Round of Fire - Update Playtest

We finally had a chance to start play-testing the latest version of Round of Fire.  We used the sample scenario and forces exactly out of the rules.  For the background, I had the locals shoot down an Empire shuttle.  The Empire forces are moving to recover the data core, while the locals are trying to grab anything of value, while keeping the empire from figuring out how it was shot down.  (Each side has an objective to reach, and 2 to defend.)

Comments:  The core mechanic of the game is that every unit (can be made of multiple teams) has an activation chip on a wheel.  Every action you do moves you a certain distance around the wheel.  This very simple yet elegant mechanism makes for a lot of fun tactical decisions, and is by far my favorite part of the rules.

Red forces, including a sniper and some attack drones.  Who forgot to repaint them from the winter camo?  And yes, the sniper is a bush

Blue forces.  1 squad (2 teams) regulars, 1 squad (2 teams) conscripts, a Sergeant and a machine gun team.

The battle area, including a wash running diagonally through the center.  Red deployment area is lower left, blue upper right.  Each side had 2 objectives of their own color to defend, 1 of the opposite color to capture.  Note to self:  get more scatter terrain for objectives!

Terrain rules:  Depressions are light cover, behind rocks is heavy cover.  In rocks is light cover, unless going to ground.  Climbing over rocks sucks up an extra inch of movement.

Random initial deployment on the "wheel".  Blue has a special rule that the Sergeant must deploy first,
so it is good he got turn 4.

Blue regular squad acts first, but has to wait for their boss.  They "Wait" until turn 5
Red assault squad 2 deploys.  they're going to hustle for the objective.  (They want to grab blue #4)  They run 12", and move forward 5 spaces on the wheel.

Run like heck...

...and move your marker that many spaces up the wheel.  That's the whole core mechanic.  Beautiful, isn't it?

Red assault squad 1 goes next.  As they want to support both the assault team and cover a defensive point, they choose a walk action instead.  They move a shorter distance on the board, and less steps on the wheel.

Hurrah, the Sergeant can deploy. He tucks into some convenient cover.

Now the blue regular squads can deploy.  They are going to have to bunch up in the middle to achieve what they want.  This squad chooses to hang back and hook around some rocks to fake out Red on their objective.  They run.

Blue MG team moves out to join the Sergeant in the rocks.  They get a cover bonus for terrain expert.

Blue's battle drones move out to cover the center of the board.

Yep, really need a new paint job on those guys...

Red's running squad now has a decision.  They could run and reach the objective, or walk and catch a section of light cover.  Even though blue still has some troops left undeployed, red thinks they are weak and goes for the goal.

Red sniper deploys.  He has "tactical position 3", so he places 3 markers on the board.  The real sniper won't be revealed until he shoots or the enemy gets close.  (Bushes appear all over the place)

It's now the blue irregular squad turn.  Objective 4 isn't a defense priority for them, but there is a red team sitting on it!  They choose a walk and put one team on the hill, one closer to the Sgt.

Red team 2 figures they better hustle to help their buddies.  They sprint to cover to control the center, but won't activate for a bit.

Time for the Sergeant to do his sergeanty-motivating thing.  He Boosts the irregulars , so they jump backwards on the wheel.  They get an extra bonus, so jump 2 spaces.
Their turn.  One team will fire while the other will close the distance.  They must move the longer distance on the wheel.
First shooting!  All 4 figures can fire, troops in the open.
First guy fires, 1 hit - negated.
Ditto 2
3rd guy gets 2 hits, only 1 save.  One man down!

4th guy gets excited and fires his rocket launcher into the group.  The missile deviated slightly into the rocks, but still close enough to pepper the reds.  His own fellow fire team was just outside the blast radius!  They might have a party for him later...

In any case, they all miss their saves and the whole team is down.  One is still alive, but bleeding out.  The other 3 dead.

Kablooie and they are all dead.  Good thing those futuristic rocket launchers have no back-blast area!

RESET!

Feeling that we did the rocket wrong, we chose to re-set and have the last guy shoot his rifle instead.  One hit, one save.  Now the reds only have 1 guy bleeding out, instead of a dead team.
The other irregular fireteam moves up, almost into contact.  Much easier when your buddy isn't blasting RPG's near you!
But the unit moves up 5 spaces on the wheel, for the group that fired.  Red team also gets bumped up the wheel 1 for shock.

Blue MG team goes next.  Their only target is in heavy cover, so they choose to go on overwatch.
The drones keep marching up the field
The Sniper sets up
Sgt boosts his irregulars back 2 - this is proving to be a good combination
Blue regulars cautiously advance, facing down the drones
The irregulars, thanks to the SGT, activate again.  One team shoots, the other then charges into melee.

First team gets another hit, 2 red guys bleeding out now.  Melee time!  Red chooses to passively defend (don't get to fight back, but don't move up the wheel so far).
Melee is highly unsatisfactory.  Lesson learned - do not enter melee without a special melee weapon.  All hits were easily countered.

Red team 2 is now in a quandary.  Their buddies to the left are getting chewed up.  But to the right is a fire-team in the open!  What to do?  Run through a withering hail of machine-gun bullets or shoot the suckers in the back?

Go left to certain death, or stay here and shoot those poor bastards?  Left it is!

Well, it was time to test the overwatch rules.  They moved at a run to join the melee, and the MG opened up on them.

Heh, heh.  Here comes the pew-pew...

A red team member goes down, bleeding out.

The sniper is all set up now, and completely misses his first shot! (5 dice, none above a 2). Send that guy back to school.

At this point, game paused on account of a birthday party.