"Headquarters Hell"
Pacification Arc - Mission 3
A Firefight 2.0 scenario for two players by Greg Rumbles.
The Canlastrian allied Lothian Borderers must defend thier headquarters against attack from Yordist Musterman and fanatics until help arrives.
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Sir Samuel Rumbles’ right eye squinted under his bushy dark grey brow, as it always did when something vexed him. The Lothian Borderers, his lads, were spread thin trying to control a sector of the recently captured war torn city of Coggshall, known locally as Zone 5. And the native Yordist population was having none of it. They had just finished a three day orgy of looting and mayhem which would have put the riots of 20th century Old Earth to shame for the wanton destruction the place’s inhabitants had wrought.
It didn’t matter that the property they had destroyed had belonged to their own neighbours and friends. It was stress driven madness, fuelled by fear and rage. They had wanted to get even, they didn’t care who with. Someone had to pay for their weeks of terror, living under the guns and through the bombings. They were quiet now, exhausted. Or so the Captain of Canlastrian mercenaries fervently hoped.
His Borderers were deployed in a 360 degree perimeter. The four rifle and one heavy posts of Number 1 platoon’s Retained, paired one to one with the four rifle, one scout, and one heavy squads of the Mustermen of Number 2 platoon. Each combined team trying to keep the peace in a twelve city block area around Sir Sam’s Company Headquarters. The whole operational area anchored by the company’s four light sentry guns, which controlled the four main intersections of the city district’s grid, albeit tenuously, under the Tocs Borderer Company’s watch. The Borderer’s Mixed Number 3 company was held in reserve with the company’s ‘Kelpie’ armoured personnel carriers, Motor Transport Section, and the two light infantry guns of the company Cannon Section, at a soccer stadium just inside the Northern edge of the position. These troops would act as a reaction force to any further civilian violence, or as a reserve should the Yordist forces counterattack and threaten Coggshall yet again. Though that was hardly bloody likely!
One of the two heavy sentry guns remaining in the Borderer’s Weapon’s Section was deployed at the stadium, the other sat humming its peculiar deadly tune atop the roof of Sir Sam’s command post. A command post, which was too bloody isolated for Sir Sam’s liking. He had survived too many similar situations. He knew they were going to be hit. There were always stragglers and even small, lightly armed units purposely left behind in built up areas by retreating armies. These men were led by officers who bordered upon the fanatical in their staunch resolve to further their command’s aims by any and all means possible. Even if it cost them their lives. The most fearful thing was that they often donned civilian garb to blend in with the general population. Throwing back their robes and cloaks to brandish weapons and strike with the daring of men who had already written themselves off as dead.
The Mission and Its Aims
A copy of IAG001 Firefight 2.0 Killing Streets for the Firefight rules is necessary to play this mission. Also required are two squads of ION Age Muster miniatures and a post of Retained.
This mission is for two players, with the Canlastrian player commanding a mercenary Lothian Borderer Retained post trying to defend their Company Headquarters, supported by a lone heavy sentry gun. The Canlastrian player may also use up to four force pavaise markers. These can be used in any way, perhaps to create a firing position or even as dragons teeth defences. The front door of the Company Command Post (CP) building has been reinforced and fortified giving it a dodge score of 4. The other buildings in the area have outer walls with a dodge score 3 value. All the buildings have inner walls with a dodge score of 2 value.
The Yordist player commands two squads of Yordist Mustermen out to make a hit and run raid on the Canlastrian Headquarters. Their objective is simply to destroy it. One of the Yordist soldiers is a fanatic, who has decided today will be the end of his war, and he does not intend to go alone. He is wearing five Hobbs Bombs, bundled in a combat engineer’s assault charge under his civilian cloak. See the scenario ‘Special Rules and Conditions’ for this demolition’s effect.
The mission objective for the Canlastrian player is to hold their headquarters building, utilizing their own resources to keep the enemy at bay and to stay alive. Once the shooting starts, they must hold out for six plus 1D6 turns before help arrives from the nearby soccer stadium and the remaining Yordist troops melt back into the cowering population. As suicide bombers are a repulsive but known threat, anyone trying to cross the military restricted area, as marked by a coil of barbed wire five squares out from the headquarters’ building should be shot on sight.
