A Walk in the Light Green 8: Hold the Town

This Warfighter campaign uses the Warfighter Modern Australian pack as the player side and African Warlords packs 1 and 2 for the adversaries and missions. This is the eighth game in the campaign. Click here to read the previous game.

"The poachers are getting desperate, Gray. They are assaulting Moatoaa Town. Take your team and sort the situation out. I'm giving you some armoured support for this one. Don't break it."

Another day, another patrol through burning wastes. The reason why the current base was here was that the area was nigh on uninhabitable for humans, so no one had set up here before. The lizards seemed to love it. And Gray was going to have to march out of there. The map showed a grim route for humans. The team set out across the hot plains around the base. There were few hostiles on the plains, but things got hot round a nearby river. Fortunately, there were no restrictions on engagement. Gray booked in for drone support. That would even the score a bit along the way.

They swept aside a few more hostiles as they crossed the desert, climbed through the hills and onto the plains beyond. From here, they could see the outskirts of the city. Scattered houses and open fields made this approach dangerous and Harper took a bullet here. He was not badly hurt but it slowed him down.

An explosion rocked the village ahead. The armoured support must have hit an ammo dump. That discouraged the hostiles from coming in there, but the goat farm beyond that was still defended.

The team just put their heads down and worked methodically towards their goal. Soon they were in the town. Picking their shots, they soon took out the hostiles occupying the town, and radioed that the place was clear for the support team to move in and consolidate this gain.

Harper copped one again, but he will recover. Another solid success although time was tight by the end of this game. The extra two locations to move through and the heat really slowed the team down. It felt like about half the team was suffering reduced numbers of actions because of the heat at any one time. I really like having the drone support. It's quite effective in this situation where there are not too many locations where collateral damage is an issue. The situation is interesting too. The hostiles are generally not that hard to deal with (with some notable exceptions) but the environment slows you down a lot. This differs from the Eastern Europeans where there are some seriously dangerous hostiles that are hard to deal with, but you don't get slowed by the environment.

• + 10 VPs = 44 VPs. Even if the campaign ends next scenario, Gray has done really well.
• + 10 Mission Points. I bought Gray the Veteran skill. I think he has earned it now.

Mission Adjustments:

1. -1 Mission Time. I get one turn fewer in which to accomplish my goals from now on. With the increased locations, this means longer missions but less time to complete them in
2. +2 Locations.
3. +3 Skill Cost
4. -2 Loadout

A Walk in the Light Green 7: Overwhelmed

This Warfighter campaign uses the Warfighter Modern Australian pack as the player side and African Warlords packs 1 and 2 for the adversaries and missions. This is the seventh game in the campaign. Click here to read the previous game. 

The patrol had gone well but suddenly the area was swarming with poachers. Gray cursed. Then he cursed again when he saw the dust storm coming in.

"Ok, troops, we gotta get outta here. The dust storm will be unpleasant, but at least it will give us some cover. Move out!"

This is an escape mission, which means Gray needs to get from the objective card on the right to the mission card on the left. When his team reaches there, they have won. Hostiles will be generated along the way, but many will also be generated behind Gray and will be chasing him. The dust storm provides cover and means that all attacks have to be made at point-blank range. No snipers in this mission. The other disadvantage is that the mission has a loadout penalty of 6 which is added to the 2 points from the mission adjustments. That means that Gray can barely carry his rifle and ammo, and will have little else with him. Of course, wearing a MOLLE in this situation helps.

The men grabbed what gear they could and set off through a maze of huts on the outskirts of a rural town. The place was heaving with hostiles and more were chasing them from behind. Fortunately, Gray was rapidly becoming a good leader and they were a good team. Working together, they neutralised the hostiles as fast as they could, barely stopping in the process. The hostiles from the objective were always moving towards them though, so there was no time to rest.

The heat was bad. The team struggled to focus on their task. Their shots were pure instinct as the sweat poured into their eyes.

The cover of the houses on the outskirts of town was a blessed relief, as was the rocky lake beyond it. had not time to really enjoy the shade and cool water before they were moving on again. Unexpectedly, a machine-gun team opened up from close buy. Harper yelled as bullets ripped into him. He was lucky to be alive, but he was not going to be much use from now on. His mates half.dragged, half-pulled him down the sun.baked road, barely able to stand in this heat themselves. Then they repeated the process across the hot plains beyond to the camp.

With only a few rounds left each, the team piled into the shelter of their camp, and the enemy gave up the chase. They had lived to drink a few tinnies again.

Well, Harper copped one but we got him back to base. No fatalities makes this another victory.

• + 8 VPs = 34 VPs. Gray is well on his way to actually stopping this gang of poachers.
• + 8 Mission Points. I bought Gray the Shooter skill to make him more effective with his rifle.

