[Let's Play] UFO: Alien Invasion

[Torben]

Ahh, yes, sorry. Concur on dropteam movement. Provides more equal coverage of planet (at least in my sleep deprived mind) and allows us shorter trips to New Vegas.

[JonB]

Update first, then the guns. I apologize for the short update.

---

"Anitmatter." My voice was dry as I croaked out the word.

"Yes sir", Academia said as he pondered the implications. "The energy produced could revolutionize our science even more than cold fusion did!"

I nodded. "Begin your research immediately."


16:01, 11 August 2084
Command Center, Builder of Chinese DOOM
China, The Asian Republics

"Two Xeno craft?" The Assistant Director stared impassively at the Geoscape. "What are their projected course?"

"Sir, Xeno-81 is on a direct bearing for our location. 82 is headed north of us."

"Dispatch Barnest-2 to intercept Xeno-82. It seems 81 is coming to attack us, and I want the facility prepared for that."

"Aye sir! SET CONDITION ONE THROUGHOUT THE BASE!”

The Assistant Director made a note to purchase some AA weapons like the ones that so effectively protect the North American Base. Maybe simply purchase the entire island from the Asians.


OmniQ: “So, this time, we're prepping directly for a Xeno attack in a calm manner?”
Eternal Freedom: “Seems so. Although I've been issued this Grenade Launcher due to potential.. collateral.”
OmniQ: “Yea. I heard that the Director's beside himself with accidentally killing civvies.”

Vehrec: “Hey guys, stop your chatting, our guests have arrived. Let's give them a warm welcome, shall we?”
((OOC: Oh, base defense missions. The only chance I have to take these fun screenshots. Too bad there's no “Base Defense” skirmish mission.))


((OOC: And here, you can see the Chinese Base. A 5x5 grid, everything on the 'right' three rows is workshops and the like, with the important stuff on the 'left' two rows, including the Barracks and where the Aliens come in. The two empty spots on the right side are sections that I can't build in, and on the left is the space I made for future Antimatter storage. Now, let's go kill Xenos!))


Chaser: “THIS FEELS WEIRD.”
Edi: “You're a cyborg now. Get used to it.”
Hawkwings: “Says the man who seriously lucked out.”


Eternal: “I'm headed topside. Get some better use out of my launcher's range.”

Eternal: “BLOODY HELL! There's a couple of Xeno's trying to sap the wall leading into the power plant!” ((OOC: No they're not. Explosives were dummied out in 2.3.1, leaving the High Explosives Skill only used by the Rocket and Grenade Launchers. Oh well.))

Eternal: “Nade out! Damn, hit the overhang.”

OmniQ: “Hang on! I'm coming up!”


Hawkwings: “Damn. Do I go up and help, or stay down here?”
Omega Chief: “Down here!”


Omega: “In the Hospital!”

Edi: “Ugly down!”



Omega: “Cover the entrances to the Power Plant! Let Eternal and Edi take care of the ones topside!”


Eternal: “Spooked him! He's running! Here, have a present, ya green bastard!”

Omni: “Damn, my angle is bad!” ((OOC: The railing here counts as a solid half-wall, and the overhang blocks the top shot. I had only a 12% chance of scoring a hit from here.))


Omega: “Don't tell Sir Nitram that I'm the one that splattered Taman guts all over the Hospital floor.”

Alison: “I won't tell if you don't.”
Vehrec: “Uh, you do realize that everything is recorded, and Nitram reviews all the mission debriefings.”


Eternal: “I've got an angle! Nade out!”

((OOC: Not pictured, Grenade missing (75% chance, detonated on the underside of the walkway), and Taman RF'ing a plasma bolt into Eternal.))

Edi: “Oh damn it! ETERNAL!”

Edi: “Die! Damn it! Eternal! Stay with me! MEDIC!”


((OOC: Not pictured, recruiting Eternal Freedom-2

17:05...
Hospital, Builder of Chinese DOOM
Sir Nitram looked down at Eternal's body. He was still alive, barely.

But the files that Reckless pulled from HQ's computers... some of them were quite interesting.

Including the files on Genegeneering and Cloning.

18:28...
Guangzhou, The Asian Republics

“Barnest-2 reporting. Xeno's on the ground.”


Alison: “What. The. Fuck.”
((OOC: I'm getting tired of this map. The Aliens NEVER spawn in their ship. Only up on the parkade. Because of that, there's so little variety in what to do here. Hopefully, I should see less of it as the game goes on, and other maps open up.))

