Fort Davis – Fallout Battle Report

It is finally time to play the second tutorial scenario for Fallout Wasteland Warfare. This scenario sees the Survivors face off against a slightly different squad of Super Mutants at the remains of an old fort. Fort Davis is not an actual Fallout 4 location as far as I can tell but that didn’t diminish this scenario or my enjoyment of it.

Recap and Scenario Backstory – Recently, Jeff emerged from his cryogenic slumber in the vault and faced the realities of the wasteland. Teamed up with some survivors, they rescued Dogmeat from some Super Mutants who were raiding traps in the area. The Survivors managed to fend off the Super Mutants though just barely and Jeff ended up with a rude awakening when he was knocked unconscious by one of the strange and brutish creatures.

The encounter near Sanctuary Hills was only the first of several skirmishes with the Super Mutants, giving clear evidence of the establishment of a local hunting party. Preparations to defend against the Super Mutant threat are underway, and the rumors of a large weapon stash in Fort Davis prompt Jeff and the other Survivors to journey forth in search of useful equipment. The Super Mutants have similar plans however…

Scenario Setup – As you can see from the image above, the guidelines are not very specific in terms of terrain, much like the previous scenario. It is suggested to make it look like there is rubble littering the battlefield which makes sense since it is the remains of an old fort. I quickly realized that I did not have that much terrain that I hadn’t already used in the previous scenario so I ended up using almost everything I owned except for the camp site which didn’t feel appropriate to a military base. I was a bit deflated when I realized that I had gotten a single piece of terrain done since the last battle report in September. Shame on me and I’ve already dedicated myself to correcting this problem before the next report. In the interest of a fair game, I tried to keep things mostly symmetrical but still have a few tactically interesting twists like having a Searchable Marker in the trailer which might be harder to get to but is in cover. The placement of the trailer possibly favors the Super Mutants a bit, but since they lost the last game, that’s alright.

This scenario adds searching rules into the mix so there are investigation tokens (they have binoculars) which a model can flip over and see what the other side reveals as long as they’re in range and have line of sight. They can then interact/loot that token if they are in base-to-base contact. Some of the investigation tokens are weapon lockers from the old fort which automatically give two weapons which make them the best source of loot in this scenario.

The red markers are searchable markers which require base-to-base contact to open. Some require a skill test such as hacking or lockpicking where as others will give a free item. You won’t know until you get close and give it a try!

Looting items not only grants weapons or items that can help a side in this battle but the victory conditions require that you either kill the opposing sides’ forces or you end the game with the most items after four rounds. This is definitely a bit different than the previous scenario and it sounds like it will be pretty fun to play as well.

Survivors – The Survivors’ side is basically unchanged from the previous one. Dogmeat has joined the side and the settlers (Bob and Daria) have assault rifles instead of hunting rifles which take away some range but they do hit harder.

Truthfully, I didn’t have a lot of strategy for the Survivors. Jeff learned the hard away that Super Mutants are dangerous up close so I’d be trying to steer clear of that but still grabbing as many objectives as possible. I tried to use a pincer strategy by splitting up Jeff and Daria on one side and Bob and Dogmeat on the other. Beyond that, I figured I’d need to stay flexible and score some decent shooting wounds to keep the Super Mutants at bay. The fact that Super Mutants outnumbered the Survivors by a good bit was concerning though…

Super Mutants – I was surprised to see that the Super Mutant side recruited some more members for this battle. Sure, they lost the close combat prowess of the Brute but with three Super Mutants and two Super Mutant Hounds they had plenty of melee ability but with the enhanced movement speed and charge range of the hounds to boot. Since it is clear that the Super Mutant forces change from scenario to scenario, I’m jettisoning any attempt to name them and will just number them for each scenario. Hopefully that is easy enough to follow in the report below.

The main plan for the Super Mutants was to use their numbers advantage to grab more loot than the Survivors could if possible. If that didn’t work, the Super Mutants would look for any excuse to get stuck in and bash some human heads in! After all, you can win by wiping the other side out or having the most items…

Round 1
Bob moved towards the closest investigation marker and noticed there was a weapons locker near the barricade. Since the weapons inside would be too good to pass up, he moved into base contact with the marker and was ready to open it next round.

The first hound readied but elected to wait on acting. Perhaps it was waiting to sprint into action at the same time his or her pack mate chose to…

Much like Bob, Daria decided to investigate some promising rubble near another military barricade left from the old Fort, it looked to be a box containing an item so she ended her turn next to it and behind cover to crack open next round.