Mission Adjustments:

1. +1 Location. All future missions will require the team to move through an additional location card to get to the objective. with the previous +1 location, that means each mission is now 2 locations longer.
2. +3 Skill Cost
3. -2 Loadout

A Walk in the Light Green 6: Hold the Huts

  This Warfighter campaign uses the Warfighter Modern Australian pack as the player side and African Warlords packs 1 and 2 for the adversaries and missions. This is the sixth game in the campaign. Click here to read the previous game.

"Gray, your mission, is to move out to Belengo Village and stop the poachers moving in there. We expect heavy and active assaults by the enemy, so be prepared."

Gray gathered his team and briefed them. They seemed relieved for a change. Apparently, sheltering in huts while shooting hostiles appealed to them more than marching across blasted hot tracts of land while shooting hostiles.

Unbeknown to Gray and high command, the poachers were trying to make Belengo Village into their new base. The hostiles would be up close and personal as the men patrolled to the village.

In game terms, the mission would involve placing any newly generated hostiles in the same location as the soldier closest to the objective. This could get tricky, if reinforcements were generated, because it was likely that the team would not be able to neutralise them before they could fire.

As the team advanced on a nearby village by a river, the village was rocked by an explosion. Ducking down, the team made their way slowly into the village, engaged them and neutralised them. The explosion seemed to have discouraged other poachers from getting closer though, so that was a blessing.

Moving on, the team entered a village where the grateful locals mobbed them and plied them with fizzy drinks, after the hostiles had been driven off. This did delay the team but they needed the break.

The delay is represented by moving the objective one location further away, so the team will need to move through an additional location, adding at least one turn to the time it will take to complete the mission.

The tins of drink came in handy as the next stage of the patrol was across a dusty, dry plain and they needed several of the tins to keep going. Fortunately, the plains gave way to low hills and the men could take a brief respite from the heat, while contemplating the futility of their existence in a rocky lake.

Then they moved out and occupied Belengo Village. There were hostiles already there, but a few grenades saw them off, and the reinforcements were swiftly discouraged by heavy fire and more grenades. Mission accomplished.

Another mission with no casualties! I also like how the location cards seem to tell the story of the journey for me.

• +6 VPs = 26 VPs. Very nice.
• +6 Mission Points. I bought Gray the Operator skill. It increases the number of cards he can have, which will make the larger missions easier for him to command.

Mission Adjustments:

1. +1 Location. All future missions will require the team to move through an additional location card to get to the objective
2. +3 Skill Cost
3. -2 Loadout

A Walk in the Light Green 5: Topple the Citadel

 This Warfighter campaign uses the Warfighter Modern Australian pack as the player side and African Warlords packs 1 and 2 for the adversaries and missions. This is the fifth game in the campaign. Click here to read the previous game.

"Hey, Gray, you're not up to much lately and you're good with explosives. Take a team and destroy that poachers' citadel."

Gray nodded and went to collect his team. As usual, they were unimpressed by the thought of a walk in the mid-day sun, especially when it was lasagne and fries for dinner, and they might miss it as a result of this patrol.

The team geared up, put on their sunscreen and headed out. The heat was merciless and they had to take frequent rest breaks, making the patrol even slower.

Gray led the charge into a large village and they blasted aside the defenders. Taking point again, he advanced into the outskirts of the village next to the river and blasted aside the heavy defence there. The poachers were very clearly based in the area and this village was both hot and full of non-combatants that they had to be careful about injuring.

After clearing out the hostiles, there was some respite from the heat as they crossed a nearby river, although the hostiles on the banks tried to make it hot for them. A bigger problem were the hippos in the river around the citadel. These were truly hungry, hungry hippos. Gray wondered idly if their presence was deliberate on the part of the poachers or just a coincidence. Still, he was experienced enough to spot a route past the hippos without any of his men winding up on the wrong side of a hippo. That would be the inside, in case you were wondering.

The defenders of the citadel were fairly easy to deal with and Gray deployed explosives around the place, razing it to the ground. Mission complete, and they would still get back to camp in time for dinner.

Another mission with no casualties, which is nice and even the random events seem not cause the team too many problems. Having a hippo guard at the citadel did make me chuckle though. Sounds like the kind of thing I would do if I were a warlord of some description.

• +5 VPs = 20 VPs. Gray is really making a difference here now.
• +5 Mission Points. I bought Gray the Point Blank skill to make him more effective when up close and personal with the enemy.

Mission Adjustments:

1. +1 Skill Cost cumulative with the previous increase, so skills now cost +3 points.
2. -2 Loadout

A Walk in the Light Green 4: The Warlord's Encampment

  This Warfighter campaign uses the Warfighter Modern Australian pack as the player side and African Warlords packs 1 and 2 for the adversaries and missions. This is the fourth game in the campaign. Click here to read the previous game.

