Jhokalups – Field Operation Action Report – 40

Jhokalups – Field Operation Action Report – 40
Jurisdictional Command of Tunguska vs USArianda Ranger Force
300/ITS 11 – Countermeasures

This week I had a rematch with SprocketGX from last week! Instead of playing with Caladonians, Sprocket decided to bring the Ariadna Ranger Force. I haven’t tried Countermeasures and wanted to try out the new mission. After selecting our table and lists we rolled our WIP.

Wip Roll
Jurisdictional Command of Tunguska – 4
USArianda Ranger Force – 12

Decision: Sprocketgx
Deployment: Jhokalups
Initiative: Sprocketgx
1st Turn: Sprocketgx
1st Deploy: Sprocketgx

USArianda Ranger Force List:

 Countermeasures
──────────────────────────────────────────────────
GROUP 1  10
 DOZER Rifle, D-Charges / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 13)
 ROSIE Light Rocket Launcher, Light Shotgun, D-Charges / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 22)
 UNKNOWN RANGER (Specialist Operative) Mk12 / Heavy Pistol, T2 CCW, Knife. (0 | 45)
 MARAUDER (Fireteam: Haris) Rifle, Heavy Flamethrower / Heavy Pistol, Knife. (0 | 22)
 GRUNT (Marksmanship LX) Sniper Rifle / Pistol, Knife. (0.5 | 18)
 GRUNT (Marksmanship LX) Sniper Rifle / Pistol, Knife. (0.5 | 18)
 GRUNT Paramedic (MediKit) Rifle / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 12)
 GRUNT Heavy Flamethrower, Light Shotgun / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 10)
 MINUTEMAN Lieutenant AP HMG / Pistol, CCW. (1 | 34)
 FOXTROT (Forward Observer) Rifle, Antipersonnel Mines / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 18)

 

Our table for the week was a cool one. There were three pretty big lanes down the middle that were broken up enough with some scatter to make them not just murder alleys. After reviewing my options, I chose the side on top of the below picture. I felt that having more options to deploy in elevated cover and total cover would be more advantageous than the single more elevated piece of terrain where the standard deployment zone didn’t quite touch the wall.

We revealed our first classifieds to be:

• HVT: Identity Check
• HVT: Inoculation
• HVT: Retro Engineering

That done Sprocket started to deploy.

Deployment:

Deploying first Sprocket sets up his HVTs across the midline. After that, Sprocket starts placing the infiltrating grunts, and makes three of the four infiltration rolls. A dozer gets tucked into a nice spot on the left side. Covered by the failed Grunt. A Grunt Core covered the central high rock formation, with two snipers up top, the Minuteman Lt, a plain Grunt and the Medic where hiding below in the cave. Rosie, a Marauder and the Unknown Ranger were in a haris on the right side, hiding behind a small office portable. There was a 112 that was covering the right side. A Devil Dog and Antipode were the reserve model, and went in on the left side.

Sprocket made his 112 his data tracker.

My HVTs were deployed as mirrors of where Sprocket had his. I then set up carefully around the Grunt Infiltrators, I didn’t want anyone to easily be walked and flamed. I had the Clockmaker hiding on the opposite side of a Grunt. The puppet master was prone on the roof blocking the ladder. I had a Warcor standing on my middle roof, out of sight from one of the two snipers. The interventor and Securitate HMG were prone on that same roof on different corners. I had the Grenzer and Securitate Medic on the ground behind that building, making sure to keep the Grenzer out of sight from the Grunt Sniper and not able to be easily walked and flamed by a Grunt. My Securitate Feuerbach was on top of a nearby roof with Perseus hiding behind it. Mary and the Daktari hid behind a rock on my right. I bring in a Lunokhod and it’s Koalas to cover the middle building. I then make my Grenzer my data tracker.

Top of 1: SprocketGx USARF

Discard Identity Check, replaced by Sabotage

After Sabotage comes up we each pick our building. I then choose to dock orders from the group with the Devil Dog. Sprocket sends his Devil Dog team forward, I attempt to have the Warcor Flashpulse the Antipode, several times, but am unable to get it done. Once the Devil Dog makes it forward, Mary attempts to hit it with a zapper, and succeeds, with the Devil Dog choosing to take a wound. Both the Daktari and Mary survive the chain rifle, with the Daktari backing up. Unfortunately the Daktari backed up to be seen by the nearby grunt, who burns her down. The middle Grunt tries to get forward to take down my Grenzer. But doesn’t have the distance on the first order, as he walks in he gets taken out by the Koalas as he burns up my warcor.

