Post by justmatt on Mar 22, 2010 19:05:08 GMT -5
ROA vs ARPA Battle Report
Last weekend saw a Russian Liberation Army detachment battle American troops for possession of a mystic shrine located near some anonymous Middle Eastern oasis/trading post. The two opposing forces were built allowing the following lines:
ROA (Occult) w/ mystical convergence special order
1.Elite Child of the Prophet (Touch, Will and Sight) – extra unit of Spawn
2.Veteran Kazak Uyrandnik
3.Regular Follower of the Prophet
4.Regular Kazak Cavalry squad
5.Beast of the Apocalypse
6.Spawn of the Apocalypse
7.Spawn of the Apocalypse
8.Spawn of the Apocalypse
--VS --
ARPA (Infantry) w/ coordinated strike special order
1.Elite Mechanic – technician attribute
2.Veteran Airborne Officer
3.Regular Sniper
4.Regular Buffalo Armor w/ M1919
5.Regular Rocket Troops
6.Regular Airborne Squad
7.Regular Airborne Squad
8.Robot Trooper Squad
The table was 4x6’ and saw the shrine plunked dead center, with some ruined stone walls bordering it to the west, behind which sat a half-demolished structure. South and northeast of the shrine were two small stands of palm trees (cover). And directly north of the shrine was a two-story structure.
The ROA were the defenders, and entered through the south side of the table. Our six Spawn were arranged on our left, followed by the Beast. They would rush forward, hugging those walls mentioned earlier for cover if needed (I figured he’d put someone in that building to the west) and then bum rush anyone who tried to cross that open stretch of ground leading to the shrine from his deployment zone.
The two mystics were in the trees, seeking cover. The Child would bolster the gibbering horde of critters spawned by one of Rasputin’s orgies, while the Follower would be used mainly to claim the Shrine, shielded from long range fire and ready to counter any US troops who pushed through my front line with the Voice of God – I was banking that by then their already shaken morale, any combat units I had on hand and his ability to nuke their Drive would combine to send them running.
On our right were our cavalry, ready to use their blistering speed – M 8”? 24” on the charge? – to flank the enemy.
He plunked his sniper in the two-story structure overlooking the shrine (still couldn’t establish LOS to my Follower of the Prophet), his Buffalo and mechanic in that ruined building on the western table edge, his Officer and the bulk of his infantry in a position to use that corridor I intended to block with my Spawn, his Robots opposite from my cavalry and his Rocket Troops behind the sniper as a reserve.
How it All Went Down
The Spawn (growling and mewling in mindless hunger) sprinted forward, followed by the Beast – with the Follower of the Prophet moving through cover to the Shrine and the Cavalry looping around my right. The Child was edging towards the monsters.
The American player’s (Jeff) approach for his Buffalo – and it was nasty – was to use his Mechanic to continually lend the Power Armor suit 2 APs….which let that .30 Browning fire off 16 times per Turn. I was able to negate it somewhat. My Spawn were able to rush into cover and he was NOT happy to see them advance towards his infantry, hugging walls that would not obscure a taller model from sight. But he managed to chew the Beast into hamburger with a slew of long range 6s (its height wouldn’t allow me to claim blocked LOS and the walls only provided +2 cover due to the Buffalo’s elevated position…the first floor of the building was raised up by a couple of inches).
My Kazak Uyrandnik managed to outpace the Robot Troopers that were trying to intercept him and ended up plunked directly north of the Oasis, maybe 12” from the sniper and Rocket Troops. But the Kazak squad was suppressed and locked in place by the Robot Troopers chugging along behind them. Jeff tried to capitalize on the Kazaks being suppressed by having his Rocket Troops roar over the two-story structure and blaze away with their Tesla pistols….but their aim was atrocious, I got lucky and in the following turn a dismounted Uyrandnik would mow them down with his submachine gun. PPSh41 rocks in a big way, at least when handled by a Veteran unit. Have to state here the Sniper never amounted to much at all and my opponent later agreed he would only be worthwhile as a veteran with a hero attribute.
The Airborne troopers and their commanding officer rounded the corner of the stone walls mentioned earlier, and ran head on into the Spawn. The American player’s luck was lousy here. He managed to land only the occasional hit as the little beasties raced forward; and he found out just how durable they can be when they kept regenerating those wounds. Eventually, they came within sight of the Buffalo, who opened up with a friggin’ storm of .30 ammo…..but STILL they didn’t die as his luck at this point was just miserable. He couldn’t kill one of them and with a sense of elation that can only be felt by someone who’s succeeded despite questionable tactics, I pushed my first squad of Spawn into base contact with his lead troops.
The results were predictable. Limbs went flying, the other American squad tried to backpedal (only to see one hapless paratrooper go glassy-eyed, turn and shoot his partner straight through the head thanks to a dose o’ Will of the Prophet) and then came under attack, as well. I was sad to see the Buffalo turn on my Child of the Prophet and tear him into a steaming pile of goo. But soon after that I was laughing out loud.
