Special orbital assault, 1500 UCM vs Scourge

Players:

Angus McNichol (Scourge)

Iain Sword (UCM)

Naval Theory HQ, Ferrum Prime

For a top secret military intelligence job, Sergeant Allens day to day work was reasonably mundane.
Run errands, fetch caffeinated drinks, maybe send a message to Ni fleet base to check on a black ops
unit. All the usual desk job stuff. It was only occasionally a CODE OMEGA would come through on the
system, and even then, it usually concerned reports a thousand light years away.
This one was different.
+++CODE OMEGA -Naval Theory Personnel OnlyMinutes ago, we received data from our outer listening posts. A Scourge battlefleet is en route to
Ferrum. ETA: 3 hours. Be advised, Naval Theory is likely to be a class 1 target for orbital assault,
missile halo system is engaged around your immediate area. At all costs, your persons and research
are not to be taken alive or intact. Your defence force has been notified and reserves (MF-B/13) are
inbound with fleet support.
END OMEGA TRAMSMISSION+++
There was panic, but due to the level of training of all personnel in the building, it only lasted
seconds. Some started a thorough wipe of their workstations, others with the training, were headed
towards the server rooms with plastic explosives. At the same moment, the Colonial Legionnaires
that normally act as glorified security guards started running riot through the building, up-ending
tables and mounting their flak cannons in strategic points along the windows of Naval Theory HQ,
Ferrum. The war had come to the colonies.

Scenario Details:
UCM used a defence force and reinforcements and deployed the defence force in the centre of the
board around 3 objectives and 1 FP building.
To represent scourge forces coming in directly by dropship, all scourge units units were placed in
reserve and given Fast mover and transition for their first turn of activation. Though 1 scourge
battlegroup was placed in readiness.
UCM reserves are allowed to enter from any board edge.
Environmental factors in play: High Gravity, Harsh Desert, Orbital Debris

UCM Forces: 1477

Scourge Forces: 1492

Defence Force: 482

Oppressors
Edens Dinosaur

Field Command
Kodiak (CV3)
3 Rapier AAT
Armour Formation
3 Sabre MBT
Colonial Legion
2 Flak Teams FAC
Reserves: 995
Armour Formation
3 Sabre MBT (Condor)
2 Falcon Gunship
Colonial Legion
2 Legionnaire bases (Raven A)
2 Legionnaire bases (Raven A)
Special Ordnance
2 Gladius HBT (CV4) Condor w/
missiles)
Eagle Heavy gunship
Air Wing
Seraphim retaliator
2 Archangel interceptors

Vanguard
6 Hunter MGT (2 Marauder)
3 Reaper AAGT (Marauder)
Warrior Cabal
3 Warrior bases (Invader, Marauder)
3 Warrior bases (Invader)
Warrior Cabal
3 Warrior bases FAC (Invader,
Marauder)
3 Warrior bases (Invader)
Attack Swarm
1 Corsair

Deployment:
UCM defence force deployed flak teams in centre armoured building. Kodiak, Sabres and Rapiers
were deployed in the plaza for commanding fields of fire.
Turn 1:
Edens Dinosaur deployed outside of effective AA arcs of fire on turn 1. It then fired its strafing
weapon on the Kodiak doing 3 damage.
As the Scourge only had 1 activation, it was then up to the UCM to counterattack. The return fire
from hastily redeployed rapier AATs and flak teams did 4 damage.
The first UCM legionnaire squad to arrive from reserve deployed directly into one of the objective
buildings, but did not search for the objective.
Turn 2:
Orbital debris rained down from the sky, but did no damage to combat forces and 6 dmg to a
building. The Kodiak was able to use field repair and regain 1 lost DP.
The first legionnaire squad evacced their building with the objective, but after boarding their
transport were shot down by the corsair fighter. The second legionnaire squad then moved onto the
board in their transport and were able to collect the objective and still have enough move to escape
the board, returning to reserve.
The scourge deployed 6 bases of infantry to the focal point building, however the combined forces
of the UCM flak teams and rapier AATs were able to demolish the building in 1 turn, killing all
infantry inside. They also deployed 3 reaper AAGT, but they were also destroyed by sabre MBTs and
the Kodiaks orbital laser. To add insult to injury, edens dinosaur was killed in a gun run by the
archangel interceptors.
Turn 3:
This turn almost all of the remaining reserves were deployed on both sides. On the scourge side, 6
Hunter MGTs were deployed, though their numbers were cut down by a seraphim rocket volley and
Falcon gunship fire. The seraphim was intercepted by the corsair on its inbound run, causing 1 DP,
but in return was killed by the flak teams. The hunters appearance caused the Kodiak to run for
cover behind the centre building, but it wasnt quite fast enough due to the high gravity. The second
legionnaire squad redeployed from reserve and entered the second normal objective building.
Turn 4:
In this turn, the legionnaire squad escaped with the objective (due to the automatic finding bonus of
the defender). This left only 2 VP on the board, not enough to win the game for the scourge. Though
we played on to see the fate of the centre objective.
The remaining hunter MGTs and their dropships were able to finally destroy the Kodiak, though 1
was killed by return fire from the Sabre MBTs that deployed with the defence force. A second squad
of Reaper AAGT were deployed, but 1 was destroyed by the seraphim before they could be
operational. The final action of the game, was the deployment of a second scourge infantry
marauder, though this was shot down by combined reaction fire and its cargo destroyed in the air,
leading to the Scourge conceding victory to the UCM at 6:0 on VP.

Final Thoughts (UCM):

This scenario is not balanced! But then again, its a work in progress, thematic scenario based on the
defence of key resources on Ferrum from a scourge vanguard. Feel free to test out the scenario
yourself and make your own modifications. It is possible that the terrain layout contributed to this
heavy loss for the scourge. Due to the reserves nature of orbital assault, the Scourge forces arrived
piecemeal, so I was able to deal with the units as they arrived, due to the main part of my AA being
deployed in the defence force.
Final Thoughts (Scourge):
It is rare that I've had a game of DropZone go so badly wrong. I guess in many ways I'm used to the
reliable toughness of my PHR and Scourge are really squishy by comparison. As always the UCM
weight of fire (number of dice) is a contributing factor, but really it was my luck that was rubbish. My
dice hate me. My alpha strike should had decapitated the UCM command, but instead only did a
couple of points of damage. Overall a very frustrating game.

Balcony, Naval Theory HQ, Ferrum

Smoke was still rising from the experimental division labs, just north of HQ. A whole scourge warrior
platoon had once occupied that building and neither the colonial garrison forces or MF-B had the
resources to root them out and resecure the objective. So Lt Sharne had ordered the building
levelled by every means necessary. The sound of the rapiers cannons firing continuously into the
building had been terrifying. Normally as the rounds were directed at aircraft, you only ever saw the
flicker and flash of a few incendiary rounds hitting airframe, then a fuel explosion. In this case, it was
a consistent harmonious rumble, clashing with a simultaneous crackle of masonry being ripped apart
in ways Allen thought were impossible.
Ultimately, HQ had not been evacuated in the initial assault, though that would likely come later.
The adjacent annexes had been however, with black clad marines fast roping directly into the
windows and evacuating through the roof to their waiting dropships.
It had been confirmed that the scourge commander was not in fact Edens Dinosaur as was once
previously thought, much to the dismay of the archangel pilots who claimed the kill, just a
competent scourge commander who had taken to using the same weapon system.
The war rages on, thought Sgt Allen, but Im still here. Time for a cigar.