15mm Wargaming for Fun and Sanity: Flying Lead Southpaws get out of Dodge vs Corporate Japanese

Time, we feel, to get back to our regular Flying Lead ultraviolence. I've been looking at the recent MDF terrain with some envy. I could spend £100 with nooo problem. But I don't think I've done so shabby with my Mattel car-boot roads and (sainsbury's profiteroles) junk buildings, ex xmas tree-trees.

As you've heard before, I had a “spurt” to build up forces for Harder Than Steel – still holding breath, tapping toes, looking over glasses, looking significantly at watch. This is part of my smaller, urban contingent of my Corporate Japanese.

I've been particularly light on robots as the Southpaws infantry lack the weapons to take them out. You first saw their larger cousins in Flying lead Dominar, Dainties & dastardly droids of 30.1.2015. The Ninja used a larger variation of the robot for personal transport and protection, carrying a mini missile system based on the (Japanese) infantry launcher below.

The basic light mini- missile is the standard Japanese support munition. The infantry launcher carries 8 shots chosen from:

Armour Piercing Fin Stabilised Discharging Sabot (APFSDS)

High Explosive Armour Piercing grenade round (HEAP)

Anti-personnel (AP)

Chemical Smoke Marker* (CSM)

Chemical Smoke Concealment (CSC)

Larger units add a fire and forget (mortar) seeking HEAP round that reacts to the CSM*.

The infantry launcher and some other units have a signature exhaust suppressor. It's loaded like a revolver and either scrapped or recycled. Fortunately Flying Lead has a simple method for upgrading, a longer range and larger blast circle. Mortars and robots can shoot indirect. As with the UNLI, the robots are controlled by specific handlers, the no.2 of snipers & specialist teams.

I took mortars as indirect, requiring 1 action to spot by an officer, robot or sensor equipped specialist. Either I was too cautious, forgot them or I should have included a spotter, possibly with a specialist drone unit. I may do another game using the “non urban” vs my PAU that requires set-up of HW or a firebase or guarded perimeter. Hmmm, star/airport, big lifter- watch this space.

Japanese TOE

Command squad. CO & coms specialist, Robot, controller & sensor operator, 2 independent launcher troopers. IFV 558

Infantry Section Junior Officer & robot*

Squad Sergeant, 3 troops, sniper & 3 troops. Attached SAW gunner. 1,103

HW Section 2 RAM mortars & crew, 2 Gatling & crew, 2 troops. 608

Total force 2,299. APC's are a separate extraction force.

Missle launcher
Points:17
High Tech Ammo, Range: Long, Select Fire, Sniper Scope, Very Slow Reload

Corporate Officer
Points 130	Quality 3+	Combat 2
	-Assault Rifle, Body Armor, CQB Specialist, Dashing, Leader, Personal Communication Device

Corporate NCO/Junior Officer/Specialist
Points 120	Quality 3+	Combat 2
Special Rules	-Assault Rifle, Body Armor, CQB Specialist, Dashing, NCO/Second In Command, Personal Communication Device

Corporate Mercenary
Points 88	Quality 3+	Combat 2
Special Rules	-Assault Rifle, Body Armor, Personal Communication Device

Corporate Laser Sniper
Points 124	Quality 3+	Combat 2
Special Rules	-Assault Rifle, Body Armor, Personal Communication Device, Sniper, Stealth

Corporate weapon crew
Points 32	Quality 3+	Combat 2
Special Rules	Body Armor, Personal Communication Device

RAM mortar
Points:20
3 Action Set Up, Crewed, Grenade Combat 3, High Tech Ammo, Range: Long

IFV + gun & launcher
Points 155	Quality 3+	Combat 2
Special Rules	Armored +3 (Medium), Long Move, Off-Road, Personnel Carrier 6 passengers, Vehicle

APC + gun & launcher
Points 139	Quality 3+	Combat 2
Special Rules	Armored +1 (Thin), Long Move, Off-Road, Personnel Carrier 9 passengers, Vehicle

Light rail gun
Points:38
Anti-Tank 3, Armor Piercing, High Tech Ammo, Lethal vs. Soft Targets, Range: Long, Select Fire

Light AP gun or SAW
Points:30
Affects Only Living Targets, Auto Fire, Combat +3, High Tech Ammo, Range: Long

* Corporate Japanese platoons often have an extra junior officer who acts as point man or detachment squad leader, a bit like the old British Subaltern or naval Ensign. Other ranks are more likely to respect an officer who has seen active combat close & personal.

I got rather stung by the Anatochi's Workshop 15mm range. I bought a small batch intending to upgrade later. I like the new Eurofed by Brigade, as the mix of wheeled designs fits in with the concept , particularly the urban force here. Doing the whole lot in one go each section would cost about £18, being 2APC's or 3-4 smaller vec's – roll on the sale! I need to get the power armour first, but I'm taking the hint from GZG's “pack A”, hinting at more to come-.

