For nearly a full Imperial-standard year, A Squadron, #2 Commando, 222nd Guaiacan Commando Regiment, remained hunkering down in their heavily fortified firebase repelling assault after assault of Tyranids or Orks... or sometimes both in one night.... Occasionally, there would be no assault - but all would be kept up by the noise of the Tyranids and Orks fighting EACH OTHER deep within the Jungle with terrifying ferocity! It was utterly exhausting. Had it not been for the brave pilots of the Aeronautica Imperialis, bringing in daily flights of supplies and reinforcements. Nearly half their number had become casualties - killed or taken out of the line due to incapacitating injuries.
Then if fell silent for good. Well, as silent as it got deep within the Jungles of Xoxigar Tertium. After a few dozen Chronocycles of no attacks, it was determined that patrols should be sent out. See what happened to the Orks and Tyranids. Had they destroyed themselves repeatedly dashing their forces against the steadfast Guaiacan's Firebase? Had they all finally killed each other out there in the Jungle? Were they all just regrouping for further attacks?
Presence Patrols were sent out to re-establish their authority in the region. Known locations of nearby villages and remote stations were scouted first.
They didn't expect to find much in the way of human survivors. A few of the settlers in nearby villages had sought refuge in the firebase when things went really bad and had long since been evacuated to the capitol of Xoxigaria or one of the other cities in the region.
Hammer Troop was one of the first to head out. They were inserted via Valkyrie to a nearby logging facility. It was completely abandoned and nearly utterly destroyed. The Orks must have torn it appart and used the scrap metal to make weapons and their absurd machines of war.
From there the team proceeded over land to look for any signs of enemy presence
Their first encounter was not with the Terrifying Tyranids or the Ferocious Orks... but what looked like humans. A rather weary, ragtag group of humans... They were armed, though. Were these rebels that had fled the cities? Could they possibly be workers or settlers that has somehow survived the relentless assaults of the past year? That simply couldn't be - the Guaiacan Commandoes had barely held on - and they were highly trained and well equipped war-fighters.
Sergeant Hammer called out to them - asking them to lay down their arms and prepare to be searched. The mongrel group simply replied with heavy gunfire. They had their answer....
Last week Finnegan and I played our second game (my third) of the new Kill Team - and started a campaign! I decided I'd like to play my Guaiacan Commandoes and Finnegan wanted to play his Genestealer Cultists, which last saw action in the Rise Up campaign last summer, indeed the Kill Team are survivors of the uprisings that took place in cities across Xoxigar Tertium - most were brutally put down by the PDF with the aid of and Inquisitor of the Ordos Xenos and her personal detachment of Marines of the Deathwatch.
SCENARIO
We played the Duel of Wits scenario out of the Kill Team Core Rulebook.
FORCES
Hammer Troop - Veteran Guard Kill Team
3 Troop, A Squadron, #2 Commando, 222nd Guaiacan Commando Regiment
- Sergeant Hammer (Sergeant Veteran with Bolt Pistol and Chainsword)
- Cpl. Hunt (Confidant Veteran with Lasgun and Fighting Knife)
- Cpl. "Voxer" O' Rielly (Comms Veteran with Lasgun and Fighting Knife)
- Cpl. "Doc" Hauser (Medic Veteran with Lasgun and Fighting Knife)
- LCpl. Weirzynski (Demolition Veteran with Lasgun and Fighting Knife and Demolition Charges!)
- LCpl. Hughes ( Spooter Veteran with Lasgun and Fighting Knife - and Mortars on call!)
- Pte. Oswald (Sniper Veteran with Long-Las and Fighting Knife)
- Pte. Dyck (Gunner Veteran with Plasma Gun and Fighting Knife)
- Pte. Loiselle (Gunner Veteran with Grenade Launcher and Fighting Knife)
- Pte. Melton (Gunner Veteran with Meltagun and Fighting Knife)
- Pte. Quincy (Trooper Veteran with Lasgun and Fighting Knife)
- Pte. Jules (Trooper Veteran with Lasgun and Fighting Knife)
- Pte. Sack (Trooper Veteran with Lasgun and Fighting Knife)
- Pte. Dane (Trooper Veteran with Lasgun and Fighting Knife)
The Ebony Vipers - Brood Coven Kill Team
- Morris "the Strixx" (Neophyte Hybrid Leader with Power Pick and Auto Pistol)
- Escalosa (Neophyte Hybrid Trooper with Autogun)
- Maria (Neophyte Hybrid Trooper with Autogun)
- Edna (Neophyte Hybrid Trooper with Autogun)
- Dawn (Neophyte Hybrid Trooper with Autogun)
- "Madder" Gerald (Neophyte Hybrid Trooper with Autogun)
- "Diminutive" Jack (Neophyte Hybrid Trooper with Shotgun)
- "Bellowing" Fred (Neophyte Hybrid Trooper with Shotgun)
- Sean (Neophyte Hybrid Trooper with Shotgun)
- Gaston "the Guy" (Neophyte Hybrid Trooper with Shotgun)
- "Mad" Agness (Neophyte Hybrid Gunner with Grenade launcher)
- Wilfred (Neophyte Hybrid Gunner with Webber)
- Three-Armed Pete (Neophyte Hybrid Heavy Gunner with Mining Laser)
- "Smelly" Percivalt (Neophyte Hybrid Heavy Gunner with Seismic Cannon)
THE GAME
Sorting things out.
