AAR - The Honourable Eclipse Company and Federated States of America versus The Chinese Federation

"Typhoon season slowed the War in the South China Sea, but it would not last forever, and both sides had not been idle in preparing for the next offensive. The Grand Coalition had been stretched thin at the end of the last year, forced to employ mercenaries against the immense fleets of the Chinese Federation, and following the success at Labuan, they prepared once more to engage the services of the Honourable Eclipse Company. 

In concordance with the Naval Command of the Federated States of America, the Admiralty of the Brtiannian Royal Navy and the Brigade commanders of the Honourable Eclipse Company formed a plan to mislead and trick the Chinese Federation, drawing one of their fleets into a trap the Eclipse Company would spring. 

After weeks of preparation, everything was in place for the Second Element of the Nanyang Fleet to be drawn into the Natuna Archipelago, where secret fortifications lurked beneath the waves ready to emerge and attack the Chinese fleet. A small American Destroyer group would serve as the bait, while the grand airships and bombers of the Eclipse Company would lurk overhead, to descend from the clouds and destroy the enemy. 

The trap was a fine one, but doubts lurked in the minds of the fleet commanders - would the Chinese Federation fall for the ruse? What if they were aware of the trap, and prepared accordingly? These questions would be answered in the coming hours..." 

- The Cauldron: War in the South China Sea

Naval Battles of 1873

Welcome to another Battle Report at Full Spectrum Dominance! This week sees the first appearance of Mike's newly painted Chinese Federation, and opposing them the Honourable Eclipse Company return to the field in full force.

This game takes focus back to the South China Sea, as the Chinese Federation continue their aggressive attacks in all directions. This time however, the Grand Coalition have lured a Chinese Battle Group out of position and into the sights of their mercenary allies - the Honourable Eclipse Company. Relatively light on terrain (especially after the last game), this game would be a reminder for us that Dystopian Wars is not just fought at sea - the Eclipse Company would be bringing a large number of aerial assets to the game, as well as Fortifications and some Submarine action from the Federated States of America.

I had said some rather derogatory things about the Honourable Eclipse Company in the past - their armament and statistics in the new Edition of Dystopian Wars are certainly not what they once were, but perhaps I had been unfair. This game would be a good chance to try them out once more.

Setting the game at 1,500pts, we both drew Secret Objectives. Mike chose to exchange his drawn Objective for the Free to Engage, meaning he would have to Capture or Destroy 70% of my fleet value (1,050pts). In turn, I naturally drew Free to Engage as well. The stage was set for a bloodbath!

THE FLEETS

Battle Group Zehai, Second Element of the Nanyang Fleet, out of Shanghai

Mike's Fleet

The Chinese Federation

One Jian-class Battleship with Rocket Batteries

Two Guan Dao-class Battle Cruisers with Defensive Crew

Three Dao-class Cruisers

Three Chui-class Support Carriers each with one wing of four Dive Bombers

One Squadron of three Yue-class Destroyers

Two Squadrons of four Nu-class Frigates

Two Squadrons of two Dun-class Bastions

Two Wings of Fighter Planes

The Tennyson-Stanley Brigade of the Honourable Eclipse Company, based off the Middle Natuna Archipelago

My Fleet

The Honourable Eclipse Company

One Elysium-class Sky Fortress with one wing of five Fighter Planes and one Reconnaissance Plane

Three Phoenician-class Scout Flyers
Four Oceanus-class Bombers

Five Hades-class Interceptors

Tartarus-class Assault Hangar with eight Stingray-class Assault Submarines

Two Gadeiros-class Attack Craft Hangar with eight Atlas-class Attack Craft and Guardian Generators

Two Wings of five Fighter Planes

The 7th Destroyer Group stationed at Singapore in support of the Kingdom of Britannia

Allies

The Federated States of America

One Boston-class Attack Submarine accompanied by six Turtle-class Assault Submersibles

One San Francisco-class Assault Carrier with Rocket Battery, with one Reconnaisance Plane and one wing of five Dive Bombers

