New Neo-Soviets spotted on Liberty!

Hi all,

It's been a while since I posted pictures of a game, but then again it's been awhile since I've played with my 15mm Sci-fi.  However a couple of weeks ago, over Spring Break, I caught the painting bug and started pained my Khurasan Sci-Fi Soviets and a few more Exterminator miniatures to play the role of US Army troops.

Anyway, not long after painting the figures my son, Jeremy, dragged me to the local game shop to play some 15mm Sci-fi.  The gamers at the shop are mostly card players so it was something different for them to see.  I got a lot of questions about the figures and rules that I used.  

This particular game was set in my world of Liberty and saw a mechanized platoon of Soviets clash with a US Army light infantry platoon.  We used Stargrunt for the rules!  Stargrunt!  What a blast from the past.  It's a nice, if clunky, system that plays well.  I still think Tomorrow's War is better, but since I was gaming with Jeremy I decided to go with something simpler.

So to set the scene elements of the Soviet 85th Space Rifle Regiment have landed near the US city of Jagerville in northern Liberty.  The Soviets landed near the aerospace port and cleared out scattered resistance.  With the Americans in flight the Soviets started moving small mechanized forces toward the city to clear out any remaining American resistance.

For the Americans the Soviet landing was sudden and smashing.  After a short, but ineffective, attempt to defend the aerospace port the remaining Americans fled to the city, leaving small rear guard elements  to slow down the rapid Soviet advance.

The resulting fight was pretty bloody.  Both sides scored a lot of hits and D6 light armor really isn't that great.  Also suppression in this game can be very harsh.  Placing supporting fires on the enemy can really limit their options.

We played for 2 turns and called it at that point... my wife needed me at home!  So here's some of the action.

Here a US rifle squad engages a Soviet Python infantry support mech.  Both sides blazed away at each other, but to no real effect.  The US IVARs just bounced off the Python's armor while the Soviets cannons caused some suppression in return.  Some seriously bad die rolling on everyone's part here!

One of the Soviet's objectives were to move troops off the board and that's what you're seeing here.  The BMP moved boldly between the two American strongpoints and shrugged off ineffective US fire.  Even a well shot GMS/P failed miserably to breach the Bimp's massive armor belt.  Yeah, the Americans really needed a MBT or at least a GMS/H.

Another brutal slugging match between a Python and a US squad.  The brave trooper in the center of the picture has a plasma infantry gun, which along with an IVAR, sought to drive off the Python.  The GI scored a solid hit but rolled really badly during the impact vs. armor roll.  Starting to see a theme here???

Another view of the Python on the right flank.

A grunt's eye view here.

Turn two- More Soviet and Liberty Rebel forces moving between the US strongpoints.  The Rockjumper didn't share the same lucky streak that the other Soviet forces had.  US grunts with M41B Pulse Rifles poured fire on this technical and chopped it and its crew to pieces.  Finally, things are looking up for the Americans!

To the left side of this picture you can see the Soviet's BTR rolling behind the BMP.  The Soviets were a bit cautious with the BTR.  It's only a class 3 vehicle sporting class 2 armor.  So he kind of hung back and fired its cannon to support the BMP.  I tossed a GMS/P at it and missed.  Good spoofing roll by the Soviets!  It was basic ECM vs. enhanced guidance.  Crummy luck for me because the GMS/P actually had a chance here!

Here you can see the American's left flank strongpoint.  The Rockjumper will be dying in just a bit from small arms fire from the small US fireteam that's just to its left.  The US squad on the right it pretty fixed on the BTR.  The BMP wasn't too sure about what to do.  So it sat there, off frame, and fired on US forces.

In this picture you can see the Soviet MBT with the survivors of the other Rockjumper.  The T-555 Red Banner-U pretty much moved onto the board and sat right here for the rest of the game.  He never even fired a shot.  Instead he used his actions to pass orders and move other units.  I shouldn't have placed the platoon commander in the unit's most powerful unit.  Tbe CO should be passing orders in Stargrunt, not playing panzer jockey.  That is what he did in this game and by doing so the he kept his most potent unit out of the fight.  I might have to make another BTR the platoon/company command unit in the future.

More turn 1 action here.  The BTR moved up to the dead Rockjumper and tried to knock out the sentry gun.  He scored a hit or two on it and blasted it into atoms.  It wasn't the best of ideas to place a sentry gun right on the enemies' avenue of approach.  I should have put it off to a flank or something.

