CodeBlade

Time to get another learning game on the table.  The creators kindly helped me with my rules mistakes from last game, so hopefully I’ll do better this time.  The mistakes were all mine, the rulebook was clear.  User error!

On that note, it is worth saying here that the game creators are very approachable, as is the small but growing community.  The friendly Discord server is here.  And the Facebook fan/community page (which I had the honour of setting up) is here.

Let’s get on with the game and see how I do this time!

Round 1

Neon win the roll off. The objective is “Control Objective 2”. Neon decide not to use the Agi Tracker’s ability to change the objective – they decide that they won’t contest Objective 2 as that would bring them in too close to Compliance. They will minimise how much Compliance can win from that, and focus on Tokenisation instead.

Neon choose to go 2nd, and give the Agi Tracker ‘Honoured’

Compliance have the first activation. The Counter Intel Officer moves towards the Agi Tracker to get in range to use their ‘Incriminated’ skill to try to do something about the Agi Tracker’s Honoured status. Spends 1H to add a die. 6,6,5 = Critical Success. Gains a flow. Agi Tracker passes her save though. Nice try. The Honoured status remains.

Agi Tracker is in range to tokenise either objective. She doesn’t spend H to add dice as Compliance are gong to win the objective, so it would be free Honour for them. However she succeeds with both actions. Having spend all her Flow, the Honoured token gives 3H more. So already the score is 14 to Neon, 8 to Compliance, with 3 Contested.

Compliance Sargent moves 5”, into range of Objective 1 (not an active objective, but a handy position) and attempts to use ‘Cordon Off’ to limit the Neon movement who are on the edge of the map, close to that area. Successful! Neon will need to stay where they are.

Manipulator Hacker. Uses Tokenise on Objective 1. In range and LoS, so needs a 3. Success and success again. +2H

Freelance Muscle climbs down from his building, and safely enters the Cordon. Moves a second time, in between Objective 1 and the Neon characters, closing in for combat next turn.

Combat Hacker moves into LoS of Muscle but further away from him, just staying in range of his Feedback ability. He attempts it but fails the roll.

Compliance Officer comes to claim O2 and gets closer to the Neon characters.

Propaganda Hacker moves to the edge of the building she’s on, in range of Tokenisation O1. Success. +1H

Riot Squad double moves to get right in the thick of it for next turn.

Medic can’t move into the Cordon bubble. Nowhere useful to move for now, and no Downed characters to help. Stays put.

Finally the Counter Intel Officer uses the free flow gained earlier to move in. He really needs to dish some Dishonour next turn!

Compliance control Objective 2, and win the round. But overall they are losing 11-17. Compliance place dishonoured on Agi to remove her Honoured status.

Round 2

Neon win the initiative roll again. The Task is ‘Secure Objective 2’. Neon choose to go second, and reapply the Honoured condition on the Agi Tracker. Whilst denying “Secure” the objective is easier than denying “Control” they likely won’t contest the Objective and continue to focus on Tokenisation.

Compliance have the first activation again. The Counter Intel uses ‘Incriminated’ on AgiTracker. Spends 1H to add a dice. One success. Agi Tracker critical fails! Loses a flow and Honoured is removed. Counter Intel Officer tries the same again, looking to now apply a dishonoured condition. 3 successes which makes the target save a 6. Fails! Agi Tracker is now Dishonoured – how quickly things change!

Neon’s Combat Hacker, seeing how the Counter Intel Officer is the major threat to honour gain decides to use his CodeBlade against him. The ability requires 4 lethal kinetic hits to be resolved. This increases save roll required to 6 and also removes a dice. The Counter Intel adds the maximum possible dice to the roll – 4 dice needing a 6. He fails and is removed from play!

With his second action, the Combat Hacker uses his Feedback attack on the hired Muscle. 2 successes. Muscle adds one dice, so rolls 3 dice needing a 5. It was worth it, he saves with one success.

