The Battle of Station 42 (A 4000 point No Limits battle report for the Station 42 War)

Hell Knight forces on the western edge of the spaceport

 Over two months ago a company sized force of the Hell Knights mercenary company assaulted and secured Station 42 a vital space port on Titania.  During the fighting our "Flyspy" news drones were captured by agents working for the Smith and Wilson Agriculture company the Hell Knights employers.  It has taken TNN some time to recover the images taken by our drones so that we could cover the events that happened during the battle.

A Hell Knights X93 "Vampire Bat" combat drone eliminates a militia sniper

 In the weeks following the battle Smith and Wilson Agriculture conducted a media blackout while the Hell Knights instituted strict martial law on the spaceport.  All of this was done while government officials in Titania City turned a blind eye.  The renegade Planetary Guard commander "General" Drake led the Titania forces.  

Hell Knight hovercraft speed to support their left flank.

 The Hell Knights arrived early in the morning and reached the western edge of the spaceport unopposed.  Most of their troops arrived in fast moving hovercraft but a few units of scouts and snipers had infiltrated deeper into the facility.

Rosie's robotic troopers marching out of her workshop

 In addition to Drake's troops the well known local mechanic and roboticist known only as "Rosie" fielded her own personal mech and 15 robotic security bots.  This came as a bit of a surprise to the locals but if this bothered the other Titania forces they didn't show it.  

Rosie's Battlemech destroys Hell Knights infantry units

 Also on the side of the Titania forces were the local NOVA Securities officers and some snipers and light vehicles from the local militia.

Armored units from both sides exchange heavy fire

 The most intense fighting of the day happened around the local "Klancy's" convenience store.  The Hell Knights took up positions inside and around the building as Titania forces closed on them from the east and south.

A Hell Knights "Incubus" mech outmaneuvers Rosie's heavier mech

 The Hell Knights fielding an extremely agile Incubus class light Battlemech.  This unit not only inflicted serious casualties against the Titania infantry and light vehicles but it also proved very difficult for the slower moving Titania forces to catch up with.  Using jump jets the mech was able to continually fire then flee before enemy firepower could be brought to bear.

Planetary Guard tanks burn near NOVA Securities office

 The Planetary guard tanks proved difficult to destroy but after suffering literally dozens of hits each both were finally destroyed in the vicinity of of the NOVA Securities station.

Hell Knight armored units speed past the remains of a "Guardian" class battlemech

 In addition to loosing their tanks the Planetary guard also suffered the loss of the Guardian class medium Battlemech while it was trying to root out the entrenched mercenaries in and around Klancy's.

The remnants of the Titania forces prepare to retreat from the field

After suffering the loss of most of their heavy fire power the combined Titania forces withdrew from the field.  Both side suffered heavy casualties reported as nearly 50%.  In addition to loosing their tanks and mech the Titania forces lost all of their militia light vehicles.  The Hell Knights lost two of their light transports, a light hover tank, and a heavy combat drone in addition to several casualties.

This has been Alphonso Marks for the Titania News Network.  

Additional photos from this battle can be found at this location: The Battle of Station 42 

Notes:  Unfortunately it has been so long since we fought this battle I was unable to do a play by play like I wanted.  I think we took over 70 images and I edited about 30 which you can see in the flickr gallery.  This was a massive battle with over 120 models on the table.  It took two long session and about 8 or 10 turns to play out.  We still plan on several more battle and one large final battle before we call it quits on this campaign.  We hope to wrap things up by the end of the year.  

Battle of Station 42 in progress! (The Station 42 War)

 Well we are in the middle of playing out big 4000 point No Limits game for our Station 42 War campaign.  We decided to have this battle in Station 42 itself which we set out on a 5'x12' gaming table.  That's 60' square of gaming surface.  This is the way the table was set up just prior to deployment.  

 This is the Hell Knights force.  Two Regular Rifle Squads, one Veteran Rifle Squad, one Armored Assault Squad. two Scout Squads, two Snipers, one Assassin, three LAGAREVs, one "Vampire Bat" combat drone, one "Landshark" AFV, one "Hobilar" light hover thank, one "Douglas" medium hover tank, one "Incubus" light mech, and one mechsuit piloted by my captain.  64 models in total and every model I have painted for my army except one assassin.

This is the Titania force.  Four squads of Titania Planetary Guard and one command squad, three squads of Battledroids, one squad of NOVA troopers, three Snipers, three Improvised Armored Vehicles, Three Badger MRAPs, two Medium Tanks, one "Guardian" medium mech, and Rosie's "Cyclopes" medium mech.  65 models in total.

