Xenos Rampant: First Game - Colonial Marines vs Orc/ks.

++Report 31-01-23. Hadley's Hope/LV426 outside Rad zone +++
+++ Xenomorph clean up continues. Herding two know packs into Rad Zone for 'processing'. +++
+++Scavengers encountered in rubble and co-opted to assist.+++
+++ Motion trackers have found significant new signals, movement pattern does not suggest usual Xenomorph, all signs are of violent advance on our position with shooting and screaming +++
+++ Engaging +++

Martyn very kindly enquired if I would like a game of Xenos Rampant, I jumped at the chance, as I have many and various Sci-fi figures and had no real time to use them. But what to use?
The answer was simple, my Colonial Marines. A few figures short of a full detachment, but I have enough Hasslefree Stargrave 'randomness' to cover that.

My force, very simple,
HQ squad - Light Infantry, no upgrades. Command roll (tbc)
Two squads of Armour piercing, Machine Gun armed Heavy infantry
Psi scavenger squad- Light infantry with a Gamma level psionic with ability to improve squad armour and squad motivation reroll (cannot remember names, I'm squirrelled away with COVID upstairs and my books are downstairs).
Two squads of Lesser Xenomorphs with Cunning and Infiltrate

For my leadership roll, I rolled 'Deskbound pen pusher' (or equivalent) which is a minus 2 army points from my list, which lost me my armour piercing from both Marine squads (Gorman is in charge, he always was an idiot).
We fought in what was once an affluent area of the Colony that was being constructed. Sheltered by the meltdown of the terraforming plant, where a few bugs survived. Isn't it amazing how 20th century building look all this time later?


Two sets of Xenomorphs are forwards of the usual deployment area due to their 'infiltarion' rule giving them a 12" free move, possibly herded by the Marines towards the new threat.


Threat identified, Xenos known as 'Orc, or 'Ork', nasty critters, tend to move fast and hit hard, and look, they have a tank! There is also an awful lot of them (some figures counting as double wound) and most units in 10s.


Straight away the Lesser Xenomorphs do their thing and attack, driven wild by Marine goading, bringing down heavily armoured Orc boys.


This looks like a REALLY bad day to be an Orc as the Xenos charge on turn 2. Okay, not very successfully, but it gave me an impression of their capabilities. The Killer Kan poured in fire too, that thing is TOUGH and very effective at shooting (4+ compared to infantry 6).


Orc berserker jump troops with the Orc warlord attempt to flank the Marines (is that Arthur Dent?) but take losses from sustained machine gun fire. The massive die denotes my psi has raised the armour of those Xenos giving them a huge boost in survivability. Facing 10 heavily armoured Orc rangers, they needed it!


The orks fail to charge the xenomorphs, but the Killer Kan tank shoots holes in them instead (both species of Xenos have 'wild charge' which meant you have to roll to go into attack. The Orc/ks kept failing on this flank, allowing Hick's Marines to move up and target them with MG fire too.


Both Xenos groups of mine were now under half strength, and my nearest one was suppressed (or, in our case, marked by Marvin The Paranoid Android, very depressed). However, the upper Orc horde was now also depleted, and the jump troopers with their lesser armour were feeling the heat of 10mm caseless.


Both xenomorph groups were eliminated, and the Killer Kan advanced, almost eliminating Hick's squad in a go, then damaging the Psi squad too. Thankfully HQ and Deitrich's squads had all but removed the threat of the jumppack Orks, whose boss had retreated back, fearing for his greenskinned life (it was the threat of close combat with a towel from Arthur). They had also forced the heavy Orcs down to half strength too with concentrated fire.


The Orc heavies and tank stood firm in a last stand, but the Marine HQ used the cover of the buildings to sneak up on teh Orc boss and take shots at him. Hicks hides from the tank, both sides are now very close to being under half strength...


Psi scavengers cannot rally and are now out of command from the HQ, so decide to keep their heads down, while the remaining Marines pour fire into the tank (it takes 6 hit, on 10d6, needing 6s to hit to even dent that thing). The can removed Hicks from the game, taking me under half strength too.


But with the HQ finishing off the Boss, the Orc/Ork threat is no more, as all units are under half strength and testing on -1 on a d6 any time they are hit.
Great game, will I play again, definitely, just need more warriors, and maybe a Queen?

+++ Fresh threat eliminated, Xenomorph packs also removed. Awaiting evac+++