Background

29/08/2020:
During Covid-19 lockdown Version 2, John and I were throwing around ideas for a Traveller-esque wargame. Our prime requirements were a games system that had the flavour of Traveller, was easy to learn, and could be scaled. After a bit of thought, when we hit upon the idea of adapting Bolt Action from Warlord Games for the task.

Bolt Action is a set of rules I have a passing familiarity with, and which John plays quite often with his sons. After a bit of tinkering, we were able to place a Traveller - like skin over the basic rules mechanisms, and scaled it a bit (levels of body armour, extra training grades) to add a bit more granuality. After a couple of hours, we had some notes to be working with, and then I set up a scenario for a game.

The Auru system (0706), in the Lymethius Subsector, lies between the Imperial border world of Anar and the Geithurian Republic's border world of Coroson.

The sparse population, a mixture of farmers and miners, are fiercely independent, though their continued independence is dependent upon the Geithurian Republic and the Imperium honouring previous treaties.

In this pre-conflict time (prior to the outbreak of the 5th Outrim War), Imperial agents have secured a secret deal with a local consortium of miners. They have slipped an Imperial cruiser into the Auru system, and some Imperial Marines onto the planet's surface to help protect a mine at Langard's Farm, deep in the back country.

Unbeknownst to the Imperials, the Geithurian Republic has inserted some Republican Marines onto the planet's surface, along with some "independent contractors", and have organised a militia unit to assist in ejecting the Imperials, or their agents, from their position on-planet.

Imperial Situation
Currently, Langard's Farm is garrisoned by two squads of Ship's Security troops, backed up by a ECM drone launcher and crew. Available for ballistic delivery as reinforcements are three squads of Imperial Marines and a Light Walker battlesuit, aboard the cruiser in orbit over the planet.

Geithurian Republic Situation
Two squads of Republican Marines, with supporting ECM drone launcher, are approaching the farm. They are supported by four squads of combat 'droids, a large squad (12 strong) of green local militia, and a large squad (12 strong) of pirate contractors.

The Security troops and Marines on both sides are considered heavily armoured as they all wear either combat armour or Battledress (full body armour like the Storm Troopers in 'Star Wars'). The Geithurian combat 'droids are considered to have average armour, while the militia and pirates are wearing light body army (flack jackets or similar).

The Ground Plan

Langard's Farm lies between three low hills, surrounded by clumps of prickly spear trees (green circles).

The Battle

The two squads of Imperial Security troops are deployed within the farm compound. The Headquarters squad (Lieutenant plus two troopers) are deployed in the building on the north side of the compound. The Forward Observer and his assistants occupy the building at the south-west corner of the compound, while the ECM drone launcher is deployed within the courtyard of the building on the eastern side of the compound.

The Republican forces surrounded the farm, before moving in. Two squads of 'droids advanced from the south, while the other two 'droid squads advanced from the east, between the south-eastern spear trees and the East Ridge (currently out of shot). The Green Militia were deployed to the west of the farm, while the pirates deployed to the west of the South Ridge (out of shot). West of West ridge, the Republican ECM team made ready to advance, while behind the spear trees, due north of the farm, the Republican Marines lurked in cover.

A squad of Geithurian Battle 'droids, advancing from the south.

Behind the spear trees to the north, two squads of Geithurian Marines and the Headquarters Squad.

The Republican ECM team and their drone launcher. We decided that the ECM launchers functioned like mortars, firing ECM-projecting drones over target areas. ECM kills uncontrolled 'droids and knocks out the enhanced comms of Combat Armour and Battledress wearing troops, suppressing them for a turn.

The local, Republican-recruited, Militia squad. These Green troops managed to advance into the cover of the copse of spear trees, which put them in range of the farm. They then spent the rest of the encounter firing enthusiastically, if ineffectively, at the Imperial Marines at the farm.

The Republican-recruited Pirate squad.

The Republican 'droid squads pushed the assault on the south and east sides of the farm compound. The Imperial ECM launcher zapped one squad of 'droids as they began to advance, but the other two squads pressed in from the south. After a fierce fire-fight, the southern Imperial Security squad took 50% casualties and the two survivors were pinned down as the clankers rolled forward.

The Republican Green Militia unit, dug in in the spear tree clump. 10 ACRs and a supporting VRF Gauss gun sent a load of lead down range, but the light cover of the farm compound and the Imperial Battledress of the Security troops resisted all attempts to defeat the defenders.

The Imperials had three squads of Marines, plus a Walker battlesuit, in orbit as reinforcements. Due to orbital mechanics, the deployment of these assets was not guaranteed - basically, I had to roll more than 12 minus the turn number on 2d6 for them to arrive at a target point. I finally landed a squad of Imperial Marines just behind the northern spear tree, east of West Ridge. A squad of Republican Marines managed to move into position to inflict casualties, and suppress the Imperials, before charging in and wiping out the squad in a Close Assault.

A couple of turns later, I managed to land a second Marine squad just outside the south-west building of the farm compound, and then the Walker battlesuit near the east end of South Ridge.

The two Republican 'droid squads had continued to suppress the survivors of the southern Imperial Security squad until support fire from the Imperial Headquarters squad on the north side of the compound destroyed one squad of 'droids, and the ECM launcher took out the second southern squad of 'droids.

The last unit of Republican 'droids seized the building on the east side of the compound, but the reduced Imperial Security squad managed to storm the building and destroy the 'droid squad in a short, sharp, hand-to-hand engagement - troops in Battledress are tough!

The Imperial Security squad on the west side of the compound was pinned down by heavy fire from the Republican Green Militia, and a squad of Geithurian Republic marines firing from the cover of the northern spear trees. The Republican ECM launcher also kept up a relentless barrage, jamming comms and suppressing the defenders.

At this point, the second squad of Imperial Marines landed to the south of the compound (in their distinctive crimson Battledress), while the Walker Battlesuit landed at the east end of South Ridge, just as the Pirates were advancing.

The western Imperial Security squad was eventually gunned down, but the ECM team still held the western side of the compound, while the Headquarters squad held the northern building. The reduced southern Security squad was dug in in the eastern building.

The Republican Marine Headquarters squad attempted to assault the northern building of the compound but were destroyed by the defending Security Headquarters squad, just as the Imperial Marine squad advanced into the compound.

The Walker Battlesuit charged the pirates, attempting to route them by force of awesomeness alone, but the pirates nimbly avoided the stompy metal behemoth.

With the Imperials firmly ensconced in the farm compound, and with their officer amongst the casualties, the Republican forces began to melt away. The Imperials had won this round, but each side now had proof that the other had breached the treaty protocols that guaranteed Auru's independence.

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