Hey everyone,
There will be more about this in the upcoming Dispatch but I just had to share this one right now. Rackham released this picture of the Cog miniatures that they have been showing with a UNA trooper to give some scale. Well, the picture speaks for itself.
More thoughts on this in the next Dispatch, but until then may all of your dice come up Dragons!
Hey everyone,
As you can tell from the title of this post, I have decided to try something a little different. Instead of a bunch of individual posts throughout the week, I have decided to try typing up several "articles" and posting them together on either a weekly or a bi-weekly basis. There will still be smaller updates throughout the week but I thought I would give this new format a try to see how it works. As always I would love to get your feedback about it as well so feel free to post your comments here or drop me a line at dyssnowman@gmail.com. So with that said, lets go ahead and dive into the first AT-43 Dispatch! Enjoy!
The weekend has come to a close and that means it is time for more from the Sin City Snowman. In this week's dispatch, the Karmans clash with the Therians over some urban ruins in our battle report, we will finally take a look at the new Frostbite terrain that I have made, and I will have a miniature review of the Lady in Red herself, Nina Zero. So sit back, relax, and let's get on this the show!
AT-43 Battle Report 27072008: the Therians vs. the Karmans
Does anyone remember how I said that this was going to be the big rematch for the Semi-Mega-Battle? A gigantic battle featuring the legions of the Red Blok support by the Therians fighting against those dirty apes the Karmans? It didn't quite work out that way. Life conspired against us so that idea had to be changed slightly but that's okay because it wound up being a really good game regardless.
Featuring the more manageable 2000 points to a side, this battle had the Web Striders fighting against Nova. This was a first for me as I have always played Cypher so I was very interested in seeing how another faction would handle. On the Karman side of the table was a King Buggy, a single Easy Trike, a full unit of Wendigos led by Cornelius, and a full unit of Kaptars led by a Saint. My side of the table had a unit of Assault Goliaths, a unit of Bane Goliaths, two small units of Storm Golems led by Deltas, Babylon Zero, and a Hekat piloted by an Alpha overseer. For our battlefield, we used a 4' x 6' table with some of the Shop terrain on it; mostly ruins but there was a small stream and pond as well. Here is a view of the table looking down it from the right hand side.
Since I was facing Nova I was able to choose who would move first so needless to say it was me. Go figure! One of the small Storm Golem units moved onto the center of the board first, taking position behind a platform.
Normally I would put one of my more powerful units first in the sequence but this time I wanted to see how the Karmans would be deploying their big guns first.
The Kaptars moved on next, following my lead as they took up position behind a ruin on the center of their side of the board.
My second Storm Golem unit came on next, this time on the far left side of the board.
I was a little worried that they might be too far from the center to really do anything in the battle but it seemed like a good position overall; good cover and it meant that I might be able to hit the Karmans on their flank.
The Wendigos were next onto the board.
Positioned to the left of the center, they were in a good position as far as cover went since there was no way that I could get a good shot on them in the first turn.
My Assault Goliaths were next, taking up position to the left of the Storm Golems in the center.
Letting lose with all their weapons they managed to wipe out four of the Kaptars on the other side of the board, including the Saint! Now I just had to get rid of Cornelius to reduce his LPs to the point that I could really start using my routines effectively...
The King Buggy moved on next taking position next to the battered Kaptars before opening fire with its ZZ cannons against the Assault Goliaths.
The deadly rain of blasts proved to be too much for them as every single was blasted to scrap.
Seeking revenge, the Banes moved onto the battlefield next stepping over the broken shells of the fallen brothers.
Opening fire on the King Buggy, three of the shots managed to pierce the vehicle's armor, damaging the frame and knocking out its engines.
The Easy Trike moved on next to the now stationary King Buggy and tried to open fire on the Banes.
Realizing that he couldn't actually do this, he opted to go onto overwatch instead so that he could wait for a more promising target.
The Hekat went next, running up the right side of the battlefield.
Using Dash is always the best way to move a Hekat but since the Karmans still had most of their LPs, I didn't see the point in even trying. Besides, moving at a rush still got it into a nice and safe location even without the extra 10cm.
The Lady in Red was next, moving up beside the Banes to open fire on the Easy Trike.
Finally having a target, the Trike opened fire with its jammers and totally failing to hit Babylon Zero. I opened up with both of my v2.0 medium nucleus cannons and BAM!!!
You gotta love that! Then I tried to use her special Zero Fire routine thinking that it was free since she was a Web Strider, at which point my opponent reminded me that a routine can not cost less than 1 LP with their advantage and he was canceling it. Grrr... I rolled my damage and somehow only managed to destroy one of the jammers with that volley of fire.
This brought the first turn to a close with the Karmans leading 2 VPs to my 1 VP.
For the second turn I moved Babylon Zero first positioning her behind one of the buildings so that I could avoid some of the heavy fire that would be coming from the disabled King and the Trike.
I had hoped that I might be able to get a shot off against the Wendigos but with most of that unit in cover I decided against it. And for some reason I didn't bother to put her onto overwatch... D'oh!