Setting up.
FIRST TURNING POINT
All ready to go!
During the Target Reveal step each of us had to nominate one of the Objective Markers (NOT adjacent to our own Drop Zone) to be our Primary Objective for the Turning Point - then, either side, if they controlled either of the Objectives nominated, could spend an action point to do the Gambit action to score 1VP.
Also, at the end of the Turning Point, if one team controlled more Objectives than the enemy an additional 2VP could be scored.
Finally there were Tac Ops cards that could be revealed at different times - sometimes in the Target Reveal step... sometime when you did the action that scored them... which ALSO scored VP.
I think I had nominated Objective #3 and Finnegan had nominated Objective #4...?
Hammer Troop - 222nd Guaiacan Commandoes
I used the Move! Move! Move! Order (adding 1" to everyone's Move characteristic for the Turning Point) and the Into the Breech Strategic Ploy (which allowed ALL friendly Guard within my Drop Zone a free Dash action - as long as it took them closer to the enemy's Drop Zone!) .
Every turn I had Cpl. "Voxer" O'Rielly within 6" of Sgt Hammer so whenever Hammer chose his order for the turn, O'Reilly could use his Relay Orders ability so all the Team would be affected.
The loathsome Ebony Vipers skulking in the jungle - not expecting to run into the guard they had fled in the City out here in the JUNGLE!?
Finnegan used the Cult Ambush - allowing him to change orders of his operatives during the First Turning Point (Usually, during the First Turning Point, you must use the order given to the Operative when they were deployed - for the remianing Turning Points, new orders are give when the Operative is activated)
Finnegan had the initiative for Turning Point One and started things off my moving Morris "the Strixx" - his Neophyte Hybrid Leader up - remaining concealed behind cover.
For my first Activation, Cpl. "Voxer" O'Rielly used his solitary Action Point (using the Relay Orders ability reduced his APL for the Turning Point) to do the Signal action, which gives an extra APL to another Operative within 6" - in this case, LCpl. Weirzynski - the Demolitions specialist.
Two Neophyte Hybrids moved up on the Guaiacans right flank. Also under Conceal Orders, they remained invisible to the Guiacans.
LCpl. Weirzynski used the bonus action point to Move, Dash, and his Plant Mine special action.
As part of the action, he also had a Free Dash - to get the frack out of the way! (and back into cover).
I was wondering how the Demolitions specialist could even be useful - having to get to a place, set up a bomb, and then wait for someone to actually GO there and then blow them up!? I mean, who would even go near the bomb - which is obviously right there on the table... Then it occurred to me that it could be used for Access Denial - plant a bomb on an Objective Marker, if the enemy moved up to try and score it... Ka-BOOM!
Of course... I realized afterwards, the bomb would have to be placed, and enemy would have to move up to it later in that turn of before the demolitions expert went in a later turn... and THEN the Demolitions guy would have to activate to trigger it...
ALSO, I realized afterwards, that I could have just spent his action doing the GAMBIT and scoring VP!?
Still figuring this stuff out...
Wilfred, the Neophyte Hybrid Gunner with a Webber, moved up to take up a firing position overlooking one of the Objectives.
Ptes. Dane and Quincy both moved up to Objective #3 - controlling it. Dane got there with one Action Point to spare, so he did the Gambit Action - scoring the Guaiacans their first VP!
One of the Neophyte Hybrid Cultists was able to get a line of sight on Pte. Dane and took a shot - doing 6 damage, injuring him severely!
Pte Jules was close enough to Objective #3, that he ran up and scored it! 2nd VP for me, and denied Finnegan the possibility of scoring either this turn!
Another Heophyte Hybrid moved up and shot Pte Jules with his shotgun.
