Another FUBAR scenario: SW Mos Eisley

Stormtrooper patrol in Mos Eisley

So far Steve and I have had a couple of try outs of the FUBAR rules, but for our third game we thought we'd return to the Star Wars Universe and test them in a different way. This time we went for a multi-player skirmish game. The test was to see if FUBAR rules could handle a multi-player action and with just a couple of units per player and whether they would survive long enough to have an enjoyable game. We opened it up as a participation game and three other guys joined in.

I did a long scenario write-up for this game, which I will post elsewhere. Basically it was based around the Mos Eisley scenes in the first Star Wars film (ie. Episode IV). Obi Wan, Luke and the droids had to slip into Mos Eisley evade the Imperial Patrols, meet Han Solo and Chewbacca in the Cantina in the centre of the table, then make it to Dock 93 in the opposite corner of the table and take off in the Millenium Falcon. As a sub-plot a band of Jawas had a cargo of droids to bring into town to exchange with a band of Smugglers for a cargo of weapons. To really mix things up every one also had at least one gang of Fringers, and Jabba the Hutt had some extra tough 'bounty hunters' as well. Each Fringer gang had a hide-out or two with a 'cache' of money there. The Imperial player not only found it difficult to activate his units initially, but also anyone else could try and activate them, particularly if a fire-fight broke out, when the Stormtroopers could be expected to intervene to restore 'order'. Fringer's could attempt to rob the Jawa, Smugglers or each other. The Cantina was a 'safe' area, but individual Fringers could start 'challenges' ie. one-on-.one fights there.

Whole game board at start of play

The game opened with Obi Wan attempting to slip in but getting stopped by a patrol of Stormtroopers. Fortunately a Jedi Mind trick was available to get them past. One party of Jabba the Hutt's Fringers started sidling up to the smugglers unloading their cargo and another moved towards the Jawas.. The Jawas in the whole 'Keystone cops' spirit of the game ran into the centre of town, only to find their Sandcrawlers failed to activate and they had to run back towards them. A gang of Fringers allied with the Smugglers conceived the idea of 'car-jacking' Luke's speeder, but thought better of it when a second Stormtrooper patrol stopped the Speeder and Obi Wan drew out his light sabre and 'sliced and diced' virtually the whole patrol. Instead the Fringers decided to charge across to one of Jabba the Hutt's hide-outs and killing all but one of the Fringers there came close to stealing their 'cache'. Meanwhile Steve (who was also controlling the good guys) used his gang of Fringers in a non-too subtle diversion by firing on a patrol of Imperial Stormtroopers. When they were close enough one gang of Jabba's Fringer's charged half the Smuggler gang killed them all in close assault and started trying to steal their cargo. Another of Jabba's gang emerged from the leaky chemical factory and attacked the Jawas. Alerted by the drawing of a light sabre, an Imperial Speeder was successfully activated zipped across the board with its impressive 36" move and totalled the good guys' speeder with some cannon fire. The good guys all bailed out stunned (ie. suppressed). Obi and Luke just about made it into the Cantina to bluff Han Solo that they really would get paid, honest, despite not having a speeder to sell, and Han and Chewie set off to get the Millenium Falcon read for take-off. The Jawas having initially had the worst of the fire-fight with a virtually whole band killed or suppressed made a come back when a second band of Jawas wiped out a group of Jabba's Fringers. Various patrols of Imperial Stormtroopers ran back and forth responding variously to other players activations getting them involved in firefights between Fringers, and the Imperial player (me) trying to get them in position to stop Obi Wan, Luke and Han Solo etc..

"These are not the droids you are looking for", Steve plays a Jedi Mind Trick and swaps places with his speeder with a 'civilian' character to avoid being stopped by a Stormtrooper patrol

At this point we ran out of time, but all agreed it had been a great laugh and a suitable 'simulation' of the 'hive of scum and villany' that was Mos Eisley. The Scenario Rules had been fairly complex and for three of the players this was their first game of FUBAR, but most had got the hang of it by the end. It was a bit tricky operating the FUBAR rules for multiple players - for simplicity we only made one initiative roll at the start of the turn and then let players try and activate in turn following a clockwork direction around the table, but as players frequently failed to activate it very much randomised the order of play, and with a bit of familiarity we  started getting each turn completed in a reasonable amount of time, albeit didn't get through that many turns. We really pushed the rule envelopes in some respects - units could have mixed morale ratings - activating on the highest morale rating in the group but rating for suppression etc. on the most common, so Veterans could lead a bunch of Seasoned troopers/Fringers. Units were also allowed to split up or join together in the course of the game. This worked very well and meant high level heroes and villains might have to split from their parties or sneak off deserting them.

