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SilverMK2 wrote:I have to admit that when those 'lids appeared I thought that even with one of 2nd squad on mission we might have carried enough of their curse to really get mauled.

Sir, are you implying I am cursed?

 deadmeat85 wrote:

SilverMK2 wrote:I have to admit that when those 'lids appeared I thought that even with one of 2nd squad on mission we might have carried enough of their curse to really get mauled.

Sir, are you implying I am cursed?

Well... Apparently not

chaos0xomega wrote:
Also, Wombat and I are fighting, Ill be damned if I let a Ukrainian out-engineer me.

Heh, I like a challenge! Let's do this. May the best man win.

 Talizvar wrote:
I think Wombat did not even expect to be as deadly in combat as an Engineer.
"Now let me see, allow for velocity with some roll, cement, so less friction... yep, right about there... GRENADE!!! (This is so much more fun than design!)"

Sounds about right. When I heard XCOM had a post open as an engineer I thought I might get to field test some new weapons or something vaguely more interesting than sitting in an office cubicle all day, turns out I got way more than I bargained for, but I'm beginning to like it.

Whew...that last mission was scary. Getting shot at is one thing (even if they are shooting crazy plasma weapons I've never seen before), I can handle that, well, kinda. But giant balls of claws that run straight at you...these aliens mean business. Just glad I packed extra grenades and those monstrosities were dumb enough to give me the perfect target. Next time we might not be so lucky...(makes a note to practice against rapidly approaching targets the next time I'm at the range).

Looks like I have some time off before the next mission. I think I'm going to take advantage of it. Wonder if the base scientists and engineers (the non blowing-stuff-up kind) will mind someone peeking over their shoulder? I probably can't offer anything too insightful, but I don't want this college degree to go completely to waste, and if they plan to do anything involving air or spacecraft then I might even be a bit useful. Besides, it will give me the opportunity to put the word in about researching some grenades that give a bit more "oomph". I'm sure those aliens have some technology that can accomplish that kind of thing.

Hmmm...so the grenade rolling didn't go over too well. I guess you know, this means war. What next? Roll a grenade in the shower? Nah, that's pushing it a bit even for me. I know! how about something a little...different. Let's see, those aliens have got some pictures leaked to the news by now. I'm sure something like this has to be out there somewhere. It is the internet after-all. Ah hah! I knew it. Now it's just a matter of printing it out nice and big, bribing the cleaning staff to look the other way when I want to slip into 3rd squad's barracks for a couple minutes, and hoping I don't get referred to the psychs for looking this stuff up. Just got to tape this above a certain someone's bunk (*cough*Talizvar*cough*), and I'm good to go.

[SFW, spoilered for sanity]

The more I read this thread, the more I feel like 'collaborative storytelling action game' should be a genre. It would be cool if there was a game that could support this sort of thing within it.

Ahhhhhh my eyes! It burns

OPERATION DARK HYDRA: 30 April, 2015. Porto Alegre, Brazil. Alien Abduction Mission.

"We were all feeling pretty good about our performance in Russia. Although many civilians were lost, the aliens were driven away, we had specimens of their newest terror for Dr. Vahlen's science team, and the fallout of the attack seemed to be minimal. Everyone thought the aliens would retreat for a while to regroup for their next attack. Some even thought the aliens were almost beaten. Of course, the aliens felt differently."
--Dr. Shen's Diary. April 30, 2015

Third Squad lines up before embarking on the Skyranger


Only 3 laser rifles were available at the time of the mission so sacrifices had to be made. Talizvar would join Stream Dragon in bringing along a shotgun while Carlos 13th would continue to use the sniper rifle for some time yet. Third squad needs an engineer or rocketeer soon though - it is the one glaring weakness of the squad that will become a major liability if more advanced robotic aliens arrive.

We inserted in the commercial center of the city. Luckily it was the dead of night in Porto Alegre and not many people were about. The aliens had taken people from a near by bar, but were now rooting around in businesses normally closed at this time of night. The alien's lack of familiarity with human sleep cycles and culture would be our saving grace on these abduction missions. 3rd Squad prepares to breach the electronics store in search of Tangos.
Class XCOM breaching technique on display. Assaults and Scouts up front supported by riflemen. Snipers and Infantry cover the flanks but close enough to support if things go badly.


As XCOM breaches the store, they are confronted with Seekers.
Talizvar and Stream Dragon confront cloaking Seekers - a methodical method and insistence on strict fire lanes lets 3rd squad get the jump on the elusive aliens.



