shotgun-toting chipmunk
Mongoose
Matt said it would be okay to share this battle report, so enjoy.
My wife Jenny and I played a 500 point game last night. I took the People's Liberation Army, while she fielded the European Federation Task Force. We kept it a low point-value game since she is still trying to get a handle on wargaming (a perfect person to be a part of the playtest group in this instance
). Still, this allowed us to field a decent number of models. Following the army lists in the main rulebook, which essentially determines the number of unit types permitted per platoon, we fielded the following forces:
PLA:
1 Infantry Command Squad (minus the WZ-506)
2 Infantry Squads
1 WZ-551 IFV
EFTF:
1 British Infantry Command Section
1 German Heer Infantry Squad (minus Team 2)
1 French Armee de Terre Infantry Squad
These force compositions gave me 25 models, while Jenny had 18.
We played on a field approx. 4x6 with no building but several pine trees and plateaus. Previous playtests showed that the game works beautifully in urban terrain, so we decided to see how it fared in light forests. We opted to use individual trees as pieces of terrain rather than forested areas. This meant hiding behind trees could obscure or block Line of Sight, but not provide Cover, as the rules define Cover as "terrain that models may move through and still have Line of Sight drawn to them."
Preparation
Jenny won the initial roll and chose to have me deploy first and take the first turn. I started with one Infantry Squad loaded up in the IFV, and the Command Squad holed up behind a large plateau. Since a small forested area crept into my deployment zone, I set up the second Infantry Squad there.
Jenny split her forces into two groups. The French Squad deployed on her left flank, while the German Squad and British Command Squad set up behind a small plateau on her right flank, with the Command Squad inside a Warrior. She positioned her troops in such a way that nobody could draw line of sight at the beginning of the game.
Turn 1
I used my first turn to better position my troops. My deployed Infantry Squad moved up to the edges of the forest they were in, trying to obscure Line of Sight to them by hugging the trees on the edges. I opted to have them operate as independent fire teams, and set up a QB995 (essentially a SAW) in position to mow down any troops that came into view acrosst he middle of the field. Meanwhile, my Command Squad sat tight while I raced my IFV up a plateau in an effort to gain the high ground. Getting a bonus action from the Command Squad helped ensure I got there quickly.
Jenny decided to come out swinging. She split the French Squad into independent fire teams and made a run for the large plateau. Meanwhile, the Germans moved around the side of the small plateau and fired a Panzerfaust RGW-60 at the fire team using the QB995. Apparantely pine trees don't protect very well against those, because I lost the Corporal and the Rifleman, leaving my Gunner out of command. The positioning of my troops meant that my lone Gunner could not return fire as a reaction.
Turn 2
Now the PLA was starting to get angry. I pushed my IFV to the edge of the large plateau and caught the French out in the open. Getting a bonus action from the command squad, I used two shoot actions with the IFV's cannon and machine gun against the French, killing half their number (I don't roll very well, and she rolled sixes whenever she had to). The Frenchmen were suppressed, and no other option but to move forward as a reaction in an effor to get some protection by the rocky plateau. My deployed infantry squad tried to position themselves better among the trees, while the command squad continued to hang back.
Jenny was undeterred by the loss of several Frenchmen, she brought the Warrior around the side of the small plateau, unleashing her 40mm cannon and machine gun in addition to the German RGW-60. She killed a few more PLA soldiers, suppressing one fire team. I reacted with the other fire team she shot at by firing a LAW at the Warrior, but did no damage. The French, having lost it's command structure, could take no actions.
Turn 3
With my right flank infantry squad pinned down the the Germans and the Warrior, I sent my IFV down the other side of the large plateau, finishing off the French Squad. With Jenny's right flank exposed, I started to move my Command Squad along the base of the large plateau.
Jenny decided she was happy with her position at the base of the small plateau, despite the risk of being flanked. She moved the warrior on top of the small plateau hoping to get a shot off at the IFV. She was unable to get line of sight, however, and so continued pouring fire on the Infantry Squad in the forest. She continued her average of killing two PLA each turn.
