Welcome back! We negotiated this contract during time between tracks, we set things up and I played this out a couple days ago, let’s see how our blue birds handles things.
The Teams
The Azure Phoenix:
- Sven: Adder E BV: 1272
- Patricia Darling: Rifleman 9T BV: 1503
- Archimedes Sanchez: J. Edgar (xpulse) BV: 621
So we have some partially painted models here, slowly making progress there. I also know that Patricia’s Rifleman shouldn’t be blue right now, but I needed to try out painting my intended scheme and justs chose the Rifleman, and worked it into the story here. I’m glad there’s a Fronc Rifleman, but whoops, shouldn’t be blue yet haha. Let’s just roll with it.
The OpFor: The Wolf Reapers
- Warhammer 5L with a 3/4 pilot named Karl Franz BV:1896
- Grasshopper 8K with a 4/5 pilot, Ronan Demer BV: 1754
So the past couple weeks I’ve been stuck with extra work days, and it took me a bit to have the time for a full game. Taking notes makes these games take a bit, so I had to wait a bit. During that wait, I ended up getting a Grasshopper! So we have the minis for the OpFor, AND I got some paint on one of my now SIX Warhammers. Karl Franz and his beautiful golden Warhammer, also named Karl Franz.
The Wolf Reapers are a small newer company, mostly made up of temps. The founder would be Spencer “Saltfang” Applegarth, and his buddy, Jacob Minty. They’ll show up in track 2, but they had more money than sense and hired Karl Franz and some others to build up their reputation quickly.
The Wolf Reapers are taking their first big job, going with a sure thing. Clan Sea Fox, wildy rich clanners who can get damn near anything, just need them to clear out some copyright infringers trying to help out the remnant of Clan Jade Falcon. What they don’t expect is a driven and somewhere more experienced force, out favorite mercs, The Azure Phoenix!
Track One: Meeting Engagement!
For the first track, I went with scale 1, it feels right for scouting out the enemy. I was a bit nervous since we were up against 2 heavies, with some pretty light units. I wanted to be more realistic here, instead of gamey, and felt that a lighter force, and trying out the temp, would be more appropriate.
The map was Hilltops from the Clan Invasion box, and I got the Thunderhead Studios terrain printed up in time for the game. The AP deployed trying to cover the main firing lane on the map, while I also remember that I forgot to roll complications for the Wolf Reapers. I rolled it up and they got a 6, meaning that at least one third of their force would not arrive till turn 3. So good ol’ Ronan and his Grasshopper had to wait a bit. Karl moved up, finding cover and no shots were fired turn one.
I may have messed up a few photos for this track, so I’ll do my best with what I have. I didn’t review them until well after the game, and I don’t want to redo the game. I’m still figuring all this out, so let’s just call this a learning experience haha.
Turn 2
Well, this looks bad. The AP lost initiative, and moved to try and keep the giant center lane covered, but Karl found an opening and jumped behind Sven. He then twisted to the left to get a clear shot on the big shiny Warhammer, and wow ATM’s are GOOD! Karl took 30 damage in 5 groups of 6, taking 12 to the CT, and the rest across the torsos and LA. To add insult to injury, 2 micro pulse lasers also hit, with one dealing another 3 to the CT. Karl returned fire, 2 plasma rifles, 2 ER medium lasers, and an SRM4, and apparently I was already fed up with the dice, my notes were not happy haha. Both rifles and both lasers missed, but the SRM 4? 3 hits, 2 to the CT, 2 to the LA and the last was a TAC…we’re using floating crits so the TWO crits Karl confirms float to the right arm and take out one of Sven’s brand new ATM 9s…well, it was nice while it lasted. Archimedes in his J. Edgar fired a few shots to help, but failed to connect. Luckily Karl gained 6 heat and failed his PSR face planting on the ground and taking one meat damage, though he stayed awake. What an opening salvo, on to turn 3!~
Turns 3 and 4
Yup, looks like I may have missed a turn 3 picture, oops. Well, we lost initiative again and the Grasshopper came to play this turn. Anyway, Karl Franz was able to get up and jump behind Sven who walked backwards and up the cliff. A few PSRs this turn was tense, but worked well luckily.
Sven keeps dueling with Karl, not a great idea I know, he can’t just give up on this fight though! He’s able to unload with his remaining weapons, dealing 23 damage, spread along the Warhammer’s torso and arms. Karl returns fire, hitting with a rifle, laser and SRM 4, also spreading damage around the Adder. Archimedes keeps looking to help with the Warhammer fight, he hits with all his weapons dealing a but more damage, making sure Karl has to make another PSR this turn. Patricia now gets her time to fight, she also doesn’t activate her stealth armor to manage heat easier. She and Ronan trade a few shots, scratching each other’s paint. Karl makes his PSR and we move to turn 4.
