Bomber escort

 Another holiday game with my son: X-wing (1st ed.)

Imperial bombers are on their way to drop a load of experimental new bombs on unsuspecting innocents. They are accompanied by a Black Squadron escort, including Darth Vader, who wants to witness the effect of the bombs firsthand.

Fortunately a Rebel patrol intercepts the Imperials. It's Red squadron, led by Biggs and supported by Dutch Vander in his Y-wing and a B-wing from Blue squadron.

"This is Red leader, Those bombers must not be allowed to reach their target, follow me".

It isn't long before the shooting starts.

And Red 3 is destroyed by concentrated Imperial fire.

Red 1 and 2 attack the bombers while the others try to draw the escort away or keep them busy.

But the most important targets are the bombers, so Dutch and the B-wing also try to get a bead on them.

The bombers take some damage but retribution is swift and first Red 1 is shot down.

Soon followed by Red 2.

Darth Vader attacks Dutch and the B-wing together with 2 TIE fighters from Black squadron while an imperial academy pilot is lining up behind them.

 

While Biggs shakes off his pursuers and achieves a target lock on one of the bombers, Dutch and the B-wing manage to pull through and Dutch has a clear shot at the other bomber. 

The bomber takes several hits and explodes!

Unfortunately the ensueing move puts Biggs in the crosshairs of four Imperials.

This is more than Biggs' X-wing can take.

The Imperials now converge on the B-wing.

Taking it down in a hail of fire.

And while Dutch manages to inflict some more damage on the remaining Imperial bomber, he is unable to destroy it before his Y-wing is destroyed.

Game over for the Rebellion. They succeeded in preventing the bombers reach their target (the second bomber was one damage point away from being destroyed), but at great cost to themselves.

It was an enjoyable game, especially because my son (who played the Imperials) had obviously gotten a better grasp of the game dynamics and tactics (taking into a account where my fighters would be after movement instead of where they were before movement) since the last time we played.

Tyranids vs Tau

My son had been watching some 40k stuff on Youtube and asked me to play a game. He especially liked the Tyranids so I dug up the non-shooting 1000 pts Tyranids force from my collection. I thought this would be a nice opportunity to put the Tau outpost scenery on the table I built years ago but which had never seen a game.

I put together a Tau army list that would hopefully provide an interesting (not too one-sided) game and prepared to defend the Tau outpost against the Tyranid onslaught.

All is quiet in the Tau outpost:

Some Earth Caste engineers are checking the radiation around the reactor:

A lone Water Caste clerk is waiting for the Tau military to arrive after all other civilians have been evacuated.

Transports are standing by to evacuate the last of the Tau personnel:

Both sides deploy:

The Earth and Water Caste guys get to the transports:

And here they come! Hormagaunts swarm towards the Kroot near the reactor:

The Kroot lose the hounds in the assault but manage to repel the hormagaunts:

Only to be charged again by a second group of hormagaunts:

Meanwhile yet another group of hormagaunts kills the Water Caste clerk who was too slow, boarding his transport. The two Earth Caste engineers got away safe.

Genestealers rush between the outpost buildings:

I decide to deepstrike with my Stealth Troopers. Fortunately they don't scatter and land safely behind the Tyranids.

Unfortunately they only manage to inflict one wound on the Tyranid Prime (13 shots between them and only 1 wound inflicted!) before they are assaulted and destroyed by the Prime and a group of Genestealers.

The hormagaunts near the reactor first take down a few drones:

And then they plow into the Tau/Kroot defensive line:

Near the landing pad, the genestealers are surging towards the heavily outnumbered Tau defenders:

The Tau manage to pick off a number of the genestealers but by the last turn of the game it was clear that the Tau had been beaten and the outpost lost to the Tyranids.

 Great fun!

Project Star Wars part 12: Scum and Villainy

I really enjoyed the Mandalorian and Boba Fett series. The fighting between crime syndicates, bounty hunters and local Imperial or Rebel Alliance forces away from the war between the Empire and the Rebel Alliance provides a great source for small skirmish games.

So I collected some Scum (mainly Imperial Assault with some WOTC and Mars Attacks miniatures).

  Some big guys (Mantic and WOTC):

And their pets:

What I like about my Star Wars project is that I found use for minatures that had been buried in my unpainted mountain for ages and I thought I would never use.

This guy on giant flea form Mantic for instance:

With some stowage and an arm from an Imperial Assault Weequay it becomes a local hunter on an Outer Rim planet.

Mantic Star Saga and Mars Attacks miniatures become Chiss agents:

Arms and rifle are from a Terminator resistance sprue

Void Viridian Strike Commandos become Imperial Security Bureau agents:

This Mantic Mars Attacks guy fills the support weapon slot in a crime syndicate team:

Void VASA and Viridian commanders with their close assault weapons replaced by light sabers and two Hordes-Legion of Everblight guys are now members of the Inquisitorius: