[GZG] GZG ECC XII: Friday AAR

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m Ottawa (JP, Jim, Tom and TomB) returned to Ottawa @ 2300 hrs after an
uneventful good weather drive. Border was a no-latex crossing.

Friday: JP and Jim drove us down through some rain and a wee bit of
freezing
conditions, but didn't impede us much. Hit Lancaster around 1630-1700
hrs.

FRIDAY NIGHT: Routing The Imperials on Tanoose
GM: Mark Kinsey  GAME: SG2  SETTING: Traveller (Classic)
Synopsis:

The Tanoose Freedom League and convince some of their Sword World
allies,
perhaps with some Zhodani meddling, that their prior actions against the
Imperium have been quite successful and this merits a direct action to
evict
the Imperial forces. The Sword Worlder's contribute a platoon of good
infantry with grav APCs, a couple of grav tanks, a grav AA platform, and
two
armed open-topped air rafts to support the local TFL forces (with a
variety
of civilian trucks and such and a mismatch of weaponry) whose major
contribution would be inciting the Startown locals.

The Swordies were driving on the Starport and the scenario focused on
the
vangaurd who were trying to punch a whole through Startown to the
Starport
perimeter and destroy dangerous Imperial anti-armour assets before a
second
company of Swordies joined the drive into the port itself (after this
game's
expiry). So the Sword World forces were to engage and destroy Imperial
and
Vilisan armour and anti-armour artillery.

On the other side, the Imperial supported Vilisan collaborationist
government had a variety of anti-armour weapons, some turncoat local
troops,
a fair few well equipped Imperial-backed mercenaries (apparently the
Imperium fear committing their own military forces) with a grav tank, an
air
raft, a wheeled APC and a wheeled FSV.

The Sword World's Commanders along with their Tanoose allies planned to
play
to their mobile force's strengths, sailing in through Startown at high
speed
to seize control of portions of the Startown perimeter road which the
Imperial lackeys would need to deploy upon.

The fast, high-flight capable grav units raced across the shanty town.
The
two air rafts were dispatched to support the local crowd of patriots
against
the quisling police riot troops (the police would find out that heavy
weapons are their reward for treachery against the cause of Tanoose).
The
local troops and their motley assortment of vehicles were dispatched
through
startown up one flank to provide cover for the flank of the deep strike
by
the Sword World grav force and to help put the police to flight. If they
could kill some Mercenaries or Vilisan troops, that was a bonus.

The Imperial wheeled forces rolled in from the Starport fence and along
the
perimeter road. They also had anti-armour assets (tripod GMS, plasma
gun,
and so on) launchers in building along the Startown road. Their grav
tank
and air raft made good use of building cover to advance to meet to the
Swordies from Gram.

The Swordies scored first blood, blowing up a Vilisan APC (South African
Rattel model) with one of their Grav tanks. They tried to use the local
buildings as cover and to get the grav infantry up in support, but the
Imperials were canny and managed to blow up one of the Swordie grav
tanks
with a massive blast from a plasma gun.

The Gram infantry pushed into the middle of the Starport perimeter road,
opening fire on the emplaced AT weapons on rooftops and in buldings and
firing the AA RFAC/2 at the Imperial Mercenary's wheeled vehicles. This
gutted the mercenary APC and the Mercenary FSV began to hammer at the
Swordie APCs while the Imperial Grav tank pulled back to avoid the
remaining
Gram grav tank. Local Tanoose Freedom League forces started to fire upon
some of the mercenaries and the police.

The Swordie commanders, both being strongly in favour of using armoured
forces decisively, pushed the attack. The remaining grav tank sped into
the
middle of the enemy positions, lifting over a 2 storey house to arrive.
One
good shot from its main gun blew the Imperial grav tank to scrap metal.
Meanwhile, the counterfire from enemy tripod AT weapons and the wheeled
FSV
should reasonably have cost the Sword Worlder's up to half of their grav
APCs and embarked infantry, but none of the attacks penetrated (they
build
them well on Gram). In return, the grav APCs cannons hammered several
groups
of forces including the Mercenaries FSV and some of their emplaced
infantry.
The Grav air rafts ("the Rat Patrol") popped out from behind a burning
building and decimated the local riot police. Another Rattel died from
APC
fire.