Riot Squad uses the Riot Gas attack, adding a dice, and aiming at the Propaganda Hacker. Agi Tracker is also in range of the bubble. 3 successes, catching both targets. They each only get to roll 1 dice needing a 6. Propaganda Hacker fails and loses a flow. Agi Tracker also fails, loses her last flow, and loses 3 Honour as a result of the Dishonoured condition!

Same again and same result. Propaganda Hacker loses her last flow. Agi Tracker, already out of Flow, gains the Stun condition. This means that as a result of those attacks, neither the Propaganda Hacker nor Agi Tracker get any actions this turn, and they are two of the main Tokenisation threats.

The Manipulator Hacker, the one remaining Tokenisation threat, attempts to do so. Succeeds twice, +2H.

Muscle charges Agi Tracker, looking to put the pressure on while she is Dishonoured. The charge is successful, so he gains Powered Up. He attacks with his Cybernetic hand. Spends 1H to add a third dice. One success. Agi Tracker has one dice against a Kinetic attacks. She doesn’t want to add a dice as it is a free H to Compliance. Needing a 4 it is a 50/50 roll.. She risks it. Fail! She is downed. Not dead yet, and she is already out of Flow so no more Honour loss for her this turn, but she is in trouble next turn.

Medic double moves towards the downed Agi Tracker but will need another turn to get there.

Compliance Sargent moves, staying in range of O1 (in case) and into range of Propaganda Hacker with her pistol. Adds a dice and scores 2 successes. Propaganda Hacker needs a 5. Fails. Downed.

Only character with flow left is the Compliance Officer. But he needs to stay within range of Objective 2 in order to win the round and recover all that honour they spent to have this big turn. Edges forward but staying in range.

Compliance win the round, but the score is 15-12 to Neon. They look to be in trouble though. That was a great round for Compliance, even with losing the Counter Intel Officer. They place Dishonoured on the Manipulator Hacker.

Round 3

Compliance win the Initiative roll. Agi Tracker is Downed so can’t manipulate the roll. Objective = Control Objective 1. Compliance choose to go second and give Dishonoured to the Combat Hacker. Neon now carry 3 Dishonour tokens!

Manipiulator Hacker uses Feedback on the Compliance Sargent. Crit success! Saved. Again. One success. Crit fail! Downed.

The Freelance Muscle sees a play and, rather than go for the kill on Agi Tracker, leaves her to the Riot Squad and charges the Combat Hacker. He adds a dice. 2 successes. The Combat Hacker has 1 dice needing 5, gets it. Not quite the result Compliance were looking for, but worth a try.

Medic moves, now in range of Agi Tracker. He fires up the defibrillator and is successful. Agi gets up, and gains a second stun.

The Riot Squad is now the only Compliance Officer in range of the Objective so technically he needs to stay still to win the round, but he sees the play that the Muscle was setting up. He leaves the objective and charges Agi Tracker. She is not Downed anymore but is still very much Stunned. Riot gains powered up. Uses Detain as the free melee attack, Agi is killed and dishonoured and loses 3H. That part of the plan worked perfectly!

Combat Hacker has a choice. He can either fight the clever Freelance Muscle or use Contrition to lose his Dishonoured condition. He chooses the latter. Gains a stun.

Compliance Officer also sees a play as things unfold in front of him, and uses his CodeBlade to throw the Riot Squad back in range of Objective 1. They didn’t want to risk leaving any contested Honour tokens for Neon next round just in case! He then moves to get a bead on the Medic for next turn but holds onto Objective 2 at the same time.

The Manipulator Hacker can’t reach Objective 1, nor can he prevent the Dishonoured loss, so uses its one flow to Tokenise the objective. +1H, -2H.

End of round Compliance win, and now lead 13-10. They choose to Dishonour the Combat Hacker.

Round 4.

