2013-01-08 7TV Ep. 2 Moon Nazi's Steal Christmas

Episode 2 'Gonna find out who's naughty and nice'

Synopsis

Fanatical Nazi Otto Von Krank and the lovely, delectable but quite mad Dr Brunhilde have failed to find the location of Santa’s fortress.  Unable to make radio contact with their ship part of the expedition have returned to the Valkyrie under the ice with the spoils. The rest with Otto continue their investigation and begin to search for the one person who can give them what they want.

Meanwhile the Brigadier’s daughter Dr Kate Stewart has re-joined her team with other stragglers after their defeat at the crash site.  Discarding their heavy weapons for greater mobility the team returns to reclaim the mountain and look for the one person they haven’t found….

THE PILOT

Cast      300 points of Moon Nazis, U.N.I.T and North Pole Rescue Rangers

Location  

The episode takes place on a 6’ by 6’ table in snow bound Alaska. In one quarter is a hill with a crash site, another a wooded long ridge, then a tall wooded hill and the final quarter woods in a river valley. 

There is deep snow up the slope of the crash site which reduces movement by half. The crash site summit must be climbed.

Set Up  

Moon Nazis 12” around crash site.

U.N.I.T 24” from crash site.

North Pole Rescue Rangers on tall hill concealed in woods. Pilot set up between 12” and 24” of crash site.

And …Action  Initiative is determined as normal in all turns

Special Rules

On Location rules for snow.

Agility test required while clambering on Sleigh.

Intelligence test required to find hi tech items in sleigh

Sleigh Pilot 1138 also known as Dobby has infiltrated the U.N.I.T for safety. He is immobile with injuries and fear. He will snap out of it after a stern talking too by a North Pole Rescue Ranger and can be activated from that point on.

End Credits

The episode will end if all the opposing models are Stunned, Dominated or are otherwise removed from play. The attacker can exit his models via any table edges in his set-up area.

Victory Points

Victory Condition Description VP award

Enemy Star/Co-Star Model Eliminated                                                             + 1 VP per Hit

For each enemy Star or Co-Star eliminated, gain VPs equal to

 that model's initial Hits

Table Quarter Controlled                                                                                  + 1 VP

You have at least 1 model on that quarter, and the enemy

has none

Enemy Stars/Co-Stars with Statuses at end of game                                        +1 VP

For Each enemy Star or Co-Star with any Statuses at the

end of the game

Enemy Shaken                                                                                                 + 2 VPs

Opponent's force reduced to 50% models or less

Enemy Wiped Out                                                                                            + 2 VPs

Opponent's force reduced to 25% models or less

Scenario Objective Achieved                                                                           

Pilot captures/rescued                                                                                       + 4 VP

Gadget points

Moon Nazis – 6 x D6

U.N.I.T. – 5 x D6

North Pole Rescue Rangers – 2 x D6

Event Cards

4 per team

THE GAME

The set up. Otto Von Krank and the Moon Nazis at the site and camp top right. U.N.I.T  in  trees middle right. Small dot in middle is our also starring Dobby before he was moved amongst the U.N.I.T troops to hide. Middle left are Santa's own North Pole Rescue Rangers.

North Pole Rescue Rangers hidden in the woods. Miss Naughty Nice is in the middle.

Moon Nazi's home from home

U.N.I.T. sneaking up on the Nazi's

Moon Nazi's trudging towards the lake with their spoils.

The Valkyrie under the lake melts an entrance for the returning expedition  

Main playing area

The Moon Nazi's play Von Kranks Star Quality power 'Friends in high places' where each extra of the opposing forces throws a d6 and on a result of a 5+ are removed from play to return on 4+ at the end of each turn. 3 U.N.I.T troopers succumb and 1 North Pole Rescue Ranger.