One Squadron of four Guilford-class Destroyers

The fleets face one another

 DEPLOYMENT

The hidden fortifications of the Honourable Eclipse Company rise from the water as the fleet springs the trap

American naval vessels move under the cover of their aerial allies

Squadrons of bombers and interceptors small and large descend from the skies

The Chinese fleet keeps a close formation, protected behind the energy field of their Jiu Long Bi Generators

They close on the newly revealed enemy fortifications, ready to surround and destroy them

TURN ONE

Seeking to break the Wall, the Eclipse Company and their employers target the two central Dun Bastions. Long-range shooting from the fortifications and the Scout Flyers bring one down, breaking the chain

The Chinese Federation advance cautiously behind their Jiu Long Bi Generators, turrets causing damage to the fortifications and rockets the Elysium-class Sky Fortress

As the Tartarus Assault Hangar takes massive damage from the flamethrowers of the Yue-class Destroyers, the Elysium swings around and unleashes the Earth Shaker Cannon. All three Destroyers are obliterated in a massive series of explosions

The brutal power of the Earth Shaker Cannon rips through the Chinese formation

The Boston-class Attack Submarine reveals itself

The second Dun Bastion is destroyed by the heavy ordnance of the Submarine

The American Submarine slips back beneath the waves

The trap is sprung, and both fleets have traded heavy fire. The Chinese fleet has lost two of its floating Bastions, breaking the defensive wall, and the Destroyer squadron is gone - smashed by the power of the Earth Shaker Cannon. On the far side, Atlas Attack Craft from the Hangars ravage one of the Dao-class Cruisers, causing a major fusion leak that sinks the vessel

The Honourable Eclipse Company have suffered in return, their fortifications battered by sonic weaponry and ruined by flame

TURN TWO

Wrath of the Red Dragon! The Jian-class Battleship leads the attack, calling all nearby vessels to redouble their efforts and launch a coordinated Boarding Assault

Rockets from the Chinese flagship smashes the American carrier

Broadsides brace the Tartarus Assault Hangar, while the Dragon's Breath flamethrowers scour the nearest Gadeiros Attack Craft Hangar

The Elysium-class Sky Fortress fires once more, but causes insignificant damage. The Nu-class Frigates speed forward and finish one of the Attack Craft Hangars with their turrets as conscript-soldiers launch up into the Oceanus-class Bombers. Their AA fire protects the majority of the squadron, but one Bomber is overtaken and her crew killed, left to drift through the sky

The Phoenician-class Scout Flyers enact revenge for their comrades, bombing the Frigates and opening fire upon the Support Carriers. Two of the Frigates are destroyed and all three of the Carriers suffer damage, before the Scout Flyers return to the clouds

The Scout Flyers cannot escape the well-drilled conscript-soldiers, however, and the Dao-class Cruisers launch an assault that renders two of the airships Derelict, drifting hulks. Their ordnance also damages one of the fortifications even further

The Destroyer squadron launches a hail of rockets

One of the Chui-class Support Carrier is hit badly, fire raging through the flight deck

The Oceanus-class Bomber squadron commences a bombing run against the Nu-class Frigates, destroying another, while their AA fire brings down several of the Chinese Dive Bombers before they can attack the fleet
One of the Bombers empties its payload into the Chinese Battleship, and scores a lucky hit on the as-yet undamaged vessel

Stingray Assault Submarines swarm the Guan Dao-class Battle Cruiser, rampaging through the decks and leaving it a ruined hulk

The Chui-class Support Carriers launch an ill-fated attack on the Oceanus-class Bombers, their conscript-soldiers lost in the air to defensive machine gun fire.
At the same time, Eclipse Company Fighter Planes bring down another squadron of Chinese Dive Bombers, seeking to assert their aerial superiority

Some of the Dive Bombers slip through and manage to finish the Tartarus Assault Hangar. It slips beneath the waves

Hades-class Interceptors attack the remaining Battle Cruiser, causing major damage while their machine guns clear the skies of Chinese Fighter Planes

