March 22, 2006

Alliance League v Worto03

An alliance game - my first one, so I hope the nerves don't get to me!

Game available here

We're doing a 20FP wipeout on Italy, but the margins matter!

Deployment
A difficult choice, this one. I've never played Italy before, but the 2 LGA games I can find both show large amounts of terrain destruction with MT's
I also know very little about worto03, apart from he's at the bottom of elite with 89 games and a 50/50 win/lose ratio.

I think the MT deployment might be a bit obvious, so I think I'll avoid that.

Spawn are a possibility, but getting control of bodies is going to be a problem. It'd basically be a straight charge, and with the Alliance scoring rules I don't think it'd be helpful

Greys could camp, but would be vulnerable to mechs with MT's. You'd basically be hoping for the end of the game before you got spammed.

So, it's Marines. Difficult to go wrong, and versatile, but a bit fragile.
I'm a big fan of snipers. They have two great strengths: They can see a long way for intel, and they can put a shot through a window halfway across the map.
I'll go with 2 snipers, and 3 assault teams. Normally you'd have 3 point elements, but I'll strengthen each element to 5 - 'nader, 2xgrunt and medic.

That gives one team per "zone" - left, mid and right, 2 snipers for the gaps and just one base

Only one base is a bit of a risk, but I'll be heaviest on ammo early on the game, with the snipers cutting holes, so as long as they can reload at turn 5 or so the base will be less important after that.

Here's the plan: The 3 teams (A, B, C left to right) will slowly move forward, with a grunt running point. I'm not planning to move more than 1/3 of the way down the map. The snipers will spend a few turns cutting holes for intel and access, then reload.

Once the first few turns are over, I should have an idea what race worto03 is playing.
If spawn, fall back slowly to a defensible position, blowing the fronts off buildings to reduce cover. I've got a lot of lasers, so should be able to do quite a bit of damage even at short range

If marines, I can start spotting with the snipers and grunts for targets that the 'naders can kill. I'll try to draw him forward, away from bases and into the pre-prepped buuldings I have with lots of holes in them.

If MT mechs then I need to use the slum clearance to my advantage. I'll do lots of dodging to be unpredicatable for the missile shots, and group the medics for rapid healing of splash damage. Then, once there are sensible clearances, do sniper force-fire down the channels to locate bases

And if AI mechs then I'll need to snow the AI with 'nades each turn, and retreat through the small holes in the building - and watch for HT's. A grunt should take a HT 1:1, but mobs of HT's can be very effective, hence the use of elements.

Turn 1: 10-20 secs

Move forward slowly, and the snipers are drilling holes for access

Turn 2: 20-30 secs
Nothing going on yet, so move a bit more again - the point men are on ROS, in case of a drone rush...

Turn 3 30-40 secs
Which turned out to be rather prudent. He's spawn.
I've got 2 drones coming down the left-hand channel, with a spiker hanging back for fire-support. 2 buzzers scoping out the central building, and also saw a drone go in there - presumably to chew a hole through.

Now, it all depends on what he's planning to do. If he thinks he's caught me off-guard on the left, he'll push the 2 drones on forward. However, I think the 2 grunts (and a medic in a moment) should be able to wipe 2 drones without too much pain - I had exactly this situation in a previous game the other way round, and I'd badly underestimated the firepower grunts can deliver. Test orders show 6 shots should do for a drone (avg 4 damage per shot, 23/4 = 6 shots) so 2 seconds of fire with 3 troops will kill a drone. And he only gets one bite per 2 seconds.

So, the grunts in the left team will red-line the first drone, with the medic arriving in the door to cover. I'll blow an escape route with the nader from team A.

Team mid will pull back in good order, with some looking back on HOS in case he chases with a buzzer. The nader will drop some more cover so I've got some good firezones

Team right will do the same, peeking for shots but generally pulling back

Turn 4: 40-50 secs

Very nervous playing this turn, but the grunts in the left team did their job perfectly - received one bite, got 2 kills. Also saw one buzzer and 2 goo explosions, so that's 8 points accounted for - of which 2 are dead.

So, the obvious thing this turn is to nuke the bodies - which I will do at the end of the turn

Apart from that, it's a controlled fallback, and slum clearance. I'll leave 2 grunts advanced, as he seems to be using buzzers on ROS - the grunts will cause them to retreat, the grunts may get useful intel, and even take a shot or two

Score: 2-0

Turn 5: 50-60 secs

Got a bad bounce, which splashed a couple of my troops on the left. However, everything else went off as expected.

Saw a drone on the left, who popped round the corner on ROS and saw the central point man - so that's good. That does mean I will have to retreat the other point man though, in case he charges with that drone, although the ambush last turn has left him fairly wary. Even if he does change and get me, I'll have control of the body

Also got a hit on a buzzer on the far right - looks like the 'nade about to clear lines of fire there could be very handy.

And a queen appeared in the middle - biting at a wall which my sniper then took down from the other side! Shame the queen didn't take the wall first. Anyway, I'm basically going to ignore it this turn, as he will surely retreat. If he doesn't, there's lots of potential splash damage from clearance grenades.

So, more wall clearance - and I need to make sure I manage ammo. I do suspect that the main push will be on the far left, as there was another goo splat there this turn, so I'll make sure that's well covered with 'nades and lasers. I'll also leave a grunt without many orders, so he can react to events. If I were him, I'd mass on the far left and wait for me to run out of 'nades. I'll also need to make sure my troops are sufficiently spread out to not suffer too much from splatters.

Score: 2-0

Turn 6: 60-70 secs

OK, so the main push is going to be on the right.

He did try to pursue my left-most point man, with a drone and queen - so the drone is dead, at the cost of one bite, and the queen is stranded in no-mans land. That's pretty handy, and you should never underestimate the firepower that a squad of marines can lay down in a short time - theoretically, 3 grunts could do 90 points of damage to a queen in one turn with sustained fire.

There are 4 drones out on the right, two of which are about to take minor splash damage from slum clearance. There are also 2 splatters going that direction, and I saw a buzzer, spiker and spitter move right too. The second buzzer is hiding in the far-right hand building.

So, that's a total of 18 of the 20 FP's accounted for
7 drones (3 dead)
1 queen
2 spitters
2 buzzers
2 splatters
1 spiker

There are several nice things from this. Firstly, there isn't a second queen, and his only queen is badly out of position for grabbing bodies. Secondly, he has a max of 4 splatters - which always scare me as marines. I'll happily trade a grunt 1:1 against a splatter.
Also, I can hope there are no more buzzers, as he's been using them extensively for scouting - another good thing, as groups of 3-4 buzzers are excellent for assasination runs.

I'm not sure what he knows about my forces - I've kept them fairly mobile, so he may think he's seen the same grunts more than once. Obviously the 'naders are pretty noisy, but apart from that, he's probably seen 5 grunts and a medic.

So, to this turn. The spotted medic will take a couple of shots and run as a chewtoy, with several grunts and a sniper covering his flight. I'll drop a couple of 'nades near where the drones currently are, to cover buzzers or splatters following through. I will also push forward slightly in the middle and left, assuming his queen will try and run - if not, the queen will take a lot of fire this turn and next...

