Operation Amber Watch - Asymmetric warfare battle report

 For quite a long time i wanted to tried Spectre operations and Spectre Operations 2nd edition and even i owned miniatures and rules i never quite conviced anybody to play it. That changed this year when we started playing INX and SO3. But i still wanted to try old Spectre ops or its newest incarnation. All that being said i read the rulebook and prepeared scenario. By that time we decided to play AW i had on mine painting desk two sets of model - more russian PMCs and Ground Branch Operators as i lacked US tier one element.

So we decide to run mission where Ground branch will be escorting VIP and in movie style they must leave before they i swarmed by enemies. So lets jump into briefing and then to the game itself

Briefing:

Abkhaz-Georgian border 2024

Your team has been sent to Abkhazia to pick up Russian scientist Minkovski Lavrentiy Fyodorovich one of the leading members working on the Manticore project. During the extraction, however, there was a clash with pro-Russian forces, and during the pursuit the escape vehicle was disabled. 

The US Army QRF is approaching the border but due to the nature of the situation they cannot cross the border. Your mission is to get Fyodorovich to the Georgian side of the border. ISTAR shows that your position is approached by Abkhazian troops but also by Russian Federation forces, there are no heavy armoured units in the area yet speed will be the key, as soon as they discover your position they will direct all available CSTO units there. 

The Reaper drone moves into position to provide support against any light armour that may appear on the battlefield.

The Game

The Team infilitrated area and escorted scientist through old trainyard avoiding Abkhazian patrols in area until some patrols bunch out around the border crossing. In that moment Fay give order „light´em up“ Grizzly answared light´em up!. The Saw and Carabines started barking and Abkhazian troops started falling down, however it wasnt enough and alarm was raised up.

In that moment GAZ Tigr and foot team of FSB troops entered the battle space. Team now locked up between Border guards and FSB in GAZ on flank decide to push through. Caught in open the fay was struck by deadly AK-fire. While Grizzly was hit by MMG fire from TIGR. 

Now to surviving members start to performing withdrawl using bounding overwatch tactic. The GAZ TIGR now must flank around the buildings and was hit by missle from Predator drone, the vehicle survived the blast but crashed into building and then exploded in burst of flames. Two Abkhazian squads entered the area and sporadicaly fired into SAC operatives but they managed safely withdraw with scientist from area.

Overview:

We played for the first time so some rules were played wrong but that is always, but overall we had great time, the game was quick and intense, the rules are solid. Now normally i am not fan of IGOYGO systems but here it work perfectly, you have chance the prepare to the enemy even by move deploying smoke screens etc. The game itself looks on paper were heavy but when you actually play it you realize how easy the basic system is which is fantastic.

On other hand we will be playing the Spectre Operations 3 game soon so will we be trying to compare those both system and then i will wrote article about it.

Here are some more photos from game

Spectre Operations V3 first game clash between Russians and US in Adjikistan

 

About two weeks ago we firstly tried Spectre Operations V3 no fancy stuff just good old fashioned shoot out between US Tier 2 Special forces task force consisting of two full kited fireteams (2xRifle, Rifle with UGL, LMG) Suported by one LMG Team, and Marksman team. They were facing Russian forces - One 4 man tier one SSO team with LMG, Two-man Support SSO Tier one team with RPG and Rifles and finally two enlisted 4-man elements each with rifles, UGL and assault SAW. The scenario was direct engagement but to keep simple we dont use any escalations or unaware stuff, just two patrols/ recon units bouncing into each other.

 

I set up table - small village somewhere in Ajikistan and we rolled off who will be attacker, the dices decided that US will be attacker. The Us Deployed in almost line, with one team on left flank, i did line too waiting for opportunity to counter attack in right moment.

 

US force fire team starting advancing toward the road in the centre of table but was cought underfire by my SSO fireteam quicklly and pinned them. rest of their forces advanced. i tried to attack with one of enlisted teams to break enemy left but was repulsed. In few next turns i started to tighten grip around the pinned fireteam while also trying to breakthrough on left an encircle the troops in village. In last turn i manage that - i wipe out the flanking team, and LMG support team, and encircled second fireteam now taking refuge in the building, while i took some casualties it was as serious - Americans were mauled pretty badly - so the game was victory for Russians.

About Spectre V3, its whole different game from previous incarnations i bought the book because I have all previous incarnations (and even bought Asymetrical Warfare) althought i never played any previous editions. They always seemed too bulky and rules heavy to convice anyone to play with me. But I ordered SO3 anyway mainly to support Spectre Miniatures because ordering physical miniatures is with delivery and VAT and so on kinda pricey.

But to be honest i was suprised by SO3 the rules are quick and also kinda easy but offer even if you good tactical play even if you play meeting action without any extra rules like escalations (support you can request), vehicles or stealth. Its momentum your units generate and you use for actions and reactions. Should you press attack and use all your momentum? you then can face counter attack if enemy had enough momentum but you spend your momentum and you cannot react now. Your unit is cover and you are facing overwhelming firepower do you stay in cover and risk to be pinned down or do you withdraw somewhere else?

 Thanks to system actions and reactions the give is full action and both players are involved all the time.In future i will certainly make complex review of the rules with all the fancy stuff but for now there is some first thoughts in previous article. I understand the rulebook isnt cheap and there are lot of other options from mentioned Asymetric Warfare, INX, NextWar or even some older systems like Skrimish Sangin, Force on Force or perhaps Contact Front.

