Iron Maiden First Strike: FWC BatRep

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Satellite Recovery.....

WITH EXTREME PREJUDICE!

"Out of the Silent Planet"

"Run to the Hills"

"Be Quick or Be Dead"

First blood for my Critical Mass Augmented Troopers. Full BatRep to follow.....

"Tailgunner"

Anyhoo! A gratuitous close up of my two favourite figs of the Iron Maiden First Strike Company taken at the start of the game.

"Leyton One, Leyton One, we have Number of the Beast
in company strength. Repeat. Company strength."

Cheers
Mark
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The Face of God: FWC BatRep

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The Face of God

Echo Zulu, Echo Zulu. This is Panjur 5. Boots on target.
By Crom! You've got to see this!
All round defence initiated......

SITUATION:

Massive unidentified electrical signals are being received throughout the Sector. The source of these signals has been pinpointed to an uninhabited rock in a forgotten backwater, Nu IV. A nearby frigate has been ordered to assemble a task force of Marines and investigate.


Weather: Violent dust and electrical storms reducing all ranges by half

Terrain: Open, desert Mesa terrain forming natural ampitheatre.

Enemy Forces: Unknown......


Friendly Forces:

MISSION:

Locate, identify and report on source of signals eminating from planet surface.

Execution:

SUMMARY:

The scenario was designed to be simple, fun, solo game following a blowout Chinese Take Away one evening. It pitches two very different forces at each other and ended up being surprisingly well balanced.

One of the things that struck home in designing the forces for the game using the FWC points based system as a guide, was very definitely NOT to grab a shopping bag full of attributes and tech upgrades, because they sound cool but instead to carefully tailor the Unit Attributes/Weapons and Tech Upgrades to the role your forces will play in the mission.

I enjoyed playing the game, especially the near run ending. It was challenging but not demanding/ The scenario begs to be replayed with different forces, especially aliens and I already have an image in my head of an alien vs alien encounter.

Just in case you are wondering, the 'Face of God' monument is a volcanic basalt rock ornament we brought back with us from Santorini, two years ago. It's been crying out to be used in this type of scenario!


Cheers
Mark
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'O' GROUP....... High-tech FWC Battlegroups

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The following are the basic generic building blocks of my Mid/High-tech Hyborian armoured forces. These are basic structures I use to collect my models before I start adding on robotics, drones, UAVs, point defence and other support weapons.

This is a typical TOE I use for a tank heavy High-tech Mech Battlegroup within FWC.

Each of the 'sabre' Gamma units has a scout car Recon/FOO whilst Gamma HQ has an armoured scout vehicle and two fire support AFV. The armour predominates with the Mech Infantry undertaking a true specialised panzergrenadier role rather than just being infantrymen carried in an armoured box.

This is the Mid/High-tech Mech Infantry variant. Gimel is 'Camel' in the Phoenecian alphabet which I thought described an APC/MICV unit perfectly. Res is 'head', ergo 'HQ#. Just sounds a bit more off-world than "Company A" "Bravo Company" etc and more fitting for my 'Eastern' influenced 15mm Hyborian forces. The 'Gimel' battlegroup is doctrinely focused on the primacy of the armoured infantry with embedded armour support.

Given the cost of 15mm armour, I tend to buy one Gimel/Gamma at a time. If I want a tank force - eg GZG Grav Gunsleds (v15-08A) it's the Gamma TOE, if Mech then I go for the Gimel structure.

Why don't I have 3 Gimels/Gammas? Primarily cost! Second is space on my tabletop. Equally important lastly, I have enough robotics, Guncrabs, UAVs or even wheeled mech to have a third unit consisting of these and ring the changes tactically as I require.

Cheers
Mark
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'O' GROUP....... Ultra-tech FWC Mech Battlegroup

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Heather bought me a little extra for my birthday from GZG - 2x V15-55A Advanced Heavy Grav Tanks & 4x V15-56A Advanced Grav Lift Assault Vehicles. These are destined to create the 'sabre' elements for a FWC Ultra-tech Mech (Grav Panzergrenadier) Battlegroup. Here's a rough TOE I've sketched out:

HQ Company will comprise a GZG V15-57A Advanced Grav Fire Support Missile Vehicle & v15-58A Advanced Grav Command Vehicle plus two Old Crow Grav Outrider Scout Vehicles.

I'm planning the 'boots' for this force to be Rebel Minis' new Infiltrators with plenty of embedded bots and UAV drones to act as force multipliers.