Out of orders in group 2, Sprocket moves on to group 1. He starts by bringing his haris forward to take out the silo on my side, completing Sabotage. The haris then comes forward to try and take out my core. Unfortunately for the Unknown Ranger, the Grenzer doesn’t care about his cover nor mimetism (MSV1 is useful from time to time) and takes him down. The Marauder comes forward to try and burn out Perseus. Perseus takes down the Marauder at the cost of his ODD. Out of orders, Sprocket ends his turn.

Bottom of 1: Jhokalups Tunguska

Draw Telemetry to replace the completed classified.

Discard Inoculation, replaced by Capture.

I start off by using my Interventors lieutenant order to idle, Sprocket almost doesn’t have Rosie declare reset. I successfully manage to get Spotlight onto her, and complete Telemetry. I then have my Lunokhod come forward to take out Rosie. After that my Securitate link activates and the HMG takes out the Grunt on the roof to my right while exchanging fire with the sniper. I then take out the Grunt Sniper I can see with the HMG and proceed to use a good portion of the rest of my turn to kill off the Devil Dog and the other Grunt. I attempt to drop Spector in to take out the Dozer and get an easy capture, completely forgetting about the link team. Cursing myself I dodge Spector into cover and then end my turn.

Top of 2: SprocketGx USARF

Draw Experimental Drug to replace the completed classified.

Discard Capture, replaced by Nanoespionage.

Sprocket spends an order to have the Minuteman take out Spector. That link team then maneuvers to get the paramedic up top, while the Minuteman and my Feuerbach exchange shots. Shots keep bouncing off, and eventually the minuteman falls back into total cover. The paramedic then becomes the angel of mercy and takes out the unconscious grunt sniper. I believe that this turn in a final face to face, my Feuerbach takes out the Minuteman lieutenant. After walking the Foxtrot forward a bit, Sprocket ends his turn feeling a bit frustrated with how it went.

Bottom of 2: Jhokalups Tunguska

Discard Nanoespionage, replaced by Kidnapping

I move the Lunokhod and my undeployed meteor zond.use my lieutenant order to put up Assisted Landing. Then successfully drop my Meteor Zond in on the other side of the Foxtrot Camo Marker. I have the Meteor use sensor to reveal the Foxtrot. I then put Marksmanship up on the Zond and proceed to take out the Foxtrot. I then walk a little haris of Perseus, the Paramedic and the Grenzer forward to have the Grenzer fail once at synchronizing the middle HVT before successfully grabbing it to complete Kidnapping. Feeling satisfied I end my turn.

Top of 3: SprocketGx USARF

Draw Test Run to replace the completed classified.

Sprocket has one chance to tie up the game. He has a grunt jump up to fall unconscious. Then brings the 112 over to try and heal him up to complete Experimental Drug. Unfortunately it seems that all of Sprockets medical staff went to the PanOceania school of medicine, and once again acts as an angel of mercy, killing the Grunt. Without orders and without options, he ends his turn.

Bottom of 3: Jhokalups Tunguska

Having already completed more classifieds, and one with my data tracker, I end my turn. Which makes it a:

Final Score: 8 – 1 Tunguska Total Victory

Lessons Learned:

Grunts are hard to play around, I am glad I was deploying second so I could see where all the grunt infiltrators landed and respond accordingly. The Infiltrators did influence my deployment, and I can see how a player could use that influence to set up a strong first strike. One weakness I saw in this list is my deployment control. Only the Grenzer can deploy out of zone, and I only had one piece that brought passive area control (the Lunokhod). I feel fortunate that group two had most of the orders spent on the devil dog. The two grunts on the ground could have really messed up my link team if they had tried.

I am extremely disappointed in myself for the complete waste of Raul Spector. I completely spaced that there was a link team looking at right were I dropped him in. So Spector basically walked in and died. What is really disappointing is that if I had walked Spector in on the other side of the board, I could have taken out the Data Tracker, and then sliced through the fireteam from the other side. Lesson learned. Walk around to the other side of the board before doing any aerial deployment.

An interesting anecdote, I recently replaced my dice, which seems silly. The new dice seem to be much more fair, and as a result, my perceived amount of criticals has gone up from the last few games. I am interested to see if this is just confirmation bias or what. If I have another game with really hot dice. I may start recording the results of all my die rolls, just to see.

Until next time.