boxboro-ma-6-23-hoth-scenario
Title: boxboro-ma-6-23-hoth-scenario
Author: Michael "rayc" Hawley
Date: Jun 26, 2000
What follows are the final scenario rules:
HOTH THEMED TOURNAMENT (non-sanctioned)
Universal Conditions:
1. Allowable Locations: Only Hoth locations. Asteroid sectors may not be played (clouds MAY be).
2. Tournament scoring will be as follows:
Two Victory Points for a win with 8 scenario points OR if you finish the game with three more points than your opponent.
One Victory Point (and minus differential) for a loss when the player accrues 8 or more scenario points. (Example 1 -12)
Remember if you win the game and don't have the scenario points - you will not get actually get a "win" -- you need to build scenario points. If you win w/out the scenario points you would get zero points plus positive differential. ( 0 +30 , for example ).
Players are responsible for keeping their own and their opponent's scenario points for each game.
One hour limit - anyone still playing will be asked to add up their scenario points.
3. Starting Locations:
LS: Hoth: Main Power Generators plus one other non Echo Hoth site.
DS: Hoth: North Ridge plus Hoth: Ice Plains plus one other non Echo Hoth site.
How this works: First, LS puts out the MPG and DS puts out the North Ridge. Next, both players simultaneously reveal the other site. The LS can reverse the North Ridge if they want (but that would be one less site the DS has to stomp in through). Dark also deploys Hoth: Ice Plains.
Any starting interrupts can be played. Objectives may be used, but they'll be very difficult to pull off.
4. Dark side card: Come here you Big Coward is not allowed.
Scenario Points:
LIGHT SIDE:
1 pt. Initiating a battle with a Tauntaun Handler on a Tauntaun
1 pt. Playing Hoth Sentry
1 pt. Crashing a Dark Side combat vehicle
1 pt. Hitting anything with an artillery weapon
1 pt. Deploy General Reikeen to War Room (once per game)
1 pt. Opponent's combat vehicle leaves the table from play
1 pt. Using a medium transport in a battle
1 pt. Initiating a battle with a T-47 Speeder and its matching pilot
1 pt. Each Light Side turn the Hoth: Main Power Generators and 4 Echo sites are in play
2 pts. Initiating a battle with a T-47, its matching pilot and matching gunner aboard
2 pt. Winning a battle in which Commander Luke Skywalker is involved (once per game)
3 pts. If Wampa goes to the Lost Pile from play
3 pts. If opponent initiates an action that causes them to lose the
game
DARK SIDE:
1 pt. Destroying an artillery weapon
1 pt. Initiating a battle with Blizzard 2
1 pt. Opponent's combat vehicle leaves the table from play
1 pt. Each Dark Side turn there are 3 leaders at an Echo site
1 pt. Initiating a battle with a combat vehicle and its matching pilot
1 pt. Winning a battle in which a Probe Droid is involved (once per game)
1 pt. Altering Echo Base Garrison or Bacta Tank (twice per game)
1 pt: Deploying General Veers on Blizzard 1 (once per game)
1 pt. A Wampa eats an opponent's character or relocates them to the Hoth: Wampa Cave
1 pt. Killing Hobbie, Wedge or Zev while they are piloting (once a game)
2 pts. "Collapsing" an Echo site
2 pts. Initiating a battle with a combat vehicle with a pilot and two gunners aboard it.
2 pts. Canceling Echo Base Operations
3 pts. If opponent initiates an action that causes them to lose the game
4 pts. "Blowing away" the Hoth: Main Power Generators
My Decks:
I am posting them in the report because I don't see the use in posting them in the deck area since they are specialized, one use only decks.
Dark Side Deck for the Hoth Scenario:
Locations (8)
Hoth: Ice Plains(start)
Hoth: Wampa Cave x2
Hoth: Mountains(start)
Hoth: Defensive Perimeter x2
Hoth: North Ridge(start)
Hoth: Echo Docking Bay
Vehicles (6)
Tempest 1
Blizzard 1
Blizzard 2
Blizzard Scout 1
Blizzard Walker x2
Weapons (3)
AT-AT Cannons x3
Epic Events (2)
Target The Main Generators x2
Characters (16)
Officer Evax
Gen. Veers
Comdr. Igar
Comdr. Nemet
Lieutenant Arnet
Captain Lennox
Lt. Cabbel
Admiral Ozzel
Marquand
Watts
Darth Vader x2
Choke Vader
GMT
DS-61-2
DS-61-3
Effects (8)
Reactor Terminal
Imperial Decree
Hell To Pay
Presence of The Force
Oppressive Enforcement
There is No Try
Imperial Arrest Order (start)
Resistance
Interrupts (17)
Shut Him Up or Shut Him Down x2
Shocking Revelation x2
Alter x3
Surprise
T'wilek Advisor x3 (1 starting)
Omni Box x2
Trample x2
Masterful Move x2
The Scenario points I would hope to earn are for:
Blowing up the Main Generator (4 points).
