Trench Raid!

I left the trenches set up from last week and played the Trench Raid scenario from the full rules. The defenders get 300 points; a basic squad with 1x rhyfler upgraded to sharpshooter, and an attached H11a LMG. They deploy half in the first third of the table and the rest in the middle third, guarding important locations in the trench system.

The attackers get 400 points. I wanted to try my Coftyran Special Forces Group and broke the Patrol Building rules by allowing mysef far more Trench Raiders than is strictly legal. The attackers got a Trench Raider Yawdryl, 6x Trench Raiders, and a Support Team made up of a Sharpshooter and 2x rhyflers armed with Cryfen LMGs.

Crusader set up. Coftyrans come in from bottom left of picture

9 Commando, 11th Special Operations Group, slipped through the wire like tendrils of mist. Yawdryl St'nyr posted his Support Team, a sharpshooter and two armed with Cryfen LMGs in the center and left among the shell craters. The rest of his trench raiders would infiltrate into each flank.

Cryfen gunner in center moving through a gap in the wire

Soon the rapid chatter of the Cryfens and the sharp crack of the sharpshooter's Harlech broke the silence as they tried to lay some suppressive fire on the trenches so the raiding teams could infiltrate.

Cryfen in center quickly moves up the middle trench to give supporting fire to either flank

First Raider infiltrates into the trench on the Crusader right

Sharpshooter and 2nd LMG laying down fire from the blasted copse

Yawdryl Vaark with fireteam in the center

Trading shots with sharpshooter and Cryfen

Nod blasted away with his Ryshi over the parapet. There was a blue sniper hiding among the blasted trunks and shell holes. Byrt fired quick 3 round bursts from his Bogen. 

Suddenly bullets came from their right, chewing up the parapet. "Ancestors! There's blues in the forward trench Noddy!"

Getting flanked. 

Nod turned and fired heavy rounds down the trench,  splinters flying from the walls. A masked trench Raider did a quick burst of fire around the corner with his Doru SMG. 

The dark shape of a grenade arced through the air, bursting between Nod and Byrt, knocking them flat.

Raider throws a grenade and then charges in while the rhyflers are prone

Designated sharpshooter Podwyn and Daffyd with the H11a engage the threat on the right flank

Milwer Derval had been directing fire on the Cryfen gunner who was steadily advancing up the center communications trench when he saw Noddy and Byrt get taken out by a Blue Commando.

"Daffyd! Pudding! Get that grub over there! There's Blues in the forward trench!"

Daffyd hefted his H11a LMG around, and Podwyn carefully sighted with his Bogen. He was called "Pudding" by his squad mates after an evening at Madame Maeb's All You Can Eat Beetle Buffet. Both Rhyflers began blasting at the parapet. Podwyn saw a head go down.  Two more commandos dashed across the craters, chased by Daffyd's machine gun bullets to jump into the trench.

Yawdryl and two more Raiders successfully infiltrate into the left flank trench

Yawdryl Vaark was trying to do what little he could to direct the battle. With bullets buzzing just over the sandbagged parapet his control was reduced to the fireteam immediately with him.

There was a lot of fire coming from Derval's team off to the right, so they were still in the fight. A Blue with an LMG was trying to come up the center trench to get in between them. Vaark was directing his Ryshi to try and take the sneak out when the chatter of SMGs came from the trench to his left!

Marksquar Podwyn puts Raider OOA

Two more Raiders infiltrate into the trench on the Crusader right and are joined by the Cryfen gunner. Fire from the Marksquar and the H11a knock another OOA. The Raiders do Tend Wound on their OOA comrades. Two are seriously wounded and would need to be carried out. But they capture one wounded Crusader before LMG fire suppresses their activity.

Podwyn moving up to clear the trench. Tend Wound actions on friends could get them back in the fight (except I rolled '2' serious wound on both), and Tend Wound action on enemy OOAs makes them prisoner or confirms they're KIA.

Raiders throw a grenade and charge in from the left

A grenade sailed through the air, and the Blues followed it, SMGs chattering. Olyf met the first blue and staggered back from a blow. Shaking his head he roared and smashed the blue, throwing him right over the parapet. 

One Raider is knocked clear out of the trench where he is rendered OOA by a ryshi. A second raider is also OOA.

Raider Yawdryl charges forward and kills the Crusader outright!

A short range exchange of gunfire wounds one Crusader and puts the Raider Yawdryl also OOA. Another rhyfler moves up to start Tending Wounds and taking prisoners. The Yawdryl and third Raider are seriously wounded.

"You're nicked sunshine!" The Yawdryl Vaark has had a short range firefight with the Cryfen that had moved up the center trench to support the team coming in on the Crusader left. The Raider is knocked OOA and the Yawdry rushes forward to take him prisoner.

The sharpshooter had moved further up but was laid low by a Ryshi bullet. A Tend Wound action at game end revealed that he was KIA.