Another look at the US left flank.  The Soviet commander is going over his plans!

A nice view of the gap that the Soviets had to move though.  You can see both American strongpoints in this shot.

Anyway, the game ended at the end of turn two.  The Soviets didn't exit a single vehicle.  They were just too busy exchanging fire with the US strongpoints.

Not the best of games, but it was fun and we got to try out Stargrunt.  It's definitely worth trying out again when we have more figures and time.

I have to give Khurasan thumbs up for their vehicles and troops.  It was a lot of fun to paint them up and see them, finally, on the game board.  I still have several more BMPs and BTRs to paint up along with another 40 or so motor rifles to go with them.  Once they are done I'll have two full platoons of BMPs and BTRs (three vehicles each) and I plan to get a few more Red Banners to strengthen the force.

All in all, it was a nice time out with some excellent minis.

Time now Charlie Mike.

2015 3rd Grade Wargame

Hi all,

One thing I do as a teacher is during our "Hero" unit at the end of the school year I pick out a military hero for the students to learn about.  This year we studied Staff Sergeant Paul Smith of the 3rd Infantry Division and why he won the Medal of Honor during the Battle of Baghdad in 2003.  We studied the battle, built a battlefield, and painted up miniatures for the battle.  Here are some of the miniatures my students painted up.  Pretty good for a bunch of 9 year olds!

All of the terrain was scratch built using materials we had in the classroom.

 Here's some of the terrain we built.  I drew the templates, however the kids did all of the coloring and assembly.

 Making paper palm trees is a pain!  But we managed to make enough to fit the scenario.  The biggest problem was that the bases were too small.  Every time someone moved a stand of timber would fall!

 Here's the game.  The boys are playing the Americans while the girls played the Iraqis.  It was a pretty tough fight for the girls as the boys had lots of firepower.

 However the girls pulled it off!  They scored some critical hits and won just enough victory points to snatch the win from the boys.  The kid wearing the "HI" shirt told me that she probably wouldn't play because it wasn't her thing.  It turned out that she would become the Iraqi/girl team captain and she led her team to victory!  She told me after the game that she had a great time and that it was a "very tense" game!

 Some Iraqi close-ups.

 US engineers with their supporting vehicles.  Sorry, we didn't finish the M113 in time.  But at least it got a decent base coat!

 Here's a better shot.

Thanks for stopping by.  Maybe we'll go sci-fi next year.

Breakout at Freeman's Farm pt 1

Eastern Crossland: Cullman County, 15 May 2182.  Freeman's Farm (300kms from Centreville). 

LRL and Neo-Soviets hunting for survivors

By late Spring of 2182 the LRL offensive aimed at claiming the whole of Crossland Island finally ground to a halt in the suburbs of Centerville, the capital of the Crossland Territory. LRL's offensive inflicted terrible losses on the combined forces of the US's Taskforce Bataan and those who weren't destroyed or driven back were cut off many miles behind the front line in hostile territory.  Many small units were destroyed by ambushes launched by Liberty insurgents while others disbanded and scattered themselves in the forests and swamps of eastern Crossland where they suffered from starvation, disease, and isolation.

However others managed to stay together, unite with other stragglers and survivors, and began the long, perilous march back to friendly lines.  Perhaps the largest of these ragged bands centered on 2nd Platoon, Dog Company, 1/4 Marines led by Staff Sergeant Avery Strong.  Strong's platoon deployed to Crossland during the fall of 2181 and conducted search and destroy operations in Summer County, Crossland Territory.  Based out of Forward Operations Base Trigger, Strong's platoon carried out a vigorous search and destroy campaign that destroyed dozens of insurgent cells which led to the pacification of coastal Summer County.  On December 20, 2181 the exhausted platoon received a FRAGO directing them pack-up and to get ready to return to Centreville for some well deserved R&R. Unfortunately for Strong's leathernecks the LRL had other plans.

By the end of December the LRL had landed its 2nd Brigade and began a blizkrieg right across the island, cutting off the platoon.  Calls for resupply were refused because embattled TF Bataan simply couldn't commit the resources.  It was barely holding on to Centreville and needed every round of ammo and every MRE pack for itself!  Worse still, the insurgents in Summer County decided that this was the time to take the war to the enemy.  Through out December and January 2nd Platoon, Dog Company repulsed 8 separate assaults on FOB Trigger.  However each victory costed the gyrenes more men and resources.  By February Sergeant Strong knew the jig was up.  His men were down to their last few mags and ration packs.  Avery was stuck with a very stark choice:  surrender his depleted garrison or try to escape.  

