The Red River Run

A Headless Body Production

Location: Lancaster County Convention Center.
Version: Original Rules
Event: Historicon!
Game: All Quiet on the Martian Front
Scenario: Save the Civilians
Players: Phil Gardocki +1 playing Mobile forces of Pod 19, Hive 5 (फली 19, हाइव 5)
+2 playing Texans

The Venue:

Lancaster County Convention Center has lots of room for gaming, is clean, and validates parking. On the other side, in hotel food was lackluster and closed early. Parking was limited.

The Scenario:

The Southern Front has gone to hot war. Despite numerous warnings, some of the civilian population refused to accept the Martian was coming, until it was too late. Other late departures commandeered what vehicles they could, and raced to the relative safety of the Red River, whose single bridge was defended by valiant Texans.

The 36th "Lone Star" division, commanded by General Funston has set up defenses of the only bridge for 50 miles and set it to explode, looked helplessly through his binoculars at the fleeing civilians, being pursued by a pack of the faster, but lighter tripods. After the disaster at Tyler, he had limited heavy weapons. He would have to rely upon surprise with small arms to save what civilians he could.

 

The Forces:
Texas forces: 10 units. Texas Tea Tossers, Rough Riders, 2 Infantry and MG Platoons, 3 Armored Cars and a Command unit.

फली 19, हाइव 5, the mobile forces of Pod 19, Hive 5: A total of 6 tripods, 3 equipped for gathering and drone control. One Harvester, and 2 Scouts. Supported by 6 drones. 

 

The Martian force is light. Most of the hulls were based on the armored value 10 Scouts. In addition, some of the scouts were modified as gatherers. A basket for putting prey in, 2 reaper tentacles to work the field, and no heat ray!

 

Victory:

15 civilians are fleeing from the Martians in a rag-tag fleet of cars and trucks towards the only bridge left standing over the Red River. By turn 6, the Martians win if they either capture more civilians than cross the river, or break the Texan blocking force.

 

The Texans win if they have more civilians over the Red River than the Martians have captured, or destroy 3 of the 6 Tripods.

 

Deployment:

The Martians start on the board. The Texan infantry is all hidden. The fleet of cars and trucks will arrive on Turn Zero.

At the center line of the two tables, is a bluff, represented by putting 4" risers on the table legs. Unknown to the Martian there are alternate routs up and down the bluffs.

The Gatherer is armed with 2 reaper coils. The Harvester has 4 reaper coils and a medium heat ray.

Down the line, about 1 tripod per 2 feet.

 Turn Zero:

The pregame turn is the the arrival of escaping civilians.

With an almost "Wacky Racers" feel about them.

That's a total of 4 Fords on the bluff, racing for 4 fords in the river.*

Turn 1:

The Martians were not asleep at the controls, and successfully roll for the initiative, moving first for turn 1.

The drones disable the engine of the Corbin Vanderbilt Cup Racer with their heat rays. The Harvester rips its top off. Then with a well practiced move, plucks all four screaming humans out of their seats.

A sweep of a heat ray, and two more cars are wrecked, forcing more humans to "dismount" and flee.

The humans all arrived either on the road, or north of it. Leaving two hunting tripods with out prey.

General Funston gives the order to engage. Troops emerge from their hiding holes, some directly assaulting the Harvester. Scoring 7 points of damage. Other troops are directing the escapees down a wash cut in the bluff.

Turn 2:

The Martian wins the initiative. And herds their captured prey to a waiting Gatherer.

Once in the basket, they will count for a score of 7.

Up from the wash, arrives the Rough Riders. Tangling the Harvester in tow cables.

More close assault acting. In the shadow of the tripod, grappling hooks are thrown, and men with explosive satchels begin to climb.

Turn 3:

Heat rays dance across the defense line, digging out emplaced machine guns, and destroying an ammo compartment of a Texas Tea Tosser.

A Gatherer, his basket full of grim produce, retreats from the battle field.

His retreat covered by one of the effective war machines.

The Harvester flails its reaper coils ineffectively.

Turn 4:

The Texans win the initiative roll! This means they will move and shoot first this turn, effectively getting two shots before the Martian can reply

Ascending the wash of the bluff, the final reserves. A unit of armored cars.

No one will ever know which unit scored the disastrous hit. Or maybe it was a poor power connection, or a loose armor plate.

The few survivors report a brief scintillation of sparks, then a flash, a hundred times as bright as the sun. Then utter silence, as all near by were deafened by the blast. A full 12 score dead, their bodies burned clear of their bones such that even vultures wasted their time picking at the carcasses.

South of the road, more armored cars, bringing down another tripod.

