Starstrike Playtest 4

Continuing the playtests of Starstrike, today we introduce some vehicles and slightly larger numbers than Before.

Union troops were tasked to break through a small blockade of a Warg Industries force in a rural part of the colony.

The forces were as follows:

Warg industries and Mercenaries:

Warg Infiltrators
Sp  5
Su  5
Tr   6
Mo 7
Di  6
Ld 1
3 assault rifles, 1 SAW, 1 rocket launcher. Everybody had AT charges.


Doc
Sp    5
Su    5
Tr     6
Mo  6
Di    5
Ld   2
Doc is a hero and carries a shotgun and AT charges


Doc's dogs 4 models
Sp    5
Su    5
Tr     5
Mo  6
Di    5
Lead by Doc, carries 1 pistol, 2 assault rifles and 1 sniper rifle, along with AT charges


Mercenaries 5 models
Sp  5
Su  5
Tr   6
Mo 7
Di  6
Ld 1
5 heavy rifles and grenades



Warg APC
Sp  20 
Su  10
Ta +1
Se +2
Sa 8
Armed with machinegun
Crewmembers:
Sp  5
Su  5
Tr   5
Mo 5
Di  6
Carbine


Warg Medium Tank
Sp  15
Su  12
Ta  +1
Se +2
Sa  8
Armed with M.Cannon and HMG
Crewmembers:
Sp  5
Su  6
Tr   5
Mo 5
Di  6
Carbine


Union:

Union red squad
Sp  5
Su  6
Tr   5
Mo 5
Di  6
Ld 1
3 assault rifles, 1 SAW, 1 rocket launcher and AT charges


Union white squad
Sp  5
Su  6
Tr   5
Mo 5
Di  6
Ld 1
3 assault rifles, 1 SAW, 1 rocket launcher and AT charges


Union PA
Sp  5
Su  8
Tr   6
Mo 7
Di  6
Ld 1
3 assault rifles, 1 SAW, 1 rocket launcher and powergauntlets


Union APC
Sp  15
Su  12
Ta +1
Se +2
Sa 8
Armed with HMG
Crewmembers:
Sp  5
Su  5
Tr   5
Mo 5
Di  6
Carbine


Union MBT
Sp  10
Su  12
Ta  +1
Se +2
Sa  8
Armed with M.Cannon and HMG
Crewmembers:
Sp  5
Su  6
Tr   5
Mo 5
Di  6
Carbine

The rural valley that served as battlefield:

The Mercs makes the first move, positioning themselves for a strike as the Union vehicles move deeper into the valley.

It doesn't take long for the Warg transports to be spotted though, and soon cannon shells and machinegun bullets are bouncing off the hull.

 Equal in it's alacrity is the response from the Warg tank traveling with the APC, the return shots clanking on the Union tank's armour.

Doc's dogs hired on with Warg, not knowing they would go up against trained Soldiers!

But when they sight the Union PA, their combined fire brings down one of them, taking him by surprise no doubt!

Victory is short-lived though, when an Union APC pulls up behind a nearby hedge..

..And soon decimates the entire group! Only Doc himself is spared when the staccatto of automatic rifle fire dies down.

The optics in a Union Powered Armor is impressive, and so are their shots. A missile hits the Merc's transport knocking it about quite a bit. But it's still operational..

More incoming fire from the Union tank slides of the armoured flanks of the Warg tank.

A hail of incoming fire hits the mercs, knocking out 2 of them, as the first Union APC guns it's engines and head right for them.

Return-fire from the mercs skips off, scratching paint and ratteling the crew, but no more.

  Doc' APC takes a few more hits, nothing critical, but enough to keep it from getting far..  

Top of the 3rd turn. While nothings decided yet, Union troops decidedly hold the better position.

Doc aim's to take advantage of the fact that the soldiers in front of him have clustered up, so he hurls a grenade.. It lands dead-center a perfect pitch, but as the smoke clears it's obvious that the heavy suits of the Union troops have saves their lives, they all go heads down though..

The infiltators poke their heads out to take a shot at the charging APC, as does the tank. Some glancing hits are all they manage to inflict.

Union PA takes out 2 of the infiltators while their AT trooper manages a shot that starts a fire inside the merc's APC!

While the Union APC moves into position and then the troops carried inside disembark. One stunned merc on the edge of the forest is quickly taken down and 2 troopers attempt to place AT-charges.
On the left side, 1 of the disembarking troops is cut down by machinegun fire from the Warg tank.

Union regulars finally wrecks Doc's APC, and a single crew member stumbles out of the wreckage, dazed.

At the end of the turn, the raging fire inside the merc APC finally explodes the vehicle..

..Taking out the 2 Union troops that were placing charges and forcing one of the mercs to the ground, knocked about from the blast.

On the left side of their APC, the SAW-trooper finishes of the closest merc with a quick shot.

He and his remaining comrade then gets back into the APC.

Meanwhile the Union and the Right-most Warg tank continue their duel, slowly denting each others armour.
 Doc sees his chance to take out the tank and makes a go at it.
Unfortunately he can't quite get the charge to stick properly, so it doen't damage the tank in any significant way.

The poor crewman from the now destroyed apc is an easy target for the Union troopers, who quickly takes him out.

When his other gamble failed, it left Doc exposed. So in a rash moment he storms the Union squad responisble for disabling his team and transport! he easily wins the fight, but the durable armor of his opponent saves him yet again!

Both PA and Union regulars fire upon the tank, but causes no lasting damage. The incoming barrage does serve to keep the tank-crew operating at very poor efficency however. The PA trying to join up with their AT-specialist is quickly pinned in place by surviving infiltrators and the tank.

Making another daring charge, the Union APC moves up and concentrates it's machineguns on the last merc. He is easily defeated.

Disembarking from the APC, the union soldiers waste no time gettign into firing positions.
 Their foe is caught flat-footed, one of their number fall, while the remaining are heavily supressed (5 heads down counters between the 2 of them).

 More incoming fire, including a lucky un-aimed shot from one of the PA takes out one more infiltrator, leaving the last one with 6 heads down counters, firmly pinned in place.

The Warg tank disables the engine of the Union APC, but is quickly immobilized when a rocket fired by the PA takes out the threads.

The Warg tank's number is finally up, as a rocket from the regular's AT-specialist wrecks the tank. 2 of the 3 crewmembers make it out of the tank.

Like it's counterpart, the Union tank also succumbs as a cannon shell rips through the armour. Only a single crewmember makes it out.

Another close combat is fought between Doc and the regulars, the amount of stress is getting to him.
He is both wounded and his stress increases by 3, for a total of 5.

At this point I called the game, the 6 turn were up, and they Warg forces could only put up token resistance.

Here are the two last pockets of resistance:

The 2 crewmen are really all that's effectivly left, since the infiltator will have a hard time shaking all 6 heads down counters.

 Doc was taken down in the last melée, his stress penalties and sustained wound made it impossible to win more fights. So for now, he's in Union custody.

I had a hard time calling this one, the writing was on the wall of the Warg/Merc force, but they had stopped the majority of the Union from advancing across the valley.

In the end I think it has to be considered a Warg victory for stopping the Union forces, but only a minor one since it cost them many precious resources and they inflicted little damage in return.

As I'm writing this there has been a slight revison of vehicle stats, so for my next playtest there will most likely be a armored engagement, without or at least few troops save the crews of the various vehicles!

Look forward to it, see you next time!