We are currently on turn 9 of the battle and plan to play to the end of turn 12 unless one side pulls out.  Right now it's a toss up as both sides have taken almost %50 casualties.

The best laid plans and all that.

So we had this big plan to have a 4000 point No Limits battle actually in Station 42 for our "Station 42 War" campaign over the 4th of July holiday.  Unfortunately we didn't quite get it together.  We didn't get all the models done.  We didn't get stats created for the new units and equipment.  We didn't get out army list set up.  We did however almost get those things done and we got the Station set up.  That's a 5x12' table or 60 square feet of gaming goodness.  We hope to be able to do the battle this coming Saturday instead.

Battle of Dutton's Camp (Station 42 War Battle Report)

 July 5th 3032 Titania "Green Zone":  Earlier today a small force of Hell Knights engaged member of the Titania Militia just near Titania City in the "Green Zone".  Regular vehicle traffic inside the zone is restricted to a few roadways so the mercenaries marched a force two kilometers inside the zone to reach the militia encampment.  Militia members under the command of Jim Dutton had set up a hidden recruitment base and the Hell Knights intended to shut it down.

 Hell Knight Scouts and Snipers crept close to the base.  Two NOVA securities officers were shot down in the opening exchange.

 Another group of scouts on Dutton's right flank engaged some Wolfhound mercenaries but in this engagement they did not do as well loosing two of their own.

 The commander of the Hell Knights and two Armored Assault Squads moved in with an Assassin saying in the cover of a large hill.  A militia sniper far on their left managed to take out one of the commanders men.

 The remaining three NOVA troopers closed on the scouts and engaged them but lost another of their member in the attempt.  A militia sniper kill one of the scouts but was wounded in return by a Hell Knights sniper.  That sniper was killed by fire from the commanders squad members who was shot by yet another militia sniper.

 The Hell Knights commanders final squad member was killed by fire from Bear's militia unit.  Another NOVA trooper was gunned down by the Scouts leaving only the Sargent.

 Leaping from the shadows a Hell Knights Assassin dispatched the remaining militia sniper on Dutton's left flank.  The three remaining scouts on the hill killed three of Bear's militia as the other Armored Assault Squad made a steady advance.

 Combined fire from the Scouts and Armored Assault Squad reduced Bear's militia to two members.  The return fire left only the Scout Sargent standing.

 The heavily armored Hell Knights took out Bear and his last militia member as the Scout Sargent withdrew from his position.  Dutton's militia and the Wolfhound mercs continued to close in.

The NOVA Sargent gunned down another armored Hell Knight but the mercenaries managed to break the Wolfhounds with accurate Heavy Blaster fire.  The assassin blew up a cache of  militia supplies and the mercenary commander gunned down one of Dutton's men.
With only seven men left in the battle the Hell Knights commander chose to withdraw from the field.  Although they had bloodied the militia they were unable to achieve their objectives.

Notes:  This was actually one of the more grueling battles we have had for the campaign.  With no vehicles allowed there was a lot of moving but there was also a lot of moving through difficult ground and a lot of cover.  The Militia snipers did a lot of damage to the Hell Knights.  The Hell Knight scouts really had a great position on the hill.  Elevated and with +2 cover from the woods enemy shots were at a -3 for the entire game.  This made them a tough group to take out.  Not only that they managed to give as well as they got in the long run.  If only I had put the other scout squad in an equally good position.  The Wolfhound Friekorps were also particularly nasty.  They dispatched my other unit of scouts in two turns without taking any damage.  The Hell Knights objectives were to take down Dutton and Bear and to destroy supplies and the militia's generator and communications up-link.  This may have been a few too many objectives especially with so many defenders to face.   This ended up being a pretty solid victory for the militia although a hard fought one.  

Battle at Boon's Trading post (1500 point No Limits battle report for The Station 42 War)

 June 30th 3032, Titania:  After being turned back in their attempt to occupy Station 42 the Hell Knights made a direct attack on "Boon's Trading Post" owned by militia leader Carson Boon.  Expecting trouble Boon had fortified his business with a sandbag wall and barricades.  In addition to Boon's own men other militia forces were present including sharpshooters from the Titania Hunting Club and a unit commanded by militia leader "Bear" Ivar Belyakov.  Also present was a unit of mercenaries from the Wolfhound Friekorps.  The Titania forces also contained four improvised armored vehicles and a battle cannon light artillery piece.  

 The Hell Knights attacked with two Veteran Rifle Squads, a Scout Squad, two Snipers, three LAGARV apcs, a Hobilar Light Hover Tank, and a Mechsuit.

