Author Topic: {Battle Report} Two Battles for the price of one  (Read 12538 times)

Offline warzoneD

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{Battle Report} Two Battles for the price of one
« on: July 24, 2012, 03:32:12 PM »
I happened to pop into my LGS a few weeks back (an even which has become increasingly rare due to life being busy) and happen to overhear a guy reminiscing about Warzone.  Being the extroverted New Yorker I was raised to be, I struck up a conversation with Jason and learned he had some painted Bauhaus troops languishing in a case dying to be challenged to a battle.

He had only played 1st Ed., so I offered him to show him the ropes of UWZ. We played 2 battles over the following month. The first was more of an intro to the rules, the second Jason felt more prepared and was able to employ some  tactics.

Battle 1-- Bauhaus vs. Mishima - The Battle for the ruins of Neo-Kyoto

This was pretty much a bring and battle stand up fight. We didn't spend a whole lot of time on lists. We just used figs we had and stuff we wanted to try out.  Jason had 4 Ducal Militia squads of his own and then I lent him some Jungle Commandos, Venusian Rangers, Etoiles Mortant, and a Strike Skimmer.  When his force hit the field-- I said wow-- this is a big game for a first time run-through but we decided to go for it.

For my Mishima I had mostly CC troops. My Crimson Devils, Hatamoto, and Phoenix Samurai provided range support to a bunch of Bushido troops, warrior monks, and Tigers.  Oh yeah, for fits and shiggles, I also took a Meka.
  



We deployed using cards-- Jason wanted to do a withering fire advance and clustered his DM's in the middle of the table.  That middle bit of terrain between the buildings is a marsh (1/2 move).



I responded by rushing my Devils into a ruin, taking cover and creating a field of fire.





I then backed them up with my Phoenix HMG's.



Jason responded by advancing the strike skimmer to back up his advancing troops. He also brought his Rangers up making the center of the table a hailstorm of death.



So I focused on the flank. Along the left I sent in the Hatamotos reinforced by my Meka  (and did I mention I had a squad of Faceless???  :)  ).  Along the right went all my CC troops, Bushido and Warrior Monks (that's where his jungle commandos had been placed).



Jason sent his Etoiles in against the Hatamotos not realizing despite being long range troops, they're pretty handy in CC (as is most of Mishima).



He did manage to shoot and kill a couple of my faceless, but in the end-- the Hatamoto wiped out the Etoiles and his left flank fell.



As he continued his advance and my elites drew swords for some wet-work-- My Bushido made their move along the right flank - Their commander had said if they didn't reach the enemy-- "Head will roll."  Turns out it was true even when they did!



The jungle commandos broke under a brutal assault of flashing Katanas, and with both flanks routing-- What was left of the center began to collapse.  In the end, Bauhaus was routed from the field.

BATTLE 2 -

For this one we wanted to have an objective.  We decided to play a take and hold the bunker scenario inthe heart of the Venusian jungle. We put a limit of 6 turns.

Jason took Bauhaus again, modifying his forces from last time.  We played with less points too. He dropped 2 DM squads and the Etoiles and tried out a Hussar Squad.  He took the Venusians again as well as the Jungle Commados and the Skimmer.

I switched it up entirely. I played my Muawjihe force.  Again my force was largely CC.  I took a drop pod (had never used one and wanted to try it out.



Looking down the line you can see early deployment.  Jason deployed nearly identically to our first battle weeks before. His Rangers were on his right  flank (my left) Jungle Comms on the left (my right). I had my Karnophages with a Nepharite in the center, a big squad of nasty Zenithians on the my left flank (to match up against the rangers).  In my center were my screaming legionnaires accompanied by a golem, and Zenithian Tyrant and the shotgun toting Doomsday Proclaimer.  On my right flank were my Immaculate Furies (Still relatively short range except for their leader), and my general Bhalaeron.

Our terrain choices ended up being a pain in the rifle-butt! We said the forest and heavy bush areas were all 1/2 movement. This created narrow difficult corridors we were forced to move through if we didn't want to get bogged down and neither of us had exactly speedy troops.



