[SG2] AAR: Escape from Tangana - Very Long

This weekend past, a small pod of gamers (myself and Adrian Johnson
from the list, plus Peter Forsythe (was at Lancaster this year past),
and another 3 players and 1 spectator) sat down to play a fair sized
SG2 battle. I think fun was had by all, and some instructive lessons
were learned.

This is an abbreviated AAR. I may (if I have time) post a more
detailed AAR to the web (with the photos if our host gets them
developed this Millenia).

BACKGROUND/SETUP:
OU Colony world of Tangana, disputed with the PAU. (Note, this isn't
official placed anywhere... I didn't have Nyrath the Incredibly Wise's
starmap stuff handy). It just made for an interesting conflict.

OU has fledgling colony present (typical OU colony - spread out, low
pop, very tough settlers). The PAU, ever expanding and hungry for
resources and land, land their own "squatter colony". The OU
government protests, but little is done. So, the OU government decides
to send the squatters packing, and dispatches a reinforced battalion
strength force (the 133rd Rapid Reaction Force) to Tangana. The 133rd
is a well equipped, well trained unit.

The 133rd enters Tangana local space, lands the body of the force in
interface landers and other shuttles. Air cover is not believed to be
necessary, and atmospheric storms on Tagana make it dangerous in any
event, so the landing is executed after a sensor sweep of the surface
to verify intel estimates of the hostile forces. The trip from the
landing site to the Colony site (over the horizon, so as to provide
some safety to the landers) will take the better part of two days,
given the abscense of roads and such. The 133rd leaders feel there
might be "slight" resistance as the PAU settlers may be armed, and
there may be one or two platoons of PAU troops or mercenaries to
protect the colony. They brief their force accordingly.

Unfortunately for them, the PAU have decided they want Tangana (due to
prospector reports of the mineral deposits on the rich, geologically
active world) and have decided to stake their claim forcefully.
Expecting the OU to try to evict them, they have (with the help of
their FSE friends (friends in exchange for favours and considerations
in other places and times)) setup an ambush for the OU force. They
have deployed two full line battalions with artillery support (no air
due to previously mentioned atmospheric issues) in concealed positions
(caves which make them immune to overhead sensor sweeps) plus they
have one "light" battalion of foot infantry reserves (settlers). They
are assisted by elements of the  FSE 2e DBLC (Demi-Brigade Legion
Colonial). The FSE provide better weapons, better soldiers, and some
much needed combat experience. Much of the PAU force is of
questionable quality.

Sadly, for the OU, the ambush goes off successfully, and the majority
of the OU force is caught in transit by the combined PAU/FSE force.
The battle is brief, but furious. The OU are caught flat footed, but
are excellent soldiers. By the time the battle is in its dying stages,
the 133rd RDF is severely mauled and broken up. But two of the PAU
Battalions are decimated, and the FSE force is pretty badly scarred
too.

This sets the stage for our scenario - the attempt of a surviving OU
Platoon (rearguard) and their local colonist auxilliaries to escape
from the ambush site and make it to the interface landers and off
planet. The PAU and the FSE (angry after having been so badly chewed
by the OU) are out for blood. They want to prevent the OU force from
escaping, and render it militarily ineffective.

THE SETUP:
In order to escape, the OU force (with some wounded, too few vehicles,
and those vehicles badly damaged) must escape off the far end of the
board, after crossing a very rocky and violent river. Wheeled APCs
attempting to swim the river run a high risk of being caught on rocks,
or of foundering if they are already holed. AC vehicles crossing the
river may do so, but they move very slowly and the board is setup in
such a way as to make this difficult. There is a bridge, right in the
centre of the board, across the river. The map consists of a number of
hills (Geohex normal and mountainscape) and quite a bit of treed land.
There is a cleared path down the centre of the board, the channel that
one sort of expects the fleeing OU force to travel down.

Just in front of the bridge, along the path the OU will flee along, is
a set of fighting positions dug by an OU holding force (two sections)
left to hold the bridge as the force advanced. Unfortunately for them,
a mercenary company with arty support overwhelmed them and took the
positions. The mercenary force is employed by the PAU and is the
"blocking force" that will make it difficult for the OU force to just
drive across the bridge and off the board.

The OU force is pursued by FSE and PAU forces (two platoons plus an AC
tank and some jeeps).

