GDF Fight Club Update #2

Back again after a few more GrimDark Future scraps out in the gaming shed as the nights draw in (and as a second lockdown looms, making the best of the opportunity while we have it..) – the Human Defence Force in the guise of the Hazzard 1977th Planetary Defence Force Regiment have retired from the field having placed themselves clearly in the lead with three wins and a draw, but behind them Ratticus McStilton’s Ratmen have a draw to their credit and the Rebel Guerillas of the People’s Front Of Hazzard 237th Freedom Brigade have a win in their pocket, so it ain’t over yet!

Game 6 – Ratmen Clans vs Orc Marauders

Ratmen muster in the cover of the ruins, while weapon experts team provide cover

Orcs deploy in cover, ready to pounce on the objectives

Orc truck moves forward, to engage the Ratmen team with it’s heavy machinegun – completely missing it’s target, and in return Ratmen rockets and plasma rifle destroy it!

The passengers – Warlord and his elite power armoured orcs – survive, however, and are able to move directly on to the objective! This would prove a crucial point as the game unfolded.

Having used their Scout ability to deploy forwards, the Commando orcs huddle on to to their objective despite losing an orc to the Ratmen Clan Mother grenade launcher- da boyz grumble about this being unOrky, but all the Skooderia have to do is hold on to their two objectives and that’s a win! It’s now up to the Ratmen to dislodge them – and Orcs are pretty tough!

Da Boyz hold station in the woods, no doubt grumbling… but Warlord Enzo Ferrorki has a plan!

Turn 1 ends with the Orcs in control of two objectives to the Ratmen’s one, but the rat swarms and saboteurs are massing in the streets for an attack…

Swarms are up first, killing two Orcs for the loss of one of their own.

Saboteurs pour into the ruined farmhouse, getting to grips with the commandos!

Across the street, the Warlord and his power armoured orcs pour fire into a third saboteur team, killing three and pinning the unit

With the Ratmen assault spent – and one stubborn commando still holding on – da Boyz are let loose to counterattack! All together – WAAAAAAAGH!

It’s a massacre! Saboteurs are wiped out for the loss of two orcs… Orcs really are lethal in close combat!

Turn 2 ends with the Ratmen assault spent and Da Skooderia firmly entrenched on two objectives – can the remaining Ratmen forces inflict enough punishment to break the orcs? Or can the Orcs weather the storm?

Ratmen weapons team pour heavy machinegun, rockets and plasma rifle fire into the Boyz in the farmhouse objective, killing four and pinning the mob

Return fire kills the plasma rifle weapons expert – the orcs are still holding as Turn 3 closes!

Ratmen hurl everything they’ve got at the Boyz in the farmhouse – grenades, heavy weapons, psychic powers – just managing to kill the remaining orcs..

….allowing the two remaining Ratmen saboteurs to sneak in and pull off a win literally on the last move of the game!

Well, that was quite something, went down almost to the last dice roll of the game – congratulations to Ratticus McStilton, he won fair and square, leaving Orc Warlord Enzo Ferrorki to seethe, knock a few heads together and come back with a new plan for the next game…

So that leaves the scores as –

Human Defence Force – 3.5

Ratmen Clans – 1.5

Rebel Guerillas – 1

Orc Marauders & Battle Brothers – 0

Winner stays on, so that’ll be the Ratmen facing the Peope’s Front Of Hazzard in their next game (lockdowns permitting..)

Game 7 – Ratmen v Rebel Guerillas

Winner stays on, so in this battle Ratticus’ boys will be taking on the People’s Front Of Hazzard 237th Freedom Brigade – can the defenders of social justice, equality and diversity face down the cheese eating vicious mutants?

The battlefield

Ratmen gather in the hills behind the ruined village

The People’s Front deploy into the woods on the other side of the ruined village

Ratmen weapons experts crest the hill top, heavy machinegun fire pouring into the Rebel squad in the woods..

Killing three and pinning the squad. First blood to the cheese eaters!

Rebel assault vehicle manoeuvres out of sight of the Ratmen heavy weapon teams

Rebel psychic casts Furious Blaze, immolating one of the Ratmen saboteurs

As Turn 2 starts, the rebel’s Creighton-pattern Assault Vehicle neatly flanks the same saboteur team, killing one with its Nova Cannon

The same saboteurs decide enough is enough where they are and charge a Rebel psychic, but neither side inflicts damage in a messy round of melee

Much more decisive is the Ratmen Tangled Psychic’s use f Pestilence, which wipes out the Rebel squad holding the farmhouse!

This unexpected success forces both sides to bring up their main assaults a turn earlier than planned, and the woods behind the farmhouse become a messy, blood soaked melee!

