Sulu Station, Marrisef – Duran Sector, 237-1128
SITUATION
Marrisef was colonized by MORG Corporation generations ago to exploit the planets resources. MORG is still the largest employer on the planet and technically still “owns” the planet and governs it – even though a whole society and separate economy has developed around the settlements that were originally just for workers brought in from off-world to run the mining, refining and manufacturing plants.
A downturn in the interstellar economy in recent decades has meant massive lay-offs in the MORG plants on Marrisef – but the corporation refuses to return workers to their “planet of origin” as most were born on Marrisef, as were most of their parents and grandparents… At the same time the corporation refuses to recognize or allow local governance…!?
This situation has left thousands of families without jobs on a planet with no self-government and no social support structure. Dissent has grown rapidly. First there were terrorist attacks against MORG corporate offices and installations. This was followed by outright rebellion.
The rebels seem to be supplied by VORPCO Industries, MORG’s corporate main rival in the Duran sector – given that captured rebels have been armed with equipment from Zuarmco (a subsidiary of VORPCO Industries).
It their boldest operation to date, a company-sized force of rebels, along with a half-dozen obsolete wheeled AFVs, have seized the Sulu station, just north of the Gaardavaar mountains. The Sulu Station is a smelting and refining plant for Kirkidium.
The Timashek Legion has been hired to “remove the squatters”.
SCENARIO
This is a standard All Round Defence scenario right out of the Future War Commander book. The Rebels start on the table using static deployment around the Sulu Station. The Attackers (the Timashek Legion) start on any tableside using mobile deployment. A minor objective for both sides is to cause 25% casualties, the major objective is to break the opposing force.
The attacker (the Timashek Legion) is NOT to call in orbital strikes, air strikes or artillery anywhere within 20cm of any of the Sulu Station (“This installation has a certain dollar value attached to it…”)
FORCES
The forces are rather small as this was our first game and I didn’t have a lot ready and it’s always nice to just play a quick game then read the rules and figure out everything I had wrong, lied about or just simply made up on the spot….
Timashek Legion
CO – Colonel Andrak Worbn.
Kra Recce section
Timashek Armoured Cavalry Squadron, with:
HQ - Captain Pladna Amninit
2x F’gen heavy Grav Tank
3x Kra IFV
4x Legion Infantry
1x Support Section (Smart Missile)
1x Support Section (Mortar)
Rebels
CO Jarad Mershkah
HQ
6x Rebel Infantry
1x Infantry Upgrade (Smart Missiles)
2x Wheeled AFV
3x 10cm sections of trench
THE GAME
Mr. Miller cut out of work early and made his way by bus halfway across the city on this cold and snowy evening to join me playing my first game of Future War Commander. Such determination in the face of adversity is the sort of stuff the Legion is made of, so I let him play the The Timashek Legion tonight.
(Remember: click on the pictures for a bigger version)
I started off by deploying the rebels in trenches around the station.
TURN ONE
Legion
Mr. Miller split the Legionnaires into two formations; the two heavy grav tanks in one under direct command of the CO, and the infantry and their IFVs in another under the HQ. The recce unit deployed. The Infantry failed to arrive.
Not so the tankers! They charged onto the table with two moves setting themselves up on a dune out of range of anything the rebels could have, ready to open fire on any available targets.
Rebels
I considered whether I should try to get my wheeled AFVs to turn around and face the tanks…. Or head over to where the IFVs would be entering – as they were coming on pretty much from opposite ends of the table. It didn’t take much thinking… I decided on the IFVs, of course, as it would take me away from the heavy grav-tanks, which meant certain death and took me towards things I might actually be able to take out… with soft juicy infantry inside to go with them… All of this plotting was for naught as I couldn’t pass a successful order on to them and they sat where they were, asses facing the heavy grav tanks….
TURN TWO
Legion
The recce unit passed on vital information on the enemy’s dispositions (+1 CV).
The Infantry STILL failed to arrive!? Mr. Miller was starting to wonder if they might have been accidentally been paid in full before the operation….!? The tankers got tired of waiting and tried to assault the infantry.
The two grav tank troops lit up one of the rebel AFV units. Then one moved while the other lit up the second unit… 25% casualties, minor objective achieved.
