Ryan Shannahan
Member
The Jovian Wars Prelude campaign with the 51st. I gave the Deadly Strike talent to my shotgunner at the beginning of the campaign. I own the New Worlds expansion but didn't incorporate any of it into this campaign.
Sidenote - This AAR is mostly narrative. I didn't write much in the way of mechanics or include much in the way of numbers.
Mission 1 - S002
Mission 1 turned out to be Surface 002, the search and rescue of four scientists from Jovian III. Intel indicated Mercenary Forces on the surface. But our biggest fear were the native Sand Worms. I selected the Shotgunner, C/C unit, Fire Team Alpha, Fire Team Bravo, and the Explorer specialist. We'd also be using the Pilium ATV to cover the vast distances on the surface. I used a full 110 squad points and all 8 allowed resources but chose not to use any Strategic Options in hopes of generating an extra VP if successful.
Things got off to a slow start. We had a hard time making good time on the planet's surface. In retrospect, when many nodes require a skill check that only one unit can accomplish (such as Pilot by the Pilium ATV), it is a good idea to invest in a lot of intelligence resources. I made a dash for the two locations where scientists were located near or in Cave Complex C. Unfortunately I only found two instead of all four. So I had to back track in a hurry toward Cave Complex B. However, I ran out of time 1-2 turns short of reaching then next scientist's location. Next time, bring more intel!
During the course of this mission my squad eliminated three Sand Worms and a small patrol of Mercenary Forces (2 soldiers and 1 sergeant).
Result: Failure
VP Earned: -1 VP
Running Score: -1 VP
Mission 2 - S004
Mission 2 found us assigned to destroy an enemy base on an asteroid called New Phobos. The base had recently been taken from us. The brass decided that it was best if no one owned it. To do so we needed to infiltrate an automated Drone defense force and find access through one of two possibly blocked entrances. Our target was the Engine room fuel supply, which when crippled, would explode and cause a huge crater in the asteroid. Intel showed the base was protected by a force of Mutants. The Squad Leader took Zero G Team Alpha, Zero G Team Bravo, our Sniper, Fire Team Alpha, an Engineer, and a Technician.
The mission ran smooth. After disabling a Drone and entering the base as hoped through Entrance A we ran into a small Mutant patrol in the computer room. Fire combat was brisk and went in our favor. We took some wounds but put down the enemy without suffering any incapacitated troops. Our next and last encounter with the Mutants was after we had breached the Security Door guarding access to the Engine Room. We were able to ambush a small section of Mutants. Two were killed and one wounded before we suffered any return fire. Once the last was neutralized we gained access easily into the Engine Room. Fortunately no hostiles were defending the room. Shortly after that New Phobos had a new crater and a new orbit. Any mutants that survived the blast were doomed to enjoy a lonely and cold death as life support systems failed and zero degrees Kelvin approached.
Result: Success
VP Earned: +6 VP
Running Score: +5 VP
Mission 3 - H003
Our 3rd Mission put us in a damn Hive system where an enemy base was thought to be located. These places are always ugly; I don't think any of us secretly thought we would make it out alive and knock out our objective. We needed to locate the enemy HQ and perforate the honchos inside with holes. The assault team was composed of the Squad Leader, Fire Team Alpha, the Heavy Weapons Team, our Sniper, Assault Team Alpha, and a Demolitionist. The Cybers, a robotic force with some great defensive systems, were holding the unfriendly turf.
There's not much to say about this. Not much good, anyway, At least we all made it out. We made a bee line for the location we suspected might contain the HQ. Unfortunately that was empty. Along the way we eliminated a group of Drones and got sprayed by some nasty Toxic goo. We had to back track to get to the next target location. Unfortunately we were hit by a couple of Cyber patrols. One of them got the jump on us. Assualt Team Alpha went down and nearly everyone else came out of the fight with a few more holes and burns than they had going in. Clinging to life and carrying Assault Team Alpha on our backs. We were able to make our insertion point and make a timely withdrawal. Mission failed but squad preserved. Assault Team Alpha made it, too. They're down for a bit in sick bay but will be back with us soon. In the meantime, we're still waiting to hear whether we'll be reattempting the assault or writing this one off. We just lost the element of surprise.
