28 May, 2011

A Good Day to Die

A HCPS patrol has encountered a strong SLA presence near the failed mining centre of Sagatay and in moving in to clear out the insurgent forces. Unbeknownst to the HCPS they have happened across a major stronghold of the rebellion…


A brief recap of the setup can be found here. Sakhan HQ

The Human Co-Prosperity Sphere make their first moves on their right flank, but the first squad over the top takes some serious return fire as they make it to the top of the ridge

First Squad over the Ridge

A combination of their fire with the APC backing them up destroys the main gun of the sentry bot on this side of the Sakhan defences

Sentry Bot disarmed

The Sakhans in the bunker begin to get a bit worried as they see the strength of the HCPS' other flank

Here they come!

But accurate fire from the outer defences put the first HCPS fireteam to ground

Accurate Fire takes down Second Squad

The rest of the assault on that flank begines to take shape as the scout squad hits the ridgeline

Left Flank Assault goes in

The Sakhan gunbots trundle into action, going past the disarmed pillbox

GunBots into action

The technicians on their coffee break! Right before they head inside the bunker to begin sanitising the data

Techies on their break

The armoured car on the ridgeline overlooking the base takes a long-range missile shot at the APC. Meanwhile on the Sakhan right the outlying team discover that their position behind some mining spoil is actually useless, and they withdraw to find more useful cover.

Long-Range Missile Fire#

The shot hits true - brewing up the APC, the crew bails out - one is dead but the other two are only lightly wounded and they run. It would seem that most of the patrol's spare ammo was kept in the APC [The HCPS now counts as poorly supplied, costing its squadss two firepower dice!]

APC brews up

Return fire from the AT team knocks out the armoured car's drive system, leaving it perched on the ridgeline

Engine knocked out

The Sakhan sniper team, hidden in the brush choose their target wisely

Sniper Team choose wisely

Taking down the HCPS team no the extreme flank

Another team goes down

Another team get a bird's eye view of the complex

Ridgetop View

The first of the Power Armour pairs gets into action, advancing through cover making a beeline for the second sentry bot

Power Armour gets hands dirty

As this happens though an intense dust storm messes with sensors and makes long-range gunfire all but impossible - though vehicles and emplacements with high-end thermal sensors are able to cope. At the extreme end of their range the power armour pair and the gunbots trade fire, one gunbot is knocked out but one power armoured trooper also goes down

Power Armour not invulnerable

The light tank comes down off the ridge, firing at the sentry bot, but with only partial damage

Tank brings gun to bear#

It would seem that the HCPS equipment is made by the lowest bidder, as its machine gun conks out, it take a long-range missile shot from the immobile armoured car on the ridge and the tank explodes

Build by the Lowest Bidder

The power armour shows how its done, taking out the second turret without too much trouble

Power Armour take out second Turret

The cover of the sandstorm, which seems to be slowing down the advance, now is recognised as a serious problem - the defensive fire will be ineffective and the attackers will be close-in before they can be stopped!

Wave after Wave

The second armoured car turns the corner and trains its autocannon on the rear-most squad

Autocannon trained on advancing enemy

The Sakhan heavy infantry have withdrawn into the bunker proper and are nervously looking for targets

Holding out in the Bunker

The second line of defence is realiging itself near a likely gap the attackers will have to cross

Second Line of Defence

The defensive fire forces one of the HCPS teams back up the ridge into cover

Forced back into cover

The attack is blunted, and as the initiative passes to the Sakhan defenders they take the offensive

The Tide Turns

An aggressive move by the armoured car near the bunker sees him advance to seek out the enemy over the ridge. It has some success, though at the cost of some destroyed wheels, cutting it speed and manoeuvrability down significantly

Aggressive move

As the tide turns, there is a break in the clouds and the battlefield clears. The defenders find the HCPS forces in open ground and a deadly concentration of fire proves the power armour all too vulnerable!

