ASL scenario J112: Prelude to Dying

No Pictures or nutin for this one, VASL croaked and took my vlog with it!

I played the Partisans in this one (once again) and got slaughtered, only fair after the last two!

Hopefully VASL will not croak on me next game.

Anyway, the scenario itself - probably a good one but I played horribly, out of position to start and over reacted from there.

Fireball Forward Operation Crusader scenario 1

I ran a game of Fireball Forward today.  Playing the game were my son as the Germans and my friend Cass as the UK in the first scenario of the Operation Crusader scenario book.  The game was played with 6mm miniatures and I used Hinches for inches.  Allowing the 6' by 6' map to be setup on a 3' by 3' table space.  I also used blinds and like them - will be using them from now on.  Most likely 3 blinds per real unit.  For this game it was 2 blinds per real unit.

The setup for the game.  The German setup area is to the right of the grey line while the UK enters on the bottom left.  Finally on the Top Left and left hand side  is where the Germans can retreat off the map after turn 4.  The game last six turns.  The lined felt is a wadi and depressions while the other two bits of felt are higher ground.

End of turn 1.  The UK enter the board while the Germans moved forward to try and get some early spotting and kills.  Both sides get some crappy rolls and no damage is done to either side. 

End of turn 2.  More firing and no kills.  One of the Germans does fail a morale check and somebody breaks a gun (the pink circle thing)

End of turn 3.  The UK forces swamp the German Armored cars (and got lucky when they are not hit by them).  Two German Armored Card are destroyed and the last one (with the broken gun) fails a morale check and is broken status.

A closeup of the Armored Cars getting swamped.

End of turn 4.  A German 232 Armored car runs forward and manages to kill two Crusader 1 tanks (lucky shooting).  In return he is fired upon by the remaining Crusader and a Humber and fails a morale check.  Further up the other 232 Armored car is destroyed by a lucky shot from another Humber.  Finally the UK finally gets arty contact and brings down a barrage on top of the German Panzerjager 1 mobile AT guns.  It is not pretty as both of them fail their morale checks.

And the end of the game, the UK Humbers rush forward and kill one of the Panzerjaegers.  The Germans have no way to win at this point and the game is called.

Some really crappy luck mixed with good luck in this one.  The early shooting was without any kills and then it was deadly - mostly for the Germans however.  With fast moving Humbers getting critical hits while needing a 7 on a D6 (you can get that by being within a range die that is also rolled), a 6 also meaning a critical hit so armor is not as good as it could be.    Looking to play another game at the end of April.

Memoir 44 and met new gamers!

I finally got a chance to meet the Cape Coral area gamers today, after getting a nasty cold a few weeks back and being too sleepy to game a couple days back.  We played Memoir 44, which is a good bit lighter fare then I'm used to - pretty close to being Commands and Colors goes WWII.  It was fun and they seemed to put up with me - so next month it is Command and Colors Nappies and perhaps another game I'll try to spring on them after that.

The Setup for the game.  I was the left flank US forces.  Danny next to me was the Right flank.  Across the table is Frank and next to him is Kinley.  Opening setup for the game.  The plan is to go straight up the beach and blast em!

A card or two into the game.  Allies are getting plastered more than the Germans but everyone is getting plastered.

And the game is done (I think).  Allies had 6 VC token things and the Germans just got their Seventh.  No Hey Diddle Diddle here, instead my left flanks guys blew away a German unit on the edge of the board and swept around to take two town squares and Danny's took one on his side but the cards and dice were deadly and the US lost 7 units.

Actually a better game then I thought it would be, could use a bit more chrome perhaps, but then I play ASL so I never think there is enough chrome in any other game - even though I think there is TOO much in ASL...

Looking forward to playing C&C Napoleon in May!

ASL J109: Break for Hungary

Played this ASL scenario on March 10th, the second in a trilogy of scenarios dealing with Croatian Paratroopers near the end of the war.  To win the Croatians need to get 8CVP off the left edge of the board OR get 8 higher CVP than the Partisans - and prisoners did not count for the exit VP.

The game setup.  Unlike the last scenario this time the entire map is in play,  it is also ammo shortage for all Support Weapons.  So no MG fire lanes (sniff sniff).

