New in the vehicle park

Added a new APC to the vehicle park this weekend. Our latest acquisition comes via the folks at...Matchbox!

Picked up a "Buffalo Mine Clearance Armored Vehicle" at a local grocery store. I'd seen this mentioned on The Miniatures Page and thought it worth investigating as I need a plethora of wheeled vehicles for the Feri campaign setting.

The Buffalo is modeled on a 'real world' vehcile, but honestly its a great stand in for the classic Traveller vehicle, the All Terrain Vehilce (or ATV). A 6 wheeled vehicle, the Buffalo has the distinctive "MRAP-Vee" body style, resulting on a much higher profile than a standard APC. I could descibe it, but a picture does such a better job.

Here is the Buffalo near a Rebel Miniatures Commanche light APC / Armored Car. You can see the height difference, though the other feature are close. Windows are bigger on the Buffalo.

Next up is the Buffalo alongside RAFM's Imp APC

Here is the side by side shot. It really shows the higher silhouette of the Buffalo. You can see the armored louvers over the engine radiator and the utility crane arm.

Next up - a comparision with the Rebel Miniatures EarthForce APC. Again, the Buffalo towers over the Rebel casting. Part of this is design philosophy - the Buffalo is designed more for a counter-insurgency environment that the front line actions of kinetic operations (to borrow a Tomorrow's War phrase).

 
But how does it look next to the troops. Well here are a few additional photo's;

With 15mm Travller power armor troopers.

And with a 15mm 'ship's crew' that usually try to keep off the Alliance's radar.

Sometimes the "Hero of Canton" likes to enjoy a cigar on the open air deck at the rear of the vehicle

Also makes a handy firing platform when you've got Reavers on your tail! This guy is actually on a Litko base and he still fits!

The verdict? I'm going to have to hunt down a couple more of these to fill out an infantry platoon. Its a great addition to the sci-fi force pool.The Buffalo gives a nice option for an APC appropriate to counter-insurgent operations rather than an IFV loaded for bear. And at less than $6.00 its a bargain!

The Feri Imperial Order of Battle

A quick overview of the Imperial forces involved in the Feri campaign...

The Feri Imperial Order of Battle

Planetary High Command

Baron Siegel, The Imperial Governor General, Baronet Feri: Noble overseeing the affairs of Feri. Baron Seigel acts as the senior representative of the Imperial government on Feri. All local governments are subordinate to Baron Seigel’s commands.

Feri Military Coordination Command (FMCC)

The FMCC is the bureaucratic structure through which Baron Siegel manages military operations on Feri. Similar in function to the role played by the Supreme Headquarters Allied Forces, Europe in NATO. The FMCC serves as the “General Staff” or the “Pentagon” as the planning and administrative structure which implements the Governor-General’s orders.

Mobile Armored Cavalry Corps

• 2 Armored Lift Cavalry Divisions (1^st and 2^nd Cavalry)
• 1 Lift Infantry division (37^th Infantry division)
• 2 MRL Brigade (21^st Rocket and 23^rd Rocket)
• 1 Gauss Artillery Brigade (22^nd Field Artillery)
• 1 Aviation Brigade (VTOL/Gunships) (41^st Aviation Brigade)

The “Mobile Force” is the element of Feri’s army that has been “Imperialized” for the duration of the war. These troops are under direct command of the Imperial Army and have the logistical tail to support being deployed off world. Drawn from the troops of all three nations on Feri and equipped to TL 11 standards with anti-grav vehicles and VTOL gunships.(Edit: The advanced rules in Striker indicate that aircraft may not be used away from their specific intended world of use.So...the Mobile Force would not use VTOL, but would stick with anti-grav vehicles.)

National Armies/Planetary Defense Forces

Feri Military Cooperation Organization (PDF HQ)

900 “Planetary Defense Battalions*”, rough breakdown;

150 ‘armored’ battalions (tank, infantry and cavalry)

300 infantry battalions

200 Artillery battalions

100 Aviation Squadrons (Aerospace Defense Command Forces)

            - Fighters

            - Ground attack aircraft

            - Transports

            - Air Defense batteries (s    urface to air missiles and assorted guns)

* A Planetary Defense Battalion is an Imperial measurement of combat strength, The basic unit of measure is the infantry battalion.

All military units issue night vision equipment as part of the individual soldier’s kit. All vehicles are likewise equipped with night vision equipment (typically thermal imagers and light intensification equipment.

The Feri PDF shuns lasers and energy weapons due to the extreme attenuating effects of the dense atmosphere. Plasma and fusion guns are just beyond their ability to produce. There was an over-reliance on rocket and missile systems, but advances in point defense technology have brought the return of the big gun back to the forefront. Hyper velocity guns, missiles and rockets rules the battlefield.

