Shattergrounds

“Eudoros, you are leading the alpha strike team with Acmon, Pandora and the new guy, (Myrm)”
“Yes sir” Eudoros nodded.
“Phoenix, Machaon, and the other two new guys. Beta strike team. Machaon, take lead on the battlefield”
Phoenix and Machaon bot nodded as well.
“We are sending you with the Missile strike package. Scylla will be Pandora’s backup.
“Sir, we are lack in supportive fire power,” Eudoros mentioned. “We can’t go in as hard on the enemy..
“The goal is to get control of the safe room and we have reports of The Jurisdiction of Tunguska is the enemy. Good time to get the rookies trained up and you all know how important getting the rookies time on the field is.” The commander said looking at the three rookies present “So try being careful rather than increasing your kill count. Dismissed everyone.”
Eudoros rolled his eyes as he left.

Deployment

I am playing against Matt (Borisgreymenace). We have been playing casual gamesfor a little over a year now which is more than half the time I have been playing infinity. I am grateful that he will still play against me even though I use Steel Phalanx in 90% of our games. I have to say I know Tunguska pretty well now and Matt knows my nonsense as well.

We are playing Panic Room. I lost the LT roll and Matt chose deployment. I still chose to go second and give up any deployment advantage. Matt was running a limited insertion list and I was running a full 15 just to flip the script. Matt had a Kriza LT, Hollow Men Hacker, Vostok, and Stempler in a 4 man core. Supported by Mary Problems, Puppet Master (with the FO bot and AP Maskman bot), Vertigo, Salyut, Fiddler, and the new addition Denma.

I had some mre standard stuff. Eudoros, Acmon, Pandora, Mrymidon 4-man; Phoenix, Machaon LT, 2 Myrmidons 4-man, and Two Netrods in Gorup 1. Group 2 was Two Lamedh’s, Samekh, Scylla FTO, and Charybdis FTO. I setup Phoenix on ARO duty who was able to see some important paths for some of Matt’s models to take in order to get into the Objective Room. Missile bot is also watching a long hallway where Denma could have had an easy run into my backfield.

Top of Turn 1
Matt rolled +3 PH on Denma so our new man was smoking on 20’s. He used his impetuous to move up and smoke, he unfortunately got a 3 and the Samekh decided to crit. No more Denma. I was worried that this game was starting bad since I crit, but do not worry. This was the only dice that I rolled well. Mary Problems starts causing problems and throwing pitchers. Fiddler is locked down so without spending too many points, he gets a puppetbot into the room.

Bottom of Turn 1
Eudoros and crew start heading on up to the panic room. The puppet bot in the room tanks an MK 12 shot and hides. I move Eudoros into template range against the bot. He drops a BS template and I drop three nanopulsars. I take a wound and he makes all three saves. I have to do it again, but make sure Acmon is close enough to pick him back up if needed. Another round of templates later, the bot is unconscious and Eudoros makes the save. I make the mistake of moving Eudoros into the room instead of dodging in and get Targetted by his 6th Sense Hollow Men Hacker. I keep everyone else out of the room also spreading my own Pitcher Network with Pandora and Scylla. I get 2 points for Essential personel and controlling the room

Top of Turn 2
It takes two orders but Eudoros is guided missiled off the table. Pandora, Acmon, and the other Myrmidon are all out of the room and safe from the missile. What they aren’t safe from is his Vostok climbing up a wall on the side and going after them. Phoenix does see the Vostok as it approaches and he rolls to hit me on three’s and I am only on seven’s. Instead of shots wiffing for a couple turns, Matt’s Vostok crits me and Phoenix fails both saves. Pandora dodges once but still isn’t safe in the room and then eventually goes down to the Kriza, getting hit off the board through NWI. Things aren’t looking good, but there is still play.

Bottom of Turn 2

I decide that Acmon should go take out some key models in 2 orders he shot the second puppetbot who one the FTF both somes and Acmon failed both saves. No one is saving anymore after Eudoros’ one save on the template. I have to run Sylla up who eats a flash pulse and fail a save and gets stunned. All I have left is to run Machaon and the two Myrmidons up and grab the third basic mymridon to remake a 4-man and charge into the Panic Room. I threw one key eclipse to enter the room and Machaon had to take a spotlight and was also targetted.
Things are not looking good since Machaon went NWI at some point. I do however hold the room with Essentional personnel again. I go up 4-1 (Matt had Telemetry to complete his objective.

Top of Turn 3

Now I wait for impending missile doom. Thanks to 6th sense again, i few of my things all dodge and manage to be protected by Matt’s unconscious models. As the Kriza tries to shoot Machaon, I manage to throw Eclipse to cover from being shot at and dodge as much as I can, getting into CC with some stuff. His Kriza is in CC with a Myrmidon, his second puppetbot is in CC, the third stays in smoke since he cannot reach the Vostok. Scylla tried hacking multiple times, but never successfully landed Oblivion. Machaon does go down to an intuitive template and He has put me in loss of Lt. things look bad as Mary enters the room in Cybermask.

“Shit! They are all dead! Should we retreat?” shouted Dimitrios.
“We have to hold them here. Take the room back,” Penelope responded engaged with the Hollow Men.
“Ow, that thing hurt.” There was a pause in the comms, “I am still here to provide Hacking support”, Scylla said, “We have the Netrods providing radio signals still. Let’s so what Steel does best!”
“Eleleu!” The greek chant was shouted before swords started flying into the Myrmidons enemies.

Bottom of Turn 3

I have a bunch or irregulars and two netrods. My three little myrmidons decide to be the heroes and punch down the Hollow men hacker, the Vostock, and the puppet bot the only things alive in the room are two Myrmidons and Mary Problems in Cybermask. The third Myrmidon has to stay out of the room and Coup de Grace the Hollow Men for me to get my objective card. I hold the room, but I don’t have any essential personnel so the score ends 6-4 in my favor.

Post Game Thoughts

Things I did well:

Deployment. I would say in my almost two years of playing Infinity, this is something I am most comfortable with doing well. Being able to glance at a board and find good firing lanes, easy lanes to move down to make minimal eclipse throws. Phoenix was a pain for Matt even though he was my only ARO piece.

Playing against the dice rolls. The dice were definitely not in my favor having only 1 or 2 armor saves all game.