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THE PRUSSIAN EMPIRE EXPANDS INTO THE SOUTH PACIFIC
BY: Victor Cogswell, Associated Steam Press
SOLOMON ISLANDS (ASP) – The Prussian Empire has announced that its forces have liberated the Solomon Islands from the “tyranny” of Britannian rule. These islands, situated northeast of Australia in the South Pacific had been under Britannian control for decades. The Britannian Prime Minister decried the Prussian occupation as a “blatant land grab,” further stating that “such naked aggression will not be tolerated.” However, given the level of engagement of Britannian forces in Europe, a rapid military response seems unlikely.
The other major world powers have yet to comment on Prussia’s announcement, although a response from at least the Federated States of America seems likely given America’s heightened interest in the Pacific.

Hey guys! Starting tonight I’m going to be running a 4-game narrative mini-campaign. I will be serving as the Prussian defenders/Game Master, while one or more attacking players compete for common objectives. Stay tuned for a battle report on the first game!

WAR COMES TO THE SOLOMONS

BY: Victor Cogswell, Associated Steam Press

SHORTLAND ISLAND, SOLOMON ISLANDS (ASP) - The tropical peace of Shortland Island has been shattered by the cacophony of battle, which has left behind the ruins of a once mighty Prussian fortress and the burned out wrecks of numerous war engines. This destruction is the result of landings made on the island by both the American and Covenant militaries.

The skies and seas surrounding the island were not spared from the conflict, as Prussian defenders joined the attackers in a swirling melee of death. The ultimate results of this action appear to have been inconclusive; the FS Navy is claiming that it took a terrible toll on Covenant air and naval, but from the wreckage left on Shortland it appears that the Covenant was successful in achieving its aims on the island.

Ultimately, it appears that none of the parties involved was dealt a knockout blow in this battle, and as a result this will likely be nothing more than the opening salvo of far larger campaign.

So, the first game has been played! The scenario was set up as follows:

Forces:
-The attackers will select fleets of 600 points using the standard list construction rules. In addition, the attackers will have 3 transports carrying a total of 6 small tank tokens and 2 medium tanks.

-The defender will be afforded a 300 point fleet that is limited to Small-class ships only, and includes a command bunker. In addition, the defender will be allowed to have 2 squadrons of Tiny Flyers, each of which will be limited to 3 wings.

-Game Length: 7 turns or until we run out of time, whichever comes first.

Mission Special Rules

-On Patrol: Defending forces will all start off the table at the beginning of the game. These forces represent the light patrols in the area, and are too far away to arrive on Turn 1. Starting on Turn 2, the defending player rolls a die for each squadron. On a 4+, that squadron will arrive from a randomized table edge (1 or 2 is the left edge, 3 or 4 is the right edge, 5 or 6 the defender chooses). On Turn 3 forces come in on a 3+, on Turn 4 on a 2+, and on Turn 5 any remaining reserves automatically come in.

-Land-based Air: This battle is being fought within range of several of the defender’s air bases. Any defending tiny flyer squadrons that fly off the defending player’s table edge or are completely destroyed may return the next turn at full strength and fuel. The type of tiny flyers in that squadron (ie, Dive Bomber, Torpedo Bomber, or Fighter) can be changed at that time.

Objectives:

-Primary Objective (10 Battlepoints): Destroy or capture Fort Fredrick. If two attackers meet this objective (one destroys the fort and the other captures it), both are awarded half points.
--Maps Found!: If one of the attackers holds Fort Fredrick as a Prize at the end of the game, they will receive vital intelligence for the next game on enemy fortifications.

-Secondary Objective (6 Battlepoints): Destroy or capture the defender’s communication station on nearby Ballalae Island. If two attackers meet this objective (one destroys the station and the other captures it), both are awarded half points.
--Comms Intercept!: If an attacker holds the comms station as a prize at the end of the game, they will receive intelligence on the defender’s fleet composition before the next game.

-Tertiary Objective (4 Battlepoints): Sink the enemy. The attacker with the highest Victory Point total at the end of the game will receive 4 points.

Here is how the table was set up (note, we are playing on a 5'x5' table, as that is what the store uses instead of 4'x6'):



This was the command bunker on Shortland Island:



And this was the Comms tower on Ballalae:



The Covenant landing forces made straight for Shortland island, landing their tanks under the cover of a naval bombardment:





The FS Navy, in the mean time, was making quick work of the Covenant air and sea forces. The Covenant carrier was caught by a full rocket volley from the Valley-class airship, resulting in the ship suffering a fatal critical hit!



