Star Wars Game Report

I have finally got around to writing up a game report on one of my games using my Star Wars Legion miniatures. The game used the Squad Hammer Core rules from Nordic Weasel Games. For the scenario, I used “Destroying a Supply Depot” from Scenarios For All Ages by C.S. Grant and S.A. Asquith, making a few modifications to suit the Sci-Fi setting. It also gave me an opportunity to use some of my newly scratch-built buildings and hills.

Rebel speeder seeks out a target.

Background

Varnis is a semi-arid world located on the edge of the Outer Rim. Most of the time it bakes under the glare of its twin suns. Despite these harsh conditions, pockets of resilient flora and fauna do manage to survive across the landscape. The Empire maintains a strong presence on the planet due to its valuable deposits of Tibanna crystals, which are refined and used to boost the output of energy weapons. The mining operations are typically protected by garrisons of troops.

The Rebel Alliance is supporting a local insurgency aimed at disrupting and hopefully halting the Empire's mining efforts. In this particular raid, the rebels are launching a early dawn assault on a remote storage facility housing Tibanna crystals.

The facility is defended by two squads of troops, a detachment of two speeder bikes, and a heavy blaster emplacement mounted on the garrison building’s roof. A garrison officer (villain) is commanding the site.

The tabletop setup. The garrison building is in the centre and storage facility to its left.

The two troops are on patrol. The officer and speed bikes are at the garrison and the heavy blaster is on the roof.

Under the cover of darkness...

During the first three turns of the game, the Rebels advanced under cover of darkness with all their units except the skimmer which arrives on Turn 3, marking the beginning of the main assault. The Rebel units cannot move within 12 inches of the enemy and, each turn roll a D6 to determine how many units they could activate. 

The Rebel order of battle...

The Rebels have six units:

• Leia Organa with droid carrying explosives
• Han Solo and Chewbacca with droid carrying explosives
• Rebel Troopers with rapid fire weapon
• Rebel Troopers with medium blaster.
• Local Insurgents
• Skimmer with medium blaster and rapid fire weapon

The storage facilities can only be destroyed by a unit carrying explosives.

The Rebel attack begins at dawn.

Han Solo and Chewbacca creep up behind a hill.

The Rebel attack begins...

As dawn broke, blaster fire shattered the morning silence as the Rebel assault erupted without warning. Their first volleys caught the garrison patrol near the storage facility completely off guard. Within moments, the squad was cut down in a hail of red blaster bolts.

But other garrison troops were quick to respond. Speeder bikes roared into action, engines screaming as they weaved their way towards the Rebel positions. The Rebel skimmer surged forward to intercept, its blaster cannon lighting up the gloom, but both units flashed past each other in a blur of motion, neither being able to land a decisive shot.

Early Rebel success as the garrison patrol near the storage facility is eliminated. The speeder bikes and skimmer can be seen kicking up dust in their wake.

The sound of the speeder bikes grew louder as they sped toward the storage facilities kicking up dust in their wake. The garrison officer was also running towards the storage area while shouting orders into his comlink desperately trying to organise his forces.

Meanwhile, a firefight was underway on the far side of the garrison. A second garrison patrol had come under fire from Rebel troopers who had circled around the flank and now held the high ground on a nearby hill. From their elevated position they had pinned down the patrol.

Speeder bikes run the gauntlet of Rebel fire as the heavy blaster on top of the garrison building provides covering fire.

Han Solo and Chewbacca had barely made it to the cover of the storage facility when blaster bolts sizzled overhead. The garrison officer, supported by a pair of speeder bikes, had run the gauntlet of Rebel fire  pinning the heroic duo down.

Han and Chewbacca soon found they were on their own and isolated. The remaining Rebel squads were fully engaged, trading fire with the heavy blaster cannon entrenched atop the garrison roof, and were not in position to lend support. As more blaster bolts flew in their direction, Han muttered through gritted teeth, “Great. Just the two of us again.” Chewbacca growled in agreement and raised his Bowcaster to return fire.

Han and Chewbacca dive for cover.

Han and Chewbacca were forced to delay planting the explosives, pinned down as they engaged in a firefight with the garrison officer and the strafing blasts from the speeder bikes. 

Then the tide began to turn...

One speeder bike spiraled out of control, trailing smoke before crashing in a fiery explosion. Moments later, the second bike cartwheeled out of control as Rebel troopers redirected their fire having destroyed  the heavy blaster cannon on top of the garrison building. Rebel troops now surged forward, racing toward the storage facility.

Surrounded and outgunned, the garrison officer made his final stand, but it ended in a storm of blaster fire. With the immediate threat cleared, Han and Chewbacca started placing the demolition charges “let’s blow this place.”

Rebel forces run towards the storage facility as the garrison officer makes his last stand.

After thoughts…

The Squad Hammer Core rules are continuing to provide the fast-paced games I am looking for. Most games last between 6 to 8 turns and typically take around 30 minutes to play. In an evening, I will often replay a scenario, trying out different tactics or swapping out one unit for another to see how it changes the game.

Combat can be quite decisive at times. This can add a real sense of tension when choosing your unit orders, which all seems to suit skirmish-level games as they are not about grinding the enemy down through attrition.

Here are some of the house rules I use with the rules. Noting the rules do get updated on the Wargames Vault so my version of the rules may well be outdated.

• Vehicles and Individual model units cannot regroup (they cannot remove 2 hits using the Regroup order unlike Troop units).

• Individual heroes/villains and Troop units can use the Defend order, allowing them to take up a defensive position and remove 1 hit.

• Vehicles may only turn up to 90 degrees at the start and/or end of their movement. All movement must be in a straight line.

• Shooting ranges are limited to 12" for pistols and 18" for larger weapons. These ranges are increased by 6" if the unit is on elevated terrain like a hill or building rooftop.

• Speedster units must always move at least half their movement distance. This half-move is free if they’re not given a direct order during the turn.

One rule I occasionally forget is applying is the firefight rule, where units can return fire or fall back after being shot at. As a house rule, I limit a unit's ability to returning fire only once per turn, (the core rules do not seem to specify a limit).

All being well my next post will be another battle report, but instead of Star Wars it will be a the Battle of Mortimer's Cross. A remote Wars of the Roses game hosted by Jon of Palouse Wargaming Journal.