The Kaptars went next, running up behind the King Buggy so that the mechanic could get the ZZ cannon back online.
Opening fire on the now mobile King Buggy, my Banes were able to inflict two more points of damage to the frame as well as take out one of the ZZ cannons before moving into cover behind the nearby platform with the Storm Golems.
The Easy Trike moved next, flying forward to open fire on Babylon Zero at close range.
Amazingly enough, the Trike once again failed to connect with the Golgoth and sent its energy blasts winging off into the distance.
My Hekat was next up in the sequence, running forward to get into position to attack next turn. I would have been there sooner if I had used Dash but at least it was still able to move at a pretty good clip without it.
The Wendigos went next, advancing slowly but surely through the ruins toward the main conflict.
The second turn ended with both of my Storm Golem units moving into what I was hoping were better positions. On the far left, the unit advanced around the ruin and went onto overwatch.
The unit in the center moved up onto the platform they had been hiding behind, took cover and also went onto overwatch.
This brought the second turn to a close with no change in VPs, leaving the Karmans leading 2 VPs to my 1 VP.
I opened the third turn with Babylon Zero firing on the Easy Trike. At that range it was an automatic hit but I failed to penetrate his armor with even a single shot! With that jammer still to worry about, I pulled further back behind the building to get some cover.
I quickly wondered why I bothered as the Easy Trike flew over the building to get a line of sight on my Golgoth. Now just why did the Therians give the Karmans anti grav vehicles again?
Letting lose with the jammer, it finally managed to score a hit on Babylon, damaging both the frame and one of the cannons.
The Hekat charged forward, finally closing with the King Buggy and ripping into it with its grim scythes, scoring two points of damage on its frame.
The Wendigos advanced again and were finally close enough to join in the fray!
Splitting their fire, the grenade launchers pounded on the Storm Golems that were on the platform, killing all but two of them, while the zz rifles opened fire on the Banes, who amazingly survived unscathed! An incredible stroke of luck that was followed up with none of their shots managing to connect as the returned fire on the Wendigos before moving into cover further behind the platform.
The Kaptars were next up and repaired the engine of the King Buggy before the snipers took out one of the two remaining Storm Golems left in the center.
Managing to make his morale check with flying colors, that last Golem was so motivated that he sprang to his feet to climb down off of the platform!
Well, I actually forgot that he was grounded but it sounds good, doesn't it?
Spinning around, the King Buggy turned its rear flamers to the Hekat and engulfed the Golgoth in twin balls of fire.
Thankfully for me it armor withstood the inferno and it emerged blackened but undamaged.
The Storm Golem unit on the far left moved next, closing with the Wendigos but ultimately no where near enough to be able to actually have their nanoblasters be effective though the sonic gun did manage to score one casualty.
This brought turn three to a close with the Karmans at 3 VPs to my 1 VP.
The fourth turn opened with a bang as Babylon Zero opened fire on the Easy Trike, damaging its engines, destroying its other weapon and pounding on its frame.
Turning their attention to the Storm Golems on the left, the Wendigos advanced toward them and then let loose with all of their weapons.
Just how many dice is that?
And this is not including the four dice from the grenade launchers! Needless to say that unit was wiped out in short order.
Running up behind the Wendigos, I was hoping to go right through the unit with the Hekat but just came up short. Even so I was still able to take out the two that were in contact.
Did anyone else know that a Wendigo is the perfect size to do this?
Advancing around the King Buggy, the Kaptar snipers fired on the Hekat while the other two went onto overwatch.
Most of the shots glanced harmlessly off its armor, but one shot managed damaging its legs.
Moving out of their cover, the Banes took position to fire on the Kaptars but no before they were able to get off their own shoots.
One of the Banes went down in the fire fight but the two that were left quickly took out the last of the Kaptars.
The King Buggy then moved forward and let loose another broadside at the Hekat.
Once again I was lucky as the only damage it took was one point to the frame.
The lone Storm Golem was the last unit to move for the turn, moving up with the Banes behind the platform. This brought the fourth turn to a close with the Karmans at 6 VPs while the Therians trailed behind at 3 VPs.
Turn five started with the Hekat plowing through the Wendigo unit and then turning to attack them in close combat, killing four of them in the process.
All of this and yet Cornelius was still alive!
The King Buggy went next, flying up onto a ruin to open fire on the Hekat with the flamer and Babylon Zero with the ZZ cannon.
The Hekat looses one of its grim scythes in the attack while Babylon takes a second hit to the damaged cannon.
Babylon responds by returning fire against the Buggy and does the last point of damage needed to destroy it, finally taking it out of the game.
Cornelius and the last Wendigo move away from the Hekat to try and destroy the last two Banes but fail to damage either of them and are then killed by the returning fire. This effectively ends the game with the Therians winning 7 VPs to the Karmans 6 VPs.
All and all this was a really close game and a lot of fun. There were a number of times that slightly different dice rolls would have changed the outcome for the whole game, which is something that I really love about this game. Usually it comes right down to the wire before someone finally manages to emerge victorious.