My vision for this Battlegroup is for the armour and MICVs to do most of the fighting. The dismounts, similar to those assigned to a Bradley 2, provide a network of human and electronic 'eyes and ears' capable of directing massive netted fires or supplementary bot/AI forces.

I like my tabletop TOEs to have the ability to be scaled up or down easily. In this case the Epsilons can just as easily be platoons or companies to suit the scenario.

Notice that with the exception of a single 'command' AFV in Epsilon HQ, command elements aren't defind. This is deliberate. I believe that Ultra-tech forces will be 'self-ordering'. Mission and intelligence updates, fire control and what we know of as 'orders' will constantly be fed into their individual 'crosscom' (a la GRAW2). The 'command' vehicle is a network node and uplink. If the main network goes down, it continues with the mission based on the last known updates and will try to link to other similar nodes for more Intel, mission updates and to share battle situational awareness data whihc can be fed into the overall mission profile for units to act upon whilst the main uplink is being restored.

Cheers
Mark
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Master Chef On Deck... O.D.S.T. Future War Commander AAR

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The following is cleared for release by UNSC Navy Press Department:

"At 2025 GMT yesterday, two ODST teams (Echo 1 and Echo 2), supported by Wartog (Heavy) Vehicles, staged an overt landing on New Monrovia to take action against certain military targets. The mission was successful and a number of gallantry awards have been issued."

Meanwhile the OutRim NewsCorp, reports a brutal firefight between "men in black kit" and soldiers of the Zol'lh'ee Aslan clan resulting in heavy casulties all round - including a heavy Aslan AFV and at least one Warthog. Sources in the NAC Military report as follows:

"The ODST stuffed up from the off, those gun jeeps of theirs (called 'heavy' cos they have a plasma cannon on the back not some VRF gauss gun) were dropped too far out and no bugger knew when they were going to appear; the ODST sticks got blown off course and landed well off the LZ - outside the treeline covering the compound, not in the compound itself. How you miss a target that big defeats me. Anyway, they got off lightly from the Aslan AA as they came in and actually got the initiative in the first round on the ground - but zapped no-one. From there it went downhill - on the west side, one squad of Aslan, just charged in on the flank of one squad from E1 and ripped them up. An AFV came zipping in from the back of the compound and an Aslan squad on the rooftop just started shooting. E2 managed to suppress the guys on their right but more were coming in with the tank. The snipers in E2 missed repeatedly. Over on the West, those Aslan just charged again and again, in fact they alone wiped out E1 (one sniper team and two squads).

On the left, E2B retreated from the tank but then managed to take it out with their SPNKRs, finally the gun jeeps turned up and zapped some Aslan on the right flank; freeing E2B to get at the objectives; E2's sniper suppressed the guys on the roof and E2B got up to Objective Fieldgoal, then moved up to Linebacker. At that point it finally went down the pan for the ODST, E2A got shot up and charged. They were suppressed and you can work out how that went down.......the Aslan managed to take out Gun Jeep One and those Aslan on the West worked around the treeline and charged E2B in the flank up by Linebacker. They just tore through them. That left the snipers from E2 and Gun Jeep Two in the fight. Calculating their chances of success, the snipers leapt on board and hoofed it! At least E2 did their job because both Objectives were blown to pieces when the charges went off. No one got near Objective Touchdown".

Master Chef's Notes

Rules - FWC played with a very light hand!

ODST - teams consist of 1 Sniper / Command Team and 2 Squads with SPNKRs (treat as smart missiles in FWC) - ODST were treated as Human Scouts from the FWC GZG-SC and Warthogs were CU23Bs from the CUDF army list

Aslan - Treated as K'vrak from the GZG list

Lessons Learned

You dont let those sword wielding feline maniacs charge your flank y'hear!

Master Chef
Out
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'O' GROUP.......Light Recon Orbats for FWC

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Took some time out yesterday to organise my first batch of Critical Mass Light Recon figures for Future War Commander.

(Arid/Desert scheme)

This force will be a High tech company. I've decided that these troops have AI integral to their unit structure, so each base will have two Light Recon figures and a human-sized armed AI walker.

I tried out several different AI walker miniatures with the Light Recon figures, including GMM-42 Medium Mecha Units from GZG’s 2mm range. When combined with infantry on the same base the walkers really do make a bold "Sci Fi" statement!

Because of the additional firepower inherent within each platoon, I'm aiming at 4 bases per platoon and 2 platoons to the company. I don't think it would be unreasonable to have 2 smaller but powerful companies rather than a single 4 platoon monster.

