This was a battle that we thought we could finish in an hour or two. It continued LLLOOOONNNNGGGGGG after we thought it would. So many twists and turns. Let's get into it.
We left off here:
A Marik force of a Penetrator, Thunderbolt, and Wolverine had launched an attack from the east to clear a spaceport of its Lyran defenders, three Archer 5Rs, who came in from the west. However, unexpectedly, three merc 'Mechs consisting of a Hercules, Shadow Hawk, and Warhammer came in from the north.
The FWL lance was in bad shap with an unconscious Penetrator pilot, the Wolverine with both large lasers destroyed, and the T-Bolt blown off its feet. One Archer was down with an ammo explosion. The mercs were relatively untouched and their victory seemed all but assured. It was not to be.
The mercs continue pounding the T-Bolt and the Marik Wolverine goes toe to toe with the wounded Archer. The Archers split their fire and pound the Penetrator with missiles but send their lasers into other 'Mechs.
The Wolverine misses a kick to the Archer and falls on its back. The Penetrator has miraculously weathered the storm and its piolt wakes up.
The Marik lance now makes its break for freedom. Together they run from the advancing mercs and charge the retreating Archers:
The FWL 'Mechs concentrate fire on a relatively undamaged Archer and cause two ammo explosions which knock out the pilot and he is wounded again as his Archer topples to the ground. One scratch away from death, he would sleep the rest of the battle.
The T-Bolt and Penetrator then move south into the woods surrounding an already crippled Archer while their lancemate heads north. The last fully functioning Archer continues its withdrawal. The mercs close with the Marik forces and pour fire into the T-Bolt.
The T-Bolt can no longer withstand such fire and is destroyed.
Now with only the Penetrator and the Wolverine, the Marik forces consider bugging out. The southernmost Archer continues its run for freedom. At this point the mercs really seem to have momentum.
The Archers and Penetrator concentrate fire on the the merc Herc. The merc Warhammer and Shadow Hawk come to its aid. The FWL Wolverine continues its own withdrawal with no hope of victory.
Missiles and lasers gut one torso of the merc Herc while, because of its IS XL engine, suddenly topples to the ground. The mercs are now down a 'Mech as well.
With all players now down to two functioning 'Mechs, the Marik Wolverine comes back, smelling blood and hope. The Penetrator joins it west of the spaceport, boxing in the merc Warhammer and Shadow Hawk. The crippled Lyran Archer continues backpeddling but firing the whole time and covered by its lancemate hiding in the woods to the north.
Suddenly, the defining moment of the game.
The two merc 'Mechs are chasing the Lyran Archers from the battlefield as the two Marik 'Mechs stay west of the spaceport when
IT happens:
The Penetrator lands an ER large laser head hit on the almost undamaged merc Warhammer which is followed seconds later by missilies from an Archer into the head of the Warhammer. Boom! The headless merc Warhammer topples to the ground.
The merc Shadow Hawk is suddenly alone.
The Marik duo now makes its move. One Lyran Archer is still sleeping, one crippled, one functioning. There is one merc 'Mech. The FWL pair move in. The Wolverine helps the merc Shadow Hawk cut off the Archers' retreat while the Penetrator advances. In the woods the Archers try to break out and at one point all four 'Mechs are kicking at one time in a desperate absolutely no holds barred brawl.
The crippled Archer is brought down but so is the last merc 'Mech the Shadow Hawk, wiping out the merc menace once and for all. The almost undamaged remaining Lyran Archer is up against two very damaged Marik 'Mechs.
Winning initiative keeps the Archer from retreating. The two Marik 'Mechs stay in the woods. The Archer backpeddles and fires at them. They fire back. A SRM from the Wolverine hits the Archer's head causing a single pilot wound.
The Archer wins initiative again but this time the Marik duo surround the Archer anyway. The Archer walks behind the Wolverine. The Penetrator strips some armour from the Archer's torso as the Archer fires a large ER laser back at the Penetrator. The Archer then kicks the Wolverine, but the Wolverine backhands the Archer in same torso hit earlier causing a critical hit which leads to a double ammo explosion, knocking the pilot unconscious, which topples the Archer and causing a sixth pilot wound (one from the earlier SRM, four from two ammo explosions, one from fall), killing the pilot.
The two Marik 'Mechs are now alone on the battlefield, except for the unconscious Archer still east of the spaceport.
The problem is that both Marik 'Mechs have, in the final tangle with the dead Archer pilot, sustained damage considered critical due to internal damage in both torsos or all three limbs. As we had agreed earlier to use forced withdrawal rules,
they both must now retreat! We agreed that the Penetrator with its remaining ER large laser could have finished off the sleeping Archer as it withdrew.
Final result:
Pyrrhic victory for House Marik, played by Lord Cameron:
The FWL lance could not hold the spaceport but both enemy forces were completely annihilated and Lord Cameron rescued victory, however small, from the jaws of almost certain defeat. It was a brilliant well-played victory. At one pouint, he was actually retreating!
The mercs, on the other hand, managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. At one point, both the Lyrans and FWL lances were retreating from them and they were in the best shape. In frozenwastes' defence, his merc 'Mechs suffered three rounds of incredibly bad firing in which their shots did almost absolutely nothing! As well, the two head shots to the Warhammer in one round was just plain bad luck. It was a bit of poetic justice for those who hunt the wounded down because the ruthless mercs were annihilated as they pursued retreating, sometimes crippled enemies.
The Lyran Archers suffered so badly from ammo explosions it was ridiculous. All three Archers were killed by crits to ammo bins. The automatic two wounds suffered with each ammo explosion knocked out one pilot and led to the death of another. Seriously, even with CASE, the Archer is a firecracker waiting to explode. Every Archer pilot must feel like she or he is riding a crate of dynamite into battle.
Anyhoo, a very interesting battle. Kudos to Lord Cameron on a skillful win. Sorry to frozenwastes for the turn of events. Such a reversal was unforseen.
Bren, from the
cbt boards, came to watch the battle. He plays Jade Falcon and hopefully our next batrep will have a Clan force included in it.