The final tally was that the Crusaders had lost one rhyfler taken prisoner, two were seriously wounded, and one was lightly wounded. The Raiding Patrol had suffered seven taken prisoner (1 unharmed, 4 wounded, and 2 seriously wounded) plus 1 KIA.

The large number of elites with Skill 13 didn't really unbalance things I felt. The Crusaders being in pretty heavy cover and the short range of the Doru SMGs helped balance things out.

Rant and Roar

The rhyflers lining the rails on the cruiser looked in wide eyed alarm at the forbidding rocky coastline lashed by a heavy surf. It was a cold, forlorn place, far removed from the mangrove swamps and jungles they were used to.

Lukey spat a stream of tobacco juice into the sea. "Pashang beratna! Inna no gloamy warm here na? What for imma bossquar king send Gloamyquar here, ke pensa?"

Yawdryl Laf'ynt ignored him and looked at the rest. "Oi-ya gloamy-beratna. Alle inna skiffs, sa sa ke?"

With grunts and grumbles they shouldered their packs and clambered down the nets into the waiting launches.

Ryta was pegging out the wash. It was a fine day with a brisk breeze coming up the valley from the sea. Then she heard the bells.

Tymi came pounding up the path to her cottage. "Granny Ryta! Granny Ryta! It's the Rising Out!"

Tymi was bouncing with excitement. The bells usually called for aid if a barn was on fire or a fishing boat was foundering on the rocks, which were exciting enough. The Rising Out summoned all able bodied quar to gather underarms. "It's the Rising Out, Granny!"

Ryta carefully set her basket down. "Alright, alright,  young Tym. Now, you get the snegls further up the hillside. And I'll go to the bells." Tymi looked dejected as she went inside to get her Anaryan made submachine gun out of the umbrella stand.

Table from Gloam-Hynn edge

Table from Partisan edge

Ryta joined the rest in the lee of a cliff face. She and her life long friend Jyn't exchanged grim nods while the Old Syrnol divided the 14 quar into the fireteams that they had naturally grouped themselves into. He, Aelf, Ned, and Ryta conferred over a plan. No one knew if he really had been a Syrnol,  but he had come home from the Wars with a sword and enough cash to buy a big ocean going lobster boat and hired a crew. He was happy to organize things that needed organizing, like the annual village fete, and preside over the raucous council meetings, which used to end in punch-ups before his firm hand took the Chairquar's gavel. So for the most part, the quar of the valley were happy to leave him to it, as long as he didn't try organizing too much.

L-R: youth, Byrt, Jyn't (pink coat), Ryta 

Byrt, the poacher, with his long Harlech would head up the hill with a fine view down to the beaches. Ryta and Jyn't with one of OS' crew would cover the foot of the hill and hold the left flank. Byrt nodded, and slurpped noisily from a mug of his homebrew. 

"Now then, Byrt, make sure you ain't glass eyed. We need youse pottin' incomers" Ryta chided.

Byrt laughed. "Cinnae hit 'm if'n I kin see straight,  kin I?"

Aelf and his lads

Aelf and Ned with some young lads each would go right, either side of the biggest farm house. The Old Syrnol and two youth would be in the center.

The Old Syrnol 

Ned with his team

 

Yawdryl Laf'ynt leads his quar forward

Trackers with Sarf-Cyn. Eager to try these. Although I've learned I need to print the revised army lists. The rules for them have changed

Spending pluck on group moves and sprinting while behind cover, the partisans move into position. Byrt is prone on top of the big hill.

"Shysh! Wha's dat, me buckos?" Ned and his team spot Sarf-Cyn scuttling along the flank. 

"Away wi' ye!" Granny Jyn't takes up position behind the huvi pen and sends a lot of heavy suppressive fire down range. Her Anaryan made KEEGY rhyfle is basically a Ryshi; a heavy shoulder cannon that reduces cover. The leading Gloamers keep getting hit. They recover, only to be knocked down again.

The LMG starts chattering away to shoot the Sarf-Cyn down. 

"An' keep away from our huvis ye ancestorless brigands!" 

Gloamer advance is getting stuck around the small house

Lots of fire up and down the defile!

Patrolling past the big farmhouse just before he's knocked OOA with a shot from Byrt 

Aelf and the LMG gunner keep the center pinned down forcing the Gloamers to spend most of their actions on Tend Wounds

Granny Ryta has moved up to help Jyn't. Which is good because Jyn't's KEEGY jams and then she is rendered OOA. Ryta exacts a terrible revenge on the Gloamers 

A Gloamer (by the door) tries outflanking Ryta and is shot by Byrt.

"Stop bleeding sonny, you're nicked!" Learned you can't melee or dispatch OOA enemy. So they're made prisoner. Ned tries Tend Wound and rolls a '1'! Dead.

