FMA Skirmish AAR Report: Courier Duty

Players: Me (ESU Squad 2) Ken Murphy (ESU Squad 1) UNSOC team (Adrian Johnson)

The time:
Just shortly after the initial Human-KV contact.

The place: An ESU outpost world.

The background situation: The ESU has had most of the early contact with the
KV. They (being interested in tech and materials and strategic intelligence
advantage) have been very slow in coming forth to the UN with captured KV
wreckage and bodies. The UN is getting very antsy - an unknown race of
unknown capability and intention is known to be encroaching on human space and
the ESU is dragging its feet about providing sample data and turning over
captured parts and bodies for analysis by UN expert teams. They attempt to
diplomatically pressure the ESU, and this
fails. The Secretary-General then asks the UNSIA to find out all they
can. UNSIA investigation cultivates an ESU researcher in Xenotechnology and
Xenobiology who wants out. They arrange a mission (the UNSOC provides the team
and the lift capability) to extract said scientist and some samples from one
of the outlying ESU colonies where a (they thought) secret ESU research
facility exists.
Pre-game, the UNSIA inserts a team with a stealthed lander (the colony
has no ESU fleet presence in order to hide the fact it has a secret base). The
team inserts, RVs with the scientist, and extracts. The operation however hits
a snag during extraction, and two UNSIA team members are killed. The ESU has a
small (relative to the vast area of land in the colony) force to search for
the lander and the raiders, and the raiders took out the FTL comms array
system during their raid, so no help will arrive. So the ESU commander sends
all his men out, thinly scattered, to locate the enemy force. Thus our
situation.

The game: UNSIA team composed of 6 members (two of the original 8 are dead),
and one scientist and a sample kit.
UNSIA team (deniable of course! - used Merc figures since they are
incognito and using varied kit).

Lt. - Elite 2  (AAR w GL)
SAW gunner - Elite 2 (Conv SAW)

Sgt. - Elite 1 (AAR w GL)
Medic - Vet 1 (AAR w GL)
Engineer - Vet 2 (AR and some hand grenades)
Sniper - Elite 1 (Gauss Sniper Rifle and SMG)

Scientist - Untrained-2 (10mm Pistol)

All move 10", except scientist, 8". All armour D8 (looks like normal
fatigues, but is high-tech stuff), except SAW gunner who has trauma
plate (D10). Scientist has D8 as he is wrapped in a bulky vest. Someone has
the science sample kit (docs, samples, disks). The Sgt. and Lt. can activate
other figures, and as they are all one squad, they can activate any other
figures. (This is a lot of command
initiative, but they are SF). All with GL have 10/2 rifle grenades (8"
radius, 0-2" d10 3-4" d6, etc). Eng has hand grenades (12/2 12" radius
0-2" d12 3-4" d10, etc). UNSOC force enters from SW corner of board,
no more than 12" up south or W side. They don't know where the ESU will enter.

Full spotting rules in effect. Prone and Kneeling used, reaction fire,
Overwatch, morale rules for green or untrained, etc. Formation morale and
joint activations by leader.

Objective - to cross the board diagonally (board was 44" x 55"). The
board is Canadian Shield - lots of rock outcroppings, racks of trees
and lichen. A firing path over 10" is unlikely in most places. 1-2"
wide streams split and intertwine throughout the hilly forested
board - probably about six branches. About 35 trees on the board and 3
big bags of lichen. Rock outcroppings along water make many areas kind of
canyonlike. The lander is in NE corner of the board across the last
river gorge and over a hill. ESU can't cross into this last 9-10" in
the top corner of the board due to danger from lander weapons. So this is
"Home free" for the UNSOC teams. UNSOC should not leave prisoners.

ESU pursuers

All have D6 armour, move 8". No grenades.

Lt. - Reg 2
Riflemen - Reg 2
Rifleman - Reg 2
Rifleman - Vet 1
Rifleman - Reg 2
SAW gunner - Vet 2

Sgt - Reg 1
Riflemen - Reg 2
Rifleman - Vet 2
Rifleman - Reg 3
Rifleman - Reg 2
SAW gunner - Green 3

ESU enter from SE corner of the board, a max of 12" up the E side.

Objective - recover sample case. capture or kill scientist. Kill or
capture UNSOC members.

Turn 1: Free move for SF. They move onto the board from the SW corner in a
N-NE direction and cross the first of the many streams, and mostly get
into cover. They don't know where the ESU will enter.

Turn 2:
ESU enters - squad 1 heads right along E margin in N direction. Trying
to get up to the NE corner to cutoff the SOF. Squad 2 heads NW to try to get
into position to fire on UN force.

Turn 3: UN moves behind a knoll and sets up to cross second stream. Sniper
forges ahead to OW position to aim cross-board and engage ESU. Limited
spotting lanes stop his RB2 shot from having a target. ESU Squad moves slowly
up the E side of the board. ESU Squad 2 moves further towards NW corner.

Turn 4: UN moves sniper in wide arc towards NE corenr with brutal combat moves
to hillock across 1 thin stream from destination point. He's well away from
anyone now. He hides in a thicket and is an obvious block to the ESU move up
the side. UN sweeps other forces across board using cover
of hills and lichen/shrubs. Take up positions with a few soldiers
facing advancing ESU squad 2. ESU squad 1 moves more cautiously forward N. ESU
squad 2 advances to NW, but streams and hills slow advance.

