Another game trying out NetEA lists to get a Starship Troopers flavour.
Starship Troopers counts as Hawk Lords, 3000 points
54 units on the ground so a full strength Heinlein platoon
4 Assault Units, 2 Hawk Wing Devastators + Supreme Commander (Lieutentant) , 2 Land Speeders [475]
4 Hawk Wing Devastators + Captain (Sergeant) [300]
4 Assault Units, 2 Hawk Wing Devastators + Chaplain (Section Leader) , 2 Land Speeders [425]
4 Assault Units, 2 Land Speeders [250]
4 Assault Units, 2 Land Speeders [250]
4 Assault Units, 2 Hawk Wing Devastators + Chaplain (Section Leader) [350], in Gunship
4 Assault Units, 2 Land Speeders [250]
3 Land Speeders, 2 Tempests [250]
3 Land Speeders, 2 Tempests [250]
Thunderhawk Gunship [200]
Tyranids, in photo,
Dominatrix (still missing in action, so counts as), 2 Trygons (also counts as – I think), Carnifaxs, 2 teeth and claws, 1 gargoyle
4 Swarms with Tyranid Warriors
3 Hadrians with Gargoyles
Biovore group
3 Trygons (frying bacon scratching noise)
Game and Terrain NotesThe hills were assumed to have crest-line along them blocking line of sight.
The battle-field is limited to the terrain rather than the edge of the table.
Sorry not a very thematic battle report.
Bugs cluster around their Blitz
Most of the Troopers sitting in reserve to move onto the table in Turn 1
Thunderhawk 1st turn self-planetfall planned to between take and hold objectives on Bug right flank.
Bug tunnellers planned for Trooper Blitz on turn 3 (screwd guess).
Turn 1Starship Troopers win initiative and lets Bugs go first.
B1 (Bug 1) Biovores move forward into woods I’d have left them til later to ensure they got a target, but it did get them into cover and they screeded (wrecked) a unit in each of turn 2 and 3!!
S1 (Starship Trooper 1) Sgt and Devs double forward and shoot Biovores. [In the distance below]
B2 Right Swarm moves forward into woods.
S2 Command group doubles and shoots at B2 swarm.
B3 Left swarm marchs forward remaining behind crest line.
S3 Section Leader doubles forward, missile troops on right shoot.
B4 Centre right swarm doubles forward to screen Biovores.
S4 Section under S3 doubles and shoots B4.
B5 Centre left swarm doubles forward.
S5 3rd Section under S3 moves forward and shoots.
B6 Dominatrix and friends moves and shoots 2 troopers from S3.
S6 Section advances and shoots.
B7 Hadrian advances and shoots.
S7 Left scouts (counts as Land Speeders) double and shoot Hadrian. No damage but FOOL. I leave them in support fire range of target Hadrian.
B8 Hadrian assaults, 2 gargoyes die, Troopers save hits from support fire. Starship Troopers win by one, LUCK.
S8 Planetfall Lander, shoots at swarm and kills one (expendable so only one BM for being shot at).
B9 Hadrian on the Bug left flank advances and kills one missile trooper.
S9 Right scouts (counts as Land Speeders) assaults bug left swarm, and lose by 1.
S10 Air landing section leader (counts as Chaplain) assaults right Bug Swarm, kill all but 2 Tyranid Warriors (Fearless!!) [Think the extra stand is from after spawning].
Thunderhawk leaves by enemy table edge to avoid AA.
Need the re-roll to rally Section Leader’s group.
All broken formations rally, total of 7 units swarm, Dom spawns 3 gargoyles!!
Turn 2Starship Troopers win initiative and gets going, On The Bounce, Trooper.
S1 Command group assaults the Hadrian and despite a mass of supporting fire they only do one damage, but win.
[Here the yellow markers keep track of an intermingled formation]
S2 Scouts (Land Speeders) move and try to shoot the Hadrian, no damage.
