by Hethwill, 22 February 2026
The following report follows the operations of the ‘Stellar Rats’ in advance of the main assault on planet Kraken, as possible to be enjoyed through the tabletop wargame Raider Drop Zone, designed by Keith Tracton.
Foreword
As I will be conducting a controlled gameplay run through scenario S.01 while playing both sides, I established some guidelines for the solo dual brain method.
- One, the Kraken forces are to be deployed using a d10 plus a d12. In the case of a 10 roll in the d10, reroll.
- Two, both sides’ forces must be deployed using as close as possible to stacking limits, with benefit Support units towards Veterans locations.
- Three, as there’s no blindness I will use reasoning when movement is concerned. The Kraken side always knows where Terrans are, but the opposite isn’t true until the intelligence picture starts to form up.
- Four, indecision is random. Roll a die and “roll with it”.
Further, this is not an explanation of game mechanisms and how everything operates. Whenever there’s a need to point anything specific, it shall be descriptive.
most images can click to enlarge
The 12th Raider Regiment, ‘Stellar Rats’, is a crack unit selected from the 7th Raider Division of the elite 5th Raider Corps. Their mission is to conduct reconnaissance in force (…)
Raider Drop Zone; Scenarios, Story and Designer Notes book
Terran Recon Drop order of battle
HQ-7D
Thirteen Raider Companies. Two graded Veterans. Three just out of bootcamp.
Heavy Supports include two batteries of each, SPA-Ps and SPA-Cs.
Additionally three weapons teams are available, including RA-GL, Flamers and GPL.
All geomorphic assessments and intelligence gathering will be conducted by three Combat Engineer platoons and two Ground Sonar sections. One specialist Recon Troop team is also detached to the Drop to aid the intelligence gathering.
Any Raider Companies that couldn’t fit in the pods are held in reserve in Near Space.
As a bonus, that no Raider will ever tell you that was needed, the operation will have a ready reserve, also in Near Space, of the Interstellar Army 79th Armor Division in the form of three “Ypres” Medium Armor Companies, one of each grade.
- HQ-7D – Terran Fleet 7th Raider Division Headquarters/Regimental Command
- SPA – Self-Propelled Artillery and the suffixes, -P for Plasma and -C Cluster, regarding ammunition used.
- RA-GL – Rocket Assisted Grenade Launcher.
- GPL – General Purpose (missile) Launcher.
Kraken order of battle
... [computing]... > Impossible to quantify without boots on the ground conduction geomorphic recon. Quality Intelligence Report. > Kraken forces operate in Hive mode. >> “The One Mind” presence >> HIGHLY PROBABLE. >> “Dragoon” swarms presence >> ABSOLUTE. >> “Drone” legions presence >> ABSOLUTE. >> Support units presence is PROBABLE. Typical: >>> “Storm Armor” anti-gravity vehicles >>> “PTH” plasma thrower heavy artillery End of Preliminary Report > Would you like to know more?
[caption id="attachment_53663" align="aligncenter" width="700"]
Kraken order of battle[/caption]
Near Space
Space Superiority has not yet been achieved. Status across the board is Contested.
Terran Federation Navy will report the evolving situation above.
The Task Group designated for the Drop is in near orbit above Drop Zone Eight, that’s an 8 in grunt, and has the reserves in Ready to be deployed status.
Capsule Supply level is at Medium. Usage must be supervised carefully in Contested space.
The Drop
Scenario indicates three areas to pick from, for the Drop, on the Planetary Surface map.
A Planetary Surface map is divided into areas. The Raider Drop Zones.
Each RDZ is divided into twelve Company Drop Zones – CDZ.
Terran Navy regulations indicate the correct format to communicate coordinates as
[Planetary Suface]-[Raider Drop Zone]-[Company Drop Zone]
In short formula – PS-RDZ#-CDZ#
This format also translates directly to the sub-surface mapping that intelligence provides simply by replacing PS with T, for Tunnel Map.
That’s the Kraken way. Tunnels.
I decide not to choose but rather simulate a higher echelon decision and roll a d12 split 3 ways for random selection.
The Regiment is ordered to deploy on RDZ-8.
This also links up with the Near Space map, as the task force is in NS-8 (Near Space-Zone Eight)
*queue soundtrack Planet Kraken Drop*
“Acshually it is Klendathu Drop…”
“Acshu, thank you for volunteering. You’re taking point.”
“Stellar Rats! We’re on an express elevator to hell, going down!”
Capsules and Ship’s Boats proceed to the designated CDZs.
Each CDZ has ample space for one Raider Company and up to six Support strength. The HQ-7D is dropped on PS–8-6 along with a Veteran Raider company, Sonar veterans and a SPA-P support.
