The epic conclusion, as the teachers take on the robots.
+++ Cerebro Strike Files 0110997 +++ Bastion's operational base located in the ruins of Massachusetts Academy +++ Minimal escort, defences lowered +++ All remaining X-Men converge on Emma Frost +++ The White Queen has assumed command. +++
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The fifth and final chapter of our Marvel Crisis Protocol narrative campaign. I, Stylus, will be taking the senior teaching staff into battle. My opponent, Grasshopper, is taking the Sentinels for a spin one last time.
Over the campaign, my mutant heroes have been taking a bit of a hiding recently, so the leaders are rallying for one desperate last push!
Hellfire Club
After a punishing campaign, my options are running low. I decided to run with Hellfire Club, as that allows Emma Frost to command (showing the others how it's supposed to be be done) and rounds off my tour of the mutant factions.
Following the theme of senior staff, I added the other three leaders: Professor X, Cyclops and Storm. Poor Sunspot is the only pupil in the list (to make the Hellfire affiliation legal), but he had a pretty good run last time, so I'm looking forward to his flare for combat.
Pickings were equally slim for tactics cards, as Hellfire is basically an affiliation of one. Emma Frost got her Mind Transfer (which backfired spectacularly last time I used it), plus the common staples of Indomitable (I'm aware of the Sentinel restraint cables), Patch Up and Recalibration Matrix.
Squad: Sunspot, Professor X, Emma Frost, Cyclops, Storm
Tactics: My Hellfire Club, Mind Transfer, Indomitable, Patch Up, Recalibration Matrix
Threat: 19
Sentinels
Sticking with a winning theme, this is a very familiar squad to the one that clobbered X-Force, with Bastion in command once again, to mess with my power generation.
The only modification, to accommodate a lower-threat crisis, is switching out a regular Sentinel MK4 for another Prime Sentinel. So for the last time, we are obliged to assign names to them: I suggested 'Amiga' and 'Commodore' (Grasshopper, being some years younger than me, had no idea what I was talking about).
Squad: Prime Sentinel, Sentinel Prime MK4, Bastion, Omega Sentinel, Prime Sentinel
Tactics: Know Thy Enemy, Scrap Metal, Extinction Event, Patch Up, Recalibration Matrix
Threat: 19
Mission and deployment
Extract: Sentinel Schematics Sabotaged!
Secure: Power Overload! Factory Goes Up in Flames
From the previous mission's Extract objectives being placed far apart, these are the most compact placement I've seen. They are 'source' Extracts, so will refresh each turn, and a character holding one will get an extra attack dice at close range, so that's nice but not game-breaking (I'm looking at you, Fear Grips World).
The Secure objectives just require a character to contest them, and have definitely been placed to indicate 'mine' and 'yours'. The twist is that, if you're holding objectives on opposite ends of the battlefield, there's a bonus VP for you.
This narrative campaign ends with the surviving X-Men tracking down and confronting the architect of Operation Zero Tolerance: Bastion himself. Since I'm sure the Sentinels will have nuked plenty of locations by now, we've gone for a ruined cityscape (with a medieval twist - maybe the Sentinels are members of the National Trust).
From left to right, Grasshopper sets up Sentinel Prime, Amiga, Commodore, Bastion and (hidden behind the huge ruin), Omega Sentinel.
On the mutant side, Emma Frost (really out on a limb there), with Storm, Cyclops, Professor X and Sunspot clustered in the centre.
Grasshopper wins the priority roll, and we're away!
Round 1
We begin with the basic objectives-admin: Sentinel Prime and Commodore do the honours of grabbing the two Extracts and picking up the two Secures on the Sentinel side of the board.
For the mutants, Sunspot takes the right-Extract (building up his Flare tokens as he does), then he and Storm sit on the right-Secure.
This leaves one of the Extracts up for grabs: Bastion uses Advanced Teleportation Matrix to jump Amiga forward. This gets her close enough to double-move onto the Hellfire Club's left-Extract, taking it for herself.
Cyclops and Professor X huddle around the back Secure. The reason I'm so keen for everyone to contest something is because the Hellfire Club's leadership gives 1 power and removes 1 damage for each character holding/contesting an objective (and if they're not, they lose power and damage, but Emma Frost gets it instead - so she wins either way).
So with all the mutants on an objective, I play the leadership and power everyone up. I'm hoping that will counter Bastion's power-sapping leadership.
Speaking of which, Professor X uses his second activation to hit Bastion with a Psychic Dart that gives him the Root condition (see how you like it!)
That leaves Omega Sentinel, who sneaks behind the huge ruin, ready for a charge; and Emma Frost, who climbs up her own ruin and tickles Amiga with a Psychic Spike.
We finish up the first round with the Sentinels taking the lead.
Score - Hellfire Club 3 : 5 Sentinels
Round 2
Grasshopper doesn't waste priority and goes aggressive: Omega Sentinel charges over the ruin and hits Sunspot with a Dynamistic Bio-Blast, blasting him down to a single point of damage (prior to the August update, he would be dazed).
