Battle Report, Resistance vs PHR vs Shaltari, 1500pt, 'Orbital Laser'
2022-04-10 DZC Resistance / DZC Shaltari / DZC PHR / Battle Report / Dropzone Commander / 10mm-SF /
The Concept
Ty found an Orbital Laser model and painted it up, and we futzed with the old laser scenario to make it work better for 3 players
The Scenario - Precious Cargo
Victory Conditions
- At the end of each round, if a faction has sole control over one of the 3 Small Bunker they gain 1 VP (for each).
- At the end of each round, if a faction has sole control of the Aegis Defense Laser, they gain 2 VP
- If you destroy a Small Building in an enemy faction’s control zone, you gain 1 VP.
- If you destroy a Medium Building in an enemy faction’s control zone, you gain 2 VP,
- If you destroy a Large Building in an enemy faction’s control zone, you gain 3 VP,
- After 6 Rounds, you gain 1 VP for each of your Small Building in your faction’s control zone which is still standing, and which is either controlled by you or is uncontrolled, 2Vp for each Medium Building, and 3 for each Large Building.
- After 6 Rounds you gain 2 VP for each Small Building in an enemy faction’s control zone which is solely controlled by your faction, 4 VP for each Medium Building, and 6 VP for each Large Building
Units begin in readiness and can come in from any board edge in your control zone
Optional Rules
House Rules in Use: Simultaneous CQ resolution. If you perform a CQ shooting attack, and the target has not fired their weapons that turn, you both roll damage against each other at the same time. Also Fast Movers can enter from any board edge.
The Forces
PHR
HQ – 255 + 95 (LVL 4 CMDR) = 350
Proteus Mobile Command Post - 75
6x Janus Scout Walker - 90
6x Janus Scout Walker– 90
Frontline Battlegroup A&B – 210 x 2 = 420
2 x Immortal Corps -60
2 x Longreach Snipers -90
2 x Triton Troopship – 60
Armor Battlegroup – 455
2 x Menchit w/ Styx Autocannon – 90
4 x Enyo Heavy Walker –260
3 x Neptune Dropship –105
Auxiliary – 220
Athena Air Superiority FIgher w/ Cruise Missiles – 110
Athena Air Superiority FIgher w/ Shooting Star Missiles – 110
Ty: I decided the game would be about volume of firepower, so I made a list of the PHR units that had the most E6/E7 shots per their points cost. So you get the Janus heavy list and the snipers.
The Shaltari
Tree: Collapsing buildings are a good way to wipeout my low wound inf bases, which is why I also went for long shot point denial
The Resistance
HQ
Pizzaro + CV:2
2x Sappers
2x Sappers
The Grand Battery
6x Artillery Wagons w/Golgotha Missiles
6x Artillery Wagons w/Golgotha Missiles
Leviathan w/4x AA Turrets
Bomber Wing
Barrel Bomber w/AA Turret
Barrel Bomber w/AA Turret
Air-Mobile Infantry
2x Fighters in Jackson APC
2x Fighters in Jackson APC
2x Fighters in Jackson APC
Lifthawk w/AA Turret
Armor
6x Rocket Technicals in Kraken
2x Hannibal w/HI-EX Rounds in Lifthawk w/AA Turret
Special Forces
2x Marine Force Recon Vets in Swifthawk
Slyphic: It's a demo scenario, Resistance bread'n'butter. Still limiting myself to units I've painted, so no bomb buses, but otherwise exactly what I wanted to bring to the table. I'm of half a mind to swap the Pizzaro for an Alexander, but I can't afford to fly it on without cutting out things I care more about, so once again the Pizzasaurus wins by virtue of being cheaper and not slow as shit. Also taking just enough infantry to at least make my opponents work for the bunker points.
The Game
The city, pristine.
PHR set down a firebse early on, the Proteus screened by buildings, the whole overwatched by A-M Rifle packing Longreach Snipers.
Here you can see two common Shaltari formations, the mass gauss fire grav-tank echelon, and the 'storm cloud' of gates that defy you to fly anywhere near them. The cloud will go on to envelope and egulf and zap-zap choice units.
The Grand Battery of one-shot Golgotha Missile packin' Storm Wagons (nee Thunder Wagons), disembarked and readying to launch.
End of Turn 1, a few buildings downed already mostly from mass of regular weapons.
The most disappointing roll of the game. The Barrel Bomber Goliath bomb rolls a 1 to-hit and clunks into the side of the building doing literally nothing, despite flying through a tempest of Shaltari Gate Interference AA Reaction Fire.
The Storm Wagons having fired their single missle become traffic as they slowly drive off the board. At least they downed the PHR screening building, and one of their towers.
By end of game, the board was a barren wasteland. We really need rubble markers or tokens or something. It's on the to-do list, since the glowing vehicle wreck marker was largely a bust.
After Action Reports
Ty: Math whizzes among you will note that I am a good deal short of the point limit for this game. This was not intentional, I just got to the game venue and realized I had forgotten 2 Enyos which were intended to deploy with the HQ Battlegroup. I added some Commander levels to try to offset this, but the lack of PHR firepower was definitely felt throughout the game.
The principle going into the scenario was to calculate units which had the highest average Damage Per Points (DPP) spent when compared to a Armor 10 building. PHR units are, without exception, the most expensive in the game on the whole, so I felt I needed to be as efficient as possible. Certain units (Enyo and Athena) scored high as expected. Others (looking at you, Janus) were surprises.
Slyphic: Even when the dice are against them, the Resistance excels at demolition. It's a little sad how lackluster other armies dedicated demo units are compared to conventional weaponry, and an aspect of the game I find TTC has sadly fouled up in DZC 2e. Also, Collateral is still a great deal of faffing about for very little effect. I learned nothing new from this game, and the only move I'd perhaps make differently would be to better consider the matchup of MFR vets to Immortals which were slaughtered to a stand in a single volley, and if I had them painted bomb buses would have been an interesting addition.
Also, still loving the Deep Cut mat.