Power Armour can only take so much

Holding the left flank, this lone fireteam hunkers down

In Cover

Things are too hot for these guys, as they withdraw from the fight, even if the armoured car is backing away it's 30mm autocannon is out of their league. Back in the centre of the battlefield, the power armour duo are in the zone, and they begin to inflict some serious casualties on the Sakhans, including wiping out the sniper team. It's too little and too late though

Too Hot

The attack has been turned back and the database has been sanitised. Before pulling back the defenders even have the time to set demolition charges on the bunker to deny other, less vital information to the HCPS

Attack Turned Back

Overlooking the battlefield, Commander Li berates himself. Using the power armour in pairs may be good for intimidating miners or overawing militia, but against serious opposition they amount to penny packets. The attack will be fatal to the career of Lieutenant Chen, but he was not liked back in the Prefecture HQ in any case...

25 May, 2011

A Good Day to Die - Setup

Set up the scenario so I'm ready to rock 'n' roll on Saturday. I've switched to more desert-like terrain, with a different mat and more scrub and rough ground. I'm also using some SnapDragon Studios crates and mining spoil to give some flavour (and cover!)


The view from the Sakhan lines

Sakhan HQ

Left flank of the attack

HCPS Left Flank

The right flank, with the heavy MG team in the ridgetop wood

HCPS Right Flank

Sakhan armoured car on the ridgeline with the light troops

Sakhan BR-5

Other armoured car beside HQ - getting a once-over from a techie. These two vehicles are from DLD Productions - sadly unavailable directly, but I got lucky over on TMP lately
Sakhan BR-4

Sakhan defensive positions

Sakhan Defensive Positions

One of the sentry bots. I've no idea where these come from, I chanced across two of them on ebay one day. The gun turrets turn too!

Sentry Bot

Hopefully I'll get around to posting photos and a report on Sunday or Monday.

22 May, 2011

A Good Day to Die - Scenario

A scenario for Tomorrow's War...I hope to play it next weekend

MISSION BRIEF

The Prefecture has stepped up efforts to locate the Sakhan Liberation Army in the Anabar area. Forces have been pulled from the Wŭwēi and Hànhai garrison battalions to scour the countryside for any sign of their presence. Minor skirmishes and ambushes have been widespread. A HCPS patrol has encountered a strong SLA presence near the failed mining centre of Sagatay and in moving in to clear out the insurgent forces. Unbeknownst to the HCPS they have happened across a major stronghold of the rebellion…

Art by WiredGear

HCPS MISSION OBJECTIVE

Kill as many of the rebels as possible and prevent them from disengaging until reinforcements can encircle them.

SLA MISSION OBJECTIVE

Hold the HQ until all sensitive data can be removed and then evacuate as many personnel as possible.

TABLE SET UP

Two large ridges overlook a small valley, covered in rough ground and scrub.
A small copse of trees tops the northern ridgeline.
A small bunker lies under the southern ridge, surrounded by supply crates and mining spoil.


HCPS FORCE COMPOSITION

Human Co-Prosperity Sphere
Type: Regular
Confidence Level: OK
Supply Level: Well-Supplied
Tech Level: 2
Networked Command (Grid): None (TL2)
Body Armor: Light Body Armor (+1)
Troop Quality/Morale: D8/D8

The Scout Team is commanded by an NCO and comprises one fire team (3xIWs, 1xSAW) (at Z)

ZSL-12 (Armoured Personnel Carrier) (at X)

1st Squad is commanded by an NCO and comprises two fire teams (2xIWs, 1xSAW), (2xIWs, 1xSAW) (at X)

Weapons Team (1xHMG, 2xIWs) (at Y)

2nd Squad is commanded by an NCO and comprises two fire teams (2xIWs, 1xAT), (3xIWs) (at Z)

ZFB-35 (Light Tank) (at Z)

Power Armour Squad is commanded by an NCO and comprises just one fire team (2xIWs, 1xGPMG). They will deploy in two pairs. (at X & Z)