(Mountain/Snow scheme)

Organised in a similar fashion to the above, but with only one base of AI walkers per platoon. They will be supported by GZG Palladin Tanks.

(French Camo scheme)

This time, a generic 'light' company with 3 figures to a base, 3 bases to a platoon and 3 platoons to the company. They will be supported by a heavy platoon of 3 GZG Wheeled MAWPs and 3 GZG UAVs.

The Light Recon miniatures within each platoon will be based as follows: ‘Scout’ base (including sniper), ‘Support’ base (including rocket launcher) and ‘Assault’ base (figs in assault poses).

Finally but not least....

Fleet Recon

A recon platoon of 2 Old Crow Grav Outrider Scout Cars (with GZG missile pod upgrades), 2 'ultra' recon bases of converted Light Recon figures and 4 GZG UAVs.


Cheers
Mark

Future War Commander: A Tabletop Review

Future War Commander
Fast Play Tabletop Wargames Rules For Combined-Arms Operations, The Future

by Peter Jones

From: Specialist Military Publishing

Price £20





THE BOOK:
140 pages, A4, colour photos throughout, including:

- 25 pages of core rules
- 8 pages of game set up, playing and 11 basic scenarios.
- 10 pages of specific rules within the Army List section
- 61 pages of Army Lists
- 2 pages of point values for army creation
- 6 pages of Individual Skirmish Rules
- Illustrated examples of game play and rule explanations throughout
- A4 Doublesided Quick Reference Sheet

SCOPE:
Fast Play Tactical Future/Science Fiction

ARMY SIZE:

Small game = 20-40 elements per side
Large game 60-100 elements per side

Where an element represents one playing piece, an individual tank or apc, or a base of infantry. This is called a "UNIT" in FWC.

The game has no predetermined unit scale. You choose on a game by game basis whether your individual infantry bases represent a fireteam, a platoon, a company etc. Same with AFV's. A tank model can be an individual vehicle or represent a platoon of 3-4 tanks.

UNITS are grouped into "FORMATIONS". Formations aren't strict in FWC. You can breakup and reassemble as you please throughout the course of the game.

SCALES

The game can be played at one of three levels:
- 1 UNIT = 1 Platoon (the scale the game was designed for)
- 1 UNIT = 1 Squad or Individual Vehicle,
- 1 miniature = 1 UNIT = 1 Soldier or Vehicle.

- Ground scale is 1cm = 20m or 1cm = 10m respectively.
One game turn represents up to 30 minutes of real-life action.

Any number of miniatures can be on a base. No preferred base sizes are stated. You can also use single miniatures if you wish.

BATTLEFIELD:
4ft x 6ft recommended for 6mm and 6ft x 8ft for 15mm/20mm.

GAME LENGTH:
2-4 hours realtime

PLAYING AIDS REQUIRED:
Normal 6 sided dice (the more the merrier)
A 'Directional Die', where the numbers or pips are replaced by arrows
A tape measure
A circular template 20cm in diameter
A circular template 30cm in diameter
Markers/dice for denoting 'suppression' etc

UNIT STATS:

All UNITS have the following basic stats: ATTACKS/RANGE, ASSAULT, HITS and SAVES.

The Attack value represents the offensive capability of the UNIT and the range that it can carry out those attacks. It's normally described in the terms of '4/30' - eg this UNIT can roll 4 dice when firing at an enemy unit up to a range of 30cm.

The Assault value is the number of dice rolled in close combat.

Hits represents the humber of hits a UNIT can soak up per turn before being KNOCKED OUT. Hits are not cumulative between game turns and disappear at the beginning of the next turn.

Saves represents the armour and protection of the UNIT. The Save value is the minimum score required to prevent a hit.

The results of combat may force a UNIT to be SUPPRESSED, FALL-BACK or be KNOCKED OUT in which case it is removed from the game.


THOUGHTS:

I have to keep reminding myself that FWC is a Fast Play set of rules. When I do that, it's a great, fast moving game in itself, with a slick Command and Control system. There's not an unnecessary die roll anywhere. It has a lot of positives but equally is disappointing in so many ways for a hard Sci Fi grognard such as myself.

