Thunderbolt Apache Leader AAR

[JudgeDredd]

Battlefield Resolution (1)
Repeat until out of weapons/aircraft or targets

Mission Event Card Resolution
The first turn sees me roll against each enemy unit on the battlefield because of the MLRS Bombardment Mission Event card. The results are:
Hex 6 - 1xAAA and 1xTank destroyed
Hex 7 - 1xCommand destroyed
Hex 8 - 1xTank destroyed
Don't you just love MLRS!!?
This destruction leaves this battalion at half strength immediately...with only 16 points of units on the battlefield and the battalion is at half strength at 16 and destroyed at 4 or less.

Popup Counters
Popup counters give a chance of an unexpected enemy unit entering the battlefield. They are their for the duration of the loiter turn and are returned to the pool at the end.
If any of my aircraft are in High Altitude, then I draw a popup counter...but being a wiley old fox, neither of them are...so no need to draw a counter

Enemy Cover
I roll to see if any enemy units go into cover. A unit in cover may not be attacked by Stand Off weapons but can still be attacked by an aircraft in the same hex with a weapon or cannon.

I roll a 6 - All Infantry Enter Cover. There are no infantry units present, so there's no effect here.

Fast Pilots - Altitude/Move/Attack
Fast pilots peform these moves before enemy attacks. In this step a pilot must change altitude first and he will stay at that altitude for the duration of the turn. But for the attack/move step he can attack then move, move then attack or if his speed is greater than 1 he can move, attack, move.

I have no fast pilots - so it's to the next phase.

Enemy Attacks
Enemy Helicopter Movement is the first part of this phase. Because each of the helicopters has one of my airframes in range, they do not move. If one of my airframes wasn't in range, then the helicopters would move towards one of my airframes IF they were in LOS. If they were not in LOS, then the enemy helicopters stay put.

ENemy Attacks
So - it's to the enemy attacks

First up is Daddy-O being attacked by the helicopter in Hex 7. He fires up his ECM and I roll for a 4 - failing. The helicopter inflicts two Heavy Hits...I draw two heavy chit counters and they are...
HUD and DISPLAY - both persistent.
HUD means I subtract 2 from the aircrafts Strike value for the remainder of the mission!(attacking in the same hex - I find it weird that this doesn't affect Stand Off which I would've thought it would affect more!)
DISPLAY means I suffer -2 to rolls for Standoff Attacks
These are both considerable hits!

Next is Gumby being attacked by the helicopter in Hex 5. He fires up his ECM and rolls a 4 - failing. The two damage chits he draws are...
Both are Pylon hits - meaning he loses 4 WPs on his aircraft - which means he has to have no more than 10 WPs for weapons...and therefore has to drop some weapons. He drops a MK-83, a MK-82 and a MK-20.

I put the relevant markers on the airframes and drop the weapons (gutted!)

Slow Pilots - Altitude/Move/Attack
It's my turn :-)

First is Daddy-O in the AH-64. He has a +2 Cannon/Strike modifier but -1 on Stand Off. So he closes with the enemy helicopter in Hex 7. Remember he is suffering from a -2 on Stand Off and Cannon/Strikes - but with his +2 on Cannon/Strikes, that negates the -2. He closes with the Hind moving into Hex 7 and placing himself at the edge north west indicating he is moving into Hex 3 to attack the command unit there. He fires his AIM-9 at the Hind in Hex 7...rolling an 8 - needing a 3 for a hit - he downs the Hind.

Next is Gumby. He's going to attack the Hind in Hex 5 with both AIM-92s. He rolls a 9 and 2 - but with his Stand Off modifier of +2 that makes 11 and 2...destroying the Hind.
As he is an A-10, he has to move at least 1 hex and a maximum of 2 - so he moves into Hex 5 and positions himself at the south west hex edge - ready to move into Hex 8 and loiters.
So both helicopters are out the picture. Good.

I advance the Loiter Counter to 6 and restart the Battlefield Resolution phase

The enemy Battalion value is down to 10. Still a way to go.

[JudgeDredd]

Battlefield Resolution (2)

So to the next loiter phase.

Popup Counters
No need...both aircraft are at low altitude.

