MERCS AAR : The Early Bird Catches the Worm

Scenario: a rival megacorp has left some cutting edge research carelessly exposed due to human error in the computer system. Your MERCS are tasked to retrieve the sensitive info from the portable data systems before the rival megacorp can remotely shut them down. 

However, your megacorp isn't the only one after the data. When you reach the scene, you discover another MERCS team is there ... with the same objective in mind!

Victory conditions : 3 portable data terminals set in the middle of the board, equidistant from each other. A MERCS must be in base contact with the objective point to make an Interact roll. A successful roll gives that side 1 VP. The side that manages to collect the most VPs wins. 

This game, it's Kemvar (Leader, Sniper, Heavy, Assassin, Wrench) vs CCC (Leader, Sniper, Heavy, Medic, Demo). 

CCC setup

Kemvar setup

Turn 1: all MERCS bound to the lowest reaction MERCS, then race forward to the 3 objectives, making sure to be in cover. 

Kemvar positions

The CCC Sniper and Heavy feel heroic

Turn 2: first blood to Kemvar as the Heavy (in an excellent position) opens up on the exposed CCC Heavy, dealing him 2 blood. 

CCC retaliated as the Demo moves up and shoots at the Kemvar Wrench, dealing 1 blood. 

Easy shot!

The CCC leader attempts to shoot at the Wrench but misses all his shots. Ditto the Kemvar leader who takes aim at the CCC Demo and misses!

The CCC sniper goes into overwatch. The Kemvar Sniper takes a commanding position. The Assassin sneaks into range of the CCC Heavy who knows he's doomed the next round. 

He takes aim at the Kemvar Heavy, with the added bonus of catching the Kemvar leader in his template ... and forgets his own Demo guy is also in range. He fires ... 3 dice. Misses both the Leader and Heavy... but deals THREE blood to his Demo!!!! First casualty ... an own goal! 

What the--??!!!

Turn 3 : the Kemvar Heavy shoots at the CCC Sniper... who overwatch fires  and deals one blood to the Heavy, also knocking out his armour. Meanwhile the Heavy deals 2 blood to the Sniper.

Overwatch... suppression... action... (not necessarily in that order)

The CCC medic manages a successful interaction with the objective point.  1 VP to CCC!

The Kemvar Sniper goes after his CCC counterpart. No contest. The CCC Sniper already down with 2 blood, is out! Things are looking grim for the CCC. 

Sniper vs. Sniper action

The Assassin charges up to the CCC Heavy and rolls a 4. Exactly what he needed to beat the Heavy's Reaction and down goes the Heavy! 

"Hello ... and goodbye!"

The CCC Leader is now desperate and goes for the objective. He flubs his Interact roll (needed a 5+) and that's all she wrote for the CCC!

The Kemvar leader hops up the crate and takes a shot at his CCC counterpart ... and misses! Even with his re-roll! The Wrench... needing a 4+ for a successful interact roll to net 1VP... flubs the roll!

Turn 4 : the Assassin rushes towards the remaining CCC MERCS. The Wrench rolls his interact and finally gets 1VP! The Heavy, his armour broken, has no choice but to bound to the Sniper so he can move to a more advantageous location. Meanwhile the CCC Medic rolls for interact again ... and gets another VP!

The Kemvar Sniper tags the CCC Leader ... just because she can, since she can't fire anyway. 

Game of tag...

The Kemvar Leader hits the CCC Leader and this time does 2 Blood! But doesn't manage to break his armour. 

Finally the CCC Leader rolls to Interact ... and messed up. Again!!!! 

Turn 5: the CCC, stunned by their losses, roll the 2 lowest initiative rolls ever! They will activate after all the Kemvar activate. Will they even survive this round?!

The Assassin charges up to the CCC Leader ... and strikes the death blow!

Note: I actually forgot about the CCC Leader's "Lucky" PA.

The Kemvar leader manages to deal 1 blood to the Medic but again doesn't manage to break his armour. 

The Wrench gets another VP for his team! 2-2! 

The Sniper, realising she can't even see the Medic, curses and jumps down her lofty perch to a killing position. The Heavy bounds to her and manages to also drag himself to a more suitable location. 

5 vs 1... how is that even fair?

The Medic, against all odds, manages to net a third VP for the CCC!!! 3-2!

Turn 6: final round! Can the Kemvar match or beat the CCC's 3 VPs? Or will they lose despite wiping out the CCC MERCS?

The Kemvar Heavy deals 1 Blood to the Medic... and catches the Assassin for 2 blood!!! Oy! 

"Friendly fire"... ain't!

The Wrench (needing a 4+ to succeed) manages to fail!!! No VPs for Kemvar!!! 

The Sniper finishes off the Medic -- who, with an initiative of 3 -- wasn't going to survive much longer anyway. 

Poor consolation prize

The Assassin snaps2cover to the objective and rolls the die, needing a 9+ for success. A long shot ... and he doesn't make it!!

By this time, the rival Megacorp's security protocols are in place and the MERCS are shut out of the system for good. 

So despite the Kemvar wiping out the CCC MERCS... they lost the scenario 2-3, failing to achieve the victory conditions! 

What a game. 

CCC pro: keeping an eye on the scenario victory condition and just kept going for the VPs. 

CCC con: the Heavy and Sniper trusted to their armour to hold out in the open with no cover. The Kemvar Heavy (attacking with FOUR dice) showed them the error of their ways. 

Kemvar pro: Assassin was MVP, finishing off 2 CCC MERCS by himself. Second was the Heavy, dealing 2 blood to 3 CCC MERCS, enabling his team mates to finish them off. 

Kemvar con: with poor interact rolls (6+ to 9+!!!), the Kemvar left everything up to the Wrench. To be fair, all he needed was 4+ to succeed. The easiest amongst all the MERCS. He got to the objective point by Turn 2... and in 5 turns only managed 2 successes!!! The Kemvar should've devoted more resources to the scenario Victory Condition, and allocated at least the Leader to also help out.