Infinity: Nomad Incursion at Svalarheima

 The Infinity covert war continued last week, with Jason gathering another 300pt Nomad force to take on my PanOceania counter-terrorism forces at the crucial research stations on Svalherheima. The escalating Nomad night-ops don't bode well . Perhaps they are up to something? We stuck with the great YAMS. I like it because you don't have to take a whole heap of specialists and there is less need to bloat out lists with maximum orders, like has become the norm with ITS. Jason surprised me by taking a link team of THREE Mobile Brigada (tough HI)... however, I think he wasn't really expecting me to take a Clipper REM (a guided missile platform) and a pair of Auxilia with their Auxbots to function as observers. We drew our cards and Jason got 'ambush' and revealed that I had "map the enemy deployment zone" as an objective. Usually objectives are hidden but that card means we suddenly have a shared objective (he gets points if I don't succeed) worth double points. I won first turn.

 +++ 20:16 +++ The Nomad terrorists have come in heavy. There is a REM with Crazy Koalas pushing up the middle and a team of Heavy infantry looking to hook around our right. Father-Officer Tancred and the ORC in power-armour have taken point.

PFC Vasquez has worked her Forward Observer Auxbot around that right flank. The shimmering outline of a potential Nomad infiltrator is dimly visible in the engagement area but she is successful in marking the target: Three Nomad Mobile Brigada. Suddenly the night is lit by successive flashes of missile strikes, as the Clipper REM unleashes several salvos. Some cut out as a Nomad Hacker is revealed to be in the AO. It's not enough though: Two confirmed kills on the Nomad Mobile Brigada.

The Nomad Terrorists have come ready for a fight. Contact Left Flank: The notorious Nomad infiltrator 'Mr Smiley' disengages his Thermo-Optic Camouflage takes up an enfilading position.

Our combat group is caught flat-footed and unable to respond on that vector. Mr Smiley's deadly HMG rips into the Missile Launching REM and renders it combat-ineffective. We have the right locked down but if anything of ours moves on the left, it dies. A sound like an uncoiling spring heralds the arrival of the Nomad Sputnik REM in the centre and one of a pair of Crazy Koalas springs over in striking range of Father-Officer Tancred and the ORC.

 We aren't locked out yet though. The 'Croc man' has used his Thermo-Optic camo to infiltrate up the centre and reveals himself prone with a line of fire on the Nomad REM. However, several shots with a Boarding shotgun only manage to force it to pull back ready to counterattack. Worse, Mr Smiley guns the Croc man down from his perch on the fire-engine.

 Brother-Sergeant Balain then hits the ground with a crunch after executing a combat jump from a circling drop-ship. Luckily the Nomad hacker hadn't realised its proximity until too late or hadn't brought jamming equipment. Mr Smiley heard the drop as the Crusader Brother hit the frost, and turned to face.

 A fatal mistake: A Nisse Sniper comes up out of prone position behind a billboard overlooking the length of the wreck-strewn road. Several sniper shots ring out. The first miss. Then he readjusts his Multi-Spectral visor. Next time he does not miss.

 Contact Right Flank: The shimmer resolves itself into 'Mr Grim', Mr Smiley's Death's Head masked wingman. Mr Grim took aim with his combi-rifle and gunned down the AuxBot Forward observer.

He then Sauntered forward to take down Vasquez, confident in the protection afforded by his still active Thermo-Optic Camo.

Vasquez dropped him in one shot of reactive fire.

Nomads bugging out, repeat: Nomads bugging out.

Another victory successful counter-terrorism op.

Jason called it (we started late, and he had to drive south the next morning for work) after Mr Grimm met his untimely end. It turned out we had very similar objectives. Both had to destroy a terrain piece on the Centre line (Sabotage) and get into the enemy SZ and pass a WiP roll (Mapping). He also had to get a model over half way and stop me from my mapping objective. My other two objectives were to simply have a model in the enemy DZ and collect data from a fallen enemy model.



The Nomad plan had basically been to use the three linked Mobile Brigada to push around, blow a truck, and walk over halfway into my left flank. Instead they got alpha-striked by my guided missiles. He had some successes from that point but I had two models sitting on a terrain piece ready to 'push the button' on my last turn, and my Crusader planned to pick up something off the body of 'Mr Smiley' and then walk back to map the enemy DZ to Jason's right, where he had no more models covering it.

The game was a lot of fun. A bit harsh for Jason who basically took the perfect target (grouped HI!) for my guided missile launcher. He did, however, make my guided missile launcher pay.

Thanks for reading.