Durgama Takeover

“Commander Kampilan, welcome back. I know you're itching to head back to the front, but given your extended leave of absence from operations, the Diwan would rather ease you back into active duty. Haqqislam High Command is reinforcing Nomad defensive efforts on the Raveneye station, so your people are being moved to orbit. While you've been away, we've begun fielding troopers with new operational profiles and equipment, like the Shujae and the Mukhtars, so take the opportunity to familiarize yourself with their capabilities.”

“You're going up against some Nomad reserve troops for a training exercise. I believe you are already acquainted with the meteorhead commander, Desanges, so I'll leave you to prepare.”

Given that we're nominally allied factions, Desanges and I decided to fluff this battle report as if it were a paintball training day for both our forces. The highest tech version of Splatoon that the Human Sphere can manage. I haven't managed to play Infinity since...late 2019? So a training exercise seems appropriate.

I win the LT roll, and decide to take Initiative, while Desanges has deployment advantage. I draw HVT: Espionage, Experimental Drug, and In Extremis Recovery for my classified objectives.

Image Galleries below: Revealed Nomad forces, hidden Haqq forces (wood surface), revealed Haqq forces (black surface), as well as Nomad and Haqq deployments.

I chose to deploy as far up as I can with a camouflaged gunline of Daylami with panzerfausts for maximum havoc, taking advantage of the mission special unlimited ammo.

“All right team, we've ceded the initiative against Desanges in previous engagements, let's see how they like it when we do the pushing.”

First to fire and first to fall is my Nahab Red Fury parachutist. I'd taken the opportunity to walk in the Nahab at a dead zone in Desanges' deployment area, but rather than pick off an easy target (Jazz and Billie were probably the better targets), I decide to try an end run and decapitate Desanges' Brigada LT and Jaguar fireteam. That didn't end well, and the Nahab walks off the exercise field splattered in paint.

I try to compensate by moving up a Namurr toward the weapon panoplies, but failed to take into account one of Desanges GML remotes, which managed a lucky missile hit (rolled a 3 versus my 2 dodge). Still, Immunity (Total) meant that the Namurr was only unconscious rather than completely splattered.

I try to poke some holes in Desanges' line with Yara Haddad's marksmanship, only to be flattened at a distance with a paintball-rocket. I also even-traded a Hunzakut forward observer with one of Desanges' Moran observers, figuring it was better to knock that guy out before he could fill the middle with Koalas.

The only reason things weren't a complete wash was that my Mukhtar MSV trooper managed to score a hit on a Jaguar, knocking out one of the two panzerfausts. The shoulder-fired munitions would be...defining in the match ahead.

A Corregidor Hellcat drops out of the ceiling and into the exercise zone, but before it could unleash havoc on the Haqqislam back line, it gets taken out by a very lucky shot from a Daylami's panzerfaust. Given that munitions were freely available for the training day, the young irregulars exercised absolutely zero fire discipline, and truth be told, I wouldn't have it any other way.

The Jaguar fire team advances up slowly to the middle, engaging in a panzerfaust duel with two Daylami. The gangsters eventually win out on my bandits by sheer weight of fire, giving an opening for Jazz to move forward, toss a repeater, and overwhelm my Mukhtar hacker with a Trinity strike of AR spam, adware, and military grade pop-up memes.

Desanges forces my Mukhtar gunner into cover by advancing his Gator TAG, but dogged panzerfaust fire from a pair of Daylami bandits sends the Gator off the field with every front-facing surface covered in paint splatter from our paintball rockets. Capping off my lucky return fire, the same Daylami that brought down the Gator manages to pick off Desange's ML REM as it was sliding into a firing position.

With my misplays partially offset by lucky opportunity fire and the Daylami panzerfaust tarpits, I move up to the fight again. I move my Mukhtar gunner up into the middle of the field and cover, cutting loose with its Red Fury against Jazz and a Jaguar and sending them off the training field covered in paint.

My midfield Shujae operative moves up and opens a panoply, rolling a Mimetism sneaksuit, but he's already wearing one, so eh. Lastly, I move my Ghulam doctor up to the fallen Namurr, bringing her back into the field with the Doctor skill (how does that even work in a paintball environment? eh.). This allows me to claim the Experimental Drug objective.

(Sadly I forgot to take photos here)

Desanges reorganizes the Nomad combat groups, and then pushes forward. The Wildcat engineer attempts to reactivate the ML REM, but my Ghulam doctor manages a lucky shot that splatters the Wildcat before it can get to the REM.

With things running close, Desanges moves up their last remaining Moran, which manages to send my last Daylami ducking for cover and shooting my Mukhtar off the field. It also leaves some nasty presents behind in the form of a pair of Koala paintball drones.

I throw my last Daylami at the Moran, taking both Koalas to the face while also scoring with paintball buckshot for a double-KO. That dude was definitely man of the match, scoring a TAG, a REM, and the Moran, as well as clearing space. He walks off the field absolutely splattered with paint, and I spend my last orders to move my Shujae up to the Moran, scoring In Extremis Recovery.

Desanges still has a golden path opportunity to tie the game, sending his Brigada lieutenant forward. The Brigada's flame/paint thrower drenches the Shujae, and the heavy trooper actually manages to fire off a last shot at my Namurr and Ghulam doctor. The Ghulam is covered in paint, but the Namurr manages to dodge into melee. With the Brigada out of orders, there's not quite enough to turn the tide, so we turn to scoring for points.

Army point kills: TIED
Desanges army kills: 225 points
Kampilan army kills: 225 points

LT Kills: None

Specialist Kills: Kampilan (2 points)
Desanges: Mukhtar hacker, Hunzakut FO, Ghulam doctor, Shujae
Kampilan: Moran FOx2, Wildcat engineer, Jazz, Gator Pilot

Panoplies: Kampilan (1 point)

Classified Objectives:
Kampilan: 2 points
Desanges: 0 points

(Or is it 3-0? Does the Pilot count as killed for things like Specialist Kills?)

After action thoughts:
Wow, playing a meme-y Daylami list plus specialists to take advantage of the unlimited ammo mission mod paid off. The 5 Daylami were hilarious, and that last guy managed to bag a hell of a lot of points. Not that Desanges didn't have similar ideas, and the Jags definitely also hammered me. The Nahab parachutist was terribly misplayed on my part, and something I need to really do better with. The Namurr, I still like, but miss an angle or two and it'll go down quick. The Shujae and Mukhtar intrigue me, and I'm definitely looking forward to the new Hassassin army pack that will come with Operation Blackwind.