However, the Covenant forces qucking reduced the Prussian fortress and occupied the rubble:



Prussian air power from near-by land bases arrived, but it proved to be too little, too late:



Having consolidated their hold on the island, Covenant ground forces then proceeded to move towards the opposite shore to meet the impending American landing:



At the game's end, the Covenant forces still held the Prussian fortress, gaining vital intelligence about Prussian defenses further down the island chain. The Antarcticans had also destroyed the comms center, although they were not able to search the facility for intelligence on Prussian fleet strength. However, the FS Navy made the Covenant forces pay dearly for their victory, destroying a carrier, two cruisers, and two medium air ships. Overall, the score was FSA 4, CoA 16.

CONFLICT IN THE SOLOMONS INTENSIFIES

BY: Victor Cogswell, Associated Steam Press

NEW GEORGIA ISLAND, SOLOMON ISLANDS (ASP) - In a daring strike, Covenant and American forces have advanced south on Prussian airfields located on New Georgia and San Isabel islands. Signs of battle are still evident on New Georgia, but the island has become a bee-hive of activity just the same as FSA forces are working around the clock to return the airfield to service here. It is clear that the Americans intend to use this island as a springboard for further operations in the Solomons.

As for the Covenant, no comment or reply has been received from either their forces or government concerning the events that transpired here. This reporter was not permitted to examine San Isabel island, but an off-shore survey revealed shattered fortifications, ruined support buildings, and very little human activity. It seems that while the use of this airfield has been denied to the Prussians, neither will it aid the further efforts of the Covenant.

What is clear is that the conflict here is steadily escalating. Sources in the American fleet, who wish to remain anonymous, report that heavy reinforcements are enroute to the area. Meanwhile, the Prussian defense ministry has promised to defend the Solomons to the "last shell and last drop of blood." It only seems reasonable that the Covenant will respond in kind.

The second game of our mini-campaign is on the books! Here was the setup:

Forces:
-The attackers will select fleets of 800 points using the standard list construction rules. In addition, the attackers will have 3 transports carrying a total of 6 small tank tokens and 2 medium tanks.

-The defender will be afforded a 400 point fleet that is limited to Small and Medium-class ships only, and includes two landing fields and two squadrons of small tank tokens.

Game Length: 7 turns or until we run out of time, whichever comes first.

Mission Special Rules
World of Minecraft: The Prussians have seeded many of the narrow passages between the islands in this area with mines. However, many of these mines are actually decoys, allowing the Prussians themselves to navigate these waters with impunity. When an attacking unit activates a mine, flip the token over. If there is a “5” on the back, the mine is live and explodes (resolve the effects of a Str 5 mine)! However, if there is a D on the back, than this mine has been revealed as a decoy and is removed.

Alerted Defense: Prussian land and naval forces are now aware of the presence of attackers. Their forces start on the table in their respective deployment area.

Objectives:
-Primary Objective (10 Battlepoints): Clip their wings! Destroy or capture the two enemy airfields in the area. Each airfield is worth 5 points to the player who FIRST destroys or captures it.
--Forward Air Support: If a player holds an airfield as a prize at the end of the game, they will gain an air base that their forces can use for the rest of the campaign. This will translate into one free tiny flyer squadron of 4 wings per airfield in later games.

Secondary Objective (6 Battlepoints): War of attrition! The player with the highest VP total at the end of the game earns 6 points. These VP can be earned from both the other attacker and the defender.

Tertiary Objective (4 Battlepoints): Destroy or capture the defender’s nearby communication station. If two attackers meet this objective (one destroys the station and the other captures it), both are awarded half points.
--Comms Intercept!: If an attacker holds the comms station as a prize at the end of the game, they will receive intelligence on the defender’s fleet composition before the next game.

Here is how the table was set up and the forces deployed. Note all the mines!

