[SG] Scenario Idea--LONG

Okay, here's an idea I have been working on for a "cooperative" scenario
in
SG2--all the players control human forces while the opposition (Kra'Vak
in
this case) are controlled by the ref or by automatic rules.

Any thoughts?  I'm thinking of springing this one on my usual gaming
group
(and Chris D., if he shows up at the next gaming day, or John At. if
he's
interested in the same) the next time we do a gaming day.

INTRO

2193 CE

My first brush with fame was when I was just a fresh-faced lieutenant on
New
Avalon.  When the K hit, it was pure pandemonium.  See, the Kra'Vak raid
on
New Avalon caught everyone by surprise.  And we didn't know it was just
a
raid back then.  The Big Boys thought they'd just head straight for Sol,
but
I guess the K had other ideas.	Maybe this was just a diversion to pull
forces away from Sol?  Who knows.  If it was meant as a diversion, it
didn't
work 'cause the Brass decided we had enough forces dirtside to kick the
snot
out of the invaders and take everything back.  Which we were getting
ready
to do when the call came from on high for me and the Platoon Sergeant to
attend a briefing back at Battalion.

It was an interesting briefing.  Not only for the actual items
presented,
but also for the range of folks in the audience.  There were Royal Army,
Royal Marines, UN Marines, a couple of Germans from the 6th Alpine
Jagers,
some Newich Rangers, and two members of the Royal Family.  That last bit
got
my attention.

To make a long story short, it seems Princess Margaret (the oldest of
the
King's four children) was out at the Windsor's hunting lodge when the
Kra'Vak landed.  The Royals thought she had bought it, but this morning
they
received a message from her via the net saying she was okay but that the
K
were closing in on her.  She must have been a pretty spunky and
resourceful
kid.  Anyway, a few squads from 4th Royal Marine Commando were going in
to
get her while a scratch force provided a diversion and another created a
beachhead for the retaking of the island.  Yes, you guessed it-we were
the
diversionary scratch force.  Heavy hover carriers would lift the Armored
Infantry Company of 3rd Battalion, 106th Armored Regiment (the Black
Horse-that's us) to hit the beach six klicks south of the Marines while
a
power armor platoon from the Jagers supporting the UNSC's 361st
Independent
Marine Company attacked to the north.

The Black Horse's job would be to hook inland and cause a lot of
commotion
while generally blocking reinforcements from reaching the area the boys
from
the Marine Commando hit.  Meanwhile, the Germans and the Blue Hats would
make a mess further north, hopefully capturing Beachville and giving the
follow-on forces (the rest of the 106th) a good beachhead to work from. 
The
operation was to be a "go" in three hours, and we were to go feet dry in
six, give or take.  Not much time, I thought.  As soon as the briefing
broke
up, I sent Platoon Sergeant Williams back to warn the boys, and then I
caught up with Captain Rayburn (my company commander) for the tactical
details.  The Old Man's briefing was quick-we were going in using
diamond
formation with my guys in the reserve position.  I sprinted back to my
platoon.

The troops weren't happy about the short time frame, but everyone was
keyed
up and itching for a crack at the K.  And knowing there was a rescue
involved helped a bit too.  We did last-minute checks on all the
equipment,
especially our Hogs (officially, they are known as Warden HIFV-Heavy
Infantry Fighting Vehicles, but no one ever calls them that).  After the
checks were complete, I had the platoon sergeant talk everyone through
our
assault landing SOP, and then it was time to mount up.

The run to the beach was no picnic-lots of incoming arty-and the company
lost three Hogs.  Luckily, none of them were from my platoon, but it
hurt
nonetheless.  The K got pounded too, though, so it wasn't all one-sided.
After we rolled off the landers, we gave some serious payback. When the
smoke cleared, we'd taken a few more casualties, but not lost any more
Hogs.
That's when I got the call-the Old Man said there was a change of plan
and
my platoon was to head north along the shoreline, while the remainder of
the
company swept inland.  It seems that the Marines had been unlucky and
bought
the farm on the way in.  Well, me and my guys may not have been spec
ops,
but we were damn good (and, more importantly, available).   We were
going to
rescue the princess!  Supposedly, the Germans and UN would try to send
someone down the coast as well to link up with us and help out.