Result: Abort
VP Earned: +1 VP
Running Score: +6 VP
Mission 3 - H003 Reattempt
Command decided we had to go back in and make another attempt on that enemy HQ in the Hive. This time we didn't make it as far as the first time. We knew they would be expecting us (Nullified the scenario specific special rule describing the enemy being unaware and made all draws on the Enemy Presence Table at +2, both house rules to add flavor). We were greeted at the entrance by 4 Drones. Took us some time to knock them out and we took some hits. The Medic patched up most of the holes before we advanced to the next node. There we found 3 Drones and 2 Guardians waiting for us. Fortunately we were able to execute a Withdrawal under cover of smoke and egress the installation. The Armor used by all Cyber units is particularly challenging. We need to figure out a way around it. So many of our hits do nothing.
Result: Abort
VP Earned: -1 VP
Running Score: +5 VP
Mission 4 - H002
A report of abducted civilians flung us back into another Hive, this time against Mutant forces. Intel said the civilians were going to be used for biological weapons testing. Our goal was to extract them alive. The Hive was large. All intel showed the civilians' location to be on the far side of our entry point. We pushed our way in and found a likely spot for the civilians to be penned up on a dead end. Unfortunately it was vacant. At least halfway into our allotted time, we could play it safe and head for the entry point to abort or head for one of two remaining spots likely to hold the civilians. We headed for the easiest spot to navigate to. With only minutes to spare we made entry into the holding facility and took down the captors while taking quite a few hits ourselves. Unfortunately the civilians had already been hit. Looks like we were only a few hours too late to save them. Before making our escape we fired their remains and brought the ceiling down on them. Hopefully denying the enemy any use of their experiments.
Result: Success
VP Earned: +4 VP
Running Score: +9 VP
Mission 5 - S007
Brass had determined the location of a hideout on Xargon IV used by those wacko but insanely deadly suicide cultists who followed The Dark God. They'd been wreaking havoc on several civilian worlds and space stations in the area and the brass wanted on the ground confirmation that they and their hideout had been sterilized. So we went in. But we didn't make it very far. We were hit hard in both of the first two sectors we passed into. Our Pilium ATV was annihilated by a couple suicide Cultists; we were lucky enough to make an emergency exit at the last minute. Not so the gunner and driver. After mopping the remaining few Cultists up we got hit hard in the next zone. By hit hard I mean that my entire squad was down once the last Cultist had blown himself up. They still showed signs of life. I called a Rapid Intervention Team to recover them while I headed back to our extraction point. Fire Team Bravo will need a couple weeks in Rehab before they can get back in it. The Sniper and Shotgunner got lucky and made out pretty well. Fire Team Alpha and the Medic...well, we'll miss them.
Result: Abort
VP Earned: +1 VP
Running Score: +10 VP
Mission 6 - S008
We lost a communication relay hidden within an asteroid belt to an enemy attack. Time to go reestablish commo! We inserted with our Zero G Teams and the Shotgunner. We were assisted by a Technician who we needed to help us navigate the technical aspects of this operation. The enemy must have known we were coming because they hit us unexpectedly hard. We were attacked by Flesh Eaters in 7 of the 9 zones we maneuvered through. We made good time but they kept hitting us. As wounds started to mount and supplies began to run low a feeling of desperation set it. At the first power station our technician could only power up one of the two power couplings. We were hoping he'd be able to get both couplings powered up at the nearby station, otherwise it would necessitate another journey to the furthest power station. The way we were getting hit it looked like we'd all be sucking vacuum if that was necessary. Fortunately we got lucky and eliminated the forces holding the second station and our technician got both of the couplings powered up. It took tenacity to blast through 23 Flesh Eaters to find success, but this victory they couldn't take away from us!
