The Peaceful battle. Our third FWC game.

Why peaceful? Because there weren't shoots or casualties and because nobody won or lost. How was it possible you may wonder? Let's blame the Orks.

This time we chose to play the second scenario, Colonization, assault phase. Me being the attacker with 4.000 points of Marines and my opponent with 2.000 points of defending Orks. The Marines enter the board with orbital deployment whereas Orks with mobile deployment, being the Marines the first to move.

You can click on the pictures to see them bigger.

Marine Orbital deployment

After deploying, the Marine infantry and most of the troops rushed towards the city at the west. The Orks deployed their commanders (easily distinguishable as they are mounted on round bases) on the west and north sides of the battlefield but failed all their rolls to deploy the troops. They failed again on the second turn.

In the meantime, the Marines took advantageous positions to wait for the enemy which meant that the Orks wouldn't risk to deploy before suppressing first some Marine units with their artillery batteries ( they had 27 dice to hit!).

Marine forces in position and covering the Orks's deployment areas

The Ork batteries failed their command rolls for several turns and in one occasion they hit both Marine Coyote Titans and left them without shields but unsuppressed, they didn't dare to try deployment in the end and so game turns were slowly passing.

Marines waiting and waiting for the Orks

Finally, on turn 9 (the game lasted 10 turns), one Ork battle group entered on the bottom right of the board where there were only a few Marines squads defending the city. On the last turn the Marine CO was suppressed and the closest HQ failed his activation; the rest of the troops were too far to do anything. Thus, the Orks on the last activation of the game assaulted the city without opposition as well as without any effect on the game.

A futile charge as a goodbye

In the end, Marines had a bike recce and a tactical squad casualties, and the Orks exactly the same. One more casualty was me who died from boredom. Next time Marines will be defenders and Orks if possible won't use mobile deployment.

Second FWC game. Surgical Strike

Another Sunday and another game, FWC again of course. This time we raised our points up to 4.000 per side and chose the eleventh scenario, surgical strike. Marines being the attacker, need to destroy four missile silos and retreat with at least 25% of its forces intact, while defending Orcs must stop them.

Marines have so many funny things in their army list that I decided to try as much of them as possible. Also, as my mission was to strike fast and run I based my strategy on an air assault. Thus, my force consisted of 1 CO, 2HQ, 1 FAC, 2 recce bikes, 2 drop pods with six assault marines each, 3 terminators, 2 bombers, 3 land raiders with 1 tactical stand each, 2 M13 Night Howl air defence and 1 Reaver titan. The total break point of the army was a pitiful 9!

My idea was to support from distance with the titan and the night howls while taking the objectives one by one with my air force. Also, I planned to destroy possible Gargants coordinating pin point air strikes with smart missiles after that, as they negate all saving throws.

I supposed that my usual opponent would deploy a lot of infantry to defend the four objectives and I wasn't wrong. Here is his force of 4.400 points: 1 HQ, 2 FAOs, 2 Recce Trackers, 4 Infantry - Runts, 15 Infantry - Scavengers, 5 Support - Mighty Death Dealers, 4 Walkers - Death Cans in the first city with objective. 1 HQ, 1 FAO, 2 Recce - Trackers, 4 Infantry - Runts, 15 Infantry - Scavengers, 5 Support - Death Dealers, 4 Walkers - Death Cans spread amongst the blast walls and the medium bunkers with 3 Artillery - Mighty Death Dealers. That was a huge lot of infantry to kill before reaching the objectives!

As reinforcements he bought one division with 1 HQ, 6 Tanks - Death Wagons, 1 Artillery - AA Wagon, 4 Infantry - Death Bikes, a second division with 1 HQ, 6 Tanks - Death Wagons, 1 Artillery - AA Wagon, 4 Infantry - Scavengers Riders. A third division with 1 HQ, 15 Infantry - Scavengers, and a last division with 1 CO, 1 Recce - Doom Buggies, 1 Walker - Super Heavy Industrial Support, 3 SPAT - Death Crushers. The total break point was 53, the table was going to be crammed with green maniacs!

Early turns in the game. Marines desperately waiting for air support

I chose to attack on one of the narrow sides of the board to delay as much as possible the Ork reinforcements. I didn't have many troops to deploy as most of my force was off board. All my plan was based on air assault and support, so until I managed to do that, my earth forces could only stand and wait.

