2 Days
4 Objectives
6 Players
8 Turns
10,000 points of miniatures
Introduction
This weekend our local club (the Wellington Warlords which
is celebrating its 40th birthday this year) hosted Call to Arms, a
large annual convention and tournament. Several of us decided this would be a
good opportunity to stage a large demonstration game of Dystopian Wars,
showcasing the full seas/air/land capability of the game, and showing off some
of our favourite miniatures including the new landing craft. Last year for this event I posted a report
about our game for the Northern Mariana Islands (battle report here and here),
this year we wanted to go bigger and better!
To that end we decided for a 6 player, 2 day extravaganza,
which would feature the forces of the Kingdom of Britannia, Prussian Empire,
Federated States of America, Covenant of Antarctica and Empire of the Blazing
Sun. To fit this force disposition, I
drew on the Invasion of Port Stanley (from Hurricane Season) and made a few
amendments to suit the players and fleets we’d be using. The scenario and fleet lists are below with a
few pictures to set the scene. The
battle report proper begins in the next post.
Background
The year is 1871 and Port
Stanley, on a north-facing slope of the Falkland Islands, has become central to
the South American ambitions of the Empire of the Blazing Sun. The Empress has dispatched her prize 8th
Division to Chile, and from there the fleet plans to seize the British port to
use the island’s harbour as a vital refuelling station, and the recently built
British airfield to support further acquisitions. Aware of the Islands ports vital importance,
the British reinforced the defences and stationed a sizable garrison.
Meanwhile, disaffected Covenant
of Antarctica Scientist Hazel Cavendish and a group of fellow scientists have
been in secret negotiations with the British about defecting to the Kingdom of
Her Majesty and bringing several advanced Covenant secrets with him. Cavendish
stole a corvette and has arrived in Port Stanley to negotiate the terms of her
passage to England.
Realising that the combined naval
power of garrison and the British 19th Battle Fleet are too strong
to overcome alone, the Blazing Sun strike a deal with the Prussian Empire. Elements of the 9th Iron Fleet
will stage a landing at Port Louis to the north, and draw away both the British
Fleet and much of the garrison, then the Blazing Sun forces will attack using
an amphibious landing force to overwhelm the port and seize the airfield. The Prussian naval forces will withdraw when
engaged, but advance elements of their powerful 35th Corps with Metzger Robots
should be able to easily defeat the British tanks and attack Port Stanley from
the south, ensuring the Port’s defences are overwhelmed.
As the invasion begins the Blazing
Sun encounter the 2nd Covenant War Fleet, who plan to overwhelm the
British and deploy their terrestrial command to scour Port Stanley for their
rogue scientist. A bargain is
struck. The Blazing Sun and Covenant
forces will together defeat the British, with the Blazing Sun and Prussian
forces retaining possession of the Port, while the Covenant will have the
assistance of the Blazing Sun to secure Cavendish and her secrets.
The Prussian deception works as
planned and the British 19th Fleet scramble to intercept the large
Prussian invasion force. However,
concerned about possible Covenant reprisal against Cavendish, they radio their
allies, the American 7th Federated Fleet, for support. Admiral Richard West deploys a rapid response
force to reinforce Port Stanley, arriving only just ahead of the huge Blazing
Sun and Covenant armada.
While the British garrison forces
are deceived by the Prussian landings at Port Louis, and send much of their
armoured forces to repel the invaders, the bulk of this force become bogged
down in the heavy swampland around Port Louis, and only a sporadic engagement
is made, while the lead Prussian armoured column, led by the Metzger war
robots, easily evade the huge British tanks, and head overland for Port
Stanley. Now the British armoured forces
hasten to return to the port to defend their city, only to witness the huge
invasion armada bearing down on the badly stretched British and American
forces.
Overview
The battle for Port Stanley is
fought in two phases. First the invasion
fleet and landing craft arrives on the southern table edge while a Prussian
land force arrives to the north-east. A
small defence force and city fortifications will attempt to hold the attackers
at bay. As the landing craft unload
their armoured cargo, a reinforcement armoured force arrives to relieve the
city from the north-west table edge, at the same time as Prussian
reinforcements also arrive from the north-east.
The battle is fought for the control of 4 key objectives.
Objectives
- Control the Port (1 Victory Point). To be awarded this point the attacking force must either reduce the bunker (to the south of the city) HP to 0 or Prize this Bunker. The defenders are awarded this point if they retain control of the bunker.
- Control the City Defences (1 Victory Point). To be awarded this point the attacking force must either Derelict or Prize the Bunker Complex to the East of the city. The defenders are awarded this point if they retain control of the bunker complex.
