====== Ogre Digest, May 23rd (Last: May 16th) ======== ===== Combat Drones From: "Jim K" ===== This book will self-destruct in five readings. From: Sethkimmel@aol.com ===== A Work-a-Day World. From: patrick.odonnell@Materna.DE ===== House Call From: hcobb@io.com ============================== From: "Jim K" Subject: Combat Drones I am of two minds on the idea of increasing the different types of units in a game like Ogre. Personally I don't care to go to much of an extreme with it. The GEV additions were quite enough for my simple mind. On the other hand, it is kinda neat watching others put their time and effort into designing all this stuff that still fits into the Ogre world. It reminds me of the 70s and the massive SPI games that used to take 2 or 3 full size sheets of plywood to layout all the maps on. They sure were impressive when laid out, but I never remember them being finished very often. In the end, I think whatever way of gaming one is happy with is the best way to do it. For those who still carry their Ogre game in a zip lock sandwich bag, to those who need three FAA approved map cases just for the addendums, enjoy yourself... ============================== From: Sethkimmel@aol.com Subject: This book will self-destruct in five readings. > The thing I don't understand is how my decade old copy of Ogre Minis is > beat up along the spine but hasn't lost a page while all my new SJGames > softbacks just fall apart. But it does make it easier to but them in > binders. -HJC] because his printer is using the same terrible glue that the SF paperback publishers use. All my books self destruct VERY quickly...:-( ============================== From: patrick.odonnell@Materna.DE Subject: A Work-a-Day World. << [Wait until you see the drone rules ... No, NO, NO people. I definately remember he words "Sniper Suit." A Work-a-Day World. In the end it's always the same. The pay is good so I do the work. Besides, rounds on target are what I do best. I can't imagine doing anything else. "One round, One Roscoe" was the motto of my old company back when I used to give a frap and belong. I haven't truly belonged for some time. Now, I just work for the highest bidder and don't let it get personal. Of course, the bounty on my head makes life a little more interesting from time to time. But then, the SpEskies didn't really need to keep the prototype suit that I go to work in. It was, after all, designed to fit me alone. They should have thought about it before they chose to develop such a high-speed peace-o-gear like this "Sniper Suite" and then pay me so little, not to mention the constant lack of respect. Any way, today it is all about covering the withdrawal of some of my current boss' best and brightest. And of course, my boss' current adversary is expected to give pursuit. I'm here to stop the bogeys once they start moving this way. I just don't get why the other side in this one is getting so uppity. A few cross border incursions from this side and all of a sudden we're talking a full-scale conflagration. They're defending a peace of nuked out wasteland over there. Oh well, I guess if it was the nuked out wastes of my ancestors I might be climbing out of the holes in which I lived and coming after the transgressors. I just don't know. Perhaps, when you've got very little left to defend it becomes more worth defending. The bogeys don't know it but I introduced myself to them a few hours ago. I needed to get some preliminary coordinates for the three automatic mortars I've got stashed a few clicks back. This one mission is all about laser guided munitions and hot lead in abundance. I'm thinking that after about an hour of vertical envelopment, and me, these people will reconsider and climb back down their holes. Unless I miss my mark they are not a very professional outfit. I mean for crimeny sakes, I got close enough to their perimeter to look into the eyes of one of their grunts manning a listening post. He couldn't have been older than sixteen or seventeen. I could sense the fear in him. Sheesh, what is he doing out here? Oh well, no matter. This one should be a cakewalk. The official terminology for pukes like these is "Militia Type Organizational Units" or MTOUS for short. But, I just call them the bearers of yesterday's hi-technology today. With their quilted synth-silk armour and hyper-bolt auto rifles they should be no match for what I've got waiting for them. But, so far there has been no sign of forward movement. Maybe, they're just here to show presence and act as a deterrent. It looks like I'll just have to wait and see. ***** It has been five hours now and no action. This might turn out to be some of the easiest money that I've earned yet ... oh wait ... no ... spoke too soon. They're starting to form up. Here we go ladies and gents. The plan is to let them get about a mile from my forward and then light 'em up. Today's festivities are scheduled to start anytime now. All I have left to do is remote activate my mortars and ... boom ... boOM ... bOOM ... BOOM ...!!! Hmmmm. Looks like they are starting the pursuit of my boss' boys with a little song and dance not to mention some heavy artillery. ***** I'm impressed. They seem to be walking their rounds in my general direction now. It's time for me to do a little boot-scootin-boogie myself. baWOOM ... bAWOOM ... BAWOOOM!!! Uh-oh. Their arty is getting closer and they are not within my effective range yet. They seem to be tracking me some how. That is not suppose to be possible with the suit I'm wearing. I guess I should have waited for that second round of shake-downs before I made off with the goods. This one is going to be tight. I'm already sweating and this suit is environmentally controlled. ... thud-BaAWOOOM ... thud-BAAWOOOOM ...!!! I don't know ... some kind of signature I'm giving off or something ... I'm gonna have to start running down systems