Operation Neon Tiger - episode 02

Intro

- They've intercepted our communications. They now know we've entered the orbit of CB-22... - said Uluru's communications operator.
- We have located the Quetzal. Sector 04, quadrant 02 - added the tracking and control systems officer. 
Brother Hermann gave the order to land in Quadrant 02, not far from the Quetzal. Only a handful of administration buildings would separate them from the enemy crew. With no surprise effect, there was no reason to try to go unnoticed. 
- Without surprise, speed of action is everything - Hermann whispered. 
Uluru's thrusters landed her gently and one of the loading platforms opened quickly.
- Let's intercept those treacherous Nomads and transmit as much information as we can back to HQ, once we understand what they're up to - Hermann exclaimed to the small PanO squad he had personally selected for this operation.

Mission and Lists

150 pts - Supremacy ITS Season 13 supplement
😼 Corregidor Jursdictional Command VS 🕀 Panoceania Military Orders

Fireteams

Given the new fireteam rules, the following are the available fireteam options for MO and Corregidor.

HVTs 

🕀 PanO HVT is represented by a KOJ miniature (tbh, not the least showy miniature available...) 

😼 Nomads HVT is represented by a Zondcat miniature.

Deployment

😼 Nomads win initiative and choose to go second. They deploy 3 men Core Jaguar on the top right corner, 3 men Haris Evader - Wildcat - Jazz FTO in the middle, Moran (infiltrator) outside the deployment zone near the right console, and a Warcor next to the Jaguars.

🕀 PanO deploys second: Escort Sergeant and Auxbot on the right edge of the table, 3 men Core fireteam (2 Crosiers and 1 Teutonic Knight) on the left side, 3 men Haris fireteam (Bulleteer - Curator - Order Sergeant) and Liutenant in the middle.

Turn 1

🕀PanO starts with only six orders, since Nomads spend one command token to remove two orders from PanO's pool.

Four orders out of six are spent by the Bulleteer trying to take out the Evader. Dice are rolled and the PanO rem is barely capable to put the Evader in NWI state, forcing him to go prone. 

The remaining two orders are spent to make the same Haris fireteam approach the right console and the near HVT. Jazz reacts wiht an ARO, trying to hack the Order Sergeant through the Moran's repeater. Dice are rolled and for once the PanO hacker surprinsingly prooves she's more useful than expected. By winning the FTF she manages to isolate Jazz. 

Once the orders above had been spent, nothing much to do was left for PanO player, who forgot to use the impetuous order of the Teutonic Knights, at least to dominate the left quadrant.

😼 Nomads replies with precision, focused on the mission objectives. Well deployed units and good expenditure of orders grants them an easy control of two quadrants.

The Moran deploys a second crazykoala and hacks the console.

The Jaguar with panzerfaust takes advantage of its position and tries to take out the bulleteer, with no success.

With a tricky and unexpected move, the Hellcat enters the table behind the PanO Haris team. Landing in such a juicy spot has a cost. The Teutonic Lt. successfully declares ARO dodge, as well as the Auxbot of the Escort Segeant. Dodging grants them to move and take position for the next activation of the Hellcat.

Hellact Combat jumps (red circle); Teutonic Lt. and Auxbot dodge (blue circle) and wait for Hellcat's next move

Nomads player activates the Hellcat who mercilessly move and shoot in the back of the Bulleteer and the Order Sergeant, putting down both of them together with the Auxbot. The Curator declares ARO dodge, but just to face its unavoidable fate: she activates the Crazykoalas which "honour" her with an explosive death.

The Teutonic Lt. and the Auxbot declare ARO shoot, and send unconscious the Hellcat. 

Nomads Haris fireteam approaches the top left quadrant, near the console. Evader and Wildcat go in suppressive fire and patiently await for PanO Core fireteam to peep out.

The first turn ends. Nomads dominate more quadrants and score 2 points. Nothing for PanO.

Turn 2

🕀PanO starts with five orders in its pool.

The Teutonic Lieutenant spends a regular order and his Lt. order to move in base to base contact with the unconscious Hellcat, performing a coupe de grace. PanO achieves the Classified objective (Extreme Prejudice) and scores its first point.

The Core team on the left side is then activated and quickly moves towards the middle of the table. The Teutonic Knight peeks out and fires its submachine gun on Wildcat and Evader. While Nomads Lt. goes unconscious, the Evader tenaciously resists despite the odds.

😼 Nomads 

The loss of Wildcat Lt. makes things difficult for Nomads player, who tries to get the best out of his irregular orders. 

Jaguar move forward on the right side of the battlefield and tries to pop a smoke grenade to cover Moran's next movement, but with no success. Driven by the unshakeable desire to complete the mission, the Moran moves in base to base contact with the unconscious Bulleteer and performs a coupe de grace, thus achieving Nomads' Classified Objective (Extreme Prejudice). 

An unfortunate series of dice rolls causes Nomads to loose both Moran and Evader, shot in ARO by the Teutonic Knights, and to start the next turn in Retreat!

The second turn ends. PanO controls more quadrants and score 2 points.

PanO 3 - Nomads 3

Turn 3

The last turn is played in a handful of minutes.

🕀PanO

Once hacked the bottom-left console, the remaining orders are spent by the Core fireteam to try to hack the top-left console, with no success.

The Core fireteam passes over the Nomads' HVT and tries to hack the console

😼 Nomads

With only two Jaguars and a Warcor (in Retreat!) left to face Teutonic Knights and Corsiers, there's not much to do. A good handshake decrees the end of the game.

PanO dominates more quadrants and scores 2 points at the end of the third round.

Both players have hacked one console each, scoring 1 additional point.

Final score: PanO 6 - Nomads 4.

Debriefing

🕀PanO

As a first approach to the new Military Orders I can consider myself fully satisfied. Coming up with a list of 8 orders with only 150 points, versatile enough for a mission like Supremacy, was quite a challenge.

The two fireteams provided a fair amount of flexibility, even if the circumstances of the game did not allow me to take full advantage of the MSV Crosier and the Curator. 

A more careful management of orders (especially in the first turn) perhaps would have allowed me to challenge the dominance of the Nomads quadrants early in the game.

😼 Nomads

I really can't complain (too much 😉) and I think the list is solid. In the beginning I managed to burn 4 Bulletteer's orders with the Evader AROs surviving against the odds. Then, with much better odds, Jazz lost the FtF against the Order Sergeant hacker and ended up isolated, this was a pivotal moment in the game determining the final outcome. The Hellcat did lot of damage and I was happy to trade herfor a good chunk of the Haris fireteam. It would have been nice if she could have managed to survive but at 150 points ZoC are really large and it's tough not to trigger dodge AROs and those knights are really good at dodging...

I won the initiative roll and decided to go second to take advantage of the mission scoring at the end of the round... I am not sure I would do it again, probably going first and establishing a stronger mid field position might have been better.

All in all a very fun game with several unexpected events and a cinematic flow.     

Outro

- Search the surrounding building. There may be other Nomads scum - clearly ordered Brother Hermann.

A small handpiece of Crosiers searched and scanned the administration buildings around.

- No trace of Nomads Sir, but you should come and see what we've found in building "M" - said Crosier Jagger said on the intercom.

 Brother Hermann reached his subordinates and to his surprise discovered a Shasvastii imprisoned in a security cell. 

- They forgot something special...take him on the Uluru before Nomads, or something worse, come back to claim the prize -