We went into column and roared up the beach with my track in the lead.
Okay, in hindsight, that wasn't such a great idea, but time was of the
essence and I thought our speed might provide enough protection.  At
least
none of my guys paid for that mistake, but the command Hog took a direct
hit
that slagged the turbine.  I waved the rest of the platoon on while my
squad
deployed.  After Private Patowski bagged the K, we set demo charges on
the
Hog and hoofed it to the north.  That's why I missed being in on the
rescue.

Excerpt from "Almost Famous-the Kra'Vak War Memoirs of Major Donald I.
Keegan, RAC" by Donald I. Keegan, New Avalon Consolidated Publishers,
2212

The Scenario

Each player gets one squad and its associated vehicle.	The objective is
to
rescue Princess Margaret and cause plenty of damage, then escape toward
Beachville.  The battlefield is a marshy area at the mouth of a large
creek
and the Eastern Ocean, with plenty of trees, scrubs, and some offshore
sandbars.  The Royals have a small beach lodge here and the Kra'Vak have
located an anti-aircraft artillery battery in the area also.  Finally,
the
marshy character of the area has drawn the attention of the Kra'Vak area
commander-it has turned a portion of this field into a stocked private
hunting preserve and brought in two "pets" of his that he intends on
disposing of.  Black Horse units enter on the South edge of the
battlefield
while NSL and UN forces enter via the North edge.

The player with the highest point total that manages to exit off the
northern edge of the field of battle wins.  Points are awarded for:
First Friendly Force to Reach Princess Margaret  2
Getting Unharmed Princess Off the Map Toward Beachville  4
Getting Injured Princess Off the Map Toward Beachville	3
Getting Princess' Dead Body Off the Map Toward Beachville  2
Killing Kra'Vak Commander  4
Recovering Crate of Royal Tea  1
Recovering Crate of Royal Picnic China	2
Destroying Kra'Vak AAA Emplacement (each)  2
All squads have Basic ECM (d4) and Enhanced Sensors (d8).  All vehicles
have
Enhanced Sensors (d8) and Enhanced ECM (d8).

8 of ? 1st Squad (Regular, Quality=d8)
8 Troopers 5 AR/GL (FP 3/Imp d10) d12 (8" bands)
Armor: d6 1 SAW (FP d8/Imp d10) d10 (8" bands)
Move: 6" 1 Gauss (FP d8/Imp d12) d10 (16" bands)
1 GMS/P (Guid. d8/Imp d12) d8 (No range bands)

J of ? 1st HIFV (Regular, Quality=d8) (Tracked Size 3)
2/8 Crew HEL-2 (FC d8/Imp d8x2* vs point, d8 vs inf) d8 (12"
bands)
Armor: 3/2 Coax MG (FC d8/Imp d10) d8 (12" bands)
Move: 12" Pintel MG (FP d10/Imp d10) d10 (8"
bands)
--
9 of ? 2nd Squad (Regular, Quality=d8)
8 Troopers 5 AR/GL (FP 3/Imp d10) d12 (8" bands)
Armor: d6 1 SAW (FP d8/Imp d10) d10 (8" bands)
Move: 6" 1 Gauss (FP d8/Imp d12) d10 (16" bands)
1 GMS/P (Guid. d8/Imp d12) d8 (No range bands)

Q of ? 2nd HIFV (Regular, Quality=d8) (Tracked Size 3)
2/8 Crew HEL-2 (FC d8/Imp d8x2* vs point, d8 vs inf) d8 (12"
bands)
Armor: 3/2 Coax MG (FC d8/Imp d10) d8 (12" bands)
Move: 12" Pintel MG (FP d10/Imp d10) d10 (8"
bands)
--
10 of ? 3rd Squad (Regular, Quality=d8)
8 Troopers 5 AR/GL (FP 3/Imp d10) d12 (8" bands)
Armor: d6 1 SAW (FP d8/Imp d10) d10 (8" bands)
Move: 6" 1 Laser (FP d12/Imp d8) d12 (16" bands)
1 GMS/P (Guid. d8/Imp d12) d8 (No range bands)

K of ? 3rd HIFV (Regular, Quality=d8) (Tracked Size 3)
2/8 Crew HEL-2 (FC d8/Imp d8x2* vs point, d8 vs inf) d8 (12"
bands)
Armor: 3/2 Coax MG (FC d8/Imp d10) d8 (12" bands)
Move: 12" Pintel MG (FP d10/Imp d10) d10 (8"
bands)
--
8 of ? UN Squad (Veteran, Quality=d10)
8 Troopers 4 GAR/GL (FP 3/Imp d12) d12 (10" bands)
Armor: d8 1 LaSAW (FP d12/Imp d8) d12 (10" bands)
Move: 6" 1 GMS/P (Guid. d10/Imp d12) d10 (No range bands)

