Star Wars Ground Assault - The Raid on Imperial Research Base X-309-188

[skirmisher]

  
A Long Time Ago...

Well just at Christmas actually, I saw Rogue One and decided I had to stage a Star Wars ground battle. So I dug up my AMT Battle of Hoth sets, painted and combined with my X-Wing miniatures. I also acquired two SW Titanium transporters that fit perfectly with the Rebel & Imperial hover tanks/carriers envisaged by the 1990s West End Games soucre material for Star Wars. The rules were developed on the fly but were simple, fast-moving and combined X-wing attack/defence dice with the 2D6 fail/pass v Rep system of Two Hour Wargames.

I was now set for the Raid on Imperial Research Base X-309-188...

STAR WARS
Outer Rim Territories

The EMPIRE wields
many weapons in its tyranny
over the Galaxy: while the free-world of
Thyfere struggles with a mysterious and malignant epidemic,
the Emperors envoys offer assistance but only at the price of the planet's subservience.

Meanwhile a Rebel taskforce
hurtles through hyperspace on  a desperate mission,
its target: a secret Imperial biological warfare facility.  Only a Rebel victory
will bring hope to the planet Thyfere and the victims of the sinister Imperial plot...

[skirmisher]

Rebel Forces

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Imperial Forces

[skirmisher]

Background
The planet Thyfere has till now resisted political attempts by the Empire to establish a controlling presence on their world, valued for its rare mineral resources of value to the Imperial war machine and corporate interests.

However, the planet has been targeted with an outbreak of a deadly and previously unknown biological disease. While decrying any involvement, the Emperor's diplomats have been quick to promise the full assistance of Imperial science in curing the disease. The implied threat is clear to the Thyfereans: submit or watch your world die.

In desperation the Thyfereans have made contact with the Rebel Alliance for help, reluctant as they have been up to now to take sides in the Galactic Civil War. Could the source and cure for the Empire’s biological weapon be found?

Some brilliant and fortuitous analysis work by an Alliance sector HQ intelligence officer turned up a report from a local Rebel data-theft operation several months earlier on an Imperial Army repair facility. They revealed a service report on an AT-AT which needed decontamination and repairs to its environmental hazard containment system. Delving into the maintenance report revealed its crew had been killed while transporting highly aggressive biological agents for on-site testing. The AT-AT's posting was traced to Rajonay, an undeveloped world in the Outer Rim Territories. Alliance Sector Command ordered a Pathfinder recon which showed an area with signs of sickly deforestation, in which lay a Imperial research installation with a garrison of ground-armour, artillery, fighters and elite Stormtroopers that far exceeded the need for defence from local wildlife or primitive tribes. Given the evidence and what was at stake, Alliance High Command authorised a strike on the Imperial base.

Objectives
Capture the Imperial research facility, scientific personnel, data-files and samples of the biological weapon and any available cure. This operation provides an opportunity to
•   deprive the Empire material valuable to its military economy (by destroying the facility and delaying Thyfere yielding to its demands).
•   to expose the Empires cruelty and unjust dealings to the Senate
•   to win Thyferean support for the Rebellion
•   and to save the lives of millions of sentient beings.

Resources
Given its vital importance, valuable sector resources have been devoted to the raid, up to the limits of preserving operational security and tactical stealth.
1 x Reinforced company of SpecForce soldiers (54th Regiment)
3 x Y-wing bombers
2 x X-wing fighters
9 x Airspeeders
2 x Repulsorlift attack-carriers
+ special operatives (intel, sabotage, science, data-retrieval)
+ Fleet transports and escort

We cannot afford to fail. May the Force be with you.

[skirmisher]

The battle was very enjoyable, with lots of drama, all played to John William's of Star Wars soundtrack.

The Rebel plan was to knock out the ground sensor/communications with an advance SpecForces sabotage platoon. This succeeded but at the cost of the whole platoon. Next X-wing/Y-wing space-fighters and transports would jump in from hyperspace.

While infantry, airspeeders and armour disembarked, the fighters would achieve air superiority and take out artillery emplacements. The latter worked, but air-superiority eluded the Rebels till near the very end as the TIE pilots proved very capable and dangerous.

Next the fast-moving airspeeders were to join the attack-fighters in destroying Imperial armour, paving the way for the Alliance infantry and armour to apporach. Again the AT-ATs proved incredibly tough and hard to defeat, so the Alliance commander was forced to commit his ground forces while the enemies armour were still a threat to the carriers.

The turning point in the battle was an X-wing blowing up the base's fuel-depo while an AT-AT was closeby: this triggered spectacular damage and brought down the metal beast. Next turn though Imperial infantry shot down 3 airspeeders, so it was still tense, Eventually though the Rebels gained the upperhand and the Stormtrooper garrison were overwhelmed, though fighting to the bitter end for their Emperor. The Alliance had paid a high price in precious lives and military resources but now the way was clear to access the base's vital biological & computer assets to find a cure and expose the Empire's plan on Thyfere.

[Elbows]

Gah, you gave me a heart attack for a second.  I thought you said X-309-187!  I have relatives stationed there.  Thank goodness it was 188...

[Elk101]

Very cool! I do like the idea of X-wing ships being used for stuff like this.

[skirmisher]

Gah, you gave me a heart attack for a second.  I thought you said X-309-187!  I have relatives stationed there.  Thank goodness it was 188...

Ha ha  Transmitting that location to Rebel strike-command now...

[The_Beast]

Well done, Elbows! He fell for it COMPLETELY!!!

What? What open channel?

Thanks for an entertaining AAR; I shall be re-read at length again tomorrow.

Doug