Turn 4
With Jenny's Warrior on the ridge, I took a calculated risk. I moved out from behind the large plateau and unloaded the second PLA Squad. I hid most of them behind the IFV, but positioned the two soldiers with LAWs in front of the IFV and the Squad Leader on the side to keep them in command range. Normally, the rules only allow one action each for a transport and unit inside if troops load or unload, so I opted to use the command bonus action to allow my LAWs to fire on the Warrior. Unfortunately, my gamble did not pay off; only one LAW hit, and while it did damage, it was unable to destroy the warrior. Fortunately the Warrior was unable to react.
Unfortunately, I was now exposed during her turn. She fired on the squad, killing both LAW gunners and the squad leader. The rest of the squad quickly reacted by running back inside the IFV. The Germans, meanwhile, continued to lay fire down on my troops in the trees, killing another two.
Turn 5
Although my troops in the trees were getting decimated, I still felt I had the upper hand. She was unable to destroy my IFV, and I still had the majority of a squad in position to pull off a total envelopment in the next two turns. It was by no means a guaranteed victory as she still had the majority of her heavy weapons and the Warrior, but I was feeling confident. I positioned my remaining troops in the trees behind a large pine tree that blocked line of sight, moved my Command Squad further along the base of the large plateau, and raced my IFV around the opposite side of the small plateau inside her deployment zone.
Realizing she was about to be completely surrounded, Jenny decided it was time to hunker down. She brought the Warrior down off the plateau and positioned it to engage my IFV when I came round the corner. She then positioned the German Squad so that it was mostly hidden behind the Warrior, setting up the RGW to protect its rear and deploying her MG3 in case I deployed my troops in front of the Warrior.
Turn 6
Since she turned to face the majority of her firepower toward her own deployment zone, I quickly changed direction and drove in between the two plateaus. I was trying to get in position to finish off the German Squad, which would shatter her army. I was only draw line of sight to two Riflemen, and quickly dispatched them. I wanted to use the troops in the trees to finish them off, but I would have had to use two move actions to get in range so they stayed put.
Jenny then did the one thing that could turn the tide of the battle. She stepped out from behind the small plateau with her RGW-60 and fired at the IFV. Sure enough, she scored a kill shot. The IFV was immediately destroyed, and everybody inside took a D6 hit. Three died, included the newly appointed squad leader. The remaining four soldiers, suppressed, dove for the nearest clump of trees.
Turn 7
In one short moment, I went from nearly assured victory to defeat. I couldn't do anything with the stunned troops from inside the IFV, since they were out of command, and my troops in the trees could not get close enough to get enough shots off. I fired with them anyway and hit one soldier, who was able to make an armour save.
Now it was easy for Jenny. She brought the Warrior around, killing two more soldiers and Shattering my army. Game over.
This game is a lot of fun, even for people to don't regularly play war games (like Jenny). The rules are clear-cut, resulting in faster play. Unlike the original Starship Troopers rules, we didn't find ourselves constantly having to look things up and interpret what the rules meant. Of course, having unit cards helped keep the game fluid as well, giving us all the stats and any special rules that were applicable in the palm of our hand. Despite the supposed streamlining of the rules compared to the Starship Troopers ruleset it is based on, it is still a very dynamic game and real-life tactics can be employed with accurate effects. We had to be concerned with troop positioning, whether to fortify or advance, flanking maneuvers, envelopment, combined arms operations, gaining high ground, target selection, suppression, concealment, etc. We didn't even utilize structures, air strikes, aerial insertion, anti-aircraft, armor, reconnaissance, smoke screens, or any of the other tactical options offered! I think the best part was that it was never really clear who would win until the game was pretty much over. The advantage kept moving back and forth throughout.
Hope this gives you all some insight. We're going to try some games with more advanced stuff, and if Matt okays it I'll post more battle reports.
