by Hethwill, 15 March 2026
The “battle of PS-8-9”, while the dominating feature, is but one of many engagements albeit the biggest in numbers committed and the Raider Company 173 becomes connected to the battle site.
Terran forces move across the surface in a sudden change of strategy by high command, looking for maximum coverage geomorphic scanning. It does not go as planned.
Turns 7 & 8
Two massive Kraken forces emerge on the flanks, locations PS-5-12 and PS-8-10. Wrecks of heavy equipment added to the landscape as visual references with the thick billowing smoke creeping up due to the heavy atmosphere.
most images can click to enlarge
Battle of PS-5-12 is extremely costly as the Terran forces are mauled incessantly by waves of Dragoons with full support and with a Hive Mind Command Leadership asset in place.
This is the latest 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
While the losses are extreme, the Raiders hang on the position. A very pyrrhic way out of things that certainly deserves some shoulder tapping and repeating quotes of “how brave those raiders were” while in truth, it was a disaster.
Immediately the Regiment Command understands the situation and goes cold brow as the battle in PS-5-12 evolves.
Not because of what happened there but because of what happened after. This was just a spoiler attack!
The Sonar in PS-8-10 was the main attack effort and as certain as dark matter is flashing white, the horde was totally impossible to stop even with the extremely high skill of the Sonar crews.
Artillery and Sonar are lost. Even the Retrieval boats sent to search for survivors couldn’t get enough to form a Cradle.
“…required Orbital Strike…on RDZ-8-10…”
“Assessment shows your position.”
“Yes I know it’s our pos! We are overrun. Do it!”
“Score 8, Contested half, counting 4 strikes.”
Orbital Artillery operates in conjunction with the Near Space zones control. Terran control provides maximum barrage potential, while Contested halves it. For a score of potential eight strikes, halving down to four still provides a devastating price to pay for the Kraken as all contingents except the Drones are effectively and most explosively terminated.
The timetable for the entire operation is nigh.
It is fairly impossible to continue the attrition rate at this point, so Division Command orders a round up of operations after no more Kraken attacks are happening.
An extensive quantity of Local Complexes are additionally destroyed as the Regiment finalizes clean up operations before a complete return to orbit.
The Recovery & Final Tally
In a dramatic shift of events, Kraken steals the NS-8 control, effectively making the operations of recovering all the forces still on the surface a complete nightmare.
The aptly named “TN Quiberon Bay” Boat Carrier takes over the operations and, for namesake, things could go worse, if it wasn’t already catastrophic enough.
Boats brave the Planetary Defense fire and Space Artillery by the Kraken forces in their way to recover all that is left of the Raiders and Army force.
“Recovery report!”
“Less than half a dozen Boats lost, Sir, along with the crew and all passengers.”
“Less than half a dozen ?”
“Exactly five Sir.”
Returning from the Surface to the Ships in Near Space is the last phase before the Victory tally.
In this instance the NS-8 being in Kraken control totally wrecked the operation. Forces in NS-9 were recovered without issues.
This surely made a difference in casualties in the end. As presented below, red scores for Kraken, yellow for Terrans.
One absolute Draw.
“It is of the raw assessment of the Regiment that the mission was concluded with success.
The objective was reconnaissance in force, which was done as much as it could be maintained throughout eight consecutive cycles in the planetary surface.
Opposition by the planet inhabitants, known as Kraken, was very strong and extremely organized.
When the invasion starts, it is going to be a hell of a party. We don’t want to be left out. Rebuild our strength as soon as conveniently possible.
Like, right away.
— Stellar Rats Recon’ Debrief
Quick Review
Raider Drop Zone is extremely pleasant to play and every mechanism fills in the voids and every move and every roll make sense for the narrative emerging.
This mission is the easiest one and it ended in a draw with very high casualties.
It must be said that some of the rolls were extremely wicked and at times when one side or the other couldn’t afford to lose momentum.
As always a few minor rules might have been trudged through the play (are there minor rules!? Really!? Topic for discussion ), like fatigues or retrievals, but nothing affected the story unfolding.
Hope you enjoyed this series and see you soon.
Raider Drop Zone is published through Blue Panther Games
P.S. – I did acquire my own copy, being in continental Europe, through the french store AgoraJeux as it carries BP releases as well as most of the publishers that use and work with them.
Raider Drop Zone AAR – Stellar Rats Recon
PART 1 ~ PART 2 ~ PART 3 ~ PART 4
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