X Wing at Comics, Game 3

Good morning,

Back to Comics.

Game 3. Another scenario. This time it was an attack/defend a listening post. The Rebels (who had stolen a heap of Imperial equipment!) were to land a saboteur group onto the listening post, plant a bomb, then fly away. The Imperial defenders, well, had to stop that happening.



So I set up my TIEs in front, with a mobile reserve at the back.


This time I actually read the scenario victory conditions, and concentrated on getting that shuttle.


Even so, I thought my big hitters would try to thin out the opposition along the way. My TIE A targeted the TIE on my left flank, while Darth Vader hisself took aim on my TIE I.


And took my Soontir Fel out before he could fire a shot! Aw man!


Adding insult to injury...


...bang! Two down in the first exchange!


Still, I stuck to the plan, and poured fire into the shuttle. I think I all but stripped it's shields this turn.


And then, my reinforcements arrived! Turned out that the defender could bring destroyed ships back on, though they come back on with Pilot Skill 0.


The furball continued.


And so did the carnage.


At my expense.


Well, for both of us.


Huzzah!


And the good news was that, where as I could bring mine back...he couldn't!


I kept hammering away at his shuttle, he started stripping the shields protecting the base. Shuttle can't land if those shields are still up.

He also prepared to deal to my reinforcements.



Which were actually having a spot of success themselves.




Though, I still wouldn't say that things were going entirely my way...



...but then again, things were't all bad either.




Aw man, there goes another one! This time taken out by the Assault Shuttle.


How rude!

And then to add more overall destruction, one of my turrets on the listening post gets taken out.


Followed quickly by the other.


The shuttle was just about to land...


...when...


...success! The noble Imperial defenders gloriously achieved that which was right!

And so ended my only victory of the day.

To be fair, it was a pretty hard scenario for the attackers to win - they not only had to land on the asteroid, they also had to fly the shuttle off the table afterwards.

Still, of the five games being played, the attackers won two of them, so...it can be done. So long as the defenders lose sight of the fact that the shuttle is the important thing...

Nick

Oh, and speaking of Comics, I picked these up yesterday.


Another X Wing - finally got me a Wedge! - another Squint, and...


...a B Wing!

I had only planned to get the TIE I and the B Wing, but, well, they were all $4 cheaper than I had expected (@ $NZ 26 ea.), and, well, since I asked, they let me have the three of them for $NZ 75!

Jolly nice chaps.

I wonder how much the Tantive IV will cost...

HOTT Day in December, Game 4

Good evening,

Right, back to the HOTT Day in December!

Where were we? Oh, that's right, we'd done Game 3, where I got done indeed, and we're on to Game 4.

This time I brought out my HOTT Hoplite Greek army.

• Spear General
• 7 Spears
• 1 Rider
• 2 Lurkers
• 1 God - Ares

It was facing a 25mm LOTR Orc army.

• Behemoth General (the Troll)
• Behemoth (the War Wagon)
• Magician
• 3 Warband
• 1 Spear
• 1 Shooter
• 1 Flyer

And away we went.

Ares turned up early. Usually a bad sign - I did not expect him to stick around long!


So, seeing as I was expecting to not see him for long, I flew him into what I hoped to be easy meat.


It wasn't.

Just as well Gods can't be recoiled.


At least Ares pushed his weight around a little.


Unfortunately, my Rider didn't last as long as I had hoped, and seeing as Ares wasn't really getting anywhere (and he was now overlapped), I flew him out to take on something that he should be able to handle. The flyer hanging round in the back.


In the meantime, my left flank start to tackle his Troll General. Who was caught in the rough - 2 factors down. So, 4 vs. foot - 2 for being in the rough, + 1 for being the General vs. my 4, -1 for being overlapped. 3 all.


A stand result on my left, but at least my double ranked Spears recoiled his War Wagon Behemoth.


Unfortunately, my single ranked spear fared poorly against it's opposing Warband, and...crunch!

Next bound Ares finally takes care of the Eagle, and, against all odds, my single ranked Spear managed to recoil a Warband up the hill.


With the enemy Flyer out of the way (and, against all odds, still being on the table), Ares moves into the flank of the War Wagon. While not providing overlap support, it did mean...


...that it couldn't recoil as it had enemy in contact on its flank.


Unfortunately, this minor triumph was somewhat lessened with the loss of my double ranked Spears at the hands of the Warband-on-the-hill.

Rats!

It got slightly worse when he double ranked his Warband up against my Spear General. Warband quick kill Spear. All they need to do is get a higher total - and at 3 +1 for rear rank support against my 4 +1 for being the General, the odds were pretty good that my game would be over soon.


However, 'twas I that got lucky...


...and I actually won! My only genuine victory of the tourney, as it happened.

Nick

X Wing at Comics, Game 2

Good evening,

Back to the X Wing competition.

Game 2.m
This time vs...Justin? I want to say Justin. Tim, the store owner's, son.

Anyway, he also was sporting a TIE Fighter swam. More characters, including Darth Vader, I think.

This was the first of the scenarios.

In the midst of an asteroid field, a crew of a freighter, or shuttle, or something...


Oh, that's right. Bunch of Rebels blowed up an Imperial Star Destroyer from the inside, bailed out, have to be rescued. 2 points ea. Capt'n and a few crew also bailed, 3 and 1 point respectively. All via an Assault Transport.

First to...

• Destroy the other player's Assault Transport and/or all of his other ships, or...
• Capture escape pods worth 7 points

...wins.

Just one point to note, the transport has to be with in range one to pick up survivors (cool mechanic - who's in the pod is face down, on the other side of the escape pod cards), and can't do so if touching an asteroid. Or another ship.

So we set up...


...and set forth.


And here's where I went wrong. (Actually, I guess we both did. We moved the transports last, instead of everything in appropriate pilot skill order (the transports had pilot skill zero, so should have gone first)). I was careless with my transport, and, well, either left it in the way of other ships, or flew it over asteroids. Either way meant it couldn't do it's action - picking up pods. Bother.

Anyway...this looks cool!


Mine are the TIEs with #s. And the TIE I.

The TIE As target each other. My Storm Squadron pilot vs. the Dark Lord of the Sith hisself.


I focus all my fire power on Night Beast (Pilot Skill 5).


And it worked! First blood to me.

However, Justin had carefully read the scenario objectives and was quietly picking up survivors...including the Captain.

We zoom past each other, I Koiogran [Immelman] turn and...


Bang! Whoo hoo!


However, while I was destroying his ships, Justin was playing the scenario. He picked up 7 points worth of survivors, and just like that - game over!

Very clever stuff Justin. Well done! He went on to win the comp.

Still, two zip, that still nothing to be sneezed at!

Nick