 

But If you are looking for something on borderline with being easy to grasp and kinda what seems to be realistic portrail of modern warfare Spectre V3 could be system for you

Gruntz:Spec Ops 28mm

Some conversions i found on TMP of Afterlife Republican Grenadiers

Well there has been interest in my playing area for this variant of Gruntz. But since our gaming club
is mostly 28mm, i thought it would be cool to introduced it this scale - and for scope of game 28mm will not be problem. It really hit me when i saw those new great Anvil Afterlife range - surely in some point i will build some extraordinary SpecOps teams from their minis and conversion sets.

Before Defiance games infamous fall i bought one set of their USMC i build some but some i left on sprues, propably to never see light again but now i will use them to create my first Spec Ops team - they have SMGs (Carabines), Rifles and even SAWs.

Mantic Enforcers with Pig Iron heads - now we are talkin!

another reason why to it in this scale was terrain , our fantasy friends plays lots of Mordheim games and have lot of various terrain, including many many ruins which we can use.

AT43 Red Blok infantry with Pig Iron Heads

The market in 28mm is little different offering many good plastic, metal and resin kits and conversion
parts from Gates of Antares, Pig Iron, Mantic or even infamous Games workshop. So lot of possible ways how to cutomize and convert your squad something that community around me like




I will let you now how project progress (well new year is little overcrowded with projects - Lion Rampant, SAGA, Epic and now SpecOps :D )

Rozšíření Gruntz:Specops - Specialní jednotky a kampaň

Foto: Clear horizon miniatures

K dnešnímu dni je Gruntz nejhranější systém pro měřítko 15mm, určené pro bitvy přibližně urovni
posílené čety (ale lze hrát i větší bitvy). SpecOps oproti tomu přináši boje zvlašntích jednotek a pravidla pro kampaň. Tento Supplement nepsal Robin Fitton ale Harold Crosley který má na svědomý skvělé modely Hell diverů  Clear Horizont miniatures

Specops oproti původnímu Gruntz používá karetní aktivaci (ale dokaži si představit že střidáva muže fungovat také)

Rozšíření  nemění základní pravidla Gruntz ale přeci jenom je tu několik změn. první jsou "Blipy" - vaš tým je reprezentován markery (a dostanete několik markerů navíc ke zmatení nepřítele). tyto blipy se pohybují jako modely aby je protivník mohl odhalit musí splnit skill test.

Další herní mechanikou je reaktivní střelba - pokud se nepřítel/blip dostane do LoS jednotka muže se pokusit o reaktivní střelbu, pokud je na overwatchi její šance že se podaři nepřítele zasahnout.

Foto: Clear horizon miniatures

Po Infinity je Specops další hrou kde hackeři najdou své uplatnění - zapomoci specialního vybavení zvaného SLAM se muže nabourat do nepřátelské bojové sítě a provést nějakou akci která muže zvyšit vaše šance naúspěch - ať už jde o zamaskovaní již objevené vaší jednotky, nebo snížení obraného čislo nepřátelského modelu atd. jejich pomoc také bude potřebovat při plnění některých misí.

Tvorba vašeho týmu Specopsů je jedním z plusů této hry, dostanete 100 bodů za které nakupujete své operátory a jejich vybavení - samozřejmostí jsou traity (zvlaštní schopnosti jako napřiklad lepší pancíř -  - každý model má 2 body za které si muže nakoupit své vlastní traity nebo si zvyšit své statistiky, ale tým si zvolí jeden z 8 balíčku - kategorii který propujčuje univerzalní traity celé jednotce.

Foto: Clear horizon miniatures

Svůj tým pak vybavíte zbraněmi a vybavením. Zbraní na první pohled není mnoho celkem 8 kategorii pokud nepočítáte zbraně na blízko. Zbraně zapadají do kategorie která má vlastní pravidla (napřiklad SMG mohou střílet 2x za akci), každá kategorie obsahuje 4 typy dané zbraně - improvizované, projektilové, laserové a plasmové varianty. uzce specializované zbraně pak mají vlastní kategorii zde naleznete raketomet, ostřelovací pušku nebo třeba plamenomet.
Pak nasleduje vybavení týmu pancířem (zde je opět široka škala na výběr od maskovacích Wraith armourů až po těžké power armoury), vašemu týmu pak mužete dokoupit nějaké specializované vybavení jako zmíněný SLAM, drony nebo třeba laserové zaměřovače pro tzv. Off-board resources.

Off-board resources , pokud je použijete si musíte zakoupit před další misí znovu. obsahuje průzkumné lety UAV, průzkum satelitem až po letecké údery.

Foto: Clear horizon miniatures

ale hlavní důvod jsou pravidla pro kampaň jsou jednoduchá ale zaroveň dostatečně komplexní. když
operátor dosáhne 5xp (ty získa za plnění úkolu) muže si přidat 2 body na vybavení týmu, vyignorovat některé následky v tabulce zranění, nebo si hodí v tabulce advancements - zde se mu mužou zvyšit atributy nebo získá jinou výhodu. další vyhodou kampaně (ale to je spojeno s kampaněmi všeobecně) je to že meně riskujete muže se totiž stát že přijdete o ostříleného veteréna kterého budete určitě postrádat.

Scénařů je celkem 7 a umožnují dostatečnou variabilitu , jde o klasický tvrdý chleb specialních jednotek - zachrana rukojmích, sabotaže, atentáty atd.

K Specops vyšel i malé free rozšíření to do hry zahrnuje použítý standarních jednotek ale tyto jednotky se nevylepšují. dalé pak přídavá pravidla pro Solo a Co-Op hraní.

Pokud hledáte pravidla pro akce malých jednotek s kampaní SpecOps je pro vás, Jde o kvalitně napsaná pravidla a pokud máte Gruntz jde o povinost PDF sice má jenom 20 stránek ale zase stojí necelé 4 dolary,