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Author Topic: Reaver Faithful's campaign  (Read 6680 times)

Offline Dogbarian

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Reaver Faithful's campaign
« on: February 16, 2021, 06:05:21 am »
This is going to be more "after-action" reports, since I haven't really tried recording much.  However, I might try to record a few interesting battles.

Starting a playthrough on Veteran of Reaver's Faithful megamod.  I was experimenting with some changes to the starting base, and realized how broken they were, so I'm starting over without using those (starting with a large living quarters was a horrible idea, because I was able to buy more scientists and engineers immediately, which led to me having laser weapons researched and deployed before the first terror mission).  The only change I've made to the starting base was layout, to allow for more defense and to have room to safely build large living quarters and labs, and I've removed one hangar, because I also prefer a personal mod of allowing 2 crafts per hangar.  This may prove broken too, but I like a large airforce.

Opening month, initial base is in SE Europe, near Istanbul.  Immediately started construction of a second base in North America, in MN/WI area.

Destroyed first UFO, a very small.  Shot down a small for the first recovery mission, cost me 2 rookies.  After radar in NA got built, but before hangar, a large was detected flying around.  Next UFO detection was a grounded small (large scout) in Europle, recovery there cost me another rookie, but I have first elerium and power generator secured.  The report on that mission in the soldiers' diary said it was landing site 3, so I'm thinking I missed 2 out there somewhere.

Ending play session by flying towards opening month terror mission, Havana.

Offline Dogbarian

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Re: Reaver Faithful's campaign
« Reply #1 on: February 17, 2021, 12:30:49 am »
Horror in Havana

Night terror mission, with Sectoid and Cyberdiscs on the prowl.  The XCOM crew did a fine job, only losing two of their own (one of those was killed by a Cyberdisc disc blast that was poorly aimed at the guardian tank - carried on by and killed the hapless trooper several meters and facing a different direction).  Only 5 Cuban lives were lost, another 11 were saved from the alien menace.

A few days later, a landed medium UFO was detected in Europe near the main base, a team quickly dispatched and investigating...

Offline The Reaver of Darkness

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Re: Reaver Faithful's campaign
« Reply #2 on: February 17, 2021, 09:08:41 am »
Excellent performance! That's either luck, skill, or both! If you're this good at the game, I want to see you play!

Offline Dogbarian

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Re: Reaver Faithful's campaign
« Reply #3 on: February 17, 2021, 09:30:44 pm »
Thanks!  A big luck factor was a good chunk of the civilians spawning in the buildings next to the drop ship, and all of the Cyberdiscs NOT spawning there. Was able to kill all of the nearby Sectoids in the first turn, which led to saving all of that chunk of civvys.

By the way, I really like your Custodian!

Unfortunately the winter situation in Texas is going to limit my playtime for a few days.

Offline The Reaver of Darkness

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Re: Reaver Faithful's campaign
« Reply #4 on: February 23, 2021, 07:40:59 am »
Oh I heard! Best of luck to you over there! Texas is going to be cold for a little while. =(

Offline Dogbarian

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Re: Reaver Faithful's campaign
« Reply #5 on: February 26, 2021, 04:18:52 am »
Texas was indeed cold last week and the power issues made national news (and truly sucked to experience first hand).  But it's much warmer this week (and thankfully house suffered no permanent damage).

Got to resume play a bit this evening, to at least finish the medium UFO.  Harvestor crewed by Sectoids, took them all out at the cost of 1 soldier that was wounded by friendly fire from a berserk sergeant affected by psi-panic (too bad, he's an otherwise good trooper, but can now no longer be trusted with a heavy weapon).  Nice haul from the landed craft, too, but unfortunately still haven't finished the necessary research to capture live aliens - both an engineer and medic were found stunned after the medic evidently went berserk, but couldn't be kept alive.   Base in America nearly has its hangar completed, and the large living quarters at the main base is nearly done as well, so I'll be able to hire more researchers as money permits.