The second hound readied but was rooted in place waiting for its master’s command.

Dogmeat was up next and quickly loped towards a searchable marker behind the trailer. With it being behind cover but also far away from Bob, it seemed to make good tactical sense to send Dogmeat after it.

The Super Mutant in charge of the hounds readied and headed towards the searchable icon at the nearby barrier. Much like on the Survivors’ side board, there was a weapons locker so the mutant approached the locker and prepared to open it next round.

The hound on the right decided to counter Dogmeat and head to the other searchable marker on the far side of the board. The two were clearly headed for a confrontation soon…

Following their pack mate, the second hound tore towards the back side of the trailer and came to a stop snarling at Dogmeat.

Jeff sprung forward and spotted a weapons locker and a searchable container in the two investigative markers near him. Heading towards the weapons locker, he was set to open it next round and arm himself for the coming conflict.

The second super mutant moved forward once and remained out of range of either investigative marker. While he could have made a short move into cover, time was of the essence here and so he moved just outside base contact of the marker and saw another weapons locker. That would surely be his goal next turn.

The third super mutant sprinted towards the barricade on the far left and came in contact with the investigation marker which contained a searchable lockbox. He would try to open it next turn.

*Note* I misread the rules and thought that you could only search the markers at the start of each model’s activation. In actuality, I could have opened each of these after a mini made base contact with them. This didn’t affect the outcome but I wanted to note the mistake which may otherwise seem odd.

Round 2
Things were pretty even so far and a lot of items were about to be scavenged this turn. Would that tilt the game to either side’s advantage? The Survivors maintained the advantage due to their lower model count.

Dogmeat was clearly in danger of being charged so the mutt quickly checked the searchable container which proved to be empty which made Dogmeat’s sprint to this isolated position start to look like a bad choice. While it seemed risky to take on both hounds, Dogmeat had nowhere obvious to run to and the hounds were going to grab more objectives with their number advantage so it seemed like a heroic stand was worth taking. Dogmeat charged the second hound and bit into it scoring three wounds (As with the previous battle report, every time a dog or hound attacks, you roll special dice which have effects beyond damage. I look forward to seeing how those work but in this battle, they had no effect).

The first hound opened the container and found a bolt-action pipe rifle. The Super Mutants claim the first item and while it was worthless for the hound, it was still a point for their side. The hound then charged Dogmeat and while it managed to bite him, Dogmeat wriggled away with no visible damage due to the Survivor faction’s armor bonus.

Bob, cautious as ever, readied but chose to wait and see what others did before he took any action.

The second hound readied and attacked Dogmeat. It got a bonus accuracy dice for outnumbering Dogmeat. The first bite hit Dogmeat and caused two wounds. The second attack delivered three wounds. Dogmeat was no seriously wounded and the decision to leave him on this flank was looking like a real tactical mistake!

Daria readied but also decided to wait to act to try and make the best possible tactical decision.

The first super mutant prized open the weapons locker and found a sledgehammer and pipe wrench. That sledge could cause some real damage and was the ideal weapon for the super mutants to find. He then moved up to the next investigation marker and foraged a laser rifle and a combat rifle. Two more weapon finds that hurt the survivors as they could wield them much more effectively than the mutants could. Finally, the mutant moved up to a searchable marker in the middle of the board to grab even more items next turn.

Jeff readied and all three survivors had to act now. Bob started by searching the weapons lockers behind the barricade. He scavenged a pipe pistol and a .44 Revolver. The .44 packs a punch which the survivors could certainly use. Since the super mutant carrying a lot of items was now an obvious target, Bob grabbed the .44 Revolver and fired twice at it. The first shot struck the ground nearby but the second shot hit the mutant and caused two wounds.

Jeff opened the weapons locker and found a Laser Pistol and Combat Shotgun which should prove handy. He moved forward towards the super mutant with all of the loot and was just barely in range with the shotgun so he fired a shot which unfortunately missed.

Daria opened the nearby investigation marker which was actually a searchable container and it yielded mutant hound meat. Not very appetizing, but it was another item for the Survivors. She then moved towards the last investigation marker on the Survivors side which contained bourbon. Not a bad find and something that could provide a bit of a boost in this battle.

The third super mutant activated next and claimed a Blood Pack from the investigation token on the left side of the board. It then surged forward to the farthest searchable icon which proved to be nothing. Still, this super mutant seemed poise to loot this side of the board with the Survivors focused more on the middle and right sides.