Southpaw Senior Officer - Personality
Points 112	Quality 3+	Combat 3
Special Rules	Combat Fiend, Dashing, Jungle-craft, Leader

Southpaw militia – Sergeant/Officer
Points 152	Quality 3+	Combat 3
Special Rules	-Assault Rifle, Body Armor, Jungle-craft, Leader, Personal Communication Device, Poor Shot, Running Blow, Stealth

Southpaw militia
Points 92	Quality 4+	Combat 3
Special Rules	-Assault Rifle, Body Armor, Jungle-craft, Personal Communication Device, Poor Shot, Running Blow, Stealth

Southpaw Special Forces - Personality
Points 133	Quality 3+	Combat 4
Special Rules	Combat Fiend, Dashing, Elite, Jungle-craft, Light/Bushwacker, Personal Communication Device, Stealth

Southpaw SW
Points 104	Quality 3+	Combat 3
Special Rules	-Drum Fed Light Machine Gun, Body Armor, Jungle-craft, Personal Communication Device

Sniper Railgun:36 Handler + Strong & Sniper 18= 55
Anti-Tank 3, Armor Piercing, High Tech Ammo, Lethal vs. Soft Targets, Range: Long, Silent, Sniper Scope

Southpaw TOE

Senior officer, Drone handler, independent sniper. 356

Militia Infantry squad, 4 infantry, Officer 520 x5

Special Forces unit 6 infantry 794

5 SW, either attached or independent & Officer 672

Forces:

Wave 5 Infantry + 2 independent SW 2,288

Command + 4 infantry sections 2,436

Command, 3 Infantry, 4 SW, 2,322

(chosen) Command, Special Forces, 2 Inf, 2 independent SW 2,409

Command, SW, Special forces, 1 infantry 2,213

Way back in May 2014, after 1^st use of Southpaws, I decided we needed some basic rules for drones & robots. As we're using both here's a summary:

Robots. Most are effectively normal infantry who will MIRROR (SOP) the activation or reaction of its parent unit. Loss has the same morale effect due to loss of asset.

A hit that has a non penetrating hit represents an impact that causes loss of unit integrity, a bit like losing your wifi on the move.

Exception 1) in the case of a withdraw, a robot unit will always take the rear position.

Exception 2) a robot can be ordered to seek and destroy (i.e. against a sniper) without regard to own safety.

Exception 3) a robot vehicle benefits from end-of-move free movement like any other unit. Unmirrored robot infantry do not.

Exception 4) only one activation is required to go on overwatch.

Exception 5) no test needed to close assault, can be programmed to close assault as a reaction.

Drones. Scout and/or electronic warfare (EW) asset, from shell delivered to grav AI's. EW can be built into any vehicle or robot. Here is a use for those plastic covers on CD's as its area of influence. Use as seems logical. For instance in a built up area a drones effectiveness is greatly reduced.

Drones are replaceable small targets, flying as hard cover to represent random evasion movement and small size. Q will represent tech level and sophistication. Most drones are unarmed. Any armed drone loses cover advantage above.

Actions

Move

EW attack, 2dice Q test. If passed any unit in area cannot make aimed shot due to disrupted electronics.

Or command radius reduced to Short.

Or target vehicle(s) (including robots or Mechanoids) lose 1 activation, which counts towards switch-over.

Reaction

Move.

Target has revealed itself and is painted, if successful 2dice Q test any shot against will count as +1. This lasts until drone is destroyed or end of turn.

The Game.

I deployed first, given that Tony aught to know where I was. Gave Tony the initiative, again nothing was going to happen-. First off Tony put his leader out there, dangerous as I had a sniper. I had a fail & he used it to advanced his drone (can your rules choice do that?) which my sniper promptly shot. That forced his right hand force to go to ground, his sniper began stalking mine. On the other flank his special forces scary bastards started sliding forward.

My sniper moved forward (shoot n scoot) and the SAW & others moved up to cover. Using an infantry squad as cover his sniper worked forward until he got a shot of the vehicle my sniper was using for cover. I use a needle, they use a sledge hammer. Crump! Scratch vehicle, scratch sniper.

On the other flank the SF protected the point of the advancing infantry but fell foul of my robots who started to take 'em out one at a time due to their dispersed formation. I did get a lock on his infantry, but shiny cars and lasers don't work that well and the mortar round fell short. I had a nice line of infantry designed to draw them out. Didn't work, my Sergeant decided to go Samurai 1:1 with a SF, to be knocked down by a second. All this attracted the attention of the infantry, who came swarming over the bus, guns a-blazing. That did it for my squad, but the launchers opened up and pushed them back with casualties n collateral damage. This is war right?

The SF did the trick on my robots, jumping on them & disabling systems. Worked but one of them didn't jump clear-. These guys are unarmed, so makes sense that they'd be equipped with a shaped charge door buster to handle AFV's and other door equipped obstacles? Slap one in front of the missiles and jump-.

On the other flank, spurred on my the CO the infantry close assault mine, killing half and forcing the others back with better-than-average shooting.

The sniper gets a good position and starts “plinking” the nearest bunker.

The successful infantry turn left and head for my surviving right hand force, suffering . My CO runs for the IFV, which adds to the crossfire. Off it goes, to the flank of the infantry, but then there's his sniper with a difficult shot. He takes it, hits and gets a stunned.

That was it over for me. My officer would have been on a charge, as he lost too many assets. So a win for Tony & the southpaws.