(Special to Warlord Games by Lieut. Col. Sam Wilson, Jr., USA (Ret.)
Wildwood Crest, NJ (March 14, 2017) — An unusual but highly effective allied military force of Beyond the Gates of Antares © Isorian, Freeborn and Concord military elements conducted a hard-hitting and well-coordinated strike on the Imperial Ghar city of Gharlopolis this past March 11th at a meeting of the Sourth Jersey (USA) Gamers Association (SJGA) club in Cape May Court House, NJ, USA.
Gharlopolis sits astride the boundary between the Ghar Empire and the Isorian Shard in Anterean Space.
Using the internationally popular game system, nine club members came together to explore how the combat system could engage with a large urban setting on a four x six foot gaming mat.
Allocated force ratios were deliberately large: the Alliance of Isorian, Freeborn, and Concord combined for 2700 points (at 900 points each). The Imperial Ghar army (IGA)—under the command of Karg 12-40-9—totaled 2300 points (a deliberate offset due to the military benefits of defending urban terrain).
The Imperial Ghar city itself consisted of acrylic-painted cardboard insulation pieces and carry-out drink holders to portray futuristic 12 urban blocks serving various administrative, residential, military headquarters and important industrial functions. This city’s layout was supplemented by surrounding “green” areas of trees and bushes, contrasted by noxious plasma overflow pits to complete the combat environment in which the invasion would unfold. The allied invasion was restricted to attack zones from south, southwest, and southeast of the city on axes that were to run S-N in parallel. (See Photo 1).
The IGA—supplemented by Army of the Ghar Rebellion (AGR) forces which was being leveraged to participate in the city’s defense (their leader, General Fartok, having been captured and closely guarded in the city’s fortress-like prison) — occupied the city in both visible and hidden positions using a “defense in depth” strategy. Because it was a “Ghar” city, building occupancy by armored IGA and AGR infantry was allowed; however, any MOD 2 figures were not.
Photo 1: The city of Gharlopolis as viewed from the north. L-R, three buildings at the bottom make up the Ghar industrial complex, on the far right is a troop barracks. The two buildings in the next row up are (L) the Ghar Military HQ and (C) High Commander Karg’s Palace. The prison is located immediately to the south of the palace.
Victory conditions awarded points to each side for: (1) each figure destroyed, (2) additional points for reducing respective military elements by at least 30% or for the resistance of same, and (3) for the capture or successful defense of key city buildings, i.e., the military headquarters, Karg’s palace, and the critical, industrial multi-building complex that produced munitions, armaments, and rehabbed or newly fabricated armored Ghar fighters. Furthermore, (4) Alliance points were to be rewarded for successful egress of alliance forces off the north edge of the board.
A special condition also was established: the successful rescue of General Fartok by alliance forces would prompt the AGR to stand-down and no longer support the IGA in its defense of the city. This condition called for the use of either Freeborn or Concord C3M4 Combat and C3T7 Transporter drones in a mission to be determined by the Isorian commander in a “Black Hawk Down” rescue type mission.
The IGA was given the ability to plant munitions charges in a small number of selected buildings to be command-detonated upon their evacuation and or successful assault by Alliance forces. Additional transporter pads linked key buildings for rapid Ghar redeployment. (See Photo 2).
Photo 2: Two club members playing the IGA/AGR forces secretly plant command detonated mines in selective buildings as part of the planned defense of the city.
The IGA set up first with the capability of placing selected units on an automatic “ambush order” from the outset (to replicate the defensive lethality of offensive assault in urban warfare). Effort was made to establish effective lines of site and hidden placement in key buildings. Surprisingly, the IGA/AGR overall commander elected not to use the “ambush” order option. (See Photos 3 & 4).
The IGA—supplemented by Army of the Ghar Rebellion (AGR) forces which was being being leveraged to participate in the city’s defense (their leader, General Fartok, having been captured and closely guarded in the city’s fortress-like prison)—occupied the city in both visible and hidden positions using a “defense in depth” strategy. Because it was a “Ghar” city, building occupancy by armored IGA and AGR infantry was allowed; however, any MOD 2 figures were not.
Photo.3: A Ghar Disrupter Cannon with loader is positioned on top of the Imperial Palace. Ghar Attack Scutters are positioned in road column near the top of the photo, poised to deploy. Note the effective camouflage effect between building and figures.
Photo 4: The IGA deployed its Bombardment Crawler (L) in tandem with an AGR Bomber Squad (R) on the western side of the city with Flitter and Tectorist Scout surveillance elements positioned to the South. The IGA used this pairing of mixed IGA/AGR forces to ensure compliance by AGR.
The Alliance set up last with the options of advancing multiple columns onto the board, either in whole force or echelon. Alliance factions could not interpenetrate, however. (See Photos 5 & 6).
