August in the Galaxy
Let's see if my mind can recall all the craziness of this past month.
This Week (9/8/16)
Sith Lord Wood, Rebel Leader LaBan, and Horak the Hutt marked off in a Pizza 9-filled extravaganza. After a fairly typical setup (despite the others generously granting a fifth Hutt resource planet), the Rebels came out with only a minor initial assault. The Hutts followed up and were severely punished in their attempts to take Sullust. The Empire then struck hard and deep.
In the turns that followed, the Hutts kept garnering cards, while the other two parried each attempt to gain a sector. A Hutt capital ship permitted some dangerous excursions. Rebel fighters did their work and Imperial fleets attacked at will.
Eventually, the Wild Space fell to the Empire with the Death Star on Sluis Van and a concentration of troops on Excarga protected by a layer of Hutts in the Mid Rim. Little did the Sith Lord expect an assault by a Hutt straight (on turn 3) producing a 10 legion invasion force plus a capital ship. Elom quickly fell and with it the Wild Space bonus was lost.
Despite well-fought counter-attacks, the Empire was seriously hampered. The Rebels took advantage to clear lanes of Storm Troopers in the Mid Rim. The result was an opportunity for the Hutts to run up to 8 resource planets, dangerously close to victory.
The Empire struggled to regain supremacy and the Rebels responded in kind. The Hutts were set back significantly. Alas, Rebel reinforcements moved to the Core Worlds to prepare for an attack on the Imperial Starbases there. This left a gap in the Mid Rim that the Hutts quickly exploited for victory.
Last Week (9/1/16)
It's difficult to remember the exact chain of events. The Imperial Starbase came out on turn 1 and was cleverly placed on Nar Shaddar, protected by layers of Hutts, but not too obviously "protected."
Somewhere early on the Empire under General Karl dramatically injured Kent the Hutt's forces and locked them out of several resource planets. Then fortune favored the Empire thrice more: in four turns the Death Star was able to destroy Elom, Bespin, and Duro. With most other resource planets secure beneath Starbases, the Hutts could only turn on the Empire in a desperate bid to throw off the oppressive yolk.
Meanwhile, the Rebels slowly and steadily chipped away at the Imperial holdings, running the Force Meter far to the Light Side. Convinced that the Emperor was hidden deep within the Wild Space, Rebel assaults in turn leveled Sullust, Sluis Van, Omwat, Arbel, and finally Excharga. The Emperor was in none of them.
With the Empire seriously weakened, the Hutts vented their ire on the Sith and destroyed the last Imperial Starbase and with it, the Emperor. Though the Hutts were far short of 10 resource planets, the Emperor was dead, so victory went, in a bizarre twist, to the Rebels. A Hutt trifecta was averted, sort of.
The Week Before (8/25/16)
Peetza da Hutt aka Ric played Kent and Karl like fools for an easy green victory.
And Before That (8/18/16)
After a restart on Star Wars Risk, Horak the Hutt took home the win.
Still Earlier in the Month (8/11/16)
Star Wars Risk resumed in force. Sith Lord Kent took up the reins of Imperial power only for everyone to forget about Starbases until turn 3. Abort...
