Nordics 2018 - After action report part 3, CURSE YOU NYM!!!

Over to actual batreps.

My r1 was Christain from Denmark. He ran a list of 134 of aceholes (or 7 aces and a generic HWK), MC75 and 2 flots. The MC75 build is really nice IMO. You get the BC, the FC and the Leading Shots on the MC75! This is a much tanker platform than the AF2, plus it can actually shoot for damage! BH/TF/BCC is in there, and Leia as slicer protection. Rieekan is on a HH lifeboat.

Very strong list, but NO FING YAVARIS!!! Which meant I could actually engage his squads early in the round wo being wiped out before I could activate top of the next round. That gave me hope, AND I decided I would try to lure him into attacking me with his squads, so I could jump them and get a head start.

He was 396 to my 393, so I actually had good use of my increased bid (I used to have 396). He had CO, which is picked, bc I will usually go at least 8-3 as 1st and playing that objective. I lets me set up and plot very good movement paths for my 2 ships.

I set my Quasar parallell to the board, as far forward as possible, then put down my ISD facing the station, and the squads clustered around. He countered with his HH opposite my Q, going the other way. 100% lifeboat! He then set his squads in front of the HH, protecting it from Squall tricks. A good play there, but it put them out of Toryn range (but in BCC range). His MC75 and flots started near the station, rolling slow.

Name: N18 Christian Aceholes
Faction: Rebel
Commander: General Rieekan

Assault:
Defense: Contested Outpost
Navigation:

Hammerhead Torpedo Corvette (36)
• General Rieekan (30)
= 66 Points

MC75 Armored Cruiser (104)
• Toryn Farr (7)
• Flight Controllers (6)
• Boosted Comms (4)
• Electronic Countermeasures (7)
• External Racks (3)
• Leading Shots (4)
• XI7 Turbolasers (6)
= 141 Points

GR-75 Medium Transports (18)
• Bomber Command Center (8)
• Boosted Comms (4)
• Bright Hope (2)
= 32 Points

GR-75 Medium Transports (18)
• Leia Organa (3)
• Comms Net (2)
= 23 Points

Squadrons:
• Dutch Vander (16)
• Gold Squadron (12)
• Norra Wexley (17)
• Nym (21)
• Shara Bey (17)
• Wedge Antilles (19)
• Luke Skywalker (20)
• HWK-290 (12)
= 134 Points

Total Points: 396

I decided I would rush forward to the station, which I normally don't. But in this case he started out very slow (speed 1) with his flots and MC75, so if I put pressure on him he would have trouble maneuvering without giving up critical squad commands.

The plan was good one, I think, but a little greedy. As I jumped my ISD to speed 3 in r1 and turned hard in, I jumped over my squads, protecting them. But the rebels would get some bombing runs on the ISD. But honestly, there was no avoiding this really, not without striking forward, which would have cost me most of my squads.

Oc Nym rolled a perfect crit. Brace gone. Not ideal, but with Nym+BCC I knew the risk was real enough. Still abit sad. Nym then blanked his black die, despite BCC. Two more black bombers managed to get double blanks, before Luke actually managed to fish for a HIT/CRIT. But if u discount the Nym crit I got off light.

Mega furball of doom. But We're in the shadow of my ISD, and I get to jump the rebels, plus activate 5 squads with FC Quasar top of next round. Even with Rieekan rebels start popping. I lose Mithel, and eventually Dengar, but rebel escorts go down and so does the HWK to Maarek, so it's game set match for the Imps int he squadron game.

I eagerly approcach the station, using my navs - and his lack of navs - to block up the MC75 front, giving me dbl arcs and him not. I'm pretty confident at this point. Squad game is going well, my ISD is well placed and his MC75 not, so despite the lack of a brace I should do OK. I just need to weather 1 front arc salvo with exracks, which should not be a problem.

Except it is... 10 damage, without any rerolls. Ouch. My ISD survives, but XI7 puts a lot through to my hull, and now I can't delay activating next round. I have to repair and shoot, before I die. That wasn't the plan at all :-D

In the end the MC75 finishes my ISD with a ram - and then immediately gets rammed dead by the Quasar after a bombing run. Thrawn Nav -  Squad is so OP! :-D

I lose my ISD and 3 squads. He loses the MC75, BH, and all his squads. He gets 3 tokens, I get 2, one unclaimed. It would be 3 to 2 if my Quasar hadn't been forced to speed up to do the ram, which would have pushed me up to a 7-4, rather than the 6-5 I got. But that wasn't possible, so 6-5 it was.

I was both happy and not happy with this game. I felt I had a good plan, but that in a sense dice hadn't been too kind to me. However, I did risk the Nym, and that's on me. Furthermore, the MC75 got lucky, but the rebels bombers sure didn't, so I guess it evens out. In the end I think the score is pretty fair and representative. And taking our 134 pts of aceholes with only light squad losses isn't something you can be unhappy about. Not against a really good player with a really good list. Well played Christian!