At this year's Dreamation 2012 convention (click here for my overview after-action report) I got to run the Ogre Miniatures scenario I'd been working on for the last few months for the first time "officially". It turned out pretty darned good (unlike my photography using my Blackberry; apologies for some of the fuzzy pictures). As usual, click to embiggen the pictures.The basic scenario is thus: the Combine is staging a raid on the PanEuropean spaceport at Frederikshavn, Denmark. The Combine has sent a single MK-IIIB Ogre across the floor of the North Sea, timed to emerge at the same time a fast attack force of GEVs arrives at the facility. The defenders get a regular trickle of reinforcements, and must hold off the attackers until their strength is sufficient to destroy the invaders. The attackers are targeting an experimental space plane on the gantry, as well as various fuel depots and administrative buildings scattered across the battlefield. Each target objective is given a point value; only the objectives count for points, not destroyed units.
Starting positions. The PanEuropeans took a pair of mobile howitzers to support their infantry and Ogre MK-III. The attacking Combine forces (right, in the photo above) took as many light GEVs as I had, and a couple of regular GEVs on their extreme left flank (bottom of photo). Their Ogre (a MK-IIIB) went up the right flank.
The defending units focus almost entirely on the huge wall of light GEVs attacking up the center (top of the picture above).
The PanEuropean Ogre makes short work of the light GEVs, but not before they take first blood and destroy one of the scenario objectives; a PanEuropean fuel depot. The attacker was reminded of one of the game's key tactical concepts; disperse your units to avoid spillover fire. Two missiles from the defender's Ogre took out 5 attacking units.
The small force of regular GEVs completely flanks a few defending infantry and makes a dash towards a fuel depot and the space plane gantry beyond.
The attacking Ogre, having taken out one of the defending mobile howitzers, approaches the space plane with few defending units in between.
The defending Ogre races to intercept the attackers; you can see the three attacking GEVs in green are closing in on the space plane.
The defender got lucky and had some well-timed reinforcements appear in just the right area of the board. He managed to take out both of the Ogre's main batteries by incredibly gutsy 1:2 attacks, aided by excellent die rolls.
In the end, though, the attacking Ogre had a clear field. You can also see his GEVs at the top of the photo laying fire into the space plane. 10 structure points were required to take out any objective.
And that's all she wrote. A decisive victory for the Combine attackers. I believe the defender made a critical error by concentrating too much on the force of GEVs and ignoring the Ogre coming up the side of the board. Even so, the players seemed to have a good time, I know I had a lot of fun seeing the game play out, and I think the scenario works very well now that it's been polished. I'll be running this again at the next convention (DexCon, in July, same place; Morristown, NJ), and have an idea for another scenario I might put together for it as well.
A pdf of the scenario is now available over in the "Free Resources" section off to the right.
Note to Steve Jackson Games: Please get these figures and the rules back into production! Several people, seeing what we were playing, either said they wish they had known it was being played, or that they would like to play, but can't because it's OOP. There is absolutely demand out there for this excellent game.
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