Initiating Battle with Blizzard 2 (1 point)
Having 3 leaders at the Echo Docking Bay for several turns (1 point per turn)
Initiating a battle with a walker and matching pilot (1 point)
Deploying General Veers on Blizzard 1 (1 point)
Making an Opponent's Combat Vehicle Leave the table (1 point)
Killing Hobbie Wedge or Zev while they are piloting (1 point)
The Alters are for Mechanical Failure, not for Bacta Tank and Echo Base Garrison; but obviously could use them for that as well. The obvious hope here is to dominate the ground with the walkers, Pilots and Cannons. I am not sure about the usefulness of the Tramples but I would hate to leave them out and live to regret it. I was thinking maybe a couple Walker Garrisons instead might be useful.
Vader and Tarkin looked like a useful combo with their ability to cancel a destiny, This may save a walker from being tripped. I was a little uneasy with only 2 Target the Main Generators but I figured that, if I was patient and only tried it when I knew I was going to succeed, I would only really need one.
I ignored space completely. If I want to blow things up on the ground, I need to use all the deck space for that. I am thinking maybe a few more walkers in place of some characters. Obviously I am not expecting a high speed Revo deck like my own. I am thinking Decree and the alters should be enough to deal with Revolution in most cases. The -1 to deploy at the mountains is great. Much more significant than the extra icon at the Wampa Cave or the Defensive Perimeter.
And now for something completely different:
The Larch -- It's my planet and I'll choke if I want to.
Locations: (6)
Hoth: Main Power Generators (start)
Hoth: Snow Trench (start)
Hoth: Echo Med Lab
Hoth: Echo Docking Bay
Hoth: Echo Corridor
Hoth: Echo War Room
Vehicles: (4)
Rogue 1
Rogue 2
Rogue 3
Rogue 4
Starships (3)
Lando in Millennium Falcon
Gold Leader in Gold 1
Spiral
Characters(16)
Commander Luke Skywalker x2
Princess Organa x3
TK-422 x2
Commander Wedge Antilles
General Reikan
Zev
Hobbie
Dack Ralter
Wes Janson
General McQuarrie
HNmethe x2
Weapons (2)
Power Harpoon x2
Effects (18)
Hoth Sentry
New Secret Base (start)
Civil Disorder
Echo Base Garrison
Reflection
Wise Advice
Mechanical Failure
Insurrection
Goo Nee Tay
What Are You Trying To ... x2
Revolution x7
Interrupts (11)
The Signal x3 (1 starting)
One More Pass
Shocking Information x2
Tunnel Vision x3
Rebel Barrier x2
Now this deck has some focus. You earn your points mainly by getting your locations out early and keeping them on the table for many turns. You can also deploy General Reikan, start battles with matching pilot/gunner/speeders, win a battle with Commander Luke, and maybe crash a walker.
Start with the MPG, and the Snow Trench per the scenario rules. Play the Signal starting to get New Secret Base. Before you activate first turn, get Echo Base Garrison and the War Room into your hand. If you already have one or both, substitute Echo locations. You should have had a Revolution or 2 in your opening hand. Use the three force to Revolve the outermost exterior marker sight. Next turn revolve 2 more sites. After that, use Hoth Sentry at the edge of the shield and also deploy a Hnmthe there. Goo Nee Tay will also slow them down a bit. If they do save enough force to get an imperial deployed, barrier it. Next turn deploy TK-422 he will add to deploy costs as well. This should slow them down so much that you can deal with them at leisure. Even if he starts Crush and has 3 or 4 evaders, this deck is still strong. And I really don't expect anyone to start Crush.
The space defense is token really, but with Insurrection up, you should be able to hold out at the Hoth system and maybe one Cloud location using high forfeit guys to cover attrition and battle damage. Clouds will be tough for the dark side to play, because he would have to get the Hoth system out first and he has no way to do it easily.
