FSD Playtest 4

Hey, let's try and break it.

Idea:  Let's not use equal sides.  Lets use asymmetrical warfare - breakthrough attack, using all armor.

Scenario idea:  TECH faction is focusing heavy effort on a small section of the ENLISTED perimeter.  They know the Enlisted have pulled their infantry for defense in other areas. so they are spamming Armor.  (Both sides must deploy 90% armor units)

The idea here was to try and break the system, using only 1 type of units and 1 side greater than the other.  I expected a walk-over, as of turn 4 I am completely in the wrong.

Tech side:

Gun Platform

2x Socrates

2x spider droids

Orbital Deployment

4x Zeno with 1x Fire Control AI

55 points

(okay, technically spider droids aren't "armor" but the fit with the story)

Enlisted:

2x Heavy Battle Tanks

2x Main Battle Tanks

Mobile Artillery

32 points

Tech get 12 dice, Enlisted 10  

I think I got this right, less dice total for the smaller force

Half tech forces in reserve, all on board for enlisted.

Would change this next time.  Maybe 60-75% attacker forces on board.  Too easy for the defense.

Tech get victory cards for every unit exiting the bridge.  Enlisted get victory cards starting turn 3 for every turn nobody exits.  

The Board (2.5 x 3).  Tech attacks left -to -right.  Any unit on "the bridge" has exited the board.

Deployment:

Tech will deploy all 4 Zeno to start.

Enlisted get right 1/3 of board to deploy on.

Heavy tanks on the outside, Mediums in the middle

Artillery backing them up

Zeno team to the South and North, both in cover

Turn 1:

Tech win init.  First roll.  Only got enough 1-2 for one team to Jump.

Zeno 3 activates, uses command to bring Zeno 4 along.  They jump into cover. 

Z3 has a long range shot at a MBT.  Needs 5 or better to hit.  Rolls 3 sixes.  Tank blocks 2.  Takes weapon damage.

Holy Shit!  Eat my railguns, tank!

Z4 has normal shot at HBT.  1 hit.  He blocks.

Enlisted roll dice, allocate.

HBT takes a shot at Z4.  Hits him in cover, but he blocks.

Tech:  Other Zeno team moves.

Enlisted:  Arty has a shot at the Zenos that just moved, long range.  Hits twice, Zeno blocks 1.  Movement damage!

Tech passes.

Enlisted MBT shoots at Zeno 3.  Both shots miss.

End of turn.

Turn 2:  

Tech draws a spider droid.

Tech wins init.  

Zeno 3&4 jump again, this time into contact with the HBT.  Power fist time!

HBT blocks all attacks.

Arty goes first, another shot at the wounded Zeno. 2 hits.  Zeno 1 is dead.  Fire control AI switches to Zeno 3.  

Zeno 2 moves into cover.

HBT backs up (I took 1" per DU away for reversing) and fires at Z3. 2 hits, no saves, Zeno is dead!  No more fire control AI.

Tech passes.

MBT 2 (wpn damage) drives over and shoots at Zeno 4.  Misses.

Tech passes.  

Other MBT moves up and shoots at Zeno 1.

1 hit, movement damage.  

End turn 2

Turn 3:  Enlisted win init.

Lots of fives and sixes, going to be a lot of shooting.

HBT fires at Zeno in his back.  1 hit, movement damage. 

Since he didn't move, also fires MG at the Zeno.  Zeno blocks.

Tech draws a Socrates.  

Zeno 4 jumps towards the bridge, but at his lower rate of speed doesn't make it.

Slow MBT chases him down.  More back shooting.

Zeno blocks the main cannon, but takes 2 hits from the lowly machine gun.  2 more movement damages take him down.

Tech decides to get serious.  Socrates can jump, too!  He jumps behind the other MBT and shoots.

MBT takes a wpn damage from Socrates cannon.  

The MBT races to get behind the Zeno.

Bounces off.

Zeno moves behind MBT and power-fists.  Movement damage for the tank.

End turn 3.

Turn 4:

Tech wins init.  Draws the gun platform!

Suddenly remembering the mission, the Zeno jumps (reduced) heading for the exit.

Enlisted roll, not a lot of high numbers.  But HBT up north has been saving up for awhile.  He moves out and shoots at the Zeno.

Two hits, a one and a six.  Dead Zeno.

Gun platform deploys.  Shoots at MBT.

Both hits go in.  2 more movement damage.  Dead MBT.

HBT 2 moves up, takes shot at Socrates.

Socrates does not save, movement damage.

Socrates jumps into cover.

Other MBT comes around to flank it. 

End turn 4.

End of game for now, will continue.  TECH is badly outnumbered, should have had more on the board at start.  I thought this was supposed to be a cake walk for the Tech, but they need more forces on the board at the start to overwhelm the defenders.

Five Parsecs Bug Hunt 3

 Mission 3  Time to try something outside.  A ground outpost is no longer responding.  Pick up some sensitive material from the storage bunker, download transcripts from the tower, and rescue a prisoner.

Mission Priority 2.  One Hack and 2 retrieve objectives.

Badger and Robbs will go.

I get a 2nd fire team and Sarge again!

Blips placed, troops set.  Go time.

Board overview.  Package is in the building to the left, need to hack the tower, prisoner is in the building to the right

Our prisoner

We draw the left edge for entrance.  Blips are placed.

Bravo squad on the left, Robbs, Badger, Sarge, Alpha squad on the right

A good start!  No new blips. and 1-1-2-2-6.  lots of go-firsts.

Badger dashes for the first objective.

A squad advances and reveals the first blip.

Well, it was a good start. 4 Aliens.