My wife Jenny and I played a 500 point game last night. I took the People's Liberation Army, while she fielded the European Federation Task Force. We kept it a low point-value game since she is still trying to get a handle on wargaming (a perfect person to be a part of the playtest group in this instance
). Still, this allowed us to field a decent number of models. Following the army lists in the main rulebook, which essentially determines the number of unit types permitted per platoon, we fielded the following forces:PLA:
1 Infantry Command Squad (minus the WZ-506)
2 Infantry Squads
1 WZ-551 IFV
EFTF:
1 British Infantry Command Section
1 German Heer Infantry Squad (minus Team 2)
1 French Armee de Terre Infantry Squad
These force compositions gave me 25 models, while Jenny had 18.
We played on a field approx. 4x6 with no building but several pine trees and plateaus. Previous playtests showed that the game works beautifully in urban terrain, so we decided to see how it fared in light forests. We opted to use individual trees as pieces of terrain rather than forested areas. This meant hiding behind trees could obscure or block Line of Sight, but not provide Cover, as the rules define Cover as "terrain that models may move through and still have Line of Sight drawn to them."
Preparation
Jenny won the initial roll and chose to have me deploy first and take the first turn. I started with one Infantry Squad loaded up in the IFV, and the Command Squad holed up behind a large plateau. Since a small forested area crept into my deployment zone, I set up the second Infantry Squad there.
Jenny split her forces into two groups. The French Squad deployed on her left flank, while the German Squad and British Command Squad set up behind a small plateau on her right flank, with the Command Squad inside a Warrior. She positioned her troops in such a way that nobody could draw line of sight at the beginning of the game.
Turn 1
I used my first turn to better position my troops. My deployed Infantry Squad moved up to the edges of the forest they were in, trying to obscure Line of Sight to them by hugging the trees on the edges. I opted to have them operate as independent fire teams, and set up a QB995 (essentially a SAW) in position to mow down any troops that came into view acrosst he middle of the field. Meanwhile, my Command Squad sat tight while I raced my IFV up a plateau in an effort to gain the high ground. Getting a bonus action from the Command Squad helped ensure I got there quickly.
Jenny decided to come out swinging. She split the French Squad into independent fire teams and made a run for the large plateau. Meanwhile, the Germans moved around the side of the small plateau and fired a Panzerfaust RGW-60 at the fire team using the QB995. Apparantely pine trees don't protect very well against those, because I lost the Corporal and the Rifleman, leaving my Gunner out of command. The positioning of my troops meant that my lone Gunner could not return fire as a reaction.
Turn 2
Now the PLA was starting to get angry. I pushed my IFV to the edge of the large plateau and caught the French out in the open. Getting a bonus action from the command squad, I used two shoot actions with the IFV's cannon and machine gun against the French, killing half their number (I don't roll very well, and she rolled sixes whenever she had to). The Frenchmen were suppressed, and no other option but to move forward as a reaction in an effor to get some protection by the rocky plateau. My deployed infantry squad tried to position themselves better among the trees, while the command squad continued to hang back.
Jenny was undeterred by the loss of several Frenchmen, she brought the Warrior around the side of the small plateau, unleashing her 40mm cannon and machine gun in addition to the German RGW-60. She killed a few more PLA soldiers, suppressing one fire team. I reacted with the other fire team she shot at by firing a LAW at the Warrior, but did no damage. The French, having lost it's command structure, could take no actions.
Turn 3
With my right flank infantry squad pinned down the the Germans and the Warrior, I sent my IFV down the other side of the large plateau, finishing off the French Squad. With Jenny's right flank exposed, I started to move my Command Squad along the base of the large plateau.
Jenny decided she was happy with her position at the base of the small plateau, despite the risk of being flanked. She moved the warrior on top of the small plateau hoping to get a shot off at the IFV. She was unable to get line of sight, however, and so continued pouring fire on the Infantry Squad in the forest. She continued her average of killing two PLA each turn.
