Thursday 11 April 2019

Patrol Angis AAR Arcticon 2019 plus free Portable Castle PDF downloads

My thanks to Aris Kolehmainen and the team at Arcticon 2019 over in the United States for putting on a first class 15mm science fiction convention and allowing The Ion Age to sponsor the event too.  It is my pleasure to present the After Action Report (AAR) for the Patrol Angis event on the day.  It is complete with images and all details.  Also as a special treat we have game statistics for and free downloads of the paper model huge Portable Castle vehicles used at the convention.  Enjoy!  GBS


This is an AAR of the Final Game of the Patrol: Angis 2nd Annual Tournament held at ArctiCon 2019. ArctiCon is a charity gaming event in Merriville, Indiana (USA). This year, proceeds from the event culminated in over $4000 to support military veterans.

Scenario:

Prydian Army – In spite of the best efforts of the Prydian forces, it appears that the Shia Khan have managed to access one of the once thought lost Damascus Portable Castle “Vigilance”. Inside it’s broken and overgrown hull are a score of artefacts recovered from the Dolos Cloud by the Starvaulters. Artefacts that could drastically aid the Prydians in their effort to repel the Khanate empire.

Khanate – Generally speaking, there is little the humans possess that the Khanate covet. Their armour is clunky, their weapons crude, their battlesuits inelegant. However, they do have a knack for discovering things long thought lost to time. In this case, a Proauctor Metaborg, long dormant and in near pristine order. Should it fall into the hands of humanity, it might cause a problem in the future.

Win Conditions:

Prydia (Dave) – Have a Troop Element inside the Portable Castle by the end of Turn 6. This will give reinforcements time to vector in on the location of the Vigilance.
Khanate (Aris) – Prevent the enemy from occupying the Portable Castle, doing so will allow for an extraction of the Proauctor before the humans can reach it.

Scenario Special:

Open the Hanger – A troop element inside the Portable Castle may use an action to open the hanger doors. This is the ONLY way for ISV’s to enter the Portable Castle

Fire Missiles, (hopefully…) – The Anda Missile pod appears to possibly be in working order. Any Troop Element within the castle may spend an action to attempt to fire the Anda pod. This pod may fire indirectly, as if it had a spotter on the target element within range.

When you spend your activation token to fire the missile roll 1D8:

1-4: There is a malfunction, the missiles fire straight up in the air before crashing down on the castle. All Elements in or on the castle take an Anda Missile attack (roll for hits and kills as normal). 
Note: No matter who one initiative, each player chooses their own casualties for this attack.

5-8: The pod fires normally, treat this as an Anda Missile Pod attack that has a Spotter for IF.


Turn 1: Aris questions his life choices.
Aris set up his troops in a gamble so that if he won initiative, he would be able to drop an overwatch on his Legionary Support troops sitting on the Battlement platform with their Atomic Destabilizers, allowing him to snipe at the large Prydian element that would be coming up though the woods on the western side of the board.

Aris did NOT win initiative.

Dave opened the game with a solid round of fire, quickly reaping the entire Support element. Aris opt to spend the two activation tokens he had given the squad to save two of them. Dave would follow this up on his next turn by firing an extremely well-placed shot from his Desteria just pasted the edge of one rocky hill, and inside the edge of Castle’s missile pod on the eastern flank, killing the Khanate force commander’s element. Worse still for Aris, his Psychoborgs were A.I. Slaved, which meant they were effectively dead for the rest of the game.

By the end of Turn 1, Dave had successfully taken out 6 Legionaries, 2 man Command Element, and 3 Psychoborgs.


Turn 2: The Pompous Doctrine
Lord Pompous once said “If you’re going to fist’em, fist’em GRATUITOUSLY!”

After much debate in the highest chambers if military thought, it was generally agreed he was speaking of his well known prowess in close combat. This would later be refined to “if you must enter close combat, strike without mercy”, this is also known as The Pompous Doctrine.

Dave showed a prime example of this at work.

Dave’s Duxis with Assaulter and Brawler entered into close combat with Aris’s Legionnaire troop element, resulting in 27 kills on an 8 man element. There were no survivors.


Things were getting dicey for Aris, so he opt to put his future in the hands of dice. Inside the portable castle was an element of Pioneers. The shock troops of the Khanate empire. With one activation token, they activated the Anda pod. Aris targeted the Retained knights that were threatening the western flank, and rolled his dice.

