Doctor Who: Exterminate! Report: The Daleks Verses The Cybermen

"A MEETING OF METAL"

This game was played using the "Doctor Who: Exterminate!" rules by “Warlord Games” and, in essence, followed the parameters established for the "Guide To The Time Vortex" skirmish scenario "A Meeting Of Metal". However, in order to allow both sides to slowly get to grips with Fate Tokens, Battle Cards and Adventure Cards, as well as their factions' unique Special Traits, a couple of minor 'House Rules' were followed. Lastly, a few last minute 'tweaks' regarding General Deployment and Winning The Game' were necessary so the battle could be accommodated upon a 2' x 2' gaming mat instead of the recommended 3' x 3' table...

"The story so far... A space freighter has crashed on an alien world, scattering its cargo throughout the vessel's hold. The cargo consists of rare crystals imbued with Vortex Energy, enabling their possessors to bend the very power of the Time Vortex to their own ends. The Daleks need the crystals to perfect their ultimate temporal weapon. The Cybermen want them to advance their experiments in time travel."

THE TABLETOP - A SPACE FREIGHTER'S CARGO HOLD

As both sides were permitted three Recruitment cards each, the Dalek Faction started with a Patrol Leader (Dalek Sec), and two Dalek Patrols; both of which generated three Daleks each. In addition, the Patrol Leader, a special character, also created two Fate tokens to be added to his faction's Fate Pool. Finally, the Dalek's received five Battle cards in order to "reinforce hits and defences during combat actions" and five Adventure cards "to use during their game." These were randomly dealt from the fifteen generic Adventure cards found within the boxed set. This provided the Daleks with "Combat Senses", "Lucky Hit", Medi-Kit", "Rapid Response" and "Finish Them!"

The Cybermen began with a Cyber-Leader, and two Cybermen Recruitment cards, which provided four Cybermen apiece. The Cybermen were also allowed to field a Cybermat Swarm because when used as a "Leader's Retinue" for a Cyber-Leader, this Recruitment card "does not count towards the faction's limit". This "Swarm" is "made of two bases with three Cybermat miniatures on each. Each base counts as one character and uses the attribute stat line and special traits as normal." The Cyber-Leader also generated two Fate tokens for his faction's Fate Pool. As with the Daleks, the Cybermen received five Battle cards, and five Adventure cards. These latter cards consisted of "Regenerate!", "Shield Of Steel", "Additional Sensory Input", "To Arms!" and "Spatial Distortion."

THE DALEKS PREPARE TO ADVANCE UPON THE CYBER-FORCE ARRAYED BEFORE THEM

Having deployed on opposing table edges, and placed six Vortex Node markers on the battlefield, the Cybermen immediately played their Adventure Card "Spatial Distortion", which when discarded "just after deployment", allowed them to "move any two Vortex Nodes up to 4" from their original position." As a result, Vortex Nodes (1) and (3) suddenly tumbled east towards the Cyber-Leader's line. This was "most satisfactory"...

With the game already seemingly shifting out of their favour, the winner being the faction with fifteen or more Victory Points at the end of a Turn, Dalek Sec's battle computer gloatingly informed him that the Daleks had won the initiative, and he immediately ordered his southernmost Daleks forward towards Vortex Node (3). The golden Kaled's Mark III travel machines glided 6" towards their immediate goal, forming an orderly line as they passed a row of barrels. To Dalek Sec's north, his other squad of Daleks fanned out into a formidable-looking wall of death and trundled towards Vortex Node (1). Pleased with his faction's deployment, Dalek Sec himself reached Vortex Node (2), and discovered that the "great resource" would not only provide the Daleks with three Victory Points, but as it was a Spatial Disruption, it would also allow him to "immediately move a distance equal to its Movement value." As a result the Patrol Leader slid up to the south end of the Vats in order to give the Daleks in that area some covering fire.

DALEK SEC CAPTURES A VORTEX NODE, AS THE CYBER-LEADER UNLEASHES HIS CYBERMATS

Sensing that there might be quite the battle for Vortex Node (3), the Cyber-Leader emotionlessly ordered his accompanying Cyber-Mats to scuttle west 6" towards the objective and hold off Dalek Sec's faction until his Cybermen could arrive. In addition, he waved the four Cybermen to his south forwards and watched as they stomped 4" west. To the north, four more silver giants also clomped west, this time filtering around the Toxic Waste towards Vortex Node (4). 