Their mission to acquire prey a failure, and two war machines destroyed, the Martian commander ordered a retreat.

With 5 units destroyed or routed, the Texans also retreat.

Guided by the Texas Rangers, the first of the vehicles to reach the river begin crossing at a ford.

The technical victory goes to the Martian for defeating the Texas blocking force. But the Martian only got 3 civilians off the board, 4 were burned in the exploding Harvester, leaving 8 escaped. A strategic win for the humans. 

* Fords? fords? Get it? Tough room...

Get the Camera!

A Headless Body Production
Location:  Phil's Basement
Version:        Late Beta Test
Event:         Providence Gamer's Game Knight
Game:         All Quiet on the Martian Front
Scenario:   T.R.A.P
Players:      Phil Gardocki playing Marvin's Martians
                       Garth Parker playing a German Tank Battalion

Garth and I put together a quick, 100 point game, using both the new terrain rule placement, and a randomly rolled mission.  

The mission, T.R.A.P, reads as follows: "Since the advent of airpower military leaders have understood the value of aircraft and their highly trained pilots.  One of the first uses of aircraft in war was in the gathering of battlefield intelligence.  This intelligence was of vital importance to planning military operations and should the aircraft crash or be shot down there was still the possibility the information it carried could be recovered.  While it was not always acknowledged as such, the Tactical Recovery of Aircraft and Personnel has always been of significant importance to the war effort.     "

The board has 3 objective markers along the centerline, one of which has the camera/pilot/map that is important to the game.  Each side has to examine the objectives, and roll a dice for success, then get the camera/pilot/map successfully off of the board.

100 points allows for 3 assault tripods for the Martians.  The Germans will have a tank platoon, a field artillery unit, and 2 infantry platoons.  

The mission requires "Reserves", where at least one platoon/tripod is off board, arriving on turn 2.  

The Board:

This is the first time we used the terrain rules as in the book.  It turns out, a lot of terrain can be placed.  The board is divided in sixths.  The attacker can place up to 3 pieces in each sixth.  The defender can then move or add a piece in each sixth after the attacker. 

The Martian placed a lot of hills and woods.  The human played roads.

The view from the Martian left.

The view from the Martian right.

The German deploys their infantry and artillery.  leaving their panzers in reserve.

Louie and Dewey are on the board, leaving Huey in reserve.

We were only playing 100 points, which is just 3 tripods.  With one in reserve, the Martian Trinet is broken, and will have to be established only after Huey comes on the board, if at all.

A blurry shot, sorry.  The German Infantry advances towards the middle objective.

The field guns fire a volley of 7.7cm HE.

For target designated "Louie" is already in range and sighted.

Dewey races for Objective #3

Turn 2:

Louie reaches the center objective.

The German Panzers in reserve arrive!  The orders are double time, and on a road, and reach the objective in one bound.

Their lead tank however have acquired the attention of multiple heat rays, two of which penetrated.

The German panzers are truly tough buggers, each can take 3 hits before being destroyed.

Turn 3:

Per the mission rules, units must remain in contact  with the objective for a full turn, before rolling for a successful find.  They can shoot, but not move.  

Louie receives multiple hits, one in the leg, and he stumbles away 9" from the objective.

The 7.7cm field guns blanket the objective in smoke, preventing any shots on their investigating panzer.

With exploding smoke rounds circling Panzer #1, there is a metallic rapping from its floor hatch.

"Lass mich rein! Lass mich rein!"

The crew quickly undoged the hatch, a camera is thrown in, followed by a dust and smoke damaged uniformed pilot from the Luft Korps.

"Driver, get us out of here!" orders the tank sergeant.

The German player made his find roll, a 30% chance, on the first try.  It happens....

Turn 4:

The German player then successfully rolls for initiative and moves first.  Another double time order on the road, and 21 measured inches later, the lead panzer, with pilot, camera and for to rub their astonishing victory in, the Fokker too.  Are off the board for a German win!

Notes:

The third tripod did arrive on turn 2 as well, and spent its time taking long range shots.  He just never got close enough to be designated a target.  His actions decimated an infantry platoon, forcing a failed morale check.

Garth played the mission well from beginning to end.  While the Martian was placing all kinds of terrain for cover, the Human ran roads.  

We did not realize how much the road bonus was until after the game started.  Well played!

Upon Review:

After the writeup, we went back to the rules and identified a number of problems.  One was a mixing of version 1.3 Beta against version 1.4.  I won't go into the details, but they certainly would have extended the length of the game.  

 

So if you are better versed in the current state of the rules and think, "That's not right".  Your probably are correct.