Jhokalups – Field Operation Action Report – 17

Jhokalups – Field Operation Action Report – 17

Foreign Company vs Varuna Immediate Response Division

200 / ITS X – The Grid

It’s been a little while, I am happy to be able to get a game in again. My opponent this week was Xammy again, this time playing the Grid. With Foreign Company just released I thought I would see how they did. After seeing up our table and making up a 200 point list we got dude rolling.

Wip Roll

Foreign Company 4

Varuna Immediate Response Division 9

Decision: VIRD

Deployment: ForCo

Initiative: VIRD

1st Turn: VIRD

1st Deploy: VIRD

Varuna Immediate Response Division List:

 VIRD – grid lite

9 1

 PATSY GARNETT Submachine Gun, Nimbus Plus Grenades, D-Charges / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 37)

 KAMAU (Forward Observer) Combi Rifle / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 21)

 MACHINIST (Varuna Div.) (CH: Mimetism, Stealth, Aquatic Terrain) Combi Rifle, D-Charges / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 17)

 ORC (Varuna Div.) (Multiterrain: Aquatic/Jungle, Stealth) Feuerbach / Pistol, Knife. (2 | 43)

 FUSILIER Missile Launcher / Pistol, Knife. (1.5 | 15)

 FUSILIER Paramedic (MediKit) Combi Rifle / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 12)

 FUSILIER (Forward Observer, Deployable Repeater) Combi Rifle / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 12)

 FUSILIER Combi Rifle / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 10)

 ZULU-COBRA Lieutenant (Sensor) Combi Rifle, Jammer / Assault Pistol, Knife. (0 | 29)

 WARCOR (360º Visor) Flash Pulse / Stun Pistol, Knife. (0 | 3)

Foreign Company List:

 FC Grid

10

 ZERO (Forward Observer) Combi Rifle, Antipersonnel Mines / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 19)

 ZERO (Forward Observer) Combi Rifle, Antipersonnel Mines / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 19)

 HANNIBAL (Chain of Command, Strategic Deployment) Boarding Shotgun, Nanopulser / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 37)

 SEÑOR MASSACRE Boarding Shotgun, E/M Grenades, Eclipse Grenades / Pistol, AP CCW, E/M CCW. (0 | 26)

 BOLT (Multispectral Visor L1) MULTI Sniper Rifle / Pistol, Knife. (1.5 | 27)

 SECURITATE Feuerbach / Pistol, Knife. (1 | 22)

 SECURITATE Combi Rifle / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 13)

 SECURITATE Lieutenant Combi Rifle / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 13)

 CSU (Specialist Operative) Rifle + Light Shotgun, Nanopulser / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 12)

 CSU (Specialist Operative) Rifle + Light Shotgun, Nanopulser / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 12)

The table we had was covered in catwalks, there was more scatter across the bottom level making it more difficult to see the entire board. I felt there was one side with a better defensive set up. So I took it for myself, giving Xammy the more open side.

Deployment:

Xammy had his Fusilier link deployed centrally. h had a Harris on his right with a Warcor on the right in I overwatch on the catwalk. There was a camo marker on his left.

I had my securitate link around a central building, able to break left or right as needed. I had Hannibal and Senor Massacre on the ground in my right. The bolt multi-sniper was prone on the catwalk above. My two Zero FOs were on the right and left, each watching at least two antennas

Top of 1: VIRD

To start things off, Xammy began to cautiously move the Patsy Haris across the board. It looked like the goal for this was to take out the Securitate Feuerbach. A few orders in the Kamau crossed a Secruitates line of fire. The Kamau went down to the Securitate after a few orders. The last few orders had patsy exchanging shots with the Feuerbach. In the end, the Feuerbach was still alive and Patsy was exposed.

Bottom of 1: Foreign Company

At the start of my turn I knew that I wanted to get my anti material weapons into a position where at the start of next turn I could start destroying antennas. One key to that was to free up my Securitate link. The securitates wouldn’t be able to do that on their own, so I figured I would use the Hannibal Haris. When looking at the board, I saw that Hannibal would not be able to fight Patsy with advantage, instead I used Eclipse smoke to sneak my Bolt over to take a shot at Patsy. The first shot was in my 0 range band, but with the second I was able to get into the +3 zone and took Patsy off the table. With my next couple of orders I took out the machinist and the downed Kamau. I had difficulty repositioning the Securitate link, since there was a small window that the Orc Feuerbach could see my Securitate walk through. So with a little bit of re-positioning and making sure my models would all be out of immediate danger I passed turn.