Turn 1

The calm before the storm

U.N.I.T. go first and move through the woods towards the crash site. No one is in site to shoot. The North Pole Rescue Rangers win 2nd place in the initiative and  Miss Naughty and Nice skis out of the woods accelerates down the slope and jumps off the ridge landing elegantly coming to a stop paces from Sleigh Pilot 1138. The rest of the Rangers led by Sergeant Hanno plod  as fast as they can down the slope in  their snow shoes to catch up.  The Moon Nazi's go last and Wolfgang leaps down the slope heading for an empty quarter and to the flank of Santa's forces. Their HMG opens up rangers on the slope but misses kicking up snow in line past the left hand ranger on the slope. 

Some Rangers stay on the hill top to cover the flank.

Ranger Sergeant Hanno holds his rifle across his chest as his men move forward.

Miss Naughty and Nice skis to a stop and shrugs off  the U.N.I.T troopers  fire. His bullets pinking off her breast plate. Santa's forces have benefited from Von Krank's star quality as the U.N.I.T troopers that would have faced them have become lost in the wilderness instead.

View of the North Pole Rescue Rangers from the ridge opposite the crash site.

Wolfgang bounding down the slope

Turn 2

At the end of turn 1  U.N.I.T successfully recover 3 troopers scattered by Von Krank's star quality. Dr Kate Stewart leads her civilian team forward against the Moon Nazi's, accompanied by Sergeant Rodriguez, Captain John Smith III and trooper Ronson. The trooper facing Miss Naughty and Nice tries to  protect his colleague who unbeknownst to him is in fact an elf who'd been hiding within his team. Once again Miss Naught and Nice shrugs off his rifle shots.

Dr Kate Stewart, Captain John Smith III and Kate's sidekick Agent Smoulder take cover behind  a tree. 

Malcolm Talyor the intrepid investigative academic is moving in the open on the right. The scientist Harvey Dent Jnr and Ronson stand together middle bottom with the tech Lee Dixon to their left. 

U.N.I.T in cover and the North Pole Rescue Rangers coming down the hill. The crash site on Moon Nazis are off camera on the right.

Lee, Harvey and Ronson peer through the trees looking for Moon Nazi targets. If Ronson put down his trusty (trust to get him killed) flamethrower he could use his rifle to have a shot at the HMG?

The Moon Nazi HMG team keep firing at the exposed Rescue Rangers on the slope, the U.N.I.T troops  all concealed in the trees. The inhinged Nazi toff Marine-SS Obertsfuhrer Otto Von Krank and his nasty piece of work Marine-SS Untersturmfuhrer Klaus Klinkerhofen move along opposites sides of the crash site to better firing positions to cover the rangers and U.N.I.T. Dr Brunhilde continues to investigate the inside of the sleigh looking for any useful technology. Her luck is in and passes her intelligence roll and finds   a matter reducer.

On a successful roll the lost North Rescue Ranger can return to the  team on the hill , not as the picture suggests  outside the play area at the edge of the board.

Wolfgang continues his rush to capture a table quarter and single handily threatened the  North Pole Rescue Rangers flank.

Turn 3

Santa's force plays their event card that wins them the  initiative.  Miss Naughty and Nice realizing that her pistol is her best weapon shoulders her 'just for show' pole axe and with a single shot ends a U.N.I.T's troopers game. The Rangers keep moving forward moving to the right to avoid the Moon Nazi's HMG's attention.

The North Pole Rescue Rangers give covering fire to Miss Naughty and Nice  targeting the next U.N.I.T group the tech Lee Dixon and Trooper Ronson. Both doge the bullets. Dr Kate leads her 3 colleagues from behind the shelter of the woods and advances up the snowy slope. The rest of the U.N.I.T consolidate their positions.

Meanwhile the Moon Nazis keep up their firing hitting nothing. Wolfgang bounds up the opposite slope  just failing to reach cover.

 Turn 4

The North Pole Rescue Rangers win the initiative again, and Miss Naughty and Nice has a nice word with Dobby to motivate him to ignore his wounds which turn out to be dirt and get a move on to Sergeant Hanno and the safety of the Rangers.