I was particularly pleased with the Mos Eisley town that I knocked up in just three days for the game, out of computer packing, old biscuit trays, egg boxes, and some cork tile buildings which were extremely quick to make and will serve me in plenty more middle eastern  (with the simple domes made from tennis balls) or 'Mexican'-style adobe buildingsWild West games. The cork tile buildings have already seen service in another club member's Sudan game! All in all it showed how effective simply painting and dry brushing stuff in the same colours can be in bringing something together.

Star Wars Game with FUBAR Rules

 This is the set up for our first try out of FUBAR rules using Star Wars figures. We put the board together with the paper board and cardboard tiles that come with the CMG game, and a few photo copies of the same. The scenario was based on the first battle scene of (what I at least think of as) the first Star Wars film (now confusingly called Episode IV: New Hope). Princess Leia is transporting the top secret plans acquired by the Rebel Alliance for the Death Star, when her ship, Tantive IV, is attacked and boarded by Imperial Stormtroopers led by Darth Vader. The idea behind the scenario is that four squads of Imperial Stormtroopers come on board from two different directions (bottom left and right in the top photo). The Rebel troopers and passengers must hold them off long enough for Princess Leia to rush across to the Droids (or in this case droid as lacking an R2D2 model between us, we only had C3PO), plant her message, then Droids and Princess Leia had to try and escape to the escape pods (top left of top picture) before the Empire took control of the ship. We subsequently modified this rule in the course of the game to say that the Droids must escape FIRST - we made C3PO a 'green figure' ie. difficult to activate and inclined to bumble around, and Princess Leia a Veteran to make her good in combat. The original rule would have made it easy for Princess Leia to escape, and the modified one left her to try to fight a fighting withdrawal to try allow the droids to escape (as per the film). We ruled that any hits on Princess Leia and the droids had to be taken as Suppressions ie. delaying them but not killing them. We also ruled that if necessary the Imperial Player could bring on fresh squads of Stormtroopers after taking enough losses to make one up-the idea being that the Empire would eventually overwhelm the ship.

The top picture shows the battle already underway. Princess Leia has run out of her quarters on the way to activate C3PO. Meanwhile the two squads of Imperial Stormtroopers have charged in from the bottom left, one taking heavy casualties, the other suppressed and pinned down. On the right hand side of the board, however, we encountered the effect of the FUBAR activiation system. A squad of Stormtroopers and a Probe Droid got to the entrance to a corridor and refused to activate - for several rounds! Executions all around later!

 Eventually I managed to get a second squad to a second the corridor on the right and they stormed in, shot up a squad of Rebel Troopers but were suppressed themselves...

 ...a second squad behind them charged forward, charged into a room and started to shoot up a squad of fighter pilots and passengers blocking their way.

 At this point the squad of Stormtroopers hesitating at the other corridor entrance finally activated and moved forward into a room, letting in the probe droid behind it...

 ...fresh squads of Stormtroopers followed behind them...

 ...further shots were exchanged...

 ....a squad on the bottom left held on despite being badly shot up and reduced to two figures...

 ....while a lone surviving Stormtrooper from the other squad on the bottom left was left sniping at a blocking squad of Rebel troopers...

 ...until also supported by a fresh Stormtrooper unit behind him...

 ....My squads on the right recovers from suppressions and move forward...

 ....but C3PO is finally making some good progress towards the escape pods covered by Princess Leia...

 ....the probe droid proves its worth inflicting three hits firing into the rear of a squad of Rebel Troopers defending the attack from bottom right...

 ...who then take more hits from my long 'stuck' squad Stormtroopers now storming through the ship...

 ...On the far right my lead squad of Stormtroopers activate to be able to charge into a squad of Rebel Troopers with another squad of Stormtroopers following on behind...

 ....C3PO and Princess Leia are just a few moves away from the escape pods (top left in this pic)...

 .....and there unfortunately the game had to end, right on a cliff hanger. The Rebel Defences crumbling all around as the Imperial Stormtroopers swept through the ship, just a handful of defenders left, but the droids and also Princess Leia herself tantalisingly close to escaping....

....unfortunately we had started late due to a bunfight between wargamers and card players over getting space to set up a table (a series of bunfights that has lead to us wargamers decamping and setting up our own club). If we hadn't started late the scenario would certainly have played out to a conclusion.

We had played this game as a play-test of the FUBAR rules, and I'd been worried that I needed 'big' squads of figures for the game to work. In fact, I shouldn't have worried. The rules worked fine not only for the size of squads that we used, but also when they had been whittled down to just a few figures, and the FUBAR activiation rules also worked fine for the 'character' figures that we deployed as individual units. We realised some markers might be useful to indicate if a unit has activated (or failed an activation test) - we just used dice instead- but otherwise the game played extremely well. We would definitely play these simple but subtle little rules again!