If I can survive this turn with minimal damage, I think I'm in good shape for a win

Score: 3-0

Turn 7: 70-80 secs

Hmm. Didn't go that well - his splatters charged in the middle, rather than continuing to one side. That's created quite a hole in the middle of my defenses, with a medic and 2 grunts down.
Additionally, if he contines ahead with the other splatter and my covering grunt misses, I'm in deep trouble - so I think I'll have to sacrifice the damaged sniper to take out the splatter.

On a more positive note, my 2 grunts on the far right have drawn the drone rush, and should be able to kill all 3 drones before they die. Which they will, but they've done their job well.

There's also another 2 spikers, which is good news - more splatters would have been very bad.

So, fairly obvious moves this turn - grunts on the right will redline the drones, troops in the middle will move out of the spiker fire zone and the troops on the left will push forward to cover the 'nader. I'm going to launch where his queen currently is, as I think he'll come through some walls..

Score: 5-3

Turn 8: 80-90 secs

Still tight. Fortunately, his splatter went the right way. Unfortunately, the sniper fell over from a breeze.

The grunts on the right did their business - there's one very badly damaged drone left, with 2 buzzers.

Even better, the 'nades on the left are about to smack one spiker. I'll drop some more 'nades there to destroy the body

I'm starting to run short on troops, so moves are getting shorter, but I still need to be very careful. If I were him, I'd be thinking about chewing through the wall on the far left and charging in. So, I'll place some more 'nades there at the end of the turn

I also think he'll carry on the charge with his buzzers and drone - I'll pull back the sniper, leave a 'nader close-by as a chewtoy, spam round the corner (at an angle so I don't get bounceback) and hope the medic has some good armour-piercing ammo loaded

Score: 8-8

Turn 9 90-100 secs
Much better! That's the way it should go. His rush falters, the spiker takes cover where a 'nade is aimed and the queen pops through right on schedule

Just need to polish off the other buzzer next turn - I'll pull the right-hand 'nader back, out of goo range, and hit the fallen body of his comrade. The left-hand nader will spam the approach route the queen would have to take, falling back behind the narrow door for a reload. The sniper will fall back into cover for some TLC, and try to hit a spitter

If he carries on with his queen, he's in trouble

Score: 8-11

Turn 10: 100-110 secs
The queens are tough, but never underestimate the firepower of the marines. His queen carries on blindly, and eats 2 more 'nades at point-blank range - so is almost dead. Test orders show about 5 grunt shots should do it, so the grunt and medic will go chasing with lots of redline fire to the queen

I got a bit unlucky with a bad bounce, which almost killed my sniper. Fortunately not, though. And a sniper shot has almost killed the further spitter - hopefully splash damage will be enough to do him in early next turn

Score: 8-12

He's in full retreat now, so the grunt got lots of free shots at the queen - which will die just into the next turn. Time to reload, repair and go hunting. The important thing will be to get visibility on the map, so I can then converge forces on him - and so he can't sneak past on the other side of the map...

...

Lots of turns where nothing happens except me demolishing potential hiding places, so I get good visibility on the map. And on turn 26 I find him, killing all his forces by the end of turn 28 - notwithstanding a close call from a bad bounce...

Things learnt:
Don't charge forward - you opponent may be spawn. This pretty much saved me

Splatters are horrid. I think I already knew that, but 6 of the 8 points I lost were to 2 splatters.

Spreading out against spawn can be good. The two grunts on the far right did more than their fair share of damage against the drone rush, and bought valuable time.

You can advance against spawn. Spawn win against marines by pinning you into an ever-decreasing area - which is where the rush strikes. Moving forward gets you advance intel, unbalances the rush, and can deny areas to the weaker support units like goo spitters

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Posted to DibbleNGrub

February 7, 2006

191927 DibbleNGrub v PegasusJF

A friendly, this one. PegasusJF has asked for practice playing marines, and who am I to refuse?

The game's here

So, since it's my challenge, 30 points on a big map, which has drawn "Prison Break" with him inside the prison.

Deployment
This isn't actually an obvious choice. There are a number of very good hard-points, with access controlled by lockable military doors. The obvious choice for him is to hole up in one place, and pour fire into any attackers.

One good thing is that the deployment areas are exposed, or in destructable terrain. So, his weak point for that tactic will be the lack of access to ammo.

So, what to pick? Greys are a possible, but would be operating far from home - so would need one saucer as a mobile recharge point. Also, psykers won't have the fun of blinding troops so they can't fire, as there are bound to be overlapping fields of view. And all that open space would drain any guardian shields at a fast rate

Machina are again potential, but I know he's going to be Marines, and I'm always scared of snipers against my bases. Plus, long flight times for the missiles will reduce their effectiveness

Marines would be a fair match-up, but like Greys, I'd probably be operating away from my bases. Tempting to go sniper and grunt heavy and just pound his bases from range, wearing him down.

However, I'm going to give Pegasus the full Marine experience, and go Spawn. The general plan is to feint a rush from the bottom - if he has anyone at the deployment zone at the main gate, he should pull back pretty fast when he sees me. Whilst that is going on, buzzers can pop through gaps in the wall to scope out his deployment and location of bases. I'll try to keep his attention focussed on the drones at the bottom so I can move round and strike through a wall at the top.

So, the decoy force is 5 drones and a queen at the bottom-right - I want to show these to him
There's a scouting force of 3 buzzers at the bottom-left - again, I want these to be seen, so he pulls back to around his base(s). Any damage can always be recycled.
The main force is at far up and right as I can make it - Another queen, 3 spikers for long-range anti-base duties, 4 Splatters for the main rush, and 3 Spitters to herd him into the zone. Another 4 buzzers for scouting and swift assasination runs finish off the deployment

Turn 1: 10-20 secs

Nothing on initial deployment - I didn't really expect to - so carry on with the plan. Make like I'm going in at the bottom and right, whilst I actually go up
Buzzers will do a bit of wirecutting to ensure I've got good retreat paths - at this stage, all that matters is that the bodies are in an accessible position

Turn 2: 20-30 secs
So far so good. He's deployed at least a sniper and two grunts at the door, so they should have seen all drones and the queen on the right, and the buzzers on the left. The drones will do a bit of dancing, try not to get killed in a bad position and work out what forces he has. I'm expecting him to run, and group his forces.

Turn 3: 30-40 secs
OK, so he doesn't run. And, looking at the troops, I can see why he feels confident- there are at least 2 commos, 3 grunts and a sniper down at the main gate. That's 11 of the 30 possible points in one place. I am going precisely nowhere near that lot, until I can flank or run them out of ammo. There's also a single grunt I spotted near the top right, who may be about to spoil my surprise - not sure, but he may have seen most of the main attack force.

There's no-one in the next deployment zone I peeked at, so, assuming 2 bases, that's one per building at the top. With that guess, 14 of 30 are accounted for.

Carry on scouting, and feinting at the bottom. I'll also try and goo the grunt at the top, just for entertainment

Turn 4: 40-50 secs

As expected, he's planned to hole up in one of the buildings - the big one in the middle. Saw another commo, two extra grunts, a medic and a 'nader. Confirmed total is 19 FP.