A second moved up and finished off Pte Jules with his autogun! First casualty!
Hearing the crack of fire, Pte Oswald, the team's sniper, turned and spotted the Cultists firing on Pte Jules. Sean, the Cultist with the Shotgun, was seriously injured by the shot - the only thing that saved him from being taken out was the fact that the shot had gone clear through the trunk of the tree his was taking cover behind!
A Neophyte Hybrid Cultists shot at Pte. Dyck (one of the few that didn't have a Conceal Order this first Turning Point) luckily he was still in cover and the shot missed.
Pte. Dyck returned fire with his plasma gun vapourizing part of the tree the cultists was hiding behind - and part of the cultist too - taking him out of action!
A sudden blast of light as bright as the sun flashing through the dark undergrowth of the Jungle tends to draw fire, though... and through the rest were concealed, that didn't stop them from being affected by the frag grenade launched at Pte. Dyck. Though Dyck and O'Rielly managed to emerge unscathed, Teh Sarge and Doc Hauser were both injured - the Sarge pretty severely!
Pte. Loiselle decided to put an end to that Cultist launching grenades at her crew - and fired a Krak Grenade at the Cultist Gunner... and that gunner harassed hammer Troop no more - at least in THIS skirmish!
A Cultist made a move. Pte Melton moved up under cover to prepare for an attack the following Turning Point.
One of the Cultist Heavy Gunners moved up, under cover, into a position where they could bring fire down on the Guaiacans. LCpl. Hughes, the spotter, repositioned to get a better view of things.
The other Cultist Heavy Gunner moved up beside the first. Doc Hauser slapped bandages on Sgt. Hammer and himself (we'd missed the rule that you cannot do the same action twice in the same round...) - not that it helped wither of them THAT Much!?
One last cultist took a shot at Pte. Dane - severely wounding him!
At the end of the Turning Point, the Guaiacans scored another two VP for holding more objectives than the Genestealer Cultists - bringing their total to Four!
SECOND TURNING POINT
The State of things at the beginning of the Second Turning Point
Same thing... slightly different angle....?
I managed to win the initiative for the Second Turning Point. I nominated Objective #3 as my Primary Objective and Finnegan nominated Objective #1 - in the center of the battlefield as his. Sgt Hammer game the TAKE AIM! Order (which allowed friendly Guard to re-roll ones when shooting - which Cpl O'Rielly relayed to all) and I also used the TAKE COVER! Strategic Ploy (which improved the Guard's save characteristic when fired upon in cover!). Finnegan used the Lurking in Shadows Ploy (which also gave the Cultists some benefit when being shot at in cover).
In the Target Reveal Step, I revealed ALL of my Tac Ops Protect Assets (Bonus VP if I take out two or more Enemy Operatives within 2" of any Objective Markers) , Hold the Line (bonus VP if there are no Enemy within 6" of my Drop Zone) and Stand Fast (bonus VP at the end of any Turning Point I control MORE objectives)
Pte. Dane went first and did the Gambit Action on Objective # 3 (+1 VP!) and then got the hell out of there before someone finished him off!
Pte. Sack activated at the same time as Dane and Took a shot at one of the Cultists - causing 2 damage.
One Neophyte moved up and did the Gambit on their Primary Objective scoring their first VP of the game! Another Joined him to secure the Objective and took a shot at Pte. Loiselle and missed!
Pte. Melton stepped around the corner of the tree he was hiding behind and aimed a superheated blast of air at tone of the cultists (Bellowing Fred), melting his weapon... and clothing... and flesh... and that was the end of Fred's participation in this action!
Fred's screams drew the attention of one of the other cultists who fired on Pte. Melton and missed.
Another (Jack), maneuvered to get a clear view of Pte. Quincy and blasted him with his shotgun!
LCpl. Hughes brought in fire from the On Call mortars back at the firebase - blasts from the falling bombs severely damaged Jack...
The Heavy Mining Laser fired on Pte. Dyck and wounded him!
Pte. Loiselle fired back at the Heavy Mining Laser. This time she fired Frag - hoping to catch the other heavy gunner hiding behind the dame cover. Both were damage - but neither enough to compel them to give up the fight!
The Gunner with the Seismic Cannon also shot at Pte, Dyck - and missed, but hit Cpl. O'Rielly!
Doc Hauser moved up and sprayed some Synskin on Pte. Dyck's wounds and gave him a shot of Stimm and he was good to go again!