This choice led to a grim, 3 month long odyssey in which Stong's marines battled to breakthrough enemy lines to get back home. For three grim months Strong's exhausted survivors trekked through the dense rain forests, malarial swamps and dark jungles of eastern Crossland all the while dodging LRL, then later Neo-Soviet, patrols.  Along the way Strong picked up survivors from several different US units ranging from grunts from the 31st Infantry to half-starved stragglers from the 45th ANG.  By the time Strong reached Freeman's Farm in Cullman County he'd rescued some 60 survivors and organized them into an ad hoc infantry company.  However his battered band was always, barely, a step ahead of starvation and the next enemy patrol.  His luck ran out at Freeman's Farm.

On May 15, 2182 Strong's survivors made camp in the forest near the farm, looking to grab a few hours of rest and a chance to resupply.  However they were just a little too slow this time.  The LRL, embarrassed that Strong's men had made it so far, managed to collect a powerful task force drawn from 31eme RI and the Neo-Soviet 67th Rifles.  The 67th dug in at the farm while the 31eme RI swept through the forest, looking to drive Strong's band into guns of the Neo-Soviets and their own heavy weapons platoons.  By the time the weary sergeant found out what was happening it was too late, he and his men were cornered.  It was checkmate.  There was no where to go and the men knew what the LRL did to American prisoners... there would be no surrender.  All he and his men could expect was a violent death and a shallow grave in this dark corner of Crossland.  The mixed band of marines and GIs dug their fighting holes, counted their rounds, and quietly made their peace with their Maker.

A running fight through the woods

It was in that desperate moment that Sergeant Strong heard something over the command push, something that he hadn't heard in months... hope!

"If you blokes want to live then grab your kit and move along azimuth 015 toward the fields just outside the farm.  We'll cover your move and set-up a LZ.  Now move your arse!!"

More to come...

The US Army on Liberty

Note:  This is the first in a series of article detailing the various fighting forces on Liberty. In this article I'm going to take an in-world prospective to give the "fluff" for my forces and to demonstrate the miniatures that I'm going to use for each army.  Many of the pictures below are of my own miniatures, however I'm borrowed some pictures from Khurasan and and Antenocitis Workshop for units that I on order but haven't received or haven't painted yet.  My US Army force is a mixture of miniatures from Rebel Minis, Iron Wind Metals, Khurasan, and Antenocitis Workship.

The US defense force on Liberty can be a motley bunch bunch at times.  However its solid core are the battalions of the US Army.  LIBCON, the joint US military command on Liberty, can call upon one Regular Army infantry battalion, 4 National Guard (ANG) infantry battalions,  2 support fires battalions (ANG),  cavalry squadrons, one Special Forces/Ranger SPECOPS company, one aerospace support battalion, and several logistical and support companies. This article will detail the Regular and ANG elements of the US Army on Liberty.

The Polar Bears of the Regular Army's (RA) 1st Battalion, 31st Infantry Regiment provides the solid, veteran core of the US Army on Liberty.  1/31 Infantry is the ready battalion from the 10th Infantry Division (Mountain) which was hurried to Liberty to help blunt the LRL's insurgency on Crossland.  Later, the battalion proved instrumental to the defense of Centerville by engaging LRL assault forces in some of the most deadly urban combat seen by the US Army since the Battle of Fallujah in 2004.  Despite heavy casualties, the Polar Bears were able find off numerous LRL attacks and, later during the campaign, provide forces for the allied counter offensive.  

Tactically, the Polar Bears are organized as a standard US Infantry battalion with four rifle companies, one heavy weapons company, an attached mecha platoon and ADA platoon.  Each rifle company is further split into three rifle platoon who in turn are divided into 1-3 nine man sections.  The section is a unique US formation that goes back to WWI and was brought back into use during the late 21st Century as an intermediate level unit between the platoon and the squad.  Modern rifle sections are split into two four man squads led by a Staff Sergeant with the small rifle squads being led by 'buck' sergeants or corporals.  This organization brings needed command and control down to very small units and allows the US Army to operate very small units over huge combat zones.