Offline The Reaver of Darkness

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Re: Reaver Faithful's campaign
« Reply #6 on: March 02, 2021, 07:20:48 am »
Nice! You're making good progress already!

Offline Dogbarian

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Re: Reaver Faithful's campaign
« Reply #7 on: March 07, 2021, 03:22:33 am »
More time to play, got my laser weapons researched and started building, nothing much detected, but on the charts, a lot of activity in South America.  I kept rotating my two interceptors (one from each base) and the Skyranger from the US base on patrol down there, never caught anything on radar.  Then, on February 23rd, caught a landed small in Russia, to discover Floaters.  Didn't lose anyone, they obliging shot the Guardian tank for the most part, but there were only a handful of them.  Then, a few days later, the February terror mission, for the 26th.  By the time the Custodian got there, it was daytime. 
----

Reaper Rage in Rio

Landing in daytime to a terror mission in Rio, dropping the ramp, and there's a unknown huge furred monster a short distance away.  At least it's facing the other way.  Our tank moved out and immediately took fire from the right, but shrugged it off.  Rotating the turret that way, one of the Floater aliens was a few meters away, looking right at us.  Worse, two more of the big ones were spotted off to the left of the ramp, and another on the right, closer to the front of the Custodian. Popping the front doors and looking around, it quickly went from bad to worse.  Yet another was to the front, on the other side, as well as another Floater.  Time to get to work.  (Custodian facing to SW, some directions given in clock directions oriented from it).

Turn 1, a volley of laser and machine gun fire was landed on the one to the front, the tank put a shell into the one on the ramp's left.  A grenade and more laser fire was directed to the one at the Custodian's 9, and Harald put down the Floater on that side with his new laser rifle to score the first kill. Mick jumped down and scored the second kill with laser rifles on the other Floater, the one that had fired at the tank.  On the other side of the Custodian, Maya put a few laser pistol shots into that one, but the first kill of the new beastie was by ZK's rocket launcher.  As per tradition, he immediately earned naming rights and dubbed them "Reapers".  Panga tried his luck with the Reaper at the Custodian's 4, but it didn't appear fazed by the HE shell from his heavy cannon.  Pervin's heavy cannon was loaded with incendiary rounds, and she came out the starboard hatch and pumped one into that same Reaper, which put it down as well.  Unfortunately, troops deploying from the port hatch spotted yet another Reaper on the far side of a low building at the 11 angle, and there wasn't much left to throw at that one.  Delling tried to lob some autocannon grenades at it, but all were off target. Plus, the Reapers at 5 and 6, and the one at 9 were both still up, although the grenade under the latter might still do some good.  Captain Enzo armed a prox and pitched it out in the gap between buildings, hoping it would slow the aliens down.  Maya had also dropped a smoke grenade to cover the troops that spilled out to the front of the landing. Now it's their turn.

The grenade was shrugged off by the one, but perhaps confused by the smoke or hurting from the wounds, it moved away.  The one first spotted also moved out, out of sight around a building.  However, alien weapon fire and civilian screams were heard from that direction, and another Floater moved into view inside that building.  The Reaper from the 11 charged towards us, but stopped short of the prox.  Not sure if it noticed the mine, or just ran out of speed.  More alien gunfire rang out from that side, and another Floater drifted into view.  The big furry biped Reaper from 5 charged our tank and tried to take a bite out of it!  Again, the stout armor of the guardian tank ignored the damage.  We survived the first turn, although a few civilians didn't.

