Wargaming in the Third Imperium: Lost and Found

Friday Night just gone we ran the "Lost and Found" scenario on page 96 of Tomorrow's War. We changed the setting to Dyrnwyn/Spinward Marches 1522, sometime in 1109 during the Fifth Frontier War. Imperial Forces, having recently liberated Lanth/Spinward Marches 1719, have pushed into the Sword Worlds, blockading and landing forces on Dyrnwyn several weeks ago. While the system is all but conquered, Sword World forces still resist on the surface of Dyrnwyn, despite the blockade and the certain knowledge that if the blockade isn't broken they will be forced to surrender. The Imperial Marines and Sword Worlds Mechanised Infantry were given the following stats:

Imperial Marines
TQ: D10
Morale: D10
Confidence: High
Supply: Average
Overall TL: 14 (3)
On Grid? Yes
Armour: Battledress-14 (3D)
Traits: Treat Infantry Weapons as the next lower class, 2x Optimum Range, High Confidence, Always treated as equipped with Close Assault Weapons, Not subject to Hostile Environment survival rolls (suit self-seals), Movement unaffected by high or low gravity, PA units contribute a full die to initiative.
Attributes: Active Trauma Treatment (Power Armour), Advanced Sensors, Close Assault Monsters, Despised (by Sword Worlders), Human Spirit, Intimidating to non-PA troops, Jump Troops (Grav belt), Killer Instinct, Stealthy (Chameleon configuration), Unpredictable.

Gamma Squad
1st Fire Team
1x Squad Leader w/FGMP-14
3x Marines w/FGMP-14

2nd Fire Team
1x Team Leader w/FGMP-14
3x Marines w/FGMP-14

3rd Fire Team
1x Team Leader w/FGMP-14
3x Marines w/FGMP-14

FGMP-14 (TL3) EWS, Hvy. AP: 3/AT:2 (M)
A fire team’s Fire power is worked out as normal, but the team gets the support weapons bonus for a heavy support weapon. Each team member may operate as a support weapon and the team can split fire on up to three targets (gaining the normal support weapon bonuses when they do so). These guys can lay down a lot of fire power.

Sverdverdener Gram Mekanisert Infanteritropp

The platoon has deployed on foot, leaving their vehicles to the rear.

Basic Force Attributes

TQ: D8

Morale: D12

Confidence: Confident

Supply: Average

Overall TL: 12 (TL1)

On Grid: Normally No.

Body Armour: Combat Armour-12 2D (TL1)

Attributes: Advanced Sensors TL1, Despised (by Imperials), Human Spirit, Killer Instinct, Medic, Old School, Stealthy (Chameleon configuration), Unpredictable.

Mekanisert Infanterilag

Leg Team

Squad Ldr with ACR w/underslung GL (TL12 Lt. AP:1/AT:0)

Gunner with RAM AUTO GL (TL12, Med. AP:2/AT:2(M))

1x Gunner with PGMP-12 (TL12 Med. AP:2/AT:1(M))

1x Rifleman with ACR w/underslung GL (TL12 Lt. AP:1/AT:0)

Mekanisert Infanteritropp

Plt HQ

The platoon commander has brought his driver along and picked up an extra trooper with a LAG (A heavy sniper rifle).

Plt Cdr with Auto pistol

Plt Snr NCO with ACR w/underslung GL (TL12 Lt. AP:1/AT:0)

Driver with ACR w/underslung GL (TL12 Lt. AP:1/AT:0)

Sniper/marksman with LAG (TL12 ABW Med. AP:3/AT:2(L))

plus Three Mekanisert Infanterilag

I tried to set the table up as close as possible to the map in the scenario, using felt as the base, and cutout sections of blue felt for the stream (I was trying to preserve as much of my roll of blue for naval games, so I used some rather ragged pieces). 

Some home made hedges and rock walls surrounded added some cover aroundt he buildings and the single field. 

Since I was a little short on clump foliage I had a large number of tree armatures bare of foliage. I placed a few fire markers in amongst them to indicate that a bushfire had recently burnt through this section of woods, and still smouldered in places. It still provided cover, but in retrospect should have had a lesser affect on LOS than the other wooded areas.