Typically, US Army rifle sections are assigned two HUMVEE IV Apache tactical troop transports to provide transport in most situations ranging from peacekeeping up to low level insurgencies.  However the Apache is well armed and protected which allows it to survive even in more intense combat zones.  However when conventional combat is anticipated the standard M577 APC is issued.

Also to strengthen the section, and to provide it with more 'eyes' on the ground, rifle sections can be issued up to 4 M1A1 Gun Drones (AGP) or a similar number of M1A1 Sentry Guns. The sentry guns and drones are typically deployed as needed, however as a basic rule they are evenly divided between the two rifle squads.

For small arms, the US Army currently enjoys the newest generation of M41 Pulse Rifles (ACR) and M56 Smart Gun (SAW).  In addition the section can count on M240 Flamer, RPGs, and infantry plasma guns in high intensity combat situations. Many of these weapons are kept on-board transport frigates even during peacekeeping missions are are available when needed.

For heavy combat situations the rifle battalions have to look to organize heavy weapons and to assets attached from light and heavy armored battalions.  As a general rule, each US rifle battalion has an organic Ares mecha platoon.  The M-1 MBS Ares battle mecha is an awesome piece of hardware that is used even in peacekeeping missions.  The machine is a fearsome sight to behold and just its mere presence is enough to cool simmering tempers and bring combative factions to the negotiation table.

The Ares carries a formidable arsenal of weapons to the battlefield.  Its main gun, the 90mm M552 Railgun packs a terrible punch that can cripple even the best protected MBTs with a single shot.  Its secondary weapons, the M550 20mm Heavy Gatling Gun can tear through infantry and light armor units with devastating effect.  Indeed, a single strike section (an infantry section with AFVs and an Ares) can easily take on and defeat a company of conventional infantry with even light armored support.  

To supplement the Ares the Army rifle battalion can sometimes call upon AFVs ranging from the light M-578 Jackson Fire Support Vehicle:

To the powerhouse M-40 Ridgeway MBT:

Both vehicles are armed with the formidable 90mm M552 Railgun, but offer better levels of mobility (the FSV) or armor (MBT) then the Ares.   This mixture of state-of-the-art equipment makes the US Regular Army rifle battalion a serious force to contend with on any battlefield.  Fortunately for the LRL the 1/31 Infantry only has a mere handful of these tanks and mecha.  However more have been dispatched to restock and reinforce the battalion.  

If that were only true for the Army National Guard!  Modern weapons and equipment comes with a steep cost and it would be prohibitively expensive to equip the ANG with the most modern weapons, so sadly the ANG has to make due with previous generations of combat gear.  The ANG on Liberty is organized into four rifle battalions belonging to the 57th and 45th Infantry regiments which use a very similar table of organization as the 31st Infantry.  It's the gear, and training, that separate these two organizations.

For small arms the ANG continues to soldier one with the M16A5 rifle or the M4A4 carbine. These weapons are based on the same basic design that was introduced back in the 1960s and first saw action during the Vietnam War!  This over 200 year old design continues to soldier on even today because of the soundness of its construction, its simplicity of use, and its sheer adaptability.  To support these weapons the ANG can call upon two equally antiquated designs: the M249A6 SAW and the M203A6 UGL.  Each squad of four men carries one M249 and one M203.

While this has caused something of a scandal in recent years, especially in the Filipino and Liberty press, the Pentagon has pointed out, many times, that ALL USANG units are equipped with this 'generation' of weapons and that it has been quite effective against LRL main force units.  Only the most modern LRL formations can claim to have a material advantage over the Liberty ANG troops and that these units are few and far inbetween.  Generally most ANG units only see action against Liberty insurgents and LRL regulars who are even more poorly equipped them them!

For vehicular support the ANG can call upon somewhat more modern AFVs, mostly upgraded Bradley IFVs and Abrams MBTs:

While these are also antiquated designs, they are more recent rebuilds of these classic designs and are still quite effective on the battlefields of Liberty.  Unfortunately, the LRL also has a number of these vehicles too!  As part of the 2165 Military Assistance Package to the French Union, the Liberty ANG transferred some 24 Abrams and 72 Bradley ICVs to the loyal French Union militia.  When the war ended almost half of these vehicles were turned over to the newly formed LRL despite US protest!  In fact, the LRL's 2nd Brigade brought a full company of M1s and 2-3 platoons of Bradley IFVs to support their invasion of Crossland. The use of these vehicles cause no end of confusion during the early battles and contributed to the collapse of 1/45 Infantry during the Battle of Ender's Corner.  This defeat routed the ANG's defense of northern Crossland and opened the way for the 2nd Brigade to advance on Centreville.  

