Step by Step - 5150 Platoon Leader AAR - Cerebus 7

Some of you may remember Cerebus 7 from a comment made by Billy Pink in a previous AAR *. Platoon Leader has given me an opportunity to shed some light on it as well as shed some light on the workings of the Gaea Prime government.

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That's the back story. Now here's the Step by Step AAR. 

I chose to play a Defend Mission with a Platoon of Planetary Militia - 3 units of a hodge-podge assortment of civilian figures - that's what the Planetary Militia is. Rolling for Rep, I scored two Rep 4 units and 1 Rep 3 unit. All were standard 6 figure units, one was led by Billy Pink (Rep 5 Star) along with Elliot Bay (Rep 5 Grunt). I set up the urban area with six buildings and a couple of streets. The units set up to cover one alley and one street. All would be considered to have Assault Rifles (Target 2), regardless of what the figure actually had on it.

Opposing them were three understrength (5 figure) Star Army squads. Two were Rep 5 and one was Rep 4. The Platoon didn't have any support weapons, but each had one Rapid Fire Laser (Target 3) along with their Laser Rifles (Target 1).

Those that are familiar with Star Army will know that the Target of the Assault Rifle is a  bit lower than normal, but because Ranged Combat is handled differently - to allow for many more units to be used - Targets have been adjusted.

After the PM was set up I rolled for where the Star Army would deploy. They came onto sections 7, 8, and 9, one squad in each. When situations occur different than Star Army, I'll be sure to explain how they work.

The last picture shows the center Star Army triggering a Line of Sight to one of the PM units. Note that all figures must be in base to base contact unless forced apart by a Reaction Test.

PART TWO

Step by Step - 5150 Platoon Leader AAR - Cerebus 7 - Part 2

 In Sight is taken as usual and the PM unit goes first. Only 3 figures have LOS so they fire with 6d6 - 2 per AR. To score a hit we start with the Rep of the Shooter, modify it by any applicable circumstance like Fast Move or In Cover. Compare each d6 to the modified Rep of the shooter. If score equal or less a "hit" is scored. In reality this means the target may be hit or the rounds are so close it forces them to react.

 3d6 scored hits so I pick those 3d6 up and roll them versus the Rep of the Target. The dice are modified for armor type of the target and the Damage Table is consulted. Score of 6+ equals Obviously Dead, Rep or higher but not a 6+ is Out of the Fight. Lower than Rep, Duck Back. The results were 2 OOF and 1 DB. Two figures drop and 1 runs for cover. The Recover From Knock Down Test has been eliminated to speed up play with more units.

Here's where things are a bit different. The unaffected figures in the unit now take a Received Fire Test for having figures in their unit fired on and a Man Down Test as well. Passing 1d6 they Snap Fire. Notice that Outgunned and Out of Ammo  no longer apply. Again, the goal is to get more figures on the table without lengthening the games. The SA fire back with their Laser Rifles - the Rapid Fire Laser guy having suffered the Duck Back from being "hit" by fire.

 The Star Army fire back but cause no casualties as the few PM figures are in cover. They pass the Received Fire Test and return fire. Firing back, they miss, but cause the Star Army to check. So far the PM have fired twice and the SA once.

The Star Army pass and return fire again. Although they miss, the PM fail their Reaction Test and Duck Back out of sight. To recap:

1. SA cause an In Sight.
2. PM wins and fires.
3. SA takes casualties, one figure Ducks Back, rest return fire.
4. PM do not take casualties but return fire.
5. SA passes again and fires.
6. PM fails and Ducks Back. 4 rounds of fire taking 5 minutes or so.

PART THREE

Step By Step - 5150 Platoon Leader AAR - Cerebus 7 - Part 4.

With two of the SA units having moved the third one activated. 

 One figure peeped out, triggering the In Sight. Two inches of movement got them into position to fire with most of the unit - 3 figures.

 Once the movement was finished In Sight was resolved, the SA won and opened fire, scoring multiple hits.