FORCES:

OU SIDE:
--------

OU 1st Platoon, Alpha Company, 133rd RDF. (all in Enh Part Light Arm
(D8))
	command squad (5 men including an EW operator) (veterans)
		- 5 ARs
	1 2 man medic detachment (the medics were on secondment from NAC
Queen's Own
							Rifles as part
of an exchange) (regs)
	1 2 man sniper detachment (vet)
		- 1 Gauss sniper rifle, 1 AR
	3 9 man infantry squads (1 vet, 2 reg)
		- 1 SAW, 8 ARs, 4 IAVRs per squad

OU Local Colonists (all in Ball Fat (D6))
	1 command squad (reg) (4 men)
	3 squads of six (reg, reg, green)
		- each squad had a SAW and a marksman and ARs for normal
folk
		- 1 squad had 2 SAWs, 1 squad had a GMS/P (Sup Guidance,
3 rounds)

3 stabilized wounded to start the game

2 Unarmed Hover Jeeps (Armour Value 1, Basic Sensors, Comms, ECM)

3 Wombat APCs (Aliens APCs, AV 3, Enhanced Sensors, Comms, ECM,
FireCon, Twin Rotary SAW, Twin DFFG/1s, EW packages)
	- 1 APC was missing SAW turret, weakened armour, half speed
	- 1 APC was missing DFFG turret, had weakened armour (-1 AV)
	- 1 APC had damaged electronics, half speed

FSE SIDE:
----------
PAU Mercs (Blocking Force) (all in Ball Fat (D6))
	command squad (reg)
		- 6 men, including a marksman with a conventional sniper
rifle
	3 rifle squads (reg, green, green)
		- 6 rifles
		- 1 GMS/P (Basic Guid, 3 rounds)
		- 1 SAW

FSE 1e Platoon, 2e Company, 2e DBLC (all in Enh Part Light Arm (D8))
	command squad (6 men) (reg)
		- ARs
		- 1 SAW
		- EW trooper
		- Flamer
	3 infantry squads of 9 men (reg all)
		- marksman with sniper rifle
		- SAW
		- 7 ARs
	weap det (4 men)
		- 2 GMS/P (Enh Guid, 4 rounds)
		- 2 SAW

PAU composite platoon (regs in Ball Fat (D6), light inf in BDUs (D4))
	command squad (vet)(6 guys)
		- EW trooper
		- SAW
		- ARs
	2 regular rifle squads (reg, green)
		- 6 ARs
		- SAW
		- GMS/P (Basic Guid, 3 rds)
	2 light inf squads (move D8") (reg, green)
		- 1 had 6 men, 1 had 7 (one had a GMS/P (Basic, 3 rds)
the others
did not)

2 Armed AC Jeeps (HMG) (otherwise same as above)

AC Char VII Tank (Armour 3, HEL/3, HMG, Enhanced Electronics (Sensors,
Comms, ECM))

ORDERS:
OU - Escape, take any FSE prisoners possible, do not abandon wounded
OU Colonists - Escape - kill any PAU possible (that ethnic cleansing
thing....)
FSE - Destroy OU force, capture OU (honour demands attrocities not be
permitted)
PAU Platoon - Destroy OU force, kill any OU colonists (it works both
ways)
PAU Mercs - hold the bridge - deny it to OU forces - hold until
relieved

NARRITIVE:

With the exception of the blocking force, all forces entering the
board were fatigued and were at STEADY morale to start with. The
blocking force was CONFIDENT and rested.

The PAU blocking force was setup with a good command of the centre of
the table. It had a squad in the fighting positions covering the
bridge, another across the river on a ridge covering the bridge, and
another across the board on a hill to basically give fire to any area
of the centre of the board. The command squad was on a high ridge
behind the fighting positions. The "safe" area the OU were trying to
get to was "west" and the area they were enterring from was "east".
The fighting positions and the ridge the PAU Merc command squad were
deployed on were "north" of the middle of the board.

The OU force entered the board. On their end of the board, there were
two treed hills and a passage between. They drove the empty APCs
between these hills, hugging the hills edge for maximal cover. They
took the entire infantry force and the two jeeps bearing the wounded
up the northmost hill (on the right of their axis of advance) and
through the light woods there.

The FSE and other PAU force were an undetermined distance behind. They
would enter sometime "shortly".

