Forlorn Hope Team

Oh God, Oh Fuck, Oh God, Oh Fuck, Oh God ...

Desperate times call for desperate measures, and there are no more desperate times than these. Of the millions of men who enlist or are drafted for service, only a few brave souls step forward to become a member of the elite Forlorn Hope Teams. These men undergo grueling physical trails and receive special training at Camp Knox on how to wield the tools of their deadly mission, grapple onto a Martian War Machine and climb up, avoiding the flailing tentacles and trying to stay on despite the swaying of the tripod to fix special demolitions charges to vulnerable areas. Many don't make it through the course successfully, which at its peak involves climbing a captured Tripod which had been strung up like a giants marionette, but those who do are arguably the most effective way the Infantry of the United States can deal with the Tripods of the invaders.

In battle, the Forlorn Hope teams are secreted away within more traditional infantry squads, the only visual distinction between them and their fellow soldiers being the special tools for their mission, grappling hooks, coils of rope and over sized satchel charges. They wait for the Invaders to stray to close to their host unit, either out of overconfidence or ignorance to their presence, and when the time is right the grappling hooks soar into the sky and soon another tripod is brought crashing down.

In All Quiet on the Martian Front

Uniquely, Forlorn Hope Teams are never placed on the board unless they are actually assaulting a Tripod. Instead the player marks down which of his Infantry Squads contain the team, and when that squad assaults a Tripod, the Forlorn Hope element is attached to the Tripod and attacks as well. Alternatively, you can also have the Forlorn Hope attack independently if a Tripod comes within 6 inches of its host squad. Once the attack is made the Forlorn Hope are removed from play as they have expended all of their demo charges (or blown themselves up). This does not grant a Kill point to the enemy and the host squad does not have to take a moral check as a result. Essentially the Forlorn Hope Team is a one use extra assault attack with one more power than the a standard infantry assault (+3 compared to the +2).

As far as how destructible they are, if the host squad is wiped out, then any Forlorn Hope elements within are also killed, as giant brass balls do little to protect you from heat rays.

For +15 points per squad, you may upgrade up to half of your Infantry Squads with Forlorn Hope teams.