AT-43 Terrain Project: Operation: Frostbite Terrain Tiles
I have finally managed to get most of the work done on my Frostbite terrain tiles. Here is a picture of them laid out with a couple of Golgoths on them for scale.
And here they are from the side with a couple of hills that I made as well.
This whole set up is completely modular and it is also reversible with a terrain feature on one side and an open snow field on the other. Combined with the hills, this should make for some interesting games, though I am really interested to see what the official tiles look like so that I can compare the sizes of the various features.
The creavases in particular are a feature that I am not sure about. I didn't want to make them too large as that could make portions of the battlefield completely inaccessible for an average game but I am thinking about making some special ones that are much wider for use in scenarios. I have the Technobridge that was made by Pegasus Hobbies and I think that would be perfect for an objective in a game.
I also made the ice flows as small individual chunks of ice but I think that I am going to make a couple of larger sections that are mostly solid ice flow. Even then I think I will try to work in some opennings through the ice to make life interesting. What fun is ice if there isn't a chance you will fall in the water, right?
AT-43 Miniature Review: Babylon Zero and Nina Zero
This is something new for the blog. In the past I have done unit reviews but not actual miniature reviews. With the new releases coming out for Frostbite, I decided that it was time to take a closer look at what exactly these new miniatures look. First up is Babylon Zero, shown here from the front...
And the side...
Next up is Nina Zero. Again, here is a view of the miniature from the front...
And the side...
Like Babylon, the paint job is not bad. At first it looks like the metalics were applied in a thin coat but there is actually an orange wash over the metal which makes it seem this way. Another thing that I really like about this miniature is that the arms and the waist are all movable. Why do I like this? Well, there are a couple of reasons that immediately come to mind. First, it is nice that it is somewhat posable as it makes the miniature more unique than a regular Bane Goliath and a little easier to transport. I can simply move the arms so that it fits nicely inside my container and I don't have to worry about it being bent. The second thing is just the basic fact that I am a kid at heart and this reminds me of the old action figures of my youth. Yes, I admit it; I am a geek at heart but aren't we all?
Well, that is all for now but there will be more updates throughout the week and another Dispatch next week! As I said at the beginning, I would also love some feedback about this new format. Do you like it combined this way or are the seperate posts an easier read? Please feel from to post your comments on the blog or you can send me an email to dyssnowman@gmail.com. Thanks a lot and until next time, may all of your dice come up Dragons!
Hey everyone
More information has been released by Fantasy Flight Games about exactly what Operation: Frostbite will contain! In addition to the crystal cluster and three O.N.I. civil engineers, it will also have the rulebook, cards to be used in the missions and scenario booklet. There will also be the new terrain tiles in the game which according to Erik at FFG are actually meant to be used with the tiles from the Damocles campaign. Definitely an odd little twist there but we will have to see how it plays out.
We have already seen the preview of how the terrain will effect the game but there will also be weather effects that will come into play as well. The only one that they have mentioned so far is called Cold Snap. While this is in effect, any unit that does not move in the round is destroyed as it freezes in place. Alright troops, lets get out there and do some jumping jacks!
That's all for now but there will be more soon! Until then, may all of your dice come up Dragons!
Hey everyone,
More information is slowly being released on the DUST miniature wargame. Well, mainly pictures actually but they still look pretty cool so let's take look at what they have to show us. I tried to dig up some additional information from the DUST Sourcebook but since it was published in at least a few years ago some of the information might be a bit dated now. Still, I thought I would include it to give a little more depth to the pictures.
First up is Sigrid Von Thaler with what is called her class II robot "Blitz".
Sigrid is described in the sourcebook as being in charge of secret operations and research that is being conducted by the Reich. Overall she sounds like a very nasty little lady with a sadistic streak a mile wide. The basic design of the walker looks very similar to what the sourcebook describes as the Luther which was the first Axis walker to enter full production in 1944. The main difference between this version and what is pictured as the standard version are the weapons. The book pictures the walker with an autocannon mounted on one arm while the other actually has a large metal pincher, while this walker appears to mount two rocket launchers.
Next up is the C2 Mickey armed with a flamer and equiped for amphibious operations in the Brazillian jungle circa 1952.
The Mickey is described in the DUST sourcebook as the the most commonly used walker by the Allies with several different versions in production. This verison has had its howitzer removed and a flame thrower installed in its place. Judging by the pictures, it looks like it also mounts a Browning .30 cal MG in the hull and a Browning .50 cal MG on the cupola. The large drums mounted on the sides of the hull and the back of the turret are flotation devices, giving this version the ability to wade through rivers.
The next preview is of another version of the Mickey, this time armed with twin 15 inch "Bunker Blaster" rocket launcher, used in Western Europe circa 1946.
This looks like it is armed with the standard 75mm howitzer in the turret in addition to the machine guns and the rocket launchers.
Finally we have the latest picture which is actually a piece of concept art for an Allied character, Rosie.
