Fenn Vs X-COM

[DaveV]

With the southeast part of the map finally clear of aliens, the squad can begin moving west, lead by the tank.

Is 'lead' the right word? I suppose it depends on if HWPs are robots or just remote-controlled.

Should be "led", actually. [/grammarnazi]

This is what happens when you spend your days editing reports. The joys of command...

[Fenn]

^Don't worry, you'll have the opportunity to go on an exciting kind of mission very soon.

Darn, I was hoping that keeping quiet would mean surviving longer :D

I try be even-handed in who I deploy where, and make my best effort to beat each mission, but sometimes you just make mistakes. Those last two deaths were a nasty shock.

Thank you so much for getting me injured so I don't have to go on missions like this. Let's just hope that I'm still in the medbay for when the next terror mission occurs.

You just wait! You've only nineteen more days of picking shrapnel out of your guts in the medbay before you're cleared for action.

This writeup has made me rather interested in the XCOM series. All on offer on steam currently 75% off or 80% off the pack which ends up being like £2.50!

Thanks for the heads up, I got Terror From the Deep for only a dollar. I'm glad my reports have convinced somebody to try out this great game!

Want a soldier?

[ReallyEvilMuffin]

^Don't worry, you'll have the opportunity to go on an exciting kind of mission very soon.

Darn, I was hoping that keeping quiet would mean surviving longer :D

I try be even-handed in who I deploy where, and make my best effort to beat each mission, but sometimes you just make mistakes. Those last two deaths were a nasty shock.

Thank you so much for getting me injured so I don't have to go on missions like this. Let's just hope that I'm still in the medbay for when the next terror mission occurs.

You just wait! You've only nineteen more days of picking shrapnel out of your guts in the medbay before you're cleared for action.

This writeup has made me rather interested in the XCOM series. All on offer on steam currently 75% off or 80% off the pack which ends up being like £2.50!

Thanks for the heads up, I got Terror From the Deep for only a dollar. I'm glad my reports have convinced somebody to try out this great game!

Want a soldier?

Go on. XCOM 2 is 50% off as well btw. Likely the most off it'll be for the next few months.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[haphazard1]

Wow, I'm sniping sectoids like some kind of...sniper...guy. Shooting them down with both hands, even! Just don't ask me to throw anything other than a flare.

Searching intact UFOs is always risky, but I'm behind the colonel. Should be safe here, right? Wait, is that a <ZAP>

Oh well. Back to the cloning vats for another me. Such is life (death?) as an X-COM agent.

Nice work finishing the mission despite losses. Supply ships are very nice for loot, but those elevtors and rooms make for nervous exploration.

[Fenn]

I never know how to safely approach the first floor or the command center in supply ships - lots of blind corners combined with long halls with no cover.

No update today, I'll try for something tomorrow. The subject:

[haphazard1]

After seeing all those landed UFOs, I am not surprised. Should make for a very interesting -- and very difficult! -- target. Good luck!

[Whosit]

I finally caught up! I didn't realize so much X-COM/XCOM stuff was going on here. I never got much into the original games, but it's always fun to see someone who knows what they're doing.

If it's not too late, sign me up to give my life for X-COM!

[Fenn]

I can fit you in on the mission after next. Turnover is not a problem

Part 14.1 - Getting Ready

Apart from a Medium UFO shot down over the Indian Ocean, not much happens until the monthly report. Given how well we've been doing I expect good tidings:


Except those lily-livered Brits have gone over to the enemy! I swear they did this the last time too.

The countries that aren't cowardly appeasers more than make up the shortfall, but it's concerning to have a funding nation subverted so soon.

Attached to the financial update is one from X-COM agents in the field:


So, this must have been the reason behind the spate of UFO landings: the aliens have built a base practically on our doorstep! Leaving it alone is not an option as they are surely conducting all sorts of nefarious acts. More to the point, these bases house Leaders and Commanders that are crucial to completing the game; capturing one would be a real coup.