Bounding overwatch pays off as 3rd Squad advance on the Seekers.
Stream Dragon finishes off the damaged Seeker at close range while Bullockist bounds forward

Bullockist claims the first laser rifle kill in XCOM history.


The site goes strangely quiet after dealing with the Seekers. The electronics store is found to be devoid of life and Stream Dragon orders his men back into the alley. Initial plans call for a breach and clear of the Laundromat, but Sounds of alien activity emanate from the diner. Marine with Heart and Carlos13th are sent to collecti meld on the roof and provide overwatch.


Meld Secured.


Bullockist, the rookie,and Stream Dragon prepare to stack on the door while Talizvar covers the left flank.


"Contact front! 3 Sectoids! Frag Out!" Bullockist bellows, simultaneously heaving a frag grenade into the cafe.


The rookie earns his wings with a well placed shot.


Stream Dragon is too experienced a soldier to get stuck in the fatal funnel of the doorway and moves left into the room. Here he is seen applying shotgun lead to his alien problem.


The last alien apparently took correspondence courses at the John McClane School of Dying Hard. Although he does no damage, Stream Dragon, Talizvar, Bullockist, and the Legion all fire at him for an entire turn without effect.


Stream Dragon eventually flashbangs the alien - he'll be dammed if one wounded Sectoid is going to screw this up.


Bullockist finishes the alien off as the blinded, deafened alien stumbles out of cover in shock.


Two pods down, an unknown number still remaining. Stream Dragon's breaching element pauses to reload while Marine_With_Heart and Carlos 13th reposition.
The Squad prepares to assault out of the cafe as sounds of multiple aliens closing are heard from the alley.

Fleeting glimpses of thin men and sectoids give Marine with Heart all he needs to open fire.


3rd Squad has lost the initiative though. The aliens are behind them and only Marine with Heart and the rookie are in proper position to respond. Stream Dragon is worried about his left flank (now right) as he turns his squad around to confront the threat to the rear. His squad had heard alien sounds coming from there earlier. Was there another pod out there or was this it?


As the squad advances on the new contacts, The Legion comes under fire from a Sectoid waiting in ambush. Note the smoke deployed by Stream Dragon to cover his outnumbered soldiers while the squad re-positions to deal with the thin men.


The next 30 seconds are maelstrom of shooting, shouting, smoke, and fire as 3rd Squad engages in almost hand-to-hand combat with thin men. It's difficult to construct a proper narrative out of it, but the rookie takes down a thin man and Marine with Heart clubs the Sectoid to death with his laser rifle.

As the two aliens slump to the ground, a seeker materializes out of thin air and opens fire on Marine with Heart. The shot is severe, but the Marine displays true heart and doesn't panic. He aims his rifle and fires back.


Operation Dark Hydra is a success - although Marine with Heart would spend some time in sickbay - the start of a new trend with 3rd squad?


Congratulation to Stream Dragon as he is elevated into the ranks of the NCO. Marine with Heart is cited for his heroic actions while engaging the alien in close combat and is promoted to Lance Corporal


Marine_with_Heart is sent to advanced marksmanship school to improve his fire support role. Although not a traditional role for medics, Stream Dragon insists every member of his squad be a rifleman first, specialty second. (In reality, Marine with Heart has outstanding aim for a medic and I wanted to explore a sort of "combat rifleman EMT" class).


StreamDragon spends time at the pistol qualification course and becomes quite the expert on sidearms. This will allow him to contribute more in long range fire fights as well as possible covert actions.


As 3rd Squad turned in their gear and headed for the bar/rack/sick bay, The council contacted The Commander. They were most pleased with XCOM performance. Although Asia was under constant attack and Russia had recently become quite nervous, the world as a whole was doing okay.


With our newly acquired cash, we will begin a Thermo generator to get our power under control. The Commander had allocated considerable resources in March and early April towards excavating out the steam vent. In addition, She ordered an additional satellite uplink constructed for an eventual push into Asia - perhaps in the June time frame.


The Officer Training School begins a series of lectures and studies on leadership in extra-terrestrial combat. All NCOs are mandated to attend.


Three Legion members are promoted to the Dakka Corps. They take the names Bromsy, Hordini, and Flamingkillamajig




All are assigned to Kamikaze Canuck's 1st Squad, 2nd Platoon. 2nd Platoon is officially operational (if still small) and placed in the rotation.