Turn 4
With Jenny's Warrior on the ridge, I took a calculated risk. I moved out from behind the large plateau and unloaded the second PLA Squad. I hid most of them behind the IFV, but positioned the two soldiers with LAWs in front of the IFV and the Squad Leader on the side to keep them in command range. Normally, the rules only allow one action each for a transport and unit inside if troops load or unload, so I opted to use the command bonus action to allow my LAWs to fire on the Warrior. Unfortunately, my gamble did not pay off; only one LAW hit, and while it did damage, it was unable to destroy the warrior. Fortunately the Warrior was unable to react.
Unfortunately, I was now exposed during her turn. She fired on the squad, killing both LAW gunners and the squad leader. The rest of the squad quickly reacted by running back inside the IFV. The Germans, meanwhile, continued to lay fire down on my troops in the trees, killing another two.
Turn 5
Although my troops in the trees were getting decimated, I still felt I had the upper hand. She was unable to destroy my IFV, and I still had the majority of a squad in position to pull off a total envelopment in the next two turns. It was by no means a guaranteed victory as she still had the majority of her heavy weapons and the Warrior, but I was feeling confident. I positioned my remaining troops in the trees behind a large pine tree that blocked line of sight, moved my Command Squad further along the base of the large plateau, and raced my IFV around the opposite side of the small plateau inside her deployment zone.
Realizing she was about to be completely surrounded, Jenny decided it was time to hunker down. She brought the Warrior down off the plateau and positioned it to engage my IFV when I came round the corner. She then positioned the German Squad so that it was mostly hidden behind the Warrior, setting up the RGW to protect its rear and deploying her MG3 in case I deployed my troops in front of the Warrior.
Turn 6
Since she turned to face the majority of her firepower toward her own deployment zone, I quickly changed direction and drove in between the two plateaus. I was trying to get in position to finish off the German Squad, which would shatter her army. I was only draw line of sight to two Riflemen, and quickly dispatched them. I wanted to use the troops in the trees to finish them off, but I would have had to use two move actions to get in range so they stayed put.
Jenny then did the one thing that could turn the tide of the battle. She stepped out from behind the small plateau with her RGW-60 and fired at the IFV. Sure enough, she scored a kill shot. The IFV was immediately destroyed, and everybody inside took a D6 hit. Three died, included the newly appointed squad leader. The remaining four soldiers, suppressed, dove for the nearest clump of trees.
Turn 7
In one short moment, I went from nearly assured victory to defeat. I couldn't do anything with the stunned troops from inside the IFV, since they were out of command, and my troops in the trees could not get close enough to get enough shots off. I fired with them anyway and hit one soldier, who was able to make an armour save.
Now it was easy for Jenny. She brought the Warrior around, killing two more soldiers and Shattering my army. Game over.
This game is a lot of fun, even for people to don't regularly play war games (like Jenny). The rules are clear-cut, resulting in faster play. Unlike the original Starship Troopers rules, we didn't find ourselves constantly having to look things up and interpret what the rules meant. Of course, having unit cards helped keep the game fluid as well, giving us all the stats and any special rules that were applicable in the palm of our hand. Despite the supposed streamlining of the rules compared to the Starship Troopers ruleset it is based on, it is still a very dynamic game and real-life tactics can be employed with accurate effects. We had to be concerned with troop positioning, whether to fortify or advance, flanking maneuvers, envelopment, combined arms operations, gaining high ground, target selection, suppression, concealment, etc. We didn't even utilize structures, air strikes, aerial insertion, anti-aircraft, armor, reconnaissance, smoke screens, or any of the other tactical options offered! I think the best part was that it was never really clear who would win until the game was pretty much over. The advantage kept moving back and forth throughout.
Hope this gives you all some insight. We're going to try some games with more advanced stuff, and if Matt okays it I'll post more battle reports.