There are three national armies  representing the Tawantinsuyu Confederation, the Orinoco League and the Chitral Republic. The low gravity and high atmospheric pressure combine to allow effective use of military equipment that would have been superceded by gravitics on a more ‘normal’ planet, as well as some hardware that just would not work on a ‘normal’ world.

Tawantinsuyu Confederation

The Tawantinsuyu Confederation is a Feudal Technocracy that still heavily embraces their feudal heritage. Many units are professional standing troops, but the approach to warfighting is colored by their cultural baggage. Infantry units are viewed as ‘levies’ fit only for the yeoman of the country. The ruling elites and their associated warrior class strive to serve in units that embrace their belief in the supremacy of the knight. As a result the Tawantinsuyu Confederation military leans heavily toward hardware that allows an emphasis on individual combat. Instead of tanks, the single man combat walker is the predominate element of the armor force. Heavily armored gunships (helicopters and ducted fan engines) form the backbone of the cavalry forces.  Aerospace fighter pilots are revered as the “Knights of the Stratosphere” 

The Orinoco League

The Orinoco League is ruled by a paranoid dictator, Convinced that both the other states are set to overthrow his nation, he sought refuge in bluster and ‘security theater’. If a tank was good, a really BIG tank was BETTER. As a result the League consists of a number of battle groups built around their Armor Corps – A force of gigantic tanks staffed by a small crew with a state of the art (TL 3) Artificial Intelligence system.

The other supporting arms are present both to hold ground and serve as garrisons and provide population control should the people rise up against his rule. (Did we mention he’s paranoid?) The supporting arms are mostly wheeled vehicles as the majority of the budget is sunk into the Armor Corps.

The Chitral Republic

The Republic hews closest to an typical Imperial type organization. The low gravity keeps tracked and hover vehicles competitive with the new and very expensive gravitic equipment. The Republic consists or a number of TL 11 grav vehicles (Main Battle Tanks and IFV) paired with a potent Cavalry arm equipped with speedy hover craft and Ducted Fan gunships.  The vehicles for the Mobile Force are drawn from the Chitral Republic's industrial base.

CHAS for Starship Troopers

Switching gears for a minute, I hacked out stats for the CHAS unit in Starship Troopers. These are provisional stats, as we've not had a chance to play using the unit yet.

Enjoy!

XM-550 Cybernetic Heuristic Autonomous System (“CHAS”)

The XM-550 is a state of the art ‘Smartbot” fielded on high-risk missions and to protect high-value targets. XM-550 have been observed deployed in the field during the Tophet campaign as well as guarding MI bases and protecting critical high-security areas aboard Fleet starships.

Unit:	XM-550	Type:	SmartBot
Tech Level:	3	Move:	8” / 16” (Jump)
Armor	3	Weapons;
Quality	D8/D10	Ape Morita	AP:3
Morale	D12	SW-404 Javelin R/L	AP:4/AT:4(M)
		Hel Flamer	Infantry flamethrower
		Trip Hammer Light Mortar	Light Mortar IDF only
		Anti-Vehicular Melee Weapon	AP:4/AT:3(M)

Attributes

Advanced Sensors, Retaliate

Bot Casualty: If marked as a casualty, immediately roll 1 die;

            1     XM-550 destroyed

            2-6  XM-550 intact

            -1 to die roll if struck by AT weapon

Starship Troopers Mechanized Infantry Platoon

My take on the Marauder platoons from the Mongoose Starhip Troopers games, configured for Ambush Alley's Tomorrow's War... 

 Mechanized Infantry Platoon

The mechanized infantry platoon differs from other infantry platoons in that the combat walkers (often called Mech’s) are more vehicle than suit. As a result, the platoon looks more like an armored unit than an infantry formation.

The platoons can be either pure or mixed. Pure platoons are composed of a single kind of combat walker. Mixed platoons have squads that use different mechs.

Platoon Headquarters, with;

1 LT in M8 or M9 Combat Walker

1 Platoon Sgt in M8 or M9 Combat Walker

First Squad, with;

Squad Leader in M8/M9 Suit

Trooper in M8/M9

Second Squad, with;

Squad Leader in M8/M9 Suit

Trooper in M8/M9

Unit notes;

This is the bare bones strength under which a platoon is folded into another platoon. A Squad may have up to three additional Mechs attached to it.. The Platoon may have additional 2 squads attached to it.