((OOC: Not pictured: Eternal Freedom dying. Again. Twice in less than two hours. I think that's a record for any X-COM (or clone) game. Go me! Go Eternal Freedom!))

19:05...
Hospital, Builder of Chinese DOOM

Sir Nitram looked down at his handiwork. “Maybe I should take a bit more time with the tissue cloning process this time...”

17:04, 12 August 2084
Command Center, PHALANX HQ
Turkey, GEU

“We have a report that there are Xeno's in Cape Town, Oceania.”

I looked at the hospital report. We were still recovering, so I decided to send in the Chinese team.


18:10, 12 August, 2084
Command Center, Builder of Chinese DOOM
China, The Asian Republics

“Oh shit! Xeno-83 coming put over the Indian Ocean!”

The Assistant Director cursed the lack of AA defenses. “Deploy Barnest-2. I do not care if if gets dunked in the ocean.”

18:55...
Barnest-2: “It dunked in the ocean sir, but I'm pretty heavily damaged. RTB.”

21:45...

“Oh for... Xeno attack in Xi'an! It just dropped from orbit!”

Hospital, PHALANX HQ
After looking at the latest injury reports, I made my decision. “We'll have to send in a short-handed team. I really don't like that.”



07:00, 13 August 2084
Xi'an Industrial Outskirts
China, The Asian Republics


JonB: “Alright guys, everyone be extra careful. We're two men down already, and I don't want to go home even shorter-handed.

Coalition: “XENO'S TO THE LEFT OF THE SHIP.”

Coalition: “XENO'S EMERGING FROM CRAFT.”

Force Lord: “Burn! BWAHAHAH!”

Kryten: “Sirs, I must report that the Xeno by the door there has fallen down due to repeated hits from my Plasma Rifle. I am very pleased to say that.”


Force Lord: “There's more coming out of the ship! Advancing! BWAHAHAH!”


Sorchus: “You missed one, Force Lord.”
Force: “Nah, I just left it for you.”
Sorchus: “Gee, thanks.”
Force: “You're welcome!”


Coalition: “Hell, one more running away. I hate it when they run.”
JonB: “Just get a long ranged weapon. Like mine.”
Coalition: “We don't know who else is downrange. Sir.”
JonB: “...”

JonB: “Or it could just cower.”


((OOC: Here's where the graphical glitching started. Sorry. But I can incorporate it!))
Dave: “WHAT THE HELL? My visor just glitched out!”
Kryten: “Sirs, I must regret to report that there is EM interference coming from the ship. Please work through it as best you can.”
JonB: “Bloody hell. Another thing they're throwing at us. FIND IT AND KILL IT!


ForceLord: “Flamethrowers for the WIN! BWAHAHAH!”


JonB: “Force Lord, are you feeling alright? You're a little... energetic.”

Command Center, Builder of Chinese DOOM
“Uh, Assistant Director? A Xeno just dropped out of orbit, and it's coming right for us. And our dropteam is less than an hour from Cape Town and the Director's team is too far away.”

---

Let's end on a cliff-hanger! Can Barnest-2 shoot down the incoming UFO? Or will a bunch of injured PHALANX and dragooned civvies successfully defend the base? Stay tuned next time!

Now, for the promised weapons. Remember guys, you can have a Secondary weapon AND (a Primary OR a Heavy) weapon. I'll sort these by Name as they appear in the UFOpedia, giving my ranking out of 5 for each, the type of skill required and a short description of them.

Secondary

• 7.62mm Pistol
  3/5, Close Combat
  The Sidearm of choice for the early game, now that we're into the mid-game, it lacks the power to punch through alien body armor. And if you're getting close, there are heavier hitters available.
• Machine Pistol
  1/5, Close Combat
  Pistol, plus Machine Gun. WHY?!?!? If you're so close to make the spread irrelevant, there are far better weapons to use – including the basic pistol, which is cheaper even!
• Submachine Gun
  2/5, Close Combat
  DAKKA DAKKA DAKKA. Except this weapon requires two hands to use, and thus is rendered irrelevant in the face of an actual Machine Gun or an Assault Rifle. Scores higher than the above due to sheer damage output for a Close Combat weapon.
• Micro Shotgun
  3/5, Close Combat
  For when you don't want both hands on a proper Shotgun, this is your substitute. I may have used it in the early game with a Medkit or Stunrod or Grenades, but now into the Midgame, it's lost it's lustre.
• Plasma Pistol
  3/5, Close Combat
  Better than a Pistol in all regards, except the accuracy suffers at mid and long range, and it only holds 8 shots, rather than the 12 of the 7.62mm. I like them as equals, so it's your choice between longer range and accuracy over heavier damage.
• Combat Knife
  0/5, Close Combat
  No.
• Stun Rod
  5/5, Close Combat
  STUN. ROD. Need I say more? Someone really should volunteer to use this, as we should be due for [REDACTED] soonish.