Neither side clearly having the upper hand in the scrap in the woods, Turn 2 ends with Ratmen firmly holding the Kubica Pass objective (top of pic), the Milibandalorian boys firmly in control of the hilltop objective in the centre and the farmhouse objective heavily contested

Turn 3 opens with the Ratmen weapons team and the Milibandalorian brothers blazing away at each other.. the Tangled Psychic gets involved and when the dust settles, the Rebel bounty hunters are down and the hilltop objective is clear! Now it’s a race between Rebel snipers and Ratmen saboteurs to claim it..

As Turn 3 ends it’s STILL impossible to say who’s winning the big melee but the Ratmen are now up 1-0 in objectives..

Final turn! A desperate race to the top of the hilltop objective sees it contested by Rebel snipers and Ratmen Clan Mother…

Ratmen weapons team opens up and it’s not contested any longer!

In a desperate and brutal move, the Rebel tank charges forward and crushes a Ratmen saboteur against the farmhouse wall! Sometimes you’ve got to get up close and personal to dispense social justice..

Turn 4 finishes and still the woods are a blur of fists, teeth, blades and roiling psychic powers.. but while the PFH are putting up a stiff defence of the farmhouse objective they have been pushed off the other two, so that’s 2-0 to the Ratmen – Ratmen win!

Whew, that was a belter – could have gone either way really, but when the bounty hunters got hosed off the hilltop objective that was really the end of PFH victory hopes. One hell of a fight around that farmhouse though, and the very cinematic moment of the rebel tank crushing a Ratman against the wall was one of the standout moments of the game! SO that brings the scores to:

Human Defence Force – 3.5

Ratmen Clans – 2.5

Rebel Guerillas – 1

Orc Marauders & Battle Brothers – 0

Once again, winner stays on, so next up the Ratmen clans will fight the Battle Brothers for a chance to share the trophy with the Human Defence Force! See you then (lockdowns permitting…) ..

Game 8 – Ratmen Clans vs Battle Brothers

So we return to the slippery Ratmen, this time facing (trans)humanity’s finest – the Battle Brothers! It has to be said, the Brothers have fared pretty poorly so far – their concept of deploying fast via APC and getting stuck in, relying on their power armour (Defence 2+) to keep them alive has NOT worked out so far (although their dice rolling has generally been appalling), so perhaps a new approach is necessary…

The stage is set..

Villainous Ratmen gather in the woods..

Battle Brothers deploy rather more cautiously than in previous games – note no one is in the APC..

Brothers’ squad deploy onto the ruined church objective, Ratmen weapon experts seize the hilltop but one falls to Brothers’ fire

Ratmen saboteurs seize a second objective, but takes casualties from the Brothers’ support squad

Brothers’ missile launcher causes another weapon expert casualty

Fire from the Brothers’ APC downs another weapon expert, pinning the unit – they are joined by the Clan Mother as turn 1 ends, while more saboteurs secure the other objective, the Rat Swarms infiltrate through the ruins and the Tangled Psychic finds a sheltered spot…

Turn 2 sees the demise of the Ratmen weapon expert team, the steady advance of the Rat Swarms and more Ratmen casualties

Saboteur team ready to reinforce hilltop objective – still no casualties amongst the Brothers..

Turn 3 and it all hits the fan! Brthers’ commander uses his jet pack to vault onto the hilltop objective and engage the Clan Mother in melee, while the squad in the church and the APC give supporting fire, slaughtering the saboteur team

Brothers’ squad advances through the farmhouse

Rat Swarms assault the Brothers’ support squad – this does not go well…

Turn 4 opens with the Brothers’ commander finishing off the Clan Mother in melee, seizing the objective!

With the hilltop secured, the APC pours fire into the saboteurs in the ruins, allowing the Brothers to storm forward and contest the objective..

Rat swarms fell a Brother (their only casualty of the game!) but it’s not enough, the Brothers hold two objectives with one contested – a VERY solid win for the Brothers!

Well, that was unexpected after the kicking they’ve taken in their previous game! Although in fairness, me forgetting to use the Tangled Psychic didn’t exactly help matters.. still, props to Dan, he played very cleverly and crucially played to the mission – hold more objectives then your opponent when turn 4 ends, not turn 1. We’ll probably switch up objectives, maybe some sort of kill points system for next season but for now we’re doing pure vanilla GrimDark Future – so next game, winner stays on and it’ll be the Brothers’ taking on Da Skooderia!

Human Defence Force – 3.5

Ratmen Clans – 2.5

Rebel Guerillas – 1

Battle Brothers – 1

Orc Marauders – 0