As of the siege of Centreville the Liberty ANG has only a few dozen of these AFVs in operation and husbands them carefully for future use.
The final major Army formation on Liberty is the 1/26 Cavalry.  The cavalry serves as the eyes, ears, and mechanized reserve of LIBCOM and Task Force Bataan and its constant use has worn the squadron down in both manpower and in material.  However even in its reduced state the squadron is a powerful force on the battlefield.  Generally, cavalry squadrons are organized into 4 company sized troops with a tank troop and a gunship troop in support.  However the 1/26 never really reached that ideal organization.  Only 3 cavalry troops were ever organized and the tank and gunship troops never had more than two or so platoons of vehicles.  

However their impact on the battlefield has been decisive!  The 1/26's recon efforts kept LIBCOM and Task Force Bataan well informed on LRL troop movements and C Troop was instrumental in delaying 23eme RI's drive to cut off Task Force Bataan from the south.  

The Scouts of the 26th are currently being withdrawn from Crossland to regroup and reform near Liberty City.  The squadron is so badly battered that it can barely muster two full cavalry troops and a mixed platoon of tanks and gunships.  However 2-3 platoons may find themselves attached to TF Bataan to continue their scouting missions.

A standard cavalry platoon is very similar to a rifle platoon, however it only has one section of infantry.  Its second section is a mecha section (two pilots, two Apache crew, two mechanics) that operates two M-3 Valkyrie scout mecha with a Apache HUMVEE to provide support.  Occasionally other mecha ranging from the hulking Ares down to more modest Seraph and Hollander mecha may provide extra muscle to the platoon.  During the Battle of Centreville C Troop was assigned one precious Ares mecha.  However the brute simply couldn't keep up with the cav and was destroyed during a bitter firefight.  The cavalry works best with lighter units that can keep pace with its Valkyrie and Apache vehicles.  Cavalry platoons also carry a standard mix of M1A1 drones to support their operations.

In our next article we will take an in-depth look at the US Army Special Forces company that is currently operating on Liberty.

Semper Fi,  carry on. 

The Armies of Liberty Part 1: L'armée de la République de la Liberté

Note:  This is a repost from years ago on my old blog.  I'm pulling it over here to make sure that I keep this history of my game.  SC 2/23/2014

Some months ago I laid out my basic concept for my gaming world: Liberty colony.  I also laid out the basic factions that I would start my gaming with.  My first, and main faction, are the Colonial Marines.  I have roughly a full company of them now with an attached tank section.  But that's the thing about building miniature armies... who are they going to fight and why?


So here's the answer to that question!  It's time to meet "L'armee de la Republique de le Liberte" or the LRL:

LRL Rifle Platoon with attachments

The LRL is the standing army of the recently formed Republic of Liberty.  The republic was once a fairly important colony in the French Union.  The colony is only about 100 years old and was established to provide the citizens of the French Union,consisting mostly of metropolitan France and parts of Africa, with new lands to settle.  Its principal economic reason for existing was to explore, and exploit, the exotic flora and fauna of Liberty.  


As noted earlier, life on Liberty is pretty young when compared to life on Earth.  In fact, life has only evolved up to a point that is similar with the Carboniferous era of Earth's history.  There are only a scant handful of flowering plants and lots of moss, lichen, primitive trees, and other archaic plants.  Animal life is also very simple with insects and some reptiles being the dominant life forms.  This makes Liberty very interesting to scientists, xeno-biologists, and biochemical companies. 

"The Wild Lands Beyond" by Andre Du Ponte

This wealth of new life made Liberty colony very valuable to the French Union and the Union was very picky about allowing companies to explore and exploit Liberty's untapped resources.

                                       Police watching rioters in Nouveau Marcelles, March 2161 


This all came to a head on 2 September, 2161 when Foreign Legion units were dispatched to restore order to the colonial seat of government: Nouveau Marcelles.  The Legion used forced to clear the streets and to shut-down the colonial assembly.  Legislators and agitators were arrested and martial law was imposed.  Dozens were killed or injured during the crack down.  However the Legion's effort were for naught.  The simmering anger of the colonists soon exploded into violence. 