"Congratulations on destroying the fortress, Gray. I need you to take out the warlord's encampment near the elephant reserve. Poachers are gathering there, and you need to scatter them. You'll be working with a local guide here. He's going to ensure you get there without getting lost. Good luck."

Gray and the team had their orders. They picked up the guide and headed out into the heat once more.

Following the trail across the hot plains, the team drove off gunmen and emerged into the relative cool of the fields near the encampment. Turns out that those fields were hot too, and they had to be careful to avoid civilian casualties there, so they picked their targets and hunkered down in whatever cover they could find.

What is a heavy military presence doing the Agriculture Zone? I don't know but it complicated things a bit because you are not allowed to use weapons that can hit multiple targets in it so the guys had to switch to single shot.

Beyond the fields, lay a stronghold. They could see the warlord's camp beyond that. Fortunately, the stronghold was not somewhere they had to be. Grenades and auto fire burned through their ammo but took out the guards. Then it was on to the encampment. Once more, grenades and auto fire cleared a path, and Gray was able to lay the charges and blow the place to pieces. Job done. No one hurt. Time to go home.

Another mission with no casualties is always a bonus and this campaign is going nicely so far.

+5 VPs = 15 VPs. Nice.

+5 Mission Points. I bought Gray the Squad Leader skill. It seemed appropriate given that he is successfully leading teams.

Mission Adjustments: +1 Skill Cost cumulative with the previous increase, so skills now cost +2 points.

-2 Loadout

A Walk in the Light Green 3: Fortress Destruction (Warfighter in Africa)

 This Warfighter campaign uses the Warfighter Modern Australian pack as the player side and African Warlords packs 1 and 2 for the adversaries and missions. This is the third game in the campaign. Click here to read the previous game.

"We've worked out where those poachers came from Gray. Gather your team and head out there. It's a fortress on the edge of Possessor's Crags near the suburbs of Landfall City. I know it's hot, but you need to go in and destroy the place before they move their base of operations. I suggest you take an Esky full of cans with you. You'll need the fluids."

Singh was delighted to get the news about a walk in the midday sun. So delighted that he sulked all the way to the jump-off point. The other two were less obviously unhappy about a walk in the sun. Or rather, a rough climb in the sun.

Fortunately, the team worked well together despite that. They climbed the crags towards the fortress, neutralising some untrained militia in the process. More untrained militia and poachers were occupying a small village at the top of the crags. These took a little longer but were fairly quickly neutralised. The heat slowed them down, but they systematically suppressed and then neutralised the hostiles. Then it was on to the fortress. A machine-gun team offered a real threat, but grenades and heavy fire let the team close on it and take it out. The other guards presented much less of a threat and were very quickly neutralised. Gray planted the explosives after they had neutralised all the hostiles at the fortress, and the walls came tumbling down.

The team withdrew to the pick-up point unharmed.

These games are getting quite samey to report. The basics of activating each location are to pile fire on the enemy to suppress them, and then to close and neutralise them with effective close range fire and grenades. This is easier where collateral damage is not a problem. Occasionally, the hostile deck throws up something a bit weird and wonderful that makes things hairier or the dice do not cooperate, but the basic tactics remain the same. I'm not sure how interesting that is to read, so I plan to make the subsequent reports in this campaign more summaries that note interesting happenings.

+4 VPs = 10 VPs. Going nicely so far.

+4 Mission Points. I did not have enough points to buy Gray the skill I wanted so I save these until after the next mission. Hopefully, that goes well and I can buy it then.

Mission Adjustments: -1 loadout. This combines with the previous penalty so Gray now has a -2 loadout penalty and can carry 2 points less of equipment.

Skills cost +1 point.

A Walk in the Light Green 2: Save the Elephants (Warfighter in Africa)

 This Warfighter campaign uses the Warfighter Modern Australian pack as the player side and African Warlords packs 1 and 2 for the adversaries and missions. This is the second game in the campaign. Click here to read the previous game.

 2nd Lieutenant Gray had blown up the holdout and obtained crucial information about the poachers' activities. The problem with doing a good job, he mused, was that it only led to more and harder work. At least this time it was worthy work though. He had recovered intel that pointed to the next poaching raid.

"Take Singh and Harper with you," his CO announced at the briefing, "then give those damn poachers a kicking."

Their orders were to patrol through farmland to the site of the anticipated attack and to eliminate all hostiles encountered. Singh and Harper looked delighted to be getting a walk in the hot sun but neither said anything. They did not need to, given the looks on their faces.

As the team approached the start of the mission area, they spotted enemy gunmen ahead. Singh closed on them quickly, killing one and taking the other out. Harper and Gray followed up, and Harper finished off the gunment. Gray sprayed fire towards an enemy patrol ahead, but not enough to completely keep their heads down. Harper got tagged by a shot. Just a flesh wound but enough to slow him down.