B1 Biovores produce 5 hits out of 6 shots. One saved and only Section Leader survives, and retires to hide behind rocks.
B2 Centre right swarm moves to support position, warriors kill one Trooper.
S3 Section assaults left flank swarm, one Trooper dies. Swarm broken.
S4 Sgt’s ‘Devastators’ sustain fire and get only 2 hits from 8 shoots, 2 bugs die.
B3 Centre left swarm assaults toward bug right flank. 4 Troopers die, out of 5, supporting fire helps out so bugs lose assault, and survivor withdraws to friendly rock.
B4 Hadrian on left flank assaults, no casualties, and bugs lose roll-off.
S5 Assaulted the broken swarm S3 but were almost annihilated and Troopers fall back. Disaster. Bugs in cover prove potent.
B5 Dominatrix and friends, Advance, NO, Assault, NO, Sustain Fire.
B6 Hadrian far back right flank marshalls off blast markers.
S6 Thunderhawk ground attacks and kills one of remaining two Tyranid Warriors.
S7 Scouts (Land Speeders) marshall onto Blitz and only remove 2 BMs.
S8 Marshall Section Leader’s group.
Broken swarm fails to rally and moves to screen Biovores (but ensure not intermingled).
Only one Hadrian manages to rally, and that with the help of the Supreme Commander re-roll.
Turn 3Tunnellers arrive, but scout zone of control keeps them away from Blitz.
S1 Land Speeder (scouts) conduct crossfire and produce, . . . 1 hit.
S2 Troopers assault Trygons, goes to second round, and . . . Troopers win.
B1 Biovores sustain fire, 3 hits, 3 kills, another broken scout section.
B2 Hadrian sustain fires on Commander’s group, for no hits. I might have doubled forward here to contest objectives.
S3 Marshall forward to zone of control Dom’s formation. Ooops, too close so they all get to support fire from:
B3 Left swarm assaults rash Troopers, 7 hits, all die. [None Left - No Photo!!]
B4 Hadrian does something.
S4 Lone scout doubles forward to repeat zone of control effort.
B5 ‘Swarm’ (1 Warrior and 1 spitty dude) triple moves to centre wood and claim (contest) blitz objective.
B6 Dominatrix assaults lone scout S4, 5 hits, and wipes it out.
S5 Commander moves to secure T&H objectives.
S6 Sgt section sustain fires on Biovores, kills 2 but does not break.
S7 Lone trooper triples through gap in the Bug line to contest Bug Blitz
S8 Landing Ship (counts as Thunderhawk) lands, shoots and breaks swarm B5, HERO, S7 captures queen bug and extracts from Planetary Surface.
Game win to Starship Troopers, 2 – 0, Blitz and T&H.
Total Casualties: 32 troopers.
Survivors: Commander, Sgt, 2 Section Ldrs, 6 Scouts, 12 other Troopers.
Post Game ThoughtsFormations (slowest move 30 cm) coming on from the baseline made the first turn very reactive.
Wait until the enemy moved troops into range, then move forward and shoot them.
I might have marched more of the swarms on the first turn. But that would have exposed them to rather more fire.
Did better this game in terms of survivors (only 60% casualties). Had enough Troopers to snatch a game victory from the jaws of . . . bugs. Entirely Phyrric.
Still not enough firepower for my idea of Starship Troopers.
Using Landing Craft to get Troopers on the ground is not so Heinlein, but effective.
Skimmer (various Troopers counts as Land Speeder) was useful to keep away from the bug claws.
Think the Tempest is rather over-costed at a +25 points upgrade from a Land Speeder.
I quite like the single figure units to create the Starship Trooper feel.
Realise that it is a bit odd having them as "landspeeders" or "5 Assault Troopers" or "5 Devestators".
Next time they will be DC2 warengines I think. Tau Riptides or Imperial Knights.
Rather small in Epic game terms but with a greater literary [as in Heinlein] toughness.
