Battle of Oxford Valley
Oct 16, 2016 0:16:20 GMT
loyalist, David N.Tanner 07011959, and 2 more like this
Post by scottwashburn on Oct 16, 2016 0:16:20 GMT
Battle of Oxford Valley
We played a big game of All Quiet on the Martian Front today. We had nearly 3000 points on each side. The Martians had:
6 Assault Tripods (two with Black Dust Launchers)
6 Scout Tripods (two with targeters)
2 Slavers
2 Grenadiers
About 24 drones.
The Humans had:
2 Mk IV Monitor Steam Tanks
6 Mk II Steam Tanks
3 Mk III Steam Tanks
3 Mobile Artillery
3 Anti-Tripod Guns
3 Field Batteries
1 Heavy Field Battery
6 Infantry Platoons
3 Armored Infantry Platoons
1 Machine Gun Platoon
4 Rough Rider Squads
AND
1 Flight of Burgess-Dunne D8 aircraft!
This was out first time trying out our new rules for aircraft and my paper aircraft models.
The humans also had a lot of trenches, and four of the little trench gun emplacement I’d made which we treated as an immobile Mk II tank.
Our table was 6’ x 8’ with the humans defending a town. There were a few small patches of woods and that was about it as far as terrain goes.
Center of the human line.
Right of the Human Line
Left of the Human Line
The Martians lined up on the other side of the table with the grenadiers in the center and the rest of the forces divided equally to the right and left.
The humans won the initiative and decided to move first. Their tanks had started in a reserve position on the flanks and they moved forward. The flight of aircraft sputtered forward as well, as did the Rough Riders on the left. Everyone else pretty much stayed put. The Heavy Field Battery placed a barrage on one of the slavers. It missed the slaver but killed two of the drones it was controlling. A light field battery tried the same thing against the other slaver. Despite their smaller size, they put a hit on the slaver and a drone was destroyed. The humans got one lucky stroke when the combined fire of the mobile howitzers and two of the anti-tripod guns brought down one of the assault tripods (one with a black dust launcher). The third anti-tripod gun put a hit on a slaver. So a good start!
Now the Martians began their attack. The grenadiers tried to take out two of the anti-tripod guns with Black Dust canisters. And while each attack managed to kill some of the nearby infantry in the trenches, both guns survived. Using command chits, the slavers and their drones moved forward at the double, as did several of the assault tripods. The scouts on the human right were each able to knock out a trench gun emplacement. The scouts on the other end killed several Rough Riders, but they easily passed morale. The assault tripods blasted the humans in the trenches, killing some infantry and routing one platoon. One of the tripods was just close enough to do a sweep on a field battery just to the rear of the trenches and wiped it out.
The second turn saw the humans win the initiative again and go first. The tanks continued to move forward, except for the two MK IV Monitors which stayed still so their 7” guns could fire. And fire they did, along with everything else the humans could bring to bear. Barrages rained down on the slavers, doing damage and killing more drones. If they could just kill the slavers, the drones would be immobilized, but even though the armor hits were piling up the sturdy machines refused to die. Many of the other tripods took armor hits and another lucky shot from an anti-tripod gun brought down the other Black Dust Assault Tripod. The aircraft swooped forward and sprayed the scouts on the right with machine gun fire, but to no effect. One of the scouts was destroyed, but by massed tank fire, not aircraft.
It looks like they got one! But they didn’t!
In the town, a reserve battery is rushed forward and infantry scramble to find cover.
Over on the left, the Rough Riders charged forward to try out their tow cables on the scout tripods there. Only one hit was scored, however, and most of the Riders were too far away to assault.
In their turn, the Martians continued forward, the slavers and drones moving at the double. The grenadiers again tried to take out the dangerous anti-tripods, but still with no luck. The assault tripods were getting close to the trench line and blasting anything that moves.
On the human left a deadly shot destroys one of the MK IV Monitors and another kills a MK II tank, routing the rest of the platoon. The slaver hastens forward and the drones move up to engage the Rough riders. But the scout tripod which had been snared by the Rough Riders tries to free itself and instead suffers seven armor hits!
