ANZAC X Wing Game 2

X Wings vs Han and Zeds.

vs. Blair, the son of the owner of the shop. Probably the game I enjoyed the most. Not that the others weren't all top blokes, but this one came right down to the wire...

Having been given a bye for the second round, and receiving 5 and 150 points for my lack of efforts there of (don't ask me how it works), my next draw was against Blair, the son of the owner of Wizard's Retreat. Blair was flying a list that had actually won the 2014 worlds...

Hmmm, thought I...

So, well, I set up in the opposite corner, hoping to get the Falcon to fly to me through the asteroids.

And it worked. Blair ran the Falcon onto a 'roid. Which, as well as costing Blair a shield, meant I was able to take pieces out of him without Han shooting back. And as Wedge was flying Veteran Instincts, he was able to take away Han's one evade die, which meant that Blair couldn't use 3CPO for the potential second evade.

Huzzah!

Next round Han and Wedge go head to head...which was a bit of a poo, seeing as I needed Wedge to take every shot he could...

However...

...the Rookie finally earned his stripes.

It was about time that Han was down to only one hull point. (Young Blair had forgotten to use R2 to regain shields when he had no hull damage, and then, when he did, he turned up a double hit! Add that to another double hit crit that got through courtesy of the X Wings, and, well...)

Unfortunately...

...the destruction didn't didn't all go the one way. Han takes out the other Rookie in a fit of pique.

A bit of zipping thither and yon ensued...

...with Han dodging all attacks directed his way...all while Wedge was pointing the wrong way...

...before Garven flies a little close to the sun. Or son. Han's got to have parents, right?

And still Han lives!

But not for very much longer! Wedge finally takes out Han on the very last turn of the game, time having been called just as we picked up our dials.

Whoo hoo! I beat a 9 year old! What a man am I!!

Thanks for the game Blair, it was a lot of fun.

Nick

ANZAC X Wing Game 1

X Wings vs. IGs.

vs Tim. The 2014 National Champ.

Arghh!

Good afternoon,

This ANZAC Day, as well as attending my first...well, it wasn't a dawn parade, it was at 9 o'clock, so...morning parade?...Tim reminded me/invited me to another Star Wars X Wing Miniatures Game Store Championship, this time at Wizard's Retreat in the city. I thought to take four X Wings, 'cause...well, 'cause I have for X Wings and I've never flown them together.

There's a reason one doesn't see similar lists doing the competitive circuit...

Anyhow, my first draw was against Tim(!) who was flying two IG-88s with all sorts of bells and whistles.

We set up for a joust...

...which striped Wedge down to one remaining hull point and a crit such that if he hit anything he'd take another hit.

So Tim K turned in front of me, and Wedge ran into him!

Boom! And he hadn't landed one hit that got through!

Ah well...

A couple of Segnor loops later...man those ships can dance...

...and...

...boom! There goes Garvin.

Yikes!

At least I've got two Rookies left.

Opps! Make that one.

Hmm, I'm beginning to see a pattern...

...and then...

...Boom! A full health X Wing one shotted!

And that was the end of that!

Well played Tim, well played.

Nick

More 50 Point X Wing

Good evening,

Yesterday, Young Stan popped over for a game during lunch. Now if I could only figure out a way of staying on holiday and being able to pay the mortgage...

Time was short, so we broke out the Star Wars fighters for another 50 point game of X Wing. I thought to try my previous list...

...but with the appropriate application of the correct decloaking template this time, and I thought Stan could try out Keyan Farlander, just for a laugh.

In another effort to keep things fresh, I also broke out the debris templates.

So, we closed...

...I thought to try to split my threats...

...which allowed Stan to simply concentrate on Echo.

Opps, there goes a shield. (And two of the three hull points on the TIE from the previous turn, thank you very much! That in spite of the additional agility from the 'roid.)

Well, at least Dark Curse was able to pull in behind the Rook, while Echo crosses over Farlander's wake.

Next turn I manage, against all odds...

...to fly Echo...

...into such a position so as to blow the Rookie out of the...space...?

'Course, next turn she's (Echo is a woman) pointing in the completely wrong direction! It's quite a trick to get her where you want her.

Farlander, on the other hand...

...has a much easier job.

Boom!

So, there it was, womano 'e mano.

