CRUZ CHRONICLES: OPERATION: PATHFINDER RESULTS!

And just like that we're entering the last few days of the second month of 2014. We just concluded our Dust Tactics tournament for this month. Bin Belano organized this one and named it Operation: Pathfinder. It's an infantry-only bout at 200 APs a side. This is what happens when walkers walk away.



Due to unforeseen events, our expected headcount of 8 was reduced to just 6. But that didn't stop us from launching our assaults at each other! We welcomed a new commander in the fold: Jake or better known as Gurzak Hellscream!

Pure dedication! Thanks, man!

We have 5 Allies and ..... wait for it... 1 Axis player in total! Total surprise as the breakdown of our play group is heavily populated by (I'll use Dax' words here) "yucky" Axis. And did I mention that we held the event at Neutral Grounds' new branch at Cash & Carry? This venue's turning to become a second base of operation for us.

Here's what I fielded:
Ozz 117 (24) + Grim Reapers (26)
Action Jackson (24) + Legio Patria Nostra (30)
Leathernecks (15) x2
Choppers (13) x2
13 Foxtrot (5) x2
Crack Shots (10) x3
TOTAL: 200 AP

With this format, cover saves will make or break your rolls so I opted to minimize, if not totally eliminate them. Artillery, Phasers, and flame throwers are good sources of weapons that break cover so I packed everything in this army.

Round 1
vs Vic (Allies), Scenario: Attack and Defend

Vic brought in Ozz as well but chose to back him up with a Fast crew with BBQ Squads.

Our table setup for Round 1, map by Dax

The game went as expected, we head-locked right in the middle of the board, with the building playing as a sort of high grounds to be taken by either side. I managed to win a crucial initiative on Turn 3 which cemented the advantage on my side as i was able to plunge in my Ozz and Reapers into his zone. I was able to roll enough Hits (including close combat, mind you) to take out his Ozz. The next turns went by with a couple more of his heavy hitters eliminated.
1-0

Round 2
vs Bin (Allies), Scenario: Key Locations

Turn 2 action

Bin included a lot of armor 3's. He got his own Action Jackson paired with Devil's Own for the Scout ability. He won Deployment and chose the long edge making our battlefield 9 squares away from each other. I was able to peep in alpha strikes with my Leathernecks but nothing too devastating, thanks to Setup Weapon. My Choppers provided cover fire for anything that comes in range so he was not able to maximize the closer deployment and Scout ability of his Brittish Kill Squad. My Ozz squeezed into the building and eliminated a couple of threats. We had an exchange of shots here and there but my guys managed to survive and take the victory for this fight.
2-0

Round 3
vs Chard (Axis), Area Control

Excuse the obscene gesture

Wow! The only Axis player managed to sweep it and get into the finals! That alone should spell it out for me that this is not going to be an easy game. And yes, this is the first time I get to play with Chard.
I won Deployment and chose the short sides as our entry. Like with the first 2 games, I established perimeter with my Marines backed by 3 Crack Shots. Again I was able to sneak pot shots with my Leathernecks. One the highlights of the game, when I chose to march in my Ozz-led Grim Reapers and go toe-to-toe with Chard's Lara and Heavy Flaks, inside a hut! Luckily I was able to roll enough Hits and he failed on his cover and Damage Resilient rolls, I have one less threat to worry about. They didn't go down without a fight though, as they took out Ozz and a couple of my snipers with them. By the end of the latter turns, he was down to a couple of armor 2 squads and I still have most of my boy intact except for Ozz. We decided to call it GG.
3-0!!!

The prize Bin got for us was a beautiful tree terrain, bought from our local gaming store, Neutral Grounds. This will be added to our gaming group's terrain pool.

Isn't she gorgeous?

Once again, thanks to Bin for organizing this event. Thanks to Chard, Vic, Jojo and Jake for playing, great games boys! And thanks to Neutral Grounds for always providing us a venue and a spot on their heavy schedule.

Next month's event is brewing. Watch out for Raven's announcement. Til next time! Fire away!