It seems the OU force figured their APCs were vulnerable (one had a
Pavlov reaction having lost 8 or 9 men in a squad at Autumn Assault in
the same type of vehicle). So they decided the infantry would slog it
out. They also figured they might have to fight a two front battle, so
they wanted to be deployed.

Almost immediately when the OU force became visible, the blocking PAU
mercs opened up. Their first casualty was inflicted by the command
squads marksman - it was the commander of the OU Local Colonists. Good
start! Then the GMS fire began. Unfortunately, the OU had clear EW
superiority early on (9 chits to 0 chits) and good ECM. The PAU had
poor quality equipment. Many, many, many rounds were fired during this
scenario, and many were jammed or missed, and a few hit but didn't
penetrate.

The OU force moved up over the wooded hill on their northmost side,
and their APCs started to force the middle. They brought their veteran
snipers to the woods edge, and started hammering the Merc command
squad. Their shooting was excellent. Meanwhile, more GMS rounds
bounced off the APCs and the APCs fired fusion guns at the ridge
holding the merc command squad.

About three to four turns into the game, the PAU light infantry
entered along the woodsline of the woods on the hill to the south of
the OU force. They were taken under fire by colonist snipers
immediately. The OU colonists were apparently the "rear gaurd" for the
OU force. One squad in particular was hung back most of the game.
Their fire was effective though, injuring and suppressing the PAU
light infantry.

A turn later, two armed FSE jeeps with an FSE infantry squad enterred
the board about half way up (from the south). This put it just abreast
of the hill south of the longitudinal gap the OU APCs were traversing.
The OU infantry had by this time, using fire and manoevre, advanced
about half way to fighting positions of the PAU mercenaries. The two
jeeps disgorged their infantry squads, and took up firing positions
and began engaging the OU forces. The infantry took up positions in
the woodsline and began rocketing the APCs.

The OU marksmen noticed this unit, and opened up on it early.

The OU continued its advance, eventually storming the ridge the
mercenary command unit was on, capturing the battered remnants (the
snipers had chewed them up). There were brief disussions of ignoring
orders and commiting an "attrocity" but instead the mercs were
disarmed and let go (they weren't the FSE after all - the OU wanted
them to use for embarassment value vs. the French). The OU veteran
rifle squad had made it to a position near the merc fighting positions
but repeatedly botched close assault rolls (finally, the squad on the
bluff came to their rescue pouring fire into the TOP of the infantry
fighting positions). Other OU and local colonist forces advanced, with
a couple of colonist squads holding the rear and the APCs engaging the
woods line on the south hill to suppress or kill the forces there.

The african regular infantry and command enterred through the woods on
the southmost hill, as did the remainder of the french force. More GMS
bounced off APCs, but hopes were high due to the fact their were now 6
EW chits on the board for the FSE/PAU. The OU were feeling pressured,
so they forced a squad across the bridge in the center (after finally
capturing the infantry fighting positions). They also forced an APC
across the bridge. Unfortunately, that exposed its side armour to a
French GMS back in the retrograde part of the woodsline on the
southern hill the french entered on. From about 30" away, the GMS
finally did something and disabled this APC.  There was a mercenary
squad there to meet the OU squad that crossed(the one that had been
across the river covering the bridge). A close assault was made by
these mercs, but the OU colonists ran before them. The PAU Mercs tried
pursuit, came up short, and started getting shot to bits by OU
formations on the bluff formerly occupied by their own command squad
and by shots from snipers now inhabiting the fighting positions. The
merc squad thus pinned pretty much died.

Back on the other side of the river, the two remaining APCs were
raising Cain. The french and africans were in the woodsline of the
southern hill gamely trying to shoot at the OU, but their GMS were
feeble (rolls of 1, 1 or 1,3 were not uncommon) and the APCs weapons
and the OU marksmen were really chewing them up (GMS operators,
marksmen, SAW gunners, squad leaders - all fell before the OU veteran
snipers and the occaisional shots from the marksmen with the
colonists). The african morale, never good to begin with, quickly
degraded to shaken or broken in many cases. The french had tougher
morale, but were losing the only units that could successfully engage
the foe.

The OU were moving their infantry up and over the bluff behind the
infantry fighting positions, and down the other side to the waters
edge. There, their one surviving hover jeep was slowly ferrying units
across the water to safety.

