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Post by madmorgan on Mar 19, 2016 11:34:44 GMT
Beautiful creature of death to dice and men! Three questions have popped up in my demented mine since rereading (& greatly enjoying) these scenarios. 1/Basic - how big of table for each of the battles? I assume (yes I know) that they're 4x6'? 2/ in scenario 4 what are you using for the Gatherer models please?? 3/in scenario 4 again, were the civilian 'elements' single, groups of 3 or so, or what arrangement?? BTW - loved your use of fleeing civilians using only the second movement phase! No special rule to keep them on the board a reasonable amount of time for capture and easy to impliment. Bravo on an outstanding list of scenarios for all of us to use.
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Post by terrance on Mar 21, 2016 19:25:34 GMT
Yes, 4x6 tables, but I think one was 5x8, but not certain which one it was now. That was sort of a test of a big game, about 4,000 points per side.
Gatherer models were bits of cardboard tube with a Styrofoam ball for a head and pipe cleaners for tentacles. I'll post a picture when I get home. The same models were stand-ins for construction engines for scenario 1.
The civilians were 3 figures to a base using the 40mm (?) round bases. I think I saw the idea of limiting the civilians to second movement phase on someone else's post on the old forum. But now have no idea who should get the credit.
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Post by terrance on Mar 22, 2016 2:06:34 GMT
The general, all purpose, tripod proxy. This has been both a constructor engine and a harvester.
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Post by madmorgan on Mar 22, 2016 9:36:07 GMT
Absolutely brillent! I'm inspired to make a true 'construction engine' now. The pipe cleaners are the clincher. Strangely pipe cleaners have been harder to fine since the local tobacco shop in the mall closed, but I think Walmart has them in the crafts section. But, the beauty of your 'tripod proxy' is that its all nice cheap parts with easily found items. Good job!
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Post by boxholder on Mar 22, 2016 11:44:28 GMT
Good job! Great idea for a proxy!
There are lots of odd bits hiding at craft stores like JoAnnes's, Michael's, AC Moore, and HobbyLobby.
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Post by madmorgan on Mar 22, 2016 11:58:29 GMT
Yes indeed my friend. I often go hitting all but the HobbyLobby you mention (none here). Whats even more endearing is that my lady will often point out things for my AQ game! She's big on crafting stuff too and we'll make a weekend foray to all of the above once and a while.
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Post by terrance on Mar 22, 2016 18:49:11 GMT
Yes, craft stores are great. You never know what you will run into that can be used directly or converted into something for the table top.
I threw the proxies together as construction engines for the pod landing scenario (Skyfall in the Story Arc campaign)over a year ago when it was supposed to stand in until AD produced the real models. Then they were harvesters for the civilian prey scenario. Now I'm planning on replacing them as construction engines with the Black Hat Miniatures Cephelopod handling machines. Not certain yet what I'll do for harvesters.
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Post by terrance on Apr 8, 2016 19:04:55 GMT
City Fight (Scenario 6) TOE Plan is to fight this battle tomorrow. So here is the TOE as planned.
Human 12 Infantry @ 30 points = 360 6 Infantry command @ 30 points = 180 5 Forlorn hope @ 15 = 75 3 MG @ 40 = 120 3 Mk II tank units @ 165 = 495 1 Mk III tank unit @ 225 2 Mk IIIc @85 = 170 Total 1625 points / Break 13 / 8 command chits
Martian 2 Veteran Assault tripods with heat rays @ 250 = 500 1 Red Martian @ 275 = 275 1 Reaper tripod @ 150 = 150 2 Scout tripods @ 150 = 300 2 Assault tripods with heat ray @ 200 = 400 2 Assault tripods with green gas @ 200 = 400 2 Assault tripods with black dust @ 200 = 400 Total 1975 points / Break 6 / 9 command chits
With most of the board a built up area and the ability of the humans to ambush tripods from the buildings, this is going to be an interesting tactical challenge for the Martians.