I used loose rocks, a few twigs from the garden, and some loose flock to represent rocks, logs and bushes, next time I'll have some rocks and bushes on bases for scatter terrain, (far easier to clean up afterwards.)

The view from the Sword Worlds' edge of the table. On the left we can just see one of the Imperial Team leaders (Jon) chowing down, while another (Mark) checks his comms, despite appearing to have been hit with a blowdart to the chin.

The original scenario has the defenders set up in ambush positions, in the now burnt woods, the building on the left, the woods in the foreground and the bushes and rocks just on the other side of the stream on the right. I placed the Sword Worlds platoon command squad in the building on the left and the downed pilot in the building by the stream. I noted the position of the other three Sword World squads, but didn't place them on the table, because I didn't want the other players reacting to them without having their troops spot them first.

We started with the Imperials moving onto the table from the far end, Jonathon moved his team forward to the stream bank and propped.

 Mark moved cautiously forward through the trees and was reluctant to go leave their shelter. He also seems to have picked up a long red rubbery thing, (I'd misplaced my tape measure and we had to make do with a rubber ruler).

 Between them they decided to move the command team forward to the edge of the field and using the hedge as cover go into overwatch. Mark is again checking comms.

 Clearly he's having issues with comms, it turns out he was searching for an appropriate theme song for his advance, Monster by Skillet.

During the Imperials' cautious advance, we realised that it was kind of hard to ambush troops you couldn't see. Both sides had the Stealthy attribute, and despite several spot checks from both sides, nothing happened for a few turns as neither of us could see the other.

 Finally the Imperial command team spotted a squad of Sword Worlders lurking on the edge of the burnt woods.......

 .........and promptly let rip with a hail of fusion bolts, wiping them out.

Since my squad failed their spot roll and didn't see the marines, they were unable to react and were slaughtered without firing a shot. The Imperial round of fire resulted in six hits which I applied evenly across the squad, (I later realised, we should have diced to see who was hit).

This difficulty in spotting the enemy was a serious problem for the Sword Worlders, as was the Imperial access to the Grid which meant that all marines instantly saw a unit that was spotted.

 

 The command team still in overwatch, the smug bastards. 

 Mark's teama dvances across open ground to another copse of trees. I failed to spot them twice as they did so.

Jon's team jumps the stream and.......

 .... advances  forward, not to take prisoners as I expected but to execute my wounded.

 I took a second picture for the war crimes tribunal.

Another of my squads lucky enough to spot Mark's team, is in turn spotted by Mark's team and Jon's team using the Grid to locate them quickly intervenes and successfully engages them with devastating reaction fire.

Jon continues through the burnt woods and rushes across to the building my Platoon commander is set up in. A successful spot check allowed me to react to his rush, unfortunately a counter spot check allowed the marine command team to react and they did so laying down some serious firepower causing my marines to take cover and become pinned. as a result their fire at the rushing marines ended up being ineffective and the marines rush up and hug the wall.

 Mark advances quickly across the stone dam and I fail to spot him again.

 The Marines open up and turn this building into Swiss Cheese, leaving my command team a mangled heap of fused armour and flesh inside.

Finding the pilot inside, Mark's team decides to exit stage right by following the stream towards Jon's side of the table, taking fire along the way from my last remaining squad.

 Jon's team moves around to try and provide support to Mark's team and.......

... dishes out a few casualties before Mark's team makes it off board during the final moments of turn 8. A clear Imperial victory. 

 What we learnt from this game was that Stealth on both sides is a bitch as it is very hard to react to something you cannot see. Imperial Stealth tech was better than Sword Worlders and with me failing so many spot checks the Imperials pretty much went where they wanted and my ambushes were totally ineffective. I think the casualties were two to fourteen. Largely because my troops couldn't see the enemy to shoot at them, when they did they were for the most part hit by reaction fire before they could shoot.

