Jhokalups – Field Operation Action Report – 20

Jhokalups – Field Operation Action Report – 20

StarCo vs Caledonian Highlander Army

300 / ITS X – Looting and Sabotaging – Red Deck

Our Warcor suggested Looting and Sabotaging for everyone to play this week. I decided to go back to StarCo for a bit. My opponent, Sprocketgx, brought CHA again, probably for all that sweet sweet melee. Goals for tonight are get Spector and some others into melee to cut stuff up, damaging the AC2 and trying to keep mine from being trashed.

Wip Roll

StarCo 11
Caledonian Highlander Army 15

Decision: Sprocketgx
Deployment: Jhokalups
Initiative: Sprocketgx
1st Turn: Sprocketgx
1st Deploy: Sprocketgx

Caledonian Highlander Army List:

StarCo List:

Since both Sprocket and I arrived a but late the table was already set up, there were some high buildings on both sides, but one had two overwatch areas and the other had a sniper tower that had some large blocked area by a building in front of it. I had Sprocket take the sniper tower side, which may have been a mistake.

Deployment:

Sprocket had several fistfuls of guys to deploy. On the right Wallace was surrounded by a pack of Volunteers and a Highlander. The middle had a Volunteer Core with a Grey HMG, and a Highlander.The middle left had McMurrough, a Volunteer, and a Cateran up high. His left had the 112 and another Highlander. He had the two Scots guard on the left and right thirds. And Uxia infiltrated to the top of a building just outside of my deployment zone with Emily.

I had the Emily/Alguaciles link on my left side with Emily up top. I had the two Jaguars watching the AC2. A CSU and the Grrl haris was on a building on my right, with the Spitfire up to ARO. The other CSU and Irmandinho where in total cover on my right. My Bandit FO was incover around the middle of the table, and I countered Uxia with my Bandit KHD.

Top of 1: CHA

All of the Highlanders and McMurrough took their impetuous order for a move and smoke. The Spitefire Grrl was able to draw a line on McMurrough and won the face to face, preventing smoke, but McMurrough passed armor. Next the Grey HMG stuck his head out to put shots into the Riot Grrl, who elected to dodge. A crit later the Grrl has one wound, no others and fails guts prone. Uxia revealed to take some Assault Pistol shots at Emily, Emily and the Bandit respond by shooting back, winning the face to face, but Uxia passes armor. Next Uxia walks into base with Emily, The bandit and Emily shoot back and again Uxia lives. While in CC both Emily and the bandit attempt to dodge Uxia and Emily takes a wound, fails armor and goes down. Next Emily takes out the bandit KHD and one of the Alguaciles on the ground. In another face to face with a different alguacil Uxia finally goes down. The Volunteer/Grey link advances up to better cover the AC2 and McMurrough spends all the orders to create a smoke wall that lets him get to my AC2 uncontested and take it out in two swings. Ouch.

Bottom of 1: StarCo

Okay, I am admittedly in a really bad spot, it’s not irrecoverable, I can still take out Sprocket’s AC2 and then shoot for other scoring methods. What I want to do is coordinate some Jaguar Chain rifles with a CSU Light Shotgun to try and take out McMurrough. To start off I advance the Irmandino with his impetuous order towards McMurrough, what I didn’t realize with this was that McMurrough had his facing to be able to catch a sliver of the Irmandino. They have a face to face, pistol vs. smoke, because my plan for McMurrough doesn’t work if he got smoke off. McMurrough gets smoke off and I start looking for other things. I am looking for a spot to land Spector, I want him to use mines and his shotgun to get favorable face to faces as I wander around the backfield. There were two spots that I was looking at landing:

Each on opposite sides of the building. I would have prefered the one in back (dashed circle) since it was closer. I was unable to tell what the highlanders facing was, so I wasn’t sure if Spector walking in there would be in the front arc allowing for an ARO. I decided it wasn’t worth arguing over and landed at the solid circle. After going slightly around the corner and throwing out a dropbear, we noticed that there was a volunteer that could see Spector through a tiny sliver. Spector and the Volunteer shoot at each other a couple times, with the Volunteer scoring a crit and putting spector into No Wound Incap. Feeling a little frustrated I try for something desperate and stand up my Riot Grrl with the Blitzen and have her walk along the wall to put two shots into the AP HMG Grey, it shoots back and the Riot Grrl crits! Taking the Grey out of the link and essentially out of the game. With the link down to four Spector goes at the Volunteer again while backing back around the corner, both volunteers go down this time. I bring the Spitfire Grrl back up to try and pick at a few more volunteers, but can’t make the roles. With the last orders in group 2 I have my FO bandit walk his way into the building right by the enemy AC2 and pass turn.

