Loot and Scoot. A 5150 Star Army Bat Rep.

[Dentatus]

* The following is a simple mission designed to get a handle on the core game mechanics.

Loot and Scoot: Item Recovery Mission.

“You’re telling me I gave you one simple job and you couldn’t even do that?” Loric Lenz stared at his henchman, Boris.

“There was a patrol!” Boris stammered. “Five of ‘em in full kit, and it was just me there all alone with nuthin but my pistols. What was I supposed to do?”

“Bring back the data stick like I told you ?” Loric suggested. “Where is it now?”

Boris brightened visibly. “I tucked it in a stack of old military crates. No one will ever find it there.”

“A stack. Of military crates. In the old base.” Loric said dryly.

“Yep” Boris beamed. “Hid it real good, boss.”

Loric pulled out an old GPS wrist set. “You do remember which stack of crates it was, right?”

Boris’ forehead knit in concentration. “It was kinda dark…”

Lenz reached down and snagged the grip on his Daewoo K12. “Think, Boris.”

Boris frowned, saw his boss tapping one finger alongside the trigger guard of the compact SMG. “There was a big blue fuel tank!” he blurted out. “With the number 21 on it.”

Loric Lenz, the biggest fence and underworld middleman on New Hope’s South Side stabbed his trigger finger on the intercom button. “Tell Phats and Krieg7B to meet us in the garage. We got places to go.” He glared at Boris. “You’re coming with me. Right now.”

***

Loric Lenz and several of his “Salvage” crew have to recover a hidden data stick in the middle of an abandoned military base, in the Corporate Control Zone west of New Hope City. Expected enemy forces are one squad of Corporate Security soldiers with standard corp-issue gear: M23 assault rifles and Shanghai Industries Combat Armor. (Rep 4 Sgt leading Corporal and three Rep 3 plankton-standard Grunts.)

Lenz is Rep 5. His crew are all Rep 4. Armed with assorted light weapons (SMGS, Pistols) All are wearing Kevlax vests (Soft Body Armor) Krieg7B is a brain-spliced Pit Fighter with pneumatic mace prosthetic and Adrenal/Endorphin boosters. (Vicious, Hard as Nails)

[Dentatus]

TURNS ONE AND TWO.

Deploying at opposite sides of the table, Loric and his crew win initiative and decide to sprint for their objective. They pass 2D6 on the Fast Move test and end up looking straight at the crates from the cover of a flow control station. With no gang trouble or inter-corp hostilities at present, the Corporate Security Services have no reason to suspect anyone would be stupid enough to trespass in their patrol zone. They move at their normal rate following their standard patrol route.

Turn Two sees the Lenzers retain Initiative and slink through the shadows into the bulk of the fuel tank, (“Look! It’s got a 21 on it!”)  staying out of the line of sight of the Patrol. Looks like this is gonna be an easy fix after all…

[Dentatus]

TURN THREE

CSS Patrol wins Initiative and moves to investigate strange noise near fuel tank 21. (“Must be rats, or something.”) With no reason for suspicion, they move at normal rate and the point troopers ends up just around the curve from Loric. A few feet apart but no line of sight. The all-important crate between them, Loric has to now decide if he’s gonna rush ‘em and hope the element of surprise carries the day or slunk away like a dog.

Deciding discretion is the better part of valor and that assault rifles aren’t your friends (unless you’re holding them) the Lenzer crew falls back to the cover of the jersey barriers and the flow station. Waiting, Hoping. Even muttering a prayer to the pickpocket deities.

[Dentatus]

TURN FOUR - in which things get ugly.

The Lenzer crew wins Initiative and opts to stay in the arms of concrete comfort, trusting in their ability to put lead in the air. They clutch their weapons tightly and wait for the CSS.  The corporate trainees oblige and stumble into the open, rifles slung down, as they peer around for vermin.

The Lenzer lads take an In Sight Test and loose a storm of shots. Unfortunately only they score only two Hits. (Nervous tension, I guess) Taken by surprise, the corporate standard issue Combat Armor holds up and the Sergeant is left Stunned while one of the troopers goes down Out of the Fight.