He is at least aware of his weaknesses - the turn message was "I've been beaten by spawn before from what I've considered strong positions, but that was probably my problem, I was too static." I'll do my best to make him static again :-)

I'll carry on scouting and cutting holes for access - he's obviously worried about the drones at the bottom, and I think I'm managing to draw his troops down towards them, and away from my main attack forces, and his base(s).
I'll also try to get stealthy entry to the military building on the top-right. I can bite a window out and get a buzzer in next turn, to open the doors. If I did manage to goo his grunt at the top, that'd be a nasty shock for him. And even if not, that gives me access to dropping goo between his hiding place and his base.

Turn 5: 50-60 secs
Well, as promised, he's not being totally static on his defence. However, he still hasn't managed to land a shot on one of the buzzers, and the wayward shots are starting to cut handy access routes for me.
In addition, there isn't a base where I thought there should be, in the building at the top. That leaves only one location for a possible base - if he's deployed without one, he's in significant trouble

I also saw yet another commo, and 3 more grunts, for a confirmed 25 FP.

His tactics seem to be to have a commo with 2 grunts as a unit - there are basically 4 of these, one near the gate, one at the edge of the wall next to them, one in the dip in that same wall, and one guarding the back door. There are then the "specials" of a sniper, a 'nader and a medic.

Since I can't believe he hasn't got a base, I'll assume that the remaining 5 FP are a base and some grunts guarding it - mind, both the doors leading to the fielded building at the bottom irght are open, implying a second unit there as well (though why, I'm not sure, as I can't charge that route)

More of the same from me then - I'll dodge out of the building at the top, get into the military building at the top right, drill holes and generally try to attract fire from long distances. He's already starting to pull back a bit, as there isn't anyone in the gate any more, so the more I can encourage that, the better - some goo over the walls will help the cause :-)

Turn 6: 60-70 secs

Found the base. And, typically enough, it's 180 degrees out from where my spikers are. So, they're going to go for a long walk round the outside. Faintly amazingly, it seems to be unguarded - saw another 'nader this turn, and I can't believe there's only one medic, so that's probably the full count:
1 base (1)
4 commos (12)
2 naders (4)
1 sniper (2)
2 medics (2) - only one seen
9 grunts (9) - only 7 seen

I managed to goo up a 'nader and 2 grunts rather nicely, and I'm confident I can re-goo them 2 or 3 times - so they're basically out of the game. Also, I'm in position to goo his forces at the barricade behind the main gate - if I can goo them then it puts me into a very strong position.

Otherwise, I'll pull units out of range of the goo'd 'nader - he may go splash-happy this turn, and try to get access to the back of the building containing the base. I'll also feint a splatter on the far right, pretending to rush in to the goo'd troops. He'll pull back next turn, but it should give him something to worry about on that side.

I'll pull back the badly damaged buzzers for recycling - but will retreat away from the queens until out of sight

The plan is still to take the base first, but if I can goo up some more troops en route then that'll be lovely. At some point I may also want to rush a buzzer in to open a door or two, but that can be later when there are fewer lasers around.

Turn 7: 70-80 secs

Still no nades - though his first 'nader is now in a lovely position to hit my (feinting) splatter, so that'll waste some ammo

My goo at the gate managed to directly hit one commo - everyone else ran away - so I'm steadily forcing him back into the building, which is where I want him

And it's taking a while to chew through buildings, but as this is a 40 turn game, I'm not too worried at the moment.

Same plan as last turn then - move spikers into position, goo troops if I can (although I've irritatingly timed the shot to re-goo his 'nader wrong - there's a 3 second gap...) and chew access routes for the base and for splatters to get close. Oh, and do the duck-shoot thing to waste ammo - if he tries to go for a reload, I should have a splatter hiding there soon, for a very unpleasant surprise. I'll also shift one queen round to the top, to make recycling easier.

In the intermediate term, it also may be possible to split his forces. If I can get a bead on the top door, he'll end up with left, right and inside groups.

Turn 8: 80-90 secs

It's all going nicely. Both the duckshoot and the feint worked, and I pulled away with no damage.

I now have safe access to his base, so I'll weaken it so bady he can't use it. And as there's a goo'd commo near the front gate, I'm going to try to hit it with some forced-fire spikers from a safe range, where he can't see me and return fire. Just one hit should be enough for the goo to finish the job in a few turns, and I'm making sure the goo doesn't run out this time.
Apart from that. just some repositioning to behind the building at the top, ready for the charge.

Turn 9: 90-100 secs

Coo, judged the munching on the base a bit close - I think it has one point left. And I think I hit the commo once, as he's now down to one-third points.

Time to think strategy - He's now nicely pulling back at the top, into the "safe" building, except the one goo'd grunt. The group on the left, outside the building, are fairly static. And I've blocked access to the bottom door fairly well.

I'll send a splatter in the top door, see if I can't get a medic or the damaged 'nader. I've tried to time it so the commo on the side shouldn't get a shot in until 2 secs into the next turn.
I'll move my buzzers down on the left - that'll give him something to shoot at, and a group of 3-4 buzzers should be able to mob individual units, like his sniper at the bottom, fairly easily.

The spikers are now going down and left, getting into position to shoot along the length of the building through the gate. Hopefully, I'll be able to force-fire next turn and either hit the ailing commo, or someone sat in the building.

Overall, I think I've got him just where I want him - bunched up in a building with limited ammo. The other splatters are getting into position...

Score: 0-1

Turn 10: 100-110 secs

Still going well - took a tiny bit of fire to some buzzers, but nothing significant.

His outside team is steadily moving up, so I think he's rumbled my plans to attack through the top door. However, it may be too late for him.
The splatter is dead close to his commo inside, but won't do enough to kill, which is a shame. I'll move two squares down and then detonate - test orders show lots of damage to the commo, 2 grunts and it takes out the door control.

I've hatched another splatter from recycling, so that will rush into the military building, ready to wander through the doors about to be unlocked by my exploding splatter

The buzzers are congregating at the bottom near the gate, ready for a push next turn - after his commo dies from goo poisoning. At the top, I'm trying to cut off his outside forces by lobbing goo into his building from the toilets. Ugh - green explosive stuff coming from a toilet! Also closing in on the left, with bounced goo about to hit his current position early the turn after.

Unless something goes really badly wrong, the next two turns are going to be painful for Pegasus

Score: 0-1

Turn 11: 110-120 secs

The goo'd grunt at the got assasinated nicely by a buzzer, who then left the door open too long and got shot. Looks like I'll have to walk the queen all the way back to recycle the body

The first toilet goo got kicked away by a flukey grunt - jammy git - but there's a second shot incoming

Same again this turn - goo the commo at the bottom door, and drop goo inside the building at the top. Cluster the buzzers bottom left, ready for an assasination run, and try to pick off any isolated blokes...

