Evacuation of Hoth, Mission 3

Mission H3 - Asteroid Gauntlet

(third part of FFG's Evacuation of Hoth campaign)

Rebels (GR-75 with Combat Retrofit and 125 points) (played by JL)
- GR-75 with Combat Retrofit, Dutyfree and WED-15 Repair Droid (44 points)
- YT-1300: Han Solo with Homing Missiles, Chewbacca and Gunner (60 points)
- Gold Squadron Y-Wing with R2 Astromech and Ion Cannon Turret (24 points)
- 2x Rookie X-Wing (2x21 = 42 points)

Imperials (125 points) (played by Beni)
- Soontir Fel with Push the Limit and Targeting Computer (32 points)
- 2x Scimitar Squadron TIE Bomber with 2 Cluster Missiles each (24x2= 48 points)
- Scimitar Squadron TIE Bomber with Cluster Missiles (20 points)
- Tempest Squadron TIE Advanced with Cluster Missiles (25 points)


(the scene starts with the GR-75 and its weakened escort squadron approaching an asteroid field. Camera shows the bridge of the GR-75)

GR-75 Captain: It looks like we are almost out of the system. Navigators, start preparing the jump to hyperspace.


Radar operator: Captain, we have incoming Imperial ships surrounding us! It's a traap


 

Setup

My idea while setting up my ships was that I would try to concentrate the fire of one of the X-Wings and the YT-1300 in the group coming from the Imperial edge, and I would leave the Transport protected with the ships that gave him the special Reinforce and the bonus action. On top of that, one of the ships was an Y-Wing with Ion Turret and would be able to shoot any incoming Imperial.

Beni surprised me with a very intelligent setup, placing Soontir Fel and the TIE Advanced where they could immediately start dealing damage to the Transport... It would also be difficult for me to defend the Transport with the X-Wing at the other side, because of the danger of the GR-75 destroying my own ships (I was very afraid of this after the debacle of mission H1).

The Imperials were hidden in the asteroids and they spring an ambush

View of the initial setup from the back of the GR-75

First Blood

I decided that my best options were to try to destroy Soontir Fel with my Y-Wing and to destroy at least one of the incoming Bombers with the YT-1300 and one of the X-Wings.

Beni surprised me again by focusing his fire on the escorts from the very first moment... It seemed he had learned the lesson of the mission H2 and was being patient this time and not going too early against the transport.

Beni outmaneuvered me again during the first three turns of the battle... I was expecting him to go directly against the GR-75 and planned my maneuvers taking this in minds, but he kept the pressure on the escort ships and destroyed two of them very quickly.

Also, I was quite unlucky with my attack dice and could not destroy any Bomber, although I damaged very heavily one of them.

The GR-75 jams the TIE Advanced

The first Rookie X-Wing receives a barrage of missiles and laser fire as soon as he approaches the TIE Bombers. Han Solo flanks the Bombers and dealt heavy damage on one of them

The TIE Bomber squadron looked impressive...

The Y-Wing survived two turns and managed to delay a bit Soontir Fel and ionize him twice, but it was not enough to deter the Imperial attack

The GR-75 looked very vulnerable...

Very good maneuvering on the part of the Bombers allowed them to destroy one of the Rookie X-Wings. Han Solo dealt some damage but it was not enough to destroy any Bomber

The Hunt of Red GR-75

At the beginning of turn 3, things looked bad for me. I had lost half my ships and, though Soontir Fel and one of the Bombers were heavily damaged, the Imperial ships had a clear line to the Transport.

I had not have enough time to get my second Rookie X-Wing into position and the YT-1300 was also not in a good position.

Beni maneuvered again very well in turns 3 and 4 and managed to surround the Transport.

