Dystopian Wars - 4th Battle.

Today I played my regular opponent, Neal Barton at Dystopian Wars, utilising all the new models we acquired at Fly Another Day on Saturday. Most of my fleet still needs painting - so bear with me on that.

The game was played on a 4' by 4' board, with two small islands roughly 2' up each side of the board.

The Board mid-way through Turn 1

I started well, with both set-up and intiative falling to me first. 

Well, too put the whole event down to a few words, I got slaughtered. Neal managed to get 2 Magazine Explosion results, the worst thing that can happen as a result of a critical hit. One was on a Cruiser in the centre of the board, and damaged another. The second was on the Ruler Class Vessel, HMS Cooke.

My Ruler Class Battleships - HMS Wellesley and HMS Cooke

Neal's cruisers floated up my left flank, on the far side of the one island and I sent a few tiny flyers and my Capital Ruler Class ship; named HMS Wellesley, and two squadrons of 3 Frigates. 

The troublesome left flank!

Centre of the board, Torpedo bombers, along with a squadron of Frigates and HMS Cooke, close-in on what I consider to be certainly one of more deadly of Neal's squadrons, a Battleship and two cruisers in escort.

A few disasters then helped seal my fleet's fate; I didn't notice potential collisions and so lost 2 Frigates from one Squadron to my Ruler Class, and a Cruiser to my Avenger Class Fleet Carrier, the two of which had been moving up the centre of the board.

My Avenger Class Fleet Carrier, not just a supply platform for Tiny Flyers, these things pack a punch with Torpedoes and Turrets on the flanks!

HMS Wellesley collides with a squadron of Frigates, the game requires you to watch where your heading, as well as watching your opponents, thinking ahead is key, as I found out to my utter disdain...

The board as the first of the collisions occurs on the left, the right side of the board was much more free of ships compared to the left

HMS Wellesley at all stop, as the Carrier collides with the surviving Cruiser later in the game, the Frigates in the background were rammed by the approaching French Dreadnought!

One success belonged to my Olympic Class Troop Ship, the Merchant Navy Vessel; Collosus. It managed to fly up the board to the opposing island on the right flank and steal a Frigate in a boarding action, taking minimal fire from Neal's escorts and battleship, which were on the centreside of the island. The closeness of the second of my Ruler Class Vessels; HMS Cooke, helped deal with the three other frigates and damage Neal's Battleship.

The Collosus, Olympic Class Troop Ship

The Collosus swoops on it's prey! It suffered a few HP of damage en route, as shown by the counters.

HMS Cooke - My second Ruler Class Battleship

Overall, I believe Neal having ships as escort squadrons to his Capital ships, such as his battleship and Dreadnought, helped him win a decisive victory. The lucky critical hits that caused the magazine explosion results didn't help, and neither did the collisions caused by my poor navigation. It was still a highly fun match, and full of laughs at vessels destorying their own side by smashing them aside.