The Day The Sky Fell

"We had no chance, they hit the elevator first.  The rings fell from the skies, they hit like great bombs. As they hit, the city died.  The impacts were furious, the shockwaves leveled whole districts, the dust created huge choking clouds.  Then the dropships came, The Collective came to finish us by hand."
--transmitted from remains of Summerville City, New Haven.

In the aftermath of the Collective strike on New Haven UNSC units scramble to extract essential personnel

A Pelican inbound over the remains of Summerville

The Pelican lands, the mission: locate and retrieve two UNSC scientists trapped in the area

The Scientists have gone to ground, they could be in one of three locations (UNSC roll to test, 5-6 for first, 3-6 second, and automatic for last)

The Collective roam the area hunting down survivors

Tavashar elites lead teams of Neeks

Naga lurk in the ruins

Fleet Marines debus from the Pelican, they fan out into the rubble

An NCO briefs alpha fire team and support echelon

Bravo fire team move on out

Alpha moves to eliminate a hotspot

Naga interrupt

A Neek squad interrups

Fortunately the support echelon were on Overwatch

The Naga are pummeled by fire, the survivor's nerve fails

The Neeks go down too, the Tavashar leader steadies their nerve

The Neeks fire on the Marines, wounding one

Marines return fire, killing one Neek, again the Tavashar leader holds the squad in check

Marines contact the hotspot, then...

...open up killing the Tavashar.  Remarkably the Neeks' nerve still holds

Bravo team comes under fire

Overwatch takes down Neeks

Bravo adds to that score.  The Elite holds the remaining Neek in check

Another Neek team interrupts Bravo

This time causing one casualty

Bravo's return fire is ineffectual

Bravo consolidate their position in the crater

A group of elites advance under cover of the rubble

Marines dig in, preparing overwatch placements

The collective gain reinforcements

Bravo medevacs its wounded and is reinforced by the NCO

Alpha medevacs

And secures the hotspot (by end of turn)

Overwatch is brutal.

The Collective response equally so

Bravo is down!

Elites adavance to finish the job off

Perhaps not, overwatch drops one elite

The Collective surge towards the vulnerable Marines

Overwatch does its job

This time the elite cannot hold the Neeks, they flee to safety

Its not looking so greta for the UNSC, they have been pinned back into their deployment area, at this rate they will never recover the scientists

We need a HERO!

A Hero for the morning light, he's got to be strong

And up for the fight...  ...A Spartan is inserted via Drop-pod (random entry via hotspots)

More Naga appear, right next to the remains of the last group (this hotspot has had all the reinforcements so far!)

The two groups link up to form a new one

I spy with my little eye... ...nothing, no scientists here

But what's this?

BLAM BLAM

Why, its dead collective!

Meanwhile, elsewhere, the elites shoot up the NCO

Not so good for the UNSC

However, overwatch is sweet revenge.  If only it had happened before the NCO got shot up

The Neeks take hits, but their nerve holds

Still holding

The Spartan closes on his next victims

Casually shooting up the Naga

Then lining up on the Elite's squad

Neek down

The Elite loses its nerve again

Overwatch makes it pay

The Naga engage the Spartan

They manage to take down his shield

The Neeks are back at it

Fire! One Neek down, morale holds

Return fire!, one Marine down, morale holds

Phew look at all those kill markers.  This turn the Collective fail to get reinforcements

The UNSC push on, the Spartan advances into the crater

The Spartan finds the two scientists,

but he has other things to worry about, like the Naga over there

BLAMMO!, one down, one shrinks, no more Naga

"Its just a flesh wound", the Marine is back into the fight (next turn)

Still, here?

Not for long

BRAAAAAAP!  But their nerve holds!

The collective gets some reinforcements, a unit of Elites appear on the edge of the battle area

The Spartan gains dependents, time to get them outta Dodge

The Spartan hands off the scientists to the Marines

This is going to be close

Marines sprint across the street to provide cover for the scientists

They finally kill off one of the Neek squads.  The other hunkers down in place

Run!

Next turn, things don't go well for the Collective, no reinforcements.  Those Elites have along run ahead of them

Get

to

Tha

Choppa!

Chaaaarge!

Run away!

Hold in place

Zappo! the Elites take down the Spartan's shield

BLAMMO!  the Spartan pays that forward

BRAAP! as does Overwatch

We are outta here!

The scientists are rescued from the battle area.  The mission is a success

Phew!

Collective reinforcements appear (at that same hotspot, the smoke marker really works)

The Marines check on Bravo team, to find only the NCO can fight on.  With the scientists rescued and their ride gone, the Marines now have to organise a fighting retreat to the next UNSC defense line for pick up

That was fun!  The elites really made the Neek squads much tougher, without the Spartan there was no way the Marines would have been able to pull this mission off.

And now, scenery.  I realized while playing that I made this destroyed building terrain nearly fifteen years ago.  I was reading a set of rules (Crossfire, I think) and it had a 'how to make scenery' section.  As I was a low-on-funds postdoc at the time I gave it a go,  I'm pretty happy how they came out and for a set of bodged together terrain they have lasted really well.  The craters and rubble were more recent presents.

I have new hotspot markers.  I recently got a Plantetfall scenery box, in the box were these resin objective markers.  I think they are pretty good, so they have become my latest scifi Ambush alley hotspot markers/general objectives.

While tidying up with post-game beer I got thinking about the other little-soldier related gifts and I remembered my favourite one of all.  More on that in the next post.