Turn 2
Mick opened the turn by sniping the Floater in the building.  Panga waited for our tank to get clear and then put two heavy cannon HE shells into the Reaper at the ramp, killing it.  Maya then got the other Floater in sight, for the first laser pistol kill.  Viktor put some laser blasts into the Reaper at 11, and then moved back towards the ramp to get clear. Suddenly an alien fired at him, luckily just missing.  Turning around, he spotted the Floater past the building to the south (10 from the Custodian). A few troopers fired that direction, finally Enzo (still in the craft) used his higher position to score hits on the alien and put it down. Next to him, Adam finished off the close Reaper after others had put more laser blasts into it.  Delling was on-target with his next burst of mini-grenades, killing a Reaper in the street to the southeast.  In the same street, further to north and east, our tank spotted another Floater, but no one got a clean shot at that one.

Alien turn 2 - three more civilian death screams, including the Floater in the street turning around to kill a civilian behind it.  Yet another one appeared in the building in front of the Custodian, floating down the stairs.  Amazingly, another civilian came from the same stairs, and got into our smoke, not sure how he evaded the Floater, and another civilian is visible in the windows up there.  Maybe I'm wrong about where that Floater actually appeared from.  None of the Reapers in sight did much, shuffled around some, but that's about it.

Turn 3
Harald put down the Floater in the west, wherever he had come from.  He and Mick fired on another Reaper across the street to the southeast, without much luck.  Delling fired his last HE rounds at the same Reaper, with only 1 hit. Pervin then set it on fire with another incendiary shot, but it was still standing.  ZK got another Reaper with a rocket, in the north, and Eliana got the Floater in the street to avenge the civilian it had killed.  Rangi pitched a grenade at the Reaper in the garden behind the Custodian, and Makeda made a long range one to drop one on a Floater that the tank spotted on the other side of the street.

Alien turn 3, the grenades did their jobs, two more kills.  Incoming alien fire from the north east was targeted on the guardian tank, whose armor held up.  Then two strange hissing noises lead to explosions in the distance across the street, but no screams, guess the aliens may have their own rocket launcher or something similar. (he might have panicked, but not sure you can reload a launcher while panicking?)

Turn 4
The tank moved up to see a Floater in the street, a few long range shots failed to bring it down.  Enzo put the burning Reaper out of its misery. Took a few more shots at the Floater in the street, and finally Harald killed it.  The tank then moved further to the north to try to find the source of the fire from there, and located another Floater. Viktor brought that one down with a carefully aimed shot from long range, he was nearly the furthest trooper, but had a clean angle.  Unfortunately, that wasn't the last alien, so the remaining troopers moved up to try to locate it.

Two turns later, Harald spots it behind a house to the south west and finishes the job with a laser bolt.

Victory!  No XCOM casualties, 5 civilians saved (7 lost).  18 aliens killed (one was taken unconscious, I think a Reaper, we do not have a working containment facility yet and were not able to keep them alive - is not counted on the score screen, not did I get a corpse for it).  11 Floaters killed, 8 Reapers killed. 

A few pictures, from turn 1 to see all of the Reapers around me! (landing1 through landing4, the last picture is after the first rocket killed the reaper in picture #3)  Turn 2 Start shows the two reapers that closed in  (near tank/ramp and just left of center), the two floaters in view (far left and middle right inside building) - the floater that takes a reaction shot at Viktor that turn is just below the "end turn" icon, not currently spotted.  Viktor is the blonde trooper closest to the Reaper, right near center of the photo.  His long range shot is the next picture, his target was just north of that tree, it just fit corner to corner on the screen!  Then the victory screen picture, and a couple of days later, the end of February score page.