As their humanoid-shaped opponents were now in view, the Daleks in the north opened fire with their Combat Blasts [Range: 6" & Attack Dice: 4]. Unfortunately though, all of their targets were out of their weapons' "effective range", so resultantly, the Daleks' shooting action was "considered inaccurate" and suffered a -1 Attack Dice penalty. This meant that none of their Combat Blasts managed to overcome the Cybermen's defences [Armour: 3 Dice], but did succeed in allocating two Under Fire tokens onto one of the silver giants; meaning that the Cyberman could "neither Move nor Shoot during its activation."

THE CYBERMEN CONTINUE TO FEARLESSLY MARCH TOWARDS THE DALEKS

Fizzing with the indignation of his Daleks' impotent attack to his north, Dalek Sec decided to take matters into his own tentacles, and fired upon one of the Cybermen approaching Vortex Node (6). Like his compatriots, the Patrol Leader's Combat Blast was outside of "effective range", but he was a better shot [+1 Shooting Dice]. Three of his attacks therefore penetrated one of the Cybermen, who despite having used a Battle card to fend one off, was still "Shocked" and crashed to the ground in a helpless state. With their opposition a little lightened, albeit temporarily, the Daleks in the south sacrificed their opportunity to fire, and instead made " a second movement action during the Shooting sub-phase." In doing so, one of the Kaled's Mark III travel machines captured Vortex Node (3) and discovered that the black-coloured resource objective was worth a single Victory Point.

Believing that his Cyber-Force had to stamp their authority on this battle before all was lost, the Cyber-Leader motioned for the silver giants to his south to return fire and utilised a Battle card which doubled all their "hits scored during a combat action". Targeting their Cybergun [Range: 6" & Attack Dice: 4], and relying upon their weapon's special "Energy" trait ("a weapon... with this trait [also] counts Surges as hits when Shooting), one of the Cyberman managed to 'Shock' one an incoming Daleks. But before his comrades could push home their advantage and destroy the downed 'pepper pot', the 'merciless killer' employed the Adventure card "Medi-Kit" to "immediately recover any Shocked character within 2" of a selected fully operative character."

THE CYBERMEN FIND THE EDGE TO THEIR COUNTER-ATTACK SOMEWHAT BLUNTED

To the north, instead of firing, the Cybermen who were able to move, fanned out around the Toxic Waste, with one actually travelling south to the very end of the yellow-coloured barrels. Nearby, the two Cybermat swarms rushed southwest towards the Dalek "Under Fire", staying out of its 2" "contact and engage in close combat" range, but well within their own engagement range of 6"; owing to their "Hunter" trait which allows "a miniature... [to] make an engagement movement of up to its Movement instead of the usual 2".

Nodding in emotionless satisfaction, the Cyber-Leader moved to take Vortex Node (5) and obtained a single Victory Point. However, he was also able to take advantage of a Temporal Anomaly, and "immediately resolve a free Shooting action". Aiming his Cybergun across the Vats' foundation at Dalek Sec, the Cyber-Leader realised his shot would be outside his weapon's "effective range". But subsequently took some 'comfort' in his computer brain's calculations that because his target had the "Tank" trait it was "so bulky or cumbersome that it cannot claim cover when being shot at." Utilising one of his faction's Battle cards to award him an automatic hit, the Cyber-Leader struck the Dalek thrice. But incredibly, thanks to playing an Armour Battle card, the Patrol Dalek was ultimately able to avoid any injury whatsoever from so fortuitous an attack.

AS THE CYBERMEN RE-POSITION THEMSELVES, THE CYBERMATS ATTACK THE DALEKS

Finally, the Cybermats scurried over towards their intended prey, the southern Dalek who was "Under Fire". It was going to be a contest between sharp metallic teeth and manipulator arm. The swarm had three Attack dice (including a +1 "Engaging modifier" and +1 "Multiple combat" for "each miniature after the first that is attacking the same target") compared to the Dalek's two Attack dice. Remarkably, the tiny robotic rodents were unable to gain an advantage over the plunger of the Kaled Mark III travel machine, and the fight was a draw. As a result the Cybermat swarms were "pushed back one inch" and beeped angrily...

Dum Da Dum, Diddly Dum, Oo-ee-oos…