The storms of war are raging all round the Meditterranean. But in weary old Istanbul all is calm. For those lucky enough to be their their is good food, music, pretty women, and conversation with interesting people from all over Europe. But weary old Istanbul-formerly named Byzantium is as "byzantine" as ever members from every political,ethnic, and religious faction in the region are in the city plotting while the Great Powers exploit their petty feuds. The Turkish government is above the fray desperatly hoping to escape being caught up and their secret police, the feared Emniyet are keeping an sharp eye.
But everyone in the city likes Jacob BenJacob. An old merchant from a respected family he runs four small caiques-primative coastal vessels powered by both wind and moter-in the Aegean: the Argo, the Odysseus, the Phormio, and the Pytheas. Jacob is cunning but fair with his competitors, honest in his business dealings. He is kind to the poor and beloved by his employees who call him "Grandpa Jacob". Even the Germans like "Grandpa Jacob" despite themselves. Of course they might like him less if they knew about some of his other business arrangements...
For Jacob and his family are fervant Zionists. They run weapons, collect information, make contact with guerrila groups, rescue refugees and otherwise make the Nazi's miserable. Grandpa Jacob is one of the Hagannah's chief assets in the Eastern Meditterranean. The Emniyet know something about his activities-but then they know almost everything. Of course they generally tolerate him for he feeds them good intelligence. The Germans are not so good-natured of course. But whenever they have almost penetrated him their agent unaccountably disappears.
The players can be SOE or OSS liason officers or they can be from the Hagannah or from Jacob's own semiindepedant organization. The campaign would involve a series of adventures all round the area .
Emphasis should be placed on the contrast between the luxury of Istanbul and the hardships of waging a covert war from a primative, leaky, vermin infested little boat.
This is based on a real series of operations conducted by the SOE and the OSS between 1941 and 1943 in the Aegean. Grandpa Jacob unfortunatly is a fictional person.
But everyone in the city likes Jacob BenJacob. An old merchant from a respected family he runs four small caiques-primative coastal vessels powered by both wind and moter-in the Aegean: the Argo, the Odysseus, the Phormio, and the Pytheas. Jacob is cunning but fair with his competitors, honest in his business dealings. He is kind to the poor and beloved by his employees who call him "Grandpa Jacob". Even the Germans like "Grandpa Jacob" despite themselves. Of course they might like him less if they knew about some of his other business arrangements...
For Jacob and his family are fervant Zionists. They run weapons, collect information, make contact with guerrila groups, rescue refugees and otherwise make the Nazi's miserable. Grandpa Jacob is one of the Hagannah's chief assets in the Eastern Meditterranean. The Emniyet know something about his activities-but then they know almost everything. Of course they generally tolerate him for he feeds them good intelligence. The Germans are not so good-natured of course. But whenever they have almost penetrated him their agent unaccountably disappears.
The players can be SOE or OSS liason officers or they can be from the Hagannah or from Jacob's own semiindepedant organization. The campaign would involve a series of adventures all round the area .
Emphasis should be placed on the contrast between the luxury of Istanbul and the hardships of waging a covert war from a primative, leaky, vermin infested little boat.
This is based on a real series of operations conducted by the SOE and the OSS between 1941 and 1943 in the Aegean. Grandpa Jacob unfortunatly is a fictional person.