And the spikers will be in position this turn, so force-fire along the building. This will take down the doors first, so I'll also drop goo into the botton door, to isolate his troops

Score: 1-3

Turn 12: 120-130 secs

Looking good. The commo's dead, and I think he's pretty much goo'd down, so just pick off isolated units - starting at the bottom left of his building.
The spikers will keep supression fire along the hallway, and everyone else will close in on the left-hand wall of the building

Score: 4-3

Turn 13: 130-140 secs
That worked nicely. His forces at the top are pinned in much goo, and I mobbed a grunt, medic and 'nader with the buzzers, losing only 2
It's just a matter of time now, as I can keep his top group pinned long enough for them all to die. I'll bring the drones and a splatter down the outside for a rush to the bottom door - those with spare time can munch on windows for buzzer access and for the spitter to fire through

Score: 12-7

Turn 14: 140-150 secs

Just getting in position. He's still pinned, and fairly static where not pinned.

Score: 12-7

Turn 15: 150-160 secs

And he concedes after a splatter takes out 3 of his remaining ungoo'd troops, including his only remaining medic.

Score: 16-8

Lessons learned

This game was lost on deployment, and in the first few turns. PegasusJF was obviously expecting a tank-heavy mech deployment, and had set out his troops accordingly - 4 commos would make very short work of any large, slow-moving targets like AI's or MT's
His plan was obviously to hole up in the central building, and snipe approaching troops.

However, those tactics are a disaster against spawn.

A much better plan with that deployment would have been to claim the top-left corner of the map, around the building containing the base.

Open space is your friend against spawn, as they can't see far and have poor ranged attacks. Clear out the outside walls to prevent yourself being flanked, and totally flatten the building at the top.
That leaves 3 approach zones for spawn - top past the central building, middle between the military buildings and bottom where the wall is.
Spamming plenty of 'nades into those zones would cause the initial rush some pain, and the firepower of 4 commos and the grunts in an interlocking killzone should do plenty of damage. He'd have to watch for spitters getting into the building at the bottom, but 'nades could go over the wall as well as goo-balls.

Oh, and the best way of killing commos is with goo :-)

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Posted to DibbleNGrub

February 1, 2006

192650: DibbleNGrub vs The Fiddler

192650: DibbleNGrub vs The Fiddler

Ooh, a league game. 20FP, and an HQ game.

We draw Village, and I'm in the woods.

Deployment.
This is going to be tricky - both defending the base and winning the game.
I've had a good game on here as marines, as all those trees can be carnage. However, I'm worried about any base(s) being visible to snipers from some range - and then it's just a matter of time.

Machina will probably have the same problems, unless I go for a quick out with 2 or 3 MT's firing into his (limited) deployment zones. It's possible, but a bit dirty

Greys are right out, I think, as they'd get toasted by 'naders over the trees or a spawn rush, and there isn't enough space to retreat to.

So, spawn it is. I'd have a queen anyway on 20FP, so this is no different from a normal deployment, and this has the advantage of a mobile base

Here's the plan. I'll have two forces. Team A, will take the top of the map, and use long range fire to strike at bases. For this, I'll need a queen - just the one queen, bit of a risk, but there's plenty of cover so I should be able to hide OK - and a bunch of spikers. He could deploy into a building nearby, so that's a priority to rush it - a buzzer and splatter should cover that, in case there's someone there. The fire-support team is rounded off with a drone, for chewing through trees and wallw without risking the queen.

Team B is the assault team. If he has mechs, I'll need to get in and goo them. If greys or marines, I need a believable threat so draw attention away from team A, who are going to do the real work. So, 4 drones, 2 splatters and 2 spitters.
Note that I'm not actually intending to use this lot to begin with - they're simply there to draw attention, and if things go well, they can charge in for the kill

That leaves 1 point - another buzzer as a scout, who can go roaming and looking for bases. Buzzers are almost impossible to hit when they're moving across fields of fire, so I'll be looking to keep him moving as much as possible.

Turn 1: 10-20 secs

Nothing seen on deployment, which is a bit of a relief, as I'd spot most things in the top building I'm concerned about. Team A will move to the top, chewing their way through. The buzzer will confirm there's nothing in that building, and end turn there with enough time for one bite should there be.

Team B will stay put - they're all behind walls, so should be safe for the moment.

And the scout buzzer will check out the buildings at the bottom right, from a safe range behind wire

Turn 2: 20-30 secs

Noone at the top, but he's advertised his presence at the bottom big-style, with 3 'nades going off at 6 seconds, and 2 later. Also saw 2 commos and a grunt, giving 13FP confirmed.

He's seen my scout buzzer, and probably one splatter sent out on spec

Assuming one base (I think I can see every other possible deployment zone) then I can guess the other 6FP as 2 medics, 1 sniper and 2 grunts.

There's a slight snag with my plan, in that the (I think) only possible place left for his base can't be hit from the top of the map, as there's buildings in the way. However, I can hit the door from mid-way down on the right, through two windows. So, I'll split the spikers, with two backing off to the left, and two carrying on to the right. Alternatively, the drone can do a bit of chewing to clear one building out

I'll charge the front splatter in, in case he hasn't been spotted. Even if he has, he should cause some panic as neither commo is in place for a shot, and I've not seen any grunts yet. Should he survive this turn I'll try to get him to take the front off the building I think the base is in.

Team B will back off a bit, and have a look at the damage his 'nades are causing. It's difficult to properly clear an area so that approaching spawn have no cover at all - and believe me, I've tried...
If they can get spotted, then so much the better

And the scout buzzer will run into his zone and have a better look at his deployment - I've timed the run so he shouldn't get shot by the commo. I could go for the 'nader, but don't think I'll get the kill in time.

Turn 3: 30-40 secs

Hmm
Mistimed the buzzer, so he took a commo shot to the head. However, he did see 2 grunts and a medic. Also, the 'nades are flying - showing 4 'naders, and almost killing the splatter rushing in.

He took a bad bounce with one, but I don't think I'm going to be in a position to exploit the damage

Same thing again this turn - the splatter will try to get that 'nader, and my remaining buzzer will scout round the side to look for bases

Score: 0-1

Turn 4: 40-50 secs

The splatter goes off after more 'nades, and so nearly takes the grenadier with him - I could see the nader with the splatter, yet the 'nader survived...

Explosions are going off all round, so he's obviously going for some slum clearance. Which actually helps my plan, as the buildings are in the way of my spikers.

Also found 2 bases, so team A is going to have it's work cut out.

I'll pull all the spikers back together again, and get into position to spike the bottom base. The scout will do a bit of dodging and try to go round the back of the base, and I'll cut a bit of a route through the trees for team B to use

Score: 0-2

Turn 5: 50-60 secs
Still getting the spikers into position. He conveniently has some wounded troops in the firezone, so if they don't shift, they could take a hit as well.

Same as last turn - get Team A into position and begin firing, and Team B can feint to the left. And the drone in team A can cut a hole for the splatter, which is there as a land-mine in case the Fiddler tries to charge the spikers

Score: 0-2

Turn 6: 60-70 secs

Blast. He's got really good timing with his 'nades, and almost takes down my buzzer - only the time taken dodging leaves him alive. Plus, the drone in team A takes a commo shot and then dies from a distant blast. His body is just about recoverable, so I'll have a go - but the queen is miles away...