I'm pretty happy with my performance in April. Sure, we took our first KIA (poor Legion 12), but we made great strides. XCOM is certainly ahead of the game in terms of killing power (almost have advanced lasers researched, but we are behind in several other efforts. Our interceptors are still struggling to bring down even small UFOs and our armor technology is still distinctly Earthly. We have A LOT of work to do in May and the aliens aren't going to wait around for us to do it. Well done team, you haven't let me down.

Good work 3rd squad - excellent command of the field for the most part.

And it will be good to get some more power to the base and some of those caves filled with exciting new units.

Great wotk by 3th, good to see them stick it to the aliens.
And I hope when may rolles around that we can see about leveling the armour field, perhaps some fiber mesh vests would be a good investment?

 SilverMK2 wrote:
Good work 3rd squad - excellent command of the field for the most part.

And it will be good to get some more power to the base and some of those caves filled with exciting new units.

April was a prep month. We sacrificed early access to somethings in exchange for foundation building. The commander is still concerned about the lack of science support. She remains adamant that the core of XCOM remains the direct action platoons and that the majority of support must go to them. Captain Shaw is heavily advocating for better equipment for the Air Wing and council nations are clamoring for satellites and interceptors.

I feel our priorities for May are:
1: advanced laser weapons including laser cannons for our interceptors.
2: better armor.
3: utilize the OTS to start training platoon and company level officers
4: begin work on xenoneurology if time permits
5: begin constructing more interceptors for Asia as funds become available
6: get a Foundry up and running.

May is going to be a busy month - will the narratives continue? Will 2nd squad's return to action be as disastrous as their debut? Will 1st squad continue to dominate? How will 2nd platoon do? Its not to late to join! Service guarantees citizenship!


WOULD YOU LIKE TO KNOW MORE?

Yes to all of those! Particulary the Xenology, armour and interceptors for Asia! Defend the makers of Sushi and Tiger beer!

I like that plan. Should be an interesting month.

Priority #1 should be augmenting chaos 0xomega into a one woman army.

chaos0xomega wrote:
Priority #1 should be augmenting chaos 0xomega into a one woman army.

SPC Chaos0xomega will be back in action in early May. Premiering May 7th: Russian Lady with Grenade: This Time It's Personal.

Would love a laser rifle or some gene mods soon. I like my sniper rilfe and its had my back for so far but it lacks the punch of a laser weapon.

 carlos13th wrote:
Would love a laser rifle or some gene mods soon. I like my sniper rilfe and its had my back for so far but it lacks the punch of a laser weapon.

laser sniper rifles, scatter lasers, laser cannons, and heavy laser guns will be ready soon.

Just remember, Stream Dragon will happily volunteer for mechanical augmentation over gene modification.

Talizvar post-op notes:
-That grey pin-up really threw me off, couldn't seem to shoot any of those suckers <shudder>.
-Thought I would return the entertainment with a gift of music:
Make sure you pull the earphone jack when done: it blows the batteries. Listen carefully, I put Bruno Mars on it...
- Shotgun is getting to be a wee bit short on range for flank duty, had to give a double-take when the boys unloaded with LAZERS (!!) I want a blaster, make it so.
- Dr. Shen will be my new best friend if I could understand him.

- Well, wait and back into the breach.

1st squad 2nd platoon is locked, loaded and ready to kick some *ss. Bring em on i say.

 flamingkillamajig wrote:
1st squad 2nd platoon is locked, loaded and ready to kick some *ss. Bring em on i say.

Indeed. I have all this murder in my heart and nowhere to unleash it.

OPERATION Dark Hydra 2: The Darker Re-Hydraing? (XCOM Long War sometimes has a bug where it will dump you in the same mission/map again and again. Hit ALT+F10 once to rectify).
3rd Squad hadn't even finished their post-victory beer when the alert klaxon sounded for 4th squad to mount up. The Aliens apparently weren't done with Porto Alegre in Brazil. Some good-natured ribbing of a slightly inebriated third squad ensued as 4th squad mounted up.



Apparently, alien response times to requests for reinforcements are quite slow. 4th Squad goes in to clear out the second wave of aliens.

The Squad assembles with Spec Bromsy from 2nd squad taking the place of Wombat who is on 2 weeks R&R leave. Notably, XCOM command makes another push for rookie training.


The mission starts at the same electronics store. This time Trondheim decides a frontal assault will be the best route - never approach the same situation the same way twice.


