Shorty's Gambit

Turn 2

First off, I apologize for the length of time between the previous installment of this battle report and this installment.  But, finally, here it is (such as it is)...

For the setup and the first turn of this game entitled Shorty's Gambit please visit "Shorty's Gambit Setup" or "Shorty's Gambit: Turn 1".  For even more of Shorty's adventures read: "Shorty's Retirement" . 

Basically the game so far has everyone splitting forces and hedging their bets.  Everyone that is except the USMC (United Solar Marine Cadre) as Col. Flagg reviews the flight manual and attempts another approach at the stations landing dock...

Phase 1:

Shorty gains the draw and uses it to activate himself and Rachel.  This will allow these two leaders to in turn activate everyone in their squad (because everyone is within command range of either Shorty or Rachel).  Tom uses his surplus USMC suit to hak into the door as Ramona and Mike and rush into the room and Shorty and Steve move up.  Rachel and her mates move down the corridor to cover their flank from the USMC cadre should their commander ever figure out how to dock a Mk IV shuttle...

Phase 2:

Shorty's luck holds as he gains the second draw and moves his forces up to the next door that blocks his path to the control room.  Shorty and Ramona monitor the chigs in the next room and listen to Rachel's orders over the communicator as she hurries her section into defensive positions.  Ramona feeds a fresh clip into her 2mm sub-gun as Tom readies to hak the door...

Phase 3: The Chigs gain the next draw and use it to do the only thing chigs know how to do.  Mamma chig activates her drones which in turn activate the chigs with them.  This allows both of the groups of chigs facing Shorty's crew and those facing the Moronites to rush forward!

Chigs fling themselves through the station's doors as Mamma triggers them open.  One second Mike was linking into Tom's suit to hack another door and the next they have chigs all over them, literally!  Chigs are a push over, really, unless you let them get in close that is... 

In the ensuing melee the narrow confines of the doorway actually assist in that only two chigs are ruled able to get at the USMC vets.  As the first two come through the door and make contact they trigger melee.  One chig for Mike and one for Tom.  Both chigs make their rolls and successfully "hit" their prey due in no small part to the surprise modifier they receive.  With a successful hit all that stands between the veterans and defeat is their surplus power armor (and innate toughness).  With a pair of die tosses both vets breath a sigh of relief as armor takes the brunt of the damage and they look anxiously toward the activity card deck hoping to get another card draw before Momma chig does...

On the other side of the station another group of chigs flings themselves at the Moronites.  More specifically, brother Hank faces a pair of the slimy devils!  While brother Hank is luckier than the USMC vets in that only one chig hits he lacks the power armor of the vets and goes down as a chig removes his underused brain from his skull (via his left ear).

While the loss of 1/3 of sentient forces causes the Moronites to take morale check, the faithful (fanatic?) crusaders easily make their roll.

Phase 4: The Moronites shout in jubilation as they finally get their first move of the second turn and use it blast the satanic chigs with their full robotic might! 

Each of the Moronite's bots in the storage room packs the equivalent of a laser rifle and frag grenades.  Without much hesitation the brothers key in the codes to authorize the combat bots to start flinging frag grenades freely in the storage room (poor brother Hank always wanted to be cremated anyway).  The results of the blasts are three dead chigs, one wrecked combat bot and one combot in the process of a series of reboots (i.e. it is heavily stunned).  But, little now bars the holy warriors from the control room and their redemption (if only they can get the next card draw, or two)

Phase 5: Shorty's luck prevails and they gain the next draw.  Shorty is again able to activate the entire crew and uses the first activations to engage the chigs with Tom and Mike.  Using their powered fists and their cutting lasers the vets are both able score hits on the wee slimy chigs.  With even with their respectable save (due to a combo of carapace armor and innate toughness) the hatchling chigs both go splat. 

With the other moves Shorty rushes around for a clear shot and lets loose with a blast from his plasma pistol.  Shorty is a "one hit, one kill" sort of guy.  When it comes to weapons (his anyway) Shorty insists on the best.  Shorty takes his snap shot (penalty for movement prior to shot) and rolls an ace (a natural one).  The blast melts the chig drone before he can let fly any of his infamous acidic loogies.  And with the area of effect (very small) in the corridor he hits the other chig hatching and burns it as well!  With the way clear into the control room (where two more chigs rush toward them) Ramona flexes here psi-shield and flips the safety off the high tech submachine gun she carries.

Rachel,  William and Steve the grinning twin settle into ambush positions and hope the dumb ass jarheads get chewed up by the Toyota warbot (assuming they ever figure out how to dock their damned shuttle)...

Phase 6: With the Moronites gaining the next draw of the deck they move up to the sealed portal and try to hack the software lock... and they rolls accursedly!   The Moronites cluster around the barrier to their salvation!

Phase 7: With the Moronites draw again and cluster about the door in a close network attempting to hack the door (networking allows a good modifier to the roll).  With another pitiful roll the brothers howl in righteous fury and their bots stand by...

Phases 8 and 9: Momma Chig gets the next two draws in a row and use them to move her brood up as well as to move her royal, slimy self into a corner.

End Turn Phase : With the end of another turn Momma chig gets to dice for hatchlings and rolls three more babies and squeezes out one more for next turn.  While she only gets three hatchlings, their locations may prove problematic for some folks next turn...

Captain Flagg manages to not miss the cargo bay door a third time and even remembers to activate the magnetic grapples at the same time (amazing really).  Thus the USMC finally gets into the action!  The USMC shuttle docks at the cargo bay and they size up the high priced warbot through the shuttle's exterior monitors...

Onward to Shorty's Gambit Turn 3!

All content copyright R. Scott Clinton

Last updated July 10, 2006