15mm Orc Fire Support Vehicle - Before the Paint

A potent combination of Tonka Happy Meal toy, GW gubbinz, glue-coated matchsticks, and GI Joe...

Firefight in Vindaloo AAR

I had deployed the Coalition forces in several groups: one SAMAS element was deployed on each flank, whereas in the middle I had a group of SAW-armed Dead Boys and Rifle Dead Boys led by Lt. Maximo, and two fireteams of Rifle Dead Boys on the right flank. Initial moves saw the boys in black moving forward into the fields of cabbage and corn squash on the right flank, and into the shanties of Vindaloo on the left flank.


Maximo's charges were caught by surprise when the Comedian appeared out of nowhere immediately in front of him, but he was quickly cut down by reactive fire.

One of the PEFs moved south towards the right flank SAMAS element, but it proved to be nothing but shadows.

And past that point I forgot to hit save... at least there are still pictures.

Maximo and his two groups of Dead Boys advance directly through the center of the shanties, looking for the stolen Coalition tech along the way. The left flank's SAMAS element moves towards the PEF by the ship wreckage.

Maximo's group comes under fire from the OCLF in the wreckage and one fireteam is put out of the fight completely.

Dead Boys on the right flank advance through the farm to draw a bead on the OCLF that have revealed themselves in front of the gas station.

SAMAS RPA Elites return the fire of the OCLF by the gas station. A team of Laborers is put down with HMG fire.

The left flank SAMAS element trades ineffectual fire with a small OCLF contingent behind the spaceship wreckage (I really need to paint DOOP markings on that ship at some point).

The larger of the two OCLF groups is forced to Hunker Down in and behind the small residential building, effectively taking them out of the game. At this point Maximo's team already has the tech (an incomplete SAMAS suit) and is headed off the board.

Notes and Observations:

• I really wish I hadn't lost most of my notes, but since some of the reaction tests create ineffectual firing loops, some of it is alright. I really should've been producing more Duck Back results than I did (guess I forgot).
• I'm not entirely pleased with the results I got. Trying to use a skirmish game as a platoon-to-company level game is kind of iffy, but it worked ok. I think the main problems I encountered had a lot to do with the specific THW sets I used. This is not Ed's fault; CR 3.0 is free, and ATZ is very individual oriented.
  
• The CR 3.0 NPC movement table just wasn't very interesting, and if I'd bothered to make up a tactical doctrine for the OCLF I could've had more fun.
• The size of the generated enemy groups made them unwieldy, and when combined with the limited NPC movement table the end result was that I had large blocks clumping together on a single terrain feature most of the time, often blocking the fields of fire of the better weapons that were available.
• I may go back to using the same Target rating as the weapons originally had; it'd make the big guns a lot more killy than they currently are. I still like using stand-widths instead of templates to allocate area fire (like Crossfire)
• I need to use actual armor rules or something to make characters scarier; the Comedian got shot up too quickly; I probably should've let him shoot before the Dead Boys to give him somewhat of a chance. Next time we'll use 5150, possibly Star Army, but I didn't want to crack out that book with its dozens of QRS at this point.
• I may cut movement distances down a bit. A fast move of 16" for a 30mm square stand representing a fireteam seems a touch too fast.

All in all, it was a good trial run, but before I get back to Janitoria I will probably focus on some games that require less table space for a while.

Tragedy strikes in Vindaloo...

This morning in the city of Vindaloo a foreigner was found grievously injured in a rubbish heap on the edge of town. The broad-shouldered, ruggedly good-looking older male was identified as the galaxy renowned Comedian, and his presence within Janitoria's borders was a great surprise to the JIB (Janitorial Immigration Bureau). He was immediately transported to the St. Lulu's Celebrity Hospital in the nation's capital, Schnitzelvania, where he will remain until doctors are certain of his recovery. When asked about his chances, Doctor Thomas Tronberg commented, "He could well pull through, but I'm still trying to locate his second set of legs."