Enemy Cover
I roll a 2 for Enemy Cover - which means any enemy unit in the same hex as my airframes can go into hiding if there is a ridge present. This is only apparent in Hex 5 with the Tank unit...so it goes into cover.

Fast Pilots - Altitude/Move/Attacl
Again - I have no fast pilots, so I move to the next phase

Enemy Attacks
Both my airframes are in range of enemy targets. The AH-64 in Hex 7 is in range of the Command unit in Hex 3 and my A-10m is in range of both the Tank in Hex 5 and the AAA unit in Hex 8.

The first to attack is the Command unit in Hex 3 against my AH-64 in hex 7. Daddy-O fires up his ECM and rolls...a 10 - ECM is successful!

The next attack is against my A-10. The first is from the tank in Hex 5. It comes out of hiding and fires. Gumby fires up his ECM and rolls a 6 - and fails. I draw a light hit chit and it's an Altitude...forcing Gumby High! Next is the AAA unit in Hex 8. Again Gumby fires his ECM pod and rolls a 5...it fails again. He suffers two heavy hits from the AAA unit and they are:
Pylons - again - another -2WPs...Luckily he is only carrying 8 WPs of weapons now...so doesn't have to remove anymore (he's suffered a total of 3 Pylon hits equaling -6 in WPs...and he can carry 14 WPs...but he has 8 left, so doesn't have to discard any weapons)
Controls - Controls is -2 on rolls for Ridge Evasion. Luckily avoiding ridges is totally down to him and his altitude - so an avoidable hit. It's also non persistent so can be removed the next loiter.

Slow Pilots - Altitude/Move/Attack
Next it's my boys.
First up is Daddy-O. He moves into Hex 3 and positions himself on the ridge to Hex 2 ready to move there next turn. He attacks the Command target. He fires 2xLAU-61s and rolls 7 for the first and 7 for the second. Now...he has -2 for Strike/Cannon hits becuase of the hit he suffered...but has a +2 Strike/Cannon modifier...negating the hit. So the hit of 7 for both LAU-61s means the unit is destroyed and BOTH LAU-61s are retained.

Next is Gumby. He fires an AGM-65 at the AAA target in Hex 8. The AGM-65 hits on a 1 or above...and he has a stand off modifier of +2 so there's no need to roll. The unit is destroyed.. He then moves into Hex 8 and goes to the eastern hex edge waiting until the next turn to attack the tank in Hex 9.

I move the Loiter counter to 5 and continue.

The battalion is now destroyed with only 4 battalion points remaining...but I WANT that extra VP for destroying all units.

[JudgeDredd]

I actually want to go to bed - but I want to tidy up Day 1 of the campaign....

Battlefield Resolution (3)

Draw Popup Counters
Because Gumby was forced High with an Altitude hit last turn, then I draw a popup. I draw an APC and roll a 4 to place it in Hex 4. It has a range of 2 but it's contained by ridges on all sides but can still hit Gumby in his high altitude A-10.

Enemy Cover Roll
I roll for enemy cover... and roll 9 meaning the hex with the most active units. Becuase Hex 4, 5 and 9 have the same number of active units (it's not clear if  popup units are included, but I guess so), I get to choose...and choose Hex 5.

Fast Pilots - Altitude/Move/Attack
I have no fast pilots

Enemy Attacks
The only enemy unit that can attack is the popup enemy in Hex 4. It has LoS to Gumby. Gumby fires up his ECM and rolls an 8 - avoiding the attack.

Slow Pilot - Altitude/Move/Attack
Next it's my slow pilots.
First up is Gumby. He immediately moves to low altitude to prevent anymore popups. He then attacks the Tank in Hex 9 with an AGM-65. It requires a roll of 1 and because he has a Stand Off modifier of 2, there is not need to roll...it's a hit. He then moves into Hex 9 and heads to the North West edge and then moves into Hex 5 moving towards the north east hex edge.

I then move Daddy-O into Hex 2 facing south west and keep him at low altitude.

I remove the popup counter.

I move the Loiter counter to 4 and begin a new Battelfield Resolution phase.

[JudgeDredd]

Battlefield Resolution (4)

Draw Popup Counters
I have no aircraft at high altitude, so no need to pull a chit

Enemy Cove Roll
I roll a 2 which means any units in the same hex as one of my aircraft. This is Hex 5...the tank unit goes into cover.