Poor dice results in little movement and ineffective firing from all. The main excitement being a temporal grenade being thrown by Von Krank. Great things were expected. If only some figures had been withing the template. Oh well, maybe next time... but alas not this game as it was a one off weapon. The other shocker is Dr Kate's tactic to use her advantage of her camouflage suit making her near invisible is nullified by Von Krank whipping out his infrared glasses. Boooo!

North Pole Rescue Rangers moving a little and hitting nothing.

The scattered U.N.I.T paratroopers finally get closer to the action.

Turn 5

Lots of Nazi firing knock U.N.I.Ts Dr Kate and her sidekick  Agent Smoulder down forcing them to stand up before carrying out another action. I confess a whoopsy here. Our Moon Nazi player is convinced that on a hit which is then saved the hit figure is knocked prone. Dramatic but wrong and in these last moments I didn't spot this error. We had used this erroneous rule a lot in the previous game so I should have known better, however all everyone remembers is that we used it not that it was wrong. Anyway back to the story our U.NI.T hero's are knocked in to the snow as they valiantly try to get to grips with the villainous Nazi's from the Moon.

Wolfgang happily menaces the North Pole Rescue Rangers from a far. This failed Nazi experiment is one of the most powerful figures in play.

Our U.N.I.T heros dust off the snow and return fire and fail to get through Von Krank's body armour.

Miss Naught and Nice decides to be naughty and ski's for trooper Ronson and with a blast of her trusty pistol  ends his game. As per our tradition trooper Ronson and is flame thrower once again do not get to fire a shot. Lee Dixon who'd been supporting Ronson is taken out by the North Pole Resuce Rangers covering fire.

Dobby finally stirs himself and races towards Sergeant Hanno.

View of the crash site before the U.N.I.T call it a day.

Wolfgang's view from the ridge. Dobby reaching Sergeant Hanno and his men are on the  right and the crash site with  Von Krank's nasty piece of work Marine-SS Untersturmfuhrer Klaus Klinkerhofen in view on the left. Miss Naughty and Nice can just be made out in the middle in the trees.

Wolfgang winning the Moon Nazi's second place in capturing an uncontested quarter of the board.

North Pole Rescue Ranger triumphant.

Dr Kate takes one more look at the site of the find of the century before giving up  and pulling  back. Although U.N.I.T didn't get the prize or any points for that matter, they'd learnt much. They'd found a sleigh full of high tech and fought off two sets of advanced(?) humans.  As they retreated in the woods they'd see the Moon Nazi Valkyrie rise up and shoot in to the sky. Questions, questions. Where did they come from and what do they want with the Earth.....

Epilogue

Miss Naughty and Nice watched from the deserted Moon Nazi camp at Santa looking down in to the crater. It's smooth rock melted into shape by the sleighs force field now empty. Naturally the Moon Nazi's had left nothing of value, escaping in their cursed Valkyrie back to the Moon Fuhrer. Santa's Little Helpers puffed smoke apologetically as Rudolph ran around the edge as Santa raged. Yep someone is definitely on the naughty list now..... To be continued

First complete painted figures of 2013

I've been painting this Perry's plastic  French unit for years, and now I'm finished. Flock and flag and they can join the rest of the unit and finally muster with the rest of the army.

Snow stops play

Today's game has been cancelled due to the weather. So after I've cleared the snow do I blog or do I paint. My Crimean Brits and Russians are under coated and ready for some proper paint. Decisions decisions?

Next Battle Group Kursk game

Weather permitting our next game will be this Saturday. Since there will be 4 of us the next scenario in the campaign in my opinion is too small. So instead we're planning a 2000 point game. I want to have a Soviet defence German attack game in the vain of the first days of Kursk..

I found on the web an article that details Soviet defences and in particular Kursk. 

http://usacac.army.mil/cac2/cgsc/carl/download/csipubs/glantz2.pdf

So within the limits of my terrain and points allowed I aim to put together a homage to the defences. As host I am in charge of the Soviets forces and one of the chaps is putting the Germans together which I should have tonight. Tomorrow I will set it all out terrain, Soviets and Germans and iron out any kinks e.g. discover gaps in the collection.