Result: Success
VP Earned: +8 VP
Running Score: +18 VP
Mission 7 - S005
A craft was on some kind of black ops mission when down. We were tasked with recovering the radio and a cache of supplies that were believed to have survived the crash. We went in light against the Mutant forces reported to be on the surface. This was a bad idea. Immediately after setting foot on the ground we were hit by a strong Mutant patrol. We took stiff casualties and several of our troops were incapacitated. We evacuated with nothing to show for our efforts. Fortunately everyone made it out alive. We took one straight to the jaw.
Result: Abort
VP Earned: +1 VP
Running Score: +19 VP
Mission 7 - S005 Reattempt
Apparently what went down on that ship was important so they told us to get back at it. We were still pretty light going in the second time. Probably a bad decision but resources were getting scarce and were needed for multiple efforts. This time we made it just shy of our first objective. We had made it through three hairy engagements prior to running into this fourth group, comprised of only one Mutant who happened to be accompanied by an Abomination. Already low on resources we fought this one by the skin of our teeth. When it was over both the enemies were dead but the squad had lost nearly all of its combat effectiveness. We evacuated once again from this damned planet. Despair had set in. We weren't doing so hot and the big picture didn't look good.
Result: Abort
VP Earned: -1 VP
Running Score: +18 VP
Mission 8 - H006
We were getting ready to pull back. The war was not going well and the brass was hoping some consolidation and reorganization would help. Just before we can ship out to somewhere relatively safer they catch wind of another enemy HQ far beneath the surface of some crap-hole planet. The Followers of the Dark God were holding it. Guess who gets to go in? It was a suicide mission - we told that to each other anyway. No one outside our company was interested in hearing about it. We were right. After making our initial entry we were immediately hit by an Acolyte and four Cultists in a Pitch Black sector. We entered Melee combat abruptly. We all had decent cover and tried to lay adequate fire to keep them from maneuvering. No luck. Or rather, no light. Three of them sprinted forward in the pitch black, dancing nearly unseen between our fire. They detonated suicide vests. None of us remember anything after that. Our Rapid Intervention Team was waiting just the other side of the entry point and came hot. They managed to pull us out of there just before more explosions brought the ceiling down. Somehow we all survived. At least until the next suicide run they put us on.
Result: Failure
VP Earned: -1 VP
Running Score: +17 VP
Campaign Results: DEFEAT
Sidenote - This AAR is mostly narrative. I didn't write much in the way of mechanics or include much in the way of numbers.
Mission 1 - S002
Mission 1 turned out to be Surface 002, the search and rescue of four scientists from Jovian III. Intel indicated Mercenary Forces on the surface. But our biggest fear were the native Sand Worms. I selected the Shotgunner, C/C unit, Fire Team Alpha, Fire Team Bravo, and the Explorer specialist. We'd also be using the Pilium ATV to cover the vast distances on the surface. I used a full 110 squad points and all 8 allowed resources but chose not to use any Strategic Options in hopes of generating an extra VP if successful.
Things got off to a slow start. We had a hard time making good time on the planet's surface. In retrospect, when many nodes require a skill check that only one unit can accomplish (such as Pilot by the Pilium ATV), it is a good idea to invest in a lot of intelligence resources. I made a dash for the two locations where scientists were located near or in Cave Complex C. Unfortunately I only found two instead of all four. So I had to back track in a hurry toward Cave Complex B. However, I ran out of time 1-2 turns short of reaching then next scientist's location. Next time, bring more intel!
During the course of this mission my squad eliminated three Sand Worms and a small patrol of Mercenary Forces (2 soldiers and 1 sergeant).
Result: Failure
VP Earned: -1 VP
Running Score: -1 VP
Mission 2 - S004
Mission 2 found us assigned to destroy an enemy base on an asteroid called New Phobos. The base had recently been taken from us. The brass decided that it was best if no one owned it. To do so we needed to infiltrate an automated Drone defense force and find access through one of two possibly blocked entrances. Our target was the Engine room fuel supply, which when crippled, would explode and cause a huge crater in the asteroid. Intel showed the base was protected by a force of Mutants. The Squad Leader took Zero G Team Alpha, Zero G Team Bravo, our Sniper, Fire Team Alpha, an Engineer, and a Technician.