Preparations have to be made before the base can be stormed. In particular, more Personal Armors are needed after all those agents died assaulting that Supply Ship.


A Medium UFO is shot down in the meantime; a squad of unnamed soldiers clears up the crash site, bringin in a few more millions. Some of them died when the last Sectoid snapped out of panic and threw a grenade, but otherwise it wasn't too interesting.


With the money from that UFO capture, China's beginning to expand its facilites. In a month's time, the Laser Cannon assembly line will be in full swing.


More agents are created to replenish the ranks. These ten soldiers, plus a Laser Cannon-equipped tank will be the ones to storm the alien base. Once all agents have Personal Armor, the assault can begin.

I chose to bring a Laser instead of a Rocket tank for two reasons: Laser tanks have unlimited ammunition vs. 8 shots for the rocket tank, which may not be enough for a long mission. Second, if the base is staffed by Sectoids and Cyberdiscs having a Laser Cannon would be a huge help to bring down Cyberdiscs; a Floater/Reaper base would be a much easier target in general, so while a Laser Tank wouldn't be ideal it would still suffice.

Let's take a look at some of the new old agents:

Dreylin III is a very good soldier all around, with no clear weaknesses except a deficient Bravery.


haphazard4 would be great too, if his Strength and Firing Accuracy weren't so bad. Call him a work in progress.


Quagma Blast IV is strong as an ox, which is all he has going for him.


Meanwhile rho23 is decidedly average. Perhaps he will impress in combat more than he does in the evaluations.


El Grillo III is a crack shot - only Commander DaveV himself is more skilled. Hopefully his abject cowardice will not come back to haunt us.


Rounding out the list is Bobchillingworth V, whose rock-bottom Reactions score would seem to doom him to a death by the first alien that sees him. Can he overcome this handicap?

While waiting for the last two Personal Armors, a momentous event occurs:

Hyper-Wave decoders have arrived! Unlike mere Radars, these will always detect any UFOs within their range, and will tell you pretty much everything about the UFO's mission too. Needless to say, every base is going to get one of these.


Research continues on the Small Launcher - having a ranged stun weapon could be handy. It would certainly make friendly fire incidents less lethal.


HQ will get the first Decoder as planned; soon, all of the aliens' plans will be open to us.


At this point the ten soldiers all have Personal Armor - it's time to head out.

Part 14.2 - The Assault

It's not necessary to kill every alien in this mission - if things get bad, just destroying the command center will count as a victory.


The squad enters the alien base through two separate access lifts. El Grillo, Lewwyn, Mardoc, Molach, Dreylin and the tank begin on the north side.


RefSteel, haphazard, rho, Quagma Blast and DaveV have the south lift. Both groups spend the first turn waiting and throwing smoke grenades down the elevator shafts - no need to stick anybody's head out just yet.

Something shot at haphazard during the aliens' turn - what could it be?


It's a Sectoid. Well then, this could be a difficult mission. Along with Cyberdiscs, the Sectoid Leaders and Commanders possess psionic abilities. We haven't seen them in action yet (partly because I'm running with Line of Sight rules for Psionics), but for now just know that they're really, really dangerous.

Anyway, haphazard misses the Sectoid with six auto-fire shots. rho gives it a shot, but misses a burst too and has to retreat.


DaveV shows the rookies how it's done, and lands his very first shot.


Meanhwile, North Squad sends the tank down to scout. No aliens sighted.


Reassured, they descend into the base proper, throwing smoke grenades as usual.


Turn 3: The tank inches forward and some sort of inner chamber; it's much too small to be the command center though.


South Squad begins deploying. They're going to head south and west, so RefSteel plants a proximity grenade just outside the door to the north; if a Sectoid goes this way, we'll know.


Turn 4: Likewise, Dreylin and Mardoc plant proximity grenades along paths their group won't take for now. You can't watch every corner, but you can booby-trap them.