At this juncture, the writing was on the wall. The troops from Gram had
started deploying into buildings preparing to close assault remaining
mercenary or Vilisan holdouts. The Mercenaries had no armed vehicles
(their
unarmed air raft should have been fleeing) and the remaining Gram grav
tank
was using its main gun to blow apart the top floor and roof of buildings
where enemy tripod AT assets existed. In a short period of time, had the
Imperial client units not fled, they would all have been dead at a very
low
cost to the Sword Worlders.

Final Tally

Imperium:
- Lost Startown, path to Starport perimeter cleared for Sword World's
invasion.
- Mercenaries from the Broadsword: All vehicles but air raft destroyed.
At
least one squad of troops damaged, but with no ride or fire support, and
an
entire platoon of TFL with two armed air rafts in supports descending
upon
them, they would have had to flee or else die in place.
- Vilisan Troops: Most Rattels destroyed, some infantry destroyed, all
AT
assets either destroyed or shortly to be destroyed with little chance of
doing anything except perhaps allowing the crews to flee. Essentially
combat
ineffective as anything but foot infantry and not much of a threat to
the
armoured Swordies.
- Vehicle Losses: 1 tank, 2-3 Vilisan APCs, 1 Mercenary APC, 1 Mercenary
FSV
(also tripod AT weapons)

Sword Worlders and Tanoose Freedom League:
- A few casualties fighting the police for the TFL (but not many, and
they
liberated some new captured weapons)
- One lost grav tank (not ideal, but war is hell)
- Probably some injured infantry, but not many (projecting out the close
assaults that were about to go down after game end)
- Tactical success in forcing through a route to the Starport and
neutralizing enemy AT assets while sustaining minimal losses (no lost
APCs,
did not lose AA platform, only lost 1 tank, did not lose air rafts)

Outcome: I'd have to call this a decisive Imperial Victory.

However, I think the TFL and the Swordies had real advantages - first
initiative, taken boldly, with 4d12 worth of combat movement capable of
flying over building or between them, on a 72" long board.... that led
to us
(Stuart and me) gaining decisive board position early and leaving the
Imperials very little cover, room to manouver, and giving us good lanes
of
fire on some of their entry points. Our TFL allies (Greg Davis) kept the
police busy, put some fire on the merecenaries, and helped get some of
the
locals moving as a distraction and flank cover.

Our enemies, Meagan (sp?), Kieth, and Bob "Magic" Makowsky (a hard
working
man, working at the Con while gaming) did their best with the small area
of
geography they were allowed and with the pre-set fixed positions for the
AT
artillery (not forward deployed into Startown). They needed two heavily
armed grav vehicles to have a mutually supporting element and didn't
have
that, thus their one tank was at risk from the two Gram grav tanks and
the
AA platform's RFAC/2 (remember, all dice have low numbers...).

Tactically, the Swordie op plan was correct, even if Stuart thought he
came
up with it (*grin*). Speed and violence, move fast, take the key
positions,
use cover as well as you can, keep units in mutual supporting distance,
don't let armour outpace its infantry, use vehicle fire support to cover
infantry assaults on positions, etc. Just like the manual would say. The
Imperials were put immediately into a reactive mode and onto the
defensive
from when they showed up on the board.

Bob did try to be as offensive in counterattack as he could, but he just
didn't have the resources to buckle our attack. Meagan fought on
gallantly
to try to make the Swordies pay, but Stuart's armour was excellent in
its
good luck --- lots of rounds that could have went into loaded grav APCs
bounced. Sword World's paint is tough stuff.

In the end, I don't envy the situation we put Meagan and Bob and Keith
into.
They had little place to hide, not a big enough hammer to hit us with,
and
no strategic depth.

Once again, thanks to Mark Kinsey for a picturesque and fun game. Thanks
to
my foes for a good effort in a tough spot. Thanks to my allies for great
support. Thanks to Stewart for being Stewart. A great game.

And once again, the forces imposing Imperial military and political
interference in the affairs of sovereign worlds is beaten back by the
honourable Sword Worlders and their Tanoose Freedom League allies.

FREE TANOOSE!

T.

-- 
http://ante-aurorum-tenebrae.blogspot.com/
http://www.stargrunt.ca

"He that would make his own liberty secure must guard even his enemy
from
oppression; for if he violates this duty he establishes a precedent that
will reach to himself." -- Thomas Paine

"When men yield up the privilege of thinking, the last shadow of liberty
quits the horizon." -- Thomas Paine