FUBAR Battle Report: Action on Garda Vilis

This is the set-up for playing out our FUBAR game set in the Traveller Universe 'Action on Garda-Vilis', based on the scenario set out in my last post. Figures are largely EM4 and Denizen.Vehicles came out of a couple of toy sets in the local Pound Shop.

We had previously tested FUBAR with the Star Wars Scenario set on starship, which gave us a good chance to test out the man-to-man combat rules, but I came up with this scenario to set how the vehicle combat and cover rules worked. The top picture shows the table layout from the Imperial side of the board. Most of the table was set up as jungle, with a marshy area on the right, and the little one horse town of Iluurum defended by the Imperial Troops and the Garda Vilis Police Detatchment. The Sword World Armoured Infantry entered in APCs from the other side. Various forces were deployed in the jungle - initially all units were hidden (the scraps of paper, with a number being decoy markers).

By this stage in the game, the Sword Worlders Pathfinder unit on the left opened fire on the Police Unit at the road block, followed by the Zhodani Commandos who fired from the jungle in front. The Imperials responded by withdrawing the police unit from the roadblock and opening fire on the Zho Commandos with Imperial Infantry in the blockhouse inflicting a number of casualties. The Imperial Commandos turned out to be deployed in the same piece of jungle as the Sword World Pathfinders and after a round of shooting decided to charge in and finish them with close assault. Steve decided that it wasn't such a good idea to leave his Zho Commandos so heavily exposed and pulled them back into the jungle and I sent a squad of Imperial Marines around to the right fire on them.This is the point caught on camera.

 This is a shot of the same scene from a different angle.

 And another from Steve (the Sword World) side of the table.

 Having finished off the Pathfinders, my Imperial Commando's forward observer spotted and called in a drone missile on one of the Sword World APCs. The vehicle was destroyed but most of the passengers bailed out, taking two casualties as suppressions.

Steve's other APC exchanged some long range auto cannon fire with my marines in the block house who responded with some RAM HEAP grenades which took out one cannon. Steve de-bussed his Sword World infantry into some jungle before something worse happened to their APC.

Steve finally grasped the concept of 'vertical envelopment' - he admits he finds all these modern warfare concepts very confusing and prefers the clean lines and tactics of phalanxes and tercios!- and teleported his Zhodani Commandos behind one of my squads of Imperial troopers and pretty much wiped them out with close range laser rifle fire.

...and there unfortunately the battle ended...out of time...given our 10.30pm 'out of the building' deadline in our new club. Indecisive, except for the fact that it was the Sword World task to break through the Imperial roadblock, so I guess an Imperial victory of sorts. Could certainly have done with a few more turns to finish off the game...which would have come down to whether the Zhodani commandos could have done any more damage, as the Imperial forces out-matched the Sword World Infantry that they were facing, now their transport had been knocked out/disarmed.

In their second outing the FUBAR rules were proving versatile and extremely playable. Turns could take a little while to play out but overall definitely worth continuing to test out.

FUBAR Scenario: Action on Garda-Vilis

This is a little scenario that Steve and I played out this evening at our 'new' new Club. Might be of some use to all 4 off my followers!!!

It is set in the Traveller RPG Universe.


IMPERIAL BRIEFING

Background:  The date is 136-1107. The place is Garda-Vilis in the Vilis subsector of the Spinward Marches.

All across the Imperial border reports are coming in of enemies of the Imperium pouring across the frontier. It is now 15 days since there have been confirmed reports of mass landings by Sword World troops on the border world of Garda-Vilis.

The 3272nd Imperial Infantry Regiment, a regular Imperial Infantry unit raised on Vilis, has been based on Garda-Vilis for the last 18 months, its third assignment to the world to assist local forces in a counter insurgence campaign against the anti-Imperial guerilla force the Tanoose Freedom League (TFL).

Local forces have proved to be unreliable, and the 3272th Imperial Infantry are the main force between the advancing Sword World army and the provincial capital of Karum.

Situation Report: Sword World Forces are advancing towards the city of Karum, Provincial Capital of Garda-Vilis.

Orders: Hold intermediate town of Illuurum.



