MASHED: Life in the 8099th
An Actual Play
February 2017
Soldiers
Michael - CO
Cam - Major James Lampert, Chief Surgeon [Cutter] / [Misanthrope]
Cam - Major James Lampert, Chief Surgeon [Cutter] / [Misanthrope]
Craig- Major Archie Crow, Executive Officer [Doc] / [The Sky Pilot]
David - Corporal Clarence Wayne, Quartermaster Section [Corpsmen] / [The Operator]
Cpl. Wayne [The Anticipator: 8; +1 Hold)
April 22, 1951
As we see the 99th for the first time, the makeshift city of drab brown canvas tents is alive with activity. Coming off a recent Bug Out, enlisted men rush around in organized chaos to get the unit's core amenities operational.
Corporal Clarence Wayne, PV2. Fields and PVT. Norwood are knee deep in getting the shower tent erected for the enlisted when the thrumming sound of the inbound Bell H-13 helicopters calls out. The corporal knows if he doesn't report to surgery before Major Lampert there will be hell to pay. As Wayne begins to leave, his fellow soldiers don't let him off the hook for leaving them with the "grunt work". The corporal returns the japes [Pierce: 6] but the quip fails to hit its mark. Fields and Norwood have a good laugh at Wayne's expense [gained Condition: "Self-Important"].
Major James Lampert sits alone in his quarters, swirling a tumbler of whiskey. The bunk is small but serviceable. It hasn't felt quite so cramped since the Major chased 1LT Boyer out to another tent. The telltale sound of incoming choppers breaks the Major from his aimless stare. He's had no more than a few of hours to himself in the past two days due to constant flow of wounded [+1 Stress; Taking Stress: 7]. He puts the glass down. His hand shakes [gained Condition: "Hand Tremor"]. He shakes away the tremor and strides off the the O.R.
Major Archie Crow stands at the foot of a patient bed in the holding ward. He reviews the chart of one PVT Liang Kuiyuan, an enemy combatant who had been treated by the doctors of the 99th and who now awaits transfer. The P.V.A. Private is recovering from surgery in addition to suffering from dysentery. Maj. Ellen Kellogg, Chief Nurse, reports to Maj. Crow that the man has been combative and is refusing the prescribed treatment for his condition; refusing fluids and ripping out an I.V.s that her nursing staff attempt to administer.
Maj. Crow recommends the private be prescribed sedatives to ensure he receives the necessary care before being transferred [Prescribe (General): 7] . The orderly administers the drugs as per the Major's instruction. In addition to their intended result of subduing the man, the solider had an atypical reaction to the drugs and begins vomiting [gained Condition: "Nausea'"]. A whirling sound of incoming choppers snaps the Major to attention.
As the injured arrived, Maj. Crow assumes his position in receiving, preparing the room for triage. Stretchers line the tent walls. The Major goes to work processing the most dire injuries first; a South Korean soldier 1LT Hwang Dak Ho with upper body injuries [Diagnose (Triage): 9; Trauma Clocks revealed: Countdown 3/6 | Chest 4/6 | R Shoulder 3/6]. Upon examination of the soldier's wounds, Maj. Crow found a punctured lung and the damage to his right arm to be more severe than expected [+1 to each Trauma Clock]. The solider was rushed to surgery and into the waiting hands of the Chief Surgeon on duty.
Major Lampert is scrubbed in and awaiting his first patient. The soldier is wheeled into position as 1LT Jane Moss reads the chart to the Major. The surgeon wastes no time in tackling the primary concern, the chest wound [Treat (Surgery): 9; -1 Chest 3/6 | +1 Countdown 4/6]. Cpl. Wayne hurries to keep up with the eager surgeon; providing suction to the chest cavity [Assist (Surgery): 9; +1 Hold]. The Major continues his struggle to stabilize the wound before it is too late [Treat (Surgery): 14; -1 Chest 2/6 -stabilized-]. Nurse Moss admires the skillful surgeon's grace under pressure as he stabilizes the soldier's most dire wounds. Though his arm remains a shattered mess.
Back in receiving, Maj. Crow continues to prioritize patients. The young Korean child next [Diagnose (Triage): 12; +1 Hold, Trauma Clocks revealed: Countdown 2/4, Abdomen: 4/6, L Arm 3/6]. As the goes boy back to surgery, the doctor moved on to the next patient, the fading Korean man [Diagnose (Triage): 7; Trauma Clocks revealed: Countdown: 3/6, Abdomen: 4/6, L Foot 3/6]. By this time, the man is panicked and going into shock. The shrapnel to his midsection has shredded his gut and his panic is only expediting the hemorrhaging [+2 to Countdown Clock, 5/6]. The doctor attempts to calm the scared man through broken Korean [Push Your Luck: 6]; the man attempts to fight his way off the stretcher as he bleeds all over himself. The Major grabs the dying man and attempts to restrain him [Clobber: 8; -1 Forward] while yelling for a translator.
O.R. Status Report
Table 1: R.O.K. 1LT Hwang Dak Ho [Countdown: 4/6, Chest 2/6 -stabilized-, R Shoulder 4/6]
Table 2: Civilian child Kim Hye Su [Countdown 2/4, Abdomen: 4/6, L Arm 3/6]
Table 3: Empty
Table 4: Empty
Faced with a second patient and a ticking clock, Major Lampert makes a grim decision on behalf of the young soldier. He gives Cpl. Wayne the order to assist the nurses preparing the child while he amputates the man's right arm at the shoulder. It is grizzly but quick.