Creating the Playing Area
Use the Happy Burger Arc – Drive Through mission map modified as follows: take the two narrow end buildings from the western edge and place them where the intersection board is. This is the CP. The open street around it represents the restricted area. The surrounding buildings are an abstract of the myriad of narrow alleyways and flimsy structures that make up so much of an ancient city’s streets.
Player One – Sir Sam Rumbles, Captain of the Lothian Tocs Borderers
You have a 152 point veteran post of Retained troops. One Retained Household Errant Knight (Sir Sam) with a Tumbler MkIII SMG and an Octa Sword, one Retained Household Medic with a Tumbler MkIII SMG, and two Retained Household Esquires, both armed with Angis 12.5mm Automatic Rifles. One of the Esquires has the comms skill and he must start the game inside of the CP and cannot move until the second turn, as he is sending off the distress message to Number 3 Platoon for help as the attack begins.
Place the Canlastrian Mercenaries within a five square radius of the CP. You may also place your four force pavaises and heavy sentry gun at this time. Place them wisely!
There are no alternate options for this squad.
Player Two – Yordist Muster Emeritas, Tom Thorn
You have a 150 point force consisting of two squads of Mustermen. The first of 65 points, containing one Emeritas (Tom Thorn) with a Moth Type VI 9mm Automatic Rifle, and three infantry, also with Moth Type VI 9mm Automatic Rifles. One character may have a Hobbes Bomb.
The second squad of 85 points, has one Emeritas (Dick English) armed with a Moth Type VI 9mm Automatic Rifle and a Hobbes Bomb Demolition charge, and three Mustermen carrying 9mm Moth Type VI Automatic Rifles. One has a Hobbes Bomb. Place them on P2’s starting places, with the first squad (Thorn’s) in the firing positions directly opposite the front entrance of the Canlastrian’s CP and the other (English’s) on one of either flanking board behind the restricted area. English must move at the run for the door of the CP. If he gets in to the building through it, it’s game over for the Canlastrian player!
There are no alternate options for this squad.
Special Rules and Conditions
There is one new special rule for this mission.
Special Rules
Combat Engineer’s Assault Charge – This demolition is prepared before game play. It is a taped bundle of five Hobbes Bombs connected around a single stick fuse, and is very nasty when it goes off!
The fuse takes 1D6 actions to detonate the charge. The charge can only be thrown one square away or carried by a fanatic to its target. On a roll of 1, the fuse prematurely detonates, killing whoever is holding it and hitting anyone in the area of effect (AOE) around them. The blast effect in the AOE is that of a grenade plus one square (3 squares), only at strength of 4 rather than 2.
I told you this was nasty! This demolition may be used against buildings, bunkers, and vehicles.
Expanding the Mission
This mission is part of the Pacification Firefight 2.0 Campaign Mission Arc set after the fall of Bosworth IV, and should be played with other missions in the Firefight 2.0 Campaign Arc in the correct order.
This mission sets the stage for the following missions and it should not be expanded.
It may also be played as a stand- alone scenario.
Designer’s Notes
This mission is the third of a series of missions in a Firefight 2.0 Campaign which is meant to show the difficulties faced by an occupying force in a built up area in time of war. I have drawn upon the reports of recent military experiences in the modern age and have applied them to this mission arc. When the players have finished all of the missions, it is my hope they will be enlightened to the truly difficult job military personnel have when forced by circumstance and orders to occupy and garrison a city in a foreign land.
This mission introduces the concept of ‘Fanatics’, men and women capable of any act, without thought of the consequences or as to who may be hurt by their actions.
In play testing this mission, the Yordist were able to kill all of the Canlastrian Retained post in the CP once in three games, the fanatic never made it in to the CP, but on one occasion did manage to knock down an outer wall, tipping the heavy sentry gun off of the roof, and allowing for the fire of his assaulting fellow Mustermen to cut down the mercenaries at short range. Two other attempts resulted in bloody repulses for the Yordist insurgent force.
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Webmaster's Notes
This article was originally published on Barking Irons Online and is reproduced here with permission.
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