Strength is measured in pips, the little squares at the bottom of the playing piece face. So you can see the SPA-P is 2 strength, the Raider
Company is 3 and the Sonar, displaying the distinctive red flag, is just 1.
Pips work for a variety of mechanisms in game, including stacking. I could’ve concentrated more Support pips in a few selected locations but decided that an initial spread works and may then concentrate when and where needed.
This is the plan. The pieces are placed. But there’s still the Kraken Space Defense Fire to brave before landing.
Space Defense
This could go bad very quickly and erase a lot of good raiders and hardware even before the capsules and boats touch the surface.
For once the higher echelons did a good job and planned the drop well concentrating in a single RDZ which funnels the drop and provides way less box space for the Space Defense Fire to achieve major damage.
Still the Capsule carrying the Raider Veterans bound to PS-8-6 is hit and casualties suffered.
Kraken Tunnel Map
What is beneath the surface…
Correct. Doesn’t stay long under the surface when a full force of invaders is coming to take their planet.
Kraken do live under. They tunnel and they build. Major Complexes and Minor Complexes are their cities and towns.
The only ability the Terrans have to defeat the Kraken is to find them, engage them, force them to defend their settlements and kill them all. Finding the Kraken is the purpose of the Sonar, the Engineers, and the Recon teams.
This asymmetry of battle delivers the Kraken methods very differently as they must rely on hit and run combats, by Climbing to the surface, and a few set piece battles, while being able to respond to any and all Complexes that are discovered by the Terrans and become under attack.
In a two player game the player controlling the Kraken will have their own map, the Tunnel Map, hidden from the gluttonous eyes of the player controlling the Terran forces. For this particular scenario there’s no Major Complexes present, albeit there’s a variant provided in the book.
Kraken forces are deployed as warranted by the “Hive Mind” across the map, which mimics the Planetary Surface exactly.
For the deployment I went totally random with a d10 + d12 combination after making stacks that do not conflict with the established rules.
This is what the Terrans are facing and they don’t have a clue where they are.
Turn 1
Turns are well structured in a fairly typical fashion; move, combat, stuff.
This is the first episode in a running playthrough of Raider Drop Zone from Blue Panther Games; you can find the links to all published episodes at the end of article, with new installments each Sunday
Kraken will always have the initial phases of the turn with Move and Attack; and then skiddaddle back to their tunnels – that is the Retreat to Tunnels phase.
Given the PS map isn’t hidden, Terran formations and locations are known to the Kraken. It is no surprise that the hive moved in a convergence of forces towards T-8 from all zones.
Movement is simple, 1 zone in any direction including up through a Tunnel by Climbing ability.
The Stellar Rats decide to concentrate towards the edge of PS-8 facing PS-5 and PS-9 with one force left in PS-8-4 as a contingency.
Perimeters are set to break any sudden attacks and the specialists are put to work. Sonars, Engineers and Recon contingents start analyzing all the data.
Sonars may extend the sweeps to adjacent CDZs, while the rest must focus on their location.
Three Local Complexes are found in PS-5-8 and PS-9-2, beyond the reach of Terran combat units, but one is detected right under PS-8-9 by the Veteran Engineers (they actually may know what they are doing).
At this stage the Kraken forces may be forced into combat along with any Local Compound found by the Engineers and Recon – Sonars do not detect units, only structures.
“Sir, incoming report on PS-8-9 of structures found, breaches formed, Kraken drones being engaged.”
“Command…we are fighting in the shade…There’s an entire Legion of drones… 40K of them… they blot out the sun!”
“Hang tough Raiders. That’s what we do. We root them out.”
Combat happens in multiple phases, using the Shock units and the Supports available. It revolves around erosion of Awe values and delivering Shock force.
While the Drones are very weak, there’s a LOT of them. Pips represent force size and they come into play for Shock results resolutions which revolve around final differential values of dice rolls, equal to Shock values of the units, adjusted in modifier tables, and any other factors such as defensive structures.
A full engagement of all forces available ensures the initial wave of Drones to be reduced early in the battle.Then a very favourable combat modifier sees the Kraken having to face yet another final roll which the Drones fail, having such a low AWE value.
While the operations on the surface are carried out, in Near Space there’s also action occurring which may affect a lot of options to the Terran command.
As we do not wear the hats of the Navy nor the Space Defense, the resolution of these sectors is pretty much left to perfect chance of die rolls which may vary in result accordingly, if the NS zone is presently Contested, or under Terran and Kraken control.
By the end of the initial turn, the Near Space board looks shaky, and control of the area is essential for the Terran ability to move reinforcements to the surface as it is vital to retrieve casualties from the battlefield to Reform cadres.
more to come . . .
Raider Drop Zone AAR – Stellar Rats Recon
PART 1 ~ PART 2 ~ PART 3 ~ PART 4
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