Riots in Nouveau Marcelles, April 2161

Protests and riots in the streets were soon replaced with IEDs, snipers, and ambushes.  The National Front for the Liberation of Liberty was formed from many factions that opposed the Union's harsh taxes and tariffs and soon these agitators were joined by hundreds of ordinary citizens who were horrified at the violence used by the Legion to restore order.  What were once mere civil disturbances became full fledged battles. 

FFL Troops in Nouveau Marcelles, 2161

For several long years the Liberty Rebellion raged in the Colony. During the war the French Union called upon the United Americas to assist with putting down the rebellion.  The UA did shut down LFLL sanctuaries in Liberty Territory, but UA never deployed troops to defeat the rebellion in Liberty Territory's sister colony.  

 Liberty SWAT "searching" for contraband 

                                                     
Losses, both in terms of blood and treasure, slowly turned the French Union's citizens against the war and, with corporate pressure, they soon forced the Union to come to terms and to grant the colony independence.    


The war ended with the Peace Agreement of 2167.


The old colony became the Republic of Liberty.  By 2170 the old LFLL was reorganized into the Army of the Republic of Liberty (LRL) and was retrained to fight both symmetrical and asymmetrical wars. The scars of war were slowly healed, however the new republic soon turned a hungry eye toward its neighbor to the south...

                                           Liberty Commonwealth State Troopers blocking
                                          pro-Republic rioters from the state capital building, Liberty
                                          City, July 2179.


By 2175 the LRL was organized into a unified armed force with three principal branches:  
A.  The National Aerospace Force (Le Groupe National Aerospace)
B.  The Regular Army (L'armee de la Republique de la Liberte)
C.  The National Guard (Le Garde nationale)


The Army and National Guard have roughly 450,000 troops under arms with approximately 50,000 in the Regular Army and 400,000 in the National Guard.  


The Army is split into 10 active service field brigades each consisting of 3-6 regiments.  The Army also has numerous support regiments and companies ranging from independent artillery and air-defense/aerospace defense regiments to logistical, engineer, and transportation companies.

The basic maneuver unit in the Army is the company which generally has a command section, three rifle platoons, a heavy weapons platoon, and other attached elements necessary to complete assigned missions.  Four of these companies together with a HQ/Headquarters company and a heavy weapons company form a regiment.

Platoons are very small compared to other national armed forces.  A typical platoon has a four man command squad and four rifle squads.  Each squad has 6 men armed with whatever mixture of weapons is available. Usually a squad has a squad automatic weapon, a RPG, and four basic riflemen, one of whom in the squad leader.  The troops in the squad are split into two three man teams/cells.  One team/cell usually carries the RPG while the other carries the LMG.  Squads which are missing either weapon form one or two rifle pure teams.  The platoon command squad forms only one team with the commander and his assistant, who carries additional communications equipment, along with the platoon sergeant and his runner in.  As a general rule though many teams equip themselves with whatever weapons are available and according to the task at hand.

A motley selection of LRL armor:  US surplus M1 and M2s, French AMX-70 MBT and AMX-60 Hover APCs. 

The Army has only been able to acquire only a handful of AFVs.  The few tanks are organized into independent tank companies that are attached to the brigade.  The few military grade APCs in Liberty's motor pool are organized in a similar manner with each platoon having enough vehicles to carry a full platoon of infantry.  These companies are kept at the brigade level until assigned to a rifle unit to provide it with a lift capability.  However in real practice these mechanized units are habitually assigned to particular units, but on paper they are still independent units.  It should be noted that formal AFVs are very rare in the LRL and that most vehicles are converted civilian machines referred to as "technicals". Few of these "technicals" have more than a single heavy machine gun and some "hillbilly" armor.  In fact, these improvised AFVs are the only vehicular many infantry regiments have. 

This scattering of the few armor resources has armor officers in the Army bitterly complaining of the "penny-packing" of scarce armored forces. They are badly outnumbered by the infantry branch which sees itself as THE army and with all other branches existing ONLY to support THEM.  On the battlefield this does lead to some friction between branches and many times there is a serious lack of coordination between the various arms.