The dice came up as a 5, barely a success, but Aris was not going to complain about this long overdue luck. The pod fires, taking out half of the Retained knights, and locking them down on a failed moral check. Little victories for the Khanate, but this was far from over.

Turn 3: Here there be Giants
Dave had read about Warlords. He knew they were big, he knew they were a match for Duxis, but he had never experienced fighting one yet. Dave’s Desteria were about to experience these giants of the battlefield first hand.

Dave moved his Desteria though the woods into a forward position, he had a few things going for him. First, he was in cover, that +3 would be good to him. Second, They were Desteria, their armour was solid as one could hope for. However, he moved them into the range of warlords sitting in Overwatch, and Hell itself fell upon the brave Desteria.

Shots from Mars, Helios, and Juno cannons were nearly suppressed by their armour but it still took Ablative Armour, all the activation tokens, and the luck of having won initiative to save what little remained of the element.

Turn 4: The Siege Begins
Turn 4 saw the formation of the late game linchpins. The Warlords were single handedly holding the entire eastern flank, while the Duxis and the remnants of the Retained element moved to get closer to the castle.

Eventually the Prydian forces in the west made a hard move to press the Castle wall, not quite able to enter it, but preparing themselves for the fight. Aris opt at this time to pull his full, untouched, element of Pioneers to the battlements, and began raining down Maia rounds down upon the Retained. This would further thin the number of Retained to a mere two; and take out almost all of the Pioneers in the process.

The turn would end with the Prydian force commander deep in the woods, Warlords sitting in overwatch, and all that remained of both forces hugging the wall of the castle in a back and forth firefight.

Turn 5: Lords of War
Dave had to place all his bets one one big play: Get the Retained inside, open the hanger doors, and get the Duxis inside and clean house. It was a suicide mission for the two remaining Retained, however, it was his best shot to win the day. The slug fest had hit him hard, but his Duxis was unharmed, and as hard as he had been hit, Aris had been hit even harder.

With initiative won, Dave moved his Retained into the castle and activated the hanger door. Aris would reply by having the pioneers kill the intruders to little fanfare. With a grand total of 4 Khanate troops in/on the castle, Dave made his move. The Duxis charged towards the open hanger…


… and into the line of fire from the warlords waiting for him.

With inhuman roars the Warlords lived up to their name. The Duxis stood no chance against the onslaught of energies and ballistics being thrown at them, and like a tragic hero of old, it and its pilot died at the brink of it’s goal. The force commander of the Prydian forces then decided to make a strategic withdraw. There could be no victory here today, the Pryidan forces had fallen, and whatever treasures may have been within the ancient hold of the Vigilant, would fall to the hands of the Khanate Empire.

Khanate Victory!!!!

The Aftermath

This was one hell of a game. The combat was intense, the plays were thoughtful, and the line that separated Victory and Defeat has never been thinner. Just look at what was LEFT at the end of the game:


Dave would walk away from the event with a brand new, fresh off the factory floor, Laan type Magog, as well as a complementary line of his very own set of Happy Burger Bots from our wonderful sponsors at Happy Burger.


Remember: Happy Burger is the Fasted Food in the Universe! I look forward to another exciting event next year, and hope to see you guys there!


Want to field your own portable castle? Here are some game statistics to get you to the battlefield in early Prydian style:


As you have seen in the pictures the portable castle was on the table and so here are the links to download for free (just click and save to your device) the PORTABLE CASTLE and a DAMAGED PORTABLE CASTLE.

We hope you enjoyed reading this as much as we did playing Patrol Angis. I’ve been playing competitively one war game or another since I was sixteen and this was the most brutal, bloody, nail biting, and most importantly: fun game I have played to date.

Aris

Friday 5 April 2019

IAF029 Skylark Patrol Flyer MkII released!

Since before the outbreak of the Prydian Civil War the various marks of the Type 41 Skylark Patrol Flyers have been part of the Muster regiments of the Precinct. Based on a designed from the era of the Ban of Prejudice the Type 41 was put into renewed mass production on seven worlds before the Battle of Fenway Prime. While the Adder Combat Car fulfils the needed role of a multi propulsion ground transport for Muster Platoons there was a need for an armed transport that could move in three dimensions. The Skylark fulfils this role well with the objective of moving troops from a staging area to the combat zone with no intervening stages. Capable of dramatic bursts of speed with its four jet engines the howl of an incoming Skylark is common to the ears of friend and foe alike. The Type 41 was given the name Skylark during its testing on New Glastonbury with a hint of humour. That species of ancient Terran bird was brought to New Glastonbury during its long ago original colonisation and its swooping grace is very much at odds with a vehicle that puts ascetics well behind protecting itself and its occupants. 

