For the session, I crafted ore holding tanks from four 2-liter soda bottles, which I painted gray with some red and green accents to add variety. Additionally, I used 3/8" PVC tubing to complete the setup. Another player contributed vehicles from a different game, adding to our resources. The complex itself was assembled from paper cutouts purchased from Wargamer's Vault. To create the terrain, we used a brown and gray colored fleece sheet, with sponges and books placed underneath to form hills. Our figures were 28 mm in scale, and we played on a 3" x 5" folding table, which resulted in a slight scale discrepancy.
Overall, despite these minor challenges, the game was enjoyable, and we look forward to future sessions with improved setups and resources.
Below is the opening I presented to the players and later I'll post a turn-by-turn continuation of how the action unfolded.
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The Black Eagles' Mission on Domerah
The planet Domerah, a barely habitable world with frigid temperatures and dominating most of its close orbit around its M1V red dwarf star, is one of six planets in the Kardif system. Despite its harsh climate, Domerah's crust held rare elements, making it a valuable target for mining operations. Recently, a spike in the price of these elements had turned the planet into a hotspot for raiders seeking to hijack shipments. These raiders had gone a step further, occupying the automated mining operations to claim the ores for themselves. Special refining equipment was needed to extract the rare elements, but too many refining operations were willing to overlook the source of the ore for the right price.
Enter the Black Eagles, your fast reaction strike team (FRST), often referred to as "First." The team, originally part of the Terran Amalgamated Systems (TAS) military forces, had honed their skills during the Unification Wars and later the Pacification Wars. For nearly thirty years, the team fought side by side. But when the last war ended, a general drawdown by TAS saw the team abruptly released from their contracts, left to fend for themselves in a civilian job market with little demand for their particular set of skills—skills that revolved around killing efficiently and in large numbers.
Faced with limited options, the five core members of the team voted to stick together and join a private security firm. Unfortunately, many others affected by the drawdown had the same idea, saturating the market and driving down pay. With their pooled military separation pay dwindling, the team was on the brink of financial ruin. In desperation, they formed their own security group, the Black Eagles, a nod to their old moniker, the Black Hawks. The last of their credits went into equipping the team with the best gear they could afford. Virtually broke but determined, they set out to build a reputation from scratch. Jobs were scarce at first, and clients were often dubious, but over time, the team's reputation grew. Though far from luxurious, they began to secure more consistent work.
Now, the Black Eagles had landed their latest contract: stop the raiders from stealing the rare ores on Domerah.
The team recently touched down on Domerah, equipped with Extreme Environment Operation Suits (XEOS) provided by the client. While these suits offered some built-in protection due to their design, they were not armored, and a direct hit from an energy weapon would likely be fatal.
Perched atop a large, craggy hill, you survey the extraction complex in the distance, illuminated like a baseball field at night. Two tracked cargo haulers sit near massive containers holding the ore. Despite your advanced eye gear, the resolution isn't good enough to reveal more details. You sigh, realizing that your team will need to conduct a reconnaissance in force, dealing with threats as they arise. The best intelligence available suggests that most of the raiders are common criminals with little military experience—at least, that’s what you hope. There's only one way to find out: dive into the fray and handle whatever comes your way.
With determination, you signal your team. It's time to take care of business.