Because Jeff’s airborne officer had been behind the pack of dying paras, desperately bolstering morale with his Command ability, and now he was surrounded, with a bunch of hungry obscenities pawing at his pant legs. What the Spawn started (and they were going to kill him) his own sniper finished – targeting an unengaged critter that was already wounded, smooshing it, and causing it to explode (driving bone fragments straight through his CO’s chest cavity). Hurray for me ;D
By now the last surviving para had managed to break free of the Spawn, only to be shot full of holes by my Uyrandnik. The Kazaks had managed to turn and charge the Robot Troopers (they were locked in place for the rest of the game). And my Follower of the Prophet was the only living entity close enough to claim the shrine.
Jeff did get one really good hit in at the end of the game. His Buffalo killed one Spawn straight out, and its template covered two other beasties that had already suffered wounds that Turn thanks to the Sniper and the Mechanic popping off rounds from her carbine. The resulting chain reaction caused him to take out three models with a single attack – and my Kazaks were now routed as the loss of the Beast, Voice, and two units of Spawn had reduced their DR to 0. But it didn’t matter because in the end he couldn’t reach the Shrine and my Follower (apathetic and unmoved by all the destruction around him) was still there.
We had a blast. As Jeff mentioned, you know it’s a quality game if you’re left with cinematic moments you keep replaying in yer head (like the Browning mowing down the Beast; the para killing his own squad mate, that wave of Spawn rolling over his infantry and the sniper unwittingly committing fratricide).
Sorry if the thread is riddled with typos. I’m typing this in record time before I go to work.
We have the beginnings of a solid little group here in Gahanna, Ohio. There’s me, Jeff, the store manager and one other gamer who’ll be there for sure a week from this coming Saturday. I have a few painted detachments I’ve been bringing with me (this was our second game), and the rules and the pieces have drawn enough nods from other people that AE-WWII has taken root in central Ohio. Jeff is grabbing his own American and Soviet armies, the manager is buying Americans and the SD. Have no idea what the last guy is buying but he’s in, as well. Hopefully we can keep this thing going.
Me, I have (to date), ARPA, OORD, MoAA, SD, SS and ROA. Which shows how many detachments you can field by selling off a single GW army. Soon as I get a decent camera, we’ll start forwarding pics.
Thanks again
Matt
Last weekend saw a Russian Liberation Army detachment battle American troops for possession of a mystic shrine located near some anonymous Middle Eastern oasis/trading post. The two opposing forces were built allowing the following lines:
ROA (Occult) w/ mystical convergence special order
1.Elite Child of the Prophet (Touch, Will and Sight) – extra unit of Spawn
2.Veteran Kazak Uyrandnik
3.Regular Follower of the Prophet
4.Regular Kazak Cavalry squad
5.Beast of the Apocalypse
6.Spawn of the Apocalypse
7.Spawn of the Apocalypse
8.Spawn of the Apocalypse
--VS --
ARPA (Infantry) w/ coordinated strike special order
1.Elite Mechanic – technician attribute
2.Veteran Airborne Officer
3.Regular Sniper
4.Regular Buffalo Armor w/ M1919
5.Regular Rocket Troops
6.Regular Airborne Squad
7.Regular Airborne Squad
8.Robot Trooper Squad
The table was 4x6’ and saw the shrine plunked dead center, with some ruined stone walls bordering it to the west, behind which sat a half-demolished structure. South and northeast of the shrine were two small stands of palm trees (cover). And directly north of the shrine was a two-story structure.
The ROA were the defenders, and entered through the south side of the table. Our six Spawn were arranged on our left, followed by the Beast. They would rush forward, hugging those walls mentioned earlier for cover if needed (I figured he’d put someone in that building to the west) and then bum rush anyone who tried to cross that open stretch of ground leading to the shrine from his deployment zone.
The two mystics were in the trees, seeking cover. The Child would bolster the gibbering horde of critters spawned by one of Rasputin’s orgies, while the Follower would be used mainly to claim the Shrine, shielded from long range fire and ready to counter any US troops who pushed through my front line with the Voice of God – I was banking that by then their already shaken morale, any combat units I had on hand and his ability to nuke their Drive would combine to send them running.
On our right were our cavalry, ready to use their blistering speed – M 8”? 24” on the charge? – to flank the enemy.
He plunked his sniper in the two-story structure overlooking the shrine (still couldn’t establish LOS to my Follower of the Prophet), his Buffalo and mechanic in that ruined building on the western table edge, his Officer and the bulk of his infantry in a position to use that corridor I intended to block with my Spawn, his Robots opposite from my cavalry and his Rocket Troops behind the sniper as a reserve.