Between the Tunnel Visions, Signals and the ability to get many characters from your reserve deck with Echo Base Garrison, you should be able to get what you need, when you need it.
On to the tournament:
The day started with a sealed deck "overdrive" tournament -- no EPP just 4 packs of premier and 30 card decks. I played light and drew mostly garbage (except Figrin D'an). I actually did ok in this except that almost every game went on time. I think I lost 2 games out of the six. One close one on time against Steve Anderson (who I wound up playing 3 times in the sealed and once in the Hoth scenario) and one timed loss against a new player who I was trying to help so much that I showed her how to beat me. Oh yeah, every light side player got a bye. So I got a bye too. The winner of the sealed was a light side player who pulled a Han Solo and a Han's Back.
Now for the Scenario: at last
Only 14 players showed up for this. Due mainly to the fact that the DS 2 pre-release tournaments took place this weekend. Too bad because this was very relaxed and fun.
Game 1 My LS vs Steve Anderson (I think it was a Hoth Deck)
This was the toughest challenge for my Light side deck. Steve started Imperial Decree and I failed to pull a Revo in my opening hand. But Steve had done what I figured everyone would do. He assumed that Decree would take care of the revo problem. It did not. By turn 3 I had revoed 2 od his locations including the Ice Plains (his outermost exterior marker site) . Fortunately for Steve he had deployed some stuff before I got the revos deployed. So, for most of the rest of the game, he would spread out to control 2 locations to flip the revos back and I would deploy guys to those locations to flip back. The result, he lost the activation but I didn't get the extra activation. Advantage to me. All the time, I had Princess Organa down at the War room subtracting 1 from drains and using Reflection to retrieve every turn. I think he did get a wampa down and ate Leia. I don't think he had any other scenario points. I scored so many I lost count. I knew that my light side deck would rule and my opponents would be hard pressed to gain any scenario points. Feelings of guilt began to set in.
Highs: Having my completely untested deck play out exactly as planned. Knowing that, with the possible exception of Erik Markarian, there was not a chance of anyone challenging this deck. Steve Anderson playing it out keeping upbeat despite how frustrating it must have been.
Lows: The guilt that goes with the above high. Some people don't have fun when their deck is completely shut down and I was going to do it two more times.
Game 2 My DS vs Steve Baroni (damn ... another Hoth Deck. Unexpected this is.)
Ok now for my dark side deck. You have to understand that the first requirement was to get the scenario points. That was the whole point of the tournament. Check out the scoring rules above. One thing to note was that there was no penalty for a timed game. If you wound up with 8 scenario points or more, you were guaranteed at least 1 victory point if you had the scenario points and were ahead on life force when time was called you got 2 victory points and the difference between your life force and your opponent's for differential. I knew from the start that this game would have to go to time and that, if Princess Organa showed up, I could not inflict enough force loss early enough to hope for a win. And Steve B. is too good a player to screw up and lose the game. I started the North Ridge (required), the Ice Plains (required), and The Mountains. I used the Signal to start Imperial Arrest Order. I drew for several turns to get my invasion force ready. Steve had gotten out the Hoth System and had the Falcon there draining me for 1 and some other guys at my Defensive Perimiter building up to defend against the invasion and draining me for 2. When I was ready, I started to deploy walkers and pilots and moving in under the shields. I kept my Surprise handy in case I needed to retarget a Mechanical failure to the Blizzard Scout1. I used my Reactor Terminal to recycle my high destinies in preparation for Targetting the Generators. The turn that I moved to the Snow Trench, I deployed a bunch of characters at the Wampa Cave and the mountains and moved Blizzard Scout 1 w/ Arnet to the North Ridge. I deployed my AT-AT cannons and initiated battle against his defensive force trying to take down his speeder with the Power Harpoon and satisfy a few Victory conditions (initiating Battle with a Walker and Matching Pilot, killing one of the speeder pilots). I survived and waited for the huge beatdown his next turn. It came but I managed to live through it by reacting with Blizzard Scout 1 and Lt. Arnet and forfieting them and another walker pilot to cover all attrition. My next control Phase I played Target The Main Generators and drew my carefully tracked 6. This gave me the 4 scenario points and made the game a little closer. I initiated battle with Blizzard 2 and depoyed General Veers on Blizzard 1 to get the rest of the required 8 scenario points. I had lost too much force however and when time was called, he was way ahead on life force. He got the 2 victory points and + differential (note differential wa calculated as the difference between the 2 players' life force -- not the sanctioned way). I got 1 victory point plus differential.