Wilfred, the Cultist Gunner with the Webber moved up and blasted Loiselle with Sticky Goo! this injured her and reduced her APL (we're STILL not entirely sure if this reduces it for the one turning point, or until the Operative is activated again - we are assuming it's until the Operative is next activated for now... need to remember to re-read the rules AGAIN - looking for clarification on that!)
Pte. Oswald adjusted his sites and put a neat hole through the Webber Gunner, taking him out of the action for now!
Two Neophyte Hybrid Cultists (Sean and Edna) rushed Private Sack blasting away with Shotgun and Autogun and trying to secure the objective.
Pte Dyck lit up the jungle with the supercharged particles projected from his plasma gun. When the smoke and steam cleared there was one less Cultist standing by the Objective in the centre of the battlefield.
Morris, the Cultist's Leader, charged Pte. Melton. The attack was ferocious and damaged Melton severely... but in the confusion, the Neophyte Hybrid also injected the Meltagunner with... something (this was a Tac Op - instead of doing damage with one attack die that WOULD do damage - he instead scores 1 VP). Melton, for his part, did some damage to the Enemy's leader!
Cpl Hunt shot at a Cultist and missed. Another Cultist joined the one on the central Objective.
Cpl. Weirzynski detonated the bomb he'd set by Objective #4 - and just blasted the two nearby Cultists off into the bush where they lay low for the rest of the action!
At the end of the Turning Point, I scored 2VP from Tac Ops - Protect Assets (Bonus VP if I take out two or more Enemy Operatives within 2" of any Objective Markers) and Hold the Line (bonus VP if there are no Enemy within 6" of my Drop Zone). Finnegan scored 2VP for holding more objectives.
THIRD TURNING POINT
For the Third Turning Point, I had the initiative. I used the Take Cover and Clear The Line Strategic Ploys and Sgt. Hammer issued the Take Aim! Order. Finnegan used Lurk In Shadows again.
Loiselle cranked a frag grenade at the Two Neophyte Hybrid Cultists cowering by the Objective Marker in the middle of the table. Both were injured, but neither take out of action!
One of them performed the Gambit action (+1 VP) and then shot at Loiselle - and missed. The other Shot at Pte. Dane - and also missed! Guess they were a little concussed by the grenade that just went off in their faces!
Pte. Dyck fired his plasma gun, again, at the Cultist operating the Mining Laser - and injured him severely - but Three-Armed Pete soldiered on (with one wound remaining). Then Dyck decided to relocate - AWAY from the Sarge, "Voxer", and "Doc" Hauser.
More cultists were on the move and took shots at assorted Guard - missing.
Private Sack moved into cover and did the Gambit action on Objective #4 (+1 VP)
Pte Dane and Jack exchanged shots - both missing. Pte. Dane staggered away, trying to get into some kind of cover.
Morris - The Genestealer Cultist Leader smashed down Private Melton with his Power Pick!
Exchanging shots... no one hitting anything...
LCpl. Hughes called in the mortars again... some stray shrapnel winged the Cultist's Leader, but completely missed Jack - who was down to just one would - teetering in the open.
Seeing the Plasma Gunner flee his hiding spot into deeper cover, Three-Armed Pete turned his sites on Loiselle who was seriously harassing - his fellow cultists with her grenades. The searing heat of the mining laser blast burned Loiselle badly, she crawled under some cover and would take no more action in this skirmish.
Oswald, the sniper, picked off another Cultist sitting on the Objective in the centre of the action.
The Seismic Cannon Operator, having no visible targets, relocated.
Hunt dashed over to the right flank which was having some trouble and took a shot at the Cultist standing in the open, hoping to finish him off... but he staggered and swayed as Hunt took his shot and it missed!
Their numbers depleted, The Grenestealer Cultists were now able to use Overwatch Fire - Jack shot back at Hunt, peppering him with shotgun pellets.
Doc healed the Sergeant up to full (Synskin and Stimm does the job every time!)
Weirziynski took another shot at the mad ccultist blasting away with his shotgun and FINALLY took him down! Or maybe Jack just decided to call it a day and dropped and rolled into cover and crawled away on his belly...
Again I scored VP for the Protect Assets and Hold the Line Tac Ops, Finnegan got VP for holding more Objectives.
FOURTH TURNING POINT
Morris "the Strixx" charged Trooper Dane, who was barely able to stand at this point, One blow from his Power Pick took him down... but he did not deliver a killing blow... instead he picked up the downed Trooper and hoisted him up onto his shoulder and scurried off into the Jungle...!?
