Re: [Sun] 07 Apr 2013 (Glorious)
Posted: Mon Apr 08, 2013 11:58 pm
This was a fantastic session, my thanks to all the hosts (and not just for this session, but all the sessions you continually and so ably host) for organizing it and encouraging new people to step into command positions.
Bend - A1 AR
Our FTL Crocuta teleported so quickly and smoothly that I didn't even realize it had happened, and so was freaking out that we had missed our window in which to do it. It's reasons like this why the Quartermaster issues us maps to check our position against, but I was a bit too dull to check mine. Anyhow, we played hop across the ridge for much of the match, alternately spraying fire on the convoy from the south side and retreating to the north side when we came under fire. I had a jolly good time firing at distant enemies on the road, although I question how effective I was at trying to shoot out the tires on an armed vehicle from 500 meters away. As the call for retreat sounded, we also heard tell of an incoming APC. I was so on the lookout for that danger that I completely overlooked the stationary human silhouette on my right, assuming he was in my fireteam. Right up until people started yelling about a Russian on our right, at which point I slowly turned back towards him, and he shot me between the eyes.
Roadside - BRDM1 Gunner, with Audiox as driver
We started up at the very rear of the column, and checking the plan, we were supposed to be at the spearhead of the push south down the road with Alpha. As we were midway there, reports started coming in about multiple Alpha deaths. I guess we should have traveled there a bit faster . We arrived in time to trundle over Alpha's dead bodies. I saw a friendly squad on the west hill and asked Audiox to move us into a position from which we could support them. Then they fired a rocket at us, and I realized it was an enemy squad (yeah, I have a problem identifying friend from foe - I swear the map was reading a friendly squad marker at that hill!), so I lit them up with the BRDM1's gun. After so many sessions of getting one-shotted by oh so many clever AI, I must admit, it felt really good to just mow down 10 of them with complete impunity. A real power trip.
After that, orders came in for us to advance on a DSHKM/static machinegun emplacement which was holding back the advance. We sped off over hill and dale, and then slowed to crawl as we came over the last crest separating us from our target. I was fully expecting us to be blow away, but as luck would have it, the DSHKM was facing 90 degrees away from us as we crested, and two rounds from my PKT gun later, the gunner was dead and DSHKM was inoperative. I started bragging to Audiox about how awesome we were, killing dudes and solving problems, and just generally being badasses (encased in several inches of metal plating). I wanted to stay put and take out some more squads of enemies, I was so high on adrenaline.
Then we got hit by a rocket while I was scanning for targets, disabling our mobility, and I realized the error of my ways. Audiox abandoned ship, but I wanted to get a few final shots in before leaving, so I tried to pinpoint where the rocket had come from. Then the BRDM exploded and caught fire, and I realized the error of my ways all over again. Audiox had been shot shortly after turning out, but I was left incapacitated but alive in a burning vehicle. I radioed command for help, but was realistic about the value of a wounded BRDM gunner without a working BRDM in the middle of enemy territory in an exposed position. I sung a few songs over direct comms to myself and the enemy as the remaining fuel slowly burned down.
Crash site - Opfor TH3 helicopter pilot, with Dabbo as doorgunner
My premiere flying experience! I was all set to have a regular position, especially after taking a fancy toy in the last mission, but nobody seemed to be forthcoming during the slotting after we were asked to fill up the helo slots multiple times, so I thought I'd jump in to move the process along.
I was flying our fearless CO, Iceraiser, and a couple of other VIPs around the attack zone while Alpha and Bravo landed at the edge of the zone. We soon spotted the crash site and reported it in to the ground troops, and then we came across Blufor which were landing and disembarking troops. I flew in closer to try and give Dabbo a line of fire on them, and so began some 10 minutes of helicopter combat, with 2-3 helicopters at any one time zooming around each other, trying to get each other on our gunner's side. I called out the locations of the enemy, and Dabbo would light them up when my evasive maneuvers allowed for it. It was great fun, trying to line up broadsides on the enemy while avoiding the fire of a second one on the left, or pulling up from a escape dive moments before hitting the ground.
Iceraiser, rightly fearing for life and lunch, ordered a landing so he and the medic could rendezvous with Bravo squad. I spotted a nice field to let him down in, but botched the maneuver at the last moment by backing into a wall that I didn't even realize was there. Everyone was safe, but the helicopter was disabled, so Dabbo and I headed out on foot, ready to take on the enemy from the ground.
