-ROCKETMAN III-

Last night we played Chapter three of ROCKETMAN III and it was a complete success. Unlike Chapter two, I was not in a bad mood since before the game began and we started early enough to bring the game to a satisfactory conclusion. My brother Peter was present and taking an interest and although I rolled a lot of uncomfortable ones and twos I managed to hold my own (having a tank helped).

Player One
Rocketman.
George McArthur.
’Mad Dog’ Mitchell
Lady Penelope Carfax
Meadows (Lady Carfax’s driver)
1x touring car
1x small military truck
1x armoured car with HMG

Player Two
Sgt Sternov
10x Kazakhstani Bolshevik soldiers (with one HMG)
1x small military truck
1x armoured car with HMG

Player Three
Yuri
10x Iron Guard soldiers
1x Iron guard LMG
1x staff car
1x supply truck

Player Four
Olga
10x Kazakh tribesmen
1x light tank with 37mm gun

The game began with the two opposing sides at each end of the table. Rocketman and his allies (players one and two) were in a small convoy at the high end of a slope and the bad guys (Oleg and I, players three and four) were down at the base of the slope at the check point.

The game began with players one and two diverting their resources to take up positions amongst the rocky out croppings at the height of the slope. Tracey quickly deployed her forces into an excellent position from which she had Oleg and I pinned down for most of the game. Alas, Rocketman, during a daring attempt to place a satchel charge on the rear of the light tank, was shot down in the attempt by the massed Iron Guard riflemen who were able to put up a volley of fire that had him crashing in the opening moves of thegame. George (Rocketman's side kick and engineer) was also taken out with a particularly good long shot from the watch tower (before its occupants were annhiliated by Tracey). Our initial successes made it look like the forces of disorder might be triumphant, but it was not long before Traceys solid block of rifles and MG's turned the tide against us. Mitchel and Meadows tried to do an out flanking movement but my snipers picked them off (nice to see the sniper tactics working better this time)

The game carried on a long time, mostly because a stand off was reached where by neither side could advance. The bad guys had a light tank, but though slightly tougher, it was countered by the two armoured cars. Eventually Olga ordered the tank to attack so it began to crawl up the slope. It quickly became apparent though that no matter how much the armoured vehicles were shot at, they could not easily be hurt and they could hardly even hurt each other either. Neither side had any long range anti armour resources so the armoured vehicles all survived the game intact. Neither side could claim a decisive victory, but the loss of Rocketman meant the good guys probably lost, though Tracey was definately the most effective player (and thats twice in a row now). In the end I declared the game to be a tie.

This was the first time we've used armoured vehicles in a skirmish battle so it was bit touch and go as to how they would work, but I was pleased with the results. In the next battle we'll have the whole range of weaponry with a heavy tank, air support, mortars and Korsakov in his power armoured suit (should be hilarious). One of the things I've tried to be careful with is high powered weaponry. Since the skimish system is based on 28mm figures, the weaponry on armoured vehicles is often too much for the short ranges which can be had on a table top. Setting the game in 1936 helps though since there were a lot of under powered weapons floating about then. The FT-17 light tank with its choice between a Hotchkiss HMG or a puny 37mm Puteaux gun is a perfect vehicle for this sort of game. Its armoured enough to maintain its integrity during the game but too weak to do much damage. It could take out an armoured car (and vice versa) but only with an exceptionally good die roll.

Video of an FT17