Time for a bit of inter-generational strife, as gracious Clymene takes the field against pugnacious Eurybia, with my esteemed opponent selecting the Gun Munitions as Clymene's specialist system. I chose Eurybia's quaternary configuration of plasma howitzer, gun battery, and buzz saw, mainly mixed-strategy adaptability, but also for brute damage.
Despite a few points where I can safely quality a choice as an error, this was a tense game that saw Eurybia start at a deficit in habitats (20-23) and work hard to offset that by causing as much damage as possible. In the lead position my opponent did a good job ducking, dodging, diving, and detecting just enough previously undetected habitats to end the game with 19-17 victory points; Clymene suffered only mild dismemberment, almost losing Her vulcan gun but saved by Her grace, and definitely losing Her left leg to a constant barrage of kicks, buzz saw slashes, and elbows thrown by Eurybia. But the fact that She had detected two habitats, borrowing Tethys' pink habitats for this game, meant that losing a leg was not enough to throw the game. Similarly Her gracious repair of Her own vulcan gun likewise prevented another 2 victory points falling in Eurybia's pugnacious lap. Eurybia also came up just short of a ring-out, because that would have resulted in a 1 point loss, and the loss of Her frontal armour meant She was 1 point short of a knock-out. When things are this close, there's always the temptation to push a Titan just a little further and a little faster, and then find it venting heat and struggling to re-load, which is to say out of cards and at the mercy of an opponent!
Also, I just noticed that we went for yellow for Clymene's initiative marker, but pink for Her habitats, in case things get confusing.
As this is Clymene's first outing and She starts ahead in identified habitats, She deploys carefully, sighting offensively green habitats for pruning, and preparing for an angry green cousin to come storming into contact. Eurybia has deploys to a less obviously aggressive vector, out of range of Clymene's vulcan gun and out of arc of Her rocket pod, but with Clymene in range and arc of Eurybia's plasma howitzer. The idea was to even out the habitat situation before engaging directly...
Both Titans continue on their approach vectors, with Clyeme sidling south (north is the bottom of the board here, with the round track in the east) to kick the green habitat top off a building in tile 69. Eurybia, by contrast, goes full Kool-aid man through the buildings on tile 74 (bottom right is tile 11), netting -1 habitat for Clymene at the cost of four shields. As Clymene swings south, Eurybia's master crew gets those shields back up, bulking them over Eurybia's arms. Clymene's own master crew is activated...
Clymene reveals Herself with a massive full spread of rockets into the row of buildings in tiles 67 and 76 Eurybia guided by Her master crew. Eurybia responds by lashing out with Her plasma howitzer, deliberately ignoring Clyene and blasting two pink habitats in tiles 74 and 73 at the cost of a green habitat in tile 73. As Eurybia's initiate crew gets Her gun battery up to an optimal firing solution Clymene's own initiate crew gets Her specialist gun munitions system feeding the vulcan gun with both high explosive and armour-piercing shells. Eurybia's gun battery blast two more pink habitats to smithereens, and then She holds for what is coming next. Specifically Clymene walks around the remaining pink habitat in tile 67 and opens up with an adherent crew-operated vulcan gun, bursting Eurybia's shields and driving deep gouges into Her frontal armour. Eurybia's reaction is to suffer the assault, and to waggle the exhausts of Her coolant systems, to emphasize that Clymene needn't get much closer. At this point my opponent realized that Clymene might have been able to push Eurybia through the buildings in tile 73 had Clyeme walked to tile 77 instead. Of course, there is an argument to be made for exiting the 'danger zone' of the outer ring of three tiles around the edge of the board, but the amount of damage would have been far worse. Not a fatal error, as it turns out.
Despite being rattled about by the hail of high explosive armour-piercing projectiles and down to 50% shields, Eurybia is just getting started. She swings around right and steps in to threaten Clymene with Her buzz saw, and Clymene steps back to play for space, and time to re-power Her systems. Taking advantage of Clymene's flagging power levels, Eurybia seizes the initiative!
Eurybia's pugnacity and momentum sees Her sliding after the retreating Clymene and raking Her buzz saw down Clymene's side to burst shields, tear open armour, and mangle the vulcan gun. Clymene's defense is half-hearted as She has detected a two-habitat pink building in tile 14, and Her gracious personality restores function to Her vulcan gun (if not a shiny finish). In a fit of seeming rage Eurybia discharges one of Her coolant systems to super-cool the buzz saw, and to immediately load it for another blow!
Things are accelerating now as Eurybia's master crew takes over the buzz saw from the adherent crew and rips it down Clymene's flank, shearing off the armour and deflector array that Clymene wears like a holster on Her hip. Clymene's own master crew grips and rips the armour packages remaining on Eurybia's prow clean off, despite an emergency venting of coolant by Eurybia. Eurybia rolls with it and aims a kick to Eurybia's de-gloved leg, but Clymene blocks it with Her other leg, bursting its shield and cracking its armour, but leaving Her standing. Eurybia then smashes through the pink habitat left in tile 67 and again kicks Eurybia, who manages to block the blow with Her sponson, leaving it lightly damaged. Clymene manages a quick elbow to Eurybia's gun battery as She lurches backwards on Her damaged leg, rather than resting in front of Eurybia's guns.
Eurybia is expecting this and attempts to kneecap Clymene with a snap-shot from Her plasma howitzer. Clymene catches the shot on Her back armour instead, taking only light damage and the 20% loss of shields, but still finds Her power system overloaded by the dollop of energized matter eating through Her back armour. Her initiate crew is activated and on deck
Clymene's initiate crew races to get the gun munitions system pushing shells into the Vulcan gun as Eurybia's own initiate crew swings Her around for punch to Clymene's damaged leg. Clymene takes it, disabling Her leg, and staggering Her, but Her sponson activates to compensate! The crews of Titans activate their respective gun weapon systems, but Eurybia has the initiative, spraying shells at Clymene, and forcing Clymene up against the edge of the battlefield as She attempts to block the attacker with arm. Clymene's own firehose of shells misses Eurybia and devastates the green habitats in tiles 73 and 74. As Eurybia activates a coolant system to re-load Her gun battery, She warns Her crew that pushing Clymene out now would result in a technical loss...
Perhaps all the gouts of coolant steam coming from Eurybia really do indicate Her temper, as She closes to tile 87 and lets Clymene's master crew deftly operate the damaged leg to slip around behind Her and kick the green habitat top off of a building in tile 88. Making a terrible choice, Eurybia goes west along the road to get on Clymene's right, rather than Her damaged left, and elbows the pink top off the remaining building in tile 76 when She realizes her mistake. Clymene isn't pausing though, and now steps back and turns to bring Her own armaments to bear on Eurybia.
Eurybia has the initiative, but Clymene has escaped to the center of the battlefield, and fights effectively to defuse Eurybia's fury as She gives chase first with a kick and then with gouts of gunfire and clouds of coolant. One last burst of gunfire and Clymene's left leg is finally destroyed, but as the smoke clears Her valiant efforts to defend Herself and Her city become apparent. Both are still standing, and both have survived Eurybia's onslaught. Was it the detected building? Was it the grace of Clymene Herself? Even now with the benefit of hindsight it's hard to tell. Certainly there may have been some teething problems with calculating the optimal first shots using a vulcan gun with a gun munition system feeding it, and Eurybia rushed in where cooler heads might have prevailed, but it's a great debut for Clymene in a tense game!
Glory to gracious Clymene and glory to my opponent!