Primary

• Assault Rifle
  4/5, Assault
  Excellent early-game weapon, it becomes overshadowed by the EM rifle, which also does kinetic/ballistic damage, and the Plasma, which does heavier damage. As the game progresses, the rank of the weapon will drop down to 2/5.
• Sniper Rifle
  3/5, Sniper
  Another excellent early-game weapon, it's starting to fall behind with the advent of the stupidly accurate Laser Rifles. Still has a place though for people in the back though.
• Riot Shotgun
  2/5, Close/Assault
  I'm not a fan of the shotgun in general, so I may be biased against it. It's best used at the same ranges that the Flamethrower is used at, which is a better weapon in general. Close skill is used for Sabot slugs, while Assault for the Flechette. Range or Damage, take your pick.
• Laser Rifle
  4/5, Assault
  High Range. Stupidly high Accuracy. 8-5 shots per clip, depending on the firing options. The only downside is, like all laser weapons, it doesn't hit as hard as others. Great for reaction fire, and harassing enemies at long range.
• Plasma Rifle
  3/5, Assault
  The opposite of the Laser, this Rifle trades range and accuracy for the ability to throw burning blue death downrange. I like the Laser better because of my play style. But someone who wants to get up-close and personal with the Aliens would love this weapon more.

Heavy Weapons

• Machine Gun
  4/5, Heavy
  The god-king of reaction fire. Set someone up on overwatch with this baby and watch the lead fly. Only problem is the horrendous accuracy, so make sure there are no friendlies in front of the person with this weapon.
• Flamethrowe
  7/5, Heavy
  You read that right. The Flamethrower is such an awesome, inhumanly brutal weapon of mass Xeno killing that it's goneBEYOND THE SCORING SYSTEM in terms of how much I love it. Force Lord has been camping this since the beginning of the game, and he's one of my star characters. Only downside is the short range, but with good armor, and cover, it shouldn't be an issue.
• Rocket Launcher
  3/5, Explosive
  Longest Range of all weapons (Sniper has a range of 90, the RL a range of 250, the Rocket suffers now from lowering damage when compared to other weapons, and alien armor pretty much guarantees a survivor. It's also the cause of all three Civvie casualties in the game so far. With Eternal Freedom dead and re-born, JonB is the only person with any good skill in this weapon (and one other, below).
• Grenade Launcher
  4/5, Explosive/Heavy
  The other 'Explosive' type weapon in the game, this does exactly what you expect it to. Throw grenades around. There are two types, High Explosive and Flechette. The HE goes BOOM, while the Flechette hits a wider area. I prefer the HE rounds instead. There are also two very different firing modes. One is Air-burst, which is my preference, and sets the 'Nade to explode in the air over the enemy. The other mode is Timed, which allows you to make bank-shots better. Just don't use it when the 'Nade can roll or bounce past the target and they get away unscathed.
• EM Rifle
  4/5, Assault
  The replacement for the Assault Rifle here in the mid-game. Suffers from a small clip, and piddling accuracy at long range, especially when compared to Lasers or the Sniper Rifle. We should have this or the Assault rifle on every team just in case Kinetic damage is called for.
• Heavy Laser
  ?/5, Heavy
  I haven't really used this weapon enough to get a feel for it. By it's stats, it's a proper replacement for the Sniper Rifle, and takes over from the normal Laser Rifle at Mid to Long Range. However, it does eat through ammo like there's no tomorrow. Someone volunteer to give this weapon a try?

There you have it. All the weapons we currently have. Take your pick, everyone!

[The Vortex Empire]

I'll take the Plasma Pistol and Heavy Laser. XENOS MUST BURN.

[ChaserGrey]

7.62 pistol and flamethrower, please.

Ahem.

PURGE THE XENOS WITH CLEANSING FLAME!!!