- Control the Skies (1 Victory Point). To be awarded this point the attacking force must either reduce the Air Field (to the north of the city) HP to 0 or Prize this Air Field. The defenders are awarded this point if they retain control of the Air Field.
- Occupy the City (2 Victory Points). These points are awarded to the side which has the greatest value of points inside the city at the conclusion of the game. The city is defined by the grey felt area, and unit points are determined by model cost (models with half HP or less are worth half points).
Final Victory
Final Victory is determined by calculating the victory
points earned by each side from the four objectives in the end phase of the
last turn of the game on Sunday afternoon.
DEFENDING FORCES
KoB City Fortifications (780)
3x Shield
Towers
3 x Flak
Towers
1 x Bunkers
1 x Bunker
1 x Bunker
Complex
1 x Air
Field
FSA Rapid Response Force (900)
1x Independence
Battleship
2 x Princeton
Gunships
4 x Augusta
Frigates
3 x Lee
Scoutships
1 x Valley
Airship
1 x Savannah
Sky Fortress
10 x Tiny
Flyers
KoB City Defence Force (825)
5x Terrier
Small Tanks
4 x Mk II
Medium Tanks
1 x Sovereign
Land Ship: HQ
5 x Merlin
Interceptors
3 x Vanguard
Submarines
4 x Orion
Destroyers
10 x Tiny
Flyers
1x Olympic Class Troop Transport
Reinforcement Forces
British Armour (990)
5 x Terrier
Small Tanks
4 x Mk II
Medium Tanks
4 x Mk II
Medium Tanks
3 x Cromwell
Bombards
1 x Sovereign
Land Ship: Mortars
1 x Brunel
Mobile Airfield
2 x Hawk
Scout Rotors
American Armour (990)
5 x Pioneer Small
Tanks
5 x Pioneer
Small Tanks
5 x Pioneer
Small Tanks
3 x Trenton
Medium Tanks
3 x Yorktown
Bombards
1 x
Washington Land Ship
1 x
Washington Land Ship
1 x Valley
Airship
ATTACKING FORCES
Blazing Sun Naval invasion Fleet (1000)
5 x Fujin Corvettes
4 x Uwatsu
Frigates
3 x Tanuki
Gunships
1 x Sokotsu
Battleship
1 x Ika
Mechanical Squid
1 x Tsukuyomi
War Gyro
1 x Tenkei
Sky Fortress
10 x Tiny
Flyers
Covenant of Antarctica Naval invasion
Fleet (1000)
4 x Thales
Corvettes
2 x Plato Cruiser
[i. scientists]
2 x Zeno
Armoured Cruiser
1 x
Callimarchus Time Orb
1 x
Aristotle Battleship
1 x
Aristotle Battleship [t. painter]
1 x Epicurus
Sky Fortress
10 x Tiny
Flyers
1x Olympic Class Troop Transport
Prussian Empire Overland Armour (1000)
5 x Walze
Small Tanks
3 x B3-S
Bombards
1 x Seydlitz
Mobile Airfield
2 x Metzger
Robots
2 x Pflicht
Scout Ships
1 x Gewitterwolke
Airship
1 x Imperium
Sky Fortress
10 x Tiny
Flyers
Blazing Sun Landing Armour (1000)
5 x Ke-Ho Small Tanks
[2 x Small Landing Barge]
5 x Ke-Ho Small Tanks
[2 x Small Landing Barge]
4 x Type II ‘Chi-Ri’ Tank
[Large Landing Barge]
3x Type II ‘Chi-Ri’ Tank
[Medium Landing Platform]
3 x Ho-I Class Bombard
[Medium Landing Platform]
1 x O-I ‘Taka-Ashi’ Walker
[Large Landing Barge]
1 x O-I ‘Taka-Ashi’ Walker
[Large Landing Barge]
2 x Kitsune Escorts
Covenant of Antarctica Terrestrial
Forces (1000)
5 x Xenephon
Walkers
[2 x Small Landing Barge]
5 x Xenephon
Walkers
[2 x Small Landing Barge]
3x Atticus Walkers
[Medium
Landing Platform]
3x Atticus Walkers
[Medium
Landing Platform]
3 x Socrates
Bombard
[Medium Landing Platform]
3x Atticus Walkers
[Large Landing Barge]
1 x Archimedes Heavy Walker
[Large
Landing Barge]
1 x Archimedes Heavy Walker
[Large
Landing Barge]
REINFORCEMENTS
Prussian Empire Reinforcement Armour (500)
6x Walze
Small Tanks
3 x A6-V
Medium Tanks
1 x A9 – V
Land Ship