The Azure Phoenix finally win initiative! Karl seems to notice Patricia across the way and decides to help take her out. He feels like Sven’s Adder doesn’t have much fight left and wanted to help take down the real threat, another heavy mech. Patricia and Ronan do some anime moves ending side by side taking shots while looking cool.
Ronan isn’t ready for his anime moves only hits with one of his light ppcs. Patricia nails him with 5 of her 6 guns, also switching to her armor piercing ammo in the light ac/5s. She also crits the Grasshopper’s LT, but only hits armor and a heat sink. but also causes a PSR. Karl Franz whiffs his shots, probably shouldn’t have gotten distracted. Sven and Archimedes hang out and take some shots, mostly just hitting with their smaller weapons, so no PSR here. Ronan makes his PSR and we move on to turn 5.
TURN 5
The Wolves win initiative again, it was nice while it lasted. Karl gets his head back in the game and jumps behind Sven, I’m really struggling without jump jets ugh. Patricia gets behind Ronan, and Archimedes keep Karl in his sites.
Sven twists right and nails Karl, 15 damage from the remaining atm and 6 from a couple micro pulses lasers, enough damage hits the CT for 2 crit checks, and score 2 crits getting an engine and gyro hit! Really good luck, but I had to reference our house rules, rule number one says that we use the core rulebook whenever possible. This is relevant since core changes crippling compared to draconis reach, see DR says that 1 engine and 1 gyro hit counts as crippled, but core removes that, so Karl’s Warhammer is still fine and we’re not done yet.
Karl fires back at Sven with both his plasma rifles, looking to cool off a bit. He hits the Adder’s left arm. Sven is getting pretty lucky, after the ATM crit he’s just had armor damage all over. Patricia takes aim at Ronan’s Grasshopper and hits with 5 of her 6 shots. The armor piercing ammo in the autocannons get a crit but just hit some endosteel, while the er medium lasers get a crit on the right lower arm actuator. Not too bad! Archimedes nails Karl with all his tank’s weapons and also gets 2 crits, jeez, though it looks like i screwed up and didn’t roll for them, would have been on the LA but nothing else is written, oops.
Karl and Ronan stay standing after all that shooting, we’re almost there, just gotta hold out a bit more. We’re doing a lot better against these heavies, but I’m nervous going into every new turn. Fingers crossed that turn 6 see us stay safe.
Turn 6
The Azure Phoenix win initiative this again, and we take advantage of it. The Wolf Reapers try get behind the Phoenix mechs, but we are able to finally not get shot in the back. The hardest move was Karl, after a gyro hit, he can’t move much. 3 walk MP, with running and jumping causing a PSR. It took me like 10 minutes to decide what to do. Being nearly crippled, he wants to get clear of the fighting. Ultimately I just had him walk backwards and not risk falling over. Unfortunately, he’s still being targeted!
Karl takes his shots at Sven, unfortunately he’s run out of plasma ammo! I don’t think I’ve run out of ammo before. Anyway, he fires his other 3 weapons, missing with the SRM 4, and only hitting with one er medium laser, and crits Sven’s right arm again, luckily not crit is confirmed. Sven returns fire, he fires but misses with his flamer, but hits with the ATM 9 and 3 micro pulse lasers. This salvo was NUTS, 36 damage total, and with how shredder the Warhammer’s armor is now, we get FIVE crit checks, wild! Only 2 checks succeed but they both confirm 2 crits each! 2 are in the LA, taking out the shoulder and upper arm acctuator. The second 2 crits hit the CT and hit nothing, and the engine! With that we cripple the Warhammer, I forgot to add the score each turn, but this puts the score at 450 to 150 in the Azure Phoenix’ favor. There’s some other fighting as well, nothing exciting haha.
Game End
So, with that, I had to do some math and stuff to figure out the rest of the game. We have 2 turns left total, since the track says to end after turn 8. The Wolf Reapers need to cripple Sven’s mech and go internal one both the Rifleman and the J. Edgar, neither of which have much damage on them. They can win if they do both, but either lose or tie if they don’t do all three in those two turns. The Warhammer is crippled, heating up and slowed down, while the Grasshopper is just unlucky from what I can tell. The math just didn’t seem good to me. Overall, I called the game here for the AP. Without salvage this track, the Wolves were fine conceding, they won’t lose anything to salvage, and want to save stuff from true destruction.
Track one goes to The Azure Phoenix! I’ll cover everything else in what I’ll now the After Action Report! Just the more fun name for time between tracks. So I’ll see you over there real soon!