Rebels
Having on one in range and LOS of my infantry weapons I had little I could do.
TURN THREE
Legion
The Recce unit redeployed thinking the infantry HQ might need some help…. Didn’t quite get close enough.
Glide on to the table they did! For one move. Then they stopped behind a dune and had tea or something…
The Grav tanks sat and waited. They didn’t fail issuing orders or anything; they just thought they’d wait for the infantry….
Rebels
The rebel infantry sat in their trenches, watching the grav tanks, that were watching them… it was a pretty tense situation… what WERE they up to…!?
TURN FOUR
Legion
The recce unit redeployed again.
The infantry continued having tea or sorting out their ammo or whatever it was that caused them to fail to act this turn… again!?
The Grav Tanks got tired of waiting and decided to assault the rebel infantry in the trenches.
FWC Lesson #1 – FWC infantry are deadly don’t go within 30cm of them with an expensive tank. The first tank went in, saved all hits from the infantry response fire (Ah, oh yeah… there’s no “*” by that 3/30… they cause hits to hard targets – no matter they were all saved….) fought three rounds against the infantry in trenches. Each of the first two rounds could not hit them, took one hit, and saved it. Round three, same thing, except didn’t save the single hit so had to retreat and be suppressed…. The other tank took one hit on the way in, failed to cause any hits in close assault, took one themselves and were destroyed!?!?! GAH!!??
We realized after that we messed up on the first tank as technically after the first round it should have fought as if the infantry was in the open… but this brought up some questions – does a grav tank fighting on a second turn then lose it’s harder to hit ability in close assault? The hit as if in open on the second round of close assault is suppose to simulate the fact that the assaulters are right there “in it” with the defenders… how can a grav tank floating above be right “in it”…?
Rebels
The two teams that survived the close assault by the tanks fired on the remaining tank unit with initiative fire and knocked it out!? KA-BOOM!!! A glorious victory for the revolution!
TURN FIVE
Legion
Recce sends tactical information to the mechanized infantry HQ… that’s what they were waiting for…
The infantry deployed!
Then they fired on the Rebel infantry in the town as the IFV moved around to the flank to support an advance on the station. I tagged one of the infantry stands with some op fire (one hit, no suppression) but suppressed an IFV! A second order had the infantry, the unsuppressed IFVs and the mortar team all firing into the station. The net result: 1 rebel infantry section knocked out, one suppressed.
Rebels
The rebel leadership managed to issue one successful order this turn. it might have been the first one in the game… it might have been the ONLY one in the game… one team moved, two others turned around in their trenches, and a fourth fired on the Legion infantry.
TURN SIX
Legion
The legion surged forward with four successful orders taking the trench at the south end of the station – having knocked out the remaining infantry there through weight of fire alone.
Rebels
Initiative fire caused two hits on an IFV suppressing it. NO orders were issued.
TURN SEVEN
Legion
The legionnaires charged into three separate assaults on the first order! The first one went terribly wrong. The Infantry section directly engaged was wiped out, the support unit supporting retreated into a suppressed IFV knocking both out, and the supporting IFV retreated away fro the station quite suppressed themselves. The other two assaults knocked out two more units of rebels.
On their second order the Legion carried on with another assault – rolling up the trench on the west end of the station – knocking out another unit of rebel infantry and the CO which had been attached to it by an overrun.
Two more successful orders were issued which saw the legion shoot up and surround the remaining unit of rebel infantry at the station….
Rebels.
The remaining rebels surrendered…
CONCLUSIONS
Fun.
FWC is much deadlier. This will probably make for some quicker games. Of course we haven’t tried any shields or anything. That might make a few things a bit more survivable…
Alright, now that I’ve got that out of my system I’m going to try and get back on track with finishing up some of my forces for Cold War Commander. I’ll slip in another grav tank here and there, but I want to finish up the Canadians and some more of the Soviet equipment I have. Then there’s The Americans… Africans… Norwegians… I have no shortage of East Germans to paint… I’d also like get modeling and casting again; finish off the modern French and get going on my generic commie figures (at which time I’ll probably work on some power armoured troops for FWC….).
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