The three soldiers pushed forward fast to the objective, giving the patrol no chance to fire again. The objective area was a flat field near a drinking hole. Poachers were loafing nearby smoking and chatting, while another group of poachers were trying to rile them up and get them to focus on the ivory they were meant to be collecting.

The team opened fire. There were no rules here and they could freely hose the enemy down. The patrol went down to rapid fire. The relaxing guards quickly followed courtesy of a well-placed grenade. The remaining hostiles were mainly encouraged to get their heads down, only managing to fire a few shots that caused Singh to duck into what little cover there was while Harper sweated in the midday sun and struggled to keep up. Gray pushed the two soldiers on just the same.

A final couple of bursts of fire from the team sorted the remaining poachers and the team were done. These elephants would live to drink from this watering hole another day.

I've played this objective a few times and always found it difficult to win when playing low points count missions. I was seriously helped by drawing the Heavy Military Presence event which means that you can score multiple hits with burst and full auto fire. Normally, you need a weapon that has spray fire or grenades and claymores to score multiple hits. The down side to this card is that you run out of ammo faster. Fortunately, I drew Reload cards and cards that gave the team extra firing actions before we went in, so it was simpler than usual. Heat did not prove to be an issue, although it did cost me an action, but the action card draws made up for that too. All in all, the lads done good and will be rewarded by being given a more difficult job next time around.

+3 VPs = 6 VPs. A good start to the campaign.

+3 Mission Points. I bought Gray Explosives skill so that his grenade and claymore usage is more effective in future.

Mission Adjustment: Skills cost +1 point. It's going to be more expensive to buy new skills for Gray, but I was going to have to save up anyway now that I have the cheapest skills I was really interested in.

The -1 loadout adjustment still applies from before too. The accumulating mission adjustments make the game a bit more difficult while the skills that the player soldier gains make it easier. Depending how you roll, it could be a lot more difficult or just a bit. I would not like to play this objective with its time limit on clearing the area if I had rolled increases in number of hostiles in the zone.

As a final bonus, I think I managed to remember all the rules properly this time around!

A Walk in the Light Green 1: The Warlord's Holdout (Warfighter in Africa)

This Warfighter campaign uses the Warfighter Modern Australian pack as the player side and African Warlords packs 1 and 2 for the adversaries and missions. I love that there is a Save the Elephants objective, and I fully plan to replay it several times with different player forces. I was tempted to make this an early 1980s campaign and give the Australian side SLRs, but in the end I was weak and let them have ALL the toys.

 2nd Lieutenant Gray had been given a mission. Poachers in the Bwendi Republic were expanding their operations and needed stopping. He was going to be leading one of the special forces teams into the bush to deal with their operations, mop up resistance and generally make their activities untenable. Of course, he reflected, the top brass could do that better by providing opportunities and development that made poaching less lucrative for the warlords as it was, but he was going to do his bit on the ground.

His first mission was to infiltrate a local warlord's holdout and he was going in alone, unless you counted the chopper crew, who were ferrying him to his jump-off point.

To do the job, he was loaded down with all the Claymores and grenades he could carry and was going to have to climb to the top of this rather large mountain and blow shit up. That was why they paid him the big bucks. He was good at blowing shit up.

Touchdown. the climb began. Just a few very relaxed guards on duty here, but, Christ on a bike, it was hot. He should have brought a Camelbak with him. Next time. His first shots suppressed the guards and then he closed and finished them off. No trouble. Pause. Catch his breath. Move on.

The holdout was not well-guarded. He reckoned they thought people would not be idiotic enough to climb up to it the hard way. More fool them. Gray was a total idiot and knew it. What is more, he did not care. The guards were more alert here. They'd heard the shots. That did not help them. He cleared the way to the main compound with a grenade and started planting the charges. As he did so, he found a note about a poaching operation that was due to start soon. Base would want to know about that.

Time to make like a banana and split. As he ducked down the slope back to the chopper, the charges blew and the holdout was destroyed. Score one for the good guys.

3 VPs in the bag.

I used the 3 Mission Points that were scored to buy Agile skill. If Gray is going to be climbing more mountains, the extra movement point will come in handy.

The Mission Adjustment dice roll for the next mission was -1 loadout for all new missions. That's one fewer grenade that Gray can carry or anything of similar size. That could hurt on later missions where the troops have to go in light anyway. We'll see.

The Environment (Hot) did not affect the game significantly, but I'm going to make sure he has a canteen or two in future games so that he does not lose actions due to being too hot. Failing the heat roll means getting Suppressed or taking a Wound, unless you have equipment to mitigate the failure. The former will slow you down, which you don't need. The latter reduces the number of cards you can draw and is really quite undesirable. Water or other means of hydration are your friend.