SLA FORCE COMPOSITION

Sakhan Mercenaries
Type: Regular
Confidence Level: High
Supply Level: Well-Supplied
Tech Level: 2
Networked Command (Grid): None
Body Armor: Light Body Armor (+1)
Troop Quality/Morale: D8/D10

SLA Liaison – Regular Sakhan Mercenary officer usually attached to SLA Militia (TQ D8) (at 2)

Technicians (3x Pistols) (TQ D6) (at C)
Drone Team comprises three tracked Smart Bots armed with SAWs (at C)

1st Squad is commanded by a squad leader and comprises three fire teams (3xIWs, 1x SAW), (3xIWs, 1xAT), (4xIWs) (at 1, 2 & 3)

2nd Squad is commanded by a squad leader, and comprises two fire teams (3xIWs, 1x SAW), (3xIWs, 1xAT), Elusive, No Body Armour (at 4 & 5)

Sakhan Sniper Team (TQ D10) (1xSniper Rifle, 1xIW), Elusive, No Body Armour (at 6)

BR-5 Armoured Car (at A)
BR-4 Armoured Car (at B)

FOG OF WAR

Fog of War cards are generated by reaction tests as normal.

SPECIAL RULES

The Grid

Due to the distance from the regional capital, the HCPS force does not have access to The Grid.

Sentry Bots (at D)

The two sentry bots are basically small immobile pill-boxes. Treat them as bots for firing/reaction etc. (6D: AP. 3D: AT (L)) and as light vehicles (4D8 Defence Dice) for taking damage. Also has Active Point Defence.

Sakhan HQ

The SLA HQ building hosts a wealth of operational data which would be invaluable to the HCPS campaign to suppress the rebellion.

There are nine tranches of usable data, and any of the Sakhan technicians who enter the building can sanitise a portion of the data by succeeding a TQ test. The technician will suffer a -1 to the die roll if the HQ is damaged in an attack during the turn.

The HQ building itself counts as a fortified position (+4 Defense Dice) (6D10 Building Strength Dice)

VICTORY CONDITIONS

HCPS

Each Sakhan Unit reduced to or below half strength +1
Each Sakhan Vehicle disabled or destroyed +2
Sakhan HQ occupied +3
Per tranche of data left in Sakhan HQ +1

SLA

Each HCPS Unit wiped out or out of LOS of the HQ +1
Each HCPS Vehicle disabled or destroyed +2
Each SLA Unit escapes +1
Each tranche of HQ data sanitised +1
SLA Liaison escapes +1
 
VEHICLES


A pdf is available here

15 May, 2011

Operation Snakepit

In 2006 the isolated British garrison in Musa Qala found itself besieged and under constant attack by the Taliban. In October an agreement was reached to demilitarise Musa Qala and cede control of the town to tribal elders. When the Taliban seized control in early 2007 they blamed a US airstrike for breaking the agreement but it wasn’t until late that year when coalition forces moved to oust the Taliban.


I'll be running this mini-campaign at Conspiracy in September. Conspiracy is the spiritual successor to Confess, which closed its doors last year.
Conspiracy will be held from 23rd to 25th September in the Ormonde Hotel in Kilkenny. Visit the website

08 May, 2011

American Platoon in the Jungle

Still a way off being able to play Ambush Valley (the Force on Force supplement for the Vietnam War), but the American contingent is pretty much ready to roll


Loaded for Bear, this platoon has ACAVs (the M113 Armored Cavalry Assault Vehicle variant) and a light tank (the M551 Sheridan)

American Platoon

1st Squad heads left through the dense jungle

1st Squad heads lefto

2nd Squad is on point

2nd Squad on point

3rd Squad goes right

3rd Squad goes right

HQ Squad, with hangers on stays frosty at the rear

HQ Squad stays frosty at rear

Heavy Metal rolling through

Heavy Metal

Some sweep and clear missions against the VC beckons.

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