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Wednesday 5 January 2011

Just once I'd like to meet an alien menace which wasn't immune to bullets!

Best Christmas pressie I got was a nice big cabinet to house all my painted minis in so set about last weekend digging them out of cardboard boxes and cupboards when I came across my old BTD Dr Who stuff and the rules for the old Invasion Earth game!


Well couldn't resist the urge so I set the table and had a little scrap between Unit and the new Dalek masters of Earth...

I won't go into too much detail to set the scene but there's a nice excerpt at the start of the nvasion Earth rulebook -

Zero Hour (Minus 12)

Big Ben chimed twelve times in the stillness of the summer night to signal the end of July, a month which had seen record breaking temperatures day after day. A warm, gentle breeze stirred the trees along the Embankment. Black cabs cruised the streets of London, ferrying late night revellers home, and the boys in blue carried out their foot patrols with little to report...  All seemed peaceful... but nothing could be further from the truth. The Dalke Invasion of Earth was about to begin.


From their hidden position off the far side of the Moon, the Dalek Fleet was preparing its assault, readying untold numbers of chemically primed missiles for launch. Choosing their targets carefully, the signal was given and the deadly storm of missiles bombarded the Earth. For twelve hours, missiles rained down on the Earth and when it was over, the planet was in turmoil! Governments around the world were in disarray, their leaders killed or wounded, their military establishments in ruins. It is a dark time for the Human race... but all is not lost!

Now that the missile assault has finally ceased, the beleagured UNIT forces make their way out of their underground bunkers. With their world in flames and their families lost or scattered, the bitter taste of revenge burns brightly among the forces. As the Dalek dropships begin to release waves of troops around the world, the elite soldiers of UNIT have only one course of action to take: destroy the Daleks and reclaim their world.

As for the Daleks, they have taken the first step towards destroying the Earth and now they plan to claim it as their own!

Exterminate! Exterminate! Exterminate!

Zero Hour (Plus 72)

UNIT's counter attack in London gave the Daleks a shock but it proved ultimately to be a pyrrhic victory. The Brigadier's forces had paid a high price for their early victories in the ruined streets of the once proud capital. Now they were on the run as Dalek reinforcements poured in.

The Brigadier now finds himself trapped in his makeshift HQ in the Cumbrian mountains as the hated Daleks draw the net ever tighter around him...



But help is at hand - Benton his loyal sergeant is en route with a rescue mission!



Dalek Turn 1

Sensors indicate human presence has been located.

Proceed...

 All Dalek forces begin their advance on the UNIT HQ!


UNIT Turn 1

Benton and his men have arrived. Parting company with their trusty Landrover they move up to the edge of the wood to scout the area - sure enough the now familiar domes of Dalek cases glint in the distance...
The UNIT driver, meanwhile, steers his vehicle around the back of the wood to rendezvous and evacuate the Brigadier and his staff from their compound.


The radio at the Brig's HQ suddenly crackles into life reporting the coordinates of the approaching Dalek force. Armed with this intelligence the mortar team gets to work adjusting the elevation of their weapon. Several rounds whistle through the air and, although missing their intended target of the Special Weapons Dalek, the resulting explosion catches two of the Warriors! One glides on,  unpertubed through the smoke and flame but the impact shatters the second Dalek's armour, killing it outright.




Over by the barricade the SLR trooper takes aim and under the Brig's assured command scores a hit on the Special Weapons Dalek - only to see it ricochet harmlessly away.



 Dalek Turn 2

Additional humans located. Advise.

Daleks locate and destroy!

Now aware of the second UNIT patrol the Dalek force splits up for maximum extermination!

The Engineer Dalek continues to trundle towards the Brigadier's position, followed by the Suicide and Special Weapons Dalek.

Breaking away from the main advance two Warriors and the Black Dalek move to head off Benton's squad.
Gliding menacingly forward the lead Warrior opened fire on the plucky sergeant himself, but luckily for him he manages to dodge the blast! The other Daleks unable to get their weapons into range chant their rhetoric of hate...


Similarly the long range and cover afforded by the barricades mean the Special Weapons Dalek is unable to bring its formidable weapon to bear.

UNIT Turn 2

Not wishing to test his luck any further, Benton orders his men into the cover of the wood. From their new vantage point they begin to pour fire into the oncoming Daleks. Benton and his Radio Operator's hastily snapped off shots go wild but the LMG team find their mark. Dalek armour proves too strong however!
Not so for the Bazooka team - bringing their weapon to bear there is a ragged cheers as the lead Warrior Dalek goes up in flames.


Receiving relayed targetting instructions again, the mortar team send another round arcing towards the approaching invaders - again missing their intended victim - the Suicide Dalek and its dreaded payload. This time their round falls short, exploding harmlessly in front of the armoured column.


Both the SLR and SMG troopers manning the barricade open up - the bullets making satisfying whining noises as they bounce off Dalek armour!


Dalek Turn 3

Target sighted.

Prepare to annihilate!

The Special Weapons and Suicide Daleks continue their inexorable advance. Now that there blasters are within effective killing range they begin blasting away at the UNIT troopers cowering behind their barricade. Luckily for the humans the rubble and concrete affords them enough protection.



