Extinction begins tonight!
+++ Cerebro Strike Files 120597 +++ Received warning from Senator Kelly, Robert +++ Experimental weapons developed in a secret weapons facility +++ Type and pattern suggest threat to mutantkind +++ Require field intelligence urgently +++ Recommend Gold Team for mission +++ Substitute for X-Men with specialities in stealth and special operations +++
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A new campaign for Marvel Crisis Protocol! Mercifully, this one should be done in 5 or 6 episodes, as we'll be following the crisis narrative in the 2026 release pack.
Essentially, those blameless government employees, the Sentinels, are determined to bring a resolution to the mutant problem, ideally by plasma blasting as many of them as possible.
For this campaign, I, Stylus, will be leading the Uncanny X-Men. I also have brought in a new opponent, Grasshopper, who will be piloting the Sentinels.
To spice things up, any X-Men who are KO during any of the games will be considered 'captured' (possibly dead). There may be an opportunity to rescue them later on, but they will be ineligible for selection. I've got around 20 mutants to choose from, so I hope that will be enough to fill my rosters.
The Sentinels, of course, are mass-produced, so there's plenty more where they came from.
Sentinels
Grasshopper has a good track record against me in MCP (doesn't everyone?), but this is his first run with Sentinels. The whole range (of seven models) is available to him, though we'll aim to stick with the vague narrative of Operation Zero Tolerance (for example, Bastion hasn't made his move yet).
Leading the defence will be Sentinel Prime MK4, along with Sentinel #1 and Sentinel #2.
Guarding the factory, no doubt in their sleeper agent guises, will be Prime Sentinels #1 and #2. Before this gets very confusing, we're going to call them 'Alexa' and 'Siri'.
Squad: Sentinel Prime MK4 (leader), Sentinel MK4, Sentinel MK4, Prime Sentinel, Prime Sentinel
Tactics: Online and Operational, Directive One, Scrap Metal, Recalibration Matrix, Patch Up
Threat: 19
X-Men: Gold Team
I'm attempting to pick narrative teams, so for an infiltration mission I'm choosing Storm (I know lightning doesn't seem subtle, but she has a background as a thief). One of her leadership traits is that, once per round, a character can leapfrog off another character to gain extra movement (aka the 'Storm hop'), which should keep me evasive.
Gambit is also the team's resident thief. Psylocke and Shadowcat have ninja skills, as well as the latter's ability to walk through walls. Domino has special opps training and Magik can portal anywhere.
So far, so narrative. I am aware that I have a lot of sneaks and not much punch in this team. I'm also acutely aware that any KOs will remove options for future games, and at least 5 of these 6 are some of the best choices in affiliation (sorry Shadowcat). It will be interesting to see if that affects my gameplay.
Squad: Storm (leader), Magik, Gambit, Shadowcat, Psylocke, Domino
Tactics: First Class, Xavier's Dream, Children of the Atom, Crimson Dawn, Journey Through Limbo
Threat: 19
Mission and deployment
Extract: Evidence of Experimental Soldiers Exposed!
Secure: X-Men Infiltrate Secret Weapons Facility
The Secure objectives represent the facility's security grid, and have to be turned off (or back on, if you're the Sentinels) to avoid detection. These are 'pay-to-flip' objectives, which means if you succeed on a dice roll against your energy defence, they remain in your control even if you've moved off them.
An additional factor of these Secure Objectives is they have a forced 'arc'. You can reposition one of them under your control at the end of each round (and so adjust the direction of the arc). If you manage to catch an enemy model in the arcs of two objectives under your control, you gain a bonus VP (I've played this crisis twice before, and it's such a faff, it's never happened).
The Sentinels deploy evenly across the top of the board: Sentinel #2 and Siri facing the left flank (which is their right flank, but we'll use the X-Men perspective). Sentinel Prime goes in the centre. Alexa and Sentinel #1 face the right flank.
Opposite them, Shadowcat and Magik face the left flank. Domino, Storm and Gambit take the centre. Psylocke gets the right to herself, as I reckon she's tough enough to hold down the flank by herself.