No details about her that I know of but she looks like the Army's ideal version of a mechanic; not only can she blow stuff up, she can also put it back together again afterward!
Well, that is all for now but from the sounds of things on the DUST website we can expect more previews soon. Until next time, may all of your dice come up Dragons!
Hey everyone,
I just wanted to give everyone a quick heads up that there will be another battle report going up after this weekend. We are planning on playing the big battle again but with the rules changed slightly to make things flow a little bit smoother for us. As an added plus, Babylon Zero should be making an appearance in the game so we can see just how nasty Nina can really be! Besides, it makes perfect sense; an alliance of the Red Blok and the Lady in Red, who could ask for anything more?
There will also be pictures of my Frostbite terrain going up soon! I finally have most of the pieces done so that I can really show how they will all fit together.
Well, that's all for now but until next time, may all of your dice come up Dragons!
Hey everyone,
The latest Cry Havoc Online features more preview pics of the Cogs and the first look at the Dotch Yaga! Exciting stuff for the Reds and the Squids so without further ado, lets take a look at them.
First up are the new lovable neighbors, the Cogs. This issue included a picture of one miniature from several different angles two of which you can see below.
So the big question is "What the heck is it?" I was going to go way out on a limb here and guess that this was actually be a type two special weapon trooper but I am thinking that it might actually be a type 3 trooper. The base looks a little small for what we can normally expect to see from the type 3s but if you look at this prototype picture it seems like this might just be the final version of this type of trooper.
I definitely think that this image was of a type 3 infantry trooper and it does have a number similarities; the missiles on the back, the bizarre little hand grip things that it is carrying.
So what can it do? I am thinking that it is probably similar to the RPG Kolossus unit of the Red Blok in that it packs the potent twin rocket launchers. Note that I did say rocket launchers because I don't think that these will be the locked shot missile launchers like the UNA loves to field. Rackham minis tend to be very WYSIWYG so I am thinking that these will have two stat lines with four attack dice for each one with a pretty potent penetration. As for the things in its hands, I am going to guess that those are some kind of a short range energy blaster. They look more like some kind of targeting device in the prototype drawing but on the actually miniature they really seem more like a blaster. Am I right? Who knows but it is fun to try to figure these things out and then see just how far off you really are! If you have your own guess then by all means post it in the comments as I would love to hear what everyone else thinks this mini might be able to do.
Next is the mini that the Red Blok players have been screaming for over the past few months. "Everyone else at least has pictures of their support striders so where is ours?!?!?" Good news kids, here it is...
The style seems very fitting for the Blok though I can see some people complaining about the legs looking a little too Therian. The thing to remember is that those two weapons pack a serious punch and would no doubt have a pretty serious recoil to go along with that punch! The mortar has a massive 10cm radius while the gauss cannon rolls a whopping five attack dice!The only good thing (for the rest of us at least...) is that both of these weapons thankfully have relatively short ranges. Then again with the Lady in Red I can actually field one with my Therians but I digress... The only bad news is that the Dotch Yaga is still the last item listed on the current release plan but at least all those RB players with have all their new toys from Frostbite to play with to keep them busy while they wait. Small consolation I know but at least it's something!
Well, that is all for now but there should be more soon! The Frostbite tiles that I am working on are still to come, plus there will be another battle report this weekend and I have some other things in the works as well. So until next time, may all of your dice come up Dragons!
Hey everyone,
Fantasy Flight Games has a preview of the Nina Zero up on their website and I must say that she is looking pretty interesting. How so? Well, lets take a look and find out...
Nina Zero is an omnicron overseer that can be fielded in two different forms; either in her Golgoth, Babylon Zero, or on foot with a unit of Bane Goliaths.
Babylon Zero costs 475 points and comes with the v2.0 medium nucleus cannons automatically. This gives it a serious punch and lets you put a higher level overseer into a Golgoth which is always a handy thing. In addition to this, she has access to the Zero Fire routine. What does this do, you ask? For a mere one LP it lets her choose the location of each impact, effectively giving the Therians access to a mobile sniper equipped with anti-tank weapons. You just gotta love that! At least you do if you are a Therian player...
In her other form she must be attached to a unit of Banes, coming in at a total of 530 points (including a relay for the Banes). At first this could sound kind of pricey but when you consider that the whole unit has access to the Zero Fire routine... Eesh... That's gonna leave a mark! We are now talking about eight shots with a re-roll to hit, plus potentially a re-roll on any failed damage tests (thanks to hyper nano nucleus) and then you can choose where all of those damage points are assigned.
The other ability that Nina Zero has access to is Lady in Red. This lets you include a Red Blok unit in your platoon when you field either of the Zero units. This will be interesting to try out as there are a few of units that the Red Blok has that I would be very interested in trying out. Perhaps the Kossak with its potent rocket launchers? Or a unit of Sierps so that I can finally has some indirect weapons on the board... So many options, so little time...
