ASL double header: Cibik's Ridge and Brasche Encounter

Played Two ASL scenarios on Saturday the 2nd, starting with ASL067 Cibik's Ridge and ending with DB001 Brasche Encounter.

This is my second time playing Cibik's Ridge and I now have a PERFECT record playing it - I've been slaughtered playing both sides now!

Situation at the start of the game.  My peace loving Japanese are out for a stroll in the Jungle while some dastardly US Marines wait in a cowardly ambush!

And the Ambush is Sprung!  Machineguns fire away.

Marines squads pop out of foxholes and fire too!

And the results of the first fire phase (turn 3) is 4 squad equivalents gone!

End of Marine turn 3.  Just plain ugly.  I should have put Half Squads in the first 4 hexes of the advance, that would have limited losses a good bit.

End of Japanese turn 4.  Very little progress getting up that hill, looking back I could have done a Banzai!

End of Marine turn 4

End of Japanese turn 5, could have done a Banzai...

End of Marine turn 5, line is holding and the Japanese dead stack is growing steadily.  There is a 21CVP cap for the Japanese and I am quickly heading for it.

End of Japanese turn 6, a leader and an HS Banzai into a hex with a single Marine HS and the Marine comes out on top?  I think I could have done a Banzai with everyone and probably should have. 

 I'm really starting to like the PTO and the Japanese, it simply takes time to digest all the changes.  I do want to play this one more time - with the lessons I have learned it should be a much closer contest.  As it was my Japanese ended up forcing the entire Marine force to break and run but they managed to recover before I could get to them again.

Now onto the second scenario of the day.  Brasche Encounter from Dispatches from the Bunker.  A fast playing small scenario with only 4 German elite squads on one side versus 7 Green French squads and 2 AMD35 armored cars.  The ACs and 6 of the French Squads arrive on turn 2 while the other squad is setup next to a bridge.  The object is to be the last one to hold the bridge.

Start of the Scenario.  A French leader, HS, and LMG are to the left of the bridge in the foxhole, the other foxhole is dummies, and in front of the bridge is a HS.

End of German turn 1.  Highlights are the French HS killing a German HS, the LMG put down a firelane and rolled doubles doing so for a Malfed LMG.  The French HS then tried a FPF shot on the now open adjacent hex and broke himself.  Since the Germans did not have a LOS straight down the bridge he managed to scamper away.

End of Allied Turn 1.  Highlights are the LMG being instantly repaired.  They fire and cause no damage but a pin and are pinned by return fire but since they have no place to go...

End of German turn 2.  The LMG places a Firelane and kills a German squad in the process.  They then fire on a hero coming across the bridge and break the LMG again...  The hero goes another hex so the HS does and FPF shot and yup, breaks...  Germans declare No Quarter and the squads start Low Crawling away while the hero takes up residence in their foxhole.

End of Allied turn 2.  The reinforcements arrive and advance into position.  It is really sad when 6 hexes is the maximum extended range but that is the way it is.

End of German turn 3.  The ATR immobolizes an Armored Car but all other fire from both sides is ineffective.

End of Allied turn 3.  The leader stack to the right manages to break the German LMG/ATR group in the woods.  The still mobile Armored Car then manages to get moving and overruns two German Stacks, breaking the MMCs in each stack and pinning the leader.  At this point we called the game since the Germans only had a hero left to defend with and maybe a single squad would be able to live through the rally phase.  The scenario is quick and fun but dicey (as many scenarios with a handful of AT weapons vs a handful of armored vehicles can tend to be).

ASL - the best game I ever played but the rules are a nightmare of legalese.  Sometimes I look at the rules questions online and think it is nuts to play this darn system, then I play a scenario and all is forgotten.  Looking forward to playing some more!

The US Civil War turns 8 and 9

Played turns 8,9, and 10 of The US Civil War on the 11th and am late writing it up.  I also forgot to take pictures of the turn 10 ending, so leaving that for the next writeup (should be July 8th, game is set for the 7th)

Recap of turn 7.

In the East Lee is staring down Grant.

In the West Bragg is holding Nashville.

In the far West the Union has an open path everywhere, just no way to get it supplied...