Ironic that I will put away the snow terrain for summer steppes just before an amber warning of kiddies delight arrives.

2012-12-28 7TV Ep.1 Moon Nazi's Steal Christmas

Episode 1 'You better watch out, you better not cry'

Synopsis

It’s Christmas Eve NORAD has reported on object approaching the Earth. It was tracked over the North Pole where the object either split in to two or another object appeared. Both hit the Earth in Alaska. Dr Kate Stewart, the Brigadiers daughter leads a United Nations team of Brits, Canadians and Americans, with the US providing the soldiers on a mission to investigate. One crash site has been pin pointed and the team get ready to parachute on to it...

In WW2 they wanted Europe now they want the Earth. They have bided their time on the dark side of the Moon since 1945 and now is the time to act.  The Moon Fuhrer has dispatched a Valkyrie to intercept a vehicle of one of the factions preventing his glorious return. Recovering this technology will further the Reich's goals, but most important of all is finding the location of the secret base the perfect start point for INVASION!!!

Cast      500 points of Moon Nazis, and U.N.I.T

Location  

The episode takes place on a 6’ by 6’ table in snow bound Alaska. In one quarter is a hill with a crash site, another a wooded long ridge, then a tall wooded hill and the final quarter woods in a river valley. 

There is deep snow up the slope of the crash site which reduces movement by half. The crash site summit must be climbed.

Set Up  

Moon Nazis 24” from crash site coming from the direction of the frozen lake where the Valkyrie is hidden

U.N.I.T parachute on to crash site. Use parachute rules.

And …Action  U.N.I.T goes first

Special Rules

On Location rules for snow.

Agility test required while clambering on Sleigh.

Intelligence test required to find hi tech items in sleigh

Sleigh Pilot 1138 also known as Dobby has infiltrated the U.N.I.T for safety. He is immobile with injuries and fear.

End Credits

The episode will end if all the opposing models are Stunned, Dominated or are otherwise removed from play. The attacker can exit his models via any table edges in his set-up area.

Victory Points

Victory Condition Description VP award

Enemy Star/Co-Star Model Eliminated                                                             + 1 VP per Hit

For each enemy Star or Co-Star eliminated, gain VPs equal to

that model's initial Hits

Table Quarter Controlled                                                                                  + 1 VP

You have at least 1 model on that quarter, and the enemy

has none

Enemy Stars/Co-Stars with Statuses at end of game                                        +1 VP

For Each enemy Star or Co-Star with any Statuses at the

end of the game

Enemy Shaken                                                                                                 + 2 VPs

Opponent's force reduced to 50% models or less

Enemy Wiped Out                                                                                            + 2 VPs

Opponent's force reduced to 25% models or less

Scenario Objective Achieved                                                                           

Sleigh found                                                                                                        + 4 VP
Per technology recovered                                                                                     + 4 VP

Gadget points

Moon Nazis – 20 points

U.N.I.T. – 20 points

Event Cards

4 per team

THE GAME

The 6x8 board before deployment.  The frozen lake is top left with a meandering frozen river  flowing from the dip in the hills middle bottom of the picture to the top left. The crash site is on the top right of the board. Originally when I pulled to white sheet out I noticed it was transparent, however as you can see you can't see the water features.

The main play area. Originally the crash site at top right was on a terraced hill with  steep cliffs on 3 sides. The sheet hid this feature so I made them deep snow slopes halving cast movement again once all other movement penalties had been taken in account. I still kept the crash site model as terrain that needed to be climbed.