Fast Pilots - Altitude/Move/Attack
I have no fast pilots

Enemy Attacks
There is only one enemy unit left - the Tank in Hex 5. He is in cover, but might as well come out and attack Gumby (the A-10) as he will be attacked anyway. Gumby fires up his ECM pod and rolls a 7 - avoiding the attack.

Slow Pilots - Altitude/Move/Attacks
I attack the Tank in Hex 5 with Gumby in the A-10. He drops his MK-83 and MK-20 on the unit. He rolls a 2 for the MK-83 (a miss) and a 10 for the MK-20...a hit and the Tank is destroyed.

I then move him into Hex 2 and to the north west edge and then off the battlefield.

I move Daddy-O into Hex 2 and to the north west edge ready to head out of the battlefield next turn.

I have destroyed the battalion and destroyed all targets giving me an extra VP.

I move the Loiter counter to 3 start a new turn.

The next Battlefield Resolution doesn't demand a new post...I'm only removing Daddy-O from the battlefield.

[JudgeDredd]

The battalion has been destroyed and is removed from the list of battalions

The Home Bound Event card I draw is Reporting For Duty - I keep the card and use it to reduce a pilots stress at the beginning of any day by 5!
I do not have to perform Bingo Fuel Checks because my aircraft exited with Loiter points remaining

I have no need to check for search and rescue

I record Pilot Stress...Gumby and Daddy-O suffer 2 stress because the mission was located in the Friendly Transit. Daddy-O has 1 Cool so his stress is reduced to 1.

Each pilot gains 3 XPs...1 for flying the mission, 1 for destroying the battalion and one for destroying every unit in the battalion. I have to record persistant damage to the airframes. So I log 3 XPs each to Gumby and Daddy-O.

I record 4 VPs  for the destruction of the battalion and move onto the next day

[JudgeDredd]

Double post

[JudgeDredd]

End of Day
No Fly Stress Recovery
Any pilots that have not flown in todays mission recover 2 stress points. As this is the first day, I have no pilots ins such a position.

Gain SO Points
I replenish my SO points with what was displayed on the Situation Card...in this case +6 which leaves me with 8 SOs (I had 2 left from the previous day...I had 3 left at the start of the second mission, but then I paid 1 SO to destroy units at the start of the turn)

Move Enemy Battalions
I then roll for each surviving enemy battalion...I roll:
6 for 9A meaning it advances to Friendly Transit
7 for 10A meaning it advances to Friendly Transit
4 for 5S meaning hold
3 for 6S meaning hold
7 for 7A meaning advance to Front Line
7 for 5C meaning hold
3 for 4C meaning hold
The above is incorrect - for my campaign. You would normally do the Battalion Movement, but my campaign card states no battalions are to move on the first day

Lose SO Points
Lose points for enemies being in Friendly Rear (-1) or Air Base (-3) range. I have no such worries so do not lose any SOs.

Replacements
You can use 2 VPs to replace aircraft with heavy damage. Now I have an A-10 with 3 Pylon hits...so I can either pay 2 SOs to replace that airframe or I can pay 3 SOs to fix it. Clearly I'm going to replace it. I wonder if this works out over a campaign....
Anyway - I replace airframe 232 with airframe 233 at a cost of 2 SOs.
The bit in italics is incorrect. You have to pay 2VPs - not 2 SOs to replace an airframe.

I also choose to repair the HUD on AH-64A 455 and the 2xEngine Damage on AH-64A 453 for a cost of 3 SOs

Having used 5 SOs to replace/repair aircraft, it leaves me with 3 SOs for the next days missions...not great really

I then Advance the Day Counter by one. I have completed the required tasks mentioned in the Situation Card - Surge Mission by destroying 2 Battalions in the first day. So the campaign will continue into Day 2

And I start Day 2

[JudgeDredd]

I thought I should sum up - after my initial day and two missions.

Obviously it's too early to tell whether the balance of stress/damage hits and SO's is right - but it looks pretty good - leaving me with a tough decision at the end of day one.

