Studio2 logo is a trademark of Studio2 Publishing. All Rights Reserved.

Sam

ple

file

Sam

ple

file

Welcome to the War!.......................................5Editor’s Note ...................................................5

Chapter One: Characters .......................6Unit Organization ...........................................6Command .........................................................6Extras ................................................................6Squad Composition ........................................6Your Character ................................................6Playing the Axis ...............................................7Service Branches and MOS Packages .......... 8Women and Minorities ...................................8Basic Training ..................................................8Army & Marine MOS Packages ....................8Why No Skill Minimums? ..............................9Navy MOS Packages.....................................10Air Corps MOS Packages ............................11Civilian Packages ...........................................12Basic Equipment ...........................................13Weapon Issue .................................................14Demolitions ...................................................16Skills ................................................................16Language Barriers .........................................16Murphy’s Laws of Combat ..........................18Hindrances .....................................................18

Edges ...............................................................19Background Edges ........................................19Combat Edges ...............................................20Leadership Edges ..........................................21Professional Edges ........................................22Social Edges ...................................................23Weird Edges ...................................................23

Chapter Two: Setting Rules ................. 26Awards and Medals .......................................26Medal Modifiers ............................................26Promotion ......................................................26Promotion Modifiers ....................................26Movement ......................................................28Supplies ...........................................................28Buildings & Fortifications ............................29Battlefield Hazards ........................................30Fire Support ...................................................31Artillery ...........................................................31Close Air Support (CAS) .............................32Disease ............................................................33Parachuting .....................................................33Piloting ............................................................34Dogfights ........................................................35Naval Operations ..........................................37

Chapter Three: Allied Powers .............. 40Common Ordnance Tables .........................41The United States ..........................................42US Vehicles ....................................................44American Aircraft .........................................46American Ships ..............................................49The United Kingdom ...................................54British Naval Units ........................................55UK Vehicles ...................................................56British Aircraft ...............................................57British Ships ...................................................59The Soviet Union ..........................................62The NKVD ....................................................63Russian Vehicles ............................................64Russian Aircraft .............................................65Russian Names ..............................................68

Chapter Four: History ......................... 70The Origins of World War Two .................70

Index .................................................... 83

Character Sheet .................................... 85

Contents

site LiCenseThis electronic document was created by Pinnacle Entertainment Group. It is

not for redistribution or resale.The publishers realize that most players don’t need to purchase the printed

version of this book as much of the material within is intended for the Game Master only. This document has been created to assist the Game Master in preserving his book and sharing information with those who will play in her campaign.

Pinnacle Entertainment Group hereby grants the Game Master a “site license” to print this document for each player in her personal game. No electronic transfer of this document is intended or implied. We thank you for your support, and hope that this license helps you preserve your book and better enjoy your game!

Sam

ple

file

4

Tobruk, Libya, June 1941–The early morning was the only pleasant time in the desert; the only time when it was cool and the air wasn’t choked with clouds of dust and biting flies. The tank crews pulled their maintenance checks, swabbing out the barrels of their Crusader’s guns, topping off the petrol tanks, and making sure all was ready for the coming fight.

As the sun rose, so too did the dust on the horizon. Rommel’s Afrika Korps was coming! The 7th Armored stood ready to hold them here, at some nameless spot of sand in the Libyan desert. The regimental commander lowered his binoculars and ordered his crew to make ready. The 7th advanced into battle. Then the Germans opened fire, the range extreme—they were using their powerful 88mm guns. Within thirty seconds six tanks were smashed. The British tanks accelerated to close the distance. Out of the dust the enemy line became visible. But where were all the German tanks? There were only two. And they were not panzers looming up out of the dust. They had arms and legs and rock-hard skin—and were the size of small buildings…

Stalingrad, October 1942–The burned-out ruins of apartment and office buildings looked like scorched bones. In the rubble of this tortured city Hitler and Stalin’s armies were locked in a vicious death struggle that knew neither mercy nor pity.

The Russian defenders of the Barrikady Factory fought from behind mounds of their own dead. Their backs to the Volga, there was nowhere to run—death or victory was the only release. Elite German Pioneer units were moving into position to assault the Russians and take the factory. A salvo of artillery stirred the rubble near the Russian positions, announcing the start of the assault. Russian machineguns chattered in reply, scything down the charging German troops. But to the horror of the Red Army troops, the “dead” Germans got back up! The fascists kept coming even with their limbs shot off and

Near the Vistula, Poland, September 1939–The last message from headquarters wasn’t good. The Germans had steamrollered the Polish infantry and were charging for the bridges on the Vistula. The young cavalry lieutenant at the head of his squadron knew there was no escape—the Russians were approaching from the east as well. His horse seemed in high spirits though, and if they could just get into a good position from which to attack they just might have a surprise for the Germans.