 Three of the PM went down - their soft body armor counting a +2 to the damage d6 rolls. The subsequent Reaction Tests saw the half-strength unit leave the battlefield.

Still active, the SA successfully Fast Moved down the alley to stop behind the Billy Pink led PM. In Sight was taken - the PM couldn't roll any d6 - and the Star Army opened fire!

 The SA scored 3 hits and 3 PM went down. The last remaining figures passed 1d6 - Duck Back with 1 leaving the  board. Billy and Elliot dove through the plate glass window into the building. But the SA squad wasn't done as the last PM unit was now In Sight.

 Winning another In Sight, the SA fired away and took out 5 of the PM figures - the last figure left the table.

The game took 20 minutes. I was simply overwhelmed tactically. Hadn't seen that coming.

 I didn't even have a chance to show how melee works so I'll tell you.

1. Units charges into melee.
2. Each unit loses 1 figure.
3. Each unit starts with 1d6 per point of Rep and adds/subtracts modifiers. Roll looking for successes - score of 1, 2 or 3.
4. Higher side eliminates 1 figure from the lower side for each success more rolled.
5. Both take the Man Down Test.
6. If both pass another round is instantly fought until one side loses.

That's the major differences. There are others concerning how reinforcements work and the Planetary Campaign is a nice add on. Plus Bugs work a bit differently than in other rules - and it doesn't make them easier to fight.

Step by Step - 5150 Platoon Leader AAR - Cerebus 7 - Part 3

Meanwhile, on the other side of the street (section 9) the Rep 5 Star Army unit has triggered an In Sight. The Rapid Fire Laser guy stuck his head out around the corner, triggering the In Sight. Looking down the street he saw only Billy Pink and Elliot Bay who were in cover. With their higher Rep they had a better chance of winning the In Sight and would shoot better, as shooting is compared to the Rep of the shooter.

 

 The Star Army move an additional 2" before the In Sight is resolved. This brings 2 more figures into sight, but also in the open. In 5150 Platoon Leader when you fire at a unit you can target specific figures - these would be at risk but I did it for a reason. I figured the guys in the open were easier targets and would take fire instead of the Rapid Fire Laser operator in cover. It wouldn't matter as the SA won the In Sight and blasted away scoring 5 hits!

 As Billy was in front he took three. Two were Duck Backs but one was Obviously Dead! Elliot took two Duck Backs.

 Star Power (shown above) turned the OD to an OOF to a Duck Back. This meant the two would Duck Back out of sight.

The Star Army, being active, advanced up the street.

Part Four - An Abrupt Ending

All Things Zombie - Reloaded - Now taking Pre-Orders - Heroes of the Colosseum too!

Just got back from the GAMA trade show in Vegas and David from Lock n Load gave me copies of the two new THW board games - All Things Zombie - Reloaded.

 ATZ - Pre-Order - Save $10

And Heroes of the Colosseum.

Heroes - Pre-Order and Save $10

You can pre-order one or both and save $10 off the price in the stores. The nice thing is they don't charge your card until they are ready to ship! Looks like later this month or next month. Here's a look at what's inside All Things Zombie - Reloaded.

and Heroes of the Colosseum.

All Things Zombie - What's Inside the Box?

Here's a look at what's inside the new All Things Zombie - Reloaded board game. These are actual game components. Follow the link below to pre-order and save $10 from the real price when it's released. The nice thing is they don't charge your card until they are ready to ship. Looks like the end of the month or next month.

Pre-Order and Save $10

Here are all the components laid out. SIX Maps, Counters, Player Aid Cards, Character Cards, Event Cards, and player manual.

The maps fit together in a variety of way and give you a large area to explore. Use as few or as many of them as you like.

 The maps all interlock and work with minis as well as counters. Here's a look at the counters and 25mm figures on the map.

 Large counters with rounded corners. Easy to punch out and high quality. 88 total counters including 11 characters, zeds, weapons, items, and Non-Player humans.

 Player aid cards that are colorful and informative.

