Convoy Ambush - Beyond the Gates of Antares AAR

This past weekend Sam, Brandon, Dick and I got together for a game of Beyond the Gates of Antares, which hasn't seen the table for years. 

Brandon asked if we could try out a convoy scenario. So we ended up with Brandon and Dick commanding the convoy with Sam and I acting as the ambushing party. 

The scenario background saw an Algoryn Prosperate armored column moving through a war-torn area, supported by forces of the Isorian Senatex. 

Unbeknownst to the convoy, the Panhuman Concord's forces had set the area up as an ambush spot, readying it with transmat homers and drop troops. The Concord had also hired on mercenaries from the Freeborn House of VanShael. While lightly armed and armored, the Concord and Freeborn forces had the advantage of choosing where and when they would deploy (mostly).

Sam provided the terrain, which was a mix of jungle growth and industrial buildings. 

The scenario goal was simple. Either the convoy managed to get off the left side of the table, or the ambushers destroyed the Liberator heavy skimmer.

Sam decided to drop in early against the Algoryn skimmers at the head of the convoy. His drop troops were fast and could carry more anti-tank weaponry than most squads. 

Initially the attack went well, with the drop troops taking out the lead Intruder skimmers in a single attack. However, the heavier skimmers that followed up wiped out Sam's command squad and hammered another drop troop squad. 

In addition, the Isorians moved up through the jungle, so I brought on a Domari squad to cover the flank. Unfortunately the plasma-armed Phase Squad and the Tograh transport drone shredded the Freeborn. 

 

Around a third of the way up the convoy's route there was a choke point that Sam and I hoped to use to our advantage. While the Isorians were chewing up our troops in the jungle, for a moment it seemed like we may have had a chance against the Liberator and the lighter Avenger skimmer. 

A well-placed x-launcher (sci-fi mortar) round from Sam's concord landed on the Avenger and did some damage. In support, my own x-launcher landed a Scrambler round between the two skimmers, dropping their Resist value and messing with the Algoryn buddy drones. However, we failed to capitalize on the moment, even with Sam's C3T7 transport and my Freeborn Striker skimmer.

With some well-placed shots, the C3T7 transport and the Striker skimmer were destroyed. 

Then my ambushing mag cannon failed to hit the Liberator and was promptly destroyed in return. 

At that point, Sam and I realized that we didn't have anything left that could scratch the Liberator, and while the Avenger was damaged, the Isorians were relatively untouched, with a few Andhak drones prowling the jungle, searching for more ambushers. 

At that point, Sam and I called the retreat, with the remaining ambushers running for the cover of the deeper jungle regions. The convoy collected itself and pressed forward. 

I always feel like I want to play more Antares, but actually playing the game itself is a hassle. The rules are a sprawling mess, with multiple rule books, updates for the rulebooks, rules documents, and game aids. I'd also like more games at lower points levels and using the basic, matched play scenarios to get my head around the rules. There's a lot that was adapted into Warlords of Erehwon, but enough different to cause headaches if you're not careful. 

I'm really hoping that this game gets a second edition and more support from Warlord. 

Painting Update - Squadhammer, WWII, Gates of Antares

While I've gotten back to in-person gaming recently, my enthusiasm for painting has waned a bit, and I haven't gotten that much done since the last update. 

My Astral Claws force for Squadhammer continues to grow. These Assault Marines can quickly traverse the battlefield using their jetpacks, and they're deadly in close quarter assaults. 

A while back I was gifted a Warlord Sdkfz 251 half track and an infantry sprue. While putting together the halftrack was simple, I decided to turn the infantry sprue into an assault rifle squad. I can either use this squad on its own in Bolt Action, or filter the models individually into the more historically accurate squads I've already built for additional firepower. 

I also tried to get back into my Gates of Antares project. While previously painted miniatures got tossed in alcohol to strip, I tried a new scheme on this Freeborn attack skimmer. 

I'm not entirely satisfied with it, but hopefully the scheme will coalesce as I chip away at other units. 

Skirmish on MDF-7 - Gates of Antares AAR

One of the games I've been tempted into trying out is Warlord's Games' Beyond the Gates of Antares, since my Scifi gaming is sorely lacking (nevermind that, at the moment of writing this, I'm likely heading into a Kill Team league...)

I picked up a Freeborn starter set and a couple extra units, since the Freeborn look like a pretty versatile faction that have unit choices from very cheap, expendable infantry to expensive, elite troops. The whole "Space Dutch" backstory (as Keith put it) and the Fremen from Dune aesthetics were icing on the cake. 

So it was back to Keith's place to play on his table. We used the "Let Battle Begin" scenario, with both sides lining up on opposing long edges of the table.

Keith's force of Algoryn was small and elite, with a Command Squad, two AI Squads, an Infiltrator Squad, a Skimmer Squad, and an X-Launcher team.

My Freeborn were less elite but more numerable: A Command Squad, two Domari squads, a Feral Squad, a Mag Light Support team, an X-Launcher team, a Transport Drone, and a Targetter Probe shard.

The first turn was all maneuvering, with Keith moving his skimmers up one flank and my transporter drone hovering down the streets. The white poker chip was a minefield that Keith's infiltrators had placed before the game started. While they looked to be more anti-infantry, I decided I didn't want to risk my drone that early, so I moved it towards a different gap in the buildings.

Speaking of the buildings, we decided that were we playing in an industrial sector. This meant the buildings offered a decent resilience bonus, but were difficult to move through.

Keith's skimmers, unfortunately, took a hit when my Mag Light Support managed to ambush them, downing one of the vehicles. The remaining skimmer fired at my X-Launcher, but only managed to put a pin marker on the unit. Keith's Infiltrators, however, took fire from both the Domari unit in the buildings with the weapon teams and the drone, which did some damage. Thanks to a Down order and a Camo Drone, Keith's Infiltrators managed to stay alive.

By turn three, it was clear things weren't going well for the Algoryn force. The last skimmer was taken out by the Mag Light Support team. While a Scramble shot from the X-Launcher forced my drone back, the Ferals unloaded and charged forward.

This meant that one of the AI squads, which was trying to move forward, was caught both by an Ambush from the drone and supporting fire from the Ferals, severely reducing the unit. My other squads started to move out of the buildings and onto the street.

In a desperate last chance bid to take out the drone, the remaining two troopers in the AI squad charged my drone and attempted to wreck it. Unfortunately, they didn't have the equipment to deal with the vehicles armor, and both sides came away from the combat untouched. However, the AI squad was left in the sights of the Ferals, who opened fire and wiped the Algoryn out.

At that point, Keith decided to concede, as his force was badly mauled and unlikely to be able to do much to the drone or supporting infantry.

It was a fun game, if overlong for just 750 points (although some of that might have been us checking the rule books, QRS, army lists, and weapon lists again and again). One problem I have is GoA's similarities and difference to Konflikt 47 - there's enough of a shared ancestry that you feel like picking up the game will be easy, but the changes are enough that you're constantly second guessing or mixing up rules.

Still, I hope Antares gains popularity in the area, and we're hoping to get to 1,000 point games as a minimum for more variety.