Slaver Extermination

"Enough is enough. These slavers have not only murdered, raped and pillaged their way through our potential ally, the Outworld Alliance, but have killed two of our fellow pilots. We have their base surrounded, and their dropship has been neutralized in orbit. It's time to finish the job."

With these words, Captain Julien Laval began to move his giant lumbering Marauder II forward towards the enemy base. His hand-picked assault lance followed along side.  Lt. DuPree in his Zeus, the ex-mercenary turned FedSuns pilot Frank Makolo, loyal and grateful to Laval for purchasing his new Rifleman mech, a sturdy Von Luckner heavy tank, and the Ranger's 1st Infantry Company.  All this supported by a transport VTOL to drop the infantry from zip lines, and Sgt. Howard in his Stuka heavy spacefighter, currently groaning with a full compliment of high explosive bombs.

No one was really sure how Laval came upon his Marauder II. They were supposedly the exclusive design and property of the famous Wolf's Dragoons, made under contract with the previously unknown Blackwell Industries. Laval simply shouldn't have had access.  And yet... after his family's legacy Marauder I developed serious problems with its fusion engine Captain Laval suddenly appeared in his brand new mech.  Given the shady reputation of Laval's Baronial family, blackmail of some kind was the assumed story. Even a mercenary from the Dragoons occasionally lost at cards in one of the family's resort casinos, or got into worse trouble in areas where the family's informants were rife.  Whatever the truth, Laval wasn't answering any questions.

The techs whispered that there was something odd about the machine. It was Blackwell Industries' first mech of any kind, and its design was so beautiful, so streamlined, that it should have been beyond their ability. Something about the way things fit together disturbed and fascinated those assigned to work on the machine, but they couldn't quite put their finger on what...

The slavers had set up in an old Star League fort, left to crumble on their forgotten Periphery world.  Those who had survived the freeing of the slave camp and those left behind as guards prepared a desperate defense. Their best outcome (aside from unlikely victory) was life imprisonment. If the angry Rangers let them live.

The slavers mostly fielded light mechs, with a Cyclops as their commander.

The approach was dangerous, largely open ground, but Laval knowing this chose mechs with solid ranged armaments.

"Sgt. Howard," Laval said, "see if you can't soften them up for us. They look nice and bunched up for you."

"Roger, making my first bombing run."

In response to the heavy bombardment, the doors to the mech repair facility opened, revealing an unwelcome sight. Two mechs, painted in the colors of the Draconis Combine!

So that's where they got their funding, Laval thought. Once again "honorable" House Kurita was financing the riff-raff of the galaxy to fight their proxy wars for them. If the Rangers hadn't surprised the slavers, these "advisors" would have no doubt slipped off planet by now. But now they were going to go down with their ship.

"Second run successful," Howard reported, "Looks like serious damage to the Cyclops and minor to others. Taking considerable fire however."

"Keep hitting them. I want that Cyclops down by the time I arrive."  Even his Marauder II could only take so many AC20 hits.

"Roger that, looping back."

As the Rangers advanced in a staggered formation, two light mechs jumped over the fortress walls to engage.

They were clearly trying to peel off the attackers, to slow them down. We'll that wasn't a problem. Time wasn't an issue after all.

Meanwhile Sgt. Howard moved in for another attack run. Unloading with missiles, lasers and every other weapon he had, the Cyclops was already teetering.

"Solid hit!" he shouted.

But as he passed, all of the enemy mechs unloaded on him. Taking serious damage to the nose and right wing, he struggled to keep control of his plane.

"It's no good," he said, desperately trying to right his plane, but the successive bombing runs had brought him too low to the ground...

"Sgt. Howard," Laval said, seeing the plane go down, "Howard come in, are you ok?"

"Yes sir," he said, "Ejected. Shaken up but I'm ok. I'm going to get the hell away from this base while you finish up. Dammit, they got my damned plane!"

"Get clear, we're just glad you're alright."

Taking a last look at his Stuka, he saw that it was largely intact, although it's nose was nearly torn off and the cockpit smashed. Turning to run for cover, he had hope that it might even be repairable.

