AAR: Caravan Raided!

   A caravan of the strategically important unobtainite ore has been ambushed as it left the mining facilities in the Ghola District of the Crown Colony. Witnesses report that two different groups apparently tried to ambush the column as it moved towards the Ghola Canal.

Turn 1: The British begin their advance towards the canal. The automaton force moves towards its nearest foe, the Martians, and prepares to attack. Not waiting to be charged, His Royal Highness Prince Musta Gopotty urges his deathray-mounted friends into an attack against the squat toolbots. A flurry of chainsaws and powered claws erupts as the lances dip towards the mechanical monstrosities, and the deathray cavalry are wiped out in their first action! The losses are 7 to 2, and only HRH remains! Finally, a Martian cannon fires at extreme range, striking HMLS Prince Albert (also in its first outing) in the tracks and damaging the running gear.

Turn 2: Things look bad for HRH! Although able to fly away from the toolbots, the Professor's flying minions the Hoverbots are immediately to hand. Maton orders the charge, but the delicate mechanical minds of the hoverbots have been damaged in the harsh Martian deserts, and 7 crash to the sands as lifeless hulks. Not to be outdone, the toolbots also immediately malfunction and begin to wander aimlessly around the battlefield. Martian troops begin to re-align themselves to avoid confrontation with the automatons, the musketeers of the Imperial Guard's Emerald Legion leading the way to block access to the canal. On the British end, Captain John Compost-Pyle orders the advance southward to continue, though both the HMLS Prince Albert and ASA #41 lose steam power at this point.

Turn 3: Wanting nothing more to do with the mechanical monsters, Prince Musta spies a lone woman on the battlefield, servicing the automata. He couches his lance and charges her bravely, slaying Madame Lucille D'Amonds of Skye. A Brass Soldat fires his cannon at the Prince at close range and misses him, as does Professor Maton with his electro-rifle. The remaining hoverbots swoop in to exact bloody revenge for the Prince's cowardly deed, but fail to penetrate his defenses. Maton's serv-a-tons malfunction and begin to wander aimlessly as well, blundering directly into a unit of Emerald Legion halberdiers, who promptly charge their helpless brass foes, destroying 5 of them. At the northern end of the battlefield, the tank regains power and begins heading southward again. Also, Martian infiltrators appear from the sands just south of the unobtainite crystals, but unable to draw a bead on the nearby 23rd Foot. Their appearance is noted, and the stout lads in red move to punish the poor Johnnies with ASA #27 in support.

Turn 4: HRH continues to have a dismal day; in fact, it's downright fatal. Unable to escape the flying constructs of Maton's fiendish mind, the Prince is cut to pieces by their sharp shears. In celebration, the hoverbots immediately freeze up, processing their regicide. The Martian ghost archer infiltrators move into cover, hoping to pick off a Tommy or two before ASA #27 can get within range. The Martian halberdiers continue to wreck three more of the oblivious serv-a-tons, who merely wander off aimlessly. A second cannon shot is fired at the Prince Albert, narrowly missing it. Lieutenant Heribert Popinjay orders his sepoys to screen the tank from any further long range harassment by the Martian cannons.

Turn 5: The Martian cannon crews need more target practice, missing yet another long range shot at the sepoys screening the landship. Martian Ghost Archer infiltrators fire their poisoned arrows from the cover of a cluster of unobtainite crystals, killing two of the 23rd Foot. The 23rd Foot respond with a volley and kill two of the sneaking assassins. The Emerald Legion halberdiers fail to charge the remaining 2 wandering serv-a-tons (roll of 19, an 18 or less would have worked!), but luckily, part of the levy is nearby and they rush in to finish off the hapless machines. Meanwhile, Maton's Brass Soldaten open fire on both the Ghost archers and part of the 23rd Foot, missing the fleet Martians, but killing one of Her Majesty's finest. To finish off the turn, the steam spiders, who have been slowly moving towards the retreating Martian levy, malfunction and freeze in place.

Exciting conclusion tomorrow!