ASL Scenario Ozb4, Jackboot to the Rear

 I am generally a fan of Lone Canuck products but this particular scenario is a dog, a flea bitten dog at that.  Lest you think it is sour grapes I was the "winner"

Game at start.  The Axis win by capturing 10 LVP locations and not losing the ones they have already (the church steeple building at the top is worth 2 or 4)  The building at the bottom is worth
 4 instead of 2 as well - since it has a second story.

End of turn 1 and end of game.  I offered to let my opponent off the hook.  75mm destroyed the Russian defenses in the factory which is worth 6 points alone.  The bridge would most likely fall this turn for 3 more points and the building at the top right was captured for 1 point.  The Germans get reinforcements on turn 4 and the Russian Mortar crew was eliminated last turn.  
If the Axis arty does not get all red chits this scenario is a shoe in for the Axis.

ASL, LFT:281 - Pink Hill

 Another round of ASL with the LFT Desert boards.  Once again these are lovely boards but it could have used an image of the altered terrain from standard ASL maps.  We figured it out but a visual guide would have been helpful.  This one had a couple of oddities when it came to terrain SSR as well - the Orchards near town being Orchards instead of the altered style and tanks not being able to enter building hexes (if the tanks were every able to get anywhere near those buildings the game would have been lost a LONG time before).

Game start.  To win the Germans have to exit 11CVP (prisoners do not count, NQ in effect anyway) or have 12CVP more than the UK at game end.

First turn movement.  The UK had 9+ 2-2 or 4-2 shots and got a Pin and a single DM out of them.  Not a good start.

Game end.  The Germans had the CVP loss ratio they needed for a win so the UK charged with the tanks.  First one got a DM on one stack and the other Died.  The German aircraft was the MVP.  Darn thing destroyed my defenses.  If that first turn had gone differently it may have ended with a UK win.

ASL, LFT:286 The Last Fire Mission

 An interesting late ware scenario.  German stragglers are forced to use their Arty pieces for a last ditch defense.  They start with Low ammo, not entrenched, and not HIP or concealed.  The Russians win by having more CVP earned and at least one gun captured or destroyed.

The game setup.  Russians come in from offboard.

The only hit a 150 managed to get was against a German squad in rubble, and it only broke that squad which rallied quickly to boot.  The Russians played it safe with the armor since CVP counted.

The Germans had one chance with a faust fired by the leader in the south, and he just missed.  The guns never managed to hit a tank with their HEAT shells and otherwise the guns did not get the luck they needed.  Since they were not emplaced in any way the Russian infantry broke the crews with IFT shots leaving the open for the tanks.

A fun scenario which could have gone the other way with a bit better luck for the Germans.  

ASL scenario FT:293, Wild Men From Texas

 A fun scenario but perhaps unbalanced (especially if the Mortars run out of WP after just one shot).

The Americans have 8 turns to take 18 rubble locations.  They have to start on the bottom map on the right hand side.  The maps in this LFT product are beautiful but figuring out some terrain is a pain.  A complete listing of each terrain image and what it represents would have been handy.  (they have a listing for the unique stuff but not the retextured "normal" stuff) 

German half of turn 2 and both Mortars are out of WP.  Getting across the open ground without it is "tricky"

I sent my troops around the flanks and the Germans had their mines there, luckily they did not slow me up much but going round that way slowed me up enough (along with getting plastered when first entering the rubble) that by this time there was not enough movement phases left for the US to enter 18 rubble hexes, much less fight the Germans for it.  (this is the end of turn 4 too).

ASL: Dispatches from the Bunker 200: Over the Prosna

 Fun little scenario.  I did not play it well but clearing the town took a lot of work.  I recommend it for either side.  The Germans have 5.5 turns to clear the stone buildings, take the bridge, and get 6CVP (Infantry/PRC only) off the circled road.  

Starting positions.  The stream is not much of an obstacle.  There is a Polish AT Gun and Mortar hiding so I keep the tanks somewhat hidden.  Normally I would bum rush with them.  