Highs: Blowing up the Generators is fun. Getting the required number of scenario points against the odds.
Lows: Having no chance at the full win and realizing that I probably could not do it with my dark deck. It just takes too long to blow up the generators and the light side can get all that stuff right from the reserve deck.
Game 3 My LS vs. Michael "deck" Gemme
We both start the usual stuff. I think his starting effect was Imperial Arrest Order. His Jaw dropped when I 1st turn Revoed his Ice Plains and he realized that he could not deploy there without presence. That was pretty much the Game right there and the Hoth Sentry, Goo Nee Tay, TK-422 and Hnmeths sealed it. I felt so bad that I did not even deploy most of the other Revos. No difference. I got all the scenario points I needed just by keeping the Power Generators and Echo Sites in play for 8 turns. He did get some stuff deployed and we had a few battles but it was so hard for him to get anything down and so easy for me to counter it that he had no chance. Michael, if you are reading this, please correct me if I am wrong.
Highs: Dominance, catching someone completely off guard
Lows: Guilt, catching someone completely off guard
Game 4 My DS vs. Andy ?
Pretty much a rerun of game 2 only a little closer. I never met Andy before I think he was a new player. He seemed like a good guy. I tried not to underestimate him. He was using troopers and entrenchment. I feared Leia of Alderaan and Rebel Ambush (or whatever that LS Interrupt is that Adds 2 power to each Trooper) and played cautiously to avoid the 101 point beatdown ( 8 echo Base Troopers= power 16. Add Leia of Alderan with Leia at an adjacent site they = Power 32. Play Rebel Ambush at a Rebel Base they = 48, Add Obi-Wan and Jedi Presence they = 96 + 5 for obi = 101). I did not have a ghhhk. As it turned out he did not have any of these combos and I was able to blow up the generators (after 3 tries. I screwed up my destiny tracking on one turn and had to wait 'til I could draw the card again and track a 6 ) , initiate some battles with the right guys and get my scenario points. When time ran out, I was still behind in force and he had the necessary scenario points so he got 2 + diff and I got 1 - diff.
Highs: Blowing up the Generators ...
Lows: Takes too long ...
Game 5 My LS vs. Andy ? again
This one did not even time out. Andy told me he had never even considered the possibility of a Revo Deck. He must have been doing pretty well to be facing me in game 5 but he had no chance in this one. Same as game 3 except we finished before time ran out.
Highs: Was I right or was I right?
Lows: Guilt. I was sort of glad this kid beat me in Game 4. I think it made it easier for him to fall this hard.
Game 6 my DS vs. Erik Markarian
Erik was #1 at this point having won at least 1 game with his dark side. He had 9 victory points + diff. I was 2nd and Steve Baroni was 3rd both with 8 victory points +diff.
I could win this if I could beat Erik; but Erik is an excellent player who uses Rogue Speeders in his regular tournament deck. Still this was a fun game and I almost pulled it out. I brought the walkers in with smaller crews than I had in my other 2 dark games. I blew the generators up earlier than in other games in spite of him crashing one of my walkers.
I was then able to spread out and block his drains but he was retreiving with Figrin D'an and subtracting 1 with Leia. I was able to alter Reflection. I won with Figgy once by pulling a 5 and a 6; but Erik managed to start tracking three 4s and I only had the one 6 and a bunch of 5s left in my deck so he started getting force back every turn. My Presence of The Force had gone to my lost pile early so I could not get to Figgy and Leia early enough. When Time was called, Things were going my way but I was still behind in Life Force. I am sure Erik had another trick or 2 up his sleeve so I do not claim that I would have won for sure. But it was very close. After the game, some spectators told me that I forgot some force drains. I did not think I had (I think they did not notice Princess Organa) but, if I did, that would suck. Great game! We both garnered all the scenario points but Erik got the 2 Victory points plus diff. (like 7) and I got the 1 victory point minus diff. Erik won the tournament and I got 3rd.
Highs: Great Game. I almost pulled it out
Lows: Not having one more POTF to go take out Leia and Figgy as soon as the generators were gone. That might have been game.
Finish
1. Erik Markarian
2. Steve Baroni
3. Michael Hawley (me)
Props to:
Everyone who showed up
Kris for holding it
My Parents for taking my son for the day so I could go
anyone who actually read this whole thing
Slops to:
Decipher for holding the pre-release this weekend and drawing off most of the top players.
Anyone who could have come but didn't
Thanks for reading