As the Polish cavalry topped the next rise, the lieutenant saw he’d gotten lucky. A German mechanized unit was pulled up for a rest in the valley below. The charge was sounded and the cavalry advanced. The Germans, caught off-guard and dismounted from their vehicles, were cut to pieces. The lieutenant was exhilarated—until the supporting panzers rolled into view. The cavalry was trapped and massacred. The lieutenant, determined to die fighting and in the saddle, spurred his horse toward the tanks, blowing the charge on his bugle. Then he noticed the spectral figures of dozens of medieval Polish knights riding alongside him…

Over the English Channel, August 1940–The Spitfires of No. 17 Squadron climbed into the sky, passing above the cliffs of Dover and out over the Channel. The pilots were exhausted, for this was the fourth sortie today. The squadron was down three planes for this fight: two stuck on the field with engine trouble and one lost to a Messerschmitt ace, one of the “Abbeville Boys,” in the morning’s engagement.

But the Luftwaffe was pressing the attack and for the pilots of the RAF there was no rest for the weary. The squadron leader ordered the formation to close up. Rising from the clouds ahead was the German bomber formation. But where were the escort fighters? Then paratroopers began to drop out of the bomb bays. Only they weren’t paratroopers. Whatever they were, they were small and fast, and there were a lot of them—headed right for No. 17 Squadron…Sa

mpl

e file

5

Fight the good Fight!Welcome to the war! Weird War Two is a dark conspiracy/horror

setting for Pinnacle’s Savage Worlds roleplaying game. In this book you’ll find everything you need to create exciting World War Two roleplaying adventures.

The scope is epic, covering every theater of the war from 1939 to 1945, from the battlefields of Western Europe and the frozen hell of the Russian Front, to the steaming jungles of Southeast Asia and the windswept atolls of the Pacific.

You’ll be able to create adventures for any environment—land, air, or sea. Weird War Two has an arsenal of tanks, planes, and ships for you to do battle with. You can play the game “straight” without any weirdness or you can dive right into the strangest stories your imagination can come up with. You’ll learn about bizarre Nazi occult rituals, secret Japanese experiments, and why monsters come alive in the carnage and mayhem of battle.

Fight hard and your hero might even become part of the super-secret Allied units set up to combat them.

Grab your gear and move out soldier! We’ve got a war to win!

editor’s noteThe book you hold in your hands is a re-envisioning of the

original Weird Wars: Weird War Two created by Pinnacle in 2000. That game had a much deeper backstory told over seven books covering each theater as well as the air war. This is not that Weird War Two. It’s similar in many ways, but not the same.

Besides being written for the system it was born to be played with, this edition follows the “less is more” route. We’ve given you just enough backstory to get things rolling. The rest of it is up to you.

Here are the essential changes for fans of the original game:• The “Office of Supernatural Investigations” is a poor title for an agency trying to deny the supernatural exists. It is now the “Office of Special Investigations.”• Haunted vehicles are a great concept, and an homage to DC Comics “Haunted Tank” stories, but don’t work very well in actual play. You’ll find a new Arcane Background called “Haunted” that fits our setting better, is more personal, and doesn’t depend on a vehicle the rest of the characters may not be invested in.• OSI Adepts make Weird Wars feel too much like “swords & sorcery,” and don’t really fit the theme. They’ve been removed. Characters might find ancient tomes that allow them to tap into magical energy, but it’s no longer a character type players can choose.• Nazi rune mages are now synonymous with blood mages. They’re meaner, nastier, and much tougher to fight.• Some of the less-serious monsters have been removed, and there’s a bit less emphasis on everything being created by the Axis. The premise of Weird Wars is that things rise spontaneously from the violence of war. The Axis has tapped that dark energy, but its terrors are still vastly outnumbered by those fiends that rise of their own accord.

-Shane Hensley March 2009

their bodies mangled; nothing could stop them. Seconds later, the Germans were among the Russians and those who weren’t torn apart fled for their lives.

Inside the factory, a runner staggered into the command post to report, his face a mask of terror. “The Germans have raised the dead against us!” Outside on the lines, the piles of bodies—friends and foes—began to stir…

New Guinea, March 1943–Under the starlit skies of the South Pacific, one could be forgiven for thinking the world was at peace. But as the column of Japanese ships steamed into “the Slot” heading for Guadalcanal and the American PT boats began their attack, all thoughts were turned toward surviving the next five minutes. The PT boats charged home first, launching torpedoes at the Japanese transports. Return fire from the destroyers found its mark and several of the smaller craft were blown to splinters. Hours later the crew from PT-43 crawled ashore on a nameless island. The ragged survivors were glad to meet the natives who seemed to melt out of the treeline to greet them. As the crew walked off toward the village, the shaman turned to the sea and raised his arms in tribute, his shark-toothed smile promising to appease the gods of the sea…

The Ardennes Forest, December 1944–The Germans had broken through the American lines all along the front. Groups of battle-worn GIs held their positions despite the onslaught and the bone-numbing cold. The last time the Germans attacked they used dogs, or at least that’s what Smitty said before he died from his wounds. Doc didn’t think dogs could make wounds like that—maybe it was a wolf or a bear. Sarge just rolled his eyes and told Doc not to scare everyone with crazy ideas. But for the past hour strange noises and low growls drifted in on the midnight wind. It sounded like a pack of animals out there circling the lines. The Germans were getting ready for another attack, and the noises in the darkness were getting closer and closer…

