Not an Ambush this Time, ground combat test 3

Not an Ambush this time!

I decided to re-try the 4 TL-14 Battle Dress guys vs. the 8 TL-10 guys.  This time I gave each side a sergeant with leader and tactics skill, and a spotter with Observer skill and a scanner.

Side A—the New Battle-Dress Badasses:

Sergeant Ator:  heavy laser, advanced battle computer

Spotter Bilko: RAM auto-GL, advanced battle scanner

Trooper Clangor:  FGMP-14

Trooper Dunlevy: laser pistol, TAC missiles

Side B—The Returning Champions

Sergeant Florus:  laser rifle, disposable rocket launcher, battle computer

Spotter George:  RAM grenade launcher, battle scanner

Trooper Hank: Advanced Combat Rifle, 2 rifle grenades

Trooper Irving: TAC missile, laser carbine

Trooper Jimbo:  ACR, 2 rifle grenades

Trooper Kastor: ACR, 2 rifle grenades

Trooper Louis: ACR, 2 rifle grenades

Trooper Mike: ACR, 2 rifle grenades

Spotting Round:

Both Sides spot one another since they have both the equipment and skills to make a good attempt.

So, Florus and Ator must compare Tactics, they’re tied, but the Advanced Computer gives a better bonus so Ator wins, and chooses to be Intruder.

TURN 1

Intruder Movement:  Ator and Bilko “stand” behind a stone wall waiting for targets.  Clangor and Dunlevy run up to get cover far ahead, but Dunlevy falls short and is partially exposed to fire.

Intruder Direct Fire: only Dunlevy has a shot and fires his laser pistol at Mike, but misses.

Native Return Fire: Mike fires at Dunlevy with a rifle grenade and kills him dead.

Morale Phase:  since the Badasses have lost 25%, they must check morale, and fail.  I have a tantrum and rule that colonel Klink rides past and rallies them.

Command Phase: Klink rallies Badasses.

Native Movement: The entire squad moves into shade of building on the opposite side where Clangor is waiting. 

Native Direct Fire: no targets available

Intruder Return Fire: no targets available

Native Command Phase:  Mike reloads his rifle grenade.

TURN 2

Intruder Movement: Ator and Bilko stand, waiting for targets; Clangor runs behind a shed farther away from the enemy.

Intruder Direct Fire: no targets

Native Return Fire: no targets

Intruder Command Phase: none

Native Movement: Mike stands but pokes his head around the corner.  Louis walks around the corner to the next alley.  Jimbo and Kastor stay under cover behind Mike.

Florus, George, Hank and Irving rush around the other side of the building to the shed.

Native Direct Fire:  Mike fires at Bilko, but misses due to the cover of the stone wall.   Louis also misses Bilko because of cover and his snap-shot penalty.

Intruder Return Fire:  Bilko turns his RAM AutoGL against Mike and Louis, pumping 10 grenades down line.   Louis is hit 4 times and is turned to grease.  Mike is only hit once because of cover, but once is enough and he’s grease.

Morale Phase:  The Champions hold morale.

Native Command Phase: none

TURN 3

Intruder Movement:  Ator and Bilko stand still waiting for targets.  Clangor ‘evades” from the back of the shed toward the stone wall.

Intruder Direct Fire: none

Native Return Fire: None

Morale Phase: none

Command Phase: none

Native Movement:  Florus, George, Hank and Irving “walk” out to form a skirmish line to get shots at Ator and Clangor.

Native Direct Fire:  the Snap-Shot penalty combined with the cover or evasion bonuses are too much, and all four miss their shots against Ator and Clangor.

Intruder Return Fire:  Ator hits Florus with a heavy laser rifle and evaporates him.

Morale Phase: Champions fail

Command Phase: none

TURN 4:

Intruder Movement: none

Intruder Direct Fire: Ator evaporates George.  Clongor evaporates Hank

At this point it’s over and the remaining champions flee the field.

LESSONS LEARNED:

Not ambushes are much more interesting than ambushes.  I know the turn sequence may seem clunky on paper, but I actually really liked it in practice, far more than I expected.  It was basically the Striker turn sequence made to match the Space Combat sequence in terminology.

Man, running around in front of guns is really stupid. Now this was a fight where everyone was using weapons that way over-matched the target body armor.   In normal fights where people will be shooting guns and wearing ballistic cloth armor, there will actually be wounds instead of gruesome disintegration on every hit.