Firs of all I divided the table on nine equal sections, deployed two squads on sections 7 & 8, rolled for terrain generation and lastly for PEFs (Possible Enemy Forces).
Turn 1. Activation. Gaea Prime 3 - Hishen 1.
I made 1st squad and a section of 2nd to run through the woods towards the buildings in front of them, and I left 2nd squad sergeant Burke with a section on the ridgeline of the hill to watch for the PEF on their right.
Hishen PEFs moved forward to sections 4 and 6 while the one in the middle didn't move, so they formed a nice defensive line.
Turn 2. Gaea Prime 2 - Hishen 5.
Activation score was a 7 and that meant the higher score (Hishen) could get reinforcements. They received a squad on section 3; and a Reaction test against Burke's section was immediately taken.
Burke has Quick Reflexes that helped them in the Reaction test by adding 1d6 extra to the roll, so they won the test and fired first. All the Hishen were massacred by Burke's section. The new shooting rules are deadly!
Hishen PEFs didn't activate as they have REP 4. Burke kept his position while the rest finally reached the buildings and took positions.
Turn 3. Gaea Prime 3 - Hishen 4.
Again a 7 in the activation, and again the Hishen received reinforcements! They appeared in the same place as before but this time it was a reinforced Hishen squad with two Grath in it!
Again a Reaction test was taken and won by Burke's section, so they fired first...
and again they exterminated everybody except one Grath that could luckily survive thanks to its natural Exo-armor, and ducked behind the hill's rigdeline. After that, in the Will to Fight Test that is taken when there are casualties in a group, the Grath Hunkered Down.
But on this occasion, some Hishen could return fire before falling, and killed Sgt. Burke and one grunt, with the surviving one leaving the battle as a result of the Will to Fight Test. Now Gaea Prime's right flank was exposed.
On their activation, only the Hishen PEF in the centre moved towards the closest enemy and then it was resolved as soon as they got into the Gaea Prime soldiers' line of sight. The PEF turned out to be a Hishen squad.
They lost the Reaction Test, so two grunts from the remaining 2nd squad section fired at them while the third grunt, armed with a missile launcher, ducked back. Both grunts failed their shooting against the Hishen in the woods and they returned fire and killed them both.
Being the Hishen in numeric superiority (they couldn't see 1st squad in the same building, just 2nd squad section) they turned from defense to attack and sent one section on their left flank while the other charged into the building. There they were received by the 1st squad's fire and eliminated.
In my turn I positioned the 1st squad section on the left building to be able to fire at the Hishen in the woods. In the following firefight two Hishen were eliminated and one left the battlefield whereas the grunt with the SAW was KIA and the other two hunkered down. The other section on the right building checked there weren't any Hishen alive.
At this point, with the second squad decimated and the first squad pinned down and still with two PEFs to resolve, I though about to leave the battlefield and consider the mission as a failure, so I decided to roll one last time for activation and then leave.
Turn 4. Gaea Prime 5 - Hishen 2.
Another 7 in the activation and I got reinforcements on section 9! I thought I could make it after all. If only one of those PEFs were only just a false alarm.
I fast moved 3rd squad forward to check the PEF in front of them and it turned out to be nothing!
Turn 5. Gaea Prime 4 - Hishen 2.
Hishen didn't activate this turn so I kept my troops moving fast. On the right flank I divided 3rd squad and sent one section with Cpl. Riker to capture the Grath alive, and the section with Sgt. Gorman to help Sgt. Blacksmith with the last PEF.
In the meantime, Sgt. Blacksmith was rallying his men on the left flank.
Turn 6. Gaea Prime 5 - Hishen 4.
Sgt. Gorman checked that Hishen in the woods were really dead. Sgt. Blacksmith took positions facing the last PEF and sent a team to the other building to surround it.
Hishen PEF didn't move.
Cpl. Riker captured the Grath!
Turn 7. Gaea Prime 3 - Hishen 1.
I finished deploying all my forces around the last Hishen PEF. If the PEF didn't activate this turn then I would assault it on the following turn.
But the the PEF finally moved and it was resolved. It was a squad of Hishen.
Gaea troops were waiting for it and massacred them in a hail of vengeful fire!
After the mission
I didn't think I was going to win when my 2nd squad was wiped out, but then the tide turned on in the form of reinforcements and I finally won! Thanks to this victory the morale of Gaea Prime raised to 5 whereas the Hishen's fell to 3. The next mission will be another attack to the Hishen.
But I had suffered many casualties. Gaea Troops wear Soft Body armor and that makes easier to score sixes in the shooting damage table, resulting in many Obviously Dead.
Anyway, one trooper who left the battle came back but the other didn't, and I also had 4 KIA, so I needed to roll for new replacements to see if I could fill the casualties, and I got full replacements for 1st and 2nd squad plus a medic. The only survivor from 2nd squad was the specialist Corben with the missile launcher who is now the sargeant of 2nd squad.
Two grunts from 1st squad raised their Rep to 4.
1st Squad
Sgt. Blacksmith Rep 6, Crack Shot, Born Leader
Cpl. Artois Rep 4
SAW Rep 4
1 Grunt Rep 4 and 1 Rep 3
1 Medic Rep 3
2nd Squad
Sgt. Corben Rep 4 (only standing man from squad)
Cpl. Hill Rep 4 (the grunt who left the battle but returned)
4 Rep 3 grunts (FNG!)
3rd Squad
Sgt. Gorman Rep 5, Coward
Cpl. Riker Rep 4, Resilient
3 Rep 4 grunts
1 Rep 3 grunt.
ASI and researchers from all over Gaea Prime finally researched Alien Alloys, and that allowed me to pick Hard Armor as a new field of research after this mission. I got 3 extra dice to roll in the Reserach & Resources Table; one for retrieving a new alien specie (Grath), another for retrieving a new alien specie alive (Grath again) and one more for cleaning the battlefield from all enemies. Thanks to that I successfully researched HB armor and now I am able to equip my boys with it for their next mission!
Until then.
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