On the next turn, the Martians win the initiative—giving them two moves in a row!
In the center the slaver and the drones assault the trench lines while the assault tripods step right over the trenches to get out of the line of fire of the anti-tripod guns. On the right the scouts knock out a MK II, but the platoon passes morale. On the left, the drones kill a few Rough Riders, as does fire from the tripods, but the rest stand fast.
Martians in the town!
Things are looking a little shaky for the Humans, but they fight on. In their turn they use a couple of command chips to rally the Mk II platoon and also to use the Industrial Might rule to bring back the destroyed field gun battery. Foolishly, however, they forget to bring back the destroyed MK IV!
Even so, their continued fire begins to tell. In the center, they finally bring down the slaver, immobilizing the drones. On the right, one of the scouts explodes destroying a couple of tanks and seriously damaging the remaining scout. More fire finishes it off, eliminating the threat to the right flank.
The field batteries shift their fire to the grenadiers and manage to blow one up. The other loses a lot of armor hits. The aircraft head that way in hopes of finishing it off.
On the left, the Rough Riders charge the slaver and manage to get a hit with their tow cables.
Both sides are getting close to their break points. Which will give way first?
But now the humans win the initiative and they get two turns in a row! More fire pummels the Martians. The machine guns and infantry in the town chip away at the armor on the assault tripods. On the left the scouts and slaver are all immobilized.
And then in the Martian rear, the three aircraft open up with their machine guns and, incredibly, the second Grenadier goes down!
Got one!
This pushes the Martians over their break point and they are forced to retreat! A human victory!
So how did the aircraft rules work? I thought they worked great. They are simple and easy. The aircraft aren’t terrible powerful, and they are absurdly easy to destroy (basically roll anything but a 1 and they die). But if they engage the Martians in conjunction with ground troops the Martian player will be faced with ‘wasting’ shots against weak targets or shooting at something more dangerous. That’s what happened here and the aircraft survived to strike the winning blow. (Honestly, I was expecting them to get destroyed immediately and I was planning to use Industrial Might to bring on wave after wave. But I didn’t have to!)
All in all, a very fun game.
We played a big game of All Quiet on the Martian Front today. We had nearly 3000 points on each side. The Martians had:
6 Assault Tripods (two with Black Dust Launchers)
6 Scout Tripods (two with targeters)
2 Slavers
2 Grenadiers
About 24 drones.
The Humans had:
2 Mk IV Monitor Steam Tanks
6 Mk II Steam Tanks
3 Mk III Steam Tanks
3 Mobile Artillery
3 Anti-Tripod Guns
3 Field Batteries
1 Heavy Field Battery
6 Infantry Platoons
3 Armored Infantry Platoons
1 Machine Gun Platoon
4 Rough Rider Squads
AND
1 Flight of Burgess-Dunne D8 aircraft!
This was out first time trying out our new rules for aircraft and my paper aircraft models.
The humans also had a lot of trenches, and four of the little trench gun emplacement I’d made which we treated as an immobile Mk II tank.
Our table was 6’ x 8’ with the humans defending a town. There were a few small patches of woods and that was about it as far as terrain goes.
Center of the human line.
Right of the Human Line
Left of the Human Line
The Martians lined up on the other side of the table with the grenadiers in the center and the rest of the forces divided equally to the right and left.
The humans won the initiative and decided to move first. Their tanks had started in a reserve position on the flanks and they moved forward. The flight of aircraft sputtered forward as well, as did the Rough Riders on the left. Everyone else pretty much stayed put. The Heavy Field Battery placed a barrage on one of the slavers. It missed the slaver but killed two of the drones it was controlling. A light field battery tried the same thing against the other slaver. Despite their smaller size, they put a hit on the slaver and a drone was destroyed. The humans got one lucky stroke when the combined fire of the mobile howitzers and two of the anti-tripod guns brought down one of the assault tripods (one with a black dust launcher). The third anti-tripod gun put a hit on a slaver. So a good start!
