Note: There are over 3 megs of pictures in here, so let them load.  If you have a 56k modem, I feel for you.

            Yes, it’s me, lowlymarine, back with another Emperor: Battle for Dune BR.  This one is quite a bit more exciting than my last one.  I’ve got pictures (lot’s of them!), a better memory of the game, a purdy little intro animated gif, more detail, and some other assorted crap.  Enjoy!

The players:

philipgk: That would be me.  The most gosu Emperor dude.  (And if you believe that, I have a bridge to sell ya.)  I chose to command the noble House Atreides with the Subhouses Fremen and Sardaukar.

mookysik: (Where do people come up with these names?)  A known turtler, which ought to make for an interesting game.  (Yeah, right.)  He chose the vile House Harkonnen, with subhouse support from Fremen and Sardaukar.

The setz:

I believe this pic says it best:

Hey, at least you get a mini-map this time!

On to the game:

-The early, early stage:

The game started out fairly standard for the setz: Deploy Con Yard, Windtrap, Ref, Fac.  My first scout managed to get a good look at his entire base.  Great defense, buddy!

First things first, I send a pair of SandBikes to try to wreak some havoc.  However, they are quickly dispatched by mooky’s  Buzzsaws and flame tanks.  I opt to Mino rush, while my opponent, uh, I’m not sure what he’s doing.

            By this time, I have several mino’s prepared for battle.  Mooky is getting busy with some missile-tank and buzzsaw lovin’.

-The Early, but not quite as early as the “early, early stage”, stage:

After examining his base again, I decided to make things a little easier for my Minos.  Spotting a hole in his defense the size of a small continent, I buid an APC and a single engineer.

            After the engie loads up, I set out to wreak some havoc.  I come across his Factory, which is ripe for the picking.  I unload the engineer and let the little guy work his magic on the building.

            Unfortunately, there are enemy units that notice this, and I am forced to sell the building before I can use it for anything.  Nonetheless, this whole fiasco makes a great setback for mooky, and sets the stage perfectly for my mino attack.

-The middle stage:

            Of course, by the time my slow-ass minos reach his base, he’s rebuilt the factory and added more defenses.  Figures.

Nontheless, (I like that word) I charge the mino’s into his base.  These two screenies best explain the resulting fiasco (another word I like):

            I decided that if I try again, I should bring AA support.  (Ya think?)  I began rebuilding my army of doom, this time including some Mongooses.

Of course,  while I rebuilt, mooky rebuilt.  I should have figured on that, but you’ve seen some of my other bright tactical moves this game.

After building up four mongooses and a pair of Minos, I decided to head out for blood.  As my units trudged across the sand, I had this feeling of dread.  Sure enogh, mooky had gone missile tank crazy.  The ensuing “combat” was basically mass slaughter of  good Atreides men.  I lost most of my mongooses to missile tanks, and by the time my Minos got close enough to attack the missile tanks, there was nothing left to attack his ADPs.  The Mino’s were quickly wiped out, and my hopes of finishing this game in a timely manner crushed.

Seeing that, believe it or not, his forces will be able to repulse me again, I am forced to settle down to a siege.  What a fittingly disgusting end to the mid game.

-The early late stage:

            I set about building a large force of mongooses.  mooky felt a strong urge to build lots of inkvine catapults. And more ADPs.  I also upgraded to ahangar and produced a pair of Air Drones to go carryall hunting.

            My mongooses move out into his spice field, content to fire at targets of opportunity.  I consider attacking his base (I have about eight ‘gooses, with more coming), but after viewing this scene, I decide against it:

            Back at my base, I switch full production over to Minos, while inkvines and ADPs still seem to be mooky’s focus.

            Some inkvines move into a nice position on his cliff to rain down death on my gooses if they get too close to the center of the field, so I move in with my Air Drones.  mooky, obviously knowing what they’re there for (which is not tomake out with the inkvines, however tempting), dispatches four ADPs to deal with the airborne menaces.  The ADPs heroicly charge towards the Air Drones one by one, getting annihilated on the approach.  Total loss to mooky: $6,400.  Total loss to me: $0.  Brilliant.  I so wish I had a screenshot.

            Visibly pissed, mooky sends his brand-spankin’ new Sard Elites, some inkvines, and a pair of missile tanks at my mongooses.  My troops are ordered to bravely scamper back to the base.  mooky, not certain of my defense (a handful of minos and an MG post. :P), retreats bak to the relative safety of his gaziilion gun turrets.  He does at least detour the missile tanks to chase away my Air Drones.

-The really late stage:

Back at my base, a newly produced repair vehicle sets about repairing my ‘gooses.  During that time, I produce a pair of SandBikes to aid in attacking the infantry.  Or be cannon fodder.  Whatever.

My army includes about eight mongooses, four Minos, a pair of SandBikes, and a repair vehicle.  I group them together and set them out towards mooky’s base.  The gooses are ordered to hold their ground in front of the Minos, praying on some savory harvesters.  The SandBikes are quickly blown apart by inkvine fire, and the repair vehicle (industriously working on my Minos) follows suit soon after.  Nonetheless, the Minos easily manage to overwhelm the inkvines and Sard Elites (I have the mongooses deal with the missile tanks, just out of spite).  The Minos then begin the arduous process of destroying Gun Turrets.

It’s all too much for poor mooky.  With no economy, no units, and a crumbling defensive wall, we exchachange “GG”s and he bows out.

And the scores:

Lessons Learned:

1.       Attrition is still the way to go.

2.     “mookysik” is a funny name.

3.      ADPs<Air Drones

4.     Everything<Minos

5.      Turtling makes for boring games.

6.      Writing a decent BR takes a long time.

The End

-lowlymarine