In a stunning display of dice rolling, un-named trooper #3 rolled a steady string of 6's. Hit-dead.  Hit-dead.  Hit-dead.  Then rolled a 2.  Last guy stunned the last one.  

Sarge advances.  Tac 4 is a distract.  He fails.

Robbs advances.  Tac 1 is a block.  Does not try to activate it.

Alien removes stun.  Blips move (1 new generated)

B Squad dashes.  Aliens!

Turn 2:

No blips.

Nobody is going first.

Alien dashes 9" and hits trooper.  Rolls a 1 on damage (can't re-roll damage).  Trooper is stunned but alive.

Blips move.  No spotting.  

A squad - everybody shoots at alien.  he dies.

Capt Badger moves in and retrieves the objective. 

Sarge dashes forward.  Tac 5 is a block.  He does not try to activate it.

Robbs dashes and activates Tac 4!  The tank rumbles to life.  Next turn, no aliens will move within 18"

That emboldens B squad, they advance to reveal blips.

One moves away, one is 4 aliens!.  B squad sucks at shooting, only get 2 stuns.

Turn 3:

No new blips.

Robbs, Badger, and Sarge will all get to go first.

Badger moves with the package.  

Sarge advances to clear a blip. It's aliens!

Guys?  I'm all alone here.

He takes out 1.

No problem.

Robbs advances and stuns another one.

All aliens are within 18" of the tank so they don't move.

Blips move.  2 resolve as large groups.  B Squad is in trouble.  

A squad moves to help.

B squad just keeps shooting.  Some lucky 6's let them take out 3 and stun 2.

Turn 4.  

No blips.

Robbs and Sarge get to go first.

Robbs moves and tries to trigger the tank again. 6!  Aliens will be frozen again.

(Wasn't clear if Tac points could be used more than once.  Game Designer says Yes)

Sarge aims and blasts an alien.

Aliens can't move.

Blips advance and multiply.

A squad keeps running towards their mates.

Badger moves up and stuns Sarge's alien.

B squad shoots more!  Aliens drop like flies, but one gun jams.  

Shit!  Shit!  Shit!

Turn 5.

No blips.

Sarge can go first.

Stuns his alien.

Aliens can go.

3 of them are close enough to dash into brawling.

B squad does pretty well, losing 1 man.

Blips move, one resolves into more aliens.  Sarge is in trouble. 

Robbs moves and hacks the tower!  Way to go!

Capt Badger tries to activate the tank, fails.  Tank shuts down.  Aliens are no longer scared of it.  He shoots one instead.

You got to admit, Captain Badger is pretty bad-ass in this picture

B squad backs up.  Guy with jammed gun only got 1 action, so still jammed.  2 shooters. 1 kill.

A squad moves up, shoots.  2 more kills.  Mowing them down on the left flank.

Turn 6.

One new blip.  Right flank is heavily infested.  Time to give up on Objective 3 and leave.  Sorry dude.  

Nobody goes before the aliens.

Alien crunches another B squaddie.

Sarge gets crunched by 3 aliens.

RIP, Sarge

Blips advance and multiply.  There are now 8 on the board, 7 on the right flank.  Time to run.

Robbs and Badger do a fighting withdrawal.  Robbs misses, Badger hits and kills an alien.

B squad dashes 

A squad does a fighting withdrawal and kills one more.

Turn 7.

No blips.

Can a squad call for retrieval?

Sarge is dead, so 4 dice.

Badger and Robbs can go first.  Or A squad could, but they are just cannon fodder.

Robbs moves and misses.

Badger triggers the recall!  Rescue is barely approved. 

The beacon is set.

Aliens charge A squad.  One trooper manages to kill an alien while being eaten.  One other trooper just dies.

Blips move.

A squad tucks in on the beacon and shoots alien.  He dies.

B squad tucks in on the beacon.  One can shoot at the other aliens.  He gets a kill!  The other clears the weapon Jam.

 

Turn 8.  Final turn.  Just have to survive.  

No blips, if you care.

1 can activate.  Robbs moves, shoots at alien.  Miss.  

One alien can make it to the Captain.  They melee.

Captain beats him!  

And then kills him, too!

A very cinematic conclusion!

Other alien advances.

We don't care about the blips.

Captain Badger backs up to the beacon.

Drop ship arrives.

Total cheesecake photo

Success!  We exfil with 2 objectives completed.

Five Parsecs Bug Hunt 2

 Captain Badger is in sick bay, so SGT Robbs and SGT Burr take a simple, level 2 mission to clear an outpost.  There's computers to be hacked, supplies to be recovered, and reportedly even a prisoner to rescue.  They get lucky with their support rolls, and get 2 squads and a "Sarge".

The outpost.  Tight quarters are hard with this game

The crew stacks at the door.  Sarge takes point, a squad behind him.  Sgt's Burr and Robbs stack with the 2nd squad.

Sarge starts by spotting an alien and killing it.

Sarge and Robbs clear 2 blips.

Red squad jumps 4 aliens, kills 1 stuns 1.

Aliens retaliate and kill 2 troopers.

Sarge kills 1

Aliens attack, 2 more dead.

Robbs secures Objective 2.

Next turn aliens go first.  Sarge isn't going down without a fight.  He kills 1 and stuns the other.

Everybody left alive shoots a couple more aliens.  Burr misses.  

Oh Shit!  When you roll for bad guys and it is D3+1, they stack up fast.

Burr goes down.  1 trooper, Sarge, and Robbs exit.

So, after two games, this is pretty deadly in tight terrain.  I'll try one outside to see what happens, but I have to simplify things if it is interior.  They just get on you too quick if you're indoors.