[Edi]

For me, there are two possible loadouts:

• EM Rifle + Plasma pistol, though carrying ammo is going to be a problem (EMR clips are 3x1 in inventory space, so you can carry max 3 spares in addition to the plasma pistol and then grenades and plasma pistol clip on top of that will make for a crowded backpack)
• Plasma Rifle + Plasma Pistol. This setup leaves more options for grenades and the capacity to carry more ammo

Since both EM Rifle and Plasma Rifle use Assault skill for basic fire, the skill synergy is good. The EMR uses Sniper skill for aimed shots, but I have a feeling we haven't been using that a whole lot. The Plasma pistol uses Close Combat skill in any case. Whichever loadout better complements the rest of the team is fine by me and I don't mind if it's swapped from mission to mission if requirements vary.

[Hawkwings]

Plasma rifle and STUN ROD!

Of course, as long as I don't suck at close combat. Which I think I'm decent at. "Decent" being defined as "not completely terrible".

[Dendrobius]

I've been pretty successful with the plasma pistol up to now, but the stun rod keeps calling out...ugggggg choices, choices.

If my close combat skills aren't rubbish, stun rod + plasma rifle please. Otherwise, plasma pistol + machine gun

I figure you can send me forward with that plasma rifle and I can whip out the stun rod as an opportunist. Otherwise, I'll stick with my "prototype" plasma pistol and a machine gun for awesomeness.

[Torben]

I'd like either Heavy Laser and Plasma Pistol
or
Laser Rifle and Stun Rod
or
Whatever is deemed best to complement the rest of the team and best fits mission parameters.

And a puppy.

[Edi]

Stun rod is single-handed, so a pistol + stun rod combo allows using both weapons simultaneously without switching. The stun rod is fairly big, so it's backpack storage only for riflemen and takes a fair amount of time units to deploy from there.

[Force Lord]

I'll stick with the Flamethrower, since I seem to have become a pyromaniac. BWAHAHAHA!

As for a secondary weapon, I request a Stun Rod.

[SirNitram]

Should I get violently dragooned into this base defense, I will wield a plasma rifle and a stun rod. In-game, probably closer to an experimental projector, and a 'Where the hell did he get THAT' melee weapon.

*****

Cloning. Genenginering. Coupled with his massive steps in cybernetics, he could restore those who fall without deaths. Eternal Freedom, despite his bad luck, had proven vital in his examination of rapid-growing tissue. He had to work on it, but already he was restoring the fallen without the clumsy, clunky cybernetics. Smaller, more elegent cybernetics could aid in the growth of cloned tissue, and keep people going. Internal communications! Yes! The first move to blend these technologies..

As the first few whose comms had been installed in their bodies were nearing recovery, SirNitram began locking down patients in the bunker beneath the main base, and moved the antimatter research materials from view. Hopefully, he could make it to the bunker as well..

[White Haven]

A heavy laser for a main weapon, and...just put grenades where the sidearm should go.

I also like to live dangerously </austinpowers>

[Torben]

Stun rod is single-handed, so a pistol + stun rod combo allows using both weapons simultaneously without switching. The stun rod is fairly big, so it's backpack storage only for riflemen and takes a fair amount of time units to deploy from there.

Thanks for the info Edi. Change order:

Laser Rifle + Stun Rod to Plasma Pistol + Stun Rod. Other requests remain unchanged.

[Coalition]

The Flamethrower + Stun Rod combo seems nice, as both are short-range items that require me to get up close and personal. The other option would be Plasma pistol and Stun Rod, so both can be wielded at the same time.

Of course, I will want someone with a longer-range weapon backing me up.

[OmegaChief]

Laser Rife and Plasma Pistol seems a good combo for me.

And I'm still one of the few PHALANX operatives who hasn't died yet :O

[Torben]

Omega, thats what they tell you, but since we can download our consciousness into new bodies, meat or metal, do any of us really know?

[OmegaChief]

... you mean I've been a Cylon all along?

[ChaserGrey]

There must be some kinda way out of here.

[Torben]

... you mean I've been a Cylon all along?

More likely a meat popsicle, with the original in cold storage and clones sent out on missions. I mean, really, with regular updates to your memories, they could do that for, well, ever I suppose. Me, I'm Prince Albert in a Can. This is metal sarcophagus I wear will be my final resting place whenever the power cells for the cybertech run dry or a xeno hits me with a nice burny ball-o-plasma.

[Edi]

Edi takes a closer look at the weapon descriptions by our esteemed Director.