Now all of this sounds absolutely sickening and it can be but there are definitely ways to counter this rather nasty bundle of joy. First and foremost are any abilities that let you cancel other abilities as they are played, such as the advantage of the Nova faction for the Karmans. Failing something fancy like that, there is the good old strategy of pounding the living daylights out of her. It is only a regular Golgoth after all; hit it hard enough and you can take it out, leaving her on foot and slightly more vulnerable.
So what about if she is with the unit of Banes? If you have artillery, just keep pounding them. Goliaths have good armor so you might not be able to take them out even with a couple of salvos from your average indirect fire weapon but you can knock them down which is even worse! Even the lowly Krasny Soldaty grenade launcher with its mere penetration of 4 can pin them down until you can get something stronger into position to take them out.
All in all, Nina looks really nasty but as with most things in AT-43 there is a way to deal with her. The real key is don't just focus on her as that can cost you the game. Try to find a way to deal with her but if you can't seem to be able to do that then just try to avoid her and complete the mission at hand. All the anti-tank sniper shots in the world won't help you if your opponent just won the game by completing the objectives while you were looking for that killer shot.
That's all for now but until next time, may all of your dice come up Dragons!
Hey everyone,
Just a quick update about the Frostbite terrain that I am working on. So far, I have three 1' x 1' boards completed with another 1' x 1' and a 1' x 2' board that I am working on. No pictures yet but I should have some up very soon. I have also picked up material so that I can start working on the next batch of boards as well so now I just need to wade in there and hack up some foam board, which I think I will go do right now.
Until next time, may all of your dice come up Dragons!
Hey everyone,
Fantasy Flight Games just released the following announcement...
"Rackham Organized Play
It's finally here! Aarklash is banging its war drums, calling its warriors to arms, while the universe of AT-43 is ablaze and can only be claimed by one species to dominate the galaxy! League play for both AT-43 and Confrontation will be starting up at your local retailers on August first. This league is going to be a preliminary one to let us know how many stores are going to run Rackham leagues. This information will be used to figure out how many league kits we should order when we launch our official league, that being on September first. More information for that league will be released at a later date."
Very few details at this point but it is a promising sign in my opinion. My FLGS has been trying to find out more information about organized play for AT-43 ever since we started playing down there so it is good that FFG and Rackham are finally going to do something for it. I have also dropped a line to the person at FFG who is in charge of the whole thing to see if he can give any more information and as soon as I get a response I'll be sure to pass it along.
That's all for now but until next time, may all of you dice come up Dragons!
Hey everyone
As I mentioned, I had planned to change the address of the blog this Saturday but I have changed my mind about this. In fact, I am going to be changing the name of the blog back to Sin City AT-43. Why all the flipping and the flopping? Well, I had originally changed it to Sin City Snowman because I was looking at branching out to cover other games as well, but I have since changed my mind and decided to focus primarily on AT-43. I might throw in a curveball every now and then but by and large AT-43 will be remaining my primary focus.
My apologies for any confusion that this might have caused. We now return you to your regularly scheduled blog...
Hey everyone,
Just a quick update to give everyone the heads up that I will be changing the address of the blog this Saturday (aka July 19th). Instead of sincityat43.blogspot.com it will be sincitysnowman.blogspot.com. I will be posting a note at the old address about the change so if you miss this or you forget it will be easy enough to find my new home. Heck you can even Google me now! (I feel so famous...)
That's all for now but there will be more soon!
Hey everyone,
Rackham has released the final faction preview for Operation: Frostbite, the Arceo for the Karmans. So what are they like? Let's take a closer look...
One of the most notable things is their advantage; their vehicles can use the "Take Cover" combat drill. This is a pretty serious advantage, especially with the new rules regarding the crystals. Thankfully, they can not field the King Mammoth as that would just be sick. "Okay, my Mammoth with its 16 armor is taking cover."
On the other side of things is the disadvantage, which is that all type 1 and 2 infantry units have one fewer member for the same cost. Pretty harsh when you consider that this means that their minimum units would be facing Morale checks right from the start since they now only contain three troops. You can buy the missing troop back at no penalty (except the point cost of course...) but ultimately this drives up the cost of the already expensive Karman infantry units by anywhere from 60 to 70 points per unit. With one infantry unit being mandatory, this sounds like it should nicely counterbalance the advantage but we will have to see how it plays out on the battlefield.
What about the pattern itself? Well, it is somewhat flexible as you can actually field one of each type of infanty unit if you wanted to though type I is the most commonly available, followed by type 2 and finally a single type 3 option. The vehicles are another story as there are two fixed type 1 or 2 slots while there is a third slot with the type 1 or 2 vehicle option. Another thing that I just noticed is that all of the infantry slots are literally infantry slots which means that with the support unit rules finally coming out this faction could actually field three vehcile choices along with two support units which seems like it could be a pretty nasty combination.
The Karmans also have access to a new piece of "equipment", the Karmic warrior ability. A unit with this ability can either re-roll or force another player to re-roll any test taken by that the unit or a unit targeting it. Potentially a very powerful ability which is why it can only be used once per game. Coming in at a mere +5 APs per fighter (which means that both infantry and vehicles can use it), I can see this ability becoming pretty commonplace. What's an extra 40 points to be able to re-roll that critical cover save?