The package itself is excellent and very good quality. Big thick counters and the cards are nice and thick. The only thing I'm not too keen on is the pilot cards...but I'm being a bit picky there. Everything in the box is qaulity made.

The hexes are a nice touch and give a nice tactical edge to play with their ridge edges and vehicles being able to go into cover where a ridge is present and making that randomised is a nice idea.

I love the new hit system. When I first read the rules I thought "WHAT? Every hit by an enemy is successful?"...but with the damage your aircraft can take and with the various system failures and damage cards (of which there are a plethora) it's actually worked out to be a very neat system.

The rules looked complicated and the play moreso - but actually getting to play, the system is pretty easy to pick up.

There are alot of Special Condition and Mission Event cards - enough to make every mission a new experience.

The number of Battalions is on the low side I think. Especially with Supply and Command battalions.

The SO system is refined even further - by paying for weapons in a different way. In Phantom/Hornet Leader either a weapon was free or it has a SO cost (1/2 or 1 point normally). In this one, although some weapons have an SO cost of 1, you only pay 1 SO point for every 10 (or part thereof) weapons with an SO cost. I like this too.

Gameplay wise it's great. It flows well and the rules seem amazingly clear.

It is early doors having only played 2 missions on one day - and yes - I could find an imbalance in SO assignments and weapons/aircraft/repair etc, etc...but I have to say the rules and gameplay make you feel like it's faultless - even this early on.

For what it's worth - this is a close one to Phantom Leader. Whilst I love Hornet Leader - which is a fantastic game and very, very complete with alot of content - I think I always preferred Phantom Leader because of the basic weapons available and the grittyness of the Vietnam Conflict. This is a close fav with Phantom Leader because although it brings modern equipment to the fore there is a more detailed tactical game built in to this. It's like a strategy wargame with a tactical playout.

Love it - 9/10.

[mirth]

This has been an awesome review/AAR, JD. Thanks so much for sharing.

[JudgeDredd]

Thanks mirth.

I kind of like doing them when I first get a game becuase it helps me learn the game...unfortunately, I don't ever go into doing a "campaign" one (someone did ask me once to do one) but after writing one up (especially with pictures) you kind of want to get torn into a campaign of your own without the break of writing and taking photos.

[Arctic Blast]

Damn you, Judge! You just added another game to my wishlist with this.  ;D

[MikeGER]

Damn you, Judge! You just added another game to my wishlist with this.  ;D

+1

Judge i think you should get a 50% off discount from Dan on you next DVG purchase for that outstanding AAR !

i am tempted like hell to get such a solitary game ...  checking YT videos of Hornet Leader:CAO, Phantom Leader and TAL around the clock  ;)
while already browsing through the rule books which are available at DVG's side http://www.dvg.com/ in form of pdf-files !

(...i already checked the obvious NWS store  http://yhst-12000246778232.stores.yahoo.net/dvggase.html   who has always a good prices but the 55$ airfreight for the 4+ ibs package from Florida killing it ... now i am locking for a source in Europe ... i found i a store in Moers (the guy was on the Spiel2011 in Essen for sure, iirc i bought that ASL Expansion kit at his stable last Oct ... lets see how i can hook up with him with the lowest hazzle... years ago i would have simply jumped in the guzzling ol Landcruiser and driven the 90km back and for, but with those actual diesel prices and clogged Autobahn that wouldnt be all to wise, ..its better to let DHL do the drivigng for 4€ )

[JudgeDredd]

Thanks MikeGER

And this would be nice :-)

Judge i think you should get a 50% off discount from Dan on you next DVG purchase for that outstanding AAR !

[MikeGER]

^^its all your fault Judge ;)

...new proud owner of TAL reporting in  :)  ...now its waiting for the postman to deliver  8)
(i bought at Headquarter Comics & Spiele in Moers after negotiating over phone and email with the owner to get the transaction done. nice guy, fast email response, now let's see when the package arrives... )  

[JudgeDredd]

I don't feel too bad.  ;)
From what I've seen you've bought yourself a gem of a solitaire board game and I do believe something you most likely will not regret buying - if solitaire and boardgames and the theme is your thing, of course!

I'm really looking forward to playing this on holiday when I I've got some long lazy days (before my charity bike ride) in the Lake District!!