Testing a set of rules
The search for the right set of rules seems to be the quest that obsesses most war gamers, I am no exception. There is a plethora of excellent games out there some of which are burning brightly with popularity and others that have fallen to the wayside. In my search for the `right` rules, those that scratch the itch that I have, I thought I would turn to an older set that have sat on my shelf for about twenty years without being played. So, I would like to present the excellent Stargrunt II rules.
Stargrunt
II is a set of rules that is published by Ground Zero games and are available
as a free download. The layout and organisation
of the rules does show its age, but if you can work your way through these
issues the game inside is excellent. The
mechanisms may seem a bit denser than more modern skirmish games, but I managed
to internalise them in one game. The standout
element for me is fire combat, perhaps not as destructive as people like nowadays,
but it gives the right feel of combat in the not-so-distant future.
Scenario
Stargrunt
II is not designed for tournament play but is a scenario driven system. For my first game I took inspiration from Mike Brown's scenario cards, that can be found on https://www.stargrunt.ca/, these cards
allow you to setup a game relatively quickly.
Mission
briefing - Turner`s Mining Syndicate
A group of
independent miners have set up a camp on a company plot. One squad of security troopers are to move
the miners on from the claim. Maximum destruction
of the miners` property is advised.
Objective- Destroy the miners’ buildings and
return with minimum losses.
Forces – One squad of security troopers
split into two fireteams.
Mission
briefing – The Guild of Free Miners
The Guild
has identified and laid a counterclaim to a piece of disputed land that is
currently held by the TMS. Knowing that
the Syndicate won`t allow the Guild to just walk in and seize the land the Guild
has hired some mercenaries to patrol and protect the area.
Objective-Patrol down to the enemy baseline
before returning to the mining enclave.
Forces – Two squads of guild mercenaries
split into four fireteams.
Initial plans
My first playthrough
of the rules was a solo affair, so to make it more interesting I randomly
determined the initial battle plans for the two forces. Both the security forces and the mercenaries looked
to swing out to the flanks to reach their objectives.
Game play
The combat heated
up very quickly with casualties appearing on the mercenary side as their lower
quality and worse equipment made them vulnerable to the firepower of the TMS
security troopers. The firefight on the northern
flank became quite protracted as two fireteams of mercenaries took on one squad
of security troopers.
On the southern flank the mercenaries had more luck when they were able to
kill the plasma gunner. They then
decided that engaging the security troopers in CQB was in order.
This move was the undoing of the mercenary team as the security troopers
were more than a match for them in close combat.
The melee was really the moment that turned the engagement against the
mercenaries as their numerical advantage was depleted and the superior weapons
and training of the security troopers started to show. Although, the mercenaries fought on for
several more turns the game was a foregone conclusion.
The final positions
Thoughts on the game
I played some suboptimal turns because I wanted to try the rules
out. One group of mercenaries engaging
the security troopers in close combat really wasn`t a good play, but it allowed
me to see close combat in action. I was a
little to cagey with how I used the security troopers, one squad was stuck in a
protracted firefight for most of the game.
I could have tried to either push into the mercenaries more or moved the
other squad in support. All that being
said the game went well, and it felt right.
I am looking forward to giving it another go in the New Year.
