Broadsword: The Raid

The town to be raided.

The Classic Traveller adventure: Broadsword pits a group of mercenaries against an apparently run-of-the–mill insurgency on a backwater colony world off the beaten track in Vilis subsector of the Spinward Marches.  Unfortunately, soon after the mercenaries arrive on-planet the Fifth Frontier War breaks out and a Zhodani strike cruiser arrives in system, taking up station just out of range of the planetary defences.
The planetary authorities then contact the mercenaries with the news that intelligence has provided information suggesting an important rebel conference is to take place in an isolated township out in the hinterland.  Time for the mercenaries to earn their pay!
For this game I used the Two Hour Wargames ruleset 5150.  It is well-suited for a solo game, and for the approximate platoon-sized opposing forces in The Raid.  The mercenaries consist of three squads of eight troopers (armed with ACRs and a squad support plasma gun – I used GZG New Israeli figures).  The defenders consist of a platoon-sized force of insurgents (mainly armed with carbines and rifles, along with a recoilless rifle and a machine gun – I used 15mm.co.uk Laserburn figures and GZG Colonial Militia).  The mercenaries have two wheeled ATVs mounting auto-grenade launchers (I used 15mm.co.uk Glaives).

The mercenaries poured out of their ATVs and shook out into a rough assault line, moving into the outskirts of the town.  A walled compound was soon revealed to contain an insurgent squad who opened fire on the pointman of Charlie squad.  He was the plasma gunner in heavy armour, and shrugged off the small arms fire while the rest of his squad let rip on the insurgents with their ACRs and the vehicle AGL, taking down a couple of them and forcing the rest to hunker down petrified in the building or flee the town.

Initial insurgent defensive position.

Merc fire support.

Insurgents using walled compounds for cover.

In the centre, Bravo squad headed up the main road into town, encountering a group of insurgents milling about outside a building.  The mercs got the drop on the rebels, and automatic weapons fire took care of all but one insurgent.  That rebel, however, used his machine gun to wound two of Bravo squad – they were out of the fight – before dropping prone as he ran out of ammunition.

Bravo squad advances down the main road, encountering unprepared insurgents in town.

The surprised insurgents, complete with machine gun.

Finally, Alpha squad and its ATV had an initially untroubled approach around the back of town.  After a couple of minutes pushing through empty fields, they came under sporadic fire from another walled compound at the far end of town.  At that range, the rebel carbines had no effect, and Alpha squad’s return fire was enough to suppress the insurgent position.

Rebels at the compound at the far end of town take Alpha squad under fire.

Alpha squad return fire at the distant insurgents.

Bravo squad took care of the rebel machine gunner as he tried to reload, and Charlie squad crashed through the door of the compound where they captured several rebels cowering in the buildings. 

Charlie squad moves in on the remaining rebels in their sector.

But Alpha squad were in for a rude surprise as they rushed forwards to close with the suppressed insurgents in the far compound.  Suddenly from a flank they were taken under accurate ACR fire – a group of four Sword Worlds Gram lift infantry (Peter Pig Vietnam War Anzacs) had been meeting with the insurgents and were now trying to make good their escape. Two mercs went down in the hail of fire, but their comrades struck back blasting the Swordies hideout with plasma fire and RAM grenades.  The Swordies were shocked into submission by the sheer weight of firepower hitting their position, and the survivors of Alpha squad rounded them up as prisoners.  Time for some interrogation!

Insurgents with Sword Worlds lift infantry in the far distance.

Swordies let rip at Alpha squad with their ACRs.

Meanwhile, the remaining insurgents took flight as best they could, leaving the Broadsword mercenaries in control.  The mercs had lost 3 KIA and 4 WIA in total, although none of the wounded turned out to be critically hit.  They took 8 POWs, including 4 Sword Worlds officers/NCOs.  The bodycount was 11 insurgents.

Comment: A fine game with 5150 working well in this raid scenario where one side is essentially surprised on its home ground and fighting back against a fast moving assault force.  The reaction system of 5150 allows stationary units to get the drop on advancing adversaries, if they are good enough!  If not, the better weapons of the mercs would prevail, suppressing insurgents quickly by out-gunning them.