J of ? ATAV (Veteran, Quality=d10) (Amphibious Tracked Size 3)
2/12 Crew HMG (FC d10/Imp d12) d10 (12"
bands)
Armor: 2/1 Coax AGL (FC d10/Imp d8*) d10 (12"
bands)
Move: 12"
--
9 of ? NSL PA Squad (Regular, Quality=d8)
8 Troopers 4 AR/GL (FP 3/Imp d10) d12 (8" bands)
Armor: d12 1 SAW (FP d10/Imp d10) d12 (8" bands)
Move: 12" 1 IPG (FP d6/Imp d12*) d6 (8" bands)

Q of ? Leichte Panzerjager (Regular, Quality=d8) (Amphibious
Wheeled Size 2)
2 Crew MDC-3 (FC d8/Imp d12x3 vs point, d8 vs inf) d8 (12"
bands)
Armor: 2/1 Coax HMG (FC d10/Imp d12) d10 (12"
bands)
Move: 12"
Kra'Vak Forces

The Kra'Vak are run by either automatic rules or are controlled by the
GM.

The Automatic Rules

For all units that have been spotted, upon activation roll on the
respective
unit's table to determine each action, unless there is a valid target
within
range of the unit's weapons but not within close assault range, in which
case the unit will fire with its first action and then either attempt to
fall back (1-3) or hold position (4-6).

Close Combat Units:  If the unit is in close assault range (1 x maximum
movement die type), it will attempt to conduct a close assault!
1-2   Move toward nearest enemy (but stop only in covering terrain, if
possible)
3-4   Remain stationary (or Go into position, if not already)
5      If unit in open, move to nearest cover, otherwise stationary
6      Fall back unless in entrenchments

Heavy Weapon Units (SAW, GMS):	If the unit is in close assault range of
enemy, it will attempt to fire first then fall back toward cover (unless
unit is in entrenchments, in which case it will hold position).
1-3 Move toward nearest appropriate enemy unless unit is in
entrenchments
4-5    Remain stationary (or Go into position, if not already)
6	Fall back unless in entrenchments

Tank:  If unit is in close assault range of enemy, it will fire then
fall
back toward nearest friendly unit.
1-2  Move toward any nearest enemy
3      Move toward nearest enemy vehicle
4      Move toward nearest friendly unit
5      Remain stationary
6      Fall back from nearest enemy

Forces starting on table:
3 gun emplacements-Armor 3; Main gun:  FC d10, Impact d12x2 (d8 vs
dispersed); Coax MG: FC d10, Impact d12
(Fires appropriate weapon upon nearest enemy unit in LOS upon
activation)
2 sentry guns-Armor d10, FC d8, Impact d12
(Fires against nearest enemy unit in LOS upon activation)
3 AT mines
2 AP mines
2 "Pets"  (Activated by passage of any dismounted unit within 6"-attack
using close assault rules; cause fear, no initiating morale roll for
pet,
d6x2 Close Combat roll, d8 Toughness, Move d8)
1 Close Assault Unit (6 figures, veterans, headed by the Kra'Vak big
wig-this is a hunting party)

Off-table Reinforcements (roll each turn-1-3, none; 4-5, one unit; 6 two
units)
1-2  Close Assault Unit (6 figures, regulars)
3     GMS Unit (2 figures, regulars)
4     SAW Unit (2 figures, regulars)
5     Light Tank (Size 2; Armor 2; Class 3 K-gun: FC d8, Impact d12x3 vs
point, d8 vs dispersed; coax SAW: FC d8, Impact d12; d10 ECM)
6     Heavy Tank (Size 5; Armor 5; two Class 5 K-gun: FC d10, Impact
d12x5
vs point, d8 vs dispersed; d10 ECM)

If a particular reinforcement unit is not available, then treat that
roll as
a "no reinforcement" roll or (if things are going too easily for the
players) roll again.

The reinforcements enter via one of three trails coming in along the
East
edge of the battlefield (as the West edge is open water).  Determine
randomly which trail is used.

Please note that the Princess starts out hidden on the table and DOES
NOT
MOVE on her own-she will not fight and will only move as part of a
unit-either a rescuer or a capturing Kra'Vak close assault unit.