Last but not least, Rackham has also released another preview picture of the Cog miniatures. These are very similar to the last ones except that they don't have the sword thingee (like my technical terms?) going for twin pistols instead.
This usually means that the unit will have two identical stat lines for their weapons giving them the ability to potentially fire at two different units in the same turn. I say "usually" because the Wendigos changed that as most people probably remember. In this case, I am thinking that they will go with the two stat line approach again but only time will tell.
Well, that is all for now but be sure to come back again soon for more. Until then, may all of your dice come up Dragons!
Hey everyone,
As promised, here is the conclusion to the Semi-Mega-Battle that we played this past weekend! In the last post we ended turn 2 with the Alliance (aka the Therians and Red Blok) having 8 VPs while the Karmans had 2 VPs.
Turn three opens with my Incubus taking the first move. Advancing towards the King Buggy, it opens fire with both cannons but only manages to inflict a single point of damage to the frame! So much for the v2.0 cannons...
The Dragonov unit on the second story went next, letting loose a salvo on the Wendigos again. They inflicted three more casualties, one of them being Cornelius!
Seeking revenge, the King Buggy drifts sideways and opened fire on the Incubus with all of its weapons, destroying the legs and damaging the frame.
The three remaining Wendigos went next. Opening fire with the grenade launchers, they pound the two squads in the ruins, grounding both units and killing seven Kommandos in that single attack!
The Banes were next up. Moving them forward I opened fire on the still unscathed King Buggy, hoping they would be slightly more successful than the Incubus had been. Once again they did not let me down, damaging the propulsion and inflicting a whopping three hits against the frame.
Urod moved around the front of the ruins and opened fire on the now badly damaged King Buggy and managed to blast it apart with a volley of rockets. Turning its attention to the Wendigos, it then opened fire with the AT gun blasting another one apart.
Things were looking very good for us at this point and then the Kaptars in the ruin on the far side of the table opened fire on my now exposed commander. Two sniper shots later and I had lost my leader, leaving the equally exposed Urash as the new commander.
The second Kaptar unit in the ruins on the right opened fire on the Banes next, but luckily for me they were only able to destroy one of them.
My Assault golems in the center went next. Splitting their fire, the nucleus guns were able to penetrate the armor of the Trike to destroy it while the rest of the unit was able to take out another Anakonga, taking that unit down to a total of five troops.
Going back to the left side of the board, one of the Dragonov units advanced around the ruin to try to get into a better position.
The battered Anakonga unit went next. Jumping forward, they could not get close enough to be able to use the flamers but the rest of the unit was able to take out four of the Assault golems in a hail of drum pistol fire.
All alone in the center of the table, Urash moveed to get line of sight on the Anakonga and opened fire. The amazing thing is that he not only hit but he even managed to kill one of them!
The rest of the turn consists of the two units of Dragonovs standing up (always exciting...) and the Storm golems moving forward to shoot at the Anakongas, taking their number down by another two.
This brought the third turn to a close with the Alliance at 10 VPs while the Karmans only had 2 VPs. The game did continue on for another turn but at this point it was almost impossible for the Karmans to catch up. We called the game after the fourth turn with the Uneasy Alliance ultimately winning 12 VPs to 2 VPs.
All and all, it was a pretty good game but there were some things that we need to work on. First and foremost was the army building itself. I have never seen rules that cover making an allied force, so for this game the Red Blok and the Therians each fielded their own company. This combined with the fact that we were playing Nova meant that we could effectively choose to go first every turn which made it feel more like a more traditional "I go, you go" game. This was especially frustrating for us since one of the things that we really like about this game is the dynamic feel it has and that was kind of lost in this game. I have already started asking people about doing a rematch to try a new system which borrows from the rules for allies in Confrontation and would work like this.
One player is the company commander. He has the highest ranking officer in the company and he chooses the faction the army. The remaining player then chooses units according to that army's platoon pattern. To use this game as an example, Urod would have been the commander and the pattern would have been Supra. The Red Blok army would have remained the same but mine would have been slightly different since I would be following the Supra pattern (this would have forced me to drop a Golgoth and field another infantry unit instead). This also means that I would have the advantage and disadvantage of Supra and that my army would only have the basic rules for the Therians (I would still have access to the routines but none of the faction advantages or disadvantages). We would also be pooling our leadership together and putting our activation sequence together which would eliminate the "I go, you go" feel that this game had since each side would be activating one unit at a time. Not sure how well this will work but hopefully we can get together again soon so that we can try it out.
One of the other things that caused some problems for us was the terrain, especially as far as cover was concerned. After hitting my own head with a hammer a couple of times it started to make more sense to me so things should go much smoother next time plus I figured out how to explain it to other people quickly and easily which is always a good thing.
That is all for now but until next time, may all of your dice come up Dragons!
