Soldiers, sailors, and airmen, listen up once more – it’s time for your final weekly briefing on the state of Operation Critical Hit! As we head into the final week. It’s all still to play for, so let’s see what and where the last battles will be. First, though, here’s a round-up of Week Four’s results:
The number of each hex shows the points accrued by the winning side, remember it’s three points for a win and a single point for a draw.
Although it wasn’t quite the trouncing of the previous week, the Allies have yet to be stopped, this week having secured 56% of all available territories. Despite managing to finally (and fairly convincingly) wrest some Bolt Action territories away from the Allies in North-West Europe, the Axis have failed to retain their early dominance in the Pacific, which somewhat diminishes their gains on a global scale. What seemed to be a shoo-in for the Axis was the Victory at Sea hexes in the Pacific Theatre, but this trend has run its course in week four, with a 50-50 split of results at sea.
The Allies retained a slight lead in the Mediterranean and the Axis managed the same on the Eastern Front. In terms of statistics across game systems, the Axis have further closed the gap in Bolt Action to the point where it’s almost even, but the Allies have now attained more Victory at Sea victories across all theatres overall, and have maintained a healthy lead across all the games of Blood Red Skies.
Although the Allies have not yet failed to earn a weekly victory, it is not beyond the realms of possibility that the Axis can achieve overall victory with a strong result in the final week!
Even though we’re entering the final week of the campaign, it’s not too late to get involved, and have your game results make a difference! Simply visit the Operation Critical Hit website, register for an account and you can join the global Warlord Games community. Just one victory can tip the scale of power, be it in Bolt Action, Blood Red Skies, and Victory at Sea.
Now it’s time for the mission briefing – ears in!
Week Five Scenarios
Bolt Action: The enemy is coming – you’ll have to Hold Until Relieved (page 145 of the Bolt Action Rulebook)! The perfect way to conclude the campaign on land, this mission will see countless struggles over the all-important tactical objectives that add up to strategic victories.
Blood Red Skies: It’s a good old-fashioned furball in the skies! Dogfight from page 50 of Air Strike! will see pilots going all-out to defeat their adversaries in what will surely be the great air battle of the conflict. Skill, determination, and technology will all play a crucial role in deciding mastery of the air.
Victory at Sea: Out at sea, it’s time to push the attack (or put up a defiant holding action) using Sweep & Clear vs. Defence Line from the War at Sea generator on pages 54-55 of the Victory at Sea rulebook. Who will claim the final triumph and rule the waves?
Week Four’s Victory Bonus: The Allies secured victory every week of the campaign, and thus have reaped the benefits of every weekly bonus. This week’s reward is of particular benefit, as it can be used across all three game systems! All Allied armies, air forces and fleets this week receive a single re-roll! This may be used to re-roll a single D6 in any game system, but may only be used ONCE per game, and all the relevant rules governing re-rolls apply (no re-rolling re-rolls)! Used wisely, it could be the difference between glorious victory and crushing defeat!
Let’s take a look at the current state of the maps, and which hexes are active for the fifth and final week of Operation Critical Hit:
As it’s the final chance for you to make your mark on the campaign we’re giving you a little extra time to get some games in. Make sure to report your Week Four results by the end of 18th September, after which the overall victor will be determined!
Share Your Game Highlights
Keep those intelligence reports and photographs coming in, soldiers – they’re vital to the war effort! Make sure to read the weekly intelligence bulletin too – “War Stories” is where we feature the fruits of your labour and highlight the best tabletop action you’ve sent in each week! You can also head over to the dedicated Facebook group to share your stories, but remember – careless talk costs lives, and you never know when a future opponent might be listening to glean some knowledge of your tactics!