Offline Dogbarian

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Re: Reaver Faithful's campaign
« Reply #8 on: March 10, 2021, 09:16:19 pm »
March missions
- small scout, shot down in North America (Snakeman, killed 6, no casualties)
- large scout, shot down in Siberia by NA interceptor (Floater, killed 5, no casualties)
- lot of medium UFO activity in Siberia, assaulted a landed with Custodian crew - Floater (the 8-lobed star 2-decker - Harvester?) - 11 kills, 3 captives taken, and 1 XCOM trooper WIA, medikits deployed just in time so that I could save them. Captured were a Soldier, Navigator, and Leader.  Some good loot - 2 power sources, 5 navigation, 4 examination rooms, 75 alloys, and 100 Elerium, plus 27 artifacts. Took a risk and assaulted another medium landed with the NA Skyranger - 6 soldiers and a battle tank.  Same type of ship, more Floaters.  Played very cautiously, but quite successfully - 10 kills, 11 corpses (1 wounded one died, got the corpse this time?) and 1 WIA. Similar loot, only 4 exam rooms, but 77 alloys - 23 artifacts.  Nice haul from this, and the risk paid off!  Excellent rating from first one (536 points, with the captures), Good rating from second (414 points).
- landed large scout in NA - Snakemen - 8 kills, 15 artifacts, one wounded XCOM trooper (full recovery of large scout).
- then the March terror mission.   Aiieee!! Snakemen and Chryssalids!!!!

Demons in Dallas
  Debarking from the Custodian, 2 Snakemen and 2 Chryssalids are visible off to starboard, as the tank deploys from the ramp.  Luckily, the two Snakemen are facing away from us. As troopers debark from the front doors, two more Snakemen are spotted (2nd landing screenie).  One of these is facing us.  Adam drops a grenade under one, and Harald blasts the other with his laser rifle.  A hail of minigrenades, cannon fire, a rocket, and more laser fire from the troops spilling off the Custodian dispatch the other aliens.  By the end of turn 3, the troops have killed 4 Snakes and 2 'Lids to the south (turn 3a shot), 2 Snakes and 3 'Lids to the northwest (turn 3c shot), and are waiting for a grenade to go off under another Chryssalid to the west (turn 3b shot - initial dead snake in that pic as well).  Mopping up from there, 2 more snakes were hunted down, and ZK rocketed another Chryssalid to save 3 more troopers that weren't able to finish it with laser fire.  I used 4 grenades, which is a bit higher than normal for me, 2 rockets, a full clip of assault cannon HE, and a full clip of heavy cannon HE. No XCOM casualties.
 
Science completed during the month - interrogation of a Floater Soldier, medikit, motion scanner, alien alloys, automatic laser weapons, personal armor.

Started manufacture of a guardian laser tank at Central, and some pulse cannons at NA Base.  First thing next month is hire more engineers and scientists, and maybe another base soon.

End of month report added.
« Last Edit: March 10, 2021, 09:35:58 pm by Dogbarian »

Offline The Reaver of Darkness

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Re: Reaver Faithful's campaign
« Reply #9 on: March 19, 2021, 07:22:03 pm »
Wow, no casualties on Chryssalids?

I like this style you have of explaining how the battle went. I could really see it in my mind!

Offline Dogbarian

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Re: Reaver Faithful's campaign
« Reply #10 on: March 25, 2021, 01:29:40 am »
Yeah, was playing it pretty safe. The next month’s terror was also Snakes, and I lost 2 troopers in that one, one zombied and one killed by Snakes, as well as two more hurt. Got the new armor deployed in time, as well as the new heavier lasers. I’ll post my notes later, I lost some of them in a power outage.

Glad you like the narrative!

Offline The Reaver of Darkness

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Re: Reaver Faithful's campaign
« Reply #11 on: March 26, 2021, 04:16:34 pm »
You can just tell it from memory. It's fine if it's not perfectly accurate. I keep notes in my head all the time!

Offline Dogbarian

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Re: Reaver Faithful's campaign
« Reply #12 on: March 27, 2021, 06:54:09 pm »
Okay, from what I recall, there was a lot of medium UFO activity in South America, where I could never catch the grounded ones - guess that's the downside of using the Custodian!  I did shoot down a large scout in Europe with a Floater crew, recovered with no casualties.  Since I lost the notes, I don't recall all of the research I completed in April, although I did get both automatic and heavy lasers completed and deployed, the new pulse rifles are nice (particularly for assaulting UFOs!).  Got the Marauder researched and building, as well as personal armor.