The second mutant moved towards the final investigation marker and it yielded a baseball bat. The mutant could loot near Jeff some more or he could do what super mutant’s do best and get stuck in which he did. Next round, Jeff would face down the mutant wielding a baseball bat!

Round 3
Halfway through the battle, the Survivors have recovered six items and the Super Mutants have recovered seven and have a slim lead as the result. The Survivors retain the advantage and were the first to ready.

The obvious move was to ready Dogmeat before he likely died so that is what the Survivors did. A critical hit on the first attack with an armor reduction helped Dogmeat land a fatal bite on the second hound! While it was the first casualty of the game, the hound wasn’t carrying any items so it didn’t do a lot to help the Survivors’ cause. Turning towards the first hound, Dogmeat desperately attacked and missed. Things looked very grim for Jeff’s loyal companion…

Sensing the danger the most valuable Super Mutant was in, it readied next and searched the container in front of it. Instead of a helpful item, gas leaked out of the container! Fortunately, mutants are immune to radiation (as they’ve already been heavily exposed to it) and shrugged the gas off. The first mutant decided to head into the trailer to get some cover and claim another item hopefully. Unlike the previous searchable marker, this would require a lock to be picked which is not super mutant’s forte (those oversized hands can’t handle finer work!). The attempt unsurprisingly failed.

Facing an angry super mutant with a bat and remembering the roughing up he got last battle, Jeff decided a retreat was his best option to remain uninjured and cause damage to the mutant so he readied and tried to move away. The second super mutant got a free attack to try and make him pay for his cowardice. Jeff took one damage and stepped away from the mutant ready to shoot. Jeff made his shot count and hit the mutant for three damage thanks a bonus from the black damage die. The baseball bat wielder suddenly looked vulnerable to shooting with three wounds left.

The super mutant who had just been hit readied and while fuming at Jeff, Daria seemed like a softer target and she seemed poised to fire at him, so the mutant charged her. In a gambit to get her out of the battle quickly, he took a black damage bonus die for charging and swung his bat. A critical hit but no extra damage! Instead, Daria’s armor was negated besides her Survivor faction bonus. She took a single wound but her armor bonus was gone and she was vulnerable to attack now.

Daria readied next to try and react to her attacker. Downing her bourbon, she gained a little extra strength and endurance which may come in handy. I didn’t realize that using an item meant that it no longer counted towards your total for victory purposes but fortunately, this still ended up being a sound tactical decision. Daria tried to flee but was struck by the mutant for two wounds. She desperately aimed her assault rifle at her assailant and scored a head shot! The mutant slumped to the ground and the baseball bat laid there ready to be claimed.

Looking for revenge, the first super mutant hound facing a weakened Dogmeat activated and looked to attack. Dogmeat dodged the first attack but the second landed and Dogmeat had to flee the battle with severe wounds. While it didn’t affect the item count, it cost the survivors their best source of mobility (which was largely wasted anyway but more on that after the battle!).

Bob was the last to activate for the Survivors and faced a somewhat difficult decision. He could try and grab another item or he could shoot at the Super Mutant with all of the most items in the trailer. While the shots were less likely to hit and would do less damage, it could seal a win for the survivors so he went for it. The first shot struck the trailer but the second hit and caused three damage. The super mutant had one wound left and panted heavily (no doubt a result of his wounds and all of his loot).

The third mutant readied and saw a chance to loot and charge, the two things super mutants do best. The searchable container required a lockpicking test which the mutant ignored so as to avoid taking an action and charged Daria instead. The mutant elected for an accuracy bonus to ensure he hit his target next turn.

Round 4
Heading into the final round, the survivors had five items since Daria downed the bourbon and the super mutants controlled six. It was anyone’s game still. With the model count even, the Super Mutant would ready first which could be bad news for the Survivors…

With the possibility of Super Mutant Three knocking Daria out of the battle, it was too tempting not to start there for the Super Mutant side. Wielding a board, the mutant wound up and just barely missed Daria’s head. Could she defy the odds and survive? The second attack struck and she sustained a severe wound which caused her to drop the mutant hound meat and retreat from the battle. The Super Mutants had a two item lead now!