Meanwhile Laval ordered Lt. DuPree to engage the light mechs with his Zeus. At the same time, he ordered the rest of the lance to slightly slow their pace while the mechs were dealt with.

At this point, two platoons of infantry inside the Karnov transport began their maneuvers: a slow wide flanking maneuver to try to get into the fortress itself at the moment of the attack, when the defending mechs would be otherwise occupied.

Lt. _____'s Zeus exchanged fire with the Spider and other mech.

Through the smoke, the Kurita mechs joined the firing line.

Finally in range, Laval ordered a brief halt and opened fire.

Meanwhile, one of the light mechs made the mistake of moving into close combat with the Zeus. Lt. DuPree suppressed a laugh before delivering two punches and a kick.

The kick tore straight through the lighter mech's leg and sent it to the ground. Silly mechwarrior must have thought he was in an Atlas.

Ignoring the weakly armed Spider, the Zeus turned back towards the fort to get in formation.

The Spider ran up behind the Zeus, firing its single medium laser into the mech's back ineffectually, while the Rangers advanced to medium range and unloaded on the enemy.

Meanwhile the Infantry were nearing their objective.

As the Zeus advanced, the Spider, desperate to slow the advance, used its jets to get above the heavy mech, hoping to land directly on the cockpit.

A near miss on the moving Zeus sent it crashing to the ground, heavily damaged.

With the Spider's ploy foiled, the Kurita mechs ordered a general advance to close the range and eliminate the Ranger's long range advantage. In doing so they found themselves right in the path of the Von Luckner's short range firepower.

As the Spider tried to rise, it was assaulted with the jump infantry that had caught up with the slightly faster mechs and tanks. However, the infantry failed to set their charges before the Spider got up, losing a wonderful opportunity.

However at this point, the VTOL transport was able to complete its mission, inserting infantry at close range while the enemy mechs had far bigger problems to deal with.

Everyone seemed to be firing at once. Heat built on all sides, and giant machines of war fought to the death while tiny humans with laser rifles ran about their heels.

The Von Luckner's crew fired salvo after salvo into the enemy while the heavy mechs of Laval's lance finished them off.

The enemy, meanwhile, concentrated their fire on the lightly damaged Zeus, finally getting lucky and tearing through its engine shielding. Lt. DuPree managed to eject as his radiation warnings went off, but the mech would need serious repairs before it would be able to see any further active duty.

Lt. ______ made a run for it, trying to get clear of the missiles and energy weapons behind him.

Another infantry platoon landed directly on an enemy mech, attaching themselves wherever they could to set their charges.

Meanwhile that suicidal spider tried the same jump jet trick on Laval's Marauder, now the main target.

Doing light damage to the Marauder's upper body, it managed to tear its own leg off in the process, knocking it out of effective combat.

Meanwhile, the few remaining mechs moved to close combat with Laval's Marauder. He grinned, savoring the chance to see what would happen when a 100 ton monster delivered punches and kicks into enemy steel.

Insertion completed, the VTOL landed to pick up Sgt. Howard.

Laval, savoring real close combat for the first time, relished the way 100 tons could tear through the enemy. Soon both mechs were scrap at his feet.

While two mechs were only disabled and their pilots could be presented to the Outworld authorities, the Kurita pilots fought to the death. Unfortunate, as they would have been useful, but the slavers would surely sing a nice song for the Outworlders before they met their fate.

"This is Captain Laval.  We've completed our mission and the site is secure. Requesting dropship landing with recovery vehicles and MPs for the prisoners. Good work people. Debriefing at 0800 tomorrow.  I expect the arrival of Ourworld authorities by the afternoon."

Fist Full of WW3

Time to go back to some Cold War action with Michael. After our last encounter where I wrote off ever playing Cold War Commander again, he promised to find a better ruleset for the era, still using the same 6mm figures. In "Fist Full of TOWs" he may have found it.

It's a very simple system, which allows for a lot of variance of equipment and covers a huge historical period, and even sci-fi games like "Fist Full of Tripods." Most importantly, there's no rolling for activation. Everything just goes in classic I-go-you-go fashion. While the base rules are super simple and VERY fast playing, you can add more complexity very easily. I'm very excited to get further into this game and era.

