A friend of mine and myself took the day off tomorrow in an attempt to complete the EOH campaign as presented in the Rebel Transport expansion. Joining us will be two others as well that will help with taking pictures and videos so that we can put together a proper battle report.

My friend will be playing the role of the Rebels, while I will be taking on the part of the Imperial. I spent the last two weeks reviewing the rules and trying to put some list ideas on paper as I tried to theory hammer the individual games plus the campaign as a whole. The second mission ( Blockade Run ) was a bit of a challenge putting a list together because of the Groups - but I like what I have now.

So, for the time being until things kick off in less than 12 hours from now, I wanted to post the lists I put together. Comments and Questions are welcomed...

== MH1: Evacuation ==

22 Captain Jonus

03 Proximity Mines

25 Sub 025 / 100

21 Tempest Squadron Pilot

04 Cluster Missiles

25 Sub 050 / 100

21 Tempest Squadron Pilot

04 Cluster Missiles

25 Sub 075 / 100

21 Tempest Squadron Pilot

04 Cluster Missiles

25 Sub 100 / 100

== MH2: Blockade Run ==

• Group 0

24 Tetran Cowall

03 Push The Limit

27 Sub ( 027 ) 27 / 50

• Group A

22 Royal Guard Pilot

03 Push The Limit

02 Targeting Computer

27 Sub ( 054 ) 27 / 45 - 55

21 Saber Squadron Pilot

04 Opportunist

25 Sub ( 079 ) 52 / 45 - 55

• Group B

26 Carnor Jax

00 Royal Guard TIE

03 Push The Limit

03 Stealth Device

02 Targeting Computer

34 Sub ( 113 ) 34 / 25 - 35

• Group C

22 Royal Guard Pilot

03 Push The Limit

02 Targeting Computer

27 Sub ( 140 ) 27 / 45 - 55

21 Saber Squadron Pilot

04 Opportunist

25 Sub ( 165 ) 52 / 45 - 55

• Group D

27 Soontir Fel

00 Royal Guard TIE

03 Push The Limit

03 Stealth Device

02 Targeting Computer

35 Sub ( 200 ) 35 / 25 - 35

== H3: Asteroid Gauntlet ==

• Group 01 Deployment

29 Darth Vader

02 Squad Leader

04 Cluster Missiles

35 Sub ( 035 ) 35 / 50+

26 Major Rhymer

03 Marksmanship

06 Advanced Proton Torpedoes

06 Advanced Proton Torpedoes

03 Proximity Mines

04 Shield Upgrade

48 Sub ( 083 ) 83 / 50+

• Group 02 Deployment

17 Mauler Mithel

04 Opportunist

04 Engine Upgrade

25 Sub ( 108 )

16 Backstabber

16 Sub ( 124 )

Mission 01: Evacuation ( 1 of 2 )

"... opening note = the person who was going to do all of the pictures & videos pulled a "no show" today even after confirming this morning ... but nonetheless my friend and myself were able to take pics on our mobile devices - so you'll be seeing different images from several angles ..."

"... the stage is set: my list is in the opening post above - my friend opts to field Jan Ors, Wedge Antilles, Wes Janson, and a Gold Squadron Pilot ... I can't recall all of the upgrades at this time but I do know my friend will be posting here to tell his side of the story as well ..."

"... both sides play cautiously through the second turn - Captain Jonus gets a feeling for which escape route the GR75 seems to be taking so drops the Proximity Mine early near the mission objective point with the hopes of scoring some final damage as a backup plan ..."

"... things get ugly fast as the Rebels draw first blood with Wedge destroying a single TIE Advance ... the Imperials quickly strike back though and destroy the X-Wing with concentrated efforts from Captain Jonus and the two remaining TIE Advances ..."

"... some extremely tight maneuvering and barrel rolling allows the three Imperial ships to position themselves offensively against the GR75 - the transport takes several hits and loses its shields ... the Rebels however are able to inflict some damage of their own but fortunately its nothing major, though Captain Jonus has some issues with Stress tokens ..."

Mission 01: Evacuation ( 2 of 2 )

"... the fifth turn is a huge swing in favor of the Imperials as they are able to regain control of the Ion Mine token - in doing so each of the three remaining Rebel ships is forced to move forward one ... in doing so it places two of them right in the path of the GR75 - Wes Janson and the Gold Squadron Pilot are removed from the table as the transport overlaps them ..."

"... the Imperials attempt to regroup themselves, regaining control of Mine Tokens along the way and scoring a few more hits on the transport ... meanwhile, Jan Ors and the GR75 cut their losses and attempt to make a run for it towards the exit area ..."

"... just another angle of the action as the Imperial ships attempt to better position themselves as the transport moves closer towards victory ..."

"... with one TIE Advance being in strike position, the second TIE Advance races forward in an effort to regain control of the Standard Damage Mine ... at the end of the Combat Phase the GR75 has four hull points remaining ... then at the start of the End Phase the Standard Damage Mine is enabled - and four hits are scored against the transport thus granting victory to the Imperials ..."

