Rebels vs. Earth Force 15mm rematch!

On Thursday, Conscript Mike F. brought his 15mm Sahadeen Rebels over for a game of Future War Commander. I dusted off the Earth Force to oppress them in a rematch of a game we played last year.

 

2500 points of Rebels without a cause. Lots of vehicles with big guns, but fragile. Oh, except for the Siler. That's anything but fragile ;-)

2500 points of Earth Force Oppressors. Five heavily armed APCs, two medium tanks, infantry and some heavy weapons. Seriously outnumbered by the Rebels but elite to the core...

I set out a scenario where a few stands of the Earth Force contingent were holding a VTOL airstrip and guarding a valuable cargo pod. The Rebels enter via mobile deployment on the north edge of the table, and the rest of the EF from the south. The objective is for the EF to hold the cargo pod for 12 turns, when the VTOL carrier will arrive to pick it up.

I deployed a few stands in a wood overlooking the airstrip.

Mike took the first turn and tried to motivate his Rebels on to the table, but mostly failed his Command rolls. The Siler came on though, rolling straight at the woods at the extreme top left of this photo. I rolled the armoured infantry towards the airstrip ASAP.

An APC caught Mike's recce buggy making a sweep around my lines.

The action was joined fast and furious around the airstrip. Mike's rebel APCs and infantry rolled forward in a wave, blowing up my APC and killing some infantry. Siler can be seen at bottom left.

EF reinforcements ride to the rescue. Opportunity fire abounded and Mike's Rebels scored hits, but crucially failed to knock stuff out...

Meanwhile, desperate fighting around the airstrip as the HQ stand (centre right) issues orders to his depleted group...

My other armoured battlegroup rolled up and concentrated fire at the Siler, knocking it out! Mike's face got pretty long when that happened...

Gilles was feeling pretty sociable. He sat in that chair for most of the night.

I guess he was interested to see how the tanks he painted performed on the battlefield!

A sight to warm the cockles of any Future-Assad's heart. Rebel vehicles burning fiercely. Once the Siler was destroyed the fight seemed to go out of the Rebels somehow... when my tanks were able to get into their optimal range things started to blow up real good. On the following turn, the Rebels failed their army morale check and faded back out into the wilderness, leaving the airstrip and cargo pod in the hands of the EF. Vindication for last year's crushing defeat??
 

Propaganda photo-op as the VTOL carrier swoops in to retrieve the cargo pod. Great game, and always cool to wheel out the 15mm SF stuff. I'd actually used the game as a spur to finish a small terrain project - the rusty makeshift shacks seen in some of the pics above. Watch for a new post shortly with detail shots and a review of an amazing new weathering product! (Oh and thanks to Conscripts Mike F. and Brian for coming out for the game, and to Mike for bringing his very cool toys!)