A Seeker pod patrols into us - out of overwatch range they stealth. 4th Squad didn't bring any battle scanners (bad Supply Officer, BAD) so 4th's advance is slowed to a crawl as they constantly wait for Seeker ambushes.


Sensing that Trondheim is the leader, the Seekers focus their ambushes on him. Luckily he is well covered by the rest of the squad and the seeker pod goes down with no injuries. Here a rookie earns her wings by taking down a Seeker.


With the electronics store mostly cleared (1 seeker still lurks), Trondheim moves towards the alley. Just as they are about to exit the building a small alien pod of 1 sectoid, 1 seeker, and 1 thin man burst into the room - obviously drawn to the sound of gun fire beforehand.


The Seeker squad leader, sensing that this is his moment, tries to strike at one of the Legion - Bromsy is there to show him the error of his ways.


Trondheim downs the sole sectoid of the pod.


Bromsy, making his mark early, gives the thin man a bite-sized chunk of what to expect from 2nd platoon. The thin man does not complain. The thin man does not do anything really, because the thin man dissolves into a cloud of acid.


The battle carries on into the cafe as the rookie stumbles on another sectoid pod.


Trondheim takes down a sectoid again while Bromsy and the other rookie work the parking lot outside.


Bromsy lays down suppressing fire for the Legion rookie to claim the kill.


And just like that, OPERATION DARKER HYDRA 2 is complete. No one takes a scratch. The aliens didn't put up much of a fight and promotions are handed around. 4th squad gets its first official NCO in CPL "Wolverine" Trondheim.


So 4th squad gets it done once again - with 2 rookies in tow. XCOM Command is still concerned about our manpower shortage and is considering making one of the squads a certified training squad. We'll see who they choose, but 4th squad just made a strong case for itself.

Very nice 4th!

Well done squad, well done indeed. I am proud of you 4th. And yes, I agree with command that we need more recruits, so no comlaints about having one or two in tow on each mission.

I didn't get to murder any aliens this time? Sadface. Also NCO soon as long as I don't buy the farm...

 motyak wrote:
I didn't get to murder any aliens this time? Sadface. Also NCO soon as long as I don't buy the farm...

They were scared of you man.Once more laser rifles come on line you'll be given a laser gun and can get back in business.

Layin' down the law!

Good job, team.

OPERATION SEVERED SCEPTER: 2nd Platoon Goes Into Action: Mendoza, Argentina.

"Are you sure about this Commander? 2nd Platoon is barely formed and it's two most experienced are still in the hospital. LCPL Bromsy is still recovering from the trial run with 4th squad. Maybe if we sent 1st squ..."
"No. 2nd Platoon has to get it's start sometime. I will not relegate them to being de facto Legion Corps. They aren't replacements, they're a squad. Send them."
"Yes, Sir."
--Exchange between Bradford and The Commander
--9 May, 2015

With Kamikaze Canuck in sick bay along with Killionaire, 2nd Platoon's debut would be put in the hands of 3 of the Dakka Corp's newest members. LCPL Hordini, acting squad leader would take Bromsy and Flamingkillamajig along with 3 members of the Legion to Mendoza.
2nd Platoon would fight with a chip on its shoulder. They felt they had much to prove


Although the official mission logs would claim Mendoza was the site of the operation, it would actually take place at the Observatorio Astronomico El Leoncito outside San Juan well north of Mendoza.


2nd Platoon will infiltrate from the west. First objective will be to secure the high ground of the obervatory itself before moving on the adminstrative buildings.


Flamingkillamajig spooks a pod of Floaters immediately after setting down. Combat drops into hot LZs are some of the toughest operations. 2nd Platoon may be off to a rocky start.


"Sporadic plasma fire started zipping by before we'd even cleared the Skyranger's ramp. It's origin wasn't entirely clear as the dusk had set in and our eyes were adjusting to the dark. Bad time to be doing an operation (too dark for eyesight, too light for NVGs), but the alien waits for no man. Killamajig and Bromsy had been ordered forward to take the high ground, but we found a squad of Floaters sneaking up on our left flank. An immediate firefight broke out."
--LCPL Hordini recounts the opening moments of Operation Severed Scepter.

Legion 23 opens fire from 2nd platoon's cover position. Most of 2nd platoon would take cover behind the coolant tanks while Hordini and Killamajig shelter in the observatory. Smoke is deployed to supplement the meager cover./i]


"With the rest of the squad covering me, I charged the squad of floaters. My shotgun would be useless at range and we needed to cut down their numbers. The closest Floater was certainly the biggest threat. He had the mobility to flank anyone in my squad. A slid into cover behind the door, luckily Flaming Killamajig had already cleared the room. The floater landed just opposite the door behind a shipping container. Perfect."
--LCPL Hordini describes his first Floater kill.