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Post by terrance on Apr 12, 2016 2:56:01 GMT
City fight AAR Set up and Turn 1 The Martians chose to mass their tripods on the West side of the city, near the park and attempt to bull their way through before the humans could react. The humans put all their infantry, machine guns, and infantry command units in the buildings. The MkIII tanks were in the warehouse (not in the picture) and the MkII units spread across the baseline with one unit advanced a block. The Martians automatically got the initiative the first turn. They advanced all units, but did not double move. They later indicated they knew there were ambushes in the buildings and that the ambush would halt movement, and they did not want to waste the order tokens. On their turn the humans revealed the machine guns in the hotel but did only minor damage. The humans did trigger one ambush and got lucky and brought down the tripod. The humans in their turn used double moves to get the out of position troops into the fight.
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Post by terrance on Apr 12, 2016 3:04:28 GMT
City fight turn 2 Humans won the initiative for turn 2. Double moves were used to get tanks to the front. One unit of tanks was able to get into range (only two tanks had LOS) and between them and the machine guns in the hotel a tripod was blown up. Turn 2 and the Martians are already 1/3 to breakpoint. The exploding tripod did minor damage to two other tripods with the worse being a movement hit on an assault tripod. In the Martian second move phase a Black dust assault tripod gets ambushed from the train station. And a scout tripod gets ambushed from buildings across the street from the train station. During the human turn only minor damage was done to tripods and the ambushing infantry moved back into the buildings.
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Post by terrance on Apr 12, 2016 3:12:53 GMT
City fight turn 3 Martians again win the initiative. More ambushes in the Martian first movement phase. The green gas assault tripod get ambushed from both sides of the street. But it survives. The Scout tripod that has been advancing steadily down the street is ambushed again, also from both sides of the street. Again it survives even though a forlorn hope was included in the attack. During the Martian combat phase the nearby black dust assault tripod hits the infantry assaulting the scout and routs both units.
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Post by terrance on Apr 12, 2016 3:19:48 GMT
City fight turn 4 The Martians again win the initiative. The machine guns in the hotel have finally annoyed the Martians enough to take action. The reaper tripod moves up and assaults the building, destroying it and forcing the machine guns out. But they displace to the next building and continue to be a nuisance. In the human turn the reaper goes down to massed machine gun and infantry fire. Meanwhile you may recall there was a tripod with a movement damage back near the start line. The Martians tried to move it and the humans won the roll-off. They forced it to move so it faced back over the Martian table edge. The Martians did not attempt to move it again for fear that if they lost the roll-off again the humans would move it off the table which counts as destroyed for breakpoint. However some tanks made it to that side of the table and destroyed the tripod. That brought the count to 5 tripods lost. One more would break the Martian army.
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Post by terrance on Apr 12, 2016 3:26:22 GMT
City fight turn 5. The Martians AGAIN won the initiative. They were able to get three tripods either at the human table edge or close enough to make it there in the next turn. A Veteran tripod moving along the Martian table edge got a bead on a MkIIc and destroyed it. The humans were now with 7 lost units out of 14 needed to break and lots of infantry with one or two stands lost. In the human turn the assault tripod coming up the rail line got hit very hard. A lose d10 armor result and it was down to 1 armor point. The machine guns then finished it off and it was army break for the Martians.
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Post by terrance on Apr 12, 2016 3:38:22 GMT
City Fight after thoughts
I wasn't certain how much extra to give the Martians to balance the mass of humans hidden in the buildings. The martians had about 650 points more than the humans and I think the next time we play it I will add at least one more tripod.
The tactic of massing on one side of the board nearly worked. It took two turns, much of it with double moves, to get half of the human army into the fight. But the humans had some luck by taking down or incapacitating 3 tripods early in the game.
The Martians needed to be more aggressive with the Red Martian. When the humans ambushed they were stuck out in the open until their turn. If the Red Martian had been moving up to within 12 inches the infantry would have had to roll morale to move back into the buildings, and if they failed they would have routed.
The Martians could have also been more aggressive in using green gas and black dust on units in the buildings. By eliminating the defense bonus for the buildings it would be a good way of racking up lots of human casualties and pushing toward the breakpoint.
It was actually a pretty close game. If the Martians had not lost so many tripods so early and if they had been a little more aggressive in the ways I suggest above it very likely would have been decided in the last part of the last turn.
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Post by boxholder on Apr 12, 2016 13:00:02 GMT
Magnificent work! Beautiful table! Neat scenario! It was truly frightening to see so many tripods massed for an assault. Really good use of the advantages, few they be, that the humans have.
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