(SG) AAR--RESCUE and howdy!

HOWDY! Okay, it has been a LOOOONG time since I've posted anything, and I
haven't actually re-subscribed (I now read some of the lists mail via
the list archive during lunch at work), but I've finally had a chance to do a
Stargrunt game and thought you'd like to see some non-OT traffic.

I posted an early version of this scenario to the group way back when (just
before I unsubscribed), but I will send the updated version in a
follow-up
e-mail.

I managed to make it up for Pseudocon on Sunday (June 30), and ran a game of
modified Stargrunt. Joe, Charles, and Roger played the UN Light Infantry
squad, NAC Border Rifle HQ section, and NSL power armor squad respectively.
While very experienced gamers, none had ever played Stargrunt. The opposing
Kra'Vak units were controlled by die rolls.

The goal for the players was to rescue the princess (or recover her body) and
get off the field with minimal casualties. The winner would be the one with
the most points (points were to be awarded for recovering certain items,
destroying certain things, and taken away for casualties suffered).

The unit order was determined randomly each turn via a card system (each unit
in the game was assigned a card and they were activated when their card was
drawn; the deck was thoroughly shuffled before each turn). When the ace was
drawn, I rolled for reinforcements AND conducted actions for automated items
that needed to be activated ("pets" and sentry guns). Each piece of terrain
had an inverted marker in it showing what was there (markers represented
harmless local fauna, items that should be recovered, Kra'Vak
sentry guns, "pets", and the two hidden on-board units.  A marker was
flipped over if activated (humans move within sentry gun's arc and range and
ace is drawn, for example) or after a successful observation attempt.
Terrain could be close-assaulted without discovering what the marker
was, but then the player ran the risk of destroying items (or killing the
princess).

The playing area was roughly 4' x 6', with N-S being the long direction.
The terrain, starting from the south was generally densely scattered woods,
then a trench section and building ruins, with an AAA installation to the NW.
The northernmost portion of the board was a trench complex with wire. The
humans entered the board on the south edge.

Joe, Charles, and Roger worked out a rough plan (advance carefully along the
western side of the board, NAC leading) and started playing. Unfortunately,
the first card drawn was for the UN, so Joe passed in order to stay within the
plan. The NAC and NSL then moved on to the field, staying to the woods for
cover. The first reinforcement roll for the Kra'Vak gave the aliens a light
tank (bad luck for the humans), which entered at the NE corner of the board.

Turn 2-The UN troops moved onto the board (to the west of the NAC and
NSL troops) and the NAC moved up a little more and made an observation roll,
then were attacked by a "pet". The attacking creature is killed (or, as the
players put it, "that's one dead space monkey."). The NSL guys move up so that
they are slightly behind and to the west of the NAC team. The Kra'Vak get a
standard close assault claw as a reinforcement, which enters on the NW corner
of the board. The light tank moves up to the AAA site.

Turn 3-The NAC troops make observation rolls and spot another "pet", but
then the ace is drawn and the "pet" close assaults the NSL squad. End
result-another dead critter.  The UN squad moves up behind the NSL.
With these two easy kills, the humans start to get a little overconfident. No
reinforcements for the Kra'Vak this turn-the light tank moves forward
into the ruined town while the combat claw moves into a trench in the NW
section of the town.

Turn 4-The NSL move forward, and get blasted by a sentry gun to their
western flank, taking a casualty and a suppression. The NAC fire on the sentry
gun, to no effect, then move forward, taking fire from a sentry gun to the
east, taking a suppression, but no casualties. The UN swings out to the west
from behind the NSL in order to move into a position that can support the
power armor troops with fire. The Kra'Vak get a power armor scout team coming
in the NW corner as a reinforcement, the light tank moved down toward the SW
corner of the town and the combat claw do not move.

Turn 5-The NSL unsuppress and destroy the sentry gun that hit them.  The
NAC unsuppress and fire ineffectually on the sentry gun that fired at them.
The UN moves further north. The surviving sentry gun fires at the NAC, causing
two effective hits and a suppression. The Kra'Vak combat claw and power armor
scouts move toward the humans along the west edge of the board. The light tank
stops moving within the town. No new reinforcements arrive.

Turn 6-The ace card is drawn first, allowing the sentry gun to fire
again on
the NAC team, causing another suppression.   The on-table Kra'Vak combat
claw reveals itself (it was hiding in the trench on the southwest corner of
the town) by firing at the NSL power armor troops who were just within range.
The shooting is ineffectual. The NSL holds fire, in case the light tank comes
at them. The UN move up a little farther, so that they can support the NSL
unit against its new opponent. The NAC team removes both suppressions. The
Kra'Vak receive a power armor combat claw as a reinforcement coming on the NE
corner of the board. The light tank moves up, but not far enough to engage the
humans, while the two reinforcing Kra'Vak infantry teams do nothing.

Turn 7-The NAC go first, firing all available weapons at the sentry gun,
destroying it.  The Kra'Vak on-table combat claw goes next and close
assaults the NSL power armor troops. Two humans go down, as do two Kra'Vak.
Both sides fail morale at this point and run away. The Kra'Vak, due to poor
die rolls, do not make it back to the trench and are caught in the open by
shooting from the UN troops-killing one K.  None of the other Kra'Vak
units move.

Turn 8-The NSL go first and unsurpress, then return to the woods that
they had been pushed out of. The sole remaining Kra'Vak trooper on the
on-board
combat claw jumps back into the trench. The K light tank moves up and fires at
the NSL troopers, causing a single suppression. The other K combat claw
and the PA scout claw move forward-next turn the combat claw will be
within close combat range of the UN troops. The UN fires at the light tank
with a missile, which misses, and at the combat claw, which causes a
suppression. The NAC force reorganizes (casualties end up being one dead and
one wounded), then sends most troops forward to occupy a garden at the
south-central edge of the town.

Turn 9-The NSL removes its suppression and fires at the light tank, but
the plasma gun (IPG) does not penetrate (at this point, the team consists of
the IPG, the SAW, and a rifleman). The light tank pulls back into the town and
is not longer a valid target. The PA scout claw conducts a close assault
against the UN troops, and losses (two Kra'Vak dead, one human dead, one
stunned). The K unit withdraws back to its starting position. The NAC
squad moves up in preparation for crossing the garden's town-side wall.

At this point we called the game a loss for the humans as it did not appear
that the human forces could achieve their victory conditions. The NAC squad
was actually within one or two moves of the princess, but of course they did
not know that, and in order to get to her would have had to cross a street
swept by fire from the light tank. And there were plenty of markers in the
area that might have been opposition forces (in fact, one was a "pet",
another was a sentry gun-but pointed in the wrong direction-and another
was the K command team, while six others were actually things like tea and
wine crates and more local fauna). It might have been interesting, but getting
out would have been VERY tough.

The total time to play (including a quick explanation of the rules) was three
hours.

NOTES: The scenario was a bit on the tough side, as I made some pretty good
roles with regards to the random Kra'Vak actions. The heavy losses in the
NSL PA unit were due to some very poor defensive and armor rolls-they
should have gotten off a bit better than they did. On the other hand, I would
have led the advance with the UN team (they have a better sensor roll) and use
the NAC for firepower and the NSL for close assaults. The NAC move forward
that got them hit by the sentry gun was against the plan they had originally
set, and caused a significant hold on the pace of the advance. Their firepower
was sorely missed on the western side of the table. For a game with only three
human players, I really did need to modify the reinforcement table so that
there would be fewer Kra'Vak.

Anyway, game went fairly well and I think that all three players enjoyed it,
so hopefully there may be a few more SG players around...