We both chose the wrong dials here! There goes Echo's second (and last) shield.

So, let's try that again.

And since Echo was outside Farlander's range, let's drop the cloak!

See, wasn't that so much easier to drive?

At this point, Stan takes a damage from the debris field - so we were down to two hull each.

But Echo got to shoot first thanks to her Veteran Instincts upgrade!

Thanks again for the game Stan, it was lots of fun. 'Specially trying to figure out where Echo'd decloak so as to dial her move!

Nick

Crossfire Sunday Last

That is to say, last Sunday. Not to be confused with the Sunday before last Sunday. Though, in isolation from the previous post, I don't suppose you would.

Anyway,

Good afternoon,

Last Sunday, that is to say, the Sunday that has just been, Stan and I got together at his place for an afternoon of Crossfire.

Sweet!

He set the table...

...he does set a nice table...we pulled out some toys without too much regard to points. He took...

• two companies of Early Brit footsloggers, 
• two Cruiser tanks and 
• three missions of strafing from a Hurricane (which he never used), 

while I took...

• one full and one understrength company of infantry, replete with Battalion command elements
• two Panzer IIIGs
• three missions of bombing from a Stuka. Stupid Stuka...

...and away we went.

Theoretically it was an encounter mission, in reality I attacked, Stan defended.

First move, and I roll out down the road. Past the Weeping Angel, and into the ineffectual fire of the 2 Pounder ATG peeking out at the side of the far building. Cute wee thing it was.

It misses, so I roll up PzIIIG # 2.

We were allowing multiple vehicle moves and shooting.

I drop smoke and rush across the open to reach the depression ahead of me.

Alas...two suppressions from the edge of the smoke. Still, it could have been worse.

So, with the advance on my right stalling, I send forward my left.

As does Stan. Well, a platoon, anyway.

Whilst on my right, the MGs behind the forward squad laid down some suppressions of their own. One of which included a Vickers team.

Phew.

One platoon reaches the hill, with covering fire from the MGs in the tanks to front and flank.

One squad immediately gets pinned, another suppressed.

(Red means no fire, Yellow = suppressed, White = pinned - although those markers in front of my Grunzen are just there for ease of access, not piled onto the Germans!)

I land smoke in front of another Vickers team...

...while waiting for air support.

Huzzah! It finally arrives!

And does absolutely nothing! Nothing, I tells ya!

Stupid Stuka.

Seeing as these pop guns (3.7cm) on the Panzers are so poorly rated, Stan rolls forward one of his Cruisers. What's the worse that could happen?

One very lucky reactive fire Panzer shot, that's what!

Huzzah!

And more cause for jubilation was about to ensue - my Stuka turned up for it's second mission.

Huzzah!

Oh come on! Not a thing.

Stupid Stuka.

So I drive forward my tanks to deal with that Vickers gun. And to provide some measure of mobile cover for the infantry.

To which all of the infantry ahead of me...missed all of their reactive fire so they couldn't fire again 'till their next initiative.

Huzzah!

Time to press forward my attack.

Huzzah! That pesky Vickers Gun is gone! Huzzah!

Unfortunately...arghh! Armour to my right!

Stan's Bren Gun Carriers take out a squad, so I pull pack a Panzer, causing a reactive no-fire from the remaining Cruiser tank, in an effort to screen the rest of my Grunzen from the MGs of the Bren Carriers.

Stan's initiative, and the Cruiser fires. Ineffectually. As indeed, it did all game. Mind you, had that blue die, the "to hit" die, been a 4, my Panzer would have been toast.

My 3.7cm Panzer gunfire, however...

Boom! Boom!

(Reminds me of Basil the Fox!)

Another Stuka Stonk...

...that fails to hit anything!

Stupid Stuka.

So, since my advance on the left wasn't going quite as well as I had planned...

...I try for an assault on the right.


...which falls short since one of the assaulting squads is suppressed as it goes in.

Bother.

And in the end, with Stan being able to re-enforce his left by moving another squad over from his right out of line of sight from my boys...well, we left it at that.

Suffice it to say, a failed German advance!

Still, it was great to get the WW2 toys out for a bash, especially to have the tanks and Stuka on the table, so 'twas an afternoon's time well spent. Very well spend indeed.

Thanks Stan.

Nick

Stupid Stuka...