How it All Went Down
The Spawn (growling and mewling in mindless hunger) sprinted forward, followed by the Beast – with the Follower of the Prophet moving through cover to the Shrine and the Cavalry looping around my right. The Child was edging towards the monsters.
The American player’s (Jeff) approach for his Buffalo – and it was nasty – was to use his Mechanic to continually lend the Power Armor suit 2 APs….which let that .30 Browning fire off 16 times per Turn. I was able to negate it somewhat. My Spawn were able to rush into cover and he was NOT happy to see them advance towards his infantry, hugging walls that would not obscure a taller model from sight. But he managed to chew the Beast into hamburger with a slew of long range 6s (its height wouldn’t allow me to claim blocked LOS and the walls only provided +2 cover due to the Buffalo’s elevated position…the first floor of the building was raised up by a couple of inches).
My Kazak Uyrandnik managed to outpace the Robot Troopers that were trying to intercept him and ended up plunked directly north of the Oasis, maybe 12” from the sniper and Rocket Troops. But the Kazak squad was suppressed and locked in place by the Robot Troopers chugging along behind them. Jeff tried to capitalize on the Kazaks being suppressed by having his Rocket Troops roar over the two-story structure and blaze away with their Tesla pistols….but their aim was atrocious, I got lucky and in the following turn a dismounted Uyrandnik would mow them down with his submachine gun. PPSh41 rocks in a big way, at least when handled by a Veteran unit. Have to state here the Sniper never amounted to much at all and my opponent later agreed he would only be worthwhile as a veteran with a hero attribute.
The Airborne troopers and their commanding officer rounded the corner of the stone walls mentioned earlier, and ran head on into the Spawn. The American player’s luck was lousy here. He managed to land only the occasional hit as the little beasties raced forward; and he found out just how durable they can be when they kept regenerating those wounds. Eventually, they came within sight of the Buffalo, who opened up with a friggin’ storm of .30 ammo…..but STILL they didn’t die as his luck at this point was just miserable. He couldn’t kill one of them and with a sense of elation that can only be felt by someone who’s succeeded despite questionable tactics, I pushed my first squad of Spawn into base contact with his lead troops.
The results were predictable. Limbs went flying, the other American squad tried to backpedal (only to see one hapless paratrooper go glassy-eyed, turn and shoot his partner straight through the head thanks to a dose o’ Will of the Prophet) and then came under attack, as well. I was sad to see the Buffalo turn on my Child of the Prophet and tear him into a steaming pile of goo. But soon after that I was laughing out loud.
Because Jeff’s airborne officer had been behind the pack of dying paras, desperately bolstering morale with his Command ability, and now he was surrounded, with a bunch of hungry obscenities pawing at his pant legs. What the Spawn started (and they were going to kill him) his own sniper finished – targeting an unengaged critter that was already wounded, smooshing it, and causing it to explode (driving bone fragments straight through his CO’s chest cavity). Hurray for me ;D
By now the last surviving para had managed to break free of the Spawn, only to be shot full of holes by my Uyrandnik. The Kazaks had managed to turn and charge the Robot Troopers (they were locked in place for the rest of the game). And my Follower of the Prophet was the only living entity close enough to claim the shrine.
Jeff did get one really good hit in at the end of the game. His Buffalo killed one Spawn straight out, and its template covered two other beasties that had already suffered wounds that Turn thanks to the Sniper and the Mechanic popping off rounds from her carbine. The resulting chain reaction caused him to take out three models with a single attack – and my Kazaks were now routed as the loss of the Beast, Voice, and two units of Spawn had reduced their DR to 0. But it didn’t matter because in the end he couldn’t reach the Shrine and my Follower (apathetic and unmoved by all the destruction around him) was still there.
We had a blast. As Jeff mentioned, you know it’s a quality game if you’re left with cinematic moments you keep replaying in yer head (like the Browning mowing down the Beast; the para killing his own squad mate, that wave of Spawn rolling over his infantry and the sniper unwittingly committing fratricide).
Sorry if the thread is riddled with typos. I’m typing this in record time before I go to work.
We have the beginnings of a solid little group here in Gahanna, Ohio. There’s me, Jeff, the store manager and one other gamer who’ll be there for sure a week from this coming Saturday. I have a few painted detachments I’ve been bringing with me (this was our second game), and the rules and the pieces have drawn enough nods from other people that AE-WWII has taken root in central Ohio. Jeff is grabbing his own American and Soviet armies, the manager is buying Americans and the SD. Have no idea what the last guy is buying but he’s in, as well. Hopefully we can keep this thing going.
Me, I have (to date), ARPA, OORD, MoAA, SD, SS and ROA. Which shows how many detachments you can field by selling off a single GW army. Soon as I get a decent camera, we’ll start forwarding pics.
Thanks again
Matt
