[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.