The fact that FWC is a development of Blitzkrieg Commander shows through like a bad paintjob. The cover photo of GZG armour advancing through Hampshire should have warned me. For instance visibility and intelligence of the enemy in FWC is determined by Line of Sight - SORRY?, I thought this was Future War Commander not Napoleonic War Commander! Real-time intelligence? Integrated firepower? Individual soldier command interface? Netted fires? Electronic battlefield? I could go on. As for Recon.......

Despite the fact the author actually says "weather is a vital factor in war and often overlooked", it's relegated to three short paragraphs in FWC and equally, there's no rules for fighting on planets with different or even no atmosphere, gravitational effects, environmental or seismological events.

Tech Levels are reduced to Primitive, Contemporary and Advanced. Whilst I can see the advantages in this over worrying about the exact technology available at Tech 11 as opposed to Tech 9 armies and it's relative effectiveness, I think it would have benefited from a further 'EXOTIC' category which covers 'Ultra-Tech' human or superior alien science and technology.

Where FWC wins is that it is slick and fast play, and does has a whiff of futuristic wargaming (as opposed to warfare), so it does what it says on the tin. The army lists include factions from most the the major Sci Fi miniature games on the market in recent years, so it can bring together gamers with armies from different canons and allow them to play against each other on the tabletop in a game which gives them a flavour of what they are used to when playing within their original game universe.

An added value of FWC is that it includes individual skirmish rules based on the core game system. It means you can play Sci Fi/Futuristic man to man skirmish games without having to learn new rules. And again it's great for getting guys in your gaming circle who may already play Blitzkrieg or Cold War Commander to play Sci Fi skirmish games with a system they are familiar with. The skirmish rules themselves are a bit ersatz, but do the job quite well in 6 pages.

The unit creation and points system in FWC is both versatile and flexible when it comes to building your forces for each battle. It's probably the strongest element of the game. By simply adjusting the basic Stats or adding either Technological Upgrades and/or Unit Attributes you can turn the humble grunt into a SPARTAN III, Eldar Striking Scorpion or similar. For instance, if I just increase the Assault rating by 1 for my infantry, they are now bio-enhanced soldiers for the coming scrap. An extra one or two on the Attack value means my guys are armed with the latest in assault rifle calibre airburst sub-munitions without having to worry about separate rules or additional die rolls.

Comparing notes with the Master Chef, we are agreed that FWC has a very playable game system which is going to encourage more gamers to try out Sci Fi gaming, and allow those who are currently locked into their own Sci Fi miniatures game systems to play against each other on the tabletop. We think it's a great chassis upon which to build our own vision of future warfare and also recreate the XBox and PC Sci Fi games we both enjoy.

We suggest that if you want the gritty feel of futuristic combined operations on the tabletop, stick with Dirtside, Stargrunt and their ilk. However, Future War Commander doesn't pretend to compete with these games and despite lacking Rock and Roll, FWC is a complete package that offers within it's own parameters an easy to learn, fast and enjoyable tactical game.

SUPPORT:

Future War Commander Website
Future War Commader Design Group

Future War Commander: The face of futuristic gaming?

Future War Commander
Fast Play Tabletop Wargames Rules For Combined-Arms Operations, The Future

by Peter Jones

From: Specialist Military Publishing

Price £20

A personal review that strips away the hyperbole and drills down to the facts. Whether you rate FWC or hate it, this is not going to be pretty.

Please return later in the week for the full critical evaluation of Future War Commander - Cheers, Mark

Hyboria 48K

For some time Maff and I have been looking for a suitable background to anchor our Sci Fi gaming. Both fans of Marc Miller's original Traveller and later the Firefly 'Verse, we've found it difficult to pin ourselves to one or the other. We've even tried incorporating the 'Verse into the Imperium as a confederation of worlds similar to The Sword Worlds.

However, it was only once Maff and I both bought a copy of Future War Commander that the light bulb moment actually came. You see we are also long-term fans of Robert E Howards CONAN, and more specifically Howards' world of the Hyborean Age. There we had it, a world we were already familiar with, screeds of maps on the 'net, untainted by other Sci Fi canons, and flexible enough for us to drop in and drop out as we pleased.

We could even use Hyboria as a 'vanilla' setting for Ambush Alley, where the Aquilonian Rifle Brigade or Cimmerian Fusiliers are undertaking 'police actions' in Iranistan, Drujistan or Shem.

There are guilds, warlords, princedoms and empires who would welcome Hammers Slammers, Falkenberg's Legion, the Dorsai and employ alien mercenaries such as the Garn if it suited their purpose.

And of course, there are moons and asteroids to be claimed, contested and conquered.

Cheers
Mark