There are five common marks of the Type 41 which are broadly as follows. The Type 41A Skylark Patroller is the most common of the flyers and is used as an armoured transport capable of carrying two crew and a fire-team of four Muster usually of the Patrol. Its armament is composed of a belly mounted rotary Moth 88 cannon and a top mounted Anda 60mm Missile Pod. Less common but often seen is the Type 41B Skylark Battle Bus which retains the belly mount but has an upper hull modification adding more internal space and an upper exit hatch which means it can carry two fire-teams into the fray at the cost of some protection and fire power. Speed is the aim of the Type 41C called the Skylark Screamer where the upper turret mount and internal space is given over to an additional jet engine mounted on the top of the hull. The Type 41C is used for rapid response and to give ground fire support in open terrain. Rarer is the Type 41D Skylark Big Lift which is unarmed but is fitted with a low slung rig for lifting cargo pods and pallets. But rarest of all is the Type 41E Skylark Eye which is a command and control flyer which features extensive top and belly slung sensor packages; this mark usual belongs to a general or other top ranking officer. All Skylarks have a titanium composite hull and are rated to extreme altitude though without extensive drive modifications it is not capable of reaching low orbit. 

Enter the next sequence to access basic flight training for all marks of the Type 41. Proceed now...
Academy Auto-Trainer Series 12, New Glastonbury, 4326IC 


You have been waiting and now is the time! It is my pleasure to present the brand new mark two Skylark Patrol Flyer designed by Sam Croes. Go HERE or read on for more. 


We are a wee part of Alternative Armies and as such are doing our bit in the mega March to War event which is now on! Until 16th April 2019 there is free worldwide shipping on all orders of 20GBP or more in the cart plus you get your Reward Points and you can use your Reward Points in these orders to save more. There is also 25% off the new Skylark plus several other offers. All are on our main page HERE


IAF029 Skylark Patrol Flyer MkII - Go HERE.
The Skylark is the main air support vehicle of the Muster Patrol and among its variants it typically carries one fire-team plus crew and provides gun runs too upon request. This, the new mark two Skylark Patrol Flyer Mark 41A is a 15mm scale vehicle in the form of a multiple part high grade grey tone resin kit. Composed of seven pieces which require assembly and can be fitted with a flight stand (not supplied). The multiple pieces are gun mounts and engine mounts allowing a good degree of posing for 'in flight' and 'landing'. Assembled the Skylark is 70mm long and 35mm across. You can find rules for its use in our own game system in the Callsign Taranis expansion book. Here is a picture of all the supplied parts of the model kit.


As with all our other codes you may choose from purchasing a single kit or three kits on screen with a 10% saving applied. Supplied unassembled and unpainted without a base (shown on a 40mm round base). 



This Skylark is part of a small series of codes all around one theme. The others are IAF033 Crashed Skylark which depicts your flying vehicle on a bad day and IAF034 Skylark Cradle a structure which can hold your landed flyer. Excellent pieces with a wide variety of uses. Here are their details. 


IAF033 Crashed Skylark 
Fast engines and titanium alloy armour are not always enough to keep you up in the air and clear of danger. This Skylark Patrol Flyer has been shot down after a really rough exchange of fire with the enemy. Crashed into the rocky terrain of a world in the Prydian Precinct it lays with smashed engine housings and a battered hull. Lots of details and an excellent narrative piece for your games or simply as battlefield terrain. The Crashed Skylark Patrol Flyer Mark 41A is a 15mm scale vehicle in one high grade grey tone resin piece with is about 70mm across at its widest point. As with all our releases if you purchase three you can get 10% off the normal price. Go HERE


IAF034 Skylark Cradle 
This one piece high grade grey tone resin structure fits right in not only with the IAF029 Skylark its designed to cradle for repair and reloads but also with the rest of the Ion Age 15mm terrain range such as the IAF015 Hab Dome and the IAF024 Fabricator Spire as a building in its own right. The Cradle is an industrial building with a high degree of detail. It is approx 70mm long and 60mm wide. As with all our releases if you purchase three you can get 10% off the normal price. Go HERE

This is our release for April 2019 and we hope you like it. March to War ends at 9am GMT 16th April (shipping returns to normal as does the price of the new Skylark). 