The Croatian first turn sees a swing of good and bad dice on each side.  Looking over the log it appears to have been pretty even this time.  Although Croat attempts to take out the MG and MTR near the bottom of the map were some of the crappy rolls - as were a number of the shots on the advancing Croats so I guess it evens out.

End of Partisan turn 1.  The dummies heading to the top of the map are ignored the rest of the game.

End of Croatian turn 2.  Still not a lot of progress though the MTR crew was broken and the leader of the Partisan troops is all that is unbroken in the south besides the MG.

End of Partisan turn 2.  The Leader routes with his broken squads in tow (still broken, only leader is concealed) and the MG team left the MG in position (too heavy to move) and hid.  MTR team rallies right quick however.

End of Croatian turn 3.  The MG team could not find the MG, my BRILLIANT plan not looking so brilliant in hindsight.  The +1 for being fatigued would have been better.  On the plus side the MG team was not a target for any shooting either.  The leader manages to rally one of his charges, just in time too.

End of Partisan turn 3.  The MG is found and it and the MTR break the 9-1 leader and squads with him on the road (where the Malfed LMG is).  The center of the Partisan line is still being stressed however.  With the rally of the squad in the south things are looking better there.

End of Croatian turn 4.  BREAKTHROUGH!  The Partisan MG is taken out by snakes from the Croatian mtr leaving the rout open for the Croatian troops.  The 8-1 leader rallied and brought some MG firepower into the center of the map to keep Partisans honest.  A game I thought was going all my way last turn runs a crapper this turn.  Unless more troops can be moved south (past that Croatian 8-1 leader and MG position) if is 5 to 2 in the south...

End of Partisan turn 4.  The Croation MG position proves to be no threat, rolling badly to NE or just pins versus troops moving with a number of hindrances in their favor.  The center is now secure(ish) and the south has two squads in position with andother two on the way.  A Partisan HIPster comes out of hiding to try and whack a Croatian squad in CC (Croatians went right by his position) - when I got an ambush I decided to move between the squad I moved into CC with and the 8-1 MG stack forcing him to fire at them rather than move if the other squad could not break my squad.

Luck swings my way in Croatian turn 5.  The move forward but do not break my squad in the south and in the center their 8-1 stack is DMd. 

End of Croatian turn 6,  lost Partisan turn 5 somehow.  My Partisans had slid south to cover the bottom of the map.  On the Croatian turn my squad guarding the north side of the hill is taken out in Prep Fire leaving the hill undefended (unless I wanted to lose Concealment on my hill stack).

Seemed to have misplaced another one!  Anyway, a bonehead move left my one squad broken from Croatian fire, but perhaps not so boneheaded after all - the Croat player did not have enough units left to get off the board after trying to make my Concealed stack reveal itself.  he could have gotten 6vp off but needed at least 8.  This game went right down to the wire.  I recommend it as an interesting situation and it appears it could easily go either way with lots of decisions required by each player throughout the game. 

Have to put this in there, my second win after a long stay in the pit of despair! 

ASL Journal 108: Danica Air

Played this ASL scenario with Tycho, I was the Partisans and Tycho the Croatians.  Partisans have to control 2 of 4 buildings AND control or destroy three of the Ammo Supply counters on the board.

The Croatians are defending an airfield, there are HIP units and fortifications in addition to what is seen.  The Black line is the board edge and the Partisans come on from three sides.

End of first Partisan turn.  Moving into position with no effective firing.

Opening shots of the game...  (that should say starts concealed)

Croatian Mortar goes on a rate tear with a CH to start of the festivities.  HEY, I didn't need to stack in order to create a Partisan firegroup - where did I get that idea in my head from?

End of first Croatian turn.  The Partisan MG stack (2MMGs under the 9-1) make short work of that offensive Croatian MTR.  Perhaps VASL doesn't have it in for me today after all.

Partisan turn 2 Prep Fire, no I can not whine about the VASL dice roller this game.  The MMG and MTR stacks make short work of the visible (ominous music time!) Croatian defenses on the Right side of the board.

Partisan Movement turn 2 part 1.  A 247 pops up and rolls boxcars on a 4-2 shot...

You lucky Bastards!  (my lucky bastards that is)

Picture caption says it all.  My leader and squad are toast if I have to rout (no quarter is in effect) with that Croation Half Squad there still...