The buildings and bridge are cleared but not sign of the AT gun or Mortar yet.  The Polish reinforcements come on.  Getting through that road will be a challange.

With just a single movement phase left and the tanks not in position to open a path the Poles pull out a win.  I needed to hurry my Germans along a bit faster (or have them in a better position after clearing the town).  

ASL Scenario VotG-12: Siberian Shockwave (Game Day 5 and game end)

 

Tycho's Stuka attacks!  (and rolls boxcars on the sighting check).  I think this makes the 3rd mistaken attack he has rolled when getting air support - out of five total tries...  Luckily the Stuka does no harm other than pinning the target.

 

The German reinforcements come on.  My Russians still nearly managed to take the last dock before they got there.  Things were not to be though.

I concede the game.  I don't see a chance of taking and holding the Docks at this point although reading the VC later I think we both made a mistake.  I would not have had to control all the docks if troops got off the board.

ASL Scenario VotG-12: Siberian Shockwave (Game Day 4)

German turn 3 start.

German turn 3 end.  The Stuka automatically is available for next turn.  The Russians have been pretty much pushed off the level 1 area of the map.

 

ASL Scenario VotG-12: Siberian Shockwave (Game Day 3)

 

Start of German turn 2

I don't remember much (two months since I played this) but this is the point where I stopped trying to take the buildings off to the left an started concentrating on the Docks.

ASL Scenario VotG-12: Siberian Shockwave (Game Day 2)

 Game day 2 of playing Siberian Shockwave today.  We were ready for a meaty scenario after a lot of medium or small ones.  My Russians vs Tycho's Germans.

Picking up where we left off.  My arty should have been smoke last turn, my 81mm mortar got off one smoke shot and then malfed.  I need that smoke - maybe it can be repaired.

End of Russian turn 2 and the Mortar is gone after rolling a 6 to repair it.  Not good.  The Russians do start making progress on the southern push to take the docks.  The Germans have not gotten a stuka yet (33% chance each turn, they auto get one every third turn if they did not get one in previous two).  I also have a Russian unit in DD27.

ASL Scenario VotG-12: Siberian Shockwave (Game Day 1)

 Started playing Siberian Shockwave today.  We were ready for a meaty scenario after a lot of medium or small ones.  My Russians vs Tycho's Germans.

The start of the game.  The Russians have to hold all the docks at game end or hold 5 of them and have gotten 20CVP off the board.  CVP count double exiting off the south or west edges (Opinion - if the Russians can get units off the west edge the Germans lost BADLY already).  

End of turn 1.  I made a HUGE mistake by dropping the arty as HE instead of smoke.  My Russians have made no progress heading south toward the docks and have taken lumps getting into the buildings in the west.

ASL BFP Iron Greeting finish

 Finished playing Iron Greeting today.  It is a small scenario and I am posting this months later so I don't remember why it took two game sessions.

Writeup from last week

ASL Scenario BFP 140: Iron Greeting

 Replayed this one with the new Freeze Sleaze rules in the latest journal (bypassing vehicles no longer kept units from firing out of the hex, only from out of the location).  

The Poles have to capture and hold onto the three circles buildings to win the game. Before when we played it was a comple blowout for the Poles, being able to freeze sleeze the Russian defenders well before their reinforcements arrived.

Start of the game with the VC buildings marked.  The Russian reinforcements come on the right side on turn 3.  In our previous game it was all over by the end or turn 2 with the VC buildings taken and the Poles waiting for the Russian reinforcements.

End of turn 4 on this game.  The Russian ability to keep firing made the vehicular sleaze freeze less effective but Russian fire on the first turn was pretty bad.  Later on it picked up but the damage was done.  Although the game was called on the end of turn 4 it was very close, a single CC could have kept the Poles from capturing a building and then the Russians would only need to keep holding onto it instead of recapturing one.  

