Nuns and Guns

Our club planned on playing a boxer rebellion game this week end, but the flu has broken out in Delaware. So we had to postpone the game until next week. The game is a play-test for Cold Wars and we have to get done.  So I contacted a friend of the group on a last minute attempt to get a game in.

Scale 20mm
Rules:Force on Force
Figures: Liberation and Caesar
Vehicle: Dragon
Buildings: Gamecraft and scratch built.

Scenario

US: 1 squad with Humvee support
Quality D8  Morale D10

Insurgents:
Militia: Quality D6 morale D10
Former army unit: Quality D8 Morale D10

Location: Somewhere in East Africa
Situation: Insurgent activity has increased significantly. The UN has pulled back into safe zones after losing an APC involved in humanitarian relief. The US is committed to gaining control of an increasingly volatile situation threatening oil supplies from a neighboring country. Your squad has been patrolling areas outside the small town of Khatbad and is accompanied by a Humvee armed with a M240 and has improved armor. As you get near the interior of the village you receive a call that all air assets originally providing support have been recalled, but you still need to secure the supply base....Whiskey Tango Foxtrot....

An overview of the table, a small ford is at the bottom of the picture.

 The US players receive orders and enter from the roadway. They soon discover from the locals that the river can only be crossed at a ford  at the opposite end of the table from their entry point. This doesn't look good.

Trucks can been from the drone picture being loaded...uh oh.

 Locals are being used as human shields, the insurgents are busy working and don't notice the approach of the squad. Locals are being rounded up as the work continues.

A peasant is grabbed.

A local Catholic mission is seized...is there no shame.

 The squad (Quality D8, Morale D10) enters using cover to block the LOS of the insurgents. A fire team enters a building and neutralizes an RPG team standing guard nearby. They also engage the insurgents loading a truck. The US players are confident that they will not hit the locals and rolls well avoiding civilian casualties in the fire fight. Rolling a 1 or 2 with a quality die means you hit a civilian, creating a problem for you and the politicians back home.

The fire team goes to work while the other maneuvers along the road.

 Fire continues as the civilians are too scared to move. The second fire team moves up and engages outside of the 2 inch buffer provided by the human shields. The Humvee hits the gas and rapid moves to draw fire and lend support with the MG.

Pictures from the drone showing the squad taking a position.

 A hidden RPG team pops up...they score a hit and roll on the damage table. The vehicle is only suppressed and the gunner passes a test to remain exposed. The militia that were loading the truck react by moving to the building behind them. This stalled the US player for 2 more turns but the insurgents lost their human shields in the process.

Insurgents dish a little RPG surprise for lunch

 The fire and maneuver tactics works extremely well for the US. They push the enemy back and seize the compound. The hostages are secured and the cache is inspected...

Civilians secured! Now whats in the drums...

Now the US players understand why the air assets were really called off ...drums of Sarin gas are being loaded in the trucks. The civilians are escorted to the Humvee giving the US player 4 points and discovering the cache for another 5 points. Now the US players know the real reason an air strike was not called in....they are expendable, and word of chemical weapons caches cannot get out and embarrass the current administration...those duplicitous bastards! They seem to be on a roll but then things start to turn. Reinforcements of militia arrive and engage the Humvee..again the militia take casualties and fail to dish out anything. The Humvee is again suppressed.

More militia arrive as the US fights forward !

 The US squad dispatches the insurgents holding up in the building and move into a tree line. Fire from across the river begins to hit home as a unit of regulars kills a grunt and wounds 2 more. The casualties are loaded into the Humvee (I know I need more Humvees as this one is getting crowded). The Humvee crew replaced the light and seriously wounded as the US regroups the squad with the crew. The Squad pushes across the river under constant fire. The insurgents across the river react and roll a 1...they receive the fog of war card ...Mad Minute and gain an extra Fire Power die on the next combat roll. On a subsequent reaction they roll another 1 and receive another card. They receive a non-combat casualty...1 figure is seriously wounded. He must have stepped on a snake or scorpion...damn the luck. His screaming and frothing at the mouth do not phase the rest of the group as life is cheap in this part of the world.

The US move to the tree line and another fire fight erupts.

 The US takes another KIA crossing the stream and 2 more are wounded lightly in the building. The hidden insurgents in the trench successfully ambush the US player which caused some of the casualties. The US returns fire and gains the advantage.

US advance quickly but take casualties....they failed 2 attempts to pop smoke before and during the crossing.

 The US player discovers more drums. Sarin gas or perhaps something more nasty...maybe old Soviet stockpiles of CK. A fire team moves into the building to avoid hitting more civilians. More fire and maneuver, but at a price. The Humvee was used as over watch abut US casualties are inevitable.

The SAW gunner tears em' a new one

 The militia loses more and more. Several fighters were lost during morale checks. For every 1 that was rolled the unit lost 1 figure.  The bunker gave good cover but the US rolls were hot and they eventually wiped out the last of the resistance.

A view from an insurgent strong point

 The US mops up the rest of the insurgents and checks on the wounded. Two more hostages are rescued, more nuns giving the US 4 more points. The last of the insurgents fled the field giving the US player the stash of chemical weapons.

The US eliminates the last of the insurgent activity

The game lasted about 3 hours as the US had some difficulty in the beginning. Having a unit of trained fighters for the insurgents made a big difference in slowing down the US and causing a few casualties. At first I thought it would unbalance the game but it worked out well. I would like to have used the technical but I forgot to bring it into the game. I wanted to use vehicles to try the rules out with something more then infantry. The next game will involve a larger table, snipers, mortars and the effects of Khat, a stimulant used by insurgents to toughen up. I have really grown to love these rules. Hopefully I can play another game soon. Now to buy some more Humvees from Dragon and a few contractors from Elheim. Now for that Boxer Rebellion game .....