Turn 5: UN Sniper engages ESU target to no real effect (poor rolls). Other UN
forces (the scientists escort) swing behind the blocking force (the engineer
and the medic I think) to the N of them heading for NE corner. ESU squad 1
member sees UN sniper fire, steps out from behind one of the canyon walls and
fires a burst, wounding the sniper and taking him out. UN engages and kills
ESU squad 2 SAW gunner.

Turn 6: Early in the turn, UN leader fires grenade into area where the point
of ESU Squad 1 is deployed, wounding one. This forces another to find cover.
Slows the final stage of Squad 1 advance. Squad 2 pushes forward up the stream
(running NS about 1' in from E edge of the board, canyons and lichen for
cover) and one member takes up a firing position with a lane between the hill
the sniper is on (the last one before freedom) and the one the UN gaurd are on
(holding back squad 2). As Adrian pushes forward the scientist, The ESU gunman
gets a shot in RB3. Fire a burst, double suppress. No wound!

At this point, the UN has passed squad 2 well and truly, and is trying to hold
them back with a couple of guys. Squad 1 isn't quite in pinning position, but
is close, and the UN situation is about to get really dicey. Shortly, the ESU
1 Squad will have the final stream ravine they must cross under heavy
Overwatch.

Turn 7: UN shooter (medic) suppresses a squad 1 figure trying to draw fire
(running from cover to cover). This means he is off Overwatch. Meanwhile,
Squad 2 pushes guys into the final gully and sets up OW. This turn, a SAW
gunner and two rifles will be OW this area. A couple of other ESU soldiers
will be watching the zone the UNSOC reargaurd will have to traverse through to
get to the last hill before their dangerous river crossing. So the UN has
troubles. They thread the needle, and then send the engineer storming down
into the face of the ESU OW. He makes cover, and suppresses the ESU soldier
with the clearest firelanes. However, at this point, knowing the lone medic
reargaurd has already activated, the Squad 2 commander reactivates his vet 1,
who runs up climbs the 2.5 m bluff, and jumps into close assault with the
medic. A nasty two round close assault results in one dead medic, and a vet in
position to menace the back of the UN final position.... (the UN force is now
(with the exception of the engineer)
mustered behind the last hill on the playable part of the board -
right against the N board edge - preparing to cross the last stream
death ravine to the safe zone). An ESU Squad 1 officer orders a reg rifleman
to reactivate, and he climbs atop a rock formation and
obtains a 6 o'clock high position about 1.5" from the engineer - a
short autoburst later and the engineer is wounded. Now UN has three men down.
ESU at this point is down two as well.

Turn 8: Make or break. The UN has a Sgt, a SAW gunner, and the Lt left, and
the scientist. They must get across a lethal zone of fire before the ESU
sweeps in on their rear. One action suppresses the veteran closest to their
rear. Then the SAW gunner rushes across the river. Intense OW fire suppresses
him in a bush on the other side (no wound though!). The Lt. fires a grenade at
a canyon wall opposite the ESU position (3m away...) and the tight confines
make it a death zone for the ESU soldier using it for cover. Another attempted
rush across the open water, more suppression, the Lt. pinned in the stream....
The Sgt then activates, fires another grenade into a further wall area,
dropping the ESU Squad 2 saw gunner that had been covering the
trough-of-death... then another sprint for the other side - more
people come off OW and engage - more suppression in the water.

Finally, it all comes down to one set of rolls. The scientist tries to beetle
across the water to safety (and, as typical for adrian, rolls a brutally high
move (on 2d10, I saw 19, 20, 18 and another 19 I
think) - in this case, a 13 or 15 when he needed about 11" to get to
safety. All that could stop him and his sample case were 2 OW ESU troops. One
from Sq 1 (a reg) and another from Sq 2 (a reg). Mine (Sq 2) decided not to
fire. Ken's did. A burst. Two target engagements in RB3. Two D8 twice against
D8. Ken made two credible rolls. Adrian
rolled 6 and 8 - no effect! The scientist got to the safe zone.

PM: I think most of the UN team was hooched - the Lt and Sgt might
have gotten out of the stream, but probably not. The SAW gunner would have
made it away. They had one dead and two wounded (the ESU resolved
them as another dead, 1 wounded - so 1 prisoner for the ESU - they
think). The scientist escaped to the lander.

Sadly for the ESU, the UN policy of not leaving any wounded includes and
outgoing ortillery strike on the battle area. Quite likely, the remaining UN
wounded or pinned members would be wiped out by the "clean up shot".

So, it came right down to the wire, due to Adrian's good play on the SF. The
ESU made all the right moves (move to block their escape, pressure them to
move, attack with aggression if circumstances allowed) but missed both bursts
they fired at the scientist, and just couldn't "close the deal".

The UN had kind of a Pyhrric victory though as probably only 1 or 2 of their
eight team members (well, six in this battle) would have lived. But they did
"achieve the mission".

Another good FMA Skirmish. Have to say, a 4 hour game, but intense all the
way. Lots of fun!