BATTLE SCENARIO: Eden Prime

Systems Alliance Objective: Protect the beacon.

Enemy Assets:

• Unknown number of Geth.  Estimates place them between 1,000 to 6,000 mobile platforms.
• Intelligence resources of the SPECTRE office via Saren Arterius.
• Sovereign, a 2 km tall Reaper.

Friendly Assets:

• Unknown number of Alliance marines.  Estimates equate their numbers in the area to around the same as the Geth.
• Team of commandos lead by an N7 agent and a SPECTRE, Nihilus.
• Normandy SR-1, a stealth frigate.

History:

• Archeologists uncover a working Prothean beacon.  The Systems Alliance is informed who, in turn, inform the Citadel Council.
• Saren Arterius learns of this from his position as a SPECTRE.  He tells Sovereign, and gathers a task force of Geth.
• Upon entering the Utopia system, comm buoys are destroyed.  The colony is attacked in complete surprise.  Geth landed via shuttle, ambushing squads near the beacon and secure the area.
• The Normandy SR-1 exits the Mass Relay station with stealth systems engaged.  They pick up emergency transmissions from the planet showing the fighting.
• Normandy lands a commando team who head to the beacon at the cost of a marine and Nihilus.
• Saren uses the beacon, and orders bomb set up to destroy it.  He leaves shortly afterwards back to Sovereign.
• The commando team defuse the bomb and the leader also uses the beacon.  It blows up right after that.

 Could the Imperial Guard succeed where the Systems Alliance failed?

• First, we must define their assets.  Systems Alliance marines are replaced with PDF troopers and their full array of ground equipment.
• This includes armoured vehicles and artillery.
• The planet is replaced with an Imperial world of similar importance.  It has multiple deep space augurs in orbit.
• The Normandy and her crew are replaced with a small Imperial frigate and an Inquisitor with acolytes.
• The augur stations in space will give advanced warning of Sovereign's approach, allowing for the troopers groundside to not be caught unawares.
• Since Geth protection is optimized against kinetic impactors they will prove easier for the lasguns to kill than Necrons.  Their lack of armour will also be a hindrance against the Leman Russ tanks or even the Chimera-based light tanks of the Guard.
• Needless to say, if the Geth don't reach the beacon in the opening stages of their landing, they will not get to it.  The PDF could hold them long enough for the Inquisitor to retrieve the beacon and leave.

How would the Imperial Guard fare in place of the Geth?

• First, we must define their assets.  Geth are replaced with Guardsman, Saren with an Inquisitor, and Sovereign with a transport ship.
• Comms buoys are destroyed (just like in the original battle) during the ship's approach.
• The landing would be conducted with wings of Valkyries.  This ensures they can land wherever they want, and have close-in aerial support for their assault.
• Their rapid insertion guarantees their ability to secure the beacon.
• After the Inquisitor uses it, they can use the Valkyries to withdraw to orbit.  Then, the orbiting ship would conduct an Exterminatus on the site to destroy the beacon and anyone in the area.  This ensures nobody else could use it, and might cover their trail.

Conclusions:  Their particle weapons make things easier for the infantry to dominate their counterparts; and their combined-arms tactics make it easier to achieve their objective, no matter which side they're on.  The early warning system in orbit will make sure they aren't surprised by the attack, and the ability for rapid insertion and rapid relocation is their best weapon on the attack.

I give the Imperial Guard 2 for 2 points for this scenario.

BATTLE SCENARIO: Siege of AR-558

Dominion Objective: Retake a communications array captured by Federation troops.  The troops must be moved off the array before reinforcements arrive.

Enemy Assets:

• A Federation ground team, originally numbering 150 personnel and commanded by a captain.

Friendly Assets:

• Cloaked anti-personnel mines that were set at the array before it was captured.
• A ground base, and dozens of personnel (between 50 and 100 Jem'Hadar).

History:

• When Sisko and crew arrived from the Defiant, to deliver supplies, they find that Lieutenant Larkin is commanding the remaining 43 personnel after five months of repeated assaults.
• After a random casualty, we find out about the 'Houdinis' (cloaked mines) that hide in subspace and reappear at random times.
• Nog identified a group of Jem'Hadar while on a reconnaissance mission.  His unit was attacked; Larkin was killed, and he barely escaped with his life.
• Ezra and the field engineer was able to detect and take control of the Houdinis.  At Sisko's order, they mined the valley that ran between the Jem'Hadar base and the array.
• Surprisingly, the Jem'Hadar did what was expected of them, and walked through the valley.  Dozens of them were killed by the mines before they started their war cry and berserk charge.
• The defenders set up behind a series of barricades facing the opening to their position.  This opening served as a chokepoint that attackers were expected to come through.  They tried to catch the Jem'Hadar in the chokepoint with withering cross-fire, but were unable to lay down sufficient fire to keep them there.
• The battle devolved into a brutal melee combat where most of the defenders (and all of the attackers) were slain.  Reinforcements arrived not too long afterwards.

 Could the Imperial Guard succeed where the Jem'Hadar failed?

