Steelville playtest

I had a chance to playtest my Siege of Monopolis Steelville scenario at Dragon's Lair last week. I had six players pushing enough minis for ten, and I got to try a new layout for my game. The participants and bystanders liked the table, but it took a long time to set up.

Once the defenders placed their forces, the attackers came at the city from the west, with three Ogres, lots of armor, and an even larger about of infantry. Interestingly, they decided to hold off on launching their cruise missiles.

The defenders, however, decided not to wait, and they launched one of their cruise missiles (seen below on its flight stand) toward the enemy. Of course, the enemy tried to shoot the massive nuclear weapon down--and they succeeded. Since in Ogre, a downed cruise missile detonates on a roll of 6, you can guess what happened next.

The warhead went off, right over central Steelville.

These weapons are quite destructive, leveling town hexes up to four spaces away and damaging them up to six. The blast took out friend and enemy alike, although the attacking cybertanks were far enough away to remain unharmed by the blast.

The defenders were on the ropes, but they held out long enough to get another cruise missile fired. This one made it all the way to its target, the Ground Effect Ogre. It destroyed the cybertank and some nearby units, helping the defenders hold out a little longer. In the end, however, the attackers still had two functioning Ogres and plenty of other units, so they were the winners.

It was a fun time and a productive playtest. My players gave me some useful tips on getting set up quicker. They also suggested cutting down on the number of cruise missiles, since using them basically halts the game. Good advice that I plan on heeding.