Truly a fun game, and as usual - a good one, my friend !

Up next ( when I get a moment ) is part two of the Evacuation of Hoth campaign ... be back soon !

LOL, I am the Rebel player in this all-day endeavor. I will have to post images tomorrow however since, like my Transport in the final game, I left in a rush and left my charger and usb cable at the store.

My first list looked like this...

GR-75 Transport

- Saboteur

- Torynn Farr

- Frequency Jammer

- EM Emitter

- Comms Booster

Wedge Antilles

- Opportunist

- R2 Astromech

Wes Janson

- Veteran Instincts

- R3-A2

Jan Ors

- Veteran Instincts

- Blaster Turret

- Recon Specialist

The scenario started well with, like Toxicwisdom mentioned, good attacks from the rebel ships. Trying to prevent reinforcements from arriving the rebels concentrated fire on the lower pilot skilled ships, leaving Capt. Jonus alone.

The triple threat of antilles, janson, and ors brought the quick demise of a tie-advanced in one round of fire. Having lost his shields in a great range 3 volley from a lone advanced the previous turn, wedge got blasted deader than a wombat with return fire and left the game.

The imperials were able to ionize everything except the GR-75, and seeing escape within it's grasp, ran right over poor janson and the y-wing.

All to no avail, the Imperials did regain control of a mine and with a great cast, rolled 4 hits which destroyed the remaining hull and ended the scenario.

Great game Toxicwisdom!

That was a very cool battle report to read. Those Ion blasts must have been real tough to swallow adman67...but sometimes bad luck is the only kind ya get.

Mission 02: Blockade Run ( 1 of 2 )

"... after reading this mission several times I knew there was something familiar about it: Dark Eldar splinter raids - for those that play 40K you might know what I am leaning towards, and for those that do not then simply put Hit & Run tactics ... with that in mind I wanted a list that was quick enough to engage the GR75 and strip it off its Shields and Hull via piecemeal and not have to make it an attrition battle = TIE Interceptors first came to mind ... seven of them to be exact as noted in my opening post with the lists being used ..."

"... the initial downside however was trying to organize the list properly because of deployment and subsequent groupings ... the best I could come up with in my head was to start the game with a single TIE Interceptor and with fingers crossed in would draw attention ..."

"... then Groups A & C ( each consisting of a Sabre Squadron Pilot plus Royal Guard Pilot ) would be able to flank from the rear and side during the early and late game ..."

"... while Groups B & D ( Carnor Jax plus Soontir Fel ) would be able to intercept opposing ships as they flew in from the Imperial edge during the middle to late game ..."

"... well, that was my game plan at least ..."

"... sooo Tetran Cowall steps up for the Imperials as he is the only ship that will be deployed to face off against the Rebels when the game begins ..."

"... and speaking of, here are the Rebels making their final preparations before the battle ..."

"... it should be noted that in the aftermath of Mission 01 the Rebels had some penalties issued to them ... 01 ) the GR75 carries over the Projector Power Failure effect ... 02 ) given that Wedge was destroyed during the game he is replaced with a Rookie Pilot ... 03 ) likewise Wes Janson receives a Rookie Pilot replacement after getting crushed by the GR75 ... 04 ) by Imperial choice, Jan Ors gets swapped for a Rebel Operative ( edit: whoops ... wasn't supposed to pick that ship since it survived the battle ... sorry )

Mission 02: Blockade Run ( 2 of 2 )

"... Tetran Cowall rests as the first line of offense for the Imperials, but as part of his diversionary tactics he opens with a red K3 turn ... followed by a hard 2 left turn in the hopes off drawing out the opposition ... things seem to be going as planned so far as a few of the Rebel ships take the bait ..."

"... but their effective lanes are at a minimum and the Rebels are only able to eliminate their targets after the damage has been done = Tetran Cowall plus Groups A& B are eliminated but not before their Hit & Run offense leaves the GR75 with only a single Hull point remaining ..."

"... the second wave of the Royal Sabre team arrives from the right flank, flying beyond the range of a pair of Ion Blast tokens: both pilots focus on their intended target and the Royal Guard enlists the aid of his Targeting Computer ... but in anticipation of the incoming attack, Corran Horn positions to engage the Interceptors while the GR75 advances with engines at full speed forward ..."

"... despite the efforts however, the transport remains within firing range of the pair of Interceptors. Corran Horn takes aim at the elite Interceptor, but the Royal Guard shrugs off the attack as the ship only suffers a point of damage - in exchange he maintains his attention on the GR75 and scores a game ending hit ..."

Kudos again to my friend for a well played game !.. the Imperials earn their second win but its only a temporary victory, as the winner of Mission 03 is actually declared victorious of the EOH campaign ... stay tuned = the conclusion is on its way !