Imperial Forces

3272nd (Vilis) Imperial Infantry Regiment

Element of 2nd Company ‘C’ Platoon

Capt  Hans Isidri Gauss Pistol Combat Armour Veteran

Fire-team ‘A’

Sgt Dmitri Kohl Gauss Rifle with RAM GL Combat Armour Veteran

Private x 4 Gauss Rifle with RAM GL Combat Armour Veteran

Fireteam ‘B

Sgt Gani Isshuggi Gauss Rifle with RAM GL Combat Armour Veteran

Private x 4 Gauss Rifle with RAM GL Combat Armour Veteran

Cpl Hagar Strom VRF Gauss Gun Combat Armour Veteran



374th Imperial Commandos

Capt Kelvin Jace Gauss Pistol Combat Armour Veteran

Forward Observation Officer Combat Armour Veteran

Lieut. Holman Starn Unarmed Combat Armour Veteran

Cpl. Golkar Gauss Rifle Combat Armour Veteran

L/Cpl Johanseen Gauss Rifle Combat Armour Veteran

Private Beale Gauss Rifle Combat Armour Veteran

L/Cpl Jasmon Rocket Launcher Combat Armour Veteran




Garda-Vilis Police Detachment


Lieut. Joss Harman Pistol Flak Jacket Seasoned

Squad ‘A’

Police Officer x 3 SMG Flak Jacket Green
Police Officer Shotgun Flak Jacket Green

Squad ‘B’

Police Officer x 2 SMG Flak Jacket Green
Police Officer x 2 Shotgun Flak Jacket Green



Weaponry Notes:

Gauss Rifle : As Assault rifle, but 2FP for full range.

Rocket Assisted Missile (RAM) Grenades: Each Trooper is issued with 2 HEAP and 2 HE Grenades. RAM Grenades have the range of a Grenade Launcher. Infantry –2 on armour save vs HEAP Grenade, but vehicles have +1.

Drone Missiles:  Forward Observer with Commandos may call in up to 4 Drone Missiles. This are as Mortars +1FP, and can be directed against vehicles.


Armour

Imperial Combat Armour is rated ‘Medium’ Armour
 SWORD WORLD BRIEFING

Background: The date is 136-1107. The place is Tanoose/Garda-Vilis in the Vilis subsector of the Spinward Marches.

The Imperium captured the thousand year old Sword World colony of Tanoose and renamed it Garda-Vilis in the Second Frontier World (615-620).

The time to strike back at the arrogant Imperium has come. Aided by our Zhodani allies the united forces of the Sword World have led the strike against the Vilis subsector.

The 146th Joyeuse Mobile Infantry has been committed as a strike force to recapture the former Sword World of Tanoose, where the brave freedom fighters of the Tanoose Freedom League have been fighting back against the hated Imperial occupation.

Situation Report: Local forces are crumbling or coming over to the Sword World cause all across Tanoose.

Only a few regular units of the hated Imperial occupying force stand in your way.

Orders: Strike on  and captured provincial capital Karum!

Sword World/Zhodani Forces


146th Joyeuse Mobile Infantry

Element of  1st Company, B Platton

1st Squad

APC 2 x LMG

Sgt ACR Flak Jacket Seasoned

Corp. Rocket Launcher Flak Jacket Seasoned

L/Cpl SAW (LMG) Flak Jacket Seasoned

Pvt x 5 ACR Flak Jacket Seasoned


2nd Squad

APC 2 x LMG

Sgt ACR Flak Jacket Seasoned

Corp. RPG Flak Jacket Seasoned

L/Cpl SAW (LMG) Flak Jacket Seasoned

Pvt x 4 ACR Flak Jacket Seasoned
Pvt x 1 Combat Shotgun Flak Jacket Seasoned


46th Pathfinder

L/Cpl Sniper Rifle Flak Jacket Veteran
Pvt Sniper Rifle Flack Jacket Veteran

Tanoose Freedom Fighters

Fighter x 2 Machine Pistol (SMG) None Green
Fighter x 3 Auto-rifle None Green


116th Zhodani Consulate Army Psi-Commandos

Lieut Laser Rifle Combat Armour Elite

Sgt Laser Rifle Combat Armour Elite

Private x 5 Laser Rifle Combat Armour Elite


Weaponry Notes

Advanced Combat Rifle (ACR): are rated as Assault Rifles.
ACRs are equipped with built-in RAM Grenade Launchers. Each Trooper has 2 HE Grenades. Range as GL. Effect as Grenades.

SAW – As LMG

Sniper Rifle- As Sniper Rifle.

Machine Pistol – As SMG.

AutoRifle – As Assault Rifle.

Laser Rifle – As Sniper Rifle.


Armour

Zhodani Combat Armour is rated as ‘Light’ Armour.


SPECIAL NOTE ON ZHODANI PSI-COMMANDOS

Zhodani Psi-Commandos may teleport, but must first acquire a target either through familarisation or by clairvoyance and telepathic communication.

Only the officer is capable of Clairvoyance. One location can be designated as a familarised ‘return point’ on the Sword World/Zho side of the table.

To acquire a target clairvoyantly 6+ on 2D. –1 for each subsequent attempt.

To teleport 3+ on 2D. –4 for each subsequent attempt. Note All Commandos must test INDVIDUALLY.