Team A are trying to get into good positions.
The spikers should start doing damage to his base this turn. I'll also feint with a splatter in team A, and run away next turn

Score: 0-3

Turn 7: 70-80 secs

Damaged his base to about 50%, and he's firing blind at my spikers, so he's wise to the strategy. Will carry on - all 4 spikers should be online this turn, so may be able to kill the base. I'll also drop some goo as a barrier to any charge on the spikers

I was bringing the buzzer back for recyc, but more inspired 'nade timing is about to take him out in a not-recoverable position

Score: 0-3

Turn 8: 80-90 secs

Test orders show the base dies early next turn, so I'll turn my attention to the other base. I'll also wander a spiker forward on HOS to see if I can't get some intel

My queen decided to go for a bizarre walk in front of the spikers, but escaped damage. I need another buzzer, so I'll recyc a goo spitter and see what I get

More feinting from Team B will hopefully keep some troops tied up

Score: 0-4

Turn 9: 90-100 secs

Lots more force-fire coming in at my spikers, but no damage yet - and a queen to hand should there be...
I've dropped goo in the approaches to the forest at the right, and he seems to be sitting back and blasting, to I'll try to recyc the drone body on the right.

I still need a buzzer, so will also recyc a perfectly good a goo spitter

Score: 0-5

Turn 10 100-110 secs

Got one hit in on the base, so it is possible... However, I'm running low on ammo for 2 spikers, so they'll die soon. On the good side, I hatched another spiker

I'll carry on blasting, and drop more goo in the approaches - he has to respond to the barrage

Score: 0-5

Turn 11 110-120 secs

The response is lots of 'nades in the forest at the bottom. I managed to get the body first, but the queen has taken a bit of a hit, which is always worying on an HQ game.

I'll rush in the splatter on the right - as I'm sure he'll be red-lining the spikers and queen this turn. The queen has to run, and Team B can break cover this turn and try to get to the base.

Score: 0-7

Turn 12: 120-130 secs

Woo - my first proper kill
The splatter took what I guess is 2 'naders, and badly damaged a commo and grunt.
From what I know, that leaves 2 'naders, a commo, grunt and 2 medics guarding the base

I can see the commo, and I know where the 'naders are. From the fire pattern, I suspect the medics are by the crates near the base.

On the bad side, I'm down to one spiker, and the queen is half-dead

So, the queen is running and the spiker will carry on, but on HOS in case I get to see the commo.
Team A will split, with 2 drones going round the back, one covering the approach of the splatter by charging the commo, and the top drone going round the building

Score: 5-10

Turn 13: 130-140 secs
Mistake on the drone charge there - should have kept them together. The two round the back got plastered, and the cover for the splatter will die soon. However, if the splatter can survive one commo shot, he should be at the door of the base. Where he will stop - hopefully cutting off access to ammo...

The last drone is going to polish off his assault team, who will surely be concentrating on my queen

He's also charging a 'nader forward, presumably to cut off my queen. I'll try and goo him, and double the queen back once the commo's out of action

Score: 5-12

Turn 14: 140-150 secs
Better. Took his commo on retreat, dodged any grenades, and got the splatter into position. I'll blow him immediately, as I can get 2 grunts that way as well - although test orders show it's not enough to kill the base - looks like the spiker will have to do that

The remaining drone will back off and go 'nader hunting

Score: 8-15

Turn 15: 150-160 secs
'nades are incoming near the queen, but not near enough. I'll double back for the bodies of the spikers - irritatingly, my best route I've just goo'd on a bad bounce

The spiker will get into a better position to hit the base

I've also hatched a splatter, who's immediately almost dead. He needs to run round out of 'nade range

Score: 10-15

Turn 16: 160-170 secs

One shot still needed on the base, and 2 spikes left! Plus, the drone has a lock on the 'nader, so will be able to get him next turn.
Thankfully, his commo hasn't put in an appearance again, as my queen is exposed and looking rough...

Munching and laying this turn, 2 spikes against the base, and try to not get my splatter killed

Turn 17: 170-180 secs

Got the nader, and the splatter is still alive - just
Eggs and run for the queen, and try to hunt the other 'nader

Score: 12-17

Turn 18: 180-190 secs

Chasing the 'nader, but nowhere near enough, so the drone needs to back away. The queen will go back into cover, and the splatter will take a route through cover to the edge

I've also hatched a new splatter, so he can charge on the right to draw fire

Turn 19: 190-200 secs

Shots incoming at the queen and the decoy splatter, but no damage
I've hatched another splatter (3! and I wanted a buzzer) and a drone. Everyone forward

Turn 20: 200-210 secs

The splatter blew up without much ado, but I'm in position on the base with a drone
Except, the drone will loop round, so that both drones and the splatter hit at the same time
The new splatter will charge in, to draw attention - but I don't expect it to do anything

Turn 21: 210-220
Looking good. Both drones are in position this turn, and the splatter within 5 secs will be close enough for the explosion to take out the base. Either should do it

Turn 22: 220-230 Boom
Tough base, this one. It took 3 bites, so I needed both drones - although the splatter was also in position....

Been a good game, with lots of tension.
I think I was very lucky - both on his deployment, as a single sniper would have killed me much earlier, and in him not following through his attack against the queen, as I got caught out in the open there

Lessons learned:
The general strategy worked - but would have been much harder if he hadn't obligingly cleared so much scenery away.

Timing of 'nades can be very effective

Don't shoot 'nades if you've got nothing to fire at - made it quite hard for me to know where he was

Don't underestimate the firepower of plain grunts / medics. They made short work of 2 drones...

And don't throw the buzzers away!

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Posted to DibbleNGrub

January 18, 2006

192329: DibbleNGrub vs Monkey Magic

192329: DibbleNGrub vs Monkey Magic

Just picked up a friendly 20FP challenge posted on the board, and it's come up as Beach Strike. I've been wanting to do this one, as I turned down a league challenge on it a while ago, and was wondering just how difficult it'd be.

If you don't know the map, here it is

I'm in the boats (blue), which has to be the harder option - MonkeyMagic is high up in Veteran, so with the map imbalance, this could be a tough game

Since I've obviously got to assault (no sensible hard cover anywhere on my side) then that rather determines my loadout. No tanks - they'd surely get chewed up on the approach, and there are too many small gaps. Same goes for a spawn queen. Equally, there aren't many good places for a base - exactly one, right in the middle, in the broken boat

He, on the other hand, has several nice buildings with good cover, but there's one interesting feature - there's almost no horizontal movement between the buildings, due to some nice pipework

So the temptation for him has to be to sit back and use snipers. Thus, I'll go with marines, in an assault loadout.

Here's the plan: I'll concentrate entirely on one side - the left. There are 3 assault teams in the 3 left-most boats. 2 will be sniper/2 x grunt/'nader/medic teams, and the other will be a commo/grunt/medic team. With a "hidden" base, that's my lot

And I'll just have to hope he's not Greys, as that's how I'd defend this map (or use Spawn, hiding them until turn 4...)