April ends and a few days into May is the next terror mission - Battle in Budapest - another Snakeman special.  The screenshots were saved, so I can reconstruct it pretty well, I think.  On landing (first pic), two Snakes and a Chryssalid were spotted by the tank deploying (the 'Lid is in the lower right). Deployed troops to the north side first, spotted another Snake between the buildings, and all 3 were dispatched (pic for turn 1a).  Take note of the non-armored trooper at the far right of that shot, he has a nasty surprise in a few moments.  Then deploying against the 'Lid on the south (pic for turn 1b), found another Snake (middle of that shot), and got ambushed by yet another one down the alley to the left.  My commander (the blonde trooper just to right of Pervin in the middle of the shot) got wounded there, but the armor kept her alive.  She had just gotten out of the hospital, too - she's spending more time hurt than in action.  Those three enemy were dispatched, trying out the new lasers - the heavy laser from the trooper next to the landing gear one-shot the middle Snake!  Turn ends, and Flavio is shocked to see TWO 'lids come around the corner and charge him (pic for Turn 2a).  Luckily they must have moved a long way, they stopped right there, and were promptly showered with laser fire.  It did take most of the squad to take them down.  As you can see, I use smoke to cover my exit, but don't camp in the lander on turn 1, I move out smartly and get rolling, I think that helps me save civilians, but I do risk more injury.

That's the last pic I have for that mission - half of the squad went south down that alley, encountered and killed 2 more Snakes down there (including the commander walking around a corner to see one right in front of her, her new laser pistol made for short work on that one).  The rest of the group, with the tank supporting, moved into that warehouse in the last pic - sad to say Flavio didn't make it, killed by a Snake, and another trooper got caught by a Chryssalid and zombied.   Ralf gunned down the zombie and emergent 'Lid with one burst of autolaser, and the rest of the team killed the other Lid.  I think I ended up with 3 wounded troopers along with the 2 deaths, only lost 4 civilians. Victory screen pic attached.

Offline Dogbarian

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Re: Reaver Faithful's campaign
« Reply #13 on: March 27, 2021, 07:02:14 pm »
Moving forward into May.

- Got first Marauder deployed (armed with Avalanche and laser beam), it and an interceptor shot down a large scout in North Africa, first encounter with Mutons!  Full recovery on the UFO, 5 kills, 3 captured Mutons, lost 1 trooper.  Mutons soak up lots of laser fire!
- Another large scout shot down in Europe, Snakes.  Full recovery of UFO parts, 9 kills, lost 1 trooper.
- A few days later, another large scout of Snakes was shot down in Europe, another full recovery with 9 kills and no casualties.

May research: Albatross (got 1 built and patrolling South America), Plasma pistol and clip, UFO Power, Mind Probe, Sparrow (on the last day).

As June begins, I start my 3rd base in SE Asia (on mainland China coast, just NW of Taiwan).  Currently researching Psi Lab, and interrogating a Muton Navigator.  Should get a terror mission shortly.
« Last Edit: March 27, 2021, 07:05:35 pm by Dogbarian »

Offline Dogbarian

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Re: Reaver Faithful's campaign
« Reply #14 on: April 22, 2021, 11:53:14 pm »
Sure enough, a couple of days later, a large UFO detected that is heading south into Africa.   Custodian launched to give chase, and the next terror site is triggered, and yes, it ends up being Mutons.