*sends JonB a virtual whack upside the head*

All right folks, the Director has put in a fairly good briefing on the available weapons, but I think toting that huge honking log of a rocket launcher around has skewed his perception to the point that he has inadvertently made some serious mistakes, which we shall endeavor to rectify here:

Now, for the promised weapons. Remember guys, you can have a Secondary weapon AND (a Primary OR a Heavy) weapon. I'll sort these by Name as they appear in the UFOpedia, giving my ranking out of 5 for each, the type of skill required and a short description of them.

Secondary

• Micro Shotgun
  3/5, Close Combat
  For when you don't want both hands on a proper Shotgun, this is your substitute. I may have used it in the early game with a Medkit or Stunrod or Grenades, but now into the Midgame, it's lost it's lustre.

Remember that huge honking rocket launcher and carrying it around too long? Perhaps the Director is a latter day Arnold Schwarzenegger and can use this thing one-handed, but the rest of us ain't and can't. Try to use this thing with just one hand and you won't hit the broad side of the barn from two feet away while facing it. From the inside. This little piece of crap requires you to use both hands if you wish to fire anywhere close to the general direction of the general direction of the enemy. And it only takes flechette shells. If you absolutely positively need to use shotgun, see Primary Weapons, Riot Shotgun.

What's that? But it's smaller and better for close quarters? If you need to make that argument, you're using a riot shotgun WRONG. Next.

• Submachine Gun
  2/5, Close Combat
  DAKKA DAKKA DAKKA. Except this weapon requires two hands to use, and thus is rendered irrelevant in the face of an actual Machine Gun or an Assault Rifle. Scores higher than the above due to sheer damage output for a Close Combat weapon.

This thing can score whatever it thinks it wants, but the one thing it can't score is reliable kills. It'll hose down an unarmored taman from close range all well and good, but try it on an ortnok or one of those mechanized spiders and you're lucky if you get off as lightly I did the time I nearly died. Stick one of those lighter body armors the aliens use on a taman and you can walk right up to one and empty clips from this thing into it all day and all the bullets will do is go *ping* on the armor. And then you'll get a face full of plasma or a gut full of kerrblade and that'll be that.

The Director was right in that you should always pick an assault rifle or a machinegun over this. Or the riot shotgun.

• Sniper Rifle
  3/5, Sniper
  Another excellent early-game weapon, it's starting to fall behind with the advent of the stupidly accurate Laser Rifles. Still has a place though for people in the back though.

Essentially correct, but unless you're firing from a ridiculously long range, you're going to need a lot more on target hits with the laser than with this baby to score a kill. And if you don't score a hit with every laser pulse, chances are the xeno and his buddies will send enough Plasmatic Pesticide downrange that you'll be in serious danger of turning into melted goo. See the Director's notes on the laser rifle and keep this in mind.

• Riot Shotgun
  2/5, Close/Assault
  I'm not a fan of the shotgun in general, so I may be biased against it. It's best used at the same ranges that the Flamethrower is used at, which is a better weapon in general. Close skill is used for Sabot slugs, while Assault for the Flechette. Range or Damage, take your pick.

The Director at least has the grace to admit his bias here. While the riot shotgun is by no means an optimal weapon, it can be situationally very useful. It suffers from being a short range weapon, but at that range it packs quite a punch. It's quick to use and the saboted slugs will ruin a xeno's day in a hurry if you can place them correctly. You can also use this to take down a xeno in close proximity to civilians without resorting to a long pig barbecue as a side dish. This is not a weapon for the open fields, but for quick, dirty close quarters work. Oh, and forget the damned flechette shells. Any xeno wearing armor is immune to them, but the unarmored one's don't like. You just need to get to flame thrower range with those, while the sabots carry further.

Of course, now that we have plasma pistols and our enemies provide us with free ammo, the riot shotgun is not as attractive as it would otherwise be.

• Laser Rifle
  4/5, Assault
  High Range. Stupidly high Accuracy. 8-5 shots per clip, depending on the firing options. The only downside is, like all laser weapons, it doesn't hit as hard as others. Great for reaction fire, and harassing enemies at long range.

Remember: Long range work. If you're relying on this for close quarters work, you're doing it wrong and you only get so many chances of doing that before it catches up with you.

• Heavy Weapons
• Flamethrower
  7/5, Heavy
  You read that right. The Flamethrower is such an awesome, inhumanly brutal weapon of mass Xeno killing that it's goneBEYOND THE SCORING SYSTEM in terms of how much I love it. Force Lord has been camping this since the beginning of the game, and he's one of my star characters. Only downside is the short range, but with good armor, and cover, it shouldn't be an issue.