• First, we must define their assets.  Since both sides had access to nothing but infantry weapons, the IG will be restricted to small-arms weapons.
• The phase-cloaked mines are replaced with much better conventional mines.  This new minefield would slow down the Federation troops, and might actually prevent the capture of the array.
• Heavy weapons teams will not be allowed to field mortars since the objective to capture the array, and not to damage it.
• If we disregard that the minefield could prevent the situation altogether, we can assume the Federation eliminated the rest of the mines in the area after capturing the array.
• The most straightforward answer would be to have the heavy bolters pin down the defenders in their barricades before blanketing the area with frag grenades shoot out of grenade launchers.  Anyone who survives the barrage is taken by the guardsman who rush the clearing when the barrage ends.

How would the Imperial Guard fare in place of the Federation?

• First, we must define their assets.  The heavy weapons teams have access to their full arsenal.
• Because they firing out of the area, they don't fear causing damage to the array.  Therefore, the IG can make liberal use of mortars.  With forward scouts, the mortar can continuously fire on Jem'Hadar positions.
• Any attempt by the Jem'Hadar to rush the chokepoint will run into the waiting guns of the heavy bolter teams.  Another one or two heavy bolters posted outside of the clearing would fire as soon as those inside the clearing sound off; trapping the attackers in a perfect kill-zone.

Conclusions: The greater variety of infantry weapons and availability of small fragmentation weapons ensues the IG would have the advantage in either role.  In place of the Jem'Hadar, they have more options than a frontal assault.  In place of the Federation, their ability to fire indirectly and access to sustained fire weapons means they can hit the attackers without reprisal.

I give the Imperial Guard 2 for 2 points for this scenario.

BATTLE SCENARIO: First Battle of Geonosis

Recently, I had re-watched Attack of the Clones.  During the battle at the end I kept wondering how the Tau could handle the situation in place of the Separatists.  Which is what inspired me to do this segment.

CIS Objective: Escape with as many ships and personnel as you can.

Enemy Assets:

• Flotilla of Acclamators and warships.
• Ground troops and armoured vehicles.
• Couple hundred Jedi.

Friendly Assets:

• Small flotilla of ships in orbit.
• At least a million battle droids of various types.
• Support of the native population.

 History:

• Upon hearing news of Kenobi's pending execution, Mace Windu took a group of Jedi to Geonosis while Yoda headed to Kamino.
• The Jedi attacked the stadium without word of their arrival reached anyone.  They proceeded to trap themselves in the arena surrounded by hordes of battledroids, and made no attempt to escape.
• A fleet of Acclamators broke through the screen of ships in orbit so quickly that by the time anyone received news of the arrival, troops were already moving into formation on the planet's surface and LAAT-gunships were attacking several airfields and hangar bays in the area.
• A tiny group of gunships (led by Yoda) saved the remaining Jedi at the arena.
• The battledroids responded by rushing en masse from the underground factories to try and stall the clones on the plains while the rest of the Separatist escape the planet.
• LAAT-gunships proceed to destroy much of the above ground infrastructure, enemy air units that do launch, armoured vehicles on the plains, and prevent more vehicles from reaching the battle.
• SPHA-T artillery guns destroy one of the Trade Federation core ships and a few of the Techno Union commerce vessels.
• Skywalker and Kenobi attempt to head off Dooku's escape.
• Despite both of them and Yoda fighting against him, Dooku still managed to get off the planet.
• The Grand Army of the Republic captures the planet of Geonosis and destroys the droid factories.

Could the Tau Empire succeed where the Separatist failed?

• First, we must define their assets.  The Geonosians would be replaced with Vespid, Kroot replacing the regular battledroids, and everything else being with Tau.  Fleet assets are replaced with Tau Il'Porrui (Emissary) Class Cruisers, Demiurg Bastion Class and Stronghold Class Commerce Vessels.
• Since the fleet assets are better equipped than in the original battle (not surprising considering the Separatist ships were converted freighters), the Acclamators would be delayed in reaching the surface. This gives time for a ship to give a warning to the ground forces.  Thus giving the Tau more time to evacuate their materiel from the planet.
• The Jedi in the arena would probably be all dead by the time reinforcements came, as well as the three prisoners.
• Because of the increased time for the Acclamators to land, the Tau would be able to engage the clonetroopers as they were disembarking.  The LAAT-gunships would also have a more difficult time in the air with planes already in the air.
• Eventually, the clones would take the planet; but while also sustaining more casualties and stopping fewer enemies from escaping.

Flip side: How would the Tau Empire fare in place of the Clone Army?

• First, we must define their assets.  Instead of the flotilla of Acclamators and other ships, the Tau Empire would have Or'es El'lauth (Custodian) Class Battleships and Emissary Class Cruisers.  Jedi are replaced by Ethereals, and the clones are replaced by Tau ground forces.
• Simply put, this battle can not happen.  The sequence or events requires that one party makes a journey from the center of the galaxy to the Outer Rim.  This trip would take a Tau 20 years.  The other trip is to the Halo Stars region of a satellite galaxy.  Something that would take at least a century.  By the time any Tau units show up at Geonosis, it would either be a Forge World or abandoned.

Conclusions: The Tau Empire would certainly succeed in place of the Separatist, thanks to the strength of their fleet.  In place of the Republic, they wouldn't even be able to get to the planet for a battle to occur.

I give the Tau Empire 1 out of 2 points for this scenario.