Landing in Lagos

Managed to get there before nightfall, as the tank moved down the ramp, strange plasma attacks came in from the left, almost like blobs rather than bolts.  Turning that way, a strange alien blob, sort of kidney-shaped is observed a short distance away (pic Landing).  Ali jumps off the ramp and hits it with two laser shots, and then moves into cover behind the landing gear, but takes plasma fire from the front of the Custodian - armor takes most of it, but he's wounded. Turning that way, he observed a Muton on the far side of a convenience store, staring at him through a window (pic Turn 1a).  Maya opens the front hatch portside, leaps out, and moving to a window, hits that Muton with a bolt from the new Terran plasma pistols that were just delivered by the engineers.  Enzo heads down the front ramp and finishes off the new beastie with his plasma pistol.  Then when Maria opens the starboard front hatch, she sees another one (pic 1b).  She jumps down, and Cheo follows her out, he lobs a grenade over the fence at the beast.  Harald goes out the port hatch to continue shooting at the Muton, and sees another one.  Viktor charges into position to shoot it (probably too risky - pic 1c).  Sure enough, the Muton shrugs off a full burst (4 out of 5 hits), turns and blasts Viktor, killing him instantly.  Mick and Ingrid avenge him with their weapons (heavy and auto laser respectively).  Pangi puts another shell into the first Muton, but he's still standing.  The remaining troops move into position, as the aliens respond.

Plasma fire and lots of civilian death screams in the distance, and the first Muton guns down another one right in front of our eyes in the store.  Another Muton bursts in, but neither are successful in shooting at our troopers, the first one retreats back out of sight.  Cheo's grenade did not kill the beast by the house, which kills another civvy inside.  Our response begins with both Maya and then Ingrid killing the second Muton.  Harald moves into the store, but still does not see the first one.  Maria moves to investigate where the beast went, and is surprised to find yet another enemy, this one looking like a pile of mobile molten rock (pic 2a).  She quickly retreats, and in doing so, sees another Muton north of the house.  Ralf tosses a prox grenade right in front of that one, not being able to get an angle around the house.  Enzo does have a clean shot, though, and drops it with 2 plasma bolts.  We get off a few long range shots at the rocky thing, and others move into position for next turn, but not much else happens.

Aliens kill a few more civilians (this one is going to be pretty bad, I fear).  On the next turn, the tank moves forward to try and spot the two beasts, successfully finding and killing the kidney one.  Maya moves south and spots the initial Muton on the far side of the store, Mick follows her and kills it.  Maria moves back up to find the rocky thing, and immediately sees it as she clears the fence (another stretch of fence is between it and the tank). Pangi drops it with an HE shell from her heavy cannon.  Maria continues forward and spots another Muton in the distance to the west, in a park (pic 3a).  ZK hits it with a heavy rocket, but it's still up.  Delling, taking guidance from Maria's spotting, lines up a shot over the building with the auto GL, and drops a HE round right on the alien, killing it (this one made me laugh, I really like the arcing shot of the autocannon!  Pic 3b shows where Delling is, with respect to the last pic).  The others move forward.

Another alien appears in the park area, moving forward and misses its shots at Maria.  Another rock thing appears as well, heading for her and the tank (from the NW).  The park alien is killed with multiple shots, the finisher being another rocket from ZK.  Massed laser & plasma fire does for the rock thing.  Ingrid kills another Muton in the gas station area south of the store.  The tank moves further forward and spots another Muton, and Delling lobs 2 minigrenades at it, but doesn't kill it.  Cheo and Ralf both fire lasers at it, but the long range limits their accuracy (pulse lasers not so good at that, I guess).

The alien goes berserk on his turn, firing wildly, no one is injured.  ZK tries her plasma pistol, hitting it once, and then Delling lobs another grenade to finish it off.  The tank moves up, and takes fire from around a corner, spinning the turret around spots another Muton. Unfortunately, no one really has a good line of sight, with the wall it's hiding behind and a few trees (the ones visible in shot 3b, the alien is behind that corner wall just visible to top left).  A few troopers use laser fire to do some landscaping, clearing the trees out of the way for first Ingrid, then Harald to land hits on the alien, killing it and ending the mission.

Lost 10 civilians that time, ouch.  One trooper killed, one injured. Going to need to upgrade weapons to deal with those tough Mutons!