Uncanny X-Men win the priority roll and we're away!
Round 1
The Uncanny X-Men leap into action, playing First Class so they don't have to pay for their first objective interaction (and hence grab more points early doors). Shadowcat takes a run at the midline, grabbing the left-hand Extract, and then flipping the left-hand Secure.
Alexa moves up to grab the right-hand Extract. She doesn't have the power to try for the right-hand Secure, but can at least stay close enough to make flipping it more difficult.
This is something Psylocke discovers as she moves up, uses her Psi-Bow attack to advance into range, but then fails the flip - and gets Root just for ending close to Alexa!
Storm moves up to claim the X-Men's home Secure. Sentinel #1 steps forward and tries a speculative plasma blast at Psylocke, taking off a few wounds.
Siri then moves up on the left-flank to flip the left-hand Secure from under Shadowcat's nose. This worries me enough that I make a play for the centre Extract (we've both been cagey about it so far) and Domino gets volunteered to snag it.
This is what Prime Sentinel has been waiting for. It steps up to secure the its home Secure and then unleashes a Plasma Blast Mk 2 against Domino, who is left standing on a single wound (is that lucky?)
Sentinel #2 steps up to shoot Shadowcat for a few wounds, Magik advances down the centre to support Domino and Gambit finishes off by running towards the right-flank and failing to damage Alexa at all with a Kinetic Ace.
Scores are even as we go into the next round.
Score - X-Men 3 : 3 Sentinels
Round 2
The Sentinels have some computing to do here, as there are already a number of X-Men looking vulnerable, so it's a question of who gets dropped first.
Shadowcat gets the short straw as Siri dazes her with a double-tap of Nano Bio-Weapons, and then collects the refreshed Extract.
Counting herself lucky, Domino grabs the centre Extract, throws a Grenade Bounce that bounces off Siri, uses the 'Storm hop' leadership to jump to the other side of Magik, then advances onto the back Secure.
Deprived of his preferred target, Sentinel Prime shoots at Magik, giving her the Slow condition.
Magik elects to teleport forward, just close enough to use Journey Through Limbo to portal and incinerate Sentinel #2 to the far corner of the board. In response, Sentinel #2 walks back into range and takes another shot.
On the right flank, Psylocke uses Children of the Atom to shake the Root and gain power. She then
brings out her Telekinetic Katana and chops up Alexa, dazing her and placing herself to flip the right-hand Secure. Unfortunately, this positions her close enough to Sentinel #1 that she can't use Stealth and far away enough that her Martial Artist won't be active. Still, what could go wrong?
Sentinel #1 opens up on Psylocke with a double-hit of Suppression Protocols. The first hit does little (even with Recalibration Matrix giving it another try), but the second blast is enough to daze her. However, the rest of the team club together and spend power on Xavier's Dream to keep her alive and holding the Extract (albeit with Shock and Incinerate).
When the dust settles, Gambit strolls up and flips the right-hand Secure, still failing to do any damage with his cards against Sentinel #1.
Storm finishes the round with a Lightning Bolt that dazes Siri, though she doesn't get close enough to either take his Extract or flip the Secure. We score out with the X-Men taking a slender lead.
Score - X-Men 7 : 6 Sentinels
Round 3
Still keeping priority, the Sentinels hit back hard. Sentinel #1 blasts Psylocke yet again and dazes her this time. It then follows up by targeting Gambit and taking off all five of his wounds in a single hit - that's two-for-two!
Waking up, Shadowcat decides the best place to be is far out of range, so she picks up another evidence Extract and sprints back to the home Secure.
Denied his main target, Siri takes a couple of shots at Storm, who retaliates by bringing down the lightning, spiking the dice outrageously, and KOs Siri.
Sentinel #2 comes to avenge its little cousin and dazes Storm with a massive blast of Suppression Protocols.
In the centre, Sentinel Prime is habitually short on power, as it's been lending it out to everyone else. It settles on blasting Magik a few times, leaving her alive on one wound.