Atlas Attack Craft harry the rear of the Chinese Cruiser squadron, damaging one

The San Francisco-class Assault Carrier causes more misery for the crew of the damaged Cruiser

Turtle-class Assault Submersibles attack the Battle Cruiser, losing all of their men but wiping out the defenders in the process. As they are cut down, the Federacy Marines cause major damage to the ship

The Boston-class Attack Submarine surfaces right in front of the Jian-class Battleship, opening fire at point blank range and smashing the broadsides of the Chinese flagship. Boarding Parties then launch onto one of the Dao-class Cruisers, killing all the crew and rendering it Derelict

Once again, the elusive Submarine dives beneath the waves before the enemy can retaliate
Also pictured, American Dive Bombers fall upon a Chinese Cruiser, almost destroying it with pinpoint accuracy

The fires raging through the Support Carrier finally consume it

Carnage! The Eclipse Company may have lost several airships and a bomber to the waves of Chinese conscript-soldiers, but in turn they have caused massive damage to several vessels and left several more almost defenceless.
With their squadrons of Fighter Planes, they have achieved aerial superiority and brought down all of the Chinese Dive Bomber squadrons

The aerial squadrons are too close for the Chinese to shoot down, and too high for their conscript-soldiers to attack

Chaos as the two fleets close

On the port-side, the Attack Submarines of the Eclipse Company and the Federated States have stalled the Battle Cruisers

TURN THREE

The grand Elysium-class Sky Fortress brings the Earth Shaker Cannon to bear on the Jian-class Battleship, using a concentrated bombardment to smash the crew compartment of the vessel
Ordnance from the broadsides damages the Dun-class Bastion to the port
Meanwhile, the flight decks are busy as the squadrons of Fighter Planes land and Dive Bombers are launched, preparing for the killing blow

The Chinese flagship turns about, finishing the Gadeiros platform
The Dragon's Breath flamethrowers are unleashed upon the Elysium, causing hideous damage to the Sky Fortress

Oceanus-class Bombers attack and destroy the second Support Carrier

Nu-class Frigates close on the damaged Sky Fortress and unleash waves of conscript-soldiers. They are barely beaten back, and leave only scattered survivors, but the ship remains in their hands

As they attack the Sky Fortress, their broadsides bring down two of the Hades-class Interceptors

The remaining Stingray Attack Submarines overtake and scuttle the second Battle Cruiser

The Destroyer squadron turns about and fire upon the Jian-class Battleship, but cause no damage

The last, crippled Dao-class Cruiser attacks the San Francisco-class Assault Carrier

The Assault Carrier retaliates, damaging the Battleship with its powerful Fore Guns and Capturing the Cruiser with Marines
Rockets also damage the Dun Bastion lurking behind the fleet

The Boston-class Submarine finishes the Bastion, causing a massive implosion when its ordnance hits the Sturginium Reactor
The Submarine then launches a Boarding Assault on the Chinese flagship, bringing down many of the crew but losing all of its Marines in the process

Interceptors strafe the Frigate squadron and sink one

The Phoenician-class Scout Flyer bombs another Frigate and cripples the Support Carrier in front of it. Boarding parties launched against the Chinese flagship do not survive the jump

The Chinese fleet is broken as waves of Dive Bombers finish the Battleship, breaking it apart

The Chinese fleet is lost, only a damaged Bastion and two Frigates remain

Many of the Eclipse Company airships and bombers are badly damaged, and will need extensive refits

With the drifting hulks and Derelict vessels lost, the survivors look far more scattered and broken

The Honourable Eclipse Company achieved aerial superiority early, and held it. Their waves of bombers secured the victory

The Chinese fleet has fallen into the trap and been destroyed, and now the counter-attack can begin in earnest

THE AFTERMATH
In the wake of that bloody three turns, the Honourable Eclipse Company and their benefactors scored 1,575 Victory Points and fulfilled their stated Objective, while the Chinese Federation only scored a (still respectable) 804 Victory Points. Victory to the Grand Coalition and their Mercenary allies!