One floater covers his team mate who jumps to the other side of the map and out of sight. Bromsy suppresses the remaining Floater for Killamajig and Co. to finish him off.


Flaming Killamajig inflicts a dreadful wound on the Floater. It would be up to the Legion to finish him off.


Things were going well. We seemed to have killed 2 floaters and the third one is MIA. OH GOD HE"S BEHIND ME!

Luckily Legion 5's lucky stars were out in force today as the Floater misses (I had started repositioning for a roof assault and TOTALLY forgot about this guy).

Legion 3 removes the Floaters cover for an easy kill.


The squad takes the roof of the observatory and now has a commanding view of the battlefield. They immediately spot a new pod of sectoids.
Mr. Sneaky Floater gets hot photons bored through his brain bucket.


"So Legion 20 accidentally alerts this Sectoid pod to our presence and we are all kinds of out of position to handle it. I order Bromsy and Legion to take the roof while Killamajig and I will hold the ground floor. Legion 3 and Legion 5 (engineer and sniper) will held our right flank after dealing with that fething Floater."
--Severed Scepter Debrief of LCPL Hordini
[i]Legion 20 tries to suppress the Sectoid pod she activated to no avail.


To make matters worse, a thin man and a seeker are drawn to the sounds of conflict and intervene. Legion 3 misses her chance to be the hero.


The sectoids try to silence my rocketeer - they miss thank god.


Legion 3 is suppressed by Sectoids.


Legion 20 redeems herself by removing the source of the suppression and earning a sectoid kill in the process.


"I had finished clearing the roof and knew that Legion 3 and 5 were both in danger of being flanked by that thin man so I dropped in and said hello."
--LCPL Hordini compares war stories with Killionaire at XCOM medical.


Fire pours into the remaining two sectoids as one of the two seekers is taken down by LCPL Bromsy.


The 2 sectoids, clearly on the defensive now, attempt a fighting withdrawl. Hordini orders the advance.



Bromsy claims another kill on one of the two remainging Sectoids.


This last sectoid will not die. He's already tanked an HE grenade - here he is doing his best Alamo impression.


Finally, someone (I believe it might be Killamajig but I could be wrong) takes him down. Only one (cloaked) seeker left.


LCPL Hordini, moments after shooting a seeker trying to strangle killamajig.


So there you have it. 2nd Platoon's inaugural performance goes off without a hitch. Through a little luck (espeically Legion 5) and a lot of skill. 2nd Platoon performs a flawless mission. Bromsy will spend 11 days on rest and relaxation leave as he's done two missions back to back. That's why he's listed as wounded in the post mission debrief.


Unfortunately, no one makes a promotion, but it does bring in enough cash to complete our series of lectures on tactical officers. XCOM command also manages to find enough weight saving on the Skyranger for a 7th operative to join missions.

"2nd Platoon is off to a strong start." Bradford was always in a good mood after a perfectly executed mission.
"Indeed. I am intrigued that the Commander chose 2 assault troops for that squad. A sign of things to come?"
"Maybe, I think the Commander plans for that squad to be his personal shock troopers. I hear he's already ordered another SHIV be assigned to them."
"That means they'll be getting some tough missions."
"That means the Commander has confidence in them."
--Bradford and Dr. Shen
--Dr. Shen's personal journal

Great performance by 2th, really impresssed by how they handled the mission, and the execution of it was flawless. Well done boys& girls

Good work 2nd platoon

2nd just needed a few tough missions to be able to take-on all comers: well done.
Keeping those redshirts alive is no joke, they are the future after we ALL meet in club-med(ical).

Side note: Installed long war, training wheels are off, whole new appreciation of this nasty mod. I hate "hero" aliens and the floater fly on top of you and plasma point-blank tactic (nasty!).

 Talizvar wrote:
2nd just needed a few tough missions to be able to take-on all comers: well done.
Keeping those redshirts alive is no joke, they are the future after we ALL meet in club-med(ical).

Side note: Installed long war, training wheels are off, whole new appreciation of this nasty mod. I hate "hero" aliens and the floater fly on top of you and plasma point-blank tactic (nasty!).

Yeah, it's rough. I've started and abandoned so many play throughs after I get a partial or complete squad wipe. Wait until June/July. Gak be crazy.