By the time we reached the action, it was already over, and the rest of Opfor was already half a kilometer to the east of us heading towards a landing zone for extraction. Dabbo and I changed direction and tried to catch up. At one point, Dabbo joked that it was going to be like that helicopter extraction scene in Platoon. We laughed. Then we arrived at the Landing Zone just as our extraction helicopter was taking off, leaving us behind. We laughed some more. Then we saw M0ntag's helicopter, spinning ever more wildly out of control because of the loss of its tail rotor, crash into the nearby forest. Laughing, we ran to the crash site to see if M0ntag could be saved. Of course, it was too late for him, and the mission end found us standing by a burning chopper, chortling to ourselves.
BlackFolkDown (limited objectives) - Bravo SL
I had a bunch of crack fireteams with me this mission, and they acquitted themselves honorably. Tigershark landed us on the northeast side of the map, and with Alpha providing us with a base of fire, we advanced on the villa. I was experiencing terrible lag, so I laid down some initial markers at the barracks compound for the fireteams, told them to move, and then jogged to catch up with them. Well, I'll be damned if they hadn't already cleared the entire compound, villa, and arrested the warlord by the time I got there. Tigershark came back for us, and we took the warlord to our state-of-the-art holding cell back at base, which consisted of a sandy floor and zero walls.
We flew back to the action, and landed in Zargabad proper, and cleared buildings as we headed west towards the mosque. We secured the perimeter while Charlie dashed inside and arrested our targets, and then we all extracted back towards base. Things went super-smooth for Bravo squad. Well, as far as I could tell with my lag and being far behind the rest of my squad.
Finale XL - Charlie FTL
We were positioned at a small waist-high wall just west of and closest of any fireteam to the main road the tanks would be coming up. We set up camp and fired with everyone else as tank after tank trundled over the bridge. Of course, our AT was the star of the show, but the rest of us popped our heads up to at least give the attackers a variety of soldiers to massacre. I think we eventually drew the ire of the third or second to last tank to come up, and it shot us down, one after the other, as we peaked out of cover to see if it had moved yet. Well, our AT was out of rockets by that time anyhow, so no great loss.
And watching Bandzai's video clip of Juliet team's demise: holy crap! That was straight murder in the first degree. But I think I can safely say that we've all been there at one time or another.
Cholo (afterparty) - Indiefor ganger
We had orders to fire on the station from the southeast to draw the coppers' attention while Alpha advanced sneakily from the northwest. Well, I fired at the station, and the station fired back. I drifted off to PCP dreams.
Bend - A1 AR
Our FTL Crocuta teleported so quickly and smoothly that I didn't even realize it had happened, and so was freaking out that we had missed our window in which to do it. It's reasons like this why the Quartermaster issues us maps to check our position against, but I was a bit too dull to check mine. Anyhow, we played hop across the ridge for much of the match, alternately spraying fire on the convoy from the south side and retreating to the north side when we came under fire. I had a jolly good time firing at distant enemies on the road, although I question how effective I was at trying to shoot out the tires on an armed vehicle from 500 meters away. As the call for retreat sounded, we also heard tell of an incoming APC. I was so on the lookout for that danger that I completely overlooked the stationary human silhouette on my right, assuming he was in my fireteam. Right up until people started yelling about a Russian on our right, at which point I slowly turned back towards him, and he shot me between the eyes.
Roadside - BRDM1 Gunner, with Audiox as driver
We started up at the very rear of the column, and checking the plan, we were supposed to be at the spearhead of the push south down the road with Alpha. As we were midway there, reports started coming in about multiple Alpha deaths. I guess we should have traveled there a bit faster . We arrived in time to trundle over Alpha's dead bodies. I saw a friendly squad on the west hill and asked Audiox to move us into a position from which we could support them. Then they fired a rocket at us, and I realized it was an enemy squad (yeah, I have a problem identifying friend from foe - I swear the map was reading a friendly squad marker at that hill!), so I lit them up with the BRDM1's gun. After so many sessions of getting one-shotted by oh so many clever AI, I must admit, it felt really good to just mow down 10 of them with complete impunity. A real power trip.
After that, orders came in for us to advance on a DSHKM/static machinegun emplacement which was holding back the advance. We sped off over hill and dale, and then slowed to crawl as we came over the last crest separating us from our target. I was fully expecting us to be blow away, but as luck would have it, the DSHKM was facing 90 degrees away from us as we crested, and two rounds from my PKT gun later, the gunner was dead and DSHKM was inoperative. I started bragging to Audiox about how awesome we were, killing dudes and solving problems, and just generally being badasses (encased in several inches of metal plating). I wanted to stay put and take out some more squads of enemies, I was so high on adrenaline.