 The Hell Knights scout squad took a forward position near a rocking outcropping on their right flank.

 Militia units took up position around the trading post while the Wolfhound troopers occupied and rooftop of a house to their left.

 Carson Boon himself took up a position inside his house intent on defending it personally.

 The Hell Knights made an aggressive push destroying one of the improvised armored vehicles.  The APC on their right flank suffered heavy damage in the assault and was forced to withdraw.  The scout squad in the rocky outcropping also took four casualties but held their ground.

 On the Hell Knights left flank a squad of Veteran Riflemen took up a position in a rocky outcropping with the support of their APC and did significant damage to the militia units there.

 Hell Knight armored units on the right flank destroyed more improvised armored vehicles.  The mechsuit was lightly damaged by the Wolfhound unit who also took some casualties.

 Bear's unit managed to destroy the Hell Knight APC attacking the trading post with concentrated assault rifle fire.

 The Hell Knight Veteran squad who had been forced to fall back used the range of their light laser rifles to their advantage shooting down the rest of the Wolfhound troopers outside their range.  The rest of the technical vehicles were destroyed as the Hell Knights secured their right flank.

 On the left flank the damaged APC arrived to support the remainder of the Hell Knight veterans mop up the rest of the defenders.

Carson Boon was forced to to escape from his home by breaking out a window.  Bear's unit covered him as they withdrew from the battle.
This battle was a major loss for the Titania Militia.  Boon had been using his workshop to build improvised armored vehicles for militia forces and they suffered fairly heavy casualties.  Boon has already vowed to have revenge on the Hell Kights for attacking his home.

This has been Alphonso Marks for the Titania News Network.

Notes:  We could have almost called this "The Battle of Too Much Terrain".  Normally we like a lot of terrain but I think we got it a little heavy in this battle.  The Hell Knights actually had a slight point value advantage in this fight of about 150 points.  My wife was allowed to set up the sandbag wall and scatter terrain around the Trading Post however she wanted and normally the militia has proved pretty tenacious in defense.  Normally the "technicals" do a lot more damage as well but I think they were restricted a bit by the dense terrain.  Even my hover craft felt a bit hemmed in.  All in all though it was a good battle the played pretty smoothly.  We didn't really have any new units to play with so it was a pretty easy battle to manage.  I did seem to have better luck with the die rolls which is usually something my wife has more luck with.    
We are both employed at The University of Central Missouri and the new president there has given us a four and a half day holiday for Independence Day so we are planning to play a few skirmishes and one large 4000 point battle in Station 42 itself.  We had originally planned to wrap the campaign up by the end of the summer by we may extend it to the end of the year.  We plan to pick up with a new campaign early next year based on Ceres and the asteroid belt pitting the Martian Soviet Socialist Republic and the Jovian Empire against a rebellion supported by the Confederacy of Outlying Systems and several mercenary armies in the employment of various corporate interest.    

The Battle for Skynyrd Station (a Station 42 War battle report)

 June 17th 3032 just a few kilometers outside of Station 42 on Titania the Hell Knights mercenary company engaged renegade planetary guard and Titania militia units at an outpost owned by Venture Star Prospecting called Skynyrd Station.  This is the largest reported engagement of the conflict that has been going on in the Station 42 region for over a year now.  Just over 100 combatants were involved in the fighting and over a dozen vehicles.  The Hell Knights seemed to be making an attempt to grab Station 42 but were intercepted by a combined Titania in route.  

 A "Guardian" class mech was seen among the Titania forces as well as two medium tanks, three MRAP troop carriers, and a technical vehicle.  The Hell Knights fielded three LAGEREV APCs, one Landshark AFV, a mechsuit, and a light hover tank.

 The armored units classed in the middle of the field.  Both sides dealt considerable damage to each other.  The Hell Knights took up position on and around a hill near the station.

 The Hell Knights concentrated fire on the mech and finally destroyed the walker but the Titania forces had begun to envelope their main position.

 The Titania forces lost a MRAP but continued their advance taking over the hill position previously held by the mercenaries.

 The Hell Knights fell back behind the main office at Skynyrd Station.  A Titania tank and a Hell Knight mechsuit traded heavy fire.

 Another Titania medium tank took a commanding position on the hill overlooking the Skynyrd Station office.

 The Hell Knights formed a new battle line and began to push the Titania tank back.  Titania forces continued to advance under the cover of their armored units.

 Fighting continued around the station office.  One of the Titania medium tanks was destroyed and another MRAP seriously damaged.  Neither side seemed to be able to gain an advantage.