CONCLUSIONS AND LEARNING POINTS
A brutal affair, as usual. The Chinese Federation are consistently tough and deal out huge amounts of punishment with their flamethrowers, Concussive turrets and Incendiary rockets. So many tokens! On top of that, they have ridiculous numbers of AP on their vessels and access to swarms of Dive Bombers and fighters with their cheap Carriers and Swarm Tactics. So what went wrong for Mike?

Mike reckons the protection offered by the Dun Bastions is not worth holding the fleet back - especially in the opening turn, his fleet was slower than usual and failed to get into the best range bands. In the following turns, it was too late as the Eclipse Company flyers were overhead dropping bombs and the best Chinese ships had been dealt with.

As usual, Mike is also unimpressed with the quality of the Battle Cruisers - they are too easy to take out of the game, as their defences are far weaker than the Battleship and their damage output falls too quickly as they take damage. For the price of the two Battle Cruisers, Mike would much rather a second Battleship, or squadron of Gunships.

Isolated Systems once again proved its worth - such an annoying rule when your opponent is rolling well! I guess I can't complain too hard when my Swift Manoeuvre rolls were equally good.

The Honourable Eclipse Company performed well, and though I was getting worried in the early turns when the Chinese Commodore ability "Wrath of the Red Dragon" had his conscripts swarming my Scout Flyers and Bombers, the high AA values of the airships protected them, or at least cost him so many AP to take that they were easier to deal with later in the game.

Later in the game, the aerial superiority of the Eclipse Company proved invaluable as they cleared the skies of Chinese Bombers and Fighters, allowing them to bomb and strafe as they pleased. This shows the game can get unbalanced quickly when one player is fielding lots of Aerial assets, and I imagine a more equal game where Mike was fielding some Interceptors would be more even.

This aerial superiority gave them the edge they needed, as in my mind the Oceanus-class Bombers and the Hades-class Interceptors were not hugely impressive. The Oceanus-class Bombers did do (surprisingly) well with their Bombs, however, so I cannot be too derogatory. In fact, looking back on it both squadrons caused more damage than their mediocre stats on paper would suggest. Thus proves the value of playtesting!

The Phoenician-class Scout Flyers continue to impress, however. Their combination of MARs and huge firepower makes them an easy investment every time. Mike was right to try and get rid of them as soon as possible. Later in the game, when only one remained, it still managed to cause significant damage across the board.

The Fortifications were poor, as usual (the AD-values on their guns are pitiful), but they absorbed a good amount of damage and their Guardian Generators were nice to have. The real value, however, is their Attack Craft. The Stingrays took down two Battle Cruisers, and the Atlas Attack Craft destroyed a Cruiser and harried several other squadrons - bravo! In combination with the FSA Turtles they caused havoc.

The Americans were fine - the Submarine once again proved its worth, and the Assault Carrier still had teeth when the Chinese had caused it significant damage. The value of Devastating Ordnance! The Destroyers did not manage to achieve much, and if I was to play again I would either target easier prey or swap them for a big pile of Corvettes.

Overall, the Honourable Eclipse Company acquitted themselves well, and though I was worrying at the start of Turn Two, their powers combined with the Devastating Ordnance of the FSA ships and some excellent Boarding actions caused a landslide of bad results for the Chinese fleet, picking them apart and reducing their strength.

In the future, without American support and facing an enemy with more Aerial assets, I think it would be a far more even game, but as it was, they had a great combination of aerial supremacy, Boarding power and Devastating Ordnance that crippled the Chinese Federation.

THE NARRATIVE
"The trap at Great Natuna was a massive success and the Second Element of the Nanyang Fleet utterly destroyed. This, the first great victory against the Chinese Federation in months, was celebrated accordingly with toasts across the world and medals for all involved. 

The Honourable Eclipse Company demanded their fee, however, and the price would rise if they wanted another victory like that in the future..."

Thanks for reading,

George