So there I was in Iraq with my fellow militants, ready to wage war against the invading Americans (the three teenagers shown here):
None of the kids wanted to play the "losing" side (they had played this scenario last year at the convention!), so us two grown-ups took the role of the insurgents. My partner (shown below) was a veteran of Afghanistan, so I figured I was in good company!
The scenario was:
Iraq - 2005 * Ambush Alley (28mm)
Game Master: unknown member * 6 Players * Teen14
City of Hitt, Iraq. The insurgents are back and dealing death, the US Marines have to sweep the streets clean; it's time to take out the trash! Beginners encouraged.
The event was sold out, but one of the players was a no-show, so we played with five instead of six players. We split the insurgents between the two of us and placed them on the table; we also placed objective markers which could spawn more insurgents until the Marines pacified them. The Marines' goal was to sweep through the city and exit the other side of the board; the insurgents' mission was to stop them.
We also had some special troops: three civilians (one of whom was actually a suicide bomber), three veterans with enhanced combat skills, and a few leaders to stiffen up our insurgents and keep them from running away so easily.
unknown member also added some fun to the game with a special "bodily injury" die that he rolled to see how badly wounded any troop might be. There was also a television reporter/cameraman who, depending on a dieroll, would be MSNBC (penalties for the Marines) or Fox News (bonuses for the Marines).
The game began with the Marines advancing into the city.
My forward forces had some initial success - taking one Marine out of the fight (forcing the Marine player to evac him), scoring a mobility kill on one of the two Marine vehicles (yea, suicide bomber-lady!), and ambushing some Marines when they charged into a building. However, the Marines sorted themselves out and starting laying down fire, so that soon I didn't have any insurgents up front any more...
Fortunately, I had a small unit of insurgents in a grove deep back on the table, with a pair of RPGs. They were able to keep lobbing RPGs at the Marine vehicles for the entire game, and the Marine players failed to put fire down on them.
About mid-game, things started to look like the Marines were going to sweep the game. We had been lucky enough to build up a major insurgent gang in the big building at our end of the table, but the Marines were so effective at setting up overwatch positions that we were getting shot down if we even tried to shoot! We did get to bring out our secret weapon - a technical hidden behind the big building - and it did its thing, shooting up some Marines caught in the open between buildings, and then getting blown apart by every Marine on the board.
Then, most amazingly, our luck turned! My partner scored reinforcements in the mosque just in time to open fire on approaching Marines, while I received several timely reinforcements of insurgents on my side of the table - including another RPG gunner which I put on the rooftop. (He brewed up the final Marine vehicle.) I finally had some fighters who weren't under Marine overwatch, and they eliminated three Marines who tried to outflank their position.
In the end, the U.S. Marines were tied down in an infantry slugfest in the middle of the city, and the GM declared the game to be an insurgent victory. I had a great time.