Into the Unknown

Warfighter - Into the Unknown

The local Maquis have reported strange activities around an old fortress on the town’s outskirts. This along with reports of elite enemy troop movements, and the occasional bizarre sightings of odd looking soldiers is what have earned Sgt Charlie McD his special assignment. Since this assignment included playing with some secret OSS gear, he was happy to accept.

The mission was a simple get in and get out Raid. Grab some intel and get back in time for chow. Two Partisans offered to lead Charlie into the compound.

As they edged around the compound, a squad of Stragglers came up behind them. This drew the attention of another character laying in Ambush. Add that to the sounds from inside the compound and Charlie felt this mission was a Platoon short of a full hand....

Charlie ordered he team to clean off the jump off site before entering the compound. His M2 MMG doled out some “how do you do” fun to the stragglers. Taking advantage of the commotion, Rika slipped into the Shadows, and ambushed the ambusher with for trusty steel toothpick.

Seeing the carnage, Titania could not keep up her charade any longer. The Turncoat began yelling “For the Fatherland” as she sprang at Rika.

But Rika, having suspected as much and purposefully asking Titania to join the foray, shived her up close and personal like. Charlie emptied a belt of MMG ammo. clearing the Generator room as the two prepared for a fast exit from the noxious fumes coming from the Generator.

Rika led the way out of the Generator Room into the Vats Chamber. Unfamiliar with the fighting intricacies of his MechSuit, Charlie continued burning thru fuel and ammo supplies covering the Maquis’ advance. A pair of cockamamie looking axe Men proved to be tough hombres. And a half squad of riflemen just made things even more interesting. Rika lobbed a grenade at the axmen hoping to discourage their assault.

Having mowed down the Rifle team, Charlie drew return fire from a Jerry MG42 that popped up. “Hitler’s Buzzsaw” rattled several rounds off the mech suit’s armor.

The pair agreed, the joint was getting too hot to loiter around any longer.  Bashing in the final door immediately looked like a meatball maneuver. Jerrys leapt out from every crack and crevice. Only three soldiers were in the Objective. While the Vats had guards and stragglers galore. Not to mention, some crazed hog looking critters. 

In order to blow this joint, they’d need to hose all these low lifes.

Rika Advanced in and used her last grenade.

Charlie followed. The two worked hard trying to maneuver the enemy into favorable fire zones but ammo and time was working against them. Rika was down to her last magazine. 

Time to go. Charlie’s suit was running on fumes. Juking past the Guard Hog Dogs they needed to still deal with the last axman. Charlie opened up. Shots rang off Vats. He burned extra fuel and unloaded his MGs again. More Vats were punctured, but the axman appeared undaunted.

Charlie was out of fuel, grabbed his grease gun and ditched his machine, kicking it into a vat hoping to keep it from misuse.

The two hasted for the exit. Realizing that eliminating any witnesses was not going to happen, saving their necks and reporting back became the priority.

Aftermath.
The two made it back to friendly lines. The mission was a “gamer”-qualified success. A traitor was eliminated. Charlie learned the strengths of his power suit. Tho’ he was already missing it.

In this mission, having the Turncoat flip on turn one cost the team a lot of actions. This made for a much harder slog. We did more shooting and scooting than usual. We wanted a tougher run, feeling like our plays weren’t challenging enough. Adding Elite Hostiles, and the FrankenStiles having high cover ratings were exactly what we needed.

We were less dependent on action cards, which was also different and enjoyable. To help keep the expansion fresh longer, we merged random FrankenHostiles with normal Hostiles, and randomly drew just a few locations. This, plus grabbing the Maquis for help, was good. Hand to hand indoors was great!

As we dive deeper, we’ll become more dependent on the FrankenDeck. The Maquis Turncoat mechanic was cool. Keeping the trait “secret” from the other two players made it better. Too bad it isn’t always an unknown when wielding the Maquis. It can be a fun surprise twist.

Great Mission. Great Fun. Great Game!

Rising Phoenix Hold the Line

Week two had been passing quietly in Raising Phoenix’s Command Center when the Comm Link erupted. The darn local VIP was making us earn our fee. His Motorcade was jammed up in some traffic accident and every hostile in the area was making a play. Our escort team was ordered to Hold Down the fort until local officials calmed the populace. 

Gato was BMC, with Martinez, RT, and Anderson as ride alongs.

Gato spied a LMG and RPG team lining up shots. Advancing in a crouch with RT and Martinez in support, Gato took out the LMG as the other two dropped the RPG team. 

Martinez had been eyeing a shady figure tailing the team. As the Stalker raised his AK he was met by a blast from the shotgun.