Byrt in his sniper perch

Aelf and the LMG secure the farmyard and put fire on the Trackers

Trackers move up, adding some fire to help the center

A lot of Gloamers are OOA

The Old Syrnol has charged forward, but gets knocked down by a shot from the Trackers 

With 2 cards left in turn 2 I called it. The Gloamers had 2 unwounded figures not OOA and they were too scattered to perform any Tend Wounds. I let the upright and walking wounded do Tend Wounds and retreat. Quar, being essentially decent folk, would cease fire and let the enemy carry their wounded away. Three Gloamers were unwounded, carrying one seriously wounded, and helping three wounded get back to the launches. The Partisans performed Tend Wound on those that were left. The Gloamers left behind three dead and three prisoners of war (one seriously wounded). For the Partisans one OOA recovered, the Old Syrnol had a minor wound, and Jyn't was seriously wounded.

For the Partisans I just pick 'n' mixed from the different army lists depending on what weapon they were carrying. Both sides came just a squint over 400 points which is a nice size to play with. The Gloamers could have used a musician though, who could do Tend Wound on everyone within 3" or something. Or the cook, who does the same but with a +1. They got most of their pluck from successful Tend Wound results, just to have the figure knocked OOA on the following Partisan card.

***********************************

Jyn't came too, her head in Ryta's lap while Aelf cleaned her head with some strong alcohol. "Ach! Don't fuss so!"

Ryta brushed her snout. "Stay calm chook. You've given us all a fright. An' why'd you have to take them all on by yerself, anyway?"

Jyn't settled back enjoying the care. "Ach! Someone had to dinnae they? Ouch! It stings! What's that? Your homebrew you're usin' on me is it?"

The Old Syrnol directed his crewquar to gather the dropped weapons and the dead, while a couple of lads directed some prisoners, carrying a wounded comrade, to the village hall. One of the escort started singing one of the songs they sung while hauling a catch out on the Deeps:

We'll rant and we'll roar like true Ergydwrans
We'll rant and we'll roar on deck and below
Until we strikes bottom inside the two sunkers
When straight through the channel to Toslow we'll go

Recognizing the tune, if perhaps the lyrics were different, the Gloamers joined in:

I'm a son of a sea cook, I'm a cook and a trader
I can dance, I can sing, I can reef the main boom
I can handle a jigger, I cuts a fine figure
Whenever I gets in a boat's standing room

Learning to Skedaddle!

I decided to try some more things and set up a bigger game with 2 squads plus some Specialist Support options and leaders.

Points add up very fast when you're being greedy.

2 squads plus officer, Cook, Messenger Squirrel Handler, a Master-Yawdryl, and a couple of scatter guns adds up to 750+ points. 

I was going to use the Tollyn-Maeryn as the other side, because I wanted to try their rhyfle grenades,  but they're all green troops and very cheap. I could only muster around 360 points.

So I got the Crusaders out again. Added a couple of H11a LMG teams, a Cook, an officer, and did some non-canonical upgrades to make a Bomber Squad. Because I still dream of doing some reskinned First World War battles with a platoon divided into rifle, bomber, Lewis gun, and rifle grenade sections.
 

During Saturday's game, everyone was doing Reaction Fire when shot at (giving the active player a further -2 skill modifier). This time I tried Skedaddling, which gives a -4 modifier. If the shooter misses you check what they rolled and that might mean the attacker gets to decide where the target takes cover.

An LMG fired at a group, who all Skeddadled. 1 rhyfler was hit, but for the others the Crusaders rolled low enough (but still higher than their Skill Target number) that the target rhyflers ended up dispersed in all directions, out of Command Radius, prone and Gobsmacked. Which effectively ended their advance. It would take them about 8 Actions to regroup.

The Scatter Gun is another interesting weapon. The Bomber Squad across the road spent a lot of effort trying to keep it from firing at full effect. It managed one volley, which knocked most of the Squad down!

BLAM! Scatter gun in foreground blasts across the road.

Several casualties together was a a prime use for the Cook, who can do Tend Wounded to everyone within 2". And his Medic skill means he gets a +1 to his Tend Wounded roll as well. It's nice that there is a difference between Cooks and Medics since most of my armies have both.

The Cook, on his delivery bike, raced down the road, dodging fire from a rhylfer by the red roofed hut. 

Crusaders advance into the village

Crusaders advancing on the right

It was a big, confusing, slow moving exercise. Definitely must reign in my megalomania and keep games to under 600 points. Although with multiple players on a side, each player could run around 300 points and they all get the same activations. It might get tiresome though if one player has done his initial 3 actions and is now waiting for his team mate to stop the table talk and focus and do his, so they can find out if they have a fourth and fifith.

But it gave me some good questions that I got answered on the Quar Discord. There were definitely a few things we were doing wrong on Saturday night.

However, this increases my enthusiasm for my small band of sweater wearing Ergydir in their fisherquar caps and the chance to get my small handful of partisans on the table. Just maybe I don't have to build every force up to a company battlegroup?

Nah. Don't be daft.