 Event Cards and Character Cards speed up the game and eliminate the need to refer to the manual.

Using the player cards and counters eliminates the need for book keeping during play.

For me, the best thing was that I had total creative control on the game and it reflects the THW style. Add that with the high quality components insisted on by the new Lock n Load ownership and we have a great product. All the tension and game play of the minis game  and the ease of play afforded by using board game components.

Remember, save $10 off the full retail price by pre-ordering.
Pre-Order and Save $10

Heroes of the Colosseum - What's Inside the Box?

Here's a look at what's inside the new Heroes of the Colosseum board game. These are actual game components. Follow the link below to pre-order and save $10 from the real price when it's released. The nice thing is they don't charge your card until they are ready to ship. Looks like the end of the month or next month.

Pre-Order - Save $10

 Here are all the components laid out. Heroes is two games - chariot racing and gladiator fights. 

 There are two arenas, a small one for fights on the Fringe of the Empire and a large one for those in Rome. Inside there's 112 counters - normal sized ones for the gladiators and larger ones for the chariots. The counters have rounded corners and punch out easily.

There are six gladiator cards, one for each fighting style. All components are in color and high quality. Damage is tracked on the cards for both the gladiators and chariots - which has 8 cards for 8 chariot races.

 The chariot side of the game has a large racing oval. The Pack is tracked around the oval and the chariots race in the Pack - this way everyone is in the race, every turn!

Each game has it's own manual and player aid cards which have the rules you need to run a race or fight a match. This eliminates the need to refer to the manual.

For me, the best thing was that I had total creative control on the games and they reflect the THW style. Add that with the high quality components insisted on by the new Lock and Load ownership and we have a great product. And of course, you can play them with minis of you like!

Remember, save $10 off of the full retail price by pre-ordering.

Pre-Order Heroes

Oportunity Knocks - Forum Moving Soon - Long Story but worth the read

Those of you that remember the Yahoo Group and the fiasco with Yahoo Neo, will be interested to know that Yahoo also is the power behind the THW forum. We've had symptoms of break downs already with inability to log on, Forum going down, etc.

I've just cut a deal with David at Lock n Load Publishing for him to host the THW Forum. It's privately run and he has instant support staff on his payroll so I've decided for long term stability to move over there.

So what happens now?
In about a week we will no longer be able to post on this forum. The threads will stay for reading, but that's it. I'll be providing the same service over there - we even have our own section - just scroll down.

http://forums.lnlpublishing.com/

Short term its a pain, but this way I can guarantee that no one will pull the rug out from under the THW Forum. You will need to sign up (sorry) for the forum. ATZ Reloaded- the board game and other THW products are now available for pre-order over there. You'll get a big discount and they don't take your money until they are ready to ship. You'll also need to sign up for the store as well if you wish to pre-order.

Thanks for understanding, believe me, in the long run this is better for everyone involved. Watch for continuous messages regarding the transfer.

The blog remains the same.

Vote in the Poll - Yahoo Group

There's too many projects and they are causing a jam. What do YOU want to see? Vote for one, and no write ins. Thanks,

Ed

BTW - Poll closes in one week!

Poll 

What's All Things Zombie - Fade to Black?

It’s the last version of All Things Zombie, the Origins Award Winning Best Miniatures Game of 2006. 

By teaming up with Lock n Load Publishing we can now offer the game to the largest number of gamers possible, something, as a small company, we could never do. If not for Lock n Load there wouldn't be an updated version (the current one was before the Final Version mechanics).

Lock n Load has given it all the bells and whistles production wise and we’ve given it all the bells and whistles game wise. 

Putting the finishing touches on in now and I really want to play it.

Lock n Load Publishing - All in.

All Things Zombie - Reloaded - Board Game.

All Things Zombie - Reloaded - Computer Game.

All Things Zombie - Fade to Black - Miniatures Rules.

Heroes of the Colosseum - Board game components

Received a sample of the Heroes of the Colosseum board game from Lock n Load. Going over the final product for last minute edits.  Look for it this month!