Imperial Firepower was Devastating with a capital D, once hit my squads were rarely able to respond in kind. 

At this point Big Bird arrived, fashionably late as usual, so we set up for another game.

This time we removed the Stealthy attribute from both sides and nerfed the Marines' firepower a little, by swapping three of the squads FGMPs for ACRs. 

I also placed all the figures on the table since their positions were known to all but Big Bird and this way he wasn't at a disadvantage.

Also I introduced the morale and combat stress rules which we had mostly overlooked in the previous game. 

Bird moved his Squad into the field, behind the hedges, but didn't have a clear LOS to my squad on the right flank. Mark's squad moved up into the same woods they advanced through in the earlier game, but this time my squad could see them and was able to ambush them successfully, killing two of his team and leaving Sgt. Apone and a lightly wounded Cpl. Hicks to carry on, (he named his team members). 😄

Unfortunately the return fire from both Mark's and Jonathon's teams was pretty effective, leaving one man fit to continue. Unable to treat the wounded, (the medic was among them), or move them himself, and unable to abandon them he remained in position firing at Mark's team.

 Pinned down by the ambushers, Mark's team used the trees as cover, returning fire, while being supported by Jonathon's team.

 Staying in cover he continued to fire at Mark's team until taken out by a crossfire from Jonathon's and Mark's teams.

 

 Bird's team advances up to support Mark's team.

 Separated by over three inches of woods, Jonathon's and my squad were unable to get a LOS until Jonathon's team tried to assault them. My squad let rip with a hail of fire................

 ......... stopping them dead and forcing them to seek cover. Advancing forward to get LOS they began firing at the pinned marines, but took a casualty from Bird's team firing from their flank.

 I forgot to take photos for a little bit and when I remembered the situation had changed considerably. By this time Jonathon and Bird had managed to clear out the squad in the burnt woods. Bird's squad and Mark's had both advanced to the exterior of the pilots hiding place (the house in the centre).

 My command squad had rushed across the the rock wall next to the pilot's hideout hoping to stop his rescue. But Jonathon's squad split into two as one marine took the wounded team member to the rear, while the remaining two team members activated their grav belts and launched themselves up out of the trees and came down amongst the Sword Worlders close assaulting them. The Sword worlders didn't stand a chance as the marines waded through them. with three comrades down, including the Lt. and Platoon Sgt. the poor driver just dropped his weapon and surrendered, much to Jonathon's disgust.

 Bird's team encounters a particularly tough window as the try to breach this wall rather than expose themselves to fire by going for the door.

 My last squad taking and giving fire, casualties mounting, decide for the better part of valour and legged it off table, ceding the victory to the Imperials.

The end of the battle my last squad can just be seen on the right foreground.

Afterwards we talked a bit about the game. Mark said that he was often unclear of when one turn ended and another began, while Jonathon was sometimes confused by the sequence of reactions.
I pointed out that Mark would have his own copy of the rules soon, as I bought him a second-hand copy for Christmas. The reaction sequence would come with practice.
Both games were Marine victories, and while Stealth tech contributed significantly to the first, the marines firepower was significantly better in both games. However in the second game that firepower could be reduced rather quickly by taking out the single FGMP-14 gunner. In the first came one had to eliminate each FGMP gunner in turn. to slwoly reduce their firepower.
The second game saw a broader application of morale and combat stress rules, which began whittling down firepower and confidence pretty quickly for both sides.
A couple of one's rolled on reaction test resulted in several Fog of War cards being drawn, which resulted in most troops on the table becoming concerned with a possible chemical attack, losing firepower and confidence.
Overall the guys enjoyed themselves, none had played Tomorrow's War before, but they found it entertaining and are apparently looking forward to the next game.
We noted that trying to ambush an enemy using stealth tech was difficult. Also the fire power difference was significant, perhaps requiring a larger Sword Worlds force or a different tactical set up. Perhaps splitting the Sword Worlds squads up into two weapons teams each, built around the RAM GLs and PGMP-12s. This would increase available firepower (by adding the Weapon Team bonus to each team) but also decrease the team's survivability.