Clash at the Crossroads

Yawdryl Puwl of the 7th Crusader Mounted Rhyfles (7CMR) watched the Alithean belch exhaust and rattle up the dirt road to the cottage at the crossroads. He steadied his cadier, snorting angrily about the mechanical beast, and trotted across the field, his squad of Mounted Rhyflers following him. The cottage ahead of them looked snug, with smoke issuing from the chimney. He had a purse jingling with Tokish gold half schillings, and he hoped that the farm wife would be willing to sell them some mothcakes or other stuffs from her pantry.

His Mounted Rhyflers were part of an Advance Guard, or Recce in Force. Along with some troops from 1st Pathfinder Company and the Alithean, they were to probe this valley and set up a blocking position at the crossroads ahead. A heavy shotgun team attached to the combat team was set up behind a hedge to cover the advance.

The Alithean stopped with a rattle and the turret rotated slightly. The short 73mm gun barked, sending a round down the road. The enemy was in sight. Mothcakes would have to wait.

Using pretty much the same terrain as my last game. Just changed the building. The game area is 3x3 demarcated by the hills and the field lower right. But obviously the terrain spills over the edge. Which is kinda nice. If I'd been thinking I would have deployed the Alithean (Lower Right) in the lower left corner, where it would have started the game with flank shots on the Chyweethl (Upper Left).

Traded some excess 3d prints for official CoR Activation Cards. They're very pretty and I'm very pleased. 

 

Coftyran lancers from Lord Strythcyna's Cadiers (Royal Coftyrans) trot forward

Coftyrans lost the die roll and set up first within 10" of the upper left corner

Crusaders set up 10" from lower table edge

The Alithean already has LOS on the Chyweethl and begins firing at it.

Heavy Shotgun team 

Pathfinders finding a path

"Maybe there's some good eats, let's check it out!" Infantry jog forward to try and get to the cottage ahead of the cavalry. 

Pathfinder hits the cavalry Yawdryl's mount, leaving him prone in the dust

Coftyran deployment 

Couple of lancers gallop forward, charging the Pathfinder squad before they get into the house

BLAM! "Oof!" One lancer has his mount shot from under him, leaving him prone. The other Pathfinder misses his snapshot and is skewered by a lance.

Crusader round, the Pathfinder Yawdryl dispatches his prone adversary and two shotgun blasts knock the other lancer out.

Field gun deploys to help engage the Alithean 

The Crusader Alithean immediately began engaging with the Royalist tractor. They exchanged fire, consuming many activations, giving each other equal damage to tracks and hull.

The Alithean, briefly "Rattled," has backed up to try and get some cover behind the house. I probably should have put some LOS blocking terrain in the middle to force the tractors to maneuver a little. 

"Chaaaarge!" Lancers rush forward to engage their opposites.

One lancer wounds a Crusader while the other is blasted out of the saddle with a close range shot. The Coftyran cavalry NCO has stood up and shoots at the Crusader NCO, wounding his cadier. 

The Crusader NCO wheels and engages the Royalist lancer, while the other Mounted Rhyfler charges the Royalist NCO.

Yawdryl Puwl has led his squad around to engage the Coftyrans mainline. A lone lancer blocks his way.

The lancer is knocked OOA. The field gun slews 

to the left! "Action left! Cavalry! Load cannister!" the Gun Milwer shouts, but their round goes wide, exploding in the middle of their LMG team on the hill, killing one and Gobsmacking the other two.

"Hurrah buckos!" Carbines barking and sabers flashing up and down, the Mounted Rhyflers overrun the field gun.

The Crusader Yawdryl buries his saber in the chest of the Royalist lancer, killing him outright. The Royalist NCO is also rendered OOA.

With friends beside the enemy tractor, the Alithean switches targets to drop high explosive on the advancing Coftyran Rhyflers.

The two Mounted Rhyflers still mounted wheel around the enemy tractor and pounce on the Gobsmacked Coftyran infantry. 

With that I ended the game (Game 38 of the year!) in the middle of Turn 3. The Coftyrans, with only 4 Rhyflers still on their feet, didn't have enough troops to recover their OOA figures. I did some rolling on Tend Wounds to tally the final Butcher's Bill.

The Crusaders lost 2 KIA and 2 wounded, plus a wounded cadier and the Alithean is damaged.

The Coftyrans lost 9 as POWs, 5 KIA, the field gun captured, and the Chyweethl is also damaged.

Yawdryl Puwl picked himself up beside the Coftyran field gun, it's crew were all bleeding and groaning like his now prone poor, faithful mount. He shouldered his carbine, but the few Blues still on their feet were running back up the road, following the rattling Chyweethl. He began checking the prone figures around him and hoped that the Pathfinders wouldn't eat all the mothcakes in the cottage.