Photos posted are the same as what I have, just from the other side of the table.

It should be noted that Tetran ran off the table after being ionized, which helped. Toxicwisdom has ungodly dice rolls but that has little effect on how good of a player he is. Regardless of what the game is it is always a fun challenge to play him.

The Rebels noted the order of the beacons and tried to keep the shuttle weaving between them but it moves like a pregnant bantha. Corran Horn started too far off to the right and was late in bringing his guns to action. In hindsight, keeping the ships closer to the transport makes a big difference and also, remembering the reinforce action would have helped tremendously!

I learned a lot running the transport these three games.

I will try and post some pictures of the third installment tomorrow. That was a funny game.

haha thanks :-) but give credit where credit is due ... all that I have learned and know comes from spending countless hours at game tables over the years with good people ... and yeah, a series of good dice rolls along the way certainly help :-)

I think its a safe bet to say the players we have across three different game systems / leagues are genuinely good company to spend time with - and not just at the local venues playing games.

I thought that was another fine report by you two. I kinnda can't wait to find out the outcome.

I thought that was another fine report by you two. I kinnda can't wait to find out the outcome.

Thank you, again :-) and now its time for the conclussion of EOH

Mission 03: Asteroid Gauntlet ( 1 of 2 )

"... let me begin going into the third mission by apologizing again for making the same mistake as I did with Jan Ors going into the second mission = the confusion during resolution & setup was poor reading at the time: it seemed that a surviving ship could not be picked unless it was a Unique, in that case it was down-graded to the lowest point ship in its class ..."

"... that being said = 01 ) Corran Horn should not have been replaced with a Knave Squadron Pilot ... 02 ) the GR75 however did suffer a Direct Hit during Mission #2 so I had that carry over along with the Projector Power Failure ..."

"... my first instinct was to make the most of the Surround rule in this mission by using a swarm of TIE Fighters, but then quickly came to the assumption that I might not have enough firepower in the list coupled with durability ... and then something from the Dark Side had influence over me: Darth Vader wanted to make an appearance in this mission to personally see the campaign through completion ..."

"... and so the brainstorming began = adding Major Rhymer next with a proper arsenal would bring the punch I wanted to hopefully drop the GR75 with two Advanced Proton Torpedoes ... Doing this would require some elements of my first intention - forcing the GR75 into a trap by manipulating where I wanted the transport to move via the Surround rule ... so Vader calls upon his two wingmen, Mauler Mithel & Backstabber ..."

"... the gameplan seemed reasonably simple I thought = have Mauler Mithel and Backstabber sweep in from the side flanks, forcing the GR75 to move towards Darth Vader and Major Rhymer ... then spend two turns hitting the transport ( and not having my ships get destroyed in the process ) to end the game thus earning a third and final victory for the Imperials ..."

"... and then the unthinkable happens as the Rebels deploy first in this mission - not only did the transport completely ignore the asteroid field that was carefully placed, it did so by positioning itself sideways along the Rebel edge ... and with the remaining Rebel ships in position to launch their own offensive strike against the incoming Imperials ..."

"... but there's just one small problem to account for ..."

Mission 03: Asteroid Gauntlet ( 2 of 2 )

"... only some of the Imperial fleet is required to deploy along the Imperial edge - so I keep to my original plan by placing Darth Vader and Major Rhymer together near the Imperial edge, then have Mauler Mithel and Backstabber flank together from the right side ..."

"... the Rebels adjust as best they can as Vader & Rhymer advance up the center while Mithel & Backstabber close in behind the GR75 ... checking for range the transport takes a few hits but more damaging is the two TIE Fighters counting as six ships total for the purposes of surrounding in this mission: six maneuver tokens are given to the GR75 thus preventing it from banking left or moving forward = its essentially forced to bank right towards its own edge during the next planning phase ..."

"... the Rebels respond by trying to get their ships within firing range of the two TIE Fighters - Mauler Mithel & Backstabber take a few hits as they engage the transport a second time ... Backstabber is eliminated but Mauler Mithel continues his relentless pursuit ... elsewhere, Major Rhymer approaches with caution in the event things go bad - while Darth Vader, apparently distracted for a moment, decides to park on one of the asteroids ..."

"... with Mauler Mithel having survived the Rebel attack, the GR75 is issued three manuever tokens ( though only two are needed ) which prevent the transport from turning back towards the playing area ... as such, the GR75 is escorted away from the table by Mauler Mithel, granting the Imperials their third straight win plus securing a victory of the "Evacuation of Hoth" campaign !

Truly a great day of gaming all around !.. and I tip my hat once more to my opponent - my long time table adversary - my friend !

"... I'll have a post campaign review up soon, with a deeper look into the missions themselves plus behind the scene interactions between ships e.g. Toryn Farr is brutal ..."

All in all, that was a very decent battle report. I don't know how you two did it after those marathon games, but it was cool reading. Thanks