If you're not carrying a sidearm with this, you're sooner or later going to become a prime exhibit to the efficiency of the Plasmatic Exterminator Agent. I would nearly always take a machine gun over this one, but that comes down to personal preferences and how up close and personal you like to get. I don't like to get THAT close. Not unless I have somebody for backup who has at least a riot shotgun or something with slightly longer range to deal with aliens popping out out of flamer range.

• Rocket Launcher
  3/5, Explosive
  Longest Range of all weapons (Sniper has a range of 90, the RL a range of 250, the Rocket suffers now from lowering damage when compared to other weapons, and alien armor pretty much guarantees a survivor. It's also the cause of all three Civvie casualties in the game so far. With Eternal Freedom dead and re-born, JonB is the only person with any good skill in this weapon (and one other, below).

This is one weapon I've never personally liked, but to each his own. Hats off to the Director for having the balls to pick this one, since extra ammo takes up so much space fitting in a sidearm is a challenge.

OOC: Other weapons used to have similar ranges, such as the EM Rifle, but that was in version 2.2.1. They were too good for taking out aliens halfway across the map without any risk, so I guess that's one reason the ranges got downgraded somewhat. Also, this weapon takes up a whopping 250 points of base storage, whereas the flamer takes 60, and assault rifle 20 and other weapons varying amounts between 7 and 80, mostly in the 30 to 60 range. Hopefully they will fix this soonish for the newest stable version.

• Grenade Launcher
  4/5, Explosive/Heavy
  The other 'Explosive' type weapon in the game, this does exactly what you expect it to. Throw grenades around. There are two types, High Explosive and Flechette. The HE goes BOOM, while the Flechette hits a wider area. I prefer the HE rounds instead. There are also two very different firing modes. One is Air-burst, which is my preference, and sets the 'Nade to explode in the air over the enemy. The other mode is Timed, which allows you to make bank-shots better. Just don't use it when the 'Nade can roll or bounce past the target and they get away unscathed.

Requires a side arm and you can only use reaction fire with flechette grenades, but other than that, this weapon is the God-Emperor of the battlefield bar none and allows a wide variety of tactical options, such as bouncing a timed burst of grenades of a building roof and onto the other side right on top of xenos your squadmate just scoped out for you. It doesn't have a long range, but if you do get in range and have even half an idea of what you're doing, you'll more likely than not be top of the scoreboard. A man with this weapon can singlehandedly take out entire squads of xenos.

Just be careful of the civvies or your dreams of promotions will go out with a bang. And if you're out of position without enough time to run back and can't go forward, grab the sidearm from the holster, set reaction fire and any xeno who comes looking for you gets a face full of lead, plasma or what have you.

OOC: And just wait till we've researched alien plasma grenades and THEN launcher plasma grenades...

• EM Rifle
  4/5, Assault
  The replacement for the Assault Rifle here in the mid-game. Suffers from a small clip, and piddling accuracy at long range, especially when compared to Lasers or the Sniper Rifle. We should have this or the Assault rifle on every team just in case Kinetic damage is called for.

In the hands of a skilled soldier, this weapon beats the assault rifle handily, especially if the xeno has armor.

Thus concludes our auxiliary briefing on the battlefield weapons of Phalanx.

[JonB]

((RL has gotten in the way of my update today. Good news is I don't need any more dental work done! Still waiting on others who want to specify what weapons they want, or will they take the luck of the draw?))

[FaxModem1]

Fax Modem thanked god for the chess set that was now in his room. It was something he had had since he was a child, and now played against himself everyday, he always lost.

He looked at the weapons requisition form that came with it. He shrugged, why not?

Plasma Pistol.
Laser Rifle.
Heavy Laser.

If he was going to be a ground pounder, he was going to be an energy weapon dealing one.

[JonB]

I....

Had a very bad game session.

How bad?

One team lost 3/8 members, and the other Firebird Dropship got shot down with all hands over the Pacific. All within 12 hours.

I'm going to take a breather, then hit this:

Sorry for the delays.

[OmegaChief]

... out of interest, who were our 5 survivors?

[JonB]

From the Chinese Team - Alison, Hawkwings, Edi, PeZook, Vortex.

My own character was on the Dropship shot down, another reason to press that button. I still had another 4 people in the hospitals at HQ and the Chinese base, but they are out for at least another week or two due to injuries.