Opening deployment: Just before dawn the US forces deploy around the Koshindan camp. Top left & centre: Atlantean scouts & US Marines. Centre-left: US Marines with leviathan gun. Lower Right: US Navy & Marine landing gun. Off table (left): Impervious suit. Off table (riight): aeronef.
Marine Private 'Short Fuse' Coburn rushes up to the prison wall to set his bomb.
Having got lost in the dark, Chief McQueen's sailors found themselves arriving closer than expected to the camp, allowing them to rush the nearest guard unobserved, then swiftly kill the occupants of the nearest tent in the following turn.
To their horror, as the alarm is raised inside the camp, the native scouts find themselves deployed next to the Koshindan automatons.
Awoken by gunfire, the mercenary crew of the steam car stumble from their tent, only to meet an incoming shell from the US landing gun.
While the sailors move on to kill the guards emerging from the next tent.
Across the camp, the activated automatons charged the natives. Despite the arrival of the US Iron Man suit, by the time the impervious suit had despatched two automatons and the other three had failed their SUSTAIN rolls, only four scouts survived the onslaught. Fortunately, 2nd Lieutenant Abner Ravenwood (attached to the scouts as liaison officer) walked away unscathed.
Then disaster struck. Before he could light the fuse on the charge attached to the prison wall, Private Coburn was cut down in the heavy crossfire between the marines and the Koshindan guards.
An improvement in US fortune was heralded by the arrival of the aeronef USAB Rio Grande, which proceeded to bombard the Koshindan armour in subsequent turns. Although its long range fire failed to damage any of the vehicles, its machinegun killed some of the mercenary riflemen in the armoured wagon.
The surviving marines from Coburn's detachment detoated the charge against the prison wall.
Allowing the captives to climb out to freedom as the dust settled.
The Koshindan walker brought its machinegun to bear on the nearest marines, but Private DeNiro's leviathan gun penetrated its hull, damaging the machinegun and thus removing a major threat.
As the marines escorted the freed captives out of camp they came under fire, causing the loss of two marines and a captive.
But the remaining captives were escorted to the safety of the woods, where they could make their way to a clearing and evacuation by aeronef. As they disappeared int the woods, Allan Quartermain turned and doffed his hat to his former captives.
Overall, a thoroughly enjoyable Sunday afternoon, made all the better by the undisputed victory for the Americans. Thanks to Dr De'Ath for providing the opposition. Somehow I don't think this is the last we will have heard of the Koshindans