Turn 1: 10-20 secs

He's marines. I can see 2 snipers, a medic and a 'nader immediately. This tells me 2 things:
1) He's not that experienced, as he's leaving a 'nader in sight from the initial deployment
2) If he has a balanced deployment (10 FP on each side of the map) then he's very susceptable to my plan

Forward we go - everyone's jinking to reduce the chance of being hit by sniper fire. One sniper will take cover on the right, next to my base, and try to take out anthing on the left. And I'll blast the gas canisters before I get close - nasty land-mines...

Turn 2: 20-30 secs

Hmm. Lost a medic on the charge, but more worryingly he appears to have deployed almost entirely on the left as well. Saw another nader, 2 commos, another sniper and 2 more medics - giving:
2 commo (6)
3 snipers (6)
2 naders (4)
3 medics (3)
and presumably a base somewhere for 20FP

The one nice thing is that both his 'naders are in the same place, behind some cover in the middle. Thus, the nades will be going to the left and right channels - and not in the middle

Also, the 2 commos are basically together, so he'll be covering that entrance nicely - and standing still.

Plus, no grunts! Makes him very vulnerable to a close-quarters assault.

So, the plan is as follows:
Team A, on the left - The nader will launch twice at the place where the commos are. The grunt will strafe and try to cut a hole through the wire for the 'nade, then draw fire away from the 'nader. The sniper will take one shot and run right. The medic will bunny left and right to draw fire, and spoil op-fires, as some of the wire counts as not visible at certain angles.

Team B, in the middle: The commo will cut a hole in the wall ahead, and charge for it. The grunt will take out some wire, so the sniper at my base can get a clear shot at one of his commos. Want to be careful here to not cross the line of fire of my sniper until he's had his shot

Team C, on the right: They'll need to dodge a badly bounced 'nade from last turn, and will funnel into the middle to avoid his 'nades I expect to come in to the right channel

And the base sniper will take a shot at his commo, and then try to cover where his 'naders are for an opfire shot

Score: 0-1

Turn 3: 30-40 secs

Nicely done. Everything went to plan - could have done without the grunt in team A taking a commo shot, but better him than the nader. One commo is about to die, and the other one was very lucky, taking almost no damage from a sniper shot.

This turn he will almost certainly try to hit the inside of the wall I'm charging through. I should be able to take one 'nader out before he fires, but the other will get at least one shot away.
My commo will try to hit his 'nader and then hide left from the inevitable 'nade fire. My nader from team C will hit the top of the boxes, where I think his other commo will hide. With sniper fire from a distance against his right-hand sniper, and sniper covering fire for the middle, this should be the turn I break the back of his forces

Score: 0-2

Turn 4: 40-50 secs

Carnage - on his side. Everything works pretty much as I expected, and he loses a commo and a 'nader within a second. His other 'nader has a lucky escape from my commo, but is about to take a hit. I'm a bit lucky taking out his other commo, but would only have been a matter of time - if the 'nade hadn't bounced off him, it would have taken a medic instead.

Just mopping up now - My commo will charge through, and I'll 'nade the two snipers

Score: 11-3

Turn 5: 50-60 secs

His remaining 'nader takes the commo shot in the face - thought it was probably too close to dodge it - and my charging commo draws most of the remaining fire, all of which misses.

His left-hand sniper takes a few shots from my dancing grunts, and then a 'nade finished him off - the right-hand sniper moves, ducks the 'nade and hits my nader in team A, fortunately not killing him.

I'll concentrate on the sniper on the right with my two snipers and the 'nader - Loads of forced-fire coming in, he'll have to run if he wants to survive. And everyone else can push forward.

Score: 15-3

Turn 6: 60-70 secs
The sniper goes down under a hail of fire, and his medic runs into a 'nade launched last turn - leaving one medic. I was a bit careless, and didn't check the angles for an approaching grunt, so the medic gets him

Just a matter of who gets the kill for the last medic

Score: 18-4

Turn 7: 70-80

The commo got him, just ahead of a grunt

Lessons learned:
Knowing where the enemy 'naders are won me the game, as I could pick the one zone (of three) that they wouldn't hit on the critical approach turn.

Grunts are disposable - They're great for drawing op-fire away from more important units like 'naders, and for finishing off damaged units quickly. That means you have to have enough of them!

Change plans if you need to - the right of the beach was completely empty...

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Posted to DibbleNGrub

January 13, 2006

192276: DibbleNGrub vs TOMU

King of the Castle

Hmmm. Tricky one this. Casa Regnix is the map, I'm green and there isn't an obvious deployment choice.

Machina are, I think, the least likely for me. They basically rely on getting to close-ish range and surviving a firefight with better armour. The best ranged unit, a MT, would be pinned to the base, making a 5FP unit of 15FP - way too expensive. Since any opponent would be more mobile, I just don't think I can close to an effective range.

Greys are possible, in a hit and run mode. I don't think I can afford more than one regen, so I'll have the normal problems of trying to defend a base.

Spawn are always good value for 15 FP - a queen and 11 points of other stuff. As long as I can maintain control of the bodies, and keep the queen out of the way, that's a possible. However, there's plenty of open space, and a couple of turns' work would open out some impressive firezones, very hard to cross.

And Marines are the versatile choice, but again will have to defend a base if 'naders, the most useful unit, are used - or if playing spawn.

So, here's the plan. It's a bit risky, but could be rather effective.
Greys, with a Guardian for sneakiness (3). 3 psykers (6) and 6 sentries (6)
And I'll deploy in the open patch at the bottom right, making an immediate run for the corner. The general plan will be to break through the corridor, and psych along it - If he's there, I can remain hidden under the Guardian, and he'll (hopefully) think the psychs are coming from the building. If not, I'll wander along the corridors under the Guardian, with an occasional psych for intel, until I find something.

If he's Greys or spawn then 3 psychers will do immense damage. If he's marines I'll have to rely on hit and run tactics (blinding troops to prevent op fire, and smart guardian work to bounce 'nades). And if he's machina (unlikely, for the reasons given above) then the 6 sentries will have to concentrate fire on one or two targets and then skip out.

This will all rely on keeping hidden, and on him mentally deciding already on how to attack the central building.

Turn 1: 10-20 secs

Nothing spotted on deployment - I'm fairly certain that it's impossible to see anything from my deployment zone. Lots of fiddly planning to keep everyone under the shield, and testing to check that the psych I'm doing is also feasible from the central building. Should have that quadrant checked, and an entry to the corridor by the end of turn - no hurry, as time is on the side of the Greys

Turn 2: 20-30 secs
Oh dear. Despite all the planning, sometimes there's just nothing you can do!
Turns out I've deployed directly in front of 2 AI's, and (presumably) a scanner. For a strategy that relied on stealth and deception, that's the worst possible start.