Now the Martians began their attack. The grenadiers tried to take out two of the anti-tripod guns with Black Dust canisters. And while each attack managed to kill some of the nearby infantry in the trenches, both guns survived. Using command chits, the slavers and their drones moved forward at the double, as did several of the assault tripods. The scouts on the human right were each able to knock out a trench gun emplacement. The scouts on the other end killed several Rough Riders, but they easily passed morale. The assault tripods blasted the humans in the trenches, killing some infantry and routing one platoon. One of the tripods was just close enough to do a sweep on a field battery just to the rear of the trenches and wiped it out.
The second turn saw the humans win the initiative again and go first. The tanks continued to move forward, except for the two MK IV Monitors which stayed still so their 7” guns could fire. And fire they did, along with everything else the humans could bring to bear. Barrages rained down on the slavers, doing damage and killing more drones. If they could just kill the slavers, the drones would be immobilized, but even though the armor hits were piling up the sturdy machines refused to die. Many of the other tripods took armor hits and another lucky shot from an anti-tripod gun brought down the other Black Dust Assault Tripod. The aircraft swooped forward and sprayed the scouts on the right with machine gun fire, but to no effect. One of the scouts was destroyed, but by massed tank fire, not aircraft.
It looks like they got one! But they didn’t!
In the town, a reserve battery is rushed forward and infantry scramble to find cover.
Over on the left, the Rough Riders charged forward to try out their tow cables on the scout tripods there. Only one hit was scored, however, and most of the Riders were too far away to assault.
In their turn, the Martians continued forward, the slavers and drones moving at the double. The grenadiers again tried to take out the dangerous anti-tripods, but still with no luck. The assault tripods were getting close to the trench line and blasting anything that moves.
On the human left a deadly shot destroys one of the MK IV Monitors and another kills a MK II tank, routing the rest of the platoon. The slaver hastens forward and the drones move up to engage the Rough riders. But the scout tripod which had been snared by the Rough Riders tries to free itself and instead suffers seven armor hits!
On the next turn, the Martians win the initiative—giving them two moves in a row!
In the center the slaver and the drones assault the trench lines while the assault tripods step right over the trenches to get out of the line of fire of the anti-tripod guns. On the right the scouts knock out a MK II, but the platoon passes morale. On the left, the drones kill a few Rough Riders, as does fire from the tripods, but the rest stand fast.
Martians in the town!
Things are looking a little shaky for the Humans, but they fight on. In their turn they use a couple of command chips to rally the Mk II platoon and also to use the Industrial Might rule to bring back the destroyed field gun battery. Foolishly, however, they forget to bring back the destroyed MK IV!
Even so, their continued fire begins to tell. In the center, they finally bring down the slaver, immobilizing the drones. On the right, one of the scouts explodes destroying a couple of tanks and seriously damaging the remaining scout. More fire finishes it off, eliminating the threat to the right flank.
The field batteries shift their fire to the grenadiers and manage to blow one up. The other loses a lot of armor hits. The aircraft head that way in hopes of finishing it off.
On the left, the Rough Riders charge the slaver and manage to get a hit with their tow cables.
Both sides are getting close to their break points. Which will give way first?
But now the humans win the initiative and they get two turns in a row! More fire pummels the Martians. The machine guns and infantry in the town chip away at the armor on the assault tripods. On the left the scouts and slaver are all immobilized.
And then in the Martian rear, the three aircraft open up with their machine guns and, incredibly, the second Grenadier goes down!
Got one!
This pushes the Martians over their break point and they are forced to retreat! A human victory!
So how did the aircraft rules work? I thought they worked great. They are simple and easy. The aircraft aren’t terrible powerful, and they are absurdly easy to destroy (basically roll anything but a 1 and they die). But if they engage the Martians in conjunction with ground troops the Martian player will be faced with ‘wasting’ shots against weak targets or shooting at something more dangerous. That’s what happened here and the aircraft survived to strike the winning blow. (Honestly, I was expecting them to get destroyed immediately and I was planning to use Industrial Might to bring on wave after wave. But I didn’t have to!)
All in all, a very fun game.
