Back from holiday - time for another Alien Squad Leader AAR

Sunday was my first wargaming activity since the beginning of July and it was a 200pt game of Alien Squad Leader with Owen at the club. Owen has recently brought his Human Imperial Strikeforce army up to 200pts, so I knew that I'd be facing that particular enemy. I decided to take my Alien Imperial army, but with a few modifications since its last outing, back in December last year. I decided to drop the power-armoured Elites and replace them with a Phase tank with an aiming device and a homing missile. I thought that the extra long-range firepower might come in handy.

The battle scenario we fought was Scenario 4 - Envelopment. This meant that Owen could reserve up to four stands to deploy from a flank and I had to defend an objective. As the defender, I set up the table. Most of the cover was on my side, understandably. I was unsure where the Human reinforcements would arrive, so I thought it might be useful to station some robotic forces on the left, where they could operate without any need for a command stand.

In the centre I had two urban areas. In the left-hand one I had my phase tank and some troops and a heavy weapon stand. The right-hand one was the objective I was defending.

I put my other Heavy Droid in the objective area, supported by another H/W stand, the Force Commander (Inspirational Leader) and some more infantry (behind the buildings).

I deployed more infantry on my right flank and had all my Trained Beasts and Tribal Auxiliaries, including a sub-commander behind the main lines.

Before long, Owen's Strikeforce advanced, taking advantage of its Sudden Strike rule.

I began to move troops up to counter, hoping that my infantry on the right flank hill could defend against the deployment point there.

Things began to go well for me. My Superior Energy Weapons were scoring plenty of hits on the power-armoured Humans. I was worried about the light vehicles emerging on my right flank, though.

I brought the phase tank into play, scoring a few hits, destroying a Human APC and pinning the Human heavy weapons team in the ruins across the table. My Heavy Droids were in play, but the Robotic infantry had nothing to do. I tried to being them closer to the action. 

My Trained Beasts despite a few stands getting shot up, crashed into hand-to-hand combat with an APC, ripping the vehicle to pieces with their claws and generally going on a rampage. This, for me was the turning point in the battle. The Beasts made mincemeat of stand after stand of Humans (who had already taken a few hits). I did lose the most successful set of Beasts in the end, but the rest of the Beasts went into a mad fury, ripping the light vehicles to pieces and forcing the Humans to breaking point.

Eventually I only needed to knock out one more Human stand to force Owen's troops to break. I managed to do this with some accurate fire from a H/W stand. Game over.

This was a tricky battle really, a lot less one-sided than it appears from the pictures. If Owen had succeeded in his plan of unloading his troopers and having them storm into the objective, I am sure that he could have won, but my Beasts really were on top form. In the end I only lost two stands of Beasts and one of Imperial Infantry.

A new AAR for Alien Squad Leader - an interesting encounter.

This was a pretty unusual game played between myself and Alex Self (the author of the ASQL rules)  at the club last Sunday. It was mostly unusual because the scenario we ended up playing (Scenario 2: Meeting Engagement) suited neither side, because both had opening options that were negated by the conditions of the scenario, because both sides were off table to begin the game.

The army I chose was my recently-completed Human Imperial Strikeforce while Alex had gone for a 2nd Global War German Occultists force. His army would be considerably larger than mine and would also outnumber me in numbers of vehicles and heavy weapons. My hope was that my power armour 5+ save would help me survive the inevitable bombardment while the inherent unreliability of his vehicles would let him down. I was nominally the attacker, but I didn't want to charge into massed heavy weapons fire.

My Strikeforce represented a fast attack unit from the Third Human Condominium which had been sent to investigate an unknown enemy which had emerged on the planet of Thekla III from some kind of wormhole or tear in the fabric of the space-time continuum. 

The battlefield didn't seem to offer me many possibilities, but I was able to move two pieces of terrain before the start, allowing me to move the village and the palm tree grove to my side of the table. The two hilly areas with rocky outcrops on top were impassable terrain features.

My deployment point was right behind the village.

Alex's Occult Nazis deployed from behind this are of soft cover.

The 3HC commander got into the village early, bringing a unit of Shocktroopers with him.

The only troops who had been able to take advantage of the Strikeforce's Sudden Strike rule were two stands of jetbikes.

I began to push troops forwards to occupy the palm grove and sent my APCs forward. These were equipped with turret-mounted heavy weapons and each carried a stand of Shocktroopers and another of Assault Troops, equipped with power axes in addition to their normal weapons.

