So, the mission is to get to an alien device that is malfunctioning before it explodes and then kill all the ADVENT forces. Unbeknownst to me, retreat isn't allowed (likely because this is part of the tutorial). I've got one ranger and three fresh rookies. Anyway, we get near the device; its guarded in close by an advent officer and grunt, and closer to us a patrolling pod of the same. I try to sneak closer to the device without being seen and the patrolling pod wanders off; I think maybe I can take out the close guards in relatively concealment. This proves completely not the case; they wander back and the officer literally walks one tile away from the rearguard rookie, causing both pods to trigger.
Fortunately the rest of the team is closer to the objective. I decide secure the objective and use the rearguard rookie to overwatch the pod near him. One rookie grenades the officer near the objective, the other climbs a ladder and shoots him from the roof. The ranger takes cover behind the object itself and then shotguns the grunt. The ADVENT officer marks the ranger as a target and the other grunt wounds her. Now, I thought that marking targets was a full turn action; turns out it was a single action and the officer was on overwatch. This results in an unexpected rookie death. Still, a grenade takes out the remaining grunt's cover, ranger hacks the objective and then finishes the grunt with a long range shotgun blast. Next turn I pin the officer with overwatch and rush the wounded and marked ranger behind a truck close to the officer but out of sight. I figure the mission is about in the bag.
Wouldn't be a newcom tutorial without everything going to shit.
First, the truck that contained the object explodes because of the officer's missed shots from before and the screen just goes black aside from the red "alien turn" bar. I'm wondering to myself "did the object explode? Is everyone dead?" I alt+tab away and back and it turns out that did not happen... but a fucking sectoid and two grunts are bearing down on the squad. Sectoid baits and then dodges the overwatch shot, the officer jumps over the truck bed and shoots our only experienced soldier in the face. At this point I figure the mission is toast and decide to pull out the survivors only to discover
I can't. With nothing left to do I retreat into an abandoned building nearby and pray.
The Advent wound miss their shots but the fucking sectoid raises the ranger as a psi zombie. This is an intolerable insult and he needs to die first. One rookie grenades, the other jumps up on the roof of the building and takes it out. Through some miracle, over the next two turns the two rookies both survive, albiet at one health each, and gun down the officer. I decide, hey, there's two of them and two of us, why not engage at, in the famous words of Bradford, "close range".
As if anyone couldn't have guessed it, she misses. And I didn't realize that was the last shot in her magazine. Roof guy at least manages to kill his target. My poor, brave CQC rookie gets gunned down and the last grunt retreats behind a tree, so he's in full cover AND far enough away I've lost the "gun in his face option". There's nothing for it but to take the shot. Its literally,
exactly a 50/50 shot. It misses. The grunt lines up his killing shot, it goes into cutscene mode...
The shot goes straight over the rookie's head and the next 50/50 ragdolls the grunt into oblivion. I won, somehow. But the losses were egregious. Roof guy promotes into a support, which is appropriate because he looks like a balding, middle aged nerd. There are no other experienced troops and only 4 other rookies left. Hopefully my new Xcom isn't crippled before it began...
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Topic: How did you last die? (Read 2369566 times)