South Squad determines that they're in the very southeastern corner of the base; this weird purple room is the only way to go for now.


Turn 5: Turns out, this little chamber wasn't empty: a Sectoid shoots rho from above.


RefSteel takes care of the offender while I curse my carelessness.


haphazard takes out a Motion Scanner to avoid a repeat of that scandal, and almost walks into a Sectoid in the process.


That could have been bad. With that Sectoid dead, the scanner picks up no signatures.


Meanwhile in the north, a Cyberdisc had snuck up on the group and tried to shoot at Molach.


He doesn't take kindly to that. The explosion actually wounds him from all the way there, so Dreylin has to patch his wounds up.


The tank opens up the doors and reveals a room full of elevators. What purpose this room serves is a mystery to the agents.

Fortunately, the next alien turn passes without incident. Lewwyn heads up the nearest elevator and finds:


A room full of Sectoids; one of them is carrying an ominous-looking gun. Could this really be the command center? Lewwyn quickly ducks out to give Dreylin a shot.


Sadly, the now alerted Sectoid easily blows off Dreylin's head as he rides up the elevator. Farewell Dreylin.


Also, there's another Cyberdisc just around the corner. Things could get out of control pretty quickly here.


Molach throws a proximity grenade on the elevator. If the Sectoids try to give chase, at least one of them is going to die.


Turn 7: Strangely, nothing happened on the alien turn except that haphazard saw this Sectoid scurrying about. Scans on Turn 6 showed this alien far to the northwest, so he likely won't be able to make reaction fire.


The theory is borne out; haphazard avoids an embarrasing death.


The tank takes two heavy hits from this Sectoid when it tries to find the Cyberdisc from before.


Lewwyn gets the kill instead. While turning to head back into cover around he spots the Cyberdisc from before, and the tank takes a shot at it:


Bullseye.


Turn 8: The proximity grenade in the purple elevator room goes off, killing a Sectoid.


Molach rushes in and has a clear shot on the other Sectoid facing away from him, but misses. How can we kill this Sectoid now?


El Grillo fires up the other elevator, hitting but not killing the Sectoid.


Lewwyn's the last chance; if he can't hit this Sectoid, Molach and maybe the others will die.


In the event, he does manage to bring it down. So much for capturing the leaders alive.

[Fenn]

Part 14.3 - The Hunt

Turn 9: Back in the south, a Cyberdisc passes by and miraculously doesn't shoot at anybody. DaveV is lucky to be alive right now. Quagma Blast could rocket it from the room he's in if everybody gets out of the blast zone.


DaveV does so (and shoots a Sectoid who was sneaking up)...


And Quagma Blast scraps the disc.


Molach and Lewwyn blow up the command center. Now the strike team has a choice: cut thier losses and evacuate, or try and clear out the entire base. But with how well the assault has been going so far, it would seem premature to run away just now.


On that note, the laser tank spots and blows up another Cyberdisc in one shot. That's four down.


Turn 10: DaveV's motion scanner picks up movement four tiles to the south. RefSteel makes his way over....


And comes across a Sectoid peering through the window. He sees it off with his trusty Laser Pistol.


While the rest of North Squad takes a break in the command center to catch their breath, the tank is going Sectoid hunting.


There's another one. At this point the agents begin hearing plasma fire off in the distance - the aliens are panicking.


haphazard's scanner detects movement off to the west; Quagma sends a rocket off in that direction and is rewarded with the sound of a briefly surprised Sectoid.


Another Cyberdisc is located, but the tank can't manage a hit and retreats.


Next turn, they find each other again, but the tank misses once more.


Following guidance from Molach's motion scanner, Lewwyn finds this Cyberdisc. As long as he ends his turn inside the doors, it can't shoot at him on its turn, but killing it without dying in its suicide blast is another matter. Mardoc throws out a proximity grenade, which the Cyberdics runs over but survives.


