Battle report : PHR- the Resistance 1400 - mission : Recon

Spending a long time collecting and painting miniature for dropzone commander, at long last the time to play had come ! We decided to choose the two armies I have models for that we haven't tried yet : Resistance and PHR. The two army lists were done in FFOR. I just finished the 24 technicals and the drill the day before the game, so it was a perfect opportunity to use them in the game ! All the scenery was placed in a big bag, and the models in their foamed case, we read the rules once more, and we prepared for the game !

The Resistance, 1400 pts

The Resistance Standard Army

Clash: 1370/1400 points
Standard Army
Resistance Standard [1370/1400 pts]
Breaching Drills [50 pts]
Breaching Drill: Model 109 Breaching Drill [50 pts]
Warlord's HQ [255 pts]
Alexander: M3 Alexander [135 pts]
Cyclones: 2x AH-16 Cyclone [120 pts]
Vehicle Detachment [257 pts]
Gun Wagons: 3x Gun Wagon, NT-1 Kraken [113 pts]
Rocket Technicals: 12x Rocket Technical [144 pts]
Resistance Band [289 pts]
Fighters: 2x Resistance Fighters, AT-77 Lifthawk(+AA Cannon), 3x MT-90 Jackson(+Spider Launcher) [193 pts]
^ Sharing ^ Fighters: 2x Resistance Fighters [48 pts]
^ Sharing ^ Fighters: 2x Resistance Fighters [48 pts]
Infiltrators [279 pts]
Marine Force Recon: 2x Marine Force Recon, Raven A/S(+Missile Pods) [159 pts]
Gun Technicals: 6x Gun Technical [60 pts]
Gun Technicals: 6x Gun Technical [60 pts]
Rusted Fist [160 pts]
Hannibals: 2x M9 Hannibal, AT-77 Lifthawk(+AA Cannon) [160 pts]
Fast Strikers [80 pts]
Archangel Pathfinders: Archangel Pathfinder [80 pts]

The PHR, 1400 pts

PHR Standard Army

Clash: 1381/1400 points
Standard Army
PHR Standard Roster [1381/1400 pts]
Hand of the Sphere [191 pts]
Command Squad: Zeus, Odin, Neptune [191 pts]
Battle Pantheon [417 pts]
Battle Squad: 2x Ares, Poseidon [165 pts]
^ Sharing ^ Battle Squad: 4x Phobos [252 pts]
Immortals [225 pts]
Immortals: 2x Immortals, Neptune, 2x Juno A2 [153 pts]
^ Sharing ^ Immortals: 2x Immortals [72 pts]
Heavy Pantheon [215 pts]
Taranis Squad: 2x Taranis [90 pts]
Apollo Squad: 2x Apollo-A, Neptune [125 pts]
Pegasus Group [198 pts]
Janus Squad: 2x Janus, Triton A2 [66 pts]
Sirens: 2x Sirens, Triton A1 [132 pts]
Air Wing [135 pts]
Athena Squad: Athena [135 pts]

The mission

The mission I chose was Recon : each structure hold a piece of information that can be retrieved to grant one victory point, be a trap or could even be an Objective (and in this case could earn 3 victory points).

The table before the game. Only 10 structures, we could have placed a couple more in hindsight

On a passé pas mal de temps avant de jouer à discuter des deux armées, de chaque unité, de leurs caractéristiques, de leurs points forts et de leurs faiblesses. Notre objectif était de découvrir le jeu et de se faire plaisir avant tout. Ayant 2 parties avec les starter sets à mon actif et mon adversaire une seule, on se considère tout les deux comme des débutants à dropzone.

We first spent a long time discussing the armies, the units, the game. Our main purpose was to have fun and try the game. We only had a couple games each, so we are almost beginners...

Turn 1

We try very hard not to get the turn sequence wrong, and we begin the game with the initiative rolls. I forgot to buy the Resistance cards, so we play without. The PHR wins the first turn and decide to let the Resistance player have the  first activation. We then check if the reserves comes but none decides to get into readiness yet (no big surprise).

The two appollos walkers and the taranises deploys. The missile launchers fire on a building on the far end of the table (no other target yet).

The Resistance deploys its infantry in the buildings near the center. The last Jackson APC drives to the parking. The dropship with the hannibal tanks go next to the parking, ready to deploy the armor as needed.

The PHR deploys its troops in the nearest buildings on its side center. Meanwhile the Resistance deploys its gun wagon on the main street to cover the sky.

The commander's Neptune arrives and flies very far to the center of the board, trying to deploy as near the ennemy as possible. 

The gun Technicals deploys on the left flank

On the other side, the other gun technical squad do the same

The Janus scouts arrives on the main street to lend their  superior scanners to the PHR artillery as soon as possible. The Siren's Triton approaches the parking at full speed.

The two cyclones pounce on the Appollos, firing a rocket salvo that damage one walker without destroying it.

The Alexander Command tank arrives on the battle field, and fires its 220mm howitzer against a building, but misses ! The Resistance commander enrages...

The main bulk of the PHR army arrives at last and deploy on the main street. 

Turn 2

The PHR wins initiative again and decides to go first. The drill and the Archangel come from reserves. The Athena superiority fighter is not yet available.

The Taranises drive to the nearest building and fire, but miss (forget its MF 0"). The Appollos and their Neptune try to flee the Cylcones as fast as possible.

The drill emerge from the ground right in the middle of the main street. As soon as it is there, 12 rocket technicals drive out of it from the tunnels

The two heavy walkers from the PHR, the Zeus and the Odin, deploy right in front of the technicals to counter their advance. Meanwhile the Resitance soldiers find 2 Objectives in their buildings !

The Cyclones and the Alexander focus their fire on the parking building and do heavy damage, killing sirens in the process.

PHR immortals find one piece of intel and another one explodes. They evacuate the building and fly with their Neptune to the next buildings.

The two Hannibals are deployed on the other side of the parking, ready to cover one broad avenue.

The PHR walkers advance slowly on the street. The four phobos form one very tough air interdiction bubble for the Resistance aircrafts. 

The Resistance weapons fire again on the parking and kill two more sirens. Only two of the elite phr soldiers remain alive and ready to extract the intel.

Meanwhile, the Archangel pathfinder fly accross the battlefield and tries to gun the Appollo's Neptune down, but only achieve to damage it lightly. Two phobos try to destroy the UCM fighter but it is far too nimble.

Turn 3

Once again, the PHR win the initiative. The Athena comes into readiness at long last ! The Resistance is leading 6-1. Sadly it appears we are far too slow and we have to put an end to this game sooner than its natural course.

The gun technicals move toward the Immortal's Neptune. Only one of the AA gun is in range and it fails to accomplish anything on its own.

The sirens find one piece of intel and achive to extract themselves and enter another building, that should be safer. Some shots destroy a few rocket technicals. They fire on the Zeus in retaliation and damage it without managing to kill it.

End of the game (and not on the picture) : we decide to play the Athena run last. The PHR fighter manages to destroy one Cyclone while the Archangel has a hard time hitting the aircraft moving in supercruise. As the Athena flies over the gun wagons at full speed, some lucky shots from the Resistance AA guns destroy the PHR aircraft.

End of the game

Victory of the Resistance 6-2 on turn 3. Overall it was a very good game and we should be quicker and more experienced with the rules the next time.