Conflict at Candide: The War in Pictures

Set Up:

For the narrative and opening dispositions of the opposing forces, please see my last post.

• Sauvignon-Blanc most hold hill for 10 turns + 1d6 while minimizing losses
• Riesling must force Sauvignon-Blanc to abandon their position while minimizing losses.

The Battle:

Turn 1:

Baudrillard orders the lizard unit to his right flank to move left to support the steam walker while the advance units spring their trap!

Ambush! (note the steam tractor which will fail to start when given the chance this turn)

Ra'zel'Krrragh'lah hisses an oath to the Warrior God of his people and raises his battle axe high as Schutze Essenbeck rethinks his decision to leave the family business to his younger brother.

The ambush could not be a better success - both Riesling units are removed from the table. Maybe things are starting to come up Baudrillard?

Not so fast. 

I manage to destroy the ambushers and I feel pretty good about it.

Turn 2:

The dice gods, sensing my bravado, knock me down a peg.

It's an even numbered turn, so I test for a random event (as described here) and, of course, get one: one lizard unit turns on a nearby unit.

Traitors

Turn 3:

Regardless of what happens after this, I am ecstatic: the steam tractor starts and then advances!

Pictures or it didn't happen.

Turn 4:

I breathe a sigh of relief when I test for a random event and roll a 4 (no event). 

To no one's surprise, least of all Baudrillard's, the steam walker opens fire at Riesling troops on the opposite hill and misses.

The tide of the battle clearly is going in Riesling's direction. Even the steam tractor miraculously passes its sustain roll and advances to fire on the walker:

The Riesling army dominates the battle field as the steam tractor spins to fire on the walker.

Two behemoths square off in what will be yet ANOTHER anti-climactic encounter.

Turn 5:

The Sauvignon-Blanc attacks are ineffectual.

My rifle troops on the hill to the left of the fort open fire and score hits - much to my surprise, given that it takes two hits to score 1 on units in cover.

But, against all precedence, it's the steam tractor that will carry the day.

Redemption: Giving up on taking out the walker, the steam tractor, which miraculously passed all of its sustain rolls, opens up on Fort Candide at close range.

Turn 6:

Not pictured: Baudrillard orders his force to abandon their positions. Riesling victory.

Game over.

***

Things are looking grim for Sauvignon-Blanc.

Will Baudrillard remain in command? Will Sauvignon-Blanc stave off the Riesling advance when they next meet? 

A little bit of book keeping and some work on the cork tiles and we'll find out!