Hey everyone,
Another weekend and another battle report, but this one was a little bit different. We had planned on playing a mega battle between the Karmans and the Red Blok, but unfortunately a couple of the players didn't show up until a few hours after we were supposed to start. Even so, we were able to salvage the game with some slight modifications. It featured an alliance of the Red Blok and the Therians against the Karmans. It may not make sense but when you get lemons...
The Karman army consisted of two Nova platoons containing a King Buggy, two Easy Trikes, a full unit of Wendigos led by Cornelius, two full units of Kaptars (one with snipers, the other with ZZ-cannons), a full unit of Anakongas, a K-warrior unit and a K-fighter unit.
On the other side of the table, the Red Blok came in with a Supra platoon containing Urod and four full units of Dragonov Kommandos, while the Therians (that's me!) fielded a Cypher platoon with Nimit-Urash and an Incubus (both with the v2.0 upgrade on the nucleus cannon), a full unit of Assault golems, a full unit of Storm golems, and a unit of Bane Goliaths. All told, it was about 4300 points on each side, making this one of the largest games that we have played.
The terrain was some of the generic ruins that the Shop has which was both good and bad. While it was nice to have a selection of terrain to choose from, it was not just containers and low walls so we had to wing it on how it would effect the game at times.
Another factor was the size of the board. We have gotten used to playing on the 4' x 3' Damocles map while this table was a massive 6'x4'! There would be no moving onto the board and straight into combat this time.
Since we were facing Nova, we had the choice of who activated first in the turn so we decided to go Therians first, followed by the Red Blok, and finally the two Karman platoons. First up, moved my Assault golems onto the center of the board and attempted to both take cover and go onto overwatch, only to have the drills cancelled by the Karmans. I issued the take cover drill again and this time they choose not to cancel it.
Next, Urod walked onto the left side of the board and after a little bit more of the Nova cancel dance was put onto overwatch.
The first unit of Anakongas moved in next, taking position in the ruined building in the center of their side of the table.
They were followed by the Kaptars who moved in the ruins on the right side of the board.
Swinging back around to me again, I brought on my unit of Storm golems, positioning them completely out of harms way behind a building on the right corner of the field. This unit contained my force commander and there was no way that I was going to let the Karmans taking him out this early in the game!
The first of the Dragonov Kommando units moved onto the board next, taking cover inside the ruins on the left beside Urod.
The King Buggy came on next, taking position behind the ruin the Anakongas were in. I had expected it to come in blazing, but this battle was rapidly becoming a game of defensive posturing on both sides.
Cornelius and his Wendigos moved in next, taking position behind a platform on the left side of the board. Two times around the table and still a shot has not been fired! It's just scary I tell you...
My Banes were next, moving into cover beside the hill on the left side of the board. No good shots were available yet and I didn't feel like losing them this early in the game so cover was the way to go.
The second Dragonov unit moved on next, literally right next to the other Kommando unit.
The K-warriors moved on next but they did not fire even though they had line of sight to my Assault golems! I have never faced these before but from what I have heard, I was glad that I was not the center of their attention!
The K-fighters moved onto the right side of the board next, taking position near the ruins that the Kaptars had moved toward.
Nimit was next onto the board and the first to draw blood! Moving up the center of the board, I opened fire on the two K-warriors and was able to take both of them out in one salvo! So much for the Karman Mortars of Doom...
The third unit of Dragonovs came on next and I have to say that it is a good thing that I managed to take out the K-warriors otherwise these guys might have been sitting ducks! They must be having one heck of a Blok party though...
The second unit of Kaptars appeared next and took up position right beside the Anakongas and the King Buggy. Must have been some bananas in those ruins to be getting all of the attention that the monkeys were giving it.
Next up was the unit of Easy Trikes who positioned themselves right on top of the same ruins but unlike the rest of the units there, they actually opened fire! Launching a salvo of jammer bolts at Nimit-Urash, I managed to get lucky as they only did one point of damage to the frame and one point to the nucleus cannon.
Just a quick note about this picture... The second trike is supposed to be on top of the base on the left but unfortunately the post has broken and John has not been able to find a good way to repair it. Any suggestions on how to fix this while still keeping it so that you can add the altitude riser are appreciated!
My Incubus moved on next right beside Nimit and opened fire on one of the Trikes. Those things are far too dangerous to leave on the field but unfortunately for me I was only able to do one point of damage to the frame and take out its engines. It might not be able to move next turn, but I still had to worry about those jammers!
The last Dragonov unit moved on to the board next and thanks to some fancy shooting on their part, the damaged Easy Trike lost one of its weapons. Huzzah!!! Now I only had to worry about three jammers instead of four...
This brought the first turn to an end with both sides at 0 VPs.
For the second turn, I activated first and moved my Incubus even closer to the Easy Trikes. I opened fire on the damaged one and managed to blow it apart, leaving only one on the field.
Urod went next and thanks to my urging opened fire on the last Trike. Unfortunately I didn't realize just how bad its accuracy was until I watched all of the shots sail off into the blue. Whoops!
Moving out of cover, the Anakongas jumped out into the open as they started to advance across the battlefield.