The Imperials set their eyes on their main target

While Soontir Fel and the TIE Advanced hound the GR-75, the Bombers focus their anger on the YT-1300... again almost perfect maneuvering by Beni

Soontir Fel smells his prey; the GR-75 tries to escape by jamming the TIE Advanced and moving forward faster

Beginning of turn 4

The second Rookie joins the fray and Han finally shoots down one of the Bombers (he needed to attack it 4 times to destroy it, even with the +1 special escort attack bonus)

 

Against all odds

At the beginning of turn 5, it seemed like the game would be over soon. Beni had surrounded the Transport and could deny the Transport 5 of its 8 maneuvers. I thought he would force me to bank to one side and crash against an asteroid, but surprisingly he allowed me to move forward 1, so I could gain enough Energy to recover part of my shields. 

Even with a Reinforce token on the back and full shields, the missile and laser barrage went through the GR-75 shields and caused it 5 damage, two of them critical (one a Direct Hit so total damage was 6).

Beginning of turn 5 and the GR-75 looks fragile and is surrounded by Imperials

At the beginning of turn 6, things looked extremely dire for me. Beni denied me 6 out of the 8 maneuvers of the transport. Again unexpectedly, he decided to force me to bank to the left, but then moved his Bombers into contact with the Transport!

Even though I got another critical hit from the asteroid impact, the movement of the GR-75 destroyed one of the Bombers and Han's YT-1300 destroyed the third and last Bomber... Soontir Fel rolled only Focus in his dice and scored no hits (he was bumping against the TIE Advanced and could not take any actions), and the TIE Advanced could only add one more damage to the Transport for a total of 8 damage.

To make things even worse for Beni, my Rookie X-Wing inflicted the last point of damage on Soontir Fel.

Beginning of turn 6... escaping alive seems impossible

GR-75 doom is close at hand!

The YT-1300 deals the last damage to the last TIE Bomber before it's able to attack again the Transport

Rookie One shoots down Soontir Fel!

By the skin of GR-75's teeth

It all had changed so quickly! At one moment doomed and surrounded by Imperial fighters, the next moment with only one pursuer and the end of the asteroid field in view... Still the Transport had to survive two more rounds, and an Imperial reinforcement, another TIE Interceptor, was approaching at full speed.

I lost the YT-1300 in turn 7 because I moved out of the map (by little, but just enough) but at least I could recover some shields and kept the X-Wing alive and giving to the GR-75 the special Reinforce action.

Beni could have still won in the last turn, but he needed to do 7 damage with 7 dice and, even though he obtained maximum damage with the TIE Advanced attack, the TIE Interceptor did not roll so well... At least we got to see once more how fast a TIE Interceptor can move with its Boost actions...

The mission had it all: shrewd maneuvering, decoys, lucky and unlucky rolls and a sense of awe and fun that augments as we play and discover this game more...
 


Hyperdrive operator: Captain, hyperdrive ready to be activated

GR-75 Captain: What are you waiting for? Jump and get us out of this mess!
 

The Transport enters hyperspace

(meanwhile, in another sector of the Hoth system, a man with a black mask is very angry... he is considering his right hand with eager anticipation)

Darth Vader: 

To be, or not to be - that is the question
Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer 

the cravings of the Dark Force

Or to admit the defeats caused upon us by the rebels

And by concealing end them. To choke, to party

No more -- and by to party to say we end 

The heartache, and the intense dark lure

That flesh is heir to. 'Tis a consummation

Devoutly to be wished. To enter, to slumber - 

To slumber -- perchance to dream: ay, there's the rub,

For in that slumber of darkness what dreams may come

When we have transcended this mortal coil,
Must give us pause. There's the respect

That makes calamity of so long life.

For who would bear the whips and scorns of time,

When he himself might the Force Darkness embrace,

For conscience does make weaklings of us all,

And thus the native hue of resolution
Is sicklied o'er with the pale cast of thought...

A drunken trooper out of his post! 

Oh, Galaxy far far away, in my orisons

Be all my sins remembered.

(curtain falls while the Trooper grabs his throat as if choking, Vader looking intently in the background)