Gut Check! Complete Battle Report

SCENARIO

This action took place at an old Conquest Development Corporation forward operating base on Copper Moon.  In the decade since it had been abandoned, Gorker scum led by Boss Grimskab had squatted into it, and built up their own shanties around it.  Intelligence reports indicated that Grimskab has been suppyling weapons to numerous smaller Gorker bands, other lowlife alien tribes, and even some radical human gangs.  
CDC dispatched an enhanced Stormtrooper armored platoon to capture or destroy the weapons.  Unwilling to risk sending the heavy tanks into the booby traps and IEDS surrounding the Gorker settlement, Lieutenant Blackwood sent Corporal King’s fireteam into the FOB ahead of the main assault.  King’s mission was to kill Grimskab and his warband, neutralize any traps, and clear the way for the heavy vehicles.  King’s fireteam was dropped a safe distance away and entered the FOB by foot.


THE GAME
The game is a slightly modified version of Mission 1 from the Gut Check rules pack.  I also used this as a chance to try out Spacejacker's new Tablet Friendly quick reference sheet. As with my playtest game, I simply replaced “hex” references with 2” of actual measurement.  I kept getting mixed up on when I was supposed to move enemy models instead of blips last game, so this time I decided to give the blips their own phase after all on-table models had been resolved.  I placed six blips for this game.  

The fireteam consisted of five models from my CDC Stormtroopers (Rebel Minis Titan Marines):

• Stormtrooper Corporal King (2+ Guts, 3 Grit, 3+ Shoot, 4+ Fight, Armor 2, Advanced Assault Rifle)
• Stormtroopers Lee, Wolf, Jones (3+ Guts, 2 Grit, 3+ Shoot, 4+ Fight, Armor 2, Advanced Assault Rifle)
• Stormtrooper Curt (3+ Guts, 2 Grit, 3+ Shoot, 4+ Fight, Armor 2, Missile Launcher)

Turn One - Corporal King and Stormtrooper Wolf successfully activated and Evaded toward the closest blip.  Stormtroopers Lee, Jones, and Curt failed their activations.  The nearest Gorker blip was revealed - it was Boss Grimskab himself, along his four ugliest and smelliest Boyz.

Turn Two - CDC won initiative.  King and Wolf were joined by Jones and Lee, and all engaged Grimskab and his Boyz.  Curt failed another activation, deciding to adjust his bootlaces rather than provide fire support to his team.  The Stormtroopers opened fire on the Gorkers.  Grimskab was Shocked, one Boy taken out of action.  Grimskab retaliated by charging Corporal King, scoring a Messy Kill against him.  

Troopers Jones, Wolf, and Lee failed their Gut Checks and fled off into cover.  However, the charging Boss counted as movement in front of the Trooper Curt, who finally did something.  The barrage from his snap-fire chased Grimskab into cover, separating him from his Boyz.

A second blip was revealed to be nothing more than a false alarm.


Turn Three - CDC Initiative.  Troopers Jones, Wolf, and Lee rushed around the bunker and opened fire on the Gorkers from behind, killing 1 and wounding a second.  Trooper Curt fired another missile at Boss Grimskab, causing what appeared to be serious wounds.  However, Grimskab is a remarkably tough old Gorker, and he recovered both of his shock counters in that recovery phase.

Turn Four - Gorker Initiative.  One of the Boyz charged at the Stormtroopers, wounding Lee.  That Gorker Boy died from the return snap-fire.  A second Gorker charged in, wounding Wolf..  Grimskab shot at Wolf, missing him.  Wolf’s return snap-fire wounded the Boss yet again.  Stormtrooper Curt again fired on the Boss, finally killing him.  A third blip was revealed, and three more Boyz approached from the shanties.

Turn Five - Gorker Initiative, but the first Boy failed his activation.  The Stormtroopers continued firing on the Boyz behind the first bunker.  One was killed, another fled into cover.  The missile trooper Curt finally caught up with his fireteam (using an Evade move).  Several Boyz opened fire, taking Lee completely out of action.  A fourth blip revealed three more Gorkers.


Turn Six - CDC initiative.  His other boot coming untied, Curt failed to activate.  His teammates focused their fire behind the bunker, killing the final Gorker from the very first blip.  Most of the other Gorkers failed their activation rolls.  One managed to evade into a cover position near the CDC fireteam.  The rest that did activate and fire failed to hit their targets.  The fifth blip was revealed to be a false alarm.

Turn Seven - Gorker initiative, but again, the first boy failed to activate.  Stormtrooper Wolf focused his fire on the Gorker Boy in cover, shocking him.  Two Boyz charged into close combat.  Stormtrooper Jones choked in the face of the assault, but Wolf and Curt both snap-fired, killing the charging Gorkers.  Curt then passed his own activation (I know, I was surprised as well!), focused his fire on two Gorkers near the shanties, scoring messy kills on both.  The final blip revealed three more Gorker Boyz.

Turn Eight - Gorker initiative.  The wounded Boy in cover focused his fire on Stormtrooper Wolf, but missed him completely.  Wolf snap-fired in response, taking the Gorker out of action.  Stormtrooper Jones exchanged fire with two Boyz, shocking one.  Stormtrooper Curt’s missile launcher finished the shocked Boy and causing one shocked result on another.



Turn Nine - CDC initiative.  Stormtrooper Curt fired again, killing 1 Gorker and wounding the last one.  That last Boy evaded into cover on his own activation.  The snap-fire from Stormtrooper Jones (responding to that movement) rolled nothing but 6s to hit and wound, ending the game.  

Aftermath
Thirteen Boyz and a Boss Grimskar killed, while the Corporal King was slaughtered and Stormtrooper Lee was left in critical condition.  Stormtrooper Wolf signalled Lieutenant Blackwood back at the platoon HQ, informing him that the FOB was cleared.  Wolf continued to provide emergency treatment to Lee while Jones and Curt began to systematically clear the FOB of anti-tank IEDs and search for the weapon stores.