So, may as well sell myself dearly, and try to take an AI out

Score: 0-3

Turn 3 30-40 secs

Took the AI, but the guardian shields didn't last that long - so I'm basically toast. Also. totally failed to psych the (presumed) scanner, so the AI's were able to blast away at visible targets despite being psych'd themselves. That was my only hope - thin thought it might have been

Game over - may be a record, dead in 45 seconds

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Posted to DibbleNGrub

January 11, 2006

191962 - King Of the Castle v's Torkku

This is fun. King of the Castle has thrown up two consecutive games on the same map, biohazard.
(Last one was 191612 v nmaguire)

Game is at http://lsn.kicks-ass.org/lga/download/cf3bdccf9dc3422424ad2deb159161cb/191962%20DibbleNGrub%20v%20Torkku.lsn

So, since I'm in the mood for experimenting (and dancing...) I'll go for the deployment that I was dreading my last opponent would take: AI-heavy mechs.
15 points = 3 AI's and 3 HT's. No base is a bit of a gamble, but since I'll never get back to use it, it'd just be a waste.

The AI's will blaze a route down the left, and the HT's will stay in reserve to swoop down and pick off any retreating units (and preserve some mystery - he may think I've got a scanner and a base...)

Turn 1: 10-20

Unsurprisingly, no initial contact. So, blow a hole for the AI's to follow on the left

Turn 2: 20-30

Particularly resilient walls here. Carry on with cutting a route

Turn 3: 30-40

Well, so far so predictable. He's marines, and I saw a commo cutting his way through, with a grunt following up. He only saw one of the 3 AI's, so he may be in for a bit of a nasty shock next turn.
If I were him, I'd duck the commo to the right, and fill the room with 'nades from the safety of the previous building. So, 2 AI's will go left, and try to go nose-to-nose, and the other one can tunnel - hopefully the commo will be tunnelling the other way...
He also has to assume I've got a scanner, and can see his movements - so he'll be moving round lots, which could be good for the AI's if they just sit there and blast away

Turn 4: 40-50

Noone seen this turn, so I suspect the commo has taken cover. The first incoming grenade has just blown the back of the wall on the right out, so that's one 'nader in the right-hand channel.

I'll carry on with the plan - an AI round the corner should be fun, and his commo has conveniently made a hole for the other AI to fire through. I'll also send one HT on patrol, so I can have a look around

Turn 5: 50-60

Well, I think he may have the luckiest grunt around - taking two direct hits at point-blank range from an AI. In the mean time, he seems to be doing wall clearance on the right, there's another 'nade about to go off there. So, I'll carry on with the AI charge. I still think he's only spotted 2. And the HT's can move closer, but not within 'nade range

Turn 6: 60-70

Things go boom. The lucky grunt gets wiped, and lots of 'nades start flying in. Nothing too nasty at the moment, and it's handy to remove some of the low-level scenery.

I'll carry on forwards, intending to get inside the effective range of the 'naders. Plus, there's a sniper on the far right, so the HT's are off in that direction - there's bound to be a grunt there as well, but 3 HT's should suffice

Score: 1-0

Turn 7: 70-80

Nice shunting. His right-hand 'nader takes a shot from the AI charging in, and then dies from splash damage from a 'nade bouncing off the AI. There are another 2 grunts at point-blank range, and a second bounced 'nade should expose the other 'nader next turn

Lost one HT to the inevitable grunt on the right, but that grunt should die early next turn - and then it's hide and seek with 2 HT's and a sniper. Surely only one winner there.

From what I've seen, his loadout was 1 commo, 1 sniper, 2 naders, and 4 grunts. That leaves 1 medic and a base, as a guess. The commo is obviously getting first-aid somewhere, the second 'nader had better run, and all 3 remaining grunts and the sniper are in mortal peril. My AI's are mostly at about 50% damage or better, and I'll try to pair two up this turn for a bit of running repairs. The left-hand AI will polish off the grunt and clear some scenery for a better shot

It's all looking hopeful.

Score: 3:1

Turn 8: 80-90

Bit of a surprise here. Everything goes pretty much to plan, and the AI's in the right-hand channel polish off the grunt without further. His commo makes a reappearance, a second or so before my AI goes to HOS, and so gets two shots to my one. Amazingly, those two shots do enough damage (at least 28 points after armour) to take the AI out - and the subsequent explosion then kills both his commo and the trailing medic.

On the right, the HT's do their job without problem, killing the grunt and sniper for the loss of one HT.

Just a bit of mopping up now - there's one grunt in a place he can't escape from the two remaining AI's, and I'd like to see a anyone take out two AI's and a HT with just one badly damaged grenadier.

Score: 11:6

Turn 9: 90-100

That last grunt bites the dust, and I'm in position on his 'nader and base at the end of the turn. Game over.

Things to learn:

AI's are incredibly dangerous close-combat units. They can take a huge amount of damage, dish it out and probably take their opponent with them when they go. I'm really not sure how I'd counter 3 AI's on that map, but running lots would definitely come into it!

And you don't always need a base - I'm not sure it did Torkku any good on this game anyway.

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Posted to DibbleNGrub

191612 v nmaguire

Game 191612 v nmaguire

Second review - you can see the game at http://lsn.kicks-ass.org/lga/download/c50eb31b92fbc030a5ad8fff58713465/191612%20DibbleNGrub%20v%20Nmaguire.lsn

This is a King of the Castle match, against a new opponent - who's also an Elite player

Fortunately, it's on biohazard - which I have played once before.

Deployment:
Since this is a 15 point game, with no military buildings, I think I can safely discount Greys as a viable option.
However, machina, spawn and marines are all quite possible. As I don't know what nmaguire is likely to take, and I fancy a nice simple game after recent epics, I'm going for an assault marine loadout:
1 sniper, 2 grenade elements ('nader and grunt), 2 medics, a base and the rest (4) as grunts.
This should be ample to deal with a spawn rush, and a balanced mech setup. Might have trouble with a AI-heavy mech deployment, but I'll just have to hope he doesn't pick one

My general plan is going to be feint to the right, showing a couple of grunts - but push the grenade elements to the left, with lots of blow-through attacks. The obvious place for a base, should he have one, is going to be in the gap at the top - so positions that can 'nade this will be a preference.
The sniper will loiter in the middle and try to spot or pick off any stationary units. Initial deployment is such I can spread if there are MT's, or converge if there are spawn incoming

Turn 1: 10-20 secs

I've not seen anything on deployment, so ahead with the plan. The grunts on the right will go forward on ROS, and the grenade elements on the left will move forward a bit, with 'nades doing some demolishing at the beginning of the next turn. That'll also be handy if he's spawn and sneaking forward on the left

Turn 2: 20-30 secs

Blast. I don't know whether he's got inspired, but my sniper went down to the first two shots of the game, from another sniper. Must have been forced fire, as I actually walked into the first shot. On the positive side, I think he has 2 snipers, as another shot wings its' way in at the end.

Well, may as well keep to the plan - I was always going to be doing the damage with 'naders, so the loss of the sniper is irritating, but not fatal. There are a couple of my wall-breaker 'nades about to go off on the left, so I'll dodge them and launch through the holes. This'll have two effects - firstly, he'll think I'm standing back and spamming, and secondly, he won't want to come into that room on the left. With plenty of short-range firepower from the grunts, anyone in those rooms will be in trouble.

