I took the day off to drink tea, eat bacon and play with my Quar. I had some ideas tootling around in my head and opted to use This Quar’s War and do another playtest for the Zombiesmith design team. I also decided my Trench Raiders should see some dice rolled in anger and thought a raid to spike a big gun would be fun. The Crusader defense have a company plus two heavy shotguns garrisoning the trenches and bunkers. But they’re all asleep in their nests, and need to get into positions.
The Coftyrans are attacking from the trees on the right. In addition to the Trench Raider detachment, there is a company of 3 squads, plus an M3b HMG team and an RCO field gun to make a diversionary attack.
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| Table set up. There’s a squad and an H11 team in each bunker, an HSG in each gun pit in front. The other two squads are in the dug outs in the forward trench line. The gun that the Trench Raiders are trying to blow up is in the left hand trench line. |
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| Sniper and pair of Cryfen LMGs provide overwatch for the Raiders |
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| Trench Raiders move out |
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| Diversionary attack in their assault waves |
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| M3b HMG team |
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| RCO field gun |
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| Cold sentry |
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| Sentry |
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| Standing guard in the battery |
Coftyrans get the first card. How far they get (how many activations the card gives them) is the random element before the alarm is raised. Using Group Moves, the Trench Raiders moved three bounds, being slowed crossing the wire, and the Rhyflers got two moving up to the bunker and road block.
Fortunately, they drew a 5.
Combat Activations can’t use group moves, so one squad was sent forward to assault, quickly overwhelming the lone sentry.
They then assaulted the bunker behind. The Crusaders by this time were trying to mobilize, needing an Activation to deploy each squad or team. In hindsight, I should have put the Bomber Squad up front to take the bunker.
In the trenches I had the squads and HSG teams deploy from the two dugouts causing more delays. But the sentries in the weapons pits could fire the HSGs with half dice until the rest of the crew got there.
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| Alert! Stand to! Stand to!
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| Trench Raiders slip past the forward Trench. |
The Trench Raiders got into the Crusader rear and were moving up on the big bunker when it’s garrison started waking up.
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| Trying to get up close before the garrison wakes up
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I should have brought the Support group (two Cryfen LMGs and the Sniper) along with, they would have been more useful firing on the bunker from the orchard.
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| Just close enough for everyone to count for Close Combat. But two Raiders have been cut down by the alerted H11 in the bunker. |
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| Both sides taking casualties in close quarters fighting. Trench Raider’s Doru SMGs and grenades giving an edge (I gave them the Brawler advantage, rerolling any missed dice) |
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| After about 4 rounds of combat, the Raider detachment retires with only 3 quar left and 4 shock. The bunker Garrison has 8 shock and 7 figures left. |
Meanwhile, on the other side of the table, the Rhyflers were trying to assault the other bunker. They started out getting a slight edge; the side with the least shock gets „the Lead“ and adds an extra die per figure.
But eventually the defense had a good roll or two and killed several attackers, resulting in them now having twice as much shock as figures left.
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| In hindsight, I should have brought the LMG team (in the slit trench) up with the assault team to add some dice to the attack. They were just a smidge too far back to help. |
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| Trying to assault the bunker at the roadblock |
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| Assaulting squad breaks with double shock |
I also sent a squad to attack the HSG nest that was firing into the flank of the diversionary assault.
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| A second squad tries rushing the HSG nest. |
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| Yeah, that didn’t go well
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More hindsight: I should have put everyone prone while the RCO and M3b put some fire on the HSG nest before rushing the squad up. Live and learn I guess? But with the card activation, and everything getting snarly once the shooting starts, you just don’t have enough activations to do everything you want. Of course, neither does the other side.
But with the Trench Raiders retiring and the supporting Rhyfler company having two out of three squads shattered, it was time to call off the attack.
I struggled with the Close Combat rules as written, but was able to give some useful (I hope) feedback. It turns out my biggest idea (using reduced firepower dice) was very similar to one Joshua already had. Great minds and all that.
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| My indulgent birthday lunch. Toasted cheese bun, with fried egg, cheese slice, and crispy bacon with one of several mugs of tea. |
All in all, a good day was had.