We played a simple encounter scenario to start, with me as the West Germans defending against a low-quality Soviet force.

The German equipment was far inferior to the Soviets, but I like a plucky underdog.

Damn, the Soviets got to the village first!

Uh oh!

Well, that didn't last long.  The Soviets won but at least Germany is united again. And probably France and Spain too...

However, since that game was incredibly quick (maybe an hour or so?), we flipped sides and I gave the Soviets a spin. Michael approached the problem far more cautiously than I, but still I had high hopes of repeating his victory.
The Germans hid behind a hill with their main force.

Taking the town quickly with my Soviets, it was obvious that Michael didn't intend to contest it.

Deciding to eliminate the German tanks first, I moved my own armor up.

Fire from some antiquated German tanks harasses my armored transports, but such is to be expected.

My tank assault initially goes quite well...

And I mount the infantry again, hoping to cut off the enemy armor's retreat.

But that's where my luck turned...

Some abysmal rolls on my part resulted in my overwhelming force becoming 2:1 in favor of the Germans. With the destruction of the Soviet tanks, the rest turned tail and fled, leaving the infantry on their own. Wisely, they decided to flee back to the Motherland.

A fun, easy game, but two back to back losses for me. Well, it's clearly not the system!  Michael is a very strong player, especially in his favorite period. I'm looking to go back for more soon, and maybe see how artillery and air support plays out.

Rangers Liberate Slave Camp

No one said taking out the slavers would be easy, but it was looking like the 1st Argyle Rangers may have bitten off more than they wanted to try to chew. These weren't the usual Periphery trash fielding battered tanks and hovercraft with maybe a few half-functional battlemechs. No, they were clearly an organized force with near-fanatical morale. The Rangers hadn't seen anything like it.

The toxicology report from the slavers killed in the first battle indicated the presence of some potent and expensive drugs in the pilot's system that could account for some of their erratic behavior, but nothing found explained how they could afford the drugs, let alone the mechs.

Now Marissa Howard-Davion, having received a battlefield promotion to Lieutenant after the death of Lt. Felix, has been put in charge of a lance and tasked with liberating the main slave encampment a few miles from the slavers' main base and spaceport.  Aerial photography indicates a strong detachment of light and medium mechs along with tanks for support. [Note the infantry stands at the base represent groups of slaves with a few keepers among them, not enemy infantry]

Riding her Stalker to battle once again, Marissa had a strong and flexible force with her. Her long-time friend Paul Fitzroy in his Crab, Gustav in his Jenner, as well as an LRM carrier, an infantry company (along with VTOL transport) and a Stingray fighter groaning with the weight of 12 cluster bombs. Her plan was simple: try to lure the defenders away from the slaves and then insert the infantry to free them from their keepers. [scenario rules called for the Rangers to take possession if within 6" of a slave stand]

The battle begins!

"What they hell are they doing?" Paul shouted over the radio, "They're charging?"

"Looks that way," Marissa said, "Good, let them come to us.  Hold your ground and take cover among the trees."

The enemy was advancing down a narrow alley flanked by two hills. If they bunched up just a little more the air support could do some serious damage with its bombs...

Leaving their precious slaves behind, the slavers abandoned the cover of the camp and rushed to encounter their enemy.

Meanwhile the stingray made some passes trying to soften up some of the slower mechs lagging to the rear.

With the entire enemy force (excepting one Spider) rushing headlong at them, Marissa signaled the infantry to deploy along the escape route of the slavers. To retain the slavers, the slavers would have to evacuate them in the direction of the base.  An infantry platoon deployed into a lightly wooded area, rappelling down from the helicopter on zip lines.

The slavers were quick to engage, and rushed towards Paul's Crab, trying to overwhelm him.

"Hang on Paul, we've got your back," Marissa said. LRM fire from both her mech and the LRM carrier heavily damaged the enemy mechs, but the damage was scattered and it failed to quickly bring any of them down.

It soon came to physical blows, with Paul desperately kicking and the lighter mechs pummeling him.

Finally, the combined fire brought down the Cicada, but Paul's Crab had taken massive damage in return.  Given the speed of the light mechs, withdrawal would be difficult, and Marissa knew that Paul would resist if ordered to pull back. As Paul tied them up at point blank range, missiles from her Stalker and LRM Carrier combined with surprisingly effective laser fire from the jump infantry into a terrifying display.