When informed about the suspected assault upon The Comedian, King Itor was very upset. "To think that such violence could occur in one of our nicer cities, it makes me very sad. It is most certainly the work of foreign interlopers." Speaking further, His Royal Highness insisted, "The Comedian will receive the best medical care that Janitorial medicine can offer, and when he is well he will stay at my palace as my guest."

This week in Janitoria...

...Or more specifically, on the outskirts of Vindaloo, one of Janitoria's smaller cities. A small Coalition force is conducting a lightning raid on an Orange Country Liberation Front cell at the very edges of Vindaloo on suspicion that the cell is in possession of stolen Coalition military hardware.


In this solo game I will be attempting to use the Ed's ATZ/CR 3.0 system in an element-based game, with one element representing a squad or fireteam (I can't be arsed to decide which at this point). I feel that this makes the firepower of singly-based Stars more epic while at the same time allowing me to put more troops on the table. As I go along I will be making notes regarding any on-the-fly modifications I will have to make to the basic rules. The scenario is based on the Patrol mission in the basic CR 3.0 rules, with the added bonus that elements will be able to search buildings like in ATZ, hopefully discovering the stolen hardware before the Coalition forces are overwhelmed.

Anyways, onto the forces involved:

The Coalition

Coalition forces will use the Military Reaction Table

Lt. Ortega Maximo
(Star, Rep 5, Brawler, Nerves of Steel, Leader, counts as armed with a Chainsaw)

SAMAS (Rep 5, HMGs, single-use LAW)

Note: Since all of the above are equipped with Power Armor, an Obviously Dead result is needed to remove them from the fight. The SAMAS PAs also treat all terrain as clear terrain and can fly to the tops of buildings.

Coalition Dead Boys with Skelebot support weapons
(Rep 4, body armor, assault rifles, SAWs on Skelebot supported elements)

VS.

The Orange Country Liberation Front

OCLF forces use the Survivor Reaction Table

ACRs are ARs with +1 in Melee

OCLF Command (Rep 5, ACRs, Leader)

OCLF Support (Rep 4, ACRs, LAW)

OCLF Landowners (Plantation owners displaced by King Itor's bolognium mining operations)
(Rep 4, ACRs)

OCLF Laborers (they prefer the drudgery and poor working conditions of the orchards to the drudgery and poor working conditions of the bolognium mines)
(Rep 3, assault rifles)

And who could this be?

RRtK Brass Dwarves vs. Romans - Post Battle

Perhaps in the future I'll start writing proper battle reports for these, but since I was trying out a new style of rules solo, I didn't think what I'd done would be very interesting to most.

Having played one game, here are a few observations/comments/foolishness on my part:

• Terror Troops does not seem to be an adequate rule to account for the infantry-mowing capabilities of a steam tank. In the future I will stat it out as Shock Cavalry.
• I had two infantry units come up with the "Giving Ground" result, and ultimately decided that the best way to resolve it would be to give each a hit and leave them in melee.
• As far as I can tell a element that has received it's Rep in hits or worse will automatically rout the next time it is forced to take a test, which is cool.
• The steam tank and Equites spent a few rounds pounding on each other, with the Equites giving better than it got, but having forced the tank to retire a way's back allowed it to use its small calibre guns to good effect, ultimately destroying the weaker Equites unit.
• This is the last time that I'll move my mounted CinC into range for a flank charge from an elite pike unit. I would have been better served by wheeling my cannon so that I could fire at the slow-moving pike formation.
• The Dwarves may well have too many crossbows (which is mostly Irregular's fault for the pack composition, and also my choice to include 2 strips, rather than three on a base); their center was composed almost entirely of them, and were successful in shooting my Legionnaires to bitz before they even reached charge range.

In the future I will be tweaking lists, adding more figures (the Romans definitely need some skirmishers of some sort), adding mercenaries, etc... but overall I found it a fun and interesting way to spend a couple of hours.

A Line in the Sand

The Roman Battle line prepares to face the Imperial Brass Dwarf army.

Coming tomorrow:

The first wargaming I've done in months as well as my very first game of Rally Round the King!

The Imperial Brass Dwarves commanded by Lord Radam Zaal

vs.

The 13th Roman Legion commanded by Maximus Decimus Gallus