Photos 5: The Freeborn player of the Alliance has made initial deployment of his 800-point army on the southeastern flank.Note he has kept back his C3T7 Transporter Drone, awaiting a mission order from the Isorian commander who headed the military alliance.
Photo 6: The left (southwestern) flank of the Alliance invasion is manned by the Concord force shown here in its assembly area just off the board. The Isorian player opted to occupy the central or southern deployment area to facilitate command and control among the three Alliance factions.
Finally, the total number of order dice for each army was determined, including any MOD2 figures, and then deliberately halved, to speed up turn play. This is an alternative technique used by the club from time-to-time to represent that perfect command and control over all available units was rarely achieved taking into account the “fog and friction” of war, even in science fiction combat. The scenario was optimistically designed to last six turns.
What happened?
Well, the game lasted two long, complex, and highly dramatic turns. In the process, city blocks were rubbled either by Alliance compression cannon assault or Ghar demolition. (See Photo 7).
Photo 7: A view from the Southern edge of the city. Note the Isorian force (C) occupying what used to be a Ghar military barracks before it was rubbled. Note the military prison (Upper C) is now exposed to ground and air attack.
After initial advances with minimum losses, the Isorian commander directed his Concord player to conduct the pre-planned raid on the prison to liberate General Fartok. This was launched after Freeborn and Concord both C3M4 combat drones blasted entry ways on the south side of the walled prison.
A Striker Squad was then airlifted by the Concord C3T7 Transporter Drone to the prison entry ways where it aggressively assaulted into the prison. Alas! Poor General Fartok was wired like a suicide bomber and was quickly dispatched when his Ghar captors exited the prison. The blast also took out several Striker Squad members. What was left was rubble. (See Photo 8).
Photo 8: Alliance players contemplate their next move north as the assault on the prison by the Concord player (R) resulted in the killing of Fartok and the complete destruction of the prison (the large bare spot)..
Immediately Ghar assault forces closed with the Concord Striker Squad now on open and exposed ground. However, previous accumulation of fatigue points on the hard-fighting but decremented Ghar forced drew down its Resistance Levels to the point of risky probability survival. They lost. (See Photo 9).
Photo 9: A Ghar Assault Squad conducts a desperate assault against the Concord Striker Squad whose abortive effort to free Fartok has left them exposed on open ground. Notice the already accumulated fatigue points on the Ghar element.
Of special heroic note was the devastating accomplishments of the Isorian sniper who successfully took out two separate Ghar Outcast elements: a roof-top disrupter cannon and its crew, and a squad of Outcast Infantry that had emerged from a barracks. Both accomplishments were achieved at critical early moments of the invasion. (See Photo 10).
Photo 10: The Isorian player cannot help but be pleased by the exploits of his Isorian sniper hidden in the trees near the players left hand.
At the end of Turn 2 ( and three hours of play), the Alliance had secured a N-S corridor into the industrial complex, over-watched by its Freeborn C3M4 combat drone that had fought its way through the city. The end was clearly in sight. (See Photo 11).
Photo.11: A Freeborn C3M4 Combat Drone exercises decisive overwatch of a now open corridor of advance for the Alliance to begin a rapid advance North along the eastern side of the city and thereby achieve critical victory points.
The final victory point calculation? Alliance 53 points and the IGA, 42. The Ghar managed to hang on to its vital facilities but its heavy combat losses coupled with its ability to inflict only light casualties on the Alliance spelled doom. Furthermore, the Alliance’s victory was on the cusp of a crushing defeat with the arrival of the Freeborn C3M4 Combat Drone near the northern edge of the city in protective over watch of soon to be streaming Alliance forces in its wake.
This round of Beyond The Gates of Antares © gaming was the culmination of a series of five monthly gamed scenarios designed with progressively added complexity to develop player rules familiarity and skill in many of the nuances of this richly imagined and compelling game system.
Warlord Games, through its principal U.S. agent, Jon Russell, provided prizes of Antares sprues and other items for participants both as a reward to newcomers for learning the system and further to encourage interest and possible investment in the game system.
The SJGA meets monthly year-round in at the Cape May County Senior Center, for game playing by retirees (including military) and by members of professional, business, or service enterprises. All are war game aficionados with a wide-interest of tastes and interests, but share a largely historical focus.
The club’s predominant interest in historical wargaming notwithstanding, the Beyond the Gates of Antares © game system now has won an secure place in the schedule of featured games over the club’s annual game playing cycle.
The exploration of urban warfare was inspired by urban warfare in the Middle East. Urban fighting, with its provision of cover for the defender and complex demands on the coordination of attacking forces posed an interesting challenge to club members.
Currently, a Bolt Action © game system campaign, focusing on the 1944-North Burma Campaign is underway in the club. It features War Lord Games © Marauders, Japanese, Chindit, Ghurka, British, and Chinese “X” force (modified from Nisei figures) army elements and figures augmented with Japanese and American-led armor models, as historically appropriate.
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Sam Phillips