With reinforcements on the way, Gustav was forced to move his Jenner to higher ground, coming face to face with the enemy Spider. Given the speed of the mechs, neither was able to damage the other in the inevitable exchange.

The infantry by this point were in place, cutting off the enemy entirely from escape. They wouldn't be able to hold off the enemy mechs if they turned towards them, but that seemed unlikely given what was happening around the Crab.

With more enemy units pouring through the gap in the hills, the Stingray finally had an excellent shot. Two mechs and a Scorpion tank were close together as they approached Paul's Crab, the perfect target for 12 cluster bombs. In a thunderous explosion, the tank and the light mech were consumed in flame, although the enemy commander in his Quickdraw still stood.

Emerging from the flames, the Quickdraw added its fire to the many attacks on the Crab.

In the end, however, it was the Assassin that ended it, putting its fist through Paul's cockpit.

Marissa shouted aloud in rage and grief as she watched her friend's mighty mech fall, turning her Stalker's guns on the enemy.

Meanwhile the transport landed in a field near several groups of slaves. As hoped for, the presence of the Davion transport beckoning them caused the slaves to rebel and kill their wardens.  Paul's sacrifice will not have been in vain.

By this point, the gap in the hills was near overflowing with flaming hulks of metal.  Numerous enemy mechs lay scattered about the fallen Crab.

The Assassin, perhaps drunk on glory, decided that killing just the Crab wasn't enough, and rushed straight at Marissa. She allowed herself a grim smile as she welcomed the near suicidal move.

After exchanging close range fire, Marissa lifted the heavy hoof of her assault mech and put it straight through the Assassin's thigh, sending the mech crashing to the earth.

Yet still they came...

Most of the remaining mechs were light and relatively weak, but among them was a Patton tank with a dreaded AC-20.  Maneuvering around it, Marissa closed the range on the other mechs.

Turning it's turret, the Patton annihilated the LRM carrier with a single shot to it's front armor.

It wasn't long before the light mechs had fallen to the mighty Stalker (with help from the Jenner).

At that point, whatever psychopath was commanding the Slavers finally give the recall order. The Spider sprinted away along with the enemy Clint, but the Patton's slow speed doomed it.  A costly victory for the Rangers, and a tremendous personal loss for the most of the Battalion's mech pilots who'd known Paul Fitzroy for years.  While everyone acknowleged that he had died for a worthy cause, the battle had now become personal, even for the otherwise distant Captain Laval.

Back at the drop site, Marissa gave her report to Captain Laval, practically begging him to let her avenge her friend in the final assault on the slaver base.

"They killed Paul."

"I know."

They killed Lt. Felix too. Put a PPC to his cockpit while he was out cold. They knew it too, the bastards."

"I know."

"Then why?"

"Your mech is too damaged. You'd be a liability out there." His coldness made her want to tear his eyes out.

"It's cosmetic, god damn it!  Not so much as a dent to the superstructure and internals. Just some banged up armor."

"There's not much armor left." Captain Laval said levelly, "The techs tell me there's visible buckling all along the right leg, and damage to the major weapon casings in the upper body. Look, Marissa, I share your feelings, I really do. But I can't let you go in there. These slavers aren't the usual Periphery trash. Felix and Sgt. Fitzroy died precisely because we underestimated them. We're attacking their base, and we can expect to take heavy fire. You'd get chewed up in the first few minutes. I can't let that happen."

Sgt. Fitzroy, she thought, he can't even call him Paul anymore.

"At the same time, Lieutenant, I remind you that I'm not accustomed to a pilot of your rank demanding assignments from me. It is precisely a lieutenant's job to curtail such behavior from the ranks and to avoid bothering the Captain with it."

"I suppose the old days are over then." Four years at the Academy. Her, Paul, Jeremy (Lt. Brice now), Justin, and of course Julian, now Captain Laval, her ruthless C.O.

"I suppose they are."

"Who are you giving the mission to, sir?"

"No one."

"Sir?"
"I'm going myself. Tell the techs to have my new Marauder primed within the hour."