FSA Deployment


CoA Deployment:


Prussian Deployment:


The battle opened with FSA and CoA forces clashing in the middle of the board:



However, it wasn't long before the Prussians joined the fray:



The FSA forces were able to apply steady pressure to the airfield on their side of the board:



The Prussian defenders, in the mean time, were playing havoc with both the CoA and American attackers. Here, a squadron of Frigates lines up for a close-range attack on the American flagship:



After dealing with the Americans, the frigates went on to capture the CoA airship:



In the end, the Prussian efforts were for not. The Americans,after softening up the airfield on New Georgia with naval and tank gunfire, captured the facility with a daring airborne raid from two bombers:



The Covenant, in the mean time, had managed to destroy the airfield on San Isabel. However, the determined Prussian defense of the island prevented their forces from gaining a permanent foothold.



Overall, the FSA managed to occupy one airfield, and destroy the comms center for 7 points. The Covenant managed to destroy the airfield on their side of the table, steal the remains of the Comms center from the Americans, and also take the points for most VP (thanks largely to the taking of the American flagship as a prize), for a total of 13 points.

I must say that I'm looking forward to the next report. I have a hankering to get Dystopian wars, and maybe some CoA & PE forces, but I don't have the money or space. That, and Spartan Games appears to have a shortage of rulebooks at the moment.

WHHYYY??!!!

Glad younare enjoying the reports! As for the book shortage, there is a revised rulebook in the works, so it may have something to do with that.

Ah, it seems so simple now.......

In the end, I am beginning to convert that crapload of Robogear vehicles that I got like five years ago into my own kind of Dystopian wars thing, along with all those home-made battleships that dad pulled out of the rubbish hopper at work....

How does the Chinese Imperium, British Commonwealth, the Democratic Republic of East Prussia and the Egyptian Theocracy sound? P&M blog in the not too distant future methinks!

Hee hee, sounds awesome! Looking forward to it.

EPIC NAVAL BATTLE FOUGHT IN WATERS NEAR SOLOMONS

BY: Victor Cogswell, Associated Steam Press

SAVO, SOLOMON ISLANDS (ASP) - Savo Island is not a very remarkable place, just a small dot of land, one of many that make up the Solomon Islands. And yet, the unremarkable place has just witness a remarkable event; a titanic clash between the mighty war fleets of three great nations. Just yesterday, the remaining Prussian naval forces in the area engaged powerful American and Covenant task forces in the narrow passages around this island. Counted among the ships present were no less than three dreadnoughts, 2 battleships, and countless smaller supporting vessels.

The resulting melee appears to have been extremely deadly; so many ships were sunk on all three sides that American sailors have taken to calling the waters around Savo Island "Iron Bottom Sound." The Federated States Navy appears to have been the clear victor of the fight; a majority of the American ships survived, and they claimed a Covenant battleship in the process. Clearly, the Prussian fleet in the area is broken; all but one of its ships, the great dreadnought Fredrich Der Grosse, was destroyed. With the defending naval forces swept away, the stage is now set for the final Covenant and American assault on the main Prussian installations in the Solomons, located on a nearby island called Guadalcanal.

After a two week break, we have finished Game 3! Here were the details on the mission:

Forces:

-The attackers will select fleets of 1000 points. Tiny flyers are limited to those that are flying from carriers, or have been earned by occupying an airfield during Mission 2.

-The defender will be afforded a 700 point fleet using the same restrictions as the attackers.
Game Length: 7 turns or until we run out of time, whichever comes first.

Mission Special Rules
High Command: The Prussian admiral is personally commanding the defending fleet, granting the defenders access to STAR cards as normal.
This is the Navy’s Fight!: No land units may be selected by any of the players.

Objectives:

-Primary Objective (10 Battlepoints Max): Iron Bottom Sound! You must eliminate the enemy's fleet in order to clear the way for our amphibious operations. A single BP will be awarded for each 100 VP an attacking player manages to earn through sinking or capturing enemy vessels. Each player can earn a maximum of 10 BP in this manner.
--Tenacious Defense: Any defending forces that are not sunk, captured, or shot down during this battle will live to fight another day; they will arrive from reserve during the next battle.

-Secondary Objective (6 Battlepoints): Capture the Commodore. If one of the attackers holds the defender's flagship as a prize at the end of the game, they will have captured the enemy commander and earn 6 BP. If the defender's flagship is captured, but then sunk before the end of the game, no points will be awarded. The commander of the enemy fleet is a senior enough officer that he would know the disposition of all remaining defending forces in the area. If we can capture him, an interrogation would reveal vital intelligence for our final assault.
--Valuable POW: The player completing this objective will receive a list of the defending forces prior to the next battle.