This was followed by the Easy Trike moving right in front of them so that it could open fire on Nimit. Even with the intervening terrain, he was still able to do two more points of damage to my frame leaving Nimit in pretty rough shape, especially since he could cancel my repair routines!
Nimit returned fire, managing to destroy the Trikes engines and take out one of the weapons!
One of the Dragonov units went next moving out of cover to shoot at the K-fighters across the board with their AT gauss guns. Even at that extreme range one shot managed to find its way home, taking out one of the fighters.
The Kaptars hiding in the ruin on the center of the board opened fire in response to the death of their brother and managed to take out the medic and two of the three AT gauss gunner. A painful price but hopefully one that would be worth it. The Wendigos followed this, moving up onto the platform that they had been taking cover behind to get into a better firing position.
My Banes went next, moving from their cover to line up a salvo against the one remaining K-fighter. Unloading all six nucleus guns, they managed to finish off that unit in short order.
The King Buggy moved next, flying around the ruin to take a firing position against my Incubus. Thankfully the rubble provided some meager cover against the few ZZ cannon shots that found their mark, leaving me completely undamaged.
The Kaptars in the ruin on the right side of the board moved up onto the second floor and opened fire on the badly damaged Nimit, inflicting just enough damage to destroy the Golgoth and leave Urash standing there feeling quite vulnerable.
On the other side of the board, one of the Dragonov units moved further into their ruin and the three AT gauss gunners climbed up to the second floor to try and get some shots off against the Wendigos. Sighting the movement, the Wendigos opened fire with their ZZ rifles and the two grenade launchers, wiping out the gunners and knocking the rest of the unit to the ground.
My Assault golems in the center moved next, coming out into the open to fire on the Trike with the nucleus guns and the Anakongas with their rifles. I failed to wound any of the Anakongas but I did manage to take out the last weapon on the Trike! Now I just had to destroy it before the Karmans could move a mechanic up to repair it...
Back on left side, another unit of Dragonovs moved to the second story to open fire on the Wendigos. Raining down gauss rounds on the platform, they succeeded in killing three of the armored apes.
My last unit to move this turn was my Storm golems on the right. I was hoping that the Karmans might have depleted enough LPs that I could create a Hekat so I had to move my commander out into the open, but no such luck. Even so, I did manage to take out two of the Anakongas at pretty extreme range so it seemed like it was worth it.
The Red Blok had the last move of the turn as the final Dragonov unit on the far left advanced up behind Urod, as you can see here in the picture of the Red Blok Party House.
As turn two came to a close, the Uneasy Alliance found itself ahead 8 VPs to 1 VPs. Was the game over? Were the Karmans able to make a comeback? Come back tomorrow for the exciting conclusion of the Semi-Mega-Battle!!!
The other thing which really stands out is the face mask. Most of the other human units that have face masks also have some kind of an optical enhancement (ie the triple lens of the UNA) but in this case I don't think that it will have any effect in the game. It looks to be just some kind of a gas mask which looks cool but there is nothing in game that I can think of that it would really protect you from.
Next up is the ONI version of the TacArm. The weapons look like they must be some kind of an energy weapon, probably a particle gun of some kind. That big X for the opening of the barrel just makes me think of the nucleus cannon on the Golgoths.
The really weird looking thing about this figure is actually the torso and the arms. The detailing on the torso is very odd looking and the upper arms appear to actually be arms rather than armor. This makes me think that these TacArms might be on the low end as far as armor goes simply because they don't seem to have the armor plating that the UNA TacArms do. I also wonder if they will have the gyroscopes that the UNA has because they look very top heavy. Seems like some odd compromises but it all depends on how many points they cost to field.
Finally we have the first of the Cog prototypes and they look pretty sweet! They are definitely some kind of an assault troop but I am not sure which type they will be. Just looking at the picture, they look like they have almost no armor on but all have something attached to their back. Maybe some kind of a force field? The Cogs are supposed to be a very advanced race so who knows what to expect from them as far as technology.
For their weapons, they seem to be equipped with an energy blaster but they look like they have some kind of sight on top of the gun so their range might not be to bad for an assault weapon. As for the "swords" I am not sure what to make of them. At first glance they looked like some kind of chainsword but what I first though were teeth on the blade are actually posts. I am guessing that these posts either generate some kind of force field around the "blade" or possibly a disruption field. Which ever it is, it will probably be a fairly potent hand to hand weapon. After all, the Therians had to bring in the Karmans to bring their war against the Cogs to a standstill so the Cogs must be some pretty nasty customers.
Well, that is about all for now except that Rackham has updated their release plan. In addition to extending it further out than before, they added a little something for the Therians in the same wave as Operation: Frostbite.
Ain't she purdy? (What did you expect? I am a Therian player after all...). So until next time, may all of your dice come up Dragons!
There are some slight differences but they really are very minor. Definitely a great job by Rackham on this one and proof that the paint jobs are only getting better. That is all for now but I should have some more pictures of my Frostbite terrain soon. Holidays and overtime making working on gaming projects a little challenging... Until next time, may all of your dice come up Dragons!