Score at End of 1: 8 – 0 CHA Favor

Top of 2: CHA

With an abundance of Orders Sprocket has the practical run of the place. The Highlanders all take their impetuous orders, with the one by the dropbear mine successfully eating it and passing armor. The Spitfire Grrl puts one on my left into dogged. The others advance and smoke. McMurrough cancels his regular impetuous order, because that’s a thing he can do on his own now. McMurrough throughs some smoke to go try and take out a Jaguar, smoke goes off (normal roll) then McMurrough walks out of smoke and makes a face to face with the Alguacil LT, winning the roll for more smoke. McMurrough walks into base with my Jaguar and they start fighting. After several lucky and unlucky rolls my Jaguar puts a wound on McMurrough. Deciding to do something else the Cateran Multi Sniper reveals and takes a shot at the Spitfire Grrl, the Bandit gets a free shot with the Light Shotgun at the zero band (I need to remember it comes with an ADHL for time like this) and the Grrl dodges. The Cateran wins the Grrl dodges, and the bandit misses. Next a Scots guard walks around and takes out the bandit, then the Spitfire Grrl before going into suppressive fire.. The Highlander that was in dogged makes it to the Panoply and gets an Automedkit, then revives itself. A coordinated order brings the highlanders up to threaten everything and Sprocket passes turn.

Bottom of 2: StarCo

Well, I am down a lot of pieces, but I still have a chance to turn this around. The Irmandinho uses his impetuous order and comes out to fight a Highlander and a sniper. He dodges a chain rifle, but not the Sniper and goes off the table. I then have my unengaged Jaguar walk towards McMurrough, and gets a bunch of AROs, he throws smoke and is super happy, I then send him into McMurrough, two dice, double the odds. That Jaguar loses and goes dogged, I try a couple more times with that order pool, and we get a whole lot of ties on the rolls, *sigh*.

My other plan involves getting the Riot Grrl backup and reforming the link, this is where the extra walls on the roof they were on interfered with the plan. Avicenna was unable to get to the Grrl, could not bring her back. I may have also took some shots at some highlanders without Consequence. Out of orders I pass turn.

Score at End of 2: 9 – 0 CHA Favor

Top of 3: CHA

I point out to Sprocket that if he takes out the last Jaguar I have to way to even tie the game. McMurrough does and we call it there. With a dude near my HVT and his HVT way far from any of my guys this one was sealed up nicely.

Final Score: 10 – 0 CHA Major Victory

Lessons Learned:

After the game I realized I missed an opportunity use the new stealth FAQ to get a MA2 vs Change face on McMurrough. I might have even been able to do it twice. As I was writing this I found another opportunity missed to do the same thing. On my first turn when McMurrough was in smoke I could have done a coordinated order with the CSU and Jaguars to trigger a Change Face against the CSU and then use Martial Arts level 2 against McMurrough. Running the Numbers I would have had over a 75% chance to would McMurrough, and 32% chance of putting the Doggy into unconsciousness. Later on my second turn, when I walked my Jaguar in, I could have positioned the smoke a little differently and then do a coordinated order and have the CSU trigger an ARO off McMurrough before walking in and swinging. I should talk to my Warcors about this one, this has some, confusing interactions.

The other thing I could have done is more finely tuned list for Looting and Sabotaging, having for anti-material options and a Dchage backup was great. (Insert exaggerated author swearing here) I could have had my specialists pick up D-Charges from the Panoplies! There was still a chance! The Panoplies (while terrible to rely on) do allow for Specialists and lucky non-specialists to take out the AC2. This definitely affects list builds and prioritization.

Back to the original point. I set up my defensive net poorly, I could have done that better. While I love the Grrls, in this scenario I think the Grrl Core would do better as a set of Lunkholds, with Koalas and a profile with disposable glue guns would have allowed for a much better defensive net around the AC2. I would probably do something like this instead.

I have much to think on and apply to my next game.

Thanks for reading.