End of Turn 8, the North is falling behind schedule.

In the East the Union Naval Assault a fort and move inland.  Lee continues to stare down Grant.

In the West a Union force tried to take two resource hexes, they made it to the hexes and needed to hold them till turn end to destroy them (or move with a leader - but they did not have the MP left to do so).  Bragg leave Nashville to its fate and strikes!  He destroys all the US forces in the area and saves the resources (and Atlanta).

In the Far West the CSA has a token force and the US moves to take some CSA territory.

End of Turn 9, the US is starting to make up the VP deficit.

In the East Lee moves the CANV to the naval assault area and takes back all but the fort.  Confederates had the last move of the turn so a new force can be put in place if needed plus Richmond was already sacked once so it's value is much less now.

In the West Bragg moves to Bowling Green and the USA forces move to block him.  I believe they also took one of the CSA forts on the Mississippi (off to the left)

In the Far West the Union forces continue to march.

Things get much worse for the CSA in turn 10...

ASL scanerio DB002 Sochaczew from Dispatches from the Bunker

Played this scenario with Tycho on May 7th and finished it up on May 28th after communications problems forced us to stop playing early.  It is an early war scenario taking place in Poland, the Germans are attempting to get offboard and capture buildings for a total of 100 cvp.  If they take 50 cvp in losses they lose automatically as well.

Start of game.  Germans start to the right of the red line while the Poles start to the left of the blue line.  Hip units in the building to the top left, top middle, and bottom middle.  The German arty spotter is in the bottom area.

During German turn 1 the 37L opens fire and misses twice (firing out of +2 smoke and turning cause that even with a Rate shot)

End of German turn 1 and already he has two Malfed MA, without even trying IF shots too.

Polish Arty would be responsive and accurate throughout the game.

Pour it on boys!

End of Allied turn 1, the Germans manage to Malf another MA.

German half of turn 2.  It starts off with my two MTR crews both being killed.  One of my ATRs gets revenge by killing a tank and then my AT gun goes for an IF shot and...

I roll a 10 breaking it.  Couldn't be I had it placed badly, no...

In the Allied half of turn 2 there is a LOT of shooting...

End of Allied turn 2.

End of German turn 3.  The MG in V8 got a UK on the tank on the road and down south the Arty is continuing to do a fine job.  the 10-2 kill stack (10-2, 2HMG, and 2 457 squad in a fortified stone building) open fire and do squat.

End of Allied turn 3.  The front line building defenses are crumbling and I should withdraw - but don't...

End of German turn 4, his 150mm arty barrage does squat and my cleverly placed 457 fires and does squat!  (It would have been more clever if I had NOT shot with him, he was upstairs and I think the Germans would have gone right on by)

End of Allied turn 4, front line troops are broken or surrendered...

Oh hell, I can't spell and left the caps lock on!  Germans place a smoke barrage and my guy in the building can't see to fire OR run away!  He ends up dead in CC, Germans rolled a 5 for ambush and I grin and roll a 5 too...  My next to last leader and a 457 squad gone in a puff of smoke.

End of German turn 5.

End of Allied turn 5.  The line is holding.  The 10-2 and the HMGs make a strong defense in the north and the Arty is bottling up the south.

The German ATR fires and IFT shot at my 10-2 and HMG stack.

He rolls snakes!  I roll RS and select the leader and a squad, they both suffer a 2-4 shot and Tycho roll a 3 modified down to -1 and both die.  The remaining squad turns into a HS from the two MC checks.  (I later check and find that only 20L ATRs can use ITT)

I tell Tycho I fail my PMC and Tycho gives me a good long distance slap over Skype reminding me that I am most likely going to win based on points.  I deserved it after the bad luck he put up with in regards to his tanks (but thinking back I made an incredible number of sniper checks with a SAN of 5)

After that I start playing smart, falling back whenever possible.  At the start of German turn 8 (last turn) we count up that Tycho is roughly 30 cvp short of victory and would need to catch all the buildings (with two HIP guys in the one) and a bunch of other Polish troops holding the others.  The buildings alone would not be enough and only two tanks could get offboard for exit VP so at this point we called the game.