Batrep: Singing in the Rain(ing death from above)

[hannibal]

So we got to play another game, this time me vs royal. I decided to try out the American Rocket Trooper list (he was kind enough to let me borrow his AT-43 stuff as my americans are not yet built). Royal took a soviet list. We played Welcome to Hell, just because it'd be fun. Once we started setting up, we realized that tactics are right out the window here. The artillery barrages are so random that you just hope for the best. I have to say...I love this mission already.

The board was a heavily built up city. Essentially I was thinking some city like Prague or Vienna or some such. Generally there were four buildings per 2'x2' section. They were small (4"-5" square). Some sections had two small and one large building. Fairly built up area, but not a towering cityscape.

American Experimental Detachment
Elite Airborne Officer (Rocket Hero)
Buffalo Power Armor (M1919)
Regular Rocket Troopers
Regular Rocket Troopers
Regular Rocket Troopers
Green Robot Troopers
Green Robot Troopers

Special Order: Surrender
Secondary Objective: Offense (large domed building in the lower right of the battlefield)


Soviet Veteran Detachment (from memory, so forgive me)
Elite NKVD Officer
Veteran Psi Commandos
Veteran Psi Commandos
Regular Starshina
Regular Soviet Guard
Regular Soviet Guard
Regular Soviet AT rifle squad.

Special Orders: Faulty Technology (I think)
Secondary Objective: Field Test

This was a very quick game, because the luck went badly for poor royal. Turn 1, he rolls 3 artillery barrages. One lands on my buffalo and I'm thinking "great, gone before I can fire a shot." I need a 5+ to not lose him, manage to roll a 6. The second barrage is right on top of his NKVD officer. Pop.

It really went downhill from there. My robots suppressed a unit of Psi commandos. Then my rocket troopers would move up, fire, then move back. The rocket hero was especially nasty, finishing off a unit of soviet guard (4 activations is 4 move and shoots) then flitted to in front of the suppressed Psi commandos.

Next turn, the lone artillery round deviates to just perfect miss all my troops. My rocket hero and a unit of rocket troops hop forward, shoot, then hop to safety, killing a unit of psi commandos. The AT team is in a building trying to the top but a unit of robots suppress them and also suppress the second unit of guards. Out of desperation he charges the tesla robots with his psi commandos to tie them down. His starshina climbs atop a building.

The start of turn 3 is where we stopped it. He needed the artillery to take out some of my troops to have some breathing room but it didn't happen. His starshina and AT team were huddled on top of a building with his soviet guard directly behind it. I was going to do pop up attacks with my two rocket teams in range. If I killed the starshina (which was going to be my target), then he'd have a -4 to his drive with no way boost it back up.

Oy, what a sick game. The built up terrain favors the rocket troops. However, I think it has as much to do with the two robot units suppressining everything and pinning the enemy down. This gives my rocket troopers the freedom to essentially hide right in front of the enemy who can't fight back. Then it's just a matter of defeat-in-detail. We agreed that had we tried it on a more rural board I would've had a harder time.

[malkcntent]

Sounds like a great game! Thanks for sharing! That scenario is Robert's favorite - until it killed an entire unit of Emaciateds in one shot! You definitely have to throw tactics out the window on that one.

Still, it sounds like you used the Rocket Troops in just the right way; hop out, shoot, hop back. Any clear shots on them have a good chance of wounding as a result of their low Armor, and watch out for mortar shots and/or template weapons. It looks like they had a good first run. Lucky roll with that Buffalo!



-Matthew

[royal]

I looked at the board before setup and looked at what he was fielding. My first thought was crap no way in hell I am going to win. those damn rocket guys are going to be damn impossible to run down. I am going to have to hope and pray the shelling takes him out.

Then disaster struck before round one starts. third incoming shell and my PSI officer goes pop. only consolation is I took a back up officer. Then my PSI command unit getting pinned down did not help at all

I am not going to blame the scenario I liked it. But I will blame my loss on really badly setup of my troops.... again

In our post game dissection of the good the bad parts of the game Hannibal mentioned I might have been able to take down his rocket troops with a dog unit. I am not sold on it but I will say it was a possibility. My thoughts are no matter what happened trying to take out any of his rocket troops was going to be a exercise in troop loss on my half.

Either way it was a good game and sold win for Hannibal. So I cannot fault him but I can try

[Darkson]

This is by far my favorite scenario. Your opponent scrambles just as much as you do and cringes waiting to see where the bombs are going to go off.

You need to keep your secondary in mind at all times with this scenario and make sure you claim it.

[royal]

my secondary was all PSI units survive... the initial barrage of the game sent that option out the door without hesitation

[Darkson]

royal said:

my secondary was all PSI units survive... the initial barrage of the game sent that option out the door without hesitation

DOH!!!