A view from the lake

The 3 hills are clearer in this picture

The crash site

The crater

Turn 1

U.N.I.T parachuted in and managed a close grouping around the crash site with only Dr Kate herself being injured and 2 extras Captain John Smith III and a scientist Harvey Dent Jnr being knocked prone. The Moon Nazis went next and realised they should have played their unhinged toff's star quality before the game started. Marine-SS Oberstfuhrer Otto Von Krank promptly played his 'Friends in high places' with U.N.I.T dicing for each hero who on a 5+ had to be removed from the board only to be allowed to re-enter on d6 4+ at the end of each turn. U.N.I.T began to display the kind of dice they were to have for the whole game as Dr Kate discovered she had not in fact landed right next to the crater but was somewhere in the wilderness.The power of hindsight shows that we should have diced for extras and not heroes, oops!

For their actually move the Moon Nazi's opened up with their HMG on the hill and all those that could be activated plodded forward through the snow.

The initial landings before the 'friends in high places' incident.

The Moon Nazis advance on the crash site covered by fire from the HMG

U.N.I.T landing positions. Kate is still prone by the crater yet to be moved off board. Her leadership would be missed.

U.N.I.T paras on the slope facing the Moon Nazis and under fire. 

Kate dreaming she'd landed next to the crater before she wakes up in the wilderness

Moon Nazis move forward. In the centre pointing is Marine-SS Oberstfuhrer Otto Von Krank. To his left is Dr  Brunhilde and to her left a nasty piece of work  Marine-SS Untersturmfuhrer Klaus Klinkerhofen. In front of Dr Brunhilde is one of her failed experiments, Wolfgang.

Kate fails to return at the end of the turn.

Turn 2

The Moon Nazi's win initiative and continue to move under the cover of HMG fire which takes out 2 U.N.I.T paras on the crash sites slopes. Poor dice throwing mean they do not move too far in the snow. This turn more SS Marines add their fire the HMG's weight and the U.N.I.T HMG has a man knocked prone and Sergeant Rodriguez is a goner. His extra leadership is key without Kate. Only Captain John Smith III can lead now!

In U.N.I.T's turn Dr Brunhilde takes a hit and is knocked down (slight interpretation error of the rules at this point  I'm sure she should not have been knocked prone, just a hit taken off). Klinkerhoffen is hit but not wounded and is knocked prone (again probably unnecessarily so).

A closer picture of the action above.

U.N.I.T struggle getting in to position missing Kate's leadership points.

U.N.I.T para top right is armed with a flame thrower, using the rules from  the Summer Special.   The inclusion of Trooper Ronson has become a tradition since he or his buddies when appearing in Secrets of the Third Reich games never get to shoot before becoming casualties.

Kate still somewhere in the wilderness.

Turn 3 

A 1 is rolled for initiative, a swift d6 roll on the Natural Hazards table results in a high wind blowing across the table giving a -2 to hit and a Agi or Str test if climbing.

The gun fire drops and most people from both sides struggle to get closer to the enemy. U.N.I.T's technician Lee Dixon shook her hair and peered in to the crater and confirmed it was in fact a crater. 2 U.N.I.T troopers being very confident attempted to climb to the top of the crater to get a better shot but instead slipped and fell.  The investigative academic Malcolm Taylor was more lucky and pulled himself up to the edge of the crater, like Lee he peered in.

Just as he leaned in to get a better look there was an almighty flash. Malcolm failed is agility roll and flew backwards knocking himself out and taking a hit. As the light dimmed a mysterious red craft appeared lodged in the crater....

Oh and Kate still somewhere in the wilderness.

Turn 4 

The Moon Nazi's recovered first from the blowing wind, and chuckled to themselves that more casualties had been caused by wind than bullets. So U.N.I.T have found the sleigh. The HMG team eliminated their U.N.I.T counter part, the previously prone machine gunner saved from death because he'd never bothered to get up. Rifle fire took out another trooper on the edge of the slope, and then a third shot ends Trooper Ronson's game. The good news he'd fired his rifle in Turn 2, but the legend of have flame thrower will not fire continues.

Dr Brunhilde made it over the Klinkerhofen and healed his wound with a handy pick me up syringe of goodness (ironic for a nasty piece of work).