The mission ran smooth. After disabling a Drone and entering the base as hoped through Entrance A we ran into a small Mutant patrol in the computer room. Fire combat was brisk and went in our favor. We took some wounds but put down the enemy without suffering any incapacitated troops. Our next and last encounter with the Mutants was after we had breached the Security Door guarding access to the Engine Room. We were able to ambush a small section of Mutants. Two were killed and one wounded before we suffered any return fire. Once the last was neutralized we gained access easily into the Engine Room. Fortunately no hostiles were defending the room. Shortly after that New Phobos had a new crater and a new orbit. Any mutants that survived the blast were doomed to enjoy a lonely and cold death as life support systems failed and zero degrees Kelvin approached.
Result: Success
VP Earned: +6 VP
Running Score: +5 VP
Mission 3 - H003
Our 3rd Mission put us in a damn Hive system where an enemy base was thought to be located. These places are always ugly; I don't think any of us secretly thought we would make it out alive and knock out our objective. We needed to locate the enemy HQ and perforate the honchos inside with holes. The assault team was composed of the Squad Leader, Fire Team Alpha, the Heavy Weapons Team, our Sniper, Assault Team Alpha, and a Demolitionist. The Cybers, a robotic force with some great defensive systems, were holding the unfriendly turf.
There's not much to say about this. Not much good, anyway, At least we all made it out. We made a bee line for the location we suspected might contain the HQ. Unfortunately that was empty. Along the way we eliminated a group of Drones and got sprayed by some nasty Toxic goo. We had to back track to get to the next target location. Unfortunately we were hit by a couple of Cyber patrols. One of them got the jump on us. Assualt Team Alpha went down and nearly everyone else came out of the fight with a few more holes and burns than they had going in. Clinging to life and carrying Assault Team Alpha on our backs. We were able to make our insertion point and make a timely withdrawal. Mission failed but squad preserved. Assault Team Alpha made it, too. They're down for a bit in sick bay but will be back with us soon. In the meantime, we're still waiting to hear whether we'll be reattempting the assault or writing this one off. We just lost the element of surprise.
Result: Abort
VP Earned: +1 VP
Running Score: +6 VP
Mission 3 - H003 Reattempt
Command decided we had to go back in and make another attempt on that enemy HQ in the Hive. This time we didn't make it as far as the first time. We knew they would be expecting us (Nullified the scenario specific special rule describing the enemy being unaware and made all draws on the Enemy Presence Table at +2, both house rules to add flavor). We were greeted at the entrance by 4 Drones. Took us some time to knock them out and we took some hits. The Medic patched up most of the holes before we advanced to the next node. There we found 3 Drones and 2 Guardians waiting for us. Fortunately we were able to execute a Withdrawal under cover of smoke and egress the installation. The Armor used by all Cyber units is particularly challenging. We need to figure out a way around it. So many of our hits do nothing.
Result: Abort
VP Earned: -1 VP
Running Score: +5 VP
Mission 4 - H002
A report of abducted civilians flung us back into another Hive, this time against Mutant forces. Intel said the civilians were going to be used for biological weapons testing. Our goal was to extract them alive. The Hive was large. All intel showed the civilians' location to be on the far side of our entry point. We pushed our way in and found a likely spot for the civilians to be penned up on a dead end. Unfortunately it was vacant. At least halfway into our allotted time, we could play it safe and head for the entry point to abort or head for one of two remaining spots likely to hold the civilians. We headed for the easiest spot to navigate to. With only minutes to spare we made entry into the holding facility and took down the captors while taking quite a few hits ourselves. Unfortunately the civilians had already been hit. Looks like we were only a few hours too late to save them. Before making our escape we fired their remains and brought the ceiling down on them. Hopefully denying the enemy any use of their experiments.