-Tertiary Objective (4 Battlepoints): Tasking from ONI. The defenders are deploying some of their newest warship designs in this battle, and the Office of Naval Intelligence has tasked you with gathering information on these vessels in order to improve our understanding of the enemy's capabilities. To earn these points, one of your models has to get close enough to take photos of the defender's flagship and escape the field of battle with them. Any model within RB 1 of the flagship can take these photos instead of shooting; place a marker next to the model to show that it is carrying the intel. This model then has to either make it back to your deployment area or move off the table through your deployment area by the end of the game. If the model carrying the pictures is sunk or shot down, the photos go down with it and another set will need to be taken! Both players can earn these points.
--Note: If the model carrying the intel is in a squadron, the whole squadron does not have to be in the zone to count for points; just the model actually carrying the photos.


Forces:
-The attackers will select fleets of 800 points using the standard list construction rules. In addition, the attackers will have 3 transports carrying a total of 6 small tank tokens and 2 medium tanks.

-The defender will be afforded a 400 point fleet that is limited to Small and Medium-class ships only, and includes two landing fields and two squadrons of small tank tokens.

Game Length: 7 turns or until we run out of time, whichever comes first.

Mission Special Rules
World of Minecraft: The Prussians have seeded many of the narrow passages between the islands in this area with mines. However, many of these mines are actually decoys, allowing the Prussians themselves to navigate these waters with impunity. When an attacking unit activates a mine, flip the token over. If there is a “5” on the back, the mine is live and explodes (resolve the effects of a Str 5 mine)! However, if there is a D on the back, than this mine has been revealed as a decoy and is removed.

Alerted Defense: Prussian land and naval forces are now aware of the presence of attackers. Their forces start on the table in their respective deployment area.

Here is how the table was set up and the forces deployed:







The bulk of the Covenant forces headed straight for the Prussian fleet:



Meanwhile, the Americans attempted to flank the Covenant by swinging around the island;



The Covenant frigates made a mass attack on the Prussian dreadnought, and succeeded in causing some damage:


Meanwhile, the rest of the Prussian fleet engaged the American battleship. Although the battleship was damaged, the PE gunships were ultamately lost:



At the end of the game, all Prussian ships except for the Dreadnought had been destroyed. The Americans succeeded in sinking the Covenant Battleship, and also succeeded in completing the Tertiary Objective. The score for this game was Covenant 2, FSA 8. While this goes a little way towards closing the gap, the Covenant still has a commanding lead; the overall score for the campaign heading into the final game now stands at CoA 31, FSA 19. This game introduced a few tweaks to the points system; no longer are we going with an all or nothing setup for the primary objective. This allows for both players to get more points overall, and it may have helped prevent the lopsided result we are at now.

Game 4 will be played tomorrow, so stay tuned!

This is looking very very good now

I look forward to a large alliance battle at the end of this!
Hint hint...

MASSIVE LAND BATTLE RAGES IN SOLOMON ISLANDS

BY: Victor Cogswell, Associated Steam Press

GUADALCANAL, SOLOMON ISLANDS (ASP) - Guadalcanal, one of the largest islands in the Solomons, was the scene of one of the greatest land battles ever fought in the South Pacific. This battle was the culmination of American and Covenant efforts to turn back the Prussian expansion into the South Pacific; their forces landed on the island in seperate locations and converged on the Prussian facilities located in the middle of the island. These extensive facilities appear to have been built for the sole purpose of creating some kind of super weapon.

It appears that the Covenant forces were able to secure the weapon and prevent the American forces from learning its secrets; I was permitted to tour the launch gantry that once housed it after the Covenant departed, but there was nothing left but an empty shell of a building. While the Antarticans have already departed the field of battle, the Americans seem to be intent on holding on to the islands indefinitely. FSA forces have occupied the nearby research, manufacturing, and residential areas, and it seems that they intend on repairing and event expanding them. The Kingndom of Britannia is reportedly already under negotiations with the Americans to regain control of these islands, but where those negotiations will go is difficult ot say.

Well, it took me a few days, but I finally have the last game to present!


Forces:

The attackers will select land battle groups worth of 1200 points, using the Tournament rules for list construction. Tiny flyers are limited to those that are flying from carriers, or have been earned by occupying an airfield during Mission 2.

