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.

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?

Rally Round The King

For those not on the Two Hour Wargames mailing list (you should be), Ed has stated that he should be releasing "Rally Round The King", an updated version of the old Warrior Heroes element-based fantasy ruleset, which were in turn based on an older set of ancients rules. The ruleset's big draws for me is that once the armies are on the table, they pretty much run themselves via the Reaction System, and that there is an extensive solo campaign system that takes into account diplomacy and economic issues during the game. Having read much of the old Warrior Kings rulebook, I can tell that this new book is likely to be a godsend for solo gamers like myself that are looking to run fantasy mass battles.

For more information, please check out the Two Hour Wargames Yahoo Group and watch this space for a potential Rally Round The King fantasy campaign (if my purchases at Fall-in go well).

P.S. I also recommend that any interested parties take a gander at Talomir Tales, an extensive campaign in progress using the old Warrior Heroes and Warrior Heroes:Armies and Adventurers (skirmish/mass skirmish THW system).

It's best to be flexible...

An epiphany struck me at work today... I need to cool my jets and be more flexible...

My current gaming group contains only one serious player, apart from myself; the rest enjoy gaming but regard the weekly preparation, painting, planning, etc... as a chore, and will usually find an excuse not to do it in a timely manner. Others object to my choice of rulesets. In months past this has caused me large amountsC of frustration and anger.

It is not necessary to be angry; we all gather at the Sand Table of our own free will to have some fun and relax. I like to have finished pieces on the tabletop, and put forth the effort to make it so... others don't really feel the need, and I certainly can't force them to see it my way, that sort of thinking just makes game night unpleasant. Instead, since I am responsible only for my own actions, I must be flexible and treat game night as casual game night, more beer and pretzels than anything else. Win or lose, painted or unpainted, Crossfire or Necromunda, at least I can have some fun.

If I want things done in a serious fashion, using rules to my liking, I've got to do it solo, and it's there that I can find utmost satisfaction. You don't often find yourself arguing with yourself, after all.