Top of 2: VIRD

This is the turn where things started going south for me. Xammy spent orders on the FO in the link team to mark several of the antennas. Next the Feuerbach took out the left and right antennas on my side, moving them to a damaged state. Xammy was also able to mark and destroy the central antenna on his side, and damage the antenna on his side on my left. Out of orders Xammy passed turn.

Bottom of 2: Foreign Company

After reviewing the rules for structures, we found that only the on my side were “destroyed” the others were damaged. I was able to bring my links forward, and found out that Senor Massacre does not have an anti-material melee weapon like I thought, drat. No worries, I used the Eclipse grenades to block a line for the Securitate link to get out. I sacrificed one Zero FO to flip the sync on one of the antennas on Xammy’s side. I was then able to take out the middle antenna on my side, the left antenna on Xammy’s side and get my Feuerbach in a position where it could take out the Fusilier missile launcher if it moved. With that done I passed turn.

Top of 3: VIRD

Doing some quick math, Xammy just had to take out one more antenna to lock me out of tying him for antennas destroyed; and one more past that to prevent me from tying or better him for antennas synched. Xammy was able to succeed in locking me out of tying for antennas destroyed. Unfortunately he ran out of orders and the Orc manning the feuerbach decided that it was a great time to shoot the ground. That done he passed turn.

Bottom of 3: Foreign Company

Ok, for this turn, I need to sync two antennas to tie for antennas captured. If I got three I could tie the game. And if I can take out the designated target I can win. I set up my link team to secure the middle antenna and then break to secure the one on my left. With two attempts my CSU synched to the central antenna. Next I had my other Zero FO attempt to synch the other two open antennas. That Zero died but his sacrifice captured the two antennas I needed. Finally I started andvancing what was left of my securitate link towards the designated target. Unable to take out the Zulu Cobra, my CSU died. Fortunately the Securitate on the roof was able to crawl along the catwalk and wall to take out the designated target with one of my last few orders.

Final Score: 6 – 4 Foreign Company Victory

Lessons Learned:

Alright, let’s see what we can unpack from this. Xammy had a huge advantage from winning the role and deciding to go first. Even with an inferior position and an ability to counter deploy, at 200 points if a list is tuned to the grids objectives and the player focuses on them, you can easily be on your back foot from the start.

After thinking about it, I definitely won this game because my opponent had some bad luck and made several mistakes that I capitalized on. Early on, Xammy sent a valuable Haris across the field without watching what could ARO them. He also walked the haris right past my Designated target (there is a bit of a psychological game played here that worked out for me) without even considering taking a shot. When that haris reached my side, instead of doing the mission focused thing of setting D-charges on all the antennas on my side, he tried to kill my Securitate Core, and the core won that fight. The bloodlust went to his head and he squandered his first turn on several less than 50/50 shots. Additionally there were several times where he could not completely destroy antennas, or even hit them when he needed to.

Looking at my turn two, I am unsure of what I could have done better. I feel like I dealt with threats correctly. Which allowed for me to free up the link team to capture more objectives. But with different actions, could I have forced a Tie on destroyed antennas? I suppose it’s possible. From my game plan going in, for how the grid works it kept me on track.

Foreign Company is a strange bag. I find myself limited on tools that I am used to having easy access to, like many infiltrating forward observers. Or the ability to spec fire over any significant distance. Several of the tools that I have been crutching on, are not in Foreign Company or require a more nuanced application. I have been relying on my cheap warband units, like the Juagar, Morlock and to a lesser extent the Irmandinho to cover my approach and have an emergency Double Action CC weapon if I need to go blow up some scenery. Foreign Company does not have cheap warbands. The cheapest is the Chimera of the Uberfallkommando at 21, without any pupnicks. With pupnicks they are only 2 points less than Senor Massacre. But using these pieces the same way I would use a 6 point model. Even if I did use it the same way, I would quickly find myself running points down. I think Foreign Company will good play exercise, I will have to approach the same problems using a different set of tools than I would with StarCo, Bakunin or even Vanilla Nomads.