Commanders!

The Panzer Showdown is finally over. We at Obsidian Entertainment and My.com would like to thank you for participating in this epic struggle of mercenary forces. It was a tough fight and only one side could emerge victorious. Without further ado, the winner is:

Remnant

Congratulations to all Remnant players for their amazing effort! The Panzer Showdown prizes will be distributed shortly. In the meanwhile, here are some statistics for this event:

In addition to the announced prizes, all the players who participated in the event will be receiving four special decals.

Story so far...

When war came to Mattighofen, the town was prepared. Grimm watched from his mobile command center as down below two columns protected by Bulwark forces withdrew eastwards in good order.

The parlay from the previous day had been short and successful. The local Bulwark commander surrendered the town and Grimm didn't even have to resort to threats. The risk of being caught in the crossfire between his units and the local Lodestar garrison that occupied an underground installation nearby was enough to convince the man that this was not a fight he wanted to be involved in.

Maintaining his stern appearance to the outside world, Grimm was deep down relieved not to have to fight the local militias and mercs, as well as Lodestar. They didn't deserve it, but he wouldn't have hesitated to level the town if his private war with Lodestar demanded it, and he knew they were aware of his determination. Everybody was aware at this point.

The morning push went well. His forces achieved local superiority by leaving smaller units to delay the Lodestar reinforcements coming from the west. These delay tactics were practically suicidal but there were plenty of volunteers – everyone who had come this far was here for personal reasons. Everyone who was in it just for the money had left the remnants of both PMCs right at the start.

All of this went through his mind as he considered the last obstacle between him and finding out what the Maulers had been after all along. All Lodestar activity was directed toward this region, and this was the only site Lodestar units were actively defending even against overwhelming odds. The answer lay behind the foot-thick door made of solid steel, protecting the entrance to an old military bunker. Nothing his men couldn't handle.

He gave the signal to the demolition experts and braced himself as the explosion ripped the door off its hinges. Even though the blast was directed, he still felt the shockwave wash over him. As he looked up, he noticed the blast had not just dislodged the door, it had thrown the massive twisted slab of metal against the small guard post behind it. The amount of explosives used was clearly overkill and the man with the detonator shrugged apologetically.

The room beyond the mangled doorframe was a mess with debris lying everywhere. Stepping inside carefully, Grimm noticed the remains of several men who had been caught in the blast, but he didn't spare them a second glance. As he advanced further into the bowels of the bunker, followed by his infantry elite, he heard the distant blare of a klaxon from the level below.

Good, he thought. Let them know fear.

Campaign Results

The Remnant forces tracked Lodestar activities aimed at conquering portions of the Austrian borderlands. True to their former name, they hounded the local Mauler forces using hit-and-run tactics. The Bulwark forces, despite their typical dogged defense, eventually gave more and more ground to both warring factions, and, as casualties mounted, their main objective shifted towards the protection and evacuation of the civilian population. The Remnant on the other hand pushed forward regardless of its losses.

The decisive battle of the campaign was fought near the Austrian town of Mattighofen. According to Remnant intelligence, the local military installation was the ultimate target of its campaign and soon after the destruction of the Mauler forces it became clear why.

The underground complex accessible from Mattighofen was a top-secret NATO installation that contained a number of experimental vehicles, including an upgraded Leopard 2 with a 140mm cannon, which had been just a rumor until then. The sacrifice of the vanguard gave the remaining Remnant forces time to escape with the installation's contents.

Remnant

Shortly after the battle of Mattighofen, Sebastian Grimm contacted several prominent private military companies all over the world and sold most of what the Remnant found in the bunker for stupendous sums of gold. This cash influx allowed the bulk of the Remnant forces to retreat beyond Lodestar's reach to Eastern Europe. Men and vehicles had been lost during the campaign and now the time had come to rebuild. It would be a long and arduous task, but Grimm would ensure the Hellhound legacy continued.

Maulers

Severe losses from the costly Austrian and Bavarian campaign cost Lodestar GmbH almost more than it could afford, but the vast reserves created during the reign of Lodestar's previous owner helped overcome the harshest consequences. Several elite Lodestar units were nearly wiped out during the conflict and, even from the detached perspective of high-rise boardrooms, the defeat tasted bitter to those accustomed to victory. Erika Schepke herself could feel the shift as she took it upon herself to restore the military might of Lodestar, a process that would take months.

Bulwark

The stress of a brutal military campaign proved too much to bear for the newly-established, fragile alliance of mercenaries known as the Bulwark. Cracks in the organizational structure started to appear shortly after the first clashes with the Mauler – and occasionally Remnant – forces. While several (mostly local) units fought practically to the last man to delay the advancing Maulers, other forces opted to disregard Bulwark orders and retreated to areas they called home, leading to several costly defeats for the Bulwark. Although such incidences were not initially widespread, they were embellished by other mercenary forces that realized they could not rely upon anyone but themselves, and by the time the campaign was over, the united command under Franz Steindl was practically powerless. The Bulwark was formally disbanded shortly after the battle of Mattighofen.

We hope you enjoyed our campaign and will see you on the battlefield!