To counter this push, the FSE realized they had to push too. They
moved a squad into the foliage along the edge of the river, went IP
and commanded the approach to the bridge. No one would cross the
bridge. Their one remaining jeep crossed the river, took up position
in the woodsline there, and began engaging any visible OU squads to
good effect. The jeep would fire, then pop smoke, thus defending
itself. This pattern repeated itself quite a few times. The FSE sent
one unit up a cliff, but in a questionable decision (mine!), allowed
it to remain exposed in favour of reactivating other units. As a
consequence, one of the more fascinating "memories" of the day was
created. In one turn, three squad leaders were killed in this unit.
("Someone's just shot the Sgt! Cpl, you're in charge now. Okay, then
we're <crack, body tumbles>....Okay...Senior Pvt, now you're in
charge...<crack, thump>...okay...you were in charge...anyone want the
job? Aw, come on...we need a new squad leader...."). The unit broke
that round.

Eventually, a GMS killed a second APC, but not before a fusion gun
from the third baked the french tank the minute it appeared on the
board. Fire from the powerful FSE rifles penetrated already weakened
armour on the remaining APC, killing the driver, but the gunner held
on and kept suppressing the french elements in the woodsline to
prevent them from stopping the OU from escaping across the river.

Shortly after this, we called the game.

The end result of this battle was:
The OU would have escaped with a majority of their platoon and
settlers intact. They'd lost a jeep and 1 wounded, plus about 4
casualties from the infantry, plus the leader of the colonists, plus
about 3 vehicle crew (and they'd have lsot a 4th). So call their
casualties at game end about 11. If we're generous enough to assume
the remaining good morale french could have hurt the escaping troops,
maybe they'd have killed another 4 or 5. Or maybe not.

In return, the PAU/FSE side had about 7-9 wounded (some stabilized,
some unresolved), and about 20 dead. Presumably their would have been
25-30 dead if the FSE/PAU pressed the attack on the fleeing force.
Their morale was mostly broken, and they were entirely out of GMS
rounds. If the rifled hadn't felled the remaining APC, the OU gunner
could have driven it off the board over the bridge.

CONCLUSIONS:
- The OU got away lightly. They achieved their major victory condition
of escaping mostly intact, although they lost their already damaged
vehicles. But most of the people were saved, as were there colonists
(even their reargaurd).
- The FSE had more "morale" damage than real loses, but they had a
leadership gulf, and had lost many specialist troops (GMS or
marksmen). The PAU were badly shaken and had quite a few casualties.
The PAU mercs were annihilated as a unit.
- PAU/FSE die rolling sucked (few missiles hit, and those that did
often failed to penetrate).
- OU tactics were sound (they used concentration of fire, firing SAWS
seperately or marksmen in order to keep french and units suppressed
and to kill key people). They didn't make any mistakes. (Now mind you,
watching the veteran OU rifle squad fail to close assault twice when
they needed a 3 on a d10 was funny).
- FSE decisions were less sound (ie letting the one squad get sniped
to death) but they also had bad luck - if the tank had survived one
more round, it would have baked an APC almost gauranteed. If it had
got two of them, then all the attention the 6 squads of troops had to
pay to the weapons platforms could have been directed against OU
infantry and the whole story might have been different. I'd call that
a TSN Turning Point(TM).
- EW is quite a boon.
- Marksmen, employed correctly, make quite a difference.
- Scenario balance wasn't all that bad. Despite outnumbering the OU
nearly 2:1, the PAU/FSE had (for the most part) poorer kit, and poorer
morale and leadership (lots of 3s). They also had few weapons (other
than the tank) that had a GOOD chance of slagging even a wounded APC.
In all, about 26 or 27 GMS shots were fired, and 2 APCs died from
them. Despite uneven casualty counts, the OU was pressed (or felt so)
until they managed to break morale on a number of french and african
units. They actually contemplated surrender early in the scenario (but
that has a lot to do with Ken's excitability!).
- Using 2 IAVRs per rifle squad during key assaults makes a big
difference.

It was fun, and I think everyone enjoyed themselves. I'd call it a
decisive OU victory. Congrats to Gary, Ken, and Peter for a well run
fight!

Thomas Barclay
Software UberMensch
xwave solutions
(613) 831-2018 x 3008