to see If I can't shake the make they have on me. WHUMP-BAAWOOOOOM!!! ***** ... ungh! ... head is killing me. My whole body is throbbing with pain ... man if this is heaven then to hell with it. Judging by the beeps in my ears I guess I'm still alive. And, judging from the lay of things I haven't been taken prisoner either. I guess I'll have to figure that one out when this is all over. For now it looks like its time for me to start earning my pay. So, a quick check of my sensors and ... holy sheesh, there are bogeys everywhere. Lazin' and Blazin' time. I've only got a total of eighteen laser guided mortar rounds but judging from the spread of these bogey's that should be enough to make them go to ground and then I start puttin' rounds on Roscoes. ***** The mortar rounds were more effective than I could have possibly hoped for. Good thing too 'cause I'm starting to get low on ammo. Maybe, I can swipe a few of those outfits from my employer and make them a permanent part of my repertoire. Three more Roscoes to go and I've eliminated this MTOU as a coherent unit. Just a few stragglers and their wounded that are all headed back the direction they came from. All but a small knot of holdouts is coming to their senses at least. A good thing too 'cause I didn't think I was going to live to see my next payday. But, things are starting to look up. Just take care of the three heroes headed this way and the holdouts and that should do it. ***** Lookie here. The last hold out turns out to be the kid that I saw when I was scopin' out the bogeys. This kid has done a lot of growing up and fast. Instead of the eyes of an inexperienced wanna be I'm looking into the cold pale blue stare of a killer now. He just keeps lookin this way and pulling the trigger on an empty magazine. I don't think he is all there anymore. I think I'm gonna let him live, though. He is after all the last one and with the stuff that is coming out of his ears I don't think he poses a real threat. It would be like killing an addled dog or something. Besides, I'm tired and want to start making my way back home before they decide to sanitize this area with artey again. Maybe, if their sensors tell them that there are still a few of them left out here I won't be getting zapped with any more of the heavy stuff. Besides from all that, my job is done here. I was suppose to stop them and stopped they are. The kid is not going to be a one man offensive any time soon. And, my bones hurt. I guess I can't complain too loud though. This is the job I have chosen to do and the environment in which I have chosen to do it. Ain't nothin' to get uptight about. Just another manic Monday in this work a day world. END Best, Patrick J. O'Donnell ===== From: hcobb@io.com Subject: House Call A low buzz sounded through the company of marines assembled on the deck of the carrier. The colonel didn't usually brief them. Combine doctrine assigned a screening or supporting role to infantry, even mechanized marines and the colonel simply passed whatever needed to be told to the grunts through their captain, but not this time. "Today men you're the main effort. Able company is going to blow through the French defenses then run distraction while Baker company goes in to cover you. The French have shifted quite a bit off the Atlantic coast to cover the other fronts so we're going to be able to get you here, where they don't expect you to go and then you're going to go door to door, checking every civilian against a DNA profile and scanning in every data chip you find. This little spot on the map doesn't look like much, but we've got good reason to believe that it's the headquarters of the British Liberation Army and we think it's about time we paid those terrorists a house call." Scenario: Use the GEV map, setup is exactly like RAID, but the defense gets 12 squads of infantry and 8 armor units to start (and no command posts), with two rolls on the 9.032 reinforcements table each turn. The attacking force is Combine sets 4 and 6, i.e. 4 GEV-PCs (carrying a total of 12 squads of Marine infantry), 8 GEVs and 12 LGEVs. Score victory points and victory levels like Raid (without the command posts), but the attacker gets 8 more victory points for each city hex searched before it is destroyed (the attacker gets another 8 points for destroying the hex afterwards as usual, as that makes it all the harder to figure out what they learned.) A squad of infantry can declare that they are searching the city hex they are in (dismounted) at the start of their turn and the hex is considered to be searched at the start of their next turn if that squad has not moved, fired, been destroyed or had the city hex destroyed in the meantime. (Other squads or armor units can be stacked with the searching squad and provide security by firing against overruns as long as the searching squad does not interrupt their search to fire, or they'll have to start the search all over again.) Note that the attacking infantry are Marines and so cost 4VPs per squad lost. (Ouch.) The attackers still get the search VPs even if they're completely wiped out afterwards, because they're assumed to get an encrypted transmission off to Able company. I suggest that you move infantry mounting armor to be the last action of the second movement phase and have marines treat water as woods, but those are changes I'd like to see in the next edition rules anyway. -HJC ===== List Moderator: Henry J. Cobb ogre@sjgames.com Archives for this mailing list may be found at http://www.io.com/~hcobb General online support for the OGRE game is at http://www.sjgames.com/ogre Ogre, G.E.V., Shockwave and other products mentioned here are trademarks or registered trademarks of Steve Jackson Games. All rights are reserved by SJ Games. This material is used here in accordance with the SJ Games online policy at http://www.sjgames.com/general/online_policy.html