Then, a shot flies in from the south and vaporizes Molach in one go. The tank searches but can't find the shooter.


Back at the hideout, El Grillo primes a High Explosive and Lewwyn punts it under the Cyberdisc; it explodes at the end of the turn, trashing the Cyberdisc.


In contrast, DaveV's group can't seem to find any aliens, but DaveV does see what looks to be the hallway surrounding a command center. So what was the other place then?


A plasma bolt to the side alerts the tank to Molach's killer; it's hanging on by a thread now.


Mardoc, wanting to rid himself of his primed proximity grenade, throws it under the Sectoid's feet. It could survive if it just stayed still, but of course it will do no such thing.


Once again, the tank gets the drop on this Cyberdics but can't shoot straight. One day.


DaveV is picking up movement right here. RefSteel moves north, turns around and finds a panicked Sectoid running through the halls. He's happy to give it some laser death.


The tank emerges victorious over its arch-nemesis.


Haphazard picks up movement to the west; Quagma Blast goes to provide backup, though how much help a rocket launcher will be in tight quarters remains to be found.


Next turn, Quagma Blast heads up the elevator and finds a Sectoid still armed.


Thus informed, haphazard follows behind and riddles it with bullets before it can try anything. Good teamwork there.


Out of the blue, a grenade sails in and destroys the laser tank.


And Lewwyn can't find out where it came from.


Seriously, where is this guy?


RefSteel, united with the North Squad, points out this Sectoid corpse and posits that "maybe he threw the grenade too close and blew himself up".


There follows a long, long search for the last alien, wherever he may be.


They search up...


They search down...


In the end, it's Mardoc who stumbles upon the last wandering Sectoid.


The Sectoid comes around the corner and shoots Mardoc, who thankfully survives and spares me six more turns of hunting in the dark. He returns fire and that's that:


What a haul! Those aliens will think twice about messing with us again.



Losses could perhaps have been avoided (Dreylin was my fault 100%), but maybe these third-generation clones just die easy.

I never did encounter any Psi-usage from the Leaders and Commanders. I had set the option to make Psi abilities LoS only to make them less overpowered for the player, but maybe it's too harsh on the aliens. Or I just got lucky...none of my soldiers were ever exposed to the leaders on the alien turn.

[RefSteel]

May 4th, 1999, Morning

Dear Diary,

Dunno why, but people are acting like I'm all competent now?  They gave me my own suit of personal armor even, as if my life is literally worth more than the cost of production for the thing!  And people are still calling me Captain like it isn't a joke or a dream!

Way back when I joined the force and the commander sighed, "I guess at least he's strong enough to haul around some grenades," I'd never have imagined it would qualify me to carry my own autocannon too, but after the last mission, it looks like I've got Blazing Betty just about permanently assigned to me!  I guess the commander figures if I can't hit a target reliably, at least I can spray some explosive ammunition around its general vicinity!

Uh-oh, word's out we're about to deploy.  Top-secret mission!  I'll write again if I survive this!

Yours Always,
Captain RefSteel (Clone 3)

----------

May 4, 1999, Evening

Dear Diary,

We got the base!  The aliens set up shop here in Europe, on our turf, and we kicked them right back off the planet!  I had to avenge the latest rho, laser a sectoid Peeping Tleep Bloop, and euthanize a screaming alien, but I don't think it was all the kills that got me my new promotion:  It was my experience in the field.  I guess most of our recruits never really make it through more than one or two of these missions.

It's weird being the voice of experience. Like, when no one could figure out what threw a grenade at our tank, I was the one who noticed the sectoid body lying in the blast radius that none of us had killed, and put two and two together with the aliens' known suicidal tendencies.  I think command took notice.  Anyway, I'll wear my new insignia proudly!

At least until I get my face melted next mission.  You know how it goes.

Yours Always,
Colonel Refsteel! (Still Clone 3!)