Battle Report: Black Talons vs NuCoal 2024-01-13

2024-01-13 batrep / heavy gear / hgb-bt / hgb-nucoal /

First game of the new year, and I hadn't actually had a Heavy Gear game since I made base labels for all my gears. Also finished building a few more of the 4Ground sets. We intended to try the new flex action rules, but neither of us really groked them yet, so just a standard game of HGB v3.1

Black Talon Forces

Full Black Talon Force Org via HGBTools

Strike Team One
  Chi Raven 15TV
  Beta Eagle 18TV
   - CGL, Duelist, Precise, Ace Gunner
  Beta Eagle 19TV
   - 2iC, Duelist, Precise, Ace Gunner

Strike Team Two
  Dark Hyena Nu Spectre 29TV
   - Commanding Officer, Anti-Air, ECCM
  Omega Vulture Theta 23TV
   - 2iC
  Lambda Vulture 21TV

NuCoal Forces

Full NuCoal Force Org via HGBTools

Strike Team
  Chasseur MK2 Fulgurant CV 14TV
   - Personal Equipment, Improved Gunnery
  Chasseur MK2 Fulgurant CV 14TV
   - Personal Equipment, Improved Gunnery
  Espion Fulgurant CV 19TV
   - High Octane, Task Force Commander
  Fusilier Javelin 17TV
Secondary Recon Element
  Jerboa Flash Rapid LBZ 9TV

Fire Support
  Jerboa Flash Rapid LBZ 9TV
  Chevalier Spear 17TV
   - Veteran, Improved Gunnery
  Chevalier Spear 17TV
   - Veteran, Improved Gunnery
  Sapeur Demolisher Hands 9TV
   - CGL

The Game

Deployment

Talons choose to all airdrop in, so NuCoal sets up first. Strike group in the park, Fire Support in the shanty village. Orange markers are the two BT 'Assassinate' targets

Black Talons drop in right up to the midline, mostly behind hard cover with one Eagle daring people to shoot it.

Turn 1

That Eagle dodged the almost the entire round of fire from the Strike Team. Particle blasts whizzing by, shells pinging off the building. Then the Fusilier gets a green light from the targeting computer and cores the damned thing, nothing left but a smoking ruin (rolled an 11 on the attack, vs a 4 on the defense, for 15 damage).

The field gun packing Vulture retaliated with a blast that put some hurt on the Chevaliers and nearly killed the Jerboa behind them, while the railgun Vulture nearly crippled the Fusilier. Hyena stayed in cover, the turreted react rotary laser on a hair trigger.

The Fire Support's Jerboa hits the rocket boots and comes around the corner, trying to paint a gear with the target desginator. It eats both barrels of lasers and is splattered all over the streets. But the Chevalier top speed charge in as well and there's only so many rockets the Hyena can take.

The remaining Eagle and Raven punish the exposed Chevalier, crippling both.

Turn 2

With the Hyena down, NuCoal has a significant advantage to the activation rolls and capitalizes on it. The Sapeur catches the railgun Vulture and starts dismantling it.

The Eagle finishes off the Chevalier in response, the Chasseur Mk2s take down the field gun Vulture after it entirely misses, and the day starts to look really bad for the Talons.

Turn 3

The Espion and Raven get into a cyber fight, with the Raven coming off the worse for it, and the Eagle not quite putting down the Sapeur. This spells the end for the Talons, with the Chasseurs coming up behind the sole survivor, which dies to a Fusilier round to the back.

After Action Report

NuCoal is fast. NuCoal is fast. NuCoal is fast. I don't know how many times I need to learn to fight then at a distance, instead of trying to close with them. I probably also over upgraded my Talons, as I wasn't really able to make much use of the extra rerolls and commands.

NuCoal MVP was the Fusilier, easily. Being able to move 20" more than makes up for a Top Speed penalty, and it's got a great array of complimentary weapons and ranges. Solid little light tank.

Talon MVP was the Eagle. If it can get a couple grouped enemies, the Ace Gunner on a maxed out precise HAC is a punishing attack. I was never really able to arrange for a haywired target to maximize the attack, though that was my plan going in.

Overall a fun game, despite being tabled.