Neon wins the Initiative roll. Objective = Control Objective 2. Neon choose to go second to remove Dishonoured from the Manipulator Hacker.

Compliance go first, and the Freelance Muscle swings his Cybernetic Hand at the Combat Hacker, 2 success but saved. Tries again. 3 successes this time, the Combat Hacker adds a dice to the save roll. Saved with a 6!

The Manipulator Hacker attempts to Disconnect the Combat Hacker to prevent the Honour loss from the Dishonoured condition. The roll succeeds but is ‘saved’ by the Combat Hacker’s ICE. Tries again. Good news is that the Disconnect worked this time worked. The bad news is that it was a Critical Fail so in addition to being Disconnected, the Combat Hacker loses their only flow.

The Compliance Officer sees the Medic looking towards the Downed Propaganda Hacker and doesn’t want to give him a change of reviving another colleague. Hefires his burst pistol at him. Spends 1H to add a dice. 2 successes. Save is failed. Downed! The Medic will play no further part in the game, and there is nothing to gain from it, but the Compliance Officer shoots again to go for the kill. However this time the roll is a Critical Fail. Must be karma for shooting a Medic – he gets a Stun for being so greedy!

Riot Squad throws riot gas at the Combat Hacker, knowing it will catch his own Freelance Muscle as well. It hits. Both targets fail their save and gain a Stun each. Riot Squad does the same again. Hits but both save this time.

Compliance win the round and lead 15-8 now. They give Dishonoured to the Manipulator Hacker.

Round 5

Initiative roll is a tie. Secure Objective 2 (again!). Neon keep priority. They will go second and lose Dishonoured on Manipulator Hacker.

The Freelance Muscle, still in combat with the Combat Hacker, lashes out with his Cybernetic Hand. Spends 1H to add a dice. 2 successes. The save is failed and Combat Hacker is downed. Sadly, due to the previous round’s Stun, he has no second action to finish him off.

Only the Manipulator Hacker is standing for Neon now. Two successful Tokenisations +2H. There doesn’t seem to be a win condition for Neon now, but we’ll play it out.

Riot Squad moves into LoS of Manipulator Hacker. Throws Riot Gas. Adds a dice but Crit Fails.

Comp officer stays put to secure Objective 2. The little bugger shoots at the Downed Medic again, but fails again!

Compliance win the round and now lead 16-6. They Dishonour the last man standing as they move inexorably towards a win.

Round 6.

Tied initiative roll again, Secure Objective 2 again!! Neon remove Dishonoured from Manipulator Hacker again. Deja vu? The dice wants what the dice wants!

The Muscle attempts to kill the Combat Hack and does. Here I got a rule wrong. I had left the Disconnected condition on the Combat Hacker and therefore did not lost 2H for Dishonoured. This didn’t affect anything in terms of the result in this instance, as the 2H didn’t affect the win conditions, but I have taken the learning! The Muscle is able to use his second action to moves into M range of the Manipulator Hacker.

Manipulator Hacker Tokenises twice successfully but it’s going to be in vain. They have no way of downing any Compliance Officers and no way to earn Honour tokens any faster.

End of round. 17-7 to Compliance. They see that they can now easily win by reaching 20 Honour themselves next round (if they don’t finish off the last Neon fighter) so they give Honoured to the Riot Squad to bring this to a close next round whatever happens.

Round 7

Compliance win roll. Objective = Dominate. Go second and give Honoured to The Compliance Officer

Manipulator Hacker tokenises twice – which is all they can do.

The Freelance Muscle sees if he can finish things off. He swings his Cybernetic Hand at the Manipulator Hacker. Hits but saved. Swings again, hits, and the save is failed. Manipulator Hacker is Downed. Game over. Compliance win via Downing all of the enemy models, but they would also have won easily on Honour this turn.

Well that was a massive turnaround and not the result that was expected after Turn 1 – I am sure I got plenty wrong tactically so I look forward to more learning opportunities in the debrief!