ASL scenario Kalina Klash

Interesting scenario.  The Germans have 5 turns to destroy all the polish armor or control the two circled buildings.

 

End of the game.  The Germans probably rushed a bit, losing too many tanks early on and that big stack of broken units at the bottom of the map came from trying to rush as a stack after a single Polish squad.  The German guns also did not get into the game (they are on the trucks).  They had the ability to take out the Polish armor fairly easily.

ASL Scenario DB060: Acorns in the fire (second playing)

 US did better this time (me) but still too many mistakes.

Different setup allowing US troops to get in position without as much risk.

A couple of stupid mistakes and it ends up another German win.  Have to be very careful with the tanks till the fight with the German armor comes up.

ASL scenario FF 12, Hitler's Samurai by Heat of Battle (Game 2 - second game day, one month later)

 After a whole LOT of missed games due to illness, the blahs, work, power outages, and more blahs we finished up the game started last month.

After leaving off with the start of Russian turn 3 this is German turn 3 with the reinforcements now on board.  The Cats are formidable but have to kill enough Russian tanks to make up for their loss (if they are lost).

End of German turn 4.  Each Cat managed to take out two Russian tanks leaving just two on the board.  We did not count out the points remaining but if the German squad managed to Faust the tank in the center of the square it would have been very dicey for the Russians and even if they missed it would have been a challenge.  

ASL scenario FF 12, Hitler's Samurai by Heat of Battle (Game 2)

 After misreading the VC on the first round we played this one again.

Game Start setup.  Russians have to get a lot of CVP off the far edge or get the CVP from German unit elimination.  Russian losses are not a problem (other than they can't get offboard for points of course)

End of first game day (game turn 2).  I think my Germans are in a world of hurt.  The town is basically clear of defenders but the German reinforcements come on next turn.

ASL scenario FF 12, Hitler's Samurai by Heat of Battle

 The Russians have to get 64CVP either by exiting or enemy casualties in this one.  With 10 tanks to start with they have to cause casualties and not to very badly at losing tanks so they can get them off the board.  The Russians also get FB possible starting on turn 4 and a 120mm OBA battery.

Game start - Russian forced come in from Off Board but the Germans do not get Bore Sighting.

End of game after 2.5 turns.  The Russians were doing well till the turn 3 Defensive Fire phase when the German 75L finally immobilized a Russian tank and then the 37L with the Stielgranate rounds took out three Russian tanks in a row (a less then 10% chance of that happening) .  The Russian arty also did not make come into play, first two draws for Arty were red chits.  

We are going to give this another play through with a change to allow the Russian Arty to automatically get a black chit for the first draw.  The smoke from that should change up the result a bit and the Russian player will scale back the speed of the assault - he misread the VC thinking that he lost CVP for Russian losses, but they only have to worry about getting off the board and causing German CVP.

ASL scenario DB 192 - Express for Leningrad

 A scenario I totally goofed up on as the Germans.  Tycho handed me a solid defeat (even ignoring the whine at the end, I was on the path to losing).  The Germans have to take two factories and having one AFV north of the River with functional main armament to win.

Scenario start.  The ground is soft and woods are light (which I did not properly read up on).  Finally the two circled buildings are factories and I kept forgetting I could drive my tanks right on in to them...

Two and a half turns later out of a 5.5 turn game I concede.  The four Russian tanks were due on the map in the Russian half of the turn and I was down to a single functional AFV.  The gun had just revealed itself this defensive fire and instantly got two crits against vehicles it should have had only a small chance of killing.  But all my own fault for messing up too many rules and not making proper use of the factory for the tanks to stage in.

ASL scenario DB 157: Morning Massacre part 2

 Finished up Morning Massacre today.  No picture.  Just a note that that it is a much closer situation then I thought and might play it again.

ASL Scenario DB 157: Morning Massacre

 Too lazy (and busy) to log much.  I thought this scenario would be a walkover for the Germans but it was much closer then I thought it would be.  Will have to play it again someday.