Regretfully, I forgot about air strike on first turn and when I realised about that it was too late and my friend and opponent didn't let me go back so I had to wait for the second turn. On the second turn the FAC failed its roll so I had to wait for the third turn. On the third turn I didn't got air superiority so I had to wait for turn four! I was starting to panic when on turn four I got air superiority and my FAC successfully ordered two air strikes with the bombers and then one of my HQs successfully commanded a drop pod to attack the first objective. The drop pod killed and suppressed many Orks already wounded by the bombers, and then the marines assaulted, won melee and consolidated positions. After that my CO successfully launched the terminators into the same objective who swept the area and then teleported again inside the objective and killed all the bastards. There had been a perfect assaulting manoeuvre on a tough defensive position!

Ork defensive position before the marine assault...

...and after the assault :)

On the right flank the land raiders easily took a second objective which was practically unprotected and previously pounded by the Reaver titan for several turns.

Tacticals from the land raiders taking the silo.

Sadly, as we run out of time, we had to quit the game on turn five with the Ork reinforcements getting nearer and the marine titan destroyed by Ork guns. Nonetheless, as I had still my Termies intact and an unused drop pod as well the FAC and the bombers, I thought I could easily repeat the assault manoeuvre and took a third objective without much difficulty.

Ork reinforcements approximating from the bottom and the marine titan about to die by Ork fire from the bunkers

But even as the game was finished, marines had taken and destroyed two of the four objectives and keep quite more than 25% of casualties mark to exit the game, so they doubled their victory points, getting 8 VPs vs. Orks 4. Marines had achieved a Major Victory!

Mayor Marine victory. For the Emperor!

The more we play FWC the more we like it!

Future War Commader introductory battle

This Sunday we decided to try FWC for the first time. As we had already played BKC a few times in the past we thought it wouldn't be any problem but the truth was that we made a lot of mistakes during the game, though this was not important as the battle, scenario 7, encounter at 2.000 points each, was an introductory one and after all we had great fun.

I dusted off my very old Epic Space Marines and my buddy his Orks, and both decided to try some units but keep it as simple as possible as it was our first game, so no FAOs, FACs, shield domes, teletrasportation, drop ships, etc.

My 2.000 points marine force consisted of 1 CO with 1 bike recce, 6 regular marines, 3 M50 (rhinos), 2 SPG M1 (whirlwind) and one Coyote (Warhound), and 1 HQ with 5 M4 all terrain bikes and 3 M18 (predators).

My opponent deployed 1 CO (8) with 1 SPAT (Death Crusher), 1 Walker (Super Heavy Ind Killer), 2 Tanks (Death Wagons), 2 Support (Death Throwers), 1 HQ with 2 Tanks (Assault Wagons), 4 Infantry (Hunters), 2 Infantry (Runts), 2 Support (Death Dealers), 4 Tanks (Death Wagons), 4 Infantry (Brutes), 1 HQ with 10 Infantry (Scavengers), 6 Infantry (Runts).

The orks chose static deployment and the marines mobile deployment. Believe or not my HQ rolled 10 and then my CO rolled 11, so I had to wait for the second turn to do something. This was not the only time my CO screwed it up as in the second turn he rolled a blunder and left the battlefield, so in the third turn I had a CO with CV 9! Moreover, he blundered again and lose two CV points for the rest of the game. Yes, my CO had CV 7 on fourth turn.

Deployment. Marines at the bottom.

To compensate my awful command rolls my opponent forgot all about his infantry being carried in the Ork vehicles and by the time he realised about that I had killed most of them with the forgotten infantry inside them. Also, my Coyote massive walker abnormally resisted several turns against his Gargant.

Half of the game. Failed marine charge on the left, Ork Gargant ruling the centre, and shooting duel at the right flank.

It looked like I was going to win the day with my whirlwinds killing a lot of Ork infantry and some vehicles, while marine infantry held near the village and I threatened the right flank with the bikes, but the Gargant finally got near enough and she alone destroyed the Coyote, one wirlwind and some infantry stands whereas his tanks and artillery on the right finally finished the three predators on the hill.

The marines reached his break point on turn five and as it was impossible for them to win in the current situation, we decided to finish the game giving a total victory to the Orks.

Final turn. Gargant running amok among marine lines and killing everything.

We had a lot of fun and loved FWC system. I have started to repaint some of my old marines units while finishing others for our next game in two weeks. This time a 4.000 points battle with everything included.