Back in the carnage that is the right flank, Domino runs up and snatches the right Extract, then fails to gun down Alexa. Alexa retaliates by dazing Domino, picking up the Extract herself and flipping the right-hand Secure.
That just leaves Magik to pick up the centre Extract, Limbo Step over towards the right, walk onto the right-hand Secure and try to flip it. By the narrowest margin (Alexa can't contest it any more, as she's injured), Magik takes the Secure back.
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| How's it going, Psylocke, holding down that flank single-handed? |
That last flip was important, given that two-thirds of the Uncanny X-Men are currently taking a nap, as it means I can still stay ahead in VPs
We're heading into the next round with victory close enough to touch, but also a lot of my characters dangerously close to being removed from the campaign altogether.
Score - X-Men 11 : 9 Sentinels
Round 4
The Sentinels are going all-out this round, playing Directive One to strip away Stealth (sorry Shadowcat and Psylocke) and remove defensive rerolls.
Psylocke plays my last card - Crimson Dawn - which gives her injured side Healing Factor and a hop.
Sentinel Prime steps up, grabs an Extract and takes aim on Shadowcat with Suppression Protocols MK2, leaving her on one wound with Incinerate. Sadly, a second hit of Plasma Blast MK2 whiffs spectacularly and Shadowcat avoids the KO. As a last gesture, Sentinel Prime drags her into the centre with Restraint Cables,
Storm finds herself close enough to both large Sentinels to try her Hurricane area attack, boosted by Eye of the Storm. Sadly this blows itself out too - Sentinel #2 takes almost no damage, whereas Prime Sentinel takes a big hit (but still standing, as it had been untouched until now). If the rolls had been reversed, she could have dazed Sentinel #2!
Avoiding any more conflict, Storm walks to the left hand side, picks up the evidence Extract and flips the left-hand Secure.
Sentinel #2 has a bit of a shocker, failing to take down Storm and then unable to flip the left-hand secure back.
This gives the X-Men the initiative on the right flank. Psylocke drops Alexa, picks up an Extract and then manages to survive the counter-strike from Sentinel #1 (she's a lot hardier when you remember to put her into Martial Artist range).
There are no more Sentinel activations, so Shadowcat (who should really be KO) sprints to the far side of the table and flip the Sentinel's home Secure. This also means that Sentinel Prime is in the arc of two enemy Secures, so there's a bonus VP.
Both Magik and Domino can idle, but Gambit wants to achieve something this game. He runs over to Sentinel Prime and throws his entire deck in a 52-Card Pickup, finally gets the the Wild results he needs, the Sentinel leader is dazed, and Gambit takes the dropped Extract.
The Uncanny X-Men have taken a battering, but they're still on their feet and in control of every objective on the board (plus a bonus for putting Sentinel Prime in arc).
They can now beat a hasty retreat with the evidence they've gathered and wonder what secret weapons the government is developing against them.
Score - X-Men 19 : 9 Sentinels
Back in the X-Mansion
That was a close call! The margin of victory looked pretty wide by the end of it, but most of my team were hanging on by a thread. Had a couple of flips failed, then it could easily have gone on for one more round, and the X-Men would be facing three very powered-up Sentinels.
In fairness, I think both crisess really favoured Storm's team. Recycling the Source Extracts meant I never had to worry about taking them off the big MK4 Sentinels (which, apart from the last attack of the game, I never even dazed). And the pay-to-flip Secures meant that, even when most of my team was dazed in that crucial third round, I was still scoring because the Sentinels didn't have the speed of my team.
I thought the Sentinels did well in hammering my mutants, but once I'd taken out the two Prime Sentinels (who were useful in their own way), there just weren't enough bodies to out-score me.
Still, all this will change in the next round - the Sentinels will gain some very different kind of reinforcements as the robots strike back!
+++ Cerebro Strike Files 120597.1 +++ Evidence gathered and assessed +++ Major new design of Sentinel online +++ Threat critical +++ Message to all mutants in all locations +++ Run +++ They are coming +++ Run for your lives +++
This is beautifully put together - looking forward to the next one!
ReplyDeleteCheers! It was great fun.
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