 

M8 Vehicle Rating

Unit:	M8 Ape	Type:	Walker
Tech Level:	2	Move:	8” / 16” (Jump)
Class	Light	Weapons;
Front Armor	3D8	Ape Morita	AP:3
Side Armor	2D8	Y Rack	4” LZ D8 (see attribute)
Rear Armor	2D8	Derringer Autocannon	Lt Spt AP:3
Deck Armor	2D8	Trip Hammer Light Mortar	Light Mortar IDF only
Crew	1	Anti-Vehicular Melee Weapon	AP:4/AT:3(M)

Attributes

Advanced Sensors, Anti-vehicular Melee Weapon, Enhanced Fire Control, Lifesaver, Safe Haven, Y Rack

 

M9 Vehicle Rating

Unit:	M8 Ape	Type:	Walker
Tech Level:	2	Move:	8” / 16” (Jump)
Class	Light	Weapons;
Front Armor	2D8	SW-404 Javelin R/L	AP:4/AT:4 (M)
Side Armor	2D8	Sixgun Rotary Autocannon	AP:4
Rear Armor	1D8	SW-490 Blizzard Missile Pack	AP: 6D10 LZ 3”
Deck Armor	1D8	Inferno Flamethrower OR	18” range
Crew	1	Twin .50 AND	AP:4/AT:2(L)
		Anti-Vehicular Melee Weapon	AP:4/AT:4(M)

Attributes

Advanced Sensors, Anti-vehicular Melee Weapon, Enhanced Fire Control, Fire or Move, Rsetricted Arc of Fire, Lifesaver

Vargr Lift Infantry Company (TL 13)

Vargr Lift Infantry Company (TL 13)

            Company Headquaters, with;

                  1 Company Commander

                  1 Assistant Company Commander

                  1 Company NCO

                  1 Grav Command Post

                        4 crew

                  2 Air raft, with PGMP-12

                        2 drivers

      Headquarters platoon, with;

            Point Defense section

                        1 Point Defense grav AFV

            Air Defense section

                        1 lift SAM launcher AFV

            ECM section

                        1 ECM grav sled (truck)

            Medical section

                        1 lift grav sled ambulance

            Nuclear Damper section

                        1 fire control sled

                        2 projector sleds

      4 Vargr Infantry platoons, each with;

            Platoon Headquarters, with;

                        1 Platoon Leader

                        1 Platoon NCO

                        Security fireteam

                           1 corporal

                           3 riflemen

                        1 Grav APC

            3 squads, each with;

                        1 Squad Leader

                        2 fire teams, each with

                           1 corporal

                           2 riflemen

                           1 Plasma gunner with PGMP-12

                           1 Grav APC

                           1 driver        

Notes on the Lift Infantry Company;

1. Small Arms: Unless otherwise noted, all infantry are armed with the Gauss Rifles– a TL 3 slugthrower with integrated sights and gyrostabilizers. All Gauss Rifles have ‘shoot through’ 4cm rifle grenades.
2. Body Armor:  Infantry are equipped with TL 3  basic body armor
3. Sensors: Unit has TL 3 sensors.
4. Stealth:  Unit’s vehicles have TL 2 stealth sytems
5. Vargr Infantry may use the grid. If a grid is present, they are a grid dependent force.

Sale almost over at Critical Mass Games

Critical Mass Games (also known as CMG) has been running a sale on their 15mm figures. Save 20% if you order before July 22nd!

The Protolene Khanate make nice figures to use as Vargr in combat/power armor.

Order of Battle (part 1)

A quick peek at the Vargr Orbat for the Feri campaign...

Vargr

Ngath Confederation Invasion Fleet

Battle Squadron 5 (4 x Vargr Dzough "Empire Builder" Class Light Battleships)

Battle Squadron 8 (4 x Vargr Dzough "Empire Builder" Class Light Battleships)

Cruiser Squadron 3 (4 x Foghoks class Vargr heavy cruisers)

Cruiser Squadron 4 (4 x Foghoks class Vargr heavy cruisers)

Cruiser Squadron 7 (4 x Foghoks class Vargr heavy cruisers)

Tanker Squadron 1 (3 x bulk hydrogen carriers with fuel shuttles and refinery capacity)

Assault Carrier Squadron 12 (5 “Gvurrdon” class assault carriers)

The Ngath Confederation Army

Initial Drop

101^st Lift Infantry Army (Tech Level 13)

105^th Lift Armored Corps (Tech Level 12)

1^st Lift Cavalry Division (Tech Level 10)

2^nd Armored Lift Cavalry Division (Tech Level 10)

Vargr Second Invasion Lift

37^th Lift Infantry Corps (Tech Level 12)

5^th Lift Infantry Corps (Tech Level 13)

12^th Lift Armored Division (Tech Level 13)