Okinawa, April 1945–Seaman 1st Class Sullivan always kept a sharp lookout at dawn. That was when the kamikazes came in. He didn’t believe it at first—why would the Japanese waste good lives and airplanes trying to crash into American ships? But when he saw the Colhoun slip beneath the waves two days ago, sunk by a kamikaze bomber, he changed his mind. The kamikaze were desperate but effective he had to admit. For them it was a war of spirit versus industry. Sullivan scanned the horizon and focused on a fog bank miles away. That was strange. He looked closer. Suddenly a huge shape loomed out of the fog and Sullivan recognized the unmistakable prow of the Yamato, Japan’s largest battleship, wreathed in a strange blue glow. The great vessel was heading straight for the American carriers at the center of the fleet. The appearance of the ship was a shock, but even more shocking was that the Yamato had been sunk by American carrier planes a week ago…

WeLCome to the War!The world is in flames–and things are lurking in the smoke and

shadows, unnameable, unspeakable things made from the stuff of nightmares and born from the fear and violence of war.

The forces of totalitarianism and fascism are on the march and it’s up to the soldiers, sailors, and airmen of the Allied nations to stop them. This means you, soldier! Your country needs you. The world needs you. This is a time when ordinary people will do extraordinary things. All you need to do is sign on the bottom line, raise your right hand, and repeat after me...

Sam

ple

file

6

squad CompositionThe exact composition of your party depends on the nature of

the game the War Master intends to run. Here are some examples:• Infantry Squad: One officer, one NCO, three or more privates. These are part of a platoon of 20 to 50, which may sometimes be placed under the officer’s command as well.• Tank Crew: One commander (officer), two or more enlisted (any one of which can be an NCO).• Long Range Desert Group: Half patrol of one officer, often two NCOs, and up to 20 other men in five vehicles.• Fighter Squadron: Each man is an officer with his own plane. If the fighter has a second seat (such as a rear-gunner), that character should usually be an Extra.• Bomber Crew: Pilot (officer), co-pilot (officer), navigator (officer), bombardier (officer or NCO), multiple gunners (enlisted men), depending on the actual aircraft.• PT Boat Crew: One or two officers and another 12 men, including some NCOs.• Ship: A ship is too large to work as a constant unit in Weird Wars, but players might start out on a ship in various roles and later find themselves forming a “squad” for specific tasks, because they were shipwrecked on a mysterious island, etc.

Your CharaCterCreating a character for Savage Worlds: Weird War Two is easy. Just

follow the steps below through the training process.

1. raCeEveryone is human (despite Nazi propaganda to the contrary).

All characters receive a free Edge during character creation.

2. nationaLitYYou may choose your nationality from any of the Allied nations.

Be sure to check out the new National Identity Edge as well.

3. Choose serviCeDecide if your hero is in the Army, Navy, Air Corps, or Marines.

Again, your War Master may require your character to be in a specific service to better fit the campaign.

4. Choose miLitarY oCCupationaL speCiaLtY (mos)

Within your service branch, decide what job your character performs (see page 8).

You’re in the armY noW!Or the Navy. Or the Air Corps. Or the Marines. Whichever

service you end up in, you are part of your country’s military forces, and dedicated to the defeat of the Axis powers. Maybe you were drafted. Maybe you volunteered. Regardless, your military service starts here.

unit organizationWeird Wars is about action, combat, and eventually things you’re

best off not knowing about just yet, but another central theme is the challenge of command. Unlike most settings where everyone is equal, here there is a definite chain of command.

At least one player needs to take the Rank Edge, though he may be an Officer or a Non-commissioned officer. For those unfamiliar with military life, officers are the leaders who tend to plan and organize, while non-commissioned officers (sergeants) handle more tactical, hands-on leadership—often by example. Everyone else is considered an “enlisted man,” or “private” in most armies.

Officers are required to have some education. Sergeants aren’t, though at the higher grades they tend to catch up. Troops tend to see their officers as either bumbling eggheads trying to get them killed, or more rarely, inspiring paragons destined for greatness.

Troops tend to see sergeants more like angry mothers with machineguns. Sergeants are the ones who yell at them, kick them, and push them forward into battle—but they’re also the first ones to rush out and grab a soldier if he’s been wounded.

CommandEven the lowest level officers and NCOs are meant to command

platoons of about 20-50 men rather than squads, but in the game, necessity should place the officer with the squad on its missions. This is a conceit of the game to some degree, but can also be seen as the officer hand-picking the squad he wants for special duties. Later on, he might stay with one specific squad because of the strange experiences they’ve shared—there’s no reason to expose others to such horrors if it can be helped. The squad might also be the officer’s “headquarters” squad assigned as his scouts, bodyguards, and staff.

extrasMost squads assume the officer and NCOs are player characters.

A few of the enlisted men are as well, and the rest are Extras. Though the officers are in command, in combat, control of the Extras should still be shared by all the players as usual.

Chapter one: CharaCters

“Wars may be fought with weapons, but they are won by men.”– General George Patton Jr.

Sam

ple

file