The evil Nazi hordes poured out from their wormhole. They had slow-moving experimental tanks and a lot of infantry.

By now, I was wishing that I'd moved the palm grove closer to my side of the table, to the right of the village. This would have given me a much better position.

I started to push forward on my right, to try and close off the gap between the two areas of impassible terrain.

Meanwhile, I occupied the palm grove. There was a Medic with these units. His presence would be crucial.

Already, one of my APCs had sustained damage from some incredibly accurate fire from the German tanks. Alex was rolling some amazing dice, lots of doubles causing two critical hits. With only one saving roll available to me, damage was inevitable. I'd have to get the troops out of this APC pronto!

Things were not going any better for the other APC. I swiftly deployed the two stands (Assault Troops with green helmets).

Accurate fire from the German Crewed Weapons inflicted damage on my troops. I moved the Medic to help them. Unfortunately, they are wiped out before he is able to help.

The troops disembark behind a hill.

The Medic is certainly earning his pay today, as wounds are getting removed almost as quickly as they are being caused. Note that the Medic has taken a hit. That happened when I lost the Shocktrooper stand which he was trying to heal.

Horrifying Zombies shamble forwards, animated by some foul Occult Powers which the Germans have discovered. I send my Assault Troops forwards. Despite causing damage to the German tank. they are eventually pushed back, taking a wound too.

The palm grove is right at the core of my army. I push Heavy Weapons forwards to try and knock out the German long-range capability. They are successful and both stands of Crewed Weapons are destroyed. The Heavy Weapons also inflict damage to one of the German tanks, which spends the rest of the battle staying out of range, effectively neutralised.

The Assault Troops take on the Zombies. There can only be one winner here.

My Shocktroopers pour massive fire onto the Zombies, thinning their ranks. Is it all too little,too late, though? At least the Assault Troops are in cover now, receiving medical assistance.

Meanwhile, over on my right the jetbikes, supported by fire from the Shocktroopers and the damaged APC try and stop the Nazi advance. This fight will continue to rage on until my APC is destroyed and I bring all the units back to the village and palm grove.

Finally, time runs out. It is clear that from a shaky start, I have managed to stabilise things. My Medic is removing wounds with regularity now and my troops are inflicting damage on Alex's Germans. Totting up the points, I have caused more damage than I have received, but the result is a draw. However, we agree that it seems likely that if we were able to continue, the 3HC Strikeforce would have the upper hand.

So, a really absorbing and exciting game. Two very different armies, but both hamstrung by the scenario. I am not sure that this scenario really suits the Imperial Strikeforce at all, but that is all part of the challenge. One needs to make the most of the army, regardless of the situation in which they find themselves.

Alien Squad Leader - a Human Imperial Strikeforce

I've had the figures for this army for ages, going right back to when I created my original Human Imperial Army. I finally decided that I ought to reduce the lead mountain by a small amount more and got round to creating a Human Imperial Strikeforce - an elite formation of power-armoured troopers with minimal heavy supports, but capable of quick assaults, covert operations and hit-and-run attacks. Like my original army, this force is going to be part of the military capability of the Third Human Condominium (3HC). 

I'd already painted up a couple of stands of power-armoured troops and jet-bikes, so I had the colour scheme all worked out and I felt like it was time to get the rest painted. These figures are 15mm (as usual) UNSC Hardsuit troopers from Ground Zero Games.

First, here are five squads of Shocktroopers.  
   

Next, three Heavy Support teams (I really wish that they were all the big gun at the back, but I only had one so there are mixed teams).

Finally, two Shocktrooper command stands, with command and communications droids,

and then some characters; a Primary Leader (red helmet), a Hero of the Empire, a Medic (white helmet) and two snipers (the kneeling one is equipped with a heavy weapon).

There are a few other options I want for this army that I'll probably fill using existing stuff from other armies. First, Assault Troops, who I'll probably represent with the power-armoured guys from my 2nd Global War Soviets, because their heavy power armour looks right for the job and also some Armoured Transports. These will probably be the ones in my Corporate Mercenary force for the time being, but I quite like the look of these from GZG.

At some point, I might want a Dropship, so I'll be on the lookout for a suitable model in the coming months.

Anyway, I think these have turned out pretty well, so I am going to have to get them into action before long. 

edit: Regarding the Assault Troops, I've changed my mind. What I am going to do is use the two stands of power-armoured troopers from my original Human Imperial army, but with their helmets painted green. This keeps the uniform character of the overall army, with just a distinguishing detail on their armour to designate their special status.