Halt - humans have moved into heavy vegetation. Maximum targetting efficiency is necessary. Locate and Exterminate!

The Black Dalek and its accompanying Warrior glide to a halt to improve their aim as they blaze away at Benton's squad in the wood. Trees and bushes burst into flame but the elusive humans are unharmed!


UNIT Turn 3

Benton's Radio Operator hurls a grenade in response to the barrage of blaster fire he has just weathered. The bomb detonates just in front of the Black Dalek but as the smoke clears, to their dismay the Dalek leader emerges unscathed! The LMG team add their weight to the firefight but again the Black Dalek's armour proves too strong. Until, that is, the Bazooka opens up, hitting the Black Dalek dead centre, causing minor damage.


The mortar team, their target now in plain sight to their forward observers, finally land a round right where they want it - on top of the Suicide Dalek, blowing it to pieces. Also caught up and destroyed in the conflagration is the Special Weapons Dalek - a major blow against their implacable foe!

Even the SLR trooper lands a well aimed shot on the Engineer Dalek, somehow damaging its eyestalk. The SMG trooper, obviously taken aback by the violence of the Suicide Dalek's demise, doesn't hit a thing!


Dalek Turn 4

Human resistance cannot be tolerated.

All forces deploy. Exterminate! Exterminate! Exterminate!

Things are not looking rosy for good old Dalek superiority - that is until another battle group trundle onto the field of battle! Reinforcements arrive in the form of  five Warriors and another Special Weapons Dalek, led by the Gold Dalek. They swiftly move up to support their hard pressed advance force.



Frustrated by their seeming ability to destroy the humans sheltering in the wood before them, the Black Dalek and its Warrior glide forward, weapons blazing as they go. Benton narrowly avoids an untimely disintegration but the Bazooka team are not so lucky...

The now lone Engineer Dalek scuttles into the cover of a nearby rubble pile awaiting the arrival of its Superior to renew the attack.


UNIT Turn 4

Benton and his men fall back further into the cover of the wood, hoping to lure the Dalkes closer, sneaking as they go (-2 to hit!).




Meanwhile, the Landrover has finished its crosscountry drive and arrives at the Brig's compound, ready to evacuate its occupants. Under the Brigadier's orders the SLR and SMG troopers make a dash for it and leap into the back of the vehicle. Lethbridge-Stewart and his Radio Operator move up to take their places at the barricade.



Holding their position to give covering fire, the Mortar team react to the newly arrived threat. Without any observers to relay target position the round overshoots but luckily not by much. Screeching horribly as they burn, the new Special Weapons Dalke and a Warrior are caught in the blast. The Gold Dalek is rocked by the explosion but passes on undamaged.



Dalek Turn 5

Halt! At once! You will be exterminated! HALT! HALT!!!


The Black Dalek and accompanying Warrior move up to the edge of the wood but are unable to target the soldiers there.

The Engineer Dalek opens up on the vulnerable looking Landrover, causing minor damage.



The remaining Dalek continue their advance, eager to bring the humans in range of their weapons. The Gold Dalek, possibly shaken by the last mortar blast also fires on the Landrover, but somehow misses!

UNIT Turn 5

Breaking cover, Benton's radio man hurls another grenade at his pursuers, while the rest of the squad open up in a desperate attempt to buy the Brig enough time to escape.

Unfortunately his throw is off and the grenade goes off harmlessly to the side. The LMG team finally avenge the deaths of their fellow Bazooka team - concentrating their fire on the Black Dalek's eye stalk.  The heavy calibre bullets penetrate the weakened casing and corrosive green slime splatters the surrounding undergrowth. Benton sets about laying down an agressive burst of suppressing fire on the remaining Warrior Dalek, leaving it disorientated and dazed.


The Brig and his radio man now jump into the back of the Landie as it reverses into the compound, ready for a quick get-away.

Bravely holding their position the Mortar team continue to cover the escape with a barrage of mortar bombs. This time their luck is in - a direct hit on the Gold Dalek! Amazingly though, it sails straight out of the explaosion completely unscathed. Not so lucky was the Warrior Dalek following closely behind it!



Dalek Turn 6

Human Leader detected... Exterminate, annihilate, DESTROY!!!Rounding the corner, the Gold Dalek adds its firepower to that of the Engineer. Shot after shot is absorbed by the Landrover until... it flies up in the air in a huge explosion, killing all its occupants.




 
Except, of course, the Brigadier! Thrown from the back of the burning vehicle, the Brig finds himself hurled back behind the barricade!
 
 

All other Dalek forces advance to mop up any further resistance...


UNIT Turn 6

Things couldn't look worse for UNIT right now - their only option - Tactical Withdrawal!

Benton's squad sneak slowly backwards through the undergrowth, hoping to meet any survivors from the wrecked Landrover.


To their surprise and relief, the Brig is waiting for them with a wry look in his eye,

Took your time didn't you Benton?


With that the surviving UNIT forces melt back into the countryside, ready to fight another day and ever hopeful for the Doctor's return...


2 comments:

  1. When I was a kid my parents had salt and pepper shakers that looked unintentionally like Daleks. They exterminated the other tableware.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Good for Breakfast I would imagine -

    Eggsterminate! Eggsterminate!

    Soory, I'll get my coat...

    ReplyDelete