Thanks for Reading, 

GBS

Monday 1 April 2019

Half price Pressure Doors in our 15mm terrain range this month and free postage until 16th April

Welcome to April!  This month the space opera awesome of The Ion Age is making a great offer to wargamers from our 15mm terrain range.  The versatile Pressure Door End pack is half price until the end of the month.  Go HERE for the range.  As well as this there not long to wait until you can see the new Skylark Patrol Flyer and our March to War event is on as well.  We have free postage worldwide on orders of 20GBP or more in cart plus 25% off both Steornede Battlesuits during the event.  As well as this following on from the Patrol Angis player participation game at this years Arcticon we will have Aris's AAR to read as well!  


If you wish to create a great looking gaming table for near future or space opera 15mm wargaming then you should check out our terrain range.  Here is a list of all the codes plus the three bundles which have a built in 20% saving too.


IAF044BU01 Habitation Outpost Bundle save 20%
Two IAF015 Hab Domes, two IAF044H Turret Connectors with two Missile Pods, one IAF044E Four Ways Crossroads connector, one IAF044D Three Way Connector, one IAF044A Straight Connector, one IAF044G Pressure End Door Connector and an IAF043 Power Spire. A complete and a great place to expand from as well. Suitable for use in any 15mm scale science fiction wargaming setting.


IAF044BU02 Habitation Base Bundle save 20%
Two IAF015 Hab Domes, two IAF015 Tower Modules with Base Plates, one IAF040 Block House, one IAF015 Landing Pad with Missile Pod, two IAF044H Turret Connectors with two Missile Pods, two IAF044D Three Ways Connectors, two IAF044C Corner Connectors, two IAF044A Straight Connectors, two IAF044B Double Length Straight Connectors one IAF015 Comms Spire top mount and an IAF043 Power Spire. A complete and a great place to expand from as well. Suitable for use in any 15mm scale science fiction wargaming setting.


IAF044BU03 Habitation Colony Bundle save 20%
One IAF070 Command Dome, five IAF015 Hab Domes, two IAF015 Tower Modules with Base Plates, two IAF040 Block Houses, one IAF015 Landing Pad with Missile Pod, two IAF044H Turret Connectors with two Missile Pods, one IAF044E Four Ways Crossroads connector, two IAF044F T Junction Three Connectors, one IAF044C Corner Connector, two IAF044A Straight Connectors, one IAF044B Double Length Straight Connector one IAF015 Comms Spire top mount and an IAF043 Power Spire. A complete and a great place to expand from as well. Suitable for use in any 15mm scale science fiction wargaming setting.


IAF015 Hab Dome
IAF040 Block House
IAF070 Command Dome
IAF015D Tower Module
IAF015E Landing Pod Module
IAF015J Smashed Hab Dome
IAF015K Cratered Hab Dome
IAF024 Fabricator Spire
IAF043 Power Spire
IAF034 Skylark Cradle

IAF015A Sentry Gun Turret
IAF015B Comms Spire Mount
IAF015C Hurwent Shield Generator

IAF015K Moth 88 Gun Turret 
IAF015L Angis Cannon Turret 
IAF015M Bodkin Howitzer Turret 
IAF015N Valerin Laser Turret 
IAF015O Fretan Rail Gun Turret

IAF015F Flak Cannon Turret
IAF015G Two Block Missile Pod Turret


IAF044A Straight Connectors
IAF044B Double Length Straight Connectors
IAF044C Corner Connectors
IAF044D Three Way Connectors
IAF044E Four Way Crossroad Connector
IAF044F T Junction Connectors
IAF044G Pressure Door End Connectors


IAF064A Habitation Geo Shelter
IAF064B Storage Geo Shelter
IAF064C Laboratory Geo Shelter
IAF064D Defender Geo Shelter
IAF064E Smashed Geo Shelter


IAF023 Fallen Havelock Battlesuit
IAF032 Fallen Duxis Battlesuit
IAF037 Smashed Adder Combat Car
IAF038 Smashed Adder Combat Lifter
IAF033 Crashed Skylark Patrol Flyer 

As mentioned earlier the IAF029 Skylark Patrol Flyer is no more.  The original model has been withdrawn from sale and is retired.  But do not fret IonFans!  The 'lark will return in a new expanded version of the code in a few day time!  It will be still the same code and the same vehicle in the game but a new incarnation.  Those who have one or more of the now extinct version one are part of a club now as there shall be no more. You can find rules for the Skylark in Callsign Taranis.

Thanks for Reading,

GBS