The corpsman moves about the surgical nurses preparing the field for the arrival of the Major [Press Your Luck: 11]. He deftly moves about the space and has the overhead lamp at just the angle the Major prefers as he arrives at the side of the patient [Assist (Surgery): 8; +1 Hold]. Maj. Lampert looks at the frail child and knows he has little room for error [Treat (Surgery): 10; -1 Abdomen 3/6]. Without pausing the surgeon continues to work to stem the bleeding [Treat (Surgery): 11; -1 Abdomen 2/6 -stabilized-]. For the child, the worst of it is over. For the staff, there is little rest.
Back in triage, the young translator struggles to play intermediary between the doctor and his patient who will die if not treated in short order. The man, Chun Chul, struggles until the severity of his injuries overtake him and he passes out. The Major orders him to surgery.
He turns his attention to the last patient in receiving, a Korean woman with a mangled hand and burns across her chest [Diagnose (Triage): 10; Trauma Clocks revealed: Countdown: 5/6, Chest: 3/6, L Hand 4/6]. The woman is in shock. As she is wheeled back to surgery, the doctor lingers on the injury to the woman's hand [Eyeball: 11, +2 Hold]. From the curious way the structure of her hand was peeled back, he could only deduce that the woman had been very close to the explosive; possibly even holding the the device [1 Hold spent].
O.R. Status Report
Table 1: Empty
Table 2: Civilian child Kim Hye Su [Countdown 2/4, Abdomen 2/6 -stabilized-, L Arm 3/6]
Table 3: Civilian man Chun Chuk [Countdown 4/6, Abdomen 4/6, L Foot 3/6]
Table 4: Civilian woman Jeup Mi Young [Countdown 5/6, Chest 3/6, L Hand 5/6]
As the tables fill all around surgical team, Lampert moves decisively between patients. The corporal not a step behind. Having stabilized the worst of the child, they direct their efforts to the woman in shock [Assist (Surgery): 8; +1 Hold] + [Treat (Surgery): 9; -1 Chest 2/6 -stabilized-] but her mangled hand remains untreated [+1 Trauma Clock; L Hand 5/6].
The duo quickly move to the pallid man. Lampert begins removing the shards from his stomach [Treat (Surgery): 7; -1 Abdomen 3/6]. The bits of metal are everywhere, the Major finds more under ever flap of hamburger flesh [+1 Countdown Clock 5/6]. Surrounded by patients, the Major makes the decision to stay on task to attempt to save this man's life in time [Treat (Surgery): 7; -1 Abdomen 2/6 -stabilized-]. The man's vitals level out but Nurse Thompson informs the doctor that the window to save the woman's hand has now closed [+1 Trauma Clock; L Hand 6/6]. Lampert gives the direction to get her to post-op.
With all major injuries stabilized, Lampert goes back to the child in an effort to salvage his tiny arm. Cpl. Wayne turns to hand the Major an instrument [Assist (Surgery): 6; Miss] and it goes clattering to the floor. He rushes to the supply cart; it is empty. Just as things look grim, he calmly steps out of the room and returns with a full supply cart [Spent 1 Hold, Anticipator]. Without even noticing the narrowly avoided disaster, Lampert moves in on the boy's arm [Treat (Surgery): 10, -1 L Arm 2/6 -stabilized-]. He nods with a smug satisfaction and moves on.
Turning back to the man, the surgeon focuses on saving his foot [Treat (Surgery): 7; -1 Foot 2/6 -stabilized-]. Suddenly, a suture ruptures in the man's midsection [+1 Trauma Clock; Abdomen 3/6] and he begins bleeding out. Cpl. Wayne fumbles to apply pressure to the opening [Assist (Surgery): 5; Miss] but only gets in the way. Maj. Lampert shoulders the corpsman out of the way to treat the hemorrhage [Treat (Surgery): 8; -1 Abdomen 2/6 -stabilized-].
As the Major is closing up the abdominal cavity for the last time, Wayne realizes that his counts are off. He's missing a sponge [Assist miss Hard Move]. He looks to man on the table. The missing sponge must still be in his abdominal cavity. Not wanting to embarrass himself further me moves to retrieve the sponge without the doctor knowing [Press Your Luck: 8]. He manages to distract Lampert long enough to pull the bloody sponge out without the Major noticing. But his sly actions did not go entirely unnoticed.
With the last patient out and the crew flipping the room, 1LT Beatrice Thompson corners the corporal. With a rye smile she presses him, "I saw what you did. And if you expect the Major not to find out, you'll be doing me a favor. The Girls are putting on a little celebration for May Day. You'll be pulling the strings to provide the 'party favors'." Without rank or leverage, Corporal Wayne obliges the persuasive lady.
Back in holding, Major Crow is approached by Major Kellogg. "Major," she says as she leads him down to the end of the row of beds, "I have a sensitive matter that you must be made aware of." They stop at a bed with a thin white privacy curtain drawn around. A low muttering can be heard on the other side of the screen. As the Major permits himself behind the curtain he finds the MASH chaplain Captain Paul McCoy sitting at the foot of the bed, delivering the last rites to a diseased U.S. soldier.
Maj. Kellogg hands the patient's chart over to Crow. Corporal Walter O'Reilly. From the looks of it he had sustained what the boys called a 'million dollar wound'. He had been awaiting transfer back to Japan and then discharge from there. By all accounts, he'd been recovering nicely. And now he was dead.
Kellogg waits for Crow's eyes to stop scanning the chart. "Morphine overdose, sir."
--To be continued--
Actual Play by Michael Siebold
MASHED a roleplaying game by Mark Plemmons. © 2017 Brabblemark Press
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