The defender will be afforded a 1000 land battle group, using the Tournament rules for list construction. This does not include the Secret Weapon.
Game Length: 7 turns or until we run out of time, whichever comes first.

Mission Special Rules

T-minus 5 minutes…And Counting: The Prussian secret weapon was nearly ready for its operational tests when hostile forces landed on the island. However, a true combat test will work just as well! Technicians are rushing through the final system checks and launch procedures, hoping to deploy their secret weapon before the attackers reach the development facility. The Secret Weapon starts the game cocooned in a launch gantry. At the start of Turn 2, the defending player rolls a D6 to see if the weapon has completed its launch protocols. On a roll of a 6, the Secret Weapon is deployed from its launch gantry and can move and shoot that turn! If the weapon does not launch, the defending player can try again at the start of each subsequent turn, adding +1 to the roll for each turn past Turn 2 (so, on Turn 3, a 5+ is needed, on turn 4 a 4+ is needed, and so on). If the Launch Gantry is captured before the weapon can launch, the countdown is aborted.

Objectives:

Primary Objective (10 Battlepoints): Secret Weapon. This is the whole reason we embarked on this campaign! You must eliminate the enemy's new weapon by either destroying it after it has launched or by capturing its launch gantry before it launches. Only one player can earn these points.

Secondary Objective (8 Battlepoints Max): Armored Clash. You must eliminate all enemy land and air forces to solidify our hold on this island. A single BP will be awarded for each 50 VP an attacking player manages to earn through destroying or capturing enemy units. Each player can earn a maximum of 8 BP in this manner.

Tertiary Objectives (4 Battlepoints Each): Land Grab. There are several valuable Prussian installations on this island that we need to seize in order to solidify our control of the area. These installations are: the Village, the Factory, and the Research Facility. Control of these facilities is determined at the end of the game, by checking to see which player has the most points within 4” of the boundaries of each installation. If there is a tie, neither player gets the points.

I had originally intended to make this game a massive D-Day style amphibious assault scenario, but given the time constraints we were working under, I decided to go with a scaled-back version that had the amphibious landings taking place "off screen," as it were. Thus. all the land and air units would deploy directly on the board. Here is the setup:



The large white "dog house" in the middle of the board is the launch gantry for the secret weapon. The three different facilities are represented by squares of sheet sytrene with the Spartan buildings laid out on them. We were playing that non-amphibious models could only cross the river on the roads, and that the roads conferred an extra 2" of movement (but the model had to start and end its movement on the road to get the bonus).



The game opened with the FSA and PE air ships dueling for control of the skies:



The CoA bombards focused on the PE landship, hoping to take it out early:



After taking fire from a majority of the CoA force, the PE landship goes up in a ball of flames before I could even activate it once!



On turn 2, the Americans managed to take the launch gantry and stop the countdown. However, the CoA Warmaster wasn't going to take that lying down, and sent most of his army to dislodge the Americans!



The PE forces were in tough shape by this point, with much of their air support gone. The Sky Fortress held out, but a full salvo from the CoA land ship knocked it out of the sky. Oh, the humanity!



As the game moved towards its climax, the CoA built up a huge number of AP on the launch gantry, ensuring that they would hold that objective till the end. However, this allowed the FSA to take all 3 of the tertiary objectives:



Given that both sides maxed out the points from destroying units, the final score for the game was FSA 20, CoA 18! This brought the overall score for the campaign to FSA 39, CoA 49. This means an overall strategic win for the CoA; they prevented the secret weapon from entering service, and foiled the PE's attempt to gain a foothold in the Pacific theater. However, the Americans were able to occupy enough of the islands to gain a valuable forward operating base in the area!

Overall, this campaign was a lot of fun to run, and hopefully the players enjoyed it as much as I did. This was the first campaign of this type that I've actually run, and I learned a lot! I've already got ideas ticking away in my head for the next one .

That was really cool! I want another! And I want it to be bigger!!!

So COOL!!

Its really well done, and I like the mixing of the land naval and air combat all together. good job!

Im looking forward to reading more.

Thanks for the kind words, guys! it might be a while before I can get another campaign off the ground; the next few weeks are going to be busy for all 3 of us. I'll keep posting batreps as time allows, though .