Artillery and indirect fire support is pretty scarce in the Army.  The most basic "artillery" piece is the RAM mortar which are kept at the regimental level in the heavy weapons company.  Each brigade generally has a regiment of mortars and even artillery, but these are small units with only 6-12 tubes/launchers each.  The emphasis here is to place quick fires to support the infantry and then to run "like hell" to avoid counter-battery fires.  Many artillery regiments simply use smart missiles (HIMATs are very popular) and very basic launchers to support the maneuver companies.


The National Guard is armed in a very similar manner but lack many of the heavy weapons that the Army has.  In fact, many National Guard regiments don't even have a heavy weapons company at all!  The few support weapons are usually assigned to the brigade's artillery regiment.  At best most infantry regiments have a platoon or so of mortars or HIMAT missiles leaving the rifle squads dependent on their RPGs for heavy fire support.  Crew-served heavy weapons are almost nonexistent in the National Guard as practically all of them are assigned to the Regular Army.  


Finally, the Guard and the Army have a number of independent recon companies attached to each brigade.  These companies (referred to as squadrons) are equipped with a mixture of modified civilian vehicles and light scout cars.  Their job includes normal recon duties and to provide screening and ambush forces to protect the brigade's movements and main lines of resistance.

The LRL's logistical arm is, perhaps,the force's greatest weakness.  The LRL has very little experience in moving large combat units on an operational level.  In fact, many of the logistical elements in a brigade are pooled together just to support a regiment or two in the field while the rest of the brigade waits in assembly areas for their turn to move.  Just putting 3-4 brigades into the field is an immense strain on the LRL's scant resources.  This weakness means that most of the Republic's combat forces are little more than local security and defense forces.  The National Guard has almost no ability to move at all.  If called up these brigades would probably have to confiscate hundreds of civilian vehicles just to gain some operational mobility and even with that in place most of the infantry would have to still move on foot!


The LRL is in the process of securing hundreds of additional logistical and support vehicles and forming more support/transport companies.  However events on the ground may not give the LRL the time it needs to get its logistical act together!

Tomorrow's War Liberty Republic's Regular Army
Confidence Level: High
Supply Quality Level: Low
Tech Level: 1, with some 2 (missiles, RPGs)
Grid: Yes, Tech 1
Body Armor: Tech 2, Light Body Armor
Troop Quality/Morale: Some D8/D10 Most D8/D8


Liberty Republic's National Guard
Confidence Level: Confident
Supply Quality: Low
Tech Level Overall: 1
Grid: No
Body Armor: Tech 1, Light Body Armor
Troop Quality/Morale:  Some D8/D8  Most D6/D8

FUBAR
Liberty Republic Regular Army (LRL)
Activation 4+ (some 3+)
Expertise 5+ (some 4+)
Armor 6+ (some 5+)

Liberty National Guard
Activation 5+ (some 4+)
Expertise 5+ 
Armor: usually none, but some 6+

Most Liberty troops are armed with standard assault rifles and use normal LMGs/SAWs.  Support weapons are usually limited to RPGs and mortars. 

Using Loud Ninja Games' Chuhuac: Troop Stats and Organization

Back in 2012 I jumped in one my first Kickstarter: Eli Arndt's 15mm Space Raptors- the Chuhuac. Well, just a few days ago I finally got my new toys.  Awesome stuff and well worth the wait.  Note that all pictures here are from LNG's website.

 Chuhuac Infantry

Chuhauc Battle Suits with Herdmaster

Now I'm mostly a FUBAR player these days, so after looking through my recently gotten loot and visiting LNG's blog ( link ) I've decided on some rough stats for my Chuhuac company. I'm going to start with the infantry and then work my way to the other units, then I'll go to the vehicles.

Chuluac Infantry
Activation: 4+
Expertise: 4+
Suppress: 3
Armor: 4+
Special Abilities:
Fast- Move 6", Duck and Weave 8", Assault 8"
Shocktroops- +1 to activate with actions that allow movement.
Raptors!- +2 in close combat.
Equipment- Plasma Rifle 24" (long range) FP 3

I think that captures the essence of the Chuhuac. They are fast, hard hitting, aggressive, and fairly well protected troops. The basic raptor is a pretty tough critter to begin with, but after joining the "military" they are physically augmented to a level that makes them super human. Toss in armor and you have a pretty tough soldier to kill and a holy terror in close combat.

I'm taking the Plasma Rifle right out of the sci-fi supplement, but I'm wondering if that might be a bit over powered! I may scale them back a bit to being "laser" armed. They're really scary at any range and with an activation of 4+ they are going to get to the action, especially with the "shocktrooper" rule to keep them going!