And a second boxcars from that Half Squad seals their fate...

End of Partisan turn 2.  Croatian right flank in serious trouble with no Visible defenders (Ominous music) left and the Partisan MG stack keeping them from reinforcing.

End of Croatian turn 2.  Down at the bottom the squad he had send to grab my unitless LMGs got Dmd by MY MTR.  Those things are on a roll today.

End of Partisan turn 3.  Another HS pops up and takes a 1-2 shot, no luck there either.  A squad with an MMG is in that bunker too but they could not see out to shoot at my squad that entered their hex.  CC ended up with neither one getting hurt.

Croatian turn 3 ends up a disaster for them.  A shot from the Croatian 9-1 leader and MMG results in said leader getting killed and the squads with him DM...

At the end of the Croatian turn the Partisan Squad in the hex with the Bunker manage to kill off the Bunker squad while being Casualty Reduced in return.  At this point the Croatian player called it.  He had suffered a bad run of luck in this one.  Two critical rolls from the right side HS resulting in an NE when firing and then boxcars on the MC allowing his targets to rout.  Finally that big Sniper whacking his kill stack.

After months of losing I break out the Champagne (or in my case Diet Doctor Pepper) and celebrate.  After that early MTR rof tear I thought for sure it was game over but even with some sloppy (but aggressive) play the dice just rolled in my favor.  Maybe I like this game after all...

ASL scenario Pegasus Bridge 02

Started playing this one with Bob Z on February 23rd and finished it up by email on March 7th.  It was the second in our night game scenarios, the third was Classic H "Escape for Velikye Luki" which we just played on Friday.  In this one the Germans have to have a Good Order MMC within 3 hexes of the bridge at game end OR keep the UK from having a Good Order MMC within 3 hexes of the bridge at the end of any Game Turn.  UK are defenders but do not start with No Move markers while the Germans are NOT scenario attackers so do not start cloaked.

The map for the scenario, all that was really needed was the little town down to the bridge.  All of the actual game fighting took place within a 6 hex by 6 hex area.

End of German turn 1.  the tanks move out to Freeze Sleaze the UK, moving and Small Target cause the PIAT to miss when fired.  One UK squad got an Ambush and skulked away, the other one was killed in CC.  Just thought, the tank moved in during Movement, perhaps there should have been no Ambush roll.

End of UK turn 1.  Previously hidden guy with MG (bottom right) whacks a couple of squads and a UK stack moves up from the bridge to a building.  The German broken pile is mighty large and the UK line is a solid mass of troops.

End of German turn 2.  The 9-1 rallied all but a squad and a leader with him - and they were all DM to start.  A run of good rolls breaks the UK line just about everywhere (and some Freeze Sleaze).  The UK line went from solid to a giant gaping hole in one Player Turn.

The UK prep fire goes well except for the top right where the MC causes the broken 7-0 to BH to and 8-0 and the 10-2 leader sends his guys out to CC adjacent stacks.  As is typical for CC neither does any damage to either side which is bad news for the UK.  

End of German turn 3.  The UK squad at the top is still being a nuisance, giving worse then he gets.  The UK hero is taken out in CC - and he never managed to hit a tank with the PIAT.  Night LV, smoke, and target size always making JUST enough difference to getting a hit (missed by one a couple times).  The German 9-1 moved a couple squads next to the 10-2 lead attack on my tank and broke the UK squads.  9-1 and friends advance in and clean up the mess.  

End of UK turn 3.  The 9-1 blasts all the adjacent UK troops and the UK has no reserves left.

End of German turn 4.  UK troops were broken either by prep or already were broken.  9-1 moves in and they run away.  The other Melee that had been ongoing is finished when two more German squads move in and roll a 3 for CC.   The UK NEEDS a good rally phase to have a chance.

End of UK turn 4 and the game.  The UK does not get that good rally phase and concedes the game.  It ended up a slaughter for the UK but could easily have gone the other way, the lucky rally phase where the 9-1 rallied a platoon of DM squads and those squads blasting the UK line was very lucky.  A fun scenario and it makes me think more of playing the PB campaign game.  Yeah yeah, along with all the other ASL campaigns and scenarios I'm wanting to play...