The remaining CSS noobs take a Received Fire test. Two of them Duck Back while the Corporal, wanting another stripe, Snaps Fire back at the armed vandals. In all the excitement, he puts three new holes in the concrete barriers. Not only is his aim off, but he forgot those same hoodlums are going to fire back.

Loric and the boys take a Received Fire test and score another solid Hit center of mass. Once again the Combat Armor proves it’s worth and the CSS Corporal gets Knocked Down. There in the dirt, he decides he doesn’t want the promotion that bad and Leaves the Battlefield. With the remaining two troopers huddling behind the girth of Tank 21, the firefight is over.

[Dentatus]

TURN FIVE - coup de grace

Feral grins on their faces, the Lenzers move to the left and open fire on one of the CSS troopers who isn’t cowering enough. Loric and Phats score solid Hits on his back plate. He goes down Stunned and even though the Sergent is stirring out of unconsciousness, his partner decides it’s time to beat feet and Leave the Battlefield.

Loric and the crew move in to clean up and retrieve the data stick. The Lenzers come out on top of this one.

Game over, baby.

***

Boris held up the bright red plastic wafer in his grubby fist. “Here it is, Loric. Just like I said. Under the big 21.”

Loric watched the two CSS kids run until they disappeared in a haze of smog and steam and gloom. When they vanished, he looked over at Boris. “Good job. Now all we have to do is get back to South Side before Fade and Simple figure out we’re rooting around and putting holes in their territory.”

Krieg7B was watching over the prone bodies of the stunned CSS troopers while Phats huffed and puffed, and went through their packs. “The Rifles are coded,” Loric called out. “So leave them be. Grab whatever else is shiny, then take point. We’ve still got to get back to the car.”

Phats fanned out several credit ships in front of a big gap-toothed smile. “Sure thing,  Boss. Me and K are on it. Ain’t we boy?” Krieg7B hopped up and down, barking out short grunts and growls. “He’s itching fer a fight, Boss. We’ll make the car in no time. Don’t you worry a bit.”

[Dentatus]

So… Lessons learned.

1. I find the latest iteration of 5150 (Star Army) reads and plays much easier. Maybe this time around I’m more determined or receptive to the reaction system, but this was fast and fun and easy. It’s easy to slot in any random eclectic sci fi fig from my collection.

2. Body Armor is great but no substitute for a better Rep. The Rep three CSS Noobs widdled their knickers almost straight off, and that put them in a tight spot for the rest of the game.

Again, this was a basic Move and Shoot game. There was no melee as Phats decided to shoot with his Magnum Pistol rather than unleash Krieg 7B. All in all, it was very smooth and no trouble to get over the mental hurdle of the RX System. I’ll be doing this again. Soon.

[Hat Guy]

Great looking game, makes me want to play more Necromunda.

So you'd recommend the system for skirmish games?

[Dentatus]

Absolutely. And from the looks of it, it can handle larger games no sweat.

[Marine0846]

Great looking terrain.
Sounds like the battle played out well.
An having a hard time figuring what rules I want to play.
Reading different ABR's helps.
Thanks for sharing.

[Wachaza]

Who makes one and three, counting from left?

Nice report. Lighting comes out quite atmospheric.

[Dentatus]

Boris - Dual pistols is a Reaper Chronoscope. Loric - SMG is a Black Hat Fig. Cobalt2 line, IIRC

Thanks

[Diakon]

Lovely mini's and terrain dude. Just about to read the batrep but thought i'd comment on the piccies first. Nice.

[Galland]

Very nice AAR, and the terrain and beituful miniatures made it all the better. We have been looking at those rules for a while, wondering what the whole reaction system is all about, and weather or not we want to dish out the money to find out. This absolutely made it more interesting.

[A_Train]

Great storytelling, excellent photography and terrific terrain and figures.  Thanks for posting this report, it was most enjoyable.

[Galland]

Ehum, I was hoping for some updates, and perhaps more beutiful pictures, hehe. Anyway, hence I will bump this, since the populace demands more! Well, that and perhaps some more thoughts / oppinions about the Chain Reaction System this is built on. I would love to hear more about it.