After some deliberation, Jeff decided to activate and knew the survivors were running out of chances to emerge from this battle with more loot than the Super Mutant side. While he could try and kill the third super mutant near him, that would only take one item away from the mutants. So instead of trying to mow that mutant down, he grabbed the two items near by left by fallen members of both sides. Not the bravest course of action, but he’d learned from the last battle that heroes making foolish last stands get a lump on the side of the head!

While it was tempting to play it safe since the last super mutant hound carried an item and each one of those was precious now, the hound decided to try and tie up Bob in combat and maybe do some damage in the process when he likely tried to flee.

Bob was the last to to act for the Survivors and he had no chance of killing the hound in melee so he had to flee and take what damage occurred in the process. The nasty hound did three wounds and nearly ended his participation in the battle! With only two wounds left on the super mutant with the most items, it was now or never. Lining up a shot with his assault rifle, Bob squeezed the trigger and struck the trailer. So close! If the mutant wasn’t behind cover, it would have hit and very likely won the game for the Survivors.

The two sides were tied on items, so the super mutant had two shots with his laser rifle to try and knock Bob out and win the game for his side. The first shot hit Bob square in the chest. He was knocked out from the battle leaving his items behind. Only Jeff made it unscathed at Fort Davis. With four items on the Survivor side compared to six, it is a very narrow victory to the Super Mutants!

Post-Game Thoughts – Wow, what a game that was! Just like the previous scenario, Troubled Beginnings, this is a really well-balanced scenario and it literally went down to the last shot. I made several rules mistakes which didn’t negatively impact the result for each side (thankfully) but the tactical blunder I made with Dogmeat really hurt the Survivors’ chances. Dogmeat who is around 100 points only killed a hound which is under 50 points. Dogmeat is the only good melee model on the Survivors side (or at least he’s the only one equipped to do well in melee anyway) and so to waste him really hurt the Survivors.

There’s no doubt that the Super Mutants had better luck with items and pulled melee weapons which only make them stronger but also denied the powerful rifles to the Survivors. It was sheer luck but that Laser Rifle that killed Bob could have been nasty in any of the Survivors’ hands! Regardless, the tactical blunder with Dogmeat was what had the bigger impact on the game and I think this scenario could be fun to play using different strategies. The Survivors should have stuck together and used their superior shooting a bit more. It would be interesting to see how the Super Mutants would do against a Survivor side that focused on a particular side of the board and stuck together instead of trying to divide and conquer (which did not work as well as I thought it might). What this really speaks to is the depth of this scenario and how well-designed it is. I’d give this scenario a 4 out of 5 just like the previous one I can’t wait to play some more of these scenarios after this one!

Here are some more rapid fire musings on the game.

I want to once again give a shoutout to the Fallout Wasteland Warfare app. I tried to use cards because I thought it would make seeing the items each model carried easier but I was wrong. I quickly ran out of table space for the cards and it was confusing as to who had what because you only get a single card for each unit type. So there were three super mutants with different items but I had to try and figure out a way to keep track of that which proved difficult. The app was much easier to use and keep track of everything. It would have been cool if it could have tallied how many items each side had for this scenario at a given time but that is a pretty specific thing to want and really only applies to scenarios like this one where controlling items is important.

I’m glad I finished painting those two hounds as I didn’t know I needed them for this scenario. I was a bit bummed to not use the Brute that I finished recently but that’s my fault for not checking the errata on the scenario before painting.

There were a few stretches in the battle where the pictures I took didn’t turn out well so I decided not to use them. This happens almost every time I do a battle report because my camera sometimes struggles to get decent pictures of the mat under the extra lighting. I hope that didn’t negatively impact your understanding of what was going on in the report.

This scenario was very strategic as I mentioned above and a bit of a brain burner for me to play both sides. I was definitely mentally tired after I finished playing and that got me thinking that maybe using the AI would help? I like the depth that playing both sides gives the game but I’m even more open to using the AI after this one if it helps me be a little less tired when it is over.

It took me quite a while to play through this scenario which surprised me as well. I can’t really say why that is but if the AI could help speed up the game time a bit, that would be cool with me too.

This battle report, like the previous one, is really long. Thank you for taking the time to read it (I don’t take your time for granted and appreciate you choosing to spend time looking at something I wrote) but if there is anything that seemed extraneous or that could be reduced in the report, I’d appreciate that feedback. I want it to be as detailed as necessary and fun to read but not take longer than it should at the same time.

I had a great time playing Fallout once again and look forward to playing it again soon. My hope is that another game will happen next month, most likely over the holiday break.