Then we got hit by a rocket while I was scanning for targets, disabling our mobility, and I realized the error of my ways. Audiox abandoned ship, but I wanted to get a few final shots in before leaving, so I tried to pinpoint where the rocket had come from. Then the BRDM exploded and caught fire, and I realized the error of my ways all over again. Audiox had been shot shortly after turning out, but I was left incapacitated but alive in a burning vehicle. I radioed command for help, but was realistic about the value of a wounded BRDM gunner without a working BRDM in the middle of enemy territory in an exposed position. I sung a few songs over direct comms to myself and the enemy as the remaining fuel slowly burned down.
Crash site - Opfor TH3 helicopter pilot, with Dabbo as doorgunner
My premiere flying experience! I was all set to have a regular position, especially after taking a fancy toy in the last mission, but nobody seemed to be forthcoming during the slotting after we were asked to fill up the helo slots multiple times, so I thought I'd jump in to move the process along.
I was flying our fearless CO, Iceraiser, and a couple of other VIPs around the attack zone while Alpha and Bravo landed at the edge of the zone. We soon spotted the crash site and reported it in to the ground troops, and then we came across Blufor which were landing and disembarking troops. I flew in closer to try and give Dabbo a line of fire on them, and so began some 10 minutes of helicopter combat, with 2-3 helicopters at any one time zooming around each other, trying to get each other on our gunner's side. I called out the locations of the enemy, and Dabbo would light them up when my evasive maneuvers allowed for it. It was great fun, trying to line up broadsides on the enemy while avoiding the fire of a second one on the left, or pulling up from a escape dive moments before hitting the ground.
Iceraiser, rightly fearing for life and lunch, ordered a landing so he and the medic could rendezvous with Bravo squad. I spotted a nice field to let him down in, but botched the maneuver at the last moment by backing into a wall that I didn't even realize was there. Everyone was safe, but the helicopter was disabled, so Dabbo and I headed out on foot, ready to take on the enemy from the ground.
By the time we reached the action, it was already over, and the rest of Opfor was already half a kilometer to the east of us heading towards a landing zone for extraction. Dabbo and I changed direction and tried to catch up. At one point, Dabbo joked that it was going to be like that helicopter extraction scene in Platoon. We laughed. Then we arrived at the Landing Zone just as our extraction helicopter was taking off, leaving us behind. We laughed some more. Then we saw M0ntag's helicopter, spinning ever more wildly out of control because of the loss of its tail rotor, crash into the nearby forest. Laughing, we ran to the crash site to see if M0ntag could be saved. Of course, it was too late for him, and the mission end found us standing by a burning chopper, chortling to ourselves.
BlackFolkDown (limited objectives) - Bravo SL
I had a bunch of crack fireteams with me this mission, and they acquitted themselves honorably. Tigershark landed us on the northeast side of the map, and with Alpha providing us with a base of fire, we advanced on the villa. I was experiencing terrible lag, so I laid down some initial markers at the barracks compound for the fireteams, told them to move, and then jogged to catch up with them. Well, I'll be damned if they hadn't already cleared the entire compound, villa, and arrested the warlord by the time I got there. Tigershark came back for us, and we took the warlord to our state-of-the-art holding cell back at base, which consisted of a sandy floor and zero walls.
We flew back to the action, and landed in Zargabad proper, and cleared buildings as we headed west towards the mosque. We secured the perimeter while Charlie dashed inside and arrested our targets, and then we all extracted back towards base. Things went super-smooth for Bravo squad. Well, as far as I could tell with my lag and being far behind the rest of my squad.
Finale XL - Charlie FTL
We were positioned at a small waist-high wall just west of and closest of any fireteam to the main road the tanks would be coming up. We set up camp and fired with everyone else as tank after tank trundled over the bridge. Of course, our AT was the star of the show, but the rest of us popped our heads up to at least give the attackers a variety of soldiers to massacre. I think we eventually drew the ire of the third or second to last tank to come up, and it shot us down, one after the other, as we peaked out of cover to see if it had moved yet. Well, our AT was out of rockets by that time anyhow, so no great loss.
And watching Bandzai's video clip of Juliet team's demise: holy crap! That was straight murder in the first degree. But I think I can safely say that we've all been there at one time or another.
Cholo (afterparty) - Indiefor ganger
We had orders to fire on the station from the southeast to draw the coppers' attention while Alpha advanced sneakily from the northwest. Well, I fired at the station, and the station fired back. I drifted off to PCP dreams.