TnT - Raiders vs Preservers

[Dan55]

A friend of mine recently got me interested in a new genre and a new(ish) game - post apocalyptic, with the game This Is Not A Test.  I created several factions with some old figures I had lying around, and created a new one with some fabulous figures from Crooked Dice.  We recently played a game using two of my gangs.

The Outlaws (raiders) - this is a rebuilt gang from a long ago series of Necromunda campaigns we played for months and years at my old wargaming club.  I loved Necromunda but I didn't like the GW "house" gangs.  Uniformed, controlled & approved wasn't my idea of what a gang was supposed to be, so I used a large variety of figures from different manufacturers and made the Outlaws.  They were an outlaw gang of course.  When I recently needed to make a raider faction for TnT my first thoughts went to resurrecting the Outlaws.

Instead of using the official character sheets, I created cards to save space on the tabletop.  I print them out and then use spray adhesive to stick them onto cardboard cut from cereal boxes.  The numbers, skills and weapons are in pencil and can be erased or edited.  When activated, instead of using counters to keep track of the activated figures, I just place the appropriate cards face down on the table.  The below example is the leader of the Outlaws.



Spectrum (preservers) - I already had some of the Crooked Dice Time Lift Security figures and I really wanted to use them for something.  By making them into a Preservers faction I was able to fit them into the post apocalyptic background of This Is Not A Test.

Spectrum Background:  the Spectrum HQ, Cloudbase, was on location in the Swiss Alps when the world ended.  Shielded by the mountains it took very little physical damage at first, but the EMP was strong enough to knock the flying base out of the sky and the ship was badly damaged by the barely controlled crash.  Afterwards, the survivors voted to stay together.  They believed they could rebuild it with enough time and effort and they felt sticking together held the greatest chance of survival.  It took them a generation to rebuild it, and this new generation took it into the sky once again.  They immediately went in search of existing centers of civilization.  First to Berlin, where they found nothing left.  Then to Paris, then to London where they found the same.  Years had passed and instead of giving up, the decision was made to cross the Atlantic.  They arrived in the Washington area and detected a growing presence in the Tri-State area.  They sent out exploration teams, and began collecting supplies and searching for surviving technology.



Something I really like and think makes the game special is its use of cards during the after-game campaign phase.  The different random events possible makes the game much more immersive.  I liked this idea enough that I created a way of using cards before the game as well - replacing the Roll for Scenario phase.  You take three cards from the deck - an ace, two and three.  Your opponent does the same.  You decide which one of the following three missions your faction is attempting:  1. Scavenge   2. Patrol   3. Explore - and place that number card face down on the table.  Your opponent does the same.  You then reveal and cross reference your choices on the below chart and this tells you which scenario to play.  At this time the chart is only set up for the scenarios in the original book.

                          1 Scavenge           2 Patrol                 3 Explore

1 Scavenge          Snipe Hunt            Lowest Cost          Heaven
2 Patrol               Lowest Cost          Cold Vengeance     Caravan
3 Explore             Heaven                Caravan                Pest Control   
   
I'll end here since this has gone on longer than I intended.  Tomorrow I will post the actual after action report.

[Dan55]

Outlaws vs Spectrum

Using the above scenario chart, we both chose to scavenge, resulting in the scenario - Snipe Hunt.  The table was set up with 4 difficult areas where clues for relic locations might be hidden - inside the small barn, the center tombstone in the graveyard, the crates in the red truck, and the small group of barrels & crates to the right of the dirt filled yard.  We rolled for no wasteland encounters.

The area was obviously not abandoned, but no one was sighted - they must have seen the two factions approaching and decided to leg it out of there.  From the looks of the place, there must have been a drug lab hidden within the barn.

The Outlaws deployed first, to the left, on both sides of the road.  Their plan was for a general advance, searching the crates in the truck and trying to get into the barn and the graveyard.

Spectrum set up on the right.  Their elites deployed to the right of the road and their rank & file deployed to the left.  Their elites were going to search the crates by the road and try to enter the barn.  Their rank & file were only supposed to move to the graveyard and engage anyone found there.



Spectrum moved first, getting off to a slow start since they needed to use up one action point to check their weapons and make sure the rifle butts were firmly attached.  (Spectrum uses clubbed rifles as melee weapons and the rules require to player to use up an AP to acquire improvised weapons).  Capt Blue has almost reached the crates.



The Outlaws move forward.  Big Mack climbs into the truck but doesn't quite reach the crates.  Nobody has opened fire yet.



A couple raiders reach the graveyard and take cover behind the gravestones.  The Broiler prepares his home-made flame thrower.



A couple turns later, Big Mack has finished searching the crates, and the raiders have opened fire with their rifles.  Several hits, but no casualties yet.  The raider with the blonde mohawk starts to move around behind the barn.



Spectrum's elites - Capt Blue, Capt Rose, and Capt Scarlet fire and move, giving up on some of their assault rifle's firepower in order to advance on the barn.  Capt Blue has successfully searched the crates (behind him) by this point.



Spectrum's rank & file have arrived at the graveyard.  One Outlaw  is down (in the crops) but one Spectrum Seeker got too close to the raider with the flame thrower and has paid the price.  The raider with the shotgun has not yet managed to hit anyone.



The Capts are still advancing on the barn, but one of the Outlaws has gotten around behind them and opens fire.



Capt Scarlet goes down (you must have seen that coming), but then so does the raider.



And then Capt Scarlet is up again (mutant power: regeneration).  Another of the raiders makes a break for the barn, but concentrated assault rifle fire makes short work of him.



Capt Scarlet reaches and enters the barn.  Once searched this will give Spectrum the game.



At the graveyard the Outlaw with the shotgun has gone down.  Final score:  Spectrum 8, Outlaws 4.  You'll notice the cards on the table are printed in greyscale (b&w) instead of colour - much cheaper.



I hope you enjoyed this little AAR.

[Legionnaire]

Thank you very much for posting and sharing. I have had the TnT rules for a while now, but haven't had a chance to play a game yet. Nifty idea with the cross reference card chart to see what scenario you play. Seemed like a fun and enjoyable game  .