Eli gave me a powerful hoard of the things, but I doubt that I'll ever use more than a dozen or so in my games… they're just too powerful to see in platoon + games.

Now to start thinking about the heavy weapons, battlesuits, jet bikes, and the grav APC!

Now the question comes:  How to organize them?  Here's the organization for a Chuhuac infantry company from LNG's Kickstarter.

Below is the proposed TO&E (Organization) I used to build this.
The 67 figures will be made up of the following-

1 Company Commander
1 Company Command Element (4)
1 Command Security Team (6 troopers)
2 Platoons of 28 figures each.
Each Platoon breaks down like this –

1 Platoon Command Elements (4)
4 x 6-man Squads

Code wise I believe this is:

1 CRA-004 Herdmaster (1 fig) – $1.25 USD
2 CRA-003 Command Section (4 fig but only 3 are Raptors) – $5.00 USD
5 CRA-001 Troopers (6 fig) – $6.00 USD
5 CRA-002 Leaders/Weapons (6 fig) – $6.00 USD

Not a bad deal for a roughly $50 USD pledge. Now I'm going to look at my pledge In FUBAR terms (I'm going to skip the close combats and special forces). So I'm looking at fielding:

4 mecha (power suits fielded as individual units)
3 jet bikes (maybe the whole lot is a unit)
1 company command team
3 apcs (each an individual unit- but only enough to lift a 'short' platoon of 16 troops)
12 fire teams of three troopers
2 fire teams (really short command squads) of four troops

That's 23 units in FUBAR terms! True, I could cut the infantry unit count in half by fielding full squad units, but that would be killer in FP terms if I go plasma. And yeah, it's way too much to put on the board at once in FUBAR. While I think FUBAR could probably handle it I'm not so sure that I could! But I can see myself fielding a reinforced platoon with an extra rifle squad, APCs, mecha, and the jet bikes. This force could look like this:

1 platoon command team (4 troops).
4 (or 5) rifle squads split into 3 trooper fire teams (that's 8-10 units)
1-3 APCs (if I go three then I might reduce the number of squads to make a mechanized platoon).
1 Jet Bike squad of 3 (although I think that's actually just a fire team)
1-4 Battlesuits (with each being a unit of its own).
Maybe even 1 special forces squad too!

Not a bad mix at all! I can see this force giving my Neo-Soviets and US Marines a serious run for the money. Now if only they had some sort of MBT/mecha for some extra oomph! But then again, I could stat out the battlesuits so that they can be serious tank killers in their own right. That would make sense from a Chuhuac point-of-view I think. They might balk at some sort of armored clanker of a tank that's probably too slow and too much of a target. They might prefer a smaller, swifter battlesuit carrying a tank killer plasma gun or missiles/ATGMs. I'll have to look over those battlesuit bits again and hit the LNG site ( http://loudninjagames.blogspot.com/2013/05/chuhuac-support-units-part-one.html )for more info on these guys.

Anyway, I'll post my FUBAR stats for the vehicles and other units.

Semper Fi, carry on.

The 16th Space Assault Brigade has arrived!

Well, they've actually been around for a couple of months but I've just now gotten round to painting up a few of them.  They'll be hitting the battlefield of Liberty as a relief force headed up by the UK's elite 16 Space Assault Brigade!  1 PARA, 2 PARA, and 3 PARA make up the infantry battalions of this force, so in honor of the Parachute Regiment I decided to paint these guys up as British Red Devils complete with the famous maroon beret.  I also borrowed colors from WWII British paratroopers to make up their palette:

 I do like the contrast that the English Uniform shade makes when it matches up with the basic greens of the uniform and armor.  I'll probably do some more highlighting later for the armor and web gear.

 The fellow on the far right of this picture has an interesting history.  My daughter, Shelby, snatched him off my work table and decided to paint him in maroon.  I didn't catch her until it was too late so now he has a bit of a bloody appearance.  I've already nicknamed him "Bloody" Bill.  Hopefully he won't be a casualty in every game!

 "Bloody" Bill's fireteam minus the LMG.  

 Part of Fire Team A and the platoon command team.  The Platoon Commander, Lt. Daniel Asbury, is the fellow in the maroon beret in the second rank.

We'll see how the lads stand-up to the Neo-Soviet threat that will soon invade Liberty!