She then uses the power gained to play the Extinction Event tactics card and shoot Professor X (paying extra to bypass his mystic defences)
The Extinction Event card has always misfired in the past, and today is no exception. It lightly singes Professor X, but misses the trigger to make a bonus attack. So Omega settles on jumping on the right Secure and picking up the Extract.
Determined not to lose Sunspot this early, Storm steps in. She hits Omega Sentinel with a double Lighting Bolt which, helped by Xavier's Professor's Guidance, generates enough power to Patch Up Sunspot, and ends her activation playing the Hellfire leadership which leaves Sunspot back on full health!
Sentinel Prime takes a few pot-shots from range, but his Plasma Blast MK2 fail to do any damage and crucially, don't leave him with any power to pick up the Extract.
Cyclops steps up and sends Sunspot forward with Field Leader (generating another Flare token), then and dazes Omega Sentinel with an Optic Blast.
Using Hit And Run, Cyclops gets onto the left Extract and picks it up, then zaps Sentinel Prime with a second Optic Blast, hitting his Speed of Sight trigger to shoot Amiga and push her away from the battlefield. That was more than he achieved in the entirety of his last game!
Rolling with their good fortune, Emma Frost jumps down from the ruin to join Cyclops. She then hits Amiga with a Psychic Spike that dazes her.
For a round that almost started with an mutant casualty, getting three dazes on the Sentinels was a big swing. Moreover, they were only able to secure a single VP this turn, against the 5VP for the Hellfire Club.
Score - Hellfire Club 8 : 6 Sentinels
Round 3
If anything, the next starts with even more brutality: Omega Sentinel picks up an extract and targets Storm with Engineered Extermination, throwing her back to the deployment zone before dazing her.
Sunspot retaliates by picking up an Extract, then uses Sunburn to jump onto the back Secure and double-taping with UV Strike to KO Commodore.
Atari runs back from the far side of the board to stand on the Sentinels' left Secure and pick up an Extract. Emma Frost throws a Psychic Spike to soften up Atari, then walks onto the Sentinels' left Secure.
Sentinel Prime draws aim at Cyclops and blasts out Suppression Protocols MK2 and Plasma Blast MK2. This leaves Cyclops incinerated, shocked and down to his last wound, but still standing (once again, saved by the August update).
Left with plenty of power, Cyclops can double-tap Sentinel Prime and Atari with his Optic Devastation beam. Sentinel Prime is severely damaged, and Atari is KO during the second attack.
At which point, Bastion plays Prime Nano-Virus Reanimation Protocols and dazes Cyclops before he can do any more damage to Sentinel Prime. Bastion then hits Sunspot with a couple of Disintegration Blasts.
Looking after his favourite pupil, Professor X declares an Astral Duel on Sentinel Prime (not sure how that works on a robot) which dazes it.
Score - Hellfire Club 14 : 8 Sentinels
Round 4
Having had a quiet game so far, Bastion now fires up. He hits both Emma Frost and Sunspot with a beam attack Tolerance Is Extinction. Emma Frost is taken down to a single wound, and Sunspot is finally dazed.
On his way out, Sunspot spends the last of his Flare tokens to burn a single wound from Bastion and dazes him too!
Sentinel Prime collects an Extract then focuses on Emma Frost. Even in her diamond state, she can't survive that amount of punishment and is dazed.
Picking herself back up, Storm flies in to confront Omega Sentinel, picks up an Extract and KO her with a single Lightning Bolt.
That leaves Grasshopper with no activations, so Cyclops and Professor X are free to unload onto Sentinel Prime, who is also KO.
Another brutal round ends with no Sentinels left on their feet, and another load of VPs for the Hellfire Club.
Score - Hellfire Club 17 : 8 Sentinels
Narratively, Bastion is going to wake up and find that all his nanotech crew have been wiped out, and he's facing the full wrath of the X-Men seniors.
Back in the X-Mansion
Operation Zero Tolerance ends with a 4:2 victory to the X-Men (but the real winner was the game itself!). It certainly told a story - from initial success, some setbacks, a massive defeat and then a last-gasp victory. I really liked the mechanic of losing members of my team every game - it could have been even more restrictive, except the X-Men have such a big roster!
This particular battle quickly accelerated into a one-sided bout. Had Omega Sentinel's initial attack done even slightly better, I could have been down two team members right away. Instead, I was able to cut down the attacking models and hit the rest from long range. Once again, I'm giving MVP to Sunspot (who isn't well-regarded in the meta, but I'm definitely glad I brought in).
Until the next narrative event (there's one set in outer space that I should get painting for next year), thanks for reading along. And congratulations to my opponent, Grasshopper, for completing his first campaign and enduring all six games against me.
+++ Cerebro Strike Files 0110997.1 +++ All mutants, prepare for rescue mission +++ To me, my X-Men! +++
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