Wolfgang powered up the slope but couldn't quite get in to melee. U.N.I.T were very frustrated that his camouflage suit made him invisible. Even more frustrating their ploy to use his foot prints in the deep snow as a guide was foiled by no one being left conscious to see them as he came up the slope!

The deadly Moon Nazi fire leads to the last remaining U.N.I.T  trooper near the edge of the hill, top right, going prone to make himself a smaller target.

Close of Wolfgang reaching the edge of the hill before the summit.

Finally Dr Kate following the sound of gun fire reaches the edge of the board.

Kate still had a hurty leg from the landing.

Von Krank in  the centre watching the assault on the hill go in.

Over view of the Moon Nazi's assault.

The U.N.I.T positions.

The Sleigh with Agent Smoulder trying to get in but blocked by Lee and Malcolm who are already inside looking for anything useful. A successful intelligence test later and a single temporal grenade is found. Oooooo's of amazement all round.

View from the frozen river's exit from the board

View from the bluff above the frozen river.

Turn 5 

U.N.I.T gain the initiative. The prone machine gunner leaps up and charges Wolfgang and is swatted like a fly. This takes the wind out of the paratroopers sails and they begin to take defensive position to fire on the oncoming Nazis. Captain John Smith III who has made it to the edge of the summit takes out the panzershrek gunner. Hurrah first blood for U.N.I.T at long last!

 Meanwhile in the crater Malcolm and Lee are scrambling around the inside of the Sleigh. Between them more more item of marvelous technology is found.

The Moon Nazi's continue to struggle up the hill, but Wolfgang trots round the edge of  summit and  shoots a trooper dead. The observant will notice that once of U.N.I.T's earlier mountaineers has managed to stand up. Unnoticed by all the U.N.I.T team are over 50% casualties either out of the game or knocked prone.

U.N.I.T's aimed shots are failing to take a toll on the Moon Nazi's. Equally poor shooting in return from the Moon Fuhrer's finest.

On the left is a prone U.N.I.T trooper firing from behind a ledge. The prone trooper on the right is still trying to recover from an earlier fall.

Turn 6

Both casts take a breath and blaze away at each other causing more no U.N.I.T casualties but the Moon Nazi's start to fall.

The focus of the action was U.N.I.T's decision to try out the new tech in the Sleigh on the Moon Nazis. Anything to slow them down. Lee places the items in her satchel and swings out of the Sleigh to climb out of the crater. Just as she reaches the rim she slips her satchel snagging on a ledge as she fall towards the still molten rock cooling from the Sleigh's impact..... queue dramatic music and end credits.

Wolfgang has arms and is dangerous.

The U.N.I.T team watch with bated breath as Kate swings out of the Sleigh on to the crater rim.

Harvey Dent Jnr puts his hands on his hips in disgust as the call to fall back is given

Dr Brunhilde and Klinkerhoffen fire at Captain John Smith III

View from the hill's edge

Von Kranks troops moving throw the snow drifts

Moon Nazi's lagging behind

Final positions

Dr Kate looks on helpless as her team take a beating

John Smith III tells his men to call it a day.

Will our hero's make it out of the crater. Technically only  Malcolm and Smoulder are heroes as they are co stars. Poor Lee was an extra.

View from the Moon Nazi's start point

Still prone and hoping Wolfgang hasn't noticed him.

The casualties (figures only). Victory to the Moon Nazi's

Next Time....

Well we all had fun in the true Christmas spirit. The plan to play 3 episodes went out of the window quite quickly as I'd made the game too big. My error came about from building the 500 rating point Santa cast first planning to split their appearance over 2 games. I then built the other lists to match and didn't factor in phased appearances.  Having said that the objectives of the planned first 2 episodes were achieved. The Sleigh was found and high technology discovered. The only thing missing was an appearance from team Santa. 

The 2 rule errors added to the narrative of the game, but did hurt U.N.I.T quite badly. The Moon Nazi's argued if this hadn't happened they'd never would have stood a chance. 

Stay tuned for Episode 2 'Gonna find out who's naught and nice'.