The grunt on the right will keep peeping through windows, but try to keep out of trouble

Score: 0-2

Turn 3: 30-40 secs

Hmmm. Not doing well with the grenades here. One wall-breaker completely failed to break the wall, and so the followup shots bounced a bit too close to my guys on the left, giving some splash damage. However, there is now a nice hole into the next building - but I saw a 'nade coming in at the end of turn on the left, so he has one 'nader stood at the door at the top.

So, the left-hand assault team will pull back for reload and repair - I'll drop one 'nade on the left of the map to punch an escape route
The right-hand assault team will steam on in, and drop a 'nade in the little lobby area on the left, at the start of the next turn - if his 'nader has a spotter, that's where I'd put him.
The rest of the assault team will cover the walls, as any wall-breaking commo would spoil the party

Score: 0-2

Turn 4: 40-50 secs

Everything went to plan, and still no contact. One bizarre thing though - a 'nade went off on the front of the far right-hand building. Since this is (presumably) blowing the front off, I assume his sniper over there is settling in for the game - and the feinting on the right may be paying off. It does mean that he has 2 'naders, alongside the 2 snipers - so with an assumed 2 medics and a base, that's 11 of the 15 accounted for

Forward on the left, and the 'nader can start hitting likely targets. I'll drop one in the final top-right room - enough to take out the wall, as part of the assault route - and then start chewing my way north, to where I think his base will be.

This is the riskiest move

Score: 0-2

Turn 5: 50-60 secs

Woo. There's a commo lurking, right behind the wall I was suspecting he might come through. My first grunt got through, and then a second grunt and medic got shot - the medic is barely alive. On the good side, the commo is looking ill, and I don't think he'll retreat, so I should be able to take him out - hopefully without loss. This does mean I'm facing (confirmed) 2 snipers, 2 grenadiers, 1 commo and (suspected) 1 base, 2 medics and 1 grunt. If I can take the commo, the 'naders should be able to cause carnage, especially since his second 'nader is still on the far right, destroying scenery

The front grunt will loiter on HOS, hoping to catch his 'nader out - as I don't think he saw the grunt go through. The 'nader will break through to his (presumed) base, and the others will pursue the commo, and back off after

Score: 0-3

Turn 6: 60-70 secs
Pah. The commo took another grunt before dying, and my retreating medic decided to run right in front of the 'nader, taking a point blank explosion. On the good side, his 'nader popped out right on schedule, and took some nice splash damage before being polished off by my grunt. Shame he got a shot off, taking the grunt out - he must have thought I was going via the door on the far left.

I've also exposed the base - exactly where I suspected - and so there are some more incoming 'nades via that route, especially since my second nader is coming back online.

His 'nade pattern shows pretty much where his second 'nader is - in the middle channel somewhere - so I'd better watch out for incoming next round

Despite being numerically behind, I feel I'm in a much better position now. I just need to trash his base, and then he hasn't got much to stop a second wave of assault.

I'll duck to the left with the main force, not stopping enough for a sniper to take me out, and send the lone grunt for a look round the corner to the right, where I saw his only grunt covering for the other 'nader

Score: 5-6

Turn 7: 70-80 secs

Looking better. The 'nades not only took the shine off his base, but also took out a medic that was (presumably) doing some spotting. Also, managed to predict the incoming pattern, and only took minor splash damage to my active 'nader (the damaged one was retreating for reload)

Less good is that the grunts had a face to face meeting - he's damaged, but I'm on last legs. My bloke will die next turn, but can hopefully get a shot off first.

One of his snipers is in a (basically) useless position at the top left - as there's no way he can hit a corner-dancing grunt at that range.

So, I'll duck right this time, away from the sniper, and drop a 'nade where my grunt on the right is - as he's gonna die anyway.

Score: 6-6

Turn 8: 80-90 secs

It was a lot closer with the grunt standoff than I expected - his grunt is down to about 2 health. The corner-dancing almost went wrong - I should have worked out the shot timing with a forced-fire sniper - but got away with it. And, irritatingly, neither 'nade shot this turn is going where I wanted it to - the first should have polished off his grunt, but went through a door instead, and the second should have nestled nicely behind the first of the two windows en-route to his base, but instead is coming back this way. Pah

One nice thing is that I spotted his other 'nader, and he's very near to death - those 'nades near his base must have caused pain. As his base is a bit rough, I don't think he'll risk anything reloading - so I can safely ignore the base for a bit.

I think he'll retreat and try to regroup - so I'll open up a new attack front by blowing away a wall on the right, and then drop a 'nade on his base

Score: 6-7

Turn 9: 90-100 secs.
Forced-fire sniper fire everywhere. He must be getting a bit desperate.
My lead grunt took a sniper shot, but got a few shots away in return - so his sniper # 2 is half-damaged, and I'm in a good position to pursue, so I think I can take him this turn.
Rather surprisingly, the badly damaged grunt showed up for a shot, and is about to get a 'nade in the face. He may be able to bounce it back, so I'll need to take cover.

Everything against the sniper out in the open - some corner-dancing then pursuit, with a bounced 'nade arriving at the end of the turn shoud do a treat. My other 'nader is arriving online, so he can cover the back, in case the sniper on the left charges

Score: 6-7

Turn 10: 100-110 secs

Took the sniper, but lost a grunt to splash damage from his 'nader - at least that locates him. On the plus side, he obviously tried to bounce my 'nade back, but it went wrong and took his grunt. That's helpful

He is now over on the right - the medic is healing up his 'nader, so I assume the sniper will hole up with him. I'll duck left, and finish off his base. His nader now has a max of 4 shots left, depending on reloads, so I can afford to hold back

Score: 9-8

Turn 11: 110-120 secs

3 shots left :-) I'm nowhere near his target zone. Return the empty 'nader for reload, and the other can hit the base to definitely kill it. In the mean time, my one remaining grunt needs a bit of TLC, so hide away from any nasty 'nades

Score 9-8

Turn 12: 120-130 secs

Those bases go up with a bang, you know. And his sniper was stood just too close - at least when combined with the other 'nades. He's firing 'nades blind, to where I was last turn. Max 2 shots left...

I'll loop round to the far left, and try to flank with my 'nader on ROS

Score: 11-8

Turn 13: 130-140 secs
Nothing going. My grunt is getting better, and the nader is getting into position.
A couple more seconds healing, and then the potent grunt-medic combination will make a move

Score: 11-8

Turn 14: 140-150 secs

And a comedy finish. I'd accidentally left the medic on HOS, so my grunt charges off leaving the two medics to exchange shots. Except his medic has only one shot left - so the game ends, with nmaguire having no ammo left.

Things to learn:
Plot retreat paths, and make sure they don't intersect with 'naders firing

Don't rely on pursue so much - plot corner-dancing for grunts

If you are pursuing, plot a safe place to retreat to afterwards

Pretend to be further back than you are by 'nading your own position (but try to take cover first!)

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Posted to DibbleNGrub

November 15, 2005

Welcome to DibbleNGrub

A big hello to DibbleNGrub, another LSNer who is using this site to post some game writeups. You'll find his entries (once ready for public consumption) over on the right.

If you fancy getting your game written up, then why not send him a challenge! You may just get lucky.....

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Posted to DibbleNGrub | General

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