Here you can see my furies hiding out from those nasty long range Bauhaus assault rifles and the even nastier strike skimmer.



Early in the game-- I rushed my Karnos into the bunker (hard cover) with the Nepharite.  I then used the mad marionette power to take control of his skimmer and shoot up some of his own troops with it. Jason was not happy to say the least (not only to lose the casualties but to also lose the activation of the unit for that turn).



I then brought up my screaming legionnaire unit behind the bunker to reinforce.



Jason used a WWII German inf. formation he read about as he advanced his Ducals.  Much more shrewdly, he used squad members on wait to cover other advancing members, keeping me back behind cover and thinking twice about advancing. With those narrow lanes of movement, and MV 3-- he would have eaten me up.  Luckily, having taken the bunker early I could sit tight a bit.





On my  left flank-- I advanced the Zenithians into the jungle-- This was a terrifying unit.  6 soul slayers led by a Slaughtermaster. Jason's entire unit of Ranger sat on "wait" when I got about half-way through the jungle taking some minimal casualties, I began LEAPING out and attacking. It was brutal. To his credit, even though Jason's men got decimated, he had fun. We both loved the mental image of the ZS's leaping from the jungle at the rangers.  Felt like the real stuff of Warzone!



By turn 3. Things were going against Bauhaus once again, and then the roof fell in...or rather my drop pod landed. Jason actually won the initiative on the next turn, but had opted to activate another squad to deal with a different exchange.  My Karno's burst from their creche and began raising hell.  At the same time, my Karnos inside the bunker charged out and attacked.



Max Steiner got in on the Melee and this was the battle that decided the game.









In the end the Dark Legion drove off the brave Bauhaus warriors and as the sounds of screams and gunfire faded a sinister presence had taken control of the jungle.

Despite two losses, Jason (like myself) is thankfully more jazzed about a good game then winning and losing.  Also, he's still learning the ins and outs of the 3rd ed rules.  I always try to point stuff out to him (tactics, opportunities the rules permit) that he might not be aware of so we have a fun and balanced game.  I think in our next battle he's going to really sit down and build a list with a plan behind it.  I look forward to playing again (time and life permitting), he's a fun guy to game with.
« Last Edit: July 26, 2012, 09:41:47 PM by warzoneD »

Offline Cirith

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Re: {Battle Report} Two Battles for the price of one
« Reply #1 on: July 24, 2012, 09:27:43 PM »
Thanks for the report. Great pics, great action. I am looking forward to reading about game 3.
People willing to trade their freedom for security deserve neither and will lose both.

Offline Horned Owl

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Re: {Battle Report} Two Battles for the price of one
« Reply #2 on: July 25, 2012, 03:58:02 AM »
Right you are! Had a pang of guilt seeing the painted minatures on the tabletop. Good pictures, and the action looks fierce!
"How was I supposed to know he was an unarmed man? His back was to me."

Offline warzoneD

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Re: {Battle Report} Two Battles for the price of one
« Reply #3 on: July 26, 2012, 04:12:34 PM »
Thnx guys.  I'll post 'em as I play 'em.

D

Offline micmellon

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Re: {Battle Report} Two Battles for the price of one
« Reply #4 on: July 27, 2012, 03:14:43 AM »
With all the correct and beautiful minis. Awesome!
It's just a flesh wound - Black Night

Offline Horned Owl

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Re: {Battle Report} Two Battles for the price of one
« Reply #5 on: July 27, 2012, 12:23:34 PM »
Would love to have a description of the WWII formation Jason used.
"How was I supposed to know he was an unarmed man? His back was to me."

Offline warzoneD

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Re: {Battle Report} Two Battles for the price of one
« Reply #6 on: July 27, 2012, 04:08:45 PM »
It was sort of a diamond formation w/ the SGT in center - other guys approx 1 1/2" apart.  I'll ask him what it was called.

D

Offline joshuaslater

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Re: {Battle Report} Two Battles for the price of one
« Reply #7 on: October 09, 2012, 02:26:14 PM »
Great gaming and reporting!!
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