The shotgun’s boom drew most people’s attention, but not Gato’s. Ever alert, he dropped a charging suicide bomber before he cleared the corner. Bombers are bad juju.

Some neighborhood warlord was drawing in a large mob hoping to overrun our forward position. RT fell back to help secure the VIP.

As soon as the warlord shouted “die yankee dogs”, the mob surged forward. Gato warned the mob to stay back. 

Martinez saw that the warlord was drawing in more hostiles. It was time to act. Boom. Scratch one warlord.

Seeing that the boys were in trouble, RT rushed back to the perimeter.

The PMCs began burning through clips. The team had prepped for the need of fast reloads and were glad their training paid off. The tide of Hostiles was beginning to break.

Gato had ordered Anderson to take up a roof top Overwatch position. Gato gave the signal and Anderson lent his support from his vantage point. 

The team managed to force the Hostiles into a heads down position.

Locked and loaded, the team proceeded to clear the Hostiles from the streets.

It had been a near run fight. The team had held out long enough for the crowd to be dispersed. The Hostiles melted into the mix. No doubt we’d be seeing some of them again soon.

Martinez and his Shotgun were key to the team’s success. As the Hostiles targeted members, we’d cycle back and forth to open the range while dragging the baddies across other team member’s fields of fire.

In hindsight, we’d have been better served to have had Anderson with us at ground level and more active in the action. 

Rising Phoenix Warfighter PMC

Rising Phoenix LLC was excited to land its first two Contracts. The firm was less than two months old, but was well staffed and ready to make it’s mark in the industry.

The first contract was to provide protection for a local VIP trying win hearts and minds. Maybe this guy is the one. Maybe not. He pays damn well. Rumors are that he’s well liked among most militias, so this should be a four week walk in the park.

We assigned Vasquez as team lead. Brian, RT and Martínez buffed out the squad.

Boots barely hit desert before Comms lit up. A fringe group was staging a roadside ambush. The team did a quick gear grab and hit the street running. Only to be smack in the middle of a demonstration against Western aggressors invading their country.

Vasquez eyed the threat hiding in the mob. While Brian began clearing a path, the others went hot dropping a rooftop LMG being directed by some crazed fanatic.

Breaking free of the demonstration mob the team came to an eerily quiet block. A Bounding Overwatch exercise began. Suddenly, a Suicide Bomber rushed out from an alley. We knew enough to lay a heavy downpour on the SOB before he closed the distance. He disintegrated some 50 yards from the team. Rabbit Foot? Check!

As the Ambush sight came into view, so did the team. Militants came pouring out of every corner.

Ducking behind a burned out taxi, Brian began burning down Hostiles. Unfortunately he drew the attention of an RPG team. His end came quick and the realities of the job hit the entire team. 

Vasquez pushed forward to be with the VIP.

Vasquez gifted a grenade to the RPG team while the others cleared the rest of the street. Sandwiching the VIP, the team headed back to their compound.

The return was rather uneventful. The loss of a teammate was hard felt.

Target Wilhelmshafen

We have 11 hours to parachute in and execute a Hit & Run attack on Jerry

9

Predawn drop was a Fubar. Team was scattered inside the Bockhorner Moor South of our target in Wilhelmshafen after our DC3 overshot the intended drop zone. 2 hours were lost as the squad of four made their ways to a secondary rally spot.

Odds of this Hit and Run succeeding dropped like a Roman candle.....

Once reunited, the team made good time backtracking towards Wilhelmshafen.

Until three hours into the mission when we ran into a regiment of front-line Germans out on a training exercise. We were ambushed.....

But the crops and half light gave the squad enough of a chance so that all could find cover.

A large firefight ensued, and the squad was dealing pain to a somewhat surprised enemy until reinforcements popped out of a farm field and dropped Pvt Bell.

Scooped up a trooper who had been separated from his unit.

The squad presses toward the objective under heavy attack

Tanks! A Panzer IV in the crops

Sergeant Starman sees an open hatch pulls the pin on his grenade and carries the attack home!

The Squad kept the target objective clear long enough for the other units to hit their targets, but the landing zone screw up cost us the time we needed for making it back to the beach and our sub for extraction.

A German officer hopes to make us pay but he is cut down quickly

One last Ambush to survive!

With Pvt Holt on a litter, We’ll attempt to link up with partisan forces operating West of us, then organize a ride back to England.

Sergeant Starman will be awarded The Silver Star for his incredible action on this mission. 

Killed at least 10 enemy, destroyed a half track, destroyed a Panzer IV, and cleared the objective.