Result: Success
VP Earned: +4 VP
Running Score: +9 VP
Mission 5 - S007
Brass had determined the location of a hideout on Xargon IV used by those wacko but insanely deadly suicide cultists who followed The Dark God. They'd been wreaking havoc on several civilian worlds and space stations in the area and the brass wanted on the ground confirmation that they and their hideout had been sterilized. So we went in. But we didn't make it very far. We were hit hard in both of the first two sectors we passed into. Our Pilium ATV was annihilated by a couple suicide Cultists; we were lucky enough to make an emergency exit at the last minute. Not so the gunner and driver. After mopping the remaining few Cultists up we got hit hard in the next zone. By hit hard I mean that my entire squad was down once the last Cultist had blown himself up. They still showed signs of life. I called a Rapid Intervention Team to recover them while I headed back to our extraction point. Fire Team Bravo will need a couple weeks in Rehab before they can get back in it. The Sniper and Shotgunner got lucky and made out pretty well. Fire Team Alpha and the Medic...well, we'll miss them.
Result: Abort
VP Earned: +1 VP
Running Score: +10 VP
Mission 6 - S008
We lost a communication relay hidden within an asteroid belt to an enemy attack. Time to go reestablish commo! We inserted with our Zero G Teams and the Shotgunner. We were assisted by a Technician who we needed to help us navigate the technical aspects of this operation. The enemy must have known we were coming because they hit us unexpectedly hard. We were attacked by Flesh Eaters in 7 of the 9 zones we maneuvered through. We made good time but they kept hitting us. As wounds started to mount and supplies began to run low a feeling of desperation set it. At the first power station our technician could only power up one of the two power couplings. We were hoping he'd be able to get both couplings powered up at the nearby station, otherwise it would necessitate another journey to the furthest power station. The way we were getting hit it looked like we'd all be sucking vacuum if that was necessary. Fortunately we got lucky and eliminated the forces holding the second station and our technician got both of the couplings powered up. It took tenacity to blast through 23 Flesh Eaters to find success, but this victory they couldn't take away from us!
Result: Success
VP Earned: +8 VP
Running Score: +18 VP
Mission 7 - S005
A craft was on some kind of black ops mission when down. We were tasked with recovering the radio and a cache of supplies that were believed to have survived the crash. We went in light against the Mutant forces reported to be on the surface. This was a bad idea. Immediately after setting foot on the ground we were hit by a strong Mutant patrol. We took stiff casualties and several of our troops were incapacitated. We evacuated with nothing to show for our efforts. Fortunately everyone made it out alive. We took one straight to the jaw.
Result: Abort
VP Earned: +1 VP
Running Score: +19 VP
Mission 7 - S005 Reattempt
Apparently what went down on that ship was important so they told us to get back at it. We were still pretty light going in the second time. Probably a bad decision but resources were getting scarce and were needed for multiple efforts. This time we made it just shy of our first objective. We had made it through three hairy engagements prior to running into this fourth group, comprised of only one Mutant who happened to be accompanied by an Abomination. Already low on resources we fought this one by the skin of our teeth. When it was over both the enemies were dead but the squad had lost nearly all of its combat effectiveness. We evacuated once again from this damned planet. Despair had set in. We weren't doing so hot and the big picture didn't look good.
Result: Abort
VP Earned: -1 VP
Running Score: +18 VP
Mission 8 - H006
We were getting ready to pull back. The war was not going well and the brass was hoping some consolidation and reorganization would help. Just before we can ship out to somewhere relatively safer they catch wind of another enemy HQ far beneath the surface of some crap-hole planet. The Followers of the Dark God were holding it. Guess who gets to go in? It was a suicide mission - we told that to each other anyway. No one outside our company was interested in hearing about it. We were right. After making our initial entry we were immediately hit by an Acolyte and four Cultists in a Pitch Black sector. We entered Melee combat abruptly. We all had decent cover and tried to lay adequate fire to keep them from maneuvering. No luck. Or rather, no light. Three of them sprinted forward in the pitch black, dancing nearly unseen between our fire. They detonated suicide vests. None of us remember anything after that. Our Rapid Intervention Team was waiting just the other side of the entry point and came hot. They managed to pull us out of there just before more explosions brought the ceiling down. Somehow we all survived. At least until the next suicide run they put us on.
Result: Failure
VP Earned: -1 VP
Running Score: +17 VP
Campaign Results: DEFEAT