With casualties mounting and many vehicles smoking the Hell Knights commander agreed to withdraw on the condition that they be allowed to recover their wounded and damaged equipment.  General Drake the commander of the Titania forces agreed to these terms.  Although their bid to take control of Station 42 was unsuccessful the Hell Knights did manage to do considerable damage to the Titania forces who withdrew to Station 42 after the fighting.

This has been Clara St. Clair for the Titania News Network.

Notes:  This was a 3000 point No Limits battle for our Station 42 War campaign.  It's the largest one we have played so far for the campaign.  We really wanted to have a set piece battle between the Titania Planetary Guard and the Hell Knights and we wanted to use as much of our armies as we could field.  It was really quite a bit of fun for us to have a battle with this many vehicles and troops with all of them being painted and on finished terrain.  We've been working pretty hard for the last few years to get up to this stage of playing again and we are really happy with the results.  
The game played out pretty well with our usual number of weir die rolls.  My snipers continually hit and continually failed to wound which seems to be their curse.  The Titania mech was actually taken out by two light laser rifles and a frag grenade fired by one of the Hell Knights Veteran rifle squads due to nearly impossible rolls.  We are getting better at the rules and better at playing our armies and we plan to have even larger battles soon with a 4000 point battle we hope to play over the 4th of July weekend.  We will also be playing a number of skirmishes leading up to that.  We just finished a 1500 point skirmish tonight in fact.   

3000 point No Limits battle for the Station 42 War in progress!

Just wanted to post a preview shot of the "Station 42 War" battle we have in progress.  This is a 3000 point No Limits battle and it is so far the largest we have had in the campaign so far.  We started with over 100 models on the table including 10 armored vehicles and two mecha units.  Everything on the table is painted and we scratch built almost all of the terrain.  This has been the goal of our Station 42 sci-fi project and we are really happy we are finally able to play these types of games again.

Station 42 Conflict Update Part 2

 Late March 3031:  After a long pause in the fighting the Hell Knights discovered that Titania Militia forces had re-built and supplied the "Ghost Compound" and were using it as a base of operations.  A sizable force was dispatched intent on either retaking the compound or at least destroying as many supplies as possible.

 The fighting began around the smaller "Specter Compound" when a Hell Knights scout squad engaged mercenary and security forces there supported by a light hover tank.

 Another scout squad attacked the main compound held by "Boon's Irregulars" supported by a sniper.  Supplies were stacked in both compounds and the surrounding area.  

 After a brief skirmish between the scout and militia forces mechanized infantry and armored units from both sides entered the combat.  Hell Knight and renegade Titania Planetary Guard units engaged head on in the open ground between the compounds.

 Casualties began to mount quickly for both sides.  Specter Compound was over run by Hell Knight forces and the supplies there were destroyed.

 The assault on Ghost Compound did not fare as well.  Planetary Guard Tanks stalled the Hell Knight advance and even though a single Lagarev Hover transport managed to break through both it and the majority of the scout squad were destroyed.

At the end of the battle the Hell Knights were forced to withdraw with heavy casualties although they did manage to destroy about half of the militia supplies.

 Early May 3032 near Pleasant Valley:  After reports of increased militia activity in the town of Pleasant Valley the Hell Knights set up a checkpoint on the main road running between Pleasant Valley and Station 42.  Titania Militia units attacked the checkpoint in an attempt to make the road safer for their activities.

 As militia units advanced the Hell Knight armored units moved up to the ridge across from there checkpoint.  The militia were using light civilian vehicles for transports which were little use against the Hell Knights heavier guns.  The militia also had two field artillery pieces and a few improvised armored vehicles.

 The Hell Knights commander piloting a Battle Suit and Light Hover tank pressed into the militia ranks and did significant damage cutting down many of the lightly armored troops.

 The commander managed to also take out one of the Improvised armored vehicles but was eventually stopped by combined fire from the militia and field piece.

 The Mercenary hover tank also took out several militia troops and improvised armored vehicles until it was taken down by the militia's AC 10.

Even though they lost several armored units during the fighting the Hell Knights managed to force the militia to withdraw.  The veteran rifle squads and remaining Lagarev light transport managed to hold the checkpoint against the few militia that made it past the ridge.

Alphonso Marks for the Titania News Network.

Notes:  The 2nd battle of the Ghost Compound was one of the largest battles we have had in the campaign to date at 2500 points using the No Limits system.  We were very happy to bring a number of units onto the field for this one.  It was a lot of fun to have a large battle with combined arms.  The Battle of Checkpoint Bravo was a 1500 point skirmish.  Although we plan to have more skirmishes we plan to ramp the campaign up with much larger battles involving Mecha and air support as well as tanks and infantry.