(Finnegan played the Capture Hostage Tac Op - played when you take someone out of action - and the Operative that won disappears from the table - carrying off their hostage - and scored 2 VP)
The funny thing is there are no further ramifications for the captured trooper, which I find odd... They are treated like any other casualty and make a casualty check and, unless they roll a one, are fine and return to action immediately! In NEcromunda gang members CAN be captured by other gangs and either ransomed back or the gang can try to mount a rescue operation or they can be sold to the guilders... I guess it's a little harder to come up with what might happen as there are so many wildly different species with wildly different outlooks on each other... presumably he was interrogated and probed and possibly injected with... stuff... and then escaped!?
Hughes called in a mortar strike on the Cultist holding the central Objective - injuring the neophyte hybrid there and taking out the Seismic Cannon operator nearby! The surviving Neophyte did perform one last Gambit action and held out hoping to keep hold of the Objective for one last turn.
Oswald ended that possibility with a clear shot through the cultists shoulder.
Dyck moved back tho his original firing position and took one last shot at Three-Armed Pete and finished him off... or at least finished off his will to continue fighting and forced him to flee...
Sack performed one last Gambit action for one more VP.
at the end of the Turning Point the Guaiacans claimed more points for Hold the Line AND Protect Assets AND Stand Fast (holding the most objectives) - in addition to the points they scored for holding more objectives in the first place!?
The game ended with the Guaiacans prevailing 16VP - 10VP!
POST GAME
Quinn, Jules, Loiselle, Dane and Melton had all be incapacitated with injuring during the brief engagement. Checking on that after the smoke cleared, all were find (nothing a little Synskin and Stimm couldn't fix) Melton was in a little rougher shape - he looked like he might bleed out from the blow from the Power Pick - Doc Hauser had to dig a little deeper into his medical kit and fetch out a self-sealing arterial couple and a bag of universal-plasma. (I failed Melton's Casualty test - BUT if one still has a medic on the table at the end of a game, ONE failed casualty test may be re-rolled!
Finnegan wasn't so lucky - without a medic, he had to just take the battle scars for two of his troops that failed casualty checks. Jack - who had been blasted multiple times by Mortar rounds and shot a few times with lasguns ended up with s Sever Concussion. Edna - one of the ones knocked out by Weirzynski's demolition charge blast ALSO ended up with a Severe Concussion. Both very apropos!
finally we tallied up experience points - this was a bit of a chore doing it after the fact - good thing I'd take so many notes! We decided this was a thing we out to do throughout the game in the future! No one made it to veteran (6XP) but Morris, the Genestealer Cultists leader earned five and four of the Guaiacans earned four each - including Sergeant hammer, Weirzynski, Dyck and Oswald. Others on both sides got one or two - sometimes three...
Because I hadn't had a chance to look over the Spec Ops missions beforehand, I kind of retroactively decided I'd work on 10.0 Secure District Spec Op from the Core Rulebook (which narratively makes sense). To complete the Spec Op I have to complete FIVE GAMES in which I score VP from Protect Assets Tac Op or the Plant Banner Tac Op and then complete ONE game where I score VP from the Central Control Tac Op! I didn't even have Plant Banner in my Tac Op Deck (but I will make sure to in future games!) but I DID score points via Secure Assets - so that's one game down - five to go! Upon completion of the Spec Op, I gain an additional three Requisition Points and can either add a piece of rare equipment to my stash OR increase my asset Capacity by one.
If we're going to keep playing in the Jungle, I think I'm going to need to make some more appropriate barricades - maybe some log piles?
I'm really loving the game! I have a few things that kind of bother me a little... but not enough for me to not enjoy the game immensely...
One problem with the rules is that Charge is a 1AP action cannot be done in the same activation as a regular move and does NOT include a fight action. I think the Charge Action SHOULD Have been a 2AP action that included both the move into contact and the first round of fighting - without any restrictions on using move - this would give Operatives with an 3 APL the option to move THEN charge and fight!
Pistol Range - I do LOVE that pistols are incredibly short ranged compared to rifles... but I almost feel like it's TOO short. I mean, MOST operative can CHARGE farther than a pistol can shoot...!? I'd like RNG (pentagon/6") weapons to shoot up to 2 (pentagon/6") if the target is within the first (pentagon/6") they shoot normally, if firing beyond that - up to 2(pentagon/6") - they get one less attack dice.
I like that being wounded (more than half wounds lost) drops the Move by 1(circle/2") - I would rather things (like wounds or Overwatch fire) that "degrade" WS/BS instead reduced the number of attack dice for said attacks. I think it would be a cleaner way of degrading a fighter's ability under those circumstances.
As I said, though, I can live with things the way they are...
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